Cobra Kai Season 5 Theory: Both Robby & Miguel Quit Karate

Miguel and Robby are both exceptional fighters, but, considering where their stories are going, they could quit karate in Cobra Kai season 5.

Miguel and Robby are two of Cobra Kai‘s best fighters, but season 5 could see both of them steering away from karate. Rivals since the beginning of the show, Robby and Miguel have walked very different paths throughout Cobra Kai‘s first four seasons, and yet it is possible to draw many parallels between their journeys. Between dojo changes and several different senseis, the futures of Johnny’s son and best student are still up in the air.

So far, karate has defined the stories of Miguel and Robby. If it were not for Cobra Kai, Miguel would never have been able to stand up against Kyler and become the confident person he is. Similarly, if it were not for Miyagi Do and later for the Cobra Kai dojo, Robby might not even have a place to live today. However, this reliance on karate by Robby and Miguel could end soon.

Cobra Kai‘s season 5 story details are still a mystery, but the end of Cobra Kai season 4 already hints at what Miguel and Robby’s journeys will be. The former is heading to Mexico to look for his father, while the latter is finally ready to make peace with him – an interesting parallel between the two characters. In either case, things like training, tournaments, and conflicts caused by different karate philosophies no longer seem so important when compared to everything else. That’s why both Miguel and Robby could quit karate in Cobra Kai season 5.

How Robby And Miguel’s Stories Mirror Each Other

Rivals since the beginning of Cobra Kai, Robby and Miguel have stories that actually mirror each other. Both found in karate a way not only to defend themselves from the dangers of life but also, in some way, to make up for the absence of their dads. Miguel never got to know his father and had arrived at Reseda without friends or any father figure. Similarly, things never worked out for Robby and his father, and Johnny had already given up on being present in his son’s life.

Interestingly, it was in Johnny Lawrence that Miguel found a father figure – all a consequence of his karate journey. More than learning moves to face Kyler, Miguel’s training at the Cobra Kai dojo served to bring him closer to Johnny and create one of the strongest bonds in Cobra Kai. As a result of his jealousy of Miguel, Robby’s resentment of Johnny grew even more and ended up generating one of Cobra Kai‘s greatest rivalries. In addition to Johnny, Robby and Miguel’s story also had Sam as a common element.

In another interesting parallel, Miguel and Robby were the stars of Cobra Kai at two very different times in the dojo. The former was the first student of Johnny Lawrence’s new Cobra Kai, while the latter became a pupil of Kreese and later Terry Silver. Both Miguel and Robby also trained under Daniel LaRusso for some time, but none of them ever got the time to learn Miyagi-Do to its full extent, thanks to the constant conflict between Daniel and Johnny.

Why Miguel Could Leave Karate (And Johnny) In Season 5

Karate has already done a lot for Miguel, but his connection to martial arts may be ending, at least for now. Up until Cobra Kai season 4, not even Miguel’s serious injury was enough to make him quit karate. However, after months of preparation with Eagle Fang, Miguel ended up quitting the All Valley – a reflection of what his journey in Cobra Kai season 4 had been. For the first time since the show began, karate is not the number one priority in Miguel’s life. Following the heartbreaking scene in which a drunk Johnny refers to him as Robby, Miguel could no longer pretend he did not care about not knowing his real father. Now heading to Mexico to find a man who does not even know about his existence, Miguel could face in Cobra Kai season 5 his greatest challenge yet – one that might not leave him with much time for karate.

It is still impossible to say how long Miguel’s time in Mexico during Cobra Kai season 5 will last. It could be something like Daniel’s quick business trip to Okinawa in Cobra Kai season 3, or it could be more on par with Daniel and Mr. Miyagi’s Karate Kid 2‘ story, which happened almost entirely in another country. In any case, if Miguel’s father is as dangerous as Carmen says, then karate training and dojo rivalries will now be small things from Miguel’s perspective. That’s not to say Miguel will abandon karate forever, only that his story in season 5 seems to be headed towards a different path. Another possibility is that despite being a dangerous man, Miguel’s father becomes receptive to his son, at least initially. This could create an illusion for Miguel that he does not need to return home, further steering him from Johnny and Karate.

How Robby Quitting Karate In Season 5 Could Help His Character

After four seasons of using karate as a sort of shield against life’s problems, Robby Keene seems finally ready to face his personal battles. During the ending of Cobra Kai season 4, Robby says that he is tired of blaming Johnny for everything, which means he is going to start to try making things right with his father. Considering that irritating Johnny was why Robby met Daniel and started training Miyagi-Do in the first place, this might be the first time in Cobra Kai that Robby no longer needs martial arts to prove anything to anyone.

So far, a lot of what karate has brought to Robby has been on the negative side. Not only did it stir up his need for revenge, but it also made him a pawn in Kreese’s and Terry Silver’s plans. More recently, what Robby thought would be a positive influence on Kenny caused Cobra Kai‘s newest student to be more violent. After fighting for so many different sensei and seeing his choices caused so much trouble – including Miguel’s injury and the breakup with Sam – putting karate aside, at least for a while, would be the best thing for Robby.

Cobra Kai will always have karate at its heart – but the characters have grown to the point where the martial arts disputes are far from being the most important part of their stories. At this point, what Miguel’s encounter with his dad will be like, and if Robby will manage to work things out with Johnny, are much more interesting Cobra Kai season 5 questions. That said, there may always be time for a bit of karate in both of their stories.