Who is De Guzmán? Cobra Kai’s Mysterious Karate Kid Fighter Explained

Warning: Spoilers for Cobra Kai season 6, part 2

Referred to as “Mr. De Guzmán,” in Cobra Kaia mysterious tattooed martial artist was introduced as a former adversary of Daniel LaRusso. Among the many surprises Cobra Kai season 6 part 2 was the reemergence of Terry Silver as the benefactor of the Iron Dragons and Sensei Wolf. It turns out that Sensei Wolf isn’t the only ally Terry Silver got before the Sekai Taikai tournament. Apparently, the character who fought Daniel outside the cages was a henchman hired by Silver. And what’s more, he’s actually a returning character from The Karate Kid films.

Played by William Christopher Ford, De Guzman joined a growing list of legacies Karate Kid characters will have their stories continued in the sequel to the Netflix series. His role also highlights the profound influence that The Karate Kid III in particular had in the series. Like Mike Barnes, Terry Silver and Jessica Andrews, De Guzman first appeared in the third film and was played in Cobra Kai by the same actor who originally portrayed him.

Dennis De Guzman helped Mike Barnes bully Daniel in Karate Kid Part III

Dennis and Snake were Terry Silver’s minions

Before being renamed by Cobra Kai like “De Guzmán”, from Ford Karate Kid Part III villain was known only as “Dennis.“ In the film, Terry Silver had two hired thugs – Dennis and Snake – working for him when Sean Kanan’s Mike Barnes was hired as the key to Terry Silver’s master plan. Not unlike its representation in Cobra Kai, Dennis was a rather quiet but brutal character who had few lines, thus allowing the film to create a clear contrast between him and his loud-mouthed partner, Snake.

Snake and Dennis were used as subordinates to help Mike Barnes when he was terrorizing Daniel. Dennis personally helped destroy Mr. Miyagi’s house, provoking a brief fight with Daniel – who Cobra Kai shown briefly through a flashback. Daniel secured a decisive victory over Dennis, which may well have been what motivated him to seek revenge against Daniel in Cobra Kai Season 6, part 2.

What happened to Dennis De Guzman after Karate Kid Part III?

Dennis’s partner in crime died sometime after the film

As for what happened to Dennis afterwards The Karate Kid Part III, Cobra Kai was scant on these details. However, certain context offers some clues. His Cobra Kai tattoo, for example, indicates that he has become more than just a hired thug. It appears he developed some degree of loyalty to the Cobra Kai name at some point in the past. This idea is supported by the way he follows Silver around as a bodyguard in season 6. Based on this, it’s safe to say that regardless of what Dennis went through, his position hasn’t changed much; he is still Terry Silver’s subordinate.

It is known, however, that Dennis is no longer an ally of his partner in crime, Snake. Exactly what happened to him was left ambiguous in Cobra Kaibut it was confirmed by Terry SIlver’s lawyer that Snake died at some point The Karate Kid timeline. Since his death was used as a warning to stop Terry Silver from going down the wrong path, it can be assumed that Snake’s criminal activities were what became his undoing. Whatever impact this may have had on Dennis, it clearly didn’t stop him from carrying out Silver’s orders and putting himself in danger.