Top 10 Saddest Cobra Kai Moments
#10: John Kreese Takes Over
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“No Mercy” Everyone told Johnny it was a mistake to let sensei John Kreese back into his life. After all, the hardcore sensei had a reputation for essentially brainwashing and attacking students. But since Johnny was looking for a second chance in his life, he thought Kreese deserved one too. The brutal sensei was let back into Cobra Kai and trusted with students. But in the end, Kreese betrayed his former disciple by encouraging kids to have no mercy and stealing the dojo. All Johnny wanted to do was get his life together and bring back Cobra Kai the right way. It was devastating when Kreese manipulated him yet again and poisoned a well-intentioned dream.
#9: The Halloween Party
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“Esqueleto” Miguel initially wanted to learn karate to defend himself against the people in his school who constantly harassed him. He got his chance to break out his new fighting skills at a school Halloween party. After listening in on a conversation Kyler’s having with his twisted pals, Miguel decides to go on the offensive. But there are just too many opponents for Miguel to take on all at once. They get the best of him and beat him senseless. After the harrowing scene, Johnny finds Miguel crumpled on the floor. But things don’t get better from there. Once Miguel’s mom learns about what happened, she asks Johnny to stay away from her son.
#8: De-Hawking Hawk
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“Match Point” Before Hawk got a reputation as a powerful fighter, he was just a shy kid named Eli who was self conscious about the scar on his face. One of the main ways he decided to help pull focus from his lip was by getting an iconic mohawk. Unfortunately, his hairstyle doesn’t last after he leaves Cobra Kai for a new dojo. When Hawk least expects it, his old allies attack him and cut off his mohawk. Their choice to destroy the main symbol of Eli’s transformation absolutely shatters his confidence. It’s tough to watch someone who was once so lively and sure of himself feel like the only thing that made him special is gone.
#7: Trashing Miyagi-Do
“All In” While Hawk was still hanging out with his Cobra Kai buddies, he took part in a horrible act of vandalism. After losing a public fight against Miyagi-Do students, he decided to take his negative emotions out on their dojo. Hawk and a few of his Cobra cronies utterly wreck the Miyagi-Do dojo. While the damage to the buildings was bad on its own, they really crossed the line by stealing Mr. Miyagi's medal of honor. The devastated look on Daniel’s face as he uncovers each act of vandalism speaks volumes. It was clear that Cobra Kai’s destructive acts hurt him more than a punch ever could.
#6: Kenny Gets Harassed by His Peers
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“First Learn Stand” Everything about Kenny’s story in his debut episode is pretty tragic. On his very first day at a new school, he starts getting harassed by a group led by Anthony LaRusso. Kenny also has to spend a lot of time home alone due to busy parents and the fact that his brother’s in juvie. Everything starts looking up when a girl from his school supports Kenny’s cosplay and invites him to meet up. Unfortunately, this meeting was just part of a cruel prank Anthony and his friends were playing. Watching Kenny cower in fear from his tormentors is heartbreaking. The poor kid gets harassed so much that he’s unfortunately driven right into the hands of Cobra Kai.
#5: Hawk Breaks Demitri’s Arm
“Miyagi-Do” While Hawk was really drinking the Cobra Kai Kool Aid, he aimed a lot of his venom directly at his former best friend Demitri. It was awful watching their tight bond slowly crumble away. But their lowest point comes during a fight in a laser tag arena. After Hawk gets the best of his Demetri, the Cobra Kais aren’t satisfied. They pressure Eli to break the arm of his old friend. Although Demetri begs to walk away, Hawk goes through with the dark act. In the aftermath, we witness a Miyagi-Do student scream in pain and watch a Cobra Kai disciple become full of regret. But we don’t see any evidence that Demetri and Hawk were ever friends.
#4: Drunk Johnny
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“Party Time” Over the course of the series, Johnny and Miguel went from having a strict sensei and student relationship to behaving more like a father and son. Although they didn’t always express their feelings openly, it’s obvious they cared about each other. That’s why Miguel didn’t hesitate to get his heavily intoxicated and battered sensei to bed in the “Party Time” episode. After Johnny settles in, he gives an emotional speech about being a father. But in a crushing twist, it’s revealed that the speech is meant for his son Robby. Miguel is absolutely devastated by Johnny’s words. We struggled not to cry along with him as he painfully turned away from his father figure.
#3: Daniel Betrays Robby
“Nature VS Nurture” During an intense fight, Miyagi-Do student Robby accidentally commits a serious crime. The frightened kid immediately runs away from the scene. Robby’s mentor Daniel eventually finds the disheveled young man after a long search. At first, it seems like the two are going to figure a way out of this bad situation on their own. Unfortunately, Daniel decided to tell the cops that Robby was ready to face justice. The confused and hurt young fighter is left with no choice but to get arrested. Robby thought he could completely trust his sensei. But Daniel’s move pushed the kid away from the light and into a truly dark place.
#2: Miguel Falls
“No Mercy” The bad blood between Miyagi-Do and Cobra Kai students boiled over and culminated in a massive fight between the two dojos. After Miguel shows mercy during the end of the clash, Robby kicks him over a high railing. The young Cobra Kai student is left motionless and unconscious on the stairs. Once Miguel reaches the hospital, it’s unclear if he’ll ever fully recover. Just when we didn’t think this scene could hurt more, we hear the voicemail he left Johnny before the accident. We were left wondering if the injury could’ve been prevented if the message was heard earlier. Since Miguel’s tragedy was one of the last scenes shown in 2019, fans were left with this depressing ending until the show returned in 2021.
#1: Tommy Dies in His Sleep
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“Take a Right” Tommy was one of the original Cobra Kais from the first Karate Kid movie. After he gets grim news from doctors, he gets a visit from Johnny and friends. The group of Cobra Kai students have a blast hanging out and fighting together. Tommy and Johnny also have an emotional heart to heart while camping in the woods. Suddenly, tragedy strikes. When Johnny wakes up, he sees his friends desperately trying to revive Tommy. But it’s too late. Rob Garrison played Tommy to perfection in this episode. Sadly, the actor passed away the same year this episode aired. Every time we revisit this tragic episode, we feel the weight of losing both Tommy and the unforgettable Rob Garrison.
