Young love, it doesn't exactly apply to Geralt of Rivia since he's technically in his senior years already, but he gets no shortage of youthful and vigorous romance in The Witcher franchise. Thankfully, the Netflix show stayed faithful to this formula by showering Geralt with all the dysfunctional love and romantic opportunities he can have.
Suffice to say, there's no shortage of Geralt tossing salad (or coins) with several ladies in the show. The most notable of them, however, are Yennefer and Renfri. One is tied to Geralt officially; the other is dead but some of us fans feel like she has better chemistry with the witcher. So, let's compare Yennefer to Renfri to see who's the better option for Geralt's lonely and aching mutant heart.
WHY YENNEFER: IT'S THE CANON
First off is one of the most obvious reasons why Geralt belongs to Yennefer and vice versa because the books said so. Andrej Sapkowski himself (the books' author) has made it so that Yennefer is the recurring and longest romantic partner to Geralt. Those who have read the books will know that the two are like magnetic poles which sometimes attract and sometimes repel each other depending on Yennefer's mood.
In any case, the show has already explored this and there's no turning back. It's going to be Geralt and Yennefer from this point on so get used to the two's bickering, making up, making out, and bathtub scenes as well as plenty of third parties from each side. It's a dumpster fire, but it's as real as it gets when compared to real-life relationships.
WHY RENFRI: THEY UNDERSTAND EACH OTHER
Now, Geralt might have already stabbed Renfri... with a metal sword, and killed her, but there's no denying that the short time the two spent together is quite poetic. Both of them are hated by nearly everyone; Geralt is a mutant and is treated as less than human while Renfri's curse pretty much makes her a hate and violence magnet.
This is also probably why Geralt and Renfri immediately connected with each other. They both have had their own share of a cruel and heartless world and taking comfort in each other was one of the small fleeting respites they could have in their hard lives. Geralt most likely wouldn't see another person like Renfri again.
WHY YENNEFER: YENNEFER IS THE LESSER "EVIL"
This might be a little too subjective or in a gray area, but between Renfri and Yennefer, Renfri so far has the worse track record, at least for the first season of the show. Yennefer might have done some pretty disagreeable things but she mostly does it as a means to an end-- an arguably justified end.
Renfri, on the other hand, may or may not be cursed. She might have become who she is as a product of the people around her or it could be the other way around-- the chicken or egg conundrum. Regardless, Renfri has no qualms on murdering innocents and even has her own cutthroat gang which likely often up to some pretty horrible things.
WHY RENFRI: MORE COMPATIBLE
Here's the dilemma, Renfri might have been "more evil" but she looks surprisingly compatible with Geralt. As we mentioned before, both of them have the same poor history and experience and vibe well with each other. It's just that certain circumstances have led Geralt to killing Renfri or Renfri trying to murder Geralt and everyone else.
Their first meeting was even a lot more friendly compared to Geralt's first meeting with Yennefer. In fact, Renfri even saved Geralt from having to shed some blood (though she was also saving her henchmen in the process). In any case, their romantic tryst went a lot smoother and they even did it passionately in the woods instead of a ruined town hall.
WHY YENNEFER: DESTINY...
Destiny, it's a word that's enough to make many cringe. Heck, even Geralt cringes at the thought of his life being led by destiny. That is until destiny rears its ugly head and gives him Yennefer. Oh, and it also gave him Ciri, making the three of them a weird fantasy family.
Yennefer, like Ciri, is supposedly Geralt's destiny as well. Both of them are given to Geralt by chance. Though Geralt was smitten with Yennefer already after seeing her, he would arguably not be with her without the Djinn. That or destiny could well be another word for Andrej Sapkowski's whims for the franchise.
WHY RENFRI: IT'S REAL
We mentioned that Geralt and Yennefer were probably only together because of a stray Djinn. It was Geralt's last wish to the Djinn so he could save both himself and Yennefer from the creature's wrath and retribution. As a result, they were bound to each other and the love they have might not exactly be real.
With Renfri, however, everything is real. Since the two of them already had an emotional connection, their romance was rather seamless. What they felt for each other was real whether it was romantic or casual. Sadly, Geralt simply cannot have the same peace of mind with Yennefer as he'll be forever wondering whether what they feel for each other is authentic or just magic.
WHY YENNEFER: BOTH ARE MAIN CHARACTERS
As compatible as Renfri might be with Geralt, she simply wasn't supposed to have as much impact to the show. In the books, Renfri's storyline was but a mere short chapter which also resulted in Geralt getting his notorious "Butcher of Blaviken" title. Meanwhile, Yennefer's character is must more fleshed out, especially in the show.
After all, she's written as one of the main characters in the show, along with Geralt and Ciri. Renfri simply can't exist as a recurring character due to the nature of her curse and because she's also quite dangerous to keep alive given her penchant for banditry.
WHY RENFRI: THEY HAVE MORE IN COMMON
As mentioned earlier, Geralt and Renfri already share a common past where the world has done them wrong. Both are also wanderers who hunt down their own monsters (whether literal or figurative). If that's not enough for you, Geralt and Renfri were also abandoned by their loved ones as children.
Clearly, the two of them can relate to each other a lot more than Geralt and Yennefer can in the show. Both were also great combatants in their own way and look spectacular during their duel, even if their intent to kill each other was reluctant.
WHY YENNEFER: YENNEFER DOESN'T DIE
Now, since Renfri is not a main character, she's no as important as Geralt, Yennefer, or Ciri. Hence, she was easily dispatched and killed off in the first episode as is with the books. Yennefer simply won't get this treatment at any point in the show. The fact that she's alive in the games (which take after the books/show) gives her quite a thick plot armor.
That very well means Yennefer has several more lifetimes to spend with Geralt until *SPOILER ALERT* the witcher dies at the hands of humans. By that time in the show or books, you will have already forgotten Renfri's short-lived and wasted romantic potential with Geralt.
WHY RENFRI: DID NOT WANT TO HURT GERALT
Despite being a bloodthirsty cursed bandit, Renfri is surprisingly kind to Geralt. It's worth noting that she even saved Geralt from her own men in the first episode. Moreover, she also trusted Geralt well enough to inform him of her intentions. By comparison, Yennefer has intentionally hurt Geralt often emotionally by cheating on him many times over.
When push came to shove, Renfri simply had no choice but to try and kill Geralt either because of her curse or her lifelong goal of unleashing justice on the wizard who caused her suffering. Needless to say, it was a tragic death for Renfri since she was half-correct.