The Walking Dead has had a long list of characters over its lengthy run thus far. But while the adults get a lot of attention, the kids have been central to some of the most compelling storylines. The kids are either old enough to recall the world pre-apocalypse or born into this world and don't know anything but a life that requires a constant literal fight for survival against enemies, mortals, and otherwise.
From the first moments, Sophia showed her face with Carol and Carl with Lori, to Judith's reign as the little girl who needed to continue Rick Grimes' legacy, the kids have had no choice but to show some level of bravery. But some are braver than others.
Updated on February 9th, 2022 by Christine Persaud: The kids on The Walking Dead represent the future of the world...if there is one. So, they play a pivotal role in the story. Even for the older kids who recall the world "before," or were actually old enough to remember it, that life seems like a distant memory. Whatever their age, a few seem to adapt better than others to what's necessary in order to survive in the apocalyptic scenario. While some are long gone, new ones are emerging through the seasons as well.
Honorable Mention: Summer (a.k.a. "Little Girl Walker")
Though technically not a main character and only appearing in the pilot episode, Summer is always worth mentioning along with other Walking Dead child characters because she marked a pivotal point in the series. After Rick Grimes emerges from his coma and realizes that something strange is going on, he walks about the empty streets trying to find some semblance of life.
He finds a little girl walking around by herself, but only sees her from the back. When he calls out, she turns and he sees her sparkling blue yet dead eyes and half ripped apart and blood-stained face. It's a critical moment and the actor who played the role, Addy Miller, did a wonderful job in portraying so much with just a turn of the head and a menacing look.
Sam Anderson
Sam was the personification of a bratty annoying little kid, making him one of the worst characters on The Walking Dead. And while viewers did not want to fault the little boy for his actions – he was, after all, just a kid dealing with apocalyptic circumstances - it was hard not to dislike him.
The youngest son of Jessie, a resident of Alexandria dealing with a drunk and abusive husband and a love interest for Rick, he couldn't keep quiet while the crew tried to make it through a horde of walkers, leading to both his own death and that of his mother's.
Mika Samuels
Mika loved and idolized her big sister and she tried her best to cope with the circumstances. But in the end, Mika wasn't made for the new world. She might have grown and trained to be a confident and brave fighter, whereas Sam seemed doomed from the start. But she never really got the chance to show her potential.
Her sister Lizzie killed her, believing that making her into a walker would free her little sis and that she would still be "the same." The scene when Carol finds Mika's doll after her death, however, was enough to make viewers realize that she was, when it comes down to it, just an innocent child thrust into a terrible world. Bravery wasn't yet in her DNA.
Sophia Pelletier
While Carol lost plenty of her adoptive kids through the series' run, it was the loss of Sophia, her biological daughter, that was the toughest to watch. Sophia was thrust into the world as just a little girl, not sure how to handle things nor ready to do so. There wasn't time to train and teach her how to fight as she existed in the early seasons when the adults themselves hadn't quite hit their stride. What's more, they hadn't yet found a safe and secure community.
Thus, by circumstance, Sophia didn't have a fighting chance, literally, and did not have the opportunity to be brave. Sophia was sweet and could have become a fighter like her mother. But she didn't get the chance.
Gracie
The daughter of a Savior, Gracie was adopted by Aaron, one of the most capable characters on The Walking Dead, following the group's takedown of the terrifying group and continues to live in Alexandria with him. There's not much to be known about Gracie at this time, which is the sole reason she ranks near the bottom.
Nonetheless, the character has been seen several times since season eight when she was five months old up to season 10 as a young child. For now, she doesn't have much going on. But if there's another time jump, she might become a more pivotal character going forward.
Duane Jones
While Duane only appeared in the first season, he was a big part of the show's beginning. As Morgan's son, it was he who helped his father take Rick in, explain to him what was happening, and become his first friends among the remaining survivors. Duane had no choice but to be brave, not only to survive alongside his father but to fight the desire to reach out to his undead mother as she continuously roamed around outside of the house.
Duane was deeply religious, asking his father to give blessings before they ate, despite the hopeless circumstances. It is discovered in the third season that Duane was bitten. While his inability to bring himself to shoot his reanimated mother as she approached him could be construed as a lack of bravery, the fact he lasted so long without doing so shows that the young boy had tremendous strength.
Lizzie Samuels
The subject of one of the most heart-wrenching and emotional scenes of the series, it became apparent that Lizzie suffered from serious mental illness, potentially brought on by circumstance or perhaps existent prior to the current events. Her death marked one of the saddest things about Carol in The Walking Dead.
Lizzie played with and approached walkers with reckless abandon, and seemingly showed no fear. Much of this stemmed from her mental state in believing that they could be saved and weren't going to harm her. Nonetheless, beyond her reckless actions, she also trained to fight under Carol and learned a thing or two about how to defend herself.
Beth
Beth isn't typically thought of as a child on The Walking Dead, even though she had this innocence about her. but fans may forget that she was actually 16 when the show began, technically making her a child through much of her time on the show. Beth was sweet, kind, and the exact type of person that was not made for the world. She spent most of her time singing or writing in her journal, trying to forget the madness going on around her.
With that said, once Beth arrived at the hospital, she made some truly brave moves, including sacrificing herself so Noah could get out. When push came to shove, she was willing to do whatever it took. But among all of the kid characters, she doesn't rank as the bravest.
Lydia
Lydia not only saved Daryl's life, but she also went against her ruthless and cruel mother, even though she knew the repercussions. She made the smart decision to align herself with the group that would keep her safe and care for her. While it hurt her to abandon her mother, despite how she treated her, Lydia stuck it out.
Even though she was rife with guilt, Lydia wasn't afraid to stand up for what she believed in and managed to get past her grief about her mother's death and her anger towards Negan for killing the woman who hurt her for so long.
Henry
Henry was a boy from the Kingdom whom King Ezekiel took under his wing and taught how to fight. He was a curious and determined child who wanted to be involved and be seen as a worthwhile member of the team. Henry's death was the saddest death from season 9 of The Walking Dead.
But while he ended up taking over a lot of the storylines that went to Carl in the comics on which the series is based, he was just as despised by viewers as Carl was. Fans of the show simply didn't like Henry and his typical defiant teenage ways, his insistence of sparking up a romance with Alpha's daughter Lydia despite the known risks, and his general annoying nature. Either way, even if he had a false sense of confidence, there's no denying he was brave.
Enid
While a high schooler prior to the apocalypse and of high school age when she was first introduced, Enid was technically a young adult by the end. But she had that vulnerability at the onset that made you want to reach out and hug the young girl who had recently lost her parents. Despite this, she survived on her own for a long time, living by the "J.S.S." mantra, which stood for "Just Survive Somehow."
She quickly found a new purpose and became an essential member of the team, working in the infirmary, fighting off walkers, and helping care for the younger kids. Enid never lost hope or her strength, which is admirable for the girl at such a young age who had lost everything.
Hershel
Hershel is the newest child character on the show, but fans already love him because he is fan-favorite character Glenn's son. He hasn't had the chance to show his bravery yet, but fans expect that, under the teachings of his mother Maggie, he is a fierce child who can make it on his own if he had to.
In one scene, he is seen, for example, hiding up a tree from the danger below, waiting for his mother to find him and bring him to safety. He knows how to navigate the world since it's the only one he has ever known. And he clearly has some of both his father's mischief and his mother's strength in him.
Carl Grimes
While Carl initially started out as the most annoying kid who always seemed to get in the way and cause problems, the character was slowly reinvented throughout the seasons as he grew older. He got stronger and stronger in every sense of the word. Carl was even the first character to stand up to Negan, showing no fear in confronting the man who was terrorizing his community.
Carl's death was one of the most surprising in the series since he plays a major role in the comics. While most people did not like Carl for the first several seasons, by the end, fans were upset when he was killed off because of how brave, courageous, and morally strong he had become. Carl had some truly brave moments in The Walking Dead.
Judith Grimes
Judith was initially a babe in arms, but even then, everyone knew she would be a fighter. Daryl even nicknamed her Little A** Kicker. She grew into just that, thanks to intense training by her adoptive mother Michonne.
Judith is not only a great fighter but also a clever, brave, strategic, rational, and insightful girl who is wise beyond her years. She is precocious, but not in a way that is irritating. She represents what a little girl who has grown up in the apocalypse might actually be like having never known what it's like to be a "regular" kid.