It’s all been leading up to this. When Cobra Kai first debuted as a YouTube original in May 2018, the stakes were much smaller. It was the story of a washed-up Johnny Lawrence (William Zabka) finding meaning in his own life by training a new generation of karate kids — while feuding with his old rival Daniel LaRusso (Ralph Macchio). But five seasons later, Cobra Kai has evolved into a Shakesperean epic that reaches new heights in Season 5.
A lot happens in Cobra Kai Season 5, including the introduction of some intriguing characters both new and old. If you have questions, we’ve got answers. So grab your karate gi and let’s dive in. Spoilers ahead!
Cobra Kai Season 5 ending explained
Let’s start with the basics. Unlike Season 4, Cobra Kai Season 5 doesn’t end with an official karate tournament, but there’s still a big fight. The final episodes split up the story into several plotlines that eventually intertwine, so let’s go through them one at a time.
Oh, and just in case you missed the last warning, there are massive spoilers for Cobra Kai Season 5 beyond this point. So consider yourself warned.
The kids — After Tory Nichols (Peyton List) defects from Cobra Kai, she and the rest of the Miyagi-Do crew hatch a plan to take down Terry Silver (Thomas Ian Griffith) once and for all. That plan involves breaking into Cobra Kai headquarters and downloading footage of Silver brutally assaulting Stingray (Paul Walter Hauser), a crime he later used to frame John Kreese (Martin Kove).
Unfortunately, Silver deleted the footage, but Tory helps them find a different recording in which her former sensei admits to bribing the referee at the All-Valley tournament. As the footage is downloading, the rest of Cobra Kai shows up and a brawl breaks out. Ultimately, however, they upload the clip to YouTube. As a result, Silver’s students abandon him, but not before one final fight...
The adults — While this is happening, Johnny Lawrence, Chozen Toguchi (Yuji Okumoto), and Mike Barnes (Sean Kannan) head to Silver’s house to confront him directly (LaRusso refuses to go with them). It doesn’t go well, mostly because Silver has an entire team of karate masters with him waiting for the attack.
After Mike gets knocked out, Chozen fights Terry and nearly loses his life when they draw blades. Meanwhile, Jonny takes a brutal beating before finally summoning the strength to fight off an entire team of senseis, with Mike coming to just in time to help out.
Daniel LaRusso vs. Terry Silver
Even after the kids expose Silver as a cheater, he refuses to back down. Thankfully, that’s when Daniel shows up and challenges his one-time sensei to a fight. Using all the training he’s ever received Daniel, scores a decisive victory.
When the cops show up, Stingray admits that he lied, which the police say is enough to put Silver in jail — or at least on trial. Considering how much money he has, it’s possible he could hire a good enough lawyer to get out of this one.
Is Terry Silver finished?
It doesn’t look good for Silver, but we wouldn’t count him out yet. He’s still alive, after all, and as we saw in Season 5 with Kreese, just because a character is in jail doesn’t mean they can’t still play a pivotal role. Speaking of which...
What happens to John Kreese in Cobra Kai Season 5?
In a final twist, Kreese engineers a daring escape from prison by faking his own stabbing and stealing a key card from his therapist. It’s unclear what he might do next, but considering how Johnny and Daniel screwed him over earlier in Season 5, we have a feeling he might be out for revenge. Plus, with Silver behind bars, there’s a power vacuum at Cobra Kai.
Then again, Kreese is a wanted man and he can’t exactly re-open the dojo without attracting attention. If he’s planning an attack, it will likely come from the shadows.
Will there be a Cobra Kai Season 6?
Netflix hasn’t officially confirmed Cobra Kai Season 6 (yet), but there’s reason to be optimistic. Speaking to ComicBook.com, Ralph Macchio (who both stars in and executive produces the show) said there are scenes filmed for Season 5 that the team is saving for Season 6 (similar to what happened with Seasons 3 and 4). That feels like a vote of confidence that the series isn’t done yet, although when it comes to Netflix, nothing is certain.
Cobra Kai Season 5 is streaming now on Netflix.
