Top 20 Cobra Kai Fights

“Nature vs. Nurture”

During a series of season 2 flashbacks, you initially believe that the obnoxious jock in the letter jacket is “Karate Kid’s” most notorious villain, John Kreese. But Kreese is actually the waiter getting harassed by the guys. While taking out the trash, he sees these terrible men hassling Betsy behind the diner. Kreese doesn’t hesitate to defend her. Since this scrap happens before he learned karate, the fight’s a little rough around the edges. But it’s immensely satisfying to watch horrible guys get their just desserts. Seeing Kreese as a hero taking down evil is an excellent subversion and a great way to develop his character.

“No Mercy”

Fans were waiting for a fight between Daniel and Johnny on par with their climactic match in the first “Karate Kid.” since the first episode. “Cobra Kai” did a great job at playing with this expectation. In Season 1, the duo almost squared off before they were interrupted by Amanda. During Season 2, Daniel shows up at Johnny’s apartment, looking for his daughter. Since Samantha and Robby were inebriated, Johnny did the responsible thing by letting them stay the night. Daniel is quick to jump to conclusions, though, kicking the door open. The brawl that ensues is a personal and heated one that mirrors their All-Valley Karate Championship fight, although the two are once again interrupted before they can “finish” it.

“The Rise”

In season 4, the All-Valley is separated into three divisions. The girls’ competition is the last and most important fight. So naturally, it could only be another showdown between Sam Lausso and Tory Nichols, the show’s most potent rivals. The two both come prepared with both offensive and defensive techniques. While Sam tries not to let her hatred for her rival control her, Tory tries to honor Amanda Larusso’s kind wishes and avoid pressure from Silver to break the rules. The tense clash features plenty of great techniques and a nail biting finish. It was fantastic to root for Tory as more than a one-dimensional villain. However, the fight’s greatness is a bit overshadowed by the fact that Silver bribed the ref so she’d win.

“Now You’re Gonna Pay”

After putting Miguel in the hospital, Robby finally comes to face the consequences of his actions and gets sent to juvenile hall. Just like high school, juvie is ruled by an aggressive clique. It doesn’t take long for Robby to get on their bad side. While he tries to avoid fighting, he can’t stand by and let the group get away with tormenting others. It’s impressive to watch Robby hold his own against three fierce opponents by using a defensive style. Although he loses this bout, he chooses to strike first a couple of episodes later. Not only is the rematch fun and cathartic to watch, but Robby earns the respect of the clique’s leader Shawn.

“Match Point”

“Cobra Kai” finally gave audiences a tournament-like bout between an off-balance Daniel and angry Johnny at the midpoint of season 4. Only the winning sensei will get to teach their personal karate style and philosophies to all of their promising students. The fight is a homage to their iconic duel that is full of great twists on their history. Seeing Johnny overcome Daniel’s greatest Miyagi-Do technique instead of losing instantly was just one of many great moments. Unlike their original movie matchup, there’s no winner. Their tie suggests that no matter how many rematches they go through, the rivals will both lose if they aren't balanced when they fight.

“Miyagi-Do”

After tensions build up between kids from Cobra Kai and Miyagi-Do, they meet up in a derelict laser tag building. This leads to a clash in the coolest action scene location the show’s ever given us. Initially, it looks like Miyagi-Do students will triumph over their foes. But then they start losing to their rivals one by one. Sam’s trauma from a previous bawl causes her to run and hide from Tory. This means Larusso can’t help when Hawk purposely breaks Demetri’s arm in one of the show’s most violent moments. While seeing Miyagi-Do on the backfoot is shocking, there is hope at the end of this battle. For the first time in a while, we see that Hawk has serious doubts about Cobra Kai.

“Take a Right”

Just as “Cobra Kai” redeems Johnny, it also finds the humanity in his old friends, Bobby, Jimmy, and Tommy. Tommy is best remembered as the kid who told Johnny to put Daniel in a body bag. In a tragic twist of fate, it’s Tommy who winds up in a body bag at the end of this episode. Before he succumbs to a terminal illness, Johnny’s friends treat him to one last night out. After a bar patron is rude to a waitress and Tommy, however, a brawl ensues. The set-piece makes impeccable use of its environment, incorporating pool cues and beer mugs into the choreography. The guys have little trouble taking down the barflies. It’s a fitting reunion, as well as a triumphant sendoff for the actor who played Tommy before his passing.

“Ace Degenerate”

34 years after losing to Daniel, Johnny Lawrence is out of work and gets his dinner at a mini-mart. While eating his crummy slice of pizza in the parking lot, Johnny sees a group of privileged people harassing Miguel. It reflects the scene from the first “Karate Kid” where Johnny and his friends beat up Daniel, only for Mr. Miyagi to intervene. In this case, it’s Johnny who assumes the Miyagi role. Of course, this is less about defending Miguel and more about defending his car. It’s four against one and Johnny is now in his 50s, but he’s still got enough kicks to go around. While the cops break it up, the scene establishes that Johnny hasn’t lost his fighting spirit.

“The Moment of Truth”

As Hilary Swank demonstrated back in 1994, you don’t have to be a boy to be a karate kid. In Season 2, “Cobra Kai” added to its roster of strong female characters with Tory. In an epic introduction right out of a classic ‘80s sports movie, Tory challenges Miguel to a fight when nobody else has the guts. Tory quickly asserts that she’s not a beginner, influencing Miguel to hold nothing back. The two swap one-liners while dodging each other’s kicks and punches, building tension and chemistry with each move. When it appears Miguel has the upper hand, Tory seizes the opportunity to catch him off guard. Pinning Miguel down, Tory shows no mercy, making her a good fit for Cobra Kai.

“Lull”

Over the first two seasons, Miguel and Eli both go through drastic evolutions. Although Eli reinvents himself as Hawk, he becomes just as bad as those who once tormented him. While Miguel also becomes a hothead, he shows more restraint than Hawk. Training in Coyote Creek, Miguel realizes that Hawk has crossed a line, trashing Miyagi-Do and stealing Miyagi’s Medal of Honor. Their argument escalates into an intense showdown that’s only made more atmospheric thanks to the woodland setting. Miguel emerges on top, but he doesn’t hesitate to finish Hawk, showing that neither student has the moral high ground. Although Miguel seemingly secures the black team’s victory, there turns out to be a “Stingray” in his pond, resulting in one of the show’s funniest moments.

“Mercy, Part II”

Season 1 ended with a major bombshell, revealing that John Kreese is alive and ready to reclaim his place at Cobra Kai. Season 2 picks up immediately where we last left off. We weren’t sure how Johnny would react, but seeing him throw a punch at his old sensei was surprising and on-brand. After Kreese disarms his student, Johnny retaliates by kicking his cigar out of his mouth and into a trash can. Sweet! This fight is stressful on multiple levels. As Johnny and Kreese throw punches and reminisce about the old days, the audience can’t help but worry about the fire breaking out. Worrying that he’ll become what he hates, Johnny shows his opponent mercy, but Kreese still doesn’t know the meaning of honor.

“The Rise”

As the “Cobra Kai’s” second All-Valley tournament went on, everyone was expecting a rematch between reigning champion Miguel and previous finalist Robby. But when the former champ forfeits, reformed Cobra Kai student and new Miyagi-Do disciple Hawk/Eli must step up. Since Eli and Robby know each other’s karate inside and out, their face-off is evenly matched. In the end, it all came down to balance. Robby gets distracted at key moments because he’s struggling with Cobra Kai’s brutal teachings. However, Hawk is able to embrace two schools of teaching and score a victory for the good guys. This fantastic clash closed Eli’s long redemption arc while cementing him as one of the Valley’s best fighters.

“All In”

While a mall cop is out to lunch (literally), Hawk and his fellow Cobra Kai students pursue Demetri over a negative Yelp review. They corner him in the food court, but Sam swings in before Hawk can beat a positive review out of Demetri. Robby rushes to Demetri’s aid as well, getting us pumped up for a face-off between Cobra Kai and Miyagi-Do. Although they’re outnumbered and Demetri can barely throw a punch, Sam and Robby make for an unstoppable duo. In a slick bit of editing, we cut between the mall fight and their training. Sam and Robby act like a unit here, perfectly balancing each other out. The mall setting also gives the fight a genuine ‘80s vibe, which is always welcome.

“Aftermath”

While people got injured throughout the couple of seasons, the season 2 finale showed just how high “Cobra Kai’s” stakes could get. During the school brawl, Miguel is knocked over a balcony and severely injures his spine. He’s left comatose in hospital and fighting to stay alive. Because this is “Cobra Kai”, his internal struggle is shown through a metaphorical dream karate duel. He battles an imaginary opponent in his mind as his family sits by his bedside. While the fight choreography is great, it’s not what makes this scene so memorable. Context clues tell us that if Miguel loses this duel, he also loses his life. That’s why fans cheered so much when the champ eventually prevailed.

“Counterbalance”

Samantha is stunned when her jerky ex Kyler starts spreading lies about her. Unwilling to take this disrespect sitting down, Sam confronts Kyler at lunch. Miguel, who has his own beef with Kyler, isn’t afraid to stand up for Sam. Having learned a few new moves since he last dealt with Kyler, Miguel puts his karate training to effective use. In a one-on-four fight, Miguel serves up a fistful of knuckle sandwiches, turning the cafeteria into his personal playground. He harnesses nearby tools and uses a lunch tray to annihilate his enemy Kyler in a funny and badass moment. Standing atop a table in victory, Miguel earns the admiration of Sam and their classmates, although the school faculty isn’t all that impressed.

“December 19”

Shortly after Kreese lets Daniel know he’s back, he succeeds in forcing Johnny out of Cobra Kai. It soon becomes clear that the Valley isn’t big enough for three senseis. Once Johnny discovers Cobra Kai students instigated a huge brawl, he comes to face Kreese himself. The heated duel is beautifully intercut with Kreese’s own fight to the death back in Vietnam. Just when Lawrence is about to win, Robby attacks him to save Kreese. After everything goes sideways, Daniel saves his rival’s life and faces Kreese himself. The extended battle’s brutal conclusion is halted when Sam and Miguel arrive. All three senseis decide whichever dojo wins the next All-Valley gets to survive. Their bargain is a crowd-pleasing conclusion to an epic fight.

“Miyagi-Do”

When Daniel returns to Okinawa, he reunites with his fierce karate rival Chozen. This brutal fighter previously lost to Larusso in a duel that nearly had fatal consequences. After Chozen offers to teach Daniel more Miyagi-Do secrets, the two have a series of fights. It’s great to see them go from using their bare hands to wielding wooden staffs. Unfortunately for Daniel, Chozen is an even tougher opponent than he was as a young man. In the end, it looks like Larusso's luck has finally run out. But Chozen instead returns the favor Daniel gave him thirty years ago and honks his nose. Who knew one of the show’s greatest fighting montages would end in such a hilarious way?

“December 19”

The Miyagi-Dos and Eagle Fangs thought they would be safe at the LaRusso house. Unfortunately, Cobra Kai shows up to attack all of their rivals. Things don’t look too good for the Eagle-Fangs and Miyagi-Dos for most of the well shot clash. Miguel gets thrown around after he’s just started to heal, Sam is still afraid of Tory and Demetri’s arm nearly gets broken. But everything starts to turn around when Hawk betrays Cobra Kai in a triumphant turn. After this awe-inspiring moment, Miguel overcomes his injuries and beats his old rival. To cap it all off, Sam faces her fears and puts Tory on notice. Seeing students from different dojos rise up against a common enemy helped end season 3 on an exhilarating note.

“Mercy”

Like the original film, the first season of “Cobra Kai” climaxes with a karate tournament. In an ironic twist, though, Daniel has trained Johnny’s son Robby to challenge Cobra Kai. Like Daniel before him, Robby is injured when Hawk uses an illegal move on him.(xref) Although Daniel can’t suppress the pain with Mr. Miyagi’s Reiki technique, he does get Robby back in shape for the final round against Miguel. Unlike the first film’s fight between Daniel and Johnny, there isn’t a clear hero or villain here. Both Miguel and Robby have demonstrated their honorable sides in the past. In this case, however, Miguel wins by showing no mercy. It’s familiar yet fresh, which is also the best way to describe the series as a whole.

“No Mercy”

“Cobra Kai” saved its most ambitious set-piece yet for the Season 2 finale, in which every rivalry reaches its boiling point. Tory kicks things off with Samantha, prompting another one-on-one match between Miguel and Robby. From there, an all-out battle breaks out between the two dojos, delivering the show’s best choreography to date. While it’s satisfying seeing Demetri finally best Hawk, the main action takes place on the second floor where Sam disarms Tory and Miguel pins down Robby. In a reversal of last season’s tournament fight, Miguel shows Robby mercy. Robby’s instincts kick in, however, causing him to accidentally send Miguel over the rail. It was a brutal, heart-pounding, and devastating way to cap off a season with no winners, only losers.