Best Seasons Of Cobra Kai

In 1984, The Karate Kid introduced the world to Daniel La Russo, Johnny Lawrence, and the legendary Sensei Mr. Miyagi, telling the story of Daniel as he moves from New Jersey to The Valley and is bullied by Johnny Lawrence and his fellow Cobra Kai Karate members. Mr. Miyagi saves Daniel and agrees to train him with his unconventional methods in the art of Karate so that he can protect himself from his bullies before entering and winning the All Valley Karate Championship. With a lot of 80s cheese, this underdog story expanded into a franchise containing two sequels, a requel, and a reboot on the big screen.

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But the most successful continuation of the franchise came to the small screen, originally through YouTube Red before Netflix, in Cobra Kai. In Cobra Kai, viewers see a down on his luck Johnny Lawrence who never got over his loss to LaRusso, attempting to revive his old Karate dojo and subsequently reigniting the rivalry. The show went on to critical and commercial success for Netflix and recently completed its final season, but how does every season of Cobra Kai rank?

6

Season Four

Cobra Kai’s Fourth Season Is Flawed But Fun

• Best Episode: “The Rise”
• Worst Episode: “Kicks Get Chicks”

Cobra Kai, up until Season Four, had kept its villains relatively grounded, as much as a show about warring Karate dojo’s can do. But with the reintroduction of Terry Silver in Season Four, the show largely began to feel sillier than it ever had before.

However, a hallmark of the shows’ quality is that even when it feels over the top, the worst season still makes for compelling viewing. Season Four explores Johnny and Daniel combining dojos, beginning an uneasy alliance. It also sees Daniel’s son bullying Kenny, the new kid at school, leading him to joining Cobra Kai, and John Kreese is framed for an attack on Stingray, which leads to his arrest. Although it takes absurd twists and turns, Season Four is still great, but it unfortunately comes in at last place in the ranking of every Cobra Kai season.

5

Season Five

The Competition To Enter The Sekai Taikai

• Best Episode: “Head Of The Snake”
• Worst Episode: “Downward Spiral”

Season Five of Cobra Kai again ups the ante from the previous season, with Terry Silver taking full control of Cobra Kai and becoming the seasons primary villain. Following Cobra Kai’s win at the All-Valley, Silver plans to expand and enter his dojo into the Sekai Taikai, the world’s premium Karate tournament.

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This season starts out with the primary protagonists feeling defeated before rallying to take on Silver’s Cobra Kai once again. It ends with an all-out brawl between Silver’s Cobra Kai and a reformed Miyagi Do, before viewers see that Terry Silver get arrested and that John Kreese has escaped prison. This season gets more bombastic than Cobra Kai ever has before, and it accomplishes everything it sets out to achieve, but due to the quality of other seasons, it can’t be ranked any higher.

4

Season Two

The True Beginning Of The Karate Wars

• Best Episode: “No Mercy”
• Worst Episode: “Back In Black”

It’s always hard to live up to the first season of a TV show, Cobra Kai upped the ante in a spectacular way, reintroducing the villainous original Sensei of Cobra Kai from The Karate Kid, John Kreese, who immediately begins trying to work his way back into the dojo.

Within Season Two, there’s tons of relationship drama, with the introduction of Tory Nichols driving a wedge between Miguel and Sam, and as is always the case with Cobra Kai, problems are solved with Karate. The season ends on a dramatic note with a full-scale brawl between the students of Miyagi Do and Cobra Kai at school, with the fight coming to an end when Robby kicks Miguel off of a balcony, paralyzing him. This season is great, but it doesn’t quite hit the heights of others.

3

Season Six

The Grand Finale Hits All The Right Notes

• Best Episode: “Ex-Degenerate”
• Worst Episode: “The Prize”

The final season of Cobra Kai had a lot of work to do to stick the landing, having to tie up the stories of its main characters in a satisfying way. Although this season starts slowly due to its split release format, the Sekai Taikai tournament preparations take up the first five episodes, the middle five concern the initial tournament in Barcelona, and the season’s conclusion sees the dojos return to the Valley for the final battle.

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The series re-introduces John Kreese, who again plays the villain while coaching another dojo, before aiming for his own personal redemption. It is a great touch for the series’ second-most hated character. This all leads to Johnny Lawrence finally getting to be the winner, providing a satisfying conclusion to a story over forty years in the making. The season starts slowly but builds to a great end, making this one of the best seasons in Cobra Kai.

2

Season Three

Miguel’s Recovery Journey Makes For One Of The Best Arcs In The Series

• Best Episode: “December 19”
• Worst Episode: “Now You’re Gonna Pay”

Season Three of Cobra Kai picks up from the school brawl with Robby on the run, Miguel still in a coma, and the kids dealing with the trauma of what’s happened. In this season of Cobra Kai, the drama is palpable, with Kreese’s dojo being vicious and unrelenting.

The reason Season Three succeeds is in the emotion at its core, with Johnny aiming to reconcile with Robby and help Miguel with his rehabilitation from his injuries. There are plenty of fights along the way, with the fight at the LaRusso house being one of the most ambitious in the series, but the best moment comes from Miguel regaining the ability to stand and walk. This gives this season the second place spot when ranking every season of Cobra Kai.

1

Season One

The First Season Simply Can’t Be Beaten

• Best Episode: “Mercy”
• Worst Episode: “Cobra Kai Never Dies”

The first season of Cobra Kai had the biggest job of all the seasons, proving why these characters were still relevant after three decades. This season follows a down-on-his-luck Johnny Lawrence who never got over his loss to Daniel LaRusso as he attempts to restart Cobra Kai and bring karate back to the Valley.

Season One features the rivalry between LaRusso and Lawrence hitting fever pitch, with LaRusso hating the idea of Cobra Kai’s return, whilst Lawrence wants to get his life on track and sees this as his opportunity. The relationship between Johnny and his first student, Miguel, showcases how a nice kid can be corrupted by bad lessons, causing Johnny to change after the conclusion of the season at the All-Valley Championship, where Miguel wins by targeting Robby’s injured shoulder. Season One encapsulates what makes Cobra Kai so special and is easily the best season of the entire series.

Cobra Kai

7/10

Release Date

2018 – 2024

Network

Netflix, YouTube Premium

Showrunner

Jon Hurwitz

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  Ralph Macchio

  Daniel LaRusso

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  William Zabka

  Johnny Lawrence

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