This article previously appeared at EightiesKids.com
Only one member of the original Cobra Kai doesn’t appear in the show
Fan-pleasing season two episode Take a Right reunites the original Cobra Kai, as William Zabka is joined by old Karate Kid co-stars Rob Garrison, Ron Thomas and Tony O’Dell all returned. One notable absentee was Chad McQueen. Dialogue explained his character Dutch was in prison, but in reality McQueen has retired from acting and now works full time building race cars and motorcycles.
Will Smith is one of the show’s producers
Will Smith has a producer credit on Cobra Kai, as his production company Overbrook Entertainment owns a portion of the rights to The Karate Kid, after they produced the 2010 remake, starring their son Jaden Smith alongside Jackie Chan. Cobra Kai creators Josh Heald, Jon Hurwitz and Hayden Schlossberg say The Karate Kid remake is not part of what they call the Miyagi-Verse.
The show includes never-before-seen Karate Kid footage
Cobra Kai features several flashbacks to the events of The Karate Kid, but the show runners were also able to use previously unseen alternate footage shot for the 1984 film by director John G. Avildsen. This includes a shot of Johnny looking up into the stands to see his own parents sitting there, as well as three new angles of Daniel’s legendary crane kick.
Xolo Maridueña has a super intense training regime
Xolo Maridueña heads up Cobra Kai’s younger cast as Miguel Diaz, who goes from bullied loser to karate champion. Unsurprisingly, Maridueña’s training regimen was the most intense of the cast. Maridueña told Glitter Mag Rocks that his training comprised of “a daily 2-4-hour regiment [sic] of working with professional stunts, martial arts, boxing, strength and yoga instructor teams to get me in amazing shape.”
The show plays on fan theories that Daniel is the real villain
1984’s The Karate Kid presents Daniel as the victim of bullying from Johnny and his friends, but some fans suggest that Daniel is actually the real bully. Cobra Kai explores this, constantly reframing events from the 1984 film to show Johnny’s perspective, whilst also showing how Daniel’s hot temper and tendency to rush to judgment often makes situations worse.
Tanner Buchanan has the most martial arts training of anyone in the core cast
Tanner Buchanan plays Robby Keane. While his character also becomes proficient in karate, you might not have known that actor Tanner Buchanan is in reality the most proficient martial artist in the cast of any Miyagi-verse actor, as he holds a purple belt in tae kwon do. The only other Karate Kid actor more highly trained in martial arts is the remake’s star Jackie Chan.
The Next Karate Kid’s Hilary Swank could still appear
One of the few notable Karate Kid series actors yet to appear in Cobra Kai is Hilary Swank, who played Julie Pierce alongside Pat Morita in 1994’s The Next Karate Kid. The two-time Oscar-winning actress has declined to address the question in interviews, but Cobra Kai’s showrunners have indicated they would love for her to appear, and remain hopeful it may happen.
Jacob Bertrand’s make-up and hair takes two hours to apply
Jacob Bertrand’s Eli, aka Hawk, is notable for his huge mohawk and back tattoo. This obviously means Bertrand has to spend a little longer in hair and makeup than his co-stars. Hawk’s signature haircut takes a full hour to apply, and Bertrand also has to sit for roughly half an hour while his back tattoo is painted on.
William Zabka almost said no to the show
It took a seriously compelling pitch to get William Zabka on board with Cobra Kai, since he didn’t approve of Lawrence reopening the Cobra Kai dojo. Zabka remarked at the Tribeca Film Festival, “It’s Pandora’s Box for him. It’s the snake that bit him, you know.” He ultimately agreed to star once it was made clear the show would explore how Cobra Kai damaged Johnny.
It took a lot to convince Ralph Macchio to be on the show
Daniel LaRusso actor Ralph Macchio also needed some convincing to sign on for Cobra Kai, as he felt protective over the legacy of the original Karate Kid films. It took many meetings with the show’s writers before he agreed to sign on. Of course, both Zabka and Macchio have since said they love the show and are thrilled to reprise their iconic characters.
Peyton List was convinced she’d failed her audition
Cobra Kai season two introduces Peyton List as the troubled Tory. List, who previously appeared in a number of Disney Channel shows, was apprehensive about auditioning for Cobra Kai and was convinced she hadn’t won the role since she auditioned so last-minute. Her intuition turned out to be wrong, as she actually aced the audition, and was thrilled to be offered the role.
The show’s creators were inspired by a How I Met Your Mother plotline
In sitcom How I Met Your Mother, character Barney Stinson is a big The Karate Kid fan, but one episode he states that Johnny Lawrence is the Karate Kid, not Daniel LaRusso. Both Ralph Macchio and William Zabka cameoed in this episode as themselves, and after seeing this, the Cobra Kai creators were inspired to make a sequel series exploring this dynamic further.
Most of the Cobra Kai actors are actually professional dancers
While Tanner Buchanan has martial arts experience, most of his Cobra Kai co-stars were cast based on a background in dance or gymnastics. Aside from the main characters, almost all the kids training at either dojo have worked as professional dancers at some point in their careers. The reasoning is that if someone is used to learning dance choreography, fight choreography shouldn’t be that different.
Nichole Brown wasn’t asked to return for season three
One key character in Cobra Kai’s first two seasons is Aisha, played by Nichole Brown. Sadly, Aisha was written out of the show in season three and hasn’t returned, aside from a brief cameo in season four. Reportedly the show’s writers couldn’t find anything new for her character to do, although there are also rumors that Brown was forced to quit due to health problems.
William Zabka and Ralph Macchio are actually great friends in real life
Although Johnny and Daniel have a volatile relationship for much of Cobra Kai, William Zabka and Ralph Macchio are actually good friends in real life. Though they got on well when the first Karate Kid was filmed in the 80s, the two became even closer after the passing of Pat Morita in 2005 and have reportedly been close ever since.
It’s the second time William Zabka and Diora Baird have played a couple
Diora Baird makes occasional appearances in Cobra Kai as Shannon Keene, Johnny’s ex and Robbie’s mother. This is actually the second time Zabka and Baird have played a couple, since they are also together in Hot Tub Time Machine. Released in 2010, the offbeat comedy sees Zabka plays Rick Steelman while his girlfriend, played by Baird, is never even given a name.
You can tell the allegiance of the characters by the colors they wear
Look closely the next time you watch Cobra Kai: if you’re wondering how a character is feeling, all you have to do is look at their clothing choices. Characters feeling secure in their allegiance to Cobra Kai will be seen wearing red, with the darker characters wearing black. In contrast, characters loyal to Miyagi-Do are often seen in blue, and occasionally in white.
William Zabka broke a toe kicking blocks for season one
Relearning stage combat in middle age is bound to be a gruelling process, as William Zabka learned. While kicking through wooden blocks in season one, Zabka felt his toe break. Rather than let his waiting stunt double take over, however, Zabka embraced his inner Johnny Lawrence and simply pulled his toe out of the socket to reset it himself, before going back for another take.
There’s a Cobra Kai video game
If you’re one of many new fans trying to fill the time until season six drops, check out Cobra Kai: The Karate Kid Saga Continues, a video game roughly based on the events of the first two seasons. The side-scrolling beat-em-up lets you play as everyone from Johnny Lawrence to Hawk, and is no doubt much easier than training in karate for real.
Tommy actor Rob Garrison died shortly after appearing in the show
Nostalgic season two episode Take a Right establishes that Tommy is suffering with cancer – from which he dies by the episode’s end. This episode was heartbreakingly true to life, as Tommy actor Rob Garrison was indeed terminally ill. Take a Right proved to be his final acting credit, and he passed away not long thereafter on September 27th, 2019, aged just 59.
Season two gives us a hint about the grown-up Freddy Fernandez’s livelihood
The original Karate Kid features Israel Juarbe as Freddy Fernandez, Daniel’s neighbor who memorably wears a somewhat risque T-shirt with two cartoon pigs on it. Cobra Kai season 2 suggests Fernandez never grew out of his piggy fixation, and went into butchering: when Daniel teaches his students to fight in extreme cold, he uses a freezer room where we see a Fernandez Meat Co. logo.
Tanner Buchanan’s mother is a real karate black belt
Tanner Buchanan got his love of martial arts from his mother, Marlona Buchanan, who has had a lifelong interest in the sport and is a black belt in karate, putting her on par with the professionals. As well as spurring her son to his own success in martial arts, this probably also helped him land his Cobra Kai role.
The show’s creators are considering five different spin-offs
The creators of Cobra Kai have said they’re keen to explore the Miyagi-verse further. Hayden Schlossberg said: “What I can say is that we have a list of at least five different scenarios that we would pursue, that we could consider… some of them are untraditional. Some of them are unlike any kind of spin-off you’ve ever seen before.”
Robbie and Miguel making the tournament final in season one makes no sense
As fun as Cobra Kai is, it demands some serious suspension of disbelief – not least regarding how quickly the kids become karate masters. When Miguel and Robbie make the All-Valley Tournament final they’ve been studying mere months, when in reality years of practice would be required to fight at that level. Of course, the same was true of Daniel in the original Karate Kid.
Mary Mouser got to keep her favourite outfit from season one
One scene that didn’t require intensive fight training was when Miguel and Sam first went on a date in season one. Sam actress Mary Mouser became so attached to her date night outfit, she asked to take it home. While most of the time the cast were not allowed to take home costume or props, Mouser was granted permission on that particular occasion.
Xolo Maridueña and Mary Mouser practiced their kiss offscreen
Prior to filming the scene in which their characters kiss, Mary Mouser confessed to Xolo Maridueña that she hates kissing onscreen, and would rather get the “heebie-jeebies” out of the way by kissing first off-camera. Maridueña later admitted that this made him incredibly nervous, which wasn’t helped by Mouser mentioning that he was “like a brother” to her.
The show started on YouTube
Cobra Kai is one of Netflix’s most popular shows, but it didn’t begin its life on the streaming service. The show’s creators initially pitched the show to YouTube as a “practice pith,” and were surprised when the streaming service quickly acquired the rights. While Cobra Kai’s producers have spoken highly of their experience working with YouTube, ultimately the company’s low Premium subscriber count pushed them to move to Netflix.
Playing John Kreese affected Martin Kove’s personal life
John Kreese is the overarching baddie of Cobra Kai, driven by a desire to win at any costs. Martin Kove – who plays Kreese in the show – has admitted that elements of his character’s mindset have bled into his own personality, stating that a number of tumultuous relationships in his personal life a have been the result of “the values of John Kreese.”
There’s a reference to the animated series
In Cobra Kai’s third season, Daniel makes a pilgrimage to the Japanese city of Okinawa to visit sensei Chozen at his dojo. Inside, a small shrine can be seen on a shelf. This design of this shrine was originally created for use in the Karate Kid animated series, which premiered on NBC in 1989.
The show nearly focussed just on Johnny Lawrence
The creators of Cobra Kai were originally toying with the idea of making a movie, rather than a TV show, which would have focussed on Johnny Lawrence and explored what became of him in adulthood. Even after the decision was made to make a show, this idea was still explored, but ultimately the writers couldn’t make it work.
Ralph Macchio and Billy Zabka got a lot of input
According to Jon Hurwitz – one of Cobra Kai’s creators – Ralph Macchio and Zabka got a lot more creative input than is usual for actors on a show. Before production commenced, Hurwitz and the other show-runners met with Macchio and Zabka to get “their own vision that’s been in their heads for all these years about where these characters went.”
The slap was real
In an intense scene in Cobra Kai’s third season, an argument between Amanda LaRusso and John Kreese (played by Courtney Henggeler and Martin Kove, respectfully) ends with the former dishing out a vicious slap. While Henggeler wasn’t supposed to make contact, she accidentally slapped Kove straight in the face, and the footage was kept in because of how authentic it looked.
Jacob Bertrand learned the wrong script for his audition
Due to an unspecified mixup, Jacob Bertrand was given an old script to learn for his audition to play Eli Moskowitz. The actor only found this out when he arrived at the casting director’s office, and he was given just ten minutes to prepare with the new script. Fortunately, Bertrand’s karate background made him a natural fit for the role.
The fight between Daniel and Johnny was deliberately dragged out
The show’s creators were well aware that fans desperately wanted a showdown between Danny LaRusso and Johnny Lawrence, jokingly referring to it as “the Ross and Rachel of our show.” While it seemed like viewers were going to get their wish in season one, the fight is called off at the last second, and it would take another three seasons before the characters finally came to blows.
There’s an incredibly oblique reference to the original film
In the original Karate Kid movie, Daniel meets a kid called Freddy Fernandez who is wearing a t-shirt emblazoned with the words ‘Makin’ Bacon.’ In Cobra Kai, a now-adult Daniel takes his students to train in a meat locker. The boxes of meat visible in background are labelled ‘Fernandez Meat,’ suggesting Freddy ended up making bacon after all.
The Full House reboot paved the way for Cobra Kai
According to the creators of Cobra Kai, the motivation to actually make the show happen was sparked after they saw marketing for the Full House reboot on Netflix. This led to the realization that “what’s old is new again,” signaling that world was ready for a new take on the Karate Kid universe.
Elisabeth Shue was written into the show before she even agreed to join the cast
The end of Cobra Kai’s second season ends with Johnny receiving a Facebook message from Ali, heralding the arrival of Elisabeth Shue. However, at this point the actress hadn’t even agreed to appear on the show; had she declined, the writers had a backup storyline which would have involved Johnny chatting to Ali online, with the eventual reveal that he was actually talking to Ali’s suspicious husband.
Hawk’s scar changes throughout the show
At the start of Cobra Kai, the scar on Hawk’s lip is incredibly prominent. As the show progresses, however, the scar becomes increasingly less visible, representing the character’s growing confidence as he transitions from being a submissive target for bullies to a skilled, ruthless martial artist.
The fight at LaRusso’s house was supposed to take place at Miyagi-Do
Season three of Cobra Kai ends with a dramatic fight at LaRusso’s house. That sequence, however, was originally scripted to take place in the rain at Miyagi-Do. In the end, scheduling problems and a lack of bad weather meant they weren’t able to use the Miyago-Do set, forcing the show’s creators to hastily rewrite the scene.
Captain Turner shows why John Kreese became the way he did
Cobra Kai’s third season introduces Captain Turner, John Kreese’s sociopathic commander in the Vietnam War. Terry Serpico, who plays Turner in the show, was directed to mirror Kreese’s mannerisms, with the intention of allowing audiences to understand that the captain’s leadership in the war molded Kreese into who he is.
The Ford Deluxe from the original films reappears
After production wrapped for The Karate Part III, Columbia Pictures gifted Ralph Macchio the Ford Deluxe that belongs to Mr. Miyagi in the films. Macchio still owns the car, and he decided it should make an appearance in Cobra Kai, which it does, in the show’s second season.
An iconic Karate Kid Part II song was almost used in the show
Peter Cetera’s 1986 record Glory of Love became a smash-hit after it was used in the second Karate Kid movie, and it is strongly associated with the franchise. The song was originally set to make an appearance in Cobra Kai’s third season, but the episode it was used in ended up being too long, and the part featuring the track was cut.
Another Easter egg references nuclear waste
In the fourth season of Cobra Kai, the kids are doing research on Terry Silver and uncover “some toxic waste scandal in Borneo back in the ’80s.” In the Karate Kid Part III, Terry does, in fact, talk about the fact that you used to be able to dump nuclear waste anywhere you wanted.
The show got a surprising Emmy nomination
In 2021, Cobra Kai’s third season was nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award for Best Comedy Series. While the series does pack in a fair number of laughs, most critics – and, indeed, the show’s creators – have described it as a drama. Additionally, season three is by far the show’s darkest, particularly the sequences exploring John Kreese’s traumatic experiences in the Vietnam War.
Johnny’s reconciliation with his son made everyone on set emotional
One of the consistent threads throughout Cobra Kai is the strained relationship between Johnny Lawrence and his son, Bobby. At the end of season four, Johnny and Bobby finally reconcile their differences in a powerfully charged scene that affected the cast and crew, with Jon Hurwitz recalling that he was “blown away by the emotion that everyone was feeling on set.”
The show’s creators had all worked with William Zabka before
Cobra Kai is the brainchild of Jon Hurwitz and Hayden Schlossberg – the creators of the Harold and Kumar movies – and Josh Heald, the mind behind Hot Tub Time Machine. As diehard fans of The Karate Kid franchise, all three had written cameos for Zabka in their films, so they were already well acquainted with the actor before Cobra Kai.
Martin Kove didn’t really know what he was agreeing to
The first season of Cobra Kai ends with the unexpected twist of John Kreese’s return. In interviews after the episode aired, Martin Kove admitted that the show’s writers hadn’t given him much information about the direction they were going to take his character, stating: “He’s going to be a little bit good and a little bit bad. That’s all I got.”
Netflix had a lot of faith in the show
Cobra Kai’s hugely successful two-season run on YouTube Premium landed the show on Netflix’ radar, and the streaming giant acquired the rights in June 2020. While it’s normal to wait to see how a series performs before opting to renew, Netflix had so much confidence in the show that they renewed it for a fourth season before the third was even released.
Johnny’s apartment in Cobra Kai is modeled on Daniel’s in the original film
Johnny Lawrence’s apartment in Cobra Kai is modeled after the apartment Daniel lives in in the original Karate Kid movie. Since Daniel is bullied in the movie for being from a poor area, this design choice was supposed to show how far Johnny – who comes from an affluent area – has fallen.
Thomas Ian Griffith expected the show to be terrible
Thomas Ian Griffith – who played Terry Silver in The Karate Kid Part III – has admitted that, when he first heard about Cobra Kai, he assumed it would be a “disaster.” However, after watching an episode on YouTube, Griffith was blown away, and he ended up reprising his character in the show’s fourth and fifth seasons.
Jacob Bertrand loved playing a villain
Initially a shy, tormented kid, Eli “Hawk” Moskowitz becomes a bully himself after joining Cobra Kai and developing his karate skills. Despite the fact that fans vehemently loathed his character, Jacob Bertrand thoroughly enjoyed the opportunity to play a baddie, and he later admitted that he was disappointed when the character got a redemptive arc.
There’s a Bananarama-themed reference to the first film
In yet another deep-cut Easter egg, early in the show Daniel serves Bananarama pancakes to his kids for breakfast. This is a reference to the moment in the original Karate Kid movie in which Daniel rides his bike to school for the first time, with the scene set to Bananarama’s 1983 record Cruel Summer.
Courtney Henggeler was pregnant during production of season two
Courtney Henggeler – who plays Amanda LaRusso in Cobra Kai – was pregnant throughout production of the show’s second season. In the flashback scene which shows her pregnant with Sam, her baby bump is real, and for the all other scenes Henggeler either held her coat in front of her or stood behind some scenery.
Mary Mouser came up with the idea to stop styling Sam’s hair
Mary Mouser’s character Sam is a troubled teen who initially excels at karate, before losing her way. In the show’s second season, Sam gets into a brutal fight with another student, which leaves her deeply traumatized. Mary Mouser came up with the idea of not styling the character’s hair after this point, reasoning that – in her traumatized condition – Sam wouldn’t care about her appearance.
There’s a lot of variation in episode length
One of the benefits of making content directly for a streaming service is the luxury of not having to worry about fitting in with a network’s scheduling, a perk which the creators of Cobra Kai have taken full advantage of. The show’s longest episode is 47 minutes, while the shortest has a runtime of only 23 minutes.
