John Kreese

John Kreese, known as Kreese, is the antagonist of the Karate Kid franchise and the antagonist of the Cobra Kai series.

Kreese is a cruel, ruthless, and unstable Vietnam War veteran and sensei of the 1970s/1980s karate dojo, Cobra Kai. He instilled a dangerous philosophy of "no mercy" in his students and encouraged generations of bullies. Most notably, Kreese taught karate to a teenage Johnny Lawrence and clashed with his karate rival, Mr. Miyagi. After repeated losses at the hands of Daniel LaRusso and Mr. Miyagi, Kreese fled the valley and lost contact with his students.

More than thirty years later, Johnny Lawrence reopened Cobra Kai, prompting Kreese to make a surprise return to the valley. He eventually acquires the dojo through nefarious means, becoming the Sensei to an entirely new generation of students. With his rivals uniting, Kreese seeks out his old army friend Terry Silver to help Cobra Kai, and then he sees an attractive girl at Terry Silver's house.