Top 10 Cobra Kai Characters (Spoiler Warning)

Cobra Kai is currently one of the best shows running at the moment, not just on Netflix, but overall period. Beyond just the amazing fight chorography, and exciting karate action, the show has done an excellent job in establishing a memorable set of characters thanks to both sharp writing and a terrific ensemble cast. And because of this, I thought it would be fun to list off who I feel have been the 10 best characters through the course of the show's first three seasons. 

Warning: There will be some big spoilers below for the first three seasons of Cobra Kai, so if you have yet to catch up on the show, please do so and afterwards, feel free to come back to read my list ;)!  

Honorable Mentions (because this show just has that many great characters): Aisha Robinson, Carmen Diaz, Kyler (hating this guy is just too much fun). 

10. Raymond "Stingray" 

 

Played by the wonderful Paul Walter Hauser, Stingray was undoubtedly one of the biggest standouts for the entirety of season 2. For whatever reason, Hauser did not return for Season 3 unfortunately (most likely because he's become a very sought out actor in recent years), but even with that, Stingray with his perfectly timed humor and lively personality, he still very much stands out amongst the pack as he has a lot of my favorite moments from the second season (at least from comedic stand point). Obviously he lacks the depth of other characters surely, but not every character needs much to be memorable and Stingray is certainly one of those. His absence from the most recent season makes total sense (he probably should've been arrested after season 2 frankly), but I certainly hope they eventually bring Hauser/Stingray back organically. 

9. Demetri 

When we first meet Demetri, I'll admit he was definitely not exactly one of my favorites. Obviously I had much sympathy for him when he was getting terrorized by bullies like Kyler & his gang, and even appreciated many of his on the nose nerd references, but beyond that, there wasn't exactly a whole lot to this character. But, season three especially was a turning point for me as far as my love for Demetri goes. We saw him go through some traumatic events such as his ex best friend Hawk ruthlessly breaking his arm, but we also saw him really come into his own by the end of season three I believe and become one of the easiest characters to root for (his developing love-hate relationship with mean girl Yasmine should certainly be fun moving forward). Hopefully in season 4, we continue to see him become much more self assured of himself and have a huge moment during the All Valley tournament. Because who wouldn't love to see him just wipe the floor against Kyler in that tournament? 

8. Samantha LaRusso 

Putting Samantha this high might be a bit of a hot take as she seems to be one of the more divisive characters amongst the Fandom. I get it, through the first two seasons, she can often come off as a bit entitled, whiny, and honestly not much beyond an obvious romantic foil for the Miguel-Robby feud. But, I think much like Demetri, with season three, we saw Sam become much more into her own and have one of the more interesting arcs in the latest season. Seeing her work to overcome her fears after the end of Season 2 made for I think some of the season's best moments. Not to mention, Mary Mouser has been wonderful and shares amazing chemistry with Ralph Macchio as Daniel's daughter. Sorry for the fans of the psychotic Tory, but I'm Team Sam all the way in this on going battle that has certainly been fun to watch unleash.  

7. Amanda LaRusso 

Courtney Henggeler just lights up the screen every single time as Daniel's wife Amanda. She may not necessarily be one of the deepest of all the characters, but with her take no shit personality, and Hengeler's on screen charisma, she certainly has become a consistently scene stealing character making her honestly my favorite of Cobra Kai's female characters. Her interplay with Daniel makes their marriage one of the more entertaining, root worthy ones to watch too. After slapping the crap out of Kreese, my love for Amanda only grew. 

6. John Kreese 

Speaking of Kreese though, yes I absolutely hate this guy, and want nothing more than to see him get his eventual downfall. But putting that hatred aside for a moment, there's no doubt that Kreese is one of the show's very best characters. The main baddie and most evil Sensei of the entire Karate Kid saga is undoubtedly a genuinely great villain & character. Much of that is certainly due to the incredible gravitas that Martin Kove continues to bring to the character. It's just too much fun watching this despicable person cook up whatever evil shenanigan he has up his sleeves next. But it was also fun getting to know Kreese's backstory more and how he came to be the psychotic man he is in this latest season. It's difficult not to hate and yet I guess kind of love him all at once. 

5. Robby Keene 

The troubled kid of Johnny Lawrence has certainly had his ups and downs through the course of this series, but for whatever reason he's certainly been one of the more interesting characters to follow at least for me and Tanner Buchanan has been one of the more impressive younger actors on the show too. At times, Robby can be a difficult character to root for surely, but through his relationship with Daniel & Miyagi Do students in the first two seasons it's clear the kid has a good heart yet consistently feels let down by his peers throughout his whole life starting with his own parents. His turn to the dark side thanks to the guidance of Kreese felt like a natural progression for the character. Robby will eventually return to the light side and rejoin his father & Sensei Daniel I'm sure, but for now it will be fun to see him under the influence of Kreese (and soon enough, Terry Silver I'm sure.). If Kreese is the Empreor Palpatine of the series, than Robby is Anakin Skywalker and I'm prepared to see him create some Darth Vader style havoc in the upcoming season.

4. Eli "Hawk" 

If this list was based off just the first two seasons, Hawk would certainly be lower on the list as he was really testing my patience at times. But season 3 was a true turning point for this character, and one for the better. From breaking his ex best friend's arm to Johnny dropping some truth bomb right to his face, we saw Hawk finally realizing the consequences of some of his horrific actions and by the end of the season, he's becoming Eli again. His turn back to the light side and rejoining his former friends during the LaRusso home invasion may have seemed a bit sudden in the moment, but I think if you pay close enough attention to the vulnerability shown in Jacob Betrand's excellent performance, you can see it was always building towards this moment. I do hope season 4 doesn't let him completely off the hook, like it's awesome to see Hawk join Johnny & Daniel's combined dojos, and I can't wait to see his dynamic with the team play off now that he's one of theirs, but I think we also need to see him make some serious amends for his past actions as it will make for some great character moments.

3. Daniel LaRusso 

The original Karate Kid has certainly been one of the most interesting journeys to watch through the course of Cobra Kai. When we first pick up with Daniel for the first time in like 30 years in that first season, he's almost hard to root for at first. Not only because he's much more successful this time around compared to when he was just the underdog in the original series, but he's clearly got a bit of an ego problem and seems especially petty in how he's so determined to shut down Johnny's newly formed Cobra Kai dojo. But, as that season and the show has progressed, we are quickly reassured that Daniel still very much carries that heroic nature and good heart that made us Karate Kid fans fall in love with him in the first place. Cobra Kai just shows him to be a much more flawed man than before with his own inner demons, which to me is a good thing because it ultimately makes him a much more interesting character than before. Daniel still carries the life teachings that he learned from his former master Mr. Miyagi, and for that reason alone, it's impossible not to continue rooting for him (and just beg him to finally put this petty beef with Johnny to end once and for all, as his awesome wife would say). Ralph Macchio has also arguably never given better work as an actor as he has on Cobra Kai, he's been pretty electric.

2. Miguel Diaz

How can one not love Miguel Diaz? Essentially taking on Daniel LaRusso's original role in the Karate Kid films, right from that very first episode, it's very difficult not to immediately want to root for Miguel due to his immense likeability and obvious heart. Xolo Mariduena just brings so much vulnerability to the role of Miguel, he definitely feels like a young star on the rise. Miguel is ruthless and a lot of fun to watch in the karate sequences as he develops into arguably being the best one of all the young students, but even as we see him almost become corrupted by the brutal Cobra Kai teachings, he has remained a really good hearted kid throughout the series. Miguel's no perfect angel, we've seen him make mistakes along the way, but with Johnny's surprising guidance, he remains easily one of the show's most root worthy characters. Paired up with his mentor Sensei Johnny, their relationship is the heart of Cobra Kai.

1. Johnny Lawrence

Speaking of Johnny Lawrence, William Zabka has been the clear MVP of Cobra Kai and it's honestly insane that he has yet to receive any Emmy attention for his performance. Making Johnny the underdog of this story, especially in comparison to the much more successful Daniel, was a bold strategy that has paid off wonderfully through the course of three seasons thus far. With Zabka's never ending charisma, and the unexpected vulnerability he brings to this character, from that very first episode, it's difficult not to be on Team Johnny right from the get go. From the tough love speeches he gives to his students to his amazing comedic timing, Johnny is that classic bad boy with a heart of gold that is difficult not to immediately love. Of course, we see that Johnny is still very far from a perfect man. From his consistently drunken behavior to his issues as a mostly deadbeat father, he's certainly not what anybody should call a great role model per say, but it's these realistic demons that make him such a compelling character to follow. At times, he can certainly be unbearably hot headed (much like his good buddy Daniel), and just an ass, but underneath all of that we see a genuinely good man whose trying so hard to right a lot of the wrongs he's made in his difficult life. Now who can't relate to that? 

As a supporter of both Team Johnny & Team Daniel, it will be a dream come true to finally see these guys fighting side by side against the evil Kreese. Bring on Season 4!

Feel free to list off your Top 10 Cobra Kai characters in the comments below.