Major Spoilers Ahead
On July 28, the first part of Cobra Kai’s sixth and final season was released on Netflix. PerVariety, It debuted at No. 1 on the Netflix charts, hitting 14.8 million views in its first four days of streaming. It’s a sequel to the original Karate Kid films, with Ralph Macchio and William Zabka reprising their roles as Daniel Larusso and Johnny Lawrence.
If you’ve been following the show, you know about the two main male characters, Miguel Diaz and Robby Keene, as well as the tournament of all tournaments – the championship that is set to seal the fate of the characters – the Sekai Taikai, which Miguel and Robby are head-to-head in for the champion role.
Miguel Diaz is the Ecuadorian-American lead who holds the crown to the 2018 All Valley trophy. At the show’s start, he was a bullied kid who lived with his mom and grandma, struggling with his confidence and an absent father. It was only until Johnny came into his life that he began to make a name for himself through karate.
Robby Keene is Johnny Lawrence’s once abandoned son. Throughout the show, as their rocky relationship progresses, Robby makes decisions that affect him and his own reputation, like joining Cobra Kai under Kreese’s leadership and having the characters against him for a little while. Finally, after two tournaments, he is on Johnny’s side.
The two have had a rivalry ever since the beginning of the show, and only recently have tried to put their differences aside. There’s many problems they’ve had which have affected other characters (Sam vs. Tory rivalry), but I believe the most important parallel would be the issue they both have with each other when it comes to Johnny and his father figure role.
Robby is angry at Miguel for basically taking Johnny away from him, seeing his and Miguel’s close relationship, and Miguel is jealous that Robby was able to be on good terms with his dad again even after everything that they’ve been through, because he’s never been able to experience that.
The show explores Miguel’s missing parent subplot in Season 5, where he tries to find him, only discovering that there is no place for him in his life after all. To put it into perspective, Robby and Miguel have many similarities and differences.
But I believe Miguel should win the Sekai Taikai. The show starts with him and it should end with him. Also, by winning, he has opportunities for scholarships that could help him in college, so his family wouldn’t have to worry about costs. Robby finally has his dad on his side and he could go to community college if he wanted.
It’s agreed that in the new season, Miguel has been pushed off to the side, giving Robby more screentime. “Miguel’s been underestimated. Like when they picked Robby to be captain instead of him, even though that spot was literally his. He saved Miyagi-Do’s spot in the Sekai Taikai after Robby messed up,” said Serenity Harris, a homeschooled junior.
“If that’s not leadership, helping your team bounce back, I don’t know what is. He’s proven that he can win before, and he’s really good at helping bring people together, which is something that Robby needs to work on, since he can’t seem to focus on what’s important – the competition”, added Harris.
Others are Team Robby. “I think Robby should win because he hasn’t won a tournament yet. Miguel won in Season 1 and Hawk won in Season 4, so it’s about time for Robby to win something especially with his longtime rivalry with Miguel,” said Nya McDonald, a junior at Taft.
“I think he just didn’t really know who he was until the end of Season 4, from being someone who hated his dad and wanting to get back at him to wanting to become a champion and to prove everyone wrong. He wants to be someone who wants to win and to show the world who he is,” added McDonald.
Robby has obvious plot armor that can give him a win. “He has one of the best character developments in the show. Not only that he hasn’t won a tournament yet but he is also the son of Johnny Lawerence so it would make sense for him to win. Robby should be more than just a captain,” continued McDonald.
It really comes down to a tie, depending on what you think of the two characters. “Who should win the Sekai Taikai is really a toss-up,” said John Sosa, a math teacher at Taft. “I’m going to say Robby should win, as I think he has ultimately faced and overcome the most adversity in his life.”
It’s obvious that both characters have had amazing character arcs to this point of the show. Both have shown incredible development and it’s arguable that both deserve the crown as much as the other. Who do you think should win the Sekai Taikai?
