Cobra Kai, the adventure series and sequel to Karate Kid, premiered season 4 on December 31 through the Netflix streaming platform. The hit series that follows the main characters from the original films more than three decades later brought alumni of the Cobra Kai, Miyagi-Do, and Eagle Fang Dojos to the long-awaited All Valley tournament, whose final match may have been something other than the that everyone saw. (Season 4 spoilers)
The fourth installment of Cobra Kai, began with Johnny Lawrence (Willam Zabka) joining forces with Daniel LaRusso (Ralph Macchio) to take on the villainous John Kreese (Martin Kove), who ended up teaming up with his old friend Terry Silver (Thomas ian Griffith), the sensei who tortured Mr. Miyagi’s student (late Pat Morita) in one of the Karate Kid movies.
Throughout the season of the Netflix series, fans watched the students from each Dojo prepare for the big match at All Valley. A karate tournament that brought together the best martial arts schools, where the main characters with rivalries that have developed throughout the program finally met.
Robby Keene (Tanner Buchanan) and Miguel Díaz (Xolo Maridueña), as well as Samantha LaRusso (Mary Mouser) and Tory Nichols (Peyton List), finally met at the All Valley, which was reduced to the women’s finals in a match between these last two. But, the result did not leave the students of Miyagi-Do and Eagle Fang happy, since Cobra Kai took the title as champion of the tournament.
However, the production of Cobra Kai filmed an alternative ending that fans have not seen so far. Mary Mouser showed it at the Cobra Kai: Live and Badass event that took place on May 5, where the Showbiz Cheat Sheet medium was present to interview the cast of the Netflix adventure drama.
Although during the conclusion of season 4 of Cobra Kai it was Tory who beat Samantha in combat, the series shot a completely different ending where Daniel’s daughter and student of Miyai-Do beat Tory in the All Valley Karate Tournament . At the Cobra Kai: Live and Badass event, Mouser set up the clip with a tease.
“You guys really saw the wrong ending to Season 4,” Mouser said. “We found it when we were going back and re-editing it, so we have the right ending to Season 4. I’ll be interested in your thoughts.”
The clip began with John Kreese telling Tory to fight for her. Much of the fight choreography remained the same, including slow-motion kicks and blocks. But, Samantha scored the final point. and it was there that Miyagi-Do and Eagle Fang was proclaimed champion of the tournament. The purpose of filming two different endings was simply to throw off the extra actors who were present at the All Valley as audience members, Mouser confirmed.
“I think we knew which ending was going to play,” said Ralph Macchio in the same interview. “There was always the possibility that in the editing room something could be changed, but that was more for the audience of extras or people who were there cheering in the stands. We didn’t want them to be 100% sure who won.”
“It was written for Tori to win, but the fans were there and there were a lot of people,” added William Zabka. “We just wanted to get them out of the way for Sam to win in one. I think he won in style and I think that should have been the end of it.”
