'Cobra Kai' Season 4 ending explained: Who returns at the end of the season?

Season 4 of Cobra Kai was a wild ride with four masters, three dojos, and a number of students vying for a single status-defining tournament championship. Karate Kid veterans Ralph Macchio, William Zabka, and Martin Kove were joined by Thomas Ian Griffith in playing the four headstrong senseis.

The season unfolded remarkably as personal developments and rivalries led to the three dojos facing off in the All Valley Tournament that took place in the last two episodes. The fourth season of Cobra Kai was released on Netflix on 31 December 2021 and has already got fans talking about the magnificent season.

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'Cobra Kai' season 4 synopsis: Fate of the three dojos hangs in the balance

The fourth season of Cobra Kai opens with Johnny and Daniel on the same team with a single-minded goal to defeat Cobra Kai and wipe the mat with Kreese. However, they soon realize that their 37-year-old rivalry won't be resolved that easily, and with constant disagreements on how to train the students, they part ways again.

A new character from the Miyagi-verse joined Cobra Kai this season and he has been nothing but trouble for the Miyagi-Do and Eagle Fang Karate senseis. Terry Silver, with his money and resources, wastes no time in taking Cobra Kai's lead and teaching the students to be fierce, exploit the opponent's weakness, and throw them off-balance. His ways are slick and dirty and his evil maneuvers are revealed at the end of the season.

Under the confounding and misguiding tutelege of their masters, the students are led to the tournament with a lot of scars and questions in their minds. Are they just pawns in their sensei's game? Or are they fighting for themselves?

New characters are introduced, old ones get their moments to shine, and with a plot full of twists and turns, Cobra Kai season 4 keeps the viewers gripped in its high-stakes narrative.

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'Cobra Kai' season 4 ending: And the winner of the All Valley tournament is...

Cobra Kai!

When Miguel doesn't show up to fight after his injury, Eagle Fangs are ruled out of the race at the beginning of the male championship. Johnny realizes he drove him away by being more focused on winning than his well-being and decides to make things right. Meanwhile, Hawk emerges as champion against Robby, giving Miyagi-Do a shot at winning the tournament and saving their dojo.

However, their chances were thwarted by Tory leading Cobra Kai towards the tournament win by defeating Samantha in the female championship. Her celebration was shortlasted when she stumbled across Terry praising the referee for rigging the tournament and tipping the balance in Cobra Kai's favor.

Back at the Cobra Kai dojo, Johnny visits one last time and faces his Robby, who realizes that being a part of Cobra Kai has not helped the rage inside him. Robby turns a real corner towards the end of the season when he watches young Kenny walk down the same destructive path as him after being misguided by Cobra Kai senseis. Finally, the father and son bond over a heartfelt, emotional moment.

Terry and Kreese sit down to celebrate their win when the former chastises the latter for having a weak spot for Johnny. The growing tensions between the two over the season culminated in Terry stabbing Kreese in the back by getting him arrested under false charges of assault and keeping Cobra Kai ownership all to himself.

Distraught over his loss, Daniel LaRusso visits Mr. Miyagi's grave and makes a surprising revelation. Instead of honoring the agreement with Kreese, he decides to go on the offensive saying, "I don't want to honor an agreement with men who have none." He is then seen seeking the help of someone who is revealed to be Karate Kid III alum and foe-turned-friend Chozen Toguchi.

At the end of Cobra Kai season 4, the exciting return of a familiar face, alongside Johnny's resolve to find Miguel and keep him safe as he undertakes a journey to find his real identity, sparks hopes for a season 5. It will be exciting to see how Terry Silver becomes the main villain and new allies are formed to take him and Cobra Kai down.