Cobra Kai established yet another deep connection between Johnny Lawrence and Mr. Miyagi – although this time it’s even more painful. Although it appears that the Karate Kid spinoff would make Daniel LaRusso the new Miyagi, the series placed his old rival, Johnny from Cobra Kai, firmly within the archetype of this wise old sensei. From the beginning, it was Johnny who defended a nerdy teenager from bullies and helped this underdog become an All-Valley champion. Several seasons later, Johnny has even more in common with Mr. Miyagi in Cobra Kai.
Johnny has always been rude, and his role as a bully in The Karate Kid apparently would have disqualified him as Mr. Miyagi’s replacement. However, Cobra Kai proved that Johnny is kind of a diamond in the rough. In Season 6, Part 1, the old Cobra Kai golden boy has officially joined Daniel LaRusso’s Miyagi-Do and has been learning all about the balance between attack and defense. Johnny has advanced in fits and starts, slowly closing the gap between himself and Daniel’s beloved sensei – to the point that Johnny’s parallels with Mr. Miyagi have become much more literal.
Johnny Almost Losing Carmen and the Horrible Tragedy of Mr. Miyagi from Baby Parallel
Cobra Kai planted a touching connection
Back The Karate Kid (1984), Mr. Miyagi told Daniel that he had tragically lost his wife and son years earlier. This detail was mentioned again in Cobra Kai Season 6, part 2, when Daniel realized that his sensei would have participated in Sekai Taikai right after suffering such a tragic loss. Shortly after Netflix series audiences were reminded of this, Johnny learned that Carmen, who is pregnant with his unborn childwas rushed to the hospital. It was unclear whether the mother or child would survive.
Fortunately, Carmen underwent surgery and she and the baby were saved. However, the parallel between this near-tragedy and what Mr. Miyagi suffered all those years before is clear. Johnny is on a solid upward path in Cobra Kaibecoming a father, a sensei and a better person in general. However, if he had lost these two important figures in his life, he could have fallen down a much darker path. After all, that’s exactly what happened to Mr. Miyagi.
Cobra Kai Suggests Mr. Miyagi’s Loss Is Related to His Dark Past
Daniel needs to gain some compassion for Miyagi (and Johnny)
Daniel LaRusso has struggled Cobra Kai Season 6, thanks to the knowledge that Mr. Miyagi may not have always been such a good person. It was revealed in part 1 that Miyagi had committed an armed robbery and that his Sekai Taikai opponent had been killed, and all of this was simply too much for Daniel to swallow. However, the fact that Mr. Miyagi lost his wife and son before this indicates that This tragedy is all about the darkest moments of your past. However, this is not something Daniel could understand.
Still, as Daniel grows closer to Johnny, he’s likely to begin to better understand that Mr. Miyagi’s past doesn’t define who the man was. After everything Johnny has been through, he will certainly empathize with Mr. Miyagi and his past. He might get tired of Daniel’s unfair judgment of Mr. Miyagi and remind him that a person’s poor decisions are often a product of their experiences and do not necessarily make them a bad person. In the end, this could culminate in Johnny actually becoming the next Mr. Miyagi, and the trajectory of Daniel’s story could have him finally accepting that.
Cobra Kai Keeps Hinting That Johnny Will Be the Next Mr. Miyagi (Not Daniel)
The parallels keep piling up
The parallels between Johnny and Mr. Miyagi have been a significant part of the Cobra Kaiformula from the beginning. Johnny’s role with Miguel was an ironic twist on Miyagi and Daniel’s role The Karate Kid relationship, and the stark differences between these two teachers and their methods were part of the comedy of Cobra Kai. However, as the later seasons imply that Johnny and Mr. Miyagi aren’t so different after allIt’s becoming even more apparent that this character will end up taking on Miyagi-Do’s legacy in the end.
Both went through terrible experiences and had to work hard to claim redemption and secure positive morality.
Thanks to Miyagi’s influence, Daniel has been able to follow a clear moral path since his teens. However, Johnny and Mr. Miyagi were not so lucky. Both went through terrible experiences and had to work hard to claim redemption and secure positive morality. Daniel admitted he wanted to quit karate after Sekai Taikai and Amanda suggested that Johnny take over Miyagi-Do in her place. If that happens, it would solidify Johnny’s place in Mr. Miyagi’s place. Of course he would put his own spin on things Cobra Kaibut this is a position he clearly deserves.