Every Character in A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, Ranked

Has honor deserted all of these noble characters?

A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms finished up this past weekend, and I loved it. It is, in my opinion, the best Game of Thrones content we've gotten since season six of the mainline show. Part of the reason this show is so good is because of its fantastic cast of uniquely odd and lovable characters, something that is not often found in Westeros. A lot of these characters are quirky in very specific ways that made them stand out, so this was a really fun ranking to do. Check it out below!

14. Steffon Fossoway

Raymun's betraying cousin is too underdeveloped to be meaningful

Steffon Fossoway feels like your typical Game of Thrones jerkface who isn't a horrible human being but isn't a good one either. He's a ratty little guy who thinks he's better than his cousin because he's a knight and Raymun is a squire. He looks down on Dunk because of his insistence on being a good person. He gets a moment of redemption because he momentarily joins Dunk's side...before being offered a lordship and joining Aerion. Steffon is a good foil to Dunk because he's just a sleazebag, but that makes him incredibly unlikable and honestly uninteresting.

13. Tanselle

Dunk's crush is more of a plot device than an actual character

Tanselle is a difficult character to rank, because she doesn't really do anything. She paints Dunk's shield, but that's about it. I think she serves as a nice embodiment of the innocent side of Westeros, and you can see that Dunk cares about her and wants to protect her. It definitely hurts when you see Aerion attack her, but again, she doesn't have much agency on her own.

12. Steely Pate

The grumpy blacksmith is a fun side character

One of the things this show does so well is have memorable and enjoyable characters with very minor roles. Steely Pate, Dunk's blacksmith, is really fun. He's not in a ton of the show, but whenever he appears, he elevates whatever scene he's in just by being there. He has this grumpy yet caring energy that really works. In his first interactions with Dunk, he seems like a no-nonsense, gruff guy...but you can see that he does have a good heart and is willing to help Dunk because he sees him as an honorable man.

11. Rafe

Dunk's childhood best friend gets a tragic end

I was very mixed on the placement of the flashbacks in the middle of the big battle, but I think they were executed well in general. Rafe was one of the best parts of the flashbacks. She has this wittiness and toughness that really makes you root for her and Dunk to make it out of Flea Bottom while knowing all the while that she's probably not going to make it out. I think her relationship with Duncan is really fun and compelling, because you see that they love each other deeply and express their love in different ways. Her death is so devastating because you see how meaningless the peasants of Westeros are no matter how much you care about them. I hope we see more flashbacks of her with young Dunk in future seasons, because I feel like there's a lot more to explore.

10. Plummer

Ashford's expectorating master of games is a hilarious addition to the show

Plummer was the first hint of the lighter, charming tone of A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms. He's weird and feels like a different type of character than we've seen in previous Game of Thrones seasons, but it fits the vibes of this show. Tom Vaughan-Lawlor (of Avengers: Infinity War fame) plays the character as this strange, spitting grump who also has a fun charm to him. Much like Steely Pate, he's not a huge character, but he's just a nice addition to the show who adds some levity and charm.

9. Daeron Targaryen

The drunk Targaryen is a more likable character than much of his family

One of the things A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms did a fantastic job of despite its very short runtime was humanizing our would-be villains. Naturally, the Targaryens are framed as the antagonists for this season, and upon first glance, you would classify Daeron as a villain. But he's not really a bad guy. He has realized how broken and horrible his family is and how they all turn to monsters, and that idea has just defeated him. He honestly feels like a very subdued Jaime Lannister with his carelessness and hatred of himself. His redeeming qualities come in his acceptance of Duncan as a good man and his role as a mentor for Egg. You can see that he does care about his youngest brother and wants to save him from becoming another monstrous member of the house of the dragon.

8. Ser Arlan of Pennytree

Dunk's father figure is a hilarious yet endearing failure of a knight

I was debating whether or not to put Ser Arlan on the list, but he's more of a character than half of the people I put below him, so I figured I should. A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms opens by showing Ser Arlan being buried by Dunk, and we immediately get a sense of how much Dunk cared about the old knight because of how emotional he is when burying him. Duncan's belief that Arlan was the noblest and truest of knights is constantly challenged when we see flashbacks of him being a drunkard and a bit of a loser, but we also see that he was the good, kind man that honored the truest of knightly values. He's a genuine soul despite not having riches or glory, and that makes him feel like more of a knight than most of the knights we see in Westeros.

7. Aerion Targaryen

A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms needs at least one spiteful little bitch

You know, as much as Aerion sucks, even he is humanized a bit by the way the show is written. He is not as much of a complete psycho as Joffrey or Ramsay, even if he is still a monster. Game of Thrones has always excelled at having simply terrible people that you hate, and Aerion is that for A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms. He is cruel and likely insane...but they make him somewhat sympathetic because you can tell that his insanity is a product of his upbringing and sense of higher purpose. You feel bad for him because you know (according to Daeron) that he wasn't always insane, and that gives him more dimensions than your typical Game of Thrones psycho. I loved that the show relly made every character more nuanced than you would expect. It added to so many layers and so much depth that was very welcome in my mind.

6. Raymun Fossoway

The endearing squire gives off strong Podrick Payne vibes

At the end of the day, A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms is a show about underdogs, and Raymun Fossoway is one of the biggest underdogs this story has to offer. He starts off as the squire for his unbearable cousin and soon comes into his own as a loyal, nerdy friend of Duncan's who is willing to join him in the fight against Aerion. I love that nobody from the honorable houses of Westeros will join Dunk, but Raymun asks to be knighted just so he can fight against Aerion. That's loyalty if I've ever seen it. Actor Shaun Thomas brings this charming naivety that makes him even more endearing. It feels like if Podrick Payne was given the chance to fight for one of his good friends against the Targaryens. And I mean that in an entirely positive way.

5. Lyonel Baratheon

The Laughing Storm is one of the show's most entertaining characters

These top five are all fantastic characters. It kind of hurts not having Lyonel higher, because he may be the most entertaining character on the show. Daniel Ings (who plays him) is absolutely magnetic in this role. He has this broad smile that immediately takes the spotlight in any scene that he appears in. Beyond that, his character is designed to be this larger-than-life, boistrous man who does have a sense of honor in the end. At first, he seems like your typical jerk highborn, but we see him form this genuine bond with Duncan to the point where he joins the fight against the Targaryens. He is one of the few powerful characters in this world who hates that everyone has lost nobility and honor and strives to have it in any situation he is in. Again, that adds layers and complexities. He is presented as a Game of Thrones jerk but really does believe in a moral code, and it makes him feel more well-rounded and compelling.

4. Maekar Targaryen

The heir to the Iron Throne understands his family's insanity but goes along with it

To me, Maekar is the most complex character on the show. When we first meet him, he just seems annoyed at everything. But as we dive deeper into his character, we see that he is secretly tired of his Targaryen lineage. He has seen how his sons turned out. Daeron is a drunk. Aerion is a monster. Aemon isn't present. His last hope resides in Egg, and so he freaks out when he loses him. He goes along with Aerion's challenge against Duncan, albeit begrudgingly, and in the process, accidentally kills his brother. You see how devastated he is and how he wants so badly to be a good man but does not believe that his descendancy will let him. The way the character is portrayed, he just seems like he's been crushed under the weight of the world. The only time he seems to brighten up is when he is around Egg, so I am very curious to see what he thinks of Egg going off with Ser Duncan against Maekar's orders.

3. Baelor Targaryen

Like his namesake, this Targaryen is a righteous royal...who gets a typical Game of Thrones end

Possibly the most honorable character in a Game of Thrones show since Ned Stark, Baelor Targaryen does not have a sense of higher calling or superiority. He would be a truly great ruler who defends the innocent and brings grace to the people of Westeros. So, naturally, him being a good person, he gets a horrible and devastating death. He chooses to fight for Dunk after seeing that Aerion is truly in the wrong and gets his head smashed in as a result. It feels like Baelor was an outlier in the Targaryen lineage, which makes it just so heart-breaking when he removes his helmet and reveals that his skull has been crushed. This is how you excel at writing a character who doesn't have a major arc and has limited screentime. You make them pop and give them something interesting and conflicting with your expectations. As an audience member, you will be truly invested in Baelor and his desire to help Dunk. And your heart will also be broken when he dies.

2. Ser Duncan the Tall

The endearing hedge knight is one of Westeros's most lovable characters

So much of Game of Thrones is devoted to having morally gray characters. If you look at all of our main characters in both Game of Thrones and House of the Dragon, they land somewhere in the middle of hero and villain. So it is a nice breath of fresh air to have a purely good protagonist. Ser Duncan the Tall is as honorable as they come because he believes in the ideals of a knight. He believes in protecting the innocent. He believes in nobility. He feels like the last of a bygone generation of uncorruptable, honorable knights...and they leave it ambiguous as to whether or not he actually is a knight. He deserves it more than anyone, but we don't know if Ser Arlan ever actually knighted him. That choice, in my opinion, was absolutely genius. Dunk is such an easy character to root for. He's so compelling because he opposes all of the terrible things that happen in Westeros with pure good. I cannot wait to see him in future seasons.

1. Aegon "Egg" Targaryen

Dunk's highborn squire is hilarious, adorable, and very compelling all at the same time

There's something innately compelling about a highborn prince, who has all the riches and amenities that a person in Westeros could have, wanting to squire for a lowborn hedge knight. Pair that idea with an absolutely adorable and sarcastic little kid and you have one of my new favorite characters in the A Song of Ice and Fire canon. Egg is the highlight of this show. Dexter Sol Ansell brings this witty, energetic boy to life with a combination of clever sarcasm and a lovable ferocity. Audience members automatically latch on to characters who are passionate about something, and Egg is passionate about wanting to squire for Ser Duncan. That's such an honest thing to want, and he is just so lovable in the way that he expresses those desires. He isn't interested in the Iron Throne or the Targaryen lineage. He wants away from that. And, because of that, he is the most compelling character to me. He also made me laugh and made me emotional the most, so he's really the best in every facet. I cannot wait to see him grow up through future seasons.