If Cobra Kai season 6’s Sekai Taikai tournament continues, Zara Malik (Rayna Vallandingham) should win the girls’ championship, not Samantha LaRusso (Mary Mouser) or Tory Nichols (Peyton List). The Sekai Taikai could potentially be canceled following the tragic death of Cobra Kai’s male captain, Kwon Jae-Sung (Brandon H. Lee). But the girls’ side of the tournament needs only to determine whether Tory or Sam will face Zara Malik for the world championship if the Sekai Taikai isn’t called off.
Sam LaRusso and Tory Nichols finally became friends earlier in Cobra Kai season 6, but Tory leaving Miyagi-Do to become Cobra Kai’s female captain puts the two former rivals on opposite sides of the mat once more. Neither Sam nor Tory want to go back to hating and fighting each other, but they each have reasons to win the Sekai Taikai. Tory needs to win to fulfill her promise to her dead mother, while Sam feels the pressure to live up to her father, Daniel LaRusso’s (Ralph Macchio) legacy. But Zara Malik outclasses them both.
Why Zara Malik Should Win Cobra Kai’s Sekai Taikai, Not Sam Or Tory
Cobra Kai season 6, part 2 has clearly established Zara Malik of the Iron Dragons dojo is the best female fighter in the Sekai Taikai. Played by 13-time World Champion Rayna Vallandingham, Zara is the most gifted and authentic female martial artist Cobra Kai has ever seen. Zara is also presented as an unbeatable star, and she is undefeated in the Sekai Taikai thus far. As skilled as Sam and Tory are, Zara is in a league of her own, and she has none of the emotional baggage or inner doubt LaRusso and Nichols harbor. Frankly, it wouldn’t make sense for Zara to lose to either Sam or Tory, as neither of them have shown they’re the best fighter in the world.
Zara calls herself “The Queen of Karate,” and Cobra Kai has already proven she’s more than hype. Losing to Zara would not only be logical, but it makes more sense for Sam and Tory’s stories as Cobra Kai winds down. Sam failing to win the Sekai Taikai would confirm that she can’t win tournaments, but the true value of Miyagi-Do isn’t in trophies. Tory, meanwhile, has already questioned to Sensei Kim Da-Eun (Alicia Hannah-Kim) whether the sacrifice of karate is “worth it.” Zara Malik knows it is, and there’s no reason why Zara wouldn’t dominate Tory or Sam to prove she’s the true champion of the world.
Losing to Nichols or LaRusso on the grandest stage in karate would decimate Zara’s reputation and earning potential.
Zara Malik also has more to lose if she doesn’t leave the Sekai Taikai as world champion. Unlike Sam and Tory, who only have their own personal pride on the line, Zara is a social media influencer with corporate sponsors. Losing to Nichols or LaRusso on the grandest stage in karate would decimate Zara’s reputation and earning potential.
While Cobra Kai presents Zara as a villain who tried to break up Tory and Robby Keene (Tanner Buchanan), on the mat, there is no indication that Malik has flaws in her karate game. If the Sekai Taikai does continue in Cobra Kai season 6, part 3, Zara Malik is the only female winner who makes sense based on how Cobra Kai’s tourament has played out.
Sam & Tory’s Futures Aren’t About Karate, Unlike Zara Malik
As much as it would mean to Sam LaRusso to win the Sekai Taikai, her life doesn’t depend on becoming a karate world champion. Sam is one of the best fighters in Miyagi-Do, but LaRusso’s future isn’t in karate. When Sam graduates high school, she will go to college and karate will just be a phase of her teenage past. It’s likely Samantha will find a career that has nothing to do with karate and become a success, just as Daniel became affluent by running LaRusso Luxury Motors all over the San Fernando Valley before karate came back into his life.
Tory Nichols’ future is more uncertain, and she does need the affirmation that being a Sekai Taikai world champion would bring. Yet, Tory is only back in Cobra Kai as a means to an end, and she’s still conflicted about her friendships, her place in Miyagi-Do, her trust in John Kreese (Martin Kove), and what karate even means to her. Tory is too unbalanced to win the Sekai Taikai, while Sam is worthy but can survive without it. Zara Malik is the fighter who must win the Sekai Taikai if the tournament continues Cobra Kai season 6, part 3.
