Reviewed by Colin Jacobson (March 9, 2026)
Back in 1984, The Karate Kid introduced teens Daniel LaRusso (Ralph Macchio) and Johnny Lawrence (William Zabka) whose differences eventually brought them to face off in a martial arts tournament. Daniel won and decades later, Johnny still deals with the repercussions of his loss.
This topic gets explored in a 2018 streaming series called Cobra Kai that went for six seasons before it concluded in 2025. Season One includes 10 episodes available on Blu-ray via this “Complete Series” set.
All 10 episodes come across two discs. The plot synopses come from the series’ official website.
Ace Degenerate: “Drinking hard and overshadowed by successful former rival Daniel, Johnny hits rock bottom and decides to reopen the Cobra Kai karate dojo.”
While 1986’s Karate Kid Part II and 1989’s Karate Kid Part III continued Daniel’s path, Johnny’s life after that fateful martial arts contest in 1984 remained unexplored. Johnny made a cameo at the start of Part II that took place immediately after the end of the first film but only appeared via archival footage in the third movie, so this left us without updates on his life past 1984.
When we last saw Johnny, I came away with the impression that he accepted his loss to Daniel and probably became a better person. Kai clearly indicates he never really got over the events of 1984, though “Ace” doesn’t spell out why that one fateful evening so haunts him.
And perhaps it never will, though I feel sure we’ll learn more about Johnny’s life over the 34 years between Karate Kid and the debut of Kai. “Ace” exists basically to set up the series’ narrative with a view of Johnny and Daniel in their 50s as well as a hint of the premise that Johnny will revive the long dormant Cobra Kai dojo where he trained as a teen.
In that regard, “Ace” fares well. It paints a semi-comedic view of Johnny as a dude stuck in time with his affinity for 1980s music, cars and movies while it also shows how he can’t escape the successful Daniel’s shadow.
At times “Ace” can feel a little too broad but it still mixes comedy and drama well. It launches the series on a positive note.
Strike First: “Daniel is rattled when he spots the new Cobra Kai dojo. Later, he learns about a violent altercation from his daughter Sam’s (Mary Mouser) crush Kyler Park (Joe Seo).”
That last sentence allows the old tensions between Johnny and Daniel to reignite – at least for now, as I don’t know if these will persist for long. In any case, “Strike” develops Daniel’s life as a 50-something in an appealing way and also expands supporting characters in a manner that makes it another quality show.
Esqueleto: “Daniel volunteers to chaperone the Halloween dance so he can keep an eye on Sam. Johnny tries to recruit more students for his new business.”
We get a direct callback to the first Karate Kid movie here because a substantial chunk of “Esqueleto” takes place at a high school Halloween dance. A similar event existed as a pivotal part of the 1984 flick.
“Esqueleto” uses this scenario to deepen the renewed antagonism between Johnny and Daniel as well as the development of the series’ new characters. It continues the series well.
Cobra Kai Never Dies: “One of Daniel's billboards is defaced. Miguel Diaz’s (Xolo Maridueña) mother Rosa (Rose Bianco) forbids him from continuing karate lessons. Johnny learns that his son Robby Keene's (Tanner Buchanan) been skipping school.”
Johnny’s family life lends “Dies” a more dramatic tone than its predecessors, a choice that makes it a bit less frothy than its predecessors. Still, it comes with some appealing humor and gives us a solid progression to the narrative threads.
Counterbalance: “Cobra Kai gets its second student (). Daniel comes up with a plan to get payback on Johnny. When Kyler betrays Sam, Miguel stands up for her at school.”
After the moderately more somber “Dies”, “Counterbalance” manages a more comedic vibe, albeit one that still comes with serious character movement. Although we find a few hints of melodrama, the episode nonetheless helps push along the elements well.
Quiver: “Enrollment surges at Cobra Kai thanks to Miguel's fight, but Johnny alienates his students. To hurt his father, Robby gets a job working for Daniel.”
In an interesting move, “Quiver” offers a flashback to 1979 to show a 12-year-old Johnny (Owen D. Stone). This offers mild intrigue, even if Johnny’s “karate origin story” feels cliché.
“Present day” segments fare better, especially via the development of Robby’s path. Even with a few minor missteps, “Quiver” works.
All Valley: “Johnny must persuade a tournament committee to reverse its lifetime ban on Cobra Kai — but Daniel's a member. Miguel and Sam go on a date.”
For all intents and purposes, Miguel acts as a role analogous to Daniel in the 1984 movie. This doesn’t offer a perfect comparison, of course, but it builds him in a similar manner.
“Valley” brings a twist since it shows that Robby becomes Daniel’s student. This makes the percolating contrast between the brutal 1980s Cobra Kai lessons now regurgitated by Johnny and the Miyagi methods used by Daniel more obvious.
Semi-predictable as this might seem, it adds drama and movement to the series. Other elements push ahead the narrative in positive manner as well, even if some trite themes emerge.
Molting: “As Johnny prepares his students for the All Valley Tournament, Daniel starts training Robby in Miyagi-Do, still unaware that his pupil is Johnny's son.”
Thus we get a trend that we assume will push toward the Season One climax. This allows for additional character moments as well, and those prove effective.
To be sure, much of what Cobra Kai pursues follows themes that don’t exactly reinvent the wheel. Nonetheless, the series pursues all these in a lively enough manner to ensure the series works, and “Molting” continues this trend.
Different But Same: “An unexpected day of reminiscing results when Johnny confronts Daniel about his car. The Cobra Kai students plot revenge on the popular kids.”
“Same” almost gives us a rematch between Johnny and Daniel, though for now, this remains a tantalizing prospect. In an engaging development, we see their relationship thaw a little as they semi-sorta bond.
Those scenes become the best parts of “Same”, the rest of the episode pushes along the S1 narrative well. It helps us move toward the finale.
Mercy: “As the day of the tournament dawns, Johnny teaches his pupils the third rule of Cobra Kai: no mercy. A familiar face from the past returns.”
As we enter the last episode of S1, we expect to see Miguel and Robby face off in the finals of the tournament. Does this occur? No spoilers but… yeah.
Whereas we went into the ending of Karate Kid with near-certain knowledge Daniel would win, we head toward the Miguel/Robby contest with a bigger question mark. The series treats both characters with sympathy so this opens up the possibility either could win.
I really won’t provide spoilers about the outcome, but “Mercy” does evolve along a few somewhat surprising paths. It becomes a solid conclusion to S1 that points toward Season Two in a lively manner.
