# River Tam vs. Arya Stark **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [December 30, 2019, 4:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/river-tam-vs-arya-stark/845596 "2019-12-30T16:08:29Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![DesertDog](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/desertdog/32/11503_2.png) [@DesertDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DesertDog)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2019, 4:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/river-tam-vs-arya-stark/845596/1 "2019-12-30T16:08:29Z")
I’m assuming hand weapons because the latter would be dead before she figured out how to work a pistol. Close one, but I’d have to give River the edge only because she wasn’t on Arya’s little list. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2019, 4:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/river-tam-vs-arya-stark/845596/2 "2019-12-30T16:13:15Z")
Psychic psycho vs a Faceless Man. Cage match or steeplechase? ---
**Author:** ![Dendarii\_Dame](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/bbce88/32.png) [@Dendarii\_Dame](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dendarii_Dame)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2019, 4:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/river-tam-vs-arya-stark/845596/3 "2019-12-30T16:41:47Z")
River is psychic, which I’m guessing means she’d know how good a fighter Arya was. I think she’d throw a knife at her, which Arya wouldn’t dodge in time. ---
**Author:** ![glee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/b5a626/32.png) [@glee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/glee)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2019, 4:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/river-tam-vs-arya-stark/845596/4 "2019-12-30T16:57:23Z")
As I recall, an unarmed River Tam could take out a room-full of alert armed Reaver Warriors while Arya Stark just had assassin skills. So unless Arya kills instantly (and River had uncanny awareness), it’s River every time. ---
**Author:** ![neofishboy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/neofishboy/32/444_2.png) [@neofishboy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/neofishboy)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2019, 4:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/river-tam-vs-arya-stark/845596/5 "2019-12-30T16:58:30Z")
I don’t see Arya Stark taking out an entire room-full of Reavers. Also, “I can kill you with my brain.” ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2019, 5:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/river-tam-vs-arya-stark/845596/6 "2019-12-30T17:02:47Z")
> [@glee](#): > > As I recall, an unarmed River Tam could take out a room-full of alert armed Reaver Warriors while Arya Stark just had assassin skills. River was hardly [unarmed](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AUBx-geW0Tg). ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2019, 5:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/river-tam-vs-arya-stark/845596/7 "2019-12-30T17:13:27Z")
Ah, but what if Arya had a dragon and River had dude robert? ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2019, 6:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/river-tam-vs-arya-stark/845596/8 "2019-12-30T18:07:10Z")
I’d go with River Tam as well. ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2019, 6:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/river-tam-vs-arya-stark/845596/9 "2019-12-30T18:36:35Z")
It depends. One on one, with no preparations, then River. But if Arya had time to study her first? Definitely Arya. River may be a great fighter, but she’s also crazy, and Arya would find her vulnerabilities. Incidentally, I first thought this thread was about Arya Stark vs. River _Song,_ which is a whole 'nother story. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2019, 7:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/river-tam-vs-arya-stark/845596/10 "2019-12-30T19:01:01Z")
**silenus** , you’ll notice that, at the start of that clip, she was in fact unarmed. The only weapons she uses are those she takes off of the Reavers, and her first attacks were punches and kicks. **Alessan** , for River, the “time to study her opponent first” is the first few milliseconds of the fight. Or possibly the milliseconds before the fight even starts. ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2019, 7:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/river-tam-vs-arya-stark/845596/11 "2019-12-30T19:06:21Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > **silenus** > **Alessan** , for River, the “time to study her opponent first” is the first few milliseconds of the fight. Or possibly the milliseconds before the fight even starts. And for Arya, it means putting on a bunch of new faces and shadowing River for a week. Remember, _Eta kooram nah smech._ ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2019, 8:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/river-tam-vs-arya-stark/845596/12 "2019-12-30T20:23:33Z")
A girl is toast. ---
**Author:** ![DigitalC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ebca7d/32.png) [@DigitalC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DigitalC)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2019, 8:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/river-tam-vs-arya-stark/845596/13 "2019-12-30T20:28:46Z")
Arya’s biggest advantage is being able to catch people by surprise on account of being a tiny noble girl who can also change faces, this would count for nothing against River. ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2019, 9:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/river-tam-vs-arya-stark/845596/14 "2019-12-30T21:30:59Z")
River Tam. She has supernatural abilities to help her fight. Arya can change face, but does that help her fight? Or does her face changing stop her mind from being read? ---
**Author:** ![outlierrn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/outlierrn/32/3005_2.png) [@outlierrn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/outlierrn)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2019, 10:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/river-tam-vs-arya-stark/845596/15 "2019-12-30T22:22:16Z")
> [@silenus](#): > > River was hardly [unarmed](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AUBx-geW0Tg). Yes she was [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/kgu59EAXbic/maxresdefault.jpg "Serenity (7/10) Movie CLIP - My Turn (2006) HD") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kgu59EAXbic) ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2019, 10:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/river-tam-vs-arya-stark/845596/16 "2019-12-30T22:51:23Z")
Awright awright awright. River wasn’t unarmed _for more than 5 seconds._ _I use my hands to get to my knife to get to my pistol to get to my rifle._ Only fools and Chiun fight unarmed if there are weapons easily available. Like the pointy, slicey things those Reavers are holding. ---
**Author:** ![outlierrn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/outlierrn/32/3005_2.png) [@outlierrn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/outlierrn)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2019, 11:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/river-tam-vs-arya-stark/845596/17 "2019-12-30T23:19:35Z")
> [@silenus](#): > > Awright awright awright. > > River wasn’t unarmed _for more than 5 seconds._ > > _I use my hands to get to my knife to get to my pistol to get to my rifle._ Only fools and Chiun fight unarmed if there are weapons easily available. Like the pointy, slicey things those Reavers are holding. Oh piffle. It was 10 seconds if you consider that to be in real time. 10 seconds in which she prioritized recovering the medical bag, and closing the doors. ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [January 1, 2020, 9:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/river-tam-vs-arya-stark/845596/18 "2020-01-01T21:45:26Z")
_The Reavers believe they can hastily taste the warm liver of River once they put her down. But River is swifter, a Reaver deceiver, a daughter of slaughter, a waif with a frown. Let her near a spear and their jeers turn to fear as they flail while impaled as she whirls like a storm. And nothing but pain as she spills all their brains and sluices, reduces what was once a swarm._ ---
**Author:** ![SmartAleq](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smartaleq/32/163_2.png) [@SmartAleq](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SmartAleq)\ **Post date:** [January 1, 2020, 10:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/river-tam-vs-arya-stark/845596/19 "2020-01-01T22:19:37Z")
Gotta give this one to River. Arya is weapons trained and isn’t all that if she’s disarmed and River, well, River as has been pointed out doesn’t STAY unarmed but is lethal AF even when she is. Plus she has the reach and dancer’s musculature. ---
**Author:** ![Larry\_Borgia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/larry_borgia/32/156_2.png) [@Larry\_Borgia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Larry_Borgia)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2020, 12:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/river-tam-vs-arya-stark/845596/20 "2020-01-02T00:20:22Z")
Definitely River. Her psychic powers would nullify Arya’s magical disguises, and She’s a better fighter, especially unarmed. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/river-tam-vs-arya-stark/845596.md?page=2)