Karate Kid and Cobra Kai in order
Forty years, two separate continuities, and a 2025 film that finally welds them together.
Updated 4 August 2026 · 7 titles tracked
Almost entirely linear: the four original films, then Cobra Kai thirty-four years later, then Karate Kid: Legends.
The one wrinkle is the 2010 remake with Jackie Chan, which ran as a completely separate continuity for fifteen years — until Legends connected them.
Every Karate Kid title in order
Release order is story order. The 2010 remake sits apart until the very end.
- 1The Karate Kid1984 · The Original Films · Essential
- 2The Karate Kid Part II1986 · The Original Films · Essential
- 3The Karate Kid Part III1989 · The Original Films
- 4The Next Karate Kid1994 · The Original Films
- 5The Karate Kid (2010)2010 · The 2010 Remake
- 6Cobra Kai2018 · The Revival · Essential
- 7Karate Kid: Legends2025 · The Revival
The order
The Karate Kid (1984), Part II, Part III, The Next Karate Kid (1994), then Cobra Kai (six seasons, 2018–2025), then Karate Kid: Legends (2025), which is set three years after the series ends.
The 2010 remake can go anywhere before Legends. Nothing depends on it until that film brings Mr. Han into the Miyagi story.
Do I need the older films before Cobra Kai?
The 1984 original is close to essential — Cobra Kai is built entirely on retelling that tournament from Johnny Lawrence's side, and the whole premise lands flat without it.
Part II and Part III are rewarding but not required. The series mines Part III heavily for Terry Silver, and Part II for Miyagi's history in Okinawa. Even The Next Karate Kid, largely forgotten, gets picked up eventually.
Cobra Kai does recap what you need. It is simply much better if you do not need the recap.
What makes Cobra Kai worth it
It takes a film where the villain was a one-dimensional bully and asks what his life looked like afterwards. That premise could have been a joke; instead it sustained six seasons and became genuinely good television.
Start with the 1984 film and season one. You will know within two episodes whether it is for you.
Common questions
What order should I watch Karate Kid and Cobra Kai?
The Karate Kid (1984), Part II, Part III, The Next Karate Kid, then Cobra Kai seasons one to six, then Karate Kid: Legends.
Do I need to watch the Karate Kid films before Cobra Kai?
The 1984 original is close to essential — the whole series is built on retelling it from Johnny's perspective. Parts II and III add a lot but are not required.
Is the 2010 Karate Kid connected to Cobra Kai?
It ran as a separate continuity for fifteen years. Karate Kid: Legends (2025) is the film that finally connects Jackie Chan's Mr. Han to the Miyagi storyline.
When is Karate Kid: Legends set?
Three years after the events of Cobra Kai season six.