Why Johnny’s Son Is Daniel’s Student, Not Cobra Kai

Cobra Kai may be inspired by The Karate Kid movie franchise, but its stand-alone brilliance stems from the fact that viewers can jump right into the action. Through flashback sequences, the Netflix series conveys important contextual information, and often replicates scenes from both of the first two films. Still, a firm understanding of the backstory does indeed matter, especially when discussing why Robby Keene (Taylor Buchanon) trains with Daniel LaRusso (Ralph Macchio) — the longtime enemy of his father, Johnny Lawrence (William Zabka).

Cobra Kai season 1 immediately makes it clear that Johnny and Robby don’t have a strong father-son connection. The series begins with Johnny musing about the past, and struggling to maintain healthy relationships with people in general. After a chance encounter with Daniel — now the successful owner of LaRusso Auto Group — Johnny decides to re-open the Cobra Kai dojo. Decades prior, he was forced to leave by his mentor John Kreese (Martin Kove) after losing to Daniel in the 1984 All-Valley Karate Tournament. Cobra Kai season 1 frames Johnny as a misogynistic bigot who’s stuck in the past, and a father who pays little attention to his son, Robby; a teenager who needs a strong male figure as a support system.

In Cobra Kai season 2, the character dynamics shift when Daniel opens Miyagi-Do in honor of his mentor Mr. Miyagi (Pat Morita), and also when Johnny welcomes his former mentor, Kreese, back to the Cobra Kai dojo. With the central conflict in place for the adults, the Netflix series cleverly boosts the drama amongst the supporting teenager characters. Robby becomes close with Daniel’s daughter, Samantha (Mary Mouse), a teenager who’s responsible for the series-opening car accident involving Johnny. Without any knowledge about The Karate Kid movie franchise, Cobra Kai viewers receive enough information to know that Robby trains with Daniel as a way to rebel against his aloof father who spends most of his time thinking about Cobra Kai’s past.

Robby trains with Daniel for practical purposes, but the character psychology implies that he’s looking for recognition from Johnny. In Cobra Kai season 1, Robby ends up squaring off against the Cobra Kai student Hawk (Jacob Bertrand) during an official competition match, and becomes the target of a “no mercy” cheap shot. And so the narrative reflects what transpires in The Karate Kid’s final act, which sees Cobra Kai students Bobby and Johnny intentionally injuring the Miyagi-Do student Daniel — illegal and underhanded moves used to gain an advantage in the competition. With Cobra Kai season 1, the subtle twist is that Johnny feels guilty about his teaching methods; he fully understands that Hawk’s actions reflect Kreese’s lasting influence on Johnny, which he has passed down to his own students. Even though Johnny wisely apologizes to his son Robby, his overall actions suggest that he’s not quite ready to man-up and fully take responsibility.

Cobra Kai season 2 uses Kreese as a way to initially divide the central characters, but also as a way to bring them together. Robby essentially becomes part of the LaRusso family after building a relationship with Samantha, and then becomes familiar with the history of Miyagi-Do. Meanwhile, Cobra Kai’s group mentality becomes even more aggressive, even though some of the students don’t necessarily intend to hurt anybody. New recruit Tory Nichols (Peyton List) forms a relationship with Miguel, who ends up kissing Samantha and ignites an all-out dojo brawl. As for Robby’s intentions, he’s stuck in a tough spot just like his father was in the original movie franchise. The difference, however, is that Daniel’s guidance provides Robby with hope for a better future. In Cobra Kai season 2, the evidence suggests that Johnny and Robby will resolve they differences moving forward, and may end up even fighting together as members of Miyagi-Do, based on the fact that Kreese is now in control of Johnny’s dojo.

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Q.V. Hough
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Q.V. Hough is a senior writer at Screen Rant. He’s also the founding editor at Vague Visages, and has contributed to RogerEbert.com and Fandor.

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