Cobra Kai

Season 4

Let's Begin

1. Thomas Ian Griffith is actually 4 months younger than Ralph Macchio, but plays a character believed to be significantly older than LaRusso.
2. This marks Thomas Ian Griffith's first acting role in 14 years, since the 2007 TV movie "The Kidnapping".
3. Thomas Ian Griffit studied Tae Kwon Do since childhood; he's also a black belt in Kenpo Karate. He's also trained in kickboxing, wrestling and fencing. He also has experience in stage combat.
4. The bottle of wine that Terry Silver roundhouse kicks is labeled "Kamen." Robert Mark Kamen created the original Karate Kid franchise.
5. The crew's response to the passing of Ed Asner, saying what little time they got to spend with him in what ended up being his final acting role was always a joy, and he was constantly cracking them up right to the end.
6. The reaction of fans (as well as cast and crew) of Thomas Ian Griffith returning to acting as Terry Silver for Season 4 was nothing short of overwhelmingly positive. Cast and crew of the series took it to social media to promote Griffith's reappearance as the sinister, ponytailed billionaire. Even Griffith's Instagram account, which has not been very active prior to his promotional reveal, managed to grow from about 7,000 followers to currently 18.8k. Goes to show just how beloved his character is to fans of the The Karate Kid franchise and Cobra Kai (granted, as he was arguably the main highlight of the polarized The Karate Kid Part III).
7. The bottle of wine Terry kicks right before the credits is a bottle of Kamen "Lava Block", is actually produced by Robert Mark Kamen, writer of the original trilogy.
8. Terry Silver is series creator Hayden Schlossberg's favorite Karate Kid character.
9. Peyton List (Tory Nichols), Vanessa Rubio (Carmen Díaz) and Thomas Ian Griffith (Terry Silver) have been added to the main cast.
10. When Silver kicks the bottle of Kamen "Lava Block" into the door, this could be interpreted as him intending to remove the mask of his present self as 'Kamen' also means 'mask' in Japanese.
11. The title of this episode is "Let's Begin". That is the last line that Johnny says in "December 19"

First Learn Stand

1. The warehouse where Johnny trains Daniel in Eagle Fang is named Webber Industrial. Webber was originally going to be Daniel's last name in Karate Kid before Ralph Macchio had been hired.
2. Daniel tells Johnny the same story Mr. Miyagi told him him in Karate Kid Part II about the origins of Miyagi/Do karate
3. In the montage scene where Daniel is teaching Johnny select lessons of Miyagi-Do karate, he mentions an axiom that Mr. Miyagi only said on screen to Julie Pierce (Hilary Swank) in "The Next Karate Kid" (1994). "Ambition without knowledge is like a boat on dry land".
4. The episode title is taken from a line by Mr. Miyagi in The Karate Kid, when he explains the first learning process of the crane kick.
5. A scene where Johnny blindfolded Daniel and made him chug a gross-looking pre-training smoothie during the training montage was deleted. It was meant to be a vodka and eggs mix, but spiraled into "whatever the prop master made". Ralph Macchio filmed the scene but it was ultimately deleted. He explained the unique taste saying, "it was like if Johnny Lawrence grabbed everything in his fridge, whether it was expired or not, maybe threw in some protein that he heard about, and put it in the blender that was probably still rusty and mildewed
6. Kenny's phone ringtone is from the popular video game Metal Gear Solid.
7. Kenny's online username is Kennythejet which could be a nod to famous martial artist Benny the Jet Urquidez, showing he has an interest in martial arts.
8. The scene of Kenny being chased in the park by the bullies is very similar to Daniel being chased by the Cobra Kais in the original movie. Like Daniel, Kenny reaches a wire fence. But unlike Daniel, Kenny makes it over.
9. The title of this episode is "Respect" According to the director

Then Learn Fly

1. The episode title is taken from a line by Mr. Miyagi in The Karate Kid, when he explains the second learning process of the crane kick.
2. This episode marks the first official interaction between Sam and Johnny in the series.

Bicephaly

1. Miguel mentions Peter Cetera's The Glory of Love, which was featured in the film Karate Kid II.
2. Miguel tricking Cobra Kai into being drenched by sprinklers recalls Daniel soaking Johnny in the first film. Johnny's reaction implies that he makes this connection and is troubled by it, while Daniel praises Miguel for finding an alternative to fighting.
3. Bicephaly is a reference to the genetic condition that happens to a fetus in utero. Because the embryo doesn't split correctly or completely, the fetus becomes a conjoined twin instead of an identical twin. This phenomenon is incredibly rare, but happens in both humans and animals to differing extents. better than having just the one. In this case it's a coded reference to the two-sensei model at each of the dojos, and how this episode highlights the clashes between them.
4. Silver repeats his famous line of "A man can't stand, he can't fight", this time in a more benign context.
5. Nate and Bert start hassling Kenny directly in front of a poster that reads "STOP BULLYING".
6. Johnny and Carmen briefly discuss Top Gun (1986) and Tom Cruise. Cruise has worked with Ralph Macchio on The Outsiders (1983).

Match Point

1. When Demetri tells Hawk that Moon and her girlfriend broke up weeks ago, Hawk replies "weeks? One week? Five weeks? How many weeks is weeks?" This is the exact same line Daniel says in the original movie when Ali tells him she and Johnny broke up weeks ago.
2. The flashback scene of Daniel smothering a blueberry pie on Johnny in their high school cafeteria is actually a deleted scene from Karate Kid. The scene in its entirety appears as a bonus feature in the 2021 Karate Kid 4K box set.
3. William Zabka was the one who shaved off the Mohawk behind the scenes, when Hawk shows up with it cut off.
4. The Johnny training montage pays tribute to Rocky IV. It uses the same song "Burning Heart" by Survivor, intermixes current training sequences with flashbacks and Johnny trains with what he finds around him. Ironically enough, allegedly Peter Cetera (who was also mentioned in a previous episode) originally created "Glory of Love" for Rocky IV before it was rejected and became the theme to The Karate Kid Part II.
5. A popular debate amongst viewers of the original Karate Kid film was that William Zabka was the more athletically gifted actor than Ralph Macchio so "realistically" Johnny should have won his fight with Daniel. This gets brought up in the drunken argument between Johnny and Daniel where Johnny mentions while the one kick was the deciding point of the match, had they actually had a series of 10, Johnny likely would've won 9 times out of 10. Daniel doesn't refute the point.
6. The image of Terry Silver in the internet article Hawk and Demetri were reading is a headshot of Thomas Ian Griffith that was used as his IMDb page as of the day the fourth season premiered.
7. The man that Johnny pulls of the scooter, knocking him to the ground, is Matthew "Mathias" Fredrick of YouTube fame Dope or Nope and Project 386.
8. Silver is referred to as a Highlander due to his tall stature, a reference to the 1986 movie and its sequels of immortals who can only be killed by decapitation. Thomas Ian Griffith played a similar kind of immortal in John Carpenter's Vampires (1998) as the main antagonist master vampire Jan Valek.
9. One of the drunken tweets Johnny Lawrence posts highlighting his rematch with Daniel, reads: "hashbrown dead meat," harkening back to the first season when Johnny tells Miguel, "put one of the those hashbrowns on it, then SEND IT TO THE INTERNET!!!"
10. After Daniel goes up 2-1 against Johnny, he begins the next round by performing his kata form before using the pressure-point technique against Johnny.

Kicks Get Chicks

1. Johnny mentions the movie "Lady Bugs" (1992), which starred Rodney Dangerfield in which Jonathan Brandis dresses up as a woman to play soccer. William Zabka played in a different movie where a high school girl pretends to be a boy in the movie "Just One Of The Guys (1985)." In that movie William Zabka also portrays a bully, and they reference that the girl looks just like Ralph Macchio from the "Karate Kid (1984)." William Zabka was also in a Rodney Dangerfield movie Back to School (1986).
2. In the previous season, when Miguel suggested Johnny should upload more photos in his Facebook to impress Ali, Johnny suggested he should oil up, to show off his muscles. Here, Johnny makes Miguel oil up and flex his muscles to attract female students.
3. Sam ends her confrontation with Tory by telling her "I'm coming for you, bitch" which was the same thing Tory said to her over the intercom before starting the brawl in the Season 2 finale.
4. Nichole Brown returns as Aisha, her first appearance since the Season 2 Finale 'No Mercy.'

Minefields

1. The beer that Kreese brings to Silver at the end of the episode is an actual Vietnamese beer, 333 ("Ba ba ba"). Before 1975 it was called 33, or "Ba Muoi Ba" as Terry Silver calls it. It was very popular among American soldiers during the war.
2. Johnny's love for metal goes back to the origins, past the 80's glam rock, with a t-shirt for the 1970's heavy metal creators Black Sabbath's Vol. 4 album, befitting the 4th season.
3. Actor Thomas Ian Griffith as Terry Silver is seen reading a book entitled Leviathan. Griffith's wife, Mary Page Keller, played Leviathan Joyce Bicklebee in Supernatural S7 Ep16.
4. This episode sees Michael Burgess and Ralph Macchio reunite for the first time since 'my cousin vinny'
5. Kenny defeats Anthony's group by switching off the lights and using the darkness and the environment to pick them off one by one similar to First Blood (1982).
6. Post-credits memorial that reads "Albert Olmstead 1982-2021". Olmstead worked behind the scenes with cameras and electricity on the show.

Party Time

1. Cousin Vanessa is played by Ralph Macchio's real-life daughter, Julia Macchio.
2. The title of this episode is the catch phrase that Kreese and Silver say to each other as they bow to one another just before they failingly attempt to fight Mr. Miyagi in "The Karate Kid Part III" at the Cobra Kai dojo.
3. Silver tells Johnny to meet him at the corner of Magnolia and Lankershim. This is the actual location of the Cobra Kai dojo in the original Karate Kid (1984).
4. Marks the return of Stingray, as that same year, Paul Walter Hauser played Horace in Disney's Cruella (2021) (in fact, part of the reason why he couldn't return for season 3 was because he was busy shooting Cruella).
5. If you're wondering why Tanner Buchanan looks so great dancing in this episode, it's because as a child in Ohio he entered and often won many dance competitions. He spoke about this on Anna Faris' podcast "Unqualified".
6. In an interview with People, Ralph Macchio and daughter Julia opened up about their experience working together on this episode, Macchio gushed about how Julia really showed up for him and blew the cast away with her grasp on Vanessa. while, Julia discussed that having the Karate Kid star as her father meant she was always intrigued by acting. While having a famous father was difficult at times, Macchio made it easier for her by keeping her grounded, giving her advice, and supporting her in her own career. Both described their experience of working on Cobra Kai as very fun and special for them. Ralph stated, "She knocked it out of the park. I was the proud father on set that day. As soon as she ran our first take, everybody was like, 'Holy crap, she's got this character.' It was certainly a highlight for me in season 4 and just a joy I've had that opportunity." Julia stated, "[Acting] It's something that I have wanted to do since as long as I can remember. I don't think there was ever really a moment where I thought of doing anything else. I used to act out Disney movies in our house. It was something that was in my blood. It's been so helpful to have a grounded dad who also knows that world. He's [Ralph] always been a great, wise resource to have because he's been involved in this business for so long. He never hesitated to give me advice, but has also always supported me having a career [of] my own. So getting to work together on Cobra Kai could not have been a more fun experience."
7. One of the dance moves that Robby does with Tory is almost an exact shot replica of the dance move that Daniel did with Kumiko in Karate Kid ll (1986).
8. Daniel LaRusso (Ralph Macchio) has family/friends over for a meal and they are discussing possible problems with Daniel's son misbehaving/bullying in school. His cousin Louie offers his sister's help with the son. Daniel's wife Amanda sarcastically rejects help by saying, "No offense, but if we're going to get a pro, we can do better than Marisa Tomei, Jr." Ralph Macchio worked together with Marisa Tomei in My Cousin Vinny (1992) which came out the same year that his daughter Julia was born.
9. In an earlier episode in the series, Sam looks at Robby's driver's license and sees that his middle name is Swayze. He says his mom loved Patrick Swayze and the movie dirty dancing. In this episode, Robby and Tory do some dirty dancing moves while at the Prom. Patrick Swayze was in the movie The Outsiders (1983) with Ralph Macchio.
10. Johnny Lawrence refers Terry Silver as an "oldman". When in fact Thomas Ian Griffith is only three years older than William Zabka.
11. When Terry Silver is fighting Johnny Lawrence in the old Cobra Kai dojo, Terry knocks Johnny down and ask Kreese "you wanna see some more?" This was the exact same line Terry said to Kreese as they watched Mike Barnes humiliate Daniel in the Cobra Kai dojo in "The Karate Kid Part III". Only this time, Kreese puts a stop to the fight going any further.
12. During the scene where Miguel finds Johnny passed out drunk on his apartment floor, Johnny comes to and says "come inside, come inside". These are the exact same words Mr. Miyagi speaks to Daniel during the heart-wrenching scene in "The Karate Kid" (1984) where Mr. Miyagi is drunk in his apartment, celebrating his anniversary though his wife and child are now deceased.
13. The Ferrari Californication that Terry Silver lends to Robby for his prom night, has the licence plate "QUIKSLVR". This is the name of the fighting strategy Terry trains Daniel in for his "tournament preparation" in The Karate Kid Part III".
14. The manner in which Daniel breaks Anthony's iPad, is similar to how Johnny broke Ali's radio in The Karate Kid (1984).

The Fall

1. Like at Coyote Creek, Eli greets Miguel saying "finally a worthy opponent" they also do their fist bump before the fight.
2. Demetri did not compete in the All-Valley Karate Tournament in season 1. Demetri only started practicing Karate in season 2 when Miyagi-Do offered free lessons. So the entire All-Valley Karate Tournament sequence in season 4 was intense for him. "That was, just because we would have to wear the same gi and oftentimes stand in the same place," Gianni DeCenzo said. "So it would be confusing like okay, wait. What episode are we filming? What day is this? What's the scene? But yeah, that was a lot of fun. Getting to fight Robby and especially doing the kamas, that right there."
3. Jon Hurwitz spoke of Carrie Underwood's presence on set saying, "Carrie was absolutely amazing on set. It was a joy having her join us and seeing her get just as starstruck by our cast as they were by her!". He added that they knew Carrie was a big fan of the series, alongside her family, since her original tweet praising the series when it hit Netflix. They "figured we'd shoot for the moon and see if she'd like to come and play." They needed a well-known singer who could cover Survivor's 'Moment of Truth' and simultaneously shock the All Valley crowd (and our fanbase) by simply appearing. Carrie's team immediately responded by saying she would love to appear
4. Carrie Underwood's cameo appearance in the series wasn't just a dream for fans, but for Carrie too, since it's one of her favorite shows. "I grew up watching 'Daniel' and 'Johnny' and I can't believe I actually get to be a small part of the legacy that is the Karate Kid." She tweeted about her adoration for the series in 2020, which caught the attention of creators Josh Heald, Jon Hurwitz, and Hayden Schlossberg. They weren't sure it would come together to have her singing in the All Valley, but it was a "match made in heaven". They didn't use the song 'They're The Best' that played during the 1984 film in the All Valley Karate Tournament, as they felt it would be a copycat of the movie. The chose 'The Moment of Truth' because it "still has that same 1980s sports-rock anthem vibe".
5. Johnny consoles Devon after she loses to Tory by saying Tory's been doing this a lot longer and that there's no shame in losing. To which Devon responds by basically saying she's only been doing this for 6 weeks so of course she's not upset. This could be a tongue-in-cheek joke about how it was unrealistic that Daniel could beat Johnny in the first movie after only 6-8 weeks of training.
6. Demetri didn't original use kamas at the All-Valley Karate Tournament "I actually requested to do that because originally I think in the script I start training with a sword," Gianni DeCenzo said. "I felt more like doing kamas just because I thought that's maybe something Demetri would want to check out. It looks like a good balance between the styles. You have the bladed edge which is Cobra Kai and then you have more of the elegant spinning which is kind of more Miyagi-Do. So it was a good mix of the two." DeCenzo had all the usual training to do, but he said he spent the entire production getting ready for his All-Valley Karate Tournament routine. "That routine that I had to do took me so long since the beginning of the show, beginning of filming," DeCenzo said. "I would just train that for the full three months. When I got up there, it was like actually doing a performance in front of everyone which was terrifying but it was a lot of fun. So I think people are going to really like it.."
7. The 300 extras that appear in the scene had no idea Carrie Underwood was appearing, making their reactions real. Carrie hung around set for hours to take photos and talk to everyone.
8. Carrie Underwood appears as herself and she sings the end credit song from the original Karate Kid movie by Survivor "The Moment of Truth".
9. Aedin Mincks didn't know who Carrie Underwood was he saw everyone else taking pictures so he figured he better do it because she seemed like a pretty big deal.

The Rise

1. The closing credits instrumental rock song is "Switch 625" by Def Leppard, from their 1981 release "High 'n' Dry".
2. Nariyoshi Miyagi's tombstone gives June 9th, 1925 as his date of birth and November 15, 2011 as the day he died. Actor Pat Morita, the actor who played Mr. Miyagi, really was born in June and died in November, however the actual days and years are different. Morita was born on June 28th, 1932 and passed away on November 24, 2005 at age 73.
3. Just before the final women's match, Samantha hugs her father (Daniel) mid-speech. This quick scene pays homage to when Daniel did the same thing to Mr. Miyagi at the end of the final match in The Karate Kid Part III (1989).
4. Martin Kove revealed his favorite moment, is when his character tells Silver who's telling Tori to cheat let her do what she wants. He described it as an establishing humanizing character moment.
5. Silver makes mention of getting "an old friend or two" to help with Cobra Kai's growth and expansion, after getting Kreese framed and arrested for assaulting Stingray; referring to Mike Barnes from The Karate Kid lll (1989).
6. In the final women's match, Samantha resumes the match by first performing a sequence from the Miyagi Do family kata (Seiunchin). The sequence Samantha performs is the exact same one her father Daniel performed when resuming the final moments of his match against Mike Barnes in The Karate Kid Part III (1989).
7. Adding the spectacular flourish where Robbie and Hawk take off their gi's, was a way to "up the ante," explained Josh Heald, "Going into that sudden-death moment, it was the idea of, How can you make a fight not [just] about three points? How can you make it different? How can you make it more aggressive?" But there's more to Robby's decision than just bare-chested bravado. "The idea of a gi getting ripped -- it's [Robby] almost saying, 'I don't care about the gi anymore,'" Heald continues. "It's kind of his first moment of shrugging off Cobra Kai in a way, before he even maybe fully realizes it." Of course, it's also just very funny -- especially when Eli flexes the hawk tattoo that covers his back. Says Heald, "Jacob got to rip his gi off, and then [we] throw the hawk sound effect on it -- it makes us smile every single time we watch it. It just felt right."