Cobra Kai season 5 and the show as a whole have improved The Karate Kid Part III in many ways. Often considered the worst Karate Kid movie, Karate Kid 3 was Ralph Macchio’s final appearance as Daniel LaRusso before the actor reprised his role in Cobra Kai. As such, Karate Kid 3 was also the final film featuring the iconic Daniel and Mr. Miyagi duo. Still, compared to The Karate Kid, Karate Kid 3 is not remembered so fondly – be it in terms of quality or even pop culture impact. However, instead of ignoring the less famous sequel like many legacy reboots do, Cobra Kai embraced the Karate Kid 3 legacy.
While Cobra Kai season 1 feels more like a direct sequel to The Karate Kid than a direct continuation of The Karate Kid Part III, the show always acknowledged characters and moments from all three Daniel LaRusso Karate Kid movies. For example, Daniel’s trip to Okinawa with Mr. Miyagi was referenced a few times before Daniel returned to Japan; Daniel’s bonsai tree shop was mentioned in Cobra Kai season 1, and the events of Karate Kid 3’s tournament were also acknowledged in the first season. Those are just some examples of how Cobra Kai embraced, and improved, the Karate Kid sequels – especially Karate Kid 3.
Why Karate Kid 3 Is Considered The Worst One
Released in 1989, The Karate Kid Part III currently has a 15% score on Rotten Tomatoes. As a comparison, The Karate Kid Part II has a 44% score while The Karate Kid has an 89% score. In terms of box office, The Karate Kid Part III grossed $38.9 million on a $12.5 million budget whereas the first Karate Kid made $130.8 million at the box office on an $8 million budget. Karate Kid 3 does not take itself as seriously as the first two movies, resulting in a film that is far goofier than its predecessors. In addition, Karate Kid 3 feels too similar to the original Karate Kid.
After Karate Kid 2 tried to do something different by having most of the film set in Okinawa, Karate Kid 3 brought Daniel and Mr. Miyagi’s story back to Los Angeles for yet another All Valley Karate Tournament. Though Johnny Lawrence didn’t return in Karate Kid 3, John Kreese and Cobra Kai were once again the villains in Daniel’s story – now with Cobra Kai’s addition of Mike Barnes and Terry Silver. Despite all the familiar elements, Karate Kid 3 felt almost like a parody of the first movie. While Terry Silver’s Bond villain-like moments were a highlight of the movie, Karate Kid 3 simply did not work.
Cobra Kai Season Showed The Consequences Of Silver’s Karate Kid 3 Plan
The Karate Kid 3 characters only began to appear in Cobra Kai during season 3, but the events of the movie were already affecting the show since season 1. For example, the reason why Cobra Kai was banned from participating in the All Valley was because of Mike Barnes’ unsportsmanlike conduct during the 1985 finals against Daniel LaRusso. Terry Silver was also mentioned during Cobra Kai season 1 as the coach responsible for Mike Barnes’ actions. In Cobra Kai season 2, Daniel mentioned his time as a Cobra Kai student, with flashbacks to Daniel’s training with Terry Silver. In Cobra Kai season 3, Daniel mentioned the Mike Barnes fight to Sam.
Cobra Kai Season 3 Gave Terry Silver A Backstory
Cobra Kai not only referenced Karate Kid 3, but it also made the film retroactively better starting with its villain. Terry Silver defined Karate Kid 3, for better and worse, as the villain’s over-the-top tone set the film completely apart from the first two. Seeing Silver secretly laugh behind a door while Daniel LaRusso was punching a picture of Mike Barnes was not something that necessarily fit into the tone of Karate Kid and Karate Kid 2, yet it was entertaining on its own. That said, there was not a lot about Terry Silver other than him being Kreese’s billionaire friend who actually owned the Cobra Kai dojo all along.
Terry Silver only returned in Cobra Kai season 4, but the character was revisited in Cobra Kai season 3’s Kreese flashbacks. Though the flashback scenes in Cobra Kai season 3 were more about informing Kreese’s present-day actions, they ended up serving as the Terry Silver origin story that Karate Kid 3 lacked. Cobra Kai even played with audiences’ expectations by having a character look and act like Terry Silver only to reveal that he was not the Karate Kid 3 villain. Cobra Kai’s surprising Terry Silver flashback reveal added a lot more nuance to the character and instantly improved what was originally a two-dimensional character.
Cobra Kai Season 4 Recontextualized Terry Silver’s Actions
Adding a backstory to Terry Silver improved the villain, but his actions during Karate Kid 3 still didn’t make a lot of sense. Unlike the first Karate Kid, which focused on Daniel LaRusso and Johnny Lawrence’s rivalry leading up to the All Valley, Karate Kid 3 was about two adults trying to make Daniel’s life as miserable as possible. Kreese wanted revenge on Daniel because of what happened at the 1984 All Valley Karate Tournament, but Silver took the whole plan to next level and plotted a perverse, calculated plan to trick Daniel into stopping following Mr. Miyagi’s teachings.
As much as Terry Silver wanted to help Kreese, having a billionaire hire a karate fighter to almost kill another teenager twice never made much sense – and Cobra Kai season 4 admitted it. Thomas Ian Griffith played a calmer, more reserved Terry Silver in Cobra Kai season 4 that acknowledged how absurd his and Kreese’s actions during Karate Kid 3 were. By featuring a more realistic, self-aware Terry Silver, Cobra Kai made Karate Kid 3 and its villain better. Cobra Kai did not ignore Silver’s absurd Karate Kid 3 moments, and instead cleverly incorporated them into the story. Silver’s victory dance at the end of season 4, for example.
Cobra Kai Season 5 Gave Karate Kid 3 A Sequel
For all its problems, Karate Kid 3 will always have a special place in the Karate Kid franchise. It was the final Daniel LaRusso Karate Kid movie after all, and the final film in which Ralph Macchio and Pat Morita shared the screen. Karate Kid 3 also introduced a lot of new concepts regarding the Cobra Kai dojo, such as the “Cobra Kai never dies” motto, all of which became central to the Cobra Kai show. Karate Kid 3 contributed to Cobra Kai’s story, which is why it deserved to be incorporated into the show. Curiously, Cobra Kai season 5 was a Karate Kid 3 sequel in many ways.
After being more reserved in season 4, Terry Silver returned to his old methods in Cobra Kai season 5. The chaotic Karate Kid 3 villain truly returned in Cobra Kai season 5, and even his plan was the same. Silver wanted Cobra Kai to become synonymous with karate ever since the 1985 All Valley Tournament, and he succeeded at it during Cobra Kai season 5. The long-awaited Mike Barnes return in Cobra Kai also happened in season 5, plus the surprising return of Jessica as Amanda’s cousin. Cobra Kai has honored the Karate Kid universe since the first episode, and it has now greatly improved The Karate Kid Part III.
