‘Cobra Kai’ Season 5: Ralph Macchio on Daniel Teaming up With Chozen (Yuji Okumoto)
In Cobra Kai Season 4, Daniel LaRusso (Ralph Macchio) and Johnny Lawrence (William Zabka) teamed up to try to defeat John Kreese (Martin Kove). Unfortunately, Miyagi-Do and Eagle Fang together wasn’t enough. At the end of the season finale, Daniel set up Cobra Kai Season 5 by inviting Chozen (Yuji Okumoto) to the valley.
Macchio and Okumoto already filmed Cobra Kai Season 5 at the end of 2021. As fans wait to see it, Macchio teased a bit of what’s to come. The Cobra Kai Kompanion podcast spoke with Macchio on the red carpet before their PaleyFest panel on April 8. Here’s what they found out.
Daniel and Chozen in ‘Cobra Kai’ Season 5: ‘Time to call in the reinforcements’
Chozen was the villain of The Karate Kid Part II. When Daniel returned to Okinawa, Japan in season 3, Chozen helped train him in new techniques. Having buried the hatchet, Cobra Kai Season 5 promises another ultimate team-up.
“Listen, it was time to call in the reinforcements,” Macchio told the Cobra Kai Kompanion podcast. “I was so happy when the guys told me that’s where we were going at the end of this season.”
Chozen will help keep Mr. Miyagi in ‘Cobra Kai’ Season 5
Pat Morita died in 2005. So Cobra Kai had to find different ways to include the late Mr. Miyagi in the show. In season 3, Kumiko (Tamlyn Tomita) showed Daniel some letters Miyagi had written to her aunt, and Chozen showed him some secret Miyagi texts. Macchio said bringing Chozen back keeps the connection to Mr. Miyagi.
“I adore Yuji and that whole section in season 3 with Yuji and Tamlyn was special,” Macchio said. “It sort of ties, always keeps the Miyagiverse and the Miyagi-Do authenticity in the series. The show is so hard to categorize. You’ve got high highs, low lows, comedy, action, drama and the feels. Having the opportunity to have a character like Chozen who’s gone from the ultimate international nemesis for LaRusso and now redemption, he also informs very much for Daniel Larusso how he views Johnny Lawrence.”
Chozen and Daniel have more unfinished business
Macchio also teased how nothing is simple on Cobra Kai. The show proved that Johnny Lawrence (William Zabka) wasn’t just a bad guy, and even Kreese has reasons for his villainous actions. Chozen got to have some fun with Daniel in season 3, but there’s more to come.
“And that’s what’s so smart about what Jon [Hurwitz], Josh [Heald] and Hayden [Schlossberg] do,” Macchio said. “It’s just not fan service. It’s really propelling stories and broadening and diving into gray areas and deeper elements of characters. So I’m excited for the fans to see what season 5 brings.”
