The first clip from Cobra Kai Season 6 has arrived online, teasing the return of a familiar Karate Kid franchise villain in the form of Sean Kanan’s Mike Barnes. Kanan first played the character in 1989’s The Karate Kid Part III, where he was hired by Terry Silver to terrorize Daniel LaRusso as part of his plans to avenge John Kreese and Cobra Kai’s defeat. He returned in Season 5 of Cobra Kai.

Posted on the hit Netflix show’s official X account, the video introduces Mike Barnes as one of the newest senseis for Miyagi-Do, after Daniel approaches him to help them prepare the students for their incoming major karate competition. It provides fans with a preview of Barnes’ strict and harsh teaching style, as he aims to push his students to their limits. Following the events of The Karate Kid Part III, it was revealed in Season 5 that Mike Barnes had become a changed man after cutting ties with Silver. However, after learning that Daniel approached him, Silver burned down his family’s furniture store, which led him to join Daniel, Johnny, and Chozen in their fight against Silver during the Season 5 finale.

The 15-episode final season of Cobra Kai has been divided into three parts, with Part 1 and Part 2 debuting on July 18 and November 28, respectively. Meanwhile, the finale event is slated to premiere sometime in 2025. The final installment will once again be led by Ralph Macchio, William Zabka, Xolo Maridueña, Jacob Bertrand, Mary Mouser, Tanner Buchanan, Peyton List, Gianni DeCenzo, Courtney Henggeler, Vanessa Rubio, Dallas Dupree Young, Alicia Hannah-Kim, Griffin Santopietro, Yuji Okumoto and more.

Cobra Kai Creators on Why the Show is Ending

In a previous interview, Cobra Kai creators Hayden Schlossberg and Jon Hurwitz had explained their decision to end the hit martial arts drama with its upcoming sixth season. "The point was in Season 5 to have the kids kind of come together so that they can kind of join as one giant team in this Sekai Tekai against the next-level fighters that they’re about to face," Schlossberg said. "There were still some hanging chads left at the end of Season 5, namely Kreese, so we’ll see what happens with all that. But yeah, we knew in Season 5 that we were in endgame times by doing that, and it wasn’t until after we shot Season 5 that we kind of worked out exactly, 'Okay, this is going to be the end afterwards.'"

As Cobra Kai nears its end, Sony Pictures is currently rebooting its Karate Kid film franchise with the upcoming Karate Kid movie which will arrive in theaters on May 30, 2025. The film will feature Macchio reprising his iconic role as Daniel LaRusso, along with Jackie Chan’s Mr. Han from the 2010 movie. According to Cobra Kai co-creator Josh Heald, the creative team of Cobra Kai aren’t involved in the project, as he clarifies that the final season won’t be setting up any storylines for the movie. "Our series doesn't set up the movie, the movie kind of exists in its own piece of its own universe with Jackie Chan's character, and Ralph's character, and the various other characters in that story," he said. "So, I think Daniel is the piece that does tie in, but there's nothing, from a storytelling or a character journey in our season that directly feeds into that project."

Source: X