Letho of Gulet, the witcher from the Viper School is one of the most prominent characters in The Witcher universe. Depending on how familiar you are with the world, including all the games and books, you may or may not know much about him.
Those who only played The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt or watched the Netflix series will likely not know a lot about Letho's background. He has had a large role, playing both antihero, adversary, and even ally, to Geralt. His past is a complicated one and the following list reveals some intriguing facts you might not have known about the witcher.
10 It's Possible That Letho Won't Turn Up In The Game At All
For those who have never played a game in The Witcher universe before, you might miss out on your chance to meet Letho altogether.
If you killed Letho in The Witcher 2 and then import that save to The Witcher 3, Letho will stay dead and not show up in the "The Fall of the House of Reardon" quest. The same goes for when you're questioned early in the game, if you say you didn't spare Letho, then he won't appear.
9 Letho Is One Of The Last Remaining Witchers Left In The World
Depending on how much knowledge you have about the overall franchise, you might not be aware that Letho is one of the few remaining witchers in existence alongside Geralt himself, Vesemir, and a few others.
If you manage to kill Letho in the game, then that makes the numbers dwindle down even lower. You can also get the ending in the game that will allow Ciri to go on and become a fully trained Witcher herself, she'll be the first new one in a long time.
8 He Has Something In Common With Game of Thrones' Jaime Lannister
Did you know that Letho has a somewhat familiar nickname? Yes, he too is called the "Kingslayer" just like Jaime Lannister from Game of Thrones. The comparisons mostly stop there but it's interesting to see two very popular fantasy franchises both have notable characters who have made a reputation for themselves by murdering a couple of kings.
That said, "kingslayer" is actually a fairly common term in fantasy but there is a lot of overlap between the two fandoms and they like to compare and contrast Letho and Jaime.
7 Letho Was The Main Antagonist In The Witcher 2
A lot of fans were introduced to The Witcher universe by playing The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt and therefore never had the opportunity to play The Witcher 2. As such, they may not realize what Letho's appearance in The Witcher 3 truly means.
He was actually the main antagonist in the second game, as he worked for King Foltest as his hired killer to take out other kings in the Northern Realm. Letho and Geralt eventually have to face-off against each other in a final duel.
6 Letho Is One Of The Only People To Beat Geralt In A Fight
Geralt is one of the best out there when it comes to combat. He is easily one of the most formidable witchers in existence. It is very hard to beat him in a fight, but Letho managed to do it. He is one of only two people that has ever bested Geralt.
The other was a powerful sorcerer. To be fair, when Letho defeated Geralt in The Witcher 2, Geralt was not up to full power. But, Letho could have killed him if he wanted to, he only stopped because Geralt once saved his life and he felt he owed it to him to pay him back.
5 Letho Can Make Geralt Break His Witcher Code
Geralt has a "code" that he refers to often, both in the books and in the games. There is technically no real rule book for witchers but Geralt operates by a strict code and one of those rules decrees that he will not kill another witcher.
Well, that rule is thrown out the window on a few occasions. He has to make some hard decisions when it pertains to witchers causing harm to people, such as in the case of Letho, who you have the option to kill multiple times.
4 Letho Believes That Women Should Rule The World
If you decide you don't want to invite Letho with you to fight together at Kaer Morhen, then he will discuss the possibility of going to Zerrikania, which is a realm known for being a matriarchal society.
Letho says that he would go there since he believes women should be in charge. The way he says it is delivered in his typical ambiguous manner so it's nearly impossible to tell if he's being serious or not, but it certainly gives fans something to consider.
3 Letho Was Once Almost Killed By A Slyzard
Letho and Geralt met because Letho was on the verge of death after getting hit by the tail end of a Slyzard in the forests of Angren. Geralt ended up saving Letho's life, which is why the other witcher spared Geralt after defeating him in battle in the second game.
Slyzards are massive, gray, flying reptiles. They can grow as large as a dragon and when they swing their tail at you, it can end your life quite fast. Even the most skilled witchers cannot reflect the blow.
2 Letho Has Had Some Kind Of Interaction With Both Of Geralt's Main Romances
For those who are unfamiliar with the franchise outside of The Witcher 3, you might not know that Letho is pretty familiar with both Triss and Yennefer, not in a romantic sense, but due to various circumstances.
He helped Geralt rescue Yennefer from the Wild Hunt at one point and then helped get her somewhere safe after Geralt traded himself for her. He also kidnapped Triss to use her magical ability to teleport, although he had no ill will toward her.
1 Letho Was Betrayed By Emperor Emhyr
The whole reason that Letho began slaughtering kings was that he had been promised that upon doing his bidding, Emperor Emhyr would rebuild the School of Viper. Unfortunately, Emhyr not only goes back on his word, ultimately betraying Letho, but he also puts out a bounty on him and forces him to go on the run if he wants to stay alive.
While Letho has been labeled a villain by some, he has mostly just done what he had to do to gain back his school, it may not be dissimilar to what Geralt himself would have done under similar circumstances.