Could Mike Barnes Beat Johnny, Chozen, Bobby, and Dutch?

[@davidcardinales8939]

Due to his lifelong rigorous training practicing Karate, Barnes became an extremely strong and powerful master martial artist, making him arguably one of the most dangerous fighters in the entire franchise, despite his youth back in the day. Barnes became the best up-and-coming professional Karate fighter in the country, as he was a tenth-degree black belt and labeled the "tournament terror". Barnes' skill was great enough that he bested the All-Valley tournaments candidates with ease and was able to repeatedly got the better of Daniel numerous times despite the latter's confrontations with his past opponents. Barnes is a highly aggressive fighter, overwhelming his opponents with his speed and intense combinations. He is an underhanded fighter, perfectly willing to cheat to win, or to demoralize his opponent. His aggression however can be a weakness as he can be suckered by a good counter-fighter, which occurred against Daniel in the sudden death round of the finals of the All Valley Tournament. Chozen is currently the second best fighter in the Miyagi-Verse just under You-Know-Who, Johnny and Daniel are equal fighters (although I would give an edge to Daniel due to him learning the pressure point techniques), Kreese is shown to be strong and powerful but is past his prime and Bobby, despite being a little rusty, shows he's still got it. I wonder what skill level will Terry Silver and Mike Barnes have in the upcoming future?

[@KenCole]

Great comment and excellent question question at the end!

[@davidcardinales8939]

@@KenCole Thank You!

[@davidcardinales8939]

@Mike H Johnny Lawrence vs. Mike Barnes - Strength: Johnny - Speed: Johnny - Skill: Mike - Durability: Mike - Intelligence: Mike

[@davidcardinales8939]

@Mike H Mike has more experience. He's a tenth-degree black belt which means he has been a Karate for 10-12 years minimum, Johnny has only been doing Karate for 5 years, which means he's a first degree black belt. Mike is like Johnny 2x.

[@davidcardinales8939]

@Mike H Terry Silver and even Daniel have said that Mike is better than Johnny.

[@johngoduto135]

It was generally accepted that Johnny was the #1 fighter at Cobra Kai. This implies that Johnny has beaten Bobby in previous competitions within the Cobra Kai dojo.

[@lordvader8502]

Doesn't nessacarily mean he is better kinda like hawke beating Robby in the finals

[@johngoduto135]

But Johnny was always the one leading the class. Not Bobby.

[@guzmanfel]

@@johngoduto135 in fact in cobra kai comic, bobby was the only one who managed to beat him failry in a fight, probably bobby needed to practice more than him

[@Chris-qo4rt]

Yes but by 1984 it's possible that Bobby had surpassed Johnny and would've won if he didn't get himself disqualified.

[@guzmanfel]

@@johngoduto135 its obvious when you're the "teachers pet", kreese always favored him, kreese wanted merciless fighters and a "good guy" like bobby wasnt a good material for him, in the cobra kai comic, theres a issue where bobby/johnny are sparring, during the practice bobby beats johnny and extend his hand to help him,but kreese swepts bobby for showing mercy and scold johnny for losing

[@jeff97ish]

In a straight up fight, Chozen. Due to learning all his life.

[@Mr_Lucas]

That’s like saying Samantha beats Miguel because she has known karate all her life

[@jeff97ish]

@@Mr_Lucas How old are you? 12?

[@Mr_Lucas]

@@jeff97ish no but i used that as prime example

[@jeff97ish]

@@Mr_Lucas it's cool. Just messing with you.

[@Mr_Lucas]

@@jeff97ish ok?

[@abrahemsamander3967]

Bobby definitely deserves more credit. That flying side kick is a work of beauty. I think his actor is actually a jujitsu sensei.

[@KillaSin515]

He is a sixth degree black belt in Kodendkan Ju-Jitsu

[@guzmanfel]

@@KillaSin515 and 1st degre in karate

[@aarongidudu3823]

Bobby could’ve beat danny and Johnny

[@rich926]

Chozen has continuosly immersed himself in martial arts his entire life, while everyone else was getting married and focusing on their careers.

[@guzmanfel]

also add his good habits, johnny spent a lot of his life in the alcohol and junk (instamts food,sole bologna,candies) meanwhile chozen tried to avoid alcohol the majority of his life,good habit helps a lot too

[@danielramos6325]

Same here

[@fredcollins8919]

Agreed

[@ThunderFist1978]

Mr. Miyagi: “If do right, no can defense.” Chozen: “Hold my sake.”

[@jameshodge1517]

You're Funny Dude! 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

[@jameshodge1517]

I'd go for "Thunderstruck" from the movie Battleship

[@johnnydoe6717]

Daniel had tight ass jeans on in the 2nd fight thus wasn’t able to do the crane properly 🤪

[@guzmanfel]

@@johnnydoe6717 not only that,sato personally trained him,the martial arts constantly evolve

[@HoundsOfBusiness]

@@johnnydoe6717 cursed by the 80's jeans lol

[@Joreel]

One thing I always found interesting is that Bobby actually had a conscience. He knew that he'd be disqualified if he did the illegal kick and even tried to talk Kreese out of it because he honestly believed he could beat Daniel fairly. Even after doing the kick he was right there apologising to Daniel for doing it because he knew it was wrong and afterwords you could see he hated himself for doing it. I also loved that even though he lost to a kick to the head, Johnny acknowledge that Daniel won cleanly.

[@JasonGroom]

Isn't the question really did he have a conscience when he didn't want to do it, or did he not want to be disqualified because he wanted to win. I agree he was sorry for doing it after, but before, he really thought he could win and I think that's why he didn't send to do it

[@johnbush5347]

You got it backwards, it's not him trying to talk kreese out of it, if he had a care about it he wouldn't have done it, kreese wasn't in the match , Bobby was

[@LoneWolf-sr9qb]

Bruh crane kick is illegal move,so daniel won dirty

[@jamesworleyiii2797]

Johnny was clearly Kreese's #1 (favorite, not necessarily best) student, so he probably didn't want to risk Johnny losing to Bobby in the final. Also curious as to why, when there is a potential student in your dojo (when Daniel and Miyagi go to visit) and you want to have a sparring session, you wouldn't want to put your two best students against each other to show off, rather then have Bobby vs. a lesser opponent. But Bobby's attitude throughout the movie was very different from the other CK's, which makes me wonder if it weren't for karate, would Bobby even be friends with Johnny or the others?

[@sharundeva4780]

Yea and in the deleted scene we can see that Bobby removes his black belt and throws to the floor to Kreese, like a sign of disgust in cheat match and quitting, and walks away. Bobby is a nice dude.

[@Synphus]

When I heard Mike Barnes was coming to Cobra Kai I was excited. I felt they didn't use him enough. I was disappointed when he was knocked out from behind and then Johnny had to fight everyone himself.

[@openingshift7070]

Probably so that Chozen and Johnny can have their best moments and they’re saving Mike for season 6. Remember Mike hadn’t trained in over 30 something years so it wouldn’t be right for him to just beat everyone right off the bat but at the same time show that he has the potential to. When Mike starts training again everyone’s gonna be in for a treat come season 6

[@johnthompson3856]

I hope they all are together in season 6 because the funniest thing in season 5 was when Mike barns wanted to go to Silvers house and Johnny became friends with him instantly! 😂😂😂

[@user-bl3gh8rs2v]

Barnes sint he only person from like the trilogy who’s making an appearance I’ve heard that Bobby Brown is also coming to Cobra Kai in season 6

[@guzmanfel]

@@user-bl3gh8rs2v in s2 and s3 he only made cameos

[@user-bl3gh8rs2v]

I know but I heard he’s coming back in season 6with Dutch I think @@guzmanfel

[@RestlessThoughts]

Ron Thomas who played Bobby was already a 2nd degree black belt in The Karate Kid so it's no surprise he looks like a strong fighter. Just going by actor skill/belt level, he is the most skilled of Daniel's rivals. But Sean Kanan who played Mike Barnes did that last tournament fight after surgery to stop life threatening internal bleeding from injuries on the set, doing the scene with staples all up and down his abdomen, which is pretty badass :P

[@guzmanfel]

in fact he was the most skilled of the 5 cobras in real life

[@danlc95]

Ouch! Kudos to Sean for getting through that.

[@jonathanvelazquezph.d.2719]

Silver was right, Johnny has always been Kreese's weakness. He was clearing the path for Johnny to win the tournament again. Kreese probably knew Bobby was the best! As for Bobby versus Barnes, I'm not sure 🤔.

[@prime4851]

In 1985, it would be Mike but present day it depends

[@MrZZsharka]

@@prime4851 Remember you’re comparing a 1985 Mike to a 1984 Johnny. A year can make a big difference at that age in terms of strength and power. And also experience e.g. Barns a year before we saw him or a 1985 Johnny with the extra strength and skill.

[@prime4851]

@@MrZZsharka Johnny quit cobra Kai the year before. And we don’t even know how old Mike is but Johnny was in senior year in 1984. It may not be huge in terms of strength because of a one year difference but I figure that Mike is in his early 20’s or same age as Johnny. Even then we can’t assume who won simply because we are here 40 years after what happened

[@blackdynamiteSJC]

Naw Booby says in season 2 that Johnny kicked his ass to win the year before. So thats a big hit to the Bobby theory but it's is possible.

[@ubereem1027]

@@blackdynamiteSJC you're thinking of tommy, while I do agree johnny was better than bobby, he did do worse in the tournament due to his confidence being shattered from the beating by miyagi which kreese says to terry in s4

[@ApolloBalboa-el9fc]

It has always dumbfounded me that Daniel seemed more afraid of Barnes versus Chozen. Chozen was trained in Miagi do. Chozen trained his whole life and wanted to kill Daniel. Barnes was a bully who fought for money and dojo ownership. Thoughts?

[@Mark-px8jt]

That was Terry's plan throughout he film, he worked on Daniels psychology to make him fear Mike. Terry made Daniel feel really tough with the moves he taught him, and then Daniel found those moves were useless against Barnes so he probably felt helpless.

[@user-oh9zp9jx1i]

Also now and chozen prob gonna help daniel in season 4because terry and John is back what if Mike is back so we could see a trios I meant John Reese and also that’s a theory for cobra kai

[@irvinalexanderflores]

Honestly mike didn't even seem super skilled, like his attacks didn't look special or anything compared to Johnny, and Chozen. So it's just weird to me that Daniel couldn't even touch him.

[@Mark-px8jt]

@@irvinalexanderflores Daniel hit him in the face when they first fought but it didn't bother Mike. Mike seemed really resilient to pain.

[@JasonSmith-om4lr]

I agree, kk3 was an awful cash grab film. Kk2 should have been the end, kk2 and kk3 should be flipped, because 3 doesn't make sense.

[@OlJackBurton]

In the third movie Daniel trained very little with Miyagi and more with Silver, who actually sabotaged Daniel's training. So Daniel regressed and was not in his best form of all time or even compared to the end of the second movie...

[@red._.thunderyt5472]

This is pure facts

[@warpitexis2341]

That doesn't mean you forget all the Training you had before. Also the only thing Silver eally did was maake him more angry and brutal

[@OlJackBurton]

@@warpitexis2341 All that anger and emotion made Daniel lose focus and balance so he lost his true power. As soon as he regained his focus and balance he easily countered Barnes. He wasn't just lucky...

[@davejohn3600]

Barnes was humiliating Daniel even before he trained with Silver.

[@Respect12948]

Doesn’t matter as soon as he got back he lost to Mike in miyagis garden And in the tournament he was still losing even after the training from miyagi

[@NonnofYobiznes]

*MY VOTE IS FOR BOBBY* *When Kreese tells him to put Daniel out of commission and he says "But Sensei, I can beat this guy", that sounds like the most factual statement in the whole tournament part. He wasn't fueled by anger or cockiness. He seemed like the most straight out dude, even defending Daniel at times. He's got a nice emotional and skill balance, not to mention probably more experience than Daniel.* *It's important to remember Daniel's victories were pretty much powered by the adrenaline and human survival instinct that kicks in when life and safety are at risk, this enhances human performance, like a drug* *MY VOTE IS FOR BOBBY, THE MOST NORMAL GUY IN THE WHOLE SERIES* 🏆🏆🏆

[@ezanamelekot6796]

What about Mike? Mike would've defeated Daniel 3-0 scores if Terry didn't told him to purposely lose his points and makes the fight to sudden death. Kresse stated that Johnny wasn't focused when he was fighting with Daniel because Daniel was dating with Johnny's ex girilfriend. In plus at some point Johnny scores one point to Daniel but since it was too fast and he was in the other agel the refree didn't saw it. And he might be right because if you saw his other fights he fought very well. He dfeated his other fighters 3-0 including Vidal Darl who was 3rd degree bkack belt and 1981 all vally champion. In plus Bobby before he fought with Daniel one gyìuy scored him a point and Bobby got frustrated before he defeat him. In plus if Bobby was really better than Johnny then why he didn't won in the previuous years tournament?

[@ShawnHall]

"Then Chozen pummels Daniel's face with more kicks" I cracked up so hard when I heard that.

[@graylonperson9012]

😂🤣🤣

[@RuleNo2NoNames]

In this Cobra Kai series I love how Chosen has redeem himself and came into light. I am very excited to see him team up with Daniel in next season 5.

[@mikelightowler5220]

Same here! Chozen and Daniel teaming up was definitely something I never expected. I seriously hope we get to see some kind of redemption arc for robby and tori as well.

[@wild8074]

👍

[@oilersfan3442]

They also did mention mention dutch in S2, and kreese was framed and sent to jail so its likely that if the dutch actor comes back kreese could run into him

[@lawrwncemitchell9955]

@@oilersfan3442 Chad McQueen the actor who played Dutch is serving Prison time right now !!!!!💯

[@robdykejr]

Chozen is the best fighter, overall. Barnes would win in a tournament, Chozen would win in reality.

[@Abdullah_123i]

Who agrees with me that one of the reasons chozen lost to Daniel was because he was tired and hungry after the storm in which he ran away and probably didn’t get much rest or food before the fight making him weaker, slower and more consumed by his emotions

[@ronin18769]

chozen is the number 1

[@Thebridgeplayer]

He did not loose because of that he lost because the girl put her scarf around his neck chozen would have won if she was not there and miyagi helped Daniel get out of a choke

[@davejohn3600]

Barnes had to fight an entire tournament of fighters to get to Daniel who only had to fight him.

[@Thebridgeplayer]

@@davejohn3600 but daniel did not have much help since no one put a scarf on barnes

[@Charlsmagne]

@@Thebridgeplayer as you can see chozen broke a stone after getting choked where the scarf would be easily teared by chozen if we calculate joules

[@Scorch1028]

Mike Barnes was “Karate’s Bad Boy” on a national level, at the time that Johnny, Bobby, and Dutch were regional champions in the San Fernando Valley (All-Valley). So, Mike Barnes could beat any of them in 1985. However, Chozen, being Sato’s top student in 1985, likely could have beaten Mike Barnes.

[@mikhailabdurrachman2443]

In a tournament Mike wins, in a street fight chozen wins

[@NintendoCapriSun]

I love Dutch's reverse kick. He's basically like Ace Ventura, "Let's see that... in an instant replay!" I have high hopes that we'll get to see more of Bobby in S4 of Cobra Kai. Between the "Take A Right" episode and the brief S3 moment in which he decks Johnny mid-sermon, I'd say the guy's still got it.

[@KenCole]

Yeah Bobby vs any main character in a big fight would be awesome.

[@justthinking650]

the fact that he is now a pastor made it all the better

[@shaunigothictv1003]

@@KenCole Hi Ken. Excellent analysis. I wish you would have wrote the scripts for the karate kid movies - they would have been so much more fun. Nevertheless, I still liked them. Regarding Karate Kid 3: Ironically, Terry Silvers training actually helped Daniel after all - as without it, Mike Barnes would have put Daniel in hospital in the first few points of the tournament match at the end of this movie. The training was designed to toughen Daniel up - and it worked! So Terry Silver was actually a brilliant trainer and coach despite his evil ways. I really enjoyed your video analysis on Terry Silver and I was wondering if you are going to do a video analysis on Mr.Miyagi? Also, do you agree with my stance on Terry Silvers training results as stated above? If not, why not?

[@KenCole]

@@shaunigothictv1003 Thank you for the comment! I think that's a fascinating point - he'd already endured a lot of pain at the hands of Terry and Mike, so that may have helped him in the tournament. That's another subtle point that didn't really get addressed in the movie but would have been interesting to explore - Miyagi could have helped him understand his strength in enduring that torture.

[@shaunigothictv1003]

@@KenCole Thanks. Peace Ken.

[@kagemaru259]

Chozen learned personally from Sato, has a direct lineage to Miyagi-Do and trained US Marines on Okinawa, likely still doing so now that Sato has passed on. He would destroy Barnes.

[@dimitrescu182]

I agree with this one.

[@douglasskropelnicki2866]

I agree. If Barns and Chozen met in the street Chozen wins easy. In a tournament Barns has a better chance but still losses I think.

[@kagemaru259]

@@douglasskropelnicki2866 I could see Chozen having difficulty holding back as he's not a light-contact point fighter and many Barnes could use that to his advantage, but when you think about it, Barnes' main strategy was just charging at you with kicks and punches

[@douglasskropelnicki2866]

@Vaggod1 I wont argue he is the best in THIS country but Chosen is Okinawan so if they ever faced Chosen would win.

[@douglasskropelnicki2866]

@Vaggod1 Chozen vs Daniel and Barnes vs Daniel doesn't give a realistic outcome to Chozen vs Barnes. Barnes is a karate champion in the US and Chozen is a Okinawan karate expert. Those are not even comparable. I have years of combat sports experience with wresting, boxing, and a little in MMA but I have gotten the opportunity to spar high level karate point fighters. It was fun and an honor as they were very skilled and I learned a lot but when I sparred an Okinawan it was a totally different level. Remember we are talking about a US karate dojo in the late 80's vs karate taught in Okinawa. They are NOT the same. The best karate point fighters trained in the US would not stand a chance against an Okinawan trained karate expert in a street fight. Even if Barnes was able to give Chozen any trouble with strikes Chozen could simply take the fight to the ground where he would easily subdue Barnes.

[@greghughes6098]

You forget one enormous point. In the original movies, both Daniel and Miyagi are wrapped in plot armor.

[@KenCole]

It’s true.

[@toaster4141]

Yeah but Miyagi gets a pass

[@staysolidshades254]

Romans 10:9 because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.d d

[@tamatoeketchup2063]

@@KenCole also in cobra kai in a deleted scene we find out that Johnny wasn't in a right state of mind and was thinking about Ally

[@Vsm426]

@@staysolidshades254 hail Satan

[@DarkCrow02]

About the fight against Mike Barnes, I'd argue that Daniel is not at his best because of the psychological and emotional warfare that Terry waged against him.

[@TheTrueMariWho]

Bobby: *points at Mike Barnes* “but I can beat this guy!”

[@Zurround]

NO way in hell. Mike Barnes was the MAIN VILLAIN (at least main "teen" villain) in the THIRD movie and there is a literary rule in plot devicing of movies that the villains need to get progressively more difficult, he was a NATIONAL level champion and FAMOUS for it and his skills were INCREDIBLE. You really think Bobby Brown who was only Kreese's SECOND best student (yes there is debate about him vs Johnny and maybe its close like 51, 49 but I still say Johnny is better than him overall even if only a tiny bit). No way Bobby is even putting up a decent fight much less winning against Mike Barnes.

[@neogenesis0038]

@@Zurround "...villains need to get progressively more difficult...." Truth. See Dragon Ball Z for confirmation

[@Zurround]

@@neogenesis0038 Not sure what you are getting at. How can you compare Karate Kid to Dragon Ball Z?

[@neogenesis0038]

It was a joke. But DBZ's villains always get stronger and stronger, and the main characters had to train and find different techniques to win.

[@Zurround]

@@neogenesis0038 Well sometimes the hero becomes less powerful so a villain might be toned down but still pose a threat. I think Clubber Lang in Rocky 3 was inferior to Apollo (the Apollo in the movie Rocky 3 was kind of past his prime and might not have beaten Clubber but I mean the younger version Rocky faced) but Rocky got soft. "Tommy Gunn" in Rocky 5 was absolutely no match for Ivan Drago from Rocky 4 and "Mason Dixon" from Rocky Balboa would have lost to Tommy Gunn but Rocky was getting older and more infirm too. But with Karate Kid there CAN be debate over who would win between Mike Barnes and Chozen there can be no serious debate with Johnny against either of those 2. Too big a deal was made in the plot over how superior they were and it would not fit story narrative.

[@alittlekittycat21]

I personally believe the reason why Johnny had a hard time with an injured Daniel was because of the emotions that were going through him from what Kreese had ordered. I don’t actually believe that he was perfectly capable in that moment. I’m sure he was consciously confused whether he was doing the right thing or not. Kreese is a master manipulator, if he could get Bobby to forfeit his chances, then Johnny was probably fueled with morality conflict. In turn messing with his ability to stay focused. I truly believe that he is a stronger fighter than what he showed during the 1984 tournament; however, I agree with your assessment overall.

[@hottnix]

Absolutely! You can tell Johnny was surprise about Kreeses orders for Bobby.

[@guzmanfel]

johnny was a sportman, probably he was proud of winnning the other 2 all valley with his sole skills, but after hearing kreese sayin "Sweep the leg" he was like "he's injured, its not fair" but its obvious that his admiration and also fear of kreese made him doin that illegal moves

[@veshremy_fan1234]

Yes Johnny is best

[@phillip-olivia]

@@veshremy_fan1234 do you think Johnny can beat Daniel and a tournament in a Street fighter

[@hezekiahrowland9006]

True, and also Kreese states that Johnny was his best fighter.

[@ONI1013.]

Of all those guys, Darryl Vidal is the true martial artist here. He even doubled as Mr Miyagi during the crane kick scene on the beach.

[@MF-cq9hs]

They should bring him back shihan Darryl Locust valley karate do dojo 😊

[@josepatrickmadayag2602]

The fight between Chozen and Daniel happened after Chozen was publicly shamed and disowned (during the typhoon incident) by Sato... his own Sensei... Imagine if Daniel was publicly shamed and disowned by Mr. Miyagi. For a martial artist, this disgrace and dishonor is too much to handle. This was a devastating blow to him, and may have weighed Chozen down during the fight. Mike Barnes on the other hand owned the world in the third movie... he had all the support he needed, that was provided by Terrence "Terry" Silver.

[@easygrin1127]

Wouldn't that have made him more motivated?

[@JonRGP]

@@easygrin1127 In western culture, it might have been a motivator but you got to understand that chozen is native okinawan/japanese so honor and respect especially from people you look up to is devastating. Also people forget that chozen and Johnny have been mentally and physically tortured in varying degree through out their films compared to Barnes.

[@lawrwncemitchell9955]

@@easygrin1127 No less focused.

[@strategic1710]

I don’t even think this is a debate. As fictional characters, Chozen might be able to beat 3 of them simultaneously. He looked to have real world experience and weapons training such that a tournament would’ve been child’s play to him. Daniel winning the tourney was possible, but in reality Chozen would have killed him, and probably pretty quick and easy.

[@chojinkid]

still Chozen lost to Daniel in a street fight with no rules, while Daniel never had a chance to beat Mike in a street fight and even in the tournament he won only by luck by scoring a single golden point, Mike also proved to be a skilled street aggressor, so what makes you think he didn't have real world experience? seemed pretty good at harassing and bullying people in real life to me. Mike is no doubt the worst opponent Daniel had in his youth.

[@GC0077]

@@chojinkid Only because Daniel knew the one technique Miyagi's karate had to counter itself. Remember, Mr Miyagi's father told him only to use it as a last resort, meaning if you're about to get killed, this is the only thing that will save you. In that fight, Chozen was going to kill him and Miyagi knew it.

[@strategic1710]

@@chojinkid what I mean is that if you place this movie in reality Daniel winning the tourney is unlikely but still possible, but he would’ve been killed by Chozen unless something crazy happened. Daniel, mike, and Johnny are tourney fighters with rules and refs, but Chozen probably fought for his life, knew weapons, it wasn’t a hobby to him, and likely was training since he could walk. An Israeli black ops agent would kill Floyd Mayweather pretty quickly out of sheer instinct.

[@kagemaru259]

@@strategic1710 And Chozen likely trained in the traditional Okinawan ways under Sato, such as conditioning on the makiwara. His hands and feet probably hit like stone.

[@bryceburnett8996]

You also have to consider that the whole movie with Barnes, Daniel's life was in turmoil. Miagi had refused to train him to defend his title, he had met a girl who, quite honestly, seemed a bit unstable relationship-wise who eventually left, almost immediately after finding the love of his life in the girl from Okinawa who ALSO denied being with Daniel, Silva was "training" him in a way contrary to Daniel's character as a decent guy with a merciful heart, trying to help his mentor establish and run a small business and having big dreams of becoming successful in business suddenly being destroyed when the Banzai tree was broken, and the constant threat by the terror campaign by Barnes and his two cronies at any given moment since Barnes knew were he lived. Daniel's life was a mess at this point and I would argue that he was not at his highest level of skill. The terror campaign alone is enough to totally throw a person off his "game". My thought is that in a real life combat type situation, Chozen would annihilate Barnes because Chosen had no qualms with killing a person in the name of honor and definitely had the tools to do so. Look how he destroyed the Marines, who were actually trained to kill during a fight AND being trained by Chozen himself, his uncles best fighter. Barnes' whole shtick was mind games and confidence, as well as good training and ability. He would make a great intelligence officer, imho. However, my list would be Johnny and Bobby as a tie for third, Barnes, and then Chozen.

[@arne0107]

I would love to see an update now that we know Johnny can beat Barnes. 😊

[@simoneorioli]

No, stop fanboying Johnny, all of you crazy fans. Mike is now a salesman, Johnny has been practicing karate for around a year. In his prime, Barnes break Johnny in half, even Silver states it

[@advictoriams]

Season 5 kinda proved Chozen would wipe the floor with everyone. But that Johnny and Mike are still just as formidable.

[@AlbanianMan]

Chozen is the best fighter hands down. He's from the Miyagi lineage from where karate was invented. I always maintain that Daniel regressed big time in the 3rd movie (as evidenced by his weight gain) and that's why he had such a hard time with Barnes. He also had an extremely whiny demeanor which he really didn't have in the first two films. I think Chozen would have mopped the floor with Barnes.

[@KenCole]

Interesting.

[@AlbanianMan]

@@KenCole Yes it is. Also note in the 2nd movie, he was able to break six blocks of ice with ease. In the 3rd movie, he struggled to break single pieces of wood of which the dummy was constructed of. Daniel clearly wasn't the same fighter in part 3 and had allowed himself to become soft.

[@GodFallYT]

You got the point there

[@AlbanianMan]

@@GodFallYT He looked like shit in the 3rd movie both appearance wise and in his karate. The only reason he won in the end was because of Barnes’s/Silver’s asinine plan with that “gain a point lose a point“ crap which is what ultimately did them in. Part 3 had the potential to be good with the storyline and characters but was just horribly executed.

[@proskillz404]

That's a very interesting observation, never really thought about it that way.

[@Treachery93]

According to the The Karate Kid book, Johnny and Bobby fought for the title the year before and Johnny won. I pick Chozen as #1. Mike Barns has national recognition and is highly aggressive but he fights within tournament rules which does not translate well in a real street fight. Chozen fights for old-school honor and he is prepared to kill for it. Chozen also was trained in the more traditional methods by Sato. Fighting a person who fights for honor would be more dangerous than your average street fight. Chosen edges Barnes to be #1.

[@dynamicvoltage9765]

OK well Chozen lost a fight to the death against a guy that had like 3 months karate training. So apparently he's not very good at that.

[@johnbush5347]

@@dynamicvoltage9765 n that fight is the only non tourney fight Daniel ever won

[@johnbush5347]

Let's not forget that Daniel beat Johnny with an illegal move n if not for that Johnny has 3 straight all valley titles

[@don8764]

Mike beats Chozen

[@urmomgae5882]

@@dynamicvoltage9765 bruh that was plot armor cuz of the bs drums lmao

[@splendidmonkey]

It would make sense for Chosen to be the strongest, given that he seems more mature and acts as an actual mob enforcer of sorts. Still, based on performance portrayed in the movies, I have to say Barnes as he clearly has the easiest time handling Daniel.

[@jm7967]

The entire saga is about balance, which includes emotion. From everything we have seen so far, Bobby had the best balance of skill and emotion. Today however, Chozen seems to have matched his continuing knowledge and skills with an emotional reset. Chozen is the most dangerous at this point!

[@m655john]

One final note; Bobby didn’t need to be vicious, he was that much more skilled and controlled.

[@m655john]

From a skill level Bobby was the smoothest with pinpoint accuracy. Bobby also did not buy into Kreese’s no mercy creed. He had a heart. And let’s face it as far as character goes, who doesn’t love Bobby?

[@lawrwncemitchell9955]

I think we can all agree on Bobby having a good heart and we probably all Love him...💯

[@alexojideagu]

I've just looked up prohibited behaviour from the World Karate Federation. BOBBY would have been disqualified in the tournament Montage before even fighting Daniel. 1: Talking to, or goading the opponent, failing to obey the orders of the Referee, discourteous behaviour towards the Refereeing officials, or other breaches of etique

[@staysolidshades254]

Romans 10:9 because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.d d

[@Vsm426]

@@staysolidshades254 hail Satan

[@SonNathan]

You have to remember that Daniel was not focused on any of his fights with barns unlike he was with chozen and Johnny and if Daniel was focused he would put up way better fights against barns and at the end of kk3 when the final moment when Daniel is finally focused Daniel instantly wins

[@brushwolf]

More thumbs up for this comment please.

[@dracoglacita5615]

''there wasnt a kick on earth that couldve stop johnny lawrence in his prime''

[@paulwhitfield2181]

Although this is just a story we must realize that Daniel wasn’t just fighting one individual but a team of individuals and with Mr. Miyagi’s confidence in Daniel the young man was able to overcome all his obstacles. And just like in any fight on any given day the outcome is a toss up. Mr. Miyagi told Daniel he might not win but he would be respected. This story was about respect and discipline.

[@aaronhanks3791]

I disagree. Chozen is the best of all of them. He literally grew up in the karate life, and worked for a gangster, so he most likely used his skills on a regular basis, in real world situations. Additionally, in Chozen's fight with Daniel, 2 people had to help Daniel beat Chozen: First, the girl distracted Chozen by wrappinig her scarf around his neck while Daniel was in a vulnerable position. Chozen could have ended Daniel were it not for the interference. Secondly, Mr Myagi had to instruct Daniel to "step back" to get out of the choke hold. Daniel didn't even know how to escape a basic choke hold without being coached on the spot. Again, Chozen could have ended Daniel right then and there were it not for interference. Chozen is the greatest.

[@Laz911]

I agree. Barnes looks great in the tournament, but I doubt he ever fought for his life. Chozen, as you stated, LIVED Karate. In a real fight, I'd take Chozen over Barnes

[@flightofthebumblebee9529]

It depends. In their prime? Chozen. During Cobra Kai? Barnes. The guy is a BEAST now.

[@henriquenunes3255]

I agree. Always felt like KK2 and KK3 should be swaped. For someone who defeated Chozen, Daniel struggled way too much with Barnes Just because it is a sequel. I feel like in cobra kai, Gen X characters (Johnny, Daniel, chozen and eventually mike in future seasons) are the strongest compared to the Teens and the older ones (kreese and terry). I know that terrys actor is younger than daniels, but in universe kreese and silver should be more or less the same age. If Barnes actually continued doing karate, he could be the only real physical threat to Johnny and daniel, so cobra kai might need him for season 5.

[@Cobra658]

Don't you think Barnes could've killed Daniel multiple times if it weren't for Myagi. Plus Barnes had to fight Daniel with all the training from previous movies.

[@billystutz55]

Strong points

[@lonniewhite4262]

I go with Chozen #1. I think the fights were different. One was to the death and the others were the tournament. The fight to the death brought out the best in Daniel and elevated him. Chozen lost his temper and lost. But his style was Daniels style wich helped D. The fight with Barnes was not to the death and Daniel was intimidated initially. He was intimidated by Barnes new style. He was not really Cobra Kai style. He was hired. He became angry when Barnes insulted Mr Miyagi. Then he was able to get focused enough to beat Barnes. Barnes fighting style was different so I wonder were he came from?

[@Kingshiloh-fo2qc]

People say Chozen is the best fighter out of the teenage villains because he fought to the death but I think Mike Barnes is better because he didn’t only fight for points, he easily defeated Daniel in real fights 3 times. Chozen also fought Daniel in a real fight to the death and still lost.

[@landonpace5480]

Daniel needed help though from the Miyagi, Sato, and the audience when they did that instrument thing(forgot the name) which reminds him of the fighting technique. So if this fight was just them with NO ONE watching then Chozen would easily win.

[@kissarmy7212]

Chozen takes it hands down with Johnny as a close second IMO

[@andersoncaipe8474]

Realistically Barnes wins, weight classes exist for a reason, but it’s a show so I guess it can happen.

[@KevAng039]

“Can we see these fighters fight each other in the future?” Yes we most likely will see Johnny vs Mike at some point.

[@edwinpoon]

Season 6 has the answer. Johnny beat Barnes.

[@mikhailabdurrachman2443]

IF that fight took place in the 80s then barnes would have owned Johny's back side

[@PSTA]

@@mikhailabdurrachman2443 there is truth to this. Johnny used Miyagi-Do techniques to beat Barns. Now going to the "If the fight happend in the 80s" comment.... I think if Johnny and Mike Barns fight BEFORE the all valley tournament (When Daniel Beat Johnny) , you would have got a great fight and the fight could have gone either way, After, no doubt Mike Barns would have kicked Johnnys A++

[@UGOISCOOLNOW]

@@PSTAlet’s be honest it would not go either way Barnes was a national karate fighter legit was his career fighting. Johnny only really did karate as a hobby and for fun.

[@PSTA]

@@UGOISCOOLNOW Great point!

[@StephenTravers-vu2vj]

Mike Was out of his prime buddy😂

[@Kingman-13]

I still think that the punch to the face from Lawrence to LaRusso should’ve won Johnny the point and therefore the trophy.

[@Kingman-13]

Also, you forget that LaRusso had been bullying Lawrence for some time and therefore made him feel weak anyway, this impacts his ability to fight.

[@lufa7886]

i like how the intro is just daniel getting his ass kicked

[@KenCole]

🙏🏼

[@kagemaru259]

He basically spent all three movies getting his ass kicked....

[@koolaiddudeawesome9850]

@@kagemaru259 and people say he is the ACTUAL bully smh

[@josephcamenzind1305]

I go with Chozen. It seemed like he was older, probably in his early 20s. Given his uncle trained him, he probably started the earliest. Finally, he trained US military adult men in his uncles DoJo in Okinawa.

[@madmaxheisenberg9310]

Yep

[@jessedukelacrosse6470]

In reality Daniel was the oldest besides miyagi, kreese , terry silver was younger than Daniel too

[@Mystrohan]

@@jessedukelacrosse6470 I think you mean Ralph Macchio.

[@darthtrip7188]

@@jessedukelacrosse6470 Chozen's actor is older than Ralph Macchio.

[@John-ct9zs]

Yeah I always thought Chozen was like a 20-22 year old guy. Chozen carried himself like a man, opposed to a high school bully like Johnny or even Mike Barnes. Chozen didn't seem like a 16 or 17 year old teenager at all, or even 18 or 19.

[@FlyingTigersKMT]

Chozen wasn’t a tournament fighter. He fought for real.

[@user-om2wu4ou1n]

😂

[@jodl73]

One thing that needs to be considered is that Daniel is the main hero of these movies. The reason Johnny and Chozen has difficulty with Daniel is the script. Daniel’s character is suppose to eventually win.

[@pinpoint4644]

Ye I think that Daniel was the weakest fighter in the kk movies as he maybe just confused his opponents

[@plo617]

@@pinpoint4644 I believe that Daniel being so weak, makes him the perfect vessel for Miyagi's defensive fighting style. At least, at a story level. It's what makes his character a big threat. Plot armor aside, of course. The only character that is a serious threat to Daniel is Chozen, who trained under Sato and uses the Miyagi style. Chozen's only problem came from his aggression and his hot headed nature. However, as Cobra Kai has displayed, an older, wiser and reformed Chozen is an absolute threat to any of the characters in the franchise. I believe that Chozen in the that series could probably even give Miyagi (from the original KK) some problems.

[@dakotacrosby3057]

Chozen was already a karate instructor when we see him in Karate kid part 2. Plus he's proven to know everything in Miyagi do Karate even the lethal moves.

[@joekarate9424]

Don’t forget Mike fought the most seasoned experienced version of Daniel as well fresh. Daniel didn’t have to fight at all and Mike has several fights that day!

[@KenCole]

Great point! Daniel had it easy that tournament.

[@HumbleHurricane]

True, however this Daniel wasn't still training after Japan and had stopped until Mike forced him back again. His training with Terry and then Miyagi was his first time training seriously again nearly a year since working with Miyagi in his bonsai shop. So this honestly brings Daniel skill, timing, confidence and overall ability as a fighter down against Mike. Daniel trained again briefly with Miyagi but for an opponent like Mike along with his mental game, tactics etc was too much for a lesser Daniel. I think Daniel was honestly at his prime in Japan before he stopped training afterwards.

[@guzmanfel]

not only that, mike was labeled as "The best young fighter in US"

[@guzmanfel]

@Mike H in his databook, said that he was the most recent "national champ", is great to love johnny but lets nbe honest johnny was a a nobody compared to him in that time

[@Redford-xd3wg]

Daniel was emotionally manipulated that entire movie, even leaving mr miyagi to become a cobra. He also got beat up several times by adults and Mike and his friends, had his life threatened several times and he had no faith in himself in the fight at all. I think he shouldn’t have been that scared after his literal fight to the death in the second movie, but while he had the most training, he switched his trainer who ended up sabotaging him and was not in the right place at all mentally. So in my opinion, not prime at all

[@homedeezyfasheezy5662]

I remember when I was a kid watching these movies 100s of times. I can remember noticing that Bobby was a superb fighter. A lot of the points you brought up were things I would often think about. To this day I wonder how the final of Bobby vs Johnny would have turned out. It appears that Bobby’s form/technique is better and Johnny seems to suffer from over cockiness and not respecting his opponent, which is something you’re taught not to do at an early stage of all sports but especially combat sports. Bobby seemed to lack the killer instinct Johnny had. Even though he would eventually question Kreese’s instructions he showed that he wasn’t hesitant to hurt someone and his karate style seemed to be based around high impact moves that dealt significant damage and were straight to the point. Would have been a sold match regardless.

[@Travis371]

Bobby has the most potential. He's a good person, but taught in the most brutal way possible. That's what makes it so interesting about him and what seemingly give him an edge.

[@Jtrain3643]

Bobby gets my vote. He was well rounded clearly a skilled fighter, but unlike the others his emotions did not control his decisions. On top of that he was the only to prove that he could sacrifice himself if necessary.

[@davida6146]

Yes! Karate is a lot about self control which of all of them, Bobby mastered the most. He gets my vote though I'm unsure how he'd hold against Mike given Mike is very aggressive perhaps the most of them all. It'd be Mike doing offensive karate vs Bobby doing defensive karate. I'd like to see this fight in Cobra Kai. On another note I'd like to see Bobby and Daniel officially bury the hatchet of that kick in 84.

[@philybarra2702]

@@davida6146 I second that👍👍

[@lawrwncemitchell9955]

He also had a good heart, like when he told Johnny and the others to stop Daniel had enough, at the fence beating, he had empathy for Daniel❤💯

[@lawrwncemitchell9955]

@@davida6146 Bobby felt bad right away, kreese made him do that, same as Johnny 😞😢

[@jaykisuke3397]

You didn't even know til this guy broke the details down smh you guys are easily influenced by anything

[@ajl9772]

Glad you gave credit to Bobby. I rewatched the Karate Kid the other day and seems like Bobby had a great shot to win. I think Krease knew it too, but wanted to ensure Cobra Kai and Jonny remained the champ.

[@Masterchief0521]

Kreese telling Bobby to stand down is actual similar to what lead most of my Highschool's wrestling team quitting. Coach had a few favorite wrestlers and he would tell other wrestlers to do worse as to "not distract" from his favorites.

[@TheShoalguy]

1. Chozen - he was more skilled all round and would beat Barnes easily even though it appeared Daniel was losing easier to Barnes. Remember Barnes had his croonies with him too which put fear into Daniel. 2. Barnes - yes he was vicious but had a limited move set for mine. Again not up to th skill level of Chozen. 3. Bobby - Agree he was more level headed and could possibly even give Barnes a good run for his money. 4. Johnny - Just behind Bobby would be very close between the two of them.

[@j6p6k6]

Definetly Chozen. I always thought another tournament match after surviving a fight to the death in Okinawa didn’t add up. Mike Barnes’ superiority over Chozen doesn’t make any sense to me.

[@WORLD8NSH5KNIGHT1]

Chozen - Ivan Drago (the international aspect) or Mr T (anger and toughness) Mike Barnes - Tommy Gunn mixed with Ivan Drago (unstable background but fighting machine) Johnny Lawrence - Apollo Creed (great adversary who ultimately became an ally)

[@jonathanwhite1265]

Chozen is Drago. Barnes is Clubber Lang. Johnny is Apollo Creed.

[@mrj4082]

Holy shit, you're right! I never thought about it this way

[@jonathanwhite1265]

@@mrj4082 Thanks!

[@Mark-px8jt]

So your saying Daniel - rocky?

[@juscryandsyd]

Wow....LOVED the comparison and couldn't agree more! Good job!

[@drkevly5006]

Let’s not forget, Chozen know how to use and handle weapons as the others don’t use any weapons like chozen did. Chozen used a butterfly knife and twirled it around with great percision, and used a spear and got a HIT on miyagi! Chozen can use twin sai as well. Chozen’s anger definitely was his downfall in the second movie but overall, definitely better than the cobras

[@eddieagostini450]

Yes. Bobby is my favorite. Hopefully the writers of Kobra Kai will bring into season 6 or 7 as the savior.

[@eastcoast1005]

Chozen is the coolest character of all and best fighter by far.

[@justthinking650]

agreed and thats even more spot on after cobra kai s3

[@graylonperson9012]

I totally agree

[@Zurround]

Imagine Chozen vs a SAME AGE VERSION of Miyagi. Like if you had a magical way of pairing an 18 year old version of Chozen against an 18 year old version of Miyagi. The old Miyagi that almost effortlessly defeated Chozen had decades more experience.

[@fallguye6011]

He'd crush Barnes.

[@Zurround]

@@fallguye6011 Who? Chozen or Miyagi? Would a 17 year old version of Miyagi beat a 17 year old version of Chozen or Barnes?

[@raby760]

CHOZEN! He's the only one who had the heart to go so far as to fight to the death. He was also the most powerful and strongest. The only reason Chozen lost to Daniel in Karate Kid II was plot armor (not that I'm against Daniel, not that I would have wanted to see Chozen win). It's just obvious that Daniel's training and moves were no where close to the strength and intensity of Chozen, as they portray it, and that the story needed Daniel to win. Karate Kid II's Chozen would have also beat Karate Kid II's Kreese as well (and I'm a Kreese fan and had his "Sweep the Leg" t-shirts since 2007). And it was also the plot that made Daniel weak against Mike Barnes. Karate Kid II Daniel could have put up a stronger fight against Karate Bad Boy Mike Barnes.

[@jerometruitt2731]

Daniel also had help. If not for interference he would have been drowned in the water.

[@raby760]

@@jerometruitt2731 I forgot about that 👍

[@elveintidosdewilmington2417]

Bro said plot stmor

[@elveintidosdewilmington2417]

Armor

[@blackrb123ryan]

Mike used his bad boy persona as a scare tactic for the whole Karate Kid part 3, and Daniel was clearly scared of him. I have a feeling that if Daniel wasn’t scared, he would’ve been at an even skill level and would’ve won anyway.

[@dennismood7476]

After reviewing Mr. Miyagi's training of Daniel throughout, and Daniel surviving a DEATH FIGHT, the plot of KK# required Barnes' dominance over Daniel but found Daniel to be WAY too inferior to Barnes' ability. It was all too easy for Barnes to overwhelm the experience experience Daniel had and I though it should not have been so.

[@Johnadams20760]

correct you are. myagi specificly said "do not lose to fear, best karate inside you let it out" and when he did, he handily won.

[@BNatoAk]

Fun Fact, Mike Barnes (in real life) studied under the 1st two films martial arts coordinator for 5 years prior to filming. The fact he wasn't mentioned in is tidbit is way beyond beyond me. I'm talking about Darryl Vidal!

[@chrisbach1533]

And an other fun fact: Kanan studied Karate under Master Fumio Demura too. Demura was Pat Moritas stunt double or fighting double in the KK movies. So Barnes/Kanan stuied under the "real" Mr Miyagi.

[@gunstar1578]

Great video. I studied Shotokan for several years around the time of the Karate Kid movie. I noticed back then that Bobby (Rob Thomas) and Darryl Vidal, both seems to be at a different level in their moves during the All Valley tournament. I was pleased to find out that both were actually Black belts.

[@billymuellerTikTok]

Darryl Vidal also invented the Crane Kick and subbed in for Pat Morita in the original Karate Kid when Mr. Miyagi is practicing the Crane Kick while Daniel is fighting the waves.

[@lordoffaiyum9727]

Yeah they stood out.

[@josephsloop8865]

While Mike dominates Daniel in nearly every fight, I think a lot of this has to do with Barnes getting in Daniel's head and terrifying him. Daniel's greatest enemy in KKIII wasn't Mike Barnes, John Kreese, or Terry Silver. It was himself -- his own fear.

[@KenCole]

Excellent point.

[@sligen]

Season 3 of Cobra Kai shows this with Sam. Who has proven to keep up and even beat Tori, but thanks to her fear she becomes helpless and easily beaten by Tori. Until she overcomes it and once again beats her.

[@flightofthebumblebee9529]

It's ok to lose to opponent, must not lose to FEAR!

[@leyvaondabeatz2159]

Nuf said case closed my guy couldn’t of said it any better which is why its a great film its so fuckin realistic to alot of people

[@AishiMTA]

I agree with this statement wholly, I think mind games play a big part in Barnes being overwhelmingly strong. It's so realistic as well because mind games happen in every single competitive practice imaginable and it's a fair tactic. I don't know why everyone overlooks this because it adds another layer of depth to the series.

[@chalkdemon8019]

Chosen knows pressure secrets. Talk about the most devastating technique in the entire thing.

[@michaell874]

It has to be Chozen, Johnny, Mike F’n Barnes, Daniel and then Bobby and then Dutch. Kreese kept claiming that Johnny was the best he ever saw, and he said that even after seeing Mike Barnes. Current day Chozen is the closest thing to Mr. Miyagi though. Johnny’s ability to adapt and adjust in every fight is what makes him such a special fighter in the movie and in the show. Even in the Karate Kid movie when got down 2-0, he adapted and tied the score and would have won had Kreese not demanded him to sweep the leg. After he fought Silver, he wanted a second go at him because he knew how to adapt. When Daniel paralyzed him with that thing Chozen taught him, he was still able to adapt and got the point, and his fight against Mike Barnes proved his ability to utilize what he learned from Daniel to become an even more effective fighter.

[@ivim5647]

In my opinion: 1. Chozen 2. Mike 3. Johnny 4. Bobby 5. Dutch 6. Tommy 7. Jimmy

[@Dkay7726]

I’m cobra Kai Johnny says that tommy beat Vidal and almost beat him

[@Dkay7726]

I’d put him above Dutch since the year before 84’ he lost in the finals

[@Zurround]

NO. Mike would have very much beaten Chozen unless the fight involved weapons like sword or spear as Chozen specialized in that but if it was a fight NOT involving that kind of weaponry Mike wins.

[@davedave827]

Where would you put Jerry from the 1984 Cobra Kai team ?

[@Dkay7726]

@@Zurround chosen in a fight to the death would have obliterated mike

[@lethalwolf7455]

Chozen trained his entire life in traditional martial arts and even was tasked with teaching hand to hand combat to US special forces. He also comes from a culture of ‘fight to the death’ where the others were after points and trophies. Chosen would definitely be familiar with specifically lethal techniques the other fighters would not have been trained in. It’s a joke to even consider any of the others above him. Mike Barnes might beat in a tournament, but not in an alley.

[@chrisbach1533]

And look how they handled themselfs against Mr. Miyagi. After one attack of Miyagi, Johnny, Bobby and Barnes were all out cold, while Chozen was still able to call Miyagi a coward. Chozen is made of different clothes like them.

[@Thebridgeplayer]

Miyagi and and the girl helped daniel chozen would have stomped daniel to death if it was not for that scarf

[@SevuhnElevuhn]

speaking facts

[@MyLife-og2kr]

The most important is Chozen trained US military police. That's the end all be all. They're not going to be trained by just any mere Tournament trained fighters. It was plot armor that Daniel beat Chozen.

[@guzmanfel]

@@MyLife-og2kr chozen was mentally f.... up remember after he heard his uncle saying "you're dead to me" that affected his mind

[@joshdavis6556]

Bobby being the guy to do the illegal kick and immediately apologize may be why he became a preacher by the time the cobra kai show started

[@Tengued]

Idk why but I feel like mike will end up running cobra Kai in the end so that way he’s able to continue doing something he loved as a kid but was banned from tournaments for life as a contestant. Seeing mike teaching the new wave of cobra kais would be so interesting to me

[@londoncali6437]

I might have to disagree because Chozen is the best of them all and I can see him beating Mike Barnes easily - Chozen is well equipped to take down Mike Barnes. There are important factors that needed to be taken into consideration in KK3: 1. Daniel completely lost focus and became aggressive under Silver's regime 2. Daniel became fearful in what Silver did to him psychologically 3. Silver messed up the relationship between Daniel and Miyagi, and this lead Daniel astray. If Daniel stayed with Miyagi all the time, he would have total focus, strength and patience to actually beat Mike Barnes

[@isaacmettle]

Agreed

[@tsweezy5742]

@Scot Smith Daniel said himself he’s scared he legit had no focus if he what’s well concentrated and mike barns wasn’t being the biggest bully to ever exist before the tournament Daniel Wouldn’t have got beat so badly.

[@michael8940]

I agree, Chosen trained in Miyagi Karate since a child, was physically equipped, and would toast Barnes. One fight means nothing

[@emeukal7683]

Just admit that Daniel is winning by story jutsu mythical Magic tricks. Barnes is a real professional fighter. Johnny physically stronger. Chozen was trained a lot more but not talented (Anger issues). The only two real fighters are Barnes and silver both talented and trained.

[@JDP2104]

Great analysis

[@perrysaker1526]

Chozen, he knows how to take out any body part of his opponent leaving them incapable of throwing a punch or kick!!

[@mojo3999]

“If your enemy insists on war, then you take away their ability to wage it” Chozen is the best out of all of them!

[@justthinking650]

@@mojo3999 agreed

[@timfurnier7061]

The purpose of Kata (sp.) against Mike Barnes wasn't to mess with his head. It was to ground Daniel and calm him so that his best karate would come out; Miyagi had just told Daniel this right before that round. Also, you could see that Daniel was doing well against Barnes while he was calm and concentrated even going as far as to repeatedly evade his blows and make him look ineffectual and foolish. He began to falter only after he got scared. Kata brought balance back to him. MB was mystified as to what was happening, but Silver wasn't. He knew what Daniel was doing, he had fear on his face, and he panicked.

[@vegetablack8114]

Johnny said it himself in Cobra Kai that the only reason Daniel was able to ever win was because of special skills and by one point lol

[@Beastly82Fox]

I believe when they are doing introductions to the semifinals, they acknowledge that Bobby was the previous year’s runner-up. Saying Johnny won that year would have meant that they would have faced and Johnny prevailed.

[@e952ct]

Did they ever mention Johnny being the returning champ?

[@jackolantern22]

Clearly we need to see Chozen vs Barnes in Cobra Kai Season 5.

[@mistercontroversial]

Lol

[@Mrs.Deanna_Ember]

Barnes didn't do too bad, looks like he still kept up over the years

[@michaelmuirhead1734]

Do you ever talk about Miyagi's lie to have Daniel get a Black Belt and sneak it to Ali and then give Daniel a stolen belt?

[@biscuitboy6250]

I feel like Mike and Chozen are extremely evenly matched but I'd give the slight edge to Chozen

[@danielramos6325]

Same here

[@simplyapleb9027]

Mike Barnes is definitely one of the most fiercesome of all the fighters except Chozen. While Barnes is aggressive in his style, Chozen is skilled in the ancient Arts. My guess is that Chozen can kill Barnes if it ever came down to it

[@violabeaumont3758]

See, Barnes knew how to take advantage of his opponents within the tournaments rules. Daniel went into the fight with Chosen without any rules or regulations in mind, as he knew Chosen intended to kill him. What pisses me off is how Daniel suddenly gets scared in a Tournament fight when he bravely persevered through that fight with Chosen. That is utterly what killed the third movie for me.

[@guzmanfel]

@@violabeaumont3758 probably because the psychological warfare used by terry,think about it,terry was "his friend" and then he revealed that he wanted to crush him, he was harrased 24/7 by mike barnes who was messing with his life in every chance he had, daniel felt distan with miyagi because he behave bad with him, somethin i realized about daniel is that he can fight at his full potential by "Clearing his mind" something demostrated in the 1st all valley and against chozen,but against mike he was terrified and confused

[@WORLD8NSH5KNIGHT1]

I think Chozen is the most dangerous. He was prepared to kill an innocent young woman in front of a crowd - that is pretty unhinged. Of course by Cobra Kai he had mellowed with age. He also had cultural pressures intensifying his character more. Barnes is pretty bad and more intimidating than Johnny, Dutch and Bobby insofar as he is a sort of bitter loner and goes further than them in the bullying (I can't see Johnny threatening take away life-saving ropes or breaking the bansai tree)- but happy to do deals with shady characters like Silver. Tough yes, but also a typical bully getting scared as soon as Daniel dropped obvious signs of fear - at least Johnny and the others fought Daniel. Barnes looked scared to do that when he realized Daniel had found himself again. Johnny was tough and had an unpleasant streak - but unlike the others also had some integrity - clearly uncomfortable when Kreese wanted him to cheat. And as we saw later, was actually quite a decent man Hard to say much about Dutch and Bobby because really, they are secondary characters

[@jammypacks4504]

Honestly I'd say the best fighter is probably Barnes. In Cobra Kai right now though probably Johnny, Daniel is good in tournaments but not street fights. He got beat by Chozen and scared of Johnny. I think Barnes is probably the strongest

[@jameshodge1517]

Centrist sweetie Johnny is trying to get his life in order and Not by Cobra standards. But I love what you said about Everything else, k?!

[@jameshodge1517]

By the way I love a thinking woman who has Every intention of being a gift in this sad society and for that I really want to hug you 🤗🤗🤗

[@wossonjohn85]

agree with everthing apart from where you say Barnes was scared when Daniel found himself again, he wasn't scared, he was confused, "why the hell is this guy doing kata in the middle of a fight?!" it completely threw him off his game which allowed Daniel to easily counter his final attack.

[@3120dd]

bobby is actually really good and johnny said he was better

[@georgebass8535]

Mike Barnes. Hands down! He was so convincing as a skilled no nonsense fighter. He was all business. I like him in the Cobra Kai series. Would love to see him more. Love your platform. All this really bad AI has made me appreciate real people with good narration skills! Rock on!

[@joeldiaz141]

I narrow it down to Mike and Bobby. They are both skilled and have a healthy sense of control and dominance in combat. However, both were misused by their coach and as a result we're defeated. Bobby was younger than Mike and not as experienced so I think I give the edge to Mike. I do really like Bobby though as my personal favorite.

[@dylangaming7404]

Bobby is older by one year, remember they were seventeen in karate kid 1, Daniel was 16

[@knottchu6159]

Plot Twist: Narrator is the cousin of Bobby in real life.

[@robertcuterman2511]

really?

[@knottchu6159]

Brother in real life?

[@robhoppe9189]

This was a really fun, interesting video. I liked your breakdowns and analysis. I hope Mike Barnes shows up in season four of Cobra Kai. If he does, I'm sure you can count on the writers of the show to do their thing, and Mike Barnes will make for a very interesting character and an amazing addition to the show.

[@KenCole]

Agree 100% - if you haven't seen my Mike Barnes video, check out here kzbin.info/www/bejne/gqivfqWPn5qAhtU

[@MichaelWilliams-mo1vv]

This is a very interesting debate. What's interesting is that when these films were being made it was at the peak of the martial art film craze. Many people including actors were also taking an interest in these arts. The actor who played Johnny was already a skilled wrestler but took up Tang soo do during production of the karate kid. Not sure what level he was at when he made the film but eventually he achieved a black belt. The actor that played Chozen was already a brown belt in karate when he started filming so perhaps had the best skills that he could apply to the character . Incidentally the actors that played Kreese and Silver both had martial art training/experience.

[@michaell874]

In retrospect, in Karate Kid III maybe the producers could have hyped up the invincibility of Mike Barnes by having him defeat Johnnie Lawrence easily in his semi-final match 3-0 before he fought Daniel.

[@RevMazz64]

I think it depends if we are talking about a point fighting tournament or a real life self defense fight. I think Chozen wins the self defense real world scenario against all the others.

[@JPWagnerIshwa]

I always thought Mike Barnes was overrated. And I think most people miss the point of KK3, which I don't blame them for because I feel it was badly executed. But there is evidence to suggest, that Daniel had what it took to beat Mike the entire time (Which is why so many people rightly say after his fight to the death with Chozen it shouldn't be such a big deal to fight yet another bully.) but the point of the third movie, as I wish they had executed correctly, was the power of how badly one's skill can drop when they are not centered. The entire third movie, Daniel is not centered at all, he is in conflict with Miyagi from the very beginning, and it only gets worse as the movie goes on. Then Silver comes in, and screws with his mind the entire time, to the point that Daniel doesn't know which way is up and down. In the final moment of the movie when he finds his center, he won. It's no coincidence that earlier in the movie, he deflects Barnes in a similar way, by flipping him, that he did in the final fight--except, being off his center, and probably overwhelmed by Barnes still, he didn't control the deflection, let barnes roll back up, and come back at him. In the tournament, when he flipped him again, he maintained control of his arm to get the finishing strike. If Daniel had been at his center the entire 3rd movie, I don't think Barnes would have been able to beat him. And it's a shame they didn't execute this point better, because it's a very important lesson. It's why so many of the greats fall--not because they lack the skill, but because they lose their center.

[@TheRealSephiroth]

Thats exactly the point of thr 3rd movie, chozen would mop the floor with barnes and miyagi did chozen and silver in like 5 moves and with barnes both encounters he did it in 1 as if it were nothing. Barnes is mostly bark while chozen is mostly bite.

[@dynamicvoltage9765]

Mike Barnes was a national champion - possibly the best tournament fighter in the entire country. So why is Chozen better? Because he's Japanese? lol

[@JPWagnerIshwa]

@@dynamicvoltage9765 Chozen and Sato trained members of the US Military at the Okinawa base and their school. Barnes could have been the best point fighter in the country, that doesn't mean he's going to throw down with the military in street fight situations. Regardless, even if Barnes did happen to be better than Chozen, Daniel, after having a battle to the death should not have been afraid to enter another tournament. He fought at an entirely different level of danger and won. You will notice when he fought Chozen, he was extremely centered--he was not centered anymore when Barnes came into the picture, and that makes quite the difference.

[@phantom1592]

I agree. Daniel can not fight when he's angry. He just sucks at it. Miyagi-do is all about being centered and focused. Living life in balance. It's been the theme the whole franchise. Every time he's off center he gets his butt kicked. In KKS he did fairly well in his first fight against the Barnes' minion, who had some skill himself. Daniel had no problem with him. Then Barnes kicks his girlfriend in the gut and drops her... and Daniel loses it. His game is lost from that moment on and everything he tries falls flat. Anger and Fear always ruin Daniel. It's why in KK3 there isn't a super secret Miyagi strike like the crane kick or the drum technique. The secret this time is just focus and controlling emotion.

[@Rude_Boi]

@@JPWagnerIshwa Excellent point. You've explained Karate Kid 3 very proficiently, to which the writers themselves couldn't do.

[@JoeR203]

I'd say Chozen would beat them all. Bobby would have had a shot at playing Luke Skywalker though. lol

[@khrispeter85]

Latest season of Cobra Kai settled this question 😂

[@Evil_Peter]

In technique Darryl Vidal (the guy Johnny beats in the semifinal) is by far the best in the entire series. Johnny clearly seems to be the best of the Cobra Kai to me. The group dynamic of the friends point to that, as does that he's won the tournament two times. That he concedes points to Daniel is likely due to not being in the right state of mind as Daniel is injured (if we're finding reasons other than "the plot requires a certain drama").

[@juice32283]

Personally, any fight after Chozen should've been a cake walk. That was a life or death fight, pure will to survive. Everything else were tournaments and regulations.

[@the_slow_s197]

Yes, but even with regulations, Mike still cheated. And likely got away with it because Silver probably paid off the referee like we see him do in S4 of Cobra Kai. So it's not quite a level playing field even in a tournament

[@jerichobeach2967]

As a kid barnes and cho scared me more than johnny. Chozen and johnny were more similar motivated fighting over personal issues while barnes was doing it for business reasons and while it doesnt sound like the most intimidating motivation he turned it into crazy real fast

[@OGFreedom1776]

So my theory is Kreese wanted Bobby to take out Daniel because he didn’t want to risk Bobby beating Johnny for the title since Johnny is his favorite. He knew it’d get Bobby disqualified which he figured would eliminate Daniel and Bobby at the same time to protect Johnny.

[@danielramos6325]

Agreed 👍👍👍👍

[@backyardbirbsma2981]

Chozen, easy. He teaches still. He has devoted his entire life to the art. Terry is a businessman first martial artist second.

[@anthonyfontanes3139]

One of the best advantages that Barnes had over Daniel was his momentum. He was able to fight and train continuously until the tournament. He even kept a great pace taking out everyone in the tournament. Daniel only fought in the finals to defend his title, he was exhausted mentally from the tactics of Silver and Kreese, and was intimidated by Barnes. Fear was his worst enemy. Barnes had a great motivation to win with the 50% of future dojo funds and humiliating Daniel.

[@thegoosgod1161]

The thing with bobby was that daniel wasnt expecting him to go for the cheat to the leg as you can see he blocks where the kick normally would have landed

[@kristienieves2091]

They have said themselves that mike Barnes is the deadliest karate kid