Cobra Kai season 6 should see the definitive end of Johnny and Daniel’s rivalry, but only one winner makes sense for the Karate Kid spinoff.
Cobra Kai season 6 is Johnny and Daniel’s last chance for a rematch, but the winner is pretty easy to predict. Since Daniel’s victory in The Karate Kid’s All-Valley Tournament, the duo has faced off against one another three times. However, something always managed to get in the way, so a clear winner was never left standing. Since Daniel and Johnny’s rivalry has been at the center of the Karate Kid franchise, it only stands to reason that Cobra Kai season 6 will finally produce a victor.
In The Karate Kid, Daniel LaRusso famously beat Johnny Lawrence with a crane kick to the face, and the defeated Cobra Kai student has been eager to get even ever since. Of course, this happened several decades before Cobra Kai season 6, and the old rivalry isn’t what it used to be. Johnny and Daniel have found common ground, and though there will always be an element of competitiveness, the pair has become something like friends. Still, if Cobra Kai hopes to end with a bang, the two karate champions will need their long-awaited rematch, but it’s hard to imagine this going any but one way.
Johnny Has To Beat Daniel In Cobra Kai Season 6
Cobra Kai showed that Johnny’s loss at the Karate Kid All-Valley Tournament set his life on a downward spiral. The only thing keeping him afloat was karate, and with John Kreese’s true colors revealed by Johnny’s loss, the boy wound up without even that. This led Johnny to develop a deep resentment for Daniel LaRusso, whose life seemed to have gone spectacularly since the days of The Karate Kid. Though this resentment has been alleviated as the pair developed a relationship throughout Cobra Kai, Johnny would still love an opportunity to get even, and it only makes sense that he will in season 6.
Though Daniel is a major part of Cobra Kai, his day as the karate kid are gone. The Netflix series is all about Johnny and his students (and their rivals), so it’s unlikely that the writers would throw Daniel a win when they face off in that inevitable rematch. This is especially true since Cobra Kai has put a great deal of energy into building up to this fight. Daniel and Johnny have battled in the series, but it’s always short and inconclusive—which seems to indicate a big moment in which the franchise’s new hero stands victorious.
Johnny vs. Daniel’s Franchise Fight Record Explained
Daniel and Johnny have sparred five times throughout the Karate Kid franchise. The first was the iconic scene in which Johnny, dressed as a skeleton, chased Daniel down only to be beaten by Mr. Miyagi. This can’t count as a loss or win for either teen since Daniel’s sensei did all the leg work. The next match was at the All-Valley Tournament when Daniel took home the trophy after kicking Johnny in the face. Overall, this is the only win between the two.
In Cobra Kai, Daniel and Johnny had two fights that were interrupted—one at the garage while looking for Robby and the other at Johnny’s apartment. The next instance was a tournament-style match at the Miyagi-Do dojo, which ended in a tie when the rivals delivered a knock-out blow simultaneously. Since this moment in Cobra Kai, there hasn’t been an opportunity for Johnny and Daniel to try sparring again. Since Daniel holds the only win and Johnny is the star of Cobra Kai, it’s likely to be the latter. Still, getting them back onto the mat in season 6 may be difficult.
How A Johnny Vs. Daniel Rematch Can Happen In Cobra Kai Season 6
There’s no question that Johnny and Daniel would love a rematch. Though they have managed to become friends, they will always be rivals at heart, and determining who is the better of them at this stage in their lives is something neither could pass up on. Still, given the high drama of Cobra Kai, it’s difficult to imagine a way to put these two against each other in a way that would both grab audiences’ attention and feel organic to their characters’ development.
Though a friendly, tournament-style match could be fun (and make sense since they would both surely be up for it), it wouldn’t be as exciting to watch as the All-Valley fight in The Karate Kid. There isn’t as much tension riding on the pair since the past five seasons were spent mending their anger toward one another. If Cobra Kai were to sew more discord between them just for the sake of a good match, it would be throwing their arcs out the window. Ultimately, a fight between two different rivals would have to be the climactic end of Cobra Kai season 6, while the long-awaited yet predictable Johnny and Daniel fight takes a back seat.
