Awesome Music / Cobra Kai

Any series worth its black belt comes with a killer soundtrack or playlist. Cobra Kai is no exception.

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Season 1

• "Miyagi-Do" captures the gentle, peaceful tone of the titular martial art wonderfully. But it also hints at its strength—just because they're nice doesn't mean they're weak!
• "Quiver" plays at the end of the episode of the same name when Eli reveals his transformation into Hawk and perfectly encapsulates Cobra Kai's shift from Ragtag Bunch of Misfits to Badass Crew. It's later used as a leitmotif for Johnny's students in general and Hawk in particular during many of their Awesome Moments.
• The Alan Parsons Project's instrumental "Sirius" plays at the end of episode 1, highlighting Johnny's He's Back! moment as he decides to become Miguel's sensei.
• "I Want It All" by Queen plays over the preparation for the All Valley Karate Tournament, easily bringing the gravitas and importance to the event as the focus of the second half of the season.
• "Slither" is an absolutely perfect track for the Training Montage showing Miguel's progress, and also makes a great leitmotif for Miguel at the tournament.

Season 2

• The Title Track of Back in Black by AC/DC, played over Johnny getting his new red 2009 Dodge Challenger repainted in Cobra Kai black and gold.
• Sister Sin's "Fight Song", accompanying Johnny and his fellow Cobras kicking ass in the bar. Later in the same episode, the montage of Kreese training the Cobra Kais along with Tommy's death is both chilling and heart-wrenching, set to Queen's "The Show Must Go On."
• "Like A Dance," the backing track for the wheel technique/concrete mixer training montage, is an almost ethereal piece that combines '80s and modern instruments to great effect.
• "The Internet" is a cheery, very much '80s ditty that plays as Johnny discovers the wonders of the titular technology.
• Being the climax of the season, the high school brawl has its own suite of awesome music:
  • First there's "I'm Coming for You, Bitch" for the initial confrontation between Sam and Tory. It's understated and suspenseful, and establishes the leitmotif that will later come into play during Season 3 whenever Sam is triggered. The track ends with a buildup that seamlessly transitions into...
  • ..."Hallway Hellscape," which plays over the first stretch of the fight. Much like the brawl itself, it's fast-paced and hectic, with plenty going on until it suddenly drops one minute and forty seconds in into a remix of Quiver as the fight focuses on Miguel and Robby.
  • The fight spills over into the school's foyer and up the staircase there, and the aptly-named "Scale the School" kicks in. Though less than a minute long, its brass and guitar heavy nature puts an urgent spin on the Miyagi-Do signature.
  • "Hawk's Prey," which as the name suggests is used when Hawk hunts down Demetri, is a rock track that stops-and-starts as Demetri initially tries to avoid his former friend's attention, then picks up when Hawk starts chasing up and again when Demetri, out of options, engages Hawk and puts him through the trophy case.
  • And then there's "Rematch," to cap off the fight. The notes from I'm Coming For You, Bitch start off this track for the section focusing on Sam and Tory, before Miguel and Robby's eponymous rematch turns it into yet another rendition of Quiver that goes from intense, to introspective, and then to solemn as Miguel is kicked over the railing.
• The new remix of "Cruel Summer". Kari Kimmel’s melancholy voice makes the song sound hauntingly beautiful, if not outright heartbreaking.

Season 3

• Season 3's main trailer has Max Carlisle's rock rendition of "Auld Lang Syne", a very fitting song that promises new beginnings for Johnny and Daniel after the previous season's Downer Ending.
• The use of WASP's "I Wanna Be Somebody" during Miguel's therapy/training montage with Johnny in Season 3 is a great choice not only for the lyrics but also because it goes perfectly with the era of Heavy Metal that Johnny introduced Miguel to in Season 1.
• "Carol of the Cobras" from the Season 3 finale one-ups "Hallway Hellscape" by somehow seamlessly merging it with Christmas carols, managing to make the whole thing the most badass holiday soundtrack ever.
• "Dojo From Hell" plays as Tory follows Sam into the home dojo, kicks her to the ground and grabs nunchucks to attack her during the home invasion in the Season 3 finale. Its beats and suspenseful tone highlight how intimidating Tory truly is.
• "Must Not Lose to Fear" plays as Sam gets her Heroic Second Wind, overcomes her panic attack and grabs a bo staff to combat Tory's nunchucks.
• "The Call of the Cobra", an epic Triumphant Reprise of "Quiver", accompanies Hawk's Heel–Face Turn and teamup with Demetri and Miguel's Heroic Second Wind against Kyler in the house brawl.
• Journey's "Open Arms," to accompany Johnny and Ali's reunion in the Season 3 finale.
• "In The Air Tonight" by The Protomen in the final scene of Season 3's finale, with the lyrics reflecting the fans' reaction to Johnny and Daniel's long-awaited team up.

Season 4

• The use of Def Leppard's "Rock of Ages" in the Season 4 trailer is hard rock perfection.
• You might have to be a classical music fan to fully appreciate it, but we have Silver opening the season by masterfully playing Franz Liszt's "La Campanella", a piece widely noted for its difficulty. Even better, that same piece is used (as Nightmare Fuel) in the scene where Terry gives a No-Holds-Barred Beatdown to Stingray, perfectly displaying Silver's Sanity Slippage at its peak as he goes through his Madness Mantra.
• Terry Silver's theme, both old and new, are awesome in their own right.
  • Terry Silver's classical-sounding Leitmotif, composed by Bill Conti, returns from The Karate Kid Part III along with Terry himself, used poignantly to mark his triumphant moments, especially when he ousts Kreese for sole control of Cobra Kai.
  • Then, there's Terry's new Leitmotif, which is far more subtle than the original (given his calmer, more erudite personality), yet the eeriness of it matches him being a cold, calculating mastermind with a pragmatic approach to his schemes.
• "Breaking Out Of Hell" by Airbourne is playing over the montage of Johnny training Daniel in his style, exemplifying Johnny's Dare to Be Badass style of teaching. We hear it again when Daniel is single-handedly pulverizing the jerkass hockey team.
• When Johnny needs to bring his A-game to his rematch with Daniel, he decides to go through rigorous training, but what would a real old school badass want playing over his Training Montage? "Burning Heart" by Survivor, of course! An anthem for everyone whose heart still remains in the '80s.
• "It's Karate Time", an epic mashup of themes from all three main dojos, is a fantastic hype builder for the montage introducing the 51st All Valley Tournament.
• "Shirts Off" is the ultimate adrenaline rush used in Eli and Robby's sudden death Finals matchup as they take off the top part of their gis and go all-out on each other. Even better, the same build-up sound is used for Eli when he reveals his Hawk tattoo once again to show just how badass he can be without his mohawk.
• "Queen Cobra" incorporates beats from Tory's Leitmotif. It plays as she is fighting against Sam for the winning point in the girls grand championship, complete with flashbacks of their previous fights.
• Def Leppard's "Switch 625" is used when Chozen agrees to help Daniel take down Cobra Kai for good and when both men bow to Mr. Miyagi's grave.

Season 5

• The song released prior to Season 5, "Once Upon a Time in the Valley," is a villain-themed instrumental that perfectly mixes Terry Silver's Cobra Kai Leitmotif with a western-like feel as he meets up with Kim Da-Eun and The Fist to recruit them as part of his expansion.
• The first track on the second volume of Season 5's soundtrack is an extended version of Strike First, the show's credits theme, that incorporates Quiver's signature leitmotif towards its end.
• "The Legend of Kim Sun-Yung" oozes dread and intimidation, as more and more of the franchise's Greater-Scope Villain is being shed to light towards Daniel and the audience. It also incorporates bits of Silver's Cobra Kai Leitmotif, showing just how much he has embraced his teachings and is ready to spread it to the next generation.
• "Sworn Enemies" incorporates a bit of "Rematch" from Season 2 as Robby and Miguel face each other once again to hash out their ongoing mutual animosity. Then things get intense when Miguel lands a powerful kick to Robby's face.
• "Actions Have Consequences" is Terry Silver's Leitmotif at its most intense — bringing in Ominous Latin Chanting as Silver is ready to finally take on Daniel LaRusso after years and years of buildup and resentment from the latter. And it gets even louder when Silver has the upper hand, culminating in him giving Daniel a brutal beatdown.
• "All of Us" is a beautiful and uplifting piece of music that plays as Miyagi-Do and Eagle Fang come together to support Daniel and encourage him to lead the battle against Silver and Cobra Kai. Starting out slow and quiet, it builds to an energetic crescendo as he learns that he is not alone.
• The season finale in particular comes with a litany of awesome music, encapsulating the stakes of the two-pronged attack on Cobra Kai:
  • "Stingrays See Better in the Dark" plays as Stingray, with Daniel in tow, races toward the Cobra Kai flagship dojo. Though brief, the track is tense and uses the Miyagi-Do motif to that effect wonderfully, then closes on Quiver's bassline right as the scene it plays for ends.
  • "The Fifth Battle of Kawanakajima" is the main theme for Chozen and Silver's confrontation, and is dark and brooding to match Silver's own state of mind (particularly as he grabs the katana he'd shown off earlier in the season and prepares to use it) which also making heavy use of traditional Japanese instruments to represent Chozen's involvement.
  • "Finish Him," the hectic track playing over Johnny's fight with the Cobra Kai senseis and the flagship dojo brawl, incorporates Tory's leitmotif and fits both of the fights it plays for perfectly.
  • As Demetri and Hawk leave the main office of the flagship dojo and witness the brawl downstairs, the scene is accompanied by "Valley Carnage," a rendition of the opening notes of Strike First that, with its rising instrumentation and urgent percussion, conveys the rapidly escalating action going on in the dojo.
  • "Protect The Egg", in name a callback to Chozen's "yanbaru kuina" lesson earlier in the season, is used when the Miyagi Fang students circle around Anthony while the security camera footage uploads. Loaded with Ominous Latin Chanting and gratuitous use of the Miyagi-Do leitmotif as well as a brass version of the guitar riff from season 2's Hallway Hellscape, it then caps off with a choral version of the melody from Quiver right as Devon and Tory engage Da-Eun.
  • As the backing track to the epic conclusion of the conflict that has defined the last three seasons, it only makes sense that much of the runtime of "The Tree Will Survive" is spent building up, with joyful instrumentals and musical callbacks to the original film, into a triumphant reprise of the Miyagi-Do leitmotif when Daniel crane-kicks Silver into the wall.

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