- "And this moment here... this is a moment that you never forget. The moment when the tribute becomes a victor."
- —Caesar Flickerman[src]
Victors are tributes who have won previous Hunger Games. Because of this, they receive income from the Capitol for life, are given a special status in their districts, and are allowed to live in the part of their district called the Victors' Village with their families. In return, victors must act as mentors to subsequent tributes from their district in future Hunger Games. They line up sponsors, control the flow of gifts, and have a say in the tactics that the tribute uses. They must not mistreat their tributes or they will be punished. Highly attractive and desirable victors are almost always prostituted by President Snow to citizens of the Capitol, as was the case with Finnick Odair and Cashmere. Victors are also usually forced to take on special personalities; such as Finnick's flirtatiousness, or Katniss and Peeta's inseparable love.
Many victors turn to alcohol or drugs after they have won their Games. Some examples can be seen with Haymitch Abernathy and his heavy drinking, and the pair from District 6 with their addiction to morphling. They do this because of the traumatic experiences and memories of the Games, the demands that the Capitol continues to impose on them on penalty of death, and, for those who become mentors, having to train new tributes which more likely will end up dead.
After their victories, victors must find a talent or a hobby to take up, for example, Katniss Everdeen's talent was fashion designing, although her stylist, Cinna, secretly made things himself and passed them off as her work.
In the 75th Hunger Games, past victors were forced to compete in the Games as a reminder to the rebels that even the strongest among them cannot overcome the power of the Capitol.
The Victory Tour
Six months after the Hunger Games, a Victory Tour is held to keep the memory of the Games fresh in everyone's mind. They start off in the highest numbered district and count down, skipping the victor's district and saving it for last. In each district, they give a speech and attend a dinner. The Capitol throws a huge feast for the victor's district where all the residents attend.
Known Victors
There have been 75 victors throughout the history of the Hunger Games. Just before the 3rd Quarter Quell, 59 victors were still alive. By the end of the second rebellion, only seven victors are known to still be alive. They are Katniss Everdeen, Peeta Mellark, Johanna Mason, Beetee Latier, Haymitch Abernathy, Annie Cresta, and Enobaria. Sixteen died of natural causes, 18 died in the 75th Hunger Games, and the other 34 possibly died during the Victors' purge and the rebellion.
Victor | District | Status | Hunger Games | Age | Strategy | |
Mags | 4 | Deceased |
11th |
80 | Mags had the ability to make fishhooks out of anything. She also lived off of nuts. | |
Woof | 8 | Deceased | Unknown | 70's | Fans presume Woof hid for the entire time during his Games. | |
Female morphling | 6 | Deceased | Unknown | 60's | Camouflage | |
Male morphling | 6 | Deceased | Unknown | 60's | Camouflage | |
Seeder | 11 | Deceased | Unknown | 60's | Fans presume she survived by being able to go without food the longest. | |
District 9 female | 9 | Deceased | Unknown | Assumed early 50's | Fans presume she was skilled with a knife. | |
Porter Millicent Tripp | 5 | Deceased | 38th | 52-55 | She received a spinal injury during the final battle. | |
Beetee | 3 | Alive | Unknown | 50's or 60's | He won using electric traps to fry six tributes (possibly the entire career pack). | |
District 9 male | 9 | Deceased | Unknown | Assumed late 40's | Fans presume he won with brutal strength and sword, knife and spear skills. | |
Chaff | 11 | Deceased | 45th | 45-48 | Fans presume he won with a brutal manner. | |
Brutus | 2 | Deceased | 48th | Late 40's | Career tribute. | |
District 5 male | 5 | Deceased | Unknown | Late 40's | Fans presume he won with a brutal manner. | |
Wiress | 3 | Deceased | Unknown | 40's | Unknown. Fans speculate she possibly used electricity or observations. | |
Haymitch Abernathy | 12 | Alive | 50th | 40 HG/CF
41 CF/MJ |
Skilled with a knife, used a force field to kill an opponent with their own axe in the final showdown, and through an alliance with Maysilee Donner. | |
Lyme | 2 | Deceased | Unknown | Middle-aged | Career tribute. | |
Blight | 7 | Deceased | Unknown | Assumed mid 30's | Fans presume he used an axe because he was from the lumber district. | |
District 5 female | 5 | Deceased | Unknown | Assumed mid 30's | Fans presume she was very skilled with a knife and hid during her games. | |
District 10 female | 10 | Deceased | Unknown | Assumed early 30's | Fans presume she was skilled with weapons (axe and tomahawk) and medicinal herbs. | |
Cecelia | 8 | Deceased | Unknown | 30's | Fans presume she won using her intelligence and her skill with a sword. | |
Enobaria | 2 | Alive | 62nd | 28-31 | Career Tribute. Used brutality, hand-to-hand combat, and her own teeth to rip another tribute's throat out. | |
Gloss | 1 | Deceased | 63rd | 27-30 | Career tribute. Skilled with throwing knives. | |
Cashmere | 1 | Deceased | 64th | 26-29 | Career tribute. Skilled with throwing knives. | |
Finnick Odair | 4 | Deceased | 65th | 24 | Career tribute. Received a lot of sponsors and was given the gift of a trident in the arena. Used nets to catch other tributes and finish them off later with his trident. | |
Augustus Braun | 1 | Deceased | 67th | 23-26 | Unknown. | |
District 10 male | 10 | Deceased | Unknown | Assumed mid 20's | Fans presume he was a skilled fighter with a sword. | |
Annie Cresta | 4 | Alive | 70th | 20-23 | She was the best swimmer during a flood in the arena. | |
Johanna Mason | 7 | Alive | 71st | 21 | Acted weak to divert attention. When a handful of players were left, she revealed herself as a savage killer. | |
Katniss Everdeen | 12 | Alive | 74th |
16 HG/CF 17 CF/MJ |
Bow and arrow skills. Used a suicide threat to force the Gamemakers to let her and Peeta both win. | |
Peeta Mellark | 12 | Alive | 74th |
16 HG/CF 17 CF/MJ |
Camouflage skills and strength. Joined the Careers. Used a suicide threat to force the Gamemakers to let him and Katniss both win. |