The best scene in Cobra Kai Season 6 honors the greatest sports movie

Cobra Kai ended in dramatic fashion, and during the show’s final episode, there was an homage to the greatest sports movie of all-time.

Netflix series Cobra Kai is set in the present-day, but the show has its roots in the 1980s, as protagonist Johnny Lawrence seems to be permanently stuck in the year of The Karate Kid, 1984.

Such nostalgia has resulted in a soundtrack that’s filled with bangers from the decade, as well as Johnny obsessing over movies from the era, including forgotten action flick Best of the Best 2.

But Cobra Kai saved the actual best for last, via a speech and then a training montage that harks back to one of the sporting greats.

How Cobra Kai pays homage to Rocky

The sequence in question comes at the start of Season 6, Episode 15, titled ‘Ex-Degenerate.’ While giving Johnny a pep talk, Daniel name-checks the classic: “You remember Rocky? Yeah, look, I know you’re a big Rocky III and IV guy. Mr. T, Drago. They’re fun and all, but to me, the OG is the best, bar none. You remember who won?”

Daniel lets that hang in the air for a moment before continuing: “Rocky’s training hard the whole movie, and in the end, what happens? He comes this close, and he loses. Does he feel bad? Nah. He went the distance. It felt to him, to everyone, like he won. He gets to hug the woman that he loves because when the fight is over, that’s all that matters.

“It’s the same thing with you. Whatever happens, you got people around you who care about you, man. Present company included. That’s what makes you a winner.”

It’s a beautiful speech, while mention of Rocky is something of an in-joke, as director John G. Avildson helmed both the Stallone movie and the original Karate Kid.

But Cobra Kai isn’t done there, as a training montage follows to the strains of Karate Kid anthem ‘You’re the Best Around.’

Between shots of Daniel and Johnny working out on the beach – and frolicking in the sea, Rocky III-style – they run through the Valley, similar to how Rocky Balboa sprints through Philadelphia’s streets in Rocky II.

And much like Balboa’s journey, the neighbourhood soon joins in; a crowd of supporters running with Johnny and cheering him on, just as the streets of Philly cheered on Rocky. It’s an inspiring moment, as well as a fitting tribute to a sporting classic, and the perfect way to ready audiences for the climactic Cobra Kai drama that’s to come…

All six seasons of the show are streaming on Netflix, meaning you can now check out out our Cobra Kai Season 6 Part 3 recap and ending explainer, as well as articles on the amazing Rocky homage, the hilarious Back to the Future joke, and the truth about Mr. Miyagi’s criminal past.