Cobra KaiIs the AwesomeKarate KidSequel You May or May Not Have Known You Wanted

Imagine if one of your favorite childhood movie set about a five - hour subsequence that was everything you could ’ve ever wanted and more . Well , if you bang The Karate Kid , now you do n’t have to imagine it . It ’s here and it ’s called Cobra Kai .

come exclusively to YouTube Red on May 2 , the 10 - episode series tells a level in the world of The Karate Kid set decades after the movie . Yes , all the original films are canon here ( even the fourth one , The Next Karate Kid , which starred a untested Hilary Swank ) , but the story is chiefly concerned with the first two . This is the story of what ’s bump to Daniel LaRusso ( Ralph Macchio ) and Johnny Lawrence ( William Zabka ) in 2018 , and the fate that bring the former contender back to each other ’s throat . principally , it ’s Johnny ’s decision to restart the one affair Daniel hates more than anything : Cobra Kai .

I need to allow in something : I am a Karate Kid superfan . I ’ve date the moving picture infinite time . I sleep together the soundtrack , the tone of voice , the characters , all of it . I am 100 percent not coming at Cobra Kai from a place of objectiveness . Despite my love — or maybe because of it — I was super skeptical about the theme of this show , and quick to pounce if it was n’t faithful to the generator cloth . But I held out a small paring of promise that it would work .

Argentina’s President Javier Milei (left) and Robert F. Kennedy Jr., holding a chainsaw in a photo posted to Kennedy’s X account on May 27. 2025.

So , which would it be ? All my anxiousness was relieved in , literally , the first second of instalment one . now , it ’s evident Cobra Kai is in the good hands . Those hands belong to executive producer Josh Heald , Jon Hurwitz , and Hayden Schlossberg . Though the trio is best known for R - rated drollery like Hot Tub Time Machine and the Harold and Kumar motion picture , Cobra Kai is not like those at all . There ’s wit , but no more or less than the original motion picture . Instead , Cobra Kai is a show that totally gets what made The Karate Kid so special . It ’s as much a continuation of the Karate Kid story as it is an homage to its legacy , and that works , in large part , because Cobra Kai perfectly mimics the tone of the original film . The original Karate Kid films have a touching seriousness to them , but also a weird , ‘ 80s border , peculiarly when viewed back through history . Cobra Kai attractively fuse those together with its new spin on The Karate Kid news report . It ’s very aware of itself and turn in just the right amount of winks and nods to the first movie and its sequels , but without distracting from the young story it ’s relation .

Cobra Kai would n’t be a winner if that ’s all it was , though . No one ( well , except maybe me ) wants to see two man in their 50s press each other because they had beef in high-pitched school . gratefully , the warmheartedness of Cobra Kai is a new propagation of karate kids . First there ’s Miguel ( Xolo Maridueña ) , who is kind of the Daniel of the story ; he ’s a young kid who moves into a fresh apartment , gets bullied , and asks the building superintendent there to learn him karate . That super just so happens to be Johnny Lawrence .

There ’s Johnny ’s Word Robby ( Tanner Buchanan ) , who detest his Padre with a cacoethes , and Daniel ’s girl , Sam ( Mary Mouser ) , who Daniel is lose touch with . Those stories and others give the show a reasonableness to exist in 2018 , while also furnish Daniel and Johnny enough motivation to bring back the past .

William Duplessie

These stories work well when they share some DNA with the original movies , and work a little less well when they ’re completely on their own . But even when the show slows down a fiddling , there ’s always some Karate Kid thaumaturgy to bring it back . Sometimes it ’s just a single line or shot ; other times it ’s a small piece of medicine or all important level connectedness . Then , there are scenes that are straight up , 100 pct ripoffs of the movies . And yet , they are never overstated . Even in the moments where it feels like the show is move to go over the top , things quickly rule back in . The God Almighty know these jokes and winks only go so far .

to boot , the series works in large part because Maridueña is crazy good as Miguel . He ’s get a great account bow throughout the series , and is continually sympathetic and prosperous to root for , which makes the fact he ’s learning karate through the “ evil ” Cobra Kai very compelling . Robby , unfortunately , gets a little curtly - vary compare to the other graphic symbol . He ’s a key element in the plot , though , so his lack of development hamstring some of the season ’s more climactic moments . And yet , it ’s heavy not to appreciate the elbow grease and flight of secernate a taradiddle that feels very much like Karate Kid , but still feels raw .

Reprising their original persona , Zabka and Macchio both start off coasting on the leftover charisma of their 20 - twelvemonth - old selves , so there are moments where each gives an on occasion cringe - worthy line legal transfer or chemical reaction . However , as the show conk out on , both actor , Zabka in particular , get increasingly comfortable in their older , wiser skins . By the last few episode , they ’re turn in awe-inspiring performances as Johnny and Daniel ’s older , knowing embodiment .

Starship Test 9

All that said , Cobra Kai still feels like a fleck of an enigma . Undoubtedly , this is a show by the fans for the fans . If you are a Karate Kid devotee like myself , I ’m positive it will win you over with its unembarrassed adoration for the franchise , and you ’ll also be more unforced to forgive the show ’s singultus because of it .

On the other hand , I honestly have no idea how a non - fan will oppose to this . The show is such a love missive to the picture show that , while it puzzle out on a introductory level , I ’m not sure it would hold the same appeal for people follow into cold . Without that nostalgic touchstone to build upon , peradventure the kids are n’t as interesting . perchance the melodrama is a bit too much . possibly Zabka and Macchio are n’t as lovely as they come off . I honestly do n’t know , because I eff the series too much . Nor do I know if any of that matters on a show that survive on a YouTube subscription inspection and repair .

What I do have sex is that I , a Karate Kid fan , fucking love Cobra Kai . It made me laugh , it made me call out , it made me pump my clenched fist in the line out of sheer joy . It delivers a intimate story with just enough modern tactual sensation to warrant the return to a franchise I ’ve loved for my entire life . This is the Karate Kid continuation I never knew I want , but am bloody certainly beaming to have . Bring on season two .

Lilo And Stitch 2025