The Walking Dead Characters With The Highest Kill Counts

During the eleven seasons of The Walking Dead both heroes like Rick Grimes and antagonists like Negan murdered numerous survivors of the apocalypse alongside scores of Walkers — and the characters with the highest The Walking Dead kill counts are some of the show's most iconic. 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 central character, Rick Grimes, left the show in season 9, although until his departure he was the TWD character with the highest kill count. Michonne left shortly after Rick, meaning she couldn't accumulate any more kills either. Other characters, like Negan and Daryl, stayed all the way to the bitter end, taking many more lives and adding significantly to their total kill counts. The Walking Dead characters responsible for the most deaths are also among the shows most memorable, with plenty of fan favorites also being accomplished killers.

15 Leah Shaw (Lynn Collins) - 5

Daryl's Dangerous Love Interest Made Her Mark

Introduced in The Walking Dead season 10, Leah Shaw made her mark as a hardened Reaper and former romantic partner of Daryl Dixon. Her arc came to a fiery end in Season 11, Episode 16, “Acts of God”, but not before racking up five human kills and cementing herself as one of the most cold-blooded women the series ever saw. Leah’s kill count of 5 may be modest compared to the heavy hitters, but what makes her stand out is how she killed. Her violence wasn’t random - it was tactical, personal, and often driven by vengeance.

Leah wasn’t just a soldier; she was a predator, especially once she turned on Daryl and gunned for Maggie. Her most memorable kill came in season 11 when she eliminated a fellow Reaper to take command, proving she was just as ruthless as Pope ever was. Unlike characters who kill in survival or defense, Leah killed for power. Her final face-off with Maggie was a high-stakes, edge-of-your-seat moment that ended with Leah’s own brutal demise - shot by Daryl in a cold, devastating end to a twisted love story turned warzone.

14 Simon (Steven Ogg) - 5

Negan's Right-Hand Man Was Just As Lethal

A compelling presence during his time on TWD, Simon swaggered onto screens in season 6 and met his bloody end in season 8, but not before carving out a reputation as one of Negan’s most unpredictable and vicious lieutenants. His kill count may sit at a mere 5 confirmed human kills (that are shown on screen - his off-screen count is undoubtedly higher), but the chaos he caused was off the charts. Simon was less a soldier and more a loose cannon. He wasn’t interested in mercy, order, or second chances - he preferred scorched earth.

Simon’s most notorious act of violence came when he ordered the slaughter of every male member of the Oceanside community, a move so brutal it even had Negan raising eyebrows (though because he didn’t execute them directly, they don’t count towards his total). While Negan led with fear and showmanship, Simon was pure savagery. His downfall came when that bloodlust backfired. Trying to overthrow Negan was his last power play, and it ended with a fatal beatdown. Still, five kills from a man who often didn’t get his hands dirty says a lot. Simon may not top the list numerically, but his impact - and his body count - left a permanent scar on the show.

13 Pope (Ritchie Coster) - 7

A Fiery Flash In The Pan

Pope burned bright and fast, making his first appearance in Season 11, Episode 4, “Rendition”, and exiting in explosive fashion in Episode 8, “For Blood”. Still, despite not being in the show for long, he managed to rack up one of the highest The Walking Dead kill counts. As the fire-obsessed leader of the Reapers, Pope’s brand of violence was as theatrical as it was terrifying. 7 kills might not sound high, but Pope’s approach to murder was all about spectacle.

Pope killed with fire, fury, and zero hesitation - even torching one of his own men alive just to make a point. His body count included both enemies and allies, and he viewed loyalty as expendable if it didn’t fit his twisted vision of divine warfare. His most chilling moment? Throwing a comrade into a fire pit without blinking. Unlike other villains who manipulated or schemed, Pope ruled by terror and chaos. His reign ended when Leah - realizing just how far gone he was - killed him in a power move that signaled a shift in the leadership of the Reapers.

12 Carl Grimes (Chandler Riggs) - 8

From Scared Child To Seasoned Killer

Carl’s evolution from wide-eyed kid to hardened survivor was one of The Walking Dead’s most emotional arcs. One of the characters introduced in the pilot, Carl exited the show in heartbreaking fashion during Season 8, Episode 9 (“Honor”). Along the way, he stacked up eight human kills - and each one marked a step in his coming-of-age. Unlike some characters who kill out of malice or strategy, Carl’s violence was often reactive, protective, and painfully necessary.

His most notable moment came when he gunned down a surrendering young man from the Governor’s army - a decision that haunted him and his father. Later, he shot Lori to prevent her from turning, a devastating act of mercy that defined just how far he’d come. Carl’s kill count of 8 isn’t just a number - it’s a reflection of a boy forced to grow up in a world where innocence meant death. While he never became as ruthless as Rick or Daryl, Carl proved he could do what needed to be done, no matter how heartbreaking.

11 Glenn Rhee (Steven Yuen) - 8

The Fan-Favorite Hero Had An Edge

Glenn was the heart of the group - the moral compass and eternal optimist - so it’s easy to forget he also took out 8 human threats before his tragic death at the hands of Negan. However, Glenn didn’t kill for power or vengeance, and was far from the most violent character in The Walking Dead. When Glenn killed someone on TWD, he killed to protect. His takedowns were calculated and necessary - whether it was infiltrating Negan’s outpost in a surprise ambush or rescuing his friends with a swift and silent strike.

Glenn’s first human kill was a tough turning point, but it didn’t turn him cold. Instead, it added another layer to a character who always tried to hold on to his humanity. What makes Glenn’s kill count compelling is the contrast. He was one of the kindest, most empathetic characters in the series, but when push came to shove, he never hesitated to protect those he loved. Glenn may have gone down at Negan’s bat, but he left behind a legacy of bravery, sacrifice, and 8 lives taken to save countless others.

10 Sasha Williams (Sonequa Martin-Green) - 9

Tyreese's Sister Became Efficient At Ending Human Lives

Working out the kill count of The Walking Dead characters gets a little tricky when it comes to the lower-end of the list. There are many survivors who end the lives of a handful of other humans in the show, and it's not until major antagonists or particularly violent heroes such as Rick Grimes or Daryl Dixon are factored in that the kill tallies start reaching notably high numbers. Sasha Williams (Sonequa Martin-Green) was always a competent survivor during her time on The Walking Dead, but it may surprise fans to know she also had an above-average number of on-screen kills.

Sasha killed at least nine human beings before she took her own life in The Walking Dead season 7, episode 16, "The First Day Of The Rest Of Your Life". She was responsible for more on-screen deaths than the likes of Merle Dixon and other minor antagonists, who all had violent reputations, though didn't actually commit much murder in TWD (Merle is only responsible for five confirmed deaths throughout The Walking Dead).

9 Abraham Ford (Michael Cudlitz) - 12

The Gentle Giant Had A Deadly Side

The next Walking Dead character with the highest kill count was, almost ironically, Sasha William's boyfriend, Abraham Ford (Michael Kudlitz). Abraham is an interesting The Walking Dead character, as he was set up to be a recurring presence only to be killed by Negan. What's more, his shocking death was then immediately overshadowed by Negan killing Glenn. However, prior to meeting his maker courtesy of Negan's baseball bat, Lucille, Abraham killed 12 human survivors on The Walking Dead.

Like Sasha, more-or-less all of Abraham's kills were in self-defense and occurred through combat situations, such as the 4 unmanned Saviors he disposed of alongside Sasha. It's likely that Abraham killed multiple others prior to being introduced to the show, as he could certainly handle himself, and was a sergeant in the US army before the zombie apocalypse.

8 The Governor (David Morrissey) - 20

The Show's First Villain Was Soon Overshadowed When It Came To His Kill Count

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. Like several of The Walking Dead characters with the highest kill counts, The Governor likely killed many more people off-screen. He already had a fearsome reputation prior to being encountered by Rick Grimes' group of survivors, so it can be assumed that his actual kill count was much higher.

7 Alpha (Samantha Morton) - 21

The Leader Of The Whisperers Killed Plenty Of People In The Walking Dead

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. While she may not have killed the most characters in The Walking Dead, the deaths she caused are arguably among the most disturbing.

6 Michonne (Danai Gurira) - 26

The Walking Dead's Most Capable Warrior Hasn't Killed The Most Human Characters

Michonne's 23 The Walking Dead kills meant she was not the TWD character with the highest kill count, although this doesn't mean she isn't considered among the most lethal. There's little doubt that, if Michonne had taken a different path, she could have accumulated a much higher number of kills. 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 Negan (Jeffrey Dean Morgan) - 47

Despite Lucille's Infamy, Negan Doesn't Have The Highest Walking Dead Kill Count

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 totaled 45 confirmed by the time the show concluded, most using his trademark barbed wire-wrapped bat Lucille. Negan infamously imploded Glenn and Abraham's skulls with Lucille, 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 traveling with Maggie in The Walking Dead: Dead City, his kill count climbed higher, though not by as many as viewers expected. Negan only killed two people in The Walking Dead: Dead City, bringing his kill count on The Walking Dead to 47. Impressive, but not enough for him to reach 3rd place. However, one of these kills was admittedly among his most gruesome, and involved Negan wielding a cheese grater.

4 Morgan Jones (Lennie James) - 51

Morgan Finds Sticking To Pacifism Tricky

For a character who eventually becomes consumed by not wanting to kill and a desire to pursue pacifism, Morgan had a lot of The Walking Dead kills. Of all the TWD characters with high kill counts, Morgan's presence on the list is easily among the most tragic. Morgan didn't start out as a violent man, even after the outbreak of the zombie apocalypse. It wasn't until his son, Duane, became a walker that Morgan took a human life, but once this happened he became absolutely ruthless.

Morgan kills 31 people in the main Walking Dead show, and then goes on to kill a further 20 more in the Fear the Walking Dead spinoff, bringing his total to 51. Like Michonne, Morgan hasn't killed any major characters, 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.

3 Carol Pelletier (Melissa McBride) - 52

Despite Being A Kind Soul Carol Has Killed Plenty Of People

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. However, the high number of The Walking Dead kills Carol accumulated throughout the show 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.

Carol'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 largest.

2 Rick Grimes (Andrew Lincoln) - 63

Sheriff Grimes Is No Stranger To Lethal Force

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 went on to kill several more victims in The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live, though not enough to overtake The Walking Dead character with the most human kills.

1 Daryl Dixon (Norman Reedus) - 89

The Youngest Dixon Brother Is As Deadly As The Walkers

The Walking Dead's resident crossbow-wielding loner, Daryl Dixon, has taken the most lives throughout The Walking Dead, a fact that few viewers will find surprising. 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 — after which his total rose to 79. 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. Daryl had killed 79 people by the time The Walking Dead concluded. He then went on to claim a further 10 lives in season 1 of The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon, cementing his place as the TWD character with the highest kill count with 89 bodies to his name.

1,808 Confirmed Human Deaths Occur Throughout 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 named characters 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 Figure Sits Comfortably In The Thousands

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 thanks to the three spinoff shows featuring characters from the main series.

The second series of The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon will give Daryl another chance to add to his kill count. Additionally, The Walking Dead: Dead City season 2 brings Negan back for a chance to add to his The Walking Dead kills total. With the two shows, and supposedly more to come, expect a lot more The Walking Dead kills to come in the popular zombie series before the AMC franchise concludes once and for all.