For all fans out there, who grew up watching the OG Karate Kid franchise starring Ralph Macchio, were quick to assume that if anyday the time comes, Daniel LaRusso will be the true successor of Mr. Miyagi. After all, he won the tournament, crane-kicked Johnny Lawrence in the face, and became the protagonist of the franchise.
But this is where Cobra Kai did the unthinkable. In a major plot twist, the show flipped the tables and replaced Daniel LaRusso with another character, as the one true karate heir of Mr. Miyagi. And it was none other than Johnny Lawrence. Yep, the Netflix show turned into a redemption arc for Johnny, helping him rise from beer-chugging burnout to a wise sensei.
Johnny Lawrence becomes Mr. Miyagi’s true legacy in Cobra Kai
For years, Ralph Macchio’s Daniel LaRusso was the Karate Kid. He waxed on, waxed off, and flew into that epic crane kick like a boss. He had Mr. Miyagi’s full support and his bonsai-loving, Zen-master energy backing him up. So when Cobra Kai dropped on Netflix, fans naturally assumed Daniel would be the face of Miyagi’s legacy.
But nope—the karate crown slowly started sliding off Daniel’s head and landing squarely on Johnny Lawrence’s messy blonde pate. Why? Because Cobra Kai didn’t just give us nostalgia—it dared to flip the script and dive into the depths. So, while the OG films portrayed Johnny as a high school bully with great hair and bad choices, the Netflix show delved into his redemption arc.
The Netflix series, taking place long after the events of the Karate Kid films, showed Johnny Lawrence as a broken man trying to clean up the wreckage of his past. And since Mr. Miyagi always believed in second chances and growth, Cobra Kai allowed Johnny to take the ultimate redemption road trip and transform into a teacher who genuinely cared for his students.
So let’s break down, how Johnny Lawrence proved he was the real heir to Miyagi’s legacy:
- He taught from the heart: Like Miyagi, Johnny doesn’t just teach punches and kicks. He helps kids grow up, gain confidence, and face life’s real battles.
- He broke toxic cycles: Johnny stood up to John Kreese—his old toxic mentor—and created his own dojo based on honor, not fear. Also he forbade cheating.
- He learned from mistakes: Every time Johnny messed up, he didn’t just sulk. He owned it, learned from it, and came back stronger.
So while Daniel was busy obsessing over doing everything “Miyagi’s way,” Johnny was out there actually living the Miyagi philosophy. He took what worked, left what didn’t, and passed it on in his own messy, but meaningful, way.
How does Johnny’s journey mirror and honor Mr. Miyagi’s teachings?
Now, if you really invest yourself in Cobra Kai’s storyline, you might realize that Johnny Lawrence and Mr. Miyagi actually have a lot in common—more than Daniel ever did. They both started out as underdogs, who saved their students from bullies. They both lost important people in their lives. And they both used karate not just as self-defense, but as a tool to heal others.
It’s kind of poetic—like, the way Johnny started as the villain in the Karate Kid films, and then grew into a mentor who made Miyagi proud, in Cobra Kai. Much like Miyagi was a father figure to Daniel, who taught him karate via the “wax on, wax off” method, Johnny became a mentor to Miguel. But unlike Miyagi’s methods, Johnny used tough love and Cobra Kai’s methods of “strike first, strike hard, no mercy” to hone Miguel’s fighting skills.
And let’s not forget that powerful Season 6 arc where things almost come full circle, after we see Johnny falling in love with Miguel’s mother, and the duo awaiting a child, that they eventually lose due to complications from the pregnancy. This immediately reminds us of how Mr. Miyagi had told Daniel that he lost his wife and son due to complications from childbirth.
Not to mention, Season 6 also features a touching moment where Johnny makes peace with Kreese. That emotional maturity, my friend, is what we call Miyagi-level growth. So during that powerful moment when Johnny breaks down in tears and hugs his former sensei, it showcases his growth from being a classic tough-guy from the ’80s to a person who has finally dropped his macho facade.
Therefore, by allowing himself to feel and be vulnerable, William Zabka’s character, Johnny, grows into a more complete person and a wiser teacher—just like Mr. Miyagi, who faced his own painful past to become a mentor and friend to Daniel.
Cobra Kai is currently streaming in the US on Netflix.
This post belongs to FandomWire and first appeared on FandomWire
