When it comes to memorable characters from The Witcher franchise, the bard is right up there with Geralt of Rivia. Whether he's most familiar to fans in his CD Projekt Red incarnation, Dandelion, or the Netflix original series' Jaskier, he is the man behind the legend, spreading the tale of the Witcher's deeds in every village and tavern across the Continent.

Though they may essentially be the same man with incredibly similar personality quirks, the way Dandelion is portrayed in the video games is, at times, vastly different from the Jaskier of the show. Of course, this begs the question: Which version of the bard is the superior portrayal of the character?

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Dandelion Is the Essence of Experience

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Drawing players into the world of The Witcher, Dandelion played an essential role in all three of CD Projekt Red's video games. In the first game, he appeared at just the right time to remind Geralt of their everlasting friendship, even if the Witcher didn't quite believe the egomaniacal chatterbox was his friend.

By the The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings, Dandelion became the storyteller, walking players through the game's events as they unfolded in witty fashion that never failed to fluff up his own participation. When Geralt first encountered him in Flotsam, he was on the scaffold with Zoltan about to be hanged for debauchery. Not only was he secretly working as a spy for Vernon Roche, he used his skills as a bard to help Geralt seduce a succubus during an investigation in Vergen. The player could actually control Dandelion for a short time, choosing the right poetic phrases to woo her.

Dandelion returned to this role for The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, though from a more distant time and perspective. He had obviously grown older before sharing the tale of Ciri's second flight from the Wild Hunt and his own participation in the events. It's clear he's been through a lot, but his dedication to Geralt had only grown stronger, and there is deep honesty in his storytelling -- especially about himself. Dandelion never seems to waiver from pointing out what a buffoon he was, always making sure to put Geralt in the limelight.

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 Jaskier Raises Geralt's Deeds to Epic Heights

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One of the core differences between Dandelion and Jaskier is decades of experience. Jaskier, as portrayed by Joey Batey, displays a much younger, less experienced version of the bard on his climb to epic heights. He's something of a laughingstock when he first encounters Geralt, but having heard tales of the White Wolf, Jaskier knew he could latch on to Geralt's exploits and put a whole new spin on the Witcher's deeds. As Geralt rose, so too would Jaskier, finally achieving some much-deserved recognition for his talents as a storyteller.

Jaskier provides insight and credibility to Dandelion's claims that he's Geralt's best friend, which at times during the games is actually a bit hard to believe. The bard tends to get himself into a lot of scrapes, which Geralt is then prompted to pull him out of. Still, regardless of how annoying he can be, Geralt always saves the day, if a little begrudgingly. Understanding the history they share, which is established in The Witcher TV series, makes the version of the bard fans meet in The Witcher games a much more believable character. Without Jaskier to build him up, Dandelion cannot truly shine.

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Why Dandelion Is the Better Bard

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There's no denying that Jaskier is an epic bard in the making, and with a hit like "Toss a Coin to Your Witcher," one could almost write Dandelion off entirely. However, Jaskier is Dandelion's youth, the journey of a master storyteller in the making, and in the years following Geralt's original adventures he became almost as much a legend as the subject matter of his own stories.

Because of the way CD Projekt Red set up The Witcher games, one can easily argue that Dandelion is responsible for carrying on Geralt's stories after his original adventures. Dandelion becomes the reason no one on the Continent will ever forget the White Wolf, Yennefer of Vengerberg or the child surprise that sparked the world-breaking love of a father for the daughter fate gave him. It was Dandelion who kept the story going, even after Jaskier's work was seemingly done, and that is what makes Dandelion the superior incarnation of the bard.

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