*This article may contain spoilers. 

The long-awaited third season of the Netflix Original series “Cobra Kai,” a show that continues the story of the original “Karate Kid” films, released on Jan 1.

The show stars some of the original characters and cast of the “Karate Kid” film series, such as the karate kid himself, Daniel LaRusso (Ralph Macchio) who runs Miyagi-Do karate, the owner of Cobra Kai karate and his arch-nemesis Johnny Lawrence (William Zabka) and the evil sensei John Kreese who makes a guest appearance played by Martin Kove. 

After the cliffhanger in the second season that put main character Miguel (Xolo Maridueña), in the hospital with a coma, that season seemed hard to beat. But even with its flaws, season three perfected the storytelling of past seasons with amazing character development and plot twists, with more flashbacks from the original “Karate Kid” films.

Season three had a rough start due to its slow-paced first episode, but then it seemed somewhat rushed in order to keep the storyline going. The writers packed a little too much character development and story into just 10 episodes. Still, the show provides a quick adrenaline rush every time we watch it because of all the plot twists, dojo brawls, new couples, and surprise guest stars. The characters themselves get more lovable, such as Johnny, who started off as a rude and stubborn old man and changed into a thoughtful, caring but still harsh sensei. 

The performance of all the actors in this season was incredible; the punches, fights, and emotional scenes all felt so real as if the watcher was there with them. Not only did the show deliver in warm, heartfelt moments, but also the amount of action added was the perfect balance unlike season two. With this season being more about recovery, resilience, and sometimes ruthlessness, the watchers get to see a lifetime rivalry turn into friendship, not to mention the amazing throwback music in the soundtrack.

The combination of Cobra Kai’s character depth, teenage humor and nostalgia is what makes it arguably one of the best series on Netflix.