Netflix has renewed Cobra Kai for season 6. The Karate Kid continuation series starring William Zabka as Johnny Lawrence and Ralph Macchio as Daniel LaRusso has been a global hit for the streamer, which purchased Cobra Kai from YouTube Red in 2020. Cobra Kai seasons 3, 4, and 5 were Netflix exclusives. Cobra Kai season 5 picks up where season 4’s finale left off: Terry Silver (Thomas Ian Griffith) cheated to win the All Valley Under 18 Karate Tournament, which forced Daniel and Johnny to close their dojos. Season 5 follows the consequences of those closures, or lack thereof, and what Tory Nichols (Peyton List) chooses to do with the knowledge that her win was paid for by Silver.
Cobra Kai season 5 further expands the “Miyagiverse” by revealing new details about Cobra Kai’s origin and introducing the first female Cobra Kai sensei, Kim Da-Eun (Alicia Hannah-Kim). Cobra Kai season 5 also boasts the return of Mike Barnes (Sean Kanan) from The Karate Kid Part III. By the end of Cobra Kai season 5, the paradigm of the series has drastically changed with the martial arts studio going global and former enemies presenting a united front. Cobra Kai season 6 is expected to be an even bigger story than season 5, but updates about the coming season have been few and far between.
The Latest Cobra Kai Season 6 News
The latest Cobra Kai season 6 update is that fans will have to wait a little longer than they thought before they can see it. Season 6 of Cobra Kai was thought to head into production in May 2023, but the series, like many that were scheduled to film in mid-2023, is being delayed. Showrunner Jon Hurwitz confirmed via his social media accounts that the writers’ room would shut down in solidarity with the Writers Guild of America’s strike that began in May 2023.
Negotiations between the WGA and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers broke down in April when producers and studio heads refused to give WGA members fair compensation for their work. As a result, writers’ rooms have been shutting down and writers are not working on sets that have already started filming. In addition to Cobra Kai, Netflix’s Stranger Things season 5 has also seen its writers’ room shut down.
While the production has been halted concerning filming, there is still work being done in preparation for the next season. In some fun Cobra Kai season 6 updates, the entire crew got together for a table read for the final season of the show. The video released was gun, with the cast showing up and happily greeting each other. It was a fun look at the cast of the show and how much fun they seem to have with each other. A highlight was when Jacob Bertrand was late and William Zabka called him from the table read and asked if he knew what time the read was “tomorrow,” which caused everyone to break up laughing.
The read also had Gianni DeCenzo, who plays Demetri Alexopoulos, say, “But before we throw our hats into the mat, there’s one thing we need to do: decide our dojo name.” It sounds like Cobra Kai is finally rebranding. Zabka then said it has been an “awesome, long journey, but it is not over yet. Season six could be the biggest, the badassest, most amazing season of Cobra Kai yet. So, y’all ready?” That received a joint “yes sensai” from this cast, and with that, the final season of Cobra Kai remains as highly anticipated as ever. Zabka shared the footage after the Netflix Tudum event, with his own comment, “let’s DO this!“
Cobra Kai Season 6 Is Confirmed As The Final Season
On January 20, 2023, the sixth season of Cobra Kai was confirmed in an unusual way. Showrunners Josh Heald, Jon Hurwitz, and Hayden Schlossberg took to social media with an open letter for the fans. Not only did the showrunners confirm that Netflix ordered a sixth season of the series, but they also confirmed that the sixth season would be the final one for the show.
Cobra Kai Season 6 Release Date Prediction
While initial speculation believed that Cobra Kai season 6 would debut on Netflix in late 2023, the shutdown of the writers’ room might mean the series will be pushed back to 2024, or even 2025. Writers have vowed to keep rooms shut down as long as negotiations continue. Cobra Kai season 6 updates from the creative team indicate that all of the scripts for the season are not yet finished, so the show won’t be able to finish production until the strike is over. In the past, new seasons are available to stream almost a year after they film. While some season 6 Cobra Kai scenes were reportedly shot during season 5’s production, there were not enough to comprise an entire episode.
Cobra Kai Season 6 Cast
There have been no Cobra Kai season 6 updates concerning cast departures, so as long as scheduling allows, most, if not all, of the main cast of season 5 should return for the sixth season. The series feels impossible without William Zabka as Johnny Lawrence and Ralph Macchio as Daniel LaRusso. It’s also likely that Martin Kove will be back since his character, John Kreese, escaped prison last season.
Karate students played by Xolo Maridueña, Mary Mouser, Tanner Buchanan, Jacob Bertrand, Giovanni DeCenzo, Dallas Dupree Young, and Griffin Santopietro are all expected to return as series regulars. Peyton List, who stars as Tory, is also a series regular on the Paramount+ series School Spirits, but since she filmed the first season on a break from Cobra Kai, the schedules shouldn’t conflict.
Vanessa Rubio and Courtney Henggeler are also expected to return as Carmen Diaz and Amanda LaRusso, respectively. Alicia Hannah-Kim is also expected to return as martial arts instructor Kim Da-Eun as the show’s storyline goes global. A wildcard, however, is Thomas Ian Griffith, who plays Terry Silver in the Karate Kid franchise. His storyline appeared to reach an end in season 5, but that could change.
Other wildcards are Yuji Okumoto as Chozen and Sean Kanan as Mike Barnes. Both former villains for Daniel LaRusso, the two became allies in his fight against Cobra Kai, but it’s unknown if either will appear in season 6. Fans are also still holding out hope for a Hilary Swank cameo as Julie Pierce in the final season, but nothing has been confirmed.
The Netflix Tudum presentation seemed to confirm several of the main returning Cobra Kai season 6 cast members. At the table read for the final season were William Zabka, Ralph Macchio, Vanessa Rubio, Gianni Decenzo, Tanner Buchanan, Jacob Bertrand, Peyton List, Courtney Henggeler, Xolo Maridueña, Mary Mouser, and Dallas Dupree Young.
Cobra Kai Season 6 Story Details
Cobra Kai season 5 ends in a game-changing scenario for the series as not only is the fight against Terry Silver taking over the Valley resolved, but many other stories that have been ongoing since Cobra Kai season 1 are settled. Cobra Kai season 5 also introduces an intriguing new element to the mythos that could potentially take the show in an international direction. Cobra Kai wants to have gyms all over the world, which makes the fight against their aggressive training much bigger than the All-Valley Tournament.
Cobra Kai season 6 updates indicate the scope of the show could be bigger than ever while still retaining all the action, drama, and comedy of Netflix’s acclaimed ‘karate opera.’ In addition to the Cobra Kai takedown, the series has seen many rivals become allies, but that doesn’t mean all of the rivalries have closure. Fans are still waiting for Johnny and Daniel to take down Kreese, once and for all, as well as for the conflicts between some of the different pairings, like Anthony LaRusso (Santopietro) and Kenny (Young) to be settled.
There was also a Cobra Kai season 6 table read released during the Netflix Tudum presentation, and in that read, one aspect of the story was revealed. Gianni DeCenzo, who plays Demetri Alexopoulos, read one of his lines and said, “Victorious dojos are immortalized and for individual competitors, the sky’s the limit…But before we throw our hats into the mat, there’s one thing we need to do: decide our dojo name.” With that in mind, the final season of Cobra Kai might end that controversial dojo, and a new one looks to rise from the ashes.
Cobra Kai Season 6 Trailer
Though there isn’t a trailer with any new Cobra Kai season 6 updates for fans just yet, a season 6 teaser was shared by Netflix when the series was renewed for a final season. The teaser trailer features footage from both the Karate Kid movies and the Cobra Kai series, preparing the fans for “one last fight.” A Cobra Kai season 6 updated trailer won’t be available until after the series films.
This story originally appeared on Screenrant
