'Cobra Kai' season 6 release date, trailers, cast and more
Sad news, dojo diehards: “Cobra Kai” will soon be coming to an end with season 6. But it’s not done just yet — the Netflix martial arts dramedy will have a three-part final season, with 15 episodes airing in five-ep batches over the course of the next year.
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That’s a fittingly lengthy send-off for a story that stretches back four decades, beginning when Daniel LaRusso (Ralph Macchio) and Johnny Lawrence (William Zabka) were rivals from the All Valley Karate Tournament in the 1984 classic “The Karate Kid.”
In May 2018, the first season of “Cobra Kai” picked up with Daniel and Johnny into their middle age. The former was now a successful and happily married businessman still reeling from the loss of his late sensei, Mr. Miyagi. Johnny, however, was a down-and-out part-time handyman, who was trying to rehabilitate his life by reopening the Cobra Kai dojo. Daniel reopening his own Miyagi-Do dojo reignited the long-standing feud between himself and Johnny, a rivalry that extended to the story arcs of their respective students.
Across five seasons, “Cobra Kai” has seen the return of fellow familiar faces from “The Karate Kid” universe — including Cobra Kai founder and Johnny's old sensei John Kreese (Martin Kove), and Daniel’s former rivals like Chozen Toguchi (Yuji Okumoto) and Mike Barnes (Sean Kanan) — as well as many new characters, including Johnny’s young neighbor Miguel Diaz (Xolo Maridueña) and Daniel’s children Samantha (Mary Mouser) and Anthony (Griffin Santopietro).
The sixth season of one of the best Netflix original series will wrap up the stories of both Johnny and Daniel and the rest of the Miyagi-do and Cobra Kai crews, but certainly not without some surprises along the way. Here's everything we know so far about "Cobra Kai" season 6.
'Cobra Kai' season 6 release date
Yes, though “Cobra Kai” is sadly ending, at least it’s giving fans more episodes than ever before to say goodbye. Unlike previous editions of the show, which all featured 10 episodes, the supersized sixth season will have a whopping 15 installments, which will arrive in three batches.
The first five episodes will be released on Netflix on Thursday, July 18; the second batch drops on Thursday, November 28, and the final part, titled "The Finale Event", will be released in 2025, though a specific date has not yet been announced. (Obviously, Tom’s Guide will keep you abreast of any release schedule intel.)
And there’s even more dojo fun on the way: the new “Karate Kid” movie will hit theaters on May 30, 2025, so it’s safe to say that “Cobra Kai” fans can expect the third and final part of season 6 sometime before then. (The movie's release date was moved in order not to conflict with "Cobra Kai," so it’s safe to say those final episodes will definitely premiere first.) The upcoming film will see Ralph Macchio as Daniel LaRusso, alongside Jackie Chan reprising his Mr. Han role from the 2010 "Karate Kid" remake, with newcomer Ben Wang as their young trainee.
'Cobra Kai' season 6 trailer
Back in May, Netflix released a short teaser trailer giving fans a quick glimpse of what to expect from season 6. The 50-second clip shows students training in the Miyagi-do Karate backyard, along with brawls in what looks like a neon-filled arcade and an outdoor batting cage. "Cobra Kai is back," a cigar-smoking John Kreese (Martin Kove) ominously announces in the teaser. Last we saw of the character, he had — spoiler alert! — faked his death and escaped prison in the season 5 finale, so expect there to be much drama upon his return.
'Cobra Kai' season 6 cast
All of the major cast members are expected to return in "Cobra Kai" season 6, led by William Zabka as Johnny Lawrence and Ralph Macchio as Daniel LaRusso. Also returning will be Martin Kove as John Kreese, the former owner of Cobra Kai and Johnny's abusive mentor, as well as Yuji Okumoto as Chozen, the sensei of Miyagi-do in Okinawa.
Fans can also expect to see members of Johnny and Daniel's families back in the mix, including Courtney Henggeler as Daniel’s wife Amanda (Daniel's wife); Vanessa Rubio as Johnny’s girlfriend Carmen Diaz; Mary Mouser and Griffin Santopietro as Daniel’s children Samantha and Anthony; Tanner Buchanan as Johnny’s son Robby Keene; and Xolo Maridueña as Miguel Diaz.
Several of the dojos’ students and karate enthusiasts will also be returning, including Peyton List as Tory Nichols, Jacob Bertrand as Eli "Hawk" Moskowitz, Gianni Decenzo as Demetri Alexopoulos, Dallas Dupree Young as Kenny Payne and Oona O'Brien as Devon Lee.
C.S. Lee has joined the “Cobra Kai’ season 6 cast as Master Kim Sun-Young, a much-discussed character who's appeared (played by other actors) in flashbacks in both the original "Karate Kid" movie and in previous episodes of "Cobra Kai." Alicia Hannah-Kim, who guest-starred as Master Kim’s granddaughter Kim Da-Eun, has also been upped to the main cast. Fans will have to tune in to see if Thomas Ian Griffith is back as Terry Silver, who got hauled off to prison last season.
However, “Cobra Kai” viewers shouldn’t hold their breath at seeing Hilary Swank reprise her role as Julie Pierce from "The Next Karate Kid." As of now, that doesn't seem likely, since Swank told Collider simply, "I don't think I am, unfortunately," when asked about the possibility of appearing on "Cobra Kai." That doesn't rule out a surprise cameo, of course!
'Cobra Kai' season 6 plot and season 5 ending, explained
The Cobra Kai season 5 finale saw Johnny, Chozen and Mike take on Terry Silver and his sensei thugs at Silver's house, while the Miyagi-do and Eagle Fang students broke into the Cobra Kai dojo and hacked the server to swipe footage that revealed the truth of Silver’s corruption. The Miyagi-do kids managed to upload a video of Silver bribing the referee at the All Valley tournament to give Tory the win over Sam.
When Silver arrived at the dojo, he challenged Daniel to a karate duel, in which the latter prevailed with the help of that classic crane kick. The Cobra Kai students toss their uniforms and desert Silver, who is later arrested. Johnny and Chozen showed up, reuniting with their friends and loved ones. Sam and Miguel kissed and made up, as did Robby and Tory.
And as previously mentioned, John Kreese, who viewers thought was dead after being stabbed by a fellow inmate, masterminded the whole ruse using melted red Jello. Using a doctor’s coat and a stolen pass, he managed to knock out the prison guards and escape.
As for season 6, the official Netflix synopsis reads: "Picking up with Cobra Kai eliminated from the Valley, our senseis and students must decide if and how they will compete in the Sekai Taikai — the world championships of karate."
That suggests that the Sekai Taikai tournament will be the main focus of the extended final season, with appearances by Master Kim and Kim Da-Eun likely to complicate things for the competing students. It’s also a given that, should Kreese return next season, it will be out for revenge on Johnny and Daniel and be wanting to regain control over Cobra Kai.
Between the expanded final season, as well as the upcoming “Karate Kid” movie, it’s clear the “Cobra Kai” creators are giving fans a proper goodbye to not only the Netflix series but the entire “Karate Kid” media franchise. "We wanted to go out on our own terms," co-creator Josh Heald told The Hollywood Reporter.
“We grew up with the 'Karate Kid' franchise, and we have so much respect for the universe. We wanted to expand the universe in all the ways we have. Between seasons five and six, we approached Netflix and said, 'We're ready to bring this in for a landing.' We told them the story that we wanted to tell, and they supported the decision."
