Cobra Kai Season 5 – Cr. Curtis Bonds Baker/Netflix © 2022
Cobra Kai is coming back for a final season on Netflix. Indeed, season 6 will mark the show’s end but not the end of the Miyagiverse. Here’s everything we know about season 6 of Cobra Kai, including production news, what to expect, why the show is ending, and much more.
Formerly a YouTube original series, Cobra Kai officially moved to Netflix after two seasons and has soared in popularity, becoming a massive hit for the streaming giant around the globe.
The series is a continuation of The Karate Kid movies. It takes place 34 years after the events of the original Karate Kid, which reignites the rivalry between Johnny Lawrence and Daniel LaRusso.
Has Cobra Kai been renewed for season 6?
Official Netflix Renewal Status: Renewed
In most prior seasons, Netflix has always renewed Cobra Kai ahead of new seasons dropping, so the long wait for confirmation of season 6 was excruciating.
Per our renewal prediction, Netflix has renewed Cobra Kai for a final season. In a statement on Twitter, the showrunners expressed their heartfelt gratitude to fans and promised a big final season to close out the story.
Their complete statement is as follows:
“When Daniel LaRusso arrived in the Valley with his mother in 1984, little did he know that his life was about to be forever changed. The same went for three young kids from New Jersey who hadn’t yet met one another. Daniel’s journey from bullied teen to underdog hero became an indelible part of our childhoods, and something that we would always carry with us in our hearts.
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 once 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 Six will mark the conclusion of Cobra Kai.
While this 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 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.
— Josh Heald, Jon Hurwitz, Hayden Schlossberg
Reacting to the renewal, Hayden Schlossberg said in a Tweet:
“Big thanks to the fans for getting us to the finish line. Now get ready for one final round and lots of big surprises along the way.”
Why the delay in announcing season 6? We suspect it’s because the showrunners had another project on the go (at Netflix) in the form of Obliterated in the latter half of 2022. That series wrapped up filming in November 2022, and once post-production/editing has concluded, they were free again to move on to Cobra Kai.
Of course, the creators have always teased that the show may only get to season 6. Speaking to Deadline about the possibility of a sixth season in early 2022, Hayden Schlossberg said:
“We have an end in mind. How many seasons it takes to get there, we don’t know. We’re enjoying making it so much. If it gets tiring to us, we’ll stop before that; we have a few more seasons already planned out.”
This affirms an earlier tweet from Jon Hurwitz, who replied to a Tweet in 2020 stating that they’d like to do six seasons.
Hurwitz has been keen to point out that Netflix didn’t decide to bring the show to an end rather the creators did. In a Tweet on February 27th, Hurwitz said:
“Netflix didn’t tell us it was the last season. We told them it was the last season. We’ve always wanted to end Cobra Kai on our own terms and we are grateful we have the opportunity to do so. But that doesn’t mean we’re finished with the Miyagiverse. We love this world.”
Picture: Netflix
How well has Cobra Kai season 5 performed on Netflix?
Using various sources, we can look at how well the show performed in its fifth season.
For the first time, we can use hourly data provided by Netflix to look at the show’s performance.
As we covered in our September 14th Top 10 report (which uses CVE metrics), the show lagged behind the fourth season. In the report, What’s on Netflix contributor Frédéric states:
” …its fifth season and its launch of 17.1 million CVE lags a little behind the 21.4 million CVE of Season 4.
But Season 4 was released on the first of January, so that might explain the difference (people have time off around Christmas). “
This data comes from Netflix’s top 10 satellite site where we get 40 hourly figures weekly.
Between September 4th and October 9th, 2022, the show has been watched for 274.72M hours globally in the top 10s before dropping out of the rankings.
Here’s how the viewing hours breaks down per week:
| Week Period | Hours Viewed(M) | Rank | Week in Top 10 |
|---|---|---|---|
| September 4th, 2022 to September 11th, 2022 | 106,700,000 | 1 | 1 |
| September 11th, 2022 to September 18th, 2022 | 95,550,000 (-10%) | 1 | 2 |
| September 18th, 2022 to September 25th, 2022 | 38,120,000 (-60%) | 3 | 3 |
| September 25th, 2022 to October 2nd, 2022 | 20,820,000 (-45%) | 4 | 4 |
| October 2nd, 2022 to October 9th, 2022 | 13,530,000 (-35%) | 7 | 5 |
How does season 5 compare with season 4 in viewership?
There’s a notable drop, but the two series had a similar trajectory. Season 5 kicked off with an 11% drop down from season 4.
The two seasons then saw the same decline week-to-week:
| Week | Season 5 | Season 4 |
|---|---|---|
| Week 1 (Partial Week) | 106,700,000 | 120,060,000 |
| Week 2 | 95,550,000 (-10%) | 107,810,000 (-10%) |
| Week 3 | 38,120,000 (-60%) | 41,240,000 (-62%) |
| Week 4 | 20,820,000 (-45%) | 23,840,000 (-42%) |
| Week 5 | 13,530,000 (-35%) | – |
Using external demand, we can also see that while the show is still popular, we see diminishing returns over time. Google Trends suggests that interest in season 5 was below that of season 4, when the series was at an all-time high.
Google Trends interest for Cobra Kai
Looking at the raw top 10 data provided by FlixPatrol, we can see where the show is performing best. The United States and Latin America are where the show has scooped up the most points.
FlixPatrol heatmap for Cobra Kai
What to expect from Cobra Kai season 6 on Netflix
Below, we’ve compiled our predictions, expectations and what we’ve been told publicly about the upcoming season.
As an aside, we’ve also asked two Cobra Kai superfans, The Cobra Kai Kid and Watch Party, for their predictions on what to expect from the sixth season.
Officially so far, Jon Hurwitz has revealed that season 6 takes place roughly one year away from the season finale of season 2.
What is the future of Cobra Kai?
With Terry Silver’s cheating antics revealed to his students, they all turned their back on their sensei, and he was subsequently arrested for his crimes.
The future of Cobra Kai has now been thrown into severe doubt, and so too will the dojo’s place in the Sekai Taikai.
As Kim Da-Eun has a 50% stake in Cobra Kai, she may overcome this hurdle and use students from her own dojos by using the Cobra Kai name and branding.
Terry Silver has been arrested and his Cobra Kai legacy is in serious doubt – Picture. Netflix
Will Mike Barnes take over Cobra Kai?
Mike revealed to Daniel and Chozen that he was promised a 50% stake in Cobra Kai by Terry Silver many years ago. While he is unsure if he can find the document or the lawyer to prove it, there is a chance the former enemy of Daniel can continue to redeem himself and Cobra Kai if he were to take over the dojos.
However, this could also lead to a potential Cobra Kai civil war if Mike Barnes leads Terry’s former students who may have to fight the students of Kim Da-Eun.
If Kreese is involved with Kim Da-Eun, we could easily see him try to manipulate the situation by getting Kim Da-Eun to stake her 50% against Barnes’ 50% in a winner takes all bet at the Sekai Takai.
Mike Barnes is no longer a puppet of Tery Silver – Picture. Netflix
What is Kreese up to?
With Kreese making his escape from prison, the only person he can now turn to is Kim Da-Eun, the granddaughter of his former master.
Silver and Kim Da-Eun were already a formidable pairing, but Kreese now has nothing to lose, making him more dangerous than ever.
Hurwitz teased in a Tweet, “Kreese certainly has a complicated legal situation as we enter S6? I don’t think it’s safe to assume anything.”
Kreese has escaped from jail and is on the loose once moe – Picture. Netflix
What is the future of Miyago-Do and Eagle Fang?
With Silver defeated, Miyagi-Do and Eagle Fang should be able to return triumphantly, re-open their dojos, and begin training the students for the Sekai Takai.
Who represents their respective dojos remains to be seen, but we would expect Miguel to represent Eagle Fang and Hawk to represent Miyagi-Do.
Depending on the situation with Cobra Kai, Robby could represent the dojo over Kenny; however, if Robby were to rejoin Miyagi-Do or Eagle Fang, he may have to compete against either Hawk or Miguel.
Samantha will represent Miyagi Do, and Devon Lee could again represent Eagle Fang. As for Tory, her place in the tournament could be in doubt if the Sekai Takai organizers ban her for not coming clean earlier about Silver’s cheating. This may also lead to Tory’s further redemption if she is allowed to compete.
Johnny’s Eagle Fang karate has come a long way – Picture. Netflix
When will the baby be born?
Johnny is having a baby with Carmen, and it’s unclear when the baby is due, which could impact Johnny’s attendance at the Sekai Takai.
Johnny and Carmen have a baby on the way – Picture. Netflix
Will Julie Pierce make an appearance?
Nearly all significant characters from the original Karate Kid movies have returned to reprise their roles in Cobra Kai. The only omission so far is Julie Pierce, previously played by academy award-winning actress Hilary Swank.
It would be extremely fun to see Swank return to reprise her role as Julie, as the character could return to help train the Miyagi Do students to prepare the Sekai Takai.
If there is a further conflict with Kim Da-Eun, it would be incredibly fun to see Julie Pierce go one-on-one with the Korean master of Tang Soo Do.
Julie Pierce (Hilary Swank) may make an appearance in season 6 of Cobra Kai
Who will return for the sixth season of Cobra Kai?
Cobra Kai already has an extremely extensive cast list, but we would expect the majority of the cast to reprise their roles from the fifth season for the sixth season, including;
- Ralph Macchio as Daniel LaRusso
- William Zabka as Johnny Lawrence
- Courtney Henggeler as Amanda LaRusso
- Xolo Maridueña as Miguel Diaz
- Tanner Buchanan as Robby Keene
- Mary Mouser as Samantha LaRusso
- Jacob Bertrand as Hawk
- Gianni DeCenzo as Demetri
- Martin Kove as John Kreese
- Vanessa Rubio as Carmen Diaz
- Peyton List as Tory Nichols
- Griffin Santopietro as Anthony LaRusso
- Dallas Dupree Young as Kenny Payne
- Yuji Okumoto as Chozen
- Oona O’Brien as Devon
- Alicia Hannah-Kim as Kim Da-Eun
We would expect many of the minor cast members to make a return for the sixth season too.
When will filming start on Cobra Kai season 6?
No official timetable for production has been set for season 6 of Cobra Kai, but we know the writer’s room opened up in mid-February 2023.
However, numerous people attending the ATL Comic Convention in late February 2023 reported that Ralph Macchio stated they were “aiming” for a May 2023 production start.
Hat tip to Cobra Kai Nation and Strike First Media for the heads-up.
Filming for the show will once again take place in Atlanta, Georgia, but showrunner Jon Hurwitz teased he expects something to be filmed outside of the US state like most seasons prior.
According to ProductionWeekly, Cobra Kai season 6 will be filmed under the codename, THE ABORIST. Another source suggests that the show’s final season will be filmed between late Spring 2023 and concluded in late Summer 2023. The show reportedly has a budget between $2 and $3M per episode.
When can we expect to see Cobra Kai season 6 on Netflix?
In the relatively short span of twenty months, we’ve seen the release of three seasons of Cobra Kai on Netflix, starting with season 3 in January 2021 and, most recently, the fifth season in September 2022.
While subscribers have already become used to seeing new seasons of Cobra Kai on Netflix semi-regularly, the wait for a sixth season could be the longest.
With the above production timeline, we’re predicting a late 2023/early 2024 release date for Cobra Kai season 6.
Would you like to see a sixth season of Cobra Kai on Netflix? Let us know in the comments below!
Kasey Moore contributed to this preview.