This article is about the television series. You may be looking for the organization, Cobra Kai Dojo. |
Cobra Kai is an American comedy-drama web television series that serves as a sequel to the 1984 The Karate Kid film series, created by Robert Mark Kamen. The first season premiered May 2, 2018, on YouTube Premium, known at the time as YouTube Red.
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[1] and on June 22, 2020, it moved to Netflix with the first two seasons becoming available on August 27, 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.[2] and a fifth season in August 2021. The series was renewed for a sixth and final season on January 20, 2023.
The series was created by Jon Hurwitz, Hayden Schlossberg, and Josh Heald. It stars Ralph Macchio and William Zabka reprising their roles as Daniel LaRusso and Johnny Lawrence, respectively.
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.[3] 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 there are some 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
Starring
- 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 Alexopoulos (Season 2–4, season 6; recurring season 1, season 5)
- Martin Kove as John Kreese (Season 2–present; guest season 1)
- Peyton List as Tory Nichols (Season 4-present; recurring season 2-3)[4]
- Vanessa Rubio as Carmen Diaz (Season 4–present; recurring season 1-3)[5]
- Thomas Ian Griffith as Terry Silver (Season 4-5)
- Dallas Dupree Young as Kenny Payne (Season 5-present; recurring season 4)[6]
Recurring/Supporting
- Aedin Mincks as Mitch (Season 2-present)
- Joe Seo as Kyler Park (Season 1; Season 3-present)
- Khalil Everage as Chris (Season 2-present)
- Annalisa Cochrane as Yasmine (Season 1; Season 3–present)
- Hannah Kepple as Moon
- Nichole Brown as Aisha Robinson (Season 1-2; Season 4)
- Rose Bianco as Rosa Diaz
- Diora Baird as Shannon Keene
- Bo Mitchell as Brucks (Season 1; season 3)
- Owen Morgan as Bert
- Bret Ernst as Louie LaRusso Jr. (Season 1; Season 3-present)
- Dan Ahdoot as Anoush
- Griffin Santopietro as Anthony LaRusso
- Susan Gallagher as Homeless Lynn (Season 1-4)
- Terayle Hill as Trey (Season 1-3)
- Jeff Kaplan as Cruz (Season 1-3)
- Nathaniel Oh as Nathaniel (Season 2-present)
- Paul Walter Hauser as Stingray (Season 2: Season 4-present)
- Okea Eme-Akwari as Shawn Payne (season 3-present)
- Oona O'Brien as Devon Lee[7] (Season 4-present)
- Jayden Rivers as Abe (Season 2-present)
- A.J. Hicks as Edwin
- Chris Schmidt Jr. Jr. as Mikey (Season 2-3)
- John Cihangir as Doug Rickenberger (Season 2-3)
- Yuji Okumoto as Chozen Toguchi (Season 3-present)
- Alicia Hannah-Kim as Kim Da-Eun (Season 5-6)
Guest
- David Shatraw as Tom Cole (Season 1-3)
- Ken Davitian as Armand Zarkarian (Season 1-3)
- Randee Heller as Lucille LaRusso (Season 1-4)
- Ron Thomas as Bobby Brown (Season 2-3)
- Rob Garrison as Tommy (Season 2)
- Tony O'Dell as Jimmy (Season 2)
- Tamlyn Tomita as Kumiko (Season 3)
- Elisabeth Shue as Ali Mills (Season 3)
- Traci Toguchi as Yuna (Season 3)
- Deborah May as Mrs. Mills (Season 3)
- Robyn Lively as Jessica Andrews (Season 5)
- Sean Kanan as Mike Barnes (Season 5-6)
- C. S. Lee as Kim Sun-Yung (Season 6)
Pat Morita, Chad McQueen, Danny Kamekona, and Nobu McCarthy appear via archive footage from the films as Mr. Miyagi, Dutch, Sato Toguchi, and Yukie respectively.
Episode Guide
- Season 1 - 2018 (10 episodes)
- Season 2 - 2019 (10 episodes)
- Season 3 - 2021 (10 episodes)
- Season 4 - 2021 (10 episodes)
- Season 5 - 2022 (10 episodes)
- Season 6 - 2024 & 2025 (15 episodes)
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.
Awards and Nominations
Merchandise
- Main article: Cobra Kai/Merchandise
Courtesy of Netflix, Sony Pictures, several other brands, Cobra Kai has a plethora of official merchandise available to fans. These include books, graphic novels, DVD sets, apparel, accessories, and more. Netflix also partners with established brands. A list of notable official merchandise can be found here.
Cobra Kai Concert
Enter the Dojo: The Music of Cobra Kai Live was a one-night only musical event hosted by series composersLeo Birenberg and Zach Robinson. The ticketed concert took place on June 23, 2022, at the Troubadour. Vince DiCola, composer of “Staying Alive” and “Rocky IV,” gav3e a special performance with his band at the concert. Becca Schack served as the house DJ. General admission tickets were sold for $30 and went on sale Friday, May 6, at 10 a.m. PT on the Troubadour website. There were additional VIP ticket options for meet-and-greet opportunities with Birenberg, Robinson and DiCola.[8]
Notes and Trivia
- The creators of the show refer to Cobra Kai as an extension of the "Miyagi-verse", so any character that interacted with Mr. Miyagi or his direct peers are canon for the show. The characters acted by Jackie Chan and Jaden Smith are not in the same universe since it was a remake. On the flipside, Julie Pierce, who appeared in the spin-off of the original trilogy is canon due to interacting with Mr. Miyagi.[9] Will Smith receives an executive producer credit on the series due to his Overlook Entertainment's involvement in the 2010 film, though his actual involvement with the series is reported to be minimal.[10]
References
- ↑ Cobra Kai Renewed for Season 3 by YouTube - CBR
- ↑ 'Cobra Kai' Gets Early Season 4 Renewal at Netflix
- ↑ "‘Cobra Kai’ Casts Vanessa Rubio" - Deadline
- ↑ https://variety.com/2021/tv/news/cobra-kai-season-4-vanessa-rubio-peyton-list-1234916341/
- ↑ https://variety.com/2021/tv/news/cobra-kai-season-4-vanessa-rubio-peyton-list-1234916341/
- ↑ https://variety.com/2021/tv/news/cobra-kai-season-4-vanessa-rubio-peyton-list-1234916341/
- ↑ https://variety.com/2021/tv/news/cobra-kai-season-4-vanessa-rubio-peyton-list-1234916341/
- ↑ ‘Cobra Kai’ Concert Coming to the Troubadour (EXCLUSIVE)
- ↑ Ralph Macchio and William Zabka Tale Jaden Smith's Karate Kid
- ↑ Why Will Smith Is An Executive Producer On Cobra Kai
External links
- Cobra Kai on Netflix
- Official Cobra Kai YouTube channel
- Includes all episodes from seasons one and two (YouTube Premium subscription required to watch most episodes)
- YouTube channel technically discontinued - promotional material for season three and beyond will appear on Netflix YouTube channel instead however new content has been added recently from seasons 3 to 6.
- Official Cobra Kai Twitter
- Official Cobra Kai Facebook
- Official Cobra Kai Instagram