Can Johnny Save Cobra Kai?

The Beginning of Cobra Kai

Cobra Kai has lost track of its original Johnny Lawrence premise, and season 6 is the final chance to fix it. While Cobra Kai, especially after season 2, has followed multiple characters, Johnny Lawrence is arguably the show’s protagonist. Cobra Kai began with a story told from Johnny’s perspective, and it saw the original Karate Kid villain reopening the Cobra Kai dojo and making it its own.

Johnny with his hands behind his head in Cobra Kai

Johnny’s reunion with Daniel, combined with everything that was going wrong in his life, inspired the two-time karate champion to become a sensei. Cobra Kai season 1 was mostly about Johnny using all of his frustrations to create something that, compared to John Kreese’s Cobra Kai, was somewhat positive. This is a dynamic Cobra Kai season 6’s story must recapture.

A custom image featuring Johnny Lawrence in front of the Cobra Kai dojo

Johnny Lawrence and the Reinvention of Cobra Kai

One of the reasons why Cobra Kai season 1 worked so well compared to other reboots is how it flipped the roles of the original Karate Kid movie. Johnny Lawrence was now the protagonist, whereas Daniel LaRusso was sort of the antagonist. Cobra Kai season 1 cleverly incorporated the “Daniel was the bully” theory, finally offering Johnny’s side of the story three decades later. However, more than revisiting Daniel and Johnny’s rivalry from the latter’s perspective, season 1 reinvented the titular dojo itself. Cobra Kai was synonymous with villainy during both The Karate Kid and The Karate Kid Part III, which changed in Cobra Kai.

Suddenly, the heroes of the story were now part of the 'bad' dojo. This includes Johnny Lawrence, who believed he could be a better sensei than Kreese, and Miguel Diaz, the new “karate kid.” While Johnny kept a lot of Cobra Kai’s old ways, including the “No mercy” motto, he also tried to make the dojo into something positive. However, as soon as John Kreese and, later, Terry Silver came into play, Johnny lost Cobra Kai. Since Cobra Kai season 3, the Cobra Kai dojo is once again the home to the villains, which goes against everything season 1 built.

The Restoration of Cobra Kai in Season 6

The fact that Cobra Kai season 6 will be the show’s last means there will not be another opportunity for the show to give Cobra Kai back to Johnny Lawrence. However, more than defeating Terry Silver or John Kreese, season 6 must be about Johnny restoring what Cobra Kai can actually mean. Starting with season 3, Johnny himself has been against Cobra Kai and everything it represents. Lawrence even created a new dojo, Eagle Fang, and has been trying to steal students from Cobra Kai ever since. After Cobra Kai season 5's ending, Johnny is now one of the senseis of a newly formed dojo, the “Miyagi-Fang,” alongside Daniel and Chozen.

Cobra Kai’s most recent seasons have been about ending rivalries and finding the balance between two different karate philosophies. While those are interesting storylines, the show should not lose track of what made Johnny’s story so interesting in the first place. Johnny Lawrence is not Daniel LaRusso, and the former’s Cobra Kai teachings can still be valuable. Before Cobra Kai ends, Johnny must reclaim the Cobra Kai dojo and, most importantly, reinvent it once again after two years of John Kreese and Terry Silver. What this would mean for the “Miyagi-Fang” karate and its combined class of students remains to be seen.