A Forgotten Season 4 Character Could Reveal Another Reason For Cobra Kai’s Huge Tory Twist
A single scene in Cobra Kai could provide further justification for Tory’s decision to side with Kreese. In what was one of the new season’s biggest twists, it was revealed that after leaving Miyagi-Do’s Sekai Taikai team, Tory Nichols took up Kreese’s offer. So despite finally making peace with Sam and the others in Cobra Kai season 5’s ending, she’ll be back on Kreese’s side for the upcoming Sekai Taikai tournament.
As Tory’s decision was only revealed at the end of Cobra Kai season 6 part 1, her reasons for her actions have yet to be fully articulated onscreen. Given that a significant amount of time clearly passed between the selection of the team member and the start of the tournament, there’s a good chance that the show will find room for flashbacks to fill in some gaps, particularly when it comes to Tory’s story. After all, Tory having a brother creates a complication when it comes to her moving to South Korea with Kreese. But with flashbacks, the show could make sense of this with the inclusion of a character that only appeared once in the series.
Tory’s Aunt Could Have Gained Custody Of Her Brother
It’s no secret what Tory’s priorities have been: taking care of her mother and her younger brother, Brandon. The death of Tory’s mother in Cobra Kai has upended her life, but that doesn’t create a pathway for Tory to walk away and start over somewhere fresh since she has Brandon to concern herself with. Because of him, what happened in Cobra Kai season 6 part 1’s ending couldn’t be as simple as Tory joining Kreese out of anger toward Miyagi-Do. It’s all but guaranteed that Brandon’s welfare factored into her decision-making, and that could be where their aunt comes back into play.
Introduced in a season 4 episode as Tory’s aunt, Kandace was depicted as a rather despicable person, someone whose only interest in the family was her sister’s disability checks. Bringing up the possibility of Tory’s mom dying, Kandace threatened to engage in a potential custody battle over Brandon with Tory. Kandace never returned so the threat she posed went away after this, but now that the scenario she entertained has come to pass, it’s worth wondering if Kandace did indeed re-enter Tory’s life prior to the tournament. It’s very possible that Kandace gained temporary custody over Brandon.
If Kandace has Brandon, even if that’s a horrible outcome for Tory, that would free her up to leave the country, which is naturally what it would take for her to join with Kreese. Presumably, she spent months in South Korea training at Kim Sun-Yung’s dojo with Kreese, Kim Da-Eun, Kwon, and the others. As long as Brandon has at least someone looking after him, Tory may have been willing to be apart from him for a while, especially if she intends to use the Sekai Taikai tournament to get him back.
Why A Custody Battle Over Brandon Could Be Motivating Tory
As the show made clear early on in season 6, the spotlight will be firmly on the male and female team captains since they’ll be the ones facing off in individual, televised matches. From the looks of things, the other fighters will only be participating in the :”team events” and therefore can’t “win” the Sekai Taikai. If Amanda and Daniel stopping her from scoring a point against Sam convinced Tory that Kreese was right when he said that she will never be put above Sam, she could have a legitimate reason for believing that Kreese’s team is the only shot she has of winning the tournament. She can’t do that if Sam gets the female captain position.
Having that role is really important, especially due to the recognition and benefits that could come with it. If she could win a high-profile, international martial arts tournament, she could potentially create a bright future for herself and open up new opportunities not available to her. This could reflect favorably on her if she does try to fight Kandace in court over Brandon.
Such a course would also avoid Cobra Kai repeating Tory’s villain arcs in the series. Having her join Kreese to get back at Miyagi-Do wouldn’t be much different from her revenge-driven past where she was utilized as an antagonist. But if Cobra Kai justifies her choice with her winning possibly producing a good outcome, the show can see that Tory’s character journey doesn’t take a step backward. If that happens, Cobra Kai can make the inevitable battle between Tory and Sam less black-and-white, making each a fighter viewers can root for.
Additional Reasons Tory Could Have For Joining Kreese
Brandon’s situation could have a lot to do with why Tory would be willing to join Kreese’s Sekai Taikai team, but it alone most likely doesn’t explain her decision. Apart from that and believing that only with Kreese can she compete for the title, there’s also the matter of her relationships with the senseis (or lack thereof). Ahead of Cobra Kai season 6’s release, there were theories that the series would build on a Chozen-Tory scene from season 5 to give her a mentor within Myagi-Do, but the series ultimately didn’t take this course, nor did it offer any storylines where she found common ground with Johnny or Daniel.
So while Tory has developed bonds with her fellow students, she’s never had a strong connection to any of the senseis or a reason to care about or respect Miyagi-Do’s teachings.
So while Tory has developed bonds with her fellow students, she’s never had a strong connection to any of the senseis or a reason to care about or respect Miyagi-Do’s teachings. If it comes to choosing between the dojo and Cobra Kai, Kreese could hold the advantage in that area. He, at least, had a rapport with her and clearly values her as a student. As he said himself, she is his champion, but just one of their many students to Daniel, Johnny, and Chozen. Not only that, but Kreese is responsible for the fighter Tory has become, and it’s hard to imagine that fact being overlooked by Tory.
