Having a perfect season finale is a tall order, not every show has gotten it right. There are plenty of great shows that have controversial endings like The Sopranos or Seinfeld or Star Trek Enterprise when the last episode literally just became a glorified Next Generation episode. And as a nerd, I can still argue the ending of Battlestar Galactica in 2009… another one that was a bit controversial. How many shows can we admit got it right? Well, Cobra Kai that did. It ends exactly how it should. All of the characters come full circle. They become better versions of themselves by the end and the two main villains Go out with a bang…literally!!! I mentioned in my previous review that I loved how they broke the final season up into three sections like it was three different movies and a perfect trilogy. The final five episodes center around the Sekai Tails tournament after the tragic death of one of the participants. The tournament is basically called off, but of course, it’s the big villain that somehow manipulates everybody to bring it back. I mean you can’t have Cobra Kai without an all-out Karate Tournament. And it’s easy to assume that some of the main characters like Miguel or Tory would win everything, So this is what makes the final episodes brilliant when the creators, Josh Heald, Jon Hurwitz, and Hayden Schlossberg, turned it on its head and have the dojos end in a tie to where it’s the Sensei’s who have to fight for the tiebreaker.
I said from the beginning that Johnny was always the main character of this show because it is his story that really comes full circle while Daniel who is more successful begins to realize that his way isn’t the only way of doing things when it comes to karate, and that Johnny was never his enemy. We never really cared that much about Johnny after the first movie and the beginning of the second movie because the movies weren’t really his story. Did we as an audience even consider that he would have a rough life even though he had a rich stepdad? Did we ever consider that he would end up a loser and would have to redeem himself? No, because he wasn’t the main character in the movies and Cobra Kai made us care about Johnny Lawrence and root for his success.
He’s the underdog that we are supposed to root for in Cobra Kai and although, it’s not a straight path to success, of course, it would be him that had to do the final battle as a way to rid himself of all of his failures and to come out on top and be the better man especially, with a new relationship and a new child. So yes the show ended exactly how it should have. Johnny finds redemption and becomes the hero, Daniel and Johnny put their past behind them and become best friends while finding success in the karate world nearly 40 years later. So when Johnny has to have one final battle that is essentially his Rocky 4. That’s what I mean that Cobra Kai goes out with a bang. And this show is filled with tons of ’80s references including movies, which is one of the things I love about it.
What makes the final episodes brilliant? Their not so over the top that you can’t believe it. Even if you argue about the technical aspects of the karate, the story is believable. Johnny is the underdog compared to a better sensei. He is Rocky to Ivan Drago and with his best friend in his corner, he will overcome. Cobra Kai is about second chances. It’s about characters finding redemption. Maybe not necessarily Terry Silver, but I would say that John Kreese definitely finds redemption and has the perfect ending for him in his old friend/enemy. No, I’m not going to completely spoil it. You’ll just have to watch it yourself. The show also proves that Cobra Kai doesn’t have to die. The style itself was never bad, just certain people who used it and I love that Daniel recognizes that in the end. The ending of his story is realizing that Cobra Kai needs to exist and there can be two different styles that the students can learn. There’s not one style better than the other, you take different aspects of different martial arts to be a better fighter. Isn’t that essentially what Bruce Lee did with Jeet Kune Do. Daniel and Johnny need each other, they are the perfect Ying and Yang that brings balance to the valley. So in a sense, you do get kind of a fairy tale ending with these characters with more stories to tell and I hope it’s not the last time we see them together. One more thing, I have to praise the Rocky references. Sure, they may be silly, but if you’re a child of the ’80s who loves the Rocky movies then this show makes the perfect reference to the movies. I won’t say that every season has been great, but overall this show is fantastic and I absolutely give it a 9. The last season was not the best season, but final seasons generally aren’t the best of a series…just a way to wrap it all up. However, what they did with the last season is still amazing. What the creators did with this show especially bringing back all of the old characters is amazing. This is great storytelling. This is the perfect example of how you can still tell a great story and bring all the nostalgia for the original source material. It’s too bad that Disney under Kathleen Kennedy doesn’t get that with their Star Wars films But if you ask me, they did everything right with Cobra Kai and they made the Karate Kid universe better than the movies ever did. It’s true that Cobra Kai never dies and because of this show our love for the movies and this universe will never die!
A special Thanks to Josh Heald, Jon Hurwitz, and Hayden Schlossberg for bringing back the Karate Kid Universe!
