Getty William "Billy" Zabka & Ralph Macchio
Since the release of “Cobra Kai” season 3 in January 2021, fans have been clamoring for season 4. Thankfully for viewers, the wait will soon be over, as the show’s fourth season is premiering on December 31, 2021.
In May 2021, Netflix released a brief teaser that confirmed Thomas Ian Griffith will be reprising his role as Terry Silver on “Cobra Kai.” The actor last played the character in “The Karate Kid Part III.” In the 1989 film, Silver teamed up with John Kreese (Martin Kove) to humiliate Daniel LaRusso (Ralph Macchio). Unfortunately for Kreese and Silver, their plan was unsuccessful. A second teaser trailer premiered in August 2021. The teaser showed various characters wearing their gis.
In the show’s third trailer, released on September 25, 2021, fans were able to get some insight into how former rivals Johnny Lawrence (William “Billy” Zabka) and Daniel will co-teach their students together. While Daniel wants to be an encouraging karate instructor, Johnny continues to be unorthodox and a bit violent in his approach. Members of the Cobra Kai dojo can also be seen training in preparation for the upcoming All Valley Tournament.
A Fourth ‘Cobra Kai’ Trailer Has Been Released
The show’s fourth trailer was released on December 9. The epic trailer can be watched below:
The trailer starts by showing Daniel and Johnny working together. Kreese is then shown approaching Silver’s lavish home to ask him to help Cobra Kai win the upcoming All Valley Tournament. Later in the trailer, Johnny Lawrence’s son Robby Keene (Tanner Buchanan) shows his fellow Cobra Kai students techniques Daniel had taught him. Fans can then catch a glimpse of Silver and Robby practicing together. Kreese also appears to be manipulating Johnny.
According to the trailer, the West Valley High School prom will be the focus of at least one episode. While Miguel Diaz (Xolo Maridueña) and his girlfriend Samantha LaRusso (Mary Mouser) are slow dancing, Robby and Sam’s rival Tory Nichols (Peyton List) walk in together, presumably on a date.
The trailer ends with clips from the upcoming All Valley Tournament. Johnny and Daniel appear on the mat, wearing different gis, which suggests that they have split up their dojo.
The Creators of ‘Cobra Kai’ Spoke About Johnny & Daniel’s Dynamic in the Fourth Season
The creators and executive producers of “Cobra Kai,” Jon Hurwitz, Josh Heald, and Hayden Schlossberg, discussed the fourth season during a December 2021 interview with Screen Rant. While speaking to the publication, Hurwitz shared information regarding Johnny and Daniel’s unlikely partnership. He explained that fans are aware that the two martial artists have difficulty getting along, making co-teaching their students a complicated task. He told the publication:
We’ve seen their history. We’ve seen that they have two very different outlooks on life. They’ve sort of had a role reversal since childhood, so [being friends] is a totally new dynamic for them. So for them to finally come together after the wise words of Ali [Elisabeth Shue] and the necessity to team up against Kreese, as you said, it’s not going to be smooth sailing between the two of them. Now they have to see if they can take their two karate philosophies that are ingrained within them – for Daniel, it’s obviously Miyagi-Do [and] for Johnny it’s Eagle Fang, which is his version of the teachings of Cobra Kai with a little bit of the Johnny twist. And their attempted union leads to a sort of philosophical conflict between them.
The executive producer also noted that Johnny and Daniel will have to deal with Kreese and Silver in season 4.
“They’re up against something pretty big this season. Kreese is no longer alone. He’s brought in his reinforcements, as you’ve seen [in Cobra Kai season 4’s trailer], Terry Silver. So they have a formidable foe. How are they going to take their two styles and combine them? It is a bumpy road and we’ll see if they’ll be able to come out the other side successful,” said Hurwitz.
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