10 Best Fighters on The Walking Dead Who Are (Almost) as Skilled as Rick Grimes

Believe it or not, The Walking Dead is still going strong fifteen years after it first premiered on AMC. Though the original series came to an end after eleven seasons, the story lives on in the form of numerous spinoffs, including Daryl Dixon, Dead City, and The Ones Who Live. Even so, fans still have a special place in their hearts for the original show three years after it ended.

To survive in the zombie apocalypse, characters need to have strong fighting skills to contend with the flesh-eating walkers and the murderous survivors that populate the new world. Rick Grimes undoubtedly emerges as the best fighter of the series, scrapping his way through hordes of enemies as he fights for survival. While Rick may be the best fighter on The Walking Dead, these characters come close to matching his skill.

Shane Walsh Fought Rick Grimes to a Standstill

Played by Jon Bernthal

Shane Walsh, The Walking Dead's first true villain, was Rick's best friend and partner before the zombie apocalypse. Tragically, the two friends found themselves pulled apart when it was revealed that Shane had kindled a romantic relationship with Rick's wife when they both thought he was dead. Unable to put his feelings aside, Shane's hatred for Rick grew over time, leading the former best friends into several physical altercations.

A well-built and muscular man, Shane is physically stronger than Rick, giving him an upper hand in their brawls. However, the Walking Dead villain is also a loose cannon, allowing his anger to get the better of him, which often compromises his advantage. In the end, Rick prevails over Shane thanks to his cooler head.

Jerry Is The Walking Dead's Biggest Powerhouse

Played by Cooper Andrews

Jerry was a late addition to the Walking Dead cast, first appearing in Season 7. He is the chief bodyguard of King Ezekiel, ruler of the post-apocalyptic community known as the Kingdom. Jerry and his fellow Kingdom citizens are eventually roped into the war against the Saviors, at which point they become official allies of Rick Grimes and his people. After the Saviors' fall, Jerry continued to be a worthy ally of Alexandria, surviving the events of the original series.

Jerry is a strongman who stands a full foot taller than most of his allies. As such, he is also extremely powerful, especially when wielding his hefty battle axe. At one point, Jerry even cleaves a man in two with nothing more than his axe and his pure might. While he is certainly stronger than Rick Grimes, Jerry is far less agile, slowing him down in a fight.

Morgan Jones Mastered a Non-Lethal Fighting Technique

Played by Lennie James

Morgan Jones was the first person Rick encountered after waking up from his coma to discover the world had been overrun with zombies. As this was still early in the apocalypse, Morgan was still learning how to grapple with walkers at this time. It is only after his return in Season 5 that Morgan displays a more complete mastery of close-quarters combat.

Before arriving in Alexandria, Morgan learned the fighting style known as Aikido, allowing him to wield a wooden bo-staff with expertise. While others often underestimate him, Morgan proves himself quickly, using his bowstaff to put down walkers and hold his living enemies at bay. His mastery of Aikido makes Morgan one of the best fighters in The Walking Dead. The only thing holding Morgan back is his belief that "all life is precious," which leads him to use non-lethal tactics.

Carol Peletier Grew to Become a Strong Warrior

Played by Melissa McBride

Rick first meets Carol Peletier early in the apocalypse, when she is still little more than a frightened, fragile bird with few survival skills to speak of. However, during their long partnership, Carol grew to become one of Rick's most trusted allies. Where she once needed others to drag her along, Carol became one of the strongest individuals in Rick's group.

Carol's impressive feats are too great to list in full, including single-handedly dismantling Terminus, wiping out several rogue Savior factions after the war, and even orchestrating the death of the Whisperer leader Alpha. Though not physically intimidating, Carol uses her sharp mind and unassuming persona to defeat her enemies, which has proven wildly effective thus far.

Maggie Rhee Is The Walking Dead's Fiercest Character

Played by Lauren Cohan

Lauren Cohan's Maggie Rhee became an integral part of Rick's group after they came to stay with her family on her father's farm. Even after the farm's destruction, Maggie continued to play a key role in the group's adventures and was viewed as a secondary leader after Rick. Eventually, Maggie became the new leader of the Hilltop Colony, which she helped flourish in the years after the Savior War.

No one wants to tangle with Maggie Rhee. A surprisingly strong fighter and a quick shot, Maggie is one of the most dangerous survivors in Rick's group. She finds herself in hand-to-hand combat more often than most of her allies, and always seems to emerge victorious. Maggie prevails because she is willing to do anything to survive, even if it means learning to live with herself thereafter.

Abraham Ford Had Military Training

Played by Michael Cudlitz

Abraham Ford joined Rick's group in Season 4 after they were forced to escape from their Prison Community. He and his two companions, Rosita Espinosa and Eugene Porter, became integral parts of the group thereafter, and, though Abraham sometimes clashed with Rick, he proved to be a loyal follower for the rest of his life.

Abraham is one of Rick's strongest allies in The Walking Dead, acting as the group's chief bruiser for much of the show's run. His military training also comes in handy with weaponry, as he displays a mastery over most guns. Unfortunately, Abraham's battle prowess isn't enough to prevent his gruesome demise when he is executed by Negan in Season 7.

Negan Smith Is Rick Grimes's Greatest Enemy

Played by Jeffrey Dean Morgan

Jeffrey Dean Morgan's Negan Smith is introduced halfway through The Walking Dead's run as a new villain to challenge Rick Grimes and his team of survivors. The leader of the Saviors, Negan runs a post-apocalyptic protection racket, wherein he promises to keep various outlying communities safe provided they turn over half of their produce to him. When Alexandria finally falls victim to Negan's scheme, Rick and his allies rebel, waging a full-scale war against the Saviors.

Negan is hands-down the most dangerous enemy Rick ever faced during the events of The Walking Dead. Armed with signature weapon Lucille, a baseball bat wrapped in barbed wire, Negan prevails in multiple close-quarter scraps, including several with Rick himself. As crafty as he is, however, Negan underestimates Rick in the end and is caught unawares when his enemy uses a broken shard of glass to slit his throat. It is only Rick's mercy that saves Negan's life in the end, but even thereafter, the former leader of the Saviors never presumes to challenge his old enemy to another physical confrontation.

Daryl Dixon Is Rick's Brother-in-Arms

Played by Norman Reedus

Daryl Dixon may have started off on the wrong foot with Rick Grimes, but the two post-apocalyptic survivors quickly grew to become allies, friends, and, eventually, brothers during their long tenure on The Walking Dead. The two fought side-by-side for years, leaving Daryl devastated after Rick's sudden disappearance. Now, fans get to follow Norman Reedus's character on his continuing adventures in his own spinoff series, appropriately titled The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon.

Scrappy and powerful, Daryl is known to be a fierce fighter. Whether using his crossbow to pick off enemies from afar or getting his hands dirty in a bare-knuckle brawl, there are few fights Daryl failed to win during the events of The Walking Dead. His rough life before the apocalypse left him more than ready for the world after its fall, making him one of the most dangerous characters in the series. As brothers often do, Rick and Daryl have come to blows before, and, though Daryl prevailed, Rick would argue that a "chokehold is illegal."

Michonne Hawthorne Is Unstoppable With Her Samurai Sword

Played by Danai Gurira

Michonne Hawthorne is one of Rick's closest allies, but, more importantly, his true love. After a suspicious first encounter, the two post-apocalyptic survivors slowly learned to trust one another until they became good friends. Several years later, the two embarked on a romance that changed their world forever. Their passion proved so strong that Michonne did the impossible, tracking Rick down after his disappearance and finally bringing him back home to his family.

One would be foolish to pick a fight with Michonne, especially when she has her signature samurai sword at her side. Michonne has been known to fight her way through numerous enemies at once, with nothing more than her sword to defend herself. With this blade, she killed the Governor, one of The Walking Dead's worst enemies, proving herself to be one of the strongest characters in the series.

Tyrese Williams Was The Walking Dead's Most Underrated Fighter

Played by Chad Coleman

Tyrese Williams is a survivor whom too many people forget about years after his untimely demise. After finding himself on the wrong side of the Governor's war with Rick Grimes, Tyrese eventually joins the Prison Community alongside his sister, Sasha. Tyrese continued to fight for Rick and his allies until his death from a walker bite shortly after the prison's destruction.

Although his tenure in The Walking Dead is tragically short, Tyrese proves himself to be among the strongest survivors in the entire series. Perhaps his greatest feat comes when he is cornered by a herd of walkers armed with nothing but a hammer. As he is swarmed, Tyrese manages to single-handedly fight his way out of the mob of zombies with the blunt weapon, pulling off a trick most other survivors would be hard-pressed to duplicate. Tyrese consistently proves himself to be the strongest fighter in the series, though is calm demeanor often masks the ferocity lurking beneath.