Warning: This article contains spoilers for All of Us Are Dead.
All of Us Are Dead is a thrill-ride of a series featuring a large ensemble cast of characters. When one puts regular people into a life-or-death situation, surrounded on all sides by zombies, it is going to take a lot more than running to stay alive.
Some characters are a lot sharper about that fact than others. Amid all the panic, these people manage to think up plans and find ways to escape. Intelligence is just as important as food, water, and weapons in the zombie apocalypse.
Kim Ji-Min and Lee Na-Yeon
These two characters are not only babied by the group, for the most part, they are also incredibly selfish. Lee Na-yeon is the worse example for her murder of Gyeong-su and getting Mrs. Park killed for chasing after her. Meanwhile, Kim Ji-min often starts arguments and even leaves behind Hyo-ryung after she trips.
Their selfishness got both of these characters infected by zombies. Though a lot of their flaws can be attributed to stress, everybody is as stressed as they are, and they act much calmer.
Yang Dae-Su, Jang Wu-Jin and Seo Hyo-Ryung
While they are all willing to help and do what needs to be done to survive, they are mostly there as manpower. That said, their efforts are crucial to surviving the zombie attack in Hyosan High, and while not leaders, they are valuable members of the group who never deserted them at any point.
Not to mention, they make it all the way to the last episode (though Wu-jin, unfortunately, dies right before reaching the safe zone), so they were doing something right. Characters like these bolster All of Us Are Dead and help it to be among some of the best zombie TV shows ever made.
Yoon Gwi-Nam
Gwi-nam is one of the biggest threats to the protagonists, though more so for his ruthlessness than intelligence. While he is definitely a cunning foe, most of his victories are thanks to his newfound powers.
Many times, he is outsmarted or overpowered by the student group, and his reluctance to let go of vengeance seals his fate in the end. If he had utilized his regeneration and super strength in more pragmatic ways than just brute force, perhaps the heroes would not have made it as far.
Oh Joon-Yeong
One of the nerdier students, Oh Joon-yeong is oftentimes acting as an extra body to hold up barriers, like Yang Dae-su and Jang Wu-jin. However, he was the only one capable of piloting the drone to scout their school for the safest route.
When he gets bitten, he immediately uses himself as a distraction instead of freezing like a lot of the other people who got infected. This shows how quickly he knew he was doomed, but he still did the best thing possible in that situation, even if it did make for one of the most heartbreaking deaths in the series.
Park Mi-Jin
Park Mi-jin is one of the more “street smart” of the group and is quick to think practically. Upon hearing a classmate turning, she immediately locks her in and makes a makeshift spear out of a mop.
She is also the one who tells Joon-yeong that their barrier plan could be climbed over by zombies, and unfortunately, she was right. Lastly, her wish to go to college in the final episode, despite everything, shows that she does have a lot of intelligence under the surface.
Jang Ha-Ri
Jang Ha-ri, unlike her brother, plays a much more active role against the zombies. It is not just her archery skills that make her a great survivalist, but her pragmatism and methodical traversal of the school.
She does not let emotion overwhelm her (except, understandably, as a result of her brother’s death), and that makes her an efficient zombie killer as well. Jang Ha-ri is a girl who knows what she is good at and makes use of those skills to survive, which is more than can be said for other characters.
Nam On-Jo
On-jo may freeze in horror sometimes and has to be saved due to her frailty, but she is also the voice of reason many times throughout the series.
While people are in-fighting, she is often the one to resolve the argument by making them focus on survival. While she is also very emotional and lets that affect her decisions, she is a quick thinker and conflict resolver. Not to mention, she has some rather clever plans that get them out of seemingly unwinnable situations.
Choi Nam-Ra
Nam-ra was the class president before everything went to hell, and despite panicking at first, she manages to take on the leadership role several times.
Her plans, while fewer than Cheong-san’s or Su-hyeok’s, also help them get through the school safely. Not to mention, she was sharp enough to figure out how Na-yeon infected Gyeong-su. Once she gets infected, she immediately uses her newfound strength to help her friends without any care of them seeing her infected state, showing that she is very pragmatic.
Lee Cheong-San
Hyosan High is the most dangerous setting in the series, and yet, Cheong-san consistently leads all of them through some of the worst situations. His plans have helped the characters progress through the school and carve a path through the hordes of zombies.
That being said, he is also very emotional and was quick to turn on Nam-ra despite Su-hyeok vouching for her. Considering the situation, though, his response was actually a rational choice, even if his execution was not as refined.
Lee Su-Hyeok
Lee Su-hyeok has proven time and time again why he is one of the most intelligent and calm students in Hyosan High. Not only does he bring up Train To Busan, but he takes a lot of the lessons from that movie to heart.
Much like Lee Cheong-san, he also crafts plans that help get them through the school. Unlike him, however, he does not get overwhelmed by emotions and always puts the safety of the group above his own worries. Not to mention, he uses his martial arts skills in ways that do not risk him getting bitten.
Lee Byeong-Chan
Lee Byeong-chan is the progenitor of the Hyosan virus himself. Obviously, creating the virus that kills thousands in only a few days requires a lot of academic intelligence. Although he is clearly the most academically intelligent character in the series, he is also driven by pure emotion.
It was not very wise to just let a terrifying virus wreak havoc on Hyosan because of a few bullies, and he realizes this fact way too late. Thankfully, his laptop shows the solution to the virus: burn them all.
Nam So-Ju
A first responder needs to be quick on his feet and in his mind, two qualities that Nam So-ju certainly possesses. He manages to go all the way from the quarantine camp to Hyosan High by himself through his pragmatism and smarts, even in the presence of those that could rival some of the scariest entities in horror movies.
Leaving ribbons to mark his path, tricking the quarantine guards, as well as outmaneuvering the zombies shows why Nam is an incredibly well-trained first responder. Knowing all the basic things to do in an emergency might seem simple, but it is something a lot of people take for granted. This is not the case with So-ju, though.
Song Jae-Il
The police sergeant is one of the most competent and intelligent characters in the cast. Although he goes out of his way to save people even at the cost of his own safety, he always thinks of a way to get ahead.
He does not resort to sacrificing himself and always thinks of a way to get everyone out alive. Not to mention, his entire party survived all the way to the quarantine camps, a feat none of the other characters managed.