Cobra Kai and the Gospel

WARNING: Contains Spoilers

I began this blog as a place to write about the intersection of faith and culture. Having recently finished watching the Netflix series Cobra Kai I can honestly say that I am excited again to be writing about faith and culture. Though this show is not at all a “Christian show,” I highly recommend it for the overarching message, which I believe is a refreshing beacon of light and hope in today’s generation of meaninglessness and despair. 

Disclaimer

First, let me get a couple of things out of the way—if you are very sensitive to cursing, the rest of this post won’t matter to you. This show is very heavy on the obscenities, and while I neither enjoy nor condone it, it was easy enough for me to overlook as the series went on. And it did, honestly, make the characters more believable. (Although, the misuse of the Lord's name in particular stings me every time.)

Second, there is a lot of violence—it is a karate show, after all—but it is typically not bloody or graphic. I have a very squeamish personality, and there was maybe only one scene (in the final season) where I had to look away.

This series contains plenty of other content that is not aligned with the values of Scripture, including abuse, misuse of sex outside God’s design, and misuse of alcohol. But these things are a reality in today's world, and they are not condoned, but rather seem to be present to give validity to the characters’ experiences, showing the pain and struggles they must overcome. There is also one instance of characters using a ouija board—which I do not think is wise at all for believers—but it is clearly being manipulated by the characters in a somewhat humorous way.

I also felt particularly relieved by the overall absence of sexual content. Though there are many innuendos and jokes made (particularly by teens trying to impress others), we never view explicit sexual acts and only rarely see scenes that imply that extramarital sex has taken place. The show is also very funny—albeit cringey at times.

I have never been a fan of “throwing the baby out with the bath water” (horrible expression, by the way)—and Cobra Kai, if taken with a grain of salt by believers, is ultimately a gem in a sea of why-did-I-waste-the-last-two-hours-of-my-life-watching-that media. Still, I would recommend this show only for ages 15 and up, due to the mature themes, violence, and language. Parents, you know your kids best.

Now, onto the good stuff.

The pilot episode, after a recap of the end of the original Karate Kid film, follows Johnny Lawrence, the villain of the film, after 30ish years have passed. Things have flipped for Johnny. Having been a two-time All Valley Champion, Johnny was used to being a winner. But now, as he welcomes the day with a beer, fried baloney and hot sauce, it is already clear he has become a loser. This is followed by an eerily familiar sequence: the new neighbor kid approaches him (as he is on his way to his job as a handyman). This is reminiscent of Daniel LaRusso meeting apartment repairman Mr. Miyagi in the original Karate Kid. Later we see that Miguel Diaz is almost a mirror image of the young Daniel, a lower-middle-class new kid who gets bullied at school (but with a good heart). He is certainly deserving of a sensei like Mr. Miyagi, but unfortunately, he is stuck with Johnny—who doesn’t even want to help him, initially. When he finally does step in to help him—beating up a bunch of teenagers who are wailing on him, also reminiscent of Mr. Miyagi—it’s only because they push Miguel into his beloved car. Over and over, we see Johnny doing (some good) things for the wrong reasons. He seems to be stuck in the past, still his teenage self. 

Throughout the series, viewers find themselves rooting for Johnny, fueled by the hope of his redemption. And they are not disappointed. It is easy to love Miguel, and if he can see the best in Johnny, maybe we can too. We see peeks into his past, discovering the reasons he became such a bully in the first place. This tactic of taking the villain of a former movie and expounding on their past isn’t new (think Maleficent, Cruella, etc.) But instead of simply showing us how he got there and leaving us with the fully developed bad guy in the end, we get to see Johnny flip the script. He gradually starts to acknowledge his broken past and current baggage, finally seeing that he does not have to be a product of his abusive sensei, but he can do better. And he does. Eventually. 

In Surprised by Joy, C. S. Lewis describes the feeling arising from imaginative childhood games and stories, a longing that points forward to satisfaction in Christ. I experienced this Joy while watching Cobra Kai. Again, Cobra Kai is no more “Christian” than the Norse mythology Lewis held so dear, but the themes hold the same light and hope. 

1) No One is Good

"They have all turned aside; together they have become corrupt; there is none who does good, not even one.” (Psalm 14:3, ESV)

As Daniel LaRusso says to Robby, Johnny’s son, as early as the first episode of Season 2, “Cobra Kai isn’t the enemy. There are no enemies. Your dad, his students, they’re just like you and me. They’ve just been taught the wrong way. The goal of Miyagi-Do Karate isn’t to fight them. It’s to show them a different way . . . A better way.”

Daniel isn’t such an angel himself. Viewers aren’t surprised to initially see the hero of the Karate Kid saga running a successful car dealership, kissing his beautiful wife, hugging his beautiful daughter, and bantering with his employees and customers. But quickly we see that his life isn't perfect; his son is a disrespectful little jerk and his relationship with his daughter is not what it used to be. And though Daniel was immortalized for his jumping “crane kick,” he sure jumps to a lot of conclusions. So we see that even the hero of the tale is not perfect, but that every character has his struggles. 

2) Don’t Repay Evil for Evil

“But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you” (Matthew 5:44, ESV)

Despite some serious tit-for-tat pranking, karate fights, and even broken limbs and bloodshed, the characters see that this vengeful way of life only always leads to more fighting and more pain—for everyone involved. Daniel teaches his students that they shouldn’t get revenge but try to be the better man. Johnny even grasps this power himself, despite old foes trying desperately to bring out the worst in him. Encouraged by Miguel’s mother, Carmen, he too tries to follow the path of being the bigger person. 

3) Putting on the New Self

“… put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires, and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness.” (Ephesians 4:22–24)

This element of the redemptive message is the one that had me squealing for joy at each surprising moment of character growth and reconciliation. Johnny truly has become a new person by the near-end of the series, to the climactic point of humbly asking his former rival to train him for a fight. 

Along the way, Cobra Kai presents many scenes reminiscent of the original Karate Kid saga, giving Johnny the chance to redo many past failures—his own, and those of his sensei. While some may perceive this plot pattern as redundant, I received it as overwhelmingly redemptive, similar to the failings of Adam being redeemed by the victories of Christ. 

In the All Valley Tournament, should Johnny (and his champion ) target the opponent’s injury (fighting dirty) to win? Instead of imaging his former sensei, he tells his champion to fight with honor. 

Another time, when his student gets second place, instead of breaking his trophy and choking him out (like Sensei Kreese did to him), he responds with surprising acceptance and encouragement, choosing the person over the prize. 

And the theme of redemption doesn’t stop with Johnny. Almost every character we perceive as a villain eventually chooses the right path, or at least, tries to make up for his failings. The phrase that kept coming to mind was “full circle.” Johnny and Daniel both come full circle in this series, redeeming the failings of the past and reconciling with nearly every “enemy.” 

Even before I took the time to sit down and analyze the themes of depravity, forgiveness, and redemption, Cobra Kai left me with a sense of Joy. That longing, almost pleasure, almost happiness. But leaving my eyes lifted upward, for something more. I can honestly say, without a doubt, that Cobra Kai is the most Joyful (secular) show I’ve seen come out in the last decade. 

And I’ll fight anyone who says otherwise.