Warning: This article contains spoilers for Cobra Kai.
“Strike first. Strike hard. No mercy”. The famous Cobra Kai dojo philosophy has been ingrained in the brains of Gen. Xers who watched The Karate Kid growing up, and now a whole new generation hear it on the hit Netflix show Cobra Kai. It’s all coming to an end soon, though, as the creators of Cobra Kai announced the dojos will soon close their doors.
Season one of the Cobra Kai picks up 34 years after the 1984 All Valley Under-18 Karate Tournament, with Daniel LaRusso (Ralph Macchio) upsetting the reigning champion Johnny Lawrence (William Zabka). The once golden-child Johnny is now a down-on-his-luck deadbeat, while Daniel LaRusso is living the dream as the owner of LaRusso Auto Group. Told from Johnny’s point of view, Cobra Kai shows how Daniel’s former school bully is now playing the Mr. Miyagi mentor-type role to his neighbor Miguel Diaz (Xolo Maridueña), teaching him the way of the fist in the newly re-opened Cobra Kai dojo. After Miguel falls for Daniel’s daughter Samantha (Mary Mouser), the three-decade-old rivalry between Johnny and Daniel returns with a vengeance.
Five seasons later and the two former enemies are now on friendly terms, joining forces throughout the years to take down Johnny’s former sensei John Kreese (Martin Kove), and Daniel’s former sensei Terry Silver (Thomas Ian Griffith). Meanwhile, the teenagers are dealing with bullying, jealousy, teenage romance, and a rivalry between the dojos.
After losing the All Valley at the end of Cobra Kai season four and having to close their respective dojos, Johnny and Daniel watched Cobra Kai dojos – now run by Terry Silver – pop up all over Los Angeles. Season five shows Daniel enlisting the help of Chozen (Yuji Okomoto), his former rival from The Karate Kid II, while Silver enlists the help of the ruthless Kim Da-Eun (Alicia Hannah-Kim.)
A lot happened in the fifth season of Cobra Kai: Miguel learned the truth about his father; Johnny and Carmen found out they’re having a baby; Robby (Tanner Buchanan) and Tory (Peyton List) had their redemption arcs; Miguel and Sam got back together; and Terry Silver tried to kill literally everyone. What does that leave for season six, which Netlfix announced would be the final season?
The final season of Cobra Kai
Netflix along with Cobra Kai creators Josh Heald, Jon Hurwitz and Hayden Schlossberg announced on Jan. 20 that the sixth season of Cobra Kai will be the last with a letter, followed by a video montage of the previous seasons and a teaser for what’s still to come.
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 Six will mark the conclusion of Cobra Kai.
In the meantime, strap in for the BIGGEST SEASON OF COBRA KAI YET. And let today be a celebration of all that’s come, as well as all that’s still left to be told. We couldn’t do it without you. We made it. Strike First. Strike Hard. No Mercy.
Possible storylines for Cobra Kai season six
Terry was arrested at the end of the fifth season and his lies were exposed to the kids in Cobra Kai, but don’t expect him to go down without a fight. He’ll probably be back to stir up even more trouble. Until he returns to the mix, however, you should fully expect Kim Da-Eun to return for the final season. Kim is possibly even more of threat than Silver.
The Cobra Kai dojo, as well as the combined dojos of Miyagi-Do and Eagle Fang, all qualified to participate in the fictional global karate tournament, Sekai Taikai, so that could probably take the fighters to Japan for the competition. Expect the tournament to take center stage as they all fight to see who is truly the best of the best.
Another likely storyline involves Johnny and Carmen’s upcoming bundle of joy. The new baby Lawrence will truly form the bridge that brings Johnny, Carmen, Miguel and Robby together as a family, as the two former rival teens share a brother or sister. The storyline also helps solidify Johnny’s redemption arc from school bully and deadbeat dad, to a respected member of society and father of three.
Who’s returning in Cobra Kai season six?
Cobra Kai wouldn’t really be the same without its core cast, so expect the following actors and characters to return.
- William Zabka as Johnny Lawrence
- Ralph Macchio as Daniel LaRusso
- Xolo Maridueña as Miguel Diaz
- Tanner Buchanan as Robby Keene
- Mary Mouser as Samantha LaRusso
- Petyon List as Tory Nichols
- Jacob Bertrand as Hawk
- Gianni DeCenzo as Demetri
- Courtney Henggeler as Amanda LaRusso
- Vanessa Rubio as Carmen Diaz
The supporting cast is also expected to return for the final season, including: Yuji Okomoto as Chozen; Alicia Hannah-Kim as Kim Da-Eun; Thomas Ian Griffith as Terry Silver; and Griffin Santopietro as Anthony LaRusso. If Martin Kove’s Kreese was a smart man, he wouldn’t show his face again, after faking his death to break out of prison, but odds are he will also appear in the final season. Some fans are also hoping Hillary Swank will make an appearance as Julie Pierce, her character from The Next Karate Kid.
When will season six of Cobra Kai be expected?
Presuming the writers have already written the entire script for the final season of Cobra Kai, it will likely begin filming this spring and release in the winter. Several of the seasons have premiered on New Year’s Eve with huge success, so the creators may choose to continue that route.
The main young lead of the series is Maridueña, who has been busy filming Blue Beetle for the DCU. After facing constant bullying at school, Miguel learned how to defend himself. After getting paralyzed, he learned how to get back up and walk again. Miguel is a fighter and the show can’t really have its final season without Johnny’s first student overcoming all his obstacles, just like Daniel LaRusso did in The Karate Kid movies. Miguel is integral to the storyline, so he is needed to tie everything together and conclude on a satisfying note. No matter what the writers have planned though, it will probably feel like a crane kick to the face for fans of the movies and TV series, as they close this chapter of the Miyagiverse.
