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YouTube Red 2018 · Netflix to 2025 · six seasons, 65 episodes

Cobra KaiThe Valley, made in Georgia

Every board here carries a Valley name. Strike this one.

William Zabka smiling at a fan convention
William Zabka at Florida Supercon in July 2017, months before Cobra Kai began filming in Atlanta. Super Festivals from Ft. Lauderdale, USA · CC BY 2.0

Reseda, California?

Ralph Macchio smiling at a fan convention
Ralph Macchio at Florida Supercon in July 2017, the year the series began filming. Super Festivals from Ft. Lauderdale, USA · CC BY 2.0

A 1962 shopping centre in south Atlanta plays the Reseda strip mall that houses the Cobra Kai dojo. It was built in 1962, by the same company and in the same style as Ansley Mall. The series has its world premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival on 24 April 2018 and starts on YouTube Red on 2 May 2018, before moving to Netflix.

Sources

Production

Made in
Georgia.

Season one starts filming in October 2017 in Atlanta, with shoots in Union City, Marietta and Emory University’s Briarcliff campus.

  1. October 2017Filming starts in Atlanta
  2. 24 April 2018Premiere at Tribeca
  3. 13 February 2025The last episodes

The series runs to six seasons and 65 episodes, ending on 13 February 2025.

The series has its world premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival on 24 April 2018 and starts on YouTube Red on 2 May 2018, before moving to Netflix.

Explore Georgia says the show’s filming spread from Atlanta to the coast.

Sources
Martin Kove at a fan convention
Martin Kove at Louisville Supercon in December 2018, between the first and second seasons. Super Festivals from Ft. Lauderdale, USA · CC BY 2.0

Martin Kove 2018

Xolo Maridueña in a dark jacket at an evening event
Xolo Maridueña on 24 April 2018, the night of the series’ world premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival. Greg2600 · CC BY-SA 2.0

Xolo Maridueña 2018

Tanner Buchanan at an evening event
Tanner Buchanan on 24 April 2018, the night of the world premiere at Tribeca. Greg2600 · CC BY-SA 2.0

Tanner Buchanan 2018

Two halves of every place

Break
the boards.

Each board is branded with a name the story gives a place. Strike it 3 times and it splits along the grain: the story on one half, the real place on the other.

In the story · Reseda, the San Fernando Valley

The Cobra Kai strip mall

Whole.

In the story · Ventura, California

The Ventura Zoo

Whole.

In the story · Japan

A shopping centre in Japan

Whole.

In the story · The show’s coast

A pier in season two

Whole.

In the story · Tokyo

Tokyo

Whole.

DeKalb County School District

Fernbank Science Center

156 Heaton Park Drive NE, Atlanta · Show times on the centre’s site

The building that played the Ventura Zoo: a science centre with a 500-seat planetarium and an observatory that open for public shows on set occasions.

See the centre
Tokyo Metropolitan Government

Tokyo Metropolitan Government observation decks

Nishi-Shinjuku, Tokyo · Free

Two free observation decks on the 45th floor, about 202 metres up.

Plan a visit
Viator · Ad / affiliate

Atlanta film and TV location tours

Atlanta

Live marketplace results for film and TV location tours in Atlanta. None is about Cobra Kai alone; check each route.

Live marketplace results · itineraries change

Compare tours

Season one

Back to
Reseda.

Season one films exteriors in Los Angeles, and goes back to the South Seas Apartments in Reseda from the original film. Cobra Kai filmed here again for season one.

1984: The Karate Kid, on the same two spots.

A wide Valley boulevard with palm trees and low shops
Reseda Boulevard looking north from Saticoy Street, 2008: the neighbourhood of the South Seas apartments, not the building itself. Cbl62 · CC BY-SA 3.0

The South Seas apartments

Saticoy Street, Reseda

Daniel and his mother leave Newark for the palm trees of California and the South Seas apartments.

AFI places the apartment building at the corner of Saticoy Street and Tampa Avenue.

A private apartment complex, named here only by its street. Do not go into the courtyard or disturb the people who live there.

Sources
Miniature golf course with fake rocks and a castle at Golf N’ Stuff
Golf N’ Stuff in Norwalk in February 2025. Dwarfroe · CC BY-SA 4.0

Golf N’ Stuff

10555 E Firestone Blvd, Norwalk, CA 90650

Daniel and Ali’s date of go-karts and miniature golf is filmed at Golf N’ Stuff in Norwalk.

The huge waterslide seen in the film has gone.

A working family fun centre: mini golf, go-karts, bumper boats and an arcade. Check the operator’s site for hours.

Sources
Golf N’ Stuff

Golf N’ Stuff, Norwalk

10555 E Firestone Blvd, Norwalk · Hours and prices on the operator’s site

Mini golf, go-karts, bumper boats and an arcade, where the 1984 date was filmed and season one came back.

Plan a visit
Pat Morita in evening dress with his wife and the Reagans in the White House Cross Hall
Pat Morita and Yuki Morita with Ronald and Nancy Reagan at the White House on 30 April 1987, three years after The Karate Kid. White House Photographic Office (Reagan administration) · Public domain

The Karate Kid

1984.

Robert Mark Kamen, a keen karate student, draws on his own training with an Okinawan master; producer Jerry Weintraub’s idea came from a news report about a boy who learned karate to deal with bullies.

Principal photography on a 45-day shoot begins in Los Angeles on 24 October 1983. The film opens in Los Angeles and New York on 22 June 1984 and takes $91 million in North America.

The film’s own story page: The Karate Kid. More films in the series: film collections.

Sources
A low commercial building on Lankershim Boulevard
5161 Lankershim Boulevard, North Hollywood, 2022: the same block of Lankershim as the 1984 dojo at number 5223, a short walk north. Coolcaesar · CC BY-SA 4.0

The 1984 Cobra Kai dojo, Lankershim Boulevard

5223 Lankershim Boulevard, North Hollywood

The film’s Cobra Kai dojo is shot on Lankershim Boulevard in North Hollywood.

AFI lists North Hollywood among the places the film was shot.

A working business on the North Hollywood pedestrian plaza. Look from the pavement.

Sources
A rocky beach and headland on the Malibu coast
Leo Carrillo State Park, Malibu, 2011. Mark Muller · CC BY-SA 2.0

Leo Carrillo State Park

35000 West Pacific Coast Highway, Malibu, CA 90265

Daniel meets Ali on the beach at Leo Carrillo.

The park has 1.5 miles of beach, with reefs, tide pools and coastal caves.

Day-use parking 8am to 10pm. Vehicle day use $12, hourly parking $3; rates can be higher at peak times.

Sources
The Matadome arena building on the Cal State Northridge campus
The Matadome at Cal State Northridge, 2018. Spatms · CC BY-SA 4.0

The Matadome, Cal State Northridge

Redwood Hall, 18111 Nordhoff Street, Northridge

The All Valley Karate Tournament is filmed in the Matadome at Cal State Northridge.

It opened in 1962 and sits inside Redwood Hall; it is now the Premier America Credit Union Arena.

A university arena: go for a CSUN game or event.

Sources
Hilton

Hilton Los Angeles/Universal City

Universal City, Los Angeles · Choose dates on the official site for prices

A hotel on the hill at Universal City, a short drive from Lankershim Boulevard and the 1984 dojo block in North Hollywood.

Check dates
California State Parks

Camp at Leo Carrillo State Park

Malibu · Book on ReserveCalifornia · 1-800-444-7275

Tent and RV pitches and hike-and-bike sites, a walk from the beach where Daniel meets Ali.

See the park

Georgia, Los Angeles, Tokyo

Every half
you can stand in.

Where it is now

9 places you can visit. The Matadome is a university arena and the Lankershim building a working business: look from outside. The South Seas apartments are private homes, named only by their street, so they are not pinned.

Pins mark public places; private homes are named but not pinned.

  • Area reference · Public access · Not an exact scene or camera position; not a visitor route. A working shopping centre, partly demolished, with shops still trading. Look from the car park and leave the businesses in peace.

  • Site reference · Public access · Not an exact scene or camera position; not a visitor route. Being turned into a mixed-use complex; the lower level has been closed to the public since 2017. Check what is open before you go.

  • Building reference · Public access · Not an exact scene or camera position; not a visitor route. Run by the DeKalb County School District. The planetarium and observatory open for public shows on set occasions; check the centre’s own listings.

  • Building reference · Public access · Not an exact scene or camera position; not a visitor route. A public pier and pavilion on the beach front at Tybee Island, east of Savannah.

  1. A low 1960s shopping centre with a long canopy and car park
    Stewart-Lakewood Center, south Atlanta, in March 2018, during the run of the show. Thomson200 · CC0

    Georgia · Metropolitan Parkway at Langford Parkway, Sylvan Hills, Atlanta

    Stewart-Lakewood Center (the Cobra Kai strip mall)

    The centre stood in for the Reseda, California strip mall where the Cobra Kai dojo is.

    A working shopping centre, partly demolished, with shops still trading. Look from the car park and leave the businesses in peace.

    Sources
  2. The Underground Atlanta sign above a street entrance downtown
    The Underground Atlanta sign in March 2019. Warren LeMay · CC0

    Georgia · Alabama Street SW, Five Points, Atlanta

    Underground Atlanta

    In season three, Underground Atlanta stood in for a shopping centre in Japan.

    Being turned into a mixed-use complex; the lower level has been closed to the public since 2017. Check what is open before you go.

    Sources
  3. A modernist building entrance among trees
    The front entrance of Fernbank Science Center on Heaton Park Drive, 2007. Eoghanacht · Public domain

    Georgia · 156 Heaton Park Drive NE, Atlanta

    Fernbank Science Center (the Ventura Zoo)

    In season three, Fernbank Science Center served as the Ventura Zoo.

    Run by the DeKalb County School District. The planetarium and observatory open for public shows on set occasions; check the centre’s own listings.

    Sources
  4. A long pier with a pavilion running out over the Atlantic from a beach
    The Tybee Island pier and pavilion, 2008. Brian Stansberry · CC BY 3.0

    Georgia · Tybee Island, Georgia

    Tybee Island Pier and Pavilion

    The pier is a background in a season-two scene.

    A public pier and pavilion on the beach front at Tybee Island, east of Savannah.

    Sources

Stay

Sleep near the places.

A hotel above North Hollywood, a campsite at the beach, and a hotel in Shinjuku.

Hilton

Hilton Los Angeles/Universal City

Universal City, Los Angeles · Choose dates on the official site for prices

A hotel on the hill at Universal City, a short drive from Lankershim Boulevard and the 1984 dojo block in North Hollywood.

Check dates
California State Parks

Camp at Leo Carrillo State Park

Malibu · Book on ReserveCalifornia · 1-800-444-7275

Tent and RV pitches and hike-and-bike sites, a walk from the beach where Daniel meets Ali.

See the park
Hotel Gracery Shinjuku

Hotel Gracery Shinjuku

Kabukichō, Shinjuku

A 970-room hotel at 1-19-1 Kabukichō, Shinjuku, across the district from the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building. Rooms are sold room-only.

See the hotel

Go there

Go and see.

Golf N’ Stuff, the Tokyo observation decks, Fernbank, and marketplace film-location tours of Atlanta and Los Angeles.

Golf N’ Stuff

Golf N’ Stuff, Norwalk

10555 E Firestone Blvd, Norwalk · Hours and prices on the operator’s site

Mini golf, go-karts, bumper boats and an arcade, where the 1984 date was filmed and season one came back.

Plan a visit
Tokyo Metropolitan Government

Tokyo Metropolitan Government observation decks

Nishi-Shinjuku, Tokyo · Free

Two free observation decks on the 45th floor, about 202 metres up.

Plan a visit
DeKalb County School District

Fernbank Science Center

156 Heaton Park Drive NE, Atlanta · Show times on the centre’s site

The building that played the Ventura Zoo: a science centre with a 500-seat planetarium and an observatory that open for public shows on set occasions.

See the centre
Viator · Ad / affiliate

Atlanta film and TV location tours

Atlanta

Live marketplace results for film and TV location tours in Atlanta. None is about Cobra Kai alone; check each route.

Live marketplace results · itineraries change

Compare tours
Viator · Ad / affiliate

Los Angeles film location tours

Los Angeles

Live marketplace results for film and TV location tours around Los Angeles. Check which stops each one makes.

Live marketplace results · itineraries change

Compare tours

What’s on

Nothing dated yet.

No current events tied to these places were found.

No current dated events are listed. Check providers for the latest programme.

Take it home

One memoir.

Ralph Macchio on the film and after.

Bookshop.org UK · Ad / affiliate

Waxing On: The Karate Kid and Me

Ralph Macchio

Ralph Macchio’s memoir of the film and what came after it.

Find the book

Dates, prices, rooms and stock change: confirm with the provider before you travel or buy. A stay or tour is described as a filming location only where the card says so.

Every board

Every place and moment behind this page, with sources.

10 of 10 places · 18 of 18 stories

  • Stewart-Lakewood Center (the Cobra Kai strip mall)

    Metropolitan Parkway at Langford Parkway, Sylvan Hills, Atlanta

    • The strip mall

      A 1962 shopping centre in south Atlanta plays the Reseda strip mall that houses the Cobra Kai dojo.

    • October 2017, Atlanta

      Season one starts filming in October 2017 in Atlanta, with shoots in Union City, Marietta and Emory University’s Briarcliff campus.

    • Tribeca, then YouTube Red

      The series has its world premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival on 24 April 2018 and starts on YouTube Red on 2 May 2018, before moving to Netflix.

    • Six seasons, 65 episodes

      The series runs to six seasons and 65 episodes, ending on 13 February 2025.

  • Underground Atlanta

    Alabama Street SW, Five Points, Atlanta

    • A shopping centre in Japan

      In season three, Underground Atlanta stands in for a shopping centre in Japan.

  • Fernbank Science Center (the Ventura Zoo)

    156 Heaton Park Drive NE, Atlanta

    • The Ventura Zoo

      In season three, Fernbank Science Center serves as the Ventura Zoo.

  • Tybee Island Pier and Pavilion

    Tybee Island, Georgia

    • A pier on the coast

      The Tybee Island pier is the background of a season-two scene.

  • Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building

    Nishi-Shinjuku, Shinjuku, Tokyo

    • Tokyo, for real

      For season three the crew shoots the Okinawa scenes and the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building scenes in Japan, in two-day blocks.

  • The South Seas apartments

    Saticoy Street, Reseda

    • Back to the South Seas

      Season one films exteriors in Los Angeles, and goes back to the South Seas Apartments in Reseda from the original film.

    • A new home in Reseda

      Daniel and his mother leave Newark for the palm trees of California and the South Seas apartments.

  • Golf N’ Stuff

    10555 E Firestone Blvd, Norwalk, CA 90650

    • Go-karts and mini golf

      Daniel and Ali’s date of go-karts and miniature golf is filmed at Golf N’ Stuff in Norwalk.

    • Golf N’ Stuff again

      Season one goes back to Golf N’ Stuff in Norwalk.

  • The 1984 Cobra Kai dojo, Lankershim Boulevard

    5223 Lankershim Boulevard, North Hollywood

    • The first Cobra Kai

      The film’s Cobra Kai dojo is shot on Lankershim Boulevard in North Hollywood.

    • Forty-five days

      Principal photography on a 45-day shoot begins in Los Angeles on 24 October 1983.

    • A writer who trained

      Robert Mark Kamen, a keen karate student, draws on his own training with an Okinawan master; producer Jerry Weintraub’s idea came from a news report about a boy who learned karate to deal with bullies.

  • Leo Carrillo State Park

    35000 West Pacific Coast Highway, Malibu, CA 90265

    • The beach

      Daniel meets Ali on the beach at Leo Carrillo.

  • The Matadome, Cal State Northridge

    Redwood Hall, 18111 Nordhoff Street, Northridge

    • The All Valley

      The All Valley Karate Tournament is filmed in the Matadome at Cal State Northridge.

    • 22 June 1984

      The film opens in Los Angeles and New York on 22 June 1984 and takes $91 million in North America.

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