Cobra Kaiended after six seasons in February 2025, with Daniel LaRusso and Johnny Lawrence finally putting their differences aside to teach karate together. It was the perfect ending for the two characters, who’d been rivals in one form or another ever since 1984’sThe Karate Kid. However, this was the ending to a very differentCobra Kaifrom the show’s first two seasons. Although Johnny was a central character in the show’s initial episodes, with Daniel also playing a prominent role, its main focus was actually on a new generation of karate students.
What madeCobra Kaiso special in the first place was that it took the magic of theKarate Kidfranchise and applied it to a different context, completely reinventing the story for viewers who weren’t alive when the originalKarate Kidmovieswere released. While the show’s later seasons are still impressive, they move away from its initial premise. The maincharacters ofCobra Kaiare no longer its karate students, but the older karate masters revived fromThe Karate Kidand its sequels. This change means thelater seasons increasingly rely on the nostalgia of longtime franchise fans.
Cobra Kai Became A Different Show After Season 2
It Shifted Focus From Teen Drama To The Backstories Of Karate Kid Characters
Cobra Kaiseason 2 endswith a hard-hitting storyline focused on its teenage protagonists, Robby Lawrence, Sam LaRusso and Miguel Diaz. Johnny Lawrence and Daniel LaRusso are a major part of the story, but it’s ultimately not about them. On the other hand, John Kreese’s return to running the Cobra Kai dojo in one of the season’s final scenes sets up a revival of thebestKarate Kidvillain’s antagonistic role in the lives of both Lawrence and LaRusso. Kreese becomes a main character fromCobra Kaiseason 3 onwards, with the show even dedicating extensive screentime to his backstory.
From season 3,Cobra Kaiseems more interested in expanding on major character arcs from The Karate Kid.
The promotion of John Kreese to the status of a major character inCobra Kairesulted inthe series becoming a prequel to theKarate Kidmovies, as well as a sequel. Its storylines began to explore theorigin stories not only of Kreese, but otherKarate Kidcharacters like Mr. Miyagi, Chozen and Terry Silver. Miguel Diaz is the main protagonist in the show’s first season, and yet, fromCobra Kaiseason 3 onwards, he’s relegated to the position of a secondary character. The series seems more interested in expanding on major character arcs fromThe Karate Kid.
The School Fight Was The Perfect Ending For Cobra Kai’s First 2 Seasons
Cobra Kai’s Miguel, Robby & Sam Storylines Needed A Dramatic Conclusion
On the other hand, theCobra Kai’sclimactic school fightin the final episode of season 2, entitled “No Mercy”, is the perfect way to wrap up the show’s various storylines about its younger characters. An almighty battle in the school corridor ensues between karate students of theCobra Kaiand Miyagi-do dojos, run by Johnny Lawrence and Daniel LaRusso, respectively,involving all the main students from the first two seasons of the show. The fight concludes with a tragic accident, as Robby Lawrence accidentally kicks Miguel Diaz off a stairwell, causing him serious spinal injuries.
This shocking conclusion is a downer for the season to end on, but it reflectsthe harmful direction in which the rivalry between Lawrence and LaRusso’s karate schools was heading. As LaRusso’s wife, Amanda, tells him, “No more karate. It’s over.” Of course, the karate inCobra Kaiis only just getting started. In fact, what the end of season 2 signals is that the era ofCobra Kaibeing a show principally about teen drama, and Daniel LaRusso’s personal grudge against Johnny Lawrence, is over. The show was turning over a new page.
It Was Only Natural For Cobra Kai To Change After Season 2
After Such A Devastating End To Season 2, The Show Needed A Reset
Given its dramatic and, in some ways, harrowing season 2 finale,Cobra Kaihad no choice but to change things up for its next season. John Kreese taking back the Cobra Kai dojo from Johnny Lawrence at the end of season 2 sets up his larger role in the series from season 3 onwards, but it’s the serious injury to Miguel Diaz that effectively makesCobra Kaia different show after its first two seasons.
Miguel goes from playing a similar role to Johnny’s in the originalKarate Kidto being a relatively minor character inCobra Kai’s last four seasons. While it’s true that he is given some interesting subplots, including his journey to Mexico to find his father, he’s largely an appendage of his mother, Carmen, who’s in a relationship with Johnny.
What’s more, the show had many more hours to fill than the total run-time of the originalKarate Kidmovie trilogy. It might have worked for the movies to essentially rehash the same storyline in different ways over the course of three 90-minute feature films, butCobra Kairuns for five hours per season.It couldn’t keep focusing on the rivalry between Miguel and Robby, alongside the grudge between LaRusso and Lawrence, for the whole of its six-season run. The decision of the showrunners to shift focus is understandable, and makes for a better watch overall.
I Love Cobra Kai, But I Liked The Show’s Earlier Seasons Better
All 6 Seasons Are Great, But Seasons 1 & 2 Bring More Originality To The Table
At the same time,Cobra Kailost something when it moved on from the main storylines of its first two seasons. When it first came out on YouTube Premium, the show felt fresh and contemporary, tying a classic movie franchise to the authentic personal stories of teenagers today. Watching the laterCobra Kaiseasons, it feels like we’re going back in time, as though theKarate Kidmoviescontinued beyond their third instalment released in 1989, with further prequel and sequel releases.
The increasing emphasis on nostalgia forThe Karate Kidas the show developed arguably made it less interesting for newcomers to the franchise.Cobra Kaiis its own show, which has deservedly become enormously successful on its own terms. It also does a much better job of balancing the legacy of the originalKarate Kidwith bringing something new to the table than 2010’s cinematicKarate Kidreboot. Ultimately, the something new thatCobra Kaioffers up is more important than the nostalgic elements of the show. As a consequence, seasons 1 and 2 remain the best of the series.
