Cobra Kai has challenged The Karate Kid movies’ presentation of morality since day one, and Mr. Miyagi is now getting the same treatment as Daniel LaRusso. These two were the definitive good guys of the classic 1980s movies, where good and bad were black and white and easy to define. However, as Cobra Kai kicked off with Johnny Lawrence in the spotlight, the lines between the heroes and villains became far more blurred. Season 1 established this trend by portraying Daniel LaRusso in a new light. Now, it’s Mr. Miyagi’s turn to appear a bit more morally complicated.
Over the years in Cobra Kai, the traditional villains of The Karate Kid have had opportunities for redemption. Johnny Lawrence is still a complicated, rather non-PC character, but he has proven himself to be a good person trying his best. Chozen, the villain of The Karate Kid Part II, has managed to become one of the spinoff series’ most beloved characters, and even The Karate Kid Part III’s Mike Barnes has managed a unique redemption. Inversely, Cobra Kai season 6 has now begun to reshape the decades-old image of the perfect and sage Mr. Miyagi, just as season 1 did with Daniel LaRusso.
Cobra Kai Season 1 Proved Daniel Wasn’t The Good Guy Karate Kid Claimed
Daniel certainly isn’t a bad guy. However, Cobra Kai season 1 showed Karate Kid audiences what he looked like from Johnny Lawrence’s perspective. Especially in adulthood, Daniel had begun to define himself as the “better” person. He considered Johnny to be below him in every way ever since their rivalry back in high school. However, Daniel’s prejudice against Johnny and Cobra Kai led him to make some pretty terrible decisions that hurt not only himself and Johnny but also the many students of Miyagi-Do and Cobra Kai dojos.
Cobra Kai season 1 saw Daniel attempt to sabotage Johnny at every turn, and the familiar dynamic of The Karate Kid was flipped on its head. Suddenly, the old high school bully was who everyone was cheering for, while the underdog kid from New Jersey became the frustrating villain. Again, this wasn’t to say that Daniel became bad through and through. Rather, Cobra Kai used these characters to explore how no one is ever all good or bad. Still, the memory of Mr. Miyagi remained untouched for most of the spinoff series—until season 6.
Cobra Kai Season 6 Is Doing Exactly The Same For Mr. Miyagi
Mr. Miyagi was a beloved character in The Karate Kid, though when it comes to his morality, he wasn’t particular dynamic. Of course, this was in keeping with the good-vs-bad formula of the movie series, so there was nothing wrong with it. However, since the formula of Cobra Kai sees these tropes turned on their heads, it makes sense that it would now be Mr. Miyagi’s turn to get some moral complexity.Cobra Kai season 6 has begun to lean into this, revealing that Daniel’s beloved old sensei used to have a far darker past.
Daniel and Mr. Miyagi getting this treatment in Cobra Kai is a good thing, since it assists the Netflix series’ overarching theme that goodness (and badness) can come from anyone.
In Cobra Kai season 6, part 1, Daniel discovers a chest hidden in Mr. Miyagi’s house containing a collection of artifacts of a past life that includes violence and crime. This really bothered Daniel, who, even through his own morally complicated journey, has held his sensei and friend above all others in this regard. The news that Mr. Miyagi’s opponent at the Sekai Taikai was killed tipped all this over the edge. Still, Daniel and Mr. Miyagi getting this treatment in Cobra Kai is a good thing, since it assists the Netflix series’ overarching theme that goodness (and badness) can come from anyone.
Why Cobra Kai Is Rewriting Karate Kid’s Heroes
A spinoff series retconning characters’ stories isn’t typically acceptable, especially when this means making previously good characters bad by comparison. However, Cobra Kai has taken precisely this idea and used as its own foundation. The entire premise revolved around taking the perspective of a villain and challenging the black-and-white, good-vs-evil formula of The Karate Kid, and it’s for precisely this that Cobra Kai owes its success. TV spinoffs of beloved classics are a dime a dozen these days, but Cobra Kai is one of the few to make it through six whole seasons.
Through this, Cobra Kai has proven that even rough-around-the-edges characters like Johnny Lawrence can have a very different future.
Of course, it wouldn’t be enoughto redeem the villains of The Karate Kid. Cobra Kai had to treat all its characters fairly, which meant exploring the moral complications of traditionally “good” people. Daniel is still a hero, but it has become clear that he had a wide variety of faults—one of them being, fittingly, a tendency to see people as either all good or all bad. Mr. Miyagi, on the other hand, has been revealed to be a kind, gentle old man with a history of making mistakes and learning hard lessons. Through this, Cobra Kai has proven that even rough-around-the-edges characters like Johnny Lawrence can have a very different future.
