Syanna vs Renfri: Who Was More Evil in The Witcher Universe?

The Roots of Their Tragedy

The Witcher universe apparently loves stories where characters are doomed by things they never chose. That is exactly the case with Syanna and Renfri. Syanna from Witcher 3 Blood and Wine game was born under a celestial omen that marked her as cursed. Instead of protecting her, her family cast her aside, treating her as unwanted while her sister Anna Henrietta was adored. That rejection planted the seeds of bitterness that never left her. As Syanna grew up, she began hating her sister the most, and even after her exile, this hatred continued inside her.

Renfri from Netflix’s Witcher faced a similar fate. She was born during the Curse of the Black Sun, which meant nobles and sorcerers believed she was destined for cruelty and madness. Before she even had a chance to live, she was branded a monster. The sorcerer Stregobor turned her life into hell would have likely killed her, had she not escaped. Just like Syanna, she never had a fair start.

How They Chose to Fight Back

Once we know their childhood scars, the real Syanna vs Renfri comparison begins. Renfri chose revenge in its rawest form. She lived by the sword, gathered a band of outlaws, and set her sights on Stregobor. Her plan was simple: if Geralt did not help her, she would massacre innocents in Blaviken to lure the mage out. Her response to pain was direct violence.

Syanna from Witcher 3 Blood and Wine took a different path. She played a long game, using manipulation instead of blades. She captured a powerful higher vampire Dettlaff’s heart, twisting his love for her into a weapon. Through him, she aimed to strike back at Anna Henrietta and the court that shunned her. She did not personally swing a sword at villagers, but she succeeds to kill all her targets including her sister, unless Geralt intervenes. And though she did not target or kill any innocents, her schemes unleashed Dettlaff’s fury, leading to the deaths of hundreds across Toussaint. While Renfri’s violence was blunt, Syanna’s was clever and cruel in a quieter way.

Who Had the Darker Intentions?

This is where the debate heats up. Renfri from Netflix’s Witcher was openly ready to kill innocents. Her intentions were clear, even if Geralt stopped her before she could make Blaviken bleed. Syanna, meanwhile, never directly targeted common folk, but her manipulation of Dettlaff caused far greater bloodshed than Renfri ever managed. Hundreds of civilians died because she manipulated Detlaff, and her sister decided to protect her from him.

So in this Syanna vs Renfri comparison, it becomes a question of what matters more: intent or outcome. Renfri had the sharper evil intention, but Syanna’s plan created the larger catastrophe. Whether we look at Witcher 3 characters and the Netflix show characters, we can see how blurred morality is in this universe.

The Chance of Redemption

Here is where their paths truly split. Renfri showed no interest in redemption. Even when Geralt offered her other paths, she doubled down on vengeance. Her story ended in blood, leaving no room for change.

Syanna from Witcher 3 Blood and Wine, however, shows a spark of something different. If Geralt pursues her storyline in the Land of a Thousand Fables, she can be convinced to meet Dettlaff. She knows full well that Dettlaff may kill her, yet she agrees to the meeting to prevent more innocent deaths. That choice suggests that beneath her bitterness, she had not lost all humanity. Unlike Renfri, Syanna had at least the possibility of redemption, fragile as it was.

Final Verdict: Who Was More Evil?

It is to be remembered that both the women were victims first, villains second. Renfri from Netflix’s Witcher was brutal and honest in her cruelty, while Syanna from Witcher 3 Blood and Wine was cunning and manipulative. One threatened to kill innocents directly, the other caused the deaths of hundreds indirectly. When comparing these characters, it feels fair to say Renfri was darker in intent, but Syanna’s actions left a wider trail of destruction.

In the end, the real answer to Syanna vs Renfri depends on how you weigh motives against consequences. If you judge by motives, Syanna comes ahead as the less evil of the two, since she never directly set out to kill innocents and even risked herself by agreeing to meet Dettlaff in the hope of preventing further bloodshed. That willingness to face danger for redemption makes Syanna the one with a spark of humanity left. This is why the Witcher 3 game even allows us to save her, if we make the right choices. Meanwhile Renfri’s path ended only in vengeance and blood.

You can read our full review of Witcher 3 here, where we explain how the game still stands strong in 2025