Johnny Lawrence is the deuteragonist of The Karate Kid franchise. He is portrayed by William Zabka.
What Makes Him a Shonen Rival?[]
- Anti-Heroic: Johnny started out as a bully to Daniel LaRusso and he redeemed himself by freeing himself from John Kreese's corrupting teachings and uniting with Miyagi-Do to stop Cobra Kai.
- Honorable: While he can be a stern teacher, he ultimately wants what is best for his students.
- Tragic: Johnny grew up with an wealthy stepfather who abused him and his mother did nothing to prevent this treatment from continuing. As a result, Johnny turned to Cobra Kai and viewed John Kreese as a father figure.
- Naturally Talented: In the first film, Johnny is shown to be a more experienced fighter than Daniel.
- Arrogant/Jerkish: Johnny can be obnoxious, prideful and immature at times.
- Pursues a Big-End Goal: After putting an end to his rivalry with Daniel, Johnny joins forces with him to put an end to Cobra Kai to prevent its global corruption.
- Cynical: After his defeat in the first film, Johnny grew up jaded to the point of being behind the times after the 1980s.
- Redemption Arc: Johnny recognizes the errors of his ways when he sees that reopening Cobra Kai is all his fault.
- Is A Serious Threat/Villain: Johnny became a threat to Daniel after reopening Cobra Kai.
- Short-Tempered: Johnny is more impulsive than Daniel, as he is more prone to angry outbursts and relies on solving problems with violence.
- Born into Privilege: Subverted in that Sid Weinberg was his stepfather, not his biological father, but Johnny had a more privileged upbringing than Daniel, even though it doesn't make his childhood any happier.
External Links[]
- Johnny Lawrence on the Heroes Wiki
- Johnny Lawrence on the Villains Wiki
- Johnny Lawrence on the The Karate Kid Wiki
- Johnny Lawrence on the Inconsistently Admirable Wiki