While Danny's status as the villain in The Karate Kid is still up for debate, one thing is clear — thanks to the theory and Cobra Kai, it can at least be argued that Johnny Lawrence isn't a bad guy either.
Ultimately, though, Cobra Kai steadily reinforces the fact that Daniel and Johnny are neither heroes nor villains, but rather flawed individuals who are working out personal issues through karate.
And yet, over 35 years later, Kreese has been given a tragic layer of humanity, courtesy of the screenwriters for Cobra Kai, a Karate Kid spinoff that focuses on Kreese's struggling former disciple Johnny Lawrence and his thriving high school rival, Daniel LaRusso (aka “the good guy”).
In the All-Valley Tournament, it was Daniel LaRusso who famously won by beating Johnny Lawrence. However, that wasn't the only competition that Daniel won. In The Karate Kid III, he went up against Mike Barnes in the All-Valley Tournament and took first place trophy home once more.
The Karate Kid: Daniel is the REAL Bully [J. Matthew Movies, Ep 3]
Who is the real villain in Karate Kid?
Summary. The Karate Kid theory suggests Daniel may be the real villain, not Johnny, due to his actions in the film. Johnny is portrayed as a flawed hero in the film, with Daniel instigating conflicts that escalate the rivalry.
Daniel LaRusso moved to the area a little while later. Johnny mistakenly believed that Ali cheated on him with Daniel, leading the two to develop a rivalry for the next thirty-four years.
Though Johnny was an undeniable bully, this altercation was started by Daniel. After pranking Johnny by pouring water over him in the bathroom, Daniel ran off, hoping to escape. Of course, this didn't work out, and Johnny gave him a beating that could very well have killed him.
Chozen's easy win creates little confidence in Johnny's chances, but that's largely because he and Daniel are seen as equals. But if Johnny were to somehow defeat Chozen, he'd erase that narrative, and simultaneously make a solid case for himself as Cobra Kai's best fighter.
John Kreese is a fictional character and the main antagonist of The Karate Kid media franchise, portrayed by Martin Kove. He is introduced in The Karate Kid (1984) and returns in its sequels The Karate Kid Part II (1986) and The Karate Kid Part III (1989).
But the above-mentioned video, like many other die-hard The Karate Kid fans, points out that 'Daniel is the real bully' who was "a violent sociopath who picks every fight" and "moves to a California town and begins tormenting a local boy and his friends." The theory further claims that the tragic figure of the story is ...
Robby from Cobra Kai was also sometimes a hero as well as a villain. However, Robby's fight with Miguel, and his decision to continue to strike when it was clear he could do real harm to the young man, was a heinous act that puts him firmly among the top villains.
Over the summer, Daniel gets to spend more time with Mr. Miyagi as they go to Okinawa, where Daniel ends up meeting a girl named Kumiko who becomes his love interest and eventual girlfriend along with also getting into a rivalry with Chozen, who is Sato's karate student and nephew.
Amanda LaRusso (née Steiner) is a main character in Cobra Kai. She is the wife of Daniel LaRusso and the mother of Samantha and Anthony LaRusso. She is a devoted wife and mother, and the voice of reason after Daniel's rivalry with Johnny Lawrence is reignited.
The titular character, originally named Danny Webber, was renamed Daniel LaRusso to suit Macchio's Italian-American heritage. In the film, Daniel is a New Jersey kid who has just relocated to California and is suffering at the hands of a gang of boys who are part of a local karate school called Cobra Kai.
Unfortunately, Silver took the opportunity to use his katana and slash Chozen on his back, causing him to lose a lot of blood and fall into the water. Silver left him there to die. After Miyagi-Do successfully exposed Silver and Cobra Kai's horrible practices to the public, Daniel began to worry over Chozen.
So all things considered, The Karate Kid Part II villain and The Karate Kid Part III villain are the two most talented fighters on the show, so if there's any one around who can beat Silver, it would have to be Chozen. No one else is capable of challenging - much less defeating - him alone.
Chozen accuses Daniel of insulting his honor and begins to harass him. After several encounters, their feud comes to a head when Chozen vandalizes the Miyagi family property and attacks Daniel. Daniel and Mr. Miyagi decide to leave and return to the U.S., but Sato threatens to destroy the village if Mr.
The prized pupil of Cobra Kai's sensei John Kreese (Martin Kove), Johnny hated Daniel from the moment they met when LaRusso became romantically interested in Johnny's ex-girlfriend, Ali Mills (Elisabeth Shue), at a beach party.
In truth, Daniel was only a novice who owed his victory to his fighting spirit and a bit of luck. When it comes down to it, Johnny was the superior fighter—he just lost because of the bad guidance of John Kreese. As an adult in Cobra Kai, Johnny's experience still gives him the edge.
Throughout the series, Johnny and Daniel's rivalry is reignited, as they each start their own martial arts dojos and compete against each other. However, as the series progresses, they also begin to develop a grudging respect for each other and work together to train their students.
Daniel was defending both himself and Ali. The sucker punch was cheap for sure, but Johnny was the instigator. Johnny and the cobra's push Daniel off the sidewalk and down a hill on his bike because they thought it would be funny. That's OBJECTIVELY bully behaviour.
A huge problem of his in the 3rd movie, was that he feared that he was becoming a monster because of his training under Terry Silver. He broke a kid's nose in a fight and felt extremely bad about it. So even if he weren't afraid of Mike Barnes, he'd still be very non-confrontational like he was in the third film.
Johnny is the leader of the Cobra Kai and the second meanest of them (only second to Dutch). Throughout the film, he bullies and harasses Daniel due to the latter becoming friendly with Ali Mills, his ex-girlfriend. Johnny does not show the enemy any mercy, which is what Kreese has taught him to do.
