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Cobra Kai is one of the more popular series that has landed on the streaming giant, Netflix, and comes from the house of Sony Pictures.
The series can be considered a sequel to The Karate Kid film series, which was released in late 1980s. Cobra Kai is a martial arts-themed comedy-drama series created by Josh Heald, Jon Hurwitz, and Hayden Schlossberg.
It made its debut on YouTube Red in 2018 and moved to Netflix from the third season onwards. Cobra Kai has aired five seasons to date, all of which were immensely popular among the audience and critics.
Rotten Tomatoes has scored all seasons higher than 90%, with the first and the fifth ones getting 100%. After moving to Netflix, the title has become one of the most-watched series on the streaming platform, which says a lot.
Undoubtedly, Cobra Kai has been one of the most popular shows in the last few years and has pulled a lot of viewership on whichever platform it has streamed on. With original stars from the film series reprising their roles as pivotal characters in the storyline, the series also works on the nostalgia of the 80s and has a mixed demographic of viewers.
Understandably, the producers have kept the series running to satiate the huge demand it has worked up. However, all good things come to an end. On January 20, 2023, producers renewed the series for its sixth season and announced that it is set to conclude the storyline for now.
In this article, we go revisit some of the most memorable moments of Cobra Kai till date and list out some of the most iconic lines that the characters have delivered.
Note: This article is subjective and reflects the writer's views.
Seven of the most popular and iconic dialogues from Cobra Kai
7. "The best defense is more offense."
Who said it - Johnny Lawrence
Which episode - Season one episode four
At the number seven position is one of the most iconic lines from the series, which comes up right after Miguel Diaz resumes his training with Johnny. He begins training after he is beaten up by Kyler and his friends at school during the Halloween party. Although Miguel trained a bit at the Cobra Kai dojo, he was not ready to take on four guys bigger than him at once and ended up being beaten.
As he resumes training, Johnny gives him the best piece of advice that essentially sums up the emotion behind the entire series. Johnny tells Miguel that he lost because he did not have enough defense, and the best defense possible is more offense. The line does come back time and again throughout the series, and has made its mark as one of the most popular dialogs in the series.
6. "Cobra Kai is about strength - if you're not strong on the inside, you can't be strong on the outside."
Who said it - Johnny Lawrence
Which episode - Season one episode six
The Cobra Kai dojo found its spark when Miguel successfully stood up against his bullies. Miguel defeated Kyler and his buddies for spreading lies about Samantha LaRusso, and the whole school ended up respecting him for his fighting prowess.
This pulled a lot of traffic to the Cobra Kai dojo and completely filled it up the next day. Johnny took his usual hard approach to the kids and humiliated them and called them names on their very first day. Not accepting this, many of them quit.
The next day, Johnny addressed the quitters and talked about how having inner strength is a must to be strong on the outside. While his methods may not be perfect, his lesson is a very important one which teaches how the real world is not a bed of roses.
5. "You can't let the mistakes of your past determine your future."
Who said it - Carmen Diaz
Which episode - Season one episode eight
While Cobra Kai does have its new generation of fighters at the forefront, at its foundation, the rivalry between Daniel LaRusso and Johnny Lawrence was still a key factor. The rivalry, which lasted over 30 years, had its effects on both of them, and much more than they would have liked it.
Lawrence had since fallen into a bout of depression and alcoholism and lost faith in himself until he started coaching the kids. While having dinner with Miguel's family, his mother, Carmen Diaz tells Johnny that one cannot let their past mistakes determine their future, while talking about her own past life.
This resonates with Johnny as he himself has also been living under the shadow of his own past mistakes.
4. "Two cobras in the jungle. One kills the strongest lion, the other kills a crippled monkey. Which cobra do you want to be?"
Who said it - Johnny Lawrence
Which episode - Season 2 episode 1
The first season ended with the Cobra Kai dojo winning their first All-Valley Karate Tournament at the 2018 championship. Although Miguel defeated Robby, he did so by ethically questionable means, and Johnny was not ready to let Miguel and other students go down the same dark path he had once trodden.
He brings Hawk and Miguel, the two stars of his dojo, up to the front and rebukes them for their dirty tricks to bring down their opponents. At this moment, he asks Ms. Robinson the aforementioned question.
This is a very important moment in the series as Johnny has a change of heart in considering the proper methods to achieve victory, unlike his popular policy of "no mercy".
3. "There’s no honor in being merciless."
Who said it - Miguel Diaz
Which episode - Season 2 episode 6
In the second season, we can see the return of Johnny's former teacher, John Kreese. Being a man of questionable ethics and a toxic mentality, Kreese teaches the students his own version of karate. Kreese's methods do not show any mercy for the opponent, even if the enemy is injured or his back is turned.
Although Johnny himself propagated a similar ideology at first, he realized that what he was doing was wrong. Since winning the All Valley Karate Tournament, Johnny changed his methods and taught his students that being merciless does not make you bada**, and it is for the weak.
When Kreese tries to teach otherwise, Miguel stands up to him and reminds the class that their Sensei Lawrence does not support that ideology.
2. "You are the only one who can get up when you are down."
Who said it - Daniel LaRusso
Which episode - Season 3 episode 7
Daniel realized that Sam is going through something when she denies taking any more karate classes and wants to drop it overall. When she talked about how she felt while the fight went down at their school, Daniel saw an inkling of himself in his early years and decided to give her a lesson that would make her stronger in her future.
Daniel took Sam to the All Valley Sports Arena, where he won the 1985 Championship and overcame his fears. He tells her how Mr. Miyagi's advice helped him face his fears and not be intimidated by them.
While encouraging her to become stronger and letting her know that he will always be there with her, Daniel reminds her that she herself will have to be the one to get back up when she is down.
1. "If you have hate in your heart, then you have already lost."
Who said it - Daniel LaRusso
Which episode - Season 3 episode 8
With Kreese taking over the Cobra Kai dojo and removing Johnny as a sensei, the valley saw the inception of a new dojo, Johnny's very own Eagle Fang dojo. As all three dojos start their training for the next All Valley Karate Tournament at the beginning of the episode, we see a montage of the senseis giving some prep talk to their students, in their own styles nonetheless.
At the Miyagi-Do dojo, Daniel talks about harboring compassion and forgiveness and never aiming for revenge. He follows this up by saying that harboring hate only leads to loss, unlike the Cobra Kai dojo under Kreese, which channels hate and anger into strength.
Cobra Kai has dished out more than a handful of iconic moments over the years and the best ones may vary from one viewer to the other. If this list does not match with your personal favorites, do drop your own list in the comments down below.
The series has been renewed for a sixth and final season by Netflix on January 20, 2023.
