Cobra Kai Season 6 Hints How Kreese Will Be The Show’s Final Villain

The Cobra Kai season 6 trailer hints at the possibility of Kreese serving as the final villain of the series, and how it could happen. In addition to announcing a three-part, 15-episode release plan for Cobra Kai season 6, Netflix offered a glimpse into the show’s final chapter via a short trailer. The footage provided a number of interesting teases, one of which revolving around Martin Kove’s John Kreese.

One of the consequences of Terry Silver framing Kreese was that the latter had to stand on the sidelines during season 5’s dojo war. However, Kreese’s escape from prison set the stage for the classic Karate Kid villain to return to the bigger picture, though exactly where he would fit in was unclear. With Kreese becoming a wanted fugitive, he didn’t have an altogether obvious way of renewing his conflict with Johnny and Daniel. As for what he’ll be up to, the Cobra Kai season 6 trailer features one massive clue.

Cobra Kai Confirms Kreese Will Be Involved With The Dojo’s Return

Kreese will find a way to take part in the dojo war

In the Cobra Kai season 6 trailer, Kreese says, “Cobra Kai is back.” What makes this line stand out is the fact that Kreese isn’t currently part of Cobra Kai. Terry Silver forced him out and took over, and Kreese escaping from prison only further complicated his ability to associate with a dojo. What’s more, Terry Silver’s dojo was seemingly left defunct by Cobra Kai season 5’s ending. By claiming that “Cobra Kai is back,” Kreese has pointed both to Cobra Kai returning as a threat and his character becoming heavily involved in their activities.

Given the show’s title, it was always considered unlikely that Cobra Kai would just go away after season 5, even in spite of Terry Silver’s defeat. There was much speculation that Sensei Kim Dae-Eun, Terry Silver’s partner in season 5, could take leadership of the dojo since Silver offered her half ownership, and with her also being the trailer, it’s safe to say that she too will have a hand in Cobra Kai’s resurrection. But from the looks of things, she won’t be in sole control of Cobra Kai. If Kreese’s ominous remark is any indication, he’ll once again be a guiding force in Cobra Kai’s upcoming struggles, perhaps alongside Kim.

Of course, that doesn’t solve the mystery of how Kreese will avoid going back to prison. The kids exposing Silver’s crimes normally would have exonerated Kreese, but his escape created new legal headaches for the character. Somehow, the show will have to properly resolve his fugitive status if it’s to make Kreese a sensei again. He obviously can’t lead a dojo with the police on his trail – unless, as some theories have suggested, Kreese manages to flee the country and relocate to South Korea where Kim is currently based.

Kreese Leading Cobra Kai Again Would Set Him Up As Cobra Kai’s Final Villain

Rejoining Cobra Kai will allow Kreese a chance to participate in the Sekai Taikai

Were Kreese to worm his way back into Cobra Kai and reclaim his original position as sensei, that would set him up to serve as the final villain of the series. Presumably, Johnny and Daniel’s main objective in Cobra Kai season 6 will be to win the Sekai Taikai, an international karate tournament they succeeded in entering during season 5. On the surface, that implies there would be no singular foe for them in season 6, but it’s the nature of the franchise itself for Cobra Kai to be the last challenge for them to overcome, no matter what the tournament is.

A key event in Cobra Kai season 5 strengthens the notion that Johnny and Daniel’s students will have to face Cobra Kai at the Sekai Taikai. With Kenny’s win over Hawk, Cobra Kai effectively secured its own spot in the tournament. Provided that the Sekai Taikai committee doesn’t revoke it after Terry Silver’s arrest, they should still be in line to compete. And as noted above, Kim should technically still hold the reins to Cobra Kai, meaning that their participation shouldn’t be in jeopardy. If she joins forces with Kreese, he’d have a potentially easy opportunity to prepare a new batch of students for the tournament.

If the dojo does indeed enter the Sekai Taikai, it’s all but guaranteed that the story will culminate in Johnny and Daniel’s students facing off against Cobra Kai in the final episodes. It would be in keeping with the spirit of the franchise for these dojos to be the last ones standing by the end of the tournament. And with the students representing Cobra Kai now expected to be under the direction of Kreese, that would lay the foundation for Johnny and Daniel to be coaching against Kreese on opposite sides of the mat for the show’s last fights.

Why Kreese Deserves To Be The Show’s Final Villain

Kreese is the perfect adversary for Johnny and Daniel

While there have been a few hints at a possible redemption arc for Kreese in previous scenes, giving him the role of Cobra Kai’s ultimate big bad would still be an appropriate move, based on his long history. After all, there’s no better fit for the task; unlike Terry Silver and Kim Dae-Eun, Kreese has been a consistent, long-term presence on the show that dates back to the season 1 finale’s closing scene, not to mention his villainous role in 1984’s The Karate Kid. Of all the possible candidates, Kreese has the strongest connections to the show’s two main protagonists.

There’s also the matter of his relationships with both Daniel and Johnny. While Johnny was Daniel’s original opponent, the series has never been ignorant of the fact that Kreese was the true instigator in the conflict, as it was he who led Johnny astray in the first place. In that sense, it’s fitting that Daniel’s final victory in Cobra Kai be over the person who forced him to embark on this journey all those years ago.

The same can also be said for Johnny, whose relationship with Kreese has had a foundational role in his story across both The Karate Kid and its sequel series. Cobra Kai has already given tremendous focus to Kreese and Johnny’s dynamic, but has yet to finish that story. Since Martin Kove’s character was out of the picture in season 5, Johnny’s shared win with Daniel in the dojo war was only against Silver, not Kreese. Cobra Kai season 6 can rectify that by building toward Johnny vs. Kreese for Cobra Kai’s ending, which can finally resolve their long-running conflict.