Rick Grimes is the protagonist and a survivor of the zombie outbreakin AMC's The Walking Dead. He is a former police officer with the King County Sheriff's Department, who was shot in the line of duty and fell into a coma, only to wake up and find himself in the midst of a zombie apocalypse. He travels to Atlanta, Georgia, in search of his wife, Lori, and his son, Carl, who have traveled to Atlanta with his best friend, Shane Walsh, in search of a safe haven. After he finds his wife and son, along with a group of survivors, he gradually takes on the role of their leader in search of a safe haven. As the series progresses, Rick gradually becomes darker and more hardened, doing whatever it takes to keep his group safe from danger.

Carl Grimes is a main character and a survivor of the outbreak in AMC's The Walking Dead. He is the son of Rick and Lori Grimes. During the initial outbreak, Carl believed his father to be dead, so he and his mother joined Shane Walsh to travel to Atlanta to the refugee camp. As time progresses, Carl slowly becomes hardened due to the severe loss of life and the environment around him.

Judith Grimes is a main character and the infant daughter of Lori Grimes and the younger sister or half-sister to Carl Grimes. Due to the situation at her conception, Judith's biological father is not definitely known; it could be either the series' protagonist, Rick Grimes, or the former group leader and antagonist, Shane Walsh. Regardless of Judith's real father, Rick has adopted her as his own and is willing to protect her at all costs.

Michonne (pronounced mih-SHOWN) is a main character and survivor of the outbreak in AMC's The Walking Dead. After the Greene family farm was overrun by zombies, Michonne encountered Andrea and the two became close friends throughout the winter until they entered Woodbury. Michonne later left Woodbury and became a key member of Rick Grimes's group.

Glenn Rhee is a main character and survivor of the outbreak in AMC's The Walking Dead. He is the main supply runner for the Atlanta camp group, and he saves Rick Grimes from walker-infested Atlanta, bringing him back to his camp to reunite him with his family. Eventually, after the group stays on the Greene farm, Glenn forms a long lasting relationship with Hershel Greene's daughter Maggie and marries her. At the West Georgia Correctional Facility, which his group establishes as its base in the third and fourth seasons, he becomes a reliable council member but falls ill to a sickness that prevents him from doing his duty. After the prison assault that leaves the prison destroyed and many dead, Glenn escapes from the wreckage. While searching for his wife, he meets Abraham Ford and his group on a journey to Washington, D.C. He is also among the new recruits to go to the Alexandria Safe-Zone, where he becomes a supply runner.

Maggie Greene is a main character and survivor of the outbreak in AMC's The Walking Dead. She is the eldest daughter of Hershel and Josephine Greene, step-daughter to Annette Greene, and half-sister of Beth and step-sister to Shawn. She is the wife of Glenn Rhee and is the last surviving member of the Greene family. Upon arriving at the Alexandria Safe-Zone, she is then established by its leader, Deanna Monroe, as her assistant.

Daryl Dixon is a main character and survivor of the outbreak in AMC's The Walking Dead. He is the younger brother to Merle. Daryl is an expert at hunting, tracking, navigation, and observation. Due to his survival skills, Rick Grimes values him as an important member of the group. Following the deaths of Ed and Sophia Peletier, Daryl has developed a close bond with fellow survivor Carol Peletier. He later formed a brief bond with another fellow survivor Beth Greene. He is the last surviving member of his family. Daryl begins the show as a brazen, foul-mouthed individual but develops himself an integral part of the group. His aggression is unprecedented, and it remains one of his most valuable assets, as well as one of his most noticeable.

Carol Peletier is a main character and survivor of the outbreak in AMC's The Walking Dead. During the initial outbreak, she evacuates with her abusive husband, Ed, and her daughter, Sophia, to Atlanta. They eventually join a camp of survivors. In the events following her daughter's disappearance, Carol forms a close, loving bond with fellow survivor, Daryl Dixon. After discovering that her daughter was bitten and reanimated, Carol, now the last surviving member of her family, gradually builds inner strength, becoming increasingly proficient with weapons. She also gains medical experience through Hershel Greene's assistance. She later becomes the parental guardian of Lizzie and Mika after the death of their father, albeit briefly. Upon her arrival at the Alexandria Safe-Zone, Carol briefly had a relationship with fellow Alexandrian Tobin.

Morgan Jones is a main character and survivor of the outbreak in AMC's The Walking Dead. He is the husband of Jenny and father of Duane. While evacuating, Jenny was bitten and succumbed to the infection, causing Morgan and Duane to seek refuge in King County, Georgia, where the Grimes family lived. After the loss of his son (who was bitten by Jenny), Morgan was living a life in denial, hoping to redeem himself by killing the invasive walkers. At the end of "No Sanctuary", it is revealed that Morgan has partly redeemed himself and is on a journey to find Terminus before Rick Grimes's altered sign turns him away. After stumbling across a map leading to Washington, D.C., with a familiar name on it, he heads north until he crosses paths with Daryl Dixon and Aaron, recruiters for the Alexandria Safe-Zone, who bring him to the town where he is reunited with his long lost friend, Rick Grimes.

Sasha Williams is a main character and survivor of the outbreak in AMC's The Walking Dead. A former firefighter before the apocalypse, Sasha belonged to a small group led by older brother Tyreese, trying to find a safe haven, and soon became one of the newcomers at the prison acting as a council member. After the downfall of the prison, she formed a relationship with fellow newcomer, Bob Stookey. After the deaths of Bob and Tyreese, she suffers from severe distress and PTSD, resulting in isolating herself and refusing to invest in the community of Alexandria, believing its concept of trying to re-establish normal life to be false and an avoidance of the harsh reality of the apocalyptic world. Eventually, she comes to an acceptance of the community and wanting to live and thrive following her grief. She is currently the last surviving prison newcomer, and only known survivor of her family and previous group.

Tara Chambler is a main character and survivor of the outbreak in AMC's The Walking Dead. She is the daughter of David, the younger sister of Lilly, and the aunt of Meghan. After encountering Philip Blake, better known as The Governor, she and her family left their apartment complex they had been holding up in to find a safer place. After helping Glenn Rhee escape the West Georgia Correctional Facility, she became a part of the group led by Abraham Ford on a mission to Washington, D.C., in search of a cure. She soon becomes a member of Rick Grimes' group. She is the last remaining survivor of her immediate family and the last remaining survivor of Caesar Martinez's Camp.

Rosita Espinosa is a main character and survivor of the outbreak in AMC's The Walking Dead. She accompanied Abraham Ford and Eugene Porter on a journey to Washington, D.C. after meeting them in Dallas. Along the way, she formed a sexual relationship with Abraham.

Abraham Ford is a main character and survivor of the outbreak in AMC's The Walking Dead. In the early days of the outbreak, he survived in a grocery store in Houston, Texas, with his wife Ellen, son A.J., and daughter Becca and several other men. After he killed the men in retaliation for some indiscretion against his family and his family died after an attempt to abandon him out of fear, he crossed paths with Eugene Porter, a supposed scientist who claimed to know the cure for the outbreak but needed to go to Washington, D.C.. He, Eugene, and Rosita Espinosa are passing through Georgia when they meet and join forces with the group led by Rick Grimes, with whom they form a fierce loyalty, and Eugene reveals himself not to be a scientist and not to know the cure, to Abraham's fury. After a laborious and debilitating journey continuing north to Washington in hope of refuge, the group arrives at the Alexandria Safe-Zone in Virginia, where Abraham seems to have gained a new perspective on life.

Eugene Porter is a main character and survivor of the outbreak in AMC's The Walking Dead. He and his traveling companions Abraham Ford and Rosita Espinosa were en route to Washington, D.C., before Eugene revealed that he had been lying about being a scientist.

Gabriel Stokes is a main character and a survivor of the outbreak in AMC's The Walking Dead. He lived in his barricaded church for 17 to 18 months until he joined Rick Grimes' group.

Paul Rovia, more commonly referred to as "Jesus" by his companions, is a survivor of the outbreak in AMC's The Walking Dead. He is a recruiter of the Hilltop Colony.