It’s been forty years since The Karate Kid hit the theaters in 1984, and it’s been six years since a sequel TV series called Cobra Kai was released. The first episodes of the sixth season of Cobra Kai recently dropped on Netflix. Season six will bring Cobra Kai to an end.
The two main characters from The Karate Kid, Daniel LaRusso and Johnny Lawrence, returned in Cobra Kai. In The Karate Kid, Johnny was a student at the Cobra Kai karate dojo. He harassed Daniel at school until Daniel started practicing karate at a different dojo. They eventually competed in a karate competition and with the help of his sensei, Daniel defeated his bully. As adults in Cobra Kai, Daniel and Johnny both matured and gained a mutual respect for each other. That respect didn’t last after Johnny revived Cobra Kai, subsequently causing Daniel to bring back his old karate dojo. This karate resurrection set off a war between the younger generation in Cobra Kai, including Daniel and Johnny’s children.
Cobra Kai is in no means realistic. Practically all of the plot is dramatized and would never happen in real life. Teenagers constantly get in karate fights with each other and the adults in their lives don’t really take the proper measures to prevent it from happening. Although it may be unrealistic, the constant fighting is still entertaining to watch. One interesting connection between the movie and show is the affect of Daniel and Johnny’s rivalry on their kids and students. Every season the relationships between each character changes drastically. Friendships form and fall apart quickly. In past seasons Daniel and Johnny’s relationship in particular was somewhat erratic, changing with every episode. This was reflected through Daniel’s daughter, who also made a karate rival and had a complicated relationship with her for the first five seasons. In season six, Johnny and Daniel are friends once again and are working together as senseis under one united dojo, preparing to compete with their students in the most important karate competition in the world, the Sekai Taikai. These unhinged friendships and rivalries that go all the way back to The Karate Kid are the best part of the show.
There are many references to The Karate Kid in Cobra Kai, as well as returning characters from it, so having at the very least some knowledge of the first movie makes the show more understandable. Daniel and Johnny are not the only connections to the film. Past seasons of Cobra Kai have featured many important side characters from The Karate Kid, mainly old villains that returned to wreak havoc on the dojos. So far season six is no exception to the trend. The main characters are now facing off against Johnny’s cruel former sensei at the Sekai Taikai.
Cobra Kai is overall a very comedic and some may say unserious show. There are very sweet relationships and it really drives home the theme that rivalries can come to an end and enemies can become friends. The last season is split up into three parts. The next episodes will be released on November 15 and the last episodes will come out in 2025. The first five episodes of season six are left on a cliff hanger, so the release of the next ones are highly awaited. Season six is the final season of Cobra Kai, bringing the long show to an end.
