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USA Today
14-02-2025
- Entertainment
- USA Today
'Cobra Kai' spoilers! William Zabka spills on Johnny Lawrence's 'breakthrough moment'
Spoiler alert! We're discussing important plot points and the ending of the Netflix series 'Cobra Kai.' Beware if you haven't seen it yet (but you should because it's rad). 'The Karate Kid' ended with Ralph Macchio's Daniel LaRusso being carried off the mat by fans in victory. Forty years later in the series finale episode of 'Cobra Kai,' it's the same mat but a different winner, with Johnny Lawrence (William Zabka) lifted up by his students and basking in sweet redemption. 'Who doesn't want to be on the shoulders of everybody? Especially Johnny. I'm really in character when I'm doing that,' says Zabka, 59, who reprised his 'Karate Kid' antagonist (and 1984 All Valley Karate Tournament runner-up) for the popular Netflix series. 'It was a breakthrough moment for him. And to be lifted up by his kids who he loved and gave so much of his best self to as he could, it was great, man.' Join our Watch Party! Sign up to receive USA TODAY's movie and TV recommendations right in your inbox. Decades after a crane kick to the face felled bullying teen Johnny, six seasons of 'Cobra Kai' chronicled his comeback. He rebooted the Cobra Kai dojo and facing his hard-nosed old sensei John Kreese (Martin Kove). And Johnny guided the martial arts know-how of a new generation of kids, reconnecting with his estranged son Robby (Tanner Buchanan), and even befriended Daniel (Ralph Macchio), though not without the occasional rough patch. Need a break? Play the USA TODAY Daily Crossword Puzzle. In the closing episodes of the series (streaming now), his pupils Miguel (Xolo Maridueña) and Tory (Peyton List) win the boys and girls competitions of the international Sekai Taikai tourney. To win the event, though, Cobra Kai has to beat the Iron Dragons in a battle of senseis: Johnny vs. the Dragons' Wolf (Lewis Tan). Thanks to help from Daniel, Johnny beats the younger, stronger foe as part of his happy ending, which also includes buying a house for wife Carmen (Vanessa Rubio) and their new baby girl, plus welcoming a fresh crop of Cobra Kai hopefuls. Zabka talks with USA TODAY about finishing 'Cobra Kai,' the one 'Karate Kid' cameo that got away and what's next. (Edited for length and clarity.) Q: Was Johnny having the final match always the ending of the show? William Zabka: They didn't tell me the ending. There was no Sekai Taikai in the original pitch. He starts by himself in apartment with the Coors Banquet (beer), and he doesn't even have a fish. He has no friends and bumps into this kid (Miguel) who sparks life in him, and that leads to Carmen and that opens his heart up again. He's redeemed at the end not because he has a trophy or that he has a dojo, but that he's bettered himself while still holding onto the things that make him unique. The original movie's montage anthem 'You're the Best Around' comes back around when Daniel is training Johnny before his big showdown. Was it weird to see Ralph wearing a Cobra Kai gi? Honestly, yeah. I had a really good hearty laugh when I came off the mat, and he had to be my sensei barking orders at me. I think he looks great in the Cobra Kai gi. I love to see Daniel dirty. I like to see him rough around the edges and not so controlled, when he's a little unhinged. The Johnny in me has a new respect for LaRusso. I love that moment in the final match that shows how much Johnny's grown, stepping back in a defensive stance rather than surging forward like he did in '84. Everything hinges on that. If Johnny didn't lean into the crane kick (in '84), it would've been a different life. If he learned anything, he learned to take a little step back here and there. In every way. The show had so many story line echoes, Easter eggs and character returns from the three '80s movies. Is there anything or anybody you wished had returned one more time? We were very close to having Chad McQueen come in as Dutch. Unfortunately, he passed away (in September). The scene would've been in the beginning of the final episode, which was replaced by me visiting my mom at the grave. We were in touch with him the whole time. He almost made it in Season 2 with the (Cobra Kai) guys and we were taking a motorcycle ride up to the mountains and camping out. I would've loved to see Dutch, and I know the fans would've loved to see him. So what's next for you? Ralph's playing Daniel in an upcoming 'Karate Kid' movie … What?! Ralph's doing a movie?! That idiot. Just kidding. (Laughs) This has been a big baby to birth in a way. I'm very satisfied with the ending, and I'm just gonna reset and see what comes my way. The world sees Johnny Lawrence differently after this show. Does Hollywood see William Zabka differently, too? I don't know how they can't. Really, the trajectory of my career went from 'The Karate Kid.' I was known as the bad guy in the movies I did in the '80s. But this is a new day in that way. I've been able to access my whole tool belt of colors of comedy and action and drama. I always kind of felt like the only way that I'll get on the other side of the shadow of Johnny Lawrence is to go through the eye of the needle and play him again. That's what I feel like I've done with this and help people understand him. It definitely opens the doors up more, I think, than before this happened, let's just say that.
USA Today
13-02-2025
- Entertainment
- USA Today
Ralph Macchio and William Zabka were 'Karate Kid' rivals. Then 'Cobra Kai' made them pals.
Ralph Macchio and William Zabka were 'Karate Kid' rivals. Then 'Cobra Kai' made them pals. Show Caption Hide Caption Ralph Macchio reflects on Pat Morita, 'Cobra Kai,' 'Karate Kid' Ralph Macchio opens up to USA TODAY's Brian Truitt about playing Daniel LaRusso in "Cobra Kai" and the legacy of "The Karate Kid." Even wise Mr. Miyagi couldn't have seen the surprising path taken by 'The Karate Kid' stars Ralph Macchio and William Zabka. The first day of filming the 1984 movie found Macchio face down in a face full of sand on a Southern California beach when his New Jersey transplant Daniel LaRusso is beaten up by Cobra Kai teen bad boy Johnny Lawrence (Zabka) and his goons. Cut to 41 years later on the last day of filming the Netflix spinoff series 'Cobra Kai' and another beach scene, where Macchio and Zabka are running and playing in the surf, grinning mightily. Macchio, 63, calls it a 'full circle' moment for a pair of martial arts rivals. 'There's a silent conversation we're able to have by having gone through all this together, both as actors and as characters,' he says. Join our Watch Party! Sign up to receive USA TODAY's movie and TV recommendations right in your inbox. The original film ended with Daniel crane-kicking bully Johnny in the face and winning the All Valley Karate Tournament. Six seasons of 'Cobra Kai' have centered on Johnny's redemption story, becoming co-sensei with frenemy Daniel at his Miyagi-Do dojo and teaching karate to a new generation of youngsters. The final five episodes (streaming now on Netflix) find the duo more together than ever when, in the wake of tragedy, they lead their pupils into the finals of the international Sekai Taikai tourney. 'Iron sharpens iron and these two individual, unique characters from opposite sides of the country need each other,' Zabka says. 'And throughout the show, they better each other. They bump heads, but they always come back to the middle.' William Zabka finds a 'Wicked' redemption story for his 'Cobra Kai' antihero Zabka, 59, sees 'Cobra Kai' as like 'Wicked' in a way, though instead of the Wicked Witch of the West enjoying a fresh perspective it's a seminal '80s movie villain. Zabka became known for playing teen antagonists back in the day, but he recalls deciding to play Johnny because he saw 'the heart in him.' It's glimpsed just at the end of Daniel's win in the original "Karate Kid," when Johnny hands his opponent the championship trophy and tells him, 'You're all right, LaRusso.' 'That little spark of redemption possibilities in him is the seed that grew this tree,' Zabka says of 'Cobra Kai,' though at the beginning of the show, he still worried that Johnny would 'be the biggest douche of all time at the end of this thing.' Instead, Johnny has become the best version of himself, a needed father figure for Miguel (Xolo Maridueña) and a better dad for his own son Robby (Tanner Buchanan), yet still very much himself (and still loving Coors beer and '80s hair metal). 'There are second chances and there's a great human story in there,' Zabka says. Ralph Macchio is a 'lucky guy' to still be playing Daniel LaRusso Daniel has also needed to evolve. He used his local sports stardom to launch a successful auto dealership, yet he has had issues. Daniel has had a hard time juggling being dad and teacher to karate wunderkind daughter Sam (Mary Mouser). And at the same time, he's a sensei forced to deal with old foes and soapy martial arts drama as well as mysterious new information about his beloved Mr. Miyagi (played by Pat Morita, who died in 2005). 'He is trying to honor his mentor, his own family values and put positivity forward,' Macchio says. 'He's learned to navigate things better. He'll still be the knee-jerk LaRusso, who acts first, thinks second, because those flaws make for interesting storytelling.' The actor points to one dream sequence near the end of the series that throws back to 'Karate Kid,' in which Daniel has an emotional conversation with Miyagi (resurrected via Hollywood magic) while 'coming to grips with his own internal struggles." Daniel's new clarity comes through in "those moments that he hands down to the next generation (and) pays that legacy forward.' Macchio says he's 'really proud and happy' with where Daniel lands at the close of 'Cobra Kai,' though he's not hanging up the gi yet: He stars in the upcoming movie 'Karate Kid: Legends' (in theaters May 30), where Daniel and Mr. Han (Jackie Chan) team up to teach a kung fu prodigy (Ben Wang). 'It's a new story on the big screen, kind of where I started,' Macchio says. Roles are 'few and far between with the impact that Daniel LaRusso has had in pop culture, cinema and television, and I'm the lucky guy who got to play the part.' 'Karate Kid' foes have grown to be 'the best of friends' The OG 'Karate Kid' star frequently jokes about how at the end of filming the '84 movie, he walked away from Zabka thinking, 'Well, thank God I never have to see that guy again.' 'It kind of hurt getting my ass kicked,' Macchio says with a laugh. 'And here we are on this day, the best of friends. He's my brother in arms. I never would've imagined that.' Zabka concurs. They've grown close after filming several "Cobra Kai" seasons, and Zabka was on hand to honor his buddy when Macchio received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in November. There's a lot of art imitating life, too, with Daniel learning from Johnny's aggressive style and Johnny getting a crash course in Daniel's balance and defense. 'They both stay true to themselves and find their way together at the end,' Zabka says. 'There's a common ground. That gives us all a little bit of hope.'
Yahoo
12-02-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
When Does ‘Cobra Kai' Season 6 Part 3 Come Out? Release Date, Time and Everything Else to Know
It all comes down to this. The epic conclusion of Netflix's hit series Cobra Kai is on its way in season 6 part 3, which is set to release in February 2025. Viewers will finally get to see which dojo wins the Sekai Taikai tournament, nearly 40 years after the events of the 1984 All Valley Karate Tournament in the first Karate Kid film. Life & Style breaks down everything fans need to know about part 3's release date, time and more, so no one is a second late to the action. The new batch of Cobra Kai episodes is set to drop on Netflix on February 13, 2025, at 12 a.m. PT, or 3 a.m. ET. A late night viewing party may be in order for east coasters who want to be the first to see what happens in part 3! It's a supersized season! Like parts 1 and 2, Cobra Kai season 6 part 3 comes with five episodes, making for a total of 15. This is atypical for Netflix, as the streamer usually caps a season of one of its original shows at 10 episodes max. Part 3 will pick up where part 2 ended, so fans can expect to see mostly the same cast members in the new episodes. This includes all the senseis, good and bad — Ralph Macchio as Daniel LaRusso, William Zabka as Johnny Lawrence, Martin Kove as John Kreese, Yuji Okumoto as Chozen Toguchi, Alicia Hannah-Kim as Sensei Kim Da-Eun, Lewis Tan as Sensei Wolf and, yes, even Thomas Ian Griffith as Terry Silver. Of course, there are also the returning modern 'karate kids' — Xolo Maridueña as Miguel Diaz, Jacob Bertrand as Eli "Hawk" Moskowitz, Mary Mouser as Samantha LaRusso, Tanner Buchanan as Robby Keene, Peyton List as Tory Nichols, Gianni DeCenzo as Demetri Alexopoulos, Dallas Dupree Young as Kenny Payne, Griffin Santopietro as Anthony LaRusso and Oona O'Brien as Devon Lee. Other cast members in Cobra Kai season 6 part 3 include Courtney Henggeler as Amanda LaRusso and Vanessa Rubio as Carmen Diaz. Season 6 part 3 will follow the epic conclusion of the Sekai Taikai tournament in Barcelona, Spain. At the end of part 2, fans saw a wild, live-streamed brawl break out between all of the dojos, and it ended in tragedy with the accidental death of Cobra Kai's Kwon Jae-Sung (Brandon H. Lee). Now, both Cobra Kai and Miyagi-Do are left dealing with the aftermath of Kwon's death. 'After a startling result in the Sekai Taikai, Miyagi-Do and Cobra Kai must reckon with their pasts while facing an uncertain future both on and off the mat,' part 3's synopsis reads. 'Almost 40 years after the events of the 1984 All Valley Karate Tournament, it's all been leading to this. Granted one final chance to finish the Sekai Taikai, Daniel, Johnny and the team lay it all on the line in the ultimate championship showdown.' In the trailer for part 3, scenes from the Karate Kid films and Cobra Kai flashed onscreen as Daniel and Johnny could be heard in voiceovers speaking about their rivalry through the years. However, they joined in unison to say, 'We need to go back to where it all began.' Cobra Kai co-creator Hayden Schlossberg teased to Netflix's Tudum ahead of part 3 that 'all of the big bads' would still be 'in play' in the final episodes. 'You still have Kreese, Silver, Sensei Wolf, Master Kim Da-Eun. Everyone is still on the board. Nothing's been resolved,' Schlossberg said. 'We have a lot of fun in store with all the characters left in tatters at the end of episode 10.'
USA Today
12-02-2025
- Entertainment
- USA Today
When do the final episodes of 'Cobra Kai' Season 6 come out? Release date, cast, more
Cobra Kai never dies but for now the Netflix series is now coming to an end. The final part of Season 6 is scheduled to drop soon and will deal with the aftermath of Miyagi-Do's trip to Spain for the Sekai Taikai, "where it faced new challenges and old enemies while fighting to become world champions," according to Netflix. Sekai Taikai is 'the most prestigious karate tournament in modern martial arts history,' as Demetri (Gianni DeCenzo) explains in Episode 1 of Season 6. "After a shocking result in the Sekai Taikai, Miyagi-Do and Cobra Kai must reckon with their pasts while facing an uncertain future both on and off the mat," says Netflix about the upcoming part. "Almost 40 years after the events of the 1984 All Valley Karate Tournament, it's all been leading to this." "Cobra Kai" co-creator Hayden Schlossberg told Netflix Tudum 'all the big bads are still in play' in the upcoming part. 'You still have Kreese, Silver, Sensei Wolf, Master Kim Da-Eun. Everyone is still on the board," Schlossberg said. "Nothing's been resolved. We have a lot of fun in store with all the characters left in tatters at the end of Episode 10." Need a break? Play the USA TODAY Daily Crossword Puzzle. Here's what to know about the final part of "Cobra Kai" Season 6 including the release date, cast and trailer. Join our Watch Party! Sign up to receive USA TODAY's movie and TV recommendations right in your inbox. When does the last part of 'Cobra Kai' Season 6 come out? The last part of "Cobra Kai," consisting of final five episodes, will release on Netflix on Thursday, Feb. 13 at 3 a.m. ET / 12 a.m. PT. Describing the final season as an "epic 15-episode, three-part event" packed with action, Netflix had previously announced that Season 6 of "Cobra Kai" will release in three parts. Part 1 of "Cobra Kai" Season 6 released on July 18 with the first 5 episodes, while the second part released on Nov. 15. How to watch 'Cobra Kai' Season 6 Part 2 Episodes 11 to 15 of "Cobra Kai" Season 6 will be available to stream on Netflix at 12 a.m. PT / 3 a.m. ET on Thursday, Feb. 13. The first ten episodes of "Cobra Kai" Season 6 are available to stream on Netflix along with all previous seasons. 'Cobra Kai' Season 6 Part 3 cast Here's a list of actors and their characters in Season 6 of "Cobra Kai:" Ralph Macchio as Daniel LaRusso William Zabka as Johnny Lawrence Martin Kove as John Kreese Xolo Maridueña as Miguel Diaz Jacob Bertrand as Eli 'Hawk' Moskowitz Mary Mouser as Samantha LaRusso Tanner Buchanan as Robby Keene Peyton List as Tory Nichols Gianni DeCenzo as Demetri Joe Seo as Kyler Courtney Henggeler as Amanda Larusso Lewis Tan as Sensei Wolf Vanessa Rubio as Carmen Dallas Dupree Young as Kenny Yuji Okumoto as Chozen Alicia Hannah-Kim as Kim Da-Eun Griffin Santopietro as Anthony LaRusso Oona O'Brien as Devon Okea Eme-Akwari as Shawn 'Cobra Kai' Season 6 Part 3 trailer Saman Shafiq is a trending news reporter for USA TODAY. Reach her at sshafiq@ and follow her on X and Instagram @saman_shafiq7.
Yahoo
30-01-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
‘Cobra Kai' Sets Up Final Battle With Teaser & New Photos
The end nears for Netflix's Cobra Kai, but there's still more action ahead before the series concludes on February 13. After a shocking result in the Sekai Taikai, Miyagi-Do and Cobra Kai must reckon with their pasts while facing an uncertain future both on and off the mat. Almost 40 years after the events of the 1984 All Valley Karate Tournament, it's all been leading to this. More from Deadline Michael Azzolino Named Drama VP, Overall Deals Head Nne Ebong Also Promoted At Netflix 'Little House On The Prairie' Reboot Ordered By Netflix 'Squid Game' Season 2 Star Park Sung-hoon On Creating Nuance & Tackling Fun Challenges As Player 120 The streamer released a new teaser and three photos from scenes in part 3 of Season 6. In the clip, Johnny (William Zabka) is practicing with his son Robby (Tanner Buchanan) as Daniel (Ralph Macchio) is training with his daughter Samantha (Mary Mouser). Tory is getting herself into fighting shape by running track. All this is happening as Gunther Braun (Carsten Norgaard), host of Sekai Taikai, resets the tournament with the understanding that all dojos agree to complete the competition with no more drama. You can see the teaser above. In addition to the above, the series also stars Martin Kove (John Kreese), Thomas Ian Griffith (Terry Silver), Xolo Maridueña (Miguel Diaz), Jacob Bertrand (Hawk), Gianni Decenzo (Demetri), Courtney Henggeler (Amanda LaRusso), Vanessa Rubio (Carmen), Dallas Dupree Young (Kenny), Yuji Okumoto (Chozen), Alicia Hannah-Kim (Sensei Kim Dae-Un), Griffin Santopietro (Anthony), Oona O'Brien (Devon), Rayna Vallandingham (Zara), Patrick Luwis (Axel) and Lewis Tan (Sensei Wolf). Two additional photos can be seen below. Best of Deadline 'Bridgerton' Season 4: Everything We Know So Far 'Knives Out 3': Everything We Know About The Second Rian Johnson Sequel 2025 Awards Season Calendar: Dates For Oscars, Spirits, Grammys, Tonys, Guilds & More
