Why Ciri Shouldn't Be A Witcher | A Witcher 4 Critique

In this video we explore my reasons why I think Ciri should not have undergone the Trial of the Grasses within the story of The Witcher 4, as well as examine the themes and nature of her characters from the books.

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[camerongooch]

Literally could have called it "a lady of space and time, a witcher saga" and then make her loyal to the lore, and instead of witcher powers we have her powers

[GloriousZote]

Counterargument on the first point though, Witcher 3 ended with a new conjunction of Spheres, new monsters could have appeared and made a new increased demaand for witchers.
Naturally, I still don't think Ciri should have gone through the trials.

[christianenglish]

They should have made Witcher 4 a proper rpg where you create your own witcher, choose which school they're from, allow you to make more radical decisions like having a character that's just really patriotic and loves the eternal fire.

They could have even set it before the events of the books, when witchers and monsters were more common

[ThatComixGuy]

Neon Knight did a really good video about Ciri’s reasoning for wanting to go undergo the Trials that seem to fit what the devs have already teased and I think really suit her character. I’d be curious what you make of some of his points.

[luraxium]

i saw someone say that maybe ciri underwent the witcher trials to try and subvert her prophecy with the elder blood, which makes sense to me. i dont understand why geralt of all people would be okay with her doing it though, since i think he'd be one of the only ones who could help her do it

[akari]

It's all secondary. Ciri was made a witcher mainly just to bring back the mechanics that players liked—potions, signs, and witcher senses. The plot justification for that is just consequence of that.

On a more personal note, I feel like making Ciri the main protagonist imposes some unnecessary limitations. Creating a completely new witcher or allowing players to make their own in character creation would offer much more freedom. For example, I’d love to see a witcher from the Manticore school since they used shields, and their stronghold was located in Zerrikania. That alone would add variety and provide a great opportunity to expand the world.

And one more small remark… I think the Lynx school is such a wasted opportunity. If it was supposed to be a derivative of the Cat, why not make it the Lion school instead? After all… the Lion Cub of Cintra, right?

[Puppetmasterx]

Idk ciri is an awesome character and I can’t wait to play

[ungeimpfterrusslandtroll]

All i can say is, that i don't care at all for a Ciri game. For me the story was more or less finished, that's how i played it. Everything about this new game feels forced and desperate.
She was the special chosen one already. Potential Queen of Nilfgaard, superpowers, trained by Witchers to be a superb fighter and that as a girl but that's still not enough, now she somehow also has to be a full blown Witcher. It feels completely unnecessary to me.
I wouldn't be surprised if the Nilfgaardian army now has female officers in this game, only officers of course all normal soldiers are still men. I don't care ...

[xk]

I wanted to be able to create my own character, like in Cyberpunk 2077. Even though I enjoyed the Witcher games, I didn't want to play as Geralt either. I'll pass on this game, it's not for me.

[Bhaalcuzzi]

I appreciate your take also Ciri having Witcher powers AND Elder Blood powers is as gross as a D&D Echo Knight Fighter that multiclasses into Giant Barbarian and Conquest Paladin 😂

[Kenny-gd]

even though most games disappoint these days i feel like we need to actually just wait for this one sure ciri being a witcher messes with the lore but if the devs actually give us a reason it could fit like she did it to get rid of the elder blood or escape the prophecy or some other reasons forced her to do it

[mordraynlachant]

This is correct. Ciri shouldn't be considered a witcher, even the name doesn't fit to a woman, is redundant. The simple fact is that only males can be "witchers", if anything Ciri is a monster hunter or a wizard with good swordmanship and super powers. It's totally OP already, they need to go for anonymous character or fail. Why can't we be our own witcher?

[kakaasg]

I don't agree with any of your points, respectfully. Mainly when it comes to your interpretation of Ciri's character.

Throughout Andrzej Sapkowski’s works, Ciri is not merely a focal point for political interests, prophecies, and power struggles—she is a radically liminal figure, someone whose existence has never conformed to a single ontological framework. In her journey, she traverses multiple worlds, languages, and ways of being, constantly oscillating between attempts at self-determination and the imposition of fate, caught in an unceasing struggle between freedom and predestination.

What defines Ciri, at her core, is not her royal lineage or even her extraordinary powers, but rather her existential restlessness. From her childhood in Cintra to her time in Kaer Morhen, from her fugitive days in the Korath desert to her stint with the Rats, Ciri has never found a place where she could truly settle. Every environment she inhabited shaped her, but none ever fully retained her; she adapted to each context, only to be forced to abandon it soon after, as if her very presence carried a curse of perpetual displacement. Ciri’s identity is not something fixed but an ongoing flux, a constant adaptation to new realities. The weight of her genetic heritage, her ancestral power, and the prophecy that haunts her transform her into a being that cannot afford permanence. She cannot simply be a princess, a witcher, a mercenary, or a sorceress—and yet, at various points in her life, she has tried to be all of these things.

In this light, her choice to undergo the witcher mutation could be interpreted as a natural extension of her psyche—not a rejection of her individuality but a desperate attempt to find new meaning. For Ciri, becoming a witcher would not merely entail acquiring new abilities or altering her body through alchemical mutation; it would signify a definitive rupture with her past. Throughout the saga, her relationship with Kaer Morhen has always been ambiguous: she found refuge there, yet it was also a place where her difference was constantly reaffirmed. The witchers trained her, but they never saw her as a TOTALLY equal; her preexisting blood set her apart, and her presence itself was already disruptive. Accepting the mutations and assuming the identity of a witcher would not just be a biological transformation but a symbolic act of belonging—a way of finally claiming a space where her exceptionalism was not a stigma but an accepted condition.

However, this choice could also harbor a darker, more self-destructive dimension. Throughout the books, Ciri is frequently haunted by the desire to erase herself, to annihilate that which makes her a target for pursuit and manipulation. When she assumes the identity of Falka, she descends into a period of violence and alienation, believing that by obliterating all traces of her former life, she might attain a form of freedom. Likewise, during her time with the Rats, she adopts a brutal and hedonistic ethos, trying to convince herself that there is no longer room for nobility or redemption in her path. The witcher mutation, in this context, could be the ultimate manifestation of this self-effacing desire: by willingly undergoing a process historically imposed on orphaned children—a process that fundamentally dehumanizes them—Ciri would not merely renounce her former identity but affirm, irrevocably, that there is no way back. Unlike traditional witchers, who had no choice in their mutation, Ciri would embrace this fate voluntarily. This choice, paradoxically, could be seen both as an act of freedom and as a self-imposed condemnation.

Beyond this psychological perspective, the state of the world following the Conjunction of the Spheres must also be conisderated imo. At the end of The Witcher 3, there are indications that the collision of worlds may have intensified the chaos, potentially introducing new creatures into the continent. The era of witchers, long in decline, might suddenly see a resurgence in necessity, yet the order of monster hunters is either extinct or on the verge of vanishing. If monsters have indeed begun to proliferate once more in a world that had started to forget them, perhaps something more than the remnants of old schools would be required to face this new reality. Ciri, who has already transcended the boundaries of human limitations in so many ways, might view mutation as a means of adapting to the world’s shifting landscape. Her decision to become a witcher, then, would not be an escape but a pragmatic response to an imminent crisis.

This scenario becomes even more compelling when considering the profound moral ambiguity that defines her character arc. Ciri has never been a traditional hero, and her relationship with violence has always fluctuated between revulsion and acceptance. In the books, she kills, tortures, survives atrocities, and retaliates with fury. Her connection to the sword is not merely a question of survival but an extension of her identity. Becoming a witcher would not just provide her with a new purpose but would formalize something that has always been latent within her—a fundamental bond with battle, with the hunt, with the liminal space between civilization and savagery. Mutation, in this sense, would not dehumanize her; rather, it would crystallize something that had always been an intrinsic part of her nature.

On the other hand, this choice could also symbolize a radical break from the determinism that has always loomed over her. From the beginning, Ciri has been defined by others: as the heir of Cintra, as the bearer of Elder Blood, as the child destined to change the world. The witcher mutation—a process historically reserved for abandoned children with no future—would represent a dramatic rejection of this predestination. She would no longer be a princess, a sorceress, or a pawn in grander schemes—she would be a creature forged by her own decision, reborn not through prophecy but through her own will. And in this, paradoxically, she might become even more powerful, as it would finally strip away any remaining traces of her status as a symbol, allowing her to exist simply as Ciri.

The question which we should ask: what it'll be the circumstances behind Ciri's transition to a fully mutated witcher? It's reasonable? It's believable? It's well written? If yes, then it's perfect. It's a good exploration of her character, and it's not a betrayal of anything that was estabilished regarding her themes.

Also: Ciri herself is a mutant and should never be compared to an ordinary human. In the books, Avallac'h in the books reveals that the gene of Lara Dorren developed and mutated, making Ciri a mutant as well. Going through the Trial will not be a physical impossibility for her, that's for sure.

And they definitely are going put Geralt and Ciri, front to front, to argue about this. Philipp Weber already said that this will not be only a pivotal moment for Ciri, but the reaction of her loved ones towards her decision to become a mutated witcher will have a huge place in the narrative; we have to remember that Ciri is an adult now. She can make her own decisions, and Geralt's arc towards Ciri in TW3 is also about understanding that she can make her own choices—providing for her the proper emotional support, mentoring her for the better—but never forcing any conception, nor condition. That's when you unlock the most lore accurate ending for Ciri.

[shanemiraveles]

People are stupid putting too much expectations can we just be thankful devz continues the witcher game series?? Can we just enjoy the game no matter what the outcomes dont be stupid guys

[Paladin-]

What you said its easy to counter by saying same thing like "Geralt shouldn't have been MC in W3", why?
Because Geralt and Yen died in the final book, Cirilla only brought their souls togather in the mystical realm, thats how book series ended.
Even tho games are in witcher universe, books and games are separate entities, and whatever CDPR decides considering W4 is completely valid

[aldrichunfaithful]

i think you made a lot of good points but i'd have to disagree with you about her story in the third game, the focus of her story as i see it is all on how the elder blood and her lineage have been ruining her life and denying her freedom, for as long as she can remember her life has been controlled either because someone wants her blood's power, someone wants her to rule something or someone wants her to have their children, and she sees being a witcher as freedom from all that. geralt might hate being a witcher but for ciri it seems a dream come true, she could do something she enjoys (hunting monsters), go wherever she wants, never have to worry about plots again and never have anyone care about what she's doing besides her friends and family, and while the mutations weren't on the table in the last game i do think it makes sense when you think about it. since she's gone through the trial she's now pretty much ineligible to rule anywhere since nobody would accept a witcher as a queen/empress, and since she's infertile that means she'll never have to worry about people trying to force her to give them heirs (or even worse worry about her children suffering the same fate she did), and beyond that it's just a symbolic thing that makes her feel less like the person she once was and more like the witcher she wants to be. i was pretty confused when i first saw the trailer but the more i think about it the more fitting it seems, and i definitely think there's a lot of really interesting themes to explore as a result of it

[John_James]

They just didn't liked the fact that Witchers are only males so they just want their fanfic come true

[CactusJack]

Alot of coping in the comment section.. its as simple as this: The Witcher as a video game IP met its natural conclusion at 3.. and most people who played this game were male and they don't want to play as a female character.. or at least have the option.

[Maja_J]

Lore this lore that ...but you where happy playing as Geralt that shud be dead as well Yeneffer they die and the end of books and gmes are contynuations of story.. beside they have done changes to Distra too, added witcher, shools added lore mosters and locations but ok .. and there was in book that same girls go thru trials in past but most of them die because phisical constytution males are stronger..so better go with boys .