Posted in: Netflix, TV | Tagged: cobra kai, hayden schlossberg, pat morita

Cobra Kai Co-Creator Discusses Doing Right by Daniel/Miyagi "Reunion"

Cobra Kai co-creator Hayden Schlossberg on how bringing Pat Morita's Miyagi back into the story helped close the chapter on the series.

With Pat Morita's passing in 2005, he never saw how far his The Karate Kid franchise co-star Ralph Macchio has grown as Daniel LaRusso in Cobra Kai. Creators Jon Hurwitz, Josh Heald, and Hayden Schlossberg made sure the late actor had a seat at the table as Nariyoshi Miyagi in the Netflix martial arts series' final season. As Daniel was coming to grips with his former sensei's deadly legacy at the Sekai Taikai, he conjured a younger version of him during his tournament. After sparring with his younger counterpart, Daniel sees his sensei age as he meets him during the events of the 1984 original film in the season six-part two finale, "Eunjangdo," before waking up from his nightmare. Part three shares Daniel's final vision of Mr. Miyagi in episode 13, Skeletons. Schlossberg spoke to Entertainment Weekly about using Miyagi to help provide closure for Macchio's Daniel.

Cobra Kai Creators on Pat Morita's Digital "Return" as Mr. Miyagi

"Beyond getting the approvals, Ralph has some connections to his family and wanted to explain to them what our intentions were. We explained there would be this first episode where it is kind of a scary version of Mr. Miyagi where he is fighting Daniel, but that it would culminate in an ultimate dream sequence where Daniel and Mr. Miyagi are fighting together, and it's a very heartfelt scene," Schlossberg said. "They were totally behind it and it's just something that Ralph really wanted as well."

Filming the Miyagi scenes required a body double and a soundalike as the base, "Then, using Pat Morita's actual voice and AI technology, you kind of merge the two," Schlossberg explains. "It was the wish fulfillment of getting to see them on screen together again. You do your best with the technology; it's a dream sequence. We felt like it was worth doing to recreate that duo on screen again." The final Daniel-Miyagi scene was a throwback to the John G. Avildsen film and the infamous scene when Daniel is attacked by Cobra Kai led by Johnny Lawrence (William Zabka) dressed as skeletons during Halloween. During "Skeletons," greater numbers surround Daniel than in the film, but Miyagi comes by to save him as the two fight them off.

As Daniel pleads for answers on why he left him alone for so long without any answers, "Remember, Miyagi teach, 'win, lose, no matter,'" he calmly tells him, "No need fight anymore." That gives him the epiphany to let go coincidentally when his daughter Sam (Mary Mouser) has the same idea. Together, along with the efforts of Johnny and John Kreese (Martin Kove), Miyagi-Do forfeits Sam's spot in the women's semi-final and allows Miyagi-Do's Miguel Diaz (Xolo Maridueña) and Johnny as sensei to defect to Cobra Kai with Tory Nicols (Peyton List) to face against the Iron Dragons at the Sekai Taikai finals. All six seasons of Cobra Kai are available to stream on Netflix.

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