The Witcher is a fantasy series that has, surprisingly, become one of the most popular fantasy franchises of the modern era. Interestingly enough, though, the video games and the Netflix TV series based on Sapkowski’s book series have outclassed the source material and the franchise is globally known thanks to the former two, which is very interesting for a fantasy series, especially if you compare it to The Lord of the Rings or Game of Thrones. Now, this comparison is going to focus on two Witchers, Vesemir, the oldest Witcher who has recently gotten an animated series on Netflix, and Geralt of Rivia, the most famous among the Witchers. So who would win in an all-out Geralt vs Vesemir battle?
Geralt possesses more powers than Vesemir and is a much better and more experienced fighter, which is why Geralt would ultimately win in a fight against Vesemir, despite Vesemir’s experience and knowledge that certainly surpasses Geralt’s.
But, there is still a lot more to be said. Our comparison is going to be divided into two sections. The first is going to bring an overview of the two characters, including their powers and abilities as presented in the franchise. In the second and final section, we’re going to bring you a detailed analysis of the two characters to determine which one would win in a direct clash.
Geralt and his powers
Geralt of Rivia is a fictional character, the main protagonist in the series of novels and short stories comprising The Witcher franchise, as created by Polish author Andrzej Sapkowski.
In Sapkowski’s books, Witchers are specially trained monster hunters whose bodies mutated at an early age to endow them with supernatural powers so that they can wipe out extremely dangerous creatures and survive those encounters. These mutations involve herbalism, the consumption of potions or inoculation of viruses. They give them strength, reflexes, dexterity, regeneration, as well as the ability to contract their pupils at will – thus offering them nyctalopia.
They are however sterile, but also immune to poison and disease. Popular rumor describes them, wrongly, as emotionless. In novels, Geralt, the central character, is described as one of the best Witchers in the world. In his youth, he resisted mutations better than most other children, so he was tested for even more dangerous changes.
As a result of these additional procedures, Geralt lost all coloration of the body. Due to his pale skin and white hair, he is also known as “White Wolf”, “Gwynbleidd” in the ancient languages. The young Witchers were encouraged to give themselves a nickname by Master Vesemir, in order to appear more credible: his first choice was Geralt Roger Eric du Haute-Bellegarde, but this was rejected by Vesemir, who considered it too pretentious; this is why, despite his name, Geralt is not from Rivia (a city in the Northern Kingdoms), although he has learned to imitate the town’s accent. Later, he inherited the nickname “Butcher of Blaviken”.
Geralt lives in a morally ambiguous world, yet he manages to maintain a consistent code of ethics. The fantasy universe in which his adventures take place draws heavily on Polish history and Slavic mythology. Geralt is the son of the witch Visenna and – probably – of a warrior named Korin. Soon after his birth, Geralt was abandoned by his mother in Kaer Morhen, the fort of Witchers.
Geralt survived numerous mutations during the Trial of the Herbs, thanks to which he acquired almost superhuman physical and mental faculties – including speed, stamina, strength, reflexes, enhanced senses, and regeneration – with minimal side effects. For all of this, he was one of the few selected for additional additions that only he survived, losing all coloring of the body. After completing his Witcher training, he received the Wolf Medallion, the symbol of Kaer Morhen, and set off on the roads on the back of a horse named Ablette to become a monster hunter mercenary.
Even though Geralt did not believe in fate, he claimed – subconsciously invoking the “Law of Surprise” – the unborn child of Princess Pavetta and her husband Duny as a reward for his services. As the child turned out to be a girl, he did not take her. However, fate or blind spell made Geralt and Ciri (real name Cirilla Fiona Ellen Riannon), the princess’s child, meet three times.
After the death of her grandmother, Queen Calanthe, Geralt ends up taking care of the young girl and loving her like his own daughter. His best friend is Dandelion, a famous bard. The love of her life is the magician Yennefer, linked to her life since their misadventure described in the short story “The Last Wish” from the eponymous collection.
The Adventures of Gerald continue in a non-canonical video game series from Polish studio CD Projekt. Supposedly killed during a pogrom by an enraged mob at the end of The Witcher saga, Geralt is found unconscious by Vesemir and Eskel with no memory of his sudden reappearance. They bring him to Kaer Morhen. Although Geralt’s age is never explicitly stated in the books, we learn at the start of The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt that Geralt is said to be just under 100 years old. Which suggests a year of birth around 1171-1172.
Vesemir and his powers
Vesemir is a fictional character, a Witcher who appears in the series of novels and short stories comprising The Witcher franchise, as created by Polish author Andrzej Sapkowski.
Vesemir was Kaer Morhen’s oldest and most experienced Witcher in the 13th century and acted as the father figure to Geralt and the other Witchers. Like many other Witchers, he spent every winter in the fortress and left in the spring. He was one of the few members of the School of Woolf who survived the attack on Kaer Morhen.
In the 1260s, he was the only remaining ancient Witcher; however, since he was only a fencing teacher, he lacked the knowledge to create new mutagens to turn more students into Witchers. Vesemir was born early enough to witness the construction of Kaer Morhen in the 11th century. His mentor and tutor was Barmin.
Decades later, around 1265, Geralt brought his surprise child Cirilla, Princess of Cintra, with him to be trained as a Witcher. Vesemir taught her the different monsters and herbs and left the physical training to Geralt, Eskel, Lambert, and Coën. However, the Witchers quickly discovered that Ciri was a source when she went into a trance when she accidentally drank white seagulls.
The third time, Ciri predicts the death of Geralt and Coën. The Witchers then decided to summon an old friend, the witch Triss Merigold, to help Ciri, claiming that Vesemir’s bones were hurting her. Triss placed certain conditions on the Witchers when she pointed out the errors in their treatment of Ciri to them, and Vesemir agreed to the conditions despite initial protests from some Witchers.
After Geralt and Ciri returned from the Isle of Mists through a portal, she was delighted to see Vesemir. Yennefer, Triss Merigold, Ciri, Geralt, and Vesemir all chatted and then went to the main keep. Along the way, Vesemir discussed flammable gases and repairing the walls with Ermion. Then everyone who showed up discussed the main keep battle plans, with Vesemir suggesting brewing potions and using lab tools to clear the debris blocking access to the armory, then he and Geralt have finished preparing the final plan.
After a few hours, the Wild Hunt attacked and Vesemir fought them on the walls of the lower courtyard of the dungeon, briefly arguing with Ciri because she had left the inner dungeon against orders. Overwhelmed, and with Imlerith’s arrival, they decided to retreat to the main courtyard. The Wild Hunt quickly walked through the gate and froze Geralt while Ciri and Vesemir hid in the yard.
While trying to protect Ciri, Vesemir was attacked by Imlerith, who stabbed him in the leg. He then cut the Eredin Bréacc glass, which knocked Ciri down, so Vesemir used Aard to push her away. Then Imlerith jumped on him and started punching and choking him as Eredin tried to convince Ciri to join him, much to Vesemir’s horror. He spoke to Ciri and begged her to run away before stabbing Imlerith in the side. Imlerith broke his neck in anger and ended the old wizard’s life.
Geralt vs. Vesemir: Who wins?
And now for the most important and interesting section of our article – the analysis. Here, we are going to use what we have found out about these two characters and analyze how all these facts would (or would not) help them in a fight against each other. Let us continue.
Geralt and Vesemir are both Withers and in the context of Sapkowski’s work, they are both considered to be very skilled and very powerful. They have fought numerous monsters and have slain them successfully, being lauded (and feared) as the best fighters and swordsmen in the land. Both of them also have special abilities, but as it seems, from what we know, Geralt seems to be the better one in this aspect, his mutations being a bit more advanced than Vesemir’s.
As far as it seems, there seems to be a difference between the two in the way they approach their duties. Vesemir seems to be a “bookworm” type of character. He is wise, experienced, and knowledgable, although that doesn’t undermine his sword-fighting skills. On the other hand, Geralt is a true fighter; he is strong, skilled, and resilient, while his knowledge of the world around him is based more on direct experience rather than thorough study.
For fans of both franchises, we could compare the two to Yoda and Mace Windu, with Vesemir being a Yoda-type character and Geralt a Windu-type character. Of course, the outcome of this comparison is different than the one in Star Wars, as Yoda was the most powerful Jedi knight ever, while Vesemir is not the most powerful Witcher.
Namely, from what we understand, the Geralt is the more powerful of the two. While Vesemir certainly knows more than Geralt and would not succumb that easily, Geralt is the better fighter and more skilled Witcher of the two. Geralt is probably the most powerful Witcher ever, from what we gather, and that is why we think that he could defeat his mentor in direct combat.