Summary
“Sleeper” takes an intriguing turn by digging into Mr. Miyagi’s past, while in more familiar territory Johnny throws a slumber party for the Miyagi-Do girls.
Mr. Miyagi isn’t just a movie character at this point, but an almost mythical figure, a symbol of patience, pacifism, and the occasional crescent kick (but only where warranted). But Cobra Kai Season 6, Episode 3, “Sleeper”, adds some flesh to the Miyagi mythology by suggesting a much more complex history that nobody — not even Daniel LaRusso — had any knowledge of.
It’s an interesting angle for the show to take, and it isn’t immediately clear where it intends to go with it. But there’s plenty happening in the meantime, including Kreese getting a handle on Master Kim’s students and Johnny arranging a slumber party.
Yes, really.
Kreese Has Some Unusual Training Methods
As seen in Episode 2, Kreese has a new Cobra Kai to take to the Sekai Taikai. But he’s still a newcomer, so in “Sleeper” he gets to know the young students by turning them violently against each other.
As Da-eun explains, there is a standout student named Yoon, and a rebellious one named Kwon. She sees Kwon as a trouble-causer who needs to fall in line so that Yoon can excel without distractions, but Kreese has other ideas. In his usual style, he manipulates Kwon into attacking Yoon to prove that he’s the best fighter and should lead the group.
He has a point, and his approach is successful — Kwon is happy to play along since he has now claimed what he believes to be his rightful position as the alpha. Yoon has earned a black eye for his trouble, but he’s still team Cobra Kai. At least for now, things are going pretty well for Kreese, which doesn’t bode well for anyone else.
Johnny’s Slumber Party
As it happens, the Miyagi-Do kids have problems of their own — two of their best fighters, Sam and Tory, aren’t training properly because they’re too hesitant about ruining what has become a very tentative friendship.
Johnny isn’t having this, so the solution he devises is to throw a slumber party at Devon’s house — he attends himself on the grounds of being a “girl dad” now since Carmen is having a girl — to try and manipulate Sam and Tory into hating each other again.
This whole sequence is classic Cobra Kai. With the help of pillow fights, spa treatments, a rigged Ouija board, and eventually fake text messages from Miguel and Robby’s phones — “Hola, Mamacita” had me rolling — Johnny tries and fails to turn Sam and Tory against each other.
Once again, Season 6 avoids the obvious forced conflict. Even after the girls figure out what Johnny’s up to and decide to leave, bickering while they’re waiting for their Uber, they ultimately apologize and solidify their friendship rather than resorting to being enemies again. This has the intended effect of giving them a breakthrough moment where they can train properly without being too cautious of each other’s feelings. So, Johnny got there in the end, I guess.
Mr. Miyagi’s Secret Past
In the little living space Miyagi built on Daniel’s property, Daniel, Chozen, and Amanda find a hidden hatch in the floor that contains a chest. Inside the chest are various trinkets, including newspaper clippings about a robbery and assault, fake passports with Miyagi’s picture but an incorrect date of birth, and a former address registered to him in Lodi.
Deciding to investigate they’re led to a very dodgy boxing gym where the tax-dodging proprietor flees at the sight of them, assuming they’re either the police or the IRS. Once the situation is explained, he recalls that Miyagi was a silent partner in the gym and a friend of his grandfather, but he fled America after a violent robbery.
Daniel is devastated to discover this, but Amanda helps him to reckon with the revelations. But they also impact Chozen, who begins looking at flights to Okinawa, clearly considering a return to the things he’s running away from.
The Location of the Sekai Taikai Is Revealed
One of the novelties of the Sekai Taikai is that it’s hosted in a different nation every year, and the location is kept a secret until very close to the beginning of the tournament. Cobra Kai Season 6, Episode 3 ends with the revelation that this year’s tournament will be held in Barcelona, Spain.
And there’s a little more about the rules. Each dojo must select just six fighters to compete in team competitions and a single male and female captain to compete in the high-stakes individual events.
Needless to say, this is going to create a lot of drama for Miyagi-Do.
Read More: Cobra Kai Season 6, Episode 4 Explained
