I’m Suspicious Kreese Was Involved In Tory’s Mother’s Death

Warning! Contains spoilers for Cobra Kai season 6, part 1.

A few story developments in Cobra Kai season 6 part 1 are making me suspicious about John Kreese’s involvement in Tory’s mother’s death. Following Cobra Kai season 5’s ending, which ended nearly all rivalries, season 6’s part 1 begins on a high note where almost all main characters train together at the Miyagi Do dojo. Some of the previous antagonists, like Kenny and Tory, also give the Miyagi way a shot, hoping to grow in a new positive direction with their karate journeys.

Apart from being open to learning karate at the Miyagi Do dojo, Tory also gradually warms up to Sam. However, midway through the season, things take a grim turn when Tory loses her mother, and Daniel asks her to step back from karate instead of using it to channel her grief and anger. As a result, instead of listening to Daniel’s advice, Tory returns to the Cobra Kai dojo and fights under Kreese’s leadership at the Sekai Taikai. Considering Kreese’s Cobra Kai backstory, I cannot help but wonder if he might have had something to do with Tory’s mother’s death.

John Kreese Might Have Been Responsible For Tory’s Mother’s Death

Kreese Hasn’t Been The Same Since His Prison Break

Although John Kreese has always been one of Cobra Kai‘s main villains, he was starting to develop some redemptive qualities in season 4. The show not only made me empathize with him by walking through his tragic backstory but also helped me believe he could change by highlighting how, unlike Terry Silver, he had principles. As seen in several Cobra Kai season 4 moments, Kreese was deadset on not crossing certain moral boundaries to achieve desired outcomes. However, after his tenure in prison in Cobra Kai season 5, something seems to have flipped inside him.

As soon as he starts training Kim Da-Eun’s new students in Cobra Kai season 6, he pits them against one another and encourages one student to prove his worth by ruthlessly attacking the others. To pass Kim Sun-Yung’s test, he even brutally kills a snake in season 6’s opening arc. Up till season 6, Kreese was still trying to make up for his past mistakes by being a father figure to Johnny Lawrence he previously was not. However, now that Johnny does not trust him anymore, nothing seems to be holding Kreese back.

Since Kreese has been taking desperate measures to win against Johnny and Daniel in Cobra Kai season 6, he might have been responsible for Tory’s mother’s death. After seeing Tory switch teams, he probably realized that she would only come back to him if he forced her to face her buried anger and frustrations through a personal tragedy. Therefore, through her mother’s death, he manipulated Tory’s emotions to bring her back to Cobra Kai.

Kreese Being Tory’s Mother’s Killer Would Circle Back To One Cobra Kai Quote

Kreese Is Growing Morally Bankrupt

Kreese’s sense of morality has always been gray, and he has been very unkind to Johnny Lawrence in the past. However, under Kim Sun-Yung’s guidance in Cobra Kai season 6, he starts taking things a little too far. To pass Sun-Yung’s test, he kills a snake and proudly embraces how he got the obstacle out of the way to achieve his desired outcome. It would not be surprising if he did something similar to get Tory on his team, dismissing the long-term psychological toll his actions might have on her.

Your whole lives you’ve been told to be good. But “good” is only a matter of perspective. Always remember: your enemies think that they’re doing what’s right. They think they’re the hero, and you’re the villain. But now you know the truth. There is no good, there is no bad, only weak or strong.

In Cobra Kai season 3, Kreese once preached how “good” and “bad” are only a matter of perspective. “There is no good, there is no bad, only weak or strong,” he quoted, highlighting his survival-of-the-fittest mentality. His philosophy was already problematic, but it became even more dangerous under Kim Sun-Yung’s influence in Cobra Kai season 6. Since Kreese has always had manipulative tendencies and believed that pain reveals true champions, he might have somehow been involved in Tory’s mother’s death.

Tory’s Mother’s Murder Would Make Kreese Irredeemable

Kreese’s Chances Of Redemption Are Diminishing

During John Kreese’s Cobra Kai seasons 4 and 5 arcs, I was almost certain that the show would eventually redeem him by showing glimpses of his humanity and affection towards Johnny Lawrence. However, given the direction in which his season 6 arc is heading in, I doubt if he will get the redemption I previously believed he deserved. If he is somehow responsible for Tory’s mother’s death or is even using Tory’s grief to weaponize her against Miyagi Do, he has already crossed a point of no return in Cobra Kai, with no redeeming qualities left in him.

Cobra Kai

Set decades after the events of the Karate Kid franchise, Cobra Kai shifts gears and puts viewers into the perspective of a former rival/antagonist, Johnny Lawrence. In his 50s and down on his luck, a chance encounter with a bullied young man leads Johnny back to Karate. Agreeing to help him, Johnny takes the opportunity to revive his former home, the Cobra Kai dojo – becoming a refuge for outcast teens.

Cast

Tanner Buchanan , Xolo Mariduena , Mary Mouser , Connor Murdock , Ralph Macchio , Nichole Brown , Jacob Bertrand , Griffin Santopietro , William Zabka

Seasons

6

Writers

Josh Heald , Jon Hurwitz , Hayden Schlossberg , Michael Jonathan , Mattea Greene , Bill Posley , Stacey Harman , Joe Piarulli , Bob Dearden

Directors

Jon Hurwitz

Showrunner

Jon Hurwitz

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