Warning! Spoilers for Cobra Kai season 6, part 2, ahead!

Cobra Kai season 6 has introduced the new Johnny Lawrence, and the parallels are absolutely heartbreaking. The Karate Kid spinoff series has been all about exploring the next generation of fighters, with former teenagers Johnny and Daniel taking on the roles of sensei. Part of what has made Cobra Kai so interesting is the way it has utilized The Karate Kid‘s formula. Johnny ironically filled Mr. Miyagi’s shoes while Miguel was presented as the new Daniel LaRusso. Now, the final season of Cobra Kai has finally introduced the new Johnny.

Back in The Karate Kid, Mr. Miyagi was the wise sensei who befriended a teenager, Daniel LaRusso and used unconventional methods to teach him karate so he could defend himself against bully Johnny Larence. In Cobra Kai, Johnny became the sensei who used unconventional methods to teach teenager Miguel karate so he could defend himself against a bully. However, said bully character, Kyler, was never a great parallel for Johnny’s character archtype in The Karate Kid. He simply wasn’t complex enough. On the other hand, Cobra Kai season 6’s Axel perfectly fills Johnny’s old shoes.

Cobra Kai’s Axel Is Iron Dragon’s Golden Student (At A Cost)

Johnny Knows The Pressures Of Being The Best

Cobra Kai season 6, part 2 reveals that Axel Kovačević is the golden student of the Iron Dragon dojo. He is immensely powerful and has gone wholly undefeated in each event of the Sekai Taikai. However, it’s revealed that Axel’s status has come at a high cost. Sam sees that the boy is being abused by his teacher, Sensei Wolf, and that failure or loss isn’t an option. Axel must do well or suffer the consequences, and while this has turned him into a great fighter, it’s a heartbreaking and unhealthy dynamic.

Of course, this was precisely the case for Johnny Lawrence in The Karate Kid. He was John Kreese’s pride and joy, but this meant that Johnny was forced to endure abuse. This became especially clear at the beginning of The Karate Kid Part II when Kreese nearly killed Johnny for losing to Daniel LaRusso at the 1984 All-Valley Tournament. The impact of this abuse carried over into Johnny’s adulthood, and this presents tragic foreshadowing regarding Axel’s future. Still, this heartbreaking detail isn’t the only parallel Cobra Kai has created between Johnny and Axel.

Axel’s Beef With Miguel Reflects Johnny’s Karate Kid Story

Axel’s Story Fully Borrow’s Johnny’s Old Formula

Not only does Axel’s treatment under his abusive sensei reflect Johnny’s Karate Kid story, but he has officially started some beef with Cobra Kai‘s Daniel equivalent. While Miguel was heading back to the US in Cobra Kai season 6, part 2, Sam and Axel began a short friendship, during which the Iron Dragon boy started to develop feelings for his Miyagi-Do competitor. However, when he went in for a kiss, Sam put a stop to it and explained that she had a boyfriend. From that moment forward, Axel began to target Miguel unfairly, and a rivalry quickly evolved.

Cobra Kai has carried this same formula to season 6, adding even more connective tissue between Johnny and Axel, Daniel and Miguel, and now, Ali and Sam.

This story makes perfect sense for Axel since Miguel was established as Cobra Kai‘s Daniel equivalent long ago. The beef between Johnny and Daniel developed because the latter boy began dating Ali Mills, with whom Johnny was in love. Cobra Kai has carried this same formula to season 6, adding even more connective tissue between Johnny and Axel, Daniel and Miguel, and now, Ali and Sam. It’s a similar story for a new generation—but the Karate Kid franchise didn’t really start with Johnny and Daniel. Mr. Miyagi’s story comes first chronologically, and Cobra Kai has taken this into account as well.

Axel’s Opponent Dying In Cobra Kai Connects Him To Another Karate Kid Character

Cobra Kai Has Added Another Layer To Johnny & Axel’s Similarities

There’s one primary difference between Johnny and Axel’s stories in Cobra Kai season 6. At the end of part 2, Axel’s opponent in the Sekai Taikai brawl was tragically killed when he fell on his own knife. Such a thing never happened to Johnny, but there’s another Karate Kid character who went through something similar. Cobra previously revealed that Mr. Miyagi had participated in the Sekai Taikai once upon a time, and his opponent was somehow killed during their match. It’s a terrible thing for Axel to share with Mr. Miyagi, but even this ties him in with Johnny Lawrence.

Johnny fills Mr. Miyagi’s character archetype in Cobra Kai, and this fact is emphasized by the reveal that Daniel’s sensei has a darker past than anyone has expected. It’s an indication that Mr. Miyagi once had to work hard for redemption, just as Johnny has throughout Cobra Kai. Now, Axel is taking on this archetype as well, and this is driven home by the fact that both he and Mr. Miyagi witnessed the death of their Sekai Taikai opponent. While Johnny won’t specifically relate in this case, his own commonalities with both Miyagi and Axel in Cobra Kai can hopefully impact how these characters interact going forward.

Cobra Kai
season 6, part 3, releases on Netflix on February 14, 2025.