In the world of Game of Thrones, no character has their survival ensured. The HBO fantasy show has become iconic for multiple reasons. One of them was the fact that it wasn't afraid to kill its characters and a lot of them at that. Even the most capable fighters or swordsmen often met somebody who managed to defeat them and took their life.
Game of Thrones had no tolerance for weakness, and fans loved the show's merciless storytelling. With so many capable characters often cut down, the best swordsmen stand out even more. Usually not only because they could fight but also because they survived significantly longer than other characters.
5 Bronn
Even though he was never one of the main characters in Game of Thrones, Bronn became one of the fan favorites. The viewers liked his sharp tongue, sense of humor, and the fact that Bronn could take on many enemies and survive. Unlike noblemen who trained in sword fighting in order to prove their valor, Bronn learned how to fight because, in the harsh world of Westeros, he needed to be able to fight in order to survive.
He trained hard and became a warrior that others could hire for protection. If he was bad at this job, nobody would ever want to work with him. Of course, Bronn later encountered Jaime Lannister, was knighted later on, and the rest is history. Bronn didn't have as many epic fighting scenes as other characters in the show, but he stayed alive long enough to demonstrate he knew what he was doing when it came to sword fighting.
4 Brienne Of Tarth
Brienne of Tarth was one of the most prominent female fighters in Game of Thrones...and also one of the best swordsmen, regardless of their gender. Tall, strong, and quick, Brienne was able to defeat multiple knights as well as bandits. It was only fitting she became a knight too in the end since Brienne followed her noble ideals and remained a good person, unlike many other Game of Thrones characters.
She was able to defeat Renly's men in a tournament and even fought and beat Jaime Lannister, albeit he wasn't at his full strength at the moment. That makes for an impressive resume. There are characters who wield swords even better than Brienne does in Game of Thrones, but that doesn't change the fact that underestimating her is a mistake.
3 Jaime Lannister
Jaime Lannister's reputation as a legendary swordsman is well-established in the show right from the start. That's why some characters are disappointed later on when they meet Jaime and realize he can no longer fight as well as he once did. Jaime's sword-fighting skills take a sharp dive in the series when he loses his hand. It makes fighting difficult for him as he pretty much has to learn it again from scratch.
But before this fateful injury, Jaime was as close to undefeatable as they come. Had Jaime kept his hand, he could have honed his skills even more and become a better fighter as he aged. Unfortunately for him, Jaime met his untimely end in the series when he went to the King's Landing to save his sister Cersei, a move that proved fateful to both of the siblings.
2 Gregor Clegane
If it wasn't for the fact that he died, Gregor Clegane, aka The Mountain, could have been chosen as the best swordsman in Game of Thrones. His sheer size and strength spoke in his favor since Gregor was able to crush his enemies even without needing to use a sword. However, when he did fight with a sword, he proved he was able to wield this weapon just as well as any other.
Gregor's reputation is further cemented by the fact that even Jaime, one of the best swordsmen who ever lived, thinks that Gregor would have a shot at defeating him. So other than his death in the series, there's not much that speaks against Gregor, except for the fact that he became zombielike and also wasn't as agile and fast as other swordsmen.
1 Arya Stark
Arya Stark's position as the finest swordsman in Game of Thrones proves that sometimes, winning and staying alive is a combination of skills, determination, and pure luck. Arya was never like her older sister Sansa. Instead of dreaming to marry a handsome prince, Arya was training and wanted to fight ever since she was a little girl. It was Jon Snow who gave Arya her sword Needle and set her on the path that would lead her from the little girl to the brave young woman who defeated the Night King.
Arya spent a lot of time honing her skills, learning various styles of fighting, and even mastered fighting when she was blind. As a result, she was able to win over older, taller, and more experienced fighters, such as Brienne of Tarth. Arya's position as the most capable swordsman was further cemented by the fact that she could sneak up on her enemies thanks to her ability to wear the faces of other people and strike them when they least expected it.