The most Useless character in ASoIaF

[The Oncoming Storm]

Penny, definitely. She's just a bad Gelsomina wannabe, lacking the sweet simplicity of the original.

Darkstar. Le fuq? He's ridiculous.

[Reeahlia Sand]

Hodor

[Waterfall]

Harys Swift

[ElizaMartell]

I don't think anyone in ASoIaF can be trully considered useless.

Apart from Moon Boy.

[Light a wight tonight]

Preston Greenfield, one of the Kingsguard from Robert's reign who lives until the bread riots. Haha the guy above said "Prester" Greenfield

Lommy Greenhands. lol it's so funny that the characters who truly weren't significant don't even have their names remembered right.

But...yeah Lommy was annoying. I think his role WAS to slow down everyone.

Knew I didn't have it quite right, but was too lazy to go back and check.

For a semi-major character Pycelle didn't have a lot going.

[Gingerly Grumkin]

So the most Useless at first glance are the fools and singers, but i think they can tell the future. then i thought the petty lords, but they can switch sides, and thusly tides. So im starting to think its Jon, Dany Bran or Tyrion lol

[Wightman]

Contrary to some people's opinions I'm of the view that there are many useless characters in ASoIaF. There are numerous characters who add almost nothing to the overall story line, let alone any major plots. As story arcs are finished without conclusion there will be more "WTF was the point of insert character name here".

[Reeahlia Sand]

Roose Bolton's leeches

[Fred Baratheon]

Guards, cooks, etc. are expected to be minor. It's people from major families or with extraordinary attributes that don't do anything that are good candidates. Rickon and Myrcella are a couple that come to mind right away.

[Melifeather]

So we all have characters we despise,characters we appreciate,"meh" characters and "grey" characters.There are also characters who are generally boring and painful to read but serve some purpose towards the completion of the plot.

And then there is that one completely useleas character that has no impact on the story watsoever,usually relegated as a pathetic plot device,can be easily subsituted by another..

I want you guys to tell me that person:for me it was penny tyrions "soulmate" gods wat an aweful character,we already know tyrion can be good to women(sansa) so why was this character there?And also note the clumsy and unrealistic way she's introduced to tyrion's story and how she totally thrashes tyrion's story(jousting on pigs omfg and never meeting dany!!!) and personality(he becomes this weird slave monkey guy)

The thing with tyrion,was that up until ADWD i never really felt of tyrion like ur stereotypical dwarf,he was just so classy and witty and had important roles that we liked tyrion the man not the dwarf.

In ADWD by giving him a dwarf companion,making him a monkey/slave and making every quip dwarf-oriented,tyrion was ruined for me....

Penny shouldnt have been there and tyrion and jorah should have continued to mereen and found dany,instead of the slave stotyline..i mean who do u prefer ACOK tyrion or ADWD??

(please list only one most useless character)

I can't help but wonder if GRRM has a similar plot in mind as in one of his Dunk and Egg stories, "The Mystery Knight". During this tale, Dunk and Egg attend a wedding for a Lord Frey's daughter, believe it or not, and there is a troupe of dwarfs for entertainment. A dragon egg is stolen during the wedding and nobody can figure out how it was done. It's later suggested that a dwarf came up through the privy shaft. Doesn't this already remind you of a couple other aSoIaF scenes?

[Raksha the Demon]

I think people have a prejudice against her because, well...basically, she's been a really stupid, snobby girl throughout most of the series. People know that if she hadn't had so much tragedy befall her, she would have had the same immature views as she had in the first book. It's really tragic that some people can only change when incredibly sad events happen to them. I am personally worried that she is in Littlefinger's "care", b/c it seems like he's grooming her for sex, but at the same time, the only reason I can tolerate her character is b/c she's a Stark and b/c she' changed a little since all of her tragedy. If she had continued being the shallow girl that she was in GOT throughout the series, I'm pretty sure I would've skipped all of her chapters, except to scan and see if anything important happened with anyone else.

I also find it interesting that many people defend Sansa because of her age. Arya is two years younger and has consistently been smarter, more resilient, tougher, fiercer, more resourceful, etc. etc. (I could go on, but whatever, ppl get the point) than her older sister. I like who Sansa is becoming, but in the beginning, she not only betrayed her sister by lying about what happened w/Joff at the trident (which is why I personally believe Lady died -- the old gods of the north prob did not dig that so much) but also she betrayed her father and gave Cersei a major tool to bring about his downfall. I feel like she's gonna be one of the characters who suffers the absolute most by the end of the series. I mean, Robb was brutally murdered for ONE mistake he tried to rectify; it seems like the Starks are judged farrrrrr more harshly than others for the mistakes they make, even if they are totally innocent/ignorant at the time.

That being said, I don't think that ANY of the characters if useless. They all serve a purpose, whether it's supporting one of the major character's development, or whether they move as "pieces" in the game of thrones themselves. Nevertheless, considering that fact, if I had to pick, I'd say Lackwit Lollys. If she didn't exist, Shae would've prob been Falyse's maid, and Bronn would have ended up killing Falyse's husband by some other means to become lord of Stokeworth. It's also kind of weird that Lollys exists in the books b/c I'm not sure she has any other actual lines than "I don't WANT to" (repeat 10 times) when her sister and mum are trying to get her to go into Maegor's to be under the "protection" of Cersei.

Sansa is so 'stupid' that she completely deceives Tyrion (who is one of the smartest players in the Game of Thrones). She's far less snobbish than Cersei or Lysa; at least she insists on treating everyone with courtesy. And why not give an eleven-year-old naive girl a pass for displaying poor judgment? Sansa did not know she was giving away state secrets when she asked Cersei to help her stay with her betrothed. She couldn't deal with the idea that her precious prince was a monster who had attacked her sister, so she pretended it was Arya's fault; and faked amnesia. A poor choice; but again, Sansa was eleven years old.

Yes, I give her a pass. I also give Arya a pass for slowly losing bits of her humanity from age 9-11; and from murdering a man at the age of 11 - which is something far more heinous than anything Sansa has done - because Arya, too, was a child; left to navigate her way through chaos and danger mostly on her own, without any decent moral guidance. Arya's way of coping with her situation was to become more and more brutal and to become an apprentice assassin. Sansa's way of coping was to continue to be courteous, keep her eyes open, say what her captors wanted her to say with occasional moments of rebellion, and watch for a way out of her cage. I don't think Arya is any smarter than Sansa, though. She turned down an offer to be sent to Jon Snow in favor of a future career as a paid kiler; and to that end she has been forced to be a beggar, was blinded for months, and is being pressured to forget her own name. Doesn't sound like such a peachy situation for Arya; anymore than Sansa's current status as Littlefinger's protegee. Both Stark daughters are being corrupted by those who are supposedly protecting and teaching them. But Arya did have a choice; the Kindly Man said he would send her back to Jon. Maybe Arya believed, with some justification, that Westeros was too dangerous for her. But I don't think Essos is any safer; Arya just hasn't realized it yet. Sansa doesn't have a choice; she has nowhere to go, and can't strike out on her own, since she's wanted for regicide. Not yet, anyway. I'm hoping that both Arya and Sansa are soon able to escape their current situations and return to being Ned Stark's daughters; as I said, they are both in danger of moral and physical harm...

[dark sister]

Sansa is so 'stupid' that she completely deceives Tyrion (who is one of the smartest players in the Game of Thrones).

How does she deceive Tyrion? Are you talking about the escape plan which LF orchestrated? I'm also pretty confident that if Sansa knew what she was wearing in her hairnet, she would've botched the plan. I mean, she was already nervous on the day of her escape...I do give her props for never opening up to Tyrion, tho.

She's far less snobbish than Cersei or Lysa; at least she insists on treating everyone with courtesy.

I don't really care how she compares with Cersei or Lysa on The Snobometer. If someone's snobby, it's hard for me to like them. I also don't particularly care for her courtesy, as it comes off as fake. What's important [to me, anyway] is that we can hear what she's actually thinking, and in her mind she is different. It's particularly annoying when she always notes that someone is a "bastard" ("her bastard half-brother Jon", "Mya Stone was a bastard", etc.) I think it's a good form of poetic justice that now she has to be the bastard, even tho she's still treated like a de facto lady.

And why not give an eleven-year-old naive girl a pass for displaying poor judgment? Sansa did not know she was giving away state secrets when she asked Cersei to help her stay with her betrothed. She couldn't deal with the idea that her precious prince was a monster who had attacked her sister, so she pretended it was Arya's fault; and faked amnesia. A poor choice; but again, Sansa was eleven years old.

I understand all of this, and that's why I have read every Sansa chapter and have never felt any sort of irrational anger at her...however the age thing comes up again! Let's just face it, Sansa was living in a dream world, whereas Arya was always living in the real world. They are as different as night and day. Also, she may not have known she was betraying state secrets, but she certainly knew she was doing something wrong. In GOT she reflects that she had never felt so "wicked" as she did the day she went to Cersei and told her of Ned's plans. She knew what she was doing was wrong, but she did it anyway. Obviously she paid dearly for doing this, so I HAVE given her "a pass".

I also give Arya a pass for slowly losing bits of her humanity from age 9-11; and from murdering a man at the age of 11 - which is something far more heinous than anything Sansa has done - because Arya, too, was a child; left to navigate her way through chaos and danger mostly on her own, without any decent moral guidance. Arya's way of coping with her situation was to become more and more brutal and to become an apprentice assassin. Sansa's way of coping was to continue to be courteous, keep her eyes open, say what her captors wanted her to say with occasional moments of rebellion, and watch for a way out of her cage. I don't think Arya is any smarter than Sansa, though. She turned down an offer to be sent to Jon Snow in favor of a future career as a paid kiler; and to that end she has been forced to be a beggar, was blinded for months, and is being pressured to forget her own name. Doesn't sound like such a peachy situation for Arya; anymore than Sansa's current status as Littlefinger's protegee. Both Stark daughters are being corrupted by those who are supposedly protecting and teaching them. But Arya did have a choice; the Kindly Man said he would send her back to Jon. Maybe Arya believed, with some justification, that Westeros was too dangerous for her. But I don't think Essos is any safer; Arya just hasn't realized it yet. Sansa doesn't have a choice; she has nowhere to go, and can't strike out on her own, since she's wanted for regicide. Not yet, anyway. I'm hoping that both Arya and Sansa are soon able to escape their current situations and return to being Ned Stark's daughters; as I said, they are both in danger of moral and physical harm...

The stuff you say about Arya seems a little radical. Arya is a girl who killed at a young age. If she were a boy, I highly doubt anyone would be as surprised by it as you seem to be. I disagree in calling her actions "heinous" -- she never killed for the pleasure of it. She killed to survive, and she used her hate of terrible people as a sort of "fuel" to keep her going through the incredibly tough times. Also, it is probably a good thing that she was not sent to the Wall, because she wouldn't have been allowed to stay there, she might have become Stannis' pawn, and Jon really wouldn't have been able to do much for her. It would have been a sweet reunion at first, but then what? I think she was actually very smart to stay with the FM. And yes, she's being trained as an assassin - is that really any different than someone else training to be a knight? Both professions involve killing people, although one has a reputation for nobility and goodness -- even though we're hit over the head with the fact that there are no true knights -- and the other has a reputation for being extremely mysterious.

As for Essos being as dangerous as Westeros...first of all she is in Braavos, which has its dangers, but in Westeros everyone knows that Arya Stark is missing, and certain nobles would recognize her. Where do people go when they have to get away from the dangers of Westeros? The other side of the narrow sea, to the 9 free cities. Or farther.

And come on, that's pretty much the only situation you can think of where Arya is "not smart"? That says a lot about how intelligent she truly is. How is it that Arya was able to see right through Joffrey, while Sansa was not, for example? Because, like I said, Sansa was very shallow and only saw Joff's appearance, despite multiple instances of him acting like a total psychopath. Arya, who was younger, saw right through him even tho she spent much less time with him than Sansa did. She also saw Cersei's true nature.

Anyway, this is just my opinion...if you don't agree that Sansa has those qualities then that's fine, but I stand by what I said :dunno:

[dark sister]

Don't feed trolls. :)

Is she really a troll?

[ARYa_Nym]

I don't remember the Kindly Man offering to take her to the Wall. He did offer to turn her into a courtesan. She's only 11. :stillsick:

“You believe this is the only place for you.” It was as if he’d heard her thoughts. “You are wrong in that. You would find softer service in the household of some merchant. Or would you sooner be a courtesan, and have songs sung of your beauty? Speak the word, and we will send you to the Black Pearl or the Daughter of the Dusk. You will sleep on rose petals and wear silken skirts that rustle when you walk, and great lords will beggar themselves for your maiden’s blood. Or if it is marriage and children you desire, tell me, and we shall find a husband for you. Some honest apprentice boy, a rich old man, aseafarer, whatever you desire.”She wanted none of that. Wordless, she shook her head.

^These options are all sexual.

He did say that she can go to Westeros.

“Is it Westeros you dream of, child? Luco Prestayn’s Lady Bright leaves upon the morrow, for Gulltown, Duskendale, King’s Landing, and Tyrosh. Shall we find you passage on her?” “I only just came from Westeros.” Sometimes it seemed a thousand years since she had fled King’s Landing, and sometimes it seemed like only yesterday, but she knew she could not go back. “I’ll go if you don’t want me, but I won’t go there. ”

When a girl is on her own it's very easy for her to be taken advantage of. If she had gone to Gulltown, Duskendale, KL, or Tyrosh she may find herself in a precarious situation or captured for the Lannisters. She had been captured four times already.

[dark sister]

I don't remember the Kindly Man offering to take her to the Wall. He did offer to turn her into a courtesan. She's only 11. :stillsick:

^These options are all sexual.

He did say that she can go to Westeros.

When a girl is on her own it's very easy for her to be taken advantage of. If she had gone to Gulltown, Duskendale, KL, or Tyrosh she may find herself in a precarious situation or captured for the Lannisters. She had been captured four times already.

Yeah, at first blush it seems quite weird, but I think what he's really offering her is the chance to be trained until she reaches the proper age -- god knows when that is -- to give up her virginity to some lord of her choosing. It seems like, with courtesans, they are infinitely more respected than a "common prostitute" (I flinch at using that term but I don't know how else to say it). They have a retinue, pleasure barge, they get to choose their suitors, etc. etc. It's almost as if they're noble ladies

However, the first thing he offers her is "service" in a merchant's house. That doesn't seem to be implying anything sexual, just that she could learn to work as a merchant's apprentice or something.

I totally agree with you about her good sense in not going back to Westeros, btw.

[ARYa_Nym]

Yeah, at first blush it seems quite weird, but I think what he's really offering her is the chance to be trained until she reaches the proper age -- god knows when that is -- to give up her virginity to some lord of her choosing. It seems like, with courtesans, they are infinitely more respected than a "common prostitute" (I flinch at using that term but I don't know how else to say it). They have a retinue, pleasure barge, they get to choose their suitors, etc. etc. It's almost as if they're noble ladies

However, the first thing he offers her is "service" in a merchant's house. That doesn't seem to be implying anything sexual, just that she could learn to work as a merchant's apprentice or something.

I totally agree with you about her good sense in not going back to Westeros, btw.

I think it depends on what "service" he's talking about. Maybe this merchant likes little girls. I think it may have been sexual because everything he said after that was.

Or not. But still it's not safe for a little girl to be in the house of a grown man like that imo.

[dark sister]

I think it depends on what "service" he's talking about. Maybe this merchant likes little girls. I think it may have been sexual because everything he said after that was.

Or not. But still it's not safe for a little girl to be in the house of a grown man like that imo.

Do you think he's a perverted old man, though? Service in a merchant's house, to me, means becoming some sort of apprentice. Also, offering to arrange a marriage for her isn't bad, imho. Sansa was betrothed to King Turd at the same age Arya is now; I think the kindly man was trying to do something similar.. however, I also think he was cleverly offering her things that he suspected she didn't want. Kind of like a test to see what kind of personality she had. Later on, when she chooses to stay with the FM, he tests her devotion daily. so it's hard to say.

[ARYa_Nym]

Do you think he's a perverted old man, though? Service in a merchant's house, to me, means becoming some sort of apprentice. Also, offering to arrange a marriage for her isn't bad, imho. Sansa was betrothed to King Turd at the same age Arya is now; I think the kindly man was trying to do something similar.. however, I also think he was cleverly offering her things that he suspected she didn't want. Kind of like a test to see what kind of personality she had. Later on, when she chooses to stay with the FM, he tests her devotion daily. so it's hard to say.

A rich old man was one of the later options he gave.

Or if it is marriage and children you desire, tell me, and we shall find a husband for you. Some honest apprentice boy, a rich old man, aseafarer, whatever you desire.”She wanted none of that. Wordless, she shook her head.

I don't think the merchant was an old man. IDK what age he was. I just think it's dangerous for a girl to be living in a house with a man.

There is the option that he was just testing her by offering her an out even though she may have not been really allowed to leave.

[King Rickon and his Dawg]

For all you saying Rickon is useless: Rickon needs to exist for the Stannis/Davos/Manderly plot line. Without him, Stannis would be unable to rally the north and would proceed to lose the war. Also, without Rickon there would be no Shaggydog. Unacceptable.

Anyway, my vote goes to.....wait for it...Catelyn!!! She is a walking plot device whose sole purpose is to completely screw everything up (capture Tyrion, lose Tyrion, release Jaime etc) and to see important stuff happen (King in the North, Renly's death, Red Wedding etc). Her only "arc" is to become progressively more depressed before she finally cracks. And then she get's reborn to serve as yet another plot device for a final purpose that we have yet to see. I don't really mind Cat, but as a character she is dull and predictable. She is a glorified Areo Hotah in my eyes.

[wyman's cook]

i guess Areo Hotah..He even got a POV for Rhlorr's sake

absolutely insipid; Simple POVS for simple characters