Every 13 Reasons Why Character Ranked from Worst to Best

Monty has been one of the main antagonists throughout the series, second only to Bryce Walker. But something that this show does well is examine multiple sides of its characters. No one is black and white. Just like all the heroes are flawed, all the villains have deeper stories. Monty’s deeper side has only been briefly mentioned before now, but, unfortunately, just as we begin to really dive into what makes Monty tick, he meets a tragic end.

Though Winston has a small role in season three, it is a rather significant one. He becomes a love interest for Monty, revealing the secret that he has been holding onto. From what we can discern after his few short scenes, Winston is an all around nice guy, contrasting Monty’s disturbed darkness. Winston’s main purpose in season three has been to deepen Monty’s character, but based on how the season ends, it looks like he’ll be a major player in season four.

Another new addition to this season, Ani wasted no time in inserting herself into, well, everything. Since she wasn’t around for everything that happened with Hannah and the tapes, she makes for a great objective narrator. She also has a very different relationship with Bryce which allows us to observe a different side to Bryce through her eyes. But despite the function of her character being well developed and well executed, there are several drawbacks to her intrusive nature– which didn’t go over so well with viewers.

In the first two seasons of this show, Mr. Porter made himself something of a controversial character. He was Hannah’s last hope after she was raped and went to go talk to him– and he let her down. After realizing the error of his ways, Porter attempts to make things right, as best as he can. There is no bringing Hannah back, but he helps Bryce as he tries to better himself, and keeps the heat off of Clay when he is accused for Bryce’s death.

Caleb is a great love interest for Tony, but, unfortunately, we don’t get to see much more of him than that. As Tony’s boyfriend, he is fantastic. He is supportive when he needs to be, challenging when he needs to be, and they have some really sweet moments together. But he doesn’t have too many interactions outside of the relationship, making him a bit two dimensional.

In season three, Nora is on a warpath to find out who killed her son. She seems cold and out for vengeance at first, but through flashbacks and her speech at Bryce’s funeral, we see that there is much more to her than that. She can actually be very warm and affectionate. And though she grieves for her son, she makes no excuses for his unconscionable behavior. A true testament to her character development is that you end up feeling sympathy for her at the end of everything.

In season two, she was little more than Bryce Walker’s girlfriend. She allows Bryce to use and manipulate her, but in season three she takes charge of her own life and makes for some of the season’s finest moments, despite having much less screen time. Chloe is crucial to the changing relationship between Bryce and Zach. She also comes off much more empowered and decisive than she did when she was with Bryce, and we love seeing her character grow.

In season one he was the harbinger of the tapes, but didn’t have one himself, and in season two he tried to keep himself away from the trial. He spends a lot of time on the outside looking in, but this season he was in the middle of everything. His story about his family being deported because of Bryce’s father is absolutely heartbreaking, but Tony, as a character, emerges stronger and more deeply developed than ever.

Ironically, as Alex as a person becomes darker and darker with each season, his character grows richer. He is almost the opposite of Monty or Bryce in that way. While they become deeper as we explore their humanity, Alex becomes deeper as we explore his more troubling qualities. As he battles with his lingering depression, his damaged body, and his broken heart, Alex turns into someone capable of murder.

No one expected to feel bad for Bryce Walker. You might even have felt glad when the season three trailer revealed he was dead. But as season three uncovers more and more of Bryce’s backstory, you suddenly don’t see him as quite so black and white anymore. There is no excuse whatsoever for what he did to Hannah, and Jessica, and Chloe, but seeing these different sides to him, offers a new perspective into his psyche.

From the beginning, Zach was a standout from his stereotypical jock friends. But he also avoids becoming a one dimensional ‘nice guy’, because like all of the show’s heroes, he is flawed. In seasons two and three, he becomes more endearing whether it be through his friendship with Alex, his support of Chloe, or just his general expression of fundamental values among the school’s athletes. But his flaws are also highlighted in his relationships, like in his treatment of Tyler.

This show has always been about accountability, and Clay’s journey in particular reaches a climax this season when being accused of Bryce’s murder forces him to reexamine his choices. Previously, Clay has struggled with how his well intentioned actions could adversely affect people, but Clay’s growing relationships with Tyler and Jessica show just how much he’s grown. He lets them deal with their pain on their own terms instead of trying to impose what he thinks is best.

Much of Jessica’s story has been about her coming into her own, and this season she finally finds herself. Through her new role as student council president, and the head of H.O., she uses her experiences to finally shine a light on the problems at Liberty High. It is empowering to watch Jessica bloom into this powerful and commanding presence, full of compassion for her friends and hope for the future.

At first glance, Justin seems like your typical golden boy jock, but throughout the show we see glimpses of the inner demons he struggles to keep at bay. This season, those demons are magnified as Justin accepts the mistakes of his past and tries to move on with Jessica. He sheds the facade of the guy he’s supposed to be, and finally lets people see the real him.

Tyler started out this show as the creepy kid with no friends, and by the end of this season has touched the lives of every person in his circle for the better. He helped Clay not be so selfish, he helped make Jessica more compassionate. In trying to better himself, he bettered everyone around him too. Who could have expected that that kid who brought a gun to school could be capable of creating that beautiful photo collage?