Editor’s Note: The following contains spoilers for ‘Cobra Kai’s series finale.The final season ofCobra Kaiwas almost perfect. It featured Johnny Lawrence (William Zabka) finally gaining the victory he’d been denied inThe Karate Kid, and alsomaking peace with his former rival Daniel LaRusso(Ralph Macchio). Daniel himself is continuing to work on finding the balance between Cobra Kai’s style and Miyagi-Do, and is set to appear in the upcomingKarate Kid: Legends. Even two members of the cast had a real-life happy ending, asTanner BuchananandMary Mouserrecently announced their engagement. So where, exactly, didCobra KaiSeason 6 fall short? The answers lie in the plotline surrounding Daniel’s late sensei, Mr. Miyagi (Pat Morita).
Season 6 revealsa dark truth about Miyagi’s past: Years ago, he killed a man in the Sekai Taikai. Not only do these revelations lead to a rift between Daniel and Johnny, but they also lead to Daniel having a nightmare where he fights Miyagi in the Sekai Tekai during the Season 6 episode “Eunjangdo.” Another dream sequence in the episode “Skeletons” has Daniel fighting off an army of figures in ghost skeletons, calling back to the brutal beating Johnny and other Cobra Kai members delivered upon him inThe Karate Kid— until Miyagi steps in to help him.Both times, Miyagi was brought to life via CGIand a voice actor who could mimic Morita’s way of speaking. While technically impressive, it underlines a problem that’s been a part of most franchises.
Morita’s resurrection via CGI is the latest in a troubling trendthat’s been showing up in franchise films and TV shows.Rogue One: A Star Wars Storysaw a digital recreation ofPeter Cushingas Grand Moff Tarkin.The Flashhas a final sequence that features looks into different realities, bringing backChristopher Reeve’s Superman andAdam West’s Batman. Perhaps the most recent example, other thanCobra Kai, isAlien: Romulus, which features a digital recreation ofIan Holm’s Ash in a major role. Butthese digital recreations take the viewer out of the film, especially when they’re up close and personal. you may see the rubbery texture, the shift in movement, and other factors that break the immersion in a film’s story; if you’re trying to make a good movie, the last thing you want to do is lose your audience.
But more than that,these CGI recreations often feel like the worst case of nostalgia gone rampant. Many"legacy sequels" have fallen into this trap, substituting callbacks to previous entries in the franchise for storytelling. In digitally resurrecting dead actors to reprise their characters, some legacy sequels — includingCobra Kai— are literally digging up the past in an effort to appeal to older fans,at the cost of losing a new generation of fans. Instead of resorting to these tricks, filmmakers could take a different approach by crafting an entirely new story within the franchise. It’s risky, yes, but if you want a franchise to thrive, it’s better to move forward rather than constantly chasing the glories of the past.
‘Cobra Kai’ Characters Who Deserve Their Own Spin-Off
As Cobra Kai on Netflix comes to a close, fans are wondering what’s next. Talks of a spin-off are in the air, and today on Collider, we’re sharing which Cobra Kai characters we think deserve more screen time
‘Cobra Kai’ Showed a Younger Version of Mr. Miyagi
“Skeletons” and “Eunjangdo” wouldn’t stand out so muchif it wasn’t for the fact that Mr. Miyagi was brought to life by another actor.Brian Takahashiplays the younger version of Miyagi in “Eunjangdo,” and though he doesn’t say a word, his fight with Daniel features the same intensity that his older counterpart displayed during theKarate Kidfilms. It simply begs the question: Why didn’t Takahashi just play Miyagi? Granted, it wouldn’t be the same as seeing Pat Morita, but it wouldn’t undercut the emotional impact of Daniel coming to terms with the fact thathis mentor wasn’t a perfect person. Plus, having Takahashi appear in Daniel’s dreams as a literal ghost of the past would have been more thematically fitting, not to mention less unsettling than seeing a computer-generated image try to move at the same speed as a flesh and blood person.
To their credit, the crew ofCobra Kaiactually did reach out to Pat Morita’s estate, with a little help from Ralph Macchio. “Beyond getting the approvals, Ralph has some connections to his family and wanted to explain to them what our intentions were. We explained there would be this first episode where it is kind of a scary version of Mr. Miyagi where he is fighting Daniel, but that it would culminate in an ultimate dream sequence where Daniel and Mr. Miyagi are fighting together, and it’s a very heartfelt scene,” showrunnerHayden Schlossbergsaidwhile discussing the dream sequencein “Skeletons.” While that’s rather touching, it still shows thatHollywood shouldn’t automatically look to technology when it has living, breathing actors who can bring these roles to life.
