Cobra Kai – Picture: Netflix / Sony Television
Seasons 1 and 2 of Cobra Kai are now on Netflix and all attention now turns to season 3 that’s due out on Netflix globally in early 2021. We’re keeping track of everything you need to know about Cobra Kai season 3 below including what to expect, casting news, trailer breakdowns, and all the teasers thus far.
Editor’s note: This preview was last updated on October 2nd, 2020 but first published in August 2020.
Cobra Kai is an American Martial-Arts drama created by Josh Heald, Jon Hurwitz, Hayden Schlossberg. The series is a continuation of The Karate Kid films, and takes place 34 years after the events of The Karate Kid.
Fired from his job, a dead beat father, and a heavy drinker, life has not been good to Johnny Lawrence the past 30 years. Upon rescuing an asthmatic kid from a gang of bullies, Johnny reopens the Cobra Kai karate dojo, and becomes the new sensei to outsiders and bullied children. When long time, and successful karate rival, Daniel LaRusso, discover that Cobra Kai has reopened, it reignites the feud between them.
When is Cobra Kai season 3 coming to Netflix?
Originally, the expectation was that Cobra Kai season 3 would be coming to Netflix “by the end of Summer” after the series co-creator, Jon Hurwitz, was asked the question in a Q&A on Twitter.
You will get Cobra Kai this year. I expect it to be out by the end of the summer.
— Jon Hurwitz (@jonhurwitz) June 2, 2020
However, this was then moved back further by Netflix when it released a brand new trailer for seasons 1 & 2 with the end of the video confirming that season 3 of Cobra Kai would not be released until 2021.
2021 release date for Cobra Kai – Picture: Screengrab from YouTube
This was a contentious issue given that filming has been wrapped on the series for a number of months and fans were fully expecting a season 3 release in 2020.
However, as we all know, Netflix is about to hit a drought when it comes to new releases with many Netflix TV productions only now re-entering production. This could be done to fill in some of the gaps Netflix now has in its 2021 lineup.
The creators of Cobra Kai: Josh Heald, Jon Hurwitz, and Hayden Schlossberg
What to expect from Cobra Kai season 3
Trailer and teaser breakdowns for Season 3
*SEASON 2 SPOILER WARNING*
Let’s first break down the tiny snippets of new footage found in the trailer above.
In the short few seconds, we got to see of season 3, it confirms we’re almost certainly headed to Okinawa in season 3. We also believe Robby will be going to Okinawa with Daniel LaRusso too.
Who’s the voice of the person asking Daniel if he’s sure about the fact no secrets were kept from him? Everything points to it being Chozen Toguchi who was first introduced in the second Karate Kid movie.
On October 1st, 2020 a brand new teaser was released for Cobra Kai season 3. In the short 14 second trailer, we hear a heart monitor which eventually combines into a single beep signifying that the person (or thing from what we read into it) is dead. Although we know Miguel is currently fighting for his life, we believe this teaser actually refers to Cobra Kai, at least Johnny’s vision for it, is dead.
#CobraKai #CobraKaiOnNetflix #Netflix pic.twitter.com/nlObtLaBfK
— Jon Hurwitz (@jonhurwitz) October 1, 2020
Season 3 is expected to start not directly after the events of the season 2 finale rather than quite a bit afterward with William Zabka saying the series picks up quite a significant amount of time after.
Here are some of the other snippets of information that have been revealed about season 3:
Cobra Kai season 3 speculation
The future of Cobra Kai
Despite having his student’s best interests at heart, Johnny Lawrence has lost the loyalty of the Cobra Kai students to his former sensei John Kreese. To add insult to injury Kreese has also taken over the ownership of the dojo.
To win back Cobra Kai, Johnny needs to win back the loyalty of his students. Sadly, it may take Kreese pushing the students to the absolute limit before they realize Johnny is the better sensei.
Kreese has sunk his fangs deep into Cobra Kai – Copyright. Sony Pictures Television
Will Miguel make a full recovery?
The fight at school between the students of Miyagi-Do and Cobra Kai ended in tragedy. Many of the students were injured, but none so were worse than what happened to Miguel.
The last we saw of Miguel was him post-surgery on his neck/back, and unconscious in the hospital.
Assuming he can make a recovery, Miguel will be lucky if he can even walk, let alone take part in Karate once more. Even if Miguel wanted to return to karate, his mother may put a stop to that straight away. At the very least, he won’t be going back to Cobra Kai if she has her way.
Miguel tragically fell, after being kicked by Robby, almost killing him – Copyright. Sony Pictures Television
The future of Miyagi-Do
Since the return of Cobra Kai a fire has been lit in the belly of Daniel LaRusso.
Just like Sensei Lawrence, Daniel believes he has had the interest of students at heart, but in reality, his actions have escalated the feud between himself and Cobra Kai. This culminated at the end of the second season when both dojos fought at school, leading to the injuries of multiple students.
Robby gravely injuring Miguel means Daniel has failed as a teacher and mentor to the young man. This may weigh heavily on Daniel, likely making him consider closing the Miyagi-Do dojo.
The dojo has caused lots of friction between his marriage, family, work, and his own well being. Amanda has made it clear that she wants Daniel to stop doing karate but it’s in the best interest of everyone that Miyagi-Do stays open, so it can counter Kreese and his loyal Cobra Kai students.
There’s also the chance that both Miyagi-Do and Cobra Kai could be banned from the next All Valley tournament for their actions at school.
The future of the Miyagi-Do dojo is in serious doubt – Copyright. Sony Pictures Television
Will Johnny and Daniel ever become friends?
For a brief moment in the second season, it looked like there was a chance for Johnny and Daniel to become friends. While on their respective dates, and ironically running into each other, there was a lot of playful banter between the pair, and making plenty of jokes.
Johnny will be in serious need of help after the events of season 2, but with Robby nowhere to be found, an injured Sam and Miguel, not to mention Cobra Kai starting the fight at school, Johnny may be the last person Daniel wants to see.
If they can push aside their differences for the sake of their families, and respective dojos, we could actually see the pair become friends. This road may begin if Johnny is willing to learn the philosophy of Miyagi-Do and find some inner peace.
Destined to fight forever? – Copyright. Sony Pictures Television
Where is Robby?
After gravely injuring Miguel, Robby didn’t stand around to see the aftermath of his actions. Choosing to run away, we never saw where Robby ended up.
Robby doesn’t have anywhere to go. His mother is in rehab and her apartment is up for eviction. The Russo’s are unlikely to take him back in, his old friends hate him, not to mention he has an extremely poor relationship with his dad.
Johnny was a father figure in Miguel’s life, and the now-former sensei was deeply emotional for what happened to his student. Despite the fact that Robby is his son, he may not take too kindly to seeing the boy arrive on his doorstep, not to mention Johnny lives opposite which may incite even further wrath from Miguel’s mother.
Come season 3 we could see Robby living on the streets, struggling to get by.
Robby’s jealousy got the better of him in his fight against Miguel – Copyright. Sony Pictures Television
Who are the cast members of season 3?
We’ll be seeing plenty of returning faces in the next season of Cobra Kai.
| Role | Cast Member | Where Have I Seen/Heard Them Before? |
|---|---|---|
| Miguel Diaz | Xolo Maridueña | Parenthood, Dealin’ with Idiots, Rush Hour |
| Daniel LaRusso | Ralph Macchio | The Karate Kid, The Outsiders, My Cousin Vinny |
| Johnny Lawrence | William Zabka | The Karate Kid, Hot Tub Time Machine, Back to School |
| Amanda LaRusso | Courtney Henggeler | The Big Bang Theory, Mom, Nobody’s Fool |
| Robby Keene | Tannar Buchanan | Designated Survivor, Grey’s Anatomy, The Fosters |
| Samantha LaRusso | Mary Mouser | Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children, Son of the Mask, Body of Proof |
| John Kreese | Martin Kove | The Karate Kid, Rambo: First Blood. part 2, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood |
| Hawk | Jacob Bertrand | Kirby Buckets, Ready Player One, Rise of the Guardians |
| Aisha | Nichole Brown | Cobra Kai |
| Demetri | Gianni Decenzo | 100 Things to Do Before High School, Eagleheart, Saint Francis |
| Moon | Hannah Kepple | Tell Me Your Secrets, Your Worst Nightmare, The Man Cave Chronicle |
| Carmen Diaz | Vanessa Rubio | Chilling Adventures of Sabrina, Dolly Partons Heartstrings, How to be Single |
| Tory | Peyton List | Bunk’d, 27 Dresses, Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Dog Days |
Will we see Ali in season 3?
In the final moments of season 2, Johnny threw his smartphone onto the beach. In the closing moments, many thought it would be Robby trying to get in contact with Johnny, but the big twist was Ali sending a friend request to Johnny on Facebook after he messaged her earlier in the season.
According to the website Murphy’s Multiverse, actress Elisabeth Shue has been seen on set of Cobra Kai and will reportedly be reprising her role as Johnny and Daniel’s childhood sweetheart.
How many episodes can we expect from the third season?
We already have confirmation that Cobra Kai will be returning with a further ten episodes.
Each episode will be approximately 30 minutes long, so roughly 5 hours worth of new Cobra Kai to be enjoyed.
Will Netflix continue the series beyond season 3?
The answer is most likely yes. We’ve already heard plenty of rumblings that work is going on behind-the-scenes on a fourth season.
In addition, when we originally heard that Netflix was in the running to acquire Cobra Kai, we heard one of the conditions laid out was that it would get renewed beyond its third season.
We won’t likely hear of any fourth season until after season 3 touches down.
Before we leave you, we thoroughly recommend you check out this excellent discussion from Cobra Kai Kid (an awesome fan YouTube account) with the show’s creators Jon Hurwitz, Hayden Schlossberg, & Josh Heald discussing the past and future of the show.
Are you looking forward to the release of Cobra Kai season 3 on Netflix? Let us know in the comments below!
