Despite having gone through very different journeys, Cobra Kai’s Robby and Hawk managed to learn the most important lesson of the series. Cobra Kai season 4 raised the stakes, as legendary Karate Kid 3 villain Terry Silver returned for another team-up with John Kreese. After two seasons of school fights and home-invasions, Cobra Kai finally went back to the All-Valley karate tournament in a season that sees long-time rivals Johnny Lawrence and Daniel Larusso trying to work together for the first time.
From Johnny Lawrence reopening Cobra Kai in season 1 to the All-Valley karate tournament in season 4, the show has seen its number of senseis and dojos grow considerably. As Johnny and Daniel had to put their differences aside to have a chance at the championship, Cobra Kai’s co-founders Silver and Kreese once again joined forces after 30 years. Following Kreese’s bet with Johnny and Daniel at the end of season 3, losing the tournament would mean losing the chance of maintaining one’s dojo. Even with so much at stake, out of all the Cobra Kai characters—both senseis and students alike—very few actually managed to absorb the show's most important lesson.
Between all the teachings that Cobra Kai has been trying to give its characters for the past four seasons, one that truly stands out is that there is not an absolute right or wrong philosophy. While season 4 promised to deliver a combination of both styles with Johnny and Daniel teaming up, that did not quite happen as the senseis were constantly arguing about which way was better. For that very reason, most of their combined training was confusing and not effective. After three seasons of being taught that the other side was completely wrong, the students were left in season 4 with no clear direction of where to go or how to properly train. That was a disservice not only to their fighting skills but to their lives as a whole. However, Robby Keene and Hawk rose above all the Cobra Kai drama and learned from every possible style, even if for completely different reasons.
Miguel and Sam Never Had A Chance In Learning Both Styles
Two of the most skilled fighters in Cobra Kai, Miguel and Sam did try learning more about the other side. The couple even helped build a literal connection between Miyagi-Do and Eagle-Fang training spots. However, the two of them were constantly pushed back by their respective masters. Johnny’s strong connection to Miguel and Daniel being Sam’s father made it so that the two apprentices received double the attention but also double the restrictions. Neither sensei was truly open to letting their best student be taught by a long-time rival. For most of the season, the interest of Miguel and Sam in the other sensei’s teachings was a reason for jealousy between Johnny and Daniel. As proved by Miguel and Sam's failures in the finale, with the latter losing to Tory and the former giving up his fight, the characters were robbed of achieving their true potential.
With no strong connection with either sensei, Robby—ignoring that he is Johnny’s son—and Hawk did not have the same obstacles as Sam and Miguel. Instead, the two characters were always focused on overcoming their battles and were not that interested in sensei-feuds or ego-fights. That left a clear path ahead of them to truly train in both Miyagi-Do and Cobra Kai. While Hawk was one of Johnny’s first-class students and more recently followed Dimitri to Miyagi-Do, Robby went from being Daniel’s sole apprentice to being the leader of Cobra Kai’s new team.
Robby’s Reason For Learning Both Syles Was Revenge
Robby has been guided by anger ever since season 1. More than any other motive, that anger towards Johnny and Daniel is what made the character go through the different dojos in the first place. Initially wanting to irritate his father, Robby became close to Larusso to the point of learning all of Mr. Miyagi's legendary lessons. After feeling betrayed by Daniel, however, Robby directed his energy towards Kreese and began to learn Cobra Kai’s way of the fist. While for not very noble reasons, Robby ended up getting the best of the two styles in a type of training that not many characters in the franchise have had. Seeking revenge against his father and Daniel, Robby even offered to teach Miyagi-Do to the other Cobra Kai fighters. The scene in which he solely defeats the entire Cobra Kai team shows how superior his mixed style is.
Hawk Was After Self-Discover In Both Cobra Kai and Miyagi-Do
Almost a completely different character now, Hawk began his trajectory in Cobra Kai as a bullied, insecure person with no self-confidence. By joining Johnny’s Cobra Kai, Eli became Hawk and quickly ascended as one of the show’s best fighters. His journey, however, took a more troubled route as Cobra Kai’s strike-first mentality begin to dictate his actions. Later powered up by Kreese taking over Cobra Kai, Hawk went from Miguel and Demitri’s best friend to one of the show’s villains. That was not his last turn of sides as he became one of the good guys again by the end of season 3. So many changes in his personality made Hawk lose the sense of who he truly was. In the search for an answer to that question, he followed Demitri back to Miyagi-Do and ended up adding Daniel’s teachings to his already vast set of skills. Both when he joined Cobra Kai and Miyagi-Do, Eli/Hawk was in a quest for self-discovery.
Robby And Hawk Becoming Cobra Kai’s Best Fighters Was No Coincidence
The amazing fight for one of the tournament’s categories at the end of Cobra Kai's season 4 proves how strong Robby and Hawk became. By learning the show’s most important lesson, the two of them rose above their friends and competitors to become a symbol of what can happen when Cobra Kai, Eagle-Fang, and Miyagi-Do combine their styles. Now in a difficult moment of their lives after the events of the championship, Miguel and Sam must observe, at least in some way, what made Robby and Hawk that strong in the finals. The idea of combining both styles despite the feud between their master should prevail above anything else. After losing the bet and watching Silver cherish his victory, Daniel and Johnny will have to realize, this time for good, that they are stronger together.