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West Valley High School

Faculty

Principal Lopez

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/screenshot_2024_01_26_184047.png

"What Counselor Blatt is trying to say is no more karate. Zero tolerance from here on out."

Appearances: Cobra Kai

"This is out of control! Get me security in the main corridor, right away!"

The principal at West Valley High.

Horrible Judge of Character: He allows Stingray, a Manchild with no experience or qualifications for working with children, to interview for a security guard position at the school. Even worse, he then allows him to intervene when the karate brawl breaks out, only for Stingray to wade in on the side of Cobra Kai and blatantly assault several Miyagi-Do students. Afterwards, he's forced to disassociate the school of any affiliation with Stingray.
"Mr. Stingray never worked here."
Mr. Exposition: His role in the community meeting at the start of Season 3, as he explains the school's new no-tolerance policy towards karate and what happened to Stingray to the parents, and by extension the audience.
Reasonable Authority Figure: Downplayed. He seems like he could be one under normal circumstances. Unfortunately, he is completely unprepared for a karate gang war at his school and makes some poor decisions in his panic, like letting Stingray try to stop it. Worse still, the aftermath reveals that he apparently didn't even do enough background checking to learn Stingray's real name.
The Scapegoat: As the school principal, he bears the brunt of the parents' wrath following the school brawl.
Straight Man: Compared to the blissfully ignorant Counselor Bratt, he's a much more normal school administrator.

Counselor Blatt

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/blatt.jpg

Played By: Erin Bradley Dangar

Appearances: Cobra Kai

The guidance counselor at West Valley. She is quite terrible at her job.

Adults Are Useless: She doesn't have a clue how to deal with teenage students, and her decisions tend to make things worse rather than better.
Deliberately Bad Example: Blatt's utter incompetence serves to demonstrate what kind of mentor figure the younger generation don't need in their lives, highlighting Daniel and Johnny's teaching abilities despite their own personal flaws and occasional failures.
Didn't Think This Through: As we see in Eli's flashback, Eli's mother specifically requested her son's name be left out of the public announcement. Unfortunately, Blatt didn't think this applied to any other potential identifiers, mentioning a mother calling about her son being bullied because of his lip scar. Identifying the complainant's gender is bad enough (reducing the potential suspects by about one-half), then mentioning the specific thing he's being bullied over — which the bullies would obviously remember, since they're the ones making a big deal about it in the first place — means everyone immediately connects the Eli-shaped dots. And on top of that, there probably aren't that many students with a lip scar, meaning that even the students who weren't bullying him still know it's him.
Dumbass Has a Point: While irritatingly blind to the Cobra Kais' bullying, she's right that the Miyagi-Dos picking a fight with them on purpose is completely inappropriate on school grounds and would only encourage other students to engage in the same behavior.
Everyone Has Standards: For all of her ignorance and incompetence, Blatt at least recognizes that the D.A.R.E. program is completely ineffective at keeping teenagers from using drugs.
Freudian Excuse: According to Dangar, Blatt's misguided wisdom and sensitivity stem from being bullied as a high school student.
Good Cannot Comprehend Evil: Her weaksauce attempt to teach the school's bullies that teasing and cyberbullying hurts the victims gives away her utter obliviousness to the simple fact that bullies want to hurt people.
Good Is Dumb: Seems to not understand teenagers at all, despite her good intentions, hence her incredible incompetence.
Horrible Judge of Character: In Season 3, she takes Hawk's paying lip service to political correctness (and handy experience as a legitimate bullying victim) at face value and lets him off the hook for any misdeeds while punishing all of the Miyagi-Do students.
Hypocritical Humor: While promoting political correctness, she encourages students to wear costumes like "gender-neutral hospital worker" instead of "sexy nurse" to the Halloween Dance, forgetting that "nurse" is already a gender-neutral term and inadvertently promoting the sexist assumption that all nurses are women.
Laser-Guided Karma: She plays a huge role (albeit unintentionally) in getting Eli bullied even more by pointing out the scar on his lip in front of the whole school to listen. By Season 3, Hawk (using his previous experience as a bullied student) takes advantage of her incompetence by using her as a PR weapon against the Miyagi-Dos (see also Unwitting Pawn).
Lawful Stupid: She upholds order in West Valley High and has zero tolerance for physical fighting on school grounds. The problem, however, is that she never accounts for the individual circumstances behind everyone involved.
The Load: Quite frankly, just a hair shy of The Millstone. Can't get a handle on cruelty and bullying at school, and every time she tries to quench the violence, she makes it worse.
- She orders searches of student backpacks without taking into account that the brawl in Season 2 was weaponless. The only weapons were a repurposed fashion item (Tory's spikes) and a book used by Chris, the latter being an item that is logically expected to be used on school grounds. By ordering the security personnel to search every bag, the only thing she's doing is making busy work, and holding up security and students.
- In Season 3, she has the Miyagi-Do and the Cobra Kai students brought in for a violent soccer game. She only hears Cobra Kai, then releases them and punishes Miyagi-Do without hearing out them or the P.E. teacher that sent them.
- When the Cobra Kai students bully Demetri, whether it be Hawk destroying his elaborate science project or Kyler drawing a huge dick on his cast, she's nowhere to be seen.
- It is possible that she's scared of Cobra Kai and she just allows them to do as they please (in stark contrast to Miyagi-Do). But a school official who fears the students as such is a textbook example of this trope.
Loose Lips: While trying to dissuade the students from engaging in cyberbullying, she ends up telling the entire school that a student cried at home over being teased for his facial scar. Namedropping those details immediately tells the students that she's talking about Eli. And she doesn't even seem to notice when she does it. Season 2 reveals that Eli's mother was the one who asked for that announcement to be made, in spite of his (correct) warnings that it wouldn't help.
Miscarriage of Justice: She embodies this trope, often punishing the innocent party (Miyagi-Do) instead of the guilty ones (Cobra Kai). See The Load above.
Misplaced Kindergarten Teacher: She doesn't quite grasp just how apathetic and cruel teenagers can be, as shown when she thinks just lecturing them on how much teasing hurts will convince them to stop.
Nice Job Breaking It, Hero: She tries to dissuade the students from cyberbullying by telling them how a student's mother called her about her son getting mocked for his facial scar. Since she's obviously talking about Eli, he just gets mocked even more.
Obliviously Evil: She's a completely incompetent authority figure who continually makes things more difficult for the protagonists and never realizes the damage she's doing or suffers any consequences for it.
Political Correctness Is Evil: Often lectures the students on how to be as non-offensive and neutral as possible, though the problem is less her being politically correct and more so that she prioritizes it over actually fixing the root of the problem in the first place.
Profanity Police: She doesn't tolerate swearing on school grounds and reprimands Sam for calling bullshit over the school's handling of the fight between Cobra Kai and Miyagi-Do in a soccer match.
Sam: This is bullshit!
Blatt: Miss LaRusso! That is not how we express ourselves here. I think you need two weekends of rehabilitative detention.
Remember the New Guy?: She apparently went to high school with Daniel, Johnny and Ali during the events of the first film, and is apparently Ali's friend's younger sister.
Skewed Priorities: She cares more about students using the buzzwords she wants them to use than questioning every detail of bullying incidents that occur in the school.
Super Gullible: Any time there's a confrontation between Miyagi-Do and Cobra Kai on school grounds, she's quick to accept Hawk's lies about Miyagi-Do.
Unwitting Instigator of Doom: If she was even slightly more competent at her job, Cobra Kai may have never experienced a comeback thanks to the rush of bullied students looking to Cobra Kai for solving their problems at school.
Unwitting Pawn: Hawk pretty much plays her like a fiddle against the Miyagi-Dos in Season 3 (given his handy experience as a bully victim). Examples include...
- Getting her attention by provoking Sam into physically attacking him after he destroys Demetri's project and mocks Sam over her failed relationships. Hawk plays the victim card by pointing out Sam's aggressiveness as soon as Counselor Blatt comes in.
- After the soccer fight, Hawk manages to get himself and the rest of the Cobra Kai's away from trouble by persuading her off-screen, leaving only the Miyagi-Dos to take the punishment.

Mr. Palmer

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/408705_5.jpg

"Our science lab is state of the art... well, at least it was."

Appearances: Cobra Kai

"Hey, everybody. Who let the pigs out? I did, because I ordered the fetal pigs."

The science teacher at West Valley.

Apathetic Teacher: Downplayed. He seems reasonably passionate about actually teaching, but is understandably unenthusiastic about the idea of trying to break up an out of control karate brawl.
Jerkass Has a Point: His refusal to do anything to stop the school brawl seems quite callous, but he is right that breaking up karate riots is not part of his job description. Not having any martial arts training of his own and having just witnessed one of his fellow teachers get knocked out cold for trying to intervene, there's realistically very little he could do to help even if he wanted to. Also, Counselor Blatt states in Season 3 that it would be against National Education Association guidelines for him to get involved anyway.
Reasonable Authority Figure: He allows Sam to join Miguel and Demetri's group for his science class when her lab partner is absent.
Screw This, I'm Outta Here: His reaction to Demetri trying to get him to break up the brawl in the Season 2 finale. Justified, as there was no chance he would have taken on a handful of trained karatekas.
"Screw this, they don't pay me enough."

Current Students

Yasmine

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/yas_smile.jpg

"My parents may not have to pay for my A this time."

Appearances: Cobra Kai

"After the whole, you know... front wedgie thing... I know what it's like. Sucks to have everyone laughing at you."

The resident queen bee at the high school...at first. She, Sam, and Moon are a trio at the beginning of the series... before Sam and (later) Moon tire of Yasmine's cruelty. Her bullying ultimately results in her being humiliated by Aisha near the end of Season 1. When Yasmine returns in Season 3, she's noticeably more humble.

Alpha Bitch: She's considered the hottest girl in school and she's loaded, but she also happens to be a bully and a complete asshole to almost everyone around her. While she doesn't beat people up the way Kyler does, she unloads a ton of psychological abuse on people and has no problem using cyber-bullying on them. Aisha can testify to this firsthand. She hasn't changed much come her return to school in Season 3, but is since more prone to making snide remarks at worst than malicious attacks. Although over the course of Season 3, she does start to develop into a Lovable Alpha Bitch.
Arch-Enemy: In Season 1, to Aisha Robinson. Yasmine is the ringleader Alpha Bitch cyberbullying Aisha, which causes Aisha to turn to Cobra Kai so she can learn to strike back. When Yasmine gets in her face one too many times, Aisha takes great pleasure in giving her a painful and humiliating front-wedgie which goes viral and destroys Yasmine's popularity. Even after her Heel Realization in Season 3, it's implied Yasmine still hates Aisha for this incident and is glad she's been forced to switch schools.
The Atoner:
- Defied at first. Moon tries to convince her to apologize to Aisha for their actions, but Yasmine dismissively brushes Moon off, and walks off while bumping into Aisha at the same time.
  Yasmine: Whatever. You deserve them, Moon.
- Became one by Season 3, Episode 7, after the wedgie Aisha gave her and her vacation in France. Yasmine is one of the few people who doesn't laugh when Kyler draws a big dick in Demetri's cast at the cafeteria, and later helps him fix his cast.
  "I love your big dick. - Yas"
Beauty Is Bad: In Season 1. The most gorgeous girl at West Valley High and one of the absolute worst people. See Expository Hairstyle Change.
Becoming the Mask: Signs Demetri's cast with a flip Double Entendre in Season 3, in her Pet the Dog moment. Dates him and is very attracted and physically attached to him in Season 4, meaning this might have become true.
Birds of a Feather: Yasmine and Demetri might seem like an Opposites Attract type of kind of couple, but honestly they are both snarky, mouthy and condescending teens that have suffered from public humiliation but have good sides as well so of course they manage to bond over that and see the good in each other.
Blatant Lies: Her father buys her claim that she ran into a deer while driving (when she actually hit Johnny's car) without question, and buys a brand-new car for her instead. Also denies being in any relationship with Demetri despite publicly kissing him in school in Season 3.
Book Dumb: Not the brightest light-bulb in the chandelier, academically speaking, but she isn't stupid either.
Break Them by Talking: Subverted. Yasmine confronts Aisha for crashing the canyon party and tries to verbally put her down in front of her face. Unfazed, Aisha delivers a well-deserved comeuppance to Yasmine in the form of a super painful wedgie.
Yasmine: Yeah, well, I know you and your little karate gang think you're cool. But we all remember who you really are. You're just a fugly bitch, and your friends are all freaks.
Break the Haughty: After the front-wedgie incident and the re-ordering of the school's social status, she's taken down quite a few pegs. While's she's still pretty vain, she also becomes surprisingly sympathetic to kids who are being bullied, and even forms an attachment to Demetri, of all people.
Bullying a Dragon: Sure, Yasmine, get in Aisha's face when she's Not Afraid of You Anymore. Go ahead and call her a fugly bitch (see Break Them by Talking above) when you're completely outside the school grounds and she's got a small army on her side (which she doesn't even need because you don't even know how to fight).
The Bus Came Back: She returns from France in Season 3 and - understandably - is confused by the huge shift in the school's power dynamics since Season 2.
Daddy's Girl: Her father dotes on her, to the point that he doesn’t question her Blatant Lies about hitting a deer (she actually t-boned Johnny’s car) and buys her a brand-new car instead.
Deadpan Snarker: On Facebook, she makes a snide and condescending remark about Aisha and her board breaking skills (and her size).
Yasmine: Impressive... can't believe the belt made it around your waist.
Demoted to Satellite Love Interest: Once she and Demetri become an item, she becomes far less important to the plot, and her main role in the show mostly becomes "Demetri's girlfriend." Though this gets averted in Season 5 when she becomes part of Sam's girl trio again, and plays a role in helping Sam navigate her relationship with Miguel (as a matter of fact, she's not even seen with Demetri at all that season).
Dirty Coward: Her cyberbullying is called out by Johnny Lawrence as pathetic, because it shows her to be too cowardly to say her insults to her victims' faces. She also nearly enters the fetal-position when a homeless person stands outside of her locked car. Oh, and she doesn't do any of her own physical fighting.
Dude Magnet: Several guys vie to be close to her, though she's really not interested in any of them. Subverted in Season 3 where she establishes a relationship with Demetri due to her character development and being able to relate to his experiences with bullying.
Expository Hairstyle Change: When she returns in Season 3, she's sporting a slightly less-flattering choppy bob instead of her perfect Regina George-style hair from Season 1. She not only looks fairly different, it's a subtle way to signal both the way she's been humbled a notch and her openness to getting together with someone as offbeat and "uncool" as Demetri.
Foil: To Kyler in Season 3. While he learned nothing from his experiences in Season 1, Yasmine was humbled by her humiliation at the beach party and she's become more empathetic to the teens she used to bully. Her biggest Pet the Dog moment comes when she cheers up Demetri after seeing Kyler bully him.
Good Is Not Nice: Yasmine is significantly nicer in Season 3, but she's still not exactly nice. She still has a bit of a bitchy personality, but she is far better than the malicious bully she was in Season 1.
Hate Sink: In Season 1, she's an unrepentant bitch who thrives off of posting hate comments on social media. It's notable that even Kyler (her Spear Counterpart in this regard) is more respected by her posse at this time. When she comes back in Season 3, she seems to have gotten a bit nicer. While she does make a few mean comments to Demetri (at first), she is never again seen in the company of Kyler's gang or doing any more cyber-bullying.
He Is Not My Boyfriend: She feebly takes this stance when she is caught making out with Demetri in Season 3 (and Demetri pretends to be caustic back to her). Sam and Miguel aren't fooled by their act for a second, and Demetri gives it up and confesses his love the moment Yasmine's out of earshot.
Hidden Depths: Less hidden and more "using her powers for good instead of evil", but Yasmine has more than enough positive social and emotional intelligence to come up with an absolutely brilliant Bigger Is Better in Bed fix for Demetri's cast almost instantly, and then sign her own work. She was also capable of enough introspection to feel remorse for her behavior in season 1 and genuinely try to improve which is a lot more than can be said for some other characters. She also seems sincerely impressed by Demetri's science experiment when partnered with him.
Humble Pie: She becomes a laughing stock after Aisha introduces her to the Melvin while in the presence of the other canyon party attendees. It even causes her to sympathize with outcasts like Demetri when she returns in Season 3.
Implausible Deniability: Sam and Miguel catch her making out with Demetri in Season 3, but she denies harboring any romantic feelings for him... even though they just shared a kiss in the middle of a school hallway in plain sight of everybody.
Irony: One of her first bully moments in Season 1 was her picking on Eli for his lip and wearing "the ugliest sweater [she] [has] seen". She's no longer a bully in Season 3, when the same cannot be said for Eli/Hawk (at least prior to his defection from Cobra Kai), who destroys Demetri's science project made for both himself and Yasmine.
It's All About Me: In Season 1? Holy shit how! She didn't even consider Moon to be a Morality Pet! In Season 3? Less so.
Jerk with a Heart of Gold: In Season 3, while she is still snobbish and unhappy with how the social structure at West Valley has changed following the brawl, she's more empathetic towards outcasts like Demetri and even Sam, shows genuine kindness, is more openly affectionate and generally just a lot easier to get along with.
Kick the Dog: In Season 1, she thrives off of posting hateful comments and memes on social media, which are especially directed towards Aisha. In Season 3, she seems to have left that childishness behind.
Laser-Guided Karma: By the end of Season 1, Yasmine ends up on the receiving end of the very cyber-bullying that she would normally unleash on others after the episode in which she is hit with Aisha's Melvin is recorded on the partiers' devices.
Ms. Fanservice: Yasmine is conventionally beautiful and a lot of her wardrobe shows off her figure. In Season 5, she wears a flattering bikini that causes Anthony to give her a Male Gaze, much to Sam's annoyance.
Non-Action Guy: She's one of the few teenage characters in the show not to study martial arts or do any fighting.
Once Done, Never Forgotten: The "Front Wedgie Incident". Even after all summer has gone by, her classmates continue to tease her about it.
Opposites Attract: The beautiful, popular and reformed but still abrasive Yasmine ends up with the proudly nerdy, awkward and cynical Demetri in Season 3.
Pet the Dog: After Kyler doodles a penis on the cast covering Demetri's right arm, she writes "I love your big dick" on it and signs her name.
Put on a Bus: During Season 2, she spends the summer in France and she was offscreen when school resumes. She returns onscreen in Season 3.
Red Oni, Blue Oni: In Season 1, she's the red to Moon's blue, as she's a far more outspoken bully who's willing to make snide remarks toward Eli and Aisha just For the Evulz, whereas Moon is a much nicer girl who only goes along with Yasmine's bullying, but eventually makes a Heel–Face Turn and becomes an Internal Reformist. This is reversed in Season 3, where Moon becomes the Genki Girl Red Oni with a much more visible public presence, whereas Yasmine becomes The Cynic Blue Oni who has noticeably humbled after her front-wedgie experience with Aisha.
Redemption Rejection: As mentioned above, Yasmine refuses to apologize to Aisha for humiliating her. This prompts Aisha to give Yasmine a painful and humiliating Melvin in front of a crowd.
Reformed, but Not Tamed: In Season 3, Yasmine has lost her popularity and position at top of her high school's social hierarchy after receiving her Humble Pie. Along with the added threat that a good chunk of students at the school are now trained martial artists, Yasmine no longer bullies others like she did in Season 1. Additionally, being given A Taste of Their Own Medicine has made her realize that nobody deserves the harassment she use to unleash on others. That doesn't stop her from being a snarky and mouthy teenager who teases her classmates, but her insults are much less malicious this time around, and she is never seen doing any form of cyberbullying. She does express interest in "torturing" Anthony as he enters high school by making him think she's attracted to him, but doesn't press the issue when Sam dismisses it.
Rich Bitch: She comes from a well-off family whose parents dote on her all the time, and is overall unpleasant to be around.
Shadow Archetype: In Season 1, Yasmine represents the kind of shallow, bullying Alpha Bitch that Sam could become if she decides to value popularity over doing the right thing, and is a Toxic Friend Influence who tries to push her down that path.
Sickeningly Sweethearts: Develops this kind of relationship with Demetri, of all people.
Spoiled Brat: She is used to her parents giving her everything she wants.
Smug Snake: She thinks she's being clever in her desires to get in the face of everyone along with talking a load of bull behind a computer screen, but the fact that she cowers at the mere sight of a homeless woman outside her car along with the fact that she went out of her way to trash a trained martial artist For the Evulz and paid the price for doing so only showcase that while she's rich, she's nothing but a spiteful cowardly idiot. As with her other unpleasant traits, she's much less vain and egotistical in Season 3.
A Taste of Their Own Medicine: The Laser-Guided Karma of cyber-bullying mentioned above. It might not have happened if she had left well enough alone and not meme-d Aisha after learning she was a Cobra Kai member. In Season 3, Yasmine now knows what is like to be on the receiving end of her bullying methods, and actually came to the realization that nobody deserve that kind of treatment, and Took a Level in Kindness as a result.
Thin-Skinned Bully: Zig-zagged. After that taste of Humble Pie at the canyon where she wants to have her party in Season 1, she hightails it out of there hobbling. But when she returns in Season 3... well, she still makes the occasional snide remark, but she's no longer a Hate Sink-level Alpha Bitch.
Took a Level in Kindness: Downplayed. She is still snobbish to some degree come the beginning of Season 3, but she is a changed person compared to who she was in Season 1, and she sympathizes with a humiliated Demetri, knowing what it's like to be made fun of in public.
- She takes another level in Season 4, where she and Demetri are openly together and they are genuinely very happy together. Likely due to his influence and her own personal growth, she's way more likeable at this point and has even shed a fair amount of her Alpha Bitch mentality (traces of it are still there, but it's at least a little more charming). You'd hardly think this was the same girl who bullied Aisha, Sam and the "unpopular" kids in Season 1.
  - This is actually taken a step further when she goes all the way to leave Australia just so that she could be with Demetri for prom, even stating that he's more important. A stark contrast to season 1 where she openly dismisses him when Demetri tries to make the moves on her.
- Season 5 has her also become a legitimately good friend to Sam, providing her advice on navigating her relationship with Miguel, unlike her turning on Sam and going along with Kyler slut-shaming her back in Season 1.
Toxic Friend Influence: Almost all the negative traits displayed by Sam and Moon during the first season are the result of Yasmine’s influence.
Tsundere: Season 3 shows her starting to develop an attraction to Demetri, not that she'll admit it even when caught clearly locking lips with him.
Underestimating Badassery: Yasmine decides to try her Mean Girls shtick on Aisha before she leaves the party despite Aisha outweighing her by a hundred pounds and practicing a form of karate that prides itself on aggression and pragmatism. The brutal Melvin she gets in response could honestly be seen as merciful compared to what Aisha was capable of doing instead.
Wedgie: She gets a front wedgie from Aisha.
You Are Fat: Whether in-person or online, this is her go-to tactic toward Aisha (the former in which she refers to a "one size fits all" costume as "false advertising").
You Have GOT to Be Kidding Me!: Her reaction (especially after Nathaniel calls her out for her front-wedgie incident) when she sees a new change in social structure after the school.
Yasmine: What happened to this place? I go to Paris for one summer and the losers are running the school?

Moon

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/1b3ffb20_12ed_44d0_a5cc_446a834139fe.jpeg

"Come on guys, can't we all just get along?"

Played By: Hannah Kepple

Dubbed By: Clara Soares (European French)

Appearances: Cobra Kai

"Oh, I'm a sex-positive feminist. Our bodies are an expression."

Sam and Yasmine's friend, formerly Yasmine's right hand when they were the clique of hot, rich girls.

Actual Pacifist: She declines to join Eagle Fang upon remembering that karate involves hitting people, saying she doesn't do physical violence.
All Girls Want Bad Boys: Played with. She has a thing for tough guys, but she also seems genuinely committed to her "peace and love" ideology. She falls for Hawk when he adopts a mohawk and tough-guy attitude, but the moment he becomes a bully, she promptly breaks up with him.
Ascended Extra: Moon is merely a side character in Season 1 (mainly as Yasmine's sidekick), but gains a more prominent role in Season 2.
The Atoner: Near the end of Season 1, she befriends the Cobra Kai students and apologizes to Aisha for what her clique did to her. She tries to convince Yasmine to do the same, but Yasmine dismissively brushes Moon off.
Moon: I apologized to Aisha for what we did, and you should too.
Bourgeois Bohemian: Moon is both introduced as a "rich girl" and very committed to her "peace, sunshine, and free love" ideals, especially when she isn't being pressured by a nastier and more cynical Yasmine.
Brooding Boy, Gentle Girl: The pacifistic and kind gentle girl to Hawk's aggressive, cocky and short-tempered brooding boy.
Bystander Syndrome: Much like Sam, she's a bystander to Yasmine's bullying of Aisha. Though unlike Sam, she's better at putting on the persona of an Alpha Bitch.
Cloudcuckoolander: "Spaced out" is a mild way of putting it.
The Confidant: By the time Season 2 rolls around, she's Sam's only remaining female friend and, thus, the only one she can talk about stuff like her developing feelings for Robby and how they conflict with her old feelings for Miguel.
Demoted to Extra: She only plays a lesser role in the story come Season 3.
Didn't Think This Through: Inviting the entire Miyagi-Do and Cobra Kai dojos to a party—with booze—and expecting them to work things out peacefully.
The Ditz: In Season 1, between her and Sam and Yasmine, she appears to be the dumbest of the trio by a pretty large margin. In Season 2, she invites both Cobra Kai students and Miyagi-Do students to the same party. If the police hadn't come, the big brawl might have started on her property!
Everyone Has Standards: She has a thing for bad boys, but she draws the line at dating an actual bully and dumps Hawk when he shows no remorse for beating up Demetri over a Yelp review.
Foil:
- To her best friend Yasmine. Yasmine is a spiteful, sharp-tongued Alpha Bitch while Moon is a ditzy Cloudcuckoolander and Innocent Beta Bitch whose worst moments are all the result of Yasmine's Toxic Friend Influence. In Season 1, Moon apologizes to Aisha when she realizes how badly the latter was hurt by her and Yasmine bullying her, while Yasmine learns nothing and continues to get in Aisha's face until Aisha gives her a humiliating wedgie. Even after Yasmine takes a level in kindness in Season 3, Moon's bubbly, positive demeanor and naive hopes that everyone will get along contrasts Yasmine's cynicism and resentment that "the losers" have taken over West Valley.
- She's also this to her boyfriend/ex-boyfriend Hawk. While Moon starts out as part of the popular clique whereas Eli was a bullied, unpopular student, both are the more submissive friends to their mouthier counterparts (Moon to Yasmine, Eli to Demetri) prior to their character development (Moon becoming an overly nice person, Eli "flipping the script" to become the more confident Hawk). However while Moon started out as a Peer-Pressured Bully who eventually became a Nice Girl after atoning for her (and Yasmine's) treatment of Aisha, Eli starts out as a bullied victim before becoming The Bully himself. Moon hates all forms of violence and wants everyone to get along, whereas Hawk relishes a good fight regardless of whether he's acting as a good guy or a bad guy.
- Also, to Piper. Both of them — who even dated for a while — are nice people who are always with a smile and want everybody to get along. However, while Moon wakes up to how her friends (especially Yasmine and — above all — Kyler) were terrible people and she had been treating the outcasts at her school, Piper has a Horrible Judge of Character and allies herself with evil because she was attracted to Cobra Kai's merchandise, looks up to Silver and pals with Kyler.
Genki Girl: When she wasn't a sidekick to Yasmine, she has developed a more cheerful and enthusiastic personality so she seems more likable and endearing to people inside the show and out.
Granola Girl: In Season 2, when she gets to show more of her personality, Moon turns out to be mostly a hippy, but without the dirt. The trope is more deeply explored during her performance at the peace rally and car wash in the third season.
Hidden Depths: Season 3 reveals she knows how to play the guitar when she plays a song during a peace rally after the school brawl. Even if it drips with saccharine.
Hypocrite: Breaks up with Hawk for being a bully, yet earlier in the episode she's admiring a photo of Yasmine on Instagram, implying they're still friends. Downplayed in that Yasmine becomes a more sensitive person after the wedgie, while Hawk became more of a bully and he was bullying Demetri, someone Moon considered a friend.
Innocent Beta Bitch: While she did participate in the cyberbullying of both Aisha and Sam alongside Yasmine, she does make a turnaround and apologizes for her actions. Later on, she actually breaks up with Hawk because of his new bullying attitude. Not only that, but she attempted to mend the friendship amongst the students of Cobra Kai and Miyagi-Do Karate.
Jerk with a Heart of Gold: Compared to Kyler and Yasmine, Moon is not a mean person by nature. In Episode 9, she befriends the Cobra Kai students, leading her to apologize to Aisha and trying to encourage Yasmine to do the same. Moon is also the only student to not laugh at Yasmine after she is given a front wedgie by Aisha, showing that she still cares about her friend despite everything Yasmine has done. Season 2 sees her trying to heal the tensions between Cobra Kai and Miyagi-Do, and she is the only person to remain friends (not a Friendly Enemy as Sam and Aisha sometimes are, but actual friends) with students of both dojos.
Nice Girl: As long as she's not with Yasmine, Moon is a friendly girl who just wants everyone to get along.
Nice Job Breaking It, Hero: She decides to have a house party and invite both dojos in the hopes everyone will have fun together and be friendly again. Instead, Alcohol-Induced Stupidity ensues and the two groups pull several stunts against the other that make tensions worse, leading to the school brawl breaking out (and only not happening at her house because the police broke up the party).
The One That Got Away: For all of Eli/Hawk's talk about being The Casanova and flirting with other girls, it's clear his heart always lied with Moon and he'd get back together with her in a heartbeat if he could. When he makes his Heel–Face Turn, he earns back her affections.
Only Sane Woman: She tries to defuse the situation when the entirety of West Valley High School gets into an all-out brawl. Unsurprisingly, it has the reverse effect.
Opposites Attract: The spacy, sweet-natured and pacifist Moon ends up with the volatile, abrasive and intense karate enthusiast Hawk in Season 4, albeit after the latter has lost some of his worst traits.
Peer-Pressured Bully: Moon is actually a very nice person and only goes along with Yasmine's bullying to stay in her good graces. However, she eventually gets tired of it and decides to confront Yasmine about what they've been doing to Aisha after apologizing to the latter first.
Pom-Pom Girl: Moon is the most prominent cheerleader in the show. She starts out as a Peer-Pressured Bully but turns into a Wide-Eyed Idealist and New-Age Retro Hippie who strives to bring out the best in her classmates and help the warring karate dojos find common ground.
Queer Establishing Moment: After breaking up with Hawk, he tries hitting on a girl, Piper, at Moon's party, only to find out she's Moon's girlfriend. Not only is he stunned (and too bummed to appear to find Girl on Girl Is Hot), Moon's phrasing makes it sound like she hasn't dated girls before.
Moon: It's... new.
Round Hippie Shades: During the car wash in the third season, where Miyagi-Do is attempting to raise money for Miguel's medical bills. Hers have an amber tint.
Savvy Guy, Energetic Girl: Demetri is the savvy guy and Moon is the energetic girl. As soon as Demetri and Moon became close friends, Demetri was the snarky and rational cynic who's personality completely contrasted with Moon being a naive and ditzy optimist.
Shipper on Deck: Becomes one for Sam and Robby in Season 2.
Single Woman Seeks Good Man: After Eli/Hawk has his Heel–Face Turn, Moon's feelings for him return and she supports him during the All Valley.
The Stoner: Gets her weed from her mom.
Moon: It's supposed to be lower in calories, or something.
Turned Off By The Jerkass: Moon ends up dating Hawk once he becomes a a bad boy. However, she gradually loses interest in him because of his bullying so she breaks up with him.
Wide-Eyed Idealist: Her Fatal Flaw. She believes that having both dojos get together at her party (complete with booze!) will help soothe things over and make everyone friends again. Whoops!

Brucks

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/7d04fc5b_ebde_467e_ac22_5ae4ac75f80c.jpeg

"It's the object of a preposition. Remember English class?"

Played By: Bo Mitchell

Appearances: Cobra Kai

"Oh, watch out guys! 'Rhea knows karate now!"

Kyler's best friend among the bully clique, Brucks is a portly bruiser with a distinctly annoying voice.

Ain't Too Proud to Beg: In Season 3, halfway through his No-Holds-Barred Beatdown from Hawk, he begs for Hawk to stop. Hawk doesn't.
Asshole Victim: Hawk issues a vicious, one-sided beatdown to him that would have made Steven Seagal proud. Recalling his actions in Season 1, it's still hard to feel sorry for Brucks.
The Bully: Being Kyler's best friend, Brucks shares his mean streak.
Bullying a Dragon: Happens thrice throughout the series, all toward trained karatekas.
- He mocks Johnny for "smelling like shit" after Kyler reveals that the latter cleaned his dad's septic tank. Minutes later, he gets his ass whooped by THE former two-time All-Valley champ.
- Happens again, this time towards Miguel—who's pretty much done with all the shit that the former has been giving him (i.e. being the first one to call him 'Rhea', mocking his karate during the locker room fight).
- If that's not enough, he gets perhaps the worst beating of his life from the very same person he and Kyler picked on because of his lip (Eli/Hawk).
The Bus Came Back: He returns in Season 3 along with Kyler and his gang, visiting the Cobra Kai dojo at Kreese's invitation.
Curb-Stomp Battle: On the receiving end of a truly vicious one from Hawk.
The Dragon: He serves as Kyler's right-hand within their bully clique. Kyler leaves him behind completely after Brucks demonstrates that he's not Cobra Kai material.
Dumb Muscle: Brucks is obese and not particularly bright, but Johnny recognizes him as the strongest of the bullies and was most impressed that Miguel was able to defeat him out of all of Kyler's gang, and also knows that he’s dumb.
Facial Horror: We don't see it but it's heavily implied he ended up with this from Hawk's attack.
Fatal Flaw: Sloth, as shown during tryouts at Kreese's Cobra Kai (when Hawk answered his challenge). At least Kyler didn't get lazy or boastful about his abilities.
In Love with Your Carnage: He's very impressed by Tory's viciousness in defending her spot in Cobra Kai, giving her an enthusiastic "Damn, girl!" after she wins the fight.
Jerkass: He's just as much of a dick as Kyler is. That's all you need to know about him.
Laser-Guided Karma: He relentlessly picked on Eli with Kyler in Season 1. Hawk repays him in kind (and more) in Season 3.
Mighty Glacier: Brucks has size and strength but he is incredibly slow that Miguel managed to dodge his sucker punch from behind. He is shown to bench-press a lot of weights and even Johnny acknowledged him as the strongest of Kyler's gang in Season 1. On the other hand, his best feat of endurance was that he was still able to stand after being hit multiple times by Hawk until he got thrown to the ground.
Muscles Are Meaningless: His season 3 return begins with him impressing Kreese with a heavy bench press. True to form, being strong does not help you with endurance or mobility and the much smaller and vastly more skilled Hawk demolishes him in a duel.
No-Holds-Barred Beatdown: Ends up on the receiving end of this by Hawk, so much it almost kills him. After that, Brucks isn't seen again.
Nothing Is Scarier: We don't see his face during or after Hawk's savage beatdown but given the brutality and that Hawk has blood on his knuckles, it's fair to say the end result wasn't pretty.
Satellite Character: There is not much to say about Brucks other than that he was Kyler's Jerkass, Dumb Muscle best friend. When Kyler dressed as Captain Hook for Halloween, he was, of course, Smee, which sums up their relationship pretty well.
Smart Ball: Gets tossed this for the sake of a joke when he corrects Kyler on the usage of "who" and "whom."
Smarter Than You Look: He is the only one in Kyler's group who realizes they're in over their heads when Johnny is beating the crap out of them. Brucks just grabs Kyler and says they need to to leave.
Underestimating Badassery: He assumes Hawk is still the meek nerd he bullied back in Season 1, and that he'll wipe the floor with him and steal his place in Cobra Kai. He's very wrong.
Unskilled, but Strong: He is seen bench-pressing when being scouted by Kreese and was the Dumb Muscle of Kyler's posse. However, he is completely outmatched by Johnny, Miguel, and Hawk.
Very Punchable Man: His actions and words towards his victims are contemptible, to the point that seeing Johnny, Miguel, and Hawk take him down in a fight is satisfying to watch.
Villain Forgot to Level Grind: Brucks was regarded as the strongest member of Kyler's gang in Season 1 before being defeated by Miguel. When he does come back in Season 3, he's apparently not taken any time to improve his fighting skills between seasons, unlike Kyler. This leaves him on the receiving end of a Curb-Stomp Battle against Hawk.
Villainous Friendship: He is a genuinely loyal friend to Kyler, which would be admirable if they weren't both massive jerkasses.
Villainous Valor: If there is anything remotely redeemable about him, it's that he will continue to fight alongside Kyler even against opponents he clearly wants to run away from, namely Johnny in the first episode. Unfortunately for him, it is one-sided; Kyler abandons him after joining Cobra Kai.

Rory

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Played By: Dawson Towery

Appearances: Cobra Kai

"See this guy? Eat his dinner at the mini-mart like a bum."

A member of Kyler's clique who bullies Miguel.

Ambiguous Situation: He isn't shown on-screen after Miguel beats him and the rest of Kyler's gang up, but considering Kyler dropping Rory's name when he invites his Cobra Kai teammates to the drive-in theater, he's still connected to Rory in some way. Especially when one considers how Kyler abandoned Brucks after the latter's No-Holds-Barred Beatdown from Hawk.
Bullying a Dragon: He mocks Johnny for eating the pizza slice outside of the mini-mart. Minutes later, he gets his ass kicked by Johnny himself.
Giant Mook: With a height of 189 cm, Rory towers over all the teenage cast and even some of the adult cast. However, he goes down just as easily as the rest of Kyler's gang when he fights Johnny at the start of the season and eventually his former victim Miguel.
Groin Attack: Becomes victim to one by Miguel.
Laser-Guided Karma: For Johnny, see Bullying a Dragon above. As for Miguel, his constant bullying of him (alongside the rest of Kyler's gang) has him eventually publicly getting his ass whopped in the lunchroom by Miguel himself.
Mook: He's part of Kyler's gang that bullies Miguel, but doesn't have much characterization compared to Kyler and Brucks.

A.J.

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Played By: Jonathan Mercedes

Appearances: Cobra Kai

A member of Kyler's clique who bullies Miguel.

The Generic Guy: A.J. has the least characterization out of Kyler's gang other than being his friend and a fellow bully. Even Rory has some very minor characterization as he is implied to still be Kyler's friend in Season 4.
Laser-Guided Karma: His constant bullying of Miguel (alongside the rest of Kyler's gang) has him eventually publicly getting his ass whopped in the lunchroom by Miguel himself.
Mook: He's part of Kyler's gang that bullies Miguel, but doesn't have much characterization compared to Kyler and Brucks. As a matter of fact, he's the only member of Kyler's gang that doesn't have any lines.

Students in the 1980s

Ali Mills

Ali Mills (Schwarber)

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/alicc.png

"You both think there's only one side to the story."

^{Click here to see Ali as a teen}

Played By: Elisabeth Shue

Appearances: The Karate Kid (1984) | Cobra Kai

"Sometimes it's good to visit the past to know where you are now. But you can't live in the past."

The former girlfriend of both Johnny and Daniel during their high school days, she is now a Denver-based pediatric surgeon.

Amicable Exes: She remains on friendly terms with Daniel and Johnny when she meets them both again and gives them both closure on their past relationship with her (especially in Johnny's case). She also implies that this is her case with her ex-husband Greg, citing their separation as neither of their faults.
Beware the Nice Ones: Normally rather friendly, but she has no hesitation to punch when sufficiently pissed off, as Johnny finds out the hard way when he forces a kiss on her in front of Daniel.
Big Damn Reunion: Johnny embraces her when they meet for the first time in over three decades, at a café. She and Daniel also share a hug when they meet at a Christmas party.
The Bus Came Back: After 36 years and not being seen since the original film, she makes her return to the franchise come late Season 3.
Dating What Daddy Hates: Ali knows her parents can't stand Daniel and would much rather she got back together with Johnny, but she couldn't care less, since their objections are based on pure snobbery.
Derailing Love Interests: In the first movie, she was a Nice Girl who was willing to stand up for herself. In the second movie, she crashes Daniel's car, doesn't offer to pay damages, and leaves him for a football player all in one scene. Ultimately subverted in Cobra Kai where it's revealed Ali "leaving him" for the football player was just a misunderstanding Daniel overreacted to and the car damages were actually his fault.
Disposable Love Interest: Daniel tells Mr. Miyagi at the beginning of Part II that she left him for a football player from UCLA. It's also implied it was during prom she told Daniel. Subverted in Cobra Kai when Ali gets to tell her side of the story.
Dude Magnet: First was Johnny, then Daniel, then the aforementioned football player. Cobra Kai adds Tommy (who was going to ask her out before Johnny "struck first") and a guy named Greg Schwarber whom she married.
Hair of Gold, Heart of Gold: Is blonde and one of the most kind-hearted characters in the franchise.
Meaningful Rename: She points out to Daniel that she's just Mills again, no longer Schwarber — meaning her marriage really is kaput.
Mirror Character: To Amanda. Both have had romantic relationships with Daniel, recognize how petty Daniel and Johnny's rivalry really is and try to act as the Voice of Reason to bring it to an end. However, where Amanda is sarcastic and dismissive of the rivalry, Ali is unceasingly calm and understanding, and she ultimately succeeds where Amanda failed in getting Daniel and Johnny on the same page. It helps that Ali was around during the events of the original film and has a deep history with both men, giving her an insight into the origins of the rivalry and the ways in which they are similar that Amanda doesn't have.
Mistaken for Cheating: The last we heard about her was when Daniel said she'd left him for a college football player. It turns out that the guy was an old friend of hers, Daniel saw them talking and got jealous, and they got in a fight that led to their break-up.
Nice Girl: With none of Amanda's Deadpan Snarker tendencies. She remains cordial to both Johnny and Daniel, and ends up being the one to achieve what absolutely everyone else failed to: mend the friction between the two and set aside their differences once and for all.
Old Flame: Mildly for Daniel, especially considering Amanda is right there, and ends up liking Ali. (She does, naturally, snarkily note that Ali got "two hugs".) Heavily for Johnny, whom she takes on a nostalgic date, snuggles with, and almost kisses.
The One That Got Away: She clearly occupies this space in Johnny's mind, even decades after they broke up (and to an extent in Daniel's mind, too). When she and Johnny finally reconnect, and he learns that she's in the process of a divorce, they proceed to essentially go on a date at Golf 'N' Stuff, including an Almost Kiss. In the end, however, they both realize that their relationship is in the past, and they depart as friends.
Only Sane Woman: After learning about everything that has happened between the two, Ali tells both Johnny and Daniel that they need to accept neither of them is wholly innocent for what happened in the past and they have a lot more in common than they'd like to admit. It helps them finally put away their differences and team up to take down Kreese once and for all.
Plucky Girl: Friendly and pleasant to Daniel even when things are at their worst.
Satellite Love Interest: She's nice, pretty, the ex-girlfriend of Johnny, and lives with upper-class parents in a Big Fancy House... and that's all that's really known about her before she's easily written out of the sequel. She's fleshed out a little more in Cobra Kai, as by that point she no longer had to fulfill a "love interest" role.
Self-Serving Memory: Downplayed Trope. When Ali recounts how she and Daniel broke up and how he was a Crazy Jealous Guy, she also later admits that she may have exaggerated her relationship with her college friend as something more in order to egg Daniel on. Especially notable as she did the exact same thing with Daniel to Johnny.
Uptown Girl: Her relationship with Daniel was type #3.

Susan

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"She must be into fungus."

Played By: Juli Fields

Appearances: The Karate Kid (1984)

"What makes you so sensitive? She's never been anything but nice to you."

Ali's best friend at West Valley. She doesn't get along with Daniel.

Connected All Along: According to Word of God, she is the older sister of Counselor Blatt.
The Cynic: In contrast to Ali's cheerful demeanour, Susan takes a pretty dim view of just about everything.
Foil: Her rudeness, cynicism and antagonism towards Daniel provides a marked contrast to Ali being a cheerful Nice Girl who starts a relationship with him.
Friend Versus Lover: She spends most of the movie competing with Daniel for Ali's attention.
Jerkass: She's constantly needlessly rude to Daniel, and it's implied her dislike of him is mainly due to snobbery.
Pet the Dog:
- Despite her jerkish behaviour, she is a genuinely loyal friend to Ali, and defends her when Daniel is angry at her for supposedly kissing Johnny, calling Daniel out for assuming the worst without giving Ali a chance to explain herself.
- She is part of the crowd that swarms Daniel after he wins the All Valley, implying she has gotten over her previous hostility with him.

Freddy Fernandez

Played By: Israel Juarbe

Appearances: The Karate Kid (1984)

"Hey, the karate kid."

A teenager also living in the South Seas apartment complex; he befriends Daniel upon arrival...only to abandon him later after Daniel is beaten up by Cobra Kai.

Ambiguous Situation:
- When Freddy abandons Daniel after getting beaten up by Johnny and Cobra Kai, it's not clear if he did this out of peer pressure or because he saw Daniel as a Miles Gloriosus.
- In the Cobra Kai episode "Lull", Daniel trains his students in a freezing meat locker belonging to the Fernandez Meat Company. It isn't established if this business belongs to Freddy or anyone in his family.
Fair-Weather Friend: Freddy pretty much gives up on Daniel as a friend after he gets beaten up by Johnny and even taunts him as "the karate kid" later on. He then returns to acting chummy with Daniel after Daniel wins the All Valley tournament.
Pet the Dog:
- Freddy is seen at the All Valley tournament with his friends to cheer for Daniel.
- When Daniel wins the All Valley, Freddy and his friends hoist Daniel up in celebration.
What Happened to the Mouse?: Freddy doesn't appear in any of the other Karate Kid movies or in Cobra Kai except in flashbacks. See Ambiguous Situation above.

West Valley Middle School

Faculty

Principal Fitzpatrick

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"I've seen enough evidence to conclude that Anthony has been a real bully this year."

Played By: Michael Burgess

Appearances: Cobra Kai

The Principal at West Valley Middle School.

Big Brother Is Watching: He has security cameras all over the school, which shows proof of the actions committed by Anthony and his gang against Kenny.
Black and Nerdy: He's an African-American man with glasses who runs a school, and shows a level of emotional intelligence that actually makes him a competent authority figure.
Excellent Judge of Character: Even though it was Kenny that committed the more recent offense, he also holds Anthony and his gang accountable for their past actions towards Kenny.
Reasonable Authority Figure: He rightfully suspends Anthony and his group after his staff does a full investigation and hold the bullies accountable for everything they did to Kenny, leading up to Kenny's fight with them in the library.

Students

Lia Cabrera

"At first I thought it was part of the evil-looking design, but then I realized you're just a slob."

Played By: Milena Rivero

Appearances: Cobra Kai

"Just ignore him. Dope shirt by the way."

A classmate of Anthony LaRusso and Kenny Payne's at West Valley Middle School. She and Anthony have been friends since childhood, though he harbors a crush on her, and Kenny becomes fond of her too.

Childhood Friend Romance: She and Anthony have been friends for years, but he secretly has a crush on her. It seems that she only sees him as a friend.
Deadpan Snarker: She has moments of this with Kenny, though her snarking to him is playful/teasing rather than cruel.
Love Triangle: Lia, Anthony and Kenny. She's more fond of Kenny, though.
Mirror Character: To both Ali Mills and Kumiko, being at the center of a Love Triangle between a LaRusso and his rival. Although in a major difference, it's implied that the LaRusso is not the boy she's really interested in (and, inside the dynamics of the triangle, LaRusso is the evil one).
Oblivious to Love: She has no idea that Anthony is interested in her. It's a little more ambiguous with Kenny, though she seems to like him back, even if she hasn't explicitly said so.
Remember the New Guy?: She first pops up in gym class as a random classmate of Kenny and Anthony they both like. She's eventually revealed to be Anthony's childhood friend, the two having known each other since at least primary school. Justified in that Anthony was never the focus of the series prior to season 4.
Satellite Love Interest: So far, she mainly exists around Kenny and Anthony's rivalry.
Significant Anagram: Her first name is an anagram of Ali, and she plays the same role in Kenny and Anthony's rivalry that Ali did in Daniel and Johnny's.
What Happened to the Mouse?: She is part of a Love Triangle with Anthony and Kenny in Season 4, but is never mentioned in Season 5.

Zack Thompson

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/screenshot_2024_01_25_194817.png

"Whatever, LaPusso."

Played By: Brock Duncan

Appearances: Cobra Kai

"Easy buddy. Just busting balls.'"

A friend (if you could call him that) of Anthony LaRusso and bully to Kenny Payne.

The Bully: He's arguably the worst out of Anthony's gang, as most of their cruelest actions toward Kenny are masterminded by Zack. As if there is any more proof, he's the one goading Anthony to lure Kenny to Balboa Park, takes the initiative to physically attack him, the video of Kenny being drenched in milk is under his TikTok username, and he goes all the way to insult Anthony when the latter is being a wimp.
Dragon-in-Chief: To Anthony. On the surface and from Kenny's perspective, it appears that Anthony is the leader of their gang, but it's made very clear that Zack is the true instigator of most of their bullying of Kenny and the person the others really take direction from, and that Anthony goes along with what he says out of fear of Zack turning on and bullying him.
Greater-Scope Villain: Is this to Anthony for Kenny's arc. While not Kenny's direct rival, he is far worse than than Anthony himself, being the one to peer pressure the latter in engaging into cruel activities toward former, even going as far as to insult Anthony if he doesn't go along. He's also the presumed leader of his gang (being the one ordering his friends around), and Anthony even implicitly admits that he picks on Kenny just so that he could impress people like Zack.
Hate Sink: Unlike Anthony, who at least has the excuse of being a Peer-Pressured Bully, Zack has no redeeming qualities whatsoever. He's just an outright bully and an absolute little shit who even manages to make Anthony look somewhat sympathetic by comparison. Hell, he even manages to make Kyler look like a cool guy.
Jerkass Has a Point: While he's very insulting about it, he's right to question Anthony on why he never actually demonstrates the karate skills he always boasts about and always seems to have an excuse for not actually fighting.
Mirror Character: To Kyler, in his Hate Sink qualities and mistreatment of friends (which is of a different nature: belittling and insulting Anthony in the case of Zack, ditching Brucks for Cobra Kai after getting defeated by Hawk in the case of Kyler). Interestingly when Anthony and Kenny swap roles as The Bully to each other in Season 5, Kyler takes on Zack's role as the less sympathetic sidekick to Kenny when they bully Anthony.
More Hateable Minor Villain: Kreese and Silver are most definitely the Big Bad Duumvirate of Season 4, but they clearly have sympathetic qualities that Zack Thompson lacks. As a matter of fact, both men (especially Silver) and even their dojo's resident Hate Sink, Kyler, happen to treat Kenny far better than this scumbag of a person.
Sadist: More than any other bully in the series, Zack seems to get off on the mistreatment of others. Little drives his bullying other than he finds it amusing.
Toxic Friend Influence: He pushes Anthony into bullying Kenny, and most of their gang's cruelest actions are Zack's idea.
Very Punchable Man: He exists for no reason other than to prove that he deserves an ass-kicking for his contemptible treatment of Kenny. And he gets it after Kenny lures Zack and his friends into the school library and takes them out one-by-one.
With Friends Like These...: The extent to which he belittles and insults Anthony goes well beyond Vitriolic Best Buds, to the point that you'd wonder why they're even friends to begin with.

Marcus

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Played By: Jaden Labady

Appearances: Cobra Kai

"Bust out some of that Miyagi-shit!'"

Another friend of Anthony LaRusso and bully to Kenny Payne.

The Bully: Just like his friends, he is this to Kenny.
Mook: He mainly serves as a part of Anthony's (or rather Zack's) gang.
Scary Black Man: Or scary black kid for the matter. After all, he is the largest out of Anthony's gang and does express physically hostility to Kenny. Though he eventually becomes nothing more than a pushover for Kenny to take down once the latter knows karate.
Very Punchable Man: He, along with Zack and Slade, exists for no reason other than to demonstrate that he deserves an ass-kicking for his contemptible treatment of Kenny. And he gets it after Kenny lures them into the school library and takes them out one-by-one.

Slade Wang

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Played By: Alex Boyer

Appearances: Cobra Kai

Another friend of Anthony LaRusso and bully to Kenny Payne.

Asian Rudeness: An Asian kid who bullies Kenny alongside his peers. Need anything else to say?
The Bully: Just like his friends, he is this to Kenny.
Mook: He mainly serves as a part of Anthony's (or rather Zack's) gang. To add on further, he doesn't have any lines to begin with!
No Full Name Given: Possibly subverted when Demetri mentions Jason Wang's younger brother being suspended for "some middle-school fight."
Small Role, Big Impact: If he were to be the younger brother of Jason Wang, that would mean that had he not taken part in bullying Kenny alongside the rest of Anthony's gang, the prom afterparty would have been held at Jason's house. Which meant Stingray would have never been able to host said afterparty that brought him enough confidence to come back to the dojo (as revealed in the Deleted Scene when Tory suggests him to reach out to Terry Silver), leading to a series of events where Terry Silver gives Stingray a No-Holds-Barred Beatdown, and uses him as an Unwitting Pawn to frame Kreese and usurp the dojo from him.
Very Punchable Man: He, along with Zack and Marcus, exists for no reason other than to demonstrate that he deserves an ass-kicking for his contemptible treatment of Kenny. And he gets it after Kenny lures them into the school library and takes them out one-by-one.

Karate Officials and Other Dojos

All Valley Karate Tournament

Tournament Board

In General

Author Avatar: They've been described as this by showrunners Jon Hurwitz, Josh Heald, and Hayden Schlossberg, having to come up with new ideas to keep a decades-old karate tournament from going stale in the same way the showrunners have to come up with new ideas to revive an old film franchise.
Reasonable Authority Figure: They give Johnny a fair hearing to appeal Cobra Kai's lifetime ban from the All Valley Tournament, and ultimately vote to overturn it when he makes clear his dojo is nothing like the old Cobra Kai. They also don't blame Daniel when the city council cancels the All Valley after the school brawl.
Serious Business: They tend to get into hilariously petty arguments about such unimportant things as the color of the tournament mats and Ron's ability to wield a gavel.
Unwitting Instigator of Doom: The radical changes they make to the tournament format for the 51st edition wind up favoring Cobra Kai. The dojo ends up winning the competition and the bet, forcing Daniel and Johnny to shut down their dojos.

Ron

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Played By: Matt Lewis

Appearances: Cobra Kai

"It seems the only fair solution is to put this to a vote."

The chairman of the All-Valley board. He doesn't have a lot of respect from his fellow board members however.

No-Respect Guy: Nobody on the board particularly respects his authority as their chair, and Daryl even childishly steals his gavel during an argument. They're also on the verge of voting him out of his position until he shocks everyone by getting Carrie Underwood to sing at the tournament.
Undying Loyalty: He stays loyal to Daniel even after the city council cancels the All Valley because of a fight Daniel partly caused, and even helps convince him to appeal against the decision.

Daryl

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"It's karate time!"

Played By: Keith Arthur Bolden

Appearances: Cobra Kai

"That's a badass name for a dojo, by the way."

A member of the All-Valley board who also operates as the emcee of the tournaments.

Appeal to Novelty: He's the most open member of the board to new ideas to shake up the tournament, arguing in favor of changing the color of the mats and saying that holding to traditions is pointless when attendances are dwindling.
Comically Missing the Point: When the All Valley Tournament in Season 1 attracts a huge crowd, he assumes it's because they heard about the board's decision to change the color of the mats. It's far more likely that Miguel's viral beatdown of Kyler's gang and Cobra Kai's newfound popularity are responsible for the impressive attendance.
Large Ham: As would be expected, he's very dramatic when acting as the tournament emcee.
One-Steve Limit: Averted. He shares a name with Darryl Vidal from the first movie.
Rule of Cool: He counts the fact that Cobra Kai is a badass name for a dojo in Johnny's favor when he appeals their ban from the tournament.
Unwitting Pawn: He gladly announces Tory as the female champion and Cobra Kai as the overall winners of the tournament, but he has no idea that was all because Silver rigged it by bribing the ref for leniency.

George

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"How about instead of karate we put on a baking class?"

Played By: Kurt Yue

Appearances: Cobra Kai

"It might be bullshit to you, but some of us here actually care about tradition."

A member of the All-Valley board who seems to be bit more conservative than his fellows.

Appeal to Tradition: He argues against the proposal to change the color of the tournament mats for this reason. He also argues against the idea of a girls' bracket and expresses disbelief on the All-Valley changes, even though he also joins the unanimous vote.
Blatant Lies: After Ron gets Carrie Underwood to perform at the 51st All Valley, George tells him that the rest of the board never doubted him, less than a minute after the board were scheming behind Ron's back to have him removed as president.
Straight Man: He's the most reserved member of the board, and in particular rolls his eyes at a lot of Daryl's outlandish ideas and hammy behaviour.
Straw Misogynist: He doesn't think much of the idea to add a girls bracket to the tournament, and suggests that the way to attract more female fans is to hold a baking class.
Sue: It's a wonder you've been divorced three times, George.
Yes-Man: Downplayed.
- He sides with Daniel against Johnny's appeal to let Cobra Kai back in the tournament mostly because he's known Daniel for a long time and trusts his judgment, but he still hears Johnny out and respects his argument.
- He joins the unanimous vote on the 51st All-Valley changes, but he does so with heavy reluctance and disbelief.

Sue

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"I think I speak for all of us when I say that the community could use more men like you, Mr. Lawrence."

Played By: Cara AnnMarie

Appearances: Cobra Kai

"As you can see, our core demo are middle-aged men and their sons, but we have seen an uptick in young female interest. We need to speak to that audience."

A member of the All-Valley board. She seems to be sweeter than the rest of the board members.

Pet the Dog: She admonishes Daniel for disrespecting Johnny at his appeal, and tells the latter that the community could use more people like him.

Referees

In General

Creator Cameo: The first three referees in the franchise are all played by their respective film/season's lead stunt coordinator.
Easily-Distracted Referee: These refs have almost all made some dreadful calls, usually screwing over the heroes in some way or being way too lenient on Cobra Kai's blatant cheating. In the case of the 51st All Valley ref and the Sekai Taikai tryout ref, they at least had the excuse of having been bribed by Terry Silver.

1980s Referee

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"That's it Barnes! One more violation and you're disqualified!"

Played By: Pat E. Johnson

Appearances: The Karate Kid (1984) | The Karate Kid Part II | The Karate Kid Part III

The referee of the tournaments in the original film trilogy.

The Cameo: He makes a brief appearance at the start of Part II, congratulating Daniel on winning the tournament before being pushed aside by an angry Kreese.
Strongly Worded Letter: He constantly warns Mike Barnes that he'll be disqualified if he commits one more foul, but never actually disqualifies him, making it clear this is a completely empty threat.
Took a Level in Dumbass: In the first film, he was a strict but fair referee, rightly disqualifying Bobby for his illegal kick to Daniel's knee and immediately giving Johnny a warning for an illegal elbow in the final. In Part III, he shows an absurd level of lenience to Barnes's cheating, allowing him to give Daniel a low blow and punch him between rounds, both of which should have been instant disqualifications, and gives him two completely ineffective warnings, which are followed by at least three further fouls, without ever following through with the DQ.

2018 Referee

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Played By: Hiro Koda

Appearances: Cobra Kai

The referee of the 50th All Valley Tournament.

Only Sane Man: The only referee in the franchise who isn't incompetent (1980s), corrupt (2019), or both (Sekai Taikai tryout).
Reasonable Authority Figure: He is completely fair but not a doormat, as he referees all of his matches down the middle while disqualifying Hawk when he crosses a line by attacking Robby between rounds.

2019 Referee

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/screenshot_20240124_222707_youtube2_0.jpg

Played By: Marcus Young

Appearances: Cobra Kai

The referee of the 51st All Valley Tournament, whom Terry Silver bribes to ensure Cobra Kai win.

Every Man Has His Price: He accepts a bribe from Terry Silver to help Cobra Kai win the 51st All Valley.
Small Role, Big Impact: He only appears in two episodes and has a handful of lines, but without him Cobra Kai would have lost the All Valley, changing the entire course of Season 5. Witnessing his conversation with Silver and realizing her victory over Sam was bought also plants the seeds of Tory's Heel–Face Turn.

Sekai Taikai Tryout Referee

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"That's a forfeit!"

Played By: Christopher Conolley

Appearances: Cobra Kai

"Referee is moron. Must not leave room for error."

— Chozen Toguchi

A flag judge at the All Valley whom Gunther Braun hires to referee the tryout between Cobra Kai and Miyagi-Fang's champions for a place in the Sekai Taikai. He also takes a bribe from Terry Silver to help Cobra Kai.

Early-Bird Cameo: He appears as a flag judge during Season 4's All Valley before having a bigger role as the referee of the Sekai Taikai tryout in Season 5.
Hanlon's Razor: Inverted. Although everyone who sees his refereeing notices his terrible calls, all of them (except Tory, who already knows Silver likes to bribe refs) assume that he's just an idiot rather than favoring Cobra Kai on purpose.
Sucksessor: To Silver's previous bribed ref. The 2019 referee's bias towards Cobra Kai is subtle enough that nobody notices and his cheating would never have come to light if Tory hadn't witnessed him and Silver talking about it afterwards, with Silver even complementing him on playing it perfectly. This ref's bad calls are so blatant that everyone in the building immediately realizes something is up, although they mostly assume that he's incompetent rather than corrupt. However, his constant suspicious glances at Silver after every decision clue Tory in to the fact that he's been bribed, causing her to storm out in disgust, and Daniel and Chozen's advice to Sam to make every point undeniable ends up preventing him from screwing Miyagi-Fang without completely giving the game away, so he ultimately fails to prevent her from beating Devon.

Topanga Karate

Appearances: Cobra Kai

A dojo that competes in the All Valley, most notable for training 2017 champion Xander Stone. In Season 5, the dojo is bought out by Terry Silver as he expands Cobra Kai.

Hufflepuff House: They're arguably the next most important dojo in the show after Miyagi-Do, Cobra Kai and Eagle Fang, given that the reigning champion in Season 1's All Valley is their student, but they remain Flat Characters with the exception of Devon, and even then most of her development occurs when she is a member of other dojos.
Pacifist Dojo: Implied. Their champion is an All-Loving Hero and their sensei tells Devon to watch her aggression during her training.
The Quisling: With the exception of Devon, every single member of the dojo immediately and enthusiastically joins Cobra Kai when they get bought out.
Suspiciously Similar Substitute: Of Locust Valley Karate Club (despite them still being active as of the 51st Annual All-Valley tournament), as the valley's most prominent karate Hufflepuff House.
The Worf Effect:
- Perhaps due to Xander Stone's high-end tenure as their top student, Topanga could have been considered as the best karate school in the All-Valley. All of that changes when Cobra Kai and Miyagi-Do make their triumphant returns, explicitly seen when Miguel beats Xander 3-1 and Robby also makes it to the finals.
- After Cobra Kai wins the 51st All-Valley, Terry Silver uses his charisma and greater accessories to buy out Topanga, showing how Cobra Kai is taking over the Valley with his expansion.

Students

Xander Stone

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"Even though I love to fight, we all need to fight together against hatred."

Played By: Talin Chat

Appearances: Cobra Kai

"And as I look around this arena, I pray for every race, religion, and gender that we can all live together in peace."

The previous year's All Valley Under-18 Karate Champion who represents the Topanga karate school. He makes into the semi-finals during the championship in the Season 1 finale.

Affectionate Parody: Of the heroes of 80s martial arts movies like The Karate Kid. He goes out of his way to give an Aesop-tastic speech about "fighting against hatred" and uses a flashier martial arts style that focuses more on looking cool than being an effective martial art.
All-Loving Hero: Parodied. Xander is a Nice Guy who shows respect to all of his opponents, including when Aisha tells him to "eat shit", and he makes a very over-the-top speech about promoting tolerance and inclusion. Johnny, who's very much an Anti-Hero, finds this extremely annoying and tells Miguel to kick him in the face, to which his student readily agrees.
Awesome, but Impractical: Why he barely defeats Aisha and why he loses to Miguel. His method of fighting seems to focus more on flash than inflicting damage. Put against someone like Miguel whose moves are simple yet quite powerful, he loses the semi-final match three points to one.
Curb Stomp Cushion: Despite suffering a loss where Miguel scores two points in a row against him, Xander manages to score a point off-screen and loses 1-3.
Dance Battler: The guy really loves to show off his flips. While it winds up being effective against a Mighty Glacier like Aisha, it is part of the reason he loses to Miguel in the semi-finals.
Expy:
- Of Daniel LaRusso in his youth. A Caucasian martial artist going up against one of the students of Cobra Kai in a martial arts tournament who's a full blown Affectionate Parody of movies like The Karate Kid. The only things missing are an Asian mentor and a parody of the Crane Kick.
- Of Vidal from the original movie as well. A tough martial artist (in this case the defending champion) that defeats a Cobra Kai member, only to lose to the ace of the dojo to show how tough said ace is.
Graceful Loser: He takes his defeat from Miguel very well, offering his opponent a congratulatory handshake and bow after the match. His mother, on the other hand...
Mauve Shirt: He exists solely to show how far Miguel has come as a fighter and that the latter and his contemporary Aces such as Robby and Hawk are on a league of their own.
Nice Guy: To an almost obnoxious degree.
Red Oni, Blue Oni: Easily the Blue to his mom's Red. While Xander remains composed and respectful before, during and after his fights, Patricia can be heard screaming at the top of her lungs at her son to punch his opponents in the face and angrily declares his defeat to Miguel to be bullshit even as Xander is a Graceful Loser and shakes Miguel's hand.
Sheep in Sheep's Clothing: He gives a rather lengthy speech about "fighting against hatred" just before the semi-finals. His speech can be interpreted as a publicity stunt, but the fact that he acts like a Graceful Loser after being defeated by Miguel suggests he is indeed a nice guy. The values taught by Sensei Rosenthal makes it clear that Xander's speech is definitely genuine.
Soapbox Sadie: He takes time right before the semi-finals to go on a long speech about fighting intolerance. Even the nicer (and ethnically diverse) members of Cobra Kai find the speech annoying. Though this might not be all Xander's own fault because there's a possibility that his Stage Mom made him like this.
The Worf Effect: On both ends of this. During the championship, he is able to fight on par with and eventually defeat Aisha, who is arguably Cobra Kai's second best student. However, he loses to Miguel, Cobra Kai's star pupil, during the semi-finals. This is mostly done to show off the extent of Miguel's fighting skills before Robby has to fight him.
Whatever Happened to the Mouse?: He's not shown at the 51st All Valley Tournament and given his and his mom's passion for the tournament, it's likely he just aged out of the bracket. This doesn't explain his absence in Season 5 when the Topanga dojo is bought out by Terry Silver, though it's entirely possible he just wasn't in class that day.
Would Hit a Girl: He has no bones about going all out against Aisha, though downplayed since he's obviously not trying to genuinely hurt her, given that it's point karate.

Former Students

Devon Lee

See Devon in Cobra Kai and Associates.

Associates

Patricia Stone

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"Now punch him in the face, Xander!"

Played By: Suehyla El-Attar

Appearances: Cobra Kai

"That's all right baby, two more and momma is back in the finals!"

The mother of Xander Stone who's very enthusiastic about his karate.

Red Oni, Blue Oni: Easily the Red to Xander's Blue. While Xander remains composed and respectful before, during and after his fights, Patricia can be heard screaming at the top of her lungs at her son to punch his opponents in the face and angrily declares his defeat to Miguel to be bullshit even as Xander is a Graceful Loser and shakes Miguel's hand.
Sore Loser: She doesn't take it very well when Miguel beats her son in the semis 3-1.
Stage Mom: She clearly takes way too intense of an interest in Xander's karate competitions, and is presumably one of the "karate moms" that Amanda admits to being creeped out by.

Sekai Taikai Representatives

Gunther Braun

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"Very impressive. But there are many impressive dojos in the world."

Played By: Carsten Norgaard

Appearances: Cobra Kai

"Rocky Balboa is my hero. His victory over Russia effectively restored my fractured homeland."

The head of the Sekai Taikai representatives who visit the Valley to assess Cobra Kai and Miyagi-Do/Eagle Fang for entry into the tournament.

Closet Geek: Besides being a karate promoter, he's also implied to be just as much of an actual martial arts enthusiast, as his Commonality Connection with Johnny over Rocky IV would suggest. This is likely why he's appreciative of Eagle Fang's more... rugged training regiment.
The Comically Serious: He's a very dignified and composed man, which makes it all the funnier when he gets sprayed with chunks of watermelon by Sam and reveals himself to be a huge fan of Rocky IV.
Commonality Connection: He and Johnny bond over their love of Rocky IV.
Funny Foreigner: He's The Comically Serious in keeping with most depictions of Germans as hilariously humorless in fiction.
Not So Above It All: He seems like another self-serious karate tournament head honcho until he very enthusiastically joins in with Johnny referencing Rocky IV.
Reasonable Authority Figure: He gives both dojos fair chance to impress the committee and ultimately allows them both into the tournament after they demonstrate the worth in their vastly differing styles. He also stresses that the quality of each dojo's students will be the decisive factor, rejecting Silver's subtle attempts at bribery with his promises of corporate sponsorships and American TV deals if Cobra Kai is allowed in. Plus, he doesn't take it personally when Sam accidentally gets watermelon all over him while demonstrating Eagle Fang training methods.
Serious Business: He believes that Rocky IV helped end the Cold War and reunite East and West Germany.
Unwitting Instigator of Doom: He means well with his decision to hire a local referee to adjudicate the tryouts between Cobra Kai and Miyagi-Fang, but this just gives Silver another chance to bribe a ref. Luckily, Sam is able to overcome the ref's bias and secure the win over Devon, preventing Miyagi-Fang from being unjustly shut out of qualification.

CDCR Prison

Dr. Emily Folsom

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"I know the difference between a breakthrough and saying what I want to hear."

Played By: Tracey Bonner

Appearances: Cobra Kai

"You told me you've been fighting all your life. So keep fighting, but with your heart and soul instead of your fists."

A psychiatrist at the correctional facility who regularly gives John Kreese therapy sessions during the latter's time there.

Beware the Nice Ones: Kreese believed he could easily manipulate her into vouching for a reduced sentence, but she isn't fooled for a second by his crap and even forces Kreese to actually confront some of his past demons.
Excellent Judge of Character: She is one of the few characters besides Johnny and Daniel to see right through Kreese's bullshit of trying to paint himself as a decent guy just to secure himself an early release. Justified, as Dr. Folsom is a career prison psychologist and has dealt with manipulative sociopaths for years. However, this is later subverted when Kreese tricks her into thinking that she made an emotional breakthrough with him to surreptitiously purloin her keycard for entering and exiting the prison grounds (though in her defense, Kreese had in fact made huge personal progress, even if he still couldn't resist an attempt at breakout.).
Punny Name: Fittingly for her role as a prison psychiatrist, her surname references the classic Johnny Cash song "Folsom Prison Blues".

Gabriel

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"Sayonara, Sensei!"

Played By: Owen Harn

Appearances: Cobra Kai

"Can you believe this bag of bones is in here for assault?"

An inmate who harasses Kreese until the latter beats him into a pulp.

Bait-and-Switch: In the Season 5 finale, he shanks Kreese in the prison cafeteria in seeming revenge for Kreese beating him up earlier. After Kreese's body is hauled away, however, it is revealed that the shanking was a ruse (using melted jello for blood) to give Kreese an opening to escape from prison.
Bullying a Dragon: He thinks he can get away with harassing Kreese because of his age. Like all other non-karatekas that come across one of the series' main senseis, he gets his comeuppance, from Kreese himself, and then some.
Know When to Fold Them: After being beaten up by Kreese, he makes no attempt at revenge and indeed becomes Kreese's fawning henchman. He even collaborates with Kreese's plan to break out of prison (via a fake shanking), despite it being a golden opportunity to snitch on Kreese or simply shank him for real.
Sycophantic Servant: He becomes an absolutely pathetic lackey to Kreese after Kreese kicks his ass, calling him "sir" or "sensei" every time he opens his mouth and doing whatever Kreese tells him to.
Would Harm a Senior: He learns the hard way when that senior is, as everyone calls him, a very skilled karate sensei.

Other San Fernando Valley Residents

Present Day

Lynn the Homeless Woman

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"Hey! Open up and give me money!"

Played By: Susan Gallagher

Appearances: Cobra Kai

"This is my mart! You ain't hustling at no point at my mart!"

A crystal meth-abusing homeless woman who "hustles" the mini-mall where the Cobra Kai Dojo is located.

Abhorrent Admirer: She occasionally flirts with Johnny and accuses him of stalking her, to his disgust.
Accidental Innuendo: In-universe. There are a couple of instances where Lynn twists what Johnny says to her to take on a suggestive meaning, much to the latter's dismay.
Attention Deficit... Ooh, Shiny!: At one point, Johnny attempts to hire Lynn to hold up a sign advertising the Cobra Kai dojo, but she soon loses interest and uses the sign as a roof for her stuff.
Beauty Inversion: Lynn looks like an old, meth-addled street woman, yet the same definitely could not be said of her actress, Susan Gallagher.
Crazy Homeless People: Lynn doesn’t appear to be mentally balanced, and she scares the crap out of Yasmine and Moon when approaching their car to demand money. (Though in fairness, the latter was more because Yasmine and Moon are rich girls who fear/despise the poor than anything Lynn actually does to them.)

Nestor

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Played By: Vas Sanchez

Appearances: Cobra Kai

The shopkeeper of a bodega in the same strip mall as Cobra Kai.

Aesop Collateral Damage: He suffers financially when Zarkarian raises the rent on his shop thanks to Daniel manipulating him in an effort to drive Cobra Kai out of business. While Daniel realizes he took his grudge with Johnny too far after a What the Hell, Hero? speech from Amanda, this is of no help to Nestor, who is never going to get his money back.
Jerk with a Heart of Gold: He's a total slob who handles food in a very unhygienic way and is unnecessarily rude to Johnny, but he clearly has a soft spot for Miguel and Robby and is ultimately just an ordinary guy trying to make a decent living.
Know When to Fold 'Em: He complains about Silver and Daniel treating his store like a conference room and not buying anything, but wisely backs down when the deranged old sensei gives him a Death Glare.
Minor with Fake I.D.: Nestor falls victim to one of these by Hawk in Season 1. Given that Daniel's stunt with Zarkarian caused the rent for his shop to rise up, it is equally likely that he knew and didn't care and could not pass up a paying customer's big purchase considering that Hawk was buying a case of beer and eight bottles of vodka.
Odd Friendship: Season 4 implies he's developed one with Robby, as the two share a Secret Handshake when the latter enters his store.
Small Role, Big Impact: He's a very minor character with only a handful of scenes across the series, and yet he is responsible for the chain of events that leads to Cobra Kai's reopening and everything else that occurs in the entire show. He refuses to sell beer to Kyler and his friends after Miguel accidentally outs them as being underage, which leads them to beat him up in front of Johnny and eventually provoke Johnny into kicking their asses, which is what inspires Miguel to request karate lessons from Johnny to defend himself from them, and THAT in turn leads to the rebirth of Cobra Kai.

Judy

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"What did you just call me?"

Played By: Kylie Delre

Appearances: Cobra Kai

"You're that dumb asshole who hung my TV on the wrong wall."

A spoiled, abrasive customer of Johnny Lawrence who gets him fired from his handyman job. She later appears as an attempted date for Johnny, courtesy of an ill-considered dating app.

Bitch Alert: Starts berating Johnny immediately after her introduction. After a few minutes of her crap, Johnny can't help calling her out on it.
The Bus Came Back: She reappears midway in Season 2 after her minor appearance in the series' premiere, apparently as another date for Johnny.
Failed a Spot Check: In season 2, Judy somehow failed to recognize Johnny on the app (despite their previous hostile meeting) before scheduling a date.
Laser-Guided Karma: After her bitchy, Karen-like encounter with Johnny in the series' premiere, Season 2 implies she's struggling to find a significant other, given that she's using dating apps.
Ms. Fanservice: Her first appearance is a Walking Swimsuit Scene, while her second appearance has her wearing a flattering dress as a blind date to Johnny.
Never My Fault: She utterly refuses to accept that Johnny installed her TV on the "wrong" wall only because her dumb instructions were to install it across from the door in a room with two doors.
No Name Given: Her name is never mentioned aloud.
Rich Bitch: She looks to be well-off given the house she lives in, and is an unbearable piece of shit that not only picks on every petty mistake Johnny makes, but shoots down his sincere offers to fix them.
Screw This, I'm Outta Here: When she recognizes Johnny after encountering him again through the dating app, she very quickly leaves the scene.
Small Role, Big Impact: She's a very minor character only making small appearances in two of the series' episodes (and both Played for Laughs, no less), yet she is responsible for the chain of events that leads to Cobra Kai's reopening and everything else that occurs in the entire show. She gets Johnny fired from his job after a series of petty arguments and mistakes, which results in Johnny trying to seek a new purpose in his life, eventually finding one in opening a new dojo after getting into a fight with Kyler and his goons.

Trey and Cruz

Played By: Terayle Hill (Trey) and Jeff Kaplan (Cruz)

Appearances: Cobra Kai

Robby's two hoodlum friends. They make their living by trafficking in stolen goods, but they're not above resorting to violence to get their way.

Ambiguously Brown: In-Universe, Shannon doesn't know Cruz's name, but describes him as "vaguely Latin".
Dirty Coward: While a third, unnamed guy accompanying the pair restrains Robby, Cruz brandishes a switchblade and prepares to knife the helpless Robby.
Dual Boss: They fight Robby in a 2 against 1 brawl when Robby tries to stop them from robbing Daniel's dealership.
Evil Duo: Downplayed, since neither is all that smart, but Trey is the more conniving one, while Cruz is dumber and more aggressive. The "helpless without a reasonable third party to moderate them" aspect of the trope is highlighted by the fact that they initially have Robby playing exactly that role, and they become much less competent after he walks out on them.
I'm Not Afraid of You: While they have mad respect for Daniel after that Curb-Stomp Battle at the beachfront, Cruz laughs Johnny off as a pathetic loser. Unfortunately for Cruz, the latter action turns out to be a bad idea.
Karma Houdini Warranty: The two don't face any legal consequences for their crimes after Robby scares them out of trying to rob Daniel's dealership. Come their next encounter with Robby in season 2 (backed up by a third guy, Derek), however, Daniel arrives to Robby's rescue and effortlessly floors his attackers. By the start of season 3, both are in jail for their many crimes, and Cruz gets bitchslapped by Johnny twice (with the added humiliation that the guards are clearly aware of the slappings but don't care to intervene).
Textual Celebrity Resemblance: While describing Trey, Shannon says that he looks like Chris Brown.
Toxic Friend Influence: Robby wasn't exactly a good kid when he was introduced, but their influence on him certainly didn't help. In Season 3 Shannon explicitly says that whenever Robby got into trouble, these two weren't far behind.
Unskilled, but Strong: During the dealership fight, the two are eventually able to beat the karate trained Robby, despite no indication that they have any formal training. Granted, Robby's karate training has only been going on for a few weeks. The only reason they don't beat Robby to a pulp is because Robby points out that they're being filmed on a security camera, meaning they would be caught if they tried to rob the dealership.
Villain Respect: They develop this for Daniel after he kicks their asses at the beach, even going so far as to call him "Mr. LaRusso" when Daniel and Johnny visit them in jail.
We Will Meet Again: Cruz warns Robby to "watch his ass" after their attempt to rob Daniel's dealership fails, before fleeing with Trey.
The Worf Effect: An interesting retrospective example. Their fight with Robby at the dealership is partly done to give the audience a gauge of Robby's karate skills. Although Robby puts up a good fight, he ultimately loses since he's outnumbered two to one and only has a few weeks of training, and Trey and Cruz only leave after he points out that a security camera is filming them. Now compare that to Miguel, who could easily defeat four bullies trained in wrestling just 2 episodes ago. It really shows the difference in skill and experience when Robby has to fight Miguel in the tournament.
Would Harm a Senior: They, along with their inside man, don't hesitate to attack Daniel when he steps in to defend Robby. It doesn't end well for them, as he makes short work of them. (It's also a Downplayed Trope, as Daniel is only in his early fifties at this point.)

Armand Zarkarian

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/cobrakaiarmand.png

"So you want me to scratch your balls. How you going to scratch my balls?"

Played By: Ken Davitian

Appearances: Cobra Kai

"You have more students, you have more money. You have more money, you pay more rent."

A wealthy developer who owns many properties in the Valley, including the strip mall where the Cobra Kai dojo is located.

Corrupt Corporate Executive:
- Downplayed in Season 1. He does double the rent for his tenants without considering their ability to keep paying it, but Armand legitimately believes he's matching the market rate. He's last seen telling his son to be harsh and resolute in his trade.
- In episode 4 of Season 2, he decides to increase the rent for the Cobra Kai dojo again just because Johnny's business is booming and he can easily pay it.
- Played with at the end of Season 2, in that while he signed ownership of the Cobra Kai dojo over to Kreese while Johnny was away on his weekend trip with his old friends, Johnny only ever made a "handshake deal" with Zarkarian for the dojo and technically never actually owned it. Then again, Kreese also mentions that said landlord told him he never liked Johnny.
Cranky Landlord: Actually worse than most examples of this trope. Armand couldn't care less if his tenants' businesses are legal, as long as they can pay (and keep paying) the rent no matter how much he jacks it up. And yes, he is cranky all the time.
Dirty Coward: He brings his two burly nephews along to evict Kreese. When Kreese makes short work of them offscreen and demands to know why he had a change of heart, Armand quickly sells the LaRussos out to him.
Good Parents: While he has his faults, he is a good father to his son Roland. He takes him to lobster night when Daniel invites them, and he takes him with him to show him how to raise rent on people. Letting him know you have to be tough, though he should have made sure Roland was paying attention to him instead of his phone at first.
Jabba Table Manners: Even in a fancy country club or in someone's private home, his table etiquette is horrible.
Jerkass Has a Point: When Amanda tries to convince him to evict Kreese, he points out that Kreese has given him no reason to do so, as he is an excellent tenant who always pays his rent on time, and that it is unethical for him to discuss his and Kreese's lease agreement with the LaRussos. Armand may be a Fat Bastard and a very shady businessman, but he's absolutely right on both points.
Laser-Guided Karma: Both him and his burly nephews get their asses kicked in Season 3 by Kreese when trying to unethically evict him.
No Social Skills: Incredibly blunt, barely groomed, and lacking in everything but simple business savvy. It's even revealed that the reason he was kicked out of the Encino Hills Country Club in the first place is because he was caught urinating in the showers, which he tries to rationalize with "everybody does it".
Self-Made Man: Perhaps Armand's only redeeming quality alongside being a good father. During his conversations with Daniel, the latter attempts to flatter him by reminding him that neither of them were born into wealth (unlike everyone else at the country club).
Unwitting Pawn: Daniel plays him like a fiddle to manipulate him into raising Johnny's rent. He never even realizes it wasn't his own idea.

Lyle

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/6b0a488f_3faf_481f_b7db_305c03d9905e.jpeg

Played By: Matt Borlenghi

Appearances: Cobra Kai

A pawn shop owner in the Valley who has constant encounters with Johnny.

Deadpan Snarker: Almost exclusively, although he is constantly dealing with Johnny, which would be enough to irritate anyone.
Foil: To Tom Cole. Both share an antagonistic relationship with a main character. Tom Cole at first just seems harmless if rude but then makes a serious attempt to poach Daniel's business from under him. Lyle's problems with Johnny is more frustration with his cluelessness, but even then he offers genuine advice to help him.
Hidden Depths: Would most people suspect this sardonic proletarian to actually be a dedicated family man that willingly runs not one, but three pawn shop locations to be able to adequately provide for that family? He also empathized with Johnny when he complained about how unfulfilling his new job was and imparted to him that as long as there was something or someone worth doing the job for, it's worth enduring the breaks that come with it.
Hypocrite: He constantly derides Johnny for trying to sell him useless crap, even though, as Johnny points out, his entire job revolves around buying and selling useless crap.
Jerkass Has a Point: He's very dismissive of Johnny, but he's not wrong that everything Johnny tries to sell him is worthless and that it's not his job to teach Johnny how to use technology. Given how absurdly Hopeless with Tech Johnny is, it's hard to blame him for getting frustrated with him.
Jerk with a Heart of Gold: He is constantly putting Johnny down and is by all appearances a typical sleazy pawnshop owner. He admits in a moment of sincerity that he hates his line of work but it helps him support his three kids and gives sincere advice to Johnny about shitty jobs being easier when you know who you’re doing it for.
Nice to the Waiter: He seems to have a soft spot for low-wage workers as he offers Johnny some of the food he delivered and gives him some honest advice to help him with a job he clearly hates.
Pet the Dog: Despite his antagonistic relationship with Johnny, he does give him some sincere advice about the importance of providing for your loved ones even if it means doing jobs you hate.
Sitcom Arch-Nemesis: He's sure to trade barbs with Johnny any time they meet.

Tom Cole

"The Valley's big enough for two auto kings, am I right?"

Played By: David Shatraw

Appearances: Cobra Kai

"Look, I believe in karma. What goes up, over a balcony, must come down."

Daniel LaRusso's local business rival in the auto dealership industry. While his enmity with Daniel is non-violent, Cole is not above trolling Daniel or even poaching his employees.

Bullying a Dragon: He's the first of many to think Daniel is merely pretending to be a "karate guy". Even after Daniel cites his two All-Valley tournament wins, Cole unwisely continues to needle him. His boba tea pays the price for it.
The Bus Came Back: After one appearance in Season 1, he's only referenced by other people until he returns in Season 3.
Corrupt Corporate Executive: Cole's jerkassery in seasons 1 and 2 was hurtful to Daniel, but not particularly immoral. In Season 3, he crosses a new line by secretly convincing Doyona to drop Daniel's dealership, which will run Daniel out of business. And yes, he continues to be an insulting jerkass while he's at it.
Evil Counterpart: To Daniel in regards to their profession. Granted, Tom is not so much evil as much as just being a colossal douche; while Daniel is a Benevolent Boss and Honest Corporate Executive (as long as Cobra Kai isn't involved), Tom treats his employees with indifference (he never bothered to correctly remember Anoush's name) and implied to try to sneak in bogus charges to less attentive buyers. Cole is basically the "sleazy car salesman" that Daniel feared turning out like when Mr. Miyagi pitched sales as a possible career field for him years back.
Hypocrite: Says to Daniel that "Nobody likes to do business with a bully" in the same scene where almost every line out of his mouth has been to insult Daniel or threaten his business.
Jerkass Has a Point: While his antics vary between Poke the Poodle and Kick the Dog he does bring a lot of valid points in his first appearance:
- While gimmicky, a cactus is a more responsible plant to own than a bonsai, given California's frequent droughts.
- He rightly points out Daniel is making a bigger deal of Tom's American-laden commercial than need be.
- He notes that Daniel takes too much pride in winning the All Valley Karate Tournament in high school and the accomplishment isn't as big a deal as he treats it as.
Kick the Dog: He clearly enjoys rubbing in Daniel's face how badly his dealership has suffered as a result of the negative PR from the school brawl in Season 3. Even worse, he cracks jokes about Miguel's life-threatening injuries.
"I heard things weren't going so well at the dealership. Guess that's what happens when you put kids in comas, am I right?"
Mean Boss: While not a slave-driver, Tom is negligent and unappreciative of his employees; he treats Anoush like an errand boy and constantly misremembering his name. It gets to the point that Anoush decides to inform the LaRussos about Cole's underhanded deal with Doyona and jumps ship.
Nice Job Fixing It, Villain: While it takes most of Season 3 to play out, his attempts to run the LaRusso Auto Group out of business ultimately saves Daniel both professionally and personally.
- Professionally, this allows Daniel to run into Yuna, the same person he helped save in a typhoon 34 years ago. Said woman is now willing to help Daniel save his business relationship with Doyona International.
- Personally, Daniel's trip to Okinawa allowed him to meet with a reformed Chozen, who ultimately teaches him the secret Pressure Point techniques that save his life during the fight with Kreese in the season finale. In season 4, Chozen goes even farther and becomes Daniel's ally against Cobra Kai.
Not-So-Harmless Villain: In Season 1, Cole is mostly a jerkass Troll to Daniel, and Daniel humiliates him during his one appearance. In Season 2, Cole doesn't appear on-camera, but makes quite a hit on Daniel's business, as Daniel is unable to keep him from swiping some of LaRusso Auto Group's best salespeople. By Season 3, he's signed an exclusive deal with the main distributor for many of the major Japanese car companies, convinces them to cut their ties with the LaRussos and tries to buy the dealership out from under Daniel and Amanda. Only a massive dose of Karmic Jackpot prevents his complete victory.
Opportunistic Bastard: While it never goes beyond the confines of their business rivalry, Cole always seems ready to take advantage of Daniel's misfortune, be it the billboard vandalism or his distraction with Cobra Kai.
Poke the Poodle: After Johnny spray-paints a dick on Daniel's billboard, he rubs it in Daniel's face by ordering 100 sausage pizzas for LaRusso Auto Group. Then there's also the subtle jab at Daniel's bonsai deal that he put into his Revolutionary War-themed commercial.
Sitcom Arch-Nemesis: Not to be confused with his actual nemesis (Johnny, and later Kreese and Silver), Tom is LaRusso Auto's rival in the car dealership business.
Two First Names: Cole is a common male given name.
Underestimating Badassery: "I'm not really a Revolutionary soldier, and you're not really a karate guy". One spin kick later, Cole's boba tea begs to differ.
Villainy-Free Villain: He never does anything illegal or truly morally reprehensible in seasons 1 and 2. He was just a jerk, and not as bad as Daniel or Johnny had been the same season. In Season 2, he does take many of Daniel's best employees, but he does so by offering better salaries than what Daniel does. Anoush only took the deal because Daniel blew off the opportunity to match it. In Season 3, he dramatically exits this trope with a plan that would have ruined Daniel's business but for an incredible stroke of Karmic Jackpot on Daniel's part.

Rodney

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/screenshot_2024_01_30_180852.png

"It's not my job to keep track of your excuses, it's my job to cash rent checks."

Played By: Grayson Berry

Appearances: Cobra Kai

"See now if you had a man instead of a boy, maybe things would be easier for you. You wouldn't have to worry about paying rent."

Tory's unsympathetic landlord, who torments her sexually out of rent-paying comeuppance.

Asshole Victim: Kreese and Tory may be monsters on their own, but no one is going to feel sorry for the jerkass that the former roughed up and intimidated into giving up on the latter's back rent.
Bullying a Dragon: He tries to sexually extort Tory, and nearly gets his arm broken for his audacity. He escapes with his arm (and leverage over Tory) intact, but fares much worse when Kreese enters the picture.
Curb-Stomp Battle: On the receiving end against Kreese. It's clear an average man like him stands no chance against a karate-trained Vietnam war vet.
Dirty Coward: The only reason why Tory won't beat the shit out of this scumbag is because he'll remind her of her current legal situation and call her probation officer if she goes too far. When Kreese threatens his finger, he could only do nothing but beg for his mercy.
Ephebophilia: As if his sexual extortion wasn’t bad enough, Tory is also a minor.
Eviler than Thou: Only a scumbag like him who doesn’t give a shit about Tory’s seriously ill mother and tries to extort her (a minor) into sex can make the audience root for psychos like Kreese and Tory herself.
Fingore: On the receiving end of one. His finger is threatened by Kreese with the latter's cigar chopper if he does not back off from Tory and cancel her back rent.
Hate Sink: He's a sleazy jerkass, who threatens to evict Tory for not paying her rent on time. That on its own may be standard procedure for any landlord, but he shows no sympathy towards Tory's situation with her sick mother and (worse yet) attempts to use the rent issue to pressure her for sexual favors. When Tory tries to retaliate against him, he points out that he can call her probation officer if she doesn't go along with it. When Kreese learns about this, he threatens the man with a cigar chopper. It really says something when you're so loathsome that John Kreese is disgusted by you.
Jerkass: He's such an unsympathetic asshole that he makes both Tory and Kreese look likable by comparison. He even gets his own violent comeuppance courtesy of Kreese himself.
Jerkass Has a Point: When Tory gets on his case for his lack of maintenance on her apartment, Rodney does correctly point out that he's not much obligated if she keeps delaying her rent. And while his complete lack of sympathy for Tory and her mother's situation is detestable, he's also right in that it doesn't excuse that they're late on their rent and that it's not his problem to solve.
Kick the Dog: After he points out that Tory's parole makes her helpless to physically retaliate against him for attempting his Sexual Extortion scheme, he walks away laughing cruelly at her.
More Hateable Minor Villain: Almost every trope here shows how much of an absolute scumbag he is compared to Kreese and Tory.
Sexual Extortion: He tries to pull this by telling Tory that if she had a "real man" like him, her rent situation would be easier, going as far as to say he would either see her "tonight"... or later in the week with her rent check, while threatening to tell her parole officer about having assaulted him when he was harassing her. Tory is later seen counting her money with a desperate look, suggesting that she's considering accepting the landlord's "offer", but Kreese intervenes behind her back before that comes to pass.
Very Punchable Man: Dealing with this jackass for two minutes was enough to get Tory on the edge of violating her parole. Later, he is terrified by (and very nearly loses a finger to) Kreese.

Greg Hughes

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/screenshot_2024_01_30_181753.png

"That's right, I forgot Raymond, you like to hang with a bunch of kids and play kung fu all day. It is pathetic!"

Played By: P. J. Byrne

Appearances: Cobra Kai

"Yeah, well it was Hughes who said, 'get your goddamn frisbees off my roof, or I'm calling the police!'"

The next-door neighbor of Stingray's sister, who is fed up with Stingray's irresponsible behavior while living at her house.

Bullying a Dragon: Greg's behaviour towards Stingray falls somewhere between this and Mugging the Monster. Despite being a social loser, Stingray is a trained karateka with a tendency to act without considering consequences. Yet Greg keeps mocking him in his face, apparently believing that either Stingray's karate skills are all talk (which, admittedly, is an understandable assumption) or that he simply wouldn't dare to actually strike him.
Butt-Monkey: Thanks to Stingray staying over at his sister's place, nothing seems to go well for this guy.
Chuck Cunningham Syndrome: He doesn't appear in Season 5, but this is justified, given that Stingray has moved into a new apartment gifted to him by Silver as part of his re-membership with Cobra Kai.
Cranky Neighbour: Justified as Stingray continues to act obnoxious and his antics being a legitimate disturbance to the other neighbors.
Expy: A man who just wants to live his life peacefully is (understandably) cranky over the fact that an obnoxious Manchild is living right next-door to him and causing him distress. There's a certain octopus living under the sea that feels the exact same way.
Jerkass Has a Point: As rude as he is about it, he's 100% right about how much of a loser and inconsiderate neighbor Stingray is. Deconstructed somewhat, as his jerkass attitude gives Stingray little incentive to listen to him.
Non-Action Guy: He prefers dealing with his problems by calling the police.
Not So Above It All: He appears a mostly normal guy who is justifiably fed up with Stingray's Jerkass Manchild antics, though he does call Stingray the rather juvenile insult "Stink-Ray" throughout the episode. Not that Stingray doesn’t deserve it.
Pet the Dog: When he arrives to stop Stingray's party, he gives all the teens the chance to just go home and avoid being arrested for underage drinking and sincerely warns them about how much of a loser and bad influence Stingray is. This only gets Greg brutally beaten up by Stingray while the teens cheer his name.
"The Reason You Suck" Speech: He calls Stingray out for being a pathetic Manchild who sponges off of those who feel sorry for him and hangs out with teenagers because he has no friends his own age. It would almost make you feel sorry for him if it wasn't for the fact that Greg is 100% right and Stingray arrogantly ignores everything he says.
Greg: Okay, no one listen to this speed bump of a human. This is a loser, everyone. That's why he's partying with you, because he has no friends his own age.
Stingray: Okay. I warned you, but you just had to push it and make it personal.
Greg: I did, Stink-Ray. And you know what I'm doing right now? I'm gonna start pushing these buttons and I am gonna call the cops.
Shadow Archetype: Likely unintentional but he is basically what Demetri would be like if he never took up karate lessons.
Villainy-Free Villain: He's just a regular guy who is understandably fed up with Stingray's irresponsible behavior such as blasting heavy metal music in the middle of the night and hosting a Wild Teen Party.

1980s

Mr. and Mrs. Mills

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/screenshot_2023_07_19_222601.jpg

"You live in Encino, Daniel?"

^{Click here to see Mrs. Mills in Cobra Kai}

Played By: William Bassett (Mr. Mills), Shannon Wilcox (Mrs. Mills, The Karate Kid (1984)), Deborah May (Mrs. Mills, Cobra Kai)

Appearances: The Karate Kid (1984) | Cobra Kai (Mrs. Mills only)

Ali's parents. They are very rich and very snobbish.

Boyfriend-Blocking Dad: Both of them strongly disapprove of Ali dating Daniel and have no issue telling her this to her face and trying to push her towards Johnny instead, though they do stop short of outright forbidding her from seeing Daniel.
The Cameo: Mrs. Mills makes a brief appearance in Season 3 of Cobra Kai to welcome Ali back to the Valley for Christmas.
Horrible Judge of Character: They think Johnny would be a better boyfriend to Ali than Daniel, simply because Johnny's family are rich and Daniel is not.
Irony: They prefer Ali to date Johnny because he's of the same socio-economic status as them. They're unaware that Johnny originally had a similar background to Daniel and only became rich through his mother marrying his stepfather.
Jerkass: A pair of wealthy snobs who look down on Daniel and Lucille for living in Reseda and having a broken-down car.
Parent-Preferred Suitor: They would much rather see Ali date Johnny than Daniel.
Rich Bastard: They're very rich members of the Country Club and look down on Daniel for being less well-off and living in Reseda.
Took a Level in Kindness: Mrs. Mills seems a bit nicer in her brief appearance in Cobra Kai, having only friendly interactions with Ali and happily spoiling her grandchildren. However, Ali does mention that her parents disapprove of her divorce, suggesting they remain snobs to some extent.

Darryl Vidal

Played By: Darryl Vidal

Appearances: The Karate Kid (1984)

A skilled karateka representing Locust Valley Karate who winds up in the semifinals against Johnny.

The Ace: Vidal is Locust Valley Karate's strongest student since he makes it to the semifinals with Daniel, Johnny, and Bobby. According to Kreese, Vidal was a third degree black belt when Johnny entered his first tournament.
Already Met Everyone: Cobra Kai reveals that Johnny and Vidal fought at least once in previous All Valley Tournaments prior to the events of the first movie.
Awesome, but Impractical: Downplayed. After Johnny wins a point against him, Vidal begins the next round by throwing some impressive jump kicks, only for Johnny to win his second point with a well-timed counter kick.
Hero of Another Story: According to Cobra Kai, Vidal was the 1981 All Valley champion and defeated Johnny in the quarterfinals of said tournament. A very impressive achievement, considering he couldn't have been any older than 15 at the time, making him the youngest known tournament winner in the franchise.
Hufflepuff House: Hailing from Locust Valley Karate, Vidal is the only semifinalist who is from neither Miyagi-Do nor from Cobra Kai. While the Cobra Kai series retroactively makes him important to Johnny's backstory, Vidal is mostly irrelevant in the original movie, which focuses on Daniel and Johnny's rivalry.
Offscreen Moment of Awesome: Cobra Kai reveals that Vidal was a former All Valley champion and a formidable opponent for Johnny and his fellow Cobra Kai during their first few years.
Small Role, Big Impact: A retroactive example, thanks to the later Cobra Kai series and Vidal's limited screen time in the first movie. It turns out Vidal's victory over Johnny in Johnny's first tournament motivated Johnny into working harder and becoming a better fighter.
Worf Effect: He's on the giving and receiving ends of this.
- Alongside Daniel, Vidal is the only competitor who outfights the Cobra Kai students, even defeating a tall Cobra Kai fighter.
- On the other hand, Johnny sweeps Vidal in the semifinals, winning a clean 3-0 against him.
- In the 1983 All Valley Tournament, Vidal first lost to Tommy in the semifinals before losing to Bobby in the third place match.
Worthy Opponent: Despite losing 3-0, Vidal performed well enough that Johnny Lawrence was willing to shake his hand after their match. It probably helped that Vidal and Johnny had a history with each other where Vidal defeated Johnny in his first tournament in the quarter-finals. His skills were good enough that even Kreese spoke quite highly of them.

1960s

Betsy

"Are you OK?"

Played By: Emily Marie Palmer

Appearances: Cobra Kai

"But no matter what, I'll wait for you. Promise you'll come back to me."

Kreese's girlfriend in flashbacks to the 1960's.

The Cameo: She makes a brief appearance in Season 5 where she represents Kreese's therapist and his own conscience.
Killed Offscreen: She dies in a car crash while Kreese is fighting in Vietnam.
The Lost Lenore: The tie-in comic makes clear that her death is still a painful memory for Kreese around the time of the first film, and he still uses his Affectionate Nickname for her, "dollface", with other women in the present day. In Season 5, seeing a vision of her while in a therapy session is almost enough to make Kreese cry, which would be a first for him in this franchise, and he admits to his therapist that she was the love of his life.
Morality Chain: Her death plays a big role in turning Kreese into the violent sociopath he is today.
Neutral Female: Downplayed. She briefly tries to help Kreese in his fight with David, but backs off when David easily overpowers her.
Nice Girl: She's very kind and friendly, and appalled by her abusive boyfriend David's bullying of Kreese.
One True Love: Season 5 has Kreese confess to his therapist that Betsy was the love of his life and he was never able to love another woman the same way he loved her.
Satellite Love Interest: We don't learn a great deal about her life beyond her relationship with Kreese.
Single Woman Seeks Good Man: She dumps David for the then-heroic Kreese when she sees what an abusive Jerkass David is.
Walking Spoiler: It's almost impossible to talk about her without mentioning her death.
We Hardly Knew Ye: She appears in only one episode before being Killed Offscreen.

David

"You scared, freak?"

Played By: Jesse Kove

Appearances: Cobra Kai

"Don't start a fight you can't finish."

A varsity football player who dates Betsy and bullies Kreese.

The Bully: In Kreese's childhood.
Casting Gag: He's played by Martin Kove's son Jesse so that the audience is initially lead to believe he, and not the busboy he's bullying, is the young Kreese.
Curb-Stomp Battle: He and his friend receive this from John Kreese.
Disproportionate Retribution: He Bitch Slaps Betsy all for making eye contact with and showing empathy for Kreese.
Hate Sink: He picks on Kreese for just looking at his girlfriend Betsy, repeatedly calls him a freak, mocks his mother's suicide, crumples a U.S. Army pamphlet, trips Kreese (causing almost everyone else to laugh at him), hits his own girlfriend, and finally he and his friend assault Kreese in a two on one fight. Luckily, Kreese was able to beat both of them up and he ended up dating Betsy.
Jerk Jock: He's a Jerkass varsity football player and is even wearing a letterman jacket, the quintessential Jerk Jock outfit in media.
Jerkass: He's such an unsympathetic asshole that he makes Kreese look likable by comparison. He and his friend even get their own violent comeuppance courtesy of Kreese.
Kick the Dog: He makes disparaging remarks about Kreese for no reason other than to show how contemptible he is.
"Can it, Betsy. A freak is a freak. If you love him so much, start a circus."
More Hateable Minor Villain: The fact that his bully victim just so happens to be the future series' Big Bad, John Kreese.
Politically Incorrect Villain: He calls Kreese a freak because his mother committed suicide, reflecting the greater stigma against mental health issues in The '60s.
Red Herring: His appearance, attitude, and even casting^noteMartin Kove's son Jesse make the viewer think that he is John Kreese. It's only when he laughingly rejects the army recruiter's offer, and the busboy picks it up when the true John Kreese is revealed.
Underestimating Badassery: He tells Kreese not to start a fight he can't finish, then subsequently gets a rightful ass-kicking in return. Kreese quips that he's not afraid of his victimizer before slugging him a final time.
Very Punchable Man: The guy and his friend are despicable to the point that watching Kreese take them down in a fight is all the more satisfying.
Would Hit a Girl: He has no problem smacking Betsy across the face, all because she made eye contact with Kreese.

Okinawa

Toshio and Taro

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/9543ce93_5d49_42ea_9db1_194a360ad204.jpeg

Played By: Joey Miyashima (Toshio) and Marc Hayashi (Taro)

Appearances: The Karate Kid Part II

Chozen’s friends who help him beat up Daniel and also harass Mr. Miyagi and Kumiko.

Bullying a Dragon: Toshio and Taro along with Chozen try fighting Mr. Miyagi of all people. Saying they lost is an understatement.
Jerkass: They are very rude and obnoxious jerks like Chozen and they enjoy tormenting Daniel. You know they are bad when Mr. Miyagi of all people picks one of them off the ground to hit them again (in the face no less!) rather than simply knock them down like he did with Johnny's gang, Kreese and Silver.
Mook: They hang around Chozen as his lackeys to do all his dirty work.
No Name Given: Their names are not mentioned anywhere in the film, and are only listed in the credits.
What Happened to the Mouse?: Toshio and Taro aren't seen nor mentioned in the Cobra Kai series besides a few flashback scenes. However, since Chozen redeemed himself and became a better person, it is possible that they also changed their ways at some point.

Yuna

"I'm about to save your business."

Played By: Traci Toguchi

Appearances: The Karate Kid Part II | Cobra Kai

"Don't worry. It's been a long time since we met. I was a child then and it was during a typhoon."

A friend of Kumiko and the Senior Vice President of Sales at Doyona International.

Big Damn Reunion: She and Daniel share a hug after she reminds him that she was the same girl he saved during a typhoon in Okinawa.
Chekhov's Gunman: Previously appeared in Part II as the young girl Daniel had rescued.
Deus ex Machina: Just as it seems Daniel has no hope of getting a deal with Doyona and therefore may have to sell his dealership, he reunites with the little girl who he saved during the storm back in Part II, who is now all grown-up and is in fact the Senior Vice President of Sales at Doyona International.
I Owe You My Life: Daniel saving her from a super typhoon when she was a child is ultimately the main reason she provided him with the Karmic Jackpot mentioned below.
Karmic Jackpot: The young girl Daniel saved decades ago ended up becoming an important business official and is reunited with him right when his company was in danger.
Named in the Sequel: She was not named in Part II.

Mexico

"Hector Salazar"

Played By: Manuel Eduardo Ramirez

Appearances: Cobra Kai

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/hs_fake.jpg

"Look man, I'm not the guy you're looking for. And honestly, I've never known a fucking Carmen. Now if you don't fuck off, all these guys you see here are gonna beat the shit out of you. So go to fucking hell."

The leader of a gang in Mexico who tells Miguel he's not the Hector Salazar that he's looking for.

Cluster F-Bomb: Gives one in Spanish to Miguel when the latter assumes he's the Hector Salazar he's looking for. It's a bit surprising, considering little use of F-words in the series.
Deadpan Snarker:
- He makes quite a few quips when Miguel repeatedly asks him if he's Hector Salazar.
Miguel: Uh...my mother is Carmen Diaz.
"Hector": Your old lady sounds hot.
Miguel: She's from Ecuador.
"Hector": What is this? Is something wrong with your head?
- He also gives one to his cousin after seeing him get his ass kicked by Miguel.
"Hector": You're gonna let him beat you up, cousin?
Pet the Dog: Despite being a shady foul-mouthed asshole, he at least lets Miguel in (when his cousin refuses) when he’s looking for answers regarding Hector Salazar. He mainly just cusses out Miguel and threatens physical harm to him, but other than that leaves him alone when Miguel walks out on him.
Red Herring: He's easily believable as Hector Salazar, as he looks and acts as bad as Carmen describes him (being an unsympathetic gang leader who threatens violence to Miguel when the latter asks him questions). Except he doesn't know who Carmen or Rosa is, making it massively obvious that he's not Hector Salazar. This Hector was prominently featured in the Season 5 trailer too with the trailer hinting that Miguel will have to deal with gang-related issues from associating with him. In the actual season, this Hector only appears once and after Miguel takes down one of his men, he intimidates Miguel into leaving but otherwise leaves him alone.

Owen

"Welcome to Mexico."

Played By: Josh Lawson

Appearances: Cobra Kai

"As for your money, I'm gonna end up with it either way, so we can do it the easy way or the fun way."

A scammer from Australia who settles in Mexico.

The Bogan: He's an Australian man who scams people for a living via pickpocketing.
Bullying a Dragon: He and his gang members attempt to pickpocket Johnny's wallet while helping him find Miguel. When Johnny immediately finds out, he goes along with his "fun way" of kicking Johnny's ass. Like the vast majority of other non-karatekas in the show, he gets his ass kicked and then some.
Con Man: Him and his group's modus operandi.
Curb-Stomp Battle: He and his gang are on the receiving end of one by Johnny and Robby.
Even Evil Has Standards: When Owen and his group scam Miguel out of his money, he at least gives back some of his money rather than leave him high and dry in a foreign country. Owen admits to Johnny that all the directions he gives are real, but still intends on getting money out of him either way.
Improvised Weapon: On the giving and receiving end. Owen uses a surfboard to hit Johnny and use it to protect himself from Johnny's punches. On the other end of this trope, Johnny knocks Owen out with his own radio by smashing it on his head.
Luckily, My Shield Will Protect Me: Surfboard in his case.
Very Punchable Man: His scamming Miguel and attempted scamming of Johnny provides the latter with an excuse to beat him up so we can get a Johnny-Robby father-son team up fight.

Maria

Played By: Elvia Hill

Appearances: Cobra Kai

Hector Salazar's girlfriend and also the mother of Luis.

Oblivious to Hatred: Not sure about hatred, but it is apparent in Hector's final scene with Miguel that the former doesn't quite care about her.

Luis

Played By: EJ Sanchez

Appearances: Cobra Kai

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/luis_4.jpg

Maria's son whose life Miguel saves in Mexico from being hit by a car.

Cheerful Child: He is a happy and playful child who loves to play with his ball.
Disappeared Dad: His biological father's whereabouts are unknown as Hector states that Luis is Maria's son from her previous marriage.

Boston

Alpha Elite

Colonel Paul Dugan

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/447661dc_e36c_4692_9102_efaa05da6071.jpeg

Played By: Michael Ironside

Appearances: The Next Karate Kid

The lead instructor of Alpha Elite, who encourages his students to be vicious brutes.

Bad Boss: As with John Kreese before him, he ultimately tries to force his recruits to commit actions that they are not comfortable with, and squanders whatever respect that they had for him in the process (in addition to his loss to Mr. Miyagi).
Bald of Evil: Balding, but every despicable characteristic associated with the trope fits Dugan perfectly. To wit, the guy's an unhinged, authoritarian Knight Templar.
Dirty Cop: He uses his position as a school security consultant/rent-a-resource officer as cover to abuse students (including his Alpha Elite recruits), while providing those recruits the opportunity to blackmail others by planting false evidence (as Ned does to Julie).
Evil Mentor: He not only encourages the worst excesses of his Alpha Elite students as a school enforcement outfit (all but inviting them to abuse and take advantage of their authority over the other students on school grounds), but effectively turns them into an illegal youth paramilitary organization (willing to commit vandalism, blow up vehicles, and seemingly even attempt murder to settle scores with fellow students outside school grounds).
Knight of Cerebus: While he may not match up to the likes of Miyagi in skill (though, in fairness, almost no one does), he is an unhinged, authoritarian Knight Templar with a Hair-Trigger Temper who takes the unforgiving "No Mercy" philosophies of previous antagonists up to eleven by exacting Disproportionate Retribution against minors for perceived petty crimes or even just slights against authority (up to and including training his Alpha Elite recruits to blind vandals with spray paint and force-feed children candy wrappers as respective punishments for graffiti and littering).
- Notably, he lasts longer against Miyagi than both of Kreese's fights put together, and about as long as Terry Silver, implying that he is actually quite a skilled fighter.
Post-Final Boss: While he is the last villain fought in the original The Karate Kid quadrology, his fight against Mr. Miyagi is pretty much a Curb-Stomp Battle on his end. Even the face-off featuring Julie against Ned was far more intense than Dugan attempting to "put Miyagi's lights out." Justified, since Julie's antagonism with Ned is the main focus.
Sensei for Scoundrels: He runs a Thug Dojo to corrupt his students, similar to Kreese.
Small Name, Big Ego: Dugan insists on running the Alpha Elite as if they were some kind of prestigious military academy, rather than a high school security team.
Suspiciously Similar Substitute: He serves as one to John Kreese from the earlier films in the franchise, to the extent of Miyagi beating/humiliating them in almost the exact same way.
Villain with Good Publicity: His JROTC-like Alpha Elite program is embraced by the school district, the police and the local community in general, allowing himself and his followers to mete out abuse to students at will while covering their tracks with the local authorities. He is even given the last word on what student punishments should be.
Wrestler in All of Us: Is seen performing the sleeper hold and snapmare during an Alpha Elite training session.

Ned Randall

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/f7ef838c_304c_44a1_8998_a54108670391.jpeg

Played By: Michael Cavalieri

Appearances: The Next Karate Kid

Colonel Dugan's star pupil in the Alpha Elite, and an aggressive bully who sexually harasses Julie.

Climax Boss: While Dugan is the film's Big Bad and is the one fought last (by Mr. Miyagi, who sweeps him), Ned is the one who directly antagonizes Julie for most of it. As such, Julie and Ned's battle is given more focus.
Crazy Jealous Guy: When Julie gets together with Eric, Ned begins terrorizing his former teammate. Ironically, being ordered by Dugan to finish Eric off shows that even Ned has standards.
Dirty Coward: He can't even fight Julie one on one without resorting to the cheap trick of throwing sand in her eyes.
The Dragon: Ned is Dugan's star pupil and his go-to guy everytime he wants something done.
Entitled to Have You: He harasses Julie and makes her life miserable for daring to reject his advances, and later turns his attention on Eric when Julie starts dating him, throwing a brick through Eric's car when he sees the two kissing.
Even Evil Has Standards: Despite Ned despising Eric for "stealing Julie from him" and being an overall shitty person, he and the other Alpha Elites were bothered when Dugan orders them to finish their former teammate off.
The Heavy: He's the main threat to Julie for most of the film, though Dugan is the Big Bad.
Insane Troll Logic: When Eric calls out the stupidity of the Alpha Elite bungee jumping into prom, which resulted in one member breaking his arm, Ned's only response is "At least he was brave enough to try it", as if that justifies pulling such an obviously dangerous stunt.
Jerkass: A spiteful, misogynistic bully who torments Julie as revenge for her refusing to go out with him and breaks Eric's car window out of jealousy.
Screw the Rules, I Have Connections!: Ned uses his position as an Alpha Elite to make aggressive moves on Julie.
Smug Snake: He laughs at the idea that Julie could fight him, only for said fight to be a total Curb-Stomp Battle in Julie's favour even after he blinds her by throwing sand in her eyes.
Stalker with a Crush: He's heavily fixated on Julie and is seen trailing her for much of the film. When she gets together with Eric, Ned wastes no time terrorizing his former teammate.
Two First Names: Randall is a common male given name.

Eric McGowen

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/screenshot_2022_04_19_115547.jpg

Played By: Chris Conrad

Appearances: The Next Karate Kid

A member of the Alpha Elite who frequently criticizes Dugan's harsh methods and becomes Julie's love interest.

Friend to All Living Things: He becomes Angel's caretaker when Julie goes training at the monastery with Mr. Miyagi.
Nice Guy: Eric is kind, friendly and a good boyfriend to Julie.
Only Sane Man: Eric is the only member of the Alpha Elite who questions Dugan's ridiculous pseudo-military training methods. In fact, compared to the psychotic Dugan and the rest of the Alpha Elite, aggressive Jerk with a Heart of Gold Julie and Cloudcuckoolander Eccentric Mentor Mr. Miyagi, Eric is pretty much the only main character in The Next Karate Kid who behaves like a normal human being, and he's stunned by most of the bizarre events that unfold around him.
Screw This, I'm Outta Here: Upon realizing how hopelessly shitty people the members of Alpha Elite are (Dugan especially), he quits the group altogether.
Token Good Teammate: The only member of the Alpha Elite who isn't a violent bully. When he finally realizes this, he straight out quits.

Ohio

Elizabeth-Anne Rooney

"Does Miss Coastal Elite not like to be reminded of where she came from?"

Played By: Sunny Mabrey

Appearances: Cobra Kai

"Stay in your lane, Steiner, this is a bar, not a yoga class."

An unpleasant woman and former classmate of Jessica Andrews and Amanda LaRusso.

Alpha Bitch: Implied. Elizabeth has stolen Jessica's boyfriend, given Amanda an Embarrassing Nickname based on something Amanda is ashamed of, bullies others, and has a Girl Posse even as an adult.
Arch-Enemy: Continues to be this to Amanda LaRusso and Jessica Andrews during their adult years.
Casting Gag: Sunny Mabrey (Elizabeth-Anne) headlined the TV movie Escaping Dad in which her and Courtney Henggeler's (Amanda) characters play best friends.
Chekhov's Gunman: She's mentioned in a brief line by Jessica in Part III before appearing in the flesh in Season 5 of Cobra Kai.
Future Loser: Implied to be this in the present day as when she bumps into Jessica and Amanda at a bar, she mocks them over high school drama that happened decades ago and tries to ridicule Amanda for now being in the "Coastal Elite".
Hate Sink: She's not exactly the most likable person to be around, as demonstrated by her callous attitude and referring to Amanda as "Babe Ruthless", despite Amanda clearly not wanting to be reminded of her past moniker. And that's not even considering what she did to Jessica and her boyfriend during high school.
High-School Rejects: Clearly peaked in high school because she still harps on what she and her friends did when they were teenagers.
Jerkass: Back in The '80s, she stole Jessica's boyfriend, and she mocks Amanda for trying to hide her Dark and Troubled Past as a member of the social elite upon her return to Ohio before starting a bar fight with the two for no good reason.
Laser-Guided Karma: She gets a sharp kick in the stomach from Sam for attempting to assault Amanda.
Last-Name Basis: She contemptuously refers to Jessica and Amanda by their surnames, and Jessica returns the favor.
More Hateable Minor Villain: Terry Silver is Season 5's Big Bad, but him being a diabolical mastermind with an impressive combat skill coupled with some tragedy regarding his psyche (as well as a series of Pet the Dog moments to his students) make him all the more entertaining to watch and root for at times. Whereas Lizzie-Anne on the other hand is nothing more than an arrogant, spiteful, and snide "middle-aged mean girl" who hasn't matured one bit, given her continuous hassling of Jessica and Amanda — and doesn't have any redeeming qualities to remedy that. Even Kim Da-Eun manages to provide some understatement by at least being overly dedicated to her grandfather's legacy despite being a psychopath along with showing a soft spot for Devon Lee. Why is Lizzie-Anne such a bitch? Who knows...
The Resenter: She seems to resent Amanda for moving away from Ohio and becoming a wealthy business owner in California while she was left behind.
Schoolyard Bully All Grown Up: Lizzie-Anne is the same Alpha Bitch she was in high school.
Shadow Archetype: She's an unwanted reminder for Amanda of her criminal past and the type of bitter, resentful person she used to be.
This Is for Emphasis, Bitch!: When she prepares to retaliate against Amanda in a Bar Brawl:
Elizabeth-Anne: You asked for it, bitch!
Unseen No More: Mentioned only by Jessica during The Karate Kid Part III, Lizzie-Anne finally appears in the flesh during Cobra Kai Season 5.
We Used to Be Friends: Implied. Jessica considers her a "traitor" for stealing her boyfriend.
Womanchild: Her constant hassling of Amanda and Jessica even in their adult years indicates that she hasn't matured one bit since high school.

Animals

Clarence

Played By: N/A

Appearances: Cobra Kai

A hamster used by Kreese in one of the lessons through a Secret Test of Character as a means to weed out the weaker karatekas.

A Dog Named "Cat": Subverted. Hawk suggests naming him Hawk Jr. before Bert settles on Clarence.
Eaten Alive: What pretty much happens to him, courtesy of the snake.
Fed to the Beast: What Kreese intends to do to him. For those objecting to it, he kicks them out of Cobra Kai.
Foreshadowing: Having someone like Kreese bring a hamster to class just seem so off-character, considering what we know of him throughout the entire franchise. Then we find out what he intends to use the hamster for as soon as he reveals the snake.
If You're So Evil, Eat This Kitten!: Kreese uses him as a means to test the class whether or not they are still capable of showing "No Mercy", even to something as endearing as a small animal. The moment some of his students raise their hands to object, he kicks them out.
Killed Offscreen: It's not shown, but it's pretty obvious he gets eaten the moment Kreese drops him with the snake.
Morality Pet: Bert takes a liking to him almost immediately (even giving the hamster his name), which becomes the very reason why he's no longer in Cobra Kai (as his compassion for Clarence is what prompts Kreese to expel him from the dojo).
Sound-Only Death: The last we hear of Clarence is him squealing before the snake eats him.
Small Role, Big Impact: Kreese uses Clarence as a means to weed out the weaker Cobra Kais after they object to having him eaten.
Unwitting Pawn: It's all too clear he's unaware of the fact that Kreese is using him as a tool to turn Cobra Kai into a complete Thug Dojo.
You Have Outlived Your Usefulness: As soon as all the expelled Cobra Kais leave the dojo, Kreese proceeds to feed him to the snake.

Characters / The Karate Kid: Other Characters

Edit Locked

West Valley High School

Principal Lopez

Played By: Jose Miguel Lopez

Appearances: Cobra Kai

Counselor Blatt

Played By: Erin Bradley Dangar

Appearances: Cobra Kai

Mr. Palmer

Played By: Dustin Lewis

Appearances: Cobra Kai

Yasmine

Played By: Annalisa Cochrane

Appearances: Cobra Kai

Moon

Played By: Hannah Kepple

Dubbed By: Clara Soares (European French)

Appearances: Cobra Kai

Brucks

Played By: Bo Mitchell

Appearances: Cobra Kai

Rory

Played By: Dawson Towery

Appearances: Cobra Kai

A.J.

Played By: Jonathan Mercedes

Appearances: Cobra Kai

Ali Mills (Schwarber)

Played By: Elisabeth Shue

Appearances: The Karate Kid (1984) | Cobra Kai

Susan

Played By: Juli Fields

Appearances: The Karate Kid (1984)

Freddy Fernandez

Played By: Israel Juarbe

Appearances: The Karate Kid (1984)

West Valley Middle School

Principal Fitzpatrick

Played By: Michael Burgess

Appearances: Cobra Kai

Lia Cabrera

Played By: Milena Rivero

Appearances: Cobra Kai

Zack Thompson

Played By: Brock Duncan

Appearances: Cobra Kai

Marcus

Played By: Jaden Labady

Appearances: Cobra Kai

Slade Wang

Played By: Alex Boyer

Appearances: Cobra Kai

Karate Officials and Other Dojos

All Valley Karate Tournament

Ron

Played By: Matt Lewis

Appearances: Cobra Kai

Daryl

Played By: Keith Arthur Bolden

Appearances: Cobra Kai

George

Played By: Kurt Yue

Appearances: Cobra Kai

Sue

Played By: Cara AnnMarie

Appearances: Cobra Kai

1980s Referee

Played By: Pat E. Johnson

Appearances: The Karate Kid (1984) | The Karate Kid Part II | The Karate Kid Part III

2018 Referee

Played By: Hiro Koda

Appearances: Cobra Kai

2019 Referee

Played By: Marcus Young

Appearances: Cobra Kai

Sekai Taikai Tryout Referee

Played By: Christopher Conolley

Appearances: Cobra Kai

Topanga Karate