Stories like Game of Thrones are built around the excitement of combat, despite the show developing an impressive world with all the sociopolitical details necessary to make it believable. There are considerably large-scale battles involving hundreds or thousands of extras and high-budget CGI techniques.
There are as many relatively minor fights that turn out to be equally thrilling for fans of Game of Thrones—in part due to relatability when it comes to specific characters. How many of them are significant enough to warrant being considered among the best, though?
10 Sandor Clegane Survives Beric Dondarrion’s Fire
Sandor Clegane, better known as the Hound, battles Beric Dondarrion in a match that doesn’t have a clearly predictable outcome. The Lord of Blackhaven resorts to his usual tactic: sparking a mystical fire around his sword.
Of course, the main reason that the Hound falls back is because of his childhood trauma surrounding fire, but his desire to win is apparently no match for the blessings of the Lord of Light. Clegane technically wins the fight, but Beric survives his wounds anyway.
9 The Waif Nearly Kills Arya Stark
Originally Arya’s fighting instructor of sorts, the Waif teaches her about the variegated roles played by anyone who wants to be a Faceless Man. Jaqen orders the teacher to assassinate her pupil, which nearly succeeds before the latter escapes via a nearby canal.
Arya is unfortunately stalked by the Waif on more than one occasion and ultimately ends up in a complex stealth battle involving a pitch-black room and pure instinct. Arya is triumphant, forcing Jaqen to acknowledge her skills.
8 Jaime Lannister’s Poetic Defeat Of Euron Greyjoy (& Vice-Versa)
The head of House Greyjoy, Euron spends most of his time on screen crudely “flirting” with Queen Cersei, and seems to be overly proud that she is carrying his baby (she’s not). Near the end of the series, Euron discovers Jaime attempting to smuggle himself back to his sister.
The two men undergo a short but fierce battle, which leaves both of them severely injured. Euron dies on the spot, but Jaime gets to live for a few more hours before being flattened to death in Cersei’s arms when Daenerys and Drogon collapse the Red Keep.
7 Brienne & The Hound Battle On A Mountain Top
Jaime Lannister does not knight Brienne as a favor, or out of pity—it is because he knows what she’s capable of, that she’s leagues beyond the mediocre men who tend to receive the honor.
When she faces the Hound (and Arya), Brienne easily disarms her opponent and holds him at swordpoint. The battle devolves into a series of unarmed attacks involving teeth and kicks to the groin. Brienne finally punches the Hound off a literal precipice.
6 The Night King Singlehandedly Takes Down Viserion
This isn’t a fair fight, in all honesty, but it serves to display the bone-chillingly powerful techniques that the Night King has at his disposal. Daenerys and her dragons rush to save Jon from the besieging White Walkers, giving the heroes way too much misplaced hope.
This is because the Night King casually picks up what looks like an ice-spear and flings it straight towards Viserion, tearing a hole in the dragon’s throat. Viserion plunges into the freezing pond and disappears from sight (until his later zombification).
5 Arya & Nymeria Teach Joffrey A Lesson
Unsurprisingly, Joffrey’s behavior after his father-uncle injures Bran Stark secures him a few justified slaps from Tyrion. A few scenes later, the crown prince is seen bullying Mycah, an innocent boy having a playful joust with Arya, proving that he has learned nothing.
Therefore, it’s heartening to watch Nymeria pounce on Joffrey and attack him, forcing him to plead for mercy. Sadly, King Robert orders the Direwolf’s execution, a sentence that is inflicted on poor Lady simply because Nymeria disappears by then.
4 Cleganebowl Is Both Anticlimactic & Worth The Wait
Cleganebowl is the fan name given to the much-awaited battle between the brother-nemeses, Gregor and Sandor Clegane. The Hound enters the Red Keep and massacres her bodyguards before standing face to face with the Mountain.
This fraternal conflict isn’t so much a minor squabble as it is a deathmatch, and the brothers are evenly matched at first. Sandor is unable to “kill” Gregor, however, because of the latter’s unquantifiable state of existence (courtesy of Qyburn). In the end, they both topple off the tower and to their doom.
3 Jon Snow Takes His Final Revenge On Ramsay Bolton
Ramsay Bolton’s unflappable demeanor is rudely broken when Sansa brings a House Arryn battalion to support her brother at the literal last second. Jon Snow follows Ramsay as he runs back to Winterfell and locks the gates behind him, a move that is utterly useless against the overwhelming strength of Wun Wun the giant.
The self-titled Lord of Winterfell desperately tries to cheat his way out of a sticky situation once again, but his archery attacks are comfortably blocked by Jon Snow, who then proceeds to pound Ramsay’s face into the ground.
2 Arya Stark Shatters The Night King In A Single Magnificent Strike
As Jon Snow prepares to meet his end before Wight Viserion, his youngest sister makes one of the most dangerous plays seen in the show. She flashes through the rows of White Walkers like a whisper, only to be caught by the Night King before she can land her blow.
Fortunately for Arya, she manages to transfer her Valyrian blade to her right hand, and slices into her opponent’s unprotected waist, destroying him completely (permanently ending the Long Winter before it actually begins).
1 The Mountain Kills (& Is Killed By) The Red Viper
The reason behind the clash between the Mountain and the Red Viper isn’t exactly surprising. Oberyn of House Dorne wants vengeance for the death of his sister, Elia, while Gregor Clegane is happy to tear people to pieces in any context.
The Red Viper’s flexibility, techniques, and relatively smaller size help him evade his slower opponent, and it seems that the Dornishman is triumphant when he stabs Clegane with his poisonous blade. Until Oberyn’s overconfidence turns out to be his very gruesome undoing.
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