The Witcher 4's hero was in front of us for years

The trailer opens with mirrored images as two girls get ready to face their destiny.

One is a young girl, a villager in an Eastern European village who is adorned with robes and flower crowns and is burdened with bringing “salvation” to her people.

The other is an adult woman, who we have known since she was little, as she sharpens her sword, dons her hood and follows in the footsteps of the villager who reminds her of herself.

Both chosen. Both burdened. Both with a destiny to fulfil but only one makes it out alive and that is our brand new Witcher.

But is she really brand new?

Check out the brand-new The Witcher 4 cinematic reveal trailer below!

Not if you have been paying attention.

The world premiere for The Witcher 4 aired during The Game Awards 2024 as CD Projekt RED revealed that it would be continuing the series with Ciri at the helm.

To many, the trailer was a celebration of all things they have grown to love since The Witcher was released back in 2007: a Witcher hunting monsters but realising that the monsters were human all along.

However, to some so-called fans who lurk in the depths of social media, Ciri becoming our protagonist for The Witcher 4 is nothing other than “woke”.

What does woke mean, you may ask? Well, I wish I could tell you but not even the people who throw it around know what it means so I have no hope of deciphering it.

However, it all boils down to a female protagonist which in itself boils down to outright sexism.

Not only that but if you have been paying attention to The Witcher franchise, both its video games and the book series that it was based upon, you will know that Cirilla Fiona Elen Riannon was always destined to take the mantle and title to follow in the footsteps of her adoptive father.

Of course, it is not necessary to have read the books by Polish author Andrzej Sapkowski. However, the most common and most-loved ending for The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt features a scene between Ciri and Geralt as he gifts her a silver Witcher sword.

When she asks if she can try the sword out, he replies with “Not here. You’ll have ample opportunity soon enough, Witcher”.

That very same sword can be seen in the brand-new trailer for The Witcher 4 as Ciri sheathes it alongside her steel variation.

Framed by her dual swords and adorned with a Lynx medallion, Ciri is the embodiment of a Witcher with elements taken from both Geralt and Yennefer seen in her design.

Her ashen hair is secured in a braid and the noticeable scar across her cheek has faded as she developed from a young girl into a woman.

However, why take my word that Ciri was always meant to be the face of The Witcher franchise?

Despite CD Projekt RED not needing to, the studio decided to take the time to explain why it decided to choose the Lion Cub of Cintra as its new protagonist, as opposed to sticking with Geralt of Rivia.

CD Projekt RED

According to executive producer Małgorzata Mitręga in an interview with IGN, Ciri was “the very organic, logical choice.”

“It was always about her, starting from Saga when you read it in the books. She's an amazing, layered character. And of course, as a protagonist we said goodbye to Geralt previously. So this is a continuation. I guess for all of us it’s like she was meant to be. That was always her.”

Despite this, her new design, as well as brand-new voice actress and modern-day graphics has led some supposed “fans” from calling her ugly and claiming that her role as protagonist will ruin the game before it has even been released.

Of course, it is no secret that the people making these comments have never seen a woman in real life so we can’t expect them to offer any valuable insight.

However, it seems as though sexism and homophobia come hand in hand as one Tweet that recently went viral saw the user reveal their prejudice by hoping that CDPR do not make Ciri gay.

Well, I have some bad news about that one too.

During the Ciri segment of The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, our young Witcher is able to visit a bathhouse and there, she is asked by another visitor if she had any attraction to a boy who saved her.

The player then has the choice between three dialogue options, with one stating “To tell the truth, I prefer women”.

Not only that but in the book series, Ciri is in a sexual relationship with a woman with many Witcher fans believing that she is canonically queer, more specifically bisexual.

The woman in question is called Mistle, a female member of a young gang of criminals who Ciri forms a relationship with during The Time of Contempt and Baptism of Fire.

It is not the most healthy of relationships as it comes during a time where Ciri is under a lot of pain and distress. However, the duo soon develop true feelings for each other despite ultimately parting ways.

CD Projekt RED

Mistle made such an impression on Ciri that the latter claimed that she would return to her beloved "in a six-horse gilded coach. With a retinue of courtiers" before sealing their fate with a matching tattoo of a rose on her inner thigh.

In the book series, Ciri eventually ends up with Galahad, one of the first men in her life but, as we already know, this does not make her any less queer.

Reddit user carcanclaw went into more depth when it comes to Ciri’s sexuality but it can be safely assumed that she is not straight and erasing her bisexuality would be incredibly disappointing.

Not only that but it’s just another example of these angry “fans” not having engaged with the source material at all, or even having played The Witcher 3.

“There was an intention behind this choice,” game director Sebastian Kalemba added.

“It was far from roulette. It wasn't random. I remember we had discussions nine years ago, we were talking about who's next? The very, very instant answer was Ciri. There are many reasons behind that. We've already mentioned a few. But she really deserves a stage and we want players to really experience her story because she has so much to tell, so much to prove.”

There is much more I can say here but at the end of the day, nothing anybody says will make a difference as Ciri will be our protagonist when The Witcher 4 is released in the future and I, for one, am overjoyed with this decision.