Warning! Contains spoilers for Cobra Kai season 1, part 1.
Summary
While it has always been confusing how the newKarate Kidfilm will continue afterCobra Kai’s conclusion, one story detail inCobra Kaiseason 6 has made the upcoming movie even more baffling.Cobra Kai’s showrunner Josh Heraldrecently clarified that even though Daniel LaRusso is a connective thread between the Netflix series and the upcoming SonyKarate Kidmovie, the show will not set up the film. This update itself was quite surprising because it would just be strange if the 2025Karate Kidmovie avoided everything that happened in Daniel LaRusso’sCobra Kaistoryline.
Owing to its limited runtime, the film could have gotten away with ignoring Daniel LaRusso’s Cobra Kai journey by solely focusing on the development of his story with Jackie Chan’s Mr. Han. However,Cobra Kaiseason 6’s part 1 has now dropped a new story detail that makes the newKarate Kidmovie almost nonsensical. While it is too soon to completely dismiss the film, aCobra Kaiseason 6 development makes it hard not to be concerned about the continuity and coherence between the two installments of the overarchingKarate Kidfranchise.
Cobra Kai Season 6 Cast & Character Guide
Cobra Kai season 6 marks the return of many cast members of previous seasons, many of whom remain its primary leads while others get less screen time.
Daniel LaRusso Confirms Cobra Kai Season 6’s Sekai Taikai Is His Karate Swan Song
His Retirement Means He Is Following Mr. Miyagi Best Lesson
InCobra Kaiseason 6’s episode 1, there is a scene where Daniel opens up about his excitement for the Sekai Taikai to his wife Amanda. Although Amanda supports him, she raises her concerns about their lives revolving around karate for the rest of their lives. This is whenDaniel assures her that the Sekai Taikai tournament will serve as his karate swan song. He claims that once the tournament is out of the way, he wishes to focus on other aspects of his life instead of being weighed down by the mindless pursuit of raising a karate empire like Terry Silver.
…by eventually stepping away from karate and choosing to embrace his borrowed time with his family, Daniel is following Mr. Miyagi’s best advice.
While one may assume that Daniel may not take his own decision seriously, retiring from karate is a crucial step in his journey of personal growth. Mr. Miyagi often reminded him that “everything be better” when “whole life have a balance.” Although Daniel understood the Miyagi lesson, he struggled to implement it throughoutCobra Kaiand almost ruined his relationship with his family in the show’s season 5. Therefore, by eventually stepping away from karate and choosing to embrace his borrowed time with his family, Daniel is following Mr. Miyagi’s best advice.
Daniel’s Return In The Karate Kid Movie Makes No Sense After His Cobra Kai Retirement
His Return Would Seem Forced After His Cobra Kai Retirement Announcement
Regardless of how the newKarate Kidmovie unfolds its storyline, Daniel LaRusso’s return in its story would seem forced after his confirmed karate retirement. Since Daniel almost lost his wife in the pursuit of beatingTerry Silver inCobra Kaiseason 5, it makes sense that he is grounding himself by finally taking a step back from the karate world after the Sekai Taikai. However, if the newKarate Kidfilm continues his narrative as a karate sensei, it would undermine his decision to retire and create a major inconsistency in his overarching character development.
Cobra Kai
Cobra Kai is a sequel series continuing the narrative of the Karate Kid saga, set 30 years after the 1984 All Valley Karate Tournament. It focuses on Johnny Lawrence seeking redemption by reopening the Cobra Kai dojo, reigniting his rivalry with Daniel LaRusso, who strives to maintain balance in his life.
