Warning: This article contains spoilers for All of Us Are Dead.
All of Us Are Dead may be set in a horrifying scenario where students are pitted against their own friends turning into zombies, but that does not mean the audience does not get a breather every now and then. After all, life is strange, and humor can be found in the oddest places.
Some characters, despite everything that is happening around them, can get a laugh out of the audience with their sharp wit, wholesome buffoonery, or just being plain weird in the midst of a zombie apocalypse.
Jang Ha-Ri
Viewers might think that Jang Ha-ri being one of the most stoic and bravest characters in the series would mean she would lack funny moments, but she has her fair share of them with two of the funniest members of the cast.
Her serious nature being tested by the clownery of the people around her is very entertaining. It also helps the audience connect with her past a "cold killing machine." It is an important aspect to make her a lot less intimidating not just to the cast but to the audience as well.
Yoo Joon-Sung
Despite his rather traumatic experience when viewers first see him, Yoo Joon-sung's cowardice is both endearing and annoying. There is some relatability to the way he freaks out all the time.
Plus, his dynamic with his much braver student friends is amusing to see, especially with Mi-jin. His volatile "friendship" with Mi-jin is more akin to squabbling siblings than zombie survivors. Joon-sung's injury brings out a softer side to Mi-jin, though she still makes fun of him.
Kim U-Sin
So-ju's fireman friend is often the first to complain about doing dangerous things. However, he is still very loyal, and his snarks about So-ju's recklessness are out of love, not annoyance.
That care is best seen when he thinks the captain is a zombie, and as he readies his tool with tears in his eyes, the captain turns out to be fine. His reaction afterward is priceless, lacking in sentimentality and full of annoyance at his captain's tenacity.
Park Mi-Jin
Park Mi-jin is a cynical girl who deals with the horrific situation by acting aloof. She remains snarky and mean, even to people she likes, but never to the point of being counterproductive. Her pragmatic input is rational but also amusing in the aggressive way she delivers it.
Mi-jin's dynamic with the cast always tricks the audience into thinking blows will be exchanged, but those who have traded words with her know that she is all bark. Not to mention, she is the first to want college immediately after a zombie apocalypse, and the logical but strange priorities are funny to see after such a stressful final episode. Not only is she one of the most intelligent characters in the show, but she is also one of the funnier ones.
Oh Joon-Yeong
Oh Joon-yeong is an awkward and dorky guy, and that does not change much in the middle of a zombie apocalypse. Whenever something amusing is happening with the group, he is often right next to Dae-su complaining about it.
The highlight of his dynamic with Dae-su is when he gets passed over by the chocolate as it is passed around. It is a subtle nod to how "background" he feels sometimes, and Dae-su's insistence on giving him the "best armor" after is hilarious. Sadly, it adds a lot of drama to Joon-yeong's unfortunate demise in the very same episode, which was one of the most heartbreaking deaths of the series.
Chief Aide
Despite having all the makings of being an obstructive bureaucrat, Chief Aide is a loyal and helpful member of So-ju's refugee group. His attempt to shield the assemblywoman from trained soldiers with a "shield," along with the hard cut to his black eye, is darkly hilarious.
Still, he smiles after doing so, and for a politician, he is actually one of the most optimistic characters on the show. His presence is a source of levity in the otherwise thrilling plotline of So-ju's arc and the refugee camp in general.
Song Jae-Il
Song Jae-il is a seemingly stoic character, and the viewers are led to believe this because his first few episodes are interrogating the virus progenitor himself. The sharp contrast of his dynamic with a dangerous scientist, angry at the world, to dealing with his whiny police junior really tickles the audience.
It is entertaining to see Jae-il being a lot more snarky with someone who is not a horrible murderer. He takes situations seriously but uses humor and a conversational tone to keep everybody calm. He does this with the children he rescues. Most importantly, he saves the most powerful character in the entire series, Orangibberish.
Orangibberish
In one of the more fascinating cold opens in the series, the amusingly named "Orangibberish" offers both a funny and dark look at what social media would be like in the midst of a zombie apocalypse. The comments are rather realistic of what stream chats are like too.
His insistence on the atypical influencer slogan of "like and subscribe" while running for his life is a great criticism of how vane the modern internet is. Plus, it is incredibly funny seeing a guy named Orangibberish actually make it to the end of a series that could compete with some of the best K-dramas on Netflix.
Yang Dae-Su
Despite not getting a main focused arc, Yang Dae-su is one of the few sources of humor the audience gets from the student group right from the start. His bumbling nature when outside of a dangerous situation is sure to give the others a laugh, and his funniest moment is during one of the more dramatic, quiet moments in the series.
As the students record messages on a camera they find, every other student takes the time to greet their loved ones or call for revenge. Dae-su, inexplicably, asks for a beat and starts singing about food. It is a much-needed break from crying for the student group, as well as the audience.
Jeon Ho-Cheol
Jeon Ho-cheol, the Seoul University extraordinaire, is one of the funniest characters on the show. His dynamic with the stoic police sergeant Song Jae-il is hilarious; he begs him to go for the safer route but always follows his lead anyway, no matter where he goes.
The fast-forwarded montage of him and the sergeant comically dodging zombies is completely unexpected in this rather bleak series, and it felt more at home in a 1930s silent comedy than a zombie show. Still, it is a welcome change of pace from the doom and gloom. Plus, his "betrayal" of the sergeant inadvertently saving them all shows that while he may be cowardly, he is only slightly a traitor.