Here’s Where You’ve Seen the ‘Cobra Kai’ Cast Before (2024)

If you were drawn to Cobra Kai, chances are that you're already familiar with Mr. Ralph Macchio and Mr. William Zabka. The two main characters of the YouTube Premium-turned-Netflix hit series are the same actors, playing the same characters, that The Karate Kid fans first met back when the first movie came out in 1984. For some superfans, these actors (and their characters) have been a part of their lives for close to four decades.

And while Zabka and Macchio are both great, there are some other exciting actors in the series' cast, including newcomers, character actors, and upcomers alike. Whether actors are playing nice kids (like Miguel), nerds (like Demetri), co*cky jerks (like Hawk), or even straight-up weirdos (like Stingray), everyone in the Cobra Kai cast is doing their jobs really, really well.

Whether they're people you think you know—like Zabka and Macchio—or people you haven't seen on TV before—like most of the actors playing the teens—we've got you covered. Here's a complete list of the cast of Cobra Kai and the characters they play on the series.

He might not look it, but Kove is 74 years old. Yup. He's been acting consistently for nearly 50 years, with his first on-screen role coming in an uncredited role in Alan Arkin's 1971 movie Little Murders. He played the villainous John Kreese in The Karate Kid, The Karate Kid Part II, and The Karate Kid Part II. Some of his other notable credits include Rambo: First Blood Part II and a role in the original 1972 Last House On The Left.

Mouser is only 24 years old, but she's already a TV veteran. Before landing the role of Samantha LaRusso, she was in 36 episodes of CBS' Body of Proof, and also played a recurring role in NCIS. Back in 2007, she led a CW series called Life Is Wild. Last year, she appeared in her own episode of Mark and Jay Duplass' acclaimed HBO anthology series, Room 104.

Buchanan is a relative newcomer compared to some of the adults in the show, but he's got a bit of TV experience under his belt nonetheless. He appeared in the first season of Designated Survivor as Kiefer Sutherland's son, and has also had recurring roles in the Nickelodeon series Game Shakers, Freeform's The Fosters, and Disney Channel's Girl Meets World. He's even been able to show his comedy skills off a little bit, appearing in two episodes of The Goldbergs.

Maridueña is another young veteran of TV; he hasn't been in a ton, but the stuff he's been in has been good roles, and of very high quality. Fans of the epic cult favorite Twin Peaks will remember him from the legendary 8th episode of the 2017 revival series; he played the young boy in the 1956 flashback (real ones know exactly what this means). He also appeared in four seasons (and 51 episodes) of NBC's series Parenthood from creator Jason Katims. He's also got good comedy chops; in 2013 he was in Dealin' With Idiots, an indie comedy directed by Curb Your Enthusiasm star Jeff Garlin.

Cobra Kai is Decenzo's biggest role yet in his short career, but like Buchanan, he's also had a number of recurring roles in shows primarily aimed at younger audiences. He's appeared in recurring roles in both Disney Channel's Coop and Cami Ask The World and Nickelodeon's 100 Things To Do Before High School.

Henggeler has been acting for almost 20 years (her first TV role was a a server in a 2005 episode of House), but playing Daniel's wife, Amanda, in Cobra Kai is her first series regular role. Along the way, she's had bit parts in sitcoms like Mom and The Big Bang Theory, and small pats in movies like Friends With Benefits. Last year, she played a part in an episode of the Hulu horror anthology series Into The Dark.

Stingray is the funniest character in Season 2 of Cobra Kai, which makes sense, considering Paul Walter Hauser is one of the hottest upcoming stars in movies and television right now. Last year he played the titular character in Richard Jewell, and earlier this year he appeared in his second Spike Lee movie, Da 5 Bloods (his first was 2018's BlackKlansman). He also played a memorable (and very funny) role in I, Tonya, and the Audience Network series Kingdom.

Brown's only listed role on IMDB is as Aisha in Cobra Kai, best friend of Samantha LaRusso. The Cobra Kai Subreddit caught the fact that Brown revealed on her Instagram that she won't be returning to the show for Season 3.

Before she showed up in the 2nd season of Cobra Kai as bad girl Tory, List was maybe the biggest Disney star of anyone on this list. She played a main role alongside Debby Ryan in every season of the Disney Channel show Jessie, and also starred in the network's spinoff series, Bunk'd. She's appeared in movies like The Thinning, 27 Dresses, and Remember Me, and is set to appear in Adam Sandler's upcoming Netflix movie Hubie Halloween.

Ed Asner only appears in a few episodes of Cobra Kai as Johnny's jerk of a stepfather, Sid, but we had to include him on this list because he's living acting royalty. Asner might be best known these days as the voice of Carl Fredricksen in Up and as Santa Claus in Elf, but he also appeared in The Mary Tyler Moore show and Roots in the '70s. If we're talking TV legends, well, he has 7 Primetime Emmys and 5 Golden Globes to his name. Not too shabby. And he showed that even at his age (he's 91 now), he's still got it.