Cobra Kai Season 4 Review

Cobra Kai Season 4 Review – Unstoppable forces meet immovable objects for an explosive season of drama and growth for all the Valley Dojos

It is no secret that we are fans of Cobra Kai here at FanboyNation. Although we do our best to not provide any spoilers in our reviews, the long story short is that our Cobra Kai Season 4 review is very favorable. So if you’d like to avoid any chance at a spoiler, you can just click away. Otherwise continue reading our Cobra Kai Season 4 review, which is spoiler-free, aside from content in the trailers and previous seasons.

Cobra Kai Season 4 continues the story with Miyagi-Do and Eagle Fang Karate teaming up to take on Cobra Kai in the All-Valley Karate Tournament. While that sounds cool, the real story is the team-up of Johnny Lawrence and Daniel LaRusso. Season 4 has these two life-long rivals finally on the same side. As shown in previous seasons, the two do tend to have a lot in common and often get along, until factors force their differences to divide them. The will they or won’t they be friends determines the fate of their students and is the driving factor of a lot of the drama of characters.

With the legendary rivals working together, John Kreese realizes he will need some help and enlists his old friend, Terry Silver, to help him bring Cobra Kai to victory. Silver brings a new dimension of menacing to the Cobra Kai Dojo. Where Kreese is a blunt instrument, Silver is a precision blade. His tactics explore another area of the dark side of the Cobra Kai philosophy. A side Danny is familiar with and strikes a new level of fear within him.

Outside of the adults, the students all have their own issues to deal with. Miguel has some family drama, Sam has her need to be Tory. Tory has her need to beat Sam as well as all of her problems with money and family. Hawk has to deal with betraying everyone and finding his place in everything. Robby has his issues with his father, his old sensei, and also becomes a mentor to a newcomer. This newcomer, Kenny, is the younger brother of Robbie’s bully in juvie, Shawn, and also finally gives a significant story to Anthony LaRusso.

To put it lightly, Cobra Kai Season 4 does a lot. Season 4’s story covers a lot of ground and somehow manages to tie all conflicts to the All-Valley Tournament. It sounds kind of crazy and kind of silly, but the show finds a way to get the audience genuinely invested in the outcome of the All-Valley. All of the teenage angst, petty old-school 80’s dude drama, old people drama, and every conflict with just about every character is tied to and progressed by the All-Valley. It sounds silly, but if you are a fan of the series it all makes sense and it is absolutely amazing television. Cobra Kai for life!

On a more professional note and to not just fanboy out for my Cobra Kai Season 4 review, Season 4 does a truly spectacular job developing each of the main characters, the new characters, and even some side characters. Without giving anything specific away, Johnny and Daniel bring out the best and worst of each other for the better. There’s a lot of up and down, but there’s undeniable forward progress. Kreese and Silver is a particularly unique relationship that hinges on debt on a unified goal. Again, not to give anything away, but the exploration of this is riveting. Both pairs of Dojo masters really dig into the other and peel back the layers exposing the core of each.

Out of the students, Hawk, Robbie, Kenny, and Tory have the most interesting stories. Robbie and Tory are still greatly burdened from the Season 2 finale, and seeing how they work through it is some of the most gripping action. Kenny’s journey is hard to cover without spoiling, but his journey is undoubtedly a start of a new throughline that will lead to grand stories in future seasons. Hawk’s story is a bit rushed but has a truly awesome arc that is a real embodiment of what the season sets up. It’s a bit unceremonious, but he is the embodiment of the season’s premise.

With the introduction of Kenny and the return of Silver, a lot of other characters didn’t get much coverage. Demetri actually advances quite a bit, but it isn’t much of a focus. Sam has a lot of focus, but her development feels a bit shallow, especially compared to her rival. However, it does seem like she is getting the lesson she really needs. Miguel feels similar, however, his character seems far more developed than all the other students. This season allows the others to catch up, but his story also has a lot of exciting potential.

The mass amount of story will likely be the reason this season rates a bit lower than the previous ones. While I personally really enjoyed it, the pacing and lack of gang violence is a noticeable change from previous seasons. The back and forth of action of the previous seasons are like basketball compared to this season’s more poised and strategized action which is akin to baseball. The pacing is different, and the adjustment might not be for everyone.

Cobra Kai Season 4 is a masterful exploration of the show’s philosophies and characters. The show follows the threads they’ve laid and beautifully interlaces new ones creating a great balance of resolution and intrigue that doesn’t feel forced or gimmicky. While the concept of Karate being the source of what is essentially a gang war is a bit silly, it is genuinely embraced and really works well for the series. The different pacing is sure to be noticed and maybe not wholly embraced, but Cobra Kai continues to be the epitome of continuing a franchise that honors its history and adds to the legacy. It is definitely one of the best ways to end the year and kick off a new one. This Cobra Kai Season 4 review gets a 4/5.