With the House of the Dragon spinoff celebrating its series premiere, let’s revisit one of the most talked about topics in Game of Thrones history: the most memorable character deaths in the HBO series. The deaths range from emotional to exciting, with many coming from the hands of some of the smartest Game of Thrones characters. Indeed, deaths like Hodor’s in season 6 remain to be one of the most emotional and memorable deaths of any TV character, while deaths of characters like the sadistic Ramsay Bolton were met with applause and cheer. Some character deaths were well deserved, as it was for Joffrey Baratheon, while others were traumatizing to watch, such as when Shireen Baratheon was burned alive by her own father.

In a 2021 interview with Entertainment Weekly, Sean Bean, who plays Eddard “Ned” Stark, can still remember what was going through his head when his character met his death in Game of Thrones’s first season. It was Ned’s death that seemed to kick-start a series of memorable character deaths throughout the franchise. While the total number of deaths in the franchise is too high to count, here are the most memorable, ranked.

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11 Theon Greyjoy

     HBO

From the pilot episode until his death in the final season, Theon’s character went through arguably one of the best character arcs in Game of Thrones. While it was cowardice that landed him a human slave to Ramsay Bolton and even the Stark family, it was with honor and bravery that he fought to the death to save Bran Stark. While his death may be one of the saddest in GOT history, fans believe his demise was fitting for one final act of bravery and redemption for the character.

MOVIEWEB VIDEO OF THE DAY

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MOVIEWEB VIDEO OF THE DAY

10 Missandei

     HBO Max

Of all the deaths in Game of Thrones, Missandei’s was one of the most shocking and unexpected. She was captured by Cersei’s army, but many believed she would be returned to Daenerys and Greyworm unharmed. Then again, when does Cersei ever do what is expected? In perhaps one of her most stubborn moments, she orders Missandei to be killed, which led to Daenerys and Greyworm wreaking havoc on King’s Landing (R.I.P).

9 Walder Frey

Walder Frey was one of the characters whom you didn’t mind seeing killed in Game of Thrones. His death also demonstrated Arya’s capability with sneak attacks, which later came in handy when she successfully killed the Night King. Part of what made the death so memorable was just how easily Arya was able to murder Walder Frey. His death came after she had acquired the Faceless Man’s powers and after killing Frey’s two sons and baking them into a pie, which Walder enjoyed right before Arya slit his throat. The murder of the entire Frey family, at least the male line, was her revenge for their part in the Red Wedding at the end of Season 3 that saw the deaths of Arya’s mother and brother.

8 Red Wedding – Robb Stark, Catelyn Stark, Talisa, and Grey Wind

For some, the Red Wedding is one of the most dramatic and best scenes (and episodes) in Game of Thrones history. From it seeming like Robb Stark was able to back out of his betrothal to a Frey daughter unharmed to the protective gear Catelyn Stark noticed on Roose Bolton moments before the slaughter took place, the entire play-out of the wedding festivities was perfectly done. Talisa was attacked and killed first when she was stabbed multiple times in her stomach, which also killed Robb Stark’s child. Robb was attacked quickly after, while other members of his army were also slaughtered. Catelyn screamed until her throat was cut. Grey Wind, Robb’s Direwolf, was also murdered simply for belonging to a Stark.

7 Shireen Baratheon

     HBO MAx

Shireen Baratheon’s death was one of the cruelest in Game of Thrones, as she was burnt alive at the stake by her own father. It is true that he was acting on behalf of Melisandre and for what he thought was the right thing to do, but, still, for a father to kill their own (and only) child is not something anyone wants to watch happen. The raw emotion Shireen exuded while the blaze was set made it hard for viewers to turn their eyes away (made even more impactful by the creative decision to not show Shireen’s death on-screen, but rather through her screams and everyone else’s reaction).

6 Ramsay Bolton

Ramsay Bolton’s death in Game of Thrones is memorable for the fact that everyone was cheering as he was eaten by his own dogs, whom he used to hunt down other people. Ramsay’s death was at the hands of Sansa during the height of her character arc into the strong-willed to-be Queen of the North. It was also at the end of the episode that contained the Battle of the Bastards, another of the greatest episodes in Game of Thrones history.

5 Oberyn Martell

Oberyn Martell stood in for Tyrion Lannister in a Trial by Combat for his alleged scheming in the death of Joffrey Baratheon by Cersei. Oberyn, a fan favorite character, is matched up against The Mountain. It seems like Oberyn’s fighting skills are superior to The Mountain’s brute force until his emotion gets the better of him and The Mountain regains control of the match. In a gruesome ending, The Mountain gouges out Oberyn’s eyeballs and ultimately crushes his skull. It is important to note, that this brutal death was, per Decider, done without CGI.

4 Joffrey Baratheon

     Warner Bros. Television Distribution

Similar to Ramsay Bolton, Joffrey Baratheon is another character whose death in Game of Thrones was applauded. What sets his death apart from most is that you do not find out his murderer until later in the series. What you do know is that he dies via poison in the arms of his mother, Cersei, during his long-awaited wedding to Margaery Tyrell. His death is dubbed as the Purple Wedding in complement to the Red Wedding as mentioned earlier. While no one was sad to see the sadistic Joffrey die, the manner in which he died made for a memorable moment.

3 Tywin Lannister

In arguably one of the best deaths in Game of Thrones history, Tyrion killed his own father while he was on the toilet. Tyrion and his father, Tywin, have never had a good relationship, but when he openly mocked Tyrion for his relationship with Shea, and then had an affair with her himself, it was too much for Tyrion. First, he strangled Shea with her own necklace, and then grabbed a crossbow and slowly stalked out to find his father. After some attempt was made by Tywin to persuade Tyrion that he was his son, Tyrion shot him twice with the crossbow.

2 Ned Stark

Of course, Ned Stark’s death had to be put close to the top of this list. Ned’s death perhaps sparked most of the drama and war throughout the remainder of Game of Thrones. His death was also one of the first of many beloved character deaths. It set in motion Joffrey’s sadisitic reign, Sansa’s torment, which lasted through most of the show, and Arya’s separation from her family as she is whisked away to avoid capture by the Lannisters. In fact, it seems that had Ned never taken his place as Hand of the King, most of the people on this list might still be alive.

1 Hodor

For many, Hodor’s death is the saddest death in all of Game of Thrones history. Not only is Hodor a beloved side character, but he is also Bran’s protector. The emotion that is put behind his death and even the backstory of how he became Hodor — this writer still cannot hear “hold the door” without tearing up) — were an emotional rollercoaster that lead to the most memorable death in all of Game of Thrones.