What Cobra Kai needs to do in its final season to restore the show’s original hype

Back when Cobra Kai first started on YouTube Red, it was a show that gave well-etched arcs to the secondary characters from the 1980s movie. The first few seasons of Cobra Kai established the eponymous dojo as a place where the participants could try their luck at freeing themselves from the burdens of their past. However, over the years, the Netflix show has somehow veered away from its original moorings to such an extent it now feels like a completely different show.

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The sixth season of Cobra Kai now comes across as a venerable character study of everyone other than the members of the eponymous dojo. With the specific focus on the Sekai Taikai tournament, the show has been preoccupied with seeing the secondary characters making their way through each level of the competition.

Whilst it may seem like a far shot, the Netflix show could still shift gears and go back to its original hype in the upcoming third part of the sixth season. To do this, it must bring the focus back to the eponymous dojo itself, with characters like Tory and Terry Silver waiting to be brought back into the spotlight.

Here's everything that we know.

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What changed with Cobra Kai over the years?

For a show named Cobra Kai, the Netflix series appears primarily about Miyagi-Do. The eponymous dojo, formerly the program's focal point, has been reduced to the position of the antagonist camp, something to be fought by the good guys who have nothing to do with the Netflix show, to begin with.

Tory (Peyton List) was beaten by Sam (Mary Mouser) in her final bout. Hence, the dojo is no longer part of the Sekai Taikai. It has become absolutely irrelevant. At the cost of sounding nostalgia-prone, it might be said that this was not how things were in the beginning. When the Netflix show originally debuted on YouTube Red in 2018, it was the main focus of the show.

The Netflix show was home to various underdogs, including Johnny Lawrence, the All Valley Tournament's most famous loser, bullying newcomer Miguel Diaz, and well-known geeks Eli and Demetri. Cobra Kai, despite its seemingly simple exterior, was about far more layered and complex themes. It was about making something out of your previous tragedies. It was about rediscovering something that had beauty and a great deal of trauma.

It might still not be too late to restore some of the original hype that the show had. It goes without saying that to do this, the original dojo must be brought back with its full force.

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Ralph Macchio opens up about Cobra Kai

In an exclusive interview with Collider back in July 2024, star Ralph Macchio spoke at length about the one episode of the Karate show that he was proud of. He commented:

"In the same realm, in Episode 603, I got to direct, and I got to direct Peyton (List) and Mary (Mouser) in a beautiful scene. We had no time, it was the end of the day, I knew we were gonna be up against it, and I told them the day before, I said, “I think we're gonna be crushed on this day.” It was a long scene. I said, “Anything you guys have that you wanna bring, you know it’s Cobra Kai on the fly.” It was an emotional scene for them, and literally, they each got it in one take. In that moment, I kind of welled up. I was so proud of these kids and these girls in that moment, so that's one that comes to mind. But once again, the young cast just really inspires."

Cobra Kai season six part three drops on February 13 on Netflix.