Kwon Jae-Sung Meets His Brutal Fate on ‘Cobra Kai’ Season 6, Part 2 | Netflix Review

I don’t have a valid excuse for posting my review of Cobra Kai season six, part two, so late. The second batch of episodes premiered on November 15, 2024, but I didn’t watch them until ten days later. Then, I left for Las Vegas to see The Black Crowes, got distracted with other blog posts, and now, here we are! Be warned of spoilers ahead!

Part One ended with Tory rejoining Cobra Kai, following her mom’s death, shaking everyone at Miyagi-Do to the core. Was it a dumb move for her to rejoin Cobra Kai? Yes and no. Mentally, she’s not herself and isn’t thinking straight. However, she does have a valid reason for leaving Miyagi-Do; Sam was always going to be the girl’s captain for Miyagi-Do, instead of Tory, because of her connections. Not to say that Daniel plays unfairly, but he does favor Sam more than Tory because she’s his daughter, despite the latter being the best fighter of the two. She was never going to get a fair fight, therefore, Tory rejoined Cobra Kai so that she’d get her moment to shine and make her mom proud. 

As for why Tory rejoining Cobra Kai was the wrong decision, she never considered the consequences for her actions or the options she had to help deal with her trauma. In episode six, when Tory tells Robby they need to put their relationship on “pause,” Robby criticizes her for pushing away everyone that cares about her and her inability to trust others. Ever since her mom got sick, she had to take on a lot of responsibilities and essentially, become the breadwinner of her family. She was forced to rely on no one else, but herself, to stay alive. Knowing Kreese, however, it would’ve been nice if Tory gave Miyagi-Do a chance to guide her down a much healthier path, rather than push Robby and her friends away. Heck, maybe she should’ve taken a break from karate to clear her head better because the last thing she needed was more pressure to be the best during the lowest point of her life.

Unfortunately, Robby wasn’t doing any better. He knew that Kreese approached Tory, before her mom died, to rejoin Cobra Kai, but he didn’t think she would actually do it. Her putting a “pause” on their relationship only made things worse, affecting his performance in the Sekai Taikai. Miguel had every right to be worried about Robby’s mental state, in the beginning, but he had no right to tell Robby he doesn’t deserve to be the boy’s captain for Miyagi-Do, in episode seven, because Robby won the fight fair and square. How would Miguel feel if Sam joined Cobra Kai and put their relationship on “pause” during the Sekai Taikai? Thankfully, he redeems himself in episode nine, but Miguel should’ve been more considerate about Robby’s situation. He’s not going to college, therefore, the Sekai Taikai is all he has. Miguel had every right to be upset with Johnny, though, about not being there for him during the previous rounds; the latter didn’t even congratulate him for his wins beforehand.

Like Miguel, Demetri was a pain from episodes six through nine. His inability to accept Eli’s decision to not go to MIT with him was really childish to watch. He kept remarking he needs to protect his brain cells and that’s smarter than Eli because he’s going to MIT next year. Demetri even accuses Eli of being jealous of him and purposely ending his relationship with Yasmine, in episode eight. Not that Eli was any better, but at least he didn’t cheat on his girlfriend. The binary brothers make up in episode nine, just in time for the tag team elimination match of the Sekai Taikai, but still, that was painful to watch. Let’s not even talk about how ridiculous it was of Demetri to accuse Kenny of working with Silver again to sabotage Miyagi-Do.

Speaking of Kenny, why did he forgive Devon so easily for the laxatives incident? Kenny trusted her and she was one of the few friends he had at Miyagi-Do. Most of all, Devon knew about all the pain he suffered at Cobra Kai and the bullying he dealt with previously, yet she still humiliated him in front of everyone at Miyagi-Do. To be fair, they would make a cute couple, and Devon did sincerely apologize for hurting him, but yeah, Kenny forgiving her right away was weird. But on the plus side, in episode eight, Anthony finally apologizes to Kenny for being a jerk to him ever since he moved to town, finally putting an end to their “war.” Now, is it necessary for Kenny to apologize to Anthony for blaming him for the laxatives incident? It wouldn’t hurt and that would be interesting to see. However, Kenny had every right to think Anthony was the one who put the laxatives in his drink, considering their past history.

Next up is Kim Da-Eun, the heartless female sensei at Cobra Kai that broke Tory’s hand in season five. Surprisingly, the show managed to give her a heart. In a brief flashback from season six, part one, it’s revealed that her grandfather treated her coldly from early on, despite her desperate attempts to earn his respect. As a result, she was taught that failure is not an option in life, in other words, she has to win at all times, in order to honor her grandfather’s legacy. She sacrificed everything for karate: friends, hobbies, love, everything. Her hooking up with Chozen, in episode eight, was probably the best thing that ever happened to her up until that point (and strangely enough, they work well as a couple). Season six is Kim Da-Eun’s redemption story and only time will tell where it’ll go from here. 

Moving onto Axel, the troubled boy’s captain for the Iron Dragons; he’s such a great addition to the Cobra Kai series. Like Kwon, he never had a well-suited role model to look up to and because of Sensei Wolf’s brutal teaching methods, he grew up to be a powerful fighter with an impressive undefeated record. Unfortunately, because of it, Axel shows an inability to love and show compassion for others, or for a better description, doesn’t know how to show compassion for others, that is until he meets Sam. The latter being the only person that has ever shown concern for him, he grows attached to her and becomes disappointed when he discovers she has a boyfriend. There is still hope, however, that they can repair their friendship, considering how Axel steps in to protect her from Kwon during the climactic brawl that takes place during the semifinals, in episode 10. It’d also be nice to see more of Axel’s background and him get the happy ending he deserves; he’s not a bad guy, he’s just a troubled soul that was led down the wrong path in life.

Speaking of troubled souls that were led down the wrong path in life, Kwon deserved better. Like Axel, not much is known about his background, but it’s obvious he never had a positive and loving role model to look up to. Yes, he was a bully, but he was misunderstood and falsely taught that losing means failure (sounds familiar, huh?). His refusal to accept his loss to Robby in the previous round before the semifinals is ultimately what led to his death. His ego and damaged pride led him down a brutal path that he couldn’t escape from. The last five episodes of Cobra Kai are going to be an emotional roller coaster ride, especially for Kreese, given that he was the one who brought a knife to the Sekai Taikai in the first place. What will Terry Silver say about Kwon’s death? How will Daniel and Axel cope with it?

Before ending this review, here are a few random notes that are worth mentioning. Daniel’s nightmare, in episode 10, where he and Mr. Miyagi were fighting in the Sekai Taikai was wild, especially when the editors somehow brought Pat Morita back from the dead and made him punch Ralph Macchio. He’s also not wrong about Daniel’s inability to accept things for the way they are. Miguel scolding Johnny and Daniel for being childish and to get over their issues with their former senseis, in episode 10, was pure gold! The lack of memorable ‘80s rock songs in season six is beyond disappointing because that’s one of things that made the show unique in the first place. What’s the point of jail if idiots like Kreese and Silver are allowed to roam freely in the world? In episode eight, at the hospital, when Carmen tells Johnny and Miguel to win the Sekai Taikai, there were some obvious Rocky II (1979) vibes there. Also, Amanda LaRusso is brilliant and has more balls than all of the jerks in Cobra Kai (minus Tory) combined!

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Take care and see ya real soon!

Lana