Cobra Kai: 10 Quotes That Prove Daniel Is Actually A Bully
Daniel LaRusso will forever be remembered as the kid who got bullied by high school karate practitioners in The Karate Kid, only to turn the tables on them, and emerge a winner. Under the tutelage of Mr. Miyagi, Daniel learned how to control the anger and impulse of his youth, and channel it into a force for balance in his life.
However, when Cobra Kai picked up the story years later, Daniel was not quite the same as before. Years of success had made him arrogant and condescending, and this caused him to act like a bully more often than he wanted to admit. Sometimes it was justified, but other times, it was just a symbol of his own insecurities.
When Johnny found out that his damaged car was towed to none other than Daniel LaRusso's luxury car dealership, he knew it would be trouble. Daniel bumped into him and called his staff over to introduce them. It didn't take long before they asked whether Johnny was the guy who got his "ass kicked" by Daniel.
Lacking tact and humility, Daniel dropped this quote just to rub it in, while referencing his famous crane kick from the first Karate Kid film. It wasn't the best way to start things off, and left Johnny feeling even more humiliated and demoralized than he was when he came through the door.
The rivalry between Daniel and Johnny fired up quickly, especially when the former learned that the latter had re-opened Cobra Kai in the Valley. The two eventually went toe-to-toe, trading insults and threats in equal measure. When Johnny rightfully pointed out that Daniel was being a quote-unquote "a-hole," Daniel fired back with this quote.
It didn't calm tensions, nor did it evoke anything Mr. Miyagi had taught Daniel. Instead, it felt vindictive and escalating, rather than proactive. The two would form a stable friendship later in Cobra Kai, season 3, however.
Daniel's position of success and esteem within the Valley went to his head over the years, which became apparent during the first season of Cobra Kai. He'd developed an arrogance that made him think he deserved special treatment, and he wasn't about to skimp on it.
When Johnny defaced his large downtown billboard, he was enraged, and immediately called the cops. Once there, he started leveraging his influence to try and get the cops to go way above and beyond the call of duty to find the perpetrator, much to his wife Amanda's frustration.
In an attempt to get Cobra Kai shut down, Daniel decided to do one of the most nefarious things he's ever done - buy him out. His objective was to purchase the strip mall in Resita where Johnny had set up his dojo, and then do whatever it took to shut him down. It's actions like this that made Daniel one of Cobra Kai's best villains.
To do this, he tried convincing the unscrupulous Armand to sell, but it wasn't long before Armand suspected that something was up. He ended up refusing to sell to Daniel, which frustrated him to the point where he dropped this quote, before hanging up the phone.
With Cobra Kai fighting for a chance to compete in the All Valley Karate Tournament, Daniel was determined to halt them in their tracks. As a member of the AVKT board, he was in a prime position to influence fellow members to blacklist Cobra Kai outright.
Unfortunately, he got a bit too passionate with his approach, while Johnny wisely remained calm and professional. Despite strong quotes like this, which were clearly meant to throw shade at Johnny's character, the board ultimately outvoted Daniel, and Cobra Kai was allowed to compete.
When Daniel found out that John Kreese was alive and well, he was enraged. That went double for the fact that he seemed to be hanging out with Johnny Lawrence, suggesting the two had teamed up again. He didn't bother to ask questions, only show his disappointment.
When Kreese attempted to goad him by referencing Mr. Miyagi's death, Daniel fired back with this quote, which made Kreese quite angry. To bring up such a humiliating defeat was unlike Daniel, and more in line with a bully who wanted to hurt his target.
It's one thing for Daniel to have a rivalry with Johnny, but the way he embarrassed him in front of his own students was a bit above the line. It was not a humble or practical thing to do, and instead spoke to Daniel's own animosity and hatred over what had happened during his childhood.
He made it personal by running Johnny down, just when he was trying to pick himself up. Thankfully, these two rivals would eventually become one of the best duos in Cobra Kai.
Daniel knew that in order to take down Cobra Kai with Miyagi-Do Karate, he'd need to advertise. Thankfully, he had the experience when it came to that kind of thing, plus the funds to back it up. His objective was to overwhelm Johnny, who clearly didn't have a clue how to market anything.
The first commercial he cut was a clear attack on Cobra Kai, as referenced by this insinuating quote. It was enough to anger Johnny Lawrence to the point where he pulled off a spectacular stunt that stole Miyagi-Do's thunder, which Daniel frankly deserved.
Daniel clearly hadn't learned from the lessons of his youth, especially when it came to Chozen. Granted, the deathmatch between the two was one of the most traumatic experiences of Daniel's life, but he was quick to judge Chozen the moment he bumped into him decades later in Okinawa.
This was especially wrong of Daniel, and something a bully would do to an intended target. It was a far cry from how Mr. Miyagi treated Sato, even when the latter was trying to actively fight him to the death at every opportunity. However, Chozen did manage to prove to Daniel that he had turned over a new leaf, setting up a new friendship, as well as one of Cobra Kai's best fights.
There are times when it's necessary for parents to be harsh if they wish to snap their children back in line and set them on the right path. Daniel's son Anthony was spoiled beyond human comprehension, but he kept going soft on him throughout the first few seasons.
When that lack of discipline led to Anthony becoming a bully, Daniel decided to lay down the law. However, when Anthony violated the rules of his punishment by sneaking a tablet into his room, Daniel broke it over his knee and gave him a major ultimatum he wouldn't soon forget. It was a triumphant moment for Daniel, and the one time audiences could cheer at him being a "bully," for all of the right reasons.