Kyler Park

"*It's payback time, Rhea!*"
―Kyler to Miguel[src]
**Kyler Park** is a major recurring character in *Cobra Kai*.

He is a rich high school student who bullies students of a lower status than himself. His bullying of Miguel Diaz prompts Miguel to take karate. Kyler later joined Cobra Kai himself.

## Cobra Kai

### Season 1

Kyler and his friends are at a liquor store, attempting to buy alcohol despite while underage. Miguel accidentally exposes them for being under twenty-one, which provokes Kyler. He shoves Miguel into a 1991 Pontiac Firebird moments before he and his friends ambush Miguel. The owner of the firebird, Johnny Lawrence, angers over the aggression near his car. The teens mock Johnny with Kyler pushing the man. In retaliation, and to stop them from harming Miguel further, Johnny kicks Kyler. Things quickly escalate into a brawl in the parking lot. Kyler and his friends run off before the police can arrive and arrests Johnny.

Meanwhile, Kyler begins a relationship with Samantha LaRusso. Her father Daniel invites him to dinner, though Daniel notices the bruises on Kyler's face and body. Kyler lies that he and his friends were just hanging out when Johnny attacked them. Wanting to take action, Daniel confronts Johnny about the incident. He learns the truth about the fight, which makes him suspect that Kyler isn't the good kid he claims to be. This incident reignites the rivalry between Johnny and Daniel.

During the Halloween party at West Valley High School, Kyler asks Sam to come with him into an empty classroom. He shows her his belt and tries to make sexual advances. Daniel bursts in, having seen them enter the room together. Mortified, Sam demands an answer from her father. Daniel tries to explain that Kyler isn't a good kid, but explains the teen had a bracelet that he claims to have been giving to Samantha, it was his grandmothers and he wants her to have it. Sam is touched by the gesture and thanks her boyfriend. Kyler quickly leaves to give her and Daniel some privacy. In the locker room, Kyler boasts to his friends about his antics. They see Miguel and begin to mock him over his recently learned karate lessons. Miguel gets mad and kicks Kyler, knocking him and his friend down. Brucks shoves Miguel into the locker and punches him. Kyler and his friends then drag Miguel on the ground and lock the doors. Kyler then tells his friends to hold Miguel up, Kyler then grabs a lacrosse stick and proceeds to beat Miguel with it. This leaves Miguel severely wounded and almost unconscious

A few days later in the school library, Kyler and Brucks continue to bully Miguel, Eli, and Demetri. Kyler drop Demetri's backpack in the trash, staining it with yogurt. Their antics also showns signs of verbal abuse. Once Kyler and Brucks leave, feeling proud over their antics, though unbeknownst to them Samantha witnesses the whole thing. They go on a movie date where she asks him about the incident in the library. He lies that he and his friends were just joking with them. She doesn't believe him but he tries to persuade her to stay using sexual advances. She quickly pushes him away but he grabs her arm to keep her. She uses karate to push him away, then storms out of the theater, breaking up off their relationship.

The aftermath of the breakup proves key in Kyler's life, as he spreads rumors that he hooked up with Samantha in the theater. His rumors cause problems for Samantha and her friends, as they begin to isolate her. She confronts Kyler in the cafeteria, as the rumors aren't true and she wants him to stop. He taunts her, which causes the other students to take note of their conversation. Kyler continues to belittle Sam and she readies herself to hit him. Suddenly, Miguel intervenes, telling him to leave her alone. Kyler laughs him off and pushes him, insulting his karate skills, before attempting to punch him. Miguel blocks and counters quickly. Kyler retaliates by throwing him onto the tables. Miguel ultimately throws Kyler to the ground then disarms his friends, and he ends up defeating them.

When Miguel and Demetri are walking in the hallway, they see Kyler who turns and walks away after seeing Miguel. When Kyler, Brucks, Yasmine and Moon come to the lake to celebrate Yasmine's birthday, they see it is crowded with so many people Yasmine doesn't typically associate with. Yasmine tells Kyler to tell everyone at the lake to get out. He initially agrees to do that, but after seeing Miguel, he loses his nerve and he suggests they go somewhere else.

### Season 3

Kyler and Brucks are recruited into Cobra Kai by John Kreese. Upon arriving at Cobra Kai on his first day, Mitch attempts to mess with him, but Kyler retaliates by snapping at him, which results in Mitch becoming frightened. After recognizing his former bully victim Hawk, both Kyler and Brucks mock him. During his sparring match with Mitch, Kyler gets kicked by Mitch for fun. Angered, Kyler says "now you're dead". Kyler then defeats Mitch by dodging his strikes, blocking one of his punches, tackling him to the ground, and tapping him out with a choke. He is then ordered by Kreese to finish him off, which he does by punching him in the face. After his victory, Kreese replaces Mitch's spot with Kyler's because Mitch lost to an untrained fighter, and then proceeds to kick Mitch out of Cobra Kai. When Hawk protests, saying that Mitch has been loyal, Kyler just smiles evilly at Hawk, as Kreese says that Mitch is not Cobra Kai material.

When Hawk angrily says he will fight Brucks, Kyler mocks him by saying "get him lip." However, when Hawk aggressively beats up Brucks, Kyler becomes horrified, and he even shuts his eyes and looks away. After defeating Brucks, Hawk heads back to his spot and glares at Kyler, but a scared Kyler looks down out of fear and discomfort.

When both he and Miguel encounter each other at the park, Kyler possibly indicates he wants revenge by glaring at him, while Miguel glares back. At school, he picks on Demetri by drawing the male genital on his cast, as well as hitting him in humiliation when school ends, which makes Yasmine hate Kyler now. One day, he along with Hawk, Robby, Tory and some other Cobra Kai members go to the zoo to steal a snake for Kreese. The mission is aborted due to Kyler forgetting the snake pole, which angers Hawk. Kyler tells Hawk that he has to pass Trig or he is going to get in trouble with his dad. Luckily for him, Robby ends up getting the snake.

Upon the invasion and fight in the LaRusso house, he fights one-on-one with Miguel in retaliation for the fight in the cafeteria a year earlier. He has the upper hand for most of the fight, even making Miguel bleed severely. However, Kyler having the upper hand may be attributed to Miguel having not fought, or trained much since recently recovering from his spinal injury that he suffered in the school brawl, as well as losing a lot of his strength because of his injury. However, after eventually regaining his confidence, Miguel defeats Kyler by kicking him twice, tackling him on the ground, and then punching him in the face, with the latter knocking Kyler out. After emerging victorious, Miguel thanks him for the motivation.

### Season 4

While attending class at Cobra Kai, Kyler discusses his future with the fellow Cobra Kai's. Kyler tells that he wants to go to ASU (Arizona State University) while his father wants him to attend Harvard University. Tory is annoyed with his boasting, and points out that because he and his friends didn't handle their business, they lost the fight. He tells her that Hawk switched sides, but she points out that Miguel recently got out of a wheelchair and still beat him in a fight. Kyler snaps that he was present at least, which can't be said for the half-empty dojo since half the class quit, while Kreese listens to the discussion from his office.

The next day at practice, Kyler sees Robby ready to warm the students up. He points out that Robby was never part of the team. Robby then makes a deal that if any of the students can land a hit on him he will leave. Kyler immediately tries to hit Robby, only to be swept to floor and beaten several times. The fight ultimately ends when Tory kicks Robby in the face, though she allows him to stay anyway. Robby begins to teach the group Miyagi-Do's tactics so they know what to expect.

Kenny arrives in search of Robby Keene, though Kreese insists that the boy must learn to defend himself. Kreese has Kyler warm Kenny up to see what skill he has. When Kyler attacks Kenny on the mat, the boy flinches and runs away each time. Kenny decides to try again a few days later, with Kyler ready for a second round. Once again, Kenny flinches as Kyler approaches him. As Kyler is making fun of Kenny and not looking, Kenny punches him in the face, earning his spot in Cobra Kai.

One day, Kyler tells Tory and Robby that his friend got him tickets to see the movie *Bloodsport*, and invites them to join. They notice Kenny's depleted attitude, and the boy admits that some students at the high school bullied him, and adds that one of them had spiky red hair, referring to Hawk. Moments later, the class is introduced to their second sensei, Terry Silver. That night, Kyler and his friends watch the film and then give Kenny an outrageous food order that the boy can't possibly carry. Wanting to win their approval, Kenny obliges with the delivery. As he returns to the truck, he sees Bert and Nate talking before running into Hawk, dropping all the food. Kenny apologizes, but Hawk acts aggressively. Cobra Kai then approaches to support Kenny while the rest of Miyagi-Do and Eagle Fang arrive to support their friends. Kyler wants to attack them now, but their agreement is to wait until the tournament. They agree to meet at the baseball diamond in 30 minutes. When Kyler and Cobra Kai arrive at the diamond, the lights are turned off and sprinklers start. They soon realize they were led into a trap. After getting wet, Kyler remarks they cannot let their enemies get away with this, and Robby assures him they won't.

The following day, Kyler and his friends visit a tattoo shop where Hawk is waiting for a touch-up. They attack him in revenge for betraying them. The Cobra Kai's restrain Hawk using a piece of rope from Kyler. Robby then uses a razor blade to cut-off Hawk's mohawk.

A few days later, Kyler and the rest of Cobra Kai attend the prom, later going to Stingray's house to party.

In the skills competition of the All Valley Karate Tournament, Kyler breaks some boards, and later 5 layer bricks with his head. In the one on one matchups of the tournament, he defeats Chris in a close match by utilizing Miyagi-Do's techniques, which advances him to the quarterfinals. His opponent in the quarterfinals is Eli, his former bully victim. Prior to the match, Kyler mocks his lip and says he will make him kiss the mat. Kyler, however, is beaten in a matter of seconds by Eli, while not winning a single point or landing a single strike. Despite losing, Cobra Kai wins the All Valley Karate Tournament when Tory defeats Samantha LaRusso in the girls' finals. As Tory wins, Kyler gets on the mat and embraces her on her victory along with the other teammates who flood the mat and congratulate her for her win. Later, Kyler schedules a party at his house to celebrate Cobra Kai's win. The Cobra Kai accompany him except for Tory, who finds out that Terry Silver bribed the referee to ensure she would win the tournament, something that Kyler and the rest of the Cobras don't know of.

## Personality

Kyler is the typical modern bully who displays egocentric traits and a strong desire to be the center of attention by any means needed. He attacks unpopular students, or those who are different or weaker than him, and even more so if he and his allies outnumber their intended victims. He hides his abusive nature in necessary occasions, showing that he can morph to fit a situation if the outcome will eventually fulfill his desire for attention. He acted as the victim when describing the fight between himself and Johnny Lawrence, knowing that it would make him appear less intimidating to Sam's parents. He demonstrated this again when Daniel prevented an act of oral sex with Sam. Kyler lied and told Daniel that he only wanted to give Sam his "grandma's bracelet" which he kept in his pocket. He later admitted that the bracelet was just a part of an act the he used before with other girls.

Kyler shows to only care about his own gain and satisfaction, disregarding others feelings altogether. He is also volatile and mysognistic, believing that because Sam was hesitant to have sex that he could attempt to assault her. Sam, however, was trained in martial arts and expertly avoided the attack. Out of spite, Kyler spread rumors about Sam to give her a bad reputation, knowing that it would make her friend group turn away from her.

During the fight at the LaRusso's house, Kyler is brave enough to fight Miguel, but shows a lot of arrogance during the fight, such as taunting Miguel and arrogantly telling Hawk that Miyagi-Do and Eagle Fang never had a chance. However, his advantage comes to an end, when Miguel regains his confidence, which allows him to defeat Kyler. Kyler's bullying could stem from insecurity, as his father is abusive, threatening physical harm if Kyler fails trigonometry.

Kyler remains at Cobra Kai after the showdown at the LaRusso house. Although he isn't on the level of several others students, Kyler is a very capable fighter and one of the best in the Cobra Kai dojo. He and his fellow classmates target Hawk before the tournament for revenge, due to him betraying Cobra Kai and joining Eagle Fang Karate, bullying Kenny and drenching them. The Cobra Kai's get their revenge by cutting Hawk's Mohawk, resulting in his confidence being dented temporally. During the All Valley, Kyler narrowly defeats Miyagi-Do's, Chris to reach the quarterfinals, where he faces off with Hawk, now going by Eli once again. Kyler is effortlessly defeated by Eli each round without being able to throw a punch or score a point against his opponent.

## Fighting Style

Kyler's fighting ability stems mostly from his wrestling training. He relies heavily on grappling moves such as takedowns and chokes. He is strong enough to throw his opponents around, and he can punch with some degree of power. However, he is otherwise untrained and has no real defense, making it easy for skilled opponents such as Johnny and later Miguel to defeat him. Nevertheless, he appears to be the most formidable fighter in his gang of bullies.

While fighting Johnny, he uses his wrestling techniques to throw Johnny to the ground and lock him in a poorly applied rear naked choke, but the more experienced Johnny quickly regains his feet and uses a hip toss to break the hold. During the lunchroom brawl, Kyler attempts the same choke on Miguel, but his adversary also escapes the hold and proceeds to defeat him and all of his friends.

In season 3, Kyler is invited by Kreese to join Cobra Kai. In his tryout match Kyler uses his defensive tactics and wrestling techniques to defeat Mitch, leading to the latter's expulsion from the dojo. Kyler learns karate striking in addition to his grappling skills, make him a much more formidable fighter. At the end of season three Kyler maintains the upper hand through most of his fight with Miguel in "December 19", aided by the fact that Miguel's legs haven't fully recovered from the injury he suffered at the school brawl. Despite this disadvantage Miguel was eventually able to outmaneuver Kyler and knock him out with a single punch to the face.

In season 4, Kyler learns Miyagi-Do Karate alongside the rest of the class from Robby, in order for them to learn Miyagi-Do's tactics for the All-Valley. He successfully breaks some boards, and then a 5 layer bricks with his head in the skills competition. He takes on eminent Miyagi-Do student Chris during the Round of 16. They trade points, up until 2-2 where Kyler edges Chris by utilizing Miyagi-Do techniques. Despite reaching the Quarter-Finals, he is easily defeated by Hawk in a matter of seconds. He was easily beaten by Robby early in the season.

## Relationships

### Miguel Diaz

Kyler is the former bully towards Miguel and the biggest reason for Miguel learning karate. Kyler and his friends target Miguel after the latter outs Kyler and his friends for being underage at a liquor store. Kyler pours pepto-bismol on Miguel's head calling him "Rhea", later pushing him into Johnny's car. Johnny intervenes to break up the fight as he doesn't want his car to be affected during the fight. In the days and weeks following the incident, Kyler continues to bullying him, such as beating him up in the Halloween party and verbally abusing him in the library. However, Miguel becomes a skilled karate fighter at Cobra Kai and later defeats Kyler and his friends, for bullying and mocking Sam about his false rumors. After being defeated, Kyler backs off his antagonistic mentality towards Miguel. During the attack on the LaRusso house, Kyler, seeking revenge, targets Miguel and mocks him during the fight. While Kyler is likely benefitting from Miguel's legs not being back to full form yet, he ultimately loses in the end when Miguel regains his confidence.

### Samantha LaRusso

Samantha is Kyler's ex-girlfriend, though they became enemies after Kyler's sexist actions. Sam was unaware of Kyler's intentions when they began dating, as she believed he was a good person despite the warnings from her father. During a Halloween party, Kyler attempts to seduce her. While his attempt fails due to a sudden appearance by Daniel, Kyler conceals his actions from both of them by giving Sam a bracelet. She later learns that he gave the same bracelet to dozens of other girls, having lied to each of them of its significance in his life. After witnessing Kyler bullying Miguel, Eli, and Demetri, Sam breaks off their relationship. To spite her, Kyler spreads sexual rumors regarding Sam, which causes her to lose her friend group. When Sam confronts Kyler, he openly mocks her over the incident.

### Eli Moskowitz

Eli is Kyler's rival and former victim. Kyler and Brucks often mock Eli's scar, despite it being a biological abnormality that he can't control. When Kyler and Brucks join Cobra Kai, they mock Hawk until he easily defeats Brucks in a sparring match. Kyler is shown to be shocked at how easily Hawk is countering all of Bruck's attacks. When Hawk pins Brucks to the ground and starts repeatedly punching him, Kyler shuts his eyes and looks away. Once Hawk is done, he walks up and glares at Kyler, and Kyler is shown to be afraid of him. They become allies for a brief period during their time together in Cobra Kai until Hawk betrays them and joins Eagle Fang Karate. To get revenge on Hawk for betraying Cobra Kai and after Miguel pulls a sprinkler prank on Kyler and his allies, Kyler (along with Tory, Robby, and other Cobra Kai students) go into a tattoo shop where Hawk is at, and they pinned him down when Robby cut off Hawk's mohawk, stripping him of his confidence. However, during the tournament in Season 4, Eli and Kyler fight but Kyler is easily defeated.

### Yasmine

Yasmine is Kyler's former friend, assistant, and now enemy. They were part of the rude and popular crowd. When Kyler, Brucks, Yasmine and Moon come to the lake to celebrate Yasmine's birthday, they see it is crowded with members of Cobra Kai and Miyagi Do. Yasmine wants Kyler to tell everyone at the lake to get out, but after seeing Miguel, Kyler is scared and suggests they go somewhere else, causing an angry Yasmine to call him a coward. While Kyler and Brucks leave, Yasmine stays because Moon goes to the lake. Later, Yasmine is unhappy when Kyler bullies Demetri, because the wedgie incident she suffered at the lake made her realize how being a laughingstock feels.

### Other Relationships

* Brucks, A.J., Rory (Former friend group)
* Demetri Alexopoulos (Enemy/Victim)
* Daniel LaRusso (Father of Ex-Girlfriend and enemy)
* Johnny Lawrence (Enemy)
* John Kreese (Sensei)
* Kenny Payne (Frenemy)

## Appearances

### Season 1

* "Ace Degenerate"
* "Strike First"
* "Esqueleto"
* "Cobra Kai Never Dies"
* "Counterbalance"
* "Quiver"
* "Different but Same"

### Season 3

* "King Cobra"
* "Obstáculos"
* "Feel The Night"
* "December 19"

### Season 4

* "Let's Begin"
* "Then Learn Fly"
* "Bicephaly"
* "Match Point"
* "Minefields"
* "Party Time"
* "The Fall"
* "The Rise"

## Personal Information

### Friends

* Brucks (best friend; currently unclear)
* Rory
* A.J.
* Sarah
* John Kreese (sensei)
* Terry Silver (second sensei)
* Dieter (close friend)
* Edwin (close friend)
* Big Red (close freind)
* Tory Nichols
* Robby Keene
* Piper Elswith
* Kenny Payne
* Students of Cobra Kai
* Eli Moskowitz (briefly)

### Enemies

* Miguel Diaz (bullied)
* Samantha LaRusso
* Mitch
* Eli Moskowitz (bullied; rival)
* Demetri Alexopoulos (bullied)
* Chris
* Students of Eagle Fang
* Students of Miyagi-Do

## Trivia

* Kyler's actions make him the primary villain in the first-half of season 1.
* Kyler and Brucks have fought Eli/Hawk but ended up losing easily both times.
	+ The reason was that Eli/Hawk got revenge on them for bullying him.
* Kyler is a Korean American, making him the first Korean to appear in the series. The second being Nathaniel, and the third being Devon.
* Season 4 reveals that his last name is Park, meaning he is likely of Korean heritage
* He is voiced by Joe Passaro in the video game.