The 10 Best Friends Characters, According To Ranker

The reunion of the cast of Friends for the HBO Max special has brought in a surge in interest for characters in the sitcom. Of course, the series remains wildly popular just like it was 28 years prior when it first debuted, with Ross, Monica, Chandler, Phoebe, Joey, and Rachel’s antics in and around Central Perk loved by fans worldwide.

Voters on Ranker have taken it upon themselves to decide which character they appreciated the most. This includes side characters like Gunther and Janice because of the entertainment value they provided in addition to the main cast. Since thousands of fans have voted, there’s no doubt that the ranking reflects who the fanbase considers the pick of the bunch.

10 Gunther

Gunther originally started out as a minor character who was only seen in the background at Central Perk before he hopelessly fell in love with Rachel. There were more than dozens of hilarious scenes across the 10 seasons where he attempted to tell her how he felt to no avail.

Although Gunther could be cruel to Ross at times - he revealed Ross’ fling with Chloe to Rachel to break them up - Gunther was largely a gag character. There were some fans who even rooted for him for how persistent Gunther was in his hopes to win Rachel, which shows just how much he grew on audiences.

9 Janice

While the gang was rather mean to Janice in Friends because they thought she was annoying, the character happens to be very popular with the fanbase. Janice’s quote of “Oh my God!” has become part of pop culture and viewers would break into rapturous applause every time she announced herself with it.

Janice’s traits like her nasal voice and piercing laugh are what makes her so unique. Moreover, Janice was one of the nicest characters in the show who just wanted to socialize with the protagonists - it wasn’t her fault they didn’t appreciate it. Her tendency to appear somehow in the main characters’ lives always made for great stories, with viewers never tiring of Janice.

8 Mike Hannigan

In retrospect, it appears that Phoebe and Mike were an underrated Friends couple because the latter was the only person not part of the main group to become a permanent fixture. It would’ve taken someone extraordinary to convince fans that an outsider could marry one of the gang and Mike certainly lived up to these expectations.

Mike had a similar eccentricity about him that made him so lovable - this ranged from him making the name Crap Bag seem legitimate to finding beer facts with Ross and beating Monica in ping pong. He brought casual energy that fit Friends perfectly to become the man worthy of achieving Phoebe’s love.

7 Jack Geller

Among so many disappointing parents in the series, fans consider Jack to arguably be the best father in Friends. Unlike his wife, he was very warm toward Monica and went over to his daughter to comfort her during her breakup with Richard. Jack was also willing to do better by her by apologizing for inadvertently favoring Ross and gifting her the Porsche she loved so much.

Mainly, though, it was Jack’s goofy behavior that viewers are entertained by, as he somehow always found ways to make things awkward. Things like Jack forgetting the family dog or even forgetting which baby was his granddaughter were the kind of humor that he could deliver to great laughter.

6 Ross Geller

While the internet loves to hate on him for a whole host of reasons, there are actually quite a few life lessons Ross taught in Friends. Through Ross, fans were taught when they should compromise in relationships and when personal happiness should be prioritized. He was the butt of all the divorce jokes, but Ross soldiered through it to earn his happy ending.

Ross arguably brought some of the funniest moments in Friends due to his bad luck, ranging from getting stuck in his leather trousers, having the white teeth of a demon, getting excessively tanned, to saying the wrong name at his own wedding. Ross was also the center of the romantic aspect of Friends, which means many see him as the de facto male lead character.

5 Rachel Green

Much like Ross, Rachel also gets a lot of flak for becoming jealous over the former’s relationships and being relatively catty. However, that’s all mainly for comedic purposes and Rachel became progressively funnier. Also like Ross, she has the most character development, going from a spoiled rich girl to an independent career woman and responsible mother.

Rachel was easily the most popular Friends character at the time, thanks to Jennifer Aniston pulling off Rachel’s stylistic choices so well that they became part of mainstream culture. Her love story with Ross remains a cornerstone in the “Will they?/Won’t They?” trope that is still replicated in movies and shows.

4 Monica Geller

Monica started out as a relatively unremarkable character before she became much more ferocious or, as Janine put it, “very loud for such a small person.” Still, that’s what made her so endearing, as Monica’s overcompetitiveness and confrontational attitude made her someone who just couldn’t be ignored.

Monica is the character who made cleaning sound cool due to her excessive need to clean everything she saw. She was also the source of comfort for her friends and fans, with Monica being a motherly personality who took care of everyone around her just because it made her happy.

3 Phoebe Buffay

Phoebe is the kind of kooky character that has endless material for fans to enjoy. She came up with the wackiest theories - such as believing her mother was reincarnated as a cat and that Santa was actually real - but carried them with so much innocence that it was hard not to become fond of her.

While Phoebe did become meaner as the series went on, she was still one of the most endearing characters in Friends. Her carefree attitude and no-drama persona made her the go-to person for fans in the later seasons because Phoebe was the only one who never got a plot-heavy arc. Where she was concerned, it was all about the fun times of hanging out with her friends.

2 Joey Tribbiani

The best friend any person could ask for, Joey had the biggest heart among all the Friends characters. His exceptional appetite, good looks, and charming personality turned Joey into the perfect friend, especially since he was the character anyone could count on, as Joey treated his friends like family.

Joey’s less-than-intelligent moments served up plenty of laughs, such as his wildly terrible performance on Pyramid to the gibberish he spoke when he thought he’d learned how to speak French. All that combined just made him an adorable person to have around whom Friends fans loved unconditionally.

1 Chandler Bing

Chandler is the breakout character from Friends, having made an impression right from the opening moments of the show. His self-loathing sarcasm, witty nature, and tendency to embarrass himself were unparalleled. Yet, Chandler was also willing to grow, easily being the character who developed the most maturity.

Chandler overcame his phobia of commitment and married Monica, becoming a father by the end of the series, along with finding a job that made him truly happy. Friends fans love to imitate Chandler’s distinct attitude and there’s no doubt that he’s the one who spoke the most memorable lines in the series, thanks to his neverending sarcasm.

NEXT: The Best Ship In Each Season In Friends