Game Of Thrones: 10 quotes that perfectly sum up Arya as a character
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Fans will soon return to Westeros and the fantastic and dangerous world of game of thrones with the prequel series House of the Dragon opens on Sunday, August 21. This series is set around two centuries before the events of game of thrones so fans won’t see their favorite characters. However, this is a great opportunity to remember all the awesome and empowering characters game of thrones, including Arya Stark. From daring child to assassin and explorer of the world, Arya is one of the most dynamic characters on the show and her dialogue remains one of the most quotable. Indeed, he has so many iconic and impactful lines, but these in particular best show why he became so popular.
10 “What is West Westeros?”
Season 8, Episode 6 – The Iron Throne
Arya was an aimless character for most of her story: a child uprooted from her relatively comfortable life, eager to explore and break convention. She found a purpose that sustained her as the war progressed and tragedy fell around her. Revenge motivated her, but when the time came for that purpose to be fulfilled, she began her next great adventure.
This line is a callback to a conversation he had with Lady Crane in season six, which helped open his eyes to who he really is while serving the Faceless Men on Bravos. While some fans wished the Starks could finally be together after the war, this is the right way to end Arya’s story. With the news of a possible Jon Snow spin-off, there are high hopes that Arya will get one as well and the audience can finally learn what lies west of Westeros.
9 “But I’m not a lady. I have never been That’s not me.”
Season 8, Episode 4 – The Last of the Starks
One of Arya’s most memorable and meaningful lines is, of course, “it’s not me.” She had always been put in a box as a lord’s daughter. It was hinted that she would marry a nobleman and raise a family as is tradition. However, from a young age, she knew that this was not the life she was meant for, but no one ever really listened or understood her.
She first expressed this sentiment to her father in season one, and despite constantly saying it in later seasons, it was repeated here after Gendry proposed. It would have been a fairytale ending and something totally out of character for Arya.
8 “Stick them with the pointy end.”
Season 8, Episode 3 – The Long Night
Despite its mixed response from fans, the eighth season on paper is full of callbacks to early seasons like this quote. Naturally, she’s best remembered for when Jon gave her the needle in season one, but before the Battle of Winterfell, she passed on that event and sage advice to Sansa.
This quote indicates how Arya thinks. Frankly, he wasn’t the smartest strategist compared to his sister or little finger, though he certainly had his moments. She learned that the direct approach works best for her: that sometimes all it takes is a quick swipe with a sword to get the job done.
7 “One girl is Arya Stark of Winterfell. And I’m going home.”
Season 6 Episode 8 – Nobody
After witnessing her father’s execution and learning of the deaths of her brother and mother, Arya searched for an escape and a way to get back at the people who killed her family. He found both of them in Bravos as part of the Faceless Men, but it came at a drastic price. Not only did they take her sight away for a while in season five, but they also tried to strip her of her identity.
Although he would never rule Winterfell like his brothers, he still carried his name as a badge of honor. He learned everything he needed from the Faceless Men and left them at the end of a truly epic sequence with the Waif.
6 “You need better guards.”
Season 7, Episode 4 – The Spoils of War
For a while, many fans were nervous that Arya was lost in Bravos, but finally, in season seven, she returned home to Winterfell. Although what followed was a dark turn as she and her sister faced each other, testing whether they trust each other, this moment was a fun and bright light for their relationship. They weren’t even friends before they split up, but they hugged and joked about the guards when they met again.
This is another callback to season one when the guards won’t let Arya back into the Red Tower. Interestingly, one of these guards has become incredibly popular recently. Joseph Quinn joined Strange things this season as Eddie Munson and is best remembered for his epic guitar solo at the end of the season.
5 “I can’t sleep until I say the names.”
Season 4 Episode 5 – First of His Name
Truly, from season two to the finale, Arya largely acted as an agent of vengeance and death. This is best demonstrated by his death list. Every night she repeated the names, never letting her forget who hurt her, her family, and her friends. This became more than a tradition, it became his purpose.
Specifically, this is part of a conversation with the Hound and culminates in her being named as one of his intended victims. By the end of the series, he was freed from the burden of the roster, as each person met their end, either by their own hand or by someone else’s.
4 “not today”
Season 1 Episode 8 – The Pointy End
Interestingly, while she essentially served the God of Death for years, both independently and as a Faceless Man, Arya was taught to never succumb to it. Her lessons with Syrio Forel stayed with her, motivating her to keep fighting even when faced with seemingly insurmountable odds like the actual army of the dead.
“Not today” is also widely considered to be one of Arya’s most recognizable and defining lines, and even led to incessant theorizing by fans. Many hoped and believed that Syrio survived his battle against Meryn Trant and given his origins in Bravos that he may have been a Faceless Man, specifically, Jaqen H’ghar.
3 “Sansa can keep her sewing needles. I have a needle of my own.”
Season 1 Episode 2 – The Kingsroad
The show was quick to establish how different Arya and Sansa were, setting up how they would forge unique paths as they made their way down the Kingsroad to King’s Landing. While Sansa sought to be the perfect daughter and lady, only learning years later what that can entail, Arya just wanted to be the warrior.
This line is one of many taken directly from the novels and best demonstrates their dichotomy. It’s here that fans know their stories will diverge not only physically, but emotionally and thematically. Also, it’s also the last time she saw Jon until they were reunited six seasons later.
2 “I know death. It has Nany faces. I really want to see this one.”
Season 8, Episode 2 – A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms
Years alone or surrounded by hostile enemies hardened Arya and matured her beyond her years. He returned to Westeros a completely different person, much to the chagrin of his family. Even though he had his eyes set on the south and Cersei, he knew that the real enemy at that moment was Death, and he would not wait.
In the end, she was actually the one who saw his face, and she closed her eyes forever, as Melisandre predicted, and by the time the entire series was introduced, she killed the Night King. She was already an iconic character, but this totally established her as a hero unlike any other on the show.
1 “The rules were wrong. He was doing what he had to do, and he knew it.”
Season 7, Episode 6 – Beyond the Wall
Arya was largely misunderstood by her fellow characters, especially those closest to her, so she always kept people at a distance. Although he developed strange and important relationships throughout the series, most notably with Sansa, The Hound, and Gendry, his most important was with his father.
Of course, he wished he would follow the tradition, but he was not blind to its truth. He supported her, got her a teacher, and if she had survived Game of Thrones, she probably would have been happy to see how strong she had become. This sentiment is what makes Arya such a popular character even today. He never tried to conform to a world and its rules he never agreed with, rather he forged his own path.
