10 Lost Characters Who Appear In The Most Episodes

Lost aired from 2004 to 2010, spanning 6 seasons and 121 episodes, plus a short epilogue. The groundbreaking sci-fi show had mystery, thrills, and a lot of interwoven threads. The characters were no exception, with 36 different actors having starring or recurring status throughout the series.

Fans certainly have their favorite characters, but which of those characters appear the most? Because in Lost, a character could show up in the present, or the past, or the future, or even after they’ve died. And with over 30 characters recurring throughout, certain fan favorites may not make the top 10. Those that do are fleshed out in a lot of “centric” episodes, which are listed as well. Spoilers for all 6 seasons follow.

10 Charlie Pace – 65

Dominic Monaghan plays Charlie Pace, an ex-rockstar and struggling heroin addict. He was a main character for the first three seasons of the show. He also made guest appearances in seasons 4 and 6.

Charlie’s flashbacks fill viewers in on how he and his brother’s band rose to stardom and how he fell into drugs. Charlie’s time on the Island is defined by his relationship with Claire, his friendship with Hurley, and his battle against his addiction. His flashback episodes include “The Moth,” “Homecoming,” “Fire + Water,” and the emotional “Greatest Hits.” He had shared episodes with other characters in “Pilot” and “Exodus.”

9 Claire Littleton – 72

Claire Littleton is played by Emilie de Ravin. She was a main character for seasons 1-4 and 6 of the show. Claire is pregnant at the beginning of the show, giving birth to Aaron in season 1.

Claire doubts her ability to be a mother at first, eventually proving that she’s a great mom. In one of the show’s many connection twists, it’s revealed she’s the half-sister of Jack Shephard. Her centric episodes are “Raised by Another,” “Maternity Leave,” and “Par Avion,” with shared episodes including “The Last Recruit” and “The End.” She is 1 of just 5 characters who were main characters in season 1 that live to the end of the show.

8 Sun-Hwa Kwon – 88

Sun is played by Yunkin Kim, and she’s a main character for all 6 seasons. She is joined on the Island by her husband, Jin, though they are sometimes in separate places throughout the series.

Sun is one of the Oceanic Six, who escape the Island in season 3 and pretend to have been the only survivors. Sun and Jin’s shared centric episodes are “…And Found,” “The Whole Truth,” “The Glass Ballerina,” “Ji Yeon,” “This Place Is Death,” and “The Package.” She has solo-centric episodes with “House of the Rising Sun” and “D.O.C.” She shares the episodes “Exodus,” “There’s No Place Like Home,” “LA X,” “The Last Recruit,” and “The End” with other characters.

7 Jin-Soo Kwan – 92

Jin is played by Daniel Dae Kim, and like Sun, he is a main character in all 6 seasons. Jin’s flashbacks show him working as an enforcer for Sun’s father, often having to do things he’s ashamed of doing. He grows a great deal over the seasons, becoming the kind of husband to Sun that he’d started as.

Besides his shared-centric episodes with Sun, Jin has the solo episode “… In Translation.” Jin and Sun have one of the most tragic endings of the show, dying together aboard a sinking submarine in “The Candidate.”

6 Sayid Jarrah – 98

Sayid is played by Naveen Andrews, and he’s a main character in all 6 seasons. In his flashbacks, viewers see that Sayid was a soldier in the Republic Guard during the Gulf War. On the Island, Sayid is haunted for his time as a torturer. As with many characters, he learns to grow beyond his past.

Sayid features as the centric character in “Solitary,” “The Greater Good,” “One of Them,” “Enter 77,” “The Economist,” “He’s Our You,” and “Sundown.” He shares episodes with other characters in “There’s No Place Like Home,” “The Incident,” LA X,” “The Last Recruit,” and “The End.”

5 John Locke – 101

Terry O’Quinn plays John Locke, who is one of the more mysterious characters when the show begins. Locke had been in a wheelchair before the plane crash but is suddenly able to walk once on the Island. More than any of the other survivors, Locke has a connection to the Island, and he believes it brought him there for a reason. Flashbacks show the hardships of Locke’s life, particularly concerning his father. Locke dies in season 5, but the Man in Black takes on his appearance in season 6, meaning Locke is a mainstay in every season. His episode total here includes the Man in Black taking his form.

Locke’s episodes include “Walkabout,” “Deus Ex Machina,” “Orientation,” “Lockdown,” “Further Instructions,” “The Man from Tallahassee,” “The Brig,” “Cabin Fever,” “The Life and Death of Jeremy Bentham,” and “The Substitute.” His shared episodes are “Exodus,” “The Incident,” “LA X,” “The Last Recruit,” “The Candidate,” and “The End.”

4 James “Sawyer” Ford – 104

Sawyer is played by Josh Holloway. He’s a con man, taking his nickname and profession from the man who swindled his mother, who turns out to be Locke’s father (connections, right?). While every character has a heavy past, Sawyer brings his to the Island more than most, going as far as trying to make people hate him. Jack sums him up best when saying his offer to help Sawyer would be met with “a snappy one liner, and if I’m lucky, a brand new nickname.” Sawyer has nicknames for most of the characters. Among others, he calls Jack “Doc,” Kate “Freckles,” and Hurley “Staypuff.”

Sawyer’s centric episodes are “Confidence Man,” “Outlaws,” “The Long Con,” “Every Man for Himself,” “LaFleur,” and “Recon.” His shared centric episodes are “Exodus,” “The Incident,” “LA X,” “The Last Recruit,” and “The End.” He is 1 of the 5 characters out of the original 14 who lives to the end, and he’s a main character in every season.

3 Hugo “Hurley” Reyes – 107

Hurley is played by Jorge Garcia, and he’s another character who features in every season. He’s also the third character on this list from the original 14 who lives to the end of the show. Hurley believes himself to be unlucky. In flashbacks, he wins the lotto, but the numbers he uses are considered “bad.” It turns out the numbers are used to diffuse the giant electromagnet on the Island, and they also appear all throughout the mythology of the show.

Hurley’s episodes include “Numbers,” “Everybody Hates Hugo,” “Dave,” “Tricia Tanaka Is Dead,” and “The Lie.” His shared episodes are “Exodus,” “The Beginning of the End,” “There’s No Place Like Home,” “Everybody Loves Hugo,” and “The End.” Hurley eventually replaces Jack as leader of the Island, who himself had replaced Jacob.

2 Kate Austen – 108

Kate is played by Evangeline Lilly, and she is featured in every season. She’s the last character on this list from the original 14 who survives to the end of the series. The one other character of those surviving 5 is Walt. Kate is a prisoner on the plane before it crashes, and the discovery of her handcuffs causes a stir among the survivors. It isn’t revealed why she was arrested until a season 2 episode aptly titled “What Kate Did.”

Besides that centric episode, her others are “Tabula Rasa,” “Whatever the Case May Be,” “Born to Run,” “I Do,” “Left Behind,” “Eggtown,” “The Little Prince,” “Whatever Happened, Happened,” and “What Kate Does.” Her episodes paired with other characters include “Pilot,” “Exodus,” “There’s No Place Like Home,” “LA X,” and “The End.”

1 Jack Shephard – 113

Jack appears in all but 9 episodes of Lost, and he’s played by Matthew Fox. Jack was famously supposed to be played by Michael Keaton, and the character was originally supposed to die in the pilot. When that changed, Keaton departed, and Matthew Fox was cast. Jack is a doctor like his father was. Locke is somewhat Jack’s “opposite,” one being a “man of science” and the other a “man of faith,” but their stories are similar when it comes to their fathers.

Jack’s episodes include “White Rabbit,” “All the Best Cowboys Have Daddy Issues,” “Do No Harm,” “Man of Science, Man of Faith,” “The Hunting Party,” “A Tale of Two Cities,” “Stranger in a Strange Land,” “Something Nice Back Home,” “316,” and “Lighthouse.” His shared episodes are “Pilot,” “Through the Looking Glass,” “There’s No Place Like Home,” “LA X,” “The Candidate,” and “The End.”

About The Author