"Now is not the time to puss out," Johnny (William Zabka) tells the students of Miyagi-Do at the top of Cobra Kai season 6 episode 4, "Underdogs". He's, of course, talking about the Sekai Taikai tournament and the fact that the kids will have to fight to earn a spot on the elite six-person team going to Barcelona for the competition.
Tory Nichols (Peyton List), Sam LaRusso (Mary Mouser), Miguel Diaz (Xolo Maridueña), Robby Keene (Tanner Buchanan) and Hawk Moskowitz (Jacob Bertrand) all believe they're shoe-ins to make the team. But when Johnny and Daniel (Ralph Macchio) go over their respective wish lists, they unsurprisingly don't see eye to eye — Daniel choose Demetri Alexopoulos (Gianni DeCenzo) over Tory, and Johnny wants to swap out Anthony LaRusso (Griffin Santopietro) for Devon Lee (Oona O'Brien) from his old Eagle Fang team.
To choose from the official lineup, Johnny suggests a "cutthroat, no-holds-barred Battle Royale" where the last six kids standing get to go to Spain.
Bad boy Barnes is back
To ensure impartiality, Daniel argues, they're going to need a karate expert who doesn't know the kids to decide. Enter Mike Barnes (Sean Kanan), the tournament terror himself, who is instantly intense: "I will surprise you with events, I will push you to your limits, and if any of you delicate flowers feel like going to your sensei and crying, don't. I've been given full authority for these eliminations," he tells the students.
The Miyagi-Do students are tasked with chasing chickens, breaking boards and holding heavy stones while squatting. He chooses a group of finalists, which include Hawk, Robby, Miguel, Sam, Tory, Anthony, Demetri and Devon — basically all of the dojo fighters whose names you know. Devon is frustrated she doesn't get the same praise from Barnes Tory and Sam got, but Johnny reassures her she'll make the team.
Anthony gets knocked out
The next day, Barnes hosts round two of his tryouts, which require the fighters to steal red flags attached to their competitors. During his match-up with Kenny Payne (Dallas Dupree Young), Anthony takes a particularly brutal hit to the face and is eliminated from the competition.
Daniel doesn't appreciate how harsh Mike is being, especially given that his son has a bloody nose, but Anthony is mad at Daniel for letting him think he had a chance to begin with. "No matter what I do, I can't win," Anthony gripes. However, Daniel is quick to remind him that, win or lose, he'll earn everyone's respect if he just keeps doing his best.
Tory, Sam, Robby and Miguel have all put forward their best — after round two, they are officially on the six-person team. Barnes tells the rest of the dojo fighters that he'll re-tally the scores that night and choose his final two in the morning.
Johnny cuts the tension
That evening, Johnny drops by Barnes' furniture business to see if he can get insights on whether or not Devon will make the cut for the Sekai Taikai team. Mike raises Johnny's blood pressure by telling him that Devon was at the bottom of his list and disparages both the Miyagi-Do and its sensei's skills.
They trade insults ("goon for hire," "cream puff," etc.) before the fight turns physical and soon the men are beating the crap out of each other amongst the chainsaws and workbenches. But Barnes cuts their face-off short and apologizes, saying he was simply itching for a fight to recapture a sense of power. Johnny commiserates with him but asks Barnes if he can rethink Devon for the top six — "a favor from one bad boy to another."
Kenny has a fecal finale
The next day, Barnes sets a final challenge for the remaining fighters: two flags are buried deep within the forest, and the two fighters who fight off their fellow dojo members and retrieve them will get to go to Barcelona.
It seems like Anthony took a little revenge against Kenny for knocking him out from the competition and slipped laxatives into his water. Kenny is forced to forgo his race with Devon in search of a porta-potty, but mortifyingly he doesn't make it and has a bathroom accident in front of the entire dojo. ("Somebody just got their brown belt," Johnny jokes.) But after Devon scores one of the two flags, it's revealed she's the real culprit behind the laxative prank.
As for the final spot on the team, Hawk and Demetri fight forcefully over the last flag but the latter, who is reeling from his BFF's reveal he won't be joining him at MIT, manages to win out. Daniel is upset Hawk hasn't made the team but also that Johnny "Eagle Fanged his way" into a fight with Barnes to secure Devon a spot. Johnny assures him they have the strongest team possible for Sekai Taikai but Daniel is unconvinced: "We have no idea what we're up against."
All five episodes of Cobra Kai season 6 part 1 are now available to stream on Netflix.
