The 25 Best Fighters on Game of Thrones, Ranked

7) BARRISTAN SELMY (Previous Ranking: 2)

Category: Legendary

Once reputed to be one of the greatest swordsmen in Westeros, Barristan Selmy is well past his prime by the time of the War of the Five Kings kicks off. Despite his age, at that time, Selmy may well still be one of the three men Jaime Lannister believes could defeat him in a duel. Why do we think that? Look at the Hound’s wary reaction in “The Pointy End” (S1, Ep8) when Selmy, unjustly removed from his lifetime appointment to the Kingsguard, comments angrily that he could still handily slaughter the other five Kingsguard in the chamber. No one tries to correct him.

Selmy doesn’t die fighting some monster of an opponent but rather squaring off against several Sons of the Harpy in an alley in Meereen, far from home. Still, he takes down nearly a dozen before one finally delivers a lethal blow, an impressive feat for a man of any age.