Why Is Cobra Kai Ending With Season 6? What the Intense Cliffhanger Means for Part 3 — and Why a Miyagi Spinoff Is a Possibility

Warning: Cobra Kai season 6 part 1 and 2 spoilers ahead!

Cobra Kai is preparing to dim the lights in the dojo.

After the drama debuted on YouTube in 2018, it made its way onto Netflix in 2020 and has grown a fiercer fanbase since. In 2023, creators Josh Heald, Jon Hurwitz and Hayden Schlossberg announced that season 6 of Cobra Kai would be the show’s last.

Now, the final season is coming to a close after it was split into three parts — with Cobra Kai season 6 part 2 premiering on Nov. 15. and part 3 will be released on Feb. 13, 2025.

In their letter to fans posted on Instagram, Heald, Hurwitz and Schlossberg said it was their “humble honor” to introduce Karate Kid alums Ralph Macchio, who plays Daniel LaRusso, and William Zabka, who portrays Johnny Lawrence, to a new generation.

“It has also enabled us to play sensei, expanding the original storylines and birthing a new generation of underdogs,” they wrote. “We’ve never once taken this opportunity for granted.”

So why is Cobra Kai ending? Here’s everything to know about the Netflix series concluding with season 6 and whether spinoffs are in the works.

Why is Cobra Kai ending with season 6?

Per their fan letter, Heald, Hurwitz and Schlossberg wanted Cobra Kai to “end on our terms.” They shared that it was their “day one goal” to be able to tell each character’s story from beginning to end the way they imagined.

“We did always know how the show was going to end to a degree. For the bigger characters, we did know how it was going to end,” Heald told Entertainment Tonight in July 2024. “We never could have predicted just how many characters we would acquire along the way who deserve their own bombastic endings as well.”

To properly tie up every loose end, the creators convinced Netflix to sign off on a 15-episode final season.

“We wanted to bring it in for a landing, but we needed more than one season and probably less than two seasons [to do so]. We ended up with a nice round number of 15,” Heald explained to The Hollywood Reporter that same month.

When will Cobra Kai season 6 part 3 be released? 

Cobra Kai season 6 part 3 will be released on Feb. 13, 2025.

Part 3 will likely pick up right where part 2 left off — with the death of Cobra Kai fighter Kwon (Brandon H. Lee) after he fell on a knife during an all-out brawl at the Sekai Taikai Tournament.

In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Hurwitz revealed that the last five episodes of season 6 will “[explore] everyone’s reaction to what happened.”

Kwon’s unexpected death could also result in the cancellation of the event or if the fights will resume.

“We intentionally ended this middle block with a lot of questions to be answered in the final block, and definitely one of those is: What’s going to happen with this tournament and the people’s opinion on karate in general?” the co-creator added.

As for what viewers can expect from season 6 part 3, Hurwitz teased that characters’ fates would be revealed. “We are looking forward to resolving stories — and not every resolution is a happy ending, but it’s still a resolution,” he explained.

What has the cast said about Cobra Kai ending?

During an appearance on The View in July 2024, actor Macchio agreed with the creators’ decision to end Cobra Kai.

“I feel that it is time to land the plane. When you overstay your welcome it isn’t always the best move,” The Karate Kid star said. “For me it’s not goodbye, it’s see ya next time. The fans will never let it go away.”

While speaking to PEOPLE ahead of the latest Cobra Kai episodes, Peyton List, who plays Tory Nichols, was seemingly at peace with leaving her character — and the intense fight sequences — behind.

“I didn’t feel ready for that role of Tory, even on the final day of shooting,” the actress admitted. “She’s such a presence, and she’s always ready to fight someone. She’s so different from me, but there are parts of myself that I found through playing her.”

Meanwhile, Jacob Bertrand, who portrays Eli Moskowitz, told GamesRadar+ that the series finale may provoke different reactions.

“You can’t make everybody happy, but I was happy with the ending and so is [the cast and crew],” he said in September 2024. “I think everyone’s gonna be stoked about where all the characters end up.”

Will there be a Cobra Kai spinoff?

The creators of Cobra Kai are already thinking about what’s next for the Miyagi-verse. Schlossberg told The Hollywood Reporter in July 2024 that the trio are “absolutely” considering spinoffs.

“Cobra Kai itself is, in a way, a spinoff of The Karate Kid. … We feel like we could do that with any of the characters on the show,” he said. “We think about the fun of following them in their futures and in, addition, we think about the past.”

The co-creator went on to tease a potential Mr. Miyagi prequel.

“We’ve talked to Robert Mark Kamen, the writer of the original Karate Kid. We’ve been talking about all this Miyagi backstory with him. Now that we’re done [with Cobra Kai], we can actually start getting into this stuff,” Schlossberg added.