"Game of Thrones" has built a reputation for killing off characters just when fans begin to adore them.
With two more seasons of the HBO series remaining, viewers cannot help but speculate who will survive until the end.
Game of Thrones author George R.R. Martin stated that there are five characters who will most likely live up to the end of the series. However, the Game of Thrones TV adaptation also tends to deviate from the books every now and then, which means that the list is expected to have a few alterations as the episodes progress.
Tech Insider revealed that Martin submitted a general outline for his originally intended Game of Thrones trilogy, although the series is currently set to have seven books total at present.
Martin is now working on the sixth installment of Game of Thrones, while HBO's adaptation is already ahead of the written source. The story and fate of the Game of Thrones characters have significantly changed much since the general outline was forwarded, although the author emphasized that five main protagonists will live up to the end.
The five heroes are Tyrion Lannister, Daenerys Targaryen, Arya Stark, Jon Snow and Bran Stark.
Martin wrote in the outline that the five central characters will survive "all three volumes" of Game of Thrones. They will grow from children to adults and change the world and themselves in the process.
Martin explained that his trilogy, "A Song of Ice and Fire," is almost a generational saga that tells the life stories of the five characters, consisting of three men and two women.
Game of Thrones showrunners David Benioff and D.B. Weiss are reportedly already aware of the key plot points that Martin wrote, as well as his planned ending.
However, the more advanced pace of Game of Thrones on TV, the extended installments and history of the adaptation in changing some aspects of the storyline mean that any of the five characters can still die on TV.
Cinema Blend cited how it was quite intriguing that Sansa Stark was not included in the exclusiveGame of Thrones list. She seemed to have matured into a stronger character in "Game of Thrones" Season 6 and looked like a contender who would last until the end.
Fans would be devastated if Sansa would die after everything that she has been through under the oppression of the Lannisters and Boltons.
"Game of Thrones" Season 7 is set to launch sometime in 2017. More updates and details are expected soon.