NOTE: Folders in boldface denote playable characters.

Inazuma

Inazuma is the nation of Lightning and Eternity, under the patronage of the Electro Archon, the Raiden Shogun. Situated on a secluded archipelago to the far east of Teyvat, Inazuma is at once beautiful and tarnished, its elegant culture and geography diluted by a past of warfare and disaster.

Ruled directly by Her Eternal Excellency, the Inazuma Shogunate loyally enforces her Sakoku and Vision Hunt Decrees, aiming to create an unchanging Inazuma through draconian laws. Though the outlying, autonomous Watatsumi Island rebelled against these harsh measures, the Shogun remains steadfast in her beliefs, her vision of true eternity unchanging and absolute.

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General Tropes

Crapsaccharine World: While Narukami and Watatsumi have beautiful vistas and marvelous architecture, they're also the only two islands throughout the archipelago with functional societies. Kannazuka and Yashiori are wartorn wastelands plagued by Tatarigami and Balethunder, resulting in severe depopulation save for the warring Shogunate and Sangonomiya forces, while Seirai and Tsurumi are uninhabited and still harboring curses from ancient calamities. Combined with the civil war and the Shogunate's corrupt isolationism, Inazuma's Eternity likely would've collapsed had the Traveler not intervened.
Dub Pronunciation Change: Inazuma's name (shinjitai/"simplified" kanji 稲妻) is the kun'yomi, or native Japanese, reading of 稻妻 (also used in kyūjitai/"traditional" kanji), which can be read as "Dàoqī" in Chinese, whereas the Korean dub opts to transliterate the Japanese name ("Inajeuma", hangul 이나즈마; the characters can also be read via hanja as "Docheo"/도처).
The Good, the Bad, and the Evil: Three main factions stand out during the Archon Quest's conflict.
- The Good: The Traveler (who's begrudgingly roped into the circumstances) opposing the Tenryou and Kanryou Commissions, the Fatui, and the Raiden Shogun, all with the help of the Yashiro Commission, the Watatsumi Resistance and a few unaffiliated but heroic faces that also condemn the Tenryou Commission's actions, secretly led by the Big Good, Yae Miko.
- The Bad: The Tenryou and Kanryou Commissions (but more notably the former), as well as the Raiden Shogun. The Traveler is a wanted face in Inazuma following their opposition of the Vision Hunt Decree, leading to the attempt at their capture by the main corporal force, led by Kujou Sara. The Tenryou soldiers and the Watatsumi Resistance also have a duel in the midst of the story. During the climax, it's revealed the Fatui have been colluding with the Tenryou and Kanryou Commissions into manipulating the Shogun into the enactment of repressive decrees, and once she's let known of everything, Sara pulls a Heel–Face Turn that places her in the Good. The Raiden Shogun still serves as the story's final boss, with the arc concluding with her Heel–Face Turn, followed by the reform of the Tenryou and Kanryou Commissions during her first Story Quest.
- The Evil: The Fatui, with La Signora and Scaramouche on the front. During the Traveler's time with the Watatsumi Resistance, they learn the Fatui have been both colluding with the Tenryou and Kanryou Commissions and supplying the Watatsumi Army with Delusions, one of which cause a person's death and fuels the Traveler's desire to end the organization. Though they fail to stop Scaramouche, they are still able to defeat La Signora during a duel before the throne, who then gets disposed of by the Raiden Shogun.
Fantasy Counterpart Culture: Of Japan, specifically the Edo period ruled by the Tokugawa Clan, whose founding father Ieyasu serves as the template for the Raiden Shogun, complete with its isolationist policies. Story-wise, tensions between the Shogunate to the east and Watatsumi Island to the west brings to mind those between Tokugawa Ieyasu of Edo (modern-day Tokyo) and Ishida Mitsunari of Kyoto that culminated in the fateful Battle of Sekigahara in 1600, whose victory by the former led to the reunification of Japan and the end of the Sengoku Period, roughly a-century-and-a-half of civil strife and war. In addtion, Watatsumi is loosely based on the Ryukyu Kingdom, a nation of maritime traders with its own culture and religion, as well as a vassal state throughout the Edo period until it was fully integrated into Japan following the Meiji Restoration as Okinawa Prefecture, and Tsurumi can be considered the counterpart to Hokkaido, with most of its people and places bearing Ainu names.
Meaningful Name: "Inazuma" means lightning in Japanese, as fitting for the nation ruled by the Electro Archon.
Youkai: As fitting for a fantasy Japanese-inspired setting, there is a small and diverse population of youkai, which some of the playable characters are a part of. As of 3.7, the types of youkai that have been shown are Bakeneko and Nekomata, hitotsume kozo, Kappa, Kamaitachi, Karakasa, Kitsune, Oni, bake-danuki, Tengu and tsukumogami.

Narukami Island

Located easternmost of the Inazuman archipelago, it is the seat of the Shogunate.

Tri-Commission

See their individual page here.

Arataki Gang

The Arataki Gang is a group of social outcasts led by the eponymous Arataki Itto, a red oni.

General Tropes

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/arataki_gang.png

Emblem of the Arataki Gang

Informed Deformity: During the Irodori Festival, they were held up from actually entering the festival grounds due to their "unusual appearances". Aside from Itto and Shinobu, it's hard to call the rest of them unusual-looking, with the most distinctive thing about them being their Signature Headgear.
Japanese Delinquents: The gang is a downplayed version of this, since they are a bunch of misfits who like to look intimidating, are often having trouble with the law and it's said that they know more than anyone what the insides of the Tenryou Commission's jail cells look like. They actually spend most of their daily lives doing small side jobs and playing trading card games.
Mayfly–December Friendship: Implied. The Akitsu Kimodameshi event explores the harsh reality of friendship between humans and the long-lived Youkai. Just like Lord Kamai and the human samurai, the Arataki Gang will have to eventually face the reality of the human members growing old, while Itto remains youthful and unchanged.
Meaningful Name: "Arataki" (hiragana あらたき), Itto's family name and namesake of the the Gang, is the Japanese reading of 荒泷 [simplified]/荒瀧 [traditional] (pinyin "Huānglóng"), which means "wild waterfall," befitting the Gang's wild antics. This is Lost in Translation in the Korean dub, which opts for a transliteration, also as "Arataki" (hangul 아라타키; the characters could also be read via hanja as "Hwangrong"/황롱).
Oddly Small Organisation: As noted by Paimon, four people (five unbeknownst to her) seem awfully small to be considered a gang. Itto admits that running a gang costs Mora, and these are the only people that Itto can rely on.
Ragtag Bunch of Misfits: As Itto notes to Takuya at the end of his quest, the gang is composed who stand out in Inazuman society and have trouble fitting in; Itto, obviously, is an intimidating-looking Oni, Akira snores loudly, Genta has a Hair-Trigger Temper, and Mamoru's colorblind. This even extends to Granny Oni, who got the nickname for taking Itto in when he was a child. Itto outright tells Takuya that his joining probably wouldn't affect their reputation too much to reassure that he's more than welcome. And lastly, there's Shinobu, who is a runaway shrine maiden.
Rule-Abiding Rebel: Subverted. The most illegal thing the gang has done is doing too much noise in public areas, paste flyers without permission, and one time they fight off shogunate officers during Itto's story quest, which still gave them jail time. Despite all this, the gang is against grave crimes like stealing from others.
Team Pet: "Meet Ushi, the auxiliary member of the Arataki gang!"

Itto

Arataki Itto

A boisterous Oni and the eponymous leader of the Arataki gang.

See his page here.

Shinobu

Kuki Shinobu

Introduced: June 21, 2022 (v2.7 "Hidden Dreams in the Depths" [second half])
Voiced by: Yang Ning (Chinese), Kaori Mizuhashi (Japanese), Kim Yul (Korean), Kira Buckland (English)

Mender of Tribulations

"I came up with the Gang Bylaws so everyone would have a set of guidelines to follow. Huh? Why are they willing to follow my rules? Because both my words and my fists are very persuasive."

Rarity: 4★
Element: Electro
Weapon: Sword
Constellation: Tribulatio Demptio, the Mender of Tribulations

Itto's right-hand woman and deputy leader of the Arataki Gang. Having rejected her destiny as a scion of a family of Grand Narukami Shrine maidens, which includes her older sister Miyuki, Shinobu instead went overseas and studied a variety of subjects, including law under Yanfei in Liyue. After returning home shortly before the Sakoku Decree closed the nation off, she joined the Arataki Gang. Due to her professionalism and multiple certifications, she often bails the gang out of many problems and has even expanded their business scope outside of the regular mischief and delinquency. She first meets the Traveler, courtesy of Itto, at Liyue's Chasm, where after an accident they behold, alongside other familiar faces, an incident involving one of the five foremost Yakshas.

Shinobu's experiences gave her skills that support her allies even at the cost of overexerting herself. Her Elemental Skill, Sanctifying Ring, consumes some HP to summon a Grass Ring of Sanctification around the active character that periodically deals Electro damage on surrounding foes and heals surrounding allies, while her Elemental Burst, Gyoei Narukami Kariyama Rite, thrusts an exorcism blade onto the ground that zaps surrounding enemies, with an increased duration if Shinobu has less than half her HP.^note

Ambiguous Situation: Bosacius' "karmic debt" was said to have been tainting the Chasm's Bed, with karmic debt bringing out the worst personality traits of people. During the second Interlude where Shinobu, the Traveler and co. fall into the Chasm's Bed, Shinobu herself doesn't seem to be afflicted that much (if at all) by karmic debt, whereas the others (minus the Traveler, since they're from another world) are. The game never dwells on why this happens after the Interlude ends.
Black Blood: When using her Skill, what is very likely her blood can be seen splashing out from her body upon activation, explaining the HP loss. For (obvious) censorship reasons, it is colored purple instead of the usual red.
Black Sheep: She is estranged from the rest of her family for refusing to join them in working at the Grand Narukami Shrine and pursuing other careers instead. Only her older sister Miyuki is willing to talk to her.
Blatant Lies: Shinobu's Hangout Event tree begins with the Traveler finding her in the Tenryou Commission's police station trying to convince an officer that the Arataki Gang is actually a support group for people with mental problems and that their boisterous actions don't come from malice, but from these shortcomings (it's sort of true; Itto and the Gang don't usually mean any harm, they're just impatient and not the best at socializing).
The Bus Came Back: Shinobu cameos in v3.7's event "Duel! The Summoner's Summit", almost 11 months following her Hangout Event's release, and later appears more prominently in "Arataki Blazing Armor Beetle Battle Boot Camp" in v4.3.
Can't Live with Them, Can't Live Without Them: As much as the Gang's antics of varying legality irritate her, she sticks by them through thick and thin, since they give her all the freedom she wants in the world.
Cast from Hit Points: Her Skill consumes 30% of her current HP (unless she has less than 20%, in which case the HP cost is negated) to summon a Grass Ring of Sanctification that periodically zaps surrounding enemies and heals surrounding allies.
Cool Mask: She wears a plated mask on the lower half of her face. Apparently, she doesn't like people asking what’s underneath it. In one idle animation, she takes it off briefly, but quickly puts it back on when she realizes this. Her Hangout Event reveals that Shinobu wears it because she doesn't want to get recognized as a former miko.
Combat Medic: Her Skill summons a phantasmal whip-sword made of Electro energy around the active character that, for the next twelve seconds, simultaneously zaps surrounding enemies and heals surrounding allies in 1.5-second bursts (for a total of eight). Both her ascension passives boost the Ring's healing potency—that for her first, Breaking Free, increases Shinobu's Healing Bonus by 15% if she has less than half her HP, while that for her fourth, Heart's Repose, increases the Ring's damaging and healing potencies based on, respectively, 25% and 75% of her Elemental Mastery stat. Constellation-wise, her second upgrade, To Forsake Fortune, extends its duration to fifteen seconds (and hence ten bursts), while her fourth, To Sever Sealing, allows the Ring to augment normal, charged, or plunging attacks with Thundergrass Marks, three kunai made of Electro energy that deal wide-ranging damage based on 9.7% of her Max HP each.
Critical Status Buff:
- If Shinobu has less than half her HP, the field generated by her Burst increases in duration from 2 seconds to 3.5.
- Her first-ascension passive, Breaking Free, increases her Healing Bonus stat by 15% if she has no more than half her HP.
- Beside the Last Chance Hit Point (see below), her sixth Constellation upgrade, To Ward Weakness, boosts her Elemental Mastery stat by 150 points for fifteen seconds (with at least one-minute interval) whenever she has less than a quarter of her HP.
Dub Pronunciation Change: Shinobu's full name (hiragana くきしのぶ) is the Japanese reading of 久岐忍 (each character being read via, respectively, go-on [Wu Chinese-derived], kan-on [Han Chinese-derived], and kun'yomi [native Japanese] methods), which reads as "Jiǔqí Rěn" in Chinese, while the Korean dub opts for a transliteration as "Kuki Sinobu" (hangul 쿠키 시노부; the characters could also be read via hanja as "Gugi In"/구기 인).
The Dreaded: She's greatly feared within the Arataki Gang for her fierce temper and harsh punishments. In Itto's words, an angry Shinobu would make life a nightmare.
Family of Choice: During the v2.7 live stream, Max Mittelman, Itto's English voice actor, explains that Shinobu only feels free around the members of the Arataki Gang, and she cares for all of them despite her cool demeanor. During the second Archon Quest Interlude, Itto is aware of Shinobu's issues with her strict mother.
Fantasy-Forbidding Father: Her parents don't approve of her having any job but a shrine maiden at the Grand Narukami Shrine, insisting that she has to carry on the family tradition. For obvious reasons, Shinobu hasn't spoken to them much since she left for Liyue.
Foolish Sibling, Responsible Sibling: Played with. Given how Shinobu views the Arataki gang as family, Shinobu comes off as the responsible to counter the foolishness of the rest of the gang. However, when compared to her biological sister Miyuki, she's the foolish one with Miyuki being the responsible one.
Guilt by Association Gag: While Sayu knows nothing about her, she's quick to write her off as a "sleep disturbance" upon hearing of her association with Itto.
Hellish Pupils: Has slit pupils like a reptile, for some as-yet unrevealed reason.
Hero Worship: She thinks very highly of Yanfei, at one point saying her lectures were the best part of her schooling.
Hypercompetent Sidekick: Shinobu is far more intelligent and educated than Itto, and is responsible for bailing him out of trouble. According to both Yae Miko and Yanfei, Shinobu studied law at Liyue before the Sakoku Decree was ratified, which left her confined to Inazuma with no way to return and formally receive her diploma.
Paimon: Hmm, okay Paimon gets the dynamic now. A useless boss with an ultra-capable subordinate...
I Just Want to Be Free: The reason why she joined the Arataki Gang. She'd rather enjoy a carefree life with the Gang, misdemeanors and all, over a stable but boring life as a shrine maiden.
Jack of All Stats: Shinobu is capable of providing sub-DPS damage, area-of-effect damage, and healing, among other things, and her stats are fairly balanced.
Jack of All Trades: After leaving behind the life of a shrine maiden, Shinobu learned a variety of crafts and skills, and as a result now has numerous qualifications. Even her character demo is titled "Jack of All Trades."
Last Chance Hit Point: Her sixth Constellation upgrade, To Ward Weakness, protects her from otherwise fatal hits with 1 HP (in addition to a 150-point boost to her Elemental Mastery stat if she has less than a quarter of her HP); this activates only at least every sixty seconds.
Loser Friend Puzzles Outsiders: Most Inazumans, such as Sara, are confused as to why someone with her range of skills and talents is associated with a group of troublemakers, unaware that a stable, predictable job is the last thing she wants.
Meaningful Name: "Shinobu" means "patient," fitting for someone who has to deal with the Gang's shenanigans on a daily basis.
Mechanically Unusual Fighter: Shinobu is a support unit who can heal her allies, and whose Elemental Talents benefit from her having a higher Max HP, but at the same time she also benefits from having low HP. Her Burst lasts longer if her it drops below half, and with a full Constellation, she gains a temporary boost to Elemental Mastery if she has less than a quarter.
Ms. Fanservice: Downplayed but still very much there. Shinobu's normal attire consists of a small, form-fitting top that exposes most of her stomach, thigh-high boots that draws attention to her legs, and a pair of very small, very tight shorts, all capped off by Intimate Marks running from her waist down to her thighs. Contrast all this to the conservative shrine maiden uniform that she would've had to wear had she not run away.
Number Two: The second-in-command of the Arataki Gang, as well as its deputy leader. Amusingly, she's thus way more competent than Itto.
Odd Friendship: With Kujou Sara, a law enforcer. While Sara and Itto's relationship can best be described as mutual irritation (they don't actually dislike each other, their temperaments are just pretty much the opposite), Sara and Shinobu clearly respect and like each other; in fact, they were friends before Shinobu joined the Arataki Gang.
Only Sane Woman: While Itto's... Itto, and the other three seem to worship the ground he walks on, Shinobu actually seems to care about the Gang's reputation among the populace and often does damage control for Itto's antics.
Out of Focus: Despite forming part of the Arataki Gang, Shinobu is suspiciously absent from a good amount of events where the others are in the picture, even after v2.7; most notably, she is absent from the "Almighty Arataki Extraordinary and Exhilarating Extreme Beetle Brawl," while the rest of the gang plays some part. It wouldn't be until v3.7 where she finally appears in the Flagship event after almost 11 months of absence.
Perpetual Frowner: Shinobu, by her own admission, doesn't like to smile. While it's hard to tell through her mask, this was a frequent source of consternation during her time as trainee shrine maiden, as she would often receive complaints for coming off as cold and unwelcoming, despite not bearing any actual animosity toward anyone, and her parents would tell her off for it.
Random Drop Booster: Her utility passive, Protracted Prayers, increases rewards by 25% if she is sent in an Expedition in Inazuma for twenty hours.
Red Oni, Blue Oni: The Blue to Itto's Red. In contrast to the impulsive and hot-headed Itto, Shinobu is a lot more responsible and often tries to keep Itto in check, as well as try and clean up after the messes he makes.
Samurai Shinobi: A downplayed example. Her getup and equipment evoke a ninja (including doing flips while throwing a kunai), however her recovery and one of her idle animations show her sheathing her sword/dagger at her hip, like a samurai, instead of on her back. The hood of her jacket features a forehead crest similar to those found on samurai kabuto.
Screw the Rules, I Have Connections!: She and Sara are actually close friends, despite their current stations, and will negotiate with her for more favorable terms whenever the lads are arrested for rabble-rousing. Similarly, she is also this with Heizou, who will happily lighten sentences whenever some Gang members are jailed, and even vouch for their reputation in exchange for information pertaining to interesting cases.
Secret Secret-Keeper: It’s implied that she is aware that Itto has befriended Kamisato Ayato without knowing that he is the head of the Yashiro Commission, because during the "Receiver of Friends From Afar" event she seems tense every time Ayato and Itto are talking to each other.
Self-Harm–Induced Superpower: She can activate a healing and Electro field with her Skill, but she loses 30% of her HP when she does so.
Self-Made Woman: Not wanting to live the dull and cushy life as a shrine maiden as her mother expected of her, she departed to Liyue to study law and other trades. Now, aside from being deputy leader of the Arataki Gang, she is qualified to negotiate with government officials in Inazuma and steer the Gang through legal troubles.
Sergeant Rock: Though she clearly cares about her fellow gang members and the success of the Arataki Gang itself, she's not above whipping everyone back into line with some old-fashioned discipline. The same applies to its leader.
Servile Snarker: She is willing to make snide remarks at her boss's expense, often when he does or says something where he deserves it.
Sexy Secretary: She's basically Itto's, as she handles most of the legal documentary and other paperwork the Gang is faced with in their various endeavors. She also wears clothes that expose a fair bit of skin and is shown to clean up quite nicely.
She Cleans Up Nicely: One ending of her Hangout Event sees Yae Miko give the Traveler a photo of her during her very brief stint as a shrine maiden, which depicts her without her mask or her hair tied up.
Sliding Scale of Gameplay and Story Integration:
- After running away from her family business, Shinobu took on various jobs to make a living. This is reflected in her playing style that allows her to deal damage and heal her allies at once.
- As second-in-command of the Arataki Gang, Shinobu serves as Itto's Only Sane Woman, often having to bail him out whenever he runs afoul of the law. Fittingly enough, her fighting style complements that of Itto by providing damage while mitigating its drawbacks; with the Grass Ring of Sanctification, not only can she create electric bursts to deal extra damage to Itto's target, but it will also heal him and undo any damage he may suffer while recklessly attacking his enemies.
Stock Ninja Weaponry: One of her attack combos involves throwing kunai knives at her opponents.
Storm of Blades:
- Her Skill plants an exorcism blade onto the ground, creating a field wherein enemies are lashed with erupting whip-swords made of Electro energy for two seconds, with a 1.5-second extension if Shinobu has no less than half her HP by the time she uses it. Her first Constellation upgrade, To Cloister Compassion, increases its radius by 50%.
- If her fourth Constellation is unlocked, characters under the effect of Shinobu's skill who strike enemies with normal, charged, or plunging attacks will have a Thundergrass Mark fired toward their target, dealing damage equal to 9.7% of her max HP.
Supreme Chef: A culinary license is among Shinobu's many qualifications. The description of her specialty dish, Omurice Waltz, waxes poetic about its presentation and declares it equal to the work of an Inazuman head chef. During the "Receiver of Friends From Afar" event, Shinobu offers to assist Smiley Yanxiao with the appetizers, putting in use her culinary degree in Liyue Cuisine.
The Squadette: She appears to be the only woman in the Arataki Gang.
Sword Plant: Her Burst has her plant an exorcism dagger to the ground and the segmented blades emerge from below to damage opponents within its radius.
Tattoo as Character Type: Her tattoos cover her lower body and seem to dip below her waistline onto her hips, butt, and upper thighs. They are quite evocative of her personal life's privacy, with her disassociation for her family's shrine maiden line and desire to forge her own path being sore spots for her.
Tattooed Crook: Subverted. Similarly to her boss, she has red tattoos on her, only hers are thinner, lighter, and cover her lower body instead. However, much like the Arataki Gang, Shinobu is quite approachable once you get to know her and is the most upstanding member of the group.
Team Mom: She's easily the most mature member of the gang. She does her best to steer Itto and the others away from trouble.
Upgrade Artifact: A variant—her third and fifth Constellation upgrades, To Sequester Sorrow and To Cease Courtesies, add three levels to, respectively, her Skill and Burst.
Whip Sword: She wields a segmented, Electro-infused exorcism dagger that can separate into a whip when she performs both her Elemental Talents, as well as appears on her Constellation.
Women Are Wiser: Shinobu is the most prominent female in the Gang and the smartest one, to the point even Itto is afraid of her. She constantly has to discipline the entire gang so they don't get arrested again.

Akira, Genta, and Mamoru

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/screenshot_2023_02_25_at_103323_pm.png

From left to right: Mamoru, Akira and Genta

Akira Voiced by: Patrick Mealey (English)

Genta Voiced by: Alan Gabay (English)

Mamoru Voiced by: Kdin Jenzen (English)

The only known low-ranking members of the Arataki Gang.

Faster Than They Look: Despite being the only chubby member, Akira is a fast runner, and is able to reach the furthest hiding spot that Mamoru and Genta couldn't in Kuki Shinobu's Hangout event. Said the furthest hiding spot turns out to be the base camp of the Nobushi.
Colorblind Confusion: Mamoru is colorblind, as described by Itto.
Hair-Trigger Temper: Genta is prone to this, as described by Itto.
Loud Sleeper Gag: Akira snores very loud, as described by Itto.
Manchild: Just like their boss, Itto, hence Shinobu wants to teach them how to behave.
Non-Action Guy: While they are able to hold off the Tenryou soldiers for Itto and the Traveler to flee, the trio are not expert fighters. Shinobu notes in her Hangout Event that Akira has trouble fighting a Nobushi and plans on subjecting him to Training from Hell to better hone his fighting capabilities, much to his distress. And in Itto's Character Demo, he is the one who fought off the majority of the Shogunate troops by himself.
No Social Skills: Much like their boss, their interaction with everyone tends to end in trouble, due to poor communication.
Recurring Character: They appear in Shikanoin Heizou's Character Demo (Akira, non-speaking role), and Story Events that involve Itto and Shinobu (apart from "Perilous Trail").
Ridiculous Procrastinator: If Itto gets easily distracted in the middle of his own tasks, the gang is equally or worse at delaying their chores, as seen during the Irodori Festival.
Shoo Out the Clowns:
- The trio told Itto (and the Traveler) to leave while they hold off the Tenryou soldiers. Sure enough, they are completely absent when Itto and the Traveler move inside a ronin hideout to search for Takuya, due to the three being arrested.
- They don't appear in the Archon Quest, "Perilous Trail", as their boss and Shinobu are out on a trip to Liyue.
Signature Headgear: They are all recognizable by their "kasa" hats with the gang's signature emblem on them.

Takuya (Unmarked Spoilers)

Voiced by: Brandon Winckler (English)

A Blue Oni who associates with a group of Rōnin, committing acts of banditry to support the surviving remnants of his race. He joins the Arataki Gang at the conclusion of Itto's character quest.

Freudian Excuse: His tribe of Blue Oni is regularly starving due to being unable to live in human society, causing Takuya to join up with a group of Ronin to try to provide for them.
Horned Humanoid: He arguably has one of the most unique designs among the game's NPC characters, in no small part due to the blue Oni horns used to show his heritage.
Hypocrite: He repeatedly claims to dislike how his ancestors sacrificed their livelihoods and ability to live in society for the sake of the Crimson Oni, repeatedly disparaging the pride of the Oni and often insulting Itto. However, near the quest's climax, he tries to rightfully own up to his crimes to prevent Itto from taking the fall for him, and when his former boss retakes the charm and tears, he implores Itto to leave him and save himself.
Jerk with a Heart of Gold: He may be a bandit who repeatedly and almost proudly disregards the Oni Pride, but he only does so to provide for his family and clan, tries acting as something of a Token Good Teammate to the Rōnin he's with by preventing them from killing anyone they rob, and he secretly feeds the prisoners they capture and generally treats them well. One of said prisoners, Daisuke's mother, even describes him as akin to a kid who's hanging with a bad crowd as opposed to a genuinely malicious person.
The Resenter: When they finally meet, it's clear that he has a low opinion of Itto due to him being a Crimson Oni, who his kind sacrificed themselves for years ago, and for his bad reputation among the humans seemingly spitting in the face of their sacrifice. It's only after Itto saves him and explains that he does what he does to honor the deal his kind made with Blue Oni all those years ago, as well as promising to help his family, that this seems to subside.
Sequel Non-Entity: He has yet to be seen or even mentioned again after Itto's story quest as of version 3.4. Presumably, he could be busy with providing for his Blue Oni tribe, but it is strange for Itto or Shinobu, who both hold a strong sense of responsibility towards the members of their gang, to not even mention how he and his tribe have been doing in any of the time-limited events they appear in.
Sticky Fingers: When the leader of the Rōnin bandits he's working for threatens to tear up a charm that's connected to his hideout to kill everyone there after he's beaten, Takuya reveals to have stolen it prior since he realized that he set it up so that he's the only one who could escape.
Token Good Teammate: The rest of the group of ronin Takuya joined are hardened criminals who think nothing of stealing and murdering from others, while Takuya himself only joined them to provide for his people and upholds his own moral standards even when working with them. One of the people being held prisoner by the ronin describes Takuya as being like a kid who fell in with a bad crowd.
Zero-Approval Gambit: After stealing his boss' charm to prevent him from destroying the hideout, he then threatens to do the same to get Itto to leave him alone. It doesn't work.

Chinju Forest

Chizuru

Hanyuuda Chizuru

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/screenshot_2023_04_09_at_105425_am.png

^{Click to see her true form}

Voiced By: Liu Shisi (Chinese), Yukako Kiuchi (Japanese), Song Ha-Rim (Korean), Carrie Keranen (English)

A mysterious lady in red that the Traveler chances upon in Chinju Forest during the Akitsu Kimodanmeshi event.

Animate Inanimate Object: She is a tsukumogami spirit born from a pair of hagoita paddles.
Dub Pronunciation Change: Due to Alternate Character Reading, her name is YúShēngTián Qiānhè in Chinese.
Dying Alone: Her initial plan was to cut off all contact with people and pass on quietly until she was convinced otherwise by Yae Miko.
Eerie Pale-Skinned Brunette: Her black hair and pale skin adds to her creepiness and enhances her impression as a vengeful ghost.
Evil Sounds Raspy: Has a raspy voice in the English dub, which enhances her image as a threatening figure when the Traveler firsts meets her. Subverted in that she isn't evil, but rather just trying to distance herself from others by scaring them away.
Hellish Pupils: Has a slitted pupil in her right eye, as befitting her supernatural nature.
Hitodama Light: Is able to conjure ghostly flames while demanding the Traveler to leave.
Last Request: Wishes the Traveler to be filled with joy every day of their journey before peacefully disappearing for good at the end of the festival.
Leave Me Alone!: What she continuously demands the Traveler and Paimon to do, until Yae Miko convinces her that connecting with others is worth it no matter how fleeting the relationship ends up becoming.
Mayfly–December Friendship: Her main motivation is to avoid making these and cause regret to both parties.
Meaningful Name: Her surname Hanyuuda (羽生田) is composed of the kanji "羽", which can refer to the shuttlecock used in hanetsuki, a traditional Japanese game that also involves two players using hagoita paddles to hit the shuttlecock, and "生" which can mean birth, referencing how Chizuru was a pair of hagoita that gained sentience.
Really 700 Years Old: Appears as a young woman, though she is a 500 year old hagoita spirit.
Red and Black and Evil All Over: Has black hair, wears a black kimono with blood-red patterns, with even blood-red flowers coming out of where her left eye is supposed to be, and threatens to trap the Traveler's and Paimon's souls. Ultimately subverted as she's not evil.
Red Eyes, Take Warning: Has a red eye and at one point threatens to take away the Traveler and Paimon's souls before knocking them unconscious. Subverted afterwards when it's revealed that she's actually quite nice once she stops distancing herself from others.
Vengeful Ghost: Presents herself as one, threatening to steal the Traveler and Paimon's souls.
Yōkai: Is a tsukumogami, specifically the spirit of the pair of hagoita that Kamai and Takuto used to play Akitsu Hazura with.

Ioroi

A giant bake-danuki sealed in stone in Chinju Forest by Kamuna Harunosuke after he went on a rampage following the disappearance of the Kitsune Saiguu, his rival and friend as well as Harunosuke's mentor.

Attention Whore: Craving for the Kitsune Saiguu's attention (unaware of her death), he opted to vandalize the Kitsune statues and stole her comb. This caught the Shogunate's attention and sent Harunosuke to teach him a lesson.
Large and in Charge: He is the largest bake-danuki in existence and is the current leader of his kind despite being sealed away in Chinju Forest.
Locked Out of the Loop: He is completely unaware that the Kitsune Saiguu is already dead, thinking she is playing a long game of hide-and-seek with him, when in truth she wanted to protect him from the Cataclysm.
Taken for Granite: He and his kind have been sealed into stone, courtesy of Kamuna Harunosuke, though the seal on his kin is slowly dissipating as his kind can be found roaming around Inazuma.
Talking Animal: Zig-Zagged. Hanachirusato made a special food specifically to communicate with him since he can't talk to humans. Unlike Kichiboushi's case, he continues to talk to the Traveler and Paimon, even after time has passed (something that isn't shared with the brown bake-danuki when Ioroi made a special food for the two).
Tanuki/Kitsune Contrast: He had a friendly rivalry with the Kitsune Saiguu, which he continues to observe centuries after her death.

The Three Youkai Kids

Kappa, Youkou, & Hitotsume Kouzou

Youkou Voiced By: Cai Haiting (Chinese), Ai Yamamoto (Japanese), Gwak Gyu-mi (Korean), Courtney Lin (English)

A trio of Youkai children found inside Chinju Forest.

Asian Fox Spirit: Youkou is a fellow Kitsune like Miko, the only difference being the former's black fur (going by her mask).
Cyclops: Hitotsume Kouzou only has a single eye.
A Dog Named "Dog": A hitotsume-kozo named Hitotsume Kouzou, and a kappa named Kappa.
A Form You Are Comfortable With: As the Youkai are shown in their non-human forms as seen in the cinematic. It is implied that these children took on a human-guise to make them approachable, with the only indicator of their true nature is the characteristic masks (and a shell for Kappa's case) they are wearing.
Kappa: It's even his name. The indicator is the green mask with yellow lips.
Shrinking Violet: Kappa is incredibly shy towards strangers.
Youkai: All three are different species of youkai — Youkou is a kitsune, Hitotsume Kouzou is a hitotsume-kozō and Kappa is... well, a kappa.

Grand Narukami Shrine

The holiest temple in Narukami Island, dedicated to worship of the Raiden Shogun, located atop Mount Yougou and graced by a giant Sacred Sakura Tree. It is also associated with the Yashiro Commission, whose de facto headquarters, the residence of the ruling Kamisato Clan, lay at the foot of the mountain to the east.

Miko

Yae Miko

The Guuji, or head priestess, of the Grand Narukami Shrine and an old friend of the Raiden Shogun and Rex Lapis.

See her page here.

Hanachirusato

A mysterious shrine maiden who wears a kitsune mask. She's the quest giver for the "Sacred Sakura Cleansing Ritual" World Quest series.

The Faceless: She never takes off her mask.
Heroic Sacrifice: By the end of the "Sakura Cleansing Ritual" World Quest, she sacrifices her life to purify the Sacred Sakura Tree and finish the ritual, leaving behind her kitsune mask allowing for the creation of the Hakushin Ring.
Made of Evil: Subverted. Hanachirusato is made of the same filth that the Sacred Sakura Tree is trying to contain, but despite this, she is not a bad person and she seeks to purge the very filth that is plaguing Narukami Island, even if it comes at the cost of her own life.
Meaningful Name: She is named after a character from The Tale of Genji, mentioned in a poem composed by the titular Hikaru Genji about blossoms falling in a village, which fits how Traveler first met her in Konda Village and her association with the "Sacred Sakura Cleansing Ritual" World Quest.
Miko: Hanachirusato is a shrine maiden in charge of the Cleansing Ritual.
Older Than They Look: Despite looking like a young woman in her twenties, Hanachirusato is implied to be centuries old based on the memories of the kitsune statuettes the Traveler observes using the Momento Lens. This is justified because she is not exactly human, and is actually an incarnation of the filth corrupting the Sacred Sakura Tree.
Sudden Name Change: She was previously known as "Kazari" due to Alternate Character Reading until v2.7 changed her name to "Hanachirusato" to associate her with the same-named character from The Tale of Genji.

Nana

Kano Nana

Voiced by: Sofiya (English)

A shrine maiden from the Grand Narukami Shrine who Ayaka put in charge of overseeing Sayu's growth and progress, a task that she does not take lightly. She is also Heizou's older cousin.

A Day in the Limelight: One of the two main branches of of Sayu's Hangout Event focuses on her relationship with Nana, who doesn't mess around with getting Sayu to improve her Shuumatsuban training.
Big Sister Instinct: Towards Heizou, who she constantly looks after.
The Dreaded: Sayu fears her ability to disrupt her naptime and drag her out to do grueling labor and training. Sayu can run, but it doesn't matter where she hides—Nana will eventually find the Mujina Ninja.
One-Steve Limit: Shares the same name as Qiqi in the Japanese dub.
Parental Substitute: Nana is assigned to be Sayu's by Ayaka.
Scarily Competent Tracker:
- Nana has tabs on all the places Sayu likes to sleep in, can ascertain the path where Sayu had passed based on the tracks she leaves behind, and even tell if Sayu is in the area based on her intuition alone. Since Nana is dealing with one of the Shuumatsuban's more lazy and elusive kunoichi, she needs to be sharp in order to keep pace.
- Averted when it comes to her cousin, Heizou. Nana complains that she has a way harder time tracking him down compared to Sayu, though unlike the Mujina Ninja who typically limits herself to Chinju Forest, Heizou tends to be everywhere at once and disappears just as quickly.

Ringo (Unmarked Spoilers)

Gendou Ringo

The shrine maiden in charge of the Fortune Slip Box of the Grand Narukami Shrine.

In truth, she is but an identity made by "Momoyo," an agent of the Shuumatsuban, sent to spy on further Fatui activity after they were forced underground following the revelation of their role in exacerbating tensions between the Shogunate and Watatsumi. After a chain of events, and with Momoyo's blessing, the name was eventually passed onto Lyudochka Shezhevna, an Inazuma-born Fatuus who deserted the organization by faking her death and committed full-time into being a shrine maiden, both due to having fulfilled her lifelong dream to become one as well as her troubled conscience over her participation in the Fatui's plot to sabotage the ceasefire between the Shogunate and Watatsumi.

Tropes that apply to both:

Beneath the Mask: The first and second "Gendou Ringo," respectively "Momoyo" and Lyudochka, are undercover agents of the Shuumatsuban and the Fatui using the role to blend in the shrine and avert unwanted attention from their real occupations.
Identical Stranger: Minus the eye color, both look identical to one another, likely due to both being Inazuman. Lyudochka takes advantage of this as she was instructed to.
Miko: It's their "job".

"Momoyo"

Badass in Distress: While she gave a fight before being caught by the Fatui, she had to rely on the Traveler saving her.
The Bus Came Back: After her long absence after completing "Shuumatsuban Operations" World Quest, she finally made her return in version 4.0, permanently residing by the docks of Ritou (under the name of "Chitose").
But Now I Must Go: After you convince Lyudochka to stay, she's nowhere to be found around the shrine, with the now-shrine maiden saying she missed the opportunity to thank her in person. She does, however, acknowledge that they will meet again in the future.
Eye Scream: While she was being caught in her hideout, a Fatui shot the elemental powder box she was holding (likely to use it to defend herself). Because the powder was slightly poisonous, this costed her an eye. She later addresses this that she might not be able to go back into her shrine maiden duties, ultimately passing her previous "job" and identity to Lyudochka.
Jerk with a Heart of Gold: Beneath her rude behavior, she's actually a well-meaning person (not that she would admit it), even helping the person who stole her (fake) identity.
Ninja: Momoyo is a kunoichi of the Shuumatsuban tasked with investigating and outing undercover Fatui operatives in Inazuma.
No Name Given: She has yet to reveal her proper name, only going by either "Gendou Ringo" (her false identity) or "Momoyo" (a codename).
Trust Password: Her colleague Momoka had one that's discovered by the Traveler in a note ^note"in the middle of a hazy night". She initially distrusts the Traveler because of said knowledge but finally accepts they're not Snezhnayan spies at the end of the third day.
Worth It: Her response to losing her left eye, saying that fooling and exposing the Fatui made it a worthy trade. She also adds it was an occupational hazard that the Shuumatsuban would compensate later.

Lyudochka Snezhevna

Fake–Real Turn: She always wanted to be a shrine maiden, so when she infiltrated the Grand Narukami Shrine she took on Momoyo's place. By the end of the whole affair, she wins Momoyo and Miko's blessings to become the new "Gendou Ringo" after she faked her death to the Fatui.
Faking the Dead: With the Traveler and Momoyo's assistance, she fakes her death to free herself from the Fatui, allowing her to live her life in Inazuma for real.
Forced into Evil: She was a native Inazuman orphan taken in by the House of the Hearth as a child and made a Snezhevna. Seeing how her "countrymen" treated her and her fellow orphans, she ultimately couldn't go through with putting her fellow Inazumans into her position.
Kill and Replace: Played With, since Momoyo faked her death to get the Fatui off her trail, and Efim used this chance to have her infiltrate by impersonating the shrine maiden.
Nice Girl: Despite being a Fatuus, she's ultimately someone who was only forced to her role. The most villainous thing she'd done on-screen is attacking the Traveler, and even then both they and Paimon acknowledge her laughs and attacks were pretty fake.
Preferable Impersonator: The kind-hearted "Gendou Ringo", as Momoyo says, has been quite popular. Even Yae Miko thinks she's pretty suited for the job.
Red Eyes, Take Warning: Subverted. Despite working for the Fatui, she's actually Forced into Evil. As a shrine maiden, she conceals it with blue contact lenses.
Spell My Name With An S: When the World Quest involving her was introduced in Version 2.4, her patronymic^note was spelled Schneitzevna in the English localization. Version 2.6 corrected this to the more accurate Snezhevna (meaning "daughter of snow" in Russian).
Suicide by Cop: She tried to provoke the Traveler into killing her due to her moral dilemma between participating in a heinous plan to sabotage the tenuous peace between the Shogunate and Watatsumi (by poisoning the latter's water supply while disguised as Shogunate soldiers and Narukami shrine maidens) or live on the run from the Fatui for the rest of her life. Fortunately, the Traveler saw through her and instead offered their help.
Token Good Teammate: One of the few decent Fatuus who isn't a Card-Carrying Villain.
Tyke Bomb: Downplayed. Despite being taken in as an orphan by the Fatui and raised to be one, she still regains an identity and would not blindly follow orders.

Miyuki

Kuki Miyuki

Older sister of Shinobu who, by contrast, has continued the family tradition of being a maiden of the Grand Narukami Shrine.

Cool Big Sis: In contrast to their mother, Miyuki is relatively more accepting of Shinobu's life choices. In the ending to the latter's Hangout Event tree where she discovers her association with the Arataki Gang, she nevertheless complements her sister for helping rein in the Gang.
Early-Bird Cameo: Long before her younger sister Shinobu was introduced, Miyuki made her first (albeit brief) appearance at the start of the "Tatara Tales" World Quest series, where she was sent by Miko to pressure Tenryou forces stationed near Tatarasuna to do something about the Mikage Furnace. She has a more prominent role in the follow-up "Sakura Arborism" Quest, where she recruits the Traveler to help her foil a scheme between Treasure Hoarders and the Fatui to extract energy from Tatarasuna's Thunder Sakura trees.
Foolish Sibling, Responsible Sibling: Played with. Shinobu herself is responsible regarding the Arataki gang, but when compared to Miyuki, she comes off as the foolish with Miyuki being the responsible. That said, Miyuki shows to be accepting of Shinobu for her role in the gang.
What the Hell, Hero?: The "Tatara Tales" World Quest series begins with her calling out the Shogunate forces stationed near Tatarasuna for their dithering over the Tatarigami overload of the Mikage Furnace threatening to reach Narukami.

Mrs. Kuki

Matriarch of the Kuki clan and mother of Miyuki and Shinobu, whose only appearance was as an illusion in the Chasm's Bed.

Fantasy-Forbidding Father: Gender inverted. She disapproves of her daughter for not becoming a shrine maiden and even once scolded her for not acting the part.
Non-Standard Character Design: Although having a generic female NPC model, her hair color is like her daughter's.

Inazuma City

Atsuko

An Inazuman expatriate who has fled her homeland due to Sakoku Decree. As a result, she's ended up living in Liyue Harbor after the Crux Fleet rescued her. She returned to Inazuma after the abolishment of Sakoku Decree following Imperatrix Umbrosa Chapter, Act II.

Conscience Makes You Go Back: After the Sakoku Decree is repealed, Atsuko chose to return to her parents to assuage their worries rather than live the dream of traveling Teyvat. Though it's more like she can now leave whenever she wants, so for now she'll keep them company.
Screw This, I'm Outta Here: Atsuko took the perilous journey on a small raft to get the hell out of Inazuma following the implementation of the Sakoku Decree.
Small Role, Big Impact: She used to be a minor NPC working around Liyue Harbor, but without her guidance, the Traveler might never have made it to Inazuma in the first place.

Ayaka's Three Wishes

Tejima, Kurosawa Kyounosuke, and Domon

Tejima voiced by: Daman Mills (English)

Domon voiced by: Matt Shipman (English)

Three former allogenes who fell victim to the Raiden Shogun's Vision Hunt Decree, and as a result their lives took a turn for the worse after being stripped of their dreams and ambitions. The Traveler goes to help them at Kamisato Ayaka's request so that they can see the damage the Vision Hunt Decree has on Inazuma's Vision bearers.

Belated Happy Ending: Even though the Traveler managed to help them cope and put their life back on track after they lose their Visions, they all still remain broken on the inside and cannot truly recover unless they get their Visions back. Subverted following the abolishment of the Vision Hunt Decree, and their Visions are returned allowing for Tejima and Kurosawa to properly recover, though in Domon's case his ambitions had changed during the period he lost his Vision so he wasn't as affected when he got his back. By the end of the Inazuma Archon Quest, they regain their senses along with their Visions, and are last seen sharing a drink.
Brought Down to Normal: All three of them used to possess Visions, granting them the godlike ability to manipulate the Elements of Teyvat only to lose them to the Vision Hunt Decree.
Fate Worse than Death: The Traveler certainly believes so after witnessing how badly losing a Vision can do to their wielder: loss of memories, death of personality, complete change in lifestyle, and how said changes affects the people important to them.
Get A Hold Of Yourself Man: Domon's senior Anzai managed to bring Domon back down to earth after telling him the truth about their duel and reminding him that Domon has disciples he must guide and be a good example to.
Honor Before Reason: All three are good men with relatively harmless ambitions that definitely didn't deserve to have their Visions seized, but it would be wrong to pin all the blame for their resulting predicaments on the Shogun:
- Tejima wanted to wait for somebody, and to that end he settled down in Konda Village and recorded his daily life so they could catch up once they met again. While he is genuinely a good neighbor during his stay, he doesn't have enough attachment to the village to stay when his memories of that person are taken. This realization sticks even after he reclaims his Vision, which results in him pursuing his ambition more proactively by trying to find them.
- Kurosawa decided to help Inazuma's country folk by creating "emergency provisions" so they could feed themselves during food scarcities. While a noble idea in and of itself, he was also paying for those provisions out of pocket, which ruined him financially when the cost of food went up. Even though this state of affairs was growing more and more unsustainable, he hid the truth and kept accruing debt instead finding a long-term solution, such as lobbying for a government-funded program to accomplish the same. Since he is the sole lynchpin, it all falls apart should anything prevent him from continuing. Losing the pertinent memories just happened to be that reason.
- Domon was haunted by the idea that he had crushed the dreams of so many aspiring swordmasters on his quest to being the greatest, but chose to repress his inner demons via force of will rather instead of dealing with them in a healthy fashion. That talk with Anzai, while brought on by the emotional breakdown that losing his Vision created, was clearly something he had needed for a long time.
Informed Equipment: After the Vision Hunt Decree was abolished, it is said that they managed to get their Vision back. Despite this, their Vision isn't present on their person and generic NPCs carrying Visions were not introduced until Transient Dreams.
I Will Wait for You: Tejima's reason for sticking around in Konda Village was to wait for somebody he got separated from in a conflict. Being reminded of this by the Traveler made him decide to continue waiting, even if he can no longer remember who he was waiting for or if she can even recognize him. After getting his Vision and memories back, Tejima decides he’s waited long enough and leave Konda Village anyway to actively search for his loved one.
Laser-Guided Amnesia: Losing their visions causes their wielders to lose memories relevant to their former ambitions, leaving behind a gaping hole in their memories, causing them to become completely different people.
Nice Guy: Kurosawa turned out to be this while he had his Vision, going out of his way to provide for the needy using his own salary and amassing a massive debt after food prices started to rise to continue his charity.
The Paranoiac: Domon started hallucinating about all the people he defeated and stripped of their ambitions coming back to take their revenge. It got so bad that his disciples believed he was being possessed and called for shrine maidens from the Grand Narukami Shrine to exorcise him.
Passing the Torch: After getting talked down to by his senior disciple in the Shisui Meikyu Art, Anzai, Domon decides to pass down his ambition of becoming the greatest swordsman to his own students.
Perpetual Poverty: Kurosawa is always poor since he spends his Mora for others at his own expense. He even has a piling stack of IOU’s in his shack that he owes to Aoi for the rations he couldn’t pay off.
Small Role, Big Impact: Domon was only a poor sap who suffered a breakdown after he lost his Vision, but his plight allowed the Traveler and Yae Miko to meet and even sets up the theme of passing down one's ambitions to other people.
Tragic Keepsake: Kurosawa's sword was the only thing his late father left him. Reading the poem on the blade allows Kurosawa to vaguely recall his teachings even with his memories stripped.
We Have Become Complacent: According to Ei, the reason they turned out the way they did after losing their Visions is because they relied on it as a crutch.

Heihachi

An unpleasant individual who is constantly keeping an eye on Ramsay, a Snezhnayan merchant.

Bigot with a Badge: Given on how he is on official business, and views Ramsay as a suspect, he is likely an undercover police from the Tenryou Commission. If so, he is downright bigoted and prejudiced against outlanders (read: foreigners) and view them all as a threat for the crime of setting foot on Inazuma, and blames them for the problems the nation is facing. It is implied that he is the one who've written a message on the Inazuma Commercial Street Bulletin Board stating that, were it for him, he would've expelled all of the outlanders on Inazuman soil.
Bullying a Dragon: Insults Komore Teahouse and their tea... within her earshot. He's lucky that Kozue didn't decide to confront and teach him a lesson in manners.
Gaslighting: Whenever the Traveler confronts him in the "International Travel Log" World Quest, he has the gall to deny to the Traveler that he is stalking Ramsay, even accusing them of being paranoid, nevermind that he is stalking an innocent Snezhnayan for no reason other than out of petty prejudice.
Hypocrite: Accuses the Traveler of being paranoid for being confrontational if interacted with during the World Quest... which, by the way, fits the "paranoid" criteria on him more than the Traveler does.
Jerkass: While not on Little Que'er's level, he is still one of the more unpleasant non-story NPCs; he talks trash about the Komore Teahouse by referring to it as a "straw hut" and insults their tea, and treats outlanders with contempt. By the end of Chapter II, he is also the one of the few individuals who doesn't treat the Traveler with respect, when anyone else (including the Raiden Shogun herself) virtually view them as a savior.
No Social Skills: Cannot interact with anyone without acting like a jerk, and (unlike Chuyi, under Yelan's management) doesn't bother adjusting his behavior when talking to others.
Stalker without a Crush: Is always stalking Ramsay no matter where the latter goes.

Ikkei

Kayabuki Ikkei

Voiced by: Edward A. Mendoza (English)

A self-publishing author, known for such works as Outlander Brigade! and Hyakunin Ikki: The Greatest Battle, he is the event exclusive NPC of "Hyakunin Ikki" event.

Accidental Misnaming: Klee calls him Kawabunga Icky during Irodori Festival.
Butt-Monkey: His manuscript for his novel gets rejected to the point that the editor noted that he would be more successful as a comedian, and he hasn't sold a single Outlander Brigade! novel during "Hues of the Violet Garden."
The Cameo: Normally a character who shows up in the titular "Hyakunin Ikki" event, he makes an appearance in "Hues of the Violet Garden" and plays a minor role in a storyline involving Yoimiya and Klee.

Katou Brothers

Katou Youhei and Shingou

Katou Youhei Voiced By: Henry Schrader (English)

Katou Shingo Voiced By: Calvin Joyal (English)

Two brothers who dreamed of establishing their own dojo. After Shingou was kicked out from the Meikyou Shisui Arts Dojo, Youhei witnessed the popularity of the book titled A Firsthand Guide to Summoning Spirits, so they performed the summoning ritual to perform a swordmanship mastery. When things went wrong, Youhei ended up pleading with Yae Miko to perform an exorcism on Shingo.

Demonic Possession: Katou Shingo was possessed by Arakawa Kouji, the Ancient spirit of The Oni in Samurai armour.
Gone Horribly Right: The brothers are performing a summoning ritual that would make him a great swordfighter that would compete against Domon's students. However, the ritual worked and Shingou becomes a Blood Knight as a result, and Youhei fears his brother's safety, have been begging Yae Miko for help for 5 days.

Masakatsu

A craftsman who has been creating fake Visions to fool Shogunate officers and protect Vision wielders from the Vision Hunt Decree.

Call-Back: The Traveler recalls Venti's fake Vision when Ayaka mentions how they had Masakatsu craft the fake Visions to defend their Visions from the Raiden Shogun, with one of the Traveler's voice dialog wondering if Masakatsu's where Venti got his fake Vision from.
Cold-Blooded Torture: Is subjected to one by the two Tenryou soldiers who beat him savagely to teach him a lesson. Kujou Sara isn't pleased with their actions.
Distressed Dude: As he can make and craft convincingly real-looking fake Visions, the Raiden Shogun had captured him.
Master Forger: Is able to make fake Visions that are indistinguishable from the real thing to give it to the Shogunate forces in place of their actual Visions. Unfortunately, the Tenryou Commission caught wind of this and had him arrested.

Tomoki

An Inazuman vendor who specializes in creative cooking.

Born in the Wrong Century: His creative cooking has a lot of food that could blend with modern food trends (like creating flavored milk and essentially bubble tea), but for the people of Inazuma it's just weird combinations.
Celebrity Endorsement: Ei loves his product and orders a batch of it. Considering what she is, that's pretty about as high as this trope can go.
Cordon Bleugh Chef: When the Traveler arrives to Inazuma, he explains that his "Creative cooking" isn't popular because people find weird some of his creations. Once the Shogun tries and actually likes his Dango Milk, he manages to expand his business model into milk with different toppings, with Ayato as his regular costumer. Even if he finds some of Ayato's requests bizarre.
Just Here for the Free Snacks: Ei knows what she came to Tomoki's Shop for, and fortunately for her, he is in the process of selling Dango Milk. This actually helped boost his sales to the point the Traveler can buy it from him.

Toshiko

Fujiwara Toshiko

A treasure hunter and a descendant of Serai Island’s former inhabitants. Appears in the “Relics of Seirai” World Quest.

All for Nothing: After fighting against Treasure Hoarders, Vagrants, and Fatui agents trying to protect it, the picture found by the Traveler, Paimon, and Toshiko turns out to be worthless. Toshiko then wonders if that means the real treasure is still out there somewhere or if the Kanjou Commission possibly took it for themselves while they were evacuating Serai Island’s inhabitants back then.
Riddle for the Ages: Why did Toshiko's ancestors go so such great lengths to protect a seemingly regular picture? We may never know.
Treasure Hunter: She first appears on Seirai Island looking for a treasure left behind by her ancestors. However, all she finds is a mysterious picture hidden behind a mechanism in a ruin, which for the same reason attracts the interest of the Treasure Hoarders, the Vagrants, and even the Fatui.

Naganohara Fireworks

A family-run pyrotechnics manufacturer and one of the most beloved institutions in the Hanamizaka district of Inazuma City, as well as an associate of the Yashiro Commission, to whom it is entrusted with work on some of Inazuma's brightest festivals.

Yoimiya

Naganohara Yoimiya

Introduced: August 10, 2021 (v2.0 "The Immovable God and the Eternal Euthymia" [second half])
Voiced by: Jinna (Chinese), Kana Ueda (Japanese), Bak Sin-hee (Korean), Jenny Yokobori (English)

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/yoimiya_5.png

Frolicking Flames

"Every moment of the summer festival is a moving tale. Those who meet under the light of fireworks grow up, mature, and grow old. When they set off the same fireworks as they did in the beginning, the skies reflect that same image from years ago... Fireworks are not eternal, but I believe that the wonderful emotions behind them should walk alongside Inazuma into eternity."

Rarity: 5★
Element: Pyro
Weapon: Bow
Constellation: Carassius Auratus, the Goldfish

Inazuma's best pyrotechnician and current proprietress of Naganohara Fireworks. Friendly and passionate, she makes a point of helping anyone she comes across, and harbors an especially soft spot for children, hoping to preserve their happiness, especially in dire times while the nation is befuddled by restrictive decrees. She's one of the first allies the Traveler makes during their stay at Inazuma, helping her deceive the Tenryou Commission twice by freeing an injured man that was locked away, and helping a fugitive escape.

Yoimiya combines agility and explosive flair, with a unique ability to further charge up her shots into up to three Kindling Arrows that home in on enemies. Her Elemental Skill, Niwabi Fire-Dance, summons the Niwabi Enshou, a ring of saltpeter that turns all her subsequent shots into Blazing Arrows, while her Elemental Burst, Ryuukin Saxifrage, rains down a barrage of fireworks, with one foe marked with an Aurous Blaze, which will trigger wide-ranging explosions whenever they are hit by any of Yoimiya's allies, and which can be transferred to other enemies if they are defeated before its timer runs out.^note

All-Loving Heroine: There's barely any person that Yoimiya won't be sympathetic towards.
- One of her defining characteristics is her love for children, who in turn see her as a Cool Big Sis of sorts. She usually plays with them, and part of her motivation for keeping their happiness is due to Inazuma's dire situation when it comes to the decrees enacted by the Shogun.
- Notably, she's one of the few characters to treat Paimon kindly from the get-go. Accordingly, Paimon never antagonizes her.
- Whereas many other characters have voice-overs that show varying degrees of contempt for Kujou Sara, Yoimiya's voice-over for her instead shows she respects the Tengu general for being more reasonable compared to other officers in the Tenryou Commission; Yoimiya notes Sara will at least hear her out and even acknowledge whenever she's in the right, a compliment that doesn't seem to be backhanded compared to everyone else's opinion on Sara.
- Her kindness even extends to the Raiden Shogun herself; though she was afraid her Vision would be next on the chopping block, Yoimiya still worships the Shogun as the patron deity, and in her voice-over about the Shogun she admits she simply doesn't understand the Archon's thought process. She also holds no ill will towards the Shogun at the end of the Archon Quest.
- In the Archon Quest, Yoimiya and the Traveler try to help Masakatsu, a fake Vision manufacturer that had been captured by the Tenryou Commission, especially after the man was tortured by some Tenryou officers. Her noble action even convinces Sara to temporarily let them off to help the man get medical attention.
- In her first Story Quest, Yoimiya goes to great lengths to help a fugitive from the law, Sakujirou, escape the Tenryou Commission. When she finds out one of the officers, Keisuke, used to be friends with Sakujirou, after besting the Tenryou officer, Yoimiya opts to talk to him and makes Keisuke realize his conflict for putting his friendship on a deep strain in favor of capturing the man instead of letting him off. At the end of it, she also gifts Keisuke a firework to set off, a reminder of his and Sakujirou's friendship.
Ambiguously Absent Parent: While her father makes an appearance, little mention is made of her mother at least until her second Story Quest, which further implies that she is sickly given Yoimiya's advice to her father to mind her medicine while she is on a trip to Sumeru.
Animal Motifs: The goldfish, a symbol of wealth and good fortune in Japanese culture, having been imported from China and formerly exclusively owned by the samurai and noblemen of the sixteenth century.
- Aesthetic-wise, the name of her Constellation is the scientific name for the goldfish, and her namecard also features a pair of goldfish.
- Appearance-wise, Yoimiya has a prominent tattoo of a goldfish swimming upstream on the inside of her upper left arm, a pouch with goldfish patterns hanging from her waist, and wears her hair such that it looks like the tail of a goldfish.
- Personality-wise, one of Yoimiya's voicelines has her admit to keeping a pet goldfish and was inspired to create a goldfish-themed firework that appear to swim and spit bubbles after watching children trying to catch goldfish. Her gregarious personality and her business being a fixture in Inazuman festivals also reflect the festive association of goldfish in modern Japanese culture, being popularly used in kingyo-sukui, a stall game at Japanese summer festivals where players try to catch as many goldfish as possible before their poi (paper scooper) breaks.
Arrows on Fire: Apart from her charged shots, Yoimiya can further charge up her shots to fire Kindling Arrows. Her Skill also infuses all her normal attacks with Pyro for ten seconds in exchange for an inability to fire Kindling Arrows.
Badass Adorable: Yoimiya is a cheerful, friendly young lady who always looks out for her friends' best interests and is a Friend to All Children. She is also a heavily adept archer who weaponizes the same fireworks she works with.
Beneath the Mask: While Yoimiya's optimism, energy, and sweetness are genuine, she can also be wiser and more mature that she initially lets on. One of the reasons why she acts as a Cool Big Sis to the children of Inazuma, even indulging in their fantasies, is to protect their innocence and keep them from being forced to face the harsh realities of Inazuma before they come of age.
Betty and Veronica: The Veronica to Ayaka's Betty, since both their Story Quests are mandatory to unlock the second third of the Inazuma Archon Quest, and feature Ship Tease with the Traveler. Vision-wise, both girls form a Fire/Ice Duo, with Yoimiya being the Fire to Ayaka's Ice; personality-wise, Yoimiya is cheerful and energetic, while Ayaka is gentle and demure; clothing-wise, Yoimiya wears a revealing attire consisting of a half-open yukata, while Ayaka is more conservative; accent-wise in the Japanese dub, Yoimiya speaks in a thick Kansai dialect (fittingly, courtesy of Osaka-born Kana Ueda) to denote her working-class status, whereas Ayaka speaks in a more formal keigo; and combat-wise, Yoimiya uses a bow and her fighting style is rapid and explosive, while Ayaka wields a sword and is graceful and dexterous.
Big Eater: Downplayed, but she is able to keep up with Itto's eating habits when they have eating contests to entertain children.
Breaking Old Trends: In v3.7, Yoimiya has the honor of becoming the first non-Archon character to receive a second Story Quest.
But Thou Must!: In order to progress to Archon Quest Chapter II Act II, Yoimiya's first Story Quest must be completed alongside Ayaka's.
Call-Back: The fireworks used at the end of the Lantern Rite festivals were created by Yoimiya and supplied by Beidou in defiance of the Sakoku Decree.
Cassandra Truth: Possibly, regarding the Aranara. As far as Yoimiya is concerned, they are Imaginary Friend-like spirits who respond to children's wishes through the things they love. In reality, they are the Dendro Archon's familiars, who can manifest physically but are mostly reclusive. While Yoimiya understands that her dream of the meteor shower in the climax of her second Story Quest is something arranged for her by the Traveler and Paimon, between how the Aranara came when the Traveler called for them, how they can seamlessly call people into Mahavanaranapna without them being able to tell that they've actually crossed into another layer of reality, and how Yoimiya believes that emotions are important and that children's fantasies shouldn't be trampled upon by adults, the result is that she may have accidentally gaslit herself into thinking them to also be part of the dream rather than the ones constructing it. It also doesn't help that her first exposure to the concept of the Aranara was through the Traveler and Paimon, who having actually met them gave her extremely detailed and accurate firsthand accounts of their way of life, or that her first impression of their appearance came from wood carvings in their likenesses from Acara Crafts, which the duo had a hand in creating. This made it logical for her to assume that the two of them were able to base the dream's depiction of the Aranara after their experiences rather than vice versa. Whatever the extent of her belief, she agrees not to pry into the matter of the Aranara, with the duo deciding to just leave it at that.
Color-Coded Elements: Yoimiya is a Pyro Vision holder who dresses in an orange yukata.
Competition Freak: Downplayed, but Itto brings out her competitive side. When he challenges her, she simply must do her best to win, especially when kids cheer her on.
Cool Big Sis: She serves as this to the children of Inazuma, and even refers to herself as such. Part of her motives to why is a desire to let the kids live happily so they don't have to deal with Inazuma's current status.
Cooldown Manipulation: Yoimiya's fourth Constellation upgrade, Pyrotechnic Professional, shaves 1.2 seconds off the cooldown time of her Skill whenever the Aurous Blaze detonates.
Critical Hit Class: Her Ascension stat is Critical Rate, which can reach 19.2% at her sixth; combined with her More Dakka style of bowmanship and Elemental Skill, this gives her the potential to deal some damaging combos, especially if she has unlocked her second Constellation upgrade, A Procession of Bonfires, with increases Pyro damage by 25% for six seconds whenever she scores a critical hit.
Ditzy Genius: Her proficiency in firework making is unparalleled, and she shows a more mature side of her sometimes, but Yoimiya can still be a bit airheaded. She easily loses her train of thought, and somehow failed to realize Itto was an Oni or a gang leader until it's pointed out to her despite having many run-ins with him.
Dub Pronunciation Change: Yoimiya's full name (hiragana ながのはらよいみや) is the kun'yomi, or native Japanese, reading of 长野原烟宵宫 [simplified]/長野原宵宮 [traditional], which is read as "Chǎngyěyuán Xiāogōng" in Chinese, while the Korean dub opts for a transliteration, also as "Naganohara Yoimiya" (hangul 나가노하라 요이미야; the characters could also be read via hanja as "Jangyawong Sogung"/장야원 소궁).
Elemental Personalities: Yoimiya is a fireworks artificer, and those require testing by lighting their fuse up. She's also candid, very energetic, full of emotion, passionate, sociable, talkative, and very kind, friendly and sweet. It's very appropriate that she has a Pyro Vision.
Everyone Has Standards: That she's a very passionate artificer doesn't mean Yoimiya won't (at least) try to pay attention to safety. When she also learns about Klee's "antics" around Mondstadt in her voice-over for her, Yoimiya lampshades the usage of explosives as unsafe for children.
Faking the Dead: During the "Roses and Muskets" event when Yoimiya brings Morris to the film crew's warehouse, she appears to die from a gunshot from Chevruese. In reality, Yoimiya was only playing dead so the group could scare Morris into confessing his crime of having Elisa assassinated to keep their affair a secret.
Fashionable Asymmetry: Her outfit consists of a sloppily-worn yukata that exposes her left shoulder area (revealing her sarashi underneath), a leg guard and thigh-high stocking on her right leg, a crew sock on her left foot, a glove on her left hand, a prominent tattoo on her left arm, and a few bandages across her body.
Fatal Fireworks: She makes use of her skills as artificer to power herself up in battle.
Fighter, Mage, Thief: Among the three main youthful-looking ladies (alongside Ayaka and Kokomi) who help the Traveler in the Inazuma Archon Quest, Yoimiya is the thief; being an archer and one that utilizes Trick Arrows (read: explosive ones) in her moveset.
Fire/Ice Duo: The Pyro to Ayaka's Cryo.
Foil: With Klee, when they meet up during "Hues of the Violet Garden" event. Both are Pyro Vision holders, mostly dressed in red, energetic with a childish demeanor, and of course, love of explosives. The main difference between them is that Yoimiya, due to being older, can be mature when the situation requires her to be, while Klee, due to being a young child, is innocently childish no matter the situation.
Friend to All Children: One of her most prominent traits. Beyond simply doting on children, Yoimiya keenly understands them in a way that very few can, and her warmth extends even towards children that aren't native to Inazuma. According to Arapurva, this is partly because Yoimiya is still very much in touch with her own inner child, which means she can still see things from the viewpoint of children and tend to their emotional needs.
- She makes fireworks and explosive weapons for the children of Hanamizaka and is careful not to shatter their beliefs in mythical creatures, as she believes that they simply aren't yet ready to face the harsh realities of life in Inazuma. Her character profile goes further in-depth with this, saying she's made a game out of children trying to steal her hairpins and claiming they hide a great treasure.
- She also naturally befriends Klee due to their shared love of explosives, with the two cheering each other up over being prohibited from doing what they love. They end up drawing a picture booklet together and manage to get it published for the Irodori Festival.
- During her visit to Sumeru, Yoimiya befriends a young girl named Avin, whose illness had confined her to a wheelchair. She manages to get her to open up, and also helps her remember her joy and hope. This wins her the approval of the normally insular Aranara, who are generally wary of human adults but are themselves friends and protectors of children.
Friendly Rivalry: With Itto, who challenges her to eating contests in order to appeal to children. She has no grudge against Itto and happily partakes in these contests to entertain said children.
Friendly Sniper: Yoimiya wields a bow, and is one of the sweetest, most energetic and most cheerful people one can meet.
Gathering Steam: Yoimiya's first-ascension passive, Tricks of the Trouble-Maker, allows the Niwabi Enshou to gather stacks of a 2% boost to Pyro Damage Bonus (to a maximum of ten, equivalent to a 20% boost) for three seconds with her normal shots.
Genki Girl: Yoimiya has boundless energy, and her personality is as colorful and lively as the fireworks she makes.
Girl Next Door: The cute, down-to-earth playful girl introduced alongside Ayaka, a more sheltered noblewoman.
Glass Cannon: Yoimiya's normal attacks can deal a good deal of damage, especially when empowered with the Niwabi Enshou, and her natural growth in Critical Rate can help her consistently land critical hits on enemies with a good Artifact loadout. However, being an archer, she also suffers from below-average HP and low Defense, which leads to her tending to stagger easily and thus generally encouraging players to keep a reasonable distance when attacking. In Genius Invokation TCG, she has the same amount of HP as everyone else, but her Skill requires her to spend a turn before she can deal damage, thus risking extra damage dealt to her. At the same time, Pyro is the most reactive element in the game, and she can deal insane amounts of damage through reactions.
Gyaru Girl: Played with; while she doesn't wear a uniform, Yoimiya's outfit draws parallels to the kogal style, wearing a short skirt below her yukata, geta sandals in place of platform shoes, and having painted nails, noticeable red eyeliner, and blonde hair fading to red at the tips (albeit naturally) that's worn in a messy, goldfish tail-like ponytail.
Hair of Gold, Heart of Gold: She has strawberry blonde hair, which goes hand in hand with her kindness.
Heroic Ambidexterity: Yoimiya's attack animations have her constantly switching hands as she fires her arrows.
Hidden Depths:
- Although easily excitable and energetic, she is more mature and wiser than she would first appear to be. If playable voice-overs are to go by, Yoimiya believes the importance of memories and the emotions they carry; while they're the furthest thing from the "eternity" the Raiden Shogun pursues, they should walk into the future alongside said eternity. In fact, this unintentionally matches the relation that the previous Electro Archon, Makoto, made between "eternity" and "transience" when pursuing the former, something Ei took half a millennium to understand.
- In addition, Yoimiya is implied to be a talented craftswoman, as evidenced by her utility passive, which refunds a fraction of materials used when crafting certain types of Furnishings.
Homing Projectile: By further charging up Yoimiya's shots, they're converted into Kindling Arrows, which home in on nearby enemies.
The Idealist: Yoimiya's kindness is genuine, yet she's also well aware of the harsh realities of Inazuma; part of her job as artificer is to give the people (especially kids) in Inazuma good memories. As quoted above, she also believes that, even if they're not eternal, the wonderful emotions her fireworks create should walk into eternity.
Jiggle Physics: Her chest is prone to bouncing during many of her animations.
Kimono Fanservice: She wears a very short yukata that only reaches mid-thigh and isn't even worn on her left arm at all, leaving her sarashi-clad chest almost fully exposed.
Marked to Die: Her Burst inflicts one of the enemies hit with an Aurous Blaze, which will explode whenever they are hit by any of Yoimiya's allies. The explosion can be triggered at least every two seconds, and can be transferred to other enemies should the first marked opponent fall before its ten-second duration expires. Her first Constellation upgrade, Agate Ryuukin, extends its duration to fourteen seconds and gives Yoimiya a 20% Attack boost for twenty seconds whenever the marked enemy is defeated.
Meaningful Name: "Yoimiya" is the term for a small event prior to the beginning of a festival, similar to a pre-show event, befitting Yoimiya the character's association with fireworks and festivals.
Mechanically Unusual Class: Archers in general have low damage multipliers for their normal attacks, making them typically poor choices for the Main DPS role^note. Yoimiya has a tremendous damage multiplier for her normal attack, up to 188% which is close to claymore units, and she attacks way faster. This makes her so far the only bow user viable as close-to-medium-range DPS.
Mirror Character:
- To Amber. Both are Pyro bow girls that use the "Medium Female" model but are young adults, possess similar personalities (being energetic, cheerful, kind, friendly and unabashedly heroic), and actively help the Traveler during their respective Archon Quest.
- To Nilou. Both girls are down-to-earth nice girls with attractive designs that use a "Medium Female" model, are associated with an artform loosely associated with their respective elements (fire/fireworks and water/dancing) and are willing to help people.
- To Lyney. Both are Pyro Bow units with a unique Charged Attack. They're also friendly towards children. Their primary difference is that Lyney is affiliated with the Fatui due to his upbringing in the House of Hearth, while Yoimiya is presented as heroic with no affiliations to other groups, in fact opposing the Tenryou Commission.
More Dakka: While officially stated to be a five-hit combo, Yoimiya's basic attack pattern has technically the second-highest number of hits of any Archer thus far (only behind Venti), with her firing two arrows for her first and fourth attacks, putting the number of arrows she fires at seven. With a full Constellation, she additionally has a 50% chance to fire additional arrows while the Niwabi Enshou is active.
Motor Mouth: Yoimiya loves to make small talk and get to know people she meets. So once her mouth opens, better grab a chair since her stories and conversations tend to take a while.
Ms. Fanservice: Played with; while the story places more emphasis on her kind self, Yoimiya's outfit is far from conservative. She wears her yukata only on her right arm, leaving her left arm out to fire her bow and thus exposing her sarashi-clad chest, which also shows her cleavage. Additionally, both her legs are emphasized by their different legwear, wearing a crew sock on her left one and a thigh-high on the right one. Her usage of sarashi and bandages below her outfit's miniskirt also shows she doesn't wear conventional underwear. Next to Keqing, Yoimiya also has the second largest bust of any character with the Medium Female model, and is only behind Noelle in that category. To finish off, she combines all of this with graceful acrobatics during her attacks, and her breasts tend to bounce during her animations.
Multishot: By further charging her shots, Yoimiya can create up to three Kindling Arrows. In addition, her sixth Constellation upgrade, Naganohara Meteor Swarm, grants the Niwabi Enshou a 50% chance to generate a second, non-elemental Blazing Arrow with 60% potency.
Mundane Utility: The first thing she did with her Vision was as a flint to light fireworks and boil water. Even today, it's implied that she still uses her Vision to help her test fireworks.
Nice Girl: Quite possibly one of the kindest characters in the game. Yoimiya's very sweet, friendly and outgoing, and is beloved by the people around her (especially the children) for her social acumen and boundless optimism. Part of her motivations behind being a pyrotechnician are fueled by a desire to harvest happiness from people in Inazuma, believing their emotions should be something to remember.
(Chat: Fireworks) "Fireworks are for now, but friends are forever."
Odd Friendship: She develops one with Tartaglia during the "Outside the Canvas" event in v3.2, having seen his Friend to All Children tendencies and developing a good rapport as a result, despite having learned from Shogunate officers of his association with the Fatui.
Odd Name Out: Yoimiya is one of the few Inazuman characters not referred to by their full name (along with Gorou, Sayu, and Thoma)^note. Oddly, her last name is known, simply not used.
Older Than They Look: Yoimiya uses a "Medium Female" model similarly to other young female characters (like Fischl or Noelle) and acts very youthful; despite this, similarly to characters like Amber, Yanfei or Shinobu, she is actually an adult (albeit possibly in her late teens or early twenties), even inviting the Traveler to some drinks after treating a hurt person in the Archon Quest; in her second Story Quest, she is also referred to as such by Avin, and her big heart towards children is what allows her to see the Aranara, who normally hide from adults.
Only Friend: Playable voice-overs imply Yoimiya might be this for Ayaka, being the only Inazuman outside the Kamisato Clan to treat her as a normal person instead of deferring to her noble lineage.
Only the Pure of Heart: A variant. Yoimiya's love for children allows her to learn of the Aranara, winning the trust of a race who otherwise goes to great lengths to be Invisible to Adults.
O.O.C. Is Serious Business: Yoimiya holds the belief that friendship is eternal while fireworks are fleeting. So when a fireworks display is in progress, the normally talkative Yoimiya becomes dead silent in order to appreciate the beauty that the fireworks are exhibiting before fizzling out.
Playing with Fire: Possesses a Pyro Vision. Unlike fellow explosive-wielding Pyro unit in Klee, Yoimiya falls more squarely into this trope due to fire thematically representing her fireworks in-universe.
Pragmatic Heroine: Downplayed since her acts aren't villainous, but they're still destructive; during the Inazuma Archon Quest, Yoimiya (and later the Traveler) makes use of her fireworks to help distract Tenryou soldiers. Both times, it works. Paimon lampshades it, as usual.
Paimon: What kind of firework is this!? By the look of it, Paimon's ears are gonna get blown off! Oh, Yoimiya... you are officially nuts...
Rebellious Spirit: Also downplayed, though it's still a prominent trait of hers. The nation's dire situation and the Tenryou Commission's corruption in favor of targeting mundane people are a big part as to why Yoimiya helps the Traveler deceive the Commission. She tries to help a fake Vision manufacturer escape jailtime (if temporarily) and wasn't happy to learn the Tenryou officers went too far and tortured him, and in her Story Quest she convinces a Tenryou soldier to let his childhood friend escape after correctly realizing how much the situation conflicted him.
Red Baron: She's known as the "Queen of the Summer Festival" for her excellent fireworks displays at Inazuma's Summer Festival.
Resource Reimbursement: Her utility passive, Blazing Match, is guaranteed to refund 25% of the materials used in crafting Decoration, Ornament, and Landscape-type furnishings.
Rule of Cool: Wielding a bow with high dexterity? Certainly cool, but not impossible given Yoimiya bares the arm she usually wields it with. Wielding a bow with high dexterity on both hands, including the one covered by her yukata, while doing acrobatics? That's something entirely different.
Sarashi: Her chest is bound with a long white strip of cloth.
Secret-Keeper: She is one of the few human adults who may know that the Aranara really exist, and is happy to protect that secret.
Shown Their Work: Wearing a kimono or similar clothing (like a yukata) with a single arm stripped to the waist (known as "hadanugi dousa"^note) is a common practice in kyuudou (Japanese archery), which allows the person wearing the kimono with more freedom of arm movement for their arm wielding the bow. Though that still doesn't explain how Yoimiya can wield her bow with the same dexterity on both hands.
Significant Birthdate: Her birthday, June 21, is the northern summer solstice, the day with the longest daylight hours and the start of summer itself, befitting her sunny, cheerful personality.
The Social Expert: Yoimiya is known for her excellent conflict resolution skills and can soothe conflicts between people simply by speaking to them or encouraging them to talk to one another. She helps two childhood friends resolve their decade-long conflict in her Story Quest.
Splash Damage: The Aurorus Blaze can spread to other enemies nearby if a target marked with it dies before its duration expires.
Status Buff:
- Yoimiya's fourth-ascension passive, Summer Night's Dawn, increases her allies' Attack stats by 10% for fifteen seconds after using her Burst, with an additional 1% for every stack of the Pyro Damage Bonus buff provided by her first-ascension passive, Tricks of the Trouble-Maker (for a maximum total of 20%).
- Her second Constellation upgrade, A Procession of Bonfires, increases her Pyro damage by 25% for six seconds whenever a Pyro-elemental attack (even from other characters besides herself) lands a critical hit.
Stuff Blowing Up: Considering she weaponizes the same pyrotechnics she creates, this is a given.
Sweet Tooth: Her favorite foods, according to her "Favorite Food" voice-over, include snacks. Some of her official art depicts her enjoying/sharing sweets such as dango or a caramel apple, she shares dango with the Traveler in the aforementioned voice-over, and her specialty dish is a spin on Tricolor Dango.
Tattoo as Character Type: A colorful, lighthearted tattoo of a fish swimming with flowers in her upper left arm is a prominent part of her design. It shows her embracing her bloodline as a Naganohara, and adds to her goldfish motif. There's also a smaller flower tattoo placed right above her left breast, but that one isn't as prominent.
Tomboy and Girly Girl: The Tomboy to Ayaka's Girly Girl. Played with in that Yoimiya's less traditionally girly than outreight tomboyish, but her appearance and personality are, respectively, less conservative and much more warm and energetic, compared to the more traditional and demure Ayaka.
Trick Arrow: While Yoimiya's arrows are Pyro-elemental, what sets her apart from other archers is that they are explosive. Using charged attacks demonstrates such, and Kindling Arrows take it up a notch by homing in on enemies.
Upgrade Artifact: A variant—her third and fifth Constellation upgrades, Trickster's Flare and A Summer Festival's Eve, add three levels to, respectively, her Skill and Burst.
Vapor Wear: Judging by her sarashi and the bandages below her shorts, it can be inferred she's not wearing typical underwear.
Vibrant Orange: Yoimiya is a compressed bundle of energy and sweetness, whose outfit's primary color is orange, coinciding with both her Element (Pyro) and the most typical color of goldfish.
Weapon Specialization: Promotional material and her artworks typically show her wielding the Hamayumi (4★), though her Wish banner also runs concurrent with the Thundering Pulse (5★), both of which are well-suited with Yoimiya's hard-hitting archery. In particular...
- The former's substat is Attack (12–55.1%), while its "Full Draw" passive increases the damage potency of its wielder's normal and charged attacks by, respectively, 16–32% and 12–24%, with an additional 100% boost to either while she has full Elemental Energy. This improves her damage potency before launching her Burst.
- That for the latter is Critical Damage (14.4–66.2%), while its "Rule by Thunder" passive increases its wielder's Attack stat by 20–40%, in addition to granting them up to three stacks of "Thunder Emblem" which increase the potency of their Normal Attacks by 12–24% with one stack, 24–48% with two, and 40–80% with three, whenever their normal attacks connect, they use their Skill, or while their Energy is not full (the former two conditions generate stacks that last, respectively, five and ten seconds). This further improves the damage potency of Blazing Arrows in between triggering her Burst.
With Great Power Comes Great Responsibility: Her Vision voice-over reveals she was taught this by her father. When she first received her Vision, Yoimiya used it for Mundane Utility before leaving it in a storeroom. Her father, having found it some time later, re-entrusted it to her, explained her the importance of being handed a Vision by the higher powers above, and told her to treasure it, which she has to this day.

Ryuunosuke

Naganohara Ryuunosuke

Voiced by: Chris Tergliafera (English)

Former proprietor of Naganohara Fireworks and Yoimiya's father, who had to retire his post after a workplace accident that severely impaired his hearing, but it doesn't stop him from working with fireworks.

Deaf Composer: "Artificer", to be precise — a workplace accident a few years ago severely impaired Ryuunosuke's hearing, but that doesn't stop him from working with fireworks regardless.
Surprisingly Realistic Outcome: Years of working with fireworks have left Ryuunosuke nearly deaf, with the Traveler and Paimon believing the same will happen to his daughter.

Sakujirou

Voiced by: Mark Allen Jr. (English)

An Inazuman who took refuge in Naganohara Fireworks after Tenryou Commission put him in arrest warrant. He's an old friend of Keisuke Imatani.

Uncertain Doom: At the end of Yoimiya's story quest, he escapes Inazuma on a small raft and has to cross the deadly storm around the nation. As of 3.7, whether or not he made it is unknown.
We Used to Be Friends: He and his childhood friend Keisuke used to be close, but then Keisuke joined the Tenryou Commission and participated in the Vision Hunt Decree, even pinning his old friend a criminal for violating the Sakoku Decree, at which point their friendship severely deteriorated.
You Can't Go Home Again: Keisuke allows Sakujirou to escape arrest and flee Inazuma, but it's made clear he won't be able to return until the Sakoku Decree is repealed. Even after it's repealed, Sakujirou is still MIA.

Yoimiya's Young Friends

Iwao, Matsuzaka, and Saika

Three children from Hanamizaka with whom Yoimiya always hangs around.

Cheerful Child: They are very cheerful, love playing and were planning on capturing the Great Mujina Youkai (which does not even exist). Yoimiya intends on keeping them that way, since that way they won't focus on the reality of the Vision Hunt Decree.
Five-Second Foreshadowing: Talking to them while returning from Konda Village during Yoimiya's Story Quest has them mention a man who just came past them and looked really scary. When arriving at Naganohara Fireworks, Ryuunosuke informs you that the Tenryou commission has found and arrested Sakujirou.
Interspecies Friendship: During Hues of the Violet Garden, One of the kids, Iwao hangs out with Klee & offered to buy her a food.
Recurring Character: Yoimiya usually appears with them, in some events.

Ninken

"Black Shadow"

"Black Shadow"/Kageroumaru

A ninken and focus of the "Bantan Sango Case Files: The Warrior Dog" event that details a lot of animal disappearances.

Anti-Villain: The reason he has the Treasure Hoarders kidnap the cats and dogs around Inazuma City? He wanted to train them so that they are able to take care and protect themselves, which stemmed from Kageroumaru's experience from having had to live and survive on his own in Higi Village after no one came for him due to being deserted and the Tatarigami leaking out.
Arc Villain: He is the primary focus for the Traveler and Ryuuji while they find the missing animals around Inazuma City.
Break Meter: Subtle, but during his boss fight, dealing certain damage to him or countering his flurry of slashes by attacking with melee will cause him to be stunned for a few minutes before he recovers.
Defeat Means Friendship: After his defeat during the duel with the Traveler, he decides to become their ninken much to their surprise.
Foreshadowing: All of the Canine Bunshins under Black Shadow have the same scar visible on their left eye despite being individuals. This is because they happen to be shadow clones made by Kageroumaru himself and really wants to test the Traveler's capabilities as a ninja.
Green Thumb: One of the Canine Bunshin's abilities is to unleash a Dendro vine that entraps their foes inside leaving them unable to escape and vulnerable to further attacks, though thankfully, the vines he creates are harmless. Kageroumaru, as a boss fight lacks this move.
Lord British Postulate: Stealth and distraction is advised to get around them, but some players want to test their capabilities against them. In addition to utilizing a wide variety of attacks, they happen to boast a massive HP that reach millions and will take a whole minute or an hour to deplete them completely.
No Name Given: Since he is unnamed, Ryuuji calls him "Black Shadow" though Paimon insists that he be called "Blade Pup". His real name is only revealed after reading a letter that his owner wrote.
Patrolling Mook: His Canine Bunshins serve as this since the Traveler must get around them to release the trapped animals from inside the cage without being spotted. Failure to do so will have them attack the Traveler with powerful attacks at their disposal until they leave.
Shock and Awe: Two of the Canine Bunshin's attacks involve using a ninjato to unleash lightning waves, or stab the ground to unleash an electric shockwave in an AoE. As Kageroumaru, he uses all of the mentioned attacks but has an additional move where he unleashes a thunderous SwordBeams in an arc.
Stuff Blowing Up: The Canine Bunshin's counterattack has them transform into a Geo statue while they escape to another location. After a few seconds it will explode and deal AoE Pyro damage. This attack is also used by Kageroumaru himself during his boss fight.

Taroumaru

A retired ninken (an attack dog of the Shuumatsuban) and proprietor of the Komore Teahouse.

Cuteness Proximity: Is very popular with the customers. Though Kozue laments that the customers came to pet him than buy his tea which she has to stop them from doing so.
Gameplay and Story Segregation: During "Hues of the Violet Garden". Taroumaru will be present at his usual place despite participating in a Clash of Lone Blades tournament at that time. Justified, as a ninken, he might have used a shadow clone to act as a substitute while the real deal is away.
In It for Life: For anyone that has signed a contract with him, they will become his subordinates and employees for the Teahouse for the rest of their lives. Kozue even warns the Traveler to not act hasty around him.
Moveset Clone: As a fightable boss, he fights identically to Kageroumaru but is able to block all attacks when he is not attacking.
Retired Badass: He was once a Shuumatsuban ninken and is partnered alongside Nakanishi before they both retired from active duty and the two spend their days inside the teahouse (which the former being is in an ownership of). He decides to temporarily step out of retirement by participating in the "Clash of Lone Blades" tournament as a final opponent, and he proves to be much more formidable compared to the prior opponents the Traveler had faced.
What the Hell, Hero?: You can steal a Precious Chest behind his counter which turned out to be his secret larder. It is implied that he participated in "Clash of Lone Blades" because he needed that money that the Traveler unwittingly stole earlier.

Bantan Sango Detective Agency

A private-eye agency located in Hanamizaka.

Ryuuji

Voiced by: Daman Mills (English)

A former Doushin of the Tenryou Commission who joined the Agency after Sango helped clear his name after he was framed for the assassination of Takatsukasa Isamu, then-chief of Inazuma City's police station.

Brains and Brawn: The Brawn to Sango's Brains, as he is responsible for gathering any piece of evidence for the latter to decipher the truth; in addition, being a former police officer, he can hold himself decently in combat.
Frame-Up: Ryuuji was falsely accused of poisoning Isamu by Takayuki, who was in a haste to cover up his hand in getting rid of a potential threat to the Kujou Clan's hegemony over the Tenryou Commission. The hastiness of the accusation, however, drew the suspicion of Sango, who knew that Ryuuji is too loyal to Isamu to betray him.
Happily Adopted: Ryuuji was an orphan before he was taken in by Isamu, who he looked up to as a father-figure, hence the suspicion with which Sango treated accusations of him having poisoned Isamu. In the ending to Heizou's Hangout Event tree where he fully discloses the truth about Isamu, while Ryuuji is shaken to learn that Isamu is not as good a man as he thought he was, he nevertheless chooses to keep it a secret from his posthumous daughter Chika until she has come of age.
I Owe You My Life: He joined the Bantan Sango Detective Agency out of gratitude to Sango for helping him clear his name after he was falsely accused of poisoning Isamu. To a lesser extent, he also owes Kujou Sara with commuting his sentence from death penalty to imprisonment.
Practically Different Generations: Ryuuji was 25 years old at the time of Isamu's death, during which the latter's wife is pregnant with their biological daughter Chika, who in turn looks up to Ryuuji as her older adoptive brother.
Resolved Noodle Incident: The end of the "Bantan Sango Case File" Daily Commission series, introduced in v2.0 (July 2021), reveals that he was once framed for a crime he did not commit, and joined the Agency out of gratitude to Sango for helping him clear his name. One branch of Heizou's Hangout Event tree, released in v2.8, exactly a year later, reveals that he was specifically accused of poisoning Isamu.
Retired Badass: Ryuujin was a police officer prior to joining the Agency.
Unwitting Pawn: Though Ryuuji was not directly responsible for Isamu's assassination, he was nevertheless an accessory by having brought him fish-liver paste as food supplement on orders from Shiroyama, unaware that it will produce an adverse reaction in conjunction with a cough medicine Isamu was taking at the same time.

Sango

Bantan Sango

Eponymous owner of the private-eye agency.

Brains and Brawn: The Brains to Ryuuji's Brawn, in that she is largely responsible for piecing together any piece of evidence Ryuuji brings her.
Gossip Evolution: Not so long ago, she asked Wakamurasaki to spread an urban legend about a net that captures human souls using Kamuna Onmyoudou techniques to force them to tell the truth, largely as a scare tactic against criminals; it immediately blew up into her badgering her to investigate more onmyoudou techniques. In an attempt to get her off her back, Sango taught her one such technique that only works on small animals during the "Black Shadow" incident; far from satisfying Wakamurasaki, it only drove her to further badger Sango to find ways to upgrade the "Ubiquity Net," as she called the technique, much to the latter's chagrin.
Great Detective: Sango is one of the brightest minds in Inazuma, and has dedicated to using her intellect to seek the truth of things.
Unwitting Instigator of Doom: In the ending to Heizou's Hangout Event tree where he fully discloses the truth about Isamu's assassination, Sango is shocked to learn that she was indirectly responsible for Shiroyama, the assassin, being Driven to Suicide after his benefactor Takayuki threw him under the bus, leaving him without protection as Sango's investigations closed in upon him.
We Used to Be Friends: She and Heizou used to be partners in the Agency until the latter joined the Tenryou Commission following the case with Ryuuji, and has convinced herself that he is helping the Commission cover up the truth. In the ending to Heizou's Hangout Event tree where he fully discloses the truth about Ryuuji's case, she is humbled at the realization that Heizou is merely protecting Ryuuji from the Awful Truth about his late father-figure, Takatsukasa Isamu.

Yae Publishing House

The largest publishing house in Inazuma, owned by Yae Miko, as well as one of its most authoritative, having produced most of the nation's bestselling books.

Aratani

The event manager in Yae Publishing House and Soraya's former classmate during their Akademiya days.

Dub Name Change: In Chinese Localization, her name is Huānggǔ (荒谷).
Gameplay and Story Segregation: She is one the NPCs who show up in the "Fabulous Fungus Frenzy" event whom the Traveler can interact with. If one bothers to check on Inazuma, she is present at her usual location even though she is technically supposed to be on Port Ormos. She also bears the title of "Yae Publishing House Editor" if found on Port Ormos, whereas, the Aratani on Inazuma lacks one.

Junkichi and Shigeru

A writer and an editor, respectively, who often argue about the direction of the former's serialized action series, Onibudou.

Creative Differences: In-Universe, Junkichi and Shigeru's relationship is fraught with disagreements over the direction the former is taking with Onibudou, with the latter censuring him over the ninja protagonist's ever-expanding arsenal of abilities.
Humble Pie: By the end of the "Storytelling Method" World Quest (accessible by siding with both Junkichi or Shigeru at least once), Junkichi is humbled by the realization that, as it is, Onibudou has become as confusing as Shigeru warned him about, especially after he had the Traveler proof-read it.
Ignored Expert: Shigeru often warns Junkichi that constantly adding new abilities for the protagonist of Onibudou can cause confusion in the long run; his warnings often fall on deaf ears. If the Traveler sides with Junkichi in "Is This Novel Amazing?", the following Daily Commission, "This Novel Seems... Problematic?", Junkichi's tendencies come to bite him in the ass when Onibudou, one of the Yae Publishing House's bestsellers, suddenly experiences a drop in popularity, which he tries to shrug off by claiming it is just the calm before his planned grand finale. Shigeru, fearing the cancellation of Onibudou, asks the Traveler to conduct a survey on its readers to force Junkichi to pay heed, who reacts to the results with confusion.
New Powers as the Plot Demands: Shigeru's biggest problem with Junkichi is that the latter is often making up new powers for the ninja protagonist of Onibudou.
Rebellious Rebel: If the Traveler sides with Shigeru in "Is This Novel Amazing?", the following Daily Commission, "This Novel Seems... Familiar?", begins with Junkichi complaining over the creative constraints Shigeru imposed upon him and asks them to hand his editor some books from the Publishing House which he uses as anti-benchmarks while writing Onibudou. To his dismay, Shigeru not only liked them, but also attributed their commercial success to their consistent storytelling.
Writer's Block: The first Daily Commission involving both men, "Is This Novel Amazing?", begins with Junkichi having problems brainstorming ideas for Onibudou. He tends to lean towards adding new abilities to his protagonist, to which his editor Shigeru often takes issue, warning him that it could screw over his series in the long run. In the face of such an impasse, they ask the Traveler to side with one of them: either trust Junkichi's creative chops or err on the side of caution with Shigeru.

"Miss Hina"

"Miss Hina"/Gorou

A popular advice columnist of Inazuma's That's Life magazine, ready to help you with your problems.

Attractive Bent-Gender: In reality, she is Gorou's unwitting alter ego thanks to Yae Miko's shenanigans.
Cool Big Sis: Sells herself as one to her readers, helping with other people's problems in life by writing at her column. Her fans agree.
Ms. Fanservice: Wears a kimono that's open at the top, not unlike the Raiden Shogun, exposing her shoulders and ample cleavage.
Unwitting Pawn: Gorou never suspected that he's been given a busty, sultry alter ego to boost popularity.

Souka

Voiced By: Caitlin Myers (English)

A nervous rookie author working with Yae Miko, who participates at the Nilotpala Cup Beast Tamers Tournament ("Fabulous Fungus Frenzy" event) to take some inspiration for her ongoing work and owns a Stretchy Anemofungus named "Stormstress".

Revenge via Storytelling: After Souka is beaten by the Traveler in the tournament, Miko implies that Souka would portray them as horrible villains in her next story. Given this is Miko speaking, she's likely joking just to see their reaction.
Shrinking Violet: The moment she is introduced, she cannot speak straight and is clearly in a panic. It's later shown, however, that's she's only truly nervous when around Yae Miko, and is more than capable of holding a conversation with the Traveler and Paimon without so much as a stutter.
Took a Level in Badass: Souka returns during the "Lil' Fungi's Fun-Tastic Fiesta" donning Eremite attire and speaks with more confidence. She's also the one who designs the regular stage and the boss stages alongside Haniyyah of Fungus Mechanicus for the event.

Sumida

A novelist and aspiring entrant at the upcoming This Novel is Amazing! competition hosted by the Yae Publishing House. To this end, she has posted a commission with the Inazuma Adventurers' Guild to help her gather reference materials for her entry about an adventurer in the fog-shrouded island of Tsurumi, in particular the Maushiro, a musical instrument said to have been used by its ancient people thousands of years ago. She is the primary quest giver of the "Through the Mists" World Quest series that serves as the introduction to Tsurumi.

Cloudcuckoolander: Sumida has a bad habit of going on a tangent and ramble on about topics unrelated to whatever she is discussing at the moment, much to the consternation of the Traveler, Paimon, and Kama. In addition, she simply saw Ruu (and Tsurumi Island) as a writing reference rather than as a person.
Determinator: Despite having nearly died during her last expedition to Tsurumi, Sumida is unwilling to give up on winning the competition and has turned to hiring adventurers to keep finding reference materials for her.
Wisdom from the Gutter: While the Traveler and Paimon report back to her following their third expedition to Tsurumi, Sumida, upon hearing of their experiences with Ruu and the island's ley line disruptions, goes off-topic yet again, proposing a plot point for her novel about how the island's current state is a result of misunderstanding by Ruu and the local priests who thought offering him as a human sacrifice to Kanna Kapatcir might appease her, when all she wanted was to be friends with him. When she met Kama later, she proposes a plot point wherein a descendant of Tsurumi islanders will return to lift the island's curse by communing with them. Come the fourth expedition, her ideas about Ruu and the local priests turn out to be accidentally true, and Kama helps the Traveler by communing with Ruu, who happens to be the friend of his distant ancestor.

Komaniya Express

The most renowned delivery service in Inazuma.

Kirara

Kirara

Introduced: May 23, 2023 (v3.7 "Duel! The Summoners' Summit!" [first half])
Voiced By: Sun Yanqi (Chinese), Sayumi Suzushiro (Japanese), Kang Eun-ae (Korean), Julia Gu (English)

Cat Upon the Eaves

"Being a courier is the perfect job for me. The Lady Kitsune told me that those who don't work can't fit into human society, and I'm not having any of that! That's why I've decided to take every delivery seriously. I—I'm not going back to the boonies, even if it means I get to be a Great Youkai or whatever!"

Rarity: 4★
Element: Dendro
Weapon: Sword
Constellation: Arcella, the Little Box

The golden star of Komaniya Express, well known for her dedicated love for delivering goods to anyone who needs deliveries. While her nature as a youkai, specifically a nekomata, a two-tailed feline, raises a few eyebrows, she wins the respect of others for her dutifulness and effectiveness at conducting deliveries.

Kirara delivers shields for her allies and gives her foes a nasty surprise. Her Elemental Skill, Meow-teor Kick, is a flying kick that briefly applies a Dendro effect and generates a Shield of Safe Transport, whose remaining resilience will stack on the next one generated; in its held mode, Kirara enters the "Urgent Neko Parcel" state afterwards, during which she transforms into a cat-themed box which boosts her movement speed and jumping power, deals Dendro damage on foes she crashes into, and allows her to walk on vertical surfaces, at the end of which she delivers Flipclaw Strike, a wide-ranging scratch attack, albeit at the cost of heightened Stamina consumption when climbing and a cooldown time that increases proportional to the duration of the state. Her Elemental Burst, Secret Art: Surprise Dispatch, drops a box on enemies, which produces six Cat Grass Cardamoms that explode either after a set period of time or whenever enemies come into contact with them.^note

Absurdly Sharp Claws: After the first two hits of her normal attack string, Kirara abandons her sword in favor of attacking physically, including slashing at the enemy with her claws.
Animal-Eared Headband: If one looks closely, Kirara has human ears below her hair, and the ones on her head are an accessory. It's likely she wears them to illustrate her identity.
Animal Eyes: She has slit pupils, giving her a cat-like appearance that befits her being a nekomata.
Anthropomorphic Transformation: Kirara's earliest memories are of her life as an ordinary cat, living as a stray in the wilds of Inazuma. She vaguely describes to Diona having grown her second tail one day, but cannot cite exactly how it was that she went from an ordinary animal to a youkai. But this allowed her to join human society, having been fascinated by the things she saw them do.
Bad Liar: While she can lie, she lacks the skill to do it convincingly. During the Sumeru arc of "Duel! The Summoners' Return" limited-time event, Kirara tries to get some suspicious clients to open their package, with the Traveler, Paimon, Cyno, and Charlotte spying from a distance, and winds up anxiously stammering excuses while trying to force the conversation back to the package's contents, only making the clients more suspicious. Paimon also notices that her tail movements tend to get more agitated, meaning one only needs to look there to see if she's lying or not.
Badass Adorable: Kirara is a cute, friendly Cat Girl who happens to be a powerful nekomata for her age, and is both a fine swordswoman and an expert with her claws and paws. Bandits that tried to thwart her deliveries learn such the hard way.
Bakeneko and Nekomata: She's of the nekomata race, with two tails, green eyes with slits, and hind cushioned, furry paws that work as her feet. She does have human ears below her hair, though; the ears on her head are decorative, using them to keep appearances.
Bare-Fisted Monk: Played with. While Kirara wields a sword during combat, she forfeits it in the middle of her attacks to fight bare-handed. Given her impressive acrobatics and how she has claws, this works quite well.
Bare Midriffs Are Feminine: As evidenced by her Serenitea Pot lines, Kirara is extremely interested in fashion tastes among human girls, explicitly asking Lumine for her take on the topic since the latter is also female. It is likely that Kirara requested a very feminine look from Chiori, the Inazuman fashion designer who, when making her clothes included a midriff-exposing top to fit the gyaru style that they represent.
Barrier Warrior: Her Skill erects a Shield of Safe Transport around the active character, a Dendro-elemental shield whose resilience is based on a fraction of Kirara's Max HP. Her first-ascension passive, Bewitching, Betwitching Tails, allows her Urgent Neko Parcel state to generate up to three stacks of Reinforced Packaging, which are then consumed once the state ends to either reset the duration and stack into the damage absorption of the existing Shield, or at least generate Shields with 20% the absorption of the original Shield had it been broken beforehand. In addition, her second Constellation upgrade, Perfectly Packaged, allows her to generate Critical Transport Shields onto her allies whenever she enters the Urgent Neko Parcel state, with damage absorption worth 40% of the Shield of Safe Transport, and which last twelve seconds and with at least ten-second-long intervals.
Big Eater: She says she used to be this when she was a small cat, capable of gobbling up an entire bowl of food made by her Granny in one go.
Breaking Old Trends: Downplayed. While Kirara is not the first character whose Skill allows her to dart across the battlefield (e.g., Sayu and Yelan), hers is the first that allows her to walk on vertical surfaces such as walls and cliff faces, albeit in exchange for consuming Stamina while climbing in such a state, with a 40% greater consumption compared to doing so normally.
Cat Girl: Played With. Like Yae Miko, the form Kirara assumes has noticeable beastly traits that show her nature as a youkai, those being her tails, fangs, and feet, but unlike Yae Miko, she forgoes having animal ears in favor of wearing a hair accessory that resembles them. That said, the fact she can choose which cat-like appendages she displays in her human form, such as her paw pads for feet, indicates that she chooses to have human ears.
Cat Stereotype: She's a curious Cat Girl who enjoys boxes, climbing on things, scratching up furniture to sharpen her claws, and catching fish.
Color-Coded Elements: Downplayed. Kirara's Vision element is Dendro, which is typically associated with the color green; however, her outfit's color scheme would place her closer to Geo (like Gorou, who she resembles) or Hydro or even Anemo, with her Vision and eyes being the only green parts of her design.
Constantly Curious: Kirara treasures human society, but is always learning something new everyday given how much she travels.
Country Mouse: Kirara is an animal youkai from the wilds, fascinated by humans and the world outside. She admires the other youkai for their ability to integrate with humanity, hoping to break away from her rural upbringing and become as worldly as them. In fact, she took her job as courier because it gave her the opportunity to travel, getting to experience different cultures and prove herself capable of living outside the forests.
Courier: She is a delivery person for the Komaniya Express, and she is very dedicated at delivering goods for her clients.
Cute Kitten: Unlike the rest of the characters who simply have a cat motif to them, Kirara is a nekomata (a cat Youkai), and she embraces the more cute side of cats, being curious, kind, and playful. This is in stark contrast to the aforementioned characters with cat motifs^note, and is justified since Kirara grew in a warm household as a kitten.
Cute Little Fangs: Has noticeable ones, which adds to her cuteness. It's also justified, as she's a nekomata.
Determinator: Kirara takes her job as courier seriously, even if it means she has to climb and run above rooftops to make sure the delivery arrives in time.
Developer's Foresight: If you did not meet her in the 3.7 Flagship event (Duel! The Summoners' Summit!), then you will be introduced to her by Chiori during her story quest.
Difficult, but Awesome: In a sense. When upgraded, the Urgent Neko Parcel state can provide Dendro application and sturdier shields than those of her Skill, but this involves getting Kirara in on the action, risking the possibility of the shields becoming weaker even after getting reinforced or worse, taking a hit, which Kirara was not built to do. Done correctly, however, this can guarantee Elemental Reactions and stronger shields that will ensure the party won't be over soon.
Does Not Like Spam: Kirara doesn't like crabs as food since they have thick shells and little meat. She's also not a big fan of hot food. It's telling that her least favorite dish is thus Butter Crab.
Dub Pronunciation Change: The two kanji of Kirara's name (綺良々, hiragana きらら; 々 denotes a repeated kanji) are, respectively, the kan-on and nanori, or Han Chinese-derived and proper-name, readings of 绮良良 [simplified]/綺良良 [traditional], which is read as "Qǐliángliáng" in Chinese, while the Korean dub opts for a transliteration, also as "Kirara" (hangul 키라라; the characters can also be read via hanja as either "Giryangryang"/기량량 or "Giyangyang"/기양양).
Elemental Eye Colors: Her green eyes are her only features that fit her Dendro vision.
Faux Paw: Does the cat paw pose after her normal attack string.
First-Name Basis: Similarly to Thoma, Kirara refers to Yae Miko as "Lady Miko" in her voice-overs. Likely Justified due to their similar nature as youkai.
Fish out of Water: Out of the playable youkai characters, Kirara seems to be the most curious about human life and customs, compared to Yae Miko, who's more experienced; Itto, who is already a Friend to All Children; and Kujou Sara, who grew up a Military Brat and usually doesn't think much of it.
Foil: With Diona, another cat-themed character from Mondstadt. The brief time they meet during The Summoner's Summit event, it's clear that they're different as day and night. Diona is a Katzlein, which can be described as humans with cat features, including a real tail and real ears. Kirara is a nekomata, who chooses to take the form of a human, and although her tails and paws are real, her ears are ironically fake. Their personalities also contrast each other, with Diona embodying the Tsundere aspect of a cat, while Kirara embodies their curiosity and energy.
Fragile Speedster: Played with—Kirara's Max HP is above average, and can hit quickly as a sword wielder; moreover, her Skill generates shields that protect the active character, and her Urgent Neko Parcel state further increases her mobility while dealing damage. However, similarly to Baizhu, her durability is offset with average Attack and poor Defense^noteThe second-lowest DEF stat as of v3.7, meaning she cannot take a hit to save her life and thus encouraging Hit-and-Run Tactics by creating shields, tackling opponents with the Urgent Neko Parcel to fortify the shield on each hit and apply Dendro, and then switching out. That said, players are incentivized to further build up her Max HP as compensation, through her fourth-ascension passive, Pupillary Variance, which increases the damage potency of her Skill and Burst by, respectively, 0.4% and 0.3% for every 1,000 points, and her first Constellation upgrade, Material Circulation, which adds an extra Cat Grass Cardamom for every 8,000 to a maximum of four times; both upgrades help improve her offensive prowess as well as indirectly make her a damage sponge.
Furry Reminder: She has a lot of them as a Cat Girl that used to live like an actual cat before using her nekomata ability to transform into a human. Most notably, she has dialogue talking about killing and eating birds and squirrels, and she loves to nap at noon while also being much more active at night. Humorously, Nahida's elemental skill reveals she still thinks in cat meows.
Gyaru Girl: Played with; her outfit evokes the look of a Kogal with a few custom differences, wearing a modified Sailor Fuku-esque outfit, baggy socks and accessories, her paw feet in place of platform shoes, and her hair fading to a darker brown color at the tips.
Hair Flip: Does one of these at the end of her full attack combo.
Humanity Ensues: It's revealed in her Vision story that she gained the ability to become human immediately after becoming a nekomata youkai. However, unlike most other examples of this trope, the story not only does not dwell on her transformation, but she also adjusts to her new form quickly due to her determination to find and accompany her "Granny" back home.
Happily Adopted: She was raised by an elderly human lady ever since she was just an ordinary kitten whom she calls "Granny" and loves her very much, cleaning, giving gifts and cooking meals for her without her knowledge.
Hurricane of Puns: Her introductory post on Twitter was brimming with lame cat Puns.
Identical Stranger: Downplayed. Despite the likelihood that they aren't related because they are two separate species —dog man and nekomata youkai— she slightly resembles a female version of Gorou. However, Gorou is mentioned briefly in her introductory post, suggesting that they're familiar.
Interclass Friendship: Of the playable youkai characters, she's the one closest to Yae Miko, regarding her as a figure of respect and admiration. Miko's fondness of Kirara (according to voice-overs) shows the feeling is mutual, even if not even Kirara is safe from the Guuji's antics.
Intrigued by Humanity: She is a youkai that is intrigued by human society and uses her job as a courier to take "expense-free" trips to the different nations of Teyvat experience to their various cultures and meet new people.
Kick Chick: Some of her attack animations involve kicking after she's thrown her sword.
Knight of Cerebus: A rare inversion. Her appearance in v3.7 is a strong indicator of improvement of life in Inazuma with the abolition of the Sakoku and Vision Hunt Decrees and the normalization of relations between the Shogunate and Watatsumi, with her personal conflict (dealing with a card thief) being much lower stakes than a bloody civil war or overthrowing a corrupt government.
Little Bit Beastly: While for the most part, she's human-looking, she has fanged teeth, two tails, and paws for feet. It is explained that she can use her nekomata power to give herself human feet, but she prefers to keep her paws because they are more comfortable.
Locked Out of the Loop: Not her, but she deliberately keeps her "Granny" in the dark about her being a youkai with the ability to transform into a human, despite the fact that her "Granny" has grown suspicious of her.
Missing Mom: Her earliest memory from when she was a kitten is of her wandering alone in the snow in search of shelter, implying that her mother either died or abandoned her.
Modesty Shorts: Wears a pair of blue shorts below her skirt. A good choice, given all the acrobatics she does in battle.
Multiple-Tailed Beast: As per a nekomata, she has two tails.
Mundane Utility: Similarly to fellow Inazuman Sayu, the Urgent Neko Parcel state improves her mobility and allows Kirara to climb surfaces with more ease, improving exploration.
Nice Girl: Kirara is a pretty sociable and warm girl who loves making small talk and getting to know people she meets. Her character lore states that she treats each customer with kindness and generosity, and that she treasures everything about human society and is always overjoyed to behold the smiling faces of her customers, thus motivating her to offer the best service she can for everyone she caters to.
Non-Standard Character Design: Downplayed. While her design meets the standards of the Inazuman character design concept overall, she stands out among the playable cast as the first character with distinctly non-human feet.
Pinocchio Nose: Doubles as Nervous Tic, but when her tails continuously move randomly up and down, it means that she’s telling a lie.
Psychic Static: Unintentional, "just too alien" kind. If you use Nahida's elemental skill on her, it shows her thoughts as "Meow Nyaa Miao."
Punny Name: Her Skill's name, Meow-teor Kick (obviously a pun on "meteor" and "meow").
Red Baron: She is also known as the "Gold-level Courier of the Komaniya Express."
Ring Around the Collar: Or socks around the ankles, to hide how her humanoid calves transition to feline paws.
Rummage Sale Reject: When she first gained human form, she would wear whatever accessories drew her attention. The fashion designer Chiori thought it looked bad for herself when Kirara would go in and out of her shop dressed as she was, and hence Chiori gave Kirara a fashionable outfit she wears to this day.
Sailor Fuku: Her outfit resembles one, albeit tailored to expose her midriff.
Shapeshifter Struggles: Kirara has relatively few problems now being a nekomata, but she notes that now having two tails makes it difficult to sleep. She also has to deal with the fact that things she gets away with doing as a cat are different from what she can socially do as a human.
She-Fu: Many of the female characters can do this, but Kirara takes it farther by ditching her sword (by throwing it) in the middle of her normal attacks, and instead relying on acrobatics during her kicks and claw slashes.
Sliding Scale of Gameplay and Story Integration: Kirara is a courier who utilizes a delivery box for offensive purposes during her Burst. She is also known for making safe and quick deliveries, which is reflected in the held form of her Skill creating a shield and boosting Kirara's movement speed.
Shout-Out: The whole cat courier idea is a reference to the Japanese delivery service company Yamato Transport, specifically their black and yellow logo of a cat carrying her kitten with her mouth. Komaniya Express even has a legally distinct version as their logo, seen hanging from Kirara's belt. More subtly, Kirara's color scheme seems to also allude to the colors used on Yamato Transport's delivery trucks.
Speech Impediment: Her EN VO has a bit of a lisp, perhaps appropriate of someone speeking not only a second language but with a literally different tongue.
Status Buff: Her sixth Constellation upgrade, Countless Sights to See, boosts the party's Elemental Damage Bonuses for fifteen seconds after Kirara uses either of her Elemental Talents.
Stealth Pun: Twice in her demo, she almost gets into trouble; the first time, she nearly opens packages for her customers before deciding "no peeking!", out of curiosity, and then nearly walks into a treasure hoarder trap, wondering what's inside. This cat nearly got killed by her curiosity.
Stripperiffic: Overall downplayed, as her Sailor Fuku outfit isn't skintight or as revealing as other characters, though it's still obviously modified, exposing her shoulders, midriff, and most of her legs.
Stock Animal Diet: Fish, as per a cat (or rather, a nekomata). She enjoys sashimi in particular.
Support Party Member: Kirara's playstyle draws parallels to Zhongli, by focusing on creating sturdy shields to protect her teammates (and absorbing Dendro damage much more effectively). She can also deal effective chip damage through her Urgent Neko Parcel state and, with ascensions, reinforce these shields, thus encouraging players to deploy Kirara for a slightly longer time to reap the potential rewards of briefly engaging in close combat to set up Elemental Reactions and improve the party's defense.
Tail Slap: She uses her twin cat tails to strike enemies as part of her normal attacks.
Tattle Tail: whenever Kirara has to lie, her two tails twitch uncontrollably. The same happens when she gets nervous.
That Came Out Wrong: Her voice-over when she talks about her travel expenses being covered by the company while the Traveler pays for everything sounds like bragging. Kirara quickly realizes such and tries to explain herself.
Throwing Your Sword Always Works: For the second hit of her normal attack combo, she throws her sword at the enemy, in favor of attacking physically.
Trademark Favorite Food: Sashimi Platters are this for her.
Trap Master: Her Burst generates six Cat Grass Cardamoms that explode either after a few seconds or upon contact with enemies. Her first Constellation upgrade, Material Circulation, allows her to generate an extra Cardamom for every 8,000 points of Max HP she has up to four times (hence, she can generate ten with at least 32,000 Max HP), while her fourth, Steed of Skanda, allows her to periodically throw Small Cat Grass Cardamoms in tandem with regular attacks by her allies protected with her shields, with damage equivalent to twice her Attack stat and with at least 3.8-second intervals.
Ultimate Job Security: Defied and Discussed. While she is the best of the best when it comes to making deliveries across Teyvat, she’s still at risk of being fired for breaking company rules just like everyone else, which is why she refuses to open customer packages even if she is curious about what's inside.
Underestimating Badassery: When she travels for work, she is frequently underestimated by bandits who want to steal her packages because they perceive her as a young girl who is easy to overpower. In reality, she's a powerful nekomata who sends them fleeing for the hills after a good thrashing, ensuring that her packages reach their intended recipient safely.
Upgrade Artifact: A variant—her third and fifth Constellation upgrades, Universal Recognition and A Thousand Miles in a Day, add three levels to, respectively, her Skill and Burst.
Voluntary Shapeshifter:
- Aesthetics-wise, Kirara can change her appearance whenever she wants, such as creating human ears for herself (the cat ears on her head are but an accessory) while retaining her cat paws for feet and her two tails.
- Gameplay-wise, the held form of her Skill has Kirara enter the Urgent Neko Parcel state, wherein she transforms into a cat-themed box for ten seconds (which also appears on her Constellation), during which she enjoys a boost to her movement and jumping speeds and can damage enemies she crashes into, albeit at the cost of increasing the Skill's cooldown time from eight seconds in its pressed mode to as much as twelve (i.e., at a rate of 1.2 seconds of cooldown for every second the state is active).
With Catlike Tread: Her utility passive, Cat's Creeping Carriage, prevents meat-producing animals from fleeing when approached.
Woman Were-Woes: Kirara actually began life as a cat before she became a Nekomata. In addition to learning how to deal with life as a human, she is also having to learn how to be female, especially in how she dresses. She was such a fashion disaster that Chiori made her a special outfit for fear that when Kirara left her shop that people would think Kirara's "fashion" was indicative of her atelier.
Workaholic: She once declined a transition to a far less effortful secretary position, suggesting that she actually enjoyed the deliveries she's making.
Youkai: She's a nekomata. Along with Yae Miko, Kujou Sara, and Itto, Kirara is one of the few youkai playable characters.
Younger Than They Look: While most of the game's playable youkai are Older Than They Look, Kirara is a rare inversion, having become a nekomata almost immediately upon maturing from kitten-hood, while her adoptive grandmother still regards her as a fairly young cat. This implicitly puts her age range between 1–4 (human) years old, possibly making her the youngest playable character in the entire game, even factoring in children like Diona, Klee, Yaoyao, or Sayu.

Ritou

A port town on the western end of Narukami Island and the main access point for people going in and out of Inazuma, as well as the headquarters of the Kanjou Commission.

Kama

A boatman living in Ritou and a distant descendant of the ancient islanders of Tsurumi. He ferries people in and out of Tsurumi, such as Sumida in the past and the Traveler and Paimon in the present.

Badass Bystander: Implied. Sumida recounts how Kama managed to convince a group of ten Treasure Hoarders into returning their stolen belongings, but also mentions about how they "gave" him Treasure Hoarder Insignias, implying he actually just beat them into submission singlehandedly.
Brutal Honesty: When Sumida asks him to review her pitch for her novel about a descendant of refugees from Tsurumi returning to cleanse of the island of its "Groundhog Day" Loop curse by posing as one of the ancient islanders, Kama bluntly tells her it does not hold as much water as the other novels she recommended him, such as the Toki Alley Tales series, much less award-winning.
Identical Grandson: During the Travler and Paimon's second expedition to Tsurumi, they use the strange pinion they found at Seirai, which they learn from Ruu is one of Kanna Kapatcir's feathers, on a bird statue, which projects the memories of a man who bore a strong resemblance to Kama burying a Maushiro and swearing to leave the island forever. At the start of the third, they confront Kama about it, who suspects that they may have seen his ancestor, who, according his family's oral tradition, left in disillusionment over his fellow islanders turning to Human Sacrifice.
The Quiet One: Kama is a man of few words, and is not one to frequently talk about his family background or tales about Tsurumi unless he is asked.
Stranger in a Familiar Land: Having been born centuries after his ancestor left Tsurumi, Kama has little connections to the island apart from oral accounts passed onto his family for generations and a visit in his youth with his late father. It is to the point that when he joins the Traveler and Paimon in the fourth part of "Through the Mists" he admits that he did so for reasons ranging between being an obligation to help the Traveler, empathy for the islanders, and his need to break free from his family's cursed past.
You Didn't Ask: When the Traveler and Paimon, and later Sumida, ask him why he did not reveal himself to be a descendant of Tsurumi islanders sooner, he responds with this ad verbum.

Kannazuka

The easternmost of the twin islands (alongside Yashiori) that lay on the frontline of the civil war between the Shogunate and Watatsumi, with the former currently securing the island, in particular the Mikage Furnace in Tatarasuna island to the south, which recently suffered an overload of the Tatarigami powering it, forcing most of the islanders to flee elsewhere.

Kaoru

Hanayama Kaoru

A Tatarasuna islander and florist evacuated following the malfunction of the Mikage Furnace. Once the Furnace was stabilized, she was among the first islanders to return out of worry over her flowers.

Green Thumb: She loves flowers, and tends to them regularly. She even refused Xavier's request to shoot a film there because the flowers might get trampled.
Meaningful Name: Her surname, Hanayama (花山) means "flower mountain," befitting a flower enthusiast.

Yashiori

The other twin island on the frontline of the Inazuman civil war, which took a severe toll on its mining industry and forced its residence to flee elsewhere safer, leaving a few stragglers apart from Watatsumi islanders, specifically the Sangonomiya Resistance, who hold the island sacred as the site where their patron deity Orobashi was martyred at the hands of the Raiden Shogun.

Granny Oni

A Yashiori islander who took care of Itto during his childhood.

Ambiguously Human: Subverted. Granny Oni is only nicknamed as such due to being one of the few humans in Yashiori who would take care of Itto, where most of her fellow villagers discriminated upon him for his oni lineage.
Sacred Hospitality: Aside Itto, she is now taking care of Daisuke, whom Itto challenges him a Onikabuto fighting.

Kaji

A Yashiori islander and former worker of the Jakotsu mines. He's the quest giver of the "Orobashi's Legacy" World Quest series.

Gameplay and Story Integration: As the quest giver of the "Orobashi's Legacy" series, completing it clears the skies of Yashiori and vanquishes the Tatarigami for good. That said, the Tatarigami doesn't completely go away from enemies who are already infected before you take this quest.
The Greatest Story Never Told: Discussed. After you cleared "Orobashi's Legacy", Kaji takes refuge in the Kujou Encampment and mentions that the Shogunate forces wouldn't really believe that it's the combined efforts of both him and the Traveler that helped clear the Tatarigami and would just credit the Shogun for it instead. Kaji personally doesn't care as long as the Tatarigami no longer plagues his homeland.
Small Role, Big Impact: After finding notes about how radicals within the Sangonomiya Resistance had destroyed the wards that hold off the Tatarigami at the suggestion of their Mondstadtian ally Nathan, who is much later revealed to be a Fatui saboteur, he decided to do something about vanquishing the Tatarigami and had been trying to get help with little success until the Traveler came by. Without him, the Traveler wouldn't have found a way to clear off the Tatarigami that plagued Yashiori.

Washizu

Former chief of the ghost village of Higi and its only remaining citizen. He's found meditating at a lone shrine near Serpent's Head.

Eldritch Abomination: Describes the entity of the shrine as having "Eighteen pairs of blood-red eyes! Thousands of sharp, venomous fangs! Countless mouths and numberless tongues, ever thirsting after blood!"
Hoist by His Own Petard: Downplayed. Washizu tells the Traveler to pray continuously at the shrine, and to try and hear the shrine entity's voice. On the fourth day, the Traveler does, indeed, hear a voice — a voice that warns them about Washizu sneaking up on them, leading to the Traveler killing Washizu in self-defense.
Human Sacrifice: He makes constant references to the need to keep the shrine entity that instructs him happy through regular offerings. After defeating him, you can opt to uncover an incomplete registry of names in Higi Village that starts out as a census of the village's residents, but then descends into chronicling the names of his sacrificial victims.
Madness Mantra: The third day of praying ends with him repeating "Please forgive me..." over and over. The fourth day has him chant "Continue to endure... Continue to worship..." as encouragement for the Traveler to continue praying.
Permadeath: A NPC example. By the fourth day of the shrine praying quest, Washizu makes his move and attempts to kill the Traveler as a sacrifice to the entity of the shrine. However, in self-defence, the Traveler defeats him in battle and he dies instead, and his death carries over for the rest of the game.
Sanity Slippage: Strongly Implied. His incomplete register reveals his slow descent into madness as each of the villagers succumbed to the Tatarigami, which eventually culminates in him killing off the remaining villagers as sacrifices.
Serial Killer: Fits most of the criteria, being an insane lunatic who slaughtered his entire village and any unlucky bystanders as sacrifices to the god of the shrine, even making a list of his victims that the Traveler can find. Chouji's mother and the Traveler would potentially have been the next victims of his killing spree.
Sole Survivor: He's the only member of Higi Village left after all other villagers died from the Tatarigami.
Terse Talker: Starts off as one during the first few interactions with him. He becomes more incensed and verbose as you continue to pray at the shrine each day, culminating in feverish rhapsodies of the shrine entity's power and his duty towards continuing to appease it.

Watatsumi

See their individual page here.

Seirai

Neko

A talking cat and provisional guardian of the Asase Shrine in Seirai Island, who is trying to restore the Shrine to its former glory in anticipation for the return of her master, Asase Hibiki. She is the quest giver of the "Neko Is a Cat" World Quest series.

A Dog Named "Dog": Downplayed; Neko's name is homophonous to the Japanese word meaning "cat," but uses different characters that mean "sleeping child."
Dramatic Irony: If the players have read the lore, they will know that the person Neko is waiting for, Asase Hibiki, was a historical figure that is likely long dead by the present time. Even when told outright that Hibiki lived four to five hundred years ago, Neko does not make the connection that Hibiki is dead because as a cat she has no comprehension of time.
I Will Wait for You: Neko is dutifully waiting for her master Hibiki to return and believes that renovating/restoring the Asase Shrine will cause Hibiki to someday return once business is booming.
Surprisingly Realistic Outcome: Neko requests the Traveler's help to repair her shrine since as a cat, there is only so much Neko can accomplish with her paws alone.
Talking Animal: Unlike the stunt Thoma pulled with Taroumaru in Act I, Neko is an actual talking cat who the Traveler meets in Seirai Island.

Tsurumi

A fog-shrouded island on the southernmost end of the Inazuman archipelago, once home to an ancient civilization that worshipped Kanna Kapatcir, a thunderbird goddess.

The Boatman (Unmarked Spoilers)

The Boatman

A spirit responsible for leading the spirits of Tsurumi Island to the afterlife.

Beleaguered Assistant: His lamentations are primarily because the "golden lady" is upset with his failure to pass the souls of Tsurumi Island on.
Cloudcuckoolander: He speaks in riddles and only seems vaguely aware of the Traveler as it is not yet their time to pass.
Don't Fear the Reaper: He's strange, but overall not unpleasant. He will not force anyone to pass on, merely lamenting that he cannot leave until everyone agrees to go.
The Ferryman: He is meant to guide the souls of Tsurumi Island's residents to the afterlife.
Number Two: He is second-in-command to a mysterious "golden lady", possibly the god of death.

Ruu (Unmarked Spoilers)

Ruu

A little boy found on Tsurumi Island who is seemingly one of the last residents living there. He guides the Traveler across the island in his preparation for the ceremony to appease the Thunderbird Kanna Kapatcir.

The Chosen One: He was chosen by his tribe to be sacrificed to appease the Thunderbird, because they believed that the favor the Thunderbird showed him made him a worthy sacrifice. Because of this, Ruu can perceive the elements when no one else in his people can.
Dead All Along: Ruu is already long dead as a result of being sacrificed by his people to Kapatcir thousands of years ago, so the current Ruu the Traveler and Paimon interact with is his lingering spirit sustained by the leyline disorder post-destruction. Ruu's existence is so tied to Tsurumi Island itself that he simply cannot leave it without touching one of Katpatcir's feathers to act as a temporary vessel, and even then, merely leaving the island was enough to tire him out, implying his spirit cannot last for very long once out of the island.
Dramatically Missing the Point: When the Thunderbird, who he named Kanna Kapatcir, began to befriend Ruu and treated him with kindness, he and the islanders came under the impression that she wanted him as a Human Sacrifice to appease her, when she was simply glad to have a friend. Ruu himself further suffers this after Kapatcir destroys Tsurumi Island and curses it in outrage; it doesn't seem to occur to Ruu that she was upset at his death and subsequent broken promise to sing for her again, but that the ritual went wrong somehow, and so he spent the "Groundhog Day" Loop plaguing the island to do the sacrifice over and over again thinking that getting it "right" would fix things.
"Groundhog Day" Loop: Ever since the incident when Kapatcir went berserk and destroyed Tsurumi Island and its inhabitants in a blind rage for killing Ruu, Ruu became trapped in a never-ending cycle caused by the leyline disorder where he was doomed to repeat the same events leading up to the disaster. No matter how many times he tried to rectify his mistakes, each repeat of the ceremony ends in failure, even when getting help from outlanders that manage to arrive on the island. Only by singing to her once again on Seirai Island can he finally break the cycle.
Locked Out of the Loop: Feeling that he's only a child, the Traveler and Paimon have to lie to him when he asked where Kapatcir is, saying that she's on Seirai Island. In truth, she's long dead, and the Thunder Manifestation is what's left of her. Though when they go to Seirai, he says that he figured out about what happened to him and to Kapatcir.
Stupid Sacrifice: He willingly allowed himself to be offered as a Human Sacrifice to the Thunderbird to help his tribe, unaware that not only did Kapatcir not care about the sacrifices, but that sacrificing himself after befriending her would do nothing but upset her.
Tag Along Kid: He tags along with the Traveler throughout the Tsurumi Island investigation quests and asks for their help in preparing for the ceremony.
Vague Age: Despite being a child, when the Traveler asks how long Ruu has been on Tsurumi Island, he says he's been there for over a thousand years, with his age being called into question due to the people of the island telling yearly passes through thunderstorms instead of the usual day-night cycle because of the perpetual fog. This is justified because he's a lingering spirit trapped in a "Groundhog Day" Loop.
What the Hell, Hero?: Calls out the Traveler for destroying the Thunderbird Perches and ruining the ceremony, even though the Traveler is only trying to save Ruu from getting sacrificed and end the neverending cycle of the leyline disorder.
Wowing Cthulhu: His Beautiful Singing Voice captivated Kapatcir, who claimed that she also had heard the song of the "dragon of the far north". He promises to sing to her again if they meet each other again. This is partly why she flies into an uncontrollable and intense rage after Ruu was sacrificed, regretting that he can never fulfill his promise to her.

Rōnin

Kazuha

Kaedehara Kazuha

Introduced: June 29, 2021 (v1.6 "Midsummer Island Adventure" [second half])
Voiced by: Banma (Chinese), Nobunaga Shimazaki (Japanese), Kim Shin-woo (Korean), Mark Whitten (English)

Scarlet Leaves Pursue Wild Waves

"If one's heart is empty, all under heaven is empty. But if one's heart is pure, all under heaven is pure."

Rarity: 5★
Element: Anemo
Weapon: Sword
Constellation: Acer Palmatum, the Japanese Maple

A wandering samurai affiliated with the Crux Fleet, as well as the last known scion of a clan of practitioners of the Isshin Art of swordsmithing and swordsmanship. His gentle, poetic temperament and free spirit conceal a deep trauma born from being a fugitive from the Shogunate and its increasingly oppressive laws. Nevertheless, he continues to find beauty in the world around him and to stay true to his ideals, no matter what perils lie ahead. The Traveler first meets him on the way to Inazuma aboard the Crux Fleet, striking a close friendship and later meeting up with them at Watatsumi Island to help the Watatsumi Army.

Kazuha combines elegance, agility, and power, drawing enemies within slashing range and raining down plunging attacks. His Elemental Skill, Chihayaburu, is a heavenward slash that launches him in midair, pulls in surrounding enemies (with increased coverage in its held form), and can be triggered in midair, in addition to turning his first plunging attack into Midare Ranzan, which additionally creates a vortex that sucks in enemies anew, while his Elemental Burst, Kazuha Slash, sweeps surrounding foes and creates an Autumn Whirlwind Field that periodically deals Anemo damage upon enemies within its radius, as well as either Hydro, Pyro, Cryo, or Electro, depending on which is infused first.^note

Area of Effect: His Burst creates a large field of whirlwinds and maple leaves around him that damages enemies within its radius over its duration.
Awesomeness by Analysis: Kazuha's highly perceptive nature and sharp senses allow him to discern and quickly analyze everything around him with absolute clarity, which in turn aids him in combat, seeing past illusions, sensing dangers, reading people, and tracking them down in an instant, no matter how well they try to conceal it.
Beware the Nice Ones: He's a kindly, warm-hearted person who is pleasant to be around, but he also happens to be an exceptionally accomplished and deadly swordsman with a ruthless streak that comes to particular prominence when confronting dishonorable acts.
Beyond the Impossible: A two-for-one case. In challenging the Raiden Shogun's Musou no Hitotachi head-on, he resonates with the hopes and wishes in his late friend's Vision, allowing him to not only briefly wield the power of two Visions simultaneously, but also to fend off her One-Hit Kill strike, in a first for the story.
Big Damn Heroes:
- Midway through the Inazuma Archon Quest, he and Beidou are among the mercenary reinforcements that ambush the Shogunate troops and turn the tide of the battle at Nazuchi Beach in the Resistance's favor.
- Towards the end of that same Archon Quest, he joins the raid on Tenshukaku just before the Shogun is about to strike the Traveler down. It is also at this moment that he resonates with his late friend's Vision, which subsequently allows him to wield Anemo and Electro in tandem as he darts forward, successfully deflects the killing blow and saves the Traveler from certain death.
Bunny-Ears Lawyer: His favorite pastime is sleeping, and he is known for his eccentric tendencies, such as hosting "communal wind-listening courses" for the Crux Fleet's crew. Yet, not only is he a seasoned swordsman and adept poet, but he's also a very street-smart young man with extremely sharp senses, precise intuition, and refined skills.
Can't Hold His Liquor: During the Summertime Odyssey event, Kazuha ends up drunk shortly after Venti manages to mix up fruit juice with alcohol instead. This results in a sleepy and rather giggly state.
Color-Coded Elements: In terms of character design, Kazuha and Sayu avert the Wind Is Green trope that has been used for the color palettes of other Anemo characters. He instead opts for a color palette inspired by autumn. Interestingly, Kazuha and Xiao's color palettes inverted would resemble each other's.
Connected All Along: Kazuha possesses historical ties to the Yashiro Commission due to the Kaedehara Clan being practitioners of the Isshin Art and part of the Raiden Gokaden prior to their decline. His fate is also intertwined with Scaramouche, who was responsible for tampering with the diagram for forging a sacred sword, an act that jeopardized his clan's standing.
Cooldown Manipulation: His first Constellation upgrade, Scarlet Hills, resets the cooldown time of his Skill after using his Burst.
Corralling Vacuum: His Skill sucks in surrounding enemies, with increased radius in its held form.
Death from Above: His Skill allows him to leap into the air with increased height and swiftly plunge down onto enemies while simultaneously gathering them up in a swirling whirlwind.
Double Jump: He can use his Skill while in midair, allowing for an extra burst of height. Stamina cost and cooldown time notwithstanding, it can be used indefinitely, allowing him to cover considerably more distance when gliding.
Dual Wielding: He awakens his friend's Vision upon seeing the Traveler in mortal peril and, for a brief moment, is able to use both his own Anemo Vision and his friend's Electro Vision.
Dub Pronunciation Change: Kazuha's full name (kanji 楓原万葉; hiragana かえではらかずは) is mostly the on'yomi, or Chinese-derived, reading (save the third character, which instead uses nanori, or proper-name, reading) of 枫原万叶 [simplified]/楓原萬葉 [traditional], which is read as "Fēngyuán Wànyè" in Chinese, while the Korean localization opts to use a transliteration as "Kaedehara Kajeuha" (hangul 카에데하라 카즈하; the characters could also be read via hanja as either "Pungwon Manseop"/풍원 만섭 or "Pungwon Manyeop"/풍원 만엽).
Everything Is an Instrument: In one of his idle animations, he plays a tune by blowing on a leaf as if it is a whistle. This is actually a thing in Japan, as well as other places, in real life.
Flash Step: The penultimate hit of his basic attack combo has him lunge forward before disappearing into a blitz of slashes, and then blinking back into visibility to deliver the last strike.
Full-Name Basis: The game refers to him by his full name of Kaedehara Kazuha at all times.
Gameplay and Story Integration: In his Story Quest, Kazuha gets to wield an old, sentient blade for a number of battles. Due to its old age, poor condition, and Tatarigami corruption, it gets harder and harder to use, which Kazuha notes as being the result of the blade having goals and perspectives that heavily differ from his own. Opening the character menu and checking the stats for the blade throughout the battles reveals that its Attack bonus is also gradually decreasing. By the time of the final battle, it falls all the way to 0%, and its passive ability halves Kazuha's damage output.
Gameplay and Story Segregation:
- At the end of the same Story Quest, the blade, having been purged of his corruption and subsequently having realized the gravity of his actions, chooses Kazuha as his wielder and tasks him with preserving and reviving the Isshin Art, even briefly possessing him with his consent in order to reforge himself at the cost of losing his own consciousness. Kazuha also decides to honor the wishes of Kagotsurube Isshin by continuing to carry the blade with him throughout his travels. Despite this, the Kagotsurube Isshin received from this Quest has an ATK% substat and a passive that scales with the same, even though Kazuha's kit typically encourages building around his Elemental Mastery stat far more, and thus would typically be given swords with an Elemental Mastery substat.
- One of Kazuha's idle quotes has him say that his blade is "the last link [he has] to the the land of [his] birth". While this is true for his swordfighting techniques, this may or may not apply to the actual weapon the player gives to him.
- Though affiliated with Inazuma (gameplay-wise at least; he's affiliated with the Crux Fleet of Liyue storywise), Kazuha's associated signature weapon is Freedom-Sworn, a sword with Mondstadt origins. This heavily contrasts towards all other 5★ characters^note, where their signature 5★ weapon matches their affiliated nation^note. The other 5★ character with this distinction is Ganyu.
Glowing Eyes: Temporarily gains these on two separate occasions.
- When he faces the Musou no Hitotachi, his eyes gain a subtle purplish glow with lightning sparking within as he awakens the second Vision and briefly wields Electro and Anemo at the same time.
- The second time, his eyes take on a vivid, completely violet glow when he allows the spirit of Kagotsurube Isshin to temporarily possess him in order to reforge itself anew at the cost of its own consciousness, so that he may wield it in his studies of the Isshin Art.
Humble Hero: Despite his talents, combat prowess and newfound status as an Inazuman legend, he still remains down-to-earth, maintains a low profile and introduces himself as merely a wanderer.
- This sets up a rather amusing sequence during Part I of the Summertime Odyssey event, when Paimon has to hype him up by saying that "He parries blades that none have ever parried before, and strikes like lightning!" When Mona performs a divination on him to check the veracity of Paimon's words, she becomes awestruck at what she finds.
I Choose to Stay: Despite the abolition of the Vision Hunt Decree, he returns to the Crux Fleet and continues to travel instead of resettling in his homeland. However, he still visits Inazuma from time to time.
Iaijutsu Practitioner: His swordsmanship draws heavily upon this style, with lightning-fast strikes interspersed with rapid sheathing and drawing of his sword. His recovery animations also have him dramatically flick and sheathe his sword like a katana while a mitsudomoe symbol glows at his sheathing hand, regardless of the sword the player has equipped him with.
In Harmony with Nature: Kazuha has a deep connection with nature, which gives him insight on the essence of things around him and has attuned his senses to extreme keenness. When the Traveler meets him for the first time, in addition to being able to accurately trace the route of their journey so far - all the way from Mondstadt - he also immediately identifies traces of Anemo and Geo energy on their person, as well as the power of the stars and their otherworldly origin. This affinity is referenced in one of his English battle lines for his Elemental Skill, "one with nature!"
In a Single Bound: His Skill allows him to leap into the air with much more distance and force than a normal jump would allow. In addition to letting him gain the height needed to follow it up with his unique plunging attack, it can also function as a way to quickly dodge sweeping ground attacks and leap over obstacles and gaps.
Kindhearted Cat Lover: Some of his official art shows him playing with cats.
Magnetic Hero: Kazuha's natural charisma allows him to befriend so many people on his journey, due to his flexible nature, kindness, and the fact his achievement on deflecting the Raiden Shogun's Musou no Hitotachi makes him a Living Legend. This makes Kazuha a very popular figure in Teyvat, with him being able to befriended someone like Hu Tao or Fischl, even the Wanderer likes him because of the fact he inherited his own ancestor's kindness and finding out about his achievement.
Master Swordsman: Not only is he a brilliantly-gifted practitioner of his clan's ancestral sword arts, his personal style of swordsmanship is also notable for the distinctive, unconventional spin he puts upon those techniques. Various moves in his repertoire were created entirely by and are unique to him alone.
Meaningful Name:
- "Kaedehara" and "Kazuha" respectively mean "maple grove" and "a myriad of leaves." Together they bring to mind the imagery of a field of maple leaves, which his Elemental Talents produce a lot of and also appears on his Constellation.
- In addition, the kanji of "Kazuha" (万葉) can also be read via nanori, or proper-name method, as manyō, which also refers to the Man'yōshū, the oldest extant collection of classical Japanese poetry, dating back from the Nara period (eighth century CE), allusions and quotations from which are also featured in his dialogue and Talent names. The title of this collection is written as 万葉集, and translates to "The Collection of Ten Thousand Leaves," with the first two kanji being identical to those used to write Kazuha's name. This is apt for an erudite poet and warrior, in addition to expanding upon his maple-leaf motif.
- The name of his Elemental Burst also happens to be a pun based on alternate character reading. In the Japanese version, it is called Manyō no Ittō (万葉の一刀), which can be read both as "slash of ten thousand leaves" and "Kazuha's slash," in accordance with how the technique is described as something conceptualized by and unique to him. The English version opts to render it as the latter.
Mechanically Unusual Fighter:
- Kazuha is the first character to have two distinct plunging attacks, with Midare Ranzan having both a unique animation and an alternate icon that replaces the one for normal attacks while it can be used.
- He's also the second character (after fellow Anemo Vision holder Xiao) who can use his Skill in midair.
Mundane Utility: His Skill gives him quick access to plunging attacks, making ore mining much easier. It also sweeps all the enemy drops strewn within its radius into a neat pile. It can also let him reach higher areas in a pinch.
Mythology Gag: Kazuha's red eyes and white hair with a distinctive red streak are a nod to Fu Hua's "Phoenix" battle-suit in sister-game Honkai Impact 3rd.
Neutral No Longer: After hearing about the Traveler having a bounty on their head due to their confrontation with the Raiden Shogun, he and Beidou decide to return to Inazuma and join the Resistance to help them and the Traveler fight back against the Shogun herself.
Noble Fugitive: Hails from the Kaedehara Clan, a noble samurai clan that fell into hard times due to losing their fortune and reputation after being framed for an incident caused by Scaramouche in the past. Despite being of noble birth, Kazuha was labeled a wanted criminal during the Vision Hunt Decree due to possessing an Anemo Vision as well as stealing that of his late friend after he died fighting the Raiden Shogun.
Pretty Boy: He's a beautiful young man who is known for being very graceful and wise as well.
Protectorate: Of Kamisato Ayato. Being one of the few known survivors of the Kaedehara Clan, Ayato sees to it that he doesn't fall into the hands of the Tenryou Commission for violating the Vision Hunt Decree, since the Kaedehara was a vassal clan to the Kamisato and presided over the Isshin school of the Raiden Gokaden. The fall of the former was tied to the death of Ayato's great-grandfather, the Yashiro Commissioner at the time, which had massive repercussions for the Commission. Ayato also orchestrated an elaborate plan involving the Irodori Festival and a slightly-altered version of the tale of the Five Kasen to see if Kazuha and Ayaka were ready to learn the truth of that incident, a secret that Kazuha's great-grandfather had kept until the day he died.
"The Reason You Suck" Speech: Near the end of the prologue to the Inazuma Archon Quest, he insults Fei the Flyer, the Treasure Hoarder who tried to steal the Masterless Vision, by ripping into how poorly every facet of the plot was executed, capping it off with the declaration that the man lacked speed, stealth, and style.
Reduced Mana Cost: Played with. His utility passive, Cloud Strider, shaves 20% off of the party's Stamina consumption while sprinting.
Regenerating Mana: His fourth Constellation upgrade, Oozora Genpou, allows him to regenerate Energy whenever it is below 45 points (i.e., three-fourths, as his Burst has a 60-point cost), either at a rate of 2 per second while gliding, or 3 or 4 points through, respectively, the base or held forms of his Skill.
Rōnin: A samurai from Inazuma who is first introduced while on the run, after defying the Vision Hunt Decree and becoming a drifting wanderer in the process.
Samurai Ponytail: Wears his hair in a low, off-center ponytail as a wayfaring ronin.
Speed Blitz: A prominent characteristic of his fighting style is his sheer swiftness in battle. He is capable of moving and striking so fast that he can disappear entirely in between blows and leave little to no time for enemies to react.
Spell Blade: His sixth Constellation upgrade, Crimson Momiji, infuses all his regular attacks with Anemo for five seconds immediately after using either of his Elemental Talents, with a damage boost based on 0.2% of his Elemental Mastery stat.
Spring Jump: His Skill has him swiftly leap into the air with increased height and force, while unleashing sweeping gusts of winds around himself that damage nearby enemies and suck them towards him, with a wider radius in its held form. After this unique jump, he is also able to use an alternate plunging attack that deals Anemo damage and creates another wind vortex. His first-ascension passive, Soumon Swordsmanship, allows his Skill to transform into either Hydro, Pyro, Cryo, or Electro depending on which it comes into contact with first, as well as allows the subsequent special plunging attack to deal additonal, corresponding elemental damage equivalent to twice his Attack stat.
Status Buff:
- His fourth-ascension passive, Poetics of Fuubutsu, boosts the party's Elemental Damage Bonus for eight seconds at a rate of 0.04% for every point of his Elemental Mastery, corresponding to whichever element he triggers a Swirl reaction with (i.e., Hydro, Pyro, Cryo, or Electro).
- His second Constellation upgrade, Yamaarashi Tailwind, allows the Autumn Whirlwind to bestow a 200-point Elemental Mastery boost for himself throughout its duration, as well as for his allies whenever they are inside its area-of-effect.
Strong Family Resemblance: Kazuha bears a striking resemblance to his ancestor, Niwa Hisahide. Both men even have a similar red streak in their hair, as well as a similar gentle personality and a legacy that was tainted by a scandal caused by the Fatui.
Take Up My Sword: Witnessing the Raiden Shogun about to execute the Traveler pushes Kazuha to challenge her Musou no Hitotachi head-on in an effort to protect them. In doing so, he briefly resonates with the hopes and wishes in his late friend's Vision, granting him its power for that clash and allowing him to successfully counter her sure-kill technique.
Tragic Keepsake: The Masterless Vision that he carries around and hopes to rekindle its lost power through finding a new Vision bearer is a memento of his long-deceased friend, who perished at the hands of the Raiden Shogun for challenging her decrees. He hoped that, by finding a new owner, he could pass on his friend's unwavering will onto them. After the abolition of the Vision Hunt Decree and the end of the civil war, he leaves the Vision on his friend's makeshift grave, signifying that his friend's ambition has been fulfilled.
Upgrade Artifact: A variant—his third and fifth Constellation upgrades, Maple Monogatari and Wisdom of Bansei, add three levels to, respectively, his Skill and Burst.
Warrior Poet: He speaks in an eloquent, mystical manner, is frequently inspired to spontaneously weave poetry, and is as deft with his sword as he is with his words.
- The flavor text for certain Inazuman furnishings reveals that many of the popular poetic nicknames for various flora were granted at his whims.
- His dialogue is also interspersed with several references and quotations from Classical Japanese poetry that correlate with his worldview and philosophies, including poems from the Man'yōshū and the Hyakunin Isshu.
Warrior Therapist: This trait is especially highlighted during his Story Quest. He withstands the corrosive bloodlust of the cursed blade and chooses to repeatedly battle with it in order to make it face the reality of its lack of power as well as the truth of its corruption by the source of its consciousness - all while simultaneously empathizing with its tragic dream of wanting to return home and chastising it for its actions and attitude.
Weapon Specialization: For his earlier story appearances, Kazuha wields the Fillet Blade (3★); after his Story Quest, he becomes associated with the Kagotsurube Isshin (4★); finally, his Wish banner frequently runs concurrent with that for the Freedom-Sworn (5★). All three swords are geared towards amplifying Kazuha's damage-dealing potency, with the former two having Attack as their Ascension substats (respectively, 7.7–35.2% and 9–41.3%) and the latter Elemental Mastery (43–198 points), as well as the pure offensive nature of their passives—that for the Fillet Blade, "Gash," has a 50% chance to deal additional damage equivalent to 240–400% of its wielder's Attack stat, triggered at least every fifteen seconds if unrefined (which can be cut down to eleven at its fifth and final stage); that for the Kagotsurube Isshin, "Isshin Art Clarity," unleashes Hewing Gale, a wide-ranging attack triggered in conjunction with normal, charged, or plunging attacks that deals damage equivalent to 90–180% of its wielder's Attack stat, as well as gives them a 15% Attack boost for eight seconds, triggered at least every eight seconds; and that for Freedom-Sworn, "Revolutionary Chorale," increases its wielder's damage output by 10–20%, as well as bestows the "Sigil of Rebellion" even when they are off-field whenever Elemental Reactions are triggered, which are then consumed once there are two gathered to trigger the "Millennial Movement: Song of Resistance" effect for twelve seconds (in exchange for being unable to gather the stacks for twenty seconds), during which the damage potency of all their regular attacks increase by 16–32%, as well as their Attack stat by 20–40%.

Kazuha's friend

???

Voiced by: Chen Runqiu (Chinese), Brandon Winckler (English)

A close friend of Kazuha, who lost his life after challenging the Raiden Shogun. Upon arriving at the scene of his execution, Kazuha took his friend's Electro Vision before it could be confiscated per the Vision Hunt Decree and fled the country.

Kindhearted Cat Lover: Owns a cat that resides in his haori. Said cat can be found lingering in Tenshukaku, presumably waiting for its master. Following the abolishment of the Vision Hunt Decree, it is seen hanging around in his memorial along with the inactive Vision.
No Name Given: We're not told what his name was.
Not Afraid to Die: He challenged the Raiden Shogun as an act of defiance against her decrees and oppressive rule despite knowing the consequences of losing. Another reason for this was to also see if he could withstand the Electro Archon's Divine Punishment - the Musou no Hitotachi.
Posthumous Character: Kazuha's friend was killed by Kujou Sara and Baal prior to the prelude to Inazuma, with what we know of him being relegated to flashbacks and testimonies by other characters.
Shock and Awe: He (rather ironically) possessed an Electro Vision.
Take Up My Sword: Deliberately invoked by Kazuha. By hoping to pass on his inactive Vision to someone who can activate it, Kazuha is essentially looking to pass on his late friend's ambition, hopes and dreams.
Tragic Keepsake: His Vision has been kept by Kazuha in honor of his memory. Following the abolishment of the Vision Hunt Decree, Kazuha leaves it at his grave.
Weapon Tombstone: His memorial is marked by a sword that is located near the Kamisato Estate.

The Prized Isshin Blade

The Prized Isshin Blade / Kagotsurube Isshin

A sentient blade forged by Akame Kanenaga, a former swordsmith of the Isshin school living in exile in Snezhnaya, who has returned to Inazuma per his master's dying wish to fulfill an apparent grudge against the Raiden Shogun.

Body Surf: His main method of getting around is sequentially hijacking people's bodies and discarding them when they stop being useful.
The Corruption: Because the blade was forged from the malevolent Tatarigami, he can possess and corrupt people to use as tools for his goal, and the Tatarigami itself can amplify the negative traits of his victims.
Evil Weapon: As a violent, bloodthirsty blade that inflicts Demonic Possession on people, he's this. Not a totally unsympathetic example, though.
Glamour Failure: As Kazuha uses him, the sword continues to weaken until he reveals his true form: a heavily damaged, rusted sword that Paimon remarks looks like a piece of junk.
Made of Evil: He's forged from the Tatarigami, a malevolent force that can infect and corrupt people. According to lore, this is because Kanenaga forged him out of regret after the Raiden Gokaden was dismantled after several people associated with it were murdered by Kunikuzushi/Scaramouche.
Mirror Character: The Prized Isshin Blade and the Wanderer both products of Inazuma's forging arts that spent a period of their lives in Snezhnaya, were corrupted by outside influences, have connections with Kazuha, hold grudges towards the Raiden Shogun and wanted to prove their worth, disregarded human lives, spent some time Walking the Earth and tried to atone for their transgressions through the erasure of their identities. The key difference between them is that the Prized Isshin Blade gave up his consciousness and became an ordinary sword while the Wanderer managed to recover his memories and is actively working on redeeming himself while.
Redemption Equals Death: By the end of Kazuha's Story Quest, after Kazuha gets the blade to realize the error of his ways by literally wearing him out via battles until the Tatarigami influence is gone, he realizes that his master's true wish was not to face the Raiden Shogun, but to simply return to Inazuma to find someone worthy of wielding him and restore the lost Isshin Art. To atone for his transgressions, he decides to be reforged anew but at the cost of his own consciousness.
Walking the Earth: An unusual example. Since he's a sword, he can't move on his own and has to rely on possessing people in order to go anywhere, but through a series of possessions, he was able to go all the way from Snezhnaya to Inazuma. It's implied that he made his hosts fight battles along the way because of the Tatarigami.

Shiki Taishou

An event-exclusive NPC of the "Labyrinth Warriors" event. Shiki Taishou is a shikigami spirit in the form of a samurai-shaped origami created by Kamuna Harunosuke and is the overseer of the Mystic Onmyou Chamber. Having just waken up from a long slumber, he has lost his memories and control of the Domain, causing the monsters within to run amok. The Traveler, Xinyan, and Tartaglia assist him in regaining his memories and taking back the Domain.

Familiar: As a shikigami created by Harunosuke, he serves to follow the latter's orders.
Get A Hold Of Yourself Man: In the past, he did this towards his master Harunosuke, specifically reminding him that "she" (most likely Kitsune Saiguu) is not coming back and that he doesn't have to obsess over his goal (i.e defending Inazuma against evil forces, as a tribute to the late Saiguu) or his method towards achieving it as the Shogun's forces had done the job. Harunosuke thanked Shiki for "enlightening" him and decided to move out of the place to search for a new purpose. Shiki later describes it as "helping him escape the labyrinth in his heart".
Laser-Guided Amnesia: At the beginning of the event, he lost most of his memories; he only remembered his name and his role as the overseer of the Mystic Onmyou Chamber.
My Master, Right or Wrong: As the Traveler and company push further into the Mystic Onmyou Chamber, questions arise of whether Shiki Taishou's master, Harunosuke, created the Domain for more nefarious purposes than what he lets on. This causes Shiki to begin doubting his master, and wonders if he was simply an evil tool. This gets averted in "The Vengeful Wood" when he regains his full memories and re-discovers that his master created the Domain simply to train samurai for an upcoming war against evil beings, which restores his faith in him.
Paper People: He is a floating paper person in a samurai outfit.
Self-Duplication: In the past, he can duplicate himself to assist various warriors that partake in battles inside the Onmyou Chamber. In the present, you can find replicas of him inside the domain that bring back parts of his memories. In the third part of the event, after he becomes "complete", he creates another duplicate he names "Shiki Koshou" to accompany the Traveler outside the domain.
Team Pet: He serves this role in the Mystic Onmyou Chamber where he follows your character and can use Shikifuda buffs and attacks against enemies at your command. Once you complete "The Vengeful Wood", he creates an identical familiar of himself named "Shiki Koshou" who can follow you across the overworld, but cannot use Shikifuda abilities.

Vagrants

A collective name for the Rōnin that prowl the hinterlands of Inazuma and serve as the nation's unique human enemies. They consist of Nobushi (comprising of three variations: Hitsukeban, Jintouban, and Kikouban) and Kairaigi (consisting of Dancing Thunder and Fiery Might), the latter serving as leaders for the group.

General Tropes

Nobushi: Hitsukeban

Nobushi: Jintouban

Nobushi: Kikouban

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/emptboatgenshin_7.jpg

Kairagi: Dancing Thunder

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/emptboatgenshin_7_5.jpg

Kairagi: Fiery Might

Ambiguously Human: While the Nobushi are human, they have glowing red eyes visible under their hats and speak with a demonic-sounding reverbration.
Automatic Crossbows: The Nobushi Kikouban will fire their Electro crossbows in a 3x succession.
Badass Normal: The Kairagi do not possess any Visions, but they can still fight on par with Vision wielders through sheer swordsmanship skills, training and combat experience. The elemental infusion of their blades is instead provided by specialized talismans they bring into battle.
The Big Guy: The Nobushi are all imposingly tall, even taller than Crushers, Seamen, Handymen, Pugilists, and Gravediggers.
Blood Knight: They're very eager to pick fights and try out their blades on incoming opponents.
Boss in Mook Clothing: Kairagi are listed as common enemies, but they happen to boast huge HP, knockback/knockdown immunity, and a highly damaging attack once they infuse their blades with elements.
Combat Pragmatist: Many of them fight dirty, utilizing firecrackers (Hitsukeban) and crossbows (Kikouban) in combat.
Cool Helmet: The Kairagi wear samurai helmets with a demonic mask.
Draw Sword, Draw Blood: When a Nobushi disengages a pursuit (due to outside an aggro range or simply rendered unreachable via high ground) a closer look shows that they slit their forearms with a katana before sheathing it. The Kairagi, however, do not do this.
Dual Boss: The Kairagi usually fight in pairs whenever they're not accompanied by a Nobushi.
Fatal Fireworks: The Nobushi Hitsukeban will throw firecrackers that deal Pyro damage to their opponents.
Hunk: They are all muscular and ripped.
Large and in Charge: The Kairagi serve as leaders and are even more gigantic than the Nobushi, rivaling Fatui Vanguards and Eremite Stone Enchanters in terms of build and height.
Katanas Are Just Better: The Nobushi all wield katanas while the Kairagi wield nodachis.
King Mook: The Kairagi serve as leaders for their lesser Nobushi counterparts.
Lightning Bruiser: They're swift, can dish out a lot of damage, and they can tank the majority of your attacks without flinching.
Mini-Boss: You may occasionally encounter a unique Nobushi/Kairagi, most of whom are from the Iwakura Clan.
Muggle Power: The Kairagi imbue their swords with Pyro or Electro using elemental talismans to make up for the lack of a Vision, achieving a similar feat of infusing a weapon with an element.
Nerf: Prior to version 2.1 a Nobushi can tank blows without launching them (unless its a charged attack from Jean and Klee, and Bennet's half/fully charged Elemental Skill) and the Kairagi is downright impossible to launch. After the update, the Nobushi can now be launched and have lost their ability to evade. The Kairagi meanwhile has been balanced to be more on par with a Mitachurl (while still retaining their high damaging elemental infusion blades and their ability to jump away).
No-Sell: When a Kairagi enters an enraged state, they become immune to freezing. Not even Zhongli's Planet Befall can stop them.
Not Always Evil: Ne'er do wells as they may be, there are some moments that show their decent side.
- The group by Nazuchi Beach are entrusted to look after Chouji, and are even tasked with helping refugees escape from Inazuma to Sumeru via boat, and needed to raise a lot of fortune to help evacuate them to a safe place.
- A Nobushi and Kairagi is one of the participants for the Clash of the Lone Blades tournament hosted by Yasuhiko Tarou. This is a sign that not all of them act in the same way as any other ronin and that some of them only want to look for worthy opponents to spar their blades on.
Pirate: Some of them, who reside by Nazuchi Beach, have resorted to this by raiding merchant ships for supplies. A man in Port Ormos states that the most active of them are found in the middle of the sea that border the largest port of Sumeru and Watatsumi Island.
Punch-Clock Villain: They resorted to banditry in order to survive. Some may even offer their services to both the Treasure Hoarders and even the Fatui to earn pay.
Rōnin: They are wandering swordsmen scattered around Inazuma, many of whom were disgraced samurai who turned to banditry. While they are collectively referred to as Nobushi, they are not members of a centralized group.
Red Eyes, Take Warning: The Nobushi have red eyes underneath their hats.
Turns Red: Whenever a Kairagi falls in battle, the surviving Kairagi will enter an enraged state that restores their HP to 50% and makes them become much more aggressive in combat.
Voice of the Legion: All of them inexplicably speak with a reverberating and demonic-sounding tone, with it being more noticeable in regards to the Nobushi.

Inou

A Kairagi encountered in Sayu's Hangout Event.

Arc Villain: Inou kidnapped Ogawa's daughter and forced him to forge an assassination mission to target the Traveler, kick-starting the events of Sayu's hangout event since she was the one to take the job.
I Have Your Wife: Daughter version. He holds Ogawa's daughter hostage and used her as leverage to blackmail Ogawa into doing his bidding.
I Lied: Despite Ogawa providing him with a blonde hair as proof that he slained the Traveler (although the latter faked their death), Inou isn't satisfied, and wants him to assassinate officials from the Tenryou Commission.
Knight of Cerebus: Whereas the rest of Sayu's Hangout branch is lighthearted and humorous, one branch involving him is far by the most serious, and any scenes are portrayed in a serious light.
Oh, Crap!: Has a huge one, after he found out that the Traveler is not only alive, but actually deceived him with just their hair as an evidence. Doubly so when Sayu managed to rescue Ogawa's daughter by replacing her with that of a decoy.
Revenge: His motivation. He wanted Ogawa to assassinate the Traveler in retaliation for taking down a lot of his fellow ronin during their journey in Inazuma.
Would Hurt a Child: Has no problems wanting a child killed if Ogawa doesn't do his demands. And if the Traveler doesn't pursue the matter, it is implied that he killed her.

Mushounin Extras

Yamada Hifumi, Tanaka, and Yamamoto

Three ronins who had been unwittingly strung along to become part of a cast member for a film directed by Xavier.

Ain't Too Proud to Beg: They all immediately surrender and forced to cooperate with Xavier and co. to be part of the film after the Traveler beat them to submission.
The Drag-Along: They were all forced into becoming actors for Xavier's film after losing to the Traveler. The Traveler can optionally even beg for them to become extras for his film.
Harmless Villain: Initially not this, as they demanded money from Xavier himself in exchange for filming in Nazuchi Beach. The Traveler decides to "recruit" them, and they are reduced into this, going from originally wanting to extort people to becoming unwitting actors for Xavier's film.
Screw This, I'm Outta Here: After Xavier finished shooting midway, the trio, not wanting to do with the film anymore, decides to bolt out in a hurry, to Xavier's disappointment, having written more lines for them.

The Nameless Samurai

The Nameless Samurai / "Masanori" / Kazumichi Kenji

An amnesiac man wandering the outskirts of Tatarasuna, who is seeking a certain sword in the "Dreams of Sword Art" World Quest.

Boss in Mook Clothing: A more literal example than the standard Kairagi. Nameless is essentially just a more powerful version of the Dancing Thunder Kairagi you regularly encounter in the overworld.
Companion Cube: He claims his sword, Ichika Dousetsu, is able to talk to him because warriors form bonds with their swords in the battlefield, and he says Ichika Dousetsu is itching to fight the Traveler.
Dead Person Impersonation: After completing his World Quest, talking with Matsudaira, Shogunate samurai who gives you a bottle of wine to help jog "Masanori's" memory, reveals that the real Masanori is dead, implying the "Masanori" the Traveler has met is Kazumichi Kenji, his best friend turned deserter.
Healing Boss: Once his HP is close to zero, Nameless will enter an enraged state that also restores 100% of his HP. He is entirely scripted to do this with a brief invincibility stance so there's no way to defeat him in his first phase before he can heal, even with the best DPS builds, but he can only do this once.
Recurring Boss: He's fought a total of four times in the World Quest, and after completing said quest, you can spar with him as many times as you like. This makes him a popular choice among players to playtest builds, although it is entirely possible for some builds to kill him before they finish their rotations or setup. Still, Masanori remains a good choice for damage testing outside the Abyss, as the Abyss often requires build tailoring to beat in optimal times.
Regenerating Health: From his fourth fight onwards, Nameless passively regenerates a small amount of his HP overtime, and once he enters his enraged stance, he restores his HP back to full.
Time-Limit Boss: All of his battles have time limits to beat. His first three fights give you one minute, while his fourth fight and optional rematches increase the time to 2 minutes to compensate for his ability to enter an enraged stance and refill his HP.
Trauma-Induced Amnesia: The main reason why he couldn't remember his name or what he was prior to his desertion from the Shogunate Army is because the sword he seeks belongs to his fallen Childhood Friend who died in the war, presumably killed by Nameless himself. Upon witnessing his friend's sword hitting the ground, Masanori couldn't bear the thought of losing someone close to him and he ran away from the scene, affecting his memory in the process. Only through repeated battles and fetch quests with the Traveler does he regain his memory back.

Nogata

Voiced by: Jordan Dash Cruz (English)

A Nobushi whom Takuya once sided with. He is the leader of the ronin group in Tatarasuna.

Arc Villain: In Arataki Itto's Story Quest.
Killed Off for Real: Gets crushed by a debris from his collapsing hideout after he ripped off the talisman Takuya is holding.
King Mook: Of the Nobushi, but in an interesting twist, the Kairagi normally lead the Nobushi while the latter are merely subordinates to them. Nogata, despite not being a Kairagi, is the leader of his own crew with nary a Kairagi to be seen at all.
Taking You with Me: Near the end of Itto's Story Quest, after he is subdued by him and the rest of the Tenryou soldiers arrive to make an arrest, he recovers and attempts to snag away a detonation talisman from Takuya's hands while the latter isn't looking and smiles after ripping it off, knowing full well that if he's going down, he might as well take the others with him.

Other

Chiori

A fashion designer from Inazuma who left the country sometime between the enforcement of the Sakoku and Vision Hunt Decrees, and is currently based in Fontaine.

See her entry here.

Historical Figures

The Raiden Shogun once promised her people an unchanging Eternity, but she had already brought change numerous times in the past, such as when Watatsumi was subsumed as part of Inazuma's territory (granted they weren't her people before she slew Orobashi), and was unable to prevent the passing of many in the conflicts that took place to preserve the Eternity she desired for Inazuma.

Yokai

The Electro Archon's Friends

Sasayuri, Mikoshi Chiyo, and Kitsune Saiguu

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/electro_archons_friends.jpeg

Left to right: Sasayuri, Chiyo, Kitsune Saiguu

Three of Ei's dearest friends, all of whom she lost over the years. Sasayuri and Chiyo served as Ei's generals, while Kitsune Saiguu was the head of the Grand Narukami Shrine before Yae Miko. Sasayuri was slain during the war against Orobashi's forces, while Chiyo and Saiguu lost their life in the events of the "cataclysm" 500 years ago. Chiyo's tale is featured in the "Mask of the Oni" weapon enhancement materials, while Saiguu's story is told in the Hakushin Ring catalyst and various artifact sets.

Youkai: All three are youkai; Sasayuri is a Tengu, Chiyo is an Oni, and Kitsune Saiguu is, well, a kitsune.

Tropes that apply to Sasayuri

Ambiguous Gender: Sasayuri was never mentioned with any gender, and they had a rather androgynous look.
Frontline General: Died in a battle against Watatsumi forces during the Watatsumi invasion of Yashiori.

Tropes that apply to Chiyo

An Arm and a Leg: Chiyo lost her sword arm and a horn when she fought Ei.
Action Mom: Chiyo is a powerful combatant, strong enough to tear her way out of being devoured alive and shatter Ei's naginata during their fight, and also a mother to two children, Michihiro (biological) and Nagamasa (adopted).
The Corruption: Chiyo was corrupted by the Abyss when she was devoured alive by a "beast of sin," and although she managed to tear her way out, she was never the same afterwards, culminating in her attacking Ei.
Head-Turning Beauty: Chiyo's beauty is heavily emphasised on, with Kitsune Saiguu even wearing a mask out of shame for her inferior looks after meeting the former.
Historical Gender Flip: In-universe. Chiyo became the basis of the folk story "Torachiyo" described in the "Mask of Oni" weapon upgrade material series. There, Torachiyo is described as a man, but "Mask of the Kijin" revealed that most of Torachiyo's stories are mutations from the truth, including his gender.
Lady of War: Was said to have played music and performed a sword dance with Kitsune Saiguu. Chiyo is described to be elegant, unlike the classical depiction of onis.
Stereotype Flip: Unlike the typical depiction of onis as large, muscular but on the simple-minded side, Chiyo had a petite and slim frame, and was graceful and cultured.
Tattoo as Character Type: Had a massive Electro Mitsudomoe tattooed on her back, to signify her allegiance and devotion to the Shogun.
Uncertain Doom: After being defeated by Ei, Chiyo was said to have fled into the forest. It is unknown whether she died, fully succumbed to the Abyss or something else.

Tropes that apply to Kitsune Saiguu

Ambiguous Situation:
- It is stated in various flavor texts that Kitsune Saiguu mysteriously disappeared. The Summer Night's Mask can only speculate that she disappeared because of the Shogun's suppression of Inazuma's spirits, who fled deep into the forest as a result of her reign. The Hakushin Ring catalyst's description and the Sakura Cleansing world quest heavily implies that she disappeared to stop the Abyss from destroying Inazuma during the Cataclysm 500 years ago, as it has already claimed enough victims.
- Her name or title, Saiguu, is named for the residence of the saiou, suggesting that "Saiguu" is a position in Inazuma. However, Yae Miko's personal name is Miko rather than one of her priestess titles being "miko", and the characters for "saiguu"/"saikuu" can be used in Japanese names.
Apocalyptic Log: The Hakushin Ring catalyst, the blueprints of which you are given from Hanachirusato's mask, contains the Kitsune Saiguu's final memory. In it, she looks back on her life and notes that she "lived it to the full" before ending it pleading with "the dark will that gnaws at [her]" to return her memories (Kazari herself) to her homeland so that she can in a way continue hoping for Inazuma's beauty to endure the rampage of the "dark".
Break His Heart to Save Him: Saiguu tricked Ioroi into thinking they were playing a game of hide-and-seek so that he wouldn't have to be around when she disappeared.
The Cameo: Is briefly seen from the back during the retelling of the Mikawa Flower Festival.
Cool Mask: Flavor text for the Hakushin Ring state that Saiguu wears a mask^note, and the Summer Night's Mask from the Retracting Bolide artifact set was one of them. She notes this is appropriate for her after meeting Chiyo, whose beauty is considered unrivaled and thus she humbly feels she must hide her face for not being as eye-pleasing.
A Dog Named "Dog": Is a kitsune named...you guessed it.
A Lizard Named "Liz": As stated above, she is a kitsune named Kitsune Saiguu.
Meaningful Name:
- Kitsune Saiguu is part of the Hakushin Clan. "Haku" means "white", and she has white hair.
- The 斎宮, or Saikuu/Saiguu, was the residence of the current serving Saiou, with "saiguu" later becoming synonymous with the position of saiou. In ancient times, a saiou was an unmarried female member of the Japanese Imperial Family (usually a daughter; if not, then the closest related member to the Emperor) that was sent to the Grand Shrine in Ise — one of the largest Shinto shrines in the country — to serve as the High Priestess until her Emperor died or abdicated the throne, never to return to the capital Kyoto until then. She was also expected to avoid 穢れ (kegare), or filth.
The Mentor: Kitsune Saiguu serves as the mentor to Asase Hibiki, a shrine maiden who hailed from Seirai.
Mystical White Hair: Raiden Shogun's short shows that Kitsune Saiguu had white hair.
Pre-Sacrifice Final Goodbye: Kitsune Saiguu's parting words to Baal before she went to face the Abyss and stopped it for good.
Do not be blinded. Do not waver. Keep walking the path that you believe in.
Same Race Means Related: According to the "New Chronicles of the Six Kitsune", Yae Miko and 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 Kitsune Saiguu doted on Miko quite frequently.
Smoking Is Cool: Kitsune Saiguu can be seen holding a pipe in the character teaser, and is a capable combatant who fought alongside Ei during the Cataclysm.
Species Surname: Take a guess what type of yokai she is from her surname Kitsune.
Spell My Name With An S: 斎宮 is usually romanized as Saikuu rather than "Saiguu" due to rendaku, though Saiguu is still a valid spelling.
Trademark Favorite Food: Fried tofu. This is a reference to inarizushi, sushi rice stuffed inside of fried tofu, which was believed to be a favorite food of foxes.
The Trickster: Kitsune Saiguu is a benevolent example. She tricked Ei into accepting Ioroi as the guardian of Chinju Forest, and also tricked Ioroi into a game of hide-and-seek when the "cataclysmic event" happened so that the tanuki is spared from fighting the Abyss. To this day, Ioroi still thought Kitsune Saiguu is still playing the game with him, long after her passing.

Kamai

Lord Kamai Kenji

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/screenshot_2022_12_25_at_101435_pm_4.png

Voiced by: Shao Chen (Chinese), Yuuki Sanpei (Japanese), Kim Jin-hong (Korean), Kit Harrison (English)

"This is our festival, and the point is to have fun! What difference does it make if a human joins us youkai?"

Once a prominent figure among the youkai, he welcomed the then-young Yanagibashi Takuto to the Mikawa Flower Festival despite the latter being a human, and the two later became good friends. Their story is told in the Akitsu Haneasobi story teaser

Alliterative Name: His full name is Kamai Kenji.
All There in the Manual: His full name can only be found in the description of the Akitsu Haneasobi story teaser.
Anatomy Arsenal: Has a sickle at the end of his tail which he used during his sparring matches with Takuto.
Ambiguous Situation: The conspicuous timing of his death at "five hundred years ago" suggests his Last Stand was during the Cataclysm.
Dub Pronunciation Change: His full name in Chinese is Liánjǐng Xiǎzhì due to Alternate Character Reading.
Epic Flail: His fighting style incorporated the used of a metal ball-and-chain that he tied around his sickle tail.
Interspecies Friendship: Through the decades, he became good friends with the human Yanagibashi Takuto.
Kamaitachi: He is an otter-like yokai with a sickle tail.
Last-Name Basis: Likely because of his high standing among the yokai, he is only addressed by his surname Kamai by Yae Miko, Youkou and Hanyuuda Chizuru.
Last Stand: Five hundred years ago, he fought side by side with Takuto's heir, Tominaga Masanari, until their final moments.
A Lizard Named "Liz": Is a kamaitachi yokai whose surname is Kamai. In Japanese, the first kanji used in Kamai's surname (鎌井) is also the same kanji used in "kamaitachi" (鎌鼬).
Mayfly–December Friendship: After a few decades, Takuto had become too old to keep up with him, and was not even capable of finishing their game of Akitsu Hazura.
Meditating Under a Waterfall: After he was defeated by Takuto, he is seen doing this in order to train and become stronger for their next match.
Playful Otter: An otter-like youkai who broke the tension caused by Takuto intruding upon the yokai-only Mikawa Flower Festival by inviting the latter to party and play Akitsu Hazura with him.
Species Surname: Is a kamaitachi whose surname is Kamai.

Urakusai

A Kitsune known for his literary works named "New Chronicles of the Six Kitsune" and "A Firsthand Guide to Summoning Spirits". He was an associate of Kitsune Saiguu. When he died, his memories were absorbed into Ley lines in the Sacred Sakura's roots, and is the youkai behind the ghost possessions during Yae Miko's story quest.

Ambiguously Evil: Urakusai may have contributed to the rise of The Abyss Order. There are some specific questions that are unanswered whether unwittingly or not, he contributed to the rise of The Abyss Order.
Demonic Possession: Possessed an struggling writer as he was walking by and wishing to be able to write a bestseller, then causes numerous Inazumans to become possessed by fellow departed youkai as they use the spell in the bestselling novel he wrote, and at one point even takes over the Traveler, though he did all of those things without evil intent and just wanted to have some fun.
Snark-to-Snark Combat: Yae Miko's Character Stories note that, whenever the two and other youkai grouped together for feasts, he engaged on this whenever Miko started to point at loopholes in Urakusai's stories.
Sudden Name Change: He was initially named Yuurakusai prior before Version 2.5 Update, the English Translation changed him to Urakusai.
The Voice: His appearance is never revealed when he shows up during Yae Miko's story quest, but his possession of the Traveler causes them to speak in his deep, elderly voice.

Iwakura Michihiro

The eldest & biological Son of Chiyo of the Mikoshi clan, and Nagamasa's adoptive brother . After Chiyo was corrupted by The Abyss, the Mikoshi Clan received a bad reputation due Chiyo's betrayal and defeat by the Raiden Shogun. As a result, Michihiro moved on to Konda Village to seclude himself out of shame until he met the tengu Teruyo, daughter of Reizenbou. He adopted the Iwakura namesake for his clan and martial artistry, and created the Maguu Kenki.

Anti-Air: Over the course of 13 years of duelling the tengu Teruyo, he managed to come up with a technique to strike her while she was in the air, as she was practically invincible the first few duels thanks to her flight. That move became known as the Tengu Sweeper.
Half-Human Hybrid: He is half Oni & half Human, because he is the child of a human father and his oni mother, Chiyo.
Master Swordsman: Founder of a new school of sword arts, the Iwakura school.
Meaningful Name: "Iwakura", the name that Teruyo suggested for him, means "seat of rock". She came up with it because rocks matched both his muscles and his brain.
Meaningful Rename: Changed his last name from Mikoshi to Iwakura at Teruyo's suggestion, to symbolise a new start in his life.
Poor Communication Kills: Michihiro did develop some kind of feelings for Teruyo over the course of their duels. When he finally managed to defeat her, he wanted to suggest the two continue to meet for duels at a different spot, though he ended up not speaking. Teruyo left, and he never saw her again.
Quit Your Whining: Teruyo's reaction to him complaining about his life after the fall of his clan was to sneer and say "what a pain". She then gave him a new name and purpose in life: to defeat her in battle. The two had yearly duels at an appointed place until Michihiro did manage to defeat the tengu.
Red Baron: Known as Iwakura the Successor, though it is unclear to whom he was the successor.
Sibling Yin-Yang: As opposed to Nagamasa, who chose to redeem his family name, Michihiro changed his name and started a new life as the founder of a new sword art.
Sudden Name Change: He was named Doukei back from Version 2.0 to 3.3 It's simply a case of Alternate Character Reading of the same kanji.

Humans

Kunikuzushi's Tatarasuna Family (Unmarked Spoilers!)

Niwa Hisahide, Mikoshi Nagamasa and Katsuragi

Niwa Voiced By: Clifford Chapin (English)

Nagamasa Voiced By: Will Engel (English)

Katsuragi Voiced By: Will Engel (English)

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/screenshot_2022_12_25_at_101036_pm.png

Niwa Hisahide

Niwa, a distant ancestor of Kazuha, was the armory officer and master smith at the center of the mysterious Tatarasuna Incident 400 years ago. Nagamasa was his second in command with Katsuragi being his yoriki. All three were significant figures in Scaramouche's pre-Fatui life.

Tropes applying to Niwa

Death by Origin Story: Niwa and Katsuragi were both central figures in Scaramouche's past, serving as part of his Start of Darkness.
Deceased Fall-Guy Gambit: His disappearance during the Tatarasuma Incident led to history laying the blame at his feet, staining his legacy. In reality, the Doctor murdered him and spread the rumor that Niwa had abandoned his friends and fled in disgrace.
Dying Declaration of Love: A platonic example. In his final moments, Niwa reconfirmed his friendship with the kabukimono and belief that the puppet had nothing to prove to anyone. Dottore twisted these final words when relating them to the kabukimono, using it to convince him that Niwa had betrayed him.
Exposition Victim: His confrontation with Escher serves to reveal the truth about the Tatarasuma Incident and Scaramouche's past, namely the Fatui's role in everything.
He Knows Too Much: Niwa threatened to expose "Escher" for sabotaging the Mikage Furnace, having realized the technician was responsible for the disaster plaguing Tatarasuma. For this, he was murdered and his legacy stained by accusations of having caused the incident.
Heroic Sacrifice: After Kunikuzushi erased himself from Irminsul's record, he is remembered as a hero who died from shutting down the Mikage Furnace (alongside a blacksmith from the Hyakume clan) instead of a traitor and coward.
In the Back: The Doctor murdered him this way, before cutting out his heart.
The Power of Friendship: Dottore revealed the truth to Niwa, hoping that his dying thoughts would be filled with resentment and anger. Instead, Niwa spent his final moments focused on his friendship with the Kabukimono and his desire to protect his friend. This left his heart untainted, allowing it to absorb the filth within the Mikage Furnace while protecting the puppet from the curse.
Strong Family Resemblance: He was an ancestor of Kazuha, who shares a distinct streak of red hair and a compassionate heart.
Tragic Bromance: Niwa was the Kabukimono's first and dearest human friend, but rejected and betrayed him. This "second betrayal" set him along the path to becoming the Sixth Harbinger of the Fatui. But Nahida helps to reveal the truth: Niwa was murdered by the Doctor, and his heart was the one Kunikuzushi discovered inside the device. It was Niwa's heart that allowed him to survive his ordeal inside the furnace.

Tropes applying to Nagamasa

See his entry under Yougou Three below.

Troped applying to Katsuragi

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Katsuragi

Half the Man He Used to Be: His master killed him with a single powerful strike, that nearly cleaved him in half. This brutal death would be immortalized in the blade being nicknamed "Katsuragikiri Nagamasa" or "Katsuragi-slashing Nagamasa".
Taking the Heat: To prevent Mikoshi Nagamasa from receiving capital punishment over the Tatarasuna Incident, Katsuragi took the blame and requested that Nagamasa execute him. According to the Aged Notes, even their friends believe that Katsuragi had done something to warrant execution.
Undying Loyalty: To his master, Mikoshi Nagamasa. He was willing to not only die to protect him, but also allowed his own reputation to be stained so that his master could continue his efforts to redeem his clan.

The Nameless Child

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/namelesschild.jpg

An orphaned child, adopted by Kunikuzushi prior to his abandonment of humanity.

Animal Motifs: Kunikuzushi describes him as a "fledgling barely out of the nest", and he is also represented as a bird in Nahida's fairytale rendition of Scaramouche's memories.
Death of a Child: His sudden death shattered what was left of the kabukimono's faith in the world, filling him with grief and rage.
Heartwarming Orphan: His innocence and similar abandonment tugged at Kunikuzushi's heart, convincing him to stay with the child and become a surrogate family.
Littlest Cancer Patient: Like his parents and many other residents of the area, he became sick as a result of the tatarigami's curse. His illness and death was the kabukimono's first direct experience with the fragility of human life.
Mayfly–December Friendship: The child, already dying from his illness, befriended an immortal puppet. It did not end well.
Mirror Character: Both the child and Nahida share bird motifs and a green Colour Motif, and also only recently "left their nests" when Kunikuzushi meets them. After Act III of the Interlude Chapter, the Wanderer takes up a similar role that he did when taking care of the child in the past and becomes Nahida's assistant.
The Nameless: The kabukimono never learned his name, though it isn't clear whether he never had one or simply couldn't remember it after his parents died.
Orphan's Ordeal: His parents were workers at the Mikage Furnace, and eventually they never returned from work. The child was simply left to survive on his own, until the kabukimono stumbled upon him. The lore describes the child as dirty and sick by that point, abandoned in an old hut with no one to care for him.
Small Role, Big Impact: He is long dead by the time the story starts, but his death is what pushed the Kabukimono over the edge, causing him to become the Balladeer and join the Fatui out of anger with the world.

Takamine

Takamine the Mistsplitter

One of the famous folk heroes in Inazuma. He was the love interest of Asase Hibiki, and he worked to become one of the Shogunate's high-ranking samurai. He later went to the campaign against the abyssal forces 500 years ago, wherein he got trapped and possibly corrupted; he later met his end at Hibiki's hands after he returned. His story is told in the sword Mistsplitter Reforged and bow Thundering Pulse.

Arranged Marriage: As part of being a high-ranking samurai, he was made to marry another samurai's daughter. Despite this, he was still close with Hibiki.
The Bet: He made a promise in form of a bet with Hibiki, not long before his battle against the abyssal forces. He wagered his future on his bow, Thundering Pulse, saying that Hibiki can own it if he doesn't return from the battle, though it's unknown what he promised if he does return.
The Gambling Addict: He had a love of gambling and betting that persisted even to his mature age.
Last-Name Basis: "Takamine" is his family name; his given name is unknown.
Left Your Lifesaver Behind: Part of how he lost the campaign against the abyssal forces was that his sword, Mistsplitter, was broken in battle, and since he had left his bow to Hibiki, he had nothing left to defend himself.
Red Baron: "The Mistsplitter", which was also the name of his sword.

Yanagibashi Takuto

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/screenshot_2022_12_25_at_101311_pm.png

Voiced by: Li Chengyuan (Chinese), Masahide Yamaguchi (Japanese), Hong Seung-hyo (Korean), DW McCann (English)

A travelling samurai who one day stumbled into the Mikawa Flower Festival, and became a good friend of Lord Kamai. Their story is told in the Akitsu Haneasobi story teaser

Badass Normal: Despite being a normal human, he managed to tie with Kamai, a prominent figure among the yokai, and eventually defeat him.
Dub Pronunciation Change: His name in Chinese is Liǔqiáo Zuórén due to Alternate Character Reading.
Interspecies Friendship: Through the decades, he became good friends with the youkai.
Mayfly–December Friendship: After a few decades, he had become too old to keep up with Kamai, and was not even capable of finishing their game of Akitsu Hazura.
Meaningful Name: His surname Yanagibashi (柳桥) contains the kanji for weeping willow (柳) and bridge (桥). In Japanese culture, the willow is associated with ghosts and are also prevalent in folklore and myths, fitting how the man was able to somehow cross the barrier that the yokai had set up around the Mikawa Flower festival. Additionally, 桥 could be referencing how he managed to bridge the gap between humans and youkai by becoming best friends with Kamai, to the point where the kamaitachi ended up making a Last Stand with his successor.
Our Founder: Takuto founded the Souran Isshin Art based on the style of swordsmanship he had developed dueling with Kamai. One student of the art fought with Kamai in both of their final moments.
Walking the Earth: When not attending the once-a-decade festival and sparring with Kamai, he wandered the world and challenged the strongest opponents.

The Yougou Three

Asase Hibiki, Kamuna Harunosuke and Mikoshi Nagamasa

Three figures of around the time of the Cataclysm who came to study youkai arts under the youkai at Mt. Yougou. After the Cataclysm, they went their separate ways. Hibiki returned to Seirai Island to serve as the shrine maiden of Asase Shrine. Distraught by Kitsune Saiguu's death, Harunosuke traveled to Liyue to learn Adepti Arts, and combining it with his own magic, created the art of onmyoudou. He would then create the Mystic Onmyou Chamber and the first Shikigami, Shiki Taishou, as its overseer. Nagamasa, the adopted human son of the oni Chiyo, joined the Shogunate with the intent of restoring his family's honour after his mother, driven insane by the Cataclysm, attacked the Shogun.

Tropes that apply to Asase Hibiki

Animal Motifs: Implied to be cats. Her shrine in Seirai Island is home to many cats, including the "Provisional Head Priestess" Neko. The torii gate and the shrine building itself also have cat ears on them.
Mercy Kill: The Thundering Pulse bow implied that she did this to Takamine after he went back from his expedition against the abyssal creatures, believing him to have been corrupted by the Abyss.
Sudden Name Change: She was called "Kanade" back in version 2.0, but 2.1 changed her given name to "Hibiki". Both are different readings of the same kanji 響.
Tsundere: She was one for Takamine "The Mistsplitter", one of Inazuma's folk heroes, whom she called "idiot Konbumaru" in order to hide her feelings. Kitsune Saiguu liked teasing her about her relationship. Even if he eventually married a high-ranking samurai's daughter, the two were still close; even after his death, Hibiki still thought of him, with Neko claiming that she saw Hibiki smiling whenever she talked about "Konbumaru".
You Remind Me of X: In her later years, some time after Takamine has died, she thought of the pirate Ako Domeki as similar to him, both in looks and manners. It's implied to be why she decided to assist Domeki and his rebellion against the Shogunate despite him not wanting her help, which led to her unsealing Thunder Manifestation to devastate the Shogunate ships... and most of the Seirai Island in the process.

Tropes that apply to Kamuna Harunosuke

All for Nothing: The purpose of the domain was to train up a new specialized force in order to protect Inazuma. However it was incredibly difficult with one problem appearing after another be it, spies, deserters or human limitations. Yet for all his efforts and troubles, it was for naught, as when the dark forces struck, Ei took up the mantle and saved Inazuma before he could do anything, making him feel like all his time and effort was for naught.
Shiki Taishou: Even as we trained, the god with the power of the Musou no Hitotachi swept across the land with a force of diligent and mighty warriors. They removed all hidden evils from our territory.
Shiki Taishou: And just like that, a life's work was rendered unnecessary...No one in this world is prepared when such sorrow befalls them.
Ambiguously Evil: Childe brings up the possibility that Harunosuke was a malicious person and that he used his domain to raise monsters. While Xinyan quickly rebukes him, the group are nonetheless on edge towards Shiki Taishou as he doesn't remember his or the domain's purpose. Although, as implied by various lore before this event quest, it's more likely that he wasn't evil. In the end, it's revealed that he made the domain to prepare the warriors of Inazuma for battle against the dark forces that invaded it, though he abandoned it after said dark forces were wiped out by the Shogun's.
The Archmage: At least seems to be one for Inazuma. He helps to maintain the Sakura Cleansing ritual, sealed Ioroi and his bake-danuki into stone, founded Onmyoudou, created the Mystic Onmyou Chamber, and created the first Shikigami, Shiki Taishou, who had his own will and consciousness. He also learned Liyue's Adepti Arts and youkai magic, and seemingly managed to transcend his own mortality and became immortal.
Due to the Dead: The reason he made the Mystic Onmyou Chamber was that he wishes to train Saiguu's descendants and the people in Inazuma so they can one day defend their land from the dark forces that plagued it; basically honoring her last wishes. However, the Shogun and her forces managed to wipe the dark forces clean before he or any of the warriors that trained in his domain could.
Tragic Keepsake: He keeps the pipe of the Kitsune Saiguu with him, and only lets it go after being convinced by Shiki Taishou to move on from her death.

Tropes that apply to Mikoshi Nagamasa

Bait-and-Switch: Prior to the release of the Sumeru Archon Quest Interlude, from the information in the lore of the Katsuragikiri Nagamasa and the Rather Aged Notes found in the open world in Tatarasuna, it was widely believed that Nagamasa betrayed Katsuragi, and that Kunikuzushi wanted revenge on Nagamasa for Katsuragi's death. It is only in Interlude Chapter, Act III that it is revealed that Katsuragi asked to be executed by Nagamasa, taking the blame for the Tatarasuna incident.
Family Honor: His main motivation was to restore to honour of the Mikoshi Clan after Chiyo's betrayal of the Raiden Shogun.
Kill the Ones You Love: Katsuragi convinced his master to let him be the scapegoat for the Tatarasuna incident, otherwise Nagamasa's efforts to restore the Mikoshi family name would have been All for Nothing. Nagamasa reluctantly executed his retainer, then threw the blade he used, the Daitatara Nagamasa, into the fire to be destroyed.
Meaningful Name: The second kanji in his name, 正, means "righteousness", and Nagamasa was primarily characterised by his dedication to restoring his family honour.
Named Weapons: Upon arriving at Tatarasuna as an inspector, Nagamasa also started to practice sword smithing as a form of therapeutic cultivation. He named his first great work Daitatara^noteGreat Tatara Nagamasa after himself, symbolising his newfound life in Tatarasuna. After he was forced to execute Katsuragi due to the Tatarasuna disaster, it became known as the Katsuragikiri Nagamasa.
Parental Title Characterization: Nagamasa referred to Chiyo with the honorific -sama, showing his great respect and loyalty towards his adoptive mother and contrasting him with Michihiro when it comes to their attitudes towards her.
Sibling Yin-Yang: As opposed to Michihiro, Nagamasa chose to redeem his family name by working for the Shogunate after his clan fell into dishonor.
Thicker Than Water: Subverted. Of Chiyo's two sons, it is Nagamasa, the adopted one, who kept her family name and worked hard to redeem it. Chiyo's biological son instead abandoned it to start a new life.
The Voice: Only his voice was revealed in Scaramouche's flashbacks of Tatarasuna during Interlude Chapter, Act III.

Characters / Genshin Impact: Inazuma

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Inazuma

Narukami Island

Tri-Commission

Arataki Gang

Arataki Itto

Kuki Shinobu

Introduced: June 21, 2022 (v2.7 "Hidden Dreams in the Depths" [second half])Voiced by: Yang Ning (Chinese), Kaori Mizuhashi (Japanese), Kim Yul (Korean), Kira Buckland (English)

Akira, Genta, and Mamoru

Chinju Forest

Hanyuuda Chizuru

Ioroi

Kappa, Youkou, & Hitotsume Kouzou

Grand Narukami Shrine

Yae Miko

Hanachirusato

Kano Nana

Gendou Ringo

Tropes that apply to both:

"Momoyo"

Lyudochka Snezhevna

Kuki Miyuki

Mrs. Kuki

Inazuma City

Atsuko

Tejima, Kurosawa Kyounosuke, and Domon

Heihachi

Kayabuki Ikkei

Katou Youhei and Shingou

Masakatsu

Tomoki

Fujiwara Toshiko

Naganohara Fireworks

Naganohara Yoimiya

Introduced: August 10, 2021 (v2.0 "The Immovable God and the Eternal Euthymia" [second half])Voiced by: Jinna (Chinese), Kana Ueda (Japanese), Bak Sin-hee (Korean), Jenny Yokobori (English)

Naganohara Ryuunosuke

Sakujirou

Iwao, Matsuzaka, and Saika

Ninken

"Black Shadow"/Kageroumaru

Taroumaru

Bantan Sango Detective Agency

Ryuuji

Bantan Sango

Yae Publishing House

Aratani

Junkichi and Shigeru

"Miss Hina"/Gorou

Souka

Sumida

Komaniya Express

Kirara

Introduced: May 23, 2023 (v3.7 "Duel! The Summoners' Summit!" [first half])Voiced By: Sun Yanqi (Chinese), Sayumi Suzushiro (Japanese), Kang Eun-ae (Korean), Julia Gu (English)

Ritou

Kama

Kannazuka

Hanayama Kaoru

Yashiori

Granny Oni

Kaji

Washizu

Watatsumi

Seirai

Neko

Tsurumi

The Boatman

Ruu

Rōnin

Kaedehara Kazuha

Introduced: June 29, 2021 (v1.6 "Midsummer Island Adventure" [second half])Voiced by: Banma (Chinese), Nobunaga Shimazaki (Japanese), Kim Shin-woo (Korean), Mark Whitten (English)

???

The Prized Isshin Blade / Kagotsurube Isshin

Shiki Taishou

Vagrants

Inou

Yamada Hifumi, Tanaka, and Yamamoto

The Nameless Samurai / "Masanori" / Kazumichi Kenji

Nogata

Other

Introduced: June 21, 2022 (v2.7 "Hidden Dreams in the Depths" [second half])
Voiced by: Yang Ning (Chinese), Kaori Mizuhashi (Japanese), Kim Yul (Korean), Kira Buckland (English)

Introduced: August 10, 2021 (v2.0 "The Immovable God and the Eternal Euthymia" [second half])
Voiced by: Jinna (Chinese), Kana Ueda (Japanese), Bak Sin-hee (Korean), Jenny Yokobori (English)

Introduced: May 23, 2023 (v3.7 "Duel! The Summoners' Summit!" [first half])
Voiced By: Sun Yanqi (Chinese), Sayumi Suzushiro (Japanese), Kang Eun-ae (Korean), Julia Gu (English)

Introduced: June 29, 2021 (v1.6 "Midsummer Island Adventure" [second half])
Voiced by: Banma (Chinese), Nobunaga Shimazaki (Japanese), Kim Shin-woo (Korean), Mark Whitten (English)