Why Johnny Saved Kreese's Life In Cobra Kai Season 6 Part 2

This article contains spoilers for "Cobra Kai" season 6 part 2.

Saying that Johnny Lawrence (William Zabka) doesn't like his former sensei John Kreese (Martin Kove) is an understatement. Ever since Kreese joined "Cobra Kai" in the season 1 finale, "Mercy," he's acted as Johnny's personal bogeyman and aspiring corruptor — a fitting role for the old man, whose training and torment ended up affecting Johnny's life so adversely. The two have thrown hands before, and in the final episode of "Cobra Kai" season 6 part 2, titled "Eunjangdo," things seem to be going that way once more. 

During the great Sekai Taikai brawl that ends the episode, a furious Kreese heads after Terry Silver (Thomas Ian Griffith) with murder in his eyes. Johnny spots his old master and gives chase, but when he sees that Kreese is on the ropes, he switches targets on the fly and attacks Silver instead. The whole Kreese-Silver fight is mainly just setup for the shocking death of Kwon (Brandon H. Lee), so it makes sense to end it with a bit of outside interference. Still, Johnny's decision may raise a few eyebrows, considering his well-established dislike of Kreese.

In an interview with The Wrap, "Cobra Kai" showrunners Hayden Schlossberg, Jon Hurwitz, and Josh Heald took a moment to analyze Johnny's decision. Schlossberg revealed that the Miyagi-do sensei isn't defending Kreese as much as he's simply surveying the situation and deciding to kick the one villain who's still fit to fight:

"Johnny is caught up in the frenzy of this brawl and sees the guy he hates the most. He's going after Kreese probably to kick his ass and then sees him getting his ass kicked but by somebody who he hates. So it just makes sense to go after Terry because Kreese was already on the ground."

The show takes care to underline the strangeness of Johnny's decision. "Why?" Silver whispers in absolute disbelief after eating Johnny's surprise kick. "I owed you one," Johnny answers before proceeding to overwhelm the villain — at least, until Kwon's last, agonized scream interrupts them.

Johnny owes Silver plenty, as it happens. The tycoon has terrorized everyone ever since he rediscovered his passion to become a karate supervillain in "Cobra Kai" season 4. He even actively attempted to kill Johnny, Chozen Toguchi (Yuji Okumoto), and Mike Barnes (Sean Kanan) after they invaded his mansion in the season 5 finale, "Head of the Snake." Even so, it's surprising that Johnny isn't at least willing to sit back and let the fight between Silver and Kreese conclude before moving in. As Hurwitz said in the interview, however, Johnny may have simply been tempted to avenge an earlier dirty trick in the heat of the moment. He also teased that the third part of the final season of "Cobra Kai" will explore the fallout of this scene:

"He says at the time 'I owed you one' because way back when Silver got a cheap shot on him when he wasn't looking. Johnny may justify in his own mind like 'Okay, this was my shot to get him back.' He could have witnessed the end of Kreese and potentially been happy with that but he chose not to. I think in the back five we're going to have to see the impact that has for Johnny and Kreese and you know where their story eventually ends."

Count Johnny's behavior among the big secrets of "Cobra Kai" season 6 part 2, then. Hopefully, we'll find out more when part 3 premieres on February 13, 2025.