Arya Stark of House Stark, one of the major houses in Westeros in the HBO series Game of Thrones, is an iconic character who showed that a woman can be more than just a "lady." As one of the smartest characters in the series, she spends most of her journey in the show away from home, trying to find a place where she can fit in. Thanks to an extensive list of bad events, starting with the shocking beheading of her father, Eddard Stark, at the tail-end of Game of Thrones season 1, Arya concocts a Kill List.
Updated May 14, 2023: If you are a big fan of Game of Thrones, especially of Arya Stark's character, you'll be glad to know that his article has been updated with more details and her most significant kill in the series.
This list functions as a verbal list — indeed, almost like a prayer and a vow — that she recites each night as she goes to sleep of all those who have wronged her or her family. As the seasons progress, more and more characters rightfully find themselves on her list. While Arya was only able to kill a small amount of those on her list, almost all of them found their demise in some way. Let's take a closer look at her list and how each member died.
Arya Stark's Kill List
- The Hound
- Meryn Tyrant
- Joffrey Baratheon
- Melisandre
- Thoros
- Cersei Lannister
- Ser Ilyn Payne
- Polliver
- The Mountain
- Rorge
- Walder Fray
- Tywin Lannister
- Beric Dondarrion
- Littlefinger
- The Night King
The Hound
The Hound, or Sandor Clegane (Rory McCann), was one of the first Game of Thrones characters to find himself on Arya's kill list. While he was added to the list for killing Mycah, the butcher's boy in season one, The Hound and Arya end up forming an interesting friendship after he decides he is going to return her to her family to hopefully earn money.
Although she eventually does leave him to die from his wounds after a fight with Brienne, the pair end up parting ways as friends during the final season before The Hound kills his brother, and himself, by falling from a window in King's Landing.
Meryn Trant
Meryn Trant (Ian Beattie) was one of the long-awaited deaths at the hands of Arya in Game of Thrones. In season one, Meryn kills Syrio Forel, Arya's dancing instructor, which she naturally takes personally. She reunites with Meryn when he visits Braavos.
At this point, Arya is able to use her lessons from Jaqen H'hgar and puts on someone else's face, appearing as a young girl at the brothel Meryn visits. When selected, she is also able to stab him many times, prolonging his death and finally crossing him off her list.
Joffrey Baratheon
Joffrey Baratheon (Jack Gleeson) was easily one of the most hated characters in all of Game of Thrones. Additionally, his death is one of the biggest mysteries as it's not revealed until later in the series, just who gets to claim they killed Joffrey. Indeed, it's Lady Olena Tyrell who reveals to Jaime Lannister, while on the way to her own death, that it was she who poisoned his son's wine at his wedding.
While fans would have been happy to see Arya kill Joffrey thanks to his part in her father's death, having Lady Olena commit the murder was a great consolation prize. His was, arguably, one of the most awaited deaths on the show and one of the most satisfying as well.
Melisandre
After becoming quick friends with Gendry Rivers, aka Gendry Baratheon, Arya takes his capture by Melisandre or The Red Woman seriously. Melisandre (Carice van Houten) purchases Gendry from the Brotherhood Without Banners as part of a ritual to help put Stannis on the Iron Throne. While her character is one that is both loved and hated, she ends up dying seemingly by suicide after fulfilling her purpose from the Lord of Light in helping Jon Snow and everyone else wins the battle of The Long Night.
Thoros
Similarly to Melisandre, Thoros (Paul Kaye) was also put on Arya's list due to his help in selling Gendry to The Red Woman. The Brotherhood Without Banners' member was able to avoid being killed by Arya but unfortunately does find himself dying early.
During season seven of Game of Thrones, Thoros is one of a small group of men who venture beyond The Wall to bring a wight back to Cersei in the hopes of a temporary cease-fire. During a fight with an undead polar bear, he sacrifices himself to save The Hound and later succumbs to his wounds.
Cersei Lannister
Another deserving character on Arya's kill list is none other than Cersei Lannister, played by Lena Headey. Cersei would have found herself on this list for a number of reasons, but it was specifically her part in the death of Arya's father that placed the tyrant number one on her list. In season seven, when asked by a bunch of soldiers, "Why is a nice girl on her own heading to King's Landing?" Arya simply admits, "I'm going to kill the Queen."
In fact, through the final season of Game of Thrones, Arya relentlessly sought out Cersei's death. While she is unable to kill her, she was on her way to doing so when Daenerys Targaryen lays waste at King's Landing, burying both Cersei and Jaime in the rubble.
Ser Ilyn Payne
Ser Ilyn Payne, played by Wilko Johnson, is the sole member of Arya's list who does not die in Game of Thrones. His character was written off the show after the actor was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. The last known mention of the man who beheaded the beloved Ned Stark came halfway through the show in the season four finale when he was mentioned by name by Tywin Lannister.
Polliver
Polliver (Andy Kellegher) was another person on Arya's list who was killed by her sword, Needle. Arya enacted her revenge by killing him after he killed her friend Lommy and stole the very sword that winds up killing him. Polliver has the unfortunate luck of winding up in the same inn as Arya, who wastes no time in crossing him off her list with the help of The Hound. Polliver's death showed the audience how serious Arya truly is about her list. With no hesitation, she drags her sword through his chest. It's the scene that first marked her as dangerous.
The Mountain
The Mountain (Hafþór Júlíus Björnsson), another one of the Clegane brothers, unsurprisingly found himself also on Arya's list. She added him after witnessing him torturing people for information at Harrenhal. The Lannister-loving brute would help strap rats to people and then use fire to get them to literally claw their way through the person's chest.
A few characters on Arya's list could be called controversial, no one, however, is likely to argue that The Mountain did not deserve a spot on the list, especially after we learn that he is responsible for his brother's burned face. While a battle between Arya and The Mountain would have been a sight to see, his death was fitting as his own brother was able to finally put The Mountain's reign of terror to rest.
Rorge
Rorge (Andy Beckwith) is a small side character who was traveling with Arya's group to The Wall. He was a criminal whom she actually frees along with Jaqen H'hgar, although his release was done reluctantly by Arya. Later on, when Arya is traveling with The Hound, the pair meet up again with Rorge, which doesn't end well for the bully as Arya kills him with Needle.
Walder Frey
While many can understand why certain characters have found their way on Arya's kill list, none deserved it more than Walder Frey. It was this Lord who invited Robb Stark and his bannermen into his home as a guest and ultimately lured them into a slaughter dubbed The Red Wedding. Thankfully, Walder Frey is another member of the list who met his doom at the hands of Arya Stark.
It would still have been satisfying to see this character be terminated at the hands of anyone, but no one could have done it better than Arya, not just because she was trained by The Many-Faced God's best assassin, but because of the motive and dramatic build-up of this relationship. She uses both her technical expertise and her raging anger against Walder to carry out an act of extraordinary revenge. Donning the face of a servant girl, she is able to trick Walder into eating his own sons, who were cooked into a meal, before slicing his throat in the same way her mother was killed during The Red Wedding.
Tywin Lannister
Tywin Lannister (Charles Dance) was on a few people's kill lists, including Arya Stark's. Tywin rightfully earned a top spot on her list thanks to his planning and support of House Frey in slaughtering her brother, mother, and the rest of Robb's army during The Red Wedding. While she is unable to scratch his name off her list as well, Arya would certainly have loved how Tywin met his fate at the hands of his own son, Tyrion Lannister, while on the privy. Even if she did not kill Tywin herself, fate found a way to do it even better.
Beric Dondarrion
Beric Dondarrion, played by Richard Dormer in the later seasons of Game of Thrones, was another character to find himself on Arya's list due to his actions against Gendry. When Melisandre came to the Brotherhood Without Banners looking for Gendry as the leader, Beric ultimately gave the OK for The Red Woman to take him back to Stannis.
A few seasons later, during the battle of The Long Night, Beric was killed (for the final) time after receiving multiple wounds inflicted by the wights. Instead of being killed by Arya, he was killed helping to rescue her. Proving her character arc from revenge-filled to hero, Arya took a minute to mourn his loss. This scene is an absolute heartbreaker and one of the unique scenes in which long-time enemies turn into last-minute allies. His death gave the list another side that was otherwise unnoticed. It revealed that the list is never final and that there is always a place for making things right.
Littlefinger
Peter Baelish, also known as Littlefinger, was played by Aiden Gillen. After attempting to turn Arya and her sister Sansa against one another, the two sisters see through his deception and put him on trial for his orchestration of their father, Eddard Stark's murder. Littlefinger attempts to plead for his life, but Arya slits his throat with her Valyrian steel dagger. Littlefinger's actions kicked off the series of events that led to the creation of Arya's list, so it is fitting she was the one to kill him and bring about the end of the man who was the author of her pain.
The Night King
While not technically on Arya's official list, it is worth noting she handed the killing blow to The Night King (Vladamir Furdick). The Night King was the biggest villain in Game of Thrones, leading the army of the White Walkers. The skills Arya acquired on her journey, every kill she made to avenge her family, had been leading to this moment where she plunges a dagger made out of Valyrian steel into the Night King's chest. This moment alters the entire fate of Westeros, making Arya one of the series' biggest heroes.