A lot of TV shows and movies that turn out highly successful are based on books. That's also the case of the hyper-popular fantasy HBO TV show Game of Thrones that ran for eight seasons. Throughout the years, it introduced a large number of characters, both heroes and antagonists.

RELATED: The 10 Most Disappointing Series Finales Of All Time

Sometimes, they lived to see the end of the series, but more often than not, they met their gruesome end during the show's long run. And even though the show originally closely followed the books, it changed quite a lot of the story - and the characters as well. Some of them look significantly different in the books than they do on the show.

10 Robb Stark

Robb Stark

Just like a lot of other Game of Thrones characters, Robb Stark was also much younger in the books. When the story started, he was barely fourteen years old. Robb looked similar to his mom. He was supposed to have Catelyn's reddish-brown hair and blue eyes. He was of a stocky build. Richard Madden, on the other hand, has dark brown hair, brown eyes, and is tall, not stocky.

9 Bran Stark

Bran Stark

Another Stark who looked different in the books is Bran Stark. Unlike Arya who inherited her coloring after her dad, Bran looks similar to Catelyn, just like Sansa and Robb do. He has thick auburn hair and blue eyes. Isaac Hempstead-Wright had brown hair on the show and brown eyes as well, making him look very different from his book counterpart.

8 Robert Baratheon

Robert Baratheon

Until he put on extra weight in his older age, Robert Baratheon was supposed to cut an intimidating figure. He was extremely tall, had black hair and blue eyes - all common features of his family line. He was also athletic and muscular in his youth. In the show, his hair is brown-grey and he isn't as tall as in the books.

7 Renly Baratheon

Renly Baratheon in Game of Thrones.

Unlike in the show, Renly Baratheon is one of the most handsome men in the books. He looks similar to his oldest brother Robert when Robert was still young.

RELATED: 10 Video Games To Play If You Like Game Of Thrones

Renly Baratheon in the books is also extremely tall, has flowing black locks and piercing blue eyes. He also stays clean-shaven, again just like his brother Robert.

6 Jaime Lannister

Jaime Lannister

Renly Baratheon isn't the only handsome nobleman in the Seven Kingdoms - Jaime Lannister also ranks high on the list. He has the signature golden locks in the books that he wears quite long and curly. And because of his line of work, Jaime is strong and very muscular. The show gradually saw Jaime's hair going darker and darker until it looked very different from the books. Not to mention it was too short.

5 Tyrion Lannister

Tyrion Lannister in Game of Thrones season 7

Unlike the show's version, the book Tyrion Lannister is far from handsome. The scars on his face are much more obvious - he loses almost his entire nose. Tyrion is also supposed to have stubby legs, a jutting forehead, eyes of two different colors (one green, one black), and pale blond-black hair. Peter Dinklage mostly sports brown hair with the odd highlight in the show, though, and both of his eyes have the same color.

4 Kevan Lannister

Kevan Lannister

Kevan Lannister is only a supporting character but one whose appearance differs greatly in the books and in the show. Kevan is younger than his brother Tywin, has golden hair typical for Lannisters, a close-cropped beard, and green eyes.

RELATED: 10 Medieval Games To Play If You Loved Game Of Thrones

He also possesses a portly figure and a large jaw. Kevan's actor Ian Gelder looks older on the show, his hair is grey and he has brown eyes, not green.

3 Daenerys Targaryen

Daenerys

Daenerys Targaryen has a unique appearance in the books - one that easily draws attention to her. She has purple eyes, typical for her family line. Daenerys has long silver hair and is supposed to be very beautiful. The show didn't include one of the most significant features, the purple eyes, because the purple contacts would supposedly diminish the actors' performances. Also, just like many characters of the books, Daenerys is older in the show than she is in the book series.

2 Daario Naharis

Daario Naharis

The fighter Daario Naharis who also becomes Daenerys' temporary lover, had more than one face in the show. Two different actors portrayed the character. However, neither of them had Daario's untypical feature from the books - blue hair and blue beard. Daario dyes his hair and he also likes to wear bright, colorful clothes - something that also didn't make it into the show.

1 Asha Greyjoy

Asha Greyjoy

Finally, there's also the case of Asha Greyjoy - or Yara, as this is her name in the show. In the books, Asha is quite different from her on-screen persona, and not just because of the different name. She's still a talented warrior but has a very thin body. She also likes to wear her hair shorter than it is on the show - possibly so that it wouldn't make fighting enemies more difficult for her.

NEXT: The 10 Most Dangerous Dragons In Video Games, Ranked