Netflix’s largest and finest karate showdown – Cobra Kai season 4 is just days away, and everything is ready for an All-Valley Tournament that promises to settle decades-old disputes. What can we expect? Terry Silver from The Karate Kid 3 is returning, which can only bode danger. Furthermore, if the Cobra Kai season 4 teaser is any indicator, the focus will be on how well Johnny’s Eagle Fang dojo and Daniel’s Miyagi-do dojo will get along.
We’re hash brown #excited for this one, to say the least. We’re sure you are as well. Take a quick look down below for all you need to know about Cobra Kai season 4 if you want to be fully prepared for the big day.
Cobra Kai season 4 release date: December 2021
Cobra Kai season 4 has been given a release date: the next set of episodes is released on December 31, 2021. In May, the series came to an end.
Cobra Kai Season 4 cast: Ali and Aisha return
Daniel LaRusso and his long-time nemesis, Johnny Lawrence, would not be Cobra Kai without their constant sparring (verbal or otherwise). Baby, Ralph Macchio, and William Zabka have returned.
Xolo Mariduena (Miguel), Mary Mouser (Sam), Tanner Buchanan (Robby), Jacob Bertrand (Hawk), Peyton List (Tory), and Martin Kove (Kreese) all return to reprise their roles. Dallas Dupree Young and Oona O’Brien will join the Cobra Kai season 4 ensemble, while List and Vanessa Rubio (Carmen) have been promoted to series regulars.
Thomas Ian Griffith, who played Terry Silver in the third season, will return for the fourth. Given how the third season ended, The Karate Kid Part 3 villain is very certain to play a significant part.
Griffith has also expressed interest in resuming his part. “When the guys called about Cobra Kai saying they’re bringing back Terry Silver, at first it was like ‘well, what’s Terry Silver been up to for the last 30 years?’ And then when they mapped out their plan it was like, ‘Oh my god I cannot say no to that, that sounds incredible.’ So, I jumped on it.
All I can say is, just wait till season 4. Because they really go for it… you may still hate him, but there’s definitely something you’re going to want to watch with him. It’s an exciting journey, not just for Terry Silver, but overall. It’s an epic season, I’m so proud of it, and I really can’t wait for it to drop.”
Meanwhile, much has been made of Aisha’s disappearance throughout the third season’s events. Nichole Brown, who played the role, announced her departure from the show on Instagram. But the character’s story may not finish there.
“We love that character,” creator Jon Hurwitz told Pop Sugar, “And perhaps we’ll see her again one day.”
What about Ali? Elisabeth Shue reprised her role as Daniel, Johnny’s ex-girlfriend. Depending on how the creators arrange the following tale, the door is very much left open for her to stay.
“When we were creating her character, we were thinking about all the different possibilities of where that character could go,” executive producer Hayden Schlossberg shares. “You learn that, you know, she’s single, and she has kids of her own. That is now out into the universe, and people can take that and run with it, and maybe we’ll do something with it. Maybe we won’t. And that’s part of the fun of the show.”
Cobra Kai Season 4 story: what will happen in Cobra Kai season 4?
Cobra Kai Season 4 has the majority of its forthcoming plot sketched out more than any other season before it. So far, we’ve got a solid taste of what to expect from the Eagle Fang, Miyagi-do, and Cobra Kai dojos.
That’s because all of the pieces on the board have aligned for a spectacular conclusion, and all eyes are on the U18 All Valley Karate Tournament.
What’s the setup? On one hand, there’s Kreese. Johnny and Daniel, on the other hand, are at their newly founded dojo, which combines Miyagi-do with Eagle Fang. Whichever dojo wins the tournament must dissolve permanently. As co-creator Hayden Schlossberg stated on Twitter
I've been watching and rewatching the All Valley tournament in Season 4. There are so many times when I get revved up and almost lose it. It's like every Rocky fight rolled into one and built up with so much hype and anticipation, leading to an explosion of nonstop action.
— Hayden Schlossberg (@McSchlossberg) July 14, 2021
The main idea for the forthcoming season looks to be that showdown, but it might grow considerably more convoluted than that. Hawk looks to be back on the side of the (karate) angels and fighting the good fight, while Robby has joined Kreese’s side – and, together with Peyton List’s vicious Tory, might be one of season 4’s primary baddies.
Then there’s the question of who Kreese is phoning in the third season’s closing seconds. Terry Silver, the major villain from Karate Kid 3 and someone with whom he served in Vietnam, has returned. The return of the moneybags to Reseda might bode disaster for Daniel and Johnny, as well as a massive expansion of Cobra Kai.
Of course, Daniel and Johnny’s collaboration is a significant departure from the series’ previous portrayal of them as adversaries. “What I’m most looking forward to in the Daniel/Johnny team-up is the challenge. Navigating their varied personalities and stubborn mindsets as they work toward the same endgame.
Their history is nuanced and multi-layered. They are wired so differently even though their intentions are aligned. Billy and I love diving into the friendship as well as the rivalry. This is what Hayden Schlossberg has always called the Ross and Rachel element of our show. It makes for great comedy as well as heightened drama within Season 4.” Ralph Macchio, who plays Daniel, said.
“I was thrilled Johnny and Daniel found common ground and aligned themselves at the end of Season 3. The enemy of my enemy is my friend. It’s a great note and launching point for all that’s ahead in the story.” Johnny Lawrence actor Zabka added
Co-creator Josh Heald about how the new dynamic will play out in the upcoming chapter.
“Season 4 delivers on the premise of the series, which is what happens when these guys get into each other’s lives and get under each other’s skin. We’ve watched arguments, we’ve watched consequences and reactions, and overreactions, and now we’re entering a phase in which they are putting down their weapons and looking at each other and accepting the challenge in front of them with Kreese and kind of taking that next step and trying to grow as adults and leaders.
And it’s a great tipping point for them as performers and for their characters, because it starts to provide new colors to their arrangement that are not just “I hate you, I hate you.” We’re finally entering into the second phase of their relationship.”
The new season appears to have promise for two characters in particular.
“Sam and Tory are two of our favorite characters in the series and their rivalry is a fresh one that certainly cuts to the core for both of them. We’re eager for people to see how it plays out in Season 4 because there’s certainly no love lost between those two at the end of Season 3 and there’s a lot more between them going forward. We think it’s a very special season for both those characters.” said co-creator Jon Hurwitz
