Cobra Kai's Season 3: Inclusion & Nostalgia
By Christina Muttavanchery ('23)
This new season is packed with awesome showdowns that make you want to join a karate dojo. Season 3 premiered on January 1st and has been trending ever since! Ten episodes ranging from 27 to 41 minutes released, and many of the directors from the first season return.
In this new hit Netflix season, the Cobra Kai dojo is now run by Johnny Lawrence (William Zabka), also known as Sensei Lawrence, who was once a student at the former Cobra Kai dojo. Life has had its hits on him, and he decides to bring it back but on his terms. The new reformed dojo's mission is to create strong-willed kids who do not back down and carry the lessons they learn into life as they grow up. At least, this is the new Cobra Kai dojo’s mission, but in the past, it was all about being ruthless and having no mercy for your enemies. The show has humor that will catch the attention of teens and adults who want a reminisce about the original Karate Kid movies and see their favorite characters. Cobra Kai also features a bisexual relationship shown and many diverse characters. Compared to the original 1984 Karate Kid, the production takes many steps to be more inclusive of others and breaks many implicit stereotypes that the original Karate Kid does not include, so many more individuals can relate to the multi-layered characters in the show!
Photos courtesy of YouTube; Illustration courtesy of Dillen Phelps
We see the main character of the original 1984 Karate Kid Daniel LaRusso (Ralph Macchio) run his dojo in honor of his teacher. We see the differences in the teachings of both dojos, and it’s very entertaining to see both sensei be enemies one moment and then partners in crime. We see the students of both dojos go head-to-head pretty much any place they see each other. We see heartbreaks and romances bloom between students from competing dojos that add a lot of tension and make you keep guessing and wanting more from each episode!
In the new premier of Season 3, we learn about the creator of the original Cobra Kai dojo, John Kreese (Martin Kove), and what made him tough, and why he returns. We see many battles between students in Miyagi-Do (LaRusso’s dojo) and Cobra Kai (Lawrence’s dojo). We observe that characters are not so black and white about who is good and bad since we learn background stories and motives. We even get to see some romance for Cobra Kai’s sensei, Johnny Lawrence himself. Since Cobra Kai explains the plots in the show, you are not required to watch the three movies before it, but once you watch the show, you will want to watch all the originals as well, since that is how amazing it is! Another character from the original Karate Kid surprises us, but you must watch to find out who it is!