Warning: This article contains spoilers for Cobra Kai season 4.
Cobra Kai season 4 proved that Daniel LaRusso (Ralph Macchio) has been wrong about Miyagi-do from the very beginning of the series. Though there’s no denying the good influence that Mr. Miyagi (Pat Morita) has had on Daniel, the way he’s carried on his sensei’s teachings has presented problems not only for himself but also for those who train under him. The events of the latest All Valley Karate Tournament exposed (and fixed) that flaw.
The glaring differences between the styles of karate taught by Daniel and Johnny (William Zabka) have always been integral to the show’s story. Since the show began, the two characters have been at odds over how karate should be taught and how it’s utilized in real-life. Kreese (Martin Kove) coming back into the picture complicated matters by adding a third – and much more aggressive – perspective on karate. Though Daniel and Johnny shared a common enemy in Kreese, their viewpoints continued to clash. This persisted even after they agreed to join forces in the Cobra Kai season 3 finale. Daniel and Johnny tried to make their alliance work, but their differing martial arts philosophies and personal issues with each other got in the way too many times.
While Johnny has to take a lot of the blame for the challenges the two have had in getting along in Cobra Kai, it’s not all his fault. Though it’s true that Johnny and his students have often been the aggressors in regards to the conflict with Miyagi-do, Daniel isn’t exactly innocent of any wrongdoing, nor has he always been right about Miyagi-do and Cobra Kai. One of Daniel’s core beliefs is at the heart of why the two have been different pages for so long. By the end of season 4, Cobra Kai proved this idea wrong both to viewers and to Daniel himself.
Daniel Always Believed Miyagi-do Was The Only Way
Through four seasons, Daniel remained committed to the teachings of Mr. Miyagi. To him, karate is strictly for self-defense, which is why most of Miyagi-do’s moves are reactive. This is what Mr. Miyagi taught him across all three Karate Kid movies. Daniel demonstrated his devotion to these principles throughout Cobra Kai by teaching Mr. Miyagi’s style to his students and openly disagreeing with Johnny about his approach. In his mind, Cobra Kai was fundamentally bad because of its history and its three guiding principles, “Strike Hard”, “Strike First”, and “No Mercy”. Because Daniel is a big believer in karate being for self-defense only, Daniel has been vehemently opposed to Cobra Kai’s focus on offense.
It’s worth noting that Daniel never even gave the new Cobra Kai a chance. He immediately confronted Johnny when he re-opened the dojo in season 1 and actively interfered with Johnny’s efforts to get Cobra Kai off the ground. Daniel was convinced early on that Johnny wouldn’t be able to positively impact kids with his style of karate. While his alliance with Johnny indicated that his position had changed, Daniel made it clear in season 4 that he was still of the opinion that Mr. Miyagi’s way was the only way that worked. When Daniel realized that their team-up wasn’t going to last, Daniel decided to seize full control of their combined dojos and train them exclusively in Miyagi-do karate, which he said was the “right way”. He felt pushing Johnny out and relying only on Miyagi-do was the sole pathway to victory in the tournament.
Cobra Kai Season 4 Changes Daniel
Daniel’s opposition toward Eagle Fang lingered through most of the season, but he did have some eye-opening experiences early in Cobra Kai season 4 that affected his viewpoints. As part of their agreement to work together, Daniel had to train under Johnny for a day. During this time, Daniel went through brutally difficult exercises that greatly increased his physical toughness, such as walking on hot coals, push-ups, climbing a rope, and more. After going through such an intense day of training, it was hard for Daniel to argue with the notion that Johnny’s way does get results. Afterward, Daniel subconsciously embraced Johnny’s “Strike First” mindset when he attacked the hockey players who antagonized him. Despite this, Daniel continued to take issue with Johnny’s style. But as a result of training under Johnny, he begrudgingly developed some degree of respect for how Eagle Fang works.
Cobra Kai Proves Daniel Was Wrong About Miyagi-do
Regardless of what Daniel took away from his team-up with Johnny, Daniel’s opinion that Eagle Fang wasn’t good enough for his students to win the tournament didn’t waver. His problem with their style caused him to but heads with Sam (Mary Mouser), who discovered an appreciation for Johnny’s offensive-minded approach. Sam wanted Daniel to understand that she valued what Johnny brought to the table, but Daniel refused to listen.
It wasn’t until after the semifinals of the All Valley Karate Tournament’s girls division that he finally saw the biggest flaw with his plan. Sam was losing against one of Cobra Kai’s students until she switched gears and began using Eagle Fang. Daniel expressed his frustration with Sam using Johnny’s “Eagle Fang crap”, but eventually remembered an important lesson from Mr. Miyagi. In The Karate Kid Part III, Daniel only wanted to follow Mr. Miyagi’s teachings. Using the growth of a bonsai tree root as an analogy, Mr. Miyagi told Daniel that one day he would have to practice karate “own way”. What this meant was that following in Mr. Miyagi’s footsteps wasn’t necessarily “the right way” that Daniel had originally claimed it to be. In other words, there can be more than one style of karate that works.
Everything that Daniel had done up until this point in Cobra Kai showed that he had forgotten this lesson, but Sam’s bond with Johnny helped Daniel reach a new level of understanding about Miyagi-do, Eagle Fang, and karate in general. Recalling this lesson made Daniel accept that Johnny's Eagle Fang truly does have the potential for good. It may have taken four full seasons for it to happen, but Daniel has finally moved past his close-minded approach to karate. Had he not overcome this obstacle, it’s possible that Sam would have lost outright to Tory (Peyton List) without any need for the referee to influence the match’s results in Cobra Kai’s favor. Daniel’s new and improved outlook should help him work alongside Johnny in the seasons to come with a greater sense of cooperation and willingness to listen.