Warning: SPOILERS for Cobra Kai season 4.
In Cobra Kai season 4, Eli "Hawk" Moskowitz (Jacob Bertrand) rises to become the top Miyagi-Do student when he wins the All Valley Under 18 Karate Tournament, upsetting Cobra Kai's Robby Keene [Tanner Buchanan]. It's sweet vindication for Eli, who undergoes an identity crisis and loses all of his confidence after Cobra Kai shaves off Hawk's trademark mohawk. But it's Eli's heroic performance at the All Valley that gives Daniel LaRusso's (Ralph Macchio) Miyagi-Do its biggest win, although Cobra Kai still dominated the All Valley overall.
Screen Rant interviewed Jacob Bertrand in-depth about Eli's Cobra Kai season 4 growth and journey, who really is the best fighter in real-life among Cobra Kai's teenage students, and a tease about what happens next in Cobra Kai season 5.
Screen Rant: Congrats on winning the All Valley!
Jacob Bertrand: (laughs) I was so frickin' jazzed when I heard I was gonna win, oh my God. I'm a very competitive person. I was like, "I frickin win!! Let's gooooo!"
How and when did you find out Eli was gonna win?
Jacob Bertrand: I found out when I read the script for episode 10. [Cobra Kai's producers] were very adamant about not telling anyone what was happening. I knew specifically who I was fighting. I knew I had a fight with Robby. I knew I had a fight with Miguel [Xolo Maridueña]. But I didn't know if it was in the semi-finals, I didn't know if it was in little vignettes. Going into the season, all of us made little bets. We all agreed that there was no way it's not gonna be Robby and Miguel in the finals. Why would it be anything else? So when I made it, I was so shocked.
The season 4 fights were great. I imagine it was also different since they were structured for the tournament instead of street fights. Can you talk about training for season 4 and what went into making the All Valley look so awesome?
Jacob Bertrand: It wasn't super different. I guess the biggest difference was the volume of the amount of time we trained just because we had so many fights. If we weren't training more, there's no way it ever would have worked. It was just so much stretching. Like, when I think about season 4, I just think about stretching. So much. And it was a good thing but it was very, very hard.
We trained a lot and did a lot of choreography. Me and Tanner had so many beats. I don't even remember how many beats we had but it was definitely a lot to try to balance. I remember just working [on] the fight for two days before we actually had to do it. Me and Tanner just practicing it over and over again. On the day, we just crossed our fingers that we both remembered it to the best of our abilities.
I'm gonna put you on the spot here. You're the All Valley Champ now, but among you guys, who really is the best at karate?
Jacob Bertrand: Oh come on, dude. (laughs) You already know it's me. I will say Tanner is a valiant close second. Picture a mountain. I'm at the peak of the mountain. He's at the base. Maybe Xolo's at the base with him and everyone else is like a little village down below. You know, they're close but they couldn't quite summit the mountain.
Eli has had an incredible journey in Cobra Kai. He’s been a nerd, an underdog, a bully, and now a good guy. What’s your favorite version of Eli to play?
Jacob Bertrand: I don't know if this is gonna be very popular, but honestly, I loved playing the bully. I loved playing the dark side of Hawk. I thought that was so much fun. So much so that when I found out I was going to the good side, I was happy that I was gonna be back with my binary brother [Demetri played by Gianni DeCenzo] and hanging out with Miguel and Johnny again, but I was a little sad that I wasn't gonna get to play the bad guy anymore, you know? I was proud of the character for having some growth. But I was a little bummed that I wasn't gonna get to play that deranged little psychopath he was becoming.
Speaking of that babyface turn, the tragic thing happens to Hawk in season 4: Cobra Kai shaves his mohawk. Do you miss the mohawk?
Jacob Bertrand: You know what's funny? I didn't realize how much confidence the mohawk imbued [until it was gone]. Maybe I just felt less confident with the buzzcut or if the mohawk was giving me confidence but man, I really did feel the difference! Walking into a room with a nine-inch tall mohawk really does garner you a certain type of respect. But it was definitely a big change. More so than I thought it was gonna be.
Hawk is now the only student who’s been in Cobra Kai, Eagle Fang, and Miyagi-Do.
Jacob Bertrand: I know, right? Isn't that cool? It makes sense why I won [the All Valley]. I have all the styles.
Exactly. It makes perfect sense. Which dojo does Eli prefer and which dojo does Jacob prefer?
Jacob Bertrand: Honestly, I think Eli prefers Eagle Fang. I think Eagle Fang fits his fighting style the most. It's brutal but not yet the "no mercy" style [of Cobra Kai]. As for myself, I really like the mantra of Cobra Kai. Because how could you not?
When Eli was in Cobra Kai in seasons 1 and 2, I was die-hard Cobra Kai. I definitely would not be in Cobra Kai in season 4 or season 5. I'm thinking more of seasons 1 and 2 Cobra Kai. But I would have to say Cobra Kai. I'm Team Cobra Kai if I'm being completely honest. Don't hate me, people of the world. I am not evil at heart, I swear.
There’s a new character named Kenny who joins Cobra Kai in season 4 and Eli bullies him a little bit. I liked that it took time for Eli to really come around and stop being a bully. Can you talk about working with Dallas Dupree Young, the newest Cobra Kai member?
Jacob Bertrand: I loved how, just as Miguel was the underdog of past seasons, Kenny is the underdog of this season. It's cool watching the difference between him and Miguel. Miguel goes one way and Kenny goes another.
But honestly, when I was interacting with Dallas in season 4, I never pictured [Hawk] as bullying him. From Hawk's perspective, he just walks into the men's room and Kenny's about to punch two of his friends. So he's just intervening, sees the kid is from Cobra Kai, and just instantly assumes so many things about the kid. He just doesn't like Kenny based off of that. In the drive-in, it's just a genuine accident that Hawk bumps into Kenny. But it's not the worst thing in the world that it's this little Cobra Kai kid that's been picking on his friends.
If you're on Hawk's good side, I think he's super loyal and he'll die by your side. But if you're messing with anyone he cares for, he's definitely gonna be very, very cold towards you. I think that's just how he and Kenny got off, possibly on the wrong foot. But I never really pictured Hawk bullying him. I think he's past that a little bit. I think he's just rough with the kid, is all.
One of the things I love about Cobra Kai is you’re rewarded for paying attention. Speaking of actual bullies, Eli and Kyler, have a showdown at the All Valley and it pays off Kyler bullying you all the way back in season 1. Was it satisfying to get that showdown with Hawk’s original bully?
Jacob Bertrand: It was cool. It wasn't satisfying in the way you think. Joe [Seo, who plays Kyler] is the sweetest guy ever. Fighting him was more fun. We're super tight and it was fun to get to fight him and do that scene [at the All Valley]. It's true that all of the meanest people [on the show] who play the meanest characters are always the nicest people ever [in real life]. That's definitely true for Joe.
You guys have wrapped Cobra Kai season 5. Is there anything you can tease about what's next? Eli's the champ. Are you getting a victory party?
Jacob Bertrand: Heck yeah, there's a victory party! We actually wrapped [the Friday before Christmas] so very, very recently. Season 5 is post-All Valley. I'd say it's mainly centered around the Tory [Peyton List]/Terry Silver [Thomas Ian Griffth] conflict. [Daniel's] still trying to bring down Cobra Kai. It's growing as they've just won the All Valley. It's good! It definitely takes a lot of different turns that you wouldn't expect. And there are so many badass fights, oh my God!
Cobra Kai Season 4 is streaming on Netflix.