After season 3 of Cobra Kai debuted on New Year’s Day, Netflix has set the action series’ return for Dec. 13. During the streaming platform’s global fan event on Saturday, cast members Xolo Maridueña (Miguel Diaz), Tanner Buchanan (Robby Keene), Mary Mouser (Samantha LaRusso), Jacob Bertrand (Eli “Hawk” Moskowitz), Gianni DeCenzo (Demetri) and Peyton List (Tory Nichols) revealed season 4’s premiere date by sharing a new teaser for the Emmy-nominated series, which has already been renewed for season 5.
According to Netflix, “Season 4 finds the Miyagi-Do and Eagle Fang dojos joining forces to take down Cobra Kai at the All-Valley Under 18 Karate Tournament… and whoever loses must hang up their gi. As Samantha and Miguel try to maintain the dojo alliance and Robby goes all in at Cobra Kai, the fate of the Valley has never been more precarious. What tricks does Kreese have up his sleeve? Can Daniel (Ralph Macchio) and Johnny (William Zabka) bury their decades-long hatchet to defeat Kreese (Martin Kove)? Or will Cobra Kai become the face of karate in the Valley?”
“The idea of them coming together is awesome,” Bertrand told ET about the end of season 3 and what this shaky alliance means for season 4. His character, Hawk, finally defects from Cobra Kai and ends up joining the combined dojo. “I don’t know in practice how successful they’re gonna be, because they’ve very much been at odds with each other, you know, for the last thirty-something years! So, it would definitely be interesting to see if/when that happens.”
Maridueña, meanwhile, added, “We’ve seen time and time again how similar Johnny and Daniel are. But at the same time, just how it feels like oil and water. The two don’t really mix well together.”
“I will say that I think they have a lot that they can learn from each other,” the actor continued. “Johnny has a lot of great life lessons and Daniel has the same, and as long as I think they keep their distance, they can work together. But I think once one of them steps over that line, it’s gonna be back to square one just like we’ve seen in season 1 and season 2.”
And following the return of Rob Garrison as Tommy and Kove as the villainous Kreese in the first two seasons, Cobra Kai brought back even more familiar faces in season 3. In addition to Elisabeth Shue as Ali Mills, from the first film, audiences got to catch up with Tamlyn Tomita as Kumiko and Yuji Okumoto as Chozen Toguchi, from the sequel.
In season 4, Thomas Ian Griffith is set to return as Terry Silver, the wealthy Vietnam War veteran who first met Kreese when they served together overseas. At the end of season 3, Kreese calls upon Silver to make good on a promise he made to him decades prior as he plans to take on Johnny and Daniel, who have combined dojos, at the next All-Valley, which is now much more than a tournament for everyone involved.
While speaking to ET earlier this summer, Macchio teased what else is in store for the upcoming episodes. “More awesomeness, I can promise. More depth of character. More left turns when you think you might be going right. Carry on the legacy, but also bringing forth new stories that are relevant for a young generation,” he shared, while adding there’s room for more Karate Kid franchise stars to return.
“All the OG cast members that have come back have been so wonderful and brought such A-games, that there’s no door that’s closed in the Cobra Kai universe,” he said. “There will be some really nice talked-about things that I can’t say.”
