Surprisingly, Sons of Anarchy's Most Violent Character Isn't The One With The Highest Kill Count

All members of the title club in Sons of Anarchy have a violent side they tap into when needed, and, surprisingly, the club’s most violent character isn’t the one with the highest kill count. Back in 2008, Kurt Sutter took the audience to the fictional town of Charming, California, to meet the motorcycle club Sons of Anarchy in the TV series of the same name. Sons of Anarchy follows the rise and fall of Jackson “Jax” Teller (Charlie Hunnam), the son of one of the club’s founding members and VP of the club during his step-father, Clay Morrow’s (Ron Perlman), presidency.

Jax and Clay’s ideas for the club clash as Jax looks to fulfill his father’s vision, but with time, Jax leaves those ideas behind and turns increasingly violent to protect the club and his family. Throughout seven seasons, SAMCRO faces various enemies and its members go through different tragedies within the club and in their personal lives. All SAMCRO members (except Half-Sack) kill at least one person throughout the events of Sons of Anarchy but, surprisingly, its most violent member has a low kill count.

Otto Delaney Was Sons Of Anarchy’s Most Violent Character, But Has A Low Kill Count

Otto Delaney Spent All Sons Of Anarchy In Prison

SAMCRO’s members all had different backgrounds and reasons for joining the club, but most of them were fiercely loyal to their brothers. Among those loyal members was Otto Delaney (Sutter), who, years before the events of Sons Of Anarchy, was sent to prison for second-degree murder and theft. However, Otto continued committing crimes for SAMCRO while in prison, resulting in his sentence being lengthened multiple times and, ultimately, in his death sentence. Despite his loyalty to the club being tested a couple of times, Otto remained loyal to his brothers.

Otto’s off-screen crimes and actions were mentioned various times throughout Sons Of Anarchy, but it wasn’t until season 5 that viewers could witness how far Otto was willing to go. Otto tricked Tara into smuggling a weapon for him with which he killed a prison nurse, which led to the worst years of his life as the nurse’s brother, a US Marshall, made sure he was tortured almost daily. Otto’s most radical action in Sons Of Anarchy was biting off his own tongue, proving his loyalty to the club, and he later cut the throat of the US Marshall.

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Otto was unpredictable, so much so that even his loyalty to the club was questioned by the audience, and not even his brothers could predict what he would do next. Bitting his own tongue off was Otto’s wildest action, and all those around him, even if they already knew him, were right in fearing him – and yet, even with the deaths of the Toric siblings and other prisoners during the events of Sons Of Anarchy, Otto has a low kill count with only five known deaths before and during the show.

Jax Has The Highest Kill Count Across All Seasons Of Sons Of Anarchy

Jax Teller Became More Violent After Two Personal Tragedies

Perhaps unsurprisingly, the Sons of Anarchy character with the highest kill count is Jax. Throughout seven seasons, Jax killed a total of 45 people, including Clay, Unser, and his own mother, Gemma. The character with the second-highest kill count is none other than Tig Trager with 26 kills, which include Damon Pope’s daughter (which led to the horrifying murder of his own daughter and the death of Opie), and Opie’s wife, Donna. Next is Happy Lowman, with 23 kills, and who famously got a smiley face tattooed on his ribs for every kill.

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Otto Delaney was the most unpredictable SAMCRO member and the most violent one, but he couldn’t come close to Jax’s kill count across all seasons of the show. Jax wasn’t exactly a violent man, but he didn’t hesitate to kill to protect the club and his family, even if that meant killing the people he loved the most.

Sons of Anarchy, created by Kurt Sutter, follows a notorious outlaw motorcycle club, the Sons of Anarchy, as they confront drug dealers, corporate developers, and law enforcement to protect their livelihoods and their hometown of Charming, CA. Loosely based on William Shakespeare's "Hamlet," Sons of Anarchy explores what happens when the seduction of money and power comes between family. The show follows the Teller and Morrow family legacies, with Jackson 'Jax' Teller handling his duties as the V.P. of the club while dealing with the new president - his stepfather - Clay Morrow.

Release Date September 8, 2008

Seasons 7

Streaming Service(s) Hulu

Showrunner Kurt Sutter