With Season 5 of Cobra Kai just around the corner, fans have been eagerly anticipating any marketing material from Netflix. So far, there hasn't been a trailer, but that should be coming sometime in August. In the meantime, Netflix dropped quite a few photos to appease the impatient fanbase -- and a few of those photos teased some major developments for the season.
One photo featured Cobra Kai's newest sensei, Kim Da-Eun (Alicia Hannah-Kim). Another one showed that Devon will join Cobra Kai, rather than Miyagi-Do. More importantly, one photo confirmed the first Cobra Kai appearance of Mike Barnes. While his joining the franchise will undoubtedly have massive implications on Season 5, it's not Mike Barnes who will play the most pivotal role in the season. That will be Tory Nichols.
Ever since Tory's first appearance in Season 2, she's been all about proving herself. That led to a bitter rivalry with Samantha LaRusso, and the two have had numerous fights. However, their most important confrontation came at the end of Season 4, during the All Valley Tournament. They both made it to the final round of female competition, and the outcome of the tournament rested on their shoulders as they prepared to fight.
Tory and Sam both needed to win for the sake of their dojos. So, they both gave it all they had, and the fight was intense. Sam would have won, but one of her points didn't count. It was the wrong call, but the referee said that Tory was out of bounds when she was hit. After that, the fighting continued, but it wasn’t long before Tory landed the final blow, winning the match and the tournament for Cobra Kai. The victory did a lot for her self-confidence, and maybe it would have put an end to her rivalry with Sam -- but something was wrong. After the tournament, Tory saw Terry Silver paying the referee that had called the match between her and Sam, and everything became clear. The bad call wasn't just a lucky break; it was outright cheating.
The Cobra Kai teaser (which released back in May) showed Tory struggling with the revelation that her sensei had cheated and the knowledge that she would have lost in a fair fight. So, it's clear that Tory will be a central part of Season 5. The question is: who will she be mad at? She could be mad at Sam for beating her. She could also be mad at herself for losing. However, the most likely answer is that she will be mad at Terry Silver for cheating.
In fact, one of the new promotional images showed Tory coming into the Cobra Kai dojo holding the All Valley trophy with Terry Silver in the foreground. From the angry look on her face, it sure looked like Tory was about to give Silver a piece of her mind. He will probably be able to appease (or blackmail) her into staying at Cobra Kai for a while. Yet, it would also make sense if Tory played a pivotal role in taking Silver down long-term.
Daniel LaRusso has recruited Chozen to help in his fight against Silver, but it's possible that Tory could wind up switching sides before Season 5 is over. After seeing him cheat, Tory is one of the few people who have seen Silver's true self, and she doesn't even know how Silver framed John Kreese for murder. If she hears about that, it's very possible that she could be the latest main character to leave Cobra Kai. Either way, it's clear that whatever path Tory chooses will have huge implications on Season 5, especially if Mike Barnes turns out to be her father.
To see how Tory's story arc affects the new season, watch Cobra Kai on Netflix. Season 5 premieres on Sept. 9.