If You Miss Cobra Kai, Check Out Netflix’s Action-Packed Coming-Of-Age K-Drama That Just Returned

After Cobra Kai‘s six-season run, Netflix already seems to have found the perfect replacement show for the teenage action drama series. Serving as a direct extension of the original Karate Kid movies, Cobra Kai proved that the long-dead franchise still had untapped potential. By marking the return of several legacy characters from the original Karate Kid flicks and introducing a new set of compelling young characters, Cobra Kai created the perfect balance between telling refreshing storytelling and instilling nostalgia in the long-term followers of the franchise.

Considering how Cobra Kai consistently performed well both critically and commercially on Netflix, it seems likely to return in some capacity in the future. The streaming giant will likely expand its universe with potential spin-offs and follow-ups. However, while Cobra Kai‘s future remains uncertain, viewers can check out another similar show on the same streaming platform that seems reminiscent of the Karate Kid universe in more ways than one.

After Cobra Kai, Weak Hero Is The Perfect Series For Viewers Craving Teenage Action Drama

From High School Rivalries To Street Fights, Weak Hero Features It All

Unlike the original Karate Kid movies, Cobra Kai has never been about the battle between good and evil. Instead, it has focused on taking a more well-rounded approach to its characters by showing how even the villains deserve empathy and a shot at redemption. Weak Hero, which is based on a manhwa of the same name, achieves something similar. While walking through the day-to-day snags of its teenage characters, like Cobra Kai, Weak Hero adds many layers to their story beats to highlight the emotional struggles they face inside and outside school.

In both Cobra Kai and Weak Hero, the main characters initially face a lot of bullying at school until, one day, they reach the end of their wits and fight back. This triggers a chain reaction of events in both shows, leading to a series of rivalries that eventually garner the attention of even bigger external evil forces. Unlike Cobra Kai, Weak Hero does not feature too many training montages and is rarely about the father-child relationship between a sensei and a student.

However, it still walks through many white-knuckling high school fights and relatable coming-of-age themes that make it reminiscent of Cobra Kai. While a key difference between Cobra Kai and Weak Hero is that the latter mostly focuses on a set of male characters, both shows find common ground in their exploration of a spectrum of teenage emotions as they walk through their characters’ friendships, losses, traumas, and growth.

How Weak Hero Compares To Cobra Kai

Weak Hero Is Arguably Better In Some Ways

Because of its underlying narrative connections with the Karate Kid movies, Cobra Kai carries immense nostalgia. Cobra Kai also benefits from its diverse cast, which includes characters from multiple generations and cultural backgrounds. In comparison, Weak Hero primarily focuses on a young set of high school characters and only introduces adults as some of its overarching antagonists. Even from a storytelling standpoint, Cobra Kai keeps shifting its focus from one character to another.

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Weak Hero, in contrast, primarily revolves around Yeon Si-eun and his journey towards recovery from childhood trauma as he makes new friends and enemies in school. While Cobra Kai‘s action has its own charm, Weak Hero‘s fight scenes are arguably far better because of how brutal and immersive they feel. The street brawls in Weak Hero also have incredible choreography, even though they often stretch the suspension of disbelief a little too far.

Given how characters in both shows get severely injured and hospitalized, the stakes are equally high in both. However, while Cobra Kai‘s fight scenes often have a layer of campiness to them, Weak Hero keeps things slick and sharp. In more ways than one, both series have a live-action anime quality that plays a crucial role in elevating their drama and action sequences.

Cobra Kai Has Ended Its Run, But Weak Hero Could Return With At Least One More Season

Weak Hero Class 2’s Ending Sets The Stage For Another Season

Cobra Kai‘s universe may expand with potential spin-offs in the future, but the main series has ended for good. Weak Hero also exhausts all source material content in season 2, which would suggest that it has ended its run. However, instead of closing on a conclusive note, the Netflix Korean show leaves viewers with a cliffhanger that hints the series will return with at least one more installment. Although no official announcements have been made yet, the Cobra Kai “replacement” series has been performing incredibly well, which could lead to its renewal on Netflix.