The answer to the question that most Cobra Kai fans debated for months—who wins the Sekai Taikai—turned out to be more nuanced than nearly everyone had anticipated. It wasn’t just about which student finished first. At the end of the tournament, there were three different wins, a historic tie, and a final battle between two senseis that successfully completed the Karate Kid saga in a way that felt truly earned.
Characters in the show have been building the Sekai Taikai since Season 5, comparing it to a hybrid of Bloodsport and the Olympics. The tournament had already been disrupted by the unexpected death of Cobra Kai fighter Kwon Jae-Sung in Barcelona by the time Season 6, Part 3 debuted on Netflix in February 2025. Eventually, the competition returned to the Valley, with only three dojos left: the Iron Dragons, Cobra Kai, and Miyagi-Do.
Before the finals, Miyagi-Do’s journey came to an end. Robby Keene’s Sekai Taikai career came to an abrupt end when he broke his leg in a semi-final match against Axl of the Iron Dragons. On the girls’ side, Sam LaRusso decided she had no more motivation to compete and withdrew the nite before her planned bout with Tory Nichols. Cobra Kai and the Iron Dragons were left to compete for the title after a subdued, character-driven exit.
First was the girls’ final. Zara Malik of the Iron Dragons, a fighter who had been one of the more formidable characters throughout Season 6, Part 2, faced Tory. The first half of the game went badly for Cobra Kai’s captain after Zara got in Tory’s head early. Robby, who was watching from the sidelines with a broken leg, told her he loved her and to show no mercy, and that moment changed everything. On paper, that might seem overly straightforward, but the show deserves it because of how much effort it has put into developing that relationship. Tory made a strong comeback, taking out Zara with a clean knockout after landing several knockdowns. Tory Nichols won the girls’ division.
The format of Miguel’s final matchup with Axl was similar. He led five points to zero after dominating the first round. Then, in the second half, Miguel found himself on the defensive after Axel’s sensei, a truly disagreeable character named Wolf, encouraged his fighter to become vicious.
Axel’s refusal to follow Wolf’s orders to target Miguel’s previously injured spine was the pivotal moment in the fight, not a motivational speech. Miguel had the opportunity he needed because of that unexpected act of sportsmanship. He recovered, completed the bout, and won Cobra Kai’s boys’ division title.
The obvious conclusion at that point was that Cobra Kai had prevailed. However, the overall tournament score resulted in a tie, which seemed to be unprecedented in Sekai Taikai history. Together, Cobra Kai and the Iron Dragons had accumulated 180 points from all rounds. According to the tournament rules, students would not decide the tiebreaker. The senseis would decide it.
Sensei Wolf versus Johnny Lawrence. Daniel LaRusso trained Johnny for the match; he was older and, to be honest, physically outmatched. The irony of that arrangement, in which Daniel used Cobra Kai’s spirit to coach Johnny while Johnny battled for Cobra Kai’s survival, is what the show excels at when it does it. The first few exchanges were difficult for Johnny. Daniel then gave him a motivational speech that was framed in Kreese’s language of assurance and aggression rather than Miyagi-Do’s patience and balance. It made a click.
Johnny deliberately mirrored his 1984 defeat to Daniel at the All Valley by taking a defensive stance in the closing seconds and allowing Wolf to strike first before winning by counterattacking. The first American dojo to win the Sekai Taikai was Cobra Kai.
Observing how everything comes together gives the impression that the show knew exactly what it was doing when it chose Johnny to end it. Not Miguel. Not Tory. The student who carried it for forty years after losing everything in 1984. They all share the victory, but it feels most like his.
