Cobra Kai Season 5: Why Daniel & Chozen's Plan Is Doomed To Fail
Daniel LaRusso's plan to team up with Chozen in order to take down his rival dojo in Cobra Kai season 5 is likely to fail, but some other characters could succeed. Following Cobra Kai season 4's All-Valley Tournament, the show's protagonists are left destroyed by their defeat. Per the agreement heading into season 4, Daniel (Ralph Macchio) and Johnny Lawrence (William Zabka) are forced to give up teaching karate and close down their schools, leaving Cobra Kai to thrive.
Despite making this promise, Cobra Kai's victory doesn't sit well with Daniel. Season 4 ends with Daniel forming an alliance with his one-time enemy Chozen (Yuji Okumoto) in order to stop the influence of Cobra Kai for good and return Miyagi-Do Karate to its former glory. However determined Daniel might be, however, he's headed into what will likely be a losing battle.
With Terry Silver (Thomas Ian Griffith) running Cobra Kai after getting the dojo's original loose cannon sensei John Kreese (Martin Kove) out of the way at the end of Cobra Kai season 5, Daniel's headed into an even more dangerous confrontation. However, there's another way in which Cobra Kai might finally see its downfall in season 5. Poetically, it could be two of Cobra Kai's most devoted students being the ones to bring it down. Here's why Daniel and Chozen's strategy isn't likely to work in Cobra Kai season 5, and who ultimately could succeed in defeating Silver's dojo.
Cobra Kai season 4 concluded with Daniel at Mr. Miyagi's grave, telling his departed sensei that he cannot honor an agreement "with men who have none." Chozen then arrived, the two bowing to Miyagi as the former enemies who'd previously made amends prepared to face Cobra Kai in season 5. With Daniel and Johnny's rocky relationship, the idea of Daniel joining forces with an old adversary to take down his newest one may be a great concept for Cobra Kai season 5. Unfortunately, Daniel and Chozen are going into the situation alone.
The victory of Cobra Kai at the All-Valley Tournament left morale low among Miyagi-Do and Eagle Fang's students. What's more, some major characters aren't even around to lend a hand. Such is the case for Miguel (Xolo Maridueña), who departed for Mexico to search for his father at the end of season 4, with Johnny following Miguel to bring him home. The post-All-Valley Tournament situation leaves Daniel and Chozen more or less a two-man operation against Cobra Kai going into season 5. Even worse, Terry Silver isn't going to make it easy for them.
One of the dangers of Cobra Kai is the skill its two senseis have at manipulation. With his rough origin story, John Kreese knew how to shape the young, impressionable minds of his students into loyal soldiers to build up Cobra Kai's reputation, as Johnny can attest to. Terry Silver is even more dangerous in his skill at underhanded tactics and string-pulling. Kreese learns that the hard way when Silver has him framed for murder and arrested at the end of Cobra Kai season 4. Daniel and Chozen, in trying to defeat Cobra Kai as a duo, could find themselves similarly ensnared.
Silver, whether by using his money and connections or simple Machiavellian tactics, knows how to gain leverage over his enemies. He's also likely anticipated some retaliation by Miyagi-Do or Eagle Fang in the event that either Daniel or Johnny were to break their agreement. Thus, it's likely that Silver has planned accordingly for the possible three-way conflict of Cobra Kai season 5. Daniel and Chozen, in trying to defeat Cobra Kai outside of the tournament, could find themselves framed for murder or some other crime by Silver and imprisoned. The new head sensei of Cobra Kai showed no mercy even to someone as close to him as Kreese. He'll have even less reason to restrain himself against Daniel and Chozen, which could leave the task of defeating Cobra Kai to two other characters.
Despite having been Cobra Kai's leading students, Tory (Peyton List) and Robby (Tanner Buchanan) come to have serious qualms about their dojo at the end of Cobra Kai season 4. Tory was the tournament's victor but realized her win was not a pure one when she discovered that Silver had bribed the judge. This left Tory to ponder her future with Cobra Kai. Robby also began to see Cobra Kai's negative influence in how aggressive a fighter Kenny Payne (Dallas Dupree Young) had become. Tory's newfound doubts and Robby's reconciliation with his father Johnny showed both were beginning to let go of the anger that was driving them. With how scattered the protagonists are in the aftermath of Cobra Kai season 4, Tory and Robby could be the ones to truly lead the charge against Terry Silver and his dojo.
As Cobra Kai students, Tory and Robby were easy prey for the manipulation of Kreese and Silver due to what was motivating them. Robby's bitterness toward Johnny and Tory's rivalry with Sam LaRusso (Mary Mouser) was what drove them so heavily in the All-Valley Tournament. Because of this, they'd also be possibly the two best-equipped protagonists to defeat the dojo. Tory and Robby, while both having anger issues and chips on their shoulders, could rid themselves of that baggage in Cobra Kai season 5. To be sure, they'd face plenty of risks themselves in taking on the manipulative Silver. However, as his students, they'd also have advantages that Daniel and Chozen lack in being able to pass themselves off as Silver's still loyal martial arts disciples.
Cobra Kai season 5 is sure to be even more of a chess game than the show has ever been with the highly skilled Terry Silver being the main villain of the season. Tory and Robby could use this to their advantage, gaining inside information on the tactics Silver used against Kreese and is likely to use on Daniel and Chozen. With Tory and Robby seeing the teachings of Cobra Kai for what they are, they could ultimately be the ones to start its downfall from the inside before Daniel, Chozen, Johnny, and Miguel arrive to join in.
Terry Silver is far more than simply a formidable martial artist, but also an enemy best battled in anything but the direct confrontation Daniel and Chozen seem to be preparing for. Even with as skilled an opponent as Cobra Kai's Chozen is, he and Daniel could find themselves entangled in a situation they're ill-prepared to overcome against Silver. Still, no opponent, not even Cobra Kai, is invincible, and Tory and Robby have grown wise to what the dojo has turned them into. In Cobra Kai season 5, Tory and Robby, in finally shaking off the influence they've been under, could be the real leaders instrumental in Cobra Kai's demise.