1) Ellie - nobody comes even close for me, the one and only Ellie
2) Abby - the fact that she gets to have one spot above Papa Joel says it all, at first I wasn't fully on board, but Laura Bailey and the narrative slowly pull you in; also has some of the best encounters in the entire game (Rat King I hate you)
3) Joel - not just his overall badass cowboy daddy look - that hairline! but also the maturity and tenderness of Baker's performance
4) Lev - this kid is just the best and needs to be protected at all cost, smart and capable
5) Jesse - Jesse is The Man, still can't believe he's gone, that one hurt, a lot
6) Tommy/Maria - cheated a bit here but I see them as equally badass since the first game, especially Maria who leads an entire community; Tommy is a sniper terminator
7) Yara - can't mention Lev without her lovely and caring sister Yara, really helped in building Abby's character as well
8) Owen - contemplated placing him higher actually, but there's not Top 10 characters of Part II without Owen really; essential to Abby's growth and just overall nice, good guy
9) Dina - almost dropped out of top 10 honestly in favor of Nora! Might be shocker for some, and I don't consider Dina to be a bad or badly written character, just wasn't as much of a fan really. She's there, she's unintrusive, she's good for Ellie, that's about it.
10) Marlene - surprising top 10 entry, I really liked Marlene in the first game and always held her side, even when Joel kills her for wanting to hurt his baby girl, and Part II not only shows her in beautiful current gen rendering, but also confirms the fact that the choice was not as easy for her, as it was for Abby's father - thank you Marlene, miss you still
*honorable mentions: Nora (she was alright, I really liked her and wish she had more to do), Manny - the one who spits on Papa Joel after that scene, yes, but Manny becomes instantly loveable once you get to know him; deserved a bullet from Tommy though - sorry amigo, Isaac - Jeffrey Wright chewing an apple, that is all