The All Valley Karate Tournament finally returns in Cobra Kai season 4 and its long-awaited comeback is very necessary. The first three seasons of Cobra Kai massively expanded The Karate Kid universe and, by the end of Cobra Kai season 3, there are now three main dojos in the San Fernando Valley, with Daniel LaRusso's (Ralph Macchio) Miyagi-Do aligning with Johnny Lawrence's (William Zabka) Eagle Fang Karate to take on John Kreese's (Martin Kove) Cobra Kai dojo.
The All Valley Under 18 Karate Tournament was the culmination of the original Karate Kid movie. Daniel beat defending champion Johnny to win the All Valley in 1984, although Cobra Kai revealed that their grudge continued 30 years later. In The Karate Kid Part III, Daniel defended his championship against Cobra Kai's Mike Barnes (Sean Kanan). Cobra Kai season 1 reintroduced the All Valley Tournament, which was won by Johnny's Cobra Kai protege, Miguel Diaz (Xolo Mariduena). However, Cobra Kai season 2 only spanned the summer after Miguel became champion and season 3 took place from the start of school in September to December 19th. This means that when Cobra Kai season 4 picks up the story, there are 5 months to build to the next All Valley Tournament, which happens in May.
The Karate Kid movies and Cobra Kai season 1 established the All Valley Tournament as the place to settle scores and it's more necessary than ever in season 4. Cobra Kai has built a complex web of rivalries between Daniel, Johnny, and Kreese's karate students and the loyalties of the kids have also continually switched dojos so that by the end of Cobra Kai season 3, Johnny's Eagle Fang counts Miguel and Hawk (Jacob Bertrand) as students, Daniel's Miyagi-Do is headed by his daughter Samantha (Mary Mouser) and Demetri (Gianni DeCenzo), and the prized pupils of Kreese's Cobra Kai are Johnny's prodigal son Robby Keene (Tanner Buchanan) and Tory Nichols (Peyton List). There is tons of history and animosity between the kids and the All Valley Tournament can finally let them settle their issues.
The All Valley Tournament is also more important than ever because Kreese, Johnny, and Daniel agreed to a pact at the end of Cobra Kai season 3 that if Cobra Kai loses the tourney, Kreese will finally leave the Valley. Whether or not Kreese will live up to his word if his Cobra Kai students wash out of the tournament is up in the air, and John is bringing in extra help in the form of his devious old friend, Terry Silver (Thomas Ian Griffith). The All Valley is also personal to Miguel and Sam because they fought to make sure the city didn't cancel the tournament so that they could compete.
It's also even more important to Miguel that the All Valley Tournament takes place so that he can defend his championship. Miguel went through a devastating ordeal when he was critically injured at the end of Cobra Kai season 2. Thanks to Johnny, Miguel was able to rehab and regain his mobility in Cobra Kai season 3 but he's still not in top fighting shape. It's an open question whether Miguel can become a two-time champion like Johnny and Daniel were, especially since everyone else's karate skills have rapidly improved. Sam, Tory, Robby, Hawk, Kyler (Joe Seo), and even Demetri are all potential winners of the All Valley Tournament.
The level of street violence in Cobra Kai has also escalated, which makes the All Valley even more crucial. The kids have engaged in brutal karate brawls in mall food courts, in their high school, at Golf N Stuff, and they even trashed the LaRusso home. The All Valley Tournament offers a sorely-needed controlled environment with rules and penalties for the kids to compete against each other and settle their differences. The All Valley Under 18 Tournament has never had more riding on it or had more characters who could realistically win it so it's the perfect culmination for Cobra Kai season 4.
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