entertainment / Saturday, 23-Aug-2025

Cobra Kai's Ending Hints A Surprise Karate Kid Betrayal Happened In Season 5

In addition to all the betrayals that occurred throughoutCobra Kai, another appears to have occurred behind the scenes in season 5. The show's final season notably revived the threat posed by Terry Silver, bringing The Karate Kid Part III villain back into focus as the primary villain. Along with him, the series also featured the unexpected return of William Christopher Ford's Dennis de Guzman, a minor antagonist from the Karate Kid movies.

Season 6 yielded a number of interesting reveals about Terry Silver and his past, with the biggest obviously being the truth about his motivations. In doing so, Cobra Kai confirmed the theories postulating that Silver was suffering from a terminal illness. Later on, the show briefly touched on his criminal history, dropping what appears to be an additional secret about Terry Silver's activities. There was already little doubt that he was responsible for what happened to Mike Barnes's furniture store, and now the show has offered an indication as to how exactly he pulled it off.

It Looks Like Dennis Destroyed Mike Barnes' Furniture Store In Season 5

Dennis De Guzman in Cobra Kai
Dennis De Guzman in Cobra Kai

An exchange between Terry Silver and Dennis de Guzman in the Cobra Kai series finale made a revealing reference to Mike Barnes' business, that the villain was rightfully accused of destroying in season 5. In the finale, Silver instructed Dennis to target Johnny Lawrence's family so that he could use them as leverage against him ahead of his match with Sensei Wolf in the Sekai Taikai tournament's tiebreaker round. This prompted Dennis to mention that burning down a furniture store doesn't compare to kidnapping, thus making him - at the very least - an accomplice to the crime.

it's much more likely that Dennis only knows about what happened to Mike Barnes' furniture store because he was directly involved in it.

Even if he views Dennis as a trusted ally, it's hard to imagine Terry Silver creating incriminating evidence by offering a confession to an associate. Rather, it's much more likely that Dennis only knows about what happened to Mike Barnes' furniture store because he was directly involved in it. In fact, it looks like Dennis is actually the one who burned down the furniture store. That makes sense, considering that Terry Silver generally has others do his dirty work for him. Silver putting himself at risk by personally burning down the store never seemed like his style in the first place.

Dennis & Mike Barnes Were Allies In The Karate Kid Part III

Dennis Helped Mikes Barnes Decades Before Seemingly Burning Down His Business

Mike Barnes and Dennis looking at someone in The Karate Kid Part 3

Dennis being the character who ruined Mike Barnes' business is particularly meaningful, given the connection the two share. Although they weren't exactly depicted as good friends, Mike Barnes and Dennis de Guzman were indeed allies in The Karate Kid Part III. Alongside Snake (who Cobra Kai has since confirmed is now dead), Dennis served as a hired thug for Terry Silver when he brought Mike Barnes on board to help him in his revenge scheme against Daniel LaRusso and Mr. Miyagi. Both Dennis and Snake accompanied Mike Barnes and assisted him in his efforts to bully Daniel.

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Every Fight In Cobra Kai Season 6, Part 3

Cobra Kai season 6's part 3 marks the end of all remaining rivalries and underlying conflicts by featuring a series of compelling fight sequences.

It would appear that decades after their successful attempt to get Daniel to enter the 1985 All-Valley Karate Tournament, Dennis backstabbed his one-time ally by burning his business to the ground on Terry Silver. Mikes Barnes is fully aware of Silver's role in the crime, as evidenced by the Cobra Kaiseason 5 finale, but presumably, he'll never learn that one of his two henchmen in The Karate Kid Part III was culpable as well.

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Your Rating

Cobra Kai
8/10
369
9.1/10
Release Date
2018 - 2025-00-00
Network
Netflix, YouTube Premium

Cast

See All

Showrunner
Jon Hurwitz

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