InCobra Kaiseason 6, Daniel LaRusso finds a mysterious box of Mr. Miyagi’s belongings, which reveal many details about his mysterious past. Like its predecessors,Cobra Kaiseason 6 primarily drives its storyline through the intense rivalries and evolving story beats of its main characters. However, to make things even more interesting, season 6 also adds a layer of mystery by retconning some aspects of Mr. Miyagi’s past.
While helping Chozen settleinto Mr. Miyagi’s room, Daniel moves a bed and suddenly notices a small trapdoor. Upon opening the door, he finds a box that belonged to Mr. Miyagi. Although he and Chozen are a little apprehensive about opening it, Amanda encourages them to check what is inside it. As a result, Daniel gathers the courage to open it and finds a pair of boxing gloves, a coin, some scrolls, a newspaper clipping, a passport, and a headband. A closer look at these objects reveals some surprising truths about Mr. Miyagi.
Cobra Kai Season 6 Cast & Character Guide
Cobra Kai season 6 marks the return of many cast members of previous seasons, many of whom remain its primary leads while others get less screen time.
Newspaper Clippings Reveal Mr. Miyagi’s Criminal Past
Mr. Miyagi Was Reportedly Involved In A Violent Robbery
One of the most intriguing things that Daniel finds in Mr. Miyagi’s box is newspaper clippings dating back to the late 1940s. One from July 17, 2025, hasa headline that says, “Police search for assailant.“The article underneath the headline states:
“Police are searching for the culprit in a violent robbery and assault. Jim Watkins of Lodi was hospitalized after a severe beating and the theft of a valuable necklace. He identified his attacker as Keisuke Miyagi.”
When Daniel first spots the name Keisuke Miyagi in the newspaper clipping, he assumes that Keisuke must have been Mr. Miyagi’s brother since his first name was Nariyoshi. However, the details in the article still concern him because they connect Mr. Miyagi’s family to a violent crime. However, the deeper he digs into Mr. Miyagi’s past through his box of mysteries, the more he realizes that there was more to his sensei than he ever knew.
Mr. Miyagi’s Alternate Name Is Nod To The Next Karate Kid
After Amanda reads the article to Daniel and Chozen, the two immediately jump to the conclusion that Mr. Miyagi had a brother who was involved in the violent crime against “Jim Watkins of Lodi.” However, Daniel then spots a passport in the box that has Mr. Miyagi’s picture with the name “Keisuke Miyagi.“Daniel also notices that, even though Mr. Miyagi was born in 1924, the passport says his year of birth was 1918. Amanda tries to brush this off by jokingly claiming that her mother and many other people lie about their age all the time. Daniel, on the other hand, finds it hard to believe that Mr. Miyagi kept so many aspects of his life hidden from him.
Given how the name “Keisuke” was first mentioned inThe Next Karate Kid,Cobra Kaicould also be paving the way for Hilary Swank’s cameo by connecting season 6’s story to her character’s history with Mr. Miyagi.
Interestingly, Mr. Miyagi’s alternate name can be traced back toThe Next Karate Kid, which reveals his first name as “Keisuke” even afterThe Karate Kid Part IIdiscloses it as “Nariyoshi.” Although the movies do not mention the reason behind this change,Cobra Kaiis seemingly using this narrative inconsistency as a narrative device to retcon Mr. Miyagi’s past. Given how the name “Keisuke” was first mentioned inThe Next Karate Kid,Cobra Kaicould also be paving the way forHilary Swank’s cameoby connecting season 6’s story to her character’s history with Mr. Miyagi.
Cobra Kai Season 6 Soundtrack Guide: Every Song & When They Play
All the karate action and 1980s-inspired nostalgia are back in Cobra Kai season 6, with a soundtrack that perfectly sets the tone for the finale.
Mr. Miyagi Was A Silent Partner In A Boxing Gym Business
The Gym’s Co-Owner Helped Him Return To Okinawa
While Daniel grows increasingly confused about their newfound learning surrounding Mr. Miyagi’s past, Amanda LaRusso notices an address on the passport: “691 Hills Street, Los Angeles, California.” She encourages Daniel and Chozen to visit the location because there seems to be no other way to learn the truth about the sensei’s past. When they finally arrive at the mentioned address, they discover it is a boxing gym, seeminglyexplaining why Mr. Miyagi also left a pair of boxing gloves in the box.
Moments after their arrival, Chozen spots a man running out of the gym and chases him down. When Chozen and Daniel finally catch him and ask him about Mr. Miyagi,he reveals he was a silent partner in their boxing gym. The man claims that his grandfather and Mr. Miyagi were like brothers, and the gym would not have existed if it wasn’t for Mr. Miyagi. When Daniel questions why Mr. Miyagi would mention the gym as his address on the passport, the man says that he probably had something to hide, which is why he might have fled the United States.
Since Chozen and Daniel only know that Mr. Miyagi fled Okinawa to arrive in the US, they remain in denial and tell the man that his information about Mr. Miyagi’s past is flawed. However, the man reaffirms that Mr. Miyagi got in trouble for a robbery, and his grandfather had to help him leave the country and return home to Okinawa. When it becomes evident that Mr. Miyagi, too, had some skeletons in his closet, Daniel and Chozen struggle to grapple with the idea that their sensei was not the man they thought they knew.
The Headband Connects Mr. Miyagi To The Sekai Taikai
It Has Sekai Taikai’s Insignia
Although Daniel initially does not think too much about the headband in Mr. Miyagi’s box, it eventually becomes one of the biggest clues to understanding his sensei’s mysterious past. While tying the official Sekai Taikai team captain headband over Sam’s head, Daniel notices the logo on the tournament’s merchandise seems familiar. This is when he rushes back to Mr. Miyagi’s box and discovers that his sensei, too, owned a Sekai Taikai headband. This revelation inCobra Kaiseason 6 seeminglyconfirms that Mr. Miyagi also fought in the Sekai Taikai and represented his team as its captain.
Mr. Miyagi Turned His Life Around In America
Daniel Learned His Sensei Dedicated Himself To Making Amends
The third and final batch of episodes inCobra Kaiseason 6 revealed perhaps the darkest and most shocking of all Mr. Miyagi’s secrets.
However, while these truths initially shattered Daniel and his opinion of his sensei, some sagely words of wisdom from his mother, Lucille LaRusso (Randee Heller) quickly restored his faith in his former teacher.
The final episode ofCobra Kaiseason 6, “Ex Degenerate”, saw Lucille return for a family dinner with Daniel, Carmen, and Miguel. At this point, Daniel was absolutely distraught from wrestling with the knowledge that Mr. Miyagi was a criminal, possibly even a murderer. However, speaking to Lucille made Daniel realize that the man Mr. Miyagi was when he left Japan and the sensei whotaught Daniel the wisdom of karatewere almost entirely different men.
While Mr. Miyagi did indeed have a violent and troubled youth,Lucille explains to Daniel that his former sensei had turned his life around after arriving in America.What’s more, she also reveals that there’s much more to Miyagi’s criminal past, and it’s far more complicated than Daniel had realized. She illustrates her point by telling Daniel the story of the stolen necklace Miyagi had supposedly stolen. The man Miyagi assaulted to gain the necklace had, in fact, been the one who originally stole it.
The necklace Mr. Miyagi assaulted a man to obtain had once belonged to Mr. Miyagi’s mom, and Miyagi had later gifted it to his wife. Tragically, Mr. Miyagi’s wife died in a WW2 internment camp, and the highly sentimental piece of jewelry was stolen a guard. The violent assault Miyagi had committed was to regain the necklace from the guard who took it.
What’s more, the necklace was then gifted to Lucille by Miyagi prior to his death.The situation was far more nuanced that Daniel had realized, and Lucille’s story also revealed to him just how difficult a life Mr. Miyagi had led prior to meeting Daniel in the 1980s.Daniel feels a great sense of relief upon learning the real truth about Mr. Miyagi’s past, and the story also sets up a key story beat for thepotential Mr. Miyagi prequel spin-offofCobra KaiandThe Karate Kid.
Cobra Kai
Cobra Kai is a sequel series continuing the narrative of the Karate Kid saga, set 30 years after the 1984 All Valley Karate Tournament. It focuses on Johnny Lawrence seeking redemption by reopening the Cobra Kai dojo, reigniting his rivalry with Daniel LaRusso, who strives to maintain balance in his life.
