Cobra Kai: 10 Quotes That Prove Kreese Is Actually A Good Guy
Few 1980s movie villains are as nefarious, slimy, and unlikeable as John Kreese from the Karate Kid series. He made his infamous return to the franchise in the continuation show Cobra Kai, where he's sleazed his way back into power. The show presented a rare opportunity to go back into Kreese's character, dating back decades to the days when he was a young man.
It was there that audiences learned that there's more to this bad guy than meets the eye. Kreese may be a villain, but he clearly doesn't see himself that way. In fact, over the course of Cobra Kai, he's said things that only a good guy would say, no matter how misguided his intentions truly are.
Kreese made his sinister return at the end of the final episode of season 1, and it was the first of several major shockers to hit the show in the years that followed. Kreese showed up at the Cobra Kai dojo to confront Johnny Lawrence, right after he had successfully won the All Valley Karate Tournament.
While many fans still think Kreese was simply manipulating Johnny by appealing to his ego, future seasons would prove that he was probably secretly proud of what he had accomplished. Their relationship was testy, but Kreese clearly looked at Johnny as a son, even if his lessons were downright abusive.
Kreese made his pitch to help bring Cobra Kai back to prevalence at the beginning of season 2, when he had lunch with Johnny. It was there that he uttered this quote, which was a direct reference to how undisciplined and soft the current generation is, particularly millennials.
His words rang very true, though his solution was far from ideal. In his eyes, however, Kreese thought that he would be doing good for the youth of the modern age by toughening them up. Studies have shown that things like participation trophies can actually have a detrimental effect on particular age groups, though their overall pros/cons are still hotly debated.
When Johnny learned that Kreese had been lying about his glamorous life following Cobra Kai's defeat, it was a rare moment of honesty for the character. Kreese was indeed a man who was down on his luck and broken, with no aim in life.
This quote was Kreese at his most honest, and there was no ulterior motive behind it. Indeed, Karate Kid fans wouldn't hesitate to agree that Kreese was a broken man, in many ways. Whether he can fixed or not, remains to be seen.
When Kreese strong-armed Cobra Kai away from Johnny at the end of season 2, it was a major shock for longtime fans. Kreese was back in charge, corrupting the minds of his students, and driving them down a path of aggression, at the cost of compassion and mercy.
Yet, when he tried to convince Johnny to return to the fold, he was sincere. He always regarded Johnny as his greatest student, even if the two came to blows on more than one occasion. In Kreese's eyes, Johnny's hatred of him could be forged into a weapon to overcome his failures, and he wanted to be the man who made it happen.
Kreese may be one of the most notorious and sinister villains in Cobra Kai, but he didn't start out that way. In fact, he hated bullies, and fought for those who were too weak to defend themselves. When it came time to serve in Vietnam, he volunteered, as did many young men at the time.
When asked by his superior officer why he had enlisted, Kreese replied with this quote, which was indicative of where his head was at. Unfortunately, the horrors of war would quickly blur the lines between good and evil, and he walked out a changed man.
Robby Keene decided to crash at the Cobra Kai dojo after being released from prison near the end of season 3. Kreese quickly tried luring him into the fold, recognizing both his fighting potential, and his connection to Johnny, whom he wanted to rekindle his friendship with.
When Keene scoffed at the idea of fighting for Cobra Kai for the sake of a trophy, Kreese responded with this quote. Deep down, he wanted his students to win, and to use that victory as a springboard for future successes in life.
Tory is one of the best Cobra Kai characters introduced after season 1, with an interesting character arc. After Tory lost her job due to her own short temper at the beginning of season 4, he immediately sought to build her up with this quote, which was a wise piece of advice.
Even though Kreese's solution to these problems was counterproductive, it did show that Kreese held a strangely optimistic view about life. The advice he gave was solid, and sound, especially for young kids struggling with their own self-confidence.
Kreese was shocked when Terry Silver lured Johnny Lawrence to the site of the old Cobra Kai dojo, and attacked him outright. He had no idea that Silver had set Johnny up, and the intention was to beat him to a pulp so that Miguel would become demoralized, and lose the tournament.
The two fought, with Silver gaining the upper hand and putting Johnny down for the count. Before things went any further, Kreese stepped in and stopped it, which harkened back to his days of standing up to bullies who preyed on others. It was the start of a shift in his personality that will hopefully continue.
During the All Valley Karate Tournament, Johnny and Kreese bumped into one another in the hallway, which was an awkward moment for both. Kreese immediately made the first move, expressing regret and apology for the stunt that Terry Silver had played on him, which would later turn into one of Cobra Kai's most intense season 4 rivalries.
Johnny wasn't impressed, but it was an opportunity for the two to hash things out once again. Kreese revealed the reason why he told Johnny to cheat against Daniel so many years before, claiming that he didn't want the loss to affect his self-confidence. The audience had no reason to disbelieve him.
The fight between Tory and Samantha is one of the best battles in Cobra Kai history, and probably the most nail-biting. When she couldn't gain the upper hand, Silver told her to cheat in order to win, but Tory objected. Kreese stood off to the side, thinking back to the days when he told Johnny to cheat in his fight against Daniel.
It was a revelation for Kreese, and he realized that he had been wrong about his own teaching methods. He stepped in and told Silver to back off, then told Tory that the fight was hers, and she should decide what to do. It ended up being Kreese's most honorable moment to date.