Favourite Game of Thrones characters (spoilers here obviously)

[Dio]

Season 6 ended recently and the show is still on my mind. As it is one of the most popular series out there at the moment there absolutely must be others here apart from me who enjoy it as well on these forums.

This thread is for listing your favourite characters from the show and what you like about them. One of your favourites is bound to have died at some point so which death hit you the hardest?

 

[Cfrock]

I can't pin down an overall favourite, and my likes are different based on the books and the show. For example, and yeah, SPOILERS, I really like Brienne in the books but I don't like her in the show because in the books she hasn't killed the true king of the Seven Kingdoms, Stannis the Mannis. But I have a few who are right up at the top.

Arya Stark
I always like female characters who are a bit tomboyish and I'm drawn to female assassins in fiction often. Right from the start (in books and show), Arya rejected the life of a noble lady and wanted to learn how to fight, not how to sew. As a daughter, she's more alike to her dad, Ned, than her mother. Because I love Ned and hate Catelyn, that had an influence on me liking Arya early on. What I like about her is that, while her arc has seen her become an assassin who lives for nothing but violent, bloody revenge, she isn't just a killing machine. In the show at least, she only kills people she has a reason to kill. I was very pleased she wouldn't kill the actress because it was cold-blooded and would have made Arya a murderer. I know she murdered Meryn Trant and Walder Frey and a lot of other people but she had a personal reason for those murders and so, to me, they were justified within her storyline. She isn't indiscriminate, she is focused. The Starks have had a rough time throughout and it's great to see them taking back control and working against their enemies. Arya is very much taking back control in a very direct way, and it's an arc I love seeing.

Jaime Lannister
I will be the first to admit it: Jaime Lannister is a handsome devil and that is a big part of why I like him so much, in the show at least. But beyond that, Jaime is great. I like him more in the books, overall, but he's one of my favourites in the show, too. He has a really well-developed arc of being a total b*stard who cares only about himself and his sister, to being more aware of the world he lives in and his effect on it. When he loses his hand, he loses who he is. He has to learn how to fight again, even learn how to write again, and his outlook on himself and his place in the world changes. He considers the grander picture of his actions instead of just on showing off, and he's becoming something of a good diplomat. His relationship with Brienne is engrossing because she's teaching him about honour, a concept he, as a knight, should have always been familiar with. And that relationship is changing him into a more complex, interesting, well-rounded character. In the books. In the show, there's some movement in that direction, but he's still very focused on him and Cersei above all else. Compare that to the books, in which Jaime and Cersei are drifting apart because he's becoming more compassionate towards the people while she is becoming more megalomaniacal. It feels like the show won't commit to uncoupling him from where he started, so I rely more on superficial traits to like him as much in the show. And by superficial traits I mean his face. His handsome face.

Davos Seaworth
If you don't love Davos then get out of my face. Davos lives in a world that is so hostile and unforgiving and cruel and yet he is so good, so just, so hopeful for the best. He's a voice of reason, a hand that guides the sword. He knows that the people are the key to the kingdom and it is them he thinks about when he supports Stannis the Mannis. Davos is a voice of reason in an unreasonable world, and it's so necessary to have someone who cares so much. He is an anchor, he wants for the world to know peace so much that I can't help but moor myself to him as my moral centre in the books and show.

Some honourable mentions: Jorah Mormont, Tyrion Lannister, Sandor Clegane, Tywin Lannister, Varys, Mance Rayder.

 

[Terminus]

Jon Snow. He always struck me as one of the better people in the series, plus he's cool. And now he's DAKINGINDANORF to boot.

 

[Salem]

Ned Stark.

 

[Dio]

My favourite is Tywin Lannister. He was just such a cunning and intelligent character, a true patriarch to the Lannister family and someone who appeared to be respected by all, even his enemies. He was what was holding the family together and I knew things would go to **** after he died. He was played magnificently in the show by Charles Dance.

Sandor Clegane. He has some of my favourite lines in the series 'I'm going to have to eat every ****ing chicken in this room'. One of the funnier characters. I was overjoyed to see he wasn't really dead.

Olenna Tyrell. Another character that is very amusing. I love that she is not afraid to say whatever she thinks. She has such a sharp wit. My favourite scenes were with her and Tywin bickering, he seemed to be the only one who could keep up with her.
I just found this and had to post it also.

Other mentions. Tyrion Lannister, Ned Stark, Davos Seaworth and Jorah Mormont

 

[Doc]

Sansa
I absolutely adore Sansa. And I'm not gonna lie, a large portion of that is probably the fact that I think Sophie Turner is attractive as hell. The other part is because I think her character arc is one of the most interesting. She has developed so much since the beginning, when she would dream of knights and kings. And now, she is probably one of the most cynical characters on the show (for good reason...). I honestly prefer her character in the books, where it looks like she will become more like Littlefinger. But I don't know how close her current events are to the ones in the books.

Cersei
This stone cold *****. If you don't love Cersei, you can GTFO. I, like everyone else, hated her in the beginning. But she has seriously grown on me, especially when the show focused on her love of her children. I am really interested in seeing her character next season now that Tommen has died.

Sam
I know what I said about Cersei, but if you hate Sam I will punch you directly in your face! I have always loved Sam, and sometimes I don't think the show does him justice. For example, when he asked Jon to send him to Old Town really annoyed me, because it portrays Sam as cowardly or just trying to get away from the wall. In the books, Jon tells Sam to go and I do not at all understand why the show flipped it around. Anyways, I think it should be obvious why I love Sam. He's so pitiful, you can't help but love him. But he has his moments when he stands up for Gilly, which I think is awesome. I am really excited to see him next season studying to be a maester and see more of Old Town.

Honorable Mentions: Margaery Tyrell, Varys, Olena Tyrell (AKA the Queen of Thorns, AKA the Sass Queen), Arya Stark, Jojen Reed

Also, Lady StoneHeart (RIP). If you don't know who that is, I'd say don't spoil it for yourself.

 

[Justac00lguy]

I'll do on the show and in the books:


Show:

Jon Snow

I get the 'so obvious!!!' arguments because he's obviously one of the main characters if not the main, but I like him for other reasons beyond the stereotypical hero/savior archetype. I like to live my experience of westeros through his eyes. A humble naive bastard who literally does know nothing. It's such a central theme to his whole arc; his nativity and how quickly he learns and adapts. The way he finds out about his Night's Watch brother's pasts and how he teaches them after. How he learns of the Wildlings intentions and their horrible situation and he sympathises with them. Even the smaller details. He goes into a scenario so naive and he never thinks he's above anyone or anything, which allows him quickly to understand and relate. I think Kit plays this down to a tee as well. People have criticised him in the past, but Jon is not an easy character to play (just read the books and see) and I think he's done very well and he's been outstanding this season.

His character is changing a lot now though, this season especially. From dead to King. From Stark to Targaryen (well both). The show can't obviously pace as well in the books, so this transition has been rather sudden. You do get the feeling though that we're actually seeing one of these ancient heroes of legend being show in front of our very eyes. Just look at the things he's done already, I don't think Jon Snow can be considered an underdog hero anymore.

Theon/Reek

Alfie Allen is by far my favourite actor on the show. This guy has literally portrayed 5 different characters in one show. He's went from loyal Stark servant, to hesitant Greyjoy, to Reek, to Redemption Reek and now to a whole new Theon. His character as come so far and it feels like a journey watching. Add in Alfies's amazing acting and you get what's nearly a perfect portrayal of the character.

Season 6 will probably differ from the books since I don't think he will sail to meet Dany, but it's an interesting twist and could really serve his redemption arc well.

The Hound/Sandor Clegane

Easily one of my favourite characters. The guy just has so much depth and intrigue. He's a monster with a story and you're constantly trying to figure out whether he's a hero, a bad guy, or a bit of both. That comes a lot from the books too and I don't think we can label Sandor anything in black and white. He is just a man fueled like many by hate, but there is something intrinsically good and protective within him that just draws you in. Plus the fact that in the show he's ****ing hilarious. His duo with Arya was probably my favourite part of the whole show so far.

Honourable Mentions: Tyrion, Stannis, Davos, Season 2/3 Jaime

---

Book:

Jon Snow

I'm actually not a massive fan of Jon's POVs in the books, but as a character he's still one of my favourites. Basically the same reasons as I said for show Jon, but just more emphasised in the books since we get a much closer look into his personality and his internal thinking.

Tyrion

I actually can't believe I didn't include Tyrion in my top three in the show but did in the books since Peter Dinklage adds something incredibly unique to the character on the show. However, I think the past two seasons show-Tyrion has been shelved because they need to move other plots forward before they can move his forward. So his character on the show has been quite stale due to the limitations of having a ten episode annual season. But about book Tyrion though, his character is just so ****ing fun to read and not because of the one-liners. You straight away understand that Tyrion is wiser than most and in the books you get a deeper insight into how his mind works and how he figures and plays people. It's so interesting, especially his interactions with Varys and Baelish.

Arya

I honestly find Arya just way more interesting in the books (probably more so now since the show ****ed up her Bravos plot). Every POV chapter is interesting and things are always on the move. It suits Arya's character as well. She's feisty and she goes through so many struggles (probably more than the other Starks) yet she seems the strongest time and time again. There's also this underlining 'training' theme that starts from the first book and you're following this little girl learn and transform through all these experiences. Her chapters and character development is so rewarding to read.

Honourable mentions: Jaime, Cersei, Littlefinger, Theon

 

[DARK MASTER]

Wow didn't think ZD had so man Thrones fans? Nice to see my own kind.

 

[Dio]

Wow didn't think ZD had so man Thrones fans? Nice to see my own kind.

I'm surprised there weren't threads already about GOT. I would have thought fans of the high fantasy genre like Zelda fans must include people would be into this sort of series.

 

[DARK MASTER]

@Deus the last ep was so gorgeous.

 

[Dio]

@Deus the last ep was so gorgeous.

I loved it. This track from it was just amazing.

 

[DARK MASTER]

@Deus were you expecting mad queen?

 

[Dio]

@Deus were you expecting mad queen?

A king dies every season so I was expecting Tommen to go, but I did not expect Cersei would be the one to replace him.

 

[Ver-go-a-go-go]

Although I've read all of the books quite a few times in great detail, I won't bother separating the show and the book characters. For the most part it's all the same to me, given how I've combined what I think of each character and formed an opinion on both interpretations as a whole (although I don't think there's that much differentiation).

Robb Stark:

Although he never got a POV in the books, I still gravitated to Robb immediately because I could identify with him so well. I'm actually the oldest of five children in my family, and we're exactly the same as the Starks in the way that there's three boys and two girls. I could relate to him so well in the way that I feel like my father was the same as his - very much involved in the growth and well-being of his family and especially his children. I was absolutely and completely on board with Robb at the end of the first book - I thought I knew exactly how this story was going to go down; Robb was going to be the romantic hero, march his way down to King's Landing, and completely and totally avenge the wrongful death of his father. Oh how I miss those naive days.

Richard Madden's portrayal in the show just reinforced all of it to a huge degree and even increased my affinity for Robb. He gets much more screen time than the books would indicate he should get, and I feel as if the casting was perfect and actually confirmed much of the "head-cannon" I had already formed of Robb for myself with the limited knowledge we get from the books. I thought I was fully prepared for the Red Wedding since my "book-scars" had healed long ago, but it was still very difficult for me to sit through. Grey Wind's death and the subsequent mutilation of his and Robb's body is the single most traumatic event in the series for me.

Davos Seaworth:

Davos has single-handedly been my favorite character in the series since Robb's death, and I was scared to death that he would die in season 6 because they finally went past the books (thankfully he didn't). In a series dominated by high-born lords/ladies, skillfull knights, and talented manipulators, Davos stands out as a true every-man in nearly every sense of the word. I feel like the show didn't do as good of a job of explaining his fierce loyalty to Stannis as the books did, but once you get inside the man's head and witness his humble background, you completely understand how he would feel indebted to a man like Stannis and respect his harsh-but-just stance on situations. He truly judges people on the merit of their character and not their title, which is something I find so admirable.

I would like to point out the scene he had with Melissandre and Jon at the end of season 6 was truly beautiful. I really do hate that so many people seem to sleep on Davos and not give him the credit he deserves in this entire thing. Seeing his passion in the face of injustice made me love him that much more. I just wish we could find out what he currently thinks of Stannis after learning what he did to his own daughter.

Sansa Stark:

I feel like Sansa has had the single greatest character arc in the series so far. Yes, she was borderline intolerable early on, but I think it's obvious by now that this was completely by design and 100% Martin's intention. She's originally depicted as a very weak and childish character because that's what children like her are like at that point in their lives. The beauty of Sansa's arc is how she's slowly introduced and immersed in the absolute worst that humankind has to offer. Mental abuse following the death of her father, physical abuse at the hands of Joffrey, sexual abuse by Ramsay, and just about everything else. Her growth and ability to adapt to the harsh realities of the world has made her one of the most powerful characters in the series in my opinion.

Tywin Lannister:

The beauty of Martin's writing is that there are very few truly "evil" characters in this series. In fact, I can only think of two that are completely lacking in any type of relatable human trait, and that's Gregor Clegane and Ramsay Snow. Tywin, despite having quite a few qualities of a traditional "antagonist", actually has completely understandable and respectable motives in almost everything he does (minus him being a hypocrite on the matter of prostitution). You just have to admire a guy that places the honor and survival of his family above everything else. All he does is done solely in the interest of preserving and honoring the Lannister name.

Yes, the Starks were decimated, but few seem to realize that the fate of the Lannisters has in many ways been infinitely worse. Whereas the Starks were involuntarily torn apart, they still loved each other like a true family. They were unjustly killed in many ways, but they for the most part died for the values and beliefs they held dear to themselves. The Lannisters on the other hand tore themselves apart voluntarily - Tyrion murders his own father, Cersei genuinely despises Tyrion as a person, Jamie is a shell of himself as a knight and now has greater friction with Cersei than ever; it's such a fascinating arc to see that for all of Tywin's skills, ranging from a brilliant military mind to an even greater strategic mastery, he was unable to actually succeed in what he set out to do despite nearly eradicating the Starks.

Honorable mentions go to Jamie Lannister, Jon Snow, Brienne of Tarth, and Jorah Mormont.

 

[Misty]

Sandor Clegane
Muh Boo. He's the bestest. Easily the most likeable of the broken, evil characters we see. His road-trip, buddy comedy with Arya makes those seasons what they are. Watching his little arc in the seventh season was one of the only things I enjoyed about that season. He also helps gel the changes in Sansa and that's really wonderful.

Sansa Stark
I identify with Sansa Stark. I know that's probably not a good thing to have happen, but there it is. I do. I like her arc more than any other arc in the show. I like that she's the only obviously political player among the Starks. I like that she doesn't have any bad scenes. I like the deconstruction of the damsel character Martin has going on.

Ramsay Bolton
Wait, hear me out on this one. I like Ramsay Bolton as a foil for the John Snow character. Ramsay gets a lot of **** for his actions, but have you seen his father? Unlike Ned who treats John as his own son as much as custom will allow, Ruse is constantly dangling in Ramsay's face that he's a bastard while at the same time letting him wreak havoc. Almost everything Ramsay does is to impress his father and retain his hard fought for and deeply desired title. It was time for him to die, but I'm not sure we all need to be spitting on his corpse.

Petyr Baelish
If I enjoy Sansa, it seems obvious I would like Petyr. I think I like him so much because he's a more human version of the Spider. I like that he's so deeply flawed when it comes to his romantic vision of himself with a Stark woman. Watching him get friend zoned season after season is also great. The guy needs to stop waiting for consent at this point, especially with Sansa. He should know Sansa likes rapey men. Seriously, when he's like "I'll be king and you can be queen". I was like "gurlll yaaaas".

Olenna Tyrell
Where do you even start on this silver vixen? She's played by Ms. Peel. A dame played by a woman with a damehood. She's the only woman we see who can rise to the level of the likes of the Spider and Littlefinger consistently. She ***** slaps every Lannister and now she's taken her splainin' hand to Dorne. I'm not into women or the elderly, but Olenna can share my bed any time.

Honorable mentions: all the Lannisters and Bronn.