This article contains spoilers from Seasons 6: Part 1 of Netflix's Cobra Kai.
Cobra Kai never dies! It’s been a little over two weeks since fans of the hit Netflix’s series have been able to binge the first installment of the three-part final season and oh Miyagi, our heads are reeling after those first five episodes.
Fans were perhaps a bit too naive to assume there would be peace in The Valley after Danny LaRusso (Ralph Macchio) and Johnny Lawrence (William Zabka) defeated rival karate school leader Terry Silver (Thomas Ian Griffith). Despite Silver being arrested and his students deserting the conniving snake, it’s never too long after someone else stirs up the Cobra Kai name and the dojo is reborn again.
Naturally, Season 6 picks up where Season 5 left off: Kreese (Martin Kove) has faked his death and has escaped from prison in hopes of revitalizing the dismantled Cobra Kai dojo just in time for the Sekai Taikai. Johnny is expecting a baby with Carmen (Vanessa Rubio) and the Miyagi-Do students are gearing up for the fight of their lives. Literally. Jacob Bertrand, who plays fan-favorite Eli “Hawk” Moskowitz, is back with the rest of our karate wielding characters and he’s facing a few of his own issues on top of the usual dojo chaos. Disagreements with his binary bro, examining his plans for his future, and earning a spot at the most prestigious karate tournament in modern martial arts history to name a few.
I was thrilled to follow up with Jacob during the final season of the acclaimed series. We settled a few old debates, discussed his future ambitions within the industry, his podcast with Cobra Kai and real-life bestie Xolo Maridueña and he even teased a shocking death at the Sekai Taikai.
Let’s get into it…
MCKENZIE MORRELL: Everyone was super hyped for the first part of Cobra Kai season 6 to drop. How would you describe this first leg of the final season?
JACOB BERTRAND: I would say it starts off the most peaceful you’ve ever seen Cobra Kai and ends in the absolute, most shattered way possible.
MM: That doesn’t sound good. And there’s ten more episodes right? So we have way more to come.
JB: We got a lot of time to figure it out. It should be okay.
MM: How much would you say your skill level has changed from season one to season six. Are you winning any impromptu fights in real life?
JB: You know, I try to stay out of fights in real life. I think I’ve learned enough to know what my limits are, I would say that’s probably why I’m not jonesing to get into any fights. But I would say I feel more confident on my feet. It is nice to walk around knowing in the right circumstances, right weather, right everything. I could possibly knock someone out. That’s good knowledge to have in your back pocket.
MM: Are there any moves that you were able to perfect over the last six seasons that you couldn’t do in the beginning?
JB: I don’t know if I perfected any move but I’d say at one point during season four, my hook kicks were looking pretty good. And I got to learn how to do a gainer this season which was pretty cool. It’s like a forward moving backflip. That was a cool milestone to get.
MM: Your character has gone through so much the last few seasons and there’s more to come. In terms of his personal development, we’ve seen many variations of his mohawk. What color combinations would you like to see him try out?
JB: I would love to have seen a pure white mohawk with black tips. That would have been cool, prime form of hawk. That’s one that unfortunately, I don’t know if we’re going to see but I think could be pretty cool.
MM: Do you think he’d get rid of the mohawk or is that his forever brand?
JB: I don’t think he would. I don’t know that he’d ever get rid of it. I think that’s with him for life.
MM: He’ll be 95 and have the gray mohawk, falling down.
JB: He’s going to be the meanest man in the old folks home.
MM: Speaking of getting older. All of the characters are facing their next steps in their lives regarding applying to college and what adulthood is looking like for each of them. We learn in the first part of season six that Eli is not going to apply to MIT with his binary bro. Will we get a glimpse of what’s next for him by the end of the season? What can you tease?
JB: Yes. You will get a glimpse of what Hawk is doing, what Demetri [Gianni DeCenzo] is doing. You get a glimpse of where everyone is going to be toward the end of the season if they’re still alive.
MM: Were you as shocked as the audience was when Demetri beat Hawk in the woods and took that final spot to represent Miyagi-Do at the karate tournament?
JB: Beat is a really strong word, I would say. I think Hawk showed him a little bit of mercy and Demetri rightfully was upset in the moment and did something in the moment. I don’t think Hawk can fault him for that because he’s had so many moments where he’s done something in a flash of anger. I wasn’t shocked though. I think the conversation that precedes that, I don’t want to say it warrants the way Demetri acts but it’s definitely not a shocker. I think Demetri is going through it, Hawk’s going through it. Hopefully they can patch it up.
MM: Why do you think your character chose to omit that from this person that he’s been so close to throughout the six seasons?
JB: I think in Hawk’s heart of hearts he is Eli and he hates confrontation especially with the people he really cares about. It’s hard for him to talk about things, especially when Demetri is constantly talking. I don’t know that he knows how to express himself that well. There’s a version of that conversation where everything goes really smoothly and I just don’t think Hawk is mature enough to have that conversation without it blowing up. It does take two to tango. Demetri had his part in being really upset about that stuff but it just happened how it happened in classic Cobra Kai fashion, nobody knows how to communicate.
MM: They are teenagers after all so they have some work to do.
JB: What more do you want from them? They’re literally learning how to drive.
MM: They’re just having fights at the batting cages and stuff like that. This is what they do. It was unfortunate under the circumstances that Tory [Peyton List] left the group again. Did you expect the top six to be who they were or was there another line up you had in mind?
JB: When I first heard that it was six people going, I thought it was going to be Sam, Tory, Robby [Tanner Buchanan], Miguel, Hawk and either Demetri or Kenny [Dallas Dupree Young]. That was the way I saw it. Obviously, when we started the season we didn’t know that Tory’s mom was going to die so not having Tory there changes the dynamic. I think the rotating gauntlet of Demetri, Kenny, and Devon were some of the things that I would think about so not seeing Kenny there is surprising. But I just think they did Kenny so dirty. I don’t know why they made him poop himself. It seemed so random. Why did the bathroom have to be locked? Dear God.
MM: Devon was the one who pulled this cruel prank on Kenny, and blames Anthony for it. Does that come to a head? Do we find out that she was the one that did him so dirty?
JB: I mean how well are secrets kept in the Cobra Kai universe? Everything comes out eventually. Will the truth be that it was Anthony? That it’s Devon? Who knows. There are some funny things that go on with Kenny and Anthony though that I can’t say, Amanda sticking her nose in places it doesn’t need to be.
MM: If you were in Tory’s position after losing her mom, do you think you would have been in the same headspace as her, reacted the same way she did, and gone back to Cobra Kai seeing as Kreese is out of prison and at the Sekai Taikai now.
JB: Yeah, I think all the things that happened with Tory and Kreese, I think a lot of people watching look at it from their point of view as the viewer and not each character’s perspective. Yes, Kreese had – I don’t even want to use the word – betrayed Tory in the past. He really was the one person looking out for her constantly and trying to push to have her best interest at heart. And after she has that meeting with Kreese and he puts those words in her head that she’s never going to get a fair shake at Captain, they’re going to find some other way to choose other than a fair and square fight, when LaRusso walks up and says “we’re going to find another way to choose a Captain” the alarm bells are ringing in her head. She’s so hurt and is grieving. To me it makes sense just also playing a character that got manipulated by Kreese. For a while that really did seem like it was the best place for Hawk. I totally see why she goes over there. I can’t really fault her for it especially with how the fight ended and LaRusso walking in there and stopping it early. I agree with letting her fight. It’s just two very opposing viewpoints on life and how to make that work.
MM: Obviously Sam is always going to have an upper hand despite them saying they’re giving them all a fair shot.
JB: There’s always going to be a bias there.
MM: For sure. What are three random facts about you that fans might not know?
JB: Xolo and I have a podcast and we talk about so many random parts of our lives. I’m like okay three random hidden things, what have I not – let me think. I just got a motorcycle so I just started riding with my pops. That’s been really fun. I’m really into woodworking. I’m building a bookshelf right now. It’s pretty snazzy. I am an incredible dancer. I have Shakira hips, I’ve been told. My latin heritage is really doing the most for me right now.
MM: You’ll have to showcase that on the podcast. The fans would like to see it.
JB: One day I will for sure.
MM: That’s gonna be the bonus content that people have to pay for.
JB: Exactly. You want to see these hips? Sorry, it’s behind a paywall.
MM: Ha! What about the Mister Miyagi mystery? Can you tease anything about the villain to hero storyline? Did it surprise you how things unraveled?
JB: Yeah. I remember reading that script and being like “oh shit! That’s way different than what I thought it was gonna be.” It definitely shocks Daniel and I’m excited for everyone to see this really shell-shocked version of Daniel. I don’t know how much I can say but it definitely shakes the whole foundation of the team.
MM: Exciting. When we last chatted during season five, I asked you what kind of donut your character would be based on his personality and you said a glazed donut with some chili flakes on it. Two years later would you still pick the same flavor? Is he still sweet and spicy?
JB: He’s still sweet and spicy. I think he’s maybe bumped up to a jalapeño. I think he’s maybe got a jalapeño glaze in there. Definitely sweet and spicy.
MM: Any unrealized hopes for your character or storylines you wish were explored but never got a chance to?
JB: I think murder. I think the weight of taking another human life is something I would love to see Hawk explore. Just become a murderer.
MM: That’s gonna be your spinoff. Hawk goes on a violent spree and becomes a serial killer.
JB: Maybe it’s a Dexter thing where he kills other serial killers.
MM: Vigilante Hawk wouldn’t be a bad thing. We’ll put that out there. What’s a question you never get asked in interviews but you wish somebody would ask you?
JB: What’s my favorite color?
MM: What is your favorite color?
JB: My favorite color is gray.
MM: Dark gray, light gray?
JB: Just middle of the road, Gray. There’s a song called Mr. Jones by the Counting Crows and one of the lines is “you know gray is my favorite color” and I remember as a kid listening to that and being like “oh my god, that’s me. Gray is my favorite color.”
MM: You can’t go wrong with Gray. Unfortunately since our last conversation, we aren’t going to get ten seasons of Cobra Kai. The big question is will you still get a giant Grim Reaper tattoo someday?
JB: I think I made a deal with myself at the beginning of the year, as I’m trying to direct more and get into directing, that every time I direct something I’ll get a tattoo. If there is a spin-off with Hawk, I’d probably get that. I don’t care for the lotus flower one. It feels a little weak for Hawk. When Hawk was rocking the Grim Reaper tat, he was a menace. I miss that for him.
MM: In addition to Cobra Kai, you also co-host a podcast with your co-star Xolo. Can you chat about “Lone Lobos” and the birth of that project?
JB: Xolo and I first got approached in 2020/2021 by a podcast company to do a video game podcast. They were like “yeah, you guys have a unique voice. You’re young actors, can you guys talk about video games?” And they only wanted us to talk about video games. Neither of us are really the biggest gamers. We both play video games but not enough to have an entire podcast where all we talk about is video games. But from that interest, we were like “hey, people are offering to pay us to do a podcast. Let’s just do our own and see how we can do it ourselves.” That’s how it got birthed. We just wanted to use our voices. I think we are in a unique position where we are young actors in this space. There aren’t a ton of people doing what we’re doing at our age. We were at iHeart for a bit, and had lots of creative differences. It took a long time for us to split up with them because they’re very controlling with their contracts and all that stuff. It took us a long time to get out so now we’re out and we have freedom. The podcast has been super great and I can’t wait to keep doing it for years to come.
MM: That’s so amazing and the podcast is so welcoming. It’s like sitting down with a bunch of friends that are catching up on all the things. Do you have any dream guests you’re just dying to have on the podcast?
JB: I think having some comedians on would be very fun. Xolo introduced me to John Mulaney and he’s hilarious. He would be cool. I think some cool directors would be really fun. Even Xolo’s director for Blue Beetle. He would be awesome. A lot of guests are people we know. I think it would be fun to have creatives we don’t know super well. That would be fun. Ralph Macchio, maybe one day he’ll sign a waiver and come on the podcast. But he’s hard to pin down. I have so many questions I want to ask.
MM: A nice unfiltered session.
JB: Get him to tell all of his dirty industry secrets.
MM: As we wind down, any final messages to the fans?
JB: My advice is don’t get too attached to anyone. This is the final tournament and people have died before at this tournament and people probably will die. I’d say don’t get too attached to anyone.
MM: Uh oh. We don’t like that. The final season is being released in three parts. Which again, is criminal but we’ll deal with it. We have a date for the second part. Is it safe to assume the final installment is going to be released in 2025?
JB: Ten thousand percent. Probably. My guess is they’ll be equally spaced apart.
MM: What’s next for you? Any projects coming up you want to chat about? Any dream things you want to see come to fruition? This is the time to put it out into the world.
JB: Well world, I’d love to work with Edgar Wright. I’ve been in love with his movies since I was in middle school. Future projects? Nothing I can talk about. Just trying to get more into directing. Writing with Gianni, trying to produce stuff with Xolo, working on “Lone Lobos,” those are the immediate goals right now.
MM: All great things happening. We obviously wish Cobra Kai could go on forever, as it will in the hearts of everybody. But we’re excited to see the rest of the series. Hopefully everything gets tied up nicely for our favorite characters, we’re waiting for a spin off or two and we’ll see what comes down the line for you!
Jacob Bertrand can be found on Instagram @thejacobbertrand
