"A Second Chance": Cobra Kai co-creator explains how season 6's final fight brings Johnny's story full circle

Cobra Kai has always been about second chances. From Johnny Lawrence trying to turn his life around to Daniel LaRusso learning to let go of old grudges, the show has been a perfect mix of nostalgia and redemption.

But if there’s one moment that truly defines Johnny’s journey, it’s his final fight in Cobra Kai Season 6.

After six seasons of drama, karate, and epic rivalries, Johnny steps onto the mat one last time. This time as the underdog. He is facing off against Iron Dragon’s Sensei Wolf at the Sekai Taikai.

Johnny isn’t just fighting for victory. He’s fighting for redemption and for closure. He is fighting for the kid from 1984 who lost to Daniel in the Karate Kid tournament.

But how does this final fight bring Johnny’s story full circle? Co-creator Hayden Schlossberg explains it best - this was Johnny’s real second chance.

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Johnny Lawrence's journey in Cobra Kai

If you’ve been following Cobra Kai, you know Johnny’s journey hasn’t been easy. He started as a washed-up ex-karate champ, struggling to make ends meet. But opening the Cobra Kai dojo gave him a new purpose.

However, it wasn’t all smooth sailing. He clashed with Daniel, his students, and even his old mentor, John Kreese. But by Season 6, Johnny had transformed. He wasn’t just some hotheaded sensei anymore. He had learned from his mistakes and embraced Miyagi-Do’s philosophy.

He mended his relationship with Daniel and became a true mentor to Miguel and Tory. So, when he stepped onto the mat at the Sekai Taikai, it wasn’t about proving himself, it was about rewriting his own story.

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It was a fight that mirrored the past

Schlossberg described Johnny’s fight against Sensei Wolf as a callback to the Karate Kid days. Back then, Johnny was the favorite. He was the golden boy. But this time, he’s the underdog - just like Daniel was in 1984.

Schlossberg shared with TheWrap:

“I think that fight is really within the shadow of the 1984 fight. You’re on that mat. It’s Johnny back there. So this is his second chance … we wanted to put him in the underdog position – put him in the Daniel position – where there’s all this weight on his shoulders of expectation. Now he got what he what he wished for but there’s more cameras, more attention to this thing than ever and the person that he’s competing against is in the prime of his career, ready to embarrass him in on the world stage.”

And talk about pressure! This wasn’t just some local All-Valley Tournament. This was the Sekai Taikai, the world stage, with cameras everywhere. Sensei Wolf was in his prime. He was ready to humiliate Johnny. It was a true David vs. Goliath moment. And Johnny had to dig deep to come out on top.

Cobra Kai has introduced a ton of new characters - Miguel, Samantha, Tory, and Hawk. But at its core, the show was always Johnny’s story.

That’s why the final episodes focused on him. The epic fights were there all around, but Johnny, Miguel, and Tory got the biggest spotlight. Samantha’s decision to forfeit her match even symbolized the end of Miyagi-Do’s underdog story. This helped in shifting the focus to Johnny’s Cobra Kai.

And Johnny delivered! His victory wasn’t just about winning. It was about proving to himself that he was more than his past mistakes. That he wasn’t just some washed-up ex-bully but a true fighter, mentor, and champion.

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Johnny's closure with Kreese in Cobra Kai

Another major piece of Johnny’s story was his relationship with John Kreese. Kreese’s influence turned Johnny into a bully in The Karate Kid. Cobra Kai spent six seasons showing Johnny breaking free from that toxic mindset.

Jon Hurwitz shared with TheWrap:

“So this scene was the culmination where Johnny was finally able to say in his heart and bear his soul and express how he truly felt: that you did teach me some amazing things, but you broke me in these ways. And Billy’s performance – he became a teenager again. You watch him in that scene, and he looks like a teen. He’s that vulnerable. And for Martin playing Kreese you know it was a genuine apology.”

In the final season, Johnny finally confronted Kreese. He made peace with his past instead of being haunted by it. He didn’t just reject Kreese’s philosophy. He built his own. A mix of Cobra Kai’s aggression and Miyagi-Do’s balance.

In the end, Kreese met his fate. But Johnny walked away stronger, wiser, and finally free.

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