21 Characters Who Had Practically Flawless Redemption Arcs

These personality glow-ups are 10/10.

Recently, we asked members of the BuzzFeed Community to tell us which characters they thought had the best redemption arcs. Here's some of what they said!

HBO

1. Alex Karev from Grey's Anatomy.

ABC

"I hated his character to begin with, but over the seasons, his growth was incredible and so perfect. He has to be the only answer."

—Gemma

2. Zoya from Shadow and Bone.

Netflix

"She started off awful but then turned out to have a great personality."

—alpaca123

3. John Murphy from The 100.

The CW

"He started out being this universally hated guy, but by the third/fourth season, he was one of the most liked characters on the show because he provided some much-needed humour and sarcasm to typically more serious scenes."

—carolinelee7185

4. Santana from Glee.

Fox

"I mean, she could still be nasty at times, but she got better as the show progressed."

—ninasneena

"She started as a bitchy cheerleader before she finally got some development."

—frenchfriesandramen2007

5. Adam from Girls.

HBO

"He was so gross and unlikable at first. As the series goes on, he has his ups and downs like most twentysomethings learning about life, and my god, I just totally fell in love with him — one of the best character arcs ever, in my opinion! I tell people to watch it mainly because of him 😂."

—Jenetron

6. Chris Argent from Teen Wolf.

MTV

"He's introduced as the big, scary werewolf hunter that Scott is terrified of, and then he progresses to an ally of the werewolves and sees Scott as a hero instead of a cursed animal."

—beckichino

7. Doc Holliday in Wynonna Earp.

Syfy

"He was bad, then good, then bad again, but ultimately turned out to be a good guy who just loved Wynonna. He made some mistakes along the way but always ended up doing the right thing, and got the happy ending he deserved. I can understand why he was grumpy at first, as he had been stuck in a well for 130 years!"

—cferrarer17

8. Jamie Tartt from Ted Lasso.

Apple TV

"Jamie has evolved so much from an ego-driven, selfish person and player to someone who supports others and is happy to be part of the whole instead of the entire whole."

—acceptablesquirrel

9. Regina from Once Upon a Time.

ABC

"She went from being a one-dimensional villain to a complex and lovable character who just wanted love."

—carlt440b5dc94

10. Negan from The Walking Dead.

AMC

"Unbelievably, the show made us love him after he killed off some favourite characters! They gave him his redemption arc and flipped the switch so he has now replaced Glenn as a fan fave."

—Charlotte Allen

"Negan was such an unlikable person, especially in seasons 6 and 7. But over the past few seasons, he really changed for the better, and now he’s actually one of my favourite characters. You can really see that he regrets the things he did in the past, and he’s trying his best to make up for it."

—CMS

11. Valencia from Crazy Ex-Girlfriend.

The CW

”She started out as the typical spoiled, self-obsessed twentysomething who sees other women as the competition and defines herself by her relationship with Josh (see "Women Gotta Stick Together"), and evolved into a developed, independent woman with a clear goal. She’s still insecure about marriage, but she recognises that she’s not defined by the success of her relationships!"

—sunshine193

12. Brooke in Scream (the TV show).

MTV

"She started out as the stereotypical bitchy popular girl, but then she showed she actually cares about her friends throughout the series."

—lokitheawesomeness01

"Oh my god, YES! Like, at first she was just kinda this bitchy mean girl who was sleeping with a teacher, and then she became the ultimate ride or die for her fellow 'final girls'! I just loved the friendship that really strengthened between her, Emma, and Audrey (and her bond with Noah, too, I guess lol)."

—carolinelee7185

13. Jess from Gilmore Girls.

The WB

"I hated him when Rory just had a crush on him and when they were together. Let's be real: Jess sucked as a boyfriend. But when they broke up and he came back later, I really liked him. He grew up, wrote a book, and called Rory out on her bullshit (quitting Yale, not talking to Lorelai, dating a jerk like Logan, etc). I kinda hoped they would get back together at the end of the show or in the revival."

—s463b03bd4

14. Steve Harrington from Stranger Things.

Netflix

"He was terrible in the first season, but his friendship with Dustin and the gang in the later seasons is so genuine; he's had a good redemption arc."

—gemmat4c3f13094

"He started out as a scumbag with a douchey personality (with touches of wanting to change himself), and in the end, he did change himself. He truly cares about his friends, and if he dies in Season 5, I will go berserk."

—goosethekitty

15. Dawn from Buffy the Vampire Slayer.

UPN / WB

"Her sudden insertion into the show was hard to get past at first. She was whiny and bratty, even though her character was too old to be acting like that. By the end of the series, Dawn had come into her own and was a very mature, smart, and interesting character."

—ckoolen

16. The Rose family from Schitt's Creek.

CBC

"Especially David and Alexis. Obviously, the point of the show was their character development, but they still absolutely nailed it! From whiny spoiled brats to caring, thoughtful, amazing people!"

—knr8269

17. Jaime Lannister from Game of Thrones.

HBO

"The character arc made him one of my favourite characters by the end; he deserved better."

—sabahhibahahmed88

"The ending made no sense, but Jaime Lannister going from snarky sister shagger to the softest lion boi for Brienne showed the honourable knight he always was underneath. He has become my comfort character, and I hope we see his journey continue in the books."

—elissak4cc3926bd

18. Damon Salvatore from The Vampire Diaries.

The CW

"He started off as an uncaring villain and gradually grew into a much more compassionate person...well, vampire. In the end, he became a hero and someone who was worthy of love."

—Rose ~ ?

19. Bree from Desperate Housewives.

ABC

"She started out so snobby and unlikable that her character seemed an odd fit in the housewives' friendship group. As the show went on, we learned about her vulnerability, and what was presented on the surface was not what was going on in actuality behind closed doors. She ended up being one of the favourites by the end."

—BritneyPeedOnALadybug

20. Petra from Jane the Virgin.

The CW

"She was a villain for the first couple of seasons, but then you just wanted her to be happy and loved."

—AshBashNeedsAGlass

21. Zuko from Avatar: The Last Airbender.

Nickelodeon

"He will always be my favourite! Not only does his hairstyle change throughout the series, but his character, ideals, and motives do too. Moving past the honour he so eagerly seeks from his father is what allows him to follow in the footsteps of Uncle Iroh’s generosity and his willingness to do what is right."

—flower11557

Which characters do you think really redeemed themselves? Let us know in the comments, and follow BuzzFeed Community to feature in upcoming posts!

Note: Some responses have been edited for length and/or clarity.