Reviewing the Conclusion of "Cobra Kai"

We have a lot to talk about, and I just have this to say: prepare for spoilers and get your tissues ready.

I wrote about this amazing show before, over a year and a half ago. I still remember when I first saw this. Thankfully, I had seen the movies before this, but it was September 2023, close to Labor Day, and I was under the weather. I was wondering if I had COVID (for the second time) or not, and at that time, I was very overweight. Fast forward 17 months and subtract 30 pounds, and we have reached the final five episodes of the entire series.

First, a bit of history. Of course, Cobra Kai, originally debuted on YouTube Red on May 2, 2018, with the entire 10-episode first season. The entire second season hit the renamed YouTube Premium on April 24, 2019, but after that, the series moved to Netflix beginning with Season Three on New Year's Day 2021. Season Four hit Netflix on New Year's Eve 2021, and Season Five hit Netflix on September 9, 2022.

Regarding the sixth and final season, it was a good while before that would hit Netflix, and that was because of the strikes. It was announced that Season Six would be the final season, and would be longer than the previous five years. 15 episodes, divided into three parts, with five episodes each. Part 1 (Episodes 1-5) hit Netflix on July 18, 2024, nearly two years after Season Five. The first period began with possible peace after Terry Silver's arrest, but things were getting quite shaky once again. We did see some notable moments. For one, Sam LaRusso and Tory Nichols had a long overdue moment where they cleared the air and made up. Secondly, Devon exposed herself as being very devious and underhanded by sabotaging Kenny, and finally, Part 1 ended with Tory, devastated over just losing her mother, joining back with Cobra Kai.

Part 2 (Episodes 6-10) hit Netflix on November 15, 2024, and centered on the Sekai Taikai tournament. During that period, Kenny and Anthony LaRusso finally ended their grudge, Devon confessed to everything, Chozen and Kim Da-Eun hooked up (still can't believe that!), and we received a death at the end, with Kwon fatally stabbed. Oh man.

And that brings up the conclusion, which hit Netflix on February 13, 2025. Right after the Super Bowl ended, I went on a huge super-binge, watching all of the movies (including watching the 2010 film for the first time), and then all of the episodes of the show in time for this finale event. So much happened in the final five episodes of the series, so let's not dilly dally:

Into the Fire

The fallout from Kwon's death was massive. Daniel was moving on and trying to forget about karate as a whole (and Amanda, being the unsupportive wife she is, was all too happy SMH). We saw Johnny working for Daniel, but later approached by Terry Silver to get the tournament back in gear, and speaking of Silver, we see him taking pills. Medication. Oh man. Silver's meeting with Johnny and Daniel confirmed it: he's terminally ill and on borrowed time. The main attribute of this episode was Master Kim. His rule had always been oppressive, and he saved his biggest abuse for granddaughter Kim Da-Eun. Finally, at episode's end, Kim, finally wanting to run her dojo her way, and to be finally free of the abuse, kills her grandfather. Part 3 already delivering the shockers with the first episode of the home stretch.

Rattled

When the episode where Johnny and Carmen get married and welcome their child is the least emotional of the bunch, that's saying something. Chozen made his first appearance of this home stretch, and he finally hears from Kumiko--after all this time, and he's put in the friend zone. We also see Sam being trained by Tory, who originally doesn't want to enter the resurrected Sekai Taikai tournament, feeling that she has ruined too many relationships as a result. Sam encourages Tory to get back in, saying that her friends (Sam included) will always be there for her no matter what.

I have to talk about this. So Daniel and Amanda attempt to hook Chozen up with Winnie Taylor, the mother of Moon Taylor, and Winnie is played by none other than Jessie Spano herself, Elizabeth Berkley. Wow! Personality-wise, Winnie is basically what Jessie would have been if she still had that same spirit she had at Bayside, possibly turned up a few notches. Despite their shared interest in trashy reality shows, nothing happens with them.

Skeletons

The tournament takes place, and all else, yeah whatever. There's only one part I want to talk about here. We've seen Kreese go on a redemption tour this whole section, but when it came to Johnny, he wasn't having it. We see them again late in the episode, and Johnny literally pours his heart out about the aftermath of his loss to Daniel 40 years ago. It was four decades of letting out frustration and all of the feelings he had after that; feeling like he was less than, feeling like he couldn't do anything right. And I couldn't help but cry with him, because there have been times where I felt like that as well.

The hug between Kreese and Johnny was 40 years in the making. 40 years. I'll reach 40 years next month. It was quite the moment that we all needed to witness.

Strike Last

Oh man. So entering this episode, Tory was not only back, so was Cobra Kai--under Johnny Lawrence's management, with Daniel LaRusso helping him. It was pretty fun seeing Daniel in Cobra Kai gear and embracing it, and having Johnny train Miguel and Tory amazing, and yes, Tory was in due to Sam wanting to give Tory a chance to win the tournament. Though, I also felt that Sam feels that Tory could really hurt Zara, who I couldn't stand. Samantha LaRusso has really grown up. So Tory and Miguel both won, but that placed Cobra Kai and the Iron Dragons in a tie, meaning that their senseis would have to fight to settle the tiebreaker.

Silver was set on sending his henchmen after Carmen and her newborn daughter, but he was knocked down by the incoming Kreese, leading to the two bad boys fighting it out. That's when it happened. First, the gasoline spilled, and finally, Kreese tosses the lit cigar. The boat explodes... with Kreese and Silver on it!! Even as of now, I'm still in disbelief. Those two can't be gone. They can't be deceased, but there's little chance that those two survived that explosion.

Ex-Degenerate

And then there was the series finale, which began with Johnny at his mother's grave, venting about how he had failed in life. That scene took place in 2017; fast forward to the present, and Johnny's training for what he sees as a do-over from four decades ago. He's going up against Sensei Wolf. He falls behind at first, but after a Cobra Kai-style speech from Daniel, and Johnny using defense instead of the strike first tactics, Johnny emerges victorious. It was more than victory for Johnny. It was 40 years of redemption. It was a man who once felt like he lost it all, actually winning in the end.

We see so many things develop for the characters involved. Robby and Tory become celebrity spokespersons. Sam's off to Okinawa. Chosen and Kim Da-Eun's relationship continues. Johnny, Carmen, and their daughter have a new house. And we get a callback to the original for the final scene of the series; Daniel using chopsticks to capture a fly. Leave it to Johnny to smash it with his hands.

My Overall Thoughts

I love Cobra Kai so much! This show is more than a series involving karate, all sorts of violence, and dangerous villains. It can really hit you in the feels as well. For years, I had believed that Johnny was the ultimate bad guy while Daniel was the ultimate good guy. The TV series added some facets to both characters that really changed things up. Daniel, despite being a hero protagonist for years, has shown that he can be a tad on the antagonistic side. Johnny is shown to have quite a few tragic stories, from being without a father at a young age, to being under the thumb of his abrasive stepfather.

The series also taught me one key thing: all of the darkness and bad things in this franchise had one catalyst--Master Kim. I had long thought that Kreese was the main catalyst, but my many years of watching wrestling and Lifetime films have shown me that villains--no matter how bad they are--aren't born, they are created. While Silver's villainy may have been created by Kreese, it was Master Kim who created Kreese's villainy. Master Kim's teachings turned Kreese into a ruthless fighter, which also turned Silver into a drugged-up and violent sociopath. Master Kim's abusive nature transformed his own granddaughter, Kim Da-Eun, into a soulless and sadistic villainess. And by proxy, Master Kim's influence darkened the souls of every student who studied under their practices, including Johnny and Daniel. Once Master Kim was killed, the darkness died with him.

On the day that the series ended, we were hit with the amazing news that two of the show's stars are engaged! Tanner Buchanan (Robby Keene) and Mary Mouser (Samantha LaRusso) announced their engagement, and according to what I read, they've been together since last year. I should have sensed something while watching this show, it did appear that Buchanan and Mouser definitely had some chemistry on the show. Congratulations to the happy couple!

The show has come to an end, but the franchise is not over. Karate Kid: Legends is set to be released on May 30, 2025, and will see Ralph Macchio return as Daniel LaRusso, while Jackie Chan reprises his role as Mr. Han, from the 2010 reboot which is now part of the series storyline with this move. Even with the show's end, we'll always have Netflix to relive it again, because, as we all know by now, Cobra Kai never dies!