Paul Walter Hauser's Stingray is missing from Cobra Kai season 3, and here's why the fan-favorite character didn't return but can in the future. The Karate Kid sequel series features many new characters as part of Daniel LaRusso and Johnny Lawrence's ongoing stories, and Cobra Kai season 2 is where Paul Walter Hauser joined the ensemble cast. He played Raymond in the second season, who became one of the members of Cobra Kai and took the nickname Stingray. Hauser helped make him one of the show's funniest characters, as he took part in the epic school fight.
Cobra Kai season 3 once again focused on LaRusso and Lawrence's rivalry and how it was impacting the local community and the kids that each instructor leads. This meant additional time spent with the kids and bringing back other characters from the Karate Kid franchise's past. However, the series has developed a big cast of characters throughout its first two seasons, which meant that not everyone returned. Aisha Robertson (Nichole Brown) and Stingray both were among those who didn't have a place in Cobra Kai season 3.
The absence of Stingray came as a surprise given how well-received his addition was in season 2. It wasn't always the plan for him to not appear though. Paul Walter Hauser has spoken about not appearing in Cobra Kai season 3 and he said that it came down to scheduling as far he knew. He told IndieWire that filming on season 3 was taking place right when he was preparing to shoot Disney's Cruella, where he plays Horace. Although he did miss out on playing Stingray again right away, there is plenty of room for him to return to the Cobra Kai universe.
Since Hauser was too busy to appear in Cobra Kai season 3, the show used some exposition to explain why he wasn't around anymore. Stingray is discussed during the PTA meeting about the fight, which is where the show revealed that he never actually was hired to be the school's security guard. It was also mentioned that Stingray's involvement in the fight led to an arrest. The full extent of his sentencing isn't known, but he did have to give up his Cobra Kai membership. This means that a return can go in just about any direction showrunners Josh Heald, Jon Hurwitz, and Hayden Schlossberg want.
Now that Stingray isn't part of Cobra Kai anymore, it would be fun to see him become the latest member of the combined dojo that Miyagi-do and Eagle Fang Karate are making. He already has a relationship with Johnny and several of the students, so working with them would be natural. Unfortunately, Stingray can't take part in Cobra Kai's All-Valley Karate Tournament, as he is over 18 years old. But as the team focuses on training for the new tournament to try and take down Cobra Kai once and for all, Stingray could help them.