Cobra Kai Season 3: The Best Character Arcs, Ranked

All of the characters from Cobra Kai went through a transformation of some kind in the third season of the popular series, a follow up to The Karate Kid movies and one of many series from the ’80s that nostalgic fans were excited to see revisited. But they weren’t all compelling. In some cases, characters regressed to old ways. In others, characters remained stagnant, not showing much growth or regression at all, to the disappointment of fans.

These characters took the most interesting paths through the season.

10 John Kreese

It might sound odd to say that Kreese had one of the best character arcs seeing as he didn’t really change much at all from the terribly cruel Sensei he was in the original Karate Kid movies. No matter the passage of time, different situations, or people he comes across, Kreese will always be Kreese.

That said, this season told his backstory, which showed his arc from a young age to today. Fans learned about how he was bullied, how he found and lost the love of his life, and how his mother suffered from mental illness. But most importantly, fans learned how he was trained for a specific mission in the military that, when he hesitated to make a move, ended up costing the lives of his comrades. While Kreese arguably got worse through the season, prepared to senselessly kill by the end, his arc that took him deeper and deeper into darkness was compelling.

9 Louie LaRusso, Jr.

He was only a supporting character, but fans will remember that when Louie disappointed Daniel by stupidly wrecking Johnny’s prized car, Daniel fired him from the car dealership. In season three, the cousin was re-hired and proved to be a valuable asset.

Not only did he discover that Robbie had stolen a car that helped the LaRussos track the runaway teen’s location but he also got useful information about the rival car dealership that helped Daniel get one step ahead of a rival who was hoping to shut him down.

8 Chozen

Chozen’s character arc wasn’t so much through the season as it was from who he was 30 years prior when he first faced off against Daniel in the second Karate Kid movie. Angry and violent, he not only threatened Yumiko but even wanted to fight Daniel to the death.

While he began stone-faced and seemingly still angry, Chozen finally made up with Daniel, spoke of the shame he felt after the events of 30 years prior, and revealed new techniques that Daniel was able to use against Kreese, which ultimately ended up saving his life. Chozen was a changed man who took his time to reveal this fact to Daniel. But when he did, it was a great arc even though he only appeared in one episode.

7 Samantha LaRusso

Samantha dealt with a lot after the fallout from the fight, including physical scars on her arm that served as a constant reminder. Not to mention the mixed feelings about Miguel, guilt about not going to see Robbie, and fear of Tory.

At the beginning of the season, Sam, who isn’t exactly the smartest of the characters, was anxious, afraid, and constantly having panic attacks. By the end, however, she grew a lot as a young woman. She learned not to be led by fear anymore and was back to her confident self.

6 Demetri

Demetri had trouble picking up on karate and felt defeated in the second season until he finally landed that one perfect kick that took down his former friend Hawk. In season three, Demetri was pretty popular, even though he was still his typical nerdy self.

He not only got the popular girl in school to warm to him, but he also became more confident in his fighting. He also wasn’t afraid to stand up and lead, showing tremendous personal growth.

5 Amanda LaRusso

Amanda was one of the least liked characters in the first two seasons because, while her clever sarcasm and witty comebacks were funny, she was always seemingly getting angry at Daniel about his karate.

In season three, however, she finally got on board. She not only delivered a wonderful slap to Kreese, but she also spoke out on a few occasions in defense of karate and stood by Daniel’s side at every turn, from his trip to Japan to save the business to dinner with his ex.

4 Miguel Diaz

Not surprisingly, Miguel had one of the best character arcs given that he began the season confined to a hospital bed in a coma. He went from barely being able to move his legs to working slowly towards getting his mobility back.

He progressed from wheelchair to crutches to walking on his own and even training in karate again. And while he always had a good head on his shoulders, he began to work with Sam and try to get the rival dojos together to take down Kreese, once and for all.

3 Daniel LaRusso

Daniel went through a transformative journey of self-discovery through this season, visiting Japan, running into an old flame, and hearing inspirational words Mr. Miyagi wrote about in a letter to his love back home.

He also reunited with his old rival Chozen who taught him more secret Miyagi-do methods he didn’t know and helped him feel more connected to himself and Mr. Miyagi once again. While he still remained the same Daniel he was way back when, it was just the motivation Daniel needed to make some positive changes.

2 Hawk

It took until the very end of the season for something to finally click in Hawk to make him come back to his senses. There were glimpses of his realization through the season, including when he hesitated before breaking Demetri’s arm and when he saw that Robbie was becoming the new “it” guy in Cobra Kai.

It came to a head when Miguel’s voice rang in his head during the big, epic fight at the LaRusso household and he finally realized that he was being brainwashed by Kreese. It was just the redemption that fans were hoping would come for Hawk, since it is among popular opinion that he went too far with his dark transformation.

1 Johnny Lawrence

Johnny began the season at rock bottom, unshaven and un-showered, drinking excessively, and having given up hope. But he went through a major transformation, finding a purpose in helping Miguel with his recovery and eventually deciding to open his own dojo.

But one of the biggest transformations came when, instead of picking back up where he left off 30 years ago with his ex Ali, even if just to get back at Daniel, Johnny realized that he shouldn’t live in the past and should pursue something with Carmen, who represented the future. It was a huge moment for Johnny, who many view as the hero of the series. The other major move that showed tremendous growth with Johnny was finally admitting that he might be more like Daniel than he realizes and teaming up with his old rival to run a dojo together.

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