Brace yourself for the most shocking, brutal, and heart-wrenching moments from the hit series "Cobra Kai"! From devastating fights to unexpected betrayals, we're counting down the top moments that left fans speechless and questioning everything they knew about their favorite characters.
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00:00I followed all the Miyagi-Do teachings, I even put aside my rivalry and teamed up with
00:07Johnny.
00:08None of it worked.
00:09Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we're counting down our picks for the most dramatic and surprising
00:14Cobra Kai moments that left our jaws on the floor.
00:18Since we'll be discussing all six seasons of the Karate Kid continuation in great detail,
00:24a major spoiler warning is now in effect.
00:34Number 30.
00:35Master Kim Sun-Young meets his end.
00:50During the shocking events in Barcelona, John Kreese wrestles with overwhelming guilt.
00:56After all, the very blade that killed Kwon was the one that he brought to the tournament.
01:01And so, with Master Kim Sun-Young pushing his students with a brutal new technique,
01:06Kreese abandons Cobra Kai.
01:08This leads to Kim Da-Eun being ordered to eliminate Kreese in order to prove her family
01:13worth.
01:24In a shocking twist, she decides to turn on her grandfather instead.
01:29After an ill-fated sneak attack, a fight erupts, leading Kim Da-Eun to ultimately kill her
01:34grandfather using his own lethal move against him.
01:49Number 29.
01:51Kreese and Silver's explosive demise.
02:02To say the fate of Silver and Kreese was a fiery one would be a wee bit of an understatement.
02:08You see, Silver planned to kidnap Carmen in order to blackmail Johnny into throwing the
02:13Saikai Taikai tournament.
02:15Sensing trouble, a mostly redeemed Kreese snuck onto Silver's boat to confront him.
02:20An inevitable fight broke out that saw a can of petrol spill out.
02:31Well, Silver was able to pin his adversary down, Kreese, in a final act of defiance,
02:43grabbed his lit cigar and tossed it into the spilled fuel, triggering a massive explosion
02:48that destroyed the boat and seemingly killed them both.
03:01Number 28.
03:03Miguel beats Robby at the All Valley.
03:13Everything was in place for Cobra Kai's season 1 finale to repeat the ending of the
03:17initial Karate Kid movie.
03:19Robby found himself as yet another injured Miyagi-Do student who had the daunting task
03:25of trying to beat a fearsome rival with much more training.
03:28As their final fight wound down, we expected the underdog to win just like Daniel did in
03:33the 1984 movie.
03:35However, Miguel takes advantage of Robby's injury and clinches a brutal victory.
03:40This huge upset let fans know early on that Cobra Kai wasn't here to just repeat the
03:46beats of the old movies.
03:48In this new and bold spin-off, anything could happen… and does.
03:59Number 27.
04:00Terry attacks Johnny.
04:09In season 4, Terry Silver re-enters the world of karate to teach Cobra Kai students once
04:15But it doesn't take long for this unstable man to get carried away.
04:19After messing with Johnny's head, Silver tricks the Eagle Fang Sensei into taking a
04:23kick to the face.
04:25The villain proceeds to viciously overpower the fighter with devastating blows.
04:29Fortunately, Kreese puts a stop to the beatdown before it can get any worse.
04:37The fact that the harsh sensei thought Terry had crossed a line speaks volumes about the
04:41severity of this defeat.
04:43Johnny was lucky that Miguel was there to help the beaten man after he tried to drown
04:47the pain of his loss.
04:52Number 26.
04:54Daniel betrays Robby.
05:03During an intense fight, Miyagi-Do student Robby accidentally commits a serious crime.
05:08The frightened kid immediately runs away from the scene.
05:12Robby's mentor Daniel eventually finds the disheveled young man after a long search.
05:17At first, it seems like the two are going to figure a way out of this bad situation
05:21on their own.
05:22Unfortunately, Daniel decided to tell the cops that Robby was ready to face justice.
05:37The confused and hurt young fighter is left with no choice but to get arrested.
05:42Robby thought he could completely trust his sensei, but Daniel's move pushed the kid
05:47away from the light and into a truly dark place.
05:56Number 25.
05:58Not their limo driver.
06:00All the heroes wanted to do was go out for a night on the town to celebrate a much-deserved
06:04win over Terry Silver.
06:05However, the evening takes a sharp and very dark turn.
06:09After Chosen, Daniel, and Johnny get into their party limo, it's revealed that their
06:13driver's been replaced.
06:15The new person behind the wheel also begins swerving dangerously towards some unknown
06:19location.
06:21Since Johnny recently announced he was having a kid and Chosen just confessed his feelings
06:25for Kumiko, we got a sinking feeling that someone wouldn't make it when we first watched
06:30the episode.
06:31However, we were in for a great surprise when villain-turned-ally Mike Barnes revealed he
06:37was the bad driver all along.
06:46This sequence was truly a wild ride.
06:49Number 24.
06:51Kenny Gets Harassed By His Peers
07:02Everything about Kenny's story in his debut episode is pretty tragic.
07:06On his very first day at a new school, he starts getting harassed by a group led by
07:10Anthony LaRusso.
07:12Kenny also has to spend a lot of time home alone due to busy parents and the fact that
07:16his brother's in juvie.
07:18Everything starts looking up when a girl from his school supports Kenny's cosplay
07:23and invites him to meet up.
07:25Unfortunately, this meeting was just part of a cruel prank Anthony and his friends were
07:29playing.
07:37Watching Kenny cower in fear from his tormentors is heartbreaking.
07:41The poor kid gets harassed so much that he's unfortunately driven right into the hands
07:46of Cobra Kai.
07:55Number 23.
07:56John Kreese Is Alive
07:58During season one, Johnny mentions that his old Cobra Kai sensei passed away.
08:08Since John Kreese was one of the best villains in the movies, the audience was disappointed
08:13to learn that he wouldn't appear in the series.
08:15But the showrunners gave fans what they wanted in the season finale.
08:19After his dojo wins the All-Valley Karate Championship, Johnny is visited by a shadowy
08:24figure at night who delivers a classic villain monologue.
08:37Suddenly Kreese reveals himself with a cigar in hand.
08:40We guess we shouldn't have been too surprised.
08:43After all, this wasn't the first time that reports of Kreese's death were exaggerated.
08:52This scene was also great foreshadowing for when he pulled off another shocking death
08:56hoax in season five.
08:58Number 22.
09:00Chosen Slaughters The Senseis
09:09Imagine honing your skills as a sensei for years or even decades.
09:13Suddenly, you and four of your peers are asked to confront one man and get utterly destroyed.
09:18This is the scenario that five unlucky men faced when they dared to take on Chosen.
09:23The villain-turned-hero deals out brutal blow after brutal blow.
09:26Throughout this fight, Chosen makes sure that everyone who ends up on the mat gets there
09:31in the most painful way possible.
09:37These senseis weren't the last ones to suffer a hard loss at the hands of the Miyagi-Do
09:42But they're still some of the best examples of why you should never get on Chosen's bad side.
09:58Number 21.
09:59The Halloween Party
10:05Miguel initially wanted to learn karate to defend himself against the people in his school
10:10who constantly harassed him.
10:12He got his chance to break out his new fighting skills at a school Halloween party.
10:17After listening in on a conversation Kyler's having with his twisted pals,
10:21Miguel decides to go on the offensive.
10:23But there are just too many opponents for Miguel to take on all at once.
10:27They get the best of him and beat him senseless.
10:31After the harrowing scene, Johnny finds Miguel crumpled up on the floor.
10:44But things don't get better from there.
10:46Once Miguel's mom learns about what happened, she asks Johnny to stay away from her son.
11:01Number 20.
11:02Johnny and Carmen Make Their Families Bigger
11:10Although Johnny hasn't exactly been father of the year in the past,
11:13he's put in a lot of work to be a better dad to Robby and Miguel.
11:17It turns out that he leveled up his parenting skills just in time.
11:21Shortly after returning from Mexico,
11:23Johnny finds out that he'll be having a baby with Miguel's mother Carmen.
11:27This surprising plot point immediately pushes the former Cobra Kai sensei
11:31to go to extreme and absurd lengths to prepare for the incoming bundle of joy.
11:36Watching Johnny fully embrace fatherhood may have been
11:39the most surprising aspect of the baby announcement.
11:42Before this point, we never would have expected him to be so happy to raise a kid.
11:58Number 19.
11:59Devin Sabotages Kenny
12:11Not only is the Saikai Taikai the most prestigious karate tournament in the world,
12:16but a dojo can only send six of its students to participate.
12:20This means the Miyagi-Do senseis are forced to make some tough cuts.
12:24The newly reformed Kenny looks like a strong contender
12:27until a poorly timed trip to the bathroom during the final round of selections dashes his chance.
12:40A frustrated Kenny accuses Anthony, his former tormentor, of sabotaging him.
12:45But the show threw us a curveball by revealing
12:47it was Johnny's protege, Devin, who committed the deed.
12:51Both Kenny and Devin grew into talented all-around students in the show's later seasons.
12:56So it's not hard to be disappointed in the latter for cheating at the expense of her relationships.
13:09Number 18.
13:10Trashing Miyagi-Do
13:18While Hawk was still hanging out with his Cobra Kai buddies,
13:21he took part in a horrible act of vandalism.
13:24After losing a public fight against Miyagi-Do students,
13:27he decided to take his negative emotions out on their dojo.
13:31Hawk and a few of his Cobra cronies utterly wreck Miyagi-Do dojo.
13:35While the damage to the buildings was bad on its own,
13:38they really crossed the line by stealing Mr. Miyagi's Medal of Honor.
13:42They even took Mr. Miyagi's Medal of Honor.
13:53The devastated look on Daniel's face as he uncovers each act of vandalism speaks volumes.
13:59It was clear that Cobra Kai's destructive acts hurt him more than a punch ever could.
14:04Hell, I know you don't earn a Medal of Honor by stealing it.
14:11Number 17.
14:13Robby unleashes hell on Kenny
14:24After Kenny is relentlessly tormented by his peers at school,
14:27he turns to Robby and Cobra Kai for guidance.
14:30The new recruit slowly builds up his fighting skills
14:33and forges a strong relationship with his mentor.
14:36However, their bright relationship takes a dark turn
14:38when they meet in the quarterfinals of the All-Valley Tournament.
14:41Although Robby tries to go easy on his foe,
14:44Kreese tells him to stop holding back.
14:53The older fighter shows absolutely no mercy to Kenny.
14:56Over the course of a few minutes, Robby hits his friend with painful blows.
15:00The mentor also publicly humiliates his mentee in front of the crowd.
15:05Kenny leaves the fight with a bloody nose
15:07and the knowledge that he isn't safe from Robby's brutality.
15:16Number 16.
15:18Chosen gets sliced.
15:31A climactic final battle between Chosen and Terry Silver
15:35became a lot more dangerous when both fighters got their hands on sharp weapons.
15:39We tried not to gasp every time a blade came close to seriously wounding a fighter.
15:44However, we finally breathed a sigh of relief when Chosen had Silver at his mercy.
15:49But that happiness was immediately erased
15:52when the Cobra Kai sensei lashed out while his opponent was distracted.
15:56Seeing Chosen fall backwards into that pool
15:59had us terrified that we might have lost one of our new favorite fighters.
16:06Fortunately, he was tough enough to survive the slice.
16:09Number 15.
16:10Hawk draws blood.
16:12As the insecure Eli morphed into Hawk and trained in Cobra Kai,
16:16he became a much more cutthroat version of himself.
16:19One of the most brutal displays of his new personality
16:21occurred when Kreese brought in recruits who picked on Eli in the past.
16:25Hawk sees their entrances as new opportunities to inflict revenge.
16:38When facing off against his former tormentor, Brux,
16:40the bird-themed Cobra Kai student easily gets the better of his foe
16:44and essentially beats him to a pulp.
16:46Hawk doesn't even need to be asked to finish his opponent off.
16:55By the end of this brutal beatdown,
16:57some bystanders can't even stand to look at the bloodied and defeated Brux.
17:01Hawk's revenge clearly went way too far.
17:09Number 14.
17:11Hawk loses his mohawk.
17:13Eli was able to overcome his insecurity about his cleft lip scar
17:16by embracing a mohawk and getting a cool new nickname.
17:20His new and occasionally very bright hairstyle became a cornerstone of his identity.
17:25Although it seemed like Eli would never part with it,
17:28he wasn't given a choice on one fateful afternoon.
17:31While waiting for a tattoo appointment,
17:33Hawk is suddenly ambushed by a group of Cobra Kai students.
17:47They then proceed to hold him down and hack away at his iconic hair.
17:51Seeing a defeated Hawk reveal his horrible haircut was a crushing and gasp-inducing sight.
17:57After this harrowing surprise attack,
17:59Hawk understandably had to take time to figure out who he was without his mohawk.
18:11Number 13.
18:12Tori's forfeit.
18:14What should have been a friendly fight between rivals was tainted by tragedy.
18:19Just a day after Tori lost her mother,
18:22she had to duel Sam to see who would become Miyagi-Do's female captain.
18:26At first, it seemed like the grief had overwhelmed the promising fighter.
18:30But when Tori started turning her rage into power,
18:33everyone realized that this clash had gotten all too real.
18:44The intense circumstances of the fight made each hit and block carry more weight.
18:49Additionally, Peyton List excelled at making Tori's fight and grief feel achingly raw.
18:54It would have been great if Sam and Tori's duel had gotten to conclude
18:58with one of the two women victorious.
19:00Even though it was interrupted, the match still made a huge impact on us.
19:10Number 12.
19:12Drunk Johnny.
19:13Over the course of the series,
19:28Johnny and Miguel went from having a strict sensei and student relationship
19:32to behaving more like a father and son.
19:34Although they didn't always express their feelings openly,
19:38it's obvious they cared about each other.
19:40That's why Miguel didn't hesitate to get his heavily intoxicated and battered sensei
19:44to bed in the Party Time episode.
19:47After Johnny settles in, he gives an emotional speech about being a father.
20:01But in a crushing twist, it's revealed that the speech is meant for his son, Robby.
20:10Miguel is absolutely devastated by Johnny's words.
20:15We struggled not to cry along with him as he painfully turned away from his fathered figure.
20:20Number 11.
20:21House Ambush.
20:30On December 19, 1984, Daniel defeated Johnny in the All-Valley Karate Championship.
20:36Thirty-odd years later, December 19 turns into D-Day at the LaRusso residence.
20:41As Miyagi-Do and Eagle Fang try to make a truce for peace,
20:44Cobra Kai wages war by throwing Burt through a window.
20:47This surprising moment is followed by a shocking brawl in the house that is
20:50full of unexpected revelations.
20:53Sam summons the strength to stand up to Tory, Miguel has a rematch with Kyler,
20:57and, most surprising of all, Hawk confronts the monster he's become.
21:01Never underestimate your enemy. I made you what you are.
21:04His moment of truth comes when he turns on his teammates to save Dimitri.
21:08Although it was one of the show's most brutal fights,
21:11its resolution left us on a hopeful note.
21:13You better watch your back.
21:18He won't have to. He's got friends watching him for him.
21:21Number 10.
21:23Shows and Returns.
21:24I know things are unfinished with your business,
21:28but Daniel-san, it will work out.
21:31On a business trip to Japan,
21:33Daniel is delighted to cross paths with his former love interest Kumiko again.
21:37Of course, she's not the only character from Karate Kid Part 2 who makes an appearance.
21:42As Daniel and Kumiko sit down to a friendly drink,
21:44they're interrupted by the antagonistic Chosen.
21:52The audience shares Daniel's surprise and horror as Chosen sternly calls his name
21:56from across the room.
21:57What's perhaps even more shocking is this former villain doesn't throw a punch or make threats.
22:03More than three decades after Chosen tried to end Daniel's life,
22:06he bows to his old rival.
22:08It's not often that a show catches us off guard two times in a row,
22:12but we didn't anticipate Chosen's return or eventual redemption.
22:16And if it means anything, Chosen, I forgive you.
22:20It means a great deal.
22:22Number 9.
22:23Miguel's Dad Reveals His True Colors.
22:26Are you following me?
22:27What?
22:28No.
22:28Are you with the feds?
22:29No, no, no, absolutely not.
22:32Hey, watch it.
22:38Before Miguel met his father Hector,
22:40he was warned multiple times that his biological dad was incredibly dangerous.
22:44But the patriarch initially seemed to be fairly friendly and welcoming.
22:48However, once Hector becomes paranoid that the authorities are after him,
22:52he turns into a harsh and angry man on a dime.
22:56Not only does he put his hands on Miguel,
22:58but even pulls out a gun in his son's presence.
23:01We weren't prepared for the seemingly unpleasant Hector
23:04to have such a twisted and dark side to him.
23:07Fortunately, Miguel was away quickly
23:09before we could see what other grim things his dad was capable of.
23:13Miggy?
23:18Okay, Ma.
23:22I'm coming home.
23:23Number 8.
23:24Terry Betrays Kreese.
23:26While the relationship between two of Cobra Kai's fiercest senseis
23:30could get strained at times,
23:32their shared memories of their Vietnam War service
23:34seemed to hold their bond together.
23:36I have been your strength ever since Vietnam.
23:39Yes, there it is.
23:42I can always count on you playing the guilt card.
23:45So we were stunned when Silver permanently fractured their friendship
23:48with a twisted scheme.
23:50The sensei starts off by savagely beating Cobra Kai student Stingray to a pulp.
23:54Next, Silver worked with his victim to frame Kreese for the crime.
23:58These dark steps led to a shocking scene
24:00where officers arrived to haul the accused veteran away.
24:03I'm shedding my weakness, Captain.
24:07John Kreese, you're under arrest for aggravated assault and attempted murder.
24:11Although we knew Silver was power hungry,
24:14we never expected him to betray the man who once saved his life to get ahead.
24:18Kreese's fall basically delivered control of Cobra Kai
24:21to his former friend on a silver platter.
24:25Number 7.
24:26The Captain, the Cobras, and Kreese.
24:28I'm sorry it has to end for you like this, Kreese.
24:33But only one of us is coming back and I still got something to live for.
24:36We already knew that Kreese was merciless,
24:38but Cobra Kai still managed to keep us guessing about how far he'd go.
24:42We're given our answer in the season 3 finale
24:44when he's forced into a death match with Captain Turner over a snake pit.
24:48Before the fight began,
24:50Turner revealed that he hid the news about Kreese's girlfriend passing away in an accident.
24:54That girlfriend of yours back home, what's her name?
24:56Betsy.
24:57Yeah, well, she's dead.
25:01Are you a liar?
25:02No, a letter came just as we got orders for this mission.
25:04When reinforcements show up,
25:06the soldier gets the chance to bring his captain to safety.
25:09Blinded by loss and vengeance, Kreese kicks Turner into the snake pit.
25:13I won't make that mistake again.
25:15Kreese!
25:17No mercy.
25:20Kreese!
25:21The flashback scene mirrors his equally heated fight against Johnny in the present.
25:25If Daniel hadn't intervened,
25:27Johnny likely would have met the same dire fate as Turner.
25:30Minus the snakes.
25:31Number 6.
25:32Daniel gets destroyed by Terry Silver
25:35You thought you could get him to turn on me?
25:42Actions have consequences, Mr. LaRusso.
25:45Although Daniel hated what Silver was doing with Cobra Kai in the valley,
25:48the Miyagi-Do sensei was ready to stop fighting his foe.
25:52But the villain manages to provoke the hero enough to throw the first blow.
25:56What follows is a tense fight that Silver completely dominates.
26:00And just when Daniel looks ready to come back,
26:03he gives into anger and leaves himself wide open.
26:06Silver proceeds to beat his foe down into the ground.
26:09The only reason he lets Daniel survive
26:11is so that the Miyagi-Do man can live to see Cobra Kai's
26:15tighten their hold over more impressionable people.
26:17Seeing our hero lying on the ground,
26:19beaten was a sobering reminder that Silver's
26:22one of the most dangerous villains in the franchise.
26:35Number 5.
26:37Hawk breaks Dimitri's arm
26:41Throughout the series,
26:42Hawk evolves from a timid nerd to a ruthless fighter
26:45who resembles his former tormentors.
26:48He even targets his old friend Dimitri several times.
26:51So it was a pleasant surprise to see Dimitri kick Hawk into a trophy case.
27:01Their rematch, however, is more shocking than satisfying.
27:04Although Miyagi-Do holds their own against Cobra Kai during a brawl,
27:08it all goes downhill once Tory shows up and causes Sam to panic.
27:12The showdown reaches its boiling point when Hawk pins down Dimitri
27:15and is pressured into breaking his arm.
27:21While we've seen Hawk cause his former friend harm before,
27:24he's never gone this far.
27:26But the conflicted look on his face before and after the break
27:29suggested Eli is still in there.
27:38Number 4.
27:39Tommy Dies
27:41The Redemption arcs help make Cobra Kai such a shocking show.
27:45We never expected to empathize with Tommy after he told Johnny to put Daniel in a body bag.
27:55It's established at the start of a heartbreaking episode
27:57that Tommy could succumb to a terminal illness at any time.
28:01But you forget he's sick when you see him and his fellow Cobra Kais emerge victorious from a bar
28:07And as Tommy and Johnny share an insightful conversation around a campfire,
28:11we're given a glimmer of hope that he'll recover.
28:22Reality sinks back in the next morning when the guys discover Tommy passed away in his sleep.
28:27Although we knew his demise was inevitable,
28:30it's harrowing and awfully ironic seeing Tommy in a body bag.
28:38He never dies.
28:41Number 3.
28:42Cobra Kai Steals the All-Valley
28:45Both Miyagi-Do and Eagle Fang agreed to close their doors permanently
28:49if they lost to Cobra Kai in the All-Valley tournament.
28:52With the hopes of multiple dojos riding on her shoulders,
28:55Sam LaRusso charged into battle against her old rival Tori.
28:58Although the two are evenly matched,
29:00the Cobra Kai student eventually landed the final blow on the Miyagi-Do disciple.
29:05This unthinkable win left our jaws firmly planted on the floor.
29:20And before we could recover, we got hit with the bombshell revelation
29:24that Silver paid off the referee to guarantee a Cobra Kai win.
29:36The weight of this All-Valley loss and the way it played out left us reeling
29:40as we ended the show's shocking season 4 finale.
29:44Number 2.
29:45Kwon's Death
29:57One of the show's biggest themes is the price one pays when they can't find balance.
30:02That lesson comes into horrific focus at the tail end of season 6's second act.
30:07During the Saikai Taikai finals,
30:09Cobra Kai student Kwon incites a brawl unlike anything we've seen before.
30:14The sheer scale and devastation is shocking enough,
30:17but our goosebumps are made even bigger by the final showdown between Kwon and Axel.
30:23Wielding Kreese's silver knife,
30:25Kwon's aggression and lack of discipline ultimately come at the cost of his life.
30:31As a decisive kick from Axel results in his demise.
30:45Regardless of how despicable he was,
30:48seeing a young and promising competitor go down like this was not at all what we expected.
30:54Cut the feed.
30:56Cut the feed!
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31:14Number 1.
31:15Miguel's Fall
31:17Hey!
31:18Settle down!
31:18I'm sure we can figure this-
31:21The season two finale hit us with plenty of shocking moments after an all-out war
31:25breaks out on the first day of school.
31:27The most jaw-dropping moment happens atop a staircase.
31:31After a long fight, Miguel gets Robby right where he wants him.
31:34But Miguel decides to follow Johnny's advice and show his enemy mercy.
31:38I wasn't taught the difference between mercy and honor, and I paid the price for it.
31:43If I'm extra hard on you, it's only because you have the potential to be better than I ever was.
31:48You want that, don't you?
31:49The merciful path proves to be his downfall.
31:52Robby retaliates and accidentally kicks Miguel over the ledge.
31:56In a show full of hard-hitting moments,
31:58nothing hurt more than seeing Miguel freefall before landing back first on a staircase railing.
32:04Cobra Kai constantly leaves us asking who to root for.
32:07But the outcome of this fight begs an even more layered question.
32:10Is showing mercy always the right choice?
32:13I did what you taught me.
32:17I showed mercy.
32:22Why did this happen to me?
32:23Is there a Cobra Kai moment that shocked you most of all?
32:26Let us know down in the comments.
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