Who is Sean Kanan? Meet the actor who plays Mike Barnes in Cobra Kai Season 5

With the release of Cobra Kai season 5 edging closer, viewers are getting excited about the various nitty-gritty features of the show, including the cast. As viewers already know, one of the special things about this show is that it brings back characters from the original franchise in their original roles.

Apart from the legendary Daniel LaRusso (Ralph Macchio) and Johnny Lawrence (William Zabka), the season will see a very important character finally make an appearance. The character will be Mike Barnes.

Going by the norm of the show, Mike Barnes will be portrayed by Sean Kanan, the actor from the original Karate Kid III. Barnes was a close associate of Terry Silver and served as one of the primary antagonists in Karate Kid III. He has been referenced several times in Cobra Kai but has not made an appearance yet.

This is one of the most anticipated events of the fifth season.

Before the the fifth season's premiere on September 9, 2022, read on for more details about the latest addition to the Cobra Kai lineup.

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In Cobra Kai S5, Sean Kanan will reprise his character Mike Barnes from Karate Kid III

American actor, producer, and author Sean Kanan will return to the Karate Kid universe as Mike Barnes.

Kanan received widespread praise and recognition for his portrayal of Mike Barnes in Karate Kid III. Since then, he has followed it up with multiple other successful projects.

Kanan was born in Cleveland, Ohio, in 1966 and grew up in New Castle, Pennsylvania. After completing his schooling in Pennsylvania, he attended Boston University and UCLA, where he earned a degree in political science.

As a teenager, Kanan studied karate under Sensei William Stoner, something that was instrumental in him landing the role of Barnes in the 1989 film. Kanan was chosen in an open call by Oscar-winning director John Avildsen out of over 2000 applicants.

After his successful stint as Mike Barnes, he went on to create many other iconic characters like DEACON SHARP.

Sean Kanan has done much more than just acting in his decades-long career. Kanan has been a prolific comedian, performing at some of the top venues across the country, including Laugh Factory, the Comedy Store, and Dangerfield's, among many others.

He is an accomplished writer too, having penned notable works like The Modern Gentleman, Secret of My Success, and Cooking and Entertaining with Sean Kanan.

In Cobra Kai season 5, the actor will be seen reprising the role of Mike Barnes from Karate Kid III. In the film, Barnes was hired by Silver (Thomas Ian Griffith) to beat Daniel La Russo in exchange for fifty percent ownership of Silver's new Cobra Kai dojos.

A prolific fighter, he is widely considered to be the toughest opponent LaRusso has ever faced. LaRusso himself admitted that his fight with Barnes was the toughest one.

It is not explicitly clear what role Barnes will play in Cobra Kai season 5, but it is sure to be an interesting one. Given the shifting allegiances everywhere, it is hard to predict Mike's current stance. However, if he does appear as a villain, it is sure to take things to a very interesting level.

Cobra Kai season 5 will premiere on September 9, 2022, on Netflix.