The Lost Boys & Women of Cobra Kai Get Their Flowers — RICC Panel Recap

If you weren’t in the room at Altered Reality's Rhode Island Comic Con, you missed a crowd already chanting “Cobra Kai never dies!” before the chairs were warm. After a quick hand-off, I brought out a lineup that too often lived in the shadow of legacy names but carried real weight on screen: Alicia Hannah-Kim (Sensei Kim Da-Eun), Brandon H. Lee (Kwan), Patrick Luwis (Axel), Oona O’Brien (Devon Lee), and Dallas Dupree Young (Kenny Payne). From the first ovation, it felt like a make-good — a chance to honor the fighters who should’ve been handed bouquets in the final season and weren’t.

From Left to right: Alicia Hannah kim, Patrick Luwis, Brandon H. Lee, Oona O'brian and Dallas Dupree Young Photo: Al Mega (cXcc Studios - Comic Crusaders)

The room turned emotional fast on the “last day” question. Dallas talked about years of grind turning cast, crew, and stunt teams into family that final goodbye “hit different.” Oona wrapped with a quiet dojo kata beside Dallas and Griffin, a simple moment that landed like a time capsule from her childhood on the show. Brandon’s farewell was the gut-punch: lying “in a pile of blood” after Kwan’s fate, circled by castmates chanting for a speech he could barely get through without breaking. Alicia finished on a bittersweet note a happy on-screen reunion for her character, followed by hours of lingering on set just to say proper goodbyes. Flowers, overdue.

We spotlighted what these arcs actually did to the story. Oona loved “doing the evil thing” — Devon’s spark made the middle ground combustible. Dallas found himself aligning with Miyagi-Do’s defensive balance as Kenny evolved beyond blunt aggression. Alicia admitted playing the villain is a joy you can’t take into real life if you want friends, yet fans kept stopping her to praise the vulnerable cracks that showed the cost of being “unhinged.” These aren’t side characters; they’re structural beams. Season 6 leaned on them, even when the credits didn’t.

The Q&A let the “lost boys and women” show why crews love them. Oona’s favorite scene partner? William Zabka, whose improv chaos inspired an on-set Ouija prank that left him hilariously rattled. Dallas shouted out Griffin Santopietro — real-life friends who turned tension into sharp on-screen rivalry. Brandon praised Tanner Buchanan for “let’s go harder” fight energy. Alicia loved trading verbal jabs with Zabka and reminded everyone that behind the on-screen war is a set built on kindness. These are the stories you rarely hear because the spotlight usually stops one row earlier.

When talk turned to the work, Alicia pulled back the curtain: Cobra Kai often runs long fight chunks at speed — not five-punch cut-ups — which is brutal even for a lifelong martial artist and stunt pro. The younger cast confirmed it: the pace forces you to level up that day. The ripple effect? Several now train outside the show (Muay Thai, kickboxing, boxing) and want more action roles because of it. Again: flowers. That pace and polish didn’t happen by accident.

Casting journeys underscored what they carried. Oona was die-hard from day one and prepped like it. Dallas didn’t realize how big the wave was until the Netflix move hit and veterans pulled him aside: “Your life’s about to change.” Brandon’s path was the wild one — auditioned right before the strike, waited eight months not knowing, then learned the creators had him earmarked and that Kwan would be the franchise’s first on-screen death. That tonal shift doesn’t land without a performer the audience instantly believes. He delivered. Flowers.

We couldn’t resist nudging the Karate Kid spinoff movie. Brandon — wisely — kept it close to the vest, learning about cameos with the rest of us and laughing at fan theories that “should’ve been canon.” Fans also tossed dream-fights (Stingray! Chozen!), favorite techniques (crane kick, Silver Bullet, Viper Attack), and the inevitable nostalgia test. The first film won the room — not because it’s safest, but because it lets audiences learn with the hero. That same DNA is why this younger cohort worked: they weren’t just bodies in gis; they were entry points.

Bottom line: this panel was a corrective. These five helped carry the modern era through shock exits, gray-zone loyalties, and fights that demanded real discipline and too many recaps didn’t say it out loud.

So we will: Alicia, Brandon, Patrick, Oona, Dallas — these flowers are yours. Full panel clips are rolling out soon; watch @RIComicofficial @WeAreCritiX and WeAreCritiX.com for the edits, standout exchanges, and audience questions worth replaying. Cobra Kai never dies — and neither should the credit. Stay tuned.