When last we spoke of Cobra Kai—when the first look teaser for the sixth season debuted—we were all pretty much in agreement that dropping the show’s final season in three parts was a really annoying strategy by Netflix. Unfortunately, the streamer pays no heed to us or our comments section, so the first batch of five episodes will drop as scheduled on July 18. Ahead of that, there’s a new trailer for the season, or at least the first part of the season, to enjoy.
The motto for the current era of Cobra Kai can be summed up with this line of dialogue: “We may have settled things in the Valley, but now we have to be ready for whatever the world throws at us.” Daniel (Ralph Macchio) and Johnny (William Zabka) have achieved harmony in the local karate scene, and now they’re ready to bring Miyagi-Do Karate to the world stage for the Sekai Taikai Tournament. The old rivals-turned-partners have “no idea what we’re up against,” but here’s a big clue: John Kreese (Martin Kove) is back and he’s found some new karate students to teach. The teens—who have their own interpersonal dramas going on—are going to have to train hard to come out on top. Luckily, Daniel appears to have found a mysterious box of Mr. Miyagi’s buried secrets that hints at a game-changing reveal.
After part one, part two of the sixth season will premiere on November 28, while part three (“The Finale Event”) will air in 2025. That means the series will be wrapped up in time to pave the way for the new Karate Kid movie, which is currently slated for release in May 2025. It’s unlikely that the new film will be closely connected to the spin-off show, especially given that the movie is reportedly set on the East Coast. However, Macchio is going to be in the movie (in addition to Jackie Chan, who was part of the rebooted movie with Jaden Smith), so all those properties presumably exist within the canon of the “Miyagi-verse.” Last month, Macchio posted to social media a celebration of the 40th anniversary of the original film, writing that he’d recently wrapped on the show and the movie. He teased, “Looking ahead to one of the most exciting years yet!”