Johnny Lawrence (William Zabka) and Daniel LaRusso (Ralph Macchio) square off in Cobra Kai season 4 episode 1

Of all the characters on HIMYM, Barney Stinson (Neil Patrick Harris) seems most plugged in with the classic movies and TV shows he loves. A perpetual bachelor, Barney spends much of his considerable wealth on pop culture artifacts…including a lifesize replica of a stormtrooper that stands sentry in his apartment. In one season 4 episode, it is revealed that Barney’s pop culture interests run deep – all the way back to a childhood spent in a modest home with his single mother Loretta (Frances Conroy). It’s here that the show lays the groundwork for what would eventually become a recurring gag about Johnny Lawrence in The Karate Kid and also unwittingly soften up the TV landscape for the arrival of Cobra Kai.

In HIMYM season 4 episode 15, the gang visits Barney’s childhood home just outside of the city. After Marshall (Jason Segel) sees Barney’s bedroom, he comments approvingly on the Karate Kid poster above his bed. 

Karate Kid’s a great movie,” Barney responds. “It’s the story of a hopeful, young karate enthusiast whose dreams and moxie take him all the way to the All Valley Karate Championship. Of course sadly he loses in the final round to that nerd kid. But he learns an important lesson about gracefully accepting defeat.”

Marshalls’ wife Lily (Alyson Hannigan) asks if Barney has things confused. Does he really root for Johnny Lawrence, THE BAD GUY, in Karate Kid?

“No, I root for the scrawny loser from New Jersey who barely even knows karate. When I watch The Karate Kid I root for THE Karate Kid. Johnny Lawrence from the Cobra Kai dojo. Get your head out of your ass, Lily.”

From that moment on, Barney’s love for William Zabka’s Johnny Lawrence and his sincere belief that he is the real hero of The Karate Kid becomes a recurring joke throughout the rest of How I Met Your Mother. Both William Zabka and Ralph Macchio turn up in the flesh playing themselves in the season 8 episode “The Bro-Mitzvah.” And then in the show’s final season, Zabka becomes essentially a supporting character, appearing in six episodes as a guest at Barney’s season-long wedding. 

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