Cobra Kai is no stranger to killing off notable characters, and two deaths in Season 6 changed the landscape of the Netflix series like never before.
The final season of The Karate Kid series continues with its fair share of ups and downs. The main storyline primarily focuses on Cobra Kai's prestigious Sekai Takai tournament and the accompanying allegiance, betrayal, and surprises.
Cobra Kai Season 6, Part 1 features one major death that progresses one character's story in an unexpected trajectory. Part 2 ends on a grim note that sets the stage for an emotional final batch of episodes.
Cobra Kai Season 6 Deaths Explained
Grace Nichols
Grace Nichols (Bethany DeZelle) is Tory's (Peyton List) mother who was left to take care of her children after her ex-husband abandoned them when they were young.
After being diagnosed with cancer in 2014 and being bedridden four years later (2018), Tory served as the family's breadwinner even though she was only in high school.
In Cobra Kai Season 6, Part 1, Grace suffered from a pulmonary embolism due to her kidney issues and died.
Tory's tragic storyline in Cobra Kai Season 6, Part 1 led her to the shocking decision to be Cobra Kai's captain instead of being part of the Miyagi-do dojo with her boyfriend, Robby, and the rest of her friends.
Kwon Jae-Sung
Cobra Kai newcomer Brandon H. Lee debuted in the final season as Kwon Jae-sung, a fierce competitor and the male captain of the new Cobra Kai dojo under John Kreese.
Kwon was a major antagonist against the Miyagi-do. Much of his villainy focused on tearing Robby and Tory apart by playing mind games with the former.
Aside from Robby, Kwon also made other enemies due to his cockiness and demeaning nature, specifically Axel Kovacevic (played by another Cobra Kai newbie Patrick Luwis) of the Sekai Taikai-leading Iron Dragons.
During the massive brawl in Cobra Kai Season 6, Episode 10, Kwon targeted Axel numerous times, but the Iron Dragons captain was an expert fighter, which frustrated Kwon.
After finding a knife that originally belonged to John Kreese in the mat, Kwon attempted to use it on Axel. Still, he accidentally impaled himself with it, leading to his tragic death.
Kwon's death left everyone in shock, prompting Gunther Braun (the tournament host) to cut the camera feed of the Sekai Taikai tournament, ending Season 6, Part 2 on a devastating note.
Which Other Characters Died in Cobra Kai's Previous Seasons?
Mr. Miyagi
Although Cobra Kai focused on the next generation of karate fighters of the Miyagi-do and Cobra Kai, there is no denying that Pat Morita's Mr. Miyagi is the show's anchor.
The Netflix series revealed that Mr. Miyagi died peacefully at the age of 93 on November 15, 2011. Despite his death, Mr. Miyagi's story is far from over.
The ending of Cobra Kai Season 6, Part 2 revealed that Mr. Miyagi participated in the Sekai Taikai tournament as one of the captains, and his opponent died after their match.
This storyline is expected to play a major part in Cobra Kai Season 6, Part 3, which will be released in February 2025.
Laura Lawrence
Laura Lawrence (Candace Moon) is Johnny's (William Zabka) mother, who died in 2002 before his eldest son, Robby, was born.
Johnny loved his mother so much, and this was cemented via flashbacks from Cobra Kai Season 1. In these flashbacks, Laura protects Johnny from his stepfather, Sid, and encourages him to follow his interests, which leads him toward karate.
Ponytail
Ponytail (Seth Kemp) is one of John Kreese's friends and fellow soldiers who was killed in front of him during the Vietnam War.
Kreese blamed himself for it because he hesitated in detonating the bomb in the first place, which would've blown up one of the enemies' bases of operations.
Clarence
Clarence is the name of the hamster that John Kreese fed to a snake to teach his students a lesson about having no mercy for opponents.
Bert (Owen Morgan) and the other students refused to give the hamster up, which was the main reason Kreese kicked them out of the Cobra Kai dojo.
Betsy
Betsy (Emily Marie Palmer) is John Kreese's girlfriend from the 1960s, whom he promised to return to after his stint with the army.
However, Betsy tragically died in a car accident while she was on her way to her grandmother's house. It was also revealed that Kreese's commanding officer hid the truth from him because he felt it would distract his soldier from his mission.
Captain Turner
Captain George Turner (Terry Serpico) was John Kreese and Terry Silver's commander officer during their time with the army.
He was the one who hid the truth behind Betsy's death from Kreese before revealing it to him before their death match inside a snake pit.
An enraged Kreese left him to fall to his death after the U.S. Air Force bombed the Vietnam compound they were in.
Tommy
Tommy (Rob Garrison) was a former member of the Cobra Kai dojo in The Karate Kid movies and a longtime friend of Johnny Lawrence.
Cobra Kai Season 2 revealed that Tommy has been suffering from cancer and was on the brink of death. Johnny and his friends decided to sneak Tommy out of the hospital for one final road trip and go camping just like in the old days.
Tommy died peacefully in his sleep after one final night of great memories with his friends.
The first 10 episodes of Cobra Kai Season 6 are streaming on Netflix.
