| This article is about the antepenultimate episode of Season 6 of Cobra Kai. You may be looking for the third episode of Season 1. |
- "The greatest victory karate can bring to you is not having to fight at all."
- ―Daniel LaRusso
"Skeletons" is the thirteenth episode of the sixth season of Cobra Kai.
Synopsis[]
As the moment of truth arrives, Daniel and Johnny confront their pasts. Then it's fight time as Robby battles Axel in the world karate championship.
Plot[]
A pregame show hosted by Kevin Burkhardt and Ryan Clark introduces the Sekai Taikai. Before the event, Daniel and Johnny watch their interviews on the show. Kreese visits Tory where he apologizes to her for how he treated her. She learns that Kreese signed off on the tournament and reminds Tory that he'll always root for her.
Everyone arrives at the All Valley Sports Arena for the Sekai Taikai. Kreese and Johnny talk to each other where Kreese thanks him for rescuing him from Terry Silver in the all-dojo brawl. He also thanks him for bringing back Cobra Kai and it needed to be different. Kreese also talks about strangling him and also how he admitted his defeat to LaRusso. Despite a heartfelt conversation, Johnny doesn't forgive him.
Gunther Braun introduces the referee Darryl Vidal, a previous competitor in the 1984 All Valley Karate Tournament. He also introduces Miyagi-Do, Iron Dragons and Cobra Kai. While having a moment of silence for Kwon, Mitch eats his nachos too loud and Johnny tells him to cut it off. Robby and Axel begin their match where Axel dominates him, however, after Robby receives a pep talk from Daniel, he starts to gain more power and by the end of the second round, Robby attains 5 points. Feng Xiao gets frustrated at Axel's performance and demands him to break his leg. He reluctantly does and Robby is forced to forfeit. In the locker room, Shannon tells Robby that she is proud of him and Tory tells him she will murder Axel and the rest of the Iron Dragons to avenge Robby but he tells her to focus on her fight with Sam. Robby informs Johnny that despite what happened, he isn't upset and he also tells him that karate has given him some of the greatest things in his life, including Johnny. The two then embrace each other and the latter praises him for his performance.
At the LaRusso house, Sam vents to Daniel about fighting Tory. Daniel admits he's been off balance, and he is iffy about continuing the tournament. In a nightmare, Daniel and a spirit of Mr. Miyagi fight off a bunch of haunting spirits. He is then upset with his master about not telling him before that he killed a person. Miyagi responds to Daniel's doubts over winning by saying there is no need to fight anymore. Daniel wakes up where Sam tells him that she withdrew from the fight and he happily accepts her decision.
Johnny and Daniel talk where Daniel tells him whether they win or lose, Mr. Miyagi's legacy lives on. Later, Johnny then talks to Kreese where he admits he idolized him and Kreese abandoning him was the worst moment in his life. Kreese also apologizes and admits he can't change the past, but Johnny suggests that there might be one thing that he can do to make things right.
Gunther explains that Miyagi-Do withdrew, apparently giving Iron Dragons the win by default without Kwon to serve as the Cobra Kai male captain to face Axel. However, Gunther surprisingly announces that joining Tory as the new male captain for Cobra Kai is Miguel with Johnny as their sensei, having been given Cobra Kai back by Kreese. Silver and Wolf are shocked and furious by this turn of events, but Silver admits that it's allowed as Miguel and Johnny are former Cobra Kai. Thanks to their reconciliation, Johnny bows to Kreese while Tory smiles at him.
Cast[]
Starring[]
- Ralph Macchio as Daniel LaRusso
- William Zabka as Johnny Lawrence
- Courtney Henggeler as Amanda LaRusso
- Xolo Maridueña as Miguel Diaz
- Tanner Buchanan as Robby Keene
- Mary Mouser as Samantha LaRusso
- Peyton List as Tory Nichols
- Jacob Bertrand as Eli "Hawk" Moskowitz
- Gianni Decenzo as Demetri Alexopoulos
- Dallas Dupree Young as Kenny Payne
- Vanessa Rubio as Carmen Diaz
- Martin Kove as John Kreese
- Thomas Ian Griffith as Terry Silver
Guest Starring[]
- Lewis Tan as Sensei Wolf
- Griffin Santopietro as Anthony LaRusso
- Oona O'Brien as Devon Lee
- Carsten Norgaard as Gunther Braun
- Aedin Mincks as Mitch
- Khalil Everage as Chris
- Patrick Luwis as Axel Kovacevic
- Rayna Vallandingham as Zara Malik
- Diora Baird as Shannon Keene
- Yuji Okumoto as Chozen Toguchi
- Pat Morita as Mr. Miyagi (via CGI)
- Kevon Burkhardt as Himself
- Ryan Clark as Himself
- Darryl Vidal as Himself
- Brock Redmond as Sawyer
Trivia[]
- The title of this episode, Skeletons, is a reference to the third episode of the series, Esqueleto, in which Miguel dresses up as a skeleton and in which its Spanish/Portuguese title translates directly into English as “skeleton.” This is likely because it is the antepenultimate episode of the series, similar to the penultimate Strike Last (which mirrors the second Strike First) and the final Ex-Degenerate (which mirrors the first Ace Degenerate). It's also a callback to when Daniel fought Johnny and his friends dressed in skeleton costumes in The Karate Kid when Mr. Miyagi saved him. In his nightmare, Daniel fights a group of people in skeleton costumes before meeting Mr. Miyagi again.
- The skeletons themselves don't appear until 25 minutes into the episode.
- Silver's health is shown to be declining and in an audio flashback, a doctor tells him that Silver only has six months left to live from his diagnosis.
- Amanda cheering on Robby is a callback to Mercy where Xander Stone's mother cheered for him in a similar fashion.
- Axel breaking Robby's leg is a callback to The Karate Kid where Bobby injured Daniel's leg in a similar fashion. The dialogue in the locker room afterwards is identical as well. Daniel even asks if Chozen can use the technique that Mr. Miyagi had helped him with, but Chozen states that it wouldn't do any good. Just like Bobby, Axel was reluctant to perform the move.
- This is also the second time that Robby gets emotional after The Rise.
- This is the first time Miguel and Tory are in Johnny's Cobra Kai since Season 2.
- The song playing at the end as Johnny and Miguel's return to Cobra Kai is announced is AC/DC's "Thunderstruck."
- This episode marks the last time Kreese meets with Johnny and Tory.
- When both Daniel and Johnny confront their senseis, they both get emotional. This is the first time we see the current Johnny at his emotionalist yet.
- Kreese also talks in an emotional way as he hugs Johnny, who is obviously crying as he hugs him.
- Devon, Kenny, and Anthony's appearances in this episode both show them having no dialogue.
- This is the first appearance of Mitch and Chris since Best of the Best while also their final appearance overall.
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