Cobra Kai: The Complete Series - Blu-ray Review

[Michael Scott]

Cobra Kai: The Complete Series



Movie:
Video:
Audio:
Extras:
Final Score:



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Movie
Everybody loves an underdog. It’s one of those aspects of human nature that pulls us directly to a person fighting upwards against impossible odds. David and Goliath, Rudy, pretty much every action movie ever made, and countless other stories dot the landscape of our cinematic history. And for those of us who grew up in the 80s and 90s, there is nothing more famous than Daniel san fighting for his right to wear a black belt. I mean, seriously? Who among you does not know the infamous crane kick, and hearing Sensei Kreese telling Johnny to sweep the leg? It’s an iconic bit of 80s action cheese that hit all the right spots for a teen growing up back then.

And while Ralph Macchio’s time in front of the camera was fairly short, he is also a bit of an underdog. The actor who made it big with The Karate Kid, yet failed to get much momentum after that fame ran its course. His career has struggled more than its fair share over the last few decades, but nothing shocked everyone (including me) more than when it was announced that Ralph was going to be coming back for a little YouTube Red show named Cobra Kai. And while I was shocked that he was trying to reboot his little slice of fame with Cobra Kai, I was even more shocked by the audience reception. I fully admit that I didn’t watch the first two seasons that aired on YouTube simply due to the fact that I had the misconception that this was a desperate attempt by a fading actor at reliving the glory days. But around the mid-point of the 2nd season, the internet was blowing up about the show. Even then, it took me a few more years until the 4th season aired on Netflix (Netflix picked up the show after the first two seasons) to actually check it out. And guess what? It wasn’t half bad. In fact, it was good. By the time the series passed the 2-year mark, it had hit its stride and actually started bringing in more and more revenue, and the budget had gone up. Fights were more fun. More actors were asked to show up as cameos in the show. And classic Karate Kid villains came in to re-live their own glory days and add some redemptive arcs throughout the series.

As for the main plot, this actually hits pretty well for a fan of the 1980s. ESPECIALLY if you’re a middle-aged person from the 80s having your own midlife crisis. After opening with a montage made of alternate cuts and takes from the original film, we’re reintroduced to the sub villain of the Karate Kid, one Johnny Lawrence, drinking himself to death in California. The absent father of a teen son, an alcoholic trying to drown his sorrows, and a man bitter at life. All of those add up to your typical bully from high school who comes to realize that he peaked back then as well. Not to mention that he’s the polar opposite of 1984 rival Daniel LaRusso (Ralph Macchio), who has everything that Johnny wanted. A chain of car dealerships throughout the state, a nice house, a great wife, and two kids. But Daniel himself is not without his own problems, which mainly arise in the first season revolving around his grief over the loss of Sensei Miyagi (Pat Morita), who died a few years earlier.

And while most of you might think the main character of the show is Daniel, this is actually Johnny’s redemption arc. Attempting to one-up his old rival, Johnny starts the Cobra Kai dojo to train the next generation of martial artists. And as you could have guessed, it doesn’t do so well when all he has behind him is pain and trauma, and the words of the vicious Sensei Kreese ringing in his ears. But that’s where Daniel comes in. Despite Johnny’s harsh treatment of the students, despite their old rivalry, nothing is more powerful than when two opposites attract. And guess what? You might even get a team up where two old rivals start their own dojo, blending what Miyagi taught one, and what the other learned through the hard knocks of life that Daniel never experienced.

While Johnny and Daniel are naturally at the forefront of the show, the series thrives on the teenage drama and angst as seen through the eyes of Johnny’s son Robby, Daniel’s daughter Mary, and a host of other eager young students looking to gain instruction from the two martial arts dynamos. BUUUUUUUUUUUUT, while that is all well and good, I personally think that nostalgia bait and a healthy dose of old actors coming back to have some fun fill in the cracks, that is the CW style of angst that floods the series. Which is to say, the old villains and characters from all the old films having their own redemption and/or learning arcs throughout the series. Martin Kove comes back as Sensei Kreese. Thomas Ian Griffith as Terry Silver, Yuji Okumoto as Chozen Toguchi, and several more. The show is obviously aimed at both Xennials and Gen Xers who grew up loving the original films, but it also bridges the gap well enough with younger audiences. And while I originally poo-poo’d the show for being (what I thought was) a cheap cash grab, I had to eat a lot of crow and jump on the Cobra Kai bandwagon after a few seasons had come out, and I gave up my snobby “I’m not going to watch this lame thing” attitude.




Rating:

Rated TV-14 by the MPAA




Video:

Like most of us video nerds, the lack of 4K UHD is a bit saddening, but not unexpected considering the state of physical media TV shows these days. That being said, the Blu-ray set from Sony looks exceptionally good, bordering on perfection in later seasons. The first couple of seasons that were shown on YouTube Red look a bit softer than later seasons, but still quite nice with clean visuals, strong colors, and a warm tone that gives it a different look than modern TV shows. Later seasons clear up even more, with razor-sharp clarity, great black levels, and even more intimate details than the already good-looking first couple of seasons. Honestly, this just looks great all around and gets a standing ovation from yours truly.









Audio:

The 5.1 DTS-HD MA tracks are more than serviceable for the dramedy/action show. Dialog is strong and cleanly replicated in the front of the room, and the surrounds actually get way more activity than I originally expected. There are some great fight scenes throughout the show, and it’s really here that the track shines. A rousing score, plenty of impact effects, and the students cheering in the background all make for rousing action. And the more dramatic effects know when to dial it back as well. Voices are clean, bass punchy, and except for a few small scenes (elaborated below), this is a great track.

Thanks to several Blu-ray.com members, a few errors in the disc’s subs were unearthed. Mainly dealing with season 5, where a couple of scenes where Miguel’s grandmother is speaking in Spanish. What happens is the original yellow burnt-in subs are overlaid by white SDH subs. It’s not a major issue, but something that is definitely a glitch, and something that I’m assuming Sony will address with replacement discs over time. Again, this is not massive, just an irritant that happens for a few moments out of the entire series.




Extras:

Season 1:
• Pilot Episode Commentary
• Chemistry: Reads with the Cast
• Music Featurettes
• Deleted Scenes

Season 2:
• Deleted Scenes
• Easter Eggs
• Fists & Fury: Fight Choreography
• Into the Dojo: The Characters
• Gag Reel
• Making Faces Reel
• Stingray Reel

Season 3:
• Deleted Scenes
• Blooper Reel

Season 4:
• Deleted & Extended Scenes
• Blooper Reel
• Karate Dad

Season 5:
• Deleted Scenes
• Blooper Reel

Season 6:
• Series Finale Commentary
• Deleted & Extended Scenes
• Blooper Reel

Final Score: ​

Yeah, Cobra Kai is a blast. It is angsty enough for modern young adults, but has so much nostalgia and good storytelling for adults to really get into the redemption arc for one of the Karate Kid’s most infamous “villains” (personally, I never say Johnny as a villain. He was more of a tool FOR the villain that was John Kreese). Plus, the show ran for 6 seasons and basically surprised EVERYONE. The Blu-rays look and sound great, and while the extras are only moderate, it’s still more than most Netflix shows get. And after we only got DVD’s for the series being released day and date, seeing this massive box set come out on Blu-ray via Sony’s MOD program, I’m ecstatic to see it at all. Highly recommended.


Technical Specifications:

Starring: Ralph Macchio, William Zabka, Courtney Henggeler, Tanner Buchanan, Xolo Mariduena, Mary Mouser
Created by: Josh Heald, Jon Hurwitz, Hayden Schlossberg
Aspect Ratio: 1.78:1 HEVC
Audio: English: DTS-HD MA 5.1
Subtitles: English SDH
Studio: Sony Pictures
Rated: TV-14
Runtime: 2193 Minutes
Blu-ray Release Date: March 3rd 2026

Recommendation: Highly Recommended

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