Hawk entered Cobra Kai as a shy, timid nerd who constantly gets picked on for the scar on his lip. Under the guidance of Johnny, he reinvents himself with a wicked mohawk and prominent back tattoo, but soon, he goes a little overboard with the ethos of the old Cobra Kai, and basically becomes a bully. Right when you think he can't sink any lower, there's a moment late in season 3 in which Hawk realizes the error of his ways.
Redditor u/Zizou_06 started a thread proclaiming this to be "one of the best moments in the whole show." The scene depicts Hawk taking out a couple of bullies picking on Demetri, but what the clip doesn't provide is context for Hawk's emotional journey. After being largely absent since the first season, Kyler (Joe Seo) comes back and offers his approval of the fighter Hawk has become. As u/FreelanceFrankfurter puts it, "I think that scene when Kyler gives him props made him realize he became what he hated."
The whole reason Hawk joined Cobra Kai in the first place is that he didn't want to be made fun of. He wanted to be able to stand up for himself and be known for something other than a scar. At that moment, he was watching Demetri, Bert, Miguel, and others get beat up, and it proved to be his breaking point. John Kreese (Martin Kove) transformed Cobra Kai students into the bullies Hawk once hated, and it was so satisfying to see him finally use his martial arts prowess for good. There are plenty of great Cobra Kai fight scenes, but there's just something about this one in particular that makes you want to pump your fist in the air.
