Where does Cobra Kai fall in the entire Karate Kid timeline?

Cobra Kai has had a memorable run throughout its six episodes. Initially debuting on the now-defunct YouTube Red, Cobra Kai eventually shifted to Netflix, and that is where the three-part sixth and final season recently concluded. Whereas the Netflix show loosely belongs to the Karate Kid franchise and continues the saga started by the original film trilogy, several characters from the previous films are referenced in the series.

The Netflix show builds upon the characters and narrative threads woven together for the first time in The Karate Kid. As far as the timeline of the canon goes, the original Karate Kid film trilogy was based in the contemporary period surrounding its release, i.e., 1984-1985. This was followed up by the '90s film The Next Karate Kid, which was also situated in the same year temporally. The film was notable for featuring a young Hilary Swank.

The franchise, which culminated so far with the Netflix show, was relatively forgotten before the 2010 Jackie Chan-led reboot The Karate Kid made headlines following the exceptional performance by Jada Smith. The film was set in its release year, 2010, and served as a non-canonical addition to the franchise.

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What is the correct order to watch the Karate Kid franchise?

The Netflix show may be the latest title in the franchise, but there's surely an order to explore the Karate Kid universe. Throughout this order are both canonical and non-canonical films and shows.

1. The Karate Kid (1984)
2. The Karate Kid Part 2 (1986)
3. The Karate Kid Part 3 (1989)
4. The Karate Kid TV Series (1989)
5. The Next Karate Kid (1994)
6. The Karate Kid (2010)
7. Cobra Kai (2018 - 2024)
8. Karate Kid: Legends (upcoming)

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Karate Kid: Legends director speaks about Cobra Kai's link with the Netflix show

Jonathan Entwhistle is the director of the upcoming Karate Kid: Legends. In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, he spoke at length about the influence of the Netflix series on him while developing the film. He revealed:

"I have been a huge fan of Cobra Kai right from the beginning, and that's one of the reasons that I thought this was such an exciting project. I was excited about the idea that the films and the series can all be part of one family. I've had some really detailed conversations with the team about just cool stuff that we can do in the movie and can make this whole thing feel holistic. And obviously, Ralph is really, really close to it after all those years on Cobra Kai, and they've been involved in little steps along the way. Everything we talked about made it into the movie in some way or other, either through Ralph or through the conversations. We’re really excited that we've added another piece to the overall universe.

Cobra Kai is exclusively available on Netflix.