10 Biggest Ways Cobra Kai Has Changed After 5 Seasons

A lot has changed over the years since Cobra Kai began steaming in 2018, and this is all the more clear as the series heads into its sixth and final season. The Karate Kid spinoff picked up with Johnny Lawrence’s story, but it has evolved into so much more since then. Cobra Kai has become a show about redemption, determination, and, of course, kicking ass, and this is reflected in the many character arcs and plotlines throughout its five seasons. Going into season 6 of the Netflix series, we can see better than ever how far these characters have come.

The start of Cobra Kai saw Johnny Lawrence hit rock bottom, but that all changed when he met Miguel and decided to reopen his childhood dojo. This brought the character back in touch with his old rival, the titular Karate Kid Daniel LaRusso and the series plot has taken off since then. Initially a YouTube TV series, Johnny’s story eventually transitioned to its permanent home at Netflix, but that’s not all that has changed since season 1. Cobra Kai is heading into season 6—the last installment—in 2024, where this rollercoaster of a story will come to a close.

10 Cobra Kai No Longer Has A Definitive Good & Evil

The Karate Kid movie franchise was all about the standard fight between good and evil, and Cobra Kai turned this idea on its head. By taking Johnny’s perspective, season 1 put the villains at center stage, with Daniel LaRusso instead placed in the role of antagonist. Despite this flip, the boundaries between sides were still pretty black and white—it was always easy to tell who we were cheering for and who against. However, the lines are more blurred going into Cobra Kai season 6. At this point, anyone could be redeemed, and any hero can be a temporary antagonist.

9 Daniel’s Story Became Just As Important As Johnny’s In Cobra Kai

Though Daniel was the hero of the Karate Kid movies, he took a back seat to Johnny in Cobra Kai. This continued for a few seasons, but after the big school fight of season 2, the old rivals were on a far more level playing field. This came to a head at the end of Cobra Kai season 5 when Daniel had his climactic battle with villain Terry Silver. Now, going into season 6, Johnny is still the main character, but Daniel’s story is just as crucial to the central plot.

8 Johnny & Daniel’s Rivalry Is Very Different Now

Johnny and Daniel have been rivals ever since high school, which isn’t likely to change soon. However, the nature of their rivalry is very different from what it was when Cobra Kai started. Over the last five seasons, the pair have begun to work out their differences, realizing that the things they hated each other for had little to do with who that person was. Now, Johnny and Daniel are still highly competitive and drastically different people, but they also appreciate and respect each other.

7 Karate Kid 2 & 3 Became The Biggest Influences On Cobra Kai

Since Cobra Kai is all about Johnny, who wasn’t in the two Karate Kid sequels, the show started as a direct follow-up to the first film. However, as the seasons have gone on, the central plot of the Netflix series has become more influenced by the events of The Karate Kid Part 2 and The Karate Kid Part 3. This is surprising since these movies weren’t as popular as the first, but Cobra Kai retroactively changed the perspective on the effectiveness of villains like Terry Silver.

6 Johnny No Longer Owns The Cobra Kai Dojo In Cobra Kai Season 6

One of Cobra Kai‘s frequent changes has been the titular dojo’s ownership. The series started on the premise of Johnny getting his old sensei’s business up and running again, but there have been several mutinies since this happened. John Kreese stole Cobra Kai from under Johnny, and then Terry Silver did the same to Kreese. Now, after five seasons, Johnny has nothing to do with his dojo, but with Silver headed off to prison, this could change in Cobra Kai season 6.

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Every Dojo Owner In Cobra Kai And Karate Kid (So Far)

The Karate Kid saga is centered around the war between two dojos, but Cobra Kai has undergone many owners — all of whom have fought Daniel LaRusso.

5 Anthony LaRusso Is A Much Better Character In Cobra Kai Season 5

Daniel LaRusso’s son, Anthony, was a pretty big nightmare back in Cobra Kai season 1. This was part of how the old Karate Kid hero was painted in a less sympathetic light—his spoiled and entitled child was far worse than even Johnny was back in the day. However, as Daniel’s character improved in Cobra Kai, his son did as well. Anthony had to learn many tough lessons about bullying, but by season 5, he’s a pretty stand-up kid.

4 Daniel Isn’t As Much A Jerk In The Second Half Of Cobra Kai

As previously mentioned, it took Daniel turning things around for his kids to begin making good progress as well. In Cobra Kai season 1, it quickly became apparent that the old underdog had let his success get the better of him. Back in The Karate Kid, Johnny had been the rich jerk and Daniel the poor underdog, but 30 years later, the tables had turned. Daniel had a successful business, a giant home, and a seemingly endless supply of money, which made him pretty difficult to like. Thankfully, his has since changed.

3 Johnny Is A Much Better Father After Cobra Kai Season 5

Johnny Lawrence was a pretty big jerk in The Karate Kid, and one of the great things about Cobra Kai is that it didn’t try too hard to change this. The Netflix series’ main character is still as politically incorrect as possible, and even as he improves morally, he’s still abrasive at his core. Ultimately, the five seasons of Cobra Kai proved that he had a good heart all along and that he just needed some help to make the right choices. With support, Johnny has become a better father to Robby than when he started the series in season 1.

2 Miguel Has Taken A Back Seat In The Second Half Of Cobra Kai

Since Johnny ironically filled Mr. Miyagi’s role in Cobra Kai, it was up to Miguel to be Daniel’s Karate Kid replacement. As the nerdy and poor character, Miguel was the perfect underdog, which made his transformation in Cobra Kai season 1 a lot of fun to watch. Of course, things quickly got out of hand, but Miguel’s good heart and Johnny’s own evolution ultimately got things back on track. However, the latter half of Cobra Kai has seen Miguel set more to the sidelines. Hopefully, as Cobra Kai season 6 wraps things up, this will change.

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1 Most Cobra Kai Rivalries Are Resolved Going Into Season 6

Cobra Kai has been all about the big rivalries, which is fitting considering Daniel and Johnny’s relationship was at the series’ foundation. However, most of these rivalries were resolved as the Netflix series progressed through its five seasons. Daniel and Johnny, Miguel and Robby, Tory and Sam, Eli and Demetri—each pair has managed to put their differences behind them. This means there is limited existing conflict going into Cobra Kai season 6, with only Anthony and Kenny and Johnny and Kreese left to settle the score.

Cobra Kai

Set decades after the events of the Karate Kid franchise, Cobra Kai shifts gears and puts viewers into the perspective of a former rival/antagonist, Johnny Lawrence. In his 50s and down on his luck, a chance encounter with a bullied young man leads Johnny back to Karate. Agreeing to help him, Johnny takes the opportunity to revive his former home, the Cobra Kai dojo – becoming a refuge for outcast teens.

Cast

Tanner Buchanan , Xolo Mariduena , Mary Mouser , Connor Murdock , Ralph Macchio , Nichole Brown , Jacob Bertrand , Griffin Santopietro , William Zabka

Seasons

5

Writers

Josh Heald , Jon Hurwitz , Hayden Schlossberg , Michael Jonathan , Mattea Greene , Bill Posley , Stacey Harman , Joe Piarulli , Bob Dearden

Directors

Jon Hurwitz

Showrunner

Jon Hurwitz