Cobra Kai is without a doubt one of the best shows on Netflix. In fact, this epic Karate series is one of the best TV shows currently airing. Cobra Kai continues the story of the main four films in The Karate Kid franchise, which includes The Karate Kid, The Karate Kid 2, Karate Kid 3, and The Next Karate Kid.
34 years after the events of The Karate Kid, William Zabka returns as a down on his luck Johnny Lawrence, whose life has gone downhill since his defeat at the seventh annual All Valley Karate Championship in 1985. After saving a teen from bullies, Johnny decides to bring back the infamous Cobra Kai Dojo, which two-time All Valley champ Daniel LaRusso isn’t too happy about, prompting him to open Miyagi Do, to fight back against Cobra Kai.
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Starting life on YouTube Red back in 2015, with two hit seasons that fans immediately fell in live with. Soon after, the show was canceled by YouTube Red, which left fans devastated. However, it wasn’t long before Netflix bought the rights for the show, and Cobra Kai found a new home, where it is still punching and kicking today.
To say Cobra Kai is a must-watch is an understatement, and in terms of quality storytelling and characters, the show easily rivals the greats such as Game of Thrones, Breaking Bad, The Boys, and Netflix’s own Stranger Things. With season five dropping on September 9th, what better time to binge this epic Karate series? So, grab your Karate Gis as we break down why this phenomenal TV show is a must-watch for everyone.
Developed Characters
Sony Pictures Television
At the core of the show, are the characters and their arcs throughout the series. Cobra Kai is a masterclass in perfectly-written characters. The show runners, Josh Heald, Jon Hurwitz, and Hayden Schlossberg, give every character their own nuances, which are only elevated by the exceptional performances from the entire cast. Who would have thought that Johnny Lawrence is currently one of the best and most beloved characters on TV right now? We don’t just love these characters; we absolutely adore them. Even with the “bad guys”, we understand their motivations, and why they are the way they are, making us care for them all the same. We now care for John Kreese, the Cobra Kai sensei who told Johnny Lawrence to “sweep the leg”. What world are we living in?
The same goes for the other character arcs throughout the show. You will be shouting at your screens when your favorite character does something cool, or goes through a devastating moment. Like when an antagonist turns good, and helps Miyagi Do and Eagle Fang take down the dreaded Cobra Kai. The best example of this, is when Eli “The Hawk” Mosckowitz, the self-centered, overly confident bully, turns the tide and helps his old friends from being attacked by Cobra Kai in one of the best moments in the show. While Cobra Kai is a martial arts series on the surface, the engaging characters and spectacular character arcs elevate this series to greatness.
Incredible Action
The Karate Kid is easily one of the best martial arts films of the ’80s, with the help of its exciting fight scenes. Cobra Kai only doubles down on these. The fight scenes in this action-packed series are amazing and truly have to be seen to be believed. The show delivers well-choreographed and beautifully shot action scenes, along with impressive physicality from all the actors. The action in this show isn’t just in the series for the sake of it. Instead, every single action scene serves the purpose of driving the story along. Whether it’s a fight at the All Valley Karate Tournament, or a fight that leaves one of our favorite characters in a devastating state.
The Best Franchise Revival Since… Ever!
Netflix
A very successful trend in Hollywood is rebooting beloved franchises, from Star Wars, to Halloween, to most recently, Scream, and Top Gun. With some of the best revivals finding their homes on television. While many of the franchise revivals are no doubt successful, none have brought new life to a classic franchise better than Cobra Kai.
Cobra Kai has introduced a new generation to the ’80s classic and instantly made new audiences fans of the franchise, making them want to visit the movies for the very first time. By using footage from the three movies, it has also helped new audiences easily understand the motivations behind many returning characters of the franchise, and helps elevate this epic show. Similarly, this TV series has brought the same magic and spice as the original movies that made fans fall in love with the classic ’80s films.
Fan Service
Cobra Kai does fan service like no other, delivering everything fans could ever dream of, and more. The show shines in bringing back fan-favorite characters from the Karate Kid movies, like John Kreese, Chozen, Ali Mills, and Terry Silver. Season five even has Mike Barnes returning to the franchise. Here’s hoping we get Hilary Swank’s return as Julie Pearce. However, these characters aren’t just brought back for a fun little throw-away cameo. No, every returning character serves the purpose of expanding on the story and helping one of our main characters grow. For example, when John Kreese returns to the Cobra Kai dojo, it is so Johnny can realize how evil Cobra Kai is, and how manipulating Sensei Kreese was, and still is. Another moment is when Chozen returned, which gave Daniel that edge to beat Cobra Kai and give him his final source of Miyagi wisdom, and with Chozen returning for season five, it is safe to say that his character has so much more to provide to the show.
Cobra Kai Makes The Karate Kid Movies Better
While the first Karate Kid was one of the best coming-of-age movies of the ’80s, the other three didn’t necessarily live up to the greatness of the first. Those movies rightfully had their faults, but re-watching these movies after watching Cobra Kai, and knowing where these characters end up, only adds layers and depth to those otherwise not great movies.
While some franchise revivals may decide to ret-con movies by not mentioning the events of the movies in world, or even during the production stage, where the movie or series fits into the franchise and what is canon and what isn’t. Cobra Kai not only mentions these events, but proves how important those moments were to the characters, and is the best showcase of ret-conning in Hollywood to date.
