Cobra Kai was a dark horse among the many YouTube Red originals, and it garnered an even bigger fanbase when it jumped to Netflix. Cobra Kai perfectly balances nostalgic characters with slick new characters and significantly better-choreographed fight scenes.
Of course, these fight scenes aren’t just for show. In the Cobra Kai universe, fights aren’t just a way to get one’s knuckles bloody. Fights are a form of self-expression, the results of months of hard work and training, as well as the strength of one’s beliefs.
Miguel vs The Bullies
Miguel was undergoing the same narrative path that Daniel had in the first Karate Kid movie. Of course, the stark difference is that he wasn’t trained by Miyagi, but by Johnny instead. The contrast in their first big fights is seen immediately.
While Daniel was a calculating and mostly defensive fighter, Miguel was a lot more aggressive. Fans could already see the difference that 20 years of martial arts choreography has improved since then. The scene establishes just how much more vigorous the fights would be in Cobra Kai.
Sam vs Tory at the All-Valley Tournament
This fight was the climactic finale of four seasons worth of enmity between Sam and Tory. What’s fascinating is just how each of them started taking cues from each other. Sam learned to become more assertive in her fighting style because subconsciously, she does admire Tory’s strength. However, it does lead Sam to be more villainous as a result.
Meanwhile, Tory has slowly realized that what she needs in life is stability. With stability comes calm, and with that calmness, Tory managed to temper her unruly brawler style into something refined. Although the victory is somewhat tainted by Silver’s cheating, there is no denying both fighters were at their martial best in this.
Miguel vs Robby at the All-Valley Tournament
The first big season finale of Cobra Kai doesn’t disappoint. Miguel and Robby aren’t simply fighting for the trophy. Through their training, the spirits of their mentors, Johnny and Daniel, coarse through every punch and kick they throw each other’s way. The fight is brilliantly choreographed, but the way they fight is what’s important.
In this first season, Robby is calm, collected, and even polite despite everything. In contrast, Miguel is harsh, aggressive, and prone to disrespect. Both exemplify the flaws of their master’s styles. Johnny’s is too cruel, and Daniel’s is too meek. These flaws would bite both of them later.
Johnny vs Terry
This particular fight would hold the most narrative weight for Johnny for the rest of the season. In this one, two of Daniel’s biggest rivals finally clash, and it does not go well for Johnny. The fight showcases just how cunning Terry Silver can be. It’s also the fight that finally pushes Miguel away from Johnny.
Terry Silver pokes and prods at all of Johnny’s buttons, goading him into making mistakes. Despite the viewers’ wishes, this was a slaughter, and they were the captive audience. The fight managed to squeeze out what little fatherly love Kreese had for Johnny, and this doubt is what planted the seeds for Terry’s betrayal.
Johnny and Daniel vs. Kreese
The climactic fight of Season 3 would set the premise for Season 4, more so than any season before it. Starting with Johnny confronting Kreese, the fight is a brutal mess of pent-up emotion and anger towards each other. Robby, still torn yet angry at his father, is caught in the crossfire.
Johnny’s shock at hurting Robby gives Kreese an opening to beat him, only for Johnny to be saved by an incredibly furious Daniel. The entire fight is a culmination of decades worth of bad blood. In its way, it was also the first time that Daniel and Johnny started working together towards a common goal with no asterisks attached.
Robby vs Eli
Robby vs Eli is one of the best fights in the entire series, both from choreography and narrative standpoint. It’s a beautifully executed sequence that pits the two best martial artists on the cast against each other. In addition to looking badass, it’s also the culmination of these two lost teens’ arcs.
Both Robby and Eli have the most experience with different dojos. Unlike the others, whose loyalties lie with dojos, friends, or masters, Robby and Eli are truly dedicated to finding themselves through martial arts. When both fighters take off their gi, it’s a statement. They do not fight for Cobra Kai or Miyagi-Do. They fight for themselves.
Golf n Stuff Brawl
The Golf n Stuff brawl might seem like just another street fight, but it’s the start of darkness for many of the characters. Hawk, after months of bullying and harassment, crosses the line by breaking the arm of his best friend Demetri. In addition, Sam’s plan fails spectacularly, and once again, Tory destroys her.
It’s this fight in particular that showcased the corrupting force of Cobra Kai under Kreese. No longer was it about becoming a better and stronger version of yourself. Now, Cobra Kai reverted to what it used to be, a place that valued wanton cruelty against the “weak”.
Miyagi-Do House Brawl
Just as the Golf n Stuff brawl was one of the darkest points in the series, the house brawl does the exact opposite. After months of toxicity, Cobra Kai finally assaults Miyagi-do at the heart of their operations. They have become truly dedicated to ruining everything for the heroes, but for the first time, the heroes score a win.
The assault was seen as the last straw by many characters. Hawk finally realized just how far he had fallen. Sam realized that the only way to stop it was by swallowing her fear and facing it head-on. Miguel regains the confidence to fight despite his injury. Finally, Daniel seeing the aftermath is what drives him to fight Kreese alongside Johnny.
The School Brawl
The School Brawl is what spills the dojo’s fight from the mat and onto the public consciousness. This fight starts as an admittedly fun brawl in a really fun setting. However, despite the seemingly vanilla nature of this street fight, things take a turn for the worse when Robby cripples Miguel.
Mirroring Miguel’s lack of mercy to Robby a season prior, that decision (alongside all of the bad blood brewed by the teens) proved to be the worst thing that’s ever happened to either of them. Robby is sent off to juvenile detention while Miguel is crippled for much of the next season. The fight perfectly showcases why fighting in anger only ends in suffering.
Johnny vs Teen Thugs
No question, this is the most important fight in the entire series. While seemingly small compared to what’s to come, it’s what started it all. At his lowest point, Johnny finally decides to use the one thing he’s good at for the best possible reason: to defend someone from a bunch of bullies.
It’s an amazing mirror to what Miyagi does in the first movie. Everything that would happen in the series was thanks to Johnny’s sudden change of heart. Watching him slowly get back into the groove of the one thing he ever felt proud of was wholesome to see. It’s also the only time an audience can cheer about a bunch of teenagers getting beat up by an alcoholic man.
