Hi guys! Today I have something really awesome to share with you. Whether you were a fan of the Karate Kid series, or have no idea what it’s about, you’ve probably heard of Netflix’s “Cobra Kai”! Here’s ten crazy facts about the show that you’ll definitely get a kick out of.
- Will Smith is listed as a producer. Ever since his son starred in the 2010 remake of “The Karate Kid”, Smith’s production company Overbrook Entertainment, controlled a portion of the rights. So now, he gets to be credited for the show. And while the show doesn’t have much of a connection to the 2010 remake, Smith still seems to enjoy it! Ok, this one might have been pretty tame, but the next fact is pretty wild.
- Ralph Macchio was asked to reprise the role of Danny before Cobra Kai…and he turned all of them down! Despite there being a bunch of opportunities for the actor, he said that none of the projects were “fresh”, and that nothing interested him enough to pursue them. That is, until Cobra Kai came along. This was the first project that he was totally fascinated by, and so he decided he would finally reprise his role. And we’re glad he did!
- Blast from the past! Episode One has unseen footage from the original film. If you watch closely, you’ll see that there’s a few scenes that are from the first movie. But while they might look familiar, you also might realize that you’ve never seen those specific scenes before. There’s one part that flashes back to Danny and Johnny face off, and its full of never-before-seen footage! And while that’s crazy, the next fact I have for you might be the most exciting.
- The show has a video game! If you need more Cobra Kai, you’re in luck. Released in October of 2020, the side-scrolling video game is available on a bunch of platforms and has the voice talents of a lot of the original actors, including Ralph Macchio. You can play it on your Nintendo switch, PlayStation four, or even the xbox one, so really, you have no excuse not to check it out!
- Guys, this one is crazy. And it makes me crazy jealous. Did you know that Ralph actually owns the car that Mr. Miyagi gave to Danny in the movie? And it makes an appearance in Cobra Kai. The 1948 Ford Super De Luxe that was featured in that famous “wax-on, wax-off” scene was given to Ralph by the movie producer. And he still has it today! I wish my boss gave me a cool classic car.
- Talk about high maintenance! If you’ve ever looked at Jacob Bertrand’s mile-Hugh Mohawk and thought, “hey, I would look good in a Mohawk”, think again. That is, unless you want to spend an hour getting ready every single day. Yeah, you heard me right. It takes a full hour to get his Mohawk just right. I think I’ll just stick with my five-minute hair routine.
- Ok, this one is just a rumor, but I definitely have my fingers crossed about this. So, you might not have known that Cobra Kai considers all of the Karate Kid movies to be canon. Which means that Hillary Swank might make an appearance in the show! Having been the “Next Karate Kid”, it would be really cool to see her reprise her role as Julie Pierce and maybe even fight alongside Danny. But who knows if it’ll really happen? This next one, though, is something I had no idea about until I did some digging!
- While we’re used to Cobra Kai being a Netflix show, did you know that it originally aired on YouTube premium? Back in May of 2018, the first season came out on YouTube Red, which, if you didn’t know, is YouTube’s premium subscription streaming service. And here’s something fun, while the creators originally were hoping to be picked up by Netflix, they were actually rejected at first! It’s pretty crazy that they’re now a Netflix series. I guess you really should never give up!
- Can you imagine having to train for up to four hours a day every single day? Well that’s what actor Xolo Mariduena had to deal with when he was getting ready for his Cobra Kai role as Miguel Diaz. He’s said before that this was one of the hardest things he’s ever done. Which isn’t surprising, since he really kicks butt in the series. But if you want to train like Xolo, here’s what you gotta do. Just spend 2 to 4 hours a day doing professional stunts, martial arts, boxing, strength-training, and yoga. Just kidding. Don’t do that. You’ll be very sore.
- Ok, guys, here’s the one you’ve all been waiting for. And for real, this one blew my mind when I heard it. So you know how Danny is considered the good guy in all the Karate Kid lore, right? Well what if he’s not a good guy after all? What if he’s, in fact, the villain? I mean, if you think about it, he’s been the one who picks a lot of fights with Johnny, and even goes so far as to steal the dude’s girlfriend. A lot of fans are beginning to speculate that Danny might not be the hero we’ve all grown to know and love.
But I want to hear what you guys think. Do you think that Danny is the hero, or a villain? And what are your thoughts on Cobra Kai? Do you love it, hate it, or have no idea what it is? Let me know down in the comments, and make sure you subscribe to Black Slate Studios where we put out awesome content all the time! Thanks for watching, and we’ll see you next time.