I’m going to be honest right now - I am the most discombobulated person out there. When I was born, I swear, I was gifted with the best immune system, but somehow, I always find a way to stub my toe or slam into a wall without even realizing it - and I think that’s what draws me to shows such as Cobra Kai, because even though I can’t do martial arts without breaking my neck, I can enjoy other people doing it.
Throughout the all five seasons of Cobra Kai, I have watched some badass fight scenes, from some of the biggest to some of the most intense that had me squealing and turning away from my TV screen. If you’re a fan of Cobra Kai, here are our picks for the biggest and most intense fight scenes in the popular Netflix series.
Johnny Vs. The Bullies (Season 1, “Ace Degenerate”)
This, to me, has always been one of the best fights of the show. While it’s not the most intense fight, it’s certainly one of the biggest and a huge shift in Johnny’s (William Zabka) character. In the premiere of Cobra Kai, “Ace Degenerate,” Johnny is able to save Miguel (Xolo Maridueña) from a bunch of bullies who were chasing him - which later inspires Miguel to take up karate in the first place.
It’s a huge change for Johnny, who acted as the bully in the original Karate Kid series but is now the protector, and it also draws parallels between him and Mr. Miyagi from the first film, when he protected Daniel (played by Ralph Macchio) from Johnny. Such a great fight - and an awesome one to start out this list.
The Mall Fight (Season 2, “All In”)
There have been many confrontations between Cobra Kai (later Eagle Fang) and Miyagi-Do prior to their merging in Season 4 of Cobra Kai, and the mall fight in the Season 2 episode, “All In,” is one of the best. When Demetri (Gianni DeCenzo) is confronted by Hawk, otherwise known as Eli (Jacob Bertrand), at the mall about a bad review Demetri left Cobra Kai, this turns into a big fight, with Demetri running away and getting cornered in the food court.
It’s made even better, though, when both Sam and Robby come to help Demetri, defeating Hawk and his other comrades from the dojo, further pushing this rivalry that the two studios have, and taking them down without a sweat.
The School Hallway Fight (Season 2, “No Mercy”)
This fight in Cobra Kai Season 2 had no business going as hard as it did but I still can’t get it out of my head.
In the Season 2 episode, “No Mercy,” the students of Cobra Kai and Miyagi-Do face off against each other in the school hallway when Tory (Peyton List) first calls out Sam (Mary Mouser) for kissing Miguel at a party, which in turn leads to an all-out brawl, and a moment that ends with Robby (Tanner Buchanan) kicking Miguel off of a balcony, leaving him paralyzed.
The moment this happened, I felt like I was about to throw up, because it was intense. I hadn’t expected this from the show before, but that was the moment when I knew Cobra Kai switched from just a simple martial arts series to a serious drama with high stakes, because this was not okay and so intense.
Kreese Vs. Daniel (Season 3, “December 19”)
Now this was a scene that almost reminded me of all those Bruce Lee movies I used to love watching as a kid – just two badass karate masters fighting each other. In the Season 3 finale, “December 19” of Cobra Kai, after Johnny went to Cobra Kai to confront Kreese (Martin Kove), Daniel shows up just in the knick of time to save Johnny from getting choked out by Kreese.
In this fight, he uses a technique he learned from Chozen (Yuji Okumoto) (which we’ll talk about later on) in order to get the upper hand on Kreese, ending this fight before it even really starts, but not before breaking through a glass window.
The Golf N. Stuff Matchup (Season 3, “Miyagi-Do”)
Another matchup between Cobra Kai and Miyagi-Do that made me turn my head away from my screen. Yup, I love realistic movies about zombies that feature gore and blood, but seeing someone get their arm broken? I can’t do it.
In the Season 3 episode, “Miyagi-Do,” a student at Golf N’ Stuff, who goes to Miyagi-Do, is attacked by the students of Cobra Kai, so the students of Miyagi-Do come to the amusement park to face off against them. However, this fight ends with most of the Miyagi-Do students getting beaten, and Demetri getting his arm broken by Hawk, his former best friend, completely ending their friendship for the time being.
Daniel Vs. Chozen (Season 3, “Miyagi-Do”)
Another fight from the Season 3 episode “Miyagi-Do” that I really like is the Daniel vs. Chozen fight. Chozen, who was Daniel’s rival in The Karate Kid Part II, shows up as a guest star in Season 3 when Daniel travels to Tokyo for funds for his car dealership, and after some sparring sessions, the pair reconcile.
But even so, during these fights, we get to see these two ultimate masters go at it. In the end, we get to see Chozen teach Daniel that sick pressure point technique that he used on Kreese later down the line. Such a sick scene.
Miyagi-Do And Eagle Fang Vs Cobra Kai (Season 3, “December 19”)
We have another big fight from the Season 3 episode, “December 19,” where this time, Eagle Fang (the new Johnny version of Cobra Kai) and Miyagi-Do have finally made up and come to terms with needing to work together in order to defeat Kreese’s Cobra Kai. But this meeting in Daniel’s house is interrupted when Cobra Kai students literally kick down the door to fight them.
Did anyone else feel, like, incredibly bad for the LaRusso’s during this moment? Their poor house is just getting destroyed by these kids and it’s all over some karate territory. Goodness gracious. Either way, watching all of the Eagle Fang and Miyagi-Do students work together to take out the Cobra Kai students is a moment I won’t easily forget, and is one of the best fights of the series.
Daniel Vs. Johnny At Miyagi-Do (Season 4, “Match Point”)
This made me remember when they were teenagers. In the Season 4 episode of Cobra Kai, “Match Point,” Daniel and Johnny can’t come to terms with their conflicting teaching styles, so they end up fighting in the backyard of their dojo to decide whose style wins.
The fight is reminiscent of some great martial arts movies, and calls back to their battles in the original Karate Kid series, but ends in a draw, which just basically means neither get to teach. However, that doesn't last for long, as they do end up reconciling later in the season.
Sam Vs. Tory (Season 4, “The Rise”)
The Cobra Kai cast is so talented, and that includes Peyton List, but man, the moment I met Tory’s character on this show, I knew there was going to be drama, and her storyline against Sam is one of the best because it reminds me of some of the best teen dramas out there mixed with kick-ass moves.
In Cobra Kai, there have been plenty of championship matches, but this is one of my favorites of Season 4, in the finale, “The Rise.” It culminates their rivalry, showing just how much the two of them have grown as competitors.Ultimately, Tory ends up winning, but spots Terry (Thomas Ian Griffith) bribing the referee after the match, signaling that this wasn’t a fair fight.
Chozen Vs. Mike (Season 5, “Playing With Fire”)
The first of many Season 5 fights on this list from Cobra Kai actually features Chozen and a new character, Mike. Well, technically not a “new” character to the Karate Kid franchise but one to the series. Mike Barnes was actually one of the bullies and fighters Daniel had to face in Karate Kid III, and he came back in Season 5 as a possible ally against Silver when Daniel finds out that Mike has nothing to do with Silver’s takeover and gives Daniel the number to Silver’s old attorney in the episode, “Playing with Fire.”
However, before all of them can be buddy-buddy, Chozen (who has become a main character during Season 5) ends up mistaking the situation for something hostile and fights through several of Mike’s workers and Mike himself before Daniel is able to break up the fight. It’s a great way to reintroduce Barnes back into the series.
It’s a shame Barnes’ whole store burned down though. Thanks for that, Silver.
Daniel Vs. Silver (Season 5, “Extreme Measures”)
I mean, you can’t even really call this a fight because Silver just eliminates Daniel so quickly, but it’s still one I need to include for the repercussions that come after. In the Season 5 episode, “Extreme Measures,” Daniel goes to Stringray’s home to apologize for ambushing him about being bribed by Silver, but instead of meeting Stingray, Silver is in the apartment, waiting for Daniel.
It’s there that we see a quick fight between the two of them, but Daniel can’t keep up with Silver and ends up getting severely hurt by Silver’s surprise ambush on him. So much so that he needs to get his injuries treated after that. While the fight is brief, it’s a serious indication of how far Silver is willing to go, to the point where he will nearly kill someone to get what he wants.
Miguel Vs. Robby (Season 5, “Extreme Measures”)
On the opposite side of things in “Extreme Measures,” Miguel and Robby actually found a way to work out their anger towards each other. In Season 5, Johnny and Carmen find out they are going to have a baby, but Johnny wishes for both his biological son, Robby, and Carmen’s son, Miguel, to work things out. So, he just insists that they fight to get out their issues.
And surprisingly, it actually works. There are several flashbacks to the school fight that we see throughout, the one that ended with Miguel getting seriously injured, but it seemed all they needed was a good sparring match and they were good. And when Johnny reveals a moment later the news about the baby, both are super happy for him. And from there on out, we don’t see any more squabbles between them.
Chozen Vs. Silver (Season 5, “Head Of The Snake”)
The first of two fights in the Season 5 finale of Cobra Kai, this was one that had me on the edge of my seat. When Chozen, Johnny and Mike break into Silver’s home (while intoxicated, no less), they are ambushed by several of Silver’s sensei's. But the one fight that had me glued to the screen was Chozen vs. Silver.
These two are experts in their field and using the effectiveness of the outdoors made it all the crazier, but what made it even more intense was both of them using weapons. Silver with a katana, and Chozen with his two daggers. This leads to a drawn-out fight featuring both karate and expert weapon-usage until Silver is able to get the upper-hand on Chozen when he turns his head for one moment, and slices open Chozen’s back, ending the fight.
While we see that Chozen is alive at the end of the episode, I felt my heart stop. Silver really does mean “no mercy” when he fights.
Daniel Vs. Silver: Part 2 (Season 5, “Head Of The Snake”)
I mean, talk about vengeance. Karma. Whatever it is you want to say, this was it.
When Silver arrives at the flagship Cobra Kai, Daniel is there with the rest of the adults and the kids. Silver, at this point, is winded from his fight with Chozen, but he still attempts to fight against Daniel again despite the video of him confirming he bribed the referee at the championship now out to the public.
However, when Silver tries to play dirty and grab one of the trophies to smash into Daniel, LaRusso uses the element of surprise and his memories of the lessons Silver taught him years ago to slam his foot into Silver before he could effectively hurt Daniel, knocking Silver to the ground. And it’s not long after that in which Silver is arrested. Sweet, sweet revenge.
With Season 5 of Cobra Kai all done and the future of both dojos up in the air, one can only wonder what will be next for the folks at these dojos and beyond. But I know for a fact I’ll be there to watch all of it go down.
