The Hooligan ending explained: Did Kuba get his revenge?

The Hooligan is a Polish Netflix series directed by Łukasz Palkowski and released on January 29, 2025. The show features a cast including Grzegorz Palkowski, Mila Jankowska, Karol Pocheć, and Marta Żmuda Trzebiatowska.

The series explores issues of violence, loyalty, and the conflict of a young man torn between his future and his family's history. The narrative follows Kuba, a 17-year-old who idolizes his father and gets heavily involved in football hooliganism, which has dangerous repercussions.

Disclaimer: This article contains major spoilers from The Hooligan. Reader's discretion is advised.

The ending of The Hooligan revolves around Kuba's intense desire for revenge against Zyga, the man responsible for ruining his life. While Kuba does manage to confront Zyga and even attacks him, he ultimately fails to kill him.

Zyga escapes, only to meet his end elsewhere. Kuba is arrested before he can finish his revenge and ends up in prison, where his quest for vengeance continues with new enemies.

The show's conclusion further emphasizes the violence's never-ending cycle. The following generation appears, set to make the same mistakes despite the deaths and devastation.

As the narrative comes to a close, Kuba's younger brother Mikolaj unintentionally follows in his footsteps and engages in hooliganism. This sad ending emphasizes the damaging effects of toxic masculinity and unquestioning adherence to violent customs.

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Kuba's quest for revenge in The Hooligan

A still from The Hooligan (Image via Netflix)

Kuba's journey begins with his admiration for Zyga, a pivotal member of Gladius, his favorite football team. But everything falls apart when he discovers that Zyga took advantage of his family. Zyga had an affair with Kuba's mother in addition to betraying his father, Michal. Kuba's decisions cause irreparable harm as he delves further into the criminal underworld.

Kuba receives harsh punishment for his failed attempt to deceive Gladius and Kosynierzy (the rival football team) with his girlfriend, Blanka. Zyga gives the order to cut off his hand, leaving him emotionally and physically damaged. This event stokes his anger and sends him down a destructive path.

After his father, Michal, is killed in the crossfire, Kuba decides to get rid of Zyga, Piru, and Beka, the ones responsible for his death. He tracks down his targets in the finale, but things do not go as planned.

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Did Kuba kill Zyga and Piru?

A still from The Hooligan (Image via Netflix)

After learning Zyga and Piru's location, Kuba prepares for his attack. He chases them both and violently beats Piru with a baton. He then stabs Zyga in the chest with a chisel, but before he can deliver the final blow, Zyga's daughter, Ola, interrupts. The sight of her stops Kuba momentarily, giving Zyga a chance to escape. Kuba flees but is caught by the police shortly after.

Even though he is unable to murder Zyga directly, fate steps in. After Zyga and Piru escape to Spain, they are killed by a drug dealer while conducting business there. In a perverse sense, Kuba gets his retribution, but not at his own expense.

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Kuba's time in prison and the failed attack on Beka

A still from The Hooligan (Image via Netflix)

Once in prison, Kuba sets his sights on Beka, who was arrested for Michal's murder. Knowing they are in different sections of the prison, Kuba intentionally causes trouble, ensuring he gets transferred to Beka's block. Inside, he manipulates two Kosynierzy fans into helping him gain power.

Kuba uses a broken razor blade to cut Beka's neck during a tumultuous moment in the showers. But Beka makes it out alive. Kuba's attack forces him to tell the police everything about the drug trade between Gladius and Kosynierzy rather than keeping Beka silent.

Kuba's predicament is made more difficult by the significant police crackdown that follows this betrayal. Since many of Zyga's former colleagues are now incarcerated, it is unclear if Kuba will survive in prison.

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Blanka's fate and the cycle of violence

A still from The Hooligan (Image via Netflix)

Blanka, Kuba's girlfriend, plays a key role in his story. After being involved in the failed drug deal, she stands by Kuba, even when he is arrested. When she tells him that she is pregnant, he cruelly tells her to move on and forget about him. Heartbroken but determined, Blanka chooses to focus on her education and joins Professor Jaworski's university program, hoping for a better future.

In the meantime, Justyna, Kuba's mother, attempts to start over after years of suffering and betrayal. But the last scene of the show sends a chilling message. Kuba's younger brother Mikolaj enthusiastically joins in the chants as he and Justyna walk through a Gladius parade.

History seems to be repeating itself based on Justyna's anxious expression. Mikolaj is now engulfed in the same violent culture that destroyed Kuba and Michal, demonstrating how nearly impossible it is to break the cycle of hooliganism.

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The Hooligan's conclusion serves as a somber reminder of the perils associated with toxic masculinity, gang culture, and blind loyalty. Kuba only experiences suffering and incarceration as a result of his quest for vengeance.

He succeeds in harming his adversaries, but he never feels the fulfillment that comes from killing them. He loses his freedom, his family, and the possibility of a normal life as a result of his careless actions, which ultimately lead to his own demise.

The deaths of Zyga and Piru, meanwhile, demonstrate that violence always finds a way back. The true tragedy is Mikolaj's unavoidable trajectory toward the same errors, which further proves that hooliganism is a social cycle that continues to take the lives of young people rather than merely being a personal decision.

With this chilling finale, The Hooligan leaves audiences questioning whether true justice can ever exist in a world built on violence and revenge.