Over the course of its five seasons, "Cobra Kai" has taken the idea of revisiting the main characters of "The Karate Kid" in their middle age and forged the cute concept into a captivating story about human relationships and generational trauma, punctuated by tons of belly laughs and cool roundhouse kicks. Disgraced karate prodigy Johnny Lawrence (William Zabka) goes from a self-pitying manchild to a semi-responsible adult and caring father figure, while the successful Daniel LaRusso (Ralph Macchio) slowly gets over his own deep-set issues and views, allowing him to see the good in his former adversary. Along the way, their students pick up their various grudges, which leads to many conflicts ... until the re-emergence of karate supervillain Terry Silver (Thomas Ian Griffith) finally forces every major character to correct course and join forces for the ending of "Cobra Kai" Season 5.
With the long-running dojo wars now effectively over, this leaves the upcoming season in an uncharacteristically serene place — but how long will the comparative peace last? Let's take a look at what we know about "Cobra Kai" Season 6, and when fans can expect to see it.
When will Cobra Kai Season 6 be released?
Like many other shows, "Cobra Kai" has been affected by the 2023 Writers Guild of America strike ... or rather, in keeping with the titular dojo's "strike first" training philosophy, the show wholeheartedly joined the strike as soon as it started. One of the showrunners, Jon Hurwitz, tweeted the news of "Cobra Kai" pausing production on May 2.
"We hate to strike, but if we must, we strike hard," Hurwitz wrote. "Pencils down in the Cobra Kai writers room. No writers on set. These aren't fun times, but it's unfortunately necessary. The moment a fair deal is in place, we'll get back to kicking ass. In the meantime, sending strength and support to the negotiating committee. You got this."
Perhaps thanks to the comparative lack of massive special effects that saves time in the post-production stage, "Cobra Kai" has been a reasonably fast show to film in the past. Its last three seasons have dropped between January 1, 2021, and September 9, 2022. However, the lengthy delay in the new season's production may very well push its release date to 2024. Everything beyond that extremely rough time frame would be pure speculation, so until Netflix gives more accurate information on the subject of "Cobra Kai" Season 6's release, fans will just have to wait.
Is this the final season of Cobra Kai?
Cobra Kai never dies, but the iconic dojo's time on Netflix is coming to an end, at least as far as its namesake show is concerned. In other words, yes, the sad truth is that "Cobra Kai" Season 6 will mark the end of the series.
On January 20, "Cobra Kai" creators and executive producers Josh Hald, Jon Hurwitz, and Hayden Schlossberg posted a message on the show's official Twitter account, confirming once and for all what astute viewers may already have suspected when Season 5 ended: That Season 6 will wrap up this particular part of Miyagiverse history.
"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," the statement read. "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'."
Fortunately, the post also suggested that future Miyagiverse projects might be on the way, possibly by the "Cobra Kai" helmsmen themselves. What's more, the letter stated in no unclear terms that the fans can expect the final season to be a true feast. "In the meantime, strap in for THE BIGGEST SEASON OF COBRA KAI YET," it teased.
Fans may also take consolation in the fact that whatever happens in the season will be the exact thing Schlossberg, Hurwitz, and Heald want. In Brazil's Tudum: A Global Fan Event in July, they confirmed that the season will wrap up the story in a pretty thorough fashion — and, more importantly, in the way they have planned all along.
What is the plot of Cobra Kai Season 6?
"The Karate Kid" movies and "Cobra Kai" have always thrived on tournament-centric story arcs, and Season 5 essentially confirms that Season 6 will take place in the grandest stage of them all. Both Cobra Kai and the joint dojo of Miyagi-Do and Eagle Fang have qualified for the Sekai Taikai, the greatest international karate tournament in the world. What's more, the ending of Season 5 also closes the book on the vast majority of relationship drama storylines, which allows Season 6 to go all in on the tournament preparation stuff and the no doubt numerous final showdowns.
As things stand, the show seems to have set up the stage for its final season with three major conflicts. With Miyagi-Do and Eagle Fang essentially mushed together, Johnny and Daniel must learn to coexist as senseis — something they've struggled with on a regular basis, despite their vastly improved personal relationship. Meanwhile, Cobra Kai's leadership seems to be in more stable hands, thanks to John Kreese's (Martin Kove) prison escape and Kim Da-Eun's (Alicia Hannah-Kim) apparent loyalty to him instead of Terry Silver, which allows them to act as a more actively antagonistic force than they've ever been. Finally, both dojos have to contend with the best fighters from everywhere in the world, which brings in numerous third-party threats ... and could even introduce factions that are far more villainous than Cobra Kai could ever hope to be.
Add all this to the various interpersonal conflicts that have been established, demolished, and re-established over and over again in the last five seasons, and the stage is indeed set for the grandest "Cobra Kai" season of them all.
Who is starring on Cobra Kai Season 6?
In June, Netflix released a cast reunion video for "Cobra Kai" Season 6, essentially confirming that everyone you'd expect to return will very much do so. William Zabka and Ralph Macchio will naturally be back as Johnny Lawrence and Daniel LaRusso. The students of their joint dojo are also present and accounted for, so expect Miguel Diaz (Xolo Maridueña), Samantha LaRusso (Mary Mouser), Robby Keene (Tanner Buchanan), Tory Nichols (Peyton List), Kenny Payne (Dallas Dupree Young), Hawk Moskowitz (Jacob Bertrand), Demetri Alexopoulos (Gianni DeCenzo) and the rest of the gang to play their part. Carmen Diaz (Vanessa Rubio) and Amanda LaRusso (Courtney Henggeler) will also appear in Season 6.
Apart from the guaranteed central cast, the fact that Season 6 marks the end of the show raises some interesting possibilities about returning characters and as yet unseen Miyagiverse characters. Martin Kove's former Cobra Kai main man and current escaped convict John Kreese is practically a given, as is Alicia Hannah-Kim's dangerous Kim Da-Eun. Don't be surprised if folks like Ali Mills (Elisabeth Shue), Kumiko (Tamlyn Tomita), Chozen (Yuji Okumoto), Mike Barnes (Sean Kanan), or Jessica Andrews (Robyn Lively) return for one last moment in the franchise limelight, as well. Who knows? Even Thomas Ian Griffith's Terry Silver might somehow find a way to dodge his mounting legal troubles long enough to deliver one last scowl and spin-kick.
Interestingly enough, there's still one Miyagiverse movie that "Cobra Kai" hasn't touched, and judging by the show's tendency to dig deeper and deeper into the lore as the plot progresses, it could be that familiar faces from "The Next Karate Kid" turn up at the Sekai Taikai. Could we see Julie Pierce (Hilary Swank), Colonel Paul Dugan (Michael Ironside), or even Alpha Elite goon Charlie (Walton Goggins) bring their own teams to the tournament?
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