Cobra Kai Season 6 is underway on Netflix, but fans wonder why only five episodes are streaming now.
The martial arts drama was renewed for a sixth season in January 2023, with the promise that it would be the last for The Karate Kid spin-off.
The end of Cobra Kai follows the announcement of a new Karate Kid movie starring Ralph Macchio and Jackie Chan, which will be released in theaters on May 30, 2025.
Why Is Cobra Kai Season 6 Only Five Episodes So Far?
Two years after Cobra Kai debuted its 10-episode Season 5 on Netflix, the martial arts drama returned on July 18 to begin the sixth and final season.
But the release surprised The Karate Kid spin-off fans as it debuted with only five episodes compared to the 10-episode count of every previous season.
That said, Cobra Kai viewers have nothing to worry about. The Netflix original isn't quite done yet, as 10 more episodes are still to be released.
Cobra Kai is the latest Netflix series to split a major release into multiple parts. The concluding season will be released in three five-episode installments.
The first five episodes released on July 18 and the next five will follow on November 15. An official debut date has yet to be set for the third and final part of Season 6, but Netflix confirmed it won't stream until 2025.
The release schedule for the rest of Cobra Kai Season 6 is as follows:
- Episode 6 - November 15
- Episode 7 - November 15
- Episode 8 - November 15
- Episode 9 - November 15
- Episode 10 - November 15
- Episode 11 - TBD 2025
- Episode 12 - TBD 2025
- Episode 13 - TBD 2025
- Episode 14 - TBD 2025
- Episode 15 - TBD 2025
Looking at past Netflix series that split seasons into multiple parts, such as Stranger Things, Bridgerton, and You, the streamer has only placed around a month between releases. But Cobra Kai already appears to be departing from that rule with almost four months between the first two parts of Season 6.
If the streamer placed a similar four-month wait between Part 2 and Part 3, the final episodes could come to Netflix in Q1 2025 around mid-March.
[ Cobra Kai Season 6's Historic Release Date Plan Signals a Big Change for Netflix ]
Cobra Kai Season 6's Three-Part Release Explained by Creator
Series co-creator Hayden Schlossberg discussed the longer 15-episode final season and the decision to split it into three parts in an interview with Radio Times. He revealed how the decision came as the usual 10-episode run was "not going to be enough to finish this up:"
"And when we talked to Netflix, we felt like one season – 10 episodes – is not going to be enough to finish this up. [But] it's a lot to make 20 episodes, and we didn't want to wait too long in terms of how they get released and how they all go out. And so 15 became a good number, like a supersize season, to pay off all these characters that we've set up."
Schlossberg added that splitting Season 6 into three five-episode parts made sense as they "write in five-episode arcs" for every season:
"As soon as we decided on 15, the five-five-five split-up made sense to us because we do write in five-episode arcs. If you look at seasons 1-5, everything that's in the beginning of episode 1 or 2 comes to a head in episode 5. And things change for the second half of the season. And so we were used to writing towards a big mid-season finale."
He concluded by saying how they "liked the idea for fans," calling five episodes a "good binge" while 15 episodes at once is "just impossible:"
"And we liked the idea for fans, also, because five episodes for this show is about three hours, so it's a good binge. Whereas 15 episodes all at once is just impossible. So it gives fans a good binge spread out from now into 2025 – to keep the party going [and] satiate fans with new episodes."
Cobra Kai Season 6 Part 1 is streaming on Netflix. Part 2 is set to follow on November 15, and Part 3 in 2025.
Read more about Cobra Kai on The Direct:
What Happened to Tory in Cobra Kai? Her Tragic Season 6 Storyline Explained
Cobra Kai Season 6 Cast, Characters & Actors (Photos)
Who Is Oona O'Brien? 5 Things to Know About Cobra Kai's Devon Actress - Wiki Bio Details
