Both Breaking Bad and its prequel series Better Call Saul have high body counts. Centered around Walter White's descent from a chemistry teacher to a drug kingpin and the criminal underground of drug cartels, many characters succumb to the deadly side of the drug industry. Many of these lovable characters had painfully sad deaths in the Breaking Bad universe.

Some viewers may have rewatched Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul and reflected on the most tragic deaths in the franchise. Across two shows and a movie, certain characters stood out for leaving viewers in tears as they made their final exit. That said, not everyone who died between Breaking Bad, El Camino, and Better Call Saul deserved to be mourned. Despite their lack of innocence, however, there is a fine line that even viewers hesitate to cross when it comes to doling out death and judgment.

Updated on May 3, 2024, by Ajay Aravind: Both Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul are television masterpieces — and although their fandoms are mostly overlapping, some still consider the latter show to be superior. These two narratives aren't exactly action-oriented, but they each have their own fair share of character deaths. Unsurprisingly, some of these deaths are deeply tragic. As such, we've updated this list of saddest Breaking Bad deaths.

15 Victor Took Pleasure In the Suffering of Others, Making His Murder Bittersweet for Fans

Breaking Bad: Season 4, Episode 1, "Box Cutter"

As one of Gustavo Fring's henchmen, Victor is definitely not one of the more relatable villains in Breaking Bad, but audiences still felt sorry as they watched Victor meet his gruesome fate at Gus' hands. Victor might have been an extremely loyal minion, but he foolishly allows himself to be seen by witnesses after Gale Boetticher's murder. Gus would have forgiven his indiscretions if they had to do with torturing or killing people — however, putting Los Pollos Hermanos at risk becomes unforgivable.

Gus seemingly threatens Jesse and Walt with a box cutter, a sight that Victor revels in. As such, almost everyone is stunned when Gus slits Victor's throat and lets him bleed to death. Because of how much pleasure Victor seemed to take in the pain of others, his death definitely ranks on this list. The fact that it's so hard to feel much sympathy for him, however, puts it all the way at the bottom.

14 Tortuga's Death Was One of Breaking Bad's Most Brutal and Violent

Breaking Bad: Season 3, Episode 1, "Negro y Azul"

Played by Danny Trejo, Tortuga appears very briefly during the early seasons of Breaking Bad. As a runner for the Cartel, Tortuga is one of Juan Bolsa's many employees, although there's very little backstory offered to flesh out this character. At the same time, viewers learn that he's been slyly working with the Texan branch of the DEA, making him a classic snitch.

Tortuga's impending death is all but certain, but the manner in which he's executed is nothing less than tragic. Leonel and Marco Salamanca behead Tortuga using a machete before placing his decapitated head on an explosive-rigged tortoise crawling through the desert. The scene is so shocking that even Hank has a breakdown, forcing him to abandon his role as a DEA Liaison. Fans would have loved to see more of Trejo in Better Call Saul, but that unfortunately never happened.

13 Krazy-8's Murder Was a Major Turning Point for Walter White

Breaking Bad: Season 1, Episode 3, "...And the Bag's In the River"

Krazy-8 initially survives a phosphine gas explosion after he attempts to ambush Walt and Jesse's RV in Breaking Bad. Walt faces a moral dilemma when he realizes Krazy-8 is still alive and decides to keep him hostage in Jesse's basement. After concluding that Krazy-8 is probably going to kill him with a broken plate, Walt strangles him with a bike lock and dissolves his body in acid to dispose of the evidence of his first murder.

Better Call Saul further explores Krazy-8's storyline from Breaking Bad. The prequel series shows a more sympathetic and sadder narrative of a man trapped within the cartel and being used as leverage against the cops. Moreover, after killing Krazy-8, Walt begins to rationalize murdering others, something that his character had not contemplated so easily beforehand. Better Call Saul offers a more sympathetic origin for this character, showing him not as Krazy-8 but as Domingo Molina.

12 Lydia Rodarte-Quayle's Daughter Suffered the Consequences of Her Crimes

Breaking Bad: Season 5, Episode 16

Viewers initially empathize with Lydia Rodart-Quayle because she comes off as easily agitated, but she's just as violent and ruthless as the rest of the villains in the Breaking Bad Universe. She casually makes deals that benefit her, even if it means countless others have to die in the process. Lydia's decision to team up with Jack Welker, however, leads to her undoing. As punishment for her various crimes, Walter White doses her tea with ricin.

Lydia doesn't realize her fate until she calls Todd for information about Walter, only for the latter to reveal his secret poison plan. Although the audience despises Lydia at this point, they can't help but feel sad for her now-orphan daughter, whom she obviously loved very much. Unfortunately, her actions resulted in her untimely demise, which was only confirmed in the El Camino movie.

11 Combo's Death Struck Viewers Because He Was Shot By A Child

Breaking Bad: Season 2, Episode 11, "Mandala"

Combo is best known for his friendship with Jesse Pinkman. He's also responsible for the iconic RV that becomes a mobile meth camper for Walt and Jesse, even if he steals the vehicle from his own mother. Combo eventually becomes part of the Blue Sky crew, helping Walter distribute his iconic blue meth around the city. Along with Badger and Skinny Pete, Combo is tasked with selling the drug in an area previously dominated by another gang.

He might be a minor character with very few lines, but watching a young boy shoot Combo leaves the audience staggered by the sudden brutality of the crime. Combo has one of the saddest deaths in Breaking Bad. There's a small scene in Better Call Saul where Jesse talks about Combo, showing that he really cares about his friend. As a result, his death leaves a void in Jesse's heart, one that almost makes him reconsider the gravity of his situation.

10 Andrea Cantillo Offered Jesse a Different Path But Got Caught In the Crossfire

Breaking Bad: Season 4, Episode 12, "End Times"

When Jesse meets Andrea for the first time, he's actually trying to sell her meth. However, he eventually begins a relationship with her, becoming a somewhat father figure for her young son Brock. After realizing Walt had poisoned Brock, Jesse breaks off his partnership with Walt. This split results in Jack imprisoning Jesse. When Jesse tries to escape, the Nazis take Jesse to Andrea's house, Todd Alquist shoots her in the head, and Jesse can't do anything but scream helplessly.

Jesse's relationship with Andrea is a turning point for him — he's finally able to care for something greater than his drug enterprise with Walt and finds a second family in the Cantillos. Jesse even puts his life at risk numerous times to ensure the safety of Andrea's young brother and son. Her brutal execution, however, eradicates everything Jesse cared about. That said, Andrea's role was too small for fans to develop any real connection with her, explaining why she's not ranked any higher on this list.

9 Steven Gomez's DEA Career Put Him at Risk, but Fans Still Mourned Him

Breaking Bad: Season 5, Episode 12, "Rabid Dog"

Steven Gomez was Hank Schrader's partner at the DEA, as well as one of his closest friends. He's a clearly caring friend, even if the banter between him and his partner occasionally verged on problematic territory. In the end, however, it was Gomie who helped Hank track down and arrest Walt. However, Walt called Jack Welker and the Nazis to come to the shoot-out, and Jack refused to back down despite Walt's pleas.

Although Gomez was killed during the crossfire, he was buried in the middle of the desert along with Hank. Gomez was a more level-headed and less prejudiced agent than Hank. He was the first member of the DEA willing to take a chance on Hank's theory that Gus Fring ran a drug empire, despite his close ties to Albuquerque's police organizations. As such, Gomez's tragic death marked the end of a beloved Breaking Bad character.

8 Jane Margolis' Death Could Have Been Prevented, But Walter White Chose Not to Save Her

Breaking Bad: Season 2, Episode 12, "Phoenix"

Jane's relationship with Jesse reignites her drug addiction and worsens Jesse's when she introduces him to heroin. The drug causes Jesse to be frequently incapacitated and unable to cooperate with Walt. When Walt arrives to take the meth from Jesse's house, he finds both of them unconscious. Walt attempts to wake Jesse but accidentally knocks Jane onto her back, causing her to choke on her own vomit.

Walt notices she's dying but decides not to intervene, demonstrating his rather warped concept of morality and fairness. Bryan Cranston cited Jane's death as the most difficult scene to shoot in Breaking Bad, as he pictured his own daughter while watching Jane die. Jane tragically succumbs to her struggle with addiction — and her bereaved father's negligence leads to two planes colliding in mid-air, adding even more deaths to Walt's indirect body-count

7 Chuck McGill May Not Have Been a Fan Favorite Character, But His Death Hit Hard

Better Call Saul: Season 3, Episode 10, "Lantern"