Who could have thought that a TV revival of The Karate Kid franchise, that aired on YouTube Red in 2015, would become one of the best revivals to date, and one of the biggest and most sensational shows today. While this is a Karate extravaganza on the surface (and this show delivers many impeccable fight scenes) the show was elevated by its amazing cast of characters. The show’s creators and writers, Josh Heald, Jon Hurwitz and Hayden Schlossberg gave these characters more than enough layers and depth to make us immediately fall in love with them. But a well-written character can only go a long way, and without the shows amazing cast bringing these beloved characters to life, the cast of characters in Cobra Kai wouldn’t feel as well-developed or relatable.
It’s safe to say that Cobra Kaihas a plethora of great characters. Whether we adore them or love to hate them, there is no denying that The Karate Kid revival contains some of the best characters on TV, ever since the show first aired. Since then, we have been introduced to many more amazing characters, whether they are new to the franchise or old faces, making a small or major appearance. Similarly, our favorite characters grow and develop, making us love them even more giving them even more polish. So, put on your Karate gis, fasten that headband, and join us as we find out who truly is the best around.
9 Aisha Robinson
Sony Picture Television
Without talking about how disappointing Aisha’s write-out of the show was (which was one of the injustices of the show), Aisha was one of the best characters from the first two seasons of the show. After being tormented by online bullies, Aisha is the second student to join Cobra Kai after Miguel. Aisha was also the very first female student to join the dojo ever since it was first created back in the ’70s. Since joining the dojo, Aisha has gone from a shy, timid young girl to a very talented and confident martial artist. We fell in love with Aisha’s story throughout the whole show, and no matter how popular or cool she got, she was still kind-hearted and had others interests at heart. We miss you, Aisha.
8 Demetri Alexopoulos
Sony Pictures Television
We can all agree that at first Demetri wasn’t exactly a fan favorite. With his snarky attitude and needless sarcastic comments, it just felt hard to relate to him. But after watching his character grow and seeing him gain so much confidence after being bullied for so many years, he warms all of our hearts. Demetri is played by Gianni Decenzo, who brings so much heart and hilarity to the role, adding layers upon layers to his already well-developed character.
7 Samantha LaRusso
Sony Pictures Television
As the daughter of two-time All Valley Karate Champion Daniel LaRusso, Sam has had a lot of Karate experience from her father, who has passed on his Miyagi wisdom on to her. She is a very competent martial artist, which is demonstrated in a lot of fights and how she helps her dad teach Karate.
As well as her impressive Karate background, Sam is a compelling character, mostly stuck in a love triangle between Robby and Miguel, even though her heart beats for Miguel. Due to this, Sam has suffered a lot of trauma throughout the show, from her boyfriend and friends ridiculing her in the first season, to being beaten by Tory with sharp knuckle dusters and seeing Miguel get kicked off a balcony by Robby. Sam has suffered from PTSD, mostly from Tory beating her, and leaving Sam with physical and emotional scars. However, she overcomes this fear and fights Tory in an epic one-on-one battle for the title of the All Valley Karate Champion.
6 Tory Nichols
Tory’s character, for the most part, has been fueled with rage. Having to look after her sick mother and her younger brother, growing up poor, and feeling like the world owes her something. But since she joined Cobra Kai, it has seemed to help calm her anger, especially after meeting and falling in love with Miguel. However, after she found out that Sam LaRusso had kissed Miguel while Tory and Miguel were dating, Tory started a mass school brawl and wounded Samantha enough that Sam feared Tory. Since, Tory has had great regrets over everything that she caused and the punishments that she faced, so much so that Sam’s mom is currently trying to help her be a better person.
Seeing Tory’s character grow has been heartwarming; we loved Tory anyway for having such a cool and powerful presence on screen. Giving her character a tragic backstory and adding depth to her character made us want Tory to leave Cobra Kai and live happily ever after.
5 Eli “Hawk"Moskowitz
Eli has undoubtedly gone through the best character arc throughout the whole show. From being a bullied, timid young teen, to being a confident bully after joining Cobra Kai. Hawk went through a phase of us loving but also hating his character. But since breaking his best friend’s arm and vandalizing Miyagi Do, Eli has really turned a corner, and is now helping Miyagi Do fight Cobra Kai. Seeing Hawk finally turn back into Eli was a great moment on the show, helping his old friends and his best friend Demetri from being attacked by Cobra Kai. Eli sadly had his iconic Mohawk shaved off, which shot his confidence right down, until his best friend Demetri gave him his confidence back, which led to Eli fighting Robby at the All Valley Karate Tournament and being crowned as the champion. Eli truly is an example of how incredibly written the characters in this spectacular show are.
4 Daniel LaRusso
Netflix
The Karate Kid returns to fight Cobra Kai once more, reviving the dojo of Mr Miyagi, where Daniel once trained. Ralph Macchio returns to the role after nearly two decades, and he does so with such ease. Instantly slipping back into his iconic character, with all of his wisdom, and kind-heartedness, but also being fairly stubborn. This is something he occasionally lets go of, when having to team up with his rival, Johnny Lawrence. The show gives LaRusso many more layers and depth to his already well-developed character. Showing us that his “perfect” life isn’t quite so perfect after all. His family dynamics are incredibly interesting, and he also has many opportunities to learn that defense isn’t the only way to fight, both physically and metaphorically.
3 Robby Keene
Robby might just be the most emotionally complex character of the entire show. Having such a tragic and heartbreaking journey throughout the show, Robby, out of all the main characters, deserves to be happy the most. But after everything he has been through, Robby’s heart still remains kind, and he cares for the people who need it and deserve it, making us adore him so much more. Tanner Buchanan brings so much suaveness and coolness to his character, not only through his actions but his impressive physicality in all the action scenes, making Robby one of the best martial artists on the whole show.
2 Miguel Diaz
Miguel has always been a sweet, selfless, and kind character; even when he first learned Karate from his Sensei Johnny Lawrence, and gained a lot of confidence, he was and still is that sweet teen from the very first season of the show. Since then, Miguel has been through a devastating journey and relationship with Karate. After being kicked off the balcony by Robby, Miguel was in hospital and couldn’t walk for a while, until Johnny taught Miguel how to use his legs again. Although at this point in time he still couldn’t do Karate, but eventually, he regained his spirit and skill and was able to be a cool character once again.
At the heart of the show is Johnny’s and Miguel’s father-son relationship, with Miguel’s father being absent his whole life, and Johnny abandoning his son Robby, this was an opportunity for both to gain a relationship they both never had, which made for both of their journeys to be so heart-warming and the best relationship of the show. Johnny helped Miguel stand up to bullies, and gain his confidence among many beautiful bonding moments between the two.
1 Johnny Lawrence
Who would have thought that Johnny Lawrence would be one of the most beloved characters on TV right now? We certainly didn’t, but here we are. Johnny’s mindset and personality traits feel like they have been ripped straight from the ’80s, as he uses words and slang that no one uses anymore. Johnny still thought that Cobra Kai isn’t for girls; he had no idea how to use a computer, and still called all his students losers and nerds, among many other words too explicit for this list. However, Johnny’s arc is truly one of the best of the show; learning how to be a kinder person, no longer stereotyping genders, and most importantly, learning to be a father figure. All this is possible with the help of his very first student, Miguel Diaz, who Johnny now sees as his own son. Now Johnny is a sweet, lovable, and cool character.
Similarly, Johnny has learned how evil Cobra Kai is and how manipulative John Kreese is, so now Johnny fights against the dojo that he learned everything from, growing Johnny’s character and making us all love him even more.
