Cobra Kai: a reexamination of The Karate Kid narrative

Cobra Kai is the YouTube action comedy-drama series which takes place 34 years after the events of The Karate Kid (1984). Created by Jon Hurwitz, Hayden Schlossberg, and Josh Heald, it stars Ralph Macchio and William Zabka who reprise their roles as Daniel LaRusso and Johnny Lawrence and serve as co-executive producers. Cobra Kai also stars Xolo Mariduena as Miguel Diaz, Courtney Henggeler as Amanda LaRusso, Daniel’s wife, Tanner Buchanan as Robbie Kenne as Johnny’s estranged son, and Mary Mouser as Samantha LaRusso as Daniel and Amanda’s teenage daughter. The series sets to reexamine The Karate Kid narrative from Johnny Lawrence’s point of view and the aftermath of his defeat in the first film. Season One was released on May 2, 2018 and season 2 was released on April 24, 2019. A third season is expected to release sometime in 2020.

After his defeat in the 1984 All-Valley Karate Tournament, Johnny Lawrence had fallen hard from his wealthy lifestyle in Encino. Now in his 50s, Johnny works construction and lives in an apartment in Reseda. After losing his job, the down and out Johnny rescues his teenage neighbor, Miguel, from a gang of bullies by using karate, in similar fashion that Mr. Miyagi had rescued Daniel. As first reluctant, he ultimately agrees to teach Miguel karate and decides to reopen the Cobra Kai. Unfortunately, this decision rekindles his rivalry with Daniel LaRusso, who is now the owner of a highly successful car dealership. Finally living the wealthy lifestyle, he envied as a teen, he struggles to connect with his children and keep his life in balance. The newly open Cobra Kai dojo attracts a group of bullied social outcasts. While the Cobra Kai philosophy of “Strike First. Strike Hard. No Mercy” remains the same, Johnny also adds a sense of honor. As a means of revenge against his estranged father, Robbie begins to work for Daniel and develops a close friendship with Daniel and his family. Daniel begins to teach Robbie karate in the style of Mr. Miyagi. The events revolve around the primary characters which lead to conflicts between Johnny and Daniel and their students.

A few ago, someone did an analysis of The Karate Kid in which he states that Johnny was the real victim and Daniel was the bully. I remember the explosion of discussion afterwards. Years of watching the movie and rooting for Daniel, I saw with new eyes and yes, I can see how Johnny was the real victim (the ultimate bully was his mentor and sense John Kreese). Cobra Kai takes that idea and runs with it. In this show, the audience roots for Johnny as he has struggles to overcome his past while Daniel is riding his laurels and fame into the wealth and fortune. I also liked that despite Daniel’s good life, he still has issues. He has lost his connection with his children while his wife and his mother have a tenuous relationship. Daniel also struggles to past on Mr. Miyagi’s teachings and even ignores the first rule of Miyagi Karate: “Karate for defense only” and often takes an attack stance when he confronts Johnny.  Daniel is still a whiny baby, which is one reason I disliked Daniel in The Karate Kid franchise, as he focuses on what doesn’t go his way rather than focuses on what he can do to make it better.

While there wasn’t much I didn’t like about the show, the main aspect of the show I didn’t care for was that by the end of the second season, the stories were more about the teens and their love triangles than about the rivalry between Johnny and Daniel. Although, the animosity between the teens is, in part, fueled by the rivalry and devotion to their respective dojos. Second, there were scenes that were very unbelievable. In one scene, two teens are fighting at the school and there no adults in sight. The fight even grows and covers a lot of ground and still no adults. At one point, a student does bring a teacher, who then cowardly says “I don’t get paid enough” and runs in the other direction. At my high school, the minute someone even whispered “fight,” the administrators and teachers were all over the situation. The extended fight sequences were too farfetched to be believable especially in today’s school atmosphere. However, I will admit that the fight scenes were cool to watch.

In conclusion, Cobra Kai received overwhelmingly positive reviews from both critics and fans. After watching both seasons, I can see why. It is the only recent show in which my husband actually watched all the episodes. The third season is being eagerly awaited as fans want to see the fallout from the season two finale. It is a great mix of nostalgia, drama and action. It shouts out to the fans who helped make The Karate Kid the enduring franchise that it is as well as deals with a few fan theories that have developed over the years. If you get the opportunity to watch Cobra Kai, I highly recommend it.