Geralt vs Link

Pre-Analysis
Alexander: Well, that was a short-lived break, but I’m back and ready to rock.

D1G1T: Well, we’ve got a great matchup today! We’re pitting two monster-hunting swordsman against each other!

Alexander: Geralt of Rivia, the elite Witcher.

D1G1T: And Link, the hero of time!

Alexander: I’m Alexander and this is my assistant, D1G1T.

D1G1T: And today, we open the battlerealm!

Alexander: Hopefully, D1G1T won't drool over Adult Link...

Geralt of Rivia
Alexander: The world of The Witcher is a hectic world. Monsters roam within the wilds, pirates plunder from sailing ships, and there are bandits everywhere you go. It’s generally a lot of death for the people. That’s why the world is also inhabited by mutated hunters of monsters known as, what else, witchers.

D1G1T: One witcher, however, happens to be well-skilled at his job. That would be the White Wolf… Geralt of Rivia.

Alexander: Geralt is well-skilled in the art of the sword, as well as the skills of alchemy. He can create many potions, oils, bombs and even mutagens of monsters he’s fought. He wields two swords into battle, one made of silver and one made of steel.

D1G1T: He also wears scaled armour as protection during battle, which seems to do its job incredibly well! He also has a wolf medallion that heightens all of his senses to inhumanly high strength. However, his biggest strength is his knowledge of signs.

Alexander: Aard is a sign which acts similar to a strong gust of wind. It allows Geralt to push back, stun or even send enemies flying. This is one of Geralt’s go-to signs.

D1G1T: Igni’s a pretty self-explanatory sign. It allows Geralt to shoot a small arc of fire at his foes, lighting them ablaze.

Alexander: Yrden allows Geralt to set up magical traps, which freezes an opponent it their tracks for a brief moment.

D1G1T: Quen provides Geralt with a magical barrier that protects him, so long as he doesn’t attack.

Alexander: Axii basically allows Geralt to temporarily alter the thought of his enemies. The scale of what he can do ranges from minor suggestions to stopping an opponent from attacking.

D1G1T: Heliotrop cushions both physical and magical attacks, making them hit a lot less wallop.

Alexander: And finally, Somne puts opponents to sleep for an unspecified amount of time. With his weapons, potions and signs, Geralt has accomplished more than enough to earn a title like Elite Witcher. He’s battled mighty giants, dragons, golems and even the equivalent to giant armoured spiders.

D1G1T: His best feat, however, is the fact he’s battled and slain most of the Wild Hunt, a group of elves who can travel through time and space!

Alexander: Despite all of this, he’s not as difficult to put down as you think. A well-placed stab or impalement could easily end him as fast as a normal man. But don’t mistake him for one, or else you could end at the end of his blade.

Link (Ocarina of Time/Majora's Mask Era)
D1G1T: EEEEEEE!

Alexander: Hold it together, D1G1T. We’ve still gotta analyze him. Anyways, Link is known as the Hero of Hyrule for centuries because of his victories over Ganon. However, we’ll specifically cover the Ocarina of Time/Majora’s Mask incarnation.

D1G1T: This version of Link carries a slingshot, a boomerang, potions and fairies in bottles and a bow. His bow can shoot both regular arrows and light arrows!

Alexander: He has access to three different bladed weapons. The first being the Kokiri Dagger, which is a decent weapon in it’s own right.

D1G1T: However, it’s overshadowed by Biggoron’s sword, which is much stronger. However, the real deal is in the Master Sword! This sword is also known as Evil’s Bane, and it’s incredibly useful against demons!

Alexander: He also has access to bombs, deku nuts and several different masks. These masks can do things, such as grow Link to massive sizes or to turn him into a fierce deity. On top of that, he has a hammer that causes earthquakes, elemental arrows, three different types of magic, bomb rats, a magic magnifying glass, a hookshot and the mystical Ocarina of Time.

D1G1T: With the Ocarina of Time, he can not only control time, but he can control the weather, too!

Alexander: He’s pretty strong, as he was able to defeat Ganon, but his greatest strength feat actually comes from fighting Majora. His speed is also pretty good, considering he’s able to dodge lightning.

D1G1T: He can also take a pretty rough hit, as he’s survived his own bombs, being hit by both Ganon and Majora and being hit with rocks as fast as fastballs. He’s also really good looking when he’s an adult.

Alexander: D1G1T, I knew you were gonna say that. However, Link is not invincible, as his magc and equipment is finite. On top of that, his weapons are about average effect to most normal people.

D1G1T: He’s still pretty good-looking, though.

Fight
Geralt was battling a manticore, his latest bounty to earn a few coins. He was about to kill the beast when Link stabbed it through the chest. Geralt then looked at Link. “Go home, kid. This is out of your league.” Link grabbed the Master Sword and Hylian Shield, preparing to prove his worth.

FIGHT!

Geralt opens the battle by taking a swing at Link with his fists. Link blocks the punch with his shield, then swings at Geralt with the Master Sword. Geralt dodges out of the way and punches Link from behind, knocking him to the ground, which Link recovers from rather quickly. Geralt uses Yrden to set a magical trap around him. Link attempted to fire arrows at Geralt, who caught the arrows and tossed them to the side. Link then fired an Ice Arrow at Geralt, which froze him in ice. Link leaped into the air and prepared to finish the battle with a jumping slash, but he got caught within the magic trap Geralt had set.

Geralt melted the ice with Igni and kicked Link out of the magic trap. Geralt pulled out his iron sword and walked towards the downed Kokiri boy. He quickly took a drink of a Blizzard potion, as Link stood up. Link took a drink of his red potion before grabbing his Megaton Hammer. Geralt threw a Dimeritium bomb at Link, who picked it up. Before Link could throw it back, the bomb went off, which didn’t actually hurt Link very much. Link then slammed the hammer down, only for nothing to happen. Geralt took out his crossbow and took a shot at Link, who took the bolt to his abdomen.

Link put on his Fierce Deity Mask, readying himself for whatever tricks Geralt had planned, yet Geralt took a stab at Link, who dodged out of the way. Link hit Geralt with his sword, sending him flying. Geralt struggled to get up, while Link prepared the killing blow. Link raised his sword to the air and swung down….

...Only for his sword to bounce off a magic barrier and send him flying. Geralt got up and drank a Full Moon potion, getting right back into combat. Geralt took a shot with his crossbow, firing an explosive bolt at Link. Link was sent flying, as his shield was knocked out of his hands. When Link landed, the Fierce Deity Mask fell off of his face. Geralt picked up the mask and crushed it. “Not dealing with that again.”

Link was about to drink another Red Potion, but Geralt knocked it out of his hands before he could. Geralt then stabbed Link through the chest with his steel sword. Link suddenly felt himself getting drowsy and passed out. This was because Geralt Somne to make Link sleep. He raised his silver sword into the air and swung down, decapitating Link.

“There. Now let’s see what you’ve got on you.” Geralt looted Link’s body and left, ready to collect his pay for killing the manticore.

Post-Analysis
Alexander: Well, D1G1T’s not gonna be happy with this, so let’s cover why Geralt won. Now on paper, Link should’ve trounced Geralt pretty badly, but we’re not using paper here. Geralt’s many potions do more than just heal damage done to him, as they can slow time, increase his strength and even make him invulnerable for a short time.

D1G1T: OKAY, START EXPLAINING! HOW DID LINK LOSE?!?

Alexander: I’m getting to that. Link also has a large arsenal of weapons and items that can do various things, but there’s only a select few that actually provide a big benefit to Link. Mainly, the Hylian Shield, Master Sword, Megaton Hammer, The Ocarina of time,his magic, bombs, arrows, the Fierce Deity Mask and jars of fairies, potions and milk. However, the Dimeritium bomb cancels out magic for a short period of time, so Link wouldn’t be able to properly utilize his magical weapons and items until the effect wears off.

D1G1T: But didn’t he kill Ganon? That makes him much more powerful than Geralt ever could be!

Alexander: Ah, I was waiting for you to bring up such a feat. While yes, he did battle Ganon, he was not the one to land the killing blow. That victory actually goes to Princess Zelda, since she killed him with a Light Arrow. Geralt, on the other hand, has battled against the Wild Hunt, a group of elves that were able to manipulate time and space to track down another Witcher by the name of Ciri.

D1G1T: But….. But what about his swordsman skills and the Hylian Shield?

Alexander: Link is honestly a great swordsman and could match Geralt easily, and his shield can practically protect him from anything, but it’s not too far of a stretch to say that Geralt could disarm him in battle. After all, Geralt has been in more battles than Link has and has even beaten people who fistfight on a daily basis to death with nothing more than his fists. And as for intelligence, Geralt always has his Wolf Medallion on him, which allows him to track down monsters through battlefield awareness and scent alone. On top of that, he’s been shown to be incredibly skilled with the Axii rune in manipulating a person’s thoughts. Link hasn’t shown any immunity to mental manipulation, as no enemies have shown to be able to do that.

D1G1T: But… But…

Alexander: Face it, D1G1T. Geralt just beats Link in this fight.

D1G1T: .....Fine…

Alexander: Looks like Geralt was just able to figure out the missing Link.

D1G1T: The winner is Geralt.

Results:

 GERALT:

+ Arsenal

+ Experience

+ Magic

+ Runes are simple to cast

+ Could keep track on Link

+ All of Geralt’s arsenal benefits him in combat

+ Dimeritium Bomb cancels out a lot of Link’s arsenal

= Strength

= Speed

= Durability

- Couldn’t get around the Hylian Shield through weaponry

 

LINK:

+ Hylian Shield blocks most of Geralt’s arsenal

= Strength

= Speed

= Durability

- Most of Link’s arsenal doesn’t benefit him in combat

- Couldn’t find a way to trick Geralt’s medallion

- Dimeritium Bomb proves to be a problem

- Lacks skill in hand-to-hand combat

- Arsenal

- Ocarina and other magic takes time to perform

- Experience

- Magic