Cobra Kai Never Dies (if you know, you know).
Ever since Cobra Kai moved to Netflix, the streaming platform has taken pride in recommending the show to me. Prior to reading week, I’ve ignored it for the sake of staying focused on school. It wasn’t until reading week that I finally caved.
As a kid who grew up in the dojo, I always felt a personal connection to the Karate Kid franchise. Now watching Cobra Kai, I appreciate the attention to detail and respect they’ve given the art of karate.
There are some moments when I genuinely cringed — like the awkward romantic interactions. That’s when I realized it was a metaphor for the butterflies we experience in real life when we like someone. I’ve also noticed that the show does a phenomenal job of subtly introducing life lessons that we can all stand to gain from.
Here are my top 5 takeaways from the first two seasons of Cobra Kai.
- Childhood trauma lasts a long time
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Tik Tok therapists have taught me that trauma presents itself in many forms to the individual. In fact, I’ve learned that it’s up to the individual to decide whether or not an event was traumatizing. As someone who was bullied consistently throughout elementary school, I can testify that my experiences have shaped my personality – no matter how much I don’t want them to.
Cobra Kai reminds me that you cannot run away from your past trauma without confronting it. Daniel LaRusso was bullied throughout high school, most often by Johnny Lawrence, who was bullied by his father at home, and later by Kreese. Both of these men failed to accept their challenges and move to heal from them. When faced with similar situations consisting of the same people, the old feelings of resentment presented themselves and ultimately clouded their judgment.
If you’re in a similar position, know that I see you. I feel for you and want you to succeed, but the only way you can heal is by making the decision to do so yourself. You got this. There are thousands of resources to get help.
- Think before you act
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This one goes without saying, but I cannot stress this one enough. Seriously, 99% of the problems in Cobra Kai would have easily been prevented if someone stopped for a moment to process their actions. We’ve all been there — overcome with anger and forced by our emotions to do irrational things. The lack of communication in the show was truly terrifying; then it dawned on me that we operate like that in real life, only we don’t necessarily attack everyone we have a disagreement with.
Anger solves absolutely nothing. Coming from someone who took years to work on her insecurities, I understand how tough confrontation can be. However, from personal experience, I’ve learned that confrontation is the best option for long-term benefit. Rather than make assumptions, it’s always better to speak directly with the person you’re upset with to resolve your issues together.
- Cutting off toxic people will save you
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This message is more so directed at Johnny Lawrence and his toxic relationship with Kreese. Since his high school days, Johnny was a victim to the clutches of Kreese and unable to function on his own. A huge part of that was due to Johnny’s insecurities as a result of his difficult home life. This relates to the first point of how deep the roots of trauma truly run.
As someone who was bullied throughout her entire elementary experience, that horrible feeling stuck with me. I was so insecure about myself, and unconfident about the types of friendships I actually deserve. Subconsciously, I struggled to understand what a healthy friendship actually looked like. Throughout high school, I held onto friendships for far too long. All that did was cause more damage to my mental health.
I just valued myself enough. It’s not all sad – in fact, it gives me an opportunity to educate others.
Cutting off toxic people is the best gift you can give yourself. You deserve to feel safe, warm and appreciated in your environment. You have earned that right as a human being.
Be honest with yourself: who’s the Kreese in your life?
- Own up to your mistakes
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Part of the rivalry between Johnny Lawrence and Daniel LaRusso can be attributed to each person’s inability to accept their mistakes. It also comes from their inability to move on from their past.
Speaking for myself here, my biggest problems tend to arise when people fail to hold themselves accountable for their mistakes. I pride myself on being empathetic enough to see a situation from another person’s perspective. This often leads to my apologetic nature, but it’s something we’re slowly working to find a balance for.
Besides, put yourself in their shoes: if you were wronged and confronted the individual, wouldn’t you want a sincere apology?
Most people will try to flip the script and try to turn the blame on you. If this is something you’re guilty of doing, remember that you don’t always get to decide who you hurt.
- Diversify your personality!
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All of the kids in Cobra Kai have gone to the extreme and determined that karate will be the base of their entire personality. Some of them went from being the kid picked on for looking different to being the scary kid that no one wants to mess with. Karate has consumed them in a dangerous way and has inevitably led them into serious trouble.
When we don’t diversify our personality, we feel that we have so much more to lose if we aren’t the best in our field. It’s similar to diversifying your income — the more income streams you have, the stronger your financial profile, and the less likely you’ll be stressed about money in general.
Similarly, when we diversify our personality, we have a few areas that we can feel confident in. This minimizes the pressure we put on ourselves to be the best in a single area. I’ve struggled with this a lot, but figure out what your other strengths are. Join school clubs, meet new people, start up a Podcast, write a book — do whatever your heart desires.
If it wasn’t already clear, I highly recommend watching Cobra Kai. Although some of us watch shows for a ‘break,’ every show offers incredible lessons. Sometimes you have to dig a little deeper, but there’s always something to be learned.