Netflix's Cobra Kai has an undercurrent of nostalgia, but the show has never relied on it to be the phenomenon that is, nor does it need to. Cobra Kai focuses on the former childhood enemies in The Karate Kid movies, Johnny Lawrence (William Zabka) and Daniel LaRusso (Ralph Macchio), now taking on students of their own in Cobra Kai and Miyagi-Do karate. While the bad blood between Johnny and Daniel plays a role in their relationship on Cobra Kai, they've evolved into semi-allies by the end of Cobra Kai season 3.
While Johnny and Daniel are the adult leads of Cobra Kai, the show introduces an entirely new group of Karate Kids under their instruction, who all play an equally critical role in the show. These include Johnny and Daniel's own kids, Robby (Tanner Buchanan) and Sam (Mary Mouser), along with fellow karate students like Miguel (Xolo Mariduena), Tory (Peyton List), Demetri (Gianna DeCenzco), and many others. With so many strong characters, both old and new, Cobra Kai puts a whole new spin on the idea of a passing-of-the-torch style franchise revival.
With Cobra Kai's worldwide popularity, it'd be easy to attribute its success to the show acting as a continuation of The Karate Kid franchise. To be sure, while that aspect of the series shouldn't be overlooked, Cobra Kai hasn't simply let memories of The Karate Kid films do all of its heavy lifting. In fact, among contemporary movies and TV shows injecting nostalgia into their stories, Cobra Kai has been one of the best at compartmentalizing that in just the right ways.
Cobra Kai Benefits From Being Part Of The Karate Kid Series
When it comes to building a new movie or series into a potential franchise, name recognition is their number one challenge. This is why superheroes and other IPs with a built-in fanbase have grown into such a dominant force in film and television, with studios able to reliably harvest energy from an audience assured to show up and spread the word to more casual viewers. In Cobra Kai's case, its Karate Kid connection is definitely beneficial.
The Karate Kid series is from a bygone era, and for younger viewers, their main familiarity is likely the 2010 Jackie Chan and Jaden Smith-led remake, also called The Karate Kid. Still, The Karate Kid made such an impact that an aura of basic familiarity lingers around it even to many who have never seen it. As a contemporary series, Cobra Kai has a strong foundation to plant its flag on that many aspiring televised and streaming shows lack. While this is an advantage that Cobra Kai clearly banks on, it's also not its silver bullet to success.
Cobra Kai Doesn't Live Or Die On Its Karate Kid Connection
Despite following on a franchise as beloved as The Karate Kid movies, Cobra Kai is also extremely inviting towards anyone who never laid eyes on Johnny and Daniel's past stories. The show is very adept at its placement of flashbacks and references to the original films, giving those viewers for whom The Karate Kid holds a special place in their hearts a nostalgic tug without overwhelming the main story. At the same time, it knows how to fill newcomers in on exactly as much as they need to know about The Karate Kid's past in order to be fully up to date for Cobra Kai's present.
When all is said and done, Cobra Kai is the kind of nostalgia trip that is the best of both worlds. The show's nostalgic elements are a bonus feature that works in completely different ways for the entire spectrum of its viewing audience. To put it simply, you don't have to be a fan of Daniel's training with Mr. Miyagi in The Karate Kid to thoroughly enjoy Cobra Kai, but those who are most certainly will.
Cobra Kai's Timelessness Is Its Real Secret Weapon
While Cobra Kai succeeding The Karate Kid for modern times definitely got the ball rolling for the show, what's allowed it to last for five seasons and counting is something that the original films also relied greatly on. The Karate Kid used Daniel and Johnny's martial arts training as a vehicle for storytelling about high school drama, bullying, interpersonal relationships, and youthful romance. These are timeless concepts no matter what era the movie or series presenting them is released in, and they're the same themes Cobra Kai is predicated on.
In fact, Cobra Kai even adds a bit into the mix with the story as it focuses on Johnny and Daniel's sore rivalry and learning to let go of both the good and the bad parts of adolescence. While their past sets the current the show follows, it's far more concerned with how this impacts their lives in the present. This is especially relevant as it affects the young students of Miyagi-Do and Johnny's Cobra Kai-turned Eagle Fang school of karate, the impressionable martial arts students loyal to their respective teachers, and some becoming susceptible to the darker influence of John Kreese. Cobra Kai wraps all of these elements up in a legacy story, so its connective tissue with The Karate Kid franchise is by no means irrelevant. Still, Cobra Kai's strongest asset is the fact that it continues The Karate Kid's themes rather than its story and the fact that what each is ultimately about are things that anyone at any time can connect to.
With Cobra Kai season 4 on the way and season 5 having already finished filming, the show has given a completely new meaning to the idea of nostalgic entertainment by how much it's transcended what nostalgia usually means. Cobra Kai is completely modern in the success it's found but still manages to feel like a trip down memory lane. Despite having as much reverence as it does for The Karate Kid movies, Cobra Kai looks to them as an example rather than a blueprint to follow.