Cobra Kai season 6, part 3 review: "Puts a near-perfect bow on Cobra Kai and the Karate Kid series"

At first strike, Cobra Kai's final episodes seem like they're going to end very badly indeed.

As the dust settles over the tragic end to the Sekai Taikai tournament and the death of one of its competitors, the third part begins by furiously pressing the reset button, opting to resemble the shape and rhythm of a self-indulgent epilogue instead of tying up the few remaining plot threads in the over-long season.

Instead of Karate Kid: Endgame, we are initially treated to labored decisions over the kids' college choices and career prospects. Bizarrely, a Chozen (Yuji Okumoto) double date plotline is even brought into the mix. With no air of finality, these episodes could have been plucked from any past season – and you might start wondering whether the Netflix series has suddenly run out of reasons to put the gi on once more.

But, then, the screw turns: like the LaRussos and Lawrences of the world, Cobra Kai mounts an unlikely comeback when the action eventually returns to the mat.

Any fears that the part's slower first two episodes would set the tone for a show returning to old habits by overshooting its emotional highpoints one last time are washed away by a brilliant one-two-three punch of finales that put a near-perfect bow on both Cobra Kai and the Karate Kid series.

Cobra Kai season 6, part 3 gets going then, as all good Cobra Kai stories do, by Terry Silver (Thomas Ian Griffith, who once again gleefully devours every scene he's in) smelling an "opportunity".. After the languid start out of the blocks, the Sekai Taikai returns to the Valley – where else? – and sees Cobra Kai sprinting towards the finishing line.

No mercy

With the Iron Dragons on top and Sensei Wolf (Lewis Tan) baying for blood, there appears to be little Miyagi-do can do to stem the tide and avoid embarrassment on the international stage.

As the fight for karate's soul intensifies – not least through a series of formidably well-choreographed fights that rank among the show's best one-on-one scraps – so, too, does the pressure to stick the landing. Thankfully, it does that – by going away from its own core message.

There's a theme of acceptance and forgiveness coursing through the veins of this final part, not too dissimilar to Don Draper initially rejecting his calling as a Madison Avenue ad man and upping sticks to California in Mad Men's final season.

It's a brave narrative choice and one that could have been anti-climactic. But, in truth, it's what the Karate Kid saga has always been about: It's not about being the better fighter, but the better person. One Daniel (Ralph Macchio) moment in particular preaches that better than most, ultimately closing out four decades of a waxing on-again, off-again dynamic with his one-time sensei Mr. Miyagi.

In a neat full-circle moment, Cobra Kai also returns back to where it started – as Johnny's story. After six seasons of karate wars, tournaments, and blood feuds, Johnny (William Zabka) is pulled back front and center once more to complete his arc from loudmouth bully to a caring sensei in thrilling fashion.

Final fight

All told, the reframing of The Karate Kid bad boy is one of television's great recent triumphs, and these final five episodes won't do anything to dissuade viewers from that argument. The finale also gives Zabka the spotlight, allowing him to really show off his acting chops. One tearful reunion (the details of which are under wraps until release day) is a genuinely touching tour de force, one that showcases Zabka's best-in-show range and stands alone as one of the series' finest moments.

Cobra Kai season 6, part 3's greatest strength, though, is how it predicts what its audience wants at every turn and delivers on it through a phenomenally well-structured tournament arc. Sure, some plots are signed off in slightly obvious and contrived fashion, but it's difficult to care when it's surrounded by moment after moment of fist-pumping action, heart-swelling character beats, and tear-inducing callbacks. Whether you're a dyed-in-the-wool Karate Kid veteran or a Johnny-come-lately Cobra Kai stan, there's something for you here, from emotional catharsis to emphatic comeuppance.

The show's creators, Josh Heald, Jon Hurwitz, and Hayden Schlossberg, must get their flowers too for how they navigated the show from promising underdog beginnings to fulfilling end.

If the first part of Cobra Kai season 6 was all frustrating setup and its second part was a return to form, its third part is its crowning – if slow-starting – farewell to the next generation of karate kids. Make no mistake: Cobra Kai season 6 is an ending. There is scant room for spin-offs, while the upcoming blockbuster Karate Kid: Legends starring Ralph Macchio's Daniel LaRusso appears to be of no real concern to the little Netflix show that could.

Whisper it, but Cobra Kai might have just set a lofty bar for Stranger Things' own finale later this year.

All told, the reframing of The Karate Kid bad boy is one of television's great recent triumphs, and these final five episodes won't do anything to dissuade viewers from that argument. The finale also gives Zabka the spotlight, allowing him to really show off his acting chops. One tearful reunion (the details of which are under wraps until release day) is a genuinely touching tour de force, one that showcases Zabka's best-in-show range and stands alone as one of the series' finest moments.

Cobra Kai season 6, part 3's greatest strength, though, is how it predicts what its audience wants at every turn and delivers on it through a phenomenally well-structured tournament arc. Sure, some plots are signed off in slightly obvious and contrived fashion, but it's difficult to care when it's surrounded by moment after moment of fist-pumping action, heart-swelling character beats, and tear-inducing callbacks. Whether you're a dyed-in-the-wool Karate Kid veteran or a Johnny-come-lately Cobra Kai stan, there's something for you here, from emotional catharsis to emphatic comeuppance.

Cobra Kai never dies

The show's creators, Josh Heald, Jon Hurwitz, and Hayden Schlossberg, must get their flowers too for how they navigated the show from promising underdog beginnings to fulfilling end.

If the first part of Cobra Kai season 6 was all frustrating setup and its second part was a return to form, its third part is its crowning – if slow-starting – farewell to the next generation of karate kids. Make no mistake: Cobra Kai season 6 is an ending. There is scant room for spin-offs, while the upcoming blockbuster Karate Kid: Legends starring Ralph Macchio's Daniel LaRusso appears to be of no real concern to the little Netflix show that could.

Whisper it, but Cobra Kai might have just set a lofty bar for Stranger Things' own finale later this year.

Cobra Kai season 6, part 3 is out now on Netflix. For more, check out our lists of the best Netflix shows and the best Netflix movies to stream right now.