Cobra Kai season 6 needs to unite Johnny and Chozen for another team-up, if for no other reason than to redeem a humiliating moment in season 5.
To redeem a humiliation from the previous chapter, Cobra Kai season 6 needs to pair off Chozen and Johnny for another big fight. Played by Yuji Okumoto and William Zabka respectively, Chozen Toguchi and Johnny Lawrence crossed paths for the first time in Cobra Kai season 5 and are likely to share the screen again when the Netflix series returns. Though their first meeting was brushed over in season 5, the series still found room to give the two some screen time together, as well as an opportunity to fight on the same side.
With Cobra Kai poised to shut down in the wake of Terry Silver’s defeat in Cobra Kai season 5’s ending, there was reason to suspect that Chozen would return to Okinawa and perhaps not be a major part of the final season. Those concerns were alleviated with the release of the behind-the-scenes photo of the Cobra Kai season 6 cast. Chozen was standing alongside Daniel and Johnny as they faced a large gathering of students. Based on this detail, Johnny and Chozen should be in a position to work together again, which should enable Cobra Kai season 6 to correct a missed opportunity.
Johnny & Chozen’s Big Team-Up Didn’t Live Up To Its Potential (& Season 5’s Finale Proved It)
As the main antagonists of the first two Karate Kid films, the inevitability of Johnny and Chozen sharing scenes generated a great deal of excitement ahead of Cobra Kai season 5. The series itself played up the alliance by teasing a team-up between the two in the marketing. However, the specific team-up that Cobra Kai’s trailers previewed ultimately didn’t live up to its potential, as evidenced by the fight in Terry Silver’s house. When Johnny and Chozen fought together for the first time, they found themselves nearly evenly matched against Sensei Hyan-Woo, even though the character was later relegated to the role of a simple henchman.
Johnny and Chozen are considered to be among the best adult fighters in The Karate Kid franchise, yet even with their talents combined, they couldn’t get a decisive win against a single opponent. At the time, the fight served the purpose of showcasing the skills of Silver’s new allies, but as the finale indicated, Johnny and Chozen should have been able to beat Hyan-woo. After all, Johnny handled many of Silver’s henchmen by himself, Hyan-woo included. The results of this fight go to show that Johnny and Chozen are capable of doing a lot better than what was on display at the Topanga Karate dojo.
How Cobra Kai Season 6 Can Redeem Johnny & Chozen’s First Team-Up
Though the dojo war with Terry Silver has ended, the nature of Cobra Kai makes it a certainty that more conflict will arise when the show continues. That being the case should open the door for Johnny and Chozen to redeem their first team-up. Arguably the simplest way of pulling this off would be to pit the former Karate Kid villains against a group of enemies. Rather than making Johnny deal with the bulk of them alone as he did in season 5’s finale, the series can force Johnny and Chozen to use teamwork to win. Doing so can fully unleash their potential as a karate duo.
What they can accomplish individually speaks volumes about what the two can do together. In Cobra Kai season 5, episode 3, Chozen single-handedly took down a group of well-trained karate instructors acting at Terry Silver’s behest. Johnny’s greatest feat is just as impressive – if not more so – considering that he had to fight senseis who were likely even better fighters. If allowed to fight at their peaks in Cobra Kai season 6, Johnny and Chozen will have what it takes to deliver one of the most exciting brawls in Cobra Kai history, beating up a legion of skilled fighters in the process.
Johnny & Chozen Are Already One Of Cobra Kai’s Best Friendships
Doing justice to the idea of a Johnny and Chozen team-up would amount to icing on the cake in terms of what the show has done with the two characters. They haven’t interacted as much as others, but already enjoy one of the show’s most likeable character dynamics. The humorous, back-and-forth banter between the two as they compared their friendships with Daniel showed that action isn’t the only thing to expect from their team-ups. Interestingly, their conversation in season 5’s penultimate episode showed that they can also bring out different sides to each other.
It’s worth noting that it was to Johnny that Chozen first expressed his love for Kumiko. Chozen doesn’t often speak about his own feelings, but opened up to Johnny, which says a lot about the connection they share. Johnny too was quick to tell Chozen about the hardships he’s experienced. As former villains who have a lot to regret about their pasts and missed opportunities, it only makes sense that characters like Johnny and Chozen would be able to relate to one another. The handling of their dynamic in season 5, combined with the likelihood of more chances for a team-up, provides hope that Cobra Kai season 6 will do right by both characters.
