Cobra Kai season 4 is looming on the horizon, and while the distant future of the hit Netflix series is unknown, the show ending could set up some more exciting Karate Kid spinoffs. After two seasons in relative obscurity on YouTube Red (now YouTube Premium), the show exploded in popularity when season 3 debuted on Netflix to kick off 2021. There are a lot of exciting Cobra Kai stories yet to be told in season 4, and possibly beyond, but the show could also set up some more interesting Karate Kid spinoffs down the line.
The success of Cobra Kai is twofold. On the one hand, the show has introduced a compelling new generation of Karate Kid characters with a young ensemble led by Xolo Maridueña, Mary Mouser, Tanner Buchanan, and Peyton List. The other side of the show focuses on the older versions of the original Karate Kid characters, such as Daniel LaRusso (Ralph Macchio), Johnny Lawrence (William Zabka), and John Kreese (Martin Kove). That latter part of the show has dived incredibly deep into the franchise lore in seasons 2 and 3 specifically, bringing back side characters and actors from Karate Kid 2, and in season 4, Karate Kid 3.
With so many different corners of the Karate Kid mythos having been resurrected in Cobra Kai, the show has created a lot of opportunities for additional spinoffs down the line. Cobra Kai itself may continue to run for several more seasons, but given the focus of its own story, it might also make sense for the show to wrap up sooner rather than later. If it does end after Cobra Kai season 4 or season 5, it could just be the beginning of some more exciting Karate Kid spinoff stories at Netflix.
Cobra Kai co-creators Josh Heald, Jon Hurwitz, and Hayden Schlossberg have said on multiple occasions that they have lots more ideas for stories set in the Karate Kid universe. When asked in interviews about other parts of the franchise yet to be tapped into by the show, such as Hilary Swank’s The Next Karate Kid, the trio has generally responded positively, saying that they consider most parts of the franchise to be canon with Cobra Kai, and that they’re open to tying in a lot of those more extraneous storylines. That could mean that Julie Pierce and other past characters could return, either in Cobra Kai or in some other future spinoff. The creators have even hinted at the possibility of other shows being made set in the so-called “Miyagi-verse.”
Given the care with which Hurwitz, Schlossberg, and Heald have brought back elements from the Karate Kid films, they certainly seem equipped to continue doing so in other shows if presented with the opportunity. They’ve also done a good job of bringing in new characters and storylines that stay true to the themes and spirit of the original movies, proving that spinoffs that are less directly connected to The Karate Kid could be compelling in their own right. In short, it doesn’t look like the Cobra Kai creators are going to run out of ideas any time soon.
While Hurwitz, Schlossberg, and Heald have done a good job bringing many different characters and stories into Cobra Kai so far, the show might best be served by keeping its focus tight going forward and leaving new stories for additional spinoffs. The series started with a pretty simple plot revolving around Johnny and Miguel, who strike up a twist on the Daniel/Mr. Miyagi relationship from the first Karate Kid. Though more characters have become central to the story in more recent seasons, Johnny and Miguel have remained the emotional core of the show, and if Cobra Kai is to end in a satisfying way, it should focus on wrapping up those two character arcs cleanly and effectively.
Going into season 2, Cobra Kai looks like it’s headed for a pretty big potential climax. Johnny, Daniel and Kreese have set the next All-Valley Tournament as the venue to settle their feud once and for all, foreshadowing a major showdown between the dojos for the championship title. And since Johnny and Daniel have already settled their personal rivalry by the end of season 3, one of the main plot arcs of the show has already been resolved. That means that Cobra Kai season 4 could cleanly wrap up the series by finishing the arcs for Miguel, Robby, Tory, and Sam, feeding into a proper finale at the All-Valley to defeat Kreese once and for all. That story could be drawn into an additional season if necessary, but with most of the characters already having gone through significant arcs in the first three seasons, it might not be smart to draw things out for too long.
Fortunately, the end of Cobra Kai doesn’t have to mean the end of the modern Karate Kid era. Because the show has set up so many different storylines, and because so much of the old Karate Kid lore has been revived through the series, there’s lots of potential for more spinoffs at Netflix after Cobra Kai wraps up. Rather than continue to add more and more characters and plotlines to Cobra Kai, it might be better to finish the show’s main storyline in the next season or two, then continue the more extraneous stories in other series.
There are a lot of possibilities for more Karate Kid spinoffs after Cobra Kai. Future series could follow some of the younger characters at college or elsewhere in life, going on to have other adventures. Or they could bring in other prominent characters from the franchise yet to be seen in Cobra Kai, such as Julie. Netflix has made it clear with their recent efforts on properties like The Witcher and Bridgerton that its priority is on franchise development, with many series getting prequel films, animated spinoffs, and other such additions to flesh out their universes. Cobra Kai is prime material for that kind of expansion, and there are a lot of exciting direction future spinoffs could go in. A new Karate Kid animated series could be pretty cool, for instance, or maybe even something tying into the Jackie Chan/Jaden Smith Karate Kid film would be possible. Though Cobra Kai may end its run sooner rather than later, it almost surely won’t be the end of the current Karate Kid era.
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