Yuji Okumoto reprised his Karate Kid II role as Chozen in the third season of Cobra Kai. For the restauranteur, Okumoto believed that that role had been left behind. That was until the producers of Cobra Kai called up Okumoto in September of 2019 to offer him the chance to reprise the role. Needless to say, the actor was pleased to meet with the producers for the opportunity.
Okumoto spoke about wanting to make sure his character developed past the one-dimensional villain trope:
“You want to make sure that the character is well-written, well-developed because that was a huge part of my life. I just wanted to make sure that they paid deference to the character and his development. So they sent me the script and initially I thought it needed a little work. But I gave a little bit of input and the writers and also the producers, they really did a great job in capturing the essence of Chozen and how he would probably be after 30-odd years.”
Okumoto continued, talking about what he believed was on Chozen’s mind all those years after being defeated by Daniel LaRusso:
“I think after all these years, after suffering that humiliating defeat in front of the whole village, I think Chozen’s sole purpose in life is to find redemption and get back his honor. So I think he’s been probably plotting all these years to seek revenge. I don’t think he’s going to find his enlightenment any time soon.”
Okumoto and his wife own a Hawaiian-themed restaurant in Seattle, Washington called Kona Kitchen/Yuji Lounge.
Were you excited to see Okumoto reprise his role as Chozen in season three of Cobra Kai? For the review of season three, click here.
Source: Seattle Times
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