The Karate Kid star Ralph Macchio recently spoke to us about the biggest question that Cobra Kai hasn’t answered yet, and he also promised that “[t]he best is yet to come in this series! And I believe in that.” Given how well show creators Jon Hurwitz, Josh Heald, and Hayden Schlossenberg have handled this franchise revival, I believe in that statement, too. Macchio’s still crushing it as Daniel LaRusso, William Zabka’s making everyone adore Johnny Lawrence, and the show’s reeled in a new generation of viewers with an ensemble of fine young actors, including Tanner Buchanan and Xolo Maridueña, who play rivals Robby and Miguel, respectively. And speaking of Miguel, things looked very bad for him at the end of the climactic Season 2 fight. Netflix, which picked up the show after its YouTube cancellation, knows what the people want, so they released a Season 3 teaser to follow up on that cliffhanger. The good news? Miguel lives.
After that climactic high-school hallway battle between Miguel and Robby, that’s a relief. Do you want even more good news? Sure, you do, so let’s do this:
– Season 3 will debut on January 8, 2021
– Season 4 is definitely happening
– Did I mention that Miguel lives?
The teaser also shows a guilt-ridden Johnny keeping vigil at the hospital and Bobby in law enforcement custody. Certainly, there’s a lot of drama to clean up, and it sure looks like Daniel delivers a lecture to Johnny, although it could be argued that both are equally guilty of pushing their charges too far. Also, John Kreese has a bloodied nose, which proves that he’ll (always) be all up in whatever mess he can manage with the wind never permanently taken out of his dastardly sails.
This is all much more promising than the “flatline” tweet that appeared on Zabka’s Twitter account this week. Talk about “no mercy”!
— William Zabka (@WilliamZabka) October 1, 2020
Previously, the show revealed some brief Season 3 footage that more than suggested the return of another antagonist, Chozen, from The Karate Kid Part II. Perhaps he seeks to recapture his honor, and Daniel-san is confirmed to visit Okinawa during the third season, so that all makes sense. We also know that the show’s creators have promised viewers that they won’t go full-The Matrix on everyone. It’s wonderful news all around when we sorely need it.