Spoilers Follow For Cobra Kai Season 6, Part 2

The Sekai Taikai has emerged as the ultimate goal of both the protagonists and the villains in Martin Kove's John Kreese, Silver has been wanting to win it ever since the 1980s. And as it turns out, it may have a connection to Pat Morita's Mr. Miyagi as well.

Despite not being well known in the United States, the Sekai Taikai is what Kreese called the “biggest tournament in the world. Silver knew in Cobra Kai that if he could enter his dojo and win, he’d accomplish his goal of “going global.” Part of the lofty expectations they have from it stems both from the prestige and the deep history of the tournament, which was touched on in Cobra Kai season 6 part 1.

The Sekai Taikai Is A Fictional Karate Competition

The Sekai Taikai Exists Only In The World Of Cobra Kai

The history mentioned by the characters has no basis in real life. Though there are martial arts competitions (including some that focus on karate) that operate at the world level, the Sekai Taikai is a fictional event created specifically for the series. That makes sense, considering it would be difficult – if not impossible – for Cobra Kai to find a real-life counterpart for the type of tournament-based competition it’s currently setting up.

Plus, going this route naturally makes it easy for Cobra Kai to create its own rules. This way, it can do whatever it wants with the Sekai Taikai, not unlike how it and The Karate Kid movies have handled the All Valley Under 18 Karate Tournament, which is also a fictional competition. This grants the series a wide degree of flexibility, as it's been able to craft a history for the event, place it in the location of its choice, and play up its significance in a way that would risk exaggeration if it was discussing any actual martial arts competitions.

The Sekai Taikai's History & Reputation In The Karate Kid's Universe Explained

The Sekai Taikai Has Been Around For More Than 100 Years

The winner of the karate competition, which they called the most prestigious event in "modern martial arts history," is crowned "World's Best." Hawk laid out its reputation in the martial arts world by calling it a combination of the gladiator games and Bloodsport's underground fighting tournament, The Kumite. Over the years, it's developed considerable traction and is televised to audiences everywhere.

The event is held every two years and doesn't have a fixed location.

As for where it all started, that's not been made abundantly clear. However, it is known that the Sekai Taikai has been in place for "over a century." This explanation came straight from Hawk and Demetri in the Cobra Kai season 6 premiere. According to the two, the event is held every two years and doesn't have a fixed location. Instead, it changes venue each time, with a different country choosing to host it (similar to the Olympics). Apparently, most versions of the Sekai Taikai were held across Asia due to the importance of martial arts in the continent.

One of the Sekai Taikai executives explained in the location announcement that the Sekai Taikai has since expanded out to other places. This is on of European karate teams having an impact on "the competitive landscape." It would seem that this has caused the tournament to evolve with time, perhaps moving away from a more traditional martial arts approach and gradually adapting to Western techniques. This inspired the Sekai Taikai committee to announce Barcelona, Spain as the location of the next tournament, which is expected to be featured in the remainder of Cobra Kai season 6.

Everything Cobra Kai Season 6 Has Said About The Sekai Taikai's Rules

The Sekai Taikai Will Have Multiple Competitions

Cobra Kai hasn't offered a thorough look at the rules for the Sekai Taikai, but has provided a broad preview of what to expect. Since the rules weren't known prior to the start of the season, it appears that they change with each iteration of the tournament. The committee member said in Cobra Kai season 6, episode 3 that each competing dojo will enter six of its fighters into the tournament, meaning that the majority of a dojo's students don't get to participate in any capacity. Instead, the action is left only to their most competent fighters.

Each team will have both male and female captains. The purpose of this has to do with the tournament format; the team captains will be the fighters that take part in the "individual competitions." This indicates that like season 4's All Valley, there will be separate tournament brackets for boys and girls. The difference here, though, is that only the captains will be involved. This should prevent characters in the same dojo from fighting each other, which is what happened in The Karate Kid and Cobra Kai season 4.

Based on the show's explanation, these fights will be where most of the attention will be. As for the other four of the karate teams, they will fight alongside their captains in "team events." What those are wasn't specified and currently remains open to speculation. It's possible that this format will pave the way for two-on-two matches and other fights that incorporate teamwork. That being the case would make sense, considering that Terry Silver and Kim Dae-Eun had their students spar in pairs in Cobra Kai season 5.

At Least 15 Karate Teams & 7 Cobra Kai Characters Will Compete In The Sekai Taikai

Several Different Countries Have Dojos In The Sekai Taikai

Cobra Kai season 6 part 1's ending confirmed that at least 13 dojos (other than Miyagi-do and Cobra Kai) will be represented at the Sekai Taikai tournament in Barcelona. TV screens and gis indicate that Johnny and Daniel's team will be fighting karate practitioners from a diverse list of countries, including Ireland, , Japan, Italy, and more. This level of range opens the door for the characters to be faced with all sorts of different karate styles.

Through two of the competing teams, Cobra Kai will thrust a handful of its established characters into the action. Miyagi's team consists of Robby, Sam, Miguel, Hawk, Demetri, and Devon. Kreese has a familiar face on his sidelines as well, with Tory once against acting as his top female fighter. Kwon, the rebellious student whose potential impressed Kreese, appears to be his choice for the male captain position in Cobra Kai.

What Happens In The Sekai Taikai In Cobra Kai Season 6?

The Tournament Ends In Tragedy

The Sekai Taikai has yet another giant battle between Cobra Kai and Miyagi-Do, and while this seemed like it would mark the end of the rivalry once and for all, that isn't what happened. Season 6 led up to the giant Sekai Taikai event, and it came down to Miyagi-Do beating Cobra Kai and seemingly eliminating them from the tournament. This all changed when Sensei Ivanov’s Udar Tigra dojo was disqualified for taking steroids. Cobra Kai got back in as one of the final four.

The men's and women's finals were Sam vs. Tory and Axel vs. Robby. The match between Axel and Robby is where everything falls apart. Axel shoves Robby off the mat, and Kwon cheap shots him. Miguel shows up to defend Robbie, and Axel goes after him. Suddenly, Sensei Ivanov punches out Gunther, and a brawl begins. Kreese feels this is a chance to kill Terry Silver, but he loses his eunjangdo knife in the scuffle. This ends up leading to tragedy.

Cobra Kai season 6, part 3, premieres in February 2025.

In the final episode of Cobra Kai season 6, part 2, Kwon finds the knife and prepares to stab Axel with it, but after a pair of kicks, Kwon falls onto the knife. When Daniel rolls Kwon over, the young man is dead with the knife sticking into his chest. Gunther orders the feeds to be cut, ending Cobra Kai season 6, part 2.