Cobra Kai season 5 wrapped up most of the show’s storylines, but there are two characters who can give the show a future past season 6 into a potential Cobra Kai season 7. After Cobra Kai season 4 teased that Johnny and Daniel would finally put their differences aside, this time for good, Cobra Kai season 5 rightfully avoided reverting the dynamic between the two senseis. Daniel and Johnny’s friendship in Cobra Kai season 5 echoed through most of the young characters, yet there is still one rivalry left for Cobra Kai to settle.
While Kenny realized at the end of Cobra Kai season 5 that Terry Silver’s Cobra Kai was built on lies, not much was shown of how Kenny dealt with the discovery. Kenny decided not to speak with Robby after the Cobra Kai dojo fight, which raises the question of what Kenny’s story will be in Cobra Kai season 6. Still, it is safe to say that Kenny’s story will involve Anthony, as they have been rivals since Cobra Kai season 4. In fact, given how Kenny and Anthony have just recently started their Cobra Kai character arcs, those two can become the focus of the show for Cobra Kai season 7 and onwards now that the stories of Miguel, Sam, Robby, and Tory seem close to an end.
Kenny And Anthony Set Up A New Cobra Kai Generation
The introduction of Kenny and the return of Anthony in Cobra Kai season 4 suggested that the show was setting up a new generation of characters. As the conflict between Daniel LaRusso and returning Karate Kid villains continued to get complicated, Cobra Kai season 4 tried to bring the story back to basics with Anthony and Kenny. The dynamic between Anthony and Kenny mirrored that of Daniel and Johnny in the first Karate Kid, but with a twist. After being bullied by Anthony, Kenny found strength in John Kreese’s Cobra Kai and ended up becoming a bully himself – similar to what happened with Hawk. In a way, Anthony and Kenny “rebooted” Cobra Kai’s story and set up a new generation of characters.
Can Cobra Kai Continue Past Miguel, Robby, & Sam?
Cobra Kai has a long list of important characters, including but not limited to Miguel, Sam, Hawk, Robby, Demitri, and Tory. Those "karate kids" have become the face of the show, to the point Daniel LaRusso and Johnny Lawrence are now the supporting characters of a much bigger universe. That said, after five seasons of rivalries and redemption arcs, Cobra Kai has already told the best possible stories regarding the young characters. Creating any new conflict now that Cobra Kai has ended most rivalries would play against the show, and it would make Cobra Kai season 5 seem pointless. Under that perspective, new characters like Anthony and Kenny may be what Cobra Kai needs for season 6 and beyond.
Cobra Kai season 6 is expected to deal with the Sekai Taikai teased toward the end of season 5. A global tournament in which most of the Cobra Kai characters are representing the same dojo is enough to sustain an entire season of Cobra Kai, meaning that there may not be enough time to focus on Anthony and Kenny’s rivalry. Still, in case Cobra Kai season 7 becomes reality, having Kenny, Anthony, and a new generation of characters at the center of the show would be the best, most interesting story decision.