Warning! This post contains spoilers for Game of Thrones.
Game of Thronesis therevolutionary high-fantasy showthat kickstarted the fantasy television craze that began in the 2010s and persists today. The show is based on an unfinished novel series byGeorge R. R. Martin, though it eventually outpaced the books and had to craft its narrative based on Martin’s unreleased material. The show takes place in the world of Westeros, where nine noble families begin squabbling over the Iron Throne, unaware that the most dangerous threat is rising in the form of an army of the undead in the North.
One of the running jokes amongst fans is thatthe show has a ridiculous amount of death, which is nothing but the truth.Game of Thronesfeatures a large ensemble, which means a lot of characters need their stories wrapped up, which usually means killing them off in one way or another. Death is always present, but it’s more prevalent in some episodes than others.These are the episodes ofGame of Thronesthat have the most named character deaths, not including the nameless extras that die in big battle sequences.
Game Of Thrones
10’No One' (2016)
Character Death Count: 4
The only people who die in “No One” are either minor characters, characters that the audience loves to hate, or characters who die off-screen, so this episodeisn’t as emotional as some of the others. Among the fallen are Ser Brynden “the Blackfish” Tully (Clive Russell), who doesn’t even get a proper death scene, and his expiry only gets a passing comment. Other than that, there’s the Waif (Faye Marsay), whom the audience tends to hate, so this was no skin off anyone’s nose.
It’s funny because “No One” isn’t an episode where there’s a major battle or any huge, explosive event taking place. It’s kind of just business as usual, with the various plotlines unfolding in their various locations. It’s not even a notable episode like a premiere or anything; it’s just the eighth episode of Season 6. Still, it is one of the deadliest in terms of character exits. Other episodes have seen four deaths, too, butthis one has the most notable names compared to others with a similar death count.
9’Battle of the Bastards' (2016)
“Battle of the Bastards” centres on the eponymous battle, where Jon Snow (Kit Harington) faces off against the sadistic Ramsay Bolton (Iwan Rheon), intending to reclaim Snow’s ancestral home of Winterfell. This penultimate episode of the sixth season boasts what is arguablythe greatest battle inGame of Thrones, with a huge production value and a claustrophobic atmosphere, allculminating in its iconic “human crush” moment.
Half of the characters who die in this episode are minor, but the most notable two are Ramsay himself, along with Jon’s youngest brother, Rickon Stark (Art Parkinson). This makes four character deaths in total, which is equalled by quite a few episodes, to be frank. However, “Battle of the Bastards” surely earns a higher spot due to the fact that a literal battle occurs in it, andthousands of unnamed extras kick the bucket in the background, so there’s no surprise that it’s among the deadliest episodes.
8’Valar Morghulis' (2012)
Character Death Count: 5
“Valar Morghulis” is the final episode of Season 2, which is kind of a step down, considering the previous episode had the first large-scale battle of the series. It may not be as exciting as the episode before it, but it does boast a higher death toll in terms of named characters. If this list were measured in terms of unnamed extras getting offed, the previous episode would have won by a mile. Yet, there aren’t a lot of actual characters who die in that episode, and if there are, they’re extremely minor.
The main reason a lot of people in this episode die is due to the Boltons' sacking of Winterfell along withDaenerys' (Emilia Clarke) retrieval of her missing dragons, causing her to lash out in revenge and kill anyone involved in the conspiracy to steal them. In fact,Dany is responsible for most of the deaths in this episode. In any case, for a while there, this episode had the highest death toll for a while there, or at least until the end of Season 3 came along.
7’The Watchers on the Wall' (2014)
“The Watchers on the Wall” is the penultimate episode of Season 4 and centers on another major battle, this time between the Night’s Watch and an invading force of Wildlings from Beyond the Wall. Jon Snow does his best to defend the castle, and he and his friends are very much successful, but at a great cost. Jon’s two best friends, Pip (Josef Altin) and Grenn (Mark Stanley), are killed (which, interestingly enough,doesn’t happen in the books), along with his love interest, Ygritte (Rose Leslie).
It’s not the most climactic battle in the entire series, but it is one thatshows the cost of war and forbidden love. It’s a huge moment for Jon, as he begins to understand the sacrifices he must make in order to lead, finally getting the sense of duty that his father, Ned (Sean Bean), tried to instill in him all those years ago. Sure, “The Watchers on the Wall” is visually stunning, but it also packs an emotional punch, remaininga crucial moment of character development for Jon.
6’Mother’s Mercy' (2015)
Character Death Count: 6
“Mother’s Mercy” is the Season 5 finale, so it’s obvious that a lot has to happen to get people hooked and hyped for the next season. Perhapsthe most notable event in this episode is Jon Snow’s deathat the hands of his men, who betray him due to his perceived treason at helping the Wildlings. Apart from that, there’s the death of Ser Meryn Trant (Ian Beattie), who nobody felt bad about.
But most of the characters who snuff it arethe ones in the Dorne arc, which is, admittedly, kind of a lackluster part of the show that differs greatly from the books.The Sand Snakes eliminate many members of House Martell, along with one of the Lannister children, as she is on her way home to see her mother. Yes, a lot of people die in this episode, but most of them aren’t really characters that the audience has gotten to know all that well, save for Jon and Ser Meryn. Even then, Jon is the only death that really hits hard, but it’s okay because he is resurrected two episodes later.
5’Oathbreaker' (2016)
“Oathbreaker” is the third episode of Season 6 (which, it should be mentioned, is the deadliest season inGame of Thrones), and it occurs right after Jon’s resurrection, courtesy ofthe Red Woman, Melisandre(Carice van Houten). Jon is alive again and is not happy that his brothers betrayed him, so he decides toexpress his displeasure by hanging them for treason. Four people die at once here, but only two of them are really notable names — the other two are just sort of named characters that appear in the background.
The other two deaths are ofthe Wildling woman, Osha(Natalia Tena), who was sort of a caretaker of the youngest Stark boys, along withRickon’s direwolf, Shaggydog. These are the only two deaths that genuinely upset people, though — nobody was upset at seeing the traitors of the Night’s Watch hang for their crimes. While there is a lot of death in this episode, most of it is inconsequential and occurs at the same time, so it doesn’t feel like it should be one of the deadliest episodes, but it is, anyway.
4’The Rains of Castamere' (2013)
“The Rains of Castamere” is the ninth episode of the third season andhome to the infamous Red Wedding, one of themost iconic plot twists in television history. Seriously, even someone who’s never seenGame of Thronesis likely to have at least heard of this pivotal moment. In Season 1, Robb Stark (Richard Madden) asks to use a bridge owned by Lord Walder Frey (David Bradley), offering to marry one of Frey’s daughters in exchange. But Robb later goes back on his promise, marrying a Volantine nurse instead.
Robb defers the betrothal to his uncle, Edmure (Tobias Menzies), who marries his new wife at the Frey’s home of the Twins. After the newlyweds are whisked away to the bedroom to consummate their marriage, the doors in the hall close, and disguised assassins, under orders of the vengeful Lord Frey, murder nearly everyone in attendance, including Robb, his wife, his pet direwolf, and his mother, Catelyn (Michelle Fairley). It’s a moment of pure chaos and devastation that has hauntedThronesviewers for over a decade withhow swiftly it kills off a bunch of beloved characters.
3’The Bells' (2019)
Character Death Count: 8
“The Bells” is the fifth episode of Season 8 and sees Daenerys Targaryen finally arrive at King’s Landing, intending to conquer the city and claim the throne of Westeros for her family once again. Since it’s the second-last episode of the entire series, it has to have some notable deaths. In fact, some of the deaths are characters who have appeared in nearly every episode, such as Jaime (Nikolaj Coster-Waldau) and Cersei (Lena Headey) Lannister.
This doesn’t count the numerous innocent civilians slaughtered by dragonfire, of course, but even then,eight major names kick the buckethere. There’s also the thrilling"Cleganebowl," a duelbetween brothers Sandor (Rory McCann) and Gregor Clegane (Hafþór Júlíus Björnsson), who duke it out in the Red Keep before meeting their simultaneous end. For all of Season 8’s flaws, this episode did have some exciting moments, even if many people were disappointed by it.
2’The Long Night' (2019)
Character Death Count: 10
“The Long Night” is the third episode of the eighth season and is the point where many feel the series lost its mojo. The 90-minute episode occurs entirely at Winterfell, where an alliance, headed by Jon Snow, battles the enormous army of the undead. Because of the huge numbers on both sides,lots of big characters meet their maker in this episode, from humans to White Walkers to dragons.
Some of the most notable deaths include The Night King (Vladimir Furdik), Theon Greyjoy (Alfie Allen), and Ser Jorah Mormont (Iain Glen), along with numerous other fan-favorites and minor characters. Many of the people who die in this episode have been in the series since Season 1, soit really delivers in emotional impact, especially Theon and Jorah.Even if Season 8 was very flawed, there were some things that this episode did right in terms of having the audience feel the losses experienced.
1’The Winds of Winter' (2016)
Character Death Count: 12
“The Winds of Winter” is the season six finale, so viewers likely already knew that something big would happen, as is customary for this show. But what did end up happening was far beyond what anyone could have expected. The episode begins with Cersei Lannister being summoned to the Great Sept of Baelor to answer for her crimes, including conspiracy and incest. Logically, she has no plans to surrender and instead arranges forthe Sept to be rigged with wilfire, a volatile and highly explosive magical compound.
As Cersei watches with glee, the Sept is blown sky-high, killing about seven major characters, notablythe then-queen of Westeros, Margaery Tyrell(Natalie Dormer), in one fell swoop. The Sept’s explosion isn’t all that the episode has in store, as other major players also die in the aftermath or due to Cersei’s abrupt seizing of power, though there are a couple that die in unrelated circumstances. All in all, “The Winds of Winter” isby far the deadliest episodeof the entire series, witha whopping twelve character deaths, many of which happen simultaneously, if not within seconds of each other.
