26 major 'Breaking Bad' deaths, ranked from least to most heartbreaking

A drug associate of Walt, Jack Welker (Michael Bowen) was the leader of a group with neo-Nazi ideologies and, at Walt's request, he was directly responsible for the deaths of 10 prison inmates.

Jack also worked for meth supplier Lydia Rodarte-Quayle (Laura Fraser) and later killed Walt's brother-in-law, Hank Schrader (Dean Norris), and his partner, Steven Gomez (Steven Quezada).

Time of Death: Season five, episode 16 ("Felina")

Cause of Death: After Walt killed Jack's entire gang with a machine gun, Jack offered him money to no avail. As he begged for his life, Walt shot him mid-sentence.

Sadness Ranking: 1/10

A sadistic and cruel person, Jack murdered left and right. Jack imprisoned Jesse during season five and sent his nephew, Todd (Jesse Plemons), to murder his then-girlfriend, Andrea Cantillo (Emily Rios).

Jack's nephew, Todd Alquist, proved that the apple doesn't fall far from the tree.

A meth cook and former exterminator, Todd helped his uncle operate their violent gang and later became Walt's assistant when Jesse tried to quit the business.

Time of Death: Season five, episode 16 ("Felina")

Cause of Death: Jesse strangled Todd to death with the chain of his own handcuffs as he escaped capture.

Sadness Ranking: 1/10

A callous murderer, Todd shocked Walt and Jesse when he shot a child to death in "Dead Freight." Todd also carried out his uncle's orders by killing Andrea, making Jesse's revenge feel more than justified.

Tuco (Raymond Cruz) was a chaotic drug kingpin who briefly acted as Jesse and Pinkman's meth distributor.

He was the nephew of Hector Salamanca (Mark Margolis), the leader of the notorious Juárez Cartel. He kidnapped Walt and Jesse and planned to smuggle them down to Mexico with the intention of forcing them to make meth for him non-stop.

Time of Death: Season two, episode two ("Grilled")

Cause of Death: Tuco was killed by Hank during a shoot-out with the DEA.

Sadness Ranking: 1/10

Unpredictable and hot-headed, Tuco was a ruthless killer who spelled danger for Walt and Jesse and his death came as a relief to both of them.

Tortuga (Danny Trejo) was a drug runner for the Juárez Cartel under Juan Bolsa (Javier Grajeda). He became an informant for the DEA and was killed for his betrayal by Marco and Leonel Salamanca (Daniel and Luis Moncada).

Time of Death: Season two, episode seven ("Negro y Azul")

Cause of Death: As his name directly translates to "tortoise," Tortuga was decapitated and mounted to the back of a bomb-rigged turtle.

Sadness Ranking: 2/10

Tortuga's decapitation is one of the more horrific deaths on the series and shows the brutal nature of the cartel. After the turtle detonated and killed a fellow DEA agent, Hank suffered panic attacks from the traumatic experience.

"Gonzo" Gonzalez (Jesus Payan), Tuco's brother-in-law, acted as Tuco's backup and muscle. After Tuco killed Gonzo's partner and friend No-Doze (Cesar Garcia), Gonzo was tasked with getting rid of the evidence.

Time of Death: Season two, episode one ("Seven Thirty-Seven")

Cause of Death: While attempting to move No-Doze's body in a junkyard, his arm was crushed by shifting debris and he bled to death.

Sadness Ranking: 3/10

Gonzo was a fairly minor character in "Breaking Bad," but his unexpected death was difficult to watch.

Referred to as "the cousins," Marco and Leonel Salamanca were twin brothers who worked as hit men for the Juárez Cartel. Cold and mechanical, Marco and Leonel were also nephews of Hector and the employees of Gustavo Fring (Giancarlo Esposito).

Time of Death: Season three, episode seven ("One Minute")

Cause of Death: Marco nearly succeeded in killing Hank before the DEA agent shot him in the head.

Sadness Ranking: 3/10

Gus double-crossed the cousins by ordering them to kill Hank and simultaneously tipping off Hank himself.

With the odds stacked against them by their own employer, the ruthless brothers were caught in what felt like an unfair fight. That said, they were hardly innocent and had a lot of blood on their hands.

Marco's twin brother, Leonel, was also employed by Gus Fring. Together, the two hit men racked up a huge body count and made offerings to a Mexican deity of death each time they took on a new assassination order.

Time of Death: Season three, episode eight ("I See You")

Cause of Death: Leonel was poisoned in the hospital by Mike Ehrmantraut (Jonathan Banks) on orders from Gus.

Sadness Ranking: 3/10

Neither Marco nor Leonel were meant to be sympathetic characters, but the well-trained killers were placed in an unwinnable position when they were betrayed by the same man who employed them.

High-strung and anxious, Lydia Rodarte-Quayle served as Gus's secret partner and emerged as an unlikely ally to Walt in the aftermath of Gus's murder. In the end, Lydia aligned herself with Jack Welker and his murderous gang out of self-preservation.

Time of Death: Season five, episode 16 ("Felina")

Cause of Death: Lydia was poisoned by Walt with ricin after she preemptively called on Jack to kill him.

Sadness Ranking: 3/10

Although Walt's actions put Lydia in an unenviable position, her selfish nature left her with a lot of blood on her hands and it was difficult to conjure up much sympathy for her death.

Often referred to simply as "Tio," Hector was one of the most feared men in Mexico due to his reputation as the right-hand man of Don Eladio Vuente (Steven Bauer). Hector was the last surviving founder of the Juárez Cartel and often employed his family to carry out his bidding.

Time of Death: Season four, episode 13 ("Face Off")

Cause of Death: Hector was killed by a pipe bomb strapped to his own wheelchair so that he could take Gus out with him.

Sadness Ranking: 3/10

In his frail old age, Hector became a shadow of his once-formidable self and relied on his nephews and relatives to care for him. After his family died due to Gus's calculated revenge, Hector had nothing left. While dying, though, he was able to get his long-awaited revenge on Gus.

Highly intelligent and calculating, Gus was a drug boss, philanthropist, and owner of the fried-chicken chain Los Pollos Hermanos.

Gus served as a buyer and distributor for Walt and Jesse's enterprise, but his seemingly friendly demeanor soon turned deadly when the pair threatened his success.

Time of Death: Season four, episode 13 ("Face Off")

Cause of Death: With Walt's help, Hector sacrificed himself to get revenge on Gus, who was killed by a pipe bomb attached to Hector's wheelchair.

Sadness Ranking: 4/10

Blinded by his own personal revenge for Hector, who killed his partner Max (James Martinez) 20 years prior, Gus let his guard down at the worst possible moment and paid the ultimate price.

One of Tuco's head lieutenants, No-Doze acted alongside Gonzo as Tuco's bodyguard.

After No-Doze made a seemingly harmless remark reminding Walt and Jesse who they work for, Tuco's temper exploded and he started beating No-Doze.

Time of Death: Season two, episode one ("Seven Thirty-Seven")

Cause of Death: No-Doze was beaten to death by Tuco.

Sadness Ranking: 5/10

No-Doze may not be a major character on the show but his graphic death carried heavy implications for Walt and Jesse and caused them to realize that they were in over their heads working with Tuco.

After Jesse's friend, Skinny Pete (Charles Baker), informed him that an addict called Spooge (David Ury) robbed him, Jesse tracked him down to his house to reclaim the stolen crystal meth. Jesse soon realized that the Spooge and his partner lived in squalor with a neglected child.

Time of Death: Season two, episode six ("Peekaboo")

Cause of Death: Spooge was crushed to death after his partner pushed an ATM over on his head.

Sadness Ranking: 5/10

Inconsequential as Spooge's death may seem, it acted as a wake-up call for Jesse and forced him to reexamine the impact that his product had on his buyers, like the pair of addicts and the toddler they left behind.

Victor (Jeremiah Bitsui) was a loyal employee of Gus and often worked alongside Mike during hits, stakeouts, and cover-ups. On the third season, Victor covertly studied Walt's method and procedures while he cooked meth for Gus.

Time of Death: Season four, episode one ("Box Cutter")

Cause of Death: Gus slit Victor's throat with a box cutter to prove a point.

Sadness Ranking: 5/10

After Jesse killed Gus's prized assistant, Gale Boetticher (David Costabile), at Walt's behest, Victor rounded the two up and made them wait for Gus to arrive.

But instead of punishing Walt and Jesse, Gus unexpectedly killed Victor before their eyes. His shocking and brutal death showed that Gus wasn't afraid to kill his own.

Alongside Skinny Pete and Badger (Matt Jones), Combo (Rodney Rush) doubled as one of Jesse's longtime friends and low-level distributors.

Time of Death: Season two, episode 11 ("Mandala")

Cause of Death: After selling meth on the wrong corner, Combo was shot by Tomás Cantillo on orders from rival dealers.

Sadness Ranking: 6/10

Combo's death was an unfortunate casualty working as a drug dealer on the lowest rungs on the ladder. His death proved that Jesse and Walt needed to be careful not to overstep into rival dealers' territories and burdened Jesse with guilt for involving his friends in their business.

Domingo "Krazy-8" Molina (Max Arciniega) was a solo drug dealer and manufacturer who accused Walt of being a snitch for law enforcement.

After Krazy-8 and his cousin were lured into his RV, Walt caused an explosion with phosphine gas, killing his cousin and giving them time to lock Krazy-8 in Jesse's basement.

Time of Death: Season one, episode three ("...and the Bag's in the River")

Cause of Death: Walt ultimately strangled Krazy-8 with a bike lock after Walt realized the dealer was about to kill him with a sharp piece of a broken plate.

Sadness Ranking: 6/10

Walt initially offered Krazy-8 food and water while he was locked up. Once Walt realized that Krazy-8 was going to try to kill him, he decided to commit murder.

Krazy-8 was one of the first characters that Walt directly killed, and the action put him one step closer to becoming the feared drug lord Heisenberg.

Gale Boetticher was a highly intelligent, mild-mannered, and well-studied organic chemist hired by Gus to set up his superlab and cook meth under Walt's supervision.

Once Walt realized that Gus intended to replace him and Jesse with Gale once he mastered Walt's recipe, Walt ordered Jesse to kill Gale and make them invaluable for producing their blue meth.

Time of Death: Season three, episode 13 ("Full Measure")

Cause of Death: Gale was shot by Jesse.

Sadness Ranking: 6/10

It is heart-wrenching to watch Jesse struggle in the final moments before he pulled the trigger on Gale. Although death has followed him and Walt from the minute they started working together, Jesse never thought of himself as a murderer.

Walt was once a nervous chemistry teacher who eventually transformed into the most notorious drug kingpin in New Mexico.

After he was faced with a terminal cancer diagnosis and saddled with medical debt, Walt partnered with his former student, Jesse, to cook crystal meth. But as their venture became more successful, it also became more deadly.

Time of Death: Season five, episode 16 ("Felina")

Cause of Death: Walt was accidentally shot by the same remote-activated machine gun he used to kill Jack Welker and his gang.

Sadness Ranking: 7/10

Walt was far from an innocent character by the time he died, but he found a sliver of redemption by saving Jesse from Welker's gang. His death also marked the end of the show itself, which unleashed a bevy of bittersweet emotions for viewers.

Maximino "Max" Arciniega was Gus' best friend and cofounder of the Los Pollos Hermanos franchise. After Gus financed Max's way through college, Max emerged with a biochemistry degree and partnered with Gus to make refined meth.

Time of Death: Season four, episode eight ("Hermanos" — in a flashback)

Cause of Death: When attempting to form a partnership with the Juárez Cartel, Max was shot in the head by Hector due to Gus's disrespect.

Sadness Ranking: 7/10

Max's loss bears a lot of weight on the show. His death would later become the heart of Gus's ambition and his singular motivation for seeking revenge on Hector.

Tomás Cantillo (Angelo Martinez) was the 11-year-old brother of Andrea Cantillo who became wrapped up in local gang violence. Part of his gang initiation meant killing Jesse's friend, Combo, after he sold meth on rival territory.

Time of Death: Season three, episode 12 ("Half Measures")

Cause of Death: Tomás was found dead after killing Combo.

Sadness Ranking: 8/10

After Combo's death, Jesse realized that Tomás was working for rival drug dealers who were also employed under Gus. After Jesse demanded that Gus stop involving children in drug deals, Tomás was tragically shot, presumably under Gus's orders.

Drew Sharp (Samuel Webb) was an innocent child who unwittingly came across Walt, Jesse, and Todd's path after they pulled off a train heist.

Time of Death: Season five, episode five ("Dead Freight")

Cause of Death: Drew was shot at point-blank range by Todd Alquist.

Sadness Ranking: 8/10

To Jesse and Walt's horror, Todd shot Drew on sight in order to keep their operation clean and leave no witnesses, even though the kid appeared oblivious to the crime they had just pulled off.

Steven Gomez was Hank's best friend and partner at the DEA office in Albuquerque. Although he liked to toss jokes around with Hank, he was a respected and hardworking agent who circled Walt, Gus, and the cartel for years.

Time of Death: Season five, episode 14 ("Ozymandias")

Cause of Death: Gomez was shot by Jack Welker during a shoot out with his gang.

Sadness Ranking: 8/10

After working with Jesse and getting close to bringing down Walt, Gomez and Hank were unable to get closure on the case they worked on for so many years.

Hank Schrader was Walt's brother-in-law and a committed DEA agent. He often hung out with Walt and his family, Skyler (Anna Gunn) and Walt Jr. (RJ Mitte), alongside his wife, Marie (Betsy Brandt).

After years of fearing that his brother-in-law would out him as a drug lord, Walt begged Welker to spare Hank to no avail.

Time of Death: Season five, episode 14 ("Ozymandias")

Cause of Death: Hank was killed by Jack Welker seconds after Gomez was murdered in the same shootout.

Sadness Ranking: 8/10

After Hank and Gomez escaped death an unthinkable number of times, it was heartbreaking to see them die side-by-side, outnumbered and outgunned in the desert.

Jane Margolis (Krysten Ritter) was Jesse's neighbor and girlfriend. A recovering drug addict, Jane eventually gave in to her addiction and went back to smoking crystal meth before getting Jesse into heroin.

Time of Death: Season two, episode 12 ("Phoenix")

Cause of Death: Jane choked to death on her own vomit after overdosing on heroin.

Sadness Ranking: 9/10

When Walt went over to Jesse's place to reconcile with him after a fallout, he found Jesse and Jane high on heroin and inadvertently flipped Jane onto her back, causing her to suffocate. Although he could have saved her, Walt horrifically stood by and let her die.

Mike Ehrmantraut was a former cop who used his expertise with forensic evidence to work for Gus, Saul Goodman (Bob Odenkirk), and, later, Walt and Jesse. Although he was a criminal, Mike had a respectable moral code and mainly stayed in the business to save up money for his granddaughter.

Time of Death: Season five, episode seven ("Say My Name")

Cause of Death: Walt shot at Mike through a car window and he bled out by a nearby river.

Sadness Ranking: 9/10

The most tragic part of Mike's death is that it was needless. After a terse argument, Walt lost his head and shot Mike with his own gun.

When he realized that their fight could have been avoided, Walt tried to apologize. Bent over by a river, Mike told Walt to shut up and "let me die in peace."

Andrea Cantillo was the older sister of Tomás and mother to 6-year-old Brock. For a brief moment, Andrea and Jesse managed to have a fairly happy and stable relationship despite the chaos surrounding them.

After Jesse was captured and tried to escape the Welker's compound, Jack sent Todd out to kill Andrea as punishment.

Time of Death: Season five, episode 15 ("Granite State").

Cause of Death: Andrea was killed by Todd Alquist as Jesse was forced to watch.

Sadness Ranking: 10/10

Jesse was inconsolable after Andrea's murder and later killed Todd for retribution. The Cantillo family suffered the worst fate throughout the series, with Tomás shot on Gus's orders, Brock poisoned by Walt, and Andrea killed in cold blood.

In an event that was foreshadowed several times throughout the series, 167 unnamed passengers were killed when two planes, Wayfarer 515 and JM 21, collided midair above Albuquerque.

Time of Death: Season two, episode 13 ("ABQ")

Cause of Death: The planes collided due to the negligence of air-traffic controller Donald Margolis (John de Lancie), who was distracted during work because he was grieving over the recent death of his daughter, Jane.

Sadness Ranking: 10/10

Throughout "Breaking Bad," Walt left a wake of devastation behind him as he chose power over humanity time and again.

By letting Jane die, Walt caused her father Donald to spiral with grief, who, in turn, unintentionally killed 167 people by failing to clear a flight path.

After Jane died, Walt became indirectly responsible for every passenger's life on those planes, and the horrific accident showed the far-reaching consequences of corruption.

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