With a subtle detail, the Karate Kid: Legends reunites key characters from the franchise, albeit ones who come from two opposing universes. Coming off of Cobra Kai’s success, and with Ralph Macchio and Jackie Chan reprising their roles, it was assumed that Karate Kid: Legends would establish the links between all Karate Kid remakes and spin-offs.

Though director Jonathan Entwistle has teased that Chan’s character in Ralph Macchio’s best arc belongs to the Karate Kid movies, and the film could easily ignore his journey in the series. This would, of course, be a huge risk, considering Cobra Kai’s fanbase’s huge investment in LaRusso’s character development in the spin-off. However, the Karate Kid: Legends trailer does seem to suggest Cobra Kai never happened.

Miyagi-do's Dojo In Karate Kid: Legends Looks Nothing Like It Does In Cobra Kai

Karate Kid: Legends Hints At An Alternate Future For Daniel LaRusso

The Karate Kid: Legends trailer has been causing commotion among die-hard fans, premising an action-packed sequel that pulls from the original in the best ways. As both Cobra Kai’s season 6 and the legacy sequel were in production simultaneously, hopes were that the 2025 movie was a direct follow-up to Netflix's hit series’ ending. On top of Daniel LaRusso’s Cobra Kai family being notably absent from the trailer, another detail hints that Karate Kid: Legends is ignoring the series to reimagine a future for Daniel that might be more aligned with the movies.

Filming for Cobra Kai season 6 began a bit earlier than the movie, in February, while Karate Kid: Legends started production in April. Both projects wrapped in June 2024.

27 seconds into the trailer, the image shows Miyagi-Do’s dojo, though it doesn’t look anything like the location in the Netflix series. Rather, the place appears to be an exact replica of Miyagi’s house from the 1984 movie. Though the Karate Kid: Legends timeline implies three years have ed since Cobra Kai's ending, the worn-out exterior of Miyagi’s house looks as if it hadn’t been touched since the 80s, let alone used as a dojo. Perhaps the movie and series merely used different sets, however, this doesn’t explain the heavy lack of connections between the two projects.

What We Know About Karate Kid: Legends' Connection To Cobra Kai

Macchio Has Said Cobra Kai's Ending Will Lead To Karate Kid: Legends

So far, the strongest connections established between the new legacy sequel and Cobra Kai come from Ralph Macchio, who, obviously, has been a key part of starting, ending, and then reviving the Karate Kid franchise. Talking to Karate Kid remake being so similar to the original.

Takimg Mr. Miyagi and Mr. Han’s combined (and canon) legacy into , Karate Kid: Legends’ connections to Cobra Kai become harder to find, especially when considering Daniel’s arc in the series foreshadows his retirement from karate. The director’s latest comments, however, offer some hope for both projects to at least be situated within the same universe. Speaking to Entertainment Weekly, Entwistle said he’s “had some really detailed conversations with the Cobra Kai team about just cool stuff that [they] can do in the movie and… make this whole thing feel holistic.”

Karate Kid: Legends Ignoring Cobra Kai Would Be A Huge Mistake

Daniel LaRusso's Cobra Kai Arc Is Important And Could Inform The Sequel

Deviating from Cobra Kai’s ensemble cast and anti-hero protagonists, Entwistle’s movie puts Li Fong (Ben Wang) at the center, proposing him as the new official Karate Kid and the main hero going forward. The young character’s similarities to Daniel LaRusso are strong, as he has just moved to a new city with his mother, and has been dealing with some bullies. Though it makes sense that the sequel adopts a story that’s more similar to the original’s themes and protagonist, ignoring Cobra Kai would undermine a meaningful story in Daniel’s arc that fans of the franchise have accepted.

Karate Kid: Legends acknowledging the impact of Cobra Kai’s final season could offer a rich final redemption for Macchio’s character. Cobra Kai’s emphasis on Miyagi’s darker past foreshadows a change for LaRusso that could extend to the sequel. The deteriorated exterior of Miyagi’s house could mean Daniel loses his way after the Sekai Taikai, and Karate Kid: Legends could see him make peace with the two sides of his mentor. The disparity between locations could also merely respond to the movie’s focus being on its New York sets and not have anything to do with Cobra Kai not being canon.

Sources: Variety, Entertainment Weekly