COBRA KAI Creators Talk About How the Season 4 Finale Cameo Will Play Into Season 5

Cobra Kai Season 4 was released on New Year’s Eve, giving fans the last week and a half to get through the ten episodes that ended with a riveting finale. The last episode was filled with shocking revelations, plot twists, and a cameo that is set to launch us into an intriguing Season 5 storyline. The co-creators of the series weighed in on that finale cameo, but before we dig into it, you should know that Season 4 spoilers lay ahead.

In a recent interview with ComicBook, Cobra Kai creators Jon Hurwitz, Josh Heald, and Hayden Schlossberg talked about that final scene in which we see Daniel at the grave of Mr. Miyagi, lamenting about the trouble he and his dojo have been through. While it seems as though he's talking to his late mentor, it's revealed that he's talking to Chozen (Yuji Okumoto), his rival from The Karate Kid Part II that he made amends with in Season 3. Chozen has apparently come to California to help Daniel take back the Valley.

Schlossberg explained:

"When Daniel went to Okinawa [in Cobra Kai Season 3], we saw that Chozen had lived this life of shame, coming off the events of Karate Kid II. And that Daniel coming to Okinawa gave him an opportunity to redeem himself in his eyes. And we always felt that he showed him a couple moves, but he's always going to feel that responsibility to help Daniel."

"And so, the fact that at the end of Season 4, things are worse than they've ever been. Cobra Kai is more popular than it's ever been, with Terry Silver relishing it and in full force and Daniel supposedly having to shut down Miyagi Do. That when you think about it from Daniel's perspective, what does he have to come back from this?"

Daniel needs all the help he can get to take down Cobra Kai, especially under its new leadership. Chozen is one of the only people whose tenacity matches that of Terry Silver, making him the perfect companion to Daniel and Johnny. 

Schlossberg went on to add:

"He does have somebody else who knows Miyagi-Do karate that is in our minds, willing to fight for the death for him to prove himself. And we just thought it was the kind of fun resource for Daniel in this time of need and for the season to end on the possibility of like, 'Oh my God, okay, we're bringing somebody in from Okinawa to the Valley,' because it's gotten to that point.

The possibilities now are endless. Obviously, things could get really heightened because you know that Chozen is the type of guy who, at least in Karate Kid II, was willing to fight to the death. And we know that Terry Silver is willing to go to crazy lengths, to stay in power, especially after what he did to Stingray in season four. So it has the makings for a big action-packed season. And we just finished shooting it and, and it is. And so, we're looking forward to fans, checking it out."

While I felt that this season was more of a slow burn after the feel-good nostalgic love-fest of Season 3, I have since realized that it was all necessary to set up that explosive finale, which is going to take us to new places in Season 5. I truly don’t know what’s going to happen next, and I can’t wait to watch Season 5.

Cobra Kai Seasons 1-4 are available now on Netflix.