Over the past couple weeks I watched and loved Cobra Kai. There are multiple articles that I could write about this show.

It's an ensemble cast, and I guess Johnny and Daniel could be called co-Protagonists. I actually think Johnny is the Protagonist, Daniel the Antagonist and Kreese is the Villain.

What's the difference?

Well, a good Protagonist has

1. a flaw, or wound - a NEED to get over it/grow up,
2. something they WANT, an
3. an OBSTACLE in the way of getting what they want, and
4.some ability or SKILL that makes them stand out.

A good Antagonist - has all the same things.

The thing with them is - their WANT (or possibly their NEED) is at cross-purposes with the Protagonist's. They can't both have that thing.
EG, they can't both win the trophy. Or they can't both be with the love interest. (or both, as in the original Karate Kid movie).

The good VILLAIN also has those elements to them too.

But their Want, if they get it, will DESTROY the Protagonist.

So there is an interesting dynamic in some stories - The Protagonist/Antagonist/Villain triangle.

This can also be seen as a White Hat/Grey Hat/Black Hat dynamic.

In No Country for Old Men, it's Moss (Josh Brolin), Sheriff Bell (Tommy Lee Jones) and Anton Chigurh.
In the Fugitive, it's Kimble (Harrison Ford), Gerard (T.L. Jones), and the One-Armed Man (and his Boss).
And in Cobra Kai, we have, Johnny, Daniel and Kreese

You could reverse Johnny and Daniel, since Johnny's more of an anti hero. It's debatable - and a lot of what's interesting about the show is the nuances of the characters sometimes being in the right and sometimes in the wrong. This is bit of a different discussion, since Protagonist/Antagonist is not always the same thing as right and wrong or good and bad.

Have you seen this Protagonist/Antagonist/Villain dynamic in any other stories?

Have a good one!

Banes