History Characters / HonkaiStarRailAstralExpress

* AmbiguouslyEvil: Not pertaining to their present-day self, who is by all accounts a hero despite their quirks, [[spoiler:but the revelation that they accompanied Kafka and by extension the other Stellaron Hunters prior to losing their memories and that they willingly had their memories removed for a greater plan opens up the possibility of AmnesiacDissonance being in play, depending on how involved their pre-amnesiac self had been in the Stellaron Hunters' morally-ambiguous operations.]]

* LovedByAll: Being the Navigator the Astral Express, Himeko has a wide range of contacts throughout the universe and is generally well regarded by everybody who knows her. She in particular is quite popular in the IPC, and she manages to successfully [[ScrewTheRulesIHaveConnections leverage her popularity]] to [[spoiler:convince the IPC executives to write off Jarilo-VI's debt]].

** Arguably, the Trailblazer's interactions with Kafka may be interpreted in a romantic light even moreso than their interactions with the aforementioned girls, owing to their (heavily implied) previous partnership and Kafka's lines about how the two of them are "destined" to change each other.
*** While the Trailblazer's opinion on her may vary depending on the player's choices, Kafka evidently cares about their well-being, to the point where Welt and Himeko reassure the Trailblazer that the Stellaron Hunter wouldn't do them any harm in her Companion Mission. This is notable, in spite of the Astral Express' misgivings with her and the rest of her faction.
--->(Talk to Welt, optional)
--->'''Welt:''' To be honest, I can never figure out what those Stellaron Hunters are up to, especially that Kafka...
--->'''Welt:'''...but my intuition tells me she won't do anything to harm you. If she's really in trouble, it'd be best to go see her.
--->(Talk to Himeko, optional)
--->'''Himeko:''' As a passenger of the Express, I don't want anything to do with the Stellaron Hunters. But... she does have a deep connection with you, (Trailblazer). Based on her actions so far, it seems like she has no ill will towards you.

** Arguably, the Trailblazer's interactions with Kafka may be interpreted in a romantic light even moreso than their interactions with the aforementioned girls, owing to their (heavily implied) previous partnership and Kafka's lines about how the two of them are "destined" to change each other. While the Trailblazer's opinion on her may vary depending on the player's choices, Kafka evidently cares about their well-being, to the point where Welt and Himeko reassure the Trailblazer that the Stellaron Hunter wouldn't do them any harm in her Companion Mission. This is notable, in spite of the Astral Express' misgivings with her and the rest of her faction.
-->(Talk to Welt, optional)
-->'''Welt:''' To be honest, I can never figure out what those Stellaron Hunters are up to, especially that Kafka...
-->'''Welt:'''...but my intuition tells me she won't do anything to harm you. If she's really in trouble, it'd be best to go see her.
-->(Talk to Himeko, optional)
-->'''Himeko:''' As a passenger of the Express, I don't want anything to do with the Stellaron Hunters. But... she does have a deep connection with you, (Trailblazer). Based on her actions so far, it seems like she has no ill will towards you.

*** From the beginning of the story, despite the two having met for just a short time, they [[RescueRomance immediately covers March]] before the Doomsday Beast could kill her. In subsequent scenes, the Trailblazer is shown to be quick to protect March or fight with her side-by-side, the Express' encounter with the Abundant Ebon Deer being another notable example.

** Arguably, the Trailblazer's interactions with Kafka may be interpreted in a romantic light even moreso than their interactions with the aforementioned girls, owing to their (heavily implied) previous partnership and Kafka's lines about how the two of them are "destined" to change each other.

*** Even before Firefly came in the picture, what was one of the very first things the Trailblazer did, moments after waking up? [[RescueRomance Immediately shielding March]] before the Doomsday Beast could kill her. In subsequent scenes, the Trailblazer is shown to be quick to protect March or fight with her side-by-side, the Express' encounter with the Abundant Ebon Deer being another notable example.

--->Trailblazer: You trust me?
--->March 7th: [[BluntYes ...Yeah.]] So what?

* WasItAllALie: [[spoiler: While not saying this in front of Firefly's face after their reunion at the end of the 2.1 story "The Cat Among Pigeons" (since the story ended before their dialog continued), returning to Firefly's secret base after finishing the story will cause the Trailblazer to question if all the moments they've had in Penacony were lies.]] Since the Trailblazer has spent a good portion of the 2.1 main story being traumatized [[spoiler:from [[IShouldHaveBeenBetter failing]] to save Firefly (which turned out to be a deliberately faked death by her own decision) after [[ShipTease their meeting]] with her, it's a certainty that the Trailblazer is feeling they've been betrayed in many ways despite their confusion on how to process their emotions on the matter and Firefly's insistence that the times they've had were genuine at the end of the 2.1 main story.]]

** The Trailblazer also has moments with [[CommonalityConnection March 7th]], more noticeable after the Xianzhou Loufu arc since she's the one member of the Astral Express Crew that they interact the most with, such as the "Future Market" mission or the Stellar Shadowseeker event. Plenty of their in-game dialogue options offer the Trailblazer a chance to flirt with March by openly calling her cute, which she tends to react to positively.
*** Even before Firefly came in the picture, what was one of the very first things the Trailblazer did, moments after waking up? [[RescueRomance Immediately shielding March]] before the Doomsday Beast could kill her.

** Arguably, the Trailblazer's interactions with Kafka may be interpreted in a romantic light even moreso than their interactions with Firefly, owing to their (heavily implied) previous partnership and Kafka's lines about how the two of them are "destined" to change each other.

** The Trailblazer also has moments with March 7th, more noticeable after the Xianzhou Loufu arc since she's the one member of the Astral Express Crew that they interact the most with such as the "Future Market" mission or the Stellar Shadowseeker event. Plenty of their in-game dialogue options offer the Trailblazer a chance to flirt with March by calling her cute, which she tends to react to positively.

-->Trailblazer: You trust me?
-->March 7th: [[BluntYes ...Yeah.]] So what?

** The Trailblazer also has moments with March 7th, more noticeable after the Xianzhou Loufu arc since she's the one member of the Astral Express Crew that they interact the most with such as the "Future Market" mission or the Stellar Shadowseeker event.

* 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.

* CrutchCharacter: {{Downplayed|Trope}}, as the Destruction Trailblazer can remain viable in more difficult content, such as the Memory of Chaos or the later levels of the Simulated Universe, but once the player has access to other DPS units, they can lag behind in terms of damage output, as [[JackofAllStats they don't truly specialize]] in any one area.

* JackOfAllStats: The Destruction Trailblazer is competent in a number of areas but doesn't truly excel in any of them, capable of adapting to different enemy wave formations, buffing their stats, and sustaining themselves and their party. Their Skill and Ultimate can deal respectable damage, their passives incentivize Breaking often to trigger their status buffs, and their off-field Technique provides healing.
* KickThemWhileTheyAreDown: Their fourth Eidolon Resonance, ''A Destructing Glance'', increases their Critical Rate by 25% against Broken enemies.

* StanceSystem: Their Ultimate allows the Trailblazer to unleash upgraded "Blowout" forms of either Basic Attack or Skill.[[note]]For the former, damage is worth 300–525% of their Attack stat compared to 50–130% in its base form; for the latter, 180–325% to the target and 108–189% to adjacent foes, compared to a uniform 62.5–156.25% in its base form[[/note]]
* UpgradeArtifact: By acquiring their Eidolons, you can upgrade their third and fifth Eidolon Resonances, ''A Leading Whisper'' and ''A Surviving Hope'', which will add two levels to their Skill and Talent with the former, and 2 to Ultimate and 1 to Basic Attack with the latter.

During their adventures in Jarilo-VI, the Trailblazer gains the ability to protect their allies by drawing enemy aggression and countering at them with a fiery lance. Their Talent, ''Treasure of the Architects'', allows them to gather up to eight stacks of Magma Will whenever they take damage or use their Basic Attack and Skill, respectively ''Ice-Breaking Light'' and ''Ever-Burning Amber'' (the latter which draws enemy aggression unto themselves), which are consumed four at a time to enhance the damage potency and radius of the former, in addition to allowing both abilities to generate Shields for the party. Their Ultimate, ''War-Flaming Lance'', thrusts their lance to scorch all their foes and upgrade the next use of their Basic Attack with a negated Magma Will Cost, while their Technique, ''Call of the Guardian'', generates a Shield for themselves for their first turn in battle.[[note]]When fully upgraded, they enjoy a boost to Attack and regenerate some Energy whenever they have an active Shield at the start of their turn, as well as automatically gain four stacks of Magma Will at the start of battle; their enhanced Basic Attack can now heal the Trailblazer; their Skill can now reduce the party's damage intake for one turn; and both their enhanced Basic Attack and Ultimate can now build up to three stacks of a Defense boost.[[/note]]

* GatheringSteam: This form can collect up to eight stacks of Magma Will whenever they take a hit or use Basic Attack or Skill, which are then consumed four at a time to [[EXSPecialAttack increase the damage potency and radius of the former]].[[note]]When enhanced, the Basic Attack deals damage worth 90–168.75% of their Attack stat against their primary target (compared to 50–130% in its base form) and 36–67.5% against adjacent foes[[/note]] Their Ultimate also enhances the next Basic Attack and negates its Magma Will cost. On a related note, the Preservation Trailblazer's first Eidolon Resonance, ''Earth-Shaking Resonance'', increases the damage of their Basic Attack worth 25% of their Defense stat, twice so on its enhanced form, while their fourth, ''Nation-Building Oath'', automatically grants four stacks of Magma Will at the start of battle.

* 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 jousting lance.

* UpgradeArtifact: By acquiring their Eidolons, you can upgrade their Eidolon Resonances, ''Trail-Blazing Blueprint'' and ''Spirit-Warming Flame'', which will add two levels to their Skill and Talent with the former, and 2 to their Ultimate and 1 to Basic Attack with the latter.

* ChainLethalityEnabler: His fourth Eidolon Resonance, ''Roaring Dragon and Soaring Sun'', automatically pushes forward his next action whenever he defeats an enemy with his Ultimate.

* SimpleYetAwesome: Of the three starter characters, Dan Heng's kit is the most focused, lacking the Trailblazer's adaptability or March 7th's sheer utility. The choice between using his Basic Attack, Skill, and Ultimate can be boiled down to how hard he wants to hit one enemy at a time. Relative to his fellow Hunt Pathstriders, Dan Heng also lacks additional gimmicks (e.g., Seele's ChainLethalityEnabler kit, Yanqing's FullHealthBonus, or Sushang's enhanced damage against Broken foes), the closest being that his Ultimate deals more damage against [[SituationalSword Slowed enemies]] and his Talent's ability to increase his Wind Resistance Penetration. Despite this, Dan Heng is one of the strongest DPS units in the early game, and among the launch characters his single-turn damage is second only to Seele.[[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 ability, the difference is more pronounced in practice. See [[https://www.prydwen.gg/star-rail/dps-rankings/ here]] for more details.[[/note]]

* UpgradeArtifact: By acquiring his Eidolons, you can upgrade his Eidolon Resonances, ''Seen and Unseen'' and ''A Drop of Rain Feeds a Torrent'', which will add two levels to his Skill and 1 to Basic Attack with the former, and 2 to Ultimate and Talent with the latter.

** Like Amber of ''VideoGame/GenshinImpact'', March 7th is a 4★ StarterMon archer with a cheerful personality, who automatically joins the party at the beginning of the game, albeit having an indirect FireIceDuo dynamic, with March 7th being the Ice to Amber's Fire.

* UpgradeArtifact: By acquiring her Eidolons, you can upgrade her third and fifth Eidolon Resonances, ''Memory of Everything'' and ''Never Forget Again'', which will add two levels to her Ultimate and one to Basic Attack (''Frigid Cold Arrow'') with the former, and 2 to her Skill and Talent with the latter.

* AlternateSelf: Of Murata Himeko from ''Videogame/HonkaiImpact3rd'', complete with the association with fire and the same Chinese and Japanese voice actresses. By contrast, however, this Himeko is likely what would have happened had the other Himeko continued her interest with outer space since her youth, and became a space scientist in her adulthood.

* GatheringSteam: Her Talent allows Himeko to gather stacks of Charge whenever the party Breaks enemies (with one stack prepared at the start of battle), which are then consumed once she has three to [[OutOfTurnInteraction trigger a follow-up attack]].[[note]]With damage worth 70–175% of her Attack stat[[/note]] In addition, her first Eidolon Resonance, ''Childhood'', allows the Talent to boost her Speed by 20% for two turns after it is triggered, while her fourth, ''Dedication'', automatically builds an extra stack whenever her Skill Breaks at least one foe.

* UpgradeArtifact: By acquiring her Eidolons, you can upgrade her third and fifth Eidolon Resonances, ''Poised'' and ''Aspiration'', which will add two levels to her Skill and 1 to Basic Attack with the former, and 2 to her Ultimate and Talent with the latter.

* ElementalPersonalities: 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.

* KickThemWhileTheyAreDown: His sixth-ascension Bonus Ability, ''Punishment'', boosts his damage against Broken enemies by 20%.
* MagicStaff: He uses the Star of Eden to channel his powers against enemies and neutralize the Trailblazer after they are hit by the Doomsday Beast and lose control over the Stellaron in their body. His "Keeping Up with Star Rail" video reveals that the cane is the current form of his [[GravityMaster Star of Eden]].

* TheParalyzer: His Skill can slow his enemies while his Imaginary-type damage can inflict Entanglement on Weakness Break, delaying the enemy turn significantly. With the right team composition and blessings in the Simulated Universe, Welt can potentially prevent his foes from ever taking a turn.

* SituationalDamageAttack: His first Eidolon Resonance, ''Legacy of Honor'', allows his Ultimate to augment the next two uses of either his Basic Attack, ''Gravity Suppression'', or Skill with an additional hit (the latter limited to his target).[[note]]With damage worth, respectively, 50% and 80% of either preceding attack[[/note]]

* UpgradeArtifact: By acquiring his Eidolons, you can upgrade his third and fifth Eidolon Resonances, ''Prayer of Peace'' and ''Power of Kindness'', which will add two levels to his Skill and 1 to Basic Attack with the former, and 2 to his Ultimate and Talent with the latter.

Himeko specializes in bringing down the pain on multiple foes at once with her hybrid cannon-chainsaw disguised as a briefcase, either through her Skill, ''Molten Detonation'', where she scorches her target and adjacent foes, or her Ultimate, ''Heavenly Flare'', where she commands an orbital laser to fire down on all her foes, which also restores some Energy for her whenever enemies are defeated. In addition, her Talent, ''Victory Rush'', allows her to build Charges whenever her allies Break enemies, which are then consumed once she has three to turn her case into a drone that slices away on all foes with a saw, while her Technique, ''Incomplete Combustion'', generates a field that increases Fire damage against all foes inside for the first two turns of battle. [[note]]When fully upgraded, all her attacks can now randomly inflict Burn for two turns; she enjoys a heightened Critical Rate while her HP is very high as well as damage against foes with less than half of theirs; her Skill increases in damage potency against Burnt foes, as well as builds one Charge whene it Breaks a foe; her Ultimate gains two extra damage bursts; and her Talent can now boost her Speed for two turns after it is triggered.[[/note]]

* AreaOfEffect: His Technique generates a force field that lasts fifteen seconds, within which enemies see their movement speeds halved, as well as Imprisons them for their first turn if you attack them. The slowing effect sees use against enemies that may try to hit you (and make them react slower to your presence), or Trotters that may try to flee from you.

* CelebrityParadox: As [[https://youtu.be/YISiqN0N9JA Silver Wolf's trailer]] has shown, ''VideoGame/HonkaiImpact3rd'' is confirmed to be an actual in-universe game in the ''Star Rail'' universe, which creates an interesting conundrum for Welt because he's one of two characters (the other being Void Archives) confirmed to come directly from the ''Honkai Impact 3rd'' universe and not contradict his existence in the ''Star Rail'' universe in the process. The fact that no one in the galaxy recognizes Welt as "the character from ''[=HI3=]''" strongly implies that events may have gone differently in the in-universe game or he may be absent from it entirely.

** When Welt sees Luocha for the first time, he immediately recieves flashbacks of his experiences with Otto Apocalyse and the Void Archives. Since those experiences weren't exactly positive, he immediately suspects that Luocha may be involved with the ''Luofu's'' Stellaron troubles.
** March complains about Welt's uncanny ability to eavesdrop on conversations in some dialogue lines, alluding to Welt's SuperHearing power in his home world.

** When Welt properly meets Acheron for the first time, it's clear that he recognizes her as a version of Mei (without name-dropping her) and asks a series of subtle questions and references to test how close she is to the Mei he knows. He then tells about he and his allies' final battle against Kevin, and compares Kevin to Icarus, a running theme in ''[=HI3=]''. Acheron responds by straight up telling Welt she is not the same person he knows, that she has also met "similar people" in different worlds, and that in her world, she personally slew her version of Kevin but failed to save her world.

* DamageIncreasingDebuff: Welt's second-ascension Bonus Ability, ''Retribution'', gives his Ultimate a 100% base chance to inflict the "Vulnerability" effect, increasing incoming damage against enemies by 12% for two turns afterwards.

* DramaticIrony: The first time he sees Luocha's photo, he flashes back to the old times in his home world, particularly with Otto and Void Archives; he instantly raises his suspicion on the blond-haired man. Though he acknowledges that he shouldn't judge people by their appearance, after a series of investigations done by the crew, they find that Luocha is a generally good and helpful man and didn't find anything wrong with him - at least, until the Realm-Keeping Commission found a footage of Luocha overlooking the revived Ambrosial Arbor. The crew didn't get to meet or talk about Luocha again, but [[spoiler:the end of the Luofu storyline proves Welt right: Luocha actually had a scheme, one that's grand enough to involve Aeons]].

* GravityMaster: Welt wields a copy of the Divine Key - Star of Eden, a superweapon constructed from the core of the ninth Herrscher that gives its user the ability to manipulate gravity and spawn black holes. His kit mostly revolve around using the power of the Star to rein in his foes.
* HeKnowsTooMuch: When Acheron identifies the Star of Eden hidden in his cane, Welt immediately becomes suspicious of her, warning her that if she does not prove she's an ally, he'll use the Star of Eden to destroy her in order to protect his secret. He decides to cease his aggression when she also reveals that she knows the Express are going around with a Stellaron (i.e the Trailblazer).
* 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.

* JackOfAllStats: Welt can be a highly effective debuffer, Skill-Point generator, damage amplifier, and DPS with the right build and team composition. His ability to do all of this at once makes up for him losing out in any of these one categories to other characters (such as Seele in the single-target damage department). In addition, his rare Imaginary element lets him hit many enemies with an otherwise hard-to-exploit weakness.
* KickThemWhileTheyAreDown: His sixth-ascension Bonus Ability, ''Punishment'', boosts his damage against Weakness Broken enemies by 20%.
* MagicStaff: Uses his ClassyCane to channel his powers against enemies and neutralize the Trailblazer after they are hit by the Doomsday Beast and lose control over the Stellaron in their body. His "Keeping Up with Star Rail" video reveals that the cane is the current form of his [[GravityMaster Star of Eden]].
* MissedHimByThatMuch: Welt decides to sit out the adventure on Jarilo-VI, suggesting that the younger crew deserve to get some experience on their own. In doing so, he ends up missing their encounters with this universe's versions of [[SuperiorSuccessor Bronya]], [[ChronicBackstabbingDisorder Cocolia]], and Seele. Welt ultimately does come down to Jarilo-VI during the Aetherium Wars event, but is not shown interacting with either Bronya or Seele.

** ''Synthetic Black Hole'' strongly references his past, including a glimpse of Tesla and his dangerous usage of black holes during the Second 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 his home universe:

* TheParalyzer: Welt's skill can slow targets hit while his Imaginary-type damage can inflict Entanglement on Weakness Break, delaying the enemy turn significantly. With the right team composition and blessings in the Simulated Universe, Welt can potentially prevent his foes from ever taking a turn.
* PreAssKickingOneLiner:

* RandomNumberGod: In addition to directly damaging the target, his Skill can hit two random enemies, in addition to a chance to inflict Slow for two turns.[[note]]Depending on Trace levels, its damage is equivalent to 36–90% of Welt's Attack stat, as well as a 65–80% rate of inflicting Slow[[/note]] His sixth Eidolon Resonance, ''Prospect of Glory'', adds a third random hit.

* StatusEffectPoweredAbility: His Talent allows Welt's attacks to deal additional damage against enemies affected by Slow status.[[note]]Depending on Trace levels, damage is equal to 30–75% of his Attack stat[[/note]]
* StatusBuff: His first Eidolon Resonance, ''Legacy of Honor'', allows him to deal additional damage after using either Basic Attack or Skill after using his Ultimate; this effect has 2 uses per Ultimate activation.[[note]]The additional damage is equal to, respectively, 50% and 80% of either attack's base damage multiplier[[/note]]
* StatusInflictionAttack: His Skill has a chance of inflicting Slow (10% Speed penalty) on enemies[[note]]Base chance is 65%–77% per Trace levels, in addition to dealing Imaginary DMG equal to 36%–79.2% of Welt's ATK stat[[/note]], while his Ultimate and Technique can inflict Imprisonment on all enemies ([[CooldownManipulation delaying their actions]], in addition to 1-turn 10% Speed penalty)[[note]]The former can delay turns by 32–44%, as well as deal damage equal to 90–180% of Welt's Attack stat, depending on Trace levels, while the latter delays turns by a fixed rate of 20%[[/note]]. Welt's fourth Eidolon Resonance, ''Appellation of Justice'', boosts the success rate for his Skill to inflict Slow by 35%.

* SwordPlant: More like "Cane Plant", but his Basic Attack has him tap his cane on the ground to create a gravitational force centered on the target.[[note]]Deals Imaginary DMG equal to 50%–110% of Welt's Attack stat[[/note]] His Ultimate also ends with him dramatically doing it (after twirling the cane around) to deal the final blow on the affected enemies.

* UpgradeArtifact: By acquiring his Eidolons, you can upgrade his third and fifth Eidolon Resonances, ''Prayer of Peace'' and ''Power of Kindness'', which will add two levels to his Skill and 1 to Basic Attack (''Gravity Suppression'') with the former, and 2 to his Ultimate and Talent with the latter.

Himeko's gameplay focuses on dealing damage to multiple foes and Weakness Breaking them, letting her bring even more pain. Her Skill ''Molten Detonation'' has her using a torch hidden in her briefcase to strike 3 foes at once, while her Ultimate ''Heavenly Flare'' commands an orbital laser to fire down on all enemies and restores additional Energy for every enemy defeated. In addition, her Talent, ''Victory Rush'', allows her to gather up to 3 charges whenever the she or her allies Break enemies, which are then automatically consumed to transform her briefcase into a drone that slices away at all enemies as a follow-up attack, while her Technique, ''Incomplete Combustion'', generates a field that increases Fire damage against all foes inside for the first two turns of battle. [[note]]When fully upgraded, all her attacks can now randomly inflict Burn for two turns; she enjoys a heightened Critical Rate while her HP is very high as well as damage against foes with less than half of theirs; her Skill increases in damage potency against Burnt foes, as well as build a charge should she Break a foe; her Ultimate gains two extra damage bursts; and her Talent can now boost her Speed for two turns after it is triggered.[[/note]]

* AlternateSelf: Of Murata Himeko from ''Videogame/HonkaiImpact3rd'', complete with the association with fire element and the same Chinese and Japanese voice actresses. By contrast, however, this Himeko is likely what would have happened had the other Himeko continued her interest with outer space since her youth, and became a space scientist in her adulthood.

** Although Himeko prefers to allow the newer Astral Express members to learn how to handle things on their own, at Welt's request she relents and helps once during the climax of Jarilo-VI by [[spoiler:[[DeathFromAbove calling down an orbital strike from the Astral Express on the Engine of Creation]], striking it and distracting it from crushing the heroes]].
** When Bronya is on the brink of signing a dubious contract with the IPC, Himeko arrives just in time to warn her about certain aspects of the deal that Topaz neglected to inform her about, namely that [[spoiler:only around 63% of planets which receive aid from the IPC actually recover (over 80% in cases supervised by Topaz). This prompts Bronya to turn down the IPC's offer, not wanting to take a gamble with Belobog's future.]]
* ChainsawGood: Her Basic Attack, ''Sawblade Tuning'', involves swinging around a briefcase containing a circular saw.[[note]]Damage is equivalent to 50-110% of her Attack stat[[/note]] Her Talent attack also has her briefcase turn into a flying drone with a sawblade arm that cuts through all enemies at once.

* CripplingOverspecialization: Himeko specializes in striking multiple enemies at once and following up with additional attacks after the party inflicted three Weakness Breaks, making her viable for Pure Fiction and farming Calyxes. Unfortunately, she suffers from poor damage output against elite- or boss-grade enemies, where Breaking them may take a while, though this is ameliorated by automatically gaining three stacks once they are Broken, allowing her to immediately launch a follow-up attack.

* DamageOverTime: Himeko's second-ascension Bonus Ability, ''Starfire'', grants all her attacks a 50% chance to inflict Burn on enemies for two turns, which damages them at the start of their turn.[[note]]Damage is equivalent to 30% of her Attack stat[[/note]]
* DubPronunciationChange: Himeko's name is the ''kun'', or native Japanese, reading of 姬子, which is read as "Jīzǐ" in Chinese, while the Korean dub opts to retain "Himeko" (hangul 히메코, whereas the characters can be read via hanja as "Huija").

* FieryRedhead: Himeko's blazing red hair matches her passion for exploration as the Navigator of the Astral Express. While she's usually unflappably calm, it's clear that she's livid about [[spoiler:Topaz's attempt to deceive Bronya about the success rate of the IPC's terraforming projects]]. She is happy to toss away any pretense of being impartial and more or less dares Topaz and her men to fight her in the middle of what's supposed to be a peaceful negotiation.

* GatheringSteam: Her Talent allows Himeko to gather stacks of Charge whenever she or her allies Break an enemy (with one stack prepared at the start of battle), which are then consumed once three have been gathered to allow Himeko to [[OutOfTurnInteraction trigger a follow-up attack.]] [[note]]Damage is equivalent to 70–175% of her Attack stat[[/note]] In addition, her first Eidolon Resonance, ''Childhood'', allows the Talent to boost her Speed by 20% for two turns, while her fourth, ''Dedication'', automatically builds an extra stack whenever her Skill Breaks at least one foe.

* HerdHittingAttack: Himeko's Skill also damages enemies one either side of her target, with a higher damage to the latter.[[note]]Depending on Trace levels, damage is equivalent to 100–250% of her Attack stat against her target, 40–100% to adacent foes[[/note]] Her Talent also hits all enemies when triggered once she has three stacks of Charge.[[note]]Depending on Trace levels, damage is equivalent to 70%–154% of her Attack stat to all enemies[[/note]] Finally, her Ultimate is yet another attack that deals heavy damage to all enemies.[[note]]Depending on Trace levels, damage is equivalent to 138%–276% of her Attack stat to all enemies[[/note]]

* KillSat: Her Ultimate has Himeko calling down a massive OrbitalBombardment from a satellite floating in space and rain down hell on her enemies, which will also [[RegeneratingMana restore Energy for every enemy defeated]].[[note]]Depending on Trace levels, damage is equal to 138–276% of her Attack stat[[/note]] Her sixth Eidolon Resonance, ''Trailblaze!'', adds two extra hits, each dealing damage worth 40% of the original damage to random enemies.

* LovedByAll: Being the Navigator the Astral Express, Himeko has a wide range of contacts throughout the universe and is generally well regarded by everybody who knows her. She in particular is quite popular in the IPC, and she manages to successfully [[ScrewTheRulesIHaveConnections leverage her popularity]] to [[spoiler:convince the IPC executives to write off Belobog's debt]].

* SituationalSword: Her second Eidolon Resonance, ''Convergence'', increases damage against enemies with no more than half their HP by 15%.
* StatusEffectPoweredAbility: Her fourth-ascension Bonus Ability, ''Magma'', increases the damage potency of her Skill by 20% against Burnt enemies.

One of the Astral Express's colorful crewmates. Himeko found her drifting through space encased in six-phased ice, which cannot be melted through conventional means. Regardless, the Express crew managed to free her, only to realize she had lost all her memories, even her own name. Now named for the date of her rescue, March 7th would rather keep moving forward and see what the future holds than dwell on the past. Her favorite hobby is taking pictures, as it helps her keep track of her new life, and perhaps serve as a window into her old one.\\

March 7th specializes in shielding her allies as well as stopping her enemies cold. Her Skill, ''The Power of Cuteness'', erects a Shield for an ally for three turns, as well as increases enemy aggression against them so long as their HP is not dangerously low, and her Talent, ''Girl Power'', allows her to shoot at enemies up to twice in between her turns whenever they hit shielded allies. Meanwhile, her Ultimate, ''Glacial Cascade'', has her fire an enchanted arrow that disperses into a rain of bunny-plush-shaped icicles on all foes, with a random chance of Freezing them, and her Technique, ''Freezing Beauty'', fires an arrow that can randomly Freeze one foe for the first turn of battle.[[note]]When fully upgraded, she can now automatically erect a Shield for the ally with the lowest HP proportion for the three turns of combat; her Skill can now remove one debuff and its Shield now lasts four turns, as well as gains a healing effect per turn; and her Talent can now counter up to thrice in between her turns.[[/note]]

* BarrierWarrior: Her Skill erects a Shield around an ally for three turns,[[note]]Depending on Trace levels, damage absorption is equivalent to (38–66.5%)+(190–973.75) of March 7th's Defense stat[[/note]] in addition to a DrawAggro effect if the ally has at least 30% HP. Her fourth-ascension Bonus Ability, ''Reinforce'', extends the Shield's duration to four turns, while her second Eidolon Resonance, ''Memory of It'', allows March 7th to automatically grant a less potent Shield to the ally with the lowest remaining HP percentage for the first three turns of the next battle,[[note]]Damage absorption is equivalent to 24%+320 of her Defense stat[[/note]] and her sixth, ''Just Like This, Always...'', heals the Shielded ally based on 4%+106 of their Max HP for every turn the Shield is intact.
* BlackAndWhiteMorality: March 7th seems to have this kind of mindset. When Kafka hacks into the Astral Express's communications and tells them about the Stellaron on the ''Xianzhou Luofu'', and how she and her group were being framed for smuggling it onboard, March 7th argues that what happens to the Stellaron Hunters has nothing to do with them and wants to vote against helping them 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.

* CompanyCrossReferences: Much like Amber from ''VideoGame/GenshinImpact'', March 7th is a 4★ StarterMon archer with a cheerful personality, who automatically joins the party at the beginning of the game, albeit having an indirect FireIceDuo dynamic, with March 7th being the Ice to Amber's Fire.
* CounterAttack: Her Talent allows her to immediately counter enemy attacks against a Shielded character up to twice in between her turns.[[note]]Depending on Trace levels, damage potency is equivalent to 50–125% of her Attack stat[[/note]] 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.

* DubPronunciationChange: March 7th's name is rendered "三月七" ("Sānyuèqī") in Chinese, which are read as "Mitsuki Nanoka" in Japanese (via ''kun'', or native, reading).

* EveryoneHasStandards: March is all for helping people because as a member of the Astral Express, they help people in need. However, she has her limits when it becomes clear that they are being taken advantage of. When she thinks that the Luofu is going to send them to the frontlines, she hysterically declares that she absolutely refuses to go because she's had enough of being treated like an errand girl.

* GlacierWaif: Pun unintended. While she dresses like a pop idol and is very girly overall, March 7th is a Preservation Pathstrider. Her skills incentivize builds that capitalize on a high Defense stat to make her shields borderline impregnable. This means she ends up being way tankier than what her appearance would imply.
* HatesBeingAlone: March rarely goes anywhere without someone else with her. In fact, being alone is likely her greatest fear, with her even saying "I don't want to be alone..." if she's knocked out during combat.

* HypocriticalHumor: When voting on whether or not the Astral Express should go to the Xianzhou Luofu, March urges the Trailblazer to vote against it since she doesn't trust what Kafka said. However, when time comes for the actual voting, March votes in favor instead. The Trailblazer will call out March out it much to her embarrassment as sheepishly admits that she realized she can't let personal prejudices distract her from helping people.

* RegeneratingMana: March 7th's first Eidolon Resonance, ''Memory of You'', automatically restores 6 Energy for herself for every enemy Frozen with her Ultimate.

** With Dan Heng, many players quickly noticed that March 7th sometimes acted like she had a crush on him during the early chapters of the game where she had a tendency to stare at him rather adoringly, something he eventually comments on ("Why are you looking at me like that?"). It's significantly reduced during later chapters[[note]]admittedly, that's probably partly to do with the fact that [[OutOfFocus Dan Heng isn't part of the Trailblaze party]] for either Xianzhou Luofu or Penacony[[/note]] but not gone altogether, with moments like one during the Xianzhou Luofu storyline, where March insists the Trailblazer text Dan Heng in her place to "tell him what a great time we're having", which comes across as ''very'' reminiscent of someone trying to feel out what their crush is up to without wanting to be obvious about it. Possibly due to them being your closest Astral Express companions who are central to the story at large, they're often paired together in official artwork as well (such on as the fast food collab event standees, one of the few bits of physical merch the game has received). Naturally, this adds a bit of fuel to the shipping fire.
** With the Trailblazer. In spite of the potential snark between them, March forms an immediate bond with the Trailblazer after they save her life from the Doomsday Beast and also due to their shared circumstances as amnesiacs. The Trailblazer can even flirt with her at times which March will reciprocate in a playful manner. More over, the Future Market mission and Aetherium Wars event features the two as a team to the very end. The Foxian Tale event also reveals that they often go stargazing together in the Astral Express' lounge, and at the end of the Stellar Shadowseeker event, March and the Trailblazer take a special photo together commemorating their friendship.
* SlidingScaleOfGameplayAndStoryIntegration: While most ''Star Rail'' characters don't have a firm in-story reasoning for their elemental alignment, March 7th is explicitly associated with Ice, since she was found encased in a block of it.

* StatusInflictionAttack: her Ultimate has a base 50% chance (boosted to 65% through her sixth-ascension Bonus Ability, ''Ice Spell'') to inflict Freeze on enemies for one turn, forcing them to skip that turn and take damage,[[note]]Depending on Trace level, its damage is equivalent to 90–180% of her Attack stat, as well as 30–75% for Freeze damage[[/note]], while her Technique is guaranteed to Freeze a random enemy at the start of battle.[[note]]With subsequent damage equivalent to half of March 7th's Attack stat[[/note]]

* StoneWall: March 7th's skillset incentivizes building up around her Defense stat to strengthen the resilience of her Shields and her personal durability in exchange for leaving her offensive firepower rather middling, with her Ultimate being less about raw damage output and more for freezing enemies.
* SupportPartyMember: March 7th's kit packs an impressive amount of utility. Her Skill allows her to erect a Shield onto her allies (with her second-ascension Bonus Ability also adding a debuff removal effect), while her Ultimate has a hefty chance of inflicting Freeze on all enemies in addition to a respectable damage output. With a full Eidolon, her Shields can now even heal.

* TraumaButton: The events of Jarilo-VI has left her more distrustful of others' intentions. For example, when Tingyun led them to the Palace of Astrum, she's openly questioning whether it's a matter of time before the latter sics the Cloud Knights on them. She also seems to dislike people of authority as she openly complains about Yukong's chilly reception and has reservations about staying at a hotel after their last experience. In her Companion Mission, Fu Xuan laments that she can't see the snow vistas of Belobog through March's memory, which is confined to the Goethe Hotel's lobby; the latter says that finding out that she and her friends are wanted criminals after staying there had left a deep impression on her.

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.\\

Dan Heng swiftly disposes of his target with his spear, as well as severely impairs their movement. His Skill, ''Cloudlancer Art: Torrent'', is a triple thrust that inflicts Slow should it land a critical hit, while his Ultimate, ''Ethereal Dream'', traps his foes in a painting-like landscape as he skewers them, with a heightened damage potency if they are Slowed. In addition, his Talent, ''Superiority of Reach'', increases the Wind Resistance Penetration of his next attack whenever he becomes the target of an ally's abilities (buffs, shielding and healing), and his Technique, ''Splitting Spearhead'', enhances his Attack for his first three turns.[[note]]When fully upgraded, he becomes less likely to be attack whenever his HP falls below half, as well as enjoys heightened Critical Rate against foes with over half of theirs, and all his attacks can now randomly boost his Speed for two turns; his Basic Attack increases in power against Slowed enemies; and his Ultimate automatically brings forward his next turn should it defeat his target.[[/note]]\\

* ArmorPiercingAttack: His Talent increases the Wind Resistance Penetration of his next attack[[note]]By 18–45% depending on Trace levels[[/note]] whenever he receives a StatusBuff from his allies, activated at least every two turns, which can be reduced to one through his second Eidolon Resonance, ''Quell the Venom Octet, Quench the Vice O'Flame''.

* BigBrotherInstinct: Despite his default DeadpanSnarker attitude being particularly noticeable in his interactions with her, he's shown to nevertheless be quite protective of March 7th if she's in danger, trying to grab for her when she's in the path of the Doomsday Beast in the prologue, and shielding her when they're attacked by the Silvermane Guard in Belobog since she can't use her bow effectively in such close-quarters. Furthermore, most of his voice lines when they're partied up together have him cautioning her not to run off by herself or act rashly, or (if March 7th is in a party with Imbibitor Lunae) lamenting that she never listens to his advice.

* ChainLethalityEnabler: His fourth Eidolon Resonance, ''Roaring Dragon and Soaring Sun'', automatically [[CooldownManipulation pushes forward his next action]] whenever he defeats an enemy with his Ultimate.

** At the start of the Penacony arc, Dan Heng says that he's going to sit out this time. As previously he ended up getting heavily involved in the Luofu arc, this makes sense, though he does tell the Trailblazer to not worry about the Luofu's matters. He then shows up on the Luofu again in the video "Harmony Greets the New Year" to join in the new year's festivities, released while the other crewmembers are visiting Penacony in the game. However, in the mission "Cat Among Pigeons", he contacts the Astral Express crew and tells them he's more than willing to rejoin them in Penacony and lend a hand if they need his help.
** In general, while Dan Heng's importance as a character has not diminished, his interactions with the other crew members of the Astral Express have decreased after the Xianzhou Luofu arc such as in the "Future Market" questline and subsequent "Aetherium Wars" event in favor of having him deal with his focus quests on his own.
* CriminalAmnesiac: His past life sins should have been considered cleansed [[spoiler:with his forced rebirth]] and he could only barely remember that he committed a grave sin (but not what it was), but in practice, there are two problems. The first is that [[spoiler:the Vidyadhara feared the long-term consequences of permanently destroying a high elder and therefore only did a partial job[[note]]while they did force Dan Feng to undergo a rebirth, the charm they used had an intentional flaw, likely allowing his future reincarnation to recover his memories and powers when the right time comes[[/note]]]]. The second is that even if he ''had'' completely lost his memories, those who still care (such as Ten-Lords Commission) feel very strongly about the subject, so they consider his lost memories to be nothing more than him making a feeble excuse to dodge responsibility for his past life's crimes, and want him dead permanently.

* DarkAndTroubledPast: While he refuses to discuss his past, he's got some bad blood with the Xianzhou Luofu such that he is marked for death should he step a foot there. 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 Xianzhou Alliance, which causes alarm bells to go off when he finds out that Blade is on the ''Luofu'' and convinces him to board the ship to warn his friends.

* {{Deuteragonist}}: Of the Xianzhou Luofu arc, as the main story is as much a quest to help the Luofu from the influence of the Stellaron as well as Dan Heng's personal journey to face his own past, [[spoiler:which culminates in him gaining his Imbibitor Lunae form to help out in the climax.]].

* TheExile: Has been banned from setting foot on the ''Xianzhou Luofu'' due to [[spoiler:a terrible sin committed by his previous incarnation, Dan Feng]], which causes him to decline to visit the ''Luofu'' with the others. Relatedly, according to some papers found there, it was Jing Yuan who gave said sentence, when [[spoiler:the Vidyadhara Preceptors and Ten-Lords Commission planned to give Dan Feng a harsher sentence]]. He immediately breaks the rule when he discovers that Blade is onboard, recognizing the latter's danger. [[spoiler:After Phantylia's defeat, Jing Yuan absolves Dan Heng's ban as gratitude for his assistance and allows him to freely visit the ''Luofu'' from then on, though he only sticks around to look after his successor Bailu and repair the Ambrosial Arbor's seal, before choosing to return to journeying with the Express]].

** [[spoiler:In the final set of missions of the Xianzhou Luofu Trailblaze Mission, Dan Heng undergoes a transformation into the Imbibitor Lunae for the remainder of the story arc. However, his original pre-transformation self can still be used and deployed at this time despite not changing back into his "Dan Heng" self until after Phantylia's defeat]].

* IChooseToStay: [[spoiler:After completing his Companion Mission, Dan Heng is offered a chance to resettle in his homeland by Jing Yuan, with the former's banishment having been revoked. However, Dan Heng insists that the Astral Express still needs him and is staying with them through thick and thin, only lingering on the ''Luofu'' long enough to catch up with the current High Elder, Bailu, and fix the seal of the Ambrosial Arbor together with her.]]
* ImpaledWithExtremePrejudice: [[spoiler:He gets stabbed through the chest by Blade's sword during their encounter on the Xianzhou Luofu. He survives, and it causes him to reveal his true identity as the Imbibitor Lunae]].

* MythologyGag: Dan Heng shares some similarities to Xiao, as well as to some extent Kaedehara Kazuha, from an earlier [=miHoYo=] RPG, ''VideoGame/GenshinImpact''--in general, all three are handsome, youthful-looking men with wind-aligned powers and are haunted by {{Dark and Troubled Past}}s; in particular, Dan Heng shares Xiao's mastery of the spear, origins in a place with a Chinese cultural aesthetic, and [[spoiler:godlike powers]], as well as Kazuha's maple-leaf aesthetic and fugitive status.

* OutOfFocus: Following his DarkAndTroubledPast being a heavy focus of the Xianzhou Luofu storyline, he volunteers to sit out the Penacony chapter altogether, electing to give his room at the hotel to the Trailblazer in favour of staying on the Astral Express and updating the archive.

* SimpleYetAwesome: Of the three starter characters, Dan Heng's kit is the most focused, lacking the Trailblazer's adaptability or March 7th's sheer utility. The choice between using his Basic Attack, Skill, and Ultimate can be boiled down to how hard he wants to hit one enemy at a time. Relative to his fellow Hunt Pathstriders, Dan Heng also lacks additional gimmicks (e.g., Seele's ExtraTurn, Yanqing's FullHealthBonus, or Sushang's enhanced damage against Broken foes), the closest being that his Ultimate deals more damage against [[SituationalSword Slowed enemies]] and his Talent's ability to increase his Wind Resistance Penetration. Despite this, Dan Heng is one of the strongest DPS units in the early game, and among the launch characters his single-turn damage is second only to Seele.[[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.[[/note]]

* StatusEffectPoweredAbility: His Ultimate increases in damage potency against Slowed enemies.[[note]]Depending on Trace levels, its damage is equivalent to 240–480% of Dan Heng's Attack stat by default, 312–624% against a Slowed enemy[[/note]] In addition, Dan Heng's sixth-ascension Bonus Ability, ''High Gale'', adds a 40% damage boost for his Basic Attack ''Cloudlancer Art: North Wind'' against Slowed enemies.
* StatusInflictionAttack: His Skill is guaranteed to inflict Slow (12% penalty on their Speed stat) for two turns should it land a critical hit. His sixth Eidolon Resonance, ''The Troubled Soul Lies in Wait'', increases the penalty to 20%.

* UndyingLoyalty: Dan Heng considers himself first and foremost a member of the Astral Express crew, and insists [[spoiler:he is ''not'' Dan Feng, his previous incarnation. His loyalty to the Astral Express is exemplified at the end of his Companion Quest, where Dan Heng turns down Jing Yuan's offer to stay at the Luofu despite his banishment edict being annulled, choosing to instead travel with the Trailblazer and friends]].

!! Joachim Nokianvirtanen / Welt Yang

An enigmatic man with a storied past. Hailing from a distant universe, Welt, ''né'' Joachim Nokianvirtanen, formerly known as the Herrscher of Reason and gifted with control over gravity, led the organization Anti-Entropy against an omnicidal force known as the Honkai in a desperate battle for the survival of his home world. After a long, drawn-out war, the Honkai were expelled and Welt settled down at an animation studio, but as luck would have it, events conspired to separate him from his world. Following a long journey, he happened upon the Astral Express and joined its crew in hopes of finding his way back home.\\

Welt excels in inhibiting his foes by manipulating gravity around them using the replica of Star of Eden, his cane made from the remnants of another Herrscher, through his Skill, ''Edge of the Void'', which deals two additional random hits onto other targets and can inflict Slow for two turns, and his Ultimate, ''Synthetic Black Hole'', which has a very high chance to inflict Imprison on all enemies for one turn, delaying their turn and reducing their Speed. In addition, his Talent, ''Time Distoriton'', adds an extra damage burst if his target is Slowed, while his Technique, ''Gravitational Imprisonment'', generates a force field that halves enemy movement within and inflict Imprison for the first turn of battle.[[note]]When fully upgraded, his damage increases against Broken foes; his Skill gains a third random strike; his Ultimate can increase all foes' damage intake for two turns afterwards, as well as adds an extra strike to the next two instances of either his Basic Attack or Skill; and his Talent can now restore some Energy whenever it is triggered.[[/note]]\\

** While Kiana is actually smarter and more competent than her [[GenkiGirl cheerful]], [[BrilliantButLazy book-averse]], and [[{{Cloudcuckoolander}} lackadaisical]] façade suggests, the Trailblazer is a [[TheStoic stoic]], quiet type who can be [[BunnyEarsLawyer much weirder]] than they let on. Additionally, while both carry an ArtifactOfDoom in their bodies, Kiana only learns about hers late in her life, and is also an active threat to her and the people around her until she learns to control it. By comparison, the Trailblazer finds out about theirs shortly after waking up, has shown no negative reactions to carrying it so far, and made no attempts to learn how to control it.
** Like the Traveler, the Trailblazer is an otherworldly PlayerCharacter whose canon names relate to the sky (Caelus/Aether) and light (Stelle/Lumine), have player-defined gender and names, and can switch combat specializations as needed; apart from that, however, they differ in several ways: at the start of their stories, whereas the Traveler has a set goal of reuniting with their sibling, the Trailblazer has very few memories intact; in terms of clothing, both Trailblazers wear a black-and-yellow coat over a white shirt (only differentiated with Stelle wearing a miniskirt and CombatStilettos, while Caelus wears slacks and regular shoes), whereas the Traveler has gender-specific color schemes (black-and-gold for Aether, white-and-sky-blue for Lumine); combat-wise, whereas the Traveler continues to wield a sword and retain their stats even when changing elements (and thus fighting styles), the Trailblazer changes elements, weapons, and stat priorities in conjunction with Paths; in terms of traveling companions in the main storyline, the Trailblazer has March 7th and Dan Heng (both of whom are the other two starting playable characters in the game), while the Traveler only has Paimon (who is an [=NPC=]; meanwhile, the starter characters--Amber, Kaeya, and Lisa--are story-wise largely limited to Mondstadt); finally, regarding the other selectable PlayableCharacter, whereas the Traveler you didn't choose becomes your Traveler's missing sibling [[spoiler:and leader of the Abyss Order]], as of v1.3 the other Trailblazer has not been integrated into the story.

* DatingCatwoman: [[spoiler:Firefly, whom they received an extensive amount of ShipTease with, is the true person beneath Stellaron Hunter Sam.]]

* DreamingOfTimesGoneBy: Due to the Stellaron in their body, the Trailblazer has a dream in which [[spoiler:the Jarilo-VI Stellaron spoke to a young Cocolia, witnessing the moment where it started to influence her down a dark path]].

* EmotionControl: At some point during the Penacony story quest, they happen upon Clockie, who asks them for help in calming down an angry gangster threatening Misha and Acheron. Because this is caused by negative emotions boiling over, they are taught the power of Clockwork to counter it, which instantly changes a person's mood to happy, sad, angry, or calm. The targets of this power never seem to notice that anything is wrong unless they have enough experience with the Path of Harmony, but observers of the Trailblazer's new ability have been left stunned at the sudden MoodWhiplash.

* ILetGwenStacyDie: [[spoiler:They were extremely distraught with Firefly's death, with both Acheron and Black Swan trying to calm them down and let them cope with it, and the two even make sure to gather some of Firefly's last thoughts in order to etch them into the Trailblazer's Remembrance and make sure she won't be forgotten. If you return to Firefly's secret hideout after finishing the main story, the narration explicitly describes just how sad and angry the Trailblazer felt over it, [[IShouldHaveBeenBetter wondering if they could have prevented her death if they were faster]], and the game even rewards you with a Sad and Angry Gear afterward just to drive the point home. Finding out that not only did Firefly fake her death but that [[SamusIsAGirl she's actually Sam]], one of the Stellaron Hunters they're supposed to oppose, leaves them with a lot of mixed feelings, to say the least]].

* TheImmune: [[spoiler:Stellarons create a sort of "contamination" around them that influences their environment and affects the minds of applicable people, like what happened on Jarilo-VI. The Trailblazer, however, was [[ArtificialHuman created and blessed]] by an Aeon in just the exact right conditions that they're completely, or at least [[PowerIncontinence mostly]], immune to their Stellaron's effects, making them the exclusively one-of-a-kind perfect vessel for containing one.]]

* IShouldHaveBeenBetter: [[spoiler: Returning to Firefly's secret base after finishing the 2.0 main story will have them wonder whether things could have changed if they reacted faster to Something Unto Death]].

* KleptomaniacHero: The Trailblazer has a fixation on opening every single treasure chest they can get their hands on. Welt comments that no matter how well-hidden a treasure chest is, the Trailblazer is able to spot it. Even trash cans look like chests to them, as the Trailblazer can't help but dig their hands in to pull out any remotely interesting scraps they can find. On the Xianzhou Luofu, the Trailblazer is frustrated to discover that they have no obvious trash system, but discovers a new hobby of checking what people are mailing.

The Trailblazer's first Aeon-blessed fighting style prioritizes on swatting away at their foes with a baseball bat, either one at a time with their Basic Attack, ''Farewell Hit'', or including adjacent foes with their Skill, ''RIP Home Run''. Their Ultimate, ''Stardust Ace'', supercharges their bat and allows them to use a stronger "Blowout" form of either of their former two attacks. With their Talent, ''Perfect Pickoff'', they can boost their Attack up to twice whenever they Weakness Break an enemy, while their Technique, ''Immortal Third Strike'', immediately heals the party.[[note]]When fully upgraded, they automatically regenerate Energy at the start of battle, heal themselves whenever they attack an enemy weak to Physical damage, and enjoy a Critical Rate boost against Broken enemies; their Ultimate can now regenerate additional Energy should they defeat enemies; amd their Talent's stacks can now also boost their Defense, as well as automatically triggered whenever they defeat enemies.[[/note]]

* BatterUp: Their weapon on Destruction form is a baseball bat that they found lying in the Herta Space Station. Various dialog and tidbits imply that this is considered their signature weapon. They even have "Batter up!" as a potential PreAssKickingOneLiner when they attack.
* BoringButPractical: Their fighting style is merely slamming things hard, more so if their attacks are upgraded into Blowout forms. Regardless, their ability to switch between wide-ranging and single-target attacks as well as their massive damage output still makes them an effective and versatile Destruction type.
* CrutchCharacter: Somewhat downplayed, as the Trailblazer of Destruction can remain viable in more difficult content, such as the Memory of Chaos or the later levels in the Simulated Universe, but once the player has access to other damage dealers, the Trailblazer ends up lagging behind in terms of damage output, as [[JackofAllStats they don't truly specialize]] in any one area.
* GatheringSteam: Their Talent gives the Trailblazer a stack of an Attack buff (of which they can hold up to two at a time) whenever they inflict Weakness Break on an enemy. Their fourth-ascension Bonus Ability, ''Perseverance'', allows each stack to also improve their Defense, and their sixth Eidolon Resonance, ''A Trailblazing Will'', also allows them to gain stacks via landing kills.
* HealingFactor: Their second Eidolon Resonance, ''An Unwilling Host'', restores their HP based on 5% of their Attack stat whenever they hit enemies weak to Physical attacks.
* HealingHands: Their Technique is an on-demand field heal that restores the party's HP based on 15% of each character's Max HP.
* HerdHittingAttack: Their Skill hits up to three enemies at once, one on either side of the Trailblazer's principal target.[[note]]Damage is equivalent to 62.5–156.25% of the Trailblazer's Attack stat[[/note]] In its Blowout form, the principal target will take more damage.[[note]]180–325% to the target, 108–189% to surrounding enemies[[/note]] The Trailblazer's sixth-ascension Bonus Ability, ''Fighting Will'', adds a fixed 25% damage boost to both forms.

* JackOfAllStats: The Trailblazer of Destruction is competent in a number of areas but doesn't truly excel in any of them, capable of adapting to different enemy wave formations, buffing their stats, and sustaining themselves and their party. Their Skill and Ultimate can deal respectable damage, their passive abilities encourage players to Weakness Break enemies to trigger their status buffs, and they have another passive as well as an off-field Technique that provides healing.
* KickThemWhileTheyAreDown: Their fourth Eidolon Resonance, ''A Destructing Glance'', increases their Critical Rate by 25% against enemies suffering from Weakness Break.
* MechanicallyUnusualFighter: Their Ultimate of this path is the only one with two modes of operation (Single Target or Blast) and whose animation plays immediately upon activation before selecting the target.
* MythologyGag: Their weapon of choice being a baseball bat alludes to the fact that this is also the first weapon of Kiana from ''Guns [=GirlZ=], the predecessor to ''VideoGame/HonkaiImpact3rd''.
* RegeneratingMana: Their second-ascension Bonus Ability, ''Ready for Battle'', restores 15 Energy at the start of battle, while their first Eidolon Resonance, ''A Falling Star'', restores 10 Energy whenever either form of their Ultimate defeat at least one enemy.
* StanceSystem: Their Ultimate allows the Trailblazer to unleash upgraded "Blowout" forms of either Basic Attack or Skill.[[note]]For the former, damage is equivalent to 300–525% of the Trailblazer's Attack stat compared to 50–130% in its base form; for the latter, 180–325% to the target and 108–189% to surrounding enemies, compared to a uniform 62.5–156.25% in its base form[[/note]]
* StatusBuff: Their Talent boosts the Trailblazer's Attack[[note]]by 10–25%[[/note]] each time they land a Weakness Break, which can be stacked up to two per battle. Their fourth-ascension Trace, ''Perseverance'', also allows each stack to grant a 10% Defense boost (hence a maximum of 20%), while their sixth Eidolon Resonance, ''A Trailblazing Will'', automatically triggers the Talent whenever they defeat at least one enemy.

During their adventures in Jarilo-VI, the Trailblazer gains the ability to protect their allies by drawing enemy aggression and countering at them with a fiery lance. Their Talent, ''Treasure of the Architects'', allows them to collect up to eight stacks of Magma Will whenever they are damaged or use their Basic Attack or Skill, which are then consumed four at a time to increase the damage potency and radius of their Basic Attack, ''Ice-Breaking Light'', as well as bestow Shields onto the party with their other combat abilities. Their Skill, ''Ever-Burning Amber'', puts them in a defensive stance that draws enemy aggression, while their Ultimate, ''War-Flaming Lance'', is a mighty lance thrust that leaves behind an eruption that engulfs all enemies, as well as automatically upgrades their next Basic Attack and negates its Magma Will cost. In addition, their Technique, ''Call of the Guardian'', generates a Shield onto themselves for their first turn in battle.[[note]]When fully upgraded, they enjoy a boost to Attack and regenerate some Energy whenever they have an active Shield at the start of their turn, as well as automatically gain four stacks of Magma Will at the start of battle; their enhanced Basic Attack can now heal the Trailblazer; their Skill can now reduce the party's damage intake for one turn; and both their enhanced Basic Attack and Ultimate can now build up to three stacks of a Defense boost.[[/note]]

** Their Talent erects Shields onto the party whenever the Trailblazer uses their other active abilities for two turns.[[note]]Damage absorption is equivalent to (4–7%)+(20–102.5) of the Trailblazer's Defense stat[[/note]]
** Their Technique allows the Trailblazer to erect a Shield for themselves that lasts through the first turn.[[note]]Damage absorption is equivalent to 30%+384 of the Trailblazer's Defense stat[[/note]]
** Their sixth-ascension Bonus Ability, ''Action Beats Overthinking'', increases their Attack stat by 15% and restores 5 Energy for every turn the Shield is intact; and their second Eidolon Resonance, ''Time-Defying Tenacity'', further increases the Shield's resiliency.[[note]]Absorption is increased based on 2%+27 of the Trailblazer's Defense stat[[/note]]
* 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 respectable damage for what is otherwise a defensive Path.[[note]]With the damage of their Ultimate being calculated based on 50–125% of their Attack stat + 75–187.5% of their Defense, at high Trace levels it is comparable to that of their Destruction form's multi-target Ultimate against the primary target[[/note]]. Relatively speaking, however, they're less simple than their Destruction form due to their "Magma Will" mechanic and their intended role of tanking enemy attacks.
* DefendCommand: Their Skill has them put themselves in a defensive stance using their lance, granting them DamageReduction[[note]]By 40–55% depending on Trace Levels[[/note]] as well as [[DrawAggro goading enemies into targeting the Trailblazer for one turn]]. Their second-ascension Bonus Ability, ''The Strong Defend the Weak'', allows their Skill to also reduce the party's incoming damage by 15% for one turn.
* {{Foil}}: The Trailblazer's powers in this state are more or less a complete opposite to [[spoiler: Cocolia's.]] Due to being empowered by the Amber Lord, the Trailblazer's abilities are tailor-made to protect others, shielding their allies, taking damage for their team, and retaliating with explosive bursts of fire. By contrast, [[spoiler:Cocolia]] wants to wipe away Belobog in hope of creating a new world, creating a StormOfBlades out of ice that damage the entire party and being entirely on offense the whole fight.
* GatheringSteam: The Trailblazer of Preservation can collect up to eight stacks of Magma Will whenever they take a hit or use Basic Attack or Skill. Once at least four are collected, the former will be [[EXSpecialAttack enhanced]] to increase damage as well as damage range, at the cost of four stacks.[[note]]Damage is equivalent to 90–168.75% of the Trailblazer's Attack stat against primary target (compared to 50–130% in its base form), 36–67.5% to surrounding enemies[[/note]] Their Ultimate automatically enhances the next Basic Attack and negates its Magma Will cost. On a related note, the Trailblazer's first Eidolon Resonance, ''Earth-Shaking Resonance'', increases the damage potency of their Basic Attack based on 25% of their Defense stat, twice so on its enhanced form, while their fourth, ''Nation-Building Oath'', automatically grants four stacks of Magma Will at the start of battle.
* HealThyself: Their fourth-ascension Bonus Ability, ''Unwavering Gallantry'', restores their HP by 5% of its maximum value whenever they use their enhanced basic attack.

* 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 JoustingLance.
* LegendaryWeapon: The "Everwinter City Museum Ledger of Curiosities" limited-time event reveals that the lance they use in this form once belonged to Alisa Rand, the first Supreme Guardian of Belobog.

* MightyGlacier: Compared to most [[StoneWall Preservation]] Pathstriders. On top of Shields they can generate with every action, their Skill reduces all damage by almost half even at low Trace levels, allowing them to take a lot of punishment from enemies. They can also put out impressive damage with their enhanced Basic Attack and Ultimate. Their Speed also becomes lower in this form, giving them less chances to attack and more for defending[[note]]Though optimally, they'll like to be faster than most enemies so that they can use their defensive skills first[[/note]].

* PlayingWithFire: The Trailblazer's lance is infused with flaming hot magma. Burying it in the ground with four stacks of Magma Will causes bursts of fire to erupt from the ground. Meanwhile, their Ultimate ability has them rush past their foes, causing a trail of explosions before making the battlefield erupt with an enormous plume of fire.
* PowerStereotypeFlip: You might think the power of [[PlayingWithFire fire]] is better suited for more destructive endeavors, but here, the Fire Trailblazer has more defensive skills. The context for when they acquire their power, however, actually explains how fire can "preserve".

* StatusBuff: Their sixth Eidolon Resonance, ''City-Forging Bulwarks'', increases their Defense stat by 10% whenever they use enhanced basic attack or Ultimate, to a maximum of three stacks (equivalent to 30%).

* FriendlyEnemy: Although they can choose to be friendly or aggressive in dialogue events with Stellaron Hunter members, the Trailblazer's general stance to them is quite friendly to the point they can talk with each other easily via messages despite being on opposing factions. [[spoiler: Since it's revealed that they're heavily implied to be a former Stellaron Hunter due to their extensive working past with Kafka, it becomes somewhat understandable as to how the Trailblazer can instinctively make up conversations with the Hunters with ease even after deliberately erasing their memories before the game starts and people like Kafka and Silver Wolf reciprocating to their advances without an afterthought.]]

* MultipleChoicePast: PlayedWith by the game [[spoiler: but ultimately averted. During Kafka's Companion Mission, the player has a chance to ask her two questions about themselves with the caveat that one answer will be a lie and the other a truth, with a false and true answer for each possible question. The second question allows an option that lets the player figure out whether her first answer was true or false, and players pieced together the true answers together: the Trailblazer is an ArtificialHuman [[RaisedAsAHost created to host a Stellaron]] and was modified by an unspecified Aeon to be able to do this. Elio handed them to her, saying that if things transpire according to what he foresaw, she and them would "change each other". In the time before the Stellaron's implantation into them, Kafka taught the Trailblazer everything from general knowledge to combat skills before wiping their memory just before the Stellaron was inserted. Blade confirms at the end of the mission that they have worked with Kafka before and had been with her for a while.]]
* MysteriousPast: They definitely existed prior to the start of the story, as Kafka specifically knows them and they recognize her on sight even when the Trailblazer has no idea of who she is initially. But their [[AmnesiacHero memory loss]] is an intentional part of the plan to get them traveling alongside the Astral Express in search of the truth. At least, Blade confirms in Kafka's Companion Mission that [[spoiler:the Trailblazer had been traveling with Kafka long before the events of the game (heavily implying that the Trailblazer was a former Stellaron Hunter) and was apparently a close companion of hers. Kafka also claims that Elio handed them to her and they would eventually "change" each other as per his predictions]].

** In a idle chat with Topaz, she has them pose some math questions to pass the time, starting with simple arithmetic (excepting [[UniquenessValue "March 7th divided by Pom-Pom"]], whose [[CutenessProximity adorableness Topaz can't measure]]), but then the Trailblazer ups things with "the fifth root of 28,629,15", "prime factors of 73,153", and "What is [=C5H9NO4=] the molecular formula of?"--the last of which Topaz answers anyway. This implies the Trailblazer being GoodWithNumbers and chemistry themselves.
* StatuesqueStunner: Stelle is a fairly attractive girl who is also currently the tallest female character in the game at 174 cm (or over 5'8'').

* CovertPervert: When using Penacony's Dreampeek Calls, they can get a glimpse at an exchange between Seele and Bronya that is rather...suggestively worded. Finding out that they were just arguing over a box leaves the Trailblazer "irritated and frustrated", as worded by the in-game narration.

* OOCIsSeriousBusiness: A rather unconventional example. Excluding the situations where a large amount of exposition about a situation needs to be gotten out of the way if the Trailblazer has no "funny" option in any of their dialogue choices, things have truly gotten dire.

* ContraltoOfStrength: Stelle in the English dub has a fairly deep and husky voice and the power to take on all manner of planetary threats.

* StatuesqueStunner: Stelle is a fairly attractive girl who is also currently the tallest female character in the game at 174 cm (between 5'8 1/2'').

* StatuesqueStunner: Stelle is a fairly attractive girl who is also currently the tallest female character in the game at 174 cm (between 5'8'' and 5'9'').