Cobra Kai Quietly Ruined 1 of its Best Characters

By Emma Singer

Cobra Kai Quietly Ruined 1 of its Best Characters

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Demetri Alexopoulos Has Always Stood Out From the Rest of Miyagi-Do

Cobra Kai Season 6, Part 1 Turned Demetri Into a Far Nastier Person

All of Demetri's Worst Flaws Are on Full Display in Season 6, Part 2

Among the main cast of Cobra Kai, there are numerous amazing characters and incredible fighters. One of the most consistently entertaining characters in the series is Miyagi-Do student Demetri Alexopoulos. Since Season 1, Demetri's quick wit and personal struggles, and especially his friendship and rivalry with Hawk, have made him a fan-favorite.

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Sadly, Demetri has lost all of his likable traits in the newest episodes of Cobra Kai. In both Parts 1 and 2 of Season 6, Demetri has been spiteful and cruel to everyone around him, including his best friends and his girlfriend. All of Demetri's humor and sympathetic qualities are gone, and the less positive traits he's always had are all that remain.

Demetri Alexopoulos Has Always Stood Out From the Rest of Miyagi-Do

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Demetri Alexopoulos developed more over the first five seasons of Cobra Kai than most other characters in the series. When first introduced in Season 1, Demetri was merely Miguel and Hawk's nerdy best friend, whose continued meekness contrasted the dark paths the Cobra Kai students were going down. Even within this small role, Demetri stood out by having many of the funniest lines in the show and by being the only character other than the wholesome Amanda LaRusso capable of acknowledging how ridiculous the premise of Cobra Kai is.

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Demetri becomes extremely sympathetic throughout Seasons 2 and 3. After a failed attempt to join his friends in Cobra Kai, Demetri becomes the main bullying victim of Hawk, with Miguel largely passive to the situation as he deals with his own issues. This harassment and betrayal leads Demetri to become the third Miyagi-Do student, alongside Robby and Sam. Cobra Kai is a series with a largely morally gray cast, but Demetri and Hawk's dynamic in these seasons is very much one of hero and villain, and it works well for both of them. Hawk breaking Demetri's arm is one of the most shocking moments in the series, and the two's reconciliation during the Season 3 finale is incredibly satisfying.

Demetri Alexopoulos is played by Gianni DeCenzo.

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For all the awful treatment he receives and him being one of the only kids in the series to never fight for Cobra Kai, Demetri is far from a saint. While he's generally kind and good-natured, the extreme degree to which he complains about insignificant issues comes off as incredibly whiny, he's slow to grow as a fighter and is prone to giving up, and he's regularly misogynistic. These traits absolutely damage Demetri's likability, but they also add an extra layer of depth to his character.

With his rivalry with Hawk resolved, Dimitri largely takes a backseat in Seasons 4 and 5. But even in a reduced role, he manages to continue growing and to become even more endearing. He's as funny as ever, he becomes skilled enough to rightfully stand alongside his friends, every fight where he's partnered with Hawk is great, and his romance with Yasmine is odd but sweet and results in him being less sexist. Going into Season 6, it seemed like all that was left for Demetri was to step up and prove himself at the Sekai Taikai, but that isn't how things played out.

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Cobra Kai Season 6, Part 1 Turned Demetri Into a Far Nastier Person

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Demetri's arc in Season 6 is entirely based around his excitement about attending MIT after competing in the Sekai Taikai and his anger towards Hawk over his uncertainty about joining him. For the first several episodes of Part 1, Demetri's obsession with MIT is obnoxious, and the way it makes Hawk uncomfortable is unpleasant to watch, but he's by and large the same funny character he's always been. After everything he's been through, it's downright satisfying to see Demetri treated as one of Miyagi-Do's star students and a contender to join the team participating in the Sekai Taikai. However, the instant he learns Hawk didn't apply early for MIT, Demetri becomes entirely unlikable.

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Eli "Hawk" Moskowitz is played by Jacob Bertrand.

As life-long nerds, the "Binary Brothers" had a long-standing agreement to attend MIT together. If Hawk had decided not to attend MIT at all without telling Demetri, then Demetri being upset with Hawk would be understandable to a point. But just because Hawk has doubts about what school he wants to attend, Demetri acts like he's just broken his arm for a second time. The degree to which he verbally attacks Hawk, who at this point is one of the sweetest characters in the series, is completely absurd, and there's no excuse for his behavior. And through it all, Demetri's sense of humor completely disappears, meaning he no longer even has being funny to fall back on.

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Undoubtedly, Demetri's worst moment in Cobra Kai Season 6, Part 1, comes during his fight against Hawk when they compete to represent Miyagi-Do in the Sekai Taikai. Under other circumstances, it would be gratifying to see Dimitri holding his own in a fair one-on-one against the reigning All-Valley Champion, but because of his poor behavior, it's impossible not to root for Hawk. It's no surprise when Hawk wins, but this victory only serves to give Demetri a chance to exploit his friend's kindness, kick him into a rock while his guard is down, and steal his spot in the Sekai Taikai.

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All of Demetri's Worst Flaws Are on Full Display in Season 6, Part 2

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As obnoxious as Demetri is in Season 6, Part 1, he's even worse in Season 6, Part 2. As would be expected, he continues to treat Hawk like garbage while obsessing over MIT in nearly every scene he's in. But besides his cruelty towards Hawk, he's now also awful to both Kenny and Yasmine. And after everything Demetri went through to become skilled enough to compete in the Sekai Taikai, his performance in the tournament is embarrassing.

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Before the season-ending brawl breaks out, Miyagi-Do successfully reaches the semi-finals of the Sekai Taikai, making them one of the top four dojos in the world. However, their getting as far as they do is almost entirely thanks to Miguel's outstanding performance in the tournament. While only Robby and Devon's especially poor performances in the competition are highlighted, with Demetri talking down to them both, at almost no point is Demetri shown scoring points for Miyagi-Do. He's arguably even more of a detriment to the team than either of his teammates because of the way he drags down the team's morale. The second it starts looking doubtful that Miyagi-Do can win, Demetri goes back to his old ways and wants to give up, only interested in MIT. When Hawk expresses how fed up he is with Demetri acting like this, he may as well be speaking for the audience.

Kenny Payne and Yasmine are played by Dallas Dupree Young and Annalisa Cochrane.

Demetri further harms his team with his mistrust of Kenny after he's flown to Barcelona to replace Devon. His logic for not trusting Kenny is flimsy, and his attempt to get the other Miyagi-Dos not to accept his help in a team competition is idiotic. While he's never as directly rude to Kenny as he is to Hawk or Devon, most likely because Kenny wouldn't put up with him, his irritated shouting over Kenny being tagged in during a fight is grating on the ears.

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Demetri hits his lowest point in the entire series during Season 6, Episode 8. While out at a bar with the rest of his team, Demetri, who's still dating Yasmine, goes to dance with another girl with the clear intent of things going further. His flimsy excuse is that it's okay since he's in another country, but all this moment proves is that Demetri is the same gross, dweeby misogynist he's always been and that his worship of Yasmine was all just another joke. It's just desserts when his cheating is outed to Yasmine, but, naturally, Demetri finds a way to make his own self-sabotage Hawk's fault and gets mad at him for this. Making all of this worse, because the series needs Miyagi-Do as a team united before the final rounds of the tournament, all the horrible things Demetri has done get swept under the rug, and he patches things up with Hawk to little fanfare.

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Only five episodes remain in Cobra Kai, and it doesn't seem like Demetri will get the chance to redeem himself. His issues with Hawk have already been largely hand-waved away, and there are far more important characters whose stories will soon be coming to an end who need focus. Demetri fans will just have to remember him as the character they loved, not the one he turned into.

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10

Cobra Kai

TV-14

Drama

Comedy

Action

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.

Release Date May 2, 2018

Cast Ralph Macchio , William Zabka , Courtney Henggeler , Xolo Mariduena , Tanner Buchanan , Mary Mouser , Peyton List , Jacob Bertrand , Gianni DeCenzo , Dallas Dupree Young , Vanessa Rubio , Thomas Ian Griffith , Martin Kove , Cameron Markeles , Talin Chat , Samuel Goergen , Rob Garrison , Brandon Gibson , Alan Heckner , Kristin Brock , Randee Heller , Lara Silva , David Kronawitter , Dominick Racano , Tony Bravado

Seasons 6

Franchise

Characters By

Cinematographer

Creator

Distributor

Prequel

Production Company

Sfx Supervisor

Story By josh heald

Writers Josh Heald , Ashley Darnall , Chris Rafferty , Bill Posley

Number of Episodes

Network Netflix , YouTube Premium

Streaming Service(s) Netflix

Directors Hayden Schlossberg , Jon Hurwitz , Joel Novoa , Jennifer Celotta , Steven K. Tsuchida , Sherwin Shilati , Marielle Woods , Steve Pink , Lin Oeding , Michael Grossman

Showrunner Jon Hurwitz

Producers James Lassiter , Ralph Macchio , Susan Ekins , Will Smith , William Zabka , Caleeb Pinkett , Bob Wilson , Luan Thomas , Joe Piarulli , Jason Belleville , Katrin L. Goodson

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