Cobra Kai | Season 1 Episode 10 | Finale

Plot Summary | Cobra Kai | Season 1 Episode 10

The episode builds to the long-awaited All Valley Karate Tournament, the same tournament where Daniel LaRusso and Johnny Lawrence clashed back in The Karate Kid.

The Tournament Begins | Cobra Kai | Season 1 Episode 10

• Johnny rallies his Cobra Kai students, reminding them of their training and the “no mercy” mentality.

• Daniel enters the tournament too, as a coach for Robby Keene (Johnny’s estranged son). Robby had secretly been training with Daniel in Miyagi-Do style karate.

• Miguel, Hawk, Aisha, and the other Cobra Kai students are fired up and ready to dominate.

  
  

Early Matches | Cobra Kai | Season 1 Episode 10

• Cobra Kai fighters tear through the competition, showing off their aggressive, ruthless style.

  
  

• Robby also impresses the crowd with Daniel’s more disciplined, balanced training.

  
  

• Samantha chooses not to compete, but she cheers from the sidelines.

  
  

The Semi-Finals

• Hawk, newly transformed with his Mohawk persona, shows his confidence but gets disqualified for an illegal move.

• Miguel advances to the finals, proving himself as Johnny’s star student.

• Robby also makes it through, setting up the ultimate showdown: Miguel vs. Robby.

The Final Match – Miguel vs. Robby

• The fight is fierce. Robby shows agility and creativity from Daniel’s Miyagi-Do lessons.

• Miguel, however, fights with intensity and aggression, clearly embracing Cobra Kai’s “strike first” mentality.

• During the match, Robby injures his shoulder, but Daniel coaches him through it, echoing Mr. Miyagi’s mentorship from the past.

• In the end, Miguel takes advantage of Robby’s injury and shows no mercy, striking hard and winning the championship for Cobra Kai.

Aftermath

• Cobra Kai celebrates, and Johnny is proud but also conflicted. He sees that Miguel fought without honor, fueled by aggression instead of balance. Johnny realizes he may be repeating the mistakes of his old sensei, Kreese.

• Daniel is disheartened but more determined than ever to rebuild Miyagi-Do and stand against Cobra Kai.

• The episode ends with a shocking twist: John Kreese himself returns, congratulating Johnny and hinting that the true darkness of Cobra Kai is only beginning.

  
  

Key Themes

• Victory vs. Honor: Miguel wins, but at the cost of fighting dirty, showing how dangerous Cobra Kai’s philosophy can be.

  
  

• Fatherhood and Mentorship: Johnny struggles with pride in Miguel while dealing with his estranged son, Robby, fighting against him.

  
  

• The Cycle Continues: Just as Johnny once fell under Kreese’s influence, Miguel risks doing the same.

  
  

• The Return of Kreese: Setting up the central conflict for Season 2.

Joe's Thoughts | Cobra Kai | Season 1 Episode 10 | Finale

This is the tourney that sets up season two, which will have the karate kids getting into their own tournament fights outside of the ring. It sets up season two, which is very heated. Kreese returns. Setting the stage for a conflict with the hardened Vietnam vet Sensai. Johnny's mentor at the original Cobra Kai dojo. I think that the setup is the hardest part of a show or movie, so I usually love season one of a show like this. However, as the show progresses, the fighting gets even more deadly, which brings in some high-stakes do-or-die playoff-like drama. The "game" becomes real in later seasons and episodes. Especially the fact the katana and tanto will see action in some of the fighting.

Joe is an orange belt in karate and is training for a green belt.