Better Call Saul: The Main Characters, Ranked From Worst To Best By Their Arc

For the longest time, people felt that there would never be a series that could top the sheer brilliance of Breaking Bad. These avid viewers wanted to be proven wrong for the longest time but nothing even close to the quality of Breaking Bad was materializing on the horizon… that is, until the creator of this show himself decided to fulfill this goal.

It was clear that Vince Gilligan had learned a lot from his time directing Breaking Bad, and this can be seen in the brilliance of Better Call Saul. It’s a show that hit a positive stride from the very first season to the point where most people believe that Better Call Saul has actually eclipsed Breaking Bad in terms of pure quality. One of the biggest draws of Better Call Saul is definitely its rich cast of characters, with the main cast being especially amazing in every scene they’re featured in. Keeping this in mind, here are all the main characters of Better Call Saul ranked on the basis of their character arcs up till Season 5.

8 Howard Hamlin

At a glance, one might consider Howard Hamlin to be a fairly boring and one-note character who’s been left in the dark about a ton of things due to his rather gullible nature.

That being said, there are times when Howard has definitely shown some emotional depth and complexity as a character. However, his personality is simply so unlikable and rigid across the five seasons that it’s close to impossible to develop any sort of attachment with this character.

7 Lalo Salamanca

Don’t let his position on the list fool you — Lalo Salamanca is still an excellent and riveting character that deserves all the praise that’s been thrown his way ever since his introduction.

This is more to do with the fact that Lalo is the latest member of the main cast, meaning that there’s still a lot of time left before he truly comes into his own as a character.

6 Ignacio Varga

It’s a testament to the brilliant writing of Better Call Saul that one of the best original characters in the entire show still somehow pales in comparison to the rest. That being said, the phrasing of this statement is doing a huge injustice to Nacho, who is easily one of the best and most intriguing characters on the show.

For someone who never made so much as a peep in Breaking Bad, it’s amazing just how many pivotal incidents Nacho is a part of without his inclusion seeming even remotely forced. It certainly helps that Michael Mando truly breathes life into this character, making for highly engaging television whenever he’s involved in the mix.

5 Charles McGill

For the longest time, Chuck had Jimmy — and the viewers — fooled into thinking that he was actually looking out for his younger brother’s best interests, only for Jimmy’s world to come crashing down around him when he realizes that the only person who was standing in the way of him and a successful career… was Chuck himself.

It’s a turning point for the character, who showed just how vile, pathetic, and manipulative he really is. After his true colors were revealed, fans couldn’t wait for him to get his comeuppance… but even his most ardent haters couldn’t help but feel shocked at the act of self-immolation he commits at the end of Season 3.

4 Gustavo Fring

It was only a given that one of the greatest characters in Breaking Bad would also light up the screen with his appearance in Better Call Saul.

Gustavo Fring is still the riveting character that viewers have come to love and adore, and this is in no small part due to the fact that this character’s writing and story are still absolutely impeccable. Unlike the powerful position that he started out with at the start of Breaking Bad, Gus is still rising up the ranks and doing so in a resounding fashion. The fact that he’s so careful in his rise to the top is what makes his arrogance all the more glaring in Breaking Bad — Gus seems ever more calculated and careful in Better Call Saul than his iteration in Breaking Bad.

3 Kim Wexler

The inclusion of new and original characters is something that initially rubbed fans off the wrong way in Better Call Saul. After all, these characters had never been mentioned in Breaking Bad — how would Vince Gilligan include these characters in a natural manner that doesn’t create a number of plot holes?

All these people finally realized the brilliant long game that Gilligan was playing after warming up to Kim Wexler. At a glance, Kim might seem like nothing more than a run-of-the-mill no-nonsense lawyer… but it’s when this tough exterior is peeled off that she truly turns into one of the best and most endearing characters in the series. Fans can’t wait to see her fate at the end of the show… even though her character’s conclusion might not be a happy one.

2 Mike Ehrmantraut

Mike seemed like nothing more than the classic tough-guy persona in Breaking Bad, even though he certainly had a ton of depth over and above this stereotype. However, fans certainly wouldn’t have expected the lengths to which Vince Gilligan would go to humanize this character in Better Call Saul.

All of a sudden, Mike was way more than just a hardboiled hitman — he was a lovable grandpa who would do everything in his power to support his family, regardless of the means he must take to achieve this end. There’s no denying that Better Call Saul has increased the respect and love that most people feel for this character.

1 Jimmy McGill

But of course, it would be impossible to rank the character arcs of the main cast in Better Call Saul and not mention the masterclass in character writing that is Jimmy McGill’s arc.

The lovable lawyer from Breaking Bad might’ve served mostly as comic relief, but fans were still intrigued by how much this character had hidden under the surface. Better Call Saul finally shed some much-needed light on this character, and — in doing so — turned Jimmy McGill into one of the greatest television characters of all time. His transformation from Slippin’ Jimmy into Saul Goodman is truly amazing to witness, and fans can wait to see what future seasons have in store for the character.