Terry Silver managed an easy victory over Johnny Lawrence in Cobra Kai season 4. Johnny’s fights in the Netflix series confirm that despite his defeat in The Karate Kid, he’s on par with Daniel LaRusso when it comes to karate. But while he can fight Daniel to a stalemate, he failed to get the same results against Silver.

Played by Ian Thomas Griffith, Terry Silver has emerged as Cobra Kai’s biggest villain. As a charismatic and wealthy karate instructor capable of molding children into weapons, Silver is without a question a major problem for the other dojos in the series. But those elements of his character aren’t the only things that make him so threatening. Although he laid off karate for years, it didn’t take long for him to get back into fighting shape. The skills he’s put to use in Cobra Kai prove that he’s one of the show’s most formidable fighters. That fact was on display in season 4’s eighth episode when Terry Silver forced a fight with Johnny at the original Cobra Kai dojo. A brief one-on-one battle ended with Johnny suffering a brutal beatdown at Silver’s hands.

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Silver’s win – and the ease in which he pulled it off – was a surprising moment for the character, especially when taking into consideration his advancing age and Johnny’s own capabilities in Cobra Kai. But while what Silver did was a testament to his skills and a sign that he may very well be Cobra Kai’s best fighter, it’s important to note that the circumstances of the fight had a lot to do with the outcome. Ultimately, Terry won so easily because he ambushed Johnny, seized control over the fight right away, and never let up for a moment. Having the element of surprise on his side was key to Silver’s triumph over Johnny.

Terry Silver vs Johnny Cobra Kai

As an experienced karate practitioner, Silver understands the importance of controlling a fight, which is why he was so ruthless in his attacks. After sucker-punching his opponent, Terry Silver continued his relentless assault and in doing so, retained the upper hand throughout the entire fight. Johnny was at a great disadvantage from the start, and fighting someone as skilled as Silver only made his prospects of somehow coming out on top even worse.

The way in which Silver beat Johnny raises an interesting question: would Johnny have won if Silver hadn’t blindsided him? His inability to properly adjust and recover under the pressure of Silver’s barrage of punches gave the impression that even though the fight truly was unfair, he would have lost regardless. Based on the way Silver handled himself in their fight, there’s a sense that his fighting skills trump Johnny’s and arguably Daniel’s as well. Johnny may need to work on improving his skills in case a rematch happens in Cobra Kai season 5.

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