‘Cobra Kai’ nailed the finale with an emotional scene so powerful, it broke boards and mended hearts leaving fans teary-eyed and cheering.
After stepping foot into the world with YouTube Red, Cobra Kai has finally come to an end. The series which continued the story of William Zabka and Ralph Macchio’s Johnny Lawrence and Daniel LaRusso found itself a place in the audience’s hearts and let’s just say that the finale did not disappoint. Whether it was the sensei face-off, Johnny buying a house for his growing family, or the cuter aspects like Samantha and Miguel’s relationship, Season 6, Part 3 came with some unforgettable moments.
However, the one thing that really made the fans feel all the feels was John Kreese’s storyline and ultimate redemption. Kreese, the ultimate antagonist of The Karate Kid franchise, makes amends with William Zabka’s character before he shocked the fans with a decision and it had all of us shedding a tear or two.
The finale’s most emotional moment for Cobra Kai creator
Season 6, Part 3 was finally released on Netflix on February 13 and the five-part finale sure ended Cobra Kai on a good note, even if not everyone made it to the end.
In the episode titled Skeletons, the original villain made amends with William Zabka‘s Johnny after a turbulent past. This was easily one of the most emotional scenes from the entire finale as it really does bring Kreese’s story to full circle.
While the two bowed to each other as AC/DC’s Thunderstruck played in the background, fans knew that this was a moment they would not be able to forget for a long, long time.
In an interview with Variety, one of Cobra Kai‘s creators, Hayden Schlossberg was asked about the most “emotional sendoff” in his opinion, and to no one’s surprise, he chose the heartfelt moment between Martin Kove‘s Kreese and Johnny as his pick.
He stated that while the big climactic scenes were definitely emotional, this moment stole the spotlight for him and really tugged at his heartstrings. In his words,
There are so many, because we’ve become so attached to these characters and the actors over six seasons. All of these big climactic scenes were emotional. The one that stands out to me is the scene between Johnny and Kreese, where they have this intense talk and Johnny airs out all his grievances and Kreese apologizes. You see this student who wants to forgive and can’t forgive, but at least can accept the fact that Kreese gave him certain qualities that he does like. That allows him to move on and be able to take back Cobra Kai.
Schlossberg added that the 40-year-long off-screen relationship between Zabka and Kove only added to the intensity of it all, making it an emotional scene to shoot, not only for him but everyone else involved.
That is such an intense scene, and the fact that these are two actors that have been in this relationship on camera for 40 years added to the intensity of the moment. It makes it such a visceral scene for fans, where you see Johnny crying and the teenager in him comes out. It feels so real, and just being there while we were shooting that was emotional for everyone.
While Kove will of course, not return for the next chapter in the Karate Kid story thanks to his selfless sacrifice for Johnny and his family, we wonder what the franchise has in store for Zabka.
Is William Zabka not returning for Karate Kid: Legends?
The most straightforward answer would be no, especially at this moment in time. Karate Kid: Legends will be based three years after the event of Cobra Kai‘s finale and thus, Zabka’s absence from it all truly feels like a missing piece of the puzzle.
Moreover, since Ralph Macchio is reprising his role as Daniel LaRusso, it has us wondering if there really is no space for Johnny in the storyline. The final casting announcement was made all the way back in 2023. While it revealed that Macchio would be returning to the franchise along with Jackie Chan who is back as Mr. Han, Zabka was nowhere to be found.
Mr. Han and Daniel will join forces to train the new kid, Li Fong (Ben Wang) in the art as trouble finds him everywhere he goes. Even the trailer, which was released last month, does not mention the possible return of Zabka’s character at all.
Even though Zabka is not involved in Legends apparently, this certainly does not stop him from making a cameo in the movie. Hopefully, fans get to see a Johnny-Daniel reunion, even if it is for only a moment, especially after their off-screen friendship stood the test of time.
