Since its premiere in 2010, AMC’s most prolific franchise has far exceeded any original expectations. Adapted from Robert Kirman’s horror comic, The Walking Dead lasted over 10 seasons and spawned many spin-offs. The series about humanity trying to live in the wake of a zombie apocalypse continues to resonate with viewers, even when most of the main cast has moved on to other projects.

Fans continue to return to the series because of its strength of characters, but the hard battles aren’t anything to scoff at either. The Walking Dead has featured some of the most brutal and heartwrenching fights put on television.

10Season 10 Episode “Ghosts” Wasn’t Really About the Battle

The departure of Rick Grimes (Andrew Lincoln) should have been a death sentence, but The Walking Dead still found a way to create an interesting dynamic. As Michonne (Danai Gurira) continues to search for her partner, the Whisperers ramp up their advances. But on one such occasion, it gets even worse. Season 10, Episode 3, “Ghosts,” features an unprecedented encounter with the people of Alexandria and waves of walkers that continue to attack.

The Walking Dead Air Date
Seasons
Episode Count

October 31, 2010
11
177

For more than two days, Michonne must lead the community in defending the community through hours of sleep deprivation. The episode gets credit for reinventing a familiar conflict. There is no rhyme or reason why this is happening. Alexandrians are just unlucky. “Ghosts” revolves around the trauma that the community is feeling rather than the battle itself. It earns a place in viewers’ memories, but there are bigger and meaner fights that the main cast of characters has to endure.

9The Whisperers Attacking Hilltop Results in Casualties on Both Sides

Alpha’s (Samantha Morton) infamous destruction of Alexandrians by putting their heads on spikes called for blood, and both sides of the conflict got exactly that. In a final show of strength, Alpha leads her horde against Hilltop. The battle lasts an entire episode and has massive repercussions. Carol (Melissa McBride) attempts a valiant defense of the community, but Hilltop eventually collapses. This forces the inhabitants to relocate to Alexandria permanently.

While the characters suffer massive losses, it also marks a win. Negan (Jeffrey Dean Morgan) kills Alpha in the incursion, marking the beginning of the fall of the Whisperers. There is significantly more action than in “Ghosts,” but the fight is only a precursor to what is to come next.

8The Satellite Station Was a Decisive Stand Against the Saviors

The era of the Saviors is classic in The Walking Dead canon for a reason. But Rick’s assault on the satellite station is one for the books. Understanding that Negan is a threat, the leader of Alexandria strikes first. While a calculated move, Rick’s plan has unintended consequences. He takes a group of Alexandrians in the dead of night to kill the Saviors in their sleep.

Negan isn’t there, but it shows what Rick is willing to do to keep the community safe. This kind of brutality present in this The Walking Dead episode is exactly what is needed to destroy Negan. The battle is quick, and some Saviors disperse, allowing Negan to get wind of the situation. The assault is small on a matter of scale but is part of one of the most anticipated seasons of the series. The Saviors are more of a long-standing issue than the Whisperers and more iconic.

7The Fight In The Ones Who Live Has High Stakes

The six-part series, The Ones Who Live, accomplishes many things for The Walking Dead franchise. Finally, after years apart, Rick and Michonne reunite, facing insurmountable odds to bring their family back together. Love is at the center of the show, which is a story about a man and wife trying to make it work. But this is The Walking Dead, and in the middle of this love story is a great battle.

Rick and Michonne discover the CRM is planning to wipe out other cells just so they have a better chance of living. The couple may be the ones that live, but not for the sake of their humanity. They agree to fight back in a battle that employs chemical warfare. The high stakes of the fight make this battle high-ranking, though it is perhaps not as classic as many well-known battles in the franchise.

6Terminus Was Terrifying But Short

For a season that was building towards Terminus the entire time, the storyline resolves rather quickly. Almost immediately, Rick and his group discover Terminus is not a haven — at least not for them. After they realize they are being farmed for food, the fight begins. It is a battle on an epic scale, making it a shame that it ends so quickly.

Carol returns after her exile to save everyone practically simultaneously. Her reunion with Daryl (Norman Reedus) and Rick’s forgiveness of her makes this encounter one to remember. While more memorable than The One Who Live, other battles have more of an effect on the characters in the long term.

5The Downfall of the Farm Represented a Loss of Innocence

There wasn’t much safety in the world of The Walking Dead to be had, but Hershel Greene’s (Scott Wilson) farm was the closest. While Hershel is reluctant to let Rick and his group in at first, the two camps eventually become inseparable. The farm falling is a true loss, even if it was inevitable. Their isolation couldn’t protect them forever, and the Greene’s ignorance of the realities of this new world was detrimental.

Overrun by walkers, everyone is forced to flee this safe haven. This result may have been expected, but it puts it ahead of other entries as one of the more devastating finales of The Walking Dead.

4Negan’s Demise Was a Long Time Coming

The conflict between Rick and Negan had to end eventually, and the conclusion couldn’t come fast enough. The Saviors are by far the longest-running villains and can be repetitive at times. Rick beating Negan should have been cathartic, but it came more of a relief that this conflict was finally over. Glenn (Steven Yeun) gets his vindication in the way he would have wanted. Negan isn’t killed but defeated.

Even so, the victory is sullied by Carl’s (Chandler Riggs) death. The demise of the Saviors could have been a higher ranking, but it could only happen because Carl died. His last wishes are for Rick to find peace in his heart. Using a comic character that survives the entire run as a plot device to keep Negan around makes this scene lower ranking than it otherwise would have been.

3No One Is Going to Forget the Barn

The barn in Season 2 may have been over quickly, but it is the site of one of the most tragic deaths in the history of The Walking Dead. After a season of looking for Carol’s daughter Sophia (Madison Lintz), they learn that she had been turned and kept with the rest of Hershel’s walkers in the barn. Keeping a barn full of walkers is a recipe for disaster, which everyone should know. It was only Shane (Jon Bernthal) who was willing to do something about it.

Shane breaking into the barn may have been harsh, but the fallout was necessary. Eradicating the entire barn full of walkers was a matter of safety, no matter the Greene’s opinion on whether they were sentient or not. The small battle is so traumatic that it still lives on for fans, under only two of the most harrowing fight sequences of the series.

2“No Way Out” Is One of the Best Episodes of The Walking Dead

For the majority of Season 6, Rick is on a mission to bring the people of Alexandria up to speed. The isolated community has never known real adversity, making them unprepared when threats do come up. One such threat is a horde of walkers that breaches the large barrier of the town. Unlike Woodbury, which had a militarized presence, all the Alexandrians have are Rick and his group to help them through it.

The crux of the episode occurs when Rick and Carl encourage Jessie (Alexandra Breckenridge) and her children to wear ponchos drenched in walker guts to camouflage through the horde. Rick does his best to save Jessie, but the family is too ill-prepared and unaccustomed to walker attacks. The episode also has one of the most iconic moments of the series when Ron (Austin Abrams) shoots Carl in the face. Rick may have lost Jessie, but he will not lose Carl, and he fights through the horde with ferocity. The episode is beautifully cut together, signifying the unity of Rick and his family, no matter what the cost. The only moment that stands a chance at beating it is one of the most memorable fights early on in the series.

1The Final Stand Against the Governor Is Beyond Compare

In Season 4 of The Walking Dead, the Governor (David Morrissey) earns his bloody demise. However, this victory is hard won and not without its casualties. After their conflict in Season 3, the Governor returns with a new group he has co-opted with the express purpose of claiming the prison. He catches Rick and his crew unawares, capturing Michonne and Hershel as his armed group reigns havoc against the prison walls.

This battle ranks the highest because of the anticipation leading up to it and the heartbreaking loss. This fight results in the loss of Hershel, the emotional center of the group. It also gives Michonne the catharsis she has been chasing for an entire season. After the torment the Governor subjected her to, Michonne stabs him, allowing him to die slowly. The assault on the prison is a Walking Dead battle done right and is remembered as a fundamental moment for Rick’s leadership.