Cobra Kai Season 6 Release Date, Story and Cast

Cobra Kai returns to Netflix for its climactic final season. While Season 6 signifies the conclusion of the series, it doesn’t mark the end of the Miyagiverse. Discover everything there is to know about Cobra Kai’s sixth season, encompassing production updates, anticipated plot developments, the reason behind the show’s finale, and much more.

Initially a YouTube original series, Cobra Kai transitioned to Netflix following its first two seasons, catapulting to fame and becoming a worldwide sensation for the streaming service.

The series serves as a continuation of The Karate Kid films, picking up the narrative 34 years after the events of the original movie, reigniting the long-standing rivalry between Johnny Lawrence and Daniel LaRusso.

Has Cobra Kai been renewed for season 6?

Official Netflix Renewal Status: Renewed

In the past, Netflix typically renewed Cobra Kai well before new seasons premiered, making the wait for Season 6 confirmations particularly agonising.

As anticipated in our renewal prediction, Netflix has greenlit Cobra Kai for a grand finale season. In a heartfelt statement shared on Twitter, the show runners expressed their sincere gratitude to the fans and pledged an epic final season to conclude the narrative.

The statement made was:

“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

In response to the renewal, Hayden Schlossberg shared his thoughts 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.”

What caused the delay in announcing Season 6? We believe it may be due to the showrunners’ involvement in another project for Netflix, namely Obliterated, during the latter half of 2022. The filming for that series concluded in November 2022, and upon the completion of post-production and editing, they were once again available to focus on Cobra Kai.

Naturally, the creators have previously hinted that the series might conclude with Season 6. In an early 2022 interview with Deadline discussing the potential of a sixth season, Hayden Schlossberg shared:

“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 statement corroborates a previous tweet from Jon Hurwitz in 2020, where he responded to a fan’s message by expressing their desire to create a total of six seasons.

Hurwitz has emphasized that it was the creators, not Netflix, who made the decision to end the show. On February 27th, he took to Twitter to clarify this point:

“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.”

How well has Cobra Kai season 5 performed on Netflix?

By consulting multiple sources, we can evaluate the fifth season’s success rate. Thanks to the hourly data provided by Netflix, we can now examine the show’s performance like never before.

As previously mentioned in our Top 10 report on September 14th, which utilized CVE metrics, the show failed to match the success of its fourth season. According to Frédéric, a What’s on Netflix contributor, in the report:

“…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 is extracted from Netflix’s top 10 satellite site, which provides 40 hourly figures on a weekly basis.

During the period from September 4th to October 9th, 2022, the show accumulated a global viewership of 274.72 million hours, as recorded in the top 10 rankings, before eventually dropping out.

Let’s take a closer look at how the viewing hours are distributed on a weekly basis:

Note: The percentage in parentheses represents the change in viewing hours compared to the previous week.

In terms of viewership, how does season 5 stack up against season 4 ?

While season 5 did experience a noticeable decrease in viewership, it followed a similar pattern to season 4. Specifically, season 5 started off with an 11% drop compared to the previous season, and both seasons experienced a consistent decline in viewership from week to week.

The table shows the viewership numbers for each week of season 5 and season 4, as well as the percentage change compared to the previous week. As can be seen, season 5 experienced a significant drop in viewership compared to season 4, with a 60% decline in week 3.

By analyzing external demand, it becomes clear that the show’s popularity is not immune to the law of diminishing returns. According to Google Trends, interest in season 5 was lower than that of season 4, which was the series’ peak period of popularity. Despite remaining a popular show, it appears that the show’s overall appeal has waned over time.

Google Trends interest for Cobra Kai

Upon reviewing the unprocessed top 10 data from FlixPatrol, it is evident which regions the show is performing well in. Specifically, the United States and Latin America are the regions where the show has garnered the most attention and engagement.

FlixPatrol heatmap for Cobra Kai

What to expect from Cobra Kai season 6 on Netflix

We have gathered our predictions, expectations, and all publicly available information about the forthcoming season, which is outlined below.

Additionally, we have consulted with two devoted Cobra Kai fans, The Cobra Kai Kid and Watch Party, to provide their predictions and insights on what we can anticipate in the upcoming sixth season.

Thus far, Jon Hurwitz has officially disclosed that the events of season 6 will unfold approximately one year following the season 2 finale.

What is the future of Cobra Kai?

After Terry Silver’s deceitful tactics were exposed to his students, they all denounced him as their sensei, leading to his arrest for the crimes he committed.

As a result of these events, the future of Cobra Kai is now uncertain, and their participation in the Sekai Taikai tournament is also in question.

It’s possible that Kim Da-Eun, who has a 50% stake in Cobra Kai, could find a way to overcome this setback by enlisting students from her own dojos and leveraging the Cobra Kai name and branding.

Will Mike Barnes take over Cobra Kai?

During a conversation with Daniel and Chozen, Mike disclosed that Terry Silver had promised him a 50% stake in Cobra Kai several years ago. Although he’s uncertain about locating the document or the lawyer who could validate his claim, there is a possibility that this former enemy of Daniel might continue to redeem him and the Cobra Kai dojos if he were to take over.

Nevertheless, such a move could also potentially spark a civil war within Cobra Kai, as Mike Barnes could rally Terry’s former students to challenge those of Kim Da-Eun.

If Kreese has any involvement with Kim Da-Eun, it’s conceivable that he could attempt to manipulate the situation by persuading her to put her 50% stake against Barnes’ 50% in a winner-takes-all wager at the Sekai Taikai tournament.

What is Kreese up to?

Following his escape from prison, Kreese’s options for allies are limited, and he may now turn to Kim Da-Eun, the granddaughter of his former master.

Silver and Kim Da-Eun were already a potent combination, but with Kreese now having nothing to lose, he is even more of a threat than

before, making them an even more formidable trio.

Jon Hurwitz hinted in a tweet that Kreese’s legal situation in season 6 will be intricate, stating, “It’s risky to make any assumptions.”

What is the future of Miyago-Do and Eagle Fang?

Having defeated Silver, Miyagi-Do and Eagle Fang are expected to make a triumphant return, reopening their dojos and preparing their

students for the Sekai Takai tournament.

It’s unclear who will represent each dojo, but it’s possible that Miguel will represent Eagle Fang and Hawk will represent Miyagi-Do, based on their previous affiliations and abilities.

Whether Kenny or Robby will represent Cobra Kai remains uncertain, as it depends on the dojo’s future. If Robby rejoins Miyagi-Do or Eagle Fang, he could potentially face off against either Hawk or Miguel at the tournament.

It’s likely that Samantha will represent Miyagi-Do, while Devon Lee may once again represent Eagle Fang at the tournament. However, Tory’s participation is uncertain, as the Sekai Takai organizers may disqualify her for not revealing earlier about Silver’s cheating. If allowed to compete, this could provide an opportunity for Tory to further redeem herself.

When will the baby be born?

It’s been revealed that Johnny is expecting a child with Carmen, but it’s uncertain when the baby is due. This could potentially impact Johnny’s ability to attend and participate in the Sekai Takai tournament.

Will Julie Pierce make an appearance?

Almost all of the prominent characters from the original Karate Kid movies have made appearances in Cobra Kai to reprise their respective roles. The only notable exception thus far is Julie Pierce, previously portrayed by Academy Award-winning actress Hilary Swank.

Many fans would love to see Swank return to play Julie once again, especially since the character could potentially assist with the training of Miyagi-Do students for the Sekai Takai tournament.

If there is an additional confrontation with Kim Da-Eun, it would be thrilling to witness a one-on-one battle between Julie Pierce and the Korean master of Tang Soo Do.

Who will return for the sixth season of Cobra Kai?

Although Cobra Kai already boasts a vast ensemble cast, we anticipate that the majority of the actors will reprise their roles in the sixth season, including:

It’s likely that several supporting cast members will also return for the sixth season.

When will filming start on Cobra Kai season 6?

As of now, there is no official production schedule for season 6 of Cobra Kai; however, it has been confirmed that the show’s writer’s room began its work in mid-February 2023.

Although no official start date has been announced, several attendees of the ATL Comic Convention in late February 2023 claimed that Ralph Macchio mentioned a tentative plan to begin production in May 2023.

We would like to acknowledge Cobra Kai Nation and Strike First Media for bringing this information to our attention.

As with previous seasons, filming for the show will occur in Atlanta, Georgia. However, showrunner Jon Hurwitz has hinted that they may once again shoot some scenes outside of the state, as has been the case in previous seasons.

ProductionWeekly has revealed that Cobra Kai season 6 will be filmed under the working title, “THE ABORIST.” Another source has suggested that filming for the final season will take place from late spring 2023 to late summer 2023. The show’s per-episode budget is reportedly in the range of $2 to $3 million.

When can we expect to see Cobra Kai season 6 on Netflix?

Over the course of the past 20 months, Netflix has released three seasons of Cobra Kai, beginning with season 3 in January 2021 and most recently, the fifth season in September 2022.

Although subscribers have grown accustomed to semi-regular releases of new Cobra Kai seasons on Netflix, the wait for the sixth season may be longer than usual.

Based on the projected production timeline, we are anticipating a release date for season 6 in late 2023 or early 2024. (Tentative Date)
We’d love to hear your thoughts! Share your opinions in the comments below: would you be excited for a sixth season of Cobra Kai on Netflix?

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