In Cobra Kai's Ending, Johnny Finally Followed A Command Kreese Made In The Karate Kid

It took decades, but Cobra Kai's ending finally saw Johnny Lawrence follow through on a command given to him by Kreese all the way back in The Karate Kid. The bad influence Kreese had on his top student, as well as his mistreatment of him during The Karate Kid Part II's opening scene, has long been a focal point of both characters' stories in Cobra Kai. Over the course of the series, Johnny Lawrence has repeatedly rejected Kreese's teachings, calling out on multiple occasions the harm that Kreese's advice has done not only to him, but to any student under his wing.

Much of Johnny's criticism stems from what happened on the night of the 1984 All Valley Karate Tournament. In the penultimate episode of Cobra Kai, Johnny laid out his issues with what Kreese did in the parking lot after the finals. But while this was easily the worst of it, Johnny has also taken aim in the past at the instructions that Kreese gave him for hir first fight with Daniel LaRusso. Interestingly, one specific command from that exchange was referenced in the Cobra Kai series finale, where Johnny finally adhered to Kreese's words, albeit in his own way.

Johnny's Final Attack Paid Tribute To A Kreese Line in The Karate Kid

For the deciding point in the Sekai Taikai tournament's tiebreaker round, Johnny dropped down to the ground and executed a sweeping leg motion just as Lewis Tan's Sensei Wolf was charging towards him. His opponent recovered from the surprise attack, but it set up an opportunity for Johnny to land a blow and subsequently win the match against the Iron Dragons sensei. The use of this particular move can be interpreted as a clever Karate Kid Easter egg, given that "sweep the leg" is what Kreese told Johnny to do in The Karate Kid's ending.

In the movie, the motive behind the command was to aggravate Daniel's injury and make winning the match easier. Obviously, Cobra Kai's use of the move is much less sinister, as Johnny isn't trying to fight dirty here. However, there is a clear connection between the two instances, considering that both were meant to seal the win in the final round of a tournament. But only in Cobra Kai's situation did Johnny's plan to go for the leg actually achieve that goal, and this was notably a scenario where there was no malicious intent.

Johnny Obeyed Kreese's Original Command In The Karate Kid, But Didn't Actually "Sweep The Leg"

Part of what makes this reference so special for Cobra Kai is the fact that Johnny didn't follow Kreese's original order to the letter in The Karate Kid. It's important to note that after being told to "sweep the leg," Johnny simply did a low kick against Daniel's wounded leg. Kreese was clearly pleased by the result, even if it wasn't the leg sweep he had in mind.

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That made it all the more fitting that the next time Johnny wound up on the mat with a championship on the line, he did indeed use this exact move. Cobra Kai's series finale marked the first time that Johnny pulled off a true leg sweep in The Karate Kid franchise, in spite of "sweep the leg" being such a memorable line from The Karate Kid movies.