1. Kurt Hummel

portrayed by Chris Colfer

Kurt was many things; talented, fashionable, and most importantly always proud to be himself. Kurt made television history as the first openly gay character on the show and wore this title with pride. Sadly, during season two, Kurt was forced out of McKinley due to some harsh bullying and death threats in regards to his sexuality. Kurt ended up transferring to Dalton Academy where he met the love of his life, Blaine Anderson. Thankfully, in season three, both Kurt and Blaine were able to go back to McKinley safely. Though Kurt has gone through multiple lifetimes worth of trauma, he was able to find himself as he became older and wiser. Truthfully, Kurt was key to “Glee’s” success and brought so much to the show. Without his talented vocals, endgame relationship, and Colfer’s comedic timing which could not be taught, the show would not have been the same.

2. Santana Lopez

portrayed by Naya Rivera

Santana’s character was remarkable in all sorts of ways, leaving her high up on the list. Santana was witty at all the right times and just ruthless enough, offering the Glee club reality checks when necessary. She started the show as just another background  cheerleader but really showed all parts of her raw personality as the show developed. Her most memorable plotline by far was her “coming out story” occurring in season three. Though Santana wasn’t ready, she was outed as a lesbian in Coach Sylvesters’ campaign ad, which obviously was not an ideal situation. To be frank, Santana was an iconic and memorable character who deserved better.

Rest In Peace, Naya Rivera (1987-2020)

3. Blaine Anderson

portrayed by Darren Criss

Brought in during season two, specifically to be a love interest for Kurt, Blaine was the new kid for a while. Though naturally, some may have been skeptical of him at first, Blaine quickly proved his place in the club with his powerful vocals and sweet personality. Throughout the series, he truly became a memorable character over various plot lines showcasing his personal struggles, overcoming them, and becoming his own. His adorable bow ties and soft eyes made for perfect boyfriend material for Kurt, as well as a perfect performer for the New Directions.

4. Rachel Berry

portrayed by Lea Michele

For a main character, Rachel was pretty controversial. While some dislike her for her bold personality and diva-like habits, Rachel is ultimately the spirit of Glee. An extremely driven and passionate performer who was willing to anything to make her dreams come true. While sometimes she was blinded by her need for success, she showed time and time again she is a loyal friend who was learning her place in the world. The show honestly would not be the same without her.

5. Mercedes Jones 

portrayed by Amber Riley

Mercedes, the sassy vocal-powerhouse was a very important character in the show. She was Rachel’s biggest competition, giving Rachel a reason to keep pushing and improving. Not only that, Mercedes was never scared to speak her voice. If the rest of the club wasn’t where they were supposed to be, or Mr. Schuester was being a bad leader, she would interject and get everyone on track. All in all, Mercedes had a big personality, a big voice, and a big heart.

6. Sam Evans

portrayed by Chord Overstreet

Even though Sam joined during season two, he left a special place in Glee. He started just as another male-voice, but as the show progressed he became not only a great friend to Blaine, but allowed the show to add a character viewers in financially struggling families can relate to. In regards to Sam himself, he started with average intelligence, but throughout the show, his character became ditzier and some may argue, more likable. Consistently, Sam was shown to be unproblematic, though his role may be small, which earns him this spot.

7. Quinn Fabray

portrayed by Dianna Agron

From the pilot, Quinn was made out to be the perfect, classic, mean girl, with her curly blonde ponytail and head cheerleader title. Though she definitely started this way -making fun of Rachel, throwing slushies at the school’s outcasts, etc- she went through her own struggles, giving her wonderful character development. After Quinn became a teen mom and gave up her baby for adoption, she ended up regretting this decision later in the show. She even ended up trying to steal her baby back from the adoptive mother in later seasons. It’s rough events like this that lead Quinn to go through some sort of quarter-life-crisis, which ultimately made her a better person. She went from a classic mean girl to a loyal friend, stealing the hearts of fans everywhere.

8. Brittany S. Pierce

portrayed by Heather Morris

Brittany may just seem like a dumb-blonde at first glance, but in later seasons she became so much more. For starters, Brittany developed into great representation for the LGBTQ+ community as she came out as bisexual and dated, then later married, Santana. Personality-wise, Brittany was kind and always tried to get along with other characters. One way she connected with others was through her talk show, “Fondue For Two.” On this show, she would ask her guests questions mostly revolving around whatever drama that had circled McKinley that week. Brittany was a memorable character with high spirits and high kicks!

9. Tina Cohen-Chang

portrayed by Jenna Ushkowitz 

Tina may have seemed like a sweet, shy, and quiet girl, at first, however she showed her true colors several times throughout the show. For starters, she faked a speech impediment to attract attention and Artie. In later seasons, Tina developed a crush on openly-gay Blaine and even acted on these feelings, though Blaine told her to stop several times. Along with that, Tina started to morph into Rachel as soon as Berry graduated. The last thing the show needed was two Rachel Berrys. However, Tina did showcase deep-down she was a struggling girl who needed to scream in order to be heard. Once she started to receive recognition, she became a more tolerable and overall better person, earning her ninth place.

10. Finn Hudson

portrayed by Cory Monteith 

Finn wasn’t too bad overall, but like most characters on Glee, he had his moments. One of them being, he’s said several offensive slurs to insult other characters, but showed overwhelming feelings of guilt after the matter, as well as learned from his mistakes. He also slipped up that time he kissed his teacher’s fiancée just days before the wedding. Yikes. Even though these mistakes were severe, he always did what he could to defend other, more bullied, members of the New Directions. This showed his true character; a goofy drummer with a big heart.

Rest In Peace, Cory Monteith (1982-2013)

11. Mike Chang

portrayed by Harry Shum Jr.

Mike, though on the Glee club, did not sing often. Instead, he was known for his talented dancing skills. Even though he had the moves like jagger, he was overall a boring character with almost no development, earning Mike this spot.

12. Artie Abrams

portrayed by Kevin McHale

Artie might have been in a wheelchair, but that did not stop him from holding his own. He kept up with the other Glee members both vocally and visually, showing anything is possible with hard work. Aside from his talent, Artie definitely had his rude moments throughout the show. The snide remarks from episode to episode might turn some people away from him, but overall he did what he had to do.

cw: Mark Salling

13. Noah Puckerman

Noah, better known as Puck, stayed as Finn’s left-hand man throughout the show, despite all the drama they had. For instance, in season 1, Puck got Finn’s girlfriend pregnant and lied about it for months but this didn’t stop the pals from making up and continuing their friendship. Aside from this, Puck also had a rebellious streak that reigned with him every season. This reputation caused many to fear him. However, in later episodes, he ended up joining and defending the Glee club, even though it had the potential to ruin his reputation. This being said, he ended up not being terribly important to the show, and the plot lines he did get usually showed poor character.