Netflix’s much-loved martial arts drama series, Cobra Kai, has returned with the second part of its sixth and final season with a new set of six episodes, and the series did something pretty unthinkable for such a wholesome, lighthearted narrative. Sure, Cobra Kai had adopted a dark tone in the past with Miguel’s accident, Terry Silver’s assault on Stingray, and Tory’s attack on Sam—but none of it compares to the shocking ending of the recently released second part of the final season, where a series of unfortunate events leads to the death of Cobra Kai captain, Kwon. A sense of foreboding was already hovering around the final season, with hints about Mr. Miyagi’s dark past rattling Daniel’s perspective in more ways than one, but the ending to the second part changes things in a massive way, which will put the teenage brawlers and their sensei in the worst emotional crisis they have had to face so far. The final part of the sixth season, which will be end of the road for Cobra Kai, will premiere next year, and there is a lot going on that will leave a major impact in the final act, which I will try to highlight.
Spoiler Alert
Is Kwon Dead?
In the final moments of the second part, the prestigious Sekai Taikai karate tournament turned into a high school locker room brawl, as during the semi-final match between Axel and Robby, a scuffle ensued between Robby and Cobra Kai contenders, which was further aggravated by Sensei Ivanov of Udar Tigra, who assaulted Gunther, the host of the tournament, for previously disqualifying his dojo. Teenagers decided to vent out their frustrations with each other, while sensei representing their dojos clashed due to personal conflicts of interest. In the midst of all this, the fight between Kwon and Axel heated up as the Iron Dragon captain humiliated the Cobra Kai captain with his superior skills, prompting an enraged Kwon to grab the eunjangdo dropped by Kreese during the chaos. With malicious intent, Kwon lunged at Axel, and Daniel, who had feared the worst seeing the weapon in the hands of an angry teenager, rushed to stop him. However, Kwon slipped and ended up impaling himself with the eunjangdo, and by the time Daniel approached the kid, he has breathed his last. The second part of the final season of Cobra Kai ends with a grievous loss, and now the world has witnessed the horrors of misguidance in the arena of martial arts as well.Â
This tragic incident will deliver a severe blow to the conscience of all three sensei of Miyagi-Do—Daniel, Johnny, and Chozen, as in a sense, they had a part to play in this heinous mess as well. To pit Kreese against Terry Silver, they had stolen Kreese’s eunjangdo, which had certain emotional value to the Cobra Kai sensei, as it was given to him by his mentor Master Kim. Kreese suspected Silver as the culprit and wanted to settle scores with him, which is why he was carrying the eunjangdo with him during the semi-final rounds of the tournament. However, neither Kreese nor Daniel and co. had ever imagined that this is how things would turn out at the end—that their personal rivalry would claim someone’s life. This revelation will affect Daniel more than anyone else, as he was having a hard time grappling with the revelations regarding Mr. Miyagi, which brings me to the next plot point, which will gain focus in the final act.
Mr. Miyagi’s Dark Past
As the first part of the ongoing season revealed, Daniel was intrigued by his late mentor, Mr. Miyagi’s undisclosed past, which portrayed him in a somewhat different light compared to how Daniel knew him; as a wise, pacifist father figure who taught him to bring balance in life through karate. After learning that Mr. Miyagi had taken part in Sekai Taikai as well, Daniel begins his search to learn more about the hidden secrets of his sensei. Questioning the tournament officials in Barcelona, Daniel had learned about a former champion of the tournament, Serrano, who might have known Miyagi personally. Daniel’s initial attempt to follow this lead results in failure due to Silver’s machinations. However, later on, Daniel learns that Mr. Miyagi’s fight in Sekai Taikai had resulted in his opponent’s demise, a harrowing truth that shakes Daniel to his core, and he begins questioning his worldview. Mr. Miyagi, who back then had been coping with the loss of his family, had gone down a terrible path, and Daniel fears if he learns the entire truth he will end up detesting the man whose ideology shaped Daniel as a person, founded the Miyagi-Do, and guided so many lives to a better path. The final part of the sixth season of Cobra Kai will highlight Mr. Miyagi’s past with greater emphasis, which might remake or break Daniel’s resolve. Especially after Kwon’s death, the revelations about Mr. Miyagi will have greater significance in Daniel’s life.Â
Terry Silver’s Return Will Haunt Daniel
Terry Silver, who is more of a threat to Miyagi-Do and Daniel than Kreese is, has returned to the arena, this time buying a new team, Iron Dragon, led by a dishonorable, abusive Sensei Wolf, who is determined to see his team win the Sekai Taikai at any cost. Silver’s return has already started spelling danger for Daniel, as seen in the way situations shaped up, which resulted in Kwon’s death. Silver has started targeting Daniel’s weakness by exploiting his emotional connection with Mr. Miyagi, and it goes beyond saying how much pleasure Silver derives from tormenting him. Already in a troubled state of mind, Daniel needs to be cautious about Silver’s mind games so that he doesn’t let him get under his skin once again.
Is Sekai Taikai Officially Over?
In the light of recent events, it is safe to assume that the ongoing iteration of Sekai Taikai as a tournament is over, as there is no way a so-called esteemed international competition is going to continue after the death of a competitor during an all-out brawl. The management will obviously be sanctioned after such failure to provide security, but the real focus would be on the competitors and their mental condition after such a tragic incident. Key players—Robby, Miguel, Sam, Tory, and the ones on the sidelines like Kenny, Devon, Hawk, and Demetri—were busy dealing with their personal burdens, emotional baggage, emerging new rivalries, ambitions, and winning at Sekai Taikai wouldn’t have merely honored Miyagi-Do at the world stage; it would have provided emotional closure to the competitors as well, which is now denied by the horrible accident. The final part will focus on the competitors coming to terms with reality while trying to resolve their personal issues at the same time. Hopefully, the darker undertones prevalent in the first two parts will act as a contrast to a much-needed hopeful ending, bringing a satisfactory end to all the story arcs in the process.
