Warning: SPOILERS for Cobra Kai Season 4's Finale - "The Rise".
The surprise cameo by Chozen (Yuji Okumoto) at the end of Cobra Kai season 4 unifies The Karate Kid trilogy of films starring Daniel LaRusso (Ralph Macchio). Chozen answered Daniel's call after Miyagi-Do lost the All Valley karate tournament to Cobra Kai. Although LaRusso was supposed to close Miyagi-Do's doors for good according to the pact he and Johnny Lawrence (William Zabka) made in Cobra Kai season 3's finale, Daniel decided to break that promise and he imported Chozen to help him go on the offense against Cobra Kai.
Chozen Toguchi was the villain in The Karate Kid Part II and he changed the rules of the martial arts saga. Daniel's high school rivalry with Johnny was settled at the All Valley tournament in 1984 (until Cobra Kai reignited it), Chozen escalated the violence in the films. The nephew of Sato Toguchi (Danny Kamekona), who was the best friend-turned-enemy of Mr. Miyagi (Noriyuki "Pat" Morita), the arrogant Chozen started his own beef with LaRusso separate from his uncle's problem with Mr. Miyagi. Even after Sato had a redemptive change of heart and reconciled with Miyagi, Chozen pursued his vendetta against Daniel in a fight-to-the-death, which LaRusso won without actually killing Toguchi. Chozen was dishonored and left in disgrace but it was a different Chozen who reappeared in Cobra Kai season 3. Over 30 years later, Chozen was mature and humble, having learned from the mistakes of his youth. Like Daniel-san, Chozen became a Miyagi-Do sensei. Thanks to Kumiko (Tamlyn Tomita) reintroducing the "karate cousins," Daniel left Okinawa as friends with Chozen.
Chozen's cameo in Cobra Kai season 4 marks the first time the main villains of every Karate Kid movie starring Daniel appeared in the same season of Netflix's hit series. Johnny and Kreese were the original big bads of The Karate Kid while, in The Karate Kid Part III, Terry Silver (Thomas Ian Griffith) joined his Cobra Kai cohort, Kreese, to menace LaRusso. Meanwhile, not only will Chozen be a part of Cobra Kai season 5, but the Okinawan sensei will also be on Daniel's side fighting for the honor of Miyagi-Do. This completes Chozen's redemption and will turn Sensei Toguchi into one of the heroes of The Karate Kid/Cobra Kai saga.
Chozen's cameo in Cobra Kai season 4's finale was actually foreshadowed throughout the season. When Daniel and Johnny decided to fight each other in front of their students, LaRusso used the secret Miyagi technique on Lawrence that Chozen taught him in Cobra Kai season 3. As Toguchi explained (and did) to Daniel-san, the Miyagi secret method targets the pressure points to render an opponent's limbs helpless, which is what LaRusso did to Johnny in their fight. Later on in Cobra Kai season 4, Daniel's son Anthony (Griffin Santopietro) found the scroll describing Miyagi's secret pressure point techniques that Chozen gifted Daniel-san in Okinawa.
Chozen will definitely impact Cobra Kai season 5 and swing momentum in Miyagi-Do's favor. It was evident from his brief time training with Daniel in Cobra Kai season 3 that Chozen is more advanced in Miyagi-Do, just as he was when they were teenagers. Sensei Toguchi can impart even more Miyagi-D0 secret techniques to Daniel and his students like Samantha LaRusso (Mary Mouser) and Eli "Hawk" Moskowitz (Jacob Bertrand). Chozen is also an aggressive fighter, which will help LaRusso evolve his own Miyagi-Do beliefs and teach him about fighting offensively since Cobra Kai season 4's finale finally taught Daniel the value of striking first.
Meanwhile, Terry Silver teased that he will be bringing in "an old friend" to help him run Cobra Kai in season 5 after the ponytailed villain framed Kreese and had him arrested for attempted murder. If Mike Barnes (Sean Kanan), Daniel's rival from The Karate Kid Part III, finally debuts in Cobra Kai season 5, this would mean all of LaRusso's enemies from the movies will appear in the same season. It's even more interesting because Chozen has never met Kreese, Silver, or Barnes. Cobra Kai season 5 will be the first time LaRusso's "karate cousin" will meet his many nemeses but Chozen teaming up with Daniel-san is bound to be a game-changer.
Cobra Kai Season 4 is streaming on Netflix.