Cobra Kai season 5 is almost here. And so far Ralph Macchio has done perfect justice and maintained the character of Daniel LaRussos that we saw in the 80s. Carrying it up to Cobra Kai. But having watched season 1, people now wonder if Russo was a bad boy in it.

In the days of Karate Kid, Daniel Russo made the perfect next-door boy and a perfect target for bullies. That is until Mr. Miyagi trained him with some kicks and punches to fight his enemies. Fast forward to Cobra Kai, he is a full-grown adult, and naturally, there have been certain developments to his character. But did the show’s protagonist act like an antagonist? Here is what fans think.

Was Daniel La Russo the antagonist of Cobra Kai season 1?

Although Daniel La Russo plays a protagonist in Cobra Kai, some people wonder if he was a villain, at least in Season 1. In a discussion on Reddit, people put in their arguments.

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by u/Drawing_A_Blank_Here from discussion Could Daniel be considered an antagonist in Season 1?
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by u/brotato_kun from discussion Could Daniel be considered an antagonist in Season 1?
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Cobra Kai follows the story of both Daniel LaRusso (Ralph Macchio) and Johnny Lawrence (William Zabka).  35 years ago Daniel La Russo beat Johnny to win the All-valley tournament. Since then the latter has been wanting a rematch to regain his glory and pride.

This itself set the base for Cobra Kai when the show began. So maybe Russo was a bit off and mean to Johnny at the beginning considering their past. But perhaps he held on to the grudge a bit too long. Three decades-long, which was a bit unnecessary given that they were kids back then and Russo did have a successful career.

The champion was also a bit petty about wanting to destroy Cobra Kai. Daniel has everything, a beautiful wife, money, and a career. But he was passionately jealous to see Johnny restarting with a kickback in karate. Russo also childishly overreacted by kicking Robby Keene out of home for being Johnny’s son, just before the valley tournament. One would wonder who is the kid between the two.

Then again, Johnny and Daniel’s relationship blossomed beautifully as the series progressed. Most mistakes that Russo was out of good intentions. So maybe he was a bit of an antagonist in the beginning but that doesn’t mean he was a villain or a bad guy. We shall discover more on this in season 5 of Cobra Kai on Netflix.