‘Cobra Kai’ Season 6 Part 2 Proves Johnny Has the Best Arc of This Show

Editor’s Note: The following contains spoilers for Cobra Kai Season 6 Part 2.

Cobra Kai is finally back! With a truly thrilling second batch of episodes to continue the sixth and final season, Season 6 Part 2 is as excellent as ever. The show continues to prove that, even in revisiting old beefs and familiar plotlines, it can be as exciting and fresh as ever. But of all the characters to have undergone their own arcs on Cobra Kai, the award for best character development goes to William Zabka‘s Johnny Lawrence, who has shown all of us that nobody — and no Karate Kid bully — is beyond redemption. This show wouldn’t exist without Johnny, and Season 6 Part 2 proves that we would never want it to.

‘Cobra Kai’ Has Transformed Johnny Lawrence from Bully to Heroic Sensei

When Josh Heald, Jon Hurwitz, and Hayden Schlossberg first dreamed up Cobra Kai, it was all about telling the familiar All-Valley story through the eyes of Johnny Lawrence. The character has forever been considered one of the best bullies in movie history, and for many, he was beyond redemption after first beating up Daniel LaRusso (Ralph Macchio) all those years ago. But Cobra Kai showed us another point of view, one where that crane kick ruined Johnny’s entire life. No, let’s rephrase. One where Johnny let that crane kick ruin his entire life. Johnny had plenty of chances to get back up and try again, but he let his failure at the ’84 All-Valley define him as a person, and we see him risk that again in Season 6 during the Sekai Taikai. Only this time, Johnny has finally learned.

It took Johnny most of his life to come to terms with his losses after The Karate Kid. Not only did Johnny lose the tournament, but he also lost his one-time girlfriend, Ali Mills (Elisabeth Shue). For Johnny, it was the end of the world; for Daniel, it was just the beginning. But here on Cobra Kai we get to see Johnny not only deal with those failures, but learn from them. Yes, he makes some of the same mistakes along the way. He allows John Kreese (Martin Kove) back into his life and dojo. He starts up his rivalry with Daniel once again. And he continues to push those who care for him away in favor of trophies and accolades that ultimately ring hollow.

When Cobra Kai started, Johnny was still a bully. In fact, it was almost worse because he bullied so many of his students into the “Strike First. Strike Hard. No Mercy.” mentality that caused him to nuke so much of his life. But as the show continues, he learns to let old rivalries go. He learns who to trust. And, most importantly, he learns to let go of the “What ifs?” of life (particularly concerning Ali) and find contentment and happiness in what he has in the present. This is true of his relationship with his students, and especially with the new family he’s building with Carmen Diaz (Vanessa Rubio). Johnny was once a terrible sensei, but as he learned to take responsibility for his actions and genuinely care about those in his life, he found his Cobra Kai training lacking. This is what has driven him to Miyagi-Do so late in the series, and it’s why he’s able to spur his students (sans Daniel) to fight with focus and balance instead of just blind rage.

Johnny’s Best Arc Has Revolved Around Fatherhood

Of course, Johnny’s arc has ultimately culminated in his relationship with his sons. His biological son, Robby Keen (Tanner Buchanan), and his adoptive son, Miguel Diaz (Xolo Maridueña). When Miguel first came into his life — in a very similar way to how Daniel once stumbled into Mr. Miyagi’s (Pat Morita) — Johnny becomes more than a mentor to the teenager. In essence, Johnny is the father that Miguel never had, and Miguel is the second son that Johnny didn’t deserve. With Miguel, Johnny was able to make up for so many of the mistakes he made with Robby, and while he and Robby struggled to make their own relationship work, they’ve now figured things out. With Johnny’s help, a peace was even formed between Miguel and Robby, one that has since turned into a genuine brotherhood.

But Johnny’s parential skills are on full display here in Season 6 Part 2. Despite his past tendencies to chase glory over family, Johnny is immediately willing to give up his position at the Sekai Taikai to be with Carmen when she’s admitted into the hospital. He flies halfway around the world to ensure he’s with her, and he puts Miguel’s needs before his own the entire time. Sure, his personality hasn’t changed. He’s still the same pushy Johnny Lawrence. But the moment he rises up to comfort an anxious Miguel on the plane, we see that Johnny is the type of father that we could never imagine him to be back in 1984. Not only is he reassuring and compassionate, but he’s vulnerable in a way that Johnny has made fun of in the past. Tears and all.

The same has been true with Robby in the past two seasons as well, and now that Johnny and Carmen have a baby girl on the way, it’s easy to see him more as Johnny Lawrence, the family man, than anything else. As Johnny has come to terms with who he is as a man and chosen to make positive changes in his life to ensure his family’s future, he’s become self-sacrificing in a way the old bully never could’ve been. It’s taken some serious time, and it wasn’t without its rough spots, but even the way he makes amends with Daniel, being the first one to reach out and admit that he cares about their friendship, is a monumental move.

‘Cobra Kai’ Still Has More to Do With Johnny Lawrence

Despite how far Johnny Lawrence has come since the beginning of Cobra Kai, Season 6 Part 2 has proven that there’s still more for this character to do. Aside from seeing him become a father again for a third time, the Part 2 finale “Eunjangdo” teased one final development: reconciliation with Kreese. Growing up, Kreese was more of a father to Johnny than his real father ever was, but the two drifted apart after The Karate Kid when Kreese’s true colors were revealed. But deep down, Johnny and Kreese still care about one another, and when the Cobra Kai sensei went off to kill Terry Silver (Thomas Ian Griffith) in the final fight of Part 2, Johnny went after him to stop him. We see that Johnny actually does care if Kreese lives or dies, and he may even still believe in his old mentor.

How Cobra Kai will wrap up is beyond our understanding at this point, but we know that Johnny Lawrence is the type of protagonist who we can easily get behind, no matter what next step he takes. Johnny has spent so much time ruining his life because he was unwilling to fight for it, but now that he has so much to live for, the Cobra Kai hero will give it his all. With only five more episodes left in this Karate Kid saga, Johnny Lawrence can only go up from here, and we can’t wait to see how high he soars.

Cobra Kai Season 6 Part 2 is streaming now on Netflix.

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