- "I did everything I thought was right. I followed all the Miyagi-Do teachings. I even put aside my rivalry and teamed up with Johnny. None of it worked. Now I'm supposed to give up my dojo and step down as a sensei, but there's too much at stake to honor an agreement made with men who have none. If Cobra Kai is going to keep growing and getting stronger, I need to do whatever it takes to stop them. Even if that means going on offense. I know this isn't your fight, and this is a lot to ask, but will you help me finally put an end to Cobra Kai?"
- ―Daniel recruiting Chozen
"The Rise" is the tenth episode and season finale of the fourth season of Cobra Kai.
Summary
The tournament comes to a shocking end, with the aftermath leaving its participants reeling - and two champions facing uncertain futures.
Plot
Stingray is in the hospital after his beating from Terry. He awakens and the nurse tells the other nurse to call the detective that he's awake. Back at the tournament, the medic tells Johnny, Carmen, and Rosa that Miguel's injury is a pulled muscle. Johnny tells Miguel to show his back who's the boss.
Former Miyagi-Do classmates Robby and Demetri fight where Robby is leading. Demetri tells his sensei and classmates about the difficulty of defeating Robby with a Star Wars reference. Daniel tells him to remember his fundamentals and resumes the match. Unfortunately, Demetri loses, causing Robby to advance to the finals.
While Kenny is tending to his bloody nose, Anthony approaches him and tries to apologize again for his bullying. However, Kenny doesn't forgive him again and beats him up but Robby stops him. He threatens Anthony to wait for high school where he will be in more pain. After Kenny threatens Anthony, Robby chastises the boy but Kenny counters that he's Cobra Kai. Robby now realizes that his mentorship with Kenny has now turned him into a corrupt individual.
Tory and Sam beat their respective opponents and the two set up their match for the final round. Kreese approaches his former student Johnny and asks about Miguel but Johnny didn't want him to care. He also tells him he did not know Silver was going to beat him up at the old dojo. Johnny didn't want to talk about the incident but Kreese adds that he and Robby should've teamed up with him. Kreese also reminded him that losing would affect him after the 1984 All-Valley tournament. He adds by saying Robby can be the one to bring Cobra Kai glory but Johnny ends saying that Cobra Kai is going to die. The tournament holds a one-minute countdown for Miguel but he doesn't return, causing him to be eliminated and Eli advances to the finals by default.
Miguel congratulates Sam and before she heads back to the area, the two reconcile. The final round in the boys division is between Robby Keene and Eli Moskowitz. Silver tells Robby that he's strong on his own and doesn't need Daniel or Johnny and Daniel tells Eli to find his balance. They tie the score and the round goes to sudden death, the first since the 1985 All-Valley tournament. Before the match, the two bow to each other. However, Silver is mad that he showed respect and after an angry Robby asks Silver if he wanted to fight him, Kreese tells him to use his anger. On the other hand, Daniel tells Eli to give him all he has. He takes this to heart and bows to him. The fight becomes intense when Robby and Eli take off their gi; Robby for practical reasons because of his gi falling off and Eli responds and shows off his hawk tattoo. During the fight, Robby gets distracted by Kenny but Eli kicks him off. In the end, Eli takes Robby down and kicks him, becoming the boys champion and celebrates with the rest of Miyagi-Do.
Tory talks to Robby and asks how he's doing. He tells her to focus on the final. Amanda praises Tory for how she's turning her life around. She tells her to not go rough on Sam but Tory doesn't promise her anything since it is karate. Amanda tells Tory that she hopes that their fight ends their rivalry once and for all.
Later, Daniel and Johnny talk to each other again. This time, Daniel admits that after Sam's match against Piper, Johnny's teachings have been helpful and apologizes to him. Johnny also apologizes to Daniel about his jealousy over Miguel and Daniel's bonding and admits that Miguel should've continued training with him and would've been a stronger fighter. The two reconcile and team up again to help Sam in the girls final.
The final round of the girls division and the last match of the tournament is between the Queen Cobra Tory Nichols and the Bonsai Badass Sam LaRusso. Daryl explains that Sam is now being coached under Daniel and Johnny. Daniel corrects him saying that Johnny is also a two-time All-Valley champion. Kreese tells her to use all of her anger while Daniel and Johnny tell her to win regardless of offense or defense and after Daniel tells her to beat Cobra Kai, Sam hugs her father.
During the fight, Sam incorporates Miyagi-Do and Eagle Fang. When tied 2-2, Tory hits Sam in the eye, but does not even get a penalty. Silver tells Tory to elbow her other eye but Tory counters saying she'll be disqualified and doesn't need to cheat. After hearing what Tory said, Kreese now realizes what he did to Johnny and has a change of heart. He tells her that it's up to her to gain victory. In the end, Tory beats her and wins the girls division, also leading Cobra Kai to becoming the grand champion.
Silver addresses the crowd saying that he'll open more Cobra Kai dojos to the valley. Sam tearfully apologizes to Daniel about how they didn't win despite her doing what's right. Carmen tells Johnny that Miguel left but she tells him that he needs to be left alone.
Kyler schedules an afterparty at his house and Tory tells him she'll still be going. Before Tory goes back to get her bag, she notices Terry talk to the referee. She learns that he bribed the referee in order to ensure Cobra Kai's victory. Tory gets upset after she realizes she was cheated in order to win.
Johnny goes to the Cobra Kai dojo where he sees the mantra on the wall, triggering a flashback to the first episode. Robby visits him and tells him that they will be relocating to other locations. He praises his performance and tells him to not get upset about his loss. His son didn't visit him for that but he tearfully explains that his mentorship with Kenny turned him corrupt and his time at Cobra Kai made everything worse for him. Johnny praises Robby about his relationship with Daniel and tells him to blame him for getting in the way but Robby tells him he's done blaming him for everything. In the end, Robby hugs his father and the two reconcile.
Back at Silver's mansion, Silver and Kreese are celebrating with glasses of champagne. However, Kreese doesn't show his appreciation to Silver when he brings up Vietnam again. Upset, Silver asks how many times he was supposed to repay his debt until he and Kreese were even. Before their argument escalates, the police arrive and arrest Kreese. It is revealed that Silver beat up Stingray and had him frame Kreese. Silver reveals that he'll enlist an old friend to help him out and that he'll also take care of Johnny Lawrence as well. Kreese then swears revenge on his former friend, telling "You're gonna regret this! I am Cobra Kai!". He betrays his former best friend by usurping the dojo from Kreese. Unbeknownst to Silver and Kreese, the charges of aggravated assault and attempted murder against Kreese are valid as he viciously assaulted and tried to kill Daniel and Johnny on six months prior to the tournament.
Johnny comes home where Rosa shows Carmen the letter Miguel wrote. Miguel explains that he left to go to Mexico City to find his biological father. Johnny promises to find him and make sure he's okay. Carmen tells Johnny that she never told him about her ex-husband and wants Miguel home.
Daniel visit's Mr. Miyagi's grave and tells him that his alliance with Johnny failed. Even if he lost the bet, Daniel refuses to give up, knowing that he cannot allow Cobra Kai to damage the Valley and become volatile. He asks a friend to finally finish Cobra Kai once and for all. The person he was talking to reveals himself to be none other than Chozen Toguchi and the two bow together in respect for Mr. Miyagi.
Cast
Starring
- Ralph Macchio as Daniel LaRusso
- William Zabka as Johnny Lawrence
- Courtney Henggeler as Amanda LaRusso
- Xolo Maridueña as Miguel Diaz
- Tanner Buchanan as Robby Keene
- Mary Mouser as Samantha LaRusso
- Jacob Bertrand as Eli "Hawk" Moskowitz
- Gianni Decenzo as Demetri Alexopoulos
- Peyton List as Tory Nichols
- Vanessa Rubio as Carmen Diaz
- Thomas Ian Griffith as Terry Silver
- Martin Kove as John Kreese
Guest Starring
- Griffin Santopietro as Anthony LaRusso
- Dallas Dupree Young as Kenny Payne
- Paul Walter Hauser as Raymond "Stingray"
- Joe Seo as Kyler Park
- Aedin Mincks as Mitch
- Khalil Everage as Chris
- Oona O'Brien as Devon
- Yuji Okumoto as Chozen Toguchi
- Rose Bianco as Rosa
- Owen Morgan as Bert
- Nathaniel Oh as Nathaniel
Co-Starring
- Selah Austria as Piper Elswith
- Jacinte Blankenship as Head Nurse
- Keith Arthur Bolden as Daryl
- Franco Castan as Detective
- Hannah Kepple as Moon
- Josephine Roth as Medic
- Marcus Young as Head Referee
- Chance Dollard as Rob
Trivia
- The conclusion of the 51st Annual Karate Championships takes place, with Cobra Kai Dojo winning the competition after a close match between Tory Nichols and Samantha LaRusso.
- Hawk previously beat Robby Keene after entering a sudden death match.
- Miguel withdrew from the competition to focus on his back injury, ending his championship win-streak. He also doesn't even witness Cobra Kai's victory.
- Miguel Diaz leaves the valley to find his biological father.
- Chozen Toguchi arrives in the San Fernando Valley to partner with Daniel to defeat Cobra Kai. He was previously seen in the Season 3 episode, "Miyagi-Do".
- Additionally, this is the first time the character is seen in America. His appearances in both Cobra Kai and The Karate Kid Part II took place in Japan.
- After being framed by Silver, Kreese is arrested for assaulting Stingray, making Terry Silver the new sensei of Cobra Kai.
- This is the second time that Cobra Kai has been usurped. The first was in No Mercy where Kreese takes away ownership from Johnny Lawrence.
- This is the first and only appearance of Chozen in season 4.
- The episode title has a double meaning and can mean a few things.
- Cobra Kai wins the tournament and Terry Silver has just announced his plans to expand Cobra Kai throughout the valley, resulting in the rise of the Cobra Kai Dojo expanding not only throughout the valley, but eventually worldwide as shown in the next season.
- Daniel, realizing that Cobra Kai's expansion will hurt the valley more, decides to recruit Chozen to help him defeat Cobra Kai, meaning that Chozen's appearance will eventually bring light and put an end to the dojo.
- This is the first episode of the series where Robby gets emotional, where he is very regretful of joining Cobra Kai because the student he mentored became a corrupt bully.
- Robby and Eli taking off their gi is similar to the video game series Yakuza.
- Aisha can be briefly scene in a flashback to the school fight during Sam and Tory's fight during the tournament.
Gallery
