10 Years Later, Game Of Thrones' Best Battle Is Still A Top 5 Fantasy Scene

Game of Thrones remains one of the most critically acclaimed fantasy projects ever made, and one of the most defining sequences in the entire series came out 10 years ago in 2016. Despite the divisive way the show ended, Game of Thrones manages to endure as one of the most daring and captivating fantasy stories ever to appear onscreen.

With extraordinarily rich and complex characters, interwoven narratives between kingdoms and individuals, and a well-constructed world that balances the grounded with the extraordinary, the reputation of Game of Thrones endures as one of the greatest stories ever told, not just in the fantasy genre, but in general.

And one of the most iconic battle scenes from the whole Game of Thrones series manages to bottle all of those elements, the very best of what the show had to offer, and distill it into a powerful episode that tied up so many loose ends to a high level of satisfaction. Of course, we are referring to The Battle of the Bastards, as seen in season 6, episode 9.

‘The Battle of the Bastards’ Is A Near-Perfect Game of Thrones Episode

Jon Snow (Kit Harington) with blood on his face in the Battle of the Bastards on Game of Thrones

The episode originally aired June 10, 2016, and today stands out as one of the top-rated episodes of the series as a whole, leading into what would be classified as one of the show’s most compelling season finales. While the series had already overtaken the books, season 6 finally saw several elements of the story that were brought to an end.

With Jon Snow marching back to his home in Winterfell, and the place where he was raised now being defiled by the cruel and callous Ramsay Bolton, who had caused so much strife for the Starks and their closest allies for years, a conflict was bound to occur. Not to mention, at this point, Ramsay had captured one of the other Stark boys, and his horrible treatment of Sansa Stark and Theon Greyjoy was now known, adding fuel to the fire to permanently deal with him and reclaim Winterfell.

All of this comes to a head in this episode, which aptly sees two Bastards reclaiming their birthrights and facing each other on the battlefield. The battle begins with Ramsay goading Jon to act as he mockingly allows Jon’s brother, Rickon, to run towards his brother while partially bound. While he flees, Ramsay shoots arrows, eventually striking Rickon dead, and initiating the battle in a brutal and disarming way.

From there, Jon and his men, a mix of people of the Northern Kingdoms, wildlings from beyond the wall, and even a giant thrown in for good measure, all attack Ramsay’s impressive army, only to be surrounded and trapped in an increasingly shrinking circle as the Bolton army uses spears and shields to round them up.

Then, the Knights of the Vale arrive and turn the tide of battle when things looked bleak beyond all hope, and Ramsay is killed by Sansa, in one of the most satisfying ends to any character’s story in the entire series. All things considered, this scene is spectacular, with a grounded battle that engages all sorts of emotions, before ending with a huge win for the heroes of the story.

Fantasy Battle Scenes Can Be Tricky To Get Right

White Walkers and Night King in Game of Thrones

While fantasy is a rich and varied genre, it comes with its challenges and drawbacks. Among them is the fact that creating epic battles is simultaneously an expectation and something that can be incredibly difficult to navigate. While including numerous creatures and beings that are otherworldly can be exciting, it tends to remove the human element and makes it harder for audiences to connect to.

Meanwhile, a conflict also needs to have a purpose and high stakes, and it can’t feel like the heroes utterly slaughter and annihilate the opposing army, or else they look like monsters themselves. But this sequence perfectly balanced all elements that anyone could want out of a fantasy battle, while also arriving late enough in the story to have real stakes and emotions attached.

The prize was Winterfell and Ramsay’s head; the price was the life of the youngest Stark boy and the lives of many fallen comrades. But in the end, the battle came out in Jon Snow’s favor, and the story perfectly set the stage for what comes next. It’s just a shame that this would be where Game of Thrones would ultimately fumble.