The Karate Tournament Is Just the Start

Cobra Kai Season 6, Part 2 is everything fans have been waiting for — and an example of just how far the Netflix show has come since its days on YouTube Red. The second batch of five episodes delivers plenty of karate action, as it finally kicks off the Sekai Taikai tournament that fans have heard about all season. But it says something that the fight scenes are actually not the most interesting thing about Season 6, Part 2.

That’s not to say the show’s fight choreography has slipped in any way. But the chemistry between the Netflix series’ extensive cast and the humor they’re able to interject between all the battles is even more impressive. This group of episodes showcases not only the team effort of the Miyagi-do students, but also how much the Cobra Kai cast has become a team, and how well the writers have set them up for success.

Cobra Kai Season 6, Part 2 Gets to the Sekai Taikai

There’s No Shortage of Competition

The bulk of Cobra Kai Season 6, Part 1 was about preparations for the Sekai Taikai — so after all that time spent, audiences will expect this global karate tournament to be big. And it does indeed feel massive, starting with the bombastic speech delivered by Gunther at the opening ceremony. (It’s another added dose of nostalgia to see Carsten Norgaard return, especially for those viewers who remember him as the rival coach in D2: The Mighty Ducks.) There’s everything audiences want: ominous music, an equally ominous-looking set with all the international flags, cool arena lighting.

The show also has fun introducing all the international teams competing alongside Miyagi-do and Cobra Kai. There are over a dozen dojos in the tournament, and obviously the show doesn’t have time to pay attention to all of them. But viewers get to see new names, new logos and new faces, even if it’s just brief glimpses. The most notable are the Iron Dragons, who make an immediate first impression; they’re entertaining in a love to hate them kind of way, adding a third wheel to the show’s ongoing rivalry.

But most importantly, the tournament challenges are different enough from everything fans have experienced thus far, and come with their own degree of insanity. The series can’t say this is supposed to be a world stage for the best of the best and then act like it’s just another day in the dojo. From the opening event — which is basically just controlled chaos — the Sekai Taikai feels like an uphill battle for everyone involved, regardless of what side they’re on. It’s well worth the wait.

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Season 6, Part 2 Illustrates the Growth of the Cast

Peyton List Is a Particular Standout

Some of the best scenes in Cobra Kai Season 6, Part 2 happen outside the walls of the Sekai Taikai, and have little to nothing to do with the tournament. In particular, there’s time made to explore Tory’s defection to Cobra Kai that happened at the end of Season 6, Part 1 — and not just what that means for Miyagi-do. It’s about where Tory Nichols is at emotionally, and the way her relationships with both Robby Keene and Samantha LaRusso have changed as a result. Tory is allowed to be vulnerable and second-guess her decision, while Samantha and Robby grapple with their reactions. When Samantha tells Tory in Episode 6 that she thought they were friends, it’s a small line but so painful one because audiences know how much it took for them to even get to that word.

The back and forth between Kwon and Robby is more cliche, to the point where audiences will groan when Robby makes a bet with Kwon that he’s obviously going to lose. But what makes up for that is what’s gotten this show to six seasons: Ralph Macchio and William Zabka’s frenemy bond as Daniel LaRusso and Johnny Lawrence. Even now, the two are in each other’s faces, but that’s okay because Cobra Kai was built on their rivalry. It would be strange if the two were permanently nice to one another. Both of them blame each other for Tory’s defection, and the most charming part of the humor comes from their sharing a hotel room. They’re like The Odd Couple in life, so why not make them like The Odd Couple literally by making them cohabitate?

There’s a lot of talk in the episodes about being a team, whether it’s in the tournament or outside of it. It’s the characters’ ability to work as a unified front — or not — that leads to success or failure in the Sekai Taikai. But there’s also a sense of team watching the cast, who deliver some understated performances and play well off one another. Peyton List is the MVP, navigating Tory’s changing emotions as she expresses self-doubt and doubt about Cobra Kai. Tanner Buchanan doesn’t overdo Robby’s angst, and there’s a sweet scene between List and Oona O’Brien as Devon Lee early on. This group of actors takes teenage conflict and relationship problems and makes them feel more mature. The comic relief characters don’t fare as well, but that’s one of the few problems with Season 6, Part 2.

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Cobra Kai Revisits Some Familiar Elements

The Humor Is Mostly Great, but Also a Little Predictable

There are story beats in Season 6, Part 2 that have been done before. Audiences know that the Cobra Kai characters are going to shamelessly wind up the Miyagi-do characters, with Martin Kove’s character John Kreese especially gunning for his former student Johnny. There is no chill (and no subtlety) in either Kwon or Kreese’s colleague Kim Da-eun. And the characters primarily used for comic relief make some pretty tired jokes, such as likening the bad blood between teams to being in prison. The truly witty lines come out of Johnny, Daniel and even Amanda, who FaceTimes her husband while he and Johnny are arguing about the hotel minibar and is incredibly amused.

But in terms of bringing the karate competition to a head, and also bringing the dynamics between characters to their next breaking points, the return of Cobra Kai is a success. Season 6, Part 1 clearly set up a story path and Season 6, Part 2 executes it with all the different aspects that viewers have come to love, including humor, action and more looks back into the past.. Plus, there is the expected dramatic ending that sets up Part 3, which will premiere sometime in 2025. Viewers will be less surprised by the tournament results than they are by how much the characters grow. But that’s the ethos of Cobra Kai, which has always been about what’s beneath the surface in the world of The Karate Kid. Season 6, Part 2 brings everything together so that the show can go out on a high.

Cobra Kai Season 6, Part 2 is now streaming on Netflix.

Set decades after the events of the Karate Kid franchise, Cobra Kai shifts gears and puts viewers into the perspective of a former rival/antagonist, Johnny Lawrence. In his 50s and down on his luck, a chance encounter with a bullied young man leads Johnny back to Karate. Agreeing to help him, Johnny takes the opportunity to revive his former home, the Cobra Kai dojo – becoming a refuge for outcast teens.

Release Date

Cast

Tanner Buchanan , Xolo Mariduena , Mary Mouser , Connor Murdock , Ralph Macchio , Nichole Brown , Jacob Bertrand , Griffin Santopietro , William Zabka

Rating

Seasons

6

Franchise

Creator

Main Characters

Prequel

Pros

• The cast’s chemistry is on full display during the tournament.
• Everything fans love about Cobra Kai makes an appearance.
• The tournament action lives up to the hype.

Cons

• Some of the jokes are a little bit predictable.

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