Being a karate student in Cobra Kai is already tough enough, but Samantha Larusso (Mary Mouser) made it clear that being a teenage girl makes it even harder. Season 3 of the Netflix original was the most embattled one yet for Sam. The climactic school fight against Cobra Kai at the end of Season 2 left her physically and emotionally scarred. She was haunted by the memory of her scrap with Tory (Peyton List), and struggled to find the best course of action after the brawl. She wanted to retaliate against the rival dojo's constant torment, but the lingering trauma of the past always made her run away at the last second.
Along with a brewing dojo war, Sam had to deal with the growing pains of being a teenager, much like her father Daniel (Ralph Macchio) before her. She found herself in caught in some intense relationship drama. During Season 3 of Cobra Kai, she reconnected with her ex Miguel Diaz (Xolo Maridueña) while her other love interest Robby Keene (Tanner Buchanan) was in prison. Not only did this further fuel Tory's anger towards her after Sam's drunken kiss with Tory's then-boyfriend Miguel, but caused Robby to turn against Sam after his release.
The Karate Kid franchise is certainly no stranger to love triangles leading to karate fights. In fact, fighting over a girl was the inciting incident of the very first movie in the series. However, Sam's struggle against Tory is markedly different than her dad's with Johnny because she has to deal with the double standards that come down hard on teenage girls. They are expected to be calm, collected, and ultimately passive, which Sam cannot be while dealing with bullies like Cobra Kai's students.
At the beginning of Season 3, Sam summed up her unique difficulties as a female Karate Kid. Her male peers gained popularity and tough-guy reputations from the brawl at school, with even nerdy Miyagi-Do student Demetri (Gianni DeCenzo) climbing the social ladder after defeating his former best friend Hawk (Jacob Bertrand). However, Sam did not get to reap such rewards: she is simply treated as crazy. When she returned to school following her two-week suspension, she was immediately met with stares and giggles. Getting into a fight did not show her fellow students she was not to be messed with. Instead, it created an opportunity for them to mess with her.
Throughout Cobra Kai, Sam has struggled with her reputation at school. She initially drifted away from her friend Aisha (Nichole Brown) to avoid being seen as a nerd, but only found fair-weather friendships among the popular crowd. School bully Kyler (Joe Seo) labeled her as "easy" back in Season 1, and Tory's public announcement to the West Valley High student body that Sam kissed her boyfriend certainly will not help her shrug off these taunts. The kiss was reciprocated, but Miguel has not faced the same kind of bullying Sam has for it.
Despite Tory being Sam's primary tormentor in Season 3 of Cobra Kai, she can learn something from her bully. Unlike Sam, Tory couldn't care less what anyone thinks of her. Although this often manifests as unbridled aggression, Tory's confidence is undeniable. In order to fully overcome her rival, Sam can't just beat Tory in a fight. She has to shake off the insecurities that have consistently brought her down, in and out of the dojo.
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