whom did arya stark kill?
Arya Stark’s (Maisie Williams) journey has been a long and arduous one, full of pain and suffering and a whole bunch of close calls ever since her father was executed at the end of season 1. She’s spent years training with the Faceless Men in Braavos, and now she’s back in Westeros ready to stab anybody who threatens her family. And she’s done just that a number of times already. So everybody who’s died by Arya’s hand, through the Battle of Winterfell.
Stable boy (Season 1) Arya’s first kill was almost accidental. She used needle to stab an unnamed Stable Boy as she was fleeing the Red Keep, just as Lannister soldiers were rounding up and executing all House Stark’s people in King’s Landing.
Kill count: 1
The Tickler (Season 2) After she saves Jaqen H’ghar’s life (along with two others, who will come up later), the Faceless Man offers Arya a repayment: Name three people, and Jaqen will kill them. The first name she gives him is the Tickler, the torturer at Lannister-occupied Harrenhal. Jaqen breaks his neck.
Kill count: 2
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Ser Amory Lorch (Season 2) The second name Arya gives Jaqen is Amory Lorch, a Lannister knight. Lorch catches Arya with a message she stole from Lord Tywin. Arya has him killed before he has a chance to tell Tywin that she’s a traitor, and Jaqen gets him with a poison dart.
Kill count: 3
A Frey soldier after the Red Wedding (Season 3) Not long after escaping the Twins and the massacre of the Red Wedding, Arya and the Hound happen across four Frey soldiers. Arya approaches them asking for food, then brutally stabs one who was telling the others how they mounted the head of Robb Stark’s direwolf, Grey Wind, on the King in the North’s headless body. Arya tells the Hound the soldier is specifically the first man she’s killed.
Kill count: 4
A Lannister soldier at the Inn of the Crossroads (Season 4) Traveling with the Hound, Arya happens across a handful of Lannister soldiers in an inn. Arya recognizes them as some of the soldiers who intercepted her and her friends leaving King’s Landing. They recognize the Hound and start a fight, and Arya kills one the Hound has injured.
Kill count: 5
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Polliver (Season 4) In the same fight at the Inn at the Crossroads, Arya takes the chance to reclaim her sword, Needle, from the man who stole it. She stabs the injured Polliver in the throat with Needle, the same way he killed her friend Lommy when Polliver captured her, Gendry and Hot Pie near King’s Landing.
Kill count: 6
Rorge (Season 4) Back when Arya met Jaqen H’ghar in Season 2, she was traveling with Yoren, a man of the Night’s Watch. Yoren had Jaqen and two others locked in a cage atop a cart. Arya freed Jaqen and the others, one of whom, Rorge, had threatened to sexually assault her. When Arya and the Hound were attacked by Rorge later, she stabbed him in the gut with Needle.
Kill count: 7
Ser Meryn Trant (Season 5) Ser Meryn is the guy who killed Arya’s sword instructor, Syrio Forel, back in King’s Landing in Season 1. When he arrives in Braavos, she gets her revenge by borrowing a face from the House of Black and White and pretending to be a brothel girl. She brutally stabs out his eyes and then slits his throat — but as punishment, Jaqen H’ghar strikes her blind.
Kill count: 8
The Waif (Season 6) Arya refuses to murder the actress Lady Crane for the Faceless Men, so Jaqen sends the nameless girl known as the Waif to kill Arya. The Waif nearly succeeds, chasing Arya all through Braavos, before Arya leads her into a dark room and dispatches her off-screen with Needle.
Kill count: 9
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Lothar Frey and “Black” Walder Rivers (Season 6) Arya leaves Braavos after defeating the Waif, intent to be Arya Stark rather than no one. She heads to the Twins, where she gets her revenge on the Freys. Off-screen, she kills Lord Walder Frey’s two sons, Lothar and “Black” Walder, and bakes them into a pie she feeds to their father.
Kill count: 11
Lord Walder Frey (Season 6) Lord Walder doesn’t realize what’s happening until Arya reveals she was using her Faceless Man powers to disguise herself as a serving girl. She slits Lord Walder’s throat, getting revenge for his betrayal and murder of her brother, Robb Stark, and her mother, Catelyn Stark.
Kill count: 12
Every male member of House Frey (Season 7) After taking out Lothar Frey and “Black” Walder Rivers, then finishing off Lord Walder Frey himself, Arya used her face-changing powers to set a trap that annihilated House Frey. She drew all the remaining Frey men together and, posing as Lord Walder, poisoned them all.
Kill count: 63
Petyr “Littlefinger” Baelish (Season 7)
A season’s worth of manipulations and conspiracy culminated in Littlefinger’s plan finally unraveling before his very eyes. Instead of turning Sansa and Arya against each other, he found himself on trial for treason. At Sansa order, Arya slit Littlefinger’s throat, finally doing away with one of the most devious and deadly characters in “Game of Thrones.”
Kill count: 64
The Night King (Season 8)
It turns out, I guess, that the Prince That Was Promised was actually Arya, since she’s the one who delivered the killing blow to the Night King. Which in turn killed all the other White Walkers and the entire army of dead people. It’s impossible to guess how many kills that is, but for the purposes of the counter we’ll just count the Night Kind here since all those wights were already dead and she only indirectly killed the other White Walkers.
Kill count (official): 65
Kill count (unofficial): 100,000+
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.
In all the craziness of the Game of Thrones finale, you might have forgotten that Arya Stark had a list of people she wanted to kill that she updated throughout the entire series. She would say it to herself every night before she went to bed, like some twisted lullaby.
Because receipts are important, here’s a full breakdown of who she killed and who she didn’t.
People Arya herself killed
Who dat? The guy whose daughter Robb Stark was supposed to marry and didn’t. The orchestrator of the entire Red Wedding. General bad dude.
Who killed him? Arya did! She killed, like, his entire family as payback for killing hers.
Who dat? The guy who killed Syrio Forel, who taught Arya how to use a sword.
Who killed him? Arya. She slit his throat in that brothel where he was abusing young girls.
Who dat? When Arya and Co. were first leaving King’s Landing because they were sold to the Night’s Watch, a group of Lannister soldiers came looking for Gendry. They ended up killing one of Arya’s other friends, which put Polliver on her kill list.
Who killed him? Arya, while traveling with The Hound.
Who dat? One of the original prisoners traveling north with all those people ^^^ who were sold to the Night’s Watch. TBH, it’s kind of unclear why he ended up on Arya’s list other than just being a dick.
Who killed him? Arya. With The Hound’s permission.
People who died because other people got to them first
Who dat? One of the guys who helped sell Gendry to Melisandre.
Who killed him? Wights, in a battle north of the Wall.
Who dat? Alright, you know who Melisandre is, but you might have forgotten that she landed on Arya’s list because she took Gendry away from her/from safety.
Who killed her? Umm...she kinda killed herself? Or rather, let herself die after living a long, weird, twisted life.
Who dat? No need to even explain this one, lol.
Who killed her? Dany, sort of?? Technically a pile of rubble, but whatever.
Who dat? The guy who protected Arya for, like, the entire series...but who also killed the butcher’s son, which is hard to even remember at this point.
Who killed him? His brother, kinda. He was off the list at that point anyway.
Who dat? The Mountain, among many others, was one of the people who tortured all those prisoners at Harrenhal.
Who killed him? The Hound, I guess? The Mountain vs. Arya would have been a lit matchup though.
Who dat? Cersei, Jaime, and Tyrion’s dad, who Arya worked for at Harrenhal. He was basically responsible for every bad thing to happen to Arya’s family, including the Red Wedding.
Who killed him? His own son Tyrion, with a crossbow, while he was on the toilet. Amazing.
Who dat? The little sh*t king who decided it was cool to kill Ned Stark.
Who killed him? Lady Olenna and Petyr Baelish poisoned him at his own damn wedding. Thank god.
Who dat? You know, the guy with the eye patch. He was on the list for helping sell Gendry.
Who killed him? Wights, in the Battle of Winterfell. He’d redeemed himself by that point, though, and he actually died trying to save Arya. RIP.
People who miraculously lived??
Who dat? The guy who swung the ax and killed Ned Stark.
What happened to him? We have literally no idea. For all we know, he’s still chillin’ somewhere in Westeros.
In total...
Arya only killed four of the people on her list, but hey, only one person originally on the list actually survived. Plus, she killed the Night King and saved all of humanity, so we’ll consider her the winner at the end of the day.
Early in Game of Thrones' run, Arya began keeping track of everyone she wanted dead in a nightly kill list. It was like her own personal lullaby, but for murder. Since then, her list has grown exponentially. Fortunately for Arya, her time spent in the House of Black and White means she has exactly the specific set of skills to help her in this task.
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Yet despite all this, Arya hasn't killed that many people from her list. Almost every single person Arya wanted dead has perished, yes, but few by her hand. (Although, we're betting Arya would still count that as a win in the long run.)
See everyone who was on Arya's kill list and how much progress she actually made below.
The Hound Why: For killing Mycah, the butcher's boy. Status: Dead. The Hound died during his long-awaited fight with his brother the Mountain.
Meryn Trant Why: For killing Syrio Forel. Status: Dead. Arya slit his throat in a Braavosi brothel where Meryn was abusing underage girls.
Cersei Lannister Why: For her role in Ned Stark's death. Status: Dead. Instead of being killed by the valonqar, Cersei was crushed by rubble alongside Jaime during Daenerys' attack on King's Landing.
Joffrey Why: For ordering Ned Stark's execution. Status: Dead. Joffrey was poisoned by Olenna Martell and Petyr Baelish at his wedding to Margaery. Unfortunately, Arya's sister Sansa was suspected of the murder and had to go on the run.
Ilyn Payne Why: For executing Ned Stark. Status: Alive. But completely forgotten about.
Polliver Why: For killing Lommy, stealing Needle and the torture at Harrenhal. Status: Dead. Arya killed him after a chance encounter at an inn.
The Mountain Why: For the torture at Harrenhal Status: Dead, for real this time. Qyburn resurrected the Mountain as Ser Robert Strong after the warrior was fatally poisoned by Oberyn Martell, but the Mountain was put down for good by his brother, the Hound.
Rorge Why: For the torture at Harrenhal and threatening to rape her. Status: Dead. Arya killed him after Rorge and Biter attacked her and the Hound.
Walder Frey Why: For orchestrating the Red Wedding. Status: Dead. Arya slit his throat after feeding Walder two of his sons in a pie.
Tywin Lannister Why: For orchestrating the Red Wedding. Status: Dead. Tyrion killed his father with a crossbow while Tywin was using the toilet.
Melisandre Why: For kidnapping Gendry. Status: Dead. After fulfilling her life's purpose in defeating the Night King, Melisandre took off her magical necklace and died peacefully.
Beric Dondarrion Why: For selling Gendry to Melisandre. Status: Dead. He sacrificed himself to save Arya's life during the Battle of Winterfell.
Thoros of Myr Why: For selling Gendry to Melisandre. Status: Dead. He froze to death after being injured in a battle against wights.
There’s not a Stark alive (or dead) who has had an easy go of things since King Robert Baratheon died in season 1. To say they’ve experienced more trauma than one family should is an understatement but for the most part, they’ve rallied and are on the road to recovery. While each of the siblings has dealt with the last eight years differently, Arya’s coping mechanism has been a viewer favorite.
Early in Season 2, after witnessing her father’s public execution and committing her first murder, Arya creates her kill list version 1.0. The people who’ve wronged her or her loved ones are added to her to-do list of vigilante justice. To ensure she never forgets a name, she recites her list every night before she falls asleep, a soothing mantra of vengeance and retribution.
But how much killing has Arya done in the last several seasons? It can be hard to keep track of, but rest assured Arya has killed a lot of people and marked off more than a few names. Below, a refresher course on who has been brought to the Arya Stark court of law, and who’s been left alive — for now.
Ser Meryn Trant
Arya’s journey to badass started early. Her father, the benevolent but short-lived Ned Stark, agreed to let her take “Water-Dancing” lessons, which is Braavosi-talk for sword fighting for small people. Her instructor, Braavosi dancing master and First Sword of Braavos, Syrio Forel, was killed by Ser Meryn Trant (Ian Beattie) when the Lannisters first started down the path of mad tyranny under the leadership of Joffrey. Forel, whom Arya loved and respected dearly, died giving Arya a chance to escape evil Lannister clutches, cementing Ser Meryn Trant’s place on Arya’s list.
In Season 5, Arya spots Trant in a brothel in Braavos and proceeds to murder him thoroughly.
Tywin Lannister
Tywin Lannister (Charles Dance) orchestrated pretty much every bad thing that happened to the Starks in the first few seasons, but the most heinous was The Red Wedding in season 3 (when Robb, his wife Talisa, Stark Matriarch Catelyn, and pretty much everyone else were slaughtered during the reception).
Arya didn’t get the chance to rain vengeance down on Tywin, however. Tyrion (Peter Dinklage) has that honor in season 4, shooting his father with a crossbow while the latter answered the call of nature.
Rorge
Rorge (Andy Beckwith) first crosses Arya as they journey north to Winterfell with Yoren. The group is attacked by Lannister troops and their camp set on fire. Arya helps free Rorge and two other criminals before they could be roasted alive in their cages. They’re all captured and sent to Harrehnal, where Rorge threatens to do all manner of horrible things to Arya, and tortures others with impunity.
Arya has the pleasure of dispatching of this piece of filth in season 4 while traveling with Sandor Clegane (a.k.a. her best frenemy, The Hound).
Joffrey Baratheon
Oh, Joffrey. Cruel, spoiled, entitled, evil Joffery Baratheon (Jack Gleeson) did a lot of bad things to a lot of people and was probably on many lists of people who should die. He made Arya’s list in season 1 by ordering the execution of both Ned Stark and Arya’s friend Mycah, the butcher’s boy.
In the scene now referred to as The Purple Wedding, which depicts Joffery’s marriage to Margaery Tyrell, he’s poisoned by Olenna Tyrell with the assistance of Littlefinger, and dies in a suitably horrific and gruesome fashion. Like a true boss, Arya checks this one off without doing a thing.
Polliver
Part of the group of Lannister soldiers who raid Yoren’s group, Polliver (Andy Kellegher) messes up big time when he steals Arya’s Needle then taunts and kills her friend, Lommy Greenhands, who was injured in the attack.
When Arya and Sandor find Polliver with a group of Lannister men robbing a tavern, she makes short work of him, recreating Lommy’s death and driving the point home. Needle’s point that is.
The Tickler
One of the Lannister army who took over Harrenhal, The Tickler (Anthony Morris) chose one prisoner daily to interrogate, and by interrogate we mean torture by attaching a bucket with a hungry rat inside to the prisoner’s chest then heating up the bucket until the rat tries to escape by any means necessary. He made Arya’s list the day he chose Gendry, who’s thankfully spared by Tywin.
Jaquen H’ghar promised Arya three deaths in repayment to the Many-Faced God for her saving him, Biter, and Rorge. The Tickler was her first pick and succumbed shortly thereafter.
Walder Frey
Lord of the Twins, father of at least 30 children from seven wives, and in general a gross old man, Walder Frey (David Bradley) was the host and co-conspirator of the Stark slaughter at the Red Wedding.
Arya checks him off her list in season 6 in probably her most spectacular, multi-stage kill-spree ever. Step one: kill two of his sons and cook them into a pie. Step two: wear the face of a serving girl and feed said pie to old Walder. Step three: remove the face, slit the old man’s throat and make sure he knows who killed him. Step four: Using Walder’s face, throw a feast for all his many sons, serve them all poisoned wine, and watch as every man in the room dies a pretty gruesome death.
Melisandre, Beric Dondarrion, and Thoros of Myr
In season 3, Beric Dondarrion (Richard Dormer) and Thoros of Myr (Paul Kaye), both members of the Brotherhood Without Banners, decide to sell Gendry to Melisandre (Carice Van Houten) so she could make use of his royal blood in a ritual dedicated to R’hollor, the Lord of Light. This lands all three on Arya’s list.
In season 7, Thoros ends up beyond the wall with Jon Snow and his mismatched band of merry warriors. In true Game of Thrones style, Thoros is mauled by an undead snow bear and freezes to death overnight.
Melisandre and Beric Dondarrion make it all the way to season 8 before they are both casualties of the Battle of Winterfell after they each play a part in saving the day — Berric by saving Arya from wights so she could put an end to the whole mess, and Melisandre by doing all sorts of helpful fire magic. Berric is killed by zombies, and Melisandre walks slowly into the sunrise and hyper-ages herself to death.
Sandor “The Hound” Clegane
Arya and Sandor (Rory McCann) got off to a rocky start when he killed Mycah, the butcher’s boy at Joffrey's command in season 1 and earned a spot on the list.
She leaves him for dead in season 4, but he’s saved by the Brotherhood Without Banners. It’s safe to say he’s off the list now that he and Arya have accepted that they’re really pretty much BFFs even though neither would ever say it out loud.
Ser Ilyn Payne
Head executioner and tongueless mute Ser Ilyn Payne earned a spot on Arya’s list by not just beheading her father, but beheading her father with his own sword, Ice, a Stark family heirloom and icon of the North.
Ser Ilyn has not made an appearance since season 2 and has not been mentioned in the show since Season 4. The actor who portrays him, Wilko Johnson, was diagnosed with terminal cancer in 2012 and the character was subtly removed from all his storylines. Though Johnson was reportedly cancer-free as recently as mid-2018, his status in the world of Game of Thrones is unknown and, at this point, he is unlikely to be reintroduced.
Gregor “The Mountain” Clegane
The Mountain (Hafþór Júlíus Björnsson), who is Sandor’s brother, was running the show at Harrenhal and was complicit in the torture of innocent people by The Tickler.
He actually dies in season 4, killed by Oberyn Martell’s poisoned sword in Tyrion’s trial by combat, but is then resurrected by Cersei’s favorite weirdo, Qyburn. Since then he can be seen hulking behind Cersei, making threatening advances toward anyone who approaches her, and most recently, beheading fan fave Missandei of Naath in season 8 episode 4. He is still actively on Arya’s list and we are left to wonder if he has the green eyes mentioned in Melisandre’s prophecy.
Cersei Lannister
Queen Awful. The Worst. Cruella DeLannister. No matter what you call her, there’s no doubt Cersei Lannister (Lena Headey) is number one on the list of people Arya wants gone. It all started when Cersei falsely accused Ned Stark of treason and stood by while Joffrey ordered his execution. And as we all know, her crimes against the Starks and pretty much the whole rest of Westeros have skyrocketed since.
