The Cobra Kai series has done well to re-introduce several characters from the original Karate Kid films, utilize them in new ways, and have them introduce and develop the show's new members for them to be just as significant. Because their previous appearances were over 30 years ago, there is always a surprise regarding their fates.
While Cobra Kai has developed familiar tropes throughout its run, each season has at least one twist that few audiences could see coming. Whether it's regarding an original or new character's fate, the show has a unique way of keeping viewers on their toes.
10 Daniel Has A Third Reunion During His Trip To Okinawa
In season 3, Daniel LaRusso (Ralph Macchio) travels to Okinawa to secure a deal to save his falling car dealership. He initially fails to convince the company but shares a happy reunion with his ex-girlfriend, Kumiko (Tamlyn Tomita), and buries the hatchet with his former rival, Chozen Toguchi (Yuji Okumoto). Most people knew of their appearance in advance based on promotional photos.
Before leaving, he encounters a woman named Yuna (Traci Toguchi), who reveals herself as the little girl Daniel rescued in The Karate Kid Part II. She repays his kindness by using her connections to the company to help Daniel secure the deal. It's particularly shocking, considering the creators brought back the same actress for an initially minor character.
9 John Kreese Returns Out Of The Blue At The End Of Season 1
The Cobra Kai series began with Johnny Lawrence (William Zabka) reopening the titular dojo and trying to convey its lessons to his students better than his former sensei and its founder, John Kreese (Martin Kove). During a meeting to appeal Cobra Kai's lifetime ban on entering the All-Valley tournament, Johnny claims Kreese to be dead. Because he was neither seen nor heard all season, the characters and audience believe it to be true.
Despite Johnny's tournament victory and best attempts as a sensei, his students fall victim to Cobra Kai's ruthless teachings. To make matters worse, Kreese shows up alive and well to congratulate Johnny on reviving the dojo and prepares to take things to the next level.
8 Daniel Recruits Chozen To Help Defeat Cobra Kai
Although Daniel and Johnny pull out all the stops to end Cobra Kai in season 4's tournament, they ultimately fail, and as per their agreement with Kreese, they have to stop teaching karate forever. The season ends with Daniel dwelling over his failure at the grave of his late mentor, Mr. Miyagi.
However, it turns out that Daniel has recruited Chozen to help him end Cobra Kai once and for all. This revelation had no prior implications and was surprising, considering their closure was more than enough in the previous season. Nevertheless, Chozen proved a significantly entertaining addition to the next season.
7 Kreese Gets Arrested And Eliminated From The Picture After Three Seasons As The Main Villain
The end of season 3 and season 4 saw Kreese recruit his old friend from The Karate Kid Part III, Terry Silver (Thomas Ian Griffith), who has since moved forward from his dark past. However, Kreese's visit triggers his PTSD and makes him long for the glory days, prompting him to return.
Despite Silver's attempts to play smart, Kreese continuously treats him as a subordinate, causing Silver to revert to his old ways. He drunkenly beats up a former Cobra Kai student whom Kreese banned from the dojo and reveals at season 4's end that he made a deal to have the student frame Kreese for the assault. Kreese gets arrested and is unseen for half of season 5.
6 Daniel's Friend From Karate Kid III Played A Bigger Role Than Anticipated
During Karate Kid Part III, Daniel falls for a young girl named Jessica Andrews (Robyn Lively), but the two decide to be friends when she says she has a boyfriend. This choice stemmed from the real-life age difference and Macchio's marriage. Nevertheless, Jessica leaves before the third act, making her somewhat pointless.
In season 5 of Cobra Kai, Daniel's wife, Amanda (Courtney Henggeler), leaves him alongside the kids due to his ongoing karate war with Silver and stays with her mother. She has a reunion with Jessica, who turns out to be her cousin. Jessica warns her cousin about the severity of Silver's previous actions against her and Daniel and reveals that Amanda and Daniel met through her.
5 Mitch Turned Out To Be A Mole For Cobra Kai
Season 2 introduced a new character named Mitch (Aedin Mincks) as a lackey but friend to one of Cobra Kai's top students, Eli Moscowitz, aka Hawk (Jacob Bertrand). However, Mitch is deemed weak, gets kicked out by Kreese, and joins up with Johnny in Eagle Fang Karate.
During this time, Mitch partook in multiple Eagle Fang and Miyagi-do team-ups. However, when they sneak into the Cobra Kai dojo to find incriminating evidence on Silver, they are ambushed by Cobra Kai's students. The heroes wonder how Cobra Kai knew of their whereabouts, only for Mitch to reveal he sold them out due to his humiliating nickname and not ever wanting to leave Cobra Kai due to its many perks.
4 Kreese Escapes Prison At The End Of Season 5
Despite Kreese's arrest, he remains convinced that he will quickly receive an early release and take down Silver. However, it becomes clear over time that it will never happen through legal means as his therapist sees right through him and Daniel and Johnny refuse to help. Thus, Kreese eventually resigns himself to his imprisonment. The season 5 finale shows him getting stabbed while following the therapist's advice to do better.
The rest of the episode has the heroes successfully defeat Silver and settle their differences, seemingly giving a happy ending. However, Kreese is revealed to have faked his death for the third time in the franchise, escaped prison, and headed to parts unknown.
3 Anthony Plays A Bigger Role In Season 4
The first three seasons would sometimes feature the LaRusso family's spoiled and often cast aside younger child, Anthony (Griffin Santopietro), but with no purpose. It prompted some fans to question why they didn't write Daniel's daughter, Samantha (Mary Mouser), as an only child.
However, season 4 saw Daniel and Amanda's hands-off parenting of Anthony with legitimate consequences as he partakes in bullying a kid named Kenny (Dallas Dupree Young), leading him into trouble at home and Kenny joining Cobra Kai for revenge. The storyline forced Anthony and his parents to confront some harsh realities that pushed him out of his bratty ways.
2 Hawk Joins Miyagi-Do
The season 3 finale saw Hawk betray Cobra Kai and join Miyagi-do and Eagle Fang's alliance, becoming a part of the latter due to being with familiar friends. However, he had to make several amends, as few people were willing to forgive him immediately. Cobra Kai shaved off his trademark Mohawk as revenge, destroying his confidence and making him nearly call quits on karate.
However, his original friend Demetri (Gianni Decenzo), who he abandoned after adopting his Hawk persona, helps him through his sadness, prompting him to start his journey anew by joining Miyagi-do, accomplish a balance between Eli and Hawk, and become the champion of the tournament's boys' division.
1 Daniel Lied About His Breakup With Ali
A significant part of the conflict in The Karate Kid (1984) involved Daniel falling in love with Johnny's ex, Ali Mills (Elizabeth Shue). She was a loving character, and her and Daniel's relationship seemingly thrived along with his tournament victory at the end. However, due to Shue's unavailability, Daniel reveals in the sequel's beginning that Ali ruined his car and dumped him for a football player at UCLA during his senior prom offscreen.
The season 3 finale of Cobra Kai saw Ali return and reveal that Daniel's claims were either lies or misunderstandings, much to Johnny and Amanda's amusement and Daniel's embarrassment. However, it softened the blow of an otherwise weak plot line.