Cobra Kai

Cobra Kai
Film information
Genre	Comedy-drama Martial arts Action comedy
Created by	Josh Heald Jon Hurwitz Hayden Schlossberg
Based on	The Karate Kid series by Robert Mark Kamen
Starring	Ralph Macchio William Zabka Martin Kove
Country of origin	United States
Original language(s)	English
No. of seasons	4
No. of episodes	40
Executive producer(s)	Ralph Macchio William Zabka Will Smith James Lassiter Caleeb Pinkett Susan Ekins Josh Heald Jon Hurwitz Hayden Schlossberg
Producer(s)	Katrin L. Goodson Bob Wilson
Editor(s)	Nicholas Monsour Jeff Seibenick Ivan Victor
Production company(s)	Hurwitz & Schlossberg Productions Overbrook Entertainment Heald Productions (Season 2) Sony Pictures Television
Distributor	Sony Picture Television
Original network	YouTube Red (Season 1–2) Netflix (Season 1 - 4)
Picture format	4K (UHDTV)
Original release	May 2, 2018 – present

For the organization, see Cobra Kai Dojo.

Cobra Kai is an American comedy-drama web television series which is a sequel to The Karate Kid series from the four films, The Karate Kid (1984), The Karate Kid Part II (1986), The Karate Kid Part III (1989), and The Next Karate Kid (1994), created by Robert Mark Kamen. The first season premiered May 2, 2018 on YouTube Red. The television series takes place 34 years after the original film and follows the reopening of the Cobra Kai karate dojo by Johnny Lawrence and the rekindling of his old rivalry with Daniel LaRusso. The series was created by Jon Hurwitz, Hayden Schlossberg, and Josh Heald and stars Ralph Macchio and William Zabka, reprising their roles as Daniel LaRusso and Johnny Lawrence from the films respectively.

On May 10, 2018, it was announced that the series had been renewed for a second season of ten episodes that premiered in 2019. On May 2, 2019, YouTube renewed the series for a third season and on June 22, 2020, it moved to Netflix with the first two seasons being available on August 28, 2020, the third season released on January 1, 2021. In October 2020, the series was renewed for a fourth season ahead of the third season premiere.

Premise

Set thirty-four years after the events of the 1984 All Valley Karate Tournament, when a down-and-out Johnny Lawrence seeks redemption by reopening the infamous Cobra Kai karate dojo. The move reignites his rivalry with a now successful Daniel LaRusso, who has been struggling to maintain balance in his life without the guidance of his now-deceased mentor Mr. Miyagi. The show is about two men addressing past demons and present frustrations the only way they know how: through karate."

Running parallel to the conflict are the story arcs of Johnny and Daniel's students. Johnny opens a new Cobra Kai dojo that attracts a group of bullied nerds and social outcasts who find a camaraderie and self-confidence under his tutelage, but who take his aggressive philosophy too far, in particular his star pupil, Miguel Diaz. In contrast, Johnny's estranged son, Robby Keene, comes under the wing of Daniel, who hires the boy at his car dealership, initially not knowing that Johnny is his father. Daniel eventually proves a positive influence to the boy, teaching him Mr. Miyagi's philosophy of balance. Meanwhile, Daniel's daughter, Samantha, is caught in the middle of these conflicts as she learns who her true friends are and a better path to follow.

Cast

Main

• William Zabka as Johnny Lawrence
• Ralph Macchio as Daniel LaRusso
• Courtney Henggeler as Amanda LaRusso
• Xolo Maridueña as Miguel Diaz
• Tanner Buchanan as Robby Keene
• Mary Mouser as Samantha LaRusso
• Jacob Bertrand as Eli "Hawk" Moskowitz (season 2–present; recurring season 1)
• Gianni Decenzo as Demetri (season 2–present; recurring season 1)
• Martin Kove as John Kreese (season 2–present; guest season 1)
• Peyton List as Tory Nichols (season 4-present; recurring season 2-3)
• Vanessa Rubio as Carmen Diaz (season 4–present; recurring season 1-3)

Recurring

• Griffin Santopietro as Anthony LaRusso
• Joe Seo as Kyler (season 1; season 3-present)
• Annalisa Cochrane as Yasmine (season 1; season 3–present)
• Hannah Kepple as Moon
• Ed Asner as Sid Weinberg
• Nichole Brown as Aisha Robinson (season 1-2)
• Rose Bianco as Rosa Diaz
• Diora Baird as Shannon Keene
• Bo Mitchell as Brucks
• Kwajalyn Brown as Sheila
• Erin Bradley Dangar as Counselor Blatt
• Connor Murdock as Kev
• Gabe Bowles as Tim
• Owen Morgan as Bert
• Cameron Markeles as Frank
• Denzel K. Williams as Caleb
• Bret Ernst as Louie LaRusso Jr.
• Dan Ahdoot as Anoush
• Jonathan Mercedes as A.J.
• Dawson Towery as Rory
• Keith Arthur Bolden as Daryl
• Susan Gallagher as Homeless Lynn
• Terayle Hill as Trey
• Jeff Kaplan as Cruz
• Dallas Dupree Young as Kenny
• Oona O'Brien as Devon

Guest

• David Shatraw as Tom Cole
• Ken Davitian as Armand Zarkarian
• Randee Heller as Lucille LaRusso
• Ron Thomas as Bobby Brown
• Rob Garrison as Tommy
• Tony O'Dell as Jimmy
• Tamlyn Tomita as Kumiko
• Yuji Okumoto as Chozen Toguchi
• Elisabeth Shue as Ali Mills
• Traci Toguchi as Yuna
• Deborah May as Mrs. Mills

Pat Morita, Thomas Ian Griffith and Sean Kanan appear via archive footage from the films as Mr. Miyagi, Terry Silver and Mike Barnes respectively.

Episode List

Season 1

1. "Ace Degenerate"
2. "Strike First"
3. "Esqueleto"
4. "Cobra Kai Never Dies"
5. "Counterbalance"
6. "Quiver"
7. "All Valley"
8. "Molting"
9. "Different but Same"
10. "Mercy"

Season 2

1. "Mercy Part II"
2. "Back in Black"
3. "Fire and Ice"
4. "The Moment of Truth"
5. "All In"
6. "Take a Right"
7. "Lull"
8. "Glory of Love"
9. "Pulpo"
10. "No Mercy"

Season 3

1. "Aftermath"
2. "Nature Vs Nurture"
3. "Now You're Gonna Pay"
4. "The Right Path"
5. "Miyagi-Do"
6. "King Cobra"
7. "Obstáculos"
8. "The Good, The Bad, and The Badass"
9. "Feel The Night"
10. "December 19"

Season 4

1. "Let's Begin"
2. TBA
3. TBA
4. TBA
5. TBA
6. TBA
7. TBA
8. TBA
9. TBA
10. TBA

Reception

The series has been met with highly positive critical acclaim from both critics and the public at large . On the review aggregation website Rotten Tomatoes, the first season holds a 100% approval rating with an average rating of 7.29 out of 10 based on 22 reviews. The website's critical consensus reads, "Cobra Kai continues the Karate Kid franchise with a blend of pleasantly corny nostalgia and teen angst, elevated by a cast of well-written characters." Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the season a score of 72 out of 100 based on 11 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews." Cobra Kai has been praised for combining throwbacks to the original films with fresh, new storylines, combining different generations and time periods as well as dealing with dark and serious themes.