EPs warn that Miyagi-Do are underdogs in the big tournament

Miyagi-Do may be feeling a bit overwhelmed upon arriving at the Sekai Taikai tournament in Barcelona.

Part 2 of the final season of Cobra Kai is all about the international Sekai Taikai tournament, and after a difficult selection process in the Valley, it was clear who would join the final squad. The roster looks like this: Robby (Tanner Buchanan) and Sam (Mary Mouser) are the captains, along with Miguel (Xolo Maridueña), Hawk (Jacob Bertrand), Demetri (Gianni DeCenzo) and Devon (Oona O’Brien).

“Cobra Kai” showrunners Josh Heald, Jon Hurwitz and Hayden Schlossberg told TheWrap that the makeup of the team and overall increased skill make Miyagi-Do underdogs once again.

“We saw them kick a lot of ass in The Valley, but on the world stage now you see fighters who are a lot more experienced and have been on the world stage themselves for a while,” Hurwitz said. “In the first five episodes you see Cobra Kai all over the world and the threat they pose – once you get to the tournament there are 14 additional teams that they now have to worry about. We brought in the Iron Dragons as a team that is kind of the cream of the crop and has won previous tournaments. We wanted our children to be the underdogs again in this tournament.”

One of the things the showrunners are most excited about for Part 2 is increasing the martial arts skills on display. The goal was to give the Sekai Taikai a unique feel and not just “the All Valley tournament, but in Barcelona.”

“Our cast has been training in martial arts at this point since the beginning of the series or since they began participating in this series,” Heald said. “And our stunt team is just a bunch of world-class martial artists who come to work every day to make sure everyone looks great. When all of this is related to writing, it goes a step further. We wanted to make sure it felt like something that was outside the language of The Karate Kid and Cobra Kai, but felt like we just poured gasoline on it.”

Since Miyagi-Do is such an underdog, it’s up to co-senseis Daniel (Ralph Macchio) and Johnny (William Zabka) to up their game as well. Unfortunately, this won’t be the case as the two continue to be unable to get on the same page.

“It’s a Noah Baumbach movie that’s not in a good, good place. They are together but very unhappy with each other,” Schlossberg said. “They care deeply about these kids and know that the kids need to see them working together,” Schlossberg said. “There are a lot of Johnny and Daniel who act like everything is fine, and then when the kids leave, the fights start.”

The Dojo not only has to deal with other world-class teams in the tournament, but also with the fact that Tory (Peyton List) left the Miyagi-Do after her mother’s death at the end of Part 1 and joined Kreese (Martin Kove). connected) and Cobra Kai.

“Tory was backed into a corner and made the best decision she could given her headspace and perspective,” Heald said. “She’s clearly in a dark, dark, grieving place and going to the comfortable, dark place where she was before when she was feeling terrible. She’s obviously hurt and she’s trying to channel that and focus on achieving the only thing she wants, which is victory.”