In 1984, Daniel LaRusso (Ralph Macchio) won the All Valley karate tournament and went on to live a pretty successful life. His opponent, Johnny Lawrence (William Zabka), on the other hand, saw his world crashing down and never recovered — that is, until he rediscovered his love of karate. Both The Karate Kid and Cobra Kai have shown us that the way of the fist will change your life (for better or worse). It's been a long journey for Johnny, with him returning to Cobra Kai, founding Eagle Fang, and finally embracing Miyagi-Do. Is Johnny finally able to move on from those old demons, or is he still suffering from the darkness within himself? These are the questions many will be asking ahead of Cobra Kai Season 6 Part 3.
In a series like Cobra Kai, the final season lends some doubt to the possibility of the story wrapping up successfully. After all, there are so many characters in this series, from legacy actors like Martin Kove's John Kreese, to the new generation of students, including Xolo Maridueña's Miguel Diaz. The third and final part of Season 6 not only has to be a satisfying ending for both Karate Kid veterans and their successors, but it also has to tie up loose ends from the previous moments of this season. Does Cobra Kai stick the landing, or is it another crane kick to the face?
What Is 'Cobra Kai' Season 6 Part 3 About?
We can finally discuss the ending of Part 2 and the Sekai Taikai ending in a massive brawl, resulting in the death of Cobra Kai's star fighter, Kwon (Brandon H. Lee). While there were a lot of great moments from the Sekai Taikai arc, it ultimately felt a bit bloated, and the build-up to the brawl could have been stronger. At the time, it seemed like the series was being crushed under the weight of its own ambition. From introducing a new dojo to the latest version of Cobra Kai being unrecognizable, there was a lot to take in, and with this being the final season, it felt as if the show was going bigger while sacrificing what made us fall in love with the series in the first place. Thankfully, Cobra Kai gets back to basics in the third part of its final season, allowing the show to focus on what's most important: Johnny, Daniel, and their students.
Part 3 is a much smaller-scale story that allows viewers to actually get a sense of what these characters are feeling after such a traumatic experience. Allowing Daniel and Johnny to not only process their own emotions but being the rock for their students is such a great payoff, and encapsulates what makes the sensei and student relationship so strong in this franchise. Returning to the show's core cast of characters, and seeing their growth, is something we've needed since Season 4, and while I did call out the show for feeling too bloated in Part 2, Part 3 makes up for it by allowing for a moment of reflection. There's even time for Daniel to address his doubts about Mr. Miyagi; it's a powerful moment, but the return of AI Miyagi is something that should've been avoided entirely.
The show gets a chance to breathe, allowing us the same opportunity before gearing up for more kicks as we continue the Sekai Taikai. With someone losing their life during the event, we have to address if any of this is worth it. While Cobra Kai is no stranger to leaning into the absurdity of the series, all of this started with a karate tournament in the 1980s, and now there are sword fights, kids temporarily becoming paralyzed, and even death. The series finally offering time for reflection on these events, and the characters finally questioning their roles in all of this, is a great shift after the chaos we've grown accustomed to. It also lends to the overall feeling that this is really the end of this rollercoaster of a journey. The return to the Sekai Taikai is great, as the karate kids fight for a championship, and these fights are some of the show's best. The finality of Cobra Kai is something I never thought would bring a tear to my eye, but watching them take the mat one last time hit me harder than I ever expected.
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It Starts and Ends in the Valley in 'Cobra Kai' Season 6 Part 3
The final five episodes of Cobra Kai take us back to the show's roots, as Johnny's arc becomes the central focus. From the first season, we've known that Johnny Lawrence is a flawed individual who has been slowly changing thanks to his students and his newfound friendship with Daniel. John Kreese is who Johnny could have become if he hadn't gone on this journey of self-discovery, and showrunner Jon Hurwitz leans into this idea after the events of Season 5. Karate is the only thing that has kept both men's lives from falling apart, and this obsession leads to them making poor decisions.
This idea of people's capacity for change is something that has been a central theme of the series. We see this throughout the series when Daniel and Johnny reconcile, or when Tory (Payton List) and Sam (Mary Mouser) become close friends. Kreese and Terry Silver (Thomas Ian Griffith) are on the opposite end of the spectrum where they've been consumed by hate, and it's destroying them. The weakest part of the show's finale is that it takes a big swing with the big bad, but there's not nearly enough time for it to be a fully satisfying payoff. While their arcs end in a logical place, how they get there is a bit bumpy compared to the rest of the cast.
When it comes to legacy sequels, Cobra Kai is far and away one of the best. It manages to continue those '80s movie vibes we love about the original films but reinvents the tropes by giving us a new point of view (Johnny was right). New characters are now immortalized in Karate Kid canon, and the reinvention of old ones has only enriched the story, like a way more terrifying take on Terry Silver. While the show isn't perfect, with weird decisions like the aforementioned AI Mr. Miyagi or the somewhat repetitive fights between Johnny and Daniel, the series still managed to tap into that classic TV feeling that has been lost on most shows. It's funny, action-packed, cheesy, and simultaneously nostalgic and new. Cobra Kai might finally be ending, but it never dies.
All episodes of Cobra Kai are available to stream on Netflix in the U.S.
Cobra Kai
Cobra Kai Season 6 Part 3 marks the epic conclusion to the beloved Karate Kid sequel, and it's just as badass as ever.
Release Date 2018 - 2024
Network Netflix, YouTube Premium
Showrunner Jon Hurwitz
Directors Hayden Schlossberg, Jon Hurwitz, Joel Novoa, Jennifer Celotta, Steven K. Tsuchida, Sherwin Shilati, Marielle Woods, Steve Pink, Lin Oeding, Michael Grossman
Pros & Cons
- Johnny's character arc has a satisfying conclusion.
- The Sekai Taikai features some of the best fights in the series.
- Daniel and Johnny finally act like mature adults.
- The blue mats!
- A.I. Mr. Miyagi?
- Kreese and Silver needed at least one more episode.
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English (US) ·