@@larryshackleford4376he’s on the same level as molly to me. One of my favorite of the background members because I find their story interesting. So probably just before or after her
I absolutely adore Trelawny, just a fancy, amusing, charming flirty magician, helping the gang. He's def loyal, and considering the fact he literally has a wife and kids in saint denis and still helps the gang, he's great
@@Hamzrhn_jamal6969 Nah, he’s putting on a Transatlantic accent, which was adopted by the yuppies of the time to sound more sophisticated. If you listen, you can hear it slipping and going a bit weird from time to time, which fits him as a hustler.
I fuckin love Charles, he’s literally never not an absolute g. Always helping with whatever needs doing, not procrastinating or lazing around, he does what needs to be done. Even in the Epilogue, he sees John who he thought was dead he agrees to help him build an entire goddamn house, works on John’s farm for absolutely nothing in return and then he goes off to Canada (I think it was) to try and live a normal life and start a family. What a guy
I was just going thru the camp ledger, Charles donated a perfect deer pelt, compared to the usual silver ring or pocket watch, dude was utilising his skills in hunting apart from fixing the wheels.
After Arthur, Charles is by far my favorite. He actually always does the righteous thing, he stayed loyal to Arthur for the very end, and i loved how he returned in the epilogue. He was also the strongest man and the best melee fighter in the gang.
I actually like mary beth she was the only member that understood arthur at a personal level,and her encounter from each of the gang camp tells you that she genuinely cares about him she knows that he's an outlaw but he's got a heart, but as for lenny he's actually my favorite member in the gang his bar mission was just hilarious and has a meme reputation so much so that there's clips of Roger clark screaming lenny, he was like a younger brother to arthur and seeing him die at such a young age is heartbreaking.
You could also sit and divulge to Mary Beth and Tilly how you were feeling. It made the connection with them stronger I found. They all really cared for Arthur and knew deep down he’s a good man.❤
I would go so far as to say that Mary Beth was head over heels in love with Arthur. I think it's pretty evident through their optional camp conversations and the way she looks at him. I ship them more than Arthur and Mary Gillis or Sadie tbh 😂
Arthur has helped me so much in life. I see life totally differently now but in a good way. I don’t feel as nervous and I feel ready for things and it’s gave me more confidence and happiness.
Dutch and his fall is so expertly crafted, that you forget how he was at the start of the game I went back to start a new playthrough after beating the game for the first time, and felt total whiplash seeing Dutch putting his neck on the chopping block to look for John and Micah. Burning through the Braithwaite manor to get Jack back, and generally being an actual caring leader
even at the start of the game dutch was scary to me. on this current play through i hung around camp more and dutch kept saying ominous and threatening things and i was confused and off put by it
@@thefederalbureauofinvestig6467 yeah I agree, I had the opposite experience as well and on repeated playthroughs Dutch being a selfish snake from the beginning is more and more obvious through camp dialogue and how he acts. He always has ulterior motives and it makes Arthur’s sacrifice for him all the more sad.
Bro and the foreshadowing in chapter one. I feel like they put that in just for second play throughs like after Davy dies and you go out to find Micah Dutch goes. NO MORE WILL DIE ARTHER HES THE LAST ONE. 💀
Charles is one of the absolute best in my opinion. I have a lot of favorites but Charles peaks up there with Arthur. He's such a wonderful character and his loyalty towards Arthur is just amazing and how it carries on to the epilogue with John. I just finished my second playthrough and I loved every second I got to spend with Charles in the missons. He's such a genuine caring character, he's big hearted while still being cold and hard when he needs to. I wish he had stuck around in the epilogue but I'm glad it was him, Sadie and uncle we found and not some of the other member's.
@@filmsbyheni personally think that killing people the way strauss does is worse than how arthur does. he robs and slowly sucks the life out of any poor soul who falls under his claws
I completely disagree with the Strauss hate. Literally everyone is the gang who is a male and not Kieran, had done or is worse than Strauss. Loan sharking just has this negative connotation to it that makes it seem like it’s worse, but in reality the entire gang kills innocents, steals from them, and makes hardworking average-below average people dirt poor too. What do people think happens when a bank is robbed? Or when a town wide shootout breaks out? Arthur is my favorite character of all time I think, and even still his one and only decision I didn’t agree with or like was kicking Strauss out, though I get it because he was a reminder of Arthur’s own bad choices and death clock.
@@syednaqvi2740 Exactly! Arthur kills entire towns, steals the money of thousands of poor innocents, and yet everyone is like "Shame on Strauss for being a loan shark, how evil!!" I think Arthur kicking out Strauss shows the dual nature of Arthur. He understands that what Strauss is doing is evil, but he'd also rather blame Strauss for manipulating him into hurting people, than take responsibility for just being an evil shitty outlaw himself.
On my last playthrough it really hit me harder realizing that literally all of the gang members who died would've taken Arthur's side in the end. Also I really loved what you had to say about Molly and John with their fan backlash in this game. Couldn't have been any more correct.
@MrPiano-is4du before he died Hosea was becoming more skeptical of Dutch and was telling him when he didn't think his plans were good. From then on Arthur took up the baton of trying to reason with Dutch. Because of this yeah Hosea most likely would've sided with Arthur
It makes it so sad especially with Sean and Lenny for me, because at least you KNOW with Sean especially, he would have been one of the strongest supporters to arthur (not saying the others aren't strong!) ,, not sure what I'm saying but i feel like the bond and vibe he has with arthur would have been put towards absolutely giving his ALL at the end of the game.
Ending gave me chills. All these edits do. I love Arthur he’s the greatest fictional character of all time. Also gotta appreciate the beautiful music of RDR2 (and Henry’s singing)
I was so glad cause I thought you would put Kieran top 5 but then I realized you didn’t put him on the list. Don’t ever forget my favorite side character!
Charles is definitely my favorite of the gang members, partly due to being black & native myself. Abigail is also amazing and I do love how her main priorities are taking care of Jack and trying to “fix” John.
considering how mac and davey are described by hosea during chapter 2, they probably would've been similar to someone like bill. jenny probably would've been like chapter 2 sadie except without the grieving, just quietly there but respected and cared for nonetheless
@@shoreZyou don’t know that though 😂 that’s the point. I am thought of them as like brothers who acted kind of like a mix of chapter 1 Micah, Shawn, and a bit of John.
My only problems with her character and how she was written is that she really lacks development and screen time in the first 3 acts. You have ONE mission with her in all that time and except for the rare camp dialogue she has basically nothing interesting to say in acts 1-3. Also, her becoming a gunslinging hotshot badass in the short time span she does it in is kind of unrealistic but that's just a very minor slight. Her actress did a fantastic job It's mostly the writing.
0:31 Leopold Strauss 1:22 Tilly Jackson 2:10 Karen Jones 2:54 Simon Pearson 3:49 Marry-Beth Gaskill 4:40 Reverend Swanson 5:18 Molly O'Shea {Mentioned in comment} Kieran Duffy 6:54 Josiah Trelawny (I would consider him a half-member of some sorts, still needs to be on the list just not a full member of the gang. Think of it like a UN observer state or something.) 7:37 Marion ''Bill'' Williamson 8:38 Javier Escuela 9:36 Jack Marston 10:35 Abigail Roberts (Abigail Marston after the Epilogue) 11:33 Susan Grimshaw 12:18 ''Uncle'' 12:56 Sean Macguire 13:50 Lenny Summers 14:34 Micah Bell III 15:50 Hosea Matthews (I don't think the decisions you mentioned are wrong on Hosea's part, can't write too much but I will say that, we don't know the whole story behind the bank robbery) 17:30 Charles Smith 18:25 Sadie Adler 19:27 John Marston 21:00 Dutch Van Der Linde 22:40 Arthur Morgan (cliché) You totally forgot Cain the dog, just kidding.
It’s one thing to care about your interests but it’s another thing to kill people (deserving and undeserving) to protect those interests. Micha is evil, in world of criminals he manages to stand out, whether that be by threatening to kill uncle, being racist, picking on weaker members of the gang, killing jacks dog for no reason, plotting to turn in his leader and being an unpleasant person overall, Micha is pretty evil and the game lets you know that.
@@junovibo9199 Yeah. I kind of made a lapse in my judgement. I immediately thought about the situation with skinny. He kills him AND his wife and laughs about it. It is very clear that he derives pleasure from watching people struggle in pain. I will edit that comment out.
Dutch's gang broke one of the cardinal rules of visiting the south: never assume a thick accent means they're stupid...or your the one who'll get swindled. Catherine saw right thru them from the start and used them to wage a proxy war with the Grays. And the Grays never fully trusted them. Hosea and Dutch assumed the surviving southern families were just dumb rasict hicks...until they realized they were being played by both sides, Sean died, and Jack was kidnapped. Really, everthing from ch3 onward seems to be Dutch biting off more than he can chew. Hes def full of ideals and moxie, but hes not as smart as he thinks he is.
Dutch acts more and more like a poker player on full tilt, raising stakes and going all in with crap cards... How coul he seriously believe there was any money in a tram station ? 🤔 Dude's completely delusional at that point 😞
I honestly really agree with this list. Some really good points about Molly and other characters. I feel like this list really got a lot of points other lists don't. Good video man!also would love a video about arthur. Truely one of a kind character
I do like Mary Beth. She definitely can be useuful, providing tips for robberys, and even has a robbery mission, and was too sweet for the camp, I like the detail of her being the only one nice one to Kieran when he was tied up, and also seeing the good in everyone, and her talks with Arthur are always good. Her character represents the naive girl who is seduced into a life she wouldn't normally do, and her achieving her dream is really good.
Arthur... Arthur... Arthur! I *_SOBBED_* during Arthur's last ride. Between "That's the Way It Is" and "May I, Unshaken" i was a mess. It was as if i had lost a family member... no book or movie ever got me to weep for a fictional character like i did for Arthur. But then i spent 100+ hours with Arthur, watching his dark side struggle with hope and selflessness as real things that bring value to our lives -- its just something i never experienced in a movie or book. It was a 3D experience.
Say what you will about Uncle. But, he was smart, funny, and witty. Never afraid to say it how it was or tell you off for a blatantly stupid idea. Uncle was a thinker, a philosopher, and it paid off. I'd love to sit and have a beer with him, if I could.
Great upload. RDR2 is the best gane ive ever played. Im 52 and been gaming since I was in my teens. Arthur Morgan is best, most realised gaming character ever developed. I wont lie, I cried like a baby when he died in the game. The only criticism i can give the game, is the Austin part of the map should have been available sooner rather than in the Epilogue.
Swanson definitely breaks in the top 10 for me. For how depressing chapter 6 was, Swanson was a much needed injection of hope and Perseverance. Also, on most of my play-throughs, I never do the sister side quest, solely because I prefer Swanson's farewell.
i like your list! very unique compared to a lot of the others i’ve seen your knowledge of the game also comes through in how you explain your rankings, great video.
I found it shocking that Leopold Strauss refused to say anything about the gang. I saw him as the type to prey on the weak to his advantage. Didn't really think he cared much for the gang.
Unpopular opinion: Strauss is only hated so much because of the TB mission. Hes just as bad of a character as eveyone else in the Van Der Linde gang (except mid to late game Arthur)
A lot of these characters’ backstories, it seems the main villain is actually Dutch. He takes advantage of people who are idealistic, down and out, or both, never actually caring about any of them or the principles he uses to keep them under his influence.
@@BigSmoke-ew5td Tbf not everything has to have action every mission. It's like doing missions for truth in San Andreas but I still consider San Andreas a masterpiece
Arthur: "Charles, will you ride with me?" Charles: "Always." Fucken best line to sum up his character. BTW, you're a GOAT for this content; I hope you know it is thoroughly enjoyable and in my personal humble opinion, I really like long videos. I like when you take your time so I hope you never feel rushed or anything, I don't know how making videos works but just thought you may want to hear that someone thinks you're doing fucking great and are doing a phenomenal job.
i also agree the women deserved to have more to them, theres a lot of potential there. lennys death also hit me hard, i named my tiger striped bay mustang Magpie after his mustang Maggie. magpies are known for their intelligence :-(
When I saw Molly's ranking coming up I braced myself for the most braindead takes ever to be uttered. Thank you for not just saying "Molly bad cause woman have emotion." -A Molly enjoyer
Javier is actually one of my favorite characters in the entire story, but its sad that rockstar didnt flesh him out like they could have. He had so much potential, and you were totally right with him being a bro who is down to unwind when he can, and that he is also deadly if you cross him, but the problem comes with "Sides with". Javier never had any ill intentions against John or Arthur, but instead he took his best shot at survival. Now im not saying he didn't care about the gang, but he was a little more concerned with himself at around chapter 6. You can see throughout the story that the further down you go, the more disconnected Javier as a character gets from the gang. By chapter 6, he basically just became a side character to the whole game. He barely even had dialogue or missions, where as in the first chapter, half of the missions were with Javier. But with him "Siding" With dutch, what choice did Javier have? Fighting alongside his friends, Arthur and John and most likely dying in the process, or going with everyone else in an attempt to survive but betray his friends. Even in RDR1, you can see that Javier didn't want to kill John, and John didn't want to kill Javier. In RDR2, Javier hesitates before choosing to side with Dutch in a last attempt at survival. Javier never had any personal problems with anyone (besides maybe Bill), and was always happy to help his friends in need and go out to almost kill themselves. Javier had so much potential and i hope that in RDR3 (If it ever is a thing) That they Flesh out Javier's character more. I'd love to see a red dead game centered about Javier's story, as he is so unknown!
I mean bro you have to remember him and Micah literally whispering stuff to each other, and him telling Arthur to go away because it's private. Him yelling at Charles about him being loyal to Arthur and betraying Dutch. He also left John to die in the final mission of ch6.
@@5689i Thats a good point but Javier was being influenced like Dutch and Bill by Micah, even if Javier didnt like him i think Javier knew that if he sided against Dutch he would end up dead. And my point of Javier not really being able to choose what he had to do still stands. In the end, I think Javier really had good intentions but just wanted to survive. He had to play along the game with Micah.
You know what, I would have always put Micah at last, even though his character is written well enough to make me hate him the way that I do, I just... Well I hate him lol But you kind of opened my eyes to something I never really thought about before, I always think of Micah as the downfall for everybody but, Strauss is the one who sent Arthur on the job that would cost him his life I have to rethink my entire world now
The character of Dutch is paralleled by Captain Flint in the television series Black Sails. A patriarchal philosopher who will burn the world to get his men the dream he promised them, but having to sacrifice the weak and lost to save the dreams of the strong and loyal, he eventually loses his way and becomes a follower of shadows rather than possibilities.
i was in genuine shock when sean got a hole in his head. the unexpectedness takes away from the insane plot armor arthur has and makes it seem more "real"
I fw Tilly. I love her so much and I wish she had more screen time. also she looks sooooo hot when she's covered in dust and dirt in "No, no, and thrice no"
This list isn't bad but I believe Strauss should be ranked higher. I believe he is a bit underrated and receives too much hate. I mean when you really take the time to break it down and analyze it, he is no worse than some other members of the Van der Linde Gang. Yes Strauss caused damage to families, but so do the gangs main heavy gun slinging members and enforcers, maybe even more so... Characters like Arthur, John, Charles, Bill, Sadie, Micah, along with Mac and Davey Calendar are responsible for scores of individuals that were never seen by their family members again (keep in mind that these men are most likely the providers for their families, you loot a lot of wedding rings off corpses lol). Dutch is no better basically orchestrating the deaths of hundreds of people over the gangs time running. What I'm trying to say is they may have a bit of morality, but they are bad people (Arthur, John, Charles and Sadie all share this same feeling through dialogue), all of them destroy families in one way or another. And yes some people have a right to feel hatred towards Strauss for indirectly getting Arthur sick, but when you think about the fact he was just doing his duty to the gang and trying to earn them desperately needed money when they were in a bad spot. Arthur as a character also doesn't seem to mind that debt collecting. Especially towards the beginning most of his dialogue which you can't control is quite hostile and he seems to enjoy it at points. It is only when he becomes sick and sees Miss's Downs that he seems to have a change in morality towards these missions. So now that we've kinda established that he really hasn't caused any more damage than other members. Let's bring up the positives. Number one he actually contributes to the Gang, not just monetarily through his loan-sharking and other ventures, but he also acts as the gangs doctor, which back then I don't know if many of you will understand how crucial that really is. These are wanted men having a doctor among you is a huge asset, he also uses his carriage to provide the gang with medicine and other equipment. Strauss is kinda like Uncle in the sense that they may not be involved in many missions or jobs but when push comes to shove both display they are willing to get involved Hands-On like many other gang members. Strauss assists Arthur during the poker challenge and heist on the boat and he also brings tips to the Gang. Secondly and most importantly I would say his intense loyalty to the gang and it's members. When Arthur loses his cool and kicks Strauss out of camp he reacts genuinely surprised and hurt by these actions stating to Arthur "why are you doing this we are friends". Some people might question whether or not Strauss was being genuine but I believe what happened after he left proves that enough. When he was captured by the Pinkerton detective agency they spent a large period of time torturing him, demanding that he reveal information about the Gang. Even though he had technically been kicked out he refused to say a word and died in custody due to his bad condition. (And despite the split in the gang he didn't reveal any information on members that he might have not even been on good terms with which shows even more commitment) Both John and Charles, some of the gangs more honourable members give him credit for this with John saying "he was a fellow who was strong in ways you couldn't see". I think this speaks volumes to his character and why he never should ever be ranked last compared to actual rats like Micah or possible rats like Molly O'Shea (not to mention the lady is literally useless doesn't contribute to anything around camp and also doesn't play a part in a single story mission). Strauss was forced to emigrate from the Austrian empire when he was very young due to his health. He arrived right in the middle of the draft riots and his uncle, who was his only relative in the US died of heart attack right in front of him. From there he was basically forced to fend for himself, to me that is also a harrowing story. Strauss might not be loved by all but he doesn't deserve the level of dislike that he received from the fan base. I just can't when compared to the amount of damage that members like Micah/Joe/ Cleet caused.
Well, I don’t think strauss is the most morally wrong character as screwing peoples lives is still better then killing them. But clearly this video is more then just how bad of a person everyone is because i’f it was then Micah would be the lowest and those women he mentioned in the beginning would be on the top. Strauss is just a parasite, who we only see the bad side of. He’s got nothing for him because he’s lame and isn’t dynamic in the slightest. At least micah is kind of an interesting “joker” like physcopath character and I think there are actually a couple times in the game where he feels empathy or remorse. But strauss is weak ass man who doesn’t even have the balls to do his own dirty work. All he does in the game is benifit from hurting others.
@@A_youtube_channel_ not how bad of a person it is if it was then he would be higher. The character has a pretty interesting backstory and does contribute several ways as I've stated above. He definitely deserves a higher rank. He rated Molly high up.. literally just because her backstory had to do with her being some rich b**** that became an outlaw... And then literally did f****** nothing but complain. Never contributed to anything except for negative things for the gang and the only mission she ever asks if anyone is for Arthur to get her a mirror or some s*** like that. Now that's at the bottom of the list we can talk about who comes next... But she's the worst. Other than her backstory her characters design is dreadful and her actions in the game are dreadful to match.
Dude your channel is so good. You give such good explanations rather than just “I don’t like them.” You go really in depth on all your opinions. Great video!
I noticed the characters who sided with Arthur tend to wear blue or something with blue, and those who turned against him wear red, or am I just crazy?
I have a theory about this too! Dutch and Micah are the only ones who are constantly wearing red, no matter what outfit they’re wearing. And in the epilogue, Dutch isn’t wearing red anymore, yet Micah is, signifying that Micah thought they were still a team whilst Dutch had secretly already abandoned him.
It's also seen on the Whitmore suit for the river boat mission. If you have high honor you get a blue ascot with a blue vest, but if your low honor it has a red tie and vest.
Trewlany really doesn’t get the respect he deserves. I think if there’s anyone that played their card the best way IT’S HIM. He unofficially was part of the gang. Never got his hands (dirty). Yeah he found himself in sticky situations but anyone illegally trying to finagle their way to the top was bound for that. He also chose the right people to align himself with. He always got the gang good scores and even was the reason Sean was saved. But kept his private life far from the camps. Once things got spooky for the gang he got the he realized, grabbed his family, and got the hell outta dodge. He’s a more cunning and ambitious version of Nigel West Dickens
Great video, I really enjoyed it. And I agree with your ranking except I would have put Sadie as #2, Charles as #3 John as #4 and Dutch as #5. Sadie is definitely my favorite side character, you know when you ride with her on a mission there will be a lot of gunplay, she is a beast. She also made the biggest change as a character, going from a mild mannered grieving widow to a badass gunslinger.
Hosea's role in the bank robbery is different depending on your honor, I think. Cause low honor it's you'll doom us all, and high honor it's him pushing for it.
I totally agree with Strauss but after he got kicked out he was Tortured for anything about Dutch’s gang but he never spoke resulting in his death so u Gotta give it to him there.
Arthurs' death made me actually cry after spending so much time with him that it really hurts that you die by such a despicable character that you've hated since the start.
1. Arthur (duh) 2. Charles (the absolute goat) 3. John 4. Sadie 5. Dutch I love Charles smith bro, wish we got a dlc where we play as him, same with Sadie
This video is truly a masterpiece. How you don’t have a million subscribers is beyond me. Anyone with half a brain can tell you out a lot of time into this video. Not only did you in my opinion properly rank these characters but you shared it in a way that was so colorful and engaging. Making these characters feel even more real. Thank you for the video and I am now a loyal subscriber. Keep up the fantastic work ! Truly a great video
Molly and especially The Reverend are way to high on this list. I sometimes forget about Molly’s existence entirely but Swanson drukenly singing around camp and starting drunk conversations with Arthur are the single most annoying camp interactions in the entire game. His mission in the beginning of the game is annoying, and honestly his only saving grace is that he has a character arc where he gets sober, but even then you don’t even get to see that character arc to its completion unless you have low honor, otherwise you get the far superior cutscene with sister Caldera.
No video game ever had made me cry for a fictional character like how i bawled for Arthurs death. Creating a bond between player and character really makes one not want the charcter u have grown so close to, to die.
I think you underestimate Mary Beth and how much she contributes to the gang because as Arthur says in one of the stage coach robbery side quests with her and Sean, Mary Beth has probably robbed more people than most of the gang put together and that she is a master pickpocket.
Great vid love bringing up the phases in chapters. I feel like when you play you get stuck in chapters and only remember some of the members by how they were in the end. The change is not always so noticeable but the stark contrasts of the start and the end usually get lost in arthurs epic story. Loved the video
I agree with you on the Molly ranking. Walking in the camp hearing her cry to Dutch but I do see how he is being towards her i wasn’t surprised she told
Think you completely missed the point with Strauss. Strauss is a 'cleaner' version of criminal, the deals he agrees with people are manipulative and predatory, but they're "legit". They're agreements made with both parties accepting the terms. There is the threat of consequences, and ultimately Leopold probably knows what he is doing and that he will use the gang to enforce the deals with violence. That said, he is extremely hard to like, but the rest of the gang are arguably a lot worse. They murder, kill, torture, often needlessly and overly violently. Yet Leopold isn't involved in any of that. Yes, that makes him a disgusting person, as he is involved and complicit, but he's probably more moral than most of the gang. We never see him kill anybody directly, and when kicked out the gang and given an easy opportunity to get revenge for his expulsion, he actually stays loyal, despite it costing him his life. Strauss is there to show us that we're hypocrites. We love the gang members, particularly Arthur and John, but both of them are thieves and murderers who we would consider horrific people were they not the protagonists of the story. Yet we hate Strauss. Do you stop to ask yourself whether that's fair? Is he any worse than the rest of them? Is he LESS immoral than the rest? I hate him, mostly because he uses other people to do his dirty work rather than get his hands dirty, but I also think from a logical standpoint, he really isn't the worst of them.
i honestly really like this perspective. Its easy to hate Strauss because perhaps his criminality is something we in the modern world are familiar with, but that doesn’t make him much worst- or really any worst then the members of the gang. During 1899, murderous gangs can destroy lives. The Van Der Linde gang sometimes have robin hood moments, but they aren’t perfect
“In a game full of likeable characters succumbing to the darkness, it’s nice to see someone find his way into the light” that just about sums up the importance of hope in stories that may not have a lot of it. Pure sadness and heartbreak is just as shallow and dull as pure uncomplicated positivity.
I hate the Rhodes general store owner the most. (Not Pearson, the first guy) He never shuts up, always rushes you, he’s a smug dick who’s always being annoying and rude for no reason, his jokes are unfunny and there’s an entire section of the game where you’re not allowed to kill him.
i honestly felt bad for molly, every time i hear her and dutch arguing in camp i always felt empathy for her, honestly she didn’t deserve dutch, she was way out of his league with that pretty accent anyway
One thing RDR2 does not get enough praise for is how it makes look at the first Read Dead Redemption from a completely different perspective instead of seeing Bill Javier and Dutch as evil men who went crazy you now see them as family who betrayed you and went off the deep end
this is a good list. the only things i would personally change are strauss and sadie. strauss isn't nearly as bad as a lot of people say he is. sure he does prey on people who are broke. but he never forced them to take it. and the money still helps the gang. just think some of that money went to feed jack or some of your other favorite characters. and strauss never physically kills anyone. we all love arthur. but how many people has he killed in his lifetime? and lastly strauss didn't rat when he was arrested. so he was still loyal and sacrificed himself for his friends. so i wouldn't put him at the very bottom of the list. as for sadie i feel like she is overrated. her transition from grieving weak widow never happens. one day she's crying because of her husband. the next day she was about to fight pearson. i think she could have been more interesting if we actually saw her talk to arthur asking if he could teach her how to shoot and all the things they do. also let's not forget she can be just as crazy as micah. getting arturo killed. and causing a big shootout at colms hanging causing some police to be killed. i would put her down a few notches in the list.
I noticed when going through footage for this video that when the gang first finds Sadie, she’s not frozen in shock or hiding somewhere, she’s winging the knife around like crazy and screaming at everyone. From the start it’s shown that she’s kinda badass and she says she used to help with the hunting back at the ranch. The problem is she doesn’t really have a big role until later in the game and I agree, most of her development is off screen. It’s after the main story and before the epilogue. As for Strauss I agree with the part about him never snitching. That was some G shit. A part of me wonders how much of it was out of loyalty vs it was trying not to incriminate himself, regardless it’s admirable.
Because Micha is an amazing character, everyone hates him and that's what his character was supposed to do. I hate Micha just as much as any other person but damn if he isn't an amazing villain
Because he’s a very well written villain. If everyone didn’t hate him he would be a bad villain. He’s meant to be hated and that’s what makes him a good character
Ignore the random ass spellings of names in the time markers. That’s TH-cam’s AI, not me lmao
Javier Hernandez
Josiah Turlani
Molly grimshaw
Jon.
Karen.
Poor Kieran, how many times must he say it: he is not an O'driscoll!
HOLY SHIT I FORGOT KIERAN
@@filmsbyhenhere's your chance to fix it, where would Kieran rank?
@@larryshackleford4376he’s on the same level as molly to me. One of my favorite of the background members because I find their story interesting. So probably just before or after her
O’driscoll boah
Kieran and Mary-Beth conversation are literally every introvert with his crush conversations.
I absolutely adore Trelawny, just a fancy, amusing, charming flirty magician, helping the gang. He's def loyal, and considering the fact he literally has a wife and kids in saint denis and still helps the gang, he's great
He's hilarious, dude steals the show whenever he turns up. I'd definitely get swindled by him ngl
I like him because he’s british
@@Hamzrhn_jamal6969 😭😭
My boy I thank you
@@Hamzrhn_jamal6969 Nah, he’s putting on a Transatlantic accent, which was adopted by the yuppies of the time to sound more sophisticated.
If you listen, you can hear it slipping and going a bit weird from time to time, which fits him as a hustler.
I fuckin love Charles, he’s literally never not an absolute g. Always helping with whatever needs doing, not procrastinating or lazing around, he does what needs to be done. Even in the Epilogue, he sees John who he thought was dead he agrees to help him build an entire goddamn house, works on John’s farm for absolutely nothing in return and then he goes off to Canada (I think it was) to try and live a normal life and start a family. What a guy
That sacrifice he made in the Saint Denis bank heist made me love him
Yea he is a trustworthy person
Charles fuckin rules.
Hardest worker in camp, also built John's barn and buried almost every gang member
I was just going thru the camp ledger, Charles donated a perfect deer pelt, compared to the usual silver ring or pocket watch, dude was utilising his skills in hunting apart from fixing the wheels.
Strauss was loyal. Even after being kicked out and then arrested and beaten he refused to talk to the Pinkertons or police
Might be his only redeeming quality
His....red dead redeeming quality? I'll see myself out
I know bruh why are you telling me this? I literally played this game before you and more than you and I’m smarter so I understood it faster.
@@andreavdalyan8626jeez calm down
@@reformbritain233hes a troll
After Arthur, Charles is by far my favorite. He actually always does the righteous thing, he stayed loyal to Arthur for the very end, and i loved how he returned in the epilogue. He was also the strongest man and the best melee fighter in the gang.
He and Micah are the ends of the honor spectrum
Before I even watch, Arthur’s # 1 for me. My all-time favorite fictional character
John’s my #1. His one-liners in RDR1 are so good
John for me. He’s hilarious and badass in RDR1.
@@Verdun16 “When a man with a sing-song voice tells me to fuck off, it always concerns me, boyo.”
@@AlqhemyA best line ever. Badass and funny as fuck
I love John Marshon imo
I actually like mary beth she was the only member that understood arthur at a personal level,and her encounter from each of the gang camp tells you that she genuinely cares about him she knows that he's an outlaw but he's got a heart, but as for lenny he's actually my favorite member in the gang his bar mission was just hilarious and has a meme reputation so much so that there's clips of Roger clark screaming lenny, he was like a younger brother to arthur and seeing him die at such a young age is heartbreaking.
Mary Beth was always nice to everyone, even to Kieran, which was special because even Jack bullied Kieran
@@Robin_2905 Her reaction to his close haircut just added to how disturbing and upsetting the scene was.
You could also sit and divulge to Mary Beth and Tilly how you were feeling. It made the connection with them stronger I found. They all really cared for Arthur and knew deep down he’s a good man.❤
I would go so far as to say that Mary Beth was head over heels in love with Arthur. I think it's pretty evident through their optional camp conversations and the way she looks at him. I ship them more than Arthur and Mary Gillis or Sadie tbh 😂
@@sebastianchantre3152yes bro and when she asks to dance with Arthur in chapter 2, there was something there I swear
Arthur has helped me so much in life. I see life totally differently now but in a good way. I don’t feel as nervous and I feel ready for things and it’s gave me more confidence and happiness.
John Marston ahh comment
Dutch and his fall is so expertly crafted, that you forget how he was at the start of the game
I went back to start a new playthrough after beating the game for the first time, and felt total whiplash seeing Dutch putting his neck on the chopping block to look for John and Micah. Burning through the Braithwaite manor to get Jack back, and generally being an actual caring leader
even at the start of the game dutch was scary to me. on this current play through i hung around camp more and dutch kept saying ominous and threatening things and i was confused and off put by it
@@thefederalbureauofinvestig6467 yeah I agree, I had the opposite experience as well and on repeated playthroughs Dutch being a selfish snake from the beginning is more and more obvious through camp dialogue and how he acts. He always has ulterior motives and it makes Arthur’s sacrifice for him all the more sad.
@@thefederalbureauofinvestig6467 I swear, he always presses me saying “I believe you’re gonna betray me” and I get hella confused.
Bro and the foreshadowing in chapter one. I feel like they put that in just for second play throughs like after Davy dies and you go out to find Micah Dutch goes. NO MORE WILL DIE ARTHER HES THE LAST ONE. 💀
Uncle straigh up called Dutch on his bs right in chapter 1. What a G
“He wants to be an American King, with his Knights.”
Charles is one of the absolute best in my opinion. I have a lot of favorites but Charles peaks up there with Arthur. He's such a wonderful character and his loyalty towards Arthur is just amazing and how it carries on to the epilogue with John. I just finished my second playthrough and I loved every second I got to spend with Charles in the missons.
He's such a genuine caring character, he's big hearted while still being cold and hard when he needs to. I wish he had stuck around in the epilogue but I'm glad it was him, Sadie and uncle we found and not some of the other member's.
The writer did such outstanding job in creating roles for each and every gang members. Charles is no doubt written as the #1 sidekick for Arthur
@@VoltaphonicLenny would've been
Bro forgot about Kieran💀
To quote Micah, "He's was an O'Driscol"
He is forgettable
@@rolandzhao9738 well we don’t get to know anything about you him so makes sense
@rolandzhao9738 didnt that one die
@@rolandzhao9738Who tf is Davey was my first thought, so I think it's fine.
They play Strauss so good, you know he's bad, but his disbelief at you "his friend" kicking him out is still kind of rough.
I do get that. His confusion makes sense seeing as a serial murderer is judging him for being a lone shark 😭
@@filmsbyheni personally think that killing people the way strauss does is worse than how arthur does. he robs and slowly sucks the life out of any poor soul who falls under his claws
@@thefederalbureauofinvestig6467 agreed. It’s def far more malicious. Arthur would prefer not to harm innocents whereas that’s Strauss main targets
I completely disagree with the Strauss hate. Literally everyone is the gang who is a male and not Kieran, had done or is worse than Strauss. Loan sharking just has this negative connotation to it that makes it seem like it’s worse, but in reality the entire gang kills innocents, steals from them, and makes hardworking average-below average people dirt poor too. What do people think happens when a bank is robbed? Or when a town wide shootout breaks out? Arthur is my favorite character of all time I think, and even still his one and only decision I didn’t agree with or like was kicking Strauss out, though I get it because he was a reminder of Arthur’s own bad choices and death clock.
@@syednaqvi2740 Exactly! Arthur kills entire towns, steals the money of thousands of poor innocents, and yet everyone is like "Shame on Strauss for being a loan shark, how evil!!" I think Arthur kicking out Strauss shows the dual nature of Arthur. He understands that what Strauss is doing is evil, but he'd also rather blame Strauss for manipulating him into hurting people, than take responsibility for just being an evil shitty outlaw himself.
On my last playthrough it really hit me harder realizing that literally all of the gang members who died would've taken Arthur's side in the end. Also I really loved what you had to say about Molly and John with their fan backlash in this game. Couldn't have been any more correct.
I’m not sure about Hosea takin Arthur’s side. I’m pretty sure he would’ve been like lenny.
@@MrPiano-is4duDo you think that Hosea would have been on the same side as Migah?
@@geenkaas6380 well he really would’ve been in the middle but leaning toward dutch
@MrPiano-is4du before he died Hosea was becoming more skeptical of Dutch and was telling him when he didn't think his plans were good. From then on Arthur took up the baton of trying to reason with Dutch. Because of this yeah Hosea most likely would've sided with Arthur
It makes it so sad especially with Sean and Lenny for me, because at least you KNOW with Sean especially, he would have been one of the strongest supporters to arthur (not saying the others aren't strong!) ,, not sure what I'm saying but i feel like the bond and vibe he has with arthur would have been put towards absolutely giving his ALL at the end of the game.
Ending gave me chills. All these edits do. I love Arthur he’s the greatest fictional character of all time. Also gotta appreciate the beautiful music of RDR2 (and Henry’s singing)
I was so glad cause I thought you would put Kieran top 5 but then I realized you didn’t put him on the list. Don’t ever forget my favorite side character!
Charles is definitely my favorite of the gang members, partly due to being black & native myself. Abigail is also amazing and I do love how her main priorities are taking care of Jack and trying to “fix” John.
I honestly wonder where Mac, Davey, and Jenny would be on this list if we had gotten to know them.
considering how mac and davey are described by hosea during chapter 2, they probably would've been similar to someone like bill. jenny probably would've been like chapter 2 sadie except without the grieving, just quietly there but respected and cared for nonetheless
@@shoreZyou don’t know that though 😂 that’s the point.
I am thought of them as like brothers who acted kind of like a mix of chapter 1 Micah, Shawn, and a bit of John.
Sadie Adler is the definition of amazing character development
She’s just so annoying
My only problems with her character and how she was written is that she really lacks development and screen time in the first 3 acts. You have ONE mission with her in all that time and except for the rare camp dialogue she has basically nothing interesting to say in acts 1-3. Also, her becoming a gunslinging hotshot badass in the short time span she does it in is kind of unrealistic but that's just a very minor slight. Her actress did a fantastic job It's mostly the writing.
@@sebastianchantre3152 I can agree with that for the most part.
@@Ramseyaremassivesometimes I found her anoying but I understand her anger on odriscols
@@RamseyaremassiveI agree I can’t stand her accent with her voice
0:31 Leopold Strauss
1:22 Tilly Jackson
2:10 Karen Jones
2:54 Simon Pearson
3:49 Marry-Beth Gaskill
4:40 Reverend Swanson
5:18 Molly O'Shea
{Mentioned in comment} Kieran Duffy
6:54 Josiah Trelawny (I would consider him a half-member of some sorts, still needs to be on the list just not a full member of the gang. Think of it like a UN observer state or something.)
7:37 Marion ''Bill'' Williamson
8:38 Javier Escuela
9:36 Jack Marston
10:35 Abigail Roberts (Abigail Marston after the Epilogue)
11:33 Susan Grimshaw
12:18 ''Uncle''
12:56 Sean Macguire
13:50 Lenny Summers
14:34 Micah Bell III
15:50 Hosea Matthews (I don't think the decisions you mentioned are wrong on Hosea's part, can't write too much but I will say that, we don't know the whole story behind the bank robbery)
17:30 Charles Smith
18:25 Sadie Adler
19:27 John Marston
21:00 Dutch Van Der Linde
22:40 Arthur Morgan (cliché)
You totally forgot Cain the dog, just kidding.
It’s one thing to care about your interests but it’s another thing to kill people (deserving and undeserving) to protect those interests. Micha is evil, in world of criminals he manages to stand out, whether that be by threatening to kill uncle, being racist, picking on weaker members of the gang, killing jacks dog for no reason, plotting to turn in his leader and being an unpleasant person overall, Micha is pretty evil and the game lets you know that.
@@junovibo9199 Yeah. I kind of made a lapse in my judgement. I immediately thought about the situation with skinny. He kills him AND his wife and laughs about it. It is very clear that he derives pleasure from watching people struggle in pain. I will edit that comment out.
jack being that high is a tragedy
Anyone who genuinely thinks Micah destroyed the gang needs to replay it.
@@JXßT3R I mean he did pull the final trigger but your right the gang was being destroyed by other factors that are not Micah
Dutch's gang broke one of the cardinal rules of visiting the south: never assume a thick accent means they're stupid...or your the one who'll get swindled.
Catherine saw right thru them from the start and used them to wage a proxy war with the Grays. And the Grays never fully trusted them.
Hosea and Dutch assumed the surviving southern families were just dumb rasict hicks...until they realized they were being played by both sides, Sean died, and Jack was kidnapped.
Really, everthing from ch3 onward seems to be Dutch biting off more than he can chew. Hes def full of ideals and moxie, but hes not as smart as he thinks he is.
Dutch acts more and more like a poker player on full tilt, raising stakes and going all in with crap cards... How coul he seriously believe there was any money in a tram station ? 🤔 Dude's completely delusional at that point 😞
He always has a plan. Why did you start doubting?
I honestly really agree with this list. Some really good points about Molly and other characters. I feel like this list really got a lot of points other lists don't. Good video man!also would love a video about arthur. Truely one of a kind character
I do like Mary Beth. She definitely can be useuful, providing tips for robberys, and even has a robbery mission, and was too sweet for the camp, I like the detail of her being the only one nice one to Kieran when he was tied up, and also seeing the good in everyone, and her talks with Arthur are always good. Her character represents the naive girl who is seduced into a life she wouldn't normally do, and her achieving her dream is really good.
Arthur... Arthur... Arthur! I *_SOBBED_* during Arthur's last ride. Between "That's the Way It Is" and "May I, Unshaken" i was a mess. It was as if i had lost a family member... no book or movie ever got me to weep for a fictional character like i did for Arthur. But then i spent 100+ hours with Arthur, watching his dark side struggle with hope and selflessness as real things that bring value to our lives -- its just something i never experienced in a movie or book. It was a 3D experience.
Say what you will about Uncle.
But, he was smart, funny, and witty.
Never afraid to say it how it was or tell you off for a blatantly stupid idea.
Uncle was a thinker, a philosopher, and it paid off.
I'd love to sit and have a beer with him, if I could.
Live love laugh uncle
I still laugh when uncle says 'i was thinking' and arthur answers 'does it pay well?'
Great upload. RDR2 is the best gane ive ever played. Im 52 and been gaming since I was in my teens. Arthur Morgan is best, most realised gaming character ever developed. I wont lie, I cried like a baby when he died in the game. The only criticism i can give the game, is the Austin part of the map should have been available sooner rather than in the Epilogue.
fr every time i would get ambushed by bounty hunters
Play other games
Thank you for what you said about Molly! People forget she's about 20 years younger than Dutch
Swanson definitely breaks in the top 10 for me. For how depressing chapter 6 was, Swanson was a much needed injection of hope and Perseverance.
Also, on most of my play-throughs, I never do the sister side quest, solely because I prefer Swanson's farewell.
i like your list! very unique compared to a lot of the others i’ve seen
your knowledge of the game also comes through in how you explain your rankings, great video.
I found it shocking that Leopold Strauss refused to say anything about the gang. I saw him as the type to prey on the weak to his advantage. Didn't really think he cared much for the gang.
I honestly think he just didn’t want to further incriminate himself
I was surprised when he involved himself in the riverboat heist
Strauss was always loyal to dutch ever since he gave him a home when he first arrived to america
@@User-swj-dutch gave him a home when he was about 40 he lived on his own for a long time.
@@thefederalbureauofinvestig6467 they said they picked him up after he first arrived from his boat
Unpopular opinion: Strauss is only hated so much because of the TB mission. Hes just as bad of a character as eveyone else in the Van Der Linde gang (except mid to late game Arthur)
A lot of these characters’ backstories, it seems the main villain is actually Dutch. He takes advantage of people who are idealistic, down and out, or both, never actually caring about any of them or the principles he uses to keep them under his influence.
He's their villain and their savior
you know the game is a masterpiece when even the lower rankings has mostly positive feedbacks
Not a masterpiece
@@BigSmoke-ew5tdhow is it not?
@@Sway1215 It’s got such boring segments
@@BigSmoke-ew5td Tbf not everything has to have action every mission. It's like doing missions for truth in San Andreas but I still consider San Andreas a masterpiece
@@Sway1215 But not every mission has to be boring
I feel like the whole story is actually about John. Arthur is just an avenue for John to kickstart his redemption arc.
Idk what it is, but the way you talk, the way youre videos are paced, but everything about your rdr2 videos are so damn good and enjoyable
Arthur: "Charles, will you ride with me?"
Charles: "Always."
Fucken best line to sum up his character.
BTW, you're a GOAT for this content; I hope you know it is thoroughly enjoyable and in my personal humble opinion, I really like long videos. I like when you take your time so I hope you never feel rushed or anything, I don't know how making videos works but just thought you may want to hear that someone thinks you're doing fucking great and are doing a phenomenal job.
i also agree the women deserved to have more to them, theres a lot of potential there. lennys death also hit me hard, i named my tiger striped bay mustang Magpie after his mustang Maggie. magpies are known for their intelligence :-(
Man your videos are amazing. Also suggestion: rank every gun in rdr2
Yes good idea
When I saw Molly's ranking coming up I braced myself for the most braindead takes ever to be uttered. Thank you for not just saying "Molly bad cause woman have emotion." -A Molly enjoyer
Molly is so misunderstood
-Molly defender
Javier is actually one of my favorite characters in the entire story, but its sad that rockstar didnt flesh him out like they could have. He had so much potential, and you were totally right with him being a bro who is down to unwind when he can, and that he is also deadly if you cross him, but the problem comes with "Sides with". Javier never had any ill intentions against John or Arthur, but instead he took his best shot at survival. Now im not saying he didn't care about the gang, but he was a little more concerned with himself at around chapter 6. You can see throughout the story that the further down you go, the more disconnected Javier as a character gets from the gang. By chapter 6, he basically just became a side character to the whole game. He barely even had dialogue or missions, where as in the first chapter, half of the missions were with Javier. But with him "Siding" With dutch, what choice did Javier have? Fighting alongside his friends, Arthur and John and most likely dying in the process, or going with everyone else in an attempt to survive but betray his friends. Even in RDR1, you can see that Javier didn't want to kill John, and John didn't want to kill Javier. In RDR2, Javier hesitates before choosing to side with Dutch in a last attempt at survival. Javier never had any personal problems with anyone (besides maybe Bill), and was always happy to help his friends in need and go out to almost kill themselves. Javier had so much potential and i hope that in RDR3 (If it ever is a thing) That they Flesh out Javier's character more. I'd love to see a red dead game centered about Javier's story, as he is so unknown!
Feel bad for him too, he just like charles we all know he has a good soul.
I mean bro you have to remember him and Micah literally whispering stuff to each other, and him telling Arthur to go away because it's private. Him yelling at Charles about him being loyal to Arthur and betraying Dutch. He also left John to die in the final mission of ch6.
@@5689i Thats a good point but Javier was being influenced like Dutch and Bill by Micah, even if Javier didnt like him i think Javier knew that if he sided against Dutch he would end up dead. And my point of Javier not really being able to choose what he had to do still stands. In the end, I think Javier really had good intentions but just wanted to survive. He had to play along the game with Micah.
This is actually one of the best written videos I have ever seen.
You know what, I would have always put Micah at last, even though his character is written well enough to make me hate him the way that I do, I just... Well I hate him lol
But you kind of opened my eyes to something I never really thought about before, I always think of Micah as the downfall for everybody but, Strauss is the one who sent Arthur on the job that would cost him his life
I have to rethink my entire world now
Here's an interesting idea : rank every hat or other headgear in RDR2
#1 is clearly Uncle... THE MAN SURVIVED LUMBAGO!
This deserves millions of views man, super well made
The character of Dutch is paralleled by Captain Flint in the television series Black Sails. A patriarchal philosopher who will burn the world to get his men the dream he promised them, but having to sacrifice the weak and lost to save the dreams of the strong and loyal, he eventually loses his way and becomes a follower of shadows rather than possibilities.
Dude, I forgot how much I loved these characters. Thank you.
i was in genuine shock when sean got a hole in his head. the unexpectedness takes away from the insane plot armor arthur has and makes it seem more "real"
This os probably the best tier list I see for many years Duffy was forgotten but anyway
You did it!
We love a extra long video and as always this was high quality. I loved your singing in the end btw 👍
My guy, you completely hit the nail on the head. Bravo.
yall dont fw tilly like i do
I fw Tilly. I love her so much and I wish she had more screen time.
also she looks sooooo hot when she's covered in dust and dirt in "No, no, and thrice no"
I f tilly
I fuck heavy with Tilly. Never ignore Tilly at camp.
@TheBeanManWhoLovesBeans why you simping over a fictional game character in a cowboy game
Great choice in background music, The Man in Me is a straight up banger 💪
This list isn't bad but I believe Strauss should be ranked higher. I believe he is a bit underrated and receives too much hate. I mean when you really take the time to break it down and analyze it, he is no worse than some other members of the Van der Linde Gang. Yes Strauss caused damage to families, but so do the gangs main heavy gun slinging members and enforcers, maybe even more so... Characters like Arthur, John, Charles, Bill, Sadie, Micah, along with Mac and Davey Calendar are responsible for scores of individuals that were never seen by their family members again (keep in mind that these men are most likely the providers for their families, you loot a lot of wedding rings off corpses lol). Dutch is no better basically orchestrating the deaths of hundreds of people over the gangs time running. What I'm trying to say is they may have a bit of morality, but they are bad people (Arthur, John, Charles and Sadie all share this same feeling through dialogue), all of them destroy families in one way or another. And yes some people have a right to feel hatred towards Strauss for indirectly getting Arthur sick, but when you think about the fact he was just doing his duty to the gang and trying to earn them desperately needed money when they were in a bad spot. Arthur as a character also doesn't seem to mind that debt collecting. Especially towards the beginning most of his dialogue which you can't control is quite hostile and he seems to enjoy it at points. It is only when he becomes sick and sees Miss's Downs that he seems to have a change in morality towards these missions. So now that we've kinda established that he really hasn't caused any more damage than other members. Let's bring up the positives. Number one he actually contributes to the Gang, not just monetarily through his loan-sharking and other ventures, but he also acts as the gangs doctor, which back then I don't know if many of you will understand how crucial that really is. These are wanted men having a doctor among you is a huge asset, he also uses his carriage to provide the gang with medicine and other equipment. Strauss is kinda like Uncle in the sense that they may not be involved in many missions or jobs but when push comes to shove both display they are willing to get involved Hands-On like many other gang members. Strauss assists Arthur during the poker challenge and heist on the boat and he also brings tips to the Gang. Secondly and most importantly I would say his intense loyalty to the gang and it's members. When Arthur loses his cool and kicks Strauss out of camp he reacts genuinely surprised and hurt by these actions stating to Arthur "why are you doing this we are friends". Some people might question whether or not Strauss was being genuine but I believe what happened after he left proves that enough. When he was captured by the Pinkerton detective agency they spent a large period of time torturing him, demanding that he reveal information about the Gang. Even though he had technically been kicked out he refused to say a word and died in custody due to his bad condition. (And despite the split in the gang he didn't reveal any information on members that he might have not even been on good terms with which shows even more commitment) Both John and Charles, some of the gangs more honourable members give him credit for this with John saying "he was a fellow who was strong in ways you couldn't see". I think this speaks volumes to his character and why he never should ever be ranked last compared to actual rats like Micah or possible rats like Molly O'Shea (not to mention the lady is literally useless doesn't contribute to anything around camp and also doesn't play a part in a single story mission). Strauss was forced to emigrate from the Austrian empire when he was very young due to his health. He arrived right in the middle of the draft riots and his uncle, who was his only relative in the US died of heart attack right in front of him. From there he was basically forced to fend for himself, to me that is also a harrowing story. Strauss might not be loved by all but he doesn't deserve the level of dislike that he received from the fan base. I just can't when compared to the amount of damage that members like Micah/Joe/ Cleet caused.
Well, I don’t think strauss is the most morally wrong character as screwing peoples lives is still better then killing them. But clearly this video is more then just how bad of a person everyone is because i’f it was then Micah would be the lowest and those women he mentioned in the beginning would be on the top. Strauss is just a parasite, who we only see the bad side of. He’s got nothing for him because he’s lame and isn’t dynamic in the slightest. At least micah is kind of an interesting “joker” like physcopath character and I think there are actually a couple times in the game where he feels empathy or remorse. But strauss is weak ass man who doesn’t even have the balls to do his own dirty work. All he does in the game is benifit from hurting others.
@@A_youtube_channel_ not how bad of a person it is if it was then he would be higher. The character has a pretty interesting backstory and does contribute several ways as I've stated above. He definitely deserves a higher rank. He rated Molly high up.. literally just because her backstory had to do with her being some rich b**** that became an outlaw... And then literally did f****** nothing but complain. Never contributed to anything except for negative things for the gang and the only mission she ever asks if anyone is for Arthur to get her a mirror or some s*** like that. Now that's at the bottom of the list we can talk about who comes next... But she's the worst. Other than her backstory her characters design is dreadful and her actions in the game are dreadful to match.
Who gonna read allat
@@boyworld8478 ?
The difference is strauss steal from the poor while other gang members steal from the rich & deserving.
Dude your channel is so good. You give such good explanations rather than just “I don’t like them.” You go really in depth on all your opinions. Great video!
I noticed the characters who sided with Arthur tend to wear blue or something with blue, and those who turned against him wear red, or am I just crazy?
Oh you're right! Thinking about this, Dutch's outfits feature red, while Arthur's default outfits have blue
Reflectiny the American flag?: red symbolizes hardiness and valor, blue represents vigilance, perseverance and justice
I have a theory about this too! Dutch and Micah are the only ones who are constantly wearing red, no matter what outfit they’re wearing. And in the epilogue, Dutch isn’t wearing red anymore, yet Micah is, signifying that Micah thought they were still a team whilst Dutch had secretly already abandoned him.
Man, It's basic Iconography since... well, the start of the human life almost.
It's also seen on the Whitmore suit for the river boat mission. If you have high honor you get a blue ascot with a blue vest, but if your low honor it has a red tie and vest.
Trewlany really doesn’t get the respect he deserves. I think if there’s anyone that played their card the best way IT’S HIM. He unofficially was part of the gang. Never got his hands (dirty). Yeah he found himself in sticky situations but anyone illegally trying to finagle their way to the top was bound for that. He also chose the right people to align himself with. He always got the gang good scores and even was the reason Sean was saved. But kept his private life far from the camps. Once things got spooky for the gang he got the he realized, grabbed his family, and got the hell outta dodge. He’s a more cunning and ambitious version of Nigel West Dickens
Great video, I really enjoyed it.
And I agree with your ranking except I would have put Sadie as #2, Charles as #3 John as #4 and Dutch as #5.
Sadie is definitely my favorite side character,
you know when you ride with her on a mission there will be a lot of gunplay, she is a beast.
She also made the biggest change as a character, going from a mild mannered grieving widow to a badass gunslinger.
There is no way Dutch is below top 3 in any list. His presence is always captivating.
About revernd Swanson: if you buy a newspaper you can find an article that says he's the priest of the New York church
We all know number one spot is Cain 🦴
RIP
@@filmsbyhen fly high 🥺
The only thing i remember hanging around the camp about uncle is that he's always sleeping even in the afternoon
Micah above Lenny is wild
There is a difference between a likeable character (Lenny) and a well written character that added a lot to the story (Micah)
Hosea's role in the bank robbery is different depending on your honor, I think. Cause low honor it's you'll doom us all, and high honor it's him pushing for it.
I totally agree with Strauss but after he got kicked out he was Tortured for anything about Dutch’s gang but he never spoke resulting in his death so u Gotta give it to him there.
Arthurs' death made me actually cry after spending so much time with him that it really hurts that you die by such a despicable character that you've hated since the start.
Keep this up, one of my new favorite channels!! ❤
Arthur: Will you ride with me?
Charles: Always.
One of my favorite characters.
I know everyone put Arthur for the first spot , but for me , I’ll go with Dutch . Absolutely phenomenal character and voice actor
Nah Arthur still better than Dutch by far
You mumbling "That's the way it is" made me laugh while I was crying for Arthur brother 😄🥲🥲
1. Arthur (duh)
2. Charles (the absolute goat)
3. John
4. Sadie
5. Dutch
I love Charles smith bro, wish we got a dlc where we play as him, same with Sadie
Bro I heard "That's the way it is" and I broke in tears
This video is truly a masterpiece. How you don’t have a million subscribers is beyond me. Anyone with half a brain can tell you out a lot of time into this video. Not only did you in my opinion properly rank these characters but you shared it in a way that was so colorful and engaging. Making these characters feel even more real. Thank you for the video and I am now a loyal subscriber. Keep up the fantastic work ! Truly a great video
I’ve played the story 5 times and I cried every time at Arthur’s death. I still scream at my monitor the Micah is the rat.
Molly and especially The Reverend are way to high on this list. I sometimes forget about Molly’s existence entirely but Swanson drukenly singing around camp and starting drunk conversations with Arthur are the single most annoying camp interactions in the entire game. His mission in the beginning of the game is annoying, and honestly his only saving grace is that he has a character arc where he gets sober, but even then you don’t even get to see that character arc to its completion unless you have low honor, otherwise you get the far superior cutscene with sister Caldera.
No video game ever had made me cry for a fictional character like how i bawled for Arthurs death. Creating a bond between player and character really makes one not want the charcter u have grown so close to, to die.
I think you underestimate Mary Beth and how much she contributes to the gang because as Arthur says in one of the stage coach robbery side quests with her and Sean, Mary Beth has probably robbed more people than most of the gang put together and that she is a master pickpocket.
Great vid love bringing up the phases in chapters. I feel like when you play you get stuck in chapters and only remember some of the members by how they were in the end. The change is not always so noticeable but the stark contrasts of the start and the end usually get lost in arthurs epic story. Loved the video
I didnt even know Sean and Karen had a romance😭
Love the video man also love your song choices from good, bad, and the ugly to Bob Dylan especially
I like Sean kieran and lenny sad how they died so fast especially Sean that ambush in Rhodes was not expected for 😢
I'm a bit late to this, but gotta say man, fantastic video! even if I disagree with some placements, all your arguments make a lot of sense.
I agree with you on the Molly ranking. Walking in the camp hearing her cry to Dutch but I do see how he is being towards her i wasn’t surprised she told
But was it Micah who was the rat after all?
It was really fun watching you add trinity titoli to the video esspecially as someone who's favourite movie is Django uncahined
Think you completely missed the point with Strauss. Strauss is a 'cleaner' version of criminal, the deals he agrees with people are manipulative and predatory, but they're "legit". They're agreements made with both parties accepting the terms. There is the threat of consequences, and ultimately Leopold probably knows what he is doing and that he will use the gang to enforce the deals with violence. That said, he is extremely hard to like, but the rest of the gang are arguably a lot worse. They murder, kill, torture, often needlessly and overly violently. Yet Leopold isn't involved in any of that. Yes, that makes him a disgusting person, as he is involved and complicit, but he's probably more moral than most of the gang. We never see him kill anybody directly, and when kicked out the gang and given an easy opportunity to get revenge for his expulsion, he actually stays loyal, despite it costing him his life.
Strauss is there to show us that we're hypocrites. We love the gang members, particularly Arthur and John, but both of them are thieves and murderers who we would consider horrific people were they not the protagonists of the story. Yet we hate Strauss. Do you stop to ask yourself whether that's fair? Is he any worse than the rest of them? Is he LESS immoral than the rest? I hate him, mostly because he uses other people to do his dirty work rather than get his hands dirty, but I also think from a logical standpoint, he really isn't the worst of them.
i honestly really like this perspective. Its easy to hate Strauss because perhaps his criminality is something we in the modern world are familiar with, but that doesn’t make him much worst- or really any worst then the members of the gang. During 1899, murderous gangs can destroy lives. The Van Der Linde gang sometimes have robin hood moments, but they aren’t perfect
When Sadie suddenly stabbed that dude's hand into the bar with her knife, I fell in love.
Just got to chapter four! I wonder what my three favorite (non Arthur or John) characters will get up to this time!
Edit: yeah it's been rough lately
“In a game full of likeable characters succumbing to the darkness, it’s nice to see someone find his way into the light” that just about sums up the importance of hope in stories that may not have a lot of it. Pure sadness and heartbreak is just as shallow and dull as pure uncomplicated positivity.
You should rank every shopkeeper in the game next
The in black water is the worst, he rushes me when I just want to take my time to buy necessary items.
@@Doffy11232 nah the saint denis tailor is the worst
I hate the Rhodes general store owner the most. (Not Pearson, the first guy)
He never shuts up, always rushes you, he’s a smug dick who’s always being annoying and rude for no reason, his jokes are unfunny and there’s an entire section of the game where you’re not allowed to kill him.
The trapper is my favorite
9:08 You can see that he pointed the gun after the cutscene for a brief moment.
Charles my beloved
1:34 Arthur’s random money spread always gets me
i honestly felt bad for molly, every time i hear her and dutch arguing in camp i always felt empathy for her, honestly she didn’t deserve dutch, she was way out of his league with that pretty accent anyway
thats one of the weirdest things ive ever heard.
The Django soundtrack mixed in is dope ambient background music 🔥🔥
could you do every camp/chapter ranked? or mabye rank every mission, but thats a lot so mabye do a top 20?
One thing RDR2 does not get enough praise for is how it makes look at the first Read Dead Redemption from a completely different perspective instead of seeing Bill Javier and Dutch as evil men who went crazy you now see them as family who betrayed you and went off the deep end
this is a good list. the only things i would personally change are strauss and sadie.
strauss isn't nearly as bad as a lot of people say he is. sure he does prey on people who are broke. but he never forced them to take it. and the money still helps the gang. just think some of that money went to feed jack or some of your other favorite characters. and strauss never physically kills anyone. we all love arthur. but how many people has he killed in his lifetime? and lastly strauss didn't rat when he was arrested. so he was still loyal and sacrificed himself for his friends. so i wouldn't put him at the very bottom of the list.
as for sadie i feel like she is overrated. her transition from grieving weak widow never happens. one day she's crying because of her husband. the next day she was about to fight pearson. i think she could have been more interesting if we actually saw her talk to arthur asking if he could teach her how to shoot and all the things they do. also let's not forget she can be just as crazy as micah. getting arturo killed. and causing a big shootout at colms hanging causing some police to be killed. i would put her down a few notches in the list.
I noticed when going through footage for this video that when the gang first finds Sadie, she’s not frozen in shock or hiding somewhere, she’s winging the knife around like crazy and screaming at everyone. From the start it’s shown that she’s kinda badass and she says she used to help with the hunting back at the ranch. The problem is she doesn’t really have a big role until later in the game and I agree, most of her development is off screen. It’s after the main story and before the epilogue.
As for Strauss I agree with the part about him never snitching. That was some G shit. A part of me wonders how much of it was out of loyalty vs it was trying not to incriminate himself, regardless it’s admirable.
In the end, Javier actually pointed his gun in the air, showing his neutrality in the whole thing. While the gang fell
HOW THE HELL IS MICAH NOT LAST PLACE!?
Because Micha is an amazing character, everyone hates him and that's what his character was supposed to do. I hate Micha just as much as any other person but damn if he isn't an amazing villain
Because he’s a very well written villain. If everyone didn’t hate him he would be a bad villain. He’s meant to be hated and that’s what makes him a good character
I actually screamed outloud and paused the game when sean died, it was just so sudden and I loved the guy