Cobra Kai’s best two male fighters from the show’s teenage characters were Miguel and Robby, but the question of who is better is still unanswered. Cobra Kai’s cast of characters was filled with fantastic young fighters, with the show exploring each one to differing extents across all six seasons. The winners of Cobra Kai’s Sekai Taikai proved how strong the younger generation of the Karate Kid universe truly was, as did the runners-up like Zara Malik and Axel Kovačević.
Regardless of how strong most characters were as fighters, the ending of Cobra Kai season 6 proved four to stand above the rest: Sam, Tory, Miguel, and Robby. The four captain contenders for the Sekai Taikai were the shining lights of Cobra Kai’s male and female fighters, though Sam and Tory’s storyline proved the latter to be a clear front-runner. Where Miguel and Robby are concerned, though, their status as two of Cobra Kai’s strongest fighters was solidified, but the show failed to answer which of the two was better due to the circumstances of their respective arcs.
Robby Beat Miguel At The Start Of Cobra Kai Season 6
The first time Cobra Kai season 6 addressed the Robby vs. Miguel debate was during the quest to find captains for the Sekai Taikai. The ending of Cobra Kai season 6, part 1 had Tory and Sam duke it out for the title of the girl’s captain, while Robby and Miguel faced each other for the boy’s equivalent. The fight starts with Miguel gaining the upper hand, going up two points to Robby’s zero. However, Robby rallies and the fight takes a more even turn. This is partly driven by Tory’s arrival, which allows Robby to center himself.
Cobra Kai season 6, part 1 seemingly answered which of the two was the better fighter before the Sekai Taikai even began…
After doing so, Robby takes the fight back to Miguel and ties things up. With the final point being the decider of whether Robby or Miguel becomes Miyagi-do’s male captain, Cobra Kai season 6, part 1 seemingly answered which of the two was the better fighter before the Sekai Taikai even began. Robby gains the upper hand and wins the match, becoming the captain alongside Sam and proving himself to have bested Miguel in a fair, unbiased contest.
Miguel Performed Much Better Than Robby During The Sekai Taikai
Despite Robby’s success in beating Miguel and becoming the boy’s Miyagi-do captain for the Sekai Taikai, Cobra Kai began to imply that the latter was the better fighter between the two after all. The teams in Cobra Kai’s Sekai Taikai proved to be stronger than anyone else the show’s main characters had come up against, with Robby struggling under the pressure of being captain. This, combined with the shock of Tory fighting for Kreese and the relationship troubles it caused, resulted in Robby being somewhat of a weak link for Miyagi-do in the early stages of the Sekai Taikai.
Robby’s struggles led to one outcome: Miguel stepping up. The entire team was in disarray, from Robby’s underperformance and the arguments between Demetri and Hawk to Devon’s guilt over cheating her way to the Sekai Taikai at Kenny’s expense. This led Sam and Miguel to carry Miyagi-do through the tournament’s early rounds, with the latter’s focus and determination proving him to be a much more effective fighter than Robby. While Robby had ongoing issues that caused his lack of strength, Miguel rising above him raised the question of which was a better fighter once more.
Robby Fought Well Against Axel (But Didn’t Really Come Close To Winning)
The final fight Robby fought in before Cobra Kai ended was his semi-final match against Axel. This came in Cobra Kai season 6, part 3 once the Sekai Taikai returned to the Valley and allowed Robby to try and prove himself a strong fighter once more. Axel is by far the biggest threat Cobra Kai provided for the likes of Robby and Miguel, making the former’s fight against him all the more impressive. For the most part, Robby held his own against Axel and clawed back an initial deficit to close the points gap between the two.
That said, as the final round of their fight began, Robby was still five points behind Axel. This is before Axel injured Robby’s leg, causing the latter to surrender the fight. Although it is worth saying that Robby could have gone on to beat Axel were it not for the injury, it would have been a tough ask given how strong Axel is. Robby proved himself a good fighter, but it cannot be said that he came close to winning at any point during the match against Axel in the semi-final.
Miguel Defeated Axel Surprisingly Easily In The Sekai Taikai Finals
Contrasting with Robby’s fight against Axel, Miguel proved to never be in any doubt as the winner of the Sekai Taikai. Miguel rejoined Cobra Kai after it was reclaimed by Johnny and fought against Axel in the final of the tournament, easily overpowering his opponent in round one. Axel came back in round two, yet Cobra Kai’s main character remembered the journey he had been on, rising above Axel and winning the Sekai Taikai with relative ease to become the boy’s world champion alongside Tory, who beat Zara to become the girl’s equivalent.
When comparing Robby’s fight with Axel to Miguel’s, Cobra Kai seems to depict the latter as the better fighter of the two. When combining this with Miguel’s earlier performances in the Sekai Taikai, this is arguably solidified even more. However, an argument can certainly be made that Robby is still stronger than Miguel.
Miguel Diaz Vs. Robby Keene: Who Is The Better Fighter After All?
All of this begs the ultimate question: who is the better Cobra Kai fighter, Miguel Diaz or Robby Keene? Admittedly, it would be incredibly easy to sit on the fence and say the two are on equal footing. After all, the two have fought each other several times in Cobra Kai, with a different person coming out on top each time. As a result, the pragmatic answer would be that both are equally strong and that circumstance is the only thing that has caused one to rise above the other at different points.
However, if taking a side, I do not think it would be unpopular to say that Miguel is a better fighter than Robby in Cobra Kai, if only by a tiny margin. Miguel is simply shown to be a more focused fighter than Robby, with the latter often becoming distracted easily by his personal life. Managing emotions and personal turmoil in competitive sporting situations is one part of proving you are a strong fighter, which is something Robby has shown to struggle with.
Miguel’s fighting skills, focused determination, and status as the Sekai Taikai’s world champion should place him as a stronger fighter than Robby…
Miguel has also beaten Robby in several fights and has shown to be captain material by not letting his personal issues interfere with his fighting as Robby did during the Sekai Taikai. All that said, Robby is an exceptional fighter and proved so at many points throughout Cobra Kai. Nonetheless, if a choice had to be made, Miguel’s fighting skills, focused determination, and status as the Sekai Taikai’s world champion should place him as a stronger fighter than Robby in Cobra Kai, despite the competition between the two being extremely close.
