Cobra Kai ended in such a satisfying way, tying up loose ends and bringing closure, redemption, and happy endings for virtually every character. What’s more, some of the storylines brought closure 30 years later following the original The Karate Kid movies. A lot happened in the final five episodes of the three-part, 15-episode sixth and final season. The Sekai-Taikai tournament resumed in the wake of tragedy, the kids prepapred to move on, and the adults got clarity on so much in their lives. While it sets things up for potential spin-offs, should any be in the works, for some characters, it also spells the end.
Where Johnny and Daniel End Up
One half of the Cobra Kai story follows the lives of characters who reprise their roles from The Karate Kid movies. That’s namely Daniel LaRusso (Ralph Macchio) and Johnny Lawrence (William Zabka), who have finally ended their rivalry and, surprisingly, even become good friends.
Daniel learns to be humble and bows out of the Sekai-Taikai tournament once Miyagi-do has no chance of winning, choosing to spend his time helping Johnny resurrect Cobra Kai and give Tory (Peyton List) and Miguel (Xolo Mariduena) a chance to fight. He even supports Samantha (Mary Mouser) when he recognizes that she understands the teachings of Mr. Miyagi (Pat Morita) better than he ever did: if she’s not fighting for something, there’s no need to fight.
He gets closure when it comes to Mr. Miyagi’s big secret that was teased in the previous set of episodes, relieved that his sensei was a good and honorable man, as he always believed. Despite promising this tournament would be his swan song, he continues to train kids at Miyagi-do, but with them dividing their time between Miyagi-do and Cobra Kai. This allows them to learn both defensive and offensive techniques, working alongside Johnny for the latter. Daniel finally accepts that there’s more than one way to learn and practice karate.
Speaking of Johnny, in a full circle shot at redemption moment that has been 30+ years in the making, the Sekai-Taikai tournament comes down to him. It ends in a tie, and the rules indicate that this means the two senseis must fight one another to determine the winning dojo. While Johnny lacks confidence, he trains with Daniel (through various epic ‘80s themed montage sequences) and learns from the mistakes he made when fighting his once rival. He also finally makes amends with John Kreese (Martin Kove). While it isn’t easy, Johnny defeats Sensei Wolf (Lewis Tan) and, for the first time in his life, he feels like a winner.
Johnny buys the house he had been eyeing for his new family, including his new wife Carmen (Vanessa Rubio) and baby Laura. His 2.0 version of Cobra Kai still has the same mantra of “strike first, strike hard, no mercy,” but each line has a different meaning under his tutelage. Plus, he’s still the same Johnny, not afraid to hurl insults at the kids and push them beyond their limits. But it’s because he wants to be their best, not just the best.
The most important thing about where both men are in their lives is that they are confident, content, and no longer pitted against one another, nor anyone else.
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An End for the Villains
How are Johnny and Daniel at ease now? That’s because both Kreese and Terry Silver (Thomas Ian Griffith), both The Karate Kid characters who returned for this series, are out of their lives. After coming to terms with the state of his life and dealing with the guilt of Kwon’s (Brandon H. Lee) death, Kreese repents. He apologizes to Kim (Alicia Hannah-Kim), Tory, and most importantly, Johnny in one of the most heartfelt, emotional scenes of the entire series.
While Silver is just as menacing as ever, his motivation is revealed. He has six months to live, dying from an unknown illness, and wants his legacy to be finally beating Daniel and being a champion. But Kreese stops him before he can make a devastating move. The pair fight and it ends with Kreese tossing a lit cigar into a spilled can of gasoline that sets Silver’s yacht ablaze, killing them both.
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Once villain Chozen (Yuji Okumoto) had his redemption arc long before the final season, becoming close friends with Daniel and apologizing for his behavior when they were kids. His arc involves finally coming to terms with the knowledge that Kumiko (Tamlyn Tomita) only loves him as a friend. He’s initially sad and lonely, spending his days watching trashy reality TV. But he eventually gets some clarity, thanks to Amanda’s friend Winnie in a surprise cameo by Elizabeth Berkley, and travels to Korea to see Kim. It’s implied that they begin their romance, and he helps her train new Cobra Kai students.
Kim is finally able to do this her own way after a heart-to-heart with Kreese. She realizes she will never be able to break free from her grandfather Master Kim’s (C.S. Lee) torment until he’s gone. So, she brutally kills him, choosing to do so instead of his implication that she should kill Kreese. She fittingly used a lethal move that Master Kim was so desperate for his students to perfect.
Where the Kids End Up
Axel
When the Sekai Taikai tournament resumes, Robby (Tanner Buchanan) is set to fight Axel (Patrick Luwis). Reluctantly taking advice from his senseis, Axel purposely injures Robby’s knee. Unlike Daniel who was able to get back up and deliver that swift crane kick after Johnny took Kreese’s instruction to “sweep the leg” in similar fashion, he was not cleared to go back and compete. This means Miyagi-do has no chance of winning.
Tory
Tory fights Zara (Rayna Vallandingham) and while she’s initially off her game, a few pep talks from Daniel and Robby, including Robby declaring his love for her, brings Tory new motivation. She wins, knocking Zara’s teeth out and garnering her the nickname “The Tooth Fairy.” She is offered a lucrative job with a marketing firm to travel the world competing while promoting various brands, and she takes it. As a cherry on top, Robby is offered the same contract. “We saw what you did out there,” the woman declares to Robby, who is on crutches, “and injuries heal.”
Miguel
Not wanting to give the Iron Dragons an automatic win, Johnny’s passionate and emotional conversation with Kreese involves him asking Kreese to do one thing for him to start his journey of redemption. He gets Kreese to permit Miguel into the Cobra Kai dojo to fight. He does, and while it isn’t easy, Miguel eventually defeats Axel using all the techniques and lessons he has learned over the last few years. He’s now a world champion, and to boot, he has been accepted to Stanford.
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Miguel is still dating Sam, but she has applied to a school in Okinawa, wanting to follow in her father’s footsteps and explore the world. At the last minute, he decides to defer his school start date and spend a few weeks there with her, suggesting their long-distance romance could continue.
Demitri and Hawk
Speaking of school acceptance, while Demetri (Gianni DeCenzo) had been accepted to MIT, he decides to apply to Caltech instead. He claims they have a better robotics program anyway, and this means he can spend more time with his “Binary Brother” Eli “Hawk” (Jacob Bertrand). Along with repairing this friendship, he also gets his girlfriend back when she finally forgives him.
All the other kids who were a year behind the main group, including Kenny (Dallas Dupress Young), Anthony (Griffin Santopietro), and Devon (Oona O’Brien) are seen in the front of the line at Johnny’s dojo, indicating that they have all continued to train and will be the next generation to compete in the All-Valley Tournament.
A Fitting Conclusion
It’s the most emotional five episodes in the history of the series, but it ends in a way that’s perfectly reflective of the characters and their journeys. While enjoying a meal together in a not long after flash forward, Daniel and Johnny talk about which kids they will send to the tournament this year and who should compete for which dojo. When Daniel sees a fly, he tries to capture it with chopsticks, a beautiful throwback to a moment in The Karate Kid. Before he gets the chance, Johnny unknowingly swats the fly away with his bare hands.
Both men have very different methods, ways of life, and manners of thinking when it comes to not only karate, but how they face challenges. But there’s a place for both, and they can happily thrive together.
This story originally appeared on Movieweb
