“Cobra Kai never dies” and thankfully does not seem to be ending any time soon. The Netflix series that has taken the world by storm with all things karate is back again for the fourth season. Viewers are pulled back into the world of martial arts as the show returns with higher stakes than ever, unexpected plot twists, and of course a lot of action. 

Cobra Kai first released the first two seasons on Netflix in August of 2020 despite originally being created and released from “Youtube Red” in 2018. After the show was released on Netflix during quarantine, avid fans fell in love with the spinoff show of the iconic film series, The Karate Kid. As the show takes place thirty four years after the original movies it is based on, viewers learn more about the adult life of two-time All Valley Champion, Daniel LaRusso (Ralph Macchio), and his archnemesis/fellow two-time All Valley Champion, Johnny Lawrence (William Zabka). Although the titular characters are older than they were in the original films, that doesn’t mean that they are unable to fully kick some butt with their flying kicks and upper cuts. LaRusso and Lawrence are even using those awesome skills to train the next generation of martial artists, which the plot of the show is primarily about.

The fourth season picks up right where the previous season had left off as the students of Miyagi-Do Karate are feuding with those of Cobra Kai Dojo. As the trainees navigate their life in school and at the dojo, problems arise when the two prominent dojos and the emergence of a new one, Eagle Fang Karate led by exiled Cobra Kai sensei, Johnny Lawrence, fight over who should be the primary dojo in the Valley. Throughout the season, the three dojos clash with each other over concepts of morals and ways of fighting. Despite the fighting that the three constantly find themselves in, the mentors of the dojos ultimately decide to settle their problems at the 51st All Valley Tournament, where the winner of the whole competition will keep their dojo open while the others have to shut theirs down.  

The fourth season of the show not only has its main stars in the grown LaRusso and Lawrence, but also features returning stars from the previous seasons. Xolo Maridueña, Tanner Buchanan, Peyton List, Mary Mouser, Jacob Bertrand have each returned as the upcoming karate sensations, Miguel Diaz, Robby Keene, Tory Nichols, Samantha LaRusso, and Eli “Hawk” Moskowitz. Martin Kove also reprises his role as the formidable and crazed leader of Cobra Kai, John Kreese alongside the return of Thomas Ian Griffith as Terry Silver, the even crazier sensei from “The Karate Kid Part III.” Amongst the veterans of the Karate Kid franchise, newcomers Dallas Young and Oona O’Brien join the fight as fast learning karate students Kenny Payne and Devon Lee. The entire cast, as always, show not only emotional commitment to their characters but also physical. This season there are many shocking twists and turns in the plot as fans are unexpecting of what side each character will be on when it comes to the fight of All Valley Champion. As the show progresses, certain characters are redeemed while others may be corrupted

The show also dives into more aspects of martial arts as there is more prominence of not only fighting and discipline but also weapon skills and katas (for non-karate enthusiasts, Kata’s are choreographed routines performed during a competition). The show also features many important topics besides karate such as family and the finding of one’s own destiny and identity. Cobra Kai season four did a wonderful job at portraying the lives of the teenage students by exploring typical social norms like going to prom or using TikTok. Oh, and not to mention, of course, the show is filled with so many stellar action sequences that will make all the viewers wish they could do a tornado kick in their living room (from personal experience, it is advised to not try at home). The stunts team and actors did an amazing job at keeping the fight sequences interesting and totally unpredictable.

Sadly, the only downside of the series is that it only consisted of ten episodes. But, fans of the show should not worry as Cobra Kai’s fifth season is already being filmed and set to release towards the end of 2022 or early 2023. The karate phenomenon doesn’t stop there though as Netflix is also planning on continuing the series for another season after. So don’t worry, the Karate legends are not going anywhere any time soon so just be patient and rewatch all four seasons to ease the waiting until the next time we see this awesome cast.