Reviewed by Colin Jacobson (March 19, 2026)
In 2018, Netflix debuted a series called Cobra Kai that updated the characters from 1984’s The Karate Kid. Season One became a hit and spring 2019 brought Season Two.
Season Two includes 10 episodes available on Blu-ray via this “Complete Series” set. The plot synopses come from the series’ official website.
Mercy Part II: “Despite Cobra Kai's victory, Johnny Lawrence (William Zabka) wants to take his dojo in a new direction. Daniel LaRusso (Ralph Macchio) opens his own school with two students: his daughter Sam (Mary Mouser) and Johnny’s son Robby (Tanner Buchanan).”
Unsurprisingly, “Mercy Part II” picks up right where the Season One-ending “Mercy” ends. This leads to the return of an allegedly dead character to be identified in the next synopsis.
That aspect of “Mercy” brings intrigue to the start of Season Two, and other developments bring us into the year in a positive manner. Much of “Mercy” basically re-establishes characters and scenarios but it comes with enough forward momentum to work.
Back in Black: “Daniel helps Sam and Robby find balance while leading a sales push at work. Johnny impresses John Kreese (Martin Kove) with a creative but risky training technique.”
There’s your Karate Kid character who S1 teased but who S2 brings firmly into the fold! The last episode offered a twist on the role as we know him from the movies, one that makes us wonder where Kreese will go from here.
For the most part, “Black” focuses on the evolution of the characters with each other. It doesn’t bring a lot of plot material but it deepens relationships in an appealing manner.
Fire and Ice: “When Miguel Diaz (Xolo Maridueña) learns Robby's identity, Johnny opens up about his failures as a father. To recruit students, Daniel stages a demonstration at a festival.”
S1 established Johnny as a dude stuck in the 80s, and “Ice” provides an amusing reminder of this when he encounters the Internet for the first time. I wouldn’t want a Cobra Kai the makes Johnny a frozen in amber goof all the time, but I do enjoy those moments.
“Ice” also manages to give us more about Johnny’s backstory that makes him a bit more human. “Ice” mixes comedy and drama in a satisfying way.
The Moment of Truth: “Daniel tries to promote Miyagi-Do again, but Cobra Kai steals the spotlight. Johnny suspects Kreese is exaggerating his past accomplishments.”
Not mentioned in that synopsis: the introduction of new Cobra Kai student Tory Nichols (Peyton List). Already a tough cookie, she brings a little spark to the proceedings.
“Truth” expands the rivalry between Miyagi-Do and Cobra Kai while it also hints that Kreese may not be on the up and up. “Truth” pushes us ahead in a progressive manner.
All In: “After Eli "Hawk" Moskowitz (Jacob Betrand) picks a fight with Demetri Alexopoulos (Gianni DeCenzo) at the mall, Daniel works to help Demetri build his confidence. Johnny discovers that Robby is living with Daniel.”
As a pal to Eli and Miguel, Demetri remained a semi-background character through S1, so it becomes interesting to see S2 develop him a bit more. I can’t claim to love that the series turned Eli into a pretty one-dimensional jerk, though I suspect it’ll change course eventually.
On the negative side, we find a little too much goopy hints of teen romance. Nonetheless, “All In” finds other developments to redeem it.
Take a Right: “Daniel's new pupils learn how to settle their differences. While Johnny enjoys a road trip with old pals, Kreese undermines him at the dojo.”
Those “old pals” bring back Johnny’s high school pals to break terminally ill Tommy (Rob Garrison) out of the hospital for one last ride. This gains added emotional punch because Garrison actually dealt with serious health issues during the shoot and he would die barely five months after the episode aired.
While this feels a bit gimmicky, it doesn’t become a problem, especially given that part of the fun we find in Cobra Kai stems from callbacks of this sort. Also, it allows Garrison to go out with a butt-kicking bang via the inevitable “Cobra Kai reunion” fight.
The rest of “Right” proves less eventful, as it mostly just reinforces the growth of Miyagi-Do and the corrupting influence of Kove on Cobra Kai. Still, even without major developments, “Right” works fine.
Lull: “Both senseis try unusual training techniques, and Johnny learns what Kreese has been teaching. Daniel's passion for Miyagi-Do jeopardizes his business.”
Whereas S1 came with a natural plot progression toward a karate tournament, S2 lacks that same forward thrust. This means S2 feels less focused than S1 and it can occasionally come across like one long training montage.
Okay, that last statement exaggerates, but without a natural climax to S2, all the scenes that show the Miyagi-Do and Cobra Kai students in lessons lack the same momentum. Still, S2 does manage to evolve the characters pretty well, and “Lull” reminds us of Johnny’s development in particular, so it keeps us on target.
Glory of Love: “Sam and Robby's secret romance heats up while Daniel's relationship with his wife Amanda (Courtney Henggeler) remains frosty. Johnny tries a dating app.”
As mentioned earlier, Johnny’s attempts to cope with modern technology entertain, so his stabs at online dating turn into a predictably amusing highlight. We also get hints that Johnny and Miguel’s mom Carmen (Vanessa Rubio) will eventually hook up – or at least that Johnny hopes that’ll happen.
Other parts of “Love” get into the less-than-delightful teen romance but I get that S2 uses this for character development. S2 remains less focused on an obvious dramatic progression than S1 but “Love” still allows elements to evolve in a satisfying way.
Pulpo: “Johnny and Daniel run into each other at a restaurant and call an unexpected truce. Meanwhile, tensions between their students flare at a party.”
Tory felt like the anti-Sam from the start, and this antagonism can come across as an echo of Johnny versus Daniel. This brings more conflict that fails to seem especially creative.
On the other hand, the eternal animosity between Daniel and Johnny never gets tiresome, and their undesired dinner together proves enjoyable. Oh, and Johnny dates Carmen sooner than expected, a good development.
No Mercy: “On the first day of school, the grudge between Tory and Sam explodes into a brawl between karate factions in the halls of West Valley High.”
I guess those involved with S2 wanted a climactic fight without another formal tournament. I appreciate the desire to avoid repetition, even if it means S2 fails to boast the same natural tension of S1.
Actually, the best part of “No Mercy” comes from a brief bout between Johnny and Daniel. The series likes to tease fights between those two and may eventually deliver something more epic, but the sliver of conflict still works.
As for the school-wide brawl, it fares reasonably well since it mixes violence with some comedy. Hopefully it settles enough scores that we find less gooey teen romance in Season Three.
And I do look forward to the next set of shows. Even if I liked S2 less than I enjoyed S1, Cobra Kai remains a solid series that continues to expand the Karate Kid legacy well.
