History Characters / HonkaiStarRailAstralExpress

* TransferableMemory: Messenger's very ''existence'' is this trope. She's a living collection of memories capable of interfacing with and altering the memories of other sentients. She can collect, delete, replicate, and transfer and edit memories at will, though she is reportedly kept in check by the "rules" the Garden of Recollection sets for its agents.

* MemoryJar: Messenger's role as a Memokeeper is to venture out into the vast universe, collecting precious and irreplaceable memories to prevent them from fading. Her current mission is to follow the Astral Express, and assess the memories someone carrying a Stellaron will generate.

* TransferableMemory: Messenger's very 'existence' is this trope. She's a living collection of memories capable of interfacing with and altering the memories of other sentients. She can collect, delete, replicate, and transfer and edit memories at will, though she is reportedly kept in check by the "rules" the Garden of Recollection sets for its agents.

A mysterious member of the Garden of Recollection, an intangible, unnoticeable woman who was drawn to the Astral Express by the rarity of a Receptacle who carries a Stellaron. Although Messenger answers to a greater organization and is not an active or even known member of the Astral Express crew, she journeys with them across the stars in order to record the Trailblazer's past, future, and influence on the universe. She presides over the Forgotten Hall, a repository of the Trailblazer's past battles and experiences, and aids them in exchange for offered memories.

* AscendToAHigherPlaneOfExistence: Messenger freely admits that she once possessed a body of flesh and blood, one which she's long ago given up to become a being of pure thought. She no longer has biological functions, isn't impacted by environmental stressors, and lacks any hormonal factors that could induce emotions. She considers this as a freeing state of being, in which she can remain objective and neutral in her observations on memory and desire.

* CollectorOfTheStrange: Messenger is uninterested in conventional remuneration for the services she provides the Trailblazer, and requests payment in memories which she can send back to her faction, the Garden of Recollection.

* AscendToAHigherPlaneOfExistence: Messenger freely admits that she once possessed a body of flesh and blood, and that she gave it up to become a being of pure thought. She no longer has biological functions, isn't impacted by environmental stressors, and lacks any factors that could induce emotions. She refers to this as a freeing state of being, in which she can remain objective and neutral in her observations on memory and desire.

* RagtagGroupOfMisfits: The Trailblazers themselves currently consist of the following: an alien conductor, a scientist who is obsessed with coffee, a man from an alternate universe, a guy fleeing a DarkAndTroubledPast, a GenkiGirl with amnesia, and someone with a Stellaron stuck in their chest who also has amnesia.

!!!'''Introduced:''' April 26, 2023 (v1.0 "The Rail Unto the Stars" [game launch])

->'''Voiced by:''' Corey Landis (English), Peng Bo (Chinese), Creator/YoshimasaHosoya (Japanese), Han-sin (Korean)\\
'''Rarity:''' 5★\\

A mysterious member of the Garden of Recollection, an intangible, unnoticeable woman who was drawn to the Astral Express by the uniqueness of the Stellaron-carrying Trailblazer. Although she answers to a greater organization and is not an active or even known member of the Astral Express crew, she journeys with them across the stars in order to record the Trailblazer's past, present, and future. She watches over the Forgotten Hall, a repository of the Trailblazer's past battles and experiences.

* BlueAndOrangeMorality: Messenger has some odd scruples and considerations where the subject of memories and recollection are concerned. She sees nothing wrong with altering and removing memories pertaining to herself from the entirety of the Astral Express crew without permission, claiming she’s “preserving the value” of the Trailblazer’s memories of her. She also reacts to the Trailblazer’s request to cure their amnesia as if she were asked to preform a criminal act.
* TheFaceless: Messenger is always seen in a reflective full-face mask underneath a hood, obscuring any possible features. Talking to her reveals that she does have a face, but insists on charging the Trailblazer an unnamed amount of memory shards to earn a look.

!!!'''Trailblazer of Preservation'''
->'''Aeon:''' Qlipoth\\
'''Associated Type:''' [[PlayingWithFire Fire]]\\
'''Basic Attack:''' Ice-Breaking Light\\
'''Skill:''' Ever-Burning Amber\\
'''Ultimate:''' War-Flaming Lance\\
'''Talent:''' Treasure of the Architects\\
'''Technique:''' Call of the Guardian

When their desire to protect their loved ones bring the favor of Qlipoth, the Trailblazer gains the ability to draw enemies away from their allies and scorch them with their fiery lance, in particular by gathering stacks of "Magma Will" through their Basic Attack, ''Ice-Breaking Light'', which are then consumed once four are gathered to allow the Basic Attack to hit enemies around their target. Their Skill, ''Ever-Burning Amber'', has the Trailblazer goad enemies into targeting them, all the while taking up a defensive stance that increases their Damage Reduction as well as adding a stack of Magma Will, while their Ultimate, ''War-Flaming Lance'', scorches all enemies with damage based on a sum of fractions of their Attack and Defense stats, as well as automatically upgrades the next ''Ice-Breaking Light'' used, with a negated Magma Will consumption. In addition, their Talent, ''Treasure of the Architects'', allows them to gather up to eight stacks of Magma Will whenever they take a hit, as well as automatically boost the next ''Ice-Breaking Light'' and bestow Shields upon the party whenever they attack enemies, and their Technique, ''Call of the Guardian'', erects a Shield around the Trailblazer that lasts for their first turn.\\
\\
As the Trailblazer continues to walk the path of Qlipoth, ''Ever-Burning Amber'' gains the ability to boost their allies' Defense, the enhanced form of ''Ice-Breaking Light'' can now simultaneously heal the Trailblazer, and they can enjoy increased Attack and restore some Energy for every turn their Shield is intact. Once the Trailblazer's desire to protect their loved ones burns brighter than ever, both the damage of ''Ice-Breaking Light'' and the damage absorption of Shields they erect increase in potency based on a fraction of their Defense stat, they are now automatically granted four stacks of Magma Will at the start of battle, and both the enhanced form of ''Ice-Breaking Light'' and ''War-Flaming Lance'' gain the abilty to increase their Defense.
----
* BarrierWarrior: ''Treasure of the Architects'' erects Shields onto the party whenever the Trailblazer hits enemies, with damage absorption equivalent to 4–7% of the Trailblazer's Defense stat, plus 20–102.5 points, and lasting two turns. In addition, ''Call of the Guardian'' allows the Trailblazer to erect a Shield that lasts through the first turn, with absorption equivalent to 30% of the Trailblazer's Defense stat, plus 384 points; their sixth-ascension Trace, ''Action Beats Overthinking'', increases their Attack stat by 15% and restores 5 energy while the Shield is intact; and their second Eidolon Resonance, ''Time-Defying Tenacity'', further increases their absorption based on 2% of the Traillazer's Defense stat, plus 27 points.
* BoringButPractical: Their Preservation form is also rather simplistic, their skill acting as a simple taunt and their Ultimate being an all-encompassing attack. However, their attack stat barely changes from their Destruction form which allows them to deal massive damage for what is supposed to be a defensive Path, especially with their Talent that turns their normal attack into splash damage for every four times they were hit.
* DamageReduction: Their second-ascension Trace, ''The Strong Defend the Weak'', allows ''Ever-Burning Amber'' to reduce the party's incoming damage by 15% for one turn.
* DrawAggro: ''Ever-Burning Amber'' goads enemies into targeting the Trailblazer for one turn, who in turn gathers one stack of Magma Will and takes up a defensive stance that increases their Damage Reduction by 40–55%.
* GatheringSteam: The Preservation Trailblazer can collect up to eight stacks of Magma Will whenever they use ''Ice-Breaking Light'' or ''Ever-Burning Amber'' or are damaged. Once at least four are collected, the former will be upgraded to be able to hit enemies adjacent to their target. ''War-Flaming Lance'' automatically upgrades the next ''Ice-Breaking Light'' and negates its Magma Will cost. On a related note, the Trailblazer's first Eidolon Resonance, ''Earth-Shaking Resonance'', increases the damage potency of ''Ice-Breaking Light'' based on 25% of their Defense stat, twice so on the Basic Attack's upgraded form, while their fourth, ''Nation-Building Oath'', automatically grants four stacks of Magma Will at the start of battle.
* HealingFactor: Their fourth-ascension Trace, ''Unwavering Gallantry'', restores their HP by 5% of its maximum value whenever they use the upgraded form of ''Ice-Breaking Light''.
* KnightInShiningArmor: The Trailblazer's Preservation form was unlocked out of a desire to protect Belobog from [[spoiler:a Stellaron-addled Cocolia]]. Fittingly, their weapon is a lance.
* LodgedBladeRecycling: The lance the Trailblazer wields in combat is the same ice-encrusted lance that [[spoiler:Cocolia skewered them through the chest with in their initial confrontation with her Stellaron-empowered Mother of Deception form.]]
* RuleOfSymbolism: The Preservation Trailblazer's ensemble, consisting of a lance, fire-elemental attacks, and a defense-oriented build fits well to the climax of the Jarilo-VI Trailblaze Quest, where [[spoiler:the Trailblazer gains the form to protect Belobog from the Stellaron-corrupted Cocolia, and their association with fire thematically fits their role in "melting," so to speak, the Eternal Freeze that has plagued the planet for centuries. This symbolism is further enhanced by their main weapon being the same lance Cocolia used to impale them, just with the outer layer of ice melted away to expose the internal Geomarrow]].
* StatusBuff: Their sixth Eidolon Resonance, ''City-Forging Bulwarks'', increases their Defense stat by 10% whenever they trigger the enhanced form of ''Ice-Breaking Light'' or ''War-Flaming Lance'', to a maximum of three stacks (equivalent to 30%).
* UpgradeArtifact: A variant--their third Eidolon Resonance, ''Trail-Blazing Blueprint'', adds two levels each to ''Ever-Burning Amber'' and ''Treasure of the Architects'', and their fifth, ''Spirit-Warming Flame'', adds two to ''War-Flaming Lance'' and one to ''Ice-Breaking Light''.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:March 7th]]
!!March 7th
!!!'''Introduced:''' April 26, 2023 (v1.0 "The Rail Unto the Stars" [game launch])\\
'''Voiced by:''' Nuoya (Chinese), Creator/YuiOgura (Japanese), Jung Hye-won (Korean), Creator/SkylerDavenport (English)

[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/march_7th_min.png]]
[[caption-width-right:350:Super-Duper Awesome Girl☆]]
->'''Rarity:''' 4★\\
'''Birthday:'''\\
'''Type:''' [[AnIcePerson Ice]]\\
'''Path:''' The Preservation\\
'''Basic Attack:''' Frigid Cold Arrow\\
'''Skill:''' The Power of Cuteness\\
'''Ultimate:''' Glacial Cascade\\
'''Talent:''' Girl Power\\
'''Technique:''' Freezing Beauty\\\

One of the Astral Express's colorful crewmates. Himeko and friends found her drifting through the empty void of space encased in six-phased ice, an unusual type of ice that cannot be melted through conventional means. Upon being freed from the ice she realized that she had lost her memories and her name, and was thus named after the date that she was found: March 7th. Despite all that has happened to her, March 7th is the type of girl that likes to keep moving forward and see what the future holds rather than dwelling on the past. Her favorite hobby is taking pictures as it helps her keep track of her new life and may potentially be a window into her old one.\\
\\
In the defense of her loved ones, March 7th specializes in erecting Shields and stopping enemies in their tracks, with her offensive potential typically limited to her Basic Attack, ''Frigid Cold Arrow''. Her Skill, ''The Power of Cuteness'', has March 7th install a Shield onto an ally that lasts up to three turns and draws enemy aggression onto them as long as their HP is not dangerously low, while her Ultimate, ''Glacial Cascade'', has her fire an icy arrow that rains down a series of icy stuffed toys that hit all enemies and randomly Freeze them, forcing them to lose a turn and take some damage. In addition, her Talent, ''Girl Power'', has her automatically counterattack whenever a Shielded character gets attacked, up to twice in between her turns, while her Technique, ''Freezing Beauty'', attacks enemies from a distance, hence automatically initiating battle, as well as Freezes a random enemy.\\
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As March 7th continues her journey to find herself, ''The Power of Cuteness'' gains the ability to remove a negative status effect from the targeted ally and the duration of the Shield it generates is extended to four, while ''Glacial Cascade'' sees an increased chance to Freeze enemies. Once March 7th nears the culmination of her journey, she can now regenerate Energy whenever ''Glacial Cascade'' freezes enemies, as well as gains the ability to automatically generate a Shield for the ally with the lowest remaining HP at the start of battle; ''Girl Power'' can now be activated thrice, in addition to a heightened damage output; and her generated Shields gain the ability to heal protected allies for every turn it is active.
----

'''Astral Express''' ([[Characters/HonkaiStarRailTrailblazer Trailblazer]])\\

-> See their page [[Characters/HonkaiStarRailTrailblazer here]]
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Dan Heng]]
!!Dan Heng

'''Voiced by:''' Li Chunyin (Chinese), Creator/KentItou (Japanese), Kim Hye-sung (Korean), Nicholas Leung (English)
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/dan_heng_min.png]]
[[caption-width-right:350:A Mysterious Passenger Escaping His Past]]
->'''Rarity:''' 4★\\
'''Birthday:'''\\
'''Path:''' The Hunt\\
'''Type:''' [[BlowYouAway Wind]]\\
'''Basic Attack:''' Cloudlancer Art: North Wind\\
'''Skill:''' Cloudlancer Art: Torrent\\
'''Ultimate:''' Ethereal Dream\\
'''Talent:''' Superiority of Reach\\
'''Technique:''' Splitting Spearhead\\\

A quiet young man who serves as the guard for the Astral Express. Although often quiet and brooding, Dan Heng loves his way around a book and his skills with a spear are virtually peerless. His past is shrouded in mystery and is often off-limits for discussion, but to him his demons are something to be feared.\\

With his trusty spear Cloud-Piercer on hand, Dan Heng fights with the swiftness of the wind and an ability to slow down his enemies. Both his Basic Attack, Skill, and Ultimate, respectively ''Cloudlancer Art: North Wind'', ''Cloudlancer Art: Torrent'', and ''Ethereal Dream'', hit one enemy at a time; in particular, the Skill will inflict Slow on his target, hence reducing their attacking speed, whenever it scores a critical hit, and the Ultimate enjoys increased damage against such inflicted enemies. In addition, his Talent, ''Superiority of Reach'', allows his next attack to bypass a fraction of his target's Wind Resistance after receiving a buff from his allies, while his Technique, ''Splitting Spearhead'', increases his Attack stat for the first three turns of the next battle.\\
\\
Once Dan Heng stops running away from his troubles, he gains the ability to avoid being targeted by enemies whenever his HP falls below half, he gains a chance to boost his Speed whenever he attacks, and ''Cloudlancer Art: North Wind'' can now enjoy a power boost against Slowed enemies. When Dan Heng fully resolves to take on his inner demons, he can now enjoy a boost to Critical Rate against enemies with over half their HP remaining, the cooldown time between successive activations of ''Superiority of Reach'' is reduced, his action turn is immediately put forward whenever he defeats an enemy with ''Ethereal Dream'', and the Slow status inflicted by ''Cloudlancer Art: Torrent'' further increases in penalty.

* ArmorPiercingAttack: ''Superiority of Reach'' allows Dan Heng to bypass 18–45% of his target's Wind Resistance whenever he receives a StatusBuff from his allies, activated at least every two turns.
* CatapultNightmare: After leaving Jarilo-VI, Dan Heng has a nightmare involving Blade and wakes in this fashion, suddenly sitting up in a panic and breathing heavily. [[spoiler:Unfortunately for him, Kafka directs the Astral Express to the Xianzhou Luofu in pursuit of Stellaron activity, where none other than Blade is getting involved with Xianzhou authorities.]]
* CompanyCrossReferences: Dan Heng is the ''Honkai: Star Rail'' counterpart of Xiao from an earlier [=miHoYo=] RPG, ''VideoGame/GenshinImpact'', both being handsome, youthful-looking men who wield spears, have an affinity with the winds, hail from a place with a Chinese cultural aesthetic, and have a DarkAndTroubledPast. He also shares his maple leaf motifs with Kazuha.
* CooldownManipulation: His second Eidolon Resonance, ''Quell the Venom Octet, Quench the Vice O'Flame'', reduces the cooldown of ''Superiority of Reach'' from two turns to one.
* CriticalHitClass: Dan Heng is intended to be built around critical hits to get a lot of mileage out of ''Cloudlancer Art: Torrent'', which is guaranteed to inflict Slow on his target whenever it scores a critical hit, as well as, indirectly, ''Ethereal Dream'', which enjoys greater damage against an afflicted enemy. In addition, his first Eidolon Resonance, ''The Higher You Fly, the Harder You Fall'', increases his Critical Rate by 12% whenever his target's HP is over half.
* DarkAndTroubledPast: While he refuses to outright discuss his past, he's got some particularly bad blood with the Xianzhou Alliance to the point where he's essentially "kill on sight" if he ever dares step foot in one of their vessels again. It's also mentioned in one of his stories that he's changed his appearance numerous times while running from whatever it is he's running from. That said, he fears Blade even more than the Alliance, [[spoiler:which causes alarm bells to go off when he finds out that Blade is on the Xianzhou Luofu and convinces him to board the ship to warn his friends]].
* DubPronunciationChange: He's called Tankou in the Japanese dub because of AlternateCharacterReading.
* EncounterRepellant: His second-ascension Trace, ''Hidden Dragon'', reduces the chances of enemies targeting him whenever his HP falls below half.
* ExtraTurn: His fourth Eidolon Resonance, ''Roaring Dragon and Soaring Sun'', automatically pushes forward his next action whenever he defeats an enemy with ''Ethereal Dream''.
* FamedInStory: He becomes popular in the Belobog Underworld after he shows up at Fight Club under the title "Cold Dragon Young" and wallops some of their battle bots. You can find some fans in the Fight Club hotly anticipate his return, to which you can give them a photo of him for their collection.
* GlassCannon: Dan Heng can deal very high damage and is very fast, as expected of his Hunt archetype, but he has low HP and Defense, and can't take a hit very well, though this can be ameliorated through his second-ascension Trace, ''Hidden Dragon'', which reduces the chance of enemies targeting him whenever his HP falls below half.
* {{Guyliner}}: Wears red eyeliner at the bottom corners of his eyes.
* InSeriesNickname: "Cold Dragon Young" is a moniker of his, and it's mentioned during his participation in the Fight Club boxing ring of Boulder Town.
* KissOfLife: {{Subverted|Trope}}. Attempts to give the Trailblazer CPR upon finding them unconscious in the Herta Space Station, but March 7th sees that they are awaking and pushes him out of the way.
* MartialPacifist: If his combat voice lines are any indication, Dan Heng doesn't particularly enjoy fighting and typically tries to avoid it whenever possible. In Belobog, [[spoiler:he was [[ProperlyParanoid justifiably opposed]] to telling Cocolia all the details about the Astral Express's purpose and the Stellaron, fearing it would lead to conflict.]]
-->''"I have no interest in conflict."''
-->''"Fighting is meaningless."''

-->''"This sanctuary... is but a vision. Break!"''
* SimpleYetAwesome: Of the three starter characters, Dan Heng's kit is the most straightforward, lacking March 7th's sheer utility or the Destruction Trailblazer's healing Technique or ability to switch between single- and multi-target damage. The choice between using his Basic Attack, Skill, and Ultimate can be boiled down to how hard he wants to hit his enemies. Relative to his peers in the Path of the Hunt, Dan Heng also lacks additional gimmicks (e.g., Seele's ExtraTurn, Yanqing's FullHealthBonus, or Sushang's power boost against enemies suffering from Weakness Break), the closest being that his Ultimate deals bonus damage against [[SituationalSword Slowed enemies]]. Despite this, Dan Heng is one of the strongest DPS units in the early game, and his single-turn damage is second only to Seele, ''the strongest single-target DPS on release.''[[labelnote:note]]Seele and Dan Heng are calculated on single-turn damage, without Eidolon Resonances, with their respective optimal Relics, equivalent critical hit stats, and Superimposition 5 Cruising in the Stellar Sea, where Dan Heng deals about 1% less than Seele. However, because of Seele's ExtraTurn ability, the difference is more pronounced in practice. See [[https://www.prydwen.gg/star-rail/dps-rankings/ here]] for more details.[[/labelnote]]
* SituationalSword: ''Ethereal Dream'' enjoys a 72–144% boost to its damage multiplier if the target is suffering from Slow. In addition, Dan Heng's sixth-ascension Trace, ''High Gale'', adds a 40% damage boost for ''Cloudlancer Art: North Wind'' against afflicted enemies.
* StarterMon: Dan Heng is one of the two characters you more or less begin play with; you'll catch up with him in the main elevator of Herta Station, and he permanently joins the roster mechanically at that time.
* StatusBuff: ''Splitting Spearhead'' boots Dan Heng's Attack by 40% for the first three turns of the next battle, while his fourth-ascension Trace, ''Faster Than Light'', grants him a 50% chance to enjoy a 20% Speed boost for two turns whenever he attacks.
* StatusInflictionAttack: ''Cloudlancer Art: Torrent'' has a guaranteed chance to inflict Slow on Dan Heng's target for two turns whenever it lands a critical hit (specifically, by imposing a 12% penalty on their Speed). His sixth Eidolon Resonance, ''The Troubled Soul Lies in Wait'', increases the penalty to 20%.
* TheStoic: He never talks about his past and is quite serious, putting him in contrast with March. The only time that he has displayed more expressive emotion is after waking up in a panic from a nightmare in the "Nightmare" trailer. [[spoiler:In the game proper, his mask of stoicism also has a rock taken to it when he realizes Blade is on the Luofu, and the Trailblazer, March 7th, and Welt have marched right on board, blissfully unaware of just who or what they're facing.]]
* UpgradeArtifact: A variant--his third Eidolon Resonance, ''Seen and Unseen'', adds two levels to ''Cloudlancer Art: Torrent'' and one to ''Cloudlancer Art: North Wind'', while his fifth, ''A Drop of Rain Feeds a Torrent'', adds two each to ''Ethereal Dream'' and ''Superiority of Reach''.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:March 7th]]
!!March 7th
!!!'''Introduced:''' April 26, 2023 (v1.0 "The Rail Unto the Stars" [game launch])\\
'''Voiced by:''' Nuoya (Chinese), Creator/YuiOgura (Japanese), Jung Hye-won (Korean), Creator/SkylerDavenport (English)

[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/march_7th_min.png]]
[[caption-width-right:350:Super-Duper Awesome Girl☆]]
->'''Rarity:''' 4★\\
'''Birthday:'''\\
'''Type:''' [[AnIcePerson Ice]]\\
'''Path:''' The Preservation\\
'''Basic Attack:''' Frigid Cold Arrow\\
'''Skill:''' The Power of Cuteness\\
'''Ultimate:''' Glacial Cascade\\
'''Talent:''' Girl Power\\
'''Technique:''' Freezing Beauty\\\

One of the Astral Express's colorful crewmates. Himeko and friends found her drifting through the empty void of space encased in six-phased ice, an unusual type of ice that cannot be melted through conventional means. Upon being freed from the ice she realized that she had lost her memories and her name, and was thus named after the date that she was found: March 7th. Despite all that has happened to her, March 7th is the type of girl that likes to keep moving forward and see what the future holds rather than dwelling on the past. Her favorite hobby is taking pictures as it helps her keep track of her new life and may potentially be a window into her old one.\\
\\
In the defense of her loved ones, March 7th specializes in erecting Shields and stopping enemies in their tracks, with her offensive potential typically limited to her Basic Attack, ''Frigid Cold Arrow''. Her Skill, ''The Power of Cuteness'', has March 7th install a Shield onto an ally that lasts up to three turns and draws enemy aggression onto them as long as their HP is not dangerously low, while her Ultimate, ''Glacial Cascade'', has her fire an icy arrow that rains down a series of icy stuffed toys that hit all enemies and randomly Freeze them, forcing them to lose a turn and take some damage. In addition, her Talent, ''Girl Power'', has her automatically counterattack whenever a Shielded character gets attacked, up to twice in between her turns, while her Technique, ''Freezing Beauty'', attacks enemies from a distance, hence automatically initiating battle, as well as Freezes a random enemy.\\
\\
As March 7th continues her journey to find herself, ''The Power of Cuteness'' gains the ability to remove a negative status effect from the targeted ally and the duration of the Shield it generates is extended to four, while ''Glacial Cascade'' sees an increased chance to Freeze enemies. Once March 7th nears the culmination of her journey, she can now regenerate Energy whenever ''Glacial Cascade'' freezes enemies, as well as gains the ability to automatically generate a Shield for the ally with the lowest remaining HP at the start of battle; ''Girl Power'' can now be activated thrice, in addition to a heightened damage output; and her generated Shields gain the ability to heal protected allies for every turn it is active.

* AmnesiacHero: She woke up from a block of ice with no memories of her past, she has even forgotten her original name. [[MeaningfulName She named herself]] after the day on which she woke up.
* AntiDebuff: Her second-ascension Trace, ''Purify'', allows her to remove one debuff from the ally whom she uses ''The Power of Cuteness'' on.
* BadassAdorable: March 7th is a cheerful, friendly young lady with mean archery skills and a nifty defense-oriented fighting style.
* BarrierWarrior: ''The Power of Cuteness'' erects a Shield around an ally, with damage absorption equivalent to 38–66.5% of March 7th's Defense stat, plus 190–973.75 points, for three turns, in addition to a DrawAggro effect if the ally has at least 30% HP. Her fourth-ascension Trace, ''Reinforce'', extends the Shield's duration to four turns, while her second Eidolon Resonance, ''Memory of It'', allows March 7th to automatically grant a Shield to the ally with the lowest remaining HP percentage for the first three turns of the next battle, with damage absorption equivalent to 24% of her Defense stat, plus 320 points, and her sixth, ''Just Like This, Always...'', heals the Shielded ally based on 4% of their Max HP, plus 106 points, for every turn the Shield is active.
* BlackAndWhiteMorality: March 7th seems to have this kind of mindset. When Kafka hacks into the Astral Express's communication and tells them about the Stellaron on the Alliance Ship and how she and her group were being framed for smuggling the Stellaron onboard, March 7th argues that what happens to Stellaron Hunters has nothing to do with them and wants to vote against helping the Stellaron Hunters in any way. When she goes to get Dan Heng, she wants him to vote against going on the ship, and when the Trailblazer says they should go along with Kafka, she's a little miffed at them. It's only after a bit of time passes and she has time to think about it that March 7th realizes that the situation isn't entirely about her and that there is a lot at stake.
* ButtMonkey: She often ends up at the butt of the Trailblazer and Dan Heng's jokes, and is very easily bullied by children far younger than her.
* CameraFiend: She always carries a Polaroid camera with her and takes pictures of everything, in case she ever forgets anything again.
* CompanyCrossReferences: Much like Amber from ''VideoGame/GenshinImpact'', March 7th is a 4★ StarterMon with a cheerful personality and a defensive build, albeit having an indirect FireIceDuo dynamic, with March 7th being the Ice to Amber's Fire.
* CounterAttack: ''Girl Power'' allows March 7th to immediately counter enemy attacks against a Shielded character up to twice in between her turns, with damage equivalent to 50–125% of her Attack stat. Her fourth Eidolon Resonance, ''Never Forfeit Again'', allows the Talent to be triggered thrice, in addition to a damage boost equivalent to 30% of her Defense stat.
* FashionableAsymmetry: Several parts of her design are asymmetric, such as her clover-like button and camera being only on the left side of her jacket, her right-hand-only thumbless glove, and her right-leg-only strap.
* GenkiGirl: Despite her MysteriousPast, she's shown to be lively and cheerful every step of the way.
* HumanPopsicle: The Astral Express found her frozen in a block of ice. Ever since, she has joined them, hoping to find her past during the journey.
* AnIcePerson: Shoots arrows that deal ice damage to enemies.
* JackOfAllTrades: With a full Eidolon Resonance, March 7th's kit has a little bit of everything. Alongside the powerful Shield, counterattack, and reasonably reliable area-of-effect Freeze in her base kit, her fourth Resonance, ''Never Forfeit Again'', gives her counterattack a third charge and lets its damage scale with her Defense, substantially improving her offensive prowess. Her sixth Eidolon, ''Just Like This, Always..'', adds a healing-over-time effect to her shield.
* KillItWithIce: ''Glacial Cascade'' has a 50% chance to inflict Freeze on enemies for one turn, forcing them to lose that turn and take damage equivalent to 30–75% of March 7th's Attack stat, while ''Freezing Beauty'' is guaranteed to Freeze a random enemy at the start of battle, with the subsequent damage equivalent to half of March 7th's Attack stat. Her sixth-ascension Trace, ''Ice Spell'', increase the success rate to 65%.
* LineOfSightName: Sort of. Since the Astral Express crew found her on March 7, they simply picked that as her name.
* {{Mascot}}: March 7th represents the game as its icon in the app stores and in various social media/online platforms.
* MeaningfulRename: Justified, as she doesn't remember her real name, but she calls herself March 7th in commemoration of when she was thawed out.
* MsFanservice: Much like Amber, March 7th sets the tone of the game going forward, with her ample chest, short skirt, and shapely legs.
* MysteriousPast: She was found in a block of ice with zero idea of her identity or origins.
* PinkMeansFeminine: Pink is a prominent color in her hair, eyes and attack effects while she herself is rather girly.
* PreAssKickingOneLiner:
-->''"Check out this awesome move!"''
* {{Pun}}: She says "Ice to meet you!" just as she ''froze'' the guns of the Silvermane Guards when she and her friends escape from them in Jarilo-VI.
* RegeneratingMana: Her first Eidolon Resonance, ''Memory of You'', automatically restores 6 Energy to March 7th for every enemy Frozen with ''Glacial Cascade''.
* RoseHairedSweetie: Her hair is neon pink and she is sweet, lively, and energetic.
* ScrewDestiny: [[spoiler: In Cocolia's Second Boss Battle, when Bronya says that even if they are doomed to destruction, she and the people will bravely walk hand in hand into the darkness with their heads held high, March 7th isn't ''having'' any of that.]]
-->'''March 7th''': [[spoiler: No! That end won't come to pass while we're around!]]
* StarterMon: She's the first party member you get, and will stick with you through thick and thin.
* SupportPartyMember: March 7th's kit packs an impressive amount of utility. ''The Power of Cuteness'' allows her to erect a Shield onto her allies, ''Glacial Cascade'' has a hefty chance of inflicting Freeze on all enemies and deals substantial damage to the enemy, and her second-ascension Trace, ''Purify'', removes one debuff from her party member when she grants them a Shield.
* UpgradeArtifact: A variant--her third Eidolon Resonance, ''Memory of Everything'', adds two levels to ''Glacial Cascade'' and one to ''Frigid Cold Arrow'', while her fifth, ''Never Forget Again'', adds two each to ''The Power of Cuteness'' and ''Girl Power''.

[[folder:Himeko]]
!!Himeko

'''Voiced by:''' Lin Su (Chinese), Creator/RieTanaka (Japanese), Kim Bo-na (Korean), Cia Court (English)

[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/himeko_min.png]]
[[caption-width-right:350:Starward Explorer]]
->'''Rarity:''' 5★\\

'''Path:''' The Erudition\\
'''Type:''' [[PlayingWithFire Fire]]\\
'''Basic Attack:''' Sawblade Tuning\\
'''Skill:''' Molten Detonation\\
'''Ultimate:''' Heavenly Flare\\
'''Talent:''' Victory Rush\\
'''Technique:''' Incomplete Combustion\\\

An adventurous scientist who encountered the Astral Express as a child when it got stranded in her home world, and became one of its crew after she repaired the train and began her journey to the stars.\\

Along her journeys through the stars, Himeko specializes in pure damage-dealing by swinging around her circular saw disguised as a briefcase through her Basic Attack and Skill, ''Sawblade Tuning'' and ''Molten Detonation'', respectively, with the latter able to hit enemies adjacent to her target, while her Ultimate, ''Heavenly Flare'', has her command a satellite from high up in space to fire a laser beam on all her enemies, which also restores some of her Energy whenever enemies are defeated. Her Talent, ''Victory Rush'', allows Himeko to collect one stack of "Charge" whenever the party inflicts Weakness Break on an enemy, which are then consumed once three are collected to follow up her allies' attacks by summoning a drone that attacks the target with her saw, while her Technique, ''Incomplete Combustion'', creates a fiery field that, at the start of battle, reduces her enemies' Fire Resistance.\\

As Himeko continues on her journey through the stars, all her attacks gain a chance to inflict Burn on her enemies for two turns, which gradually damage them at the start of their turn; ''Molten Detonation'' increases in damage potency against Burnt enemies; and she gains a boost to Critical Rate while her HP is very high. Once Himeko draws on the full extent of her experience, ''Victory Rush'' gains the ability to increase her Speed for two turns, all her attacks increase in power against enemies with less than half their HP, and ''Heavenly Flare'' gains two extra hits on random enemies.

* ChainsawGood: Her regular attack patterns involve swinging around a briefcase containing a circular saw.
* DamageIncreasingDebuff: ''Incomplete Combustion'' creates an area-of-effect that lasts fifteen seconds; if a battle is started within its radius, all enemies suffer a 10% boost to incoming Fire damage for two turns.
* DamageOverTime: Himeko's second-ascension Trace, ''Starfire'', grants all her attacks a 50% chance to inflict Burn on enemies for two turns, hence damaging them at the start of their turn, with damage equivalent to 30% of her Attack stat.
* {{Expy}}: This Himeko shares the same appearance, associations with fire, and Chinese and Japanese voice actresses as Murata Himeko from ''VideoGame/HonkaiImpact3rd''.
* ForWantOfANail: Unlike her ''Honkai Impact 3rd'' counterpart, this Himeko is likely what would have happened had she continued her interest with outer space since her youth, and became a space scientist in her adulthood.
* FullHealthBonus: Her sixth-ascension Trace, ''Benchmark'', boosts her Critical Rate by 15% while her HP is at least 80%.
* GatheringSteam: ''Victory Rush'' allows Himeko to gather stacks of Charge whenever the party triggers Weakness Break (with one stack prepared at the start of battle), which are then consumed once three have been gathered to allow Himeko to trigger a follow-up attack. In addition, her first Eidolon Resonance, ''Childhood'', allows the Talent to boost her Speed by 20% for two turns, while her fourth, ''Dedication'', grants her another stack of Charge whenever ''Molten Detonation'' triggers a Weakness Break.
* GuestStarPartyMember: Himeko becomes a temporary fourth party member (alongside the Trailblazer, March 7th, and Dan Heng) during an early exploration-related prologue quest in the Herta Space Station.
* KillSat: ''Heavenly Flare'' has her calling down a massive OrbitalBombardment from a satellite floating in space. Her sixth Eidolon Resonance, ''Trailblaze!'', adds two extra hits to the Ultimate, each dealing damage worth 40% of the original damage to random enemies.
* LethalChef: This version of Himeko seems to struggle with making coffee. The only member of the Astral Express who can tolerate her coffee is Dan Heng, and he only drinks it because it tests his grit.
* ManaDrain: ''Heavenly Flare'' restores 5 Energy for Himeko for every enemy defeated.
* MsFanservice: Himeko is certainly very good to look at, with her sensual outfit that accentuates her breasts and curves, as well as a refined appearance and mannerisms, including casually sipping tea while ''Heavenly Flare'' rains down hell on her enemies.

-->''"Humanity never conceals its desires to control the heavens, and I am no exception."''
* SituationalSword:
** Her fourth-ascension Trace, ''Magma'', increases the damage potency of ''Molten Detonation'' by 20% against Burnt enemies.
** Her second Eidolon Resonance, ''Convergence'', increases damage against enemies with no more than half their HP by 15%.
* TeamMom: She serves as the de facto leader and matriarch of the Astral Express crew, often doting on the Trailblazer, March, and Dan Heng as if they were her own children.
* UpgradeArtifact: A variant--her third Eidolon Resonance, ''Poised'', adds two levels to ''Molten Detonation'' and one to ''Sawblade Tuning'', while her fifth, ''Aspiration'', adds two each to ''Heavenly Flare'' and ''Victory Rush''.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Welt]]
!!Welt Yang
!!!'''Introduced:''' April 26, 2023 (v1.0 "The Rail Unto the Stars" [game launch])
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/welt_min.png]]
[[caption-width-right:350:In the Name of the World]]
->'''Voiced by:''' Corey Landis (English), Peng Bo (Chinese), Creator/YoshimasaHosoya (Japanese), Han-sin (Korean)\\
'''Rarity:''' 5★\\
'''Birthday:'''\\
'''Type:''' Imaginary\\
'''Path:''' The Nihility\\
'''Basic Attack:''' Gravity Suppression\\
'''Skill:''' Edge of the Void\\
'''Ultimate:''' Synthetic Black Hole\\
'''Talent:''' Time Distortion\\
'''Technique:''' Gravitational Imprisonment\\\

An enigmatic man with a storied past. Hailing from a distant universe, Welt, then known as the Herrscher of Reason, led his organization, Anti-Entropy, against an omnicidal force known as the "Honkai" in a desperate battle for the survival of Earth. After a long, drawn-out war, the Honkai were expelled and Welt settled down working at an animation studio, but as luck would have it events conspired to separate him from his home universe. Following a long journey, Welt happened upon the Astral Express and joined its crew in hopes of finding his way back home. As the former "Herrscher of Reason", Welt possesses the ability to create perfect copies of any object that he understands and manipulate gravity and black holes.
\\\
For tropes specific to him before he boarded the Astral Express, see [[Characters/HonkaiImpact3rdAntiEntropy here]].

* TheAgeless: Looks mostly the same as he did in A Post Honkai Odyssey from ''VideoGame/HonkaiImpact3rd''.
* TheCameo: Some characters from ''Honkai Impact 3rd'' (Void Archives, Welt Joyce, Tesla and Einstein) appear in his character splash artwork.
* FamedInStory: According to Pom-Pom, Welt's anime series is rather popular with the natives of planets that the Astral Express visits. It got to the point where on one particular visit he had scores of fans banging on the Astral Express's door for a sequel, forcing him to hide inside and pretend he was working on the train.
* GravityMaster: As the names of his abilities suggest, he applies the force of black holes to slow and imprison his enemies.
* ImaginationBasedSuperpower: As the Herrscher of Reason, Welt can recreate and even deconstruct any object as long as he understands its fundamental properties. Fittingly, for his playable debut, Welt is an Imagination-type character.
* MagicStaff: Uses his ClassyCane to channel his powers against enemies and [[spoiler:neutralise the Trailblazer after they are hit by the Doomsday Beast and lose control over themself.]]
* MundaneUtility: According to Pom-Pom, Welt occasionally uses his Herrscher mimicry powers to show episodes of the anime he made back on Earth.
* MythologyGag:
** His Ultimate strongly references his past, including a glimpse of Tesla and his dangerous usage of black holes during the 2nd Honkai war.
** Interacting with Welt in the Astral Express's Parlor Car and choosing certain dialogue options will make him recall several moments and events that happened in ''Honkai Impact 3rd'':
*** When asked to describe what kind of world he came from, he recalls his planet being haunted by a power known as the Honkai.
*** When asked about his powers, he says that it allows him to mimic anything as long as he understands its principles, while his black holes are a different matter entirely. Although these are subtle and brief, his power to mimic anything refers to the authority of Reason, while his black holes are created by the Star of Eden.
* OlderThanTheyLook: Looks like a middle aged man in his forties when he is actually in his eighties as of the events of [=Honkai: Star Rail=].
* PreAssKickingOneLiner:
-->''"Survive or be destroyed, there is no other choice."''
* PromotedToPlayable: Welt was a significant figure in the world of ''Honkai Impact 3rd'', but always as an [=NPC=]. In ''Star Rail'', he becomes a playable (if rare) character.
* StoryBreakerPower: If ''Honkai Impact 3rd'' is any indication, Welt is more than likely stronger than every single member of the Astral Express combined. The only reason he doesn't just show up and handle everything himself is that he lets the juniors gain life experience.
* TeamDad: He acts as the de facto second in command for the Astral Express crew, and isn't afraid to provide helpful advice to them in times of need.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Pom-Pom]]
!!Pom-Pom
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/pom_pom_min.png]]
%% [[caption-width-right:350:some caption text]]
->'''Voiced by:''' (English), Xiao N (Chinese), Creator/MikiNagasawa (Japanese), (Korean)\\\

The Conductor of the Astral Express, a bunny-like creature with long floppy ears in a conductor's uniform. No one is exactly sure of who or what Pom-Pom exactly is or how they're related to the Astral Express, but Pom-Pom's loyalty to the Astral Express is unwavering. Any friend of the Astral Express is a friend of Pom-Pom's.

* AmbiguousGender: The [=HoyoLab=] blog post [[https://www.hoyolab.com/article/16071479 "Goopa Goopa! Here Comes the Intel on Pom-Pom!"]] lists Pom-Pom's gender as "Pom-Pom is Pom-Pom". In addition, their appearance and voice are fairly gender-neutral.
* BeenThereShapedHistory: Though not directly shown, an exploration the Trailblazer conducts of Jarilo-VI with Belabog’s armillary sphere reveals a landmass in the northern reaches shaped like Pom-Pom. One can only wonder how that happened.
* CartoonCreature: Pom-Pom most closely resembles a rabbit in appearance, what with their long ears and stubby tail, though their official bio on the blog post "Goopa Goopa! Here Comes the Intel on Pom-Pom!" lists their race as "I just told you! Pom-Pom is Pom-Pom".
* HalfDressedCartoonAnimal: Their conductor uniform noticeably lacks pants and footwear.
* {{Mascot}}: Pom-Pom serves as another mascot of the game, constantly appearing in various sections such as the loading screens, and in the cutscene that plays whenever you pull from the Warp gacha.
* NeatFreak: Pom-Pom is a stickler for keeping the Astral Express in tip-top shape, and they will swiftly reprimand the crew for putting their feet up on the seats, touching the decorative plants, and tracking dirt in from the outside. They'll even get riled by as little as a scratch on the floor and mop it to a mirror shine in response. Their idle animation further reinforces this by consisting of Pom-Pom ambling around the coach to scrutinize the passengers and decor.
* PsychicRadar: As the conductor, Pom-Pom is capable of sensing any and all irregularities that have to do with the Astral Express, whether that's the spatial integrity of the Star Rails further ahead of the train, or the presences of individuals inside the cars. This sense can even trump forms of concealment, as Pom-Pom detects the presence of the Messenger aboard the Express on some instinctual level.
* Really700YearsOld: While it remains uncertain just what he is and how he’s truly linked to the Astral Express, a depiction of Pom-Pom can be found on Jarilo-VI, hinting that he’s old enough to have been around for Akivilli’s initial Trailblaze across the stars, well over a millennia before the modern day.
* RidiculouslyCuteCritter: Pom-Pom is an utterly adorable and fluffy bunny-thing, as March 7th [[CutenessProximity can attest to.]]
* ShesAManInJapan: Pom-Pom is female in the Russian translation, apparently to avoid PronounTrouble (there's no equivalent of singular "they" in Russian language, and ItIsDehumanizing).
* ThirdPersonPerson: Pom-Pom mostly refers to themself by their name, though they will sometimes use "I" when appropriate, such as when they formally introduce themself to the Trailblazer.
* TrademarkFavoriteFood: Their bio on the blog post "Goopa Goopa! Here Comes the Intel on Pom-Pom!" lists "donuts" among their favorite things.
* UnusualEars: Their long ears are prehensile and they often use them as an extra pair of arms, as seen in many promotional images for the game.
* YouWouldntLikeMeWhenImAngry: Pom-Pom is described as nothing short of terrifying if provoked. Even [[PhysicalGod Welt]] fears Pom-Pom's rage.

[[folder:Messenger]]
!!Messenger
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/starrail_image_1683677334.png]]
->'''Voiced by:''' (English), (Chinese), (Japanese), (Korean)\\\

A mysterious member of the Garden of Recollection, an intangible, unnoticeable woman who was drawn to the Astral Express by the uniqueness of the Stellaron-carrying Trailblazer. Although she answers to a greater organization and is not an active or even known member of the Astral Express crew, she journeys with them across the stars in order to record the Trailblazer's past, present, and future. She watches over the Forgotten Hall, a repository of the Trailblazer's past battles and experiences.

* AscendToAHigherPlaneOfExistence: Messenger freely admits that she once possessed a body of flesh and blood, and that she gave it up to become a being of pure thought. She no longer has biological functions, isn't impacted by environmental stressors, and lacks any factors that could induce emotions. She refers to this as a freeing state of being, in which she can remain objective and neutral to the world without trappings of biological bias.

[[Characters/HonkaiStarRailAstralExpress Astral Express]] ([[Characters/HonkaiStarRailTrailblazer Trailblazer]])\\

[[Characters/HonkaiStarRail Click here]] to return to the main character page.

* BlueAndOrangeMorality: Messenger has some odd scruples and considerations where the subject of memories and recollection are concerned. She sees nothing wrong with altering and removing memories pertaining to herself from the entirety of the Astral Express crew without permission, claiming she’s “preserving the value” of the Ttailblazer’s memories of her. She also reacts to the Trailblazer’s request to cure their amnesia as if she were asked to preform a criminal act.

* LivingMemory: An unusually literal example. Messenger was once a mortal who has since discarded their physical form to attain a form of pure thought. She is every bit an organism as the other members of the crew, just one of pure thought that can only be recognized through the lens of memory.

* NeatFreak: Pom-Pom is a stickler for keeping the Astral Express in tip-top shape, and they will swiftly reprimand the crew for putting their feet up on the seats, touching the decorative plants, and even so little as scratching the floor. Their idle animation reinforces this further by consisting of Pom-Pom ambling around the coach to scrutinize the passengers and decor.

* ShesAManInJapan: Pom-Pom is female in the Russian translation, apparently to avoid PronounTroubles (there's no equivalent of singular "they" in Russian language, and ItIsDehumanizing).

The central characters of the story. [[https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Characters/HonkaiStarRail Click here]] to return to the main character page.