Karate Kid Switched Genres For Its Best Sequel

Published Aug 21, 2026, 11:30 PM EDT Dhruv is a Lead Writer in Screen Rant's New TV division. He has been consistently contributing to the website for over two years and has written thousands of articles covering streaming trends, movie/TV analysis, and pop culture breakdowns. Before Screen Rant, he was a Senior Writer for The Cinemaholic, covering everything from anime to television, from reality TV to movies. After high school, he was on his way to become a Civil Engineer. However, he soon realized that writing was his true calling. As a result, he took a leap and never looked back. Despite its potential, the Karate Kid franchise struggled to bring something new to the table with its early sequels. While the first movie became a massive hit, its direct follow-ups always seemed to pale in comparison. Even efforts made to reboot the franchise remained futile as they kept riffing on the original formula of the 1984 flick. For a while, it looked like the Karate Kid franchise was almost dead with no hope of being revived or rehashed ever again. Surprisingly, though, Cobra Kai achieved the impossible. Instead of treading the well-worn path as the movie sequels, Cobra Kai cleverly changed the entire franchise's storytelling formula. While it at, it cleverly borrowed aspects from the original movies to instill nostalgia in viewers. Although it is unknown what the future holds for the Karate Kid franchise after Cobra Kai and Karate Kid: Legends, it is hard not to appreciate Cobra Kai for showing how reboots should be done. The six-season series on Netflix marked the return of many original characters from the movies, and, yet, even its genre of storytelling felt incredibly distinct and fresh. Cobra Kai Beats Every Single Karate Kid Sequel Image courtesy of Everett Collection The Karate Kid Part II is arguably one of the better movies from the original series. While it did emulate its predecessor's formula, its change of setting and deeper exploration of Miyagi's past gave it a distinct identity. When it comes to its follow-ups, however, almost all of them merely riffed on the original film's underdog story and only attempted to milk the franchise's existing popularity. Unfortunately, despite having a promising new female lead, even The Next Karate Kid could not revive the dying franchise. 2010's The Karate Kid did fairly well at the box office and its new focus on Kung Fu instead of Karate seemingly favored it. Jackie Chan and Jaden Smith also proved to be amicable leads, but the film still could not spawn a full-fledged series. Almost a decade later, Cobra Kai finally came along and changed the game. Instead of being another rehash of the original movies, Cobra Kai cleverly flipped the roles of the leads from the first Karate Kid movie. It turned Johnny Lawrence into a struggling underdog while portraying Daniel LaRusso as a more successful and popular figure. While it did not antagonize Daniel, it made Johnny more rootable and started his journey towards redemption. With this new intriguing dynamic between Daniel and Johnny as its primary driver, Cobra Kai evolved into a coming-of-age drama that focused on a whole new set of young characters involved with rivaling karate dojos. As it progressed, Cobra Kai did not shy away from dropping many references to the original movies and even reinstating many legacy characters from the franchise. This made the series incredibly nostalgic for those who grew up in the '90s and early 2000s. At the same time, though, it also made its new generation drama incredibly compelling to ensure that even newer viewers enjoyed its story. Cobra Kai Is A Different Genre Entirely Compared To Karate Kid Credit: MovieStillsDB Instead of coming off as a classic, earnest 1980s sports-drama like the original Karate Kid movies, Cobra Kai almost presented itself as a satirical self-parody. Almost throughout its runtime, it even avoided featuring clear lines between "good" and "evil" characters. Apart from Johnny, even classic Karate Kid villains like Kreese ultimately earned well-written redemption arcs. While still focusing on coming-of-age themes, Cobra Kai even found creative ways to appeal to adult audiences by walking through the day-to-day snags and existential crisis experienced by its middle-aged characters. Even its portrayal of karate rivalries was never confined to a few characters or two dojos. It turned it into a multi-generational drama where loyalties kept shifting. Johnny Lawrence's arc alone comes off as a fish-out-of-water comedy where he refuses to adapt to modern social norms. Meanwhile, Daniel LaRusso's side of the story feels like a light-hearted family drama where a man struggles to balance work with life. It is this mishmash of many genres that ultimately made Cobra Kai a unique and incredibly successful addition to the dying Karate Kid franchise. Cobra Kai 8/10 Release Date 2018 - 2025-00-00 Network Netflix, YouTube Premium Cobra Kai is a sequel series continuing the narrative of the Karate Kid saga, set 30 years after the 1984 All Valley Karate Tournament. It focuses on Johnny Lawrence seeking redemption by reopening the Cobra Kai dojo, reigniting his rivalry with Daniel LaRusso, who strives to maintain balance in his life. Movie(s) The Karate Kid, The Karate Kid Part II, The Karate Kid Part III, The Next Karate Kid, The Karate Kid, Karate Kid: Legends TV Show(s) The Karate Kid, Cobra Kai Video Game(s) The Karate Kid: Street Rumble, Cobra Kai: The Karate Kid Saga Continues First Film The Karate Kid First TV Show The Karate Kid Genres Sport, Action, Drama The Karate Kid is an action/martial arts drama franchise created by Robert Mark Kamen and began with the first self-titled film released in 1984. The series focuses on teenagers who are unable to fit in with their new surroundings as they deal with persistent bullies until a retired martial arts master finds them and trains them to defend themselves.