Netflix's Cobra Kai Is Ending On Its Own Terms (& Teasing A Bigger Miyagiverse)
After the blistering success of "Cobra Kai" Season 5 on Netflix in September 2022, fans began anticipating when the "Karate Kid" spinoff series would be back for a sixth season. Nearly four months later, the internet was set ablaze with the news of "Cobra Kai" Season 6, but fans' enthusiasm was quickly doused by the revelation that the season would also be the series' last.
"Cobra Kai" kicked off in 2018 on YouTube Red, where it played for two seasons before Netflix acquired the series and dropped the episodes for Season 3 in January 2021. The first season is set 34 years after poor, new kid in town Daniel LaRusso (Ralph Macchio) defeats expertly trained rich kid Johnny Lawrence (William Zabka) in the All Valley Karate Tournament. The rivals now, though, are at the opposite ends of the spectrum as Daniel is a successful owner of a car dealership, while Johnny is struggling to make ends meet doing odd jobs. Daniel's mentor and sensei, Mr. Miyagi (the late Pat Morita), has since passed on, but Johnny's volatile sensei John Kreese (Martin Kove) resurfaces to reclaim the Cobra Kai dojo that has been started again by his former prize student.
While nearly all of the principal characters from the original "Karate Kid" trilogy resurface during the first five seasons of "Cobra Kai" to complete their story arcs, the series also features a new generation of karate students — including the children of Daniel and Johnny — forming their own rivalries, thus creating an all-encompassing story dubbed the "Miyagiverse." And while Daniel's and Johnny's story arcs appear to be coming to an end with Season 6, one of the co-creators of the series recently hinted that the Miyagiverse will live on.
Jon Hurwitz says it was up to him and his co-creators that Cobra Kai was ending
In the television world, every series seems to have an expiration date — with maybe the exception of "The Simpsons" and "South Park" — where the broadcast networks or streaming channels decide when to pull the plug on beloved shows.
However, since "Cobra Kai" clearly made it a mission to bring the stories that began in "The Karate Kid" as well as "Part II" and "Part III" of the film series full circle, the sprawling story of the Miyagiverse and each protagonist and antagonist appeared to wrap up with Season 5. What will actually transpire in Season is anybody's guess, apart from maybe the materialization of the idea Terry Silver (Thomas Ian Griffith) floated to foreign visitors to take Cobra Kai international. There's also the question of the whereabouts of John Kreese, who cleverly escaped custody for a crime he was framed for committing in Season 4.
No matter the case, Jon Hurwitz — who created "Cobra Kai" with Josh Heald and Hayden Schlossberg — set the record straight about who is calling the shots for the end of the series and the future of the Miyagiverse after a Twitter user asked, "[What] was [your] reaction when they told you it was the last season?"
"Netflix didn't tell us it was the last season. We told them it was the last season," Hurwitz tweeted in response. "We've always wanted to end Cobra Kai on our own terms and we are grateful we have the opportunity to do so. But that doesn't mean we're finished with the Miyagiverse. We love this world."
In what ways could the Miyagiverse live on?
Jon Hurwitz's Miyagiverse reference is sure to get fans excited, even though he didn't give details. Conceivably, the rivalry between Daniel and Johnny's Miyagi-Do and Terry's Cobra Kai students could reignite, or presuming the series takes the action internationally, all of the students could join forces to take on new rivals on the global circuit.
Another way for the Miyagiverse to continue could be through the reintroduction of Mr. Miyagi's student, Julie Pierce — played by a then-relatively unknown Hilary Swank — in 1994's "The Next Karate Kid." Getting Swank to board the Miyagiverse would definitely be a coup for a future Miyagiverse series, considering she won Oscars for 1999's "Boys Don't Cry" and 2004's "Million Dollar Baby."
Another scenario would be to bring Jaden Smith and Jackie Chan back for their karate student and mentor roles, respectively, from the 2010 update of "The Karate Kid," since Jaden's father, Will Smith, produced the film and is one of the executive producers on "Cobra Kai." Also, Hurwitz could be alluding to the continuation of the Miyagiverse with the 2024 theatrical remake of "The Karate Kid," which was announced shortly after the debut of "Cobra Kai" Season 5.
Weighing in on the news of a new "Karate Kid" movie, Ralph Macchio told Looper that he's happy to see the classic story continue in any iteration. "There's a Broadway musical written by Robert Kamen — who wrote the original script — which is based on the original film, coming to Broadway," Macchio said. "I never cease to be amazed with the next chapter in the 'Karate Kid' universe. It'll be exciting to see it, and I'll see where it goes."
Meanwhile, the premiere date for "Cobra Kai" Season 6 has yet to be announced.