If there’s one family that is synonymous with the Game of Thrones universe, it’s the Targaryens. They’re at the center of House of the Dragon, and in many ways, A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms. And although Game of Thrones splits the focus, so much of it still rests on the Targaryens we know and the ones we end up discovering.
But how to even begin ranking the Targaryens? Not many of them are actually good. They’re just interesting characters that we sometimes root for and sometimes root against, but that rarely leave us indifferent. So, let’s use that metric. Here are the best Targaryens in the Game of Thrones universe, ranked by how interesting they are. Judge for yourself by booting up HBO Max.
10. Aemond Targaryen - House of the Dragon
Perhaps Aemond Targaryen would be higher on this list if he weren’t so one-note. He is closer to a cartoonish villain than a nuanced character. Yet, there have been times when we’ve gotten a glimpse of who Aemond could have been in another world. In this one, though, he is merely the second son who wanted so much to break out of that box that he started an all-out war.
Oh yeah, and the one who was so desperate to be on top that he basically tried to murder his brother. It’s hard to root for him, but it’s also hard to look away from him.
9. Baela Targaryen - House of the Dragon
Baela is pure fire, and until now, more promise than actual development. But the promise is so, so good. Daemon’s oldest daughter with Laena Velaryon, Baela, is betrothed to the heir of the throne, Jacaerys Velaryon. So, she’ll be the queen one day, and she certainly acts like she knows it. (I mean that in the best way possible.) She’s smart, decisive, and seems to truly care not just for Jace and her father, but Rhaenyra, too.
Things are going to get much worse before they get better in House of the Dragon, and Baela Targaryen is someone you’d want on your side.
8. Jacaerys Velaryon - House of the Dragon
Not a Targaryen by name, but a Targaryen by blood, Jacaerys carries the name of his father—who wasn’t actually his father—Laenor Velaryon. And yet, despite his black hair, he’s very much his mother’s son: smart, a little impulsive, and very much the kind of man who will one day make a very wise king. You know, if this universe ever wanted us to have nice things.
Jacaerys hasn’t gotten to shine as much as he could just yet, but Season 3 of House of the Dragon is set to be his moment, for better or worse.
7. Rhaenys Targaryen - House of the Dragon
“The Queen Who Never Was,” Rhaenys Targaryen is one of the most impressive Targaryens in this universe, and not just because of the dragon she commands, but also because of her presence. She should have been chosen queen, but the Great Council passed her over to crown her cousin, Viserys. Still, Rhaenys continued to carry the strength of a queen until her final moments.
From her relationship with Corlys, to her love for her kids, to a woman in her position being a fierce dragon rider and warrior, perhaps in another timeline, wars were fought for her and not for Rhaenyra’s sake. Either way, this Targaryen truly left her mark.
6. Baelor Targaryen - A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms
Oh, Baelor. We hardly knew you. As the heir to the throne of Westeros, Baelor [spoiler!] dies in Episode 5 of A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, and it feels like the world shifts after his death. He dies in such a silly way, too. An accidental blow by his own brother, Maekar, after he decided to support Ser Duncan the Tall in his Trail of the Seven.
What would the Seven Kingdoms have been if Baelor had become king? We will never know, but a man of such temperament and honor might have indeed changed the fate of all Targaryens who came after.
5. Jon Snow (aka Aegon Targaryen VI) - Game of Thrones
We’ll continue to call him Jon, okay? And Jon is very much not your typical Targaryen. There’s something to be said about blood, and there’s something to be said about upbringing, and Jon is a Stark, through and through, thanks to being raised by his uncle, Ned Stark. He is also the man who came back from the dead, and in many ways, the prince who was promised in that prophecy we’ve heard so much about.
Even if Game of Thrones forgot about that, we can still appreciate Jon for what he was and also for what he could have been.
4. Daenerys Targaryen - Game of Thrones
There’s a little more to appreciate with Daenerys, who was basically our first standard for what a Targaryen should be. And despite that heel turn in the final episodes of the show that we are still trying to forget, she was an easy character to root for. In fact, for most of Game of Thrones, she was one of the main characters we were rooting for.
We wish she’d gotten another ending. Or, at the very least, we wish the one she got had made a little more sense. But some Daenerys moments remain some of the best ones from this entire franchise. No one can take that from us.
3. Aegon Targaryen V (aka Egg) - A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms
We’ve only had Egg for a little while, but if something happened to him, we’d do drastic things. And so would Ser Duncan the Tall. There’s something just so lovable about Egg, even as he remains a kid who has so much to learn because he’s lived such a sheltered life. The thing about Egg is that he will only get the chance to become the man he will one day be, thanks to the fact that he was one of those Targaryens no one expected would ever get close to the throne.
Perhaps that’s what makes him all the more interesting. Egg is just himself, and that’s a sweet, nice kid. That’s a rarity on this list, and in the franchise in general.
2. Rhaenyra Targaryen - House of the Dragon
The entire franchise got more interesting in House of the Dragon, and Rhaenyra is one of those characters we can never look away from. Perhaps it’s because she represents every overqualified woman who has ever been pushed aside for a man who doesn’t know what he’s doing and doesn’t even want the job he’s been entrusted with. Maybe because she’s not the meek and kind princess anyone expects, but she’s also not a lone Targaryen in the world, like Daenerys was.
Instead, she’s a queen. And it’s hard not to support her as she fights for what’s hers.
1. Daemon Targaryen - House of the Dragon
Daemon Targaryen is chaos incarnate. It’s hard to know if he’s a villain, a hero, an antihero or all of the above, depending on the day. But he’s also the most interesting Targaryen who has ever graced our screens, particularly because it’s so hard to figure out what exactly he’s all about. What drives Daemon? His love for family, of course. But does he want to be king, or does he just want to be chosen? And is there any limit to what he will do to get what he wants?
We don’t know the answer to the first two questions, but it’s become clear that the answer to the last one is no. And that’s why he makes for good TV.
