The 60 Most Important Deaths on Game of Thrones

19. Joffrey Baratheon Lannister

Was there any Game of Thrones character fans wanted as dead as Joffrey? Ramsay Bolton may have come close, but damn it if Ramsay didn’t just do his evil and get on with his day. Joffrey was just as cruel, but he was also a coward, as when he refused to lead his soldiers at the Battle of the Blackwater, and he complained endlessly about his mother and his uncle and why no one was telling him anything. It was that much more satisfying to watch him go, which is why he’s higher on the list.

In terms of the sweep of the story, Joffrey’s death was the first real loss suffered by House Lannister since the show began. Up until this point, they’d been on a serious roll, winning the Battle of the Blackwater, killing their enemies at the Red Wedding and on and on. It was about time they finally experienced some of the suffering they’d been dealing out. And indeed, Joffrey’s death kicked off a downward spiral for the family. Between Tyrion killing Tywin, the Tyrells trying to influence Tommen, the Sand Snakes killing Myrcella and the High Sparrow taking over King’s Landing, the Lannisters rarely had a moment’s peace after this. Suddenly, their grip on power didn’t seem nearly as strong.

Would things have gone differently had Joffrey lived? Possibly, but mainly because it would make Tywin’s death less likely. It was Tywin’s absence, not Joffrey’s, that emboldened people like Ellaria Sand and the High Sparrow to make their moves. But Joffrey lit the fuse.

Perhaps most importantly, Joffrey’s death meant that Tyrion lost his favorite slapping target, and we’ve never been the same since.

18. Kraznys mo Nakloz

On Game of Thrones, we’ve had brutal deaths and heartbreaking deaths. The demise of Astapori slaver Kraznys mo Nakloz was a little different: it was an awesome death. Before his spectacular end, Kraznys spent several episodes talking down to Daenerys Targaryen, calling her a whore and an idiot and thinking she couldn’t understand him. So when she finally revealed that she spoke his language and set a dragon on his ass, it was a proper stand-up-and-cheer moment.

Awesomeness aside, Kraznys’ death was important because it cleared the way for Dany to command his Unsullied army. Up until this moment, Dany had been struggling. She’d survived her stay in Qarth, but her followers still numbered only a few loyal Dothraki warriors. She was ready to lead, but lead who? Her stop in Astapor emphatically answered that question. It could be argued that her sack of the city was Dany’s first act as a queen. Before, much of her power was based on her name. Now, she had thousands of deadly fighters who were loyal to her because of what she had done, not because of who’s daughter she was.

Kraznys would not be the last slaver Dany killed, but he was the most important. Kraznys’ death would set Dany on the path that eventually led her to the Seven Kingdoms.