Mr. Miyagi's teachings have clearly influenced his old student Daniel LaRusso (Ralph Macchio) in the decades since "The Karate Kid" franchise, with the pupil carrying over his lessons to a new generation of dojo fighters in the Netflix spin-off "Cobra Kai". And though the karate instructor himself doesn't appear in the series — the actor Pat Morita passed away in 2011 — his impact will continue to affect Daniel in the upcoming second part of "Cobra Kai" season 6, which is set to hit the streamer on Thursday, November 28.
As you might remember from part 1, Daniel unearths a hidden box of Mr. Miyagi's possessions, which holds some shocking secrets about his beloved karate master, including a name change and a violent criminal past. And those discoveries will very much affect Daniel and how he approaches being a sensei himself in the second part of the season, as he attempts to lead the Miyagi-Do students to victory at the international Sekai Taikai tournament in Barcelona.
In a recent interview with Good Housekeeping, Macchio dug into the "hurt and pain" that Daniel will be experiencing in the final chapters of "Cobra Kai" as a result of his recent discoveries.
"For Daniel, when we discover and introduce this box of Miyagi's secrets, clues of a life that may have not added up to him ... that's a big part of the arc," he told the outlet.
"Daniel winds up wondering and not understanding why he wasn't told of things, and the hurt and pain of that. But also, the deeper he tries to unearth it, the more tangents he goes off on and potentially loses his focus on his students and his family."
And that disappointment will have major ramifications on his own personal relationships and teaching philosophy in the coming episodes: "Daniel's dynamic with Johnny and all of the students really comes to this pinnacle in the final chapter," Macchio added.
"There's that evolution and growth going forward. He needs to fight some real kicks in the gut, and find a place within his heart and soul to get through it." By the end of the season — and the series — "things will eventually make sense as to why [Mr. Miyagi] motivates Daniel in this specific story, and I'm looking forward to that," the actor shared.
We'll see how that arc plays out for Daniel, Johnny Lawrence (William Zabka) and the rest of the Miyagi-Do crew when part two of "Cobra Kai" season 6 debuts on Netflix. Unlike other shows like "Outer Banks," "Emily in Paris" and "Bridgerton," which all recently opted for two-part seasons, the sixth season of "Cobra Kai" is being released in three parts: the first five episodes arrived this past July, the second installment will drop on Netflix on November 28 and the final five episodes will follow on a to-be-announced date in 2025.
Tom's Guide will keep you posted on all updates surrounding the sixth season of "Cobra Kai," including behind-the-scenes tidbits, casting intel and showrunner insights. In the meantime, you can revisit the first five seasons of the martial arts comedy-drama, as well as the first part of season 6, with a Netflix subscription.
