Cobra Kai, Season 6 is the long-awaited conclusion to the series of the same name. What started as a spinoff focusing on Johnny Lawrence’s (William Zabka) defeat by Daniel Larusso (Ralph Macchio) in 1984’s The Karate Kid has now lasted seven years and has been on multiple streaming platforms; originally YouTube Red, now with its final episodes released on Netflix.
After the events of Season 5, the cast seems to be doing well. Daniel and Johnny are working together, and the teens, including Miguel (Xolo Mariduena), Robby (Tanner Buchanan), Sam (Mary Mouser), and Tory (Peyton List) who have all patched up their rivalries are training for the global Sekai Taikai ready to prove to the world that they are truly the best around. However, John Kresse (Martin Kove), who has escaped prison, has escaped to South Korea where he teams up with Sensei Kim Da-Eun (Alicia Hannah-Kim) who has a Korean faction of Cobra Kai. The rival dojos eventually find themselves crossing paths at the tournament where new allies and enemies are made.
The release schedule was controversial from the start; it was going to be split up into three parts with five episodes in each totaling up to 15. However, the episodes would be released months apart, yet Parts 1 and 2 do end with intense cliffhangers leading the audience to speculate what would happen next. Each part could be thought of as a mini-season as they are very different from each other and characters go through distinct arcs in them. This season brings the focus back on Daniel and Johnny again as they reexamine what happened at the tournament in the original Karate Kid; a high school rivalry ended up leading them into a global-stakes competition. Even Mr. Miyagi (the late Pat Morita) couldn’t have predicted this.
Part 1 is easily the weakest aspect of the season as it is mainly set up and some characters take a backseat in their development. Without spoilers, if you thought Daniel and Johnny had moved on from the past, you would be wrong. They will always be more defense and offense respectively, yet the point of the previous seasons was to show that both philosophies have some benefits and flaws. They are once again arguing about certain things which feel like we’ve already seen them get over. Regardless, the chemistry between Ralph Macchio and William Zabka is great. It also feels as if the writers didn’t know what to do as a lot of characters hang around in this part which is still fun to watch, yet it doesn’t move the story anywhere. Eli a.k.a. Hawk (Jacob Bertrand) and his best friend Demetri (Gianni Decenzo) even have a mini-subplot that warrants some tension between them, yet not to the extent as earlier seasons where Hawk became a bully and targeted Demetri when he joined Cobra Kai.
The rest of the season is a significant improvement. The fights at the Sekai Taikai are extremely well-choreographed and have different guidelines compared to regular All-Valleys. There’s a really fun tag-team competition and another match where duos fight above a platform and have to push the other team down to win. By going in this direction, our characters are allowed to learn to combat different fighting styles and see not all the world’s problems occur in the San Fernando Valley. There are still plenty of losses, victories, and betrayals the characters go through.
Despite a rough start and long waits between episodes, Cobra Kai Season 6 is a satisfying end for these characters with great sendoffs and amazing fan service whether it’s for fans of the movies, TV show, or both. The final season is like a crane kick: the buildup (weak parts) eventually crescendo into a final strike (the rest of the season) allowing it to cement itself as one of the best legacy sequels ever and sending it off on a high note. You’re alright, Cobra Kai. You’re alright.