The stars of How I Met Your Mother. From worst to best.

How I Met Your Mother is a series that left us unforgettable moments.. Yes, I know what you are thinking. That ending hurts us to this day. But that doesn't stop us from still being able to enjoy the adventures of its protagonists (even though it's no longer on Netflix, We can still find it on Amazon Prime) and love them as if they were our own friends. That's why we want to share with you this controversial list we've put together here at Geekine: we're going to try to rank the protagonists of How i Met Your Mother from the one we like the least to the one that is our undisputed favorite.. Will it be controversial? Of course it will be. And we hope you can start a (friendly) conversation in the comments if you disagree.

Oh, and we must warn you that some spoilers are coming from the series. If you have not seen it and wish to do so, we recommend not to continue reading this article. On the other hand, if you already have or don't care, go ahead.

Number 6: Marshall

We can imagine it's a surprise - how dare we put Marshall in last place? And, besides, how can it be the sixth place if there are only five protagonists? Well, patience. We'll get to that. The truth is that as it happens to all of us, we love Marshall. Y makes How I Met Your Mother have that friendly, family atmosphere that only Jason Segel is able to give it.. Marshall has a beautiful character arc. Because he's someone who had a traditional family and a fairly ordinary lifestyle. As he falls in love and plans to spend his life with Lily (the series begins with these two getting engaged), he is forced to rethink his outlook on life and understand that not everyone has the same priorities..

The only reason we place Marshall in this spot is because the series itself does not devote as much time to these conflicts as they deserve. However, the series does dwell on his grieving process when his father dies. What's more, Marshall's reaction to learning the fatal news is one of the most touching moments in all of How I Met Your Mother.. It is one of the best demonstrations of Jason Segel's acting quality.

Number 5: Robin

She is the starting point of the series. She is the one who stirs up the preconfirmed group of friends made up of Ted, Marshall, Barney and Lily and gives them the relationship dynamics that would nurture How I Met Your Mother's identity. She is, without a doubt, a strong and independent woman. He leaves his country, Canada, to try his luck in New York journalism. Her personality would end up being a very good complement to Lily's. In addition, his roots became a very good recurring joke in the series. But the best thing about the character is his exciting past as a musical celebrity in the North Country.

The reason we place her in this position has nothing to do with Cobbi Smulders' acting ability. She is an immensely talented actress. But we can't help but feel that Robin's character arc was somewhat wasted. And, worse, many things that make her an integral part of the main group are left to the viewer's imagination. We have no doubt that she and Lily can be good friends. Or that her relationship with Marshall can create fun dynamics. But the series chooses to tell rather than show.

Number 4: Ted

It is very strange to put the main protagonist of the series in this post. The series is called How I Met Your Mother, but, really, the moments devoted to Ted meeting the mother of his children are relatively few. Other than that, he also has his moments. He's a cultured and intelligent guy, however, he doesn't end up feeling truly comfortable anywhere outside of his friends. His character arc is interesting, as it's about him coming to grips with his own expectations about life and realizing that things aren't and shouldn't necessarily be the way he expects. And that's not a straight path. Ted falls, gets up, falls down again, looks for another path, and comes back to the same one. A whirlwind of emotions and desires. Altogether, this makes him a deeply human character.

We placed him in fourth place only because, the way his story was laid out, it was somewhat frustrating to see how he always fell into how much he loved Robin without being able to let go of that feeling. Especially considering that she didn't reciprocate the feeling. Despite the above, Ted is a character we love. And it's always nice to see Josh Radnor show off his talent to make us laugh and touch us with the stories he plays.

Number 3: Lily

Lily is the graphic representation of what it means to take risks. Deep down, she wants to be free to fulfill her artistic dreams. But, at the same time, she longs for married life with Marshall. It is this constant tension that shapes her unique and individual character arc. We treasure and love Lily because through her, very complex issues are explored, such as dysfunctional families and the existence of unwanted motherhood. Issues that, for a sitcom with this level of popularity, is deeply risky. A risk that today is highly valued.

We put Lily on the podium because in addition to making a good part of the audience identify with her struggles, Alyson Hannigan's performance gives How I Met Your Mother a good and often shocking dose of humor. Who didn't laugh out loud when Lily showed unrequited sexual attraction to Robin? Or all those times she said her trademark “You, son of #$T%&”? Definitely, from our opinion, she deserves this post.

Number 2: Tracy

No, we are not cheating. The famous “mother” of the series became part of the main cast from the beginning of the last season. And it took just those few appearances for Tracy to win our hearts. She is the walking definition of less is more.. It was enough to see how she got to know each of the members of the gang to understand why Ted loved her as much as he did. Her tragic past marked by loss fit very well with the stories that How I Met Your Mother had been presenting to us in previous seasons. And, at the same time, it made her infectious optimism all the more admirable.

The character played by Cristin Milioti was so organically integrated into the group's dynamics that it is hard to believe that these people were friends for several years before. And that makes his integration even more spectacular. Without overshadowing anyone and earning his own place within the group. Also, we have to say, the scene under the umbrella in the last chapter is, at least arguably, the best scene in the entire series. Taken together, all of the above makes us give Tracy the bronze medal.

Number 1: Barney

We know that this whole list can be controversial. Some would have put Marshall higher and perhaps other people would not even have considered Tracy in this listing. But we believe that no one can deny that the undisputed king of this series is Barney Stinson himself.. Without a doubt, she is the most emblematic character of How I Met Your Mother. And the best recurring jokes come from him. Like “Legend, wait for it... dary”, “It's the dream” or his percentages that, for some reason, always involved a number 82.

His quirky, oddball personality is the perfect complement to a series like this. He can be irritating at times, but we don't know what we'd do without him. While we credit Tracy and Ted with the best scene of the series, we would run out of time to talk about all the moments when Neil Patrick Harris, playing Barney, stole the show. Also, where would we start? Her first appearance? The time she met Ted in the bathroom? The move to romance Robin? The time she went to find Lily in San Francisco? Her wedding? The time she met her daughter? For all of this, and more, is that we consider Barney to be the best character on How I Meet Your Mother.

However, we do not claim to have the absolute truth. Do you disagree with anything on this list? Please let us know. Tell us, which How I Met Your Mother character do you like the most? What is your own list? Please tell us. We're looking forward to reading from you.

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