Netflix’s Cobra Kai, a sequel series to the Karate Kid movie franchise that featured the characters Daniel LaRusso and Mr. Miyagi, has taken the country by storm. Its fourth season premiered on Dec. 31, and in addition to being the show’s best season yet, it also showed that strong female characters can be developed without resorting to misandrist, third-wave-feminist man-bashing.
Samantha LaRusso, Daniel’s daughter, and her karate rival, Tory Nichols, were arguably the season’s stars. Neither portrayed the damsel-in-distress trope that often accompanies female characters. Both are strong and empowered women on a collision path with one another. The two characters have been rivals for two seasons, culminating in multiple action-packed karate fights between the two — including a massive season finale bout each year. And while no Karate Kid franchise would be complete without a karate tournament, without spoiling the show, Nichols and LaRusso arguably provide the best match of the series.
The Nichols/LaRusso storyline is a welcome break from the now-tired Hollywood habit of feminist characters who only come across more as misandrist, man-bashing propaganda than believable characters. Captain Marvel and Ghostbusters: Answer the Call are two recent examples that come to mind. Yet Cobra Kai managed to bring the type of strong, empowering women leaders the aforementioned films so desperately wanted, and they managed to do so without making men feel awful about being men.
Cobra Kai continues the original Karate Kid theme of standing up against bullies. Yet, in this series, the role of the bully is often intertwined with that of the victim. The “good guys” and “bad guys” often demonstrate virtuous and merciless behaviors — including LaRusso and Nichols. The show is not afraid to show the good and bad parts of the female leads. It is all part of their character development that features the positives and flaws in each character. It shows that women can be the heroines of their own stories while also overcoming their own vices.
In the tournament of strong female protagonists, Cobra Kai comes out as champion and establishes a formula for the rest of Hollywood to follow.
