Warning: This list contains spoilers for Cobra Kai season 5.The long-awaited season 5 of Cobra Kai has finally arrived on Netflix and reception from both critics and fans has been strong. On the surface, it might be surprising to see how well-received a modern sequel to The Karate Kid from the ’80s is but Cobra Kai is a rare case of a legacy follow-up working well.

Throughout its run on both YouTube and Netflix, the show has been a hit to the point where it received impressive reviews. That includes every episode scoring above a 7.5/10 on IMDb. Looking at the averages there, the best season can be determined. It should be noted that IMDb is a live website and season 5 is new, so scores are still pouring in and could change.

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5 Season 4 (8.3)

By the time season 4 of Cobra Kai rolled around, the show was more popular than ever but that also came with some caveats. It had higher expectations than ever and after 30 episodes, it was tough to keep up the consistency that the series had established. Of course, it mostly got it right, finally putting Johnny Lawrence and Daniel LaRusso on the same side (for the most part) as they paired up their dojos to take on John Kreese and the returning Terry Silver.

The show continued to find success with character development through epic rivalries, with specific praise going to the shine given to Tory’s feud with Samantha. Cobra Kai also managed to give more shine to characters like Amanda and Anthony LaRusso. The All-Valley Tournament led to two final episodes with high stakes and emotionally charged drama before ending with a twist as Silver turned on Kreese to become the new main villain going forward.

4 Season 3 (8.4)

Season 3 was a major deal for Cobra Kai. To this point, the show had only aired on YouTube and while reviews were strong, it didn’t get a big following but once those seasons were added to Netflix, viewership jumped and season 3 marked the first batch of episodes to exclusively premiere on the streaming juggernaut. Any worries about the quality of the show were quickly quelled as everything that worked previously was kept around.

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Cobra Kai kept paying homage to even the smallest details from the films, continued the development of characters young and old, and included the fights everyone had come to love. The show also truly got its first villain as Kreese took over the dojo, putting Johnny and Daniel closer to being on the same side. The finale, “December 19,” was one of the series’ best episodes and longtime fans were highly emotional as Daniel and Johnny finally agreed to train the students together to combat Cobra Kai going forward.

3 Season 2 (8.4)

With the All-Valley Tournament out of the way in season 1, Cobra Kai needed something to keep viewers engaged in season 2. This set of episodes started a trend for the show where seasons without an All-Valley Tournament saw the kids get into a massive fight. Season 3 had it happen at the LaRusso home and season 5 had it take place at the Cobra Kai dojo but it was never bigger or more impactful than the first time, which came in season 2.

The finale saw tensions run high as Tory started a fight with Samantha (and sparked their rivalry) that led to the entire school brawling, culminating in Miguel getting seriously injured. That combined with the cliffhanger of Ali messaging Johnny made for an epic finale. The rest of the season was also well-received, proving that the series didn’t need the tournament to create drama. This season also introduced characters like Tory and Stingray, who are among the most popular.

2 Season 1 (8.5)

Sometimes, even when a series is consistently good, it’s hard to top the original. Cobra Kai season 1 immediately proved that the people behind the show appreciated The Karate Kid franchise and had a story to tell that was about more than simple nostalgia. Johnny Lawrence quickly became one of the best protagonists on TV and had more layers than a typical antagonist from an ’80s action movie.

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The relationship Johnny quickly forged with Miguel Diaz was heartwarming and played incredibly well off of what his own son Robby formed with his rival, Daniel LaRusso. While every episode holds an average of above 8.0, it’s the finale, “Mercy,” that scored the highest at 9.1. It established a trend of Cobra Kai nailing their finales, with all averaging over a 9.0 rating.

1 Season 5 (8.6)

The most recent Cobra Kai season currently holds the highest average by a slim margin though again, that could change over time. The main source of criticism in season 5 came from how so many of the teen characters were sidelined though having them all come together for an epic final few episodes ended up working out well. Terry Silver made for a threatening and truly evil villain, which the show needed.

The writing was also strong enough to continue to develop redemption arcs for characters like Tory and Stingray, while showing a level of maturation for the likes of Robby that was unexpected. Johnny having his life together and being level-headed as Daniel struggled made for an intriguing flip of the two iconic characters as well. On top of that, the finale found a way to satisfyingly wrap up the season’s storylines while also setting things up for the future.