Draft:Miguel Diaz

Miguel Diaz is a main character in the Netflix series Cobra Kai, played by Xolo Maridueña. He becomes the neighbor and student of former karate champion Johnny Lawrence, who trains him at the reopened Cobra Kai Dojo.

Early life
Miguel was born in Ecuador to Carmen Diaz and Hector Salazar. His father was a criminal with connections to a drug cartel. This dangerous lifestyle forced Carmen, who was pregnant with Miguel, to flee from Ecuador and take refuge in the United States. He was raised by his mother in Reseda, California. He is a biracial teenager of Mexican and Ecuadorian descent.

Season 1
Miguel starts as a timid asthmatic teenager with no self-defense skills, targeted by bullies led by Kyler Park. However, a chance encounter with the skilled karate expert Johnny Lawrence changes his life. Despite initial reluctance, Johnny becomes Miguel's mentor, and Miguel becomes Cobra Kai's first student. His determination and dedication to learning karate lead to rapid improvement and newfound confidence. Miguel's popularity soars at school, and he starts dating Samantha LaRusso, the daughter of his father figure's long-time rival, Daniel LaRusso. However, as Miguel absorbs Johnny's aggressive teachings, he becomes possessive and jealous, straining his relationship with Sam and causing friction with his friend Demetri Alexopoulos. The tension culminates at the All Valley Karate Tournament, where Miguel faces Robby Keene in the finals. The intense match is marred by Miguel's willingness to exploit Robby's injured shoulder, but he ultimately emerges as the tournament champion. Despite his victory, Miguel learns that his actions have consequences, and the path he has chosen may lead to more significant challenges in the future.

Season 2
In the tournament, both Miguel and Eli "Hawk" Moskowitz face Johnny's wrath for their cheating moves. Stripped of their black belts, they become white belts and are punished with 50 push-ups. Miguel questions Johnny, who shares his past mistakes and aims to make Miguel a better man. Miguel's attempt to reconcile with Sam fails, leading to a new relationship with Cobra Kai student Tory Nichols, but he still loves Sam. Discovering Robby is Johnny's son, Miguel and Hawk confront Johnny, understanding his actions. During a competition, Miguel defeats Hawk and returns a stolen medal to Sam through Robby. At a roller-skating rink, tensions arise when Sam sees Miguel and Tory together. During a school fight, Miguel tries to stop the altercation between Sam and Tory, leading to a heated battle with Robby. In the end, showing mercy costs Miguel dearly, as he ends up critically injured and paralyzed in the hospital for several weeks.

Season 3
While recovering from a coma, Miguel dreams of competing in the All Valley tournament and beating an unknown opponent. However, upon waking, he discovers his legs are paralyzed. Uncertain if surgery will help him walk again, he initially blames Johnny for his situation. But with time, Johnny becomes a source of hope for Miguel. As Johnny starts assisting with his recovery, they form a strong bond. Miguel's journey to regain mobility begins, and although progress is slow at first, he eventually taps his foot, sparking hope. Johnny's unorthodox training methods, alongside traditional physical therapy, lead to steady improvements, from a wheelchair to walking unaided.

Miguel's personal life also undergoes challenges. He breaks up with Tory after her violent actions, but their dojo rivalry continues with tension between Cobra Kai and Miyagi-Do. Miguel's friendship with Hawk ends due to his ruthless behavior, but he gains new friends who join Johnny's new dojo, Eagle Fang Karate. The All Valley Tournament faces cancellation after the school brawl, but Miguel and Sam passionately defend karate's importance, successfully convincing the council to resume the event.

Amid the turmoil, Miguel's feelings for Sam grow stronger, and they share a romantic moment, though their relationship faces obstacles, especially when Robby accuses Sam of cheating. Miguel's bond with Johnny deepens as he learns more about Johnny's past. As the tension between dojos escalates, Miguel's determination to defend his champion title intensifies. The final showdown looms, with Miguel and his united dojos gearing up to face off against Cobra Kai, setting the stage for an intense and pivotal battle in the All Valley Tournament.

Season 4
The karate training begins under the dual leadership of Daniel LaRusso and Johnny Lawrence, but Miguel finds himself caught in the middle of their ongoing feuding. He becomes determined to bring unity between the two opposing senseis and enlists the help of his girlfriend, Samantha. Despite their efforts, the first day of training doesn't go as planned. Later, Miguel shares a movie reference with Johnny, comparing their situation to "Rocky III" and how Rocky and Apollo had to work together to defeat a common opponent. This analogy resonates with Johnny, and they both begin to understand the importance of putting their differences aside to defeat Cobra Kai.

As Miguel and Sam spend time together, they notice Hawk, a former Cobra Kai student, working with a sledgehammer to build an Okinawan sparring deck. This sparks an idea, and the two of them join Hawk in the construction, hoping to show Daniel and Johnny that teamwork is possible. Miguel's efforts lead to moments of bonding between Johnny and Daniel while fixing Carmen's car, but jealousy also arises when Johnny witnesses Miguel and Daniel practicing karate together.

During a dangerous training session, Johnny appoints Miguel as co-sensei, causing some unrest among the other students. However, they manage to recruit female students, including Piper and Devon, to join Eagle Fang. Amidst the martial arts training, Johnny begins to act like a father figure towards Miguel, causing mixed emotions for the young karate student. Additionally, Miguel's relationship with Sam faces challenges when they get into a fight with Robby and Tory at prom.

As the All-Valley Karate Tournament approaches, Miguel prepares to compete, but his old injury resurfaces during a match, forcing him to withdraw from the tournament. Disheartened, he decides to leave for Mexico City to find his biological father. In the end, Cobra Kai wins the tournament, and Miguel's journey takes an unexpected turn as he faces personal and martial arts challenges that shape his future.

Season 5
After the 51st All-Valley, Miguel travels to Mexico and encounters some local surfers who steal his backpack. He retrieves it and gets directions, but ends up at the wrong place. He meets Hector and helps him, leading to an invitation to dinner. The next day, they bond and attend an Mixed Martial Art event. Miguel called his mom for telling about the wrongdoing of Hector, and later meets Johnny and Robby. He tries to make amends with Sam but gets heartbroken when she breaks up with him. During a water park trip, an altercation with Cobra Kai leads to the students getting kicked out.

Johnny has Miguel and Robby fight to release their hatred, but Miguel refuses to hurt people. They eventually reconcile and have dinner together. Under Chozen's guidance, the students learn a lesson about teamwork. They qualify for the Sekai Taikai tournament. Miguel meets a girl at a party, causing tension with Sam. They discover Terry Silver's plans through Stingray and confront Cobra Kai, leading to a fight where Miyagi-Do and Cobra Kai students clash. Eventually, they defeat Terry, and Miguel and Sam repair their relationship.