Cobra Kai Season 6 Part 1 Creators On Sekai Taikai, Mr. Miyagi Mystery & Closing Out Karate Kid Show

Summary Cobra Kai season 6 explores the final big battle between Miyagi-Do and the titular dojo, once again led by Kreese following his escape from prison.

The show's creators discuss the challenges and rewards of developing the final season, focusing on the Sekai Taikai tournament and character development.

Daniel discovers a mysterious box about Mr. Miyagi, revealing his past and challenging Daniel's perception of his mentor.

The world of Cobra Kai is coming to a close with season 6. The Karate Kid sequel show has explored the renewed rivalry between Ralph Macchio's Daniel LaRusso and William Zabka's Johnny Lawrence, as well as their growth beyond their past in order to teach their offspring and friends the right life lessons. In addition to Daniel and Johnny, the show has offered some meaningful growth for former Karate Kid Part II villain, Chozen, while also featuring the menacing returns of John Kreese and Terry Silver.

Cobra Kai season 6, which is being split into three parts, will pick up a few months after the season 5 finale, in which the titular dojo run by Silver was dismantled, and he was sent to prison, creating a sense of peace in the Valley. As they gear up to combine the forces of Miyagi-Do and Eagle Fang to compete at the Sekai Taikai, Daniel and Johnny will face very different emotional challenges as Kreese returns with a newly formed Cobra Kai after escaping from prison, while Daniel also discovers a mysterious box in Miyagi-Do hidden by his late sensei that sends him on an emotional downward spiral.

Related Cobra Kai Season 6: All 15 Confirmed Members Of Johnny & Daniel's Dojo With Terry Silver finally defeated, plenty of students look set to align themselves with Johnny and Daniel in the final season of Cobra Kai.

Macchio and Zabka return to lead the ensemble Cobra Kai season 6 part 1 cast alongside Courtney Henggeler, Xolo Maridueña, Tanner Buchanan, Mary Mouser, Jacob Bertrand, Peyton List, Dallas Dupree Young, Vanessa Rubio, Martin Kove, Gianni DeCenzo, Yuji Okumoto and Alicia Hannah-Kim. Raising the stakes in a different manner for Daniel and Johnny, as well as their students, the Karate Kid sequel show is going out on a very high note.

In anticipation of the show's return, Screen Rant interviewed creators/showrunners Josh Heald, Jon Hurwitz, and Hayden Schlossberg to discuss Cobra Kai season 6 part 1, how they went about building the final season of the Netflix hit, the expansion of the Sekai Taikai after season 5's introduction of the tournament, and what to expect from the Mr. Miyagi mystery.

Developing Cobra Kai's Final Season Was "Challenging & Rewarding" For The Team

Image via Netflix

With five acclaimed seasons already under their belt, one would think that developing another season of Cobra Kai would be a breeze for Heald, Hurwitz, and Schlossberg, even if it's meant to close out the Karate Kid sequel show. In reflecting on the development of season 6, Heald and Hurwitz acknowledged that it was "challenging and rewarding", particularly as they sought to deliver something that "gives you the feels":

Josh Heald: Every part of it was challenging and rewarding. We wanted to build upon the premise of what the Sekai Taikai is and will become in this season, and make sure that it's as bombastic and interesting as possible when you have a world tournament that brings with it world tournament fighters, and it brings with it events. You have to start thinking of this tournament differently than any tournament you've seen on this show, or in this franchise before. It's an animal unto itself. So that was one. Secondly, it's just the variety and amount of characters that we have in this universe right now that we care about that are important to the fandom and making sure that everybody is landing in a way that is satisfying, that it's enjoyable, that it's unexpected. That it gives you the feels, be they triumphant, tragic or otherwise, and making sure that we can deliver upon what was in our brains seven or eight years ago, when we first cooked up this idea, and staying true to our original intent. And doing it the way that we planned while being mindful of all of that. Jon Hurwitz: Josh covered a lot there. For me, I think the biggest thing was juggling the amount of characters that we had, while also, when you have this new tournament, introducing more new characters. So, it's a half-hour show, yes, we have 15 episodes this year, but you want to make sure that everybody has their time and place to shine, and that you're telling full and robust stories that are compelling, and then bringing in new characters within that, that you get to quickly, but are impactful. So, there was a lot going on this year. Doing 15 episodes instead of 10 in a season was a whole other challenge, but it was real fun. We were all energized to get back in the dojo, and we're very thrilled with the results.

Mr. Miyagi's Mystery Will Be "Very Frustrating" For Daniel

Image via Netflix

As teased in the trailer, Cobra Kai season 6 part 1 will see Daniel discover a box full of secrets from Mr. Miyagi's past, which leaves him visibly shaken. Though Schlossberg remains mum on what exactly is in the box, he does confirm that they will reveal he "wasn't necessarily born a sage" and will be "very frustrating for Daniel", though is more meant to be "trying to understand the past" of Pat Morita's character:

Hayden Schlossberg: We came at the Mr. Miyagi storyline in season 6 from a place of trying to understand the past, while not having all the answers, and it's very frustrating for Daniel to find out all these secrets about Mr. Miyagi that he had kept from Daniel, while not having all the answers at his disposal. It's something that we just felt was a continuation of the story that we've been tracking with Daniel this whole time, which is him taking on the Miyagi role for a new generation, instilling Miyagi-Do philosophy to his kids and the other students there. The big conflict that Daniel has this season is realizing that his mentor, who he thought was the most perfect, ideal person of all time, actually had flaws. And I think, for us, we were okay with that, because we always assumed that Mr. Miyagi was a human being, and that he wasn't necessarily born a sage, he wasn't born as somebody who had all the answers. This season, you're gonna get a little taste of that, and the hope is that it's not something that upends what you think about Miyagi, but instead kind of paints a deeper picture of him. But for the here and now, it rocks Daniel to his core, and it's something that's throwing a wrench into his mojo at a time when the students need him at his best.

About Cobra Kai Season 6 Part 1

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With Cobra Kai eliminated from the Valley, our senseis and students must decide if and how they will compete in the Sekai Taikai — the world championships of karate.

Cobra Kai is written and executive produced by Josh Heald, Jon Hurwitz and Hayden Schlossberg via their production company, Counterbalance Entertainment. Will Smith, James Lassiter and Caleeb Pinkett executive produce for Westbrook Entertainment along with Susan Ekins in association with Sony Pictures Television. Ralph Macchio and William Zabka also serve as executive producers.

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Stay tuned for our other Cobra Kai season 6 part 1 interviews with:

Ralph Macchio, William Zabka & Yuji Okumoto

Peyton List, Mary Mouser, Xolo Maridueña, Tanner Buchanan, Jacob Bertrand, Gianni DeCenzo

Cobra Kai season 6 part 1 begins streaming on Netflix on July 18, followed by part 2 on November 28, with a finale event in 2025.

Source: Screen Rant Plus