The Problem with 'Cobrai Kai' In Its Final Season Is Cobra Kai

It’s been nearly two years since the fifth season of Cobra Kai premiered on Netflix, and this past week, the first part — of three — finally arrived. I’ve been watching Cobra Kai since its YouTube Red days, and while I loved the first season, I’ve approached every subsequent season thinking, “When will the magic finally end?” Every season, I have been pleasantly surprised that creators Josh Heald, Jon Hurwitz, and Hayden Schlossberg have almost miraculously managed to sustain what initially felt like a novelty series.

I would say, “Until now,” but that’s not entirely accurate. We’ve only seen the first five episodes of the season, which largely set the stage for the rest of the final campaign. While some aspects remain fun, others have unfortunately become repetitive.

The biggest issue is Cobra Kai itself. By the end of the fifth season, Johnny Lawrence (William Zabka) had long since left Cobra Kai to form a new dojo and joined forces with Daniel LaRusso (Ralph Macchio). John Kreese (Martin Kove) had been imprisoned and replaced as the Cobra Kai sensei by Terry Silver (Thomas Ian Griffith), who was arrested at the end of season five, and the Cobra Kai dojo was shut down.

When season six premieres, there is no Cobra Kai, which poses a problem for a show named Cobra Kai. Much of the first five episodes focus on rebuilding the dojo under its old leader. John Kreese fakes his death to escape prison, battles an actual cobra under the guidance of his and Silver’s sensei, and joins Master Kim — the granddaughter of their old sensei — in training another Cobra Kai dojo in South Korea. This subplot feels like a slog, taking the action away from Johnny, Daniel, and the characters we love, while centering on John Kreese, Master Kim, and new, unlikable characters introduced too late in the series.

Meanwhile, in the Valley, combining Johnny and Daniel’s dojos and teaching philosophies isn’t going smoothly, either, mostly due to friction between the two. The animosity between Johnny and Daniel, their constant bickering, and occasional fights were fun in the first few seasons but now feel increasingly forced. Despite their different personalities, it’s hard to believe these two aren’t best friends already. They’ve fought against and alongside each other, joined forces against common enemies, their kids and significant others are close friends, and Johnny even works at Daniel’s car lot now. The repeated nemesis-to-friend cycle each season has become tiresome, like a will-they-won’t-they relationship that never resolves.

Nevertheless, some magic remains because both Johnny and Daniel are still hugely likable characters, along with the cast of kids, including enemies-turned-brothers Miguel and Robby and friends-turned-enemies Hawk and Demetri. Peyton List’s Tory Nichols also has an interesting arc in the first third of season six that plays well opposite Courtney Henggeler’s Amanda LaRusso.

Indeed, even the lesser moments in Cobra Kai remain infinitely watchable. It’s still a great show, but it’s clearly running out of steam. I suspect there’s enough left in the tank for a big send-off in the final ten episodes, which arrive in two installments, one in November and the other in 2025. While this is a needlessly protracted final season, it will hopefully end on a high note. As we round the final corner of this nostalgia-fueled joyride, let’s hope Heald, Hurwitz, and Schlossberg can pull off one last crane kick to the feels.