Summary
Part 2 of Cobra Kai Season 6 kicks off with more interpersonal drama than fisticuffs, but the introduction of new love rivals and senseis gives things an appreciated boost of complexity.
When we last left our intrepid heroes and heroines in the Part 1 finale of Cobra Kai Season 6, Miyagi-do’s representatives were lined up around the mats of the infamous Sekai Taikai, face to face with old and new rivals — particularly Tory, who had been tagged in last-minute as Cobra Kai’s female captain. Episode 6, “Benvinguts a Barcelona”, picks right up from here, but as it turns out, Cobra Kai might be the least of Miyagi-do’s problems.
In case you need an overview of how all this will work, the Sekai Taikai’s host, Gunther, explains it all. The team events come first. The losing dojos are eliminated. The final four dojos will compete in solo events until the one with the most points is declared the victor. This is a big deal, you understand. The Sekai Taikai is fictional, but in this universe, it’s the most prestigious karate tournament in the world, with a history stretching back decades — so far, you’ll recall, that Mr. Miyagi himself competed in it, which Daniel is still worrying about.
Anyway, before the tournament begins properly, there’s time for a field trip for the kids and a cocktail mixer for the senseis and sponsors, so let’s go over that stuff.
In the Mixer
Daniel and Johnny are still bickering, which makes navigating the swanky cocktail mixer difficult. Daniel is trying to extoll the defense-first virtues of Miyagi-do karate while Johnny is trying to find and kill Kreese, almost getting into a fight in the meantime with someone who steals the last few pieces of buffet steak.
Daniel is also looking for answers about Mr. Miyagi and shows Gunther his old headband from the fifties. Gunther thinks that a legendary former champion named Master Serrano might know more about Miyagi and offers to contact him on Daniel’s behalf, which is a nice gesture and a very lucky lead considering Daniel has only been in the country for five minutes.
Kreese is also at the mixer, armed with Master Kim’s eunjangdo, which I guess he just carries around everywhere with him now. Johnny is undeterred, though. The two of them are at each other’s throats basically at first sight, and it’s clear that Kreese intends to sow seeds of discord between Johnny and Daniel, a habit of his going back several decades, as we know.
And then there’s Chozen, who turns up completely randomly, drunk out of his mind, making a giant scene. When Daniel and Johnny are eventually able to get some sense out of him, he reveals that he returned to Okinawa to see Kumiko but, when he knocked on the door, a man wearing nothing but a towel answered. When Chozen starts smashing up the table vases in emotional distress, Daniel and Johnny get him out of there. It’s not a brilliant start for Miyagi-do, all things considered.
(L to R) Martin Kove as John Kreese, William Zabka as Johnny Lawrence in Cobra Kai. Cr. Courtesy of Netflix © 2024
Field Trip
The run of bad luck continues on the field trip to a local aquarium, where the captains are being lavished with attention, prompting a lot of jealous bickering among their stablemates. For Miyagi-do this is especially problematic since they’re not exactly on the same page anyway. Robbie can’t focus on anything except Tory, especially with Kwon constantly rubbing it in about her switching sides, Demetri and Hawk aren’t on the best of terms, Devon feels bad about how she got to the tournament in the first place, and Sam is gutted that, inevitably, she’s once again going to have to face off against Tory on the mats after she spent the entirety of Part 1 working on their friendship.
Tory also reveals — inadvertently — that Robby knew Kreese came to her before her mother died, which he never mentioned to the rest of Miyagi-do. Robby’s leadership qualities are already in question here, which makes it worse when he gambles their rooms on a dumb competition with Kwon to see who can kick the highest. As it turns out it’s Cobra Kai, and Miyagi-do all end up sharing the same room — just what a bunch of kids who aren’t getting on need.
Also, let’s not forget that there are a whole bunch of kids involved in this tournament. The local politics of the Valley are complicated enough, but now Robby and Miguel are no longer the big boys on the block, and it isn’t just Tory and Sam competing for affection. One of the other female captains, Zara, clearly has eyes for Robby, and lets Tory know about it. This whole thing’s a time bomb.
The Tournament Begins
Towards the end of Cobra Kai Season 6, Episode 6, the Sekai Taikai begins in earnest with the “Captain’s War”, which Gunther describes as a team-based game wherein the captains must be protected at all costs. Anyone who hits the mat is out, but if a captain hits the mat, the entire dojo is out. Not ideal.
The point of this opening round is to emphasize how the problems among the team translate to woeful performances on the mats, which we see when Miyagi-do draw Cobra Kai and get their asses handed to them, mostly because Robby can’t stop obsessively focusing on Tory. It’s not a good start to the tournament for Miyagi-do.
And, as I intimated at the top, Cobra Kai might be the least of their problems. With Miyagi-do eliminated, the three remaining Cobra Kai fighters are left to square off against the entire team of another dojo named the Iron Dragons. However, three of their members tap out immediately, leaving only their captains, Axel and Zara, to easily dispatch the remainder of Cobra Kai. As it turns out, their sensei, Wolf, is the guy who Johnny was arguing about steak with at the cocktail mixer.
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