Ralph Macchio Teases ‘Cobra Kai’ Season 6, Part 2’s Biggest Brawl

The Big Picture

• Daniel and Johnny still clash, while Chozen struggles with his past demons to help Miyagi-Do.
• Students’ rivalries intensify, adding a new layer of obstacles and interactions among the Senseis.
• An epic fight in Episode 9 showcases teamwork, choreography, and theatre-like dynamics.

Cobra Kai Season 6, Part 2 takes our favorite dojos across the globe as they battle for glory in the worldwide karate tournament, the Sekai Takai. Of course, while on the mat, the fights are between students such as Miguel (Xolo Maridueña), Robby (Tanner Buchanan), Sam (Mary Mouser), and Tory (Payton List); the true battle started a long time ago with their senseis. Make no mistake, just because the Sekai Takai is the driving force behind the season, doesn’t mean the masters take a back seat.

Daniel and Johnny still need to learn how to work together while combatting Sensei Kreese (Martin Kove), Cobra Kai, and their newest threat, the Iron Dragons. Plus, Chozen has his own demons to work through to help get Miaygi-Do across the finish line. Collider’s Perri Nemiroff spoke with Ralph Macchio (Daniel LaRusso), William Zabka (Johnny Lawrence), and Yuji Okumoto (Chozen Toguchi) about what’s next for their characters, the mystery surrounding Mr. Miyagi, and the biggest brawl in the entire series.

Who Are the Senseis’ Number One Rivals in Season 6, Part 2?

PERRI NEMIROFF: One thing that they wrote in our little notes is that there’s tension and rivalry between all the students and also the senseis. For each of you, who is your number one rival at the Sekai Taikai?

WILLIAM ZABKA: With all the senseis there and all the different teams that are there, there’s a rival around every corner. There is a new big bad, who’s the ultimate rival, that appears that I’m not gonna spoil — you may know who he is by now. Johnny’s still bumping heads with Daniel a little bit, but has some big decisions to make about where his team’s at.

RALPH MACCHIO: I think one of Daniel’s biggest rivals in Part 2 is himself. He’s dealing with his own struggles with the information he gains about Miyagi and who Miyagi might have been when he’s in Barcelona and takes him down. It’s sort of a spiral that puts him in peril and even maybe his students and his own daughter because he’s following some leads. So, he’s struggling with himself — never to be overtaken by the solid rivalry with Johnny, which it’s tough to compete with. But that’s one that adds a layer to that section of the season.

ZABKA: Not to piggyback on that, but Johnny, in many ways, is also struggling with himself and realizes how much he, on his own, may be a detriment. So, he sees some error in his ways and needs to rein in his friends to support him and realizes what he needs at this point.

YUJI OKUMOTO: Wow, that’s deep!

ZABKA: Well, it’s true.

OKUMOTO: For Chozen, it’s the whole Cobra Kai senseis. I think there’s always gonna be that sense of rivalry with that group of senseis.

I’ll take that.

How Will Daniel’s Discovery of Miyagi Affect the Sekai Taikai?

I wanna dig back into the Miyagi stuff. We know it’s thrown him off balance. Is there anything that Daniel turns to, to put a bandaid on it, or something else he thinks he can gain balance from, if not Miyagi, in his teachings?

MACCHIO: Toward the end of Part 2, it’s really about the endgame for the students and the competition, and he focuses his attention on them, on the rivals, and the surprises that may be coming that add other layers of obstacles. So, I think the balance comes back on his students because he sees and discovers more obstacles for them. That kind of realigns him for the moment.

Billy, Daniel is losing his faith in Miyagi’s teachings. Do we get to see how Johnny reacts to it? Does he feel for Daniel, or is it more like, “I told you so. I told you this style wasn’t the answer all along?”

ZABKA: It’s kind of happening in Johnny’s peripheral, and in fact, he’s not aware of the depth of the struggle Daniel’s going through. But Daniel’s concentration is drifting a little bit, and his focus, which leaves Johnny with the tournament and dealing with the kids, and pushes his way on it, saying, “Okay, it’s time to do things my way.” Whether that works or not, you’ll have to watch and see.

It sure is entertaining. I’ll watch and see over and over and over.

How Chozen Handles the Kids

Yuji, one of the bullet points we got for you that I love is [Chozen]. He’s dealing with a major hangover while trying to wrangle all the students on this trip. Who is the easiest for Chozen to wrangle, and who gives him the most grief?

OKUMOTO: The easiest, I think, is probably Mary [Mouser]’s character [Sam LaRusso] because she’s been part of the whole Miyagi-Do legacy from the get-go. So, for me, she has an understanding of what it means to respect martial arts. The toughest one to wrangle, of course, I’m gonna say it — it’s Hawk! [Laughs]

ZABKA: If you didn’t say it, I was gonna say it! [Laughs]

OKUMOTO: Hawk, of course.

ZABKA: He flipped the script too much.

OKUMOTO: He’s a bad influence on me.

I’m curious to see how he’s gonna take it to another level.

Season 6, Part 2 Features an All-In Fight That Plays Like Theater

So, this Episode 9 ballet-like fight, what can you tell me about who is involved and why that ballet fighting style best suits this particular fight scene?

MACCHIO: All students are involved. It’s not a one-on-one thing. They each need to support each other in order to prevail.

ZABKA: It’s really the ultimate test. It’s the climax of the fighting. I think it’s unbelievable watching them do this. They did one take on this thing. They had cameras rolling around the mat, and it’s multiple fighters and the timing and the choreography with our actors were incredible. Then our stunt team came in and did it as well. It was mesmerizing, truly mesmerizing, and we were so proud of them. We couldn’t believe what we were watching.

MACCHIO: I just hope it doesn’t get too cut up. You know what I mean? Because we watched it as theater, and I’m hoping that it translates as theater for the audience.

ZABKA: It will.

OKUMOTO: It’s amazing to watch that one that the stunt team did.

Cobra Kai Season 6, Part 2 premieres November 15 exclusively on Netflix.

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