Cobra Kai season 6, part 1 is here, but that's not even half the story. Yes, there are 10 more episodes to come across 2024 and 2025, which means there is plenty to dig into ahead of the explosive Sekai Taikai tournament and all the drama surrounding that heel turn.
As to be expected from Cobra Kai's endgame, there's going to be plenty of punches, and kicks to go around. To help get everyone on the same page, we've put together a guide to Cobra Kai season 6. Below, we'll cover the multiple release dates, a story recap, and even our own part 1 review verdict. So, grab your gis and fasten your black belts as we dive into the dojo.
Cobra Kai season 6 release dates
Cobra Kai season 6, part 1 was released on July 18, 2024.
Part 2 will following on November 15, 2024. Part 3, meanwhile, only has a release window for now: it will arrive sometime in 2025.
Co-creator Jon Hurwitz has revealed on Twitter that filming has finished so, all being well, we'd expect things to wrap by June or July 2025.
Who is in the Cobra Kai season 6 cast?
Ralph Macchio and William Zabka are, of course, back as Daniel LaRusso and Johnny Lawrence respectively – we'd expect nothing less.
Xolo Maridueña, Mary Mouser, Tanner Buchanan, and Peyton List are also part of the Cobra Kai season 6 cast, along with Griffin Santopietro, Dallas Dupree Young, Jacob Bertrand, and Gianni DeCenzo. Chozen actor Yuji Okumoto is also part of the line-up.
In terms of the adult cast, Courtney Henggeler and Vanessa Rubio are all present, as is Alicia Hannah-Kim, who plays Kim Da-Eun. C.S. Lee is part of the line-up as Karate Kid character Master Kim Sun-Young.
Sean Kanan’s Mike Barnes even made a surprise cameo appearance midway through the first part as an objective adjudicator for the dojo ahead of nominating their Sekai Taikai representatives.
Kreese actor Martin Kove is also back alongside Kim and training her students after his dramatic jail break in the season 5 finale.
"The one person who is out there to potentially wreak havoc is Kreese, who makes his escape at the very end," Jon Hurwitz told us. "There’s plenty of drama to be had."
And what of Terry Silver actor Thomas Ian Griffith? "In terms of Terry Silver, this may be the end for him – or maybe not," Hurwitz said. "You never know with a character of his means and determination. But we love Thomas Ian Griffith, it’s been amazing working with him the last couple of years. We’ll see if we get to work with him more."
Cobra Kai season 6 recap: the story so far
Cobra Kai season 5 ended with Cobra Kai seemingly being disbanded, Terry Silver being arrested for his various crimes, and Kreese escaping from prison. Miguel and Robby also buried the hatchet and Johnny is finally settling into his newfound role as a family man.
But not everything wrapped up neatly. In season 6, the newly-merged Eagle Fang/Miyagi-do dojo is working towards the Sekai Takai tournament in Barcelona, something which the creators told us is the "biggest tournament in the series."
Despite Johnny trying to drive a wedge between Sam and Tory to revive their competitive spirit, the pair eventually reconcile and put an end to their seasons-long feud.
Elsewhere, the battle is on to find the six fighters who will represent the dojo at the Sekai Taikai. Eventually, after a battle royale, Tory, Robby, Sam, Miguel, Demetri and Devon (who spikes Kenny's drink to ensure she wins a final flag contest) make it through.
In Korea, Kreese reunites with Kim and her grandfather, while offering to train up her students for the Sekai Taikai. He takes a keen interest in star (and brash) pupil Kwon.
On the eve of the contest to determine the male and female captains (who will each have their individual contests televised), Tory arrives home to find her mother has died.
In the captain's contest, Tory uses aggressive and underhand tactics to win, before spiralling out of control and leaving the dojo after she tells everyone the news about her mother. She is replaced in the six-person lineup by Hawk, who has previously annoyed Demetri thanks to his decision to not go to MIT for college.
In Barcelona, Miyagi-do enter the arena and they are soon met by Kreese and Kim's new-look Cobra Kai with a new member: Tory.
Cobra Kai season 6 review: what's our verdict?
Unfortunately, we felt the first part of Cobra Kai season 6 was a significant step down from previous years. That's mostly due to the unfinished arcs, repetitive storylines, and that the previous season's ending already felt pitch-perfect.
We wrote: "Usually, Cobra Kai seasons gradually build towards a thrilling crescendo, with the All Valley tournaments in seasons one and four, season two’s school showdown, and season three’s LaRusso house war all capping off their respective years with a bang. These five episodes, structurally, are just the build – and amount to nothing more than a part-season with most of the exciting parts (presumably) held back for part two in November and the final part in 2025."
For more, read our Cobra Kai season 6, part 1 review.
What else have the creators said about Cobra Kai season 6?
It was announced in January 2023 via open letter from showrunners Josh Heald, Jon Hurwitz, and Hayden Scholssberg that Netflix had renewed the show for a sixth and final season.
"Our day one goal with Cobra Kai has always been to end it on our own 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," the trio wrote.
"While this may be a bittersweet day for the fandom, the Miyagiverse has never been stronger," the letter continues. "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."
My advice is to stop thinking of Season 6 as one final season and instead view it as three distinct mini seasons," co-creator Jon Hurwitz wrote on Twitter. "Each batch was written knowing the release plan, so the experience was designed to be enjoyed in 5 episode chunks. Waiting for all 15 episodes to come out will not enhance your viewing experience."
Solid advice if you ask us, especially with the scale of the show set to increase this year.
Co-creator Hayden Schlossberg previously teased that things would get bigger and better for season 6.
"It’s always starting from a place of how do we take it to the next level while staying true to the original movie?" the co-creator told us. "I use the Rocky movies as comparison: there’s always some new angle, something that feels bigger, or going back to the roots of what it is.
"But you know what you’re gonna get: you’re gonna get awesome montages, Johnny being amazing, and the soap opera has some really big moments still to come."
The creators told Collider that they aren’t keen on covering old ground either. "We have a few more tricks up our sleeve for where we go from here, but it does get bigger every year," they said. "And we're trying at all times to make sure we're not plagiarizing ourselves at this point."
As Jon Hurwitz told us, the season 5 finale was "intended to have a different kind of feeling at the end there. We see how some people could see it as a little bit of a series finale kind of feeling, but Kreese has a famous line in one of the earlier seasons: ‘Peace is just a lull between battles.’"
He added, "We look forward to moving forward. Looks like everything’s ok in the Valley! Let’s see how it continues."
In the open letter announcing the show's cancelation, the creators told fans to "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."
For more on the previous season, be sure to check out our full spoiler chat with creators Jon Hurwitz and Hayden Schlossberg. Then dive into our extended breakdown of the Cobra Kai season 5 ending.
