Cobra Kai has somehow managed to divide its runtime to keep each character arc interesting but has seemingly sacrificed several storylines in doing so.
Cobra Kai has had a strong run almost throughout its five-season runtime, but, along the way, the show seemingly forgot about many important stories. Ingeniously reversing the primary character beats from the original Karate Kid movie, Cobra Kai started by introducing Johnny Lawrence as its protagonist and Daniel LaRusso as his bully. After reigniting their rivalry throughout seasons 1 and 2 and adding new ones to the mix, Cobra Kai expanded its lore by reinstating several legacy Karate Kid characters like Chozen, Kreese, and Silver in its overarching storylines.
So far, Cobra Kai has done an incredible job at churning out fascinating stories about karate rivalries, romance, redemption, and coming-of-age drama. While pleasing audiences who have followed the franchise since Daniel started training with Mr. Miyagi in the first Karate Kid, Cobra Kaialso garnered a whole new viewer base with its contemporary take on the narrative foundations set by the original films. However, despite its commendable run, Cobra Kai has not been able to avoid plot holes that highlight how the show forgot many important stories.
Miguel's Asthma
Cobra Kai season 1 established that Miguel had severe asthma and used an inhaler to control it. When Miguel tried using his inhaler during a Cobra Kai training session with Johnny, Johnny snatched it from him and smashed it against a wall in the dojo. Miguel has not used his inhaler in Cobra Kai since then, implying that Johnny magically cured his condition. While it is possible that Cobra Kai's training helped Miguel strengthen his lungs and reduce the severity of his condition, Cobra Kai did not acknowledge Miguel's asthma even once following the season 1 scene.
Johnny's Mysterious Applebee's Incident
Johnny's backstory in Cobra Kai hints that he did something terribly embarrassing at Applebee's, which led to his ban from the restaurant chain. While the show still has not mentioned what exactly led to Johnny getting banned from Applebee's, Cobra Kai's creator Jon Hurwitz revealed (via Cheatsheet) a segment of the backstory. He disclosed that Johnny ended up having a few too many drinks during the happy hour at Applebee's and started having boiling hot potato soup at the restaurant. However, when he heard a couple demanding for a vegan menu, he could not help but be "a hero" and do something that would forever ban him from dining at Applebee's.
Unfortunately, before the Cobra Kai creator could complete the story, co-creator Hayden Schlossberg interrupted him, claiming that they might finally reveal the reason behind Johnny Lawrence's ban in season 6. It is possible that Schlossberg was only joking about delving into Johnny Applebee's incident in Cobra Kai's final season. However, hopefully, Cobra Kai season 6 will offer some new insights into how Johnny hit rock bottom before he flipped his script and started changing his life for the better.
Miguel's Cobra Kai Season 2 Injury
Miguel's back injury from Cobra Kai season 2 has been heavily downplayed, and in recent seasons, Cobra Kai seems to have forgotten how terribly he had hurt his spine. To put things into context, Miguel was in a coma after Cobra Kai season 2's climactic showdown and could not even move his legs after gaining consciousness. Given the seriousness of his injury, Miguel had a miraculously speedy recovery, which stretches the suspension of disbelief but is still believable. However, the fact that Miguel continues to compete in karate tournaments and even puts himself through intense karate training makes little to no sense.
The Aftermath Of Cobra Kai Season 2's School Showdown
Cobra Kai season 3 established that all students involved in season 2's climactic showdown were suspended. However, given how school property was damaged during the fight, several students faced severe injuries, a grown man like Stingray showed up randomly to beat up kids, and Miguel nearly died during the fight suggests that a lot more should have happened in its aftermath. In the real world, an incident like that would be national news, and students would even get expelled. Others like Tory, who used weapons during the fight, would face serious legal charges. Since none of this happened, Cobra Kai forgot or intentionally ignored the damage caused by the showdown.
Johnny And Miguel Were The Main Characters In Seasons 1 And 2
Like the Karate Kid movies primarily revolved around Daniel and Mr. Miyagi's student-sensei relationship, Cobra Kai's initial focus was only on Johnny Lawrence's dynamic with Miguel as his sensei and father figure. However, after season 2, Cobra Kai seemingly forgot that Johnny and Miguel were its protagonists as it gradually started focusing more on other characters' arcs. While Johnny and Miguel's story arcs have gone through some developments since season 2, their narratives have progressed relatively slower than their initial Cobra Kai storylines.
Daniel And Johnny's Karate Kid Ending
Daniel and Johnny started on the wrong foot in the first Karate Kid movie. However, after Daniel won the All-Valley, Johnny benevolently handed him the trophy and called a truce by saying, "You're alright, Larusso." Johnny's graciousness in Karate Kid's final moments suggested he would never hold his defeat against Daniel LaRusso. However, Cobra Kai's early seasons suggest the loss gradually ate him from the inside out. While it is possible that the trauma from Kreese's abuse made him despise Daniel even though he had shown good sportsmanship towards Karate Kid's final moments, it does not make narrative sense for him to hold on to that hate and resentment for so long.
Johnny's Financial Status Before Starting Cobra Kai
As established in Cobra Kai season 1, Johnny was on a downward spiral and was barely keeping himself afloat before Miguel entered his life and encouraged him to start a dojo. Things started looking up with the Cobra Kai dojo's growing popularity, which made it hard not to assume that even Johnny's financial situation was improving. However, Johnny later lost the dojo to Kreese and Silver, and as seen in Cobra Kai's recent seasons, he even struggled to keep a stable job. Strangely, despite having no means of earning a regular paycheck, Johnny is about to raise a child with Carmen. Has Cobra Kai forgotten about his financial condition?
Daniel LaRusso's Car Sales Business
Daniel LaRusso runs a successful car sales business and even seems to be among the higher-class residents of The Valley. However, considering how he spends most of his time chasing childhood rivalries and teaching karate to Miyagi Do students, it is hard not to be curious about how he balances all of that with his business-related commitments. Cobra Kai season 1 still had several scenes where Daniel could be seen working with his employees, but since then, it seems like he has rarely stepped foot in his car showroom.
Aisha's Self-Discovery As A Cobra Kai Student
When Sam meets Aisha in Cobra Kai season 4, Aisha tells her that although she has given up karate altogether, she still thoughtfully implements Lawrence's Cobra Kai lessons. She even recalls an incident at her new school where, before a girl could start bullying her, she decided to "strike first" by going up to the girl and introducing herself to her. By doing so, not only did she prevent history from repeating itself but also implemented Johnny Lawrence's Cobra Kai methods in a non-violent way. Unfortunately, Cobra Kai now seems deadset on antagonizing the titular dojo and has seemingly forgotten how its teachings — if implemented correctly — can benefit students like Aisha.
Cobra Kai Was Banned From The All-Valley Because Of Kreese
After noticing Kreese, Silver, and Barnes' unethical practices in Karate Kid III's All Valley Tournament, the tournament's committee had banned Cobra Kai from competing again. In Cobra Kai season 1, Johnny Lawrence managed to get the ban lifted by appealing at an All Valley Karate Tournament Executive meeting. This development in Cobra Kai season 1 made sense because Lawrence had nothing to do with the ban in the first place and also gave the committee a strong reason to trust him.
However, since Kreese and Silver's malpractices were the primary reason behind the committee's decision to place the lifetime ban on the dojo, it is strange how no one from the tournament's authorities even questioned them when they reappeared as senseis for Cobra Kai in the 2019 All Valley. Silver might have used his power and influence to bribe his way in. However, the fact that Cobra Kai does not even address this suggests it forgot the real reason behind the titular dojo's All Valley ban.