Which Cast Members Actually Know Karate In Real Life?

While William Zabka didn't begin studying karate until his key role in the first "Karate Kid" film, he maintained his interest in the martial art moving forward and eventually earned a green belt. That said, Zabka is the least experienced at karate of the main villains from the original three "Karate Kid" movies, each of whom returns in "Cobra Kai."

For example, John Kreese actor Martin Kove knows multiple martial arts and holds a black belt in Okinawa-te karate. Meanwhile, Yuji Okumoto, who plays reformed "Karate Kid Part 2" villain Chozen Toguchi, told martial arts blog Ikigai Way that he studied both the Chito-ryu and Shotokan styles of karate during his childhood. Mike Barnes actor Sean Kanan was actually cast in "The Karate Kid Part 3" because of his karate experience, he told Black Belt Magazine — he knows both Shito-ryu (distinct from Chito-ryu) and Shotokan karate.

Terry Silver actor Thomas Ian Griffith might be the most skilled martial artists in the "Cobra Kai" universe. He told The Wrap that he began studying karate in high school and has practiced nearly every day since, totaling something like forty-plus years of training. He holds black belt rankings in both taekwondo and Kenpo karate.

Between its two generations of cast members, then, "Cobra Kai" features its fair share of trained martial artists drawing on real-life experience for its plentiful action sequences.