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Why did people think Macchio and Zabka were feuding?
The premise comes from the conflict audiences saw on screen. In the 1984 film, Daniel and Johnny become adversaries, with Ali Mills among the story’s triggers, as Macchio later explained. Their rivalry reaches its climax at the All Valley tournament, where Daniel defeats Johnny. That fictional antagonism is not evidence that the actors disliked each other.
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Cobra Kai returned to the characters decades later and complicated the original film’s underdog-versus-bully framing by giving Johnny’s adult life more attention alongside Daniel’s. Sony describes the series as continuing their conflict more than 30 years after the tournament. Netflix says the series premiered in 2018 and concluded after six seasons, with Daniel and Johnny ultimately becoming friends. Sony lists season six as streaming on Netflix; availability can change. Sony’s official Cobra Kai page and Netflix’s retrospective provide the series context.
Did they actually hate each other?
Their public comments point the other way. In a 2018 Vanity Fair interview, Macchio said, “We enjoy the rivalry part of it, and ribbing each other.” He described playing up the characters’ dispute at panels and screenings, including the running joke that Johnny should have won because Daniel’s crane kick was illegal. It was a bit about the movie, not evidence of personal animosity. Read the interview with Macchio and Zabka.
#1 Best Overall
- From Academy Award-winning director John G. Avildsen (1976, ROCKY) comes the highly entertaining, coming-of-age classic that will have you cheering! Starring Ralph Macchio and Noriyuki ?Pat? Morita in his Academy Award-nominated performance (Best Supporting Actor, 1984) as Mr. Miyagi.
In a 2019 oral history, Zabka called the Cobra Kai cast “like my brothers, and they still are in real life.” Macchio, discussing the story, said Ali arguably starts the rivalry “if you will.” These remarks distinguish the characters’ conflict from the actors’ relationship. Rotten Tomatoes’ oral history records their reflections on the original film.
What have they said about their friendship?
Netflix’s retrospective, published February 24, 2025, quotes Macchio reflecting on working with Zabka across the franchise: “If you would’ve told me that I’d be 40 years later working as Daniel LaRusso with William Zabka, and Johnny Lawrence would become one of my best friends, I would just say, ‘What? Please, that’s never happening.’” The remark describes both the surprising longevity of their partnership and the difference between their characters’ early hostility and the actors’ real-life bond. Netflix’s Cobra Kai retrospective also discusses the characters’ eventual friendship.
Rank #2
- Returning with Daniel (Ralph Macchio) to his Okinawa home for the first time in 45 years, Miyagi (Noriyuki ?Pat? Morita) encounters Yukie (Nobu McCarthy), the woman he left behind when he immigrated to America.
How the story and the public jokes blurred together
The original film encourages viewers to take sides in Daniel and Johnny’s dispute. Cobra Kai later revisits that history from a broader perspective, showing both men as more complicated adults. Because Macchio and Zabka have knowingly kept the old rivalry alive as a joke during public appearances, the fictional argument can sound like a real one when taken out of context.
The available interviews establish what the actors have said publicly; they cannot prove that the two never had any private disagreement. They do not, however, support the idea of a sustained feud. Their comments instead describe playful teasing and friendship.
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Best Value
- When 12-year-old Dre Parker's mother's latest career move has landed him in China he is left with no friends in a strange land. Dre has nowhere to turn but to maintenance man Mr. Han, who is secretly a master of kung fu. As Han teaches Dre that kung fu is not about punches and parries, but maturity and calm, Dre realizes that facing down the bullies will be the fight of his life
Rank #4
- In the original Karate Kid Trilogy, Mr. Miyagi trains Daniel LaRusso in karate and in life lessons. Then in The Next Karate Kid, Julie Pierce learns from the master. In 2010?s The Karate Kid, Dre Parker is trained by Mr. Han in kung fu. Finally, in Karate Kid: Legends, Li Fong, a kung fu prodigy, trains with the two legends, Mr. Han and Daniel LaRusso, to face a new rival.
Rank #3
- From Academy Award�-winning director John G. Avildsen (1976, ROCKY) comes the highly entertaining, coming-of-age classic that will have you cheering! Starring Ralph Macchio and Noriyuki ?Pat? Morita in his Academy Award�-nominated performance (Best Supporting Actor, 1984) as Mr. Miyagi.
Timeline: from screen rivals to longtime collaborators
- 1984: The Karate Kid introduces Daniel and Johnny’s tournament rivalry.
- 2018: Cobra Kai brings the characters back as adults, and Macchio publicly describes enjoying the playful rivalry with Zabka.
- 2019: Zabka describes the Cobra Kai cast as brothers in real life in a film oral history.
- February 24, 2025: Netflix publishes a retrospective after the series’ six-season conclusion; Macchio calls Zabka one of his best friends.
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