I think Tam Al'Thor should be on here for sure. He's likely the most skilled with the bow in the series, Lan recognizes him as a Blademaster, he allows for his wedge to not be pushed back during the Last Battle. Rand spars with him, and even one-handed Tam is comfortable, where Rand was not. Tam's experience with the Void shown to be quite deep and I think he's most similar to someone that has "become the sword" as Demandred told Gawyn he should do. I would easily say Tam is better than Toram Riatin at the very least, if not others.
@@cuylshepherdton7437 waant he ambushed by like dozen trollocs trying to cut them off from chasinr rand with an improvised weapon and not having fought for like 15-20 yrs give him a break
@@joshuapearce7658 reading the first book right now, he was using a sword and he killed several trollocks with it, he hadnt fought in 15 years, and it was night (trollocks see better at night) he didnt know how many they where and his primary concern was protecting rand. He did take a small scrape but that got infected with thakandar poison that quickly made him sick to the brink of death.
That was indeed my reaction! Add also the sparing between Rand and Tam the last night, and Rand said that Tam was obviously still the better swordsman between the 2...
@@michaelhowze8198 he was already a blademaster, rand melted his power wrought blade. I doubt they hand power wrought blades out to just any old blade master. Think like Stradivarius but 20 times older.
I can't reccomend Audible highly enough! Last year I lost half the light of the world when a stroke left me blind in the left half of both eyes. Reading is difficult for me but thanks to Audible I can still enjoy the Wheel of time.
Mat's weapon and his vast knowledge of battle tactics due to his the memories from the past would give him the edge over anyone in a fair fight. Demandred, Rand and Lan would all give him a very good fight but without something extra they couldn't beat him one on one.
Demandred & Rand can channel. Rand is also the most powerful Taveren. He also has the past memories and battle tactics of the best Blademaster, Best Channeler & Best Battle Tactician of the entire mythology: Lews Therin
@@Andhaira I'm talking in a physical fight with Mat and his ashandarei, Against any of those three and their normal choice of weapon, a sword. Yes of course a channeler as powerful as Rand or Demandred could beat him even with his medallion with the power. But with just a sword; no chance. As we heard when Mat beat both Gawyn and Galad before he gained the battle knowledge; a good staff man will beat a great swordsman any day. And Mat is beyond a "good" staff man.
@@Andhaira That is why he said "without something extra". Also channeling is specially useless against Matt. To judge Matt is an exercise on futility.. he is so absurd that a meteor can land on top of his enemy by sheer luck.
Lets not forget that Lan defeats two fades at once that ambushed him during the last battle and I don't even think he took a single wound from it. It's tough to say if Demandred deserves to be #1 because Lan was exhausted but then he pulled his "sheathing the sword" trick so it's a tough call but I guess you have to just give it to the man that survives.I think we should give Talmanes an honorable mention. Dude gets wounded by a fade in a fight he won, then continues to kill trollocs, then kills another fade all while under the influence of thankandar poison. So he isn't a good enough swordsman to make the list BUT I get some of these guys listed wouldn't have the grit my boy Talmanes does!
@@MinhTruong101 Yes, he could. He was an excellent swordsman in his own right, and I believe the best in the age of legends. He does have channelers to heal him of exhaustion though, so Lan in peak condition I'm sure could beat him.
Pretty sure that there are multiple points in the series where it is insinuated that Rhuarc is essentially Lan's equal. This is never tested, and I would of course put my money on Lan, but Rhuarc should definitely be ahead of Gaul.
Joseph Gaffney I don’t recall that? When was this? The only time I truly remember him fighting was when he died and that was less to do with skill and a bit more to do with tactics. I think it is mentioned that he was skill but never truly displayed. Lan’s skill was displayed multiple times.
@@DannyBoyZero yeah when he schooled rand in one hand sword fighting then lan saw him fight in the last battle and said something like "I always wondered if the man rand received that heron mark blade from had truly earned it. Now i know"
@@DannyBoyZero I really wish we could have seen tam and lan spar near the end of the books. Lan obviously takes the majority of the wins but i seriously think tam would have won three out of seven
Definitely. I don’t think Perrin quite makes the top 10. Gawyn might not either. Did RJ intend that Gawyn had some kind of mental illness? I don’t know how someone could have made so many errors in judgement and have all of their faculties.
I'm only on book four (I know - how did I not know about this series until this year? :) ) but so far Tam has shown himself to be rather deadly. He defeated several Trollocs in the first book but other than that, I don't remember seeing him fight except with the bow. He is obviously the best archer in the series so far though. I'm not sure why you didn't allow ranged weapons to be considered. That's the primary weapon for several characters. If you allowed bows, Tam would be very high on the list. It doesn't matter how good you are with the sword if you have an arrow through your eye at 100 yards.
Ruharc should be on there I think. In MOL Ruharc kills multiple dreadlords with only his belt knife and only falls because Graendal gets him with compulsion. He is roving around the battlefield with Myrdraal, Trollocs, forsaken, dreadlords and is taking names. It's tough to rank the top 5, but I think Galad looses some points when you follow him in battles against the shadow. He is one of the best swordsman against humans but in the books he does not fair as well against the Trollocs while Perrin has no problems cutting through any shadowspawn and is the only non-channeler who can stop darkhounds in close fighting.
He's not actually "fighting" the dreadlords per say, he's killing them with surprise and stealth before they blow his head off. If we'd seen him in action more he might have taken gauls spot, but we didn't.
i love how lan uses his last lesson to rand from the beginning of the second book to take out demandred. he sheathes the sword, because "not here to win, i'm here to kill you".
Even if Mat couldn't beat Lan or Rand (I believe he could, he's hard to take seriously for most which gives him an edge) his inner monologue would be priceless.
The problem is Lan never underestimates anyone and wouldnt be taken by surprise. And rand i would agree with you on half. But I also think Tam could wack Matt's bum. Since Matt mentions that Tam was a quarter stick champion several bel tines in a row. So he could counter Matt quite easily
@@llskywalker6337 Only if you mean before he took in the memories of hundreds of warriors and generals. This is also not a power such as the one power and as such should be allowed just as the warder bond is. Also do not forget that there are some times when Tm did not win the quarter stick champion and that is the years when mats dad won so mat likely will catch up soon to the older men as does happen in life.
Didn't RJ explicitly state that be'lal was the most adept blademaster of the forsaken? We kinda saw a shred of his ability in book 3 when he just toyed with Rand and barely used any of his skill.
@@amazonthrowaway9570 yes I know he has improved since his sealing, however I believe it's outright stated that Bel'al was and still is the greatest blade master period. That's part of what made him valuable. He is the weakest male forsaken, and around Sammael in command prowess (as a general), but where he truly shined was with the sword.
@@THEFAITHFULPALADIN I don't think Ruharc would qualify just because of how many experts in combat we see. But I do think it's strange that Tam wasn't at least an honorable mention. When Rand lost his hand, Tam smacked him around the training yard, and most of the swordsmasters who witness Tams fighting all comment on how incredible he is. I guess with so many exceptional people like rand, Elaine's brothers, Lan, most of the forsaken, it's just tough to compare. Id probably stick him as an honorable mention though
@@danboom101 Lan, Rand & Aviendha considered Ruharc a near equal to Lan, I can't see Gawyn & Galad on it but definitely Ruharc should be along with Tam
I think Tam, Be'lal and Rhuarc should probably be on here considering we do see all of them fight and they all have crazy feats and/or are noted by various characters to be very skilled. I also think Thom should have an honorable mention for being probably the most skilled assassin that isn't augmented by some kind of magic in the series
Nice, small nit pic. I think that Tam deserved a spot on the list. I do, however see why he wasn't included because of his rather limited appearance "on screen." Keep it up! Great channel/video!!
I'd switch him out in 10 or have an honourable mentions slot for his blademaster status, one handed fighting skill and lan's respect/admiration over realizing rand's heron blade was legit As you said though, Perrin gets more "Screen time" but the criteria is no special powers and 1v1 so Tam would school Perrin sooo hard, and therefore deserves the spot for winning that 1v1. Oh well, slight oversight and/or pandering. Happens. Putting him higher wouldn't be possible as his peak isn't shown in combat in the series, as it was (probably?) Up to and during the Aiel war, and wasn't shown in new spring either. There are too many proven high tier blades-masters to say that Tam is actually in the top% like those proven to be (lan, galad, eimon, touriam, demandred, lous thern/'woke' rand)
I would've agreed, but Lan specifically stated in his duel with Demandred in a Memory of Light , that Demandred was the better swordsman between the two. From what I got, the diff was that Lan was willing to die to take out demandred and took a fatal hit which suprised the shit out of demandred. That being said, it was also mentioned that Lan was tired, so I'll give him the benefit of the doubt and say Lan = Demandred.
@@punishedx You have to love that, after handily Beating Gawyn and Galad, when he faced Lan, he thought that Lan was Lews Therin, the only man that could match him with a sword.
My top 5 would be 1) Lan 2) Demandred 3) Mat 4) Rand 5) Galad No specific reasons for this order, just the impressions I had of their skill through the series. Keep up the great videos!
You don't mention that Mat is extremely skilled with daggers, which he uses both for throwing and for fencing, and also that his ability to fight does not diminish at all when he loses an eye.
Hah #2 excluding the epic-scale duel between the Little Wolf Rodel Ituralde & the Seanchan general (wasn't Galgan, was it?) Hah! Toram Raitan striking Rand, who was only "slightly" distracted by Mashadar-ish Fain... While the Shadar Logoth evil was screwing pain into his side... Just a mild distraction in the void. Rand *also* received an *epic* lesson in one-handed swordsmanship from his *father*, Tam al'Thor. Sheathing the sword, sheepherder. Great list, nae'blis!
Oh I had a friend asked the late Robert Jordan who wins in a fight between Lan and Galad. (it was during Winter's Heart book signing). RJ says Lan would win, and even if Galad is a better fighter Lan would still win.
No Rodel ituralde he is one hell of a fighter.. But its OK because I love them all... I even love Semirhage, lanfear, graendahl, Mesaana and moghi.. These are my fave ladies.
3/7 in matches.. Elyis (the wolfbrother) is just as good... Granted, our least fav royal brother at the time didn't have the bond and still won.. When the warders spared lan everyone had the bond
I guess its notable that Valda was "handling" Galad in their duel until Galad used his over confidence against him. If he keeps his mind focused, he likely takes the match. I guess that is part of being a blademaster though. @@andrewsowl8696
Pretty solid, but I think I would have bumped Torman or Valda for Tam Al’thor, and I can see leaving Ryne off the list but Lan acknowledges that he should have lost to him in their duel at the end of New Spring but Ryne got it the same way Demandred did because Lan didn’t come to win he came to Kill you. Lam Man all day everyday Tai’shar Malkier!
I suppose we never actually see Tam in combat tho, except for his practice duel with Rand, which is still pretty legit once Rand finds his way. We never actually witness Ryne at work either, which is a shame, so he doesn’t qualify for the list per the req’s.
I agree with tam over the brothers. But perrin is a hoss, hands down the strongest person on the list, his fighting style may not be flashy but it is brutally efficient. And while they could Definitely hurt him, their swords would be hard pressed to stop his mighty hammer.
@@NaeBlis I've watched these before. It's kinda painful watching at the moment after the first season of the show though. Now, I don't "hate" the show like many others, but there are certain things left out that have bothered me. One of those is the amount of training that Rand underwent under Lan in the Eye of the World. I wish they would have given it some mention. I guess, all and all...I wish that the show was green lit for 10 episodes per season with a planned 10 season arc. The 8x8 is going to leave most fans wanting in a big way.
I would have put Gaul a little higher up myself, although it's rare to see him go up against a swordsman, I think he could beat at least the back 5 of your list. But well done ;)
It's interesting to consider different aspects like you do with Perrin. For instance, I would say that Galad is the most technically, by the book proficient swordsman, however he has somewhat rigid thinking that holds him back. I think the most unknown to me of those we see fight, is the high lord Turak - is he representing a more ceremonial, less proficient blademaster, or was he JUST caught up by fate? Did he fall to arrogance? Anyway, I don't envy you trying to make this a list of 10 people, with WoT's cast. :)
Eamon Valda was remarked as the most deadly blade master this side of the Aryth Ocean. Ofc, people like Hamann didn't test his strength, but it is worth knowing is the most notorious heron marked holder. Also Harman dies at Gawyn's hand likely because he hesitates to strike his own student down, rather than Gawyn being necessarily more skilled than him, however Gawyn does prove that he earns that victory later on in the novels, but at this time he has grown. Also Perrin is not trounced by Aram at all, Perrin doesn't want to fight or hurt the lad and adopts a defensive stance and is utterly shocked by Aram turning on him. Perrin has wolf reflexes and instincts, this borders on supernatural, and when you add that to his strength, your demotion because of the Aram encounter is negated, and that should bump Perrin up the list considerably. Otherwise, it's a good list, Tope 3 spots are tough, and I would have Perrin in the top 4, not sure if he could beat Demandred though, but I'm not sure if that's because of Demandred's one power and true power help, Perrin would have wolf reflexes and instincts as well as strength, while Demandred would have phenomenal swordsman skill only Lews Therin/Rand would have been better. I think apart from Perrin your order is correct, while I don't think Lan could defeat Rand with his regained Lews Therin memories, because face it, Lews Therin was better than Demandred and Lan recognises Demandred is a better swordsman, however defeating him does put Lan above Demandred. I would keep your order. But have Perrin up at 4 but debatable whether just ahead of Demandred or behind.
Good work going through and thinking about it! I know you made a bunch of comments to hedge it, but I would still rank Perrin higher. You talked about how skilled Aiel are and he mowed them down time and again. That counts for a lot. Maybe he just swings deadly things around with great strength, but he's *damn* good at it. And maybe people don't like Gawyn but he was one of my favorite characters. Dude messed up a bunch but kept trying to get better. Who can't get behind that? But I can't argue with public opinion. Also I know you said the last 3 were interchangeable and that's cool, but I'd give Mat #2. Remember that line about a farmer with a quarterstaff beating the best swordsman ever. But no one beats Lan. Good work. I love people getting into it and making videos like this.
But Lan even said in the book that he could feel that Demandred was a more skilled swordsmen than he was! I think Demandred should be #1 personally. Defeating Gawyn so easily while he wore the blood knife rings was just so impressive.
I think mat should be higher then Rand. He defeated the princes while he was weak as a kitten. Not to mention all the past lives he had so much more experience. I would say probably more experience then anyone else.
Maybe pre-Lews therin, but after lews therin fusion idk. Lews therin was supposed to be a very very very solid sword master, and Demandred confused Lan for him, saying that it was Lews therin hiding behind the mask of mirrors in a mirror of light, after seeing lan fight, since Lan was the only one so far who did as much. Id say the ranking should be Lan =?(I put equal cause, in AMOL Lan said Demandred was the better swordsman of the them, but also later the narrator said Lan was a little tired so idk) Demandred >= Rand(LTT) > Mat
I do believe Mat should be at the no 1 spot. In a Lan vs. Mat fight, Lan would trip over two dice he failed to notice, stumble to his knees and stab himself in the gut with the knife that just fell out of its sheath somehow. Two seconds in and he'd be rushed to the nearest healer. If luck counts as a skill Mat is the most skilled character in the book. Mat vs Rand could go anyway since they're both ta'veren but I feel Mat has a weapon advantage over Rand.
Thats why I think luck/Ta'veren shouldn't count. It confuses things too much. Based on skill alone, Lan is best. Demandred probably #2, since Lan himself admitted Demandred was better than him, though I take that with a grain of salt. There is also the dialogue between Demandred and Gawyn that suggests fighters that know the Void(Oneness) are superior to those who don't. Demandred: "You still wield your sword little man" Gawyn: What else would I do? Demandred: "Become the Sword itself" Mat not knowing the Void puts him a tier down in raw skill imo, but his luck screws the whole ranking up if you take it into account.
Matt had a reach advantage, and a reincarnation advantage. He basically had a sword on the end of a spear and an antimagic trinket. In an open field Matt would win because he would never have to let Lan into damage range.
@@swimmingmide No way Mat is beating Lan without some luck or Ta'veren bs lmao. Lan is much more skilled, and reach won't mean jack if Lan deflects his first attack and gets in close. Then Mat's spear becomes a disadvantage because it's too clunky in close quarters. You assume Mat would be able to dance around Lan and keep him out of reach, but that is only if Lan is unskilled or overconfident, both of which he is not. Also, If we go based of reincarnation/age/experience, Demandred and Rand/LTT beat everyone else.
@@georgeeast5502 Matt has the battle experience of countless warriors in his head, has beaten warder trained princes in close combat with a staff before, is unnaturally lucky, in peak physical condition, and is using a magic weapon. He also has that amulet that prevents magic from touching him. In a 1v1 battle he could beat almost any caster or fighter.
@@swimmingmide As I said before, the luck shouldn't count in determining top skilled fighters, because it messes things up. If luck is counted, should channelling be counted as well? Why one and not the other? He has battle experience from many generals, yes. As in strategical and tactical experience, not duelling experience. No where is it stated that any of his memories were skilled warriors, or even if inherent skill translates through memory alone(It shouldn't). His amulet isn't going to do shit against Lan, and as seen in Lan vs Demandred, Demandred found a way around it by throwing rocks. And his weapon doesn't have any special abilities either, its just a weapon. He beat Galad and Gawyn way before they became Blademasters, because of luck and their overconfidence, not skill alone. 1v1 he gets cleaned by Demandred, Lan or Rand easily. There's a reason we never see Mat face a Blademaster, because he'd lose without his luck.
I was fine right up till I saw Mat at #3. It shouldn't even be in question that Mat is the best by a long shot. If Mat's Ta'veran nature was anything other than how it's written I'd be fine with him at 3 but the way it works for Mat in the books makes him #1. Unlike Perrin and Rand, Mat's luck works to his advantage in every single fight he's in. More, Mat actually begins to understand how to exploit it. Consider... Mat's first kill is the night he leaves Tar Valon. It's a Grey man, something he's never even heard of, let alone faced. He encounters the Grey man on the bridge and instantly reacts. Knowing he's about to die anyway he flips them both off the bridge, where his luck has him landing on top of the Grey man and the GM's knife in it's heart... Mat's doesn't have so much as a sprain or scratch. His next three kills are on the ship that same night. His greatest fight is of course the Gholam. This time not only has Mat never even heard of one but nobody alive except the Forsaken know what one is. Name a single fighter on the list that could have survived the first encounter, let alone three. Then Mat proceeds to put himself up as bait to trap and kill the thing. A creature so dangerous that only six were created. Both of these encounters highlight something else about Mat. He reacts faster to the new/unexpected than any other character. That started becoming clear well before he received his memories. Another detail about Mat. His weapon of choice is totally unique. ALL the men on the list are familiar with fighting and countering swords, axes. hammer/mace, etc. NONE are familiar with Mat's weapon. That gives Mat a huge advantage in any fight. If you have to pick one of the men in a fight that you didn't know where, when, how many, or what you had to fight, which one would you pick? Lan is a badass, no doubt, and if just pure skill with a weapon was the criteria I'd be fine with him at #1 but that's not the criteria of the list. Your criteria stated ability with the power was excluded but doesn't exclude a channeler as an opponent. Lan can't solo a channeler (who's taking him seriously) in a straight up fight, Mat and Rand can. Moreover, pretty much any fight Lan can win could also be won by Mat and Rand. Lan beats Rand in experience and skill. Rand is Ta'veran but throughout the books Rand's effect on the pattern doesn't benefit him the way Mat's does in a fight. That leave's Mat #1, Lan #2, and Rand#3.
I agree mat would beat anyone 1 on 1 assuming normal weapons because of luck and being competent enough with the weapon and that weapon having reach. " NONE are familiar with Mat's weapon." That is wrong what the weapon is, is a glave a type of polearm it would be worse then a spear in the thrust but better in cut. They know how to fight against spears they know how to fight against the weapon he have. The thing mat have over almost every sword user in the books is being able to attack the enemy before they can attack him. Reach is very powerful in a one on one encounter.
@Tom Ford No he would not first Mat is really good with his staff and he is very lucky. Spear is a longer weapon so Lan have to get inside the reach of Mats spear attacks before he even can attack. But most important is LUCK. with luck Mat can beat anyone in 1v1 melee weapon combat.
@Tom Ford That you say that tells me you do not understand how important luck is in a fight to the death. Lan is a more skilled person but tripping and other things is still deadly in a fight no matter how much skill you have.
ah, i see someone beat me to the punch... i think Tam should have been on the list.... we see him fight in the very first book when the trollocs bust in and he takes on two simultaneously. we then see more piling in and he manages to not only escape mostly unharmed (those blasted Thakan-Dar blades!) but also taking down a few more while going toe-to-toe with up to FIVE more at once!
Great video as always! It's been some years since I finished the series and it may be because I was still a teenager, but I really don't understand why people dislike Gawyn so much. I vaguely remember him becoming less and less likeable but not to the degree that he'd be the Jar Jar of WoT (if that's even comparable). If anyone has a burning hatred for him I'd love to know why 😅
He's one of the main reasons the white tower was broken, by killing the resistance. He worked on Elaida's side. His ability to tell Right for Wrong was a bit lacking.
Rand was wearing his coat and his gloves while fighting Toram Toram himself told rand to take those off as those will hinder his ability to fight without those he could've easily destroyed Toram
Mat Lan Ryne Demandred Belal Rand Perrin Gaul Galad Perrin Eamon Valda Gawyn Toram Ishamael in TGH displays a more than merely pssing familiarity with his staff
The only mistake I saw in the video was when you called Galad Gawyn's step brother. They are half brothers as they share a father, just as Galad and Rand are half brothers via their mother.
I love that your channel is growing so big. I subbed after Daniel Greene mentioned u a few months ago, and I'm so glad that I did. Keep up the great content
truthfully tam should of been on this list. nmot only did he achieve his blademaster status by defeating another blademaster, he was a master of the flame and void, and while not having picked up a sword for years, was able to quickly get back into fighting shape in order to train aram and then fight in the last battle. also, just to be nitpicking, when you were detailing rand's skills, you said he was distracted by mashadar during his fight with toram. it was actually a bubble of evil
I feel like the exclusion of ranged weapons is specifically to keep Birgitte off the list, which is a damn shame since I'd put her around 6 or 7th place
Rand admits that Tam is the more skilled fighter, when they spar, the night before the last battle begins. But I don't think it was clear that he meant that he was better with both hands as well as just the one. The back story in my head is that Tam is the greater fighter, and that Rand was really suggesting that Tam was the better fighter, at any advantage or disadvantage.
I don't think we really have much of an idea of how good Tam was, and certainly not how good he was at his physical prime. The only time we see him duel anyone is one handed Rand. If we did a list of best archers though, he's gotta top that one.
Indeed, on top of Rand's comment that last night, there is also Lan comming on Tam during the Last Battle, just after the wedge fight against trollocs, saying that he had wondered about who had taught Rand, and that now he knew. For me, it is at least a compliment on his prowess, but probably even more, that Tam is indeed a great blademaster as to earn a place in this top ten list!
I agree with the others - Tam should have been on the list. He's a master of the void, one of (if not the) best archers, and could spar with Rand near the end. He's a seasoned veteran and blade master. It also looks like some people forget that he fought the last battle with the blade, once he ran out of arrows. And then, later on, he was instrumental in clearing a path for Lan to face Demandred, showing the ability to hit moving targets, at great distance, accurately with arrows weighted down to hold a flame.
I think you're underestimating Aram's abilities with the sword, he was beating Tam, an actual blademaster, several times in sparring during the two rivers vs trollocs chapters.
You say no special abilities but Perrin has his wolf senses and Mat has his luck and generations of experience. I consider both of those special abilities.
I think Karede, Tam, Rhuarc and Loial deserve at least an honourable mention! Also, does Birgitte not get any spot because she's a HotH? Thank you for taking the time to explore the WoT world and making these awesome videos.
Late to the party with this comment, but I only just saw the video - Good list! I would suggest for consideration though... Be'lal - the Forsaken. He gets smoked early by Moiraine, but only after he all but defeats Rand in a sword duel and his skill as a blademaster is talked about frequently in the buildup to that fight. And while Tam Al'Thor wouldn't be in the top 5, in the last battle there is that chapter where he "becomes the void" and "brings the void to the trollocs". Lan says "I used to wonder about the man who gave that heron marked blade to Rand. How did he come by it? I wonder no longer. Taishar Monatherin" Rune commented that his boy Talmanes should also be an honorable mention. I second that. Talmanes is also one of my favorite characters.
My list would be: 1) Demandred 2) Lan 3) Matt (possibly #1) 4) Rand (with two hands) 5) Be’lal 6) Rhuarc 7) Tam 8) Galad 9) Gawyn 10) Elyas Honorable mention Sammael, who would rank #1, as he was the World Champion during the Age of Legends.
For an honorable mention I propose Padan Fain. Though it happened off screen lets not forget he nailed a myrddral to a wall (or door I don’t remember which one off hand).
That’s because of his powers that he got. At that time he wasn’t even padan fain anymore. He was a weird hybrid creature. Also, Mat killed him pretty easily.
Am I the only one who would have thought it was more poetic and fitting for Tam al’Thor fight Demandred? It would have been the brother in law, then the half brother and finally the father of the Dragon Reborn to fight the forsaken. It would have been poetic due to the idea that Tam al’Thor is the reason why Rand wins in the end. His love and outlook on life changed everything.
I don't have too many issues with the list itself, but I *do* object to you identifying the mist that attacked the rebel army during the Rand/Toram fight as being Mashadar. I'd always thought the mist was one of those Bubbles of Evil. Yes, Padan Fain was there, but the way the mist acted was a far madding cry from how Mashadar is usually depicted as acting. Mashadar doesn't need to twist your head around or eat half your face off as the mist did, it just touches you and you die. Also, Matrim rocks my world, and should be no 1. ;)
Lews Therin was a blademaster so rands got that going for him too, on top of already being one. I think it's a fair placement though truly anyone in the top 4 could have a case for number 1.
@@fenixchief7 LTT was never as good as Demandred and the other Forsaken guy Be'al i think LTT was just the first blademaster as he revived sword combat as entertainment
I agree with nearly everything you said, the only thing I would change would be to swap mat and rand. As you said the could be interchange quite easily, I just think that mat has an edge over rand.
Ripped directly from A Memory of Light: "Despite Lan's initial offensive, Demandred was the better swordsman. Lan knew this by the same sense that told him when to strike, when to parry, when to step and when to withdraw. Perhaps if they had come to the fight evenly, it would be different. They had not. Lan had been fighting for an entire day, and though he'd been healed from his worst wounds, the smaller ones still ached. Beyond that, a healing in and of itself was draining. Demandred was still fresh." The bit "Demandred was the better swordsman" stands out, though it's left open for debate with "Perhaps if they had come to the fight evenly, it would be different." We'll never know for sure.
MrDrProfessor4 LAN May have been less skilled or proficient of a swordsman but he was willing to go to a place that allowed him to win in the end. Fortitude is also a fact in fighting and LAN had it in spades. He was willing to die to achieve his goal and Damadred was not.
it's tough to say, at that point Lan had already been fighting for hours without end while Demandred only fought in two duels (only geeez). Lan had to be physically beyond tired by the time they fought. Also do not forget Demandred was channeling at him by throwing rocks and Lan had to dodge all of that while fighting.
Aiel criminally underrepresented on this list. Plus Tam. Should of also mentioned Mat killing the leader of the Shaido in combat, Coudulin or whatever his name was.
3:40 Can you tell me the reference point in the books where Gaul is called the leader of the Stone Dogs? I always thought he was just a member of that society. 9:35 Where can you see Mat learning any fighting styles from the old blood of Manetheren?
I think you are correct on the first point. For the second point, iirc Mat's internal thoughts shortly after getting the ashendarei are something to the effect of it feeling like he's used it before or it feeling natural, I'd have to go back and look to be exact on that. Also, during the knife fight in the streets in Knife of Dreams? he mentions knowing where to stab people to do the most damage from his memories. Not sure either of those are evidence of him picking up styles, per se, but certainly he picked up knowledge useful in a fight.
He was referred to as the leader of the stone dogs who were guarding Rand's door in Tear at the beginning of Ch. 7 of TSR. But that is it. I don't think he was the leader of the society, but he did say that a wise one said he thought too much for a stone dog and threatened to send him to Rhuidean when his clan chief died.
Do you by chance remember the description of Laman’s sword AFTER Rand puts a more functional hilt on it? I feel like that’s the one that’s a katana, not Tam’s sword.
My 2 cents, Mat could be at the top or the bottom depending upon how the dice fall and what the pattern decides. My thought is that Rand is so strongly Ta'veren that the pattern is making Mat into this god of battle despite Mat. Mat is just trying to fuck and gamble but he gets tossed here and there from battle to battle, fight to fight, even manipulating events so he winds up married to the empress of the Seanchen. He winds up filled with all the military wisdom of the ages, impervious to the one power etc.... I'[m not even sure if he really is a good fighter or if the pattern is just making him. How its depicted is as though he's not even fully in control or conscious frequently, look at the fight with gawyn and galad. Mat goes for a killing blow to galad's neck and only pulls back when he realizes what's happening. Or just how there is a lack of detail in the battles Mat fights in. He's so tightly tied to the pattern that I don't think he's really got any free will at all except when he's rolling the dice and playing with the ladies. Neither Rand or Perrin are depicted this way at all. While the pattern is depicted as weaving around Rand and Perrin around Mat it is actively working against him. So I dunno and its why I think Mat's the best character in the series, we just don't really understand what is going on with Mat and neither does Mat.
I beg to differ. Mat fighting the Gholam... Mat fighting with the Seanchan the wondering how many he'd killed to warrant such respect... Mat fighting and killing 6 men when attacked outside the hell with just knives... Mat killing Couladin are all feats of his awesome fighting prowess... I think he deserves to be in the top 2. Dude's very good.
I disagree... Perrin like warders has crazy endurance and is a beast with strength and durability... He is also a strong ta'veren and this list includes this ability.
@@MrMephiston When has Perrin's taveren nature help him in a discernible way in a fight? We see Mat's taveren nature help him, but when do we see Perrin's?
@@errtu123 The dude throws himself into the middle of dumais well with no armor and doesn't have a scratch on him at the end. Just because we don't see arrows turning in mid flight doesn't mean his luck isn't having an affect.
@@cirrusfish that would be sound reasoning except that Jordan had no idea how armour works anyway. Also, come on, EVERY major character goes into battle and is not hit by any arrows. Arrows don't matter when it comes to hurting the main(ish) characters. Arrows not hitting them is not the effect of being taveren, it is plot armour/convenience.
I agree that Perrin doesn't deserve a spot on the list. Not sure Tam had enough fight time to rate the list either, but not sure who the spot would go to.
Mat and Rand should have been switched since Hammar explained that a master in quarterstaff could beat a master of the sword in most fighting situations.
Could beat. Not would. Matt would never beat Rand. Rand knows spear fighting as well and is incredible unarmed and very arguably the best swordsman alive. And Rands Taveren abilities smoke Mats
Always knew Lan would win; he's easily in the top 5 five fighters in all of fantasy; I'd even say he'd make top 3 with Geralt of Rivia and Drizz't. Have a feeling Demandred should've been higher. Its a pity we never see Rhuarc fight, have a feeling he'd be pretty high on the list too
@@matthewsmith4647 I wouldnt be so sure about that; Drizz't not only has the speed ane agility of elves, he also has centuries of experience, as well as sueviving alone in the underdark, which is just as deadly as the blight.
@@johnyshadow even without those magic items, Drizz't is a master swordsman, one of the best ever trained in his home city (not even gonna try spelling it here). Don't get me wrong, with his magic weapons Drizz't is pretty much impossible to beat without the Dark Ones own luck.
@@SH-qs7ee He did get a few close calls after he came to the surface. (But then who hasn´t) At his best, yeah, that would be something to see. On a similar note, what about Artemis? PS: Haven´t finished ALL the books yet, so no huge spoilers, please.
I just wanted to add some other noteworthy fighters not mentioned. Without referencing the books my recollection of individual feats or how much we actually see them may be lacking as a caveat. Bel'al was one of the best from the AOL, Furyk Karede, Elyas Machera, Couladin, and that badass Ogier Gardner who's name escapes me was scary (though not sure they fought on screen).
Was Couladin a renowned fighter? I’ve been arguing that Belal should be above Demandred because he basically invented swordplay in the AOL, but I don’t recall Couladin being anything better than the average Aiel.
@@GannerRhysode I was thinking about him fighting Mat and giving him a hard time though to be fair Mat killed him. I was probably making too many assumptions tbh
@@GannerRhysode this was during the battle of Cairhien which was right when Mat started shining as a battle tactician. As for fighting skills it's debatable but his biggest moment to me was beating Galad and Gawyn in the Dragon Reborn. Really there's not much to separate or distinguish most particular Aiel's fighting skills. But I admit I made probably too many assumptions based on him being a clan Chief (even if achieved dubiously) and a prominent villain for a long running story arc.
11:38 rand killed two armed warders bare handed when the aes'sedai who captured him start to torture min. we don't get to see it "on screen" but we do know that it happened.
Interesting that you describe Mat's luck as part of his ta'veren nature, pretty sure there is another element to it. Possibly something Lanfear did, almost certainly connected to that dice ter'angreal. There is definitely a moment after he's healed where his luck kicks into overdrive, something happened to him while he was at the Tower.
This is a tough list to break down, and you did a great job at it. I would only make minor changes. I'm surprised Gaul made the list but according to your rules I can see why. If I recall, Rhuarc is a much better fighter than him, especially if we are taking them at their prime, the only problem is I can't remember a lot of scenes where we physically see Rhuarc fighting. Tam would make the bottom of the list for me, if only for the last book. When the number one fighter on any list comes up to you after seeing you fight and says that you earned that blademaster's mark, you gotta believe it. Tam isn't even near his prime when Lan watches him cut through darkspawn in the last battle. Tam Al'thor holds the first position in a wedge formation against darkspawn for an undetermined amount of time. We also know he actually killed a blademaster, earning him that title himself. Rand asks him (i forget the book) and his response was something to the effect of "I killed the man that bore it, because I thought he needed killing. I suppose that makes me a blademaster." While he sounded like he regretted the duel, you cannot deny his skill was definitely there. Now for the top of the list. Man, those four had to be there. Number one has to be Lan. Absolutely for everything you said, Lan is the best there is, and maybe even ever was. Lan vs. Jaerom Gaiden would be an interesting match. This is where I will disagree with you. I would place Mat at the number two spot. I think you placed a little too much emphasis on Rand's memories from Lews Therin. If I remember correctly, Lews Therin wasn't much of a duelist, he was a Channeler. Rand mostly was given new weaves and knowledge of Saidin. I don't ever remember Lews Therin's knowledge contributing to a sword fight. I am not discrediting Rand's skill at all, you mention amazing spots showcasing his skill. But let's talk about Mat's skills a little more. Before Mat gained those memories he was a competent fighter, besting Galad and Gawyn at the same time. Before gaining those memories he beat a blademaster. It was proven time and again that Mat's memories gained him lifetimes of knowledge not only about battle strategy, but also about fighting. He beat Couladin, who was one of the better Aiel fighters by reputation, fought off the Gholam *multiple* times, and one of my favorite scenes was when he was defending Tuon from the band of muggers or whatever they were. True, they weren't trained soldiers, but with a pair of daggers he went through at least 8, if not more. It's been a while, I can't remember. Throughout the fight I do remember Mat thinking about his memories, and how many of them were not so pleasant. No flourishes, no feinting, just quick thrusts to vulnerable spots, no room for error, there were too many. Maybe it's his lack of actual training, he relies on the memories too much, but damn. We cannot discredit those memories. Also I think you discredit his weapon. Mat's success over Galad and Gawyn in book 3 had a lot to do with his quarterstaff. Hammar let the fight happen to teach his students not to underestimate the quarterstaff. Since his Ashandarei is essentially a quarterstaff with a sharp end, I think he would have a massive advantage over his sword wielding foes. For those two reasons, I would put Mat at the number 2 spot. As for Rand or Demandred at the 3 and 4 spots... it's a coinflip. I'd almost put Demandred higher than Rand. Evidence I would quote would be that Lan had a really tough time beating him. Demandred thought Lan was Lews Therin because of his pride. He didn't believe that anybody of the current age could hold up at all against somebody from their time. But if I remember correctly, Lews Therin, while I think he was a blademaster, didn't rank that high. For the most part Demandred was right, he just happened to go against the one person in the series that could hold his weight, everybody else was miles behind Lan in skill. Anywho... TL:DR 1: Lan 2: Mat 3: Demandred 4: Rand
Okay, a year after you posted this I still enjoy watching your list. Each of these is subjective, but I always appreciate the effort you put into them. I enjoy watching your videos of the series even though I can't bring myself to read them anymore. I have serious re-read fatigue after having read them repeatedly (ad nauseam) since 1990, but I'm (somewhat) looking forward to the Amazon series. Personally, I wouldn't include Perrin on the list. His Taveren nature seems to be more focused on bringing people together than on fighting ability. Yes, he fought a lot, but never struck me as particularly skillful. This isn't a negative on Perrin; I just think it's not his focus like it is for Mat and Rand. Also, I would have put Gawyn higher. While I have no particular love for him, I'm not a hater either. I'm indifferent to him (slightly on the annoyed side), while I particularly detest Egwene. After he beat Hammar, Siuan (who knew Hammar well) felt that she was wrong in thinking that Galad was the more deadly, and when he beat the Seanchan blood knives, that sealed the deal for me, especially when he came out of it better than Galad did against Valda. I think fighting 3 near-invisible superhuman opponents is more impressive than beating one blademaster (after all, as you noted, Rand did that in the 2nd book with almost no training).
I dont think Perrin would make the list. Most of the time he's in melee, and that berserk fighting is a hindrance in one on one. Aram isnt on the list, and he can pretty easily defeat Perrin. I think replacing him with Tam al'Thor would be more fair. Tam is a veteran of multiple wars, and earned the Heron Mark through prowess in combat in defeating a blade master. He also is the one training Aram, who can defeat Perrin. Even barring his "screen time," it's pretty clearly referenced that he is a sword instructor and he does have some minor skipping over scenes.
Belal should really be on the list. He wipes the floor with rand in the dragon reborn and is considered the best swordsman of the age of legends, being the man who rediscovered the art of dueling.
If you read over everything carefully it states that Be'lal and Lews Therin discovered the art of dueling together. That they spared often before he turned to the dark. He was the least powerful channeler of the Forsaken/Chosen if I remember correctly. But, you're right that his swordsmanship and ability to manipulate absolutely made up the difference. Which, i'd agree should put him at least in contention for the list. But, remember that he was disappointed when battling Rand because he wasn't nearly as good as Lews Therin. However, by the end of WoT Rand had mastered what The Dragon knew, grew on that ability with his training with Lan, and also gained new knowledge with the Aiel. Rand at his height was well beyond Be'lal. Honestly, Rand and Matt were most likely better fighters than even Lan by the end. But, those top 3 are by far more dangerous than any of the others.
@@MinhTruong101 absolutely. Be'lal was even disappointed that Rand wasn't nearly as good as Lews Therin...By Rand's peak he far surpassed Lews Therin. But, I do agree that Be'lal at least deserves an honorary mention.
@@jasonschwartz9481 I guess I should’ve been more careful with how I said it. Of the two, Belal for sure considered himself the better duelist. But we never know for sure. Sammael and Demandred were also very good so i guess I should’ve said Belal was perhaps the best in the AOL but certainly one of the best. By the end of the books, Rand was certainly a better channeler but not duelist. Perhaps prior to his hand being vaporized but afterwards he couldn’t beat Tam who was also fighting one handed
