Netflix's 15-Episode TV-MA Cobra Kai Replacement Is One Of Its Best Thrillers

Published Oct 17, 2026, 8:00 PM EDT

Shealyn Scott is a Senior Writer at Screen Rant. She has been writing for the site since 2024, focused on network, reality, streaming, and classic television.
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Cobra Kai may be over, but Netflix has the perfect replacement hiding in plain sight. Aside from forging a new continuity for the Karate Kid franchise, Cobra Kai introduced a new generation to the beloved original film characters and their dedication to the eponymous martial art. For years, it stood in a league of its own on Netflix, but Cobra Kai ended at the perfect time after six full seasons. Over a year later, fans are still anxiously awaiting a new action-packed series to take up the mantle, but the best alternative already exists: Bloodhounds.

When Bloodhounds premiered in June 2023, it wasn't immediately comparable to Cobra Kai, or anything else on the market, for that matter. Rather, the South Korean drama seamlessly fused crime thriller elements with a unique focus on martial arts, garnering international acclaim and quickly earning a second batch of episodes from Netflix. Now, with two seasons under its belt, it's obvious that Bloodhounds keeps getting better. Be it established fans of the genre or total K-drama newbies, anyone who has seen Bloodhounds can attest to its gripping storytelling— and, more importantly, recognize its immense potential for growth.

Bloodhounds Is An Action-Packed Treat

Soyun Jeon, Seowoo Jung / Netflix

At heart, Bloodhounds is about revenge. When former Marine and up-and-coming boxer Kim Gun-woo (Woo Do-hwan) learns his mother has been swindled by a loan shark organization, he bands together with local ruffian Hong Woo-jin (Lee Sang-yi) for some vigilante justice. To that end, the show's narrative is split across two main arenas: free-for-all street fighting and an illegal underground boxing ring. Ironically, Gun-woo gradually grows closer to his boxing dream, but along the way, he's forced to contend with the moral ambiguity of his revenge plot.

Conversely, Cobra Kai isn't as explicit about its vengeful themes, but there's a clear undercurrent of rivalry, redemption, and emotional revenge. The feud between Johnny Lawrene (William Zabka) and Daniel LaRusso (Ralph Macchio) started in childhood, but the devastating loss Johnny faced in the climax of The Karate Kid spiraled into his miserable adult life. As such, when he decides to reclaim the Cobra Kai dojo and use it for good, he falls back into competition with Daniel, who constantly calls his character into question. Granted, Johnny isn't knocking Daniel's teeth in, but symbolically, he's after just as much retribution.

Although the shows are thematically similar, Bloodhounds is irrefutably more mature in every sense of the word. Gun-woo and Woo-jin's battles are often a matter of life and death, while their motivations come from a lifetime of hardship far more sinister than losing the All-Valley Karate Tournament. Furthermore, the R-rated violence in Bloodhounds makes it a particularly affecting watch, as the viewer can viscerally feel the impact of each punch, the dread of each threatening encounter, and the pure adrenaline of every high-octane confrontation. Yet, Bloodhounds deserves to follow in Cobra Kai's footsteps with a lengthy run of its own.

Netflix Needs To Renew Bloodhounds Season 3

Admittedly, Bloodhounds has already exceeded the life expectancy of typical K-dramas, but the latest installment left numerous narrative threads to follow in season 3 and beyond. While the overwhelming majority of Korean dramas are contained to single, standalone seasons, Bloodhounds aimed higher by focusing on its worldbuilding. Without missing a beat, the thriller's dynamic duo were thrown into a drastically different world in season 2, and the finale laid the groundwork for yet another escalation with a fresh, already daunting antagonist.

Given the rousing success of Bloodhounds season 2, it may seem concerning that Netflix hasn't issued a renewal yet. For original content on the streaming service, it's common for new seasons to be confirmed shortly after airing, but Bloodhounds season 2 wasn't announced until early 2025, nearly two years after the series premiere. Thus, even if Netflix quietly rings in the new year without a renewal, it's possible Bloodhounds will still become Cobra Kai's true successor with season 3— though the K-drama deserves time to cement its own legacy as well.