Cobra Kai season 5: Release date, cast and guide to Netflix series

Sony Columbia Pictures recently announced a new Karate Kid film, marking the sixth movie in the franchise since 1984, and piqued the interest of fans desperate for another instalment of Cobra Kai.

However, Cobra Kai co-creator Jon Hurwitz recently clarified that the new film will have no connection to the popular series.

"The guys and I would love to make Karate Kid and Cobra Kai movies and hope to someday. But this one isn't from us or focused on the Cobra Kai cast," wrote Hurwitz on Twitter in response to a fan asking about the movie.

"Don't know much about it, but wish it well," he added.

Fans desperate for further instalments needn't fear, however. In a recent interview with Collider, co-showrunner Josh Heald made clear the door remained open for the future.

"We have a few more tricks up our sleeve for where we go from here, but it does get bigger every year," he explained. "And we're trying at all times to make sure we're not plagiarising ourselves at this point.

"You know, we've had tournament fights, we've had all-out riots. We've had fights on multiple platforms and places... [Season 5] is probably the most wall-to-wall fighting we've had in a finale."

Read on for everything you need to know about Cobra Kai season 5's release date. However, be warned: there are full season 4 spoilers ahead if you’re not caught up with it yet.

Cobra Kai season 5 release date

Cobra Kai season 5 landed on Netflix on 9th September 2022, meaning it's available to watch now.

Cobra Kai was renewed for a fifth run well before season 4 had aired, with the news first having been made public in August 2021.

Production began shortly after that announcement and by late November co-creator Jon Hurwitz had revealed that filming was already almost finished.

Cobra Kai season 5 cast

The cast for Cobra Kai has been steadily growing since the series made its debut on YouTube Red back in 2018, with various new characters and returning faces from the Karate Kid movies having joined throughout.

As ever, the two headliners for the fifth season will be Ralph Macchio and William Zabka, who once again reprise their iconic roles as Daniel LaRusso and Johnny Lawrence, while other names from the franchise's history like Martin Kove as John Kreese and Thomas Ian Griffith as Terry Silver are also expected to return.

Meanwhile, Yuji Okumoto should also return as Chozen Toguchi after appearing as the iconic character in the season 4 finale, playing the role for the first time since The Karate Kid Part II.

And of course, the younger generation of stars will be back for the new run as well. including the likes of Tanner Buchanan (Robby), Xolo Maridueña (Miguel), Peyton List (Tory), Joe Seo (Kyler), Sam (Mary Mouser), Eli/Hawk (Jacob Bertrand) and Demetri (Gianni DeCenzo) as well as recent additions such as Dallas Dupree Young (Kenny).

Cast member Jacob Bertrand has teased what to expect for Eli ‘Hawk’ Moskowitz and the rest of the young martial artists in the Karate Kid sequel.

“You definitely will see a new side of Hawk," he told Men's Health. "He's definitely gotten more confident since winning the All Valley, and there's a lot of eyes on him.

“He's in a different position than he has ever been before, where he's aware there are other people looking up to him. But there's also still a lot of tension, none of that went away.”

He added: "And there's some pretty cool team-ups. There are some very cool people who end up working together that you don't expect. I don't know if that's a big spoiler or not."

Alongside the core cast, there are a few big cameos in the new instalment that will be sure to delight fans of the Karate Kid franchise.

Cobra Kai season 5 plot theories

We now have an official synopsis for season 5, which says: "Following the shocking results of the All Valley Tournament, season 5 finds Terry Silver expanding the Cobra Kai empire and trying to make his "No Mercy" style of karate the only game in town.

"With Kreese behind bars and Johnny Lawrence setting karate aside to focus on repairing the damage he’s caused, Daniel LaRusso must call on an old friend for help."

According to co-showrunners Josh Heald and Jon Hurwitz, the biggest game changer is the return of Chozen Toguchi from Karate Kid II at the end of season 4.

"Chozen is somebody who ties into the more aggressive past where fighting wasn't about a contest, it was about life and death. He still feels like he owes Daniel some help, and he wants to make amends even though Daniel has forgiven him," they told TVLine.

"From that alone, I feel like audiences can infer the energy with which season 5 is going to begin. There are quite a bit of storylines that start spinning very fast and very aggressively as we enter next season."

The season 4 finale certainly makes things interesting going forward: the episode also saw Terry Silver double-crossing Kreese, resulting in the latter's arrest – and it looks like Silver could pose the biggest threat from this point onwards.

The fate of Miyagi-Do is in a tricky position heading into the new run – no longer a functioning dojo as a result of the bet made over the All-Valley tournament. The future of the Dojo may rest in the hands of Tory, whose knowledge about Silver's bribery could potentially see her come to the rescue.

There's also the matter of Miguel, who ran away to Mexico in a bid to find his father – and it's likely that Johnny will be occupied trying to find him in season 5.

Meanwhile, Cobra Kai's executive producer Hayden Schlossberg recently teased on Twitter: "Cobra Kai season 5 answers the long asked question– what would have happened had Daniel lost at the end of Karate Kid Part three? Nerds of the Valley, be afraid."

Is there a trailer for Cobra Kai season 5?

Yes, an extended trailer for Cobrai Kai season 5 has landed, showing Johnny fighting alongside Chozen.

The footage also teases the return of Miguel (Xolo Maridueña) and gives fans a glimpse of of Kreese (Martin Kove), who appears to have been having a few run-ins in prison.

Watch below:

Cobra Kai season 5 will be available to watch on Netflix from 9th September 2022, while seasons 1 to 4 are streaming now.

You can also read our guides to the best Netflix series and best Netflix movies to keep you entertained, check out our Drama hub for more news, interviews and features, or visit our TV guide for more to watch.

The latest issue of Radio Times magazine is on sale now – subscribe now and get the next 12 issues for only £1. For more from the biggest stars in TV, listen to the Radio Times podcast with Jane Garvey.