Karate Kid: Legendsis the next installment in the titular franchise, and marks some big differences from the most recent entry,Cobra Kai. AsCobra Kaiseason 6draws the show to a close in February 2025, attention will turn toKarate Kid: Legends. ThecinematicKarate Kidrebootwill be the first installment in the franchise to be released in theaters worldwide since 2010’sThe Karate Kid, bringing together two different sides of the long-running series.
As evidenced by thetrailer forKarate Kid: Legends, the film will render 2010’s film a spin-off of the originalKarate Kid,rather than the remake many assumed it was.Karate Kid: Legends' castis helmed by Ralph Macchio and Jackie Chan, with the marketing already proving the movie to be very different fromCobra Kai.Cobra Kaiis beloved for many a reason, but it seemsKarate Kid: Legendsis not content to simply repeat its success. Based solely on the first trailer for the latter, several differences between it andCobra Kaiare highlighted.
10Karate Kid: Legends Will Be More Family-Friendly Than Cobra Kai
Cobra Kai Has The Tendency To Reach A Dark Place
DespiteCobra Kaibeing a very self-referential, humorous show, there is no denying that it can explore dark subject matter. Some big plot points include Miguel Diaz’s back injury inCobra Kaiseason 2’s finale, as well as the death of a younger character at the Sekai Taikai inCobra Kaiseason 6, part 2’s ending. Beyond the big twists of the show, its overall nature has more adult themes, from the amount of cursing prevalent throughout to the way it explores the gray area of its central characters, like Daniel LaRusso, Johnny Lawrence, and even Mr. Miyagi.
Cobra Kaieven features flashbacks to the Vietnam War via John Kreese and Terry Silver’s story, which includes some dark moments.
Overall, this rendersCobra Kaia show for the adults who grew up watchingKarate Kid. WithKarate Kid: Legends, it seems as though the movie will be directed more towards families. Although the tone of the show seems more self-serious thanCobra Kai, as a cinematic release that a studio will be hoping is a big box office hit,Karate Kid: Legendswill likely serve as an entry point to the franchise for both younger and older audiences.
9Mr. Miyagi’s Old Dojo Is Run Down In Karate Kid: Legends
The Dojo’s Usage Has Expired
A more surface-level difference betweenKarate Kid: LegendsandCobra Kaiinvolves Mr. Miyagi’s dojo. At one point in the trailer for the former, Chan’s Mr. Han is shown pulling up to the dojo which looks notably more abandoned than it does inCobra Kai. While it is still well-kept, it is clear that this is due to the timeline betweenKarate Kid: LegendsandCobra Kai.
Is Karate Kid: Legends Connected To Cobra Kai?
Karate Kid: Legends is the next movie in The Karate Kid movie franchise, and here’s how it connects to Cobra Kai and how that shared universe works.
It has been confirmed thatKarate Kid: Legendsis set three years afterCobra Kaiseason 6, the story that will end the latter show. As such,the characters fromCobra Kaiwill have long moved on from learning karate in the Miyagi-do Dojo, explaining why it looks slightly less polished inKarate Kid: Legends. To make the dojo less polished be even more logical, another difference betweenKarate Kid: LegendsandCobra Kaiis the location.
8Karate Kid: Legends Relocates The Franchise
From The West Coast To The East
As alluded to,Karate Kid: Legendsis relocating the series. For the most part, the franchise has taken place in California, with every single season ofCobra Kaibeing set in the state also. AlthoughCobra Kaiseason 6 has a story in Barcelona, the hub of the series has been Los Angeles. InKarate Kid: Legends, the story will take place in New York as evidenced by the trailer for the movie.
7No Johnny Lawrence Or Other Karate Kid Legacy Characters
Karate Kid: Legends Will Not Utilize Other Cobra Kai Characters
One of the biggest differences betweenKarate Kid: LegendsandCobra Kaiis the former’s absence ofKarate Kidlegacy characters. Of course, the film will feature Daniel LaRusso and Mr. Han, both of whom can be classed as such. Aside from these two, however, no other characters from the franchise are expected to appear beyond the likeness of the late Mr. Miyagi as shown in the trailer.
This is different fromCobra Kai, which focuses almost entirely on legacy characters from the franchise. Daniel LaRusso and Johnny Lawrence are two main characters in the show who are going against the titular dojo, often led by John Kreese and Terry Silver, two major villains from the original trilogy. Other supporting characters include Chozen, Mike Barnes, Kumiko, Ali Mills, and Daniel’s mother, Lucille LaRusso. Most of these characters will be absent fromKarate Kid: Legends, with the movie focusing solely on LaRusso and Mr. Han from previous installments.
6Li Fong Looks Stronger Than Any Of Cobra Kai’s Characters Were At The Beginning
The Karate Kid Already Knows Karate
A common theme of theKarate Kidmovies andCobra Kaiis that the child characters do not know karate at the onset of the story. Daniel had to be trained by Miyagi, as did Jaden Smith’s Dre Parker by Mr. Han in 2010’sThe Karate Kid.Cobra Kaifollowed this format, with Miguel, Hawk, Demetri, Sam, Tory, and Robby - to name only a fewCobra Kaicharacters- not knowing any martial arts at the beginning of the show. The children had to be trained by Daniel and Johnny to become what they are inCobra Kaiseason 6.
Based on theKarate Kid: Legendstrailer, it seems as though Li is already well-trained…
Herein lies another difference betweenCobra KaiandKarate Kid: Legends. The latter is focused on a character named Li Fong, played by Ben Wang. Based on theKarate Kid: Legendstrailer, it seems as though Li is already well-trained when the film begins. The character looks incredibly formidable where martial arts is concerned, with Daniel only brought in by Mr. Han to take Li’s training to the next level.
5Karate Kid: Legends Looks More Self-Serious Than Cobra Kai
Gone Is The Self-Referential Humor
WhileCobra Kaihas tackled some dark elements, the show overall has an air of lightness. The reason for this is the way it tackles the sillier parts of the show’s premise by embracing them with self-referential, meta humor. The writers ofCobra Kaiare aware that the show can be quite silly yet embrace that, making it all the better for it.Karate Kid: Legends’tone is very different from this if the trailer is anything to go by.
The trailer forKarate Kid: Legendsdoes not showcase a single moment of humor. This is not to say there will be no jokes when the movie is released, but a trailer’s job is to convey the style and tone of a project while keeping moments hidden. WhereKarate Kid: Legendsis concerned, it seems as if the film will take itself more seriously thanCobra Kai,which unabashedly leans into its sillier elements.
4Karate Kid: Legends Will Only Focus On One Younger Character
The Large Cast Of Cobra Kai Is No More
Perhaps one of the most distinct aspects ofCobra Kaiis how many child characters it focuses on.As a TV series,Cobra Kaican utilize long-form storytelling to focus on many different young people, allowing the show to have an increasingly large cast.Karate Kid: Legendsis a movie and therefore does not have this benefit, meaning the cast is considerably smaller.
The main young character ofKarate Kid: Legendswill be Wang’s Li Fong. The movie will undoubtedly focus onMr. Han and Daniel LaRussoalso, but their main purpose is to train Li Fong as the next Karate Kid. Rather than focus on the many characters thatCobra Kaidoes,Karate Kid: Legendswill be much more focused.
3Karate Kid: Legends Will Address Karate Kid Films Outside Of The First Trilogy
The Miyagiverse Is Expanding
SinceCobra Kai’s release and the confirmation ofKarate Kid: Legends, the term “Miyagiverse” has been used by those involved. This term once referred to the originalKarate Kidtrilogy, its spin-off titledThe Next Karate Kid, andCobra Kai. As a result,Cobra Kaifocused a lot on the ties to the originalKarate Kidtrilogy, omitting any connections toThe Next Karate Kid- despite that existing in the Miyagiverse - and 2010’sThe Karate Kid, which was initially created as a remake of the 1984 original.
Will Smith connects the two sides of the franchise; his son, Jaden Smith, starred in 2010’sThe Karate Kid,with the actor himself serving as a producer on the film as well as an executive producer onCobra Kai.
WithKarate Kid: Legends, the Miyagiverse is growing larger. Theconnection between Mr. Han and Mr. Miyagihas been teased for the upcoming movie, retconning 2010’sThe Karate Kidas part of the Miyagiverse. WhereCobra Kaidid not address the events of 2010’sThe Karate Kid,Karate Kid: Legendswill tie directly to the film, thus connecting to stories in the franchise beyond the original trilogy.
2Karate Kid: Legends Will Be More Cinematic Than Cobra Kai
Cobra Kai’s TV Confines Are Not A Problem For Karate Kid: Legends
As a TV show,Cobra Kaihas to stay within certain parameters. Although its budget is much bigger than most TV shows due to it being produced by Netflix,Cobra Kaihas some limitations regarding its cinematic values. Many of the fight scenes are excellent, but there is no denying thatCobra Kaisimply cannot achieve the same cinematic level asKarate Kid: Legendsdue to the latter’s production as a feature film.
In the trailer forKarate Kid: Legends, several more cinematic elements are included. For instance, a scene in the trailer shows a great stunt in which Ben Wang’s Li Fong fights someone off in an alleyway. This moment alone looks more difficult as a stunt than many elements ofCobra Kai, proving the theatrical release ofKarate Kid: Legendsgives it a distinct cinematic upgrade, despite the Netflix show’s many strengths in that regard.
1Karate Kid: Legends Will Not Feature Bickering Senseis
Mr. Han & LaRusso Seem Friendly With One Another
A common aspect - and often complaint - ofCobra Kaiis the show’s argumentative characters. After six seasons,Cobra Kaioften repeats the same conflicts, mainly through the characters of Daniel LaRusso and Johnny Lawrence. Their animosity was a big focus ofCobra Kaiseasons 1, 2, and 3, and even upon their joining forces beyond that, some antagonistic feelings persisted.
Cobra Kai vs Miyagi-Do, Johnny vs Daniel, Tory vs Sam… Nothing’s Changed After 2 Years
Cobra Kai season 6 part 1 proved that though much time has passed, not much has changed for the show’s biggest characters and rivalries.
This has become somewhat tiring inCobra Kai, even though season 6 allowed more of a sense of unity than any of its predecessors.Karate Kid: Legendswill seemingly not feature this trend. The trailer for the film shows Mr. Han and Daniel LaRusso getting along well, with no hint of any arguments or disagreements taking place between the lead characters. While the film could change that upon its release,Karate Kid: Legends' more amiable sensei relationship is another big difference between it andCobra Kai.
