- "I want it more than anything else -- I mean it's all I think about."
- ―Raymond to Terry Silver[src]
Raymond, better known by his nickname Stingray, is a recurring character in Season 2 and Season 4 of Cobra Kai.
Raymond is a man who took interest in martial arts and expressing his desire to be part of the Cobra Kai Dojo to fulfill his childhood dream to escape the responsibilities of adulthood. However, his time in the dojo would land him in legal trouble following the Fight at West Valley High School, resulting in his arrest and probation. After serving his probation, John Kreese bans him from returning to the dojo.
In an attempt to appeal for reinstatement in the dojo, Raymond is beaten to near-death by Terry Silver, who offers him a spot in Cobra Kai under the condition of naming Kreese as his assailant, resulting in Kreese's arrest and Silver usurping the dojo from him.
Biography
Raymond's early life is unknown but it stands to reason that throughout his childhood and adolescence he focused more on having fun than school work and learning to survive in the adult world when the time came.
Raymond said he lives alone with his mother. It is unknown what kind of relationship he has with his dad, or that his father is deceased. His mother appears to be overly worried about her son, not allowing him to do activities or demanding he pay his share of housing. He seems to have stood up to his mother's overprotectiveness to some extent, finally deciding to enroll in a dojo against her wishes. When he was approaching Johnny about enrolling in the Cobra Kai Dojo, he says that he can afford tuition as he saved money from living rent free. This shows Raymond has some sense of thriftiness. Johnny does not seem excited about this kind of agreement; agreeing to allow Raymond to enroll mainly because he is a paying customer.
Cobra Kai
Season 2
Raymond is an employee of a hardware store where Johnny, Daniel, Robby come to buy tools. He is a fan of LaRusso Auto, karate and 80's heavy metal like Metallica.
After witnessing the Cobra Kai demonstration at Valley Fest, He becomes enamored with the dojo and the self deluded, childish man views it as a chance at somehow achieving a childhood dream and in regaining his youth in some manner.
He later joins Cobra Kai and adopts John Kreese's ruthless teaching. He ends up winning the Coyote Creek event, as well. Stingray is one of the many Cobra Kai Students who appear at Moon's Party. He tags along with his friends and girlfriend Fawn. He is also seen encouraging a fight between the Miyagi-Do's and Cobra Kai's up until the police arrive and everyone tries to get away. Stingray later decides to quit his job to work as a security guard in West Valley High School in the season finale but is turned down. He demonstrates his competency to the principal by dispatching several members of Miyagi-Do from fighting during the school brawl in the season 2 finale. This event ended up backfiring in the process.
Following the school brawl he joins Hawk, Tory, Mitch and some other Cobra Kai students in turning against Johnny and becoming loyal to Kreese in the episode "No Mercy".
Season 3
Stingray is mentioned during a PTA meeting, when of the parents asks about Raymond and his position with the school. Principal Lopez clarifies that Stingray was never employed in any capacity at West Valley High School. As an adult, Raymond has been arrested for his role in the brawl and sentenced to probation. He is also bound to a restraining order to have zero contact with minors. As a result, Raymond was forced to relinquish his membership at Cobra Kai. Raymond's mother also kicked him out of her house.
Season 4
After being expelled from his mother's house, Raymond's sister agrees to let him stay at her house while she is out of town. He argues with his neighbor, Greg Hughes, over playing metal music too loud the night before. During this time, he is once again a free man as the restraining order has expired and his probation has been served, both apparently having been done without any further incidents. He tries to return to Cobra Kai, completely unaware of everything that has happened since the school fight. He makes his case to return, but John Kreese refuses to accept him, demeaning him in front of everyone at the dojo.
In a desperate act to be with his former friends, Raymond visits the West Valley High School junior prom; he finds Bert and asks him how to re-join Cobra Kai. However, Bert replies that he's not in Cobra Kai anymore (much to Raymond's surprise). When Raymond asks if it's true the original after party got canceled, Bert admits it's true. Raymond tells Bert not to worry, as he will host their afterparty at his sister's house.
Word spreads, and his party is very well attended by the students. When Greg tries to shut down the party, Stingray knocks him out, which causes all the partygoers to cheer and chant his name in jubilation. Outside, Miguel and Sam fight against Tory and Robby. When Sam, Tory and Miguel are pushed by Robby into the swimming pool, Stingray then appears. Under the impression that this is part of the festivities, he does a cannon ball into the pool with them, which is then joined by others.
Stingray returns to the Cobra Kai Dojo to ask Terry Silver, instead of Kreese, if he can join Cobra Kai. Silver, heavily intoxicated and on a downward spiral, brutally attacks the lesser student. After delivering a beating, he promises to make him a student if he does something for him first. He delivers a powerful blow to the head that renders Stingray unconscious. He wakes up in the hospital and names his assailant as John Kreese. By lying about his attacker, he secures a spot in Cobra Kai. Meanwhile, Kreese's arrest allows Terry Silver to take over Cobra Kai. Disgusted with himself, Raymond bursts into tears, but is too desperate for the place that made him feel young again.
Fighting Style
Though he believes otherwise, Raymond barely has any true martial arts skill if any. He is in very poor shape and has a glass jaw. After adopting Kreese's ruthless teachings, Raymond becomes an aggressive fighter; this is evidenced in the school brawl, where he aggressively attacks several Miyagi-Do students. He even uses his hip to attack the students in order to assist Hawk. While hosting an afterparty, he kicks his neighbor after insulting him, which shows that he still can be a strong striker. Overall, however, he pales in comparison to experienced fighters such as Terry Silver as Silver easily beats him senseless. He was floored almost instantly and was incapable of executing any form of defense or counterattack during the beating.
Personality
Raymond is, in many ways, the living definition of a "man-child" and refuses to embrace adult life or the harsh realities of adulthood in general, as he's constantly trying to prove to everyone he's still a youthful, upbeat and energetic person.
Raymond tries to present himself as happy-go-lucky and a joker, but is usually seen as boorish and irritating by others, namely Daniel and Johnny. The only known adult who seems to tolerate Raymond to some degree is Kreese, who approves of his tactics in winning the "red vs black" training event. Raymond lives in the past and is desperate to reclaim his youth, choosing to live vicariously through the Cobra Kai dojo students. He desperately wants to be part of something that will give him a purpose, as opposed to what he views as a meaningless job. He avoids responsibility at all costs and dreads the thought of being viewed as old, and even growing old. His cluelessness as an adult and great incompetence in general became very apparent during Moon's party. For example, he didn't stop the confrontation between Miyagi-Do and Cobra Kai. He also tapes bottles to his hands and tries to run from the police. He did have sufficient self-confidence to woo a girlfriend; however, she did remark to Raymond when being invited to Moon's party that the guests were considerably younger than himself. Another occasion he showed his incompetence is during his afterparty. He didn't stop Sam and Miguel from fighting Robby and Tory but instead, jumped in the pool after Robby pushes Sam, Tory and Miguel. Raymond seems to prefer the company of those significantly younger than he is, both in keeping with his delusions and desperation to avoid acknowledging his own age.
Raymond appears devoid of any self awareness or actual knowledge of social norms, and truly believes his behavior, catchphrases and jokes are actually likable and endearing, completely oblivious to the fool he makes of himself in the process.
Despite his blue-collar job in a hardware superstore, he lacked the ability to handle himself in a professional setting when he was being interviewed by Principal Lopez at the high school. During the school brawl, Stingray intervenes and attacks many students who are minors, as the brainwashing done by Cobra Kai leaders have instilled in him. This lands him in legal trouble with a restraining order, probation and a jail sentence. Upon his release, Raymond believes his willingness to fight in the school brawl should earn him a spot in Cobra Kai or a thank you from the sensei's. He proves he's not only immature and obnoxious, but extremely self-deluded and insecure. Even when viciously beaten by Silver, he goes along with his plan to frame Kreese so he can be let back into Cobra Kai, which shows how insecure and desperate he is. Ultimately he also proves himself a coward as well.
Trivia
- His favorite era is the 1980s.
- Before joining Cobra Kai, Stingray always wanted to learn karate but his mother wouldn’t let him.
- He was the oldest amongst the Cobra Kai students.
- Stingray could not appear in Season 3 because his actor, Paul Walter Houser, was busy working on the Disney film Cruella, which allowed the writers to have Stingray placed in probation after the school fight.
Appearances
Season 2
Season 4
Gallery
