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Who Wins the Sekai Taikai Tournament in ‘Cobra Kai’? Spoilers for How the ‘Karate Kid’ Spinoff Ends
Cobra Kai season 6 saw the world’s toughest karate dojos, including Miyagi-Do and Cobra Kai, compete in the Sekai Taikai tournament — the most prestigious karate tournament in modern martial arts history. Fans got to see the long-awaited conclusion to the competition in season 6 part 3, which was released on Netflix on February 13, 2025. Life & Style breaks down all the winners (and losers) of the Sekai Taikai tournament.
SPOILER ALERT: The following story contains spoilers for Cobra Kai season 6 part 3.
What Happens in the Sekai Taikai Semi-Finals in ‘Cobra Kai’?
After the tragic death of Cobra Kai fighter Kwon Jae-Sung (Brandon H. Lee) in Cobra Kai season 6 part 2, the Sekai Taikai tournament shut down for a while. However, Terry Silver (Thomas Ian Griffith), determined to humiliate nemesis Cobra Kai Sensei John Kreese (Martin Cove) by defeating his dojo, convinced the tournament’s leaders and the remaining dojos — Miyagi-Do, Cobra Kai and the Iron Dragons — to finish the competition.
In the semi-finals, Miyagi-Do’s Robby Keene (Tanner Buchanan) had to face off against the Iron Dragons’ Axel Kovačević (Patrick Luwis). Unfortunately, although Robby fought hard, he ended up getting tangled with Axel in mid-air and broke his leg, making him unable to continue in the competition.
Meanwhile, on the girls’ side, Miyagi-Do’s Sam LaRusso (Mary Mouser) was scheduled to take on Cobra Kai’s Tory Nichols (Peyton List). However, the night before the big fight, the teen found herself questioning what she was really fighting for. She ultimately decided to drop out of the Sekai Taikai, eliminating Miyagi-Do from the competition and sending both Cobra Kai and the Iron Dragons to the finals.
Does Tory Win the Sekai Taikai in ‘Cobra Kai’?
Kreese, feeling guilty for causing Kwon’s death and knowing that he has taken his “no mercy” karate philosophy too far, quit as Cobra Kai’s sensei, so it was unclear at first if Cobra Kai would even be able to compete in the finals. However, Johnny Lawrence (William Zabka) stepped up to reclaim his role as Cobra Kai’s sensei, leading both Tory and Miguel Diaz (Xolo Maridueña) to the end of the competition.
Tory took to the mat to fight the Iron Dragons’ Zara Malik (Rayna Vallandingham). At first, Zara got in Tory’s head by convincing her that everyone in the stadium was cheering for Zara and that no one loved Tory.
Tory struggled in the first half of the fight, but in a sweet moment with boyfriend Robby, he told her that he loved her and to show no mercy. It was enough to re-invigorate Tory, and she made an epic comeback with multiple 10-point knockdowns and a finishing knockout against Zara. Tory and Cobra Kai won the girls’ division’s champion of the Sekai Taikai.
Does Miguel Win the Sekai Taikai in ‘Cobra Kai’?
Miguel bravely took on the machine-like Axel in the finals. Cobra Kai had the upper hand in the first round, with Miguel scoring five points over Axel. However, the Iron Dragons’ abusive Sensei Wolf (Lewis Tan) pushed Axel to kick his fight into high gear, causing him to overpower Miguel in the second half.
Fortunately, Axel refused to listen to Sensei Wolf’s horrific suggestion of targeting Miguel’s spine in order to take him out of the competition for good. This allowed Miguel to regain control of the fight and come out on top.
Though Miguel and Cobra Kai were named the boys’ division’s Sekai Taikai champion, the tournament did not end there, thanks to a surprising twist.
Which Dojo Wins the Sekai Taikai in ‘Cobra Kai’?
After the division matches, it was time to name a dojo as the overall Sekai Taikai champion. The winner was to be chosen based on which dojo in the finals earned the most overall points. However, for the first time in Sekai Taikai history, there was a tie — the Iron Dragons and Cobra Kai each earned 180 points. This meant a tie-breaker needed to take place, but instead of a fight between two students, it was a fight between their two senseis, Johnny and Wolf.
With Daniel LaRusso (Ralph Macchio) as his sensei, Johnny began training for the match, but he knew that Wolf was younger and a better fit to win the fight. Johnny had to rely on his confidence as a fighter, using both Cobra Kai’s offensive skills and Miyagi-Do’s defensive skills. Though he struggled in the first half, Daniel gave Johnny a pep talk in the same way that Kreese would, which motivated him enough to overcome Wolf.
Johnny won the match for Cobra Kai, allowing the dojo to become the overall winner of the Sekai Taikai tournament.
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