Genshin Impact: Yae Miko / Characters

Yae Miko

Introduced: February 16, 2022 (v2.5 "When the Sakura Bloom" [first half])
Voiced by: Du Mingya (Chinese), Ayane Sakura (Japanese), Moon Yoo-jeong (Korean), Ratana Therakulsathit (English)

Astute Amusement

"Sealing yourself away from the rest of the world may only serve to accelerate the effects of erosion... Imagine, a world consisting of you and you alone, with no one else to reflect you back at yourself... how awful that would be. Whenever we are together, it is vital that we always shine a light for each other, okay? It's rather difficult to remain enlightened in the dark."

Rarity: 5★
Element: Electro
Weapon: Catalyst
Constellation: Divina Vulpes, the Divine Fox

The Guuji, or head priestess, of the Grand Narukami Shrine and an old friend of the Raiden Shogun and Rex Lapis. Her normally calm, refined façade belies a sassy and playful mischief-maker who almost always finds a way to needle someone. People that work with her often tend to make themselves scarce whenever she is up to something, hoping they may never have to get caught up in whatever shenanigans she has in mind. Following a comparatively uneventful first meeting, after rescuing the Traveler from the Fatui's attack on Watatsumi, Miko trains them to face off against her own master and knitting a plan to break through the corruption ring within the Shogunate and reach out to her old friend.

Miko draws on her thaumaturgy to summon Electro Kitsune, fox-like spirits that fight alongside her and create an incredibly hostile battlefield. Her Elemental Skill, Yakan Evocation: Sesshou Sakura, has her teleport away and conjure up to three Sesshou Sakura, Electro-elemental totems that that periodically jolt surrounding foes and empower each other, while her Elemental Burst, Great Secret Art: Tenko Kenshin, calls down a massive thunderbolt that sacrifices any active Sesshou Sakura to create Tenko Thunderbolts that strike where the totems were.^note

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A-G

Adorable Fluffy Tail: Yae Miko is very proud of how fluffy her tail is, and specifically notes it is more fluffy than Gorou's. This is somewhat an Informed Attribute since her tail is never actually shown in a context we can compare it to other characters.
(About Gorou) "He certainly has a beautiful tail. Although... mine's a little softer."
Allergic to Routine: What else would you expect of a kitsune who can shapeshift into a human?
- Miko doesn't just enjoy pulling elaborate pranks on people to her enjoyment, she also calls the authorship for Yae Publishing House boring in general.
  (About Us: Authorship) "Boring. Utterly boring... Ugh, what could have possibly persuaded these people to become authors? Say, why don't you write out your story and submit it to Yae Publishing House? I'm sure that would keep me amused— Ahem, I'm sure it would be a best-seller."
- Character Stories explain that, early in her tenure as shrine maiden, she would find the prospect of attending every ceremony, dressed as expected of a maiden, in her place in the sanctuary, with a smile on her face, monotonous.
Amazing Technicolor Wildlife: Her true form is a pink fox with a few sakura petal motifs on her fur.
Ambadassador: Aside from her official role as Guuji of the Grand Narukami Shrine, Miko also appears to serve as diplomat on behalf of the Shogunate.
- Regarding Ganyu, Miko notes that she last met her just prior to the enforcement of the Sakoku Decree to discuss bilateral trade relations with Liyue.
- During the "Hues of the Violet Garden" event, she meets up with her pen pal "Sole of the Deep," who happens to be Kokomi, to discuss negotiations for normalization of relations between Watatsumi Island and the Shogunate before the upcoming official talks are held.
Ambiguous Situation: Miko won't explain how she got her Vision, instead tossing out increasingly outrageous stories that the Traveler calls out as obvious fakes till she pitches that it may not even be real.
"After all, would you believe me if I said that 'my Vision is purely ornamental, just for show,' little one? Hardly — not even if it were the truth."
Armor-Piercing Attack: Her sixth Constellation upgrade, Forbidden Art: Daisesshou, allows the Sesshou Sakura to bypass 60% of their target's Defense stat.
Artificial Stupidity: Her Sesshou Sakura are prone to this. The AI that guides their attacks can be finicky at times, to the point where they have been known to target trees and campfires instead of enemies.
Asian Fox Spirit: She claims to be a kitsune, the Japanese name for the creature. The creature appears on her Constellation, she has fox ears, and she teases the Traveler about showing off her true form. She is noted to be clever and mysterious just as the kitsune of yore, and befitting her close ties with the eternity-obsessed Raiden Shogun, they are believed to live for thousands of years and symbolize eternity.
- In the cutscene after the second battle against the Raiden Shogun, it shows the past where a small pink fox, most likely Miko, was in the embrace of the first Electro Archon, Makoto/Baal.
- Her tails will briefly appear when using her Elemental Talents. When using her Burst, five tails will appear, which can serve as a rough indication of her age.^note
Bait the Dog: An unintentional example. One of her idle animation is her allowing a finch to land on her, until a fox spirit suddenly emerge to eat it. Her shocked reaction suggests that this wasn't her intention, though since this is Yae Miko, she lets out a chuckle afterwards.
Beat Them at Their Own Game: She lost to Itto once during a ramen-eating contest where what was served was "Kitsune Udon"^*Udon noodles served with fried tofu (both Miko's favorite food and something Itto is allergic to), and had to foot the bill for 37 bowls. Notably one of the very instances where her usual demeanor failed her.
Beneath the Mask: As the Guuji, Miko is infallibly polite to whoever she interacts with. But in intimate company such as the Traveler, Paimon, and the Raiden Shogun, she would showcase a more blunt, sassy, and cynical side to her.
Beware the Silly Ones: As would be predictable for a kitsune that can shapeshift into a human, there's far more to Yae Miko than meets the eye. This includes a capacity for deep planning (as seen when concocting a plan to convince Ei to abolish the Vision Hunt Decree), as well as being one of Inazuma's most powerful Electro Vision holders when she's down to business.
Big Damn Heroes: On two occasions during the last third of the Inazuma Archon Quest, and once in the past during her Character Stories.
- First, she rescues the Traveler from Scaramouche by negotiating away the Electro Gnosis, which Ei no longer needed ever since she created the Raiden Shogun puppet.
- Second, during during the Traveler's rematch with Ei, to empower them with the ambitions of other people, allowing them to match, and eventually defeat, Ei.
- According to her fifth Character Story, she interceded with the Raiden Shogun one behalf of the Kamisato Clan and thus the Yashiro Commission after they were accused of failing to rein in the clans that rebelled from the Raiden Gokaden and subsequently banished, something Miko suspected to be fishy (and it was, given it was Scaramouche who arranged the sabotage). In return, the Yashiro Commission and Kamisato Clan are all unfailingly loyal to the Guuji, collaborating with her in events even to this day.
Big Good: For the Inazuma Archon Quest, having orchestrated the plan to convince Ei to abolish the Vision Hunt Decree, which she puts in motion come the third act by rescuing the Traveler from Scaramouche and guiding them to help her end the civil war and expose The Conspiracy between corrupt officials of her own government and the Fatui.
Big Sister Worship: In the Japanese dub, she refers to Ganyu as ane-gimi or "elder sister," owing to their longtime friendship. She also requests the Traveler to bring Ganyu fresh Sea Ganoderma whenever they have the chance.
Bitch in Sheep's Clothing: Discussed by Scaramouche (as the Wanderer), who accuses Miko for pretending to care about humans in order to gain the favor of Ei. Though considering who the Wanderer is...
Bolt of Divine Retribution:
- Her charged attack has her summon a row of lightning bolts in front of her.
- Great Secret Art: Tenko Kenshin has her summon a giant lightning bolt to deal wide-ranging Electro damage, along with up to three more for every Sesshou Sakura on the field.
Boring Religious Service: Downplayed — though Miko does like her job as the Guuji (that is, the head of all the miko in Inazuma), it can sometimes get fairly boring to her. She still works as the keeper for the Grand Narukami Shrine and attends ceremonies (even in her younger days as the Guuji), but her allergy to routine is one of the reasons why she seeks amusement.
Brick Joke:
- In the main story, when the Traveler and Paimon ask her to shapeshift into her true fox form, she tells them "In your dreams". Her Namecard upon reaching Level 10 Friendship with her playable appearance returns this joke with a vengence — and a hint of irony, given her true form is in the card.
  (Namecard description) "Where can Yae Miko's fox form be found? In your dreams, that's where."
- One of the Raiden Shogun's playable idle animations has a finch perching on the Shogun's hand, observing it before it takes off to the skies. On one of Miko's idle animations, however, the finch hesitates before perching on Miko's hand, and when it does... a fox spirit comes in and eats the finch.
Brutal Honesty: Around the Traveler and those who need to hear the truth, Miko does not mince words. She tells the Traveler outright that they have no hope of standing against the Shogun on their own and is similarly blunt towards others when she needs to be, even towards her friend and master Ei.
Casting Gag: Yae Miko bears a striking resemblance to Yae Sakura from Honkai Impact 3rd, complete with sharing the same Chinese and Japanese voice actresses (respectively, Du Mingya and Ayane Sakura).
Chekhov's Gunman: She makes a brief appearance in the first half of the Inazuma Archon Quest, before focus shifts back to the Yashiro Commission and then the Sangonomiya Resistance as the main players in the rebellion against the Shogunate. However, Miko shows up later and ultimately becomes the key to convincing Ei to abolish the Vision Hunt Decree, as her close ties to the Archon and her independent planning helped the Traveler reach out to the Electro Archon.
The Comically Serious: During her Story Quest, the normally cool and unflappable Miko was taken aback by the overwhelming popularity of A Firsthand Guide to Summoning Spirits, which she previously dismissed as a silly fad up to that point, over the Yae Publishing House's works. So dire was the situation that she persuaded Paimon that an immediate response had to be made for the sake of Inazuma's safety.
Contralto of Strength: Compared to the other dubs, the Japanese dub gives Miko a deeper, more serious (though no less playful and sultry) voice, courtesy of Ayane Sakura. This fits with Miko being one of Inazuma's most powerful people, and especially scary when she's down to business and no longer jesting around.
Cooldown Manipulation: Her first-ascension passive, The Shrine's Sacred Shade, resets the cooldown time of each charge of her Skill for every Sesshou Sakura converted into Tenko Thunderbolts.
Custom Uniform of Sexy: Yae Miko is the only shrine maiden to have such a revealing uniform; the other shrine maidens wear fairly typical conservative uniforms in comparison.
The Cynic: Deep down, Miko is a bit burnt-out with society and even a bit selfish. During the last third of the Inazuma Archon Quest, she's unconcerned with almost anything but convincing Ei to abandon her seclusion. She also believes that others' beliefs can be overly restricting and that it is too difficult to sway them.
Deadpan Snarker: She can pile on the sass and the sarcasm like barely anyone else in the game.
(About Creative Writing) "Traveling to other worlds is all that anyone seems be writing about these days. (giggles) Goodness knows what they find so disappointing about their own world."
Does Not Like Spam: Pickled food is off the table for Miko, who refuses to eat such things whether they look tasty or not, mainly because of the pungent smell.
Dub Pronunciation Change: Yae Miko's name (hiragana やえみこ) is the kun'yomi, or native Japanese, reading of 八重神子, which is read as "Bāchóng Shénzǐ" in Chinese, while the Korean dub opts for a transliteration, also as "Yae Miko" (hangul 야에 미코; the characters could also be read via hanja as "Paljung Sinja"/팔중 신자).
The Dreaded:
- Thoma's voicelines suggest that he fears meeting Miko whenever he visits the Grand Narukami Shrine for business matters, possibly due to her penchant of teasing people she fancies.
- In one branch of his Hangout Event and in his voice-over for Miko, neither is Gorou a fan of her, as shown when he tries to avoid her for the same reasons as Thoma.
- Sayu would also want to keep her distance from her, for whenever she gets caught, that means Miko will give her more missions and headpats. She can't stand up for herself in fear of how Miko would react.
Everyone Has Standards: Maybe. Though she's well-known for messing with anyone and everyone who crosses her path, during the "Fabulous Fungus Frenzy" event, Miko acts much nicer than usual to Layla, who happens to be perpetually tired, neurotic, Prone to Tears, and poverty-stricken thanks to Dori. Though whether or not Miko is aware of Layla's background is left up in the air.
Expy: She is based on Honkai Impact 3rd's Yae Sakura, a Japanese miko who also has long pink hair and fox motifs, and is voiced by the same Chinese and Japanese voice actresses. However, Sakura only gained fox ears due to being possessed by a fox beast (and she still has human ears), Miko has fox ears because she is an actual kitsune who morphed to a human form. Sakura is also only a regular miko for a regular shrine and she isn't exactly excited about her job as she has a strained relationship with the people in her village, while her Genshin counterpart is the head priestess for a national shrine, with numerous regular shrine maidens under her employment, and she's highly revered among most people in Inazuma. Also, Sakura's usual weapon has been a katana while Miko is a catalyst-user.
Failed a Spot Check: Played for Laughs in her third Character Story. Once, Miko transformed into an ordinary human with seemingly no youkai traits whatsoever to enjoy a day off the shrine, which included taking a hotspring bath at Aisa Bathhouse... which possibly led her to accidentally shedding some of her fox fur during the bath. It's implied she had to apologize to the owner afterwards.
Famed In-Story: As the Guuji of the Grand Narukami Shrine, she's very well-known in Inazuma. She's also the founder and head of the Yae Publishing House.
Familiar: She calls herself as Ei's familiar in one of the quests.
Fighting Spirit: A lot of her attacks have her summon fox-like spirits made of Electro energy to strike at enemies with. One of her idle animations has one eat a bird that perches itself on her hand, finding it quite amusing.
First-Name Basis:
- Yae Miko is one of the few people who refer to the Raiden Shogun by her first name, "Ei", who in turn responds in kind by calling her "Miko", signifying their close friendship.
- The Traveler and Paimon (though moreso the latter) also refer to her by her first name after she rescues them from Scaramouche.
- Thoma's and Kirara's playable voice-overs also show them referring to her as "Lady Miko".
Flash Step: Similarly to Kujou Sara, Miko's Skill can allow her to teleport out of the way of attacks.
Foil:
- To Kujou Sara. Both are high-ranking women in Inazuman society with youkai heritage and Electro Visions, as well as close associates of the Raiden Shogun. Even their fighting styles bear some similarities, with their Skills allowing them to perform a Flash Step that (assuming you have unlocked Sara's second Constellation upgrade) leaves behind damage traps, while their Bursts summon a Bolt of Divine Retribution that can also summon smaller bolts to deal further damage. However, while Sara is a stoic general who typically dabbles in law enforcement, Miko is a playful gadfly who caters to her country's spiritual needs, as well as festivities in conjunction with the Yashiro Commission. Also, whereas Sara is loyal to the Shogun almost to the point of Blind Obedience, typically referring to her with great respect and rarely criticizing her, Miko, while certainly caring for Ei, isn't above teasing and/or criticizing her decisions, such as her becoming a recluse and leaving a pre-programmed puppet in charge of Inazuma to deal with her trauma, as well as all the trouble it causes.
- To Ganyu, as the voiceover shows that Miko knows Ganyu and regards her as an elder sister. Both are supernatural beings who take on human form, serve as the adjutant of their head of nations, and their usual demeanor belie great competence when the chips are down. In terms of differences, Miko is dressed in red, is The Gadfly, and her true form is a tiny little fox, while Ganyu dresses in blue, is a Nice Girl, and her true form is a massive Qilin.^*
Foreshadowing: She mentions that she's disappointed in the way a close friend of hers has been acting, when she sees what Domon became after losing his Vision. Later in the Inazuma Archon Quest, the Traveler learns that she's referring to Ei, who once defeated many adversaries in the name of progress, much like how Domon trampled the ambitions of his opponents on his way to becoming a master swordsman. And once Ei lost that ambition after the death of her twin sister Makoto, the previous Electro Archon, she's reduced to being a recluse who tried imposing her (flawed) understanding of Eternity on her nation, like how Domon became haunted by the thought of his past opponents "tormenting" him after he lost his Vision. And like how Domon is told by his senior Anzai to believe in the ambitions of his disciples, the Traveler directly shows Ei how the ambitions of the people of Inazuma can overpower their god's will, and for that reason Ei agrees to abolish the Vision Hunt Decree and rethink her idea of "eternity".
Fragile Speedster: Miko is one of the most mobile characters in the game, with her Skill allowing her to move gracefully across the battlefield. At the same time, she has one of the lowest Defense stats in the game as a Catalyst user. Combined with her below-average HP pool, it's imperative that she avoids getting hit as much as possible.
The Gadfly:
- Befitting how fox spirits (such as kitsune) are trickster figures in East Asian myths, some of her interactions with the Traveler consist of her teasing them her fox form, only to refuse to show it when prompted. She even loves to make fun of Ei, the ruling Archon of Inazuma and the god her shrine worships, at times even describing her stubbornness as being "pig-headed," because, in Miko's own words, Ei doesn't mind as they're best friends.
- She also likes to tease Gorou as well, as she finds him cute. In one ending to his Hangout Event tree, she even made him a female alter-ego named "Ms. Hina" to bolster the popularity of his (anonymous) advice column, much to his embarrassment.
Gameplay and Story Segregation: Assuming Miko is telling the truth about her Vision being merely ornamental, as with Mona, this isn't reflected in her profile or gameplay, as her profile states that she's an Electro Vision user, and her Vision glows when she uses her powers, suggesting that it is being used. Not to mention that there is little difference between the way she uses her powers vs how other Catalyst users do, so it would be difficult to tell either way.
Glowing Eyes of Doom: Similar to the Raiden Shogun, Miko's pupils glow a bright shade of pink when using her Elemental Burst. If her Character Demo also implies anything, seeing her eyes like this typically means she's really getting down to business.
Good Wears White: A shrine maiden who fittingly dons a white attire and is on the side of good (being in fact, the Big Good for Inazuma's Archon Quest).
Greater-Scope Paragon: Her fifth Character Story explains that, back when the clans that made the Raiden Gokaden were framed by Scaramouche and fell from grace, the Kamisato Clan was to be judged by the Shogun until Miko interceded, lowering their punishment from dismissal to their reputation merely being blemished. In turn, the Clan is loyal to the Guuji even to this day. No concrete motivations as to why Miko would do this have come to light, especially given her aversion to meddling in government affairs and the high risks for making this decision, but given the Yashiro Commission's restored reputation, their status as the Token Good Teammate within the three Commissions, and the fact the Kamisato Clan is of great help to the Traveler by the time the story rolls around, it would turn out Miko was right all along, which is why back then and today, she doesn't regret making this decision in the slightest.

H-Y

Heroic Comedic Sociopath: It's very rare for Miko to do anything to help people unless she stands to gain something from it, even if that something is simply amusement. At the same time, her relentless trolling of the rest of the Inazuman cast is entirely Played for Laughs, and one of her idle animations has her trying to make a finch get close to her, and then laughing when said finch gets eaten by a fox spirit (without knowing that was going to happen, but still).
His Name Really Is "Barkeep": The head miko (巫女) of all the shrines in all of Narukami Island... whose name is an alternate spelling for the exact same term, Miko (神子).
Horrible Judge of Character: During the Irodori festival, Miko offers to Sara to have a "professional" go and buy a "Statue of Her Excellency, the Almighty Narukami Ogosho, God of Thunder" as thanks for her hard work during the Festival, with Sara speculating that it'd have to be someone who's enough of an early riser to be first in line and tall enough to not be easily overwhelmed by anyone trying to cut in line. Instead, Miko sent Sayu, who proceeds to oversleep and miss the chance the buy one, only managing to get one because she and the Traveler exposed a scalping scam being committed by one of the shop's workers, with the head shopkeeper giving them a display one out of gratitude. Though knowing Miko, this may have been done on purpose.
Hot in Human Form: She's ridiculously cute when in fox form, a stark contrast to her human form where she's very beautiful (and proud of it).
Hypocritical Humor: Miko advises the Traveler not to place too much trust in Ayato, saying he's "always been an unpredictable one, even as a child", apparently seeing him as a trickster. When the Traveler points out their similarities, Miko haughtily dismisses any resemblance between her and Ayato.
Interclass Friendship: Of the playable youkai characters, Miko is the most fond of Kirara, as the latter regards her as a figure of respect and admiration. However, even Kirara is not safe from the Guuji's antics.
It Amused Me: Much of her playful and mischievous personality typically stems from her need to be entertained at all times. This also drives her management of the Yae Publishing House.
(Kirara's Official Introduction) "[...] Just whisper 'the parcel delivery is going to be late' in [Kirara's] ear while she's asleep, and she'll spring right up and start dashing faster than General Gorou does on the battlefield."
"It" Is Dehumanizing: She refers to Scaramouche as an "it" in her voiceline, and similarly always refers to the Raiden Shogun puppet as "the puppet", implying that she has a disdain for puppets, or at least those created by Ei.
Lady of Black Magic: She has an elegant, sultry personality, and is a powerful spellcaster capable of conjuring fearsome thunderbolts.
Last-Name Basis: Other than Thoma, Kirara, the Traveler, Paimon and Ei, she is most often respectfully called "Lady Yae" by the people of Inazuma. Out of universe, "Yae" and "Miko" are used interchangeably by players to refer to her.
Leg Focus: Her long, bare legs are prominently put in display by her wardrobe choice.
Light/Darkness Juxtaposition: Her appearance clashes with that of the Shogun, with Miko donning a white attire, while the Shogun dons a darker attire (itself a case of Dark Is Not Evil for Ei).
Living Is More than Surviving: She discusses this in the climax of the Inazuma Archon Quest. She points out that with the idea of Eternity Ei is imposing on Inazuma, it'll become a nation that simply "exists" without any progress, and that nothing of value would be lost if the country is destroyed one day.
Long-Lived: She's apparently been around for quite a while, being an old friend of Rex Lapis and Ganyu. That said, she is not actually anywhere near as old as most of the Archons (other than Lesser Lord Kusanali). The sixth volume of the New Chronicles of the Six Kitsune novel series gives some insight into Miko's past, noting she was only a young girl when the Kitsune Saiguu was still alive. If one looks at the amount of tails that form behind her during her Burst (in folklore, kitsunes grow a new tail every hundred years), Miko is likely around 500-600 years old.
Long-Lost Relative: According to the sixth volume of the New Chronicles of the Six Kitsune series, Yae Miko and the Kitsune Saiguu are close blood relatives as members of the Hakushin Clan, though it is never specified what said familial relationship was. Regardless of the fact, the author notes that the Saiguu doted on Miko quite frequently.
Magic Wand: Regardless of the Catalyst she has currently equipped, Miko will always use her gohei as a magic wand, befitting of her occupation as a miko, to summon fox spirits made of Electro energy as her regular attacks to attack her foes.
Meaningful Name:
- "Yae" can either mean "eightfold" or "multilayered," the latter term playing into the kitsune's reputation as playful tricksters, her snarky and cynical side in private, and the extent to which she cares for the Electro Archon despite the player's initial impression of their relationship.
- The characters of Miko's name (神子) reads as "god-child" and is also an archaic form of the term used for shrine maidens in Shintoism (now 巫女, "shaman woman"), as well as used as a female name.
Miko: In fact, she's the head of all the Miko in Narukami Island as the Guuji of the Grand Narukami Shrine.
Moment of Weakness: Shows one in Ei's second Story Quest. After the Traveler and Paimon fill Miko up to speed on Ei's current state when she's trapped in another realm dueling The Shogun, Miko uses her powers to transport them back there, but not without outright telling them...
Yae Miko: ...I'm placing my god in your capable hands, (Traveler). For my sake, and for Inazuma's, please... bring her back.
- Of course, when the Traveler has the option to point this out to Ei during the post-quest, Miko quickly resorts to changing topics to keep her dignity. See They're Called "Personal Issues" for a Reason below.
Mouthy Kid: A non-protagonic example. According to her Character Stories, despite previously having been a sweet kid, Miko was already quite astute when she was younger; before attaining a human form, she would point at any loopholes in Urakusai's stories whenever them and other youkai gathered for feasts.
Ms. Fanservice: Her stylized shrine maiden outfit doesn't show any cleavage, but does show plenty of her skin elsewhere (especially on her sides). Between that, her sultry voice, her bare legs making up more than half of her height, and her identity as a kitsune (whose human forms are sometimes played up for fanservice in various media), it's clear Yae Miko was designed to be as easy on the eyes as possible.
No Badass to His Valet: While most Inazumans look up to the Raiden Shogun in fear and awe, Miko is perhaps the only one who will happily and openly disparage or tease her without fear of punishment. She does this in front of Kujou Sara and the Tenryou Commission, and even criticizes Ei herself over her self-imposed exile and the damaging national policies she set forth. It helps that she's Ei's Only Friend, so Miko knows Ei wouldn't mind.
(About the Raiden Shogun) "Locking herself away in the Plane of Euthymia when she clearly wants to be out — it's just willful self-torture, really... On the other hand, it's also rather stubborn-but-cute, don't you think?"
Not So Above It All: Even the light-hearted Guuji tends to have her limits. Her voice-over about Kujou Sara shows that, while she can be warm to the tengu, Miko is tired of Sara's incessant questions about Ei and prefers that she keep to herself when visiting the shrine. Miko even lampshades the fact she's being unusually blunt.
O.O.C. Is Serious Business: While Miko usually works as an ally while keeping shades of her trickster personality at times, Ei's second Story Quest, has her show a Moment of Weakness where she asks the Traveler to please bring Ei back, having put "her god" in their capable hands. She is also noticeably trying to keep her true self away from Ei when the Traveler tries to point it out, asking the Traveler not to bring it up at all.
Odd Friendship: The Irodori Festival event reveals that she and Kokomi have been exchanging mail for a while under pen names, and once they meet, they get along pretty well because of their shared taste for literature despite Paimon being worried about their clashing political and religious allegiances.
Only Friend: To Ei, as she's the only one among her friends who's still alive in the present. Meeting Miko again after centuries brightens the dreary Plane of Euthymia, signifying how happy Ei is to meet her again, and she was given a special permit that allows her to visit Tenshukaku whenever she wants.
Perpetual Smiler: She's rarely seen without a smile, and is more lighthearted than her position as the Guuji would suggest.
Pet the Dog:
- During the "Fabulous Fungus Frenzy" event, Miko's unusually nice to Layla, acting as a mentor figure even as everyone else gets her usual treatment.
- During a time when an editor published an excellent manuscript to the Yae Publishing House, she unexpectedly turned it down due to the manuscript being "not free enough." By the time a new version of it is published, now titled Shogun Almighty: Reborn as Raiden, she approves it and encourages the author to change his pen name, seemingly to protect his anonymity given the book's questionable content from the title alone.
- When the kabukimono arrived at Tenshukaku begging for help with the disaster occurring at Tatarasuna, Miko swore to send help immediately, and even though he didn't believe her (and she had previously wanted to destroy him for being a potential threat), she kept her word. After the incident ended, Miko had someone send the feather that served as proof of his lineage back to him, not wanting to personally disturb him due to figuring that he was already going through a lot.
Pink Means Feminine: Long pink hair, her fox form is pink with a few petal motifs on her fur —some of which are also pink—, and she's a very feminine woman.
Properly Paranoid: She ended up being correct about Scaramouche being bad news if Ei didn't allow her to destroy him.
Proud Beauty: Miko is acutely aware of her good looks, at one point teasingly demanding gratitude from the Traveler for being rescued by someone as beautiful as her.
Red Oni, Blue Oni: While her fun-seeking demeanor and slanted eyes would suggest otherwise, she ends up as the blue to the Shogun's (read: Ei's) red. Miko comes off as calm and light-hearted, and her lifelong experiences in the outside world have shaped her into a wiser person compared to the Shogun's stubbornness — namely, Ei's lackadaisical decisions on her pursuit of "Eternity". Not only does Miko openly deprecate her actions, but she also devises a plan to end her tyrannical rule. The Japanese dub plays with this a bit though, as Miko speaks in a more informal dialect (reminiscent of a red), while the Shogun speaks with keigo (akin to a blue).
Regenerating Mana: Her first Constellation upgrade, Yakan Offering, restores 8 Energy for every Tenko Thunderbolt triggered.
Ridiculously Cute Critter: Miko's true form is a tiny, pink fox with sakura petal motifs on her fur. Though we never see her transform into it in the main story, a flashback from Ei, supplementary material and Miko's own Namecard◊ show us what she actually looks like.
Serious Business: In her Story Quest, Miko is more concerned with the fact that a book explaining how to temporarily summon the spirits of the dead is beating out her publishing house's releases for the most popular novel of the month than she is that people are temporarily summoning the spirits of the dead.
Yae Miko: Things just got serious. "A Firsthand Guide to Summoning Spirits" is an all-round hit, summarily beating the novels of the Yae Publishing House by every analysis.
Traveler: Define "serious"...?
Sexy Backless Outfit: Her top doesn't cover her back at all, though her long hair helps to partially conceal this somewhat.
Sexy Priest: She's got a very revealing wardrobe and generous curves, and she's the head priestess of the Grand Narukami Shrine.
Sideboob: A result of her stylized shrine maiden dress is that it leaves her sides exposed, showing her ample chest.
Shoot the Dog: Discussed and ultimately defied. Her voiceline about Kunikuzushi/Scaramouche reveals that Miko wanted to dispose of the newly-born puppet because she saw him as a disaster waiting to happen, but Ei forbade her from doing it.
Skewed Priorities: In her Story Quest, she's more concerned that A Firsthand Guide to Summoning Spirits is outperforming her in-house novels than the fact that the guide in question actually works and people all over Inazuma are getting possessed by spirits as a result.
Sliding Scale of Gameplay and Story Integration:
- Befitting Miko's other job as editor-in-chief of a publishing house, her utility passive, Meditations of a Yako, gives her a 25% chance to create extra Talent ascension books. Also befitting her mischievous nature, you never know which ones you'll get, if any at all (though at least if you get the extra book, it comes from the same region as the one she created).
- Miko was instrumental in helping the Traveler prevail over the Raiden Shogun and convince Ei to abolish the Vision Hunt Decree. Appropriately enough, one of her talent ascension materials is a drop from the weekly boss fight with the Raiden Shogun puppet.
Snark-to-Snark Combat: Character Stories reveal that, a long time ago, whenever Inazuma's youkai grouped together for feasts, Miko engaged on this with Urakusai whenever she started to point at loopholes in his stories.
"It was no uncommon sight to see Urakusai raise his cup and speak, holding all the other youkai spellbound with his story, drawing even smiles from Kitsune Saiguu, the organizer of the event. Instead it was Miko, who was then in the form of a young kitsune, who would perch on Kitsune Saiguu's shoulder and relentless peck at any loopholes in Urakusai's story. Urakusai, being a cool-headed and brilliant gentleman, would explain as he twirled his beard. But Miko could always find something new to nitpick, and so they would go, back and forth, until Lady Saiguu would smile and call both parties to a halt: the audience wanted to hear the next part, after all."
Status Buff: Her fourth Constellation upgrade, Sakura Channeling, endows the Sesshou Sakura the ability to boost the Electro Damage Bonus of nearby allies by 20% for five seconds whenever it hits enemies.
Stripperiffic: Compared to the rest of the shrine maidens, her own stylized miko dress exposes a generous amount of skin, from top (her back and sides) to bottom (her bare legs), and it certainly doesn't give out the modest image that a shrine maiden would.
Summon Magic: Miko summons malevolent yakan fox spirits to assist her in combat, and relies on them to deal with pesky intruders around Mount Yougou. She notes in one of her profile entries that she, as a tenko, or Sky Fox, is ranked two grades higher than a yakan, and can easily get them to do her bidding.
They're Called "Personal Issues" for a Reason: A more light-hearted variant. During Ei's second Story Quest, Miko sends the Traveler to find Ei in another realm, tells them she's placing "her god" in the Traveler's capable hands, and asks them to bring Ei back, showing the extent of how much Miko cares for Ei. Try to bring this secret up with Ei, though, and Miko will hastily ask the Traveler not to bring it up ever.
Traveler: Yae Miko said she was placing her god—
Yae Miko: Ahem! Yae Miko said nothing of the sort, and the Traveler has some nerve making up spurious claims about her while she is still present. Some words are not to be passed on. Trust me, you don't want to know the cost of betraying me. Just think of the things I said to you as our little secret. (whispering) Understood?
Ei: What are you talking about?
Yae Miko: Nothing. (Beat) ...ooh, I suddenly want some fried tofu.
Throwing the Fight:
- Miko saves the Traveler from Scaramouche during their encounter in the Fatui's Delusion factory in Yashiori by simply handing him the Electro Gnosis without a fight. While Miko is strong enough to take the Balladeer on, she is incapable of protecting the Traveler at the same time, and considering that she needs them for her plans, she decided that their safety is worth trading the Gnosis.
- Given Miko's goals during the "Fabulous Fungus Frenzy" event, it's very likely that she let Haniyyah win their duel so the Traveler could best the Eremite in the finals.
Trademark Favorite Food: Fried tofu, as is typical of a kitsune, and more specifically in the form of Kitsune Udon.
The Turret Master: Her Skill lets her place up to three Sesshou Sakura at once, totems that periodically zap surrounding enemies within the next fourteen seconds and which can also be sacrificed whenever she uses her Burst to rain down Tenko Thunderbolts where the totems were; each totem starts at Level 1, which increases if there are more totems around. Her fourth-ascension passive, Enlightened Blessing, increases their potency by 0.15% for every point of Elemental Mastery she has, while her second Constellation upgrade, Fox's Mooncall, raises the totems' initial Level to 2 (for a maximum of 4), as well as increases their attacking range by 60%.
Upgrade Artifact: A variant—her third and fifth Constellation upgrades, The Seven Glamours and Mischievous Teasing, add three levels to, respectively, her Skill and Burst.
Used to Be a Sweet Kid: She was apparently much more innocent when she was young, as recounted by people who were around back then. Ei remembers how easily she used to be swayed by fried tofu, Urakusai recalls the days when she enjoyed riding on his and Saiguu's shoulders, and in the Inazuma chapter of the Teyvat Travel Guide, Alice reveals that she was apparently a bit of a crybaby when they first met, and was disappointed that the current Miko is not so easily bullied.
Victory Is Boring: After helping the Traveler beat Ei and convince her to rule Inazuma directly, Miko admits in a playable voice-over that, post the Shogun's Heel–Face Turn, she finds the newfound peace and tranquility of Inazuma to become "dreadfully boring" after a while.
Voluntary Shapeshifting: As a fox envoy, Miko has the ability to transform into a fox form. She teases the Traveler and Paimon about it but refuses to show them this form.
Yae Miko: In your dreams...
Weapon Specialization: Miko's Wish banner runs concurrent with that for Kagura's Verity (5★), whose Ascension substat is Critical Damage (14.4–66.2%), and whose "Kagura Dance of the Sacred Sakura" passive allows its wielder to gather stacks of "Kagura Dance" whenever they use Elemental Skills, of which they can hold up to three at once, which increase the Skill's damage by 12–24% apiece for sixteen seconds (hence a maximum of 36–72%), with a 12–24% boost to Elemental Damage Bonus once there are three stacks on hand. As Yakan Evocation: Sesshou Sakura can be used up to thrice in succession, Miko can easily tap into the weapon's full potential to further boost the Sesshou Sakura.
Youkai: After all, she is to be a kitsune. Along with Kujou Sara, Itto and Kirara, Miko is one of the few playable characters to be a youkai.
- Miko's real form, while not on-screen, has been shown on multiple media as a small fox with pink fur, which she can shapeshift into at will.
- Scaramouche (as the Wanderer) even explicitly refers to her as a youkai in a playable voice-over.

Characters / Genshin Impact: Yae Miko

Yae Miko

Introduced: February 16, 2022 (v2.5 "When the Sakura Bloom" [first half])
Voiced by: Du Mingya (Chinese), Ayane Sakura (Japanese), Moon Yoo-jeong (Korean), Ratana Therakulsathit (English)

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Characters / Genshin Impact: Yae Miko

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Yae Miko

Introduced: February 16, 2022 (v2.5 "When the Sakura Bloom" [first half])Voiced by: Du Mingya (Chinese), Ayane Sakura (Japanese), Moon Yoo-jeong (Korean), Ratana Therakulsathit (English)

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Introduced: February 16, 2022 (v2.5 "When the Sakura Bloom" [first half])
Voiced by: Du Mingya (Chinese), Ayane Sakura (Japanese), Moon Yoo-jeong (Korean), Ratana Therakulsathit (English)