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Cobra Kai showed the original Karate Kid, Daniel LaRusso (Ralph Macchio) as the Karate Dad. His daughter, Samantha (Mary Mouser), has been a main character since season 1 but his son, Anthony (Griffin Santopietro) got a much bigger role starting in season 4. Anthony bullied Kenny (Dallas Dupree Young) but Kenny trained at Cobra Kai and turned the tables, which Santopietro thinks was good for Anthony heading into Cobra Kai Season 5. 

'Cobra Kai': Anthony (Griffin Santopietro) stands in the garden with Daniel (Ralph Macchio)
L-R: Griffin Santopietro and Ralph Macchio | Curtis Bonds Baker/Netflix

Showbiz Cheat Sheet attended roundtable interviews with the cast of Cobra Kai. During his, Santopietro explained how Kenny’s retaliation actually helps Anthony in Cobra Kai Season 5. The new season premieres Sept. 9 on Netflix and come back for more with the cast and creators of Cobra Kai.

‘Cobra Kai’ Season 5 sees Anthony learn from being bullied 

Anthony apologized to Kenny in the season 4 finale but it was too late. After a whole school year of getting tormented, Kenny wasn’t going to let him off the hook. And he doesn’t in Cobra Kai Season 5. But, Santopietro sees the silver lining in that. 

“One really interesting thing that happens to Anthony this season is he kind of goes through that maturing phase that everyone went through,” Santopietro said. “Where you realize that the way you were was not the best you could be. Now you want to make up for everything you did. I think someone like Kenny was probably good for him to realize that because if it weren’t for Kenny, he probably would still hang out with those kids and be a jerk.”

Kenny makes Anthony closer to his family 

Even though Kenny doesn’t accept his apology, Anthony is on the right path. Hopefully Cobra Kai will find them seeing eye to eye eventually.

“So I’m really glad that we get to see him start to try to make up for what he’s done and start to really become part of his family and become a part of the dojo as a whole,” Santopietro said. “I think it’s very relatable for kids to watch. I’m really excited for people to see it.”

Anthony hasn’t quite taken up the family business of Karate himself yet. Santopietro thinks the events of Cobra Kai Season 5 could make that happen sooner than later. 

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“Especially with season 5, the stakes are so much higher so I think because the whole Karate battle is becoming so much bigger, everyone’s got to get involved at some point,” Santopietro said. “I think Anthony finds a really great way to get involved through his family and not something with more of a revenge type of way. I think it’s something he needs now that Kenny is trying to kill him. We get to see that it’s a really nice way he joins Karate which we don’t always get on the show.”

‘Cobra Kai’ creators briefed Griffin Santopietro on his new story 

Santopietro was 12 when Cobra Kai began in 2018. Now he’s 16. Santopietro recalls the talk with Jon Hurwitz, Hayden Schlossberg and Josh Heald prior to season 4.

It was a good combination of something that was kind of planned but came on naturally. It was around definitely the beginning of season 4 I met with the three of them and they gave me a rundown of what I was going to be doing with Kenny and Anthony’s storyline in general, with Ralph and everything that’s going to happen. But I think from the beginning there was always that bit of Anthony’s kind of being neglected by his parents and it seems like that’s going to cause an issue later. So I’m glad in these last couple seasons we’ve been able to see him bond with his family more. Then because of that join the larger world of the show. 

Griffin Santopietro, Cobra Kai Season 5 roundtable, 8/26/22
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