Breaking Bad Characters, Ranked From Legendary to Lowest
Breaking Bad has one of the deepest casts of any show ever made, and almost nobody on this list is a throwaway. We're ranking all 17 major players, from the man who turns a chemistry classroom into an empire to the guys who just want to flip furniture and eat at Los Pollos Hermanos.
This is based on what fans and critics generally agree on across forums, reviews and years of arguing about this show, with our own call where the consensus splits down the middle. Disagree? That's half the fun of a show this good. Argue it out yourself.
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SS Tier: The pillars of the show
Walter White
The whole show is his transformation, from a broke high school teacher with a cancer diagnosis to a man who lets Jane choke to death rather than lose his new life. Bryan Cranston sells every inch of the turn from Mr. Chips to Scarface, and the writing never cheats the slide.
About Walter White
A high school chemistry teacher in Albuquerque who turns to cooking methamphetamine after a cancer diagnosis. Played by Bryan Cranston, he becomes the drug kingpin known as Heisenberg over the course of the series.
- Played by
- Bryan Cranston
- Occupation
- Former chemistry teacher
Jesse Pinkman
Jesse was supposed to die early in the first season and the writers kept him alive because he became too good to lose. He's the show's conscience, the one person who actually feels the weight of what they're doing, and that makes every scene he's in hit harder.
About Jesse Pinkman
Walt's former student and eventual partner in the meth business. Played by Aaron Paul, Jesse becomes one of the show's emotional centers as the consequences of the drug trade pile up around him.
- Played by
- Aaron Paul
Gus Fring
A fast food franchise owner who runs a meth empire behind a spotless smile, and one of TV's great villains because he barely raises his voice. The box cutter scene alone earns him a permanent spot at the top.
About Gus Fring
The outwardly respectable owner of the Los Pollos Hermanos fast food chain, secretly running a massive meth distribution operation. Played by Giancarlo Esposito.
- Played by
- Giancarlo Esposito
AA Tier: Unforgettable
Mike Ehrmantraut
Jonathan Banks turns a guy whose job is mostly cleanup into one of the most quietly moving characters on the show. "Half measures" is one of the best monologues Breaking Bad ever wrote, and Mike's loyalty to his granddaughter gives the back half of the series real heart.
About Mike Ehrmantraut
A former cop turned fixer and enforcer, first for Saul Goodman and then for Gus Fring. Played by Jonathan Banks, Mike is known for his pragmatism and loyalty to his granddaughter.
- Played by
- Jonathan Banks
Saul Goodman
Comic relief who turns out to have real depth, which is exactly why he earned his own spinoff. Bob Odenkirk makes the strip mall lawyer with the cheesy commercials feel like a fully lived-in person, not just a punchline.
About Saul Goodman
A flashy, morally flexible criminal defense lawyer who helps Walt and Jesse navigate the legal and business side of the drug trade. Played by Bob Odenkirk, he later got his own prequel series, Better Call Saul.
- Played by
- Bob Odenkirk
- Spinoff
- Better Call Saul
Hank Schrader
Starts as the loud, slightly obnoxious DEA agent cracking jokes at family dinner, ends as the guy who figures out Heisenberg is sitting across the table from him the whole time. His death in the desert is one of the show's rawest gut punches.
About Hank Schrader
A DEA agent and Walt's brother-in-law, whose investigation into Heisenberg slowly closes in on his own family. Played by Dean Norris.
- Played by
- Dean Norris
- Occupation
- DEA agent
BB Tier: Vital to the machine
Skyler White
Fans are genuinely split on Skyler, and some of that hate was unfair to Anna Gunn for just playing the part well. She's not supposed to be likable all the time, she's supposed to be a woman watching her husband destroy her family and trying to survive it, and that makes her one of the show's most interesting moral centers.
About Skyler White
Walt's wife, who gradually discovers and becomes entangled in his criminal double life. Played by Anna Gunn.
- Played by
- Anna Gunn
Lydia Rodarte-Quayle
Nervous, particular about her tea, and somehow still running international distribution for a meth empire. Lydia's a different flavor of villain than Gus or Walt, more paranoid and less controlled, which makes her unraveling fun to watch.
About Lydia Rodarte-Quayle
A logistics coordinator and business contact who helps distribute meth internationally in the later seasons. Played by Laura Fraser.
- Played by
- Laura Fraser
Todd Alquist
Polite, soft-spoken, and genuinely one of the most disturbing characters on the show because none of that politeness means anything. The way he talks about shooting a kid like it was just an unfortunate work incident still gets people.
About Todd Alquist
A polite, soft-spoken criminal who becomes affiliated with a white supremacist gang in the show's later seasons. Played by Jesse Plemons.
- Played by
- Jesse Plemons
Tuco Salamanca
Pure chaos in human form. Tuco only sticks around for a handful of early episodes but he sets the tone for how dangerous this world actually is, screaming in that warehouse like a man with zero impulse control, because he is one.
About Tuco Salamanca
An erratic, violent drug distributor who briefly works with Walt and Jesse early in the series. Played by Raymond Cruz.
- Played by
- Raymond Cruz
CC Tier: Solid support
Marie Schrader
The purple obsession and the kleptomania could've made her a one-note joke, but Betsy Brandt gives Marie real moments, especially once Hank gets hurt and later when the truth about Walt comes out.
About Marie Schrader
Skyler's sister and Hank's wife, known for her love of the color purple and a habit of shoplifting. Played by Betsy Brandt.
- Played by
- Betsy Brandt
Gale Boetticher
Sweet, a little nerdy, genuinely thrilled to be nerding out over coffee brewing and lab equipment with Walt. His death is quick but it lingers over the rest of the series precisely because he seemed like one of the only decent people in this business.
About Gale Boetticher
A mild-mannered chemist who briefly works as Walt's lab partner for Gus Fring's operation. Played by David Costabile.
- Played by
- David Costabile
Jane Margolis
Jesse's girlfriend and a recovering addict who relapses alongside him, Jane's arc ends in one of the most devastating sequences in the whole show. Krysten Ritter makes her more than just a plot device for Walt's worst decision.
About Jane Margolis
Jesse's girlfriend and a recovering heroin addict who relapses during their relationship. Played by Krysten Ritter.
- Played by
- Krysten Ritter
Skinny Pete
A meth head with surprisingly good piano skills and an even better moral compass than half the people running this operation. He shows up right when you need comic relief and somehow never feels out of place.
About Skinny Pete
One of Jesse's friends and recurring associates in the drug trade, notable for his skill at playing piano. Played by Charles Baker.
- Played by
- Charles Baker
DD Tier: Mostly along for the ride
Walter White Jr.
Mostly stuck eating breakfast and being lied to for most of the series, which is kind of the point but doesn't give him a ton to actually do. His cerebral palsy is treated matter of factly by the show, which is more than a lot of TV manages, but he's still mostly a bystander to his own family's collapse.
About Walter White Jr.
Walt and Skyler's teenage son, who has cerebral palsy and goes by Flynn for part of the series. Played by RJ Mitte.
- Played by
- RJ Mitte
Huell Babineaux
Big, loyal, and mostly there to sit on a couch or pat someone down for a wire. Huell gets a few good laughs, including that stranded-in-a-safehouse ending, but he's a supporting piece, not a character with much of an arc.
About Huell Babineaux
Saul Goodman's large, affable bodyguard who assists with various schemes throughout the series. Played by Lavell Crawford.
- Played by
- Lavell Crawford
FF Tier: The weak link
Steven Gomez
Hank's partner at the DEA, reliable, likable, and almost entirely defined by being the guy standing next to Hank. There's nothing wrong with Gomez exactly, he just never gets enough material to be more than a familiar face in the background.
About Steven Gomez
Hank Schrader's partner at the DEA, who assists in the investigation into Heisenberg. Played by Steven Michael Quezada.
- Played by
- Steven Michael Quezada
- Occupation
- DEA agent
How we ranked them
We weighed how well-written and acted each character is, how much they shape the story, and how memorable they are years after the finale. We also factored in fan and critic consensus from reviews and discussion threads, breaking ties with our own judgment when the fanbase is genuinely split, like it is on Skyler and Walt Jr.
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Rank these yourselfFAQ
Who is the best Breaking Bad character?
By consensus it's usually Walter White or Jesse Pinkman, since the whole series is built around their relationship and opposite arcs. Gus Fring is the most common pick for best villain.
Why do fans dislike Skyler White?
Some fans blamed Skyler for getting in Walt's way, even though she was reacting to a husband lying to her and endangering their family. Critics have pushed back on this reaction for years, and Anna Gunn's performance is widely respected.
Who is the scariest villain in Breaking Bad?
Gus Fring tops most lists for how calm and calculated he is, while Todd Alquist unsettles people for the opposite reason: he's polite and almost cheerful about doing horrible things.
Does Jesse Pinkman die in Breaking Bad?
No. Jesse survives the series finale and drives off after escaping captivity.
Who plays Saul Goodman?
Bob Odenkirk plays Saul Goodman, a role that later led to the prequel series Better Call Saul.
More rankings
Image credits
- Walter WhiteCover: Wikipedia · Source
- Jesse PinkmanCover: Wikipedia · Source
- Gus FringCover: Wikipedia · Source
- Mike EhrmantrautCover: Wikipedia · Source
- Saul GoodmanCover: Wikipedia · Source
- Hank SchraderCover: Wikipedia · Source
- Skyler WhiteCover: Wikipedia · Source
- Lydia Rodarte-QuaylePhoto: Moobys, CC BY 3.0 (Wikimedia Commons) · License · Source
- Todd AlquistCover: Wikipedia · Source
- Tuco SalamancaPhoto: Gage Skidmore, CC BY-SA 3.0 (Wikimedia Commons) · License · Source
- Marie SchraderCover: Wikipedia · Source
- Gale BoetticherPhoto: chrisjortiz, CC BY 2.0 (Wikimedia Commons) · License · Source
- Jane MargolisPhoto: Kevin Paul, CC BY 4.0 (Wikimedia Commons) · License · Source
- Skinny PetePhoto: The Hollywood Social Lounge, CC BY 3.0 (Wikimedia Commons) · License · Source
- Walter White Jr.Cover: Wikipedia · Source
- Huell BabineauxPhoto: Unknown author, Public domain (Wikimedia Commons) · Source
- Steven GomezPhoto: Gage Skidmore, CC BY-SA 3.0 (Wikimedia Commons) · License · Source