TV Cobra Kai announces new (earlier!) season 3 premiere date Netflix delivered an early Christmas gift to fans of the Karate Kid sequel series. By Kristen Baldwin Kristen Baldwin Kristen Baldwin is the TV critic for EW EW's editorial guidelines Published on December 24, 2020 10:00AM EST Back in October, Netflix teased Cobra Kai fans with a season 3 premiere date: Friday, Jan. 8, 2021. But then something strange happened: The 8 disappeared, and suddenly it became… "Coming in January," as we saw in the first full season 3 trailer. Well, get ready for some good news: We finally have another premiere date — and it's even earlier! Thanks to internet savant Johnny Lawrence (William Zabka), Cobra Kai season 3 will now premiere Friday, Jan. 1. This means we can all spend our New Year's Day the way God and Sensei Lawrence intended: on the couch, binge-watching TV. This season on Cobra Kai, viewers can expect appearances by two fan favorites from the Karate Kid universe: When Daniel LaRusso (Ralph Macchio) heads to Japan on business, he'll cross paths with his Karate Kid Part II love interest, Kumiko (Tamlyn Tomita), and his sequel nemesis, Chozen (Yuji Okumoto). As Macchio told EW, "By having this experience in Okinawa, it will inform him to better himself — not only just with the Johnny Lawrence rivalry, but even just how to move forward in all aspects of his life." Related content: Ralph Macchio previews Cobra Kai season 3: Daniel is at 'rock bottom' Yuji Okumoto on Cobra Kai season 3: 'Chozen has done a lot of soul searching' Tamlyn Tomita on Daniel and Kumiko's awkward reunion in Cobra Kai season 3