Years later, Lost is still that show where many feel cheated. Like, were they dead the whole time? Was it all a dream? While the showrunners of the hit ABC show did explain they were actually alive, some viewers (like myself) are still having a hard time coming to terms with that. Nevertheless, how many shows can say they took an audience, built them up, crash-landed in the unknown, gave them so many characters and storylines and still left them wanting more?
A cast as diverse and large as Lost, it should be hard deciding what characters were better than the others. Just think back and ask yourself, who were you rooting for and against? Here are the top 10 fan-favorite characters from Lost.
Sun-Hwa Kwon
The woman who didn’t say much at first grew to be a leader. In the beginning, Sun hid her English from her husband but also hid her voice and opinions from everyone else. Sun came from a family of respect but threw it all away for love. She and Jin had their ups and downs but the core of their bond was still intact. No matter how hard they tried to fight it, when you’re meant to be together, that’s just what it is.
Sun never wanted to be a part of the inner circle. What she wanted was for her and Jin to be left alone. However, as time passed, Sun did indeed become one of the group and a voice of reason as well.
Claire Littleton
Claire was heading to Los Angeles to give her unborn child up for adoption. After the crash, Claire and Charlie struck up a genuine friendship. But as Claire learned more of his past, she pushed Charlie away. This was one of the reasons he sacrificed himself for the survivors. He wanted to show Claire that he could take care of others despite his checkered past. Claire was a character that was liked but never fully understood.
She vanished for quite a while but would later find out that Jack was her half brother. For some reason, that storyline was not touched on much. Claire was strong but dealing with a newborn and the loss of Charlie was too much for her to handle.
Charlie Pace
The rocker turned drug addict turned hero is a great way to describe Charlie. His time on the island allowed him room to grow just as much as anyone else. Playing huge gigs gave Charlie some fame but he drowned that and his sorrow in alcohol and drugs.
While on the island, he became attached to Claire. In the beginning, it was to show her he was interested. But what made Charlie so intriguing to fans was his love for Aaron (Claire’s baby) and then his ultimate sacrifice. Charlie’s death was a reminder that for good to happen, some bad things must occur first.
John Locke
The first of the survivors to receive and accept just how special the island was. John boarded the plane in a wheelchair, but on the island, he could ditch that and became an explorer. What is a miracle? Was he faking the injury or did the island really hold special powers? Whatever the case was, John was a different man after the plane crash.
His personality was brash and he came off as egotistical but all he wanted was to understand what was going on. Did he live with fear? Yes and no. Before the crash, John lived a modest life. But on the island and with full use of his legs, John became a changed man. Some will say for the better and others will argue for the worst.
Ben Linus
The leader of The Others just wanted people off his island. Ben began the show as an egotistical character but turned everything around. He knew the power of the island and used that to get what he wanted from it and his followers. But Ben still had questions. To keep his power intact, Ben moved the island while allowing some of the survivors to escape. It had to be done.
If describing his full character, we could call Ben many names as he went by a bunch and chose to wear many different personalities. He was a protector, provider, friend, father, leader, manipulator, and killer. But in the end, Ben wanted to be normal, he just didn’t know how.
Sayid Jarrah
If leaders are indeed born, then Sayid should have been above Jack and Sawyer for that mantle. However, Sayid didn’t want that distinction. He wanted to keep to himself but when certain situations called for his expertise, he didn’t hesitate to step forward. For him, his experience on the island often drifted to thoughts of his former love Nadia.
While on the island, Sayid struck up a romance with another survivor named Shannon. As odd a couple as they were, they found a way to make it work. A former interrogator turned survivor found his lost love but in the end, it was the island who beat Sayid and steered him toward his true destiny.
Hugo “Hurley” Reyes
Mental issues led Hugo to an institution where he made up an imaginary friend. That friend told Hugo to play the lottery and as luck would have it, he won millions. Hugo was down on himself because of his weight, mental condition, and bad luck, so he decided to take a trip. Well, that trip ended in a crash and the rest is history from there.
On the island, he was the optimistic one. He saw good in everybody and his famous line “dude” became synonymous with Lost. He followed the orders of others but in the end, it was Hurley who was destined to become the new leader of the island. He brought the survivors back together before their final meeting at the church.
Kate Austen
Boarding the plane in handcuffs, right then we knew Kate had an interesting story. Besides her beauty, Kate had the power to lead and to destroy if she chose to. As the object of affection for Jack and Sawyer, her presence caused friction between the two which drew a line in the sand that the survivors had to pick which side to walk on. Kate, well, she chose both, then eventually went off on her own.
She returned home and started a relationship with Jack but she knew that the island was calling for them to return. When she escaped, she took Aaron with her and raised him as her own. But the bond that she shared with Claire would not allow her to continue with this. She decided to return and rescue her friend.
James “Sawyer” Ford
The tough guy of the survivors, Sawyer, the con man tried his best to give everyone their space in the beginning. He wasn’t there to make friends, he just wanted to be left alone. But in that process, he had to survive, which resulted in Sawyer stockpiling supplies which forced the other survivors to come to him when they needed something.
Eventually, he joined the group with the rest but didn’t quite get along with the others. He and Jack sparked a rivalry and it became intense after he slept with Kate. He would eventually travel back in time and fall in love with Juliet.
Jack Shephard
The doctor, who from the beginning cemented his position as the leader even if he didn’t want it at first. Was Jack cocky? Yes, but that’s all he knew while dealing with his issues before getting on the plane. He was traveling to pick up his dead father’s body with whom he had a strained relationship with. Once the plane went down, he found himself in charge of more than 20 people.
Jack’s job was to lead but he had trouble doing that as he couldn’t keep his head on straight as issues kept arising. The last of the survivors to accept his fate, Jake made a huge sacrifice for everyone and in the end, he made amends with the two most important people in his life.
