History Awesome / TheWitcher

** Geralt using both the Quen and Aard Signs in tandem to unleash a ChargeAttack that is literally a ''torrent storm'' of Hex power crackling from the monster hunter's hands. Also, the smirk he gives when he releases the Sign, sending Adda flying past and off her four paws for the second time due to the abrupt change in pressure when she manages to crawl up to him; roaring, just inches away from the source.

* During a battle between Nilfgaard and the remnants of Lyria for a bridge spanning the Yaruga, Cahir and Geralt lead the breaking and fleeing Lyrian and Rivian infantry back to the front through a combination of shaming and charisma and hold the Nordling flank of Queen Meve's partisan army against the full might of Black Ones. Not for any ideology, but to defend Milva as she's [[PregnantBadass miscarrying]] on the shoals beneath the overpass due to an arrow wound; while Regis attempts to save her life with his medicinal knowledge.

[[folder: Netflix universe]]

* See more under ''Series/TheHexer''.

[[/folder]]

*** The brief and intense face-to-face moment where he reflects her primal aggression right back at her, also perfectly encapsulates the fact that for witchers to fight the monsters of the Continent, they really are NotSoDifferent, at least in genetic construction.

* Merigold's Hailstorm. Yennefer's Shield.

* The ''epic'' MookHorrorShow that Ciri subjects her pursuers to on the frozen and fog-laden surface of lake Tarn Mira, utilizing the skates that belonged to Vysogota's daughter and her [[ChekhovsSkill childhood proficiency in the art]] she honed on the fjords of Ard Skellig, she blitzes them with hit and run attacks that leave four men maimed to death, another [[FriendlyFire accidentally]] killed by a panicked Stefan Skellen while one of the last breaks down in tears and flees on all fours to be cut down in the mist. Rience also gets a deliciously appropriate KarmicDeath for crushing Yennefer's fingers with thumbscrews and threatening to do worse to Ciri with his own hands by falling through the ice (due to his own botched spell) and as he grasps desperately for leverage, Ciri cuts eight of his phalanges off with the blades on her boots during a run-up pitch perfect speeding swerve that sends him under the floats and into the frigid depths to drown with the others. Only Skallen and two of his men survive the massacre and then only due to Ciri's mercy.
** Bonhart being brave enough not to turn tail and run from the Wraiths of the Wild Hunt who block his path after Ciri. Fortunately his horse isn't as courageous, (or as sociopathic) and it is likely he thought the cavalcade were a mere illusion.

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[[folder: 2019 Netflix Series]]
* Geralt's hunt with the scaled up swamp kikimore. Somehow managing to battle the monster while submerged, parrying it's arachnid, stabbing claws, before plunging the old silver sword into its mouth and up through its brain. Cavill's White Wolf has arrived.
* The Butchering of Blaviken is done in a [[TheOner one take shot]] from when the first cross-bow bolt is launched at Geralt. Blink and you'll miss it, but while Geralt is dealing with his third opponent, he reverse-grip bats another bolt past his own head!
** The first human kill Geralt performs. Once again shoving a sword through his foe's mouth, then ''[[{{Gorn}} levering the flat through his skull]]''!
* Princess Renfri, the Shrike herself battling the Witcher to a near standstill with short-sword and dagger, laying three cuts on him before finally being disarmed. Whether because of her own mutation, or Geralt holding back, she leaves an indelible impression on Geralt for the rest of his days.
* Cirilla using her powers as a Source to scream the house down on her captor, Cahir. First causing his horse to rear and collapse, then to repulse his attempt to restrain her, followed by toppling a monolith that then splits the earth into a great chasm between them.
* The Contract to lift the Striga Curse from Adda the White. Geralt tries to open the hunt by entrapping her in a silver chain lariat, that's pretty much the only part of the fight lifted from the page. After she busts the bonds Geralt is forced to use the Aard to such an extent that the old castle floor collapses them both into the crypts.
** No silver-studded gauntlets for our witcher? Just pull out a silver, snarling wolf-snout knuckle duster! One that Geralt uses to punch Adda across the cellar as she dives at him!
** Most of the cinematography of this sequence is breathtaking. With a ghastly screeching Adda, backlit by the moon through the Gothic arches, Yennefer writhing, drenched in blood as fire rages against her side profile. The blue-white illumination of the witcher signs as they cut through the dark. And the god rays of the dawn sun creeping into the catacombs as the Striga Princess advances on a battle-torn Geralt.
** Geralt foot-ball spearing Adda away from her mother's tomb as she tries to outrun the rising morn.

* Geralt's hunt with the scaled up swamp kikimore, somehow managing to battle the monster while submerged, parrying it's arachnid, stabbing claws, before plunging the old silver sword into its mouth and up through its brain. Cavill's White Wolf has arrived.

* The Butchering of Blaviken is done in a =[OneTake]= shot from when the first cross-bow bolt is launched at Geralt. Blink and you'll miss it, but while Geralt is dealing with his third opponent, he reverse-grip bats another bolt past his own head!

* The Butchering of Blaviken is done in a =[[OneTake]]= shot from when the first cross-bow bolt is launched at Geralt. Blink and you'll miss it, but while Geralt is dealing with his third opponent, he reverse-grip bats another bolt past his own head!

* A captured Yennefer humiliating Bonhart when he brags about how he's killed witchers in single-combat and will do the same to Geralt. He promptly tries to rape the sorceress when she insults him for a coward too many times only to have his eye nearly taken out with [[ImprovisedWeapon a fork]] she secretly pocketed at [[NoMrBondIExpectYouToDine Vilgefortz's table]], which she plunges deep into the sadist's cheekbone and though Yen's dress is torn off and she is given a shiner among other injuries, she definitely makes the bounty hunter come out of the engagement in a ''far'' worse state; breaking his nose by smashing a stool in his face and slashing him with the edges of her dimeritium shackles. The topper to this scene is that when Bonhart wants her guards to help him hold her down so he can exact some payback, they both refuse as they know [[TheDreaded Geralt]] is coming for them!

-->She avoided the cowardly attack with a half-turn and jumped away. She immediately shifted and struck, hard and strong, with her whole arm, strengthening the cut with a twist of her hips. Swallow whistled and cut with the tip of its blade. Bonhart clutched at his throat. [[ThisCannotBe His fish eyes bulged from their sockets]].

* No more running. Ciri stands firm against MasterSwordsman Leo Bonhart and uses her pendulum balance beam training to score blows against a vastly more experienced fencer which causes him to fall from the rafters and cripple himself. Even better, not only does this ImplacableMan beg for clemency from the girl he's psychologically and physically tortured but when Ciri scorns him a CoupDeGrace, takes his witcher medallion trophies and leaves him to die, he tries a last ditch attack which ends in a textbook BackstabBackfire.

-->She avoided the cowardly attack with a half-turn and jumped away. She immediately shifted and struck, hard and strong, with her whole arm, strengthening the cut with a twist of her hips. Swallow whistled and cut with the tip of its blade. Bonhart clutched at his throat. His fish eyes bulged from their sockets.

-->Ciri stood over him. Without saying anything. But ensuring that he saw. That this last image would be the image that accompanied him wherever he went.

** Then clobbering Javed with your spiked glove after you solve the massive Salamandra case in Chapter II, and find out he's posing as Raymond with a magical illusion. Then you get to take on both him and the Professor within a burning circle of fire, sometimes at night and nearly always in the pouring rain, with embers dancing all around. ''[[VisualEffectsOfAwesome Epic]]''.

* When a dozen of Salamandra's hired bandits try to rush a weakened Geralt on the battlements of Kaer Morhen in the prologue, the White Wolf leads them up the ruined turret staircase and leaps up just as a section of the steps crumbles under the combined weight, sending three of his pursuers plummeting to their doom.

*** Geralt manages to get the best of both of them in regards to fencing. So the prof is forced to use an alchemical gas bomb to bring Geralt to his knees, then the pair of them ''flee'' through a teleportation portal before ''[[TheHunter he]]'' recovers!

* Yes, the TV Show version may be packed with NarmCharm, but it still has plenty of awesome moments and Michał Żebrowski really tries his hardest to portray the itinerant monster slayer.
** The fact that Geralt pretty much fights a renegade Witcher in nearly every other episode. And ''wipes the floor'' with them, as his mutations are more advanced. And his [[CharlesAtlasSuperpower abilities]] more honed.
** One for whenever Geralt preaches tolerance for sentient monsters that co-exist without directly harming humans.
* At the beginning of episode one, the boy who'd become the White Wolf pulls the [[CoolOldGuy Elderly Witcher's]] dagger away from his father's throat and decides to leave voluntarily.
** The random Witcher who's attacked by the Scoi'atel. He becomes a HumanPincushion yet still takes down two of the elven archers. And only succumbs when he's riddled with five shafts sticking out of his torso. Later, it's revealed that he was OnlyMostlyDead and manages to ride all the way back to Kaer Morhen and present the guerrillas' heads!
** Kid!Gwynbleidd surviving the [[FeelNoPain Trial of Pain]], [[BioAugmentation Trial of Grasses]], [[CursedWithAwesome Trial of Dreams]] and the [[TookAlevelInBadass Trial of Mountains]].
* Episode two is filled with so many [[EstablishingCharacterMoment establishing character moments]] for adult Geralt's badassitude, including:
** Ozbert, a [[DrillSergeantNasty bullying master Witcher]], canes his student, Gascaden, over the head until he's bleeding and concussed; for not being able to throw him off his horse during training. Geralt [[CherryTapping avoids his blows]] until the ''master'' is suitably pissed off.
-->'''Ozbert:''' Stay still, coward!
-->'''Geralt:''' ''(slow-motion judo flips him out of the saddle)''
** Cold-cocking Clovis in the face after he makes lewd gestures about the sisters of another Witcher school.
** Hell. He's also the ''only'' Witcher wily enough, [[CanonDefilement (out of this quasi-Jedi, equal sex-opportunity, corrupt elements iteration of the order)]], to be a CombatPragmatist, utilizing mis-direction, tactical withdrawals, grapples and throws and mixing them into his sword-play.
-->'''Adela:''' Fight the normal way.
-->'''Geralt:''' ''(grinning)'' What does it mean, 'normal'?
** Our protagonist being forced to stand on a stump known as 'the square' for two days and nights as punishment for his unorthodox ways against the Witcher Code. Out of the three students forced to endure this torture; Geralt is the only one who doesn't collapse from muscle spasms. Then he defeats a vengeful and jealous Novitiate Witcher a mere hour later by making his rush attack carry him over the edge of a cliff!
** Geralt defeating Witcher Thornwald in mortal combat, despite being weighed down by bulky armour and facing down a ''very'' experienced member of the Wolf School, who had not only been on the path long before his own metamorphosis, but who had also made his career by being the only Witcher to successfully fight in full plate as his signature style.
* By episode three: the White-haired Wanderer shows us the full extent of his enhanced senses by using powdered elixir to increase the sensitivity of his hearing and sight to near supernatural levels and locate patrols over a mile away. Thereby being able to avoid most of Falwick's men-at-arms while trying to get [[GirlOfTheWeek Moren]] back to her home, in Brokilon.
* Halfway through episode four, (though it's followed by the first truly bizzare moment in the series; where our protagonist does ''something'' to Yarpen with his sword.) Geralt trying but failing to rescue a dangling Yennefer, and then Dandelion saving the pair of them from falling down the ravine by being the only one to lower them a rope.
* Some [[TeensAreMonsters human youths]] mock Geralt's profession and call him a changeling at the beginning of episode five. Geralt shuts them down pretty damn fast.
** This exchange.
-->'''Herbolth:''' You're drunk, Witcher. Do you ''want'' trouble? Watch yourself, or you'll end up in the dungeon. Or on the end of a rope.
-->'''Geralt:''' ''You''. Are threatening me? ''(takes steel sword off the table and leans it up casually)'' ''Try'' to take me.
-->'''Herbolth:''' ...
-->'''Geralt:''' See? You've got your power, your hired dogs, and your pants full of shit.
-->'''Herbolth:''' One hundred silver marks. Take them and leave Aedd Gynvael. I won't let Istredd risk his life for such a stupid reason, for some wh -
-->'''Geralt:''' Get your eyesore of a face away from me, Herbolth. [[ScrewTheMoneyIHaveRules And the money you can shove up your ass.]] Go. Away. ''Now.''
-->'''Herbolth:''' Alright then, I wanted to go easy and fair with you. A Witcher entangled in a woman's skirt? I thought you were the people's defender? Where's your honour? Your mission? Fine. Fight for this wench who will put out for anyone -
-->'''Geralt:''' ''(plants dagger between Herbolth's fingertips laying on the table in the blink of an eye)'' One more word... And this inn will ''burn'' with blood...
** Geralt killing the renegade Witcher Maranga like the [[SingleStrokeBattle little bitch]] he is.
* If you have to watch one episode in the series, this is it. Episode eight. Good ''God'', episode eight. 'The Crossroads', or as I like to call it. 'Geralt makes everyone his bitch.'
** When three vagabonds try and rob Geralt while at a bar in Vizima, the Witcher slaughters them to the last then uses the Axii sign, for the first time seen, on the guards that try to arrest him, making them take him to Velerad, the King's burgomeister; so he can inquire into a job that will become one of his most famous.
** Geralt's promise to Foltest that he will do everything within his power to lift Adda's curse.
** Ostrit having the brass balls to try and pay the Witcher off, and Geralt standing stock still, [[InTheHood idly resting on the pommel of his silver sword]] [[BlackCloak like a boss.]]
-->'''Ostrit:''' Look, I don't want you to kill her, Master Witcher. Here, a thousand Orens; now you're a wealthy man without the risk.
-->'''Geralt:''' I've taken the job and I will do it. I have nothing to do with your plots.
-->'''Ostrit:''' What are you talking about? ''(throws full coin pouch at his feet)'' Take it and get lost you tramp!
-->'''Geralt:''' It's clear you want to remove Foltest. That will go much easier for you and your co-conspirators if his only daughter is still hunting and eating people. You should go now, my Lord. It's getting dark.
-->'''Ostrit:''' Keep away! I have a turtle stone! I will kill you, Wizard! ''(draws sword and flails at Geralt)'' Your tricks won't do any good!
-->'''Geralt:''' ''([[NonchalantDodge leans aside of his swipe]] and [[TapOnTheHead raps him with the flat of his blade]])''
-->'''Ostrit:''' ''(collapses like a sack of shit)''
** Lifting the curse. The White Wolf scares the monster out of the child, with a combination of his sorcery and fearsome presence and when she, (partially cured), digs her clawed hand into his carotid, Geralt manages to subdue her with the mere touch of his silver sword, then staunch his bleeding before he passes out from the nerve damage.
* In episode nine: Geralt is riding down a road, when he's suddenly surrounded and stopped by lancers, Knights of the Order of the White Rose, and the captain of Hereward's guards, a dwarf named Dennis Cranmer along with his arch-nemesis, Count Falwick. Geralt is forced to accept the challenge of an arrogant young knight, Tailles, who you meet at the beginning of the second game; or face the gallows. [[DramaPreservingHandicap The rules of the duel further state that Geralt must be blindfolded and that if he even touches Tailles with his sword, the Witcher will be made to suffer a slow death.]] Geralt easily evades the inept slashing of the adolescent douche and the duel promptly ends when their blades meet and Geralt's parry causes Tailles' sword to bounce back and slash his own face. Falwick, seeing that the boy is injured, demands that the footmen seize Geralt, but Cranmer stops him stating that the rules of the duel were fulfilled "to the letter", and that [[MagnificentBastard Geralt is free to go.]]
* Geralt making a mockery of both Fifteen and Cykada, in episode ten, when the mercenaries both try to bully the monster slayer at separate intervals.
** Ciri telling Falwick off and ordering him to leave her sight when he lies about Geralt abandoning her. He does!
** Geralt trying to turn Renfri away from her hate-fueled crusade.
-->'''Geralt:''' There is no lesser evil, Renfri. Evil is evil and always will be. I won't kill Stregobor, and nor will you. I won't allow any carnage here. Give it up. All of it. Then you'll prove for yourself that you can cut this chain of fate. That you can forgive. You can become someone else.
* During the finale of episode ten: Renfri poisons Geralt while seducing him and leaves him for dead. But lo! We start up episode eleven revealing that that old Witcher metabolism has allowed our hero to crawl to his herbal bag and swig some Golden Oriole, burning out the arsenic the blood-crazed princess slips into his beer. He then soups himself up with so many potions and poultices that his pupils dilate to [[BlackEyesOfCrazy block out his golden iris'.]] Sufficiently buffed, Geralt goes to Blaviken's market square and ''annihilates'' Renfri's merry band of rapers and brigands.
** The half-elf, Civril, fires a crossbow bolt at the Witcher. Geralt doesn't just intercept the quarrel, but ''bats it aside'' fast enough that it still buzzes into a wood support!
** Special mention for Geralt's scary SlowWalk and his StealthHiBye in plain sight.
** Renfri DualWielding her scimitar and barbed cape against the Witcher and being the only human foe in the series to land [[JustAFleshWound a blow]] on him before her own demise.
* In the penultimate episode of the series, Geralt massacres his way through Falwick's compound in his search for Ciri, pulling off an awesome riding dismount, three ranged kills, along with [[CallBack employing several feints he used all the way back in episode two]], a healthy dose of the Naev'de Feaine Glaeddyv sword style while fighting multiple opponents simultaneously and to top it all off; Geralt does all this ''[[PapaWolf without]]'' the aid of any reflex or strength enhancing potions and manages to deflect two arrows, one after the other before running the archers down and stabbing Ciri's jailer through a door.
** Waiting for Falwick and his Nilfgaardian retinue to arrive so he can finally do away with the man he promised to kill all those years ago, Geralt [[ISurrenderSuckers lets himself be taken prisoner]], endures the Count's [[WhipItgood torture]] with [[FeelNoPain taut stoicism]], then turns his allies against him by using Ciri's absence as a construed betrayal on Falwick's part so that Baron Gausteberg, the Imperial Captain present, orders a [[TrialByCombat judiciary duel]] to determine who the liar is... Only Falwick sics his men on the witcher like the pussy he is.
** Geralt punching out Tailles once again and killing three more Knights of the White Rose while initially unarmed.
-->'''Geralt:''' Are you not going to blind-fold me this time?
-->'''Black One:''' ''(offers sword)''
-->'''Geralt:''' No. [[PreAssKickingOneLiner I'll take one from them.]]
** After Geralt has just proved to everyone present what a loathsome coward he is, Falwick draws his sword on Geralt and before it has even cleared his scabbard, [[SuperReflexes Geralt opens his throat from ear to ear]].
* Episode thirteen, Dandelion not only pushed a despairing Geralt into escaping the Nilfgaardians who were about to execute them by impaling but after they escape through a monster-guarded cave, he goes back and manages to steal some treasure from the same draconid or lesser vampire by ''throwing silver coins at it''!

** After punishing her with an interesting variant of the HeyYouHaymaker. The silver sword finally comes out. But at this point, all Geralt has to do is an IntimidationDemonstration coupled with a bit of a CloseCallhaircut that exemplifies his masterful control over blades, coupled with a brief and intense face-to-face moment where he reflects her primal aggression right back at her, and the traumatized girl of a monster runs for the hills.

* In '' 'The Edge of the World' '' a group of elves have Geralt and Dandelion at their mercy. Geralt negotiates a deal for his friend to go free, at which point Dandelion, resident LovableCoward, tells him exactly where to stick it and demands that if they touch Geralt then they damn well better kill him too, or he'll use his influence to set the entire world on elves everywhere until every last one is dead and their precious mountains ground to rubble. [[CowardlyLion Yeah.]]

* The pre-rendered introduction cinematic before reaching the main menu is a retelling of ''Wiedźmin'', published way back in 1991, and it's an excellent, action-packed sequence, staying almost entirely true to the original story, down to each individual blow. A breakdown on this fantastic intro to this mythos.

** After punishing her with an interesting variant of the HeyYouHaymaker. The silver sword finally comes out. But at this point, all Geralt has to do is an IntimidationDemonstration coupled with a bit of a CloseCallhaircut that exemplifies his masterful control over blades and the traumatized girl of a monster runs for the hills.

* The sadly never realised and heavily improved version of the first Witcher, Rise of the White Wolf, never made it to the Xbox 360, [=PS3=] or the PC but we do have this [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VSbfrDziiao ridiculously awesome pre-rendered cinematic]] of Geralt shadow training at his campfire in the dead of night. The animation or mo-cap, whichever it is, is ''slick as hell''.

* In '' 'The Edge of the World' '' a group of elves have Geralt and Dandelion at their mercy. Geralt brokers a deal for his friend to go free, at which point Dandelion, resident LovableCoward, tells him exactly where to stick it and demands that if they touch Geralt then they damn well better kill him too, or he'll use his influence to set the entire world on elves everywhere until every last one is dead and their precious mountains ground to rubble. [[CowardlyLion Yeah.]]

* No more running. Ciri stands firm against MasterSwordsman Leo Bonhart and uses her pendulum balance beam training to score blows against a vastly more experienced fencer which causes him to fall from the rafters and cripple himself. Even better, not only does this ImplacableMan beg for clemency from the girl he's psychologically and physically tortured but when Ciri scorns him a CoupDeGrace takes his witcher medallion trophies and leaves him to die, he tries a last ditch attack which ends in a textbook BackstabBackfire.

** Waiting for Falwick and his Nilfgaardian retinue to arrive so he can finally do away with the man he promised to kill all those years ago, Geralt [[ISurrenderSuckers lets himself be taken prisoner]], endures the Count's [[WhipItgood torture]] with [[ImmuneToPain taut stoicism]], then turns his allies against him by using Ciri's absence as a construed betrayal on Falwick's part so that Baron Gausteberg, the Imperial Captain present, orders a [[TrialByCombat judiciary duel]] to determine who the liar is... Only Falwick sics his men on the witcher like the pussy he is.

** Waiting for Falwick and his Nilfgaardian retinue to arrive so he can finally do away with the man he promised to kill, Geralt [[ISurrenderSuckers lets himself be taken prisoner]], endures the Count's [[WhipItgood torture]] with taut stoicism, then turns his allies against him by using Ciri's absence as a construed betrayal on Falwick's part so that Baron Gausteberg, the Imperial Captain present, orders a [[TrialByCombat judiciary duel]] to determine who the liar is...

** Falwick trying to kill Geralt from behind... [[BackstabBackfire He fails miserably.]]

* [[TheArcher Milva]] saving Geralt and Dandelion from a Nilfgaardian scout patrol; the White Wolf kills three but his still-healing leg betrays him and he falls against a wagon, about to be cut up by the heavy cavalry when Miss Barring annihilates each one of them with a single arrow for each of the five remaining attackers. Bonus points for the last shot being at near point-blank range.