The saga of The Karate Kid will live again, Daniel san! Later this year in Cobra Kai—a new original series from YouTube Red—the tables have turned for Daniel LaRusso (Ralph Macchio) and Johnny Lawrence (William Zabka), finding the long-heated rivalry thrown on its head. The new trailer picks up 34 years after the film and finds Johnny the underdog, alcoholic failure, and Daniel a karate chopping car salesman and a local celebrity. But it seems like Daniel just can’t resist rubbing Johnny’s face in his All-Valley Karate Tournament victory from when they were teens.
Needless to say, Mr. Miyagi would probably not be proud of Daniel’s choices.
The new full length trailer actually places the focus on Johnny as he becomes the unlikely savior and mentor to a bullied teenager. From there, Johnny is inspired to resurrect the Cobra Kai dojo, which was closed in disgrace decades before. We also get a glimpse of Johnny’s new group of students, including a few girls who may be much better fighters than the boys. Johnny even proudly declares one of the girls to be “a natural cobra.”
For his part, Daniel appears to take the reopening of the Cobra Kai dojo as a personal affront. He even puts on his old karate outfit as if this is a problem he can simply punch and kick away. Somehow, we think Daniel may lack awareness of what he’s become or the way he’s abandoned Miyagi’s philosophy. But it should be fun watching that new conflict play out.
Cobra Kai will premiere on Wednesday, May 2.
What do you think about the new Cobra Kai trailer? Let’s discuss in the comment section below!
Find Balance in These Stories, Daniel san
- Is Johnny the real hero of The Karate Kid?
- Find out more about Cobra Kai.
- And just for kicks, watch John Cena’s Karate Kid/SNL parody.
Images: YouTube Red
