Netflix’s Cobra Kai is easily one of the most joyous adventures to watch on-screen no matter your generation. The Karate Kid spin-off series focuses on Johnny Lawrence (William Zabka) and Daniel LaRusso’s (Ralph Macchio) return to the martial arts as mentors about 30 years after their classic match in the first film. The breakout series originally debuted as a YouTube Red original took off, not only with the well-established 80s fanbase, but attracted a new audience with its fresh-faced and kick-ass rising stars. The show’s incredibly positive reception since it was acquired by Netflix even garnered a couple of recent Emmy nominations.
And there’s even better news for fans: although season 3 came out earlier this year, the next one is already on the way and will also be released in 2021! Get ready for more disputes, the long-awaited team-up between Daniel LaRusso and Johnny Lawrence, as well as a new and exciting return to the dojo realm.
Here is everything we know so far about the plot, release date details, and the cast that will join Cobra Kai in season 4.
Editor's Note: This article was last updated on October 28 with the latest Cobra Kai news, including the Season 4 trailer, Season 5 renewal news, and what the creators are doing next.
When Is the Cobra Kai Season 4 Release Date?
Cobra Kai Season 4 finally has a confirmed release date! Cobra Kai Season 4 will arrive on Netflix on December 31, 2021, as confirmed by the most recent trailer. Earlier this year, it was one of the titles confirmed for the final quarter of this year, alongside other Netflix originals such as The Witcher and You.
Season 4 was filmed in February of this year, and it lasted for about three months and a half until it was finalized in May. William Zabka shared the good news regarding the production wrap-up on social media with a couple shots of himself ready for a fight. We are certainly ready to see more of Johnny’s still intact karate moves soon, now that we know that the wait is almost over!
The Season 4 Trailer Is Finally Here
The first full Season 4 trailer dropped right along with the official release date announcement in September, and you can watch it right now below:
During the long wait for a trailer, Netflix also previously debuted an All Valley Karate Tournament promo that definitely brought a lot of hype for the Cobra Kai fans.
Previously, Netflix also released a Season 4 teaser that revealed the return of another fan-favorite character from the original films... with an ominous warning.
Who Is in the Cobra Kai Season 4 Cast?
If you are afraid that anyone from the main cast might leave the show, you probably don't need to worry in Season 4. According to various bits of information available from the next season, these are the names that we are sure will be present in Cobra Kai’s next chapter:
- Ralph Macchio (Daniel LaRusso)
- William Zabka (Johnny Lawrence)
- Xolo Maridueña (Miguel Diaz)
- Courtney Henggeler (Amanda LaRusso)
- Mary Mouser (Samantha LaRusso)
- Tanner Buchanan (Robby Keene)
- Jacob Bertrand (Hawk)
- Martin Cove (John Kreese)
- Peyton List (Tory Schwarber)
- Vanessa Rubio (Carmen Diaz)
Given that their participation in season 3 was essential to the storyline, especially during some of the main fight scenes, we expect to see Demetri (Gianni DeCenzo) and Kyler (Joe Seo) to occupy the recurring roles in season 4. As of the remainder of the cast, Dallas Dupree Young and Oona O'Brien are the new additions to the Netflix series.
Well, there is one major addition that was left unmentioned until now!
Another Karate Kid OG Is Back
I bet that the inclusion of other Karate Kid OG cast members brought you back to the good old days (assuming that you have grown up watching the franchise prior to the series). Some of the familiar faces we were able to see in season 3 were Elisabeth Shue and Rob Garrison, who passed away in 2019. However, there is an exciting return to the Karate Kid universe, which is Terry Silver’s great comeback! Actor Thomas Ian Griffith was confirmed to reprise the role he had in the third installment of the Karate Kid franchise through the teaser trailer that came out on the Cobra Kai social media pages back in May 27th. The Netflix series co-creator Hayden Schlossberg shared the following with Deadline about Griffith’s return: "For now we’ll say we’ve been looking forward to working with Thomas Ian Griffith for a long time and we were very patient with ourselves to find the right moment, and season 4 is that moment."
As we know, the character was Kreese’s former war mate, and he even sent Kreese off to Tahiti after the embarrassing loss to Miyagi and Daniel LaRusso. From the hints dropped out in the last scenes of season 3, in which we saw Kreese calling for reinforcements, Terry Silver might become the series' new villain. A pro at martial arts, his presence might present some significant obstacles for Johnny and Daniel’s newly united group. According to Jon Hurwitz (one of the show’s writers and executive producers), there will be many details about Silver’s backstory that will play a predominant role in this season. We have seen this happen in season 3 when we understood more about Kreese’s past in Vietnam and how his experience shaped his ruthless identity.
What Do We Know About the Plot?
Last season was filled with memorable moments, especially towards the finale, which left a lot of mapped out details about what is to come. For instance, Johnny Lawrence’s Eagle Fang and Daniel LaRusso’s Miyagi-do will bond as they try to overthrow Kreese’s Cobra Kai in the U18 All Valley Karate Tournament. Since both Johnny and Daniel have always dealt with a frenemy relationship, it is possible to predict that it will be hard for them to work together and come up with a game plan that they will agree upon. In an interview with Collider, Zabka shared his intake on how his character will approach the co-mentoring challenge. He said that their history will make them work extra hard to sort things out and make this partnership successful.
There has also been a lot of change of heart moments in the previous season that will probably spice things up in regards to the young cast. Hawk is now on the good side again, while Robby embraces the opponent team led by Kreese. This will probably impact their dynamic with other characters in the show, whom they previously considered their allies. In season 3 there was a lot of rivalry between Samantha and Tory, which will probably proceed in season 4. Hurwitz spoke with Deadline about the fresh dispute between these beloved characters and how the next season will be very special for them.
In addition to what was already mentioned about Terry Silver’s storyline, we may also see a lot of moments between him and Kreese this season as they deal with their turbulent past that was previously explored in the third season.
What are the Episode Names?
A complete list with all the episode names is not available right now, but we know about one of them. When the production began in February, the Cobra Kai official social media pages shared the news online with a picture of the script for the first episode. The title is “Let’s Begin”, which might sound short but it is definitely a sweet and exciting description of what we will see next.
Has Cobra Kai Been Renewed for Season 5?
Cobra Kai Season 5 is already in the works! Netflix officially renewed Cobra Kai for Season 5 in August 2021, well ahead of the Season 4 debut. The announcement came in the form of a tweet that reads "The dojo is about to be 5x as rad. Cobra Kai has been renewed for a 5th season."
A subsequent press release from Netflix revealed that the fifth season will film in 2021:
"Netflix has renewed Cobra Kai, the series continuation of the iconic The Karate Kid film franchise, for a fifth season with production set to start in Atlanta this fall."
The Creators of Cobra Kai Have a Wild-Sounding New Series in the Works
Cobra Kai creators Jon Hurwitz, Hayden Schlossberg and Josh Heald’s Counterbalance Entertainment has lined up its latest project with Sony Pictures Television (the studio behind Cobra Kai where the trio's company has an overall deal). Counterbalance and Sony are developing Marc Fisher’s Washington Post article “Powerball mystery: Someone in this tiny town won $731 million. Now everyone wants a piece of it” into a half-hour comedy.
Deadline, who broke news of the project, also has the summary of events for the wild true story:
The article, published in mid-July, chronicles the aftermath of a Powerball ticket sold in the small town of Lonacoming, MD (population 1,200), winning $731 million. Maryland is one of seven states that allow lottery winners to remain anonymous, and the lucky Lonacoming group, who call themselves 'Power Pack,' took advantage of that when they eventually claimed their reward four months after hitting the jackpot. The news turns this small town upside down as the residents work to uncover the mystery of who won the ticket. Nine months later, the mystery has not been solved.