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(#1) Daryl Dixon
- The Walking Dead
Who He Is: Daryl and Merle show up early on in the first season where they are shown to be capable survivors. Merle isn't the nicest guy in the world, but Daryl is able to work and play well with others, which quickly makes him a vital member of the team. He's been a leader and a good protector throughout his time on the series, and he's one of the few characters (alongside his brother) who isn't in the comics.
How He's Survived: Daryl clearly has survival skills when he first appears, but he's honed them to perfection over the seasons. He can use just about any tool, but he prefers the silence and accuracy of a crossbow, which he uses against the living and the walkers.
His Strongest Moment: Sucker-punching Negan after he bashes in Abraham's skull.
His Weakest Moment: When Rick is "slain," Daryl retreats to the wild to live in seclusion for years.
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(#2) Rick Grimes
- The Walking Dead
Who He Is: A sheriff's deputy who wakes up in the hospital to find the world he knew is gone. He manages to find his wife, son, and best friend, which ultimately leads to him becoming the leader of a large group of survivors. His leadership skills and willingness to do anything necessary to keep his family and friends safe brings him and the survivors into direct conflict with several groups. He is eventually "slain" when he sacrifices himself to blow a bridge up full of walkers. He survives and is taken away on a helicopter, never to return to the survivors of Alexandria again.
How He's Survived: His unwavering willingness to viciously slay anyone who gets in his way, which gives way to a willingness to work with his former enemies to create a community. He is also a skilled fighter and can hit just about anything with his trusty revolver, but he's equally skilled with a knife or hatchet.
His Strongest Moment: Stopping the fights against the Saviors after he defeats Negan and his side gains the upper hand. Instead of slaying them, he invites them to join his side and become a community.
His Weakest Moment: He loses his sense when his wife is slain and nearly loses his way.
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(#3) Michonne
- The Walking Dead
Who She Is: Michonne is a relatively mysterious woman in the television series. She had a three-year-old son named André Anthony, and the fact that he's not present in the series speaks volumes to the loss she's endured. While her character has been fleshed out more fully in the comics, her past is mostly unknown on the show. She is first seen in the second season and became a series regular the following season.
How She's Survived: She discovered early on that it was easiest to hide among the walkers if she walked with two of her own. She removed the jaws of her bitten boyfriend and his friend, chained them up to become her pet walkers, and used them as cover to move about the world with her katana, which she's become a master at using against the walkers.
Her Strongest Moment: She defeats her former friend, Jocelyn, and all her children to save Judith, which is intense and horrific, but shows that she is willing to do whatever is necessary to save the people she loves.
Her Weakest Moment: Michonne is one of the strongest characters on the show, so there aren't any true "weak" moments, but she does get captured a number of times and breaks down when she suffers a loss, which happens often.
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(#4) Carol Peletier
- The Walking Dead
Who She Is: When Carol is first introduced, she is shown as a beaten and battered housewife, but after her husband is slain, she grows to become an incredibly strong and capable survivor. After losing her daughter, she manages to carry on, and even though she's gone through periods of isolation, she eventually returns to the group and becomes one of its most capable leaders.
How She's Survived: Absolute brutality whenever necessary. She will slay anyone and anything that threatens her or the people she's come to love. She has also demonstrated an ability to use knives and side arms in combat against the living and the walkers. She can survive in the wild on her own for extended periods of time, has used the walkers as tools, and will stop at nothing to ensure her survival.
Her Strongest Moment: Freeing the survivors from Terminus all by herself. She manages to infiltrate the facility and slay everyone who gets in her way.
Her Weakest Moment: Separating herself from everyone after the weight of her actions begins to wear on her. She comes close to taking her life at this point but is ultimately brought back by her friends and King Ezekiel.
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(#5) Glenn
- The Walking Dead
Who He Is: Glenn shows up in Atlanta where he helps talk Rick out of the tank he crawls into to escape the horde of walkers after they eat his horse. Throughout his time on the series, he proves to be able to get out of any situation involving the walkers, and that is what makes him one of the best scouts and scavengers in the group. He forms a strong bond with Rick and has a lasting relationship with Maggie. Ultimately, it isn't a walker that ends him, it's Negan.
How He's Survived: Being fast, agile, and able to keep on the move. While he can take out a walker when he needs to, he's proven time and time again that a 'wait and see' attitude coupled with agility Spider-Man would envy helps keep him going day after day.
His Strongest Moment: Refusing to break while being beaten and threatened by the Governor. He refuses to give up the location of the group.
His Weakest Moment: Getting his head bashed in by Lucille, though admittedly, he doesn't have much choice in the matter.
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(#6) Maggie Greene
- The Walking Dead
Who She Is: Maggie is Herschel's daughter and is introduced when the survivors make their way to his farm. She quickly gets involved with Glenn and the two start a relationship, which lasts until Glenn's untimely demise at the end of Negan's bat. From that point, she's referred to as "The Widow" and is known far and wide for her penchant for doling out justice and ensuring the survival of her people at the Hilltop.
How She's Survived: She has an uncanny knack to overcome the worst tragedies, which would otherwise ruin most people. She's handy with a blade or a side arm, and she's slain about as many living people as she has the walkers.
Her Strongest Moment: Sentencing Gregory to capital punishment for betraying the Hilltop to the Saviors, and then carrying out the act via a noose.
Her Weakest Moment: Losing Glenn nearly does her in at first, but she manages to overcome the loss.
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(#7) Negan
- The Walking Dead
Who He Is: Negan was once the leader of the Sanctuary and its people, who called themselves the Saviors. He ruled in a dictatorial fashion and oversaw the gathering of tribute from neighboring groups of survivors in a sort of protection scheme. Anyone who disobeyed was dealt with severely, and he took out a lot of people to maintain power. His backstory isn't fully revealed in the show as it was in the comics, but he's depicted as a charismatic man who takes to leadership and brutality easily.
How He's Survived: Brutality and relying on others. He carries a bat named Lucille, which he uses to dispatch both the walkers and the living.
His Strongest Moment: His strongest moment is also one of his most dastardly. He lines up the survivors from Alexandria and bashes in Abraham's skull before turning to do the same to Glenn after Daryl sucker-punches him.
His Weakest Moment: After he escapes confinement, he travels the world to see that his kingdom has collapsed, and without anyone to turn to, he returns to his life of imprisonment.
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(#8) Morgan Jones
- The Walking Dead
Who He Is: Morgan is the first person Rick meets when he wakes up from the hospital, and as a result, he's also the person who saves his life. Sadly, Morgan has lost both his wife and son to the walkers, but he isn't able to bring himself to end their "lives." He tends to travel alone, but he has joined up with the survivors of Alexandria and the Kingdom from time to time.
How He's Survived: He's an incredibly capable fighter with a quarterstaff, and after being trained with one, he can use it against the living and the walkers.
His Strongest Moment: Saving Ezekiel alongside Carol to slay the Saviors, he liberates the Kingdom.
His Weakest Moment: Morgan nearly takes his life before he is saved by a survivor named Eastman who teaches him Aikido.
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(#9) Rosita Espinosa
- The Walking Dead
Who She Is: Rosita shows up with Abraham and Eugene in Season 4. She wasn't a member of the military or a scientist, but she joins up to help get Eugene to Washington, DC. On the way, she learns about tools of destruction from Abraham, which helps her to become a true survivor. She quickly becomes an asset to the rest of the survivors as they escape Terminus and arrive in Alexandria. Throughout this time, she has relationships with several people and demonstrates a willingness to seek revenge for numerous wrongs committed against her and the people she loves.
How She's Survived: She is a survivalist with skills that set her apart from most of the people on the show. She's incredibly skilled with blades and arms. She can survive on her own in the wild but sticks with other people who have similar survival skills to maximize her probability of survival.
Her Strongest Moment: When she tries to slay Negan.
Her Weakest Moment: Losing Sasha to the Saviors.
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(#10) Merle Dixon
- The Walking Dead
Who He Is: Merle Dixon shows up early in the series alongside his brother, Daryl. The two men were clearly taught to survive long before the apocalypse, but unlike Daryl, Merle is a racist jerk who does not work and play well with others. He immediately shows how much of a problem this is to Rick, who handcuffs him atop a building in Atlanta. This leads to him chopping off his own hand, and eventually, he falls in line with the Governor. This puts him on opposite sides of the fight with his brother, and eventually, Merle and the Governor face off against one another.
How He's Survived: He's aggressive and vicious. He doesn't have a problem slaying the living, and he enjoys slaying the walkers. He can use anything but prefers to get up close and personal whenever possible.
His Strongest Moment: He saws off his own hand to escape a horde of walkers atop the building he is handcuffed to by Rick.
His Weakest Moment: His constant insults of T-Dog, which shows the type of man he is.
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(#11) Carl Grimes
- The Walking Dead
Who He Is: Carl is the son of Lori and Rick Grimes, and as such, he's one of the main characters in the series. Though he is initially presented as a helpless little boy, he grows up to become a highly capable survivor who carries on his father's goal of working together for a better world. He learns to use a side arm early in the series, and though he has a few failings in the beginning, he becomes one of the survivor's strongest characters.
How He's Survived: He's endured quite a lot, having been shot in the gut only to survive and later lose an eye. Despite this, he carries on thanks to his ability to snipe a walker in the head from far away, but also because he doesn't hesitate to slay the living whenever he had to.
His Strongest Moment: Shooting Shane when he threatens his father.
His Weakest Moment: Not shooting the walker that took out Dale when he had the chance to do so, though this taught him a lesson that he would never forget.
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(#12) Sasha
- The Walking Dead
Who She Is: Initially, Sasha and her brother, Tyrese, along with some other survivors, petition the group at the prison for sanctuary, but they are denied. This leads them to Woodbury where they find the Governor, and it quickly becomes apparent that they've gone to the wrong side. Eventually, they join up with Rick and company to become an integral part of the community, but it takes some work before this happens.
How She's Survived: She's skilled with side arms and blades, but she's also strong-willed and capable of surviving in nearly any situation. She eventually becomes the group's sniper, which turns out to be a skill she possesses naturally.
Her Strongest Moment: Taking her life so she's reanimated to screw over Negan's plans, slaying a Savior in the process.
Her Weakest Moment: Not following Andrea when she leaves Woodbury, which leaves her and Tyrese in the Governor's employ.
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(#13) Tyrese Williams
Who He Is: Tyrese first shows up alongside his sister, Sasha, as they try to enter the prison, but are rebuffed. After this, they settle in Woodbury and fall under the Governor's influence. This is eventually broken, and he joins up with Rick and the rest of the survivors. He proves to be a capable warrior against both the living and the walkers.
How He's Survived: He's a capable fighter, and is adept at using side arms as well as blades. He's also stronger than most people and can overpower an enemy physically if the need arises.
His Strongest Moment: Finally admitting the Governor is a monster, which leads him to join forces with Rick.
His Weakest Moment: Not following Andrea when she leaves Woodbury, which leaves him and Sasha in the Governor's employ.
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(#14) King Ezekiel
Who He Is: A charismatic man who leads a group of survivors in a medieval-style kingdom. He even has a giant pet tiger by his side, but he's later revealed to be a former zookeeper who saved the tiger. He puts on the "King" act because that's the leader his people need to see, and his community thrives under his leadership.
How He's Survived: Though he's a capable fighter on his own, he survives mostly due to the large group of followers he has in his kingdom. He is a leader, and while he directly involves himself in much of the day-to-day operations of the Kingdom, he leads on high for the most part.
His Strongest Moment: Facing off against the Saviors in a massive campaign.
His Weakest Moment: Losing himself when Henry is slain, which leads to him abandoning his responsibilities, which in turn results in the collapse of the Kingdom.
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(#15) Shane Walsh
- The Walking Dead
Who He Is: Shane was partnered with his best pal, Rick, at the sheriff's department. When the apocalypse hit, he managed to save Lori and Carl by keeping them close by his side. This led to a relationship with Lori, which ultimately causes a rift to grow between him and Rick after the latter resurfaces. Eventually, this comes to a head, and Shane challenges his pal, but this leads to his being slain by Carl, who wants to protect his father.
How He's Survived: Thanks to his skills he learned as a sheriff's deputy, he's skilled at survival and the use of numerous types of arms. He's also a good leader and has the skills needed to survive in most situations.
His Strongest Moment: Saving Carl and Lori after the apocalypse despite his inability to rescue Rick from the hospital.
His Weakest Moment: Turning against his best friend because he's in love with his wife.
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(#16) The Governor
- The Walking Dead
Who He Is: Like many of the other villains on the television series, the Governor's backstory is more fleshed out in the comics, but there are some revelations made on the show. He never got over the loss of his daughter, whom he keeps in his home even though she's a walker. He is vicious and determined that anyone who isn't under his protection is expendable and a potential threat. This brings him into direct conflict with the people at the prison.
How He's Survived: He's willing to slay anyone or anything that gets in his way. He primarily uses side arms but can use blades as well. Being a leader, he relies on his people to protect him, but he doesn't need them and could easily survive on his own.
His Strongest Moment: Getting an entirely new group of survivors to join up with him after Woodbury fell to launch a new strike on the prison.
His Weakest Moment: He shows strength throughout his time on the series, but if there's a weak moment, it's his anguish over having his daughter finally put down.
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(#17) Dwight
Who He Is: Dwight, his wife, and his sister-in-law joined up with the Saviors and fell within their ranks before coming to the realization that Negan was a tyrant. This led to their attempted escape, but they ultimately returned, and Sherry went to become one of Negan's wives while Dwight got an iron to the face. He became a lieutenant to Negan but ultimately betrays him to the survivors at Alexandria.
How He's Survived: Mostly through the aid of others before he learns to keep himself alive. He learns to use Daryl's crossbow to great effect, and he's managed to survive through duplicity and general survival skills.
His Strongest Moment: Betraying Negan and the Saviors to the people of Alexandria.
His Weakest Moment: Not accepting Daryl's initial offer to join him, which leaves him to return to the Saviors.
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(#18) Eugene Porter
Who He Is: Eugene is the smartest character in the series, and though he talks strangely, he clearly knows what he's talking about (when he isn't full of it). He shows up alongside Rosita and Abraham with the tall tale that he has to get to Washington, DC, in order to enact a plan which could save the world from the apocalypse. While he isn't truly a scientist, he was a high school science teacher, so he knows enough to bluff his way to survival.
How He's Survived: By relying on others. He's a coward who tends to flee in terror whenever threatened, and he only manages to survive by latching onto Abraham and others for help. Eventually, he learns to dispatch walkers, but it takes some time before he's even remotely comfortable with doing so.
His Strongest Moment: Turning against Negan to have the ammunition he created detonate when the Saviors open fire on the survivors in their final fights against one another.
His Weakest Moment: Immediately flipping sides to work for Negan when he's taken by the Saviors.
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(#19) Gabriel Stokes
Who He Is: Father Gabriel Stokes is an Episcopal Priest who is first encountered begging for help as he's surrounded by the walkers. After he is helped to his church, the survivors learn of his failings in helping his flock but accept him into their group. Over the course of several seasons, he fails again but ultimately proves himself worthy when he finally fights against the Saviors as well as the walkers.
How He's Survived: Mainly, through the help of others as he lacks survival skills in the beginning. This continues to be the case into Season 9, but he's managed to survive on several occasions where he would have perished earlier in the series.
His Strongest Moment: Standing up to Negan at the moment he is about to be slain instead of groveling for mercy.
His Weakest Moment: Letting his flock perish because he is too scared to open his church to them as they pound on the door, begging for help.
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(#20) Lori Grimes
- The Walking Dead
Who She Is: Lori is married to Rick, but after the apocalypse hit and he was left in a coma, she began a somewhat reluctant relationship with Shane. This concludes when Rick shows up, but it only serves to create tension between the two men. She took care of Carl as much as she could, but the boy often ran off and get out of her care. This led to several dangerous situations, but she managed to keep him alive.
How She's Survived: Relying on Shane to help her, and then her husband and the rest of the survivors outside Atlanta until she makes it to the prison. She lacks any real survival skills of her own, but that doesn't stop her from getting into dangerous situations to protect her son.
Her Strongest Moment: Letting herself perish to ensure the survival of her daughter, Judith.
Her Weakest Moment: Falling into Shane's arms and believing her husband was gone when he wasn't.
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About This Tool
Since the release of the first season of The Walking Dead in 2010, many outstanding characters have become popular all over the world. As the plot unfolds, some characters leave, some die, some return, and others have been with us for nearly 10 years. The 11th season in 2022 will be the last season, and countless loyal fans are looking forward to what kind of stories and powerful characters the new season will have.
In doomsday where zombies are spreading, the leading roles encounter many other survivors on the way to find other families. The Walking Dead not only refers to the zombies but also refers to this group of survivors. The random tool lists the 20 strongest survivors in The Walking Dead.
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