Top 10 Times Raj Was the Best Character on The Big Bang Theory

The whole premise of “The Big Bang Theory,” especially in the first season, is how nerdy the guys are and how awkward and unsuccessful they are with the ladies. When it comes to the Season One Halloween party episode, the thing most people focus on is Leonard and Penny’s first kiss. And while that was certainly more meaningful in the grand scheme of the show, we can’t forget that on that same night Raj went home with a beautiful girl he met at the party. And all without saying a word. It’s true that silence can be golden!

Given how much Raj loves romantic comedies, it only makes sense that one of his best moments would come in the form of a gesture taken right from one of his favorites, “Love Actually.” In an ode to Mark using cue cards to declare his love for Juliet, Raj uses the cards to apologize to Anu for spying on her doorbell cam. Yes, we know that it doesn’t work and he doesn’t get a sweet kiss like Mark does, but it's a romantic gesture nonetheless. Maybe it would have helped if Anu had even seen the film.

Sure, his friends thought it was lame and were embarrassed to be seen with him wearing it, but we only have one word to describe Raj’s musical shirt… AWESOME! Who hasn’t dreamed about having their own entrance music play whenever they walk into a room? Well, Raj got to live that dream - even if the music was emanating from a mediocre speaker on his chest. And for all the cringing the guys did when he activated his shirt, even Leonard enjoyed the use of the “Law & Order” dun, dun sound effect.

When the guys see the star of “​​Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles” on their train, Howard immediately starts strategizing his plan of attack. But while Howard tries to work up the nerves, Raj grabs a beer and sits down with the beautiful Summer Glau for some chatting and flirting. Unfortunately, the beer he is drinking is non-alcoholic and once Howard points that out, Raj clams up and walks away. But that doesn’t take anything away from the initial feat of awesome flirtation. And after witnessing Howard’s beyond awkward and kinda creepy flirting, Raj's “best” status is definitely not in any doubt.

Valentine’s Day is always a hard day for Raj, given that he almost never has a date on the most romantic of days. But neither does Stuart so they decide to have a lonely hearts party at the comic book store rather than be alone. And it’s at that party that Raj makes a heartfelt and moving speech about self-love and community that gets him a round of applause and a date with Lucy. Sure, she ends up sneaking out the bathroom window and leaving him at the cafe, but for one shining moment, Raj sure was the best.

Julio Iglesias sang a song to all the girls he loved before, but Raj Koothrappali took that idea to a whole other level when he invited all his exes over for a why-did-you-break-up-with-me focus group. If you think this sounds like a bad idea, you aren’t alone. Howard, Leonard and at least one of the redheaded Emily’s thought so too. That being said, however, while it might not be something we would have the courage to do, we think it was very brave of Raj to put himself out there like that. Something that Howard pointed out when he stood up for his friend against all the harsh words.

In the Season Three episode "The Adhesive Duck Deficiency," Leonard, Howard, and Raj head out to the desert to watch a meteor shower. While they wait, Howard meets some hippies and unknowingly brings back pot cookies for him and his friends. While under the influence, Leonard starts to feel like the Earth is spinning too fast and asks Raj to slow it down. What follows is one of the funniest moments of the series. Would you slow down the Earth’s rotation for a friend? Raj would! And that’s why he’s the best.

Raj is always trying to put together fun activities for the group to do together, even if the rest of the group is less than thrilled about it. But in Season Seven, he creates an awesome scavenger hunt around Pasadena that, unlike the previous attempted murder mystery party, has everyone excited to participate in. And sure, the ‘everyone wins’ conclusion to the hunt is lame and infuriating to everyone (except Howard and Amy who are too caught up in their love for Neil Diamond to care). But we gotta give Raj props for putting the whole thing together and who could forget his most awesome of pre-game introductions with music and even smoke bombs. And we aren’t the only ones who loved it.

Yes, the “Love Actually” cards thing was cute and sweet, but Raj’s texting date with Lucy is truly one of the most romantic things we ever saw over the show’s entire 12-season run. Sure, libraries generally aren’t thought of as the most romantic of locations - unless maybe it’s the university library in “Friends” where Ross teaches. But for a guy that can’t talk to women and a woman that has uber-social anxiety, it truly was the most perfect of places. Made even more perfect by Raj’s idea to have them text each other rather than talk. The whole date really showed how aware Raj was of Lucy’s issues and how much he cared to make her as comfortable as possible. The best!

Before we unveil our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions.

Apologizes to Penny, "The Griffin Equivalency"
After Being a Bit of a Jerk, He Forces Out a Vocal “Sorry” Without the Help of Alcohol

Plays His Parents off Each Other, "The Graduation Transmission"
He Goes from Having His Allowance Cut Off to Getting Even More Money. Well Played, Raj!

Moves in with Sheldon & Hooks up with Penny, "The Roommate Transmogrification"
Besides Leonard, Who Else Has Made Sheldon Happy & Gone to Bed with Penny? Just Raj...

Au Naturel at the Coffee Shop, "The Wildebeest Implementation”
A New Medication Lets Him Talk to Girls, But Has Some “Revealing” Side Effects

30 Under 30, "The Griffin Equivalency"
People Magazine Thought He Was One of the 30 Best

In the Season 6 finale, Raj has one of his highest and most life-changing moments while in the midst of one of his lowest. It comes as he is dealing with the heartbreak of Lucy breaking up with him via an email just when he thought things were going well. Penny comes over to see how he’s doing and as he questions why he is so unlovable they both realize that he’s talking to her without the help of alcohol. Sometimes out of sorrow comes triumph and for Raj to finally triumph over his selective mutism was a moment that had us all cheering - and, we’ll admit it, maybe crying a little also.