Despite the fact that literally every character who survived the entirety of The Vampire Diaries went through many ups and downs, no one went through quite the rollercoaster ride that Damon Salvatore did. Sometimes he was a villain, sometimes he was the hero, and for the most part he was something in between.
With Damon, it was immediately clear that no one could ever know which version of him that they were going to get in any given situation. He was the reckless, impulsive vampire, in love with his brother's girl. But as time went on he became much more than that. So with that in mind, what were Damon Salvatore's best character traits, and what were his worst?
Best: Loving
Although Damon Salvatore undoubtedly reserves his love for very few people in this world, he cares for those that he loves more fiercely than nearly anyone else in the series.
He's the definition of a ride or die, and while Damon can express his love in dangerous ways, the emotion that fuels his actions is probably one of the purest and best things about him.
Worst: Arrogant
It's not entirely unwarranted, but to be honest, Damon's arrogance is a little out of control and extremely unappealing.
It's not just arrogance when it comes to his appearance either, Damon has a nasty habit of acting out and doing things that the people around him don't want him to do and definitely don't appreciate, but he does them because he believes that his decisions or his ideas should trump everyone else's at all times.
Best: Clever
Damon unfortunately has made a serious habit of making stupid mistakes, but he doesn't actually make them because he's stupid.
In fact, his belief that his plans or ideas are better than everyone else's often winds up being true, and if he could just get out of his own way long enough to execute his plans or focus on his knowledge instead of his feelings, he'd be much better off for it.
Worst: Impulsive
So, if Damon actually focused in on his thinking side instead of his feeling side, he'd be a much more pleasant person to be around in addition to being very difficult to defeat.
However, Damon's constant downfall is his lack of emotional control and his impulsivity. It's partially because Damon can't control himself and partially because he just doesn't care to, but his impulses wind up hurting a lot of people, himself included.
Best: Charming
Although Damon could pretty easily coast through every situation and every relationship he has on his looks alone, he actually does have a lot of charm beneath his surface appeal as well.
Unfortunately he seems to use that charm for bad things as often as good, but when he's not giving in to his worst impulses he's actually a pretty pleasant and fun person to be around.
Worst: Inhuman
On The Vampire Diaries, every vampire has to find a way to balance their inner humanity with their inner lack of humanity, and it seems that more often than not they have a very rough time of it.
But there are few characters who have a rougher time than Damon, often by his own choice. Damon leans into his vampiric nature hard, and his resistance to his own humanity causes a lot of pain for a lot of people.
Best: Passionate
Damon isn't always the best when it comes to controlling his emotions, but that seems to only be because he never feels anything in half measure.
If he loves someone, has a genuine friendship with someone, or even just has some kind of investment in their survival, he will do anything he can for them. He's extremely devoted to the people in his life that he cares for.
Worst: Apathetic
Damon Salvatore can be an astonishingly ferocious friend, brother, or boyfriend, but unfortunately for most of the world, his personal attachments are very few and far between.
If he doesn't care about something or someone, he truly doesn't care about it, which means that when Damon is on a mission or involved in a life or death situation he often leaves a tsunami of collateral damage in his wake.
Best: Loyal
In Damon's entire history as a human and a vampire, it seems like Katherine Pierce is literally the only person to have ever earned Damon's loyalty and lost it, and it's not hard to see why she's the exception to the rule.
And that truly is a rule of life that Damon seems to live by, it might be the most consistent part of his personality, but he is loyal as a dog.
Worst: Vengeful
Throughout his time on The Vampire Diaries, Damon went through more ups and downs than any other character in the show. And there seems to be kind of a running theme with his downs.
Most of his worst moments, decisions, and developments were driven by his intense desire to hurt those who have hurt him. Damon often prioritizes his need for revenge over anything else.