Cobra-Kai is a commentary piece on the further moral decay of humanity since the 80's
The original movie was an anti-violence flick turned Cash Cow Franchise that died with its actors and failed to catch interest to a modern audience. Cobra-kai goes the other way around showing how Humans Are Bastards to the point where Johnny's ideals are justified. Not because they are noble and righteous but because the world is so evil and the "hero" Daniel has become little more than another cog in the system. More interested in wealth and power than doing the right thing. That Johnny and Cobra-kai, that violence for violence's sake is just. Because violence for violence's sake is the only thing that the system will understand. Pacifism failed, Daniel struck it rich and became another corporate asshole willing to let some kid get murdered by three thugs. Johnny is no hero, but sadly he is the only one that is willing to fight.- The 80's weren't much more moral than nowadays. There were even more racism, there were bullies at schools, there were wars, and the air was so polluted that it was needed so much eco-awareness in the 90's. If Cobra Kai has a message, it's that hard work may do the job. That a good guy can become a jerkass, and a jerkass still can become a good guy. And while is life, there's hope, and there's a way.
- Plus, saying that he was "willing to let some kid get murdered by three thugs" seems a grossly unfair indictment of Daniel and doesn't make a lot of sense in any context we're shown, since he wasn't around to help Miguel either time and couldn't interfere with the ref's job at the tournament. One good takeaway is that while many things have improved since the 80's, things have regressed in some ways too, and it's foolish to think that older generations have nothing of value to teach just because of the stuff they did get wrong. Johnny's mindset is a little dated, yeah, but only to a point; what he is right about is that you should stand up for yourself, take control of your life, and not sit on your ass hoping someone else will come along and fix everything for you. His own life starts to change for the better the moment he realizes this and chooses to act on it.
Season 2 will involve Johnny training his students for full-on MMA fights, which he is woefully unprepared for.
As a result of narrative Serial Escalation from a karate tournament, Johnny and his students will face a new adversary in fights with less rules and harsher consequences for losing. Not to mention, Johnny, who prides himself on being an old school karate black belt, will likely find himself completely out of his element coaching his students for MMA fights, but he’ll feel he needs to in order for Cobra Kai to compete with neighboring schools not helped by the reappearance of John Kreese, who will view the exposure of getting a Cobra Kai fighter on national television in the UFC (or a lawyer friendly Expy of the UFC) as the key to realizing his dream of a Cobra Kai franchise.- Except MMA fighters have to be 18.
- In UFC and major promotions, yes. But what about Shooto
? - Jossed. No mention whatsoever of MMA in Season 2.
Kyler will join a dojo.
Specifically LaRusso's dojo. Kyler will join as a way to get back at Miguel, studying karate like he did. Under his Sensei's tutelage though, Kyler will become a better person.- Robby's change was less a result of the karate lessons, and more of a result of having someone take an interest in him. Daniel, Johnny, and Miguel may have lacked a father figure, but Robby lacked any adult authority figure whatsoever. His change is therefore believable. I don't think this will work with Kyler, not to mention the fact that the Larussos hate him. In fact, I think if he joins anyone, it will be Kreese.
- Kyler will join the dojo out of spite. Daniel (and Sam) will be unhappy about it, but Robby (and maybe Amanda) will encourage them to give Kyler a shot. Kyler will begin to become a better person over the season, but will throw it all away at a shot for revenge, and become Daniel's greatest failure.
- Kyler is persona non grata at the Larusso household for obvious reasons. There's no way Daniel would ever accept him as a student, especially considering what he did to Sam. I don't see him going to Cobra Kai either since both Johnny and Miguel already whooped him good. If he joins a dojo, it will be a third one we have yet to know about.
- Kyler's attempt to join the dojo will be what finally prompts Sam to tell what he did to her. Daniel will beat the crap of him and Tom Cole will use it against him.
- Seems to be Jossed as of the "2 Dojos One Fight" trailer. Kyler is nowhere to be seen in the group of students at Miyagi-do, although it appears Demetri has joined.
- Kyler does not appear in Season 2 at all, as it's set outside of school.
Sam will become an independent.
Will possibly be a secret to everyone. If/When revealed, she say something like 'I'm not fighting for my dad, I'm fighting for myself.'- Daniel will point out it's no reason not to have him teach her.
- Jossed: If the trailer is any indication, she's definitely training under Miyagi-Do with Daniel in season 2 at some point.
- Jossed. Sam stays with Miyagi-do. At least until the end of season , when Miyagi-do closes down its dojo.
Chozen will return for revenge in the next season.
Chozen, who Daniel utterly humiliated in the second film, to the point of being disowned by his own uncle has never forgotten nor forgiven it. He will emerge in the states and form a Big Bad Duumvirate with John Kreese to bring LaRusso down via the resurrected Cobra Kai, causing Daniel and Johnny to put aside their differences and set things right.- According to Karate Kid Wikia, Chozen committed ritual suicide off camera following his disgrace. He shouldn't be back. He also has no connection to Cobra Kai so there is no need for him to return.
- Whatever is or was once written there cannot be taken at face value. He still could have left Okinawa in shame and he might move to California to go after Daniel.
- Jossed. As of the end of season 2, no mention of Chozen.
Kyler is somehow related to Chosen.
Probably not directly like father-son, but possibly a second cousin or through marriage and Chosen will exploit this and Kyler's relationship with Sam to get back at Daniel through her.- Or Chosen is already doing it and Kyler is only feigning ignorance regarding his roots.
- Neither Kyler nor Chozen are mentioned in season 2.
Daniel and Johnny will have to work together in Season 2
John Kreese wrests control of Cobra Kai from Johnny, forcing Johnny to ask Daniel for help in getting it back, which they will only be able to do if they win the next All Valley tournament. Since this is what Daniel feared from the start, and Johnny definitely doesn't want Cobra Kai to turn back into what it once was, they must combine their students and co-teach from Daniel's dojo, something that won't be easy given their differing philosophies.- Furthermore, as Robby stated, each of them has something that can be of value to the other dojo. The offense-oriented Cobra Kai kids will learn the value of a defense, while the defense-oriented Miyagi-do kids will come to understand exactly how and why Cobra Kai was regarded as Johnny's buddies indicated. As the sequels of the Karate Kid franchise showed all too well, pacifism is going to get them only so far.
- Jossed for Season 2, but both dojos are in a shambles as of the ending. Could still happen.
- Also as a publicity stunt for the sequel to the 2010 film.
- And further films of the rebooted franchise, as has been rumoured.
- Chan would count as a Celebrity Paradox, since Robby mentions him by name.
- maybe cameos by Ed O'Neill and Keanu Reeves, both ‘80’s icons and legitimately skilled martial artists
Sam and Miguel will fight each other in the next All Valley Tournament.
And it could result in Miguel's Heel Realization regardless who wins.- In interviews, the creators have mentioned there won't be a tournament in Season 2, to avoid repetition. Perhaps for Season 3.
Daniel and Johnny will join forces to take down Kreese.
Johnny would see how far gone some of his students will become under Kreese's influence so that would spawn some kind of alliance between him and Daniel to save the students from John Kreese's corruption.- This fits Daniel's talk of balance as learned from Mr. Miyagi. Cobra Kai and Miyagi-Do as a sort of Yin-Yang Bomb (They're both even represented by black and white) to defeat a greater evil.
The inspector mistaking the cobra for a rattlesnake is foreshadowing
Johnny's ethos has some merit to it in that some bullies/people in life will only understand force, but at the same time he's also lacking a key component: restraint. Johnny will end up realizing that in S2 and will reform his dojo's ethos to also include trying to warn away antagonists first before resorting to violence rather than just attacking everyone that you meet, changing the mascot of his dojo from a cobra to a rattlesnake, which very famously warns aggressors before attacking.- Then he'd realize that "Rattlesnake Kai" sounds really goofy, and change it back. Besides, real cobras do give a warning before they strike; that's why they rear up and present the "hood" around their head.
Miguel's biological father will return.
At dinner with Johnny, Carmen Diaz mentioned having to get "far away" from Miguel's "very bad" father when she learned the truth about his job. She also mentioned having to move around a lot — perhaps to avoid being tracked down by her ex? It's almost certain that Miguel's dad is a criminal, black-ops soldier, or something equally unsavory, which seems just the kind of character that Kreese might have crossed paths with at one point or another.- Or worse, he is Kreese.
Miguel Diaz and Robby Keene have a Cain and Abel sort of rivalry
Robbie Keene is Johnny Lawrence's biological son while Johnny Lawrence act as a father figure towards Miguel Diaz. Also I do not see any scene where Miguel figure out that Robbie is his Sensei's son this leads to the next WMG Miguel Diaz will have a Oh, Crap! moment once he realizes that Robbie Keene is his Sensei's son
Either it may lead to accusations from Miguel Diaz about going soft from uncharacteristic mercy or something to do with nepotism and mercy- Miguel will think Robby was trying to steal his mentor/father figure.
- Miguel does find out Robby is Johnny's son, and believes it's Johnny's motivation for trying to get them to show mercy, but Johnny tells him Robby has nothing to do with Cobra Kai.
- Confirmed, sort of. Miguel finds a photo of Robby on Johnny's fridge, and assume this is why Johnny was so upset he and Hawk handed Robby his ass in the tournament. Johnny was upset that they were fighting dirty, but they can't really internalize that at that point.
Demetri will eventually train under Daniel.
Once he sees how much Miguel and Eli have turned into bullies themselves that's going to cause Demetri to cut himself off from them and probably end up being friends with Robbie and Sam down the road. Which would inspire him to want to train under Daniel at the Miyagi Dojo.- If that happens, he'll make Daniel a better teacher. Demetri is the kind of kid that needs to know the why behind a lesson or he'll walk away; there's nothing intrinsic to Miyagi-Do that prevents telling the student why up front.
- Considering how he stated in the Season Finale that he's hanging with the Cobra Kai students for the safety in numbers, it's unlikely to happen unless Kreese drives him away.
- This seems more likely as of the "Two Dojos, One Fight" trailer for Season 2, where he is seen hanging around with Robby and some of the new Miyagi-Do recruits.
- Confirmed, as of "Two Dojos, One Fight." There's a "blink and you'll miss it" moment, but Demetri is clearly in one of the shots of the full group during training. We also see that Demetri and Hawk get into a fight, but it's not clear if Demetri trains before or after this moment.
- Demetri does indeed fully join Miyagi-Do after Kreese punches him in the face, and he does fight Hawk and wins!
Johnny will face the consequences of his alcoholism.
Johnny's already explicitly or implicitly driven drunk on three occasions in S1, and although he's still in decent shape, a 50-year-old body can't hold up forever under the constant abuse to which Johnny subjects it. Something — legal, health, job, or relationship — will go off the rails, forcing Johnny to confront his drinking problem.- Watch Cobra Kai get into trouble, one way or the other, for it.
Miguel's Asthma is Forshadowing
Asthma is a real disease and causes real problems when it isn't addressed. Miguel ignoring it will end up hurting his performance but his firm belief in Cobra Kai and Johnny will lead to him covering up how much it effects him. When he fights either Sam or Robby he'll have the advantage due to his skill and ruthlessness up until his asthma (which he's ignored because he isn't a "pussy") kills his stamina and leads to both a defeat and a trip to the emergency room. Seeing this happen will be part of what makes Johnny soften up more and realize that this pansy-ass generation might have some legitimate points. Anthony will join Cobra Kai.
He actually got thrilled watching the All Valley Karate Tournament and was disappointed when he had to leave early with his sister and mother, hinting a keen interest in finally learning martial arts. Through learning karate, he will stop acting like a Spoiled Brat and, having to have seen the consequences of his teachings in the tournament, Johnny will actually teach Daniel's son the importance of discipline and restraint.- Or, alternately, he'll learn Miyagi-Do karate under his dad's tutelage. Either way, here's hoping they do something interesting with him in Season 2; it's hard to think that they would create a character who is part of Daniel's direct bloodline, but who remained completely superfluous to the story.
- This seems more likely. We see that, all his other quirks aside, he thinks the world of his father's martial arts skills ("my dad could beat your dad" is his go to claim) and we've already done the "I'm training my rival's son" angle with Robby.
- An Important Haircut may be in the works. He might only consider it traumatic in that the alternate route is even more frightening.
- He'll only try Cobra Kai after growing tired of Daniel not explaining the method behind his training. Johnny won't accept him until he explains it so Johnny won't think it's for the same kind of spite that drove Robby into Daniel.
- Jossed, at least as of Season 2, where he ships off to summer camp. There could be something in store with Anthony in the future, though, as what little we see of him shows that he has lost a substantial amount of weight since Season 1.
Yasmine and Demetri will be shipped together in Season 2
Demetri had tried to talk to her, but Yasmine was very quick to shrug him off. After she gets a Melvin from Aisha, she's been humiliated, and likely humbled. She then ends up in a relationship with Demetri after a great deal of character development.- Jossed as of Season 2. Yasmine is spending her summer in France.
Johnny will cross paths with Ali again at the funeral of one (or both) of her parents.
When Ali returns to Los Angeles to attend her mom and/or dad's funeral, Johnny will also choose to attend, since he knew and liked her parents during his teenage years. Johnny will finally be able to find closure for the loss of his relationship with Ali, and while he and Ali almost certainly won't rekindle that relationship, they might end up keeping in touch after the funeral.- Johnny will discover Facebook!
- Confirmed. The Facebook part. He never heard of it before Daniel mentioned Ali's profile.
- Confirmed on both counts, but only in passing. Johnny drunk texts Ali and the last shot is of Johnny's phone with a friend-request from Ali, on Facebook.
Miguel will Reverse-engineer the Handstand Kick.
For all his newfound personal problems Miguel is still a VERY apt martial artist and Johnny inadvertently taught Miguel how upsetting it is for a person when they see their signature weapon being used in a way they don't like. When he and Robbie fight again, or alternately when Robbie sees him fighting again, Miguel will reveal that he can also perform the technique and give Robbie a bout of fear similar to Daniel's in Karate Kid 3 now that his trump card has been figured out. Kreese hasn't changed at all. Or has he?
- Actor Martin Kove himself isn't yet sure what direction his character will be taken in, but he's been told that some "surprises" are in store.
- Confirmed, from what we see in the teaser trailers and the "2 Dojos One Fight" trailer. Kreese starts his reign of terror by throwing Johnny and smashing the dojo's mirror. Then he continues his poisonous and brutal teachings, to the point where Sam complains it's like "a karate cult."
- Also provides a Bait-and-Switch which allows him to manipulate Johnny. He seems quite human for one scene, then doubles down on his villainy.
- Though talk about his story arc in Season 3 indicates that there's going to be a flashback to his war days, thus offering insight into what shaped his path to villainy.
Sid's home health nurse is foreshadowing
One of the more subtle themes of the series is apparently Forgiveness, particularly towards your father (figure). The fact that Sid hires a home health nurse implies that he's quite ill or that he is not in good health, and that it is only a matter of time. Having seen that Robby accepted his apology after the All Valley tournament, and despite knowing he has always been a poor father to him, Johnny will start to reevaluate his relationship with his stepdad, and while Sid is on his deathbed, Johnny will visit him one last time and make peace with him, thanking Sid for everything he's done for him even if it was simply just financial support. Sid himself had a change of heart after Johnny came in that one day to return all the money he had ever provided for him, and with his dying breath, tells Johnny he is proud of him for turning his life around on his own and that he regrets that he never gave Johnny the emotional encouragement or love that a father was suppose to give to their child, blood relation be damned.- Not for Sid, but there is a death in Season 2—Tommy's.
Bert small boy with glasses will change dojo
He is visibly hesitant to attack anyone, let alone first, hard or merciless. Cobra Kai is just not for him.- Jossed. Not only does he stick with Cobra Kai, he's finally evenly matched with another small, bespectacled Miyagi-do student!
Johnny and Daniel will eventually have a friendly rematch ala Rocky III
Season 1 seemed to make it clear that while the two will likely never become best friends, they also have no real reason to hate each other in the present day (with most their problems a result of how Poor Communication Kills). Eventually both will genuinely resolve their issues and agree to one last match, which like Rocky and Apollo, we never see the end of.- Just like it was eventually mentioned that Apollo won, Johnny will be revealed to be the winner.
- We see in "2 Dojos One Fight" that they do have a re-match, including a shot of Johnny kicking Daniel in the face, but it's not clear why or who wins.
- The reason is Daniel was pissed that Johnny was sheltering Sam without his knowledge, and no winner as Sam stops the fight before it escalates too far.
Sam will fight one of Cobra Kai's top three students and lose badly.
Reality has a bad habit of ensuing in this series and Sam is very out of practice. While she's maintained a little of her skill the karate she gave up at age 12 can't match Hawk's aggression, Aisha's raw power, or Miguel's flawless technique and conditioning. She'll head to Cobra Kai and challenge the Dojo with the promise that they leave Robby alone should she win but fail miserably. This will lead to her character arc for Season 2, confronting her lack of dedication both in the martial arts and in her personal relationships.- Seems to be confirmed as of the trailer "2 Dojos One Fight." New character Tory is a champion, and she and Sam seem to have at least two fights, one in a mall and the other at school.
- Just like when Miguel fought Robby, he'll let his emotions get the better of him and Sam will have a chance.
- She does fight Tory, and she wins, mainly because Tory was too busy going for the pain rather than simply finishing the fight. However, Sam is hospitalized, and it is unclear if she will regain use of one of her arms.
Just like Hawk, Aisha will flip the script on all the pig jokes.
Now that Aisha's a proud member of a Thug Dojo she'll take up the wild boar as her own animal theme. She'll reason out that she really is like a pig. That is to say she's strong, fast, smart and capable of causing grievous injury. She'll start looking at her weight as a source of pride but subvert the usual PC body-positivity connotations of this by deciding that being ugly doesn't matter if she's smart enough to be an honor student and strong enough to beat up anyone that tries to make fun of her for it.- Although, realistically, she wouldn't remain overweight for very long if she kept up with her training. That kind of physical activity on a regular basis, especially at her age, tends to speed up the metabolism quite a bit. She even appears to have slimmed down a little bit between the beginning and end of Season 1.
- Jossed. She is somewhat slimmer and much more confident, so she doesn't need to make fun of herself.
Kyler's new Story Arc will be about learning about his true origins.
The Larussos might hate him, but Kyler didn't refuse the sashimi on purpose. He refused it because he wasn't aware of its cultural origins. If his attempt to reason with Yasmine at the canyon is any sign, there is a prayer for him.- Jossed as of season 2. Kyler does not appear.
Yasmine may show interest in joining a dojo but doesn't do it just yet.
Or, at the least, get it through her skull that actions can have painful consequences, and choose not to poke the cobra by doubling down on her bitchiness. But even if she does wise up and back off, what would she do if some of her previous targets in Cobra Kai decide she hasn't suffered enough her awful behavior?- If all else fails? Make a Deal with the Devil (Kreese), thus setting the stage for Serial Escalation and potentially forcing the school board to address the problem that was at the heart of Cobra Kai's reincarnation. The painful way.
- A three-way feud between Miyagi-Do, the new Cobra Kai, and an even darker, nastier offshoot run by Kreese would be awesome.
- It does seem that Kreese will be taking on some students without Johnny present.
Kreese is Miguel’s father
And Cobra Kai is a front for training and recruiting new members to whatever gang, cartel or other criminal organization he is implied to be involved in. Having found herself on the other side of her go-to tactic, Yasmine has an Armor-Piercing Question for the faculty.
She's not going to go crying to daddy for this one. Rather, she's going to ask the school staff, point blank: "Was I really that much of a troublemaker?"- One of them will say "Yes". (Which probably won't surprise her anymore, if the talk between Sam and Aisha about that viral video of the wedgie means anything.)
Whither Terry Silver?
Terry Silver will not be appearing in Cobra Kai as his company, Dynatox Industries, was the target of a massive EPA lawsuit, and his bribing of juries and district attorneys to facilitate his illegal dumping was discovered, so he's now doing time in a federal penitentiary.- While he's serving time, he's being embezzled of whatever money wasn't seized by the Government.
Daniel was indirectly responsible for Eli/Hawk being able to buy alcohol.
The minimart cashier needed to pay the double-rent Daniel goaded Armand into implementing, so he was more willing to sell alcohol to Hawk to make ends meet despite knowing that he was using a fake ID.- No way! Places that sell alcohol are tested by regulators all the time. They want to make sure cashiers check the id of anyone who looks under 30. If they mess up, they risk a fine and losing their liquor license. He would risk losing more than gaining.
Kreese isn't really back.
Johnny wasn't lying or mistaken when he said Kreese was dead. It's actually his ghost appearing at the end of season 1, back to haunt Johnny and manipulate him.- Tough to say. He may have honestly thought Kreese was dead (he faked his death back in '85 with Terry Silver's help) or he could have meant Kreese was dead figuratively ("Kreese is dead to me."). It can't be a literal ghost since this show is not about the supernatural. At most, it could be the modern equivalent of a pink elephant since Johnny was drinking and feared Kreese's legacy overshadowing his.
- Jossed. The full Season 2 Trailer has Johnny move to attack Kreese and get kicked into a wall mirror for his trouble. It's him, all right.
Hillary Swank will make a guest appearance.
Daniel may or may not know about Miyagi training Julie in the fourth film, but either way, he'll be surprised when she turns up to lend a hand.- According to the producers, Daniel does know of Julie's existence. They met at Miyagi's funeral. How close they are is another question.
Yasmine will not return, ever.
- Confirmed for Season 2, as she's in France for the summer. But we only get one day of school, and don't even make it to lunch hour, so there's no telling if she'll re-appear in Season 3. Her story arc does seem finished.
Season 2 will start where Season 1 ended.
After Kreese reveals himself, he'll try to take over the dojo only to be told that he lost all rights to the Cobra Kai name for the years not using it. Daniel will then show up to inform that Hawk will be banned if he repeats the illegal trick he used in the tournament. Upon seeing Kreese alive, he'll accuse Johnny of having taken fibbing lessons from Terry Silver.- Alternatively, Daniel could assume that Johnny was also tricked into thinking Kreese was dead, as he knows that Kreese isn't above manipulating or assaulting his own students.
- Seems Confirmed, as of the "Which Cobra Do You Want to Be" and "2 Dojos One Fight" promo clips. The first episode appears to take place right after the tournament, with the fallout from what happened.
Shannon will lose guardianship rights over Robby.
After all those times calling her without any response, the school will send someone to visit her and she'll be deemed an unfit guardian. She'll blame Johnny for it.- Zig-Zagged. Shannon abandons Robby in the first episode, and he moves in with the Larusso family.
Kyler's parents will try to get Johnny in trouble.
They won't accept that Johnny was acquitted on the grounds of self-defense and that'll be the series' way to make it clear Johnny's legal troubles over that matter didn't end with the bail being paid. Mr. Miyagi helped Daniel to start his business.
Either by investing and then bequeathing his share to Daniel or by bequeathing money Daniel used as startup capital.- Jossed. Daniel and Amanda started their first dealership when Amanda was pregnant with Sam.
Johnny will learn about Wikipedia from Miguel.
Miguel's reaction to Johnny not already knowing of it will be basically the same as Daniel's about Johnny not knowing about Facebook. Daniel will leave the board.
Considering that he's reopening Mr. Miyagi's Dojo and his daughter is resuming her karate; and the fact this series already has enough cases of Reality Ensues to fill a page of their own, it's basically a Foregone Conclusion that he'll have to leave the board to avoid a conflict of interest.- No mention of the board is made in Season 2. If it's anything like any other event board, they only meet once a year for a General Meeting. Otherwise the Board is mostly a governing body and the real work is done at the administrative and volunteer levels.
There will be various other martial arts introduced into the show
Considering the large popularity of MMA, karate isn't as common as it used to be and there are other styles abound such as Brazilian Jiu-Jutsu, Muay Thai, Judo and so on. We see Kyler is a wrestler and Miguel mentions Taekwondo in the first episode, so it seems likely.- Neither confirmed nor Jossed but I'm pretty sure Tory was using a Krav Maga move at one point.
- Since the synopsis for the 2010 namesake film indicates very little use of karate itself, kung fu can be expected to enter the mix as well.
Robby was named after Johnny's friend Bobby Brown.
Both "Robby" and "Bobby" are variations of "Robert".- Unconfirmed, but unlikely, as Johnny wasn't around when Robby was born so Shannon named him on her own. We do find out that Robby's middle name is Swayze.
Bobby will reappear in Season 2.
Unlike Johnny, Bobby was able to better move on with his life after the events of The Karate Kid. Hearing about Cobra Kai's return and victory at the All Valley Tournament, he comes to see for himself, only to see that the students of the new Cobra Kai are even more violent and worse bullies than he, Johnny and the others ever were. Horrified, Bobby then calls out Johnny for having repeated the mistakes of the past, with the latter being unable to argue against him, having seen with his own eyes the over-the-top aggression and violence of his students at the Tournament. Bobby will also accuse Johnny of ordering Hawk's attack on Robby just like Kreese ordered him to hurt Daniel in the first film.- Confirmed, but not at all in the way it's described here. Bobby is now a pastor and their "Get him a body bag!" other friend Tommy is dying of cancer. The guys take him on a last road trip.
Kyler's new story arc will be learning about his origins, a la Wendy Wu: Homecoming Warrior.
Robbie's criminal past will catch up to him in Season 2
After Robbie moves into the Larusso's house, the cops will show up one day and arrest him. The reason it took so long and Robbie was a Karma Houdini in Season 1 for stealing someone's laptop was that either the customer whose laptop Robbie stole called the store to complain, the store denied it, and only realized what happened when reviewing security footage, and then the police had to conduct an investigation, and only figured out Robbie after seeing him at the Karate tournament. Or Robbie's ex-friends are caught doing another crime, and while being interrogated, give up Robbie's name while mentioning the stolen laptop.- Confirmed, sort of, but not in the way it's described here. In the "2 Dojos One fight" trailer, we see Robby being held at knife point and threatened by one of his former friends.
- Confirmed in season 2. Not only does Robby get into trouble with Trey and Cruz, he is also ejected from the LaRusso's country club, where they remember him as a petty thief and trouble maker. Luckily for Robby, Daniel and Amanda intervene to protect him from both.
The final fights of Seasons 2 and 3
The final fight of Season 2 will be Johnny vs. Kreese, and has Johnny overcome Kreese's malevolent influence on him once and for all.- Zig-Zagged, as Kreese takes control of the dojo due to a bad "handshake deal" Johnny made with Sarkizian, but they don't fight.
The final fight of Season 3 will be Johnny vs. Daniel, as they settle their rivalry once and for all.
Johnny's response to Daniel's ad for Miyagi-do.
He'll accuse Daniel of purposefully giving free lessons to drive Cobra Kai out of business and says it's easy to say it's not for money because Daniel is rich. Miguel and Eli will destroy the car Daniel received from Miyagi in the first film.
The most recent clip for Season 2 shows that Johnny (for now at least) plans to train the Cobra Kai students in fighting without using dirty tricks. With Kreese being a major influence this season and judging from the “Finish him” scene in the trailer, it’s possible he creates his own faction of Cobra Kai that embraces the original dojo’s wanton violence, tempting Miguel and Eli over to become his new protégés. The end of the season will see Miguel and Eli, on orders from Kreese, setting fire to the yellow Ford in a Call-Back to what happened to Johnny in Season 1, which will be presented as their Moral Event Horizon. Going by the show’s use of Reality Ensues, the season finale will end with both of them being arrested alongside Kreese, and Johnny (who tried to set them straight) turning his back on them, setting up their Heel–Face Turn for Season 3.- Jossed, at least by the trailer. He's painted the Challenger and the gearshift has a cool new cobra handle.
- How does Johnny painting his car mean that this theory is Jossed?
- Sorry, misread that as the car Johnny received from Daniel. As it turns out, this is somewhat confirmed. Hawk vandalizes Miyagi-do dojo, including the "Banana Boat," as same nicknames the car.
Hawk will become the new "leader", per se, of Cobra Kai.
The "Two Dojos, One Fight" trailer for Season 2 shows Kreese seemingly taking an interest in Hawk, which could possibly lead to him becoming the new "poster boy" for the darker Cobra Kai that Kreese seemingly wants revived.- Kinda confirmed? He's essentially the de facto leader due to the above and Miguel is in a coma at the moment. Hawk would likely still defer to Miguel otherwise.
The finals in Season 2 will be fought between Miguel and whoever replaces him as Johnny's star student.
Miguel will leave Johnny's dojo to join Kreese's.- Jossed. DID NOT see that ending coming!
The new girl, Tory, is Ali's daughter.
Sent to live with her grandparents after one too many legal infractions in Denver.- Tory: 'Tory', with a 'y'.
- Unlikely, as Tory's last name appears to be Nichols. It also doesn't make sense that a woman from a rich family who later became and married a doctor, would have to wait tables and eat leftovers from the restaurant. Unless they lost it all in a Ponzi scheme or something, Ali's wealthy parents also probably wouldn't let their granddaughter work in a roller rink to pay for karate lessons.
Season 3: Johnny is going to have his own He's Back arc.
But he and Daniel have to put absolutely everything aside to pull it off. Julie Pierce will return in Season 3.
Miyagi-Do students are still gonna need to defend themselves, especially since Cobra Kai has essentially declared "open season" on Miyagi-Do. Daniel, however, is too ashamed to continue training them. Julie arrives in the valley after hearing about the Miyagi-Do dojo, but after getting the whole story, she decides to take up the role as sensei of the dojo.- Note that Hilary Swank 's Wikipedia page has an entry for the actress to appear in a cameo, TBA, for Cobra Kai. She may not have a big role, but it's safe to say she'll appear at least briefly.
Johnny and Daniel will team-up to find Robby
Robby is likely on the run after what happened to Miguel. This could sow the seeds of their eventual reconciliation. Season 3 will focus on Johnny and Daniel finally burying the hatchet
Kreese now in full control of the dojo and Johnny renouncing anything to do with Cobra Kai, now would a great time as ever to for both Johnny and Daniel to really reflect on how they had let their decades-old rivalry poison their lives. Only then can they can hope to stop Kreese once and for all.- Bonus points if season 3 starts at a bar with the two of them.Daniel: It came to this?Johnny: So What Do We Do Now?
Season 3 will start with a Downer Beginning.
The season begins with Miguel finally waking up from his coma, several weeks after the Season 2 Finale. His first day back to school, he (and by proxy the audience) is brought up to speed on everything that's happened since that massive brawl.- With Miyagi-Do gone and with no real competitors left, Cobra Kai (now under Sensei Kreese's control) pretty much owns the Valley and its students rule the school's social hierarchy with an iron fist. In Miguel's absence, Hawk is now the dojo's star pupil.
- Meanwhile, the former Miyagi-Do students have been left to fend for themselves. Most of them are still sticking together, trying to protect each other, but with Daniel no longer around to teach them any more lessons and Cobra Kai getting more ferocious by the day under Kreese's guidance, it's only a matter of time until the cobras eventually become too much for the Miyagi Students to handle. Even worse, a few former Miyagi Students have returned to Cobra Kai out of fear and desperation.
- As for how Cobra Kai is getting away with all this? Using his natural charisma, Kreese convinces the school board and local papers that it was Miyagi-Do that started the brawl and that his Cobra Kai students were victims, guilty only of trying to defend themselves (which would be more likely than you think - in most of the Miyagi/Cobra duels, it was the Miyagi kids who emerged victorious, which would make it easier for the cobras to play the victim card). Thus, Miyagi-Do is the one who gets the Lion's Share of the blame from the school.
- It was Tory who wrestled the PA system away from an administrator to call Sam out for a fight. Public opinion on who's to blame may be a lot more divided. Or Kreese will try to spin it to his advantage, pinning the blame Johnny for making Cobra Kai so violent.
- As a consequence of the above, La Russo Auto has fallen on hard times. Given how eager the company was to slap their name on Miyagi-Do, the brawl was a PR nightmare. Sales are down, one of their lots had to be shut down, and the La Russo Auto empire is slowly crumbling apart. In one episode, Kreese sends his cobras to vandalize one of Daniel's lots, just to add insult to injury.
- Robbie is completely MIA. Fearful of the consequences of almost killing Miguel, he took off after the brawl and nobody's seen him since. One can only wonder where he is now.
- Johnny Lawrence left the valley after the brawl, and is rumored to live alone in the woods. He used to be a handyman before he became a sensai, so we know he's good with tools. It's possible that he built his own cabin in the woods, complete with a pond in the back where he can relax - not unlike Mr. Miyagi's old dojo. He spends his days in self-imposed exile, believing that he is ultimately responsible for all the damage Cobra Kai's done and that he never should've brought it back to begin with.
- All of this is explained to Miguel by Aisha. She left Cobra Kai after the brawl, recognizing it was now doing more harm than good, especially with Kreese as sensei (it's worth noting that Aisha wasn't present during Kreese's secret night class when Johnny caught them).
With the Valley now under Cobra Kai's control and no one left to stand up to John Kreese, it now falls to Miguel to rally Johnny, Daniel, Robby, Sam and Aisha to figure out a way to take down Kreese once and for all.
Yasmine has Skype, right? If Moon has Skype, too, she's going to be telling her "bestie" about the big fight that decommissioned Miguel.
- The first episode's title appears to be "Aftermath."
- Nichole Brown has confirmed that Aisha won't be returning for Season 3, as they just couldn't "find a place" for her character. Maybe she'll be able to come back for Season 4 and beyond.
Season 3 will be a reconstruction period for Johnny & Daniel.
The first two seasons were about deconstructing who their respective characters were from the first movie, right down to their respective teaching methods. The third season will involve the two of them finding a way to build themselves back up again. With the third season ending on the two of them finding some kind of common ground. Which will be the closest Earn Your Happy Ending moment they'll ever get. Season 3 will begin a year after the events of Season 2.
The season will actually open with the finals of the All Valley Tournament. With no Miyagi Do and their even more aggressive methods, Cobra Kai picks up the victory with Hawk taking Miguel's place. Robbie returns after spending the last months in juvenile hall for his actions in the brawl, now completely isolated from even his former criminal friends due to his own guilt. Samantha isn't doing much better and has shut herself off to karate, blaming herself for Robbie and Miguel's feud. Meanwhile Miguel has come out of his coma, and is about to start physical therapy. Season 3 will have at least one fatality
Think about it. Season 1 was the transformation of bullying victims into a Cobra Kai worse than Johnny ever was. The final episode of Season 2 ended with a brawl involving nearly every Cobra Kai and Miyagi-do student at the school. With Miguel crippled and Kreese taking over Cobra Kai, most aren't going to be interested in reconciliation. They'll want revenge... and there's only one additional step left to take.Kreese's Freudian Excuse
During The Vietnam War, Kreese and his men got into a gunfight with some Vietcong and wounded them, and they started begging for mercy. Kreese spared the men, only for them to pull an I Surrender, Suckers on him and capture them. Kreese and his men were tortured by the Vietcong, leaving him as the Sole Survivor by the time rescue came. This incident permanently warped Kreese and caused him to develop the mindset that mercy was a weakness, leading to his actions in 1984 and the present day regarding Cobra Kai.- This might even be showcased in a Whole Episode Flashback featuring Kreese.
Cobra Kai Karate is actually a hybrid style of Tang Soo Do and a Southeast Asian Kickboxing style (Muay Thai, Lethwei, etc.)
Southeast Asia is the only place that Kreese is actually confirmed to have deployed to and it's not much of a stretch for him to have encountered one of the native Martial Arts there. Cobra Kai's philosophy (Strike First, Strike Hard, No Mercy) runs counter to most traditional forms of Karate but is very much in line with the hyper competitive environment of the Lethwei and Muay Thai arenas. In addition to this the Cobras favor a number of techniques that are usually more emphasized in Southeast Asian Kickboxing than Karate. Sweeping the leg at the knee and thigh, throwing elbows and knees in the clinch, catching kicks, and the superman punch are all common techniques and strategies in Muay Thai while Lethwei is one of the only two combat sports in the world (the other being Vale Tudo) where headbutting is a legal tactic. Incidentally Hawk's superman punch started as a technique in Muay Thai where it's original name is translated out as the "Cobra Punch".- The Cobra on the Dojo's logo may actually be meant to symbolize the Southeast Asian influence on Kreese's art. Cobras are not native to Japan or Korea but they are found in abundance in Thailand, Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia where they are also important cultural icons meant to invoke a number of ideas. Among other things the Cobra is heavily associated with longevity and rebirth in Southeast Asia, hence "Cobra Kai never dies".
- More likely than not Kreese and Terry Silver originally learned Tang Soo Do (Terry's mention of a Korean master is not a total fabrication) but heavily modified their techniques with what they learned on duty. Kreese kept the basic stance of Tang Soo Do rather than the more square stance of Muay Thai because he favors the explosive power and speed of the bladed stance over the the more defensively sound square stance, especially since few fighters outside of Southeast Asia were likely to throw low kicks at the time. Kreese named his new style Cobra Kai Karate both out of a nostalgic attachment to his original martial arts training and as a business move since people in the States were (and to some degree still are) much more familiar with Karate and thus more likely to pay for lessons.
- This is actually Truth in Television. A lot of Americans stationed in Korea who studied Tang Soo Do and Taekwondo referred to what they learned and taught under the moniker “Korean Karate”. Chuck Norris for instance was a Tang Soo Do practitioner who learned the art while stationed abroad, but called said art Karate for name value. That being said, most of the techniques being taught have equivalents in Tang Soo Do (which uses elbows and knees, although to nowhere near the same degree), there is virtually no use of the clinch, which for many trainers is viewed as the cornerstone of Muay Thai, and the scenes we see of the Cobras practicing their kicks, even on pads, show them using the snapping knee and targeting with the foot motion of Tang Soo Do vs. the heavy pivot and swing of the leg as seen in Muay Thai, which uses the shinbone as the impact point. So while it’s possible (and has historical precedent) the techniques borrowed seem to be fairly minimal.
John Kreese will become a father figure to Hawk
Just because it's a bit of a running theme in this show, Hawk will come to see Sensei Kreese as something of a father figure. However, unlike Daniel and Johnny who try to do right by their students, Kreese will use this relationship to use Hawk to his own ends.Kreese’s endgame
It’s been established that Kreese’s short term goal is fairly simple, get his dojo back and defeat the Opposing Sports Team that is Miyagi-Do, which in turn, would validate his philosophies over the late Mr. Miyagi that drove him out of business the first time. As a goal it seems simple enough, and it was the same goal he had in The Karate Kid Part III, but the season ends with Miyagi-Do shut down and him the sole owner and instructor of Cobra Kai. Given that, is Kreese going to be content to be the leader of the “karate cult” in the Valley and dominate the All-Valley championships while destroying local competitors? Given the theme of driving philosophies and validation, I don’t think Kreese will be happy with merely being a big fish in a small pond, and next season will look to either begin franchising Cobra Kai (which he also wanted to do in Part III) or having his students, Hawk in particular, representing Cobra Kai on a much bigger stage than the All-Valley, to confirm his philosophies were superior to those who challenged him. Ali will be the Hope Bringer in Season 3
Season 2 ended in a depressing Downer Ending, with all the good guys in retreat, Miguel in a coma and Kreese in charge of Cobra Kai, but also with Johnny receiving a Facebook message from Ali. Ali will then return to the Valley in season 3 and be force for good to balance Kreese's evil, helping to reconcile Daniel and Johnny and using her skills as a pediatric surgeon to save Miguel.- Johnny may see this as a chance to finally make up and be with the girl he has long cherished - only for Ali to tell (remind) Johnny that she's married and had ''long'' move on from both him and Daniel.
- Daniel reconnects with Ali as well - mainly to rip for how she trashed his car on their prom night.
Daniel and Johnny will team up in Season 3
Kreese’s Cobra Kai will increasingly act like a street gang and in particular will target the former Miyagi-do. A group of Miyagi-do, abandoned by Daniel and now being led by Robby, will seek out Johnny as their new Sensei to teach them to stand up to the Cobra Kai bullies. Eventually Ali will come to town to perform surgery on Miguel and while there will also affect a reconciliation between Daniel and Johnny who together will reopen Miyagi-do as a balanced middle-way between their two competing philosophies.- OK, Mrs. Larusso, what say you about all this?
Any Cobra Kai student that wasn't present during Kreese's class at the end of Season 2 (particularly Aisha and maybe Bert) will join up Miyagi-Do in Season 3
- Realizing the unabated corruption of the new Cobra Kai under John Kreese, the few perspicacious-enough students will team-up with the remnant Miyagi-Do students to fight back against Kreese and to hopefully persuade Johnny and Daniel to keep teaching them karate, but this time together as one dojo.
- Aisha will hookup with Chris, both being the most "moderate" students of their respective dojos.
- The mess is clearly far from over. With nowhere else to go and another showdown being a certainty, the surviving students will see no choice but to take refuge at the house where Miyagi-do stood. In their own little way, they become a contemporary eastern martial arts Breakfast Club.
In the wake of the school brawl, several characters are going to be in court, but for different reasons.
Amanda is going to be horribly raped or hit with a brutal injury close to home.
Hawk will kill Demitri
The Grand Finale: The Final Battle of the series, between Johnny and Kreese.
- It will be a friendly rematch, and exhibition in a tournament before the (Unshown) Final Match. The families and friends will be cheering both of them and betting a dessert in a barbecue. After exchanging some punches and blocks, it will end with Daniel readying a Crane Kick while Johnny prepares a Flying Side Kick. The screen will stop, and it will be shown a picture, just like Rocky III Ending, with "You're the best (Around)" rocking in the background.
Characters from Season 1 who didn't appear in Season 2 will have big roles in Season 3.
- Sid will make a Back for the Dead appearance and become the one who finally make Johnny understand Daniel didn't steal Ali from him. Sid will also die and leave Johnny a big amount of money. Johnny will buy a new karate studio and attract Cobra Kais not wanting to learn from Kreese. He'll also get Daniel's former students.
- Kyle will show up and reveal he spent Season 2 level grinding.
- Robby's mom will return.
Johnny will try to learn more about Terry Silver.
And will learn Daniel had a good reason to hold him as a reason not to trust Cobra Kai. Future season predictions
In season 3 Hawk and the other Cobras will bully Robby relentlessly until Robby agrees to a rematch against Hawk in the next all-valley tournament. Robby will prepare for this by training with Johnny but will lose himself in the aggression inherent in Cobra-Kai until Daniel returns from Okinawa to help Robby find his way again.In season 4 Miguel will have recovered enough from his injuries to return to school. Miguel will refuse to rejoin Cobra-Kai and will be targeted by his former friends as a result. Miguel will refuse to give up his new found pacifism so Sam will step up to protect him. If Hilary Swank ever makes a cameo it will be here.
Johnny and his old Cobra Kai buddies will visit Tommy's gravesite
Harsher in Hindsight since it was Rob Garrison's final appearance before his death (September 2019). Expect it to become a plot point. Demetri and Moon will enter in a relationship in Season 3, which finally incites Hawk to start Jumping Over The Slippery Slope.
- Demetri starts undergoing a (reconstructed) transformation similar to Eli/Hawk thanks to Miyagi-do, which attracts Moon to him.
- This of course also makes Eli's anger and jealousy reach a fever pitch and, without Johnny guidance, will cause him to take actions that may make him finally cross the Moral Event Horizon (e.g. kill Demetri or force himself on Moon, or both).
- Or, given their actors are dating as of late 2019, Moon will start spending time with Miguel, leading Hawk to battle his former best karate friend.
Since each season seems to mirror some of the "story beats" of the films, Season 3 will feature swaps between dojos, Daniel "going bad," a tournament re-match, and Kreese may fake his death...again!
