Mike Barnes, Master Bully

[@seankanan5852]

Very incisive. Thanks for making this excellent deep dive into the psyche of Barnes.

[@KenCole]

Thank you Sean! You created a classic character and making this video was a lot of fun. Can't wait to see his epic return on Sept 9 in Cobra Kai Season 5.

[@robbyboyd9548]

I hope that if there is a fight between mike and daniel, it will be a little more fair than in karate kid 3, because larusso gets picked up very very hard in 3 lol

[@technicalbridger490]

@Batson 😭

[@cobrakainevereverdies6940]

*Hi Deacon. If Daniel wasn't the PIONEER of the Macarena, you would've won the All Valley. When Daniel broke out the dancing moves, you should've listened to Uncle Terry and Snake* I'm still processing Miyagi saying "Karate still inside, now time to let out". SERIOUSLY ??????????????????

[@Aarond4goat]

@Aric of Dacia Haha💀

[@flightofthebumblebee9529]

2 facts... Sean actually frightened Ralph Machio during his audition for the role and backed him into a corner (without even touching him). Sean (Barnes) almost died during filming. They shot the scene of Miyagi throwing him through the doors of the Cobra Kai dojo many times and Sean tore something in his abdomen. He was afraid to tell anyone in fear of being recast. It caused him pain and when he went to the hospital they said they were unsure if he would survive, much to his horror. Luckily he did. If anyone deserved to return to Cobra Kai, Sean does.

[@mene6010]

Damn, I didn't know. He is a very talent actor

[@aaronjjacques]

he deserves a redemption arc in KC.

[@johnsilva2846]

Does anyone think he'll be in season five as possibly Tori's father?

[@ChicagoDispatcher]

That's not what happened. True he tore his abdomen but what you left out is that when he complained the producers told him to "walk it off" and wouldn't let him go to the hospital. He's bitter about that until this day and he's still bitter that Terry Silver held him back at the All Valley Tournament, thus denying him of the 50% ownership in the Cobra Kai dojos that were to open.

[@ShawnHall]

Anyone that frightens Daniel (and constantly beats on him) deserves to come back.

[@rich355]

It's interesting to note that whenever Terry is talking to Barnes; Barnes demeanor is much more professional and calm, he also rarely gives any reactions whenever he is asked to do something, he just nods his head. I might be looking too far into this, but no teenager or kid is that professional unless he is worried of how his parents or an adult figure will react if they don't just go along with everything.

[@KenCole]

Yes, it would be interesting to know more about Mike's family background.

[@robertheadley3483]

The characters backstory is that his family uses professional karate to make money. It's a job in their eyes. His older brothers were both multiple time karate champions and Mike was a 10th degree black belt who had been training his whole life.

[@KenCole]

@@robertheadley3483 Interesting, what is the source for the backstory?

[@cyrus7241]

The original audition had the actor who plays snake auditioning for Barnes. He goes into detail about how his family was a martial arts family and it’s his legacy, but the writers ended up cutting that out, and just making him seem like a prick trying to earn money off of a billionaire by terrorizing a kid.

[@KenCole]

Oh yeah, I remember that audition. Sometime I'm going to try to find out exactly how the script developed because I know other writers wrote drafts the studio wasn't happy about and they offered RMK a lot of money to (re)write it. It'd be interesting to know if it was rewritten again after RMK wrote his version and how the story/characters changed. If anyone here has any info let me know!

[@cobrakaiforlife5670]

If mike barnes returns in cobra Kai they need to give him a back story like they did Kreese on season 3

[@KenCole]

Yeah, it'd be great to learn more about Mike.

[@danwarner7816]

Let's hope that they dont throw a twist in there, like he is half brother of Amanda larusso cuz we still dont kno her previous last name before she married Daniel larusso or miguel dad? Or something

[@Speculativedude]

@@KenCole True, I would also love to learn more about Mike. And to be honest, what I would love to see, (I don't expect it, but would still love to see) would be Mike actually coming back and being pissed at Kreese and Silver because he lost the tournament and never got paid, so thereby having a grudge against them and maybe not siding with Daniel and Johnny (at least not right away) but at least not being against them. Just a thought.

[@danwarner7816]

@@tarjji sweet home Alabama 😂 Got strange feeling tory may be johnny child tho instead and imagine robby and tory kissing in s4, imagine that twist Cus johnny did say he did a lot of partying when he was young. And who knows when shannon got pregnant with robby, still possible 😬

[@stormanimations5422]

@@danwarner7816 he might be tory's dad

[@gdplayer8768]

I notice that it seems like Mike Barnes gets gradually more and more hostile throughout the course of the film

[@lordoffaiyum9727]

Living with Silver

[@edwardfeeney1258]

Good that was a good plan at tournament except I would win 2 points loose a point regain loose it why I brutalize my opponent

[@realmaximouse]

I think at first Mike is doing it for the money but he progressively becomes more emotionally attached to the situation and his rivalry with Daniel

[@joshuafrey2136]

Such as the way of cobra Kai

[@cebukid70]

More trivia: The actor who plays Snake originally auditioned for Mike Barnes' part

[@skylarnicole8077]

Who’s snake

[@cebukid70]

@@skylarnicole8077 the fat, short dude who works for Silver

[@lizzkaayako2270]

@Jonathan Haynes In the bathroom scene where Terry Silver and Mike discuss the business contract, Snake is the blonde-haired guy and Dennis is the brown-haired guy with the mullet. Dennis was the personal trainer for Mike Barnes, whereas Snake was more like a chauffeur/tour guide for Mike in LA since he didn't know the city. Snake was probably taking Mike to illegal after-hours bars and clubs, etc., on the weekends. It's even implied Snake would be the guy to hook Mike Barnes up with drugs (if that was his thing), so add drug dealer to the list. (Terry probably had warehouses of high-quality cocaine.) In real life Dennis is played by William Christopher Ford, who's a legit master in Shorin-Ryu Karate and has trained in loads of other styles. There are some good vids of him on here training with Ron Thomas (Bobby from KKI) and Daryl Vidal (Mr. Miyagi's stunt double and the guy who created the Crane Kick).

[@nahuellombardia6031]

Yes his performance was creepy as fuck in his audition

[@cebukid70]

@Jonathan Haynes Snake is played by the actor, Jonathan Avildsen who happens to be the son of John Avildsen, the Director. Google him!

[@hypnoticskull6342]

I love how Mike and Silver scare Daniel to the point where Daniel forgets that he fought to the death with a guy who nearly destroyed a statue with a side kick and won

[@arcaderkid8449]

wrong ediot.... daniel wasn't scared of Terry or Myke. he was scared of what HE might become, another them knowing that Terry is Crazy and a Psycho Path and that he knows he's now dealing with real monsters. And it ain't to the point of a fight to the death no more, but to take a life. and that's what truly scared Daniel because he can beat Myke any given time with his new profound Karate Skills. now it's Daniel having to face -> Kreese, Terry, Myke and now Himself.

[@domanskikid]

Arcader Kid….. You misspelled “idiot” of ALL words. Simmer down, clown and go play some more arcade games.

[@MysticPhantm]

I can't tell if this comment is a compliment to Barnes or an inconsistency complaint

[@hypnoticskull6342]

@@MysticPhantm Think of it as both

[@stevekathman1291]

That was always my major hurdle when trying to reconcile how Daniel fared so poorly against Mike... But I think the fear and intimidation factor played a huge role in his fights against Barnes... Dan doesn't take nearly as much damage from Mike although he is more afraid than he was in a drawn out death match with Chozen.

[@ceciliabernadette8853]

Mike Barnes is the most athletic fighter in the original Karate Kid movies, and still one of the strongest fighters in the Karate Kid/Cobra Kai universe. Would love to see him back to find out about the aftermath from the All Valley, and what he's been up to since.

[@KenCole]

Yes, thank you for the comment! I may do a video that discusses some of what you mentioned 🙂

[@mj.6408]

This aged like fine wine

[@robchuk4136]

This is an interesting take. I never thought of Mike Barnes as sympathetic, because I liken him to a ruthless force of nature. He is to Daniel what Ivan Drago was to Rocky Balboa. (Or for the kids, what Bane is to Batman.) The ultimate physical threat. But it's certainly something to think about. I'm a fan of that negotiation scene because it showed he wasn't just a meathead. As the first fighter in this series with some celebrity, he is career-oriented, and it would have been cool if that was explored more. But what I really love is that 9 times outta 10, Daniel would never beat him (even against Johnny he could hold his own a little bit). Larusso's victory, in Part 3 is all about winning on a technicality, and the rules/system Cobra Kai was trying to game coming back to bite them. Humility defeating arrogance is true to the series. Great video, once again :)

[@KenCole]

Thank you for the comment - great points!

[@JohnSmith-nu4ix]

Of course he could hold his own to Johnny. He beat him in the tournament and kicked chosen’s ass

[@Zurround]

From a literary standpoint if compared to Rocky villains he is an amalgamation of Clubber Lang and Ivan Drago. A brutal aggressive bulling personality like Clubber but the ultimate physical specimen like Drago.

[@greghughes6098]

Drago has been shown to be very sympathic

[@nahdawg12]

barnes is more like clubber. Hungry, and driven by rage. No mercy.

[@a.j.bandido8739]

Mike Barnes was pretty much the Clubber Lang of the Karate Kid Universe. He really put fear in Daniel and put him through his paces. I loved this villain and really hope to see him return at some point in Cobra Kai.

[@KenCole]

Totally agree.

[@yosifalhasil559]

Clubber lang and Ivan drago and yuri boyka combined together You get mike Barnes

[@good03boy]

Mike Barnes is more skilled in karate than Clubber Lang was in boxing. Remember in Rocky 3, Lang only used hooks as his punches against his opponents. In his rematch against Rocky, Rocky was able to quickly tired out Lang in only 3 rounds. Clubber had no stamina. Where Barnes has stamina and then some.

[@waynegilbert2468]

@@good03boy which is crazy in the clubber workouts ,he should have been tip top shape

[@crazyprog1938]

I’m predicting Barnes to appear in Season 5, possibly show up in the final episode of Season 4 or something

[@osmanyousif7849]

He probably will be in S4, but they probably are gonna need to make more episode or make them a bit more longer.

[@nithinrocks6252]

Considering how season 3 ended with them saying that whoever loses the tournament leaves, I think season 4 will be the final season

[@nathangotjuice5840]

@@nithinrocks6252 no they said there will be max 6 seasons

[@tomcarpenter7821]

@@nithinrocks6252 Negative. The show's creators have made it clear they want at least a six season series.

[@danwarner7816]

Same but I gonna troll show if make him bad guy once again after love triangle involved amanda Daniel and him 😬

[@thenbagreatteller1855]

Mike Barnes is probably gonna show in season 4 having hatred for Terry the way Johnny hates Kreese

[@domfaltz7553]

maybe mike Barnes will be the one to save robby

[@Rambo20244]

yep because at the end of the day mike had Daniel beat at the tournament but had to follow silver stupid rules of keeping the score even until overtime. you wonder if silver kind of set mike up to lose anyway because of that ownership. why else silver would want it to go to overtime where its a 50/50 chance Daniel csn still win... nobody knows what silver be having up his sleeves... he manipulated the situation to the point where he couldn't lose ownership to barnes.

[@danwarner7816]

Could be? Unless he changed man and secretly sam father instead of daniel jk 😂

[@danwarner7816]

@KK TV truee it be interesting plot device in s5 where Mike has Terry effect on Sam in same way Terry had affect on Dan and miyagi relationship

[@saileshnaidu8102]

@KK TV actually Danial is NOT Italian at all. they gave the name LaRusso to him bcos the actor looked Italian

[@robinabernathy2829]

"I'm afraid. I'm afraid of him alright" Now you got to bring Barnes back for Cobra Kai.

[@lizzkaayako2270]

9:50 Mike: "Uh, what was that QuickSilver Rule #2 again?"

[@zcm007attack]

A man can't breathe, he cant fight.

[@mariofausto42]

Now that was one HELL of a character analysis. Great job.

[@KenCole]

Thank you, much appreciated!

[@carnage1284]

mike:are you the CHAMPION?!! Daniel:YEA SO WHAT! mike:i need your title daniel:well go for it mike:i need you to compete daniel:i am not gonna be in the tournament mike:yes you are,and you are gonna sign it daniel:YOU SIGN IT MAN!! mike:come on man right now,right now LETS GO!!!! mike:we'll see about that and you can dream about me jessica:SLIMEBALL mike:slimeball? slimeball,thats cute,what? did your mother teach you that?! BEST ARGUMENT IN THE MOVIE HANDS DOWN

[@danwarner7816]

I wont put past this guy to teach johnny a few moves and it be interesting to see how they interact with them being more than 2 time champions

[@Nostalgic90s765]

I can't imagine we don't see him in Cobra Kai. He is possibly the last big reveal left. The actor has wanted to do it from day one and still looks to be in good shape. I also think he and Tori look uncannily similar. It might be too much to have him come in as her father, but both the attitude and look is just soooo similar.

[@KenCole]

Fascinating! That would be an interesting connection.

[@MiguelRodriguez-dk2ds]

@@KenCole fun fact:Daniel LaRusso was originally going to be called “Webber”,but Ralph Macchio decided that he should be called “LaRusso” because the Actor was Italian.

[@zendevil6965]

They might have Julie season 6

[@lonewanderer1328]

He was in season 5 haha. I hope they bring julia in season 6

[@nahuellombardia6031]

i literally was just rewatching the terry silver videos and thinking: wow, i love these analysis, its so cool to have a content creator that also loves the karate kid 3 and also likes to see past the surface.... a video of this same guy about mike barnes will be awesome!

[@KenCole]

Haha, great minds think alike!

[@STEJTHEGREATEST]

0:02 There was so little force behind those strikes from Daniel, it looked like ASMR fighting!!!! It even had a relaxing feel to me, almost!!!

[@jessiellamas1470]

Notice mike barnes said "whats the matter having trouble breathing" and in cobra kai the 1st episode kyler and johnny say the same thing

[@danwarner7816]

Oh he says that. I never knew that line from the third movie. Where? When?

[@jamesmathis3996]

He had trouble breathing because he had Covid

[@xnortheast1106]

No​@@jamesmathis3996

[@toviyaondo]

It is more than possible that Mike was trained under the Silver style during his tenure of employment. Notice how when he is first introduced to Snake and Dennis, Silver says that Dennis will take care of his training. I assume this likely means Mike training for the tournament the way he does it. However, you see later in the movie that Mike is training with Kreese and Silver, and, as was pointed out in the video, Mike wearing the gi when he revealed himself to Daniel and Daniel and Silver's session. This means that Silver may have himself been training Mike during his spare time before the tournament.

[@seanseanston]

Also, there's that exchange between Kreese and Silver during the tournament where Mike does some move and Kreese asks Terry if he taught him that but Terry says no and that it was one of Mike's moves or something. Seems to imply Terry was indeed teaching him some moves.

[@toviyaondo]

@@seanseanston Oh yeah I completely forgot about that

[@toviyaondo]

@@seanseanston another interesting thing that shows that Mike has been commanded, or at least influenced to terrorize Daniel was when Kreese asked Silver how he planned on getting Daniel to compete, Silver simply responds with: Dont worry about it he will compete. And then, in a couple of minutes, he sees the magazine with Mike Barnes in it. It is possible that once Silver saw the magazine of Barnes he planned for him to try to make Daniel's life torture and then, as was his original plan, make Daniel go to him for training and "thank him for it." Silver is truly a master of planning.

[@joshnocera9064]

Also, I thought Mike Barnes showed some sympathy for Daniel during the scene where Terry Silver reveals his true intent to Daniel at the karate studio. Just before Mike punches Daniel while Terry and Kreese watch he says "You're doing this to yourself man." For Mike, it was all about the money. I don't think he wanted to hurt Daniel, maybe he didn't even dislike Daniel. But, in that moment I think Mike felt some sympathy for Daniel.

[@KenCole]

A very interesting point. Mike didn’t necessarily dislike Daniel, just business.

[@dragonfire4527]

@@KenCole Interesting. For me when Mike said "You're doing this to yourself man" I kinda saw it as Mike saying "This could've been avoided if you weren't so damn stubborn and sign the damn papers!"

[@orlandobabe]

Very good point. While Kreese and Silver were in it for revenge, Mike just had big goals and didn’t see he was crushing people to get there. Till he lost at the tournament.

[@mig50cc]

13:20-13:35 I'm crying. Not laughing crying, but crying crying since I've lived that quite a few times

[@cmstrike]

Excellent work as always! As many times as I've seen these movies, you still manage to uncover all these layers that make me think about them in new ways.

[@KenCole]

Thank you very much!

[@dragonfire4527]

@@KenCole Yeah it would be cool to see the writers for Cobra Kai to add some of your detailed analysis and use it to flesh out Mike's character maybe even uses some of your analysis to flesh out Mike Barnes backstory.

[@franciscoramirezespanagarc7974]

Terry Silver is a psychopath, he surely discarded Mike Barnes and it is not likely that they are in good terms. Mike may no longer be the jerk he was in KK3 and may be willing to help Daniel and Johnny, to redeem himself or just to get back at Terry and Kreese.

[@rockybalboa4593]

I agree about terry, but IMO in many ways Mike Barnes exhibits the same exact traits of a sociopath too. The way he ruthlessly negotiates, his arrogance...I just don’t see how anyone with a conscience could do what he did to Jessica, Miyagi, and Daniel, especially just for money. I can believe Chozen’s redemption story, but for me personally seeing Mike Barnes redeemed would be pushing it and just too much of the same. I think he’s too ingrained in our minds as karate’s bad boy.

[@LongLeggedOne]

Plus Chozen was in a culture with honor.

[@LongLeggedOne]

I think its kind of like Ogre in the nerds when he got dumped off the boat. I think he can be turned over but he would be the same. like he would team with Daniel and J, but I think he would have moments of getting mad at them too, like big. And because Silver fucked him over would just force him to that side.

[@sasugayuchiha6018]

Silver is not a psychopath

[@katemaloney4296]

@@sasugayuchiha6018 Yes, he is. Silver is the guy who literally dumped toxic waste in a residential area and bought his way out of a lawsuit. Not every psychopath is a serial killer with bodies under the floor boards. Some come dressed in expensive suits and fancy cars and demands pain as the ultimate retribution.

[@berrykey324]

If Chozen sent shivers down the spines of Daniel, Mike returning would literally make him shit his pants. I would like Mike Barnes' character get an extended cameo in S4 (perhaps as the father of tory or Miguel) joining forces with kreese and silver once again and chozen to join daniel and Johnny's combined dojo. All the 6 having a final showdown would be all the ultimate moment in this entire series.

[@KenCole]

Now that the series is on Netflix, I assume it'll have some decent funding and we might be able to see these epic showdowns!

[@Zurround]

I think it would be cool if Mike absolutely rivaled Chozen in fighting ability.

[@dragonfire4527]

I don't think Mike would be Miguel's father as it wouldn't make much sense. It is implied by Carmen is that Miguel's father might be a small time criminal or drug dealer.

[@H.K.5]

@@Zurround Mike is way better.

[@Zurround]

@@H.K.5 Imagine how scary Mike would seem if he countered every one of Chozen's pressure point attacks that he trained Daniel to do and even taunted Chozen by saying "Those stupid Miyagi Do secret pressure point attacks won't work on me. You have no technique I cannot counter none".

[@NinjaCrosley]

Can’t wait to see Mike Barnes in season 4

[@danwarner7816]

I like see new pre show homage to karate kid part 3. Like johnny in first episode from mike barnes pov heading into season 5

[@danzig73079]

I don’t know how Daniel beats Chozen in a “fight to the death”, but gets slapped around by Barnes.

[@deomartinez77]

I believe it is because Chozen and Daniel are equally matched when they met, but Mike was just the better fighter who had the advantage of being completely in Daniel's head. He only beat Mike because he outsmarted him once he was able to calm down enough from his fears.

[@danzig73079]

@@deomartinez77 Yeah, but Mr. Miyagi beat Barnes, Kreese, and Silver all within seconds of each other. Kreese and Silver were both training Barnes. In Japan, Chosen’s uncle was (pretty much) Miyagi’s equal, and Chosen was his student. That would lead one to believe that Chosen coulda beat Barnes, so why was Daniel such a wuss?

[@deomartinez77]

@@danzig73079 Actually Sato was not Miyagi's equal. This was proven in the setup and payoff scenes involving the old log they found as kids. Sato could not break it and spent years trying. However when covered by a similar sized log during the storm, Miyagi destroyed the log in one blow. This means that Miyagi could have eviscerated Sato in a fight and he knew it, which is real reason he never fought his old friend. This is also why he was able to defeat both Kreese and Silver at the same time without any real effort, which is of course one of the main reasons they hated this man. Kreese and Silver are not pushovers but compared to Miyagi, they aren't fit to shine his shoes. That being said both Daniel and Chozen at the time of their fight were still students who had much to learn despite the skill levels of their respective Senseis. Barnes was better than both by Karate Kid 3 and for Daniel, this was made worse by the fact that his focus was broken by fear of Mike.

[@danzig73079]

@@deomartinez77, Sato and Miyagi had the same teacher. When Miyagi agreed to fight Sato, he wasn’t even sure he was gonna make it out alive (sacrificing himself for his village). Also, Miyagi didn’t beat Kreese and Silver at the same time (it was one after another). With the skill they both had, one could argue that they have been able to “take” Miyagi if they attacked him at the same time.

[@deomartinez77]

@@danzig73079 Miyagi didn't think he would survive the fight because he didn't know if he had it in himself to take his friend's life especially when his friend's anger was justified. It's why he ran away in the first place and when they met again after so many years he told him that he would not fight him and Sato told him that he would die like he lived as a Coward. And I seriously doubt that Kreese and Silver would have stood a chance even in a simultaneous attack considering that neither could lay a finger on him in their respective fights. Miyagi was OP like Goku in Dragonball but even more as subtle than Yoda.

[@marcpjoyner]

You do an amazing job of reading deep into these scenes with the dialogue and the performances. You pick up on things I never noticed even after multiple views over the years. Excellent video.

[@KenCole]

Thank you!

[@khalidbinwaleed5072]

I love it when you dress the part and have the right matching background great editing

[@KenCole]

Thank you! It's turning into a fun challenge to do it for every video.

[@richardmoores]

I love it when he pounds him.

[@simplequestioncanuanswer2457]

Great breakdown of Barnes. To me it would make sense that Barnes would have learned from the past. I could see him making amends with Daniel and helping Daniel and Johnny. I don't see him going back as an adversary.

[@KenCole]

Thanks! Yeah, it would be definitely great to see more sides to Mike Barnes.

[@simplequestioncanuanswer2457]

@Robert Koch! That's a really good point and I do agree. Its funny I was thinking after I wrote it, I did see a flaw in my original comment with it being 2 villains and now a third turning good. Yes that is too predictable. I can't see Barnes being totally cool with Silver after how it ended with them. That's true about Johnny and Daniel needing a counter with strength.

[@lordoffaiyum9727]

@Robert Koch! Barnes has to have a story where his life got messed up by losing to Daniel. Barnes was a killer on the tournament scene until he lost to Daniel.

[@Mr.PR2000]

@Robert Koch! If you pay close attention towards the end of Kk2 when Chozen decided to show up to that dance party. You can tell Sato regretted telling him that he is dead to him. He understood that Chozen was just a troubled teen and monster that he himself created. So it’s plausible that they made amends.

[@tomcarpenter7821]

Barnes is a genuine psychopath. He's not misguided like Johnny and Chozen. He is genuine evil. He lives for two things, making money and hurting people. He'll be the one bully from the past who doesn't make amends with Daniel, and I can easily see him being a new obstacle for Johnny.

[@SAVAGE12376]

Im scared to think of what Terry did to mike, considering all Johnny did was lose the tournament and kreese tried to kill him for that, and Mike failed terrys revenge plan and attempt to open cobra kai dojos. I think that they might reveal what he did in season 4

[@Speculativedude]

I agree, and that is why I kind of think that if Mike comes back, he might not be on Kreese and Silver's side. Not saying he would join Daniel and Johnny, but maybe just not be against them, instead having his own agenda. Just a thought.

[@SAVAGE12376]

@@Speculativedude yeah its possible

[@mr.darthmaster2132]

Finally my bro. This is awesome

[@KenCole]

Thank you!

[@cebukid70]

In an earlier scene, Terry Silver promised John Kreese 100% ownership of Cobra Kai dojos...lol

[@KenCole]

That tricky Terry Silver...

[@LongLeggedOne]

@@KenCole Now I wonder if hes the friend for life that Kreese had. and that Kreese fought to save the life of someone who became corrupt. Thus far a deal was honored though when Silver told him "anything you want, for life."

[@greatest_bumble_bee_dude]

Terry silver plus misfortune miyagi are way worse than cobra 🐍 kai kar8 group sensei johnny kreese. Kreese is a passive aggressive bully who used others especially the students but, kreese didn't go around looking for troubles

[@LongLeggedOne]

@@greatest_bumble_bee_dude he had a limit, I agree, like a leave me alone I leave u alone kind of person. I think he went offensive if someone went offensive on him so he was about defense 1st even though he taught strike first.

[@samuelstephen8147]

@@KenCole You should make a video theorizing Terry Silver's end game if Mike Barnes had won. How would he have dealt with promising 100% to John Kreese and 50% to Mike Barnes. He promised things that while he would have been able to give, would seriously hurt his relationships with Kreese and Barnes.

[@marcpjoyner]

I love that back drop! “Mister Miyagi’s Little Trees”

[@KenCole]

Yes! I’m glad you caught that 😄

[@rubestar09]

This is an excellent examination of the character Mike Barnes. You clearly did prior investigation and thoroughly examined his character on a professional level. Wonderful work!

[@KenCole]

Thanks so much!

[@nicky29031977]

We really need flashbacks for MIke Barnes' early life prior to KK3 like we had for Kreese and Johnny Lawrence.

[@KenCole]

That would be great.

[@guvnor1988]

I'd never given it this much thought before, but would love to see Mike Barnes return after Terry Silver in Cobra Kai and potentially argue about how Terry ruined Barnes and his family by making him pay back what he owed from failing to beat Daniel. I'd almost been thinking that Mike would return to sway the battle in Kreese and Silver's favour against Daniel and Johnny with maybe Chozen returning to aid Daniel and even it up, but could definitely now see Mike making amends with Daniel and talking about how Silver manipulated them both.

[@KenCole]

Yes, there are some incredible story possibilities! Can't wait.

[@Maroon498]

Cobra Kai need to explore Mike Barnes’s backstory. We know he’s Karate’s bad boy, but we don’t know why, or how? Why was he so volatile? Where did he come from? Did he have an abusive upbringing? Did he get his 50% ownership despite losing? So many questions need to be answered. Cobra Kai are exploring other characters and their past, so they definitely have to do this with Mike Barnes.

[@spencerburkard]

Wow watching these videos just makes me realize how good and in-depth the entire franchise truly is

[@lockupkeeper]

I knew mike barnes was bad when he kick that girl in the stomach I knew he was evil when he broke that bonsai tree in half: Hey, Daniel? Make a wish!! Man, even I was mad at 14 seeing that shit😂😂😂💪🏿😷

[@LongLeggedOne]

Good chance he just got meaner with time then, he could have hated Silver at the end of it though just like Daniel. He might be the one with the weapons to blow all those up who get in front of him.

[@osmanyousif7849]

Imagine if Daniel got super mad, instead of shocked, that he used all his strength to jump up from the cliff and kick Barnes in the face that he ends up on the cliff hanging and then Mike starts getting all innocent saying, "Please, help me.... I'm falling.". And then Daniel chooses to let him fall.....

[@mjrmrz5932]

@@osmanyousif7849 😆Batman style: "I won't kill you, but I don't have to save you..."

[@danwarner7816]

Yeah and disrespect for karate martial art. Shows he has no respect for his elders either. He just in it for the money. Yeah it be interesting to see hes return to cobra kai series

[@konigeurichderwestgoten4460]

Sean Kanan himself said it’s likely Mike has a background in street fighting. I would say he’s calmed down somewhat and is much more world weary by now, but still has the ‘Eye of the Tiger’. He lost the tournament, but he’s still savage and much more formidable fighter than Snake and that other fella. So, it’s possible Terry kept him around. If not, Mike will get word of the war between Cobra Kai and Miyagi-Do and come back to serve as a mercenary to Kreese and Terry once again. I’m uncertain if he’d hold a grudge against Daniel, but he’d certainly want a rematch to prove himself the better fighter.

[@KenCole]

Thank you very much for your comment! I agree he would probably want a rematch with Daniel, which of course would be great fun to watch.

[@danwarner7816]

Idk becuz its very uncertain. Cuz mike barnes only got karate bad boy name for he lack of respect for martial art. He just sees it as tool to help him secure his financial future. I'm expecting he never do business with terry again, especially if he told him to lose a point costing him his tournament and his 50%

[@Zurround]

Mike did not even really lose that tournament. A very close 2nd place against the current years champion is by conventional standards still a pretty good thing to add to your "resume".

[@cobrakaiforlife5670]

Watching karate kid 3 I was completely blind I didn’t notice any of this at all, great video

[@KenCole]

Thank you!

[@blazednova5268]

Prediction: Mike Barnes will be the key to defeating Kreese’s Cobra Kai (with Terry Silver) in either season 4 or in a future season. Mike could join Cobra Kai initially but will change sides to Daniel and Johnny’s Miyagi-Fang / Miyagi-Do during the tournament.

[@bowiemars1]

MAN, I THINK MIKE WILL RETURN AS A GOOD MAN, AND WILL BE PART OF DANIEL'S TEAM, BUT THEN THE TRUTH WILL BE DISCOVERED, IT WAS ALL A MANIPULATION STRATEGY, MIKE IS STILL MORE COBRA KAI THAN EVER.

[@KenCole]

Interesting!

[@LongLeggedOne]

Good chance that happens Nova. Mike was still composed enough when he had to be.

[@LongLeggedOne]

@@bowiemars1 like Hawk kind of. Hes Cobra Kai BUT one thing I noticed is until he fought Daniel, he wasnt brutalizing people besides getting points and didn't seem to be hitting them extra. I think he has an honor code in fighting but since Silver trained him and hes now grown up, he can be quite a threat to him.

[@piloto88ed]

Wow bro, almost.

[@pinoyjay]

Let's hopefully see if Mike Barnes comes to Cobra Kai season 4

[@KenCole]

That would be fun!

[@danwarner7816]

Yeah imagine if they throw that twist where Amanda ie secretly half sister of mike barnes or he is her ex boyfriend

[@mjrmrz5932]

@@danwarner7816 oh man that would continue to make the KK universe smaller and smaller. I hope they don't make Tori related to anybody. I keep hearing ppl say she'll be related to Silver in some way.

[@danwarner7816]

@@mjrmrz5932 nah it be weird since tory mum is ill and terry would want make best for his family. So I guess he either her uncle or estranged grandfather who offered money but was turned down by his only daughter. If they make it that way in s4/s5

[@fabiansanchez2438]

I think Mike Barnes is like a Savage and a beast who thinks rage is the best way to fight

[@WhoDaF0ok1sThatGuy]

The most depressing part is that Mike had the win in his pocket but had to lose it to hurt Daniel more just because Terry asked so of him.

[@dj198228]

I've often wondered what kreese and silver said/did to mike after the tournament given that the previous year kreese attacked Johnny when the stakes were much lower. It seems unlikely mike would be on good terms with kreese and silver.

[@01l219-m]

He could help Johnny and Daniel not because he likes them but to get revenge on John Kreese and mainly Terry silver. I also think Terry might do the same thing to maybe Miguel as what he did to Daniel. He could hire a skilled karate fighter and manipulate him and pay him to taunt Miguel throughout the series.

[@iblastyou4819]

Mike Barnes S5: Is a completely changed man like Chozen.

[@lizzkaayako2270]

Incredible analysis Ken Cole. Your interpretive lenses are sharp! But you've gotta keep your District Attorney cousin Willy Cole in LA away from Terry Silver!

[@KenCole]

Haha, it's too late for Willy. Might be too late for me too...

[@jm7967]

Fantastic insight!!! SO MANY things that I have never realized or given much thought to.

[@maxpower2511]

I do not think Mike was poor. 1) If he is Karates Bad boy, that means he is winning a lot of tournaments which means, 2) He must have $$ to keep going around entering said tournaments. And Karate is not cheap. I remember when I was going to classes in the 90's it cost around $70-$80 a month. 3) He is well spoken and knows business, which tells me that his father is probably in corporate. He literally out negotiates Terry and is willing to walk away unless he gets 50%

[@KenCole]

Great points.

[@rexydruk]

mike isnt really bad.,.,i hope he turns good like chozen did.,.,i hope u make a vid of how terry became so menacing and evil.,..,when he was afraid and insecure in vietnam.,.,.,and still., no one has ever mentioned the demonic statue behind him when he is taking the bubble bath

[@lepmuhangpa]

Mike Barnes is money hungry.

[@lordoffaiyum9727]

Mike is a bad guy. He kicked the girl with 0 hesitation.

[@richardmoores]

@@lordoffaiyum9727 well, a second’s hesitation.

[@hawkmanwalter4250]

@@lordoffaiyum9727 so did chozen and miguel

[@theandrewdoddridgeshow2699]

If Mike Barnes comes back in Cobra Kai. Daniel and Johnny will be in real trouble, he could probably take both of them down at the same time in a street fight. He's the national champion, he's bigger, stronger, meaner, more aggressive, more ruthless than Johnny and he stomped Daniels ass in KK3. That's if he's not already in jail in Cobra Kai.

[@danlc95]

Chozen for the spoiler?

[@danlc95]

Johnny is thicker than Barnes. Johnny would probably tear him up.

[@hectorbarbossa4403]

Lol Johny is better than Barnes

[@PoisonousPen]

Ok, so Terry buys the new Dojo’s and tells Kreese they’re his 100%. Then he promises 50% to Mike, thereby giving up what he already promised Kreese. But I suppose you could argue that it was possibly his own stake in the business? Sure. But then he says to Miyagi “Hell, I might even teach for free!!” thereby insinuating that he has little to no regard for his deal with Mike, money wise. Terry is mentally all over the place whilst simultaneously being so exacting, so cold and very calculating.

[@alter6243]

I think it would be super interesting for Mike to come back and actually manipulate Terry Silver in a similar way to how Terry manipulates him. I think he'd definitely want to get his revenge on Terry especially since money was involved.

[@KenCole]

Tables reversed, I like it!

[@donniebrasco1364]

Terry Silver is a master tactician. He could study and talk to gozo shioda the real Mr. Miyagi

[@SilasOsterwalder-yx3tj]

No way Barnes manipulates Silver Silver is way too smart he’ll find out and probably beat Barnes

[@phoenixflame3066]

thanks Ken great videos, please make more!!

[@KenCole]

You got it!

[@cebukid70]

I agree Barnes was screwed over on many levels by Silver... good analysis.

[@LongLeggedOne]

He will either join good or hate all who get in front of him I think now in 2021.

[@KenCole]

Thanks!

[@legoreddead]

This channel is way too underrated. This content and karate kid analysis is so good

[@KenCole]

Thanks!

[@Mercenario90]

We never saw Mike's real skills he was only playing with Daniel all the movie, and you forgot to mention that he's a professional athlete karate champion with 10th Dan and the most tough, that is how hes canon profile describe him. Good vídeo 👍

[@IsaacG8]

I wish the movie took as much painstaking efforts as you did to reveal character motivations. Good job.

[@KenCole]

Thank you!

[@jerryc5743]

Mike was not a bully, just a hired gun for Silver.

[@jackburton7597]

Love your videos man, love ‘em! Cheesy or not, I always thought that Daniel performing the Miyagi family kata at the end was a kind of finger in the face of Terry and the whole Cobra Kai. Throughout the movie Terry was mocking Kata and Miyagis training methods, continually driving a wedge between Daniel and Miyagi and messing with Daniels head which was why he was paralyzed with fear, it was all a mind game until miyagis final and arguably best instruction, yelling at Daniel like a father with authority, something we had never seen in the previous movies. Your best Karate is still inside you, let it out! I think one of my favorite scenes in the whole saga. Oh, and the respectful bow to Miyagi before he stats the the kata, beautiful!

[@KenCole]

Thank you and I agree, that was a great moment. Great music from Bill Conti too.

[@ChristianKrogh-Denmark]

I really, truly dig your style and thoughts, Ken! :-) Really good content here. I even like your tonality/voice, lol! It’s very calming to listen to :-) You bring forth so many great character-analysis, and makes me even more hyped for the future of Terry and Barnes. Great job here, and thanks for your vids! :-)

[@KenCole]

Really appreciate it! It's definitely fun to talk about this stuff with fellow fans.

[@XBri79X]

This sheds a whole lot of light in Mike Barnes I loved it!

[@KenCole]

Thank you!

[@XBri79X]

@@KenCole Sean kanan who played mike barnes is great! I had a chance to talk to him a few weeks ago.

[@KenCole]

@@XBri79X How cool! He really does seem like a great guy. Would love to talk to him someday.

[@Itsbestbro]

Tory could be a combination of Mike and Julie. Tory could perform questionable actions for $$$ to pay for her family, which is aligned to the philosophy of only winning matters. Also, would like to see Mike trying to get revenge.

[@LongLeggedOne]

Julie in Next Karate Kid?

[@Itsbestbro]

@@LongLeggedOne Yes

[@Itsbestbro]

@Robert Koch! Sort of, more so in motivations and circumstances. Mike did horrible things for money. One of the reasons for Tory to rejoin Cobra Kai is Kreese helping with her financials. Now thinking about it Tory isn't too similar to Julie, just crop tops and gender.

[@philybarra2702]

You know something Ken Cole after I hear you describing Terry Silver you make him like he's the modern day version of the Emperor from Star Wars.👍

[@KenCole]

kzbin.infocmZHejhfYfw

[@henryhammond7393]

Well... I wasn’t excited for a potential return of Mike until I watched THIS. Mike just struck me as a coked out violent lunatic meant to be like Johnny without any of the little moments of nuance. And now I see... he DID have some more subtle character moments I didn’t notice. I’d be in favor of him going more the same path as Chozen.

[@KenCole]

Yeah it’s buried pretty deep but there are some qualities about Mike that could be interesting to revisit.

[@papereater742]

He opened a furniture store, and he was beating chozen in their encounter in the same episode

[@S_047]

Adding Mike for season 5 would fit so perfectly. Especially when in S3 (I think) Daniel told Sam how Barnes was the only one he truly feared. Could give Daniel the opportunity to overcome his fear like Sam did

[@enigma-wv7oc]

Johnny was a bully. Mike was pure evil.

[@carljohnson6526]

Johnny was nothing infront of Mike Barnes in KK

[@jacoblamberson2709]

That's what I said. I think the theme was that Johnny was influenced by Cobra Kai and abused by them. Mike welcomed it and was already ruthless before meeting Silver, hence the title "Karates bad boy."

[@williams3552]

Imagine if Mike has his own karate dojo and has been training his own warriors and enters the all valley tournament to defeat Daniel and Terry, his two enemies

[@KenCole]

Thank you everyone for watching and be sure to check out my one-on-one interview with Sean Kanan! kzbin.info/www/bejne/enrZimCIpdSYrqs

[@christianmatos7777]

Mike Barnes has got to be awesome if he can scare Daniel-san

[@mr.eastcoast3879]

Mike Barnes for president

[@danwarner7816]

All I see is mike barnes only uses karate to secure his financial future. Unlike past antagonist whi took karate to heart, mike is just different in that regard

[@NolaNerd]

I cant wait to see how disturbed daniel will be Mentally when Mike shows back up again. MB is one of my favorite characters from the franchise.

[@michaell874]

Most people may have thought my take on Stingray becoming at least part owner of Cobra Kai as a joke but if Terry has a reputation of illegal business deals and he knows Cobra Kai could be sued or be used for illegal activities, then he could place Stingray in name only as owner to take any hit if anything goes wrong.

[@robhoppe9189]

As always, excellent work! You brought up some very good, interesting points about Mike Barnes. Hopefully, he's brought back. I'd love to see this character again in the Cobra Kai verse!

[@KenCole]

Yes, it would be amazing to see him return!

[@cliffrockalliance9071]

Barnes has been living all these years knowing that Danny kicked his ass; he's not likely to have coped with that well over the years.

[@codysnyder90]

I wouldn't say Daniel "kicked his ass", considering Barnes dominated him 98 percent of their entire time together onscreen. In fact, they need to have a rematch with Daniel actually giving a real fight or winning in a more dominant fashion imo.

[@ZippyLikesZippers]

Jessica was part of the gang that terrorized Daniel. They always knew where to find him, she tipped them off along the way. Even Barnes kicking her the stomach was planned to make the interactiom feel more authentic.

[@animescenewesh6045]

How do you know that?

[@gdplayer8768]

Here is how i would re write Karate Kid 3 So, the first part would remain the same. Kreese and Silver will still want revenge, and Barnes will still be hired. Barnes still tries and forces Daniel to sign up for the tournament. Now here is where the changes come to place. After the staged fight, we get a scene where Daniel finds out that the rule where Daniel only has to fight in the final match is removed due to being an unfair advantage to the defending champion. Because of this, daniel tries to go to Miyagi and begs him to train him one more time, but refuses again. So, he joins Cobra Kai The Cobra Kai stuff remains similar, but one little change to the scene where Silver evil laughs while Daniel keeps trying to break the wooden planks. Instead of him laughing evilly, we go further away to see Mike Barnes there hanging out in the storage room. Here is where Silver talks to him about the plan at the tournament. It goes something like. Barnes: How’s LaRusso doing? Silver: He’s still trying to break the planks like a weakling. Barnes: Heh, good Silver: So, about the tournament, heres the plan... Then it just cuts to the next scene, raising suspense. The rest of the Cobra Kai stuff remains pretty much the same When Daniel tries to tell Silver than he quit, and after Kreese jump scares him, when Barnes tries to attack Daniel, he blocks Barnes’ punch and moves out of the way. The two of them get into a real fight. The fight last around 20 seconds. Kreese and Silver are cheering on Barnes while Daniel tries to defend himself similar to what he did against johnny in KK1. And he’s winning at first, he lands a few good hits on Barnes. But this angers Barnes even more, so he goes full tryhard on Daniel and right before he can land a finishing blow, Mr Miyagi comes into the dojo, and takes down Barnes, but this time, Barnes is knocked fully unconscious. The fight between Kreese and Silver, and Mr Miyagi remains the same. Except Daniel tries to interfere and fight Silver along side Miyagi. But he tells him Mr Miyagi: Stand back Daniel-san. Too dangerous for you The training montage before the tournament lasts longer. Instead of only learning kata, Daniel also learns some more advanced offense and perfects the drum technique from the previous movie. At the tournament, Daniel and Mr Miyagi, and Kreese, Silver, and Barnes have a little interaction. But its just a few menacing stares they give to each other. There is a montage where Daniel and Barnes move up the ranks, beating every opponent they come across. Then in the semis, Barnes beats Orshan, and Daniel beats Dempsey, and its time for the finals: Daniel vs Barnes Before the fight, Silver reminds Barnes about the plan to make Daniel suffer. He tells him this previously in the movie, but this is where we (the audience) first hears it. At the start of the fight, Barnes gets too cocky, which allows Daniel to hit a good hit and land the first point. Barnes realizes Daniel is gonna be a stubborn target. He keeps the score 1-1 for the rest of the 3 minutes. Daniel tries many different types of defenses and offenses but Barnes blocks them all. This makes Barnes a much scarier and more skilled opponent than he appears in the actual movie. At the sudden death round, it lasts a bit longer. Barnes does get confused about the Kata, but manages to block it, and Daniel is forced to use the Drum technique to weaken Barnes. Which allows him to throw a spinning heal kick to the stomach, winning the tournament 2-1. What do you guys think of this version of Karate Kid 3?

[@KenCole]

Wow thank you for sharing this!

[@blackadder564]

13:19 Yeah absolutely. And not even as much as a “Thank You”. But plenty how lazy I am. I was working as a dishwasher in a hotel kitchen. I had done the late shift the day before and the breakfast shift the next morning cause the regular guy had called in sick. And my normal late shift that evening. There were TONS of guests in the restaurant that evening. The cooks had to call 4 of their students for assistance, the waiters also called in 2-3 extra waiting staff. (Normally there were 3 cooks and 4 waiters) I had to do everything by myself. By now it almost was 4 in the morning. There was no end to the dishes. Leftovers that had to be cleaned. So I was going to leave the glass work for the next shift. Very normal when it's busy. The breakfast and lunch shifts do the same. And I still had to clean the kitchen. Scrub the floor, grill etc.. That would take another hour and a half. The head waiter came in asking what I was going to do with the glass. So I told him. The asshole lost it. "We have all have finished our work you're just lazy..." WTF? You had 6-7 people plus the bartender who helped them clean up. So 7-8 in total. Me? I had only me. Asshole. The next week, I pissed on the door handle of his car. That became a regular ritual from there on out.

[@KenCole]

Whoa! It always sucks when work goes unappreciated.

[@legofn941]

Mike seems like a good furniture salesman

[@jacoblamberson2709]

He surprised me with how friendly he is now. A true gentle giant.

[@Chillz_566]

This was great!

[@michaelbart2389]

The irony of your story is the actor who played Mike didn't want the role cause he was a big fan of the Karate Kid and he didn't want to play the heel.

[@beeganj98]

Completely incorrect.

[@wulftheghost]

Funny, the reason he wanted to be Mike is because he was a huge fan of Ralph Macchio and the KK films

[@retroj4634]

Your delivery is awesome, and your analysis is spot on!! All these videos are great! I Expect your channel to get huge! Keep up the great content!

[@KenCole]

Thanks so much!! More stuff coming soon!

[@nahuellombardia6031]

Amazing! In a interview with cobra kai theory, sean kannan talked about how mike barnes character was heavily infulenced by Mike Tyson attitude, this makes a lot of sense giving the fact that not only John Avildsen Also directed Rocy And Rocky 5 but also Robert Mark Kamen wrote the script of Gladiator(1929) Another movie about boxing. As we Know Tyson was very mouthy, something that came for previus boxers, even the great Muhammad Ali. And a curiious fact is that Ali did that because and advice from George Wagner the responsable for turning pro wrestling into a scripted form of entretanamient instead of a legit figth sport, being basically the first heel. I always have seen mike as that, a heel. His whole karate bad boy thing is a very heel thing, you see the heel chractaer its not only a wrestling thing, you also see it in MMA Trashtalk, Connor Mcgregor or colby covington. So for mike maybe that was just his character maybe he was a good kid outside of that, so maybe thng like punching jessica, the rape threat and breaking the bonsai are just things he know that will make daniel scared of him but also hate him. Cause thats what heels do make you hate them. I think at first he was passioned about karate but now he created this heel character to make more money ( probably because he is very poor and has a shity house life) he forgot about living karate as a passion and now its only a business. But maybe in cobra kai he gets passionated about karate again. A interesting idea about what happened after karate kid 3 is that terry offered him a job as his personal mercenary, and gave him militar training being the only way to pay from his failure in the tournament.

[@KenCole]

Interesting! Thank you for the very thoughtful comment.

[@LongLeggedOne]

Also the white fighter as the Mike Tyson replacement in Punch Out looked just like Mike Barnes.

[@orlandobabe]

I agree with everything you said and it is the same thing I was thinking the same things about Mike. I wrote a fanfic where Mike's background story about him being the son of a Vietnam veteran like Silver and Kreese but turned away from the violence and cruelty he saw and even part take. Maybe his wife was the kind of woman that wanted wealth and glamour but her husband was discharged from the army made her leave him and their son. Mike's father started a carpentry business but he was so humble and so giving that he often got taken advantage of. Mike saw his father as weak and left him and that's why he wanted more in his work with Silver.

[@STEJTHEGREATEST]

Imagine if after training in karate all his life since KK3, Barnes comes back more skilled than everyone, and has a massive grudge against everyone, wanting to violently beat up and maim everyone, and can only be stopped by Miyagi Do, Eagle Fang and cobra kai all uniting against him!!!!

[@mrj4082]

I would welcome that happening but it probably won't haplen

[@losxconspiradores9833]

That would be a bad ass turn of events !

[@tomcarpenter7821]

Chozen will take him down. That's the one guy guaranteed to be stronger than Mike.

[@STEJTHEGREATEST]

@@tomcarpenter7821 Sometimes I've wondered who would've won between a 1980s Chozen, or a 1980s Kreese?

[@tomcarpenter7821]

@@STEJTHEGREATEST I think its the same rule of thumb as on the show. The adult fighters are stronger than the teenage fighters. In the 80s, any teen fighter would have lost to Kreese. Things are different now that the boys are men, and Kreese is in his 70s.

[@The_YouTube_Critic]

Really interesting! My theory - Silver brings Barnes back as the contract was never settled. So Barnes is once again forced to do Silver's bidding. This gets drawn out for the totality of season 5 with more on Barnes' backstory, and glimpses that he isn't the person we think he is. Then it sets up a season 6 for a redemption arc with Barnes. Cobra Kai gets defeated once and for all and everyone finds closure.

[@DavidJameson89]

Mike Barnes’ accomplishments are pretty much his own. At least during the movie, because Terry Silver said that Mike would be trained by Snake and Dennis, two guys who got their asses handed to them by Daniel and Jessica. Clearly Mike was already a much better fighter than them.

[@saileshnaidu8102]

actually those two only TAKE CARE of his training. maybe his training set up and stuff. Silver and Kreese were actually seen training Barnes later on and when Silver reveals his true intentions to Danial, Mike actually shows himself in a gi. this implies that Silver has been training him for quite some time as well

[@neinlives9424]

Mike is 17 years old here. His clothing when he arrives are fairly worn looking and he has very few possessions at all with him for a trip that he knows will last weeks. This is an excellent review, Ken Cole. I identified with Mike quite a bit back then not as the bully but as someone who at the time was a 'tournament terror' but there is no money in that and my parents couldn't afford to send me around. If I were in Mike's place at the time I would have also done some bad shit to make money. I felt bad about Mike's position even tho I was of course cheering for Daniel. I can't wait to see what they do with the character in September for the new Cobra Kai season. I also look forward to your further commentary.

[@franciscopuentes6049]

Here's my backstory on Mike Barnes: Say hello to ,Mike Barnes SR! Let’s make him is the Joe Jackson (Michael Jackson’s dad) of Martial Arts. This means he's physically/mentally abusive, while being an intense slavedriver. So , Mike Sr was a failed fighter. He notices his son has a natural aptitude for karate, so he signs him up for lessons at a young age. He pushes his son to the bone each training session. He expects nothing but perfection , and constantly pushes his son to always fight brutal to injure his opponent, telling him “if you hurt him badly , he can’t continue” . He signs him up for various tournaments , to gain notoriety and get better and better. (Under all that, is a man wanting his son to succeed where he didn’t) All this pressure and influence from his father leads Mike Barnes to become the angry brutal fighter we come to see later.

[@KenCole]

Wow, very cool. Thanks for sharing!

[@jwalk31]

Seeing this video just got me ultra-hyped for the next season of Cobra Kai. I want it NOW!!!

[@KenCole]

Woo hoo!

[@jamainegardner4193]

The only way I'd believe that Terry is more evil than Kreese is if Terry revealed in Season 4 that he had Mike trapped in a dungeon for all this time and now deploys him as a weapon. Mike, however, would be a murderous psycho because of this.

[@KenCole]

That would be wild!

[@KenCole]

@KK TV Exactly, Terry is definitely worse!

[@jamainegardner4193]

@KK TV except Terry never tried to kill anyone outside of Vietnam and Kreese tried to do exactly that multiple times.

[@mightguy3118]

Terry is easly worse than Kreese lol and Kreese is a nice sensei compared to silver

[@mightguy3118]

@@jamainegardner4193 Lmao Kreese just chocked Johnny, he never tried to purposely kill him and don't try to act like Terry wouldn't choke someone 💀

[@jomocheatham]

Nice analysis and production. Especially appreciated the Terry Silver vids. Keep up the good work.

[@KenCole]

Much appreciated!

[@QoQabai658]

Mike Barnes is the young, Caucasian, version of Clubber Lang from Rocky 3. He didn't actually 'hate' Daniel or 'like' Terry for that matter. He just wanted what Terry had.....money, cars, a mansion, and a high power lifestyle. Daniel was just the pinyata he had to break in order to get to the sweet stuff. That's all. This wasn't personal for him, it was all business.

[@md.saunders6625]

I can't wait for season 5, Barnes has to be coming and the fact that larusso has chozen with him it will get really interesting in a amazing way

[@Realest636]

I always gathered that Mike Barnes was faking his age. You know, the shady underworld of Karate tournaments.

[@yvonnerodriguez-rivera6086]

Thanks for your very intense point of view, you are really expanding my views of the Karate kid trilogy besides it all makes sence again THANK YOU

[@KenCole]

My pleasure!

[@cobrakaiforlife5670]

This is a great video except I don’t think mike is a bully

[@KenCole]

Thanks! and interesting...

[@jamesanthonygreen8233]

That was a very enjoyable video from you. I greatly enjoyed watching it.

[@KenCole]

Thank you very much!

[@MrEnergee1987]

Dutch was way more vicious than Mike Barnes

[@KenCole]

It'd be interesting to get those two into the same room.

[@p.p3152]

15:45 wow, you totally called it

[@nicholausbell2749]

Yep his future father in law that taught him you can do more with your hands then punch people in the face