Cobra Kai
"Decades after their 1984 All Valley Karate Tournament bout, a middle-aged Daniel LaRusso and Johnny Lawrence find themselves martial-arts rivals again."
- IMDB
Season 1
So I didn’t live under a rock. I did come across The Karate Kid in my youth. I know it was spammed on TV back when the Jaden Smith remake came out, so I caught the original movies then. I don’t know — it was never really my thing. In terms of ’80s classics, I enjoyed The Goonies much more. In terms of martial arts content, my generation had Avatar: The Last Airbender. Karate Kid was just something I didn’t latch onto.
However — because of Avatar — I was still inspired to start karate when I had the chance. And now I’m a black belt. As Cobra Kai made its way into the mainstream, I knew I was obligated to watch the show myself at some point. The kids at my karate school were obsessed with the show — like, literally multiple kids met Cobra Kai cast members at conventions before. My Sensei dressed as Johnny for Halloween multiple years in a row. I had to see what the fuss was about. And here I am.
Season 1 was fine. I sort of jumped in without watching the movies, but the show doesn’t mind using two minutes of runtime to show off the essential flashbacks for plot and nostalgia purposes. My biggest takeaway from the first season was honestly the conversation I had with my Sensei about the evolution of karate.
So, in case you were unaware — here’s a history lesson for you. Karate started becoming widespread in America in the ’60s and ’70s-ish. It was very much targeted toward adults who were more than likely in the army beforehand. Even my own style, Isshinryu, was literally developed as Shimabuku taught U.S. soldiers stationed in Okinawa. I think somewhere in the ’80s and ’90s, karate schools started opening up to kids — especially after The Karate Kid helped make the sport popular. Karate doesn’t just teach self-defense; it also teaches discipline and respect. Parents have become more and more attracted to karate culture and philosophy over the years, and now karate is an all-ages sport. It’s evolved from being a veteran’s extracurricular pastime to being a family-friendly activity.
Karate is not just about self-defense. My Sensei says people take karate for different reasons: learning how to spar, getting fit, gaining confidence, learning structure, learning weapons, understanding some Japanese customs, or just joining because you wanna be a firebender. Karate comes with so many experiences and values that not many other sports provide. It’s really been a safe space for me over the last 11 years, and we all get something different out of it.
Fun fact — my style, Isshinryu, blends a couple styles of karate, one of them being Goju-ryu. The original story of The Karate Kid was loosely based on the writer’s experience learning Goju-ryu. It’s the style mostly seen in the franchise, I believe, and Ralph Macchio eventually became a black belt in this style. So I made jokes about how we’re like half-Miyagi or something.
Also, also — that one episode where what’s-her-face joins and Johnny were like “girls don’t do karate,” smh. Well, at my dojo... there are 12 black belts under Sensei. Eight of them are women. Mic drop.
Season 2
This dojo-vs-dojo crap is what made me hate that one season of Riverdale. It’s just a bunch of whining teenagers trying to be thugs and being overly dramatic. The Cobra Kai students are literally just bullies, and it’s such a disgrace to the real values of karate. Effing Americans. And all of this tension led to a kid literally breaking his back because of a jealous girlfriend. It was so ridiculous.
I can already tell this Sensei Kreese guy is gonna get on my nerves. Johnny’s philosophy about concrete is the only thing that can redeem the dojo.
I’m also just READY for Eli to get his comeuppance. How many seasons is this gonna take?
I also wanna criticize the sparring before moving forward. I am not on my school’s competition team, and I do not attend the weekly sparring seminars. Sparring just isn’t my thing. But we have done sparring in class, and I’ve seen competitive sparring before. There is a BIG difference between sparring and fighting. And the competitive sparring seen on this show... that’s not karate competition sparring.
It’s not really a problem because they need cool fights to keep the entertainment value up. However, for kids watching the show who get inspired to start karate, they’re just gonna be met with disappointment when they realize most dojos do not teach this level of fighting. Actually, I think my Sensei once told me there’s a style of martial arts that’s basically the show’s kind of fighting — some form of MMA that only focuses on fighting and has hardcore competitions. But it’s not mainstream, and it definitely is NOT karate.
Being a black belt really ruined Cobra Kai for me. I nitpicked everything. I was so toxic.
Season 3
Abby in The Last of Us Part II. Gabi in Attack on Titan. Now this Tory asshole. I don’t care that her mom is sick, bro. You started a whole-ass gang war over a boy, and now he’s paralyzed. How the hell did she not go to juvie? Is that caretaker plea really enough to let her stay on the streets even though she came to school with an actual weapon? Like, I know how strict schools are these days given American history with school violence. She’d totally be in more trouble in real life, right?
"Everybody’s got a sob story. That doesn’t give you the right to be a bully."
I will respect the character for seeing the error of her ways, but this effing guy... this Sensei Kreese fellow is somehow keeping this dojo open in the 21st century. Parents are way too Karen these days to allow him to groom these children into becoming Vietnam soldiers. He’s so delusional for I don’t even know what reason. Someone drag his ass to therapy to help him recover from whatever PTSD he has. He refers to new students as “recruits” and is always going off about preparing his students for combat. This is so messed up and contributes to the stereotype that Americans love violence and that’s why there are school shootings.
Sam’s path to vengeance is not to be encouraged, but there’s literally no justice taking place. None of the adults are hearing her out. Everyone thinks karate is the problem, and the teachers don’t think the kids who go to a dojo with the slogan “Strike First” are responsible for any of the obvious bullying and harassment incidents? What... what is this nonsense?
I think one of my favorite parts of this season was Johnny leading Miguel’s physical therapy. There were some heartfelt moments there for sure, but also a lot of comedic moments. I know Johnny lying about Miguel being a Make-A-Wish kid was wrong, but it’s also so funny to me that it took the power of rock and roll to help him push past some of his paralysis.
I do wanna say, when I had my own knee injury, I was out of the dojo for 10 months. I was struggling with school and life and had major depression. Physical therapy was hard, but I kept telling myself I had to persevere if I wanted to get that black belt. The Senseis at my dojo were very supportive the whole way through and were more than excited when I returned. My story and Miguel’s story could not exist in such a toxic environment as Kreese’s Cobra Kai.
I respect Mrs. LaRusso for trying to take action against Kreese. F the police. They should’ve started a whole campaign with parents and students.
Robby is a loose cannon, very much like Tory. That’s the kind of clientele that ends up at Kreese’s Cobra Kai, and I don’t think it’ll end well for anyone. Honestly, I’d be surprised if someone doesn’t die from this. I know it’s PG-13, but I think that’d really teach those Cobras a lesson.
Two season finales with gang wars. I know I’m supposed to be impressed with the fighting, but it’s just annoying. This is more than bullying — they’re criminals. Someone call the police. This is breaking and entering and aggravated assault. And it’s the 21st century? The LaRussos are rich as hell — please tell me they have cameras. This is the exact scenario that could take Kreese down. What other evidence do they need?
It was in Eli’s best interest to change sides. He definitely would’ve killed someone had he continued.
Season 4
Look, the “wax on, wax off” thing was nostalgic for a couple seasons, but can we see him teach some actual karate and philosophy? Like, at my dojo, my Sensei loves rambling about the history of our style. Isshinryu is relatively new, so my Sensei’s Sensei’s Sensei’s Sensei was the founder of the style — and that’s very rare. My Senseis also teach important values. It’s a whole system and activity for the kids. They also promote defense before offense. Self-defense is the best offense. We’re not being taught to start fights.
However... we do have tough warmups. We work on building strength. We do arm and leg conditioning on each other and through board breaking. We learn weapons, and there’s also an intense sparring program. Put it all together, and we are practicing a martial art.
Now Eagle Fang puts the “martial” in martial arts, while Miyagi-Do puts the “arts” in martial arts. They need to come together and balance both philosophies the way a lot of normal dojos do. This is what karate is.
That being said, it was HI LARIOUS seeing our Senseis teach each other. You just knew that was a recipe for comedy.
If Tory has all of these responsibilities, then why did she break parole by breaking into someone’s house? Why did she allow herself to lash out at a customer and get fired after being confronted by Mrs. LaRusso? Also... Mrs. LaRusso did not need to start beef with Tory. Like okay, confront her at work if you want, but don’t suddenly give her sympathy after Kreese gives you the sob story. You said your piece. The end.
I’m also the first to complain about Sam whining about drama, but I agreed with her bitterness when Tory came back to school. Tory is a very unlikeable character, but I’ll stand by a redemption arc if it’s done right. Sam has every right to hold a grudge for a little while after Tory almost killed her and broke into her house.
It’s so funny how they made it such a big deal that they changed the All Valley from an MMA/WWE brawl into an ACTUAL karate competition. I didn’t care about the results — I just wanted this show to do justice to kata, because kata is my best skill in karate... while sparring is my worst, soooo #JusticeForKata. Please, Miyagi-Do, show them how it’s done.
I know I complain a lot, but I actually do enjoy the show sometimes. Johnny and Miguel are the highlight of the series for me. Whether it’s the story-driven moments or the comedic moments, I’m always enjoying the show when they’re around. And omg, when Johnny sparred with Daniel and the last point was literally a tie — double knockdown — I laughed out loud.
Now we finally get to the competition, and the skills category consists of a choice between kata, board breaking, or weapons. Uhhhhhh... what? Weapons and kata are usually in their own divisions, and I don’t think I’ve ever heard of board breaking being a category at all, soooo... hey, it looked cool for television, I guess. But really — the show lost me at Carrie Underwood. Like wtf, this ain’t the Olympics opening ceremony.
Season 5
Daniel’s ability to hold 40-year grudges is fascinating. Dude is never willing to wait and see if someone has changed over the last 30 years. He immediately sees red and starts preaching about how the person is evil incarnate. Actually, everyone else can hold a 40-year grudge too — Daniel is just the master of it. With all of his wisdom and philosophy, he’s still so committed to hating someone just in case they deserve it... which, I mean, I guess they sometimes do.
I honestly don’t think I saw the movie that introduced Silver back in the day, but dude is crazy.
So Silver is trying to make Cobra Kai global? What’s the point? Global domination? Own every karate dojo in the world and you own the world? I’m just not understanding the thought process behind his goals. Is that the point? Like, you don’t understand why he wants to own every dojo because you’re supposed to realize he’s insane.
Glad the whole dojo gang war thing ended in time for the final season because I was really getting tired of it. However, I think the show reached its peak around Season 4 and maybe a little bit of Season 5 — at least for me. But by the time I reached this finale, I was like, “omg, home stretch, almost done.”
Season 6
Why is Kreese still around? Why are they forcing a redemption arc? Like, what in the Once Upon a Time is this crap?
Let’s be real for a second. The U.S. tends to win at a lot of sports. We love winning at the Olympics. But karate? ... I occasionally watch WKF content, and I never see the U.S. represented. It’s usually Japan against Europe and... old USSR countries, lol. Spain specifically always seems to have top-tier competition. Damián Quintero — how many times have I seen this man absolutely slay in kata?
Anyways, while there’s some hot competition in American karate tournaments, the level of the global martial arts scene is just a step or two above. But that’s real karate, not whatever MMA-style stuff Cobra Kai has been doing this whole series. So what do I know?
Learning about Miyagi’s past is giving “The Life and Lies of Dumbledore.” Like... why are we spending time on this? Why try to tarnish or challenge his memory? It’s giving Daniel some sort of existential crisis, and it just feels like a waste of time, bro.
At the end of that one episode, they ended up in Barcelona, and the big cliffhanger was that Kreese was leading Cobra Kai and Tory was on their team. It was all very overdramatized like it was supposed to be this epic shocking moment, but I didn’t budge. First of all, this was obviously just a way to get Eli onto the Miyagi-Do team while still keeping Tory in the Sekai Taikai team. Eli has had this whole series-long arc, and he deserved to be there.
Second — I guess the show did something right because I actually felt bad when Tory’s mom died, and I genuinely enjoyed her character this season so far.
However, Tory going back to Cobra Kai is unnecessary drama, and I still don’t understand how Kreese keeps getting around. Like, was I sleeping during his travel scenes? Isn’t he a fugitive? Where is the FBI? Why is he still here? I’m so tired of this man. The show had no idea how to raise the stakes for this big world-finals showdown, so this was apparently their solution.
THEN they dragged this competition out way longer than it needed to be. This season did not need to be 15 episodes. Silver did not need to come back either. Like, what the hell, bro?
And also... yo. Don’t fuck with Laura.
I was actually feeling pretty emotional when Miguel won. As you know, his story was one I’d been rooting for since early on... then they ruined it.
Sensei tie-breaker battle royale??????? Da fuq????????? I swear that’s not a thing. What the heck?
And I know I said I wanted Kreese and Silver gone, but I did not expect them to pull a The Legend of Korra Tarrlok/Amon ending.
LOVE the final scene with the fly. I think that tied the whole nostalgia theme of the show together really well and served as a great final nod to the main characters who made the series what it was.
Overall
This show was honestly ruined for me by the fact that I’ve been doing karate for over a decade and know too much about real karate, competitions, customs, and culture. I’m usually not like this as a fantasy fan, but I ended up having lengthy conversations with my Sensei about all the inaccuracies, so I don’t even feel bad. He had a lot to criticize too.
The show’s main theme was redemption. We saw redemption arcs in characters like Eli, Tory, and even Kreese for some reason. Even some of the heroes - even Sam had mistakes she needed to grow from. Johnny is obviously the center of this theme. He went from being a high school bully to a loser adult and really changed his own narrative throughout the series.
The way he tried to rebrand Cobra Kai was also his attempt at redeeming the dojo and its name. His Eagle Fang era was honestly iconic, though. I think the character and franchise really came full circle when Daniel stood there in his Cobra Kai gi asking Johnny if fear existed in his dojo. Even without being emotionally attached to the original films, that moment still got to me. Johnny is literally my favorite part of the show. Aside from his character arc, he’s just given the best lines. Whether he’s being offensive or just plain stupid, his dialogue works perfectly for his character, and the line delivery is spot on. I almost wanna suffer through the entire series again just to write down his best lines and make a compilation edit.
Miguel was the character I rooted for the most. I also had an injury that took me out of karate — not as severe as a broken back — but karate was still my biggest motivation during the healing process. I worked hard to recover so I could return to the dojo, and now I’m a black belt. Perseverance is one of the biggest lessons karate can teach you, and I think Miguel’s story represented that really well.
You cannot watch Cobra Kai without drowning in the nostalgia they try to shove down your throat. While I think the show stands well enough on its own, the writers really wanted Daniel to keep living in the past. If he starts dissociating, don’t worry — it’s just another flashback. Happens every five minutes. Lol.
The real star is Bob. B.O.B. — Body Opponent Bag. Look him up. We have four Bobs in our dojo — all named Bob. He’s the generic rubber punching dummy every dojo probably has, but whenever he made an on-screen appearance, I was rightfully hyped.
My Rating: ★★★★★★☆☆☆☆