Cobra Kai creators explain how they brought Mr. Miyagi back from the dead
The creators of Netflix’s hit karate comedy sought approvals from the family of Pat Morita, who died in 2005, before reviving the beloved character.
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A CGI/AI rendering of Pat Morita’s Mr. Miyagi in Cobra Kai. Photo: Netflix
Warning: This article contains spoilers for season 6 of Cobra Kai.
Though Karate Kid sensei Mr. Miyagi passed away in 2011, he never stopped being a source of inspiration and wisdom to Daniel LaRusso (Ralph Macchio) — including in the sixth and final season of Netflix’s Cobra Kai.
After appearing briefly in a dream sequence earlier this season, Mr. Miyagi — played by beloved actor Pat Morita, who passed away in 2005 — returned for an extended, dream-based reunion with Daniel in episode 13, “Skeletons.” Discouraged after Miyagi-Do falls hopelessly behind in the Sekai Taikai tournament, Daniel struggles to figure out how to proceed — especially since his daughter, Sam (Mary Mouser), also feels conflicted about finishing the tournament.
That night, Daniel dreams he’s being attacked by a group of sinister figures in skeleton costumes — a callback to the traumatizing beating he took from Johnny Lawrence (William Zabka) and his Cobra Kai buddies in The Karate Kid. But suddenly, a man emerges from the darkness to fight with him, and it’s none other than Nariyoshi Miagi. Once they’ve vanquished the skeleton fighters, Daniel tearfully confronts his late mentor. “Why did you leave me all alone, without any answers?”
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Mr. Miyagi and Daniel (Ralph Macchio) on ‘Cobra Kai’.Netflix
Placing his hand on Daniel’s chest, Mr. Miyagi tells him, “Remember, Miyagi teach, ‘win, lose, no matter.’ No need fight anymore.”
The emotional exchange helps Daniel determine how Miyagi-Do should proceed in the Sekai Taikai finals. Executive producer Hayden Schlossberg, who created Cobra Kai with Jon Hurwitz and Josh Heald, tells Entertainment Weekly that the show sought the blessing of Pat Morita’s estate before bringing back his beloved character.
“Beyond getting the approvals, Ralph has some connections to his family and wanted to explain to them what our intentions were. We explained there would be this first episode where it is kind of a scary version of Mr. Miyagi where he is fighting Daniel, but that it would culminate in an ultimate dream sequence where Daniel and Mr. Miyagi are fighting together, and it’s a very heartfelt scene,” says Schlossberg. “They were totally behind it and it’s just something that Ralph really wanted as well.”
To bring Mr. Miyagi back to life, the show used a body double, as well as a “soundalike” actor to deliver the character’s dialogue. “Then, using Pat Morita’s actual voice and AI technology, you kind of merge the two,” explains Schlossberg. “It was the wish fulfillment of getting to see them on screen together again. You do your best with the technology; it’s a dream sequence. We felt like it was worth doing to recreate that duo on screen again.”
