Cobra Kai finale features a familiar face from the original Karate Kid
Cobra Kai has been filled with cameos from stars of the original Karate Kid movies, and Season 6 Part 3 features one last surprise.
Netflix hitCobra Kaireunited Karate Kid rivals Daniel LaRusso and Johnny Lawrence, with the longtime adversaries having something of a love-hate relationship across six seasons.
Along the way, multiple characters have popped up from their past, including love interests Ali, Kimiko, and Jessica, villains John Kreese, Terry Silver, and “karate’s bad boy”Mike Barnes, as well as assorted members of the Cobra Kai gang.
Unfortunately,The Next Karate Kid Julie Piercefails to appear in the final few episodes, but an unexpected character does return in Part 3 of Season 6…
Darryl Vidal cameos at the end of Cobra Kai
Darryl Vidal fights in the All-Valley Karate Tournament at the end of The Karate Kid, and he also appears as a referee at the Sekai Taikai Tournament during the Cobra Kai finale.
Back in the day, Vidal was a member of Locust Valley Karate, and won the All-Valley in 1981, defeating Johnny Lawrence in the semi-final.
Kreese recounts the story to Robby during Season 3 of Cobra Kai. “Let me tell you about your dad,” says Kreese. “He was always a scrapper. But the moment I knew he was the real deal was his first All-Valley.
“He made the quarters, but he drew a kid named Vidal. Now Vidal was a third-generation black belt. Very skilled. Way beyond Johnny, at the time. Your old man lost. But he didn’t make it easy. And I saw that look in his eye that he would never let that happen again.”
Cobra Kai Season 6 Part 3 recap: Karate Kid sequel ends with a bang
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Cobra Kai Season 6 Part 2 recap
According to Karate Kid lore, Vidal was defeated by Cobra Kai fighters in 1983, while we see him lose to Lawrence in the semi-finals of the 1984 tournament during The Karate Kid climax.
But now Vidal is back. At the start of Season 6 Part 3, Terry Silver offers to pay for a re-staging of the Sekai Taikai Tournament, and lets Daniel and Johnny pick the location and referees.
They decide on the Valley to bring their story full circle. Then when the tournament starts, we see they have selected Darryl Vidal as their referee.
The character is played by real-life martial artist Darryl Vidal, meaning he was able to use his own name. And this isn’t the only time he appears in the movies, as Vidal donned a skull-cap and stood in for Mr. Miyagi during training and fight scenes that were too difficult for actor Pat Morita.
All six seasons of the show are streaming onNetflix, meaning you can now check out out ourCobra Kai Season 6 Part 3 recapandending explainer, as well as articles on theamazing Rocky homage, thehilarious Back to the Future joke, and thetruth about Mr. Miyagi’s criminal past.
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