Greatest Warriors of Westeros

[Ser Underline]

Depends on how you make the list. If it's named characters currently alive and well in Westeros, then he might make it to the top 10, but if it's an all time list of mentioned characters he wouldn't be anywhere near the top 10.

You're kidding, right?

Jaime's chapter in AFfC: In an inside monologue Jaime remembers when he first met The Blackfish and how much of a hero he was to him because of what he did in the War of the Ninepenny kings, alongside Barristan Selmy, who was then taken in the Kingsguard. (They slashed through the Golden Company ranks, leading up to Selmy 1vs1 with Maelys)

Oh and he was a squire for lord Darry. And he's the Grandpa-Phelps of the 7 kingdoms.

[Esa1996]

You're kidding, right?

Jaime's chapter in AFfC: In an inside monologue Jaime remembers when he first met The Blackfish and how much of a hero he was to him because of what he did in the War of the Ninepenny kings, alongside Barristan Selmy, who was then taken in the Kingsguard. (They slashed through the Golden Company ranks, leading up to Selmy 1vs1 with Maelys)

Oh and he was a squire for lord Darry. And he's the Grandpa-Phelps of the 7 kingdoms.

No, I'm not kidding. I'd have no problem naming 10 people who could beat him in a duel if I could choose from all known fighters. If we're talking about the fighters currently in Westeros, then he gets a minus for his age. If he were still in his prime he could well make the current list since all the top fighters are dead or crippled.

Here are some of the people who would beat him in a duel:

Aemon Targaryen

Arthur Dayne

Barristan Selmy

Daemon Blackfyre

Garlan Tyrell

Gregor Clegane

Gwayne Corbray

Jaime Lannister

Oberyn Martell

Sandor Clegane

etc.

[Ser Underline]

Might get offtopic-y, but i'm teamBlackfish so do forgive me. :)

This is all due to lack of background information. All those fighters you named ( respect for every single one ) have had great stories pinned to their names and great deeds done, but somehow somewhere they have failed ('xcept Garlan and Selmy) and are, well, no more capable of being in the top 10. Blackfish was the Warden of the Gate where, you gotta admit, not so much stuff goes on. He later ends up under siege by the united Frey-Lannister-riverlands army AND STILL he manages to survive - he's very, very cunning. I say (or hope eh, forgive me.) he's still got something to write down right next to his name.

There are brave and there are old warriors. There aren't many brave-and-old warriors. Which gives incredible kudos to the likes of Selmy & Blackie.

[Esa1996]

Might get offtopic-y, but i'm teamBlackfish so do forgive me. :)

This is all due to lack of background information. All those fighters you named ( respect for every single one ) have had great stories pinned to their names and great deeds done, but somehow somewhere they have failed ('xcept Garlan and Selmy) and are, well, no more capable of being in the top 10. Blackfish was the Warden of the Gate where, you gotta admit, not so much stuff goes on. He later ends up under siege by the united Frey-Lannister-riverlands army AND STILL he manages to survive - he's very, very cunning. I say (or hope eh, forgive me.) he's still got something to write down right next to his name.

There are brave and there are old warriors. There aren't many brave-and-old warriors. Which gives incredible kudos to the likes of Selmy & Blackie.

Agree with everything you said. Blackfish is a good fighter (Better than the average knight, but not quite on the level of Jaime etc. in his prime) and a good leader too. He's something like a mixture of Ned and Brandon.

[The Grey Wolf]

Except unlike those two the Blackfish knows how to stay alive.

[Ser Underline]

Agree with everything you said. Blackfish is a good fighter (Better than the average knight, but not quite on the level of Jaime etc. in his prime) and a good leader too. He's something like a mixture of Ned and Brandon.

Ned-Brandon, exactly! I was trying to find an appropriate comparison but i just couldn't find one. :D

[Ser Duncan Lord Commander]

Lord Commander Barristan would come first. You need to remember that of all the kingsguard, he was the one who rescued Aerys.

Jaime, when he had his hand.

Ser Arthur Dayne, though we only hear of him.

Robert Baratheon, a capable commander and a better fighter than most.

Sandor Clegane, even drunk he takes three and kills them all.

Oberyn Martell, deadly as he is.

Oswell Whent

Gerold Hightower

Areo Hotah

Ser Bronn, don't bet against the sellsword

[lordprettyflackojoyde]

Best in the show atm

1 Robert strong (zombie mountain)

2 Daario Naharis/ Dorans bodygaurd

3 Bronn

4 Brienne

5 Jon Snow

6 Grey worm

7 Tormund Giantsbane

8 Jaimie Lannister

9 Jorah

10 Loras tyrell

Best ever OGs (from roberts rebellion)

1 Arthur Dayne

2 Barristen Selmy
3 Robert Bratheon

4 Rhaegar Targaryen

5 Gerold Hightower

6 Khal Drogo

7 Jamie Lanister

8 Randyll Tarly

9 Brandon Stark

10 Wildfire :devil:

Honorable mentions

Oberyn, Randy Orton, Aegon Targaryen and Drogon the first of his name, khaleesi of the great grass sea and protector of the realm

[Hmmmmwhat]

I'd have no problem naming 10 people who could beat him in a duel if I could choose from all known fighters.

Being a great warrior is more about being a great general than being a great duelist. There are a bunch of somewhat superhuman swordsmen on Planetos, but they aren't superhuman enough to make any significant impact on the tide of a battle (with a few exceptions, like Barristan/Robert slaying Maelys/Rhaegar) merely by the sword in their hand (save that they may inspire their soldiers to perform better by leading a courageous charge or something like that).

[Esa1996]

Best in the show atm

1 Robert strong (zombie mountain)

2 Daario Naharis/ Dorans bodygaurd

3 Bronn

4 Brienne

5 Jon Snow

6 Grey worm

7 Tormund Giantsbane

8 Jaimie Lannister

9 Jorah

10 Loras tyrell

Best ever OGs (from roberts rebellion)

1 Arthur Dayne

2 Barristen Selmy

3 Robert Bratheon

4 Rhaegar Targaryen

5 Gerold Hightower

6 Khal Drogo

7 Jamie Lanister

8 Randyll Tarly

9 Brandon Stark

10 Wildfire :devil:

Honorable mentions

Oberyn, Randy Orton, Aegon Targaryen and Drogon the first of his name, khaleesi of the great grass sea and protector of the realm

Khal Drogo's too young to be on the list fro RR. He's around 25 in AGOT, I think, and would have been around 10 years old at the time of RR.

[Esa1996]

Being a great warrior is more about being a great general than being a great duelist. There are a bunch of somewhat superhuman swordsmen on Planetos, but they aren't superhuman enough to make any significant impact on the tide of a battle (with a few exceptions, like Barristan/Robert slaying Maelys/Rhaegar) merely by the sword in their hand (save that they may inspire their soldiers to perform better by leading a courageous charge or something like that).

True. I'm not interested in commanders though, so I just rank them based on fighting ability.

[lordprettyflackojoyde]

Khal Drogo's too young to be on the list fro RR. He's around 25 in AGOT, I think, and would have been around 10 years old at the time of RR.

You're probably right, but i meant im only taking into account characters from the the time RR happened onwards, so like we cant say Aegon the conquerer or Ser Duncan etc. Didnt mean characters at RR.

[ErasmusF]

I'll go with an "at their peak" list. And only characters we're observed rather than legendary characters (e.g., the Smiling Knight).

1. Arthur Dayne - great knight, would have figured out how to best the Mountain and Robert. Defeated the Mountain of his day. Including him from Ned's descriptions and I don't think he's dead.

2. The Mountain - just too big and strong for anyone else, skilled enough with his sword to make him an odds-on favorite against anyone but Dayne

3. Robert Baratheon - Jamie Lannister is afraid of Robert for most of his life. I think that speaks volumes.

4. Jamie Lannister - needs no explanation.

5. Areo Hotah - Makes short work of Arys Oakheart in what was probably a "suicide by Hotah." Probably limited by his choice of weapon, much like Dothraki. Great for swinging to take down an attacker, not great for a duel.

6. Sandor Clegane - the rest of the Kingsguard is clearly afraid of him, and he makes Gregor at least consider that revenge is not worth taking him on.

7. Barristan Selmy - a great knight. Afraid of no one, but expresses some acknowledgement that he is less skilled than Dayne.

8. Mance Rayder - likely the best swordsman of the NW.

9. Oberyn Martell - cunning, but you can't rate him highly because of his use of his use of poisons.

10. Garlan Tyrell - a better warrior than Loras, but I suppose this is a tossup.

I could not justify any of the Ironborn, since they don't really seem to excel on water rather than land.

[Esa1996]

You're probably right, but i meant im only taking into account characters from the the time RR happened onwards, so like we cant say Aegon the conquerer or Ser Duncan etc. Didnt mean characters at RR.

In that case my opinion is that your list is wrong :D Khal Drogo was perhaps the best un-armored fighter, but he'd lose against the top knights of Westeros. Jaime should be number three I think. Robert is kind of hard to place as he could kill any one with one hit, but I don't think he was as good a fighter as Jaime or Sandor. Rhaegar always seemed to me like Loras Sr. Good at jousting, decent a fighting. The dude didn't even like fighting so I don't think he should be so high up on the list.

My list:

Arthur Dayne

Barristan Selmy

Jaime Lannister

Sandor Clegane

Gregor Clegane

Oberyn Martell (He's got the best possible combination of skills to take on Gregor, but against knights who are formidable due to their skill and speed, not their size, like say, Jaime or Arthur, I think Gregor would fare better)

The rest of the list is kinda impossible to put together. There's so many people who we know were good fighters, but don't really know anything about so there's 20 candidates for the last spots. Lyn Corbray? Best fighter in the Vale, but he's never fought anyone on screen. Garlan Tyrell? Trains 1 vs 3, but is he better than Lyn? Aerys' Kingsguard? Kingsguards back when it meant something but how good were they really? Gerold Dayne? Most dangerous man in Dorne? Which means what exactly? ... The list goes on and on.

[ErasmusF]

The rest of the list is kinda impossible to put together. There's so many people who we know were good fighters, but don't really know anything about so there's 20 candidates for the last spots. Lyn Corbray? Best fighter in the Vale, but he's never fought anyone on screen. Garlan Tyrell? Trains 1 vs 3, but is he better than Lyn? Aerys' Kingsguard? Kingsguards back when it meant something but how good were they really? Gerold Dayne? Most dangerous man in Dorne? Which means what exactly? ... The list goes on and on.

I think it's probably impossible to put together entirely. Your example of Oberyn Martell being the best suited to slay Gregor Clegane is a good reason. All of these guys have their strengths and weaknesses, except maybe Dayne, who everyone pretty much agrees was the best fighter they ever saw, and was a brilliant tactician as well.

I think he is still alive.

[Ser Sugna the Swift]

In no specific order

1. Daemon Blackfyre

2. Barristan Selmy

3. Robert Baratheon

4. Gwayne Corbray

5. The Hound

6. Arthur Dayne

7. Jamie Lannister

8. Cregan Stark

9. The Dragon Knight

10. Strong Belwas

[AerionBrightflameII]

Currently in The Seven Kingdoms ;

1. Robert Strong

2. Garlan Tyrell

3. Areo Hotah

4. Strongboar

5. DarkStar

6. Bronn

7. Damon Sand

8. Balon Swann

9. Lyn Corbrey

10. Brienne

All time;

1. Daemon Blackfyre

2. Arthur Dayne

3. Jaime Lannister

4. Dragon Knight/ Cregan Stark

5. Barristan Selmy

6. Aegon I Targaryen

7. Maegor the Cruel

8. The Mountain

9. Dunk

10. Robar II Royce

[Arius Blackheart]

How has nobody thought of the Laughing storm or Aemon Targaryen or even Criston Cole who was one of the best warriors of the Dance. Furthermore Laughing Storm was famed throughout the 7 Kingdoms as the best warrior in Westeros. 

Personally my top 10 would be 

1. Arthur Dayne

2. Barristan Selmy

3. Duncan the Tall

4. Dragonknight

5. Laughing Storm

6. Criston Cole

7. Jaime Lannister

8. Robert Barratheon

9. Lewyn Martell

10. and BITTERSTEEL
There are also, in my opinion, Gretajon and Areo Hotah.

Even though only Jaime is alive of these i think this is the objective list. Also Rheagar, Daemon Targaryen, Oberyn Martell, Ned Stark and even Tywin Lannister

[Sage of Westeros]

Alive During ASOIAF (Unordered):

1. Garlan

2. Victarion

3. Barristan

4. Yohn Royce

5. Sandor

6. Gregor

7. Blackfish

8. Hotah

9. Belwas

10. Jaime

[pyker]

as of adwd:
tier 1
Robert strong
victarion
areo hotah
garlan tyrell
Brienne
balon swann
arch yronwood
tier 2
barristan
bronn
tallad the tall
left
right
lem
iron Emmett
tier 3
kingslayer
peck