The Game of Thrones franchise has no dearth of compelling characters. Some are genuinely good, others are beyond the pale, and some fall in between hero and villain, residing in those delicious gray spaces. George R.R. Martin has created fascinating characters aplenty to occupy his detailed universe, but some are just a cut above the rest.
Below, you’ll find a list of the 12 best Game of Thrones characters, ranked from the more lukewarm side of “best” to the cream of the crop. I ranked them based on how interesting they are on screen, how essential they are to the story, their moral compass (or lack thereof), and their character arcs. This includes characters from Game of Thrones, House of the Dragon, and A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms.
Why You Should Trust Me: I’ve been covering fantasy for nine years as a freelance entertainment journalist, specifically in the realm of TV. My primary coverage for MovieWeb has been Game of Thrones-related, and I’ve read all of George R.R. Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire books.
Honorable Mentions:
- Ned Stark – The one who started it all on Game of Thrones. Remember when we thought Sean Bean would be the lead for the, you know, entire show? I’d rank Ned higher, but we only spent nine episodes with him. He’s an honorable character with a strong moral compass, though.
- Lord Tywin Lannister – Oof. Assembling this list was tough. Tywin is an utterly fascinating character; an austere man who’s all sharp edges. He commands every room he walks into.
- Theon Greyjoy – Theon had one of the best-written character arcs in the series. He starts as an absolute menace before shuffling off this mortal coil as a bona fide hero.
Jon Snow – ‘Game of Thrones’
The Reluctant Leader (and Secret Targaryen)
Jon is our embodiment of “ice” in the A Song of Ice and Fire series (despite being a Targaryen). He’s one of our central points of view. He’s also one of the few true heroes in Westeros who’s actually a great leader. Personally, I don’t find him particularly compelling compared to the other entries on this list; he’s a bit flat for my taste. That said, as a character, he’s so vital to this story. You need a legitimate hero in a narrative of this magnitude – one who sees things as black and white among a sea of morally gray characters. He might “know nothing,” but he can at least save the realm from White Walkers when called upon.
Sandor Clegane, aka The Hound – ‘Game of Thrones’
Hater of His Brother, Lover of Chicken
The Hound is really a big, soft teddy bear underneath all that snarling. His dynamic with Arya is one of the most fascinating in the show. Like most characters in this franchise, the Hound is more nuanced and messy, existing outside “hero” and “villain” labels. He occasionally does the right thing, but he also kills a lot of people. The Hound is a scene-stealer, to be sure, and his fight with Brienne is one of my favorite scenes in the show. Cleganebowl was a bit over the top in the series finale, but hey, if you’re gonna go out, make sure you take your mountainous brother with you.
King Joffrey Baratheon – ‘Game of Thrones’
He’s the King, and He’s NOT Tired
Joffrey should be in every conversation when it comes to TV characters audiences love to hate. He’s the epitome of awful. Some villains have a sob story and at least one redeeming quality about them, but ole Joff has none of that. He’s a veritable pile of excrement who finds pleasure in people’s pain. That said, Joffrey is a fan-favorite because he’s evil incarnate. Like Jon the hero, you need unabashed, unadulterated baddies like Joffrey Baratheon to balance the narrative scales. He keeps you on your toes (until he meets his delightful end, of course).
Ser Jaime Lannister – ‘Game of Thrones’
He Lost a Hand, But He Gained a Following
Jaime Lannister is one of the most gifted swordsmen in the history of Westeros. Well, before losing the hand. After that hand waves bye-bye, Jaime is still quite adept with a blade. He’s a fun character because he’s so much more than the pretty boy member of the Kingsguard who’s engaging in Targaryen customs with his sister. He’s complex, complicated, and flawed. That rug pull in Season 3, when he tells Brienne precisely what happened with Mad King Aerys all those years ago, is when you go, “Hey, wait a minute. Perhaps he’s not so bad, after all.”
Jaime spends the whole show climbing up that mountain to hero-dom, and while his ending with Cersei is truthful to him, it still irritates me to this day. He deserved to have it all with Brienne.
Ser Brienne of Tarth – ‘Game of Thrones’
A True Knight, Through and Through
Brienne being a descendant of Dunk makes all the sense in the world. She’s as chivalrous and kind as she is brave and whip-smart. If we’re talking about what constitutes a true knight, look no further than the qualities of Brienne of Tarth, the first Lady Commander of the Kingsguard. She spends the entire show holding fast to her oaths, serving as a stalwart protector to those in her charge, and fights tooth and nail to be respected as a knight in a misogynistic world. It helps that she can wield a sword better than most of them and uphold the tenets of knighthood. She’s a total badass.
Queen Daenerys Targaryen – ‘Game of Thrones’
Forever in Our Hearts (That Ending Aside)
Oh, Dany. Game of Thrones did you wrong in the end, but before that, you were the Khaleesi of our hearts. Daenerys Stormborn is one of the most memorable characters in fantasy TV period, let alone this franchise. A woman who essentially revives dragons and can emerge from the flames, unburned and unscathed? Dany is the underdog in this story despite being the mother of three dragons. And despite that genetic penchant for Targaryen madness, Dany seems to have genuine empathy for the marginalized and downtrodden.
Sure, it gets a little white savior-y over in Essos, but Dany tries to use her privilege to help those around her. She didn’t want to “conquer” Westeros, as it were; she simply wanted what she deemed her birthright. I try to ignore Season 8 and focus on the story preceding it.
Prince Daemon Targaryen – ‘House of the Dragon’
Never Was There So Merry a Fellow During War
The Rogue Prince feels more Game of Thrones-esque than most of the characters on House of the Dragon. If you put Daemon Targaryen in the former, he’d fit right in. While he seems all fire and blood on the surface, Daemon is more nuanced than that. He’s incredibly loyal to his loved ones, rides the goodest noodle boy (Caraxes) this side of the Narrow Sea, and is more comfortable cutting down his foes with a sword in hand and blood on his face than sitting in a small council chamber. He’s a delightful character who has no misconceptions about his moral standing – he does what he wants (gleefully, I might add). He thinks he’s a god, and he acts like it. There’s no pretense. He just is.
Arya Stark – ‘Game of Thrones’
A Girl Has Got Game
Arya Stark is the Queen of Revenge, as far as I’m concerned. While she doesn’t kill everyone on her list, she gets a few of them – Walder Frey, in particular, receives a memorable ending courtesy of the Girl With No Name. Arya endures immense trauma, losing most of her family and being left to fend for herself. She rises to the challenge, training with the Faceless Men in Braavos before returning to Westeros as a bona fide weapon of mass destruction. While I’m still iffy on her killing the Night King (that felt like it should’ve gone to Jon), one cannot deny that slaying an ice zombie looks good on the resume.
Prince Aegon “Egg” Targaryen – ‘A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms’
The Cutest and Sassiest Little Fella in Westeros
I’ve only had six episodes with Egg thus far, and I would defend him with my life. A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms was a nice palate cleanser for the fandom after the tepid fare that was House of the Dragon Season 2. Egg is a breath of fresh air – a sassy, strong-willed kid who longs to leave his Targaryen moniker in the dust in favor of traveling the realm with his best friend. He never looks down on Dunk for being lowborn; rather, Egg admires Dunk for his strong values and his tenacity. Egg stays by Dunk’s side throughout the trial of seven and works hard to be a good squire. Who could ask for more?
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