- "I want it more than anything else -- I mean it's all I think about."
- ―Raymond to Terry Silver[src]
Raymond "Stingray" Porter is a recurring character in Cobra Kai. He is portrayed by Paul Walter Hauser.
he serves as a supporting character in Season 2-6 a mentioned character in Season 3, and a anti-hero in Season 5,
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. But 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.
Weeks later, Raymond is persuaded by Bert, Miguel, Sam, Eli and Demetri into making things right by exposing Silver as the fraud that he is. Realizing his mistake, Raymond redeems himself by giving Daniel, Amanda LaRusso and Carmen Diaz a ride to the Cobra Kai Dojo in Encino, beating some Cobra Kai students standing in their way and admitting the truth about his near-fatal assault to the authorities, allowing Silver to be taken to prison.
Biography
Raymond lives alone with his mother, who wants him to be an adult instead of partaking in the frivolous and oftentimes dangerous sport of karate.
Cobra Kai
Season 2
Raymond is an employee of a hardware store where Johnny, Daniel and Robby come to buy tools. He is a fan of LaRusso Auto, karate and 80's heavy metal bands like Metallica. After witnessing the Cobra Kai demonstration at Valley Fest, he becomes enamored with the dojo and views it as a chance to achieve a childhood dream. He tries to challenge Miguel Diaz, only for a new teenage girl, Tory, to spar with him instead.
He joins Cobra Kai and adopts John Kreese's ruthless teachings and exuberant mannerisms. He wins the Coyote Creek training exercise by lying in wait and attacking when everyone else believes the game is over.
Stingray is one of the many Cobra Kai Students who appear at Moon's party, as he attends with his friends and girlfriend, Fawn; he encourages a fight between the Miyagi-Do's and Cobra Kai's until the police arrive and break up the party.
Stingray decides to quit his job to work as a security guard for the high school, but is nearly turned down for lack of experience and competence. He attempts to demonstrate his competency to the principal by defeating several members of Miyagi-Do Karate, though his bias and willingness to harm children isn't appealing to the staff.
Following the school brawl, he joins Hawk, Tory, Mitch and other Cobra Kai students as they turn against Johnny and embrace a new loyalty to Kreese.
Season 3
Stingray is not seen after the fight, but is mentioned during a PTA meeting, when of the parents asks about Raymond and his position with the school. Principal Lopez clarifies Stingray was never employed in any capacity at West Valley High School. Raymond was arrested for his role in the brawl and sentenced to probation, as well as bound to a restraining order forbidding him to have contact with minors. As a result, Raymond was forced to relinquish his membership at Cobra Kai, and was also kicked out of his mother's house after she became fed up with his antics.
Season 4
After being kicked out by his mother, 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, evidently not doing anything to violate either one.
However, Raymond shows he’s unaware of what’s happened since the school brawl when he enters the Dojo expecting to be welcomed back with open arms (showing he hasn’t learned from the incident despite being arrested, being on probation and being kicked out of his mother’s house). Since the dojo is now fully under Kreese’s control, Raymond approaches Kreese, saying he requires no thanks for “taking one for the team.” But Kreese cruelly and vehemently says he was never a part of the team — a statement that visibly shakes Raymond, who meekly responds, “But, Sensei, I’m... one of the guys” (showing his lack of self-esteem). Kreese then cruelly calls Raymond a buffoon, a disgrace and an embarrassment, and says he has no value in the dojo or anywhere. Devastated and clearly on the verge of tears, Raymond struggles to hold himself together, telling himself, “It’s a test I won’t fail you, Sensei” before he turns and leaves the dojo in misery.
Refusing to give up and finally face the harsh realities of adulthood, as well as desperately wanting 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 afterparty 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, causing 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, and is joined by other partygoers.
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, Silver promises to make him a student if Stingray does something for him first. He delivers a powerful blow to the head that renders Stingray unconscious. Stingray 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.
Season 5
After making a full recovery, Raymond has been enjoying his new apartment, television and PlayStation that he had acquired through Silver's money. As one more gift, Silver gives him Johnny Lawrence's Cobra Kai themed 2009 Dodge Challenger which also contained a gi with his nickname, "Stingray." However, he is clearly uncomfortable being around Silver and Cobra Kai. Raymond is tracked down by Daniel and his ally Chozen Toguchi, who confront him over lying to the cops about Kreese assaulting him when it was actually Silver, who manipulated Raymond into cooperating with him. Stingray tries to deny everything and when he remarks that Daniel must have done something to deserve Silver torturing him and his family, LaRusso loses his temper and becomes aggressive, only for him to be taken away by Chozen.
Upon realizing that Silver had bribed the referee to ensure Cobra Kai's victory in the All-Valley Tournament and he had framed Kreese for Stingray's vicious assault, Bert, Demetri, Miguel, Eli, and Samantha track Stingray down and beg him to tell the truth. Just like with Daniel and Chozen, Stingray keeps playing dumb but he ultimately confesses through a Dungeons & Dragons scenario about Silver's plan to usurp Kreese's position as the sensei of Cobra Kai. He admits he just wanted to be a proud, honorable warrior like them. Samantha assumes Stingray just does not want to lose everything he had gained from Silver, but the man confesses his fear that Silver could easily kill him if he snitched on him.
However, his conscience makes him decide to come clean, and Stingray heads to the LaRusso Family home to give Amanda and Carmen Diaz a ride to where Daniel was abandoned earlier by Johnny, Chozen and Mike Barnes. After picking him up, the four of them sped towards the Cobra Kai Dojo in Encino, where a fight between the Cobra Kais, Eagle Fangs and Miyagi-Dos was occurring. However, they were blocked by a group of Cobra Kai students led by Big Red. Stingray dispatched some students along with Big Red who were blocking the entrance and the four headed inside, where Demetri, Eli, and Anthony succeeded in showing a video of Silver revealing to Tory that he had bribed the referee in the name of Cobra Kai's survival, shocking all Cobra Kais.
Once Daniel beats Silver in combat and the Cobra Kais abandon the dojo, Stingray confesses to the Detective about having become a pawn of Silver's and lying about Kreese assaulting him before watching Silver being put in a car and transported to jail for his crime.
Season 6
Despite everything, Raymond’s obsession with Cobra Kai continues. Only this time, he hopes to better his life by appointing himself a sensei despite only having a yellow belt. Stingray sends Johnny a message to meet him at Coyote Creek. Johnny ends up going to Coyote Creek with an axe to meet the mysterious person who texted him and overhears Kreese. It turns out to be Stingray playing a recording of Kreese’s teachings to a group of elementary school students. Stingray says that he heard about the Miyagi-Do naming debate from Bert, and encourages Johnny to reclaim Cobra Kai as his own since it’s his legacy. However, Johnny ultimately rejects him.
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 after party, he kicks his neighbor after insulting him. After arriving at Cobra Kai to stop the fight between Cobra Kai and Miyagi Do, Raymond alone beats up Big Red and a few Cobra Kai's. He proves that he can be a strong striker. But overall, he pales in comparison to experienced fighters, such as Terry Silver, as shown when 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 is constantly trying to prove to everyone that he is still a youthful, upbeat, and energetic person. He tries to present himself as happy-go-lucky and a joker; but is usually seen as boorish and irritating; by others, namely Daniel LaRusso and Johnny Lawrence. The only known adult; who seems to tolerate Raymond to some degree is John 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. He prefers the company of those significantly younger than he is, both in keeping with his delusions and desperation to avoid acknowledging his own age. In one instance, when he first met Johnny, he said the 80's rocked, but quickly said he'd been only 5 at the time to cover up his age.
A heavily recurring example of Raymond's ignorance and incompetence is that he seems to have no true understanding of consequences a man his age can face (especially from assaulting minors or supplying alcohol to minors).
Raymond used to hold down a blue-collar job in a hardware superstore but did not seem to have the understanding or preparation as to what it took to work in white-collar job, as evidenced when he was being interviewed by Principal Lopez. During the school brawl, Stingray intervenes and attacks many students; who are minors, courtesy of the brainwashing done by Cobra Kai's leaders. Upon his release from jail and probation, 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. Even when viciously beaten by Terry Silver, he goes along with his plan to frame Kreese so that he can be let back into Cobra Kai, as his desire to belong somewhere outweighs his morality.
While Raymond doesn't like being viewed as a loser, it's quite obvious he dislikes being middle-aged and his childhood memories gone even more. Despite being a failure, his family and neighbors' animosity towards him, and whatever humiliation and injury he endures, he always sees adulthood and old age as the far worse fate.
Raymond is also devoid of self awareness and truly believes his behavior, humor and personality to be likable and endearing, while completely oblivious to the fool he makes of himself in the process.
In season 6 he displays some form of self awareness yet still clings to his delusions.
Fortunately, Raymond's old friend Bert and the Miyagi-Fangs manage to get through to him and convince him that Silver is a monster who must be put behind bars, causing Raymond to redeem himself by aiding in exposing Silver's dark nature to the other Cobra Kai students and put him in prison.
Even after everything Raymond has been through, his delusions and obsession with Cobra Kai persist. Despite Cobra Kai having been closed down, he refuses to give up as it was the only thing that ever made him feel good about himself. With Kreese and Silver out of the picture, Raymond makes himself a sensei and recruits elementary school students using Kreese's lessons; despite acknowledging his mistakes, he proves he has not fully learned from being put on probation, as shown when he declares, "Real men stay!". Thus showing Raymond refuses to go back to the way his life was before Cobra Kai.
Trivia
- His favorite era is the 1980s.
- Raymond is a big fan of Dungeons and Dragons, to the point where he even made his own figurines for it and created his own variation of the game called "Dungeons and Dojos".
- 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 Hauser, was busy working on the Disney film Cruella; the writers explained Stingray’s absence by saying he was placed on probation after the school fight.
- In season 5, he is complimented by Chozen on his gaming setup. Chozen calls it a Ninja-level gaming setup, Ninja being a popular Fortnite streamer, but Stingray says Ninja's setup is beyond.
- He has made more appearances in his debut season than the three after.
- Raymond can possibly be described as how Johnny might have ended up if he never reopened Cobra Kai and turned his life around.
- So far, The only real glimpse of Raymond's childhood is in the video game Cobra Kai 2: Dojos Rising, showing he was an overweight boy, constantly teased and excluded by others and left crying. As Chozen introduces his level in the game, he is a man often cast aside by society.
- Raymond is implied to be the black sheep of his family since neither his mother nor his sister seemingly bothered to visit him in the hospital. Greg also implied Raymond's sister only let him squat at her house because she felt sorry for him, and refuses to associate with him.
Appearances
Season 2
Season 3
- Aftermath (Mentioned)
Season 4
Season 5
Season 6
Gallery
