- "You hear that? Get ready for high school next year, 'cause you're gonna be in a world of pain."
- ―Kenny to Anthony[src]
Kenny Payne is one of the two tritagonists (alongside Demetri Alexopoulos) the Netflix series, Cobra Kai. He is portrayed by Dallas Dupree Young.
Kenny is the younger brother of Shawn Payne. After being the subject of intense bullying, Kenny seeks help from Shawn's juvie friend, Robby Keene, who becomes a mentor to Kenny. He turns to karate as a way to defend himself. However, he is soon corrupted by Cobra Kai's ruthless teachings, going from being bullied to becoming a bully. After learning the truth about Cobra Kai and Terry Silver, Kenny quits the dojo and officially joins Miyagi-Do.
Despite initially wanting nothing to do with Miyagi-Do, he is persuaded by Shawn to join, leading to him having a positive influence in his life. However, things start to take a turn when Devon frames Anthony for putting laxatives in Kenny's water, which led to him losing out on a spot in the Sekai Taikai, when it was really her that did so.
However, Devon finally cleared up his grudge against Anthony by telling Kenny the truth that she's the one who sabotaged him and later, he and Anthony have finally put their past behind them. Afterward, he flew to Barcelona with Johnny Lawrence and Miguel Diaz to take Devon's place to participate in the tournament for Miyagi-Do, where he proved himself to be a formidable member of the team. He and Devon also participate in the all-dojo brawl where he defeats the Redentores students and the two then defeat the Dublin Thunder students.
A month after the brawl, the Sekai Taikai resumes in the Valley at the All Valley Sports Arena and Kenny alongside the rest of Miyagi-Do witnesses Robby's fight against Axel. Unfortunately, Robby's leg gets broken and Miyagi-Do decides to forfeit following the latter's injury. After Johnny reclaims Cobra Kai from Kreese, Kenny and the Miyagi-Do students help Miguel and Tory train for their final matches against Axel and Zara respectively. Kenny and the rest of his friends support Johnny during his fight against Feng by donning the black Cobra Kai gi. Following Johnny and Cobra Kai's win at the tournament, he returns to Cobra Kai and trains in the dojo alongside Devon and Anthony.
Roles
He is a supporting character-turned antagonist of Season 4, one of the two secondary antagonists (alongside Kim Da-Eun) of Season 5, and a redeemed supporting character of Season 6.
Biography
Kenny was born sometime in 2005 and is the second-born son of a US Army soldier and an unnamed mother, and the younger sibling of Shawn Payne. One night, Kenny witnessed one of Shawn's friends stealing money from the Payne family, he then tried to stop him but wasn't strong enough, so he ran away. Shawn intervened to protect Kenny and ultimately beat his former friend. Shawn was taken to Sylmar Juvenile Corrections to serve out his sentence.
Cobra Kai
Season 4
Kenny plays an online video game called Dungeon Lord as he gets ready for school. He is dancing while waiting for the bus, oblivious to when it pulls up. When he turns, he sees the students laughing at him for his dance moves. Anthony LaRusso then verbally bullies him on the bus. In gym class, Anthony guards Kenny but Kenny scores a layup against him, showing that he is skilled in basketball. Things worsen when Kenny accidentally checks a basketball into Anthony's face, albeit after Anthony had mocked him. Lia, a fellow classmate, diffuses the situation and is friendly towards Kenny. After school, Kenny talks to his dad on the phone, who is in deployment at a military base in Qatar. He admits it's difficult moving in the middle of the school year and making new friends. His father encourages him to give it time, be patient with his hard-working mother, and reminds him that while unfair, Kenny has to be the man of the house now.
Later, Kenny is playing Dungeon Lord when he is messaged by what he believes to be Lia. He is surprised, but willingly accepts her friend request. During their chat sessions, Kenny opens up to Lia about the things he is into, including music, and cosplaying his Dungeon Lord character. Lia offers Kenny the opportunity to meet in character at Balboa Park the next evening, an event that Kenny eagerly accepts. But unbeknownst to Kenny, it is not Lia on the other side of the computer screen, but Anthony LaRusso and some of his friends catfishing him. They set an ambush for him at the park and video record him in his Dungeon Lord costume and proceed to pummel him. Kenny is barely able to escape and only survives by hiding in a giant dumpster while Anthony and his friends hunt for him.
Kenny visits his brother in juvenile to talk about his recent experiences, including the cyber bullying going around since his adventure in the park, and mentions that Anthony knows karate. Shawn laughs off the statement and guides him to Robby Keene, a former juvenile inmate, in hopes of helping him learn karate to defend himself.
He goes to the Cobra Kai dojo to find Robby. When he does, he reveals to him that he is Shawn's brother, much to Robby's surprise, he asks if he's out. Kreese tells him he needs to have a killer instinct to be in cobra kai, and has him fight Kyler Park but ends up backing down after constantly getting laughed at and ends up leaving in the process. Robby goes to his house to return his backpack. Kenny reveals that his brother got an extra month in juvenile for spitting in a guard's face. Initially, Robby is hesitant to teach due to his focus on preparing for the All Valley Tournament, but when he sees a video of Kenny opening his locker with milk, he teaches him a couple moves and advises him to use his speed to come at his enemies. Robby also tells him that he doesn't believe he's Shawn's brother but Kenny adds that he is big and strong and he's fast. He comes back to the dojo but he backs down again. Kyler then makes fun of him, which causes Kenny to go up and punch him without Kyler noticing. Kreese then tells him that the punch wasn't enough and had his chance to join the dojo. He then leaves but after receiving approval from Robby, Kenny earns his spot, with Kreese allowing him to join the dojo.
While on a field trip at West Valley High School, he is insulted by Nathaniel and Bert due to his affiliation with Cobra Kai. He attempts to punch Bert but is stopped by Eli, who traps him towards a restroom door and warns him to leave Cobra Kai while he still can. During his time in the dojo, he goes with his classmates to a drive-in to watch Bloodsport. Kyler asks him to get multiple snacks with Robby asking for one as well. After getting his food, he again encounters Nathaniel and Bert, who were also at the drive-in. Surprised, he attempts to quickly walk away but inadvertently bumps into Hawk and knocks over his food. Robby notices this, and a confrontation ensues between Miyagi-Do, Eagle Fang, and Cobra Kai. Miguel tells them to meet in the baseball diamond but Miyagi-Do and Eagle don't show up. When Kenny and his fellow cobras arrive, they end up getting drenched by the sprinklers.
While changing from P.E., Kenny leaves his clothes behind himself but Anthony steals them. He chases Anthony and his friends, but ends up running out in his underwear, causing everyone to laugh at him. During a lesson in Cobra Kai, Kenny is then ordered to spar with Robby. After Robby apologizes for kicking him, Kenny takes advantage of this weakness per Silver's advice, and then wins the fight by leg sweeping him.
Back at school, Anthony tries to reconcile with him and put the bullying behind them, but Kenny doesn't forgive him and calls him "LaPusso". He calls him the name again and Anthony and his group chase him. They end up in the library where Kenny hides and the group hopes to trap the boy. However, Kenny turns off the lights and the group splits to find him. While looking for him, Kenny attacks the group one by one; he intimidates Anthony by calling him "LaPusso", scaring Anthony, who trips and falls down. Kenny immediately runs up and grabs Anthony but the two look up to find themselves caught by a librarian when she turns the lights back on, ruining Kenny’s chance to punch Anthony. While in the office, Anthony is suspended, but Kenny is off the hook. After Daniel looks to Anthony in horror finding out his involvement in the cyberbullying, Kenny tells Anthony he got him with a smug smile on his face.
On the day of the All-Valley tournament, he fights Nathaniel and defeats him using the Miyagi-Do drum technique. He then advances to fight his own classmate Robby in the quarterfinals. He wins the first point when Robby goes easy on him, but proceeds to lose swiftly when Robby tries his hardest so his dojo can have a chance of winning. Kenny runs off the mat after losing with a bloody nose. As he tends to his wound in the locker room, Anthony arrives and tries to apologize again for his bullying. However, Kenny, who at this point is now fully corrupted by Cobra Kai's ruthless mentality, refuses to forgive him once again and instead lashes out at Anthony and proceeds to brutally beat him up, but he is stopped and pulled off of him by Robby. Kenny threatens Anthony to wait for high school where he will experience more pain, smiling evilly at the warning. Robby reprimands Kenny as this isn't how he taught the boy. Kenny snaps back with Cobra Kai's "no mercy" mentality. At this point, Robby realizes that his mentorship with Kenny has now turned him into a corrupt individual. At the All Valley Tournament Finals, when Robby has Eli trapped on the ground, Kenny yells at Robby to finish him off, causing Robby to get distracted and giving Eli the time to recover and escape the trap. In the end, Robby loses, causing Eli to become the boys champion. Nevertheless, Cobra Kai becomes the grand champion for the second time in a row when Tory beats Sam in the girls' finals. Kenny and the rest of his teammates celebrate and get on the mat as Tory wins. He was not present when they were outside celebrating when Kyler decides to schedule a party at his house to celebrate, though it is possible that he most likely attended the party as well.
Season 5
Kenny is still brainwashed by Cobra Kai. He still continues his training under Terry Silver, who is now in full control of the dojo following Kreese's arrest. To get revenge on his bullying, Kenny attacks Anthony at the water park by trapping him in several inflatable tubes and kicking him into the pool, but not before Anthony reprimands him for continuously being angry with him. Eli intervenes and challenges Tory to a race on a ride, with the losing dojo having to leave the park. Kenny however, cheats by poking in a hole in Hawk's tube, causing Tory to win the race and earning the disappointing boos of the Miyagi-Do and Eagle Fang students for cheating. Eli gets angry and squares off with Kenny, asking him if he really wants to fight the champion. Kenny argues that Hawk only won because Miguel forfeit from the semis, but Hawk backfires by undermining his loss to Robby at the tournament, causing Kenny to to get mad and throw the first punch, though Hawk dodges all his attacks. Kenny lands a punch before Eli injures his leg. Before Hawk can continue fighting, Robby pushes him into the pool. Kenny continues to bully Anthony, including giving him a swirlie in an un-flushed toilet as retaliation for Anthony throwing a Cobra Kai shirt on the ground.
Kenny, a follower by nature, follows Kyler's poor leadership during a training exercise against Sensei Odell and loses as a result. Terry takes him aside and plays to his ego by telling him that he needs to lead from now on. Kenny proceeds to attack Kyler in the next exercise, causing Sensei Odell to let his guard down which Kenny immediately took advantage of by striking him, ultimately winning the training exercise. Kenny is then taught the Silver Bullet; an extremely powerful punch that can temporarily cut off an opponent's airway and leave them vulnerable to pretty much any attack. Terry picks Kenny to represent Cobra Kai in the boys' round in the qualifying rounds for the Sekai Taikai against the Miyagi-Fangs, the largest karate tournament in the world.
Terry, unbeknownst to Kenny, had paid off the referee to ensure that they won no matter what, Kenny benefited from it and is able to take down Eli with the Silver Bullet allowing him to win the males fight of the qualifying rounds. He then mockingly gives Eli a nickname: Faux-Hawk. Robby tries to appeal to Kenny's good nature by continuously telling him that he needs to leave Cobra Kai and let his hatred for Anthony go, but he consistently refuses to listen. Kenny alongside all the Cobra Kai students later arrives at the Cobra Kai flagship dojo to attack the Miyagi-Fang students when they break in to try and get surveillance footage of Terry beating up Stingray to expose Cobra Kai for good. However, the video had been deleted by Silver as a means to cover his tracks, but with the help of Tory, they are able to find a video of Terry confessing that he rigged the All-Valley.
An enormous fight would subsequently break out between the Cobra Kais and the Miyagi-Fangs. He and Kyler reveal to the Miyagi-Fangs that Mitch was their mole. Kenny attacks Miguel first but missed two times, but is next shown kicking a presumed Miyagi-Do student, before then attacking Robby. Robby tries reasoning with Kenny, but he continues to attack Robby. Robby briefly pushes Kenny away. However, after Robby is punched by a Cobra Kai, Kenny severely injures him with the Silver Bullet. Kenny proceeds to beat him up along with some of his fellow cobras to keep him in disadvantage. However, Miguel saves Robby by dropkicking Kenny to the floor. Kenny then attacks Miguel, who beats him again by kicking him to the ground. As the Miyagi-Fangs form a circle and are surrounded by the Cobra Kai students while Anthony is in the middle near seconds for the video to upload, the Cobra Kai students gain the upper hand as the Miyagi-Fang students are pulled out of the circle by the cobras. Kenny orders the Cobra Kai students to not let the remaining five Miyagi-Fangs get out since they're trapped with almost no breathing room, and they all recklessly push the Miyagi-Fangs to try to reach for Anthony. Just in time, however, the upload was completed and the video played on the TV right above the students. Terry's cheating is exposed on the video; Kenny and the rest of the cobras watch the video in shock and disbelief. just as Silver arrives too late and challenges Daniel to a fight, which is witnessed by Kenny and the rest of the ex-Cobra Kai students. Daniel defeats Terry by using his famous crane kick, knocking him into the wall and destroying the glass Cobra Kai logo, tarnishing him.
Realizing that Robby was right about Cobra Kai and Terry Silver, Kenny quits when he throws his shirt at Terry and is the first one to leave the dojo, disillusioned with Cobra Kai's ruthless teachings and remorseful for his abusive behavior. Everyone else follows suit and throws their gear at their now former sensei. As the authorities arrive at the scene to arrest Silver for his crimes, Robby tries to talk to Kenny, but Kenny is too ashamed of his behavior to speak, saying he needs "some time" and then leaves.
Season 6
Part 1
Kenny, who is now a freshman in High School, still hasn’t yet talked to Robby ever since he learned the truth about Cobra Kai. He is seen playing alone at an arcade, where Robby tries talking to him about joining Miyagi-Do. However, his brother Shawn, who has been released from juvie, stops Robby from trying to talk to him and warns him that there will be a problem if he doesn't. Robby later attempts to talk to him but the Payne brothers get into a fight with Miguel and Robby. Miguel manages to defeat Kenny by knocking him to the ground. Kenny tries to use a bat but is stopped by Samantha LaRusso and Tory Nichols as they try to reason with him, but he refuses. He tries to get past them, but they block his way out until they push Kenny to a fence. Kenny gets back up to fight them, but Shawn intervenes, telling him that the security is coming, causing them to leave.
Back home, Shawn, who now realizes Miyagi-Do may be good for Kenny, advises him to join after telling Kenny he sees Cobra Kai’s “no mercy” philosophy for what it really is, and thinks they should probably hear Robby and the other Miyagi-Dos out. While Kenny initially refuses and wants nothing to do with them, Shawn tells him if he continues down the path he’s currently chosen, he will land in juvenile hall like him and Robby and that he wants him to be the same person he is when their dad comes home. Realizing Shawn is right, Kenny decided to heed his advice. He arrives at the Miyagi-Do dojo, where he’s given a warm welcome from Robby and Miguel. He and Anthony even give each other a nod of approval.
During the qualifying rounds, Kenny is one of the twelve students to advance to the next round. However, he, Devon, Hawk and Demetri later have to participate in a tiebreaker to earn the final two spots. Kenny starts off well during the tiebreaker race, but while in the woods, he becomes constipated, leading to him rushing back to use the port a john only to have an unfortunate accident. With Kenny out, Devon and Demetri got the two flags, leading to them winning the tiebreaker. While speaking with Devon following the competition, he realizes that Mitch's laxatives were in his water, which made him constipated. Believing Anthony put Mitch's laxatives in his water to take revenge for hitting him in the previous round, he angrily blames him, but decides not to tell Daniel because he does not think he would believe him. Unknown to him, however, Devon had put the laxatives in his water to gain the advantage in the tiebreaker. The next day, Kenny doesn’t show up in Miyagi-Do possibly because he is embarrassed about defecating in front of everyone.
Part 2
Kenny meets Amanda LaRusso to talk about going to Barcelona as Miyagi-Do is one fighter down but declines and talks about how Anthony spiked his water. When Anthony tries to apologize, the two fight, and Amanda breaks it up. She berates the two for their conflict and explains that Miyagi-Do will lose the Sekai Taikai if he doesn't join. Later, Anthony and Kenny make up after he learns from a guilty Devon that she spiked his water. He flies to Barcelona with Miguel and Johnny and joins Miyagi-Do in the Sekai Taikai, where he and Devon make amends, and Devon gives up her spot in the tournament to him (likely out of guilt). Despite tension between him and both Hawk and Demetri due to the latter two (most notably Demetri) believing he was untrustworthy, he proves himself by defeating the Redentores students in one of the events. The win helps Miyagi-Do advance into the semi-finals. After his victory, he flips off his former sensei Terry Silver, who currently owns the Iron Dragons dojo, to solidify that he will never join him. During Miyagi-Do's tag team match against the renewed Cobra Kai of South Korea, Kenny teams up with Hawk and Demetri to overwhelm Yoon. Later, he fights the Redentores students and he and Devon team up to fight the Dublin Thunder students in the all-dojo brawl.
Part 3
Kenny later watches the Sekai Taikai finals at the All Valley Sports Arena with his friends. When Johnny retakes Cobra Kai, Kenny and Miyagi-Do help train Miguel and Tory at the old dojo for their final matches against Axel and Zara respectively. Kenny and the rest of his friends support Johnny during his tiebreaker match against Feng by donning the black Cobra Kai gi. After Cobra Kai wins the Sekai Taikai, he attends the reopening of Cobra Kai alongside Anthony, Devon, and a new class, and also trains at Miyagi-Do, continuing his karate with both dojos.
Personality
Kenny is a bright-eyed and happy-go-lucky kid who enjoys the niche of video games, anime, music, and dancing. He's a generally happy kid, despite the unfortunate circumstances around his past and his brother's incarceration. His first day at his new middle school introduces him to bullying that only increases with time. He finds friendship in Lia, a girl from school. Kenny's bullies use this connection to catfish him online, lure him to the park in cosplay, and attack him. This crushes Kenny emotionally and he barely escapes the bullies, hiding in a recycling bin to avoid their onslaught of attacks.
As his confidence wanes, he confides in Shawn, who suggests he find Robby Keene to help. Under the guidance of Robby, Kenny learns to not run away from his bullies, flinch from danger, or be afraid of others. He gradually gains confidence in himself and his martial arts. He joins Cobra Kai Dojo and finds allies in the older students, and a mentor in Robby. The longer Kenny is exposed to the vicious mentality of Cobra Kai, the darker his personality becomes. He learns how to manipulate his enemies and strike first, but also to take control of his life. While this makes him a stronger fighter, he loses sight of the guidance Robby gave him. He rejects Robby's condemnation of his antics by citing that he's Cobra Kai. This allows him to turn the tables on his bully, going from being the bullied to the bully. After being persuaded by Silver to not hold back and gain more confidence in his fighting skills, he becomes even more aggressive and starts acting as the leader of the Cobra Kai students when Silver isn’t around. This is shown during the final brawl at the flagship dojo where Kenny gave the other students orders and they listened to him.
Fortunately, thanks to the efforts of Robby, Tory and the other Miyagi-Dos and Eagle Fangs, Kenny came to view Terry Silver as the manipulative and ruthless individual that he is and became the first of the Cobra Kais to leave his side and the dojo for good, becoming ashamed of his behavior while training there. When Robby tries to comfort him, Kenny insists that he just needs some space and time.
Kenny initially wanted nothing to do with Robby and Miyagi-Do after leaving Cobra Kai. However, after Shawn suggested that Miyagi-Do would be good for him and advised him not to make the same mistakes he did, Kenny joins and from then on, he seemed to be changing for the better. However, he still showed his arrogance, as he mocked Anthony when fighting him, though he did sincerely apologize when he unintentionally bloodied his nose. Unfortunately, the progress he had been making took a turn when he believed that Anthony sabotaged him in the tiebreaker by putting Mitch's laxatives in his water, leading to Kenny turning against the latter, though he was unaware that was Devon's doing. The two ultimately reconcile, even before Kenny learns that Anthony was not, in fact, responsible.
After arriving in Barcelona, Kenny proves to be a worthy student when he helps defeat Redentores in one of the events. He and Devon also work together to fight the Dublin Thunder students during the all-dojo brawl.
Following Kenny and Anthony's reconciliation and Cobra Kai's win in the Sekai Taikai, the two now train together in Cobra Kai and Miyagi-Do with Devon.
Fighting Style
Kenny originally was the smallest student in Cobra Kai and in his school. This makes it easier for his bullies to restrain him and attack. His first instinct is to run away from the attackers due to his speed. With Robby's guidance, Kenny learns to use his speed to attack, not run away. He combines strong punches with fast speed to attack larger foes. Kenny works hard to overcome his flinching and instinct to run away. When he does, he becomes a capable fighter who reaches the quarter-finals of the All Valley Karate Tournament. He loses his match to a much stronger and more experienced Robby, but easily beats Anthony LaRusso in the locker room. Despite only being in Cobra Kai for a short time, he quickly picks up skills, which could mean that he is gifted or a quick learner.
Following the All-Valley, Kenny came to become one of the best fighters within the dojo, leading to him being Silver's choice to represent the male fighters of the dojo during the test matches to the Sekai Taikai tournament. Kenny is a very powerful fighter, but he doesn’t think of himself as a leader, which holds him back. Upon seeing him lacking confidence in regards to facing older and stronger opponents, Silver taught him one of his best techniques, the "Silver Bullet," a strike towards the opponent's sternum that would cut off the air to their lungs. This technique made Kenny an even more dangerous opponent, and allowed him to gain the advantage in his test match against Hawk, though his victory could be due to the fact that Silver had bribed the referee, just like he had done in the All-Valley, and because Eli, knowing that Kenny was Terry's victim as well, was holding back, during their fight at first. The same technique was eventually used against Robby during the final showdown in the dojo. He, however, is easily defeated by Miguel during the brawl at the dojo. Days or weeks prior, at the waterpark, he kicked Anthony into the pool and fought Eli, the latter fighting defensively until being punched by Kenny, which then resulted in Eli injuring Kenny's foot but Kenny was saved by Robby pushing Eli into the pool.
During the fight at the batting range, he is easily defeated by both Robby and Miguel, and the combined efforts of Sam and Tory's Miyagi-Do techniques. While training at Miyagi Do for the Sekai Taikai, he easily bests Anthony.
Due to his explosive speed, adaptability in quick learning, and relentless determination to face opponents bigger and stronger than him, Kenny is widely regarded as the most promising rising fighter in Cobra Kai. His fighting style revolves around noticeable speed, deceptive movements, and aggressive counterattacks, making him a difficult target to hit while allowing him to exploit openings in his opponents' defenses. However, against more experienced and technically refined fighters, he has struggled, particularly when his offense is neutralized.
After the Robby's departure from the dojo Cobra Kai, he became the best male student in Cobra Kai during Season 5 and is currently the strongest among all teenage fighters under 16. He is arguably at the top of the second-tier fighters in Miyagi-Do.
By the time he joined Miguel and the others at Barcelona to participate in the Sekai Taikai, Kenny proved himself to be a formidable fighter for the team; against the captain of Redentores, Kenny scored two points by using his speed to outmaneuver and prevented the captain from tagging out, which led Miyagi-Do to advance to the next match. During the all-dojo brawl, he and Devon defeated several Dublin Thunder and Redentores students.
Kenny has proven that his potential for growth suggest that he could continue rising in the ranks of the most skilled fighters in Cobra Kai.
Relationships
Robby Keene
Kenny meets Robby at Shawn's behest, as Kenny needs Robby's help against the bullies targeting him. Robby sees an opportunity to take the boy under his wing, becoming the mentor that he never had growing up. He teaches Kenny to use his speed as a weapon, defend himself from attackers, and ultimately, help him earn a spot in Cobra Kai. Robby continues to look out for the boy, assuring him that the other student will come around after the hazing. He becomes protective over Kenny, with Kenny seeing Robby as a protector and someone to be trusted. Robby retaliates against Eli for picking on Kenny at school by shaving Eli's signature hairstyle. During a training exercise to find and target weaknesses, Silver specifically chooses Kenny to fight Robby. He knows Robby cares for the boy and won't be capable of hurting him. Silver's assumption is correct, ultimately leading Kenny to manipulate the kindness by faking an injury and winning the exercise. As Robby becomes distracted in his personal life, Kenny slips deeper into the mentality of Cobra Kai and the teachings of John Kreese.
During the All Valley Karate Tournament, Robby sees Kenny cheering for him to hurt Demetri. While Robby ultimately does defeat Kenny in the All Valley, he does it knowing it's the only way to advance to the next stage. He later has to pull Kenny off Anthony LaRusso, chastising him as this wasn't how he taught Kenny. Kenny rejects his teachings, citing the Cobra Kai mantra, before threatening Anthony. Kenny also tells Robby to finish Eli but he gets distracted, allowing the latter to break free. Later, Robby emotionally admits to Johnny how he wanted to be there for Kenny, but watching the boy at the tournament and in the locker room was like looking into a mirror. After seeing him become corrupt, he feels he's messed everything up.
Robby tries to convince Kenny to leave Cobra Kai, though Kenny views Robby's defection as a cowardly betrayal, and vows to ruin his former friend by lashing out whenever possible. Robby continues to protect Kenny from Eli and Miguel, explaining that the rhetoric coming from Kenny isn't him speaking, but Cobra Kai. After Silver is exposed for being a cheater, Robby approaches Kenny, who is distant. Kenny is too ashamed of his behavior to speak, saying he needs "some time" before walking away.
Due to Robby abandoning Kenny at Cobra Kai during Silver's leadership, Kenny still refuses to talk to him. He and a recently released Shawn encounter Robby at Golf N' Stuff where Shawn warns him to leave Kenny alone. This escalates a fight between Robby and the Payne brothers with Robby, with help from Miguel, Sam, and Tory defeating the two before they leave. After being convinced by Shawn to give Robby another chance, Kenny officially joins Miyagi-Do where Robby welcomes him to the team. Robby would end up being chosen as one of the six students for the Sekai Taikai tournament in Barcelona whereas Kenny ultimately lost a challenge due to someone spiking his water with laxatives. Fortunately, Kenny ends up joining Robby, Sam, Miguel, Eli, Demetri and Devon in the tournament and helps Miyagi-Do advance in the competition, with Robby and Miguel lifting him up for his victory.
Anthony LaRusso
Kenny has been the victim of Anthony's bullying. They first meet; when Anthony makes fun of his dancing well waiting for the bus. Well in gym class, Anthony guards Kenny; but he ends up letting him score a layup. In the next possession, Kenny accidentally checks a basketball into Anthony's face, albeit after Anthony had mocked him. At one point, Anthony steals Kenny's clothes in the locker room; resulting in Kenny being embarrassed in front of his own classmates. Because of this, Anthony tries to apologize for bullying him; but Kenny does not forgive him and calls him "LaPusso". He calls him the name again and Anthony and his group chase him; they end up in the library; but Kenny attacks them one; by one. He calls Anthony "LaPusso" and then attempts to beat up Anthony, only for them to find themselves caught; by the librarian; when she turns the lights on.
While in the office, Anthony is suspended; but Kenny is off the hook resulting in Anthony being grounded by his parents, losing video game privileges and sent to his own room. Anthony then watches the tournament and is shocked to see Kenny lose his match to his classmate Robby Keene. When he goes to the locker room, he admits his mistakes and tries to apologize to him again but he is then brutally beat; by Kenny, threatening him that; he will be in a world of pain once they go to high school, even after realizing what Cobra Kai had turned hi into, while also realizing he became what never wanted to become.
Anthony later tries to reason with Kenny when he and the other Cobra Kais confront him at the water park. However, Kenny refuses to listen to him and had instead kicks him; into the pool. Kenny continues to bully him in many ways; including giving him a swirlie in the bathroom at the mall after Anthony refuses to accept a Cobra Kai shirt. This prompts Anthony to swallow his pride and start learning karate from Robby Keene in order to defend himself against Kenny. Before the fights at the Sekai Taikai tryouts, Kenny notices Robby mentoring Anthony and confronts him for training the person who had bullied him when Kenny is now doing the bullying. He tries to convince Kenny to let his hatred of Anthony go but he refuses.
Following Terry Silver's defeat that led to Kenny quitting Cobra Kai, Anthony gives a nod to Kenny when they arrive on their first day at West Valley High School but Kenny walks off. When Kenny joins Miyagi-Do, Anthony along with everyone gives him a warm welcome. The two are on good terms while training for the Sekai Taikai. While Kenny and Anthony are facing each other, Kenny accidentally gives him a bloody nose that results in Anthony being eliminated from the competition. Kenny apologizes to him as he did not mean to do it.
When Kenny's racing for the final two spots, he gets constipated after his water was tampered by Mitch's laxatives and Anthony laughs at him when he gets embarrassed in the process. Unbeknownst to him, Devon had put the laxatives in Kenny's water to get a spot but she feels remorseful for it when Kenny blames Anthony for it and believed he did it as payback for giving him a bloody nose.
After Amanda confronts Anthony for bullying Kenny ever since he moved to California, she demands him to apologize to the latter, which initially results in the two getting into a fight, but after Amanda angrily addresses them for their rivalry and Miyagi-Do having to forfeit from the tournament if Kenny doesn't take Miguel's place, who is on a plane to the hospital with Johnny to check on Carmen as she was having pregnancy complications, Anthony later apologizes for his behavior and while apologizing, Devon calls Kenny and tells him that she was the one who spiked his water. Now informed about who actually spiked his water, Kenny accepts Anthony's apology and and the two reconcile.
Later, the two boys and the rest of their friends support Johnny when he goes up against Sensei Wolf in a tiebreaker to determine the winner of the tournament. By this point, Anthony and Kenny are good enough friends that they sit together at the tournament. After Cobra Kai's win, they train together there and in Miyagi-Do with Devon.
Eli Moskowitz
Kenny also had hated Eli ever since he "bullied" him in the bathroom and at a movie drive-thru where he causes Kenny to drop all the food smirking at him, it led Robby and the others to ambush Eli at a tattoo shop and cuts off his mohawk.
In Season 5, the two had more interaction with each other, where at a Water Park, Kenny and Eli argues about the events at the tournament, but stopped; by Tory. Eli gets in another argument with Kenny finding out that the latter cuts a hole on Eli's tube which caused them to fight; but Robby intervenes by pushing Eli in a pool when he elbows Kenny's leg. At the Sekai Taikai boys match in the qualifying rounds, Kenny and Eli faced off against each other but Kenny managed to defeat Hawk by using the Silver Bullet.
In Season 6, their feud was over when Kenny left Cobra Kai and joined Miyagi-Do. The two, along with Demetri and Devon, participate in a tiebreaker race to sure the last spots for the Sekai Taikai. Both of them lost the race due to Demetri and Devon's cheap moves. Although, Eli had ended up getting a spot after Tory's defection and Kenny had ended up getting a spot after Devon makes amends with him for the laxative incident. When Hawk sees Kenny joining the team, the former is being suspicious towards Kenny, thinking he is at the tournament, hired by Silver to sabotage the team, only to prove Eli wrong when Robby tagged in Kenny to fight his opponent and score two points in a row to let Miyagi-Do advance to fight in a match against Cobra-Kai. Afterward, Eli's doubts on Kenny have ceased. During Miyagi-Do and Cobra Kai's match, Eli, Demetri, and Kenny work together to fight Yoon Do-Jin with each of the three tagging each other to overwhelm the latter and score a point.
Miguel Diaz
In Season 4, the two never had an interaction with each other but they were enemies. In Season 5, Kenny mentions to Hawk about the reason he is the champion because "Diaz" was injured in the tournament. He is seen to be afraid of Miguel when Miguel and Robby were faced to faced after Robby pushed Hawk to the pool. Near the end of the season, Kenny tried to punch Miguel but he misses two times but Miguel manages to defeat Kenny twice.
In season 6, the two faced each other again; when Miguel tried to reason with Kenny; but he had refused, they fought; until Miguel knocks him to the ground. When Kenny had joined Miyagi-Do the next day, Miguel welcomed him with a fist bump. Miguel would end up being chosen as one of the six students for the Sekai Taikai tournament in Barcelona whereas Kenny ultimately lost a challenge due to someone spiking his water with laxatives. But fortunately, after learning the truth of the laxative incident Kenny ends up going to Barcelona, arriving with Miguel and Johnny; who were finished checking in with Miguel's mother. He joins Robby, Sam, Miguel, Eli, Demetri and Devon in the tournament, and helps Miyagi-Do advance in the competition; with Miguel and Robby lifting him up for his victory.
Devon Lee
In Season 5, when Devon first joins Cobra Kai in hopes of training under Tory's lineage, Kenny eyes her with curiosity. They later become good friends as Devon celebrates Kenny's victory against Hawk in the Sekai Taikai qualifying matches. When the Miyagi-Fangs break into the Cobra Kai dojo, the two look at each other in shock as they realize Tory has switched sides.
In Season 6, they both remain friends, as they are seen talking in a group with Nate, Chris, and Hawk. However, the two start to form a competitive relationship as they both want to earn a spot in the Sekai Taikai. As Devon gushes over the chance of going to Barcelona to Anthony, Kenny joins in on the conversation with them, earning side-eyes from her. When Barnes' selection tests for the tournament occur, Devon and Kenny both compete to earn acknowledgment from him. Despite Devon winning the endurance test against Kenny, Barnes simply ignores her, causing frustration within herself and jealousy towards Kenny, who caught the chicken. As the final selections occur among the two, plus Hawk and Demetri, her insecurity and desperation bubble up to the point where she decides to put Mitch's laxatives in Kenny's water, securing her spot at the Sekai Taikai. She later regrets it when talking to him.
Her regret soon plays on her mind, making her perform poorly in the initial one-on-one matches for the Sekai Taikai. After being criticized by Sam for her performance, she goes to Johnny, crying and feeling immense guilt for hurting her friend. After witnessing an argument with the Binary Bros, where Hawk complains about Demetri not taking accountability, Lee decides to tell Kenny, who was convinced that Anthony had drugged him with the laxatives.
Back in California, Kenny witnesses Anthony declare that he’s going to down a bottle of laxatives to mend the broken bridge between them before getting a call from Lee. As Devon tells him that she was the one who put the laxatives in his water, much to his shock and confusion, he quickly brushes it off, saying they'll talk about it later. When he, Johnny, and Miguel arrive in Barcelona, Devon formally apologizes to Kenny. The latter points out that he had a lot of time to think on the plane, remembered the friendship they shared while training under Silver, and declared that he was "flattered" that Devon would ever target him, officially putting an end to their rivalry. Some fans might point out how quickly Kenny forgave Devon and wonder if there is romantic subtext in that conversation.
The two are seen looking at each other in the team huddle before Miyagi-Do's match against Redentores and standing side by side while spectating the Captain's matches. When the all-dojo brawl breaks out, Kenny calls out to Devon while rushing up the stairs before fighting side by side with her against Dublin Thunder and Redentores. She quickly compliments Kenny's kick as they both rush downstairs. When the brawl ends after Kwon falls on Kreese's eunjangdo, Kenny and Devon stand side by side, looking at Kwon's body in shock.
Other Relationships
- Shawn Payne (Brother)
- John Kreese and Terry Silver (Former Senseis)
- Kyler Park (Frenemy)
- Tory Nichols (Friend)
- Lia Cabrera (Friend and Former Crush)
- Zack Thompson (Bully and Enemy)
- Marcus and Slade Wang (Bullies and Enemies)
Appearances
Season 4
Season 5
- Long, Long Way from Home
- Molé
- Playing with Fire (credit only)
- Downward Spiral
- Extreme Measures
- Ouroboros
- Bad Eggs
- Taikai
- Survivors
- Head of the Snake
Season 6
- Peacetime In The Valley
- Sleeper
- Underdogs
- Best of the Best (Mentioned)
- Dog in the Fight (Mentioned)
- Snakes on a Plane
- Blood In Blood Out
- Eunjangdo
- Rattled
- Skeletons
- Strike Last
- Ex-Degenerate
Trivia
- His Dungeon Lord Legacies screen name is Kennythejet99.
- In his free time, Kenny draws anime, listens to music, and does Dungeon Lord cosplay on occasion.[1]
- His favorite Dungeon Lord character is Dr. Scribblebottoms.[1]
- Kenny's address is 1623 Otsego Street, Encino California, 91436.[2]
- Anthony bullying Kenny about Lia is similar to how Johnny bullied Daniel about Ali.
- He nearly had a redemption arc when he questioned Silver about the Silver Bullet, but kept his corruptness when he allowed Silver to give him a second demonstration.
- So far, he and Eli are the only male characters to have a rigged match.
- He performed the Silver Bullet on two people: Eli and Robby
- Kenny and Anoush both seem to appear in a show named Shameless.
- Like Eli, he went from being bullied to becoming the bully, and both redeemed themselves in the end.
Gallery
