Commentary: ‘Cobra Kai’ Exposes The Plot Armor Of Martial Arts Stories
by Frank Martin
Although martial arts films and shows can certainly be a lot of fun, they can also be extremely predictable. Audiences want to see a very dramatic showdown between the main characters. It makes no sense for someone whose characterization hasn’t been built up to arrive in the final battle. There has to be drama and tension between the characters. This means that including tournaments in a martial arts story can lead to a formulaic outcome and plot armor for its characters. So Cobra Kai went a different route in its latest finale.
(Spoilers, naturally, follow)
After feeling they have outgrown their storytelling potential in California, Cobra Kai goes international as it has its main characters face off against fighters from dojos around the world. The Sekai Taikai is more than just a tournament, though. It spends a good portion of the time challenging the fighters in unique and creative ways. Of course, a tournament is a part of the competition and includes the various captains from all the dojos such as Robbie (Tanner Buchanan) and Sam (Mary Mouser). There are the main characters from Cobra Kai as well as some other supporting characters that have gotten attention. But there are also nameless characters involved in the tournament, too.
Based on the placements of all of the characters in the tournament bracket, a story can become extremely predictable. With the storylines being told and the tension between the characters, viewers can pretty much predict who is going to win and who is going to lose. These characters have plot armor as it makes no sense for them to be knocked out by a nameless character early on. In order to keep the viewers guessing Cobra Kai had to ditch the tournament entirely, which is exactly what happened in their mid-season finale. It was a smart decision that led to some unexpected results despite starting in a tournament form.
Cobra Kai is now streaming on Netflix.