The 80s are back, and they’re ready to sweep modernity’s leg! Today, Netflix released a trailer for Cobra Kai Season 6: Part 2, the second of three parts of its final season. Now that Miyagi-Do and Cobra Kai have selected their champions, it’s time for the rival dojos to meet at the Sekai Taikai tournament. But Cobra Kai isn’t the only dojo that has it in for the Americans, as another nemesis emerges in the Iron Dragons. Ralph Macchio and William Zabka once again play Daniel LaRusso and Johnny Lawrence, the former enemies from The Karate Kid who’ve joined forces to shape the next generation of karate champions, with Martin Kove also back as evil sensei John Kreese. Xolo Maridueña, Mary Mouser, Tanner Buchanan, Peyton List, Jacob Bertrand, and Courtney Henggeler also return from previous seasons. All five episodes of Cobra Kai Season 6: Part 2 arrive on Netflix on November 15, 2024, and you can see the trailer below:
There isn’t much I look forward to as much as Cobra Kai, and I won’t have it much longer, so the promise of the middle set of episodes for season 6 is bittersweet. I’m glad it’s almost here, but I’m sad it’s almost gone. I imagine that’ll only get worse when the trailer for Part 3 comes out. But for now, we’re only partway to the end, and there’s plenty of good karate action and swipes at modern woke culture ahead next month. The personal stakes are high, as Daniel and Johnny’s different philosophies on life and martial arts threaten to butt heads once again, Tory has defected to Cobra Kai, and John Kreese is more determined than ever to crush his former star pupil and the Jersey punk who defeated him. And the whole world is watching now because they’re fighting in the Sekai Taikai, a world championship tournament held in Barcelona. This is a good expansion on the previous season’s themes, with Johnny and Daniel moving on from saving their community to trying to purge Kreese’s evil from the sport on a world stage. As much as I hate to see it go, I get why this has to be the end of the line for the show, because where do you go from here?
But my favorite part of the trailer is the implied threat to America’s standing and what it could mean for a show as in love with the 80s and classic Americana as Cobra Kai. The sensei of a new evil karate dojo called the Iron Dragons gives an anti-America speech, insulting us, calling us (not in so many words) weak, stupid, unprepared, and destined to lose in Barcelona, which he correctly pronounces “Bar-theh-lona.” And what happens next? Johnny Lawrence smugly responds, “It’s Bar-suh-lona, dipshit.”If this were anything else, I would assume the show was going to portray Johnny as an idiot and mock Americans through him because that’s what Hollywood is now. But this is Cobra Kai, and I know that’s not what they’re up to. And as if to assuage anyone’s fears, Johnny then tells his students to “wipe the smirks off their ugly faces.” I don’t know how any American doesn’t get up and cheer at that. This is the mentality that separated entertainment from generations past with the anti-American swill of today, and that’s what Cobra Kai has been about from the beginning: championing the old ways, the masculine mentality, the foot in the ass of a nihilistic youth. Beer-drinking, broad-loving, fist-fighting, flag-waving Johnny Lawrence is going to kick ass for America, and these miserable thugs are gonna be humiliated by everything they hate. And that’s why I love Cobra Kai.
Let us know what you think of the Cobra Kai Season 6: Part 2 trailer in the comments!
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I’m good with it ending now, for the most part. The instinctual reaction is to want it to stay forever, but the more shows that are run into the ground in later seasons, the more the argument for leaving on top strengthens. I think it’s even harder now because there’s very little to take its place. Great shows used to be a dime a dozen, but now, they’re few and far between.
There is a popular rumor that Terry Silver owns Iron Dragons. I hope not! I think bringing Terry Silver again would detract from Kreese and Wolf! These two should be the villains! And Master Kim (for part 3). Bringing Silver again, would really detract from others, especially Kreese and his scene in a cave!
I hadn’t heard that, but I agree. Terry Silver had a great ending with Daniel finally defeating him. He should be done now.
Cobra Kai and The Penguin has given us something. Looking forward to it as well. The characters are so strong in this show. Can’t blame Tory for feeling cheated and wanting to compete.
The trash talk about America opens up a can of worms. Many things can be said. Easterners say that what west lacks in technique, they make up for in aggression and “try hard.” Also, Easterners do things in a formal way, whereas, a lot of the American farm boys didn’t do things by the book, so they were unpredictable.
The one thing I like about UFC and MMA, is that a champion can come from anywhere. We see it in boxing, too and no reason it would not happen in Karate. Sometimes, Americans, Asians, we will see Arabs or Russian fighters. You never know when a location will heat up with a crop of talent.
One thing they used to say, is that with good writers, there is always more story, but I think it’s time to wrap it up. It may have gone on too long already. Have seen comments try to tell Marvel and Star Wars to take note of Cobra Kai and The Penguin and say, this is how you do a show. I like comments like that.
One idea for a spinoff reboot, but it would be woke, would be The Capoeira Kid. That way, you could take from both fight movies and shows and also, mix it with dancing shows and movies with rival dance schools. Could come with a Samba soundtrack. Thing is, it truly seems like westerners are the biggest consumers of programming and others don’t care or support as much. Hollywood never seemed to pick up on that and always tries to get the new modern audience and betraying the devoted loyalists.