If one of your New Year’s resolutions is to spend less time bingeing Netflix shows after the four-wall-athon of 2020 then I’m sorry to say you’ll be breaking it within the first fortnight of 2021. And also, just quietly, what were you thinking?!
Fan favourite Cobra Kai will make its return to the streamer on January 8 as the rivalry between Daniel LaRusso (Ralph Macchio) and Johnny Lawrence (William Zabka) continues.
30 years on from the infamous 1984 All Valley Karate Tournament, competition is still fierce between the two men, and in the third instalment, we get to delve into the aftermath of the shocking brawl that ended season two.
As Miguel (Xolo Maridueña) recovers from his injuries in hospital, Daniel looks for answers in Okinawa, Japan where he will be reunited with Chozen (Yuji Okumoto), and his former love interest, Kumiko (Tamlyn Tomita) from The Karate Kid II.
Meanwhile, Kreese (Martin Kove) continues to manipulate the impressionable students of Cobra Kai so there’s bound to be a battle royale as Johnny seeks to regain control.
According to Netflix, in season three, “the soul of the Valley is at stake, and the fate of every student and sensei hangs in the balance.”
Capitalizing on our hunger for nostalgia, the first season of Cobra Kai premiered in May 2018, picking up three decades after the events of enduring classic The Karate Kid. The streaming series, which explores the narrative from Johnny’s point of view, was a critical success and boasts a 100% fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes.
While we’ve enjoyed getting reacquainted with old characters and being introduced to new ones, we’ve yet to have a comeback from a pivotal person who could no doubt add all kinds of layers to the plot. I’m of course talking about Elisabeth Shue as Ali who could potentially make an appearance in the upcoming season.
If not, the series has already been renewed for a fourth instalment so we might be waiting for that reignited love triangle for a little while yet.
Read more stories from The Latch and follow us on Facebook.