In season one of Game of Thrones [1], a very young Arya (Maisie Williams) endures so much trauma at the hands of her family's enemies that she vows to kill all those who have dared wrong the Starks. She even whips up a handy list of names [2] that she repeats nightly so she'll never forget those who need to pay for their sins against her family and vile acts in general, which range from murder to torture to backstabbing (and stabbing everywhere else, for that matter).
There were 11 names on the list originally, which the fiercest Stark girl [3] has not forgotten (except to eliminate one). Now that she's made it to the final season of the series, season eight [4], she's managed to cross quite a few names off her deadly list thanks to her training at the House of Black and White (and the fact she's just generally a badass now, let's be real). Unfortunately, there are still some people lurking around Westeros that need to serve justice.
Will Arya be able to take them down while also helping her remaining family members save Winterfell from the Night King's invasion of White Walkers and wights? Only time will tell, but in the meantime, let's break down everyone Arya has killed thus far and those who are still lucky to have their necks in one piece.
Lord Walder Frey
Remember Walder Frey? The head of House Frey [6], the Lord of the Crossing and a former vassal family of House Tully of the Riverlands? In addition to being a lecherous old creep (with a 15-year-old wife), he also betrays Arya's mother and brother, Catelyn and Robb, when he orchestrates the infamous Red Wedding massacre [7] in season three.
To get her revenge for his devastating betrayal, Arya disguises herself as a servant in House Frey in the season six finale. She proceeds to serve Frey a pie that he realises too late has been baked out of the remains of his two sons. As he reels back in horror, Arya reveals her true face and slices his throat, ensuring that the last thing he sees is the smiling face of a Stark.
Adding insult to injury, Arya then wears Walder's face [8] in the season seven premiere so that she can poison his entire family. Now that's how you do revenge, people.
Ser Meryn Trant
The build-up to Arya's murder of Ser Meryn Trant is pretty intense, but the actual murder itself is over in a matter of seconds. As you'll recall, Arya puts the cowardly former knight of the Kingsguard [9] on her list for killing her sword-fighting instructor, Syrio Forel, in season one. The Lannisters had sent Trant to apprehend Arya as part of their plan to have Joffrey ascend the Iron Throne, but the Braavosi defends Arya and disarms the guards with just a wooden practice sword (prompting fury and disbelief from Trant). Trant then draws his own sword and battles Syrio, as Arya obeys her instructor's warning to flee.
But anyway — back to his gruesome death! In season five, Arya spots Trant in Braavos when he visits the city as an escort of Mace Tyrell. Knowing his sick preference for very, very young girls, Arya sneaks into a brothel that Trant is patronizing and disguises herself as one of three girls he wants to spend the night with. He beats them, and only Arya remains stoic, which pisses him off.
When he sends the other two away so he can continue brutalizing her, she rips the face off to show him who she really is, and then stabs him multiple times in the eyes and chest. In a calm, almost monotone voice, she tells Trant that she is Arya Stark and this is for the murder of Syrio. Then she slits his throat, as she is wont to do.
Sandor Clegane, aka The Hound
Arya originally puts Sandor Clegane, nicknamed "The Hound," on her list for killing her friend Mycah, the butcher's boy, in season one. It happens during Joffrey and Cersei's trip to Winterfell, where the former provokes an argument with Arya and Mycah that ends with Arya's pet dire wolf Nymeria biting Joffrey when he tries to attack them. Joffrey lies about what actually happened to his mother so she orders Sansa's dire wolf Lady executed, and Sandor Clegane chases down and kills Mycah (he remarks to Ned Stark that "he ran, not very fast").
Over time the Hound comes to prove himself as much more sympathetic a character than he initially seems, and comes to be an ally for both Sansa and Arya at points. In season three he ends up capturing Arya after she flees from the Brotherhood Without Banners when they sell Gendry to Melisandre. Their relationship is prickly, but Arya begins to come around to the gruff warrior after he tells her he saved Sansa from a group of would-be rapists, and also plans to deliver Arya to her mother and brother rather than to Cersei in King's Landing. They come upon the Red Wedding massacre and he helps her escape unharmed.
In the end, though, Arya fulfils her promise to kill the Hound . . . well, sort of. When he gets into a brutal tussle with Brienne, he falls from a cliff and seems not long for the world. Arya comes upon him and he tries to goad her into killing him and putting him out of his misery, but instead she takes his coins and leaves him to slowly die from his wounds. However, in season six we discover that Clegane is saved by a group of peaceful villagers who take him in. Arya also later mentions that she's eliminated him from her list anyway, since she felt conflicted about letting him die.
Who Has Been Killed, but Not By Arya?
Lucky for Arya, many of the people on her list die without her having to lift a finger. Here's how they exit the show:
- Cersei Lannister: The former evil Queen of Westeros is fatally buried in rubble alongside Jaime after Daenerys attacks King's Landing in season eight's fifth episode.
- The Mountain: Cleganebowl finally comes to pass in the penultimate episode of season eight, so the Hound lends Arya a hand by taking out his brother for her. (Sadly he perishes as well.)
- Melisandre: The Red Woman ends up on Arya's list for taking Gendry away and using him for dark magic. But we couldn't help but notice that in last season during one of the scenes when Arya is repeating her list, she doesn't mention Melisandre. And in season eight's Battle of Winterfell episode, Arya doesn't even seem to fully recognize her. It doesn't really matter, though, since Melisandre voluntarily offs herself by discarding the magic necklace she wears that keeps her young, and turning to dust on the battlefield outside of Winterfell in season eight.
- Thoros of Myr: Like fellow Brotherhood Without Banners member Beric Dondarrion, he ends up on her list for his part in selling Gendry to Melisandre. He dies in season seven after being severely mauled by a zombie bear while traveling beyond the Wall with Jon Snow and co.
- Joffrey Baratheon: The disturbingly twisted, evil boy king receives Arya's ire for sentencing her father, Ned, to be beheaded for "treason." He dies in season four in a pretty satisfying way — graphically choking to death after being poisoned at his own wedding reception by Lady Olenna Tyrell (#TellCerseiItWasMe).
- Tywin Lannister: The Lannister patriarch helps orchestrate the Red Wedding, which is why Arya wants him dead in the first place. But then Tyrion steps up and murders his father instead. What a guy!
Honorable mention: Beric — Like Thoros, Arya hated him for selling Gendry to Melisandre. He's still alive at the start of season eight, though, when we see him come upon Arya and the Hound bonding on top of a wall in Winterfell the night before the big battle against the White Walker army. The Hound straight up asks her if Beric is still on Arya's list, and she reluctantly replies that he "used to" be. He later sacrifices his life for Arya's in season eight's third episode, securing him an official spot in her good graces.
Who's Still Left on Arya's List?
Unless Arya secretly made a few updates to her infamous list at some point over the last handful of years, the only person still remaining is Ilyn Payne. If you don't remember him, he's the man who had the unfortunate job of beheading Ned Stark in season one. Here's hoping Arya can repay him the same kindness in the show's final episode, even though it looks like it's going to be a long shot.