It's safe to say that the two most important families in Game of Thrones, the drivers of the narrative so to speak, are House Stark and House Lannister. Both of them begin the story in relative comfort—the Starks are provided the prestige due to them, and the Lannisters maintain a certain degree of control over the Iron Throne.
The relationship between the two Houses is splintered when Joffrey is rightfully attacked by Arya's Direwolf, proceeding to develop more and more cracks over the next few months. The unjustified execution of Ned Stark is the first of the major blows, metaphorically, that pit the Lannisters and the Starks as eternal enemies. Each House sees itself as the protagonist, but which one deserves to be considered as such?
10 The Starks: Ned Stark's Integrity Has A Permanent Impact On His Children
Ned Stark doesn't survive the first season (or the first book), but his personal legacy has helped shape events decades after his death. He is loyal to his family and acts with utmost honor with everyone else, including those who actively seek to do him harm.
Robb Stark is clearly influenced by his father, but disappears from the story way too early to bring about any significant change. On the other hand, it is easy to argue that Jon Snow's occasionally exaggerated sense of integrity is derived directly from Ned Stark.
9 The Lannisters: Tywin Lannister Knows How To Manipulate Politics
Gaming the system is one of the most potent ways to seize, administer, and distribute political power for the benefit of the few over the many.
In this case, Tywin's manipulative genius is the main reason that the Lannisters manage to place their hooks in the Red Keep, from Cersei's marriage to Robert Baratheon to serving as the Hand of the King. Tywin wants his family to have everything in the world, regardless of how many lives have to be taken in the process. Brutal but effective.
8 The Starks: Each Stark Child Has Their Own Destiny To Fulfill
Every single Stark child (except Rickon) plays an overwhelmingly major part in the struggle for Westeros. Robb becomes King in the North and wins several battles before being deceived and killed.
Sansa begins as a timid girl and concludes her arc as a highly dangerous political opponent. Arya assassinates the Night King, a feat so impressive that it overshadows every other accomplishment. Bran turns into the Three-Eyed Raven and is ultimately "elected" to serve as the King of the Seven Kingdoms. Incredible considering that part-Stark Jon Snow isn't even involved here.
7 The Lannisters: Cersei Becomes The First Queen Of The Seven Kingdoms
Robert Baratheon's kingship is uneventful, as most regimes tend to be after a devastating war, but his death changes everything quite drastically. He is succeeded by Joffrey, and followed by Tommen, both of who are little more than pawns in the hands of their grandfather and mother.
However, it is Cersei's ascension to the Iron Throne that truly establishes the political might of the Lannisters when she vaporizes all her major opponents in a single explosion.
6 The Starks: Jon Snow Is Revealed As The Trueborn Heir To The Iron Throne
Until Bran's vision, nobody (aside from most fans of the show) has any idea that Jon Snow is the son of Rhaegar Targaryen and Lyanna Stark, whose forbidden love for each other is cemented in the form of a secret marriage.
Given the validity of their union, Bran realizes that Jon, as Aegon Targaryen, would now be ahead of Daenerys in the order of royal precedence. Jon doesn't try to undercut her, though, considering that he has already pledged his allegiance to Daenerys, not to mention that he's probably in love with her.
5 The Lannisters: Daenerys Benefits Greatly From Tyrion's Wisdom
After Tyrion is forced into exile, he turns to hedonism to mitigate the sorrow he feels at having to leave his homeland. And yet, he supports Daenerys in several of her endeavors, mostly by helping her choose the least brutal of all the options available.
Tyrion is especially responsible for forging a bond between his queen and Jon Snow, an alliance that turns out to be crucial in the Great War's outcome. Unfortunately, Daenerys rejects Tyrion's advice at the end.
4 The Starks: Arya Stops Winter In Its Tracks
The Night King marches towards Bran, dismissing minor attacks like Theon's without expending any effort. However, right as he is about to (presumably) kill the Three-Eyed Raven, Arya Stark pounces on him from behind.
This assault would have killed anyone other than the Night King, who stops her before she can hurt him. Arya's wit remains intact, allowing her to switch her blade-hand and transform the Night King bursts into a shower of ice. The effect dominoes across his entire army.
3 The Lannisters: Jaime Undergoes A Radical Conversion
Cersei and Jaime have a major argument over her refusal to involve her armies against the Night King and his terrifying forces. He informs his sister that he plans to return to Winterfell and do the best he can, but she threatens to have him killed.
Cersei's ploy is futile, as Jaime instantly recognizes her unwillingness to go through with it. This moment is central to the narrative in many ways—it signifies the moral distance that has grown between the pair and offers Jaime a measure of redemption.
2 The Starks: Bran Knows That He Is Destined To Be King
Following Daenerys Targaryen's assassination, the Westerosi "government" is in turmoil, as her Unsullied remain devoted to her memory and demand justice. Tyrion shrewdly suggests that the most sensible alternative would be to crown Bran the Broken as the King, claiming that nobody "has a better story," and that there's nobody "better to lead us into the future."
Tyrion then directly poses the question to Bran, to which the response is "Why do you think I came all this way?" Few expected the youngest living member of House Stark to sit on the Iron Throne, though.
1 The Lannisters: Send Their Regards
One of the most famous lines in Game of Thrones, "The Lannisters send their regards," is technically polite on the surface, but the violent implications are crystal clear.
Five words capable of instilling absolute terror in just about anyone who hears them, the most notable example being the Starks at the Red Wedding. This sentence encapsulates the incalculable amounts of power and wealth in the Lannisters' hands, as well as how freely they tend to wield them.
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