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Cobra Kai's Xolo Mariduena and Jacob Betrand recall their experience watching the original Karate Kid films growing up

Xolo Mariduena and Jacob Betrand were both fans of the original Karate Kid before joining Cobra Kai

The cast of Cobra Kai season 6 in an on-set photo
Image credit: Curtis Bonds Baker/Netflix © 2024

Stike hard, strike first, no mercy. That’s the slogan of Cobra Kai, the karate dojo with a legacy dating back to the 1984 film The Karate Kid. The martial arts school is currently the focus of Cobra Kai, a Netflix television series that is currently airing its sixth and final season. The critically acclaimed martial arts drama continues the legacy of The Karate Kid saga with returning characters such as Johnny Lawrence, while introducing new characters, like the teenage Cobra Kai students Miguel Diaz and Hawk Moskowitz.

Xolo Mariduena and Jacob Betrand, who play Miguel and Hawk respectively, weren’t born when the original film was released, but now they’re carrying the torch for The Karate Kid saga. During a panel at GalaxyCon Raleigh, Mariduena and Betrand spoke about their memories of watching the original film growing up.

“We both saw the original. I grew up with sisters, Jacob grew up with a brother, so he was always pretending to be Daniel and Johnny,” Mariduena said. “He was crane kicking his six-year-old sister in the face,” Betrand joked.

“I had four sisters, so I was like [demonstrates karate noises]. But it wasn’t really until I started playing tennis that my mom was like, ‘You’re Daniel-san.’ I was like, ‘Whooooo?’ And so, I watched the movie, and once we booked the role I had to,” Mariduena recalled

I can’t say I blame him. If you grew up watching The Karate Kid, wouldn’t you jump at the chance to join Cobra Kai?

Cobra Kai season 6 part 2 premieres November 15 on Netflix.


Here's how to watch the Karate Kid movies and Cobra Kai TV series in order.

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Joshua Lapin-Bertone

Joshua Lapin-Bertone: Joshua is a pop culture writer specializing in comic book media. His work has appeared on the official DC Comics website, the DC Universe subscription service, HBO Max promotional videos, the Batman Universe fansite, and more. In between traveling around the country to cover various comic conventions, Joshua resides in Florida where he binges superhero television and reads obscure comics from yesteryear.

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