History Characters / TheWitcherGeraltOfRivia

* MeaningfulRename: The "[[TheMagnificent of Rivia]]" part of his name was added by picking out of a bundle of sticks with different city names written on them. Initially, Geralt chose [[OverlyLongName Geralt Roger Eric]] [[SueDonym du Haute-Bellegarde]] as his first choice for the name, but Vesemir "explained" it'd be [[{{Narm}} awfully cheesy]]. The point of all of this was to make his name sound more impressive, which eases contacts with important employers.

* HandicappedBadass: He had his left forearm and his right femur shattered by Vilgefortz and spent 36 days receiving treatment. While he made a complete recovery, he still walks with a limp and is implied to have arthritis due to the means which his bones were healed. Subverted in ''Literature/LadyOfTheLake'', where Fringilla Vigo uses her magical abilities to cure these symptoms.

* ImpoverishedPatrician: An interesting subversion. Geralt was born a commoner but was later knighted for valor in combat. He has a coat of arms and is entitled to all the privileges of knighthood, but because he is a Witcher, he's more or less homeless and spends most of what money he has on food and equipment. It isn't until Blood and Wine that he fully utilizes the perks of being a knight, where he participates in a tourney and the Duchess gifts him a villa.

* OneTrueLove: Both Geralt and Yennefer have many lovers, but the saga makes it clear they are this towards each other. [[spoiler:However, this can be subverted in the 3rd game.]]

* GutturalGrowler: The books often describe his voice as "unpleasant," and sometimes "metallic." His English voice in the games is very hushed and gravelly, and the narrator for the later audiobooks followed in this stead.

** Although it seems an unfair stereotype that all 'witch-men' are licentious to the extreme, the third game mentions that witcher mutations do actually increase libido and Geralt is only too glad to prove this facet of mutant psychology true; [[note]]The mutations also make the witcher immune to conventional diseases (including STIs) and infertile, practically encouraging this lifestyle[[/note]] so he is rather popular with the ladies as a result. The first game takes it to brilliant but nigh farcical heights of Geralt perhaps laying three or four women in one day! And they aren't even courtesans!

* SuperToughness: He can survive fifty foot falls without breaking bones or tearing ligaments[[note]]except in ''Wild Hunt'' where falling about a storey into anything [[SoftWater but water]] is instantly lethal[[/note]], potions may be required. Not only did he survive a full human’s weight landing on him from a height without major injuries, he also managed to escort said human (Keira Metz) to safety afterwards. Also, even though he usually spends weeks on rehabilitation afterwards, he has often endured near-fatal wounds like getting his entire throat slashed open.

* GutturalGrowler: His English voice in the games is very hushed and gravelly.

* PreviousPlayerCharacterCameo: Since ''[[VideoGame/ThronebreakerTheWitcherTales Thronebreaker]]'' is told from Queen Meve's perspective, Geralt's hanse's BigDamnHeroes moment from the end of ''Literature/BaptismOfFire'' occurs late into the game, including a custscene of Geralt's {{Knighting}}.

* PsychicDreamsForEveryone: After Ciri goes missing, he starts having prophetic dreams about her.

* PreviousPlayerCharacterCameo: Since ''[[VideoGame/ThronebreakerTheWitcherTales Thronebreaker]]'' is told from Queen Meve's perspective, Geralt's hanse's BigDamnHeroes moment from the end of ''Literature/BaptismOfFire'' occurs late into the game, including a custscene of Geralt's {{Knighting}}.

* DeathSeeker: In one story, when faced with a choice between losing Yennefer to another suitor, killing his rival and losing her favor forever, or being killed by his rival, Geralt deliberately attracts the attention of some thugs while unarmed and suffers a beating. Once the assailants realize he's a witcher and he could have dispatched them with ease, one scolds him, suggesting Geralt should just hang himself rather than dragging others into his suicide, a sentiment he takes to heart and repeats to someone else the very next day.

* OverprotectiveDad: Towards Ciri. The bad endings in the third game are caused by him being too protective and not trusting her to make her own choices. However, even when he does give her freedom, he clearly gets antsy whenever she's in trouble.
-->'''Phillipa:''' Don't you think it's time you stopped interfering in Ciri's life?\\
'''Geralt:''' No.\\
'''Phillipa:''' Surely you realize we are not a pack of wolves you can drive away with a sword.\\
'''Geralt:''' Sure you are. And yes I can, if the need arises.

** That said, [[spoiler:the bad ending in the third game can be caused by being an OverprotectiveDad; if Geralt doesn't make her feel loved while at the same time nurturing her independence, then she will not believe in herself when she goes to face the White Frost, and she will die.]]

* BadassBaritone: Geralt is described as speaking in a raspy voice in the novels. In English version of games this is turned up to eleven, giving him an impressive, almost exaggerated GutturalGrowler. Depending on his tone, it's variously described as powerful, commanding, unpleasant or menacing. Some people [[BrownNote shudder or break out in a cold sweat at the mere sound of his voice]], even before knowing who or what he is. However, it should be noted his voice in other language versions is considerably softer and comes with much more range than just growls.

* PerpetualPoverty: Geralt has a hard time finding work in a world that has little need for monster-slaying anymore, and the few people who do need his services have little to offer in terms of payment. This leads to Geralt having barely enough money to stay fed and properly armed. Averted in the games, [[MoneyForNothing where it's pretty easy for the player to amass a small fortune]], and especially in ''Blood and Wine'', where he gets his own vineyard to spruce up into a possible retirement home.

* TerseTalker: Geralt speaks in to-the-point, protracted sentences, which enhances to his gruff, no-nonsense personality.

** On a darker note, the way he [[KillEmAll handled]] the whole Blaviken situation came up more than once in the books as the reason for his [[TheBrute nasty]] [[BloodKnight reputation]].

->'''Voiced by:''' Creator/DougCockle (English), Jacek Rozenek (Polish), Creator/KazuhiroYamaji (Japanese/games), Creator/HirokiTochi (Japanese/Netflix series), Creator/JoseGilbertoVilchis (Latin American Spanish/Netflix series), Vladimir Zaitsev (Russian/'''The Witcher'''), Vsevolod Kuznetsov (Russian/'''Assassins of Kings''' and '''Wild Hunt'''), Sergey Ponomarev (Russian/Netflix series), Daniel Lobé (French)

* NeutralNoLonger: In the third game, Geralt, who hates politics, is reminded of by Dijkstra of Radovid's monstrous reign being a danger to Triss and Yennifer because of the witch hunts and the witch-burning pogroms they carry out--meaning as long as the psychopathic Radovid's in power, the hunts go on and the two sorceresses Geralt is close to are in danger. When the time comes to take out Radovid, Geralt can side with Dijkstra, Thaler, Roche, and Ves to do so. [[spoiler:Dijkstra, potentially, finds this goes both ways when he tries to kill Roche, Ves, and Thaler as well; Geralt knows a witcher's "neutrality" doesn't mean he couldn't have been targeted as well -- four can die as easily as three, so he can aid Thaler, Roche, and Ves against Dijkstra. On the other hand, it's also possible for Geralt to walk away and let Djikstra kill them]].

** With the player able to make decisions and control his behaviour in the games, its easy to indulge in this; at one point in the third game, if the player wants, Geralt can get drunk with Lambert and Eskel, which leads to them drunkenly stealing Yennifer's clothes and prank-calling the Church of Eternal Fire's head priest with her megascope.

* PapaWolf: Towards Ciri. He gets to the point where he sees Ciri in any hurt girl, only to wonder later how could he not notice the difference. Once swore that he would kill anyone who dares threaten Ciri -- to Phillipa Eilhart and Keira Metz, that he would kill them mercilessly if they think to threaten her.

->'''Portrayed by:''' Michal Zebrowski (''The Hexer''), Creator/HenryCavill (Netflix series)

* RedBaron: Known as the White Wolf in the Nordling Kingdoms, also Gwynbleidd (Elvish for White Wolf) among the Elder Races and in Nilfgaard (where they use the Old Speech), the Butcher of Blaviken, and others. Wiki/TheOtherWiki lists "Hater Of Portals" as one of his nicknames.

* SuperToughness: He can survive fifty foot falls without breaking bones or tearing ligaments, potions may be required. Also, even though he usually spends weeks on rehabilitation afterwards, he has often endured near-fatal wounds like getting his entire throat slashed open.

* BadassBaritone: Geralt is described as speaking in a raspy voice in the novels. In English version of games this is turned UpToEleven, giving him an impressive, almost exaggerated GutturalGrowler. Depending on his tone, it's variously described as powerful, commanding, unpleasant or menacing. Some people [[BrownNote shudder or break out in a cold sweat at the mere sound of his voice]], even before knowing who or what he is. However, it should be noted his voice in other language versions is considerably softer and comes with much more range than just growls.

* DanceBattler: Witcher-taught swordplay was apparently described in the stories as dancelike, what with the multiple mentions of [[{{Ballet}} Pirouettes]] and such. Taken UpToEleven with the third attack in the first game's Group Style, which can easily be described as Death {{Ballet}}. Completely justified, since witchers make a living fighting monsters that can easily slaughter trained soldiers clad in full plate armor, they ''have'' to be able to dodge whatever is thrown at them.

* MrFanservice: The games give Geralt a ruggedly handsome appearance, chiseled physique, and enough {{Shirtless Scene}}s for anyone who doesn't mind the [[CoveredInScars scars]] to enjoy. There's also the infamous bathtub scene https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wg7GYkIe9sw.

* NeutralNoLonger: In the third game, Geralt, who hates politics, is reminded of by Dijkstra of Radovid's monstrous reign being a danger to Triss and Yennifer because of the witch hunts and the witch-burning pogroms they carry out--meaning as long as the psychopathic Radovid's in power, the hunts go on and the two sorceresses Geralt is close to are in danger. When the time comes to take out Radovid, Geralt can side with Dijkstra, Thaler, Roche, and Ves to do so. [[spoiler:Dijkstra, potentially, finds this goes both ways when he tries to kill Roche, Ves, and Thaler as well; Geralt knows a witcher's "neutrality" doesn't mean he couldn't have been targeted as well -- four can die as easily as three, so he can aid Thaler, Roche, and Ves against Dijkstra. On the other hand, it's also possible for Geralt to let Djikstra kill him]].

** With the player able to make decisions and control his behaviour in the games, its easy to indulge in this; at one point in the third game, if the player wants, Geralt can get drunk with Lambert and Eskel, which leads to them drunkenly stealing Yennifer's clothes and prank-calling the Church of Eternal Fire's head

* MetaphoricallyTrue: Yennefer asks him in the last book if he had even been with other women during their breaks. [[BlatantLies He says no]], and then explains that he only ever thought of her.

* BerserkButton: Threaten Ciri or Yennefer, and Geralt will gladly kill you. Go so far as to try and actually ''harm'' them, and he won't make it quick.

* BadassBeard: Usually he's portrayed with PermaStubble, but some artistic depictions give the witcher a beard. The third game in particular portrays Geralt as a bearded warrior in all the official materials, though the player can choose different styles of facial hair or maintain a clean shave.