How Old Each Cobra Kai Kid Actor Is Compared To Their Character

Cobra Kai focuses on younger characters, but the ages of the actors who play them are very different in comparison, as is the case with Mary Mouser. Although the Karate Kid sequel show is about the rivalry between Daniel LaRusso (Ralph Macchio) and Johnny Lawrence (William Zabka), the other primary part of the story is about a new group of teenagers. Throughout the show, viewers have watched the kids mature physically, emotionally, and mentally. However, the Cobra Kai timeline has created a growing gap between how old the characters and actors are.

It is easy to forget at times that Cobra Kai‘s entire story has unfolded over a short time. This has created a common problem for shows that want to focus on characters as teenagers, where the actors age faster than their characters. The ages of Cobra Kai‘s actors and characters are no different. Although the show originally began with most actors playing characters who were close to the same age as them in real life, the gaps between seasons and filming schedules have meant comparing the Cobra Kai characters’ ages to their actors makes for a growing divide.

Xolo Maridueña Is 6 Years Older Than Miguel Diaz

Date Of Birth: June 9, 2001

Cobra Kai star Xolo Maridueña is currently four years older than his character Miguel Diaz. The show’s main younger character was introduced in season 1 as a 15-year-old who just moved to the Valley. This originally worked for Cobra Kai as filming began on season 1 when Xolo Maridueña was 16 years old. That meant he was only a year older than his character at most.

However, by the time season 6 began filming, Maridueña was 23 years old, while Miguel was only 17 years old at most. Xolo Maridueña’s birthday is June 9, 2001, which makes him six years older than his Cobra Kai character. Although the time span on the show was short (there were only a couple of months between seasons 5 and 6 at most), two years passed in real life, making it difficult for Xolo to totally look Miguel’s age.

Tanner Buchanan Is 9 Years Older Than Robby Keene

Date Of Birth: December 8, 1998

Tanner Buchanan is roughly nine years older than Robby Keene when the Cobra Kai actor and characters’ ages are compared. He was introduced to the show as the 15-year-old son of Johnny Lawrence. Since Tanner Buchanan’s birthday is December 8, 1998, he was 19 years old when he first began playing the character, making him four years older right from the start. The gap between Tanner and Robby’s ages has only grown since then.

Since Robby is confirmed to be 17 years old by the events of season 5, Buchanan being 23 at the time increased the gap. Since the sixth season takes place in the fall, while season 5 was in the summer of the same year, and two more years passed in real life, there is now a nine-year age difference. However, at 25, he still has the youthful look to play the teenager.

Mary Mouser Is 11 Years Older Than Samantha LaRusso

Date Of Birth: May 9, 1996

Mary Mouser’s Samantha LaRusso represents the largest difference between Cobra Kai‘s original season 1 main actors’ and characters’ ages in comparison, although that has been eclipsed with the promotion of Kyler into a lead character and the arrival of Shawn in later seasons. Mary Mouser’s birthday is May 9, 1996, which means she was 21 years old when she first started acting on the show and playing a 15-year-old Sam.

The six-year gap has grown significantly over the years. Sam is only 17 years old by Cobra Kai season 6 while Mary was 25 years old when production took place, which made her eight years older. Now that she has turned 28 ahead of season 6, Mary Mouser is a full 11 years older than Samantha LaRusso. As with most of the show’s stars, she still maintains her youthful appearance and perfectly pulls off the teenager role.

Peyton List Is 10 Years Older Than Tory Nichols

Date Of Birth: April 6, 1998

Cobra Kai‘s Peyton List is now 10 years older than her character’s age. Tory Nichols debuted as a 15-year-old in the show’s first season. Peyton List’s birthday is April 6, 1998, which means she was 19 years old when she first started playing Tory. That initial four-year gap between the age of the Cobra Kai actress and character has now doubled thanks to the show’s condensed timeline.

Since Tory is thought to be 17 years old during Cobra Kai season 6, a full 10 years separates Peyton List and Tory Nichols’ ages. In the sixth season, the character had some seriously tragic moments, with the death of her mother leading to her lashing out at Sam, Daniel, and Johnny, and then rejoining Cobra Kai with Kreese as her sensei. Thanks to her increased age over her time on the show, she has excelled in the mature role of a character who has been through so much.

Jacob Bertrand Is 7 Years Older Than Eli ‘Hawk’ Moskowitz

Date Of Birth: March 6, 2000

Jacob Bertrand is roughly eight years older than Eli Moskowitz when comparing the difference between the Cobra Kai actor and the character’s age. Jacob Bertrand’s birthday is March 6, 2000, which would have made him 17 years old when he first joined the show. That immediately made him two years older than Hawk, one of the closest age variations in the series, putting the actor and character at a similar point in their maturity levels.

While Eli is the same age that Jacob was when he first started playing the role, the actor is now 24 years old. This makes him seven years older than his Cobra Kai characters’ age. Like most of his fellow castmates, he still looks young enough to play a teenager in season 6 of Cobra Kai, even if Hawk is one of the younger ones.

Gianni DeCenzo Is 5 Years Older Than Demetri

Date Of Birth: October 27, 2001

Gianni DeCenzo is one of the Cobra Kai actors who are closest in age to their character. Gianni DeCenzo was born on October 27, 2001, which means he would have just turned 16 years old when the show began filming. That practically makes him the same age that Demetri was in the first season. While Demetri is 17 years old by the start of Cobra Kai season 6, Gianni DeCenzo was only 22 years old when filming took place.

Gianni DeCenzo turns 23 years old in October 2024, though, which means he will be six years older than his Cobra Kai character’s age when the final episodes of the Karate Kid sequel series airs. Of the older kids on the show, he is easily the one who fits the role best, even in the sixth season of the series.

Griffin Santopietro Is 4 Years Older Than Anthony LaRusso

Date Of Birth: January 5, 2005

Anthony LaRusso actor Griffin Santopietro is also close to the same age as his Cobra Kai character. Griffin’s birthday is January 5, 2005, which would have made him 12 years old when the series began filming. Anthony LaRusso has a confirmed birthday of July 8, 2005, which helps make it easier to know exactly how old he is in each season. The Cobra Kai actor and character’s ages would have been identical during the first season, while Anthony would turn 15 during season 5.

Since only months passed between the fifth and sixth seasons of the show, Griffin Santopietro was 18 years old during filming. He is still only four years older than Anthony now, and being a teenager in real life and in the series helps make his character one of the most realistic when it comes to the actor aging faster than the character.

Dallas Dupree Young Is 4 Years Older Than Kenny Payne

Date Of Birth: October 25, 2006

Dallas Dupree Young began playing Kenny Payne in Cobra Kai season 4. Dallas Dupree Young’s birthday is October 25, 2006, which means he was 15 years old when he joined the series as a 14-year-old middle schooler. Since the show has only explored a few months of his life to this point, the gap between the Cobra Kai actor and the character’s age has barely grown.

Young turns 18 in 2024, which means by the time the show airs its final episodes, he will only be four years older than Kenny is on the show. Much like fellow young actor, Griffin Santopietro, he remains close enough in age to his character to make it more realistic than almost anyone else on the show. It also helps that he started the role further into the series as well.

Joe Seo Is 16 Years Older Than Kyler Park

Date Of Birth: July 31, 1990

The biggest age gap of anyone on Cobra Kai comes with actor Joe Seo, who plays Kyler Park. There are different stories about how old he is, with him once claiming he was born in 1998, which is not true, and other sources saying he was born on July 21, 1990. There are others who claim he was born in 1980. Regardless, there is no one else who has as big an age difference in Cobra Kai.

Seo played a character named Choi in Gridiron Gang, a movie starring Dwayne Johnson that came out in 2006. He played an inmate at the time, so there is no way he was eight and he also looks older than 16 in that movie. With that said, Kyler was 17 when the show started and is in college by season 6. There is easily a good 16-year or more age difference here.

Okea Eme-Akwari Is 10 Years Older Than Shawn Payne

Date Of Birth: June 26, 1995

Okea Eme-Akwari plays Shawn Payne, a character who joined Cobra Kai in season 3. He knew Robby in juvenile detention and was a bully to him there. Shawn returned to the show in season 6 when he was released from juvie and ends up coming across Robby again since Robby was trying to help Shawn’s younger brother Kenny get into karate.

While Shawn is around 17 when he first appears in the show (since he is in juvenile detention), Eme-Akwari was 24 when shooting that season in 2019. When he returned in season 6, less than a year had passed (season 3 ended in Christmas 2029, and season 6 was in fall 2020). That means that Shawn is now 18 while Akwari was 28 when shooting the season, a 10-year age difference between the two. Shawn looks older than a lot of his fellow actors around the same age.

How Old Cobra Kai’s Other Kid Actors Are Compared To Their Characters

Supporting Characters Are Anywhere From 1-9 Years Older

There are several other teenage Cobra Kai characters played by actors who have different ages. This is thanks to the various dojos and the high school setting that the show repeatedly features. Here is a round-up of additional Cobra Kai actors and characters’ ages from the other supporting roles.

Cobra Kai

Set decades after the events of the Karate Kid franchise, Cobra Kai shifts gears and puts viewers into the perspective of a former rival/antagonist, Johnny Lawrence. In his 50s and down on his luck, a chance encounter with a bullied young man leads Johnny back to Karate. Agreeing to help him, Johnny takes the opportunity to revive his former home, the Cobra Kai dojo – becoming a refuge for outcast teens.

Cast

Tanner Buchanan , Xolo Mariduena , Mary Mouser , Connor Murdock , Ralph Macchio , Nichole Brown , Jacob Bertrand , Griffin Santopietro , William Zabka

Seasons

6

Showrunner

Jon Hurwitz