The 1984 All Valley Karate Tournament was an event that took place on December 19, 1984, in San Fernando Valley, California. As part of the yearly All Valley Karate Tournament, multiple karate dojos came together to compete for the championship title. The iconic fight between newcomer Daniel LaRusso and two time reigning champion Johnny Lawrence took place at the tournament. Daniel ultimately beat Johnny 3-2, and in doing so, earned his first All-Valley title.
Overview[]
Daniel LaRusso was the new kid in the valley, and quickly became bullied by Johnny Lawrence and his gang, all of whom were members of Cobra Kai Dojo. After a failed attempt to make peace, Mr. Miyagi and the sensei of Cobra Kai, John Kreese, made a deal. The boys would settle their grievances at the upcoming All Valley Karate Tournament, though Johnny and his friends would leave Daniel alone until then. Now under the tutelage of Mr. Miyagi, Daniel learned real karate, and on his birthday, Mr. Miyagi gave him a gi for Daniel to wear in the tournament.
Registration[]
On the day of the tournament during registration, Daniel brought his mother Lucille and his girlfriend Ali Mills to the tournament for support. The registrar asked Daniel what belt he earned, but Miyagi lied about Daniel earning a black belt and stole the official belt from his back, and gave it to Ali. While in the locker room, Daniel was mocked by Dutch and several Cobra Kai students but were ordered by the referee to get out.
Preliminaries[]
Daniel LaRusso, Johnny Lawrence, as well as fighters from Cobra Kai took on several dojos in the Round of 16. During the higher rounds, Daniel beat Tommy and Dutch.
Semifinals[]
Johnny Lawrence vs. Darryl Vidal[]
Johnny facing Darryl
Johnny Lawrence began facing off against his opponent Darryl Vidal, who previously beat him and won the All Valley Karate Tournament in 1981. Showing no mercy, Johnny defeated Vidal 3-0 and advanced to the finals.
Daniel LaRusso vs. Bobby Brown[]
Daniel began to face off one of Cobra Kai's second-best students, Bobby Brown. Prior to the match, John Kreese ordered Bobby Brown to put Daniel out of commission by using an illegal kick on Daniel's knee. Though Bobby disagreed that it will disqualify him, he reluctantly obeyed Kreese and kicked Daniel in the knee, injuring him in the process but disqualifying Bobby Brown.
Medical Attention[]
Prior to the finals, Daniel was taken to the locker room where medical officials tell him he won't be able to finish the competition. Lucille and Ali tell him that he gave it his all and further fighting isn't necessary. However, as they both leave, Daniel convinces Mr. Miyagi to use acupressure to heal his knee. Though Mr. Miyagi reiterates Lucille's comments that Daniel has nothing to prove, Daniel insists that he'll never understand balance if his tormentors have gotten the best of him. Mr. Miyagi then decides to heal Daniel's leg, allowing him to return to the ring moments before Johnny Lawrence is declared the winner by default.
Finals[]
Daniel LaRusso and Johnny Lawrence face off, leading to an intense match. In the first round, Daniel used the techniques he learned from Mr. Miyagi to block and dodge Johnny's strikes, before punching him in the gut to give him the first point. During the second round, Johnny pinned Daniel to the ground but he used his leg to push Johnny back, allowing im to get up. Johnny tried to kick him but Daniel dodged, swept Johnny's left leg and punched him in the back, which gave Daniel the score 2-0. When the referee ordered a timeout and had both opponents go to their senseis, Kreese ordered Johnny Lawrence to show no mercy by sweeping Daniel's leg, much to the horror of Johnny but he agreed to follow through. In the third round, Johnny was able to score his first point by kicking Daniel's foot and then face, making the score 2-1. During the fourth round, both rivals clashed, with Daniel being knocked down but was able to get up again. He tried to kick Johnny, but Johhny elbows Daniel's right leg and pin him to the ground. Though Daniel tries to roll in order to get up again, Johnny hits Daniel's side which tied the score 2-2. In the fifth round, Daniel tried to hit him a few times but Johnny dodged and then counterattacked, leading to Daniel going off the line out of bounds, and being ordered by the referee to get back. Daniel tried to kick Johnny only for him to dodge and sweep Daniel's left leg, and the two rivals continued fighting until Johnny Lawrence punched Daniel in the face, though it didn't give him the winning point. In the final round, Johnny was able to elbow Daniel's injured knee once more, weakening him. It also resulted a series of boos from the crowd due to the move being illegal (the referee had to warn Johnny of the illegal contact) and that it still didn't give Johnny the winning point. Daniel, despite being in pain, lines up for the final round and assumes the crane stance. Johnny, ordered by Kreese to finish Daniel, began charging but Daniel was able to kick him in the face, beating Johnny and resulting in him winning his first All Valley Karate championship. In an act of respect, Johnny Lawrence handed the trophy over to Daniel, telling him that he was alright. Daniel celebrates in triumph with his mother Lucille along with Ali Mills as Mr. Miyagi looks by, smiling. Despite Johnny losing the tournament to Daniel, he is awarded a runners-up trophy as a result.
Aftermath[]
Kreese's actions[]
Following the tournament's conclusion, Kreese belittled Johnny in the parking lot for getting second place, and the altercation became physical. Kreese placed Johnny in a headlock and hit both Bobby and Tommy when they tried to defend Johnny, but the fight was interrupted by Mr. Miyagi. Miyagi overpowered Kreese, and dodged his onslaught of attacks. Kreese put his fist through a car window when Miyagi avoided a punch, an injury that would leave Kreese broken for years. Miyagi threatened to kill Kreese in an attempt to show him no mercy but honked his nose instead. The Cobra Kai students, including Johnny and his gang, left the dojo as a result of Kreese's actions. Moreover, Kreese's actions led to no students entering his dojo for the next nine months, leaving him broke at the time.
Effect on Johnny[]
Johnny's life went downhill for the next 33 years due to his altercation with Kreese. Being choked and abandoned by his mentor he looked up to and only wanted to please, caused him to lose trust in anyone for the next 33 years.  Although Johnny showed good sportsmanship by handing the trophy over to Daniel, he still resented him for the next 33 years, especially since he lost Ali Mills. Growing up, he became a handyman until he was fired due to an argument with a rude customer, and he continued hating Daniel since he became a successful car salesman and was now happily married with two children. After a hit-and-run accident, his rivalry with Daniel is renewed when he reopens Cobra Kai, with Miguel Diaz being his first student.
Johnny's redemption[]
Nearly 36 years later, Johnny finds himself in a 2-2 tie against Sensei Feng during the tiebreaking Sensei match of the 2020 Sekai Taikai tournament, putting him in the same position he was in when he lost to Daniel. Remembering his loss and listening to the advice of Daniel (who he had made amends with and who had been training him for this match), he lets go of his strike first mentality in favor of moving to defense while letting Wolf strike first. Allowing him to strike first leads to Johnnys weeping Feng's leg and, ultimately, land the final point, winning the Sekai Taikai for Cobra Kai.
Brackets[]
| Quarter-Finals | Semi-Finals | Finals | Champion |
|---|---|---|---|
| Smith | Vidal | Lawrence | LaRusso |
| Vidal | |||
| Lawrence | Lawrence | ||
| Espinoza | |||
| Hall | Brown | LaRusso | |
| Brown | |||
| LaRusso | LaRusso | ||
| Dutch |
List of Results[]
- Winner: Daniel LaRusso - Miyagi-Do Karate
- Runner Up: Johnny Lawrence - Cobra Kai Dojo
- 3rd Place: Bobby Brown - Cobra Kai Dojo
- 4th Place: Darryl Vidal - Locust Valley Karate Club
Trivia[]
- The fight between Daniel and Johnny is considered iconic in movie history, with the legendary Crane Kick becoming a staple for the event.
- The 1984 tournament appears in flashbacks throughout Cobra Kai more times than any other event in the original trilogy.
- Thirty years after the match, in 2017, Johnny alleges that Daniel's crane kick was illegal.
- In 2019, Cobra Kai in affiliation with ESPN released one of ESPN's "30 On 30" documentaries that was based on the 1984 All Valley Karate Tournament. The mockumentary featured characters from The Karate Kid and Cobra Kai universe as they appeared in-character along with real life sportscasters and sports personalities to discuss the tournament.[1]
Gallery[]
