The LaRusso living room felt tense, the silence heavy like a storm waiting to break. The TV played another local news segment: "Cobra Kai students caught in another street fight. Residents are calling for school intervention, with many parents worried about rising violence in East Ridge High."
Daniel muted the screen with a sharp click. His reflection glared back at him in the black glass — tired eyes, clenched jaw, the weight of history sitting squarely on his shoulders.
Amanda leaned against the counter, arms folded. "Daniel… you're spiraling."
"I'm not spiraling," Daniel shot back, pacing the room. "I'm trying to stop this before it gets worse."
Amanda raised an eyebrow. "Every week, you say the same thing. And every week, it gets worse anyway. Johnny doesn't listen, Andrea and those kids don't care about your warnings, and Sam's caught in the middle—"
"Sam is my daughter!" Daniel snapped. "And I won't let her get dragged into Johnny's mess!"
Amanda's expression softened, but her voice was sharp. "Then stop turning into Johnny yourself. Look at you. You're pacing like him. You're shouting like him."
Daniel stopped, inhaling sharply. But he didn't answer. He couldn't.
The Cobra Kai dojo was alive with noise. Fists slamming into pads, shouts of exertion, Johnny barking orders like a drill sergeant. Sweat glistened on foreheads, and the floor rattled with every impact.
Andrea ducked a strike from Hawk, her counter quick and merciless. Tory barked encouragement from the sidelines. Kenny, Bert, Mitch, and Kyler circled like predators, feeding on the chaos.
Johnny's eyes burned with pride. "That's it! Strike first, strike hard! You're not just students — you're warriors! Out there, it's kill or be killed!"
Robby hesitated at the words. He wasn't sure Johnny meant them literally — but when Hawk grinned and slammed Mitch harder into the mat than necessary, when Andrea's eyes flashed cold, when Tory's laughter sounded sharp and cruel… Robby wasn't sure anymore.
That night, Daniel drove to the dojo. The lights glared in the windows, the silhouettes of fighting bodies visible from outside. His hands gripped the steering wheel so tight his knuckles went white.
He stormed inside.
"Johnny!"
The room froze. Hawk dropped his opponent. Andrea's eyes narrowed. Robby stiffened.
Johnny turned, sweat dripping from his brow. "Well, well. LaRusso. Come to take notes?"
Daniel ignored the jab. "I've seen the news. I've seen what you're turning these kids into. This isn't karate, Johnny. It's a street gang."
The room bristled. Tory smirked. Hawk sneered. Andrea's lips curved into the faintest grin.
Johnny stepped closer, his chest heaving. "You don't get it. These kids? They need this. The world doesn't give second chances, LaRusso. Cobra Kai does."
"By teaching them to destroy people?" Daniel fired back. "Miguel's in the hospital. Robby was thrown into juvie. How many more lives are you going to ruin before you realize what you're doing?"
Johnny flinched at Miguel's name but covered it with anger. "Don't talk about my students like that. They're fighters, not weaklings like your Miyagi-Do brats."
"You're poisoning them!" Daniel shouted, his voice raw. "Andrea, Robby, Hawk, Tory — all of them. You're making them colder, crueler. You think that's strength? It's not! It's fear, Johnny. And it's going to blow up in your face."
The dojo was dead silent. Everyone was watching. Even Andrea, usually stone-cold, felt her chest tighten at Daniel's words.
Johnny's fists clenched. "Get out of my dojo, LaRusso."
"Not until you hear me—"
"I said GET OUT!" Johnny roared, his voice shaking the walls.
Daniel flinched but stood his ground a second longer, his eyes meeting Robby's. His son looked back at him