Cobra Kai season 4

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File:Cobra Kai season 4 promotional poster.jpg
Promotional poster
Starring <templatestyles src="Plainlist/styles.css"/>
Country of origin United States
No. of episodes 10
Release
Original network Netflix
Original release December 31, 2021 (2021-12-31)

The fourth season of Cobra Kai released on Netflix on December 31, 2021, and consists of 10 episodes. The series is a direct sequel to the original four films in The Karate Kid franchise, focusing on the characters of Daniel LaRusso and Johnny Lawrence over 30 years after the original film. It is the second season to initially release on Netflix after the first two seasons released on YouTube.

The season has twelve starring roles, nine of which returned from the previous season, an additional two were added to main cast after recurring throughout previous seasons, and one being a newcomer to the series reprising his role from the film series. The season also had guest appearances from other characters in the film series, re-introduced two recurring characters after a season-long absence, and featured a cameo appearance from Carrie Underwood. It also topped Netflix's global viewership charts within three days of its release, and received a 100% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes.

Cast and characters

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Main article: List of The Karate Kid and Cobra Kai characters

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Main

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Recurring

  • Dallas Dupree Young as Kenny Payne
  • Oona O'Brien as Devon Lee
  • Griffin Santopietro as Anthony LaRusso
  • Aedin Mincks as Mitch
  • Khalil Everage as Chris
  • Owen Morgan as Bert
  • Hannah Kepple as Moon
  • Annalisa Cochrane as Yasmine
  • Nathaniel Oh as Nathaniel
  • Joe Seo as Kyler Park
  • Selah Austria as Piper Elswith
  • Bret Ernst as Louie LaRusso Jr.
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Notable guests

Episodes

No.
overall		 No. in
season		 Title Directed by Written by Original release date
31 1 "Let's Begin" Jon Hurwitz & Hayden Schlossberg Josh Heald & Jon Hurwitz & Hayden Schlossberg December 31, 2021 (2021-12-31)[lower-alpha 1]

Eagle Fang and Miyagi-Do begin training together in an effort to beat Cobra Kai but Daniel and Johnny disagree on the best way to prepare their students. After Carmen finds out about Johnny and Ali hanging out she tells him that she wants to take things slowly. Kreese gets in contact with Terry Silver and invites him to come back to Cobra Kai. Terry declines claiming that he has found peace in the lavish lifestyle he began living after leaving Cobra Kai. Daniel proposes to Johnny that Eagle Fang should integrate into Miyagi-Do but Johnny disagrees causing the two to agree that the two dojos should split up. Kreese persuades Robby to join Cobra Kai, and Robby leads the other students by teaching them Miyagi-do Karate to have an advantage. Hawk initially faces resistance with the other Eagle Fang and Miyagi-Do students; however, after he proposes that he and the other students build an Okinawan sparring deck on spare land at the dojo for practice sessions they begin to accept him. The unity between the two dojos prompts Daniel and Johnny to agree and continue working together. Terry later contemplates returning to Cobra Kai.

Note: This episode is dedicated in memory of Ed Asner.[1]
32 2 "First Learn Stand" Jon Hurwitz & Hayden Schlossberg Joe Piarulli & Luan Thomas December 31, 2021 (2021-12-31)
Kenny Payne, a new student at school, prepares for his first day of school by himself and gets bullied by the other students, including Anthony LaRusso, Daniel's son. Daniel and Johnny agree to each take a day of training for each other to better understand the other's style of teaching. Amanda visits Tory at work in an effort to protect Sam and inadvertently gets her fired. Robby and Kreese continue training the other Cobra Kai students in Miyagi-Do but with their own twist on it. Kenny's classmates and Anthony trick him into cosplaying causing him to get into a fight with them but he runs away. Kreese confronts Amanda at the grocery store making her feel sorry for Tory. Daniel's Eagle Fang training leads him to a fight with hockey players. Amanda buys Tory groceries but Tory rejects them leading to a confrontation at the car dealership. Kenny, looking for help from his bullies, visits his older brother Shawn Payne in the juvenile home who points him towards Robby.
33 3 "Then Learn Fly" Marielle Woods Michael Jonathan Smith December 31, 2021 (2021-12-31)
Daniel and his family along with Johnny, Carmen, and Miguel have dinner together where they discuss Sam and Miguel's future. Daniel and Johnny trade students so that each student gets both Miyagi-Do and Eagle Fang style training. When Kenny visits Cobra Kai, Kreese rejects him as a student saying that he's too weak. Carmen has trouble with her car and Daniel offers to have it towed and fixed himself. Terry visits Kreese and blames him for disturbing his peace of mind. Although initially saying he was too busy Robby agrees to teach Kenny some karate to help him defend himself by using his speed as a strength. Terry reflects on early Cobra Kai days with Kreese following their time in the military together. Johnny informs Carmen that he doesn't want to take things slowly and she agrees. Kenny visits the Cobra Kai dojo once more finally convincing Kreese to allow him to train there.
34 4 "Bicephaly" Marielle Woods Stacey Harman December 31, 2021 (2021-12-31)
Johnny gets frustrated at Daniel when he and Miguel begin to grow closer. Kenny's middle school gets a tour of the high school where he runs into Miyagi-Do and Eagle Fang students who encourage him to leave Cobra Kai. Kreese introduces his students to Terry, informing them that he will also be joining the dojo as a sensei. Carmen wants to tell Miguel about her relationship with Johnny, but he disagrees. She tells Johnny to let Miguel know when he is ready. Tory begins her new job at a children's entertainment venue. Robby provides Kenny with additional one-on-one training, but they are interrupted by Terry who inspires Robby. Johnny contemplates how to break the news to Miguel and has flashbacks to a similar situation from his childhood. Daniel teaches Miguel how to drive. When Amanda and Sam attend a party at the same venue where Tory works, prompting her to quit. Robby confronts Johnny about Kenny and the conversation quickly turns personal. When Cobra Kai, Miyagi-Do, and Eagle Fang students all attend the same drive-in theatre where a fight almost breaks out. Terry and Kreese confront Daniel and Johnny at the Miyagi dojo.
35 5 "Match Point" Joel Novoa Bob Dearden December 31, 2021 (2021-12-31)
Terry attempts to apologize to Daniel who asks him and Kreese to leave, while Kreese admonishes Johnny for playing second fiddle to Daniel. Terry informs Daniel and Johnny that Cobra Kai is imposing a fighting mortarium on their students until the All-Valley Tournament. Daniel tells Johnny about his history with Terry and suggests that he take over the training of all their students. Johnny disagrees and proposes a tournament-style fight between the two, with the first to three points taking over the training. Johnny prepares for the fight while Daniel tries to find a way out of it. Daniel and Sam, Johnny and Miguel, as well as Terry and Kreese each have disagreements on the best way to train for the All-Valley. The Cobra Kai students retaliate for the events that followed the drive-in theatre escalation by shaving off Hawk's mohawk. Daniel and Johnny attempt to reach an agreement for the last time before fighting but ultimately compete against each other. The fight comes to a match point that results in a tie causing the two to split their dojos permanently.
36 6 "Kicks Get Chicks" Joel Novoa Mattea Greene December 31, 2021 (2021-12-31)
During the All-Valley board meeting the members of the board argue on nearly every aspect of the tournament before finally coming to a consensus on changes. Miyagi-Do and Cobra Kai embrace the changes quickly and begin strategizing; meanwhile, Eagle Fang are reluctant to accept them, but begin looking for female members to join the dojo. Tory argues with her aunt who wants her mother's disability checks. Tory turns to Amanda for help when she wants to re-enroll in school, but needs her to agree. Following the shaving incident, Hawk decides to quit karate despite Demetri's pleas to continue. Johnny and Miguel convince Piper, Moon's ex-girlfriend to join Eagle Fang. Sam disagrees with Tory returning to school leading to an argument between Sam and Amanda. Daniel confronts Robby in a convenience store and fails to have him stand up to Terry. Piper joins Cobra Kai instead which discourages Johnny. Sam visits Aisha in Santa Barbara for guidance on how to deal with Tory. Following encouragement from Miguel, Johnny continues his recruitment. Hawk returns to Miyagi-Do after a conversation with Demetri. On Tory's first day back at school Sam threatens her.
37 7 "Minefields" Tawnia McKiernan Bill Posley December 31, 2021 (2021-12-31)

In the locker room, Anthony steals Kenny's clothes to embarrass him. As Johnny prepares to tell Miguel about his relationship with Carmen, Miguel begins to suspect the relationship himself. Daniel finds Kenny's Cobra Kai hoodie in Anthony's room and questions him about it. Anthony lies about Kenny is instigating fights. Kreese and Terry, based on a bet they made, train their students to use weaknesses in their opponents to their advantage. Carmen and Johnny finally tell Miguel about their relationship. Miyagi-Do students and Anthony begin weapons and skills training for the All-Valley. Johnny introduces the Eagle Fang students to Devon Lee, the new female member he recruited from the high school debate team. Johnny refuses to let Miguel train because due to injury concerns. Daniel becomes disappointed after Anthony takes shortcuts in his training. Miguel doesn't like that Johnny began treating him differently because of his relationship with Carmen. Kenny fights off Anthony and his friends leading to Anthony's suspension. Johnny later decides to let Miguel continue training, they are joined by Sam who says she wants both Miyagi-Do and Eagle Fang training. Tensions rise between Kreese and Terry over differences between their training styles.

Note: This episode is dedicated in memory of Albert Olmstead.
38 8 "Party Time" Tawnia McKiernan Joe Piarulli & Luan Thomas December 31, 2021 (2021-12-31)
Stingray is released from probation and prepares to return to Cobra Kai. The students at Cobra Kai plan for prom as Kreese and Terry train them how to beat their opponents psychologically. Tory asks Robby to be her prom date and Kreese rejects Stingray's request to rejoin the dojo. Sam and Miguel also plan on attending prom together. Shannon, Robby's mother, tells Johnny that Terry gifted Robby a car and money. Tensions rise at prom when Sam and Miguel become annoyed at Robby and Tory. Terry proposes moving Cobra Kai to its original location. Daniel's cousin Vanessa, a psychology student, blames Daniel and Amanda for Anthony's behavior. Terry attacks Johnny to show Kreese his loyalty. Kreese however, forces Terry to let him go. Stingray hosts an afterparty where a fight breaks out between Sam and Miguel with Tory and Robby. Anthony gets into further trouble when he continues using technology while he's grounded. Johnny's injuries are tended to by Miguel. Johnny says he wants to be a father figure to him, but accidentally refers to him as Robby leaving Miguel heartbroken. A drunken Terry severely beats Stingray when he makes another request to rejoin Cobra Kai.
39 9 "The Fall" Josh Heald Michael Jonathan Smith December 31, 2021 (2021-12-31)
Cobra Kai, Eagle Fang, and Miyagi-Do come head-to-head when the All-Valley Tournament begins. Kreese and Terry, Johnny, and Daniel each give their respective students a last-minute pep talk before the skills competition begins. Cobra Kai takes first place in the skills competition, followed by Miyagi-Do in second, and Eagle Fang in sixth place. Carrie Underwood performs at the tournament before the fighting competition takes place. Eagle Fang loses the female competition when Tory beats Devon in the semi-finals. When Daniel notices Cobra Kai students using Miyagi-Do moves he makes a last-ditch appeal to Robby to switch sides. Hawk gains last-minute confidence from Moon and beats Kyler in his match. Sam also wins her match against Piper using combined Miyagi-Do and Eagle Fang skills. Kenny and Robby get pitted against each other and Kenny gets eliminated with a broken nose. In the semi-finals Miguel and Hawk are first to compete against each other resulting in a pulled back muscle for Miguel.
40 10 "The Rise" Josh Heald Bob Dearden December 31, 2021 (2021-12-31)
Miguel is cleared to fight. Anthony apologizes to Kenny, but Kenny pummels him until he is stopped by Robby. Sam and Tory each advance through the competition to become the last women standing. Miguel disappears instead of returning to fight, which advances Hawk to the final round against Robby. Daniel encourages Hawk to use Cobra Kai moves against Robby. Adding Eagle Fang techniques as well, Hawk wins the male portion of the tournament. After realizing the benefits of Eagle Fang, Daniel proposes that he and Johnny create their own combined style of karate called "Miyagi-Fang." The two then encourage Sam to combine the two styles herself. Terry encourages Tory to fight dirty, but Kreese intervenes. Tory wins the match allowing Cobra Kai to win the tournament overall and Terry announces his plans to start franchising Cobra Kai. After the match, Tory oversees Terry bribing the referee. Robby apologizes to Johnny after he realizes Cobra Kai's effects and the two reconcile. Kreese gets arrested for Stingray's attack after Terry frames him. Miguel heads to Mexico City in search of his biological father. Daniel visits Mr. Miyagi's grave and enlists Chozen's help to defeat Cobra Kai for good.

Production

Development

In October 2020 Netflix renewed Cobra Kai for a fourth season prior to the third season's release.[3] The renewal came following Netflix's acquisition of the series after its previous streamer, YouTube, was not interested in renewing the series for a fourth season due to a shift in content focus.[4][5] Josh Heald, Jon Hurwitz and Hayden Schlossberg returned as writers and executive producers through their production company, Counterbalance Entertainment.[6] Will Smith, James Lassiter and Caleeb Pinkett also returned as executive producers with the Overborook Entertainment production company.[7] Series stars Ralph Macchio and William Zabka were co-executive producers.[6] Susan Ekins executive produced for distributor Sony Pictures Television.[7] On August 27, 2021, prior to the seasons release Netflix renewed the series for a fifth season.[8]

Casting

After its renewal it was confirmed that all previous series regulars, Ralph Macchio, William Zabka, Courtney Henggeler, Xolo Maridueña, Tanner Buchanan, Mary Mouser, Jacob Bertrand, Gianni DeCenzo and Martin Kove, would return.[9] Vanessa Rubio and Peyton List who recurred since the first and second seasons respectively, were added to the main cast.[10] Thomas Ian Griffith also joined the main cast as Terry Silver, reprising his role from The Karate Kid Part III.[11] The role for Griffith is his first since 2007 when he turned to writing.[12] Meanwhile, Dallas Dupree Young and Oona O'Brien joined the series in recurring roles to portray Kenny and Devon, two school students who turned to karate.[13] Nichole Brown, who recurred throughout the first two seasons as Aisha Robinson, and Paul Walter Hauser, who recurred in the second season as Stingray, both returned in a guest capacity.[14] Carrie Underwood made a guest appearance in the season as herself, performing a song from the original Karate Kid soundtrack.[15] Yuji Okumoto returned as Chozen Toguchi,[16] and Macchio's daughter Julia, appeared as Daniel's cousin Vanessa.[17]

Filming

Filming for the season began in Atlanta, Georgia on February 26, 2021.[18] Additional filming took place in Los Angeles, California.[19] Filming concluded on April 30, 2021.[20]

Music

The Def Leppard song "Rock of Ages" was used in a promotional trailer for the season.[21] "The Moment of Truth," a song performed by Survivor and written by Bill Conti, Dennis Lambert, and Peter Beckett for the original film, was performed during the season by Carrie Underwood.[22] Heald stated that Underwood was a fan of the series and that her appearance was kept secret until the performance was filmed, causing an authentic reaction from the extras on set.[23][24]

Soundtrack

Leo Birenberg and Zach Robinson, who composed for the series since its inception, returned for the season.[25] A promotional single titled "It's Karate Time" was released on December 17, 2021.[26] The soundtrack album is set to be released on January 7, 2022.[27] It was later revealed that the soundtrack would be released in two separate volumes.[28] Matt Ryan, who made the vinyl record covers for the previous three seasons, designed the soundtracks cover art.[29]

Marketing and release

The first teaser trailer was released on August 5, 2021, featuring promotional videos of the cast members and confirming a December 2021 release date for the season.[30] A second teaser trailer announced that the season would release on December 31, 2021.[31][32] An extended trailer advertising the season later released on December 9.[33] Prior to the seasons release a virtual premiere screening was held on December 28.[34] The screening, limited in number of attendees, featured a welcome from Heald, Hurwitz, and Schlossberg, a full screening of the first episode, and a question and answer session with the cast.[34] The Q&A was released on the series social media accounts following the screening and was hosted by Jacqueline Coley, an editor at Rotten Tomatoes.[35]

Reception

Viewing figures

For the week of December 27, 2021 through January 2, 2022, the season topped the global Netflix most-watched television list.[36] Within the three-day time period 120 million hours of the series was watched; it ranked in the top ten titles of 83 countries, 13 of which it was ranked number one.[37]

Critical response

Script error: No such module "TV ratings". On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes the season holds a score of 100% with an average rating of 8.2/10 based on 27 reviews.[38] The websites critical consensus reads "Cobra Kai still delights in a fourth season that mines great fun from shifting alliances, chiefly the uneasy truce between Johnny Lawrence and Daniel LaRusso."[38] Meanwhile, on Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, the season has a score of 69 out of 100 indicating "generally favorable reviews."[39] Cristina Escobar with The A.V. Club wrote that the season "nicely continues the journeys of our favorite (and only) Valley karate fanatics, delivering fun along with impressively high kicks, moments of true emotion, and just enough stunted development to keep it all spinning" and praised newcomer Dallas Dupree Young, noting the similarities between his character and Macchio's original character from the films.[40] The Chicago Sun-Times' Richard Roeper said the season was "quite ridiculous" but remained entertaining.[41] James Dyer, a writer for Empire Online, noted that most plotlines throughout the season were expanded on from the third film in the franchise, but that it "introduces its own existential discord."[42] The IGN writer Amelia Emberwing felt that it was obvious while watching the season was the first to be wholly produced by Netflix; Emberwing however, did state that it was "still one hell of a ride."[43] Rebecca Theodore-Vachon of IndieWire opined that the series "faithfully honors its roots while managing to tell new and compelling stories."[44]

Notes

  1. ↑ Prior to its release on Netflix a virtual premiere screening of the episode was held on December 28, 2021.[2]

References

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  38. ↑ 38.0 38.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
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  40. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
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