Cobra Kai season 3 drew parallels between Tory Nichols and her devious sensei John Kreese, hinting she is on the same self-destructive path. Although Tory (Peyton List) was introduced in season 2, little was known about her home life — other than the fact that she faced far more adversity than Samantha LaRusso. After Sam wrongly accused Tory of theft in Cobra Kai season 2, largely because of Sam's prejudice, the two teenage girls began a feud that rivaled that of Daniel and Johnny in The Karate Kid.
Although initially, Tory was most like Daniel in The Karate Kid (with Sam's more privileged life being akin to Johnny's in the original movie), Cobra Kai season 3 further complicated Tory's story by drawing comparisons between her and Kreese — one of the biggest villains in the Karate Kid franchise. In the original '80s movies, Kreese (played by Martin Kove) served as the infamous sensei responsible for fostering Cobra Kai's "no mercy" philosophy. He re-entered Johnny Lawrence's life in Cobra Kai season 2, and — in a not-so-surprising twist — managed to steal control over the dojo from his former pupil.
Audiences learn more about Kreese's backstory in Cobra Kai season 3. Flashback sequences show how the once-idealistic young man was twisted through a combination of trauma and bad influence. These scenes also highlight the various similarities between his upbringing and Tory's. Kreese obviously sees himself in Tory, as shown by him intervening on her behalf with the landlord, and him offering to train her for free of charge. Both came from single-parent homes, and both were discriminated against because of their poverty. Like Tory, Kreese had to work difficult, sometimes humiliating jobs, because of his financial situation at home. This explains why Tory is so important to Kreese — and what his plans are for her and the Cobra Kai dojo.
Cobra Kai season 3 reveals key similarities between teenage Kreese and Tory: both have ill mothers and absent fathers, both get bullied in their workplaces by peers, and both find mentors who teach corrupt philosophies. Kreese's mother committed suicide, leaving him to survive on his own. Tory's mother suffers from an unknown condition that requires Tory to be her primary caregiver, although that mainly seems to require Tory working part-time jobs to pay the household bills. Before she fell ill, Tory's mother was a waitress who struggled to get by — that is, until she was fired from bringing leftover food home to feed her kids. The circumstances imply that Tory's mother may suffer from a similar mental illness as Kreese's mother. Kreese's backstory flashbacks in Cobra Kai even included a moment that echoed a Tory scene from season 2: a young Kreese gets tripped while working as a waiter in a similar manner that Tory was tripped by Sam at the roller rink.
The parallels between Tory and Kreese in Cobra Kai suggest that Kreese is shaping his young student to be his successor, perhaps intending for her to take over the dojo when he's gone. While in the army, Kreese was warped by the influence of a superior officer, Captain Turner, who pushed the young man to his breaking point. Although he is treating Tory with more kindness than he himself received by Turner, Kreese is effectively doing the same thing with her. Unless Tory's mother gets involved in Cobra Kai season 4, counteracting Kreese's influence, it's very likely that the young karate student will continue to be corrupted by her sensei. This puts Tory on a dark path that can only end tragically for all those involved — and suggests the Tory and Sam rivalry is far from over.