Mike Barnes was the "bad boy of Karate" from the Karate Kid III movie and has made a return to play a featured role in Season 5 of Cobra Kai on Netflix. The scrawny blonde haired boy has grown up in the past 30 years and presents some fight scenes that were obviously filmed in slow motion and sped up with after affects. Hollywood magic!
Mike Barnes is played by Sean Kanan, who must be hurting for work because he has resorted to offering Cameo at only $175. Kanan appears to have stayed in decent shape, but maybe neglected his Karate over the years. In this Syfy interview Kanan claims he's "kept up with his martial arts over the years". Despite this, his performance in Cobra Kai Season 5 is a good one. Cobra Kai is entertaining enough and there's more to enjoy than fancy kicks and fight scenes.
Many don't know that Kanan almost died on the filming of Karate Kid 3, doing his own stunts he tore abdominal wall and had to get staples in his stomach.
Sean Kanan had scored the role of Mike Barnes during an open casting call and was sent to train at Fumio Demura's Genbukai dojo in Shito Ryu. I've trained here. It was located in Santa Ana California for quite a long time, Demura was the original real Miyagi and inspiration for the character that Pat Morita played.
Sean posts Karate content on his instagram. Here's a picture of him in his Karate Gi.
Free Memberships Offer Access to Hidden Martial Arts Content including Beginner Level Karate Training Videos, The History Section, Work Out Instructions, Testing Requirement, and the ability to Join Our World Renowned Tournament Team.
Ads Free
Premium Memberships Unlock Hidden Content including All Levels of Training Videos (White Belt to Black Belt), The History Section, Work Out Instructions, Testing Requirements, The Ability to Test for Rankings, Weapons (RyuKyu Kobudo) Training Instructional Videos, Iaido (Sword) Instructional Training Videos, Self Defense Videos, and the ability to Join Our World Renowned Tournament Team.
About the Author:
Colton Woodard is a 7th Degree Black Belt in Kuniba Kai Karate Do and holds the title of Kyoshi as well. He loves to teach Karate, Kobudo, and Iaido and considers himself a lifetime student in pursuit of self improvement in both Martial Arts and in Character. Colton loves to visit Japan and speaks conversational Japanese and can write quite a few Kanji. He is a Karate competitor and coach and loves to exercise and make new memories with people all over the world.
Instagram
Twitter
We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn commissions by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.