In The Witcher universe, Witchers are mutated monster slayers that underwent extensive mental and physical training in one of the eight witcher schools of the continent. The rigorous training, alongside intaking various mysterious alchemical mixtures, known only to the Witchers, drastically enhanced the physical appearances of young witchers.
Ciri, who despite possessing the agileness and finesse of a witcher, isn't an actual witcher. However, as Ciri grows up, as shown in both The Witcher novels and The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, she starts to look a lot like a witcher. Here's why that happens.
Ciri's Resemblance to a Witcher Explained
The Witcher's trial of the grasses was the most crucial step towards becoming a witcher, whose successful completion granted young witcher aspirants with lightning fast reflexes. Sadly, only four out of ten boys survived the trial of the grasses and became a witcher. Like Vesemir, Geralt, Lambert, Eskel, and other witchers, Ciri never underwent the trial of grasses. This was primarily due to the fact that the last wizard who could perform the trial of grasses died or disappeared during the storming of Kaer Morhen castle in the 1170s.
In the year 1265, Ciri did receive witcher training at Kaer Morhen by Vesemir, Geralt, Lambert, Eskel and Coën. Ciri relentlessly practiced fencing and drank infusions of mysterious herbs and mushrooms found beneath the mountains of Kaer Morhen to improve her metabolism and physical development. With its help, Ciri acquired the immunity and finesse of an actual witcher, which explains why she grew up to look like one.
Ciri picks up a lot from her surrogate father, Geralt, her destiny, though there is also stuff that is purely coincidental. In The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, Ciri and Geralt have vaguely similar hair colors. Where Ciri's is ashen-grey, Geralt's hair is milky white. However, this isn't because they are biologically related. Neither do all witchers have white-greyish hair. For instance, Lambert, Geralt's surrogate brother who appears in The Witcher 3, has brown hair.
Geralt's hair turned white due to additional tests and trials he underwent after resisting the trial of the grasses. As a result, Geralt's body lost pigmentation, but in return, he gained more abilities and heightened witcher senses than other witchers. On the other hand, Ciri's ashen hair is natural. Her mother, Pavetta, and her grandmother, Calanthe, also had ashen grey hair. However, by the last book in the series, Ciri's hair starts to turn white primarily due to all the hardships, struggles, and stress that she had to bear.
The witchers live a stormy life on the road, fighting monsters and drunk tavern keepers for many years. Although skilled fighters, sometimes their nemesis gets the advantage, which is why most witchers have multiple scars on their faces and the rest of their bodies. In The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, Geralt has a striking scar across his left eye which he got while fighting a cockatrice of Spalla, something that he considers one of his many souvenirs.
Just like Geralt and the other witchers, Ciri has lived a harrowing life full of adventures through space and time. One misadventure rewarded her with a permanent scar on her face. The scars of the witchers make them intimidating and dangerous in the eyes of civilians, and in this particular aspect, Ciri's is no different.
All the aforementioned reasons are why Ciri looks a lot like a witcher despite never undergoing any mutations. Growing up around the likes of Geralt and Vesemir, Ciri learns to be by herself, becoming a woman of a few words — a trait not so uncommon among the witchers whose emotions were washed away with the turbulent trials and mutations.