*** Cobra Kai finale spoilers ahead ***
After six years and 65 episodes, Netflix’s Cobra Kai has taken its final bow. The final five installments exceeded even the loftiest of expectations as Johnny Lawrence, a character once relegated to a pop culture punching bag after his memorable loss to Daniel LaRusso at the end of the original Karate Kid, earned his ultimate redemption.
Cobra Kai Season 6, Part 3 provided so many memorable moments — the return of Darryl Vidal, the Daniel/Mr. Miyagi dream sequence, “Thunderstruck,” “You’re the Best Around,” the final Kreese/Silver showdown, and “You’re all right, Lawrence” (a callback to Johnny’s “You’re all right, LaRusso” from the end of The Karate Kid) — on its way to delivering a pitch-perfect finale.
Will we miss Cobra Kai? Absolutely. But we’ll take solace in the fact that, say it with us, Cobra Kai never dies! Let’s take a look back at the series finale.
Who Wins The Sekai Taikai?
Holy. Shit. The Sekai Taikia sure didn’t disappoint. After Axel injures Robby, Cobra Kai names Miguel as Kwon’s (RIP) replacement, which means Miguel and Axel will collide in the finals.
After Samantha drops out, the women’s tournament comes down to Tory and Zara. Miguel and Tory defeat Axel and Zara for Team Cobra Kai, resulting in a 180-180 tie between the Iron Dragons and Cobra Kai. How do you settle a tie in the Sekai Taikia?
A battle between the senseis! Miguel and Tory are the individual champions, but the team title comes down to a classic three-point bout between Johnny and Sensei Wolf (Lewis Tan).
Johnny enlists Daniel to be his sensei, resulting in a classic moment in which Daniel LaRusso adorns a Cobra Kai gi.
In the final episode of the series, Johnny avenges his All-Valley loss to Daniel by defeating Sensei Wolf and winning the Sekai Taikia for Cobra Kai.
Who Dies In The Final Five Episodes of Cobra Kai?
At its core, Cobra Kai is a story about the redemption of Johnny Lawrence, but John Kreese, the ultimate antagonist of The Karate Kid franchise, also found redemption at the end of the penultimate episode of the series (“Strike Last”).
After making amends with Johnny in one of the most emotional scenes in Cobra Kai history (Season 6, Episode 13: “Skeletons”), Kreese helps his former star pupil resurrect Cobra Kai so that Miguel will have a chance to fight Axel and the Cobra Kai dojo, now led by Johnny, will still have an opportunity to win the Sekai Taikai.
Sidenote: Johnny and Kreese respectfully bowing to each other as AC/DC’s “Thunderstruck” plays is such an iconic moment. Love it. LOVE .IT.
Kreese’s final act of redemption comes at the conclusion of Season 6, Episode 14 (“Strike Last”). Terry Silver, who we now know is ill and likely only has a few months left to live, is drinking on his yacht and has absolutely lost touch with reality. The prospect of yet another defeat at the hands of Daniel and Johnny leads to Silver ordering Dennis to essentially kidnap Johnny’s wife and/or newborn daughter. But before Dennis can leave the yacht to carry out Silver’s nefarious plan, Kreese kills him, which sets the stage for one last Kreese/Silver showdown.
Silver: You always loved lurkin’ in the shadows. I hope it was worth it because you’re not making it back to shore.
Kreese: Well, one of us isn’t.
Kreese and Silver begin to brawl, and just as Silver is about to choke out his former friend, Kreese grabs the remains of his trademark cigar and tosses it near an overflowing container of spilled gasoline (which just so happens to be next to a smattering of canisters marked “flammable”). Silver yells “no!” Kreese yells “mercy!” and the yacht explodes. Kreese sacrifices himself to ensure the safety of Johnny and his family.
Perfect. Chef’s kiss.
Oh, wait! We almost forgot that Kim Da-Eun killed her grandfather Master Kim Sun-Yung in the Season 6 episode “Into the Fire.” Man, a lot happened this season. Kim tells Kreese that she did what she “needed to” so that she could lead the dojo her way, the right way.
What Happens To The Rest Of The Cobra Kai Characters?
Miguel and Sam: Samantha is accepted to an exchange program in Okinawa, and Miguel is going to Stanford. But there’s a twist! Miguel surprises Sam at the airport. He tells her that he’s deferring the Stanford summer program for a couple of weeks so that he can travel to Okinawa with Sam.
And in an adorable bonus moment, Sam is wearing the octopus necklace Miguel bought her.
Robby and Tory: After their impressive Sekai Taikai performances, Robby and Tory land lucrative deals with Icon Branding. The new youth karate influencers will travel the globe competing in tournaments, taking photos, putting on demonstrations, and basically making bank as they live that sweet, sweet influencer life.
Hawk and Demetri: The Binary Brothers are back! Demetri karate kicks MIT to the curb and decides to attend Caltech with Hawk.
Chozen and Kim Da-Eun: Sorry, Moon’s mom (the great Elizabeth Berkley)! It looks like Chozen is spoken for. The season finale reveals that Chozen reunites with Kim Da-Eun in South Korea to help train the next generation of karate masters.
Anthony, Kenny, and Devon: They’re students practicing under Johnny and Daniel’s joint Cobra Kai and Miyagi-Do dojos.
Stingray: Thankfully, the Cobra Kai finale allowed us to say goodbye to our old pal Stingray. The newest Cobra Kai sensei is now teaching a weekend karate class for beginners at the dojo’s new location.
Cobra Kai Ends On A Perfect Note:
The final scene is pure Cobra Kai perfection. Daniel and Johnny are at a sushi restaurant when Johnny exits the table to “drain the main vein.” In a moment that pays homage to a classic Daniel and Mr. Miyag scene from The Karate Kid, LaRusso attempts to catch a fly using a pair of chopsticks.
“We wanted to drop the audience into a day in the life after Johnny’s speech… to kind of tell everybody that it’s going to be okay this time,” Cobra Kai co-creator Hayden Schlossberg told Decider when discussing the final scene. “They’re not going to start fighting the moment we go to end snake [the symbol at the end of every Cobra Kai episode]. We wanted to have elements of, like, Johnny’s still Johnny. He doesn’t understand what his mail means, and he’s a clod in certain ways.”
Just as Daniel’s about to catch the fly, Johnny returns from the bathroom and smashes the little guy between his hands. “Got him,” Johnny says proudly. “No mercy.”
And that’s a series wrap on Cobra Kai.
“We always wanted to use these moments in ways that made sense to the story,” Cobra Kai co-creator Josh Heald added. “It just feels like the ultimate encore. It’s like Springsteen coming out and playing ‘Born in the U.S.A.’ It just felt like the ultimate vibe to end on.”
Thanks for the memories, Cobra Kai (respectfully bows).
