Cobra Kai has been renewed for season 6 over at Netflix, and while the series found an amazing longevity, the sixth season is touted as the final outing for the kids of the All-Valley Tournaments. As Netflix joins the other streaming platforms in canceling shows, Cobra Kai is not one they wanted to pull the plug on. Instead, series creator and showrunner, Jon Hurwitz has stated on his Twitter that it was the creative team’s decision to make this upcoming season the finale and not Netflix.
On Twitter, a fan asked Hurwitz what his reaction was when Netflix told them it was going to be the last season. Hurwitz replied to the the fan, saying, “Netflix didn’t tell us it was the last season. We told them it was the last season. 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. #CobraKai”
The show had gained a giant fan base after a somewhat rocky start, due to an experimental premium streaming add-on to YouTube called YouTube Red. This premium service granted subscribers the chance to watch original content, and Cobra Kai was one of the premiere titles back in 2018. The show migrated onto Netflix and exploded in popularity.
The series has been able to explore multiple aspects of the original Karate Kid trilogy, including the critically-panned third film, as that film’s villain, Terry Silver, became a two-season antagonist for the Miyagi-Do and Eagle Fang dojos. The last season seemingly ended with a soft conclusion as the dojos engaged in an epic battle royal, relationships had found peace, Silver was exposed and arrested, and John Kreese had escaped prison. However, it had all also built to a tournament meant to eclipse the All-Valley — the Sekai-Taikai.
The only element from the Miyagiverse yet to make an appearance is the much maligned fourth entry, The Next Karate Kid, which starred Oscar-winner Hilary Swank as another student of Mr. Miyagi‘s. Fans of the original Karate Kid films don’t look back on that one with any sort of admiration, however, the revelation that Miyagi had another student is just the cliffhanger an episode of Cobra Kai would end on as it cuts to that cobra logo.