Spoilers for all six seasons of Cobra Kai. The creators intended Johnny Lawrence to reclaim Cobra Kai, planned the finale’s “You’re the Best” montage well in advance, and deliberately left Kreese and Terry Silver’s fate uncertain. In a February 17, 2025 interview with io9, co-creators Jon Hurwitz, Hayden Schlossberg, and Josh Heald explained those choices—and clarified what they had decided not to explain.
Why does Johnny return to Cobra Kai?
Johnny reclaiming his dojo was a planned endpoint, not a last-minute reversal. Josh Heald said the creators had wanted Johnny to regain control from early in the series’ conception. Cobra Kai was the strongest destination for Johnny if the story could make the dojo work in his hands.
That return is not meant to erase the damage done under John Kreese and Terry Silver. The creators described it as a restoration that acknowledges the dojo’s history. Johnny’s challenge is to take ownership of Cobra Kai without simply repeating the harmful version of its legacy.
Was the “You’re the Best” montage planned?
Yes. Jon Hurwitz said the creators had long intended to use “You’re the Best” in the final episode, over a training montage with Johnny and Daniel. He said, “It was a moment that we had in mind for a very long time.” The song’s connection to the Karate Kid films meant the sequence had to feel worthy of it.
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The finale’s title, “Ex-Degenerate,” also closes a loop with the series premiere. Hayden Schlossberg connected that bookend to Johnny’s early wish for another chance at the tournament—and the pressure of finally getting what he wanted.
Why do Johnny and Miguel get final victories as Cobra Kai?
The creators wanted both Johnny and Miguel to finish with victories representing Cobra Kai. They knew Johnny would end up back at the dojo, but the tournament lineup needed to remain plausible as the season’s circumstances changed. Hurwitz pointed to Devon stepping down and Kenny entering the roster as developments that helped make the eventual lineup work after Kwon was no longer part of the equation.
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Does Kreese forgive Johnny—or does Johnny forgive Kreese?
The creators had long planned a resolution between Johnny and Kreese. Hurwitz described it as a reckoning: Johnny recognizes what he learned from Kreese while naming the harm Kreese caused, and Kreese offers a genuine apology. That is more complicated than simple forgiveness; the interview does not characterize it as Johnny excusing what happened.
Did Kreese and Silver die in the yacht explosion?
The interview does not confirm either man’s death or survival. The creators chose not to show bodies and wanted the ending to remain ambiguous. Hayden Schlossberg noted that viewers could imagine survival, especially because the series had previously made apparent deaths less than final; that was speculation, not confirmation of what happened.
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Heald said Kreese’s final act was conceived as self-sacrifice to protect Johnny, with the clash against Silver culminating aboard a yacht. The creators wanted a large-scale confrontation in a setting different from the houses and other familiar locations used for earlier fights. The yacht sequence was the last material filmed for season six.
Hurwitz also said the team had filmed a magazine shot asking where the missing billionaire was, but cut it because it made the intended ambiguity too explicit or ridiculous. Its removal is another reason not to treat the finished finale as an answer about Silver’s fate.
Was Julie Pierce nearly in the final season?
The creators explored bringing Julie Pierce, played by Hilary Swank in The Next Karate Kid, into the show, but learned fairly early that it would not happen. Heald said the writers did not develop an episode around her that they then had to abandon; they wrote the final season knowing she would not appear. There is no lost Julie-focused episode described in the interview.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.What does the final Johnny and Daniel scene mean?
Heald said the lunch scene was meant to show the Valley’s new balance and reassure viewers that Johnny and Daniel had become friends. The brief fly moment also gives Daniel’s relationship with Mr. Miyagi a final emotional note after the season left Daniel wrestling with what he had learned about his mentor.
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What did the creators leave unexplained about Miyagi?
The creators had discussed Miyagi’s history with the Sekai Taikai, but Schlossberg said they decided viewers did not need every detail. The necklace’s story helped Daniel accept that there could be another side to the history he knew. Schlossberg floated a possible Miyagi-focused spin-off as one way a story could explore more, but the interview did not announce or confirm a project.
Did the flashbacks use footage from the original films?
Sometimes, when usable material could be found. The creators said editors searched original-film dailies for alternate angles, mentioning possible footage for a season-six Johnny-and-Kreese flashback and season-three Daniel-and-Chozen material. The original footage was not fully digitized and had to be located, so the interview does not establish that every flashback uses unseen film footage.
Does a new Karate Kid movie determine whether Cobra Kai continues?
Hurwitz said he did not think the success of a new Karate Kid movie would determine whether the creators’ Cobra Kai stories continued. Heald described the movie and the series as branches of a broader universe and voiced support for both. Those were the creators’ views in the 2025 interview, not confirmation of another Cobra Kai season or a Miyagi spin-off.
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