Nichole Brown's Aisha Robinson is a fan-favorite Cobra Kai character who left the series too soon.
Aisha is the first female student of Johnny's (William Zabka) Cobra Kai Dojo in Season 1. She is also Samantha LaRusso's (Mary Mouser) childhood best friend.
Aisha had to deal with bullies at West Valley, but her genuinely kind personality made her stand out from the rest. She even caught the attention of Daniel LaRusso (Ralph Macchio).
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What Happened to Aisha Robinson in Cobra Kai?
Initially introduced as Samantha LaRusso's best friend, Aisha Robinson felt betrayed after her friend decided to hang out with the bullies who had been giving her a hard time.
As the drama unfolded, Aisha became one of the pioneer students at Johnny's Cobra Kai Dojo, transforming her into an aggressive and violent fighter.
Season 1 saw Aisha participate in the All-Valley Karate Tournament while forgiving Sam during the event.
In Season 2, it is revealed that Aisha still holds a grudge against Sam and befriended Tory Nichols (Peyton List). The finale featured a high school brawl featuring Aisha, Sam, Tory, and Miguel, leading to a chaotic end in which Miguel was badly injured.
Aisha did not return in Cobra Kai Season 3. Episode 1 confirmed that Aisha's parents did not enroll her at West Valley High School since she was transferred to a private school somewhere north.
Some have theorized that Aisha's in-universe departure may be due to the chaotic high school brawl during the Season 2 finale. However, Season 4 had a different answer.
Cobra Kai Season 4 features Aisha's return after Sam visited her in Santa Barbara. While Aisha quit karate, she told Sam she still uses her expert fighting skills during dire situations.
It was also revealed that the brawl did not cause her departure since Aisha shared that her dad received a job offer at the University of California, Santa Barbara that he couldn't refuse.
Why Did Nichole Brown Leave Cobra Kai?
Ahead of Season 3 in January 2021, Nichole Brown confirmed on her now-deleted Instagram story that she would not return as Aisha in Season 3:
"Officially NOT in Season 3 of 'Cobra Kai'… Unfortunate, but thank you for the opportunity and time I had on the show.”
Brown also mentioned on her Instagram that she was not asked to return as the writers did not know how to continue Aisha's story arc in Season 3.
Speaking with TV Line in December 2020, Cobra Kai executive producer and co-showrunner Jon Hurwitz pointed out that characters who haven't appeared for a lengthy period mean have left the universe altogether:
“We love Aisha and we love Nichole Brown. Certain characters we loved in Season 1 didn’t appear at all in Season 2, like Kyler, Yasmine and Louie. Before the season, we told Nichole the same thing we told those actors: That just because a character doesn’t appear for a period of time doesn’t mean they’ve left the universe, that they can’t return again. We love that character, and perhaps we’ll see her again one day.”
Cobra Kai co-showrunner Josh Heald also said that certain characters need to exit "to make their [return] a little bit different and bigger:"
“We have a long story left to tell. We tend to look at the show in a very long view, where entrances and exits are impactful and important. Sometimes people need to exit to make their [re-entry] a little bit different and bigger.”
While Aisha did return in Season 4, her brief comeback suggests that it will be a while before her character returns since she has already quit karate and seems to be doing fine in Santa Barbara.
Despite that, with Season 6 being the final season, a potential reunion with Aisha would be a welcome sight for fans.
The first five seasons and Season 6, Part 1 of Cobra Kai are streaming on Netflix.
Read more about Cobra Kai on The Direct:
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