A same-sex kiss in the news season of Netflix’s The Witcher has fans investigating whether a key character is a lesbian.
Season four of the fantasy series, based on the books of the same name, debuted earlier this month to middling reviews.
Despite the mixed reactions, partiuclarly towards the series’ replacement for Geralt of Rivia, Liam Hemsworth, who joined the series after Henry Cavill’s departure, The Witcher fans have been losing it over a same-sex kiss which takes place in the season’s first episode.
During the debut episode, Ciri (Freya Allan), fleeing a local inn after the cataclysmic events of season three’s finale, rides off with her gang, the Rats. After they successfully escape, the group stay together for a barn dance.
During the event, Kayleigh (Fabiacn McCallum), tries to force himself upon Ciri, before being chased off by Mistle (Christelle Elwin). Alone together, Mistle and Ciri then share a tender moment and eventually kiss.
The touching scene naturally prompted gay internal screaming by many of the series’ fans. However, many who hadn’t engaged with the source material were confused by the scene and began questioning Ciri’s sexuality.
According to Google Trends, the search query “is Ciri a lesbian” skyrocketed following the series’ release earlier this month.
Ciri isn’t a lesbian in the books: she’s bisexual
Ciri’s sexuality is made explicitly clear by Polish writer Andrzej Sapowski, the author of the original books, who makes her identity as a bisexual woman a pivotal part of her story.
Her relationship with Mistle is explored in Time of Contempt, but the character shows explicit attraction to both men and women in the book series, which explictly defines her as a bisexual woman. The scene in season four episode one is, indeed, a direct adaptation of the events in the book series.
Fans of the fantasy franchise have also questioned how Ciri’s sexuality will be handled in the upcoming CD Projekt Red game, The Witcher 4, which will feature Ciri, rather than Geralt, as the main character.
In a December 2024 feature for The Gamer, journalist Jade King argued that the game must “embrace” the character’s queerness, adding that “I hope this comes across in actions and dialogue, instead of romance being something that is only ever decided by players.”
“No matter how it’s expressed, Ciri’s queerness needs to be present in The Witcher 4. It’s a fundamental part of who she is,” King continued. “I believe [CD Projekt Red] has the nuance required to do any relationship like this justice.
“Let Ciri kiss girls, play Gwent, and kill monsters. The order doesn’t matter, so long as it’s done right.”
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