Cobra Kai Season 5 Has An Obvious MVP, And It Isn’t Anyone We Expected

In this season’s penultimate episode, Chozen admits his true feelings for Kumiko (Tamlyn Tomita), who helped settle the feud between he and Daniel LaRusso. “After my disgrace in village, I tried to hide from everything,” referring to “The Karate Kid Part II.” “But Kumiko find me again. Her kindness brought me back.” It’s a great moment and testament to Okumoto’s handling of the character that has been the highlight of this year. Chozen is truly a changed man, but not a content one. With that said, could the unfinished business he needs to work on be enough for a story all on its own?

Given how Season 5 ended, it feels like “Cobra Kai” is coming to a close, with LaRusso and Lawrence’s story along with it. While that will be great to see, Chozen will have to go back to Okinawa eventually, and there’s a massive opportunity for us as an audience to go with him. What will be waiting for him when he finally does go home, and might the wrath of Silver, or Kim Da-Eun (Alicia Hanna-Kim) follow him there? More importantly, might Kumiko finally see a changed man instead of the dedicated warrior she knew? Of all the characters in this world of high kicks and karate school turf wars, no one deserves a happier ending than the forgotten villain that’s returned to us in a way we never expected — as a hero.