Dear Princess Celestia.... I didn't learn anything! · 10:54am Jun 16th, 2019
Cobra Kai is such a WEIRD show.
let's ANALYZE its characters. moderate spoilers for season 1.
Johnny Lawrence was the antagonist of the original Karate Kid movie, and the protagonist of this show. Here he's a deadbeat in his 50s, but trying to make something of himself again. He's an underdog because his childhood rival has been quite successful in life, while he has to start over from nothing. He's likeable when he makes friends with the latina woman next door, and he becomes a father figure for her son Miguel. Yet he's unlikeable when he's teaching karate because his methods seem excessively aggressive.
Daniel LaRusso was the protagonist of the original movie, and now he's the antagonist, I think. He's unlikeable because his success has made him arrogant, and he only assumes the worst of Lawrence (instead of realizing he's on a redemption arc, geez). But he's also likeable because of he honors the memory of Miyagi, and tries to pass on that honorable form of karate in his school. He's also the underdog here, because his karate school is very small, with only 1 student.
Miguel Diaz is the primary Cobra Kai student. He's likeable because he's a good-hearted kid. He's an underdog because his family is poor, and he's attacked by bullies in the first episode. He's less likeable when the aggression he learns from karate makes him lash out at his girlfriend Sam.
can you see where I'm going with this?
The Cobra Kai students (not gonna list all their names) are underdogs because they're the unpopular smart kids who constantly get bullied at school. They're likeable because they support each other and try to improve themselves with karate. They're unlikeable because they turn into asshole bullies themselves.
Robby Keene is Johnny's son, and they have a very strained relationship, living apart from each other. He's likeable because he starts out as a teenage criminal yet chooses to reject that life. He's an underdog because he's Daniel's only student, and forced to go up against his father's entire Cobra Kai school. He's also kind of unlikeable because he doesn't give his father a chance to repair their relationship, and joining Daniel's school just seems like a petty way to spite him.
Samantha LaRusso is Daniel's daughter. She's an underdog because of bullying from her ex-boyfriend. She's likeable because she's sympathetic toward Miguel and dates him, in this Romeo & Juliet type subplot. She's also unlikeable because she's kind of a crappy friend to Aisha (one of the Cobra Kai students).
I think that's everyone.
Every single character is set up to be The Underdog. They have some nice moments to make them likeable, but they also all have flaws and make mistakes.
However, I have no idea who I'm supposed to root for. Instead of liking them all, I kind of dislike all of them equally. The show is very muddled in its plot and themes. Is the idea that everyone thinks they're the hero but is kind of a bully in their own way?
I could almost believe that it's trying to be a serious drama about human complexities and redemption, except..... it's WAAAY too melodramatic. Everything revolves around this rivalry between karate schools, and that one tournament from 1984 (the original movie) is like this local legend that hangs over everyone's heads, because everyone in California cares about karate. This type of story doesn't need complexity. Just tell me who the good guy and bad guy is! 
I can't say it's a bad show, just extremely shallow. I think the writers are trying to make something like Breaking Bad or Better Call Saul, which have complex morally grey characters who I love even when they do terrible things. Cobra Kai has high production value, but none of the characters have discernable arcs. It's merely a soap opera, where every character has drama and sudden twists for thrills.
More importantly, is the karate itself any good? Story is 5% of the final grade, karate is the other 95%. 
Well it appears fancy and slick on the surface, much like the story writing. But during a fight, the camera cuts to a new angle on every single hit, so as to appear more violent and dynamic. Sigh. 
Karate Kid didn't do that, it showed the fights without fast cuts. Even though the actors didn't know how to fight that well, it was still more visceral thanks to the direction and editing.
Why'd I watch this show anyway? There's nothing to learn from it. Just watch Karate Kid again, it has a really smart story and still holds up really well.
I really want to suggest Yawara for the better martial arts story, but you would really miss out on the rest.
The English license only has subtitles that cover 40 episodes from the 124 total. The manga has barely any scans.
If you want a martial arts story about two rivals with a twist, you can get Teppu. The whole manga has scans and it is very rare you are going to see it in anime.
https://mangarock.com/manga/mrs-serie-244221
I loved this story because all the characters were nuanced. I think the lesson it's trying to teach is, any time you start telling yourself you're the "hero" of the story, there's a good chance you're turning into the villain. Also, maybe the idea that just because someone starts as an underdog doesn't mean you should root for them.
I do agree though, it is weird how everyone in the town acts like karate is so incredibly important, and everyone remembers this match that occurred 30 years ago.