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Cobra Kai

2018
Posted By Andres Larranaga

34 years after their tournament in The Karate Kid, the story continues in Cobra Kai when Johnny decides to re-open the karate dojo from his childhood.

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About Cobra Kai

Taking place 34 years after their tournament in The Karate Kid, Johnny Lawrence and Daniel LaRusso are now living very different lifestyles. Daniel is a successful car salesman, while Johnny has fallen on some hard times. After being fired from his job, Johnny gets into an altercation with some bullies who were harassing his kid neighbour Miguel Diaz. Miguel then asks Johnny to teach him karate, which at first he refuses. But once he changes his mind, he goes a step further and re-opens the infamous karate dojo Cobra Kai. Miguel starts to do well and his friends and all the bullied students a school take notice and decide to join in to learn to defend themselves. However, this also reignites the LaRusso-Lawrence rivalry from their childhood. To make matters worse, some of the kids begin to take Cobra Kai and it's "strike first, strike hard, no mercy" meaning too seriously.

Cobra Kai starts to become more violent, often getting involved in or starting fights. Actions that lead to injuries, the end of friendships and the creation of new rivalries. Is it too late for Cobra Kai to change? Or will they always be the vicious followers of their show no mercy rule? With 3 seasons and a 4th already renewed, it's not too late to follow this journey. 

Cobra Kai's Relation To Sport Business

Looking into the karate side of sport, we see the Cobra Kai dojo being re-opened. Now, at first, Johnny doesn't realize all that he has to go through, including the health inspections and keeping everything up to code. We see at times his struggle to keep up with the dojo's bills when there aren't many students. And the tactics Daniel use to force his hand by increasing rent to try and get him evicted. Behind the scenes, there is a lot more to take care of than just the karate that takes place. Like anything else, it's a business, and a business needs to make money.

On the actual karate side of this series, we see the brutal toll rivalries can take. In any sport, rivalries are a big part of the game. Players against players and fans with other fans. Sometimes those rivalries get personal, and we see this in Cobra Kai. With multiple public fights, serious injuries and destruction of properties, it starts to seem more like a gang war. Something we sometimes also see in real-life sports with fans who go to the extreme. This behaviour nearly gets a tournament shut down. In real sports, this can somewhat happen with the relocation of a game or just forcing an empty stadium. It's a deadly look into intense rivalries that mirror the passion and loyalty some might have to their organization. It's a major part of the story in Cobra Kai and we must wait to see how it plays out. 

Cobra KaiSport Industry Areas Touched

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Cobra Kai Industry Endorsements

Cobra Kai has been suggested to us by sport industry professionals we talk to on a regular basis. See a list of those individuals below.

 Industry Professional  Organization  Position
Mike Grace San Diego Seals Director of Game Presentation & Content

Why watch Cobra Kai?

For fans of The Karate Kid, Cobra Kai continues the story with a mix of past characters and new ones. It originally aired on YouTube Red and was cancelled after 2 seasons. But don't let that cancellation fool you. Netflix picked it up soon after and it began to shatter viewer records! When its first 2 seasons arrived on the platform, not only did it become the most-watched series on Netflix, it was the most-watched show on streaming media in the USA. If that doesn't say something, the show will. Its characters, story and fighting sequences will keep you interested throughout its entire run. If you're not on the edge of your seat while watching,  you'll likely be standing up in a karate stance instead. Don't wait to get started on this series! Start it as soon as you can!

Trailer & Extras

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