There’s no question thatCobra Kaiis a lot of fun, but it’s also difficult to deny that this series is pretty outrageous. Of course, in a way, thisKarate Kidspinoffpicked up its outrageousness from the original 1980s films, where reality was somewhat stretched for the sake of a great story. Still,Cobra Kaitook this several leagues further.
Part of the charm ofCobra Kaiis that it really didn’t have to fit within the realm of reality. It had a much longer leash thanKarate Kidin that regard, so every season got to be even more ridiculous than the last.Cobra Kaigot away with this by frequently calling out its own campy outrageousness. TheNetflix seriesnever tried to be anything other than what it was, but we can still poke fun at these wild details.
10There Is No Real Belt System In Cobra Kai’s Karate
The Tournaments Don’t Seem To Mind Either
The lack of a tiered belt system inCobra Kaigot its start inKarate Kid, where Mr. Miyagi essentially rejected the whole idea. This was all part of the old sensei’s charm, and it made sense that he would ignore the formalities of other martial arts schools and styles. InCobra Kai, however, this idea didn’t work quite as well.
InCobra Kai, Johnny, Kreese, Silver, Daniel, and all the other prominent senseis seemed just to decide that their best students were black belts without any formal testing. This becomes even more outrageous when considering thateven massive tournaments like the Sekai Taikai never seemed to care that these students weren’t technically qualified to compete.
9Daniel LaRusso’s Wealth Is Seemingly Inexhaustible
He May Be A Successful Business Owner, But He’s Not THAT Rich, Is He?
Money is, of course, a major obstacle in the real world, especially in the way of small businesses (like local karate schools).Cobra Kaimanaged to avoid this issue by making Daniel LaRusso a pretty wealthy guy. He could maneuver the world easily, but it got to a point where this was a bit difficult to swallow.
The original Karate Kid began to neglect his car dealership, but his wealth remained inexhaustible nonetheless.
After a handful of seasons,it became pretty hard to believe that Daniel’s obsession with karate wasn’t putting any mark on his finances. The original Karate Kid began to neglect his car dealership, but his wealth remained inexhaustible nonetheless. Though it was fun to see that Daniel had made a name for himself inCobra Kai, it doesn’t make much sense that he wasthatrich.
8The Timeline In Cobra Kai Just Doesn’t Work
A Lot Happens In Just 2 Years
Cobra Kai’s first season premiered in 2018, and the series concluded with its sixth season in 2025. This makes it feel as though the story has been unfolding for quite a while. However, when taking a closer look, we see that only about two years have passed between the first andlast episode ofCobra Kai.
An astounding number of things happen within those two years. The students participated in several major tournaments. Johnny and Daniel worked out their rivalries. John Kreese was arrested and escaped from prison. Terry Silver turned from his “good” life to become a villain. Miguel was paralyzed and recovered. Overall, it’s just a bit too much to be believable for such a short time.
7Parents Are Basically Useless In Cobra Kai
Does No One Care What These Kids Are Doing?
It’s a bit baffling to consider what everyone’s parents are doing when watchingCobra Kai. Of course, we know that Johnny and Daniel themselves are as involved as they can be with their kids' karate lives, but characters like Eli, Demetri, Kenny, and all the rest go largely unsupervised. This is especially concerning, considering all the trouble they get themselves into.
With massive school fights and brawls at the mall, it seems like other parents inCobra Kaiwould get involved. At a certain point, word should have gotten out that these karate dojos were trouble, and parents should have put a stop to their kids' involvement. Instead, it seems every other adult inCobra Kaiwas pretty useless and just didn’t care what their kids were up to.
6Money Solves EVERYTHING In Cobra Kai
Money Is Power, But Can It Do That Much?
Daniel wasn’t the onlycharacter inCobra Kaito throw inexhaustible money at all his problems. Terry Silver was canonically even more wealthy than the Miyagi-Do sensei, so he was even more powerful. Though this works to an extent,Cobra Kaireally stretched the limits of what sorts of problems money could solve.
Terry Silver overtly attacked children inCobra Kai, and this, combined with a variety of other crimes, landed him in jail. This didn’t come to much, however, since his wealth allowed him not only to walk free but also to continue to be involved in the karate world. Money is powerful, but it seems like it should have been a bit more difficult.
5Nearly Every Adult In Cobra Kai Should Have Been Arrested At Some Point
No One Seemed To Care About The Protagonists' Crimes
Another baffling aspect ofCobra Kaiis that adults can assault children without any legal consequences (unless it otherwise serves the plot). Once again, this somewhat gets its start fromKarate Kid. Mr. Miyagi beat up a group of teenagers without repercussions, andCobra Kaikept that rolling with several more similar instances.
Beyond the assault on teens,it really seems that characters like Johnny, Chozen, and Mike Barnes would have gotten into some trouble for breaking into Terry Silver’s house inCobra Kaiseason 5. Silver himself was arrested, however, and the other adults who clearly committed a crime were allowed to go free.
4Fighters Get Good At Karate Way Too Quickly In Cobra Kai
These Are Some Talented Kids
Once again, this is an unbelievable issue that got its start inThe Karate Kid. Daniel LaRusso was a classic underdog hero, which meant it only took an inspirational montage for audiences to believe that this character was the best around. Still, it was one thing to do this with a single student.Cobra Kaihas officially done it with several.
InKarate Kid, it’s evident that Daniel had some natural skill and got a little lucky, said and done. He wasn’t a better fighter than Johnny, but he had real heart and passion that allowed him to claim victory. InCobra Kai,each student became a black belt-level fighter in a matter of monthsand could execute impressive skills that martial artists typically train for years to achieve.
3Miguel’s Recovery Was Just A Bit Too Miraculous To Believe
Miguel’s Spinal Injury Couldn’t Keep Him Down
Miguel’s fall inCobra Kaiseason 2 allowed for a climactic finale. It was immediately evident that this karate champion may never be able to walk again, let alone fight. Of course, in the world ofKarate Kid, we don’t expect such an injury to last forever.Miracles are in ample supply in this universe.Still, Miguel’s recovery was, perhaps, a bittoomiraculous.
Before long, no one even talked about the fact that Miguel had suffered a traumatic spinal injury within the year.
What is really outrageous about Miguel’s recovery from paralysis inCobra Kaiis that he didn’t achieve this through physical therapy or any other medical intervention.It just took some no-nonsense training from Johnny Lawrence. Before long, no one even talked about the fact that Miguel had suffered a traumatic spinal injury within the year.
2Adults Care Way Too Much About Children’s Karate In Cobra Kai
They Really Took It To The Extreme
I understand why the teenagers ofCobra Kaiwould take these big rivalries seriously. This sport is their entire world, and winning tournaments would be a massive help in building their futures. And sure, the adults ofCobra Kaicare about this, too. However, they really take it too far.
Daniel LaRusso, Johnny Lawrence, John Kreese, Terry Silver, and all other senseis ofCobra Kaiact as if their dojos for children are worth life and death. It gets pretty outrageous. Thankfully,Cobra Kaihas fully embraced the absurdity.Characters like Amanda LaRussoserve as a comical reminder of just how over-the-top these characters are about karate.
1John Kreese Faking His Death Was Cobra Kai’s Most Ridiculous Moment
No One Bothered To Look At His Wound Or Confirm His Death?
A lot of outrageous things happen inCobra Kai, and for the most part, we can accept them as part of the camp of this generally ridiculous series. However,John Kreese’s escape from prison was a hilarious exaggerationthat was a bit difficult to swallow.
All it took for Kreese to fake his death and get out of prison was a cup of Jell-O, which was used as fake blood over a non-existent stab wound. Apparently, the prison staff did nothing to confirm that Kreese was dead beyond checking his pulse. Kreese wasn’t taken to the hospital or medically treated in any way, and he was somehow able to count on this to make a big escape. It was a downright silly moment inCobra Kai.
