Though dated sitcom, with its wholesome messages and corny sense of humor, it is still beloved due, in large part, to its main cast of characters and the love they all have for one another.
The series' main characters consist of the extended Tanner family, as well as their friends and loved ones. But no matter how unconventional some of the relationships and bonds might be, each of the series' lovable characters undergoes incredible transformations, both personally and interpersonal, as encapsulated by their very first lines and their closing ones.
Steve Hale
"Hi back. You look great." / "How are you feeling, Michelle?"
Steve Hale didn't Full House until its fifth season, but from the very moment his character is introduced, it's clear that he and DJ are crazy for each other and are going to wind up getting pretty serious, no matter how young and doe-eyed they might be.
Steve becomes more than just DJ's boyfriend; he becomes another member of the family. One episode finds the young Michelle crushing on Steve after he spends some time playing with her. That warmth and connection extend to the series' final moments when Steve checks in on how Michelle is doing after she fell off her horse.
Kimmy Gibbler
"Okay, why? ... I love the way your mind works." / "Don't worry, I scrounged up another date for you."
Kimmy Gibbler, the Tanners' nosy neighbor and DJ's best friend, first appears in the season 1 episode "The First Day of School." It becomes clear that their friendship is quickly defined by DJ being the brains and Kimmy being the sidekick.
This dynamic remains more or less the same over the series' run, although Kimmy's character does get increasingly dumbed down and used more and more often for comic relief. In her final appearance, however, Kimmy goes far beyond a punchline, proving that she really does have DJ's best interests at heart when she finds Steve just in time for DJ's prom.
Rebecca Donaldson
"Like it? I love it. I could live here." / "And you couldn't who you were, or any of us."
Rebecca's introduction into the series has maybe one of the clearest examples of foreshadowing of any of the characters' introductions. Becky is first introduced as Danny's new co-host for their new morning show, Wake Up, San Francisco.
By the series' end, Rebecca is much more than just Danny's co-host. She is married to Jesse, has given birth to twin sons Nicky and Alex, and serves as a loving aunt and caregiver to all of the Tanner girls, including Michelle, whom she expresses worry for in the series' closing moments.
DJ Tanner
"Bye, Grandma." / "I missed you so much."
When Full House begins, DJ Tanner is ten years old and watching her grandmother leave after the older woman has spent months living with and caring for the family. Over the course of the series, DJ grows from a child to a young adult, becoming a key figure and voice of reason in the Tanner family.
When the series ends, DJ is preparing to go to college, celebrating her high school prom and graduation. As the world is changing around her, and rapidly, DJ is given the opportunity to reunite with someone from her past — her first love, Steve. She begins the series by saying goodbye to a loved one and ends it welcoming another back into her life.
Stephanie Tanner
"Bye, Grandma." / "Nice dress, Kimmy. Is that a purse or a battery pack?"
When Full House begins, Stephanie Tanner is five years old and struggling with being the middle child in the family. After her grandmother's departure, Stephanie quickly latches onto her Uncle Jesse. As the series progresses, Stephanie goes from kindergarten to middle school.
Along the way, she makes her fair share of school friends and enemies. But one of her most defining relationships is the one she develops with frenemy Kimmy Gibbler. It's fitting, then, that Stephanie's final moments in the series are used to make a joke at Kimmy's expense — and even more fitting when taking Stephanie and Kimmy's future relationship in Fuller House into consideration.
Michelle Tanner
"Dada." / "I'm feeling better. How out of it was I?"
Michelle is a baby for the first season of Full House, and as such, her first spoken word on screen doesn't happen until the series' sixth episode, when she calls Uncle Jesse "Dada" instead of her father, Danny.
Michelle's bond with her Uncle Jesse is easily her defining relationship throughout the series, but she has close relationships with every member of the extended Tanner family. As a result, almost every character's final moments in the series revolve around Michelle, as she recovers from an unexpected bout of amnesia and has to relearn everyone's identity.
Jesse Katsopolis
"Hey, look alive! Uncle Jesse's here!" / "It sure was like part of all of us was missing. But we stuck it out and we got it through."
The Jesse Katsopolis that arrives in the Tanner home in the pilot is a total wild child — and he's not even named Katsopolis yet, but Jesse Cochran for the series' first season. In his early twenties, Jesse has no real responsibilities when he arrives on the scene, but he quickly takes on his fair share.
As an uncle, a husband, a father, a musician, and a businessman, Jesse matures considerably over the series' run, becoming just as much a father to the Tanner girls as Danny. His bond with Michelle is one of the strongest and serves as one of the family's core anchors in the series' final moments as Jesse reminds Michelle just how much she means to the family.
Joey Gladstone
[trumpet noise] "Hi, Danny." / "Just like we always do."
Jesse might be a wild child when he arrives in the Tanner household, but Joey Gladstone is a total man-child, complete with his own mouth-produced trumpet soundtrack. As a stand-up comedian, Joey is as in touch with his inner child as any of the Tanner kids, which makes him a great friend and ally but not the best disciplinarian.
Over time, Joey evolves into more of a mature adult, but he keeps that childlike spirit all the while. He is a valuable member of the family unit, and one of the adults who helps keep the extended family going as the series ends, and beyond.
Danny Tanner
"Aw, thank you, mom." / "Just like we always will."
Danny Tanner is a young widower when Full House begins, thrust into the impossible situation of raising three young daughters on his own. After his mother leaves, Danny welcomes two of his dearest friends, Jesse and Joey, into his home, and the three men navigate adult life and parenting for eight seasons.
In the series finale, Danny is a father in crisis when his youngest daughter, Michelle, suffers a fall from a horse and amnesia soon follows. But Danny makes it clear that no unexpected situation will ever be too much for the Tanner family, so long as they have each other — which they always, always will.