Do You Need To Watch Cobra Kai Before Karate Kid: Legends?

With Karate Kid: Legends' release on the horizon, many must be curious whether Cobra Kai is a mandatory watch to fully enjoy the movie. Serving as a direct extension of the universe set up by the original Karate Kid movies, Cobra Kai achieved what none of the other film reboots in the franchise could. 1994's The Next Karate Kid was the first movie in the franchise to be presented as a reboot, where Mr. Miyagi trained a new student. Unfortunately, the film failed to leave its mark after it performed poorly both critically and commercially.

The Karate Kid 2010 reboot tried to achieve something similar and even proved to be commercially successful. It also achieved favorable reviews from viewers and critics, which should have been enough for the film to pave the way for more follow-ups. However, surprisingly, even the 2010 reboot struggled to revive the franchise until Cobra Kai came along. Since Cobra Kai has played a crucial role in restoring interest in the Karate Kid IP, audiences may naturally be curious whether it needs to be watched before checking out the upcoming movie in the franchise.

Karate Kid: Legends Is A Separate Project From Cobra Kai

The Film Will Try To Etch Its Own Identity In The Franchise

Given how it has not been long since Cobra Kai ended its run, Karate Kid: Legends will not entirely be able to leave the shadow of its legacy. No matter how different it tries to be from the Netflix series, viewers will compare it with the show. With that said, however, Karate Kid: Legends has a completely different creative team. Cobra Kai's creators, Josh Heald, Jon Hurwitz, and Hayden Schlossberg, have not been directly involved with the movie project in any capacity, and even the movie's director, Jonathan Entwistle, has never worked on any Karate Kid projects before.

A composite image of Mr. Han, Daniel, and Li Fong in front of the sun mixed with Li Fong kicking on a roof in Karate Kid: Legends

Karate Kid: Legends - Release Date, Cast, Story, Trailer & Everything We Know

Everything you need to know about the new Karate Kid movie coming from Sony in 2025, including cast members and the potential storylines.

Posts1

Since Karate Kid: Legends is doing its own thing, viewers who have not watched Cobra Kai can rest assured that prior knowledge of the series is not essential. The movie may drop references and subtle nods to Cobra Kai and the original Karate Kid movies. However, since its titular "Karate Kid" is an entirely new character, it seems like Karate Kid: Legends is again aiming to reboot the franchise while expanding and retconning a few aspects of its established lore. Owing to this, viewers unfamiliar with Cobra Kai will be able to enjoy it without feeling lost.

Karate Kid: Legends Is Technically Set In The Same Universe As Cobra Kai

The Movie's Timeline In The Franchise Has Been Confirmed

An edited image of Ralph Macchio as Daniel LaRusso and Ben Wang as Li Fong in Karate Kid: Legends with an orange background.

Towards the end of Cobra Kai season 6, Ralph Macchio's Daniel LaRusso wonders whether he should quit karate altogether. However, before the season's final credits start rolling, his wife reminds him of what karate means to him and how he may never be able to leave it behind. This seemed like the perfect setup for Daniel LaRusso's return as a sensei in Karate Kid: Legends, establishing that the movie would unfold after the show's events.

Shedding light on the same, Ralph Macchio also confirmed (via Variety) that the movie takes place three years after Cobra Kai's events. While it is still unknown whether the movie will draw any references to Daniel's story from Cobra Kai, the timeline confirmation establishes that Cobra Kai and Karate Kid: Legends are set in the same universe. Instead of featuring a different version of Daniel LaRusso and marking the inception of a whole new karate universe in the franchise, Karate Kid: Legends is seemingly attempting to expand the existing narrative.

Karate Kid: Legends is scheduled to be released on May 30, 2025.

Since many story beats in Cobra Kai established that the 2010 Jackie Chan reboot did not unfold in the same universe as the original Karate Kid films, Karate Kid: Legends is creating some plot holes by making major retcons to established story elements. However, as long as the movie does not contradict the core events from the show and the original trilogy, it should be able to get away with its story changes.

Which Cobra Kai Characters Are Returning In Karate Kid: Legends

Daniel LaRusso Is The Only Confirmed Returning Character

Custom image of Ralph Macchio as Daniel LaRusso in Cobra Kai and Pat Morita as Mr. Miyagi in The Karate Kid

As Karate Kid: Legends' trailers suggest, Daniel LaRusso is the only Cobra Kai character who will appear in the movie. The movie will likely not feature any of the younger new generation of fighters from the series because of its focus on the new character, Li Fong. Like all previous installments in the Karate Kid franchise, Karate Kid: Legends will also honor Mr. Miyagi and his profound lessons. With Daniel's return, it is also hard not to speculate that his wife, Amanda, will also appear in some capacity, but only time will tell whether the film will accommodate her in its narrative.

Why You Should Watch Cobra Kai Before Karate Kid: Legends

The Netflix Show Adds More Depth To Daniel's Overarching Story

Since Karate Kid: Legends' primary motive will be to find its place in the franchise, it will likely avoid focusing too much on what has happened in Daniel's story so far. However, since a lot has happened to the Ralph Macchio character in the Netflix series, and he has significantly changed over the show's six-season runtime, it would be unfair to ignore his Cobra Kai character development. Owing to this, viewers who wish to learn more about Daniel's past and how much he has grown as a karate sensei should check out Cobra Kai before viewing Karate Kid: Legends.

Cobra Kai Season	Rotten Tomatoes Critics' Score
1	100%
2	91%
3	90%
4	95%
5	98%
6	91%

Like most long-running shows, Cobra Kai has had its share of ups and downs, highs and lows. However, for the most part, the series managed to maintain the perfect balance between fresh storytelling and nostalgia almost throughout its runtime. Even from a production standpoint, the series only improved with each season. SinceCobra Kaiis overall a great show that boasts an impressive Rotten Tomatoes score of 94%, it deserves to be seen even if it does not have any direct story connections with Karate Kid: Legends.