The official trailer for Cobra Kai Season 3 finally arrived this past week, and it appropriately showed no mercy when it came to teasing major developments for the new episodes. Daniel and Johnny’s shocking team-up and Miguel’s road to recovery were only a few storylines that were highlighted in the awesome footage. But one aspect of the trailer that got fans most excited was the confirmation that The Karate Kid Part II’s Kumiko would be showing up. Although we don’t know exactly how she fits into the story, Tamlyn Tomita has dropped a few hints about her Kumikio’s reunion with Ralph Macchio’s Daniel.
As you can imagine, Tamlyn Tomita can’t say much about Kumiko’s presence in Cobra Kai Season 3. But that didn’t stop her from teasing a satisfying meeting between the two ex-lovers, and she also says it’s sure to answer the fans’ most burning questions:
I think it'll answer a lot of questions, and fans will be happy as to where [the characters] find themselves and the kind of discussions they have. I think fans will be pleased. I just hope with all the hope in my heart that we all did a good job.
In The Karate Kid Part II, Kumiko was introduced as the niece of Mr. Miyagi’s former love, Yukie. She eventually became firm friends with Daniel while he and Mr. Miyagi were in Okinawa, and the two developed feelings for each other. While they appeared to be together by the end of the film, The Karate Kid Part III explained that Kumiko opted not to return to California with Daniel and Mr. Miyagi due to her taking a job with a dance company.
Many fans have wondered what became of Kumiko after she appeared in the franchise’s second installment. And based on her comments to EW, Tamlyn Tomita was just as curious as they were:
Oh, sure. It was always related to dance, and maybe she fell in love and had kids. There’s all kinds of permutations as to what would have happened to her.
When Daniel told his mother of Kumiko’s decision in The Karate Kid Part III, the young man sounded disappointed. Now that he’s a married man with children, his romantic feelings for her have likely dissipated, but Daniel likely does still care for her on some level. With this, it’ll be interesting to watch how the two react to seeing each other after so many years.
Their reunion will get shaken up a bit, though, as Yuji Okumoto’s Chozen (Daniel’s rival from Okinawa) is also set to return. Between his sentimental get-together with Kumiko and another intense face-off with Chozen, Daniel is going to be dealing with a lot in Okinawa, which should be more than entertaining for Cobra Kai fans.
Cobra Kai Season 3 premieres on Netflix on January 8, 2021.
