Warning! Spoilers for Cobra Kai season 6, part 3 ahead!

Mr. Miyagi made another return in Cobra Kai season 6, part 3, but what did this impactful scene mean, and how was it brought to the screen to begin with? This is the second time this classic Karate Kid character has appeared in the series in this way, the first during a dream sequence in season 6, part 2. Now, in the show's final installment, Daniel had yet another dream involving his beloved old sensei. This time around, Mr. Miyagi was no longer the villain in Daniel's mind, instead appearing as the heroic savior he had been in in 1984's The Karate Kid.

Mr. Miyagi was played in the Karate Kid franchise by actor Pat Morita, who ed away in 2005. When Cobra Kai kicked off in 2018, it revealed that Morita's character had also ed away that same year within the final season of Cobra Kai saw Daniel begin to ask some tough questions about his mentor. After learning that Miyagi had killed someone during the Sekai Taikai, Daniel had a dream in which he faced off with the man in a fight. Now, in Cobra Kai season 6, part 3, Miyagi has returned.

Why Daniel Saw Mr. Miyagi And What That Scene Really Meant

Daniel Needed One More Lesson From Mr. Miyagi In Cobra Kai

Cobra Kai season 6, part 3, saw Daniel accept that Mr. Miyagi hadn't been perfect. He made good and bad decisions, but that didn't change the fact that he had been a positive figure in Daniel's own life. Part of the process of realizing this involved Daniel's second Mr. Miyagi dream. During this scene, Daniel pondered how he should handle the matches at the Sekai Taikai while sanding the deck of Mr. Miyagi's home. Suddenly, figures dressed as skeletons appeared, and, just as in The Karate Kid, Mr. Miyagi showed up to help fight them off.

This scene in Cobra Kai was a clear homage to the iconic moment when Mr. Miyagi fought Johnny and the other Cobra Kais in 1984's The Karate Kid. It was a reminder to Daniel of who his sensei had been to him—a wise protector and friend, regardless of Mr. Miyagi's past mistakes. Of course, there were some differences between Daniel's dream and the moment in 1984. This time, Daniel fought by Mr. Miyagi's side, demonstrating that he was no longer as helpless as he once had been. Additionally, the skeleton figures were a haunting reminder that Cobra Kai was no longer Daniel's enemy.

How Cobra Kai Season 6's Latest Mr. Miyagi Scene Was Done

Cobra Kai Used The Magic Of Modern Technology

Pat Morita could not reprise his role as Mr. Miyagi for Cobra Kai season 6, part 3, but that didn't stop the Netflix series from including the actor's likeness in this final batch of episodes. This was likely done in the same way as in season 6, part 2. Morita's face would have been placed over that of a stand-in using CGI, and the "deep fake" would have been refined to look as natural and believable as possible. Producer Josh Heald previously noted that this was all done with the blessing of Morita's estate, ensuring that Mr. Miyagi's on-screen resurrection was handled with respect and care:

There’s a lot of technical things that you need to do with visual effects... There’s obviously talking to Pat’s estate and making sure that they’re aware and that they’re comfortable and that they sign off on that... Even though you’re not having an actor there on set, it’s still his likeness. So we went through all of that process, which was important to us and the studio, and feel like we’ve captured this unfortunate vision that Daniel is having of being trapped in this nightmare that he’s been in. He’s been kind of in a waking nightmare and then he’s having a literal nightmare where a Miyagi like we’ve never seen visits him.

Why Mr. Miyagi Appeared Twice In Cobra Kai Season 6 (After The Show Avoided It For Years)

Cobra Kai Handled This Character Carefully

Though the character of Cobra Kai kicked off, Daniel's sensei has been foundational to his story in the spinoff series. Still, it took six seasons for Netflix to attempt to bring Morita's beloved old sensei to the screen in the way it did in these final installments. This likely comes down to the recent advancements in this type of technology. While Miyagi's return in both sequences wasn't perfect, the CGI wasn't as unsettling as other attempts in movies and TV to bring deceased actors to the screen. Mr. Miyagi is a deeply loved character, and it was important that Morita's performance be respected.

While Miyagi's return in both sequences wasn't perfect, the CGI wasn't as unsettling as other attempts in movies and TV to bring deceased actors to the screen.

Additionally, it was essential for the development of Cobra Kai's characters that Mr. Miyagi not appear in this way until the ending. There have been several flashbacks to the Karate Kid movies throughout the spinoff, and Daniel saw quick visions of Mr. Miyagi standing in his home in previous seasons. However, this didn't get in the way of the audience's understanding that Mr. Miyagi was gone. Frequent conversations with the character in Daniel's dream would have lessened the impact of Mr. Miyagi's later posthumous appearances. In the end, Cobra Kai handled this exactly right.