If there’s one thing Game of Thrones excelled at (apart from political scheming and questionable geography), it was killing off its characters. Nobody was safe, not even the main ones. Especially not the main ones. Whether it was poetic justice, cruel irony or just bad luck, Westeros became a graveyard of fan favourites and villains alike.
Here’s a ranked look at the most memorable deaths in Game of Thrones, not by how much they shocked us, but how much they meant. Buckle up, because this is basically a tour of trauma with a crown on top.
15. Stannis Baratheon
The man who burned his own daughter for the Lord of Light only to lose everything shortly after. Stannis’ death wasn’t dramatic, just grim. Brienne of Tarth delivering justice in the snow was fitting, but by that point, Stannis looked like a man who had already died inside.
Impact: Cold, deserved, anticlimactic.
Memorable line: “Go on, do your duty.”
14. Tywin Lannister
Dying on the toilet at the hands of your own son isn’t exactly how most great houses end their legacy. Tywin’s death was both shocking and symbolic, the powerful patriarch literally brought down by his own arrogance and poor parenting.
Impact: Brutal irony.
Memorable line: “You’re no son of mine.”
13. Oberyn Martell
Oberyn’s swagger was unmatched, and so was his arrogance. He had The Mountain beat, until he didn’t. His head popping like an overripe melon still haunts everyone who ever said “you’re talking too much” to their TV screen.
Impact: Devastating and graphic.
Memorable line: “You raped her. You murdered her. You killed her children.”
12. Khal Drogo
A warrior so fierce he conquered cities without saying much, only to be undone by an infected scratch and some truly questionable witchcraft. His death marked Daenerys’ rebirth as the Mother of Dragons, but it was still oddly tender.
Impact: Symbolic and tragic.
Memorable moment: Dany suffocating him gently before walking into the fire.
11. Viserys Targaryen
“Crown for a king.” Enough said. His molten gold death was poetic justice in its purest form. The only time anyone actually got what they deserved in Season 1.
Impact: Cathartic.
Memorable line: “That was all I wanted.”
10. The Red Viper’s Opposite: The Mountain (Eventually)
Technically undead for years, but Gregor Clegane’s final death during Cleganebowl was peak fan service. The brothers’ fiery end was operatic, absurd, and exactly what the internet ordered.
Impact: Visually spectacular.
Memorable moment: “Die together.”
9. Hodor
The gentle giant who literally held the door. His death hit like a boulder of sadness. For once, Game of Thrones gave us a moment that was tragic without cruelty, a sacrifice that was heroic, noble, and unforgettable.
Impact: Emotionally devastating.
Memorable line: “Hodor.”
8. Jon Snow (The First Time)
Yes, technically he came back, but in the moment, his death broke the internet. Betrayed by his own men, stabbed repeatedly by people chanting “For the Watch,” it was the show’s ultimate trust-no-one moment.
Impact: High shock value.
Memorable line: “For the Watch.”
7. The Night King
Years of build-up, thousands of memes, and then, boom, Arya. Fast, efficient, and unexpectedly satisfying. While the pacing was controversial, that little dagger switch will go down as one of TV’s best moments of surprise.
Impact: Epic payoff.
Memorable moment: Arya’s leap of death.
6. Littlefinger
The schemer who thought he could out-talk anyone, undone by his own words. Arya and Sansa’s tag-team execution was justice served cold with a northern accent. Petyr Baelish played the game of thrones better than most, but in the end, he lost it to those he underestimated.
Impact: Poetic justice.
Memorable line: “I did warn you not to trust me.”
5. The Hound
Sandor Clegane went out like only he could, grumbling, half-laughing, and dragging his monstrous brother into hellfire. His final moment was redemption through rage, and somehow, it felt right.
Impact: Heroic and satisfying.
Memorable line: “F***ing die!”
4. Robb Stark and Catelyn Stark (The Red Wedding)
The moment Game of Thrones stopped being just a TV show and became a cultural event. Shock, betrayal, violins. No one saw it coming, and no one forgot it. Catelyn’s scream still echoes through pop culture.
Impact: Legendary.
Memorable line: Silence. The music said it all.
3. Cersei and Jaime Lannister
For two people who deserved a lot worse, dying together under the Red Keep’s rubble was surprisingly peaceful. Their ending divided fans, but thematically, it made sense. They came into the world together, and they went out the same way.
Impact: Poetic, if underwhelming.
Memorable moment: “Nothing else matters.”
2. Ned Stark
The death that started it all. No one believed HBO would actually kill its lead in Season 1, until they did. It set the tone for everything that followed, teaching an entire generation of viewers that honour doesn’t keep your head attached.
Impact: Era-defining.
Memorable line: “The man who passes the sentence should swing the sword.”
1. Daenerys Targaryen
From liberator to tyrant, Daenerys’ death was Shakespearean tragedy at its finest. Jon Snow’s betrayal wasn’t shocking, it was inevitable. Drogon’s grief made it unbearable. Whether you agree with her turn or not, her death defined the end of the series, the fall of a dream turned nightmare.
Impact: Iconic.
Memorable moment: Drogon melting the Iron Throne.
The Seven Swords Takeaway
The deaths in Game of Thrones were never just plot devices. They were lessons in power, pride and the consequences of ambition. Some were earned, others random, but each carved a scar into the story’s legacy. If nothing else, Game of Thrones taught us that in Westeros, the only guarantee is that your favourite character probably won’t make it to the end credits.
