“Cobra Kai” has struck a perfect balance between heartfelt nostalgia and pushing “The Karate Kid” franchise into the future. In addition to boasting a cast of young characters who give Johnny (William Zabka) and Daniel (Ralph Macchio) a run for their money, the series digs deeper into the background of some of the franchise’s longest-serving denizens and makes them more well-rounded characters as a result.
For example, the fourth season of “Cobra Kai” explored the background of John Kreese (Martin Kove), chronicling how he became the monster that he eventually turned into. However, the storyline brought some nuance to a character most fans reviled for almost four decades.
Moving forward, though, Ralph Macchio would like to see the series dig deeper into the life of Mr. Miyagi (played by Pat Morita in the original films), as he feels that there’s a lot of material there to draw upon. On top of that, he has some ideas for the direction a potential new Miyagi story could take.
Ralph Macchio wants a Mr. Miyagi origin story on Cobra Kai
Pat Morita is no longer with us, but the presence of Mr. Miyagi looms large throughout “Cobra Kai.” This is all thanks to well-integrated flashback scenes and Daniel keeping his memory alive by imparting his old mentor’s wisdom to the next generation of karate kids. He even named his dojo after Miyagi.
However, Ralph Macchio thinks that there’s room for more Miyagi on “Cobra Kai.” During a recent interview with GQ, the actor revealed that he hopes the “Cobra Kai” creators chronicle Miyagi’s origin story down the line as the character has a rich history that’s worth exploring. “What was life like for him? Where does that go? What happened in World War II and when he wound up in the U.S. and ended up a maintenance guy in a San Fernando Valley apartment building until this kid [Daniel] knocked on the door?” These are all questions Macchio wants to know the answers to.
It remains to be seen if Miyagi’s origin story will be told down the line, but most “Cobra Kai” fans probably agree that Macchio’s idea is a good one.
