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[Editor's Note: The following contains spoilers for Cobra Kai Season 6, Part 3]
Summary
- Collider's Perri Nemiroff sits down with the cast of Cobra Kai to talk about Season 6, Part 3.
- The Netflix hit series concludes the Miyagi-Do and Cobra Kai rivalry in an all-new batch of episodes.
- In this interview, Xolo Maridueña, Mary Mouser, Jacob Bertrand, Gianni DeCenzo, and Tanner Buchanan discuss their character arcs, proud moments from the show, mending relationships, and share their fondest on-set memories.
It's been a long journey for the kids of Cobra Kai. Seven years on, Season 6, Part 3 brings the rivalry between Miyagi-Do and Cobra Kai to a close—for now. To take a look back at the lessons learned and relationships that have evolved, Collider's Perri Nemiroff sat down to chat with stars Xolo Maridueña, Mary Mouser, Jacob Bertrand, Gianni DeCenzo, and Tanner Buchanan.
It's a challenge to take on a legacy nearly 40 years in the making, but this cast took that job head-on as the next generation of the Valley's top martial artists. Over the six seasons, they took viewers on the ups and downs from their hometown dojos to Barcelona, Spain, with the high-stakes Sekai Taikai, training on and off-screen under Ralph Macchio's Daniel LaRusso, William Zabka's Johnny Lawrence, and more.
In this conversation, the crew reflects on their character arcs and what they're most proud of throughout the show. From family dynamics and mending friendships to Mouser's Sam stepping into the black gi, they discuss what it's been like on this wild ride since their earliest days on set together. Check out the full interview in the video above, or you can read the transcript below.
‘Cobra Kai’ Season 6, Part 3 Gives Everyone the Ending They Need
From handling loss to the relief of victory, everyone ends on a high note.
PERRI NEMIROFF: Tanner, I need to know about shooting the conversation with Johnny when he's in the locker room after losing the fight. How do you prep for something like that? What is the key to balancing the fact that, yes, he's heartbroken, but he also has peace in being a runner-up?
TANNER BUCHANAN: I've been waiting on the scene like that with Billy, like, from Episode 1, Season 1. That's the one scene. I kind of got it in Season 4, but I really wanted that scene where it felt like it was concrete that they're there for each other in their lives now, and he felt so comfortably vulnerable with his dad. It's almost like it feels like a, “You've done a good job because I can lay here not wanting to go back out and try to win this because I'm so content and happy with my life right now, and you've been there and been a part of that, and I feel so good about that now.” It was so cool to do that with Billy [Zabka]. It was great.
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Xolo, I'm coming your way with two questions about the Axel fight. Because I can't get the moment out of my head when Axel does the take-down kick to the face, what is more challenging for you, a complicated stunt move where you are landing a hit or taking one?
JACOB BERTRAND: That's a good question.
XOLO MARIDUEÑA: I think taking is a bit more difficult because you're not having to do it as often. Falling on your face or getting kicked off a balcony or a lot of these crazy moves, you're not having to practice as often, and you often are not getting as many takes. Our stunt folks don't actually want you to throw yourself as hard because they know that any one of us is going to be like, “Wait, you want me to do a scorpion right now? I've been waiting to do this.” Yeah, I'd say it's a bit tougher. Then, especially with Axel in that fight, Matt and Patrick [Luwis] both working together for that fight, they had just finished fighting with Tanner the day before, so it was so much going on in their head. Those particular days we were taking and giving a lot of punches.
BERTRAND: Poor Patrick.
Image via Netflix
The other question I had for you is about the very end of that fight. What was it like figuring out what his expression needed to be when he realized he had just won?
MARIDUEÑA: I mean, the audience is right there, and everyone is right there. It really does feel like the end. As I grew into that storyline and really started to dive more into it, even as I watch it, I can't help but feel like, “Oh my gosh.” I wanted Robby to win so bad. I didn't even realize in the moment, I guess, how much they needed this win. Like, if Axel had won, how different the story would have been.
BERTRAND: So depressing.
I like it exactly as it played out.
Donning the Black Gi for Sam Was “Epic”
“I felt more at home than I thought.”
Image via Netflix
Mary, I have a big question for you. Seeing everybody together in the Cobra Kai gis was a big deal for me, but in particular, seeing Sam wearing it. I never thought the day would come. What was it like seeing yourself in it for the very first time after all these years?
MARY MOUSER: I kept catching glimpses of myself in a mirror and being like, “Oh, who’s she? Oh, wait!” [Laughs] It did not feel real at all. I kept thinking, like, “Oh, it's not even going to be that big of a deal because I'll put it on and…” But I remember going for the fitting with Frank [Helmer], our costume designer, and if you watch the last five episodes, you see him because he's the one who puts Johnny's suit on him. He's the guy who’s measuring Johnny's suit out, and it's very cute. Anyway, it was epic. It was really fun to put on. I will say I felt more at home than I thought, but I was like, “Guys, how have you been fighting with the sleeveless?” Because I would hate to have to fight in the sleeveless. That was rough!
The Binary Brothers Are “Platonic Soulmates”
“Oh shit, Kirby Buckets…”
Image via Netflix
Gianni and Jacob, I'm going to give you two Binary Brothers questions, looking at the past and then also the future. Do you two remember the very first thing you saw in the other that signaled to you, “Yes, you are the Eli to my Demetri,” and vice versa?
GIANNI DECENZO: Whoa! I will say you were the first person I ever met. I was in the trailers, and they were like, “Okay, we're going to have you meet your guy.” At the time, we weren’t “Binary Bros.” It was just like, “Here's your friend,” and you came out. I was like, “Oh shit, Kirby buckets. Okay, cool. That's what this is.” [Laughs]
BERTRAND: I remember being like, “Oh, fuck, this guy's so tall.” [Laughs] I was like, “Damn, I hope we're sitting.” Then we got in there, and I was like, “Cafeteria seats. There we go.”
DECENZO: Yeah, I don't know. We just worked well from day one. He went from extra to extra, just stealing their Yoo-hoos. He wasn't quite as lactose intolerant at the time, so he was going to town.
Image via Netflix
So that was the past. Now, looking to the future! I know you're probably not allowed to say anything as far as spin-offs are concerned, and there are a lot of possibilities there, but I'm not going to lie, I really want to see the two of them continue their journey in college together. So, ultimately, in the end, why did it feel right for the two of them to continue growing together rather than growing as individuals apart?
BERTRAND: I think they got to do that in previous seasons, and then they didn't really “meet back together” ever. They went off into their own things. Then, when they became friends, they settled it with everyone else, but they didn't really settle it with each other, and I think this season was them actually doing that.
DECENZO: They're just platonic soulmates, man. I don't know how else to explain it.
BERTRAND: They're brothers.
Looking Back on Six Seasons of Joy With ‘Cobra Kai’
From movie nights to obscure “Late Night Giggies,” this cast made lasting memories.
Image via Netflix
This has become one of my favorite questions to ask recently. I was talking to a director who told me it made him so happy to see his cast have so much fun, take so much pride in their work, and just have so much joy on set. Can each of you isolate the single moment of making Cobra Kai over all these years that brought you the most joy as an artist?
DECENZO: I really love doing the Demetri version of the training montage with sanding the floor and painting the fences. I thought that was just really cool. I was like, “Oh my god, this is just like the Karate Kid legacy. Wow! I'm really proud of this amazing moment.” It was awesome.
That’s a good moment!
BERTRAND: I think the drive-in. For whatever reason, I just have a really fond memory of that and being with all of the actors, and it was just so much fun filming. It really felt like the peak of us as kids.
MOUSER: That was the night we came up with the Late Night Giggies thing, which lived on.
DECENZO: What was the car one? “Sekai Taikai dagodie chodie”
BERTRAND: Oh my god!
MOUSER: No!
BERTRAND: Radium!
MOUSER: It was riding, I think for me, in the yellow car with Ralph [Macchio] and Tanner on the PCH. It was so “pinch me.” And we had the most bizarre moment, which they didn't even catch on camera, and none of us had our phones. We were like, “Oh my god, this is insane!” We pull the car out of the parking lot to go start, and it's on a trailer so they can have the cameras attached and everything, but as we're pulling by, we look out, and we're like, “Oh my god, are you seeing what I'm seeing?” There was a legitimate karate class happening on the beach next to us. We're watching an adult karate class, and we're like, “Do they even know?!” And none of them noticed. They were all facing the ocean. None of them saw us as we drove by in the car, and I was like, “No!” That moment.
Image via Netflix
I love the thought of someone possibly taking a picture of that karate class, your car being in the background and they don't even know!
MARIDUEÑA: Joy? Deep joy? I think going out to Barcelona with you guys this year and seeing people. That was like our first time filming out and about, just out in public, and we would see people cheering for Daniel. As Daniel is going up the museum steps, people would be like, “Go, Daniel! Go!” And to see that world-wide… We're a face with people on social media or out and about out here in New York, like, “Oh, I love your work,” but to see adults but also men, it's cool to see them actually fan out about something, to actually be like, “Oh my god, I love you, Daniel!” You don't see that often. Most guys are like, “I'm not a fan of anything.” But to see people get giddy in person was lovely. That was really fun.
BUCHANAN: Just everything with this last season. I don't know. We just had a lot of fun this season. We went out all the time, and we were around each other. I don't think we left each other's sides for six months straight. It was just cool.
BERTRAND: We watched Avatar together.
MOUSER: We watched Twilight together.
You can watch all six seasons of Cobra Kai on Netflix.
Cobra Kai
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
Writers Josh Heald, Ashley Darnall, Chris Rafferty, Bill Posley
English (US) ·