Cobra Kai season 6’s timeline has been confirmed, and it makes the show’s age problem even worse. The Karate Kid sequel show continued the stories of Daniel LaRusso and Johnny Lawrence over 30 years after the original movie. While it focuses on their renewed rivalry and the relationship that is formed from it, Cobra Kai also revolves around a group of new, younger karate students that they teach. This has allowed the franchise to introduce several new high school-age characters that have become fan favorites, including Miguel, Robbie, Sam, Tory, Hawk, and more.
The first five seasons of Cobra Kai have shown how the characters’ lives have changed so much. However, the series developed a problem with the cast and characters’ ages by using a condensed timeline. Four years of real-time passed between seasons 1 and 5, but the show has operated as if barely a year has passed for the characters. The series creators have since confirmed Cobra Kai season 6 begins one year after season 2’s events. This reveal means that the age problem with the Cobra Kai timeline is only getting worse in season 6.
Cobra Kai’s Timeline Has Created A Big Age Gap Between Characters & Actors
The Cobra Kai timeline’s age problem really began to become noticeable in recent seasons. After introducing characters like Miguel and Sam as 15-year-olds during season 1, a full year of their lives had passed by the end of season 2. This allowed the young Cobra Kai cast to age roughly at a similar rate as the characters they were playing. However, season 3 took place in the final few months of 2018, season 4 ran up until May 2019, and season 5 unfolded over the 2019 summer. That resulted in roughly a year passing in the Cobra Kai timeline compared to three years in real life.
With most of the show’s younger characters still only 17 years old, the Cobra Kai age gap has continued to increase. Miguel actor Xolo Maridueña is going to be 22 by the time Cobra Kai season 6 films, while Tanner Buchanan (Robbie) will be 24, Peyton List (Tory) will be 26, and Mary Mouser (Sam) will be 27. The significant age gaps – some as big as a decade – make it more difficult to believe that these people are high school students.
Cobra Kai Season 6 Needed A Time Jump To Help The Cast
The Cobra Kai season 6 timeline placement confirms that the show is not doing a time jump, despite that being exactly what is needed to help the cast. With the characters preparing for the Sekai Taikai and a longer wait for the final season, this would have been the perfect opportunity for a time jump after Cobra Kai season 5’s ending. This could allow the show to have its characters spend a lot of time training for the world tournament. Cobra Kai season 6 could then make sense of the real-life physical maturity of its cast members, instead of having to ignore how much some have changed.
The cast would also benefit from a time jump because it could mean reinventing some characters. Relationships and dynamics could shift dramatically if a few years passed before Cobra Kai season 6’s events. Each cast member would be able to help re-invent their characters for the final season and show how much they’ve changed. Unless a mid-season time jump occurs, though, the Cobra Kai season 6 timeline will not allow the age gap to close.
