The Chi: Top 10 Fan-Favorite Characters, Ranked

For years, viewers have waited for a show similar to The Wire to emerge across any platform. Well, why The Chi is a bit different in terms of content, Showtime does indeed have a hit on their hands. Set in Chicago, The Chi is centered around a diverse cast of characters.

The Chi is more of a coming of age story than The Wire was. The characters here are the ones you may see on your everyday travel to work. More down-to-earth but you still get that gritty urban feeling. Here are the top 10 fan-favorite characters from The Chi.

10 Reggie

The drug dealer who has a soft spot for his younger brother Jake. While Reggie runs his own crew, he realized that being the man is not all that it’s cracked up to be. If one guy messes up, leadership still has to carry the weight. Reggie can rule with an iron fist but he, at times can let stuff go.

With no parents around, it’s Reggie that has to make sure Jake gets to school and top of that, remain safe. At the end of Season 2, fans were left wondering if Reggie would make it to Season 3. Losing his character would be a huge blow.

9 Detective Cruz

Doing his best to protect the neighborhood, Detective Cruz has found himself in the middle of too many neighborhood issues. With Ronnie being his CI, he was able to keep his ear to the streets with. He wants to be the good guy after witnessing and then snitching on a fellow officer early in his career.

He’s out to prove that his instincts are right regarding the death of Coogie but he’s just too close to the situation. Good intentions can often lead to bad deeds and this is where Cruz is headed if he’s not careful.

8 Jerrika

The goody-good girl who falls in love with the guy from the tough part of Chicago. While Brandon often thinks Jerrika is trying to change him, she just trying to show him that it’s more out there than the violence that is portrayed in the city. She pushed Brandon but her friends and family still only see him as the “ghetto project”. For the most part, it’s been Jerrika who has held the relationship down financially.

However, that’s not to say that she doesn’t have her own demons she has to deal with. She’s viewed as a sell-out in the community after she picks sides with a wealthy black developer not realizing the ramifications of her actions.

7 Jada

Jada is a tough-loving single mom who did her best when it came to raising her free-wheeling son Emmett. Did she give him too much room to operate freely as Emmett has three kids while still just fresh out of high school himself? We can see that her heart is good. She lost her RN job while caring for Ronnie’s grandmother but was caught stealing meds from the office.

Being told that she should have a personal life and stop letting her son freeloading, Jada moved out of her home and rented a one-bedroom apartment in which she held her ground and did not invite Emmett.

6 Jake

Jake has always wanted to follow in his brother’s footsteps and roam the streets of Chicago for respect. However, he still has those urgers to be a kid. He’s conflicted but with little guidance, Jake could end up being the next tragic story on The Chi. What’s strange about Jake is that nothing about him screams toughness.

Although Reg is his brother and that’s who’s raising him, that street life has evaded his young mind. But when a person wants to do something, no one will be able to stop them. Kevin and Papa have tried their best but Jake may be caught up in something he can’t talk or cry his way out of.

5 Papa

The one kid who actually has his head on straight. Well, most of the time that is. Papa is a straight comedian but he tells it like it is no matter the situation or whoever feelings may get hurt in the process. With a family engulfed in church, Papa still has a bit of street smarts to go with the church upbringing.

He has a style of his own and is not afraid to let it shine no matter who comes after him with jokes. Papa often has to play peacemaker between Jake and Kevin when they’re going through their little issues with one another.

4 Ronnie

Ronnie has one interesting backstory. Portrayed in the early episodes of The Chi as the neighborhood drunk, it was later revealed that his issues ran deeper than what’s at the bottom of the bottle. An Army Vet, Ronnie came home with big plans but fell victim to his own darkness. He fell in love with Tracy and took her son in as his own but his demons got the best of him and soured that relationship well before Jason was killed.

Out for revenge, Ronnie makes a huge error and kills a kid which results in him sinking further in his own abyss. Somehow, he makes amends with the family and himself after being released from jail but the damage is far from over.

3 Kevin

Kevin is a good kid with a solid and strong foundation around him. However, his problem is and will be peer pressure. He wants to be something he’s not and will do things just to please his friends. And yet, those same friends are doing what’s best for them. The one thing that Kevin had going for him was his budding big brother/little brother relationship with Brandon.

But with Brandon gone, who will Kevin turn to when situations get too tough for the young kid? His sister is lost in her own world and while he needs guidance he may look elsewhere for it and find himself in trouble.

2 Emmett

At times we can have different opinions on Emmett. There are times he does good things like actually care for Emmett Jr then you start wondering where are his other kids? And at what point does he actually decide to grow up? He means well but there is still that aura of confusion when it comes to his character.

Emmett is a true definition of a hustler. He’s going to get what he wants but always finds a way to achieve that goal without crossing the line too much. He’s resourceful and may be the character on The Chi with the wittiest personality.

1 Brandon

Personal issues aside, Brandon is the one character viewers cheer for every week. After losing his brother, Brandon went through a few issues in the professional and personal aspects of his life. No longer with Jerrika, Brandon must now navigate this portion of his life alone.

Brandon found himself in the crosshairs of bad company in Season 2. And, with his character possibly written off the show, how will they breakdown his absence? His presence will surely be missed from The Chi.

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