Cobra Kai fans lose minds over ‘heartbreaking’ Karate Kid reference

One viewer called it ‘a most excellent Mr Miyagi callback’

Netflix viewers are praising Cobra Kai for its many callbacks to The Karate Kid franchise.

The show, a continuation of the beloved 1980s film series, returned for a fourth season on New Year’s Day (1 January).

Fans of the show are calling the new season the best yet, largely thanks to its inclusion of many Karate Kid references and Easter eggs.

However, there’s one in particular that fans are highlighting as the most effective, and it’s leaving them feeling rather emotional.

The line is spoken by Johnny Lawrence, who is played by William Zabka. Johnny first appeared in 1984 film The Karate Kid, and played the role in the 1986 and 1989 sequels, respectively.

In the Netflix show, his character decides to reopen the Cobra Kai dojo featured in the films 34 years later.

The latest season references a quote spoken by Pat Morita’s character Mr Miyagi, and sees Johnny say: “Come inside, come inside.”

This is a callback to the line where, after being asked by Ralph Macchio’s Daniel how he’d know if his picture is “the right one”, Mr Miyagi says: “If come from inside you, always right one.”

Fans couldn’t get enough of the reference, with one viewer writing on Twitter: “Johnny using the Miyagi ‘come inside come inside’ line is the kind of attention to detail that makes this show awesome.”

Another branded it “a most excellent Miyagi callback”.

Pat Morita as Mr Miyagi in ‘The Karate Kid’ (Columbia Pictures)

One viewer said it “took their breath away”, while another called it a “heartbreaking homage”.

Cobra Kai is available to stream on Netflix.