Cobra Kai‘s fourth season finale did not go too well for the good guys or, for that matter, the villains who aren’t quite as bad as the show’s ubervillain, Terry Silver. He had positioned himself as the most dastardly karate guy in existence, even putting John Kreese behind bars, so that Silver can launch a zillion Cobra Kai franchises after paying off a judge (to make a bad call) during the All Valley Tournament. As such, “No Mercy” is going to spread everywhere, and we’ve already heard that Silver will bring Mike Barnes back from The Karate Kid III obscurity. As this Season 5 trailer shows, Silver’s also recruited a female sensei, and one can only guess what havoc they will all wreak.
In the meantime, the Miyagi-Do and Eagle Fang guys, Daniel LaRusso and Johnny Lawrence, are picking up the pieces of their combined dojo, and as this trailer shows, it’s full-on war for the soul of the Valley. Sure, Silver has a ton of fresh recruits, but if we’re talking about the adult characters that we know/love, they’re all banding together against Silver. Hell, even Chozen is back and fighting alongside Johnny (!). It’s a sight that no Karate Kid franchise fan ever would have dreamed about after the O.G. movies, but subverting expectations is part of what this Netflix show does so beautifully. That’s in addition to harnessing a degree of almost unparalleled cross-generational appeal.
It’s almost time for Season 5. From the synopsis:
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.
Netflix’s Cobra Kai returns on September 9.
