Cobra Kai’s got one last match ahead, and the series is going to show no mercy. The Cobra Kai team and Netflix announced on January 20 that the show would be ending after season 6. No matter what, The Karate Kid spinoff is going to have a knockout of a final season.
Cobra Kai has had quite the journey. After two seasons as a YouTube Original, Netflix picked up the series for season 3 and beyond. Since then, the show has become a ratings juggernaut for the steaming service.
Now that Cobra Kai season 6 has been confirmed, you probably have some questions. HollywoodLife has rounded up all the latest news we know about the upcoming final season.
Cobra Kai Ending
Netflix has renewed Cobra Kai for a sixth and final season, the streamer revealed alongside an announcement video on January 20. In an open letter to the fans, the Cobra Kai bosses Josh Heald, Jon Hurwitz, and Hayden Schlossberg talked about the show coming to an end:
“Reacquainting the world with The Karate Kid universe has been our humble honor. Making Cobra Kai has allowed us to join the same hallowed dojo inhabited by the great Robert Mark Kamen, John Avildsen, Jerry Weintraub, and all the amazing original cast members. It has also enabled us to play sensei, expanding the original storylines and birthing a new generation of underdogs. We’ve never once taken this opportunity for granted.
Our day one goal with Cobra Kai has always been to end it on our terms, leaving the Valley in the time and place we’ve always imagined. So it is with immense pride and thankfulness that we are able to announce that achievement. The upcoming season 6 will mark the conclusion of Cobra Kai.
While this day may be a bittersweet day for the fandom, the Miyagiverse has never been stronger. This fandom is the BEST on the planet and we hope to be telling more Karate Kid stories with you down the line. Because as we all know, Cobra Kai Never Dies.
In the meantime, strap in for the BIGGEST SEASON OF COBRA KAI YET. And let today be a celebration of all that’s to come, as well as all that’s still left to be told. We couldn’t do it without you.”
In the announcement video, Johnny says, “We’ve been fighting so long. Against each other. With each other. It’s hard to keep track.” Daniel adds, “The training. The tournaments. The rivalries. The lessons. It hasn’t always been smooth. But after all this time, we’ve built something. Together. To be proud of.”
Johnny leaves us all with a very important question: “So let me ask you, do you have one more fight left in you?”
Cobra Kai Season 6 Release Date
Netflix has not revealed a release date yet for Cobra Kai season 6. As of January 2022, the final season has not started filming yet.
The fifth season was released in September 2022. Seasons 3 and 4 were both released in 2021. If filming gets underway soon, Cobra Kai season 6 could hit Netflix in late 2023 or early 2024.
Cobra Kai Season 6 Cast
The main Cobra Kai cast is all expected to return for the sixth and final season. Ralph Macchio and William Zabka will be back as Daniel LaRusso and Johnny Lawrence. Both Ralph and William shared the announcement video on Instagram and wrote that it was “time to finish the fight.”
Additional Cobra Kai cast who will likely return: Xolo Maridueña as Miguel, Tanner Buchanan as Robby, Molly Mouser as Sam, Jacob Bertrand as Hawk, Peyton List as Tory, Dallas Dupree Young as Kenny, Courtney Henggeler as Amanda, Vanessa Rubio as Carmen, Griffin Santopietro as Anthony, Yuji Okumoto as Chozen, Alicia Hannah-Kim as Kim Da-Eun, and Martin Kove as John Kreese. The show will probably add new cast members to round out the final season.
What Will Cobra Kai Season 6 Be About?
Cobra Kai season 5 ended on an epic note. Terry Silver was finally arrested, while John Kreese faked his death and escaped prison. Johnny is expecting a baby with Carmen.
It appears Cobra Kai may be going global in season 6 with the Sekai Taikai tournament. Both the Cobra Kai and Miyagi-do dojos get to go to the international tournament. With Terry Silver out of the picture (for now), Kreese could reclaim his sensei position at Cobra Kai.
However, Kreese could encounter some competition with Kim Da-Eun. Alicia Hannah-Kim told HollywoodLife that Kim was “born” for the position. She also hopes to explore more of Kim’s backstory in season 6.
“There’s a lot to mine there. That chain of knowledge from my grandfather Kim Sun-Yung to Captain Turner during the Korean War, Captain Turner to John Kreese, and Terry Silver during the Vietnam War. Now we find ourselves here in America and all these descendants and students are disseminating this style of martial art,” she said.
Jacob Bertrand is more than ready for the Sekai Taikai faceoffs to come. “Competing in a world tournament sounds freaking awesome,” Jacob told HollywoodLife EXCLUSIVELY. “I’d love to kick some people’s ass from like France or something. I don’t know. I think it’d be funny if there was a Hawk from France, like my doppelganger.”
Kenny entered his villain era in Cobra Kai season 5, and Dallas Dupree Young revealed that he wants to see a Kenny and Anthony showdown in the final season. “We need to make it happen. This is what I’m excited about. I need to see a real huge karate battle between Anthony LaRusso and Kenny Payne. I don’t know when we’re going to see it, but I need to manifest the right now. That would be a dream come true for me,” he told HollywoodLife.
Cobra Kai Spinoffs
This is where it gets a little tricky. There will be a new Karate Kid movie coming to theaters on June 7, 2024, but it won’t be starring the Cobra Kai characters. This will be the first film in the franchise since the 2010 reboot with Jaden Smith.
The guys and I would love to make Karate Kid and Cobra Kai movies and hope to someday. But this one isn't from us or focused on the Cobra Kai cast. Don't know much about it, but wish it well. #KarateKid #CobraKai https://t.co/pd2aYYAF0A
— Jon Hurwitz (@jonhurwitz) September 17, 2022
Jon Hurwitz, one of the Cobra Kai creators, addressed the new Karate Kid movie in September 2022, “The guys and I would love to make Karate Kid and Cobra Kai movies and hope to someday,” he tweeted. “But this one isn’t from us or focused on the Cobra Kai cast. Don’t know much about it, but wish it well. #KarateKid #CobraKai.”
The Cobra Kai creators have a new show in the works — Obliterated — which isn’t associated with Cobra Kai. “Our new show is a whole other kind of beast,” Jon told Collider. “It’s not something that you bring the families to, I’ll say that. It’s a throwback to all the kind of work that we did before Cobra Kai, but in such a… In our belief, a revolutionary way for television. You don’t see those big, you know, R-rated summer blockbuster comedies come out in theaters that much anymore. And Obliterated is kind of the TV equivalent of that. […] It’s the throwback to those action movies of our youth as well. But it’s all of our skills thrown in one blender. And that’s what Obliterated is. It’s a wild one. It’s so much fun, and it’s gonna surprise people.”