Top 10 Times Daryl Went Beast Mode on The Walking Dead

"Alone"
After Daryl and Beth take refuge in a funeral home they’re visited by a small herd of walkers. They’re then forced to go separate ways to survive. While Beth escapes the house, Daryl voluntarily distracts the undead. Although he gets cornered, he stays alive by creating a barrier with gurneys and fighting his way out with medical tools. Daryl's eventually able to slip out of his predicament and take out a few more walkers along the way. Despite his best efforts, Beth still gets kidnapped by outside force. But she might not have survived at all if Daryl didn’t volunteer to take on the walkers solo.

"The Bridge"
While Daryl is working at a logging site, a herd of walkers approaches him. He impressively dispatches a few with just a piece of wood. But the situation gets more dire when his friend Aaron gets his arm trapped under a heavy log. After taking care of walkers that got too close with his trusty dual knives, Daryl helps lift the log off his friend. He doesn't leave Aaron’s side until backup arrives. After making sure his friend gets medical attention, Daryl beat up the person responsible for letting the herd get to the logging site in the first place. Neither Walkers or humans can mess with Daryl's friends without facing severe consequences.

“Judge, Jury, Executioner”
You know how we were just saying that messing with Daryl’s friends was a terrible idea? Well, a survivor named Randall learned this lesson in the worst way. Randall was a part of a crew that tried to shoot Rick and his friends. After he keeps secrets from the good guys, Daryl is sent in to see what this survivor really knows. He subjects Randall to a ton of pain and is willing to go even further if that’s what it takes to get information. It’s frightening to see Daryl in such a brutal and angry state. In the end, his willingness to put Randall through the ringer successfully gets the group all the information they could ask for.

"Home"
The Dixon brothers were walking alone when they suddenly spotted a family on a bridge being attacked by walkers. While Merle didn't want to help, Daryl rushed into battle to save the innocent people. He single-handedly takes down ten walkers in a variety of cool ways that include slamming a car trunk down on one and kicking another off a bridge. And when Merle tries to take advantage of these heroics to rob the liberated family, Daryl threatens his brother. This incident on the bridge showed exactly how courageous and selfless our favorite archer is. Not only is he willing to defeat walkers in awesome ways at a moment’s notice, but he’ll also stand up to his family to keep strangers safe.

"Too Far Gone"
When the Governor comes to wage war against Rick's group, he brings along a tank. The military vehicle seemed unstoppable until Daryl got involved. After fighting off armed enemies and walkers at the same time, he turns attention to the tank. Daryl charges forward with a grenade and throws it down the vehicle's barrel. A few moments later, its interior is hit with a satisfying explosion. He made sure to seal his victory by taking out the vicious man who used the tank against his friends. While the group ultimately loses this battle, Daryl is still a winner in our eyes for giving us this explosive action scene.

"Chupacabra"
A spooked horse accidentally throws Daryl down a steep hill. To make matters worse, he discovers that he fell on one of his arrows on the way down. When the wounded Daryl tries to climb up the hill, he tumbles again and passes out. It’s then that he decides to activate his beast mode. Daryl takes out a walker with a stick, removes the arrow from his body and uses it to take down another walker. After catching his breath, he climbs the hill and makes it back to camp... only to be shot at when he's mistaken for a walker. Fortunately, he's up and making threats shortly after the incident. Only Daryl is tough enough to survive a hellish experience like this.

"No Way Out"
As soon as an armed group of Saviors sees Darryl’s truck, they immediately want what's inside. After taking his weapons, an intimidating savior follows him to the back of the vehicle. Sasha and Abraham are left at the mercy of this thieving group. But right as they're about to be attacked, Daryl blows the saviors away with an RPG. Before we were finished praising his awesome save, we found out he also defeated an armed villain with his bare hands. The only injury he suffers in this explosive incident is a cut on his back. The saviors might’ve walked away from this too if they hadn't incurred the wrath of a badass like Daryl.

"No Way Out"
Daryl arrives home to Alexandria to find that it's been overrun with a massive horde of walkers. Luckily, he has a ridiculously cool and clever idea. After pouring fuel into Alexandria's lake, he lights it on fire with his latest go-to weapon, an RPG. The resulting flames distract the Walkers and give his friends a fighting chance. Not content with creating a distraction, Daryl jumps into the battle and takes on the horde himself. Thanks to his contributions and quick thinking, Alexandria got a huge advantage in their fight and were eventually able to win. Maybe all the town’s residents would be safer if Daryl just stuck around the neighborhood full time.

"Chokepoint”
To prevent Lydia from returning to the wild Whisperer group, the good guys have to defeat the 6 foot 4 inch tall warrior Beta and his allies. Daryl takes out two whisperers with little issue before facing the biggest threat. Beta’s size, strength and skill with weapons made him insanely tough to beat. But Daryl didn’t back down. Instead of attacking head on, he takes advantage of his surroundings to hide himself. When Beta least expects it, Daryl shoves the villain into an elevator shaft. Although this wasn't the end of their rivalry, there was still plenty to celebrate. Daryl gave Lydia a chance to live away from the Whisperers by beating one of the toughest opponents his crew has ever faced.

Before we take aim at our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions.

Ending a Bitten Dale,“Judge, Jury, Executioner”
After Taking Care of the Walker, Daryl Takes Care of His Friend

Threatening Bob, "Indifference"
Bob Had a Gun & Daryl Still Threatened Him

Escaping the Saviors, "Hearts Still Beating"
Making It Past Negan’s Force Is No Easy Feat

Staying Alive In the Wolf Trap Full Of Walkers, "Conquer”
He Gets Bonus Points For Using a Chain as a Weapon

Taking Officer Dawn Down Permanently, "Coda"
He Risked Everything to Get Justice for Beth

"Stalker"
Shortly after Daryl ambushes and takes down several whisperers, Alpha gives him an injury that makes it hard from him to see. He’s forced to fight off walkers and the whisperer leader with limited eyesight. Things get worse when Alpha leaves a knife in Daryl’s leg. While recovering, she sends three more walkers after him. Daryl is able to take two down with improvised weapons. But when the third gets too close, he’s forced to remove the blade from his body and use it as a weapon. The severity of his injuries and stress of his insane battle leave him clinging to life. Fortunately, Lydia was there to patch him up so he could give us more beast mode scenes like this in the future.