Despite having aired its final season back in 2019, Game of Thrones is still one of the best HBO shows of all time. Since its finale, the Game of Thrones universe has reached the point where there are multiple spinoffs in the works, one of which just completed its first season. To date, the upcoming spinoffs, including more on season 2 of House of the Dragon, are rumored to introduce multiple different storylines about some of your favorite characters (via Screen Rant).
With great TV shows come the opportunities for these spinoffs, but fans also have the ability to fall in love with well-developed characters. Game of Thrones is no exception to that rule. During the show’s 73 episodes, fans both loved and hated many of the characters. Some of Game of Thrones’ smartest characters, many of whom are also on this list of best character arcs, were given the title as “smartest” because they learned how to adapt and survive. In fact, these concepts helped give only a handful of characters a quality character arc where their character was able to learn and grow from their first on-screen introduction. While this list can easily include fan favorites like Tyrion, Jon Snow, or even Jaime Lannister, here is our take on the characters who had the best story arcs in Game of Thrones.
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6 Samwell Tarly
HBO
Samwell Tarly (John Bradley) was first introduced in Game of Thrones season 1 when he joined The Wall and was befriended by Jon Snow. Most of Sam’s first moments comprised of him being bullied and belittled for not being the kind of fighter The Wall needed. Jon quickly became a friend to Sam, which ultimately helped push him to greatness for himself. As the seasons progressed, Sam turned from being a coward to one of the first to kill a White Walker, breaking his vows and falling in love, and even stealing his family’s sword and a few scrolls from the Citadel. One of his turning points came in the last season during the preparation for The Long Night, when Sam insisted he stay and fight instead of hiding in the crypts. He declared to Jon and Edd that he earned his right to fight alongside his friends, something that the Sam from the first season would not have been able to say.
MOVIEWEB VIDEO OF THE DAY
MOVIEWEB VIDEO OF THE DAY
MOVIEWEB VIDEO OF THE DAY
5 Davos Seaworth
Davos Seaworth aka the Onion Knight, played by Liam Cunningham, first appeared in the second season of Game of Thrones, where he was an advisor and friend to Stannis Baratheon. Stannis was one of the two Baratheon brothers vying for the throne after King Robert’s death and Ned Stark’s discovery that Joffrey was not Robert’s son. Instead of showing courage as Sam learned, Davos’ character arc comes from the fact that his loyalty never faltered. Yes, he switched from serving Stannis to serving Jon, but he remained loyal to a fault even when his King seemed to be on the losing side. With Stannis, Davos was not a fighter but an advisor. With Jon and The North, he fought and bled alongside the men, as well as provided counsel and support to his King.
4 Sansa Stark
It’s no secret that the Stark women are some of the strongest in Game of Thrones. Sansa Stark (played by Sophie Turner) transformed from a little dove to Queen in the North. She went from her sole purpose in life being her desire marry a King to becoming a Queen without a man beside her. From the first season to the last, her character was continuously thrown into tough situations through which she had to learn how to survive. By surviving torture, Queen Mother’s wrath, and an abusive husband, Sansa proved that the little dove didn’t need anyone to protect her — she could protect herself. Sansa learned how to rule and fight without using weapons. She learned lessons from her turmoil that helped her save Jon during the Battle of the Bastards, trick Littlefinger into walking into his own death, and then how to survive against evil whether that was another Queen or even the Night King.
3 Arya Stark
Similar to her sister Sansa, Arya Stark (Maisie Williams) went from not knowing where she fit in, to being no one, and finally set a journey to find her true self. In the first season of Game of Thrones, we learned Arya didn’t care to be a “Lady,” but instead wanted to be a fighter. Her father supported her passion and brought a dancing master in to train her. From these lessons, and the ones she learned on her journey after fleeing King’s Landing, Arya shed her expected Lady title and embraced being a fighter. Also, along the way, she picked up a taste for revenge with her desired Kill List, which housed names of people she deemed worthy of dying at her hands. Thanks to an interesting friendship with The Hound and lessons from the Many Faced God, Arya was able to eventually shed this list — something that made her character arc complete. For most of the series, she was obsessed and driven by revenge, but by Game of Thrones’ final season, she was able to forget the list and embrace her true hero role.
2 Theon Greyjoy
Many things can be said about Theon Greyjoy (Alfie Allen) in terms of a complete character arc. Unlike most of the characters on the list, fans were able to see a few different arcs for Theon. Where his fellow characters only seemed to grow, Theon continued to have many ups and downs. When we first meet Theon in the first season, he is living with The Starks, although he does not consider himself part of the family. It’s this feeling that gets him in trouble throughout the rest of Game of Thrones. First, he betrays Rob, who was fighting for the North, as a way to earn his father’s love. He sheds his loyalty to the Starks and embraces his real last name: Greyjoy. This gets him captured, after which he loses both last names and becomes Reek under Ramsay’s sadistic rule. He starts to gain his heart back when he helps Sansa escape from Ramsay. Unfortunately, he reverts to cowardice when his uncle joins the series and captures his sister Yara without a fight from Theon. Theon finally rights his wrongs when he saves her, and learns to embrace being both a Greyjoy and a Stark. It’s his courage in fighting to protect Winterfell and Bran that we see Theon’s character arc come to a close as he is killed by the Night King.
1 Sandor Clegane
Sandor Clegane, played by Rory McCann, was also introduced in the first season of Game of Thrones. His nickname, The Hound, was given to him as he was a trusted killer for the crown. Not much of a backstory is given to The Hound besides learning that his burns were a result of his brother, The Mountain, who lit him on fire as a kid. Throughout the series, The Hound tries to find his place. He abandons his place with Joffrey, forms an unsuspecting friendship with Arya as he tries to return her to family in order to claim coin for her retrieval, and then ends up fighting for the North against The Night King. While all these changes happen for him, The Hound’s best moments come from being able to not only create friendships, but to finally defeating his brother in the last few episodes. Although he meets his fate during that battle, he does not die with hatred in his heart, but with a sense of finally having lived a life he was worthy of.
