"We poke fun at our own differences" — When Ralph Macchio made his feelings clear about his relationship with William Zabka

After their initial cult hit together, The Karate Kid (1984), it did not seem likely that Ralph Macchio and William Zabka would continue to recreate their dynamic. But then came Cobra Kai, and effectively rejuvenated the drama of Karate Kid, while adding so much more. The hit Netflix series concluded some time back, and now there is a new Karate Kid movie in theaters, which also stars Ralph Macchio, alongside many other legacy characters.

Of course, one of the best things about Cobra Kai remains the dynamic between Ralph Macchio and William Zabka, the two actors who have worked together for decades now. Their real-life dynamic seems just as interesting as their on-screen one, which is often riddled with futile ego battles that lead to hilarious and sometimes deadly results.

Speaking in a 2022 interview with Screen Rant, Ralph Macchio shed more light on this offbeat dynamic between himself and Zabka.

"It's just that we have fun, and we poke fun at our own differences. Even though we are different, but [we're] the same. We're both family men, and he's got a couple of kids a little younger than mine. That's the priority. That's where our main focus is in life," he said.

He elaborated on this in the same interview, and it seems that their core dynamic is a lot like Daniel LaRusso and Johnny Lawrence, who have bickered all their lives, but their love for their families has often brought them back together.

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Ralph Macchio and William Zabka's dynamic remains much like their on-screen characters

While Daniel and Johnny's on-screen chemistry may have been much more kick-and-punch-y, they do share some things with their off-screen counterparts.

It seems that Ralph Macchio and Billy Zabka also don't share a lot in common, but find common ground in being family men, much like Daniel and Johnny in Cobra Kai. In the Screen Rant interview, Macchio elaborated further on his dynamic with Zabka.

"But we order differently. We order different foods, I'll have a certain wine, and he'll have his iced tea or an occasional beer. And I'll enjoy an iced tea and a beer as well. But we almost purposely enjoy enhancing or amplifying our differences," he said.

He continued to explain how their core values were the same despit the differences.

"But at the core, our values are the same moving forward. And I think that is something that I didn't expect and didn't know about Billy in those years after The Karate Kid and before Pat Morita's memorial service when we sort of reconnected," Macchio added.

Due to their interesting dynamic off-screen, Macchio and Zabka were able to play off each other so well for years in Cobra Kai, and the series ended on a high note, leaving the possibility of more films and spinoffs in the future.

While both William Zabka and Ralph Macchio have worked in the industry beyond Cobra Kai, the Karate Kid franchise has been their defining work, and Ralph Macchio's latest, as well. The actor appeared in Karate Kid: Legends, which was released in theatres in May 2025, and continues to show in many theatres across the world.

Though William Zabka did not appear in this movie, outside of footage from previous media, it would be interesting to see the pair trade off once again on the big screen.

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Stay tuned for more news and updates.