The “Cobra Kai” series has concluded, and while it could have been just another flop spinoff, it captured the attention of both an old fandom and new viewers alike by flipping the script of the 1984 “Karate Kid” movie. Over its seven years of production, it has surpassed its antecedent films with its expanded backstories for original characters, underdog sport narrative blended with relatable high school drama, and an unexpectedly introspective effect.
Miguel Diaz and his single mother are new tenants at a shabby apartment, and Diaz quickly finds himself victim to bullying by athletic jocks at his new high school. Eventually, he trains to defend himself with help of a maintenance man turned sensei. For original fans, this looks like a simple rehash of the story of Daniel “The Karate Kid” Larusso. While new fans might not notice this callback at first, the series provides plenty of parallels to compare Miguel and Daniel while allowing Miguel to be a distinct character. Despite being part of a franchise, “Cobra Kai” overcomes the limitations of previously established characters’ set identities through new, meaningful development.
The series managed to give depth to nearly every original character on the show. Johnny Lawrence, former antagonist of “The Karate Kid” and the show’s main character, takes up a mentorship role in the series, just as Miyagi did for Daniel in the movie. But Johnny is also shown to have joined Cobra Kai — then an evil karate dojo built on channeling hatred and deception into martial arts — after being bullied in his own home by his stepfather, mirroring Daniel’s bullying story as well. Johnny’s former sensei John Kreese is shown to be bullied much like Johnny and Daniel, motivating him to join the Vietnam War and put his fighting spirit and rage to use. He founded the Cobra Kai dojo on these values alongside his war buddy Terrance Silver. Eventually, we see that both Miyagi and Kreese were war veterans who used martial arts as solace after losing the love of their lives during their time overseas. Terrance, like Kreese in the original movies, was painted to be a heinous man with no reasoning behind his remorseless actions in the third Karate Kid film, where he terrorized a teenage Daniel as revenge for winning a local karate tournament. But the show transforms him into someone whose internal troubles drove his insanity and who eventually bested his own demons.
While using nostalgia as a driving force for attention, the series manages to throw all preconceived notions of these characters out the window. Protagonists are egotistical bullies. Antagonists are underdogs with fighting spirits. Villainous masterminds were set on their paths the same way our heroes were. This is a grandiose juxtaposition that forces introspection with redemption as payoff after 65 episodes.
Just like the originals, “Cobra Kai” brings the underdog spirit of “Rocky” and combines it with a younger cast and high school romance. While the films have their romantic side-quests, “Cobra Kai” integrates these as key features of a martial arts story. Targeted at a younger audience, the show brings romantic interests into the sport by mirroring fight skill with unresolved drama, high school love and emotional turmoil. When characters’ jealousy puts a relationship on rocky ground, their skills begin to falter, and taking a break amid a tournament leads the top competitor to the bottom of the tournament. But the moment they clear the air, they rise to the top. Even when their relationship is the only stable piece of their lives, these teenagers transform into fighters. This emotional synchrony deepens the value of small, personal interactions and makes fights profoundly important to character development.
Relationships are central to “Cobra Kai’s” plot, whether they are friendships, romances or most relevant: mentorships. The themes of mentorship blend with trauma and betrayal, creating a pantheon of mentors and mentees. Kreese attempted to shelter Johnny from trauma as a victim to abusers of power, Johnny attempted to shield Robby from a bad father by leaving his life and Robby’s efforts were to keep Kenny from channeling struggle and pain into malice and hate. But all of these mentors failed their disciples, propagating the cycle of generational trauma that pushed mentee and mentor apart. They eventually realized their wrongs, not with their mentees, but their own mentors, and understood the good intentions their mentors had for them.
My love for this show doesn’t mask me from seeing its flaws. The lines between protagonist and antagonist blur when infuriating stubbornness drives an all-out brawl. The melodrama peaks at the end of season 2’s cliffhanger — a high school fight over a messy dating life sends someone to juvie, another into PTSD and one to the hospital. While their stupidity temporarily dilutes character depth, it gives an opportunity for enthralling fight scenes and creates challenges to deepen the character development that this show excels in.
“Cobra Kai’s” action-packed, nostalgia driven, adrenaline-soaked whirlwind of emotion drew me to the edge of my seat. With a new movie joining the saga later in May, I hope the directors continue the momentum they had developing the show. But in the meantime, if you’re looking to watch something that’s relevant across generations and has the potential to force you to introspection, then this series is a top recommendation.