Next to Geralt and Yennefer, Ciri gets the most spotlight in Netflix’s The Witcher and rightfully so. She’s one of the three main characters and her role is about to get bigger and more significant. Anyone who has played The Witcher III: Wild Hunt surely knows of this; Ciri is pretty much the most important protagonist in that game despite the players controlling mainly Geralt.

Of course, the third Witcher game presents Ciri in a more grown-up phase of her life. By contrast, the show starts with Ciri still being a child. Hence, like with most characters in The Witcher franchise, a divide exists between those who prefer Ciri in the games and those who prefer her in the show. So, let’s get to the nitty-gritty and compare both Ciri’s; this way you can decide which one you like better.

10 CIRI IN THE GAMES: MORE LIKABLE

CDProjekt RED was tasked with quite a hard mission in the third game: to make Ciri relatable and appealing, like she’s been part of that game world from the beginning. Suffice to say, they succeeded in this part and made Ciri one of the most memorable aspects of the game. Her personality was radiant and refreshing but not out of place in the game.

This arguably makes Ciri in the games more likable than Ciri in the show. In comparison with Ciri in the show, she’s fresh out from her noble life and looks like she’s still getting used to the outside world. This makes her appear less relatable and compassionate with normal people compared to the Ciri in the games. Her development is certainly something that will happen along the way.

9 CIRI IN THE SHOW: HAS A BETTER BACKSTORY

As awesome as Ciri might be in The Witcher 3, she didn’t get as much background as the other protagonist in-game (Geralt). This has more to do with narrative constraints for the game, most likely as the writers didn’t have such luxuries. The show did, however, and even included Ciri’s lineage.

It established well what Ciri’s blood and ancestors are capable of doing. Moreover, the show chronicles Ciri’s plight well enough from the downfall of Cintra to her refuge in Brokilon forest. These moments reinforced Ciri’s bigger role to come in the next seasons of The Witcher.

8 CIRI IN THE GAMES: MORE MATURE

Well, this is already a given since the Ciri in the games is a fully-grown woman. Apparently, she’s 21-years-old by the time The Witcher 3 happened, making her more sophisticated. In addition, Ciri in the games has already spent a considerable amount of time under Avallac’h’s tutelage and care. She’s also acquired lots of valuable information from the witchers, most notably Geralt and Vesemir.

This has made Ciri an emotionally tougher character with better resolve. That and her fighting skills have also improved tremendously. This means she is more independent from others as is evident when she dealt with the Wild Hunt. Ciri in the show still has a lot to learn before she can get on that level.

7 CIRI IN THE SHOW: MORE CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT

We did mention that Ciri in the show is still young, right? That very likely means her character is subject to change by a lot. In fact, by the time she reaches her late teenage years, her demeanor and personality would have been a far cry from the scared and struggling little girl in Season 1 of the show.

That sort of improvement in her character alone makes the subsequent seasons of The Witcher worth watching. This way, your attachment with Ciri will change dramatically and you might even prefer her character arcs to Geralt in the later seasons of the show, like how it is in the books.

6 CIRI IN THE GAMES: MORE CAPABLE

Thanks to her extended time with Avallac’h, Ciri appears to be a lot more in control of her godlike powers in The Witcher 3. In this game, she was easily able to manipulate time and space in order to go virtually anywhere anytime she wants. It basically makes Ciri an unstoppable being and would have been so if not for her conscience and upbringing.

Ciri in the show still has much to learn before she can utilize her powers for anything useful. At best, she’s a loose cannon who can kill anyone indiscriminately with her powers under the right stress and conditions. As such, she’s even more dangerous than Ciri in the games, being a walking calamity.

5 CIRI IN THE SHOW: CANON STORYLINE

No matter how much more interested you might be with Ciri’s story in The Witcher 3, you’ll have to come to terms with the fact that much of the fandom doesn’t consider it canon. That’s because the games aren’t written by Andrej Sapkowski, the author of The Witcher books.

In fact, some of the more hardcore fans of the books might consider the games as fan-fiction. Since the Netflix show follows the exact same storyline for Ciri in the books, it’s a closer and more faithful adaptation of her narrative. Even Andrej Sapkowski himself has given his seal of approval to the showrunners.

4 CIRI IN THE GAMES: ALREADY CLOSE WITH EVERYONE

Part of what makes Ciri in the games more likable than the Ciri in the show is how everyone important to Geralt is already friendly to her. She’s considered as a family member by the Witcher School of the Wolf and even as a daughter by both Yennefer and Geralt.

Even Triss treats Ciri like a little sister. Dandelion also treats Ciri like a part of the family, making her a beacon of sunshine in Geralt’s whole social circle. So far, Ciri in the show has only met with Geralt and got a glimpse of Yennefer in the Battle of Sodden. It remains to be seen how Ciri will interact with the people whom Geralt considers dear to him.

3 CIRI IN THE SHOW: SEEMS STRONGER

Despite video game Ciri showing better control of her powers, it looks like Ciri in the show is already ahead of her adult counterpart. She’s only a child in the first season of The Witcher but it already looks like she’s uncontrollably more powerful than most sorcerers and sorceresses in the show.

Ciri was even able to stop Cahir and kill several men without any knowledge of how to use her powers. For it to manifest this early in the show makes her potential seem higher. Granted, we haven’t really seen just how powerful video game Ciri is as a child, only as a witcher student in training. Later seasons of the show ought to reveal who’s really stronger.

2 CIRI IN THE GAMES: MORE BEAUTIFUL

This is quite subjective but Ciri in The Witcher 3 is a delight to see. Her character model is superb and she’s one of the prettiest faces in the game. If not for her scar, she’d probably even trump video game Triss or Yennefer in terms of traditional physical beauty standards.

It’s hard to see Ciri in the show growing up to look like something closely resembling adult Ciri in the video games. Freya Allan might be stunning but for some, it might be hard to picture her having the same deadly elegance as Ciri in the video games.

1 CIRI IN THE SHOW: WE GET TO SEE MORE OF HER

There are three Witcher games and Ciri only appears in one of them. Even then, her appearances there are few and far between until you’re in the late stage of gameplay. As such, this can leave a lot of fans wanting more Ciri. You’ll be pleased to know that this scenario does not exist in the show adaptation.

After all, Ciri’s story is just beginning and she’s bound to appear in each and every season of The Witcher moving forward. Unless CDProjekt RED includes Ciri in the hypothetical The Witcher 4, then the show still gives fans more servings on Ciri. Regardless, there’s more of Ciri in The Witcher franchise.

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