Sons Of Anarchy: The Main Characters, Ranked By Power

The Darwinian theory of “Survival For The Fittest” applies on a daily basis in the fictional town of Charming. Weak characters get trampled over while the powerful ones stay winning. That’s until someone more powerful emerges and gets the better of those who thought they were in control.

The power of each main character in the series can be judged from their rank, social standing, ability to influence others, and value to their associates. Powerless characters like Juice have been dealt brutal blows by fate while stronger characters like Jax have reminded us of the importance of not being ordinary.

11 Half-Sack

Half-Sack has the least power out of all members because he is a Prospect who never rises to be a full member while alive. He is only granted full membership posthumously. As a Prospect, he not only earns less but also takes orders from everyone.

His colleagues enjoy making fun of him and giving him undesirable tasks. Since he is desperate to join SAMCRO, he does the tasks whole-heartedly. Half-Sack’s helplessness is also seen when Clay openly sleeps with his girlfriend Cherry. If Clay had done the same to another biker’s love interest, he wouldn’t have been allowed to get away with it.

10 Juice

Despite having a full patch, Juice is the least valued member of SAMCRO. His timidness and constant indecision are partly to blame for this. When he gets excommunicated from SAMCRO, he tries to give Marcus Alvarez intel about the club but even the Mayans’ boss doesn’t value him enough to help him out.

Having witnessed the death of Sara, Juice is overcome with guilt and finally confesses to Jax. Instead of Jax letting him back in, he orders his death. This incident once again proves how unimportant he is. In prison, he is also unable to protect himself from enemies, hence he gets assaulted.

9 Bobby

Bobby finds himself in somewhat of a rise and fall scenario. After serving as an enforcer, bookkeeper, and occasional Elvis impersonator for a while, he gets his big break when he is voted in as Vice President. However, he soon resigns because he is unhappy with Jax’s style of leadership.

Bobby’s lack of funds (he is often late on his child support payments) means he lacks enough associates and revenue streams. The fact that he is struggling despite having been a gangster for decades says a lot about his power and influence. The fact that August Marks tortures and executes him, believing there will be no consequences also adds to the fact.

8 Tig

Tig is one of the untouchables early on in the series, thanks to his close relationship with Clay. Most sensitive missions (including a sanctioned hit on Opie) are given to him. When bounty hunters catch him in Season 2, four club members, including Jax go to save him. This development emphasizes his importance to the club.

Tig further distinguishes himself by giving Oakland crime boss Damon Pope sleepless nights. Jax and Tig’s relationship isn’t exactly a good one. But instead of sacrificing him and preserving his relationship with Pope, Jax backstabs the crime boss and gives Tig the chance to get revenge for his daughter’s death. Jax clearly needs Tig in the club.

7 Nero

Apart from being the owner of an escort agency, Nero also doubles as a small-time crime lord. He has several thugs under his disposal. He has connections to most gangs in Charming as he is able to serve as a peacemaker between the Sons and the Mayans.

Nero becomes very influential when he begins dating Gemma. Through Gemma, Nero meets Jax who he begins working with on various business dealings. He then becomes the closest thing Jax had to a father figure since John Teller. The protagonist trusts him enough to leave him with his family when he chooses to die.

6 Tara

Tara beats up her boss and still manages to remain employed. She doesn’t even get an assault charge. The St. Thomas Hospital doctor is the only highly educated character in the series, hence she has something others don’t. Part of being powerful is possessing something others don’t.

Her status as Jax’s Old Lady makes her command plenty of respect. She is also one of the few people who can stand up to Gemma. She frustrates Jax’s mother on a number of occasions, leading to total animosity between the two. Her only mistake is that she stays too long in an environment that is toxic for her.

5 Chibs

Chibs has quite the career growth in Sons Of Anarchy, climbing up the organized crime ladder with ease. He quickly rises to the rank of Sergent at Arms after being patched over from SAMBEL to SAMCRO. He then becomes the club’s Vice President after Bobby resigns. And when Jax’s tenure ends, he becomes president.

Throughout the series, he gives plenty of advice and makes a couple of key decisions, thanks to his close friendship with Jax who values his intel. He also acts as a father figure to younger members such as Juice. By dating Lieutenant Althea Jarry of the San Joaquin Sheriff Department, Chibs also manages to wield some power over law enforcement.

4 Gemma

Gemma marries two SAMCRO presidents then her son rises to be president too. Her social influence is remarkable. She is feared by just about every character in SAMCRO’s inner circle, except Tara. Even her late husband John Teller wasn’t able to do anything about her affair with Clay.

Despite the fact that she holds no rank, except that of Old Lady, all SAMCRO members obey her orders. Clay and Jax value her advice too and take her word as the golden truth. Jax believes her lies that the Chinese were responsible for Tara’s death and goes on to start a war. Gemma also tells police chief Wayne Unser how to do his job on a few occasions.

3 Wayne Unser

As Chief of the Charming Police Department, Unser has total control over the town. He sees his association with SAMCRO as a way to keep Charming safe since all other little gangs know not to step into the biker territory.

He uses his position to broker a peace treaty between SAMCRO and the Mayans as well as to curtail the efforts of LOAN. He provides the club with plenty of information too, which only a man like him can access. Even after retiring from the police force, Unser maintains enough influence to help SAMCRO with their criminal activities.

2 Clay Morrow

As a member of the First 9 (the founding members), Clay commands much respect since the club wouldn’t exist without his early contribution. Clay is also the president of the Sons of Anarchy, California Redwood Originals MC, hence all the other members report to him and do as he pleases.

Since SAMCRO is the mother charter of all other Sons Of Anarchy clubs around the world, Clay has influence over many territories too. There are a total of 48 charters. Clay’s power stretches over to law enforcement as he is able to bully Unser into staying in the force briefly instead of handing over his job to Hale.

1 Jax Teller

Despite spending half of the series as second-in-command to Clay, Jax sits above Clay because he has more associates and more people that are loyal to him. Jax commands respect from Mayans MC President Marcus Alvarez, and gangs such as the Nordics, the Aryan Brotherhood, and the One-Niners.

He also has good working relationships with Nero, Damon Pope, his deputy August Marks and Triads boss Henry Lin before events turn sour. Unlike Clay, nearly all SAMCRO members are loyal to Jax. When he is voted to meet Mr. Mayhem, most members are sad about it, yet they were more than happy to see Clay dead.

About The Author

Philip Etemesi
(1212 Articles Published)

Philip Etemesi is an author, journalist, screenwriter and film critic based in Nairobi. Kenya. As a child, he preferred watching movies like The Goodfellas instead of Home Alone. His girlfriend constantly has to pull him from the front of the TV but he just keeps returning. Stubborn dude! An animal lover, Philip also has a pet giraffe called Refu.

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