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"It's not that. It's this kid, Kenny. I thought I could take him under my wing. Be the mentor I wish I had when I was younger. But when I saw him today, it, uh... It's like looking in a mirror. I realized I screwed everything up. I had all this hate inside of me. For you and for Miguel. And I thought I could use Cobra Kai to control that. But it just made things worse and now it's never gonna get better."
Robby to Johnny[src]

Robert Swayze "Robby" Keene is one of the main protagonists in the Cobra Kai series. He is portrayed by Tanner Buchanan. Robby is the son of karate sensei Johnny Lawrence and alcoholic Shannon Keene.

Initially a troublemaker that broke the rules, Robby began to change his ways when Daniel LaRusso entered his life. He learned discipline, acceptance, and to control the anger within him. He became the first disciple of the new generation of Miyagi-Do Karate and had a blossoming relationship with Daniel's daughter, Sam. His feelings for her led to a bloody rivalry with Miguel Diaz, which came to a head during a brawl at West Valley High. With Miguel now hospitalized, Robby was arrested and sentenced to Sylmar Juvenile Corrections Center for the remainder of his sentence. Robby was left conflicted over who to trust, as he consider Daniel had betrayed him by turning him in, while Johnny favored Miguel. His loneliness left him susceptible to the smooth-talking John Kreese, who recruited him into the newly reinvented Cobra Kai Dojo.

Having cut ties with his absentee father and his former sensei, Robby established himself as Kreese’s top student. He learned to lead — and to be ruthless. He became an unlikely mentor to Kenny Payne, though the boy's transformation from a kind boy to a ruthless bully forced Robby to face the ugly truths of Cobra Kai. With nowhere left to turn, Robby reunited with Johnny in hopes of making things better for himself. Robby subsequently made amends with his father, Daniel, and Miguel and rejoined Miyagi-Do.

Biography

Robby was born to Johnny Lawrence and Shannon Keene on February 4, 2002. A few months before his birth, his paternal grandmother died, which sent his father into a downward spiral of substance abuse and depression. Subsequently, Shannon gave birth to Robby alone, while Johnny was across the street getting drunk. He didn't believe he could be a decent father, so he decided not to even try. Shannon raised Robby in a lower income apartment building. Though she tried to care for him, her addictions often outweighed her duty as a mother. Robby began to resent his father for abandoning him and fell into the wrong crowd of teenagers. He unknowingly followed his father's footsteps as a troublemaker and juvenile delinquent.

Cobra Kai

Season 1

Robby Keene is the estranged son of former Karate champion-turned-deadbeat Johnny Lawrence, and a distant alcoholic mother named Shannon Keene. Due to Robby's estrangement with his father and his mothers perpetual absence, Robby falls into the wrong crowds and quickly becomes a delinquent. He drops out of school in favor of a life of crime, which results in Johnny being pulled back into his life. Johnny attempts to convince Robby to return to school and clean up his life, but the teen harbors resentment and refuses to listen to his father and mocks him for losing the 1984 All Valley Karate Tournament to Daniel LaRusso. Their relationship is further strained when Robby sees Johnny hugging his new disciple Miguel Diaz. Johnny later reopened Cobra Kai Dojo with Miguel as his prime student. Wanting revenge for the years of neglect and absence, Robby launches a plan to befriend Johnny's rival, Daniel LaRusso.

Cobra-kai-episode-7-recap

He becomes hired at LaRusso Auto Group under false pretenses and slowly forms a relationship with Daniel. Daniel takes Robby under his wing and teaches him Miyagi-Do Karate as a way to instill discipline. He finds a role model and healthy example of an adult in Daniel. Robby also grows close to Daniel's daughter Samantha, and the pair become friends.

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Sam's relationship with Miguel Diaz complicates their friendship, due to Robby's disdain for Miguel and Johnny. Sam and Robby went to a party together, where Miguel picks a fight with Robby for arriving with Sam. When Miguel swings at Robby, Sam blocks the punch and is struck by Miguel. The pair breaks up that night with Robby and Sam retreating to the LaRusso residence. When Johnny outs himself as Robby's father, Daniel bans Robby from his home and dealership for lying. He believes that Robby only grew close to him for the benefit of Johnny and that everything was a lie.

With the All Valley Karate Tournament fast-approaching, Robby is left without a sensei or a dojo to represent. He decides to use the talent he procured from Daniel to enter alone, and earns a spot in the semi-finals. He is paired with Cobra Kai Dojo student and bully Hawk. During the fight, Hawk and Robby exchange belittle one another. When Robby disparages Hawk's mohawk, Hawk attacks him with an illegal kick and dislocates Robby's left shoulder. Hawk is disqualified while Robby advances to the finals despite his injury. He is nearly forced to resign from the competition, until Daniel emerges backstage. Daniel had been encouraged by his wife Amanda to help Robby, as she believes Robby had changed. Daniel forgives Robby for his transgressions and decides to help Robby in the tournament, even finding a doctor for his injured shoulder. Miguel, who held a grudge for the incident with Sam, viciously attacks Robby's injured shoulder. Robby shows positive sportsmanship and tries to help Miguel to his feet, only for Miguel to further injure Robby's shoulder. Robby ultimately loses the tournament, but upholds his dignity, focus, and fairness during the fight, as pointed out by Daniel. With Robby now having reached a positive mental state, Daniel re-opens his dojo with Robby and Sam as his students.

Season 2

Robby begins training with Daniel. While training with Daniel, Robby's arm heals and he is able to take off his cast. While shopping with Daniel they run into Johnny. When Daniel goes to pay Johnny tries to talk to him, but Robby is still mad at him and he tells Johnny he is having a hard time forgiving him. When Johnny accuses him of trying to torture him by training with Daniel whom he refers to as a prick, Robby defends Daniel and says he is a better man than he (Johnny) will ever be.

Sam soon joins the dojo and starts training with Robby. Robby's home-life isn't great as Shannon soon takes off with some guy, leaving Robby home alone with no food or electricity as bills go unpaid. When Robby mentions to Sam about his mom leaving and Sam tells Daniel, who has Robby come stay with him, Sam and Amanda.

Robby along with Sam and Daniel have trouble getting students to join the dojo at first mainly due to Cobra Kai out-promoting them. However, after sometime their luck changes when a bullied victim named Demetri requests to join and they gladly accept. At the mall Demetri is cornered by Hawk and other Cobra Kai members, but Robby and Sam come to his rescue and beat up the bullies. Robby's, Sam's, and Daniel's luck further improves when a handful of Cobra Kai students leave because of the vicious teachings and join Miyagi Do, though Robby and Sam are at first unhappy that the students joining are the ones that tried to beat up Demetri in the mall.

Robby and Sam develop feelings for each other. While Robby initially thinks it is a bad idea for them to date, the two soon realize thy cannot hold their feelings back and start dating. When someone knocks on Sam's door Robby opens it and sees Miguel. He asks him why he is here, and Miguel says he came to give back Miyagi's Medal of Honor which Hawk stole when he trashed the dojo earlier. Not wanting Sam to know Miguel gave it back because he does not want her to rekindle with him, Robby hides it in his pocket and later puts it outside so someone could find it which Demetri does the next day.

Eventually Robby and Sam agree to tell her parents about their relationships, but put that on hold when they see Shannon in the house. Shannon apologizes to Robby for leaving him, and tells him she is going to rehab so she can get better.

Robby and Sam go to Moon's house for a party the night before the first day of school. During the party Sam gets drunk, and unbeknownst to him Aisha tells Sam that Miguel returned the Medal of Honor and a drunken Sam and Miguel share a kiss. Other events occur with Demetri mocking Hawk in front of everyone, this leads to Robby and Chris to jump in and face off with the latter. Soon after the cops arrive, Robby tells Sam he will take her home but Sam tells him not to because she does not want her parents to see her drunk. He then takes her to Johnny's house and the two spend the night with him.

The following morning Robby tells Johnny that he will tell Daniel that it is his fault he and Sam did not come home, but after Daniel comes into Johnny's house he tells Robby he has lost his trust and forces Sam to leave. Johnny takes Robby to school which he appreciates. Before class he tells Sam that Miguel gave him the Medal of Honor. Sam, who already knew, asks why he did not tell her before, to which Robby replies he was scared their relationship would be put at risk if he did. They kiss and then go to class.

When Cobra Kai student Tory reveals that Sam and Miguel kissed at Moon's party, Robby has a shocked look on his face. Tory then attacks Sam, causing Robby to push Tory against a wall and try to stop the fight. However Miguel arrives and, unaware of Robby's true intention, tackles Robby which causes the two to fight and a huge brawl between the Cobra Kai and Miyagi Do students. Robby and Miguel have a long fight. At times Robby has the upper hand and at times Miguel has the upper hand. When Miguel tells Robby that Sam loves him more than Robby, an enraged Robby aggressively attacks Miguel and gains the upper-hand, but this is short-lived as Miguel recovers, and flips Robby over and traps him in an arm lock. Miguel decides to let him go after remembering Johnny's advice to show mercy and even apologizes to him. However, an enraged Robby attacks Miguel and kicks him off a railing, severely injuring him. Robby is shocked at what he just did. When Sam screams "Robby, what did you do?", Robby runs off from the scene.

While at the hospital, Daniel expresses shock over what Robby did to Miguel. At the Cobra Kai dojo, Hawk angrily tells Johnny that his lesson to Miguel about showing mercy which Miguel followed by showing mercy to Robby, led to Robby severely injuring Miguel.

Season 3

Robby is on the run from the police and officially a fugitive, wanted for the part he played in kicking Miguel over a railing at West Valley High School. He has also been expelled from West Valley High. The police make urgent appeals to find the boy, and show a photo of Robby during a news segment that Johnny watches. He and Daniel decide to work together to find Robby, who has stolen a '93 van from the LaRusso Auto Group. Robby knew that the company wouldn't notice the van was missing as it is a trade-in and nothing flashy. He removes the GPS tracker from the van and ditches it far away from where he ultimately resides. He cuts his hair rather short and appears homeless, in an attempt to be unrecognizable by the police and general public.

Robby visits his mother, Shannon, at her Rehab center. She gives him a sandwich and reassures him that things will be okay. Daniel arrives and tries to reason with Robby, explaining that he spoke to a lawyer and his sentence will be much lighter if he turns himself in. Before Daniel can explain, the police arrive and Robby realizes that Daniel turned him in. He tries to run but is apprehended by the officers and ultimately handcuffed. Daniel promises to visit everyday, but Robby coldly tells him not to bother. He is then sentenced to sever time Sylmar Juvenile Corrections Center. Robby has a difficult time adjusting to the lifestyles in juvie, as he is targeted by a fellow detainee Shawn. He attempts to stay out of trouble by reading a book and remembering Daniel's teachings. He also refuses to speak with Daniel or Johnny when they call.

One day, while watching TV and eating lunch, Robby sees Sam on the news hosting a fundraiser for Miguel's surgery. She mentions that she hopes that Robby did not mean to hurt Miguel. However, Shawn approaches him and begins to mock Sam for her remarks, and Robby snaps at him to shut his mouth. Shawn then challenges him to a fight and attacks him, but Robby counter blocks his punches, though he is overwhelmed by Shawn's friends and brutally beaten by the gang. The guards lockdown the detainment center and send a battered Robby to the infirmary. But when he returns, Shawn takes his pillow and shreds his book, taunting him further.

Johnny arranges to see Robby accompanied by reverend Bobby Brown, but is occupied with Miguel's surgery turnout and misses the meeting with Robby. Bobby tells Robby to give it more time but Robby refuses as he knew this would be a waste of time. He takes part in community service to make himself eligible for early release. Johnny attempts to talk things through, and seems to be following through with his attempts for the first time. He oversteps and grabs Robby's arm causing him to push his father away and spill the soup he's attempting to serve. When he returns to juvie, Shawn mocks Robby by saying he has no one and that both his father and girl left him. He also vandalized Robby's bed.

In the days that follow, Robby's old resentments over his perceived betrayals at the hands of those he came to trust and the overall state of his life resurface. He is visited by John Kreese, who talks to him about Johnny and advises him to defend himself in prison. Robby initially tells Kreese to leave him alone, but is intrigued by the man and researches him. He also checks his email and begins to respond to Sam when Shawn unplugs the computer. He challenges Robby again but a security guard interrupts. The next day, Shawn makes a fake friendly gesture to Robby, but Robby, who has reached his limit with the abuse he's receiving in juvie and the mental games from Kreese, retaliates by striking Shawn first. They engage in an intense fight and Robby gains the advantage over Shawn rather quickly, though the fight spreads into the halls. Two guards pull the boys apart, and Robby smiles at Shawn while bloodied. After meeting with the warden, Shawn and Robby both admit to not "snitching", which leaves them with a mutual respect.

After being released from juvenile prison and assigned to probation, Johnny and Daniel attempt to reconnect with him, but Robby cuts ties with both of them. He goes to the nearby probation office to fill out probationary forms, when Tory comes from the office. Robby stands and looks like he is about to attack Tory. Tory warns him not to and if he fights, he will go back to juvie. He calms down and they exchange insults as Tory started the fight and Robby ended it. Tory tells Robby that she and Miguel broke up a few days ago. She warns him about Sam and attempts to explain that Sam will go to Miguel, but Robby defends Sam. He believes Sam is a good person but Tory isn't so sure. Before she leaves, she tells him to write check the "stable" box next to home life.

After leaving the office, Robby goes to see Sam at the Miyagi-Do Dojo and wants to rekindle their relationship. After being warned by Tory that Sam will go back to Miguel, he walks in on Sam and Miguel training together and they are in a compromising position. This angers Robby who believes they are dating behind his back. He harshly insults Sam and accuses her of cheating. He believes that her relationship with Miguel is why she stopped writing, and she counters that he stopped replying. He snaps back that it was hard to write back when he was "getting his face busted in" daily. She is surprised by this, while Miguel tries to explain that it's not her fault. Things escalate quickly between the boys, and Robby attempts to throw a punch at Miguel. Sam blocks Robby and pushes him away, telling him to stop. Thinking she has been dating Miguel before the brawl, Robby ends his relationship with Sam and tells her that they deserve each other, Later in the night, Robby realizes he doesn't have anywhere to go and ends up in the Cobra Kai Dojo.

He sleeps at the dojo and is taken under the wing of John Kreese, though Robby is reluctant to trust the man. Hawk nearly tries to attack him and still has a grudge at him for what he did to Miguel, but Kreese refuses to allow the fight to happen. He is noticed by Tory who sees him packing his bags. Robby explains he doesn't belong here. Tory convinces him to stay and makes him realize that running away isn't going to work. Tory then invites him along to a mission with Kyler, Hawk, and some other Cobra Kai's. The groups breaks into the zoo to steal a cobra for Kreese, but are interrupted by a security guard. The group runs away but Robby stays to steal the snake. Thinking the mission failed, the group retreats but Robby appears with the snake. He befriends the Cobra Kai's. Kyler calls Robby a natural cobra, but Hawk's anger toward Robby remains. Robby begins training with the dojo and stays relatively focused on his karate training.

When Johnny arrives at Cobra Kai after the attack on the LaRusso family home, he sees Robby training with Kreese and is surprised by the alliance. Johnny and Kreese begin fighting as Johnny refuses to re-join the dojo, with Kreese now wanting to kill Johnny. The fight is eventually stopped by Robby, who defends Kreese and attacks Johnny for being responsible for his suffering and trauma throughout his life. Johnny instantly switches to the defense and refuses to fight his son, though Robby is intent on unleashing his pent up anger. He shouts that Johnny is responsible for everything bad that's happened, and lunges. Johnny blocks Robby's attack and accidentally pushes him into the lockers. He hits his head and is unconscious, much to Johnny's dismay. Robby eventually regains consciousness, just as the fight between Johnny, Daniel, and Kreese is over. Robby stands next to Kreese much to the shock of Daniel, Johnny, Miguel, and Sam, who have all gathered outside the dojo. Robby coldly tells them to all leave, before retreating into the battered dojo with Kreese. He begins his training with Kreese to defend Cobra Kai in the tournament to determine which dojo will stay in the valley.

Season 4

401 Robby Promo

On the first day back of practice, Kreese reprimands Robby for being late, though Robby reminds Kreese that he never said he was going to join Cobra Kai. He also states that he has no intention of being a pawn in the fight against Daniel or his father. Kreese doesn't view Robby as a pawn but as a king, reminding him that the outcome of a championship will follow him for the rest of his life. He references Daniel and Johnny as examples of the impact winning or losing can have. Kreese also states that Robby stay in the dojo as long as he needs. Robby has an unexpected confrontation with Tory, who chastises him for not being present at the LaRusso house fight. He counters by asking Tory if everything will be normal again after invading the LaRusso house and tells her that she's lucky that the LaRusso's didn't call the police. She calls him out for still defending Sam and being on the defense - something that won't work in Cobra Kai. A conversation with Sam proves enlightening for Robby, who refuses to give her what she wants for the first time when she tries to get him to return with her to Miyagi-Do, and he coldly denies her request. He has no interest in starting over with his father, or giving Miyagi-Do another chance. In fact, Robby decides to join Cobra Kai by leading the class in warm-ups. While they initially refuse to work with him, he proves himself by dodging every attack made by the students while incorporating Miyagi-Do to defeat them. Tory is the only one to put up a fight and while Robby does take her down, he drops his guard afterwards by asking her if there weren't any hard feelings, only to be kicked by Tory. However, Tory believes he should stay in the dojo, despite honoring their deal. As he leads class, he explains their enemies are working together, which is precisely why he's teaching them Miyagi-Do karate - so they can beat Miyagi-Do.

He becomes a mentor of sorts to the young Kenny Payne, whose bullying at school brings him to Robby, per the request of his older brother Shawn. Robby recalls Shawn's bullying in juvie, and takes Kenny under his wing when Cobra Kai makes him a pariah. He teaches the boy to use his speed, not to flinch away from a fight but run towards it, a lesson that helps Kenny join the dojo.

Kenny tells Robby that he got everything down but Robby leg sweeps him. Terry Silver then spars with him but is easily defeated by the sensei. Later, Robby goes to Johnny's apartment where he confronts his father about Eagle Fang bullying Kenny. When Robby says there will be payback, Johnny warns him not to do anything bad and reminds him of his expulsion. He also tells him about Cobra Kai and how Kreese is brainwashing him the same way he brainwashed Johnny. He goes to a drive-in with Cobra Kai where they end up in a confrontation with Miyagi-Do and Eagle Fang. Miguel tells Cobra Kai to go to the baseball diamond but Miyagi-Do and Eagle Fang show up and Cobra Kai gets drenched by the sprinklers.

After a class session, Robby and the Cobra Kai's ambush Hawk at a tattoo shop and nearly cut off his mohawk in revenge for betraying Cobra Kai, drenching them and bullying Kenny.

During another class session, Kreese has Robby and Kenny spar with each other. Robby kicks Kenny but when he apologizes, he leg sweeps him and wins, causing Terry to win the whole sparring match.

He asks Tory to the high school prom and she accepts. While at the prom, Robby and Tory dance with each other. Unbeknownst to them, Sam and Miguel were watching. During Stingray's afterparty, Sam insults Tory but when Tory retaliates, Sam attacks her and tackles her to the ground. Miguel tries to stop her but then tackles Tory when the latter tries to attack Sam. Robby arrives and attacks Miguel, believing he is attacking Tory. Tory then kicks Sam to the ground. Sam and Miguel then fight Tory and Robby, but Sam, Tory and Miguel are pushed into the pool by Robby. Stingray jumps in the pool as well thinking it was part of the party. Following the party, Robby and Tory go to a carnival in a Ferrari borrowed to him by Silver. Both Robby and Tory celebrate and think about the events about what happened at prom before he explains that he has to return the car while Tory says that she needs to return the dress. They then both kiss for the first time.

On the day of the All-Valley, Robby shows off is offensive skills in the skills competition. After defeating his opponent, he advances to the semifinals. Robby is quite pleased with his fellow Cobra Kai’s who have used what Robby taught them to defeat the remaining Miyagi-Do students, much to the displeasure of Daniel and Sam who knew it was Robby who taught them. Before his match, Daniel confronts him about how he taught Miyagi-Do to Cobra Kai. Robby tells him his goal is to win but Daniel tells him that if that is the goal; then Robby got nothing out of Miyagi-Do except wasted time and effort. Robby tells Daniel that him, Johnny and Cobra Kai thinks their way is the only way and says that it doesn't matter which way you fight as long as it works and finishes that he will do whatever it takes to win. Daniel then questions Robby what is he fighting for. He ends by teaching them another Miyagi-Do lesson: "never put passion over principle. Even if you win, you lose". In the quarterfinals, he is matched with Kenny despite being classmates. He goes easy but after talking to Kreese, he begins fighting serious. After defeating Kenny, Robby advances to the semifinals. He faces off with his former classmate Demetri Alexopolous and easily defeats him and advances to the finals.

Robby then witnesses Kenny beat up Anthony LaRusso out of revenge for Anthony's bullying. Robby yells at Kenny to calm down and breaks up the attack. After Kenny threatens Anthony, Robby chastises him but Kenny clarifies that he's Cobra Kai. Robby tries to help Anthony up but he refuses, saying he wants to be left alone. At this point, Robby realizes that his mentorship with Kenny has now corrupted him. The finals of the boys division is between Robby and Eli Moskowitz. Robby scores the first point but Eli ties the match. Their fight goes to sudden death, the first since the 1985 All-Valley Tournament. Before the match, Robby bows to Eli, upsetting Terry Silver. Kreese tells him to use his anger to win. Robby and Eli's fight becomes intense when the two take off their gi; Robby because of his gi falling off, and Eli matches him and shows off his hawk tattoo. During the fight, Robby has the upper-hand but gets distracted when Kenny tells him to finish Eli. Eli takes advantage of the distraction and kicks him off. Unfortunately, Robby loses the match, causing Eli to become the boys champion. Robby seems to take his defeat in stride, arguably as his mind was now focused on Kenny's bad attitude. Prior to the girls' division, Robby wishes Tory good luck on her fight against Sam. Despite his loss, Cobra Kai becomes grand champion after Tory defeats Sam, but Robby is unaware that Silver bribed the referee to ensure their victory. As Tory wins, Robby gets on stage to congratulate her, but during the trophy presentation, he glares at his own father despite winning, having realized that his dojo's victory was hollow due to being led into the wrong path. After the tournament, Robby sees Johnny at Cobra Kai and tells him that the dojo is expanding to different locations including the original building following their victory. Johnny praises his tournament performance but his visit wasn't about the tournament. He tearfully explains how Kenny had been bullied and it was his hope that he could guide Kenny into standing up for himself, but his lessons had a corrupting effect and now he has created another bully. Robby adds that he thought his time in Cobra Kai would help him but made everything worse for him. Johnny counters with how he got in the way of Daniel and Robby's relationship and takes full responsibility. Robby replies that he is sick of blaming his father, his shortcomings, or everybody else for his problems in life. The two hug, suggesting the start of a reconciliation.

Season 5

Johnny and Robby head to Mexico for a "father-son bonding trip". Robby questions what they're really doing in Mexico, as they could have done something 500 miles closer. Johnny admits they're here to get Miguel, who is searching for his long-lost father. Robby is upset about the lies and Miguel's involvement, as he could be back in the valley with Tory. Johnny is sorry that he lied, but he wants him and Miguel to put their bullshit aside. He's ready to fix his past mistakes and knows he can't do that without actions this time. After changing a flat tire from nearly hitting a caravan, Johnny gives his son the option to take the bus back to America, but hopes he'll stay so they can make some real memories together. Johnny heads to the beach to ask some surfers if they had seen Miguel, nearly getting pick-pocketed in the process. He recognizes the con and asks for the map that shows where they sent Miguel. The surfer refuses to give it without a fight. Another surfer is about to strangle Johnny with a surfing cord, until Robby does a flying sidekick and saves him. They fight the surfers in a beachside brawl, ultimately winning.

Their next stop is refreshments, though Johnny's inability to speak Spanish results in his truck being towed. They're left a hundred bucks short of getting the truck back. They search for ways to earn fast money, with a chili pepper contest seeming the most effective. Johnny prepares to enter, but Robby stops him, as he can do this himself. Johnny cheers him on and he wins the contest and money. Once in the car, Robby reveals that he didn't eat the last pepper - he swapped it for a candy, - in a move Johnny calls "the most badass move ever". A tip from Carmen has them chasing down potential spots for Miguel, until they end up at an MMA fighting ring.

They ask around for Hector Salazar, unknowingly getting attention from one of Hector's men, who mistakes their "FBI" shirts as being real. The MMA fighters stop Johnny from going near Hector. Robby prepares to help his dad fight the men, but Johnny refuses to let him as this is his fight. The group brawls it out as the ring side reporter broadcasts a play-by-play, dubbing Johnny the "White Lightning". Johnny is beaten up by the MMA fighters, nearly losing a chokehold until Robby tosses him his uneaten pepper. He rubs it in his opponent's eye and wins. The time they lost in the fight is enough for Hector and Miguel to leave. Johnny ultimately finds Miguel outside of a convenient store, calling Carmen over the emotional turmoil of learning his father isn't the man he thought he was. They hug in the middle of the street, as Johnny comforts the broken boy. Robby gets out of the truck and watches the scene unfold, though Miguel is later upset with him being in Mexico at all.

Following their return, Robby and Miguel remain at each other's throats as their rivalry continues despite Johnny's best efforts to get them to reconcile. Finally, Johnny unleashes Sensei Lawrence and allows the two boys to fight it out without any rules, resulting in Miguel being left in a position to knock Robby over a balcony as Robby had done to him during the school brawl. Remembering his fall, Miguel backs down instead and he and Robby make amends with Robby admitting to being deeply remorseful for what he did to Miguel. With the news moments later that Johnny and Carmen are going to have a baby, Robby and Miguel are brought even closer together and subsequently become best friends, often hanging out with each other. After, the two have an Olive Garden dinner to celebrate.

Robby begins trying to convince Kenny and his other Cobra Kai friends to leave Terry Silver without any success. He joins Daniel's family, Johnny, Chozen and their students in convincing Daniel to rejoin the fight against Cobra Kai. Although Daniel believes that he had failed Robby, Robby reassures him that Daniel didn't, and he apologizes for not understanding what Daniel had been trying to teach him until he saw Kenny go down the same dark path as himself. He also praises him for turning his life around. With Miyagi-Do and Eagle Fang reopened, Robby rejoins Miyagi-Do. Although the other students are at first hesitant to trust Robby due to his earlier betrayal, Miguel stands up for him and Robby gains acceptance from his peers fast.

During his first day back in Miyagi-Do, he and the other students are training with Chozen Toguchi. The group hides eggs but are all picked off by Chozen. Later, he and Eli Moskowitz talk about Cobra Kai and Eli's past actions. Anthony's gaming knowledge comes to fruition and tells the group that they need to work together in order to protect the eggs. In the end, the idea works after Chozen surrenders.

While having dinner at the LaRusso's, Robby explains that he and Miguel agree to let Eli represent the boys for the boys portion of the Sekai Taikai demonstration. Despite Eli's loss, Sam wins her match and Miyagi-Do and Eagle Fang qualify. To celebrate, they have a party at Miguel's apartment where Eli and Robby fully reconcile and become friends.

After Tory betrays Silver, Robby takes part in the effort to expose Silver's crimes. Robby offers to break into the dojo, recalling his criminal past, before Tory offers up the simpler solution of her key card and saves Robby from breaking his probation. When the Cobra Kai students show up, the Miyagi-Fang's were surprised that Mitch betrayed them and switched back to Cobra Kai as their undercover mole. Robby tries without success to convince Kenny to turn on Silver but he doesn't believe him. The MIyagi-Do and Eagle Fang students fight the Cobra Kai students. Robby tries to reason with Kenny, but the latter attacks him. While Robby pushes Kenny away, Kenny then uses "Silver Bullet" technique on him, which leads to Robby losing his breath to an extent. Robby is then being beaten up by Kenny and a few Cobra Kai's, but is saved by Miguel. Finally, the security footage of Silver confessing to Tory about bribing the tournament referee is uploaded to YouTube and played for the Cobra Kai students, shaking their faith in Silver. After Daniel defeats Silver, Kenny leads the students in abandoning Silver and Cobra Kai. Outside, Robby tries to talk to Kenny, but his friend isn't ready to speak to him for now. Robby reconciles with Tory and the two share a kiss.

Personality

"He's a good kid, he's just had a rough go of it."
Daniel LaRusso to Amanda LaRusso[src]

Robby is the definition of a troubled teenager who never experienced real commitment, authority, or stability. His father abandoned him before he was born, choosing to be absent instead of trying to be a better parent than the one he had. Robby's mother tried to raise her son well, but her issues with substance abuse made her unreliable. Robby had to learn to take care of himself and his mom from a young age. He learned how to protect himself from those who wished him harm. His anger towards his father and his situation festered until he began to lash out in unhealthy ways. He befriended a group of delinquent teens how committed petty crimes, mainly for the fun of it. Robby was primarily the brains behind their little operation. He used his good looks, charm, and cleverness to his advantage. He is also intellectual in both academia and street-smarts, an attribute that he combines to survive his difficult home life. He has a sharp wit, sarcastic nature, and blunt attitude. His tough exterior results from parental neglect and minimal adult guidance. His abandonment and anger issues deepened when he witnessed Johnny with Miguel, another boy around his age. He wanted revenge and hatched an elaborate plan that included befriending Johnny's arch rival, Daniel LaRusso.

Daniel's teachings, coupled with the influence of Daniel's daughter Samantha, slowly began to change Robby for the better. Though he was reluctant to trust the LaRusso's, a symptom of his abandonment issues and lack of parental figures, he gradually realized that Daniel's kindness wasn't a ploy or an act, but genuine empathy. Through Daniel and Miyagi-Do, Robby learned to channel his anger, find balance within, and an understanding of not only his enemy, but himself. His kind nature came through the more he was exposed to good people. He cared deeply for Sam, and let his guard down for the first time so he could present in their relationship. He regretted his motives for befriending the LaRusso's, and apologized profusely when the truth came out. He won back Daniel's trust the right way. Despite his advances, Robby struggled to let go of both his resentment towards Miguel and deep-seeded anger. Both of which led to jealousy over Miguel's former relationship with Sam, fueling their already tense feud.

As Robby befriended the Miyagi-Do students, he showed an unwavering loyalty to them, even in situations where he didn't know the full story. His loyalty stretched to Daniel, who Robby held in high regard both as a man and as a sensei. During the school brawl, Robby's unresolved anger blinded him to not show Miguel the same mercy he was offered. He accidentally kicked Miguel off of a railing, which resulted in Miguel breaking his back. After Robby realized the depth of his actions, his fight or flight instinct went into overdrive. He immediately reverted back to the scared boy who would run from his problems, afraid of the consequences that would ensue. He was truly lost for the first time, unsure of who to trust, where to go, or what to do. He felt deep remorse for his actions against Miguel, and turned to his rehabilitated mother for help. She contacted Daniel in the hopes he could help, but when Robby realized Daniel turned him into the police, he felt a deep betrayal from the man he viewed as a father figure.

During his time in juvie, Robby became bitter over his arrest, angry at Sam for not contacting him, and ultimately felt betrayed by her actions on television. The longer he was inside the more his anger at Johnny for consistently choosing Miguel festered, especially when Johnny doesn't show for their scheduled visitation - instead, seeing Miguel. Robby took John Kreese's advice of using Cobra Kai instead of Miyagi-Do to handle another inmate, ultimately brawling with the boy. They became allies after refusing to "snitch" on the fight. His time in juvie hardened him and gave him a harsher, cynical, and bitter view of the world and everyone in it. After his release, he witnessed Miguel and Sam train. He thought she cheated on him the whole time he was gone and cruelly ended things with her. Angrier than ever and alone, Kreese offered Robby an outlet for his rage in Cobra Kai, an alliance that brought Robby to fight Johnny in defense of Kreese.

With Robby's sense of loyalty to Daniel, Miyagi-Do, and the LaRusso family deeply broken, he leaned heavily into his new support system - the Cobra Kai Dojo. He taught the students tactics from Miyagi-Do, dismissed Sam's attempt at a peace treaty, and accepted that his friends had become his enemies. He had no desire to make friends or new allies, as he was a loner now. He supported his classmates when they needed it, but didn't seek out anything more than his duties as a fellow student. He found a kinship in Tory Nichols, a girl that he once viewed as an enemy. She understood his new behaviors and he saw through her tough exterior, recognizing her defense mechanisms, as they were similar to his. When Kenny Payne entered the dojo and was humiliated by Silver and Kreese, Robby decided to help the kid out of residual loyalty to Kenny's brother, Shawn. The two grew closer as he taught the boy not to be afraid, to use his strengths, and turns his weaknesses into weapons. He became a mentor to the kid and refused to let anything, or anyone, hurt him. His compassion didn't affect how he performed at the All Valley, as he beat Kenny to win the tournament. He expressed remorse as he made the kid bleed, but witnessed Kenny ruthlessly attacking Anthony LaRusso in the locker room, unprovoked. When Robby saw the hate, anger, and resentment that Kenny now held, he was stunned. Even more so when Kenny lamented that he only did as Robby taught him. This moment made Robby realize how deeply flawed the logic of Cobra Kai was, as he witnessed the kind boy turn into a ruthless bully before his eyes. He was nearly crippled by the realization of how badly he messed up.

With the loss of Cobra Kai, Robby turned to his estranged father for guidance. He was tired of hating him, of blaming him for everything that went wrong in his life, as he had to take responsibility for his actions. He cried as he realized that he had messed everything up. He believed it would never get any better, finally having hit rock bottom. Robby went on to make amends with Daniel, finally understanding what he had tried to teach him and his friends. After a rematch with Miguel, Robby made amends with Miguel as well for hurting him. Robby admitted that during the school brawl, he just had tunnel vision and had wanted to win the fight so badly he had made the worst mistake of his life. With Robby showing genuine remorse for his actions, he and Miguel finally made up with each other and became best friends.

Fighting Style

"I've got to admit, you're more of a natural than I was."
Daniel LaRusso to Robby Keene[src]

In Season 1, under Daniel LaRusso's training, Robby develops into a smart student and well-rounded fighter. When he is able to maintain focus, his fighting style revolves around a solid defense and counter-striking, which is evident in both his semi-final matches and to the final rounds of the 2018 All Valley Karate Tournament. However, when his emotions gets the better of him, he becomes blindly aggressive. His karate techniques also mix solid basics with the occasional use of high risk spinning or other numerous aerial moves. According to Daniel, Robby is naturally talented and this seems to be justified as he is able to execute Mr. Miyagi's double-leg handstand kick (even after only hearing a description of it). Furthermore, despite an injured shoulder, he is able to put up a tough fight in his final match against Miguel Diaz.

In Season 2, Robby further improves his fighting style and karate skills under Daniel's training. By becoming a better student and more skilled fighter, he is easily able to fend off several Cobra Kai students and put up a good fight against Miguel during a school brawl. However, his emotions still gets the better of him at times, resulting in him fighting more aggressively and blindly, which is evident during the school brawl where he aggressively attacks Miguel when the latter said that Samantha LaRusso loves him over Robby. Even after Miguel lets Robby go, the latter still attacks him which results to accidentally kicking Miguel off the railing, severely injuring him and rendering him unconscious as a result.

Despite being a highly skilled fighter, he doesn't have it easy when fighting opponents who are just as strong and skilled as him. Sam is able to counter him while they practice during training, although they later appear to be evenly matched. After putting up a good fight against Miguel in the school brawl, the latter manages to eventually flip him and put his arm on lock. When Miguel lets go and apologizes however, Robby beats Miguel by attacking him, similar to how Miguel pulled Robby's shoulder when he tried to help him up at the tournament.

Despite his injured shoulder putting him at a disadvantage and causing him to lose to Miguel in the 2018 All Valley Tournament at the end of Season 1, he came close to beating him, showing that Robby was the better and more skilled fighter. In Season 2, despite beating Miguel by kicking him off the railing, he could only do so when Miguel, who had pinned him to the ground, showed mercy by letting him go, showing that Robby was the inferior and less skilled fighter at that time.

In Season 3, while in Sylmar Juvenile Corrections (SJDC), Robby still maintains his skills, which he is able to use to fight and gain the respect of his bully Shawn Payne. Later on, when he fights Johnny Lawrence (much after he is released from juvie), he goes against him from what he learned at Miyagi Do by fighting his father with hate. However, the more skilled and experienced Johnny counters his strikes, before accidentally pushing him into the lockers. Unfortunately for him overall, Robby doesn't seem to have gained more skills in Season 3 due to him being in juvie for most of the season, and joining Cobra Kai just near end of the Season.

In Season 4, Robby's previous skills in Miyagi-Do karate allowed him to easily take out Kyler Park and defeat the remaining students of Cobra Kai by himself including the top student Tory Nichols. After training with Sensei John Kreese and Terry Silver, he learns Cobra Kai's karate style and becomes a more oriented fighter who now skillfully starts combining both defensive moves and offensive techniques at the same time. In the final rounds of the 2019 All Valley Tournament, Robby goes up against Eli "Hawk" Moskowitz and fights evenly with him which therefore causes a draw between the two. During the sudden death round, Robby initially has the upper-hand against Eli, however, he is distracted by Kenny Payne, which allows Eli to take advantage of this situation by kicking him off at his chest. In the end of their respective match, Robby loses to Eli after a very close fight. Nevertheless, Robby is one of the top fighters of the new generation at 2019's Cobra Kai Dojo.

In Season 5, Robby participates in several fights. He helps Johnny beat up a group of thugs in Mexico. Days later, he fights Miguel again and does gain the upper hand during their balcony fight. It is until Miguel gaining the upper-hand on Robby that he remembers the past on how their school fight ended and thus ultimately stops fighting with him in the end. Later on, he fights several Cobra Kai students including Kenny during the Cobra Kai Dojo brawl, though he initially tried to reason out with Kenny. While he is able to push Kenny away at first, during the brawl, he is soon severely injured when Kenny uses the "Silver Bullet" on him, but is saved by Miguel.

Robby quickly established himself as the top student of Cobra Kai and is one of the top tier fighters of the new generation thanks to him becoming a hybrid-fighter due to Miyagi-Do's and Cobra Kai's training. Both he, Hawk, and Miguel can be considered the strongest and best fighters among the teenage fighters.

Relationships

Johnny Lawrence

"Johnny: You had a good thing going with LaRusso. I got in the way. Don't blame yourself. Blame me.
Robby: I'm sick of blaming you, Dad.
"
―Robby and Johnny[src]

Johnny is Robby's father, whom he had a strained relationship with for a long time. Throughout Robby's childhood, Johnny neglected him, which eventually caused Robby to dislike and resent him. In season 1, he disrespects Johnny and enjoys seeing him in pain. Even when Johnny gives him advice, he treats him poorly. While he expresses desire to make amends after learning from his mother Shannon that Johnny wanted to start a closer relationship with him, Robby visits the Cobra Kai dojo to talk to his father, but after seeing him hug Miguel, he goes back to disliking him, as he feels he loved his student more than him. However, he does accept Johnny's apology following his loss to Daniel in the All Valley tournament.

When they see each other at a store, Robby tells him that he still has a hard time forgiving him, even though he forgave him at the tournament. However, after Sam gets drunk at a party, Robby brings Sam to Johnny's house. The following morning after Daniel takes Sam back and angrily tells Robby he has lost his trust, Johnny takes Robby to school, which Robby appreciates, leading them to reconcile.

Johnny arranges a visitation time with childhood friend Bobby to accompany him due to his probation but misses the date due to him being preoccupied with Miguel in the hospital. Bobby encourages him to give it time and Bobby offers to talk to Robby instead, but Robby leaves and resents his father even more. Johnny tries to see Robby at the Community center where the SJDC are doing CS and Johnny gets through to Keene. However, Johnny accidentally reminds him about putting Miguel Diaz in the hospital. He then apologizes, but Robby doesn't accept it and cut ties with Johnny. After Robby is released from juvie, his resentment towards Johnny and Daniel is still present, which upsets Johnny.

After later learning that Robby is now apart of Cobra Kai, he attacks Kreese, but is stopped by Robby who attacks him for ruining his life. Johnny tries to reason with Robby, but Robby refuses. When Robby attacks, Johnny counters his strikes, before accidently knocking him into lockers. Horrified at what he's done, Johnny apologizes and tries to get him up, but to no avail. Robby eventually wakes up and coldy tells Johnny Daniel, Miguel and Sam to get out, upsetting Johnny as a result. They end up on opposite sides and cease contact with one another, though Robby tells Johnny to get the Eagle Fang's and Miyagi-Do's to stop bullying Kenny, his new mentee. Johnny makes a plea that he's being brainwashed, but Robby doesn't want to hear it. After the 2019 All Valley, Robby sees the error in trusting Kreese and Silver, seeing first-hand how the Cobra Kai mentality corrupts students. He finds Johnny and breaks down over letting all the hate and anger inside him get the best of him. He expresses a desire to make things right, but also thinks things will never get better. Johnny hugs him and tells him they'll figure it out, together.

Shannon Keene

Shannon is Robby's mother. Robby cares for her, most likely because she spent his childhood raising him, unlike Johnny. However, their relationship is a little strained in season 1 due to Shannon spending more time picking up guys than spending time with him, making him upset. Early in season 2, she leaves Robby and travels with a man to Mexico, which causes Robby to stay with the LaRusso family. When she returns later in the season however, she admits she shouldn't have left, says she is going to rehab, and encourages him to have a relationship with Johnny.

In Season 3, Robby sees his mother in rehab as she is the only person he could reach out to and not turn him to the Police and she has changed a lot. Robby opens up to her about what he done to Miguel Diaz at the brawl over 3 weeks ago and Robby feels like he should leave town and far away from everyone. However, Shannon is warming to him and gets him to eat a spinach tuna sandwich with a cup of water, as she notices that he hasn't eaten properly due to being homeless and having such little money and eating little food while on the run for 2 weeks and a half, which shows that Shannon cares about her son. Shannon witnesses her son is getting arrested making her shocked and upset, she accompanies him to cops car and says it's going to be okay in there and says goodbye to Robby. After Robby is released from juvie, she sends Daniel to collect him because she is still in rehab so she can't collect him and got evicted from their house. She asks Daniel to live with him, but Robby refuses due to he thinks Daniel betrayed him.

Daniel LaRusso

Daniel is Robby's friend and father figure. Robby begins working at Daniel's dealership halfway into season 1, in order to get revenge on his father Johnny for spending more time with Miguel than him. However, Robby thrives in his job and gets along with Daniel. After seeing Daniel practice karate, Robby gets interested, and Daniel starts training him. With Robby training with Daniel, he begins to bond him with him. However, after learning that he is Johnny's son, Robby is banned from Daniel's house and dealership. Despite his anger, he roots for Robby in the All Valley Tournament, most likely because of his anger towards Johnny. After Robby is injured by Hawk in the semifinals, he forgives Robby, and becomes his coach for the finals. Despite Robby losing the finals to Miguel, Daniel is proud of him for fighting honorably. Robby then becomes Daniel's first student at Miyagi-Do Karate.

Robby has more interactions with Daniel in season 2, because of Miyagi-Do, and Robby coming to live at his house following Shannon taking off with some guy early in the season. The two continue to bond. However, when Daniel finds Robby and Sam at Johnny's house the morning after Sam got drunk in a party, an angry Daniel rebukes Robby and says he lost his trust. Daniel then leaves, making Robby upset. Robby however still respects Daniel, as he tells Johnny that staying with the LaRusso's was good for him, and he (Johnny) could learn some things from him.

In Season 3, their father-to-son surrogating figure becomes strained when Shannon calls Daniel to talk to Robby, and Daniel tells Robby that he turned him to the Police to get a shorter sentence of a few weeks at Juvie. Robby thinks Daniel betrayed him. After Robby is handcuffed and taken away by the police, Robby orders Daniel to not visit him in Juvie as he thinks Daniel betrayed him. The next day after being questioned and placed in juvie, the officer calls him to a phone call and Daniel calls him from the dealership with Amanda by his side and tries to talk to Robby, but Robby hangs up on him which makes Daniel upset. When Robby is released from juvie, Daniel and Johnny tell him that he always has a home with either of them, but Robby tells Daniel and Johnny to leave him alone and walks away. After Daniel defeats Kreese at Cobra Kai, Robby coldly tells Daniel, Johnny, Miguel and Sam to leave. During this time, Robby and Daniel were enemies. Daniel even warned Robby about Silver's tactics which Silver heard. However, Robby chose to side with Kreese and Silver during the 51st All Valley Tournament, visibly disturbing Daniel. Daniel confronts Robby for teaching the moves of Miyagi-Do Karate to his Cobra Kai friends. Robby replies that he did what he had to do. Daniel then gave him a Miyagi-Do teaching that he told he can pass to his friends. Daniel told Robby to never put passion before principle and even if he won, he lost. This was the lesson that Mr. Miyagi taught to Daniel.

Following the 51st All Valley, Robby reconciles with both Daniel and Johnny. Daniel admits to believing that he'd failed Robby and tries to apologize, but Robby reassures Daniel that he didn't fail him and Robby just didn't understand what Daniel had been trying to teach him until he witnessed someone that he was mentoring make the same mistakes. Robby helps convince Daniel to rejoin the fight against Cobra Kai while rejoining Miyagi-Do himself.

Samantha LaRusso

Samantha and Robby first kiss

Samantha is Robby's ex-girlfriend and best friend. They first meet each other at the LaRusso's house when Robby was being trained in karate by Daniel, though she had a boyfriend at the time in Miguel Diaz. Despite being virtually strangers, Robby pitied Sam when she's grounded and unable to attend her friends party. He faked a sprained ankle so they could attend the party. When Miguel saw them together, he became jealous and picked a fight that ultimately ended his relationship with Sam. When Daniel learned that Robby lived alone, he invited the teen to stay with the family. Robby and Sam were paired together inside Miyagi-Do, which allowed them to gradually grow closer. They worked seamlessly together in karate, being the perfect partners for one another. They acted as extensions of one another in a fight. The pair progressed into a romantic relationship, but hid the truth from her parents as to avoid Robby being kicked out of the house. While he respected the decision, he always wanted to tell Daniel the truth, though he respected Sam's boundaries and choices.

They went on dates, one in particular being to the roller skating rink, with Robby acting defensively when the manager reprimanded Sam for her fight with Tory. As their relationship progressed, Sam became intoxicated at Moon's party, and to protect her, Robby took her to his father's apartment where she could sleep off her drunkenness. Robby took the blame for Sam's drunken nature, which made Daniel lash out at him. The next afternoon, Tory began the school fight, in which Robby learned Sam kissed Miguel at the party. He still tried to protect her from Tory's onslaught of attacks. though he later paired-off with Miguel. He kicked Miguel, albeit accidentally, over a balcony. The fall hospitalized Miguel and broke his back. Robby was eventually arrested for his role in the fight, with Sam heartbroken over the outcome. She wrote him each day but he stopped responding, as he was assaulted daily by the other inmates. She didn't know of his pain and suffering, but did see Miguel struggle. She helped him raise funds for a surgery, which was broadcast on television. Robby watched the newscast and believed she had continued to date Miguel.

After being released from juvie, Robby went to see Sam in the hopes of reconciling, but caught her and Miguel sparing together in a compromising position. He accused her of cheating and the trio got into a fight, but it ended when Sam physically defended Miguel from Robby. Robby angrily believed Sam cheated on him the whole time, snapped they deserved each other, and admitted their relationship was a mistake. The pair reconciled after Robby left Cobra Kai Dojo to join Miyagi-Do, learning to trust one another as friends. While convincing Daniel to rejoin the fight against Cobra Kai, Sam told Robby what Daniel has gone through, and Robby admitted that Daniel was right along about Cobra Kai. He also didn't know Johnny and Daniel had gone to such lengths to find him, seemingly forgiving both LaRusso's. During the presentation for the Sekai Taikai, Robby and Sam are partners performing on the board floating on the pond.

Miguel Diaz

Despite the fact that they barely know one other, Miguel is Robby's main rival and enemy. They have disliked each other since they unknowingly saw each other respectively. They first met at Cobra Kai's party in season 1. Miguel sees Robby and Samantha holding hands when Sam couldn't go down the hill. This causes Miguel to get furious at both of them. Miguel asks Sam, "Who's this guy?" Sam doesn't seem impressed on how Miguel is talking to Robby. She asks Miguel, "Have you been drinking?" Miguel seemed to be not focused on her question. Robby then politely asks Miguel to calm down. Miguel doesn't seem to get the hint and pushes Robby to the ground, Miguel then tries to hit Robby back again, but it accidentally lands on Sam. The next scene they're shown together is in the All Valley Tournament. They're both seen together on the stage on the final match between Miguel and Robby. Miguel illegally yanks Robby's already injured arm in a dispute of anger. This causes Robby to get further injured. Miguel then wins the fight.

Miguel takes the stolen medal of honor from Hawk. He knocks on the LaRusso's door to see Robby. Robby doesn't seem to happy to see Miguel at the door, due to their history. All Miguel wants is to return the medal of honor. Miguel gently gives it to Robby, fearing that he might lose Sam over to him, Robby place is it at the back yard, that is later found by Demetri the following morning. They're next seen at an ice skating place, along with there girlfriends (Tory and Sam). Miguel greets them nicely. At the last episode in the school brawl, Miguel attacks Robby, believing that Robby is attacking Tory, while Robby was really trying to stop the two girls from fighting and wanted he, Miguel and the two girls to figure it out. Robby tells Miguel "You can't cheat your way out of this one" he is referring to the tournament, Miguel later headbutts him and teases Robby by saying he learned this from Johnny.

While they're both upstairs and resuming their fight, Robby makes a kick and tells Miguel, "That's for taking advantage of Sam", referring to Miguel kissing Sam at Moon's Party last night. While Robby is going on a rant about protecting his girlfriend, Sam, Miguel says to Robby, "She doesn't love you, she loves me." Robby is furious at this comment and gets the upper hand, but Miguel eventually pins him down. While Miguel is about to break his arm again, he remembers of Johnny telling him to sometimes show mercy. Miguel remembered this because he knew that Robby is Johnny's father and that Johnny would never forgive him if he broke Robby's arm. Miguel tells him that he's "sorry" for kissing Sam. A reversal of last year's tournament, Robby doesn't take this and attacks Miguel. They both don't realize that their too close to the railing which is a result of Robby, accidentally kicking him off the second floor balcony and making Miguel to break his spine, paralyzing him. Like most people Robby is horrified of what happened to Miguel and went on the run for two-weeks and then eventually, sentenced to Sylmar Juvenile Corrections (SJDC).

The two rivals don't see each other again until Robby is released from SJDC and catches Miguel sparring with Sam in a compromising position. Robby accuses the two of them for cheating behind his back. Miguel defends Sam, causing Robby to angrily tell him to stay out of it, When Miguel refuses, Robby attempts to punch Miguel until Sam blocks his punches and pushes him away. This is when he tells Miguel and Sam that they deserve each other and admits their relationship was a mistake, ending things with Samantha.

Although Robby helps his father find Miguel in Mexico, the two boys remain at odds with each other despite Johnny's attempts at getting them to reconcile. Finally, Johnny forces them to fight it out without any rules to hold them back in the hopes that Robby and Miguel will get it out of their systems. The fight ends with Miguel poised to knock Robby over a railing, just like Robby had done to him, before Miguel finally relents and they talk it out. Robby admits to being deeply remorseful for hurting Miguel and the two finally reconcile. Moments later, Johnny reveals that he and Miguel's mother Carmen are going to have a baby, exciting both of the boys and bringing them closer together. Following their fight, Robby and Miguel finally bring an end to their rivalry and become friends, often hanging out together. When Robby rejoins Miyagi-Do, Miguel defends him against the initial distrust of the other students. When the Miyagi-Do and Eagle Fang faces against Cobra Kai for Sekai Taikai tryouts, Miguel and Robby agree to make Eli fight against Kenny. When they manage to get their dojo to qualify, the two hug each other, and when they later have to stop Sam from attacking Tory, they do so without arguing with each other.

John Kreese

John Kreese was Robby's new sensei during his time in Cobra Kai, though to Kreese he is clearly a weapon and a tool, not a student. when Kreese visits Robby in juvie, he convinces Robby to act more aggressively, which he does against his bully Shawn. Preying on the already crestfallen and distraught Robby's anguish and confusion, Kreese poison's his mind to further turn him against Johnny and Daniel and to join Cobra Kai, which Robby does after being released from juvie. When Johnny is beating up Kreese, Robby defends him and attacks Johnny, only for Johnny to accidently knock him into lockers. Robby gets up and stands next to Kreese and tells Miguel, Sam, Daniel and Johnny to get out of here. He aligns himself with Kreese for the entirety of the tournament, but doesn't follow the Cobra Kai creed as dutifully as the others. He doesn't trust Silver and resists falling prey to the man's charm. Robby loses the All Valley and witnesses Kenny's severe shift in behavior from being in Cobra Kai. Robby leaves the dojo and forfeits his relationship with Kreese.

Tory Nichols

Robby and Tory have a complicated relationship, having gone from enemies to lovers. Tory initially dates Miguel Diaz, the ex-boyfriend of Robby's girlfriend Samantha LaRusso. The tension between the two couples is apparent for this reason, with Robby disliking Tory for her bullying of Sam. He actively tries to protect Sam from Tory. After the school fight, Robby does a brief stint in juvie. Following his release, he collides with Tory in the probation office. He is initially aggressive towards her, as she started the fight that led him to be in juvie. She reminds him that he ended it. She believes they are in the same position, alone, and that Sam will turn on Robby. The teen begins to stay at Cobra Kai dojo at the insistence of Kreese, a choice that Tory supports. She tries to help him form connections and friendships in the dojo, even inviting him along to a zoo heist. Things become complicated after the LaRusso house fight, as Robby isn't present when the rest of the Cobra Kai's ambush the Miyagi-Do's and Eagle Fang's. Tory views this as a betrayal, no longer believing he's one of them.

CK S4 Robby Tory Kiss

Robby earns back her respect and trust by honoring a deal to leave the dojo if any of the students can land a hit on him; Tory is the only one to do so. She allows him to stay, and their tension grows throughout training. They are often impressed by one another's fighting skills, and are both gifted fighters. They work harmoniously together, defeating even Miguel and Sam who were fought together. Tory and Robby attend the West Valley High junior prom together, with Robby serving as her plus one. While their plan is initially to get under the skins of their exes for the sake of playing a mind game, they share a passionate and fun dance that ultimately brings them closer together. Their mutually difficult pasts and troubled natures gives them a bond unlike their former relationships, as neither has to hide the darker truths of their lives. They understand one another's troubles including financial stress, but are capable of having fun together despite their stresses. After the events of junior prom, Robby and Tory kiss for the first time.

CK 510 Robby-Tory Still

They start their relationship, but things go south when Robby admits he is leaving Cobra Kai and thinks Tory should leave with him. Ultimately, despite their attempts to make their relationship work, Robby can't be with her if she's still in Cobra Kai, forcing them to break up despite still caring deeply for one another. Tory's secret partnership with Kreese and admittance over Silver rigging the All Valley surprises but also impresses Robby. He knows how hard it is for Tory to break the Cobra Kai mentality by telling Sam the truth. He shows concern over her severely injured hand, and she appreciates his concern. She says she's okay for now. Eagle Fang and Miyagi-Do team up with Tory to take down Silver, resulting in a massive brawl between the dojos at the flagship Cobra Kai dojo. Robby and Tory fight both together and apart. After the fight, they check on one another and begin talking about their relationship. She isn't in the mood for the mushy heart-to-heart stuff, asking him to just kiss her instead. He smiles and they kiss in the parking lot of the dojo.

Kenny Payne

"Robby: No matter what happens, the fact you made it this far at your age is a huge deal. Your brother's going to be impressed.
Kenny: I owe it all to you. You changed my whole life.
"
―Kenny and Robby[src]

Robby first met Kenny when the latter entered Cobra Kai Dojo looking for him at Shawn's behest. as Kenny needs Robby's help against the bullies targeting him. Robby sees an opportunity to take the boy under his wing, become the mentor that he never had growing up. He teaches Kenny to use his speed as a weapon, defend himself from attackers, and ultimately, help him earn a spot in Cobra Kai. Robby continues to look out for the boy, assuring him that the other student will come around after the hazing. He becomes protective over Kenny, with Kenny seeing Robby as a protector and someone to be trusted. Robby retaliates against Hawk for picking on Kenny at school by shaving Hawk's signature hairstyle. During a training exercise to find and target weaknesses, Silver specifically chooses Kenny to fight Robby. He knows Robby cares for the boy and won't be capable of hurting him. Silver's assumption is correct, ultimately leading Kenny to manipulate the kindness by faking an injury and winning the exercise. As Robby becomes distracted in his personal life, Kenny slips deeper into the mentality of Cobra Kai and the teachings of John Kreese. During the All Valley Karate Tournament, Robby sees Kenny cheering for him to hurt Demetri. While Robby ultimately does defeat Kenny in the All Valley, he does it knowing it's the only way to advance to the next stage. He later has to pull Kenny off Anthony LaRusso, chastising him as this wasn't how he taught Kenny. Kenny rejects his teachings, citing the Cobra Kai mantra, before threatening Anthony. Later, Robby emotionally admits to Johnny how he wanted to be there for Kenny, but watching the boy at the tournament was like looking into a mirror. He feels he's messed everything up despite helping Cobra Kai win the tournament.

After the tournament, Robby decided to leave Cobra Kai and wants Kenny to leave with him, but Kenny became extremely loyal to Cobra Kai and he excused Robby as a traitor. Despite leaving to rejoin Miyagi-Do, Robby is still protective of Kenny, wanting to reason with him. However, despite all the warnings about Cobra Kai, Kenny will never leave as long as he can use the dojo's lessons to get back at Anthony and others who bullied the former. It's until the fight at the flagship dojo, where Anthony sent the video of Silver's confession of bribing the All-Valley referee to Tory, that Kenny realized that Robby was telling the truth all along. After Daniel defeated Silver, all of Silver's students, including Kenny, took off their Cobra Kai clothing and threw them on Silver, showing that they quit. Outside, Robby tried to talk to Kenny, but the latter's too ashamed of his aggressive behavior that Kenny's not ready to talk, needing some time alone.

Other Relationships

Gallery

Trivia

  • Robby is the only teenaged main character to not appeared in the pilot episode, Ace Degenerate. He debuted in the second episode, Strike First.
  • Robby's skills with skateboarding is similar to Dre Parker, who was the protagonist in The Next Karate Kid. Dre was also a skilled skateboarder.
  • Robby's middle name is Swayze, after the late actor, Patrick Swayze. Shannon was a big fan of the actor before his death.
    • Patrick Swayze shared the screen with Ralph Macchio in the 1983 film, The Outsiders, known for propelling both their careers. Robby's middle name is also a nod to the off-screen friendship between Macchio and Swayze.
  • Hawk attacking Robby after the completion of a point during the semifinals of the 2018 All Valley Tournament mirrors Bobby Brown illegally kicking Daniel's leg in the semifinals of the 1984 All Valley Tournament.
    • Additionally, in the same tournament, Miguel targeting Robby's injury in the finals mirrors Johnny's actions against Daniel in 1984.
    • Though, in the same tournament, Robby losing to Miguel also mirrors Johnny losing to Daniel in 1984.
  • Robby is the only student to fight unaffiliated in the All Valley Tournament.
  • Robby joining Cobra Kai after circumstances drove a wedge between him and everyone else mirrors Daniel joining Cobra Kai after circumstances drove a wedge between him and Miyagi in 1985.
    • Though, Robby losing to Hawk, in the 2019 All Valley Tournament, mirrors Mike Barnes losing to Daniel in 1985.
  • Robby's romantic relationship with Sam and Tory somewhat mirrors Daniel's romantic relationship with Ali and Kumiko. However, Robby's relationship with Tory lasts longer than Daniel's relationship with Kumiko.
  • Robby training Kenny karate after he is bullied by Anthony somewhat mirrors Mr. Miyagi training Daniel after he is bullied by a younger Johnny Lawrence and his gang.
  • He has mentored two people in the series: Kenny in season 4 and Anthony in season 5.

Navigation

           Cobrakai Villains

Main
John Kreese | Terry Silver | Kim Da-Eun | Kyler Park

Season I
Kyler Park | Yasmine | Brucks | Rory | Tom Cole | Louie LaRusso, Jr. | Sid Weinberg | Trey | Cruz | John Kreese

Season II
John Kreese | Eli "Hawk" Moskowitz | Tory Nichols | Mitch | Doug Rickenberger | Trey | Cruz | Tom Cole | Armand Zakarian

Season III
John Kreese | Tory Nichols | Eli "Hawk" Moskowitz | Robby Keene | Kyler Park | Mitch | Doug Rickenberger | Brucks | Tom Cole | Trey | Cruz | Sid Weinberg | Captain George Turner | Shawn Payne | David

Season IV
Terry Silver | John Kreese | Tory Nichols | Robby Keene | Kenny Payne | Kyler Park | Anthony LaRusso | Shawn Payne

Season V
Terry Silver | Kim Da-Eun | Kenny Payne | Hyan-Woo | Kyler Park | Mitch | Hector Salazar | John Kreese | Kim Sun-Yung

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