The Pop Culture Pundit

After 7 years,  9 Emmy nominations, and countless screams of “no mercy,” Cobra Kai is coming to an end. A show that’s a reboot of a classic 80’s film franchise (The Karate Kid) following original protagonist Daniel LaRusso (Ralph Macchio) and antagonist Johnny Lawrence (William Zabka) as they reignite their 30-year-old karate beef and bestow it onto their children should not have been this good–and yet here we are. There are many factors contributing to Cobra Kai’s success, including the cast’s excellent chemistry, the creators’ respect for the characters’ story arcs, and the countless cliffhangers that have kept audiences on the edge of their seats for years (the two-year wait between seasons 5 and 6 was looooonnng). For those who are worried this is the end of the Karate Kid franchise, though, fear not: Karate Kid: Legends will be released in theaters in May (Cobra Kai never dies, after all). 

To celebrate the end of an era, here is the best episode from each season. Grab your black belt and bonsai tree. 

“Ace Degenerate” – Season 1, Episode 1

^{Cobra Kai via YouTube}

The first episode after nearly thirty years since the end of the original trilogy was an exciting introduction back into a world where karate is basically the center of the universe. Shifting the narrative to focus on Johnny Lawrence’s side of the story rather than Daniel LaRusso’s, Cobra Kai gave us a promising redemption arc–one that would be filled with many twists and turns for years to come. In the premiere, we learn that Daniel’s crane kick to Johnny’s face in the original movie’s All Valley Tournament basically ruined the Johnny’s life (again, the world revolves around karate in the Miyagi Cinematic Universe). But! Johnny has a chance to get his life back on track after helping his kid neighbor Miguel (Xolo Maridueña) fend off bullies. Cobra Kai was never really dead–in fact, it was waiting for resurrection, and was coming back to life with a vengeful hiss. 

“No Mercy”–Season 2, Episode 10

The end of season 2 changes the entire course of the show–and I’m not over-exaggerating. There are a lot of things that happen between the premiere of season 1 and the season 2 finale, but here’s a basic bullet point summary:

• Johnny’s evil karate instructor from the original movie, John Kreese (Martin Kove), comes back and continues to be a bad influence to the next generation of karate kids
• A new girl named Tory (Peyton List, from Jessie!) comes to town and is also seemingly evil
• Johnny has a son named Robby (Tanner Buchanan) who is mad Johnny is a better dad to Miguel than him
• Daniel’s daughter, Sam, is caught in a love triangle with Robby and Miguel

With that backstory established, all of these plot points come to a head in “No Mercy” that leads to a massive fight initiated by Tory at school where Robby (accidentally!) kicks Miguel over a balcony and leaves him paralyzed for the next season. It’s incredibly intense to watch but is no doubt the craziest fight that Cobra Kai ever staged. Robby, Miguel, Sam, and Tory would all be beefing with each other for the next three seasons as a result–where karate is literally life or death in the Valley, the stakes have never been higher. 

“December 19”–Season 3 Episode 10

“December 19” might be one of my favorite episodes of Cobra Kai ever–tied with my pick for season five’s best episode. Whereas season 2 gave us a “cruel summer” (not the Taylor Swift song), season 3 gave us a happy holiday with this set-near-Christmas season finale. Miguel regained his strength after last year’s accident! Sam stood up for herself against Tory! Johnny and Daniel finally got on the same page after their old high school flame Ali (Elizabeth Shue, making a triumphant re-appearance to the franchise) made them realize they’re still acting like high schoolers! The nail seemed to be in the coffin for the Cobra Kai karate dojo as Johnny and Daniel sought to take Kreese down once and for all–until their kids showed up and made them realize “no mercy” probably isn’t a great message to impart on future generations. The only thing to end on a bummer is Robby going to the dark side with Kreese because he visited him more while he was in juvie than Johnny (what a way for Kreese to get Johnny’s own son to turn on him–all because karate). Guess you can’t win them all–at least, not immediately (by the end of next season, Robby and Johnny would mend fences). Miyagi probably would have taught us that patience is key.

“Match Point”–Season 4, Episode 5

^{Johnny’s Tweets on Cobra Kai. Notice he only has one follower; it’s revealed to be Miguel. Screenshot/Now Playing via YouTube}

Those who have been hoping to see a rematch between Johnny and Daniel finally got their wish granted with “Match Point.” The entire episode is filled with excitement as we watch Johnny and Daniel’s contrasting training styles in 80’s style montages–the former, of course, smashing cinder blocks and splashing in the ocean while rocking out to Rocky IV’s “Burning Heart,” and the latter channeling his inner-Miyagi with some calming karate moves. Then, the actual tournament is filled with tension as we wonder who will win this time around. There are so many laugh-out-loud moments that elevate this episode to another level, including the running gag that Johnny is horrible with technology–maybe challenging your frenemy to a karate tournament over X (formerly Twitter) isn’t the best idea, especially when you think a “hashtag” is called a hashbrown. 

^{Nithin Prasad R via YouTube}

“Extreme Measures”–Season 5, Episode 5

This episode just might be tied with season 3’s outing listed above as my favorite of the whole show. “Extreme Measures” is pivotal as we see the resolution of many feuds after many, many, many karate-fueled fights. Robby and Miguel finally resolve their anger towards one another in an epic apartment battle–one that sees Miguel almost kicking Robby over the balcony similar to what happened years ago to him–and they settle their beef just in time, as Miguel’s mom Carmen (Vanessa Rubio) is expecting a baby with Johnny. With Johnny’s fatherhood once again on the horizon, he doesn’t want to mess it up this time around–and is learning how to become responsible as a result. When a tipsy, angry Daniel comes to kick up another fight, Johnny is the level one for once, offering him advice and guidance. Daniel attempts to take the advice to heart but is instead met with a vengeful Terry Silver (Ian Thomas Griffith, reprising his evil karate instructor role from Karate Kid III), who then proceeds to beat him to a pulp by weaponizing his weakness against him. In the end, Johnny and Karate Kid II villain Chozen (Yuji Okumoto) seek to help a hurt Daniel–and though Johnny and Daniel still argue in season 6 of Cobra Kai, after thirty years, this episode feels like it finally shuts the chapter on years of their childish behavior towards one another. 

^{ClipsVerse via YouTube}

“Snakes on a Plane”–Season 6, Episode 8

Season six has thus far been a tad underwhelming–though we are now on the biggest karate stage in the world for the Sekai Taikai, the characters’ story arcs don’t feel as believable as they once were (in episode 7, we see Daniel getting knocked out, kidnapped…and waking up in a dog kennel in an underground cave in Spain?? The fact that a show about generational trauma stemming from karate hadn’t jumped the shark until this season is pretty impressive in the first place). That said, “Snakes on a Plane” provides genuine real-world tension as Johnny and Miguel rush back home on a plane to Carmen, who’s having pregnancy complications. Not only does it provide some suspense, it ups the emotional stakes of the international karate tournament too, which until now was built on flimsy character conflict. We also get more characterization from Chozen and Kim Da-Eun (Alicia Hannah-Kim) and a shocking reveal at the end: Terry Silver escaped from prison! (And somehow flew to Spain without being an international fugitive.) Though season 6 may not be at the same level as previous seasons, I have no doubt that the final five episodes will provide plenty of thrills and chills. Cobra Kai has been one of my favorite shows to ever watch, and I cannot wait to see how it ends. But of course, it’s never really over, because–say it with me!–Cobra Kai Never Dies.

^{Netflix via YouTube}

The final five episodes of Cobra Kai drop February 13 on Netflix.