Is Syrio Jaqen in disguise? (Game of Thrones, ASOIAF)

Do you think that Syrio was Jaqen in disguise? Why (or why not?) ?

Thank you so much for exploring this in detail. It gives food for thought and shows you actually read the comments and even respond to them. Subscribed and liked 🙂

He is , GRRM doesn’t give these clues if it isn’t true.

What fits Best Robert is Ned hired a former first sword or Bravos and if he knows who a Former First Sword of Bravos is then he knows who the Faceless men are. Of all the clues the one where he says “and a girl knows his name”

Here is the interesting thing Preston Jacobs did an amazing multitasking clip on this where the FM are trying to bring out her warging abilities. This could be Ned trying to bring them out cause he knows how much potential danger is around KL. And if that’s true then Ned is a warg himself. May be a Starg must always be in winterfell is because there must always be A WARG in winterfell, because when the white walkers come a warg can control the winterfell ice dragon in the pond Ned was sharpening ice with s1e1 or a warg can summon the kings of winter, ?
Am I close ?

I hope they’re the same!

In season 1 Ned tells Sansa and Arya that they need to leave, their lives were in danger. They didn't want to leave, at that time Ned had to go out and solicit a protector of sorts.

I never got why Syrio never picked up a real one from one of the people he had put on their ass.

Isnt it quite clear, that Jaqen himself is dead and someone else (or no one) is wearing his face?

I'm always on the fence. There's the part of me that wants interesting characters to not be dead. But there's also the part that rolls his eyes every time some one is a secret some one or something else.

Unless we see him die, anything is possible.

The question has been asked and I have an answer, but it's dark and full of terror. Engaging the services of the house of black and white isn't cheap. It costs a little more than 30 pieces of silver. What was the price of what Varys and Ned planned? Was it Arya? Was her "training" a test?

How quickly could she pick up the water dance? Was she coordinated? Could she learn to read subtle cues that some one was going to fake their next move? (Can she tell some one is lying) Can she be trained or will she give up when it gets a bit difficult? Round 1, basic ability. Check

Jaqan don't give her the coin right away. He sits in a cell with two creepy people and she's how open minded she is. Is she going to rely on assumptions or is she going to investigate and understand before she makes up her mind? Can she let two people that will most certainly hurt people go just to let one she might trust live? If they aren't paid to die they can't, so you have to wait till your target is the only one to get the gift. Can she hide and pretend to be some one else? Can she actually decide to kill some one? Ya she picked people she didn't like, but it's a start. A lot of people grow up thinking they should turn the other cheek.

This how ever depends on some dark ideas. Certainly Varys wouldn't bat an eye, but is there anything that was worth that price to Ned? I feel like the Faceless wouldn't accept something unless it was given by some one that valued it. Functionally it means the same thing, but it definitely would cost Ned more. Imagine your Ned and you come around the corner and your little girl is actually doing really well and even reminds you of practicing with your sister. Such a smile. And then you come back to reality and remember this is a test and the swords start to sound more real. She is good, and you're giving her to the Faceless men….

Only death can pay for life, and if you want your Daughter Dany to live you have to give one up…

Sad face.

It would work for the text and the show. But that very dark and full of terror

If you listen closely when strip and Mayrn fight, you year a metal sword hit the ground off screen, there to make me believe Strip lived

Always wanted that theory to be true. Love both characters

I love this theory, Syrio was fond of Arya… So, why not?

Haha, the red viper no armor,the mountain armor! The red viper kicks the mountains ass!
No way Trant can beat Syriol even with a stick,LOL
Balance! I need to know death is coming after me and I have to say not today even when I know all men must die!
So they find her and she begins to learn this balance to enhance her training!

I'm pretty sur that Gurm has said that Syrio is dead

Before I was dedicated fan of the series I watched enough to believe this was just what showrunners were up to all along…it'll be interesting to see if we get any resolution about Jaqen/Syrio.

Another great video, Robert! I'd love for Syrio and Jaqen to be the same person, but I suspect it's not the case. On the other hand I sometimes break out into a cold sweat fearing the theory that (in the show at least) the Waif won the dual with Arya, and is wearing her face.

I would sleep alot better if you did a video dispelling that one!

If Danaerys dies midway through season 8 – as per the leak rumours – it'll REALLY ruin GoT. Please 'Like' this comment to send a message to D&D… 'Think before you ink'! 'Yank the iron out of the fire and put GoT back on track for the final season!'

Rats, I was really hoping it was true, but your logic has convinced me otherwise. I just really liked the style of both men, and hated to see them go. So let me say that I hope that Syrio will make another appearance somewhere, most probably in the books. He had a true heroic character in the way he mentored Arya, the sort of person I wish I could have been taught by, which I think says a lot about the character. Thank you for your wonderful video, I am always delighted to find you have posted!

I think you're right on.  I have one for you. The knight kings horse is dressed in leather straps and black cloth.  Uncle Benjin rides the same horse, it's been staring at us the whole time.  Benin only shows up when the knight king is in the area and off screen.  Now Jon has ridden the same horse back through the wall.

don't you guys get it?? it doesn't matter if he is the same person…. BECAUSE HE IS NO ONE!

everyone always spells it Jaqen, but following phonetics and proper spelling, it would be Jacquen

Views to like ratio is incredible

I think Syrio is Jaqen in disguise. I think that he disguised himself as Syrio to get closer to Ned, as Ned was his target. I think that he became fond of Arya during the training and realized that Arya had some special talents, maybe learned quickly, listened and was obedient to the lessons Syrio gave her. And when he came in contact again with Arya during travels to the wall, his fondness for her and the recognition he had in her that she did have some special traits made him continue to mentor her and protect her as Jaqen. Thank you for this video, Robert! I know I'm one of the patreons who has pushed this theory. You are awesome, as always! (and the sexy voice doesn't hurt!) 😊

But why did he not tell Arya who he was? Surely he would have trusted her to keep the secret of he was and she would have trusted him sooner had he said.

So glad to see this theory approached. My thoughts are based on the series, I haven't read the books. I'd once wondered, not whether Syrio was Jaqen in disguise, but whether both are simply disguises for the same Faceless Man. As events unfolded I became more inclined to think they are in fact 2 different Faceless Men. I wondered if Syrio won that fight and 'became' Trant, acting as an informant for the Faceless Men – that it was Syrio that Arya eventually unknowingly killed when she thought it was Trant (as suggested by Cubed). My suspicion is that the Faceless Men have a long term objective, and Arya plays a big role in that – as you say, the question is why? It seems to me that she was targetted by them not with the aim of her joining the Faceless Men, but for her to learn how to be one to prepare her for whatever purpose they have in mind for her. Syrio happened to be around when Ned wanted Arya trained in swordsmanship (though why we have no way of knowing) and he'd be a logical choice to hire for that purpose. Syrio saw her potential and passed that info back to Braavos. His role I feel while teaching her water dancing was to nurture her survival instinct and an ethos of how not to die, hence his 'No, not today' advice concerning Death. After his disappearance, Jaqen arrived in her life and then mentored her in taking on the mindset of a killer, that 'All men must die', as part of her training. If the Faceless Men have a long term purpose for Arya, to fulfill it she'd need to use both approaches concerning Death – the first for herself and the second for others. If this theory turns out to be on the right track then of course there are 'why's, ifs and hows' that would need to be answered. We'll obviously find out in series 8 – if only we didn't have to wait so long for it, aaargh!

Don`t know, maybe. Fact is, we didn`t see Sirio die, and when Aria killed Merrin Trand he didn`t get to answer when she told him who she was and that he presumably had killed Sirio.

It could just be that the similarities in teaching styles is just because it may be part of the bravossi culture/style

Hello sweet Robert..i enjoy your video eating my lunch now[lol]..I do believe that Syrio wasnt Jaqen ..but someone who shares the same philosophy with him..[a]They believe in one God=Death,[b]they both teach her to fight with a tactfully ,effective and flexible way[c]both they have some similar habits..the way that they talk[sophisticated],their gentle behavior and their mysterious aura are in same grade ..and things who share both..Also they have and some differences…[a]if you remember ..Syrio was a very smiley and always in a very good mood..when Jaqen is serious and little bit melancholic …thing who make his mystery more darker and interesting..[b]Syrio taught Arya to say in the death''not today''..but Jaqen teaches her that ''all men must die''[Valar Morgulis] and that the God Of Death must served[Valar Dohaeris..all men must serve] and [c]and that Syrio wasnt so careful in his fight with Meryn Trant..but Jaqen may would have act with a more careful and strange way facing the same man..he did kill 4 armored Lannisters soldiers [one got impaled and another got killed with headlock….two different ways of killing in a fight..strange..not Syrio tactic of killing at all ] in S2 helping Arya,Gendry and Hot Pie escaping Harenhall..Also if Syrio got kill Meryn Trant he would have use a sword to kill him..but Jaqen kills with other more interesting ways[poisons including]..And as i was say in the beginning Syrio/Jaqen they got share the same philosophy …the Death philosophy..each one differently but the same philosophy..Maybe Syrio was travel to KL for to find new blood for the FM and that he got choose Arya..becoz he sees that she is intelligent,effective,skinny,flexible[like a cat] and ready to learn what she needs for to complete her revenge and to be something more than this..Maybe he it was another one FM[i dont think there is only Jaqen]but different by the others and with his own beliefs about the role of death in this life..That what i think for this…Just my theories nothing confirmed..to bee honest.

On the road from Winterfell to Kings Landing (maybe at Moat Catlin?), King Robert scolded Joffrey in front of a room full of his soldiers, saying "you let that little girl disarm you?" Arya also had no trouble calling the prince a liar, very loudly and publicly. I think those two things might have garnered her a reputation before she even arrived in KL, and then Ned looked for a Dancing Master to train her, so it's possible that rumors of her reached the Faceless Men before Ned was executed. However, I don't get the feeling that Syrio and Jaqen are the same person. I also don't think Syrio is dead; he could have knocked out Ser Meryn and gotten away without having to kill him… and then just went on with his journey to find more work. I always wondered what a First Sword of Braavos was doing in KL to begin with, if he was supposed to be guarding the Iron Bank (or whatever First Swords do). I mean, a Kings Guard like Jaime wouldn't be off in Braavos teaching swordplay; he'd be guarding the king.

It was him.

I agree with your theory that Jaqen was NOT Syrio (unfortunately) – there are too many open ends to ensure he would end up in the Black cells and be sent north to the Wall and for Arya to be in that same transport. If the plan was for him to keep her safe. Just doesn't seem like something that could be planned ahead with any kind of certainty. Though Syrio COULD be a faceless man. Using someone famous might not be their standard MO (as far as we know…. but we really don't know for sure WHO is a FM and WHO is not…) I think him using the saying "There is only one God, and a Girl knows his name" is a typical Bravosi thing to utter. Also, would he have left the caravan when everyone was in trouble? If he was supposed to keep her safe. Leaving Arya to an unknown fate? Yes, he came back for her at Harrenhal but she could have been dead already. Again, the FM could not have known that. Too many variables.

A theory that could tie into why Jaqen wanted to recruit/protect Arya is that Jaqen/Syrio is Rhaegar Targaryen in hiding. It would be natural that Rhaegar would want to protect the Stark daughter that closely resembles Lyanna Stark.

Although, I also heard theories that Rhaegar is also Mance Rayder, which clashes with the book and series timelines. Too many theories.

GRRM strikes again……..

Well this question has been beaten like a dead horse on Youtube. I hope it is true though.

In your earlier video you detailed why the faceless men might have been in the caravan to kill Ned Stark. Could he not have been in the role of Syrio to get closer to Ned to kill him.

Awesome. Would be cool if he was or is . I think Serrio warged into Rhagar's daughters Cat just before mortal injury. Jaqen seems to begin as he is introduced with Rorge and Bitter.

Jacqueline was probably there to assassinate the water fighter from Brazil or even more likely there to assassinate Ned Stark

I've always assumed some kind of knowledge of limited magic by the faceless men at least in an ability to cast a glamour when it comes to their disguises in terms of physical size?

As you say, there's not enough evidence to be sure if Jaqen and Syrio are the same person. But what if Syrio surrendered to Mervyn in order to go to prison and get to Ned? Just a thought.

Cersei hires the faceless men to kill Ned.
The faceless man disguises as Syrio.
Ned gets locked in the black cell.
Syrio gets locked in the black cell.
Ned dies.
Syrio become Jaqen to escape.
Jaqen is reunited with Arya.

Or, maybe not.

I just finished rereading the whole series to remind me what's in the books v HBO. In A Feast for Crows, Jaime is questioning the Deep Cells overguard who mentions that the cells weren't used much. Tyrion, Ned, and the three Ned pardoned and sent to the Night's Watch. If Jaqen was truly sent to kill Ned, as was posited in an earlier video, he had ample opportunity while they shared the Deep Cells together. This puts Ned, Jaqen, and Yoren together before the journey to The Wall begins. And it would mean in Jaqen's worldview, Jaqen owes Ned three lives…just as he owed Arya three lives. There doesn't seem to be the same relationship between the three men that the jailer speaks of and the three that Yoren takes with him. In other words, Jaqen seems to be posing as part of a trio that he truly is NOT part of. This points to a swap of sorts. He can get those two to do some things, but abandons them to go their own way as soon as he parts with Arya.

Plot twist: Syrio killed Meryn Trant and took his face, and Arya killed Syrio when she killed Meryn.

Oh I missed you!

My problem is Jagen in a prison. A faceless man could not be caught unless he want to. I️ believe Syrio May been work and recruiting for faceless man. Also it was luck that Arya gave him an ax to escape the fire. I️ don’t think syrio was jagen however Syrio being from Bravos and faceless man need young apprentice to train therefore Syrio may be working with faceless man

Have you ever heard of the theory that Jaqen H'ghar is Raghar ?

If Jaqen's mission in King's Landing was to kill Ned (as previously suggested), then disguising himself as Syrio and becoming a member of Ned's household makes sense as a way to get close to his target.
But that does leave the question of why he hadn't killed Ned already. Do Faceless men allow complicated contracts that specify the conditions that must be met before the target is assassinated.

What a treat to wake up to a new video from you to enjoy with my morning coffee. Thank you!

This has always been my theory. I remember watching the first time thru, being heart broken about Syrio and then hearing Jaquen say, "There is only one God, and a Girl knows his name," and my immediate thought was… He's Syrio!! How else would Jaquen know for sure what Syrio had told Arya.