Cobra Kai Improved Daniel & Johnny’s Rivalry With A Karate Kid Deleted Scene

Daniel LaRusso and Johnny Lawrence’s rivalry was improved in Cobra Kai thanks to the show referencing a deleted scene from The Karate Kid.

Cobra Kai season 2 referenced a deleted Karate Kid scene that improves Daniel and Johnny’s rivalry. Decades after Daniel LaRusso and Johnny Lawrence fought in the All-Valley Tournament, Cobra Kai brought the characters back together as adults. The characters went their separate ways as teenagers after Daniel’s illegal crane kick to defeat Johnny. But once they cross paths again in the sequel series, they cannot help but rehash the events of The Karate Kid. This even included discussing a showdown that they had in a deleted scene.

Near the end of Cobra Kai season 2, Daniel and Johnny wind up eating dinner together with their significant others. One moment from the past that they reminisce about involves Daniel smearing blueberry pie over Johnny’s shirt. Daniel is quick to point out that he only did this after Johnny made him sit on it by placing the dessert on his seat. Those who have seen The Karate Kid might question when this happened, as it is not in the original movie. The pie incident is actually a Karate Kid deleted scene that Cobra Kai used to improve Daniel and Johnny’s rivalry by adding more to their past.

Related: Cobra Kai Season 5 Is Moving Beyond Daniel & Johnny (& It’s About Time)

How Cobra Kai Changed Daniel & Johnny’s Rivalry

The inclusion of Karate Kid‘s deleted scene is just one way that Cobra Kai changed Daniel and Johnny’s rivalry for the better. Right from the beginning of the series, the childhood rivalry became much more nuanced. Cobra Kai took the time to show Johnny’s life as an adult, which also meant highlighting his experiences and thoughts that came from Daniel’s arrival. The series not only helped reshape some of Johnny’s actions, but it also did a lot of work to make audiences root for Johnny. So instead of Daniel being the clear protagonist of this story, Cobra Kai added reasons for fans to view Daniel as Karate Kid‘s real villain.

In addition to adding new context to Daniel and Johnny’s rivalry in the past, Cobra Kai renewed the feud on both sides as adults. Both of them wanted to prove that they were the better sensei, allowing the rivalry to be passed down to their students. It was only after seeing how their actions were negatively impacting the kids that they started to see the error in their ways. This allowed Daniel and Johnny’s rivalry to fade, as their obsessions with each other and inability to not see the worst in each other came to pass. Cobra Kai then transformed the rivalry into a partnership that is incredibly strong.

Why Karate Kid’s Pie Deleted Scene Is So Hard To Find

The Karate Kid pie deleted scene referenced in Cobra Kai was inaccessible for years after the film’s initial release. Director John Avildsen eventually shared behind-the-scenes footage of the rehearsal of this scene on his personal YouTube footage. It was only after Cobra Kai‘s Easter egg referencing Karate Kid‘s deleted scene that the actual footage began to circulate online thanks to them being included in new 4K Ultra releases of The Karate Kid by Sony Pictures in 2021. The scene has yet to be officially released by Sony online, but a few versions can be found on YouTube.

More: Daniel & Johnny Need 1 Last Fight To Properly End Their Cobra Kai Story