Cobra Kai

***Cobra Kai*** is an American comedy-drama web television series based on the 1984 *The Karate Kid* film series, 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 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. and a fifth season in August 2021.

## 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 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 and James Inugaya a lonely teenager, comes under the wing of Daniel, who hires the boys at his car dealership, initially not knowing that Johnny is the father of Robby. Daniel eventually proves a positive influence to the boys, 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
* T.J.Williams as James Inugawa
* 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–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)
* Thomas Ian Griffith as Terry Silver (season 4-present)

### 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)
* Dan Ahdoot as Anoush
* Griffin Santopietro as Anthony LaRusso
* Susan Gallagher as Homeless Lynn
* 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)
* Okea Eme-Akwari as Shawn Payne (season 3-present)
* Dallas Dupree Young as Kenny Payne
* Oona O'Brien as Devon Lee
* Jayden Rivers as Abe
* A.J. Hicks as Edwin
* Chris Schmidt Jr. Jr. as Mikey
* John Cihangir as Doug Rickenberger (Season 2 - Season 3)

### 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, Chad McQueen, Danny Kamekona, Nobu McCarthy, Robyn Lively and Sean Kanan appear via archive footage from the films as Mr. Miyagi, Dutch, Sato Toguchi, Yukie, Jessica Andrews and Mike Barnes 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)

## 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.

## 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

 File:Enter the Dojo Music-Concert.jpg
**Enter the Dojo: The Music of Cobra Kai Live** is a one-night only musical event hosted by series composersLeo Birenberg and Zach Robinson. The ticketed concert takes place on June 23, 2022, at the Troubadour. Vince DiCola, composer of “Staying Alive” and “Rocky IV,” will also give a special performance with his band at the concert. Becca Schack is set to serve as the house DJ. General admission tickets will be sold for $30 and will go on sale Friday, May 6, at 10 a.m. PT on the Troubadour website. There will be additional VIP ticket options for meet-and-greet opportunities with Birenberg, Robinson and DiCola.

## 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.

## References

1. ↑ *Cobra Kai Renewed for Season 3 by YouTube* - CBR
2. ↑ 'Cobra Kai' Gets Early Season 4 Renewal at Netflix
3. ↑ *"‘Cobra Kai’ Casts Vanessa Rubio"* - Deadline
4. ↑ https://variety.com/2021/tv/news/cobra-kai-season-4-vanessa-rubio-peyton-list-1234916341/
5. ↑ https://variety.com/2021/tv/news/cobra-kai-season-4-vanessa-rubio-peyton-list-1234916341/
6. ↑ https://variety.com/2021/tv/news/cobra-kai-season-4-vanessa-rubio-peyton-list-1234916341/
7. ↑ https://variety.com/2021/tv/news/cobra-kai-season-4-vanessa-rubio-peyton-list-1234916341/
8. ↑ ‘Cobra Kai’ Concert Coming to the Troubadour (EXCLUSIVE)
9. ↑ Ralph Macchio and William Zabka Tale Jaden Smith's Karate Kid

## 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
* Official *Cobra Kai* Twitter
* Official *Cobra Kai* Facebook
* Official *Cobra Kai* Instagram

## Navigational

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