The Cobra Kai characters (both old and new) have been on a wild ride throughout the series' several seasons, but which have had the best arcs overall?
SUMMARY
- The sixth and final season of Cobra Kai will wrap up various character arcs, providing closure for beloved characters like Johnny Lawrence and Daniel LaRusso. Newer characters may be set up for spinoffs.
- Some characters, like Devon Lee, Carmen Diaz, and Anthony LaRusso, have not been given enough development to stand out against the other Cobra Kai characters.
- Characters like Tory Nichols, Eli "Hawk" Moskowitz, and John Kreese have seen significant development and have become fan favorites due to their interesting character arcs.
Cobra Kai combined brand new characters with those audiences already knew and loved from the Karate Kid movies, though some are better developed than others. The Netflix series is headed into a sixth and final season, so the various character arcs will presumedly be wrapped up. This means characters like Johnny Lawrence and Daniel LaRusso will have their stories laid to rest while some of the newer characters are set up for potential spinoffs. Overall, Cobra Kai has managed some great characters with engaging, fun, and entertaining personalities and arcs—but which is the best?
Cobra Kai premiered its first season in 2018 and invited audiences to see what had been happening in the lives of Johnny Lawrence and Daniel LaRusso since their Karate Kid days. Of course, thirty years meant these characters had grown up and started families (to varying degrees), so new characters were brought into the fold in the way of their kids. From there, Johnny and Daniel's respective karate dojos gained new students, so several new original Cobra Kai characters were thrown into the mix as well, each with unique growth and development. Now, going into Cobra Kai season 6, there are a massive number of characters to follow.
Devon Lee
Devon was introduced in Cobra Kai season 4 when she joined Johnny's Eagle Fang Karate, and she eventually wound up at Cobra Kai under Terry Silver. She has the potential to be a great character—she's certainly strong, and her relationship with Tory and the decision to help work against Cobra Kai in season 5 helped push her arc along. However, Devon hasn't been given enough attention to really stand out against the other Cobra Kai characters. In all, the Netflix series could benefit from another important female character, so it would be great to see a little more development for Devon in Cobra Kai season 6.
Carmen Diaz
It has been great to watch Johnny fall in love and begin to settle down in Cobra Kai. It's a significant contrast to where he originally started in season 1, and this has a lot to do with Carmen's influence. Mother to Miguel, Carmen has been a relatively constant presence throughout the Netflix series, but she doesn't stand well on her own. Her character feels more like a tool for other Cobra Kai character arcs rather than a defined character all her own. As of the end of Cobra Kai season 5, she has a baby on the way, so there is a chance she will be a more independent part of the story going forward.
Anthony LaRusso
Anthony LaRusso was pretty difficult to like for the majority of Cobra Kai. During the first couple of seasons, he was simply a spoiled rich kid who was largely ignored by his distracted parents. Then, when Anthony became a larger part of the plot, he played the role of bully. To Anthony's credit, he turned things around (after his victim Kenny started making a stand) and has seen a lot more development in the final few seasons of Cobra Kai. However, there hasn't been enough time for Daniel's son to stand center stage for him to rank among the series' central characters. Perhaps Anthony's rivalry with Kenny will change this in Cobra Kai season 6.
Terry Silver
Thomas Ian Griffith as Terry Silver in Cobra Kai season 5 wearing a karate robe and standing in front of a group of his karate students in his elaborate dojo Terry Silver is an excellent villain. Though the trajectory of most of the bad guys of Cobra Kai has been from bad to better, Silver has worked in the opposite direction. When he was first introduced, he was eager to keep his life on the straight and narrow. However, he quickly got sucked into the karate dojo drama and wound up being the very worst of the worst. Though Silver's definitive evilness has worked great for keeping the conflict of Cobra Kai going strong, the fact that there is little motivation for Silver's action aside from wanting to be the best leaves him a little one-note.
Samantha LaRusso
If the Cobra Kai characters were to be ranked by fighting ability, Samantha LaRusso would undoubtedly be ranked among the highest. However, when it comes to her character, there is something to be desired. She has seen a significant amount of development through her relationships with Robby and Miguel, as well as her rivalry with Tory. However, her struggle and floundering regarding decision-making made her story more frustrating than satisfying. What's more, Sam's story is basically already settled by the end of Cobra Kai season 5, which leaves little interest left over for the series' final season.
Eli “Hawk” Moskowitz
Eli's character arc in Cobra Kai has certainly been a rollercoaster. He started out as a "nerd," always getting picked on, but once he joined Cobra Kai, he transformed into an outrageous jerk. Renaming himself "Hawk," Eli quickly became a secondary antagonist of the series, and a good deal of Cobra Kai dojo's bad decisions game down to his newly discovered violent tendencies. Were he left here, there wouldn't be much left to say about his character. However, Eli's redemption and decision to join Miyagi-Do rather than Cobra Kai or Eagle Fang allowed him to stand out as an interesting addition to Cobra Kai.
Amanda LaRusso
Though Amanda LaRusso isn't pivotal to the plot of Cobra Kai, this doesn't mean that she isn't essential to the series as a whole. From season 1 onward, Amanda has been the voice of reason among the chaos and outrageousness of Cobra Kai. In many ways, the Netflix series makes absolutely no sense—the idea of adults getting so wrapped up in kids' karate is ridiculous, and the fact that no one ever seems to call the police is difficult to believe. However, Cobra Kai pulls off its outrageous story by building in a character like Amanda, who calls this out around every corner. So, even though Amanda's character hasn't been developed much, she is entirely underrated.
Demetri Alexopoulos
Demetri is another Cobra Kai character who hasn't been at the center of the plot but still manages to fill an important role. Like Amanda LaRusso, Demetri seems to be one of the few characters who recognizes how ridiculous the rivalries between the various dojos are. He questions the decisions of his fellow students and teachers alike and refuses to take part in violence if it isn't entirely necessary. This wound up being critical to Hawk's development since it was through Demetri's example that he realized he had gotten out of control. Ultimately, this has made Demetri an unlikely favorite of the Corba Kai series.
John Kreese escapes from prison at the end of Cobra Kai season 5.
John Kreese has been a real piece of work ever since The Karate Kid, and that hasn't changed in Cobra Kai. He's violent, manipulative, and emotionally immature. However, the Netflix series has done a spectacular job of building around his character without damaging what had been established in the 1980s movies. The episodes dedicated to Kreese's past added a foundation that had been missing and allowed audiences to understand him without excusing him for his bad behavior. Additionally, Kreese has clear (if not misled) motivations throughout Cobra Kai, making him one of the best-developed characters of the series.
Chozen Toguchi
Chozen was originally the villain of The Karate Kid Part 2 but has since become an extremely lovable character. When Daniel was first reunited with the man in Japan, he seemed just as stern and violent as ever, but this hard exterior was quickly sloughed away to reveal a man genuinely eager to help. Chozen's development accelerated even more once he came to America, where he became a double agent spying on Terry Silver. Finally, his epic battle in the finale of Cobra Kai season 5 and the reveal that he was in love with The Karate Kid's Kumiko only added to the interest in his wonderfully developed character.
Robby Keene
As Johnny's son, Robby would always be a character of interest. He started as a teen struggling to make the right decisions, but this alone wasn't enough to elevate him among his fellow Cobra Kai characters. What makes Robby's character fun is the fact that he first began learning karate from Daniel LaRusso. The idea that Johnny's son was learning Miyagi-Do was a delicious way to build off The Karate Kid, and the fact that he fell in love with Daniel's daughter only added to the fun. Unfortunately, this plot dropped off after a couple of seasons, and Robby's development centered on his relationship with his father instead. This was satisfying but not quite as fun.
Miguel Diaz
Aside from Johnny and Daniel, Miguel is the true main character of Cobra Kai. In season 1, he filled Daniel's shoes as the underdog "Karate Kid," but the methods of Cobra Kai took his development in an entirely fresh direction. Miguel has always been easy to like, so his temporary turn toward darkness didn't hinder his character in any way. Then, as he learned to be and do better, his influence over Johnny and the father-son relationship they developed was invaluable to the plot of Cobra Kai. Overall, Miguel's character is a solid A-plus.
Tory Nichols
Tory's character arc has been all over the place in Cobra Kai, but that's part of what makes her so great. She was a destructive villain when first introduced, but the added context of her family situation allowed audiences to sympathize with her even while she was making atrocious decisions. She's strong and competitive, often steering her in the wrong direction. However, when she and Amanda LaRusso leveled with each other, and Tory promised to play fair, her character took a really interesting shift. From there, she became determined to win the right way, so her conflict over Terry Silver's cheating became the hinge for the plot of Cobra Kai season 5.
Daniel LaRusso
No matter how many great characters Cobra Kai added to the mix, it's hard to beat the OG The Karate Kid characters. As the hero of the franchise, Daniel LaRusso has long been a beloved character, and his relationship with Mr. Miyagi is still the foundation of the franchise. As a teen, he had that underdog energy without being an entirely perfect character. He made mistakes, learned from them, and made new ones later. This has continued into Cobra Kai, where the several levels of imperfection have only made Daniel's character more interesting. He's still that titular karate kid we know and love, just grown up, more developed, and even better.
Johnny Lawrence
A considerable part of what makes Cobra Kai work where other nostalgic spinoffs have failed is Johnny Lawrence's character. From Daniel's perspective in The Karate Kid, Johnny was a wealthy, spoiled, and violent bully—and he wasn't entirely wrong. However, Cobra Kai allowed audiences to see the deeper levels of Johnny's character, and there is much to love there. Though he has been redeemed in the way of audience opinion, he's still a deeply flawed character with a definitive bad-boy quality. However, understanding where he came from and what has happened to him since the "good old days" makes Johnny the most dynamic and well-thought-out character of Cobra Kai.
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