YouTube Johnny Lawrence (William Zabka) in season 3 of "Cobra Kai."
Johnny Lawrence (William Zabka) is known for being many things on “Cobra Kai,” one of which is a comic relief. This comes in stark contrast to his role in the original “Karate Kid” film back in 1984, where he served as bully and antagonist to Daniel LaRusso (Ralph Macchio), and a star pupil of the feared Cobra Kai dojo. By 2018, however, Johnny is stuck in the past, and his casual ignorance, faux pas, and inability to understand Millennial and Gen Z culture has led to some of the show’s greatest one-liners.
Here are the five best quotes from Johnny Lawrence in “Cobra Kai” season 4:
‘Just Like the Old Country’
YouTubeJohnny dines with the Diaz family in season 1 of “Cobra Kai” (2018).
Johnny’s first faux pas of the season likely came near the beginning of the season premiere, when Johnny, in an attempt to connect with Carmen and Miguel Diaz’s Latin American roots, makes dinner for the Diaz family. Johnny ends up making an entirely Mexican meal, even though the Diaz’s are from Ecuador. Explaining he wanted it to be authentic, Johnny reveals he got the recipe from the Chili’s website.
Johnny then proceeds to serve Carmen’s mother Rosa some mango salsa from a Ralphs disposable plastic tub, which he sloppily pours onto her plate. Although the meal isn’t exactly authentic, or Ecuadorian, the family seems to appreciate his effort nonetheless.
‘I’ll Be “Awake”‘
YouTubeJohnny Lawrence in season 3 of “Cobra Kai.”
Johnny is well-known in “Cobra Kai” for his political incorrectness, and consistent lack of understanding when it comes to modern language. This is demonstrated no better than in episode 6, when he is forced to recruit female fighters for Eagle Fang, given the All Valley Committee’s rule change that separates competitors by sex.
In the middle of his search, Johnny sets his sights on high schooler Piper (Selah Austria) as a potential candidate. When his loyal pupil Miguel asks him if he remembers what to do, Johnny confidently responds, “Yes, I will be awake.” Miguel hastily corrects him, “No no no, be woke!”
Johnny confronts Piper with a surprisingly progressive diatribe (which was almost certainly memorized and diligently rehearsed) about encouraging “anyone who identifies as female to embrace their queenly strength and tear down the neo-masculine hierarchy to confront internalized sexism.” When an impressed Piper asks about “non-binary and gender fluid,” Johnny’s façade collapses. “Yes, fluids are crucial,” he responds. “If you don’t hydrate, it affects performance.” Luckily, she and Miguel are able to laugh it off as a joke.
Johnny’s Twitter Feed
YouTubeJohnny writes a Facebook message in season 2 of “Cobra Kai.”
Although this may not technically be a line, fans will recognize Johnny’s Twitter account as too perfectly “Johnny” to pass up. In episode 5, after Johnny and Daniel drunkenly agree to a fight to determine whose dojo will reign supreme, Johnny goes on a tweet rampage. “Tomorrow night. Eagles reign supreme!” the first tweet reads. It is immediately followed by one which reads, “IT’S ON: LAWRENCE-LARUSSO REMATCH! hashbrown dead meat”.
The more interesting parts of Johnny’s Twitter (the handle of which is “SenseiJohnnyLaw,” a currently dormant account), however, may be the other elements surrounding it. The only other time that Johnny tweeted was three years ago, when he first set up the Twitter account back in 2018 (around the time that season 1 took place). The first one reads, “Hello?” and is followed 8 months later with, “How does this thing work?”
It is also worth mentioning that he only has one follower, revealed in the previous scene to be Miguel.
His description also reads, “Badass Sensei of a badass dojo. EAGLE FANG! BITE FIRST!” The apparent Eagle Fang motto – which has only ever been used in Johnny’s Twitter description – is an apparent reference to Cobra Kai’s “Strike First” motto. Perhaps if Johnny used his motto more effectively, he would have less trouble finding recruits.
‘Always Wear Protection’
YouTubeJohnny Lawrence in season 3 of “Cobra Kai.”
One of the defining features of the series is the father-son-esque relationship between Johnny and Miguel. This dynamic is heightened in season 4, as Miguel discovers his mother Carmen’s relationship with Johnny and he starts to grow more attached to Daniel, his girlfriend’s father, much to Johnny’s chagrin.
Johnny, attempting to be the father he never was with his own son, awkwardly tries to straddle the line between being a good boyfriend to Carmen and being an authority figure with Miguel in episode 7, after Miguel comes home to dinner late one night. “We just want you to be safe,” his mother says. “Right,” Johnny responds. “We want you to be safe. Always wear protection.”
After Carmen responds with confusion, Johnny corrects himself, “No? No, don’t wear protection.” When Carmen protests again, he continues to fumble for the right answer, saying, “Uh, you let the girl decide that.” This was the straw that broke the camel’s back for Miguel, who finally says he can’t handle his relationship with Carmen and is “over” it, storming away.
‘Wait, Are You the Son?’
YouTubeJohnny Lawrence in season 3 of “Cobra Kai.”
Originally, Daniel’s son Anthony (Griffin Santopietro) was known for being a secondary character within the LaRusso household – chubby, spoiled, and addicted to games and snacks, he didn’t make much of an impact. In season 4, however, that changes.
Not only has Daniel’s youngest developed some dark character traits which stand in stark contrast to his younger self, but puberty evidently sent him through a serious physical transformation as well, one which has caught some viewers by surprise.
In the third episode of the new season, while most of the main characters are at a dinner party hosted by the LaRussos, Johnny reflects much of the audience’s surprise at the boy’s growth spurt after Anthony approaches him and asks him what he is doing here. “I was invited,” Johnny replies. “Who the hell are you?” It takes a moment for Johnny to register that this is indeed Daniel’s child. In shock, he follows up with, “Wait, are you the son?! What did you do, switch over to Whopper Juniors?” When Anthony calls him a “dips***,” Johnny once again reflects much of the audience’s sentiment, mumbling to himself, “Still a piece of crap.”
Though these may be the five best highlights of Johnny this season, there is no shortage of golden moments from Johnny overall, including in the previous three seasons. All four seasons of “Cobra Kai” are currently available to stream on Netflix. Season 5 will likely be released in late 2022 or 2023.