So after that big cliffhanger in Cobra Kai season 6 episode 8, we all need answers, right?
Last episode saw the return of one of The Karate Kid franchise's most iconic baddies: Terry Silver (Thomas Ian Griffith), who has somehow managed to evade jailtime — seriously, between his case being tossed and John Kreese (Martin Kove) managing to escape, we think that prison seriously needs to up its security — and gotten himself to Barcelona for the Sekai Taikai tournament. How did Silver pull it off? And how does his surprise appearance affect Miyagi-Do and beyond?
Here’s everything that went down in Cobra Kai season 6 episode 9, entitled "Blood In Blood Out."
Silver's path to the Sekai Taikai
Episode 9 picks up in Bangkok three months prior to the Sekai Taikai tournament. We find Silver nursing a drink and meeting with his lawyer at some kind of underground cage-fighting club — thanks to Stingray being a lousy witness, his lawyer was able to have the case against Silver thrown out. Silver asks if he still has access to his offshore accounts, and cnce confirmed immediately offers up a financial proposal to the fighter he'd been watching: Sensei Wolf (Lewis Tan).
With his dojo as the reigning Sekai Taikai champions, Wolf has a guaranteed spot in the karate tournament. But he's having money issues and recently lost ownership of his dojo. Silver says he will pay off his debts if Wolf competes on his behalf in the Sekai Taikai and wins against Silver's enemies.
Back in the present-day, Silver explains to Daniel (Ralph Macchio), Chozen (Yuji Okumoto), Kim (Alicia Hannah-Kim) and Kreese that he was the one behind Daniel's kidnapping, an easy feat given how obsessed the Miyagi-Do sensei is with Mr. Miyagi's legacy. Kreese wants to take care of Silver there and then, but Kim reminds him they have to win the Sekai Taikai first.
Keep your enemies closer
Now that, as Johnny Lawrence (William Zabka) says, "that ponytail prick is back," the Miyagi-Do crew is worried about Silver's presence at the tournament. "We know that Silver's gonna cheat. The only question is how," Demitri (Gianni Decenzo) reasons, believing the recent return of Kenny Payne (Dallas Dupree Young) is too coincidental to not be somehow tied to Silver.
So, before Terry can mess with them, the Miyagi-Do sensei decide to get at him first and use Kreese as the scapegoat in the process. They take Kreese's prized eunjangdo from his locker and leave a spa gift certificate instead, prompting Kreese to immediately sock Silver right in the nose.
Sensei Kim talks down the organizers from kicking Cobra Kai out of the competition, but the ruse has clearly rattled both of Miyagi-Do's enemies. Johnny is surprised that Daniel went along with the scheme — "part of defense is redirecting your opponent's momentum," Daniel reasons.
Miyagi-Do finally comes together
As the top eight dojos of the Sekai Taikai move into the final group event, the Miyagi-Do students can't be further from unity. In the words of Chozen, the "team is falling apart faster than a crunchy taco."
Things between former BFFs Demitri and Hawk (Jacob Bertrand) are still tense, and the former is stoking suspiciousness about Kenny's return. Robby (Tanner Buchanan) is reeling from his heartbreak over Tory (Peyton List) and after his hook-up with Zara (Rayna Vallandingham) he believes he doesn't have what it takes to be captain. After a much-needed pep talk from Miguel (Xolo Maridueña), Robby decides to be a leader and publicly support Kenny, who helps Miyagi-Do advance in the competition.
In the locker room ahead of the group event, Miyagi-Do realize that this will be their last time competing together as a team, the nostalgia prompts a reconciliation between Hawk and Demitri. The sensei realize they don't even need their inspirational pre-match speech — the kids are ready.
It's a showdown between Miyagi-Do and Cobra Kai, of course, with Robby choosing to fight first on behalf of his dojo. But instead of the expected Kwon (Brandon H. Lee), Tory steps in at the last minute to fight for Cobra Kai, making it a real battle of the exes. Tory is pissed about Zara, and Robby is pissed that Kwon apparently amped up his non-relationship with Tory just to mess with him. With things all tied up, it ends up being Robby versus Kwan to finish the match, with Miyagi-Do winning and advancing to the championship round of the Sekai Taikai.
But even though Cobra Kai has officially been knocked out, that doesn't mean things will be smooth-sailing for Miyagi-Do. In the final moments of the episode, Silver gives Daniel an envelope as "a gift" — it's the scoreboard from the year that Mr. Miyagi competed at the Sekai Taikai, showing that his opponent was killed during the match. And though Kreese is reunited with his eunjangdo in the locker room, Cobra Kai's loss just has him craving revenge even more.
All episodes of Cobra Kai season 6 part 2 are now available to stream on Netflix.
