“I am tired of all this off-the-mat nonsense,” sensei Kim Da-Eun (Alicia Hannah-Kim) spits during the second part of Cobra Kai’s final season. Given how the first five episodes limped towards the Sekai Taikai, it’s a line that neatly summarizes the belief that the Netflix series had outstayed its welcome.
Mercifully, Cobra Kai season 6, part 2 heeds its own advice and delivers an anime tournament arc-style that, for the most part, keeps the focus on the mat and delivers a full-throated flurry of punches and kicks, all laced with the sort of personal intrigue that made the early years of the show such an underdog success.
Fresh off of the defection of Tory (Peyton List) to Cobra Kai, the remaining Miyagi-do fighters must do battle in the Sekai Taikai – all while the ever-duplicitous Kreese (Martin Kove) waits in the wings for his opportunity to strike. With a 16-team tournament ahead of them, they must overcome the usual mix of personal rivalries, double-crosses, and professional jealousy to reign supreme as the ultimate winner of the Tournament of Champions.
Fast facts
Release date: November 15
Available on: Netflix
Created by: Josh Heald, Jon Hurwitz, and Hayden Schlossberg
Episodes seen: 5/5
It’s at this juncture where the energy of Cobra Kai’s final season picks up considerably and makes good on the Sekai Taikai’s potential – aided by a pair of changes that helps freshen up the show.
Fighting fit
First, moving the Netflix series out of the Valley and to Barcelona injects Cobra Kai with a much-needed shake-up, with the change in backdrop also bringing the show out of its comfort zone a little more. Throw in some meaty new antagonists in the form of the Iron Dragons (led by Mortal Kombat star Lewis Tan as the fearsome Sensei Wolf), and there’s plenty of new material – and unfamiliar faces, including standout Cobra Kai member Kwon Jae-Sung (Brandon H. Lee) – for the Miyagi-do team to bounce off.
Unfortunately, it’s also in the interactions between the warring dojos where old habits start to creep in. If you’ve seen one Johnny (William Zabka) and Daniel (Ralph Macchio) argument, you’ve seen them all – while the hormonal teenagers have a series of petty feuds that would have worked just fine in the more high-school-focused first few seasons, but are now little more than repetitive quarrels that each of them should have grown out of by now.
Cobra Kai also has a few curious choices when it comes to who receives the spotlight here. Sadly, this is no longer Miguel’s show, despite Xolo Mariduena clearly being a star on the rise with last year’s turn in DC’s Blue Beetle. William Zabka, barring one emotionally-charged moment, also has very little to do besides making snide remarks and giving pep talks – an odd choice given he is head and shoulders above most of the ensemble cast acting-wise.
The one narrative detour that does make sense is Daniel’s continued digging into Mr. Miyagi’s cloudy history. However, that doesn’t get any real closure here – and comes bundled with what appears to be the use of a clumsy AI deepfake that almost certainly won’t sit well with audiences.
But those grumbles don’t matter as much thanks to Cobra Kai rediscovering its joyous spark. While we won’t go into any details here, that’s best evidenced by the second part’s finale, a wildly entertaining spectacle which rivals any set-piece that’s come before it. Additionally, each Sekai Taikai match-up has far more intensity (and improved choreography) compared to the first part’s sluggish efforts, even if you have to really suspend your disbelief when it comes to the narratively convenient tournament brackets.
Heading into this second part, I was expecting Cobra Kai to double down on my belief that it had overshot the perfect ending with last season’s Terry Silver showdown. I’m pleased to say those fears were misplaced; the new batch of season 6 episodes are fun, frenetic, and end in a place that leaves ample room for unexpected twists and turns as the Netflix series wraps up for good in 2025.
Cobra Kai, then, was clearly holding back. The first five episodes of its final season were meandering, low-stakes affairs. The second part, thanks to the Sekai Taikai, is a noticeable improvement. While it still fights familiar issues, including repetitive storylines and a lessened focus on some of the Netflix series’ brightest stars, Cobra Kai returns to the sort of hard-hitting form that made it such a fan favorite in the first place.
The second part of Cobra Kai season 6 is now streaming on Netflix. For more, check out our picks for the best shows on Netflix.