Throughout the 10 nail-biting seasons of The Blacklist, we've seen many dedicated agents team up with Raymond Reddington (James Spader) to take down his infamous list of Blacklisters. But when operations went belly-up, Dembe Zuma (Hisham Tawfiq) never failed to have Red's back.

Dembe has been a fan favorite since his first introduction in The Blacklist premiere as Red's stoic personal driver and bodyguard. But we quickly learned that Dembe was much more than a chauffeur. He was adopted by Red as a young child after being rescued from a child trafficking ring.

Red raised Dembe and later included him in his criminal syndicate.

Dembe remained loyal to Red his entire life, and in many ways, he completed Red. While Red is keen on a lavish monologue, Dembe is a man of limited words. When Red was raging and maniacal, Dembe knew to remain calculated and on guard. Red is known to be ruthless to many, but his love for Dembe is an Achilles heel.

By the series finale of The Blacklist, many aspects of Dembe and Red's relationship have changed. Still, we saw just how far Dembe and Red were willing to go to protect each other, and it led to some intense moments between the beloved characters.

Red was on the run from the feds while Dembe was tasked with arresting him. Dembe was shot during the pursuit, leading Red to provide a life-saving blood transfusion that may have contributed to his tragic death. 

Photo: NBC While Dembe recovered in the hospital, fans were awe-stricken as the typically tight-lipped man delivered one of the most heartwrenching monologues in all of The Blacklist.

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