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"I'm gonna be your sensei. I'm gonna teach you the style of karate that was taught to me, a method of fighting your pussy generation desperately needs. I'm not just gonna teach you how to conquer your fears. I'm gonna teach you how to awaken the snake within you. And once you do that, you'll be the one who's feared. You'll build strength. You'll learn discipline. And when the time is right, you'll strike back."
Johnny Lawrence to Miguel Diaz[src]

Ace Degenerate is the first episode (and also the pilot episode) of the first season of Cobra Kai and the first episode of the show altogether. It follows Johnny Lawrence as we see what his life has become 33 years after the events of The Karate Kid.

Synopsis[]

Thirty-three years after the events of the 1984 All Valley Karate Tournament, Johnny Lawrence's life has taken a rocky turn as he tries to forget a past that constantly haunts him. He seeks redemption by reopening the infamous Cobra Kai karate dojo. But the LaRusso-Lawrence rivalry of yesteryear is reignited when their lives become intertwined with the next generation of “karate kids".

Plot[]

The show opens with a flash back to 1984 and the All Valley Karate Championships. A closeup of Johnny Lawrence lying on the mat after the Crane Kick is performed fades to Johnny in present day. A picture on his refrigerator reveals that he has an estranged son, Robby Keene who previously played soccer and his team won a league in 2010. After breakfast in his lonely bachelor pad, he takes out the trash, brushes off his new teenage neighbor Miguel Diaz, and jumps in his red Pontiac Firebird to head to do his job as a handyman. On the way to work, he sees a billboard for Daniel LaRusso's chain of car lots, much to his chagrin. A jogger calls him a creep when he tries to charm her.

While at his handyman job in a gated community, Johnny has not been treated well; he's fallen a long way since the country club of his youth. An argument with a customer leads to him getting fired. Later, Johnny goes to grab a slice of pizza at the local bodega, where he's berated by Lynn, a methamphetamine addict and homeless woman. Miguel comes out of the store and a group of bigger boys start to bully him, pouring a bottle of Pepto-Bismol on his head before throwing him against the hood of Johnny's car. When Johnny objects, they turn their attention to him but are soundly beaten by the former All Valley champion. For his trouble, Johnny gets maced and arrested.

Early the next morning, Johnny arrives home from his night in jail, only to be accosted by Miguel, who asks him about the techniques he used that night. Johnny clarifies that it was "old school karate" but refuses to teach Miguel despite his pleading. He goes inside and sees his stepfather waiting for him. Sick of bailing Johnny out, Sid gives Johnny a check, as an effort to "buy him out." Johnny tears it up and Sid leaves in disgust. Johnny then proceeds to get drunk in front of the TV, when yet another ad for LaRusso Auto Group comes on starring Daniel. He then throws his beer bottle at the screen and leaves.

Though he's been drinking, Johnny decides to go for a drive. He happily reminisces about the times he spent with his Cobra Kai friends and Ali, but then remembers Daniel not only as the one who "stole" Ali, but also getting beaten by Mr. Miyagi, and his defeat he suffered to Daniel at the tournament. He ends up at the sports complex which was the site of his humiliation. He recalls the time his mentor and sensei, John Kreese, attempted to kill him in the parking lot after failing to win the match, when a car full of teens slams into his car and drives away. To add insult to injury, the car gets towed to his nemesis' place: LaRusso Auto Group. The next morning, Johnny attempts to disguise himself and tries to quietly tow his car to another lot. However, Daniel walks by and notices him. Daniel is happy to see him and calls over his associates. Daniel prompted by his cousin Louie, ribs him a little about losing the All Valley tournament (though Johnny claims that Daniel won with an illegal kick to the face). Daniel then offers to fix Johnny's car for free. As Johnny reluctantly accepts, he turns and leaves when he recognizes Daniel's daughter as the girl in the back seat of the car full of teens who hit his car. Johnny changes his mind and tells Miguel he'll teach him karate. He uses the check Sid gave him to re-open the Cobra Kai dojo, vowing to teach Miguel the same kind of karate he learned.

Cast[]

Main[]

Recurring[]

Trivia[]

  • The episode's title "ace degenerate" is a reference to the first scene where Johnny appears in The Karate Kid. After one of his friends referred to him as an "ace degenerate", Johnny claimed he was an "ex-degenerate" now that he was a senior. In this episode, it showed that he was an "ace degenerate" after all.
  • For promotional reasons, the episode can be watched without a YouTube Premium subscription, and is available worldwide, including in markets where the YouTube Premium service itself is not yet available. Click here to see the full episode.
  • The woman who argues with Johnny who got him fired from his job later returns in Season 2 in the episode Glory of Love as one of the women he tries to date.
  • The opening flashback to 1984 has been completely re-edited and contains footage not seen in the original movie.
  • The tow-truck that tows Johnny's car has the decal of "Pat's Motoring". This is likely a reference to Pat Morita who played Mr. Miyagi.
  • The rest of the show would never have happened if Johnny had not saved Miguel or swore at his customer. Had he not, he wouldn't have reopened the Cobra Kai dojo and Daniel would not have reopened Miyagi-Do.
  • The fight between Johnny, Kyler & his friends is similar to how Daniel was saved by Mr. Miyagi from Johnny however unlike that fight Johnny gets arrested for assaulting Kyler & his friends whereas Mr. Miyagi didn’t, & lastly when Daniel later confronts Johnny who tells his side of the story it doesn’t end up like with Kreese.
           Cobrakai

Season I
Ace Degenerate | Strike First | Esqueleto | Cobra Kai Never Dies | Counterbalance | Quiver | All Valley | Molting | Different but Same | Mercy

Season II
Mercy Part II | Back in Black | Fire and Ice | The Moment of Truth | All In | Take a Right | Lull | Glory of Love | Pulpo | No Mercy

Season III
Aftermath | Nature Vs. Nurture | Now You're Gonna Pay | The Right Path | Miyagi-Do | King Cobra | Obstáculos | The Good, The Bad, and The Badass | Feel The Night | December 19

Season IV
Let's Begin | First Learn Stand | Then Learn Fly | Bicephaly | Match Point | Kicks Get Chicks | Minefields | Party Time | The Fall | The Rise

Season V
Long, Long Way From Home | Molé | Playing With Fire | Downward Spiral | Extreme Measures | Ouroboros | Bad Eggs | Taikai | Survivors | Head of the Snake

Season VI
Peacetime in the Valley | The Prize | Sleeper | Underdogs | Best of the Best

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