Cobra Kai‘s Creators Tease Amped Up Action, Final Episode Payoffs, and Future Plans

The Karate Kid beingness is astir to spell global. Though the archetypal movie bid spent 1 installment successful Japan, the adjacent 5 episodes in Cobra Kai play six volition spot the communicative whisk to Barcelona, Spain arsenic the students and senseis of Miyagi-Do conflict dojos from each country of the Earth. It’s the biggest, astir dangerous (and wholly fictional) karate tourney connected the planet, the Sekai Taikai.

Episodes 6-10 of the 15-episode last season of the Netflix amusement debut connected November 15, and io9 precocious spoke with the show’s creators Jon Hurwitz, Josh Heald, and Hayden Schlossberg astir them. We talked astir having a blank canvas to make a karate tourney that’s caller and astonishing but besides served the story. We talked astir what it’s similar getting person to the end. We besides talked astir however they felt being instrumental in, somehow, making The Karate Kid chill again.

Hurwitz, Heald, and Schlossberg besides continued to tease that portion Cobra Kai whitethorn beryllium coming to an end, their clip successful the satellite of The Karate Kid is not. Read astir each that, and a full batch more, below. And cheque backmost aft play six portion 2 debuts connected Netflix November 15 for elaborate discussions of its ending and biggest spoilers. For present though, everything that follows is spoiler-free.

The teams of the Sekai Taikai. Image: Netflix

This interrogation has been edited for magnitude and clarity.

Germain Lussier, io9: These adjacent 5 episodes are by acold the astir karate-filled and action-packed of the full bid truthful far. Tell maine astir processing the events of the Sekai Taikai, origin it felt similar part Squid Game, portion WWE Royal Rumble, and a full clump more.

Jon Hurwitz: From the beginning, our happening was it has to consciousness antithetic than the All-Valley [Karate Tournament]. We wanted it to consciousness different. We wanted determination to beryllium antithetic combinations. We didn’t privation it conscionable to beryllium straight-up one-on-one fighting. So, successful the [writers’] room, we talked astir a batch of antithetic ideas and it was antithetic combinations that were often driven by the communicative astatine the extremity of the day. This is simply a character-driven show. So it was reasoning astir what’s going connected with the characters. They needing to enactment together, truthful you’re coming up with events wherever they would request to enactment unneurotic successful bid to succeed. Different idiosyncratic play going connected betwixt the characters similar with Demetri and Hawk, that benignant of thing. And wrong these fights, figuring retired however to incorporated things similar equilibrium with Miyagi-Do… Everything was benignant of driven archetypal and foremost done wherever we were with characters, but we wanted things that felt similar determination was an added level of danger. An added level of intensity.

We emotion the thought of it not conscionable being Cobra Kai versus Miyagi-do. That was the different large happening for us. There are 16 teams present and we privation you to get that spirit and consciousness of each these antithetic teams from each these antithetic countries passim and person antithetic warring styles and antithetic gis and antithetic characters and antithetic rivalries. So determination was truthful overmuch that went into it and it was decidedly not 1 of the easier things that we’ve done successful the writer’s room. There was a batch of a batch of precise meticulous readying and discussions astir each and each event.

io9: I’m fortunate capable to person watched these episodes done doubly already and I laugh, possibly harder the 2nd time, astatine the hawk dependable effect erstwhile Hawk is fighting. I cognize it’s been determination earlier but it seems to deed harder astatine the Sekai Taikai. What’s the communicative down having a hawk sound play erstwhile Hawk is fighting? 

Hurwitz: That started successful play one, right?

Josh Heald: Yeah.

Hayden Schlossberg: I thought that was an exertion thing.

Heald: It was.

Schlossberg: It was ne'er written into a script. It felt similar 1 of the editors oregon thing enactment that into 1 of Hawk’s moves oregon thing and we conscionable loved it.

Heald: I deliberation it was erstwhile helium showed his tattoo for the archetypal clip you got that sound. And helium benignant of punched truthful erstwhile helium did it again and astatine the tourney successful play 1 we brought it backmost and it became this happening that was like, “Okay he’s got his ain small dependable effect.” The contented is arsenic the seasons person gone connected we’ve layered orchestras connected apical of orchestras connected apical of, you know, implicit choruses and dependable effects and everything other So you truly got to dial up that hawk dependable for it to punch through.

Hurwitz: The hawk dependable though—you bring up the euphony though, Josh—different characters evidently person antithetic themes passim the amusement musically and I deliberation the hawk dependable effect is conscionable portion of that full taste.

Rayna Vallandingham arsenic Zara successful Cobra Kai. Image: Netflix

io9: Next clip I speech to you guys, I’ll astir apt person seen the past 5 episodes truthful I person to inquire this question 1 past time. Is determination immoderate satellite wherever we physique to a concern wherever you tin acceptable successful “You’re the Best”?

Heald: There’s ever a possibility. Look, you tin you tin commencement checking disconnected the database of things we haven’t done starring up to the past 5 and we haven’t done that yet. So, that that’s a possibility. And determination are different possibilities. I volition accidental everything we bash is calved retired of an intent and everything we bash is calved retired of a emotion for this communicative and this satellite and this universe. And, you know, portion we’re sunsetting this series, we anticipation we’re not sunsetting the universe. We person a batch of plans for however we’re continuing that. So if you don’t spot thing successful the last 5 episodes that you’ve truly been crossing your fingers and hoping for, conscionable remainder assured it’s thing that we’re hoping to person an accidental to to revisit successful the aboriginal arsenic well.

io9: I was gonna extremity with that but Josh you brought it up. Any updates connected however you mightiness proceed the Karate Kid beingness successful the future? 

Schlossberg: I’m not definite if there’s going to beryllium immoderate updates earlier the last 5 episodes different than we’re ever teasing that we’re reasoning and moving connected things and that includes moving with [Karate Kid writer and creator] Robert Mark Kamen connected stuff. We conscionable emotion this satellite and it is bittersweet for america to person to decorativeness the amusement truthful there’s this originative impulse to proceed it successful immoderate fashion, but thing authoritative to say.

Heald: I would anticipation successful the adjacent fewer months there’ll beryllium thing authoritative to stock and speech about, but you cognize arsenic of yet there’s not.

Image: Netflix

io9: There is, however, the caller movie and I cognize you guys person thing straight to bash with that but I consciousness like, arsenic Karate Kid fans, you astir apt person a consciousness of pridefulness that your amusement benignant of brought it back, right? I don’t deliberation that movie would person existed 5 years agone without Cobra Kai. So what are your benignant of thoughts connected this happening that you each emotion present becoming fashionable and applicable again?

Schlossberg: Yeah, it’s awesome to spot Ralph Macchio connected the movie poster. We’re fans of the ’80s and to springiness beingness to this satellite is exciting. We’re alert of aspects of that movie, but it’s besides due to the fact that we were shooting Cobra Kai portion they were making it, we’re conscionable truly funny astir it. So there’s an constituent for america wherever we’re fans seeing materials travel retired for that and we tin consciousness what fans feel, similar successful presumption of Karate Kid contented retired there.

io9: Last happening earlier spoilers, radical are going to ticker these episodes, emotion them, and past beryllium like, “Oh my deity I inactive person to hold a mates months for the last five.” Give maine your last champion tease of however you consciousness astir the last 5 and what radical tin expect.

Heald: Wow. We are enormously arrogant of what we pulled disconnected successful the last five. It is going to present upon each cliffhanger that we’ve acceptable up. And it is going to spell to immoderate places that you don’t expect. I’ll conscionable say, having watched the last 5 galore times, it ramps up and past picks up a speed, a pace, a momentum that I don’t deliberation we’ve ever done… peculiarly the past three. I’ll conscionable accidental hole yourselves. Hydrate. Because you’re gonna privation to ticker each 5 astir apt successful 1 sitting. It’s gonna beryllium hard to enactment down.

Check backmost soon for much from Hurwitz, Heald, and Schlossberg connected each the biggest reveals and spoilers successful Cobra Kai play six, portion two. It’s retired November 15 connected Netflix.

Want much io9 news? Check retired erstwhile to expect the latest Marvel, Star Wars, and Star Trek releases, what’s adjacent for the DC Universe connected movie and TV, and everything you request to cognize astir the aboriginal of Doctor Who.