Cobra Kai and The Karate Kid films are full of jaw-dropping fights, but unfortunately, many of these conflicts are weighed down by obvious plot armor.
Although Cobra Kai and The Karate Kid franchise as a whole are brimming with exciting fight sequences, it is an unfortunate fact that many of these fights only work out the way that they do because of plot armor. Essentially, plot armor is a situation within a story where something happens that probably should not have happened, but the plot somehow allowed it to occur anyway. In Cobra Kai, plot armor is typically used to make the less skilled fighter win, despite their setbacks. While plot armor can be used in just about any story, it is quite prevalent in The Karate Kid franchise.
When it comes to The Karate Kid and Cobra Kai, plot armor isn't necessarily a bad thing. In some ways, plot amor upholds the underdog mentality that makes these films and series so special. If the better fighter always won, then the stories wouldn't be nearly as interesting. However, plot armor can become overused, or worse, too unrealistic. In the cases of these fights, Cobra Kai and The Karate Kid used a bit too much plot armor, to the point where audiences almost couldn't believe how the fight turned out. Therefore, they are the worst cases of fight plot armor in The Karate Kid and Cobra Kai.
Tory Vs Sam In Cobra Kai
A strong example of Cobra Kai's plot armor is Tory and Sam's fight at the end of Cobra Kai season 3. While the young womens' open dislike for each other makes their fighting volatile, Tory has a more intense and angry style that really should outweigh Sam's. In the season 3 finale, Tory even gains the upper hand on Sam, striking her first and quickly overpowering her. And yet, because Sam is considered the more morally upstanding character, she ultimately wins this and every consequent fight against Tory. Ultimately, Sam's inability to lose makes it harder to support her character, even though she is the better person.
The Mall Fight In Cobra Kai
Despite the heroic intent of the mall fight in Cobra Kai season 2, its final turn out isn't exactly realistic. After Demetri gives the Cobra Kai dojo a one-star Yelp review, Hawk and four other Cobra Kais instigate a fight at the mall. Soon, Sam and Robby arrive to protect Demetri. It is already hard to believe that a team of two could take down five opponents, but this fight is made even more unbelievable when Sam and Robby defeat Hawk and his goons with the Wheel technique. That is also on top of the fact that the mall's security guards were all coincidentally on lunch break during the showdown.
Bert Vs Reid In Cobra Kai
While this Cobra Kai season 1 fight may seem like the opposite of plot armor, it's actually a perfect example of plot armor that goes in the opposite direction. In Cobra Kai, Bert is one of the youngest and smallest students, putting him at a disadvantage against his opponents. This is only made worse in season 1 when he attends the All Valley Karate Tournament and is pitted against Reid, a kid double his size. When Reid beats Bert, it's no surprise, however this is just an early example of long-running plot armor that works against Bert.
Namely, Cobra Kai hurts Bert by constantly pairing him with bigger opponents, and never letting him improve his skills. While plot armor is typically seen as something that helps weaker characters, it can also work in the opposite direction as well. Bert has trained with Cobra Kai for as long as many of the other Cobra Kai characters, however, he just can't seem to improve at the rate everyone else does. This proves that the series has used plot armor to keep Bert small and weak.
Demetri Vs Hawk In Cobra Kai
Another imbalanced Cobra Kai rivalry is between Demetri and Hawk. While Hawk is an established student with Cobra Kai, Demetri is a nerd who lacks confidence. In season 2, Hawk and Demetri's relationship becomes so strained that Hawk attacks Demetri at school, however, the fight doesn't end in the expected way. Demetri manages to block one of Hawk's hits and kick him into a glass trophy case. Despite being an admirable underdog win, it isn't quite realistic. Hawk has much more skill than Demetri does, and really, the trophy case does much more in taking Hawk down. Like Sam, Demetri really only wins because he is considered the "better" person.
Hawk Vs Kenny In Cobra Kai
Yet another plot armor fight that sees Hawk as the loser is the match between him and Kenny in Cobra Kai season 5. As is common in the series, Kenny is a yet another kid who decides to learn karate after facing bullying, however, his newfound skills and Cobra Kai's negative teachings ultimately corrupt him. In season 5, Kenny enters a match with Hawk, and although Hawk is much more experienced and skilled than Kenny, Kenny uses the Silver Bullet on him, seriously injuring him. Due to Kenny and Hawk's incompatible skill levels, this fight is clearly loose on its sense of realism.
Daniel Vs Chozen & Mike
The fact of the matter is, the original The Karate Kid trilogy is essentially built on fights that Daniel should not have been able to win. For example, in The Karate Kid Part II and The Karate Kid Part III, Daniel takes down his opponents, Chozen Toguchi and Mike Barnes respectively, despite the fact that their skill levels were much higher than his. Toguchi and Barnes were both karate champions, who had been practicing the form for years, whereas Daniel only had a couple of years under his belt. This experience gap definitely should have led to Daniel losing, but the movies allowed him to win anyway.
Miguel Vs Kyler In Cobra Kai
One of the most popular plot armor fights in Cobra Kai occurs between Miguel and Kyler in season 3. Although Miguel spends almost the entirety of season 3 recovering from his deadly fall from a second-story balcony in season 2, somehow, he still manages to beat Kyler during a fight that breaks out at a house party. At face value, this is an incredibly unlikely outcome. At the start of the season, Miguel couldn't even walk, and yet by the end of Cobra Kai season 5, he can beat an opponent who is at full capacity. Though it is definitely an underdog moment, it is incredibly hard to believe.
Daniel Vs Johnny In The Karate Kid
The final and most important plot armor fight is the one that started it all: Daniel LaRusso versus Johnny Lawrence. While the fights in the second and third The Karate Kid movies were unrealistic, the very first one takes the cake. Johnny, a skilled karate practioner, beats up Daniel on Halloween, and soon after Daniel is set to face Johnny at the All Valley Karate Tournament. Daniel trains with Mr. Miyagi from then until the tournament, which is on December 19.
Ultimately, Daniel had less than a month to accrue enough karate skills to take down Johnny Lawrence. This is an absolutely unreal amount of time to become good at karate, which proves that Daniel is heavily cushioned by plot armor. Despite this though, The Karate Kid remains one of the best and most iconic underdog stories of all time. While plot armor may be an easy way out for storytellers, it also helps spread the message that anything is possible if one is committed and has their heart in the right place, just like Daniel and the Cobra KaiMiyago-do kids.
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