This article is about Rick and Michonne's son. You may be looking for his Comic Universe or Road to Survival counterparts. For other pages with the same name, see: Rick |
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Rick Grimes Jr. is a survivor of the outbreak in AMC's Television Universe. He is a recurring character in The Walking Dead and a minor character in The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live.
R.J. is the son of Rick and Michonne Grimes, the half-brother of the late Carl Grimes and Andre Anthony, and the adoptive brother of Judith Grimes. He resided at the Alexandria Safe Zone with his family.
When Michonne leaves to go find R.J. and Judith's father, the kids' uncle, Daryl Dixon, becomes their guardian. Following the war against the Whisperers and the fall of Alexandria, R.J. relocates to the Commonwealth alongside Judith and Daryl.
Quick Answers
Who are Rick Grimes Jr.'s parents in The Walking Dead?
How is Rick Grimes Jr. related to Daryl Dixon in The Walking Dead?
What role does Rick Grimes Jr. play in The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live?
Who took care of Rick Grimes Jr. after his mother left in The Walking Dead?
Who are Rick Grimes Jr.'s siblings in The Walking Dead?
Overview[]
R.J. is a cheerful, amiable, innocent, and benevolent child. After the disappearance of his father, Rick Grimes, R.J. can be seen as part of his legacy that lives on. He is shown to get along with the rest of the kids well, often seen playing with them. He is apparently extremely bright as Sebastian Milton mentions that R.J. has recently jumped two grades in school.
According to Michonne, R.J. has inherited both of his parents' stubbornness and Rick's kind heart which is the trait in her son that reminds Michonne the most of her husband. Michonne tells Rick that R.J. and Judith would tell each other the story of what their father did and R.J. nicknamed Rick "The Brave Man" and himself "Little Brave Man" as a result. Michonne also tells Rick that no one has ever called R.J. "Junior" and suggests that R.J. might like a hatchet as a weapon like his father did.
Post-Apocalypse[]
Rick Grimes Jr., nicknamed R.J., was born in December 2014 to Rick and Michonne Grimes in Alexandria, Virginia. R.J. was named after his father, who was kidnapped by the Civic Republic Military in March 2014 shortly after he was conceived. R.J. was raised by Michonne alongside his older adoptive sister, Judith.
The Walking Dead[]
Season 9[]
Content |
Six years after the disappearance of his father, a 5-year-old R.J. is now living with Michonne and Judith in their home in Alexandria. As Magna sneaks around outside of their house with a knife, she opens a back door slightly but sees Michonne pick up and hug R.J., which prompts her to leave. Later, after Michonne and Judith's conversation, R.J. runs up to Michonne and asks for food, as she picks him up and hugs him once again. In Alexandria, R.J. sleeps in his bed as Michonne watches from his bedroom door.
Outside, R.J. plays with Judith and Gracie on the community streets when Michonne comes out of her house and orders Judith to keep her brother safe as she goes over to the guard post. At night, R.J. has dinner with his family and watches as his sister leaves. In Alexandria, R.J. takes shelter from the storm with the residents in the church. Later, Judith pulls a blanket over herself and her brother to keep them warm, before Gabriel decides they're moving to Aaron's house. They all tie a rope around themselves and head out into the blizzard. The next day, after the storm is over, R.J. crawls by the snow when Michonne and the others return to Alexandria. He then plays with the group in a snowball fight. |
Season 10[]
Content |
R.J. is brought alongside some children to see the beach for the first at Oceanside while the militia trains. Later on, R.J. and Judith play with some shells that R.J. found. As they dump out their seashells in the sand, a Whisperer mask falls out. Judith gets scared and informs the rest of the group. A while later, Judith tells R.J. the story about Rick blowing the bridge to save his friends. "He died and went to heaven," Judith tells R.J. about "the brave man" in her story. Michonne walks up to hug them, telling them she'd do anything to protect them. Suddenly, an explosion rings out and everyone looks up to witness streaks of fire cascading from the sky. R.J. then stays at the camp alongside his sister.
While the Alexandria residents face against waves of walkers pouring onto the community gates over the next 49 hours, R.J. sleeps at his home and is looked after by his sister. The next day, Judith keeps looking after her brother when Michonne arrives to rest with them. As they lay together in bed, R.J. cuddles next to his mother and sister. R.J. and his family dine together and share a laugh as they are joined by Daryl. The following morning, R.J. is left under the care of Daryl as Michonne and Judith head out to Hilltop and later on to Oceanside. R.J. attends the funeral service for Siddiq and listens to Gabriel's religious remarks. He is then carried away by Daryl.
When Beta attacks Alexandria and searches for Mary in the Grimes' house, R.J. remains under Judith's and Rosita's protection and watches scared as his sister shoots at him through the door of a bedroom where they are hiding with Mary. The next day, he and his sister are among the group that departs towards Hilltop in wagons. When the Alexandrians arrive at Hilltop, R.J. can be seen exiting the makeshift vehicle. When its clear that the Whisperers are about to attack Hilltop, Aaron points out that they need to focus on getting the children to safety. Daryl agrees and instructs the others to pack up and regroup at Oceanside. As the children climb into the wagon, R.J. can be seen wearing his father's hat and Daryl's vest. However, the caravan doesn't make it far before they hit a roadblock and discover that the scouts they sent earlier are dead. Daryl identifies this as one of Negan's tactics and concludes that all the other roads will be blocked, too, making a retreat impossible. R.J. is returned to Hilltop and evacuated into the building for safety. R.J., along with the other children, are rushed to safety by Ezekiel, before stopping and suddenly realizing that Judith is missing. Sometime during the fight, Earl takes over watching the kids. When Daryl, Ezekiel, and Jerry approach the cabin, they are relieved to find all of the kids alive. R.J. goes and hugs Daryl. When Michonne radios Judith, R.J. joins in on the call to say hello to his mother. He is then instructed by Judith to use codenames for security, so R.J. chooses "Little Brave Man" as his codename, much to Michonne's delight. When Michonne asks R.J. how long he had been with his sister, he just says that "Tia Rosita" brought him, and leaves Judith and Michonne to continue talking. R.J. tells Gabriel that he is scared because the Whisperers are surrounding the Tower. He holds on to Gracie's hand for comfort as he listens to Gabriel explain why they shouldn't be afraid. After the evacuation of the Tower, R.J. can be seen alongside Judith greeting Maggie. |
Season 11[]
Content |
R.J. runs over to greet Daryl when he returns to Alexandria.
R.J. plays cards with Judith, Gracie, and Hershel. During the game, Hershel asks Judith if she's ever afraid when her mother goes away but Judith replies that their mother always comes back, to which R.J. agrees. Later that day, R.J. can be seen playing a game of rock-paper-scissors with Hershel, while he waits for Judith to bring in the horsemeat to eat. However, R.J. is reluctant to eat it. R.J. listens to Judith's instructions as she teaches the children how to wield a sword. Later that day, R.J. can be seen playing a game with Gracie, but is interrupted when Judith accuses Vincent of breaking her keepsake. R.J. goes over and offers his help, along with Gracie and Hershel, to fix her broken handprints. R.J. huddles with the other children while the storm rages in Alexandria, he confesses to Judith that he wishes that his mother was there. When it is time to evacuate upstairs, he goes with Hershel. R.J. and Judith rush to Daryl when he and his group return to Alexandria. Later he is seen listening to Lance Hornsby's speech. Daryl, Judith, and R.J. creep down a dark hallway lined with caged walkers. A walker comes at them but backs off after Daryl sends it away. It's just an actor, and they are in a Haunted Maze. Daryl, Judith, and R.J. exit the Haunted Maze and mingle at the Commonwealth's Halloween carnival. It is day 30 of their new life in the Commonwealth. Sebastian Milton threatens Judith, R.J. and Coco in order to get Daryl and Rosita to perform his heist. Sebastian mentions that R.J. has just jumped two grades in school.
Carol drops Judith and R.J. off at school. Ezekiel joins her and thanks her for pulling strings to move up his surgery. He asks to show her a new project he's been working on, but Carol says she's busy with work that he is better off not knowing about.
In their apartment, Carol is taking care of Judith, R.J., and Gracie while Daryl and Aaron are away. She looks at pictures of Sebastian trying to blend and go unnoticed, taken by Kelly. Judith tells Carol that the blueberry pancakes are burning, so she takes them off the fire. Judith asks what the pictures are for and Carol says they for learning about this place. Judith then asks when Aaron and Daryl are coming back and Carol makes a joke, saying she probably likes their cooking better. Judith chuckles, saying Daryl has no idea what he's doing, while Gracie compliments her father's cooking. Carol looks outside to see the protests and notices Shira and Calhoun walking over to their apartment. She tells the kids they are going to play the quiet game and they all hide. Shira and Calhoun enter the apartment and find it empty. They search around and Shira asks if Hornsby said anything else, but Calhoun says Dixon was the only name that came through. Calhoun then sees a photo of Daryl with Judith and R.J. and takes it as a reference. Shira looks out the window and fails to notice Carol hugging the wall outside. As Calhoun looks at the photo, it's revealed the kids are hiding in the kitchen cabinets. Shira suggests they check the school and they leave. At their apartment, Daryl is finishing packing up. He puts on his signature vest and walks to the living room where R.J. is reading a comic book. Daryl asks R.J. where Judith is, but R.J. says he's not supposed to say. Daryl sees that her bag isn't packed. He asks where she went, but R.J. doesn't budge and pretends to not know. Daryl goes out to look for her. He meets up with Carol who says they'll find her. He comments that he's not a very good parent and asks what Rick would do. Carol says when Sophia was born, she had no idea what she was doing except that she loved her. Carol reassures Daryl he'll figure it all out eventually. While unseen, R.J. is abducted on Pamela Milton's orders, alongside the other children and every other Alexandria, Hilltop, and Riverbend resident living at the Commonwealth.
In a reclaimed Alexandria, as Judith recovers her weapons and looks at the Coalition charter and a drawing that she made, as R.J. joins her. Judith keeps thinking about something that Michonne had told her, a secret saying that Michonne had used to share with Rick that was like a good luck charm, one that is for Judith and R.J. too. Recognizing that it was one of many things that she was afraid to say out loud, Judith muses that they didn't know when they started this, that this would be the day that everything changed forever. Judith gives her little brother her hat, the same way that Carl had passed it down to her before his death. As everyone prepares to leave to go after Pamela Milton, Daryl promises R.J. that they will be back soon and orders him to look after Judith. However, Judith tells Daryl and Carol that she's coming too over Daryl's objections. Judith reminds her friends that this isn't the future that Carl wanted and it's not what Rick and Michonne fought for, not yet at least. What they're doing could help everyone, maybe everybody everywhere, not just them. Judith wants to be a part of making what her family believed in real. Carol recognizes that while everyone else has been focused on the present for a long time, Judith has been thinking about the future which is a good thing and something that they could all do a little more of. Daryl agrees on the condition that Judith stays right with him, and he leaves R.J. in Nabila's care while they're gone. After the Commonwealth is saved, R.J. joins everyone else in a celebration in Alexandria. A year later, Daryl and Carol, who is now wearing her hair short again as she did before Rick's disappearance, look at the old memorial wall of the people that the community had lost. Alexandria has been fully rebuilt and is thriving again with the residents enjoying everyday life together. Aaron, Gabriel, Coco, and Gracie greet Lydia, Elijah, Judith, and R.J. and Lydia gives Gabriel a package from Father Grant and his old congregation. Daryl and Carol join them while Jerry and Nabila, walking through town as their daughters play outside, smile at them. Aaron admits that he never thought that they'd get back to any of this, although he had hope. Aaron calls them all very lucky, but Gabriel corrects Aaron that it's effort rather than luck. They have a lot to be proud of in their family, community, and future. The group from the Commonwealth next visits a rebuilt and thriving Hilltop where Maggie and Hershel watch as Adam plays. Carol asks Maggie what she had wanted to talk about, and Maggie reveals that she wants to talk about the future. "There's a lot out there to find out about. And I think it's time we did." At the side of the road, Judith, R.J. and Ezekiel join Daryl and Carol as he prepares to depart on his motorcycle. Daryl hugs the kids and R.J. promises him that he will be good while Judith promises to keep an eye on Dog for him. Daryl asks Judith to keep an eye on Carol and promises her that if he sees or hears anything about Rick and Michonne while he's out there, he will find them both and bring them home. Calling him Uncle Daryl, Judith states that Daryl deserves a happy ending too and Daryl promises to come back. Daryl hugs Ezekiel goodbye and he leads the kids to the top of the wall to watch Daryl's departure. Daryl and Carol hug and admit that they love each other before Daryl drives off on his motorcycle through the Commonwealth gate, setting off through the countryside on his new journey. Looking out over the fields of the Commonwealth, Judith tells her brother that "we get to start over. We're the ones who live." |
The Ones Who Live[]
Season 1[]
Content |
While attacking CRM soldiers at a helicopter that she and Nat had downed, Michonne has several flashbacks, including ones of her kids. The last soldier proves to be Rick, much to his and Michonne's mutual shock. Later, Michonne contemplates telling Rick about R.J., but decides to wait until after they've escaped from the CRM.
In an attempt to get Rick to return home to Alexandria, Michonne reveals R.J.'s existence to him as Rick had never known that she was pregnant when he disappeared. Michonne later tells Rick about their son. Rick is shocked to learn of his sons existence and though he continues to try and push Michonne to return home without him, he does ask about R.J. After Michonne finally manages to make contact with Judith through her radio, R.J. and his sister wait in a field in or near the Commonwealth as a helicopter carrying their parents decents. Rick and Michonne step out of the helicopter and rush greet their children, having finally returned home, although Rick hesitates briefly after having been away for so long and missed so much of Judith and R.J.'s lives. Sobbing, Judith hugs her father, telling Rick that she knew that he was still out there, "I just never wanted you to feel alone". Rick admits that he thought that he was, before realizing that he wasn't. Judith tells Michonne that she got her back and Michonne reminds her daughter that Judith told her to. Meeting his father for the first time, R.J. asks if he's the Brave Man which Rick and Michonne confirm. Touching R.J.'s hat, which had once been Rick's before he'd passed it down to his children, Rick tells his son to call him Dad. R.J. states that he knew that Rick would come back, that he believed it. Rick and R.J. hug for the first time which turns into a group hug of the reunited Grimes family as CRM helicopters fly overhead, carrying supplies to help other communities in need. |
Relationships[]
For a more in-depth look at R.J.'s relationships, read here: Rick Grimes Jr. (TV Universe)/Relationships
Allies[]
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Enemies[]
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Appearances[]
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Episodes | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 |
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Season 8 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Season 9 | ✔ | 👁 | ✔ | 👁 | ||||||||||||||||||||
Season 10 | ✔ | 👁 | ✔ | 👁 | 👁 | 👁 | 👁 | ✔ | ✔ | |||||||||||||||
Season 11 | 👁 | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | 👁 | ✔ | 👁 | ✔ |
✔ | Appears | ✔ | Voice is heard |
👁 | Appears with no lines | ✔ | Appears in a flashback |
✔ | Appears as a walker | 🖼 | Appears in a photograph/video |
✔ | Appears as a corpse | ✔ | Appears in a hallucination/dream |
Gallery[]
- For more images of Rick "R.J." Grimes Jr., please visit Rick Grimes Jr. (TV Universe)/Gallery.
Trivia[]
- R.J. is the sixth known child in the TV Series to be born into the apocalypse, the first being his sister Judith Grimes, the second and third being two unnamed infants living at the Kingdom, the fourth being Gracie, and the fifth being Hershel Rhee, the seventh being Ezra, the eighth being Aliyah, and the ninth being Mariam.
- R.J. is the only member of the Grimes family who did not have his own direct Comic Series counterpart.
- R.J. is Rick's only known living blood relative in the series. From his older half-brother Carl's death in "Honor" until his revealed birth in "Who Are You Now?", Rick had no known living blood relatives.
- R.J. and Judith are the first adoptive siblings to appear on the show.
- R.J.'s codename is "Little Brave Man".
- In "A New Deal", R.J. is seen reading Invincible, Robert Kirkman's other comic series.
- This is also a reference to when his older half-brother, Carl, was also reading Invincible in "The Next World".
- As of "Family", R.J. is the only member of the Grimes family to not have been shot.
- His father Rick was shot three times. The first time by an unnamed criminal in "Days Gone Bye", the second by Alisha in "Too Far Gone" and the third time by Jadis in "The First Day of the Rest of Your Life".
- His mother Michonne was shot in the leg by Merle Dixon in "Hounded".
- Michonne was also shot in the chest by Merle's brother Daryl in a hallucination she had in "What We Become".
- Lori Grimes was shot in the head by Carl to prevent reanimation in "Killer Within".
- His half brother Carl was shot twice, once in the stomach by Otis in "What Lies Ahead" and once in the left eye by Ron Anderson in "No Way Out". Both times were accidental.
- His sister Judith was shot in the shoulder by Pamela Milton in "Family".
- While unconfirmed, it's likely that R.J.'s great-grandfather was shot at some point during his time serving in World War II.
- The original ending of the show had a time-skip of at least 10 years, and an adult R.J. was shown driving in a van with Judith, Gracie, Socorro and Ezra searching for other survivors to bring back to their community. In this deleted scene, R.J. refers to himself as "Rick Grimes", and is portrayed by Roland Buck III.[1]
- In "Deux Amours" of The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon, Daryl lists R.J. as one of his friends that he misses in America when Laurent asks Daryl about his friends. Laurent later names R.J. in his prayers since Daryl doesn't pray.
- Rick was unaware of his son's existence until "What We" of The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live.
- According to Michonne in "Become" of The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live, no one has ever called R.J. "Junior". Rick had found a decorative license plate with that name in Yellowstone National Park and thought that his son might like it.
International Dubbers[]
Language | Dubber | Other Characters Voiced |
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Czech | N/A | N/A |
French | Karl-Line Heller | Ashley |
German | N/A | N/A |
Hungarian | N/A | N/A |
Italian | N/A | N/A |
Japanese | N/A | N/A |
Portuguese | N/A | N/A |
Spanish (Latin America) | N/A | N/A |
Spanish (Spain) | N/A | N/A |
References[]
The Ones Who Live Characters
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Civic Republic of Philadelphia | Rick • Esteban • Hannah • Cleo • Benjiro • Trabruzzi • Pearl • Beale • Anne • Donald |
The Nomads | Michonne • Elle • Nat • Bailey • Aiden |
Greenwood | Lakshmi |
The Coalition | Gabriel • Judith • R.J. |
Red's Group | Dalton • Tina • Red |
Alive characters appear in green. Unknown characters appear in blue. Dead characters appear in red and italics. Undead characters appear in gray and italics. |