Cobra Kai made the move from YouTube to Netflix after its second season, and with the move came a larger cast, and more extravagant fight scenes every season. The show has done a great job at building on the rivalry started in the very first Karate Kid movie through those new characters and fights. Every season adds a new layer to the burgeoning friendship and respect between Johnny Lawrence and Daniel LaRusso.
Of course, not every epic fight scene in the series features Johnny or Daniel. In fact, some of the best fights in the series aren’t even the epic brawls showcased each season. Each season’s best fight is as much of a spectacle to watch as it is a fight that provides character development and pushes the storyline forward.
SEASON 1: Miguel Defends Sam
Some fans might think of Johnny fighting off Miguel’s bullies in the first season as the superior fight because it’s a good demonstration of the man Johnny’s become since they saw him in Karate Kid. Miguel defending Sam, however, doesn’t just demonstrate to the audience who Miguel is, but who he can become - and the actual technicalities of the fight are pretty great to boot.
When Kyler spreads a rumor about Sam, and continues his bullying of Miguel’s friends, Miguel has enough. He comes to Sam’s defense in the middle of the school cafeteria, using his very new karate skills to teach Kyler a lesson. Miguel also, however, uses anything at his disposal to aid him in the fight - cafeteria tables, lunch trays, etc.
It does a lot to endear him to Sam, and their relationship provides the emotional backbone for much of the series. The fight also shows the potential Miguel has to become a fighter in the same league as Johnny and Daniel, which is exactly what happens as the show moves forward.
SEASON 2: The School Hallway Brawl
One of the most memorable fights in Cobra Kai is the brawl in the halls of the high school at the end of Season 2. While there’s plenty of conflict between the teens leading up to that massive sequence, the school brawl is really where the conflict between Cobra Kai and the teachings of Mr. Miyagi truly comes to a head.
The fight itself is started by Tory, who is angry at Sam. Tory has found a place she thinks she belongs in Cobra Kai, but Miguel’s continued entrance in Sam has Tory feeling like she’s losing him. Her anger boils over, and she targets Sam in the middle of the school day. Miguel and Robby both try to break up the fight, but think the other is making it worse, and their involvement leads to the involvement of the rest of their friends until the entire school has devolved into chaos.
The fight that ends the season is a real turning point for the show because the fighting between groups is no longer on the mat or simply trading insults. Miguel is seriously injured and unable to walk when he falls from the school staircase. The fight helps Miguel see how far Cobra Kai pushes their students. It also leaves a lasting impression on Sam, who comes to see karate as a means of survival. It also affects Robby, who becomes even more caught between Cobra Kai and Miyagi-do as he’s blamed for what happened to Miguel.
SEASON 3: The Fight At The LaRusso Residence
Just as the second season ends with a divisive hallway brawl, so does the third, in a manner of speaking. With a change in leadership at Cobra Kai, many of the students leave the dojo to study with Johnny Lawrence in his Eagle Fang dojo instead. That leaves loyalties divided, but it also means that Miyagi-do and Eagle Fang share a common enemy, something the members of Cobra Kai learn very quickly.
When the members of Eagle Fang and Miyagi-do meet at the LaRusso residence under the instruction of Miguel and Sam, it’s to broker peace between the two groups. They want to find a way to set their differences aside so that they can worry about their larger enemy. Members of Cobra Kai hear about the meet-up and derail it though, literally throwing one of the kids through a window before entering the house.
The fight isn’t quite no-holds-barred as no one ends up with broken bones like they have in other fights. It does, however, sneak in quite a few moments of character development in between all the kicks and punches. It’s in this fight that Eli decides to take a step back from his hawk persona. When his Cobra Kai teammates target his former best friend Demetri, yet again, he turns his back on them and becomes Demetri’s ally in the fight. The two of them work together for the first time since early in the first season, and it marks a shift in the dynamics in the series.
SEASON 4: Robby VS Eli At The All Valley Tournament
For the first three seasons of the show, the audience is repeatedly told how great of a fighter Robby is, and for a lot of characters, Robby and Miguel are seen as the fighters to beat. It’s thought for a long time that their rivalry would mirror Johnny and Daniel’s, and that they would be the match to watch at the All Valley Tournament. That isn’t exactly what happens.
Instead, the match to watch at the tournament ends up being between Robby and Eli. Eli, who was held down and had his head shaved by Robby and his former teammates to eliminate his mohawk, has an ax to grind with Robby. He also, however, isn’t exactly his most confident.
Watching the two of them is a treat for the audience though because they have both made it a point to learn the different styles of karate from their mentors that the rival dojos have. They’re really the best fighters the show has to offer outside of Sam and Tory (though Sam and Tory’s match is tame in comparison). Watching Robby and Eli run down the clock in the timed fight because they’re so evenly matched is a treat for the audience, especially since Eli is one of the most beloved Cobra Kai characters.
SEASON 5: Johnny, Chozen, and Mike VS Silver and His Sensei
One thing that Cobra Kai does very well that many other reunion and reboot series don't is bringing back original characters and make them a part of the storyline. With the show built on the memories of Johnny and Daniel as teens, it was only a matter of time before more original Karate Kid movie characters joined the mix.
One of the most impressive match-ups in the fifth season of the series involves several of those classic movie characters. Johnny Lawrence, Chozen Toguchi, and Matt Barnes team up to take on Terry Silver, but find themselves nearly outmatched because Silver isn’t alone. Several of the sensei he employs for his new, expanded Cobra Kai are at his home with him. While Mike doesn’t get to contribute much to the fight because he’s knocked out early on, the sequence is split between Chozen battling Silver himself and Johnny having to take on multiple assailants. Both fighters nearly meet their end during the intense matches, but Chozen manages to come back from his brutal injuries, and Johnny finds a renewed strength when he considers he has to survive for his family. Mike even emerges to help him in the end.
It’s one of the most cathartic fights for the audience seeing Daniel’s different enemies from different Karate Kid movies team up to take out one of his most dangerous enemies in the series.
Cobra Kai is currently available to stream on Netflix.