10 Things That Make No Sense About Cobra Kai

The direct sequel to The Karate Kid films, Cobra Kai has been a resounding success and is widely considered the correct way to revive a franchise. Cobra Kai is beloved by Karate Kid fans and those who are new to the franchise. Focusing on Johnny Lawrence and Daniel LaRusso decades after their initial clash, the comedy-drama takes a nuanced look at the original films and tells its own story.

Although its fans admit that it is hardly high art, Cobra Kai is well-liked. Nonetheless, there are several things about Cobra Kai‘s plot and characters that just don’t quite add up when viewers stop and think.

10 The Characters Get Black Belts Near-Instantly

Contrary to popular belief, a black belt does not denote mastery in a martial art. Instead, it represents a complete grasp of the basics of that art, typically signifying competence rather than expertise. Nonetheless, acquiring one is no mean feat. Even with intensive training, it can take a number of years.

Seasons of Cobra Kai can cover months at a time, but the timeframe is still too short for the characters to achieve black belts. However, nearly every character who begins studying karate in the first season has a black belt and the skills to match to fight in the All-Valley Tournament that forms the season’s climax.

9 Johnny’s Financial Situation Remains Stable

Johnny Lawrence’s general lot in life forms a major part of Cobra Kai’s first season. He begins as a poor handyman deeply indebted to his stepfather but increases his fortunes as Cobra Kai becomes more popular. This gives him a stable income and a source of stability in his life.

At the end of season 2, Kreese removes Johnny from Cobra Kai and, in season 4, Johnny’s dojo merges with the non-charging Miyagi-Do. Despite the loss of his income and his new Eagle Fang explicitly struggling with money, it is never mentioned how Johnny continues to support himself financially.

8 The School Doesn’t Lock Down After A Violent Threat

The brawl in the hallways of West Valley High School at the end of season 2 is one of the most pivotal moments in Cobra Kai, setting up major character arcs and defining the new status quo for the show. Nonetheless, the fact that it is able to happen at all stretches the suspension of disbelief.

The fight begins with Tory Nichols attacking a teacher and announcing her intention to brutalize Sam LaRusso over the school’s PA system. Despite this clear threat, the school doesn’t move to lock down and no members of staff seem concerned. Hawk, Miguel, and Robby are all able to reach the fight long before anyone who might be able to stop it.

7 Kreese Being Allowed To Visit Robby In Prison

A major character shift in Cobra Kai‘s third and fourth seasons is Robby Keene. Robby, previously a student of Miyagi-Do, sided with John Kreese and Cobra Kai out of anger at his real father, Johnny, and his surrogate father Daniel LaRusso. Part of this is caused by Kreese visiting him while he is in juvenile prison, and giving him valuable advice to resolve a bullying problem.

Given that he has no relation to Robby, it should have been difficult for Kreese to visit. As a sensei of the person Robby put in the hospital, visitation shouldn’t have been able to go ahead. Despite this, Kreese is able to appear and majorly influence Robby’s life.

6 Miguel And Demetri’s Friendship Is Rarely Addressed

In the first season of Cobra Kai, Hawk, Demetri, and Miguel form a trio of friends united by their interests and their torment at the hands of the school’s bullies. Although Hawk and Demetri are closer, Miguel and Demetri are still good friends and continue to refer to each other as such.

It becomes strange when season 2 sees Demetri going up against Cobra Kai, becoming a personal enemy to Hawk. Miguel, involved in other storylines, apparently has no reaction to Hawk attempting to assault their friend. Although Miguel is involved in other things, it’s a strange omission that makes the storyline feel disconnected.

5 Tory Quickly Violates Her Probation

As the instigator of the near-fatal brawl at the end of season 2, Tory Nichols only narrowly avoids prison due to being the primary caregiver of her family. Instead, she’s put on stringent probation. After Robby’s released from prison, she offers him advice for not violating his probation and seems determined to avoid jail time.

Despite this, Tory quickly breaks the terms of her prohibition as the violence between dojos increases in season 2. She takes part in the laser tag fight that sees Hawk break Demetri’s arm. In a short space of time, she goes from wanting to avoid prison to breaking the law yet again, without much explanation.

4 Kreese Is Able To Fight Daniel And Johnny

Between seasons 2 and 4, John Kreese resumes his role as the most significant antagonist of the story. He seeks to return Cobra Kai to its brutal ways and take a firm stand against what he sees as the overly-sensitive ‘snowflake generation’. Kreese is cunning, manipulative, and skilled – but he is also over 70 years old in Cobra Kai.

Obviously, skill is important and can compensate for decreasing physical ability – as shown by Mr. Miyagi. Nonetheless, at the end of season 3, Kreese is able to fight the highly-skilled Johnny and Danny back-to-back, winning against Johnny and threatening to kill Daniel. In doing so, he shows a level of strength and stamina that is slightly unbelievable for a man of his age.

3 Stingray Betrays Kreese Despite His Injuries

Stingray is a deliberately pathetic and comedic character. He’s seen hanging out with the teenage cast and only caring about karate. Nonetheless, he gets a serious storyline in season 4 when a drunken Terry Silver viciously assaults him and then bargains with him to frame Kreese for the crime.

Silver’s leverage appears to be simply letting him rejoin Cobra Kai. Even with Stingray’s personality, it seems improbable that he’d side with the man who inflicted injuries on him, only gaining the chance to rejoin his martial arts school.

2 All Parties Expect The Bet To Be Upheld

To try and bring an end to the gang violence of season 3, Johnny and Daniel make a bet with Silver and Kreese in season 4. They bet on the results of the next All-Valley Karate Championship. If Cobra Kai wins, both Johnny and Daniel close their dojos and retire from teaching. If Cobra Kai loses, they close up shop for good.

Even though the bet has no legal weight, Daniel and Johnny appear willing to go through with it once they lose. They even recruit Chozen Toguchi to teach in their place. Even stranger, they appear to expect Kreese and Silver to accept their loss, despite both of them violating the spirit of the agreement several times and Silver assaulting Johnny.

1 The Police Don’t Get Involved More

The only occasion law enforcement interferes in the violence between Cobra Kai and the other dojos is after the fight in season 2, which sees both Robby and Tory arrested. Other than arresting Kreese at the end of season 4, their presence is rarely felt, despite the conflict escalating to the point of gang warfare.

In reality, Cobra Kai is peppered with instances of assault, breaking and entering, and use of deadly weapons, often towards minors. Particularly egregious is the lack of police presence after Demetri’s arm is deliberately broken during a fight, and after Cobra Kai attacked the LaRusso house and cause thousands of dollars of damage.