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Cobra Kai has referenced and even recreated dozens of scenes from The Karate Kid, the original Karate Kid movie. One of the best examples of how to reboot a beloved franchise into something that feels both fresh and true to the original, Cobra Kai reinvented Karate Kid by telling a story from Johnny Lawrence’s point of view. Despite revisiting all Daniel LaRusso Karate Kid movies, Cobra Kai has always felt like a direct continuation of the first Karate Kid, especially during season 1.
Cobra Kai has found the perfect balance between continuing the stories of iconic characters like Daniel LaRusso and Johnny Lawrence while also introducing new names that have now left their mark on the franchise, such as Miguel Diaz and Sam LaRusso. As a result, not even the most deep-cut Cobra KaiKarate Kid Easter eggs ever feel gratuitous but rather part of a strong world-building. Here are 11 Cobra Kai scenes that directly copy the first Karate Kid movie.
11 Miguel & Johnny’s First Meeting Copies Daniel & Mr. Miyagi’s
Miguel and Johnny’s relationship was Cobra Kai’s version of Daniel and Mr. Miyagi, but with many twists. That includes how Miguel met Johnny, which played very much like when Miguel met Mr. Miyagi. Daniel had just moved to Reseda and needed help with a leak at their apartment, and Mr. Miyagi was the person to go to for any maintenance services. In Cobra Kai, Miguel, who had also just moved in, asked his neighbor Johnny about a plumbing issue. Johnny was way less helpful than Mr. Miyagi, thus setting the tone for how differently this future sensei and apprentice dynamic would be compared to The Karate Kid’s Daniel and Mr. Miyagi,
10 Johnny Saves Miguel From Bullies (Like Mr. Miyagi Saved Daniel)
Johnny saved Miguel from Kyler and other bullies in Cobra Kai season 1, episode 1, a moment that set the stage for Miguel to become Johnny’s first student. This scene was direct recreation of when Mr. Miyagi saved Daniel LaRusso from Johnny Lawrence and the other Cobra Kai students on the night of the Halloween dance. The scene in which Johnny saves Miguel from Kyler also all but confirmed that Johnny would be Cobra Kai’s Mr. Miyagi, a surprising but genius creative decision that made the show into far more than just a Karate Kid sequel.
9 Cobra Kai Uses Karate Kid’s Halloween Dance
Cobra Kai’s Halloween dance might be the most direct reference to the events of the first Karate Kid movie. Not only was the school’s Halloween dance itself back, but the skull costumes used by Johnny and his Cobra Kai friends made their comeback too. This time, however, it was the hero of the story who was wearing it. By putting Miguel in the same skull costume Johnny wore in The Karate Kid, Cobra Kai once again flipped the events of the first film, as Miguel was the one to get beaten up by bullies at the end of the night.
8 Miguel & Sam’s Cobra Kai Date Copies Daniel & Ali In Karate Kid
Daniel and Ali’s date at the fairground from The Karate Kid was referenced in Cobra Kai season 1 with Miguel and Sam’s first date. More than 30 years later, the best option for a fun evening at the Valley continued to be going to the arcade, according to Johnny Lawrence. Miguel and Sam’s night at the park plays out very similar to Daniel and Ali’s, including but not limited to the photo booth. The same fairground would then see a fight between Miyagi-Do and Cobra Kai students during Cobra Kai season 3, followed by Johnny and Ali going there for a brief date.
7 Daniel Trains Robby Like Mr. Miyagi Trained Daniel
Cobra Kai would never be complete without its own “wax on, wax off” moment. There have been dozens of Cobra Kai training montages throughout the show, most of which reference Daniel’s training with Mr. Miyagi in The Karate Kid. Still, Daniel training Robby in Cobra Kai season 1 is the most accurate recreation of how Daniel was trained by Mr. Miyagi. Robby went though all the seemly random tasks, now adjusted for whatever Daniel needed at the dealership, before realizing that he was actually learning karate. Like Daniel, Robby initially had no patience for the training, and his realization moment was as satisfying as LaRusso’s.
6 Daniel Teaches Robby Mr. Miyagi’s Bonsai Tree Lesson
Part of Robby’s training and mentorship period with Daniel LaRusso involved taking care of Daniel’s bonsai trees. Three decades earlier, it was Mr. Miyagi who taught Daniel how to take care of a bonsai tree, and how much that could help a person find their own balance. Though Robby realized that a lesson would come of pruning bonsai trees, what Daniel taught him about visualizing what you are and what you want to be while you shape the tree was one of the most valuable lessons Robby could have ever learned. Later in the same episode, Daniel himself went to the bonsai trees for a moment of reflection.
5 Miguel Sees Robby & Sam Together (Like Daniel Sees Johnny)
A lot of Cobra Kai conflicts and storylines begin due to misunderstandings, and that includes Miguel and Sam’s first breakup. Miguel saw Sam and Robby, the latter of which Miguel had never seen before, laughing together at a table. That moment happened right as Miguel was going to introduce himself to Sam’s parents, going against what Sam had told him about keeping their relationship between them for a while. Miguel jumped to several conclusions after seeing Sam with Robby, just like Daniel did after seeing Ali and Johnny together at the club in The Karate Kid.
4 Robby Gets Hurt During The All-Valley (Like Daniel In Karate Kid)
Similar to The Karate Kid, all the storylines from Cobra Kai season 1 led into the All-Valley tournament, where all the characters would get to settle their differences at the match. Cobra Kai season 1’s All Valley tournament mirrored The Karate Kid’s in many ways, including with Robby’s injury. Like Daniel, Robby got hurt after an illegal move by his opponent, Hawk, and he was not sure he could go back to the fight. Robby’s injury almost led to another Karate Kid scene recreation in Cobra Kai – the one in which Mr. Miyagi fixes Daniel’s leg with his own hands. Here, however, Daniel simply called a doctor.
3 Robby’s Two-Legged Kick Was Cobra Kai’s Crane Kick
The iconic Karate Kid crane kick is the film’s most memorable moment, and even those who are not quite familiar with the franchise will most likely recognize Daniel LaRusso’s ultimate technique. Though the crane kick has appeared in Cobra Kai quite a few times, it never served the same purposed on the show as it did in The Karate Kid – the secret move that the hero had up his sleeve. In Cobra Kai, it was instead Robby’s two-legged kick that served as the show’s version of Daniel’s crane kick moment. The two-legged kick was created by Mr. Miyagi and passed on to Robby thanks to Daniel.
2 Johnny Sees Ali & Daniel At The Club (Like Daniel Sees Johnny & Ali)
Daniel seeing Johnny and Ali together was recreated by Cobra Kai season 1 with Miguel, but it was also revisited during Cobra Kai season 3 in an even more direct way. Whereas the scene in which Miguel sees Robby and Sam was a more subtle reference to the first movie, Johnny seeing Ali and Daniel together at the club’s Christmas party perfectly recreated The Karate Kid’s spaghetti scene, except that the roles were now reversed. Unlike Daniel, Johnny got to dodge the waiter that was carrying spaghetti plates, a subtle moment that holds no meaning for those who never watched The Karate Kid but works great as an Easter egg.
1 Miguel Gives Up The All-Valley After An Injury (Like Daniel Almost Did)
Later Cobra Kai seasons revisited the events of The Karate Kid Part II and The Karate Kid Part III more than they have referenced the first movie, a result of characters like Terry Silver and Chozen coming into play. Still, Cobra Kai season 4 recreated a moment from the first Karate Kid, although with a different ending. Like Daniel, Miguel was also injured during the All Valley, except that it was a consequence of his former injury and not because of the fight itself. Similar to The Karate Kid, a dramatic countdown made audiences ponder whether Miguel would return to the fight, and he did not.
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