William Zabka discusses his transformation from Karate Kid bully to Cobra Kai hero

His character was known for a hot-headed temperament and willingness to fight at any occasion. 

And William Zabka is elated to see his Karate Kid character grow from a teenaged bully to a hero on the hit YouTube Red show Cobra Kai, which recently found a new home at Netflix. 

The 55-year-old actor chatted with PEOPLE magazine about the trials and tribulations of starring as Johnny Lawrence in the 1984 flick, Karate Kid.

‘For years I had dads dragging their kids over to meet me just to point out the biggest bully on the planet,’ he said.

Lawrence was known for his aggressive attitude and willingness to win at any cost, even if it meant bending the rules.

Zabka famously faced Ralph Macchiao in the cult classic film, where he ended up losing the 1984 All-Valley Karate Tournament despite a low blow to Ralph’s character Daniel LaRusso.

In Cobra Kai, Lawrence struggles with his identity more than three decades after the fateful match, only to rebound and become a hero in the community. 

‘To have people rooting for my character, for me to feel that, is something I’ve never experienced,’ he said. ‘It’s remarkable.’ 

On working with Macchiao again, William said: ‘Our history was right there, even more than we would have imagined.’   

While season four was greenlit in October, season three shows the aftermath of a violent brawl between dojos, which left Miguel, played by Xolo Mariduena, in a coma.

Johnny and Daniel also team up, despite being former rivals, to save the dojo from John Kreese, played by Martin Krove.

Cobra Kai also stars Peyton List, Gianni Decenzo, Jacob Bertrand, Mary Mouser, Tanner Buchanan and Courtney Henggeler.

The show is executively produced Josh Heald, Jon Hurwitz and Hayden Schlossberg through their production company called Counterbalance Entertainment.