The Walking Dead Characters With The Highest Kill Counts

During the eleven seasons of The Walking Dead both good guys like Rick Grimes and antagonists like Negan murdered numerous survivors of the apocalypse alongside scores of Walkers — here’s the highest The Walking Dead kills count. This list doesn’t include Walkers, as the numbers at that point would be in the 100s. Rather, the Walking Dead characters with the highest kill counts apply to those who have taken the lives of the already living. The Walking Dead saw many deaths over its 11-season run, and a lot of them were at the hands of its main characters.

The Walking Dead‘s biggest contender, Rick Grimes, left the show in season 9, taking him out of the running for TWD character with the highest kill count. Michonne took off shortly after Rick, also taking her out of the competition. While The Walking Dead series finale saw the two characters briefly return, neither of them killed any living characters while there, so their kill counts remain the same since leaving the series. Other characters, like Negan and Daryl, stayed all the way to the bitter end, taking plenty of names along the way. The TWD character with the highest kill count may come as a surprise. Here are The Walking Dead characters responsible for the most deaths.

8. The Governor (David Morrissey) – 20

The Governor, aka Philip Blake, racked up 20 The Walking Dead kills over his tenure on the show. The first main antagonist, The Governor racked up some signature kills, including putting a sniper’s bullet right through the head of Axel at the prison. He also shoots Merle Dixon in the chest, purposefully allowing him to reanimate and be found by his brother Daryl later. The Governor’s most shocking kill was definitely Hershel Greene, who he viciously decapitated with Michonne’s sword, right in front of his daughters Maggie and Beth.

7. Alpha (Samantha Morton) – 21

Alpha was the leader of the Whisperers clan, and she racked up quite the kill count for only being on the show for two seasons. First introduced in The Walking Dead mid-season premiere, Dee, also known as Alpha, acted as the main antagonist for season 10 before being killed by Negan. She was shown from the get-go to be a ruthless killer, as TWD delved into her backstory to find out that she had killed her own husband Frank and other survivors during the initial outbreak, believing them to be “weak.” Alpha liked to put her victims’ heads on spikes and display them proudly, as well as use these severed heads to border the Whisperer’s territory. Alpha’s TWD kill count ended up being 21 before she was beheaded herself by Negan, ending the Whisperers’ reign of terror.

6. Michonne (Dania Gurira) – 23

Michonne’s 23 The Walking Dead kills meant she was not the TWD character with the highest kill count. Surprisingly, she hasn’t really killed any major characters, although her weapon of choice is always her ever-present sword. Michonne’s most difficult kills came during the season 9 episode “Scars,” which told in flashbacks how Jocelyn, an old friend of Michonne’s, had abducted Judith and attempted to recruit her into a makeshift gang of killer children that she had created. A pregnant Michonne ended up not only killing Jocelyn but being forced to slaughter most of the children she had turned to the dark side.

5. Morgan Jones (Lennie James) – 31

For someone who eventually became consumed by not wanting to kill, Morgan had a lot of The Walking Dead kills. These 31 kills only applies to the main Walking Dead show, not Morgan’s exploits on the Fear the Walking Dead spinoff. Like Michonne, Morgan hasn’t killed anyone major, but he did kill fellow Kingdom member Richard after the latter’s stupid gambit to try and get Ezekiel to war with the Saviors ended up getting Benjamin killed. Morgan’s weapon of choice is his ever-present staff, especially its pointed end. Morgan currently remains alive, leading the Fear the Walking Dead cast.

4. Negan (Jeffrey Dean Morgan) – 45

It seems like a given that a murderer like Negan would be on the list of highest Walking Dead kill counts, even with his more recent transformation into something resembling an antihero. What’s a bit surprising is that Negan’s The Walking Dead kills only totals 45 confirmed, most using his trademark barbed wire-wrapped bat Lucille. Negan infamously bashed Glenn and Abraham’s heads in, and later on in the timeline, used a blade to decapitate Whisperer leader Alpha and present the head to a grateful Carol. This cemented Negan’s place in the main group, but since Maggie’s return, their relationship remained contentious even if he “reformed.” With Negan now travelling with Maggie in The Walking Dead: Dead City, his kill count will likely climb higher.

3. Carol Pelletier (Melissa McBride) – 52

Carol began The Walking Dead as a survivor of domestic abuse, and over the years, she’s evolved into a stone-cold killer, willing to do whatever it takes to survive. The Walking Dead kills took its toll on her mentally, especially in the last few seasons. The impact of having to kill others appears to have held an increasingly heavy weight for Carol. She’s yet to kill a truly major character, although there was the infamous instance in season 4 where she was forced to shoot Lizzie after she stabbed her sister Mika to death in a futile attempt to prove Walkers were intelligent. At that point, it was quite clear that Lizzie’s mental illness had made her a danger to herself and others, and she was beyond saving. While Carol may not have the most star-studded kill count, she’s got one of the biggest.

2. Rick Grimes (Andrew Lincoln) – 54

Any Walking Dead viewer could probably see this kill count coming, as former protagonist Rick Grimes has perhaps unsurprisingly also racked up a whopping 54 kills. Usually armed with his powerful magnum, Rick has had to kill his best friend Shane Walsh, Terminus leader Gareth, a whole bunch of Saviors, and many more. However, Rick’s most notable action is probably the time he chose not to kill, that being after defeating Negan. Inspired by Carl, Rick’s mercy prevailed over his wrath, and he let Negan live to serve as an example to others. Not that that sat well with Maggie and Daryl, thanks to, well, everyone Negan had killed in cold blood. Still, Rick did what he thought was right, and that’s all a person can do. Rick is set to return and possibly kill more people in his own Walking Dead spin-off series, which will give him the opportunity to retake his spot as Walking Dead‘s most prolific killer.

1. Daryl Dixon (Norman Reedus) – 72

The Walking Dead‘s resident fan-favorite, there are many who have pledged to stop watching if Daryl is killed off. Meanwhile, Daryl has done quite a bit of killing others, racking up a body count of 72, tied with his close friend Rick Grimes until season 11, as the TWD character with the highest kill count. Armed with his trusty crossbow, Daryl holds the dubious distinction of having to mercy kill a friend, that being Dale in season 2. He also took revenge on Officer Dawn after she killed Beth, and took out Morales after he turned on Rick. Daryl also throws the execution switch on Gregory, after Maggie orders the former Hilltop leader dead for his betrayal. It took Daryl longer than Rick to reach the 50-kill milestone, but he broke Rick’s record before The Walking Dead signed off. Whether that’s an achievement or a shame is up for debate, as after all, these victims are still people.

How Many People Have Been Killed In The Walking Dead?

Thanks to a UK-based insurance company, fans have an idea of exactly how many humans have been killed in The Walking Dead (excluding the billions who died during the initial outbreak). According to the research (via Undead Walking), as of the show’s first 11 seasons, 1,808 human deaths have occurred on The Walking Dead. That averages out at 180 The Walking Dead kills a season, with a 12-per-episode spread. These aren’t distributed evenly in the show though, and over a thousand of these deaths occur in season 10 during the Whisperer War (though most of these aren’t named characters).

The most named character The Walking Dead kills happen in season 4, which eliminated 43 known faces including Hershel, Mika, and the Governor. Negan, for all his main-character-killing infamy, entered in season 7, which was actually near the bottom of the list with only 13 named character deaths (although many of these were brutal, and one of them was TWD fan favorite Glenn). Either way, no matter the season, the research made it pretty clear that the 1,808 human deaths in The Walking Dead have earned it the title of the deadliest fictional TV universe to live in.

How Many Walkers Have Been Killed In The Walking Dead?

The number of Walkers killed in The Walking Dead is a little trickier to work out, but the figure sits comfortably in the thousands. This isn’t surprising, though, since characters in some scenes take a stroll around the perimeter of whatever settlement they’re in and slaughter a few Zombies over a spot of light plot exposition. At present, the most concrete reliable figure comes from executive producer Greg Nicotero (via comicbook.com). The Walking Dead crew have, apparently, kept a tally of the number of zombies they’ve filmed biting the dust. As of TWD season 8, this figure stood at around 4,000. Assuming an average of roughly 500 dead Walkers per season (making up the 4,000 Walker kills over 8 seasons), then at least 5,500 undead inhabitants of The Walking Dead’s apocalyptic world have been taken out over the course of the 11-season show.

Which Characters Can Still Add To Their Kill Total?

While the main series has ended and Fear the Walking Dead has only one season remaining, there is still a lot more coming in TWD universe, and a chance for some characters to add to their The Walking Dead kills count. That is because there are three spinoff shows coming featuring characters from the main series. The first of these involves Rick Grimes and Michonne. While Danai Gurira calls this a “love story,” expect Michonne and Rick to kill a lot more people as they battle the CRM in the miniseries. This could easily move Rick back ahead of Daryl and move Michonne up past a few notable characters.

However, there is also the fact that Daryl won’t give up his lead easily. While Rick will get more The Walking Dead kills alongside Michonne, Daryl also has his own spinoff series coming. For Daryl, he is moving across the ocean and will star in the first TWD series in Europe. In The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon, he wakes up and learns he is now in Paris, France, and he has no idea how he got there. With so many new walkers, survivors, and more to kill in a brand-new location, expect Daryl to keep his kill count high as he tries to get back to his family and friends.

Finally, The Walking Dead: Dead City brings Negan back for a chance to add to his The Walking Dead kills total. However, joining him is someone with a lot fewer kills to their name — Maggie. The two set out in New York City to find and wave Maggie’s son, Hershel, and it looks like there will be dangers around every corner in the first big-city setting in TWD universe. With the three shows, and supposedly more to come, expect a lot more The Walking Dead kills to come in the popular zombie series before all is said and done.