The perfect combination of brains and power, this is the guy that I would want by my side if I was to ever have to fight for the Iron Throne.
He has been the underdog his entire life so he has had plenty of practice defeating Goliath
As everyone knows, Tyrion is a dwarf and that has put him in a pretty hard position his entire life. His father and his sister also blame him for the death of his mother since she died while giving birth to him. He has fought to be treated like a full human being and that is what makes him such a great character in the show. He has so much pent up anger and the need to prove that he is better than just the "Imp" and "the Halfman" that everyone sees him as. Also I love the dynamic of his contempt for his sister and his father, yet his adoration for his brother. It makes for such good TV - the fight to make his sister suffer while trying not to destroy his brother too much.
He's the only character that actually put Joffrey in his place.
If this isn't enough to put him number one on anyone's list then I do not know what else I can do to convince you. He was the only character that did not care how powerful Joffrey was or what Joffrey could do to him - if he was in the wrong he was going to know about it (and we all know that Joffrey was in the wrong too many time too count). While I do wish that it was Tyrion that actually killed Joff, you have to give him some credit for being a family man and trying to change his nephew instead of killing him off.
He reads for goodness sakes!
Tyrion is the only person that I have seen in this entire show that puts an emphasis on education and learning through reading. Actually he is one of the only characters that I have actually seen with a book in his hand (to be fair the only other character I saw with a book in his hand was Eddard and look where that book led him). I love how Tyrion puts emphasis on reading because that is where he learned everything. He was treated poorly by everyone, especially his father who was supposed to teach him the ways of the world, so he relied on books because books d not care what you look like or who you are, they teach you all the same thing. Considering he is one of the remaining few, I think those books have worked out quite well.
While he may not be the most fierce or the most handsome character on the show, this man knows how to lead, and he knows it. I think he is the most underrated character but one of the greatest and he will always depend on his wits to get out of bad situations instead of the sword.
