COBRA KAI Co-Creator Says There Have Been Talks About Stories Centered Around a Young Mr. Miyagi

Co-creators Josh Heald, Jon Hurwitz, and Hayden Schlossberg brought the series Cobra Kai to life in such a way that only fans of the Karate Kid franchise could do.

These guys created stories and characters built upon the characters and lore we already knew and loved, pulling us right back in and pushing the story forward.

We have had a ton of nods at the fandom in the form of returning characters from the films, and Easter Eggs that have called back to the stories we grew up watching.

One character they’ve been extra careful to pay special mind to in the series is Mr. Miyagi, star of the films, who was the loving and wise sensei and mentor to Daniel growing up.

Miyagi actor Pat Morita passed away in 2005, and the series paid tribute to his memory and character in a lot of special ways.

But that doesn’t mean we won’t ever see his character return in one way or another. In a recent interview with CinemaBlend, Heald explained:

“We discussed it. I don't think we would ever recast Miyagi if we are looking at the Pat Morita-aged Miyagi. You know, our minds, they run wild. We like to think about who Mr. Miyagi was a hundred years ago.

“Everybody knows the story that Miyagi tells in The Karate Kid: Part Two, about his coming of age, and Sato. So it's not outside the realm (of) possibility that we would want to perhaps explore different eras of Mr. Miyagi at some point in this franchise, with a different performer.”

He went on to talk about the idea that there’s a right way and wrong way to revisit the beloved character:

“I think we personally bump on the idea of going back to a timeline that overlaps with when Daniel knew Miyagi, and do that with anybody other than Pat.

“We've been very careful in the series so far to use the footage and to shoot – there was a scene where I shot Miyagi from behind when he first built the backyard. But to turn around and (show) the face, it has to either be a different era, or it would have to be Pat.

“It would have to look like Pat. It would have to sound like Pat. It would be a bump, I think, for people to say, ‘Okay, this is 1986, and it's not quite what I remember.’”

I have no idea what the future will hold for the Karate Kid/Cobra Kai universe. The creators have talked openly about the fact that they haven’t closed the door on future spinoffs within this world.

This series has been so dang great, I am just excited to see how this final chapter will wrap up, and I know this trio will not move forward unless they have a really great idea on their hands.

Cobra Kai will begin its final season on Netflix on July 18th.