COBRA KAI Creators Explain Bringing Back Legacy Character: "We’re Paying Homage to a Hero"
The final season of Cobra Kai delivers a heartfelt surprise for longtime Karate Kid fans, a special appearance by Mr. Miyagi, who also appeared in the previous season.
Given that the legendary Pat Morita passed away over two decades ago, many viewers may wonder how the series managed to bring him back. Now, creators Josh Heald and Jon Hurwitz have revealed the process behind this emotional tribute.
Rather than relying entirely on CGI, the team used Cobra Kai's fight choreographer Don Lee as a body double. His movements and build closely matched Morita’s, making the physicality of the performance feel authentic.
"He’s built similarly to Pat Morita," Hurwitz told Variety. "It was Don’s greatest honor to be able to portray one of his greatest heroes."
To recreate Miyagi’s face, the team avoided archival footage and instead utilized deepfake technology with the help of a VFX company.
Heald explained: "They start producing it, and we give a lot of notes. We went through 50 iterations and then we bring in a voice-soundalike actor to deliver the lines… Then you apply an AI filter that uses archival audio from Pat Morita to get that voice dialed as close as possible."
Despite the technological approach, Heald emphasized that this wasn’t about recreating Morita, but rather honoring his legacy.
"We’re paying homage to a hero," he said. The scene itself serves a meaningful purpose—allowing Daniel LaRusso (Ralph Macchio) to find closure and finally say goodbye to his beloved mentor.
Hurwitz added: "Ralph loved the idea of he and Pat sharing screen time together again with the new technologies that we have. We loved the idea of Daniel needing his final lesson from Miyagi."
After six seasons and 65 episodes, Cobra Kai has reached its conclusion, bringing the Karate Kid saga full circle.
Cobra Kai Season 6, Part 3 is now streaming on Netflix. What did you think about the return of Mr. Miyagi?
