Cobra Kai Failed to Give Daniel LaRusso His Own True Apprentice

by

In the series Cobra Kai, Daniel LaRusso‘s character underwent significant development, yet the show fell short in portraying a crucial aspect of his legacy. While season 1 primarily focused on Johnny Lawrence, the way Daniel was reintroduced in Cobra Kai took many viewers by surprise. The show allowed us to explore an unexpected facet of Daniel’s personality before he eventually returned to karate and started teaching at Miyagi-Do.

In the world of Cobra Kai, Johnny Lawrence and Miguel took on the roles similar to Mr. Miyagi and Daniel-san from the original Karate Kid. Interestingly enough, while Johnny became the experienced yet reluctant mentor with a troubled past, learning from his student and forming a father-son bond, Daniel didn’t have a dedicated apprentice of his own on the show for an extended period. Despite the series reimagining the formula from the Karate Kid films, it was noticeable that Daniel lacked a consistent long-term protege on the show.

Cobra Kai Never Gave Daniel LaRusso His Own Apprentice

Daniel Had Many Students, But He Didn’t Have A True Apprentice Like Johnny Had With Miguel

In the course of Cobra Kai‘s six seasons, Daniel had numerous pupils, but unlike Mr. Miyagi who had both Daniel and Miguel, there was no single disciple who stayed with him from the beginning to the end. Essentially, Daniel lacked a true heir within Cobra Kai. Although Daniel did share Miyagi-Do teachings with various students, including his daughter, Sam didn’t start training until season 2 and often worked alongside other kids. Her relationship with Daniel was not as strong or defining as the one between Daniel and Mr. Miyagi.

In the world of Cobra Kai, Miguel served as the karate prodigy, learning under Johnny for the entire series duration, mirroring Daniel’s role with Miyagi in the original film. This setup allowed the show to rekindle the initial storyline while injecting a new dimension. Interestingly, Daniel didn’t have someone like his own Miguel in Cobra Kai, which was somewhat disappointing considering he had so much wisdom to impart.

Daniel prioritized embracing a large number of children, which surpassed Johnny’s Cobra Kai in inclusivity, but this approach left less opportunity for the show to focus on providing Daniel with his own personal apprentice. Since he was more focused on safeguarding and nurturing as many kids as feasible, it seemed only right that he extended equal care to each one of them. Additionally, given that Sam was his daughter, she had already received a significant portion of the wisdom Miyagi had imparted to Daniel in the past.

Robby Should Have Been Daniel’s One True Apprentice In Cobra Kai

Robby Was Daniel’s Only Student In Cobra Kai Season 1

In the first season of Cobra Kai, Daniel’s closest equivalent to a “Daniel-san” was Robby. The show intentionally drew numerous comparisons between Daniel and Johnny, as Daniel unknowingly trained Johnny’s son. This narrative twist was quite intriguing, but I felt it could have been further developed in the series. After the school fight in Cobra Kai, Robby joined Kreese’s dojo and their relationship didn’t rekindle to the same extent as before.

Eventually, Robby resumed his training under Daniel, but by then, most characters had already aligned themselves. Instead of being solely Daniel’s apprentice, Robby joined the ranks of Cobra Kai characters who trained under multiple senseis and learned various karate styles. I enjoyed seeing Robby and Johnny reconnect, but I felt that Keene could have benefited more from LaRusso and become a representative of Miyagi-Do’s future generation.

Read More

2025-06-01 02:17