The story of Ralph Macchio's Daniel LaRusso and William Zabka's Johnny Lawrence will soon come to an end in Cobra Kai Season 6. After renewing their rivalry, the three-part final season will see them working together, combining the forces of Miyagi-Do and Eagle Fang, as they prepare to compete at the Sekai Taikai. Netflix has given a glimpse of what will transpire in the show’s return in the Cobra Kai Season 6 Part 1 trailer, with Daniel finding Mr. Miyagi’s (Pat Morita)secret chest that may help them win the karate world championships. As nothing is known about it yet, one of the show’s creators, Hayden Schlossberg, teases Mr. Miyagi’s mysterious secret.
In an interview with Screen Rant, Schlossberg discussed Mr. Miyagi’s secret after Daniel saw a box that held the karate expert’s secrets. By the looks of it, it will be a revelation about Mr. Miyagi's real personality. Though the showrunner didn’t exactly reveal what was inside the chest, he said it was an admission that would frustrate Daniel.
“We came at the Mr. Miyagi storyline in season 6 from a place of trying to understand the past while not having all the answers, and it's very frustrating for Daniel to find out all these secrets about Mr. Miyagi that he had kept from Daniel, while not having all the answers at his disposal,” he explained.
As Cobra Kai serves as a sequel to the original The Karate Kid films created by Robert Mark Kamen, this connection to Mr. Miyagi will continue the story after Daniel takes on his former mentor's role to train a new generation. Hence, the biggest conflict for him this season is realizing Mr. Miyagi has flaws despite thinking of him as the most perfect and ideal person.
However, Daniel has to understand that Mr. Miyagi is human, too, and he wasn’t “necessarily born a sage” and someone who had all the answers to his questions. As fans are about to learn a part of Mr. Miyagi’s past in Cobra Kai Season 6, Schlossberg hopes that it will not upend what they think of him and instead see a deeper picture of him. Whatever the case, Schlossberg is sure it will badly affect Daniel and his work as a sensei.
“But for the here and now, it rocks Daniel to his core, and it's something that's throwing a wrench into his mojo at a time when the students need him at his best,” he teased.
Showrunners Josh Heald and Jon Hurwitz Talk About Cobra Kai Season 6
Despite five successful seasons, co-showrunners Josh Heald and Jon Hurwitz admitted that making Cobra Kai Season 6 was still challenging. The two wanted to make it something that would give fans “the feels,” though they couldn’t deny it was also rewarding. They sought to build upon the premise of what Sekai Taikai is and will become this season and make it as “bombastic and interesting as possible.”
“You have to start thinking of this tournament differently than any tournament you've seen on this show or in this franchise before,” Heald said. “It's an animal unto itself. So that was one.”
Heald added they made sure that everyone would have a satisfying and enjoyable ending, though unexpected. He also teased that there would be triumphs and tragedy, promising they would deliver what was in mind when they first created the show in 2018 while staying to their original intent.
Alternatively, Hurwitz ensured that everyone had their time and place to shine and would tell “full and robust” stories that would be compelling and impactful. Though doing 15 episodes instead of 10 was hard, he found it fun, and it energized them to return to the dojo.
“We’re very thrilled with the results,” he continued.
With five more episodes than usual, Cobra Kai Season 6 is expected to tie all the loose ends the previous seasons have left. Fans also need to see Mr. Miyagi’s big secret. As many thought it would help Daniel and his students win the Sekai Taikai, it looks like it may even lead to disrupting his lead.
Cobra Kai Season 6 Part 1 is set to release on Thursday, July 18, on Netflix. Part 2 is scheduled to premiere on November 28 and Part 3 in 2025.
