CHAPTER 129
AUTHOR'S NOTE
*THIS IS NOT A CHAPTER*
Hi everyone! Sorry, this isn't a chapter! Given that the final phase of the story - the Taikai - is about to begin, I needed some help with something from you guys.
First of all, I wanted to say thank you so much for your continued support of this story. It has been a genuine joy to write and I really appreciate all of the amazing support I've gotten. I really hope you've been enjoying reading the story as much as I've enjoyed writing it. There's not long left of the story, so I hope that those who have stuck with the story so far continue to stick with it until the end.
Part of the reason for this Author's Note was to thank you readers for your support and patience with the story. The other reason was that I wanted your opinions on something pretty major for the story…
Up until this point, the way I planned the story, I haven't planned out who is going to win the Taikai in each division, and what dojo is going to win overall. I didn't want it to affect how the story was written, so I decided to leave it until they're actually headed to Japan for the Taikai to decide on who should win.
However, now that we're at that stage, I realized that I'm not quite sure who should win. I could make an argument for almost every major character fighting, so I was curious to hear your opinions on who should win. These are the fightings that, in my opinion, are the ones who could potentially win:
- Senseis' division: Johnny, Daniel, Kreese, Silver
- Girls' division: Sam, Tory, Sarah
- Boys' division: Miguel, Robby, Hawk, Marcos
- Overall dojo: Miyagi-Do, Cobra Kai
These are the people who I personally believe have a chance at winning in this story. The argument I'd make for each of them is:
Johnny - Of the adults, he's probably played the biggest role in this story of the Miyagi-Do characters. He's shown throughout the show to be a great fighter, especially in Season 5, so it would probably lead nicely into S6 to have him improve
Daniel - Shown to be equal to Johnny, maybe even a little bit better if you ask fans of the character. He's also had a decent role in this story, even if the story is centered around the teens. Daniel is also, most importantly, the Karate Kid. He's the main man when it comes to big occasions like these
Kreese - Has probably had the most development of the adults in this story. Has formed genuine bonds with Marcos and has shown to be becoming a bit better of a person throughout the story. He also seemed to unlock his younger fighting self again during S5, so he's probably made improvements as a fighter since that moment in jail
Silver - Shown to be a very good fighter in the show. He's often rivaled to Chozen, but given that Chozen isn't fighting in this tournament, Silver could be argued to be the best adult fighter of the adults.
Sam - Daughter of Daniel Larusso. Been a main character in the show from the beginning. She lost unfairly in the All-Valley, but bounced back well in the Taikai qualification fight. Is also basically undefeated in the show.
Tory - In this story, Tory has definitely played more of a role than Sam. It could be argued that Sam isn't the only one without a tournament win, as Tory's win was tainted. She has made genuine strides in terms of character development throughout the story, so could it be her moment to finally get the win that she spent so long talking about dreaming of?
Sarah - Trained longer than Sam or Tory. Is a great fighter. She's been a bit more minor of a character in the story, but could definitely be a very interesting wildcard as we haven't really seen her fight that much in the story
Miguel - Even if Robby and Marcos got more attention than Miguel in the story, it's hard to bet against Miguel. He always shows up in the big moments, and just because he wasn't the main character of this story, doesn't mean he can't win the tournament. Hawk wasn't the main character in Season 4, Robby was considered the favorite, and yet he still won.
Robby - One of the main characters of this story. Yet to get a tournament win. Has shown development and also shown his mettle at various points during this story. He's the obvious favorite to win. Should he end up winning, or would that be too predictable?
Hawk - Similar argument to Miguel. He's a top tier fighter. And just because his character might not have gotten as much attention as Robby and Marcos, doesn't mean that Robby and Marcos are guaranteed to be the finalists. I predicted that Robby/Miyagi-Do would win the All-Valley in Season 1 and they didn't. I predicted that Robby/Cobra Kai would win the All-Valley in Season 4 and he didn't. It shows that pretty much everyone at the top level can win, even if on paper it might seem less likely.
Marcos - One of the other main characters of the story. He's been through a hell of a lot throughout the story, and has quite a few reasons why he needs to win the tournament. He's also probably the on-paper favorite amongst the boys, so should he be the one to win in that division?
Miyagi-Do - on to the overall dojo winner. Miyagi-Do winning is probably the classic answer. Other than Marcos, they possess the other main characters in the story. Remember, the winning dojo in their bet must have won at least 2/3 categories
Cobra Kai - the less obvious possibility. Given that the Taikai isn't actually the finale of this story (there is something that happens directly after), this would leave room to have Cobra Kai winning. It could be an interesting direction for the story to go in towards the end, seeing how the character react to losing
These are the reasons for each possible character/dojo winning. What do you think? Who do you want to see winning for the boys, the girls, the senseis, and the overall dojo winner? I'd love to see your answer as I haven't come up with my own yet! There are no promises that I'll end up going with what is most commented, however I'd love to hear reasons why a character/dojo should win as it could push me into making a decision one way or another.
One thing to note though…
Something I want to point out though, this might be self-explanatory but I'll mention it anyways, neither side is going to win all 3 divisions 3-0. It wouldn't allow for much tension and drama at all. Whichever side wins, it's going to be a 2-1 win in terms of division.
So please don't suggest Johnny, Sam and Robby as the three winners, as that has literally a 0% chance of happening as Cobra Kai needs to win at least 1 division. Likewise, please don't suggest Kreese, Sarah and Marcos, as that is also not going to happen. It needs to be 2 from one dojo and 1 from the other.
Feel free to have the divisions be in any order too. Like I know I often write the senseis' division first, the girls' division next and the boys' division last, but feel free to rotate the order if you want. For example, Miyagi-Do could win the senseis' division, then Cobra Kai win the boys' division, then Miyagi-Do win the girls' division. It doesn't have to be in any order.
Also, bear in mind if there's a fight in particular you want to see, it doesn't have to be the final. It can also take place in an earlier round, so name any specific matchups you want to see and what round you want to see them in.
Anyways, that's all I have to say. Please feel free to let me know your comments through private messages or through comments below. Thank you again for the support you've given this story! Let the Taikai begin!