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| Johnny Lawrence | |
|---|---|
| The Karate Kid character | |
&sq=Sri Lanka&lang=en&file=File:Johnny_Lawrence_Before_And_After.jpg) William Zabka as Johnny Lawrence as he appears in The Karate Kid (left) and Cobra Kai (right). | |
| First appearance | The Karate Kid (1984) |
| Last appearance | "Ex-Degenerate" Cobra Kai (2025) |
| Created by | Robert Mark Kamen |
| Portrayed by |
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| Voiced by | William Zabka (Cobra Kai: The Karate Kid Saga Continues) |
| In-universe information | |
| Full name | John Lawrence |
| Nickname | Johnny |
| Title | Sensei Founder of Eagle Fang Karate Owner of Cobra Kai 2-time All Valley Karate Champion (1982, 1983) Sekai Taikai World Champion (2020) |
| Occupation |
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| Affiliation |
|
| Fighting style | Tang Soo Do, Goju Ryu[4] |
| Family |
|
| Significant other |
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| Children |
|
| Nationality | American |
| Teacher |
|
| Students | Robby Keene |
John "Johnny" Lawrence is a fictional character in The Karate Kid media franchise, portrayed by William Zabka.[5][6][7] Introduced in The Karate Kid (1984), Johnny briefly returns at the beginning of the sequel, The Karate Kid Part II (1986). 33 years later, Zabka reprised the role in the sequel YouTube Red / YouTube Premium and Netflix television series Cobra Kai (2018–2025), where he served as the main protagonist.
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.
- ^ "Owen D. Stone". IMDb. Retrieved January 29, 2021.
- ^ "Thomas Parobek". IMDb. Retrieved December 31, 2021.
- ^ "Jake Bentley Young". BroadwayWorld. Retrieved March 17, 2022.
- ^ "Cobra Kai: The Dojo's True Origin In Karate Kid Explained". ScreenRant. January 6, 2021.
- ^ "The Karate Kid's villain speaks out against bullying". Polygon.com. 16 November 2015. Retrieved June 21, 2018.
- ^ White, Lori Ann. "Sweep the Leg! Interview with Johnny, William Zabka". Kung Fu Magazine. Archived from the original on November 12, 2013. Retrieved June 24, 2018.
- ^ O'Neal, Sean. "William Zabka". The A.V. Club. Retrieved June 22, 2018.