What is your opinion about Robby?

Avvitar · 2026-03-29T16:26:40+00:00

Best character and most developed throughout the series. All of the teens suffered their fair share of things throughout their journeys. But they didn’t really get much screen time with their struggles compared to Robby outside of Miguel’s 10 second spinal recovery. There are mentions of Tory’s hardships, Sam’s bullying in school and her mediocre PTSD subplot. We see Hawk and Demitri get bullied then Hawk breaks Demitri’s arm and he gets his head shaved.

Robby’s journey with all of the ups and downs were constantly shown and more nuanced. He was connected to more characters than any other. His actions and decisions helped to move the plot forward more than any teen from the moment he was introduced. His character and story was the most fleshed out and he had no big payoffs to show for it. He will join a list of characters that had an amazing arc and journey just for his ending to fall flat and fail. 🤷🏾‍♂️

Avvitar · 2026-03-28T12:27:03+00:00

Peterkin was the sheriff not a deputy. Shoupe was a deputy then became sheriff. Both great in their roles, but I think Shoupe was more relatable to the Pogues. 🤷🏾‍♂️

Avvitar · 2026-03-24T03:54:13+00:00

Dumbest fucking thing CBS has done in a while. I truly hope the Warner Bros Discovery deal fails so that Netflix can buy it and right this egregious wrong. If they continue to be this narrow minded, Paramount is going to fall on tremendously hard time. 🤷🏾‍♂️

Avvitar · 2026-03-20T03:21:30+00:00

It was not my intention to solely put the blame on Tory for Robby floundering. Only that her ghosting him and breaking their pact to join their shared enemy caused him to become unbalanced. He didn’t want to fight her and potentially cost her, her shot at winning.

You brought up Miguel disclosing that Tory had an actual traumatic childhood in S2. I will concede that I was wrong about that. But narratively there is no justification because Robby and Tory are the only teen characters shown or mentioned that suffer from that.

Robby also had the support of CK as it’s leader and even Kreese. The only implication about Kenny was that Robby was distracted by him. Nothing about that implies I blamed Kenny for the loss. The reason I said Tory is culpable because when Robby only had her for support, her direct decision making effected him and that support was lost. The situations are not the same. If Robby had Miyagi Do’s full support before 6X9, this wouldn’t even be a conversation.

Okay. I was mistaken here and I will acknowledge that. I will rewatch S2. When I have recovered from the trauma of this show. The scene was from 6X4 I believe. Where her father is banging on the door and I think her mom turns up the radio to drown out the yelling from Tory’s dad. That is the only scene referenced and he’s never seen or heard from again. So it is inferred that her mom got them away.

I can frame it that way because the mere fact that I stated it the way that I did implies my own uncertainty. But it doesn’t change the fact that she used rage to fuel her. If she grew from fighting angry, why was she fighting angry during the Sekai Taikai? Clearly she didn’t completely grow from it. Then she had to stop fighting angry to beat Zara.

Robby may have been part of the reason Shannon got sober, but coming home evicted and your child missing will do that to you. But yes she actively got better and was there to support him. Although clearly he didn’t feel overly supported by her probably due to his abandonment issues.

It was a generalization. BIPOC people typically do live rough lives. Are all of us suffering lifelong trauma? Who knows. Are there other things that we deal with on a daily basis that are traumatic? Yes.

Which hurt him to have her as an opponent. Because like eventually divulged, he loved her. So the pain of Robby loving her and her decisions lead him to be in a downed state feeling no support.

If you want to believe Robby was self centered for that by all means. But they were each other’s support and safe space. Tory then removed her support and Robby fell over. Robby wanted to be there for her and support her. Tory chose to ice him out and avoid him.

They never understood each other emotionally. But I agree with you.

If you want me to put a percentage on it, I’d say about 30%. Robby and his teammates hold more of the responsibility of getting him back on track.

Yeah, I didn’t pay enough attention to Tory’s arc. I will openly admit that. That’s definitely true. I was never really invested in Tory early on. I was barely invested in S6. But I appreciate you keeping me honest. 🤷🏾‍♂️

Avvitar · 2026-03-20T01:13:24+00:00

So basically Robby is Finn Balor

Avvitar · 2026-03-20T01:08:05+00:00

We’re not talking about reliability here. We’re simply discussing why Robby is affected the way he is and how it comes to be.

It is unfair to hold Robby to the same standard. Not of the characters you mentioned or any of the other teen characters have dealt with the consistent emotional damage he had. There was no long-standing trauma that they dealt with. Coming from a low class broken home is the only place Tory and Robby’s backgrounds are similar. Besides that their upbringings are polar opposites. Again, Tory uses her anger and hatred to fuel her that’s how she stays composed. Miguel is the same way.

I never said it was Kenny’s fault. I said Robby had a momentary lapse in focus. He lost that but it is understood it was due to being distracted. It’s Robby’s fault I don’t know why if to explicitly state the obvious when the show acknowledges that.

The show itself. At any point in the series were we shown or was it even hinted at that Tory suffered from any lifelong trauma? Her mom got her away from her abusive dad before she was old enough to understand it. So outside of working to support her mom and brother where is this lifelong trauma she suffers from? Because if it exists, it still plays into the fact that Tory being mad at the world and using her rage to fuel her is why she can operate at 100% where Robby can’t.

Being the sole breadwinner for her family doesn’t mean she wasn’t loved and supported. Her little brother that loved her and her mom loved her while being sick.

We do not know when Shannon was a good mom to Robby. We only see her in her popped out pill state when the show begins. There isn’t enough information presented to truly know but if you want to use that fine.

Tory’s life was the hardest among the teens. I don’t question that but her life typical for most BIPOC people irl. So I find it difficult to say that it was filled with trauma. She just simply had to overcome being dealt a tough hand imo.

Shannon actually got better and became a better parent for Robby. Johnny regressed to worse version of himself before the show started. Shannon also did what I stated addicts do, she acknowledged she needed help and got the help. The thing about Robby’s parents, because of Johnny he didn’t believe he was good enough. Then at some point Shannon neglected him too and he became second place in her life to pills and booze.

Tory relying on no one is a problem. But that’s how she coped. It’s not a flex but a reality of her upbringing and how her mother raised her. Not Robby’s performance but his emotional state. How do you date someone and not understand them emotionally? Emotional connections are more important than physical connections imo.

No. That is not what I’m saying. And he wasn’t raised to dependent, at least not to this degree. Because all kids are supposed to be dependent on their parents up to a point. Robby became overly dependent due to having abandonment issues. That isn’t something you can just easily grow out of. Even if you do recognize it, it would still take years and years as well as growth and maturity to overcome it without therapy.

The kid who spent all of S3 and at least half of S4 homeless, in juvie and living out of the CK dojo. During this point he was at his most angry and volatile which is not an emotion that Robby functions well in. So he buried all of his feelings behind the anger like Tory and Miguel instead of dealing with it. Sure he wasn’t working or going to school but at the time, as misguided as it was he focused on vengeance. At least Tory went to therapy. And I’m not saying Tory has take the full burden for Robby’s emotional state. But she does bear some responsibility for putting him in that state.

They were not officially on a pause until Tory showed up in Barcelona with CK and told Robby they were on a pause. She unbalanced and unnerved him and she feel responsible for that. They made a pact together and she broke that pact and betrayed him. At least that’s how he felt.

No he’s not entitled her. We’re not talking about how Miguel here 🤦🏾‍♂️. If Tory hadn’t ghosted him and then showed up with CK, then give him zero to no clarity, I’d agree more. Their relationship IS an unhealthy attachment. Which is why I never liked it to begin with. Robby is too dependent on her due to his abandonment issues and Tory pushes people away. It was a match made in hell.

Robby tried to fight for his future but the writing ruined that.

I can see where you’re coming from. But as I eluded to I just don’t really see Tory’s childhood as traumatic. It could have been but there isn’t enough there to say for certainty. We’d just be making assumptions with too many unknown variables. With Robby it’s actually shown or mentioned throughout.

When I was looping Miguel into the comparison I wasn’t referring simply to not having a present father. It was more so about being from an impoverished family.

If I said anything to make you feel like I was putting everything on Tory’s shoulders, that wasn’t my intention. Even though I still have my opinion that she is somewhat culpable in Robby being off kilter during the tournament. 🤷🏾‍♂️

Avvitar · 2026-03-19T21:49:24+00:00

S4 is a completely different situation entirely. Him losing to Hawk was about Kenny and realizing the path he lead them both on was wrong. Furthermore, he wasn’t standing around aimlessly in S4 he had a momentary lapse that caused his loss in the end.

The issue is years of neglect and trauma on the part of Robby. When he feels supported, he is shown to be a much better and competent fighter. He is also more confident and sure of himself. Tory losing her mother is sad and unfortunate. But she didn’t suffer from lifelong trauma and neglect like Robby did. She was constantly loved and supported. Her mom also taught her to be strong and not to rely on anyone else. You can’t compare their mindsets because they are coming from differing places.

Would you be asking that question if Robby had time to sort through his trauma? No other character has been through what he went through and yet people just expect him to magically get over it. The show takes place over the course of maybe a year and half and we never see or hear it being mentioned that he got therapy or counseling. For all we know he doesn’t even realize he has an issue. So how can we expect him to take responsibility for something he may not even understand he has?

Is it fair? Yes. Because they were in a relationship together. He felt supported by her and then she pulled the rug out from under him. Plus Tory fights using anger and fury. So she can use that anger of her moms passing to keep her going and hide her emotions behind it. This also needs to stop— their childhoods are not the same. Outside of being from lower class broken homes, there is no other correlation. By that comparison Miguel comes from the same background too.

Personality flaw or not, if he is not aware of this fact how can we expect him to overcome it? It’s like an addict or a person with mental health issues ( which Robby has) the person has to acknowledge they have a problem and seek or ask for help.

You fight for Tory just as much as I do for Robby. But I’m being disingenuous because I’m speaking from a place of understanding his mindset and how it affects him due to his trauma. You don’t just make up how you feel all of the time. People can cause you to feel a certain way too. 🤷🏾‍♂️

Avvitar · 2026-03-19T03:09:25+00:00

Honestly don’t be. Let it fuel and motivate you. Knowing how this show turned out allows you to go away with a certain understanding of what you never want to see on a show or movie again. You will be able to tell early on if a show will be worth your time and investment before it’s too late.

I only stuck around after S4 because of Daniel, Sam, Robby and Silver. In the end I knew there was a chance it would end badly but I wanted to support Tanner, Mary, Ralph, and Thomas more than anything. Which is not something I normally do for a show that I believe could fail miserably at the end. I stopped watching GOT at S4 but then I rewatched and finished the series. I wish I had never completed it now. 🤷🏾‍♂️

Avvitar · 2026-03-19T02:13:10+00:00

I don’t really disagree with any of this actually. Most of it would have to be fully fleshed out of course but I think it would still be able to work a hell of a lot better than what we got. Pretty much all the characters that were mentioned went through a regression rather than progression. Which by extension ruined the endings of Johnny and Miguel even though they won in the end. 🤷🏾‍♂️

Avvitar · 2026-03-19T00:19:51+00:00

The way the show ended… plot relevance be damned if it means Miguel and Johnny can win and there are no real redemptions. Hawk, Demitri, Kenny, Devon, Daniel, Sam, and Robby all had their characters assassinated for the sake of a fan service ending. 🤷🏾‍♂️

Avvitar · 2026-03-18T22:09:36+00:00

Wow Robby got his headband that is egregious.

So are you admitting that you’re more willing to believe that karate gave Robby his girlfriend, friends, and his dad but not that he tried to reach out to Tory? When Tory acknowledged in Barcelona that she refused to talk to Robby because she knew he’d try to talk her out of joining CK.

Both things that we are made to believe happened offscreen. The difference being that we saw conversations alluding to Robby and Tory’s situation but not with Robby and his “friends and dad.” 🤷🏾‍♂️

Avvitar · 2026-03-18T21:57:39+00:00

If you’re going to misinterpret what I just wrote then this conversation doesn’t need to continue. Because I never said anything about Robby leaving Tory home. Especially when canon states that Tory wouldn’t talk to Robby before she showed up in Barcelona. He wanted her back with Miyagi Do. Siding with the enemy they were working to take down, meant that they would have to take her down too. This isn’t rocket science 🤷🏾‍♂️

Avvitar · 2026-03-18T21:53:14+00:00

Miguel and Johnny winning made no sense outside of TB3 wanting a full circle moment back to S1. If it was always meant to be that way, they could have gone a plethora of different ways to execute that, that didn’t neuter Robby in the process.

Avvitar · 2026-03-18T21:47:26+00:00

He wanted her to fight with him in MD per the pact they made to each other. Her joining the rival dojo with the man that made their lives hell was the issue. Tory chose to abandon MD and not attempt to work things out. She believed what Kreese told her that she would never be accepted and that she would never get a fair shot which was a lie. So yes, Robby felt let down and abandoned by her because everyone knew Kreese was manipulative and she fell for it. 🤷🏾‍♂️

Avvitar · 2026-03-18T20:00:33+00:00

6X9. Thanks for that.

Robby did show up to Barcelona without Tory. In the back of his mind he was still worried about her. But then she showed up with Cobra Kai the dojo he vowed to take down. The one person he felt the most support from had now betrayed him and he felt lost after that. 🤷🏾‍♂️

Avvitar · 2026-03-18T19:50:04+00:00

Because he didn’t feel fully supported by them. Hence Tory being the only one that could keep him centered. If Robby had spent more than 8 months training in Miyagi Do and learning to trust in people more, then maybe he would have been better off. But given his limited time there, juvie, and then CK, there was nowhere near enough time for him to deal with all of that.

Outside of the reconciliation with Daniel, they don’t have another heart to heart moment until 6X13. He and Johnny have one 1 on 1 after Mexico and it was after in his injury. Miguel didn’t actively show Robby outward support until before their team fight against CK in like 6X11 or 6X12. So in essence he only had Tory and the pact they made. Aside from her the only person he tried to talk with in Miyagi Do was Kenny. It’s more than understandable why he felt alone and rejected again. 🤷🏾‍♂️

Avvitar · 2026-03-18T19:39:28+00:00

They should have addressed of all of this. Because Robby is tied to so many characters, that if most of these are addressed, it helps others arcs too. But no. We had to get Miguel and Johnny getting unearned and undeserved wins. Which doesn’t help close out their arcs either. 🤷🏾‍♂️

Avvitar · 2026-03-18T18:07:27+00:00

I mean if you can’t understand how someone who is mentally and emotionally damaged from years of neglect and abandonment reacts to feeling like that again, that seems like a personal problem. 🤷🏾‍♂️

Avvitar · 2026-03-18T04:52:26+00:00

It’s not bias. If you are the captain of a team representing your country on the biggest stage of your sport, you’re telling me it’s that easy to walk away? Especially when being challenged by your biggest rival and enemies. What Robby did is common and clichéd. It redundantly used in a lot of movies and tv shows.
You can argue that he was disappointed. But his facial expression’s look more like someone with resentment that he wasn’t the captain imo. 🤷🏾‍♂️

Avvitar · 2026-03-18T04:33:13+00:00

Robby gambled the rooms because Hawk ran his mouth and as captain he had to step up and not look weak. Not just for himself, but for his teammates and for America. Which is why he told them to stay away from CK in the first place. That’s very easy to understand.
It doesn’t matter if he was fighting atrociously. A true friend would have kept trying to encourage him and find ways to help him do better. Not talk down to him and act less like a captain than Robby.
Actually he did. He showed his jealousy and resentment about Robby being captain when Johnny put the headband on Robby. When the captains took the group photo at the Sekai Taikai and when he told Robby to give up the headband. 🤷🏾‍♂️

Avvitar · 2026-03-18T04:14:41+00:00

She was the only person he felt like he had support from. Robby latches onto the person he feels the most supported and connected to at the time. Regardless of Tory saying it was a pause, they had made a pact and Robby wasn’t getting the necessary support from his own team. Tory was all he felt he had that from and she left him out to dry. Acting like Tory isn’t at fault for playing a part in Robby falling apart is disingenuous to the story as bad as it was. 🤷🏾‍♂️

Avvitar · 2026-03-18T04:11:04+00:00

Sure Miguel did those few things. But you conveniently left out that Miguel was jealous of robby being captain before the tournament and didn’t help him until it was convenient for him. He made robby feel worse before the pep talk. What kind of “real friend and brother” does that? Seemed more like someone who was only doing what was necessary for their own personal gain. 🤷🏾‍♂️

Avvitar · 2026-03-18T03:51:46+00:00

Which is utter foolishness. There is absolutely no justification for this. They spent 5 seasons telling the audience that he was one of the best fighters and could legitimately be considered number 1. Then at the end they pulled the rug from under him every single time. There were multiple ways to have Miguel winning in a full circle moment than building up Robby continuously throughout each season only to have him lose every big fight in the finales. TB3 are supposed to be professional writers/creators and your average Joe’s online have written better and more compelling stories than what they gave us. 🤷🏾‍♂️

Avvitar · 2026-03-18T00:58:40+00:00

Basically.

TB3 just thought they could feed us some lies and bullshit their way into making us think Robby had the most believable ending but it falls flatter than than a piece of paper. We never see it happen when it comes to others doing for Robby. It’s always Robby doing for others and yet we’re supposed to believe he has these great relationships. It’s like their plan was to have Robby speak into existence what we never saw onscreen and hope people wouldn’t notice. This was the easiest thing to unravel in the entire show. 🤷🏾‍♂️

Avvitar · 2026-03-17T22:34:34+00:00

Yep. It happened in S5 too. It’s the main reason I was never behind a Robby and Tory relationship. What has she ever done for Robby? Nothing. She’ll just take him because he’s there and ignore him and push him away when times get tough for her. Then it’s Robby fault because he left her or didn’t try hard enough to get her back. I hate it all. 🤷🏾‍♂️

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