Nobody thought it would work. Seriously. When YouTube Red announced a sequel series to The Karate Kid over thirty years after the original, the collective internet eye-roll was deafening. It felt like a desperate grab at nostalgia. But then the Cobra Kai season 1 cast showed up on screen, and suddenly, the "joke" wasn't a joke anymore. It was actually good. Better than good, honestly.
The magic didn't just come from the returning legends. It came from a weirdly perfect alchemy of washed-up 80s icons and a group of teenagers who actually looked and acted like real kids, not runway models. It's rare to see a revival get the casting so right on the first try.
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The Return of the Heavyweights
William Zabka is the soul of this show. In 1984, Johnny Lawrence was just the blonde bully with a mean roundhouse. In 2018, Zabka turned him into a tragic, Coors Banquet-drinking relic of the past who doesn't know how to use the internet. It’s a masterclass in "sad dad" energy. He’s living in a dingy apartment in Reseda, eating gas station ham, and clinging to a Firebird that’s seen better days. You shouldn't root for him, but you do.
Then you have Ralph Macchio as Daniel LaRusso. He’s the opposite. He’s successful. He owns a car dealership. He’s "doing great." But Macchio plays it with this subtle, accidental arrogance that makes you realize Daniel might be a bit of a jerk now. The dynamic between these two is the engine of the entire season. If either of them had phoned it in, the show would have collapsed under the weight of its own cheese. Instead, they leaned into the friction.
The New Kids in the Valley
While the old guard brought the history, the younger Cobra Kai season 1 cast members had to prove the story could move forward. Xolo Maridueña was a total unknown to most people when he stepped into the role of Miguel Diaz. He had to be the new Daniel LaRusso—the underdog—but with a twist. He’s being mentored by the "villain." Maridueña’s chemistry with Zabka is basically the heart of the series. It’s a surrogate father-son bond built on bad advice and 80s rock.
Then there's Mary Mouser as Samantha LaRusso. Casting the "karate kid's" daughter could have been a disaster of tropes. Instead, she feels like a girl caught between two worlds—the country club life her dad built and the gritty reality of high school social hierarchies.
Breaking the Bully Mold
Jacob Bertrand and Gianni Decenzo deserve more credit than they get for that first season. Bertrand plays Eli, who eventually becomes "Hawk." The transformation is wild. He starts as this incredibly shy, bullied kid with a lip scar and turns into a mohawked menace. It’s a jarring shift, but Bertrand makes it feel earned.
Gianni Decenzo plays Demetri, the neurotic nerd who refuses to fight. Every show needs a Greek chorus, and Demetri is the guy pointing out how insane it is that everyone is solving their problems with karate. It’s a meta-commentary on the franchise itself.
Tanner Buchanan rounds out the main teen cast as Robby Keene. He’s Johnny’s estranged son, and let’s be real, he’s got the 90s heartthrob hair down to a science. His role is the most traditional "troubled teen," but his journey toward Daniel LaRusso’s Miyagi-Do creates the perfect symmetrical conflict for the season finale.
Why the Casting Director Deserves a Raise
Seth Yanklewitz and the casting team didn't just look for martial artists. They looked for actors who could handle comedy. That’s the secret sauce. Cobra Kai is a comedy-drama, and if the actors took the karate too seriously, it would be cringey.
Take Nichole Brown as Aisha Robinson. She was a vital part of the first season's DNA. As the first female student in the new Cobra Kai, she represented the "no mercy" ethos applied to modern social bullying. Her absence in later seasons was actually felt by the fans because she fit that original ensemble so naturally.
The Supporting Players Who Stole Scenes
You can't talk about the Cobra Kai season 1 cast without mentioning the weirdos.
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- Bret Ernst as Louie LaRusso Jr.: The cousin who ruins everything. He’s the quintessential "guy from Jersey living in Cali" stereotype.
- Dan Ahdoot as Anoush: Daniel’s stressed-out dealership employee. His comedic timing is impeccable.
- Rose Bianco as Rosa Diaz: Miguel’s grandma who just wants to smoke weed and watch her grandson kick butt. She’s a low-key MVP.
And of course, the season ends with the ultimate cliffhanger: the return of Martin Kove as John Kreese. He only appears for a few seconds in the shadows of the dojo, but that silhouette alone changed the stakes for everything that came after.
Real Talk: The Limitations of Season 1
Honestly, the first season isn't perfect. Some of the high school "mean girl" acting feels a bit like a Disney Channel original movie. The budget was clearly lower than it is now on Netflix. You can see it in the lighting and some of the stunt choreography, which was a bit clunky compared to the high-flying stuff in Season 5.
But that rawness is why it worked. It felt like a small-town story about small-town people. When the Cobra Kai season 1 cast stepped onto the mat at the All Valley Under 18 Karate Championship in the finale, it felt huge because we had spent ten episodes watching these specific, flawed people try to fix their broken lives.
Actionable Insights for Fans and Rewatchers
If you’re going back to watch the first season again, keep an eye on the background. The show is famous for its Easter eggs.
- Watch the photos: The pictures in the LaRusso household and Johnny’s apartment are real photos of the actors from the 80s.
- The Cameos: Look out for Pat E. Johnson. He was the referee in the original 1984 movie and he actually came back to consult on the fights.
- Character Arcs: Notice how Miguel’s posture changes. Xolo Maridueña starts the season hunched over and ends it standing like a predator. It’s subtle physical acting that’s easy to miss.
The Cobra Kai season 1 cast succeeded because they didn't try to recreate the original movie. They tried to show what happens when the "Happily Ever After" of an 80s movie turns into the "What Now?" of middle age. It’s about trauma, legacy, and the fact that most of us are just one bad day away from opening a karate dojo in a strip mall.
To truly appreciate the evolution of the series, start by comparing the pilot episode's fight in the strip mall parking lot to the Season 1 finale. The growth isn't just in the characters' skills, but in how the actors inhabit their roles. They went from being "the kids in that karate show" to being the faces of a global phenomenon.
Next time you’re scrolling through Netflix, don't just skip to the big wars of the later seasons. Go back to where Johnny Lawrence ate a gas station pizza and decided to teach a kid how to kick. That’s where the real magic happened. Look for the nuance in the performances of the Cobra Kai season 1 cast, especially the smaller moments between Miguel and Johnny. That is the foundation the entire "Miyagiverse" is built on today.
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Check the credits for the stunt coordinators too—Hiro Koda and Jahnel Curfman did a lot with a little in those early days, and their work with the young cast set the standard for the rest of the series. If you want to dive deeper into the production, look up interviews with the creators, Josh Heald, Jon Hurwitz, and Hayden Schlossberg, regarding how they fought to keep the original cast members involved. Their insistence on authenticity is exactly why the show didn't fail.