Cobra Kai continues the story of The Karate Kid from Johnny Lawrence’s perspective as the main character. William Zabka turns in a masterful performance as the former high school bully attempting to come to terms with his failed life while attempting to turn things around for the better.
Few television shows are written with such expertise as Cobra Kai, and its crystal-clear connection to the Karate Kid films couldn’t possibly be more perfect. The narrative is driven largely from Johnny Lawrence who steals the show as everyone’s favorite out-of-date man-child with a big heart, a bigger punch, and some of the best quotes around.
“Two Cobras In The Jungle. One Kills The Strongest Lion, The Other Kills A Crippled Monkey. Which Cobra Do You Want To Be?”
Miguel’s victory over Robby at the All Valley Karate Tournament came at the expense of both honor and ethics, and it was a harsh wake-up call for Johnny Lawrence. After all, he’d gone down the same dark path under the tutelage of John Kreese, and it ended up costing him everything.
Rather than congratulate Miguel (and Hawk), Johnny chastised them for their actions in the ring. Within the walls of the Cobra Kai dojo, Johnny asks this question to illustrate the difference between beating a strong opponent as opposed to a weak one. The latter is shameful by definition, while the former requires true skill and might.
“Change That Ring Tone. Get Some Guns N’ Roses, Or Something.”
Johnny’s first few encounters with Miguel didn’t exactly go so well. At the time, he was still angry, aimless, and unsure of where to take Cobra Kai beyond the concept of revenge against Daniel LaRusso. Miguel would become his first student, but the path towards building a solid relationship was testy at best.
After schooling Miguel on a little common sense (politically incorrect as it was), Johnny was subjected to Miguel’s EDM smartphone ringtone. Not having it, he quickly ordered the ringtone changed. It paid off, however, as Miguel went down a rabbit hole of 1980s heavy metal bands and came to adore the genre.
“Quiet!”
As a sensei, Johnny Lawrence doesn’t understand political correctness and doesn’t take shade from any of his students. When he needs to get their attention or keep them from talking over him, he usually yells “Quiet!”
This line became iconic to the series in many ways. He often resorted to it as a means of showing his authority in the first season. He used it a few times in the second season, but each time, his students snapped into place. He was always loud when he said this word, functioning as a way of shocking his students. They weren’t used to teachers who would yell out.
“A Coors Banquet For Me, And A Shirley Temple For The Lady.”
Johnny Lawrence and Daniel LaRusso still had their famous rivalry, despite the All-Valley Tournament happening three decades before Cobra Kai. It seemed that the two would never get along, but that changed when Daniel had to get Johnny a new car.
The two ended up going to the bar, where Johnny made the order, “A Coors Banquet for me and a Shirley Temple for the lady.” He pokes fun at how Daniel lived the good life after the All-Valley Tournament and he was stuck in a run-down apartment. Daniel was familiar with the high life, though that might’ve caused him to lose his edge.
“The Best Defense Is More Offense.”
At the start of Cobra Kai, Johnny was a man stuck in his own ways. He meant well, but he still thought of the world in extremely simple terms. When first teaching Miguel how to do karate, he said “The best defense is more offense.” Miguel was a kid who got bullied and was constantly afraid of those bigger than him. By Johnny teaching him this lesson, it allowed Miguel to turn the tables in his own mind and start to stick up for himself. This line also sets the tone for the sorts of lessons Johnny’s students would take from being in Cobra Kai.
“I’m Joking, It Sucks.”
After Miguel beat up bullies in high school, it was just the push that Cobra Kai needed to get more students. When talking to a host of new recruits, Johnny conditioned them by insulting them. When he passed Demetri, he said “Nice shirt.” Demetri thanked him, to which Johnny replied without hesitation, “I’m joking it sucks.” This was, by far, the least troubling of Johnny Lawrence’s insults, but that also made one of the funniest. Johnny has no filter, allowing him to throw out lines like this on the spot. Of course Johnny would see Demetri as a goofy nerd.
“Same Reason There Aren’t Any Women In The Army.”
For a good time, Miguel was the only Cobra Kai student. Johnny was desperate for more students, but no one walked in the doors until Aisha was ready to stop getting bullied. Johnny was apprehensive at first, saying that there were no girls in Cobra Kai.
When asked why, he said, “Same reason there aren’t women in the army. It doesn’t make sense.” Not only was this just a funny line, but it was another example of just how outrageously out-of-touch Johnny was with the rest of the world. This line confused even Miguel, who responded with an unsure facial expression.
“Pain Does Not Exist In This Dojo!”
Johnny Lawrence wasn’t afraid to give some his students some intense training. As a way of mentally preparing them for the challenges ahead, he said, “Pain does not exist in this dojo.” Of course, this was a line that he was taught by John Kreese when he was a Cobra Kai student himself. That said, Johnny cares more for his students than Kreese ever did, so it takes on a different meaning when he uses it. Unfortunately, it had a negative twist, as it backfired in helping to turn some of his students into ruthless street fighters who only thought with their fists.
“It Doesn’t Matter If You’re A Loser, Or A Nerd, Or A Freak! All That Matters Is That You Become Badass!”
Johnny’s initial crop of Cobra Kai initiates was anything but tough. Most were awkward and shy kids with personal hang-ups, physical disadvantages, and butter-soft personalities. As such, many of them were victims of bullying and harassment from classmates which pushed them to enter the Cobra Kai dojo for guidance and training.
After Johnny mocked most of the students on their appearances, he proceeded to instill a little tough love in them by turning the concept of the awkward outsider into a potential path for power and self-confidence. He started with Hawk who returned to the dojo with a badass haircut and a back tattoo which flew in defiance of his lip cleft. Although his methods proved to be a slippery slope, his overall message was correct.
“If I’m Extra Hard On You…”
At the start of Cobra Kai season two, Johnny punished Miguel and Hawk for how they bent the rules during the All-Valley Tournament. Both students didn’t understand this punishment, but Johnny spared an extra moment to tell specifically Miguel why. “If I’m extra hard on you, it’s only because you have the potential to be better than I ever was.” This line was enough to stay Miguel’s hand during his fight with Robby in the season finale. This was the point when Johnny Lawrence noticeably began to change his ways from the classic Cobra Kai. He wanted better for his students.
“You Should All Be Proud Of Yourselves. I Know I’m Proud. Your Parents Would Be Proud Too, If You Told Them What We Did Here Today… Which We Won’t!”
Kids growing up in the 2010s are living in a very different world from those who grew up in the 1980s. Safety standards are higher, regulations and red tape are everywhere, and there’s little room to get away with skirting the rules. Johnny didn’t seem to care about any of that, especially when it came to training his students.
He frequently put them into highly dangerous situations such as training in junkyards full of broken glass, rusty metal, and aggressive dogs, but he went way overboard when he put several of his students into a cement mixer and forced them to turn it. It’s no wonder he made it clear that no parent would ever know what transpired that day. Nevertheless, his methods worked.
“No, I Already Own It.”
Daniel LaRusso put out an ad for Miyagi-Do karate in season two of Cobra Kai. Johnny knew he had to respond, so he worked with his students to get one made. He then told Aisha that he wanted an AC/DC song in the background. She said that the rights would probably be too expensive, to which Johnny replied, “No, I already own it. I have the cassette in my car.” The students just looked at him, dumbfounded that he didn’t understand. A similar sentiment was held by the audience. It only makes sense that Johnny wouldn’t understand how rights work, but that’s precisely what makes it so funny.
“That’s Just Black Paint On A Wall.”
In the Cobra Kai dojo, the words, “Strike hard. Strike fast. No mercy.” were written as a motto for Johnny’s students. Johnny used them as a way to better teach his students, but he soon found the detrimental effects of those words.
Near the end of season two, he said, “That’s just black paint on a white wall,” before explaining that it was sometimes okay to show mercy to opponents. This was the moment when Johnny permanently defected from John Kreese’s Cobra Kai as well as the demons in his past. Unfortunately, he wouldn’t get the chance to reform Cobra Kai.
“I Wasn’t Taught The Difference Between Mercy And Honor And I Paid For It. If I’m Extra Hard On You, It’s Only Because You Have The Potential To Be Better Than I Ever Was.”
For Johnny Lawrence, Miguel wasn’t just a student, but a path towards redemption. By this point he had failed as a career man, a karate practitioner, and most importantly, a father. Training Miguel gave him the opportunity to right the wrongs of the past, and when he saw that Miguel was headed down the same road as he took in his early years, he tried to steer him back.
His words had an impact on Miguel who refrained from giving into his anger during a brutal fight against Robby. At the last minute he remembered what Johnny said, and let off his attack while apologizing to Robby. Unfortunately, Robby was so overcome with rage that he knocked Miguel over a banister and sent him crashing down onto a railing below, which put him into the hospital. Whether Miguel is willing to forgive and forget remains to be seen.
