Netflix’s Cobra Kai has intrigued fans of the Karate Kid film series. While there have been a plethora of references to the first three movies, fans who have been waiting for The Next Karate Kid references in Cobra Kai have finally gotten their wish in Cobra Kai Season 4. 

When Daniel LaRusso trains Eagle Fang’s Johnny Lawrence in Miyagi Do Karate, he spouts Mr. Miyagi’s words of wisdom. Most of them were references to Daniel’s own training from The Karate Kid. However, one line was from the oft-forgotten film set on the East Coast. 

A clip posted by Netflix Geeked shows the comparison between the 2021 episode and the 1994 film. 

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As Johnny is scrubbing the deck in First Learn Walk (episode 4.2), Daniel, who is strolling calmly, tells his pupil, “Ambition without knowledge is like a boat in dry land.“

Meanwhile, in the next clip, we see Miyagi tell Julie Pierce, “Ambition without the knowledge, is like um, boat on dry land.“

The sensei used that line in a conversation with Hilary Swank’s character after she told him she knew that her goal in life didn’t require maths problems.

Could The Next Karate Kid appear on Netflix’s Cobra Kai? 

The usage of a line doesn’t confirm that a character from a film will appear. However, it opens the possibility as it is the first time the Netflix show has acknowledged the fourth film.

LaRusso saying it has been a long time since Miyagi Do has had over one student isn’t a reference, as Daniel and Julie never trained together or with anyone else at the same time. 

While it is possible that Mr. Miyagi may have used the same line around Daniel, it hasn’t appeared on screen in the three films between 1984 and 1989. 

This development will have excited the masses as they could finally see characters from the fourth film get their chance to shine. Potential names apart from Julie Pierce include Ned Randall and Eric McGowen.  

Even if neither of these characters comes to Cobra Kai, it was good to see the nod to the franchise’s most panned film.

Was this reference just a one-off? Or was it a sign that Hayden Schlossberg, Jon Hurwitz, and Josh Heald are building towards the two-time Academy Award winner’s return? Let us know in the comments section below.