Cobra Kai's ending sets the stage for the ultimate winner of the Sekai Taikai Tournament, but Season 6, Part 2's brutal ending of the Netflix series could derail the celebration.
The Sekai Taikai is the most prestigious international martial arts tournament in the Cobra Kai series, and every dojo has been vying for the right to be crowned champion. In Season 6, the tournament is set in Barcelona and includes a plethora of dojos around the world.
The tournament serves as the backdrop of the final season and is considered the Olympics in the karate world. Additionally, this event will help serve as an epic send-off for the show, as Cobra Kai was confirmed to end with Season 6.
What Happened In Cobra Kai Season 6 Part 2's Sekai Taikai Semifinals?
Much of Cobra Kai Season 6, Part 2 features major twists and turns, none bigger than the return of the show's overarching villain, Terry Silver, who returns as part of the cast of Cobra Kai Season 6.
Silver was revealed to be the sponsor of the Iron Dragons, a dojo led by the ruthless Sensei Wolf (Lewis Tan). The Iron Dragons is one of the remaining four dojos in the Sekai Taikai tournament semifinals alongside Furia De Pantera, Cobra Kai, and Miyagi-Do.
Although Miyagi-Do defeated Cobra Kai in the quarterfinals and sent them packing, Russia's Udar Tigra dojo, the original semifinalist, was eliminated from the competition after four of its students tested positive for performance-enhancing drugs.
What made Sekai Taikai's semifinal round different from the other rounds is the fact that only the two champions for each dojo will fight for the crown.
Below is a recap of each of the two champions for each dojo:
- Miyagi-do - Samantha LaRusso (Mary Mouser) and Robby Keene (Tanner Buchanan)
- Cobra Kai - Tory Nichols (Peyton List) and Kwon (Brandon H. Lee)
- Iron Dragons - Axel Kovacevic (Patrick Lewus) and Zara Malik (Rayna Vallandingham)
- Furia De Pantera - Diego Aguilar (Justin Ortiz) and Maria Àlvarez (Jewelianna Ramos-Ortiz)
Kwon easily defeated Diego Aguilar via knockout in the semifinal round, making him the first to land a spot in the boys' finals. Zara then bested Maria to cement her spot in the girls' finals.
The loss of Aguilar and Àlvarez instantly eliminated the Furia De Pantera from the tournament.
A finals spot was up for grabs between the Iron Dragons' Axel and Miyagi-do's Robby. However, things drastically turned after a cheap shot from Kwon to Robby from the sidelines changed everything.
Sekai Taikai's All-Out Brawl & Tragic Death Explained
Cobra Kai Season 6, Part 2 ended with an all-out brawl in the Sekai Taikai after the disqualified Udar Tigra dojo's disgraced sensei came back to wreak havoc.
The brawl features many notable battles, such as Miyagi-do's Chozen (Yuji Okumoto) and Cobra Kai's Sensei Kim (Alicia Hannah-Kim) working together to defeat the two Russian sensei who started it all, Daniel LaRusso (Ralph Macchio) fighting off an enemy from his past, and a showdown between Terry Silver (Thomas Ian Griffith) and John Kreese (Martin Kove).
As for the young ones, Tori and Robby teamed up to pacify Zara Malik, Sam fights off the other Cobra Kai members, and Miguel (Xolo Maridueña) clashes with Axel.
Amid the chaos, Kreese lost the knife that he was supposed to use to kill Silver once and for all, and it ended up in Kwon's hand.
Kwon, with the knife in his hand, charged Axel with a flying kick, but the latter countered, leading Kwon to fall to the floor and land on the blade.
Kwon's lifeless body and everyone looking in terror served as the final shot of Cobra Kai Season 6, Episode 9, leaving viewers stunned to wonder if the Sekai Taikai will resume or not.
Learn more about the milestones of Brandon H. Lee who plays Kwon in the Cobra Kai series.
Who Wins the Sekai Taikai? Predictions Explained
At this stage, it remains to be seen if the Sekai Taikai will continue after Kwon's tragic death and the brutal all-out war that happened on live television.
Kwon's death could be the main reason why Cobra Kai would decide to forfeit their spot, considering that he is the male champion of the said dojo.
Still, given Kreese's competitiveness, he could easily find a replacement for Kwon from his team. However, his horrified look at the end of Episode 10 suggests that he would honor his student by giving up the spot in the boys' finals.
One of the leaks from Reddit suggests that a finals match between Cobra Kai and Iron Dragons will happen in the Valley, but this is pure speculation at this point.
It's also possible that the remaining dojos will forfeit after the tragic events of the brawl, leaving Sekai Taikai without a winner for the first time in history.
Speaking with Collider, Cobra Kai showrunner Hayden Schlossberg teased the possibility of a time jump after the tragic ending, potentially indicating that Part 3 could move away from the Sekai Taikai:
"Anything is possible. I will say, you know we're going to be covering the span of time that our students on the show graduate high school. So, you know, we're going to leave the series with you knowing where their childhoods ended up and as they go off into adulthood. So, I can't say exactly what happens in episode 611, and whether we're still on the mat with Kwon’s blood or if we're years later in Nantucket at Miguel's Crab Shack, but you'll find out the fate of our characters."
Kwon's death could serve as the wake-up call needed to finally end the bad blood between Miyagi-do and Cobra Kai, putting aside their differences once and for all to honor the student.
Having no winner in the Sekai Taikai is actually a great way to move forward for these characters since it paves the way for them to reflect on what's important since recklessness could only lead to something dire and no one wants that.
Seeing Terry Silver and John Kreese look horrified over Kwon's death serves as a tease of what's to come. It goes to show that no matter how evil and unpredictable a person is, there is still some sort of humanity left inside them.
All episodes of Cobra Kai Season 6, Part 2 are streaming on Netflix.
Read more about the possible release date of Cobra Kai Season 6, Part 3 on Netflix.
