Game of Thrones is infamous for regularly breaking the hearts of its viewers. In the ranking, we remember the 10 saddest deaths in the fantasy series.
How many characters have died? In hardly any other series do characters die as frequently as in Game of Thrones. In all 8 seasons of the fantasy series, there are only four episodes in which no one dies (via winteriscoming.net). The number of deaths is correspondingly high:
- In total, 6887 characters have visibly died in the series (via washingtonpost.com).
- Among them, there were 234 named characters (via gameofthrones.fandom.com).
Which of these deaths one finds saddest is, of course, very subjective. In this list, we still want to attempt to find the 10 deaths that likely had the most emotional impact.
Spoiler alert: Massive spoilers for all seasons of Game of Thrones follow.
Place 10: Oberyn Martell
- First appearance: Season 4 Episode 1
- Time of death: Season 4 Episode 8
Oberyn’s death may not have been the most emotional, but it was one of the most brutal. In the “trial by combat,” he fights for Tyrion against Gregor Clegane. Initially, it seems he will win. But he hesitates too long. Gregor Clegane seizes his chance and crushes Oberyn’s skull with his bare hands.
Unfortunately, Oberyn was not seen much in the series, otherwise his death would have been even sadder. Nevertheless, he was many people’s favorite from the first moment, partly due to his charismatic actor Pedro Pascal.
Place 9: Khal Drogo
- First appearance: Season 1 Episode 1
- Time of death: Season 1 Episode 10
In the first season of Game of Thrones, we had to say goodbye to Khal Drogo. Just when he was expecting a child with Daenerys, he finds himself in life-threatening danger due to an infected cut. To save the “moon of his life,” Daenerys asks the witch Mirri Maz Dur for help. She indeed saves Drogo’s life, but now he lies in a kind of coma.
In an emotional scene, Daenerys realizes that she has lost her husband for good. To free him from his suffering, she subsequently suffocates him with a pillow.
Place 8: Ygritte
- First appearance: Season 2 Episode 6
- Time of death: Season 4 Episode 10
Ygritte and Jon share a tragic story. Although they love each other, they stand on opposing sides. When the wildlings attack the Night’s Watch’s Black Fortress, they meet one last time. With bow and arrow, she aims at Jon but cannot bring herself to shoot him. Suddenly, it is she who is pierced from behind by an arrow. In a touching scene, Ygritte dies shortly thereafter in Jon’s arms.
Even though the relationship between the two was a constant up and down, it is considered by many to be one of the best romances in Game of Thrones. This makes Ygritte’s death particularly sad.
