Kenny Payne is a recurring character of Cobra Kai, being one of the main heroes turned secondary villain in Season 4. He is the younger brother of Shawn Payne and the second-born son of James Payne and Mrs. Payne. After being the victim of intense bullying by Samantha LaRusso's younger brother, Anthony LaRusso, Kenny seeks help from Shawn's friend named Robby Keene, the estranged son of Johnny Lawrence (William Zabka), who becomes a mentor to Kenny. He turns to karate as a way to defend himself. However, he is corrupted by Cobra Kai's teachings, going from being bullied to sadistic bully. He is portrayed by Dallas Dupree Young.
Description[]
He is the second-born son of a U.S. Army soldier stationed in Qatar, and the younger brother of Shawn Payne. He enrolls at West Valley Middle School, where he is a target of bullying by Daniel's son, Anthony LaRusso and his friends. After being cat fished and cyberbullied by Anthony LaRusso and his friends, Kenny visits Shawn in juvenile hall and reveals that Anthony knows karate, where he suggests that Kenny look for Robby Keene. Kenny, despite his timid nature, arrives at Cobra Kai. After he is rejected by John Kreese (Martin Kove), Robby visits Kenny at his house, returning his backpack and trains Kenny on his own time after learning of his bullying. Kenny later tells Robby that Shawn is sentenced to an extra month in juvenile hall for spitting in a guard's face. With Robby's tutelage, Kenny goes after Kyler Park, who has taunted him, earning his spot at the dojo.
When Anthony steals Kenny's clothes to embarrass him during gym class at one point, Kenny furiously tells Robby that he's had enough of the bullying from Anthony and his friends and vows to use his training to get back at them once and for all. Despite the latter's disapproval, Kenny uses his training to lure Anthony and his friends into a trap at the middle school library to attack them and exposes them for their bullying of him, getting them all suspended from school.
Later on during the All-Valley tournament, he loses to Robby in the quarter finals. Anthony approaches Kenny in the locker room afterwards and attempts to apologize for tormenting him. A vengeful Kenny, furious with Anthony's past actions against him and losing the quarter finals match to Robby with a broken nose bone, furiously rejects his apology and viciously beats him in retaliation for his past actions against him before Robby intervenes and breaks off the fight. Kenny threatens Anthony by telling him he will torment him when they begin high school the next year. Robby is horrified by Kenny's vengeful actions against Anthony and later reprimands Kenny for his aggressive behavior, telling him this isn't how he trained him to fight like a man, but Kenny, having been corrupted by Cobra Kai's influence, asserts "no mercy" before leaving. Kenny is later shown celebrating when Tory Nichols wins the All Valley Karate Tournament girls' division against Samantha LaRusso, which gives Cobra Kai the title of grand champion, and then goes off to celebrate with the rest of the students when Kyler throws an afterparty at his house to celebrate.