Fans of the Cobra Kai series are eagerly waiting for season 5 to come out, after season 4 left many wondering what’s going to happen next. With Chozen returning to help Daniel and Terry take over Cobra Kai completely, it can be assumed there’s going to be some big changes coming to the dojos. It will be interesting to see how the students will react to these changes and if they’ll switch mentors to fit their fighting styles and beliefs.RELATED: The Best Characters In Cobra Kai Aren’t Johnny And DanielThe role of a mentor, especially in The Karate Kid and Cobra Kai series, isn’t easy. While some mentors have made their students strong, they might not always have the best ideals or morals. Other mentors are still learning, and some are able to adjust or change their ways of thinking easily. The lessons they teach are reflected in their students and their abilities, on or off the mat.
10 Robby Keene
Robby took on a mentoring role for Cobra Kai and Kenny in season four, but it’s clear he wasn’t ready. He did a good job in making sure Kenny could fight and taught the Cobra Kai students Miyagi-Do’s style. While Kenny became a great fighter in a short time thanks to Robby, he has become one of the most merciless students of Cobra Kai, and seems to be headed down a dark path.
By the time Robby realized what he’d done and taught, it was too late. It was clear that he wasn’t ready or mature enough to take on a mentoring role. When he tells Johnny how he screwed up teaching Kenny, it made viewers remember that he is still a kid. He has potential to make a great mentor one day, but right now, Robby should stick to being a student.
9 George Turner
George did a good job teaching Kreese and Terry Silver how to fight, along with their friend Ponytail. However, it was his advice and their time during the war that shaped Kreese and Silver into the men they are now. Both are utterly ruthless when it comes to both fighting and everyday problems.
Before his fight with Kreese, George tried to psychologically cripple him by revealing that Betsy, Kreese’s girlfriend, passed away. It was this fight that his lessons of “No Mercy” turned against him, when Kreese let him fall into the snake pit after defeating him.
8 Chozen Toguchi
Fans will have to wait to see how he helps out in season 5, but got to see him mentor Daniel in season 3. He taught Daniel the more offensive techniques of Miyagi-Do. Though his attitude towards Daniel was a ruse when they met in season 3 of Cobra Kai, Chozen was pretty aggressive in their fight.
It’s unknown what kind of teacher he’ll be in the next season, but it seems like Chozen is more than happy to help Daniel. He showed Daniel the pressure point techniques, which Daniel used in his fight against Kreese.
7 Mr. Miyagi’s Father
Not much is known about Mr. Miyagi’s father, except that he was a karate master that taught both Mr. Miyagi and Sato Toguchi. Though the Miyagi tradition is to pass karate knowledge only from father to son, Mr. Miyagi’s father also taught Sato, because he was best friends with Sato’s father. Both men grew up to be strong and honorable fighters, even though Sato wanted revenge against Mr. Miyagi for a long time.
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Based on Mr. Miyagi’s character, it can be assumed that his father was like him, and only used his karate skills for self-defense. The first lesson he taught Mr. Miyagi was the drum technique, which is used to dodge a punch.
6 Sato Toguchi
Chozen’s uncle and Mr. Miyagi’s best friend, Sato taught Chozen how to fight. Thanks to his teachings, Chozen is strong in both offense and defense. However, Chozen was a pretty selfish, anger-fueled young man, and Sato did little to stop him.
It wasn’t until after Mr. Miyagi saved him during the typhoon when Sato changed his ways. Even after all the bad that Chozen had done, he still saved his nephew and helped him get on the path to redemption.
5 Terry Silver
Terry’s methods of teaching depend on who he’s training. With Daniel, he put him through rather brutal training. Even now, Daniel gets shaken up when he thinks about it. Terry helped Kreese teach the new generation of Cobra Kai students, but his methods are different.
Terry is about getting into the head of his opponents. He encouraged Kenny to use Robby’s concern against him during their sparring match. Terry teaches the students of Cobra Kai to attack their opponents outside the ring, and get into their heads to find their weaknesses.
4 John Kreese
Tough and dangerous, Kreese’s mentality of “No Mercy” shines in Cobra Kai’s fighting style. He taught Johnny Lawrence and his friends during their high school years, making them some of the toughest fighters. Johnny won two All Valley Tournaments prior to the first The Karate Kid movie, and Tommy, one of Cobra Kai’s students and Johnny’s friend, made it to the finals. Even now, Johnny is still a great fighter.
Kreese has shaped the new generation of Cobra Kai into some of the most aggressive fighters. Tory and Robby have become some of the strongest fighters in Cobra Kai history. Because he thinks of his students as soldiers and weapons, Kreese isn’t afraid to kick out those he thinks are weak; thus, the Cobra Kai dojo has a very powerful group.
3 Daniel LaRusso
Taught by Mr. Miyagi, it’s no surprise that Daniel tries to model himself after his late sensei. He uses the same methods as Mr. Miyagi, and his students are some of the best when it comes to defense. With Daniel’s teachings, Robby, Sam, and Demetri are among the best fighters of the new generation. Demetri went from being one of the worst students to being one of the best defensive fighters. Robby made it to the finals in the All Valley Tournament twice, losing only because Miguel kept hitting his injured shoulder and Hawk proved to be the better fighter.
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However, Daniel is not without his faults. For example, he thinks his and Miyagi-Do’s ways are the only and best ways when it comes to fighting. He tends to be closed off when it comes to learning from others. While he respects Johnny as a sensei, Daniel is still hesitant to admit that there are some advantages to learning from Eagle Fang’s style.
2 Johnny Lawrence
His way of teaching is unorthodox, but Johnny has proven one of the best teachers in the series. He started teaching the traditional Cobra Kai mentality, but changed it for the better when he saw that his students were going down a potentially dark path. Though Johnny lacks the finesse of Daniel and Mr. Miyagi, he’s managed to create a pretty strong group of students. He’s as stubborn as Daniel when it comes to learning new things, but Johnny is a little more open-minded and flexible.
Thanks to his teachings, Miguel is one of the best fighters of the new generation, along with Hawk. Johnny helped Sam expand her offensive skill set, and got Devon to the quarterfinals despite his only learning karate a few weeks prior to the tournament. He might not have a proper dojo, and his way of teaching is different, but it works for him and his students.
1 Mr. Miyagi
Even now, Mr. Miyagi is still at the top when it comes to being a mentor. Patient and wise, Mr. Miyagi was able to help Daniel and Julie Pierce (from The Next Karate Kid) learn to fight and defend themselves. In addition to karate skills, he also taught life lessons that Daniel still carries with him. Mr. Miyagi helped Julie with her anger issues, and taught her balance for everyday life. He was able to get through to both of them, knowing that they’re very different people.
Both Daniel and Julie became strong fighters and better people thanks to Mr. Miyagi. Daniel won the All Valley Tournament twice, and defeated Chozen in Okinawa. With Daniel’s less aggressive personality, Mr. Miyagi taught him that a good defense makes a great offense. With Julie, Mr. Miyagi helped her build on the basics she knew, helping her increase her strength and use speed to her advantage.
The first four seasons of Cobra Kai are currently available to stream on Netflix. The series has already been renewed for Season 5.
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