The Karate Kid spin-off will return for a fifth run – here’s everything you need to know.
Published: Friday, 7th January 2022 at 2:46 pm
The hotly-anticipated fourth season of Cobra Kai landed on Netflix in December 2021 and left fans with a number of burning questions.
The good news is that the streaming giant has already announced a fifth season, revealing the news in August 2021 – four months before season four had even dropped.
Cobra Kai is a spin-off series connected to The Karate Kid franchise, focusing on the competitive martial arts scene in Southern California. The series features a star-studded cast including Ralph Macchio as the titular character Daniel LaRusso and William Zabka as his foe Johnny Lawrence.
Macchio recently opened up about how the return of villain Terry Silver (Thomas Ian Griffith) in season four goes some way towards fixing the 1989 movie’s issues.
“I was not a fan of how the Karate Kid III came out,” he told The Hollywood Reporter. “I felt the story was only repeating itself and was not character forwarding for the end of LaRusso. And production-wise, it was being written one way and then changed another way. It was not a smooth ride. In the end, there were parts of the character that I didn’t embrace as well as I did with the original and the first sequel. I don’t put it on the top of my résumé.
“However, it informs Cobra Kai going forward, clearly with season four,” he said. “It gives us so much story. And what is so wonderful about doing the Cobra Kai series, the creators find ways to take that story and let it evolve and find backstories for characters who might have been thinly written.”
He continued: “So, you take a character like Terry Silver for this show, with those larger-than-life elements and his relationship with Daniel, then add those layers of complexity to his evilness. And now it becomes a refined performance.
“On top of that, from the perspective of Daniel as an adult, now we are adding other stakes and elements about his own kids and students. It is remarkable that what I would call the shortcomings of the original franchise are now bearing fruit 36 years later.”
Exciting stuff. But what’s in store for season five? Read on for everything you need to know about the next run of the show, including when it might arrive and which cast members are expected to return. Just be aware, there are season four spoilers ahead if you’re not caught up yet.
Cobra Kai season 5 release date
An exact release date is yet to be confirmed.
However, Cobra Kai was renewed for a fifth run well before season 4 had aired, with the news first having been made public in August 2021.
Production began shortly after that announcement and by late November co-creator Jon Hurwitz had revealed that filming was already almost finished.
That said, there will likely still be a bit of a wait before the new episodes arrive on Netflix. While we haven’t been given any indication of when the fifth season will debut, both seasons 3 and 4 were released as New Year treats, and it seems very possible that this could be the case again.
However, if we hear anything about an earlier release date between now and then, we’ll update this page accordingly – so do keep checking back!
Cobra Kai season 5 cast
The cast for Cobra Kai has been steadily growing since the series made its debut on YouTube Red back in 2018, with various new characters and returning faces from the Karate Kid movies having joined throughout.
As ever, the two headliners for the fifth season will be Ralph Macchio and William Zabka, who once again reprise their iconic roles as Daniel LaRusso and Johnny Lawrence, while other names from the franchise’s history like Martin Kove as John Kreese and Thomas Ian Griffith as Terry Silver are also expected to return.
Meanwhile Yuji Okumoto should also return as Chozen Toguchi after appearing as the iconic character in the season five finale, playing the role for the first time since The Karate Kid Part 2.
And of course, the younger generation of stars will be back for the new run as well – including the likes of Tanner Buchanan (Robby), Peyton List (Tory), Joe Seo (Kyler), Sam (Mary Mouser), Eli/Hawk (Jacob Bertrand) and Demetri (Gianni DeCenzo) as well as recent additions such as Dallas Dupree Young (Kenny).
There’s less certainty as to whether Xolo Maridueña will be back, however, after his character Miguel fled to Mexico to find his father during the events of season 4. Should we get any clarity on that, or some news about potential new additions to the cast, we’ll post all the latest news here.
Cobra Kai season 5 plot
It’s still too early to know exactly what might happen during the next season of Cobra Kai – but we can make a few guesses based on what went down in season 4.
The season four finale certainly makes things interesting going forward: the episode saw Terry Silver double-crossing Kreese, resulting in the latter’s arrest – and it looks like Silver could pose the biggest threat from this point onwards.
The fate of Miyagi-Do is in a tricky position heading into the new run – no longer a functioning dojo as a result of the bet made over the All-Valley tournament. The future of the Dojo may rest in the hands of Tory, whose knowledge about Silver’s bribery could potentially see her come to the rescue – while the return of Chozen Toguchi could also prove vital.
There’s also the matter of Miguel, who ran away to Mexico in a bid to find his father – and it’s likely that Johnny will be occupied trying to find him in season 5.
Meanwhile, Cobra Kai’s executive producer Hayden Schlossberg recently teased on Twitter that “Cobra Kai Season five answers the long asked question– what would have happened had Daniel lost at the end of Karate Kid Part three? Nerds of the Valley, be afraid.”
Cobra Kai Season 5 answers the long asked question– what would have happened had Daniel lost at the end of Karate Kid Part 3? Nerds of the Valley, be afraid.
— Hayden Schlossberg (@McSchlossberg) January 2, 2022
Cobra Kai season 5 trailer
There’s no trailer just yet – but Netflix has a habit of regularly teasing the new show throughout the year, so keep checking back here for all the latest updates.
Cobra Kai seasons 1 to 4 are currently streaming on Netflix. You can also read our guides to the best Netflix series and best Netflix movies to keep you entertained, check out our Drama hub for more news, interviews and features, or visit our TV guide for more to watch.
