Cobra Kai is back and better than ever, as season 5 of the beloved Netflix series takes the stakes out of San Fernando Valley and onto the global stage. When Terry Silver (Thomas Ian Griffith) decides to take his far-too-aggressive martial arts mentality on the road, Daniel LaRusso (Ralph Macchio) and his once-rival Chozen Toguchi (Yuji Okumoto) must team up to take him down before it's too late.
When the series first began on YouTube , every fan was excited about the possible Karate Kid callbacks and crossovers. But few could have known how much Cobra Kai would grow once it transferred to Netflix, both in of its fanbase and its scope. Now that season 5 is bringing out the big guns, such as previous villains Silver and Chozen, it's also bringing storylines for its new generation full circle and tying up loose ends. The only thing that remains to be seen is where the story goes from here.
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Screen Rant spoke to Griffith and Okumoto about how they view Terry Silver and Chozen's motivations this season and what went into one of the biggest showdowns of Cobra Kai season 5. Warning: MAJOR spoilers for Cobra Kai season 5! Daddy's back! How far will Terry Silver go in season 5, Thomas? Thomas Ian Griffith: He's gonna go pretty far. [Laughs] He will go pretty far. He finally has what he wants at the top of the show, and that's the opportunity to expand and share his philosophy with the world and give kids something he believes is paramount to them. Is there any good in him, or is he just a full-blown psychopath? Thomas Ian Griffith: What kind of question is that, Ash? [Laughs] Of course there's good in him. Of course! Again, you have to find that commonality with every character [you play]; that understanding. And underneath it, he would love to be Daniel's friend; he would love to be Chozen's friend. It's just that he has devoted his life to something, and when he feels that's being taken away, he just has to lean into that to say, "I'm going to commit 100%, and I'm going to make it happen at all costs." Yuji, how do you describe Chozen and Daniel's relationship this season? Yuji Okumoto: Exhausting. [Laughs] Yeah, there's a lot of stuff going on. And a lot of stuff to unpack. Our relationship is now [more of] a friendship, because I think Chozen does not have that many friends. And for this character to get a call from Daniel, it was something where he wanted to do it; he felt this need to do it because of this honor and redemption and all that. And so, when he does come, that's when everything kind of blows up. He didn't expect it to be this crazy, I think. It all seems to kind of work out, but it's just madness from the beginning to the very end. They do have this wonderful friendship, though, that they developed. Let me move into my spoiler section really quick. Can we talk about that final showdown and what that was like to film? We're talking about there being good in Terry Silver, but I don't know, he takes it to another level. Thomas Ian Griffith: I think the fans are gonna love that, because you have the two reformed bad guys—or evolved bad guys—finally coming to a head against each other. It was a blast to do, and we came up with something that elevated it, taking it even beyond all the kicking and punching as martial artists. We got to tap into that, and it was fun; it was dangerous, and it was crazy. Like I said, I was a kid in a candy store playing. Yuji, same question. Yuji Okumoto: God, are you kidding me? Yeah, Thomas was incredible. When you work with somebody who is trained, it makes things so much easier. It's like butter. So, when the two powers clash, it's just fireworks. And there's a tremendous amount of trust that you have to have with your costar in the scene. And I tell you, man, he is so focused. He just brings it, and it makes my character have to bring it also in step up. It was such a joy to be able to work opposite Thomas, who's a true pro. Thomas Ian Griffith: What Yuji just said, it's that trust. Because what we were doing is actually dangerous, and in the amount of time we had, we want to be able to sell it and go for it. I felt safe, and I think he did, and we just made this commitment to each other. It's like, "We're going to make this happen. We're going to protect each other, and we're going to look like we are trying to kill each other." Cobra Kai takes place over 30 years after the events of the 1984 All Valley Karate Tournament with the continuation of the inescapable conflict between Daniel LaRusso (Ralph Macchio) and Johnny Lawrence (William Zabka). Following the shocking results of the All Valley Tournament, Season 5 finds Terry Silver expanding the Cobra Kai empire and trying to make his "No Mercy" style of karate the only game in town. With Kreese behind bars and Johnny Lawrence setting karate aside to focus on repairing the damage he’s caused, Daniel LaRusso must call on an old friend for help. Check out our other interviews with Cobra Kai stars: All episodes of Cobra Kai season 5 are now available to stream on Netflix.
Cobra Kai Season 5 Synopsis
