A TV show making it past its first season is a commendable achievement. A TV show still going strong in its tenth season is more than remarkable. Based on the long-running and critically-acclaimed comic book of the same name, The Walking Dead is a fantastic story following groups of survivors as they fight to stay alive after a zombie apocalypse.
The show has never pulled its punches with the violence that follows from the ceaseless threat of zombie/walker attacks, and, as such, over the past ten years there has been a revolving door of characters to fill in the world of TWD. Since its inception, a wildly eclectic bunch of characters have starred and held supporting roles in the show, with various characters going through massive arcs creating iconic roles, many of whom we would gladly step into the shoes of.
15 15. Merle Dixon Is A Force To Be Reckoned With
An early antagonist to our set of survivors, the brother of Daryl Dixon was a divisive figure to say the least. Around the edges, he was rougher than sandpaper making for a difficult and less than hospitable member of Rick's group. However, Merle could definitely always hold his own - an important trait for a world with or without a constant threat of walker attacks.
14 14. Hershel Greene Has Practical Farming Skills
Hershel is the kind of calming presence that is all but a necessity in an end-of-the-world scenario. He was a family man through and through with a meditative yet strong sense of being, making for someone who holds himself and others to account. Plus, he knows how to farm, which is always a useful skill to have.
13 13. Sasha Williams Snipes The Competition
Sasha went through quite the arc over the course of her TWD lifespan. Though she yo-yo'd a bit with her loyalty to the good guys and the bad, Sasha was always a strong presence and well-intentioned. She always stuck with her family, which is an admirable trait, plus, she was the group's sniper, which simply makes her awesome.
12 12. Paul "Jesus" Rovia Has It All
Paul, or Jesus as he is more commonly known, was an awesome presence on TWD. He was a hippy-dippy type who could more than hold his own - a winning combination in everyone's book. Jesus espoused living in harmony with one another, however, when push came to shove/walkers tried to bite off your face, Jesus also showed off his exceptional combat skills and ability to survive.
11 11. Morgan Jones Isn't Done Surviving
One of the most interesting TWD characters (and later, Fear the Walking Dead too), Morgan is a wholly relatable character who has gone through significant arcs across the show's many seasons. He was often a voice of reason for Rick to listen to, even when he was struggling to overcome the death of his wife, and then his son at the hands of his undead wife. You know what it is.
10 10. King Ezekiel Is Living His Best Life
Okay, obviously we all want to be this guy... One, because his name is frickin' King Ezekiel, two, just look at those dreads, three, the guy's got a pet tiger (no, he doesn't go by Joe Exotic), and, four, he was a born leader through and through! Where do we sign up to be this guy in the next life?
9 9. Carol Peletier Has Never Been Better
Carol took a while to find her place within the world of TWD. She was a bit irksome in the show's early seasons with the writers struggling to write her as a compelling character. However, she has since become a mainstay and one of the very few remaining characters from the show's original cast. The fact that she has gone on such a formidable 'hero's journey' makes her a person to aspire to.
8 8. Carl Grimes Came Into His Own Eventually
Carl had a number of weaker seasons where he was a bit of a cringey character (not unlike many other characters on the show). However, Carl eventually came into his own, taking cues from his dad in becoming a strong leader and formidable fighter - all commendable considering he started the apocalypse off as just a little kid.
7 7. Tyreese Williams Can Even Intimidate Walkers
An early addition to Rick's original survivor family, Tyreese may look large and intimidating (which he was...), but he was a good guy through and through. He was able to hold Rick to account, and did stray a little from the good side for a bit, but in the end his good nature carried him to the end. Plus, good god, could he do some real damage with that hammer of his.
6 6. Maggie Greene Is Compassionate And Dangerous
Maggie has always been one of the strongest female characters from the get-go, making her a classic fan-favorite. Being the daughter of Hershel and wife of Glenn may have instilled a kind-heart in her, however, Maggie can be fierce, which has made her a strong leader in her own right as well as a loyal and smart ally to Rick and the others.
5 5. Negan Gets The Job Done
Negan is an exciting dude. Sure, he's fairly sadistic and twisted (which are not things we aspire to be), but he is also a very capable, tactician-minded and strong guy who has been a thorn in the sides of walkers just as much as he's been an evil antagonist to the good guys. Plus, we have seen that Negan does have heart in him... it's just difficult for him to tap into... when he's bashing heads in with Lucille (his barbed baseball bat).
4 4. Rick Grimes Is Natural Born Leader
Up until recently, Rick Grimes was the face of TWD. He was the star of the show right from the beginning, on top of being the leader of his group of survivors for many many years. However, Rick is very much fallible and often struggled with leading and being a strong source of leadership to his friends and family (making him a great source of internet memes...). But Rick always persevered, fought the good fight, and never gave up, making him someone we can all look up to.
3 3. Glenn Rhee Is The Ideal Everyman
Oh, Glenn... even now we are all still reeling from losing you. Glenn was that all-around nice guy that everyone wanted to be friends with - hence how he ended up with Maggie and with such loyal friends around him. It took Glenn a while to acclimatize and toughen up for the zombie apocalypse, but we was resourceful and able to survive on his own even from the beginning. We will never forgive you for this one, Negan.
2 2. Michonne Makes Survival Look Easy
Michonne is the perfect illustration of a strong female character. She may have started off a bit gruff and not as cuddly as Rick's fellow group members but you really can't blame her - she was trying to survive the end of the world and she had gone through quite the traumatic ordeal herself. She is like the noble ninja warrior of TWD, with her samurai sword always close at-hand.
1 Daryl Dixon Does It Best
Daryl has arguably gone through the greatest shift in character over the many seasons of TWD. Even from the beginning, he was always a few steps above his loathsome brother, Merle. However, for a long time, Daryl was a loner (a dangerous one at that), and it has only been somewhat recently that his kind heart has begun to shine, melting hearts while still endlessly kicking butt.
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