No martial arts show has done it better thanCobra KaiandWarrior. Both take the genre well past pure spectacle. Every fight is loaded by history, by grudges, by everything left unsaid between the people throwing those punches.
One spins decades of backstory into a living rivalry, stretching it across generations without losing heat. The other plants its battles in a city and a moment in history where every strike has consequences that ripple beyond the fighters themselves. They couldn’t look more different, yet they share the same commitment to making the combat matter.
Cobra Kaihas long been the easy choice for number one, containing some of thebest martial arts performances, but ifWarriorhas only just crossed your radar, that choice might not feel so obvious anymore.
Cobra Kai Is The Greatest Martial Arts Show Of All Time, But It’s A Close Call
WhatCobra Kaiunderstands better than anyone is that the fights have to grow from the people throwing them. ThegreatestCobra Kairivalriesare more than excuses for tournament brackets; they’re the story’s moving parts. And every match is the endpoint of something that’s been simmering for years: old grudges, half-finished reconciliations, the kind of reversals only time can deliver.
TheCobra Kaifightswork because they’re built for the character. You see Johnny charging forward without a plan, Daniel waiting for the perfect counter, Hawk scrapping his way out of trouble. Those choices tell you as much about them as the dialogue ever could, and they make the outcomes feel inevitable in hindsight.
Few shows can shift tone the wayCobra Kaidoes. One scene can lean into self-aware humor, the next into high-school drama, and the next drop into something unexpectedly raw without the whole thing feeling patched together. That elasticity is a big part of its staying power.
Still, being on top doesn’t make you untouchable.Warrior’sintense fightscome at martial arts from another angle entirely. It’s leaner, meaner, and fueled by a physicality that doesn’t stop at the edge of the frame.
Warrior Is A Close Second In The Lineup Of Best Martial Arts Series
The first thing you notice aboutWarrioris the weight behind every hit. There’s nothing ornamental about the way these fights are staged. They feel like they belong to the world around them—carried out in narrow alleys, crowded saloons, or behind closed doors thick with smoke—where every blow might change the balance of power.
Warrioris set during the Tong Warsin the late 1870s in San Francisco’s Chinatown, a place and time when martial arts could be both a weapon and a lifeline. Here, fights are conversations without words: part negotiation, part statement of dominance, sometimes the only justice anyone’s going to get. That layered purpose gives even the smallest skirmish more than one kind of tension.
Andrew Koji’s Ah Sahm holds the center. His style is fast, fluid, and precise, but it’s his adaptability that makes him dangerous. you’re able to see him reading opponents in real time, changing tactics mid-fight. It’s a performance as much about intelligence as athleticism.
And the setting is more than mere backdrop. The city breathes through the show, its noise, its danger, its shifting allegiances. The martial arts here feel baked into its rhythm, like you couldn’t tell this story without them.
Why Warrior Just Falls Short Of Cobra Kai’s Greatness
In terms of sheer skill,Warrioris right there withCobra Kai, and is honestly one of themost underrappreciated showsright now. Where it loses ground, though, is in how much it tries to carry at once. Historical politics, shifting gang alliances, personal vendettas—it’s all compelling, but it can pull attention away from the one-on-one arcs that make martial arts drama hit hardest.
Some ofWarrior’s most memorable set pieces pay homage to Bruce Leeas scenes where one fighter mows through waves of opponents in sprawling, chaotic spaces. They’re spectacular, but they don’t always land the way a fight does when it’s fueled by years of shared history.Cobra Kaibenefits from having that character history already written in film.
Character change inWarrioralso takes its time. Ah Sahm stays magnetic, but the surrounding relationships don’t twist and turn as sharply as the bonds and rivalries between Johnny, Daniel, and their students. Those shifts keepCobra Kai’s fights feeling new even five seasons in.
In the end,Warriorhas grit, scale, and atmosphere to spare, butCobra Kai’s emotional stakes keep it one step ahead.
Both Cobra Kai & Warrior Are Just As Good As Many Martial Arts Movies
Everyone should watch thebest martial arts filmsat least once—Enter the Dragon,Ip Man—because they still set the bar for clean, high-impact choreography. Even so, thesetwo martial arts shows might be better than most martial arts movies, while doing the kind of character work that films don’t always have the time for.
Warriorwears its references and lineage proudly. The concept came from Bruce Lee, and the series carries his approach to movement: fluid, adaptable, and explosive when it counts. The bigger set pieces feel like nods toLee’s most iconic moments, right down to the mix of danger and style.
Cobra Kai, by contrast, benefits from decades of cinematic groundwork laid byThe Karate Kidfilms. Of course, it banks on nostalgia, but it uses that history to sharpen every rivalry and reconciliation. Audiences already know what these characters mean to each other, so each blow lands with that much more weight.
When martial arts television hits this level, the line between series and cinema disappears. BothCobra KaiandWarriorprove that the small screen can deliver the same intensity, craft, and cultural weight as the genre’s very best films.
Cobra Kai
Cast
Cobra Kai is a sequel series continuing the narrative of the Karate Kid saga, set 30 years after the 1984 All Valley Karate Tournament. It focuses on Johnny Lawrence seeking redemption by reopening the Cobra Kai dojo, reigniting his rivalry with Daniel LaRusso, who strives to maintain balance in his life.
