Warning: SPOILERS for Cobra Kai Season 5A new day has dawned at West Valley High because Cobra Kai season 5 ended all of the teenage rivalries that have run hot since season 1. Cobra Kai season 5 saw Daniel LaRusso (Ralph Macchio) recruit Chozen Toguchi (Yuji Okumoto) and Johnny Lawrence (William Zabka) to stop Terry Silver's (Thomas Ian Griffith) master plan for Cobra Kai to dominate karate worldwide. Meanwhile, Samantha LaRusso (Mary Mouser), Miguel Diaz (Xolo Maridueña), Robby Keene (Tanner Buchanan), and their friends dealt with the growing legion of Cobra Kai students as they sought to bring Silver down themselves.
Cobra Kai's core teenage rivalry, Robby vs. Miguel, was a clever reboot of Daniel's own lifelong animosity with Johnny that began in The Karate Kid. In Cobra Kai season 1, Miguel was Johnny's star pupil and Robby joined up with LaRusso and learned Miyagi-Do to get back at his father. In Cobra Kai season 2, Sam got her own "Johnny" in Tory Nichols (Peyton List), and their mutual hatred arguably burned brighter than the boys'. As Cobra Kai seasons 3 and 4 progressed, some of the other teens, like Eli "Hawk" Moskowitz (Jacob Bertrand), had changes of heart. Hawk was all-in on being a Cobra Kai bully, but he reformed and joined Miyagi-Do in Cobra Kai season 4. Yet the Miguel vs. Robby and Tory vs. Sam kept going into Cobra Kai season 5, and nothing between was resolved at the All Valley Under 18 Karate Tournament.
Incredibly, Miguel, Robby, Sam, and Tory all emerged from Cobra Kai season 5's ending as friends. Johnny actually brokered peace between Robby and Miguel halfway through Cobra Kai season 5 by making the boys fight it out to settle their differences. It worked; both of Johnny's sons decided to let go of their grudge, especially since Johnny now has a baby on the way with Miguel's mother, Carmen (Vanessa Rubio). Sam's mom Amanda (Courtney Henggeler) hoped the All Valley would force peace between her daughter and Tory, and she got her wish in Cobra Kai season 5. Nichols confessed to LaRusso that Terry Silver cheated so that she could win the All Valley Championship and, to her credit, Sam swallowed her pride and helped Tory lead a takedown of Cobra Kai. Once they exposed Silver's criminal acts, their former enemies at Cobra Kai decided to quit the black and red snake dojo.
Now That Cobra Kai's Rivalries Are Over, What Happens In Season 6?
Cobra Kai is now in uncharted territory after season 5 changed the show's paradigm. At this point, there are no original rivalries left to be settled. Not only are Johnny and Daniel sympatico but all of LaRusso's Karate Kid movie rivals, including Chozen and Mike Barnes (Sean Kanan), are now on Daniel's side. Miguel and Robby's newfound friendship echoes Johnny and Mr. LaRusso's, and Sam and Tory can finally stand to be in each other's presence without immediately coming to blows. Nor are there any teen love triangles left to resolve: Robby and Tory are a couple while Miguel and Sam both said "I love you" to each other. Meanwhile, Hawk and Demetri Alexopoulos (Gianni Decenzo) have been nerdy buds since Cobra Kai season 4.
Among Cobra Kai's teens, the remaining issues to be resolved revolve around Kenny Payne (Dallas Dupree Young). Released from Terry Silver's influence, Kenny has to sort out what life without Cobra Kai means. Payne didn't patch things up with his mentor, Robby, and he still hasn't forgiven Anthony LaRusso (Griffin Santopietro) for the brutal bullying he endured in Cobra Kai season 4. It's also hard to believe the teenagers' rivalries won't flare up again somehow and that Robby and Miguel or Sam and Tory won't wind up back at each other's throats. But then again, Cobra Kai has pushed its Karate Kid-modeled rivalries as far as it can go. Perhaps Cobra Kai season 6 will be all about the kids working together to win the international Sekai Taikai tournament and prove Miyagi-Do/Eagle Fang karate is the best in the world.
Cobra Kai Season 5 is streaming on Netflix.