10 original Karate Kid characters who appear in Cobra Kai

3. John Kreese

Martin Kove played Kreese, the evil sensei of the Cobra Kai dojo in all three Karate Kid movies. He’s back in the series, too, and meaner than ever.

Flip the page to see more Karate Kid characters in Cobra Kai. 

4. Lucille LaRusso

Daniel’s energetic and optimistic mom, played by Randee Heller, appears in a couple of episodes too. But she drives Daniel’s wife, Amanda (Courtney Henggeler) a bit nuts.

5. Bobby Brown

In season 2, Ron Thomas comes back as Bobby, one of Johnny’s old Cobra Kai buddies from high school. He was probably the nicest of the bunch though, even though in The Karate Kid he was the one who followed Kreese’s order to kick Daniel’s knee at the All Valley.

However, it was clear he felt horrible about it. He dropped to his knees and apologized profusely, then threw his black belt at Kreese’s feet and left the tournament.

Was that the pivotal moment in his life that sent him towards religion? In Cobra Kai, he’s now a pastor and a voice of reason who tries to guide Johnny towards making better decisions.

6. Tommy

Rob Garrison played Tommy inThe Karate Kid and was also one of Johnny’s Cobra Kai buddies. In season 2, Bobby called Johnny to let him know that Tommy was very sick and might not have much time left.

Johnny, Bobby and their other friend, Jimmy, go to visit Tommy and end up taking a final boy’s trip with him.

At the end of the first episode of Cobra Kai season 3, a screen pops up with Garrison’s name. Under that is a side-by-side picture of a younger Tommy next to the one from season 2. Under that are the years “1960-2019” with the tribute “Cobra Kai Never Dies.” Talk about a kick to the gut!

Sadly, Garrison wasn’t just playing a sick character. In real life, he was dealing with kidney and liver issues, which claimed his life on September 27, 2019.