Adaia/Tropes

Christine Daae:
* All-Loving Heroine: Christine sincerely loves everyone, even Erik. Even after everything he's done, including kidnapping Raoul and The Persian, and threatening to blow up the Opera House, killing everyone unless she marries him, she cries with him out of genuine sympathy and compassion when he breaks down in front of her. This act alone redeems Erik, seeing what true human kindness is, releasing her, Raoul and the Persian and letting her live her life without his interference ever again.
* Bad Liar
* Beautiful Singing Voice
* Beware the Nice Ones
* The Cutie
* Damsel in Distress
* Grew a Spine: In the musical, she starts off as rather naïve, passive, and trusting, but once she catches on to what sort of person her "angel" really is, she's willing to tell him off, and only agrees to marry him when he threatens the lives of others. Averted in the book, where she's quickly revealed to have a massive spine. The tears I might have shed for your dark fate Grow cold, and turn to tears of hate!
* Hair of Gold, Heart of Gold
* The Heart
* The Ingenue
* Innocent Soprano: Christine is an operatic soprano — she goes up to a high E at the end of the title song. She is the lovely young woman at the center of the story, who blindly trusts the phantom and has a sweet romance with Raoul.
* Nice Girl
* Plucky Girl: Christine is a Swedish peasant girl trying to make her way in the world and a name for herself with her singing, not to mention all the physical, mental, and emotional torture she has to endure, mostly on her own unless she's trying to protect her boyfriend as well.
* The Protagonist: The musical focuses more on her perspective as the story's protagonist, in contrast to the novel which jumps around to various other character's perspectives in order to better preserve the mystery of who the phantom is.
* Redundant Rescue: Raoul's and the Persian's rescue mission ends with Christine being forced to save them from the Phantom's Death Trap.
* Sexy Scandinavian
* Sympathy for the Devil
* Tender Tears
* Well, Excuse Me, Princess!: Christine 
Gabriel Stokes:
* Aborted Arc: In the first half of Season 11, Gabriel is conflicted on his worldview as God had apparently gone silent on him, while Mancea talks to him openly. After being Out of Focus for a few episodes in wake of the Reaper Filler Arc concluding, Gabriel is back to his old self and claims to hear God again, in spite of claiming not to believe in mercy just a few episodes prior. Though he did say he was at least trying to reconcile his beliefs after the Reapers had been defeated, not to mention having gone back to preaching in the months between "No Other Way" and "Warlords", so there's that.
* Actually Pretty Funny
* Actual Pacifist: When we are introduced to Gabriel he's potentially the first character since Season 1 who isn't shown owning a weapon. Though this trope made him more detestable than admired due to his cowardice prior to his Character Development Gabriel: I have no weapons of any kind. The word of God is the only protection I need.
** By Season 6, he's morphed into a Badass Pacifist who actively fights alongside Rick's group when he must.
* Adaptation Expansion: He gets a lot more to do here than in the comics, most notably including a small subplot where he temporarily leaves the group to confirm their reports of Gareth's evil, his feud with Rick in Season 6A, taking part in the raid on the Savior compound, and becoming one of Rick's right hand men in Season 7. By Season 9 he’s the political leader of Alexandria and a main character.
* Adaptational Badass: His comic counterpart managed to gather some courage and kill a few walkers, but was still a Non-Action Guy for the most part. This Gabriel becomes a full-fledged warrior and defender of Alexandria during the show's adaptation of the "No Way Out" arc, while his comic counterpart dies shortly into his first combat mission in Issue #158, which takes place years later in the timeline. As opposed to panicking and trying to save his own skin, which leads to his demise, he calmly chooses to stay behind and make a Heroic Sacrifice to buy his friends the necessary time to escape... and survives thanks to the timely arrival of Maggie and Elijah. It's telling that his comic counterpart ultimately was killed thanks to his own cowardice that TV Gabriel overcame.
* The Aloner
* Alone with the Psycho:
** In "Mercy", he's surrounded by walkers and takes refuge in a trailer, only to find out moments later that he's trapped in there with Negan of all people. Surprisingly, after some initial hostility, they end up getting along quite well.
** Happens again in Season 10 when he's talking to Dante in his cell, only this time Gabriel personally confronts him and they don't get along well at all considering that Dante is a Whisperer who murdered Siddiq and another resident and almost killed Rosita and Coco, as well as the fact that Gabriel brutally murders him afterwards.
* The Atoner
* Authority in Name Only: In Season 9, after the second Time Skip, he becomes the head of the Alexandrian council, but due to Michonne usually superseding the council for alleged security reasons, she’s the one who’s actually in charge of Alexandria, a fact he laments later in the season. During the fair, however, she acknowledges him as the leader of the town when she asks him to sign the accords.
* Badass Pacifist: He still sees fighting as a last resort, but does volunteer to do all he can to help Rick's group.
* Bald of Authority
* Berserk Button: Harming and/or killing anyone he considers to be family. 
* Beware the Nice Ones
* Big Good: By the end of Season 10 he is pretty much the leader of all the allied communities with Ezekiel and Yumiko on Eugene’s mission, and Michonne searching for Rick. The only other official community leader, Cyndie, defers to him during the last battles of the Whisperer War, with Daryl and Aaron serving as the main field leaders and generals. By Season 11, he shares power with Daryl and Maggie.
* Bitch in Sheep's Clothing: In Season 5, he acts pretty pleasant and polite but turns out to be a selfish coward. In Season 6, he attempts to reform himself, becoming a genuinely Nice Guy in the process.
* Bond One-Liner: Really lets them fly as he dispatches a pair of Reapers in "No Other Way". I don't believe that. (after stabbing Mancea, who tries to convince Gabriel to stand down despite the Reapers hurting his friends) Call me Gabriel. (after ambushing Jenson and taking over his sniper position)
* Brutal Honesty: Goes hand-in-hand with his increased snarkiness, Gabriel becomes more willing to tell it like it is. On full display in "Warlords", where Gabriel outright tells Carlson his plan to approach a new community is "shit", and insults Ian's homebase to his face by asking him why the hell they would even want to take it over since it's such a shithole.
* Cold Sniper
* Combat Pragmatist
* The Comically Serious: Gabriel hardens into a pretty serious, mellow guy and loses much of his outward friendliness. So when he does crack and have a laugh, it's pretty damn funny. Special mention goes to when after a long trip of dead ends during his extended run with Aaron in "One More", he laughs hysterically seeing Aaron scared after surviving a brush with a wild boar.
* Crisis of Faith: Has a few over the course of the series.
** In "Them", with the group reeling from the losses of Beth and Tyreese, and hope at an absolute minimum, Gabriel removes his priest's collar and chunks it into the fire. When it begins raining shortly after, providing the group with some much-needed hydration, he cries and asks God for forgiveness.
** In "New Best Friends", Gabriel admits he was starting to lose faith before Rick came to save him.
** In "Worth", he starts to slip a bit thanks to his depression from causing Dr. Carson's death and being made a slave in Eugene's bullet factory.
** In "One More", he drunkenly tells Aaron he doesn't see the point in preaching anymore because the world will never go back to the way it was. When Mays brings this up, Gabriel claims he was merely intoxicated, but Mays points out that a "drunk tongue is an honest one." This continues into Season 11, where Mancea (the pastor of the Reapers) recognizes that Gabriel can't hear Him anymore. The defeat of the Reapers and Alexandria finding aid from the Commonwealth seems to restore his faith at last, as he becomes quite comfortable as a local preacher again.
* Cultured Badass
* A Day in the Limelight: "One More" is a Bottle Episode centered almost completely around him and Aaron. More so for Gabriel considering he gets an entire speech talking about his backstory, and the conflict with Mays being more personal for him than Aaron.
* Deadpan Snarker
* Death Seeker
* The Dog Bites Back
* Everyone Has Standards
* Evil Stole My Faith: While he doesn't completely renounce his beliefs, dealing with the Whisperers leads Gabriel to believe that evil people are the new norm and it's pointless trying to preach anymore. He does seem to be on the rebound by "No Other Way", where he mentions to Daryl that he's working on trying to find his faith again, though he is shaken up a bit after facing off with Mancea, who claimed to be influenced by God despite taking part in the Reapers' murderous ways.
* Extreme Mêlée Revenge: Siddiq's murder and the stress of the Whisperer conflict cause Gabriel to go absolutely apeshit as he stabs Siddiq's killer, Dante, to death.
* Friendly Sniper
* Friend to All Children
* Genre Savvy: Years of dealing with hostile survivor groups make Gabriel much more adept at realizing which groups want to be approached and which ones would rather be left alone. Comes up in "Warlords", where Gabriel doesn't like the idea of making contact with a group of people holed up in a rather sinister-looking apartment complex, pointing out how places like that always contain some lunatic with a shotgun just itching for the chance to kill somebody stupid enough to wander onto their property.
* Give Me a Sign: Believes that Rick was sent by God.
* Good Shepherd: Completely averted at first, as he allowed his congregation to get eaten to save himself. He later reforms and becomes Alexandria's main pastor.
* Heroic Wannabe: Gabriel wants to be a genuine hero like Rick, but he doesn't exactly have the skills or intelligence to back him up. A major part of his Character Development involves him growing out of this and becoming a true leader who other people can count on.
* Hidden Depths: In "One More", Aaron is surprised to find that Gabriel has an intimate knowledge of whiskey and is a good poker player. Gabriel mentions taking after his mentor, who was a prolific drinker and gambler when not on the clock.
* Hypocrite: He encourages Deanna to kick out Rick's group on the basis that they have done "unspeakable things"—Never mind that Gabriel was the one who locked out his entire congregation at the beginning of the apocalypse, letting them all get eaten by walkers. This ends up being lampshaded later when talking to Carl after his Heel–Face Turn, saying he's realized that he was projecting his own feelings of self-loathing onto them
* I Hate Past Me
* I Lied: In "One More", he gives an impassioned speech to Mays about how there are still good people left in the world and that it's never too late to change after you've seen and done so many horrible things to survive. It seems to work, and Mays lowers his gun and unties Aaron. Gabriel then immediately bashes Mays' head in, telling Aaron that a man who killed his brother's family is too dangerous to take back to Alexandria with them.
* It's All About Me:
** In Season 5, he feels that he is the only member of Rick's group who deserves to live in the "paradise" that is Alexandria. In "Conquer", he mocks the deaths of Bob and Tyreese to Sasha's face in a selfish attempt to get her to Mercy Kill him. He grow out of this and begins sticking his neck out for other members of the group.
** It comes back a little bit in Season 10 when he is emotionally distraught over Dante killing Siddiq and being outed as a Whisperer plant. He doesn’t pay too much attention when Rosita vents to him about losing focus in a fight with walkers and quickly assures her everything will be fine, since he’s more interested in beating himself up for not seeing Dante’s true nature.
* It's Personal: He is absolutely seething after learning that Dante is a Whisperer, since he personally interviewed him when he joined Alexandria and thus feels responsible for Siddiq’s death.
* Jerkass Ball: Picks it up in the aftermath of Siddiq's murder. He becomes a bit more vicious and willing to take the fight to the Whisperers, something that unnerves the other members of the Alexandria council.
* Jerk with a Heart of Jerk: In Season 5. In case you thought that Gabriel was trying to redeem himself, in "Spend" he tries to convince Deanna to kick Rick's group out of Alexandria on the basis that they are "bad people".Then in "Conquer" he tries to force the mentally unstable Sasha to kill him. Subverted in Season 6 when he finally begins making genuine strides to redeem himself for his cowardly and selfish actions and ultimately moves out of this trope entirely.
* Karma Houdini: Maggie convinces Sasha to spare him after he attacks her, and thus he survives Season 5 without much of a comeuppance for his actions. In Season 6, however, he is still hated by Rick's group for most of the first half of the season, subverting this since his road to redemption is not an easy one.
* Kick the Dog: He taunts Sasha over the deaths of Bob and Tyreese in an attempt to make her kill him.
* Kick The Son Of A Bitch: With the exception of the wounded man he mercy killed, every person we've seen Gabriel murder has had it coming. A (not) special mention goes to Dante, who killed Siddiq, poisoned Alexandrians with tainted water, and almost let Coco be eaten by her zombified father.
* Knight in Sour Armor: As of Season 10. While he still does all he can to keep Alexandria going and puts on a reassuring face to the populace he (while drunk) expresses doubts that the world will ever return to the way it used to be and says he doesn't see the point in preaching anymore. When Mays calls him out on this Gabriel tries to claim it was just the liquor talking, but Mays points out, "a drunk tongue is an honest one." He seems to have grown out of this by "Warlords", where he goes back to preaching in the new church the Commonwealth has given him and tells Aaron he's happy to have started to discover God again.
* The Leader: In Season 9 following the second Time Skip, Gabriel is the head of the council that governs Alexandria. However, Michonne usually usurps the council’s authority as the town’s head of security, meaning she is the one running the show. In "The Calm Before", she allows him to sign the community charter, solidifying Gabriel as the head of Alexandria. In "A Certain Doom", with Michonne Put on a Bus and Ezekiel and Yumiko on Eugene's quest to find Stephanie, Gabriel is the one who spearheads most of the plan to defeat the Whisperers and the walker horde.
* Meaningful Name
* Mercy Kill
* My Greatest Failure: He admits to Negan that he considers locking his congregation out of his church at the start of the outbreak to be this, and has spent everyday since his Heel–Face Turn in Season 6 trying to atone for it.
* My Greatest Second Chance: In the finale, he's the one who lets the Commonwealth citizens into the Estates to save them from the walker horde, finally making up for cowardly locking his parishioners out of his church to be eaten at the start of the outbreak.
* Nice Guy: Subverted in Season 5. Gabriel may seem an affable if nervous fellow at first, but in this case being pleasant doesn't mean he's good. He's a judgmental coward with no understanding of how the world has changed. Played straight following his Heel–Face Turn in Season 6, as he has become one of the friendliest characters on the show. Subverted as of Season 10 — while still a decent man who is good-natured to his friends, as the official leader of Alexandria he has become rather cold and pragmatic in making decisions and can be rather standoffish when he's morally conflicted.
* Non-Action Guy: He is first seen lying on top of a rock, kicking at walkers and yelling for help and is rescued by Rick and his group. Later, he has to be aggressively prodded by Rick into joining the scouting mission at the food bank. During the mission, he even tries to bail as he's so frightened by the walkers. In "Them", he steps in and helps the group hold the barn door shut when a large herd of zombies try to break in, although "Spend" shows that Gabriel actually has no intention of being accepted by the group, and in fact wants them kicked out of Alexandria for the "unspeakable" actions they have committed. In "Conquer", he finally kills his first walker, and mercy kills a partially eaten human a few seconds later. He breaks down in tears because of this. In Season 6 he looks to grow out of this by asking Carl to teach him how to fight. He succeeds in "Start to Finish", and as of "No Way Out", is a fully qualified badass.
* Odd Friendship
* O.O.C. Is Serious Business: After discovering that Dante killed Siddiq, and nearly killed Rosita and Coco, and that he's been working as The Mole for the Whisperers the entire time he's been in Alexandria, Gabriel visits Dante in his cell, and gives his usual speech about people deserving second chances that he had previously used on both Rosita and Negan. Just as it seems like he might take his usual pacifistic route, and possibly even let Dante go, Gabriel then pulls a knife and brutally stabs Dante to death. Given Gabriel has always been the voice arguing against violence in response to many enemy actions - not to mention, the only people we've seen him actually kill have been either out of mercy or in the heat of battle - this scene just goes to highlight just how much Dante's betrayal and attack on those Gabriel holds dear really shook him to his core.
* Parental Substitute
* Pet the Dog
** Provides Bob a peaceful death in comfort.
** Presides over the funeral for Tyreese (and presumably Beth).
** Tried to offer his counsel to Maggie after Beth's death.
** Mercy kills a wounded man out in the woods.
* Pre-Mortem One-Liner: Gives one to a wounded Reaper who asks Gabriel to pray for him because he is a man of God. Gabriel: God isn't here anymore.
* Religious Bruiser: Not only does he kill walkers now, but he also retains his religious beliefs.
* Rousing Speech
* Screw This, I'm Outta Here:
** Decides to leave Rick's group and his church because he feels he needs to go to the Hunters camp and see if they were really as bad as what he had been told. Although he finds a bible, he quickly returns to the church after discovering Bob's partially eaten leg. He later admits to Michonne that he understands why they did what they did to the Hunters.
** Happens again, albeit under mysterious circumstances in "Rock in the Road", taking most of Alexandria's supplies with him. Rick doesn't believe for one second he would have deserted them. He's right, as Gabriel was kidnapped by one of the Scavengers, who wanted supplies back after Rick and Aaron unknowingly looted from their boat.
* Secret-Keeper
* Sinister Minister: Averted, despite Rick and Sasha's suspicions. He's just an ordinary priest on his own. Played straight in "Conquer". The first thing Negan does when he sees Gabriel is to call him "creepy", although ironically by this point he has long since outgrown this trope. Gabriel is actually playing it up just to unnerve Negan on purpose. The loss of one of his eyes also gives him this vibe to strangers such as Gamma (see the picture above).
* Stepford Smiler: Takes a page from Carol's book in Season 7, playing the part of an overly pleasant and harmless priest to fool Negan. He is the only member of the group who can look the Savior leader dead in the eyes and smile, with no hint of fear (which actually disturbs Negan, who calls him "creepy as shit").
* These Hands Have Killed
* Took a Level in Badass: The most obvious example on the show after Carol. Perhaps even more notable given that Carol, while initially defenseless, was never a serious hindrance to the group like Gabriel was. Originally, Gabriel is a cowardly Non-Action Guy who can barely even kill walkers, but finally becomes a capable fighter mid-Season 6. He can now use knives, machetes, shotguns, sniper rifles and assault rifles to deadly effect and even personally murders Dante, an Army vet who was strong enough to choke Siddiq to death and nearly did the same to Rosita. Also, as head of the council of Alexandria, Gabriel is effectively the leader of the community by Season 9.
* Took a Level in Cynic
* Took a Level in Smartass
* Tranquil Fury:
** During Season 7, Gabriel puts up an act to appear like he did when we first met him: a timid, cowardly yes-man. Looking at his eyes and overall demeanour, however, and you can see he is giving off a surprisingly cold and hostile vibe whenever he speaks to Negan. It works in creeping out Negan, to say the least. Right from the get-go, he knows that they must fight the Saviors and will one day go to war, unlike Rick who is initially content with submission.
** He gives off the same vibe when he confronts the Whisperer Dante in his cell before he brutally murders him.
* Undying Loyalty: To Rick. Near the end of "Start to Finish" he tells Rick that, no matter what happens, he will not run or abandon them. After having spent the first half of the season harassing Gabriel for his betrayal, Rick responds, "Yeah, I know." From this point on, Gabriel has an unshakable faith in Rick, defending him against Spencer when the latter accuses Rick of being too power-hungry for his own good, and admitting that when he was being held prisoner by the Scavengers he took comfort in knowing Rick would eventually come to rescue him.
* Ungrateful Bastard: In "Spend", he tries to get Deanna to kick Rick's group out of Alexandria and let him stay because of all the "unspeakable things" they've done — the same unspeakable things that saved Gabriel's life several times over.
* Unskilled, but Strong: Originally a hapless Non-Action Guy, Gabriel is nevertheless shown to have strength if nothing else. He has enough power in him to choke slam a walker, wrestle a violent Sasha off of him, and hold off one of the Wolves long enough for Morgan to save him. He eventually develops the martial ability and marksmanship to grow out of this trope.
* What the Hell, Hero?:
* When He Smiles
* Wrestler in All of Us
* You Are in Command Now
* You Shall Not Pass!
Daryl Dixon:
* The Ace: He's pretty much the best overall fighter in the group, able to do anything that he needs to and is a force to be reckoned with.
* Anti-Hero: Daryl is a Jerk with a Heart of Gold who will not hesitate to kill or delve into some morally grey areas for the good of the group, but is still a good man at his core.
* The Apocalypse Brings Out the Best in People: Where all the other characters start out civilized and are forced to give it up, he starts out as a violent, racist redneck whose main saving grace is that, unlike his brother Merle, he will generally try to help other people—if he's not angry enough to attack them himself. After being separated from Merle's influence and being forced to work together with the group to survive, he gradually becomes a nicer, more steadfast and emotional, but still awkward person.
* Archer Archetype: We rarely see him use a weapon other than his crossbow. Until it is stolen in "Always Accountable." Then we see him with knives and guns. He finally gets a new crossbow mid-Season 7 and has continued to use it as his primary weapon since.
* Automatic Crossbows: Averted. It can be difficult to spot, but Daryl does occasionally nock another bolt.
* Awesome, but Impractical:
** Downplayed, as while the positives outweigh the negatives, Daryl's crossbow has its shortcomings. It needs a unique type of ammunition that only Daryl really knows how to make more of, and it's large and clunky as compared to Rick's personal Python which can be stored in his holster. Trying to pull out the clunky crossbow from a bag nearly costs Daryl his life in "Always Accountable". It was stolen by Dwight during the first half of Season 6 until Daryl got it back in "Twice as Far". Dwight stole it back again in "Last Day on Earth" after Daryl was taken prisoner by the Saviors.
** His use of a motorcycle also counts. Sure he's a Badass Biker, but its engine is much louder than that of a normal car and it does leave him a bit more vulnerable to walkers and gunfire than he would be if he was in a car. According to Norman Reedus, "It's good on gas and Daryl doesn't give a fuck." Indeed, it ends up being one of the last motor vehicles to remain in use by the survivors before they give up on them entirely since it can be fueled by ethanol.
* Back-to-Back Badasses
* Badass Biker
* Badass Boast: Sherry: We're sorry. Daryl: You're gonna be.
* Bash Brothers
* Berserk Button:
** Never leave anybody behind on his watch. 
** Endangering his group in any way, shape, or form is a good way to get under his skin. As this happens, Daryl becomes more willing to kill than Rick is.
* Beware the Nice Ones: After Season 1, he mellows out into a fairly decent guy who's committed to helping everyone. That said, he's still capable of getting pissed off in many ways. Case in point, when he discovers Bob has smuggled a bottle of liquor into his bag instead of medicine to help people suffering from pandemic flu. When Daryl attempts to throw it away, Bob goes for his gun; Daryl quickly disarms him and threatens to beat his ass if he tries to take one sip of it before the people who are sick can get better.
* Big Damn Heroes: A few notable examples:
** In the Season 2 opener, he saves T-Dog from becoming walker food by shooting the walker about to chomp on T-Dog and then dumping said walker's body on T-Dog to mask his scent.
** Subverted late in Season 2 — he tackles down a walker that's about to eat Dale, but he's moments too late from saving him and he personally delivers the Mercy Kill as an apology.
** Midlate in Season 3, he does it twice in one episode, once to save a group of Mexican strangers he didn't even know, and once to save Rick.
** In mid-Season 6 he’s able to save Abraham and Sasha from Bud’s gang, and later causes a fire in the Alexandrian pond that distracts the herd enough for the Alexandrians to finally vanquish them.
** In "A Certain Doom", he arrives just in time to save Negan from being killed by Beta by stabbing the latter in the eyes and leaving him to be devoured by walkers.
* Big Good: In Season 9, he begins showing shades of this after Rick’s disappearance and after returning to the communities. Everyone looks to him for guidance, even if others like Gabriel, Yumiko, Tara, and Ezekiel are the more official leaders. He also helps lead the Hilltop defenders during the Whisperer War.
* The Big Guy: Class 3. Becomes The Lancer after Shane is killed.
* Big "NO!": When he finds Merle's severed hand atop the building in Atlanta.
* Breakout Character: Daryl is one of the most popular characters. He was promoted to the main cast in Season 2 and given an entire episode to show his badass credentials. In Season 3, he's become the second-in-command to Rick and runs the group when he's not available. By Season 4, he's probably the show's Deuteragonist and in Season 5, it's safe to say that he's one of few characters on this show with Plot Armor. He ended up taking over from Rick as the new lead of the show starting in Season 9, and following its conclusion, is set to headline his own spin-off which will begin airing in 2023. Not bad for a guy who didn't even appear in the source material.
* Broken Ace: He is not the most well-adjusted individual.
* Broken Tears: When finding his brother Merle as a walker then Mercy Killing him.
* But Now I Must Go: He leaves to find Rick and Michonne in the series finale.
* Byronic Hero: He is cynical, determined, and brooding and also has a strict personal code with a lot of loyalty to his friends.
* Canon Foreigner: Fans of the show may be surprised to find that he and his brother are nowhere to be seen in the comics.
* Can't Stay Normal: Or at least what's normal for Daryl. Following Rick's "death" in Season 9, he retires to live in the woods for six years along with his pet dog. After returning to Hilltop for what is supposed to be a brief stay, events lead to him returning to his old life of dealing with new attackers.
* Catchphrase: Some variation of "That ain't you/us/her."
* Celibate Hero: Due to his abusive past, he has trouble with letting people get close or touching him. When Carol starts joking about the two of them having sex he gets real quiet and asks her to stop. He becomes more comfortable with physical contact as time goes on, though it's not until late Season 10 that the audience actually gets to see him in a real relationship.
* Character Development: Daryl is one of the characters who has changed the most out of the cast, highlighted in the episode "Home", where his new personality clashes with Merle's outdated perception of him. While Daryl was originally a mildly racist, belligerent redneck who only looked out for himself and his brother, as Merle dominated him through mild psychological bullying, Daryl chooses Rick's group over Merle in the episode. He's now a brave, compassionate and stronger man, who has bypassed Merle and can see his flaws. He hasn't completely left his old Hot-Blooded ways behind, just tempered them with something that looks suspiciously like maturity and civility.
* Character Tics: He bites his thumb when he's apprehensive, such as when he waits in the hall while Andrea shoots herself.
* Chronic Hero Syndrome: Starts growing into this in Season 2, fully cemented by Season 3, as shown in "Home", when he goes out of his way to rescue a family from walkers.
* Close-Call Haircut: In "Chupacabra", courtesy of a trigger-happy Andrea, who mistakes him for a walker.
* Combat, Diplomacy, Stealth: Fills the Combat role, with Rick commanding Diplomacy, and Glenn handling Stealth.
* Combat Pragmatist: Daryl at one point uses a walker's head as a melee weapon while desperate.
* Conflicting Loyalty: Brought to the fore in "The Suicide King", when he's forced to choose between Rick's group and his brother Merle, and ends up going with the latter. Then in "Home", he decides that Rick's group is his real family and goes back to them, with Merle reluctantly being forced to follow.
* Cool Uncle: To the Grimes children and Hershel Rhee. Judith and R.J. even call him "Uncle Daryl", and in "Silence the Whisperers", we see him join them and Michonne for dinner.
* Covered with Scars: Seen in the episode "Chupacabra". Norman Reedus states they're from Daryl's childhood abuse. "Home" confirms that both he and Merle were physically abused by their father.
* David vs. Goliath: He's the David in his fight with the hulking, monolithic Whisperer Beta.
* A Day in the Limelight: Several episodes in particular focus on Daryl's development or relationships with the rest of the cast.
** Season 2's "Chupacabra": The episode mostly depicts Daryl's solo adventure trying to find Sophia and contending with a hallucination of his missing brother, and is by and large when he earns his place as an integral member of the group thanks to his sheer dedication to his mission.
** Season 3's "Home": The episode revolves around Daryl after he leaves the group when they refuse to accept Merle into their fold, only to find that they had very good reasons not to do so given how much of an ass Merle still is. It also delves into the pair's unhappy childhood and lingering trauma from an abusive father, and it concludes with Daryl deciding he needs to stay with his family of choice as opposed to his blood brother who treats him like shit.
** Season 4's "Still": We finally see Daryl deal with his grief from the loss of Hershel, the prison, and the others as he becomes close to Beth.
** Season 5's "Consumed": The episode is a quiet, reflective buddy-episode and reunion of sorts for the inseparable duo of Daryl and Carol as they reflect on how far they've come since the beginning of the series.
** Season 6's "Always Accountable" (shared with Sasha and Abraham): A good two-thirds of the episode is from Daryl's point of view as he encounters Dwight for the first time and his willingness to help others is taken advantage of, setting him up for a dark turn for the next few seasons.
* Deadpan Snarker: Mostly early on when he is a snide, Hot-Blooded Jerkass; tempered out somewhat as he takes a level in kindness.
** When Jenner gives a pretty damn bleak exposition about the walker virus and how a person reanimates, Daryl mutters, "Damn I'm about to go get shit-faced again."
** After a walker growls at him, he replies with a crossbow bolt through the head and "Shut up".
** Instead of asking for help while he's bleeding from one of his own arrows on his way back to Hershel's farm, he simply notes to Rick that this is the third time Rick has pulled a gun on him at this point and then asked if Rick would pull the trigger this time. He is then shot by Andrea, who doesn't know it's him from afar. The bullet just barely grazes his head. Most would be unconscious or just plain dead, but Daryl, being... Daryl, still manages to mutter as the others pick him up, "I was kidding."
** When the group elects to leave their temporary base in a barn to go to Alexandria with Aaron, despite Rick's reservations, Daryl agrees, as "this barn smells like horse shit."
* Decomposite Character:
** While pretty much still a Canon Foreigner, he filled in most of Tyreese's role in the first two and a half seasons, specifically The Lancer (after Shane's death) and his close relationship with Carol, albeit in a platonic sense.
** At the beginning of Season 9, he fills Dwight’s role as the new leader of the Saviors who abdicates the post, since he personally had TV Dwight Put on a Bus.
** He takes Aaron's place as the one who mortally wounds Beta at the end of the Whisperer arc.
** Season 10 and 11 sees him fully step into the Big Good position that Rick had in the comics, frequently rallying his companions behind him whether it’s the Battle of Hilltop or the Reaper conflict. Season 11 also sees him also finally begin to take Rick’s words to heart and take the path of peace if he can, such as when he pleads for decency during the final stand-off with the Reapers. In the Grand Finale, he is also the one who successfully sues for peace among the living in the Commonwealth, complete with his own take on “we are not the walking dead”.
* Deconfirmed Bachelor: He goes ten seasons without showing overt romantic or sexual interest in anyone, barring the examples mentioned under Ship Tease below. "Find Me" reveals he had a full-fledged relationship with a woman named Leah while he was living in the woods mourning Rick.
* Defrosting Ice King: Initially hostile to everyone else in the group, he slowly grows closer to each group member and becomes loyal to them. History repeats itself when the crew move into Alexandria, where Daryl is clearly uncomfortable with this new lifestyle. Aaron (and a little bit of Eric) eventually get him to warm up again by the end of "Forget", saying that Daryl knows the difference between a good person and a bad person and appoint him the new recruiter of the safe zone.
* Determinator: One of his defining character traits.
** Even after being thrown from a horse into a ravine and stabbed in the side by one of his own crossbow bolts, he still manages to make it back to the camp on his own.
** After running all day, he spends an entire night keeping watch for walkers while inside the trunk of a car.
* Deuteragonist: Begins occupying this role from the third season onward, and later begins sharing it with Carol. This is no longer the case as of Season 9, when he becomes The Protagonist.
* Difficult, but Awesome: The crossbow can actually be harder to aim with and use than a conventional gun, but mastering it offers Daryl a lot of advantages. He can both hunt food for the group and silently stealth kill any walkers he encounters without bringing a dozen more down on his head. In addition, to overcome its low ammunition limitations, Daryl has learned to always retrieve bolts, and even knows how to make new ones if he needs to.
* Don't You Dare Pity Me!: After the group finds and shoots the undead Sophia, Daryl separates himself from the others in frustration. Carol, who knows how hard Daryl searched for Sophia, tells him he can't just shut the others out and that the group needs him. Daryl angrily tells her that he was better off on his own to begin with, that Sophia wasn't his problem, and that he doesn't need her to try and take care of him. Knowing that this is Daryl's way of handling what happened, Carol stands there and lets him vent as long as he needs.
* Donut Mess with a Cop: Invoked when he and Rosita become police officers at the Commonwealth and she sees him eating a donut, causing her to playfully chide him for "living up to that stereotype".
* Et Tu, Brute?: His subdued reaction to killing Morales indicates he wasn’t pleased that one of their former allies became an enemy, and takes no pleasure in executing him.
* Everyone Can See It: Kelly and Carol both take note of Daryl's growing closeness to Connie (and vice versa).
* Excellent Judge of Character: It's stated by Aaron to be one of Daryl's most invaluable qualities. Michonne leaves it up to him to decide Lydia's fate on the grounds that Daryl is, in her words, "the best damn judge of character I know".
* Failure Knight: Daryl has a tendency to blame himself for almost any tragedy that befalls the group.
* Fake Guest Star: In Season 1. He graduates to main cast member in Season 2 and has stuck around ever since.
* Fire-Forged Friends:
** Surviving alongside the other Atlanta camp members eventually sees him ingratiate himself in the group as one of their leaders.
** In Season 10, while “friend” is too strong a word to use, he comes to form a bond of mutual trust and respect with Negan once he proves that his Heel–Face Turn is genuine. The two start having each other’s backs, Daryl gives the other tips on how to stay with the group, and they are able to turn their backs to each other safely. Even earlier in the season, Daryl recognizes that Negan truly was trying to help Lydia out of altruism and vouches for him. Though he can't resist roasting Negan while claiming to Leah he doesn't know him, calling his frenemy a "tall, skinny guy [who] never shuts up."
* Fish out of Water: To say that Daryl doesn't fit in well at Alexandria is an understatement. He's even more out of place at the Commonwealth, which is the closest that the group has seen to recapturing society before the apocalypse.
* Foil: To Shane. In Season 2, Shane is the most adamant that Sophia is probably dead while Daryl is the most convinced that she is actually still alive. When Dale has been ripped open by a walker and is declared by Hershel to be beyond saving, it's Daryl who steps in to spare Rick from having to Mercy Kill him, in contrast to Rick's then-lancer, Shane (who had more beef with Dale than Daryl ever did). Also compare Shane's transformation from a loyal friend of Rick to an Ax-Crazy traitor who tries more than once to kill him, to Daryl going from a Hot-Blooded prick out for Rick's blood who is revealed to be a heck of a lot nicer and much more noble and pure of heart than originally thought. When Rick is apparently blown up in an explosion, Daryl spends the next six years looking for Rick's body to give his fallen friend a proper burial, unlike Shane who left the comatose Rick for dead a few weeks into the apocalypse and started an affair with his wife.
* Former Bigot: He initially shares his brother's views towards the minorities in the group, referring to the Korean Glenn as a "Chinaman". He grows out of this by the end of Season 2.
* The Friend Nobody Likes: In the first season. Much like his brother, he's a confrontational Jerkass (albeit he's far less hostile to the people of color the group than his brother). However, the search for Sophia begins to integrate him deeper into the group and prove that he is a reliable, loyal member of the group. He replaces Shane as the Number Two of the group and becomes one of the most beloved members of the gang (best seen in the Season 4 premiere when it's shown he's become very popular among the prison community) thanks to his immense Character Development.
* Friend to All Children: Willing to look for Sophia in Season 2, bonds with Carl, and cares for the newborn Judith Grimes and even calls her Little Asskicker. His main reason for saving a random Mexican family in Season 3 is that he can hear their crying baby. In Season 5, despite being extremely against the new posh lifestyle of Alexandria, he admits that it's good that the group has come because Carl and Judith deserve a roof over their heads. In Season 8, when the Alexandrians are holed up in the sewers, he personally takes Judith in his arms to hold her like his own daughter.
* Guilt Complex: It's revealed in "Still" that he feels responsible for Hershel's death and the destruction of the prison, as he gave up looking for the Governor and later talked Michonne into doing the same. Sophia's name also comes up.
* Guttural Growler: Daryl's voice is very gravely and raspy, especially when he gets angry.
* Hair-Trigger Temper: In Season 1. It takes very little to rile him up and he'll outright attack anyone who antagonizes him.
* Hallucinations: After two falls down a riverbank and a pretty severe injury, Daryl starts having hallucinations of his brother Merle, mocking him and egging him on to survive.
* Handicapped Badass: Or, in this case, an injured one. After being badly injured after a fall and impaled on one of his own crossbow bolts, Daryl wakes up with a walker attempting to eat his (thankfully booted) foot. He kills it with a stick, and then pulls the aforementioned bolt out of his own body and uses it to shoot another.
* Hates Being Touched:
** Flinches back when Carol (probably the least threatening member of the group at the time) leans in to give him a motherly kiss on the forehead. The showrunner stated that Daryl is "constantly expecting to be hit" due to his childhood abuse. A Call-Back in "Them" has Carol kiss his forehead again — this time, Daryl lets her.
** By Season 4, he is openly more physically affectionate with many people — including Rick, Carol, and Beth — and even around people he does not know very well.
** Come Season 10, he's the one to actually initiate the touching, as shown when he tells Connie a story about Merle and puts his arm around her to act out the scene, then holding her hand to comfort her about Kelly being missing.
* The Hermit: It's no big surprise that he would enjoy being alone, but the circumstances at hand make it tragic. After Rick seemingly sacrifices himself to destroy a massive walker herd, a heartbroken Daryl retreats into the woods to live as a recluse for six years, with only a dog for company. Carol of all people tries to rouse him from this, telling him that he doesn't always have to be alone and can't simply hide out with his dog forever.
* Hero Antagonist: In early Season 9, he and Maggie plot to kill Negan behind Rick's back despite knowing Rick is keeping him alive to honor the late Carl's wishes. They take preventive measures to keep Rick from reaching Alexandria to stop Maggie and further defy Rick's vision of a peaceful society by letting Oceanside kill Arat, the last of the Saviors responsible for the massacre that claimed the lives of their men and sent them into hiding. Maggie's reasons for wanting Negan dead are extremely justified, however, given Glenn's death and how Rick basically pulled a My Way or the Highway in his decision to spare Negan's life while ignoring how Maggie really felt about the situation.
* Heroes Love Dogs: He adopts a dog while living in the woods and trains him to attack foes and fetch arrows.
* Heroic BSoD:
** He shuts down almost completely for a time after the loss of the prison, hunting for food and killing walkers when necessary, but mostly following Beth around and communicating in monosyllables. He eventually snaps out of it after getting into a drunken argument with Beth that leads to him breaking down and opening up to her, only to lapse into another one in the very next episode when Beth is kidnapped and he falls in with the Claimers.
** He goes through another one in Season 7 after his actions inadvertently cause Glenn's death, though it's also partly for his own safety and to prevent Negan from harming his friends in Alexandria.
* Heterosexual Life-Partners: With Rick starting Season 3. When Merle makes Daryl choose between his loyalty to his kin and his loyalty to Rick, Daryl chooses Rick, and in Season 4, Rick outright calls Daryl his "brother". In Season 7, following Daryl's escape from the Sanctuary, they share a hug. Even their brawl in Season 8 is really nothing more than a brotherly tussle, with neither taking it personally afterward and even apologizing to each other. When he believes that Rick has died in Season 9, he cries and walks off by himself afterward.
* Hidden Depths: Shown to have this side to him in Season 2. He's the most confident that they will find Sophia alive and even comforts Carol. The Cherokee Rose scene won him a lot of fans.
* Hidden Heart of Gold: Daryl actually has a compassionate side to him, but on the rare occasion it is observed he will brush it off or try to change the subject.
* Honorary Uncle: To the Grimes children. He helps look after Carl’s well-being whenever Rick isn’t around and thinks of him, and later Judith and RJ, as his own. The latter two even call him “Uncle Daryl” sometimes, with Daryl outright taking care of them if Michonne is absent.
* Hot-Blooded: He learns to keep his temper in check by Season 3, to the point of having switched roles with Rick, who in Season 1 was calm and level-headed while Daryl was more unpredictable.
** Season 4 shows that alcohol brings out Daryl's hot-blooded Jerkass side, to the point where he shouts quite loudly at Beth despite having walkers within earshot. Ironically in the first season, when the group indulged in some of Jenner's alcohol, he was one of the jolliest drunks in the group.
** He still has his moments of weakness, however, such as when he attacks Negan for killing Abraham and taunting Rosita.
   Tropes I-P 
* Iconic Item: His crossbow.
* Iconic Outfit: His wing-embroidered vest.
* The Idealist: During the search for Sophia. Aside from Rick, he is the one most confident they will find Sophia alive. Sadly, he is wrong.
* I Let Gwen Stacy Die: While no one else blames him for it, Daryl feels responsible for the deaths of Maggie's family, saying that if he hadn't stopped looking for the Governor, Hershel would still be alive; if he had stayed by Beth's side, she wouldn't have been abducted by Grady Memorial Hospital; and finally, if he hadn't punched Negan, Glenn would not have been killed.
* In Vino Veritas: A little moonshine helps Daryl let out all the frustration and anger he's been keeping inside.
* Ironic Name: "Daryl" means "open", something Mr. Dixon decidely isn't.
* It's Personal: Even after Dwight's Heel–Face Turn, Daryl is justifiably skeptical of him, thanks to Dwight having betrayed, shot, and tortured him, in that order, as well as his casual murder of Daryl's friend Denise. After the end of the Savior War, Daryl is willing to spare him due to Dwight genuinely repenting and feeling remorseful, but still exiles him (and tasks him to find Sherry in the process) and warns him to never return lest he be killed.
* I Work Alone:
** Used to believe this, but grows used to working with the other survivors and in "This Sorrowful Life" he tells Merle that they can't survive without people anymore. Tends to slip back into this whenever something bad happens to someone in the group, most noticeably after the deaths of Sophia and later Beth.
** He still has a rough time working with people he doesn't know, which comes up when he and Rosita are undergoing basic training at the Commonwealth. Daryl fails Mercer's training exercise because he doesn't put in more effort to work with his assigned team partner.
* Jack Bauer Interrogation Technique: On Randall in "Judge, Jury, and Executioner".
* Jerk with a Heart of Gold: Originally a mildly racist redneck like his brother Merle, but he repeatedly goes out of his way to help others in the group, such as helping Rick rescue Glenn from the Vatos, saving T-Dog's life several times, and even revealing Merle's secret drug stash when T-Dog gets a nasty infection. He also cares about finding Sophia far more than any of the other members of the group besides Carol. By the end of Season 2, he is firmly in this territory, but soon after he becomes a full on Nice Guy with rarely any moments of belligerence.
* Kill the Ones You Love: He's ultimately the one to shoot Leah, his ex-girlfriend who had gone off the rails and was in the process of attempting to stab Daryl's surrogate sister Maggie to death.
* The Lancer: As tension between Rick and Shane rapidly escalates towards the end of Season 2, Daryl gradually becomes Rick's right-hand man. Following Shane's death, Daryl officially becomes this starting in Season 3, before graduating to The Hero in Season 9.
* The Leader: Shares the role with Gabriel in "A Certain Doom". Gabriel commands from the Tower while Daryl is the field team leader and is more directly involved in the action.
* Lethal Chef: Discussed by Judith, who says Daryl can't cook for shit if a campfire is not involved.
* Licked by the Dog: He's the first person who is able to stop baby Judith from crying at a time when both her parents are MIA (Lori is dead and Rick is undergoing some severe Sanity Slippage). He even affectionately calls her "Lil' Asskicker".
* Lightning Bruiser: Since his arrows can be reused, he has quicker reload time than his allies. He is well adapted to close-range combat, too.
* Lonely Together: Implied to be the base of his relationship with Leah. She lost her adopted family in a walker attack, while Daryl is still stinging from the loss of his best friend and surrogate brother, Rick.
* Loner-Turned-Friend: For a long time, he alienated himself from the group and preferred avoiding human intimacy as much as possible. Eventually, he becomes one of the group's most loyal members.
* Made of Iron:
** In "Chupacabra", he falls down a steep slope and impales himself on one of his crossbow bolts. He then climbs up the slope, falls, then tries again, eventually limping back to camp, where not even being grazed on the head by a rifle shot keeps him down.
** After being shot at the end of "East" and spending the better part of a day bleeding out from the wound, he still has enough strength to leap up and punch Negan in the face. Even then, it takes several Saviors to restrain him from continuing to attack.
** In "Stalker", Alpha stabs him in the leg and he manages to run a great distance with the knife still in his leg, pull it out, have blood spew from the wound, and spend most of a day drifting in and out of consciousness before finally being patched up by Lydia. The very next night he is fully able to participate in the Hilltop battle with only a limp slowing him down.
* Manly Tears:
** Some prominent examples were when he discovered Merle's Heroic Sacrifice and subsequent zombification, reuniting with Carol in the Season 5 premiere, and after Beth's death in "Coda".
** He also has them when his outburst against Negan ends up costing Glenn his life. He has a full crying session two episodes later after Dwight presents him with a picture of Glenn's remains, and later breaks down apologizing to Maggie (who didn't blame him anyway).
** He cries after Rick sacrifices himself to blow up a bridge full of walkers, though unbeknownst to him or anyone else, Rick survived.
** He almost cries when Connie is presumed dead in a cave-in and Carol breaks down pleading for Daryl to blame her for what happened.
* The Mole: After being captured by the Reapers he begins operating as a double agent while simultaneously trying to convince Leah to change sides.
* Morality Pet: He is quite possibly the only person Merle cares about.
* Mr. Fanservice: He has quite the following due to his Troubled, but Cute nature and penchant for wearing sleeveless shirts.
* Multi-Ranged Master: While he's often seen with a crossbow, he also occasionally uses guns and knives.
* My God, What Have I Done?:
** Daryl has a look of pure horror on his face when Negan makes good on his word that he will "shut that shit down" after Daryl punches him in the face and he smashes Glenn's head in as punishment, just a few minutes after he killed Abraham.
** He is clearly shaken when the Saviors attack Alexandria after escaping the Sanctuary after his rogue strike, after insisting his attack worked.
* My Greatest Failure: He considers both Beth and Glenn's deaths as this for him. Beth because he made a careless mistake that resulted in her eventual abduction, and Glenn because his attempt to defy Negan resulted in Negan choosing Glenn to die. He can't even bring himself to speak to Maggie for almost the entirety of the rest of the season.
** He also blames himself for Rick's apparent demise, refusing to return to Alexandria without finding his friend's body and giving him a proper burial.
* Mythology Gag: He gets shot in the head in the same place Andrea was in the comics. Ironically this wound comes from Andrea herself.
* Nerves of Steel: Not a man easily shaken by anything. Negan is impressed when he pretends to strike Daryl with Lucille to test him and Daryl doesn't even blink. Negan: Wow! You don't scare easy!
* Never Be Hurt Again: It's implied Daryl likes to keep his distance from others because he's afraid of the pain he'll feel should he lose them.
* Nice Job Breaking It, Hero: He is triggered by Negan's abuse and manipulation of the group and punches Negan after he brutally beats Abraham to death with Lucille and taunts Rosita with the bloody bat. Negan's response? Not only does he punish Daryl by proceeding to beat Glenn's head in as well, but he's also impressed with Daryl's bravery and decides to force him to work for him.
* The Nicknamer: Called Glenn Chinaman in Season 1 and coined Lori's newborn baby as "Little Asskicker" before being named Judith by Carl.
* Noble Bigot: In the first two seasons. While no fan of Glenn or T-Dog, he won't stand by and withhold assistance if either one of them is in need, even if it means putting his life on the line. Used to demonstrate his character development in Season 3 when Merle calls Glenn Chinese. While Daryl had called Glenn a Chinaman in the past, this time he responds by telling Merle that Glenn is Korean.
* No Good Deed Goes Unpunished: While going out of his way to search for a missing Sophia alone, Daryl ends up falling down a cliff twice, the initial fall causing one of his arrows to impale him, the second when he's trying to get back up. Then he is nearly eaten by walkers and when attempting to (successfully) climb back the second time, he had hallucinations of Merle mocking and berating him. Once he got back in the farm, his friends mistook him as a walker and was nearly killed when one of them (Andrea) shot him. This all happened in a single episode.
* No-Nonsense Nemesis: Simply put, when Daryl wants someone dead, he'll kill them without talking and making a big scene of it. When Mitch Dolgen has the gall to surrender after using his tank to destroy the prison, Daryl quickly puts an arrow in his chest without a single word. He also shoots an arrow in Morales' skull after catching him holding Rick at gunpoint and realizing he's now a Savior; this despite Morales having once been an ally and trusted member of the Atlanta camp. After getting his ass kicked by Beta once before, Daryl takes the lesson to heart next time they cross paths by running up behind Beta and driving a pair of knives into his skull while he's distracted. When Leah is about to kill Maggie, Daryl quietly accepts that she's gone off the deep end and shoots her in the back of the head without first attempting to make contact with his ex-girlfriend.
* No-One Could Have Survived That: In Season 8, he is rather quickly confident that his plan to ram a truck into the Sanctuary successfully dealt a crippling blow to the Saviors. He even insists to the others that it worked despite not sticking around to watch it play out. Unfortunately, that night Alexandria learns the hard way that it didn’t work, and Daryl questions if he was responsible for the Saviors’ freedom (Simon and Dwight say it was Eugene, who was inspired by watching the Saviors handle the walkers Daryl unleashed on the Sanctuary).
* No One Gets Left Behind:
** This is a big issue for him, possibly because of what happened to Merle. Whenever someone goes missing, he will be the first to volunteer to look for them. The only time he refused was shortly after the barn massacre and Sophia being found as a walker, as he was too torn up about his failure. He also is the most insistent on returning to search for Andrea when the farm is overrun and she is separated from the group. In Season 3, when Glenn and Maggie are kidnapped, he immediately volunteers to go after them.
** He brings this up as a big reason for why he leaves the group in "The Suicide King". He isn't willing to abandon Merle a second time. However, he realizes that they parted ways in how they think a long time ago and decides to return to the group, followed in shock by his brother.
** Despite his strong disapproval of Bob's actions in Season 4's "Indifference", Daryl doesn't even threaten to leave him behind.
** Eventually subverted in "Too Far Gone", when he and Beth are forced to flee the prison without the others after the defenses are lost and the group is scattered during the final battle with the Governor.
** When Connie and Magna are trapped by a massive cave-in, Daryl refuses to believe they died and tells everyone else to go home while he strikes off on his own to look for another entrance.
* No Social Skills: He's never been terribly good at interacting with others, but he slowly improves over the course of the series.
* No Sympathy: When the group considers booting out the inmate survivors, Daryl compares himself to them, stating that while they're degenerates, they're not monsters. Regardless, he still thinks they should hit the road.
* Not So Stoic: Daryl may be one of the toughest people around, but even he has his limits. He violently lurches when Negan strikes Abraham (and later Glenn) with Lucille, and in Season 9 is pretty understandably grossed out when Aaron’s left arm is mangled and painfully amputated.
* Odd Friendship:
** Most obviously with Rick, with whom Daryl was initially deeply at odds with. (What with the whole cop-who-left-my-brother-to-die thing going on.) By Season 4, Rick says Daryl is his brother.
** With Carol, who becomes an important figure for him during Season 2 and beyond. Carol jokes about the idea of them being attracted to each other, and it's obvious that they're both devoted to each other, but beyond that, nothing definitive has been shown in canon. The relationship becomes less "odd" over time as Daryl becomes more empathetic and Carol becomes more of a badass.
** Starting with "Still", he developed this with Beth, despite their outlooks and pre-apocalypse lives being complete polar opposites.
** He also forms one with Aaron in "Forget" after the latter offers him a job as a recruiter for Alexandria.
** He forms one, yet again, with Denise in the second half of Season 6. She even tells Daryl that he reminds her of her brother.
* An Odd Place to Sleep: He at one point tries to sleep in a coffin, calling it the most comfortable bed he's had in years. He also initially refuses to sleep in a prison cell, choosing instead to sleep in the upstairs hall.
* Official Couple: He eventually became this with Leah during the six-year Time Skip in Season 9. She left him when he refused to choose between her and going out to look for Rick's body, and he doesn't know what became of her until Season 11.
* Older and Wiser: After the six-year Time Skip he's become less impulsive and more even-tempered, as well as taken on leadership qualities that would make Rick proud.
* One-Man Army: Only Rick and Carol rival him in this regard. In Season 4, he takes down a tank alone.
* Out of Focus: He has a jarringly reduced role the first half of Season 6 since he spends most of it leading the herd away from Alexandria with Abraham and Sasha. It's not until the sixth episode of the season that he finally gets a starring role in an episode. He returns to the spotlight in the second half of the season.
* Papa Wolf: To the Grimes children and Lydia. When Sebastian implies he'd be willing to use Judith and RJ as leverage against Daryl, Daryl puts a knife to his throat and threatens to gut him on the spot.
* Parental Substitute: For Lydia, and also for Judith and RJ as of Michonne's departure in "What We Become". In "New Haunts", it's implied he went to Commonwealth to give the Grimes kids a vacation while Alexandria is being cleaned up; the three are seen living together in an apartment with Daryl keeping an eye on them as if they were his own children. Daryl is clearly uncomfortable with the environment of the Commonwealth and his new job as a uniformed trooper, but powers through it because Judith and RJ are enjoying themselves there and having a chance to grow up as normal kids for once.
* Peek-a-Bangs: Progressively starting Season 3. He even maintains it when he has the chance for a haircut during Season 5. When Carol finally cuts his hair in Season 9, he looks almost exactly the same.
* Perpetual Frowner: Almost never seen smiling.
* Phrase Catcher: A minor example. He gets called that "Robin Hood cat" on two separate occasions by unrelated characters: Tomas in Season 3 and Tony in Season 4.
* Platonic Life-Partners: With the exception of Rick, most of Daryl's closest relationships on the show have been with women.
** With Carol. In Season 9, he tells her he's happy she and Ezekiel are together, and Henry mentions that Carol told him she considers Daryl to be her best friend. In the aftermath of Henry's death, Daryl does whatever he can to support Carol and spends much of the season trying to keep her self-destructive tendencies in check. Daryl: Sorry if I didn't want my best friend to spend her whole life on a boat. Carol: Best friend? What are you, ten?
*** Even after Carol betrays his trust and gets Connie, who she knows Daryl cares for, possibly killed and Daryl spends the better part of "Morning Star" avoiding her, he nevertheless reaffirms their bond and shoots down any notion that he could ever stay mad at her. Their relationship appears to be on its way to mending by "A Certain Doom", only to take a nose dive in "Find Me" when Carol pushes too far as he's still not quite ready to forgive her. Daryl blames Carol for what happened to Connie and wanting to run from her troubles while Carol calls him out for his Failure Knight tendencies. They've reconciled as of Season 11, and Daryl's last words to Carol before he leaves in the finale are, "I love you."
** He's also this with Michonne, to a lesser extent. Unlike Rick's previous Heterosexual Life Partner, he does not attempt to comfort the widow after Rick's apparent death, and is genuinely consoling as the two of them bond over losing one of the most important people in their lives.
** And with Maggie as well. He pretty much always has her back, and is genuinely torn up over feeling like he caused the deaths of her father, sister, and husband. Maggie assures him that Glenn’s death was not his fault and doesn’t hold her other losses against him either, and he is completely supportive of her plans to one day take vengeance out on the man who actually did kill Glenn. When Maggie breaks the deal to let Daryl's ex-girlfriend Leah and her remaining people leave with their lives, only sparing Leah, Daryl is a little miffed and gives himself some space from Maggie but is not at all hostile towards her. "Acts of God" shows that, when the chips are down, Daryl will always have Maggie's back no matter what. When he comes upon a vengeance-crazy Leah throttling Maggie and about to stab her to death, he shoots Leah in the back of the head with zero hesitation and no attempt to talk her down. In the following episode, Daryl tells Maggie not to apologize for what happened to Leah.
* Politically Incorrect Hero: At first, though he grows out of it, eventually counting a Korean man, three black people, a Hispanic woman, two gay men, and a lesbian among his best friends. Not to mention having Ship Tease with a deaf black woman.
* Precision F-Strike: In "Trust", during the middle of a tense standoff with Hornsby and the Commonwealth soldiers. Daryl: So unless you want to die for nothing, tell them to lower their guns before something really fucking bad happens.
* Promotion to Opening Titles: Beginning in Season 2. Impressively, he goes from being the last billed to having the first spot in the credits by the sixth episode of Season 9.
* Properly Paranoid: Daryl's skepticism of Rick's plan to surround the Sanctuary with walkers to make Negan surrender is not unjustifiable, considering that Rick's plans haven't always worked out in the past and that Zia's plan to lead the walkers away from the Sanctuary with a truck and speakers proves that the Saviors did have contingency plans for this kind of situation.
   Tropes R-Z 
* Rated M for Manly: The show always find ways to highlight his badassery, such as removing the bolt impaled to him or destroying a tank by himself.
* Red Oni, Blue Oni: The Blue to Merle's Red. He starts out as the Red to Rick and Carol's Blues, but by Season 3 it's been swapped.
* Reformed, but Not Tamed: Daryl has since dropped his Jerkass and racist ways, but he's as easily riled up as ever.
* Restrained Revenge: After spending the last two and a half seasons wanting to kill Dwight, Daryl mercifully exiles him instead, while also encouraging him to find Sherry.
* Roaring Rampage of Revenge: During the Savior War, this is Daryl’s approach to his enemies after enduring the loss of his friends, as well as torture and imprisonment.
* Save the Villain: Even after Leah declares war on his friends and frames Daryl for her leader's murder, Daryl still tries to arrange for her survival by giving Leah a chance to leave Meridian in peace with what's left of her family. Unfortunately for Daryl and Leah, Maggie takes Negan's advice about what to do with the Reapers to heart...
* Scarily Competent Tracker: Shown when he and Rick look for Sophia at the start of Season 2.
* Screw This, I'm Outta Here: After he and Merle are rescued by Rick's group from Woodbury, Daryl abandons Rick and the group to stay with his brother. The next episode, he pulls this on Merle and heads back to the group, deciding that they are his real family. Merle is forced to follow along so he doesn't get left alone.
* Second Episode Introduction: Well, third episode introduction, but it's a little surprising that one of the show's most popular and recognizable characters, as well as the eventual lead, doesn't actually appear in the pilot.
* Sherlock Scan: Twice. He figured out that Shane killed Otis due to the fact that Shane had Otis' gun when he supposedly did a Heroic Sacrifice, and the second time when he determined Shane killed Randall by noting their footprints were walking together, the tree which Shane banged his face against to make it seem like Randall had attacked him, and Randall's broken neck.
* Ship Sinking: His relationship with Leah goes down in flames after she frames him for Pope's murder. Daryl is later forced to kill Leah to save Maggie, putting an end to any hope at reconciliation.
* Ship Tease:
** With Carol in the early seasons. They eventually settle into Platonic Life-Partners and Carol gets married to Ezekiel.
** With Beth in Season 4. They become quite close after escaping the prison together, and are shown holding hands in “Alone”. She is kidnapped and then killed before anything can come of it.
** With Connie as of Season 9. They quickly form a bond while working together to rescue Henry and Lydia from the Whisperers, and Daryl later begins learning ASL in order to better communicate with her. They also hold hands when Kelly goes missing and Daryl tries to cheer her up with a funny story about Merle. Carol playfully notes that something is going on between them and Daryl himself remains evasive on the subject. When he and Carol go searching for their kidnapped friends in "Outpost 22", Daryl stays level-headed until he spots Connie in jeopardy and contemplates attacking the Commonwealth train head-on until Carol dissuades him. When Connie is rescued, the two share a flirty greeting and Daryl giggles sheepishly before they are interrupted. They ultimately don't end up together by the series finale.
* Silly Rabbit, Idealism Is for Kids!: His relationship with Merle has him as the one more willing to help out others without insisting on payment, which he gets called on by Merle.
* Sleeves Are for Wimps: His signature look, though he dons sleeves when winter blows through.
* Smoking Is Cool: Daryl is a smoker, as seen in Season 3's "Arrow on the Doorpost", Season 4's "Indifference", and Season 5's "Them".
* Spotlight-Stealing Squad: His popularity with fans and role as Rick's primary lieutenant likely contributed to the roles of Tyreese, Abraham, and Jesus being comparatively smaller in the show than in the comics.
* Staking the Loved One: He tearfully puts down his zombified brother, Merle.
* Suicide Is Shameful: Daryl has no sympathy for people who give up and take the easy way out (besides those who put themselves down before they can reanimate like the bitten Andrea).
* Sympathy for the Devil: While it doesn't stop him from wanting to kill Dwight, Daryl admits he at least understands why Dwight took the deal working as Negan's lieutenant in exchange for his and his wife's (relative) safety.
* Take Me Instead: Tries to do this in the Season 4 finale by offering his own life in exchange for the Claimers letting Rick, Carl, and Michonne go free. It doesn't work, as they just decide to kill him as well.
* Taught by Experience: Daryl grew up with mostly himself to rely on, and as such was a self-taught survivalist when the apocalypse hit. Even though he has no formal combat training (unlike his brother, who was in the military), he manages to hold his own in a fight with a Reaper named Carver (who did several tours in Afghanistan) in "Rendition".
* Terrifying Rescuer: According to Shane, anyway. Shane: If [Sophia] was alive out there and saw you coming all methed out with your buck knife and geek ears around your neck, she would run in the other direction, man!
* Terse Talker: After the first two seasons, this is his default speech mode. He'll say just enough to get his point across; otherwise, don't expect much in the way of conversation from him.
* Think Nothing of It: When Carol thanks him for trying to save Sophia, he only responds by insisting Rick and Shane would have done the same. Likewise, when Carol notes his efforts to bring in refugees in S4, Daryl notes that Rick saved many as well. When Aaron reminds him of how he saved his group from a storm that eventually spawned a tornado, Daryl tries to shrug it off.
* Token Good Teammate: When he joins the Claimers in Season 4. Also in his small coalition with Rick and Carol when the group reaches Alexandria; he refuses to take part in their scheme to overthrow the community if its denizens prove too weak to survive on their own.
* Token White: In Season 4, he goes on a medicine retrieval arc being accompanied by Michonne, Bob, and Tyreese.
* Took a Level in Kindness: Daryl's Character Development since the first season is very evident, to say the least.
* Tragic Keepsake: Daryl eventually receives ownership of Beth's knife after the latter is killed, keeping it at his side.
* Translator Buddy: By "Outpost 22", he's become fluent enough in ASL that he takes over as Connie's translator in Kelly's absence.
* Troubled, but Cute: Daryl grew up in a poor and abusive family, and is an aloof and brooding loner, as well as a tough and aggressive fighter. However, he is extremely loyal and caring towards the people who are close to him, and often shows his kind and vulnerable side. He becomes the show's Breakout Character, especially after his Character Development in Season 2.
* Unable to Cry: For a long time after Beth's death. After several weeks, while all alone, he finally cries.
* Undying Loyalty: Towards Rick, from the end of Season 2 onwards. Even when Merle comes back into the picture in Season 3, Daryl ends up choosing Rick. Their relationship comes under some friction during Seasons 5 and 6 as Rick becomes more and more hostile and willing to go to extremes for the group. Daryl often ends up voting in favor of a more peaceful solution, such as during the standoff with Grady Memorial Hospital and Alexandria's recruiting campaign. Eventually, despite making it clear that he does not like some of Rick's orders, he confirms that he will always follow his lead no matter what. Unfortunately, their relationship takes a nosedive in Season 8 during the Savior War when the two men disagree over their next course of action. He even comes to blows with Rick when he's ordered to stop. The two men end up parting ways for a time due to being unable to cooperate, but reconcile in "The Key", with Daryl comforting Rick over Carl's death and Rick defending Daryl's actions at the Sanctuary. In Season 9, they once again clash over Rick’s mercy, but Daryl affirms that he would die for his brother. When Rick is apparently killed in the next episode, it's enough for Daryl to leave Alexandria and go off on his own.
* Villain Killer: Among his notable kills are the Governor's Dragon, Mitch Dolgen; the leader of the Grady Memorial hospital cops, Dawn Lerner, and the ex-leader of the Reapers, Leah Shaw. He also directly causes the death of the new leader of the Whisperers, Beta.
* Vocal Evolution: His voice is a lot less raspy in the early seasons than it is from about Season 4 on.
* Warrior Poet: In "Cherokee Rose", describing the myth about the plant.
* You Are Better Than You Think You Are: Carol constantly reassures Daryl that he's more than just a killer, and has more good in him than he'd like to admit. Aaron also takes up this job when Daryl arrives in Alexandria.
Magna:
* Badass Longcoat
* Contralto of Danger: Speaks in a rather low, growly voice.
* Cruel to Be Kind: By Season 11, Magna has lost faith in Connie being alive after several weeks of her being gone. She gently asks Carol not to give Kelly false hope in order to spare her any more pain.
* Drop the Hammer: Her main weapon is a warhammer.
* Hidden Weapons: She hid a small knife in her belt buckle. It turns out that she also had a second on her somewhere. Both were not caught by her pat down.
* Hide Your Lesbians: Actors Nadia Hilker (Magna) and Eleanor Matsuura (Yumiko) approached the show creators requesting more on screen intimacy between their characters as it was not explicitly clear they were in a relationship. Their first on screen kiss is shown 10 episodes after their introduction. So little of their relationship was shown before the kiss, that many viewers thought they had only just gotten together despite them actually being in a long term relationship.
* Hot-Blooded
* Intimate Marks: She has a large tattoo on her chest which extends down over and between her breasts.
* Jerk with a Heart of Gold: Magna is not the nicest person around. She can be surly, selfish, and uncooperative, and even steals from Hilltop after the community has been nothing but accommodating to her since she arrived. She also needlessly antagonizes Yumiko when she feels that the latter is being too controlling in their relationship. However, she truly does care a lot about other people deep down, and only steals because she wants to protect her own group first and foremost. Ultimately, Magna is a lot like Daryl — she takes a while to warm up to people, but once she does, she is their friend for life.
* Kick the Dog: She becomes more hotheaded towards Yumiko when she begins taking over Hilltop and is more verbally hostile to her during their argument that ultimately ends their relationship. Afterwards, though, she mellows out.
* The Lancer: While the group doesn't really have a leader in theory, Yumiko is the closest thing they have to a shot-caller, making the more Magna this by default. When Yumiko begins stepping into a leadership role at Hilltop, it eats away at their relationship as Magna is seemingly hostile to the idea of Yumiko being able to order her around.
* Mama Bear: She possesses a strong motherly instinct towards Kelly, more so than any of the other group members sans Kelly's sister Connie. She has a freak-out when the Warden holds Kelly at gunpoint and has to be restrained from attacking by Princess.
* No Full Name Given
* "Not So Different" Remark: In "Family", she relates to Tyler Davis' anger and desperation from being ostracized by society.
* Out of Focus: In Season 11. She notably drops out of focus when the group ventures to the Commonwealth, going from "Rogue Element" to "Trust" without a single appearance, and even then only having a brief cameo in "Acts of God".
* Parting-Words Regret: In "Squeeze", she's eager to get back to Hilltop as soon as possible because she left things on a bad note with Yumiko.
* Perpetual Frowner
* Pet the Dog: An early sign that Magna's actually a big softie is when she approaches Enid and comforts her about her missing boyfriend, Alden, assuring her that he's in good hands with Luke.
* Platonic Life-Partners
* Red Oni, Blue Oni: The Red to pretty much her entire group, all of whom are more level-headed and reasonable than she.
* Reformed Criminal
* Sugar-and-Ice Personality: Hot-tempered and even hostile at times, but she genuinely does care about the people in her group and seems to have a solid friendship with Jerry. She starts being more openly friendly to other people after "Squeeze".
* Tattooed Crook: She has several tattoos and did time in prison before the apocalypse.
* Token Evil Teammate: While not evil, Magna is the most disagreeable member of the group and is the worst team player, possessing a serious self-destructive streak that even drives a wedge between her and Yumiko. She's also revealed to be one of the only heroic characters who killed someone before the apocalypse.
* Took a Level in Kindness: She mellows out a lot after her Near-Death Experience in "Squeeze". For one thing, she doesn't get angry at Carol (who caused the cave-in that nearly got her and Connie killed), and becomes a heck of a lot friendlier in general.
* Uncertain Doom: In "Squeeze", she and Connie are trapped in a cave-in brought about by Carol's ill-advised attempt at destroying Alpha's horde with a stick of dynamite; their fates are not revealed before the end of the episode. Magna finally returns three episodes later in "Walk With Us", having escaped the cave along with Connie by covering themselves in walker guts and blending in with the horde.
* What the Hell, Hero?: Daryl is furious when he learns that she has been stealing valuable resources from Hilltop when the community is also a refugee camp for the people of the Kingdom and have been nothing but gracious to them since they arrived.
Yumiko:
* Adaptational Badass: Takes more of an active leadership role than in the comics. Comic Magna was unambiguously the leader of the group, but Yumiko seems to fill that spot better in the show.
* Adaptational Intelligence: Comes with being a lawyer in this adaptation. She's more analytical than her comic counterpart.
* Adaptational Nationality: She seems to be half-British, judging from her accent and her actress being half-British. Her comic counterpart is Japanese-American.
* Affectionate Nickname: Magna sometimes calls her "Miko". As does Yumiko's long-lost brother, Tomi.
* Amicable Exes: Her split with Magna is mutual and they part on good terms. They get back together in the series finale.
* Awesomeness by Analysis: She impresses the Commonwealth auditors with how well she's pieced together the way things work at their community without actually setting foot in the door.
* Badass Bookworm: As a former lawyer, natch.
* Battle Couple: With Magna if the situation calls for it until mid-Season 10.
* Beware the Nice Ones: She's normally cool and collected, but doesn't hesitate to punch Carol in the face when she thinks the latter is being callous about nearly killing Magna and Connie by getting them trapped inside a cave.
* Control Freak: Both her girlfriend Magna and Yumiko's brother Tomi bring up her tendency to run other people's lives by looking for things to "fix". It causes the already foul-tempered Magna to grow angry with her and leads to the dissolution of their relationship, and results in Tomi losing the job that made him happy and being forcibly conscripted to return to practicing surgery.
* The Cynic:
** In the group consisting of her, Eugene, and Ezekiel, she initially plays this role in their interactions with Princess. Yumiko is distrustful of the colorful, curiously upbeat stranger and firmly believes Princess is leading them all into a trap. While this attitude is understandable considering they're trying to meet a deadline (not to mention Princess straight-up walks them into a minefield at one point), Yumiko does exacerbate the situation a bit with her sour demeanor and has to be dissuaded from barking at Princess by Ezekiel.
** Otherwise averted, as Yumiko is much more accepting of Hilltop and its people than Magna is. She's also a friendly and supportive traveling companion to Eugene, Ezekiel and, once they're sure she's not dangerous, Princess.
* Fire-Forged Friends: After starting off on the wrong foot with Princess, Yumiko softens when Princess confesses how lonely she is and leads the group to transportation as promised. Yumiko then makes amends by inviting Princess to travel with them, an offer she happily accepts.
* Hello, Attorney!: A former lawyer played by the lovely Eleanor Matsuura. She can really rock a suit as shown in "Promises Broken", and looks downright gorgeous in her dress to the masquerade ball in "New Haunts". She later becomes Pamela's top lawyer and a member of her inner circle.
* Ivy League for Everyone: She studied law at both Oxford and Harvard Law School.
* Jerkass Ball: Only in "The Tower" (as noted under The Cynic). She initially has zero tolerance for Princess or her Cloudcuckoolander antics, outright calling her "selfish and crazy" despite her having done them no wrong except accidentally scaring away their horses and being understandably reluctant to hand over her gun.
* Lady in a Power Suit: In her lawyer attires.
* The Leader
* Meaningful Name
* Named by the Adaptation: Robert Kirkman never gave Yumiko a surname in the comics, but in the show it can be seen on a letter given to her by the Commonwealth in "Out of the Ashes".
* Nice Girl: Yumiko is a kindhearted woman who cares deeply for her friends.
* Out of Focus: In Season 11, Part 2, she only makes a small appearance in “New Haunts” compared to her regular role in Part 1. She returns to the spotlight in the third part of the season, even getting her own Day in the Limelight episode in "What's Been Lost".
* Promotion to Opening Titles: In the last third of Season 11.
* Rags to Riches: Goes from your average survivor to a privileged, wealthy attorney in the Commonwealth’s upper class. She’s even seen stuffing people’s hands with wads of hush money to not disclose Tyler’s hostage taking. That said, she makes it clear she hasn't forgotten about her friends and is making arrangements for them to have an exit plan in case things go south.
* Red Oni, Blue Oni: She is much more reasonable and level-headed than her girlfriend.
* Spotlight-Stealing Squad: Once she recovers from her injury in her debut appearance, she quickly becomes one of the most heavily focused on members of her group. She is the only new character who is among the first witnesses to the pike massacre, one of the most pivotal scenes of the series; she quickly begins stepping up as a leader; and she joins the mission to Commonwealth and ends up taking over a subplot from the departed Michonne.
* The Straight and Arrow Path: Her weapons are a bow and arrows.
* To Absent Friends: In the finale, she leads a toast honoring her deceased friend, Luke.
* To Be Lawful or Good: In "What's Been Lost", she is tasked with prosecuting Eugene for the accidental death of Sebastian, and can't refuse since Pamela has her friends kidnapped and sent to work at a secret labor camp outside the Commonwealth. Yumiko decides to do what's right and represent her friend, Pamela be damned.
* Twofer Token Minority: Yumiko is female, Japanese, and a lesbian, making her a minority threefer.
* Uptown Girl: Yumiko was a lawyer who had a higher-class upbringing compared to the more working-class Magna, who was a waitress at a truck stop. This is briefly highlighted in "New Haunts", when Yumiko attends the masquerade ball in a nice dress and is given privileged treatment because of her profession, while Magna is in a waiter's uniform serving drinks to all the upper-class citizens.
* Violently Protective Girlfriend: Yumiko punches Carol after she does not apologize for the pain and trauma she caused Magna by getting her and Connie trapped in a cave.
Connie:
* Adaptational Nice Guy: She's more caring and friendly than her comic counterpart, who is a bit mistrustful of the communities at first and has to be chastised by Magna on at least one occasion.
* Badass and Child Duo: Carries a baby to safety after Alpha orders the mother to abandon it to the walkers.
* Badass Bookworm: She was an investigative journalist prior to the outbreak, who even managed to take down a major corporation with her work.
* Big Damn Reunion: With Kelly in "On the Inside" and Daryl in "No Other Way", their first time seeing her since the cave collapse at the end of "Squeeze".
* Break the Cutie: The events of the cave collapse, spending days moving with the Whisperers' walker horde, and being on the run for several weeks while being tracked by feral survivors really push Connie to her breaking point. Virgil notes she hasn't slept in several days and she spends much of "On the Inside" completely paranoid and freaking out. Thankfully, she manages to find some peace again when she reunites with Kelly at the end of the episode.
* Brooding Boy, Gentle Girl: She's the Gentle Girl to Daryl's Brooding Boy. Especially in "Chokepoint" when she convinces him to accept Lydia as part of the group.
* Connected All Along: One of the "sleazeball politicians" Connie got booted from office was the uncle of Pamela Milton, the leader of the Commonwealth introduced in Season 11. Not only that, Connie actually interviewed Pamela herself once before the world fell.
* Cool Big Sis: She gently assures Kelly that losing her hearing isn't the end of the world and they can still look after each other. Kelly later tells Maggie that Connie has always been a good sister to her, and put her own life on hold to take care of her when their parents wouldn't.
* Cute Mute: She's deaf and one of the nicest and friendliest characters, who communicates with sign language or by writing.
* Dark and Troubled Past: Implied. She tells Kelly that seeing a baby in peril brought back old feelings she thought that she'd dealt with, and motivated her in leaving with Daryl to bring back Henry and Lydia.
* A Day in the Limelight: "On the Inside". Justified as it's Lauren Ridloff's official return to the series after taking a leave of absence to work on Eternals. Much of the episode is shot from Connie's perspective as she fights to get back home to her friends, and succeeds by the end of the episode.
* Disabled in the Adaptation: Her comic counterpart isn't deaf. However, she does become disabled in a later issue, when a walker bite forces the rest of the group to amputate her arm.
* Disabled Love Interest: For Daryl, though nothing explicit has happened between the two of them yet. He even learns ASL so he can speak to Connie without the use of a notepad or Reading Lips.
* The Dreaded: Awesomely becomes this to Pamela Milton, who accurately pegs Connie as the author of the incriminating news article about Sebastian and assumes she has it in for her family after previously getting her uncle removed from power.
* Friend to All Children: Befriends Judith and teaches her sign language, throws all caution to the wind to save a Whisperer baby, and embarks on a mission with Daryl to rescue Lydia and Henry. She also successfully argues with Daryl to let Lydia stay at a time when Daryl is contemplating leaving her behind to prevent Alpha from attacking Hilltop.
* Grin of Audacity: She's delighted when she sees the shake-up her news article has had on the Commonwealth populace, and joins them in protesting outside Pamela's office.
* Handicapped Badass: She's completely deaf, and doesn't speak. The rest of the group learned ASL to communicate with her. As for the badass part... Tara: (to Kelly) Connie's gonna be OK, alright? She's with Daryl. Yumiko: More like Daryl's gonna be OK. He's with Connie.
* The Heart: The wise and level-headed moral center of the group, Connie serves as a calming and empathetic influence to all of her friends. When Magna stubbornly refuses to take Yumiko's orders during a siege on Hilltop, it only takes one look from Connie to get her to head back inside.
* Implied Love Interest: She and Daryl have several moments that could be interpreted as Ship Tease or merely two people forming a close bond after working together. Carol and Kelly openly prod them about it, but both parties remain evasive on the subject and so far nothing has been confirmed in-canon. Even when Connie is apparently killed partway through Season 10, while Daryl is certainly distressed over losing a good friend, it’s vague as to whether he’s also processing it as the loss of something more. Becomes less ambiguous in "New Haunts" when the camera focuses on Daryl watching Connie walk away and Carol suggests he ask her to dance at the masquerade ball later that evening. Nothing ultimately comes out of it and they end the series as friends while Daryl leaves on his own to find Rick.
* In Name Only: The only thing she has in common with her comic counterpart besides her name is having a relationship with Kelly, though in the series it's a familial bond instead of the comics' romantic one.
* Intrepid Reporter: She'll stop at nothing to expose the Commonwealth for the classist sham it really is.
* My God, What Have I Done?: Has this reaction when her expose causes a bunch of people to get tear-gassed at a vigil for the missing Commonwealth residents.
* Never Found the Body: This is what leads her friends to think she might be alive, since Magna lost her in the horde and they've yet to recover any solid evidence of Connie's death.
* Nice Girl: Ranks up there with Glenn, Hershel, and Ezekiel as one of the most genuinely compassionate and altruistic people in the series. Connie is always the first of the group to express gratitude to others for showing them kindness. In "Squeeze", when Carol is freaking out due to her claustrophobia, Connie notices and helps her stay calm by finger spelling out "U R OK" on her palm.
* No Full Name Given: Her last name is never revealed.
* No Man Left Behind: Refuses to leave Virgil behind to be eaten by the Ferals despite him being stabbed three times. When Virgil collapses escaping the Ferals' house and two more appear having survived the walkers Connie set loose on them, Connie looks ready to hold her ground and defend Virgil to her last breath. Thankfully, she's saved by the timely arrival of Kelly, who kills both Ferals, and they're able to take Virgil back to Alexandria to get medical attention.
* Offscreen Moment of Awesome: In "What's Been Lost", she is the only one besides Carol and Daryl to escape initial capture by Pamela's black ops team (and the only one besides Carol to do it without aid), stabbing her would-be kidnapper in the leg and tracking him to the medical ward where he is receiving treatment with the intention to tail him and find out what happened to their missing friends. Connie ends up being found and captured later anyway, but it was still a pretty decent effort.
* O.O.C. Is Serious Business: Connie is one of the most level-headed people on the show and almost never loses her cool. So when she spends most of "On the Inside" completely on edge, you know the situation is dire.
* Present Absence: Even after her disappearance, she is not forgotten about and her presumed death weighs heavily on several characters, especially Daryl, Kelly, and Carol.
* Promotion to Opening Titles: In the last third of Season 11.
* Reading Lips: She has this ability, likely out of necessity as most people the group encounters are not fluent in ASL. Enforced when Connie first interacts with Daryl, who initially attempts to look off to one side and mumble as he's used to doing. Connie responds by telling him to look her in the face when he speaks so she can understand him.
* Related Differently in the Adaptation: Connie and Kelly are siblings instead of lovers here.
* Ship Tease: With Daryl; see Implied Love Interest above. They quickly form an instinctual bond while working together to rescue Henry and Lydia from the Whisperers. By Season 10, the two have grown even closer, to the point that Kelly teases her sister about it and Carol outright encourages Daryl to take things a step further.
* Sibling Team: With Kelly if the situation calls for it. They're notably the only pair of siblings known to have survived out in the wastelands for over a decade, proving how efficient they are in watching each other's backs.
* Silent Snarker
* The Smart Guy: Shares this role with Luke, having the most common sense of the group and being a Badass Bookworm who was a reporter before the apocalypse.
* Team Mom: Connie is a rather maternal influence in the group, always looking after her friends and being quick to mediate conflict.
* Uncertain Doom: In "Squeeze", she and Magna are trapped in a cave-in brought about by Carol's failed attempt at destroying Alpha's horde with a stick of dynamite; their fates are not revealed before the end of the episode. Three episodes later, Magna returns and says she and Connie covered themselves in walker guts to blend in with the horde, but were separated in the chaos; in addition, due to the threat of Beta and the horde still at large, the survivors of the Hilltop battle are unable to go out and look for Connie, leaving her whereabouts unknown, though Kelly firmly believes her sister is still alive. She's right.
* What Happened to the Mouse?: As noted above, she disappears partway through Season 10 and remains unaccounted for going into the final showdown with the Whisperers.
** She finally returns at the end of "A Certain Doom", traumatized and severely weakened from both the cave collapse and spending so long trapped in the horde.
** Her whereabouts are up in the air again after that episode. "On the Inside" reveals she's spent the last few weeks lost in the woods with Virgil.
Sasha:
* Action Girl: She shows off some pretty sweet shovel swinging skills in her introductory episode, and during the run to the department store, she shows she is just as adept with a gun and creating Improvised Weapons. By the fifth season, she is the group's go-to sniper and is probably the most combat-proficient female after Michonne.
* A Day in the Limelight: "Always Accountable" focuses largely on her character alongside Abraham and Daryl.
* A Death in the Limelight: Gets a lot of screentime in her last three episodes, particularly the Season 7 finale, which features several flashbacks of her with Abraham and Maggie, and she's dead by the end of said episode.
* And Then John Was a Zombie: Turns after poisoning herself with one of Eugene's pills and while being transported via casket to Alexandria. She is revealed to be a walker when Negan opens the casket and is later put down by Maggie and Jesus.
* Ascended Extra: Goes from a recurring character all the way to billing in the show's opening titles by Season 6.
* Axe-Crazy: Not exactly, but her Sanity Slippage crossed with her Blood Knight tendencies can make her very.... twitchy at times. She's calmed down by Season 6.
* Back-to-Back Badasses:
** With Maggie in "Alone" when they were surrounded by walkers near an ice cream truck. In "Go-Getters", they join forces with Jesus to clear out the Hilltop when it is overrun by walkers.
** With Michonne and Rosita in "Try".
* Battle Couple: Briefly so with Bob, and later with Abraham towards the end of Season 6 which ends just as quickly.
* The Big Guy: She becomes one of the group's heavy hitters starting in Season 5, and begins sharing the role with Rosita in Season 7 after Abraham's death, only to cede it to her upon her death.
* Big Guy Fatality Syndrome: Follows in her boyfriend Abraham's steps, as she dies in the Season 7 finale.
* Big Damn Heroes: Sasha and Abraham save Glenn's life when it looks like he is about to be devoured in "No Way Out".
* Blood Knight: Michonne determines very quickly in "Try" that Sasha was hunting walkers.
* Broken Bird: She doesn't take Bob's death well in Season 5, nor the death of her brother. By the time the group reaches Alexandria, she's paranoid, possibly experiencing auditory hallucinations, and may well be a Death Seeker.
* Brother–Sister Team: With Tyreese until his death.
* Canon Foreigner: Never appeared in the comics, though Tyreese did have a daughter named Julie whose storyline turned out much differently.
* Cartwright Curse: Both of her boyfriends, Bob and Abraham, die shortly after she enters into a relationship with them.
* The Cassandra: She points out that Terminus seems too good to be true when Maggie and Bob are dead set on heading there, and warns that it's more likely to be another Woodbury than the safe haven it purports to be. Naturally, it turns out to be even worse.
* Character Death: In "The First Day of the Rest Of Your Life", she takes the cyanide pill Eugene made rather than be used by Negan to hurt her friends, with the intention of coming back as a walker and attacking Negan when the coffin she's being held in is opened.
* Character Development: The vast bulk of her development revolves around her coping with the deaths of her loved ones, and her nearly fatal battle with depression. Once she recovers, she notably gets up much faster than before after Abraham's death, proving just how stable she has become even in the wake of her boyfriend's death.
* Cold Sniper: Sasha's the best shot of the whole group and comes across as this to anyone she doesn't trust, especially after Tyreese's death and their admission to Alexandria. She's more of a Friendly Sniper with some the group, though.
* Composite Character: All her role starting Season 5 originally belongs to Andrea in the comics, particularly the death of a significant other during the "Fear the Hunters" arc as well as becoming the group's resident sniper. Also, since Michonne receives the Adaptational Nice Guy treatment, Sasha gets her comic counterpart's storyline of being paranoid and out of place when the group arrives at Alexandria. Starting in Season 6 she picks up Holly's place as the girl Abraham leaves Rosita for, and ends up taking Holly's comic book death in the Season 7 finale, being the surprise walker captured by Negan at the start of "All-Out War."
* The Cynic: Her experience at Woodbury and the fall of the prison make her skeptical about the signs for Terminus promising safe-haven. While Maggie and Bob want to push on to Terminus to find safety and maybe other members of their group, Sasha doesn't believe they will ever find the others again and simply wants to find a safe building and stay put. Her reaction to Alexandria is similar, but compounded even more so by the recent deaths of Bob, Beth, and Tyreese.
* Dead Person Conversation: She appears in Season 9 as a hallucination to a badly wounded Rick.
* Death Seeker: Towards the end of Season 5 until Maggie helps her recover. In "Forget", when she hallucinates hearing walkers nearby she simply sits down and says "Come and get me."
* Despair Event Horizon: Just as she's starting to cope with Bob's death thanks to Tyreese, he then gets killed, and she's visibly devastated and can barely manage to stand at his funeral.
* Determinator: While stuck in quarantine she fights through her own sickness to assist Hershel in treating others who have fallen ill until she literally passes out from exhaustion and dehydration. When Abraham dies, she nevertheless gets up far quicker than you'd expect when she realizes there is still work to be done, and that she must follow Abraham's example of valor.
* Dreaming of Things to Come: Sasha had a dream about Abraham dying literally hours before he was killed by Negan. His death by drowning in the ocean in the dream also foreshadowed the group's involvement at Oceanside.
* Dude Magnet: Sasha is an intelligent, good-hearted and beautiful woman who attracts the attention of Bob, Spencer, and Abraham; as well as, unfortunately, Gregory, Negan and the Savior David. Gareth also refers to her as "the pretty one" to taunt Bob.
* Exact Words: When Negan informs Sasha of his plan to use her to force Alexandria to surrender, he tells her that three of their people will have to die as retribution for rebelling against the Saviors. When met with resistance from Sasha, Negan walks it back to just one person needing to die. Sasha seemingly relents to this, because she plans to become the "one person" from Alexandria who will die during the exchange, in order to prevent Negan from using her to harm her people.
* Extreme Mêlée Revenge: She did not hold back when she stabbed Martin to death.
* Friendship Moment: In "Try" where Michone and Rosita search for Sasha, quickly determining that she was hunting walkers and even fighting alongside each other and saving Sasha in the process. Though their efforts went in vain, they at least tried to comfort Sasha and bring her back to reality.
* Heroic Suicide: Read Character Death up above.
* Hot-Blooded: She gets riled-up easily until she is able to recover from the deaths of her brother and boyfriend by the end of Season 5.
* Huge Guy, Tiny Girl: With her brother. A romantic example occurs with Abraham once they get together.
* I Can Still Fight!: It takes a lot of cajoling by Hershel to convince her that she needs to take rests while she is sick..
* Improvised Weapon:
** When her gun jams in "30 Days Without An Accident" during a fight against walkers in a department store, Sasha grabs a pool cue, breaks it in half, and begins killing walkers with both halves.
** In the latter half of Season 4, she uses a long sharpened stick she made herself as her primary melee weapon.
* Jerk with a Heart of Gold: Sasha can be pretty snarky at times, calling her friends idiots in a nonchalant way, but apart from that, she is a good person.
* The Lancer: She is her brother's most trusted teammate and the second most capable fighter of her team after him, but also has a much more confrontational personality than he does. She also becomes one to Maggie at Hilltop in Season 7.
* The Leader: In Season 4, she is part of a council that runs the group at the prison, alongside Daryl, Carol, Glenn, and Hershel.
* Named by the Adaptation: Sort of. Though she doesn't appear in the comics, her brother Tyreese, and therefore her, is given the surname "Williams" in the show.
* Odd Friendship
* One-Woman Army: Staying in the guard tower at Alexandria makes her an extremely good shot. Best shown in "Try" when she effortlessly mows down a large group of walkers with only a little help from Michonne and Rosita.
* Promotion to Opening Titles: She is added to the opening titles for Season 6.
* Red Oni, Blue Oni: The red to Tyreese's blue.
* Salt and Pepper: She's regularly seen with Maggie starting the second half of Season 4.
* Sanity Slippage: Bob's death starts sending her down this path, but Tyreese's death is really when it happens; she becomes reckless and paranoid, finding it impossible to fit in at Alexandria. In "Conquer", she lies in a pile of dead walkers for no reason. Fortunately, Maggie is able to bring her back from the brink.
* Scarf of Asskicking
* Shell-Shocked Veteran: By the time the group reaches Alexandria, Sasha is a reckless, paranoid wreck who is having auditory hallucinations of walkers and a severe panic attack at Deanna's welcome party. She gets over it in Season 6.
* Ship Tease: With Bob. They had a Relationship Upgrade in Season 5. In Season 6 she starts developing this with Abraham, until he directly propositions her in "Always Accountable". However, she doesn't seem too interested in him, and begins visibly trying to distance herself from him in "Knots Untie". It isn't until Abraham apologizes for his Entitled to Have You attitude and says he's totally cool if she doesn't decide to get together with him, that she finally gives him a chance.
* Shovel Strike: Originally appeared with a shovel as her weapon.
* Single Woman Seeks Good Man: She fell for Bob, probably the sweetest member of the post-prison survivors. Later, she doesn't agree to give Abraham a chance until he matures and apologizes for coming on too strong.
* Sole Survivor
* Suicide Mission: She and Rosita team up to kill Negan, despite knowing that they'll probably still die if they succeed. Ultimately, Sasha decides to go charging into the Sanctuary by herself, convincing Rosita that Rick still needs her and to get ready for what comes after. She survives but is taken prisoner and ultimately kills herself with the cyanide pill Eugene made to hopefully bite Negan after she turns. She doesn't, but succeeds in turning an otherwise hopeless situation in Rick's favor.
* Those Two Guys: With Tyreese in Season 3. Averted from Season 4 onward when they develop into more distinct characters.
* Took a Level in Badass: In late Season 5, Sasha spends a lot of her time slaughtering walkers and working on her aim, and it pays off as she quickly becomes the group's best shot.
* Took a Level in Jerkass: Her Sanity Slippage in Season 5 makes her extremely abrasive and antisocial. She gets better in Season 6.
* Took a Level in Kindness: She starts to grow out of her Sanity Slippage in Season 6 and becomes more calm and reasonable.
* Tragic Keepsake: Starts wearing the late Bob Stookey's jacket after his death.
* Trauma Conga Line: Early in Season 5, Bob dies just as she is starting to form a genuine relationship with him. A couple episodes later, her brother Tyreese dies. It has not done wonders for her sanity.
* Violently Protective Girlfriend: Holy hell; when she, Rick, Michonne, and Abraham lured the Terminus survivors to the church after they chopped Bob's leg off for a meal and dropped him at their doorstep, she turned Martin into a human pincushion. Tyreese is reasonably horrified by this.
Lydia:
* The Aloner: She isolates herself after the pike massacre, partly as a result of feeling guilty about it, partly for her own safety since many people blame her for it.
* An Arm and a Leg: She loses an arm in "Family" after a walker bites her on the wrist and Jerry is forced to amputate her limb to stop the infection.
* Artificial Limb: Much like Aaron, she receives a prosthetic arm to replace her severed limb.
* The Atoner: She insists on going to help the residents of the Riverbend community, seeing as how they're the kind of small community her mother used to subjugate.
* Battle Couple: While Henry died before Lydia could become truly combat-proficient, she ends up as this with Elijah after they officially get together in "Variant".
* Because You Were Nice to Me: She mellows toward Henry and Daryl after the former treats her kindly. She also forms a bond with Negan, feeling he's the only other person who understands her. In "Stalker", Lydia chooses to help Daryl over Alpha because he actually treated her like a human being rather than as a possession.
* Broken Bird: She's had a really unhappy life.
* Broken Pedestal: She's initially onboard with accepting help from the Commonwealth and was just on her way to go live there at the start of "Warlords". After witnessing how they've subjugated the Riverbend community, however, her opinion of them sours, and she outright says they're no different from the Whisperers, just with different masks.
* Brutal Honesty: One of Lydia's defining traits is her tendency to shoot straight and not sugarcoat things.
** In "Morning Star", when Carol asks if Lydia hates her, Lydia replies that it's difficult, because Carol seems to already hate herself so much.
** In "The Tower", Negan tries to get her to open up and talk about her mother's death. Lydia responds by telling him that a lot of people wish that he had died too.
** In "Warlords", she finally asks Maggie the million dollar question and wonders why she won't accept help from the Commonwealth. She also calls out Maggie for trying to decide things for other people instead of asking them what it is they want.
* Bully Magnet: As the only (ex)-Whisperer in the vicinity, she becomes a prime target for bullying after the pike massacre, especially from Gage and two Jerkass members of the Highwaymen. Even the normally Nice Guy Alden throws some shade her way due to the grief he's still feeling from Enid's death.
* But Now I Must Go: She decides to leave Hilltop for the Commonwealth in "Warlords", only being stopped by the arrival of the mortally wounded Jesse on horseback.
* Butt-Monkey: Played for Drama. In just three seasons on the show she's experienced more trauma and deceit than many of the characters we've been following for years. First, she spends the better part of a decade growing up in the apocalypse with the abusive, sociopathic Alpha for a mother, who killed her father when things started to get bad. Then, when she finally meets someone who's willing to take a chance on her he dies a few days into their relationship, at the hands of her mother, no less. A few months later, she's accosted by bullies blaming her for the pike massacre despite having nothing to do with it. She's nearly used by Carol, who initially lent a helping hand to her, to create chaos among the Whisperers. Finally, she meets a genuinely kindred spirit in Negan, only for him to knock her out and tie her up while he lures Alpha to her death. And even then, she's still distrusted by Oceanside for her association with the Whisperers despite having never done anything wrong to them. While things start looking up for her in Season 11 due to forming a new romance with Elijah, she's then permanently disabled when a walker bites her on the wrist and the group is forced to amputate to stop the infection.
* Character Signature Song: "Lydia, the Tattooed Lady". Her father used to sing it to her to keep her calm. She later sings it to herself to block out the sound of her mother shooting Brooke.
* Character Tic: She tends to cross her arms whenever she's feeling anxious or uncomfortable. Most notable in "The Calm Before" when Henry shows her around unfamiliar territory (the civilized Kingdom), and in "Silence the Whisperers", when Lydia waves to Siddiq only for him to freak out due to experiencing a PTSD episode.
* Conditioned to Accept Horror: In what is also a Funny Background Event (in a Black Comedy kind of way) Lydia appears completely unfazed as she watches Helen and Sean challenge Alpha's authority, suggesting she's used to this kind of thing happening and knowing damn well what the outcome will be.
* Covered in Scars: Her arms are covered in bruises and scars from years of her mother's abuse. Daryl is quick to point out how at odds this is with her initial claims that her mother is a "good person."
* Cry into Chest: She gets pissed when Negan, in an effort to make her grieve, tells her that he "liked" Alpha and regrets having to kill her. Lydia says that Negan has no right to make Lydia mourn when she spent so much of her life hating her mother, and tearfully breaks down in his arms shortly after.
* Dark and Troubled Past: She watched her mother murder two people in the early days of the outbreak — one of whom was Lydia's own father). It presumably only got worse from there.
* Death Seeker:
** Feeling responsible for the pike massacre, she wanders off alone during a trek to Hilltop and nearly allows a walker to bite her before being interrupted by Carol. She later tries convincing Carol to do the job herself by bringing up Henry's death. Carol refuses and instead invites Lydia back to Alexandria with them.
** She continues to display some of these tendencies in "A Certain Doom", when she offers to lure the horde over a cliff, even after it's pointed out to be a Suicide Mission. It's implied to be because she realizes Negan is right about the two of them always being outsiders and wants to do one last thing to prove her loyalty even if they will never accept her. Ultimately, she chooses life, and in the process, helps Carol overcome her own suicidal tendencies by pulling her away from the edge of the cliff when she tries to take her place.
* Decomposite Character: Takes Connie's place as the member of the group who gets bitten and has to amputate their arm in the final arc of the series.
* Disabled in the Adaptation: Her comic counterpart never lost an arm.
* Disappeared Dad: Her father Frank was murdered by Alpha early on in the outbreak. Lydia admits that despite her mother's manipulation she does have fond memories of him and misses him greatly.
* Earn Your Happy Ending: Thanks to her resilience and willingness to sacrifice herself by leading the horde over the cliff, she finally earns acceptance in Alexandria and is shown helping rebuild the community after the Whisperers have been defeated. She also finds new love with Elijah during the Commonwealth arc, and the two are still together after the time jump in the series finale.
* Et Tu, Brute?: Lydia feels betrayed when she learns that Negan knocked her out and tied her up while he lured Alpha to her death.
* Fire-Forged Friends: With most of the Coalition once they start accepting her, but especially with Daryl, who becomes a father figure of sorts to her, and Aaron, who initially hates the Whisperers and does little to stop Lydia's bullying but eventually grows to care about her when she saves his life in "No Other Way". When Lydia is about to lose an arm in "Family", Aaron reminds her how he managed to pull through when he had to lose his own limb and assures her that she is "so loved."
* Foil:
** To Hershel Rhee. Both had one of their parents killed by Negan, but in Lydia's case her mother was a monster who had it coming and she ultimately doesn't harbor any ill will towards Negan for it while in Hershel's case, his father was a Nice Guy and Disappeared Dad who didn't deserve to be murdered by Negan.
** To Juanita Sanchez, a.k.a. "Princess". Both are outsiders with a history of parental abuse struggling to integrate into society, but while Princess is loud and outgoing, Lydia is quiet and withdrawn. Princess spent a year living in a city by herself, Lydia spent a decade in the company of her mother and her psychopathic followers.
* Friend to All Living Things: She's seen playing with both a stray cat and Dog.
* Hated by All: About the only people to try to make her feel at home in Alexandria after the pike massacre are Daryl and Negan. Even some of the more compassionate residents like Aaron and Gabriel are indifferent to the bullying directed at her by Gage and his friends.
* Heel–Face Turn: Downplayed. The most she was ever guilty of was nearly double-crossing Henry and threatening Hilltop by spouting out some of the fatalistic nonsense her mother had instilled in her over the years. Nevertheless, she eventually sides with the united communities over the Whisperers, and has earned their true acceptance by "A Certain Doom".
* I Choose to Stay: In "A Certain Doom", Negan theorizes that the two of them will always be outsiders given their association with enemy groups and offers Lydia an out by handing her Alpha's mask and advising her to sneak out of the Tower and through the horde without looking back. Instead, Lydia uses the mask to navigate through the horde and help as best she can: first, by claiming a bag of equipment from the dead Beatrice and delivering it to Luke to be used to put the radio together; then, when the radio is destroyed and the group is forced to come up with an alternate plan, by taking it upon herself to lure the horde to the edge of a cliff, where it is finally vanquished for good.
* If You Kill Him, You Will Be Just Like Him!: Implied to be at least part of the reason she doesn't acquiesce to Alpha's rambling and finish her off in "Stalker".
* I Just Want to Be Normal
* Intergenerational Friendship
* Irony: In "The Storm", a suicidal Lydia is seconds away from letting a walker bite her on the left arm before being stopped by Carol. In "Family", Lydia gets bitten by a walker on the same arm while trying to help Elijah to safety and is forced to amputate the arm to save her life.
* It's All My Fault: How she feels about the pike massacre. She even tries to convince Carol to kill her on the grounds that Alpha will never stop terrorizing them as long as she's still alive.
* Kindhearted Cat Lover
* Like Mother, Unlike Daughter
* Screw This, I'm Outta Here
* Ship Tease:
** With Henry. She thanks him for standing up to Daryl for her and even tells him her name, something she previously refuses to do with Daryl, Michonne, and Tara. Later, Lydia asks Henry to spend the night outside her cell so she isn't alone, and even kisses him goodbye when she decides to return to her people. By "Chokepoint", they've officially progressed to couple and share a few more kisses. Unfortunately, that ship is promptly sunk with Henry's death in the penultimate episode of the season.
** Elijah is shown to have a crush on her but Lydia is hesitant to get attached after what happened to Henry. After some advice from Carol and Aaron, she finally reciprocates Elijah's feelings in "Variant".
* Single Woman Seeks Good Man: Falls for Henry after he shows her kindness and goes out of his way to protect her. Months after Henry's death she gets together with Elijah, who is another Nice Guy, though she also tells Carol she hasn't forgotten about Henry. Carol tells Lydia not to worry and to take happiness wherever she can get it.
* Sole Survivor: Thanks to her Heel–Face Turn, she's the only Whisperernote  to survive after the rest of the group and their horde are wiped out in "A Certain Doom". "Out of the Ashes" reveals a small party of them managed to survive and have holed up in the remains of Hilltop.
* Star-Crossed Lovers: What her relationship with Henry amounts to, especially since Alpha personally guarantees the two of them will never be together.
* Teens Are Monsters: Averted — a rarity for this show, in which mentally unsound youth are pretty much the norm. The only time Lydia does anything even remotely approaching "monstrous" is when she prepares to knock Henry unconscious to escape Hilltop (which she wouldn't have been able to do anyway since Daryl was secretly watching them).
* Time-Shifted Actor: Scarlett and Havana Blum portray a young Lydia in flashbacks in the episodes "Omega" and "We are the End of the World", respectively. The former also reprises her role in an episode of Tales.
* Took a Level in Cheerfulness: She starts smiling more after forming a relationship with Elijah.
* Unreliable Narrator: Though not by choice. Thanks to Alpha's gaslighting, she believed for years that her father was an Abusive Parent who terrorized her mother, when it was really the other way around.
* "Well Done, Daughter!" Girl: She has a moment of this in "We Are the End of the World", when she tells Alpha that she wants to be like her and even goes out of her way to test her courage later in the episode. That desire fades as she gets older, however.
* When She Smiles: After everything she's been through in Season 9 (including Henry's death and two failed suicide attempts), it's downright adorable seeing her smile as she joins in the snowball fight at Alexandria in the finale.
* Yank the Dog's Chain: Daryl's group rescues her, Alexandria agrees to take her in, and she and Henry arrange to sit together to watch a movie at the Kingdom fair. Then Alpha murders ten people including Henry, causing nearly everyone to turn their backs on her and making her an even bigger outcast than she was before.
* Zombie Infectee: When she is bitten on the arm in "Family". Jerry puts a stop to it in short order, and Lydia pulls through.
Beth Greene:
* Accidental Murder: On the receiving end of this trope when she's accidentally shot in the head by Dawn in a prisoner exchange gone wrong.
* Action Survivor: Though she's definitely not among the most competent fighters in the group, by the beginning of Season 3, she's capable of defending herself if necessary and able to take out walkers without flinching. In "Too Far Gone", her father's death motivates her to take an active role in the ensuing battle and she later hits the road with Daryl after the prison is lost and the group is forced to scatter.
* Action Girl: Her episodes in Season 5 finally show her graduating from an exclusive Action Survivor to this. Her appearance in "Slabtown" has her killing an officer by herself via feeding him to a walker, and helping the injured Noah to escape Grady Memorial Hospital, killing all the walkers in the pitch-black lower-levels of the hospital all herself.
* Angst Coma: Following the barn walkers being shot and being attacked by her own undead mom. She snaps out of it, but starts thinking about suicide.
* Ascended Extra: One of the best examples in the entire show. In the first half of Season 2, she has a grand total of one line, even less than Redshirts Jimmy and Patricia. In the second half, she has a storyline largely revolving around more important characters reacting to her being in a catatonic state, eventually recovering and becoming a secondary character, which she remains for all of the next season. In Season 4, she is promoted to a series regular under "Also Starring," and becomes more plot-relevant. In the first half of Season 5, she is added to the main credits and gets her very own major story arc, which culminates in her death.
* Beauty Is Never Tarnished: Very much averted in Season 5. She has two visible facial wounds (Which matches the ones Andrea's comic counterpart has) and to make matters worse, she dies via Boom, Headshot!.
* Beware the Nice Ones: Easily one of the sweetest members of the group, and she doesn't tend to say too much, but when a fight breaks out between Merle and several of the others she responds by storming into the room and firing a pistol into the air to get their attention.
* Boom, Headshot!: How she dies in Season 5, courtesy of Dawn.
* Bratty Teenage Daughter: Behaves this way for a short time after escaping the prison with Daryl.
* Breakout Character: She was largely ignored until Season 4 rolled around and she got her own separate arc with Daryl that made her so popular with fans that her first name is synonymous with the show. After that, she became one-half of the show's most popular straight ship, and is the second-most popular female character on Archive of Our Own's Walking Dead subpage, and the sixth-most popular overall, even ahead of Maggie. Just like her father, her death serves as the emotional climax of the Season 5 midseason finale, though unlike her father, her death was almost universally disliked because of its massively anticlimactic nature.
* Broken Bird: In Season 2. She outgrows it in Season 3.
* Break the Cutie: The loss of her mom and brother plus the barn massacre traumatizes her pretty heavily. Her emotional state after Jimmy's death isn't really shown due to the Time Skip between Season 2 and 3, but she seems to have recovered pretty well.
* The Bus Came Back: After being abducted near the end of the fourth season, she returns in the fourth episode of Season 5.
* Canon Character All Along: In a way, she does ended up filling Maggie's dead siblings role in the comics since most of them were either Posthumous Characters or Adapted Out.
* Canon Foreigner: She never appeared in the comics.
* Cartwright Curse: Both of her romantic interests (Jimmy and Zach) end up as zombie food.
* Celebrity Paradox/Product Placement: She sings an unplugged version of her actress' own song in Season 4.
* Composite Character: Despite being a Canon Foreigner, she absorbs traits from comic characters. Like Lacey Greene, she also is distraught during the events at the barn and rushes over in tears, though Beth is saved from being killed. She contemplates suicide around the same point in time as Comic!Tyreese's daughter Julie, though she survives this one too. Due to the injuries she receives from the Grady Memorial Hospital group, her face is scarred identical to Comic!Andrea's.
* Cool Big Sis: It's implied that she's aware of Carl's Precocious Crush on her, but since she's much older, the least she can do is act like a big sister to him. Also, after Lori's death, she is the one Daryl asks to keep an eye on Carl since Rick isn't in his best condition to be a good father. In a deleted scene that takes place after Lori's death, she comforts Carl and assures him that Lori is in Heaven.
* Cute Bruiser: Heavy on the cute, low on the bruiser, but the principle is there.
* The Cutie: Of the prison group.
* Daddy's Girl: She has a normal, loving relationship with her father, and Hershel can be quite protective of her. Like Maggie, she is devastated by his death.
* Damsel in Distress: She ends up kidnapped in "Alone".
* A Day in the Limelight: "18 Miles Out". Season 4 also brings us "Still", which serves as a dual spotlight episode for both Beth and Daryl. Her first appearance in Season 5 qualifies as this as well.
* Deadpan Snarker: She has her moments once she starts getting more screentime. She is a teenager, after all.
* Dead Star Walking: Gets promoted to the main cast of Season 5, but only appears in three episodes and dies in the third, the mid-season finale.
* A Death in the Limelight: The entire second quarter of Season 5.
* Despair Event Horizon: Crosses it following the barn massacre of the walkers. She eventually recovers.
* Doomed Moral Victor: Her final act of defiance in stabbing Dawn gets her killed, but it's also the catalyst that frees the Grady Memorial residents from Dawn's oppression when Daryl kills Dawn in retaliation.
* Driven to Suicide: Halfway through Season 2, she comes to believe there is no hope left in the world, and tries to convince Maggie that they should kill themselves together. When she tries, she only makes a shallow cut on one wrist and can't go through with it. Ultimately, it's Interrupted Suicide.
* Dropped a Bridge on Him: Her death is very sudden and anticlimactic; she's instantly killed via a bullet to the brain when Dawn fires her gun by accident, after the group have already succeeded in rescuing her from the hospital.
* Due to the Dead: A big fan of this, much like her father: she insists on covering up a desecrated corpse even when no-one is around to see it, yells at Daryl for having a little too much fun killing walkers, and finds it "beautiful" that someone would still take the time to embalm corpses during the zombie apocalypse.
* Emotionless Girl: By Season 4, Beth starts to edge into this territory; when Daryl tells her that Zach is dead, she responds with a simple "okay" and tells him that she doesn't cry anymore. Ultimately shown not to be entirely true when she breaks down crying at a couple points later in the season, namely during Hershel's execution and after the fall of the prison.
* Fanservice Pack: Thanks to her wardrobe.
* Farmer's Daughter: Not so obvious as with Maggie.
* Flipping the Bird: She gives Daryl the finger when she gets fed up living by his rules, and does it again when the two set a cabin on fire.
* Forced to Watch: Along with the rest of the prison group in "Too Far Gone", when the Governor executes her father.
* Girly Bruiser: While still more feminine than her older sister, she's a competent-enough Action Girl in her own right. This is more evident in Season 4 and especially Season 5.
* Glass Cannon: Like Carl, her lack of physical strength puts her at a great disadvantage in situations where she has been taken by surprise, shown most effectively in "Inmates", where Daryl has to save her from a relatively low number of walkers after she wanders off into the forest alone.
* Hair of Gold, Heart of Gold: She has light blonde hair, and is by far the most innocent and sweetest character on the show. Which makes her death all the more heartbreaking.
* Hallucinations: An episode after her death, she sings to and comforts the dying Tyreese.
* The Heart: The nicest person in both Rick's group and the Grady Memorial Hospital.
* Heroic Sacrifice: A possible interpretation of Beth's last act. Beth stabs Dawn, knowing Dawn will kill her for it, to get Dawn killed in order to save Noah.
* Hoist by His Own Petard: In Emily Kinney's own words, Beth died because of her overconfidence.
* Hidden Depths: She has quite a pleasant singing voice.
* The Idealist: After the prison group is scattered in the second half of Season 4, she is the most convinced that there's a chance they might be able to find each other again. Though there are a few hints that her positive attitude is at least partly an act to keep herself motivated.
* I Need a Freaking Drink: Her great quest for her first drink. It's implied to also be an attempt to drown her sorrows.
* The Ingenue: She's by far the sweetest and most innocent person in Rick's group.
* Innocently Insensitive: In her game of "I Never" with Daryl, she accidentally brings up a lot of painful memories for him.
* Kill the Cutie: In "Coda", the mid-Season 5 finale.
* Morality Pet: To Daryl after traveling together.
* Mundane Luxury: In "Still", she makes time to be a normal teenage girl, trying on nice clothes and spending a lot of effort trying to get her first alcoholic drink.
* Neutral Female: Initially, but she eventually learns to handle herself in a fight.
* Never Say Goodbye: Beth refuses to say goodbye to Zach before he goes on the supply run, despite him telling her that it could be dangerous. She later tells Daryl that she's glad she didn't say it even though he doesn't return. She also never got to say goodbye to Hershel before his tragic fate, and to Maggie before Beth's own tragic fate.
* Nice Girl: She's shown to be a soft-spoken and caring girl for the most part.
* Odd Friendship: With Daryl in Season 4, bordering on Ship Tease at times.
* Parental Abandonment: Her mom has been dead since before the apocalypse, while her father is brutally killed in front of her in Season 4.
* Pink Means Feminine: Until "Arrow on the Doorpost", where she switches to wearing a white blouse. She dons a pink jacket in the Season 3 finale "Welcome to the Tombs", though.
* Promotion to Parent: She's the main caretaker for Judith until the prison is overrun, at which point the role is taken over by Tyreese.
* Promotion to Opening Titles: In Season 5.
* Screw This, I'm Outta Here: Flees the prison with Daryl once it becomes clear that sticking around is a losing proposition.
* Sacrificial Lion: The second of Rick's group to die in Season 5, and her death (along with Tyreese's in the next episode) greatly lowers the group's morale.
* Ship Tease: With Daryl in Season 4 and Noah in Season 5. Carl also has a Precocious Crush on her in Season 3. Sadly, she dies before all of it can go anywhere.
* Single Woman Seeks Good Man: From what little we see of them, both Jimmy and Zach seemed to be well-meaning nice guys.
* Small Girl, Big Gun: Picks up an assault rifle alongside her sister in "Too Far Gone".
* Stepford Smiler: Shades of it in Season 4. Although on the surface she still appears cheerful and upbeat, her total lack of reaction to her boyfriend's death implies that she has become emotionally numb to trauma. Later, in "Still" she admits that she really just wants to lay down and cry but "[they] don't get to do that".
* Technical Pacifist: If firing a pistol just to stop three of her teammates from arguing is any indication.
* Tempting Fate: In "Still", she tells Daryl that she knows she will die one day and claims he would badly miss her should she. In "Coda", Beth is killed and Daryl is absolutely heartbroken.
* Token Religious Teammate: Like others in her family, Beth is a devout Christian and believes that her mother, Lori, and good people in general go to Heaven after death.
* Tomboy and Girly Girl: The girly girl to Maggie's tomboy.
* Too Good for This Sinful Earth: A genuinely good-hearted person who dies a tragic and senseless death before she can reunite with her sister.
* Took a Level in Badass: Pretty much everyone in the group did (to varying degrees) during the Time Skip between Seasons 2 and 3, Beth included. She doesn't take part in much on-screen action and is presumably still pretty low tier in her group, but the sole fact that she even can fight is a huge step up in and of itself.
** During the Season 3 premiere, she's briefly seen standing watch with a gun. Later that episode, we see her stabbing walker-heads through a chain link fence and then joining in with the rest of the group as they open fire on the horde.
** After a fight breaks out between Maggie, Glenn, and Merle, she promptly storms into the room and fires a pistol into the air to stop them.
** The death of her father in "Too Far Gone" angers her so badly that she even picks up a rifle and joins in the battle to defend the prison against the Governor.
** She takes another one in "Slabtown" by helping Noah escape Grady Memorial Hospital.
* Unable to Cry: By Season 4, she has gone through so much grief that she tells Daryl that she doesn't cry anymore, even after learning that her new boyfriend Zach has died. She gets over it in "Isolation", after learning Hershel is treating the sick inhabitants of the prison and risking his own life in doing so. However, watching the Governor behead her father shows that she's still got some tears in those ducts.
Eugene Porter:
* Adaptational Badass
* Adaptational Comic Relief: His is played more for comedy here than in the novels.
* Adaptational Nice Guy: In the comics, he only confesses after his cover is blown. In the show, he confesses to prevent his friends from being killed.
* Adaptational Villainy: A mild example. His comic counterpart never once considered joining the Saviors, something which this version of Eugene does to save his life. Thankfully, he eventually redeems himself and turns against them by setting a trap with the bullets on their guns which explode and kill most of them and severely injure Negan's hand.
* Adaptational Wimp: Zig-zagged. While he does take a level in badass earlier than his comic counterpart, he also has a period of relapse after being captured by the Saviors, something that never happened in the graphic novels.
* All Love Is Unrequited: Has a crush on Rosita for the better part of a decade. During this time Rosita has relationships with Abraham, Spencer, Siddiq, and Gabriel before Eugene finally comes clean and confesses. Rosita eventually offers him a chance to kiss her in "Morning Star"... but it's to make him realize that he is longer interested in her romantically and wants to pursue Stephanie instead, which he does.
* The Atoner: He admits to Tara and Rosita that he seeks to become a capable fighter in order to help fight threats alongside his True Companions in order to atone for his past cowardice.
* Babies Ever After: With Max in the Grand Finale.
* Badass Bookworm: Well, the bookworm part was there from the start, but it took a long time before he fully fit the trope. He seems to have made it by "No Way Out".
* Beware the Nice Ones: When his friends are in danger he'll do anything he can to help them. When Dwight holds him and his friends captive, Eugene bites him in the crotch. When he finally decides to turn against the Saviors, he sets a trap with the bullets on their guns, which explode and kill most of them and severely injure Negan's hand.
* Break the Haughty: While he was coming clean at the time, Eugene made the nearly fatal error of telling the enraged Abraham that he's still smarter than him. An earth-shattering punch probably taught him to wise up about when to say that.
* Cannot Spit It Out: He tries twice, unsuccessfully, to confess his love for Rosita before Jesus' death convinces him to finally spill the beans in "Adaptation".
* Character Development: One of the most drastically changed characters. In addition to taking several levels in badass, he becomes more courageous, humble, selfless, confident, and assertive. He also gets over his long-standing crush on Rosita to pursue a relationship with someone he has a genuine connection with. The Eugene who chooses to turn himself in for causing Sebastian's death is a far cry from the man who took months to fess up that he wasn't a scientist in a quest that led to the deaths of a dozen people who were killed trying to keep him alive. By the end of the series, he's started a family with Max.
* Combat Pragmatist: He learns to use anything and everything around him to his advantage in a dangerous situation, from using a fire hose atop a nearby firetruck to mow down some walkers to chomping on Dwight's dick to give his friends the opportunity to fight off the Saviors! In "Worth", he forces himself to throw up to escape Daryl and Rosita.
* Comically Missing the Point: All the time. Tara has to tell him to shut up at one point when his comical rambling is too much.
* The Comically Serious: It's pretty amusing to listen to his stoic and overly-serious dialogue.
* Consummate Liar: He admits it's one of his few skills. It's how he managed to convince everyone he's a government scientist.
* Cowardly Lion: He repeatedly insists that he's not combat capable. However, when Tara is critically injured, he refuses to leave her side and single-handedly carries her over his shoulder across a walker-infested factory, killing all of them as he goes. Then, he pulls a Big Damn Heroes by distracting a herd of walkers so that Glenn, Noah, and Nicholas have a fighting chance to escape from them. Finally, when Nicholas abandons Glenn and Noah and tries to commandeer the escape van, Eugene pulls a gun on him.
* Deadpan Snarker: With emphasis on the deadpan.
* Defrosting Ice King: He's initially an Insufferable Genius, but after bonding with the other characters he slowly mellows out. The Eugene who sincerely apologizes to Abraham for lying about a cure and admitting he deserved to die, and calls Abe a hero is a far cry from the man who would smugly rub it in to everyone that he's smarter than them in his debut episode.
* Dirty Coward: Zig-zagged in Seasons 4-8.
** Eugene lied about being a scientist just so he could have a group protecting him. However, it's played with some sympathy. He was motivated by fear, and as time went on the lie got too big for him to get a handle on. He's plagued by guilt over his lie, and has memorized the names of everyone who's died in pursuit of his myth.
** Redeems himself in "Spend" by carrying a gravely wounded Tara out of the zombie-infested warehouse and later providing a distraction to give Glenn, Noah, and Nicholas a fighting chance to escape (Noah doesn't make it, but without Eugene, none of them would have).
** In "Hostiles and Calamities", a couple of Negan's wives even call him out on this when he outright refuses to kill one of the wives, and uses the pills he concocted for them to kill Negan instead.
** Eugene himself admits he's relapsed back into this in Season 7, viewing his level taken in badass as nothing but a delusion shattered by watching Negan kill Abraham, saying that if a survivor as tough as Abraham couldn't make it in the new world, there's no way he would have. Regardless, after being abducted by the Saviors, he chooses to join them in order to survive with some degree of comfort. In Season 8, he grows increasingly shaken by the morality of his situation and after being chewed out by Rosita, ends up finding the courage to turn the tide of the war in Rick's favor, which finally allows him to grow out of this completely.
* Distressed Dude: Seems to make a habit of getting captured by the Saviors every time he goes off alone in Season 6.
** When he tries to prove he's a capable survivor on his own, he's captured, but he's able to turn the tide and give Daryl, Abraham, and Rosita a fighting chance.
** In the Season 6 finale, he outright volunteers for a likely suicide mission to provide a distraction. The Saviors capture him and line him up with the rest of his group.
** The third time isn't his fault, but when Rosita's attempt to kill Negan fails, Eugene confesses to making the bullet and is taken hostage, since Negan sees him as an asset.
** In mid-Season 9, he breaks his leg during an escape from a herd of walkers, and is hidden by Rosita in a barn. He has to be rescued by Daryl, Jesus, and Aaron and can barely contribute due to his injury.
* Ditzy Genius: He's very intelligent and does show a good deal of mechanical knowledge, especially with regards to sabotage, but he can make some really, really dumb decisions sometimes. Notably, he seriously thought that putting broken glass in a fuel-line to sabotage a van was a good idea. As Tara was quick to point out, they were very close to all dying or being seriously injured. He mentions however that he was feeling extremely stressed at the time. After admitting to the group that the cure story was a ruse, he still decides it is a good idea to tell the violent and temperamental Abraham that he is "smarter than him."
* Dogged Nice Guy: To Rosita. For a while he's OK with simply admiring her from a distance but when their lives are in danger he tries putting his cards on the table, to no avail. Rosita eventually catches on and tells him to his face that it's never gonna happen, which Eugene slowly accepts.
* Earn Your Happy Ending: After everything he went through, including losing his two best friends, he ends up married to Max and the two stay at Commonwealth to raise their daughter together.
* Easily Forgiven:
** He seems to have gotten back in the group's good graces very quickly after revealing his lie. However, the beating he got from Abraham and the guilt he has to live with is probably punishment enough. Chances are that not that many of them really believed him in the first place. Michonne, for example, doesn't seem too surprised when Glenn tells her that Eugene lied. Rosita just found him too pathetic to hate.
** He is rather quickly forgiven by his friends after the end of the Savior War, presumably due to having sabotaged the Saviors' bullets that more or less won the war for AHK. Rosita does punch him for throwing up on her, and he admits he deserved that.
* The Engineer: For Alexandria, even figuring out a way to engineer homemade bullets. Which is the very reason why Negan kidnaps him and practically forces him to work for the Saviors as their Chief Engineer, a role Eugene thought up on the fly to lie to Negan.
* Everyone Has Standards:
** In spite of his cemented status as a Dirty Coward, Eugene steadfastly refuses to leave Noah and Glenn behind on a supply run in "Spend."
** He also realizes that forcing himself to puke on Rosita was so crass and horrible that he had crossed a line, and it's the impetus to his sabotaging the Saviors' bullets.
* Evil Costume Switch: His wardrobe changes almost exclusively to darker clothing after he joins the Saviors.
* Evil Feels Good: Downplayed. While he joins the Saviors and is shown to be quite comfortable with life at the Sanctuary, he's not evil by any stretch of the word. He also clearly doesn't want to see his friends get hurt, even going as far as to ask Rick to stand down both times he challenges Negan.
* Evil Genius: To the Saviors in Seasons 7 and 8.
* Face–Heel Turn: Played With. He's kidnapped by the Saviors after Negan finds out that he crafted a bullet made out of a bullet casing and other raw materials, and in "Hostiles and Calamities", accepts a position as the Saviors' Chief Engineer. In "The Other Side", he refuses the first chance at escape that Rosita and Sasha offer him and is shown to be enjoying his duties as the Sanctuary's new engineer. In "Something They Need", he reveals to a captured Sasha that his reason for staying at the Sanctuary is because he doesn't want to be scared anymore, and encourages her to do the same to spare her anymore pain. In the Season 8 finale, it's revealed he's been sabotaging the bullets he's had made for the Saviors, and he is accepted by the group again.
* Foreshadowing: There are a few hints that Eugene is lying about being a scientist before his confession.
** His satisfied smirk at the end of "Claimed" when the group is doubling back (partially due to the fact that Eugene himself “accidentally” shot the engine of their vehicle) is a good sign he's hiding something.
** In “No Sanctuary” he is aghast seeing Rick and Carl reunite with Judith, which is later implied to be because he now might have to add a baby to the list of casualties of his quest.
* Geeky Turn-On: When he tells Max about the sci-fi novel he's been writing; further proof that these two really are Birds of a Feather. Eugene: A gumshoe by the name of Steph Portman is caught up in a rollicking international caper, trying to avert nuclear disaster and navigate the intricacies of the legal bureaucracies back at home. Max: You didn't make the District Attorney corrupt, did you? Eugene: Certainly not. That would've surprised exactly no one. (Both chuckle) I did, however, give him an unsavory twin brother. Max: Evil twin. Nice. Eugene: Yeah, I thought so. Max: You should make the twin a scientist. Ramp up the stakes on the nuclear threat. Eugene: (mesmerized) That is exactly what I did. (Both chuckle again)
* Genius Bruiser: Following the six-year Time Skip, he is probably the smartest character on the show as well as a bonafide walker killing badass.
* Good Is Not Soft: Eugene's one of the nicest characters in the show, but is more dangerous than at first glance. When Dwight and the Saviors capture him and uses him as leverage against his group, Eugene immediately bites Dwight in the groin.
* Green-Eyed Monster: Downplayed. He's clearly jealous of Rosita's relationship with Gabriel, but he never does anything outright hostile towards either of them.
* Groin Attack: He pulls one by biting Dwight in the dick while on his knees at gunpoint.
* Hero Ball: Tells Abraham that he no longer requires his help because he believes that he's a fully capable survivor now and drives him away in order to prove himself. This results in him getting captured by the Saviors.
* Heroic Sacrifice: Tries to pull one in the Season 6 finale by diverting the Saviors' attention with the RV so that Rick and the others can take Maggie to the Hilltop on foot. They all end up captured anyway, but Abraham still respects Eugene for being willing to go out that way, calling him a survivor and a hero.
* Heroic Self-Deprecation: He is pretty adamant about how much of a coward he is.
* Heroic Wannabe: Eugene lied about being a scientist so he could be seen as a heroic figure. Despite being uncovered later, he attempts to Take a Level in Badass to be a real hero and atone for his lies.
* I Just Want to Be Loved: He starts out with a longtime crush on Rosita, who adamantly does not reciprocate his feelings. After moving to Hilltop, he comes into contact with a woman named Stephanie over the radio, which eventually leads to them deciding to meet up in person.
* Incompatible Orientation: He expresses some interest in Tara, who is a lesbian. This eventually goes away as they become legitimate best friends.
* Innocently Insensitive: He's not very social and sometimes offends his friends.
* Insufferable Genius: Just look at the quote. Subverted in that although he is very intelligent, he isn't quite the level of genius he was pretending to be.
* Interrupted Declaration of Love: When he and Rosita are being chased by a walker herd and Eugene's broken leg is slowing them down, Eugene decides it's the perfect time to confess his long-withheld feelings for Rosita. Eugene: I'm holding you back. And I cannot keep on keeping on. I'll gladly distract the... the dead while you vamoose, but... there's something I've been working up the testicular gravitas to tell you, something I've been holding inside of me for a really long time — Rosita: Shut up! Don't make this weird. We are making it!
* Jerk with a Heart of Gold: Manipulates Rosita into letting him navigate and then leads the van to a position where they can meet up with Maggie's group and then rescue Glenn and Tara. Ultimately his jerk tendencies begin to taper off as his heart of gold begins to shine through during his Character Development.
* Kick The Son Of A Bitch: Biting Dwight, Denise's killer, in the dick after he tries to force Daryl and Rosita to surrender.
* Kill It with Water: His first unassisted attack on walkers involves using a fire truck's water cannons. It works rather well.
* Last Stand: Tries for one in Season 6 in order to try to divert the Saviors' attention from the rest of the gang. Everyone thanks him, Rick declares he's lucky to have him as family, and Abraham calls him a hero and strong survivor for this. Nobody says it, but the score and everyone's farewells make it clear nobody, Eugene included, expects him to survive the night. It ends up being for nothing as he ends up captured with the rest of the group anyway.
* Lovable Coward: All the group gladly protects him, as Eugene has probably never even killed a walker prior to the fifth season. Becomes less lovable when it's revealed he tricked Abraham into protecting him, directly leading to the deaths of several people on the course of the journey.
* MacGyvering: Knows how to make improvised versions of things like batteries and water filters out of whatever's on hand.
* Machete Mayhem: Trains with a machete in Season 6 and later uses it to help eliminate the Alexandria walker herd.
* Man Bites Man: Bites Dwight's dick to give the rest of the group an opening to fight back.
* Masculine Girl, Feminine Boy: Has this dynamic with Rosita. He's the more sensitive and emotional of the two, and is originally a hapless Non-Action Guy to boot.
* Meaningful Background Event: In the middle of the reunions at the end of "No Sanctuary", he's shocked to see Rick and Carl reunite with baby Judith. Given his later admission of Survivor's Guilt, it's likely that he's horrified that his fool's errand may potentially add an infant to the list of casualties.
* Most Writers Are Writers: "Rogue Element" reveals that he wanted to be a science fiction author before the apocalypse and has even written a novel which Stephanie reads. He later burns the manuscript after finding out Stephanie wasn't who she claimed to be. Though, of course, he still has most of it committed to memory and shares it with Max, who is his actual radio contact, and throws a few suggestions about the plot his way (which Eugene immediately approves of).
* My God, What Have I Done?: In "Ghosts" he admits that he became friends with Rosita in the hopes that one day she would become interested in him romantically. Realizing how wrong this is, Eugene apologizes and admits he's been a terrible friend to her.
* My Greatest Failure: He's deeply ashamed of his Face–Heel Turn in Seasons 7 and 8.
* Nerds Are Virgins: He sheepishly admits to Mercer and Evans that he is a virgin and is hoping that Stephanie might be the one to finally change his "unenviable status." He gets his wish in "Rogue Element"... though in a cruel twist of fate, discovers it wasn't with the actual "Stephanie", but rather an impostor hired by Lance to extort information about Alexandria out of him.
* Never My Fault: He refuses to accept any wrongdoing on his part when it comes to his defection to the Saviors and all the pain he's caused AHK since joining them. He finally owns up to his actions later in the season and makes up for what he did by sabotaging the Saviors' guns.
* Nice Guy: After finally redeeming himself for his cowardly ways, he fully becomes this in Season 9 and on.
* Nice Job Breaking It, Hero:
** Putting the truck out of commission by spraying it with bullets, forcing the group to continue on foot.
** The lie he spun about the cure lead to conflict and multiple deaths, all for nothing.
* Non-Action Guy: His attempt to fire an assault rife simply ends up spraying bullets everywhere, including into Abraham's truck, specifically the fuel tank. Poor Abraham is left trying to figure out how a camel loaded with C4 didn't destroy one of those trucks but Eugene managed to put it out of commission. In "Self Help", it's revealed that he purposely did that to slow his group down. However, Eugene ends up outgrowing this and then some by "No Way Out".
* No One Gets Left Behind: In "Spend", when Tara is seriously injured in the warehouse, he carries her to the exit, even shooting a few walkers on his way out. Later, he provides a distraction by blasting the radio in Aiden's van, luring the zombies on the exterior away from the revolving door where Glenn, Noah, and Nicholas were trapped. Had it not been for him, all three likely would have died, not just Noah. This was all in spite of admitting his cowardice earlier in the episode.
* No Social Skills: He used to watch Abraham and Rosita have sex. With his odd behavior and habits of speech, he often seems very clueless about social conventions.
* Not So Stoic: When Abraham nearly forces the team into danger, Eugene breaks down and tearfully admits to his false pretenses as a gifted scientist, and later is just as tearful and shaken as the others during the Negan lineup. He's seen burying his face in his hands during Glenn's death and afterward.
* Odd Friendship: With Tara. They get along pretty well even after his lie is exposed and are shown playing cards on the way to Alexandria. He even fights his way through a horde of walkers to save her, and when she recovers from a big injury, he has the first genuine smile he's ever had on the show.
* Pair the Smart Ones: Gets together with the equally nerdy science enthusiast Max. Eugene is elated at this, having finally met someone who wasn't repulsed by him or his eccentric personality.
* The Peeping Tom: In "Self Help", he's caught watching Rosita and Abraham having sex. Rosita points out that he has done it before, though Abraham is amused and brushes it off.
** He also sneaks a peek at Rosita breast-feeding Coco in the Season 10 premiere.
* Perpetual Frowner
* Prone to Tears: It doesn't take much to get him to cry.
* Protectorate: Eugene and the knowledge that he carries falls under this for Abraham and Rosita, whose primary goal is to safely transport him to Washington D.C. to flip the switch on the apocalypse.
* Rail Enthusiast: Describes himself as one in his youth, and it's actually the first thing that helps him connect with Max over the radio. He visited the Railroad Museum with his parents in Strasberg, Pennyslvania, Max's hometown.
* Redemption Rejection: In "The Other Side" he refuses to escape with Sasha and Rosita when they come to rescue him, and retreats back into the Sanctuary without another word.
* Science Hero: Very much so. Rigging an electrical power line to cut down Alpha's walker horde being just one example.
* Sensitive Guy and Manly Man: The fearful, nerdy Lovable Coward (Sensitive Guy) to Abraham's reckless, strong Boisterous Bruiser (Manly Man).
* Serious Business: Calling "dibs" is a serious thing with him.
* Sesquipedalian Loquaciousness: As part of his mental issues, Eugene tends to use long words and explain situations in a very clinical manner. He never uses one word when five will do.
* The Smart Guy: He's one of the smartest characters on the show, which helps make up for his lack of survivor skills. When his group was attacked by walkers next to a fire station, he was the only one to think to climb on top of a fire truck and use the high-pressure hose to destroy the walkers. He becomes the definitive Smart Guy of the group after Glenn is killed. After the Savior War he is a key asset and leader of the communities, traveling between communities to bring his plethora of skills and know-how to each of them. He's assigned the job of high school teacher when the group reaches the Commonwealth.
* The Smart One Turns Traitor: Negan takes him back to the Sanctuary with the intention to use Eugene's intelligence for the Saviors' benefit. Eugene willingly undergoes a Face–Heel Turn to save his own life.
* Socially Awkward Hero: He's not very social around others, but he wants to be a noble hero like his friends.
* Southern-Fried Genius: Eugene is quite proud of his Southern heritage as exemplified in a conversation with Rosita. He has a strong accent and is highly intelligent.
* Spock Speak: His response to Abraham questioning how he managed to shoot the fuel tank: Eugene: A fully amped-up state and an ignorance of rapid-firing weapons.
* The Stoic: Doesn't exactly express much emotion.
* Strong Girl, Smart Guy: With Rosita. Even if Rosita looks down on him for not being a good fighter, she recognizes he is useful to the team for his intelligence and ability to build devices.
* Survivor's Guilt
* Taught by Television
* Took a Level in Badass:
** He starts to get the hang of killing walkers in "Self Help", and in "Spend" he saves Tara and lures a bunch of walkers that have Glenn, Noah and Nicholas trapped. In "No Way Out", he refuses to be kept out of the second battle of Alexandria and fights ferociously to save his friends and his home. He even characterizes his increased competence in terms of RPG mechanic in "Twice as Far."
** "Hostiles and Calamities" takes this one step further by lying to Negan, stating he was some sort of bioengineer prior to the apocalypse, a statement that Negan actually believes and responds by making him Chief Engineer to the Saviors.
** After the second Time Skip in Season 9, Eugene has finally become a competent survivor, regularly venturing outside the walls and comfortably killing walkers.
* Took a Level in Kindness: After he stops being an Insufferable Genius he starts acting more humble and friendly upon joining Alexandria. In "Spend", he refuses to leave his team behind and even attacks Nicholas when he reveals that he's a bigger Dirty Coward than he ever was. Eugene cares a lot more for the safety of others than his own now. At least until Season 7, when he joins the Saviors, making it clear that his own safety is still his top priority, though he can't quite abandon his conscience the way he'd like to. He ultimately pulls a Heel–Face Turn and wins back his level in kindness.
* Ugly Guy, Hot Wife: It's not a stretch to say that Max is several notches above him looks-wise. What makes the relationship rather sweet is that the two connected without ever actually meeting in person, and realized they truly are Birds of a Feather who have a lot in common and are comfortable being themselves around each other. Max’s feelings don’t go away at all after she finally gets to see him, either, as she’s firmly in love with him.
* Vocal Evolution: His voice isn't as deep in Season 4 than it is in Season 5 and on.
* You Have Outlived Your Usefulness: Tries pulling a non-lethal one on Abraham, telling him that he's fully capable of protecting himself and no longer requires the soldier's protection.
* Younger and Hipper: His comic counterpart is in his late thirties when he first appeared. According to The Other Wiki, he's in his mid thirties in the show.
Rosita Espinosa:
* The Ace: Bar none one of the most all-around capable survivors, being a Jack of All Stats who picked up her skills by watching other people and then surpassing them. She is also generally friendly, level-headed in a crisis, and has very few mental or emotional hang-ups (barring a rough patch in Season 7). Lampshaded by Eugene in "The Lucky Ones": Eugene: You're pretty damn good at everything you do, Rosita.
* Action Girl: Ranks up there with Michonne as one of the group's best melee fighters. She's also a Jack of All Stats which only further adds to her badass credentials.
* Action Mom: Between Seasons 9 and 10, she gives birth to a daughter named Coco and remains as formidable in combat as ever. Just ask Dante. Although this trope starts to become a source of stress for her in the wake of Siddiq's death, since Rosita constantly being in the middle of the fight could leave Coco without either of her birth parents.
* Adaptation Expansion: She's been given a lot more to do than her comic counterpart, who was shunted to the background almost immediately after her introduction. She eventually becomes a main character by Season 7.
* Adaptational Badass: Her comic counterpart is more-or-less a Damsel in Distress and nothing else. Here, she's highly competent, level-headed and very useful. When she tells Sasha in late Season 7 that she had sex with numerous male companions she drifted to, it was largely just for fun to distract them while she learned all their skills. Her comic counterpart explicitly used sex to get protection, whereas this Rosita privately laughed at how men thought she needed to be protected.
* Adaptational Modesty: She wears a top beneath her tied shirt, thus showing less cleavage than her comic counterpart.
* Adaptational Nice Guy: Similar to Abraham in Season 6, this version of Rosita never cheats on her current significant other like she does in the comics. Here, she only discovers she's pregnant with Siddiq's child after getting together with Gabriel, whereas her comic counterpart got pregnant while already in a relationship with Eugene.
* Age-Gap Romance: She and Abraham are more or less two decades apart. Also with Gabriel in Seasons 9-11.
* Amicable Exes:
** After Abraham dumps her and after she and him work together to fend off Dwight, they're slowly on the path to becoming this. When Abraham is killed by Negan a few episodes later, she is devastated.
** She separates from Gabriel offscreen during Season 11, but they still remain friends and work together just fine. Gabriel still considers Coco his daughter and is more than willing to help take care of her.
* Ascended Extra: She is little more than a minor background character in Season 4, but gets a lot more to do in Season 5 and especially Season 6 and on. By Season 7, she's become one of the main focuses, getting enough screentime to rival most of the main characters, and actually appearing in more episodes than anyone else that season, including Rick. By Season 11, her death is one of the emotional cornerstones of the series finale.
* Awesomeness by Analysis: In "The Other Side" she reveals to Sasha that the reason she's a jack of all trades is because she watched the various men who tried to protect her before she met Abraham, learning all of their skills.
* Back-to-Back Badasses: With Michonne and Sasha in "Try". She and Aaron also successfully watch each other's backs twice, during the fight against the Wolves in "JSS" and the raid on the Saviors' compound in "Not Tomorrow Yet."
* Bash Siblings: With Daryl. While they aren't quite as close as they are with their respective besties Eugene and Carol, they instinctively work together pretty much every time they team up. They become closer after the group moves to Commonwealth and the two are assigned to work as part of the militia.
* Battle Couple: With Abraham until he leaves her for Sasha.
* Beauty Is Never Tarnished: After getting her face cut open by Arat. In subsequent episodes the wound forms into a small, barely visible scar, that in no way detracts from her attractiveness. And when she's lying in bed dying of her zombie bite, she barely even looks sick compared to how horrible Carl and Jim looked hours before they actually died.
* The Big Guy: Steps into this role in Season 7, as she becomes one of the group's most vicious, bullheaded fighters, a position that she takes from her deceased ex-boyfriend Abraham. She also shares the role with Sasha, though they're hardly friends. Regardless, since Rosita is at Alexandria full-time while Sasha is at Hilltop with Maggie, Rosita is the most regular Big Guy of Rick's group.
* Blood Knight: In Season 7, she's far too eager to fight the Saviors — or anyone else, for that matter, as shown when her headbutting one of the Scavengers escalates into a mini-brawl between the two factions in the midst of an appeal to their leader, Jadis.
* Brutal Honesty: Rosita is one of the most straight-shooting characters, and will often implore others to do the same.
** She makes it no secret that she thinks Eugene is a bad fighter and won't survive on his own.
** She tells Siddiq to talk about what's really bothering him after noticing he hasn't been the same since the night of Alpha's barn massacre.
** When a distraught Judith asks if it ever gets easier losing so many loved ones, Rosita gently tells her that no, it doesn't.
* Carry a Big Stick: Her main weapon as of Season 10 is a macuahuitl, a wooden club with blades embedded on the side. The weapon was used by soldiers throughout ancient Mesoamerica and is likely a tribute to Rosita's Spanish ancestry.
* Cartwright Curse: Three of her love interests (Abraham, Spencer, and Siddiq) have all met their ends as of Season 10. Especially notable is Spencer, who dies no more than a few hours after Rosita finally agreed to have dinner with him after their impromptu fling a few weeks prior. Gabriel manages to beat the curse by breaking up with Rosita partway through Season 11, though unfortunately, this ends up having the inverse effect and Rosita is the one who dies in the series' Grand Finale.
* Character Death: She suffers a walker bite in the Grand Finale and passes away roughly a day later.
* Character Development: She is able to overcome her stubborn and reckless attitude after realizing her actions indirectly led to Sasha's death, and in the process becomes more wise and even-tempered. She also becomes something of a Team Mom in Season 11, dispensing warm words of advice to Eugene and Judith and stepping up as one of the main leaders of Alexandria and the Coalition as a whole.
* Cool Aunt: A surrogate one to Judith. In "Out of the Ashes", she comforts Judith when bullies break one of the last shrines she had of her late older brother Carl, then offers to fix it for her.
* Cynicism Catalyst: Rosita has always been Brutally Honest and down-to-earth, but Abraham's murder, and the group's subsequent subjugation, at the Saviors' hands causes her to become (justifiably) angry at the world. She snaps at Eugene every time they speak and seemingly only focuses on revenge at all costs after these events.
* A Day in the Limelight: In Season 5's "Try", she gets a lot more lines and screentime when she and Michonne go out to make sure Sasha is okay. She gets another spotlight episode in Season 6's "Not Tomorrow Yet" as it deals with the fallout of Abraham dumping her, and later "Twice As Far" which deals with the drama between her, Abraham and Eugene.
* Deadpan Snarker: She seems to be permanently exasperated by the antics of her companions, and rolls her eyes so often it's a wonder they don't get stuck that way.
* A Death in the Limelight: Season 11 gives her more screen time than she's ever had with the arguable exception of Season 7, and her arc as a Mama Bear is given special focus in the final episodes of the season. She ends up perishing in the series finale.
* Death Seeker: Implied in "Hearts Still Beating", when the prospect of dying for killing Negan doesn't seem to faze her "as long as he goes first."
* Decomposite Character: She's the one who shoots Lucille in the middle of a botched attempt on Negan's life, instead of Carl. She also dies of a zombie bite in a bed with the person she's closest with by her side as she dies, complete with a few people coming and going to say goodbye to her, instead of Andrea and much like Lucille on the show.
* Died Happily Ever After: Gets perhaps the single most peaceful death in the entire show. She spends her last moments resting on a warm bed with Coco and speaking with Eugene, content that her daughter and Family of Choice will finally be safe even after she's gone.
* Dies Differently in Adaptation: The comic version of Rosita was one of the victims of the pike massacre, having been beheaded by Alpha. Here, she gets bitten on the shoulder while in a herd of walkers and eventually succumbs to the infection and is then put down by Eugene.
* Disappeared Dad: Rosita tells Judith she was raised mostly by her mom, and never really knew her dad.
* Dreaming of Things to Come: In "Hunted", she reveals to Carol she's been having dreams of Abraham where he is trying to tell her something they need to do, only for him to be shot in the head before Rosita can find out what.
* Drill Sergeant Nasty: When training Eugene and the Alexandrians.
* Dude Magnet: She mentions how before she joined up with Abraham, she used to run into guys who were interested in her for her looks and because they wanted to protect her. She eventually formed a romantic relationship with Abraham while her other traveling companion, Eugene, was quietly interested but never voiced his feelings until Season 9. Rosita's other romantic prospects have included flings with Spencer and Siddiq, and another long-term relationship with Gabriel. Tara, Negan, and Sebastian Milton take note of her attractiveness as well.
* Even the Girls Want Her: Abraham catches Tara checking her out and she later flirts with Rosita and calls her "gorgeous".
* Face Death with Dignity: When she knows she’s going to die, she spends the remainder of her life soaking up every last moment with her daughter Coco, reassuring her best friend Eugene and her ex-lover Gabriel, and embracing the last happy meal for her friends that she witnesses before she succumbs to her infection.
* Fair Cop: Basically becomes the equivalent of a cop after joining the Commonwealth militia. Lampshaded by her.
* Fire-Forged Friends: She earns the respect of her commanding officer Mercer at the Commonwealth when she proves herself a fiercely loyal family woman.
* Friendship Moment: In "Try", where she and Michonne search for Sasha, quickly determining that she is hunting walkers and even fighting alongside each other and saving Sasha in the process. Though their efforts are in vain, they at least attempt to comfort Sasha.
* Friends with Benefits: She and Siddiq were apparently this until recently before the events of "Who Are You Now?", as Rosita has only just discovered that she is pregnant with Siddiq's child.
* Girlish Pigtails: Wears pigtails in Season 4 and most of Season 5, until the Alexandria episodes.
* Give Geeks a Chance: Subverted. Even after learning of Eugene's true feelings for her, she makes it clear that while she cares about him as a friend, she has never, and will never feel the same way. Then, in "Morning Star", she suddenly offers Eugene a chance to kiss her, which surprises him. However, it's only because Rosita wants to prove to Eugene that he's over her and should pursue a relationship with his new prospect, Stephanie, instead.
* Good Bad Girl: She sees nothing wrong with having a healthy sex life during the apocalypse. She also has the highest number of sexual partners of anyone on the show, with at least seven over the course of about ten years. Rosita: The world's over. Everyone should be getting their rocks off, right?
* Good Parents: She's shown to be a loving and protective mother to her and Siddiq's daughter, Coco.
* Gratuitous Spanish: Drops a few Spanish phrases here and there. Notably, she calls Morgan a hijo de puta note  in "Not Tomorrow Yet" and Dante a pedazo de mierda note  in "The World Before".
* Guns Akimbo: She carries a pair of pistols, one of which is a two-tone SIG-Sauer P228.
* Hair-Trigger Temper: She spends much of Season 7 just itching for the chance to start a fight or go off on someone, fueled mostly by misplaced anger towards Negan and the Saviors.
* Heroic BSoD:
** Suffers from one during the first half of Season 6 when Abraham doesn't return home from the herd mission, unsure if he's still alive or not. She's at it again when shortly after he does get back, he rudely dumps her.
** She has another one after Siddiq dies and she freezes up fighting walkers. Rosita was fine with dying before as long as it meant she was laying down her life for the cause; however, she is now terrified by the idea because it would mean Coco would be left without either of her birth parents.
* Honorary Aunt: In "What We Become", RJ promises Michonne he will listen to "Tia Rosita", confirming she is indeed considered extended family to the Grimes children.
* Hospital Hottie: She is very attractive and becomes Pete's assistant in Alexandria.
* Hot for Preacher: In Season 9, she starts dating resident Episcopal priest Father Gabriel.
* Huge Guy, Tiny Girl: 5'5 and petite, compared to the 6'1 and burly Abraham.
* Jerkass Realization: As she admits in Season 8, it took seeing a zombified Sasha emerging from a coffin to make her realize just how much damage her reckless actions caused.
* Kick Chick: Rosita's fighting style favors powerful kicks.
* Kick the Dog: Tells Eugene he's still a weak coward even after his attempted Heroic Sacrifice in Season 6 and snaps at Sasha that just because they were both involved with Abraham, doesn't make them friends.
* La Résistance: Quietly forms one against Negan in the first half of Season 7, asking Eugene to make her a bullet so she can avenge Abraham's death.
* The Leader: She and Aaron are put in charge of Alexandria while Gabriel leaves on the mission to Meridian in the first part of Season 11.
* Likes Older Men: Both of her long-term boyfriends (Abraham and Gabriel) are at least two decades older than her.
* Love Triangle:
** In Season 6, Abraham is torn between her and his new feelings for Sasha. Rosita is oblivious to it until Abraham abruptly dumps her in "Not Tomorrow Yet".
** In Season 9, a love "quadrangle" (as Negan calls it) forms between her, Gabriel, Eugene, and Siddiq. While Rosita is officially in a relationship with Gabriel, Eugene is also in love with her and her past fling with Siddiq has gotten her pregnant. The four of them are able to talk it over like adults and agree to work together to raise the child (though Eugene remains in love with Rosita from a distance).
* Machete Mayhem: In Season 6, she instructs the Alexandrians how to fight zombies with a machete. It pays off in "No Way Out" as the Alexandrians are now an army of hack-and-slash killing machines.
* Male Gaze: In "Claimed", the camera focuses on her rear (clad in the shortest, tightest shorts you could find) as she bends over to grab something on the ground.
* Mama Bear: Much like Michonne, Rosita proves she can be an absolute beast when the life of her daughter (and other children) are threatened.
** In "The World Before", she stabs and beats the shit out of Dante and puts down a zombified Siddiq to rescue Coco.
** In "For Blood", she takes on a pack of walkers by herself because the lives of Judith and the Alexandria children are threatened.
** In "The Rotten Core", she's fully prepared to blow Sebastian's head off when he threatens her and Daryl's children.
** When the Warden answers Rosita's demand for her missing daughter with a smug taunt, Rosita responds by feeding his face to a walker.
** Nothing, not even a walker scratch stops her from fighting tooth and nail to get Coco to safety in the Grand Finale.
* Masculine Girl, Feminine Boy: Has this dynamic with Eugene and Gabriel both. She's more confrontational, outspoken, aggressive, and combat-proficient than either of the two men, and while both of them radically step up their game later on, Rosita is a competent Action Girl from the get-go.
* The Medic: She has a bit of medical knowledge, and is assigned to be an assistant in Alexandra's medical building after the group arrives there.
* Missing Mom: Rosita lost her mother when she was a little older than the pre-teen Judith. She tragically becomes this as well to her daughter Coco when she dies of a walker bite in the Grand Finale.
* Ms. Fanservice: Initially, thanks to the bared midriff and tiny shorts. Averted from her third episode onwards, however, when she dons much less revealing clothing as winter approaches. Lampshaded in "Us" when Abraham and Tara discuss the latter's crush on her, and Abraham is amused (but not mad) that both Tara and Eugene check her out a lot. She gets a nude scene in "Knots Untie" and later occasionally wears outfits with midriff-barring fashion.
* My God, What Have I Done?:
** Has this reaction when her failed attempt to assassinate Negan gets Olivia killed and Eugene kidnapped.
** She has it again when Negan pulls up to Alexandria with Sasha in a coffin, again as an indirect result of Rosita's own actions.
** She has another quick moment when she instinctively stabs a walker in the head to protect Coco... only to immediately realize that said walker is the undead father of her child.
* Nice Girl: Motherhood significantly mellows her out, and by Season 10, she's a warm, friendly, and supportive person to everyone.
* Nice Job Breaking It, Hero:
** Her failed attempts to kill Negan inadvertently lead to the deaths of Olivia and Sasha, and Eugene being taken hostage, all within days of each other.
** Calling Eugene worthless contributes to his decision to join the Saviors.
* Official Couple: With Abraham until he dumps her in "Not Tomorrow Yet". She is also this with Gabriel starting in Season 9, until they break-up offscreen at some point during Season 11.
* One-Woman Army:
** In "For Blood", she pulls her own Rick Grimes-style maneuver and steps outside to take care of a pack of walkers in the middle of a storm by herself. She emerges entirely unscathed. Rosita: Let's stay away from the windows.
** In the Grand Finale, she falls backwards into a herd of walkers while carrying Coco to safety on her chest. Eugene and Gabriel watch, heartbroken... only for Rosita to emerge moments later (complete with a Theme Music Power-Up) and cut her way through the herd onto the roof of an ambulance where she leaps to the adjourning window to safety. Tragically, this time she didn't avoid getting bit.
* On the Rebound: Begins a casual relationship with Spencer after Abraham stands her up.
* Opposites Attract: The take-no-bullshit Action Girl Rosita eventually enters into a committed relationship with the pacifistic Nice Guy Gabriel.
* O.O.C. Is Serious Business: Rosita spends much of 11C at the end of her rope due to the kidnapping and disappearance of baby Coco.
* Out of Focus:
** In early Season 8, she is on the sidelines as she recovers from her injuries during the fight at Alexandria in the Season 7 finale. note 
** Rosita does not appear much in the last several episodes of Season 10, either being relegated to being offscreen or just having brief appearances. note 
* Parting-Words Regret: She and Abraham never fully made peace before the latter's death, which causes a lot of problems for her in Season 7. Rosita, for her part, regrets not getting the chance to tell him she was happy he had found happiness with someone else.
* Pint-Sized Powerhouse: She's physically one of the smallest of Rick's group. Also one of the deadliest, and a veritable One-Woman Army when push comes to shove.
* Platonic Co-Parenting: In Season 9, Rosita learns she is pregnant with Siddiq’s child after they had a fling a short while back - but she is now in a committed relationship with Gabriel. The trio talk it out with Eugene’s help, and they all agree to help raise the baby together while Rosita remains romantically involved with Gabriel. Eugene also steps in during Season 10 to help raise baby Coco due to his lingering feelings for Rosita. After Siddiq dies and even after ending her relationship with Gabriel, she still peacefully raises Coco alongside the latter. Tragically, by the end of the series, Rosita perishes, leaving Coco solely in Gabriel’s care, while Eugene starts his own family with Max.
* Platonic Life-Partners: What she sees her relationship with Eugene as, though it takes awhile for him to come around on the idea. They obviously mean a lot to each other, but they just aren't compatible that way. When she is dying, she tells him that she’s happy he was the last person she saw before the end.
* Positive Friend Influence:
** To Eugene throughout the series. She helps protect Eugene all the way from Texas to Washington, trains him how to handle weapons and kill walkers, snaps him out of his cowardice-induced Face–Heel Turn, and convinces him to find his mysterious radio person, who turns out to be the love of his life and the eventual mother of his child. Eugene is not at all wrong when he tells Rosita on her deathbed that he never would have become the man he is today if not for her.
** There is one notable aversion, however, as Rosita constantly going off on Eugene in Season 7 is one of the factors that contributed to him making said Face–Heel Turn in the first place.
* Precision F-Strike: All three in the final season.
** The first comes when she and Lydia are fighting a stairwell full of walkers in "No Other Way". In an amusing bit of behind-the-scenes trivia, it wasn't actually scripted — Cassady McClincy accidentally hit Christian Serratos in the elbow with her bow staff while performing the scene and the take was left in.
** In "Outpost 22", Rosita mutters, "fuck" when she and Gabriel hear the whereabouts of the Commonwealth troopers being spoken over the radio.
** In "Rest of Peace", when she, Eugene, and Gabriel are trapped in a broken ambulance by a horde of walkers, Rosita tells Carol over the radio that their ride is "fucked."
* Promoted to Love Interest:
** She and Gabriel become a couple during the second Time Skip in Season 9.
** Inverted with Eugene. In the comics, they got together, but in the show any romantic interest is purely one-sided on his part, and they remain friends.
* Promotion to Opening Titles: Added to the main credits of Season 7.
* Renaissance Woman: She's skilled with guns and assorted weaponry, trained in hand-to-hand combat, and has an extensive knowledge of (at least) cars, knots, and explosives.
* Revenge Before Reason: She plans to kill Negan using a bullet she asked Eugene to make for her, despite warnings from Gabriel and Eugene himself that it will go wrong and someone else will have to pay the price. When Negan kills Spencer in front of her, Rosita snaps and fires at him. She misses, and it results in Olivia's death and Eugene's kidnapping.
* Sacrificial Lion: The main heroic casualty of the Grand Finale of the series, and holds the honor of being the character with the second longest tenure on the show before dying besides Carl himself.
* Satellite Character: Initially, in Seasons 4 and 5 she’s mostly eye candy and Abraham’s girlfriend. It took a while for her to gain more focus and Character Development, but she finally becomes a main character starting in the second half of Season 6. Even then, her arcs mostly revolved around her relationships with men - the fallout of her dumping from Abraham, wanting to avenge him, and later being the epicenter of a love square between Siddiq, Eugene and Gabriel. Season 11 sees her fully grow out of this, having her own development and storylines unrelated to any romantic relationship.
* Scars are Forever: Receives a permanent scar on her right cheek from having her face cut open by Arat.
* Second Love: She is presumably Abraham's first girlfriend after his wife's death. When he dumps her, however, he makes it clear she wasn't really this, as he felt like she was the "last woman on earth."
* Secret-Keeper: Carol asks her to keep the whole debacle with Morgan and the Alpha Wolf quiet.
* Secretly Dying: In the finale, she is bit after falling into a herd of walkers. She keeps it quiet until Eugene realizes what happened, and even then, she asks him not to bring it up so she can enjoy the time she has left instead of having everyone worry about her. She later tells Gabriel and Judith also figures out something's wrong until she comes clean and the others bid her a tearful goodbye.
* Sex for Solace: Sleeps with Spencer for fun after her harsh breakup with Abraham.
* Shipper on Deck: She encourages Eugene to go meet Stephanie, happy that her friend has found someone he is truly compatible with.
* Ship Sinking: Any chance she and Spencer might have had of getting together comes to a grinding halt with the latter's death in the mid-Season 7 finale.
* Ship Tease: Spencer convinces her to have dinner with him in "Twice As Far", though Rosita later admits she was trying to get her mind off Abraham.
* Single Woman Seeks Good Man: Implied, when she settles into a long-term relationship with the good-natured Father Gabriel who, according to her, "doesn't have a jealous bone in his body." She also has a Friends with Benefits arrangement with the friendly doctor Siddiq, and was even willing to give Spencer a chance when he turned off the neediness and invited her to dinner like a gentleman.
* The Smurfette Principle: Until Tara and Glenn joins her, Abraham and Eugene.
* Spared by the Adaptation: Her comic counterpart was one of Alpha's decapitation victims. There is a Red Herring moment to trick viewers into thinking she met the same fate in the show as well, only for the victim in question to turn out to be Tara.
* Spicy Latina: She can be rather feisty and brutally honest, but still far more even-tempered than most examples. Played straight in Season 7 as her desire to fight the Saviors consumes her, and she's more antagonistic towards everyone as a result.
* Strong Girl, Smart Guy: With Eugene. She keeps an eye on him in combat while he teaches her scientific stuff like making a filter out of a water bottle.
* Token Good Teammate: Compared to Abraham and Eugene, she's not as rough or as much of a jerk as them, and follows Glenn and Tara when they depart after Eugene ruins their ride. She even threatens Abraham to protect Eugene after the latter's lies are revealed, and later gives the two men the final push they need to make amends.
* Token Minority: She's the first Hispanic to be part of Rick's group ever since Morales all the way back in Season 1.
* Tomboyish Ponytail: After she stops wearing pigtails towards the end of Season 5, she occasionally has this hairstyle.
* Too Happy to Live: In Season 11 she’s moved on from her past tragedies, is peacefully co-parenting Coco with her ex-boyfriend Gabriel, and has found a sense of purpose and happiness in her new job as a Commonwealth peacekeeper, providing a stable, comfortable life for her daughter. She ultimately perishes in the series finale, though she at least has the comfort of knowing the Commonwealth revolution was successful and Gabriel, Eugene, and the others will be there for Coco after she’s gone.
* Took a Level in Jerkass: In Season 7, she's far more hostile and sullen, after Abraham (and Glenn) is brutally murdered in front of her and Negan torments her with the bloody Lucille.
* Took a Level in Kindness: She gets better in Season 8. By Season 9, time has allowed her to heal and mellow out even more.
* Tough Love: She thinks of Eugene as a friend, but she outright tells him that he sucks at fighting.
* Villain Killer: In "Faith", she kills the Warden by feeding his face to a walker.
* Weak, but Skilled: Rosita is one of the most lethal fighters around, but she is almost no match for the monstrous Beta. When she gets ambushed by two larger men in "Variant" she can only dish out a couple of punches and kicks before being overwhelmed.
* We Used to Be Friends:
** Rosita initially looked out for and cared about Sasha's well-being as much as any member of the group. However, when Abraham coldly dumps her to immediately hook up with Sasha, Rosita begins carrying a serious grudge towards Sasha. Despite Sasha's attempts to form a peace between them, Rosita refuses and outright says that while they're on the same side, they're not friends. They reach an understanding before Sasha goes on a Suicide Mission to kill Negan.
** As of the Season 7 finale, Rosita no longer considers Eugene a friend, given his new loyalty to the man who killed Abraham, and when he says "I'm Negan", Rosita and Rick silently decide to detonate the explosives they had set up outside Alexandria, which would have killed Eugene had the Scavengers not already dismantled them. When it's revealed he sabotaged the Saviors' guns and tipped the tide of the war, their friendship starts to mend. By Season 10, Eugene describes Rosita as his best friend.
* What the Hell, Hero?: Rosita calls Glenn out for pushing Tara so hard, telling him that he's only doing so because Tara feels that she owes Glenn.
* Workout Fanservice: In "Lines We Cross", the audience is treated to a montage of Rosita shedding the pregnancy weight in a sweat-drenched, midriff-baring workout top.
* Wolverine Claws: Swiftly takes out a walker with a makeshift claw (made out of a belt) in the Season 5 premiere.
* Younger and Hipper: Her comic counterpart is in her mid-twenties when she first appeared. According to The Other Wiki, she's in her early twenties in the show.
* Zombie Infectee: In the finale, she is bit by a walker and lasts about a day before expiring.
Rick Grimes:
* 10-Minute Retirement: Repeatedly. The world just won't let Rick Grimes take a break.
* Abandoned Hospital Awakening: In the pilot episode.
* Abled in the Adaptation:
** His right hand was chopped-off by the Governor in the source material. That never occurs in the show, though it is teased several times.
** In the comics, the All-out War storyline concludes with Rick getting his right leg permanently injured by Negan. The show's version has Rick literally standing tall over the antagonist.
* Achilles in His Tent:
** After Lori's death, he snaps and goes on a walker killing spree. He later gets a bit better... but, after he sees Lori's hallucination in "The Suicide King", he spends most of the next episode doing "stuff" when in reality, he had been wandering around, looking for a sign for Lori. After Hershel gives a heart to heart and then The Governor does a surprise attack, Rick finally springs back to action. It takes meeting with the now crazed Morgan for him to get back to his full senses.
** Between Seasons 3 and 4, Rick has rejected all forms of leadership or fighting, trying to live as a simple farmer providing for the survivors. This ends by the episode "Infection".
** Negan's killing of Abraham and Glenn forces Rick to essentially give the Saviors what they want. It's not until Spencer and Olivia are also killed that Rick gets back into action.
* Action Dad: Justified as he is a cop.
* Adaptation Deviation: In Season 9, he is Put on a Bus and removed from the Alexandria region’s story, something that never happened in the comics.
* Adaptation Dye-Job: Rick's hair is dirty blonde in the comics.
* Adaptational Angst Upgrade:
** Compared to the comics, Rick takes Lori's death much harder to the point that he suffers from a severe case of Sanity Slippage. He improves somewhat by Season 4.
** In the comics, Rick is shaken by Negan's introduction and the murder of Glenn, but he only pretends to submit to Negan to keep Alexandria safe while he makes plans to take down Negan. In the show, Rick puts up no act — Negan really does break him and Rick tries to convince everyone that doing this is the only way to survive. He finally regains the will to fight halfway through the season when he sees that despite his efforts, his friends are still being hurt by the Saviors.
** Unlike the comics, Rick's worries comes true with the death of Carl in Season 8.
* Adaptational Nice Guy: Played straight at first, but it keeps getting Double Subverted since the Season 2 finale. By Season 3, he is more close to his comic counterpart until his Heel Realization by the end of that season. In Season 4, he re-Took a Level in Kindness, thus playing this straight once again until the Season Finale where he finally embraces his Anti-Hero self. From Season 5 onward, he's very much like his comic counterpart.
* Adaptational Weapon Swap: His weapon is his Colt Python unlike the comics where he more prominently uses a hatchet.
* Advertised Extra: In Season 9. A lot of the promotional art for the season (as well as the cover of the DVD) depicts him front and center, which might lead one to think he plays a far bigger role in the season even though he is Put on a Bus at the end of the fifth episode and doesn't return. Granted, he does play a pivotal part in all five episodes he does appear in, but it's still a smaller role compared to other characters who do appear in every episode or almost every episode, like Daryl and Michonne. It's understandable considering it's Rick's final season on the show and he'd been the unquestionable main protagonist up to that point. What's more, his absence still lingers on the characters long after he's gone, making him a Small Role, Big Impact in terms of the season's overall story.
* Ain't Too Proud to Beg: He's finally broken by Negan when he nearly forces him to cut Carl's arm off, and he uncharacteristically begs and pleads to him until Negan is convinced that he's been pacified.
* Anti-Hero: He goes back and forth across the spectrum as the post-apocalyptic world and his own morals struggle to reconcile.
* Apologetic Attacker: Inverted with Shane. Rick lays the blame on Shane for his own death, but only because Rick clearly can not deal with the guilt on his conscious of killing his best friend in self-defense.
* Audience Surrogate: He serves as one in the pilot episode, as he is a person unexperienced with the Zombie Apocalypse who has to come to terms with the new world, much like how the audience must be introduced to the premise and setting of the show.
* Authority Equals Asskicking: He is a sheriff's deputy prior to the zombie outbreak.
* Ax-Crazy: Takes a level in this after Lori's death, although it is subsequently reversed after Rick has time to grieve. Although this side of him can come out if he's stressed enough or utterly pissed.
* Back for the Finale: Rick makes his return in the epilogue of the Grand Finale of the mothership show, finally providing an update on his whereabouts and confirming he’s trying to find his way home.
* Badass Baritone: Rick's voice does sound more casual when talking normally, but when angered or trying to intimidate people, his voice morphs into a deeper, extremely intimidating growl.
* Badass Boast: Rick gets one during this exchange with Merle in the second episode: Merle: You won't shoot me. You're a cop. Rick: All I am anymore is a man looking for his wife and son. Anybody gets in the way of that is going to lose.
** Again in the Season 4 finale. Rick: They're going to feel pretty stupid when they find out... Abraham: They're going to find out what? Rick: They're fucking/screwing with the wrong people.
** He delivers one again after Negan's kill. "Not today, not tomorrow... but I’m gonna kill you."
* Bash Brothers: Formerly with Shane and then with Daryl starting Season 3.
* Battle Couple: With Michonne starting the second half of Season 6.
* Beard of Sorrow: Initially keeps it shaved, but as the tragedies pile up (and as he has less access to shaving utensils), he lets it go.
* Because You Were Nice to Me: One of the reasons why he went to rescue Glenn. When any survivor shows him or his family decency, he accepts them as family — proven by his almost instant acceptance of newcomers Abraham, Eugene, and Rosita.
* Berserk Button: Suggesting he cannot protect his family (be it his wife and children, or any of his extended family) will quickly get you on his bad side. Becomes more prominent with each passing season as he loses many of those close to him, making Rick even more determined and ruthless in protecting those he has left. In Season 7, when Spencer mocks Rick over Glenn and Abraham's deaths, he threatens to break his jaw. In the same episode, though he's spent the entire episode quietly submitting to Negan, he finally begins to snap when Negan brags that he wants to take Maggie, who he recently made a widow, as one of his wives, but thankfully Gabriel arrives and defuses the situation.
* The Berserker:
** After the death of Lori, Rick proceeds to grab an axe and goes off to slaughters most of the walkers by himself, not to clear out the prison but to exact his rage upon them.
** When Jessie and her sons are devoured by a horde of walkers and Carl is shot in the eye, Rick retaliates by rampaging through the herd.
* Berserker Tears: When Lori dies in Season 3, and then again in Season 7 when Abraham and Glenn are brutally murdered by Negan.
* Better to Die than Be Killed: In the pilot, he almost shoots himself when the tank he's taken shelter under is completely surrounded and walkers begin crawling towards him. He solemnly says, "Lori, Carl... I'm sorry"... and, before can he pull the trigger, looks up and notices a hatch above his head...
* Beware the Nice Ones: Rick is likely one of the most good, if not nice characters in the show, but hitting one of his berserk buttons will end you.
* Big Good: He grows into this role by Season 4, after showing shades of it in Season 3. He becomes the Big Good of Alexandria in Season 6 when Deanna realizes she is no longer fit to lead the community, and later shares the role with Maggie (and to a lesser extent, Ezekiel) in Season 8 during the Savior War. In Season 9, he becomes the Big Good to the entire Washington region of the five allied communities, especially due to becoming a war hero after defeating Negan. His apparent death helps shatter the bonds the communities have forged and it takes over half a decade for everyone to finally come together again.
* Bond One-Liner:
** "Shut up." - Bob Lamson
** "...What?" - Ethan
* Break the Haughty: The entire Season 7 premiere is this for a Rick who had become increasingly overconfident and ruthless in the way that he ran his group (particularly with his approach to the Saviors, attempting to kill them all in one battle without even considering gaining more intel on them first). When he and his core group are completely at the Saviors' mercy, Negan spends the entire episode mentally torturing him, showing him the price of his arrogance.
* Bring My Red Jacket: By most of Season 3, Rick has worn a shirt that has been covered in walker blood (caused from his walker rampage after Lori's death) that has changed from its brownish color to a more reddish one.
* The Cameo: He appears in the Fear the Walking Dead fourth season premiere, trying to convince Morgan to return home with him, and unfortunately inspiring him to just outright leave the region.
* Cartwright Curse: Both his wife, Lori, and budding girlfriend, Jessie, are dead by the middle of Season 6.
* The Cassandra: Had the others listened to him about going back to Terminus and finishing off its survivors, they wouldn't have had cannibalistic psychopaths trailing them.
* The Chains of Commanding:
** As the series goes on, the burdens on him as the leader of the group grow, leading up to the declaration of a Ricktatorship at the end of Season 2. Rick feels that having to mediate between the constant squabbling and infighting in the group when making decisions is doing no good since they now question his leadership abilities after everything he has sacrificed for them, so he rants at them that from now on, they follow what he says without question.
** However, at the end of Season 3, he realizes the toll that this is taking on his mental state and tells the group that he can't keep making decisions for them anymore, and that they will decide together what to do from then on.
** It comes up again in Seasons 5 and 6 after the group arrives in Alexandria. It takes a while for Rick to accept that he's no longer in charge of everyone, and Michonne even has to give him a sharp bump on the noggin to prevent him from attacking the Alexandrians at one point. When he does take charge of everyone, he has to deal with the pains of suddenly having a few dozen survivors who have never had to really defend themselves before, and shows favoritism to his experienced Atlanta group, only causing more friction. Deanna and Michonne have to spell it out to him that they are his responsibility as much as his original group.
** In Season 9, though he does a better job at hiding it than before, it’s clear he’s uncomfortable with being revered as a quasi-folk hero after ending the Savior War, and has to deal with the politics and drama of hundreds of survivors, least of all the Saviors who surrendered. Being in charge of so many people unfortunately also means he can’t quite devote as much one-on-one time with his people, including his veteran friends and family, and in true manager fashion, this sometimes means he becomes ignorant of how they’re actually feeling. He is surprised when Daryl decides to leave the Sanctuary, even though Daryl spent an extended period of time there as a tortured slave; he’s clearly surprised at Maggie’s hostility to providing basically free supplies to the Saviors and later insists she was coming around to them despite the fact many of them still treat her like shit; and like Michonne, he has tragically underestimated just how damaged his best friends are from his decision to spare Negan. If Rick had been allotted more time to deal with his group one-on-one, it’s likely things would’ve never have gotten as bad as they did and led to the chain of events that resulted in his apparent death.
* Character Development: The show as of Season 6 can be divided into two eras based on his development.
** The first era focuses on Rick coping with the horrors of the world and ultimately failing to remain a Martial Pacifist. When he realizes he's becoming too dark, he tries to dial it back by going back to being a humble Nice Guy. However, after the loss of Hershel, Rick ultimately realizes that his mission in life is not allowing his brutality to dominate over his humanity, or vice versa; Rick's mission is that of a balance between his humanity and brutality. He becomes a mix of the best of both Hershel and Shane, making him into the Rick Grimes his family needs him to be in the world.
** After spending half of Season 5 Out of Focus, his second era of development begins in the second half of that season when the group comes to Alexandria. Deanna tries to inspire some optimism in him, but Rick mostly ignores her, believing she and her community are far too weak to change. When Deanna cedes control of the town to him, he has little patience for the townspeople, but ultimately is proven wrong about them when they help him fight off the herd in the Battle for Alexandria. Rick reflects that he's now got something he hasn't felt in a long time: hope for the future. Everything Deanna had said was true: Alexandria is a genuine chance to rebuild civilization and the world - and he's now ready to lead his expanded family into that future. Rick develops into a man who's never been more hopeful about the future, someone with the drive to rebuild and save his world.
* Character Tic: He tends to hold his left hand at his side when he's firing his guns one-handed. It's very easily seen in "Days Gone Bye" when he's running to meet Glenn in the alley, and "Wrath" when he's running up to Negan. - Rick actually develops more character tics as the seasons progress. He develops a habit of making very explicit death threats to people who wrong him. He also picks up Shane’s old habit of twitching his fingers when agitated.
* Chronic Hero Syndrome: Averted. Rick is declared leader by popular vote the second he shows up at the campsite, despite not really asking for it. He has spent almost every second since questioning whether the decisions he's making from his position are the right ones or not, not to mention the rest of the group asking the same questions. At the end of Season 2, he browbeats them into submitting to his authority and declares the group will no longer be a democracy; late in Season 3, however, he realizes that this is just making things worse and admits this to the group.
* Cincinnatus: Voluntarily steps down from the Ricktatorship and gives control to the Council in between Seasons 3 and 4 so that he can settle down and become a humble farmer.
* Classical Anti-Hero: It's repeatedly demonstrated that Rick simply doesn't want to be the one to hold the weight of so many lives on his shoulders, make the painful choices, and that he would much rather follow than bear The Chains of Commanding. This results in much of his conflict with Shane in Season 2, as well as his Ideal Hero phase in Season 4.
* Combat, Diplomacy, Stealth: For Season 1, Rick handles Diplomacy for the group, while Daryl specializes in Combat, and Glenn is the Stealth expert.
* Combat Pragmatist: Increasingly as the series progresses, reaching a climax in the Season 4 finale where he bites out a man's throat to defend his son.
* Crazy Jealous Guy: In regards to Jessie in Season 5. When he sees her walking with Pete, his hand lingers on his gun. Disturbingly enough, this actually makes him resemble Shane in a way.
* Crusading Widower: After Lori's death.
* Death Glare: He gets better and better at this as the seasons progress and as his dark side becomes more and more embraced. Just try and tell yourself you wouldn't be scared if he gave you the one he gave to Gareth in the moments before he messily hacked him to pieces.
* Death Wail:
** Gives one after he kills Shane.
** In "Killer Within", after he finds out that Lori died during labor. And what a wail it is.
* Determinator: Not only does he manage to find his family in the middle of a Zombie Apocalypse after being in a coma for three months, he manages to keep the group mostly intact and forges them into an effective walker killing team.
* Decomposite Character: Where to begin...
** Following his departure from the show, his role as the leader of Alexandria and the Coalition is divided in various ways between Michonne, Gabriel and Daryl.
** Daryl largely becomes the father figure to Judith, similarly to Rick and Carl's relationship late in the comics.
** Over in Fear the Walking Dead, John Dorie was introduced around the time of Rick's departure. Superficial similarities aside, John dies in a manner heavily reminiscent of Rick's own death in the comics.
* Disney Death: To both the characters on the show and the audience, Rick initially looks to have been killed in an explosion that destroys the bridge the communities had been building. The following scene reveals him to be wounded but alive, and he is airlifted to safety and taken to unknown whereabouts by Anne, who does not inform his friends of this.
* Do Unto Others Before They Do Unto Us: Starts displaying this attitude in Season 5, ordering his group to kill anyone who might harm them. It comes back to haunt him in Season 6 when they slaughter an entire outpost of Saviors and Negan murders Glenn and Abraham as payback.
* Dude, Where's My Respect?: At the end of Season 2 when the group questions his leadership and him killing Shane. Rick: I am doing something! I'm keeping this group together. Alive! I've been doing that all along, no matter what; I didn't ask for this! I killed my best friend for you people, for Christ sake! You saw how he was like. How he pushed me, how he compromised us, how he threatened us. He staged the whole Randall thing, led me out to put a bullet in my back. He gave me no choice! He was my friend, but he came after me. My hands are clean. Maybe you people are better off without me. Go ahead. I say there's a place for us, but maybe — maybe it's just another pipe dream. Maybe — Maybe I'm fooling myself again. Why don't -- why don't you go out and find yourself. Send me a postcard! Go on, there's the door. You can do better. Let's see how far you get. No takers? Fine. But get one thing straight... you're staying. This isn't a democracy anymore.
* Dying Moment of Awesome: Subverted in that he doesn't die, but it would have been a hell of way to go. He leads a horde of walkers across the bridge and fires his gun at a few sticks of dynamite, destroying the bridge and knocking all the remaining walkers into the water. All while rapidly bleeding out from a wound.
* Et Tu, Brute?: Considering how much shit he goes through protecting his group and keeping them going, it's not surprising that Rick develops a white-hot hatred towards Father Gabriel for betraying his group to Deanna.
* Farm Boy: He attempts to be this during his 10-Minute Retirement. Obviously, it doesn't last.
* The Fettered: In Season 1 and roughly the first half of Season 2, he's extremely unwilling to allow loss of human life, especially when compared to Shane. He'll still kill other humans if forced to, however. Come Season 3, though, his fetters begin breaking down with his sanity.
* Fighting the Lancer: His conflict with Shane is the driving plot of the second season.
* Firing One-Handed: Rick likes to do this with handguns, specifically when picking off walkers.
* Fish out of Water: When he joins Alexandria.
* Foil: Has one in Shane, the Governor and Morgan. Shane shows the different routes two very similar men could take, the Governor contrasts with Rick over leadership styles and treatment of strangers, and Morgan shows what could happen to Rick without his family and others to support him. Both Morgan and the Governor can be used to compare with Rick on how men cope with the loss of loved ones.
** The contrast with Shane is particularly evident with Rick's Alexandria storyline. Shane wanted to kill Rick and steal Lori because of a deluded love for Lori and a desire to be group leader. Rick wanted to kill Pete because he wanted to protect Jessie from him, and because it would be objectively safer for the community, not principally due to his feelings for Jessie. But he still gave Pete the chance to settle the situation peacefully.
* A Friend in Need: Rick's reasoning to go rescue Glenn, since Glenn could have easily left Rick to die in the tank but instead risked his life to rescue him.
   Tropes G-L 
* Give Me a Sign: In "What Lies Ahead", Rick expresses his doubts about his leadership in a church, asking a wooden figure of Jesus for "a nudge... anything... to let me know I'm going in the right direction." When not long afterward his son is shot, he becomes a Nay-Theist.
* Glass Cannon: In unarmed combat. Changes by Season 5 and 6, where he's now shown to be absolutely lethal against multiple attackers, as two Wolves learn the hard way.
* The Gunslinger: Type D, Quick Draw.
* Hallucinations: After Lori dies, Rick begins hearing voices and seeing her everywhere. The hallucinations only persist as he continues to make increasingly questionable decisions as the war with Woodbury escalates - but once the conflict ends and he takes several steps back from the Villain Protagonist he was becoming, the apparitions end.
* Happily Married: Showrunner Angela Kang revealed that Rick and Michonne got married at some point, likely during the 18-month Time Skip between Seasons 8 and 9.
* Heel Realization: Towards the end of Season 3, he finally realizes what kind of a leader he's been since he Took a Level in Jerkass and starts mending his group, thus ending his "Ricktatorship".
* The Hero: Starts as easily the most unambiguously heroic character in the cast. At first.
* Heroic Safe Mode: After Lori's death, his reasoning more or less shuts down for some time and he goes on a walker killing spree.
* Hero Stole My Bike: Rick pulls one of these on a walker. Of course, it's not like she had any legs to pedal it with.
* He's Back!:
** After taking the pacifist route throughout most of Season 4, he reminds the audience just how far he's willing to go to protect the people he loves by biting a man's throat out in the season finale.
** After spending the first half of Season 7 being subjugated by Negan and forced to scavenge for supplies Rick realizes in the midseason finale that he can't allow it to continue anymore after a visit from The Saviors ends with Aaron being brutally beaten, Spencer and Olivia dead and Eugene kidnapped. Rick therefore decides that it is time to fight back as symbolized by him regaining his trademark Colt Python from Daryl.
* Heterosexual Life-Partners:
** With Shane pre-series. Unfortunately, it's a friendship that just wasn't built to last in the apocalypse...
** With Daryl, from about Season 3 onward. He outright calls Daryl his "brother" in the Season 4 finale, and when the two are reunited midway through Season 7 following Daryl's captivity with the Saviors, they share a bromantic hug.
* He Who Fights Monsters: It's slow and steady, but by Season 5 Rick has become a mirror image of Shane, right down to his Machiavellian leadership style and lusting for a woman married to another man. Also, sharp-eyed viewers can see Rick picking up mannerisms from the antagonists he's defeated, such as using Gareth's hand signals or popping his collar like the Governor. He pulls back from this in "Conquer," however.
* Honor Before Reason: He refuses to break any of Hershel's rules in order to keep the group from getting kicked off the farm, and is even willing to help him capture walkers to put in the barn. This starts going away as life gets worse and worse, however.
* Icy Blue Eyes: Subverted in the first two seasons, as well as the first half of Season 4, when Rick is trying to do good and be a good leader. However, in his more ruthless moments, such as throughout Season 3 and for the remainder of Season 4 and onward, Rick gives out a killer Death Glare.
* Iconic Item: Besides his hat, his Colt Python. His red-handled machete that he uses to kill Gareth becomes one from Seasons 5-7.
* Iconic Outfit: He finally gets a hold of his dark brown jacket/coat from the comics during the second half of Season 4 and immediately starts wearing it.
* Ideal Hero: Actively tries to become this as of Season 4 after taking in Woodbury's survivors. He becomes a farmer and avoids violence, leading by example, in an attempt to salvage his and Carl's humanity . He'll also take in other survivors into the group as long as it is safe to do so. When the Governor shows up with a new group attempting to overtake the prison, he instead pleads that they join the group and simply be peaceful, stating that they can change from the bad things they have done. Unfortunately, this only gets him kicked in the face - he loses Hershel, the prison is overrun, and Rick is left destitute and bloodied for some time after. Deconstructed in that it's only when Rick finally casts aside his self-doubts and restraint that he becomes a truly effective leader.
* The Idealist: At first, though by the end of Season 2 lost. He eventually regains some idealism, such as protecting strangers, by the Season 3 finale.
* I Did What I Had to Do: Uses this justification when he kills Shane, and later lives by this as a philosophy. If he must do something to survive or to protect his loved ones, he'll do it.
* I Lied: In "Still Gotta Mean Something", he promises a group of Saviors who have him and Morgan captured and are reconsidering their decision to escape that they will not kill them and they can all head back to Hilltop in peace. When the Saviors free Rick and Morgan to help fend off a walker herd, the duo proceed to wipe them all out and Rick simply tells the last dying Savior, "I lied" before executing him with a shot to the head.
* Important Haircut: He shaves and has his hair trimmed when he tries to start a new life in Alexandria.
* Incorruptible Pure Pureness: Rick starts as one of the most idealistic and merciful members of the cast, but his personality is darkened severely by his experiences. By the end of Season 3, he's realized how far he is slipping and starts to make amends.
* Inelegant Blubbering: In "The Day Will Come When You Won't Be", when he's begging Negan not to force him to cut off Carl's arm himself. There's even a snot bubble.
* In-Series Nickname: "Officer Friendly" from the Atlanta group, particularly Morales.
* Jack of All Stats: While Rick is primarily known for his excellent marksmanship, he can handle himself quite well in melee combat.
* Jade-Colored Glasses: While he always had a pragmatic streak, Rick begins questioning any good will given to him after having his trust and hope betrayed repeatedly.
* Jerk with a Heart of Gold: In Seasons 3, and from 5 onward, separated by a brief return to his Nice Guy self in Season 4.
* Kick the Dog:
** In Season 3, Glenn tries to talk to him and comfort him after the death of Lori. Rick's response is to snap at and physically assault Glenn before giving him a psychotic Death Glare.
** Also in Season 3, he leaves a stranger who is literally begging for help to die in the wilderness, then when he is inevitably mauled to death by walkers, steals his stuff. He's basically one tiny step up from the Governor — he won't actively hunt and kill people just to steal their things, but he's more than happy to allow them to die and steal their things.
** When Carl tries to pry him away from his fight with Pete, he shoves him away. Still nothing compared to Pete who outright punches his wife when she tries to stop him.
** In Season 6, he has a large hatred for Father Gabriel after he betrayed them in Season 5. He flatly turns down any attempt by Gabriel to make peace or atone for his actions. While it's understandable that he'd be pissed for Gabriel betraying him after saving his life countless times over, his hatred for Gabriel becomes downright petty as the season progresses, and even Carl is disgusted by his dad's spite.
* Kick The Son Of A Bitch: Whenever he comes across someone who is Obviously Evil or trying to kill him, Rick will gladly Pay Evil unto Evil. A lot of the time it's actually satisfying to see.
* Kirk Summation: The defining moment of his Character Development in Season 4 has Rick attempting to settle the conflict with the Governor peacefully. He pleads that they should live together to avoid any further bloodshed, and declares that people can come back from the bad things they do to survive. The Governor, expecting Rick to instigate a fight, is absolutely irritated and Hershel, the Team Dad, proudly smiles at Rick's change this season.
* Knight in Sour Armor: As of the Season 2 finale, adding to his newfound Good is Not Nice attitude.
* Knight Templar Parent: Becomes one to Carl in Season 4. Leading by example by becoming a farmer and settling down, he forbids Carl from involving himself in any danger or the use of firearms in an attempt to salvage Carl's humanity.
* The Leader: The Levelheaded type, which people surviving the apocalypse desperately need.
* Leave No Survivors: When Rick sees the hung corpses in the Terminus slaughterhouse. He tells Bob, Daryl and Glenn to spare nobody from Terminus and to not even hesitate to kill... because they won't.
* Living Legend: Triumphing over Negan and ending the Savior War elevates Rick to become a living folk hero amongst the five communities. The Sanctuary is shown to revere him, and his mere presence is able to de-escalate a huge argument at the camp. His apparent death hits the region hard and it takes years for them to come back together. Ezekiel specifically memorializes Rick at the fair, and Daryl makes it clear during the Whisperer War they are fighting to save Rick’s legacy.
   Tropes M-R 
* Machete Mayhem: Starts using one during Season 3 and a red handled machete is now his other go to weapon in Season 5, after making his promise with killing Gareth with the same weapon. Red Machete confirms that Rick lost it when it was looted by the Saviors in "Service", and later taken by a rogue Savior who himself lost it when he was killed. It's since been found by a woman in the countryside.
* Mama's Baby, Papa's Maybe: It's never officially been answered whether Judith is his daughter or Shane's. Rick himself firmly believes Shane is the father, but vows to love Judith as his own regardless.
* Man Bites Man: He rips Joe's throat out with his bare teeth after the Claimers have captured him, Michonne, Carl, and Daryl in the Season 4 finale.
* Manly Tears: On a few notable occasions:
** When he wakes up from his coma and returns home to find his family gone.
** After killing Shane.
** Upon learning that Lori has died in childbirth.
** When Beth is shot in the head by Dawn.
** Averted when Negan nearly forces him to chop off Carl's arm. See Inelegant Blubbering above.
* Mind Rape: Subjected to this by Negan, who spends an entire night mentally torturing Rick until he breaks and complies with him. Subverted later on because its effects don't necessarily last; Rick still looks at him with remnants of defiance and has to hold himself back from attacking Negan when he comes to Alexandria. Negan, on his part, continues to mock and intimidate Rick to make sure he remembers what happened that night.
* Muscles Are Meaningless: Rick isn't very large like some of his other group members, but is still quite strong. He proves that even though he has a slim physique he can still hold his own in a fight with people bigger than him such as Tyreese, Merle, Shane, Pete, and Negan.
* My Greatest Failure: He clearly regards Carl's death as this, lamenting that he wasn't able to protect him as a father should.
* My Way or the Highway:
** At the end of the second season when he takes full control of the group. declaring there isn't a democracy any longer in the group under him. He reverses course at the end of the third season when he realizes he doesn't want to become like the Governor.
** In Season 5, he's frustrated when he's outvoted twice, once when the group refuses to turn back and wipe out Terminus, and when Tyreese and Daryl vote to do a peaceful hostage exchange for Beth and Carol. Both of these group decisions backfire, and come the tail end of the season, the only person who really questions Rick is Michonne, the lesson apparently having been learned.
** Happens again in Season 6. After becoming frustrated with the Alexandrians' naivete, Rick starts to become more and more ruthless about how they should be training and living behind the walls. Michonne urges him to compromise at several points, saying that gradual progress will be better than the immediate resistance his current methods will meet. Rick listens to her, for the most part.
** In the Season 8 finale, he makes a (hypocritical) decision to keep Negan alive, without asking Maggie or anyone else who has lost loved ones to the Saviors. During the year-and-a-half Time Skip between Season 8 and 9 and up until "The Obliged", he refuses to listen to anyone else and only starts listening when a brawl between him and Daryl escalates into them being trapped in a pit and forced to vent their frustrations to one another.
** Rick also decides to keep the Saviors alive without asking anyone else. Not only that, but he also makes Hilltop give them food and makes Maggie take the blame and Hilltop's anger for his decisions.
* Nay-Theist: He moves into this territory after asking God for a sign and, next thing you know, his son gets shot, though he phrases it to Hershel as more "trying to stay out of God's way in hopes he'll stay out of mine".
* Never Found the Body: For Michonne and everyone else. They see Rick sacrificing himself and blowing up a bridge as a herd of walkers are coming for him, making it appear that he has died in the process. However, his body is blown out into the river and he is later rescued by Anne, who takes Rick on a helicopter to an unknown destination. Six years later, Daryl is still looking for Rick's body to give him a proper burial.
* Nice Guy: Started out as this, being one of the most trusting survivors and having a mission to find his family. But, the stresses of the apocalypse have not been kind to his sanity or conscience. He did make a return to his old self in Season 4... until he met the Claimers, from which point he finally began to balance his normal self with his (usually) crazy self.
* Nice Job Breaking It, Hero: His assault on Pete and lashing out at the citizens of Alexandria lands him and his group in hot water.
* Not Helping Your Case: After he beats Pete he tries to convince the Alexandrians that they need him to keep them safe, but he does so by pointing a gun at the civilians and giving them "The Reason You Suck" Speech.
* Official Couple: He is married to Lori for the first two seasons before her death early into Season 3. He begins forming a relationship with Jessie in Season 6, but she is killed shortly afterward. After a few months, Rick realizes the true extent of his bond with Michonne and they get together in the second half of Season 6.
* One-Man Army: Rick eventually becomes one of, if not the, most dangerous fighters featured on the show. Whether it's a group of antagonistic survivors or a thousand-strong herd of walkers, Rick eventually becomes powerful enough to wade into them with less worries than a duck getting into a pond.
* Our Hero Is Dead: Other than Anne, the rest of his friends and family believe that he died when he blew up a bridge to get rid of a walker horde.
* Outliving One's Offspring: Tragically, Carl shoots himself before succumbing to a walker bite midway through Season 8.
* Out of Focus: He doesn't have too much focus in the first half of Season 5, given that his primary arc of accepting his status as an Anti-Hero was completed in the Season 4 finale. This ends in the second half of the season as the group reaches Alexandria.
* Papa Wolf: There's almost nothing he won't do if he feels his family is being threatened. This trait is fully displayed in the Season 4 finale after his son is almost raped, by brutally killing the bastard who attempted to do it. He also rips out Joe's throat with his teeth in order to get to Carl. Not much later, he hacks Gareth to pieces with his machete for strongly implying he's eager to eat Judith.
* Pay Evil unto Evil: Becomes his modus-operandi as time passes, starting with putting a machete into Tomas' head for repeatedly trying to get him killed.
** When the group escapes from Terminus, Rick is the one who insists that they return and finish off any survivors, stating, "They don't get to live."
* Perma-Stubble: Almost a year after his being shot, prior to the Zombie Apocalypse, he still has the same length of stubble on his chin.
* Pre-Mortem One-Liner:
** "I hear Nebraska's nice." - Dave and Tony
** "Yeah. Shit happens." - Tomas
** "He's mine." - Dan
** "Besides... I already made you a promise." - Gareth
** "I'm sorry it had to come to this." - Primo
* A Protagonist Shall Lead Them: He eventually manages to end all of the conflict in the group and lead them into becoming an extremely effective walker-killing machine.
* Put on a Bus: After surviving a tremendous explosion that leaves everyone thinking he's dead, a heavily wounded Rick is taken by Anne on a helicopter heading to an unknown destination.
* "The Reason You Suck" Speech: After beating up Pete for abusing his wife Jessie, (which never would have happened in the first place if the Alexandrians hadn't been turning a blind eye to said abuse because Pete was their only surgeon), Rick finally gets fed up and calls them out on their stubborn refusal to accept that the world as it was is gone now and to adapt to the new one, no matter how many lives that costs or endangers. Rick: "Things don't get better because you... want them to!"
* Red Oni, Blue Oni: The Blue to Shane's Red (Seasons 1 and 2), The Red to Daryl's Blue (Season 3 on).
* Reluctant Hero: An important character trait, even if Rick rarely admits it. He tells Jenner that he has no idea what to do, rants at the group in the Season 2 finale that he was forced to kill Shane to protect them, and eventually resigns from leadership after going mad in Season 3. He eventually is forced back into a leadership role in Season 4 to deal with the new crises, and does away with this trope entirely in Season 5.
* Retired Badass: From the end of Season 3 to the episode "Infection", Rick puts down his gun and becomes a farmer.
* Retired Gunfighter: At the start of Season 4.
* Revolvers Are Just Better: Rick's favored weapon is Colt Python revolver pistol, as he was originally a small-town sheriff.
* The Rival: To the Governor, since they don't hate each other enough to be considered arch-enemies. At least until Season 4.
* Roaring Rampage of Revenge:
** After learning about Lori's death, he grabs an axe and goes on a walker killing spree.
** After Jessie is devoured by a horde of walkers and Carl is blinded in one eye an utterly enraged Rick goes into Unstoppable Rage, picks up an axe, and starts carving the horde apart singlehandedly and by the looks of it, winning the fight.
   Tropes S-Z 
* Sanity Slippage:
** Starts down that path when Lori dies, compounding his Good is Not Nice attitude.
** Hallucinations: In "Made to Suffer", he believes one of his attackers during the rescue mission to Woodbury is Shane.
** Once again in "The Suicide King", where at the end of the episode, he sees what he apparently believes is Lori's spirit in a cell on the second level of the prison, causing him to completely lose it.
** Hearing Voices: Hears Amy, Jim, Jacqui, and even Lori over the phone in the room where Lori died.
** He undergoes Epiphany Therapy after reuniting with Morgan, who after losing his son to his zombified wife crossed the Despair Event Horizon.
** He's at it again when he snaps at the people of Alexandria and tells them that their society is a lie because he's not like them.
* Second Love: He eventually becomes this for Michonne, as the first man she is known to have been involved with since the death of her boyfriend.
* The Sheriff: Technically just a deputy, but damn if that's not a nice hat.
* Ship Tease: With Michonne and with Jessie in Season 5. He ends up in a brief relationship with Jessie in Season 6 and after her death ends up with Michonne.
* Shoot the Dog: After poking holes in Shane's story about Randall escaping (who was already dead thanks to Shane), which led all the men in a wild goose chase and lured Rick in open field to kill him, Rick stabs him in the heart, killing him.
* Slept Through the Apocalypse: He was in a coma in hospital after being shot. Partly justified by Shane blocking his room's door with a trolley to prevent walkers from entering, and someone in such a position having a small chance of surviving dehydration.
* Smug Snake: Towards the end of Season 6 he becomes extremely cocky when it comes to dealing with the Saviors, and it comes back to bite him big time.
* Sole Survivor: As of Carl's death in "Honor", Rick is now the last surviving member of the original pre-Judith Grimes family.
* Spared by the Adaptation: As a result of his near-fatal Heroic Sacrifice during the events of Season 9, Rick sits out for the rest of the series and is spared from being gunned down by Sebastian as a result.
* Team Dad: Of his group, particularly as the seasons pass and the constant losses of the group's moral centers like Dale and Hershel. He's the one keeping the group together and moving.
* Technical Pacifist: In the first two episodes of Season 4, in an attempt to instill similar values in Carl.
* Time-Passage Beard: His beard becomes longer and fuller as the seasons progress. He eventually shaves it off when the group enters Alexandria, but it returns by the second half of Season 6.
* Took a Level in Cynic: Progressively as the show goes on, though dialed back in Season 9 to an extent.
* Took a Level in Idealism: In Season 9, though more due to wanting to honor the late Carl's wishes than having much hope for humanity.
* Took a Level in Jerkass: At the end of Season 2. He fully gets over it in Season 3, ending the Ricktatorship in the finale. Technically becomes this again in Season 5 as he embraces his Anti-Hero self.
* Took a Level in Kindness: At the end of Season 3. He fully displays this in Season 4.
* Tranquil Fury:
** He is coldly furious when Gareth gleefully (and loudly) professes an interest in eating Judith, not to mention the other things that he has done, and when Gareth is at his mercy, Rick takes him apart with a machete without changing facial expression.
** He has a moment of this during his Roaring Rampage of Revenge against the walker horde. He quietly gets his axe while ignoring Michonne's calls as he quietly walks towards a hungry mob of walkers. But when he fights them he goes into an Unstoppable Rage.
* Underestimating Badassery: He bit off way more than he could chew with the Saviors. At that point he thought the Alexandrians were the meanest, toughest group around and that people didn't know who they were messing with. Then Negan gives him the score.
* The Unfettered: A heroic example in Season 5.
* Ungrateful Bastard: After he convinces a group of Saviors to free him and Morgan to help them to fight the walkers, he breaks his promise and kills all these Saviors (after giving them his word), including the one who has just saved Rick's life.
* Unscrupulous Hero: In Season 3, mixed with Anti-Villain and bordering on Nominal Hero. Returns to a lighter, more emotionally stable version of this in Season 5.
* Unstoppable Rage: Simply put, it is very hard to calm Rick down once he's legitimately pissed off. Talking Dead even named this state, "Beast Mode."
** When the situation with a belligerent and distraught Tyreese, who had just found the immolated corpses of Karen and David, comes to a head Tyreese ends up getting into a fight with Rick, who flies into a berserker rage and beats him to a pulp.
** When the Claimers attack and attempt to rape Carl in the Season 4 finale, Rick goes absolutely ballistic and rips out Joe's throat with his teeth in order to get to his son. Once Michonne and Daryl handle the others, Rick personally goes after the child molester and viciously guts him with a hunting knife.
** Rick spends several moments messily hacking Gareth to pieces, even cutting open his torso and exposing his rib cage, once he's got the smug cannibal under his boot, and hacks one more time even after the guy's clearly dead.
** Michonne has to knock him out from behind when he goes into a rage fighting Pete to the death. He calms down quite a bit after waking up and having a long talk with her.
** In "No Way Out," after seeing Jessie and her children die, and Carl's eye shot out, he takes out his axe, wanders into the mega herd and just starts swinging. He racks up a huge body count single-handedly before the rest of the named cast and most of Alexandria come out to help him, which seems to immediately calm him down.
* Villain Protagonist: Rick has come dangerously close to passing into this category quite a few times over the course of the series as his character gets steadily darker, though usually he and his group are going up against people far worse than him. He especially starts to show this tendency during the group's stay in Alexandria, telling Carol and Daryl point blank that if the people there are weak they'll just take the community by force. He scales it back by "Conquer", however, and Michonne effectively takes up the mantle of being his conscience.
* Wife-Basher Basher: It sure is satisfying watching him beat Jessie's abusive husband Pete to a pulp in "Try". In the season finale, he shoots Pete in the head without hesitation when ordered to by Deanna (whose husband has just been murdered by Pete).
* You Are in Command Now: Deanna steps down as leader and gives Rick full control of Alexandria in "Now".
Lori Grimes:
* Accidental Adultery: Her brief fling with Shane. Unlike the comics, it's much more justified because Shane told her (and had every reason to believe) that Rick really did die in that hospital bed.
* Action Mom: Thanks to Adaptational Badass below. Overlaps with Pregnant Badass in the beginning of Season 3, when she helps other survivors in clearing the prison from walkers.
* Action Survivor: Making up for her stupidity in "Nebraska", Lori has a Let's Get Dangerous! moment right after her car crash. Still suffering from shock, she stabs a walker clambering into the car through the eye with a torn-off piece of the car, and then smacks another over the head with a hub cap before fetching her gun from the car and headshotting it.
* Adaptation Dye-Job: Lori has raven hair in the comics.
* Adaptational Badass: Believe it or not. In the comic, Lori would often fumble with her gun, and Carl saved her on more than one occasion. Here, she is making headshots at night without panicking.
* Age Lift: Lori is 27 at the start of the comics. She's in her mid-thirties in this one.
* Break the Cutie: She was determined to prevent this from happening to Carl, but eventually has to accept that Carl must be exposed to the horrors of the world if he is ever going to survive it.
* Break the Haughty: Lori is rather self-righteous for the first two seasons of the show, given her being the "First Lady" of the group and often ordering the others around. She also dithers when it comes to resolving the Love Triangle between her, Rick, and Shane, and later is enraged when Rick reveals he killed Shane in self-defense and refuses to let him come near her. This destroys their relationship, and Lori practically begs for the chance to make amends with Rick, admitting to Hershel that she feels she deserves to have been laid low.
* The Conscience: One of the most vocal members of the group to criticize morally-questionable actions.
* The Ditherer: When Rick returns, she goes back to him without a word to Shane, largely because of her shame for having a relationship while her husband was alive and thinking she had been tricked. It goes very, very poorly as Shane does not take it well.
* Does Not Like Guns: Seems to be why she rarely fights herself and instead prefers to have others protect her. She even tries to argue against it when Rick and Shane want to teach her son Carl to use a gun, despite the fact it's the most viable option for self-defense he has in the middle of a Zombie Apocalypse.
* Heroic Sacrifice: When the prison is being overrun by walkers and she goes into labor, she decides for Maggie to perform a makeshift C-section with a knife so that her child will survive.
* Housewife: Lori was this before the Zombie Apocalypse and tries to keep it up even with the world gone to hell.
* Hypocrite: She chews out Rick for not telling her that Hershel was going to kick them off of the farm, while she doesn't tell Rick that she's pregnant until he finds her morning after pills. Rick calls her out on this and she admits to it herself.
* The Load: Lori is the least likely of the group to use weapons and instead relies mostly on others to protect herself. She can fight if she must, though.
* The Lost Lenore: For Rick, who doesn't recover from her death until the end of Season 3 and doesn't find true love again until Michonne in Season 6.
* Mama Bear: Otis is likely lucky to have died before he met Lori and suffered her wrath for shooting Carl. She's also ready to brave a walker invasion of the farm to go hunt down her missing son, and is only talked out of it by Carol.
* My God, What Have I Done?: A big part of why the triangle between Rick, Lori, and Shane is the utter shame Lori has over her part in it; partially for how she believes she was tricked into believing Rick was dead, partially because she's ashamed she developed feelings for Shane and ended up getting pregnant with his child. This is why she tries to bury it, terrified of Rick finding out about the relationship and that he will hate her for engaging in it. This unfortunately means she qualifies for Poor Communication Skills that lead to the destruction of her marriage and Shane's spiral and death.
* Nice Job Breaking It, Hero: In Season 2, Shane is content enough to simply leave the group completely and strike out on his own. Lori talks him out of it, which leads to a lot of the troubles of the season.
* Not Enough to Bury: Her body is completely devoured by a walker.
* Parting-Words Regret: Narrowly averted. The morning that Rick was shot, she instigated a massive argument with him that ended with her accusing him of not caring about her or Carl. She was already feeling crummy about it when Shane broke the bad news, and Rick never regained consciousness before she and Shane assumed (with good reason) that he was dead. When they’re finally reunited, it was as if the argument never took place.
* Politically Incorrect Hero: Her views on gender roles are decidedly conservative.
* Pregnant Badass: Lori's stamina is something to be admired considering she is able to keep up with the group for the entirety of her pregnancy. Even when she's days from giving birth, she still is quite handy with a gun as seen during the taking of the prison.
* Sacrificial Lion: The major casualty of Season 3, whose passing changes Rick and Carl forever and leaves them with Judith.
* Statuesque Stunner: She stands 5'9 and is a hot mom to boot.
* Stay in the Kitchen: She apparently literally believes this is what the women should be doing during the Zombie Apocalypse, and is annoyed with Andrea for wanting to protect the camp. Andrea is understandably incredulous and pissed off upon being told this. Lori rationalizes that she is "trying to create a life worth living," meaning she values the normality and comfort of mundane household chores over bloodshed and fighting.
Carol Peletier:
* Action Mom: In Season 4, she becomes this to Lizzie and Mika, whom she adopts after their father dies. She's accumulated one of the biggest body counts on the show, and her one-woman assault on Terminus has to be seen to be believed. She becomes one again, to Henry, in Season 9, and proves she hasn't lost her touch one bit when she burns a gang of Saviors alive simply for bullying her son. Henry: She's tough. Not somebody you want to mess with.
* Action Survivor: In Season 3. Later upgrades to a full-fledged Action Girl starting in Season 4, and by Season 5 she's able to keep up with Daryl in toughness.
* Adaptation Dye-Job: Went from having medium length blonde hair in the comics to short cropped grey-black hair. Justified in that outside of a few plot points, she has very little in common with the character from the comics.
* Adaptational Angst Upgrade: She's having it much worse here than in the comics.
* Adaptational Badass: By Season 3, she becomes more combat proficient and emotionally stable than her comic counterpart. Which is a good thing because she really needs to be. In the Season 5 premiere, Carol almost singlehandedly destroys Terminus, by blowing up its fences and taking advantage of a passing herd. It would have been impossible for Rick and Co. to escape without her aid. In Season 6 she single-handedly takes out at least eight Wolves when they attack Alexandria.
* Adaptational Hairstyle Change: Comic!Carol is drawn with shoulder-length hair. In the show, she instead has a shaved head, and then as the show progresses, she grows it out far longer than her comic counterpart had.
* A Day in the Limelight: "The Grove", "Consumed", and "The Same Boat" are all very Carol-centric.
* Age Lift: Carol is younger than Rick and Lori in the comic book.
* The Aloner: She usually lapses into this whenever she's feeling morally conflicted. In Season 5, traumatized from what happened with Lizzie and Mika, she tries to leave after saving the group from Terminus, only to be stopped by Daryl. In late Season 6, she leaves Alexandria, as she feels she can no longer kill to protect the group. In Season 7, she moves into a cottage near the Kingdom so she can live in peace, not wishing to suffer anymore. She snaps out of this when she learns of the deaths of Glenn, Abraham, and several others. After Henry's death she spends much of the Time Skip between Seasons 9 and 10 on a boat, far away from any of her friends. Even after Negan kills Henry's murderer, Alpha, she still insists on going off on her own. It takes a hallucination of Alpha herself to finally call Carol out on it and convince her to return to the fold.
* Amicable Exes: After the Whisperer War she settles into this with Ezekiel. She still cares about him as a friend, working hard to get him the medical treatment he needs and still being playful and affectionate with him. She insists they won’t get back together, but she enjoys an evening cuddled up with him and isn’t too forceful in telling Ezekiel it won’t happen.
* Anti-Hero: She slowly starts to become this as her character starts to take a dark turn by doing whatever it takes in order to protect the group, whether it be teaching kids how to use weapons to defend themselves or by killing Karen and David and burning their bodies in order to stop an illness from spreading. Throughout Season 5, she shows herself to be more morally flexible than most others.
* Apologetic Attacker: When she's confronted with a group of Saviors toward the end of Season 6, she tearfully begs them to leave, saying, "Nobody has to get hurt." They think she's begging for her own life. She's really begging them not to make her kill them — which she does, with a hidden machine gun, when they don't back down.
* Ascended Extra: Easily the best example on the show. In Season 1, she is quite literally a background extra and only gets a few lines, only really becoming relevant at the end of the season when she hands Rick a grenade that allows the group to escape the CDC. Over the next few seasons, she slowly builds up screentime and importance (developing into a much stronger character in the process), before finally emerging as a fan favorite and one of the main characters in Seasons 4 and 5. With Rick's departure in Season 9, she is now the longest-running character on the show (Daryl doesn't appear until later in their debut episode). Come Season 10, she's officially the sole Deuteragonist and has arguably the most important arc and most character focus of the season.
* Ax-Crazy: Throughout Season 5 and 6, she displays signs of this, from threatening to kill Sam to slaughtering a defenseless Wolf without even considering interrogation; thus really showcasing how much of a toll her hardened personality and secretive pragmatism is taking on her psyche.
* Badass in Distress: She is knocked out and captured by Grady Memorial Hospital at the end of "Consumed."
* Badass Longcoat: Wears a brown one. It's not a duster like most examples, but it's below the waist.
* Badass Teacher: In the Season 4 premiere, she's shown teaching the kids how to use weapons and defend themselves behind Rick's back.
* Be Careful What You Wish For:
** Throughout the episode "Indifference," she tries to get Rick to be more active again and deal with the situation at hand, as far her killing Karen and David, and he does... by exiling her from the group.
** In "The Grove", her efforts to train Lizzie and Mika to be Action Survivors end in disaster. Mika is the Only Sane Girl who, while perhaps a bit too soft and scared for her own good in a post-apocalyptic world, is/becomes a much stronger and well-adjusted girl than Carol gives her credit; Lizzie, meanwhile, while having some creepy ideas that the Walkers are more real than living people, Carol thinks of as the strong one because of her willingness to kill. By the end of the episode, Lizzie is revealed as an Ax-Crazy Broken Bird who kills small animals like mice (both to feed walkers and for fun) and ends up murdering Mika (and thinking of murdering Judith) because she thinks she'll be better off as a Walker. Carol was so focused on the girls not ending up like Sophia that she was blind to the danger right in front of her.
* Becoming the Mask: When the group arrives at Alexandria, Carol puts on a ditzy, sheltered housewife persona to fool the residents so she can covertly size them up in case the group needs to attack them. However, as she grows more weary of killing, Carol realizes that she really does wish she could be a sheltered housewife away from the brutality of the world.
** It actually happens in Season 9 when Carol joins the Kingdom and becomes a mother to Henry and wife to Ezekiel. While she doesn't lose any of her badassery (see her murder of Jed's group), she grows comfortable in her new role as "queen" and as such is absolutely broken when Alpha murders Henry and the Kingdom goes under. She says as much to Lydia in Season 10 when lamenting how much Alpha has truly taken from her. Carol: I had a whole life...
* Best Served Cold: It takes some time, but she avenges the death of her son by having Negan infiltrate the Whisperers and decapitate Alpha. For an extra bit of satisfaction, she puts Alpha's severed, reanimated head on one of the now-vacant pikes, just as the woman once did to Henry and nine others.
* Beware the Nice Ones: She's known for being one of the most caring and even-tempered members of the group, yet in Season 4 it's revealed that she murdered Karen and David and burned their bodies in an attempt to prevent the fatal disease they were suffering from spreading. Then Terminus happened. Towards the end of Season 6, she begins to long for a more peaceful life, and genuinely hopes that her enemies will have the mercy to spare her - but she still will utterly annihilate those who legitimately cross her.
* Bitch in Sheep's Clothing: Ironically, despite worrying that the people of Alexandria are this in disguise (like the people in Terminus), Carol comes across as this, hiding her true self behind a friendly, slightly ditzy façade. She ends up being forced to cast off the disguise after the first few battles of Alexandria in which her ruthless, One-Woman Army traits are sorely needed.
* Boyish Short Hair: For the first nine seasons (and five episodes) of the show, this is her signature look. There is partly a reason for this, however; see Long Hair Is Feminine below.
* Breakout Character: Despite being on the show since the beginning, it wasn't until Season 5 that she became this. Her truly amazing siege on Terminus to rescue Rick and the others in the premiere, which included blowing up a fuel tank with a firework, sniping various Termites, and getting in a fight with (and ultimately mercilessly killing) Mary, cemented her as a bonafide badass in the eyes of the fandom. Since then, Carol is often front and center in many of the series' promotional materials and has become one of the lead characters, especially after Rick’s departure in Season 9.
* Broken Bird: First she gets broken by her husband's abuse, and then Sophia's death. Since then, she's taken numerous levels in badass to become a skilled shooter and valuable member of the group as a secondary medic, but her experiences have left scars. After her confrontation with Morgan in Season 6 when she nearly kills him, only to get Denise captured by Owen, she becomes severely depressed and now just wants to stop killing, to the point of going into exile at least twice. And when she finally gets better thanks to the influence of Ezekiel and the Kingdom, Alpha murders her son and sticks his head on a pike.
* But Now I Must Go: In Season 6, she knows that killing is the only way to protect her family, but she's become extremely weary of taking human lives after the Wolf invasion and her confrontation with Morgan. Because she finds herself unwilling to kill anymore, she decides to leave the group since she can no longer do what's necessary to protect them.
* The Cameo: She briefly shows up in the fourth season premiere of Fear the Walking Dead, trying and failing to convince Morgan to come to the Kingdom with her.
* Can't Stay Normal: After becoming depressed over having to kill so many people, Carol exiles herself to live in a house far from anyone else. When she hears what the Saviors have done to her friends, however, she realizes that she can't stand idly by and jumps back into the fight with full force.
* Cathartic Scream: She lets out a whopper at Alpha when the latter smugly grins at the herd scouting party having been caught in her trap in "Squeeze".
* Character Development: Starts off as a timid victim, but evolves into a more confident, hardened badass with a pragmatic streak, who Rick even leaves in charge on at least one occasion. In Season 6 her badassery comes to take a severe toll on her psyche and she spends most of Season 7 trying to cope with her depression, before realizing that she cares too much for the safety of others to stay out of the fight. In Season 9, her marriage to Ezekiel and mother-son relationship with Henry have allowed her to grow more comfortable in her role as a Mama Bear.
* Co-Dragons: Inverted for Seasons 5 and 6, as she becomes one of Rick's most trusted lieutenants. However, when Rick comes dangerously close to becoming a Villain Protagonist, Carol almost fits into the role of The Dragon too well, as she's the most supportive of Rick's increasingly extreme plans to possibly take the town (while Daryl implicitly refuses to take a big part in the scheme).
* Combat Pragmatist: One of Carol’s greatest strengths is her ability to use anything in her situation to get out of trouble, or she’ll otherwise wait until she has the advantage to strike.
** Carol instigates the siege of Terminus using a herd of walkers as a distraction, and soon leaves a kneecapped Mary for the walkers not just to punish her, but to lure the walkers outside the door away (as in, to Mary) for Carol to exit safely.
** Carol immediately decides to use a disguise to get around Alexandria safely during the attack from the Wolves since they’re quicker and more numerous than her. It works marvelously well, and Carol is almost singlehandedly responsible for saving the town thanks to her covert attacks.
** When Carol is facing down Yago’s squad of Saviors outnumbered and outgunned, she feigns surrender just long enough to grab a Savior coming to collect her - to use as either a hostage or a human shield. She pulls the same trick to get one over on Jed twice in the span of a few days, as she tricks him into thinking she’s giving up to get the chance to overpower him. Six years later and Carol does the same thing when she and Henry are robbed by Jed’s sizable gang, and waits to strike back until that night, when she burns them to death for their troubles.
* Composite Character: Since Andrea dies early in the show, some of her character development in the comics is given to Carol: She is the one in charge of Lizzie and Mika (just like Andrea adopts Ben and Billy) and Carol also becomes the most badass female from the original Atlanta group. Also she is in charge of killing Lizzie after she proves to be too unstable, just like Carl had to do in the comics about Ben. In Season 9, she fills Andrea’s role as the woman with a close relationship with her adopted son, albeit with Henry instead of the late Carl, and replaces Michonne as the woman who gets with Ezekiel. In Season 10, she splits her time between Alexandria and Oceanside, which again was something Michonne did in the comics and video game.
* Deadpan Snarker: The more hardened she becomes, the more often her snarky sense of humor seems to come out. Ezekiel: Maybe they need the fairy tale. Maybe the contradiction is the point. Carol: And ruling over people and having your ass kissed by everyone's just a perk?
* Death Seeker: Whenever Carol is emotionally conflicted, she can be uncomfortably reckless with her own life.
** In the Season 6 finale, she rejects Morgan's attempts to bring her back to Alexandria to get her medical treatment that could save her life. Later, when Roman is torturing her, she simply laughs happily that she's going to die, and is furious at Morgan for coming to her rescue.
** After Henry's death, she repeatedly puts both herself and her friends in avoidable danger, which Daryl eventually calls her out on. Carol's response to this is... less than convincing. Daryl: You want [Alpha] dead so bad, you don't even care what happens to you. Carol: That's not true.
* Defrosting Ice Queen: After she Took a Level in Cynic some time between Season 3 and 4, Carol starts to grow more and more open after entering the Kingdom, where she makes amends with her initial rival Morgan and forms a new friendship (later romance) with Ezekiel.
* Despair Event Horizon: A few times over the course of the series.
** Seeing the undead Sophia walking out of the barn. Daryl has to stop Carol from running to her.
** Being forced to shoot Lizzie after she murdered her own sister.
** Nearly being forced to kill Morgan only to discover she was responsible for Denise's capture and the Anderson family's death. After learning of the deaths of Glenn, Abraham, and others at the Saviors’ hands, she is roused from it and rebounds.
** Slips back into it again after Henry is killed and the Kingdom falls. It gets so bad she admits to Daryl that she doesn't know how to deal with it.
* Deuteragonist: Starts showing signs of this in Season 3 as she begins to become a more fleshed out, rounded character and definitely has taken this spot by the fifth season along with Daryl. In Season 9, with Daryl’s ascension to lead following Rick’s disappearance, she’s one of the main heroes of the story from here on out. Subverted in Season 10 — she receives the lion's share of screen time and focus, and can arguably be considered the season's protagonist, though she still appears in fewer episodes than Daryl.
* Don't You Dare Pity Me!: Subverted, in a way. Sophia's death does indeed push her to her Despair Event Horizon, but she gets back up after enough time, arguably sooner than any other woman normally would after losing a daughter the way she did. It's everyone else that insists on awkwardly avoiding her for a while afterward. When Carl, who can't find a way to handle his own grief at Sophia dying, tells Carol that heaven is a lie, Carol then confronts Lori, telling her that Rick and Lori need to control Carl and that everyone needs to stop pitying her and treating her like a headcase.
* Doom Magnet: Any child who forms a bond with Carol should consider their days numbered. The running tally so far is five: Sophia, Lizzie, Mika, Sam, and Henry.
* Drill Sergeant Nasty: A mild example toward the kids in Season 4, as she gives Patrick a hard time for wanting to be excused from her "lessons" and says that Lizzie is weak for being unable to Mercy Kill her Zombie Infectee father. Justified, when you realize that she's trying to get them to toughen up so that they don't meet the same fate as Sophia. It's horrifically Subverted when Lizzie takes it the wrong way and goes off of the deep end, and Carol knows it.
* Earn Your Happy Ending: After the many, many traumatizing things Carol goes through over the course of the series, the Distant Finale sees her in a pretty happy place as one of Ezekiel's top advisors at the Commonwealth.
* Easily Forgiven: She gets off pretty light for nearly getting Connie and Magna killed in a reckless attempt to destroy Alpha's horde. Magna is in shock after the event and seems willing to look past it, while Kelly holds no ill will towards Carol for the potential loss of her sister. Connie has no hard feelings either when she returns, and even requests to be paired up with Carol during the mission to repair the wall during the Alexandria storm, to show that she isn't at all bitter about what happened. The only one with any lingering feelings about the situation is Daryl, who more or less makes amends with Carol by the end of the season.
* Evil Chancellor: To Rick when the group first arrives at Alexandria.
* Evil Stole My Faith: She appears to be at least somewhat religious in the first two seasons, praying for her missing daughter's safety and asking God to punish her instead. By Season 5, she admits to Daryl she isn't sure if she still believes in God or an afterlife.
* The Exile: Gets kicked out of the prison by Rick in "Indifference", not appearing again until "Inmates". In Season 6 after breaking down following her confrontation with Morgan and her abduction by the Saviors, she exiles herself from Alexandria as she's afraid to kill any more.
* Expository Hairstyle Change: She goes from having Boyish Short Hair to long hair during the six-year Time Skip in Season 9.
* Fire-Forged Friends: After fighting and clashing both physically and ideologically for ages, Carol forms a bond with Morgan over their mutual battles with mental illness and losses. In the Fear the Walking Dead fourth season premiere, she outright asks for the chance to help and look after him.
* Flower Motifs: Carol is frequently associated with floral imagery.
** For starters, her shirt in Season 1 has a flower pattern.
** In Season 2, she is affiliated with Cherokee roses, which Daryl tells her are blooming for her lost daughter. When she apparently dies in Season 3, he places one of them on her grave.
** Then of course there’s the infamous "Look at the flowers" from Season 4.
** In Season 5 and continuing into 6, she wears a floral print blouse to disguise her true nature from the Alexandrians.
* Foil:
** To, of all people, her comic counterpart. Both were abused by their husbands, and began to snap under the stress of the post-apocalyptic world. However, unlike her comic counterpart, her daughter was the one who died, she never committed suicide, and became a much stronger character in the process.
** To Morgan. Both lost their families and passed the Despair Event Horizon; however, Carol rather quickly came back while Morgan went completely insane, as he had no support system while Carol had the rest of the group looking after her. Carol eventually becomes a ruthless killing machine, while Morgan becomes a Martial Pacifist who adheres to Thou Shalt Not Kill. Carol employs Good is Not Nice while Morgan is a completely genuine Nice Guy. Their ideologies clash in "Start to Finish", and it's implied Carol envies how well-adjusted he is. When Morgan begins to suffer from Sanity Slippage again, Carol (who has by now overcome her depression) does everything she can to help and support him.
* Forgiven, but Not Forgotten: Tyreese forgives her for killing Karen, although he considers executing her, and swears he will never forget what she did.
* The Friends Who Never Hang:
** Despite being the most popular female characters of the series, she and Michonne don't share a scene with just the two of them until Season 9.
** Also, while they're not exactly close, she and Eugene never speak directly to each other until Season 10. This is worth mentioning because by this point, and with the announcement of the series ending with its’ eleventh season, Eugene has been on the show for over half its run, but only now talks to a character who’s been on the show since the beginning.
* Friend to All Children: Subverted. Carol adores children and will go full Mama Bear if you try to harm one on her watch. However, after what happened with Lizzie and Mika she prefers to keep her distance and is extremely reluctant to get attached to Sam and then Henry (both of whom, indeed, end up dead).
    Tropes G-L 
* Good is Not Nice: She's a hero, but that doesn't mean she has to act pleasant. She's still the Team Mom to the group and to Alexandria when they officially join their ranks, though.
* Good Is Not Soft: After finding out that Terminus has captured her friends, she singlehandedly kills all but six of them and destroys their safe zone. This phase is repeated whenever the group encounters a potential threat. Carol: We'll talk to them and if I'm wrong and they don't listen... then we'll kill them.
* Good Versus Good: Her ruthless pragmatism clashes with Morgan's pacifistic nature in Season 6, and the two actually come to blows over the fate of the Alpha Wolf, ending with Morgan knocking her out. She later says she should have killed him.
* Happily Married: She and Ezekiel become engaged in Season 9 and spend the next six years in a loving and supportive marriage. Unfortunately, Henry's death drives a huge wedge between them and they separate.
* Happy Ending Override: By the end of Season 8, Carol has achieved an Earn Your Happy Ending of sorts. She's accepted that she'll always have friends to help her rebound if killing ever starts to take a toll on her mental state again. She moves into the Kingdom, starts up a relationship with Ezekiel, and becomes a mother figure to Henry, all of which turns her into one of the most stable and well-adjusted characters on the show after she'd had one of the biggest Trauma Conga Lines of anyone other than maybe Rick and Maggie. Then "The Calm Before" completely shatters the fairy tale: Henry is murdered by Alpha, which puts Carol and Ezekiel's marriage in jeopardy and leads to them divorcing a few months later. The Kingdom also falls and Carol is forced to say goodbye to her home for the last seven years. Carol outright admits that she's beginning to lose herself again; this continues into Season 10, by which point she has become so obsessed with revenge against Alpha that she barely even listens to Daryl (who tries his damndest to help her) anymore.
* Heroic BSoD: Enters one during the second half of Season 6. After learning that her actions have begun causing more harm than good, like her threat to Sam getting him and his family killed and her killing the Alpha Wolf while he was saving Denise, she begins to realize how many people she has killed in such a short time and decides she can't do it anymore. She distances herself from the group and runs away to avoid having to kill for them anymore, and whenever she is put in danger she begs her attackers to stop for their own safety.
* The High Queen: In Season 9, she leads the Kingdom alongside Ezekiel. Jerry calls her “queen”, and though she initially hates the lofty title, she begrudgingly accepts it (especially when Ezekiel calls her his queen).
* Hypocrite: She criticizes Morgan for his Pacifism by saying he does it for selfish reasons, despite her ruthless pragmatism heavily shown to just be a way to satiate her paranoia.
* Iconic Item: Her trench knife, which she gains in Season 4. Its connotations with brutal pragmatism reflects on Carol.
* I Did What I Had to Do: Her justification for murdering Karen and David, though Rick doesn't buy it. It gets Deconstructed eventually. When she runs into Tyreese and he talks about Karen, she starts feeling worse about it. It culminates in her admitting out of guilt and firmly expecting Tyreese to kill her as a result.
** Also when she kills Lizzie, realizing that Lizzie is simply too insane to be trusted, especially around Judith.
* Ice Queen: She comes off as this to Sam until she figures out that he and Jessie are being abused.
* Implied Death Threat: To Sam. Insinuating that she would bind him and leave him to die out in the forest to keep him silent.
* I Just Want to Be Normal: A recurring theme in Carol's arc. "Not Tomorrow Yet" implies that she's grown to like being the den mother for Alexandria after already shedding her masquerade, and that she only wishes she could be as well-adjusted as the pacifistic Morgan. She gets better thanks to the Kingdom's influence, but after Henry's death, chooses to divorce Ezekiel and separate herself from the Washington region by living on a fishing boat for a few months. She later muses with Daryl about an existence where people don't have to kill one another and they can live in peace.
* I Regret Nothing: Even though she feels guilty for what happened to Connie, she firmly tells Daryl that she doesn't regret most of her actions throughout Season 10, specifically detonating the explosives that took out half of Alpha's horde and freeing Negan to kill Alpha herself.
* It's Personal: When she learns that Sam is being abused, she becomes deeply invested in stopping Pete. It’s her chance to finally do what she wished she could’ve done to Ed, and what she wished she could’ve saved Sophia from.
* Jerk with a Heart of Gold: She's become increasingly cold, but she does care for the safety of her friends. By Season 9, she has loosened up and become one of the nicer characters on the show, thanks to the influence of Ezekiel and the Kingdom, though still a huge example of Good Is Not Soft.
* Kick the Dog:
** Her Implied Death Threat to Sam.
** When she and Morgan are sneaking past the Wolves, she sees Gabriel in trouble, but coldly tells Morgan to leave him to die.
** Telling Morgan that she should've killed him for protecting the Alpha Wolf.
* Kick The Son Of A Bitch:
** After gaining the upper hand on Mary, she shoots her legs and allows a horde of walkers to devour her alive.
** Her Implied Death Threat to Pete.
** Her systematic killing spree of half the Wolves.
** When she gives Paula a Cruel and Unusual Death and Boom, Headshot!'s the Savior Michelle.
* Kill the Ones You Love:
** Tearfully kills Lizzie who murdered her younger sister.
** Love is a bit of a stretch but she does put down the zombified Tobin, who she had a brief relationship with in Season 6.
* Knight in Sour Armor: She's become increasingly antisocial and cynical towards everyone, but she remains one of the heroes.
* Lady of War: She's become one of the more mature and composed Action Girls next to Michonne. In fact, she's rather stoic when killing walkers.
* The Leader: In Season 4, along with Daryl, Glenn, Hershel, and Sasha, as part of the council in charge of the prison community.
* Leeroy Jenkins: In Season 10, due to her unstable Death Seeker tendencies. When she sees Alpha staring at her from the other side of the forest she wastes no time giving in to her blind rage and chasing after her, her own life be damned. It becomes worse when a later episode reveals Carol had already tasked Negan with taking care of Alpha, meaning all she had to do was sit back and wait for him to deliver Alpha's head as promised. Granted, it's Negan and there's no guarantees he would keep to his word once Carol freed him, but it was still an incredibly reckless and ill-advised move nonetheless.
* Living Legend: Come Season 10, Carol's badass exploits dealing with past foes have made her into somewhat of a folk hero among the community residents.
* The Load: She can do little but be a victim on the sidelines for the longest time, but grows into a competent survivor during the Time Skip between Seasons 2 and 3.
* Locked Out of the Loop: In Season 7. Due to being away from Alexandria, she is unaware that Negan has killed Glenn, Abraham, several others, and has subjugated Alexandria by force. When Daryl reunites with her, he decides not to tell her after he sees the emotionally fragile state she is in and her desire for peace, and lies that Alexandria has a peaceful relationship with the Saviors like the Kingdom. Towards the end of the season, Morgan finally tells her the truth, inspiring her to return to action.
* Long Hair Is Feminine
* Mama Bear:
** To the group at large. The people of Terminus find this out the hard way.
** She also seems to feel this way towards Sam, despite her icy demeanor and Kick the Dog moment towards him. When she finds out that he might be abused, she demands that his father be killed. Nonetheless, she has little patience for him after Pete's death, imploring him to get over it.
** When she learns of Glenn's death in particular, it inspires her to overcome her Heroic BSoD and return to action.
** She’s also this to Henry, as when he gets attacked by a roaming pack of walkers while hiding in a creek, she races to save him and butchers all of them before they can kill the boy. It’s also helped by the fact that Sophia’s infection and death was under similar circumstances, which probably made her even more determined to save him. Years later, she utterly annihilates Jed’s band of ex-Saviors, partially because they hurt her son.
* The Medic: Under Hershel's tutelage she picks up some medical skills and knowledge.
* My God, What Have I Done?: Implied to be her reaction towards finding out that she had a part to play in Sam's mental breakdown and subsequent death, as she visits his gravesite and leaves a cookie behind.
* Named by the Adaptation: As her comic counterpart has Only One Name, she was given a surname by default due to Ed playing this trope entirely straight. She also later receives the surname Sutton through her marriage to Ezekiel (whose last name was revealed in Season 11’s “New Haunts”).
* Never Found the Body: The other survivors think she is dead after the massive walker attack in "Killer Within" and prepare a grave for her. Daryl later discovers her alive, albeit weak from thirst and exhaustion.
* Nice Job Breaking It, Hero:
** Her teaching the children how to use knives was well-intentioned, but tragically contributed to the deaths of Lizzie and Mika.
** Similarly, in "Start To Finish," the knife she brought in an attempt to kill the Wolf that Morgan had tied up is how he not only gets free, but manages to escape Alexandria with not just a loaded gun, but Denise as a hostage.
** Another example in "Start to Finish" regarding Sam. Threatening to leave him to die alone in the woods may have gotten her access to the guns, but it takes a devastating toll on the kid's sanity and he's later seen drawing pictures of him being eaten by walkers. She triggered a Sanity Slippage that ends up putting Rick and the others in great peril when the herd invades Alexandria. In "No Way Out", the poor kid is so traumatized by her threat that he freezes up and breaks down, and is then Eaten Alive as Carol threatened him. This then leads to the death of Jessie and then Carl losing an eye. She seems to realize her part in Sam's death, as she later pays his grave a visit and leaves a cookie there.
** In "The World Before", while the group is searching for the walker horde, Carol spots Alpha and gives chase. Everyone else follows and they all end up trapped in the cave where Alpha is keeping thousands of walkers.
** In "Squeeze", she strays from the group mere moments before they can escape the cave and attempts to destroy the horde with a stick of dynamite. Daryl manages to talk her down from it, but she drops the dynamite into the chasm below, causing a massive cave-in that leads to Connie and Magna getting trapped inside with seemingly no way out. Carol realizes this and breaks down, begging Daryl to blame her for the tragedy.
* Not So Stoic: In Season 6, she breaks down crying after the horrific, mindless slaughter brought upon Alexandria by the Wolves, despite spending most of the episode pushing Morgan to break his Thou Shalt Not Kill creed.
* Obfuscating Stupidity: Carol deliberately plays the role of a chipper, ditzy housewife while the group stays at Alexandria. As Carol points out, the best part about staying at Alexandria is that she can be invisible. She ends the charade when she's forced to take action when Alexandria faces the threats of the Wolves and the walker herd. Towards the end of the season, she realizes she really does want to be a sweet, well-adjusted housewife and Team Mom to Alexandria, though. She employs the old housewife charade when she's threatened by Saviors, and both times she almost utterly destroys them.
* Odd Friendship: With Daryl, even having a bit of Ship Tease. Loads of subtext, and they're obviously important to each other, but the exact nature of the commitment they share is ambiguous until Season 9 (see Platonic Life-Partners below). Also with Axel in Season 3, albeit very briefly.
* One-Man Army: She almost single-handedly puts an end to both Terminus and the Wolves, and has accumulated one of the highest body counts on the show. Rick: That woman, she's a force of nature.
* Out of Focus: Got this a bit in the first half of Season 6, only having a small subplot revolving around her growing feud with Morgan. It comes back in full force in Season 7A, since she's at the Kingdom and only appears in two out of the half-season's eight episodes since most of the action takes place away from the Kingdom. She gets a bit more focus in the second half of the season, and fully returns to the spotlight in Season 8.
* Outliving One's Offspring: Sophia, who is her only biological daughter so far, dies in Season 2. In Season 4, she loses both of her adoptive daughters Lizzie and Mika after the former kills the latter, forcing Carol to kill the former because she's too mentally unstable. In Season 9 her adopted son, Henry, is one of ten people who is brutally decapitated by Alpha in order to send a message to the Communities.
* Parental Substitute: She and Ezekiel become Henry's adoptive parents following the death of his older brother, Benjamin.
* Platonic Kissing: She plants a kiss on Daryl's forehead to comfort him after Beth dies.
* Platonic Life-Partners: The entirety of her relationship with Daryl. They remain close even after she's married with Ezekiel, and Henry tells Daryl that Carol considers him her best friend.
* Power Hair: Her short-haired look becomes this in the series finale when she's taken over Lance's job as Director of Operations at the Commonwealth.
* Pragmatic Hero: She's a fundamentally good person acting with the best of intentions, but she's willing to commit some very questionable acts in the name of keeping the group safe and she has no problem taking things under her own initiative rather than consulting with the others. Two good examples are in Season 4 when she straight-up murders Karen and David with the intention of keeping the flu overtaking the prison under wraps; and in Season 10, when she frees Negan and orders him to assassinate Alpha (which he does).
* Promoted to Love Interest:
** Inverted with Tyreese. They don't become a couple like their comic counterparts, and because of Tyreese's death in Season 5, never will be.
** Played straight with Tobin and Ezekiel, neither of whom her comic counterpart ever even met, having died long before the group reached Alexandria and the Kingdom, respectively.
* Promotion to Opening Titles: In Season 4.
* Promotion to Parent: In "Infected", a dying Ryan Samuels begs Carol to take care of his daughters as if they were her own, as they don't have anyone else left. She agrees, and they appear to become Replacement Goldfish to her for Sophia. In Season 9, she becomes an adoptive mother to Henry as well.
* Put on a Bus: On a car to be more accurate, being exiled by Rick in "Indifference."
** The Bus Came Back: In "Inmates", and she's stuck around since.
* The Quiet One: Due to Ed's abuse, and later, Sophia's disappearance and death. She starts speaking up more in Season 3 and especially Season 4, where she is one of the five members on the council running the prison.
* Red Oni, Blue Oni:
** Red to Daryl's Blue. Especially in Season 10, when her bloodlust is making her increasingly reckless, impulsive, and unstable.
** She is, however, the more reserved Blue to Ezekiel's exuberant Red.
* Relationship Upgrade: She and Ezekiel become a couple during the Time Skip between Seasons 8 and 9, and later marry.
    Tropes S-Z 
* Sanity Slippage: Season 10 sees Carol in her darkest place yet due to losing her son, her home, and ultimately her marriage to Ezekiel due to Alpha's actions. She refuses to sleep, becomes increasingly desperate to kill Alpha, takes pills as "coffee", and goes down a very dark path as others become hurt during her vendetta.
* Savvy Guy, Energetic Girl: Gender inverted with Ezekiel. He's a happy-go-lucky Large Ham optimist; she's a crafty, somewhat cynical Mama Bear. Their relationship proves to be quite stable, until "The Calm Before".
* Sex with the Ex: Sleeps with Ezekiel shortly before the Hilltop battle in "Morning Star". He asks if it would’ve happened had the prospect of war not been upon them, which she doesn’t answer.
* She Who Fights Monsters: Much like Rick, she comes dangerously close to crossing into this territory a few times, but is always able to rebound thanks to the support of her friends.
* Shipper on Deck
* Ship Tease
* Shoot the Dog
* Shrinking Violet: Initially, due to her abusive husband, she is somewhat reserved around others. She starts growing out of this in Season 2, and by Season 3 this trope no longer applies to her.
* Silver Vixen: For a woman her age, Carol is rather beautiful and even has a few guys who dig her.
* Single Woman Seeks Good Man: After years trapped in a loveless and abusive marriage, she ends up falling for the good-natured King Ezekiel. She also briefly hooks up with Tobin.
* Sole Survivor: The only remaining member of her family.
* Spared by the Adaptation: Her comic counterpart committed suicide before the Woodbury attack on the prison.
* Super Weight: Partly thanks to her Plot Armor, she's a type I being arguably the most dangerous single character in the show.
* Team Mom: Takes up this role after Lori dies. She herself even lampshades this to the Alexandria survivors during an interview (it's also one of the few nuggets of truth during said interview). After the battle of Alexandria, she really does become the Team Mom to the community at large, making cookies for the town members and such. Carol's Mama Bear complex is so deadly she leaves the group just to stop herself from killing. Tobin: You're a mom. It's not the cookies or the smiles. It's the hard stuff. The scary stuff. That's how you do it. It's a strength. You're a mom to most people here.
* Token Evil Teammate: While her loyalty to the group has never wavered and she remains firmly on the side of good, Carol can be quite ruthless and even Ax-Crazy, willing to go behind the group's back if she thinks it's in their best interest, and even sometimes when it necessarily isn't.
* Took a Level in Badass: In the break between Season 2 and 3. She apparently learned how to headshot walkers from a considerable distance. Rick lampshades it in Season 4, even using it as basis when he exiled her. Her actions in the fifth season have elevated her to a badass on par with Daryl in the eyes of the show's fandom.
* Took a Level in Cheerfulness: Thanks to Ezekiel's influence, she smiles a lot more often now. Unfortunately, it doesn't last.
* Took a Level in Jerkass: She's become a bit harsher to other people, but now she's a Knight in Sour Armor.
* Underestimating Badassery: Admittedly, her views on Morgan. While Carol is a badass, she is completely unprepared for his aikido and quickly falls to it.
* Unresolved Sexual Tension: She and Ezekiel don't rekindle their romance by the series' end, though Carol being one of Ezekiel's top political advisors definitely raises the chances of them getting back together sometime down the line.
* Unscrupulous Hero: By Season 5, Carol has only the well-being of the group in mind, but she has become callous in her methods. As an advisor to Rick, she often suggests the most effective, but ruthless strategies.
* Vengeance Feels Empty: It's implied Alpha's death doesn't give her the satisfaction she had hoped for due to it coming at the cost of Hilltop's destruction and her friends turning their backs on her.
* Villain Killer: She has one of the highest kill counts on the show, especially when it comes to villains. She almost singlehandedly took down the entire cannibal clan of Terminus with a few bullets, a propane tank, and fireworks. For the Wolves, she took most of them down by disguising herself among them when they invaded Alexandria. With the Whisperers, she singlehandedly took out half their horde of zombies (and almost got a few people killed doing so), and successfully set up their leader Alpha to be killed by Negan. In Season 11, she kills Lance Hornsby.
* What the Hell, Hero?: Several characters have called her out on her actions.
** Most notably, Rick is shaken when she kills Karen and David to prevent the plague from spreading further, and outright exiles her despite not even being the leader of the prison community anymore. She regains his trust when she saves the group from Terminus (and also protects Judith after the prison war), and it's ultimately subverted in Season 6 when Rick admits to Morgan that she was right in killing them and is now grateful for her actions.
** Played for Laughs when Daryl is dumbfounded that she admires a painting that Daryl thinks looks like a dog painted it by smearing paint with its' ass.
** In Season 6, Morgan is horrified at her ruthlessness during the first battle of Alexandria against the Wolves and later gives her more hell when they directly confront each other.
** Negan is annoyed when she refuses to go back to Alexandria to vouch for him after he kills Alpha for her, instead abandoning him to mope about in the woods.
* What You Are in the Dark: Carol's advice and actions throughout Season 3 and 4 indicate that her Character Development is taking a darker turn, as she makes more and more decisions on her own and without the rest of the groups knowledge to keep them safe.
** Tells Andrea she can end the conflict between the group and the Governor if she stabs him in his sleep.
** Begins to teach the children how to use weapons and asks Carl not to tell his father when he finds out.
** Kills Karen and David early in Season 4 to keep a disease from spreading to others in the prison and burns their bodies.
** A deleted scene from Season 3 has Carol quietly declaring to a borderline-reformed Merle that she "will slit his throat while he sleeps" if Merle screws things up for his brother Daryl. It's enough that Merle, who's a badass like his brother, is quite obviously impressed with her.
* Xenafication: Her comic counterpart was a Non-Action Guy who mostly shied away from danger and this Carol begins the show not much different, being an anti-social Shrinking Violet who is too afraid to fight zombies and other enemies. From Season 3 onward she becomes a Cool Old Lady One-Woman Army who slaughters hordes of walkers and Ax-Crazy humans alike and is willing to make the harder choices that others are too afraid to consider. In Season 5, she completely lays waste to a cannibal base holding the group hostage, annihilating an entire armed group of sociopaths.
* Yank the Dog's Chain: Carol finally finds true happiness after so many years of suffering (even before the apocalypse) by forming a relationship with Ezekiel and becoming a mother to Henry, only to lose both of them by the end of Season 9.
Glenn Rhee:
* Action Survivor: Originally, though he becomes more capable in Season 3. By Season 5, he has become a full-fledged badass on par with Rick and Daryl.
* Adaptational Badass:
** He's also got more Nerves of Steel when it comes to Woodbury and not breaking under Merle's torture. For comparison in the comics he's never questioned but says he would have cracked immediately and is remembered by Bruce as a "sniveling coward".
* Arch-Enemy
* Bad Liar:
* Bad with the Bone: When being held by Governor and Merle, he and Maggie used a walker's bone as weapon to attack Merle and one other Mook. Said other Mook is killed by stabbing the bone into his neck, anyway.
* Beware the Nice Ones
* Can't Hold His Liquor
* Cheated Death, Died Anyway:
** Several times, but he infamously manages to survive falling into a herd of walkers by shielding himself with Nicholas' body and crawling under a dumpster, only to meet an even more cruel and bloody fate about two months later at the hands of new Big Bad Negan.
** The decision to kill him at all was this as well. Abraham had just been chosen as the victim of Negan's game, lulling viewers into thinking Glenn would get Spared by the Adaptation, particularly after his infamous near-death experience at the dumpster. Then Negan kills him anyway just to make sure the story follows the comics and so the audience gets a surprise courtesy of the showrunner.
* Chronic Hero Syndrome: He's introduced rescuing Rick, who he doesn't even know, and agrees to go back into Atlanta to rescue Merle even though he hates him.
* Combat, Diplomacy, Stealth: Handles Stealth, with Daryl specializing in Combat, and Rick handling Diplomacy.
* Come with Me If You Want to Live: His introduction to Rick, saving him from the walker herd.
* Cruel and Unusual Death: Beaten to death with Lucille, a baseball bat wrapped in barbed wire, while his wife and surrogate family are forced to watch. Worse, after two strikes to the head, Negan allows him to writhe in agony for a few moments while he taunts him and the others.
* Deadpan Snarker: His first line is snark, though as the seasons go on, this begins to be tempered out as he becomes a more as opposed to the smart-aleck kid in Seasons 1 and 2.
* The Determinator
* Due to the Dead: He is a great believer in this. Glenn: You honor the dead by going on. Even when you're scared. You live because they don't get to.
* Endearingly Dorky: He's initially very shy and awkward in social situations, but he's also the nicest group member, which endears him to everyone else.
* Eye Scream: After the first two strikes with Lucille, his left eye is about to pop right out of his skull.
* Face Death with Dignity: A possible interpretation of his last words, "Maggie... I'll find you...". Glenn is content with the fact that he's about to die and he uses what little life juice he has left to tell his wife that he'll see her again someday in the afterlife.
* For Want of a Nail: Though nobody knew it at the time, he made the most important decision in the show's history when he chose to save Rick, a complete stranger at the time, when they first met in Atlanta. That one decision influences many members of Rick's group to save each other and other survivors through the different locations they have been to. Maggie highlights the importance of this decision in the Season 7 finale, saying she chose to lead Hilltop to Alexandria and support Rick because she followed Glenn's lead, and now because of it they have three different communities united as a single family, ready to fight against the Saviors in war together. Glenn's one selfless act to save a stranger was what changed everything, and gave everyone hope to survive together. Rick: Back at the tank, why did you stick your neck out for me? Glenn: Call it foolish, naive hope, that if I'm ever that far upshit creek, somebody might do the same for me. I guess I'm a bigger dumbass than you.
* Gaining the Will to Kill: After surviving the first six and a half seasons without having to take a life, he is extremely distressed when Rick orders a total annihilation of all the Saviors at the satellite outpost. He is clearly torn up when he is forced to jam a knife into the skull of a sleeping, totally defenseless man, and almost breaks down crying.
* The Heart: Easily the most "pure" and nicest member of the group, he's one of the few people that gets along with everyone else without many issues. Maggie outlines why he is The Heart of the entire series, long after his death. Maggie: The decision was made a long time ago. Before any of us knew each other. When we were all strangers who would just pass each other on the street before the world ended. And now we mean everything to each other. You were in trouble, you were trapped. Glenn didn't know you, but he helped you. He put himself in danger for you. And that started it all. From Atlanta, to my daddy's farm, to the prison, to here, to this moment now. Not as strangers, as family. Because Glenn chose to be there for you that day a long time ago - that was the decision that changed everything. It started with both of you and it just grew, all of us. To sacrifice for each other, to suffer, to stand, to grieve, to give, to love, to live, to fight for each other. Glenn made the decision, Rick. I was just following his lead.
* Heroic BSoD: Suffers a brief one after witnessing Noah being Devoured by the Horde while trapped inside a revolving door.
* Hidden Depths: Who would expect a pizza delivery guy to be so good at strategy? Maggie even lampshades that Glenn is more useful than the others give him credit for and shouldn't always be sent out on supply runs or be used as bait for the walkers.
* Hope Spot: Meta-example. After all of his close calls, most notably the dumpster incident, Glenn seems safe especially when Negan picks Abraham to die instead of him. Unfortunately, Daryl had to lash out...
* Horrible Judge of Character: Somewhat justified as the group hadn't encountered too many hostile humans at this point, but in "Nebraska", Glenn completely fails at picking up on the bad vibes that Dave and Tony are giving off, and comes close to inviting them back to Hershel's farm. He gets better at judging character as the series progresses.
* If You Kill Him, You Will Be Just Like Him!
* Improvised Weapon
* Incorruptible Pure Pureness
* I Work Alone: Glenn as much as said this to Maggie, since he implicitly blames his love for her for causing him to freeze up during the shootout with Dave's group. This changes when Glenn and Maggie become the Official Couple of the group and comes back to bite him in the ass when he and Maggie are interrogated at Woodbury, and the Governor manipulates their concern for each other into telling him the group's current location at the prison.
* The Lost Lenore
* Made of Iron
* The Mentor
* Near-Death Experience: Experiences them so often it's practically a Running Gag. To recap:
** In Season 3, he's beaten to a pulp, locked in a room with a walker while being taped to a chair and is nearly executed upon his escape.
** In Season 4, he's caught whatever flu has been killing the rest of the inmates and nearly chokes to death on his own blood. While trapped in a tunnel with Tara, he's surrounded by a horde and is out of ammo.
** In Season 5, he's the first of Rick's group to be drained but it was delayed when Gareth came in to check up on them. He then gets trapped in a revolving door with Noah. He then gets shot by Nicholas and rolls down a cliff.
** Most notable was his narrow escape from a horde of walkers by crawling under a dumpster in Season 6, after he fell into the horde thanks to Nicholas' suicide. He returns after the walls fall in Alexandria to try and draw the walkers away from Maggie and gets swarmed, saved only by the timely arrival of Sasha and Abraham.
** His luck finally runs out in the Season 7 premiere when he is murdered by Negan for Daryl's outburst.
* Nerves of Steel 
* Nice Guy 
* One-Man Army
* One True Love
* "The Reason You Suck" Speech
* Save the Villain
* The Scrounger
* Secret-Keeper: Forced into this role during Season 2, though he admits that he is a terrible one and 
* The Smart Guy: Glenn can make effective and safe strategies for dealing with walkers, and is the best in the group at maneuvering around Atlanta.
* The Sneaky Guy
* The Stoic: Puts up this front when things get serious
* The Strategist: He's excellent at crafting plans when there's a specific goal in mind. He's quick thinking and considers all possibilities when strategizing.
* Too Good for This Sinful Earth: One of the kindest characters among the team who gets brutally executed. In the finale, Maggie almost gushes remembering how good he was and how wonderful he made her feel.
* Too Happy to Live: Glenn finally has a safe haven to raise a family with his wife Maggie, only to die a cruel death before his child is even born.
* Took a Level in Badass: Several actually, during the eight month time jump between Seasons 2 and 3. He even kills a Walker while tied to a chair and then scavenges its bones to use as weapons in his and Maggie's breakout from Woodbury. By Season 4 he's a One-Man Army. Merle: Being out there all winter must have put some hair on his balls!
* Tragic Keepsake
* What You Are in the Dark: Pretty literally so in "Conquer". The scene is very dimly lit, and Glenn is ripping Nicholas a new one for letting Noah die and trying to kill him. As Nicholas pathetically weeps for his life and tries to brace himself for the end, Glenn heavily contemplates killing him right there, but ultimately can't bring himself to do it and helps him back to Alexandria.
* You Are Better Than You Think You Are: Maggie outlines to him that he is a smart, loyal and dedicated leader and is worth more than just being bait for a walker or a supply runner.
* Your Head A-Splode: His head gushes out a geyser of blood as Negan strikes him again and again with Lucille.
Elijah:
* Beware the Nice Ones
* Big Brother Instinct: He forcefully pins Lance against a wall when he catches him putting a hand on Elijah's surrogate little brother, Hershel.
* Big Damn Heroes: He helps Aaron and Alden fend off their Whisperer assailants and later saves Gabriel at the Tower.
* The Big Guy: While Cole is The Lancer, Elijah is more of their physical heavy-hitter.
* Bodyguarding a Badass: He keeps an eye on Maggie, who is far from helpless in a fight.
* Cool Mask: He has one, as shown in the page image.
* Decomposite Character: Takes Conner's place as the guy Lydia ends up with at the end of the series.
* Earn Your Happy Ending: He lives to see the fall of Carver and the Reapers and the successful revolution at the Commonwealth, the revitalization of the Coalition, and gets to start a relationship with his crush Lydia.
* The Faceless: He wears a mask for the entirety of his first appearance in "A Certain Doom". He does not unmask himself until Kelly requests it in the following episode.
* The Lancer: Takes over as Maggie’s second-in-command following the repopulation of Hilltop.
* Lightning Bruiser: He’s extremely fast in a fight and wields his scythes with deadly efficiency.
* Nice Guy: Elijah is a friendly and helpful guy.
* No Name Given: We don’t learn his name in his first appearance, only that he’s male.
* Not So Stoic: As the group is hunted by the Reapers, the stress of the situation coupled with the recent loss of his sister begins to overwhelm him in “Home Sweet Home”.
* Official Couple: With Lydia starting in "Variant", after having confessed his feelings offscreen by the time of "A New Deal".
* One-Man Army: He fights numerous Whisperers with ease.
* The Quiet One: Even after he begins speaking, he rarely does so until he begins to bond with the other Coalition members.
* Revenge Before Reason: He wants to kill Carver, the Reaper that killed his sister Josephine, once the group has him down and strongly objects to using him as bait instead. When it looks like Carver is going to walk free, Elijah just can't abide that and attacks him, despite being severely injured and having a sniper trained on him in a tense hostage situation. Fortunately for him, the sniper is actually Gabriel, and ultimately Carver and almost all the surviving Reapers are put down by Maggie.
* Ship Tease: Shown to have a crush on Lydia in "Warlords". They make it official in "Variant".
* Sole Survivor: “Promises Broken” shows that his sister died and reanimated, making him presumably the last member of his family. He’s also the only Warden (besides Maggie herselfnote ) to survive the first Reaper attack and its fallout.
* Took a Level in Cheerfulness: He mellows out considerably after the the death of Carver and the Reapers, showing a much kinder, openly friendly side.
* Undying Loyalty: To Maggie. He is one of the few survivors who refuses to live at the Commonwealth, refusing to leave her side.
* The Voiceless
Siddiq:
* The Atoner
* Combat Medic
* Good All Along
* Intergenerational Friendship
* It's All My Fault
* The Medic
* Nice Guy
* Platonic Co-Parenting
* Spare a Messenger: Alpha only spares him so that he can put a scare into the communities by telling them how ten people were mercilessly killed; instead, he by giving a speech on how they went down fighting together, as a family, in their last moments.
* Survivor's Guilt: He begins suffering from PTSD as a result of witnessing Alpha's horrific massacre.
* Suspiciously Similar Substitute: Due to Adaptational Job Change, Siddiq is a Brown Asian medic much like Dr. Caleb was during the prison storyline in Season 4.
* Token Minority: Played with: Siddiq is the first Arab-American protagonist to appear on the show. Arat, however, has the distinction of being the first Arab-American character overall. note 
* Why Did It Have to Be Snakes?: He hates spiders.
* You Will Be Spared: Alpha leaves him alive to tell everyone about the barn massacre.
Princess:
* #1 Dime: One memento she keeps from before the apocalypse is a two dollar bill that was the first money she ever earned at her first job. It's confiscated by the Commonwealth people before the group's interrogation. After telling them about its significance, Princess asks if she can have it back.
* Abusive Parents: Her stepfather was a physically abusive asshole who refused to let her eat at the dinner table because her hand was infected by a splinter. Her mother wasn't all that great either, sending her to school with the infection and ordering her not to eat if she didn't want to eat in the garage alone. When the Commonwealth auditors inquire what her parents did for a living, Princess quips, "You mean Deadbeat Loser #1 or Raging Prick #2?" She also reveals she's never had a medical checkup, no doubt due to her parents' neglect.
** "Variant" goes deeper into these issues, revealing her stepbrother joined in on her stepfather's sadistic abuse and her mother was an Extreme Doormat who did nothing to prevent it.
* Action Girl: She doesn't show any concern about killing walkers.
* Adaptational Early Appearance: Her comic counterpart wasn't introduced until after the end of the Whisperer arc.
* Adaptational Nationality: From Mexican in the comics to Puerto Rican in the show. Enforced by Paola Lázaro, who asked the showrunners if she could represent her own Latin heritage, as the show already had a regular Mexican-American character in Rosita.
* Adaptational Nice Guy: She's more earnest and well-meaning than her snarkier, slightly Troll-ish comic counterpart. A key example is the omission of the scene where she pranks the group by calling out to her non-existent backup and then obnoxiously laughing about it when she admits it was a joke, evoking a Dude, Not Funny! reaction from everyone present.
* The Aloner: She's been living by herself in the city for over a year. "Variant" implies it was actually much longer, and it'd merely been a year since she encountered a living person.
* Awesomeness by Analysis: She's able to tell a variety of things about the masked Commonwealth soldiers (like the fact that two of them are having sex between shifts) by picking up on subtle cues in their body language and behavior, as well as listening closely to their conversations. The rest of the group is flabbergasted, but they use this information to their advantage by choosing the right moment to escape their confines.
* Badass Adorable: Has a very sweet, good-natured disposition and is quite comfortable killing walkers. She also looks adorable in her princess Halloween costume in "New Haunts".
* Beware the Nice Ones: Princess may be one of the nicest survivors around, but she's fiercely protective of the people she cares about and can dish out a beating when properly pissed off.
* Beware the Silly Ones: Again, just because she's a Cloudcuckoolander doesn't mean she should be underestimated. She beats the shit out of Trooper Davis when he has her at gunpoint.
* Big Brother Bully: She had a stepbrother who would join in on her stepfather's cruel mistreatment of her.
* Big Damn Kiss: She leaps into Mercer's arms and gives him a big kiss after she and Max spring him from jail in the series finale.
* Blade on a Stick: She carries one, but it's confiscated by the Commonwealth and never seen again.
* Break the Cutie: On top of finding out her boyfriend is willing to let Eugene be executed, she is sent with the Coalition residents to the Warden's forced labor camp and put to work. Her trademark demeanor and spirit are completely absent during these scenes, and she's pretty solemn when she joins Ezekiel in front of the firing squad to protect Negan and Annie.
* Brooding Boy, Gentle Girl: Princess has this dynamic with Mercer as part of her Hidden Depths. She expresses nothing but warmth and empathy when he nearly breaks down admitting he killed two of his own traitorous soldiers. She then gently assures him she can handle whatever problems they have to face together in the future, and invites him inside her apartment to continue their talk.
* Brutal Honesty: Princess isn't afraid to shoot straight and call her friends out on their shit. When Ezekiel starts coughing while fighting walkers, Princess warns him to not let something as foolish as pride keep him from getting the medical help he needs. When Eugene thinks something sinister is at play following Stephanie's disappearance, Princess spells out the hard truth that she may have simply broken up with him. Eugene is ultimately proven right, but given his tendency to overreact, it's understandable why Princess might have thought he'd have blown it out of proportion.
* The Cake Is a Lie: Played for Laughs. She becomes concerned when Eugene barricades himself inside his apartment after Stephanie stands him up for an ice cream date. Princess offers him lasagna if he lets her in. Eugene: This is an empty dish. Princess: Oh, yeah, sorry. I didn't make lasagna. People just always have to let you in if you're carrying food.
* Character Development: Her social skills improve after she joins the Commonwealth. Highlighted in "Rogue Element" when she acts as the voice of reason to Eugene's paranoia, and in "Trust", when she comforts Mercer after he opens up and shows he's more than just the stoic general most people see him as.
* Cheery Pink: She wears a pink coat and can usually be found in good spirits.
* Cloudcuckoolander: Partly because she's been on her own for so long, but later episodes reveal her to be naturally weird and quirky.
* Contralto of Danger: Subverted. She has the deepest voice of the female cast and is a force to be reckoned with in her own right, but she's also one of the friendliest and most well-meaning characters.
* Cool Loser: Princess is a loner who comes from a Friendless Background. This despite being nice, funny, hardworking, easy-going, attractive, loyal, and intelligent.
* Cuckoosnarker: She gets in a few good quips. Princess: So did you guys set up, like, a super-secret code or something? Eugene: Greetings! I am Eugene Porter! Princess: So, no code. Or, a really lame code.
* Dark and Troubled Past: She had an abusive childhood that involved her stepfather and stepbrother locking her in a closet until she would piss herself and her mother doing nothing to stop it.
* A Day in the Limelight: "Splinter", which delves into her traumatic backstory and gives the audience a peek into her psyche and motivations. She also gets a bit of extra focus in "Variant", where she delves deeper into said trauma and refuses to turn out like her mother by only making the best of a bad situation.
* Disappeared Dad: Her father ran out on her when she was a teenager.
* Disappointed in You: She's stung when Mercer implies he'd be willing to let Eugene get the death penalty if it means his sister gets let off the hook for the accidental death of Sebastian, and calls him for continuing the enable the ugly corruption in the Commonwealth justice system.
* Distaff Counterpart: Her basic personality is similar to Negan's. Both are chatty, flamboyant, brutally honest, and quite the Cloudcuckoolander. Though Princess is much friendlier and less vulgar than he is, not to mention harmless to anyone who isn't an enemy.
* Doesn't Trust Those Guys: Downplayed. Princess is an All-Loving Hero who doesn't have a mean-spirited bone in her body. However, she admits she has trouble trusting men after all the hell her stepfather and brother put her through when she was a child. She starts to second-guess her relationship with Mercer because of it, telling Ezekiel she's known lots of guys who seemed to be good men who didn't always turn out that way.
* Earn Your Happy Ending: After everything she went through before Eugene's group found her, she gets back together with Mercer and the two are still together after the time skip in the series finale.
* Eating the Eye Candy: In "New Haunts", she can be seen checking Mercer out as he arrives at the masquerade ball in a very spiffy suit.
* 11th-Hour Ranger: Subverted due to real-life circumstances. She joins Eugene's group as the newest heroic survivor and ally in "The Tower", which was the penultimate episode of Season 10... until the COVID-19 pandemic eventually led to Season 10 being extended by an additional six episodes. Either way, she's one of the last new heroic survivors to join the heroes' side in what would ultimately be announced to be the penultimate season of the show.
* Establishing Character Moment: Her introduction to the group is yelling an excited, "OH MY GOD, HI!" at the top of her lungs. Before that we also see the walkers she has set up around the city as if they were living people (e.g. a walker in a police uniform with a notepad chained to their hand as if they were giving out a traffic ticket). This demonstrates her kooky sense of humor. Princess also calls the displays "a pain in the ass to put together", implying she's had a lot of free time on her own to do so.
* Expository Hairstyle Change: She stops having Messy Hair after more than a month of living at the civilized Commonwealth. Her hair color also goes from mostly purple to its natural black with light purple streaks to reflect this.
* Foil: To Lydia. Both are outsiders with a history of parental abuse struggling to integrate into society. However, while Princess is loud and outgoing, Lydia is quiet and withdrawn. Princess spent a year living in a city by herself; Lydia spent a decade in the company of her mother and her psychopathic followers. "Variant" adds another similarity between the two by having Princess declare that she is not her mom, mirroring Lydia's refusal to take over leadership of the Whisperers from Alpha.
* Former Teen Rebel: Implied. She tells the Commonwealth auditors that she has a criminal record (though she does claim she was innocent of those charges) and mentions to Eugene that she used to smoke her father's cigarettes.
* Friendless Background: She admits that being alone for a year isn't much different from her life before the apocalypse.
* Friend to All Children: She befriends Judith and quickly warms up to her new pal, Mei.
* Fun Personified: It initially puts her at odds with the no-nonsense Yumiko, though they become friends after Princess reveals her more vulnerable side.
* Gaslighting: Her family would justify their abuse of her by claiming, "it could always be worse."
* Genki Girl: She's very chatty and energetic, and is excited to finally meet new people.
* Genre Refugee: She almost seems to have originated from much more light-hearted zombie fare such as Zombieland, with her bright outfit, big smile, dyed hair, and even her use of childlike words like "meanie".
* The Glomp:
** When Yumiko asks Princess to join their mission she is delighted and gives her a big hug.
** In the finale, when Princess and Max rescue Mercer from prison, Princess waits until Mercer has reunited with his sister, then leaps into his arms and gives him a Big Damn Kiss.
* Go Mad from the Isolation: All this time without anyone to talk to has made her a bit loopy and desperate for human contact.
* Good Bad Girl: She's a very sweet and bubbly woman, and casually mentions to Mercer after their second night together that she's had "a lot of sex" in her life.
* Hallucinations: Revealed to suffer from these in "Splinter". She imagines having entire conversations with Eugene and Ezekiel, and initially believes Ezekiel to have roughed up a Commonwealth soldier when it was really her who did.
* Hates Being Alone: Understandable, considering how long she's been on her own. She extends the group's hasty search for transportation if it means they'll stick around longer; after realizing the true extent of Princess's loneliness, Yumiko invites her to join them.
* Hidden Depths: The Season 11 premiere shows Princess to be more observant than she seems. She mentions this trope when trying to get Mercer to open up in "Trust". Despite her seemingly devil-may-care attitude she's actually a great listener and her abusive past has given her a knack for recognizing when people are going through trauma.
* Huge Guy, Tiny Girl: Mercer is over half a foot taller than she is and at least twice as broad.
* Hyper-Awareness: Because of her ADHD, she can lose focus at times but also has an eye for picking up on subtle details that others don't. She's the only one to spot a picture that Tomi posted of his sister on the Commonwealth's wall honoring their fallen loved ones. This convinces the group to stay when they were moments from making their escape and likely severing ties with a vast community that could provide aid to their friends struggling in Alexandria.
* Iconic Outfit: Her pink fur jacket.
* Iconic Sequel Character: She doesn't appear in the series until its tenth season.
* I Just Want to Have Friends: She admits that someone once told her she was difficult to love and clearly wants to make a good impression on the first people she's encountered in over a year.
* Innocently Insensitive: She doesn't go by "Queen" because she thinks it makes her sound old and pretentious... not knowing that Ezekiel used to call himself "King", or that his ex-wife Carol was his "Queen".
* Karmic Jackpot:
** After beating up Tyler Davis, she has an opportunity to escape the railyard and argues with a hallucination of Ezekiel who encourages her to strike out on her own. However, Princess acknowledges that, as briefly as she’s known them, Eugene, Ezekiel, and Yumiko have been some of the few people in her life who have genuinely accepted her and she’s grown to care for them too, so she heads back. This turns out to be a very rewarding choice, as not only does the Commonwealth prove to be a relatively cushy environment with many perks, Princess is accepted into society after being alone for a year, given a job in which she can interact with numerous people, and even starts a romantic relationship with the general of the Commonwealth army, Mercer.
** By not leaving, Princess also secures a positive outcome for the other three members of her group. She notices a photograph of Yumiko on the Commonwealth's wall honoring their fallen loved ones. This entices the group to stay at a time when they're contemplating jumping ship, and when the Commonwealth turns out to be Real After All, they all find what they were looking for. Yumiko is reunited with her estranged brother; Ezekiel gets the medical treatment he needs, saving his life; and Eugene, after a period of deception due to Lance's machinations, finally gets to meet his mysterious radio contact who turns out to be the love of his life, Max.
* Kindhearted Cat Lover
* Kindness Button
* Like Brother and Sister
* Loon with a Heart of Gold
* Ms. Fanservice
* Nice Girl
* Non-Indicative Name
* Noodle Incident
* No Social Skills
* Not Helping Your Case
* Odd Friendship
* Only Known by Their Nickname
* Opposites Attract
* Platonic Life-Partners
* Precision F-Strike
* Sanity Slippage
* Screw This, I'm Outta Here
* She Cleans Up Nicely
* Sheep in Sheep's Clothing
* Shipper on Deck
* Smarter Than You Look
* Sweet Tooth
* Thinking Out Loud 
* True Companions: Comes to accept Eugene, Ezekiel, and Yumiko as this, which is why she goes back to help them despite having an opening to escape. Princess: Not everyone was bad. There was Mrs. Travis. Sammy and his people. And them.
* Undying Loyalty
* Womanchild
Michael Mercer:
* Badass in a Nice Suit
* Beneath the Mask
* Big Brother Instinct
* Blood Knight
* The Comically Serious
* Death Glare
* Fire-Forged Friends:
* Heroic Build
* Humble Hero
* Hunk
* It's Personal
* Jerk with a Heart of Gold
* Let's Get Dangerous!
* Last-Name Basis
* Living Legend
* Loved by All
* Mr. Fanservice
* One-Man Army
* Opposites Attract
* Pet the Dog
* former Marine.
* The Sleepless
* The Stoic
* Token Good Teammate
* You Are in Command Now
Ezekiel:
* Adaptation Expansion: Even discounting the fact that he was Spared by the Adaptation, this incarnation of Ezekiel has far more focus and development than his comic incarnation.
* Adaptational Angst Upgrade: Comic Ezekiel never had to suffer the loss of his surrogate children and his community. He also never had cancer.
* Age Lift: Ezekiel is much younger here compared to his comic counterpart.
* Amazon Chaser: He adores Carol's cleverness and skill in battle.
* Amicable Exes: Finally becomes this with Carol once they reunite at Commonwealth and she helps him get the life-saving surgery he needs. Both have overcome their depression over the loss of their son and the Kingdom and are much happier, independent people who enjoy a much healthier friendship that isn’t mired in loss. By "Trust", there is the slightest hint of Ship Tease and the possibility they may get back together one day. By the Grand Finale, they’re not, but the door is still open.
* Badass Boast: Really lets them fly during the Season 7 finale as he leads the calvary against the Saviors with Maggie. Ezekiel: End these Saviors and their accomplices! Alexandria will not fall, not on this day!
* Badass Longcoat
* The Beastmaster
* Beneath the Mask: He's well aware that he's not as powerful as he acts, but admits that he's pretending to be tough in order to encourage others to remain optimistic in the zombie infested world.
* Big Good: As the leader of a large and benevolent community, he certainly qualifies, and during the Savior War he becomes one of the three main leaders of the Coalition alongside Rick and Maggie. He becomes the biggest good of them all in the finale when he takes over leadership of the Commonwealth, the largest community in the series that is home to thousands of citizens.
* Boisterous Bruiser: He's an optimistic guy who loves to entertain people while clubbing walkers.
* Break the Haughty: Played with in Season 8. While he exudes a huge amount of confidence and bravado in leading his troops into battle with the Saviors, he is still just acting the part. He is terrified at the prospect of losing his troops but puts on a brave face to inspire them. Ezekiel is almost in tears when the Kingdommers have seemingly wiped out Gavin's outpost without a casualty, only to immediately lose most of his troops and his beloved pet Shiva within the span of a few hours, which drains him of whatever confidence he had. With help from Carol, he gets better.
* Cane Fu: He fights with a cane by his side, but said cane also has a sword tucked away under it.
* Catchphrase: His "And yet, I smile..." speeches.
* Cultured Badass: He is learned in zoology and the theatrical arts.
* Dead Sparks: His marriage to Carol, once a loving and supportive one, becomes this after Henry is killed and the Kingdom starts to fall apart at the seams. Ezekiel tries in vain to salvage the union but the passion is no longer there on Carol's end and the two separate, leaving Ezekiel heartbroken. In midlate Season 11, she tells him they won’t get back together, and Ezekiel accepts it for now, but implies he’s still willing to hold out at least a little hope for later down the line.
* Despair Event Horizon:
** He passes it in "Some Guy" after witnessing his entire militia except for Carol and Jerry being gunned down by the Saviors, and later Shiva pinned down and eaten by a horde of walkers.
** Happens again in Season 10 after losing Henry and the Kingdom, as well as his marriage to Carol falling apart. He becomes extremely depressed and walks out to the edge of a cliff in the woods, only to be interrupted by Michonne. Ezekiel admits he isn't sure exactly what he came out to do, but is able to rebound from it after a heart-to-heart conversation with her.
* Earn Your Happy Ending
* Excellent Judge of Character
* Fake Ultimate Hero: Admits that his whole king persona is all just an act and he's not as badass as he desires to be, but he only acts this way so he can keep his followers hopeful.
* A Father to His Men
* Fire-Forged Friends:
** While they don't exactly become friends, he does reach an understanding with Negan upon realizing how much he truly has changed in the eight years since the Savior War. The two share a friendly conversation on the train ride back to Commonwealth and Ezekiel seems to make peace with his grudge against Negan, opining that he doesn't want to spend the rest of his days with hatred in his heart.
** He initially talked back to Mercer during his screening to join the Commonwealth, accusing him of being a power-tripping cop like the ones before the Fall. Mercer grows personally disgusted by Ezekiel and calls him an asshole, unaware that Ezekiel is usually a Nice Guy. When the two men work together during the Commonwealth revolution, they make peace and form a bond of respect. In the show’s epilogue, Mercer works as Ezekiel’s lieutenant governor, the two leading the Commonwealth as trusted friends.
* For Happiness: His whole goal in protecting the Kingdom in the apocalypse is because he wants what's as close to a good society to live in as possible. He also sees the good potential of the Commonwealth despite its corruption and becomes determined to fix it for the good of everyone.
* Friend to All Living Things
* Genius Bruiser: He's able to see right through Carol's helpless façade and has been stuffing his food supplies for the Saviors full of walker meat in order to slowly (supposedly) poison their mooks.
* Good Counterpart: To Negan. Unlike the dreaded Savior leader, Ezekiel is a kindhearted, noble leader who brings hope to others and helps everyone out of the goodness in his heart while Negan forces others to obey him and takes joy in pure sadism. But the two of them share a vast army, intelligent leadership, influence over mass crowds, and a taste for the theatrics.
* Good Feels Good: He loves to help people because it makes him feel noble. His desire to inspire joy in others is so strong that he elects to stay at the Commonwealth despite being fully aware of the corruption there.
* The Good King
* Gracefully Demoted: He goes from being one of the three Big Goods of the Coalition to ceding leadership duties to the council of Hilltop (specifically Yumiko) after his son's death and finding out he has cancer. He ends up being assigned as a kennel worker at Commonwealth, basically returning him to his life pre-apocalypse despite the years of leadership experience he'd gained since then. Though Ezekiel doesn't have any problem with this and happily watches over the animals. In the Grand Finale, he becomes the governor of the Commonwealth, which now operates as a loyal ally state to the other communities of the Coalition.
* Hakuna Matata: More or less his ideology, which he tries to ease his subjects with.
* Heroic BSoD: After suffering a brutal battle that costs him most of his army, the king isolates himself from everyone following him while he copes with his loss.
* Honorary Uncle: Through his marriage to Carol, Judith implicitly regards him as another extended family member. He's definitely this to Jerry and Nabila's children.
* Hope Bringer:
* Incorruptible Pure Pureness
* Incurable Cough of Death: He starts developing one as Season 10 progresses and his cancer worsens. In "Acheron, Part I", he coughs up blood, and in “Promises Broken” he keeps suffering from nasty coughing fits due to doing community service in dusty derelict apartments.
* Karmic Jackpot: Working hard to repay his second chance at life by opening an underground clinic for the Commonwealth’s less fortunate likely played a big part in becoming the governor of the Commonwealth by the end of the series, now having the opportunity to use the Commonwealth’s resources and people for good and helping rebuild the Coalition.
* Kindhearted Cat Lover: He loves his pet tiger Shiva. To the point where he went back to an overturned zoo to save her from the dead.
* Kindness Button: Complementing his tiger Shiva or his safe zone is a good way to get on his friendly side.
* Knight in Shining Armor: What he strives to be. He acts like the most noble person ever and wants to bring happiness back into the world, but he's struggling with certain problems with the Saviors.
* Large Ham
* The Last Dance: In late Season 10, with his condition worsening he decides to join Eugene’s journey to meet Stephanie and potentially new allies who could help out the struggling communities, deciding it’s a worthy choice for his final adventure. It turns out to have been a good choice indeed since after joining the Commonwealth, Ezekiel finally gets the needed medical aid to survive his cancer, defying this trope.
* The Leader
* Masculine Girl, Feminine Boy: With Carol, though it's played with in that while Carol is still a very feminine woman and Ezekiel himself isn't exactly effeminate, he is also far more comfortable showing his emotions and wearing his heart on his sleeve, not to mention more of a romantic and artistic spirit than Carol is. Ezekiel also dresses and acts much more flamboyantly while Carol favors a more practical and low-maintenance appearance.
* My Greatest Failure: Presumably he views the loss of Ben's father and seven other men following his orders to be this. Ben notes he has been much more cautious since after that happened, and fostering Ben's growth as a future member of his court and teaching him survival skills is clearly very important to Ezekiel, to the point he asks Morgan for his help in this regard. This also likely factors into his decision to give in to The Saviors' demands and keep the tribute a secret from the community at large; he doesn't want to lose any more of his people over something as foolish as Pride.
* Nice Guy
* Obfuscating Insanity
* O.O.C. Is Serious Business: Whenever he drops his "king" persona it's a good sign something's very wrong. A good example is when he bitterly tells Daryl one-on-one to give him and Carol some space after their marriage starts to falter, with nary a hint of his over-the-top Large Ham demeanor. He eventually drops the king persona altogether after Season 9, becoming more serious thanks to his cancer and a more down-to-earth guy; but the above still holds true as when he becomes genuinely angry, it’s for good reason.
* Parental Substitute
* Reasonable Authority Figure
* Secret-Keeper
* Sheep in Sheep's Clothing: Carol at first believes that Ezekiel is playing some kind of game to fool everyone while hiding some villainy underneath, but he really is just a good guy who's only acting over the top to in his group.
* Ship Tease:
** He starts to show more and more interest in Carol until they officially become a couple in Season 9. They divorce at the end of the season, but in Season 11, Ezekiel begins leaning towards rekindling their relationship. Carol does insist they won’t get back together, but she’s not that stern in telling him so, and Ezekiel is more amused than anything. While they aren't together by the series finale, the fact that Carol has remained at the Commonwealth as Ezekiel's deputy governor does leave the door open for them to get back together later down the line.
** Defied in Season 10's "Silence the Whisperers", with Michonne. He kisses her in a moment of loneliness and confusion, only to immediately apologize. Michonne isn't bothered by it, as she understands what he's going through, and the two of them are able to talk it out and remain friends.
* Smarter Than You Look
* Stepford Smiler
* Teeth-Clenched Teamwork
* Sword Cane: He wields a golden one as his scepter. Like its master, it conceals itself behind a grandiose, over-the-top exterior.
* Universally Beloved Leader
* What You Are in the Dark: After Carol arranges to have his cancer surgery scheduled earlier than originally planned, Ezekiel decides it's his duty to give back to the community and opens up a secret hospital to take care of all the people who can't afford legal treatment from the Commonwealth healthcare system.
* The Wonka: He's a very quirky guy, but he's smarter than he looks.
* Your Days Are Numbered: He is convinced that having thyroid cancer with no access to modern medicine means this for him. However, medical aid at the Commonwealth is finally able to remove the tumor by Part 2 of Season 11.
Jerry:
* Action Dad
* Bash Brothers
* Battle Couple
* Berserk Button: There seems to be only one way to stop him being nice and that's failing to show Ezekiel the proper respect. After becoming a family man, this also begins applying if you mess with his family. Jerry: Do not interrupt the King.
* The Berserker: 
* Beware the Nice Ones: He's a goofy, lovable guy... but seeing as he's Ezekiel's personal bodyguard, he must have a good deal of combat experience. When a Savior named Gunther is about to behead Ezekiel, Jerry cuts him in half with his axe and continues hacking at his body long after he's dead.
* Big Damn Heroes
* Big Eater
* Bodyguarding a Badass: He guards Ezekiel, who is far from helpless in a fight.
* Breakout Character: Quickly became a fan-favorite from his first episode and ended up surviving the massacre at Gavin's outpost in Season 8. Jerry eventually became a main cast member, even getting his own subplot about him stepping into a leadership role. He ultimately survives the entire series.
* Break the Cutie: The pike massacre and the fall of both the Kingdom and Hilltop take a heavy toll on Jerry’s psyche and cause him to sour immensely. While he is still a good, kind man to his friends, he becomes a lot more dour by Season 11 due to how badly things have been going for the communities.
* Character Development: Jerry’s primary development has revolved around him learning to stop placing Ezekiel on a pedestal and recognize that he is simply his friend and fellow survivor. Jerry eventually comes around to the idea, finally calling Ezekiel by his name and not “boss” or referring to his former title as “king”. He also proves it when he gently offers a comforting hug to Carol in “Diverged”, proving he truly does recognize Carol (and by extension Ezekiel) not as his royal, but as his friend who needs his help. He also matures from Plucky Comic Relief into more of The Heart of his people, with his lighthearted moments eventually focusing more on his desire to help others with their problems than just cheesy puns.
* Deadpan Snarker
* Friend to All Children: As to be expected of a Gentle Giant with a positive attitude, he’s great with kids. He immediately gives the teenage Enid some of his armor before the opening salvo at the Sanctuary, is seen doting on both baby Judith and Gracie later in the season, and is delighted to welcome his own children into the world. He also plays with Judith along with his own children at the Fair.
* Genius Bruiser: He's huge and powerful, but he's also a perfectly intelligent, capable fighter. While he famously became The Berserker in "Some Guy", in "Variant" he calmly allows some walkers to get in close so he can slash them with his sword, taking his injured leg into account and expending as little energy as possible.
* Good Is Not Soft: Has no problems with killing human threats if he has to.
* The Heart: Jerry is known and loved throughout the communities for his big heart and ability to bring a smile to everyone’s face. Ezekiel recognizes this towards the end of Season 10, and this is why he leaves him in charge of the native Kingdom residents. In the extended run, he takes special care to check on Carol when she’s suffering after her fight with Daryl, and in Season 11 he is still eager to hold a party for Ezekiel once he’s out of surgery.
* Heroes Prefer Swords: The resident Gentle Giant is a proficient swordsman, which he shows off to great effect in "Variant".
* Hold the Unsolicited Ingredient: In Season 11 he promises to hold a pizza and ice cream party for Ezekiel when he gets out of surgery. Ezekiel warns him not to get pineapple on his pizza, implying he’s done it before.
* Informed Attribute: Towards the end of Season 10, Carol says that Jerry has been stepping up as a leader for the community, but Jerry doesn’t get much screentime in either Seasons 10 or 11, let alone any that actually showcases this. Most of the leadership is left to Daryl, Aaron, Gabriel, and Maggie.
* Lame Pun Reaction: Inspires these in Ezekiel, even causing him to break character.
* Nice Guy: Jerry is always friendly toward everyone. He even greets Negan rather casually upon seeing him for the first time in six months, and at the Commonwealth, of all places. Cooper Andrews stated that he thinks Jerry ultimately moved past his hatred for Negan faster than the others due to being this trope.
* Official Couple: With Nabila starting in Season 9.
* One-Man Army: He can decimate scores of walkers and hostile survivors all his own, befitting his status as The Big Guy. In "Variant", even with an injured leg, he's able to kill several walkers with his sword.
* O.O.C. Is Serious Business: Downplayed. While Jerry is known as a lovable, cheery fellow, he becomes perfectly serious when he’s in a fight with the living or the dead. That said, there are a few occasions where the friendly, patient, and easy-going Jerry is completely absent, and that’s a real cause for alarm.
** In “Some Guy”, his usual happy demeanor is completely absent when he violently hacks Gunther in half with his axe.
** In “Squeeze”, he grows gradually more exasperated and snarky as the stress of trying to escape the tight tunnels out of Alpha’s cave gets to him.
** In "Out of the Ashes", he is furious when he finds some surviving Whisperers using a discarded hijab of Nabila's for themselves and goes along with Aaron's ensuing interrogation.
** In "Variant" he's as shocked as the others when they are attacked by variant walkers, and furiously snarks as to when the hell walkers started using doorknobs.
* Phrase Catcher: Ezkeiel and Carol will sometimes scold him by saying "Jerry!", usually in response to a badly-timed joke or pun, though it's almost always in jest.
* Plucky Comic Relief: One of the most lighthearted characters until Season 10, when he begins to sour and become more shaken by things. After this, while he still provides light-hearted moments, they're more sincere and heartfelt than outright comic relief.
* Promotion to Opening Titles: In Season 11.
* Pungeon Master: Makes a few puns here and there to lighten the mood.
* Real Men Can Cook: It’s not surprising for a large, Big Eater who’s also a father of three to have picked up some cooking skills, but his famous “fettuccine con cannellini beans à la Jerry” does sound divine for an apocalypse meal.
* Red Baron: A dying Yago refers to him as "The Axe Man".
* Red Herring: "Family" sets him up to seemingly be on the path to a Heroic Sacrifice, but his next appearance shows him alive and unharmed, and he survives the events of the Grand Finale.
* Red Is Heroic: His official court attire is a red tunic.
* Sole Survivor: He is the only one of Ezekiel's original militia who is not wiped out by the Saviors at the end of "Monsters" or in "Some Guy", with the exception of Dianne (who is working with the Hilltop soldiers).
* Stout Strength: On the heavy side, but possesses an incredible amount of strength. This is best shown in "Squeeze", when he holds up a beam keeping an entire cave from collapsing by himself, allowing all but Magna and Connie, who stay behind to kill some Whisperers, the chance to escape.
* Trademark Favorite Food: The man loves himself some cobbler.
* Undying Loyalty: Even when Ezekiel renounces his king position, Jerry tells him that he will always be his hero.
* Why Did It Have to Be Snakes?: He’s clearly distressed in Alpha’s cave since due to his heavyset frame, he is at an immediate disadvantage trying to escape.
* Wrecked Weapon: His battle axe is destroyed in Season 8's "Some Guy". He gets another one in later seasons.
* You Are in Command Now: Ezekiel leaves him in charge of the Kingdom people while he joins Eugene's quest to meet Stephanie. Carol mentions in "Find Me" that Jerry has been stepping up in Ezekiel's absence.
* Zombie Infectee: Narrowly averted in “Squeeze”. Some walkers catch up to him as he’s climbing through a tunnel and begin chewing on his feet, but thankfully they don’t bite through his boots and he survives.
Leah Shaw:
* Alas, Poor Villain: It's easy to pity her given she was completely broken and alone after the loss of her family, all because of her former leader’s psychopathy and picking a fight he shouldn’t have, only to get killed by her ex-boyfriend. Daryl shows no pleasure at her demise at his hands either.
* The Aloner: She lives alone in the woods with only Dog as company. In Season 11, however, she has rejoined the Reapers. However, they do not survive the war with Maggie, leaving Leah alone once again after Daryl spares her.
* Ambiguous Situation: How she found the other Reapers after breaking up with Daryl and leaving their cabin is never explained.
* Arch-Enemy: She comes to see Maggie as a much more personal one than Pope ever did, blaming her for the deaths of her entire family.
* Asshole Victim: While she may not have been a total monster, being a member of the Reapers who committed genocides unprovoked and refusing to let go of her vendetta against Maggie means her eventual fate being shot by Daryl was very well-deserved.
* Avenging the Villain: At the end of Part 2 of Season 11, she becomes dead-set on killing Maggie and everyone she loves to avenge the Reapers.
* Back for the Dead: Returns at the end of “The Rotten Core”, only to briefly menace Maggie again for one more episode before she is killed off.
* Badass Longcoat: She wears one as part of her Reaper attire.
* Became Their Own Antithesis: She kills Pope due to revealing he only views the people under his command as collateral damage to satisfy his bloodlust, but she ends up just like him by the end of Part 2, dismissing Commonwealth soldiers as means to an end.
* Belligerent Sexual Tension: Her relationship with Daryl becomes this after they learn that they are not enemies, frequently bickering and teasing until something more develops between them.
* Benevolent Boss: She’s much more caring towards the Reapers than Pope since she genuinely considers them family. She kills Pope specifically because he proves he doesn’t care for them, and to give the Reapers a proper leader again.
* Birds of a Feather
* Bond Villain Stupidity: She manages to get the upper hand over Maggie and knock her unconscious, meaning she could have easily ended her then and there. But no, Leah just had to make Maggie suffer for what she did to her family and waste time monologuing about how much Maggie is going to regret crossing her. Not only does it buy time for Maggie to get free of her restraints, it gets her killed by Daryl when he's able to sneak up on her and shoot her in the head. She didn't even do a good job with her restraints since Maggie is easily able to get out of them, and Leah doesn't even notice until it's too late
* Cruel Mercy
* Daddy's Girl: She deeply cares for her adopted father who she insists showed her she was strong. For his part, Pope becomes far more meek and heartfelt in a one-on-one conversation with her than literally anybody else, but he's The Unfettered, so it doesn't mean much.
* Dark Action Girl
* Dark and Troubled Past
* Death Glare
* Deconstruction: In Season 11 she serves as a deconstruction of the long-standing fan argument that had the audience been following Negan or a villain since the beginning, they would’ve seen Rick’s group as the villains. She has Undying Loyalty to her adopted family and believes the group crossed a line by killing her comrades in self-defense. She’s a good example of how toxic this sort of blind loyalty can be, and pays the price for continuing to war with Maggie by losing everyone she loves to the fight. Daryl explicitly tries to get her to see reason by questioning the Reapers’ taking of Meridian, but Leah refuses to see any wrong in their actions and Daryl is forced to concede she is his enemy.
*
* Disc-One Final Boss: Only takes the Big Bad reigns for the first episode of Season 11's second part before her entire group is wiped out and she's forced to flee. It happens again when she's set up as a major threat going into the final part of the series only to die with eight episodes left to go before the finale.
* The Dragon: She's the closest thing to second-in-command of the Reapers, having a place of authority in the hierarchy and is usually the only one Pope listens to.
* Dragon Ascendant: She becomes the new leader of the Reapers after killing Pope.
* Dragon with an Agenda: Lance employs her as an assassin to kill Maggie, meaning she's ostensibly working for the Commonwealth. Leah, however, couldn't care less about Lance or why he wants Maggie dead and is merely using his troops as cannon fodder in her own rampage of revenge. The moment Lance's resources are wasted and Leah spots Maggie from a distance, she severs ties with Lance and goes to take care of her prey on her own terms.
* Et Tu, Brute?: She is devastated and angry when Daryl reveals he is part of Maggie's group. She accepts that he is doing whatever he can to protect his family... but resolves to continue doing the same for hers, only granting him a head start to try to escape.
* Even Evil Has Loved Ones: Her defining trait is her love for her adopted family. She also seemed to care for Daryl despite the borderline-toxicity of their relationship.
* Even Evil Has Standards:
** She is shocked when the other Reapers lock her inside Daryl’s burning shed, though it’s ambiguous if she’s specifically disgusted by Pope, who gave the order, or her cohorts, as she later rips into Carver for it.
** She stands up to Pope when he screams at the Reapers for not finding Maggie’s group and tries to take the blame onto her. She briefly implies she’s not proud of how the Reapers took Meridian unprovoked. Later, she ultimately refuses to kill the family Pope ordered her to wipe out.
** In “For Blood”, she is disgusted when Pope proves he doesn’t care about any of the Reapers’ lives and ultimately kills him for it.
* Evil All Along: She is revealed to be a loyal member of the Reapers.
* Evil Counterpart:
** Like Daryl, she prizes her Family of Choice above all else. Except in her case, said family happens to be the bloodthirsty Reapers. When they first meet in "Find Me", Daryl is stinging from the loss of Rick and Leah from supposedly losing her entire family in a walker attack. Neither has any idea that the people they are grieving over are in fact still alive — however, Leah actually gets to reunite with the Reapers while Daryl is still in the dark about the possibility of Rick's survival until the series finale.
** Like Maggie, she becomes focused on single-minded revenge against the party responsible for the deaths of her loved ones. Unlike Maggie, she lets vengeance consume her and dies totally broken, angry, and alone. Leah also had a son who she loved more than anything, similar to how Maggie has her son Hershel.
* Evil Is Not a Toy: Lance learns the hard way that hiring an experienced war veteran who has gone insane from grief as a mercenary was a bad idea since she ends up turning on him while trying to get to Maggie.
* Evil Is Petty: Despite learning from Daryl that Maggie’s group are the good family he came from, and being implied to have some regret about Pope’s crusade that started when they took a community by force, she nonetheless decides to continue the war against them because they’ve killed some of her fellow Reapers.
* Evil Virtues: Her love for her family is genuine and she shows she can be a perfectly reasonable, friendly person.
* Evil vs. Evil: She briefly becomes a foe to Lance as well as the heroic Maggie.
* Face–Heel Turn: She goes from being a reasonably sympathetic Anti-Villain to declaring war on Maggie and viewing everyone but her people as collateral damage in her mad quest for vengeance.
* False Soulmate: She's the first person Daryl is explicitly shown to have romantic feelings for, and they grew close enough that he was willing to abandon his search for Rick if it meant they could be together. After she departs, he leaves her a note in the floorboards of the cabin they shared telling her to "Find me" in case she ever decides to come back. Unfortunately, their respective families clashing and the lingering bad blood from Maggie executing all the Reapers sans Leah, who Daryl is then forced to kill himself to save Maggie, means that a future for the two just wasn't in the cards. Norman Reedus and showrunner Angela Kang have suggested that Leah and Daryl's relationship was written with this trope in mind. The romance came about mostly because they were both hurting from losing some of the most important people in their lives, and likely would have never worked out in the long run.
* Friend Versus Lover: She's torn between her love for her surrogate family and her lingering feelings for Daryl.
* Heel–Face Door-Slam: She seems to be on the verge of changing her mind about the Reapers, or at least willing to abandon Pope's fight against Maggie's people. But finding out Daryl lied to her about knowing Maggie, and witnessing Daryl kill Ancheta and realizing he helped kill Wells, immediately dashes any hope of Leah turning over a new leaf, and she remains an unrepentant antagonist until her death.
* Hero Killer: She kills recurring Hilltop resident and all-around Nice Guy Marco by shooting him in the head.
* Hypocrite:
** She is annoyed when Daryl subtly expresses disgust with her and the Reapers for hunting Maggie's group, insisting that the Reapers have a whole community to protect. This ignores the fact that the Reapers took Meridian unprovoked and slaughtered families and children to get it for their own, much smaller group.
** In “Acts of God” she dismisses the Commonwealth troopers under her command who get killed in Maggie’s trap as collateral damage. This is despite her disgust with Pope for treating her family the same way, showing how far she’s fallen.
* Irony:
** Despite breaking up with Daryl because of his inability to let go of the past, it ends up being Leah's own refusal to let bygones be bygones that results in the deaths of all her people, including Leah herself.
** Despite the Reapers' hatred of politicians, she forms a partnership with Lance after he offers her a job to assassinate Maggie. Subverted when it turns out she's only using Lance as a means to her own ends.
* It's All About Me: In "Find Me" she all but states that Daryl needs to give up both his search for Rick's body and his ties with his family to be with her. It plays a big part in Daryl leaving for a time. Season 11 has her in a slightly less selfish light, but it's more of It's All About Us as she shows severe Moral Myopia, refusing to consider any implication that the Reapers are in the wrong for their actions.
* It's Personal: She really comes to hate Maggie's guts after she wipes out the rest of her family.
* Karmic Death: She pays the price for continuing to follow Pope’s insane crusade even after all the other Reapers are long dead with dying a broken, lonely murderer. She's also killed by Daryl in the same cabin where the two of them used to live together, and is shot in the head unexpectedly much like she did to Marco.
* Kick The Son Of A Bitch: Nobody will blame her for offing the bloodthirsty and unstable Pope. She also deals a bad hand to Lance Hornsby by getting his troops killed (who themselves likely draw no sympathy from the audience) and helping compromise his quest to covertly kill Maggie for his own gain.
* Kindness Button: In Season 11, her lingering feelings for Daryl are the only way to get her to act like a human being again. When he tells her he cares about her in “On the Inside”, she nearly tears up on the spot.
* Know When to Fold 'Em: As noted in Dirty Coward, once Gabriel turns the tables on the Reapers during the stand-off, Leah quickly agrees to leave with her remaining comrades.
* Laser-Guided Karma: Deciding to continue Pope’s unprovoked, foolish crusade against Maggie results in the complete annihilation of her family. She is once again left alone, but this time, she knows for sure that her family is truly all dead and it’s her fault.
* Lonely Together: Implied to be the root of her relationship with Daryl. Leah's still wounded from losing her adopted son and surrogate family, while Daryl's world has been upended by the apparent loss of his brother Rick.
* The Lost Lenore: Downplayed. She’s not confirmed to be dead, but not knowing what happened to her still deeply hurts Daryl to this day. Season 11 shows she feels this way about Daryl since she still loves him years later and is still hurt that he seemingly left her.
* Love Cannot Overcome: Daryl's reluctance to let go of the past and give up his search for Rick's body ultimately spurs Leah to leave him.
* Love-Interest Traitor: Daryl's ex-girlfriend who turns out to be a member of the group's current enemy, the Reapers.
* Love Makes You Crazy: Her love for her fallen brethren spurs her into action trying to avenge them against Maggie and her people.
* Mama Bear: She loves the Reapers as her own, which is why she ultimately kills Pope for threatening their lives. She then turns her fury squarely on Maggie’s group, regardless of Pope's actions, simply because in her eyes, Maggie's group crossed a line killing any of her people.
* Mama Didn't Raise No Criminal: She is completely unwilling to consider the Reapers as being in the wrong for taking Meridian unprovoked and to the end hates Maggie for killing them.
* Mildly Military: Her skills and referring to her adopted family as her “squad” suggests she is ex-military. Confirmed in Season 11 when the Reapers are revealed to be a group of Afghanistan war veterans.
* Mirror Character: She's one to Dwight, oddly enough. Both betrayed Daryl and went running back to their people when it would have been simpler for them to put their conflict to rest, and both continued to harm Daryl's family with their petty vendettas. Both are driven by their genuine love for their family (Dwight for Tina and Sherry, Leah for her fellow Reapers). Both end up banished by Daryl after they've lost pretty much everything, in large part due to their own foolish choices. Unlike Dwight, who eventually owns up to his actions, helps the heroes, and stays gone to make things right with Sherry, Leah continues to insist the Reapers are not at fault, refuses to make a Heel–Face Turn, and returns months later looking for vengeance against Maggie. This means that Dwight gets a happier ending than Leah does. And as noted under Composite Character, Leah gets a variation of Dwight's Boom, Headshot! death from the comics.
* Moral Myopia: She does express a little regret for how the Reapers took Meridian unprovoked, but once Daryl expresses disdain for this selfish motive in hunting the Wardens, she immediately snaps at him insisting they have a community to protect. Despite the families the Reapers killed or tore apart, she sees Maggie's group as the enemy for killing Reapers in self-defense because it means she loses her family.
* My Greatest Failure: Regards the death of her adopted son and seemingly the rest of her family in a walker attack as this, much like how Daryl blames himself for Rick's apparent death.
* Never My Fault: Or rather, never the Reapers’ fault. She’s so blindly devoted to her family that she refuses to outright condemn their evil actions such as the conquering of Meridian, insisting they were just doing what was right for their own community. She still treats Maggie as an enemy despite Maggie being within her rights to try to reclaim her lost community, simply because she’s killed some Reapers. In the stand-off, when Carver clearly begins going out of his way to taunt Elijah and make things worse, Leah at first begins demanding Daryl control his people. When Leah has Maggie at her mercy in "Acts of God", she keeps blaming her for the deaths of her people even though it was Leah who foolishly insisted on continuing Pope's crusade against Maggie that was responsible for the deaths of any Reapers in the first place.
* "Not So Different" Remark: She’s on the receiving end of this from Maggie in their final confrontation, who knows all too well what it’s like to be eaten up by revenge and bloodlust. It helps lower Leah’s guard just enough to buy Maggie a bit more of a chance once she breaks free from her restraints.
* Official Couple: She and Daryl eventually became this during Season 9’s six year Time Skip, to the point that Daryl was willing to stay with her as opposed to returning to Alexandria. In Season 11 they never quite get back together before Daryl outs himself as The Mole.
* One-Woman Army
* Outliving One's Offspring
* Pet the Dog:
** She clearly cares about Dog and never once considers hurting him to threaten Daryl.
** After blaming Daryl for Pope's death, she gives him a head start so he can have a fighting chance against the Reapers despite acknowledging him as her enemy.
* Punch-Clock Villain
* Put on a Bus:
** She breaks up with Daryl before the end of "Find Me". A few years later, Daryl is still unsure what happened to her.
** After the other Reapers are wiped out and Leah is shot by Maggie, Daryl coldly tells her to get lost before he changes his mind.
* Redemption Rejection: After Leah kills Pope she refuses to escape Meridian with Daryl, choosing to stay with her Family of Choice instead of her former lover. On top of that she tells the other Reapers it was Daryl who killed Pope, though she does at least give him enough time to have a head start. After the other Reapers are killed, Daryl gives her one more chance to leave in peace despite their deal falling through, but Leah becomes consumed by vengeance and returns one final time to menace Maggie.
* Sole Survivor
* Star-Crossed Lovers: Her relationship with Daryl saw them happy during their years alone together in the woods, but they eventually fell apart due to their respective loyalties towards their families. Their relationship is ultimately sunk seemingly for good in ”For Blood” when Daryl reveals he has been killing Reapers to help his family, who have been declared the Reapers’ enemies. Both acknowledge that they would do anything for their families, which is why Leah ultimately turns on Daryl, unwilling to abandon the crusade against Maggie and place her love for him above her own. Leah: Do you ever wonder what it would've been like if we never left that cabin?
* Thicker Than Water: Why she has such loyalty to Pope even after he starts going off the deep end, since she sees him as her father figure despite his abusive tendencies. She finally gives up on him when he proves willing to wipe out the other Reapers in an attempt to kill Maggie’s group, but she does it out of remaining loyalty to the other psychopaths she calls her family.
* Token Good Teammate
* True Companions: She latched onto her squad as her true family, outright referring to one female companion as her sister and to their son as her own once she took him in.
* Undying Loyalty
* The Unfettered
* Unflinching Walk
* What the Hell, Hero?
* Woman Scorned
* Would Hurt a Child
Carina Smyth
* Action Girl: More of an Action Survivor, but just the way she's introduced, picking her prison door and knocking out the prison chaplain, shows she's feisty and willing to throw punches.
* Arbitrary Skepticism: Refuses to believe in magic and the supernatural even while being pursued by a ship of ghosts. It takes seeing the crew of the Silent Mary up close to change her mind.
* Beauty Is Never Tarnished: Despite everything she faces (being tossed into a hay cart, jumping into sea, falling into a trap) her looks never get dirty or such.
* Big "SHUT UP!": When she's about to be hung for being a witch and wants to deliver her last words, she silences an entire unruly crowd by bellowing "QUIIEEET!" at them.
* Born in the Wrong Century: It's made obvious by the fact that the nebulous accusations of witchcraft have an awful lot to do with her being a woman with intellectual pursuits(it should be noted that witchcraft was actually not as big of a deal in the eighteenth century). (An astronomer's shop she runs into early in the movie blatantly forbids women to enter, for example.)
* Bound and Gagged: The amount of time, she spends tied up, chained or captured during the movie, is really astonishing.
* Brainy Brunette: She has dark brown hair and is intelligent enough to have educated herself in astronomy, maths, and horology.
* Burn the Witch!: She is mistaken for a witch and sentenced to death by hanging before she is rescued by Henry.
* Deadpan Snarker: During the double execution, when Henry is forced to rescue her in a rather, um, peculiar fashion. Henry: From this moment on, we are to be allies! Carina: Considering where your left hand is, I'd say we're more than that!
* Disappeared Dad: She searches for the trident in the hopes that she can find out who her father is. Once Barbossa finds her again, he confides to Jack he hoped to never do so, and that the journal she's using for her research was left solely for her to get some cash.
* Doorstop Baby: She was left at an orphanage's door with just her name and a diary left by her father.
* Family Eye Resemblance: She has her father Hector Barbossa's striking sea-blue eyes.
* Like Father, Like Son: Rather, Like Father, Like Daughter. She's as adventurous as her father, to the point that once Carina learns who he is, decides to accept his surname.
* The Man They Couldn't Hang: She hangs momentarily, but Henry manages to catch her before her neck can be snapped.
* Meaningful Name: As she points out to Barbossa, her name comes from the shiniest constellation in the Southern sky, influencing her fascination for astronomy. And given captains, pirate or not, guide themselves by the stars, there was a reason for the name to come.
** It also is an Italian term of endearment, "little darling". As proven by the compass pointing to her, she's what Barbossa holds most dear.
* Meaningful Rename: At the end of Dead Men Tell No Tales, she changes her last name to Barbossa, in honor of her father.
* Mistaken for Prostitute: When she says she's a horologist, Jack and his crew only hear the first part of this word. Horology is actually the study and measurement of time.
* The Navigator: Using Galileo's diary and the constellation depicted on its cover is her method for finding the Trident.
* Nom de Mom: With no idea who her father is, Carina goes by Smyth, her late mother Margaret's last name. After learning Barbossa is her father before he dies, she takes his name.
* Orphan's Plot Trinket: The diary previously owned by Galileo Galilei she uses to research for the trident's location. Barbossa stole it from an Italian ship.
* Phrase Catcher: Her scientific knowledge is mistaken for magic, leading Carina to be frequently called a witch.
* Sesquipedalian Loquaciousness: Likes to use some complicated words, most blatantly in her attempted Last Words to complain how the commoners are stupid (to the point most are reacting with "huh?").
* Surrounded by Idiots: Given that her intellect gets her constantly accused of being a witch, she has every reason to think so. It doesn't help that she tends to use big words that go over everyone else's heads.
* The Ugly Guy's Hot Daughter: Once Jack Sparrow remembers a woman named Smyth, he proceeds to question how Barbossa managed to father such a lovely lady.
Henry Turner:
* Accidental Pervert: When he saves Carina from hanging, he's forced to hold her in such a way that any sense of propriety is thrown out the window. He tries to be more gentlemanly when she strips down to swim to an island later, much to Jack's annoyance.
* Book Dumb: He doesn't quite grasp the math and science behind Carina's thoughts, but is smart enough to realise that she's not a witch, so it seems that it's only maths and science he's not brilliant at.
* Broken Pedestal: His first meeting with Jack is a huge disappointment for him as the fantastic stories of a wily pirate captain are attached to a drunkard in a prison cell who's only worth a single pound captured.
* Cassandra Truth: It doesn't help his case when he's a low-ranking sailor barking out to his superiors, either.
* Demonic Possession: By Salazar towards the end of Dead Men Tell No Tales in a bid to claim the Trident. It works, and Salazar immediately abandons Henry's body again.
* Determinator: His entire life, he's worked towards breaking his father's curse and get his parents their happily ever after. This includes sinking himself into the sea to get his father's attention, going against his orders as a sailor (frequently, to the point where he's been kicked off more than a few ships), and serving as a distraction to the army present at Jack and Carina's execution in order to free them with no guarantee the plan wouldn't go south and that he'd die.
* Divine Parentage: You could argue that, given that he was fathered by a psychopomp.
* Early-Bird Cameo: He gets this in The Stinger of "At World's End."
* Generation Xerox: It comes with inheriting his parents' adventurous natures. Also, he embarks on a similar quest of trying to free his father from the Dutchman that his own father did some twenty years beforehand.
* Genre Savvy: He's spent the last 9 years studying all of the "myths" of the sea, so he knows perfectly well that All Myths Are True, and helps Carina find the Trident of Poseidon. The fact that he's known that he's the son of an undead psychopomp probably helped.
* Hair of Gold, Heart of Gold: Inherited Elizabeth's golden hair. But unlike her, who had only one selfish goal (get married to Will) and would get treacherous and murderous to achieve it, Henry wants to get his father home for both himself and his mother so the three can be happy, and he doesn't truly have it in himself to kill anyone.
* I Will Find You: Not wanting his father to roam the boundary between life and death and only return once every ten years, Henry sets out to find a way to break the curse and bring him home for good, for the sake of his family.
* Military Maverick: He breaks rank in the beginning of the film to order the captain to turn the ship around and not pursue some pirates into a cave, and he gets his sleeves torn and thrown into the brig for treason for his trouble. It's mentioned it's hardly the first time that's happened.
* Only Sane Man: He doesn't quite grasp the math and science behind Carina's thoughts, but he knows she's not a witch (at least not any kind he's read about) and that trusting her is the only way to find the Trident.
* Strong Family Resemblance: He looks exactly how you'd expect a child of Will and Elizabeth to look - to the point that viewers figured out his identity almost as soon as Thwaites was cast - and the studios didn't even bother trying to keep it a secret.
* We Need a Distraction: He is the distraction, performing a crazy stunt at Jack and Carina's execution in order to buy time for Gibbs and the other crewmen to enact the real rescue.
Elizabeth Swann:
* Action Girl: Elizabeth increasingly occupies this role as she steps into the world of pirates. By the start of the third film, she undoubtedly qualifies and proves as much to a pirate mook.
* Adrenaline Makeover: Starts off as a very "Proper Lady" gal, but slowly sheds that skin to become a bona-fide Pirate Girl.
* All Girls Want Bad Boys: She developed an attraction to Jack Sparrow during Dead Man's Chest, though she clearly didn't want to admit it.
* All Women Are Lustful: A justified example when funneled through her almost Single-Target Sexuality for Will - Elizabeth, after a year-long engagement with Will where they confined themselves to sword training as their most strenuous physical activity, is dangerously thirsty for her fiancé.
* Anti-Hero: The lesser one of the main cast. While she does get a bit manipulative by the second and third films, she's nothing compared to Jack or Barbossa.
* Audience Surrogate: Like the audience, she's grown up reading many romanticized pirate stories, and has an idea beforehand of what she thinks pirates are like.
* Benevolent Boss: When Port Royal is attacked she gets one of her maids to safety.
* Beauty Is Never Tarnished: Played with- she suffers from some of the effects of a life at sea (such as dirt, sweat, and- most prominently- a severe sunburn that turns into a strong tan and her hair gradually fading from light brown to sun-bleached blonde, growing visibly stringy and damaged in the process), but rarely suffers any disfiguring injury, such as when the inhumanly strong Davy Jones backhands (or back-claws) her across the face without inflicting the slightest bruise.
* Big Good: She becomes this in the third film when she is voted as the new Pirate King. She even leads the pirate army into battle against Cutler Beckett and his army.
* Born in the Wrong Century: Stated so by Keira Knightley with the "right" century being more like "late 20th" as stated under Audience Surrogate.
* Childhood Friend Romance: With Will. It's easy to tell she's more interested in her blacksmith friend than Norrington.
* Cowardice Callout: She delivers an impassioned criticism to Sao Feng overlapping with the "You Used to Be Better" Speech, citing how the other Pirate Lords of the Brethren Court are uniting to wage war against the East India Trading Company, but Sao Feng sits and cowers in his bathhouse instead. Sao Feng is insulted by her accusations, but simultaneously impressed by her boldness, so he doesn't retaliate.
* Damsel out of Distress: In the first movie where she arranges for her own rescue and otherwise gets herself out of trouble.
* Deadpan Snarker: Sometimes. See her opinion of corsets: Governor Swann: I'm told it's the latest fashion in London. Elizabeth: Well, women in London must have learned not to breathe.
* Dude Magnet: Has been kissed by and caught the attention of at least four men.
* Earn Your Happy Ending: Turned to piracy, fought two brands of cursed pirates, and separated from the man she loves for twenty-some years, but come the end of Dead Men Tell No Tales she and Will finally get the chance to be together again for more than a sunset.
* Friendly Pirate: Particularly notable in that she becomes the Pirate King of the Brethren Court, but still keeps her heroic values from before her involvement in piracy.
* Girly Girl with a Tomboy Streak: She starts out as just a Proper Lady, and then she Took a Level in Badass, or actually several levels, going from Guile Heroine to Action Girl to Pirate KING. Even in the first movie, although a gentle girl, she had a hidden fascination for pirate lore.
* Good Bad Girl: Elizabeth is "so ready to be married" to Will Turner, and she ominously warns Beckett when holding him at gunpoint that he should remember that he robbed her of her wedding night.
* Guile Heroine: Outsmarts Jack. Four of Barbossa's crew have tried to kill him in the past; she's the one that succeeded.
* Kiss of Death: Quite possibly. Any man she kisses while on the sea dies almost immediately afterwards.
** Interestingly enough, they're all killed by the crew of the Flying Dutchman. note 
* Manipulative Bitch: On the more heroic end of the scale, but she's more than capable of it when she perceives Will's life to be in danger. Hell, she even gets the better of Jack. There is a reason he refers to her as Will's "charming murderess."
* Meaningful Name: A swan is a creature renowned for its grace and beauty, but also very dangerous, as anyone who's seen Hot Fuzz will know.
* Mistaken for Gay: When she tries to join Jack's crew, disguised as a male to try and save Will Turner. Elizabeth: I'm here to find the man I love. Jack: [Beat, slightly uncomfortable] I'm flattered, son, but my first and only love is the sea.
* Mrs. Hypothetical: The creators stated that Elizabeth most likely wrote the name "Mrs Elizabeth Turner" down plenty of times, which is why she ended up giving that alias when Barbossa first kidnapped her. That being said, some merchandise has given her married name as "Swann-Turner".
* Ms. Fanservice: Averted. Elizabeth either wears the conservative dresses of the age or men's clothing. In the first movie, the crew of the Black Pearl eagerly watch as she strips off a dress, only to reveal that she's wearing the long undergarments of the time, revealing nothing.
* Of Corset Hurts: "You like pain? Try wearing a corset!" That said, she sometimes uses it to her advantage.
* Of Corsets Sexy: At least this is her father's opinion. It's all the rage in England!
* Official Couple: With Will at the end of the first movie, where they are engaged. Officially tying the knot takes another two movies.
* Once per Episode: In each of the first three movies there's a joke about her being naked. In Curse of the Black Pearl Barbossa relays to her that she can either wear a dress and dine with him or dine with the rest of the crew naked, in Dead Man's Chest the captain of the Edinburgh Trader notes that their female stowaway (actually Elizabeth, who is disguised as a man) must be naked since they found her dress, and in At World's End she must disrobe completely (offscreen) and wear a simple bathrobe before meeting Sao Feng. What makes it especially ironic is that there is very little fanservice in the entire franchise, and none of it (barring a few cleavage shots) comes from Elizabeth herself.
* Only the Pure of Heart: In one of the non-canon comics, Elizabeth received a sword that gave her godly powers, because she was more the only one who was truly pure of heart. Given how much of her true nature has been exposed in the sequels, it more than likely doesn't hold up.
* Pirate Girl: As of the third movie, she is officially a pirate and not a Proper Lady visiting their world.
* Rousing Speech: Her "Hoist the Colors" speech in At World's End inspires the pirates to fight against the East India Company.
* "Scooby-Doo" Hoax: Pulls off a "ghost on a ship" charade, to convince the crew of the Edinburgh Trader to change course for Tortuga.
* She Is All Grown Up: Norrington noticed this in the first film and it is part of his proposal.
* She Is the King: Once she becomes the Pirate King.
* Single Woman Seeks Good Man: Was engaged to Norrington, shares an attraction with Jack Sparrow, yet loves Will Turner.
* Someone to Remember Him By: The stinger of At World's End reveals that she has borne William a son. Unlike most examples, Will can return every ten years to see them. Also, by the end of Dead Men Tell No Tales, Will is allowed to come home for good.
* Sweet Polly Oliver: After escaping Beckett in DMC, she disguised herself as a young male sailor to get aboard the Edinburgh Trader. Elizabeth: (disguised as a boy) I'm here to find the man I love. Jack: I'm deeply flattered, son, but my first and only love is the sea. (Shortly later, Elizabeth reveals herself) Jack: ELIZABETH! (aside) Hide the rum.
* Together in Death: Tries to invoke this trope by staying by Will's body as The Dutchman sinks into the maelstrom, however Jack saves her and Will is later resurrected, averting it.
* Tomboyness Upgrade: She goes from a Proper Lady to Pirate King during the original trilogy.
* Took a Level in Badass: Will taught her how to use a sword. Unfortunately for her, this was all she and Will did during their engagement. Then in the third movie she goes and becomes the Pirate King, and not just King-in-Name-Only, she leads the pirates against the East India Company and does a damned good job of it.
* Tritagonist: The third main character of the trilogy she participates in. The movies start from her POV two out of three times, and her actions drive the plot more than anyone else's, apart from Beckett. She also receives the most Character Development of the three original protags, coming into her own as a pragmatic, manipulative, Magnificent Bastard (one who can get the better of Jack) and Pirate King.
* Violently Protective Girlfriend: Even before she learns how to use a sword from Will (non-euphemistically, no matter how much she might have desired otherwise), she forms a Battle Couple with him. In the sequels, all of her most ruthless and manipulative actions are centred around protecting him.
* What You Are in the Dark: As soon as everyone was out of sight, Elizabeth did not hesitate to use her feminine charms to seduce and murder Jack. Although she wasn't proud of it.
* Wrong Genre Savvy: At least in the first movie. Elizabeth grew up reading pirate stories, so she has a pretty good idea of how pirates are "supposed" to behave. She's constantly being surprised at how rarely they live up to her expectations in real life.
Will Turner:
* Alleged Lookalikes: Several characters will comment on how he's a "spitting image" of his father. When "Bootstrap Bill" does show up, the two don't remotely resemble each other. Considering that Bill is now a sea creature, mistakes can be forgiven.note 
** Averted with his own son, Henry, whose appearance as cast by Brenton Thwaites lines up fairly well with how you'd expect a child of Will and Elizabeth to look.
* Always Save the Girl: Jack: (believing Will to be a hallucination) William, tell me something: Have you come because you need my help to save a certain distressing damsel, or, rather, Damsel in Distress? Either one. Will: No. Jack: Well, then you wouldn't be here.
* Anti-Hero: By the time of the third movie the pirates he's been associating with have rubbed off on him, and he's willing to make deals with Sao Feng and Cutler Beckett to betray everyone else to secure the safety of Elizabeth and his father.
* Back from the Dead: In the third film he's killed and becomes undead as Captain of the Dutchman after Jones. By the end of the fifth film, he's fully restored to life.
* Badass Bystander: To Jack's surprise in the first film, that blacksmith's apprentice is not only blocking his path to freedom but puts up a good fight.
* Benevolent Boss: His first act as captain of the Flying Dutchman is to forgive the debts of all his crew members and then properly serve as a ferryman instead of slave owner.
* Big Damn Heroes: Returns as the Captain of the Flying Dutchman during the climax of the third film.
* The Blacksmith: Will is the swordsmith variant.
* Blessed with Suck: It all depends on how you view the Curse of Davey Jones' locker.
* Childhood Friend Romance: With Elizabeth. The first scene of the first movie is their meeting as children.
* Denying the Dead Parent's Sins: He almost kills Jack for calling his father a pirate.
* Distressed Dude: The second half of the first movie involves rescuing him from nearly the exact same situation as Elizabeth.
* Empowered Badass Normal: By the end of the third movie, he became an Immortal Captain of the Flying Dutchman.
** By the end of the fifth movie however, his son breaks his cursed bond to the Dutchman and he is Brought Down to Normal again.
* Establishing Character Moment: His entire swordfight with Jack in the first film reveals he is not just a humble blacksmith. Jack: Who makes all these [swords]? Will: I do! And I practice with them three hours a day! Jack: You need to find yourself a girl, mate.
* Friendly Pirate: He becomes a pirate by the end of the first film, but otherwise remains firmly heroic.
* Guile Hero: Starting in the second film. Will: I said to myself, "Think like Jack."
* Guttural Growler: In the fifth movie he's slipped into this as the Dutchman mutates him in his despair. This is gone when he is released.
* Hoist by His Own Petard: A heroic (for this series) example; but you need to pay attention to notice it. If you follow the journey of Will's Sword through the movies: It gets forged for Norrington, lost or taken away after his fall from grace, regifted to him by Beckett, stabbed into Davy Jones as one last act of defiance and subsequently taken by Jones, dropped by Jones during his fight with Jack on the mast, retrieved from a random crewman (not before he's killed with it) by Jones and lastly Used to deliver the killing blow to Will by Jones. Presumably, he then takes it as his own again. Also qualifies as an extremely roundabout Chekhov's Gun.
* Honor Before Reason: His insistence on honor and propriety and such things is what makes him such a contrast with Jack. According to Jack, it also makes him dangerous to selfish minded pirates because they can't predict when he'll do something "stupid".
* Hypercompetent Sidekick: To the blacksmith he works for, Mr. Brown. Brown is a drunkard who doesn't do any of the work, leaving Will to do the work such as making swords.
* I Gave My Word: He'll go to suicidal lengths to keep a promise, especially the one he makes his father in the sequels.
* In the Blood: "But pirate is in your blood, boy, so you'll have to square with that some day..."
* Irony: In "At Worlds End" he is fatally stabbed by Davy Jones with the same sword he created in the first film.
* Like Father, Like Son: He doesn't have alot in common with his father, but his own son, Henry, is like him in almost every way. Henry even wants to free him from the Flying Dutchman even though he's only known him for one day, much like he himself wanted to save his father, who abandoned him to become a pirate.
* Love at First Sight: He says he fell in love with Elizabeth the moment he met her.
* MacGuffin Super-Person: Will is "the child in whose veins flows the blood of William Turner" and as such, a MacGuffin in the first film, as noted above.
* Master Swordsman: The creators claim him to be the finest one in the franchise on a purely technical level. Unfortunately, all of the foes he faces in the saga make up for their lack of skill with their willingness to use dirty tricks.
* The McCoy: He often balances Jack's pragmatism with a more human side to things, at least in the first movie. In the sequels things get murkier.
* Nice Guy: Will is one of the most decent and well meaning men you could ask for.
* Papa Wolf: In the opening for Dead Men Tell No Tales he's shown to be very protective of his young son and is terrified when the boy vows to save him. Even though it hurts him, he encourages Henry to forget about him. Fortunately, Henry is his and Elizabeth's son.
* Parental Abandonment: Will's father Bootstrap became a pirate while his mother died when he was young, so Will came to the Caribbean to look for his father.
* Psychopomp: What he becomes in the third movie since he took over Davy Jones' job as ferryman of those who died at sea. He's free of this duty by the end of Dead Men Tell No Tales.
* Red Is Heroic: Wears a crimson shirt in the third film.
* Red Oni, Blue Oni: The Red to Jack's Blue in the first trilogy in terms of motivation. Jack keeps focused on what he wants and what he has to do to get it while Will tends to get carried away in brief fits of brashness. Will's stakes in the adventures are also purely emotional (Elizabeth and his father) compared to Jack seeking more practical rewards. By personality Jack's unpredictable nature makes him more Red and Will's upbringing makes him more Blue. Jack also wears a Red Bandana, and Will gets a blue one when he becomes captain of the Flying Dutchman.
* Sole Survivor: Will appears to be the only person who survived an attack by the Black Pearl in the first film's opening.
* Supporting Protagonist: He is the protagonist of the original trilogy, with him and Jack getting the most focus of the series and his character development from a naive man to a complex man gets the more focus than Elizabeth's development (though Elizabeth's is greater). However, it is Jack who is truly driving the plot through his schemes.
* Took a Level in Jerkass: While he remains basically a good person he becomes alot more manipulative and underhanded in the sequels than he was in the first film.
* To Be Lawful or Good: Part of Will's Character Development is growing to accept the fact that a person who is technically an outlaw or a criminal can still be a good person at heart. Like Jack. Or his Dad. Or himself, by the end of the series.
* Took a Level in Badass: He starts as a competent swordsman, but naive and inexperienced, but by the third movie he's a lot smarter.
* Vitriolic Best Buds: With Jack, and supplying most (but not all) of the vitriol.
* The Watson: Asks questions to prompt exposition from Jack or Gibbs.
Jack Sparrow:
* Alleged Lookalikes: Several characters will comment on how he's a "spitting image" of his father. When "Bootstrap Bill" does show up, the two don't remotely resemble each other. Considering that Bill is now a sea creature, mistakes can be forgiven.note 
** Averted with his own son, Henry, whose appearance as cast by Brenton Thwaites lines up fairly well with how you'd expect a child of Will and Elizabeth to look.
* Always Save the Girl: Jack: (believing Will to be a hallucination) William, tell me something: Have you come because you need my help to save a certain distressing damsel, or, rather, Damsel in Distress? Either one. Will: No. Jack: Well, then you wouldn't be here.
* Anti-Hero: By the time of the third movie the pirates he's been associating with have rubbed off on him, and he's willing to make deals with Sao Feng and Cutler Beckett to betray everyone else to secure the safety of Elizabeth and his father.
* Back from the Dead: In the third film he's killed and becomes undead as Captain of the Dutchman after Jones. By the end of the fifth film, he's fully restored to life.
* Badass Bystander: To Jack's surprise in the first film, that blacksmith's apprentice is not only blocking his path to freedom but puts up a good fight.
* Benevolent Boss: His first act as captain of the Flying Dutchman is to forgive the debts of all his crew members and then properly serve as a ferryman instead of slave owner.
* Big Damn Heroes
* The Blacksmith
* Guile Hero: Starting in the second film. Will: I said to myself, "Think like Jack."
* Guttural Growler: In the fifth movie he's slipped into this as the Dutchman mutates him in his despair. This is gone when he is released.
* Hoist by His Own Petard: A heroic (for this series) example; but you need to pay attention to notice it. If you follow the journey of Will's Sword through the movies: It gets forged for Norrington, lost or taken away after his fall from grace, regifted to him by Beckett, stabbed into Davy Jones as one last act of defiance and subsequently taken by Jones, dropped by Jones during his fight with Jack on the mast, retrieved from a random crewman (not before he's killed with it) by Jones and lastly Used to deliver the killing blow to Will by Jones. Presumably, he then takes it as his own again. Also qualifies as an extremely roundabout Chekhov's Gun.
* Honor Before Reason: His insistence on honor and propriety and such things is what makes him such a contrast with Jack. According to Jack, it also makes him dangerous to selfish minded pirates because they can't predict when he'll do something "stupid".
* Hypercompetent Sidekick: To the blacksmith he works for, Mr. Brown. Brown is a drunkard who doesn't do any of the work, leaving Will to do the work such as making swords.
* I Gave My Word: He'll go to suicidal lengths to keep a promise, especially the one he makes his father in the sequels.
* In the Blood: "But pirate is in your blood, boy, so you'll have to square with that some day..."
* Irony: In "At Worlds End" he is fatally stabbed by Davy Jones with the same sword he created in the first film.
* Like Father, Like Son: He doesn't have alot in common with his father, but his own son, Henry, is like him in almost every way. Henry even wants to free him from the Flying Dutchman even though he's only known him for one day, much like he himself wanted to save his father, who abandoned him to become a pirate.
* Love at First Sight
* MacGuffin Super-Person: Will is "the child in whose veins flows the blood of William Turner" and as such, a MacGuffin in the first film, as noted above.
* Master Swordsman: The creators claim him to be the finest one in the franchise on a purely technical level. Unfortunately, all of the foes he faces in the saga make up for their lack of skill with their willingness to use dirty tricks.
* The McCoy
* Nice Guy
* Papa Wolf: In the opening for Dead Men Tell No Tales he's shown to be very protective of his young son and is terrified when the boy vows to save him. Even though it hurts him, he encourages Henry to forget about him. Fortunately, Henry is his and Elizabeth's son.
* Parental Abandonment: Will's father Bootstrap became a pirate while his mother died when he was young, so Will came to the Caribbean to look for his father.
* Red Is Heroic: Wears a crimson shirt in the third film.
* Red Oni, Blue Oni: The Red to Jack's Blue in the first trilogy in terms of motivation. Jack keeps focused on what he wants and what he has to do to get it while Will tends to get carried away in brief fits of brashness. Will's stakes in the adventures are also purely emotional (Elizabeth and his father) compared to Jack seeking more practical rewards. By personality Jack's unpredictable nature makes him more Red and Will's upbringing makes him more Blue. Jack also wears a Red Bandana, and Will gets a blue one when he becomes captain of the Flying Dutchman.
* Sole Survivor
* Supporting Protagonist: He is the protagonist of the original trilogy, with him and Jack getting the most focus of the series and his character development from a naive man to a complex man gets the more focus than Elizabeth's development (though Elizabeth's is greater). However, it is Jack who is truly driving the plot through his schemes.
* Took a Level in Jerkass: While he remains basically a good person he becomes alot more manipulative and underhanded in the sequels than he was in the first film.
* To Be Lawful or Good: Part of Will's Character Development is growing to accept the fact that a person who is technically an outlaw or a criminal can still be a good person at heart. Like Jack. Or his Dad. Or himself, by the end of the series.
* Vitriolic Best Buds
* The Watson: Asks questions 
Syrena:
* Anti-Nihilist
* Beauty Equals Goodness
* Because You Were Nice to Me: Why she genuinely falls for Philip; he's the only one demanding her humane treatment.
* Earn Your Happy Ending: She and Philip go through a lot in order to be happy together.
* Godiva Hair
* Innocent Fanservice Girl
* Lightning Bruiser
* Meaningful Name
* Nice Girl
* Our Mermaids Are Different: Syrena's kin charm men, drown them and eat them, even fashioning lassos from kelp or their own hair to snare men from the shore. They can gather in hordes and sink a ship. Whether Syrena is any better is unclear, although what is clear is that from what little is seen of her character, she's less violent than the other members of her species. This makes them spot on for the original concept of mermaids.
* Pet the Dog: Even though she has no reason to do it given all Angelica has put her through, Syrena still provides the means to save her from being fatally poisoned in the climax.
* Token Good Teammate: The only mermaid who isn't a Bitch in Sheep's Clothing. While the other mermaids lured men to their deaths, she rescued Philip from death.
Philip:
* All-Loving Hero
* Anti-Nihilist
* Deadpan Snarker: The man has a fine wit. For instance, when Blackbeard asks if it's true that all souls can be saved, he replies that yes, it is true but Blackbeard himself is "a bit of a long shot".
* The Drag-Along: Captured by the crew, spared by Angelica and tied to the mast, in hopes that he can save Blackbeard's soul. After the crew's mutiny, he's freed and dragged along on the journey.
* Dulcinea Effect: He becomes smitten with Syrena in no time and consistently tries to protect her.
* Expy: For John Chandagnac, The Protagonist of the novel the movie is based on. He's an ordinary man kidnapped by pirates and forced to join in the search for the Fountain of Youth.
* Fantastic Romance: With Syrena, a mermaid.
* Foil: To Angelica. Philip is a stand-up missionary while Angelica is a former convent novice who still seems to believe in God, despite her being a pirate. They initially share the belief that the evil soul of Blackbeard can be saved. However, Philip eventually learns to accept that Blackbeard is a lost cause when he sees how cruelly the pirate is willing to treat Syrena in his quest for the Fountain of Youth. Angelica in turn blindly clings to the possibility of his father's salvation even after seeing how willing he is to sacrifice his daughter just to prolong his own life.
* Good Cannot Comprehend Evil
* Good Shepherd: He sincerely attempts to persuade the pirates to turn toward the path of righteousness, and he's the only one among them to show kindness to and demand humane treatment for Syrena.
* Nice Guy
* No Name Given
* Shirtless Scene: After he gives up his shirt to protect Syrena's modesty, he spends the rest of the movie in his unbuttoned vest.
* Suspiciously Similar Substitute: Philip is suspiciously similar to Will Turner in terms of characterization: token good teammate on a pirate ship whose primary motivation is protecting his love interest and is killed near the climax and for this purpose may or may not have been saved from it depending on what Syrena did to him.
* This Is Unforgivable!: He firmly believes in the goodness of men, and believes all pirates can be saved by God's love, though he admits that saving Blackbeard's is "a bit of a long shot." When Blackbeard has Syrena tied up half in the water for a slow, painful death to extract a tear from her, Philip backpedals, declaring that he was wrong and Blackbeard has no chance of redemption.
* Token Good Teammate: He's a captured missionary on a pirate ship.
* Chaste Hero: To date Tolya's never shown to be interested in romance. It's unclear if he's prioritizing his duty or if he's Asexual
* Half-Identical Twins: Both he and his twin sister are ruthless Shu Han Heartrenders who rely more on their physical combat skills than blood-bending to disable their opponents. They also believe in the Sun Saint and agree on most things.
* Huge Guy, Tiny Girl: What the twins look like standing side by side.
* Like Brother and Sister: With Alina. To wit, her friendship with Tolya is one of the few male friendships she has without any hint of attraction or romance. The original trilogy even ends with Tolya declaring Alina his and Tamar's sister.
* Warrior Poet: Tolya is a skilled warrior and also loves reciting epic poetry.
   Tamar Kir-Bataar 
== Tamar Kir-Bataar ==
A Heartrender mercenary working as a member of Sturmhond's crew.
----
* Action Girl: Tamar is both a Heartrender and very good with mundane weapons.
* Half-Identical Twins: Both she and her twin brother are ruthless Shu Han Heartrenders who rely more on their physical combat skills than blood-bending to disable their opponents. They also believe in the Sun Saint and agree on most things.
* Huge Guy, Tiny Girl: What the twins look like standing side by side.
* Relationship Upgrade: Marries Nadia by King of Scars after the two spent the majority of Ruin and Rising mutually flirting.
    Kuwei Yul-Bo 
== Kuwei Yul-Bo ==
The son of Bo Yul-Bayur, the scientist who invented jurda parem.
----
* All Love Is Unrequited: He appears to have a thing for Jesper, with him doodling sketches of Jesper over half his notebooks and being more than happy to return Jesper's interest when he thought he was Wylan. Jesper, however, doesn't reciprocate.
* Fish out of Water: Spends both books far away from his native Shu Han surrounded by people he doesn't really know.
* Hiding Behind the Language Barrier: Acts like he doesn't speak much Kerch in order to get out of having to talk to the others.
* Meaningful Rename: It's mentioned in King of Scars that he's been calling himself Nhaban which apparently means "little phoenix."
* Playing with Fire: Kuwei is a powerful Inferni whose father wanted to help him hide his powers, leading to the creation of jurda parem.
* Scheherezade Gambit: Pulls this with his Fjerdan captors in the Ice Court by holding back the formula for jurda parem.
* Walking Spoiler: It's pretty much impossible to talk about Kuwei without revealing that his father, the scientist Bo Yul-Bayur who the Crows were contracted to break out of the Ice Court in the first place, is dead and Kuwei is the only remaining record of his work.
    Ehri Kir-Taban 
The youngest Shu Han princess, beloved by her people. She has come to Ravka to court Nikolai.
----
* Horrible Judge of Character: Honestly believes that Makhi will let her live a normal life somewhere under a false identity after she helps with the plot to kill Nikolai. Even after her sister orders Ehri's Tavgharad detail to burn themselves and Ehri alive, Ehri still refuses to believe it was an assassination attempt until Mayu finally talks some sense into her.
* I Just Want to Be Normal: Ehri wants to have an ordinary life where she can just play her music and marry for love. Being a Taban princess, however, doesn't give her that choice.
* Let's Get Dangerous!: She's nigh-fatally naive, but once she fully accepts the reality of her situation, Ehri gears up and turns into a serious political player who outmaneuvers her sister.
* Always Save the Girl: Kaz's tendencies towards this with his second, Inej, are clear indications that she's not just an "investment" to him like he claims she is. In fact, Inej getting hurt proves to be a Berserk Button of his.
* Amazon Chaser: While Kaz prefers to see romance as a weakness, the two girls he ever developed romantic feelings for were tough as nails and unafraid of a nasty fight. He mentions in his narrative having his first crush at 14 to a girl named Imogen, who was also a gang member and would readily fight the boys. In the series, we see him have his First Love with Inej, who's a solid Action Girl and always ready for a fight.
* Ambiguously Brown: Actually, he's pale as death, but Kaz is described as having both black hair and black eyes; given Kerch's close location to Shu Han, a fantasy China, he might have Shu ancestry. Word of God has also suggested having Rami Malek, an Egyptian actor, play him.
* Awesomeness by Analysis: His ingeniosity emerges from his buttheaded nature: if he sees someone perform a trick, he will not stop until he has broken it down and learned to do it even better.
* Badass in a Nice Suit: Kaz wears neat, tailored suits, in an effort to look like the businessmen he scams, dupes, and steals from.
* Best Served Cold: He won't be satisfied by simply killing Pekka Rollins, oh no. He wants to utterly tear him apart "brick by brick" until he's been completely destroyed, reduced to nothing, and knows it was Kaz who ruined him.
* Cane Fu: Kaz generally uses the beak of his cane to strike at specific body parts of his enemies. He also mentions having his canes custom-designed with the specific purpose of being strong enough to break bones should a situation get nasty and serve as a combat advantage to him.
* Can't Have Sex, Ever: Due to his extreme aversion to skin-to-skin contact, Kaz has to physically force himself not to flinch when Inej simply touches his cheek. Inej alludes to this at the end of the first book when he wants a Relationship Upgrade between them and she turns him down because his "armor" won't allow for a real relationship to work.
* Cannot Spit It Out: More like will not spit it out. He refuses to admit he has feelings for Inej out of fear of emotional attachment, always referring to his kinder actions towards her as "protecting an investment". It's been damaging for their relationship, as Inej genuinely believes he doesn't care for her for most of the story; even when others point out that doesn't seem to be the actual case given Kaz's reactions to her being in danger clearly indicate a deeper attachment.
* Character Development: He grows more comfortable with admitting and showing his feelings for Inej over the duology. To the point he buys her a ship, finds her parents, and holds her hand without his gloves. In general, Kaz starts to be more patient and appreciative of his crewmates, being less hard and critical with them.
* Character Tic: Whenever Kaz comes up with an insane solution to a problem, he stares at nothing with a faraway look in his eyes. Inej and Jesper dub it the "scheming face," which the others take to calling as well; Wylan even briefly emulates it.
* The Chessmaster: He's almost always one step ahead of everyone simply by having several contingency plans on hand in case something goes wrong. Just when someone thinks they've finally outmatched him, Kaz proves them wrong and that he's the one in control.
* Classy Cane: Had one custom-made after breaking his leg and mentions off-hand how expensive they actually are to ensure a high-quality design.
* Combat Pragmatist: Kaz doesn't give a damn about a fair fight, not to mention he's already at a perpetual disadvantage due to his limp. So he'll use any brutal trick to swing the odds in his favor.
* Conspicuous Gloves: Kaz sports a pair of black gloves that he never takes off in public, which leads to much speculation about what he might be hiding under them (ranging from injuries to demonic talons). He actually wears them due to trauma from handling his brother's dead body, leaving him unable to bear touching skin again.
* Crazy-Prepared: Kaz is ready for nearly every kind of situation; with a collection of disguises, safe houses, documents, finances, connections, and other necessities of every sort at his disposal. In one example, Jesper explains to Wylan that he carved out a hole in a theater so he can access costumes and stash them away for safekeeping should they ever need them. This isn't the extent, either; Jesper's worried when their ship to Fjerda is seemingly blown up at the docks, only for Kaz to tell him it was just a decoy. Jesper: You knew? Kaz: No, I took precautions. It's what I do, Jesper.
* Cruel Mercy: His stated reason for pulling a particularly cruel Batman Gambit on Pekka Rollins without actually hurting anyone. Inej: You showed mercy, Kaz. You were the better man. Kaz: Inej, I could only kill Pekka's son once. He can imagine his death a thousand times.
* Deadpan Snarker: He's definitely got a tongue as sharp as his mind.
* The Determinator: As stated, Kaz is extremely stubborn. He readily tells Inej in Crooked Kingdom that if he had to crawl in order to rescue her from her kidnapping, he would have.
* Disabled Badass/Evil Cripple: And how! Despite suffering from osteonecrosis, limping, and needing a cane (as well as dealing with severe PTSD and resulting touch aversion), Kaz has clawed his way up the Dregs' chain of command to become one of the most dreaded figures in all of Ketterdam.
* The Dreaded: A reputation he works hard to achieve and maintain.
* Everyone Has Standards: Kaz is... not a great person, but even he has standards.
** He's appalled at the sheer lack of love that Jan Van Eck has for Wylan. In the first book, he and Wylan have a wager; Kaz bets that Jan will be swayed if he thinks his son could die while Wylan bets his father would let him die if it meant personal gain. Kaz is genuinely surprised (and disgusted) when he loses — but Wylan isn't.
** Also well exemplified at the beginning of the second book. When the clerk he was threatening for information tries to weasel his way out by revealing he's blackmailing one of the Menagerie's prostitutes for sex (and could extend the favor to him), which would lead to the girl's death if Tante Heleen found out. Kaz specifically points out the man's deeds are endangering the girl and, after this, lets him fall to his death.
** Later, when the five-year-old daughter of the lawyer they're robbing discovers him in the middle of the night, he scares her into keeping quiet by pretending to be the boogieman. When Wylan criticizes him for terrifying the girl, he retorts that they needed to ensure she didn't blow their cover; hence, their options were to either scare her into keeping quiet or kill her and staging an accidental death scene. In general, he's never shown harming children (even if he often likes to pretend he will as part of a threat).
** While Kaz is willing to profit from illegal and morally questionable activities, he refuses to do business in slave trade, prostitution, and drug dealing. This gets brought up several characters, including Kaz himself.
* Evil Genius: Of the precociously mature type.
* Farm Boy: What Kaz Rietveld once was.
* From Nobody to Nightmare: He was once a naive Farm Boy who was perfectly innocent of the world. But, after a trip to Ketterdam, a traumatic loss, and a horrifying ordeal - that trusting youth was replaced by the Bastard of the Barrel who worked his way into becoming a terrifying crime lord in his mere teens.
* Gang Banger: How Kaz started out, and what most of his gang seems to consist of.
* Genius Cripple: Of the street smart, rather than academic, variety.
* Guttural Growler: More striking because he is only seventeen.
* Handicapped Badass: Kaz suffers chronic pain in his right leg, has a limp, and relies on a cane. It's the result of falling off a building that resulted in a broken leg that didn't heal right, but Leigh Bardugo links it to her own condition of osteonecrosis (which can be caused by injury).
* Harmful to Minors: While you'd be hard-pressed to find a character in Six of Crows to whom this doesn't apply, Kaz is a special case. After being conned out of their money by Pekka Rollins, he and his big brother Jordie ended up on the streets during an epidemic. Kaz woke up one day to find he'd been dumped in a watery mass grave, with Jordie's bloated corpse right beside him. Worse still, he had to use the corpse as a floater to swim back to shore. He emerged from the sea as Dirtyhands.
* Hates Being Touched: Human contact makes Kaz physically sick, to the point where he literally faints when he's forced to enter a cramped prison wagon. The feeling of touching another person induces panic, nausea, and flashbacks to when he was mistaken for a corpse during an epidemic and he was dumped into the ocean during disposal of dead bodies; being forced to use his brother's decomposing body to swim back to Ketterdam.
* Hyper-Competent Sidekick: Despite being the Dregs' title leader, Per Haskell usually spends his days drinking and building model boats. In the meantime, Kaz is the one who did the work into making the Dregs the criminal force they're recognized as.
* It Works Better with Bullets: When Haskell draws a gun on him, Kaz swats it away, then gives it back once the misunderstanding is cleared up. Then he casually hands over a couple of bullets after their conversation is over; Haskell laughs at realizing he'd swiped them from his gun before returning it.
* Long-Distance Relationship: His relationship with Inej seems to be going this way at the end of the books. Inej is ready to go out hunting slavers while he stays to wrestle Ketterdam under control. But, after he proves he's willing to better himself and holds hands with her for the first time, she says she's "not done with Ketterdam" yet and promises to come back to visit him.
* Love Epiphany: He slowly realizes the extent of his feelings for Inej over the course of the story, in particular, whenever she's in danger and how the idea of a future with her is something he may actually want.
* Made of Iron:
** He lost his parents to a horrifying accident, lost his brother in another traumatic manner, was put on a funeral barge after being mistaken for a street corpse, forced to use his brother's decomposing body as a raft to survive, and also fell off a building that resulted in life-long chronic pain in his leg (due to it improperly healing).
** In Crooked Kingdom he continues this by surviving a brutal No-Holds-Barred Beatdown from his former gang.
* The Man Behind the Man: Per Haskell may be the face of the Dregs, but everyone knows it's Kaz Brekker who keeps things running.
* A Man Is Always Eager: Strongly and tragically subverted. It takes great effort for Kaz to allow Inej to simply touch his face. Towards the end of the first book, Kaz asks Inej to stay in Ketterdam with him. She turns him down because his phobia won't allow for true intimacy (physical or emotional) and, therefore, she sees no point in a relationship. Kaz: I want you to stay. I want you to... I want you. Inej: You want me. And how will you have me, Kaz? How will you have me? Fully clothed, gloves on, your head turned away so our lips can never touch? I will have you without armor, Kaz Brekker. Or I will not have you at all.
* Names to Run Away from Really Fast: So many. Kaz Brekker and its harsh sonorities could've been enough, but no. To date, he is also nicknamed Dirtyhands and Bastard of the Barrel.
* Nominal Hero: Slides between this and the villain protagonist, at least in the first book. His motives are, after all, purely financial (although part of a larger scheme of revenge against Pekka Rollins.) By the start of the second book, he looks to be sliding into Unscrupulous Hero territory.
* O.O.C. Is Serious Business: Inej knows something's up when fully in control, gravel-voiced, vicious, and ice-cold bastard Kaz actually faints in the middle of the prisoner cart.
* Pet the Dog: For all his terrible deeds, he does care about the other Crows, even if he won't admit it. On rare occasions, he'll actually let them know he does appreciate them.
** Literally, too: Kaz takes a moment to pet and play with a pair of dogs that are supposed to be guarding the house he and Wylan are breaking into. As opposed to harming the dogs, he instead chooses to learn a command whistle to get them to obey him upon breaking into the home.
* Pragmatic Villainy: Before his Character Development, most of Kaz's nicer actions are because he's aiming for an angle. note 
* Red Baron: "Dirtyhands" and "The Bastard of The Barrel."
* Red Right Hand: Two of these, actually. He walks with a weighted "fabrikated" cane because of a poorly set broken leg that hurts worse depending on the weather, and wears gloves due to a traumatic aversion to skin contact.
* Roaring Rampage of Revenge: Once he had the ability, he took bloody revenge on everyone involved in Pekka Rollins' plot to con him and Jordie out of their savings. The only one he talks about at length is Filip, whom he tortured for two days before leaving him to die in an alley, with the key to a wind-up dog shoved down his throat.
* Satisfied Street Rat: On his path to becoming Dirtyhands.
* Single-Target Sexuality: For Inej. While he's had innocent crushes as a child (that he was able to "best"), Inej is the only person with whom he's ever developed a serious romantic connection. When he realizes she's the one person he can't get over, he ends up giving what is essentially a Love Confession and asks her to stay with him. In Crooked Kingdom, he gifts her the ship and crew she always wanted so she can live out her dream of hunting down slavers; only asking in exchange that she come back to visit him. In later books, taking place months later when Inej has since started sailing the world to hunt slavers, it's shown that Inej is still a soft spot for Kaz and his feelings for her haven't wavered.
* The Stoic: He takes the utmost effort to always maintain a straight poker face.
* Tranquil Fury: Calmly rips out a man's eye with his own fingers and drowns him after said man nearly kills Inej and boasts about it. Even Jesper is stunned by Kaz's unusually "crazy" reaction.
* Trauma Button: Any contact with anyone else's skin - or even the sight of a lot of bare skin - triggers Kaz into remembering when he used his brother's decomposing body as a float to avoid drowning or what it was like being under a massive pile of dead bodies.
* Troubled, but Cute: He holds this sort of appeal for the girls of the Barrel who find him attractive and mysterious. And the boys of the Barrel. And the readers.
* Unscrupulous Hero: Looks to sliding into this territory in Crooked Kingdom. His motives have changed from money to rescuing Inej and, more nominally, taking down Van Eck and Rollins. While the first chapter he's in has him toss a man off a lighthouse and terrify a little girl to pieces, the reasoning behind both was definitely of the A Lighter Shade of Grey variety. The first was the Vigilante Execution of a man who blackmailed trafficked prostitutes into servicing him for free (which can get them killed), and the second was the choice that didn't involve killing a child to ensure their silence so their cover wasn't blown.
* Would Hurt a Child/Would Not Hurt A Child: He's a curious mix of both tropes, as shown by the incident with the little girl in Unscrupulous Hero. And then he pretends to kidnap Pekka Rollins's son and bury him alive to solely mess with Pekka Rollin's mind and reduce him to tears.
* Young Conqueror: Played With. At 17, he's already one of the most powerful criminals in the Barrel, and he plans to eventually become the crime king of Ketterdam. However, while he's certainly ruthless, his idealism died with Jordie.
== Inej Ghafa ==
* Behind Every Great Man: There is no doubt that Kaz Brekker wouldn't be Dirtyhands without his Wraith to do the deeds he himself cannot physically do. He even bought her with this specific purpose; telling her that she's to sneak around the city and learn everything about everyone that he can use as leverage and to his advantage. The information she's gained has allowed him to build and grow his criminal business.
* Blade Enthusiast: Inej's main weapon and specialty are knives. She is capable of using multiple at once, never misses her target, and pretty much always has many knives on her person.
* Braids of Action: She has long black hair, wrapped in a tightly coiled braid. It becomes part of her signature look.
* Combat Parkour: Inej makes use of her past in acrobatics while fighting, but she's more of a stealthy backstabber than a showy ballet fighter.
* The Consigliere: As Kaz's most trusted member of the Dregs, Inej functions as this.
* Deadpan Snarker: Often combined with religious proverbs and Suli sayings, for maximum effect.
* Defiled Forever: Nobody considers Inej to be "defiled" for the abuse she's been through, but she herself feels she died on the slaver ship that stole her from Ravka and her tragic time in the brothel destroyed any innocence she had left.
* From Nobody to Nightmare: From nameless sex slave to pirate and vigilante. It's later mentioned that she's making a name for herself as a hunter of slave traders as captain of her own ship and crew, even slowing down the human slave trade with the impact she's creating.
* Guys Smash, Girls Shoot: Completely averted. Inej uses knives and hand-to-hand combat while Jesper shoots.
* Harmful to Minors: Inej was kidnapped and sold into sexual slavery at only fourteen years old.
* Heel–Face Turn: Unusually, this doesn't entail a betrayal. Inej simply decides to use the money from the Bo Yul Bayur heist to leave her life of crime behind and start a career of hunting slavers, even if it means having to possibly part ways with Kaz.
* Hot Gypsy Woman: What Tante Heleen sold Inej to customers as.
* Hyper-Competent Sidekick: Kaz will pull unexpected stunts during an operation because he knows, not only will she instantly catch on to what he's doing, but she can also handle herself and is far from helpless.
* Insecure Love Interest: Kaz's refusal to open up and insistence she's just an "investment" have not been good for Inej as she's forced to accept her romantic feelings for him. For most of the story, she doubts he cares for her in any way above cold professionalism and genuinely believes he considers her replaceable as his spy. (She also concludes that, even if he did care for her, his phobia and her own past wouldn't allow for a true future between them.) Her heartbreaking plea to stop Van Eck from breaking her legs shows just how deep Inej's insecurities run. Inej: (screaming) He'll never trade if you break me! I'll be of no use to him anymore!
* Knight in Sour Armor: She knows painfully well how cruel the world can be, but doesn't let it stop her from believing in a better one and doing her part in helping others when she can. Inej prays in penance for every kill she makes and is the only person to continually believe in (and try to encourage) Kaz's inner goodness. By the end of the series, not only is she ready to live out her dream of forming a crew and taking down slavers, she believes both Kaz and Ketterdam can be "saved" after all and are worth the effort.
* The Lancer: She is unambiguously the second, the Wraith to the Bastard.
* Long-Distance Relationship: Her relationship with Kaz seems to be going this way at the end of the books. Inej is fully set to begin hunting slavers worldwide while he stays in Ketterdam to wrestle it under control. However, she promises to return and they manage to hold hands for the first time, giving her hope for a future together.
* Morality Chain: To Kaz, especially at the beginning of the series. If there's anyone who can successfully reign in Kaz's worst behaviors, it's Inej.
* Names to Run Away from Really Fast: The Wraith.
* Not So Stoic:
** She's generally calm, even in the face of torture
* Proverbial Wisdom: Her use of Suli proverbs often makes her sound like an old sage offering wisdom; see also Wise Beyond Their Years.
* Red Baron: The Wraith.
* Rescue Romance: Kaz negotiated with the Menagerie to buy her contract, rescuing her from sex slavery, so she could work for him as a spy. As such, while she's very much aware he's not a Knight in Shining Armor, Inej still holds great affection for him; feeling that she owes him for getting her out of the Menagerie and bettering her life.
* Servile Snarker: Inej is one of the few people who can actually talk back to Kaz without consequence, but that doesn't mean he necessarily heeds her advice.
* Silk Hiding Steel: She's one of the more virtuous members of the Crows; being kind, pious, and reserved. Even Kaz is stunned by how, despite having been brutalized and abused, Inej can still be so kind and positive. However, Inej will not let anyone make her a victim or slave again. She even declares how, while she may have become a killer and done many bad deeds, she would rather "be a killer than a captive again". Yes, she may feel a measure of guilt over committing a bad deed or hurting someone, but if she feels it's truly necessary, she'll do it. Her second POV chapter has her punching one of the Dregs giving her trouble (although not without feeling bad about it), then kindly telling him to clean himself up and go home.
* Stealth Expert: Inej can move around without making a single sound or giving notice to herself. (This was how Kaz became interested in adding her to his crew; Kaz was at the Menagerie purchasing information when Inej unintentionally snuck up on him despite being half-naked, wearing bright colors and body paint, and had bells on her ankles. Given that she snuck up on him of all people, this told Kaz she had unique skill in stealth.) She can also climb almost any surface, including a nearly flat one that's blazing hot.
* Tattooed Crook: Averted. She's the only member of the Dregs to not bear their signature tattoo despite being Kaz's second. She had been forcefully given the Peacock feather tattoo as a sign of her slavery to the Menagerie but had it removed after being freed and joining the Dregs. When medically tended to by Nina, she notes how Inej oddly doesn't have the Dregs tattoo despite how getting the gang tattoo isn't optional. Inej reveals that it isn't - Kaz made an exception for her. He was unwilling to brand her again after freeing her from slavery, so she was allowed to not get the signature Dregs tattoo.
* Vigilante Man: While scaling an incinerator that is active, Inej has an epiphany that her dream isn't to just survive, pay off her debt, or help Kaz. While these things are all nice, what she really dreams of doing is hunting down slavers and helping victims like she herself once was. By the end of Crooked Kingdom, she's well on her way to making it a reality. It's later stated she's successfully doing just that; saving trafficked victims and viciously punishing slave traders. It's mentioned that she tarred and feathered several slavers she managed to catch.
* Violently Protective Girlfriend: Despite her understandable frustration with him, Inej doesn't want Kaz to die. When the Dregs put him through a No-Holds-Barred Beatdown so violent it looks like they're really going to kill him, the only thing that barely stops her from carving them into bloody pieces is Kaz giving her a look to let it happen.
** At the end of the second book, before she leaves to start sailing the world, she breaks into Pekka Rollins' safehouse during the night and wakes him up with a knife to his throat. She calmly makes it clear she's there on her own terms and warns that, if he ever returns to Ketterdam, she'll personally (and literally) carve his heart out. She punctuates this by giving him a slow and brutal laceration across his chest as a preview of what she'll do and threatens his son by putting a stuffed crow in the sleeping child's arms to back up the seriousness of her threat before leaving.
* Wise Beyond Their Years: Inej has a tendency to spout Suli proverbs during certain moments, which occasionally makes her sound like an old man offering wisdom. It gets lampshaded about how she's always reciting some Suli saying or cultural fact, to where it gets pointed out as odd when she doesn't.
== Nina Zenik ==
* The Atoner: She feels horrible for accusing Matthias of slavery and getting him thrown into prison, even if the other choice was letting him be tortured to death by Grisha who wanted him dead for being a hunter of their kind. Kaz gets her onboard by simply promising to rescue Matthias.
* Becoming the Mask: Nina spends King of Scars disguised as a Fjerdan woman, Mila Jandersdat. Hanne is later disguised as Rasmus, the crown prince of Fjerda. Rule of Wolves ends with both women assuming these identities to marry, presumably for the foreseeable future if not the rest of their lives.
* Beware the Nice Ones: A kindhearted, loyal friend... and an absolute terror in battle.
* Big Beautiful Woman: Is described as "generous" and curvy in the novel, and plus-sized by the author. This has subsided somewhat by Crooked Kingdom due to her encounter with Jurda Parem and its negative impact on her health; which includes depriving her of an appetite.
* Deadpan Snarker: Sarcasm may be well one of the many languages she speaks.
* Genki Girl: Nina is loud, funny, and unapologetic about herself. Matthias: Nina is everything you say. It's too much. Inej: Mmm. Maybe you're just not enough.
* Girly Bruiser: She's unabashedly feminine and takes care of her appearance, but she's also one of the more deadly members of Kaz's crew.
* Has a Type: Tall Fjerdans with a close connection to Jarl Brum.
* Healing Hands: This is far from being her domain of expertise, but Nina can piece people back together when push comes to shove.
* The Hedonist: Is said to flirt with cake and shoes.
* Nice Girl: Although she's not to be trifled with, she's easily one of the kindest of the Crows.
* One Degree of Separation: In King of Scars, one of the Grisha she works with, Leoni, describes how she nearly died as a child by drinking contaminated water. The Grisha who saved her drew the poison into herself and died as a result. This is precisely how Jesper's mother died.
* People Puppets: She can't quite control a person's entire body, but as a Heartrender she can influence the beating of the heart, hormone production, oxygen flow, and all sorts of fun stuff. When she is under the influence of Jurda Parem, this trope becomes a lot more literal, and she is able to take out a large group of guards by simply making them go to sleep.
* Platonic Prostitution: Runs a sort of magical counseling center (she manipulates the hormones in customers' bodies to give them a respite from grief) out of a brothel.
* Polyglot
* Shipper on Deck: For Kaz and Inej. Despite not being a fan of Kaz himself, she mentions how (due to her heartrender powers) she can sense Kaz's breathing change every time he looks at Inej. Nina is also shocked and upset to hear Kaz calling Inej an "investment" despite his clear feelings for her.
* Skyward Scream: Her reaction when Matthias dies in her arms.
* Sweet Tooth: She has a noticeable penchant for waffles and cake. When told to pack for their heist, she instead packs junk food as her "necessities".
* The Tease: Nina likes to flirt. Nina likes to flirt a lot. To the point where everyone who knows her simply dismisses it as a general part of her personality. This includes Kaz, random guards, and women.
* Trademark Favorite Food: She loves waffles. Nina: You’re better than waffles, Matthias Helvar. Matthias: Let’s not say things we don’t mean, my love.
== Jesper Fahey ==
* Broken Pedestal: To his father in Crooked Kingdom, when he's finally coming to terms with being a Grisha after being forced to suppress it due to a combination of his father's fear about him being hunted for being a Grisha, and his father's anger over Jesper's mother dying as a result of overusing her powers.
* The Charmer: Cocky and ever smirking, he makes an Olympic sport out of flirting.
* Dual Wielding: Jesper is in a devoted and loving relationship with his twin pistols.
* Dude, Where's My Respect?: Jesper does all kinds of things, up to putting his own beloved revolvers on the line for a bet, to try and make up for his unintentional blabbing, but Kaz treats him with clear anger. They eventually get into a fistfight over it. Kaz: What do you want from me? My trust? You had it and you shot it to pieces because you couldn't keep your mouth shut. Jesper: One time. How many times have I had your back in a fight? How many times have I gotten it right? Doesn't it count for anything?
* Farm Boy: He was raised on an ordinary farm in Novyi Zem, though he had a few brushes with guns and death in those years already.
* Friendly Sniper: One of the most upbeat and outgoing characters, and a deadly shot.
* Functional Addict: He's a gambling addict who still gets his job done most of the time, but his functioning can be put into question. He did drop out of university and is having to resort to more and more desperate smooth-talking to keep himself and his father safe.
* The Gambling Addict: Jesper has a taste for all sorts of thrills, but gambling is his most common infraction.
* Gang Banger: Initially to feed his gambling addiction.
* Gay Cowboy: Has a strong Western flavor to his character, due to being a gunslinging frontier farm boy.
* Gayngster: Flirts cheerfully with people of any gender, and is one of Kaz's inner circle among the Dregs.
* The Gunslinger: He's a sharpshooter, and is particularly enamored of his twin guns.
* Hidden Depths: Jesper actually is the one who brings up a possible cure to jurda parem in a conversation with Mattias and Kuwei.
* Improbable Aiming Skills: Jesper's a master marksman with revolvers or a rifle, thanks to being taught by his mom. Wylan theorizes that part of his prowess may be due to him subconsciously tapping into his Grisha powers, allowing him to influence the bullets' trajectories.
* Like an Old Married Couple: With Wylan.
* Like Brother and Sister: With both Inej and Nina.
* Locked Out of the Loop: Jesper tends to be the last guy to learn something about Kaz's schemes. This includes Wylan's identity, the decoy ship, and Wylan being Tailoured by Nina to look like Kuwei. The last is a partially because Kaz wants to punish him for accidentally telling Pekka Rollins about the big job.
* Loose Lips: Jesper spilled that the Dregs were going on a major heist to one of Pekka Rollins's men, leading to them attacking on the Ketterdam harbor and racing them to Fjerda.
* Love Martyr: It's implied that one of the reasons he's part of the inner circle is because Kaz knows he will do any of the dirty work without turning against him.
* Noodle People: Downplayed, but the narration often goes on about Jesper's long arms and general lankiness.
* Trapped by Gambling Debts: He's in trouble with the Dime Lions, and is turning desperate as they threaten his father.
* "Well Done, Son" Guy: Jesper has been careful not to let his father know that he dropped out of university and became a hired sharpshooter, in spite or perhaps because of their good relationship.
   Matthias Helvar 
== Matthias Helvar ==
* Bavarian Fire Drill: Matthias has a natural commanding tone when he speaks Fjerdan, which comes in handy to briefly rattle Drüskelle.
* Broken Pedestal: He holds up Jarl Brum as an exemplar Drüskelle warrior, mentor and father figure. He's very shaken to discover Brum actually enjoys torturing Grisha; Matthias hates them, but he considers it a duty to stop them, not a pleasure.
* Character Development: He goes from an angry, sulky convict who despises Grisha, wants revenge and holds his homeland on a pedestal, to a happier man willing to see the flaws in his culture's beliefs and the good in Grisha. His dying wish is for Nina to help the rest of Fjerdan see the same good he did.
* Defecting for Love: He ends up turning against his old commanding officer Jarl Brum to save Nina.
* Fantastic Racism: He doesn't think of Grisha as people, or at least he doesn't want to think of them as people. He gradually gets over this due to his love for Nina and witnessing how Grisha are persecuted.
* Gladiator Games: Matthias, during his imprisonment at Hellgate, proved to be exceptionally talented at these.
* Honor Before Reason
* Only Sane Man
* Prisons Are Gymnasiums: He was strong before, but after a year of illegal gladiator games in Hellgate, Mattias becomes a violent, muscled, fighting machine.
* Sexy Scandinavian: Very much so. He's also the most physically muscled of the Crows, although Nina's powers give her an edge over him in fighting scenarios.
== Wylan Van Eck ==
* Ambiguous Innocence: Wylan is inexperienced and shy, but he's also eager to prove himself in the world of organized crime, perfectly willing to be an accomplice to murder, and to Jesper's surprise, might be more sexually experienced than one would expect.
* Belligerent Sexual Tension: With Jesper, who makes a sport out of antagonistic flirting, and is pleasantly surprised when Wylan responds with actual flirting in the end.
* Demolitions Expert: One of Wylan's less peaceful talents lies with explosive chemicals. He's initially dismissed as a "passable" demo expert but soon proves to have an innovative streak.
* Elegant Classical Musician: He's said to be a good flautist and singer, as well as being talented in drawing.
* Foil: To Kaz, in many, many ways. Wylan is the man Kaz could have been if Jordie had lived and been able to take care of him. Additionally, both boys almost drowned in the waters around Ketterdam, and came back "reborn." Both are also genius-level intellects and, likely, have great futures in leadership.
* Heroic BSoD: He has one when he discovers that his mother Marya has been alive in an asylum all along, despite his father telling him that she was dead.
* Innocent Prodigy: 
* Like an Old Married Couple
* Morality Pet: Mattias never insults him the way he does the others, even in his narrative, Jesper slowly warms up to him, and even Kaz starts being a little kinder to him. The Bastard of the Barrel, later on, goes so far as to encourage him not to let his dyslexia stop him from making his own way in the world.
* Naïve Newcomer
* Pretty Boy: Described as compared to his other male companions.
*
* Animal Motifs: He's often associated with dogs and foxes.
* Badass Longcoat: He wears a teal frock coat, extremely gaudy, but extremely dramatic.
* Black Sheep
* Deadpan Snarker
* Demonic Possession: It's revealed in King of Scars that the darkness inside of him has its own mind.
* The Charmer: Clearly knows his way around others, is beloved by the court and his people. Constantly flirts with Alina, and uses his charms to manipulate his way through social situations.
* Consummate Liar: About almost anything. He lies to Alina about his true intentions, then his true identity, and continues to lie in various small ways throughout the books. Most of the time, no one suspects a thing.
* The Engineer
* Commanding Coolness
* Guile Hero: While Nikolai is a good fighter, he mostly uses his silver tongue, manipulation skills and his talent for scheming and politics to win the day.
* Loveable Rogue: You want to hate him, but you just can't. Nikolai: I have several ships. The Darkling wanted a whaler, so I got him one. Alina: You mean you stole it. Nikolai: Acquired it.
* Manic Pixie Dream Girl: Acts as a gender flip version for both Alina and Zoya.
*
* Non-Answer: Notorious for this. Alina: Do you ever answer a question directly? Nikolai: Hard to say. Ah, there, I've done it again.
* Polyglot
* Privateer
* Royals Who Actually Do Something: Nikolai left court as soon as he could, insisted on doing his military service in the infantry, apprenticed to a gunsmith, and then later went to study shipbuilding. This turns out to be useful when he becomes a pirate—er, privateer.
* Screw the Rules, I Have Money!!:He's not above bribery, and he's very willing to disregard rules. Nikolai: Pauper or Prince, every man can be bought.
* Too Clever by Half: He screams it. He's extremely intelligent and he knows it, and is thus unafraid to remind others of it.
* The Ace: Mal is 
* Mr. Fanservice: Mal is described as a 
* Scarily Competent Tracker: It's said of Mal that he can "turn rocks into rabbits." He's so good he can even track a sea-serpent on the open ocean. It turns out that this ability is supernatural and derived from his power as an amplifier. Since "like calls to like" is the rule of the Grishaverse, he's naturally drawn to other amplifiers like the stag and the sea serpent.
* Beauty Is Bad: He's a 
* Big Bad: Revealed to be the Black Heretic, the one who created the Shadow Fold, halfway through the first book, making him the main villain of the Grisha Trilogy. His goals are further revealed to be expanding the Fold to consume Ravka, and he even declared Alina can make him the villain if she wants.
* Bitch in Sheep's Clothing: For the majority of Shadow and Bone he 
* The Chessmaster
* Consummate Liar
* The Corrupter
* Dark and Troubled Past
* Dangerous Forbidden Technique
* The Dreaded
* Eerie Pale-Skinned Brunette
* The Extremist Was Right / Villain Has a Point: The following Crows and Nikolai duologies go into excruciating detail on just how terribly Grisha are treated around the world outside of Ravka (save for Novyi Zem, and even they're willing to provide Fjerda with weapons, while the Grisha there are considered 'blessed' but also have to live in hiding for fear of being abducted by slavers from other countries) and how new developments in technology and warfare could either enslave or wipe Grisha out altogether. Plus in Rule of Wolves, it emerges that Fjerda is breeding captive Grisha to create future generations of slaves. The Witch of Duva and The Demon in the Woods take place in a time when Ravkan Grisha were forced to live as fugitives in fear of being slaughtered. Even at the time of the original trilogy a lot of non-magical Ravkan people still hate and fear the Grisha, despite the Second Army being all that stands between them and conquest by Fjerda or Shu Han; the Darkling probably feared that if the Shadow Fold were destroyed and the need for the Second Army diminished, Ravka might well have turned against its former protectors. In fact, when the Fold is destroyed things arguably become even worse for Ravka and its citizens now that Fjerda and Shu Han can easily attack the country, and the Grisha still have to endure discrimination; at one point Zoya mentions that certain towns forbid Grisha from owning property and will readily drive them from their homes. All of this serves to vindicate the Darkling's cause to make a truly safe place for Grisha, during which he's had to endure numerous incompetent and corrupt Ravkan kings, and the King he currently serves and attempts to depose, Alexander III, is genuinely awful.
* Faux Affably Evil
* Hates Being Alone: Seems genuinely troubled by the prospect of spending the rest of his long life by himself. The Darkling: Don't let me be alone.
* I Just Want to Be Loved: In Ruin and Rising Alina concludes: "For all his crimes, the Darkling had loved Ravka, and he'd wanted its love in return."
* Lack of Empathy: One of his most prominent qualities. The Demon in the Woods and Ruin and Rising seem to imply this developed as a survival and coping mechanism. The Darkling: If I still felt as you do, if I ached as you do, I could not have borne this eternity.
* Life Isn't Fair: He exasperatedly espouses this philosophy to Alina in Shadow and Bone.
* Love Is a Weakness: The Darkling: The problem with wanting is that it makes us weak.
* Manipulative Bastard: He plays with Alina's emotions to get what he wants.
* Morality Chain: He tells Alina she could become this for him eventually. She counters that he would corrupt her. The Darkling: You might make me a better man. Alina: And you might make me a monster.
* Moral Sociopathy: The Darkling seems to have a kind of moral structure, but it is incomprehensible to all but himself.
* Not So Stoic: His usual demeanor is cool and distant, but he's highly selective of what emotions he shows and who he shows them to. How much of it is genuine is up for interpretation.
* Power is Sexy: This combined with his looks makes the Darkling a much-desired man among women. He himself has this for Alina, to the point of obsession.
* Thousand-Yard Stare: Almost exactly how Alina describes the expression in his eyes when she comes to him at Keramzin.
* What Beautiful Eyes!: His grey-colored eyes are frequently described in loving detail by Alina's narration.
* Woobie, Destroyer of Worlds: Certainly comes off as this in The Demon in the Woods. This however is debatable by the time of Shadow and Bone.
* Yandere: Very much so towards Alina. By the time of Ruin and Rising, he's so far gone he declares that he'll destroy everything she loves so she has no shelter but him.
== Alina Starkov ==
* Character Development: She's a sickly and naive girl when we first meet her but soon proves to be a lot more competent over the course of the trilogy.
* Deadpan Snarker: One of Alina's most defining traits is her dry wit. The Darkling: What are you smiling at? Alina: Myself. The Darkling: Are you that funny? Alina: I'm hilarious.
* Differently Powered Individual: She's a Sun Summoner, an exceptionally rare Grisha who manipulates light. She's the only one in existence, and furthermore the only one born in centuries.
* Like Brother and Sister: With Tolya. He's arguably one of her closest male friends, but distinctly lacks any attraction or romance on both ends. Tolya even asserts that Alina is his and Tamar's sister at the end of the trilogy.
* Messianic Archetype: She's the Chosen One, has a group of loyal followers, gets betrayed by someone she trusted, defeats a great evil, figuratively dies and is resurrected.
* Pent-Up Power Peril: She was constantly sickly growing up due to subconsciously suppressing her powers. Once she starts using them regularly, her health improves greatly.
* Please, I Will Do Anything!: Threatens to fight against The Darkling for the rest of her life if he harms Mal. But if he spares him, she promises to spend it "proving [her] gratitude."
* Power Dyes Your Hair: Her hair turns white as a consequence of using merzost.
* Power High: Despite her hesitation, she thrives when she is using her powers.
* Best Served Cold: Her 
* Beware the Nice Ones: Is . Then you’re really in trouble.
* Face–Heel Revolving Door: It's 
* Relationship Upgrade: With David after her trial in Ruin and Rising. King of Scars revealed they got married sometime after the war.
* So Beautiful, It's a Curse: Her beauty was the reason why the King takes such an interest in her and raped her.
* The Makeover: Her main superpower is Tailoring, altering someone's appearance. While this can be used for disguises, at court Genya is mostly called upon for making people prettier.
* Aloof Dark-Haired Girl: She has 
* Alpha Bitch: When she first meets Alina, she plays this role.
* Characterization Marches On: At first she fills the Alpha Bitch role, and is just mean to Alina, but she is later characterized as 
* Defrosting Ice Queen: 
* Girl Friday: To Nikolai, in King of Scars. She is his 
* Hidden Heart of Gold:
**
* Proud Beauty: She is beautiful and she knows and enjoys it.
== David Kostyk ==
----
* Absent-Minded Professor: David is a 
* Casting a Shadow: She is the mother of the Darkling, and has similar powers.
* Cynical Mentor: Baghra is with Alina's progress.
* Darwinist Desire: A particularly cold example. Baghra: I wanted a child, so I sought out the most powerful Grisha I could find. He was a Heartrender. I don't even remember his name.
* Old Master: She's Alina's . She's the Darkling's mother, so as old as he is, she's even older.
== Dunyasha Lazareva ==
A hired by Pekka Rollins to eliminate Inej, Dunyasha .
* The Chosen One: Subverted. Dunyasha seems like a prototypical YA chosen one. She has royal blood, has been trained as an assassin, and kills as holy work. Of course she's also a , who hires herself out as a Psycho for Hire.
* Deconstructed Character Archetype: Of YA protagonists. All the traits are there: An extremely skilled fighter, claim to royalty, beautiful. 
* Evil Redhead: Auburn hair and no conscience.
* Expy: A hammy, arrogant assassin who
* Ninja
* Psycho for Hire