Netflix's hit series Cobra Kai has the opportunity to fix a franchise problem with the casting of Dallas Dupree Young for season 4. In February 2021, Netflix announced the addition of two new castmembers, Young and Oona O'Brien, as well as the promotion of Miguel's mother Carmen (Vanessa Rubio) and Tory Nichols (Peyton List) to series regulars. The new additions set up a new dynamic for Cobra Kai going forward: a multi-generational teaching approach at the dojos.
Cobra Kai is the successful spin-off series of the beloved '80s classic The Karate Kid. In the original movie, lead Daniel LaRusso learns karate to fight back against the bullies from the nearby Cobra Kai dojo, led by John Kreese. The movie launched several sequels, all of which focused on karate and a mentor/mentee relationship — oftentimes centered on Daniel and his sensei and dear friend, Mr. Miyagi (although The New Karate Kid replaced Daniel with a new student, Julie, played by Hilary Swank).
According to the Netflix announcement, Young will play Kenny, a bullied teen who turns to karate to learn self-defense. While this premise is incredibly familiar to the franchise — many of Cobra Kai's main characters began their karate journeys after being bullied — the timing suggests that the series could finally be adopting an aspect of martial arts culture that the '80s movies ignored: students teaching other students.
In real (American) martial arts studios, often senior members of the dojo will take on a leadership role within the community, assisting the main teacher (or "sensei" ). Cobra Kai hints at this by showing the best students sometimes leading exercises, but — apart from the flirtatious "instruction" between Sam and Robby in Cobra Kai season 2 — only the dojo senseis Johnny Lawrence, Daniel, and Kreese actually teach the students. This was the pattern set by the Karate Kids movies as well, which focused on the relationship between the mentor and the mentee. As a TV series, however, Cobra Kai has the capacity to allow its dojos to develop into complex social structures, which would celebrate a significant aspect of the real-life martial arts community.
Although little is know about the character Kenny and his role in Cobra Kai season 4, the casting suggests the character is a much younger addition to whatever dojo he joins. Regardless of where he goes, his age offers an opportunity for the character to represent the next generation of students in a meaningful way; although season 3 saw Cobra Kai recruit more members, these were largely the peers of existing students. Furthermore, Kreese was clearly working with these students, fostering their own sensei/student relationship. Young's Kenny offers the opportunity for one of the veteran students to step up and take on a leadership role with a much younger student, offering a new dynamic to keep the series fresh. Students like Miguel, Samantha, and Hawk have already matured from new trainees into accomplished martial artists; the next logical step in their arc would be to become teachers themselves in Cobra Kai season 4.