The Karate Kid franchise, including Cobra Kai, has introduced several great villains, but some are far more fleshed out than others. Of course, whether a character is a hero or villain isn't so black and white in The Karate Kid, with Cobra Kai often redeeming the baddies from the original films. The more we learn about those like Johnny Lawrence and Chozen Toguchi, the more interesting they become as characters. Then, there are those like Terry Silver, who, though irredeemable, is still made up of several layers of great character-building.
A lot goes into developing great villains, and The Karate Kid franchise has proven it knows how it's done. The best antagonistic characters will have clear motivations, complicated and multifaceted personalities, and a delicious desire to be bad. In general, the teachers and students of Cobra Kai dojo have been the primary villains of the movies and even the titular series since the concept of "Strike first, strike hard, no mercy" tends to breed individuals with a desire to shed blood. However, the baddies of The Karate Kid movies and Netflix's Cobra Kai come from all sorts of backgrounds, and the depth these characters are given (combined with their level of evilness) determines how they rank against one another.
All 5 Karate Kid Movies (& Cobra Kai), Ranked From Worst To Best
The Karate Kid movie franchise spans 3 sequels and a 2010 remake. Cobra Kai is continuing the story but here's which of the movies is the best around.
19 Mitch Is Only A Minor Villain
Villain In Cobra Kai
Mitch was only revealed to be a villain in Cobra Kai season 5 when he suddenly switched from being loyal to Johnny Lawrence to snitching for Terry Silver and Cobra Kai. Really, it's hard to blame him since, as he pointed out, his friends and fellow students have been calling him "Penis Breath" for the entirety of the series. This made his betrayal more comical than impactful and has served as the only point of interest for Mitch's character in Cobra Kai. Therefore, ranking him any higher among the other series villains is difficult.
18 Kyler Park Is the Stereotypical Bully
Villain In Cobra Kai
Kyler is one of the few Cobra Kai characters who is unlikely to find redemption in season 6. He filled the basic bully archetype in season 1, stepping into Johnny Lawrence's shoes as the jerk who endlessly picks on new kid Miguel Diez. However, unlike Johnny, Kyler is a pretty one-note character. He only got worse when he decided to Cobra Kai, and though he's now a better fighter, there's nothing particularly interesting about his overall arc. Kyler gets some points for evilness, but aside from that, there isn't much to him.
17 Master Li Wasn't Quite To Kreese's Level
Villain In The Karate Kid (2010)
Master Li was the John Kreese equivalent in the 2010 remake of The Karate Kid. He is the teacher at Fighting Dragons Kung Fu Studio, and his teaching methods could only be described as abusive. In all, Li is about as interesting as Kreese was in the original The Karate Kid, but since there has been no further exploration of his character since 2010, he can't compare to the majority of other villains from the franchise. However, his skill and ruthlessness certainly earn him a few points.
16 Zara Malik Made Little Impact
Villain in Cobra Kai
Zara Malik is one of several Karate Kid villains introduced in Cobra Kai season 6, and one of the Iron Dragons dojo combatants in the Sekai Taikai (studying under Sensei Wolf and Terry Silver). While she's the chief rival of Tory Nichols, Zara was a somewhat forgettable Karate Kid antagonist - though, since she was introduced alongside several other Iron Dragons students in the tournament, it was somewhat difficult for her to stand out. Still, the fact that her personality is modeled on social media-addicted celebrities made for some ittedly hilarious moments.
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13 Cheng Hasn't Been Explored Much
Villain In The Karate Kid (2010)
Cheng was Johnny Lawrence's archetypal counterpart in the 2010 The Karate Kid, and, as a bully, he was almost even worse. His motivations weren't quite as heavily developed, but he became a more sympathetic character at the end of the film since he left Master Li's Kung Fu school to be taught by Jackie Chan's Mr. Han instead. It would be interesting to see more of Cheng in the future, and he could potentially earn more points and become a more exciting character compared to the other franchise villains. Perhaps this will happen when Chan's character returns for the next Karate Kid movie, but for now, Cheng only moderately stacks up.
12 Kwon Jae-Sung Was A Tragic And Brief Presence
Villain In Cobra Kai
One of several secondary villains in Cobra Kai season 6, Kwon was one of the students of Kim Da-Eun, Kim Sun-Yang, and John Kreese. Hot-headed and rebellious, Kwon's time on Cobra Kai, and life, was cut tragically short due to accidentally stabbing himself during the Sekai Taikai All Dojo Brawl. However, while his death was a sad moment and a reminder of the real danger that lurks behind the karate dojo rivalries, it must be ed he was trying to kill Axel at the time. Had Kwon survived longer, his personality (which echoed the young Johnny Lawrence) could have led him to become a much more memorable Karate Kid villain.
11 Kim Sun-Yung Embodies Cobra Kai's Dark Past
Villain In Cobra Kai
As the teacher of Cobra Kai founders Terry Silver and John Kreese, the Korean karate expert Kim Sun-Yung represents the origin of the dark and dangerous methods Johnny Lawrence spent the entirety of Cobra Kai trying to eradicate from both himself and the methods of his dojo. As a sensei, Kim Sun-Yung is incredibly, incredibly abusive to his students, viewing the pain he inflicts on them as an essential obstacle they must overcome to succeed. He was murdered by his own grandaughter and praised her for the act as he lay dying, which sums up exactly how unhinged his views and methods truly are.
10 Kim Da-Eun's Backstory Needs Exploring
Villain In Cobra Kai
Kim Da-Eun was introduced in Cobra Kai season 5 when she ed Terry Silver as a sensei at Cobra Kai dojo. She is the granddaughter of the man who taught John Kreese and Silver karate, but this is all we know about her past. Kim is an absolutely merciless teacher, taking particular interest in her female students like Devon Lee and Tory Nichols. This is evident in Cobra Kai when she forces Tory to severely damage her hand while punching a stone. As far as frightening villains go, Sensei Kim ranks high, but her lack of character development places her slightly lower.
