Tom Cole is a major antagonist in the first three seasons of Cobra Kai. He is portrayed by David Shatraw.
Tom is the owner of Cole's on Van Nuys, an automotive dealership, and business rival of Daniel LaRusso.
Biography[]
Season 1[]
Following the vandalism on the LaRusso Auto billboard, Tom Cole ordered 100 sausages and had them delivered to LaRusso as a way of poking fun at the billboard.
Later that day, Daniel LaRusso meets with some marketing executives who show them the latest television ad from Cole's, which blatantly mocks Daniel's own. Suspecting that Cole is responsible for the vandalism, Daniel confronts him at his dealership on Van Nuys. Cole is somewhat respectful, drinking a Boba tea and offering Daniel one. He denies defacing the billboard, which was indeed true. However, when Daniel is about to leave, Cole's behavior becomes a lot less professional, mocking Daniel about the prank. Daniel responds by kicking the cup of Boba tea out of Cole's hand.[1]
Season 2[]
Tom is not seen in season 2, but it is mentioned that a few of Daniel's employees have left LaRusso Auto Group to work for Cole's on Van Nuys[2]. The most glaring example of this was with Anoush, whom having noticed Daniel make fewer trips to the dealership (on account of devoting so much time to the dojo), believed the writing was the on the wall that LaRusso Auto Group was headed to bankruptcy court.
Season 3[]
Tom returns in Season 3 trying to buy LaRusso Auto Group from Daniel and Amanda but is told no. Unbeknownst to him, Anoush tells Daniel's employee and cousin Louie LaRusso, Jr. that Tom signed a deal with Doyona International and convinced them to cut its ties with the LaRusso Auto Group in the process without the consent of Daniel and Amanda. Louie reveals this to Daniel and Amanda after Tom and Anoush leave.
Some time later, Daniel and Amanda meet Tom at his dealership (most likely), where they reveal that they are never selling their dealership as Daniel and Amanda know that Tom would never start or promote Daniel and Amanda to being partners or co-owners, much to his dismay, combined with Anoush telling him he is quitting and rejoining LaRusso Auto. An angry Tom then tells them their business is going down the drain.
Tom's plan fails when Daniel goes back to Okinawa to try and save his dealership somehow and Kumiko introduces him to Yuna, Vice President of Sales for Doyona. Daniel did not realize that Yuna was actually the girl he saved from the typhoon in 1985, and she did not forget Daniel's heroism, renewing Daniel's lifetime contract and saving his dealership.
Fate[]
Cole is not seen again after his defeat during the events of Season 3.
Personality[]
Tom is a callous and narcissistic man that enjoys harassing Daniel. When he arrives at LaRusso Auto with the goal of buying in the beginning of season 3, he takes pleasure in mocking the LaRussos, particularly Daniel for their business struggling and falling apart. When the LaRussos reveal they they will not sell and in a witty way, Tom becomes upset. The way he treats them however, leads to former LaRusso Auto employee Anoush to quit working with Tom and rejoin LaRusso Auto. Following the LaRussos revealing they will never sell, as well as Anoush quitting, Tom angrily says their business is going down the drain, before walking out. Eventually, Tom’s deal with Doyona fails as Yuna, the Senior Vice President of International Sales at Doyona and who Daniel saved during a typhoon in the summer of 1985, reinstates the LaRusso Auto Group lifetime contract with Doyona.
Trivia[]
- Its possible that he is related to William Cole (who may be his father), a district attorney in one of Terry Silver's case, who was mentioned in The Karate Kid Part III.
