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Johnny Lawrence (character)
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Johnny Lawrence (character)
John "Johnny" Lawrence is a fictional character in The Karate Kid media franchise, portrayed by William Zabka. Introduced in the film The Karate Kid (1984), Johnny briefly returns at the beginning of the sequel, The Karate Kid Part II (1986). 34 years later, Zabka reprised the role in the sequel television series Cobra Kai (2018–2025), where he served as the main protagonist. He also made a cameo appearance in the film Karate Kid: Legends (2025).
In the original film, Johnny is depicted as the jealous ex-boyfriend of Ali Mills, the prize student of the Cobra Kai karate dojo, and the defending champion of the All-Valley Under-18 Karate Tournament. He becomes Daniel LaRusso's arch-rival after the latter starts dating Ali, frequently bullying him alongside his fellow Cobra Kai students, and ultimately fighting him at the All-Valley, where he loses to Daniel, and is berated and almost killed by his sensei/father figure John Kreese.
In Cobra Kai, set decades after the original film, Johnny is depicted as having become a depressed alcoholic repairman who has a strained relationship with his son Robby, in contrast to Daniel, who has become a highly successful car salesman. In the aftermath of the destruction of his car, loss of his job, and getting arrested, a disgruntled Johnny chooses to reopen the long-closed Cobra Kai and trains his neighbor Miguel Diaz, whom he comes to see as a son. When Kreese returns to the San Fernando Valley and takes back the Cobra Kai dojo, Johnny unwillingly joins forces with Daniel to take him and later Terry Silver down.
Johnny Lawrence was born on August 20, 1966. He knew his father for a short while in his life, before he left the family for unknown reasons when Johnny was five years old. Johnny moved to the upscale neighborhood of Encino, California, after his mother, Laura married Sid Weinberg, an executive producer for Lorimar Television. A friendless Johnny was often verbally abused by his stepfather, especially after quitting drums, rollerskating, and magic lessons. As a result, Johnny would use his Walkman to drown out Sid's heckling. One day in 1979, while riding his bicycle, a 13-year-old Johnny discovered the Cobra Kai dojo and spent the next five years learning Tang Soo Do under sensei John Kreese.
Johnny entered the All-Valley Under-18 Karate Tournament for the first time in 1981 but failed to make the finals after losing to the much more experienced Darryl Vidal in the quarter-finals. In 1982, he begins to date Ali Mills, whom he met during a showing of the movie Rocky III.
He also began to take his training more seriously and won back-to-back championships in 1982 and 1983. In the summer of 1984, Ali and Johnny broke up after Johnny got drunk while out with his Cobra Kai friends and missed her birthday, leading to a fight. Daniel LaRusso moved to the area a little while later. Johnny mistakenly believed that Ali cheated on him with Daniel, leading the two to develop a rivalry for the next thirty-four years. Johnny made the All-Valley finals for a third time in 1984, after easily avenging his defeat in the 1981 tournament over Vidal in the semi-finals, but lost to LaRusso. Despite his three appearances and two victories in the tournament finals, he never received the fame or recognition that LaRusso enjoyed after his subsequent victories in 1984 and 1985. This, paired with a violent clash with Kreese, led Johnny to abandon Cobra Kai and karate.
After leaving Cobra Kai, Johnny became aimless for decades, spending most of his time partying and drinking. He eventually developed a relationship with a fellow alcoholic, Shannon Keene. The two had a son together, Robby Keene, who was born on February 4th, 2002 - though Johnny later admitted that his mother’s recent death led to him being on a drinking binge at the time that caused him to miss his son's birth. Following this, Johnny broke up with Shannon and became estranged from Robby.
In 2018, after spending several years working as a handyman in Reseda, Johnny chanced upon a new neighbor (Miguel Diaz) being targeted by a group of bullies. After Johnny successfully fought off the attackers with his karate skills, Miguel convinces Johnny to reopen the Cobra Kai dojo which renews his rivalry with LaRusso, now a successful owner of a chain of car dealerships and happily married. After losing ownership of Cobra Kai to an unrepentant Kreese, Johnny formed a new dojo named Eagle Fang Karate and teamed up with Daniel and the Miyagi-Do dojo, eventually leading to them ending their rivalry. Johnny also became romantically involved with Miguel's mother Carmen around this time, conceiving a second child — a half-sibling to both Robby and Miguel, who later became step-brothers after Johnny and Carmen’s marriage.
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Johnny Lawrence (character)
John "Johnny" Lawrence is a fictional character in The Karate Kid media franchise, portrayed by William Zabka. Introduced in the film The Karate Kid (1984), Johnny briefly returns at the beginning of the sequel, The Karate Kid Part II (1986). 34 years later, Zabka reprised the role in the sequel television series Cobra Kai (2018–2025), where he served as the main protagonist. He also made a cameo appearance in the film Karate Kid: Legends (2025).
In the original film, Johnny is depicted as the jealous ex-boyfriend of Ali Mills, the prize student of the Cobra Kai karate dojo, and the defending champion of the All-Valley Under-18 Karate Tournament. He becomes Daniel LaRusso's arch-rival after the latter starts dating Ali, frequently bullying him alongside his fellow Cobra Kai students, and ultimately fighting him at the All-Valley, where he loses to Daniel, and is berated and almost killed by his sensei/father figure John Kreese.
In Cobra Kai, set decades after the original film, Johnny is depicted as having become a depressed alcoholic repairman who has a strained relationship with his son Robby, in contrast to Daniel, who has become a highly successful car salesman. In the aftermath of the destruction of his car, loss of his job, and getting arrested, a disgruntled Johnny chooses to reopen the long-closed Cobra Kai and trains his neighbor Miguel Diaz, whom he comes to see as a son. When Kreese returns to the San Fernando Valley and takes back the Cobra Kai dojo, Johnny unwillingly joins forces with Daniel to take him and later Terry Silver down.
Johnny Lawrence was born on August 20, 1966. He knew his father for a short while in his life, before he left the family for unknown reasons when Johnny was five years old. Johnny moved to the upscale neighborhood of Encino, California, after his mother, Laura married Sid Weinberg, an executive producer for Lorimar Television. A friendless Johnny was often verbally abused by his stepfather, especially after quitting drums, rollerskating, and magic lessons. As a result, Johnny would use his Walkman to drown out Sid's heckling. One day in 1979, while riding his bicycle, a 13-year-old Johnny discovered the Cobra Kai dojo and spent the next five years learning Tang Soo Do under sensei John Kreese.
Johnny entered the All-Valley Under-18 Karate Tournament for the first time in 1981 but failed to make the finals after losing to the much more experienced Darryl Vidal in the quarter-finals. In 1982, he begins to date Ali Mills, whom he met during a showing of the movie Rocky III.
He also began to take his training more seriously and won back-to-back championships in 1982 and 1983. In the summer of 1984, Ali and Johnny broke up after Johnny got drunk while out with his Cobra Kai friends and missed her birthday, leading to a fight. Daniel LaRusso moved to the area a little while later. Johnny mistakenly believed that Ali cheated on him with Daniel, leading the two to develop a rivalry for the next thirty-four years. Johnny made the All-Valley finals for a third time in 1984, after easily avenging his defeat in the 1981 tournament over Vidal in the semi-finals, but lost to LaRusso. Despite his three appearances and two victories in the tournament finals, he never received the fame or recognition that LaRusso enjoyed after his subsequent victories in 1984 and 1985. This, paired with a violent clash with Kreese, led Johnny to abandon Cobra Kai and karate.
After leaving Cobra Kai, Johnny became aimless for decades, spending most of his time partying and drinking. He eventually developed a relationship with a fellow alcoholic, Shannon Keene. The two had a son together, Robby Keene, who was born on February 4th, 2002 - though Johnny later admitted that his mother’s recent death led to him being on a drinking binge at the time that caused him to miss his son's birth. Following this, Johnny broke up with Shannon and became estranged from Robby.
In 2018, after spending several years working as a handyman in Reseda, Johnny chanced upon a new neighbor (Miguel Diaz) being targeted by a group of bullies. After Johnny successfully fought off the attackers with his karate skills, Miguel convinces Johnny to reopen the Cobra Kai dojo which renews his rivalry with LaRusso, now a successful owner of a chain of car dealerships and happily married. After losing ownership of Cobra Kai to an unrepentant Kreese, Johnny formed a new dojo named Eagle Fang Karate and teamed up with Daniel and the Miyagi-Do dojo, eventually leading to them ending their rivalry. Johnny also became romantically involved with Miguel's mother Carmen around this time, conceiving a second child — a half-sibling to both Robby and Miguel, who later became step-brothers after Johnny and Carmen’s marriage.