The Best Members of House Targaryen on Game of Thrones

If there’s one thing House Targaryen teaches us, it’s that being “fire and blood” can mean anything from freeing slaves to, well…roasting cities. Across eight seasons of Game of Thrones, the show gives us a handful of Targaryens (and secret Targaryens) who shape the fate of Westeros in huge ways. Some are heroic, some are terrifying, and a few somehow manage to be both before the final credits roll.

In this guide, we’ll break down the best members of House Targaryen on Game of Thronesthe ones who left the deepest mark on the story, the politics, and our fragile fan hearts. We’ll look at their character arcs, big moments, and why they still fuel online debates years after the finale aired. No dragons were harmed in the making of this article…emotionally, however, you may not be so lucky.

What Makes a “Best” Targaryen?

Before we start handing out invisible dragon-shaped trophies, it helps to clarify what “best” means in the context of House Targaryen. This is not a list of the “nicest” Targaryensif that were the case, it would be a very short article. Instead, we’re talking about a mix of:

• Impact on the story: How much they shaped the political and emotional stakes of the show.
• Complexity: Characters with layered motives, internal conflict, and growth.
• Iconic moments: Scenes that defined seasons, sparked fan theories, or crashed social media.
• Legacy: What they represent in the larger themes of power, duty, and destiny in Game of Thrones.

With that in mind, let’s fly straight into the dragon’s den and look at the top Targaryens the HBO series gave us.

1. Daenerys Targaryen – Breaker of Chains, Breaker of Hearts

Daenerys Stormborn is easily the most prominent Targaryen in the series. She starts as a frightened exile sold into marriage and ends as a dragon-riding conqueror hovering between liberator and tyrant. Her arc may be controversial, but it’s also one of the richest and most discussed character journeys in modern TV.

From Pawn to Player

When we meet Daenerys in Season 1, she’s under the control of her abusive brother Viserys and a political pawn in Illyrio’s scheme. Over time, she learns to claim her agency: walking into a blazing pyre to hatch three dragons, freeing the Unsullied with a single command, and repeatedly choosing to stand with the oppressed rather than the powerful.

Her titlesKhaleesi of the Great Grass Sea, Breaker of Chains, Mother of Dragonsaren’t just for dramatic intros. They chart her growth from powerless girl to world-shaping ruler.

The Heroic Ideal…Until She Isn’t

For much of the series, Daenerys appears to represent a new kind of Targaryen: one who wants to “break the wheel” of oppression rather than sit comfortably on top of it. She dismantles slave economies in Astapor, Yunkai, and Meereen and executes abusive masters with fiery spectacle. Critics and fans alike have noted how the show frames her as an almost mythic liberator while also hinting at her ruthless streakespecially when she leaps to violent solutions whenever she feels betrayed or defied.

By the final season, grief, isolation, and paranoia push her over the edge. Her decision to burn King’s Landing after the city has surrendered is still one of the most divisive moments in the series. Some argue that the turn to “Mad Queen” was rushed; others see it as the culmination of traits she’d displayed all along: uncompromising idealism backed by overwhelming firepower.

Why Daenerys Makes the List

Daenerys Targaryen is the beating heart of the Targaryen storyline. She embodies the dangerous blend of idealism and absolutism that defines her housesomeone who can inspire the world and terrify it in the same breath. Whether you view her as tragic hero, failed savior, or final villain, her journey is unforgettable.

2. Jon Snow (Aegon Targaryen) – The Reluctant Dragon

He’s introduced as Jon Snow, the Stark bastard who doesn’t quite fit in at Winterfell. By the end of the series, we learn he’s actually Aegon Targaryen, legitimate son of Rhaegar Targaryen and Lyanna Stark, and the true heir to the Iron Throneat least on paper. This twist recontextualizes everything we thought we knew about him.

Honor First, Crown Never

Jon’s defining trait is his relentless sense of duty. He joins the Night’s Watch to escape the limitations of being a “Snow” and ends up Lord Commander. He’s murdered by his own men for trying to do the right thing, then resurrected and still somehow finds the energy to keep saving people who really don’t deserve him.

Even after he learns his true identity as Aegon Targaryen, Jon doesn’t suddenly crave the throne or reinvent himself with a new name. He clings to what made him who he ishis Stark upbringing, his loyalty to family, and his instinct to protect the living against the dead.

The Ultimate Targaryen-Stark Fusion

Jon’s Targaryen bloodline gives him a claim to power, but it’s his Stark side that keeps him grounded. He rides a dragon, forms an alliance with Daenerys, and becomes a key strategist in the war against the White Walkers. Yet when faced with Daenerys’s destruction of King’s Landing, he makes the hardest decision of his life: killing the woman he loves for the sake of the realm.

It’s a deeply Targaryen momentone dragon ending anotherbut Jon’s motivation is rooted in Stark values: mercy, honor, and responsibility. In the end, he’s exiled back to the Night’s Watch and wanders into the far North, free of titles and crowns. He’s the Targaryen who could have ruled, but chose not to.

Why Jon Snow Belongs Among the Best

Jon embodies the idea that heritage doesn’t define destiny. He’s proof that a Targaryen can have the blood of conquerors and still be guided by compassion. The fact that he never embraces his Aegon name makes his arc even more powerfulhe’s the best Targaryen precisely because he never stops being Jon Snow.

3. Maester Aemon – The Targaryen Who Chose Duty Over Power

In a family obsessed with thrones and prophecies, Maester Aemon is the quiet exception. Born Aemon Targaryen, son of King Maekar I and uncle to the Mad King, he willingly turns his back on power to serve as a maester and later as a brother of the Night’s Watch.

The King Who Never Was

Aemon’s story is one of deliberately stepping away from destiny. When the Iron Throne is offered to him, he refuses, fearing that accepting it would put the realm at risk and compromise the neutrality expected of a maester. Instead, he takes the black and spends his life in the cold shadows of the Wall, advising men who barely grasp how royal his blood is.

His blindness, age, and physical frailty hide a razor-sharp mind. He counsels Jon Snow on the tension between duty and love, telling him that a day will come when he must chooseand reminding him that “love is the death of duty”, a lesson that echoes through Jon’s eventual decision about Daenerys.

Why Aemon Is One of the Best Targaryens

Aemon represents the Targaryen ideal turned inside out: instead of riding dragons into battle, he fights quietly for the realm by giving up his claim and devoting his life to service. In a story filled with characters who want power at any cost, Aemon’s humility makes him one of the most admirable Targaryens we ever meet.

4. Rhaegar Targaryen – The Prince Who Started a War

Rhaegar Targaryen never appears in the series as a fully developed on-screen character, but his decisions shape nearly everything. His relationship with Lyanna Stark triggers Robert’s Rebellion, reshaping the political map of Westeros and setting up the entire storyline of the show.

Legend, Mystery, and Ruin

We hear about Rhaegar primarily through other people’s memories: some describe him as a sensitive, bookish prince who loved music and prophecy; others remember him as the man who ran off with Lyanna, causing a war that killed thousands.

The show eventually reveals that Rhaegar and Lyanna were secretly married, making Jon a legitimate Targaryen heir. That single reveal re-frames Rhaegar not merely as a reckless prince, but as someone who made a dangerous, idealistic gamble for love and destiny. Whether that gamble was selfish or noble is left for fans to debate.

Why Rhaegar Makes the List

Rhaegar earns his place among the best Targaryens not because he was flawless, but because his legacy is the hinge of the entire saga. His choices question how much one person’s belief in prophecy and love can justify the cost of war. In true Targaryen fashion, he blends brilliance, romanticism, and catastrophic consequences.

5. Viserys Targaryen – A Necessary Cautionary Tale

Let’s be clear: Viserys Targaryen is absolutely not a good person. He’s cruel, entitled, and abusive. But he is important, and he plays a crucial role in shaping Daenerys’s identity and our understanding of what “Targaryen madness” looks like when there are no dragons leftjust ego and resentment.

The Last Son of the Mad King

Viserys grows up in exile, clinging to the idea that the Iron Throne is rightfully his. He treats Daenerys as property, selling her to Khal Drogo in exchange for an army. His obsession with the crown blinds him to reality: he has no power, no resources, and no understanding of the cultures he tries to manipulate.

His death“crowning” him with molten goldbecomes a symbolic turning point for Daenerys. When she calmly says, “He was no dragon. Fire cannot kill a dragon,” we immediately understand that the future of House Targaryen is leaving Viserys’s brand of cruelty behind.

Why Viserys Still Matters

Viserys earns a spot on this list not as a paragon of virtue, but as the clearest warning sign of unchecked entitlement. He’s the Targaryen who thinks he deserves everything but never does the work, the one who proves that claiming a “birthright” without character or wisdom is a quick way to end up with a very permanent helmet.

Honorable Mentions: Other Targaryens Who Shaped the Story

Aerys II Targaryen – The Mad King

Aerys II, Daenerys’s father, appears briefly in flashbacks but casts a long shadow. His paranoia, cruelty, and obsession with wildfire lead directly to Robert’s Rebellion and the downfall of House Targaryen. He’s a cautionary example of what happens when absolute power, mental instability, and pyromania collide.

The Dragons Themselves

Okay, technically not members of the family treebut Drogon, Rhaegal, and Viserion are extensions of Targaryen identity. They represent both the majesty and horror associated with the house. Dragons make Daenerys more than just another claimant; they make her a living echo of Aegon the Conqueror, with all the temptations that come with it.

What the Best Targaryens Tell Us About Power

Looking at Daenerys, Jon, Aemon, Rhaegar, and even Viserys side by side, a pattern emerges. The “best” Targaryens aren’t necessarily the mightiest or most successful rulersthey’re the ones who wrestle with the weight of their power instead of blindly embracing it.

• Daenerys shows how idealism can curdle into tyranny when paired with unchecked force.
• Jon proves that true leadership sometimes means walking away from the crown.
• Aemon demonstrates that the noblest use of power may be to relinquish it.
• Rhaegar embodies the tragic cost of letting prophecy and romance dictate politics.
• Viserys highlights the dangers of entitlement without empathy or competence.

Collectively, they reinforce one of Game of Thrones’ core themes: bloodlines and prophecies might set the board, but character decides who actually deserves to play.

Personal Reflections: Watching the Best Targaryens in Real Time

Part of what makes House Targaryen so compelling is how differently viewers react to its members over time. If you watched the show week to week, you probably went on an emotional roller coaster worthy of a dragon flight.

Falling for Daenerys, Then Questioning Everything

Early on, many fans rooted hard for Daenerys. It was easy to cheer when she freed the Unsullied or burned down the slavers of Astapor. Her journey felt like a fantasy of righteous revolutionespecially compared to the backstabbing politics of King’s Landing. Over the years, though, subtle unease crept in. Every time she leapt to “Dracarys” as the solution, there was that tiny voice asking, “Is this…okay?”

When she finally torched King’s Landing, that unease exploded into full-blown shock. Rewatching her earlier seasons after the finale hits differently. You start spotting the pattern: her sense of justice was always absolute, and her mercy always conditional. That doesn’t erase what she survived or the good she didbut it makes her one of the most tragically complicated figures in Westeros.

From “Bastard of Winterfell” to True Heir

Jon’s Targaryen reveal landed like a fandom earthquake. For years, people traded clues and theories, dissecting Ned’s promises and Lyanna’s blue winter roses. When Bran and Sam finally confirmed Jon’s heritage, it felt like a reward for paying attention.

What’s fascinating is how little it changes who Jon is. Where other Targaryens lean into destiny, Jon treats it like an inconvenient spoiler for a show he didn’t ask to be in. Watching him struggle between loyalty to Daenerys and responsibility to the realm is painful precisely because we’ve seen how much he hates politics. When he makes that final choice in the throne room, it isn’t a triumphant hero momentit’s a quiet, devastating act of mercy and necessity rolled into one.

Quiet Greatness at the Wall

Maester Aemon might not dominate posters or fan art, but long-time watchers know he’s the secret soul of the Targaryen story. His scenes with Jon are small, almost understated, yet they echo all the way to the finale. When he speaks of being a Targaryen “alone in the world,” it resonates more once Jon’s identity is revealed. You realize the show has been planting that generational echo of duty-versus-desire for years.

Living with the Aftermath

One of the most interesting parts of revisiting Game of Thrones now is how your loyalties shift over time. Maybe you were all-in on “Daenerys for Queen” back in Season 3 and now feel more conflicted. Maybe you thought Jon should have taken the throne but now appreciate his quiet ending beyond the Wall. Maybe you rewatch Viserys and, while still detesting him, better understand how exile and obsession twisted him.

The best members of House Targaryen don’t just look cool on dragons (although that certainly doesn’t hurt). They give us room to argue, re-evaluate, and read them differently as we change, too. That’s why these characters still set social media on fireeven years after the last ember in King’s Landing went cold.

So whether you’re Team “Dany Did Nothing Wrong,” Team “Jon Should Have Been King,” or Team “Please Give Aemon a Nap and a Blanket,” the legacy of House Targaryen lives on every time we ask the most Westerosi question of all: who, if anyone, ever truly deserved the Iron Throne?