Here's Who Really Won the Game of Thrones: It's Not Tyrion or the Starks

Summary:

• To win in the game of thrones, one must achieve and secure their personal and political goals and live to tell the tale.
• Bronn started his story as a lowly sellsword and ended it as the new Lord of Highgarden and a founder of his own House.
• Unlike other characters, Bronn lost nothing throughout the series and came out as the ultimate winner of the game of thrones.

It's hard to pinpoint a single winner of the game of thrones in HBO's titular show: with how much went down, all characters lost something invaluable regardless of what they got in return. Still, there's one person who lost nothing and won virtually everything he could have wished for.

How Does One Win the Game of Thrones?

The game of thrones is the epic and somewhat pretentious name for the everlasting power struggles and political intrigues that take place in the Seven Kingdoms. As Cersei Lannister once eloquently put it, there are only two ways to end the game of thrones: by winning it or dying in it.

By winning, we understand both achieving one's personal and political goals and securing them. Taking out one's opponents and strengthening one's power all work toward these goals, as well as making alliances. Essentially, winning is staying alive and safe in a position of power.

Some may argue that in game of thrones, one can't completely win as the game never ends and every momentary achievement is a successful battle in a never-ending war. That is undoubtedly true, but for the sake of simplicity, we'll consider the finale of the show the end of the game.

Who Really Won the Game of Thrones?

The debate about the real winner of the game of thrones has been going on since the finale of the TV show. Some fans claim that Tyrion Lannister won most of the other characters; others say it's Bran Stark or even House Stark as a whole since its children acquired immense power.

But that, of course, just isn't true: there's someone who did it better.

Ser Bronn of the Blackwater. Remember this guy?

Bronn started off as a lowly but highly skilled sellsword who entered the service of Tyrion, then Jaime Lannister. Without a last name, Bronn was as far from a noble as it gets, but a few years of working for the Lannisters earned him a knighthood and an official title.

That was only the start of Bronn's career: the title of Ser Bronn of the Blackwater was not his last and definitely not his greatest.

In a turn of events, Bronn gets hired by Queen Cersei to kill her brothers and his former employers, Jaime and Tyrion Lannister, who joined Queen Daenerys in the North. The brothers buy their lives from Bronn by promising him a reward worth any cost: a lordship and vast lands.

After Daenerys wins the war, Ser Bronn becomes Lord Bronn. He becomes the new Lord of Highgarden, Lord Paramount of the Reach, and Master of Coin on King Bran's Small Council. That's what we call a proper career advancement: from a sellsword to a founder of his own House!

Unlike all other contestants, Bronn didn't lose anything. He gained everything he'd ever dreamed of, though, and did so while having fun all the way. No other character can boast such achievements, and hence, Lord Bronn of Highgarden is the ultimate winner of the game of thrones.