Cobra Kai Season 6’s Shocking Sekai Taikai Death Shows Exactly Why Ralph Macchio & Jackie Chan’s Karate Kid Reboot Is A Baffling Idea

Cobra Kai beautifully navigates dark and intense topics in the series, as seen by the shocking death scene from the final episode of season 6, part 2. While Cobra Kai began as a continuation of The Karate Kid movies which came out in the 1980s and 1990s, the series has continually adapted and developed an independent voice and style from the original films. The Karate Kid movies were tongue-in-cheek action movies that were indicative of the time in which they were made, but they aren’t a great fit for modern audiences.

Instead, Cobra Kai’s style, of a more mature and intense action series, which dips into darker themes and tones, but retains the comedy and fun elements at the same time, feels far more modern. And, over the course of the series, this has proven to be a hit with the audience, who have praised and celebrated the series for its ability to play with these styles, and avoid being held back. But the upcoming Karate Kid movie is set to erase all this progress in favor of a new story, and it doesn’t make sense.

Cobra Kai Season 6’s Shocking Death Shows How The Franchise’s Tone Has Darkened

Cobra Kai season 1 leaned into a slapstick comedy style, and while it featured intense karate fights, the show did not yet have a good grip on what it was about. However, it wasn’t long before the show pushed boundaries, and began exploring darker topics. Miguel being hospitalized and paralyzed by Robby, Robby being sent to prison, Stingray being hospitalized, and Kreese and Terry Silver’s brutality were all elements that explored much darker topics than anything in the Karate Kid movies. However, in Cobra Kai season 6, episode 10, the show took a nosedive into potentially the darkest plot development yet.

Kwon, one of the boys competing in the Sekai Taikai under the Cobra Kai banner, participated in an all-out brawl which broke out during a key match. Kwon was a hot-headed fighter, who believed he was better than everyone else, but was prone to lashing out and acting in extreme ways. With this in mind, he took a knife which sensei Kreese hoped to use on Terry Silver, and attempted to stab a highly skilled rival who bested him. However, Kwon was knocked to the floor, and with the blade in his hand, he landed on it, fatally wounding himself.

The Upcoming Karate Kid Movie Is Going Back To The Spirit Of The Movies

While this plot is incredibly dark, and shows how far the entire franchise has come, growing up with the audience and maturing, the next Karate Kid movie is set to take some steps back. While Ralph Macchio will star, and reprise his role as Daniel LaRusso from the original films, he will be joined by the incredibly talented Jackie Chan, who appeared in the 2010 reboot, where he played a Mr Miyagi-style character named Mr. Han.

However, while the film is set to expand on the world established in both the original films and the reboot, it appears to be excluding anything that happened within Cobra Kai. This hasn’t been explicitly confirmed, but the Karate Kid: Legends movie is primarily set to be a sequel to the original trilogy and the reboot. While this opens the movie up to a younger audience, and means new fans could watch without knowing the events of Cobra Kai, it does feel like it’s letting go of some of the strongest parts of the series since the movies ended.

Cobra Kai Is Great – So Why Is Karate Kid Doing The Exact Opposite?

Cobra Kai has become a phenomenon on Netflix, with the show running for an incredible six seasons, and pulling in huge streaming numbers. The development of these incredible characters, seeing growth and resolution for Johnny and Daniel, and the show growing up with the audience have all been key factors in the series’ success. However, Karate Kid: Legends may want to become a new anchor point for an as yet unseen audience. The Karate Kid movies from the 1980s were a cultural movement that inspired the widespread growth of studying karate in the west. Maybe Karate Kid: Legends wants to evoke a similar trend.

Rather than be tied down by the developments of the series, or forced to rely on the schedules of the large ensemble cast, the new Karate Kid movie is setting its sights on a brand-new story. To do this, it makes sense to have some influence from the earlier entries, but with how big and expansive Cobra Kai became, it could have easily forced the film to adjust and become a Cobra Kai movie, instead of a Karate Kid one. Instead, Karate Kid: Legends will take a step back, and hope to attract old and new fans with the promise of something fresh.