Cobra Kaidid a lot for Daniel LaRusso’s character, but the show missed the mark when it came to an important part of his legacy. WhileCobra Kaiseason 1 was arguably Johnny Lawrence’s story, the show reintroduced Daniel LaRusso in a way that most people were not expecting. We got to see a different side of Daniel inCobra Kaiuntil he eventually embraced karate again and started toteach Miyagi-Do.
Considering how Johnny and Miguel were already the “Mr. Miyagi and Daniel-san” ofCobra Kai, the show never gave Daniel his own Daniel. As strange as that is,Johnny Lawrence wasCobra Kai’s Mr. Miyagi– the experienced, reluctant master with a somber past who ended up learning a lot from his student and forged a father-son relationship with him. Although it made sense forCobra Kaito flip theKarate Kidmovie’s formula, the fact thatDaniel never had one true long-term apprentice on the show was hard to ignore.
Cobra Kai Never Gave Daniel LaRusso His Own Apprentice
Daniel had several students throughoutCobra Kai’s six seasons, but he was not given a long-term apprentice who followed him from start to finish. Whereas Mr. Miyagi had Daniel and Johnny had Miguel,Daniel did not have a proper successor inCobra Kai.Granted, LaRusso passed on the Miyagi-Do teachings to a bunch of students, including his own daughter. However, Sam only resumed training in season 2 and was often practicing alongside other kids. She and Daniel didn’t quite have the same mentor-mentee dynamic as Daniel and Mr. Miyagi.
Daniel LaRusso helps train Li Fong inKarate Kid: Legends, set three years after the end ofCobra Kai.
Miguel was the “karate kid” ofCobra Kai, and he remained Johnny’s apprentice for the entirety of the show. In many ways, Miguel was to Johnny what Daniel was to Miyagi, which allowedCobra Kaito revisit the premise of the original film while adding a fresh twist to it.Daniel didn’t have his own MiguelinCobra Kai, which was a little frustrating given how LaRusso had so many valuable lessons to teach.
I liked how Miyagi-Do welcomed a lot of kids in a way that not even Johnny’s Cobra Kai had been able to, but the downside of it is that the show didn’t have much room to give Daniel his own special apprentice.Daniel was more concerned about protecting and guiding as many kids as possible, so it’s only fair that he tried to give every one of them the same amount of attention. Likewise, given that Sam was his daughter, many of the life lessons Miyagi had once taught Daniel had already been passed on to her.
Robby Should Have Been Daniel’s One True Apprentice In Cobra Kai
Robby Was Daniel’s Only Student In Cobra Kai Season 1
The closest thing Daniel came to having his own “Daniel-san” inCobra Kaiwas Robbyin season 1. The first season of the show was consciously creating a lot of parallels between Daniel and Johnny, with the former training the latter’s son without even knowing about their connection. Having Johnny Lawrence’s rebellious teenage son being mentored by Daniel LaRusso was a very clever idea, but I wish we had seen more of Daniel and Robby’s relationship on the show. AfterCobra Kai’s school fight, Robby joined Kreese’s dojo and never really reconnected with Daniel on that same level again.
Robby did train under Daniel again eventually, but that was when pretty much every character was already on the same side. Rather than Daniel’s apprentice, Robby became one of the manyCobra Kaicharacters who trained with more than one sensei and learned different styles of karate. While I loved that Robby and Johnny became close again, I believe Keene could have learned more from LaRusso and become one of the faces of Miyagi-Do’s next generation.
Cobra Kai
Cast
Cobra Kai is a sequel series continuing the narrative of the Karate Kid saga, set 30 years after the 1984 All Valley Karate Tournament. It focuses on Johnny Lawrence seeking redemption by reopening the Cobra Kai dojo, reigniting his rivalry with Daniel LaRusso, who strives to maintain balance in his life.
