With the third season of Cobra Kai, fans were pulled even deeper into the universe, as it ended on a great moment of having Johnny Lawrence and Daniel LaRusso finally agree to team up. Season 4 opens with the pair getting ready to take on Cobra Kai as John Kreese decides to call on an old friend in Thomas Ian Griffith’s Terry Silver. But how does this season stack up?
Unsurprisingly, the series was a massive success, surpassing plenty of popular sci-fi series and fantasy series as well in terms of most-watched television series globally. Season 5 is already finished, with fans only left wondering if it will launch at the start of next year or in the middle of this year. But for now, the only question left to ask is: what are the best episodes for Season 4?
10 “Bicephaly” Makes Viewers Feel For Tory Because Of Sam LaRusso’s Bullying
“Bicephaly” represents the weaker parts of Cobra Kai. It’s not bad by any means, but it’s got the sort of characterization that can make these characters exhausting. Johnny being jealous of Daniel teaching Miguel is childish, and even though viewers expect that of him, it’s been three seasons. At the same time, Sam gains no points with viewers as she spends the entire episode antagonizing Tory at her job. She’s a teenager trying to support her family and these spoiled rich folks keep bugging her—who’s the bad guy again?
9 “Minefields” Focuses On The Least Liked Character On The Show
The last thing this series needed was to focus on the most annoying character; Anthony LaRusso. And yet, somehow that’s what happens in “Minefields.” While this is all to develop Kenny so his character makes sense at the end, Anthony bullying Kenny by stealing his stuff is a bit more spotlight than he deserves. The upside to this is getting more Devon Lee, one of the best fighters and coolest characters of Season 4. Still, it’s more downsides than upsides with this episode, especially with Terry Silver supposedly allowing himself to be cowed by John Kreese as they develop Cobra Kai into the studio that Kreese wants.
8 “Then Learn Fly” Takes Some Time To Get Kenny Into Cobra Kai
“Then Learn Fly” takes a bit too long to get to the point. Kenny’s getting bullied, so he wants to join Cobra Kai. But since the series is getting a little full of members on both sides, Kenny can’t just be allowed in. Kreese has gotten to the point where he can be picky on who he allows in, so Robby has to train Kenny on the side.
It’s logical storytelling, but sometimes we just want to get from A to B. There’s also rising tension between Johnny and Daniel, but no one actually wants to see them continue to butt heads after four seasons. The best part of this episode is Johnny’s attempts at training Miyagi-Do students.
7 “First Learn Stand” Has Johnny And Daniel Learning Each Other’s Styles
“First Learn Stand” gets back to the core idea of Johnny and Daniel hanging out, and showing just how great they can be when they actually get along. Watching the two of them learn what the ups and downs are of each other’s styles helped them understand each other better. But even cooler was watching Daniel take down an entire hockey team by himself. The only “bad” part of this episode is seeing Kenny get mercilessly bullied by Daniel’s terrible jerk of a kid. Oh, and watching a grown woman like Amanda harass a teenager on her job.
6 “Party Time” Sees The Kids Go To Prom
“Party Time” focuses on Stingray, the middle-aged man who’s found an identity by training in karate with a bunch of high school kids. The episode skirts the lines of creepy but never quite reaches it, and how much people enjoy it will depend on how they feel about him.
In any case, the best parts are getting to see all of the kids going out and having fun at a prom, even though they still can’t keep fights from breaking out. It also digs into drama with Robby, Miguel, and Samantha LaRusso again. This episode is probably the most plot-important one to the end of the season, but it’s hard to forgive the part where Johnny makes Miguel cry.
5 “Let’s Begin” Spends A Lot Of Time Having Daniel And Johnny Arguing
The end of Season 3 was the most hype moment of the series: Daniel and Johnny finally agreed to put their differences aside and unite for the sake of driving Cobra Kai out of the valley. That just makes the season premiere, “Let’s Begin,” all the more frustrating for opening with the two of them arguing over how they could ever learn to co-exist. It’s like an episode of Monday Night RAW. By now, they should have learned how to get along. The real reason this episode ranks so high is that it’s the first episode back, and Terry Silver’s re-appearance was amazing.
4 “Kicks Get Chicks” Recruits New Characters To Eagle Fang And Cobra Kai
“Kicks Get Chicks” addresses a long-standing problem with Cobra Kai: there are way too many dudes at these karate schools and not enough women. This episode introduces Piper and Devon Lee, two characters who help spice up the All-Valley Tournament.
It’s got some pretty great humor with Johnny Lawerence going back to high school and experiencing culture shock from being away for forty years. It’s also a major part of Hawk regaining his confidence and re-developing his friendship with Demetri.
3 “Match Point” Offers A Rematch Between Daniel And Johnny
Frustrating as it was to have another season where Daniel and Johnny couldn’t get along, “Match Point” made up for it with something everyone’s wanted since day one: a rematch. Daniel’s lucky win not only made him the All-Valley champion, but it gave him his career, and seeing the two go at it again in a point-based system felt special. This episode also has the showdown between Daniel and Johnny and Kreese and Terry, allowing Daniel to confront one of the most painful memories from his past.
2 “The Fall” Reduces The Tournament To Its Key Players
Aside from a random performance from Carrie Underwood, this episode gives fans everything they’ve been waiting on. So much of Season 4 of Cobra Kai avoids having the protagonists fight until the All-Valley, so they needed to deliver. Fortunately, there are plenty of great moments in this episode, like Daniel realizing that Robby has taught Cobra Kai some of Miyagi-Do’s techniques. But what really makes this episode work is Hawk giving Kyler a one-sided beatdown in which Kyler never gets a single point. This marks the final step in Hawk’s transformation into a confident version of himself that has given up Cobra Kai’s darker behaviors.
1 “The Rise” Is A Satisfying Ending That Leaves Plenty Of Questions
“The Rise” is the culmination of nearly every plot thread that Season 4 has been building up. Kenny’s story of training under Cobra Kai. Robby’s realization that he isn’t as smart as he thinks. The final battle to decide whether the teachings of Mr. Miyagi and Miyagi-Do can top Cobra Kai. There’s even a “resolution” of sorts to the rising tension between Terry Silver and John Kreese. “The Rise” has all of these moments and more as the series perfectly manages to wrap up almost all of its plots in a satisfactory manner, but leave fans begging for Season 5.
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