Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

Cobra Kai fans lose minds over ‘heartbreaking’ Karate Kid reference

One viewer called it ‘a most excellent Mr Miyagi callback’

Jacob Stolworthy
Thursday 06 January 2022 04:42 EST
Comments
Official Cobra Kai trailer

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

Netflix viewers are praising Cobra Kai for its many callbacks to The Karate Kid franchise.

The show, a continuation of the beloved 1980s film series, returned for a fourth season on New Year’s Day (1 January).

Fans of the show are calling the new season the best yet, largely thanks to its inclusion of many Karate Kid references and Easter eggs.

However, there’s one in particular that fans are highlighting as the most effective, and it’s leaving them feeling rather emotional.

The line is spoken by Johnny Lawrence, who is played by William Zabka. Johnny first appeared in 1984 film The Karate Kid, and played the role in the 1986 and 1989 sequels, respectively.

In the Netflix show, his character decides to reopen the Cobra Kai dojo featured in the films 34 years later.

The latest season references a quote spoken by Pat Morita’s character Mr Miyagi, and sees Johnny say: “Come inside, come inside.”

This is a callback to the line where, after being asked by Ralph Macchio’s Daniel how he’d know if his picture is “the right one”, Mr Miyagi says: “If come from inside you, always right one.”

Fans couldn’t get enough of the reference, with one viewer writing on Twitter: “Johnny using the Miyagi ‘come inside come inside’ line is the kind of attention to detail that makes this show awesome.”

Another branded it “a most excellent Miyagi callback”.

Pat Morita as Mr Miyagi in ‘The Karate Kid’
Pat Morita as Mr Miyagi in ‘The Karate Kid’ (Columbia Pictures)

One viewer said it “took their breath away”, while another called it a “heartbreaking homage”.

Cobra Kai is available to stream on Netflix.

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in