Cobra Kai is the hit Netflix drama based on the 1980s martial arts movies of the The Karate Kid franchise. For kids growing up in Gen-X in the U.S., The Karate Kid was a cultural touchstone in pop culture for millions of people. Cobra Kai has brought the fight for The Valley back for a whole new generation to enjoy, with even more complex storytelling than ever before. Creators Josh Heald, Jon Hurwitz, and Hayden Schlossberg are all huge fans of the original films and have brought that fandom into the show. Over the past 4 seasons of the series, we’ve seen OG Karate Kid characters return in ways most long-time fans would have never thought possible previously. Actors Ralph Macchio, William Zabka, Martin Kove, Thomas Ian Griffith, Elisabeth Shue, and others have all reprised their original roles. At the same time, an entirely new group of fighters have been introduced to the cast, including actors Xolo Maridueña, Jacob Bertrand, Tanner Buchanan, Mary Mouser, and Peyton List. With Season 5 already filmed and wrapped in December 2021, a (possibly final) Season 6 anticipated, and eventual Cobra Kai spinoff shows discussed, there’s still a lot to look forward to coming up for the characters of Daniel LaRusso, Johnny Lawrence, and the ensemble cast.

Have you ever wondered where they film Cobra Kai though? We know the original The Karate Kid was based in the Los Angeles, California neighborhood of Reseda. Most of the original Karate Kid movie was actually filmed around L.A., outside some work done in Arizona and New Jersey. The second Karate Kid film was not shot in Okinawa, Japan (contrary to popular belief), and Karate Kid 3 returned to Los Angeles for filming. Nowadays, there are other parts of the world that have become prime filming locations for both movies and television shows alike. Cobra Kai has made one such area its main filming hub, however, they’ve still been able to shoot in other Karate Kid-related parts of the world when it’s been justified. While not every single location where Cobra Kai has been filmed is officially confirmed, the large majority have been, and are now well documented online. However, there are still some facts that have never been discussed in much detail until now. Let’s take a closer look at all of Cobra Kai’s main filming locations.

Related: 5 Predictions for Cobra Kai Season 5

The Greater Atlanta, Georgia Area

Atlanta is the home of Cobra Kai and has been for its entire run. However, many of the show’s key scenes have been shot in Atlanta’s surrounding cities of Marietta, Union City, Fayetteville, Peachtree City, Conyers, Decatur, Sandy Springs, Austell, Roswell, Lithia Springs, Duluth, and East Point, Georgia. Much of the series has been shot in locations open to the public as well. For example, the Cobra Kai dojo location is at Crossroads Shopping Center in Atlanta. The convenience store next door to the dojo is also there. However, if you were to stop by when filming is not going on, you’d barely recognize the place since all signs related to the show are removed and the area where filming takes place usually has the windows covered and doors locked.

While an occasional exterior dojo scene may still be filmed there, most of the dojo’s filming has been moved to the show’s production studio in western Atlanta. It’s been reported the studio’s name is Gray Studios, however, an Internet search will not come up with anything under that name. The main Cobra Kai filming studio has been purposely kept secretive, likely for the safety of the actors and crew. It’s worth noting the Miyagi-Do dojo is located within the parking lot of this production studio and is not open to visitors. Actor Ralph Macchio owns the yellow 1947 Super DeLuxe convertible from the original films (he was given it as a gift many years ago) and the actual car often appears on location for filming at Miyagi-Do.

Besides their main filming sites, sometimes the show uses other local locations to put their trailers, set up their catering, etc. when they are filming outside their studio. One such place was used in Season 4 at Lithia Springs High School in Georgia. Various members of the cast put photos of themselves on social media hanging out with one another behind-the-scenes in their gis there. They are only allowed to share these types of photos once the latest season airs on Netflix in order to not give away any spoilers in advance. The actors were wearing their gis for the latest All-Valley Tournament that took place at the end of the season. Singer Carrie Underwood was a special guest in the show in Season 4 and appears in a few of the cast’s photos outside the school. The show also uses local vendors for some of its set designs, apparently renting bonsai trees from Plant City Bonsai in Clermont, GA during Seasons 1 and 2. Another interesting note about the show is the home used as the LaRusso family household through Season 3 was sold for $2.4 million dollars in February 2022. Therefore, any scenes at the LaRusso home from this point forward will likely be filmed elsewhere.

Okinawa, Japan

Karate Kid Part 2 was said to be based here, but the film was actually made on the island of Oahu in Hawaii instead. It was likely easier to stay in the United States for the production team and both areas had a similar feel that worked for the movie. The second Karate Kid film starred Ralph Macchio (Daniel), Pat Morita (Mr. Miyagi), Yuji Okumoto (Chosen), and Tamlyn Tomita (Kumiko). Okumoto and Tomita have reprised their roles in Cobra Kai, with Okumoto (as Chosen) looking to be a big part of Season 5. Pat Morita sadly passed away in 2005. The team behind Cobra Kai made the decision to go all the way to Okinawa for a week of filming during Season 3, making this Daniel LaRusso's first real trip to Okinawa. The landscape scenes between Daniel and Chosen by themselves were apparently filmed there. That being said, other scenes including Kumiko were actually filmed in Atlanta but were portrayed to be in Okinawa as well.

Related: Cobra Kai Star Teases Kreese's Revenge in Season 5

The Greater Los Angeles, California Area

A few key locations have been revisited in California for Cobra Kai, including Daniel’s old South Seas apartment complex from the original film in Reseda. Outside shots of Johnny’s Cobra Kai apartment complex have been filmed in Tarzana, California as well. However, the main apartment courtyard on the show for Johnny and his student Miguel’s apartments is filmed on a soundstage in Georgia. A couple of Cobra Kai scenes in cars have been filmed in California too, like when Johnny first sees Daniel’s car dealership billboard in the first episode of the show and another when Johnny and Miguel are hanging out together. Even with the large majority of the show shot in Georgia, California is still the fictional location of the competing Cobra Kai, Eagle Fang, and Miyagi-Do dojos each season.