Lost had an incredibly rich and fleshed-out cast, and the writers did an outstanding job creating meaningful character. Even the minor ones left a large impact on the audience. Some characters who appeared only in one or two episodes were still memorable and lovable, and fans of the series took to Reddit to best express their feelings about their favorite side characters.
The many threads about the best side characters from Lost were overwhelmingly positive, and though there were many to choose from, fan-favorites did whittle down to a clear top 10. And some of them are definitely surprising.
Leslie Arzt
Poor, poor Arzt. Though the high school science teacher was only in a couple of episodes, he definitely left a lasting impact on the audience with his funny dialogue and disagreeable personality. And no one could ever forget his most untimely end, which was one of the worst deaths of the entire series.
Hurley's line, "You've got some Arzt on you" after the character blew up from the dynamite at the Black Rock became an instantly iconic bit of dialogue, and it only further helped to propel him into infamy. And as mskeepa19 put it on Reddit, "No character is better than Arzt."
Horace Goodspeed
Horace was first introduced in season 3 as the leader of the Dharma Initiative, and the writers jumped on the chance to flesh his character out with the time travel storyline in season 5. His conflicting motivations and complicated family life were captivating, and the reveal that he was Ethan's father was an amazing twist.
RadioFreeYurick thinks Horace is an underrated side character, and he wrote on Reddit that "His leadership style was such a great balance between the laid back hippie we first met in season 3 to a believable hardass in season 5." And his development was definitely a bonus to an already fascinating season.
Yemi
BellaTrixter put it best on Reddit: "Mr. Eko's brother with a heart of gold." Yemi was only ever shown through flashbacks, but his loving personality and selfless nature were obvious even with this limited screen time. And the reveal that his body was the priest in the wrecked plane was seriously heartbreaking.
Yemi's relationship with Mr. Eko was also a great motivator for the character's development into a more spiritual, gentle soul during his time on the island, and it helped explain why he was trying to move beyond his violent past. It also made for a great character arc with Mr. Eko.
Pierre Chang
Also known as Marvin Candle and Dharma Initiative Orientation Video Guy. Dr. Chang was first introduced in season 2 when the survivors watched the orientation film in the hatch, and it was very rewarding to actually get to know his character in season 5 during the Dharma time jump.
On Reddit, Agent_Scully9114 writes that he was their favorite minor character, and more specifically, that they "loved the videos [and] the banter with Hugo." And, like with Horace and Ethan, it was a great twist when Miles revealed that Dr. Chang was his father.
Tom Friendly
Tom was one of the many Lost characters who blurred the line between good and bad, and his intentions as an Other were often clouded to the audience. However, he was a favorite of TheColonel, who wrote on Reddit that Tom was "sort of awesome and laid back about whatever was going on. Cool guy."
He was also the only gay character on the show, which was a much-needed addition for its rather lackluster LGBTQ+ representation. It would have also been nice to see more of Tom's backstory, but at least for now, he remains shrouded in mystery.
Mr. Kwon
Betherlady summarized Jin's father the best: "Just a wonderful man." The audience got the barest glimpse of his character in Jin and Sun's flashbacks, but even with the little screen time he had, his warmth and generosity were obvious. Jin clearly got most of his positive qualities from Mr. Kwon, and his stark contrast to Sun's violent and cold father was a complex dichotomy in the series.
Mr. Kwon gave a radiant smile to Sun when she found him in the fishing village, and his humble lifestyle was a great indicator of where Jin came from and why he was trying so hard to live a more "high class" life.
Danielle Rousseau
Danielle deserved more, as did Alex, her daughter—nearly all of the Lost fandom agrees. She only got a few days with her long-lost child before they were both killed, and it hurt to see her tragic end after all the strife and hardship she survived through for 16 years.
Dorothy-Gale took to Reddit to say that Danielle is "one of the most interesting, well-developed minor characters." And it's true. She had more screen time than most of the others, and though her arc came to an untimely end, it was still rewarding to watch her journey from her first introduction in season 1.
Vincent
Yes, he's a dog. But is he still one of the best side characters? Definitely. On Reddit, 0piptz0 created an entire thread about how Vincent was underrated, and they wrote that "Vincent being there with Jack was really comforting to me." They're referencing the full-circle moment in the finale when they lay together in the jungle, and it truly is a beautiful moment.
Vincent brought a feeling of normalcy and home to the island, which was much needed given that Lost is hailed as one of the most confusing TV shows on Reddit. He was also a source of comfort to a lot of the characters like Walt and Michael, and even more surprising ones like Shannon.
Mikhail Bakunin
Also hailed as one of the greatest villains from the series, Mikhail's character was ominous and threatening in all the best ways. AGrimTrilogy wrote that he was "definitely my favorite Other and side character," and that they "could have done SO MUCH MORE" with him. He certainly did have a lot of potential, but perhaps the mystery was a good trait.
If Mikhail had been more fleshed out, he wouldn't have had the same "superhuman" quality that many fans gave him, and his character probably wouldn't have been as intriguing. And, in a technical sense, Lost had so many characters in each season that there simply wasn't enough space to give Mikhail a thorough backstory.
Carmen Reyes
Hugo's mother had an overwhelming amount of love on Reddit. And for good reason. She had funny, iconic lines like "Why is there a dead Pakistani on my couch?" and "Jesus Christ is not a weapon," and she truly is one of the best parents in the entire series.
Oldweirdharold gave a shoutout to her actress, Lillian Hurst, who they described "executed every one of her scenes flawlessly. She is my favorite side character." Hurst truly was flawless, and the series gained a lot of humor and color from her impeccable line delivery.