Even though Game of Thrones is arguably best defined by its ensemble cast– one that results in dozens of billed actors headlining the opening credits– it’s hard to deny the fact that some characters are simply more important. Between Jon Snow and Daenerys Targaryen, it’s clear that Game of Thrones does have its main characters.
While it’s not hard to tell who the real leads are in Game of Thrones, A Song of Ice and Fire makes it easier by only giving a handful of characters chapters. It’s interesting to note who doesn’t get a point of view of their own, but what’s arguably more interesting is seeing which characters get the most chapters over the course of the story’s five published novels thus far.
Theon Greyjoy (14 Chapters)
What’s especially notable about Theon Greyjoy rounding out top 10 is the fact he’s only a point of view chapter in two books: Book 2, A Clash of Kings, and Book 5, A Dance with Dragons. Unlike Game of Thrones where Theon’s metamorphosis into Reek is shown, A Song of Ice and Fire pushes Theon into the background after the Sack of Winterfell.
Theon is reintroduced as Reek, and it’s up to the reader to initially piece together that this is Theon. More importantly, skipping the gruesome details of Ramsay’s torture leaves everything to imagination. Theon can only reminisce so much, but what he re and what he alludes to is far more chilling than anything in the show.
Eddard Stark (15 Chapters)
Game of Thrones may not have one single main character, but A Game of Thrones, the first book in the series, certainly does. While he doesn’t quite make it to the last quarter of the book, Eddard Stark is clearly AGoT’s protagonist. Virtually the entire story is framed through his investigation in King’s Landing.
It can be easy to take for granted just how much time we as readers spend with Ned in the first book. Reading through A Song of Ice and Fire for the first time, how can one not see Ned as the protagonist? His chapters are made all the more jarring by how nonchalant Ned’s last chapter is– cutting his PoV well before he dies. Even in the books, we aren’t privy to Ned’s finals moments.
Jaime Lannister (17 Chapters)
One of the benefits Game of Thrones has as an adaptation is being able to flesh out characters earlier than in the books. In GoT, there’s clearly more to Jaime than meets the eye, even when he’s still being depicted as a clear villain. The same is true for A Song of Ice and Fire, but on a much lesser scale since Jaime is only seen positively through Tyrion’s perspective in the first two books.
It isn’t until A Storm of Swords where Jaime gets his first set of chapters, and he quickly becomes one of the series’ most developed characters. His relationship with Brienne is even more nuanced in the books, and Jaime’s arc in A Feast for Crows is a masterpiece of writing that the show tragically neglected to adapt.
Bran Stark (21 Chapters)
Who has a better story than Bran the Broken, indeed? Tyrion’s question may be downright laughable in Game of Thrones where the show shamelessly removed him from the story for an entire season, but Bran’s chapters in A Song of Ice and Fire generally tend to be the most fascinating.
Bran rarely dominates the books in of chapter count, but he pops up often enough– usually to drop some lore, prophecies, and flesh out the story’s increasingly magical elements. As of the end of A Dance with Dragons, Bran is still training with Three-eyed crow (who GoT renamed the Three-Eyed Raven,) but all signs point to The Winds of Winter serving as a major turning point for his arc much like season 6 of GoT.
Sansa Stark (25 Chapters)
Sansa in Game of Thrones really doesn’t compare to Sansa in A Song of Ice and Fire. While the former is far more prominent in her story, the latter’s chapters make much better use of the character. While the books are comparatively still early in Sansa’s story, her time with Littlefinger is shaping her up into a far more competent power player than Sansa was in the show.
More importantly, Sansa is not sold off to Ramsay in the books. Her entire arc is set to be far different than what Game of Thrones offered her, especially since Sansa has no reason or the experience to turn her sights on Littlefinger. Yet.
Catelyn Stark (25 Chapters)
Unlike in Game of Thrones, Catelyn is still a presence in A Song of Ice and Fire. Following her death at the Red Wedding, Beric Dondarrion gives his life to revive Catelyn– albeit the revival happens too late, with Catelyn’s mind warped. Now under the guise of Lady Stoneheart, she roams the land with the Brotherhood without Banners to hang Frey & Lannister alike.
That said, Catelyn loses her point of view after her initial death. Catelyn maintains a steady flow of chapters throughout A Game of Thrones, A Clash of Kings, and A Storm of Swords, but Lady Stoneheart isn’t given the same privilege. Time will tell what role Lady Stoneheart will ultimately play, but Cat’s 25 dense chapters made her loss hit hard and her resurrection built immense intrigue.
Daenerys Targaryen (31 Chapters)
If there’s one character audiences can argue is Game of Thrones’ “true” main character, Daenerys Targaryen is the choice that makes the most sense. Everything that happens in Westeros sets the stage for her arrival. Likewise, Jon’s conflict in the North with the Others can’t be resolved with Dany present. Which makes it surprising that Dany isn’t even in the top 3 chapter count.
This makes sense for one reason, though: A Clash of Kings. Daenerys has quite a lot of chapters in A Game of Thrones and A Dance with Dragons, along with a fair bit in A Storm of Swords, but A Clash of Kings allows Dany to take a backseat– more or less serving as necessary “filler” in her journey of growth.
Arya Stark (34 Chapters)
Regardless of medium, Arya Stark is a fan favorite. Not only does she get to kill the Night King himself in Game of Thrones, Arya is the only point of view character who has a chapter in every single volume of A Song of Ice and Fire– and that doesn’t look to be changing with either The Winds of Winter or A Dream of Spring.
Unfortunately, it seems the books will run into a similar problem the show did: how to get Arya back to Westeros comfortably. With George R.R. Martin adamant on ending the story with seven novels, he’ll almost certainly need to rush Arya’s Faceless Man training. One thing is certain, though, A Song of Ice and Fire is almost certain to make better use of Arya’s abilities than GoT.
Jon Snow (42 Chapters)
Whereas one can comfortably argue that Daenerys is Game of Thrones’ main character to an extent, Jon Snow is far more prominent than she is in the books– albeit by circumstance they need to be. Daenerys’ actions in Essos can naturally have political consequences in Westeros while coinciding with her final goals.
Jon, on the other hand, is the sole point of view in the North for roughly two and a half books, along with the de-facto main character of the Others arc. It goes without saying that Jon needs more chapters to flesh out such an integral portion of the narrative. With this in mind, Jon’s resurrection in The Winds of Winter is as inevitable as it was in season 6.
Tyrion Lannister (49 Chapters)
In both Game of Thrones and A Song of Ice and Fire, Tyrion is the most present character. He’s clearly someone who George R. R. Martin loves to write, and Peter Dinklage’s powerhouse performance ensured he wasn’t going to be written off until the end of the series– and even then. Of course, where the show overused Tyrion, the books are more tactful.
Tyrion’s plots are always long and dense, but never without substance. One can argue that A Dance with Dragons features a bit too much Tyrion for its own good, but it’s important that he spends so much time working through his post-killing-his-dad depression. With Tyrion set as a major point of view in the Battle of Mereen, this Lannister isn’t going anywhere.