Two of the best games of recent years have been The Witcher 3 and God of War. Both of these games have fantasy elements inspired by real-world myth and folklore. Each game also has fantastic nerve-racking action sequences which make for addictive fun.

Of course, both The Witcher and God of War franchise are defined by their protagonists. In fact, both are even named after said protagonists. This is not surprising, as both Geralt of Rivia and the war god Kratos are interesting complex characters who leave their mark on the world around them.

10 Similar: Kill Monsters

As a witcher, Geralt’s job is to kill monsters. From the winged griffins that terrorize their victims as they swoop down from the upper air to ghastly undead horrors like wraiths, there is no foe Geralt will will not take on. Basilisks, harpies, vampires, and drowners are just a few of the many noteworthy monsters encountered in the games.

Kratos has also taken on his fair share of monsters. His first ever game, the original God of War, opened with him battling the multi-headed Hydra. He then went on to fight gorgons, centaurs, and cyclopses.  In the new 2018 God of War game, he continues fighting monsters, such as the floating black eyes who literal Nightmares and the reptilian tunnel-digging tatzelwurms.

9 Different: Motives

Geralt is pretty clearly driven by one simple motive: profit. People approach him and tell him how their lives are being threatened by various supernatural threats. He responds to by haggling over the price of what he will charge to kill these monsters. There are other things that drive him too, like helping the people he cares for, but Geralt is predominantly driven by self-interest.

In the early games, Kratos’s main motive was vengeance. His rage was something truly monstrous to behold as he devastated gods and monsters, thus becoming a monstrous god. In the newest game, he is driven by the hope that he can be better than his worst impulses.

8 Similar: Incredibly Strong

Human beings have a lot going for them but at the end of the day, most are weak flesh sacks who just can’t withstand the awesome might of the supernatural beings out there in the world. Of course, Geralt is a human–or was one–but the process of becoming a witcher fundamentally changed him, magic and herbs augmenting his abilities. He gained enough strength to be able to slay the monsters he hunts.

Kratos is no longer even a human being. He has become something far stronger, his blood-soaked apotheosis transforming him into a god.

7 Different: Strength Levels

As a witcher, Geralt has proven his mettle. He has sent the undead screaming back to their graves and hacked winged harpies from the air.

Kratos considers such displays of strength laughably pitiable. As the god of war, his strength is not merely godlike. He literally strikes with the literal force of god, smiting his foes and slaying even the immortals, his might reshaping reality itself. If one needs an example of his power, let it be noted that the guy literally kills immortals with his bare hands.

6 Similar: They’re Parents

One of the most endearing aspects of the Witcher series is Geralt’s relationships with others. Of all the people he is close to, no one is dear to him as his adoptive daughter, Ciri. Watching her grow into a young independent woman is one of the joys of being a long-time fan and it is clear there is nothing Geralt wouldn’t do for her.

The best addition to the narrative style of the newest God of War game is watching try to Kratos mentor his son, struggling as a father. His role as a parent has always been what defined him.  In the original 2005 game, he set out for vengeance after he was manipulated into murdering his family.

5 Different: Nature of Family

As was said before, Ciri is the adopted daughter of Geralt. She was promised to him in payment for services he rendered to the royal family of Cintra. Being adopted does not make her any less family, though, and Geralt would do anything for her.

On the other hand, Kratos’s son Atreus is his biological son. Kratos and a frost giant had the boy together, and while Kratos calls the boy by his Greek name, the giants have another name for the child.

4 Similar: Well-Traveled

Geralt might be from Rivia originally, but he is one of the most far-traveled people in the world of the Witcher. He has traveled through the northern kingdoms, having ventured as far the isles of Skellige to the stone palace of Vizima. No matter how far afield he goes, he has continually returned his home in the craggy valley of Kaer Morhen.

Kratos also has journeyed far. Born in Greece, he left Sparta and has traveled through the nether realms and up the slopes to the summit of Mount Olympus. More recently, he has made his way northward into Norway.

3 Different: Fighting Style

The fighting style of a witcher involves the use of one of two longswords: a steel blade for humans and a silver blade for monsters. Geralt masterfully swings his sword in tight arcs, dodging out of the way of attacks and hurling foes at his enemies.

Kratos used to fight with a weapon unique to him, dual-wielding lengths of change attached to which were massive serrated blades. Since moving to Norway, he has taken up the use of a massive battle axe, something far less ostentatious.

2 Similar: Irreverent

Geralt is not exactly a religious man. Whether it is because all he has personally endured or due to a distrustful cynicism that comes from the knowledge he has acquired about hard truths, he sees no reason to venerate gods.

Then there is Kratos: the ultimate blasphemer. He may have become a god, but given all the terrible things he has done, this is just further proof to him that he should not trust gods. He has slain many of them and will almost certainly continue to do so.

1 Different: Source of Their Powers

Witchers are physiologically augmented with herbs and magic to change their bodies, making them stronger, enhancing their senses, and giving them longer life. Additionally, they have incredible training unique to their order.

In the case of Kratos, the source of his power is much simpler: divine intervention. He was already strong as a human, but he became stronger through the aid and manipulation of gods until he became one himself.

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