Swordsman duels · Superhuman
Musashi (Vagabond) vs Geralt of Rivia
The greatest human swordsman of his age meets a mutant built to hunt monsters.
Tale of the tape
| Vagabond | Universe | The Witcher |
|---|---|---|
| Street level | Tier | Superhuman |
| Instinct sharpened by hundreds of real duels | Strength | Witcher mutations, signs and two swords |
| Still a human swordsman in a world of monsters | Weakness | Needs potions and preparation to be at his best |
| 1–2 | Record on Versus | 2–2 |
The Arena
Geralt of Rivia followed a contract through a strange portal and came out on a mountain path in old Japan, where the mist hung low between the pines. A man was walking toward him with two swords at his hip, and Geralt’s medallion did not vibrate. Human. But Geralt had met many humans more dangerous than monsters.
Musashi stopped a few paces away and looked at the white-haired stranger with yellow cat eyes and two swords on his back. “You are not from here,” he said. Geralt shrugged. “No.” Musashi’s eyes narrowed with interest. “You carry two swords. Show me how you use them.”
Geralt sighed. He had been challenged by many swordsmen. Most of them were dead. But this one moved like water, and that made Geralt cautious.
Round One
Musashi attacked first, a sudden, formless strike from an angle that should not have worked. Geralt parried it with his steel sword, pirouetted and countered with a spinning cut. Musashi stepped inside it and nearly opened Geralt’s throat. Geralt leaned back an inch and felt the wind of the blade.
They fought along the mountain path, and for a while it was a duel between equals. Musashi was the better pure swordsman, his strikes impossible to predict. Geralt was faster, stronger and had a century of experience, fighting monsters that did not follow human rules either.
Then Musashi drew his second sword, and suddenly two blades were coming at Geralt at once.
The Turn
Musashi’s two swords drove Geralt back, cut by cut. He opened a long wound on Geralt’s arm and another on his side. Geralt grunted and retreated toward the edge of the path. For a moment, the greatest swordsman of feudal Japan looked as if he would win.
Then Geralt raised his left hand and made a sign. Aard. An invisible wave of force slammed into Musashi and threw him across the path into a pine tree. Musashi rose, bewildered. He had never fought anyone who could strike without touching him.
Geralt drank a small vial of something dark from his belt, and his eyes went black. His wounds stopped bleeding. His movements became faster. Musashi watched with growing understanding: this man was not entirely human.
The Finish
Musashi attacked again, adapting brilliantly, and almost broke through. But Geralt was faster now, his mutated body pushed further by the potion, and he used Quen, a glowing shield that absorbed a strike that would have killed him. Then he countered with a blow that knocked Musashi’s long sword from his hand.
Musashi fought on with the short sword alone, refusing to yield. Geralt used Axii, a sign that clouds the mind, and for a moment Musashi’s eyes went distant. In that moment, Geralt stepped in and stopped his silver sword at the samurai’s throat.
The mist swirled around them. Musashi’s eyes cleared, and he smiled. “You cheated,” he said. Geralt lowered his sword. “I hunt monsters. Monsters cheat too.” Musashi laughed, a rare, genuine laugh. They walked down the mountain together, two wanderers who had spent their lives looking for a fight worth having.
The verdict
Geralt of Rivia wins
Musashi is the better pure swordsman, but Geralt is a mutant with superhuman speed and strength, potions that heal and enhance him, and witcher signs that strike without a blade.
- SignsAard, Quen and Axii give Geralt tools Musashi cannot counter.
- MutationsGeralt’s body is faster and stronger than any human’s.
- PotionsThey heal his wounds and push his speed even further.
How the rematch could go differently: In a pure sword duel with no signs or potions, Musashi’s formless swordsmanship would make him the favourite.
Who do you think wins?
Who would win in a fight between Musashi (Vagabond) and Geralt of Rivia?
Geralt of Rivia wins. Musashi is the better pure swordsman, but Geralt is a mutant with superhuman speed and strength, potions that heal and enhance him, and witcher signs that strike without a blade.