By Demetrius Patterson
For fans of the original Karate Kid films and the Cobra Kai series, the drama, action, and characters have kept audiences captivated for six seasons. Recently, The Hollywood Reporter spoke with the creators — Josh Heald, Jon Hurwitz, and Hayden Schlossberg — to discuss the series finale, the climatic scene where two villains took their final bow, the return of Mr. Miyagi, their meta cameos, and a Back to the Future pitch.
[This story contains spoilers from the series finale of Cobra Kai.]
Redemption and the Johnny Lawrence Arc
In a past conversation, Heald had noted that one of the main arcs of the series was the redemption of Johnny Lawrence. Hurwitz explained that they knew from the very beginning that the pent-up trauma and hurt between Johnny and Sensei Kreese (Martin Kove) would be the critical point for the show’s conclusion. Hurwitz revealed that the scene showing Johnny’s trauma from losing a karate tournament, and the rejection and abuse from Sensei Kreese, was always intended to be the linchpin for the show’s conclusion. He noted that the journey of the two characters was designed to bring them to terms with that moment and their past, even if Johnny never fully forgave Kreese.
“It was important to us, not that Johnny ever forgave Kreese, because some of what Kreese did was unforgivable, but for him to come to terms with Kreese and be able to move on,” Hurwitz said. “And embrace the parts of himself that Kreese gave him that he still loves, like what he learned in Cobra Kai, only in his own way.”
For Kreese, Hurwitz explained, the goal was for him to see the error of his ways and finally apologize to Johnny, and ultimately sacrifice himself to help Johnny and the others in the series finale.
The Return of Mr. Miyagi
Another key element was Daniel LaRusso’s dream. Heald shared that this season was about uncovering “the skeletons in Mr. Miyagi’s closet,” leading Daniel to question whether Mr. Miyagi was the good man he thought he was. The creators of the series decided to treat Mr. Miyagi as a human being, according to Heald.
“We obviously couldn’t tell a story with Pat Morita while making this series, but we, along with Ralph, were really creating the idea of telling a Daniel and Miyagi story in a new way,” Heald said. He also said there’s more value in dealing with that complexity than in just continuing to honor the legacy of his character and the way we have season after season.”
In the dream sequence where Mr. Miyagi returns, Heald explained that it was important for the character to put Daniel at ease and remind both Daniel and the audience of the power of the relationship between the two men.
Johnny and Daniel’s Friendship
When asked about the evolution of the friendship between Johnny and Daniel, Schlossberg described it as an “Odd Couple” relationship. They learned to see the value in each other but maintained their own styles. Johnny would not conform to Miyagi-do, and Daniel would not conform to Cobra Kai.
A Back to the Future Spinoff
In the final episode, Hurwitz and Heald made a cameo, discussing ideas for a new series based on Back to the Future. The creators suggested a series set in an alternate 1985, with Michael J. Fox directing.
“It was a meta thing, the way we were talking, pulled from the when we were first conceiving Cobra Kai,” Hurwitz said. “But in this in this case, we were discussing a spinoff series of Back to the Future. So it was something that we know will almost certainly never happen, given the point of view of Bob Zemeckis and Bob Gale not wanting there to be another Back to the Future thing or project going forward. That being said, if they happen to watch the final episode of Cobra Kai and then want to hear more, that’s the start of our pitch.”
Balancing the Story
Heald explained that the series was a “bell curve,” and that the final episodes gave room to the characters’ final moments. Johnny and Daniel’s stories were given extra focus.
“As we began to wind down and head toward the sunset, we start making room for final moments for every character,” Heald said. “But I think the lasting impact, especially as you’re heading into the final episode, is a reminder that the big hanging chads, the big question mark, is what’s going to happen for Johnny and Daniel, and particularly Johnny.”
Heald also noted the importance of the final battle, describing the feeling of entering a final fight. He said, “When you’re entering a final fight, you want the audience to feel the actual tension of what’s going to happen.”
Kreese’s actions leading up to the series finale were also discussed. Schlossberg noted that Kreese was prepared to do whatever it took, including making the ultimate sacrifice to help Johnny. He also mentioned the idea of a “villain versus villain” scenario with Terry Silver, and his decision tied to Kreese’s redemption.
“We love the idea that both Terry Silver and John Kreese both feel like they’re going to hell,” Schlossberg said.
