Johnny Lawrence

> Look... I wasn't taught the difference between mercy and honor and I paid the price for it. If I'm extra hard on you, it's only because you have the potential to be better than I ever was. You want that, don't you?
>
> Johnny Lawrence to Miguel Diaz, Mercy Part II

**Johnny Lawrence** is the secondary antagonist of *The Karate Kid* and one of the main protagonists in the Netflix series *Cobra Kai*. He is portrayed by William Zabka.

Johnny was once the troubled rich kid of the Valley who started a feud with the new kid Daniel LaRusso, which went on for over thirty-years. His vicious training in martial arts by John Kreese made him a formidable opponent, and he was the top student at the Cobra Kai dojo. After losing the 1984 All Valley Karate Tournament, Johnny's life turned upside down and remained that way into his adulthood, and he became the estranged father of Robby Keene. In an attempt to reclaim his life, Johnny reopens Cobra Kai Dojo and becomes a sensei to an entirely new generation of students.

Johnny lost Cobra Kai to Kreese, which inspired him to open a new dojo, Eagle Fang Karate. When Kreese declared war on Eagle Fang and Miyagi-Do, Johnny was forced to make an alliance with Daniel to dismantle his former Sensei once and for all. As he struggled to earn Daniel's respect, Johnny searched for a way to establish his aggressive style of karate as legitimate. Meanwhile, he tried to sort out his personal struggles with his history of dysfunctional relationships, successfully making a new start with Carmen Diaz and repairing a fractured relationship with Miguel.

After losing the 2019 All Valley, Johnny put the dojo behind him and focused on fixing his relationship with Robby. After learning he's an expectant father with Carmen, he decided to end the rivalry between Miguel and Robby so there would be peace before the child was born. He is pulled back into the dojo war when Silver badly beats Daniel during a parlay. He aligned with Daniel, Chozen, and reconvened his Eagle Fang students. Together, they faced-off against Silver, who was at his strongest.

## Biography

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Johnny was born on August 20, 1967, to Laura Lawrence and an absent father. He has some very preliminary memories of his father, who left him when he was in kindergarten.

When Johnny was very young, he was up late one night, playing with some of his toys. His mother, Laura, returned home and announced that she was going to be marrying Sid Weinberg, and that their lives would be better; Sid was very rich and could take care of them. This triggered Johnny to scream and run to his room in opposition. When Laura followed him to his room to explain things to him, she found a box of items that used to belong to Johnny's father, and the boy had saved them as keepsakes. This infuriated Laura, whom insisted that Johnny's father abandoned them, and that she was going to destroy the box and the items within.

Laura married Sid, a TV producer in Beverly Hills. However, he was a highly abusive man who used his financial power to intimidate Laura and Johnny. Johnny became the primary target of Sid's disdain, being verbally and emotionally abused. Johnny learned to distance himself from the fighting by listening to his Walkman. At school, Johnny didn't have any friends and was bullied by the older students. In 1979, Johnny found a karate dojo called Cobra Kai, with John Kreese teaching his students self-defense inside. This inspired Johnny greatly, and he immediately informed his parents about his desire to begin training there. Sid disapproved of the choice as he Johnny had already failed at magic lessons, drum lessons, and other things, but he relented his onslaught when Laura suggested it could help Johnny make friends.

Once enrolled, Johnny was taken under Sensei Kreese's wing, where he rapidly advanced in his learning. One day, after Johnny was awarded his blue belt, Kreese found Johnny crying. Johnny explained the problems he was having at home, but Kreese was unsympathetic to Johnny's plight. He told Johnny harshly that the instant tears left his eyes he becomes a loser and that he did not train losers. Kreese forced Johnny to shout that he was a winner, which Johnny did, and in doing so, shed his timid, meek demeanor he had been up to that point.

Johnny eventually took part in the All Valley Karate Tournament in 1981, where he lost his fight to the eventual champion Darryl Vidal in the quarterfinals. However, he didn't make the fight easy on Vidal, which made Kreese realize he would not lose again. Johnny proved Kreese right by going on to to win the tournament in 1982 and 1983, beating his friend Tommy in the finals in the latter. He became close friends with Cobra Kai members Bobby Brown, Dutch, Tommy and Jimmy. Together, they formed a friend group that terrorized younger students and mocked them for their "loser" ways. They thought highly of themselves because they dated several girls, rode motorcycles, and were the strongest kids at school. They were all part of the school soccer team as well.

In the summer of their sophomore year of high school, Johnny and his friends attended a screening of *Rocky III*. They were seated behind a group of girls. Dutch threw milk-duds at the girls and one of them, a blonde named Ali Mills, stood up and confronted him. Johnny went on to form a two-year relationship with Ali. In the summer of their senior year, Johnny and his friends went to a bar and got so drunk that he missed Ali's birthday, which led to her ending their relationship.

## Film series

### *The Karate Kid*

On the last night of summer, Johnny and his friends from Cobra Kai drive their motorcycles to a beach party. One of the friends says their criminal records have been sealed, but Johnny wants to put whatever happened behind him as an "ex-degenerate". Tommy points out that Ali Mills is at the party, and Johnny's attention turns to seeing Ali with an unfamiliar boy, inciting jealousy. Bobby and Jimmy advise Johnny to apply his newfound positive attitude towards Ali, as she is "ancient history". Despite this, Johnny drives down to confront Ali, but she rejects all his advances, and the two quickly get into a fight. The boy, Daniel LaRusso, intervenes, trying to stick up for Ali. Johnny quickly pushes Daniel down, and the two get into a brawl against Ali's protests in which Johnny wins and leaves, but not before being sucker punched by Daniel.

In the following weeks, Daniel occasionally falls under the ire of Johnny and the rest of the Cobra Kai gang, who harass him, which inadvertently gets Daniel kicked off the soccer team. Daniel thinks of joining a dojo to fight back, only to realize the one he checked out was Cobra Kai, giving Johnny and his friends another chance to hurt Daniel by overpowering him on their motor bikes and shoving him down a ravine. After this, the harassment seems to taper off.

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During a Halloween school event, Johnny was in a bathroom stall about to smoke a joint, when Daniel put a hose over him and drenched him with water. Johnny, enraged, gathered his friends who were clad in skeleton costumes matching Johnny's, and pursued Daniel down the street, before cornering Daniel at a chain link fence and beating him in revenge. Johnny attempts to continue the beating of Daniel, performing a move that, had it hit its intended target, would have likely killed an unconscious Daniel. Despite Bobby insisting that Daniel has had enough, Johnny tells Dutch to hold Daniel up before attempting a flying kick. That's when, unexpectedly, Mr Miyagi showed up, causing Dutch to drop Daniel and Johnny to fail to hit Daniel. He then effortlessly takes down Johnny and his gang, and takes Daniel to safety.

Miyagi and Daniel later showed up to the Cobra Kai Dojo, requesting of Kreese that his students leave Daniel alone, but Kreese's stubbornness resulted in both Kreese and Miyagi deciding to have Daniel compete against the Cobra Kai in the All-Valley Tournament. Miyagi then requested Kreese to tell his students to leave Daniel alone until the tournament. Agreeing, Kreese ordered Johnny and his gang to stay away from Daniel until the debut of the tournament. While Daniel saw them rarely after that, there was an occasion where Daniel openly taunted Johnny and his friends as he knew they couldn't harm him. Johnny, furious at Daniel's taunts was almost ready to attack Daniel, until he was restrained by Bobby, who reminded Johnny of Kreese's order not to fight. Another chance for harassment occurs at school when Daniel and Ali reaffirm this truce between Johnny and his gang, and it seems that they are going to do something to Daniel, but when a teacher shows up telling Daniel a long and boring lesson, Johnny and his gang leave, not wishing to wait for a fight or listen to this boring lecture.

Johnny would attend the Encino Oaks Country Club for a social event involving many of the members, including Ali Mills and her family. Johnny would share a dance with Mrs. Mills before Ali's mother insisted on having her husband back for the remainder of the evening (whom had been dancing with Ali). Johnny and Ali would start to dance, and Johnny would ask Ali for a truce, but Ali rebuffs this. Johnny would ask Ali to finish the dance number that was going on, which Ali did. But when Johnny spotted Daniel LaRusso spying on them from the kitchen, he would grab Ali and force a kiss on her so that Daniel would see. Ali would get very angry and actually punch Johnny over this. Daniel would run into a waiter covering both of them with spaghetti, and Johnny would join the entire assembled people to laugh and mock Daniel over his dilemma.

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Once the day of the All-Valley Tournament finally arrived, Johnny rocked his way up to the finals, where he was pitted against his now-rival, Daniel LaRusso. After Daniel won the first two points, Johnny went to Kreese, who told Johnny to “sweep the leg”, shocking and horrifying Johnny as a result (while also realizing that Kreese may have gone too far). Johnny followed through by sweeping Daniel's foot and fighting more aggressively, allowing him to tie the score. Daniel however ultimately defeated Johnny using the Crane Technique and winning the tournament. Johnny then gives the first-place trophy to Daniel and tells him he's all right (thus showing that he's now become Daniel's former rival).

### *The Karate Kid Part II*

> That sucks! I did my best!
>
> Johnny to Kreese after losing the tournament, The Karate Kid Part II

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Immediately after the tournament's conclusion, Johnny argues with Kreese in the parking lot. Johnny argues that he did his best and doesn't believe that second place is that bad. Kreese becomes enraged by the statement and Johnny's loss, and tells him he is off the team. He snatches Johnny's trophy, breaks it in half, and calls him a loser. Johnny angrily calls Kreese "sick", but Kreese quickly puts Johnny into a headlock and strangles him from behind. Johnny's friends, with the exclusion of Dutch and Jimmy, tried to save Johnny from Kreese but are either assaulted or threatened with assault. Mr. Miyagi witnesses the events and steps in, eventually immobilizing Kreese. Miyagi pretends to strike a killing blow before honking his nose, saying that for someone with no forgiveness, living is a worse punishment than death. Daniel and Mr. Miyagi then left Kreese in the parking lot, while Johnny and his friends dispose of their Cobra Kai gis, signifying their resignation from the dojo.

### *Karate Kid Part III*

Johnny appears in a montage at the beginning of the movie. He along with his friends permanently left Cobra Kai, as in the present day, the Cobra Kai Dojo is devoid of students. When arguing with Terry Silver about the crane kick, Daniel references his victory over Johnny by saying that the Crane kick worked the last time. This angers Silver who, in return, claims that Daniel's new opponent Mike Barnes is superior to Johnny.

## Interim Years

In the three decades since the 1984 tournament, Johnny's life had gone downhill. He did a short stint at community college, though an incident forced him to withdraw. He admitted to partying all of his twenties and most of his thirties away. He racked up a police record of public intoxication and fighting, but was spared harsher criminal penalties because of Sid's influence. In 1993, he and his high school friend Dutch had an incident at Encino Oaks Country Club that resulted in Dutch being prosecuted, but Johnny was again spared because of Sid's influence. As he collected his criminal record, Johnny's privilege of having a wealthy stepfather helped keep him from suffering the repercussions that others in his position faced. Sid accused Johnny of freeloading off of him later in life, a charge Johnny did not deny. Johnny has cited vacations in Mexico and Reno Nevada involving his high school friends that took place during these years that all involved a alcohol, women, and other debauchery. Johnny worked odd jobs to both support himself, his alcoholism, and the lifestyle he had become accustomed too. At some point, Johnny became certified as a construction worker. In the late nineties or early 2000s, Johnny developed a relationship with fellow alcoholic and addict, Shannon Keene. Shannon became pregnant and they welcomed their only child, Robert "Robby" Keene.

> I failed my kid on his very first day in this world.
>
> Johnny on the day Robby was born, Fire and Ice

However, a week before Robby was born, Johnny's mother died. He was driven deeper into his depression by the loss of his mother, who was the only person who truly believed in him. On the day Robby was born, Johnny was drunk at a diner while Shannon gave birth in the hospital across the street. This absence carried into Robby's childhood, with Johnny rarely supporting their child or visiting them. Johnny instead believed that Shannon would be able to handle being a single mother and left. At some point, Sid cut him off financially and kicked him out of his house, although he continued to 'look out' for Johnny via his lawyers keeping Johnny's infractions from being more severe then they were. Further rattled by his losses, Johnny kept to his past behavior of being a troublemaker and continued to have illegal blips such as an incident at Applebee's that resulted in a ban, neglecting to pay child support, and partying. To better support himself and his addictions, Johnny put his construction certificate to use and was hired as a home contractor. He drifted from job to job and moved into a rundown apartment complex in Reseda, where his life reached a stale point of working and being drunk.

## *Cobra Kai*

### Season 1

In 2017, while living in Reseda, Johnny worked as a home-improvement worker but was fired after an argument with a persnickety customer. Afterwards, Johnny went to a convenience store where he encountered a group of high school students bullying his neighbor Miguel Diaz. The bullies provoke Johnny after they pushed Miguel into his Pontiac Firebird. After a brief fight in which Johnny defeats the posse of students, Johnny was arrested. The next day, Johnny is released from police custody. He comes home to see his stepfather Sid, who has had enough of his problems and gives him a check to "buy him out" of his life. That night, Johnny is at home drinking when he has a flashback of his high school days and goes out for a drive.

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While driving around the city at night he ends up at the All-Valley Sports Arena where he was defeated by Daniel LaRusso and was nearly choked to death by his own sensei, John Kreese. He is snapped back to the present when a vehicle driven by Yasmine who was with two other girls end up smashing into his Pontiac Firebird, an enraged Johnny attempts to chase after the teenagers but the crash disabled his car. His car ends up being towed to Daniel LaRusso's car dealership and for the first time in 34 years, he comes face to face with Daniel. Daniel is happy to see Johnny and has his car repaired for free. While at the dealership, Johnny recognizes one of the teenagers from the night before as none other than Daniel's daughter. After his visit at the dealership, Johnny decides to re-open Cobra Kai and his neighbor Miguel becomes his first student.

While teaching Miguel a lesson, Johnny is interrupted by a call from the headmistress of Robby's school, who informs Johnny his son was caught with drugs. An angered Johnny chastises Robby over the phone about the dangers of drugs and how he will throw his life away, to which Robby retorts if that is true he will turn into his father. Hurt by that insult, Johnny asks the school marm to report the matter to Robby's mother (who is nowhere to be found). Johnny then went back to Miguel after the phone call ended, teaching him to imagine his enemy while punching the dummy, giving him motivation.

 File:JohnnyAndDanielSeason1.jpg
Another time Johnny was in his office filling out insurance forms, when he was approached by Daniel over the matter of being arrested for the fight with the teens, as one of them was a suitor to his daughter. Without either man getting the full story, they begin trading insults, but it stops short of a fight, as neither man wants a rerun of their high school years. While Daniel berates Johnny for being a go-nowhere who has trouble with his own son, Johnny returns the insult that Daniel ought to get his own house in order considering her daughter's boyfriend and his gang attacked his student, who was smaller than them. This scene reflected that while Johnny is indeed in poverty and a failed relationship, he is far better aware of his troubles than Daniel's own, as Daniel's troubles with his own children are masked by his social status. From a familial and financial standpoint, the tides are turning against Daniel and towards Johnny, albeit very slowly.

After a few months with only having one student (Miguel), Cobra Kai becomes very popular and he gets a full dojo. He eventually goes to Sid's house, where he gives him all the money he used to buy back Cobra Kai. He tells Sid he never needed his money, and then bids him farewell for good, as he no longer needs him in his life. Afterwards, Johnny decides to try to make amends with his son, Robby. After he hears a commotion outside his apartment he discovers Daniel's cousin smashing his car with a bunch of biker goons. Enraged, Johnny defeats the goons and makes Daniel's cousin tell him where he lives. Johnny goes to Daniel's house to confront him, but the fight is defused by Daniel's side of the story, who truthfully states he had nothing to do with that and is appalled by Louie's conduct, as well as Amanda, who invites Johnny to have breakfast with them.

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Daniel makes amends for the lost car by giving Johnny the car of his choice from the LaRusso Auto Group. During this, Daniel and Johnny begin to bond, and they even visit the former apartment Daniel used to live in as well as drink in a bar. The two then go back to the LaRusso home where they decide to have one last fight. But Johnny discovers Daniel had been teaching his son karate Johnny gets angry and shoves Daniel into his karate trophies, resulting Daniel kicking Robby out of his home. After a night of binge drinking, Johnny goes to the All-Valley Tournament with his class, where he motivates them that they struck first to earn their way there. Cobra Kai has a marked presence at the tournament, with Aisha Robinson making to the quarterfinals, Hawk to the semifinals, and Miguel to the finals after he beats 2017 All Valley champion Xander Stone. Miguel defeats his own son Robby by fighting dirty in the championship round. As the tournament ends, he approaches Daniel and Robby, apologizing to them, and is congratulated by Daniel for the win. After celebrating his empty victory at the dojo, knowing he's driven his son further away and misguided his students, a shadowy figure walks in who congratulates Johnny. The figure emerges and turns out to be his old sensei, Kreese.

### Season 2

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Johnny is shocked that Kreese is alive. He however is still angry at Kreese and even attacks him. Despite struggling at first, he is able to get the better of Kreese. He puts him in the choke-hold, but then remembers Kreese choke-holding him following the 1984 tournament. Not wanting to be like him, he shows mercy by letting him go. Kreese however, does not feel the same way and he kicks him. Kreese tries to convince Johnny that they should work together at the dojo but Johnny refuses as he is a better person and knows he is still evil. At the dojo, he scolds Miguel and Hawk for their cheap shots at the tournament, announces that cheating will no longer be tolerated, strips all his students to white belts, and forces Miguel and Hawk to do 50 push-ups. Johnny warns Miguel that there is a fine line between mercy and honor, and he paid an expensive price in the past for crossing that line.

When Kreese fixes his second-place trophy from the 1984 tournament and apologizes for his behavior, Johnny, distraught and crestfallen after a tense meeting with Daniel and Robby, forgives him and allows him to co-teach at the dojo.

 File:Johnny&KreeseMixingTruckTraining.jpg
When his students are goofing off at a practice, Johnny orders remedial training to give them an attitude adjustment. He orders the kids to mix cement, then borrows a cement mixer from a friend. Demanding several kids get inside the drum, Johnny says they are to make that drum move on their own power or become living statues, frozen in time, and cement. Johnny's lesson to the kids was that they will stagnate just as cement that stays in one place for too long hardens and gets stuck. Kreese congratulates Johnny for getting the students' attitude back on track and offers to buy him beers (though he has mild concern the lesson could have gone too far). While walking with Kreese, Johnny is met by Daniel, who came to speak to him about Shannon's residence being inappropriate for Robby due to her nonpayment of utility bills. However, when Daniel sees Kreese, he is convinced more than ever Cobra Kai is out to ruin him. Disgusted that Johnny is so ignorant to let the man who Mr. Miyagi saved him from back into his life, Daniel doesn't tell him about Robby

When Miguel and Hawk find out that Robby is Johnny's son, they believe he is being hard on them because they dishonorably attacked his son and even confront him. Johnny reveals that while Robby is his son, he does not tolerate cheating and tells them to mind their own business. However, he soon tells Miguel how badly he screwed up with Robby and that what he likes the most about his job as sensei is that Miguel is a good student who takes instruction well.

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When Daniel advertises Miyagi-Do karate as a tuition-free dojo, Johnny believes Daniel is attempting to steal his customers. Daniel is indeed attempting to do this in order to stop Kreese, although he privately admits to Amanda that unlike Kreese, Johnny knows his limits. A demonstration by Miyagi-Do at a carnival is suddenly upstaged by Cobra Kai, who give the crowd a rousing performance set to hard rock music, and engineering by Kreese. Johnny ends the show by smashing several wood blocks that are on fire, earning him a standing ovation and causing people to see for themselves that Cobra Kai earned the recent All-Valley win. This is antithetical to Daniel, whose attempt to recreate the infamous ice block break he did in Japan was aborted. The next day, Johnny is able to recruit two new students who have seen their Valley Fest performance; hardware store owner Stingray who wants to achieve his childhood dream, and female teenager Tory Nichols.

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After hearing from Miguel that Kreese's stories aren't adding up, Johnny becomes suspicious. He follows Kreese into a homeless shelter. When the two meet face to face, Kreese explains that he couldn't get reenlisted in the army because they wanted young blood, and he has been living in the homeless shelter for a long time. Remembering the blows he himself has been dealt over the years, Johnny puts his full trust in Kreese.
Under Johnny's nose however, Kreese poisons several of Johnny's students' minds particularly Hawk and gets them to be more ruthless. When Daniel confronts Johnny about destroying his dojo, Johnny tells him he does not know what he is talking about, as he had nothing to do with that, and was unaware Kreese ordered Hawk and some other of his students to do this. Johnny then tries to get one of them to reveal that they destroyed the dojo by punishing them, but no one cracks. Johnny, however, gets a phone call which forces him to leave for the day but not before telling Kreese to run the dojo.

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Johnny goes to a hospital where he meets former Cobra Kai friends Bobby and Tommy and soon, Jimmy. Tommy has been diagnosed with cancer. Knowing that Tommy does not have much time to live, the four spend the day hanging out so Tommy can spend his final day having good memories. That night, Tommy admits that he had feelings for Ali and encourages Johnny not to give up hope that he can change the course that his life took. Tommy dies in his sleep, which devastates his friends. Upon his return to his dojo, Johnny finds out that Kreese has been poisoning his students' minds and turning them into corrupt and vicious human beings, and angrily forces Kreese to leave the dojo for good.

Johnny develops a crush on Miguel's mom Carmen but is upset when she is seeing someone else. However, when he notices that her date is unfaithful, he beats him outside of a bar and forces him not to see her again. He then asks her out and the two go on a date. However, when Daniel and his wife Amanda LaRusso come to the same restaurant and have to sit with Johnny and Carmen both Johnny and Daniel are unhappy. At first, they brag about their dojo's, but after Johnny tells Daniel that he kicked Kreese out of Cobra Kai, the two bond, joke around and appear to be getting along. Johnny even finds out from Carmen that the LaRusso's had enrolled his son into his alma mater, which he appreciates.

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After Johnny comes home from his date someone knocks on his door. He thinks it's Carmen, but when he opens the door he is shocked to see Robby and a drunk Sam. He allows them to spend the night. He tells Robby the following morning that he will have to tell Daniel what happened, but Robby tells him not to and that he will take the fall. However, when Daniel knocks on Johnny's door, Johnny admits that Sam is inside but does not allow in Daniel until he calms down, and shuts the door. Daniel then kicks the door open and the two have a brief fight until Sam and Robby intervene. Daniel angrily takes Sam home.

Johnny takes Robby to his first day of school and has an awkward conversation with his son about the LaRusso's, with Johnny ignoring a phone call from Miguel. After Miguel is rushed to the hospital as a result of Robby kicking him off a railing at school, Johnny goes to the hospital. At the hospital, Carmen blames Johnny for Miguel's injury and tells him she does not want to see him again, Johnny listens to a voicemail Miguel left earlier and peaks in Miguel's room, who is lying unconscious, causing him to cry and feel guilty.

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Johnny goes back to the dojo where he sees Kreese training several of his students. Kreese tells him he and a landlord made a agreement for him to take full ownership of the dojo. Several of Johnny's students are now training with Kreese, and Hawk blames him for Miguel's injury. Feeling betrayed by Kreese and his students, Johnny angrily leaves the dojo, but not before telling Kreese that if he wants Cobra Kai; it's his.

Johnny goes to the beach where he angrily throws his phone into the sand. He then spots the Cobra Kai logo on his car and in disgust, throws his keys into the car and walks away. Unbeknownst to him, Ali, whom he sent a Facebook message to, has sent him a friend request.

### Season 3

In the weeks that follow the school brawl and his loss of Cobra Kai, Johnny spends his days in bars drinking to soothe his problems. He watches the television which details the events of the West Valley High School brawl. The police appear on the screen, informing the public that they are searching for West Valley High student Robby Keene, who has been missing since the brawl. Robby is wanted in the assault of Miguel Diaz that left the All Valley Karate champion comatose and injured. When a bargoer takes the remote and change it to a football game, Johnny demands them to change it back, which they ignore. When the game ends they return the remote and leave, though they mock Miguel for being the "*coma kid that nobody cared about*". Angered, Johnny follows them outside and attacks them in their car. He is easily overpowered due to his intoxicated nature, and arrested by the police for inciting a fight. Now in a holding cell, Johnny is recognized by a police officer who asks if he is Robby Keene's father. They talk for moment with Johnny claiming Robby is a good kid despite the officer thinking he's a delinquent. He is released from prison in the morning, and goes to the hospital to visit Miguel and his family. He is turned away as he isn't family, so he initially tries to disguise himself as a doctor. His facial injuries quickly prove this line of fraud impossible, leading Johnny to ram his head into a paper towel dispenser in order to be admitted to the ICU. He finds Miguel and tells the comatose boy to fight as he can do this, giving him a pep talk that Miguel subconsciously hears. Johnny is ultimately asked to leave the room by Carmen.

Johnny is discharged and returns to his apartment, only to find a concerned Daniel LaRusso waiting for him. Daniel convinces him to help locate Robby before it's too late. The unlikely pair venture on a road trip to search for Robby, but their conflicting personalities and views on life continuously get in their way. Their partnership starts an uneasy reunion with Johnny's ex-girlfriend Shannon Keene, before shifting to a surprisingly natural "good-cop bad-cop" routine with two of Robby's former cohorts Trey and Cruz. An unexpected car chase with a thug who stole Robby's van turns violent, when Johnny insists on confronting the man who is joined by his gang. After beating the thugs, Johnny roughly interrogates one of the men and is angered when Daniel pulls him off. Their alliance abruptly ends after a fight between them, with Johnny taking the car that used to belong to the LaRusso auto group.

He learns that Robby was apprehended by the police and serving time in a juvenile detention center. Johnny visits Bobby Brown at a church in which Bobby serves as a pastor. However, Johnny's drunk and loud nature interrupts the sermon. He reminds Bobby of their past together, though when Johnny refuses to leave, Bobby knocks him out. When Johnny has a bloodied nose, Bobby talks to him and helps him realize that he should focus on the positive aspects of his life. Both Miguel and Robby need him right now, and that's what matters. Johnny wants to visit Robby but isn't allowed to due to his probation. Bobby offers his help, as having a pastor present will guarantee that Johnny can visit. Bobby also helps fund Miguel's surgery to walk again, though his financial contribution isn't enough to help Miguel. Johnny visits his stepfather Sid Weinberg to ask him to donate towards Miguel's fund, though Sid refuses with crude comments about Miguel. Johnny leaves angrily but spots an expensive artifact on a podium near the door. He steals the artifact and pawns them for $2,500 which is the exact amount needed to cover Miguel's surgery. He donates the money anonymously the next day.

He is spotted at the hospital by Miguel's Grandmother, who asks Johnny to stay with them while Miguel is in surgery. Johnny, despite being scheduled to meet with Robby and Bobby at SJDC, agrees to stay to support Miguel. After Miguel's surgery, Johnny leaves the hospital to find Robby who is serving community service. He attempts to speak with Robby by continuously getting in line for food, though Robby becomes angry when Johnny mentions Miguel and tries to reprimand Robby for his actions. He regrets his words and grabs Robby's arm, which leads to the boy jerking away and spilling a bucket of soup everywhere. Johnny is escorted out of the building by security. He goes to a bar to sulk, where is met by a cocky John Kreese. Kreese claims he only took Cobra Kai from Johnny because he was going soft. Kreese invites Johnny to return to the dojo and instruct under Kreese, but Johnny refuses as he knows Kreese can't be trusted. Instead, he goes to see a now awake Miguel who expresses his defeat for not being able to move his legs. He can't reach his phone and Johnny offers to help, pushing the tray away. He commands Miguel to get up, walk over, and grab the phone for himself like a champion. Miguel does as instructed, but falls out of the bed and onto the floor, much to Johnny's chagrin.

Johnny is intent on helping Miguel walk again, and visits him everyday at his apartment to try various tactics of "inspiring" Miguel to walk. These included dangling risque magazines over his wheelchair, lighting his shoelaces on fire, and various other tactics. They all fail as Miguel still can't walk. Johnny witnesses Carmen crying outside of their apartment one night, citing that Miguel's current state is depressive. He never smiles or has fun. Johnny is then inspired to take Miguel to a Dee Snider concert. They lie to the bouncer that Miguel attending the concern is on his bucket list, insinuating that Miguel is dying. They are permitted in and have an amazing time filled with selfies, shoutouts from the lead singer, and dancing. Johnny is elated to see that Miguel is subconsciously tapping his foot to the beat of the music, an act he is able to continue on command after. Johnny returns to his apartment where he learns how to use Facebook on his computer. He looks at the photos of him and Miguel from the concert, then notices Ali Mills' friend request. He happily accepts the request.

He then stresses over what to send to Ali when she asks what he's been up to the last thirty years. He writes several paragraphs to her, which appalls Miguel as the message comes across as desperate. Miguel helps him set up the rest of his profile as it is barren. Johnny decides to take photos of himself doing everything that Ali enjoys, which Miguel reluctantly agrees to help with. They spend the day together with Miguel taking photos of him doing various activities, including trying sushi for the first time. He pretends to like it for the pictures then spits it out disgusted. When he returns from the bathroom, he notices that Miguel is upset. When they return to Johnny's apartment to give the walking harness another chance, Miguel's emotions explode as he blames Johnny for his situation. He calls Johnny weak for letting Kreese steal his students away from him. Johnny argues he should have never brought back Cobra Kai, but during the argument, he notices Miguel walking closer to him. He points out the steps and their argument disappears over their mutual happiness. That night, Johnny tries to write the perfect response to Ali by telling her truth about his life. He tells her about his relationship with Miguel and how he's working to be a better person and help kids. He decides the message is too lengthy and deletes it all to send a simple, "*not much, u?*".

With everything looking up, including Miguel now being able to walk without any assistance, Johnny considers opening another dojo. He struggles with a name, where to find students, and a location - but Miguel promises to do some recruiting at school. Johnny, in the meantime, tries to find the perfect location on a small budget. He ultimately decides to hold lessons in the park as the space is free. After confronting his former students and owning up to his mistakes, he is met by Mitch, Bert, and others who were kicked out of Cobra Kai by Kreese for being too weak. Johnny announces to the small group that the dojo is called Eagle Fang Karate. He ignores their claims that Eagle's don't have fangs. Things become tense when Kreese and his students arrive at the park as a sign that the bad blood between them still exists. Kreese tries one final time to recruit Johnny back to Cobra Kai, but he bitterly refuses. In the coming days, Robby is released from juvie. Johnny waits for his son on his release date and is surprised to see Daniel there too. They argue and are about to fight when Robby intervenes, now released, and angrily tells both of them to leave him alone.

Johnny obliges and focuses his attention on the cancelled All Valley Karate Tournament. He attends a city council meeting to fight for the tournament alongside John Kreese and Daniel LaRusso, who are also in attendance. .he rivaling sensei's being to argue in front of the council, shedding a negative light on the tournament and convincing the council to cancel the event. It isn't until Miguel and Sam take the podium that they are able to save the tournament. That night, Carmen visits Johnny to thank him for everything he did to help Miguel not only walk again, but raise his spirits. They kiss and sleep together that night. Everything is perfect for them the next morning, though Carmen has to leave for work before breakfast. As he checks his social media, he is happy to see that Ali is in town for the Christmas holiday and wants to meet. He agrees, so they meet for lunch before revisiting their youth at Golf 'N Stuff. She invites him to a charity gala that evening which he happily agrees to attend, despite having to wear a suit. He arrives in a dapper white suit just in time to see Ali embracing Daniel. The evening is surprisingly pleasant, thanks to the presence of Amanda and Ali. They all swap stories about their youth. When the night is over, Ali admits that she thinks Johnny and Daniel don't like each other because they see parts of themselves in the other that they don't like. She thinks they could actually be friends someday. When Daniel leaves, Ali and Johnny part on a a positive note as she forgives him for his behavior in high school and he finds closure in how things ended between them.

He goes to Carmen's house to confess his true feelings for her, but after seeing blood on Miguel's face, Johnny goes to Cobra Kai to defeat Kreese once for all. He bursts in to see Kreese teaching Robby a forward strike. Kreese thinks this is fate as the three generations of Cobra Kai's will “melt this whole snowflake generation,” but Johnny rejects Kreese’s offer to join forces, by punching him in the face. They engage in a vicious fight with Johnny gaining the upper-hand as the fight crashes into the main area of the dojo. He is about to defeat Kreese when Robby intervenes and defends Kreese. He attacks Johnny for being responsible for his suffering. Johnny instantly switches to the defense and refuses to fight his son, though Robby is intent on unleashing his pent up anger. He shouts that Johnny is responsible for everything bad that's happened to him, including his trauma at juvie, and lunges at Johnny. Johnny blocks Robby's attack and accidentally pushes him into the lockers. Robby hits his head and is unconscious, much to Johnny's dismay. He crouches next to his son to ensure he's okay, but Kreese takes a sai and attacks Johnny from behind. He than forces Johnny into a chokehold that has the potential to be fatal. Daniel arrives just in time to kick Kreese off Johnny. Daniel furiously confronts Kreese about sending his students to Daniel's house.

Daniel and Kreese continue to fight while Johnny recovers from the vicious chokehold. Kreese lifts Daniel into the air and they collapse through the glass door of the school. Kreese picks up a shard of glass, threatening to reunite Daniel and Miyagi. Daniel expertly deploys pressure point attacks that cripple Kreese so he can't fight back. Johnny emerges from the dojo and gives Daniel an approving nod while Daniel holds a strike position. He prepares to strike a final blow to Kreese when Sam shouts for her father, having arrived with Miguel. Having won, Daniel tells Kreese to keep his Cobra Kais away from their kids, gesturing to Johnny as he does. Johnny supports Daniel's sentiment, but Kreese wants to settle things the old-fashioned way with a tournament. The losing dojo will leave the valley. Johnny and Daniel agree to the terms just as Robby emerges from the dojo telling them all to leave. Johnny is a saddened with Robby's alliance but retreats home for now. He and Daniel then unite their dojos as they train for the tournament that will determine not only the fate of their dojos, but the fate of the valley.

### Season 4

 File:COB FG 00003R.jpg
Johnny's alliance with Daniel has a rocky start, as the opposing senseis struggle to work together, despite their shared goals. Back at the Diaz apartment, Johnny grows closer to Carmen and the Diaz family. She wants to take things slow, something he begrudgingly accepts. Back at the dojo, Johnny hazes Hawk into Eagle Fang whileDaniel attempts meditation with the Miyagi-Dos. The two end their individual classes angrily, having gotten into a heated argument over their differing styles of karate. Miguel urges Johnny to be the Apollo Creed to Daniel's Rocky, referencing *Rocky III* when the two opposites had to work together to defeat a larger villain. Johnny is about to follow Miguel's advice when Daniel arrives, apologizing for the days events, and offering beer. Their peace is short-lived, but this time, they agree being co-senseis doesn't work. The next day, they prepare to tell the kids of their decision, only to learn that Hawk has come up with an idea to build an Okinawan sparring deck to serve as a bridge between the two dojos. All the students have agreed to help. Moved by their kids' ability to come forward, Johnny and Daniel agree to the choice and continue their alliance.

The men agree that learning one another's karate styles will help them respect and understand one another. Johnny learns defensive strategies, how to find his inner-balance, and goes through the basics of Miyagi-Do karate. He is impressed by the strength that comes with the style, with Daniel reminding Johnny that Miyagi-Do has saved his life twice. Daniel goes through the grueling process of Eagle Fang, including climbing a chain rope, knuckle pushups, learning to become aggressive instead of defensive, and facing his fears. The men ultimately grow closer and attend a hockey game together as part of Daniel's training, though Johnny creates tension between Daniel and the hockey team. As Daniel fights with the team, Johnny exercises Daniel's Miyagi-Do advice of "no be there".

At Miyagi-Do, Johnny is sparring with Daniel and his students. He takes Daniel's gyoza and gives him his sandwich. He and the Diaz's have dinner with Daniel and the LaRusso's where he explains that Johnny and Carmen are taking things slow. Anthony gets mad that he is at his house where Johnny is shocked to see how he's grown. They end the dinner where Daniel and Johnny tell each other will swap students. Johnny takes Miyagi-Do to a building where he has them jump from one roof to another. Sam argues how dangerous it is but he counters with Sam's previous encounters with Johnny. Later on, Sam changes her mind and jumps to the next roof, impressing Johnny and Miyagi-Do. He comes back to the Diaz apartment where he kisses Carmen and makes it official with her. When he comes back to the Miyagi-Do dojo, he notices Daniel give Miguel the Miyagi-Do headband and gets jealous.

When Johnny is teaching combos to Miyagi-Do, he gets distracted with Daniel training Miguel. Demetri takes advantage of his distraction and kicks him in the face. Johnny retaliates by tying up Demetri and has his classmates kick him. Back at his apartment, he looks through his memories with Miguel where he looks at his beer can and has a flashback about his mom marrying Sid and angrily throws away his beer can. Robby goes to Johnny's apartment where he confronts his father about Eagle Fang bullying Kenny. When Robby says there will be payback, Johnny warns him not to do anything bad and reminds him of his expulsion. He also tells him about Cobra Kai and how Kreese is brainwashing him the same way he got brainwashed. At Miyagi-Do, Johnny hears his students about Miyagi-Do and Eagle Fang's confrontation with Cobra Kai at the drive-in. He gets upset with Miguel's trick but Daniel praises it and tells Johnny that they ended a fight without getting hurt. As Johnny is going to talk to Daniel, Silver and his former sensei Kreese arrive at Miyagi-Do.

Kreese and Johnny talk to each other about his team-up with Daniel. He threatens him to leave Miyagi-Do or he'll use the Miyagi-Do sign to cram it in Kreese. At a bar, Johnny gets mad when Daniel tells him about Silver and because of his history with him, he will take over the training. He agrees on a rematch with Daniel and whoever wins, one of them will take over the training. Later, Johnny begins his training while remembering his encounters with Daniel. He sees Miguel and tells him how to defeat Daniel. Miguel, however, doesn't join his training and doesn't care about Daniel and Johnny's rivalry. Back at Miyagi-Do, Johnny and Daniel argue about their teachings and who is better. The two fight where Daniel and Johnny tie the score, with Johnny managing to counter Daniel's pressure point technique. They both fall in the last round, but are unaware of who won. When Hawk arrives, he shows both dojos that his mohawk was nearly saved off by Robby. Johnny says that Cobra Kai will pay but Daniel rejects the idea. He chastises him for praising Miguel for the sprinkler incident but Daniel counters that his teachings would land his students in the hospital or jail. Realizing the merge failed, Eagle Fang leaves.

Johnny learns about the new updates for the tournament. He gets upset with them but Miguel adds that they need a female member. Bert tells him that he knows a girl in the school debate team but Johnny rejects the idea. Miguel tells Johnny about having Sam back but Johnny also rejects the idea. Johnny and Miguel go to the West Valley High School soccer field to find a female student but fails. The two approach Moon but she rejects their offer. Moon recommends them to talk to Piper. They find her at a gymnastics studio and offer Piper to join his dojo, which she agrees. Miguel praises Johnny for his communication with Piper. While waiting for her, Mitch corrects Johnny about how long they've been waiting but stops talking after he turns around. However, Eagle Fang learns that she joined Cobra Kai, upsetting them. Johnny remembers Bert's idea and he and Miguel go with Bert to watch a debate trial. They watch a person named Devon Lee during the debate. Her quick tempered personality impressed Johnny and recruits her to Eagle Fang.

Johnny and Carmen approach Miguel to talk about their relationship and Miguel acknowledges it, telling Carmen that if she's happy, he's happy. Before Eagle Fang's class, Johnny introduces his students to their new female student Devon Lee. When Devon tells the students her preferred pronouns are she/her, Johnny tells her that he only accepts sensei and student. Devon corrects Johnny but he tells her to be quiet. When he starts class, Johnny is impressed that she has knowledge of the movie *Bloodsport.* He teaches a lesson about cheating and Cobra Kai's dirty tricks where he has Miguel becomes co-sensei. In the first part of training, Johnny has his students spar with one arm. The next part is to use their other senses. He throws dirt in Mitch's eyes but hits his head on a shelf. The training intensifies when Devon kicks all the male students in the groin. Miguel and Johnny have a conversation where Johnny says he wants to be Miguel's father. After their conversation, he shows Miguel a bunch of watermelons where Sam joins them, in which Johnny agrees.

Johnny and the Diaz's join the LaRusso's to take pictures with Miguel and Sam before their prom. When he gets home, Shannon Keene approaches Johnny about how she encountered Silver. She explains that he gave Robby a car and Shannon money. Shannon ends saying that he needs to deal with them. When Johnny goes to Cobra Kai, he answers Silver's call and tells him to stay away from Robby. He threatens to beat him up and Silver tells him to go to a familiar street: Magnolia and Lakershim and tells him he knows it well. Johnny learns that the place is the original Cobra Kai dojo. When he arrives, Silver fights him and defeats him, much to the horror of Kreese who has refused to finish him off due to his reluctant friendship with him. After the fight, Johnny drowns his sorrows in alcohol. When Miguel brings him to his room, Johnny calls him Robby, upsetting him.

On the day of the All-Valley Karate Tournament, he tells his students to get ready for the tournament. He pulls Miguel aside to talk to him about the fight at Stingray's afterparty. Johnny reflects on his experiences at prom and ends saying he needs to focus on the tournament and reconcile with Sam later. After the skills competition, Johnny gets upset with how they are in 6th place. Devon tells him about the point progress but Johnny doesn't care about it. He has a change of heart after Devon tells him to win the one on one matches. Johnny approaches Daniel where the two argue about how their respective teachings affected Miguel and Sam. The two tell each other to stay away from one another. Before Miguel's fight with Eli, he tells him that he's defeated Eli before and take him down. During the fight, Miguel is going to do the flying tornado kick but he pulls his muscle, putting the fight to a pause.

Johnny, Carmen and Rosa are watching the medic tending to Miguel. The three are relieved when she tells them that Miguel's injury is only a pulled muscle. After, Johnny tells Miguel to show who's boss when he's ready to go back to fight. Later, Kreese approaches Johnny about how he didn't know Silver was going to beat him up at the old dojo. He also reminded him that losing would affect him and that Robby was the only one who will give Cobra Kai the victory. Johnny ends saying that Cobra Kai is going to lose. Later, he gives Miguel cream and tells him to hurry back. He tells him to show what he's made of. Despite his motivation, Miguel doesn't return, causing him to be eliminated alongside Eagle Fang. Before the girls final, Daniel and Johnny talk where Daniel admits his teachings have been helpful. Johnny also apologizes to Daniel about showing jealousy over him and Miguel bonding and admits that he should've continued training with him and would've been a stronger fighter. The two reconcile and team up to help Sam for her fight against Tory. During the fight, Johnny is shocked when Sam performs an Eagle Fang kick on Tory, which makes her win round 1. When the score is tied 2-2, Sam and Tory grapple but she is accidentally hit in the elbow, giving the referee a warning much to Johnny's annoyance that the point should be deducted. Despite their re-alliance, Cobra Kai becomes grand champion when Tory defeats Sam. As Sam is defeated, Johnny and Daniel escort her back to the sidelines. As Cobra Kai celebrates and Silver reveals his intention to franchise Cobra Kai, Johnny glares at Robby, who feels defeated despite helping Cobra Kai win. Unbeknownst to Johnny and Eagle Fang, Terry had paid the referee to help Tory and Cobra Kai win. Johnny tries to look for Miguel but Carmen and Rosa tell him that he took an Uber home prior to the finals. Before he heads to the Diaz's apartment, he goes to the Cobra Kai dojo and sees the mantra on the wall. He has a flashback to where he opened the dojo for the first time. Robby visits him where he tells him that Cobra Kai is expanding. Johnny praises Robby for his tournament performance but Robby didn't want to talk about it. He explains that his mentorship with Kenny has turned him into a corrupt individual and how his time time in Cobra Kai affected him. Johnny doesn't believe this and tells Robby that his relationship with Daniel was strong and he got in the way. He also tells him to blame him for everything but Robby refuses to blame him again. The two hug, reconciling in the process. He then goes to Carmen's house where she gives him a letter Miguel wrote. Johnny and Carmen learn that Miguel will be going to Mexico City to find his biological father but Carmen tells Johnny he doesn't know about Miguel. She tells him that she wants Miguel home and Johnny promises to rescue him.

### Season 5

Johnny and Robby head to Mexico for a "father-son bonding trip". Robby questions what they're really doing in Mexico, as they could have done something 500 miles closer. Johnny admits they're here to get Miguel, who is searching for his long-lost father. Robby is upset about the lies and Miguel's involvement, as he could be back in the valley with Tory. Johnny is sorry that he lied, but he wants him and Miguel to put their bullshit aside. He's ready to fix his past mistakes and knows he can't do that without actions this time. After changing a flat tire from nearly hitting a caravan, Johnny gives his son the option to take the bus back to America, but hopes he'll stay so they can make some real memories together. Johnny heads to the beach to ask some surfers if they had seen Miguel, nearly getting pick-pocketed in the process. He recognizes the con and asks for the map that shows where they sent Miguel. The surfer refuses to give it without a fight. Another surfer is about to strangle Johnny with a surfing cord, until Robby does a flying sidekick and saves him. They fight the surfers in a beachside brawl, ultimately winning.

Their next stop is refreshments, though Johnny's inability to speak Spanish results in his truck being towed. They're left a hundred bucks short of getting the truck back. They search for ways to earn fast money, with a chili pepper contest seeming the most effective method. Johnny prepares to enter, but Robby stops him, as he can do this himself. Johnny cheers him on and he wins the contest and money. Once in the car, Robby reveals that he didn't eat the last pepper - he swapped it for a gummy, - in a move Johnny calls "the most badass move ever". A tip from Carmen has them chasing down potential spots for Miguel, until they end up at an MMA fighting ring.

They ask around for Hector Salazar, unknowingly getting attention from one of Hector's men, who mistakes their "FBI" shirts as being real. The MMA fighters stop Johnny from going near Hector. Robby prepares to help his dad fight the men, but Johnny refuses to let him as this is his fight. The group brawls it out as the ring side reporter broadcasts a play-by-play, dubbing Johnny the "White Lightning". Johnny is beaten up by the MMA fighters, nearly losing a chokehold until Robby tosses him his uneaten pepper. He rubs it in his opponents eye and wins. The time they lost in the fight is enough for Hector and Miguel to escape, as both believe the FBI are after them. Johnny ultimately finds Miguel outside of a convenient store. The boy is calling Carmen over the emotional turmoil of learning his father isn't the man he thought he was. He's ready to come home and hugs Johnny in the middle of the street, as Johnny comforts the broken boy. Robby gets out of the truck and watches the scene unfold.

Once back in Reseda, Johnny continues his relationship with Carmen and solidifies his presence in Miguel and Rosa's lives. Carmen starts to get sick and tells Johnny she's a few days late, clarifying for the man that she might be pregnant. he goes into overdrive to prove to her and himself that he's ready for this next phase of their lives. He baby proofs his apartment, changes his outlook on life, and after finding out they are having a baby, is joyous about the next phase of their lives. Even if he is petrified, he promises to be there every step of the way, refusing to be absent like he was for Robby. He gets a job as a ride share driver and food delivery driver, getting help from Demetri to set up the electronic part of his new job. He quickly becomes the lowest rated driver on the app, having a perpetual one star rating.

He drops off food for Lyle, who remarks on Johnny's shitty new job. Johnny isn't happy with it and wishes he could quit, but can as he has a family. He begins to complain until Lyle pushes that he hates his job too. He doesn't want to be a pawn shop owner, let alone own three, but he does it so he can be with his family. He has three kids and a wife to care for - none of which Johnny will ever meet. They have to make sacrifices for the ones they love. The advice sticks with Johnny, who decides to have Robby come live with him over the summer instead of going with Shannon's parents. The woman agrees to the deal and sends him to pick up Robby from the water park. He barely arrives in time to stop Robby and Miguel from fighting the parking lot. He presses that they're all friends now, but the boys rebuke his statement. Johnny commits to getting Robby and Miguel to bury their hatchet, though his first few attempts - ambushing them at Olive Garden and an impromptu Wild West escape room in his apartment - fail. A sudden visit from a slightly unhinged Daniel forces Johnny to be the stable one for once. As they talk over beers, Johnny laments that he's put the drama with the dojos behind him. Kreese is in jail and Robby's away from Cobra Kai, which is enough of a win for him. Daniel wants to save all the kids in the valley, though Johnny tells him to worry about his family instead. Daniel also gives him advice on handling Miguel and Robby - by doing things the classic Johnny Lawrence way.

Johnny uses an air horn to wake the boys from their apartments, shouting at them in his signature "*quiet!*" shout. Unleashing Sensei Lawrence, he tells the two that he's had enough of their drama and tells them to put their fists where their mouths are. They said any time and any place yesterday, so this is the time and the place. No tournament rules, no pads, just the two of them. They're going to fight until it's all out of their systems. The boys face one another and begin a rather brutal fight. It spills over to the second floor balcony, and Johnny tries to stop the fight by shouting at them from below. They fight around the railing and Johnny hurries up the steps to stop them before they repeat history. By the time he arrives, the boys have reached an understanding and are apologizing for their past mistakes and roles in hurting one another. Johnny is relieved they put it aside, as he couldn't imagine them still fighting when the baby comes. This stuns both boys, and Johnny realizes he's let it slip. He tells them to pretend to be excited when he and Carmen tell them. Miguel screams "*holy shit*" with glee, and Robby grins as they congratulate Johnny on the news. The trio heads to the Diaz apartment for Olive Garden, and Carmen comes home to find the peaceful dinner. She tells Robby he's always welcome at their house, pleased that Johnny finally got them to friendly terms.

Johnny goes with Chozen to Topanga Karate where they reminisce their actions towards Daniel. When he sees Devon, Chozen stops him and tells him that entering the dojo is too risky. After the class, the two confront one of the senseis, Hyan-Woo, and fight him. Woo proves to be the superior fighter and generally gains the upper-hand over Johnny. Despite the struggle, with Chozen's assistance, the two are able to defeat him in the end. However, when more of them arrive, the two leave the dojo. Later, he and Chozen arrive at Miyagi-Do where he and the Eagle Fangs bow to Daniel,

Daniel and Johnny go to prison to visit former Cobra Kai sensei John Kreese. He tells him about a time he and Terry Silver trained with Kim Sun-Yung and the Sekai Taikai tournament. Kreese adds that if Cobra Kai wins the tournament, they will go global.

Johnny, Daniel and Chozen meet with the Sekai Taikai organizers to explain about their combined skills and tell the committee that their students should qualify. Gunther, the head of the committee, is impressed with their teachings. While having dinner with the LaRusso's, he meets with Miguel, Robby and Eli to talk about who will represent the boys for the boys demonstration. Miguel and Robby tell Johnny that they volunteer Eli to represent them. Despite Eli losing, Sam wins her match and Miyagi-Do and Eagle Fang qualify for the tournament.

The next day, Johnny accompanies Carmen during her ultrasound. When they leave, they meet Terry Silver. Silver offers his congratulations for qualifying but tells him that he's continuing Cobra Kai's legacy for the future. At LaRusso auto, he tells Daniel, Amanda and Louie and everyone is happy for him. To celebrate, Louie takes everyone to a club. When he, Chozen and Daniel are back in the limo, they are celebrating but when they go far, they all get shocked when they find out the they are trapped while the chauffeur drives crazy.

Encountering Mike Barnes, Johnny fights him but is broken up by Daniel and Chozen. After Mike tells his plan for revenge, he and Chozen go with him despite being drunk. When they arrive to Silver's mansion, Mike attacks one of the sensei's first but is knocked out by another, leaving Johnny and Chozen to deal with the 5 senseis. Despite being outnumbered, Johnny and Chozen find themselves being able to fend off Silver's sensei's. However, after some time, Johnny encourages Chozen to go after Silver, while Johnny fights the sensei's alone. While he initially is able to gain the upper hand over some of the sensei's, he soon gets overwhelmed and brutally beaten up by all five of them. Silver arrives in the house after seemingly killing Chozen and mocks Johnny, before leaving for Cobra Kai.

Johnny continues to be beaten up by the sensei's. However, after he sees his sonogram, he regains his strength and fights back against the senseis. He defeats Odell, Bacaria and another sensei, temporarily knocks out Hyan-Woo, and gains the upper-hand over Min-Jun twice. However, after Johnny defeats both Odell and Bacaria, Min-Jun attacks him from behind and gains the upper hand. He then signals a recently recovered Woo to finish him off with the sword, However, before Woo can finish Johnny off, Mike comes in and knocks out Woo and Jun. Back at the Cobra Kai dojo, he reunites with Carmen, and both he and Daniel hug and express relief that Terry will be locked up with Kreese. However, one of the officers overhears Johnny's and Daniel's conversation and asked them if they heard about Kreese, much to their confusion.

## Personality

> It's just that he thinks he can do whatever he wants to people.
>
> Ali Mills to Daniel LaRusso, The Karate Kid

Johnny was born into a broken home, with an abusive alcoholic father and working mother. He idolized his father as he was the only male influence in his life. Johnny was devastated when his father left, and desperately tried to hold onto the memory of the man, in spite of his mother's attempts to dissuade Johnny. He carried many of his fathers toxic traits into his adulthood. From minor traits such as his favorite beer to larger issues, like alcoholism and abandonment. Laura remarried to the much older, wealthier, yet still abusive, Sid Weinberg. Sid's toxicity, sexism, anger issues, belittlement of both Johnny and Laura, and his disregard for politeness made an impact on Johnny. The teen carried many of these traits into his adulthood as well. With another abusive figure in his life, Johnny's self-confidence depleted. When he found Cobra Kai Dojo, he saw students who were strong, independent, and brave; he longed to be one of them.

He joined the dojo and was quickly taken under Sensei Kreese's wing, and became a star student. Through the manipulative brainwashing tactics used by Kreese, Johnny's confidence lifted, but as did his sense of entitlement, pride, and quickness to violence. He strived to follow every letter of Cobra Kai's mantra - "*Strike First. Strike Hard. No Mercy.*" - even at the cost of his morality. In high school, Johnny treated his girlfriend Ali Mills unfairly, often trying to micromanage her life. Johnny was young, wild, carefree, and broke the rules because he could. He rode a dirt bike and was openly a rebel. His insecurity became apparent when Daniel LaRusso moved to the San Fernando Valley. Johnny and his friends targeted Daniel for being new, young, and a friend to Ali. The kids bullied Daniel relentlessly and caused him severe physical, psychological, and emotional trauma at both Johnny and Kreese's behest. While Johnny did care for Ali, he didn't know how to show her as he never saw a functioning relationship. He ultimately drove her away - and right to Daniel. The boys feud escalated and their sensei's decided it would be settled at the 1984 All Valley Karate Tournament. Kreese instilled the idea that winning was everything, so much so, that a loss would change the trajectory of Johnny's life, and forever brand him as a loser. Johnny believed this and went into the fight with the belief it was the most important thing in his life, instead of just a tournament. In spite of the negative influences in his life, Johnny still held a sense of right and wrong, as he knew it was against the competitions rules to sweep Daniel's injured foot. Kreese commanded him, so Johnny did, but showed remorse. Ultimately, Daniel beat Johnny, who accepted his loss and handed Daniel the trophy.

Kreese couldn't accept the defeat and berated Johnny who stood up for himself and called the man a loser. Kreese choked Johnny until Mr. Miyagi intervened. The attack traumatized Johnny and he carried that sense of betrayal, pain, and damage into his adult life. He believed he would always be a loser. The rest of Johnny's young adult life was greatly affected by his disillusionment over Kreese, losing Ali, and further verbal abuse from Sid. He spiraled into alcoholism, drug abuse, criminal activity, and strayed from the bright future he might have had. As an adult, Johnny dated Shannon Keene and they had an unplanned pregnancy around the same time Laura Lawrence died. With the loss of the only person who ever believed in him, Johnny fell into a tailspin and spent the night of his son's birth across the street at a bar. He believed Robby was better off without him, and became a drunk absentee father with a strained relationship with his son. He pushed the responsibility of having a child onto Sharon and rarely looked back.

> I may not always win, but I never back out of a fight.
>
> Johnny Lawrence, Mercy

Johnny grew bitter, resentful, and believed his "glory days" to be the 1980. So much so, that he purposefully surrounded himself with 1980s memorabilia - his car, movies, technological aversions, his apartment decor, and music - in an attempt to ignore the present day and the hardships around him. Most galling of all, however, was Daniel's success. He believed his old rival has succeeded where Johnny failed. His anger and resentment towards Daniel grew, as he was certain that Daniel's arrival in his life was why everything went wrong for him, and why it hadn't improved. It was easier for him to put blame on those around him instead of taking responsibility for his own actions and bad choices. He developed a flippant attitude and general disregard for decent manners and professional expectations of conduct. He developed a sharp wit, brutal sarcasm, and a unique sense of humor. He still hadn't learn to respect the rules, often bantering with shop owners and ignoring laws he didn't like. Johnny also became extremely self-centered and self-oriented. He only intervened in the harassment of Miguel Diaz because the fight was near his beloved car - he had no care for the boy involved. Miguel saw Johnny's martial arts moves and convinced Johnny to train him.

While Johnny refused at first, his rekindled rivalry with Daniel changed his mind. He taught Miguel the same tactics Kreese taught him, unknowingly continuing a cycle of violence and trauma. Miguel attempted to help Johnny transition into modern times, including the basic right to allow women into Cobra Kai. Johnny's sexism, racism, and ableism became apparent to Miguel, as he believed Miguel could "get over" his asthma and belittled Eli Moskowitz's scar to make a point. While his abuse did ultimately make Eli transition into "Hawk", an arguably stronger version of himself, "Hawk" also became a cruel, viscous, and vindictive bully alongside Miguel. However, Johnny slowly became more open-minded at the insistence of Miguel. Johnny's mentorship of Miguel bothered Robby, since Johnny was uninvolved in Robby's life but involved in Miguel's, a boy Robby's age. Robby plotted revenge against Johnny by befriended Daniel. While this made Robby a better person, it also infuriated Johnny, who saw Robby as just another person Daniel stole from him.

Johnny's rivalry with Daniel heated up, and came to a head at the 2018 All Valley Karate Tournament. Johnny saw how ruthless his students had become, as both Eli and Miguel flagrantly broke the tournament rules to injure Robby in parallels to Johnny's 1984 tournament fight with Daniel. Johnny reprimanded both the boys, who were confused as they showed "*no mercy*" as Johnny taught them. This was the wakeup Johnny needed to understand where he went wrong with this new generation of fighters. He decided to try and mend fences with Robby and, after the tournament, incorporated some of Daniel's mercy into his teachings. He punished Hawk and Miguel for fighting dirty, as he still believed in honor. However, John Kreese's return shook Johnny, who struggled to show that he was in charge of Cobra Kai and not Kreese. Kreese manipulated Johnny easily by making him think the former sensei had changed, and went along with Johnny's attempts to be the bigger man. He wanted to be better and teach better, though his students were reluctant to follow him, as they slowly believed through Kreese's cunning exploitations that Johnny had grown weak.

> I'm gonna be the bigger man.
>
> Johnny Lawrence to Daniel LaRusso, All In

Meanwhile, he grew closer with Miguel and advised the boy to be merciful and better man than Johnny ever was. He was happy to train Miguel and viewed it as his biggest accomplishment. Johnny grew close to Carmen Diaz and developed a crush on her. He became protective over her, standing up for Carmen when her boyfriend degrades her behind her back. His appreciation and adornment for Carmen softened him a bit, and he wanted to be the man she deserved. He tried to take Carmen's advice to end the rivalry with Daniel, as no matter who is right, no good could come from the decades-old rivalry. While Daniel's moral high ground and overall personality fundamentally clashed with Johnny's, the men tried to be better despite their new arguments over Kreese. This is undermined by Kreese, whose manipulations came to the surface, which disappointed Johnny once again. He cuts the man out of Cobra Kai and his life once more, but the damage done to his students and those around him was already done. The rivalry between Miguel and Robby had reached its peak, with a school fight breaking out as a result.

## Fighting Style

 File:JohnnyKick1984.gif

> The best student in the history of Cobra Kai.
>
> John Kreese, Back in Black

Johnny is an extremely skilled and aggressive fighter, with his mentor John Kreese even claiming that Johnny is the best student in the history of the original Cobra Kai Dojo. During his younger days, Johnny would often strike first, coming at his opponents with vicious combos. During his fight with Daniel in the All Valley tournament, the latter had the upper-hand until Johnny fought more aggressively and dirty, which allowed him to come back and almost win.

 File:JohnnyKick2.gif
By adulthood, Johnny's skills improved even further, to the point that he could take on multiple opponents with relative ease, and with Johnny even managing to overpower Kreese (albeit with difficulty) until he showed Kreese mercy, and was subsequently defeated by Kreese exploiting this opportunity. As an adult, Johnny remained an aggressive fighter, though more tactical. His main strength is offense (as Johnny tells his students that more offense is the optimal defense), but Johnny does show solid defense as well, evidenced by his fights with Daniel, Kyler and the latter's gang, as well as Kreese. Thanks to Johnny's tutelage, Miguel Diaz, Eli Moskowitz, and Devon Lee would become skilled martial artist in their own right. Samantha also learned new offensive moves that helped her fight Piper and Tory

Under Daniel's instruction, Johnny learn Miyagi-Do karate which strengthened his defense even further. When fighting Daniel, their fight proved to be even, with Johnny countering Daniel's pressure point technique. During his fight with Terry Silver, Johnny was able to block most his attacks and hold his own against the senior sensei. However since Johnny is fairly new at Miyagi-Do defense, he ended up losing due to Silver's sneak attack on Johnny and willingness to fight dirty.

While in Mexico, Johnny and Robby beat up a group of thugs and when Johnny is later having trouble fighting an MMA fighter, Robby helps him win by tossing him an uneaten pepper. When Johnny and Chozen team up against Hyan-Woo, Johnny generally finds himself losing to the superior sensei, but with Chozen's assistance, they defeat Woo. During the fight at Silver's house, Johnny and Chozen are initially fending off Silver's sensei's, before Chozen leaves to confront Silver. Johnny alone initially fends off some of the sensei's, but is soon overpowered and brutally beaten up. However, after he sees his sonogram, he regains his strength and brutally attacks the sensei's, proceeding to gain the upper hand over them and defeating three of them. While he is eventually overpowered by Min-Jun, whom he had gained the upper hand over twice shortly before he is saved by Mike.

Johnny is incredibly strong. He can smash bricks, as seen during a presentation, and break a bonsai tree pot with a kick. Daniel and Graham have also noted Johnny for his strong grip. He also easily pulled out a man's earring during a bar fight. When he was fighting Cobra Kai’s sensei’s, he lifted one of them completely off the ground and threw him through the air against the wall; albeit by using the man’s speed as he was running towards Johnny as leverage.

## Relationships

### Daniel LaRusso

Daniel and Johnny have a long and complicated history that began in 1984 during their respective time at West Valley High School. Johnny initiated their rivalry when he saw Daniel flirting with Ali Mills. He began bullying Daniel from that time on, leading to multiple physical encounters that left Daniel injured. They found themselves on opposite sides of the karate world, with Johnny being mentored by the merciless John Kreese and Daniel being mentored by the wise Mr. Miyagi. Johnny viewed Daniel as a "*little creep*" trying to "*steal his girl*". Daniel viewed Johnny as a possessive boyfriend and rich kid who always got he wanted. They decided to settle their ongoing rivalry at the All Valley Karate Tournament. The match was intense with Johnny following Kreese's no mercy rules and breaking Daniel's arm. Daniel retaliated by using the crane kick to strike Johnny in the face and win the tournament. After losing to Daniel, Johnny personally gave him the trophy, telling Daniel he was alright. But things took a nasty turn afterward, with Kreese assaulting Johnny for losing. Mr. Miyagi ultimately saved Johnny from the deathly choke that Kreese had him in. While Daniel walked away a champion with new confidence, Johnny had lost the only girl he truly loved, felt disillusioned now that his father figure, Kreese's, true nature was revealed.

Although Johnny didn’t necessarily hate Daniel, he was still jealous of him, as Daniel rose to success as an auto salesman, while Johnny's fall from the riches left him in a dilapidated apartment. In 2017, they were forced together once more when Daniel's teen daughter, Samantha LaRusso, was involved in a hit-and-run with Johnny's classic car. His car was towed to the LaRusso Auto Group. Daniel is kind to him, while Johnny isn't happy to see him, though the pair remained civil. However, their rivalry is reignited when Johnny reopens Cobra Kai. Johnny was in a fight with a group of punk students who were harassing a homeless person, one of which is Kyler, Samantha's than-boyfriend. Kyler lied to Daniel that he was jumped by Johnny for no reason, sparking Daniel to confront Johnny. Johnny defaces one of Daniel's LaRusso Auto billboards in retaliation, pushing Daniel to do everything he can to shut down Cobra Kai, an act that infuriates Johnny.

Despite their rivalry, they do briefly bond when they find themselves in Daniel's old apartment complex while Johnny is test driving a new car with Daniel. However, they go back to being rivals when Johnny sees his son Robby in Daniel's house, but is unaware that Daniel is unaware that Robby is his son. After Cobra Kai win the All Valley, Daniel, who was unhappy that Johnny's student Miguel won by fighting dirty against Robby, begrudgingly congratulates Johnny. Daniel still wants Cobra Kai out, especially after he sees Johnny and Kreese together. After Miyagi Do is destroyed by some Cobra Kai students under Kreese's order without Johnny's knowledge, Daniel aggressively confronts and blames Johnny, who says he doesn't know what he is talking about. Despite their rivalry, they do have some moments of burgeoning friendship. When Johnny and Carmen are out on a date, Daniel and Amanda sit with them due to their being no tables left, much to Johnny and Daniel's chagrin. Initially they brag about each others dojo and get under each other's skin. However they begin to bond after Johnny says he kicked Kreese out of the dojo and that he wants Cobra Kai to be better. They end the night on good terms.

The following morning however, Daniel arrives at Johnny's house to find Sam, but is rude to Johnny when the latter tells him to calm down, causing the latter to slam the door on him, which Daniel to kick the door open, ultimately cultivating in the two having a brief fight which is broken up by Sam and Robby. After the school brawl, both men realize the impact of their rivalry. Ali helps Johnny and Daniel see that they are more alike than they would like to admit and the two finally reconcile. Now united against a common enemy, the two begin working together to take Cobra Kai down, bowing to each other in respect as they begin training students together. However, it becomes strained once more due to their different styles of teachings, as well as when the Miyagi-Do and Eagle Fang students refuse to jump off the roof except for Sam. Because of this, Johnny and Daniel face off each other once more to determine who gets to become the lead sensei, only for the match to end in a draw. This results Johnny and Daniel's joint Eagle Fang and Miyagi-Do dojo going separate ways. However, Daniel and Johnny reconcile to help Sam in her fight against Tory.

### John Kreese

Probably the man most responsible for Johnny's life turning out the way it did, yet sadly, the closest thing Johnny ever had to an actual father, is now fully his arch enemy. After joining Cobra Kai, Johnny quickly becomes Kreese's top student. The two would develop a bond, mostly on Johnny's end, as he looked up to Kreese. He followed Kreese's strike first and no mercy. It is likely that Kreese's ruthless antics he instilled in Johnny, was a factor in Johnny becoming a ruthless bully. However, after being instructed to sweep Daniel's leg in the finals of the all valley tournament, Johnny expresses discomfort, while realizing Kreese has gone too far, but reluctantly proceeds. Johnny however loses to Daniel. After the loss, Johnny appears content with second place, but Kreese berates him, calls him a loser, and proceeds to choke him. Johnny however, is saved by Miyagi. Now, realizing how horrible of a human being Kreese is, Johnny and his friends leave the dojo.

Despite leaving Cobra Kai and Kreese, Johnny would be traumatized over Kreese's actions for the next three decades. Thirty four years after the tournament, Johnny reopens Cobra Kai, and begins teaching his students in a similar way Kreese taught him but rather they stand up to bullies than becoming bullies themselves. Johnny is under the impression that Kreese is dead, however, following Cobra Kai's victory in the 2018 All Valley Tournament, Kreese arrives at the dojo, wanting to become partners. Initially, Johnny wants nothing to do with Kreese. However, when Kreese fixes his 1984 second-place trophy and apologizes for his behavior, and recently discouraged by a run in with Daniel and Robby, a longing Johnny forgives Kreese and allows him to co-teach at the dojo in his belief of giving others a chance to change. Kreese eventually shows his true colors is still a corrupt human being, as he is poisoning his students into being more vicious and ruthless. When Johnny finds out, he kicks him out of the dojo. However, Kreese reveals to Johnny that he struck a deal with the landlord to give him the dojo, making him the owner of Cobra Kai again. A handful of Johnny's students have left Johnny and joined Kreese. Realizing he made a mistake giving Kreese a second chance, Johnny angrily leaves the dojo, but not before telling Kreese that if he wants Cobra Kai; it's his.

Johnny creates Eagle Fang Karate to fight against Kreese and Cobra Kai with Miguel and several of his other students joining him. At the end of the season, Johnny fights Kreese and get the better of him, but after tending to Robby, whom he unintentionally knocked unconscious, Kreese uses this opportunity to try to murder Johnny. However, Daniel saves Johnny who states that Cobra Kai needs to end for good. With Kreese proposing to settle the matter at the tournament, the reconciled Johnny and Daniel begin training students together to take Kreese down for good. Despite Kreese wanting to take down Johnny at the All Valley, he decided not to attack him when Johnny was lured to the old dojo by Terry Silver. However, Kreese could’ve been only deciding not to attack him so he could stick to his rule of no fighting until the tournament.

### High school friends

Bobby Brown, Tommy, Dutch, and Jimmy
They are Johnny's friends. Johnny met them likely when he joined Cobra Kai as a student. The five would always hang out together. Among the four, he was closest to Dutch, who was his right-hand man. When Daniel comes into the picture, Johnny and his friends would bully and harass him. After discovering that their sensei Kreese is truly a horrible human being, they leave the dojo. Johnny has cited events that took place in Mexico and Reno, Nevada with his friends that took place over the years, that usually involved drinking, women, and debauchery.

One day in 2017, Johnny receives a phone call from one of his friends. He then goes to the hospital, where he meets Bobby, Jimmy and Tommy, with the latter being placed on hospice care. Dutch is the only one not present as he is in prison, but is mentioned and given a toast by the others. Johnny, Jimmy and Bobby take Tommy out of the hospital for the day, and the four hangout. Later that night, Tommy and Johnny have a conversation, where Tommy suggests to Johnny that he should use his good health and time to find another women or make ends with Ali. The following day, it is revealed that Tommy peacefully passed away in his sleep, leaving the remaining trio to grieve the loss of their dear friend. Johnny remains close to Bobby Brown after the event, but drifts from the others as they return to their lives.

### Ali Mills

Ultimately the love of Johnny's life, yet forever the one who got away. Johnny had met Ali at a showing of Rocky 3 in 1982 and had fallen for her hard. After asking her a couple of times, Ali finally gave him a chance. Johnny and Ali dating regularly. Johnny genuinely loved her and saw her as a sign that he had proven Sid wrong. Through the confidence and skill he gained from Cobra Kai and the love of a wonderful girl, Johnny had felt he proven himself a winner. But sadly it was destined to come crashing down. Ali started to be put off by his arrogance, but the final straw was when Johnny drank with his gang the day of her birthday and showed up drunk. This caused Ali to realize Johnny's good points didn't outweigh his bad and that he was simply a degenerate and a lost cause.

Ali dumped Johnny, but he was determined to win her back. Then last day of summer before school started, Daniel LaRusso came to town. Daniel met Ali at the beach and started talking. But that was when Johnny showed trying to talk things out with Ali, but she simply refused to give him a second chance. When Daniel stepped in, an infuriated Johnny mercilessly beat him up. In the months following. Johnny grew increasingly jealous at Daniel and Ali's growing relationship. He tried several times to rekindle their old love, But Ali turned him down every time. After losing the 84 tournament, it's unknown how the rest of senior year went for Johnny, though it's clear he did learn Daniel and Ali had broken up but had moved on to yet another boy. This was where Johnny realized that Daniel or not, Ali was simply gone. In the end, giving Johnny a second chance was something Ali just couldn't do. Losing Ali forever greatly affected Johnny. Even though Johnny dated several other women over the years he never truly got over her and this was a major reason why no other relationship lasted.

Thirty years later, found Ali on Facebook and decided to write a message to her. However, he was hesitant to press send , as he felt he was being desperate, but a women accidentally bumped into him, causing him to accidentally hit send. After Kreese takes back Cobra Kai in the season 2 finale, Johnny Johnny goes to the beach where he angrily throws his phone into the sand. Unbeknownst to him, Ali, whom he sent a Facebook message to, has sent him a friend request. Johnny is reunited with Ali who helps him and Daniel to finally reconcile. Ali teases Johnny about his new relationship with Carmen and states that a woman who can make Johnny Lawrence speechless is a relationship he'd better figure out quick. Johnny admits his fears of screwing up with Carmen and Ali reminds him that he hadn't messed things up that day. The two admit to enjoying revisiting their past with each other and recognize that they can't live in the past but the future and whatever that might bring. Johnny and Ali wish each other the best and Ali assures Johnny that he will be happy and that she has faith in him. Johnny and Ali admit that they both needed the closure and promise to always be there for each other. Having finally gotten closure with Ali, Johnny departs to find his future with Carmen.

### Sid Weinberg

Sid is Johnny's abusive stepfather. He treated Johnny poorly, insulting and berating him constantly and refused to acknowledge him as his own son. It is possible that Sid's treatment led to Johnny becoming a vicious bully. Johnny hated Sid intensely. Following the death of Johnny's mother Laura, Johnny and Sid continued to detest each other. Sid apparently bailed Johnny out of jail at least once. When Johnny was arrested for beating up Kyler and his gang, Sid bailed him out of jail. After bailing him out, he gave Johnny a check to buy him out of his life, as he felt Johnny was no longer worth it, but Johnny ripped the check, as he did not want his money. However, Johnny would later take the check and use it to re-open the Cobra Kai Dojo.

After Cobra Kai becomes a success, Johnny goes to Sid's house and returns all the money he used to buy the dojo, and tells Sid he never wants to see him again. When Sid arrogantly says he still needs him because of his money, he tells Sid he never needed his money. He then says goodbye and leaves, leaving Sid speechless and confused. When Daniel learned of Sid he began to see there was more going on with Johnny than just Kreese. Johnny approached Sid one last time to ask for funds to help Miguel Diaz's spinal surgery, though Sid's crude response sparked Johnny to cut the man out of his life for good. He also stole an artifact from the house that he would later pawn to pay for Miguel's surgery.

### Miguel Diaz

> I failed my kid... on his very first day in this world... and I've been failing him every day since."
> "Sensei, this is personal stuff. You don't have to tell me."
> "No, I... I should've told you a long time ago. It... it's one of the most painful things in my life. But one of the best things... has been teaching you. And I want you to know, no matter what happens, I promise... I'll always be on your side... and I'll always have your best interests at heart."
> "Thank you.
>
> Johnny Lawrence and Miguel Diaz, Fire and Ice

Miguel is Johnny's top student at Cobra Kai, and like a son. When Miguel first moves in, Johnny is rude to him. However after beating up Kyler and his gang for harassing Miguel, Miguel requests him to teach karate, which Johnny refuses at first, but soon has a change of heart. Johnny trains him in the newly reopened Cobra Kai dojo. When Miguel is beaten up by Kyler and his gang, Miguel's mom Carmen forbids Johnny from training him. However, Johnny then realizes that Miguel is the one person that still believes in him, he then pleads Carmen to have a second chance with Miguel, which she accepts. With Johnny's training, Miguel becomes a strong and skilled fighter, which allows him to overcome and defeat Kyler and his gang, resulting in several students joining Cobra Kai. Overtime Johnny bonds with Miguel and kind of sees him as a son. In the All Valley tournament, he expresses discomfort when Miguel is fighting dirty against his son Robby. However, when Johnny tells Miguel not to fight dirty, Miguel continues o do so anyway, and defeats Robby to win the title for Cobra Kai. Despite the victory, Johnny feels guilty for turning Miguel into a dirty fighter.

Johnny reprimands and punishes Miguel and Hawk for their dirty tactics in the all valley. Miguel then confronts Johnny in his office, to which Johnny says he paid the price for not knowing the difference between honor and mercy, and that Miguel should not make the same error. Johnny continues to bond with Miguel, with Johnny saying what he likes the most is training him. However, Johnny advice backfires, as Miguel defeats Robby, but shows mercy after remembering Johnny's advice, only for Robby to kick Miguel off the railing, resulting in Miguel being rendered unconscious, as well as having a severely injured neck. At the hospital, Johnny listens to a voicemail Miguel left earlier and peaks in Miguel's room, who is lying unconscious, causing him to cry and feel guilty. Johnny visits Miguel in the hospital before and after he wakes up, giving him encouragement in the hospital, and training with him after he is released from the hospital. He also tells Miguel that he will always be there for him. He helps the boy learn to walk and fight again.

Miguel is one of the few people Johnny will take advice from. Miguel often helps Johnny navigate the modern world, aiding him with everything from technology to his relationships with others. In time, Johnny comes to see Miguel as a surrogate son, someone he can do right by after a lifetime of failing Robby.

### Carmen Diaz

Carmen is Johnny's neighbor and love interest. She initially disapproved of Johnny teaching Miguel karate, which is amplified when Miguel is beaten up by his fellow students. She forbids Johnny from teaching him, but has a change of heart when Johnny promises not to fail Miguel again. As they continue to spend time together and bond over their mutual caring for Miguel, they develop feelings for each other. Carmen advised Johnny to be a bigger man when it came to his rivalry with Daniel. After learning that Carmen's date is using her, Johnny used his martial arts experience to ensure that the man never went near Carmen again. Johnny and Carmen later went on a date. After Miguel's accident, Carmen pushed Johnny away and banned him from seeing Miguel ever again. When Miguel expressed a desire for Johnny to help him learn to walk again, Carmen reluctantly agreed. Her disdain for Johnny turned to love once more when Miguel fully recovered from his spinal injury due to Johnny's help. The pair began to date without labeling their relationship. They had sex and Johnny looked forward to his future with her, until he was side-tracked by John Kreese's coordinated attack on the students of Miyagi-Do and Eagle Fang karate.

As Johnny prepared for the 2019 All Valley to determine the fate of the dojos, he and Carmen sorted through their relationship and he confessed his love for her in front of Rosa and her friends. They kissed passionately and began a committed, serious relationship. They love each other deeply and accept on another for who they are. He strives to be better for her, while she loves his fun and rebellious nature. Things start to change when Carmen tells Johnny she might be pregnant, and he goes into overdrive to prove to her and himself that he's ready for this next phase of their lives. He baby proofs his apartment, changes his outlook on life, and after finding out they are having a baby, is joyous about the next phase of their lives. Even if he is petrified, he promises to be there every step of the way, refusing to be absent like he was for Robby. Johnny commits to making Robby and Miguel bury their shit, and succeeds, which pleases Carmen. They continue to have fun with the LaRusso's and Chozen, who Johnny confides in about loving Carmen. After defeating Silver, Johnny came straight to her make sure she was okay, promising that he would never leave her, and they shared a hug.

### Robby Keene

Robby is Johnny's son and the one he failed the most. It's quite clear Johnny never really planned on being a father as the news of Shannon's pregnancy was a shock to him. Johnny neglected him throughout his childhood, making the latter resent him. But this was due to the depression of his own mother dying and because Johnny never had a true father himself, he didn't know how to be one, and with how much his own life had gone downhill Johnny believed Robby was simply better off without him. While Johnny expressed some desire to make amends in season 1 of Cobra Kai, Robby does not believe him, and still treats him poorly both on his failings as a father and man in general. However, following the All-Valley Tournament, Johnny apologizes to Robby, which he accepts but still has trouble letting go of the past and forgiving his father for a lifetime of neglect. He arrives at Johnny's apartment, with a drunk Sam, looking for a safe place to crash for the night. Johnny lets them inside, but insists she has to leave in the morning. The following morning however, Daniel arrives, takes Sam back and angrily tells Robby that he lost his trust. That same morning, Johnny takes Robby to school, which he appreciates. After the school brawl, Robby goes on the run from the police while Johnny tries to be there for the Diaz family. He eventually teams up with Daniel to go looking for Robby, beating up several people in his pursuit. Robby didn't know his father was looking for him, and sought shelter with Shannon, who betrayed him by calling Daniel. The police arrived and took Robby into custody. He was sentenced to serve time in a juvenile corrections facility.

By the time Johnny came around to visiting his son, Robby had grown full of bitterness, anger, and cruelty. He rejects his fathers attempts to make peace, telling him to leave. Johnny enlists the help of his friend who is a pastor, but flakes on their meeting to attend Miguel's surgery, ultimately disappointing his son once again. When he's released, Johnny tries to find Robby and help him adjust, but the boy rejects his help. He instead turns to John Kreese, ultimately siding with him when Daniel and Johnny attack Kreese at the dojo for sending Cobra Kai's to attack Daniel's house and children. They end up on opposite sides and cease contact with one another, though Robby tells Johnny to get the Eagle Fang's and Miyagi-Do's to stop bullying Kenny, his new mentee. Johnny makes a plea that he's being brainwashed, but Robby doesn't want to hear it. After the 2019 All Valley, Robby sees the error in trusting Kreese and Silver, seeing first-hand how the Cobra Kai mentality corrupts students. He finds Johnny and breaks down over letting all the hate and anger inside him get the best of him. He expresses a desire to make things right, but also thinks things will never get better. Johnny hugs him and tells him they'll figure it out, together.

### Other Relationships

* Laura Lawrence † (Mother)
* Mr. Miyagi † (Childhood Enemy)
* Shannon Keene (Ex-Girlfriend, Mother of his child, Friend)
* Louie LaRusso, Jr. (Friend/Former enemies)
* Tory Nichols (Ally)
* Judy (Former Employer/Enemy)
* Anoush Norouzi (Frenemy)
* Rosa (Friend)
* Mike Barnes (Friend/Ally)
* Kim Da-Eun, Bacaria, and Odell (Enemies)

## Gallery

274px-Tumblr ljdgq0Uz2x1qgz3gvo1 500.jpgJohnny in 1984CK Johnny Lawrence Promotional.jpgJohnny in 2018Johnny lawrence promo.jpgCK S3 LaRusso Lawrence VHS Promo.jpgCK S3 Eagle Fang VHS Promo.jpgCK S3 Johnny VHS Promo.jpgCK S4 Johnny Lawrence Poster.jpgCobra913a.jpgScreen Shot 2019-04-25 at 9.01.26 am.pngDaniel vs johny1.pngJohnny CobraKai S2 005.pngJlawrence.jpegCobra-Kai.pngJohnnyeggs.jpgCobrakai-8.jpg0\*IwTA88N67gv5QtQv.jpegCobra-kai-martin-kove-william-zabka-20065959-1280x0.jpegIMG 0630.PNGCobra Kai Dojo 2018Maxresdefault.jpgJohnnyTrustsKreese.jpgCommunity-header-backgroundWilliam-Zabka-as-Johnny-Lawrence-and-Ralph-Macchio-as-Daniel-LaRusso-in-Cobra-Kai-Season-2.jpgCobra-kai-season-2-CobraKai s02 photoshoot beach 2 4800x3200 rgb-1.jpgCobraKai Season3 00 04 39 21R.jpgCobraKai Season3 Episode1 00 23 32 16R.jpgCobraKai Season3 00 26 48 00R.jpgCobraKai Season3 Episode2 00 12 22 04R.jpgCOB 20190911-TR 1043R.jpgCOB 20190923-TR 0155R.jpgCOB 20190923-TR 0334R.jpgCobraKai Season3 00 15 59 01R.jpgCOB 20191017-CB 00012R.jpgCOB 20191017-CB 00451R.jpgCOB 20191010-CB 00855R.jpgCobraKai Season3 00 16 57 13R.jpgCOB 308-20191023-CB 00165R.jpgCOB 308-20191023-CB 00005R.jpgS3promo.jpegS3 E8.jpegCobraKai Season3 Episode9 00 24 05 22R.jpgCOB 20191119-CB 00094R.jpg401 Johnny Carmen Promo.jpg401 Johnny Daniel Promo.jpgCOB FG 00003R.jpg402 Daniel Johnny Promo2.jpgCOB FG 00004R.jpg404 Chris Demetri Promo.jpg403 Johnny Daniel Promo.jpg403 Johnny Miguel Promo.jpg405 Johnny Promo.jpg405 Johnny Promo2.jpg405 Johnny Daniel Promo.jpg405 Johnny Daniel Promo2.jpg406 Johnny Promo.jpg406 Johnny Grant Promo.jpgCOB FG 00026R.jpg408 Daniel Johnny Miguel Sam Promo.jpg409 Johnny and Eagle-Fang Promo.jpg410 Daniel Johnny Promo.jpg410 Daniel Johnny Sam Promo.jpg410 Carmen Johnny Promo.jpgCK S5 Robby-Johnny Still.jpgCK S5 Johnny-Fighting Still.jpgCK S5 Johnny-Robby Still.jpgCK S5 Johnny-Robby-Celebration Still.jpgCK S5 Carmen-Johnny-Bed Still.jpgCOB 505 Miguel-Johnny-Robby Still.jpgCK S5 Chozen-Amanda-Johnny Still.jpgJohnny and Chozen CK 5x06.jpgCK S5 Daniel-Chozen-Johnny-Amanda FirstLook.jpgCK S5 Daniel-Johnny-Chozen-Amanda Still.jpgCK S5 Johnny-Daniel-Chozen FirstLook.jpgCK S5 Johnny-Chozen Still.jpgCK S5 Carmen-Johnny Still.jpgCK-510 Chozen-Daniel-Johnny-Barnes Still.jpgJohnny Chozen Mike.jpg
## Trivia

* In the original *The Karate Kid*, Johnny was seen as the primary antagonist, until it was revealed that he was manipulated by John Kreese.
* He owned a 1991 Pontiac Firebird until it was destroyed by Louie LaRusso and some bikers he had hired. Daniel would replace it with a 2009 Dodge Charger, which Johnny would mod out into a Cobra Kai themed sports car. Johnny would later abandon this vehicle at the beach. He had previously driven a 1983 Avanti Convertible as well as riding a Honda XL 600R motorcycle when he was in high school.
* In 2020, Johnny was inducted into the Fictitious Athlete Hall of Fame, alongside Daniel LaRusso, who was inducted in 2018, and Mr. Miyagi, who was inducted in 2015.
* He is a fan of *Poison* and *Guns N' Roses*.
* Johnny is not technologically knowledgeable, and was unaware of the internet until much later in life. He did not own his first computer until 2018. He still prefers VHS tapes over DVDs, and cassette tape players over CD mediums.
* Johnny is one of the more problematic characters in the franchise, due to his dismissing of Miguel Diaz and other characters medical conditions, as well as, blatantly sexist remarks.
	+ He once demanded Miguel and the rest of his dojo "man up", accepting no excuses, as seen by his "curing" Miguel of his asthma by saying that will not be a handicap in his class and discarding his inhaler.
	+ He also is dismissive of Eli saying that he might be on the autism spectrum, saying that he doesn't know what that is but he should "get off it pronto".
* His favorite film is *Iron Eagle*.
	+ The movie was meant to be a cash in of *Top Gun*, another fighter jet movie released in the same year as *Iron Eagle*, but starred Tom Cruise. Johnny dislikes *Top Gun*, as he believes Maverick not earning the trophy and Goose's death, were ridiculous. Ironically, *Top Gun* is Carmen Diaz's favorite film.
* Johnny was unaware that he had to deal with regulations in running the dojo, showing his lack of education in business.
* According to Johnny, Tommy beat Darryl Vidal in the quarterfinals of the 1983 All Valley Tournament, to which Johnny remarked he had to face Vidal in the semifinals of the 1984 tournament.
* Johnny Lawrence's main catchphrase is *"QUIET!*" whenever he gives his students no more questions or motivating them. His quote is also said by John Kreese and also Daniel LaRusso, who says it when he breaks Anthony's iPad and threatens him to follow his rules or face a worse punishment.
* Johnny won his championship in 1983 by defeating Tommy in the All-Valley Karate Tournament.
* He is one of the only characters who has been both an antagonist and a protagonist.
* He has appeared in every episode of Cobra Kai, alongside Daniel LaRusso.

## References

1. ↑ In his message to Ali in "King Cobra"

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