The first spin-off from the series, The Vampire Diaries was The Originals, which has plenty of characters that fans love and hate. The Mikaelson family has quite the dynamic, but each character has their own personalities and journeys of learning about themselves and the chaotic world around them.
There have been some memorable characters from the show that fans love, even if some of their actions have been questionable and their morals may be a little off. There is some tough love with most of the characters, but there are a few that stand out amongst the rest that rank as the best.
Vincent
Vincent is a witch, but he denounced his heritage to try to live a simple life away from anything supernatural, However, due to the circumstances, he comes back.
Vincent offers the most human-like compassion in a world of witches, vampires, and werewolves, and he also brings lots of wittiness to the show. While a lot of Vincent's background was revealed during the show, fans got to see a lot of development from him and watch him come back to learn more about the supernatural.
Marcel
Born as a slave, Marcel has dealt with his fair share of troubles, but he is still known as the life of the party. In the beginning, Marcel was portrayed as a villain, but over time he proved himself and became one of the better vampires of the bunch.
While some viewers find his character annoying, his storyline is compelling and he is one of the characters who stuck around throughout the seasons, and later become another sort of villain.
Camille
Camille is a psychology student who believes that all lives are valuable, and in a world of a lot of bloodshed, she gets pushed past her limits with her original beliefs. She comes onto the scene trying to investigate her brother's death, but she gets sucked into the Mikaelson family and their issues.
While she was always intelligent, after turning into a vampire, she gained a lot of confidence, but with that came recklessness. Fans still love Camille and the energy she brings to the show and how much she has changed.
Davina
Davina is a distrustful witch, but she has her reasons to be. She usually defends herself by resorting to violence. She is protective of the ones she cares about, as well as the innocence of others, but she shows no mercy to the ones who have wronged her in the past.
While she can be violent, her past has shown that she is strong and still has an overall upbeat personality. Fans love her for both her good and bad side, but she is overall one of the only ones who does not enjoy the murder and madness in her life. Davina is also one of the strongest with her powers.
Freya
With a troubling past of being abandoned by her mother, Freya has dealt with a lot of pain in her life, but she has become stronger because of it. She still holds a lot of resentment and tends to be rebellious, but she is tenacious and will do anything to protect the ones she loves.
Fans loved her entrance onto the show, as her storyline became one of the most important in season 2, but some were upset that her story sort of settled down afterwards. Many believe she is an underrated character who deserved to be fleshed out more. Still, Freya is one of the most loved and is seen by some as the superior Mikaelson sister.
Kol
Kol is a known sociopath who loves the thrill of death and chaos. He is unpredictable and does not shy away from the enjoyment of killing human beings. While he has done plenty wrong, he has a sad backstory, and fans admire how he knows and admits that he has messed up before instead of using excuses.
Fans enjoy the bad boy inside of him, and how his unpredictable actions can change the trajectory of the show. There is never a dull moment with him and viewers can't help but love it. In a show like this, sometimes there is no choice but to like the anti-heroes.
Rebekah
Rebekah holds the title for the most reckless in the Mikaelson family. She loves being an Original and is hostile towards human beings. She can be aggressive and quick to anger.
Always needing approval from Klaus, Rebekah is dependent, but later on in the show, she becomes a more mature and likable character who eventually grows to emphasize with humans and being more open to the lifestyle. This switch in her character was refreshing for fans to see.
Hayley
Hayley is a vampire and werewolf hybrid, and she is portrayed as a more tomboyish character. She gets thrown into the Mikaelson family, and she goes off on plenty of rampages and arguments with others.
Her rage and spirit made her a likable and strong female lead, but there was also some romance with her and Elijah, which nobody saw coming. Still, Hayley remained as a character with her own storyline and was not overshadowed by Elijah or any of the Mikaelsons which fans appreciated.
Elijah
While sparing innocent lives may seem like a low bar, Elijah is praised for it. He is one of the more kind vampires and goes out of his way to protect his family, but that kindness does not go out to the ones who have betrayed him.
He overall sees the possible positive future his family could have, but the relationship he and Klaus have is interesting, and their dynamic and issues became an important part of the show. Fans loved how Elijah could change his perspective unlike most of his family, and how he ultimately remained uncontroversial.
Klaus
Klaus is the first vampire and werewolf hybrid, and he has experienced a lot of pain with it. With the pain came lots of anti-hero antics and chaos, but fans cannot help but love the bad boy. Klaus carries his charm with him in any situation, and while he does inflict pain and troubles onto others, he still holds a loving heart, especially for his future children and preparing himself to be a father who will not let anything that happened to him happen to his family.
Klaus holds a special place in many fans' hearts, with his determination and quirkiness, along with a little trouble. Klaus holds the title for one of the scariest villains, but also the overall favorite.