COBRA KAI - ALL SEASONS RANKED

Cobra Kai, initially airing in 2018 as a YouTube Red original before being picked up by Netflix, has seen its fair share of ups and downs in its 6-year runtime. Many believe that the show sets the bar for all legacy sequels, building off the world from the original "Karate Kid" (1984) movies in new and inventive ways, while others argue that the series has become a parody of itself in recent years, continuously treading old ground in fear of characters evolving further. As a longtime fan of the show, and with Cobra Kai's long-anticipated final season currently airing in three separate parts (with Part 2 releasing November 15th), I asked myself: what better time is there to look back on old seasons of the show and truly determine whether or Cobra Kai has really become a shell of its former self?

Note: All critiques are in no way directed at the countless of hardworking showrunners, actors, writers and more. They simply reflect my opinion of the show, not the crew themselves.

SIXTH - COBRA KAI SEASON 6 (PART 1)

To the disappointment of myself and many others, Cobra Kai Season 6 unfortunately released to little praise or excitement worldwide. It's one thing to split your titular final season in three parts (and release the first batch of episodes on the same day as the highly anticipated "The Boys" (2019) season 4 finale), but the lack of captivating story arcs and the overabundance of filler makes the first part of this season feel like a waste of time.

Following season 5's finale, all once-rivalling students are now (mostly) under the same karate roof of Miyagi-Do. Terry Silver (Thomas Ian Griffin) is behind bars, John Kreese (Martin Kove) is on the run, and for once it feels like peace has finally returned to the valley just in time for the international Sekai Takai karate tournament, which serves as the season's overarching anchor for the plot. While season 6 still has a few glimpses of captivating, character-driven emotional beats, such as Tory's (Peyton List) internal conflict over the loss of her mother, it still feels like the show has simply run out of ideas and is grasping at faint straws to introduce any sort of conflict into the season. This is especially present with Devon (Oona O'Brien) and her attempt to sabotage others around her for a place in the Sekai Takai roster, as well as yet another heated conflict between Johnny (William Zabka) and Daniel (Ralph Macchio), seemingly undoing 5 seasons worth of character progression for the pair.

Although Cobra Kai season 6 is yet to release its second and third parts to the season, it feels sad to say that the first part didn't manage to hook me as some of their previous seasons did.

FIFTH - COBRA KAI SEASON 4

While not necessarily a bad season, Cobra Kai season 4 has the unfortunate luck of having to follow up one of the show's best. Even with the introductions of some refreshing new characters, and one of the best fights that the show has to offer, the season unfortunately falls victim to Cobra Kai's biggest problem: character regression.

Season 4 takes place immediately after season 3's finale, in which Daniel and Johnny make the conscious choice to team up in order to win a bet made against Kreese; whoever loses in the upcoming All-Valley tournament has to give up teaching karate forever. On Cobra Kai's side of the story, Kreese drags Terry Silver, villain of "Karate Kid 3" (1989) back into the world of karate, with the two of them joining forces once more to mold ex-Miyagi-Do student Robby Keene (Tanner Buchanan) and ruthlessly-bullied new kid Kenny Payne (Dallas Dupree Young) into vicious champions. The gems of season 4 are mostly found in the connection between Robby and Kenny, in which Robby takes up the role of a pseudo-sensei and teaches Kenny how to fight back against his school bully, Anthony LaRusso (Griffin Santopietro). The inception of Cobra Kai's "no mercy" mindset within Kenny transforms him into Silver's star pupil, and completely shatters his bond with Robby by the season finale.

However, while Cobra Kai may find success in one side of the story, the perspectives of our protagonists fall flat completely. Daniel and Johnny can't seem to stop going at each other's throats, leaving Johnny to eventually leave Miyagi-Do and start a new, third dojo which he calls "Eagle Fang". While Johnny and Daniel's rivalry might have been captivating to watch in the early seasons, by now it just feels tired and dragged, making audiences wonder what the point of it all is anymore. Even though the season ends with a bang by presenting what is arguably the show's best one-on-one fight, the final match between Robby and Hawk (Jacob Bertrand), it still fails to deliver as a whole and undoes almost all the progress made in its past 4 seasons.

FOURTH - COBRA KAI SEASON 5

Cobra Kai season 5 still isn't perfect, nor is it on the same quality of what the show used to be, but it manages to successfully build off from the previous, lackluster season and introduce a refreshingly new dynamic in the Cobra Kai universe.

Miyagi-Do and Eagle Fang have lost the bet against Cobra Kai, but continue to pursue karate regardless when Silver announces a plan to bring his teachings worldwide. Daniel decides to team up with Chozen (Yuji Okumoto), previous antagonist of "Karate Kid 2" (1986), in an attempt to expose Silver for the monster he really is. Meanwhile, the teenagers of the valley struggle to co-exist with their enemies on opposite dojos, bringing tensions to an all-time high. Oddly, the only person who seems to be doing better since season 4 is Johnny, who attempts to clean up his life after finding out that his girlfriend Carmen (Vanessa Rubio) is pregnant. He even seems to be healing his relationship with Robby, who joins him on a trip to Mexico in order to find Miguel (Xolo Maridueña) who is currently in search of his distant father.

Even though the Mexico episodes feel oddly out of place in a show like Cobra Kai, it serves as a great building block for Robby and Miguel's overall relationship in the show, finally building a new bridge between them after a 5 season-long rivarly. Cobra Kai season 5 finally feels like its on the right step in terms of character conflict and resolution, introducing equally compelling arcs for Tory, Kenny, Devon and even Mike Barnes (Sean Kanan), previously the secondary villain of Karate Kid 3. All of this leads to the best season finale that the show has ever made, in which all of Daniel LaRusso's previous villains team up to stop Silver once and for all. Although it's Daniel who ends up defeating Silver in the end, delivering his iconic crane kick, Johnny receives a triumphantly badass moment in which he fights off 5 senseis at once, reaffirming why he's the protagonist of the show to begin with.

THIRD - COBRA KAI SEASON 2

By now, we're covering Cobra Kai's prime seasons, and its second doesn't hold back whatsoever. Even though it feels slightly less captivating than season 1, it still manages to deliver some of the show's greatest fights, character arcs and overall dynamics.

Season 2 takes place a little while after the events of season 1, in which Miguel's win against Robby in the All-Valley takes the valley by storm. It seems like everyone wants a piece of what Cobra Kai has to offer, and its initial students have transformed from losers to superstars. Even old faces start to appear in Johnny's life, in the form of his old sensei, John Kreese. Although Miguel still remains the show's secondary protagonist alongside Johnny, its Hawk who steals the spotlight throughout the entire season, delivering an incredible performance of his descent into darkness, angriness and viciousness. Although its heartbreaking to watch him start to torment his once best friend, it's also partially understandable as to why Hawk now abuses his strength and power; he was previously mocked and bullied his entire life, too scared to fight back. Alongside Hawk, even Demetri (Gianni Decenzo) gets his own compelling story as he trains alongside Daniel to defend himself against his ex-best friend.

However, with so many new characters to introduce and develop, it leaves Miguel feeling partially underutilized in season 2. Watching him grow angrier towards Samantha (Mary Mouser) and Robby's relationship is an effective example of what Cobra Kai does to its students, but besides his fight with Hawk and his tragic paralysis in the school fight, I still felt myself wanting to see more of Miguel this season. Cobra Kai season 2 offers some great moments for all fans to enjoy, and besides a few complaints, it remains as a great example of what legacy sequels can accomplish if done right.

SECOND - COBRA KAI SEASON 3

Cobra Kai season 3 is the show's most depressing season, and for a good reason. Miguel is in a coma, Robby is on the run, Kreese has taken over Cobra Kai and Johnny is at his lowest point in life. All of those aspects make for one of the most emotional stories the show has to offer, putting Miguel and Johnny back in the center stage as they reunite to help Miguel walk again.

Season 3 provides meaningful and developed characterization to all central players of the first and second seasons, minus Aisha (Nichole Brown), who's sudden absence unfortunately loses one of Cobra Kai's first protagonists. If you thought Hawk's villainous arc in season 2 was compelling, it pales in comparison to his redemption in season 3, which plants all the necessary seeds for Hawk to feel regret and shame towards his past actions. Robby, on the other hand, starts his own path to the "dark side", in which he finally learns to strike first against his tormentor in juvenile detention. This season also feels like the true first step towards ending Johnny and Daniel's rivalry, as the two finally put aside their differences in order to team up against Kreese in the season's finale. Somehow, in lieu of balancing so many different stories and arcs, the season feels like it has time to let the narrative breathe and evolve naturally, as opposed to either cramming too much in a short runtime or too little in a longer period.

And of course, I can't talk about season 3 without giving praise to Kreese's Vietnam backstory, which brings so much light to the Karate Kid universe's oldest villain. Watching a sweet, loyal man getting forced in a desperate position of "kill or be killed" is an incredibly well-crafted reflection of the actual war itself and what it did to many of its soldiers. Not only does the audience get to understand why Kreese holds his "no mercy" mindset so close to heart, but it also provides valuable context as to how Silver ended up owing Kreese his life. It's probably Cobra Kai's most mature story, and it's great to see that it still holds up today.

FIRST - COBRA KAI SEASON 1

Was there ever any doubt? Cobra Kai season 1 is easily the show at its best and most refined, delivering a story with such creativity, passion and style that it's no wonder why it became as popular as it did. The show's first season is not just an example of how to truly execute a legacy sequel, but is also a perfect continuation for the beloved Karate Kid trilogy.

Season 1 throws us in the shoes of Johnny Lawrence, a broken man with a wasted life after losing to Daniel LaRusso in the first film's All-Valley tournament. Johnny is haunted by the kick that made him lose the match, and has let his obsession with it completely overtake his life and his relationships. It's only after meeting his neighbor, Miguel Diaz, that Johnny begins to pick himself up and return to his previous passion of karate, teaching the bullied teenager how to quote-on-quote "be badass", doing so under the mantle of a new Cobra Kai dojo. Johnny isn't the only returning face from the old movies, however, as we also get to see the life of the titular Karate Kid, Daniel LaRusso. Daniel seems to be doing well for himself, running a successful car dealership with catchy karate slogans and free bonsai trees. Upon hearing that Johnny is starting up Cobra Kai, however, Daniel is also thrust back into the world of karate when he starts to teach Johnny's troubled son, Robby Keene, making him the first Miyagi-Do student since Daniel himself.

Cobra Kai season 1 is clearly made by diehard fans of the original films, shown by how carefully the narrative is crafted and how many Easter eggs and callbacks to the first film there are in the show (my personal favorite being Miguel's skeleton costume). Choosing to base the show in Johnny's point of view provides an entirely different perspective towards the events we already saw years ago, painting Daniel in a new, almost antagonistic light. Above all, watching Miguel win against Robby in the All-Valley brilliantly harkens back to Johnny's match against Daniel, creating a gutting feeling as both Johnny and the audience realize that Cobra Kai winning the tournament isn't triumphant at all... and rather bears a sinister future in store for the rest of the characters

VERDICT

Cobra Kai may not be what it once was, but that doesn't mean it's too late for the show to exceed our expectations like it did in the past. Throughout each season, even amidst all the negatives, there's always been something to hold onto and to praise in some way. Cobra Kai clearly has the capability of presenting a compelling narrative, and if it hopes to retain the attention of its fans, we can only hope that the Sekai Takai is exactly what the show needs to introduce new stakes, characters and dynamics to the plot. Although I was slightly disappointed at some of the series' newer seasons, I would be lying if I said that Cobra Kai still doesn't snake its way into my list of favorite shows

7.5 / 10