Most Complaints About The Storytelling Decisions Regarding The Teens In Cobra Kai Boil Down To Not Understanding

Most complaints about the storytelling decisions regarding the teens in Cobra Kai boil down to not understanding that the younger characters are all supporting their adult counterparts, acting as a foil to or echoing some theme from the original films through their relationships with their OG franchise counterparts. Do they have arcs of their own? Of course. But at the end of the day, Miguel, Robby, Sam and Tory's storylines will all be written to give maximum dramatic payoff for Johnny, Daniel and (to a lesser extent) Kreese's character arcs, because they were the original characters the entire show was built around.

This is why "who deserves to win the final tournament fight?" is so pointless. Ask yourself not whether Robby or Miguel is a "better fighter" who "deserves to win", but how their stories will best serve Johnny's, because I guarantee that's why they made the writing choices they did.

Miguel is an obvious 21st century version of Daniel (to Johnny's Miyagi), with a classic coming of age and underdog sports movie arc. Johnny's vocation in life (a fact frequently repeated by the show itself) is to teach martial arts, and Miguel is his principle protege. Miguel's "big win" being a tournament fight makes sense, as karate itself is a totem for his relationship with Johnny. Robby, meanwhile, functions far more as a parallel to Johnny himself, and his arc has been (thematically) about not becoming the worst version of the man his father became. Since the entire show is built around the idea that Johnny's toxic mentor derailed his sense of self-worth/adult life by physically attacking him after he lost a tournament, Robby losing the final fight and realizing that's okay is not mean or proof that the writers hate him, but in fact...an obvious choice for his character.

I can guarantee that Sam's final arc will be tied to her relationship with her father, and the strength and wisdom he's given her. Tory (through her relationship with Kreese) also functions as a kind of girl reboot Johnny, and one of her core functions on the show is to be proof of Kreese's spark of redeemability. I have no doubt she'll be used for that purpose before the end of the show.