Johnny Lawrence was a stellar supporting protagonist of the Cobra Kai series and a secondary villain in the original Karate Kid. Taking a more central role has provided him with a fantastic opportunity to flesh out his character and build on the foundation made in his original debut.
As one of the show's leads, he has been given many redeeming qualities over the years to portray him in a favorable light. However, he has also regressed in profound ways, rendering him a flawed albeit believable underdog in his small Los Angeles town.
10 Redeemed Johnny: Miguel Forced Johnny To Mature As A Person
Miguel was Johnny's best and first student, having been inspired to train with him after his mentor defeated a group of thugs. Together, they won the All Valley tournament, thereby reaching a goal that Johnny had aspired to since his youth.
However, there was another benefit for him than simply living vicariously through his prodigy. By agreeing to teach Miguel, Johnny was forced to mature and become the mentor that he wished he had during his days in the original Cobra Kai dojo.
9 Made Him Worse: Johnny Repeatedly Threatened LaRusso, Even In His Own Home
Despite Daniel LaRusso's willingness to let the past go, Johnny has done everything in his power to exacerbate their rivalry from decades past. The most egregious example comes after a misunderstanding where his car was destroyed.
Instead of asking LaRusso for answers about his cousin's actions, he immediately threatened him at his house and in front of his children. In addition to being illegal, this was a dangerously irresponsible decision that could have caused serious problems if Amanda wasn't nearby to diffuse the tension and make them resolve their differences civilly.
8 Redeemed Johnny: The Series Gave Johnny A Chance To Explain His Actions From Karate Kid
Many fans may remember that in the original series, Johnny Lawrence and his friends chased Daniel through school and across town in order to beat him to a pulp. They were only narrowly thwarted by Mr. Miyagi, and there was no telling what would've happened without his intervention.
Cobra Kai gave Johnny an opportunity to explain his side of the story. Although it was true that his actions were excessive, LaRusso provoked him in the bathroom and attempted to hit on his girlfriend of the time.
7 Made Him Worse: Johnny Was Still As Petty As He Was In Youth
While Johnny may have eventually scaled down his violent tendencies toward LaRusso, he remained incredibly petty. This was first demonstrated when vandalizing his rival's sign, thereby sabotaging his business in the process.
It was again seen during LaRusso's attempt to recruit new students for his dojo, when Johnny deliberately made an effort to upstage him with flashy visuals and bombastic shouting. The latter instance was successful and served to exacerbate the tensions that the two karate schools felt toward each other.
6 Redeemed Johnny: Johnny Gained A Greater Sense Of Honor As The Series Progressed
Johnny gained a palpably stronger sense of honor as the series progressed. The most immediate example comes from the fact that he was willing to recruit anyone with enough willpower to the Cobra Kai dojo, including girls.
Additionally, he was appalled at Miguel's decision to brutalize Robby during the tournament and instructed him not to fight underhandedly again. Moreover, Johnny stayed with Miguel after his hospitalization, thereby proving a willingness to take accountability for his actions.
5 Made Him Worse: Johnny Was Such A Terrible Parent To Robby That LaRusso Replaced Him
Throughout Robby's life, Johnny has been mostly an absentee parent. Although he attempted to make amends well over a decade later, his son had found other surrogate father figures by that point.
LaRusso was more than willing to help him off his delinquent path and gave him a job that he sorely needed at his car dealership. Even Kreese visited him at juvenile hall to provide him with desperately needed emotional and tactical support. In the end, Johnny paid so much attention to Miguel that he ended up neglecting his own son.
4 Redeemed Johnny: Life Made Johnny A Likable Underdog
Life hadn't treated Johnny Lawrence well since his glory days in high school. Ever since, he's been working odd jobs to keep himself off the street though hasn't thrived nearly as much as LaRusso did with his salesmanship business.
While this may convey some of Johnny's biggest failings, it also makes him a naturally likable underdog. Unlike LaRusso, everything Johnny currently has in the series was something the audience watched him struggle to earn.
3 Made Him Worse: Johnny Allowed Kreese To Corrupt His Students
After a great deal of hesitation, Johnny allowed Kreese back into his life and dojo. While this did give him some necessary support and new ideas for teaching students, it also provided his former sensei with a chance to corrupt everything he worked to achieve.
By the time Johnny realized how pernicious Kreese's influence was, it was already too late. Kreese managed to steal his dojo, most of his students, and the integrity of what Cobra Kai was being reshaped into. Worse yet, Kreese even stole the allegiance of Johnny's own son.
2 Redeemed Johnny: Johnny Founded Eagle Fang Karate To Embody His New Ideology
Although the loss of his dojo was humiliating, it gave Johnny a chance to reestablish Cobra Kai into something undiluted by its past actions. He called his new dojo "Eagle Fang Karate," which consisted of Miguel, those who'd been ejected from Kreese's class, and a few young boys that knew Johnny's way was the right one (like Hawk).
His new order successfully balanced the viciousness and aggression of Cobra Kai with the integrity and class of Miyagi-Do. With the best of both worlds, Johnny's group has become the most formidable anti-heroes in the valley.
1 Made Him Worse: Johnny Encouraged LaRusso To Murder Kreese & Almost Did So Himself
After the invasion of LaRusso's home, he and Johnny went to Kreese's dojo separately for a brutal reckoning. The latter was particularly vicious, having ignored his sensei's attempts at diplomacy and considered using a weapon to end his life.
Even after being defeated, he hobbled over to LaRusso, who was preparing to finish Kreese off with his bare hands. Instead of discouraging a flagrant murder on private property, he gave him a nod of approval. Without Samantha's timely intervention, the consequences would have been disastrous.
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