Ever since its initial release in June 2019, people have been obsessing over the HBO series Euphoria. Zendaya stars in this teen drama alongside the talented Hunter Schafer, Sydney Sweeney, Jacob Elordi, Alexa Demie, Maude Apatow, Barbie Ferreira, and Angus Cloud. The show follows the life of drug abuser Rue (Zendaya) navigating her way through high school and battling addiction, while also showing the struggles her friends and classmates go through. From mental health struggles, discovering sexuality, and the effects of substance abuse, this show covers issues that are personally affecting teens all over the country. One of the reasons why the series has been so successful is due to the fact that although the events taking place in the show are more dramatized and severe, at its core the feelings the characters are going through are so relatable.
In 2019 and 2020 Zendaya received critical acclaim for her portrayal of Rue Bennett, making history and winning a Primetime Emmy Award, Satellite Award, and People’s Choice Award. In January 2022, the long-awaited premiere of the show's second season was released. New episodes of the show are released every Sunday night at 9:00 pm on HBO. Each character in Euphoria is so unique and the audience's investment in them is what keeps people so hooked. Here are all the main characters in Euphoria, ranked.
8 Lexi Howard
Lexi Howard played by Maude Apatow is one of Rue Bennett's good friends since pre-school and Cassie Howard's younger sister. Despite the fact that we've seen Rue try to push Lexi away when she shows concern for Rue's well-being, it's clear that the two characters still have a close bond and consistently help each other out throughout the series. In Euphoria's first season, Lexi gives Rue her urine so that the at-home drug test she is forced to take will come back clean, and we even see a flashback in season two of Lexi threatening to tell Rue's mom that she's using again in an attempt to help Rue get clean. While she is quiet and reserved, and at times pushed aside by the chaotic energy from her friends, Lexi is an important person in Rue's life and in the show as a whole.
7 Nate Jacobs
Despite how much we all love Jacob Elordi, we have to admit that Nate Jacobs is not one of the most promising and morally correct characters in Euphoria. When you look at where Nate comes from and understand messed up the relationship he has with his dad Cal Jacobs (played by Eric Dane), it becomes a little clearer why Nate has so much built-up aggression. His relationship with long time girlfriend Maddy is nothing short of toxic, and he has done Jules wrong more times than we can count, from screaming in her face at a party to catfishing and threatening her. Despite all of this, and probably due to Elordi's inherent charm as an actor, we can't help but hope that he comes out the other side in the end.
6 Kat Hernandez
One of the most remarkable things about Kat, played by Barbie Ferreira, is her drastic character evolution within the first season alone. She was able to evolve into a strong woman who was confident in her own body regardless of what anyone had to say about her. Kat surrounds herself with her core group of friends Maddy, Lexi, and Cassie, but has a secret life that no one knows about, wherein she becomes her alter ego who expresses herself as freely as she chooses online. She has definitely made some questionable decisions throughout the show, but her confidence and power are admirable.
5 Maddy Perez
Like her boyfriend Nate, Maddy's morals are extremely questionable. She is constantly lying or insulting the people around her, and it becomes clear throughout the show that Maddy only really cares about Maddy. Even though audiences probably wouldn't want to be friends with someone like Maddy in real-life, people idolize and praise her incredible one-liners throughout the series that have become extremely popular sound bites on TikTok.
4 Cassie Howard
Sydney Sweeney plays the iconic Cassie Howard, who is the sister to Lexi and best friend to Maddy. Cassie continuously struggles with confidence and self-love as well as maintaining strong, healthy relationships in her life. In season one, we watch her fall in love with McKay (played by Algee Smith), but things start to go south when Cassie discovers that she's pregnant and Cassie makes the decision that she should stay away from relationships for a while. This seems to be going ok for her until Cassie starts up a relationship with Nate in season 2 of the show.
3 Jules Vaughn
Jules (Hunter Schafer) is not only Rue's best friend-turned-partner, but in many ways her savior as well. Right from the beginning of the show, Rue makes it perfectly clear that after meeting Jules, it seemed as though her troubles began to fade away. Ultimately, Jules gave Rue the hope she needed to get herself clean and back on track. It's mesmerizing that even though Jules' childhood was not easy, and she experienced traumatizing events throughout her time in high school, she is still one of the most positive and admirable characters in the show. Her heart is pure, and she has some of the most promising morals compared to everyone in Euphoria.
2 Fezco
It might be surprising how high Fezco is on the list due to the fact that he is a drug dealer, but deep down Fezco cares about Rue and her well-being more than most characters in the show. He is always looking out for Rue, as well as caring for his sick grandmother and his younger brother Ashtray. One of the most memorable moments from Fez in season one is when a serious drug deal is going down between him and an older man called Mouse: Fez pays off the dealer to not mess with Rue and refers to her as his "sister," proving their bond goes way beyond friendship. Fez goes out of his way to protect the people he loves and for that reason, Fezco (played by Angus Cloud) comes in at number two on the list.
1 Rue Bennett
And coming in at number one is Euphoria's leading lady and the show's narrator, Rue Bennett. Zendaya has given some of the best performances of her career playing this character, and she truly is the glue that holds Euphoria together. Rue is a troubled character who has been battling addiction and substance abuse ever since her father died. She struggles to stay present in a world that feels numb to her without using, and we watch her fight every episode to stay clean. Audiences come back to watch partly because of the drama circulating between characters but primarily because people care so deeply about Rue and are rooting for her to create the life for herself she deserves, where she is at peace and clean.