"Game of Thrones" is a hugely popular show, now in its sixth season. Constantly gaining new fans from its renowned book series and ridiculously and intricately involved story lines, it’s safe to say we’ve never seen anything quite like it. The show can appeal to all sort of viewers because of how multi-faceted it is – there’s truly something for everyone in it.

You’d think that this seemingly ancient world created by the series would be hyper-masculine from the traditional patriarchal societies and all the fighting, fire breathing dragons, and gory deaths. However, this show actually has amazingly strong female characters who defy any and all kinds of patriarchal notions. Almost every female character – except the lesser known slaves and prostitutes – is extremely dynamic and strong. The presence of prostitutes and female slaves does nothing to deflect from the overwhelmingly feminist tone of the show, but rather highlights many realities of that time and only makes the accomplishments of our favorite characters that much greater.

Here are the badass women of Westeros and some of their greatest moments:

Daenerys Targaryen

Probably everyone’s favorite heroine of the show and perhaps the most significant badass of all the men and women from the series, there’s no denying Dany’s awesomeness. The mother of dragons is constantly outsmarting her enemies. She’s a huge risk taker and is really just figuring it all out on the fly while being a just and benevolent leader. Not that long ago, she was a young and naïve girl sold into a marriage that terrified her. But now, she is definitely worthy of being the true leader of the seven kingdoms.

Brienne of Tarth

The most loyal defender you could have by your side, Brienne original served Renly Baratheon before becoming fiercely dedicated to protecting the Starks. Not only is her dependability unmatched, but so are her battle skills. She could take down just about any opponent, all of which have been males, most of whom scoffed at her for being a woman or were intimidated by her sheer size.

Yara Greyjoy

The rightful queen of the Iron Islands, Yara is a true leader worth her salt (hehe). She’s absolutely fearless and dedicated to her home and family. Her father put her in charge of leading their attack on Westeros instead of her brother Theon. Fully capable of standing up for herself, she is a true warrior and is fierce as she is smart.

Cersei Lannister

Perhaps the most persistently driven character, Cersei is also incredibly confident and powerful. She may not have the best intentions or the purest nature, but she is a force to be reckoned with, despite being known for her great beauty. Though she’s vengeful and manipulative more often than not, Cersei has always sought her children’s best interests and cares for them as fiercely as she thwarts her enemies. Whether or not you agree with them, she has a strict set of priorities and will do whatever it takes to honor them. A master manipulator, she uses both her power as past queen and her honest feelings to overtly and underhandedly control other people.

Sansa Stark

Originally quite annoying, Sansa has now been through quite a lot and has grown into an extremely strong and confident young lady. She managed to escape Ramsay’s terror, taking Theon with her, and is now planning to take back her homeland. Reuniting with Jon is the best thing that’s happened to Sansa in a long time and it looks like she has no intention of ever going back to her dreadful past life. A true Stark, she even called out Little Finger for letting her go off to the Bolton’s until he fully understood everything that had happened to her.

Margaery Tyrell

Strong willed, almost to a fault, Margery had one goal and that was to be the queen. She achieved this with her eventual marriage to both Joffrey the Terrible and his younger brother Tommen after his death. But her ambitions came long before this when she was married to Renly Baratheon, despite knowing entirely about his relationship with her brother Loras. Despite her imprisonment further down the line, Margery keeps her wits about and remains both goal-oriented and loyal to her similarly imprisoned brother.

Melisandre

The OG Red Woman, Melisandre built herself up from being born into slavery to becoming a high Priestess of the Lord of Light. Her dark and magical powers put Stannis in her full control. Her power was absolutely indisputable during her time with him. Not originally a very much liked character, she turned out to be quite useful when she brought Jon Snow back to us, as she now believes that he is the real chosen one. She is able to admit her wrongdoings in at least saying that Stannis was not the promised one, and that her allegiance is now to Jon.

Arya Stark

From the beginning, Arya wanted to learn how to sword fight and even said she didn’t want to be a “lady” like Sansa. Her father actually got her a fencing instructor with a sword master and that was the only the beginning of her journey. Cutting her hair off to blend in with a group of boys, her perseverance and taste for revenge with the list she kept track of served her well and helped her make allies when times were tough. Arya has made it through blindness as well as constant physical and verbal berating in her pursuit of serving the many faced god. She is definitely on her way to becoming a true assassin and will probably have a much bigger role in seasons to come.

Even the more minor characters are brilliantly badass:

Meera Reed

The tougher of the two Reed siblings, Meera is really like her brother Jojen’s bodyguard and she does a damn good job. Even once Jojen is gone, she still loyally protects Bran and Hodor and almost singlehandedly battles white walkers.

Osha

No one made her look after Bran and Rickon, but Osha was like their stand-in family as the three of them fled Winterfell with Hodor. She stuck with Rickon after they parted ways with Bran and was loyal until the very end.

Missandei

Originally an enslaved interpreter, Missandei serves Daenerys as a trusted advisor and handmaiden. She speaks an astonishing nineteen languages and uses her extensive knowledge of the lands not-yet familiar to Daenerys to best help her.

Ygritte

A fierce wildling, Ygritte has fighting skills to match the men’s. She also turned the tables by pursuing Jon Snow when he couldn’t pursue her because of his vows to the Watch.

Sand Snakes

They’re rude, they’re ruthless, and they’re crass, but there’s no denying the Sand Snakes’ power and badassery.

Talisa Maegyr/Stark

Briefly Robb Stark’s queen, Talisa was born a noblewoman who put that life behind her to pursue medical training and work as a healer on the battlefields. She has the gall to criticize Robb’s plans and provide unsolicited advice long before their relationship begins.

Catelyn Stark

Even after her husband has been executed and her children have been scattered, Catelyn’s resolve for justice and her fight for her son Robb’s battle to kingship is unwavering right until the end.

Shae

Originally a prostitute who ends up falling in love with Tyrion Lannister, Shae is also an ally and protector of Sansa during the tumultuous beginnings of her marriage to Joffrey. She also warns naïve Sansa against Little Finger and his twisted ways.

Olena Tyrell

This badass old lady lets nothing get in her, or her grandchildren’s, way. She took Joffrey’s life into her own hands and is always quick witted.

The actress who plays Daenerys, Emilia Clarke, released a statement regarding allegations that the show is sexist and distasteful: “There’s so much controversy. Yet that’s what’s beautiful about Game of Thrones – its depiction of women in so many different stages of development. ... It shows the range that happens to women, and ultimately shows women are not only equal, but have a lot of strength.” And I think that no one can deny that these gorgeous women, real and fictional, are totally badass.