Cobra Kai’s Biggest Missing Karate Kid Reference Reveals Exactly How The Show Should End

The biggest missing reference to The Karate Kid reveals the perfect ending to Cobra Kai. The Netflix series is gearing up for its sixth season, which is already confirmed to serve as the final chapter in the story. Picking up some time after Terry Silver’s defeat in Cobra Kai season 5’s ending, season 6 is poised to send Johnny and Daniel’s dojo to the Sekai Taikai.

From the looks of things, winning the prestigious, international karate tournament discussed in the previous season will be the ultimate goal for the main characters when they return for Cobra Kai season 6. That makes a clash with a new version of Cobra Kai in the closing rounds of the Sekai Taikai the most likely story for the show’s final episodes. Apart from that, it’s unclear what the series has planned for the series finale. But because of a particular Karate Kid reference the series has thus far avoided, at least one part of the ending may not be so hard to predict.

Cobra Kai Still Hasn’t Brought Back One Of Johnny’s Most Important Lines

Johnny still hasn’t said in “You’re alright, LaRusso,” to Daniel in Cobra Kai

Across five seasons, Cobra Kai has made room for a multitude of references to The Karate Kid movies, bringing back old quotes from Johnny Lawrence, Daniel LaRusso, Chozen Toguchi, Mr. Miyagi, and more. Perhaps surprisingly, one of Johnny’s most impactful lines in the first Karate Kid movie still hasn’t been utilized in Cobra Kai. After taking Daniel’s crane kick to the face and seeing his opponent get declared the winner, Johnny approached him and said, “You’re alright, LaRusso,” as he handed Daniel the 1st place trophy.

Though it was just three simple words, that line of Johnny carried a lot of importance to The Karate Kid’s story. In the context of the film, at least, it marked an end to Johnny and Daniel’s rivalry. Also, his willingness to congratulate Daniel further demonstrated that in spite of his behavior toward Daniel throughout the movie, he truly did possess redeemable qualities. Its significance brings attention to its continued absence from the show’s growing list of Karate Kid references, which strengthens the notion that the show may be purposely saving a callback to “You’re alright, LaRusso” for later.

After all, it’s not as if Cobra Kai hasn’t had opportunities to make use of the classic line. Johnny and Daniel’s feud was properly resolved by the end of the second All Valley Karate Tournament in the series, which would have made any of their season 5 scenes an appropriate place to revive it. And if Cobra Kai wanted to pass it down to its younger generation of characters, that too could have worked. With Tory and Sam finally getting past their rivalry in season 5, Tory could have repeated the line to Sam after their team-up against Sensei Kim.

Using Johnny’s Final Karate Kid Line Should Be How Cobra Kai Ends

It should be used at the end of the Sekai Taikai

Including the line in Cobra Kai season 6’s final episode would fully explain why the show has been holding it back it all this time. In terms of where they are in their respective character arcs, it wouldn’t seem out of place for it to be dropped at any time, but putting it in the finale would perfectly align it with the timing of the quote in The Karate Kid. It provided a satisfying conclusion to Johnny and Daniel’s story in the movie, which is why it would be fitting for it to fill a similar role in their present-day journey.

Not unlike how the original line coincided with a tournament win, Cobra Kai can recreate it after the final round of the Sekai Taikai. It can represent how their partnership has truly paid off, with the two characters accomplishing their goal together, having seen their combined dojo prevail over their opponents. Doing so would enable Cobra Kai to effectively mirror The Karate Kid’s ending and take it to a whole new level at the same time, moving from the local level to the biggest stage imaginable.

Will Cobra Kai Season 6 Flip Johnny’s “You’re Alright, LaRusso” Line?

It can be referenced even if it’s not Johnny who says it

Rather than give this long-awaited moment to Johnny, the show may opt to flip it instead. “You’re alright, Lawrence” being the line to end Cobra Kai would be a just as meaningful ending, considering that the series started out as a story about Johnny rebuilding his life by teaching karate. During this time, Johnny has had a tense relationship with Daniel, who maintained a fierce opposition to Johnny’s ways for most of the show’s run. Because of how important their fundamental differences have been to Cobra Kai, Daniel making this statement would come across as a validation of his newfound approval of Johnny.

Why “You’re Alright, LaRusso” Didn’t Truly End Johnny & Daniel’s Rivalry

Johnny didn’t fully put aside his ill feelings toward Daniel in The Karate Kid

Whether it’s Johnny or Daniel who gets to use a version of the iconic Karate Kid quote, allowing it a place in Cobra Kai’s ending can carry even more weight than it did in the original film. As the beef shared between Johnny and Daniel in Cobra Kai season 1 proved, their animosity for one another didn’t truly end. Daniel was admittedly sociable to Johnny when they met at the car dealership, but Johnny’s attitude made it apparent that he still held some resentment toward the person who beat him at the tournament. This was on display later on in the season when he rehashed his history with Daniel to Miguel.

Of course, that’s not to say Johnny still having issues with Daniel after The Karate Kid amounted to a retcon of the ending. It’s worth noting that there’s nothing that happened in the fight that would have conceivably influenced Johnny’s view that Daniel stole Ali from him, which was the foundation of their rivalry in the first place. With that in mind, it makes sense that Johnny probably continued to dislike Daniel on at least some level. If so, Johnny’s congratulatory message to Daniel may have been just an effort to show that he could lose with dignity.

By this point in the Cobra Kai timeline, though, each of the two characters has a tremendous amount of genuine respect for the other and who they are, both as people and as senseis. So while his line to Daniel may have only been an act of good sportsmanship in The Karate Kid, it could be spoken with true, heartfelt meaning in Cobra Kai. Such an outcome is just the sort of ending Johnny and Daniel’s story needs.