Cobra Kai's sixth, and sadly final, series is here. Well, a third of it is. The smash hit took Netflix by storm when it first released in 2018 and in pretty quick succession has now reached six series, having grown in popularity with every season.
While the series is based on the 1984 Karate Kid movie trilogy, it has arguably gone way beyond what those original films teed this up to become. In fact, such is its immersive and fan-spanning nature that it's now referred to as the 'Miyagiverse', referencing the original Mr Miyagi character that led the movie.
This 15-episode final series has started its release but is being broken into three chunks – a bit like mini movies – released at separate dates. Five episodes are available now (they released on 28th July), while the next five will land on 15th November before the final five arrive sometime in 2025.
So if you've been following the series and are now preparing for the end, have my condolences. For those just discovering this wonder series, congratulations and enjoy – there isn't anything else quite like it.
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Seriously silly
To be clear, this is a fabulously silly series. Sure, there are some impressive and seriously well choreographed martial arts scenes, many plot lines see characters dealing with difficult life issues, and it spans a broad range of characters. But it's still, above all else, silly.
The point is that it is aware of its own silliness and its limitations as a series about teenagers fighting. Everything is done tongue-in-cheek and the actors do a good job of straddling the line between bringing out the character and playing a caricature of themselves. As such this is funny, light-hearted and genuinely entertaining – far from high brow. Don't just take my word for it; the show has an impressive 8.5/10 IMDb rating and a score of 92 per cent on Rotten Tomatoes.
Tensions are high in this sixth series as the many teams, characters and plot lines diverge towards an ultimate conclusion in the shadow of... a massive international karate tournament, of course.
Is Cobra Kai over?
Any fans of the show will know the phrase "Cobra Kai never dies", yet the series does appear to be concluding after the final instalment of series six next year. Its creators, Josh Heald, Jon Hurwitz and Hayden Schlossberg, released a statement to fans saying this was the ending they want to leave the series on.
But as a major money spinner for Netflix, it's difficult to imagine it will be left at that. While this story may have a conclusion, I'd be surprised if there isn't some sort of spin-off, sequel or prequel set to land down the line.
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