GET READY FOR SOME CONTROVERSIAL RANKINGS, I LOVE EVERYONE LEFT.
45. Daphne Hatzilakos (2-9)
Best principal to ever roam Degrassi's halls! I loved her motherly relationship to Peter, her friendship to Snake, and her general loveliness/bad-assness in general. She dealt with the aftermath of a school shooting, the Degrassi/Lakehurst merge, and the aftermath of the Shep's disaster and kept Degrassi great. Originally she was just a hot science teacher, but she evolved into one of the most positive and hip adults on the show.
44. Zane Park (9-11)
Apart from being such a hottie, Zane was Riley's supportive and perfect boyfriend. He honestly made them relationship goals, as he never gave up on Riley and was such an angel to him throughout his coming out process. He also had a neat friendship with Anya. Because he had such a small role, this is the highest I can rank him, but he was such a good guy and I love him so much! Kudos to him for sticking by Riley while he dealt with all of his shit.
43. Maya Matlin (11-)
Arguably the main character of the new generation of Degrassi, it may seem shocking that I'm putting her here. I definitely really like Maya and I'm happy she's on the show! I do have some issues with her. I, 1) Am getting bored with her musician/performing storyline, as it's super overdone and a little forced in my opinion. She also was super annoying when she called out a person at her show for heckling and her dialogue is just becoming so cringeworthy. 2) Prefer her old character (not because she used to be happy and bubbly) but because she seemed more complex and she had more variety in her storylines. I like her less over-the-top storylines about her music, though, and I loved her storyline with Cam, before and after his death. She's definitely one of the most complex characters, but I'm also kind of ready for her to graduate. I just don't relate to her/love her as much as the ones after her on this list.
42. Caitlin Ryan (1-5, 7, also in Degrassi Junior High and Degrassi High)
Caitlin was such a cool adult that was wonderful in a number of ways. She was a mentor to students, especially Ellie, as well as Emma, and helped her contact her birth father. She was a loyal friend to Spike, and her relationship with Joey was so cute. I especially love that, while being a caring, kickass person, she also decided to follow her own dreams and take opportunities to become an even more successful journalist-- I just wish Joey and her didn't break up because of it. She also had some flaws that made her even more endearing-- she didn't always know what she wanted, she slept with Ellie's college boyfriend, and I can't help but sympathize with her lack of finding any successful relationships. She's super driven and passionate about the world around her, but she's not the best at being committed to others. All in all, she's a well-fleshed, compelling character that fills me with nostalgia.
41. Craig Manning (2-7)
Craig had some deep storylines, namely his bipolar disorder and abuse suffered from his father. He was also a ladies man, a great performer/musician, clever, and had neat interests. I appreciate him more now than I did when I watched Degrassi for the first time, but he never stood out to me as a favorite. He cheats on Ashley with Manny (who he originally doesn't hit it off with), and tries to start a family with Manny before she gets an abortion, which made me kind of annoyed at him for judging her harshly like he did. His cocaine problem fucks him up for a while, and honestly he puts Manny through so much shit, but I understand because he has shit of his own to deal with. He really belongs with Ellie, and maybe they get together after "Degrassi Goes Hollywood" because it left open ends-- either way, their chemistry and personalities were pretty much made for each other. I originally liked his relationship with Ashley, but it was too toxic for both of them near the end of his time on the show and I'm happy they both were free from each other. He just wasn't iconic enough to make the Top 40 I guess, but I still like him a lot.
Maya is actually very multi-dimensional in the newest Next Class season which is surprising cuz I was never into her before. Once you watch that you'll like her a little bit more cuz they show i really accurate portrayal of depression.
GET READY FOR SOME CONTROVERSIAL RANKINGS, I LOVE EVERYONE LEFT.
literally