With Cobra Kai returning for a fifth season on September 9, fans are eager to see what’s new with Daniel LaRusso, Johnny Lawrence, the recently graduated kids, the new set of kids, and the Cobra Kai and Miyagi-Do dojos.The show has been the perfect decades-later follow-up to The Karate Kid movies, sharing some continuity while introducing a whole new story, as well as fresh perspectives on the returning characters. One such character is Daniel, who, as Cobra Kai often shows, might not have been the victim everyone thought he was.
Daniel Vs. Johnny
Despite being much more successful both professionally and personally, Daniel seems to still hold a grudge against the troubled Johnny, who clearly got the short end of the stick in life. As this meme shows, even though Johnny proved in many ways that he was a changed man who simply wanted to share what he loved with a new set of kids, Daniel didn’t believe him.
As this meme shows, Daniel wasn’t about to let Johnny teach children and young adults the old ways of Cobra Kai, and there was nothing anyone could do to stop him. He even went so far as to set up his own rival dojo to show kids the true essence of karate.
Civilized Conversation
A hilarious throwback meme, this one takes the initial situation that sparked so much hatred and vitriol between the two in The Karate Kid movies when they were just high schoolers. Johnny was jealous that his ex Ali – one of the returning Karate Kid movie characters in Cobra Kai - had only just recently broken up with him, was taking an interest in Daniel. Had he simply backed off and moved on, things might have turned out differently.
Of course, it would have made the plot much more boring and the movie very short. It also meant Cobra Kai and the rivalry between the two that it highlights so wonderfully, would not have existed.
You Donkey!
Fans of Gordon Ramsay know that he can get very heated and upset on his reality competition cooking shows, yelling expletives at the contestants when they make rookie mistakes. On the shows that involve kids, however, he’s much kinder and sweeter.
This meme juxtaposes those two personalities with headlines that show Karate Kid fans watching Daniel in those movies, then watching him on Cobra Kai. Indeed, the perspective has shifted with the new series, with many believing Johnny to be the victim and Daniel to be acting more like the bully.
The Real Bully
Another meme that presents Daniel as a bully on the show versus the victim he was in The Karate Kid movies, the debate continues with Cobra Kai. Daniel has good intentions and wants to keep Mr. Miyagi’s teachings going strong. He strives to promote karate as a martial art about defending oneself and not “striking first” as the Cobra Kai dojo believes. But he can also sometimes come across as arrogant.
He doesn’t believe he’s the bully but also doesn’t recognize that Johnny – one of the funniest characters in Cobra Kai - has had a rough life. He was the way he was as a teenager because of his troubled upbringing and really wants to change. As for Daniel, some fans think he was the bully all along, especially with that much-debated illegal kick.
Miyago-Do Forever
Daniel has a job running a car sales business, but once he ran into Johnny and Cobra Kai reopened, he became obsessed with reigniting his passion for karate and opening his own rival dojo, Miyagi-do.
This meme exaggerates his obsession, presenting the image of an age-enhanced Daniel tying a headband, with a menacing look as though he is still running the dojo well into his golden years. The joke is complete with an image on the bottom right that suggests it’s from “The Karate Kid 2044,” decades from now.
For Defense Only…Sometimes
Daniel did contradict himself at times when he insisted that karate should be used for defense only. But then, sometimes he struck first, like when he kicked the smoothie right out of a rival car dealership owner’s hand when he was antagonizing him.
Meanwhile, when Daniel met with Chozen in Japan, his old rival from the second Karate Kid movie, he taught him methods of karate that he claims Mr. Miyagi never told Daniel about. Some of them involved skilled moves to completely paralyze opponents. The caption of the meme takes some liberties with the words, but the sentiment is there.
Old Rivalries
The focus of Cobra Kai is on the new generation of kids learning karate and the drama among them that includes typical coming-of-age challenges combined with skilled fighting taken too far. But those of an older generation who watch are more interested in the ongoing drama between Daniel and Johnny.
In some of their epic fight scenes, which rank among the most important fights on Cobra Kai, it did come across like a dance, of sorts, with the two equally matched, as they have always been. Despite being older in age with families and responsibilities, Daniel can sometimes revert to acting like a teenager when he’s around Johnny again.
Protective Parent
No matter what is going on in Daniel’s life, including his own rivalries and professional issues, his primary focus is always on his kids and their well-being. So, when he discovers that Samantha was engaged in underage drinking and ended up on Johnny’s doorstep with his son Robbie looking for a safe place to sleep to keep her misdeeds from her parents, Daniel was livid.
His expression could easily be likened to the animated cartoon used in this meme, which saw Daniel overreact in “papa bear” mode. He was not only upset that his daughter didn’t come to him with what she had done, but that she felt she could trust and lean on his sworn enemy.
The Bullying Never Ends
Some believe Daniel is the villain, with plenty of quotes proving that Daniel is actually a bully in Cobra Kai. Even if they think that Daniel’s illegal kick in The Karate Kid makes him the bully, not Johnny, there’s no denying that Daniel was a victim of bullying by others, including John Kreese.
With that character reprising his role in Cobra Kai, Kreese continues to be the cruel and heartless villain he was then. That includes targeting people like Daniel. While this meme takes a light-hearted look at the situation, it’s true that even decades later, Daniel still finds himself reminded of the torture John Kreese and Terry Silver put him through.
Sorry, Son
An ongoing joke in Cobra Kai is that there’s so much focus on Daniel and his relationship with his daughter Sam and he spends very little time with his son Anthony. In the first seasons, Anthony is mostly seen glued to his electronic devices or eating junk food.
In the later seasons, with a focus shifting to a new group of kids, Anthony is part of more pivotal storylines, including one where Daniel admits to having neglected his son and his needs as he was caught up in everything else going on in his life. This meme pokes fun at how, in the beginning, Anthony was like background noise that no one, including Daniel, ever really paid attention to. His daughter Samantha, his business, Miyagi-do, and even Johnny’s son Robby all appeared to come before Anthony.