We Had Our Heads With Johnny & Daniel

Cobra Kai‘s ending has pivoted slightly from what the creators had originally planned, according to co-creator Jon Hurwitz. Planned as a continuation of the Karate Kid narrative, but told from the perspective of Johnny Lawrence (William Zabka), Cobra Kai was envisioned as an antihero character study, but evolved into something much more. Now, with the upcoming third part of Cobra Kai season 6, the Netflix series will come to an end, closing out Johnny’s story as Daniel La Russo (Ralph Macchio) prepares to go on to the movie Karate Kid: Legends.

Now, according to Hurwitz in an interview with ScreenRant at the Saturn Awards, the show has been forced to evolve from what was originally planned by him and fellow co-creators Josh Heald and Hayden Schlossberg. Hurwitz reveals that the show originally planned to focus on Johnny and Daniel, with little bits of other characters like Miguel, but Cobra Kai became something much bigger. Check out Hurwitz’s comments below:

We planned this ending, but we couldn’t have planned how many instruments we’re playing in the symphony of the ending. We had our heads with Johnny and Daniel, and a little bit of Miguel and a little bit of Robbie and Sam at the very beginning series. Now, there’s 40 characters we’re in love with that we want to give the right ending to.

The Show Has Achieved The Rare Feat Of Enriching Its Source Material While Succeeding As A Separate Entity

While there is no doubt that Cobra Kai‘s original, narrower ending could have worked, this is essentially what Cobra Kai season 1 provided. It was about Johnny trying to find his purpose in life, and opening a dojo to help kids grow their confidence and learn karate in a way different from how he did. Furthermore, his clashes with the now-successful Daniel were key to shaping his future and helping both of them to grow and move on as men in the modern world.

However, as is often the case with shows, the story grew organically, and the need for an ensemble cast became apparent. It is a good bet that the creators didn’t know the places they were going to go at times. Sometimes, when a franchise evolves, it determines its own direction, and it feels like the writers just needed to steer the ship in the right direction, as opposed to undergoing a full course correction. Cobra Kai‘s rich tapestry of characters is a key factor that has helped it stand out from the movies, and will, hopefully, give it a strong conclusion.

Our Take On Cobra Kai’s Ending

The Show Will Seek To Honor The Characters It Has Explored

Now very much an ensemble piece, the show is heading inexorably toward its conclusion, with Cobra Kai season 6 part 3 set to drop on Netflix on February 13. For these final episodes, while Daniel and Johnny’s arcs will no doubt play a key role, there are other characters who will need to have their stories wrapped up, including Miguel, Robbie, Samantha, Tory, Kreese, Silver, Chozen, and more. While for most of the characters, life will simply continue as normal, the writing team will want to bring things to a satisfactory conclusion for many of Cobra Kai‘s main players.

TV Show

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Cobra Kai

5/10

Release Date

2018 – 2024

Network

Netflix, YouTube Premium

Showrunner

Jon Hurwitz

Directors

Hayden Schlossberg, Jon Hurwitz, Joel Novoa, Jennifer Celotta, Steven K. Tsuchida, Sherwin Shilati, Marielle Woods, Steve Pink, Lin Oeding, Michael Grossman

Writers

Josh Heald, Ashley Darnall, Chris Rafferty, Bill Posley