Targaryens ranked: Who's the most badass?

“Half the Targaryens went mad, didn’t they? What’s the saying? Every time a Targaryen is born, the gods flip a coin.”

Sept. 18, 2022

Targaryens ranked: Who's the most badass?

They’re our favorite dragon-obsessed, a little bit too comfortable with incest, unnaturally blonde family. Through Game of Thrones, the Targaryens have graced our screens for over a decade now, and while we originally only had Daenerys as our favorite dragon-riding, Dracarys-spitting queen, House of the Dragon has given us a whole new batch of Targaryens to fawn over.

But who is the most badass? Who changed the course of Westeros forever? Who landed on either side of that coin?

From Game of Thrones to House of the Dragon, here’s our definitive — and obviously decisive — ranking of the Targaryen family from worst to best. Saddle up for fire, blood, and a whole lot of disappointment.

10. Aerys II “The Mad King” Targaryen

While we’ve only seen The Mad King through obscure Game of Thrones flashbacks, his notoriety is quickly made known to us the first time Jaime Lannister is called The Kingslayer. A torture-obsessed tyrant, The Mad King’s dying words to “burn them all” speak to the malice of his horrible reign. He killed Ned Stark’s father and brother in a spectacle showcase of murder. He almost burned all of King’s Landing with wildfire. And his tyranny ultimately led to the end of the Targaryen dynasty (and rightfully so). Who knows where Westeros would have been if Jaime didn’t do what he had to do, and we’re so thankful to him because of it.

9. Viserys Targaryen III

Viserys Targaryen III (left) and Daenerys Targaryen (right)

Like father, like son — Viserys takes after his dad, Aerys. He’s self-obsessed, entitled, and ridiculously power-hungry, shamelessly telling his sister that he’d let a thousand men rape her if that’s what it took to reclaim the Iron Throne. (We don’t know how Daenerys didn’t kill him sooner.) He’s yet another embodiment of how bad Targaryens can get in the face of power. And just like with Aerys II, his death was a relief.

Special shoutout to Khal Drogo for giving him the only golden crown he was ever fit for. Our sun and stars forever.

8. Viserys Targaryen I

Just when you think Viserys I can’t get any more disappointing, he does. Seriously, it’s like he keeps getting worse. His only moment of worth was appointing Rhaenyra as his heir, which he then proceeded to take an entire dump on by a) marrying her 15-year-old best friend, b) actively choosing to kill her mother in hopes for a son, and c) pulling a complete 180 at the birth of his second son and neglecting Rhaenyra’s aspirations.

He lives in his dreams and refuses to see what’s right in front of him. And he couldn’t even kill a stag correctly. How is this man part of the Targaryen legacy?

7. Princess Rhaenys Targaryen

There’s just something about “The Queen Who Never Was.” Her side-eyes speak a thousand words. Harsh truths fall off her like strays of her platinum blonde hair. And she knows how to play the game (of thrones). Whether it’s ideating marriages between her children and the ruling royal or offering Rhaenyra pearls of wisdom on the truth of men, Rhaenys knows how Westeros works. We haven’t seen much of her yet, but a woman scorned time and time again is destined for an act of colossal revenge.

6. Jaehaerys I “The Old King” Targaryen

Considered to be the greatest Targaryen king to ever rule, we don’t see much of Jaehaerys I in House of the Dragon. In fact, we only witness his death and controversial decision to appoint Viserys I as his heir. But before that, The Old King actually made a lot of good decisions. A king for the people, he united rival families, built the Kingsroad, and led a reign of peace and prosperity. Also known as Jaehaerys the Conciliator or the Wise, The Old King is a unique anomaly in the grand scheme of Westeros kings. And ruling with intelligence, mercy, and subtle assertiveness is pretty badass to me.

5. Rhaenyra Targaryen

The first woman pledged to the Iron Throne. The dragon-rider princess. All hail the true queen Rhaenyra Targaryen. From House of the Dragon’s first episode, it quickly became clear that Rhaenyra is a force to be reckoned with; she upholds a political intelligence that her father, Viserys I, and his council wrongly brush away. She understands the power dynamic it took to bring the Targaryens into their position (it’s all because of their dragons, baby), and knows when and where’s the right time to use that power. That one scene where she pulls up with Syrax and ends what would have been the most useless fight between Prince Daemon and Otto Hightower in an instant? Yeah, that’s hot.

4. Daemon Targaryen

My For You page is slowly turning into a stan account for this man, and I’m not mad about it.

Daemon embodies everything that makes the Game of Thrones universe great. Yes, he's a rash and impulsive exhibitionist. But he’s also scheming and understanding of Little Finger’s ladder of chaos and what it means to climb it. Going into a battlefront alone to spite your brother’s offer of help? Incredible. Seemingly dodging a hundred arrows while doing it? Phenomenal. Doing the most just to prove a point? Literally the entire plot of Game of Thrones. Daemon already has the toxic, fan-favorite crown under his belt, and we can’t wait to see what comes next.

3. Jon Snow

The Prince That Was Promised, the Azor Ahai, the Song of Ice and Fire, the last living Targaryen, and the true heir to the Iron Throne. Jon Snow is many things. Things that unfortunately the Game of Thrones writers never gave us. That being said, let’s take a look at all the things they did give us.

From the Battle of Castle Black all the way to the Long Night, Jon Snow saved the Seven Kingdoms time and time again. He’s arguably one of the show’s most memorable, beloved, and important characters that set almost all plot lines in motion. And Westeros wouldn’t be the same without its only black-haired Targaryen.

We love you Jon Snow, and we’re so sorry that the writing duo that should not be named did what they did to you.

2. Daenerys Targaryen

Where do I begin? Daenerys is the reason a Targaryen-focused Game of Thrones prequel came to be in the first place. Her legacy marked the entire scope of the show, and watching her go from a Khaleesi to the Mother of Dragons to the Breaker of Chains, and later on to the Queen of the Seven Kingdoms, was a rollercoaster of emotions and unforgettable scenes carried by her unique fierceness, intelligence, and oh-so-remarkable dragons. She was, in many ways, the heart of Game of Thrones.

I don’t think a character’s death ever spurred a reaction quite like Daenerys’. Yes, a large part of it did boil down to the suddenness of what was Season 8 (and bad writing), but an even larger part of it was the sheer fact that we got to watch her grow for so long and were rooting for her the entire time.

A beautiful badass who doesn’t need a saddle to ride a dragon, Daenerys is the best Targaryen we’ve seen so far on screen. She is the Mother of Dragons. She is the Unburnt. And she will always be our Queen.

1. Aegon “The Conqueror” Targaryen

“Aegon Targaryen changed the rules, that’s why every child knows his name 300 years after his death.” — Tywin Lannister in “A Man Without Honor” / Game of Thrones.

Aegon I is the pinnacle of Targaryen greatness. His name is mentioned so often across the course of the show that book-averters and die-hard fans alike can both recite his history. He is the reason that the Seven Kingdoms exist as we know them. He is the legendary rider of the largest dragon, Balerion the Black Dread. He is the founder of the royal line. He is literally the OG of all the OGs.

His prophetic dream of an imminent winter (aka the rise of the White Walkers) is why the Song of Ice and Fire came to fruition, why the Targaryens deemed it necessary to rule, and why the legend of the Prince That Was Promised became the entire backbone of the series. Plainly put, we would have never had our version of Westeros if not for him.

Aegon I is the biggest badass. He did it all. And while we’ve never seen him onscreen, his immortal imprint on the Targaryen legacy speaks for itself and makes him one of the most important offscreen characters on the show. If HBO ever were to make yet another prequel that extends even further back in time to Aegon and his sisters, you already know we’ll be watching.

From Mad Kings to Conquerors, the Targaryen bloodline is a fickle mammoth of the greatest and the worst kin you’ll meet in Westeros. No family is perfect, but we’ll take dragon-riding Matt Smiths over that one weird cousin any day.

House of the Dragon premieres every Sunday on HBO and HBO Max.