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| 6 | [[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/cobrakaijohnnyvsdaniel.jpg]] |
| 7 | [[caption-width-right:350:''"You wanna finish this?" "Bring it on."'']] |
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| 12 | ->''"We do whatever it takes to keep our heads above water. We do whatever it takes to keep moving forward! We do whatever it takes to win! Remember who you are: You're badass! You don't give a shit! Kick ass! You're Cobra Kai!"'' |
| 13 | -->-- '''Johnny Lawrence''' |
| 14 | |
| 15 | Like ''The Karate Kid'' brand overall, ''Cobra Kai'' is never without its ups and downs. They'll get knocked down, but they'll get up again. When they do, watch out! |
| 16 | |
| 17 | !!All spoilers on this page are left unmarked. Administrivia/YouHaveBeenWarned! |
| 18 | |
| 19 | ---- |
| 20 | [[foldercontrol]] |
| 21 | |
| 22 | [[folder:General]] |
| 23 | * Just the fact that '''all''' of the original karate masters from the ''Film/TheKarateKid'' trilogy are awesome in their own right, not just being prime examples of the StillGotIt trope, but bringing out the best in karate throughout the show. |
| 24 | ** Johnny Lawrence. Yes, he's had a downward spiral 34 years after his '84 loss to Daniel [=LaRusso=], but you cannot help but cheer on the fact that his two All-Valley championships wasn't just a thing of the past. Not only is he one of the most effective practitioners of Tang Soo Do in the show, he's also an effective teacher and businessman as well — shown how he was able to establish Cobra Kai as a haven for teens to defend themselves from bullies, and still maintain relevancy with Eagle Fang Karate. Sure, his life is nothing but ups and down, but the show clearly portrays a man who has found a new purpose in life and uses it to the fullest. After some struggles, he is able to take all of the positive components of his karate teachings and form an entirely new and better style, while discarding the toxic parts of Cobra Kai - no small thing at all. |
| 25 | ** With Mr. Miyagi long-passed away, there's no one better to take the torch he's passed down than the Karate Kid himself, Daniel [=LaRusso=]. Even before going back to karate after mainly using it for marketing purposes, he's able to ride out the success of his two All-Valley victories as an influential businessman in the valley — which is clearly impressive in its own right. As soon as he gets back into karate, he shows the world that it's not a commercial gimmick for [=LaRusso=] Auto — not just re-opening Miyagi-Do and passing down Miyagi's teachings to the next generation, but mastering even more skills that make him a dangerous opponent; examples being Chozen's pressure point techniques and Johnny's style of "more offense." By Season 5, he's not only able to get Miyagi-Do back up on its feet after the 51st All-Valley loss (albeit with the help of Johnny, Chozen, and his students) and have them qualify for the Sekai Taikai, but he's able to find complete balance utilizing everything he has learned as a karateka (''including'' Terry Silver's Quicksilver method) to beat the hell out of his ArchEnemy, Terry Silver himself. |
| 26 | ** Even if he's up there in age, John Kreese continues to show why he's the founder of Cobra Kai. Sure, he's the villain that we're supposed to root against, but it's quite a sight to behold when he's able to (fairly) beat the hell out of anyone not named Johnny or Daniel; two prime examples being that scumbag of a landlord that Tory has to deal with, and the WolfInSheepsClothing that was his commanding officer. Even in his 70s, he's still a formidable foe who has actually gained a sense of intelligence and pragmatism — being able to steal the dojo under Johnny's nose, and successfully convince Robby Keene to join Cobra Kai as a top student. |
| 27 | ** And let’s not forget Kreese’s old war buddy and Cobra Kai co-founder: Terry Silver. Like Kreese, he may have gotten much older but he is just as, if not more, fearsome as he was 34 years ago. Despite seemingly being away for karate since the ‘85 All-Valley, Terry manages to utterly wipe the floor with Robby, Johnny, and Daniel (at first) rather quickly and without breaking a sweat — the latter two of which not Kreese can do, establishing himself as one of the series' best fighters on par with Chozen. Terry also shows that he is as intelligent as he is skilled, most evidently shown when he uses Kenny to defeat Robby in a “weakness” demonstration, and later betray Kreese to the police and take over Cobra Kai as his own. There’s a big reason why Daniel nearly shit himself when he sees him again after all these years. |
| 28 | ** '''Chozen Toguchi.''' It's not just the fact that his continuous experience with karate — unlocking the secrets of Miyagi-Do has clearly made him TheAce in the show. This is underlined in the Season Five finale when he goes toe-to-toe with Silver, and wins, '''while drunk.''' It's the fact that he (with the help of his uncle, Sato) was able to completely change as a better person during the interim period between ''Film/TheKarateKidPartII'' and ''Series/CobraKai,'' something that Johnny, Kreese, and even Daniel couldn't do. |
| 29 | * The next generation of fighters that first appear on the show shouldn't be counted out as well. |
| 30 | ** Let's start with the growth of the Binary Brothers, period. |
| 31 | *** Perhaps of all the next generation characters in the show, no one goes through more development than Eli “Hawk” Moskowitz. Starting out as a shy, insecure, bullied kid with a scar on his lip, it’s nothing short of satisfying to see him follow Johnny’s advice on “flipping the script” and becoming the more confident, more bravado Hawk. As Hawk, his dedication to karate has established himself as one of the show’s top fighters — making it to the semi-finals with only ''months of training,'' and becoming a leader among the Cobra Kai students, even if he falls into villainy by Season 2 and Season 3. However, it’s post-his defection from Cobra Kai to Eagle Fang and Miyagi-Do where he truly shines as a character. Especially as he bounces back from losing his signature mohawk to re-joining Miyagi-Do after a brief retirement, re-establishing the bridges he previously burned as a Cobra Kai member, gets his girlfriend Moon back, shuts out his bully Kyler after years of torment from the bastard, and '''wins the boys’ division in the All-Valley by defeating Robby Keene.''' He’s come a ''long way'' since his introduction as the “kid with the lip” to “the Hawk” to the All-Valley champ. Not only that, but he grows as a person, from shy nerd to aggressive bully, and then truly comes to realize the mistakes he made and become a better, stronger, more confident and mature person who's tough without being cruel. |
| 32 | *** Of course, there's Demetri Alexopoulos as well. Who would've thought that a bullied, neurotic nerd would eventually fight in the All-Valley semifinals with a ballsy BringIt attitude to Robby Keene? Like Eli, it's nothing short of satisfying to see Demetri's growth and development, albeit finding the perfect dojo for him by joining Daniel [=LaRusso=]'s Miyagi-Do and establishing himself as a CombatPragmatist and one of the show's best young practitioners. It gets even better after ''defeating Hawk in the school fight'' when he gains a higher popularity standing in West Valley High, goes out with Yasmine of all people (albeit the latter having a changed attitude for the good), actually convinces Eli to come back to karate when the latter goes through a HeroicBSOD (a stark contrast to Demetri's initial outspoken disinterest in the art), gives Robby an excellent fight during the All-Valley, and later beats up Kyler. And yet despite everything he's accomplished as a fighter, he's never once dismissed his "nerdy self," unlike Eli while the latter was under the more aggressive Hawk persona. |
| 33 | ** Starting out as an asthmatic bullied teen to becoming one of the best young fighters in the series, Miguel Diaz's growth is a sight to behold, not even letting spinal injuries get him down for long. Out of all Johnny's students, he took the lessons of being badass without being a bully most to heart. He's not just an awesome fighter, either; it's primarily thanks to his influence--both direct and indirect--that Johnny is able to create Eagle Fang out of Cobra Kai, and thanks in large part to him that they are able to work with and alongside Miyagi-Do against Kreese and eventually Silver. Season 5 shows Miguel at his absolute best, not only fully healed from his spinal injury, but enough to overpower a completely focused (and equally rage-filled) Robby Keene again, proving that he is still ahead of everyone else in ''Series/CobraKai''. |
| 34 | ** Still, Robby Keene, being the biological son of Johnny Lawrence, is an exceptionally talented fighter in his own right. Even though he hasn't won an All-Valley championship, the fact that he made it to the finals ''two years in a row'' representing ''two different dojos'' is just downright impressive. Speaking of "different dojos", he is that skilled enough to be the top male student of Miyagi-Do ''and'' Cobra Kai, learning an extremely difficult technique that not even '''Daniel [=LaRusso=]''' admittedly could master, and taking out all the Cobra Kais at one point without receiving a single fair hit. And during the Season 5 FinalBattle at Terry's Flagship dojo, it takes ''3 fighters'' to keep him at bay, and he gets up pretty easily after Miguel's intervention. |
| 35 | ** Let's not forget the female fighters that have made their mark in ''Series/CobraKai'', starting with Sam [=LaRusso=], representing the current generation of [=LaRussos=] fighting for Miyagi-Do. The fact that she's the only Gen Z character in the entire series to train under '''Mr. Miyagi''' certainly helps, and she quickly proves why she is one of the best fighters in the series (on the same level as Robby and Miguel) as soon as she gets back into karate. She unquestionably become's Miyagi-Do's star student when Robby defects to Cobra Kai, she's won every fair bout against Tory (the All-Valley doesn't count, as Tory had the leniency advantage from the referee bribed by Terry Silver), she's able to combine both her Miyagi-Do and Eagle Fang training, and she even outsmarts another referee bribed by Silver when she makes her points obvious against Devon. When all is said and done, she's proven herself as a [=LaRusso=] worthy to succeed the legacy of her father and her grandfather-figure. |
| 36 | ** And then there's Tory Nichols, who makes a good first impression when she pins down a distracted Miguel in her first Cobra Kai lesson. It certainly helps she has prior kickboxing experience, as she quickly emerges as one of Cobra Kai's top students (as well as Kreese's clear favorite) and proving herself to be a dangerous match for her ArchEnemy, Sam. |
| 37 | ** While she's no longer practicing the art as of the Season 2 finale, Aisha Robinson certainly made an impact being the first female fighter shown on-screen — especially when she joins Cobra Kai as Johnny's second student and takes advantage of Miguel being a bit too merciful on her, trouncing him in the process. This impresses Johnny enough to accept female students in the dojo, and Aisha certainly lives up to her potential — first emerging as one of Johnny's star students, and making it all the way to the quarterfinals and giving defending champion, Xander Stone one heck of a fight before she is ultimately taken down. Even prior to the tournament, she gives her tormentor, Yasmine, a well-deserved brutal wedgie with ''only one hand'' showcasing her physical strength. |
| 38 | ** Kenny Payne has certainly made his mark as one of the youngest fighters in the series, despite succumbing very deep into Cobra Kai's teachings — especially under Terry Silver. Case-in-point, Kenny starts out as a meek, bullied student (not unlike Miguel, Hawk, and Demetri) before joining Cobra Kai under his brother Shawn's suggestion; when he does try out at the dojo, he is absolutely cowardly and pathetic, running away even though Kyler and Robby ''haven't even attacked him'' yet! However, Kenny uses his speed (and Robby's suggestion) to his advantage, securing his spot in Kreese's Cobra Kai after he manages a sneak attack punch in the face to Kyler. But it doesn't stop there. Being a quick learner, he eventually rises up the ranks among the Cobra Kais, first ''defeating'' Robby in an exercise match by exposing his weakness (courtesy of Silver's suggestion), using deception to take down his bullies one by one in the middle school library, making it to the All-Valley quarterfinals, emerging as Silver's star student after out-ranking Kyler in a leadership exercise, and learning the DangerousForbiddenTechnique "Silver Bullet" in less than a day! It's no wonder why Terry Silver saw plenty of potential in Kenny and took him upon his wing as his star pupil, especially when one considers the similarities that both men have as karatekas. |
| 39 | ** Devon Lee shouldn't also be overlooked, also being a fast learner (she easily surpasses more experienced Miyagi-Do/Eagle Fang karatekas like Chris, Nate, Bert and Mitch) who made good on Johnny immediately declaring her as the dojo's female champion by making it to the All-Valley quarterfinals in ''less than six months.'' Her level of dedication to the art is quite outstanding, being willing to train after-hours in Silver's flagship dojo. It's to the point where Kim Da-Eun is impressed enough to have her represent the girls in the Sekai Taikai qualifier against Sam [=LaRusso=], and even potentially replace Tory as Cobra Kai's star female student when given the chance. |
| 40 | ** Anthony [=LaRusso=] still has a long way to go when it comes to the art, but the fact that he proves himself to be TheSmartGuy of the Miyagi-Fangs speaks for itself. Mind you, ''he's'' the one that comes up with the idea of having the Miyagi-Fangs work together to protect the eggs from Chozen during their exercise, which ultimately results in '''success''', and even better, becomes a ChekhovsSkill utilized in the FinalBattle against Terry Silver's students. And speaking of the FinalBattle, he uses his prior knowledge of technology to expose Silver's actions to the Cobra Kais, keeping his cool in the process. Prior to that, he had just enough skill to take on a few {{Mook}}s, proving to everyone that he ''has'' grown from the useless LazyBum he was in the first few seasons. |
| 41 | [[/folder]] |
| 42 | |
| 43 | [[folder:Season 1]] |
| 44 | [[AC:"[[Recap/CobraKaiS1E1AceDegenerate Ace Degenerate]]" (1x01)]] |
| 45 | * Johnny saving Miguel from Kyler and his crew [[CurbStompBattle while barely breaking a sweat]]. It doesn't matter that the cops dogpiled him afterwards, he's {{still got it}}. |
| 46 | * Johnny's HesBack moment when he offers to be Miguel's sensei. After a HumiliationConga, he's not backing down and ready to come back stronger than ever. |
| 47 | [[AC:"[[Recap/CobraKaiS1E4CobraKaiNeverDies Cobra Kai Never Dies]]" (1x04)]] |
| 48 | * Daniel finally having enough of Tom Cole's bullshit and [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GxUy0Q3UEwM spin-kicking his boba tea right out of his hand]]. It's an ''extremely'' potent display of precise, controlled force. Cole is left unscathed, but Daniel makes the point that his "karate thing" is more than just bragging rights, and if he ''wanted to'', he could have really put the hurt on Cole. An excellent display of physical and emotional discipline, kicking the drink and ''only the drink'', and not getting so pissed off he went off and ''really'' assaulted essentially a defenseless middle-aged man. It also serves as a CallBack when Mr. Miyagi chopped through beer bottles in the first film. |
| 49 | * Sam fighting off Kyler in a CallBack to Ali punching Johnny in the first film. She's not been practicing karate for a while, but she still remembers the moves on instinct. |
| 50 | [[AC:"[[Recap/CobraKaiS1E5Counterbalance Counterbalance]]" (1x05)]] |
| 51 | * The lunchroom fight. Not only does Miguel open with a PreAssKickingOneLiner ("It's not lame ass karate. It's Cobra Kai!"), he demolishes the bullies so thoroughly that Kyler flees at the sight of him afterwards. This earns him Johnny's old gi, ''and'' wins Sam's admiration. Furthermore, the fight also goes viral on social media, causing droves of Miguel's classmates to sign up for Cobra Kai lessons and ending his sensei's financial problems. In a single scene, Cobra Kai was ''truly'' reborn. |
| 52 | ** Although it crosses over into TearJerker and NightmareFuel territory, Miguel's overall transformation from a bullied and sickly high school kid into a formidable practitioner of Cobra Kai Karate is awesome to see. |
| 53 | * After Daniel visits Mr. Miyagi's grave in search of balance, he comes home and clears out his old training room. The simple imagery of him donning the gi and headband once more while performing Miyagi's kata is enough to give any fan goosebumps. |
| 54 | [[AC:"[[Recap/CobraKaiS1E6Quiver Quiver]]" (1x06)]] |
| 55 | * Eli's transformation into Hawk. At first, Eli walks out after Johnny makes fun of his appearance one time too many, and you would be forgiven for thinking -- as with all the other walkouts -- that's the last you'll see of him. But in the next class, Eli walks back in, barely recognizable with a mohawk and a punk outfit, and tells everyone he decided to "flip the script." Even Johnny is impressed and instantly gives him his new nickname. |
| 56 | ** His transformation being the real deal is pretty awesome. A lot of modern programs would have had a comedic pratfall to show that Eli is still the lovable, pathetic loser we knew before but Hawk quickly proves to be a [[TheBerserker savage fighting machine]] inside and out. His combination of brutality and skill bring him all the way to the semi finals and his fight with [[TheAce Robby]] is even enough that he might have been able to win legitimately if his [[UnstoppableRage temper]] hadn't gotten the better of him. |
| 57 | [[AC:"[[Recap/CobraKaiS1E7AllValley All Valley]]" (1x07)]] |
| 58 | * Remember the WaxOnWaxOff approach Miyagi used on Daniel? Daniel takes the exact same approach with Robby at his dealership. It's clear Daniel is loving being on the other side of the TricksterMentor dynamic, and Robby is just as awestruck when he realizes what he's been learning all along as Daniel was at his age. |
| 59 | --> '''Daniel:''' God, I love this part! |
| 60 | * Not only does Johnny manage to avoid losing his temper when Daniel argues against reinstating Cobra Kai, but he makes an empassioned speech which convinces the tournament committee to lift the ban on his dojo. |
| 61 | [[AC:"[[Recap/CobraKaiS1E8Molting Molting]]" (1x08)]] |
| 62 | * Johnny tying up all loose ends with [[AbusiveParents Sid]] by giving him back all the money he ever lent him, and then cutting him off for good. The only evidence of Johnny's improved financial status has been a new flatscreen TV we see later in his apartment, meaning that dealing with Sid was clearly a priority of his for a long time. |
| 63 | -->"I never needed your money; [[CallingTheOldManOut it was just the only thing you had to give]]. Goodbye, Sid." |
| 64 | [[AC:"[[Recap/CobraKaiS1E9DifferentButSame Different But Same]]" (1x09)]] |
| 65 | * Johnny and Daniel in the latter's backyard, both totally pissed off and ready to kill each other... until Amanda intervenes with some epic {{Deadpan Snarker}}y: |
| 66 | -->'''Amanda [=LaRusso=]:''' Yeah, you two seem to have this pretty well in hand. Just a normal Saturday afternoon and a couple of grown men about to kick each other into a pool. You know, as much as I would love to watch you and your childhood karate rival duke it out, I kinda don't want to get any blood on the patio. So what do you say we try to resolve this over some breakfast instead?\ |
| 67 | '''Daniel [=LaRusso=]:''' (To Johnny) Wanna go inside?\ |
| 68 | '''Johnny Lawrence:''' I could eat. |
| 69 | * The canyon party has its fair share: |
| 70 | ** The party itself is one for Aisha, as her reinterpretation of "Strike First". She ruins Yasmine's birthday plans by throwing an awesome party that does wonders for Cobra Kai's popularity and makes Yasmine look like an idiot in the process. |
| 71 | ** An interesting one for Kyler; he spots Miguel and immediately decides to leave. He may be an asshole, but at least [[KnowWhenToFoldEm he's not a stupid one]]: |
| 72 | --->'''Yasmine:''' Kyler, go tell these losers to get out of here.\ |
| 73 | '''Kyler''' ''(spotting Miguel in the crowd):'' You know what? Let’s just find another spot or go home or whatever, you know? |
| 74 | ** Everyone but Moon promptly deserting Yasmine, suggesting that even after Kyler got curb-stomped by Miguel in front of everyone (including their own posse), their group ''still'' likes/respects Kyler more than they do Yasmine. |
| 75 | ** Proving that his transformation is more than skin-deep, Hawk catches the eye of Moon, one of the most popular girls in school, and the two are kissing by the end of the party. He's a far cry from the ShrinkingViolet who was too scared to ask a girl to dance at the Halloween Dance. |
| 76 | ** Aisha's introduction of Yasmine to the [[{{Wedgie}} Melvin]] is a pretty epic ShutUpHannibal moment after Yasmine continues to [[BullyingADragon insult Aisha to her face]]: "NO MERCY, [[ThisIsForEmphasisBitch BITCH]]!" That Yasmine's humiliation went viral on social media and later gave Sam an opening to reconcile with Aisha is just icing on the cake. It gets even better when Season 3 reveals that this moment actually gave Yasmine a HeelRealization as she finally understood what it felt like to be on the receiving end of the sort of humiliation she used to dole out to the other kids. |
| 77 | ** Moon having the humility to apologize to Aisha for bullying her and try to convince Yasmine to do the same. |
| 78 | * Johnny actually getting Daniel to agree to a "friendly" rematch a la [[Film/RockyIII Apollo and Rocky]]. It doesn't matter that Robby ruined the moment almost immediately afterwards -- given the history between these two, the notion is still about the most [[{{Bromance}} bromantic]] thing ever. |
| 79 | [[AC:"[[Recap/CobraKaiS1E10Mercy Mercy]]" (1x10)]] |
| 80 | * The tournament featured its own string of Crowning Moments: |
| 81 | ** At the start, the different karate dojos file onto the mat with some applause from their respective fans, but the Cobra Kai? [[Film/TheKarateKid1984 They come in chanting their own name, wearing the iconic black sleeveless gi for the first time,]] [[CallBack and looking ready to just slaughter everyone]]. Even the tournament announcer openly gushes over it: "Now that's what I call an entrance! And a badass name for a dojo!" |
| 82 | ** Miguel's overall SimpleYetAwesome approach. He fights exceptionally well throughout the tournament itself, fighting with well applied movesets combined with brutal ferocity. He strikes first, strikes hard, and fights without mercy. In this tournament, he is Cobra Kai incarnate. |
| 83 | ** Similarly, Robby epitomizes the calm, balanced style of Miyagi-Do. He fights so impressively that Daniel, who's still angry at him for lying about his relationship with Johnny, can't help but jump out of his seat to cheer for him, and is able to go toe-to-toe with Miguel despite being injured. |
| 84 | ** Hawk takes down one of his early opponents with a leaping punch to the face. It looks AwesomeButImpractical, but he manages to make it work and get the win. |
| 85 | ** Aisha makes it to the quarterfinals and takes the reigning champion, Xander Stone, to the deciding point. |
| 86 | ** Even Bert, the smallest Cobra Kai member, gets his own awesome moment. Despite being completely outclassed by an opponent who can do flips over his head, he unflinchingly faces him head on and stands his ground. He never stood a chance of winning but his bravery is very admirable. |
| 87 | ** Johnny having Miguel open his first match with the famous Crane Kick as a TakeThat to Daniel -- and Daniel is visibly piqued by it. |
| 88 | ** Xander has a pretty impressive flying flip as he's introduced. |
| 89 | ** After [[SoapboxSadie Xander]] tries everyone's patience with a touchy-feely speech and a slacktivist moment of silence, Johnny -- ever the PoliticallyIncorrectHero -- gives Miguel exactly the right orders: "Kick that pansy bitch in the face." And Miguel ''does''. |
| 90 | ** It would have been incredibly easy for Xander to get all pissy about the kick. Instead, he simply takes it in stride and is nothing less than completely cordial throughout. Which is in sharp contrast to his mother the [[StageMom Karate Mom]] (Amanda's description). |
| 91 | ** Hawk tries intimidating Robby with a BadassBoast. Instead, Robby just points out the ridiculousness of Hawk's entire TestosteronePoisoning act. |
| 92 | --->'''Hawk:''' That was a lucky point. It's gonna be your last.\ |
| 93 | '''Robby:''' Why? Leaving early to fix that stupid haircut? |
| 94 | *** Credit to Hawk, his response may have been [[InTheBack petty]] but the damage it did proved that he could back up his talk. |
| 95 | ** The final showdown between Miguel and Robby has many: |
| 96 | *** It starts with the announcement that Robby will no longer be fighting unaffiliated -- he's representing Miyagi-Do Karate, with Daniel as his sensei! Daniel and Johnny get in a quick staredown as they renew their rivalry through their students. |
| 97 | ---->'''Johnny:''' You're gonna regret this when it's over. |
| 98 | ---->'''Daniel:''' Yeah, right. Like this'll ever be over. |
| 99 | *** Miguel starts the fight unbalanced due to his anger at his breakup with Sam, and loses the opening point. However, he rallies and wins the next two using the same combination of SimpleYetAwesome strikes and ruthless CombatPragmatism that took him to the final. |
| 100 | *** The new Miyagi-Do signature move -- the one-handed handstand double-leg kick. Daniel spent his entire life trying to do it and not getting there, but Robby? The boy nails the Cobra Kai's prize student with it ''despite a handicap''. Of course, there was the fact that doing a one-handed handstand is something that [[ChekhovsSkill skaters tend to know already]]. |
| 101 | *** The small moment of sportmanship when Robby offers a hand to help Miguel up. Despite all the reasons he has in that moment to despise Miguel and the Cobra Kai -- Miguel being his romantic rival for Sam, Miguel's teammate gimping him and putting him in immense pain with an illegal attack, and the sensei of Team Cobra Kai being his own hated father -- Robby still found the heart to make that gesture. [[NoGoodDeedGoesUnpunished Too bad Miguel seizes the opportunity to further injure Robby's shoulder.]] |
| 102 | *** Robby, his left shoulder dislocated and useless, centers himself using a Miyagi-Do technique and for a few glorious seconds [[HopeSpot fends off Miguel's barrage of punches and kicks with one arm]]. Unfortunately, it's not enough as Miguel gets the win. |
| 103 | * Daniel decides to open his own dojo to rival Cobra Kai and bases it out of Mr. Miyagi's old house. |
| 104 | * Sam gets her own ShesBack moment when she steps into the [=LaRusso=]'s home dojo and starts her kata. |
| 105 | * The return of [[BigBad John Kreese]], cutting a very sinister figure as he steps out of the shadows and declares "the real story's only just begun." |
| 106 | [[/folder]] |
| 107 | |
| 108 | [[folder:Season 2]] |
| 109 | [[AC:"[[Recap/CobraKaiS2E1MercyPartII Mercy, Part II]]" (2x01)]] |
| 110 | * Johnny and Kreese, picking up where Season 1 left off, duke it out. It is brutal and painful, with neither going easy on the other. Both men manage to "go the distance", as the fight ends with the two of them exhausted on the floor. |
| 111 | ** Johnny actually holds his own to the point where he has Kreese in a chokehold. And did we mention that he was also drunk? |
| 112 | * In the first class after the tournament, Johnny gives Miguel and Hawk a severe dressing down for what they did to Robby in the tournament, making it clear that cheating will not be tolerated from this point on, and demotes everyone to white belts so they can start over and learn the right way to fight. |
| 113 | ** It's also slick how Johnny's analogy explains how their reprehensible actions were actually in ''violation'' of Cobra Kai's mindset: |
| 114 | --->'''Johnny:''' Miss Robinson?\ |
| 115 | '''Aisha:''' Yes, sensei?\ |
| 116 | '''Johnny:''' Two cobras in the jungle. One kills the strongest lion, the other kills a crippled monkey. Which Cobra do you want to be?\ |
| 117 | '''Aisha:''' The one that kills the lion, sensei.\ |
| 118 | '''Johnny:''' And why is that?\ |
| 119 | '''Aisha:''' Because it killed a stronger animal.\ |
| 120 | '''Johnny:''' Correct! Cobra Kai is about being badass. And the baddest badass is the one that beats his opponent when he's at his strongest. ''(To Hawk)'' Not when his back is turned! ''(To Miguel)'' Not when he's injured! |
| 121 | ** Miguel and Hawk themselves immediately comply with the punishment Johnny hands down. Even after their StartOfDarkness, they do ''not'' want to be on the bad side of their sensei. |
| 122 | [[AC:"[[Recap/CobraKaiS2E2BackInBlack Back in Black]]" (2x02)]] |
| 123 | * Johnny's cement test succeeds without any hassles, because Miguel and his friends actually crawl inside a cement truck, and use their bare hands and feet to get it spinning! It would take a lot of body strength to accomplish this. |
| 124 | * When Daniel comes across Kreese and Johnny, Kreese quips that the original gang is back, except for Mr. Miyagi, mockingly offering his condolences. Daniel momentarily shuts down Kreese with two lines. |
| 125 | -->''"[[CurbStompBattle You're lucky he's not here.]] [[Film/TheKarateKidPartII How are your]] [[InvulnerableKnuckles knuckles]] [[ContinuityNod doing there, Kreese?]]"'' |
| 126 | ** This becomes doubly satisfying when viewers later find out Kreese was faking turning over a new leaf to Johnny the whole time, and all he wanted was to take back control of Cobra Kai, whether Johnny wanted him back or not. So Kreese is still the same violent manipulator he was when Mr. Miyagi took him down without breaking a sweat in Part II. |
| 127 | [[AC:"[[Recap/CobraKaiS2E3FireAndIce Fire and Ice]]" (2x03)]] |
| 128 | * Though it's greatly overshadowed by Cobra Kai's flashier demonstration, Sam, Robby, and Daniel do quite an impressive job of showing off their control, coordination, and skill. |
| 129 | * Cobra Kai's demonstration at Valley Fest, with Aisha and Hawk breaking wooden boards with punches and kicks, topped off with Johnny punching through four bricks ''while they're on fire'', all to the tune of Music/{{Airbourne}}'s "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FlPalDkWsuA Back in the Game]]". No wonder they wound up overshadowing Miyagi-Do. As the next episode demonstrates, they succeeded in earning a ton of new business for the dojo. |
| 130 | [[AC:"[[Recap/CobraKaiS2E4TheMomentOfTruth The Moment of Truth]]" (2x04)]] |
| 131 | * Faced with a crop of new students after Cobra Kai's demonstration at the Valley Fest, Johnny decides to test them by asking if any of them have the balls to go up against Miguel. Tory reveals herself, accepting the challenge in a very cocky manner -- [[EstablishingCharacterMoment and does well enough against Miguel to impress both Johnny and Kreese]]. |
| 132 | ** While Tory performs well, it's also clear from start to finish that Miguel is in control of the fight. He mounts his [[SimpleYetAwesome standard offense]] against her while countering her attacks and simultaneously explaining the flaws in them, firmly establishing why he's [[TheAce the star student of Cobra Kai.]] Tory only gets him into a lock by [[{{Foreshadowing}} attacking him when he tries to show her mercy by helping her up.]] |
| 133 | * While it's obviously bullshit to impress the students and maintain his image within Cobra Kai, it doesn't make this line from Kreese any less badass. |
| 134 | --> '''Hawk:''' How many warlords did you kill? |
| 135 | --> '''Kreese:''' [[BadassBoast You keep track of all the ants you step on?]] |
| 136 | * After only a few hints of Daniel's badassery in season 1, we finally get to see him jump into action and unleash his inner Miyagi when Trey and Cruz return to settle the score with Robby. The two thugs and their bigger, stronger buddy (who ambushed Robby with an [[ImprovisedWeapon oar]]) are all laid out in roughly thirty seconds. |
| 137 | [[AC:"[[Recap/CobraKaiS2E5AllIn All In]]" (2x05)]] |
| 138 | * Sam and Robby defending Demetri by executing the wheel technique against Eli and the other Cobras, in a 5 vs "2 and a half" match. Not only do Robby and Sam triumph decisively over Hawk's gang, but they upheld Demetri's request to watch over his food. |
| 139 | -->'''Sam:''' ''(To Demetri)'' We saved your chicken! |
| 140 | ** Additionally, Robby takes full advantage of the opportunity to get back at Hawk for cheap shotting him in the All-Valley Tournament by landing a back kick right across his jaw as he goes for an overhead strike, knocking Hawk clear out of the air and leaving him on the ground in pain. |
| 141 | * Chris is the first student to renounce Cobra Kai after Daniel angrily confronts Johnny for the vandalism of the Miyagi-Do property ([[NotMeThisTime which Johnny honestly had no idea occurred]]) and even solemnly admitted he never liked it here as he walks out the dojo. It's a rather underappreciated moment, because '''that''' took grit. Even better is that Chris' departure is followed by an exodus of another dozen students, showing that they understood that their integrity was worth more than Cobra Kai's toxic and destructive machismo. |
| 142 | [[AC:"[[Recap/CobraKaiS2E6TakeARight Take a Right]]" (2x06)]] |
| 143 | * While hanging out with his old Cobra Kai buddies, Johnny and his friends get a chance to show off their karate training against some punks at a pool table and prove they've StillGotIt despite being much older than when they last trained in competition-level Cobra Kai. |
| 144 | ** When the [[VeryPunchableMan lead jerkass]] refers to Tommy as "The ugliest Make-a-Wish kid" he's ever seen, Johnny quickly makes an example of him... and starts off the ass-kicking by grabbing his ear gauge and [[EarAche bloodily tearing it out]]. The opponent does respond later by pinning Johnny against the edge of a bar counter; then the waitress said jerkass had harassed earlier [[BarSlide slides over a glass mug for Johnny to grab]] and [[GrievousBottleyHarm smash over his head]]. |
| 145 | ** The storyline leading up to this makes it all Heartwarming as well as Awesome. Tommy was getting to spend his final day on Earth riding with his old Cobra Kai brothers (revealing to the viewer on the way that all of them have grown far from the bullies that they were in the first film) -- and now he got to see them kick some ass one last time! |
| 146 | ** Not only does Tommy get to watch, he gets to participate and manages to kick his own douchebag ass despite being terminally ill. |
| 147 | [[AC:"[[Recap/CobraKaiS2E7Lull Lull]]" (2x07)]] |
| 148 | * The Coyote Creek challenge is full of awesome moments for Cobra Kai's students: |
| 149 | ** Hawk is a OneManArmy throughout the exercise, quickly racking up 5 "kills" and taking out Mitch in seconds with an ambush by leaping from a tree. He also gets an implied OffscreenMomentOfAwesome in defeating Tory. |
| 150 | ** [[BattleCouple Miguel and Tory's]] showdown with Mikey is such a CurbStompBattle that they can exchange playful banter and pass him around between them while beating him up. It's clear from the OhCrap look on his face when he saw them that he knew he didn't stand a chance. |
| 151 | ** Miguel vs Hawk. Miguel calls out Hawk for stealing Mr. Miyagi's Medal of Honor, reclaiming his own honor in the process, and gives him a well-deserved beatdown before taking his headband and the medal. |
| 152 | ** Having been completely overlooked and belittled since joining Cobra Kai, [[DarkHorseVictory Stingray]] takes the win for his team by hiding until the last second and ambushing Miguel when he thought he had already won. |
| 153 | * Demetri ''finally'' managing to land a shot on Chris during Miyagi-Do's training session. After being arguably the biggest ButtMonkey in the show for most of the first two seasons, it's very satisfying to see him making some (admittedly slow) progress in his learning. It's also an awesome moment for Daniel as a teacher, as he never gave up on Demetri when many others would have and found a way to play to his strengths. |
| 154 | * After getting played by Kreese for most of the season, Johnny finally draws the line and throws Kreese out of his dojo. It sadly gets negated when Kreese steals the dojo from him in the finale, but it was good while it lasted, and it showed that whatever his faults, Johnny is genuinely trying to make Cobra Kai into something better. |
| 155 | [[AC:"[[Recap/CobraKaiS2E8GloryOfLove Glory of Love]]" (2x08)]] |
| 156 | * Johnny beating the crap out of Carmen's {{Jerkass}} boyfriend after he overhears him bragging about how he's just using her for "a few bangs." |
| 157 | [[AC:"[[Recap/CobraKaiS2E9Pulpo Pulpo]]" (2x09)]] |
| 158 | * Sam using a [[MundaneUtility Miyagi-Do balance technique]] to help her win a [[MundaneMadeAwesome drinking contest]] against Tory. |
| 159 | * Carmen and Amanda sharing the OnlySaneWoman role, deciding that they have had enough of Johnny and Daniel's petty rivalry and leaving the two men alone together at the restaurant to force them to talk through their issues like adults. |
| 160 | [[AC:"[[Recap/CobraKaiS2E10NoMercy No Mercy]]" (2x10)]] |
| 161 | * Ready for that rematch between Daniel and Johnny? They indeed finally go at it this season, and it's ''anything'' but a friendly sparring session. Sadly (or maybe not), the fight is ultimately interrupted before either man goes down, but they both do well enough to whet the appetite for more. |
| 162 | * The battle royale at the school is very impressively choreographed and filmed, using [[TheOner lengthy tracking shots]] that move seamlessly between several different fights all happening at the same time. The camerawork and choreography would not be out of place in a major Hollywood action film. Highlights include: |
| 163 | ** GentleGiant Chris mashing Mitch with a textbook in one swift movement, proving that he's more than just a StoneWall. |
| 164 | ** Nathaniel, after having his glasses knocked off by one of Bert's shots, quickly takes Bert to the floor for some MMA-style "ground and pound". |
| 165 | ** Aisha at first tries to break up the fight between Sam and Tory, but becomes enraged when she's attacked by a Miyagi-Do student and beats the hell out of him. |
| 166 | ** Stingray, who managed to talk his way into an interview for a security guard position at the school, wades into the brawl on Cobra Kai's side and cleans house (though admittedly he does have a big advantage in raw strength). He even has time to stop and give Hawk a high-five. |
| 167 | ** Cobra Kai student Rickenberger actually [[RefugeInAudacity assaults a teacher]] who tries to break up the fight, [[EvenEvilHasStandards shocking even Hawk]]. |
| 168 | ** Demetri's fight against Hawk. After a whole season of feebly trying to learn karate -- and getting bullied by Hawk -- it's very satisfying to see Demetri fend off every single one of his attacks and finally put him through a glass case. Demetri also arguably manages to embody the spirit of Miyagi-Do karate better than anyone else in the dojo, as he tries to quell the violence by getting a teacher and running away, only resorting to defending himself when all other options had been exhausted. |
| 169 | ** Robby takes out [[EliteMooks Mikey and Rickenberger]] while barely breaking a sweat. |
| 170 | ** Sam defeats Tory, despite being wounded, smaller, feeling incredible guilt, and possibly even hungover. |
| 171 | ** Blink-and-you'll-miss-it, but Miguel breaks one of the metal stair railings with a kick. [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AinnpKoBcSA According to Xolo Maridueña]], this wasn't scripted, ''he really just kicked the railing that hard''. |
| 172 | ** Miguel defeats Robby in their rematch and pins him to the ground, without resorting to dirty tactics, and has the sense to remember Johnny's lessons and apologize. It's too bad this had to coincide with Robby's rage-fueled TragicMistake. |
| 173 | * The hospital scene between the [=LaRussos=]. Having been patient with Daniel's shenanigans over the summer, Amanda lays down the law to him in no uncertain terms, calling him out on his NeverMyFault attitude with regard to letting the rivalry with Cobra Kai get completely out of hand and making clear that it's over. |
| 174 | * From Kreese's perspective, stealing the Cobra Kai dojo by making a deal with Armand Zarkarian behind Johnny's back. He took advantage of Johnny's lack of business savvy and played him for a fool. |
| 175 | [[/folder]] |
| 176 | |
| 177 | [[folder:Season 3]] |
| 178 | [[AC:"[[Recap/CobraKaiS3E1Aftermath Aftermath]]" (3x01)]] |
| 179 | * Miguel's BattleInTheCenterOfTheMind as he fights to wake up from his coma. After some words of encouragement from Johnny, he proves how much of a {{determinator}} he is and finds the courage to pull through. |
| 180 | * Daniel holding his ground when Kreese tries to goad him into a fight by mocking Mr. Miyagi, and turning the tables by ridiculing how Kreese lost to Mr. Miyagi twice. |
| 181 | -->'''John Kreese:''' The dojo's going through some renovations. What do you think? |
| 182 | -->'''Daniel [=LaRusso=]:''' Where's Johnny? |
| 183 | -->'''John Kreese:''' He's not here right now... but he'll be back. You know, it's a shame what happened at the school. Such a tragedy. But I don't really blame Robby. 'Cause you know what they say: "there's no such thing as a bad student." ''[[[MyGreatestFailure Daniel exhales and looks down in shame]]]'' It must really hurt to see the Miyagi name dragged through the mud. Wish I could see the look on the little bastard's face. ''[Daniel clenches his hands into fists]'' |
| 184 | -->'''Daniel [=LaRusso=]:''' That "little bastard" [[Film/TheKarateKidPartII kicked your ass]]...[[Film/TheKarateKidPartIII more than once.]] ''[Kreese's smug complexion falters]'' You're lucky he taught me true karate. That's why I'm not gonna fight you. |
| 185 | -->'''John Kreese:''' Oh, but you will. It's inevitable. But this time, Johnny and I will finish it... once and for all. |
| 186 | -->'''Daniel [=LaRusso=]:''' [[BadassBoast You're not gonna do anything. Not while I'm around.]] ''[Daniel turns to walk out of the dojo]'' |
| 187 | -->'''John Kreese:''' You know where to find me. ''[laughs as Daniel makes a dismissive "whatever" gesture with his hand on the way out]'' |
| 188 | |
| 189 | [[AC:"[[Recap/CobraKaiS3E2NatureVsNurture Nature Vs. Nurture]]" (3x02)]] |
| 190 | * Kreese's flashbacks (before Vietnam) showed that he was at one point a decent, chivalrous young man who defended a girl named Betsy from her abusive JerkJock boyfriend and managed to fight off both him and his friend. Before he ever learned martial arts or even enlisted, Kreese had always been a badass. |
| 191 | * While the scene is mostly a huge KickTheDog moment on Kreese's part, Bert refusing to feed the mouse to the snake on Kreese's orders is a big show of his strength of character and that he won't let a psycho like Kreese force him to compromise his moral principles. |
| 192 | * Kreese gets a surprisingly chivalrous moment of awesome when he manhandles Tory's sexually predatory landlord, reducing the bastard to fearfully offering to do whatever Kreese wants (which turns out to simply be leaving Tory alone). For bonus points, Kreese even lets Tory return to training at Cobra Kai free of charge. Though all this was purely out of self interest (Tory ''is'' one of Kreese's best "soldiers"), it still echoes the time in his youth when he saved Betsy from her abusive boyfriend. |
| 193 | * The GoodCopBadCop time at the detention center, when Trey and Cruz are sent to face Johnny and Daniel in their search for Robby. They are not remotely impressed by Johnny, but remembering the confrontation at the beach last season, they immediately kowtow to Daniel. Johnny clobbers Cruz twice to get the message across, while Daniel finishes off by warning them that he will send him back ''by himself'' if he finds out they lied to them. |
| 194 | * Daniel and Johnny's teamup at the chop shop. The full fight shows just how formidable the two are when they work together. They even take down their final opponent together, with [[CallBack Johnny sweeping his leg]] while [[Film/TheKarateKid1984 Daniel kicks him in the head]]. Too bad that they have their seasonal blow-up because Johnny went a smidge too far but it was nice while it lasted. |
| 195 | [[AC:"[[Recap/CobraKaiS3E3NowYoureGonnaPay Now You're Gonna Pay]]" (3x03)]] |
| 196 | * Bobby Brown laying out Johnny with a leg sweep when Johnny interrupts his sermon and makes a drunken ass of himself. |
| 197 | * Sam standing up to Hawk when he antagonizes her for visiting Miguel in the hospital. She also organizes a car wash fundraiser to help pay for his surgery, showing how much more she cares about him than Hawk and his {{fair weather friend}}s in Cobra Kai who would rather [[StealingTheCredit steal the money so they can take the credit]] without doing any work. |
| 198 | * Johnny stealing a valuable piece of artwork from Sid's house to help pay for Miguel's surgery. Obviously, [[AndThatsTerrible stealing is wrong]], but Sid's such a {{jerkass}} that most viewers probably found it cathartic. |
| 199 | * Sam taking up the command of Miyagi-Do in Daniel's absence. She may have inherited her father's hot headedness, but she's also got his spirit and moral conviction, and she's not going to take Cobra Kai brazenly assaulting Nate lying down. She has grown a long way since Season 1 where she had BystanderSyndrome when Aisha was being bullied by Yasmine. |
| 200 | * Daniel and Amanda rejecting Cole's offer by telling him to turn to page nine, [[FlippingTheBird where a large hand flipping him off has been drawn.]] Daniel then reveals that he already knows about the plan, and intends to fight it. and Anoush gets his own by revealing he gave them the information [[TakeThisJobAndShoveIt and is returning to the LaRussos.]] |
| 201 | -->'''Anoush:''' Oh! I forgot to tell you, Daniel offered me my job back. [[MistreatmentInducedBetrayal And since he knows my name and isn't a complete doucheclown,]] I accepted. |
| 202 | [[AC:"[[Recap/CobraKaiS3E4TheRightPath The Right Path]]" (3x04)]] |
| 203 | * After having Yasmine treat him like garbage in Season 1, Demetri genuinely impresses her with his Lego volcano experiment and she even looks offended when Hawk destroys it. |
| 204 | * The soccer fight. Cobra Kai and Miyagi-Do find increasingly creative ways to foul each other before the fed up gym teacher sends them all to Counselor Blatt's office. Highlights include Demetri proving he's [[NotAfraidOfYouAnymore no longer afraid of Hawk]] by running up to him, taunting him about how he blew it with Moon through the mall fight, and then brazenly tripping him, Hawk taking to heart Kreese's lesson to "fight smart" and responding by making his headbutt of Demetri look like a genuine accident, and Sam [[RefugeInAudacity abandoning all pretense of playing soccer]] and nailing Doug Rickenberger with a flying kick to the face. |
| 205 | * A deleted scene shows Sam confronting Hawk and his friends in the hallways after detention and tells them that there will be a time when their parents won't be there to help her, but they'll be ready. For bonus points, she calls them "pussies" |
| 206 | [[AC:"[[Recap/CobraKaiS3E5MiyagiDo Miyagi-Do]]" (3x05)]] |
| 207 | * Daniel and Chozen's sparring matches were great to see. Chozen finally gets his "payback" by beating Daniel consistently, but it's clear to see he's in a much better place emotionally. He even teaches Daniel a new OnceASeason technique that comes in handy during the Season finale. |
| 208 | * Sam standing up for herself and bluntly telling Amanda she can't blame karate for her problems after Amanda catches Sam training the Miyagi-Do's. For bonus points, her response leaves Amanda stunned. |
| 209 | * Seeing Robby beat the shit out of Shawn and his juvie GangOfBullies. While Shawn gave as good as he got (he's not as skilled as Robby, but his size and strength evened the playing field considerably), Robby was finally able to exact some retribution for all the hell they gave him and in the end even earned Shawn's respect for not ratting. And with his two goons out of commission and unable to gang up on Robby, the head bully was ''losing'' when the guards came to break up the fight. |
| 210 | ** With this fight, Robby doesn't even do it the Miyagi-Do way. The sheer number of acrobatics displayed in every one of his kicks is amazing to watch, and at one point, Robby runs up the wall and does a ''backflip'' over one of the bullies' heads! [[https://mobile.twitter.com/jonhurwitz/status/1350588736157970432 According to Jon Hurwitz]], Tanner Buchanan performed that stunt himself with NoStuntDouble. |
| 211 | * Amanda has very little patience for Kreese's villainous bullshit. After yet another Cobra Kai/Miyagi-do fight, that ends with Demetri getting his arm broken and her daughter in tears, Amanda confronts Kreese to let him know that if he doesn't rein his students in, she's going to get the authorities involved. Kreese tries to break into one of his SmugSnake monologues and she [[ShutUpHannibal cuts him off]] by slapping him, before swearing with absolute conviction that she'll shut him down if it's the last thing she does. |
| 212 | [[AC:"[[Recap/CobraKaiS3E6KingCobra King Cobra]]" (3x06)]] |
| 213 | * Hawk delivering a richly-deserved NoHoldsBarredBeatdown to Brucks and capping it off with a DeathGlare that gets the message across to Kyler loud and clear: cross Hawk off your list of targets. Making this even more awesome was that it also unnerved ''Tory'', of all people. |
| 214 | ** You have to hand it to Kyler too, he beats the formidable, albeit not elite member Mitch to earn a spot. The previews for Season 3 heavily suggested it would be Kyler who would be taken down by Hawk as payback, but he actually used his absence to [[CameBackStrong improve his craft]]. |
| 215 | * Kreese outsmarting the [=LaRusso=]s by using the fact that Amanda slapped him to file a frivolous restraining order against her, confirming that he is much more than DumbMuscle and they're not going to get rid of him that easily. |
| 216 | * After a day of faking photos with Johnny to impress Ali, Miguel has the guts to angrily remind Johnny all the good he's done and how he can't just throw in the towel after one loss. |
| 217 | -->'''Miguel:''' [[BorrowedCatchphrase QUIET!]] You let Kreese take your dojo, you let Hawk and Tory and everyone else think you're weak!\ |
| 218 | '''Johnny:''' Because it was a mistake to begin with! I should have never brought Cobra Kai! Look what happened.\ |
| 219 | '''Miguel:''' What happened is that you helped a bunch of people and walked away like a pussy. You're a sensei. That's who you are. If you can't see that, you're blind. |
| 220 | ** Which is then followed up by Miguel realizing he's finally regained the ability to stand. All the anger he and Johnny had moments ago is forgotten as they thank each other -- Miguel for helping recover, and Johnny for helping realize that he can't give up teaching karate. |
| 221 | [[AC:"[[Recap/CobraKaiS3E7Obstaculos Obstáculos]]" (3x07)]] |
| 222 | * Miguel calls out Hawk for breaking Demetri's arm and terrorizing Miyagi-Do for no justifiable reason and ends their friendship, and Johnny confronts Hawk and the rest of his former students by stating that he's the ones that made them skilled fighters, not Kreese, and that Kreese will make them throw their lives away the same way his nearly was. |
| 223 | --> '''Johnny:''' [[TheReasonYouSuckSpeech Now, you listen up.]] When you came into my dojo, you were softer than a baby's ass. '''I''' made you what you are, not Kreese. He doesn't give a shit about you! About any of you. So, if you wanna keep whining about the past like a bunch of pussies, fine. We could play that game. Wanna stick with Kreese? Go ahead. Don't say I didn't warn you when your life ends up in the shitter." |
| 224 | * Yasmine signs Demetri's cast to cheer him up after Kyler vandalizes it with a large penis drawing. It's some pretty awesome CharacterDevelopment that shows how much she's learned from her experiences in Season 1, in stark contrast to Kyler. |
| 225 | [[AC:"[[Recap/CobraKaiS3E8TheGoodTheBadAndTheBadass The Good, The Bad and The Badass]]" (3x08)]] |
| 226 | * Demetri, previously one of the nerdiest, most unpopular kids in school, having gained enough confidence and charisma to draw the attention of [[LovableAlphaBitch Yasmine]], who wouldn't have been caught dead talking to him in Season 1. It's even more impressive when contrasted with his rambling and incoherent attempts to hit on her at the canyon party. Good luck on finding someone who didn't squeal in delight when Sam and Miguel caught them making out! |
| 227 | * Miguel, with Sam's support, gives a RousingSpeech to sway the city council into letting the All Valley Tournament go on, succeeding where the three karate senseis failed. Even Kreese seems visibly impressed by Miguel's oratory skills, while this becomes the moment Daniel begins to recognize and accept Miguel as a true All-Valley champion. |
| 228 | -->'''Miguel:''' My name is Miguel Diaz. I was in the school fight. I was the one who got kicked off the second floor. I know...I thought I was going to be paralyzed. I relearned how to stand. I relearned how to walk. And I want the tournament to continue.\ |
| 229 | '''Councilperson Roberts:''' We are very happy for your recovery, young man. But I'm afraid you don't understand-\ |
| 230 | '''Sam:''' ''[stands up]'' Yes, he does. We're the ones getting hurt. We're the ones fighting! ''[Sam joins Miguel at the podium]'' Our voices should matter the most. And we want a place where we can compete, fairly and safely.\ |
| 231 | '''Miguel:''' When I first moved here, I was bullied. I realized that there’s no escaping it. There's always going to be some kid will want to steal your lunch money, or give you a wedgie, or give you a swirlie.\ |
| 232 | '''Councilperson Roberts:''' A swirlie?\ |
| 233 | '''Johnny:''' [[DontExplainTheJoke It's when you, uh, dunk someone's head in a toilet and flush it. Pretty funny, actually.]]\ |
| 234 | '''Miguel:''' (to Johnny) [[DudeNotFunny Sensei!]] (to Councilperson Roberts) Instead of burying your heads in the sand and pretending that bullying doesn’t exist, or that you could get rid of it, what you need to do is to teach kids how to defend themselves.\ |
| 235 | '''Sam:''' Physically and... mentally. Because... sometimes the scars you can't see are the ones that hurt the most..\ |
| 236 | '''Miguel:''' Karate is about discipline. It’s about inner strength. It’s about confidence! Lessons that you could use the rest of your life! [[UndyingLoyalty Look, I don’t know where I would be today or]] ''[[UndyingLoyalty who]]'' [[UndyingLoyalty I would be today, if it wasn’t for my sensei.]] Look, we don’t need this tournament to do cool kicks or to sell tickets. We need it to show the bullies of the world that we’re not afraid. It’s called the ''All''-Valley because it’s for everyone, to give everyone the chance to show what they can do, to fight, to become a champion. And we deserve that chance. |
| 237 | ** For Sam, it's also a moment to get a bit of payback on Kreese, given that he was just calling her "out of control" moments ago when painting his Cobras as the "victims" of the arcade fight. |
| 238 | * When Robby catches Sam and Miguel together and tries to attack Miguel in a jealous rage, Sam steps in front of Miguel to shove Robby back, knowing Miguel's in no condition for an actual fight. She's willing to stand up for those she cares about, even if it means fighting back against others she cares for. |
| 239 | [[AC:"[[Recap/CobraKaiS3E9FeelTheNight Feel The Night]]" (3x09)]] |
| 240 | * In Sam and Miguel's relationship in Season 1, Sam did not understand the concept that sometimes you need to go against everyone else and fight for who or what you believe in. She hid Miguel from her dad because she wanted to protect her relationship. However, this time, Sam shows she has learned from this experience by standing up for Miguel with her dad and encouraging him to get to know him better when he catches them making out in the dojo, thoroughly defying PoorCommunicationKills in the process. |
| 241 | * Robby stealing the snake from the zoo. Sure, it's disappointing to see him slide back into his old criminal ways, but he shows he's braver than Hawk and smarter than Kyler by being able to pull it off. Unlike most of the other Cobra Kai members except Tory, who come from relatively well-off backgrounds, Robby has had to fend for himself his whole life, and he proves that he's a better delinquent than those posers will ever be. |
| 242 | [[AC:"[[Recap/CobraKaiS3E10December19 December 19]]" (3x10)]] |
| 243 | * Seeing Ali Mills return and promptly succeed where absolutely everyone else failed: essentially end the Daniel / Johnny beef in the span of a day. All by being a truly NiceGirl as ever. |
| 244 | * Just when it looks like Miguel and Sam's plan will fail, Demetri rightfully calls out everyone in Miyagi-do and Eagle Fang, particularly Mitch and Bert who were about to leave, on their stupidity when they refuse to form an alliance. |
| 245 | -->'''Demetri:''' Hey, pussies! This is exactly what those assholes at Cobra Kai want. Since you were one of 'em, you're an asshole too! So were you. So was I. Well, at least I was trying to be one. But now, Cobra Kai is the worst collection of assholes in the Valley, run by the King of all Assholes. So if by merging with Eagle Fang — weird name by the way — can keep us all from getting shit on anymore, then we'd all be assholes not to do it! |
| 246 | * Miyagi-Do and the newly formed Eagle Fang teaming up to fend off Cobra Kai's assault at the end of the season which had a bunch of highlights, including another {{Oner}} just as impressive as the one in the Season 2 finale. |
| 247 | ** Chris and Mitch working together in a deleted scene, making up for their falling out last season. |
| 248 | ** Demetri spends the beginning of the fight helping and protecting Bert and Nathaniel, the smallest kids, against Cobra Kai. |
| 249 | ** Stiven, who's only ever been a background Miyagi-Do student, is good enough to give Hawk a serious fight, get back up, try to hold off Tory from attacking Sam, and get back up after ''that''. To repeat: He went up against two of the best fighters in the show, and even that didn't keep him down for long. |
| 250 | ** Miguel getting the last bit of motivation he needed from fighting Kyler to regain a majority of his strength in his legs. It implies that he had regained most of it earlier but still had some mental blocks to overcome with fighting. While he takes down Kyler a second time, it is not a CurbStompBattle; indeed, Kyler makes him work for this win which makes it more satisfying. |
| 251 | *** His takedown of Kyler is also a great bit of CharacterDevelopment. After Robby paralyzed him the last time he showed mercy, it'd be understandable if he never tried it again. But instead, he shows practicality ''and'' restraint by knocking him out with a quick punch and then ending it there, not letting himself be taken advantage of but also making clear that his days as an [[DisproportionateRetribution overly brutal]] Cobra Kai are over. |
| 252 | *** Blink-and-you'll-miss it, but when Miguel gets his HeroicSecondWind one of the first moves he uses to beat Kyler is the [[Film/TheKarateKidPartII Drum Technique]]. His only experience with the move was Sam using it on him once as a demo that served as foreplay for a makeout session, and he's ''still'' able to incorporate it into his arsenal. |
| 253 | *** The fact that he was able to do this well only weeks after getting out of a wheelchair is no small thing either. |
| 254 | ** Hawk has his HeelFaceTurn and saves Demetri from two of the Cobras instead of taking a free shot at him like they goaded him to do. He then forms up with Demetri for some BashBrothers action which dispatches the majority of the CK forces. |
| 255 | *** Making Hawk's redemption better is that it initially looks like he's about to take up Doug Rickenberger's offer of a "free shot", only to suddenly leap into a kick that frees him from his captors as a hawk screech plays over the soundtrack. This makes it clear that "The Hawk" has [[HesBack returned to his best self]]: badass but not a bully. |
| 256 | *** Impressively, the two manage to do something similar to Sam and Robby's wheel technique (which was used against Hawk at the mall), acting perfectly in-sync and fighting "like 20 men" without any training except a few fights against each other. It shows the depth of their renewed friendship. |
| 257 | ** Sam finally overcomes her PTSD and, taking Miguel's advice that sometimes more offense is a good defense, takes up a bo staff to take on and defeat a nunchuck wielding Tory. |
| 258 | ** When Tory still refuses to back down after Sam disarms her, Miguel, Hawk, and Demetri prove they're a PowerTrio once again when the three of them arrive at Daniel's practice room to give Sam backup and get Tory to back off: |
| 259 | --->'''Hawk:''' [[TranquilFury Tory, the fight's over.]]\ |
| 260 | '''Tory:''' It's not over. This will never be over, [=LaRusso=], you hear me?!\ |
| 261 | '''Sam:''' [[BringIt You know where to find me.]]\ |
| 262 | '''Tory:''' ''(takes a long look at Miguel and Hawk)'' Traitors! ''(to Hawk)'' You better watch your back!\ |
| 263 | '''Demetri:''' He won't have to. He's got friends watching it for him. |
| 264 | * Both Daniel and Johnny take their turns essentially beating the crap out of Kreese. Kreese only puts Johnny down after the latter is distracted from Robby getting unintentionally knocked out. Daniel uses his new technique to disable Kreese, forcing him to TakeAThirdOption and use the next All Valley to decide the feud which should make sure that these mob beatings stop for the next few months. |
| 265 | ** Daniel's BigDamnHeroes moment, showing up just in time to save Johnny when Kreese has him in a chokehold. |
| 266 | ---> '''Daniel''': You sent them to my ''house?!'' You came after my ''daughter?'' You wanted a fight, you son of a bitch? Well, ''now you got one!'' |
| 267 | ** To think, no matter how many times Kreese disrespected Daniel and Miyagi throughout seasons 2 and 3, Daniel always held back or walked away. But turning his students on Daniel’s family, students, home? [[RageBreakingPoint That’s the final straw.]] So Daniel unleashing all his cold fury on Kreese, not just for this and for everything Kreese did to him, his family and is students throughout Season 3, but also for everything Kreese and Terry Silver put him through in 1985, is one of the most cathartic and satisfying things to see. |
| 268 | ** The fact that the [[EvilMentor sensei of]] [[ThugDojo Cobra Kai]] is taken down by the technique taught to Daniel by [[Film/TheKarateKidPartII Chozen]] is pretty impressive. |
| 269 | ** If it hadn't been for [[MoralityChain Robby, Sam and Miguel]], it's possible that both Johnny and Daniel could've ''killed'' Kreese then and there. Hearing Sam's voice brought Daniel back to his senses by reminding him what Mr. Miyagi said about revenge: "If you go looking for revenge, you can start by digging two graves." |
| 270 | ** That being said, it's also an awesome moment for Kreese--he went toe-to-toe with Johnny and put up a good fight, then got back up, nearly killed Johnny, and did well against Daniel before being defeated. |
| 271 | ** Johnny refusing to take any more of Kreese's bullshit during their final conversation, and making it clear both he and Daniel are taking him down: |
| 272 | --->'''Daniel:''' [[PapaWolf You keep your Cobra Kais away from our kids!]]\ |
| 273 | '''Kreese:''' It's a free country.\ |
| 274 | '''Johnny:''' Not for you. Cobra Kai's gotta go. ''For good''.\ |
| 275 | '''Kreese:''' Why don't we settle this the old fashioned way. Tournament. If we lose, I go. If you lose-\ |
| 276 | '''Johnny:''' [[BadassBoast We won't lose.]] |
| 277 | * The final scene, seeing Miyagi-Do and Eagle Fang Karate joining forces, Daniel and Johnny finally putting their feud fully aside to prepare for the battle for the soul of the Valley. And all set to The Protomen's cover of "In The Air Tonight." |
| 278 | [[/folder]] |
| 279 | |
| 280 | [[folder:Season 4]] |
| 281 | [[AC:"[[Recap/CobraKaiS4E1LetsBegin Let's Begin]]" (4x01)]] |
| 282 | * The season kicks off with Terry Silver ''masterfully'' playing Music/FranzLiszt's "La Campanella" on the piano. Considering the piece being notorious for its extreme difficulty, it's one hell of an accomplishment. |
| 283 | * Robby calls out Tory on the [=LaRusso=] house invasion, showing that despite embracing Cobra Kai and cutting ties with Miyagi-Do, Robby still has enough integrity and perspective to reject such blind vengeance and degeneracy. |
| 284 | * Robby firmly rebuffing Sam. |
| 285 | -->'''Robby:''' Then it looks like I get to be the first person to ever tell you this: You're not getting what you want. |
| 286 | * When Robby (again) wants to lead Cobra Kai's classes in Kreese's absence, the Cobra Kai students scoff at him. So he invites them to attack him ''en masse'', confidently stating that if they can score even one hit on him, he'll leave. They eagerly take up Robby's invitation, only for him to [[CurbStompBattle effortlessly floor all of them]]. Except for Tory... [[LadyMacBeth who elects for Robby to stay]]. |
| 287 | ** Even Tory's hit only came after Robby had already wiped the floor with her and mistakenly assumed the fight was done (which it technically was). [[IGaveMyWord Robby still accepted it as fair and had turned to leave like he promised.]] |
| 288 | * John Kreese asking Terry Silver to rejoin Cobra Kai in order to help him take out the combined forces of Daniel [=LaRusso=] and Johnny Lawrence and Terry saying "No" because of what happened in ''Film/TheKarateKidPartIII''. He even discusses the involvement of [[{{Retcon}} cocaine]] behind his [[EvilIsHammy over-the-top]] behavior at the time. |
| 289 | -->'''Terry:''' [[https://youtu.be/Gjy6tw6JrZ0?t=144 I spent months]] terrorizing a [[DisproportionateRetribution teenager]] over a [[ThisIsYourPremiseOnDrugs high school]] [[RevengeBeforeReason karate tournament]]. It sounds [[LampshadeHanging insane]] just talking about it. |
| 290 | [[AC:"[[Recap/CobraKaiS4E2FirstLearnStand First Learn Stand]]" (4x02)]] |
| 291 | * When Johnny dismisses Miyagi-Do as boring, Daniel sets him straight by chopping off the neck of his beer bottle like Mr. Miyagi did in the first film and reminding him of how Mr. Miyagi saved him from Kreese in ''Part II'', saying "Nobody was more badass than Mr. Miyagi." A humbled Johnny immediately accepts this and returns to painting the house. |
| 292 | * Johnny puts Daniel through some of his TrainingFromHell by having him perform tasks such as shoveling hot coals before walking across them barefoot, doing pushups on his knuckles, parry baseballs fired at him from a pitching machine, and climb a chain. Despite being in his 50s and never participating in this kind of physically demanding training during his karate career, Daniel completes every single task and Johnny is thoroughly impressed. |
| 293 | * Daniel versus the hockey team. The final score is Miyagi-Do 5, meatheads 0. (Though one of them does [[CurbStompCushion briefly force Daniel up against the glass]] in stereotypical hockey brawl style.) The best part is when one of them charges holding his hockey stick...and Daniel, who's been training with the bo staff for decades now, takes it away and uses it himself, before ''breaking'' it on one of the player's backs. |
| 294 | ** Even better: The whole thing was a BatmanGambit by Johnny to force Daniel to embrace the Eagle Fang philosophy of "strike first, strike hard," while at the same time showing that he's learned the Miyagi-Do philosophy that the best defense is not to be in the way of the attack by slipping away as soon as the hockey players confront Daniel. |
| 295 | --->'''Daniel:''' Where the hell were you?\ |
| 296 | '''Johnny:''' No be there. |
| 297 | * Tory, upon being fired from the restaurant, burns the bridge in spectacular fashion, proclaiming to all the present customers that the restaurant got a mediocre health inspection and that the chef dipped his balls in the miso soup. (Bonus points for how one of the customers indeed becomes too disgusted to keep eating.) If you've ''ever'' been a server, don't even pretend you've never dreamed of doing something like this. |
| 298 | [[AC:"[[Recap/CobraKaiS4E3ThenLearnFly Then Learn Fly]]" (4x03)]] |
| 299 | * After Johnny has given up hope that the Miyagi-Do students (especially Sam) will even attempt his RoofHopping exercise, Sam steps up and makes the harrowing leap on her first try. Her jump is so impressive that she lands several feet ''past'' the second building's ledge. In retrospect, this moment is made even better by how this is also the point when Sam becomes receptive to learning Johnny's form of karate, which ends up greatly helping her in the tournament at the end of the season. |
| 300 | * All of the scenes between Miguel and Daniel. This was a long time coming for the series, and their bonding was inevitable given how [[MirrorCharacter similar they are]]. Miguel proves why he's [[TheAce Johnny's best student]] once more when he learns from Miyagi-Do's lessons and discovers a way of catching the Koi, impressing Daniel and revitalizing his self confidence. In turn, [[PassingTheTorch Daniel gives Miguel his iconic Karate Kid bandana to wear while training,]] [[JealousParent much to the chagrin of Johnny]]. This goes double for what the bandana [[BerserkButton represents]] for Johnny. |
| 301 | * Even though him joining a ThugDojo contributes to his StartOfDarkness, it's nice to see Kenny, despite his youth, lack of experience with karate (in comparison to the other students), and previously meek nature, actually prove himself to the Cobra Kais with his sneak attack on Kyler (complimented by his speed, which Tory takes notice). Enough for ''Kreese'' to be impressed in granting a spot for him in the dojo. |
| 302 | [[AC:"[[Recap/CobraKaiS4E4Bicephaly Bicephaly]]" (4x04)]] |
| 303 | * Once again Sam unwittingly shows up at Tory's job, this time when Tory is a performer telling fairy tales to children. Sam keeps snarking during Tory's story until the latter decides she's had enough, and manipulates the children into believing ''Sam'' is the villain of her story. This inspires the children to attack Sam with glitter! Tory has learned to fight smart. |
| 304 | * Silver invites Robby to attack ''him''. Robby goes for it, and quickly and painfully learns that when it comes to fighting, Silver is as far above him as ''he'' is above the rank-and-file Cobra Kais. [[EstablishingCharacterMoment You know, if you needed a reminder that Silver is not a villain to underestimate.]] |
| 305 | * Even though they are villains, it’s hard to deny Kreese and Silver walked into the Miyagi-Do dojo with amazing style. Silver’s fan favorite theme playing as he reveals himself to Daniel makes it even cooler, and so does Daniel's subsequent mini-HeroicBSOD. That's right, Silver is such a threat that he almost knocked out Daniel by ''just showing up''. Meanwhile, Daniel's [[https://youtu.be/n__YOfYCkKc?t=6 reaction]] was perfect; like an old wound had just reopened. |
| 306 | |
| 307 | [[AC:"[[Recap/CobraKaiS4E5MatchPoint Match Point]]" (4x05)]] |
| 308 | * It's been teased for four seasons now, and it's finally here: the long-awaited Johnny Lawrence - Daniel [=LaRusso=] rematch. Zabka and Macchio are in fantastic form through the whole fight, making it really look and feel like two old-school karate masters going full-tilt against each other, and it ends in a perfect tie. And Mitch's surprisingly good commentary, while it could have gone on a little longer, is icing on the cake. |
| 309 | ** Johnny grabs more than his share of the Moment of Awesome when Daniel uses Miyagi's pressure point technique to disable his left arm... ''and doesn't prevail''. Even with his arm numbed, Johnny proceeds to nail Daniel with an amazing flying scissor-leg takedown, then hitting him with his remaining arm for the next point! |
| 310 | [[AC:"[[Recap/CobraKais4E6KicksGetChicks Kicks Get Chicks]]" (4x06)]] |
| 311 | * Devon's debate performance instantly convinces Johnny that she's the most badass girl in the Valley. She has just as much attitude as Tory (if not more), and her nerdish intellect is already primed to find the weaknesses of opponents. It's easy to believe that with Johnny's guidance, she could become a real threat. |
| 312 | * Sam giving Tory (who can't retaliate since she would risk another expulsion) a dressing down upon her return to school at the end of the episode. Sure, it's disappointing to see Sam blatantly pass up the opportunity to bury the hatchet for good, but after everything Tory's done, it's cathartic for her to affirm that she's not going to be the one running scared anymore. |
| 313 | -->'''Sam:''' I don't know what game you're playing, but I'm not scared of you. You're not in control here. I am. My parents might fall for your bullshit, but if you so much as look at me funny, I will kick your ass for a third time. [[IronicEcho I'm coming for you, bitch]]. |
| 314 | ** The fact that Tory attempts to make peace with the girl who keeps harassing her in the first place. |
| 315 | |
| 316 | [[AC:"[[Recap/CobraKais4E7Minefields Minefields]]" (4x07)]] |
| 317 | * While a villainous moment, but Silver managing to outsmart Kreese and win the bet with him by using '''Kenny''' as his fighter against Robby and actually ''exploiting the latter's weakness'' (Robby's compassion for Kenny) can be very satisfying. All topped off by his signature chuckle, followed by his epic speech on CombatPragmatism. |
| 318 | --> ''[Handshake with Kenny] "There...what did we learn? The common belief is, you shouldn't care what people think about you, right? WRONG! What your opponent is thinking is key! In war...in business...in a fight. Don't let your opponent think whatever they want. Make them think what you want them to think! If they think you're weak, that's when you can surprise them with your strength."'' |
| 319 | ** Even better, Kenny actually takes Silver's speech to heart. Which leads to... |
| 320 | * Anthony and his friends chase Kenny into the library. They seemingly have him trapped... then the lights go out. What follows next is a sequence that wouldn't be out of place in a really awesome action flick as Kenny picks off his attackers one by one, saving Anthony for last. The only thing that saved Anthony from a serious beatdown was the timely interference of a teacher. |
| 321 | * When the teacher catches Kenny and Anthony's group, it looks like we'll get a repeat of the same crap from the previous seasons [[BlamingTheVictim where the victims were either punished alongside their bullies]] or were the sole recipients of punishment while the bullies avoided any consequences. So it is a pleasant surprise when neither outcome happens, and instead the principal recognizes that Kenny is the victim and Anthony's crew are the bullies, thanks to camera footage of them chasing Kenny and them posting evidence of their bullying Kenny online. You can't help but grin alongside Kenny when he sees the disappointed DeathGlare Daniel gives Anthony. |
| 322 | -->'''Kenny''': I got you. |
| 323 | [[AC:"[[Recap/CobraKaiS4E8PartyTime Party Time]]" (4x08)]] |
| 324 | * [[{{Manchild}} Stingray]] gets no less than ''three'' well-deserved {{The Reason You Suck Speech}}es, two from his neighbor Greg and one from Kreese, calling him out on just how pathetic he is. Unfortunately, he doesn't listen. |
| 325 | -->'''Greg:''' You do know your sister doesn't want you crashing here, right? She only took pity on you because you are an unemployed man baby on probation.\ |
| 326 | '''Kreese:''' Don't be ridiculous. You were never part of this team. You're a buffoon. A joker, an embarrassment. You have no value here.\ |
| 327 | '''Greg:''' Okay, no one listen to this speed bump of a human. This is a loser, everyone. That's why he's partying with you, because he has no friends his own age. |
| 328 | * Johnny's bout with Silver, while nightmare-ish, has its moments. For one, Johnny is able to hold his ground against him — using a combination of his offense with defensive techniques taught by Daniel to counter Silver's strikes. As for Silver himself, while villainous to the core, can hold the distinction of being the only one to '''curb stomp Johnny''' besides Mr. Miyagi (while others like Daniel and Kreese keep it close), giving the audience a clear reminder of just how much of a villain the heroes clearly cannot mess with. |
| 329 | * Daniel finally putting his foot down and disciplining Anthony for his bullying behavior. He is NOT going to let his son shirk off taking responsibility for his actions and actually breaks Anthony's tablet when Daniel catches him hiding it while being grounded. He even uses Johnny's "QUIET!" on Anthony. |
| 330 | ---> '''Daniel''': Now, you're going to listen to us and do as you're told, and if you don't... you better strap yourself in for one hell of a rough ride, ''because I am '''DONE''' playing games with you''. Do you understand me?!\ |
| 331 | '''Anthony''': ...[[OhCrap Yes]].\ |
| 332 | '''Daniel''': [[TranquilFury You better]]. |
| 333 | ** For that matter, Vanessa who based on first impressions didn't seem that different from Louie, giving a surprisingly insightful analysis on Daniel's and Amanda's parenting. Even if you expected her to be smarter than she first seemed, she seemed flat out professional level over grad school level. |
| 334 | * The poolside showdown between the show's main {{Battle Couple}}s at Stingray's prom after party, as Sam and Miguel take on Robby and Tory. Especially the way Robby and Tory incorporate their dance moves into fighting. |
| 335 | ** Points for Robby twirling Tory so she can kick both Sam and Miguel. |
| 336 | ** Just the fact Tory and Sam are going at it while [[KickingAssInAllHerFinery wearing fancy dresses]]. |
| 337 | |
| 338 | [[AC:"[[Recap/CobraKaiS4E9TheFall The Fall]]" (4x09) / "[[Recap/CobraKaiS4E10TheRise The Rise]]" (4x10)]] |
| 339 | * As expected, the All Valley Tournament is non-stop action and drama from start to finish. |
| 340 | ** Just as the board is about to remove him as President, All-Valley Tournament boss Ron saves himself by getting ''Music/CarrieUnderwood'' to be the surprise guest. |
| 341 | ** The skills competition is basically season 2's Valley Fest demo turned up to the max -- and this time, Miyagi-Do ''does'' manage to keep the audience's interest. Highlights include Robby doing a standing backflip; Demetri, Sam and Tory showing off some impressive weapons displays; and even Kyler, of all people, breaking a bunch of bricks with his forehead. |
| 342 | ** It's subtle, but Chris gets a pretty good moment of awesome in that, despite the fact that Kyler knows his moves thanks to Robby (and Chris didn't realize this), he's still able to give him an even fight, with the final score being 3-2. |
| 343 | ** Kenny and Devon, the two youngest competitors, manage to make the quarterfinals in their first tournament. Especially impressive in Devon's case, as she's only been training six weeks (and one of Tory's points was invalid and only counted due to the bribed ref). But not to be outdone, Kenny manages to score the first point in his match against [[TheAce Robby]]. |
| 344 | ** Devon's response to being eliminated. |
| 345 | --->'''Devon:''' [[BadassBoast I'm gonna be stomping all of these weak ass bitches next year.]] |
| 346 | ** Moon gives Eli the perfect pep-talk before his quarterfinal match with Kyler, reminding him that he doesn't need a mohawk to get his old confidence back and kisses him. Full of a new energy, Eli confidently tells Daniel he's going to win the "whole [[PrecisionFStrike fucking]] thing", and proceeds to wipe the floor with his opponent. He doesn't just beat Kyler, he ''embarrasses'' him. After getting his first point rather quickly, he gets his last two ''within a second'' of the referee giving them the start signal. In the span of about 20 seconds total, he's won 3-0 and didn't even break a sweat. And for the first time since the Season 3 finale, we hear the return of Hawk's trademark hawk-screech sound effect and "Quiver" {{leitmotif}}, well and truly confirming that HesBack |
| 347 | ** Sam channels Johnny's teachings to win her quarterfinal against Piper, and [[CallingTheOldManOut calls Daniel out]] on his pettiness in insisting that she follow his style of karate rather than make her own. |
| 348 | --->'''Daniel:''' You didn't win the right way.\ |
| 349 | '''Sam:''' Maybe my right way is different than yours. Don't I get a choice? |
| 350 | ** Demetri performs very well in his first tournament, reaching the semifinals before being shut out by Robby. Even then, Demetri makes Robby work for his win, unlike the CurbStompBattle seen earlier between Eli and Kyler. It's also an incredible display of skill from Robby, as he dazzles Demetri, who's seen him fight a lot during their time in Miyagi-Do, and is clearly leagues above his old friend. |
| 351 | --->'''Demetri:''' Okay. He's very good.\ |
| 352 | '''Daniel:''' [[SoProudOfYou So are you.]] |
| 353 | *** During their match, Demetri briefly does a BringIt hand gesture at Robby, a subtle but clear display of just how far he's come since Seasons 1 and 2 in terms of bravery and ballsiness. |
| 354 | ** The boys final culminates in a spectacular match between Eli and Robby which is one of the best fights in the entire series. |
| 355 | *** Although Robby scores the opening point using his knowledge of Miyagi-Do, Daniel swallows his pride and instructs Eli to use his old Cobra Kai training to level the playing field. |
| 356 | *** The match is extremely close and tight, with both fighters displaying incredible skill and athleticism. After a tense fight times out for a draw, the decider ends up going to sudden-death overtime for the first time since [[Film/TheKarateKidPartIII 1985.]] And ''very'' unlike Daniel versus Mike Barnes, Robby and Eli both take a moment to revel in how close their fight is, and respectfully bow, acknowledging each other as their WorthyOpponent. |
| 357 | *** Robby's gi comes undone, and he decides to ditch it and fight shirtless rather than fix it. After a moment, Eli [[TheGlovesComeOff takes his off too]], showing off his hawk tattoo and embracing his inner Hawk. |
| 358 | *** Eli winning the championship for the male championship division. After seeing Hawk go through a long and hard journey after losing his mohawk and losing his confidence, and being humbled, he finally shows that the humility and the experience at all 3 dojos paid off before landing the victory. And it wasn't Hawk who won, it was Eli finally spreading his wings and rising above to become the best version of himself. |
| 359 | *** This gets even more awesome when it's revealed the referee was bribed to ensure Cobra Kai won (by Terry Silver, nonetheless), meaning Eli was able to overcome both an incredibly tough opponent ([[TheAce Robby Keene]]) and an official looking for any excuse to screw him over. |
| 360 | ** Sam and Tory's bout for the girls' Championship is no slouch, either. |
| 361 | *** Sam quickly rattles Tory and scores a point by going all-in on Johnny's style, using [[ChekhovsSkill the flying tornado]] that Johnny described as the most badass kick in Eagle Fang and forcing Tory to run to her senseis for advice. |
| 362 | *** Following some support from Kreese and Silver, Tory matches and exceeds Sam's aggression, scoring two points on her, making Sam almost literally run to daddy for help. |
| 363 | *** Daniel and Johnny then agree that Sam should trust her own instincts. They've given her all the tools they can, but it's up to her to decide how best to implement them, echoing Mr. Miyagi's "You best karate still inside you" speech from ''Part III''. Sam returns with a fusion of Miyagi-Do and Cobra Kai/Eagle Fang that pushes Tory to her limits. |
| 364 | *** Tory accidentally elbows Sam in the face and gets a warning. Silver tells Tory to have another such "accident" to secure the win. Kreese looks over at Johnny, seeing his disgusted glare as he accurately predicts exactly what advice Tory is being given by the Cobra Kai senseis, and recalls nearly killing Johnny over the second place trophy in ''Part II''. This encourages Kreese to tell Silver to back off, and let Tory fight the match her own way. |
| 365 | *** Despite the referee's bribed bad calls, the match is incredibly close, and Tory very nearly earned her Champion trophy legitimately. Earlier, she'd stated the trophy was important to her to prove that, just once, she was the best at something on her own merits, and she basically did. |
| 366 | ** The culmination of both the boys' and girls' Championship bouts. Robby loses through being distracted at a crucial moment by what effect he's having on Kenny, and Tory wins but learns to respect and care about Sam as a person in the process. Cobra Kai may be winning the battle, but Miyagi-Do is winning over the hearts of the kids. |
| 367 | * Amanda's major moment of Awesome this season is made clear in this episode. She was able to mitigate the threat of Tory, whom many had considered unredeemable for her past deeds, ''just by being nice to her''. Without knowing it, Amanda proved that Mr. Miyagi's wisdom about fighting not always being the answer to solving your problems is true. |
| 368 | * Daniel working up the courage to apologize to Johnny, and Johnny apologizing to Daniel. It's a show of moral strength just as impressive and powerful as any physical victory. Later, Daniel proves his sincerity by reminding the announcer that Johnny, as well as he, is a two-time All Valley champ. |
| 369 | * While it does count as NightmareFuel and TearJerker, it can be ''very satisfying'' to see Kenny finally getting his payback on Anthony with a NoHoldsBarredBeatdown, after all the shit the latter gave him during their time in middle school. |
| 370 | * Terry Silver completely outplays Kreese, having him framed for assaulting Stingray and arrested so he can [[TheStarscream take over Cobra Kai]] for himself. Terry may be even more dangerous to the protagonists than Kreese now, but it's hard to argue Kreese didn't deserve it [[LaserGuidedKarma after everything he's done]]. |
| 371 | ** Special mention goes to the flashback of his drunken assault of Stingray. Following his [[NoHoldsBarredBeatDown senseless, brutal assault on Stingray,]] he manages to regain control at the last minute (or was already in control to begin with). He then effortlessly convinces ''the man he just brutally assaulted'' to take part in his plan to frame Kreese. |
| 372 | -->'''Silver:''' I'll make you Cobra Kai. But you gotta do something for me. |
| 373 | * The season’s ending has Daniel monologuing how things are worse than ever at Mr. Miyagi’s grave, before [[WhamShot it is revealed to the viewers]] that he is actually asking for help from another former rival of his -- [[GodzillaThreshold Chozen Toguchi]]. Without hesitation, Chozen agrees to help Daniel take down Cobra Kai once and for all. |
| 374 | [[/folder]] |
| 375 | |
| 376 | [[folder:Season 5]] |
| 377 | [[AC:In General]] |
| 378 | * How the ''Miyagi-Fang" Alliance comes together in sharp contrast to how they failed last season. They learn to work as a team and actually blend styles in a way that allows them to overcome obstacles such as fighting off the well experienced Chozen, matching Cobra Kai in a qualifier match, and even fighting off the full army of Cobra Kai students when they out number them 3-1. |
| 379 | * The [[RescuedFromTheScrappyHeap growth]] of '''Anthony [=LaRusso=]'''. Sure, his inexperience makes him relatively green compared to the more experienced fighters (i.e., Kenny, Kyler, Devon, Demetri, Hawk, Tory, Sam, Miguel), but him being an effective strategist resulting in the Miyagi-Fangs' victory in Chozen's egg lesson and exposing Terry Silver? He's come a long way from being a bratty LazyBum to playing a vital role in passing on the [=LaRussos'=] legacy as a Miyagi-Do student. |
| 380 | * In the end, the key to defeating the [[ConsummateLiar seemingly]] [[TheChessmaster unstoppable]] [[VillainWithGoodPublicity Terry]] [[TheTrickster Silver]]--MagnificentBastard as he was for two seasons--ended up being [[AnAesop the truth]]. His whole modus operandi rooted in [[TruthAndLies deception]], so it's thematically consistent to have his undoing be the [[HoistByHisOwnPetard exposure of all his lies and cheating ways]] by the very kids he terrorized. |
| 381 | |
| 382 | [[AC:"[[Recap/CobraKaiS5E1LongLongWayFromHome Long Long Way From Home]]" (5x01)]] |
| 383 | |
| 384 | * Everything about Silver accomplishing his goal in franchising Cobra Kai after boasting about it 34 years ago. It's very clear that unlike his cocaine-addicted self in ''Film/TheKarateKidPartIII'' he isn't bullshitting around this time, and that he's come so far from the cartoonish LargeHam that he was in the 80's to the serious threat that he is now in the present-day. |
| 385 | ** The Flagship dojo itself looks downright amazing, consisting of the latest technology and state-of-the-art architecture. Of course, this is Terry Silver we're talking about here, and he'll use every bit of his money to make sure Cobra Kai is the best when it comes to ''everything'' and not just his students. |
| 386 | * Just the fact that Miguel, a seventeen-year-old kid, bravely walks into a saloon and uses his karate to take down a grown man part of the wrong Hector Salazar's gang when said man tries to attack him. Another reminder as to why he is one of the best overall fighters in the show. |
| 387 | * Watching Johnny beat up several scumbags at once is always satisfying, but what makes this one even better than usual? His son Robby joining in! That's right, the father-son team-up we never thought we needed. |
| 388 | ** And who’s the one striking first? Robby. With an epic jump kick right in the face. |
| 389 | ** Prior to the fight, despite him being known throughout the entire series for his BookDumb personality, Johnny immediately recognizes that he’s being pickpocketed and puts the scammer in his place. A reminder of how much smarter he is than one might think. |
| 390 | * Miguel managing to save Hector's son from being hit by a car is nothing short of badass, no matter how shady Hector is. |
| 391 | |
| 392 | [[AC:"[[Recap/CobraKaiS5E2Mole Mole]]" (5x02)]] |
| 393 | |
| 394 | * Johnny Lawrence dominating a Mexican MMA fighter at first with karate strikes and kicks, only for the MMA guy to turn things around when they hit the floor, and Johnny wins only with the [[CombatPragmatist assistance]] of [[BlazingInfernoHellfireSauce extra-hot capsaicin]] care of his son Robby. Up to this point in this karate-centric series, UsefulNotes/MixedMartialArts has been mentioned only briefly (and jokingly), so this scene offers a surprising acknowledgement that old school karate, even wielded by someone as badass as Johnny, is not necessarily the end-all, be-all of martial arts. |
| 395 | ** What's more is Johnny being put into a jiu-jutsu style chokehold which he clearly had no experience in getting out of; Johnny had previously dissed jiu-jutsu in a Season 1 deleted scene. |
| 396 | * One for Robby: He wins them a hot capsaicin eating contest through what seems like an application of the Miyagi-Do breathing technique...only for him to later reveal that he swapped it (in front of the entire audience, none of whom noticed) for a piece of candy. |
| 397 | * Subtle, but Silver managing to blow Chozen's cover by noticing he used the Okinawa phrase for "cheers" ''karii'' rather than the standard japanese ''[[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kanpai kanpai]]''. Daniel was right, Chozen did underestimate Silver's intelligence and the businessman managed to quickly spot the mole inside his dojo by simply knowing something an average foreigner might miss, showcasing Terry as [[WickedCultured both smart and cultured]] while remaining vicious. |
| 398 | * Chozen does well for himself when he attempts to infiltrate Cobra Kai as a teacher. Once his deception is revealed, Silver offers his potential six teachers the job if they take Chozen down. He's able to defeat all six in a matter of seconds, a nice CallBack to him taking on multiple students in Sato's dojo in ''Film/TheKarateKidPartII''. As a cherry on top of the sundae, once all six senseis are knocked out, Chozen issues a badass ultimatum to Silver, threatening that the latter will "beg for mercy" if he dares mess with Miyagi-Do or the [=LaRussos=]. |
| 399 | * A subtle one, but Chozen is able to, in the space of merely seconds, notice that Tory is distracted, encourage her to open up, and gives her a life lesson that contributes to her HeelFaceTurn later in the season. All the while keeping up his cover for Silver. He really is that good of a sensei. Mr. Miyagi would be proud. |
| 400 | |
| 401 | [[AC:"[[Recap/CobraKaiS5E3PlayingWithFire Playing With Fire]]" (5x03)]] |
| 402 | |
| 403 | * Chozen's response to Silver's threat on Daniel, while hilarious, is nothing short of badass. Not only is Chozen not afraid to go up to a deadly Tang Soo Do master much taller than him, but he not-so-subtly threatens further repercussions on Silver while expressing his full support for Daniel. Even Silver can't help but walk away, knowing he has nothing else to say other than having their drinks on his tab to the bartender. |
| 404 | --> '''Silver:''' You're playing with fire, [[EmbarrassingNickname Danny Boy]].\ |
| 405 | '''Chozen:''' [[BadassBoast And I am gasoline]]. '''BOOM.''' |
| 406 | * Anoush also gets one too in this scene. He's probably the only character in the entire franchise (probably next to Mr. Miyagi himself) that immediately recognizes (without ''anyone'' telling him) Silver as a sinister figure, which is a '''major accomplishment''' considering how Silver is incredibly skilled at hiding his true nature from just about everyone. Even better, he financially trolls Silver by taking advantage of his financial compensation by having the men order their most expensive tequila! |
| 407 | * Mike Barnes' mental health ending up in a better place than before, with him now owning his own furniture store after he was banned from competing in karate and being HappilyMarried to boot. Mike even apologizes to Daniel [=LaRusso=] when given the opportunity to do so. He had actually wanted to do it for some time, but never reached out because he was afraid of opening old wounds for Danny. |
| 408 | --> '''Daniel:''' I'm still kind of relieved. It's nice to know there's some ex-Cobra Kai out there who actually don't want to get in a fight with me. |
| 409 | * Although brief, the fight between Chozen Toguchi (the villain from ''Film/TheKarateKidPartII'') and Mike Barnes (the villain from ''Film/TheKarateKidPartIII'') was both surreal and awesome to witness at the same time. Particularly since Mike explicitly hasn't trained in karate for ''thirty years,'' and is still good enough to briefly go toe-to-toe with Chozen - which is to say, Daniel steps in and puts a stop to it rather than Chozen doing [[CurbStompBattle Chozen things]]. In fact, considering Mike's on the VERY short list of people who managed to land a clean hit on Chozen, it's impossible to tell how the fight would've turned out if it went the distance. And once again, Mike's been out of action for ''thirty years''. |
| 410 | |
| 411 | [[AC:"[[Recap/CobraKaiS5E4DownwardSpiral Downward Spiral]]" (5x04)]] |
| 412 | |
| 413 | * The BaitAndSwitch scene of Carmen dreaming a romantic rock-and-roll dream about Johnny instead of Johnny doing it is both awesome and heartwarming. |
| 414 | * The "awesome in a delectably villainous way" Terry Silver bid quite high on Daniel's bonsai plants, only to whisper to him that he plans to mulch them. What a pure heel who knows how to push all of "Danny-boy's" buttons, which helps drive a wedge in ''Casa'' ''[=LaRusso=]'' that results in a not-so-awesome argument between husband and wife later on. |
| 415 | * Seeing just how Eli has changed from a meek bullied kid, to TheBully, and then become the BullyHunter as he steps in front of Kenny and the Cobra Kais to put them in their place after their harassment of Anthony. And he doesn’t give a shit about Kyler telling him to mind his business. |
| 416 | --> '''Eli:''' What the hell was that?\ |
| 417 | '''Kyler:''' Hey, that’s none of yo business.\ |
| 418 | '''Eli:''' Yeah, well I’m making it my business. |
| 419 | * Even better, is Eli giving Kenny’s inflated ego a verbal reality check despite the latter doing all his best to intimidate him. Yes, the ''All-Valley Champ''. Kenny is just way out his league. |
| 420 | --> '''Kenny:''' Kyler, Kyler...Maybe he needs another haircut to remind him who he’s talking to.\ |
| 421 | '''Eli:''' You wanna take on the champ, kid?\ |
| 422 | '''Kenny:''' Dude, you’re only the champ because [[TheAce Diaz]] got hurt. Robby won as many fights as you did.\ |
| 423 | '''Eli:''' Yeah, well one of them was against you. And that [[CurbStompBattle wasn’t much of a fight now]], [[ArmorPiercingQuestion was it?]] |
| 424 | * After Kenny attempts to cheat during the tubing race, Eli, who knows what he did and has gotten sick of Kenny's attitude, confronts him and tells him to fight him if he really thinks he's so tough. Kenny then attempts to strike him several times, but Eli just dodges and blocks them all with ease. Then when Kenny does manage to land one hit on him, [[TheGlovesComeOff Eli gets serious]] and catches Kenny's leg when he tries kicking him and strikes his knee. If Robby didn't interrupt the fight by pushing him into the pool before the lifeguard then kicked everyone out, Kenny would've been done. |
| 425 | |
| 426 | [[AC:"[[Recap/CobraKaiS5E5ExtremeMeasures Extreme Measures]]" (5x05)]] |
| 427 | |
| 428 | * After several instances of him trying to get Miguel and Robby to bond, only for them to end with them almost coming to blows, Johnny decides enough is enough and just lets the two of them have at it so they can get it all out of their systems. And it ''works''. By the end of it, Miguel and Robby have gotten all of their anger and resentment out and are finally at peace. |
| 429 | ** The fight itself deserves mention, as Miguel and Robby are two of the most elite fighters of their generation, going at it toe-to-toe, no-holds-barred. Both have progressed so far since the school brawl, in terms of fighting skill as well as character development, which makes the whole fight a pleasure to watch. |
| 430 | ** And how does the fight end? Miguel comes out on top, proving to everyone (including the audience) why he's the better fighter. Even better, not only is Robby once again at his mercy but Miguel shows incredible restraint at the balcony — opting to stop the fight and let out a scream instead of another repeat of the dreaded school fight that resulted in Miguel's near death experience. |
| 431 | * The return of [[TheNotLoveInterest Jessica Andrews]] from ''Film/TheKarateKidPartIII''. It's not just a cameo either, seeing how she was the one who revealed to Amanda [=LaRusso=] (née Steiner) how much Terry Silver truly terrorized Daniel, to the point where his reaction is perfectly justified. Also, her revealing to the audience that she was the one who set up Daniel with ''her cousin'' Amanda in the first place. |
| 432 | * Amanda runs afoul of some other women at a bar over grudges back in high school. It leads to a brief BarBrawl and the tormentor is ready to hit Amanda with a bottle until Sam races in to lay her out with a kick and let her mother, her mother's cousin, and her brother run out to safety. |
| 433 | * Doubles as NightmareFuel, but Terry's CurbStompBattle of Daniel. Even with all his training and focus, Terry beats Daniel into submission and humiliates him in the process, to the point Daniel has a mental breakdown and refuses to stand against Cobra Kai. And he makes it look easy! |
| 434 | ** To add on further, one might give Johnny some sort of a pass in Silver's earlier bout with him when the latter severely handicaps the former with a deadly sneak attack kick to the head. Here? There's no such thing. Daniel's the one ''striking first'' head on when Silver aggravates him, but the latter is able to hold on just enough to easily overpower him. |
| 435 | ** Credit to Daniel though, for holding his own and landing a few hits on the ponytailed bastard — even though it didn’t really do much. |
| 436 | |
| 437 | [[AC:"[[Recap/CobraKaiS5E6Ouroboros Ouroboros]]" (5x06)]] |
| 438 | |
| 439 | * The arrival of [[TheBaroness Kim Da-Eun]]--the granddaughter of the founder of ''The Way of the Fist'' and, indirectly, ''Cobra Kai'' itself--and her ''dojang's'' [[EliteMook best senseis]] in America looks like a scene straight out of a ''Franchise/JamesBond'' movie or perhaps ''Film/KillBill'', with the older [[SilverFox Terry Silver]] serving as the [[{{Expy}} titular]] [[DiabolicalMastermind Bill]] to their equivalent of the ''[[StandardEvilOrganizationSquad Deadly Viper Assassination Squad]]''. |
| 440 | * Daniel realizing in his 50s why Miyagi, a karate master, [[MartialPacifist avoided conflict]] until he's backed into a corner: Even if you can [[CurbStompBattle easily win against the opponent]], your loved ones or anyone involved with you can [[TargetedToHurtTheHero still suffer]] from your [[NiceJobBreakingItHero careless involvement]], so it's best to [[ReluctantWarrior leave well enough alone]] until you [[GodzillaThreshold absolutely have to fight]]. |
| 441 | -->'''Daniel:''' You know, growing up, I [[PacifismBackfire never understood]] why [[MartialPacifist Mr. Miyagi]] [[ReluctantWarrior walked away]] from a fight. [[CharacterDevelopment But I understand now]]. |
| 442 | * Also counts as Heartwarming: Johnny and Chozen, two of Daniel's main rivals in ''Film/TheKarateKid'' trilogy, are now joining forces together with Daniel himself as the senseis of Miyagi-Do. It's truly a sight to behold not just the fact that Daniel has made peace with his former bullies, but also Miyagi-Do is doing everything they can to finally put an end to the dojo that has terrorized the valley for many years now. |
| 443 | * A small moment, but when Johnny sees Devon, one of his best (and favorite) Eagle Fang students has been indoctrinated into Cobra Kai, [[PapaWolf he's ready to]] ''[[PapaWolf storm the dojo single-handedly]]'' [[PapaWolf to get her away from it, seemingly willing to beat the shit out of everyone in there to do so.]] He only restrains himself because Chozen reminds him how impractical that would be. |
| 444 | * Kreese being forced to finally receive psychiatric treatment for his [=PTSD=], at first thinking he can bluff his way through. After years of watching Daniel and his friends be TheCassandra as everyone around them swallows [[DevilInPlainSight Kreese's]] bullshit, it [[CatharsisFactor feels really good]] to see a trained therapist instantly see right through him. |
| 445 | * Kreese morphing back into [[UsedToBeASweetKid his 20 year old self]] and going OneManArmy on the bullying prisoners, with everyone else in the prison chanting "Sensei" by the time Kreese is knocking out the last of the bullies. |
| 446 | * Every single Miyagi-Do and Eagle Fang student, Johnny, Chozen, and Amanda all coming together to inspire Daniel and reassure him that they will support him against Silver and Cobra Kai. They're not just two dojos working together now. For the first time, all petty rivalries are forgotten; they are one, united dojo, stronger than ever before, and ready to fight and win. '''Together.''' |
| 447 | |
| 448 | [[AC:"[[Recap/CobraKaiS5E7BadEggs Bad Eggs]]" (5x07)]] |
| 449 | |
| 450 | * When Daniel and Johnny visit Kreese in prison, they make a deal to help him get released in exchange for information about Silver. When it seems like Daniel is going to bail him out, Daniel hands him a note that supposedly contains his lawyer's number, but once Kreese opens it, it instead reads: "NO MERCY, [[PrecisionFStrike MOTHER FUCKER]]!" Johnny, who was against getting Kreese released and only reluctantly went along with it, just smiles at Daniel's deception with pride. |
| 451 | * Chozen clearly puts all of the Miyagi-Fangs to the test when he has each and every one of them protect their eggs. And while we're supposed to root for the students in passing the lesson, you can't help but acknowledge the fact that Chozen, a master sensei, outsmarts every single one of them and [[CurbStompBattle makes it all look too easy]]. Here's a few examples. |
| 452 | ** Demetri goes through all the trouble using multiple materials in adding a protection cover to his egg and showing it off to Miguel and Hawk. Chozen easily pierces through it with one of his kunais. |
| 453 | ** Chozen doesn't attack Mitch head on to break his egg, rather he uses his surroundings to break the branch where Chris was climbing, allowing the latter's big body to break ''both of their eggs.'' |
| 454 | ** Chozen takes advantages of Bert, Nate, and Robby not paying close attention to sneak up on them and break their eggs. |
| 455 | ** It's all too obvious a karate student like Hawk (despite being the reigning All-Valley champ) has ''no chance'' against a sensei who's skill far surpassing that of Johnny and Daniel, but Chozen makes him look further stupid by taking out his nunchucks and batting Hawk's eggs into the windshield. It's enough to scare the heck out of Anthony (revealed to be hiding in the car), who voluntarily gives up his egg. |
| 456 | ** Chozen takes full advantage of Miguel's distraction with Sam to sneak up on him and destroy his egg. And while Sam dares Chozen to take her on for the egg, the latter ''completely fools her'' by having her egg the entire time. |
| 457 | * A minor one, but Demetri completely moving on from his past resentment from Hawk and Robby, ''both of whom'' turned on Demetri at one point when they joined Cobra Kai and embraced the creed. Special mention when he clearly has enough of their feud, and in a way, encourages them to move on by acknowledging that they're both "ex-assholes." |
| 458 | * After the Miyagi-Fangs fail to protect their eggs from being destroyed by Chozen, ''Anthony [=LaRusso=]'' of all people suggests that for the next round they put all of them together and protect them all as one unit. They agree to his plan and when Chozen launches his attack, the teens are able to gang up on him, wrestle his bo staff away, and back him into a corner. Chozen happily congratulates them on passing the test and learning the lesson he was trying to teach them: |
| 459 | -->'''Chozen:''' This is what we have that Cobra Kai does not. [[QuantityVersusQuality Their movement mile wide, but only inch deep. But our movement, inch wide, but mile deep!]] |
| 460 | * Even though it's still sad to see Kenny corrupted further into Cobra Kai, it's also cathartic to see him make a DumbJock like Kyler look even more stupid when he takes over leadership during one of Silver's exercises. |
| 461 | ** How does Kenny do it? Kenny gets enough of Kyler's incompetence when the latter once again tries to order him, and declares a new change in leadership word-for-word. He then turns Kyler into an UnwittingPawn by first, overpowering him onto the ground, and then using him as a platform to land a hit on Sensei Odell. Silver could not have been more impressed with his now-star male student become an even more deadly weapon for Cobra Kai. Point, Winner indeed. |
| 462 | ** And prior to that, ''Silver'', as wicked as he is, gets a mention when he gives Kenny a pep talk on him recognizing his potential. He not only sees through Kyler's ineptitude as a leader, but outright compares it to how Silver himself TookALevelInBadass by recognizing his own potential after he steps out of Kreese's shadow. Silver's {{Armor Piercing Response}}s to Kenny couldn't have been executed any better when the latter expresses doubt and questions himself. |
| 463 | --->'''Kenny:''' Ok, look I hear you. But the exercise...you said Kyler was the leader.\ |
| 464 | '''Silver:''' Did I? Or did you assume that?\ |
| 465 | '''Kenny:''' ''(Sighs)'' So what do you want me to do?\ |
| 466 | '''Silver:''' I want you to stop asking me or anyone else that question. |
| 467 | |
| 468 | [[AC:"[[Recap/CobraKaiS5E8Taikai Taikai]]" (5x08)]] |
| 469 | |
| 470 | * The montage of Silver and Daniel, Johnny, and Chozen showing the Taikai representives around their respective dojos, highlighting the strengths of each. If Terry Silver wasn't such a Bond villain, his Cobra Kai would actually be an amazing place to learn karate. And the representatives definitely appreciate Miyagi-Do's emphasis on tradition and the roots of their discipline, and even Johnny's... shall we say, creativity. |
| 471 | * Kenny vs. Eli: |
| 472 | ** Robby asks Eli to go easy on Kenny, citing their shared Cobra Kai experience to point out Kenny UsedToBeASweetKid, but is too far under Terry's influence. Eli agrees, which leads to him underestimating Kenny and taking some hard hits. By the time Eli admits he needs to bring his A-game, it's too late. |
| 473 | ** Say what you will about the [[DangerousForbiddenTechnique Silver Bullet]], but it does the job. With one hit, Kenny incapacitates one of the toughest fighters in the series. The fact that he learned it so quickly, and was able to apply it in combat against an opponent with almost every advantage, shows that he really does have the potential to be Cobra Kai's best student. |
| 474 | * [[DefeatingTheCheatingOpponent Sam wins against Devon]] even with the [[EveryManHasHisPrice bribed referee]] seeking every excuse to deny her points. Daniel and Chozen don't realize the referee is being bribed, but assume he's just incompetent, so tell Sam to make every point undeniable. She does, not only making it impossible for the ref to fix the fight without it becoming blatantly obvious, but she ''utterly obliterates'' Devon and gets some justice for their dojo after Eli got completely screwed over. Devon can only lay flat on her back on the mat, staring up at Sam in awe, and just a little fear. |
| 475 | |
| 476 | [[AC:"[[Recap/CobraKaiS5E9Survivors Survivors]]" (5x09)]] |
| 477 | |
| 478 | * Say what you like about Robby, but walking into Silver's dojo, telling all of the students (and Silver and Kim) that Silver is their enemy and that there is another way, that they're not past the point of redemption, is nothing short of totally awesome. Even Silver has to compliment the sheer brass balls that took, before having an awesome moment of his own, demonstrating the difference between being heard and being listened to. Even then, Robby doesn't slink away, but instead walks out with his head held high. |
| 479 | * Chozen getting drunk enough to confess to Johnny that he has a thing for Kumiko, which Daniel catches wind of then gives his blessing for. |
| 480 | * The part of the episode where all three ex-rivals... [[DefeatMeansFriendship Chozen, Daniel, and Johnny]]... are singing "Eye of the Tiger" by Survivor[[note]]while unbeknownst to them, Daniel's third rival, [[SixthRanger Mike Barnes]], is driving the party limo they're riding on[[/note]]. |
| 481 | * Tory having the emotional and moral courage to walk up to Sam (when she's surrounded by pretty much her entire dojo, no less) and tell her about Silver bribing the referee is no small thing, which Miguel points out in the following episode. |
| 482 | |
| 483 | [[AC:"[[Recap/CobraKaiS5E10HeadOfTheSnake Head Of The Snake]]" (5x10)]] |
| 484 | * The kids decide to enact their own plan to take down Silver by breaking into the main Cobra Kai dojo and stealing the video of him beating up Stingray to get him to turn on Kreese. That video has been deleted, so Tory points them at the video of Silver admitting to cheating at the All Valley. Then the kids are blindsided by Mitch betraying them to Cobra Kai, who come to the dojo in force to attack them and outnumber them about 3-1. This leads to yet another terrific mass brawl. |
| 485 | ** Kyler gets a verbal beat down from Eli while he [[HoldTheLine defends Demetri]], who is still busy hacking in to the surveillance footage. Eli's self-confidence, so different from his arrogance as Hawk in earlier seasons, is just amazing. |
| 486 | --->'''Kyler:''' Yeah, you heard Kenny when he dropped your ass. Just a Faux-Hawk now, boy.\ |
| 487 | '''Eli:''' [[CharacterDevelopment You know what? That's life. You win some, you lose some, but you gotta move on.]] You never did. You're still pulling the same old bully act as always. Even though everyone you bullied has kicked your ass by now.\ |
| 488 | '''Demetri:''' I haven't.\ |
| 489 | '''Eli:''' [[FiveSecondForeshadowing You'll get your turn]]. Kyler's too stupid to ever learn his lesson. |
| 490 | ** The pair then proceed to give him and his minions a hell of a physical beatdown, simultaneously using their tech skills to transfer the downloaded video to a mobile tablet so they can post it on Cobra Kai's own [=YouTube=] channel, while pulling off what looks like a variation of the wheel technique. Special mention goes to Demetri becoming the latest of Kyler's former victims to kick his ass. |
| 491 | --->'''Demetri:''' Man, that felt good! Bitch! |
| 492 | ** Seeing Eli and Demetri fighting side-by-side, absolutely in sync, is still wonderfully heartwarming after all they've been through. Not to mention totally awesome. |
| 493 | ** The fact that it takes ''three'' Cobra Kai students to beat Robby, and even then, he's only somewhat winded. |
| 494 | ** The moments are very quick, but Miguel absolutely ''owns'' Kenny whenever they engage each other during the brawl. The brawl is kicked off with Kenny attempting to sucker punch Miguel after the latter tries reasoning with him, only for Miguel to [[NoSell easily block it]]. Later, when Kenny takes advantage of Robby holding back against him by winding him with the "[[SignatureMove Silver Bullet]]", Miguel leaps to the defense of his former rival and makes mincemeat of Kenny and his {{Mook}}s with a flying kick that sends Kenny to the ground and causes him to roll in pain for several seconds. It shows that, as far as Kenny has come, he still has a lot of catching up to do to be on the same level as an All-Valley champion. |
| 495 | ** Anthony ends up with the tablet, leading to every member of Miyagi-Fang [[GoThroughMe surrounding him]] to "protect the egg" the way they did in training with Chozen and hold Cobra Kai off long enough for the video to finish uploading. |
| 496 | ** Sam saves Tory from Kim Da-Eun as she crushes Tory's injured hand, leading to another RivalsTeamUp as the pair face her down together. For her part, Kim proves more than a match for the duo, even whipping Sam with the face with her [[BraidsOfAction hair braid]]. This leads to Devon switching sides and giving Sam the chance to go help Anthony. The irony of the fact that [[HoistByHerOwnPetard Kim herself]] was the one who trained Tory and Devon how to fight against her is particulary satisfying. |
| 497 | --->'''Kim Da-Eun:''' Lee, do not let Nichols cloud your judgment. You are the future of this dojo, not her. [[WeCanRuleTogether You can be a champion. Do not throw that away.]]\ |
| 498 | '''Devon:''' Oh, I will be a champion. [[ShutUpHannibal But I'll get there my way, not yours]]. |
| 499 | *** Tory also gets a major moment of awesome for lasting throughout the entire brawl, including going toe-to-toe with Kim, all the while with her primary hand being almost broken. |
| 500 | ** Even Stingray manages to redeem himself, showing up to rescue Daniel when he's stranded in the woods and driving him to the dojo. When they arrive to find Big Red and a few other cobras standing guard, Daniel is uncomfortable with fighting a bunch of teenagers, but Stingray has no such problems. |
| 501 | --->'''Daniel:''' Look. I'm not gonna fight a bunch of kids.\ |
| 502 | '''Stingray:''' You don't have to, Mr. L. I'll take this trash out. ''[Proceeds to [[CurbStompBattle annihilate the Cobra Kais]]]'' |
| 503 | ** ''Anthony'' deserves major props for his role in completing the protagonists' plan to expose Silver. When he winds up with the tablet with the incriminating video footage and his bully Kenny leads the Cobra Kai students in a ZergRush towards him, does he panic or screw up? No. He keeps a level head (despite the brawl going on merely feet away) and trusts the others to keep Cobra Kai at bay while he patiently waits for the video to be uploaded to the internet. Once it is, he quickly connects the tablet to the dojo's TV screens and hits play, allowing for everyone present to witness Silver's true colors. |
| 504 | ** Not a single one of the Miyagi-Fang students is seen on the ground, with most of them being shown in the background during Silver and Daniel's final fight. This heavily implies that ''all'' of them made it through the brawl without any major injuries, despite being severely outnumbered. Daniel and Chozen were absolutely right--combined, their defense is exponentially stronger than the sum of its parts. |
| 505 | * The '''''entire''''' final confrontation at Terry's house, with all of his EliteMooks backing him. |
| 506 | ** When the enforcers first arrive, you'd forgive Mike for feeling a bit intimidated. Instead, he shows no fear and uses the opportunity to tell Silver that this just proves that, at his core, he's a DirtyCoward who hides behind his wealth: |
| 507 | --->'''Mike:''' Huh, classic Silver! [[TheReasonYouSuckSpeech I mean, why get your hands dirty when you can pay someone to do it for you?]] |
| 508 | ** Barnes quickly proves himself TheBigGuy of this team-up, effortlessly thrashing the first of Terry's goons by straight overpowering him. He's thirty years of practice, so how does he overcome the other man? With a straight-up wrestling charge that knocks him into the wall. If he hadn't let himself get distracted (and possibly had his awareness compromised by being high as a kite on "something a lot stronger than beer"), he'd have turned the tide. As it happens, even a TapOnTheHead only takes him out of the fight temporarily, then he recovers in time for BigDamnHeroes to help Johnny (see below). |
| 509 | ** Johnny takes on the entire group of Fist teachers almost single-handed, and despite being outnumbered and incredibly drunk, he holds his own for an impressively long time. |
| 510 | ** Special mention must go to Terry vs. Chozen, the former wielding an ancient katana and the latter his Miyagi-do twin sai. It's probably the first time in the series that lethal weapons have been used in a fight. And it's ''glorious'' to watch. |
| 511 | --->'''Chozen:''' [[PreAssKickingOneLiner I'm not afraid to kill.]]\ |
| 512 | '''Terry:''' [[NotAfraidToDie And I'm not afraid to die.]] |
| 513 | *** For all of his deceitful ways, Silver displays VillainousValor when Chozen manages to knock him off his feet and hold him at sai-point by disproving the Okinawan sensei's assertion that he would "beg for mercy," instead [[FaceDeathWithDignity calmly exhorting Chozen]] to [[StrikeMeDownWithAllOfYourHatred finish him off]]. |
| 514 | *** And when Chozen turns away for an ''instant'', Silver takes the opportunity to slash him down. |
| 515 | ** Johnny seems down and out, outnumbered five to one, and the senseis are fully prepared to kill him on Silver's orders. Then he sees the picture of Carmen's ultrasound fall out of his pocket, and gets one hell of a HeroicSecondWind as he decides that he's not missing another kid's life. With nothing but his sharp senses and years of training in good old Karate, and despite his opponents' superior training and more confusing and volatile skillset, he still manages to beat most of them. ''While drunk.'' Especially awesome is the way Johnny forgoes all fancy karate moves in favor of pure rage and adrenaline-fueled aggression, resorting to tackling his opponents, throwing them into walls, [[GroinAttack kicking Sensei Odell in the groin]], and smashing a glass over Suk-Chin's face. Even then, this still wouldn't quite have been enough to save him if not for Barnes having a BigDamnHeroes moment and finishing off the last two senseis. |
| 516 | ** Chozen deserves a mention. He mentioned in season 3 that he [[TheTeetotaler no longer drinks]], meaning his tolerance level has lowered significantly and [[WorfHadTheFlu is drunk throughout the episode. Then he goes toe-to-toe against the stone-faced sober Terry Silver]]. While Silver manages to get in some hits, when all is said and done, Chozen is the last man standing, while Silver is defeated and is at Chozen’s mercy. If it weren't for Johnny’s yelling that [[ConvenientlyTimedDistraction distracted Chozen]], he would’ve won then and there. |
| 517 | ** Just the fact that '''all three of Daniel's former rivals in ''Film/TheKarateKid'' trilogy, Johnny, Chozen, and Mike''', fully reformed, are united together by circumstance against a common enemy, who's also Daniel's most hated nemesis, no less. This just might be the most satisfying thing to watch and behold, especially for long-time fans of ''Franchise/TheKarateKid.'' In-universe crossover at its finest. |
| 518 | * When Terry arrives just after his EngineeredPublicConfession plays, he's incredulous when he assumes this was Daniel's "big plan" to beat him and that it doesn't change anything. Robby and Tory are the first to start against him: |
| 519 | -->'''Tory''': It wasn't his plan, it was ours. |
| 520 | -->'''Robby''': And it changes everything. |
| 521 | ** Terry does the call and response from the Cobra Kai students of "And what does the enemy deserve?", but what does he get in response instead of "No Mercy"? '''Deafening. Silence.''' |
| 522 | ** Terry also even still gets no support when he's bringing up how Johnny, Chozen and Mike all broke into his home and attacked him. It doesn't matter. That everyone thinks he asked for it all and that he left them no choice shows how much the cracks that are now there just continue to get bigger and bigger from that point forward with no signs of stopping. |
| 523 | * Daniel going toe-to-toe with the sleazy businessman that was his EvilMentor and tormentor again for the second time. After everything Silver has done to corrupt, torture, and put Daniel into a HeroicBSOD multiple times, unlike any other foe that the Karate Kid has faced, Daniel puts that son of a bitch in his place with a CurbStompBattle, leaving him lying on the ground, defeated. |
| 524 | ** The best part? Daniel did so using a combination of techniques from all 3 dojos. He used Silver's own Quicksilver lessons against him, Johnny's Screaming Eagle technique, ''and won, with, in Terry's words, "that crane-crap", no less.'' Daniel has truly overcome his demons and found balance within himself. Not only that, but he did so without taking a single hit himself, symbolically showing that while Chozen may be the better fighter, Daniel really is the Mr. Miyagi of his generation. |
| 525 | ** Daniel has Terry on the ground in an arm bar. Terry starts coiling his fist in the same vicious punch he taught Kenny. Based on what kind of blow that's supposed to be, even blocking it head-on would injure the defender enough to put them at a disadvantage. Daniel does block it head-on. . . ''by trapping Terry's wrist between his elbow and knee, negating the potentially-devastating hit and putting Terry pretty much at Daniel's mercy!'' Bad. Ass. |
| 526 | ** Even more so: In doing this, he combines the Miyagi-Do philosophy of using an enemy's own force against them with Johnny's philosophy of not starting the fight, but finishing it by whatever means necessary. Or as Chozen would say: "If an enemy insists on war, take away their ability to wage it." |
| 527 | ** When Silver's cheating is revealed and he is exposed for the unhinged maniac and entitled loser he always has been, ''all'' of his Cobra Kai followers (even ''[[JerkWithAHeartOfJerk Kyler]]'' and ''[[ChronicBackstabbingDisorder Mitch]]''), turn against him in disappointment and disgust, ultimately [[InsigniaRipOffRitual discarding their Cobra Kai apparel]] atop his semi-conscious body after the NoHoldsBarredBeatdown that Daniel metes out to him (in a poetic homage to the end of ''Film/TheKarateKidPartIII''). |
| 528 | ** Kenny is one of the first clearly disillusioned. The same Kenny that Silver pushed into becoming a leader leads the rest of Cobra Kai away from Silver, and the same students who were taught that aggression is everything see their own teacher being handed total defeat and follow him out. NiceJobFixingItVillain. |
| 529 | ** Even better, Stingray finally has the balls to admit the truth of Silver's NoHoldsBarredBeatdown to the police. Seeing Silver in handcuffs and going to jail can't be any more satisfying. |
| 530 | * At the end of the season, John Kreese engineering his own successful prison escape that would make Franchise/HannibalLecter blush, managing to trick his therapist into thinking that she had made an emotional breakthrough with him to surreptitiously purloin her key card, before getting one of his inmate followers to "fatally" stab him (using melted red Jell-O as a substitute for blood) and seemingly temporarily ''suppressing his own pulse'', before revealing he is alive, incapacitating two prison guards and stealing the prison doctor's clothes, then casually walking out of the prison's infirmary wing into the outside world under the other guards' noses. |
| 531 | -->'''Doctor:''' Please. I'm begging you.\ |
| 532 | '''Kreese:''' For what? Mercy? |
| 533 | * Tory getting revenge on Silver by being key to taking him down after he had paid off the umpire in her fight against Sam, forever tainting a victory she might very well have earned on her own merit. |
| 534 | [[/folder]] |
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