8 best fighters in Cobra Kai, ranked

Cobra Kai season 6 returned to Netflix on July 18, 2024, releasing 15 episodes, split into three parts of five episodes each. The new season, part of the Karate Kid franchise, will focus on the Sekai Taikai tournament, the biggest event in the Karate Kid universe.

Both Miyagi-Do and Cobra Kai will compete to determine the true karate champion. The series has introduced many fighters, some with strong backgrounds and others who went from being bullied into strong competitors.

This makes fans wonder, who are the strongest ones in Cobra Kai, whose skills make one remember the legendary Mr. Miyagi. This article has listed the eight best fighters in Cobra Kai, ranked according to their mastery, going from the eighth best to the first.

Disclaimer: This article is based on the writer's own opinions and doesn't

Note: This ranking list is subjective as per the writer's views.

Ranking the top 8 strongest fighters in Cobra Kai

Students

8) Kenny Payne (played by Dallas Dupree Young)

Kenny's journey from being a small kid who was bullied to becoming a skilled karate player is truly inspirational. In terms of physical strength, Kenny is still far behind his competitors. However, his mastery in using his small height and speed makes him one of the strongest and smartest fighters in Cobra Kai.

Combining his techniques, Kenny was able to reach the quarterfinals in the Valley Tournament but was defeated by Robby, due to the latter's experience. Robby also was one of the first people to understand Kenny's potential and took him under his wing. With Kenny, Cobra Kai shows how anyone can be a karate champion with proper use of strength and mind.

7) Robby Keene (played by Tanner Buchanan)

Robby is naturally talented when it comes to karate and has been trained in both Muyagi-Do and Cobra Kai, which makes him very powerful. He is good at defense and attacking, due to his fighting on the basic side, and is also Hawk's biggest competitor.

The only setback Robby faces is his emotions which lead him to make quick and high-risk decisions. However, these decisions are often on point and show Robby's capabilities. Robby's hard time in prison only made him grow stronger. After Miguel's spine injury, Robby is climbing towards becoming one of the strongest fighters in Cobra Kai.

6) Demetri Alexopoulos (played by Gianni DeCenzo)

Demetri couldn't thrive when he joined Cobra Kai's "strike first, strike hard, no mercy" ideology. His natural talent stays in his defense. So when he joined Miyagi Do, he understood his powers completely and became one of their best fighters with his defense form.

He stood Hawk's bullying in the school and gave Robby equal competition during the 51st All-Valley Tournament. He uses a mastered blending of his speed and defense together, which makes his counterattacks very powerful.

5) Eli Moskowitz (played by Jacob Bertrand)

Popularly known as the Hawk, Eli is known for his speed and deadly combat skills. He becomes extremely aggressive during his fights, mostly focused on his offense. However, this makes his defense a weak point which has led him to lose more matches with competitors with a strong defense.

We see his great transformation after joining Miyagi-Do dojo. While in Cobra Kai, he was more focused on aggression, but now he has slowly learned to take control of it. His defense too has been slowly getting strong under the training of Daniel. This has changed him into a person, turning him into a sharp and strong fighter.

Adults

4) John Kreese (played by Martin Kove)

John Kreese is one of the best fighters in Cobra Kai. Like Hawk, he has an extremely good offensive style, however, his defense is equally powerful. Unlike Hawk, Kreese keeps his aggression under control during his fights, and the classic roundhouse kick becomes his ultimate finisher.

Though viewers don't generally see many fights between teenagers and adults, Kreese can easily win over any student in Cobra Kai. Kreese becomes one of the strongest fighters in the series, having only lost a match to Johnny and Daniel LaRusso.

3) Johnny Lawrence (played by William Zabka)

In The Karate Kid (1984), Johnny Lawrence was the best student in Cobra Kai, a harsh competitor of Daniel. Even after years of depression, he still has the same strength and even better skills in Cobra Kai. Johhny, in his prime, was an aggressive fighter with a strong offense but also kept a clear plan of his defense.

Now as an adult, Johnny's moves are more planned and tactical, and he has developed a very strong defense. Johnny is easily one of the fighters in the entire series, and could even be above Daniel if he had gotten Mr Miyagi's teachings.

2) Daniel LaRusso (played by Ralph Macchio)

Daniel LaRusso is the central character in the entire Karate Kid Universe. He is only the prodigy of the legendary Mr. Miyagi, having trained under him for years. As a young teen, he was not the strongest as compared to Kreese and Johnny, but his skills made him stand out as the winner.

After joining as a master in the dojo, Daniel Russo continues to pass on Mr. Miyagi's legacy. He fights with complete strategy and a very calm mind. His defense is almost unbreakable, and the counterattacks after the end of the match.

However, Daniel has a big competitor.

1) Chozen (played by Yuji Okumoto)

Chozen came as the antagonist and prime competitor of Daniel in The Karate Kid II (1986). Back in his teens, as Sato's favorite student, Chozen was an aggressive player. Throughout the years, he has mastered his defense technique and made his counterattack very strong.

Chozen gets an additional point in comparison to Daniel that, along with defense, he had also learned the offensive techniques of Miyagi-Do. He knows all the secrets of Okinawan karate and has mastered sai weapons. After years of hard work, all of these combined Chozen has become the strongest fighter in the series.

Additional Mention

Terry Silver (played by Thomas Ian Griffith)

The man with that dangerous grin, Terry Silver, is one of the strongest antagonists in the entire Karate Kid franchise. Also, as the co-founder of Cobra Kai dojo, he has the deadliest offensive skills. The only opponent that could compete with Terry was Mr. Miyagi.

His main strength lies in getting into the mind of his opponent, finding the weakness, and then striking right there. Terry Silver has been training for over 30 years and is one of the most experienced fighters in Cobra Kai, even haunting Danny.

Cobra Kai season 6 is available for streaming on Netflix. Follow us to stay tuned for the latest news and updates.

Edited by Madhur Dave