Every show centered around martial arts is subject to a certain level of scrutiny. The weight shifting in a punch, the angle of a block, and the footwork between combinations are all things that fans who have spent years on a mat tend to notice when watching fight scenes. That kind of viewing has always been inspired by Cobra Kai. And it’s a legitimate question that keeps coming up in fan forums, comment sections, and casual conversations: who in this cast truly knows what they’re doing?
A straightforward list is not as interesting as an honest response.
| Character | Actor | Real Martial Arts Background |
|---|---|---|
| Terry Silver | Thomas Ian Griffith | Black belts in Kenpo Karate and Taekwondo; 40+ years of daily training |
| Chozen Toguchi | Yuji Okumoto | Chito-Ryu, Shotokan, Judo, Kajukembo, Kung Fu |
| John Kreese | Martin Kove | Black belt in Okinawa-te Karate; also studied Kendo and Taekwondo |
| Bobby Brown | Ron Thomas | Sixth-degree black belt in Kodenkan Jujitsu; former U.S. team trainer |
| Sensei Wolf | Lewis Tan | Muay Thai, Kickboxing, Karate, Jiu-Jitsu, Judo, Kempo, Wing Chun, Boxing |
| Zara Malik | Rayna Vallandingham | Fourth-degree black belt in Taekwondo; 14 world championships |
| Johnny Lawrence | William Zabka | Second-degree green belt in Tang Soo Do; ongoing training |
| Mike Barnes | Sean Kanan | Shotokan and Shito-Ryu Karate |
| Eli “Hawk” Moskowitz | Jacob Bertrand | Purple belt in Karate; four years of training plus grappling experience |
| Robby Keene | Tanner Buchanan | Taekwondo as a child; eight months of Muay Thai pre-show |
| Bert | Owen Morgan | Black belt in Karate; family operated a dojo |
| Demetri Alexopoulos | Gianni DeCenzo | Krav Maga (trained during the show) |
| Samantha LaRusso | Mary Mouser | Muay Thai training before and during the show |
| Tory | Peyton List | No prior training; kickboxing classes during production |
| Miguel Diaz | Xolo Maridueña | Approximately one year of childhood karate; no advanced training |
| Daniel LaRusso | Ralph Macchio | Training for the original films; no formal belt rank |
Few fans would have guessed that Thomas Ian Griffith, who portrayed the slick and eerie Terry Silver, is perhaps the most skilled actor the show has ever had. Griffith never stopped learning karate after he began in high school. He had practiced every day for more than 40 years, earning black belts in Taekwondo and Kenpo karate by the time he returned to the role in Cobra Kai. Even among professional martial artists, let alone actors, that level of dedication is uncommon. It also clarifies Silver’s on-screen movements, which had a purposeful quality that seemed earned rather than staged.
Returning as Chozen, Yuji Okumoto contributed a similarly rich background. As a teenager, he began practicing Chito-Ryu and Shotokan karate before branching out into Judo, Kajukembo, and finally a southern style of Kung Fu. Hayward Nishioka, a two-time inductee into the Black Belt Hall of Fame, taught him judo. This breadth is evident. It’s difficult to replicate the fluidity of Chozen’s fighting in the series. Martin Kove, who portrays the much-discussed John Kreese, is a black belt in Okinawa-te karate. He trained extensively under Pat Johnson, the stunt coordinator on the original 1984 movie, working three hours a day alongside Macchio and Zabka.
William Zabka had no prior experience with The Karate Kid. What he did afterward is noteworthy. He continued to train, obtained a second-degree green belt in Tang Soo Do under Johnson, and has reportedly continued to practice to some extent ever since. Although it differs from Griffith’s resume, it is also not insignificant. That’s not the case with Ralph Macchio. He has freely admitted that, rather than being an advanced practitioner, his relationship with the formal belt system has been that of a committed student. The show has never attempted to hide the fact that the karate in his performance has always been about dedication to the role.
It’s a more mixed picture among the younger cast. The actor who plays Hawk, Jacob Bertrand, brought additional grappling and skateboarding athleticism to the physicality of the role after training to a purple belt as a child. Before Cobra Kai started filming, Tanner Buchanan trained in Muay Thai for eight months and studied Taekwondo at a young age. The fact that Owen Morgan, who portrays the often-overlooked Bert, is a true black belt whose family operated a dojo is something that is rarely discussed. Rayna Vallandingham, who joined in the last season as Zara Malik, is by far the most accomplished athlete among the younger cast. She has fourteen world titles, a fourth-degree black belt in Taekwondo, and a job as a fight choreographer. Since she was six years old, she has been doing this.
Before production began, Xolo Maridueña, who plays Miguel, one of the show’s best fighters on screen, had only practiced karate for about a year. Something about that seems almost appropriate. Learning quickly and hard is central to the character’s arc. In essence, the actor experienced it firsthand.
It’s difficult to ignore the fact that those with the most extensive actual training—such as Griffith, Okumoto, and Ron Thomas as Bobby Brown, who holds a sixth-degree black belt in jujitsu—tend to be supporting or recurring characters rather than the main characters. It’s more of an observation about how television casting works than a critique of the show, which focused on actors who had to develop their physicality over time. Over the course of six seasons, Cobra Kai was able to make everything appear cohesive. That requires skilled stunt coordination, dedicated actors, and, in a few instances, people who actually knew how to fight walking into the frame alongside those who were still learning.
