Chozen Toguchi (Yuji Okumoto) was once as cold as the ice slabs that he dared Daniel LaRusso (Ralph Macchio) to break in The Karate Kid Part II.

As Daniel’s main antagonist in the 1986 film, Chozen was the nephew of Sato Toguchi (Danny Kamekona) — the rival of Mr. Miyagi (Pat Morita), Daniel’s mentor — and he showed no restraint when it came to attacking his enemies. Although Chozen might’ve left Daniel a little emotionally (and physically) scarred after they first met in Japan, when the two fighters eventually reunited in Cobra Kai’s third season, they let bygones be bygones.

Now, Chozen is joining Daniel and Johnny Lawrence (William Zabka) to take down Season 5’s biggest bully, Terry Silver (Thomas Ian Griffith). Actor Yuji Okumoto talks to Tudum about the evolution of Chozen’s 36-year journey, his redemption arc and playing a strong Asian American character.

First of all, how does it feel to be back for Season 5?
It feels incredible. Who would've thought after thirty-odd years that they would resurrect Chozen? I think the writers — Jon Hurwitz, Josh Heald and Hayden Schlossberg — did such a wonderful job bringing this character back to life and giving him a lot of stuff to play with. He has a tremendous arc now. He has some humor, and, for an actor, it's been wonderful for me to play him.

Chozen Shows Terry's Controversial Style to Daniel | Cobra Kai No honor. No mercy.

What were you able to bring to Chozen this time around that you didn't get to back in the movie?
Back then, it wasn't necessarily about Chozen's character development. I was there to do a job and that's to beat the crap out of this kid! But I'm so grateful and thankful to Robert Kamen, John Avildsen and that whole crew who brought me into the mix. I’m so thankful that I get a chance to now play this character with this real twist, a sense of humor, like I mentioned before, and still being able to kick ass.

I didn't want him to lose that edge. Now he's kind of developed a little more compassion for people. It's thanks to the writers, who now have this whole season to flesh out the character as opposed to one movie.

Many fans have wanted to see more Asian representation on Cobra Kai. With Chozen taking on a bigger role in Season 5, do you feel more pressure in doing your character justice?
Yeah, you always have a sense of responsibility. When I got the initial script for Season 3, I had discussions with the writers and I said, "I would like for him to be this way," just because you want to come from a position of strength for a character, not from a position of weakness. Because to him, it's all about a sense of pride, a sense of honor.

We don't necessarily want to go backwards. Now there are strong Asian American characters like Shang-Chi. You have Everything Everywhere All at Once. It's all about creating these positive roles for minority actors, and that's my standpoint.

What does it mean to you to be part of such a long-running franchise?
It's a tremendous honor for me to reprise this character. I think from Chozen's standpoint, it's the continuation of the legacy of Miyagi-Do and honoring Mr. Miyagi — and honoring my Uncle Sato. Chozen is now the only connection to Mr. Miyagi and Uncle Sato.

What are you most excited for fans to see in Season 5?
There are some crazy fights in this season. You have your crazy moments and then you have your moments of really wonderful relationships, like Daniel-san and his daughter Sam (Mary Mouser). The kind of relationship they have in this season, it really is wonderful to see.

And, of course, Thomas just takes it to another level in this season. There’s the dynamic between the two of us, and also Daniel-san and Billy now in the mix. Who would've thought the three senseis would be standing together?