Diksha Sundriyal
As its end near, things get more and more heated in Netflix’s ‘Cobra Kai’ Season 6. The three-part season unfolds its stories with well-placed cliffhangers that raise more questions than the ones answered by it. The second part of Season 6 does the same thing with its chaotic twists and turns. A lot of stuff is unpacked as each and every character reassesses their goals and motivations. In the tenth episode, the entire focus is on the semi-finals, and what makes it worse for Miyagi-do is that Kreese’s Cobra Kai dojo is not the only one to worry about. The Iron Dragons have entered the Sekai Taikai, and besting them requires everything Miyagi-do has got. But then, one tragedy leads everyone to take a pause. SPOILERS AHEAD
Is Cobra Kai Eliminated? How do They Enter the Semi-finals?
The rivalry between Miyagi-do and Cobra Kai comes to a head in the quarter-finals when the teams are pitted against each other in a game that requires every fighter to give their best. Despite the questions about Kenny’s loyalty, he comes through for the team, and against all odds, Miyagi-do emerges the winner. With Cobra Kai eliminated, Miyagi-do has one less thing to worry about, and they can now completely focus on besting the other competitors, most importantly, the Iron Dragons, owned by Terry Silver. But then, a twist of fate happens that again puts Cobra Kai in the race.
If it seemed that Cobra Kai and the Iron Dragons were the only ones desperate enough to try anything to win, there emerges another competitor who doesn’t believe in giving up. The Russian team led by Sensei Ivanov has been one of the fiercest fighters in the competition and they make it to the semi-finals. But then, it turns out that four of their students have been on performance-enhancing drugs all this while. This means that they are out of the competition, which opens the space for the next best team to take its place and no surprises there; it happens to be Cobra Kai. While Miyagi-do is frustrated by their return, considering how they didn’t even get to celebrate their win properly before their nemesis came back into the fold, it is a second chance for Cobra Kai to win the tournament.
It also turns out to be a fortunate turn of events because shortly before the announcement about the Russian team, Kreese had made up his mind to kill Terry Silver, even if that meant that he would have to rot in prison for the rest of his life. With Cobra Kai back in the game, he has another chance to best his friend-turned-enemy, and he is not ready to let anything jeopardize that. Cobra Kai’s return also means that Miyagi-do needs to get their head in the game and fight much better, as this time, the focus is entirely on the captains. A conversation with Tory helps Robby clear his mind and considering how he performed in the semi-finals, it seems he is ready to win the thing. But at the same time, Daniel seems to be losing his mind over the revelation about Mr. Miyagi killing someone at Sekai Taikai all those years ago.
Daniel idolized Mr. Miyagi because the man changed his life completely. He didn’t just teach Daniel karate, but he also taught a young teenager how to be a better person and live an honorable life. Everything that Daniel is, he owes it to Mr. Miyagi, which is why it is so difficult for him to accept that the man who could do no wrong did something as horrible as kill someone. He has nightmares about Mr. Miyagi beating him to a pulp, and it starts to show in his approach towards the team. While he should be focusing on preparing the team for the semi-finals, he is too occupied with Mr. Miyagi’s secrets. Luckily, Daniel has people around him to knock some sense into him. When Johnny tries to get him out of his obsession, they get into an argument. It isn’t until Miguel shows up and gives them a pep talk that they get over their differences and focus on training the team. By the end of the day, Daniel has Mr. Miyagi out of his mind, at least for the day, while the team is ready to take on the competition and win the semi-finals.
The Sekai Taikai Semi-finals Descend Into Complete Chaos
Karate is all fun and games until someone gets hurt. In almost every season of ‘Cobra Kai,’ one or more people have had their bones broken or been sent to the hospital following a chaotic fight. Luckily, no one had ever died, and living to see another day further gave them the encouragement to keep fighting. But the Sekai Taikai semifinals escalate the whole rivalry thing with a shocking death. With the semi-finals, everyone is focused on bringing their A-game and winning the tournament. While some have found a way to control their emotions (be it love or hatred), there are others who are so fuelled by it that their rage has blinded them. Still, whatever happens will be within the confines of the mat under controlled circumstances, which means that no one can actually get hurt, not like what supposedly happened in Mr. Miyagi’s case. This sense of security keeps everyone sated, but something entirely unexpected happens.
During Robby’s fight with Axel, in which Robby seemed poised for defeat, things get heated up. Due to a kick, Robby falls on the Cobra Kai team, and Kwon uses this opportunity to hit him, hoping to worsen his game. This move doesn’t go unnoticed, leading Miguel to step on the mat in his friend’s defense, but he ends up in front of Axel, who hates him for being with Sam. On one side, Robby argues with Kwon and his teammates, and on the other side, Axel and Miguel seem ready to fight. The head of the tournament tries to calm down the situation, but he is kicked and rendered unconscious by Sensei Ivanov, who calls for his team to attack, which opens the space for complete chaos.
With all the rules out of the way and no one to control them, everyone starts to fight. In the midst of this, Kreese sees his opportunity and follows Terry Silver. On the way, he is tackled by a student and doesn’t realize that his knife has slipped. When he finally finds silver, he discovers that his knife is gone but decides not to back down. Meanwhile, the knife is thrown around the floor until, eventually, Kwon finds it. By this time, things have become so chaotic that everyone is fighting everyone. Kwon’s focus, however, is Robby Keene.
When he attacks Robby, his friends, including Sam, come to his aid. Meanwhile, Axel is fighting Miguel, but when he sees Kwon kicking Sam, he leaves Miguel and decides to tackle Kwon first. Being a great fighter, Axel does beat up Kwon pretty well, but not enough to keep him down for good. The Cobra Kai champion finds Kreese’s knife and decides to use it. Daniel sees the knife and tries to get Kwon to stop him, but he doesn’t reach the boy in time. Kwon attacks Axel, who doesn’t know about the knife, and tackles Kwon such that the latter ends up on the floor with the knife on his chest. The thing that Kwon had hoped to use on his enemy ends up killing him instead.
What Does Kwon’s Death Mean for Sekai Taikai?
Before the semi-finals begin, Tory asks Sensei Kim Da-Eun if giving up everything to be the best fighter and win the tournament is worth it. At first, Kim is confused by Tory’s question and talks about discipline and sacrifice. But when Tory asks if sacrificing one’s friends and relationships is worth all the trouble, Kim says yes, though she does seem a bit unsure about it herself. Of course, Tory is not satisfied with her answer, though the way the semi-finals end, she surely has her answer. For all the hatred and rage and things done for the sake of winning, it is not worth it for a young person like her to lose her life over it. Kwon’s death proves that to her.
So far, in ‘Cobra Kai,’ there had been all sorts of injuries, and people had been stabbed before. But no one had died, or at least, no student had ever died on the mat to which they had dedicated their entire life. Kwon’s death is a shock to everyone, including Kreese and Terry Silver, who have fed their revenge and hatred to their students, telling them that everything is fair in karate and war, even if it hurts someone. Kim had been sceptical of Kreese’s approach to fuel the students with such things since the beginning, but she couldn’t do anything about it. With Kwon’s death, she will feel the true brunt of Tory’s question. Was it all worth it to lose the life of a promising young man who could have walked a different path if only Kreese had not come along and poured his own ambitions into him?
Kwon’s death must also give pause to Kreese as it is his knife that leads to Kwon’s death, making him directly responsible for the tragedy. Kwon’s fate must lead Kreese to re-evaluate himself, and it would be high time he did it because if it weren’t for him, Kwon would still be alive. How it affects Terry Silver remains to be seen, but Kwon’s death also puts a huge question mark on the Sekai Taikai tournament. Will they cancel the whole thing and declare a winner based on the points accrued till the semi-finals (which gives the win to Terry Silver’s team)? Will they completely scrap the competition, declaring the whole thing null and void, which means that all the teams must come back next year if there will be a next year at all? Or will they handle Kwon’s death separately, sending two teams into the finals to get it over with and declare a winner?
It seems impossible to believe that the tournament could still go on after a student’s death. If anything, it reinstates Daniel’s thoughts about not participating in tournaments, which is what Mr. Miyagi believed as well. The only thing that would make him keep his students in the tournament would be to give them the opportunity to secure their future, considering the perks the winner of a tournament gets. For the most part, however, Kwon’s death would serve as the thing that finally disillusions even the most villainous of people and finally puts an end to the hatred that has driven them for far too long.
Read More: Cobra Kai: How Did Tory’s Mother Die? Did Kreese Kill Her?
