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'Cobra Kai's 10 Best Episodes, Ranked

Published 1 week ago7 minute read

When first made its way to screens across the world, it took it into a chokehold. No one ever expected any sort of continuation of to come about after so long, so people were certainly suprised when it came about—but it was a pleasant surprise. Rather than rehashing the same story, like the soft reboot starring and , Cobra Kai

Flipping the ending of the original The Karate Kid on its head, showing how Johnny suffered and was hurt by it, making the audience sympathize with him, made for an incredibly interesting and compelling continuation. It truly felt worthy of being a sequel of sorts to the first film from 1984. Now that the series is finished, people find themselves looking back on the series and its best episodes from each season. There's a reason it's one of the

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Cobra Kai

2018 - 2024

Netflix, YouTube Premium

Brandon H. Lee as Kwon looking at Kreese's dagger on the ground during the Sekai Taikai.
Image via Netflix

If episodes like prove anything, it's that Cobra Kainever lost its spark and true quality over the years. No series is perfect all the way through, but Cobra Kaihad a very consistent batting average and this episode is proof of that. While the first bit of the episode is great, it's the second half that brings this to the top 10.

After a cheap shot, a gigantic brawl between all the karate dojos breaks out and not only is it incredibly choreographed, but it features one of the biggest moments in the entire series. Over the years, the series has never really brought forth a death of one of the kids in the series. This 10th episode, however, changes that and This changed the tone for Season 6 a lot. It's a huge moment for the show and will be looked back on for quite some time.

Johnny Lawrence screaming in his Dojo in Cobra Kai Season 1, Episode 10.
Image via Netflix

The first season of Cobra Kai had to have been amazing if it sparked such a gigantic series and became one of the most popular shows not just on Netflix but in modern television. It's episodes like that captured the attention and hearts of audiences, securing their butts in seats for a second season.

This episode is the first episode of a two-part two-season story, serving as the finale to Season 1. It perfectly melded action, drama, heart, and conflict in a way that kept viewers on the edge of their seats for the entire runtime.

Johnny, Robbie, Daniel, Sam and Chozen standing in the tournament center in Cobra Kai Season 6, Episode 13.
Image via Netflix

Season 6 of Cobra Kai was packed to the very brim with action and incredible character growth. But, it was understandable that fans would be a bit worried about whether the gang would stick the landing for the end of the series. With being the second-to-last episode of Season 6 (and the entire series), things began to really begin wrapping up. It had a lot of people wanting to

As stories came full-circle, specifically with Daniel LaRusso () and Johnny's stories finally coming to a peak and finding what is essentially the end to their arcs. so they wondered how Cobra Kai was going to continue for two more episodes. When an episode is so well executed at wrapping up arcs that it feels like the finale, it can't be denied that it's of quality.

Ralph Macchio and Yuji Okumoto face each other and discuss something in Cobra Kai Season 3.
Image via Netflix

As Daniel visits Okinawa, Japan, he comes across (), who last made his appearance as the antagonist of . Back in California, however,

There's a fun parallel between the two plots as Chozen attempts to train Daniel while Johnny does the same for Miguel. The plot surrounding the latter, though, is incredibly emotional as Miguel begins to lose hope. It's hard to watch one of the show's main protagonists suffer so badly, but it keeps viewers invested in what's to come.

Hawk and Robbie shirtless in the tournament in Cobra Kai Season 4, Episode 10.
Image via Netflix

After really hurting himself, with whether he should return to the fight—as he wants to, but those in his corner are suggesting he doesn't. Like the episode name suggests, this entry in Season 4 depicts the ultimate rise of the new Cobra Kai. The end of the episode sets up some terrible things for the future . . . but light still rises on the horizon.

While Daniel agrees to shut his dojo down, he still makes it his sole goal to take Cobra Kai down so they can't take over the Valley. To make matters worse, though, Cobra Kai knows how to finish off a season and deliver a great finale. Season 4's big ending is the proof in the pudding.

Martin Kove as John Kreese in prison in Cobra Kai Season 5.
Image via Netflix

Every season, it seems like the team behind the popular Netflix series can't go bigger and better than last season's finale. After the massive dramatic reveals at the end of Season 4's ending, Season 5 told them to step aside and shocked the world. While the students are typically involved in the final fights of the show's seasons, this one got to see Daniel and the () face off once again, which was a huge moment for people who've seen The Karate Kid films.

The biggest moment of the episode—maybe even the season—is the ending, in which Never did anyone think that they would see a full-on prison breakout sequence in Cobra Kai, but they delivered and delivered in style and excelence.

Miguel and Sam looking scared in the LaRusso household in Cobra Kai Season 3, Episode 10.
Image via Netflix

If anything is clear, it's that the end of each season always delivers what is most likely the best episode of that collection of episodes. wrapped up the third season with exactly the fashion it needed to. Many believed that the third entry in the Cobra Kai saga started off a bit slow, but the latter half of the season and this episode in particular absolutely made up for it.

, apologizing for his actions and teaming up with Demetri () to get through the battle. Tori () and Sam () finally get a final face-off, ending in even more tense feelings between the two. Finally, Miguel gets his final showdown with Kyler (), taking home the win and finalizing his arc.

Patrick Luwis' Axel and Xolo Mariduena's Miguel fight at the Sekai Taikai in Cobra Kai Season 6 Episode 14.
Image via Netflix

After Cobra Kai Season 6, Episode 13, "Skeletons", which felt like a finale itself, the penultimate episode that came after, continued to do what the one before did best: wrap up more character arcs. Sam steps away from the tournament, forfeiting her chance to fight Tory, which was the right decision in the end.

Miguel gets the chance to step in for the big fight. While many wanted to see Robby (Tanner Buchanan) compete, the series got its start with the team-up of Johnny and Miguel and, therefore, it only made sense that Miguel got to take the spotlight for the big finish. He had to finally accept that he could not enter this final fight with revenge in his heart and to compete for himself.

There's no question that the most iconic fight in the entire Cobra Kai run is the gigantic school fight in Cobra Kai Season 2, Episode 10, "No Mercy". This isn't just because it's wonderfully choreographed, but because it had the biggest impact on the series that pretty much any fight got the chance to have.

Not only is this a unique location for a fight (Cobra Kai is great at picking these), but it ends in one of the most bombastic ways any battle in the series does: Miguel is hit off of a balcony in the school and falls onto a stairway many feet below and suffers an absurdly terrible back injury. The breath of fans all over the world was stolen from their chests as many wondered whether the young fighter even lived.

William Zabka holding up a trophy as Johnny Lawrence in the Cobra Kai finale.
Image via Netflix

With how beloved and praised Cobra Kai has been over the years, the series finale needed to be something truly special and amazing. Did Cobra Kai Season 6, Episode 15, "Ex-Degenerate" accomplish this? Yes. If anything, it affirms the quote, "Cobra Kai never dies." The showrunners have been commended for how they handled the final few episodes of Cobra Kai and this is the ultimate representation of that.

People all over the world are calling this the perfect ending and one of the best series finales in recent television. It's not easy to wrap up a series as big and long-running as Cobra Kai, so the fact that the showrunners were able to do it is a huge testament to how absolutely talented they are.

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