Cobra Kai
Warning!
Spoilers for Cobra Kai season 6, part 2, ahead!
Cobra Kaiseason 6 has introduced the new Johnny Lawrence, and the parallels are absolutely heartbreaking.
Part of what has madeCobra Kaiso interesting is the way it has utilizedThe Karate Kid’s formula.
Johnny ironically filled Mr. Miyagi’s shoes while Miguel was presented as the new Daniel LaRusso.
Now, the final season ofCobra Kaihas finally introduced the new Johnny.
However, said bully character, Kyler, was never a great parallel for Johnny’scharacter archtype inThe Karate Kid.
He simply wasn’t complex enough.
On the other hand,Cobra Kaiseason 6’s Axel perfectly fills Johnny’s old shoes.
Custom Image by Dhruv Sharma.
He is immensely powerful and has gone wholly undefeated in each event of the Sekai Taikai.
However, it’s revealed that Axel’s status has come at a high cost.
Of course, this was precisely the case for Johnny Lawrence inThe Karate Kid.
He was John Kreese’s pride and joy, but this meant that Johnny was forced to endure abuse.
Still, this heartbreaking detail isn’t the only parallelCobra Kaihas created between Johnny and Axel.
From that moment forward, Axel began to target Miguel unfairly, and a rivalry quickly evolved.
This story makes perfect sense for Axel sinceMiguel was established asCobra Kai’s Daniel equivalent long ago.
It’s a similar story for a new generationbut theKarate Kidfranchise didn’t really start with Johnny and Daniel.
Mr. Miyagi’s story comes first chronologically, andCobra Kaihas taken this into account as well.
It’s an indication thatMr.
Miyagi once had to work hard for redemption, just as Johnny has throughoutCobra Kai.
Cobra Kaiseason 6, part 3, releases on Netflix on February 14, 2025.
