Daniel LaRusso's quest for the truth about his former master, Mr. Miyagi, has led him to a dangerous path while the Sekai Taikai tournament is ongoing in Cobra Kai Season 6, Part 2.
The bond forged between Daniel and Mr. Miyagi served as the emotional anchor of Netflix's Cobra Kai series. Daniel even used most of the wisdom that he learned from Mr. Miyagi to impart lessons to his students at the Miyagi-do.
While Mr. Miyagi is an incredible sensei, he also has a dark past, such as his criminal ties that Daniel unearthed in Season 6, Part 1, and his Sekai Takai history in Part 2.
Miyagi Vs. Claramunt Explained
Cobra Kai Season 6, Part 1's ending revealed that Daniel LaRusso (Ralph Macchio who leads the cast of Cobra Kai Season 6) has learned that Mr. Miyagi was once a captain of one of the dojos that participated in a Sekai Taikai tournament in the 1940s.
This revelation led Daniel on a quest to learn the truth about Miyagi's involvement in the prestigious international tournament while he joined his daughter and his students in the present-day Sekai Taikai tournament in Barcelona.
After being kidnapped by the goons of the returning Terry Silver during his search for the truth in Cobra Kai Season 6, Episode 7, Daniel escaped, but he missed one of the rounds of the Sekai Taikai.
Still, Silver used his influence to retrieve a document that would help Daniel unpack the truth about Miyagi's Sekai Taikai participation.
Shockingly, Daniel learned that Miyagi's opponent, whose name is Claramunt, died after their match, with the document simply saying "Death" in the results column.
The Sekai Taikai's authorities even confirmed that the document is authentic and the death sadly happened, meaning that Silver is telling the truth about Miyagi.
The fact that Mr. Miyagi killed his opponent, may it be accidental or not, is a disturbing fact tied to Danny's soft-spoken yet tough mentor.
How Mr. Miyagi's Dark Sekai Taikai Past Affects Daniel LaRusso
Cobra Kai Season 6, Part 2's ending made it clear that the revelation about Mr. Miyagi greatly affected Daniel.
In fact, in Season 6, Episode 10, Daniel dreamt about fighting a younger version of Mr. Miyagi before he transforms into an older Miyagi who tells his student, "Miyagi never tell you everything, Daniel-san, because you were never strong enough to accept [the] truth."
This revelation appeared to force Daniel to reflect on the past teachings and his experience working together with his master.
While Daniel already dismissed Miyagi's reckless criminal acts in the past, the fact that death was involved in one of his former master's fights has a much emotional weight to carry.
It's possible that Daniel will dig deeper and learn more about the truth that happened in Miyagi's prominent Sekai Taikai match in Cobra Kai Season 6, Part 3 (which is set to premiere on February 13, 2025).
Speaking with Today, Ralph Maccio reassured fans that the revelation about Miyagi in Cobra Kai Season 6, Part 2 is not designed to "taint" the essence of the character, pointing out, "We're all human, and everyone has flaws:"
"We never want to taint who the essence of that character was. But we’re all human, and everyone has flaws."
This dark time in Miyagi's Sekai Taikai past could've served as the ultimate turn that he needed to transform into the wise mentor that fans know and love in The Karate Kid movies.
All episodes of Cobra Kai Season 6, Part 2 are streaming on Netflix.
