Netflix dropped a Cobra Kai season 4 teaser trailer as part of its TUDUM 2021 event, and the promo was full of story reveals for the upcoming installment. Anticipation for this new season could not be higher, and the season 4 teaser offers clues to what awaits viewers in the next chapter of the hit karate show. Promised in 2021, Cobra Kai season 4 will be released on the last possible day of the year, December 31st. The teaser offers a glimpse of what to expect in almost the new year of karate.
Cobra Kai had somewhat humble beginnings as the revival show for the Karate Kid franchise, which began in 1984 with the movie The Karate Kid. When Cobra Kai premiered on YouTube Red in 2018, it gained a small but loyal following. Audiences did not expect much, but what they got had surprising depth, heart, and more than a little kick to it. With Cobra Kai's transition onto Netflix with season 3, interest exploded to the point where Cobra Kai may now be Netflix's hottest show.
Previous teasers for season 4 have largely been promotional shots of various characters posing or striking for the camera, framed by a set for the All-Valley Under 18 Karate Tournament — indicating that it will dominate this Cobra Kai season — as well as indistinct shots of Terry Silver, the villain from The Karate Kid Part III. The TUDUM trailer offers no footage of the All-Valley Karate Tournament, but picks up from where the previous season left off, provides a better look at the hotly anticipated Terry Silver, and frames careful glimpses into the relationships, conflicts, and expected themes for the next season of Cobra Kai, including some unexpected twists along the way.
15. Eagle Fang & Miyagi-Do Are Training Together
Having overcome their decades-long rivalry and their own dojo war throughout the first three seasons of Cobra Kai, the season 4 teaser reminds viewers that Daniel and Johnny are combining their classes to form a new dojo together. All of the Karate Kid characters are just about in the same place. Although the name of this joint studio is unknown, Johnny is unlikely to concede to being under the Miyagi-Do banner, even if the combined classes are training at the Miyagi-Do location as depicted in the trailer; however, it may be that Johnny has given up on the short-lived Eagle Fang name entirely, and Johnny and Daniel may be coming up with a new name to represent the path they are now forging together. In order to register in the All-Valley Karate Tournament — which the teaser indicates is only a few months away — they will need to agree on a name.
14. Daniel & Johnny Are Still Rivals
Though united in purpose, Johnny and Daniel still clash and disagree on training methods. Daniel may make platitudes like reminding the class that "rivalries don't last forever," while looking purposefully at Johnny, but Daniel and Johnny immediately start bickering about how to "take back the valley," with Johnny suggesting a strike-first approach and Daniel advocating a tempered approach. It's no coincidence that in the montage that follows demonstrating their lessons to their students, Daniel is seen blocking several strikes (emphasizing the defense-first philosophy of the real martial art of Miyago-Do Karate) and Johnny is seen striking repeatedly, driving home the all-out-attack of the Tang Soo Do of Johnny's karate.
13. Eli (Hawk) and Demetri Are Friends Again
Hawk and Demetri spent most of season 3 in bitter conflict before Hawk's reform, but the Cobra Kai season 4 trailer shows the two on better terms. Although Eli, Demetri, and Miguel were close friends back in season 1, this will be the first time that the three of them have been united under a single dojo since Demetri quit Johnny's Cobra Kai for Miyagi-Do. The promo assures fans that season 4 intends to keep their friendship safe — while also reminding audiences of how big this class is, with only a few notable absences from Cobra Kai's cast, most of whom have defected to Kreese's Cobra Kai dojo. With such a large group of karate students to work with, complex relationships can form that could go beyond this season and influence the characters in Cobra Kai spinoffs.
12. Miguel and Sam Are Injured
Miguel and Sam are shown in the Cobra Kai trailer looking at each other, with both sporting noticeable bruises and lacerations. These injuries remind audiences that the characters are still feeling the effects of season 3. The season 4 TUDUM trailer uses establishing shots of the Miyagi-Do school with all the new students (and Johnny and Daniel teaching), which overlaps with the ending of Cobra Kai season 3 finale. The teaser's dialogue indicates that season 4 intends to follow an old Karate Kid tradition of starting off with an overlapping scene from the previous adventure, as though no time has passed. Other aspects of the promo suggest a passage of time, which provides a roadmap to season 4: starting with the last events of season 3, training and rising conflict over several months, and climaxing with the tournament at the end. Given the trajectory of the characters, the tournament may even be an opportunity for Miguel to make up for his mistake in the last year's All-Valley.
11. Robby Is Cobra Kai's New Star Student
Looking cleaner and more collected than the previous season (most of which he spent in juvenile detention), Robby promises to be one of the most prominent members of Kreese's Cobra Kai in season 4. After his tumultuous relationship with Johnny, Robby seems to be seeking a father figure in Kreese — just as Johnny did years ago. Robby's character has a history of seeking out strong male role models, rotating through most of the male adult cast in the first three seasons, so perhaps it was only a matter of time that this struggling teen with a good heart but questionable judgment would fall under the sway of prime manipulator John Kreese.
Just as Daniel changed in the Karate Kid movie series, Robbie has had a long road with Cobra Kai. In a way, Robby's arc is similar to Daniel's own from The Karate Kid Part III, in that Robby began at Miyagi-Do and was lured into the promise of power provided by Cobra Kai. Karate Kid 3 also gave viewers the villainous Terry Silver, who will be making an appearance in Cobra Kai season 4. Robbie seems to have cut his ponytail short just in time for Terry Silver to show up with his.
10. School Bully Kyler Is Rising The Ranks Of Cobra Kai
The bully of Cobra Kai's season 1, Kyler (and Sam's brief love interest), is shown training in Kreese's dojo. It was Kyler's fight with Miguel that was the catalyst for Johnny's return to Karate, in Cobra Kai's first episode. Kyler is shown in the teaser winning a sparring match with impressive technique, indicating he is successfully progressing with his karate training as part of Kreese's Cobra Kai. This is a significant progression since season 3, where Kyler was only beginning his karate journey and was easily defeated by Hawk. Unlike the opening shots of the teaser that are a direct extension of the last scenes of season 3, Kyler's demonstration indicates that some time has passed at Kreese's Cobra Kai dojo, and they may be just as prepared as the students of the combined Johnny-Daniel dojo. Now that Hawk is part of the Johnny-Daniel dojo, season 4 could be promising a renewed rivalry between Kyler and Hawk, now on a more even skill level.
9. John Kreese Is (Still) The Main Villain In Cobra Kai Season 4
Kreese appears healed from the wounds he suffered at the end of season 3 when Daniel and Johnny confronted him at the Cobra Kai dojo. That was the first time on-screen that Kreese has been so badly defeated since The Karate Kid Part III, a film Cobra Kai season 4 looks to be borrowing a lot from thematically. Like the ending of season 3, The Karate Kid Part III opens with Kreese seeking help from Terry Silver, who then goes on to be the main antagonist in the movie, with Kreese largely playing a background role. Kreese seems to be roughly in the same spot in the teaser as he was mid-way through The Karate Kid Part III — healthy, fresh, and eager to exact his revenge on Daniel (and in this case, also Johnny). Unlike the movie, however, Kreese looks to still be the main antagonist in Cobra Kai, likely with the assistance of his old buddy Silver.
8. Johnny Doing The Karate Kid's Crane Kick
The move that ended Johnny's tournament dreams in the 1984 All-Valley Karate Tournament was Daniel's illegal crane kick, a move that Cobra Kai has referenced several times. This teaser isn't the first time that Johnny has made fun of the crane kick in Cobra Kai, but now that the combined Eagle Fang and Miyagi-Do dojos are working together, Johnny imitating the crane kick in open mockery of his old rival could have new meaning. The two are obviously supposed to be demonstrating techniques together in front of their students, but as Johnny mocks the crane kick of Miyagi-Do, Daniel (suited with pads to receive blows) is walking away, throwing the blocking pads to the ground, as though upset. It could be that Daniel is being too sensitive to Johnny's humor. Daniel's own daughter is laughing in this shot. Or, it could be that there is a more serious disharmony in Johnny and Daniel's teaching partnership.
7. Johnny's Romance With Carmen
Johnny's romance with Carmen has been teased since the first season, but Miguel's mother being cast in Cobra Kai season 4 as a series regular suggests this plot will come to the forefront. Each time they are poised to come together as a couple, something tears them apart, like Miguel's accident at the season 2 climax. The significance of a shot of Johnny and Carmen in the season 4 teaser indicates that even if things have never been wilder in the Valley around karate, warring dojos, rivalry, and revenge, perhaps Johnny Lawrence has finally found a bit of personal peace. If Johnny and Carmen are together, season 4 could represent a very different side to Johnny, who throughout Cobra Kai has made some pretty terrible choices mostly as an extension of his loneliness and impulsive behavior. With happiness at home, this may be the end of a reckless Johnny, which could signal that the combined Johnny-Daniel Dojo has the right ingredients to take on Kreese's Cobra Kai.
6. Johnny Training Daniel (& Vice-Versa)
A brief glimpse from the Cobra Kai season 4 teaser shows Johnny training Daniel, encouraging him to climb a chain, and the moment after shows Daniel training Johnny, teaching him the water platform balancing kata that Samantha and Robby learned in season 2. This is a huge change in the dynamic of Johnny and Daniel, both in terms of their relationship and their training methods. Daniel has notoriously resisted strength training, perhaps best indicating in The Karate Kid Part III where Terry Silver went to great lengths to coax Daniel into breaking a board. For Johnny, katas have always been represented in The Karate Kid franchise as the peaceful side of karate. To have Johnny Lawrence learning a Miyagi-Do kata upends his fighting style, and shows us that season 4 promises changes to both Daniel and Johnny not just in terms of their relationship, but in terms of their conflicting martial philosophies.
5. Johnny Trying To Recruit A Gymnast
Cobra Kai has introduced new characters every season. In this season 4 trailer, the unidentified gymnast is the most likely candidate for a new student. Johnny is seen off to the side observing her technique, possibly there to recruit her into joining the new Johnny-Daniel dojo. With the Tory vs. Samantha rivalry getting a lot of screen time in the previous season, and Aisha Robinson still nowhere to be seen, a new girl would be a welcome addition to the Cobra Kai cast. Cobra Kai has been great at mixing up rivalries and forming new relationships; perhaps this gymnast is a good candidate to be a new rival for Tory since it is unlikely season 4 will focus on the same Tory vs. Samantha rivalry that dominated season 3.
4. Hawk Bullying A Smaller Student
Hawk spent Cobra Kai season 3 becoming a bully, but in season 4, he's back on good terms with Demetri, has joined the Johnny-Daniel dojo, and is presumably working towards peace — so why is he seen in the Cobra Kai season 4 trailer pushing a smaller kid into a locker? It's possible that Hawk is finding it more difficult to give up his bullying habits, or that rivalries with the Kreese dojo are going to continue on school grounds regardless of the school's no-nonsense approach towards fighting, which was established after the season 2 brawl. It's unknown what after-effects there will be from the fight at the LaRusso home at the end of season 3 — but if fighting has returned to school, and Hawk is returning to his more troubled ways, it could indicate problems among the students of the Johnny-Daniel dojo.
3. Terry Silver Is Back (With A Ponytail)
The return of fan-favorite villain Terry Silver has been much anticipated. The previous teaser for Cobra Kai season 4 was mostly a Terry Silver reveal, complete with the narration of his "quicksilver" training method from The Karate Kid Part III. Like in The Karate Kid Part III, Silver is returning in Cobra Kai to help John Kreese seek revenge on his enemies. The TUDUM season 4 teaser offers a distinct look at Terry Silver, including shots of him training. It is unknown if Terry Silver's fantastic wealth will play a role in Cobra Kai season 4; it could be that Daniel and Johnny will be fighting against the resources of Silver's fortune as well as his superior karate skills. Silver's actor, Thomas Ian Griffith, is one of the few members of the Karate Kid franchise who had a career in martial arts movies, so audiences can expect Silver to be involved in some thrilling action sequences. Cobra Kai has always had excellent fight scenes, but having a martial artist of Griffith's pedigree involved could elevate the action.
2. Tory At The High School Prom (In Disguise)
Tory was suspended following the high school brawl at the end of Cobra Kai season 2. However, her appearance and the background balloons hint that she's at a school dance of some sort. It could be that to balance out all the training and dojo action, Cobra Kai season 4 will feature a prom for the high school characters, which could turn ugly if Tory infiltrates the festivities to bring the dojo war back to school. All that can be seen from the teaser is that she appears to be in the middle of making fun of someone, and the elevated camera angle suggests that she's doing so from an elevated position — perhaps having taken the stage to call out her rivals? Cobra Kai has a lot more to explore with Tory's character, including the identity of Tory's father, so expects some twists and turns with Tory at the center of Cobra Kai's season 4.
1. Amanda Is Afraid Of Kreese (For Good Reason)
One shot in the Cobra Kai season 4 teaser shows John Kreese eating an apple, presumably intimidating Amanda at a grocery or convenience store. Amanda is certainly no stranger to confrontation; after her temper got the better of her in season 3, she went down to the Cobra Kai dojo and slapped John Kreese in the face. Presumably, the restraining order against Amanda is still in effect. At any rate, it appears Amanda is involved in the dojo war of season 4, which is a far cry from her edict at the season 2 climax "No more karate." In the final shots of the teaser, Amanda laments to Daniel that her family's health now depends on the outcome of a karate tournament. According to her, lives hang in the balance of the All-Valley Karate Tournament in Cobra Kai season 4.