The ‘Game of Thrones’ Character Wisconsin Obsesses Over

WISCONSIN — With the final season of HBO’s hit series “Game of Thrones” in full swing and novelist George R. R. Martin finishing up the final books in the epic fantasy series, “A Song of Ice and Fire,” a new report shows which character Wisconsin is most obsessed with. Researchers at GetCenturyLink.com dug into Google Trends data to see which character each state searches for most.

Some states prefer to search for characters who are among the living. Others are looking up characters who didn’t quite make it to the end. Googlers in Wisconsin searched for Bran Stark most, according to the analysis, which was published in March. The only other state that searched for Bran the most? That would be Nebraska.

To avoid spoiling the books or TV show for future fans, Patch is refraining from indicating whether the character lives, dies or is somewhere in between.

Daenerys Targaryen, a key character played by Emilia Clarke in the show, was the most searched for “Game of Thrones” character nationwide, perhaps unsurprising given her prominent role in driving the plot forward. Fair warning — clicking the link may include spoilers, depending on how far along you are in the TV series.

Sixteen states searched for her most, meaning the “Mother of Dragons” and “Breaker of Chains” can add “Most Googled” to her illustrious list of titles. California, Colorado, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Texas and Washington were among the states obsessed with Daenerys.

Khal Drogo, played by Aquaman star Jason Momoa, was the second-most searched for character with six states, five of which were in the South. Tyrion Lannister and Joffrey Baratheon, played by Peter Dinklage and Jack Gleeson, respectively, were the next highest.

Interestingly, it seems outdoorsy states seemed to have an affinity for characters who spend a lot of time outside.

The analysis was limited to 25 characters, the authors wrote, and was based on search volume for each over the past five years.

“Arya Stark, the most adventuresome and wild of the Stark siblings, is a favorite in Idaho, Montana, and Wyoming — three of the least populated yet most outdoorsy states,” the authors wrote. “Similarly, the unconventional, independent residents of Alaska were the only ones to favor the unconventional, independent Brienne of Tarth.”

“Game of Thrones” has become a bit of a cultural phenomenon in America, drawing millions of viewers and winning numerous Emmy Awards.

The season eight premiere, which aired April 14, brought in a series record 17.4 million viewers, according to HBO. The show has also been a boon for Martin, author of the book series. Between May 2011 and June 2016, Martin brought in between $9.5 million and $15 million a year, according to Statista.

Patch national staffer Dan Hampton contributed to this report.