The original Karate Kid movies gave fans all over the world a lot to be grateful for. Things like John Kreese as the evil karate sensei. 40 years later he reprises his role in Cobra Kai and he’s ready to sweep the leg again. On an unrelated note how has Martin Kove not aged since the 80’s?
For those of you, who haven’t seen it. Cobra Kai follows Johnny Lawrence trying to get his revenge by reopening Cobra Kai and in the process he actually learns something and it looks like Kreese might have learned a thing or two as well. So let’s dive in and find out.
No Mercy
Kreese is an interesting villain for a lot of reasons. He is shown to be as evil as ever from the first moment he enters the scene in Cobra Kai. He tells Johnny he is there to help him beat Daniel LaRusso and get his son Robby back. It doesn’t sound like a super villain entrance but knowing the methods Kreese is likely to employ it’s bad news and it gives the season 1 finale a much needed cliffhanger.
Life isn’t always fair. Sometimes the world can be cruel, and that’s why you have to learn to be cruel yourselves.
John Kreese, Cobra Kai
The philosophy behind Cobra Kai karate is strike first, strike hard, no mercy. And it’s more than just a catchphrase to yell in a dojo. Kreese fully believes these words.
To him it’s how he survived the Vietnam war and it’s the only way he knows how to live. This is plain as day during the flashbacks to Kreese’s time in the army. He’s forced to fight to the death over snakes and sure, Kreese doesn’t have to kill his mentor, but he chooses to. Kreese’s hesitation landed them in the prison camp, or so Kreese believes. A sane person might argue the fact that Kreese was unable to blow up a friend is a good thing, but I digress.
The point is, Kreese adopts his mentor’s philosophy of strike first, strike hard and no mercy. He’s traumatized from the events of the war and he does the only thing he can think of to keep going, embrace the Cobra Kai mindset.
Kreese starts making moves in season 2 when he works to get into the minds’ of Johnny’s Cobra Kai students with the goal of stealing the dojo from Johnny. He’s so scary I can’t believe he was ever allowed to teach children and I have to say I was relieved when Johnny caught on to that, but Kreese manages to deflect and continues mentoring the Cobra Kai students for the rest of the season.
It’s in this scene we really get a glimpse into just how manipulative and scary Kreese is. He manipulates Johnny into believing he is like any other vet, who is down on his luck. Heck, I almost believed him. This one interaction tells us a lot about Kreese. He’s charming, manipulative and has a hold on Johnny.
The Good – what little there is
Most villains have at least one redeeming trait and thanks to the writers of Cobra Kai I didn’t have to look too hard. Early in season 2 we see Kreese stand up to a bully, who is trying to hurt the girl Kreese has a crush on. He steps in and stops him, telling the bully that someone needs to teach him to keep his hands to himself.
Someone needs to teach you to keep your hands to yourself
John Kreese, Cobra Kai
This phrase is recurring with Kreese. He says it again when he’s protecting Tori from a skeezy landlord. I’ll say this for him, he doesn’t tolerate men, who hurt women. Unfortunately, that’s where the good ends.
Spoiler Warning!
Kreese spends most of season 4 using children to wage a karate war and brainwashing them into thinking everyone is the enemy. As ridiculous as that premise is it’s quite bleak to watch Kreese force his own trauma and PTSD onto children, who are in his care.
It’s a situation that quickly escalates when Kreese convinces Terry Silver to return, who also looks as young as ever. If anyone knows what moisturiser these guys use please leave a comment. Anyway, Terry quickly becomes as psycho as his original version minus the cocaine. He idolizes Kreese and at the same time, he’s trying to one-up him. Kreese is threatened by Silver and it plays a key part in how he behaves throughout the season as the two senseis duke it out for control of Cobra Kai.
After a season of watching Kreese get darker and darker while taking his students down with him we get a glimmer of hope. Kreese is put in the same position as the first Karate Kid movie with Tori. Tori has the chance to win the All Valley Karate Tournament if she takes advantage of Sam’s injury and “sweeps the leg” so to speak. Except this time Kreese finally understands what Johnny was trying to tell him all those years ago and instead leaves it up to Tori to decide for herself.
As far as growth goes it’s minimal in comparison to all the damage he has caused, but in terms of theater? It’s dramatic, awesome and leaves us at the edge of our seats, only for the moment to be topped like two minutes later. The tension that’s been brewing between Kreese and Silver all season comes to a head and however it shakes out in season 5 – Silver is going to be a big part in Kreese’s character arc.
Leave your Cobra Kai season 5 predicitions in a comment below.
Freya Winther 