The newest and final season of “Cobra Kai” was released on Netflix Sep. 9, 2022 and it is really kicking the competition. As the show is consistently #1 charting on Netflix, the series is back and more exciting than ever. 

The series kicks off with Daniel Larusso (Ralph Macchio) and his new partner in Miyagi-do karate, Chozen Toguchi (Yuji Okumoto), becoming a dynamic duo throughout this season in order to take down the now reigning dojo, Cobra Kai, led by Larusso’s old mentor and enemy Terry Silver (Thomas Griffith). 

While Larusso tries to find a way to take down the competing dojo, Miguel Diaz (Xolo Maridueña) struggles with his own self identity with girlfriend Samantha Larusso (Mary Mouser) and his father. The father/son relationship between Johnny Lawrence (William Zabka) and Robby Keane (Tanner Buchanan) is also slowly mending as Lawrence desperately tries to fix Keene and Diaz’s relationship.

As tensions rise, new faces are introduced and many shocking discoveries are made. The series finally comes to an end with an epic battle between Cobra Kai, Miyagi-Do and Lawrence’s new dojo, Eagle Fang Karate. The struggles and hardships many of the characters had to endure along the way was a lot, but the show finally came to a close, with the exception of one more surprise. 

This season definitely did not receive the short end of the stick. There was a lot to unpack with the new season, and trying to keep up with it was a different experience since lots of new faces, changes and surprises were all tightly packed in. Keeping up was a challenge and trying to absorb all the information and events that happened was even harder, but it did not kill the vibe of the excitement of every moment. 

What made the show so good was the pure realism it had to the characters and the modern problems they face. While some of the drama was a little much, this show had a wonderful visual of how teens struggle with school, friends, family and some bits of fame. The adults also had quite realistic obstacles in their lives too, the main issues being about parenthood and divorce. 

Not everything was spectacularly great with the show. The pacing was really fast and felt a bit rushed, attempting to fit as much as possible into the last season. Considering the story, it felt really repetitive to the last four seasons’ problems. Larusso falls for the same things pit against him, Lawrence has resolutions with people, and the same relationship drama between Tory Nichols (Peyton List), Keene, Samantha, and Diaz takes place.

Everything aside, this season was a wonderful end to this Netflix original. The drama series is action packed and exciting, fitting for everyone in the family to watch and overall a well executed show.

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