If viewers of The Vampire Diaries could count on the show for one thing, it's that nobody ever really dies. Pretty much every character is killed at some point, only to almost always make a spectacular return from the dead with the help of magic, vampire blood, or a handy resurrection ring.

RELATED: The Most Heartbreaking Vampire Diaries Deaths, Ranked

Part of what keeps the show so engaging over its eight seasons is the uncertainty of which beloved characters will survive to see the next episode. In a town riddled with the supernatural, anything can happen — and anyone can die. But who had the worst luck?

Vicki Donovan — 3 Times

Vicki Donovan gritting her teeth in The Vampire Diaries

Vicki is one of many characters who left The Vampire Diaries too soon. She makes quite the impression during the 17 episodes she appears and even manages to rack up three different death scenes.

Killed by Damon after a night of partying, Vicki is the first regular character to transition into a vampire. She doesn't get to enjoy her powers for long as she's later staked by Stefan, and after her shocking return in season eight, she's taken out by Hellfire. Vicki may not be the most likeable character, but it's sad she never got a chance to be more than a troubled teenager. She could have easily become one of the show's favorite characters if the writers had expanded her arc further.

Klaus Mikaelson — 3 Times

An image of Klaus Mikaelson smiling in season 2 of The Vampire Diaries

Even the strongest villain in The Vampire Diaries can't escape its killing streak. Although Klaus is usually the one doing the killing thanks to his near-unbeatable hybrid powers, he manages to die three times (including his time fronting the Mikaelson-focused spin-off The Originals).

His parents are the first who manage to kill him as part of the immortality spell. Klaus' subsequent deaths are tougher to achieve. Alaric uses the White Oak Stake to take him down in season three (although his soul is transferred to Tyler's body, making this a very temporary death). However, it's Klaus himself who pulls off his final death in The Originals' tearjerker finale. While he may have started the series as a notorious and dangerous threat, Klaus went on to have a great redemption arc, which changed the way the fans perceived him.

Tyler Lockwood — 3 Times

Tyler Lockwood staring off into the distance on The Vampire Diaries

Tyler starts his time on the show as the resident bully of Mystic Falls before becoming one of Klaus' hybrids. He was often seen struggling to contain his temper from the werewolf gene; however, over the course of the show, the viewers got to see a kinder and softer side to him. Just as he finally gets out of town, joins The Armory and starts focusing on himself, he's killed — for good — by Damon.

This isn't the first time Tyler dies. To transform him into a hybrid, Klaus breaks his neck. He later falls victim to Markos, one of The Travelers, who strips him of his vampirism and kills him for a second time. Both of these deaths created interesting twists for Tyler's character, but his third death seems pointless in comparison. It instead just serves as a short-term plot twist that's never really addressed much.

Katherine Pierce — 4 Times

Katherine Pierce in a flashback on The Vampire Diaries

Katherine Pierce is the ultimate survivor. Considering she spent centuries on the run from Klaus — and left a string of new enemies in her trail — it's surprising she died as little as she did.

Over the course of the series, Katherine has her neck snapped by Silas and is killed twice by her former lover, Stefan — once by stabbing, and once by Hellfire in the show's finale. However, her first death is the saddest. Determined to escape Klaus' hybrid ritual, Katherine takes her own life. Despite her bravado, she definitely has one of The Vampire Diaries' most tragic backstories.

Elena Gilbert — 4 Times

Elena Gilbert looking at Stefan in The Vampire Diaries

As the infamous doppelgänger, Elena spends most of the show with a target on her back. She's better equipped to take care of herself once she's a vampire, but even before then she has two Salvatore brothers ready to die to keep her safe.

RELATED: 10 Times The Vampire Diaries Characters Had To Sacrifice For Elena

But Stefan and Damon can't protect her all of the time. Elena's first death comes at the hands of Klaus, who drains her of blood. She later drowns (but becomes a vampire) and willingly dies in an explosion to destroy The Travelers. Ultimately, her final death is her happiest — she passes of old age after a long, happy life with Damon, and reunites with the family she lost along the way. After everything she had been through, fans were glad that she got the happy ending she always wanted.

Jeremy Gilbert – 5 Times

A stressed Jeremy Gilbert appears in The Vampire Diaries

Despite never even becoming a vampire, Jeremy manages to die more than his sister. Damon is the first person to kill him, snapping his neck in season two, and that isn't even the worst of it. He's later shot by Sheriff Forbes, has his heart stopped by Bonnie, is stabbed by his own sister, and gets his neck snapped by Silas after he fed off of him.

However, thanks to the Gilbert Ring — and some classic Bonnie witchery — none of these deaths actually stick. Watching Jeremy die loses its shock value after a while, but Elena's reaction to his last death (at least on-screen) in season four's "Stand By Me" led to one of The Vampire Diaries' saddest episodes.

Matt Donovan — 5 Times

Matt Donovan on the verge of tears in The Vampire Diaries

It's tough being what seems like the only human in a town full of supernatural creatures. Throughout his eight seasons in Mystic Falls, Matt drowns, gets his neck broken (twice), is stabbed, and undergoes a heart-stopping spell.

Interestingly, three out of five of poor Matt's deaths are planned. He drowns himself in order to see Vicki, his neck is snapped to reawaken Elena's humanity, and Bonnie stops his heart as part of a bigger plot to save Caroline. Matt's supernatural friends may get him killed every now and then, but he definitely wouldn't have made it to the finale without them.

Alaric Saltzman – 8 Times

Alaric Saltzman with his arms crossed in The Vampire Diaries

When a character's in possession of a Gilbert Ring, the odds are that they're going to die - repeatedly. Alaric's ability to return from the dead became a handy tool for his friends in dangerous situations, and multiple characters take advantage of it throughout the series.

RELATED: 5 Times We Felt Bad For Alaric In The Vampire Diaries (& 5 Times We Hated Him)

Alaric's first death is the most shocking, when Damon kills him with his own stake. After that, it becomes routine. A werewolf stabs him, Damon snaps his neck, a hybrid hits him with a car, and then he stabs himself. Later on, Klaus breaks his neck, he's staked again and, finally, he dies due to his life force being linked to Elena's. The stress is a lot for one man to go through and eventually even makes a serial killer of Alaric. With him also making several appearances on Legacies, who knows if this count will go up?

Damon Salvatore — 8 Times

Damon Salvatore in a suit in Vampire Diaries.

While he'd gladly die for those he loves, many TVD fans would say that Damon has lots of bad traits and doesn't particularly care about being a good person. This equals plenty of enemies who'd love to see him dead, and many of them get to see their dream come true.

Damon's father is the first to kill him, shooting him in 1864. He's also killed in an explosion and is staked three times by three different people (Alaric, Stefan and himself). He's also stabbed with the Phoenix Sword and Kai siphons all his magic. But like Elena, Damon's final death is a well-earned reprieve from a life of trouble. After a happy life together, Damon finds peace and finally reunites with his brother.

Stefan Salvatore – 1000+ Times

Stefan Salvatore trapped in The Vampire Diaries

He's one of the most selfless characters in the entire show, and yet Stefan still dies the most in The Vampire Diaries. As well as being shot by his own father, he has his heart ripped out, is stabbed twice by the Phoenix Sword, and sacrifices himself to the Hellfire in order to kill Katherine and save Damon.

But it's the season five premiere that shows his worst death scene. Locked in a safe and thrown into a lake by his doppelgänger, Silas, Stefan spends three months repeatedly drowning, coming back to life thanks to his vampirism, and drowning all over again. It doesn't get much more traumatising than that.

NEXT: The 15 Saddest Episodes Of The Vampire Diaries