Anemo

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Archon: Barbatos
Elemental Reactions: Swirl
Gnosis: Queen
Strong Against: Pyro, Hydro, Electro, Cryo
Weak Against: Geo

In General

Big Damn Heroes: Throughout the Traveler's journey throughout Teyvat, they are rescued by individuals that wield the power of Anemo.
- In Liyue, Xiao saves the Traveler from falling to their doom after Osial wrecks the Jade Chamber's assault platforms.
- In Inazuma, Kazuha intercepts the Raiden Shogun's killing blow aimed towards the Traveler, tapping on both his Anemo Vision and his dead friend's Electro Vision, defeating the Musou no Hitotachi.
- In Sumeru, Scaramouche awakens his Anemo Vision and utilizes his new power to block an attack from the Shoki no Kami illusion's blast aimed at both him and the Traveler.
Blow You Away: Anemo represents the power of wind.
Boring, but Practical: Anemo only has one reaction: Swirl which spreads Cryo, Electro, Hydro and Pyro to multiple targets. Despite this limitation or because of it, Anemo is considered one of the most powerful elements of the seven because it can enable a lot of elemental reactions to huge mobs of enemies through the use of swirl.
Death by Origin Story: Most of the Anemo users once had a friend or loved one that they had lost some time in their backstory, to the point where it has been joked in the fandom that a requirement to get an Anemo Vision is to have a dead friend.

Mundane Utility: A majority of the Anemo Vision wielders possess secondary traits to their talents and skills that aid the Traveler with exploration, primarily with traversing vertical spaces.

Mondstadt

Jean Gunnhildr

Voiced by: Lin Su (Chinese), Chiwa Saitō (Japanese), Ahn Yeong-mi (Korean), Stephanie Southerland (English)
Introduced: September 28, 2020 (v1.0 "Welcome To Teyvat" [game launch])

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/genshin_impact_jean_9.png

Dandelion Knight

^{Sea Breeze Dandelion}

"'For Mondstadt, as always' is the Gunnhildr family motto. Every time I use my Vision, I am reminded of my mother and the hopes of the people of Mondstadt. For Mondstadt, for freedom—that is what I fight for."

Rarity: 5★
Birthday: March 14
Element: Anemo
Weapon: Sword
Associated Weapon: Skyward Blade
Model: Tall Female
Constellation: Leo Minor, the Lion Cub
Specialty Dish: Invigorating Pizza (Mushroom Pizza)
Normal Attack: Favonius Bladework
Elemental Skill: Gale Blade
Elemental Burst: Dandelion Breeze
Utility Passive: Guiding Breeze (12% chance to cook HP-restoring dishes twice)
Affiliation: Knights of Favonius

Acting Grand Master of the Knights of Favonius and current title holder of "Dandelion Knight," one of the Four Winds. Beautiful, charismatic, and with a keen sense of duty towards her homeland, she is well-liked among her peers, even as she struggles with the multifaceted nature of her work.

As the leader of the Knights, Jean balances between offense, support, and healing, with her charged attacks having the unique ability to lift her enemies upward and slow down their descent. Her Elemental Skill, Gale Blade, launches a windy thrust; in its charged form, she can also suck in enemies and direct them to her intended trajectory. Her Elemental Burst, Dandelion Breeze, deals Anemo damage to surrounding enemies and heals nearby allies, as well as summons a "Dandelion Field" which periodically continues to deal damage on enemies and heal allies within its radius.

As Jean continues to learn from her experience as interim leader, she gains the ability to randomly heal her allies with her normal attacks, and Dandelion Breeze gains the ability to regenerate some Energy. Once she fully dedicates herself to following the footsteps of Vennessa, Jean gains the ability to boost the party's movement and attacking speed whenever she picks up Elemental Orbs or Particles; the held form of Gale Blade enjoys an increased pulling speed and damage potency; and the Dandelion Field gains the ability to inflict an Anemo Resistance penalty on opponents within its radius, as well as a damage reduction on allies, which will linger for a short while upon leaving the field.

Jean can be obtained from either the Character Event Wish or Wanderlust Invocation.

The Ace: For being heavily groomed as the successor of Gunnhildr name, she has it all — she is among the most powerful fighters in Mondstadt, she can be relied on to solve almost any problems, and everyone adores and respects her.
Aloof Big Sister: While she expresses concern for Barbara according to voice-overs, Jean's back story reveals that she has difficulty getting close to her sister, who grew up with their father after their parents separated. Despite her admiration for Jean and her bubbly disposition, Barbara feels the same awkwardness.
Animal Motif: Lions. Her titles include "Dandelion Knight" and "Lion of the South", and her constellation, Leo Minor, is a lion.
Area of Effect: Dandelion Breeze creates the Dandelion Field, a billowing circle of wind and dandelions around her that damages enemies and heals allies if they stay within it. Her fourth and sixth Constellation upgrades, Lands of Dandelion and Lion's Fang, Fair Protector of Mondstadt, respectively adds a 40% Anemo Resistance penalty on enemies and a 35% damage reduction buff on allies.
Beleaguered Boss: Between Amber, Lisa, Kaeya, Klee, Noelle, and Eula, Jean has much on her plate as Acting Grand Master. One of the story quests has you help her out with tasks so she can take a much-needed break.
Bilingual Bonus: The modern English name for dandelions came from a corruption of dent de lion, meaning "lion's tooth", because their leaves very vaguely look like sharp teeth. It's why Jean has a double motif of dandelions and lions.
Boring, but Practical: Compared to many other 5★ units, and even among Anemo units, Jean's skillset is no-frills and forgoes pure damage-dealing in favor of being a balanced, offense-oriented healer and cleanser. However, the simplicity of her skillset and abilities are the very qualities that make her a reliable party member. The most unusual thing in her arsenal is her ability to hold enemies in place with her charged attack and Gale Blade. Her capacity to get a team through just about any situation may very well be invaluable.
Catchphrase: She occasionally declares "I swear by my sword..." (or some variation of it) in some of her lines.
Chronic Hero Syndrome: Jean does not hesitate to help someone if it is for the right reasons. She also expects her fellow knights to do the same.
"The chance to help someone in need is reason enough for a knight."
Clock King: Her character story mentions a schedule list that she makes for her daily work, detailed down to the minute.
Combat Medic: Jean is a close-range fighter who wields a sword, but she is also a powerful healer. Notably, Dandelion Breeze summons a Dandelion Field that simultaneously heals allies and deals Anemo damage to enemies inside, and her first-ascension passive, Wind Companion, grants her normal attacks a 50% chance to heal the party based. Both healing abilities scale off of her Attack stat (specifically, 15% through Wind Companion), so making her hit as hard as she can will help her healing.
Corralling Vacuum: The charged version of Gale Blade pulls enemies towards her before she flings them back. Her first Constellation upgrade, Spiraling Tempest, increases its pulling speed and damage output by 40% after at least one second of being charged.
Crazy-Prepared: Her official character description states that she took precautions to protect the city even before the corrupted Dvalin attacked Mondstadt.
Cultured Badass: For the Gunnhildr Clan to prepare her as their successor, they trained Jean in the ways of a knight, ranging from disciple, etiquette, conduct, knowledge of history, ballads, to peak swordsmanship and physical fitness.
Cycle of Hurting: She is fully capable of inflicting this on small- to mid-sized enemies by using the held form of Gale Blade to toss foes straight up, damaging them when they land, then using her charged attack before they recover to suspended them in the air long enough for the Skill's cooldown to end. Rinse and repeat until her enemies are defeated or she runs out of stamina.
Damage-Increasing Debuff: Her fourth Constellation upgrade, Lands of Dandelion, endows the Dandelion Field with a 40% Anemo Resistance penalty on enemies inside.
Damage Reduction: With her sixth Constellation upgrade, Lion's Fang, Fair Protector of Mondstadt, the Dandelion Field gains the ability to grant the party a 35% damage reduction buff.
Elemental Personalities: The Grandmaster possesses an Anemo Vision, and is sometimes unable to stay in one place due to her Workaholic nature, but is still a sociable Nice Girl.
Even the Girls Want Her: Ellin seems to have it bad for the Acting Grand Master — she talks about training to be as strong as Jean in most of her dialogue, has Jean as an Imaginary Friend during Venti's Story Quest (even though she should've grown past the imaginary friends stage a long time ago), and asks the Traveler on advice about whether she should anonymously give Jean a written love poem and dandelion bouquet for the Windblume Festival.
Excellent Judge of Character: She accepted Eula into the Knights of Favonius despite her family's awful reputation, and didn't back down when most citizens protested. As a whole, Jean's trust is rarely misplaced, given Eula's own discomfort with her family's history.
Faction Motto: The Gunnhildr Clan has the family motto of "For Mondstadt, as always."
Flower Motifs: The dandelion, one of the national flowers of Mondstadt. One idle animation has her blow away a seedhead, features them in both her charged attack and Elemental Burst, uses the title of "Dandelion Knight," and dandelion seeds are among her Ascension materials.
Hair of Gold, Heart of Gold: Jean is a blonde young woman who serves as an exemplar figure among the Knights of Favonius, who acts in the name of Mondstadt's wellbeing, and is a chronic hero who will help people no matter what it may be.
Healing Winds: Dandelion Breeze creates a field of wind that can heal allies and damage enemies.
Hero-Worshipper: Jean looks up to Vennessa, the original Dandelion Knight and founder of the Knights of Favonius. Her fourth character story entry and first Story Quest show that, whenever she finds herself lost or weary, she prays underneath the Symbol of Mondstadt's Hero, a great tree in the middle of the plain of Windrise where legend has it that Vennessa ascended to godhood for her feats. It's probably why her constellation is Leo Minor, the Lion Cub, since she works so hard on fulfilling the duties of her inherited title by becoming more like her personal hero.
Hidden Depths: Her character story mentions that she loves reading romance novels, and one of her Serenitea Pot lines talks about how she's a capable singer.
Humble Heroine: Reconstructed. A good amount of her voice-overs show Jean struggle a bit to keep her proper image and not be self-indulgent (such as feeling selfish for protecting the Traveler not as Acting Grand Master but as herself), but ultimately she is always shown to be selfless during the story.
Imaginary Friend: For Ellin, an aspiring squire who often imagines her personally training her to motivate herself.
Jack of All Stats: Like Noelle, Jean is a very versatile character who can fill multiple roles simultaneously as a source of crowd control and a healer thanks to her talents, and has high and balanced enough stats to back it up.
Lady of War: As befits a female knight and one of the leaders of them, Jean is calm and level-headed, and skilled with her sword.
Launcher Move: Her charged attack is an upward thrust that launches any enemy, even larger ones, in midair so long as they are no more than twenty levels over her. Imbued with Anemo, it defies gravity as the target falls in slow motion instead of crashing straight down.
Leg Focus: Her Painted-On Pants are often in full display in her scenes.
Legacy Character: The title of "Dandelion Knight" has been passed down to the most distinguished among the Knights of Favonius, with Jean being the latest in the line of titleholders first held by Vennessa, founder of the Knights.
Meaningful Name: "Jean" is a derivation of the Hebrew name "Yochanan," which means "God is gracious." Jean is a graceful young woman and a devout worshipper of Barbatos, to the point that she is friends with his current identity, Venti.
Ms. Fanservice: While she is rather conservatively-dressed by this trope's standards, Jean is still an attractive young woman who wears Painted-On Pants that show off her legs (which are given focus, as well as a low-cut top that gives a nice shot of her cleavage. Her ample chest is also prone to bouncing quite a bit during a few animations. Her alternate outfit- a swimsuit- also bares her legs. Downplayed with her second outfit, which is more formal with a blouse-like garment layered underneath that completely covers Jean's chest, but is also tight-fitting.
Nice Girl: She's not as apparent about it as her younger sister Barbara, but Jean is nevertheless friendly on a good day as well as incredibly selfless. Her excellent reputation in Mondstadt isn't just for show, given she will help people no matter the reason.
No Gravity for You: Her charged attack is an upward thrust with the unique property of keeping an enemy temporarily suspended in midair.
Not the Fall That Kills You…: Using the charged form of Gale Blade to fire enemies straight up can deal decent damage once they hit the ground, even on a level surface. With some patience entire groups of enemies can be defeated just by repeatedly shooting them into the air.
Number Two: She is a devotee of the teachings of Varka, the Knight of Boreas and Grand Master of the Knights of Favonius. As of the game's story, the Grand Master went off somewhere, making Jean the Acting Grand Master.
Open Secret: Following the events of the Mondstadt Archon Quest, the report Jean writes skips over many details regarding the nature of Dvalin/Stormterror's affliction so that the people can rest easy without the knowledge that the dragon that terrorized them was one of the Four Winds. However, everyone in the Knights of Favonius, as well as associates like Diluc (himself a former commander), knows the truth of the matter.
Painted-On Pants: She's one of the few female characters who wears pants instead of shorts or bloomers, but they really look more like leggings than anything else, and the game lampshades this by occasionally giving Traveler the option to call her "Dandelion Tights."
Pals with Jesus: Jean invokes the name of Barbatos when using her Anemo skills, but she also happens to be on a first-name basis with his mortal guise, Venti, and had traveled with him for some time during the second half of the Mondstadt Archon Quest.
Parental Substitute: She treats Klee as her own daughter while under the Knights' watch (and it's not hard to read their relationship as Jean being an overworked mother who just doesn't have the capacity to oversee such an inventive, bold kid). Klee's sentences to "solitary confinement"^note turn out to be little more than groundings. This is lampshaded during the "Midsummer Island Adventure" event...
Paimon: If Paimon didn't know better, Paimon would think that Jean was Klee's mother!
Kaeya: You know, I had the exact same thought just now.
Pun:
- Her titles "Lionfang Knight" and "Dandelion Knight" basically mean the same thing - the word dandelion is derived from the French phrase "dent de leon," meaning "lion's tooth."
- "Lionfang" and "Dandelion" are both "Löwenzahn" in German, so the German translation merged both the "Dandelion Knight" and the "Lionfang Knight" titles into one; at the end of her story quest you have the option to call her either, but in the German version, you have the choice to call her "gentle" or "fierce" instead.
Punched Across the Room: Gale Blade allows Jean to shove her targets away, and using her charged attack stabs smaller enemies up into the air for a few seconds.
Rank Scales with Asskicking: Being a capable leader who can still throw down with the best is the practice for the second in command among the Knights, who has spent her entire life studying and training especially for this.
Reasonable Authority Figure: Despite having to account for political motivations and the tense situation between Mondstadt and the Fatui, she's willing to take direct action when needed and approves of doing whatever is necessary to protect the city and its people, including going with the Traveler, a newly-arrived outsider, and Diluc, a former Knight who resigned years ago out of disgust over a past incident of corruption, to the decisive battle with Stormterror.
Red Baron: Jean is famously known by titles such as the Dandelion Knight, the Lionfang Knight, and, as one of Mondstadt's Four Winds, the Lion of the South.
Regenerating Mana: Her fourth-ascension passive, Let the Wind Lead, automatically regenerates 20% Energy after using Dandelion Breeze.
The Reliable One: Her second character story says that people rely on her to solve their problems, however unrelated it is from a knight's matters, to the point where "Jean is so reliable" is a common saying in Mondstadt.
Same Surname Means Related: Averted — she uses her mother Frederica's surname, while her younger sister Barbara uses that of their father, Seamus Pegg.
Sick Episode: Her first Story Quest starts with her fainting from exhaustion just before she accepts a list of commissions from the Traveler.
Stab the Sky: In lieu of performing a quick double-slash common among most sword units, Jean instead stabs her sword upwards for her charged attack to launch her foes into the air.
Status Buff: Her second Constellation upgrade, People's Aegis, increases the party's movement and attacking speed by 15% for fifteen seconds whenever she picks up Elemental Particles or Orbs, while her sixth, Lion's Fang, Fair Protector of Mondstadt, endows the Dandelion Field with a 35% damage reduction for allies within its radius, which will linger on for either ten seconds or the next three hits (represented by three phantasmal dandelions orbiting the active character).
Strong Family Resemblance: Jean and Barbara have similar blue eyes and blonde hair, though Barbara's hair is a lighter shade of blonde.
Surprise Party: Near the end of her first Story Quest, an urgent issue that made Jean rush towards Angel's Share turned out to be a thank-you party held by the Knights of Favonius, Barbara, Venti, and Diluc just in time when she recovered.
Switch-Out Move: In Genius Invocation TCG, her Elemental Skill forcibly switches the target character to the next unit.
Sword Plant: During her first Story Quest, she kneels and holds her sword in this manner when she visits the Symbol of Mondstadt's Hero.
Trademark Favorite Food: Pizza — her "Favorite Food" voice-line has Jean reminisce the last time she ate pizza from the Cat's Tail tavern, and a variant of the Mushroom Pizza item is her specialty dish.
Universally Beloved Leader: Everyone in Mondstadt has nothing but the utmost respect for Jean for her tireless efforts to keep the region as safe as possible. Even Diluc, who normally treats the Knights with disdain, respects her. At the end of her first character quest, the other characters throw her a party in Angel's Share to show how much they appreciate her.
Upgrade Artifact: A variant—her third and fifth Constellation upgrades, When the West Wind Arises and Outbursting Gust, increase the talent levels of, respectively, Dandelion Breeze and Gale Blade by three.
Weapon Specialization: She's shown with the Favonius Sword in all her appearances, both in-game and for promotional weapons, and as it turns out it actually is a pretty good weapon for her kit — its substat is Energy Recharge, which can reach as high as 61.3% at Level 90, and its "Windfall" passive grants it at least a 60% chance to generate some Elemental Particles, allowing her to quickly trigger Dandelion Breeze.
Workaholic:
- Jean is steadfast about keeping Mondstadt safe at the cost of her personal well-being — according to Lisa, Varka being demanding towards her and not acknowledging her accomplishments once likely contributed to her becoming this.
- The grind finally catches up to her in her first Story Quest, where she collapses from exhaustion and is forced to take a day off.
- This is also reflected in her playable voice-overs — her idle lines have Jean urge the party to get a move on, and in her "Troubles" line she wonders if Lisa could make her a potion that could keep Jean awake for longer. However, at high levels of Friendship, she will admit that short breaks are necessary and offers to rest for a moment.

Sucrose

Voiced by: Xiaogan (Chinese), Akane Fujita (Japanese), Kim Ha-yeong (Korean), Valeria Rodriguez (English)
Introduced: September 28, 2020 (v1.0 "Welcome To Teyvat" [game launch])

Harmless Sweetie

"Bio-alchemy, when compared with creation, places more emphasis on transformation. Finding those little secrets that living creatures have and scaling them up, combining them — the results are always such a surprise. Life really is fascinating. Just how much do we really know?"

Rarity: 4★
Birthday: November 26
Element: Anemo
Weapon: Catalyst
Model: Medium Female
Constellation: Ampulla, the Flask
Specialty Dish: Nutritious Meal (V.593) (Crab, Ham & Veggie Bake)
Normal Attack: Wind Spirit Creation
Elemental Skill: Astable Anemohypostasis Creation - 6308
Elemental Burst: Forbidden Creation - Isomer 75 / Type II
Utility Passive: Astable Invention (10% chance to craft character/weapon enhancement materials twice)
Affiliation: Knights of Favonius

A bio-alchemist and assistant to Albedo. Sucrose strives to enrich the world through her research and has already made several contributions to her field, even as she yearns to one day reunite with her childhood friends through her creations.

Putting what she learned from Albedo to practice, Sucrose specializes in crowd control through creating butterfly-shaped Wind Spirits which suck in enemies. Her Elemental Skill, Astable Anemohypostasis Creation - 6308, creates a small Spirit that sucks in enemies before blowing them away, while her Elemental Burst, Forbidden Creation - Isomer 75 / Type II, has her toss a flask containing a larger Spirit that periodically sucks in enemies and then blows them away, in addition to changing elements into either Hydro, Cryo, Pyro, or Electro depending on which is absorbed first.

As Sucrose continues to grow in wisdom (and self-confidence), she gains the ability to boost her allies' Elemental Mastery, either specifically for those whose Vision element matches those she triggers Swirl reactions with, or in general whenever either of her Elemental Talents hit enemies. When Sucrose manages to perfect her discipline after many a trial-and-error, her Skill gains a second charge, as well as sees a reduction to its cooldown time every seventh normal or charged attack; and her Burst gains an increased duration, as well as the ability to boost the party's Damage Bonus corresponding to the element it absorbs.

Sucrose can be obtained from any banner.

Alchemy Is Magic: Sucrose specializes in bio-alchemy, making her capable of transforming living things with the power of alchemy. While the game hints that her abilities are creations of such a field (they have long names just like Sucrose's specimens), they function like any other Anemo skill in-game. She also has a field passive that gives a chance to craft character and weapon ascension materials twice.
Ambiguously Human: Sucrose's ears are actually fluffy and not human ears as with most other characters. The undersides of her boots also have little paw prints on them that can be seen during her gliding animation. As of this writing, the exact species is still ambiguous, though it's made clear she's not related to Diona.
Badass Adorable: Sucrose's appearance and personality make her one of the cutest characters. Despite her shyness, she's also not above putting her bioalchemy experiments to offensive use.
Bespectacled Cutie: Has big round pince-nez, an adorable appearance, and a shy personality.
Birds of a Feather: When she meets Collei for the first time during the 3.5 Windblume event, they become fast friends due to their similar Shrinking Violet personalities and struggles with social interaction and self-esteem.
Blow You Away: Since she is a mage-type Catalyst unit, this trope is more literal in application than other Anemo characters: her attack patterns and specials are all built around using wind to knock targets back or up. She can sling around anything human-sized or smaller and get enormous Swirl damage in the process.
Bunny-Ears Lawyer: They might be bunny ears, really anything other than cat is on the table. Anyway, Sucrose is no doubt one of the greatest scientists the Knights Of Favonius has, but even she can be just as weird as her experiments due to how hopeless she is in the social department.
- As mentioned below in Collector of the Strange, she collects bone samples of very specific kinds, even asking for ones with "the blood and meat still on" People understandably found this unusual at first, but once they started getting used to her oddity, they were perfectly willing to put aside the rarest bones for her.
- She decided that the best way to learn more about Diona (granted, it was to avoid a potentially sensitive topic in her view, but still) was to stalk her for one whole month. All she got from it was Diona constantly having the unnerving feeling of someone watching her, and no bone samples.
- Some of the experiments she makes can be rather unusual. An event story, "Windblume's Breath" involves her needing to collect breaths for an assignment. At this point, Paimon, who normally has a comment for everything, doesn't even bother with questioning it.
Childhood Friends: One of her story entries mentions her having two best friends, in which they dreamed of a certain wonderful place as described in a story, wishing to one day reach them together and live happily ever after. But circumstances made her friends leave her and go their separate ways, leaving her alone; when she first found out about alchemy, she thought about creating that "paradise" in real life through alchemy, thinking that her friends may come back to her again if she could achieve it.
Collector of the Strange: Her character story mentions that she likes collecting bones from living beings, preferably still fresh with viscera and everything still on it. She even has an idle animation where she pulls out a bone and examines it. Additionally, she also collects skeletons, even being able to nab a complete lizard skeleton because of this.
Cooldown Manipulation: With her fourth Constellation upgrade, Alchemania, every seventh normal or charged attack would reduce the cooldown of Astable Anemohypostasis Creation - 6308 by 1-7 seconds.
Corralling Vacuum: Both her Elemental Talents create Wind Spirits that pull in nearby enemies, occasionally knocking them in midair, with her Burst in particular lasting six seconds long and dealing damage every two (for a total of three bursts). Her first Constellation upgrade, Clustered Vacuum Field, adds a second charge to Astable Anemohypostasis Creation - 6308, while her second, Beth: Unbound Form, extends the duration of Forbidden Creation - Isomer 75 / Type II to eight seconds (and hence four bursts).
Dub Name Change: Her original Chinese name is "Shātáng" (砂糖), while her Korean name is "Seoltang" (설탕), both of which also mean "sugar." While in Japanese the Han characters can be read in kun'yomi (native Japanese) as sato, the localized name follows the English one (probably maybe because "Sato" is a common Japanese surname and has multiple meanings, which would diminish the sugar association). In the Spanish subtitles, her name is written as "Sacarosa," which is a type of sweetener.
Fantastic Racism: It is heavily implied she is terrified of being the victim of this due to her ears—in the voice interaction line where the Traveler asks her about her ears, she gets more nervous than she's ever been, and very meekly explains that they're "inherited" and that she tries as hard as she can to hide them in her hair. It's also implied that Sucrose is being anxious over nothing because everyone in Mondstadt couldn't care less about those animal traits, what with the existence of people with elf-like ears such as Klee, as well as Cat Folk like Diona and her father Draff.
For Science!: A positive example—she's laser focused on her pursuit of bio-alchemy and its application on living things, but she has a strong enough moral compass to use it for good. Her biography notes that people were suspicious of her at first, but once she found ways to double nectar output and preserve certain fruits for a month after harvesting without refrigeration, all without causing any ecological damage, the people of Mondstadt quickly changed their tunes. Her bio does point out that this is all in pursuit of something greater, however, which Sucrose keeps much closer to her chest.
Freak Lab Accident: During one experiment gone wrong, Sucrose discovered that the aftermath accidentally created an Anemo Vision. The first thing she did is to experiment on it.
Genius Sweet Tooth: Sucrose's favorite food is candy made from Sweet Flower nectar, and she mentions that eating them makes her focus better. Go figure.
Giver of Lame Names: Sucrose is not great at naming her specimens beyond extremely literal/numerical scientific descriptions. For example, she calls a strain of sweet flower that she worked on as "Sweet Flower Project 9, Version 28, Scent-Strengthening Trial." This even carries to her Elemental Skill and Burst, respectively called Astable Anemohypostasis Creation 6308 and Forbidden Creation - Isomer 75 / Type II. Ironically, she dreams of making a fairytale-like paradise with her work, but she cannot produce more fantastic names for her specimens; she ends up deciding that, if it is a paradise of her making, she is free to name the flora in it the way she likes best.
Lampshade Hanging: One of her treasure chest lines has her questioning why random chests appear out of thin air.
Leaning on the Fourth Wall: Her "Feelings About Ascension: Conclusion" voice line has Sucrose do this.
"I have such an abundant array of research materials now! To spend any more time on me would... would really be a waste of your time! [...]"
Little Bit Beastly: She has a pair of furry ears (and these do seem to be her only ears). She gets incredibly nervous when asked about them in her voice lines. It is implied by hints that she is of the same species as Yae's. Mondstadt has legends about fox people that sound similar to Kitsune, Yae Miko is the only other character to have ears like Sucrose, and Kitsune aren't originally from the Inazuman Archipelago, having immigrated from somewhere else a long time ago.
Luminescent Blush: She tends to break out into these a lot, most observably (and repeatably) on her Talent screen; she is painfully, cripplingly shy. It is a wonder she can fight at all.
Meaningful Name: Sucrose is the traditional chemical name for common sugar. Sucrose-the-girl is an incredibly sweet, shy, and earnest young woman who will give you insulin shock with how nice and eager she is. She also fittingly works with nectar and fruits.
Meganekko: Is a female anime character with glasses and a sweet personality.
Mentor Archetype: To Collei. As explained below, Sucrose is very similar to her but is also a young adult to Collei's early to mid-teens Vague Age and has more exposure, willing or otherwise, to the world, giving her the wisdom to recognize Collei's issues, how she can improve her self-esteem and social anxiety, and why Sucrose is the one who ought to help her.
Mirror Character: To Collei, who is also a Shrinking Violet green-haired girl studying under a Deadpan Snarker genius with a Medium Male body model that hold leadership positions in their respective organisations. When they meet during the 3.5 Windblume event, Sucrose even tells Collei that she feels that they're "very similar people". Their master-student pairs also has one person who is Little Bit Beastly, though they differ in that Collei's master is the one with fox ears while Sucrose is the student with animal ears.
Modesty Shorts: The undersuit of her dress creates these.
Navel Outline: A subtle one, but still visible in her splash art.
Nerd Glasses: They look a bit nicer than some examples (brass framed pince-nez with rimless tops), but she does have a big ol' pair of specs and the effect is definitely there. She even begs the enemy not to break her glasses in one of her "taking damage" voice lines.
Nice Girl: An incredibly sweet and earnest, if a somewhat shy and odd girl despite her social struggles, even bonding with Collei in "Windblume's Breath" due to their shared timidness. This is why she's called the "Harmless Sweetie".
No Social Skills: Due to both her shyness and singular focus on alchemy, she struggles with social interactions. Her character story mentions that she will understand more about Diona's Cat Girl traits if she just asks the bartender directly and nicely, but she would rather do what she does best: watching from a distance. She also says that this makes interacting with Kaeya awkward.
Description: "She finds the discipline of social interaction to be far more difficult to master than that of alchemy."
Shaping Your Attacks: Forbidden Creation - Isomer 75 / Type II creates a large butterfly-shaped Wind Spirit that pulls and launches nearby enemies.
Shrinking Violet: Zig-zagged—when dealing exclusively with people, Sucrose has trouble and tends to stammer and lose confidence in herself. When faced with the possibility of new discovery or knowledge, however, her natural eagerness and energy tend to overcome her shyness, if just for a bit.
Sliding Scale of Gameplay and Story Integration:
- Both her Elemental Talents take the form of butterfly-shaped Wind Spirits. Appropriately, one of her Ascension Materials is a drop from the Anemo Hypostasis, which does take on a butterfly-like appearance for some of its attacks.
- As Sucrose's Character Stories and voice-overs point out, even though she is Albedo's assistant and shares his interest in alchemy, her research direction is completely different. Gameplay-wise, both can support their teammates and boost their Elemental Mastery, but barely have any synergy with each other due to Anemo and Geo having no reaction.
Sore Loser: Downplayed, but after the Traveler defeats her in their first duel in Genius Invokation TCG, Sucrose admits that she hates losing, and can get surprisingly competitive sometimes.
Starter Mon: She is one of the starting character cards in Genius Invokation TCG, along with Diluc and Kaeya.
Status Buff:
- Both her ascension passives allow her to increase the party's Elemental Mastery stat for eight seconds, bolstering the potency of elemental reactions they trigger. That for her first, Catalyst Conversion, adds 50 points for her allies whose Vision elements match the one that was captured by any Swirl reaction she creates, while that for her fourth, Mollis Favonius, provides a boost for the party based on 20% of Sucrose's own whenever either of her Elemental Talents hit enemies.
- Her sixth Constellation upgrade, Chaotic Entropy, gives the party a 20% boost to Elemental Damage Bonus corresponding to that which Forbidden Creation - Isomer 75 / Type II changes into.
Switch-Out Move: In Genius Invokation TCG, in addition to dealing Anemo damage, her Elemental Skill forcibly switches the target to a previous character.
Upgrade Artifact: A variant—her third and fifth Constellation upgrades, Flawless Alchemistress and Caution: Standard Flask, increase the talent levels of, respectively, Astable Anemohypostasis Creation - 6308 and Forbidden Creation - Isomer 75 / Type II by three.
Workaholic: Her character story mentions that once, she was working with Albedo on an experiment that took five days straight until she was on the verge of collapsing from exhaustion, so he decided to give her some time off. Turns out Sucrose barely lasted a day into the mini vacation because she was bored without having anything she could research, investigate, or study.

Venti (Spoiler Warning)

Venti / Lord Barbatos, the God of Freedom

Voiced by: Miaojiang (Chinese), Ayumu Murase (Japanese), Jung Yoo-jung (Korean), Erika Harlacher (English)
Introduced: September 28, 2020 (v1.0 "Welcome To Teyvat" [game launch])

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

Windborne Bard

"Freedom, if demanded of you by an Archon, is really no freedom at all."

Rarity: 5★
Birthday: June 16
Element: Anemo
Weapon: Bow
Associated Weapon: Elegy for the End
Model: Medium Male
Constellation: Carmen Dei, the Divine Song
Specialty Dish: A Buoyant Breeze (Barbatos Ratatouille)
Normal Attack: Divine Marksmanship
Elemental Skill: Skyward Sonnet
Elemental Burst: Wind's Grand Ode
Utility Passive: Windrider (20% reduced Stamina consumption while gliding)
Affiliation: Mondstadt, The Seven

A mysterious bard who sings songs and poems of old and new tales. Venti first appears in the prologue soothing the dragon Stormterror but disappears into wind as the Traveler and Paimon spot him. What most do not know is that there is something more to this boy and why a dragon is fond of him.

In deep harmony with the winds, Venti specializes in making himself and his enemies float in midair. His Elemental Skill, Skyward Sonnet, summons a "Wind Domain," an upcurrent that can launch enemies in midair; in its held form he creates an even bigger Wind Domain around himself, which also gives him a lift and has the additional property of slowing down enemies' descent. His Elemental Burst, Wind's Grand Ode, has him fire off an arrow made of wind, creating a vortex that sucks in any enemy within range and can change into either Hydro, Pyro, Cryo, or Electro depending on which it comes into contact with first.

As he continues his wanderings, Venti gains the ability to create a longer-lasting upcurrent with the held form of Skyward Sonnet and restore some of his Energy at once the vortex of Wind's Grand Ode disappears, as well as those of his allies whose Visions' elements correspond to that absorbed. Once he masters the full force of a thousand winds, Venti gains the ability to fire three arrows at once with his aimed shots as well as a temporary boost to his Anemo Damage Bonus by picking up Elemental Orbs or Particles, and both his Elemental Talents gain the ability to inflict an Anemo Resistance debuff on enemies struck, in addition to Skyward Sonnet inflicting an extra penalty to Physical Resistance, with heightened potency for both on enemies launched in midair, and Wind's Grand Ode also inflicting a Resistance penalty towards the other element it absorbs.

Venti can only be obtained when the Ballad in Goblets Character Event Wish is active.

To see more information about his role as Lord Barbatos, click here.

Actual Pacifist: As revealed in the "Windblume Breath" event, Venti was responsible for avoiding a big conflict between the Hexenzirkel, and convinced the witches to solve their problems with verses instead of violence. This results in the witches reuniting every once in a while to share their anecdotes over a Tea Party.
The Alcoholic: He is very fond of both beer and vintage wine. During Jean's story quest, he gets very drunk on beer, and in his character profile he reveals a wish to steal Diluc's wine stores.
Androcles' Lion: Considering Venti's profession as a bard, the backstories and lore of certain items hint that he is the "friend" who woke up Dvalin from a deep slumber using the sound of his lyre. It was also thanks to the ballads that the people of Mondstadt now remember Dvalin and his deeds after having forgotten about him for centuries. Even before that incident, since Venti is the Anemo Archon who sought Dvalin in order to save Mondstadt from Durin, the two just basically scratched each other's backs in the past.
Badass Adorable: Venti is the Anemo Archon who is also a playful Pretty Boy.
Become a Real Boy: His first Story Quest goes deep into his backstory, revealing that he was once a wind spirit who befriended a young bard who sang of freedom and his desire to overthrow Decarabian's tyranny, through whom he developed his own personality and love of freedom; when the bard died during the uprising, the wind spirit that would become Barbatos assumed his physical form in his honor, thus gaining a human form.
Becoming the Mask: Downplayed, in that it's obvious that he prefers his human identity as "Venti" to his true identity as Barbatos. He can be wise at times, but it is not a persona he likes to keep for long.
Big Damn Heroes: In the webcomic, he suddenly appeared in the gladiator arena to share his wind powers to Vennessa, allowing her defeat Ursa the Drake.
Blow You Away:
- He's the Anemo Archon for a reason. Venti was born a wind spirit, and after the power vacuum Decarabian left in the Old Mondstadt, he used his powers to take the form of a nameless bard he befriended. As Barbatos, his powers were strong enough to reshape the terrain and throw mountaintops far into the ocean, and it's implied they allowed him to heal Xiao.
- For a more straightfroward example of his powers, Skyward Sonnet creates the Wind Domain, a temporary upcurrent that keeps his enemies (as well as himself in its charged form) afloat. With his first-ascension passive, Embrace of Winds, he can also create an upcurrent that lasts twenty seconds with which the party can propel themselves for gliding at any time.
Braids of Action: He wears two braids at the side of his head. They glow bright green when he uses his Elemental Burst.
Brought Down to Badass: He has his Gnosis stolen by Signora at the end of the Mondstadt Archon Quest. This does not stop him from being highly competent in battle. And even without his Gnosis, he can still perform some of his godly duties, as seen in his Story Quest where he lays the spirit of the original Stanley to rest.
Cassandra Truth: In the Second Act of the Mondstadt Archon Quest, Venti openly tells Sister Gotelinde that he is Barbatos in order to access the Holy Lyre der Himmel. The nun does not believe Venti's words, thinking that he is just a bard.
Casual Danger Dialogue: When Signora captures him he never drops his amused and affable demeanor, insulting her several times through rhyme even after she takes the Anemo Gnosis.
Change the Uncomfortable Subject: In the manga, when Vanessa asks him about Celestia, Venti is clearly unhappy and uncomfortable before quickly changing the subject to leaving the prison before talking about Celestia.
Commonality Connection:
- During his story quest, he says he is similar to Stanley. Like Stanley, Venti took on the identity of his deceased friend, albeit in different ways.
- Also to other Anemo Vision bearers in an indirect way due to it being unknown if the archons have an influence over who receives Visions; He lost a friend, for which he is still grieving centuries later, and the most common type of person to receive Anemo Vision is someone who has experienced grief or loss in some way, such as the loss of a friend or family member.
Corralling Vacuum: Wind's Grand Ode creates a vortex which continuously pulls in small- to medium-sized enemies for its duration, simultaneously dealing gradual Anemo damage and leaving them helplessly flailing about in the air, with a chance to change elements to either Hydro, Pyro, Cryo, or Electro depending on which one it absorbs first.
Covert Pervert: Implied. He's generally quite nice, if overly laid back and playful, but if his apparent response to Mona trying to look at his Constellation being to try and blow her clothes off is anything to go by...
Create Your Own Villain: Throughout his life, his hands-off approach has led to tragedy that could have been prevented had he been around to intervene:
- Because of his lack of presence, the Lawrence clan was allowed to grow tyrannical, tearing down his statue, turning the Ludi Harpastum into a corrupted version of itself to be enjoyed only be the aristocracy and even having a slave caste made to fight in blood sports.
- During the Cataclysm, he failed to appear until after much damage had already been done to Mondstadt, including the death of Rostam, leading Rosalyne-Kruzchka Rohefalter to fall into despair and become the Crimson Witch of Flames, and later La Signora, who would eventually steal Venti's Gnosis.
Cutscene Incompetence: At the end of the Mondstadt Archon Quest, the Traveler and Venti are ambushed by La Signora and her Fatui agents right outside the Favonius Cathedral. Even though they can go toe-to-toe with hordes of enemies during gameplay, it takes just two Fatui to restrain the Traveler and make them helpless to do anything other than watch as La Signora beats Venti down. He also does not get to attack Signora when he had the chance.
Damage-Increasing Debuff: His second and sixth Constellation upgrades, Breeze of Reminiscence and Storm of Defiance, respectively reduce his enemies' Anemo Resistance by 12% and 20% when hit with Skyward Sonnet and Wind's Grand Ode, with an additional penalty to Physical Resistance for the former. Furthermore, the former has an additional 12% reduction for enemies swept aloft, and the latter adds a 20% penalty to resistance against the other element absorbed by the vortex.
Does Not Like Spam: He does not like cheese or anything sticky.
Don't Fear the Reaper: In addition to being the God of Wind and Freedom, he also fulfills the role of ferryman for the souls of his followers, carrying their spirits away on the breeze so they can rest in peace. In turn, Mondstadters are superstitious about places without much wind, worrying that if they die there, their spirits will be trapped there.
Drowning My Sorrows: In one of his voice lines, he empathizes with Zhongli's depowering and offers to bring him a bottle of vintage wine to share.
Early-Installment Weirdness: Of the current playable Archons, Venti stands out as the only one who didn't receive a second story quest (which would normally introduce another weekly boss domain in the region) in a few patches after his debut.
Elemental Personalities: The Anemo Archon is an approachable, carefree, coordial, talkative, and most importantly, free-spirited individual.
Expy: Of Wendy from Honkai Impact 3rd, having similar appearance, name and wind-related powers.
Feather Motif: Venti is fond of light and breezy stuff, which causes his Anemo powers to manifest as feathers. He also carries some feathers near his belt, and his backstory mentions that he would've wanted to give an eagle feather to his deceased friend.
Fluorescent Footprints: Midway through the Mondstadt Archon Quest, the Traveler and Paimon catch Venti running in front of the Grand Goth Hotel but lose him in a corner. Using Elemental Sight then comes in handy by revealing his footprints on the ground.
Foil: To Zhongli, the other surviving member of the original Archons. He takes on the form of the young boy, where the latter adopts that of an adult man. He is usually hands-off in his approach to his subjects, while the latter directly ruled Liyue for thousands of years. He is mostly able to fit in as a mortal, while the latter struggles to adapt to working without his infinite wealth. He eventually lost his Gnosis—and thus his authority as Archon—as a result of neglecting his duties for too long, while the latter willingly gave up his after having grown weary of his millennia-long tenure and after seeing the Qixing and the Adepti be able to save Liyue from Osial's rampage without needing him anymore. Despite his loss of authority, he continues to watch over his people, while the latter contented himself into retirement.
Foreshadowing: There are hints of him actually being the avatar of the Anemo Archon, Barbatos.
- The first scene of him in the comic shows him appearing from an Anemo sigil on the ground in the outskirts of the Whispering Woods, and then he wonders how long he has been sleeping.
- One of the first things Venti did upon arriving in Mondstadt is to check on the statue of Barbatos in front of the Favonius Cathedral. It turns out that he has a form that resembles how the Archon is depicted in the statue, complete with a hoodie and a pair of angelic wings.
- When Venti tells a story about Murata in the webcomic's prologue, Vennessa notices how he speaks as if he's from the distant past. This is a hint that Venti is far older than he looks. During the gladiator match the next day, Vennessa learned that Venti is the Anemo Archon.
- During the Second Act of the Mondstadt Archon Quest, while trying to gain access to the Holy Lyre der Himmel, a relic said to have belonged to the Anemo Archon, Venti proclaims to the first nun he runs into inside the Favonius Cathedral that he is Barbatos. Of course, she does not believe him. The Traveler and Paimon, however, suspect he may be telling the truth. This is later confirmed when he confronts Dvalin/Stormterror atop Starsnatch Cliff; Dvalin himself refers to him as Barbatos. Jean appeared to have realized this, almost calling him Barbatos before correcting herself. He thanks her for continuing to use the name Venti despite knowing his true name.
A Form You Are Comfortable With: Barbatos's current form as Venti is based on the likeness of a young bard he befriended thousands of years ago.
Friendly Sniper: He's friendly and playful, and uses bows in combat.
The Gadfly: He likes to tease the other party members and when Signora captures him, his reaction is to repeatedly insult her through rhyme.
Gameplay and Story Segregation:
- While Barbara notes that her healing powers don't really work on Venti after he's ambushed by the Fatui at the end of the Mondstadt Archon Quest, in normal combat her healing works fine on him. Though the wounds aren't normal and come from his Gnosis being forcefully taken from him.
- Jean's Story Quest reveals that Venti is allergic to cats. However, a playable Venti can interact with any cat on the vicinity fine.
The Gods Must Be Lazy: As Barbatos, the God of Freedom, he built Mondstadt intentionally without any leading figure; he knew of the irony of "the god of freedom demanding his people to be free," so he chose to leave the people to their own devices and just be a free, wandering bard. Paimon, naturally, calls him out for being irresponsible.
The Heretic: Downplayed and subverted, but he is known to spread subversive, fun stories about Barbatos as himself in his mortal guise. The church doesn't take this well, but he points out that the church doesn't know if these stories didn't happen.
In-Series Nickname: Paimon names Venti "Tone-Deaf Bard" midway through the Mondstadt Archon Quest.
Imaginary Friend: Venti's first Story Quest deals with this topic. With a special monocle borrowed from Lisa that allows wearers to discover invisible beings, he, the Traveler, and Paimon find out that children are more likely to have them, while adults tend to stop having such innocent imaginations once they grow up.
Irony: Mondstadt ought to be a paradise for the alcohol-loving Barbatos with its wines and ciders were it not for his youthful form. It is not much of an issue by the time the Traveler arrives, but his profile reveals that shortly after his arrival, the taverns refused to sell him alcohol, forcing him to get a bit creative and encourage his audience to buy him alcohol in his stead.
Jerkass to One: Inverted. He is on the receiving end from Zhongli, from all people. As both are the characters who know each other the longest and are the only original survivors of the Archon War, Zhongli has known him enough time for Venti to press all his buttons. Zhongli often refers to Barbatos as "that drunkard".
Loser Deity: Downplayed, but he is given very little respect by most of the cast despite them all very quickly learning his secret identity. Paimon dislikes him, constantly belittling and mocking him, and the voice lines for two other Archons, Morax/Zhongli and Beelzebul/Ei, show that they don't have much respect for him^note. He also gets roughed up by Signora and loses his Gnosis to her, and even before that Venti was the weakest of the Seven due to his lack of interest in ruling over his domain. He lampshades this, lamenting that the Traveler has only met him at a time when he is constantly running into misfortune.
Magic Feather: His Vision is a fake. Nothing more than a ordinary glass sphere used to avoid suspicion. His base powers come from being an Anemo spirit, while his more powerful abilities come from the Gnosis located in his body.
Magic Music:
- His music is particularly powerful and charming, leading people who hear his songs to instantly believe in Barbatos. In the latter third of the Mondstadt Archon Quest, he uses his music and the Holy Lyre der Himmel to dispel the storm barrier covering Stormterror's Lair.
- He's also implied to be the one helping Xiao soothe his pain from karmic debts with music. Xiao's story entry mentions that he was once succumbed to his debts after a full day of exhausting battle, but the winds brought the sound of a distant flute, "massaging his wild senses, and giving him a moment's peace." Said text does not mention who played the flute, but in Xiao's promotional video, Venti appears at the end playing the flute in the distance.
The Magnificent: He's also called "Venti the Bard."
Meaningful Name: His name is derived from the Latin word for "wind" ^note. Fittingly, his element is Anemo.
Mr. Exposition: Towards the end of the Mondstadt Archon Quest, he gives off information about the world, Mondstadt, and the Archons. It helps that he is one of the Archons himself.
Mr. Vice Guy: Sure, Venti might be irresponsible towards his duties as an Archon, and he is The Alcoholic, but anyone who meets him will see that he can be quite the approachable individual.
Multishot: His first Constellation upgrade, Splitting Gales, allows him to fire two extra arrows with his aimed attacks, each having a third of the potency of the main shot.
Mythology Gag: He's basically themed after Wendy from Honkai Impact 3rd, who has a similar color scheme^noteand ability to control the winds. Both characters also have titles that allude to their powers and godly status (Anemo Archon and Herrscher of Wind, respectively).
Never Gets Drunk: He does, but it takes much more for Venti to get drunk than a normal person would. During the surprise party for Jean, Venti drinks thirty-seven mugs of alcohol. Normally, he would not be able to pay for one, but because the drinks are free for the party's attendees, he takes the opportunity and drinks as much as he likes. He does not realize that the drinks are only free for the Knights of Favonius, but Diluc knows that Venti could not carry that much around him and would be unable to pay for the drinks anyways, and he comments about how Venti is not a normal person, being one of the few people who knew he is Barbatos.
Nice Guy: Seems to set this trend started among all the other Archons. All things considered though, Venti is quite friendly and playful.
The Nicknamer: In the webcomic, Venti calls Lord Barca as a "Thick Fat Sausage Stuffing" and gives Vennessa the alias of "Flame-Haired Vennessa" in his ballads.
Not Quite Flight: The held version of Skyward Sonnet causes him to fly upwards with his wind powers and float in midair, seemingly as though he achieved natural flight, but will drop down after a short while.
Oh, My Gods!: One of his lines when he opens a treasure chest is him thanking Barbatos, only for him to realize that he just thanked himself.
"Thank Barbatos! Wait a minute..."
Olympus Mons: Venti is a 5★ character, and is the god Barbatos in human form.
Only One Finds It Fun: Of the current playable Archons, Buer is the only one to get along with him, if his voice-over about her is to go by.
(About Buer) "The first thing you think of when you hear 'Dendro Archon' is her power over dreams. Her dreams are akin to my ballads — full of emotion and imagination. Hehe, it goes without saying that we get along really well!"
Otherworldly and Sexually Ambiguous: Played with in an amusing way. Venti identifies as male, but as Barbatos, he is seen as this by the people of Mondstadt, likely because no one has seen or spoken to him in 500 years and the only thing they have to go on are his androgynous statues and some fairy tales
Passive-Aggressive Kombat: In the epilogue to the 2023 Lantern Rite event, Venti and Zhongli keep throwing exaggerated compliments to each other, while also throwing embarrassing anecdotes about the other.
Pet the Dog: Tries anyway. At Barbara being distressed over the destruction of the Holy Lyre der Himmel, with her accidentally rubbing salt in the wound by begging Barbatos for forgiveness, he uses magic on the Lyre, seemingly fixing it. Unfortunately, she takes it from him to return to its place, meaning he can't hide the fact that the magic will wear off and reveal it to still be destroyed.
Plot Allergy: Venti is very allergic to cats.
- During Jean's story quest, Venti needs the Traveler's help to recover his lyre strings from a cat.
- In "Summertime Odyssey", Venti doesn't tag along with the Traveler because he has been offered a lot of drinks at The Cat's Tail for a performance. He spends the entire quest on the rooftop because he can't stop sneezing during his gig.
Power Floats: As expected from the Anemo Archon himself. Besides being able to generate wind currents to glide high into the air, one of his idle animations has him casually float off the ground for seconds, notably without even using a glider.
Pretty Boy: Yes. His appearance is quite androgynous, with his braids, somewhat short stature, and his bard outfit being able to give the impression he looks like a woman.
Psychopomp: At the end of his first Story Quest, Venti shows that as Barbatos he can ferry souls away, such as helping the soul of Stanley, an adventurer who died years ago saving his traveling partner, move on to the afterlife, as well as help his friend and said partner, Hans Archibald, who spent years posing as Stanley to assuage his own guilt, finally move on.
Really 700 Years Old: Seeing as he is a god and hasn't even been seen for 500 years prior to the story. He looks youthful, though his purchase of beer does not raise any eyebrows, at least by the time the Traveler arrives. In the comic, years after he helped Vennessa overthrow the Lawrence Clan's tyranny, he still appears the same as he tells the Traveler about Vennessa's legend. His Story Quest puts his age at around 2,300 years old, and the Liyue Archon Quest reveals that out of the original Archons, he's the only other member remaining besides Rex Lapis, which would make him the second-oldest out of the current crop.
Reduced Mana Cost: In a variant, his field passive reduces the party's stamina consumption while gliding if he is slotted in.
Regenerating Mana: His fourth-ascension passive, Stormeye, restores 15 Energy to Venti after using Wind's Grand Ode, as well as to any ally whose Vision element matches that absorbed by the vortex.
Rhymes on a Dime: As a traveling bard, he loves to speak in rhymes. In the comic, his penchant for rhymes even gets to annoy Vennessa, but she comes to enjoy it in the end. When the situation's serious, however, he can speak normally. In the game, he usually speaks normally, but will occasionally rhyme, especially when he intends to tease.
Sad Clown: He may have a carefree façade, but under the surface, Venti admits to the Traveler to having his fair share of sadness and regrets. He gets especially upset when recounting the deaths of friends that he lost to either battle or old age due to his very long lifespan.
Self-Deprecating Humor: Venti himself often tells cheeky, irreverent stories about himself as Barbatos to his own people, such as times he allegedly played pranks on his fellow Archons.
Sitcom Archnemesis: With Paimon. Venti's demeanor annoys her to the point she calls him "Tone-Deaf Bard" and usually belittles him. In response, Venti often imitates her for laughs, and his playable voice-lines have him refer to her as a "pesky little pixie thing" and a minor inconvenience.
Sliding Scale of Gameplay and Story Integration:
- Venti is the oldest and most experienced of all the archer-type characters and a god on top of that. Despite doing some flourishes in his standard attack string, he manages to let loose four extra arrows compared to everyone else, and he charges up his arrows faster.
- During the "Unreconciled Stars" event, the playable characters' Visions glow and produce a noise when they are near a meteorite shard... except for Venti's, because his Vision is fake.
Snark-to-Snark Combat: In the 2023 Lantern Rite event epilogue, he gets into one with Zhongli. The two of them are doing everything in their power to keep their identities hidden from everyone present while trading barbs with one another at the same time.
Starving Artist: Played for Laughs. Venti suffers from Perpetual Poverty, though unlike Zhongli, a fellow Archon-in-human-form who suffers from similar problems, he rarely seems to mind. It does, however, prevent him from feeding his alcohol habit, leading to such antics as crashing Jean's surprise party despite not having contributed to it, and trying to raid the open bar despite not one of the people invited (the bartender humors him to see Venti's alcohol tolerance anyway).
Status Buff: His fourth Constellation upgrade, Hurricane of Freedom, raises his Anemo Damage Bonus by 25% for ten seconds whenever he picks up Elemental Particles or Orbs.
Stolen Good, Returned Better: Zigzagged and ultimately subverted. After recovering the Holy Lyre der Himmel from the Fatui, the Traveler learns from Venti that it has long since lost all its power. Using Dvalin’s purified tears, they can restore its power... only for Dvalin to destroy it beyond repair when Venti confronts him. After solving the Stormterror crisis, Venti sheepishly returns the mangled Holy Lyre to Barbara, who freaks out and begs the Anemo Archon to forgive her. Then Venti restores the lyre to pristine condition with magic, to Barbara’s immense relief, only to urge the Traveler to run before she gets back because the illusion won’t hold for long.
The Storyteller: Part of him being a bard is telling stories of legends. In the comic, he tells the Traveler about the story of Vennessa, the lady who brought peace and freedom back to Mondstadt from the tyrannical, whimsical rulers, and who founded the Ordo Favonius, the knights of Mondstadt.
Support Party Member: Venti's damage is lackluster despite his status. What he offers though is incredible crowd control, debuff (through Anemo artifacts), and exploration skills.
This Is Gonna Suck: He tries to make Barbara feel better about the destroyed Holy Lyre der Himmel by apparently fixing it with magic. When she takes it from him to return to its place, he reveals after she has gone that it was a temporary fix, and suggests he and the Traveler take their leave.
Trademark Favorite Food: Apples. His favorite drink is also apple cider.
"Here, have an apple. I just picked it. Look how ripe and juicy it is... *(munching)* Truly the fruit of the gods!"
Tragic Keepsake: His current appearance has been made in the image of a young bard he befriended back when he was a mere wind spirit. In addition, his eagle feathers were meant to be a gift for his human friend, who unfortunately died while leading the revolt against Decarabian, the tyrannical god of old Mondstadt, before he could see his dream of seeing birds in flight come true. In his memory, the spirit that became Venti took on the bard's form and wore the eagle feathers on him.
Trickster God: His character profile past Friendship Level 4 recounts tales of him pranking the other Archons, including the Tsaritsa and Morax. However, the text then reveals that they are merely fabricated stories, and Venti asked the people how could they tell so to mess with them; the text implies that he was drunk when he told those stories.
Upgrade Artifact: A variant—his third and fifth Constellation upgrades, Ode to Thousand Winds and Concerto dal Cielo, increase the talent levels of, respectively, Wind's Grand Ode and Skyward Sonnet by three.
Utility Weapon: The charged form of Skyward Sonnet gives him a free airlift, allowing players to reach tall places quicker or glide to a distance more easily.
Wandering Minstrel: He loves to wander around, recite poems, speak in rhymes, and play music with his little harp.
Weaksauce Weakness: He's intensely allergic to cats, so if one steals something from him, he needs to ask someone else to retrieve it for him. Even holding something a cat touched is enough to set off a sneezing fit.
We Used to Be Friends: He mentions that he and Tsaritsa, the Cryo Archon, used to be close allies long ago, but nowadays things are not the same anymore (to the point of one of her Fatui agents agents beats him up, or at least specifically Signora/Rozalyne, who blames his tardiness during a calamity for the tragedy that drove her the way she is today).
Why Did It Have to Be Snakes?: Since Venti occasionally sneezes whenever a cat approaches him, he makes it a rule that no cats must be in the vicinity when he is choosing where to perform. He also sneezes near a cat during a sub-quest of Jean's Story Quest. His cat allergy is reactive enough that during the "Summertime Odyssey" event, he can actually be seen perching on the roof of Cat's Tail when he's tasked to perform there because his allergy won't allow him to perform inside the tavern.
Willfully Weak: He could have been a lot more powerful were he more active in ruling Mondstadt^note, but he prefers to play the role of a bard. This haunts him when he got ambushed by Signora and was too weakened to escape the trap, causing him to lose his Gnosis, which holds most of his authority as one of the Seven Archons.
Wind Is Green: His color scheme is primarily green, and he wields Anemo.
Winged Humanoid: In the comic's prologue, when he reveals his "true self", he appears as an angelic being with white wings that release white feathers. He also appears this way in the legends he appears in. In his own story quest, Venti has Anemo wings when he reveals his identity to Stanley.

Liyue

Xiao

Xiao, né Alatus

Voiced by: kinsen (Chinese), Yoshitsugu Matsuoka (Japanese), Jeong Yoo-mi (Korean, pre-update), Shim Gyu-hyuk (Korean, current), Laila Berzins (English)
Introduced: February 3, 2021 (v1.3 "All That Glitters" [first half])

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

Vigilant Yaksha

"If you awake to a knife at your throat, if monsters dig their claws into you, if death comes knocking at your door, call out my name. Adeptus Xiao. I will be here when you call."

Rarity: 5★
Birthday: April 17
Element: Anemo
Weapon: Polearm
Associated Weapon: Primordial Jade-Winged Spear
Model: Medium Male
Constellation: Alatus Nemeseos, the Winged Nemesis
Specialty Dish: Sweet Dream (Almond Tofu)
Normal Attack: Whirlwind Thrust
Elemental Skill: Lemniscatic Wind Cycling
Elemental Burst: Bane of All Evil
Utility Passive: Transcension: Gravity Defier (Reduces stamina consumption of climbing by 20%)
Affiliation: Liyue Adeptus

Of the five Foremost Yakshas, Xiao is the last one still in active duty. Noble of heart, swift in judgement, and ever-vigilant, he alone bears the weight of his lost comrades, and the guilt of leaving them, up to this very day.

Xiao's millennia of battle-experience are reflected in his emphasis on high-speed aerial combat which allows him to dart to and fro and attacking his foes from every angle, in addition to an immunity to self-inflicted damage from plunging attacks. His Elemental Skill, Lemniscatic Wind Cycling, is a high-speed lunge he can perform up to twice in succession and can be performed in midair, while in his Elemental Burst, Bane of All Evil, he dons his Yaksha Mask and takes up a much more ferocious fighting style, giving his attacks an Anemo effect that cannot be overriden by reactions, in addition to heightened attacking range, damage potency, and jumping height (allowing him to spam plunging attacks) at the cost of slowly losing his HP.

As Xiao pushes himself past his limits and ever heavenward, the damage boost of the Yaksha Mask will now gradually increases the longer he wears it, and Lemniscatic Wind Cycling gains the ability to temporarily boost the damage of the next instance of the Skill. Once he transcends his inner demons and swears to live on in honor of his fallen comrades-in-arms, Lemniscatic Wind Cycling gains a third charge; Xiao gains a boost to his Energy Recharge whenever he is not the active character, as well as that to his Defense whenever he has less than half his HP; and the Yaksha Mask gains the ability to grant him a charge of Lemniscatic Wind Cycling whenever his plunging attacks hit at least two enemies, as well as allow him to immediately use the Skill.

Xiao can only be obtained when the Invitation to Mundane Life Character Event Wish is active.

Air-Dashing: Lemniscatic Wind Cycling allows Xiao to lunge forward at enemies up to twice in a row to deal Anemo damage. He can also use it mid-air to increase his air time while traversing the overworld.
Alien Blood: When seen wounded during the second Archon Quest Interlude chapter, he is shown to have strange teal-colored blood that flows out of his wounds like smoke rather than liquid.
Animal Eyes: Xiao has golden eyes with slitted pupils, giving him a catlike glare. He also has the personality to match.
Anti-Frustration Features: In his Story Quest, in the special domain, the Xiao that serves as trial character has his Yaksha Mask perpetually on, meaning he stays powered up but also gradually loses HP. To compensate, dealing damage to enemies also heals him, and his HP will never drop to zero so long as he is not attacked.
Arrogant Kung-Fu Guy: According to Chongyun, exorcists hold Xiao in high esteem and have fought alongside the Conqueror of Demons in defense of Liyue for generations. On the other hand, Xiao believes that exorcists are weak and lack the proper means to perform their duty, something that doesn't sit well with Chongyun. Justified in that Xiao has been working for at least a couple millennia and has likely fought far greater threats than what Liyue's exorcist clans can ever hope to face.
Asskicking Leads to Leadership: Xiao quickly climbed the ranks of the adepti thanks to his unparalleled combat skills and holds the position of one (and now the last) of the five Foremost Yakshas, which makes him a big deal among the adepti, who call him the "Conqueror of Demons" out of respect.
Bad Liar: He has a hard time pretending to not know Zhongli and Venti, to the point he has to make a lot of effort to not treat them with respect. When Hu Tao asks if an Adeptus can disguise as a normal human, Xiao is visibly struggling to answer a simple "I don't know."
Badass Adorable: Xiao appears as a fairly short and cute young man, but make no mistake, he is still one of the mighty yakshas and has no problem demonstrating why he's so powerful.
Badass Boast: In case the yakshas' Badass Creed did not make it clear enough, Xiao's boast tells you all you need to know about him.
Chat: Wandering Spirits - "The damned will sooner die again than lay a hand on me."
Badass in Distress:
- Essentially the plot of Perilous Trails. Having successfully powered up the Fantastic Compass, protected his companions from harm but ultimately unable to save himself in the story's third act, he seemingly makes peace with his end as he falls back into the Chasm's depths. Thankfully, Zhongli steps in and brings him back to the surface.
- Xiao goes through this in his trailer "Endless Suffering". Having fought and purged countless demons, he passes out from exhaustion and is rescued by Qiqi, who brings him back to Bubu Pharmacy to be looked after by Baizhu.
Because You Were Nice to Me: As gratitude to Rex Lapis for liberating him, he chose to help him protect Liyue. He also says that he will not forgive anyone who speaks against Morax.
Big Secret: He insists in his Friendship Level 3 lines that he doesn't harbor any desire. When the player reaches Friendship Level 6 with him, however, he clarifies that he simply would not speak about it to others, believing that spoken wishes will not come true in the end.
Bizarre Taste in Food: One of his voice lines for when it snows has him say that he thinks snow is edible when it's thick enough. If a comment made by Yoshitsugu Matsuoka, his Japanese voice actor, in a YouTube interview is any sign, it is because back then, Xiao was forced to survive by eating snow.
Blood Knight: Implied. When asked about his hobbies, he invites the Traveler to try fighting him.
Breaking Old Trends: Unlike previous Anemo Vision holders Jean, Venti, or Sucrose, Xiao's skillset doesn't share their ability to suck in opponents (as well as infuse elements like the latter two). Nevertheless, the increased damage radius of plunging attacks while the Yaksha Mask is in play compensates for this shortcoming.
Brooding Boy, Gentle Girl: Shenhe's voice-over about Xiao implies that Traveler is the Gentle Girl/Boy to Xiao's Brooding Boy.
Shenhe (About Xiao): "My first impression of him was that he's not one to smile. After meeting him again more recently, however, he's still as reserved as ever, but... he seems a lot more relaxed now. Maybe he... met someone special."
Broken Ace: Xiao is good looking, incredibly skilled at what he does, and serves dutifully under Rex Lapis for millennia... and suffers immensely under his karmic debt, as well as being generally unapproachable and dismissive, only slowly warming up to the Traveler.
Brutal Honesty: Xiao does not talk much, and when he does, he does not care for niceties.
But for Me, It Was Tuesday: Xiao doesn't remember when or how he got his Vision, which is an unforgettable moment in the life of every human, because to him it merely meant the beginning of his endless battle.
Call on Me:
- At the conclusion of Liyue Archon Quest, he promises that he will come whenever the Traveler calls his name. During the 2.1 "Moonlight Merriment" event, Paimon tries calling his name to no avail, because he exclusively promised the Traveler, and sure enough, the moment the Traveler calls his name, he's instantly there. Xiao also says something similar in his "Hello" voice-over, quoted at the top of the page.
- Hu Tao demonstrates this during The Exquisite Night Chimes, where she yells out all of Xiao's revered titles from atop Wangshu Inn's balcony in an effort to summon him.
- Happens again during Baizhu's story quest, with Paimon even commenting that the Traveler "better do the honours".
Cast from Hit Points: Bane of All Evil increases his damage potential in combat in exchange for slowly losing HP.
Catch a Falling Star:
- In the climax of the Liyue Archon Quest, he catches the Traveler when Osial broke the magical platform that they were previously standing on.
- In the second Archon Quest Interlude chapter, after Xiao sacrifices himself to teleport the rest of the group to the surface, Zhongli saves him from falling back into the Chasm's Bed.
Character Development: There is an evident progress in Xiao's characterization throughout the released game versions.
- Compared to his first appearance where he was cold to the point of rudeness and quickly vanished again, Xiao has mellowed out considerably around the Traveler. He gave them his word to show up whenever they call his name, and is a lot more likely to agree to a favor the Traveler may ask of him. Despite being someone who keeps to himself, he trusts them with his thoughts and feelings, as shown in the last part of Perilous Trails and their talk during The Exquisite Night Chimes.
- While he is still not much of a talker, he has become less abrasive with his words and even gives praise where he sees it fit, notably during Moonlight Merriment when Xiangling asks for criticism regarding her dishes.
- During v3.4's Lantern Rite event, he accepts Hu Tao's invitation and stays throughout her banquet dinner, as well as Xiangling's gift of Almond Tofu (though not without some encouragement from the Traveler) after originally refusing to enter Liyue Harbor during the first Lantern Rite festival.
- In his 2023 birthday letter, Xiao recounts taking the Traveler's advice to socialize and pays a visit to Moon Carver on his birthday. He agrees to stay when the adepti set up an impromptu birthday gathering, even noting how he would have refused in the past but is now appreciating the people by his side.
Cold Ham: With Xiao's acerbic attitude, penchant for Stealth Hi/Byes and dramatic if old-fashioned way of speaking, he fits the bill.
Cool Mask: He has a black Yaksha Mask that he will occasionally materialize over his face in one of his idle animations before sharply jerking his head to the side as it disappears. Bane of All Evil sees him donning the mask to dish out considerable damage at the cost of slowly losing HP. In his Story Quest, Paimon notes how he only wears it in battle, contrasting with "Starsnatcher" who wore his all the time.
Critical Hit Class: Xiao's ascension stat is Critical Rate, which can reach as high as 19.2% at his sixth.
Critical Status Buff: With his fourth constellation upgrade, Transcension: Extinction of Suffering, Xiao's Defense doubles whenever his HP falls below half.
Dark and Troubled Past: Xiao was once enslaved by an unnamed god who forced him to slay countless people and devour his victims' dreams, before Morax defeated them and brought him under his care. And as a Yaksha, he is waging a perpetual war against the remnants of defeated gods that keep reappearing, during which he lost all his comrades-in-arms.
Deadly Lunge: Lemniscatic Wind Cycling is a quick dash he can do up to twice in quick succession, deals damage to enemies on its way, and he can also do it in midair. His fourth-ascension passive, Dissolution Eon: Heaven Fall, increases the damage of successive uses of the Skill by 15% for seven seconds for a maximum of three charges. His first Constellation upgrade, Dissolution Eon: Destroyer of Worlds, adds a third charge, and his sixth, Conqueror of Evil: Guardian Yaksha, allows him to restore one charge if he hits at least two enemies with a plunging attack while wearing the Yaksha Mask, as well as negates charge consumption for one second, allowing him to spam it more often.
Death from Above: Xiao does not take damage from his plunge attacks no matter how far he falls. Wearing the Yaksha Mask increases his jumping height, allowing him to spam one plunging attack after another (in addition to increased power and range).
Defrosting Ice King: He consistently comes across as aloof and blunt to the point of rudeness. It's only over time that Xiao very slowly warms up to the Traveler, which is also when his gentler side comes out. He is still somewhat clumsy at expressing that side of him, which shows in his birthday line:
Birthday - "This mortal concept of commemorating the day of your birth really is redundant... (ahem) Wait! Uh... have this. It's a butterfly I made from leaves... Okay! Take it... it's an adepti amulet. It staves off evil."
Declaration of Protection:
- His voice line when pulling for him (quoted at the top of the page) is a variant of this. If anything happens, calling out his name will summon him.
- Another line of his, however, is an inversion, where he says that if the Traveler is tainted by the darkness, it'll be up to him to fall them.
  About Us: Warnings - "If a day comes where even you are taken by the darkness, it will be up to me."
Destructive Savior:
- The Yakshas were assembled to combat the lingering power of fallen or sealed gods following the Archon War, which demanded every ounce of their strength to eradicate, and Xiao hasn't exactly toned down his response over the years; he reacts to every problem with the same effort, however disproportionate, or even destructive, it may be. The best he can really manage is to try and finish quickly. Huai'an and Verr Goldet thus commission the Adventurers' Guild to deal with monsters near Wangshu Inn lest Xiao intervene and inadvertently create more havoc.
- During Baizhu's Story Quest, he tells the Traveler to deal with the matter regarding the god remains as soon as possible, lest he intervenes and causes more harm than good.
Determinator: He keeps fighting for centuries to defend Liyue from the fallen gods' lingering grudges (including monsters and miasma) despite repeatedly suffering from karmic debts and exposing himself to the wrath of the gods, for he had made the vow under the Geo Archon to defend the country.
Dismissing a Compliment: In his line about Ganyu, he points out how you praise him for being a good mentor for her. He, a Yaksha who knows only battle and bloodshed (as he claims), then says this...
"Your mind occupies a very different world from that which your body inhabits."
Don't You Dare Pity Me!: Xiao considers the suffering he and his comrades went through as Yakshas to be a matter of course and becomes offended when he receives pity for it.
Dramatic High Perching: Perches on the railing of a nearby ship's crow's nest when the Traveler calls out for him during the Moonlight Merriment, as well as the roof of Wangshu Inn when Hu Tao yelled for him during The Exquisite Night Chimes. He does it again during Baizhu's Story Quest, appearing on the roof of the house where the Traveler was at when they call on him for help regarding the god remains in Qingce Village.
The Dreaded: If Xiao shows up to fight, it's a sign you really need to be elsewhere. Case in point, his appearance is dreaded by his enemies often as much as by those he protects, as humans can (and have) ended up caught in the crossfire, even if he tries to minimise it. Even when not fighting he appears intimidating enough that Paimon, peeved as she was, not only refrained from giving him an ugly nickname (while having had no trouble doing so for a literal god) but seems notably more measured in her interactions with him.
Dream Stealer: Xiao used to be one. Under his enslavement by an evil god, he fed upon people's dreams. While he hated doing so, Xiao still has a fondness for the taste, as the texture of almond tofu is like that of the dreams he devoured.
Dub Pronunciation Change: In the Japanese dub, he's named Shou. This is the Japanese pronunciation of his Chinese character (魈）.
Dub Personality Change: In the original Chinese as well as Japanese dubs, Xiao comes off as more melancholic and distant, while in the English dub, Xiao is actively harsher and more incandescent.
Due to the Dead: At the end of his first Story Quest, Xiao orders Grilled Tiger Fish at Wangshu Inn rather than his usual Almond Tofu, in honor of Pervases, his former junior Yaksha whose spirit the Traveler met.
Exact Words: As explored during the 2.1 Moonlight Merriment event. He gave the Traveler his word to appear should they call his name. It's not just a kind expression he'll be willing to assist them; he literally appears when his name is spoken by the Traveler. This is shown when Paimon's attempts end up moot even though the Traveler is right beside her.
Face Doodling: Xiao was once a victim to this, as shown in the second Archon Quest Interlude chapter Perilous Trails. Bosacius is seen drawing on his face during a montage of the former's fond memories with his fellow Foremost Yakshas.
Facial Markings: He has a purple diamond in the middle of his forehead.
Famed In-Story: There are legends about him documented in ancient books. He dismisses most of them as "literati fanfiction."
Fashionable Asymmetry: A consistent theme throughout his character design. Xiao sports an asymmetrical haircut, has a tattoo on his right forearm, and wears a spiked, jade-inlaid pauldron, as well as a long detached sleeve on his left arm. His gloves differ in length and color (turquoise on the right side, black on the left). Finally he also wears different decorative elements on his pants and boots.
Fate Worse than Death: The spirit of Pervases saw Xiao's current circumstances as such. While talking to the Traveler, he inverts Survivor's Guilt, reflecting that his death in battle^note is a "selfish indulgence" compared to the physical suffering Xiao endures due to his karma.
Flashy Teleportation: He appears and disappears in a cloud of dark mist and glowing Anemo particles.
Foil: To Ganyu. Both are veterans of the Archon War who swore fealty to Rex Lapis, but while Ganyu has been an ally to him from the get-go, Xiao entered Rex Lapis's service through battle. They are also both fairly reserved, but while Ganyu is soft-spoken and friendly, Xiao can come across as cold and aloof even to those who have known him longer. Both have feelings of inadequacy among the humans of Liyue Harbor, Ganyu due to her half-qilin bloodline and Xiao fearing that he would be too dangerous to be around people. Protecting Liyue is also their lives' missions, albeit in different ways—for Xiao, through endlessly battling the remnants of ancient gods; for Ganyu, through working with the Qixing while avoiding combat whenever possible.
Food as Bribe: During the first act of the Liyue Archon Quest, the Traveler and Paimon had to inform him of Rex Lapis' apparent death. Since he just went off in their first attempt, Verr advises them to get his favorite dish so they can have his ear.
Friend to All Children: Some of his actions imply this to be the case. Xiao asked Huai'an to look after the spirit of Little Meng, who wasn't yet ready to move on; and in another instance he once personally returned a stolen doll to a little girl. This is quite telling given his usual cold demeanor.
Fun with Homophones: Xiao and the Xiao Lanterns from the 2021 event Lantern Rite. The Xiao Lanterns come from the word xiǎo (小) that means "small" due to their size, while Xiao takes his name (魈, xiāo) after a creature in Chinese Mythology. But of course, the event is about getting Xiao to take part.
Gathering Steam: His first-ascension passive, Conqueror of Evil: Tamer of Demons, increases Xiao's damage potential by 5% while wearing the Yaksha Mask, with an additional 5% for every three seconds he is wearing the Mask (to a maximum of 25%, equivalent to at least fifteen seconds).
Glass Cannon: Xiao has a high base Defense and HP, yet Bane of All Evil eats away at his HP for greater damage, and his Defense counteracts the HP he lost until the Burst ends, which lasts long unless you pull him out and replace him with another character. This makes healing pivotal for him or else he could fall easily from overclocking on the Burst or strong enemy attacks.
Glowing Eyes of Doom: While his natural golden eyes are already striking enough, the Yaksha Mask has eerily glowing teal eyes. Whenever he dons it, this always spells trouble for his enemies.
Good Is Not Nice: He comes off as cold and uncaring, but he has been protecting Liyue for hundreds of years and goes out of his way not to kill humans.
Good Is Not Soft: As a Yaksha who has sworn himself to rid Liyue of evil through endless battle, Xiao is known for not holding back when it comes to dealing with enemies, to the point of becoming a bit of a Destructive Savior.
Guyliner: Wears red eyeliner on the sides and upper corner of his eyes.
Heroic Sacrifice: Downplayed. Towards the end of the second Archon Quest Interlude chapter Perilous Trails, when he realises his strength won't be enough to get himself and his companions out of the Chasm's Bed, while having just recovered from injuries from previous battles, Xiao uses what's left of his strength to teleport them away, while he chooses to stay behind on the shattering platform. Fortunately, Zhongli intervenes just in time to save him.
Hidden Depths:
- While he is a bit of a hardass and prone to Brutal Honesty, he is a surprisingly effective teacher and far more insightful than his blunt exterior would suggest. He shows understanding for Ganyu's struggle to fit in with either side of her heritage and shows her a possible way to deal with a confused mind. And when giving Xiangling his opinion on her cooking (even complimenting her which he didn't do for Ganyu) he also advises her to not fixate on it and use it as she sees fit, which is surprisingly modest given how revered the adepti are, essentially telling her not to overly rely on the opinion of what would be considered almost a deity.
- There are many instances where Xiao expresses his veiled curiosity. He ponders over the use of treasure box items before backtracking and saying he's not interested, as evidenced by his Chinese voice-over. One of his favored teapot furnishing sets shows his fascination with Liyue-style houses, having never gotten the chance to see them up close. Developer Insight #4: Character Stories, written by the game developers, likens him to "a caged beast circling the fire of a stove: fearful, but also full of curiosity."
Humble Hero:
- Surprisingly enough, Xiao is among the least prideful of the adepti, especially compared to the likes of Cloud Retainer or Mountain Shaper. Since the Yakshas have largely been forgotten, hardly anyone remembers or prays to them, which leaves Xiao completely unbothered as he still continues to protect the people of Liyue regardless.
- During Baizhu's Story Quest, he reminds the doctor that immortality may not be the blessing he perceives that it is, but not before saying that he does not wish to sway the decisions of mortals himself. This is very telling for an adeptus to not want to interfere with the goals of ordinary humans no matter how foolish, despite having basically more knowledge and experience than them. This is even noticed by Changsheng, who regards him as "strange" compared to the adepti she remembers.
In a Single Bound: While wearing the Yaksha Mask, Xiao's jumping height increases, allowing him to spam his plunging attacks.
I Gave My Word: True to Liyue's ideals, Xiao will always honor the terms of an agreement, whether that's a contract with Rex Lapis or a promise he made to the Traveler. You should, however, mind his exact wording.
Ineffectual Loner: Xiao is the Last of His Kind and prefers to keep to himself, partly because he has No Social Skills and also because he doesn't want others to become affected by the amount of negative karma he accumulated over the years. While he did have people helping him (whether or not he is aware of that), the Traveler is the first person in a long time to get somewhat close to him.
Ganyu (About Xiao): "He seems like a bit of an outsider, socially. Probably just his personality... I can understand that, to be honest, but I'm not really about to try and get close to him. I mean... all the people he's ever agreed to team up with are no longer with us."
I Work Alone: He is a lone wolf partly by necessity, as his fellow Yakshas have passed or vanished, and he doesn't want others to get hurt by his accumulated bad karma. Ganyu's voice line about him implies that he's always been a bit of an outsider, and aside from the other Yakshas he didn't work closely with other adepti to begin with.
Jerk with a Heart of Gold: Xiao is not a warm person, to say the least, but he genuinely cares about the people he protects, doing so for millennia without so much as asking for thanks.
Baizhu (About Xiao): "Only the most magnanimous soul could labor to preserve life by slaying evil spirits."
Knight in Sour Armor: Xiao appears casually disinterested in his better moods and outright scornful in his worse, and will often comment on the "feebleness" of the people of modern Liyue or the ineffectiveness of the exorcists. As he lived through the Archon War, during which he was enslaved by an unknown god, defended Liyue from numerous demons and lost his fellow Yakshas to the wrath of slain gods, his attitude is not without reason. However, he still upholds his oath to Rex Lapis and continues to protect the people of Liyue even long after he is the lone Yaksha in active duty and his master retired.
Last of His Kind: Of the five Foremost Yakshas, only Xiao still is on active duty, as three have died after succumbing to madness and killing each other, while the other survivor, Bosacius, died in the Chasm's Bed during the Cataclysm.
Martyr Without a Cause: A trait of his that comes out front and center in the second Archon Quest Interlude chapter Perilous Trails. Xiao puts so little worth on his own life that he constantly offers to get the others out of the Chasm's Bed at the cost of leaving him behind to die, and can't understand why the others would risk their lives for him, let alone object to him going it alone. By the end of the chapter, Xiao confides to the Traveler that he suspects his suicidal tendencies may be his specific manifestation of the madness his fellow Yakshas succumbed to as a consequence of accumulating karmic debt.
Meaningful Rename: According to his character story entry, he received the name "Xiao" after Morax defeated his earlier master, who enslaved him. The Geo Archon gave him that name after a "story in another world" about a spirit of the same name^notethe name of a Chinese demon, who endured much hardship and suffering, and thus he felt it would fit him.
Mechanically Unusual Fighter: Xiao is the first character whose Elemental Skill can be used midair, the second being Kazuha.
Mental Health Recovery Arc: At game launch, Xiao closed himself off from the world because he sees himself as nothing more than a tool of slaughter and as easily disposable. Over the course of various limited events and his own birthdays, Xiao learns to open up and accept the the simple pleasures of life as well as the kindness of others. Perilous Trails also focuses on him trying to curtail his suicidal tendencies as the others encourage him to place more value on his life. The name of his own Wish Banner, Invitation to Mundane Life, may also be a nod to Xiao's developmental arc, where he'll someday be able to live a more leisurely and peaceful life.
Mirror Character:
- Xiao and Cyno are fearsome warriors famed for their sheer prowess, cold demeanor, and relentlessness in hunting down evil. But while Xiao is an old soul willing to retire should he be able to afford it, Cyno is young and reluctant to accept the fact that someday he may tire of his job, much less waver in his convictions. Gameplay-wise, both wield spears, have the Medium Male model, perform a Deadly Lunge for their Elemental Skill, and their Elemental Burst triggers a Super Mode that infuses their innate element to their regular attacks and increases their damage output, with the key difference being that Cyno's has the potential to be extended.
- While their thought processes clash, as shown in Perilous Trails, Xiao and Yelan have a lot in common as well. Their service to Liyue, while substantial, is shrouded in secret: Xiao distances himself from humans as fights his battles without any thanks, and Yelan's operations are covert in nature, as she is not even included in the Ministry of Civil Affairs' list of employees. Yelan also used to work with a team who have all since perished, just like Xiao and the other yakshas. They both also have lost someone in the Chasm: Bosacius for Xiao and Boyang for Yelan and her ancestors.
Mirror Match: His ongoing fight with karmic debt is portrayed as such in the "Endless Suffering" trailer, with him being continuously haunted by and having to subdue a masked version of himself to ensure that he does not succumb to insanity and become one of the monsters he is tasked to destroy.
My Country, Right or Wrong: He's not particularly impressed with the values of the people of modern Liyue, expressing mild contempt for how easily "Starsnatcher" duped people. Still, he swore an oath to protect Liyue, and continues to do so even after his fellow adepti have withdrawn and secluded themselves in Jueyun Karst.
Mysterious Backer: Has had multiple in his lifetime.
- Unbeknownst to him, Verr Goldet and Huai'an, the husband-and-wife heads of Wangshu Inn who regularly give him Almond Tofu, are also associates of the Qixing tasked to help him in his duty.
- His profile recounts a time when his accumulated karma nearly overtook him after a particularly difficult battle. The sound of a flute that played until dawn saved him and took away his pain, allowing him a moment of peace. Xiao never saw the flutist but suspects them to have been a member of The Seven. As shown in his character trailer, Venti is playing a flute in the distance, implying that he was the one helping Xiao.
  - Averted when Xiao admits that he is aware of Venti helping him with his karmic debt during the 2023 Lantern Rite epilogue, saying "an old friend" helped his condition to stabilise right before Venti crashes the banquet dinner.
Names to Run Away from Really Fast: His name means "Demon" and he certainly fights like one.
No Place for Me There: Even though the hard work of Xiao and the other Yakshas helped make Liyue as peaceful as it is now, Xiao refuses to let himself enjoy life in modern Liyue due to the negative effects his karma has on other people. As a result, he avoids places with people, especially during celebrations; the festive mood clashes painfully with the weight of his Forever War against the lingering hate of defeated gods.
No Social Skills:
- He speaks in a very blunt manner to both humans and adepti and tends to remain rather aloof, but is nonetheless devoted to protecting Liyue from evil and saving people from danger, even if it sometimes results in unintentional collateral damage. His voice lines show that he has trouble understanding human customs and habits, and he tells you to think of him as a "weapon" and nothing more.
About Xiao: Inhuman - "I'm far from human. I can't make much of human emotions."
- The epilogue of The Exquisite Night Chimes puts him outside his comfort zone when he attends Hu Tao's banquet dinner. He voices nervousness about being surrounded by more people than he expected, is visibly uncomfortable when Paimon pays her respects to him in a formal manner, and sitting right next to Zhongli and Venti while they act under the guise of mortals and have Snark-to-Snark Combat puts him on edge to the point that he practically jumps when the Traveler decides to take him outside for a breather. In the ensuing conversation between him and the Traveler, he expresses insecurity that he isn't able to get along with humans as easily as Zhongli or Venti.
Odd Friendship: With Hu Tao. Her liveliness irritates him a bit (as per most other characters), but he appreciates her humor. As seen in The Exquisite Night Chimes, Xiao doesn't have much of a problem accepting Hu Tao's invitation for dinner with friends, even if it's rather awkward to him.
Only One Finds It Fun: Xiao actually finds Hu Tao humorous, even though she also annoys him a bit.
About Hu Tao - "Hu Tao? Her liveliness is irritating... fortunately, she is also quite humorous, so you need not worry about her growing into a boring human."
Perpetual Frowner: He is an incredibly prickly figure, and no one, not even Verr Goldet has ever seen him smile. Considering what he is going through, it is not surprising.
Personal Horror: Xiao's history describes how his battles against remnants of vengeful fallen gods have caused their hatred to taint his soul. The only way to rid himself of said taints is to accept his karmic debts, which caused every part of his being to suffer; but he knows that "no grudge can last a thousand years; nor is any debt so great that it cannot be paid off in this time." If there is one thing he dislikes, it is the Lantern Rite, because whenever he sees floating lantern lights from the distance...
Vision: "At that moment, another special feeling blossomed in Xiao's heart. Loneliness? Peace? Or was it his fears for the future? The young-seeming adeptus searched his heart, only to find no answers."
Picky Eater: Before the story, Smiley Yanxiao tells that he often has trouble finding dishes that suit his taste other than Almond Tofu, until he met the Traveler and accepted the Satisfiying Salad they made for him along with the Almond Tofu. During the "Spices from the West" event, Xiao only gives positive responses to Fragrant Almond Tofu and Fragrant Grilled Fish, which is a dish he only started ordering in honor of his deceased friend Pervases.
Pintsized Powerhouse: Xiao is among the shortest characters with the "Medium Male" model, but people know better than to underestimate him based on his height alone. The fact that one, he is a yaksha, and second, holds the title "Conqueror of Demons" should be telling enough.
Power Stereotype Flip: While characters associated with wind would be vivacious, accepting of change and talkative, Xiao is the opposite; a brooding, to-the-point guy who's not of many words and doesn't (or at least tries not to) concern himself with change.
Pretty Boy: Xiao has been described as beautiful multiple times, both by in-game characters and even the game developers themselves.
- Little Luo from Qingce Village talked about having been saved from hilichurls by a "handsome, dashing Adeptus" while she was out playing in the forest. Given that said Adeptus did not like to smile, it's highly likely she encountered Xiao.
- Smiley Yanxiao calls him "the good-looking fella" during Moonlight Merriment.
- Referenced in the Outside the Canvas, Inside the Lens event when players are tasked with picturing Wangshu Inn. While she doesn't interact with them, the notes of Asagiri (the event NPC) clearly describe the inn's inhabitants, including a certain "handsome lad who always has a cold expression on his face."
- In his very own Developer's Notes, the game's Art Team and Creative Concept & Writing Team were both on the same page when they visualized him to be a young, beautiful Adeptus.
Purple Is Powerful: As the last remaining Yaksha, Xiao's power is not questioned by many people and, ironically enough for an Anemo Vision holder, purple is the most prominent color in his character design with his pants and diamond mark on his forehead.
The Quiet One: Xiao is not a chatty person and tends to keep conversations with other people to an absolute minimum.
"The Reason You Suck" Speech: He really lays it into "Starsnatcher" in his own Story Quest, sternly telling him off about his duplicitous ways. The fake Adeptus, being a fan of the Yakshas, apologizes profusely and promises to not repeat it again.
Red Baron: He's also known as the "Vigilant Yaksha" and the "Conqueror of Demons". His title as one of the Yakshas is "General Alatus" ("Wing"), 金翅鹏王 ("Golden-winged King"), or 金鹏 ("Jinpeng") in Chinese, a reference to the Garuda from Hinduism and Jainism.
Regenerating Mana: With his second Constellation upgrade, Annihilation Eon: Blossom of Kaleidos, Xiao's Energy Recharge increases by 25% while he is inactive.
Reduced Mana Cost: In a variant, his field skill reduces the party's stamina consumption while climbing.
Secret-Keeper: The end of Perilous Trails reveals that he knows that Zhongli is the current guise of Rex Lapis.
Sexy Backless Outfit: Xiao's top, which is also noticeably skin-tight, has a window exposing his back to boot.
Ship Tease: With the Traveler, to whom Xiao gradually warms up.
- The song that briefly plays when Xiao and the Traveler first meet, right before he shows up, is titled "Lover's Oath".^noteFor the Tuned to the World's Sounds event, a zither variant of this song titled "Lone Tower in the West" plays. Curiously, this song isn't played during any other instance ingame.
  - The song's name in Chinese, 蒲苇如丝 (Púwěirúsī)^note, references a line^note from a poem about a married couple who promised everlasting devotion to each other and swore to be reunited when the wife was kicked out of the husband's household, which is most likely the "Lover's Oath" that the English translation is referencing.
- After Osial destroys the Guizhong Ballista during the Liyue Archon Quest, Xiao personally went out to save the Traveler from falling to their death, despite only knowing them briefly, and holding them up and holding their hand for a while afterward.
- Xiao also gifts them a handmade butterfly made of leaves for the Traveler's birthday, and on his own birthday gets them a bunch of crystalflies for them to put in their hair because Xiao thought it would look pretty. In Chinese culture (which serves as Liyue's inspiration), butterflies can represent love, specifically young love, and symbolize an undying bond between lovers.
- His second birthday letter also mentions that the only thing he needs to hear aside from the sounds relating to his work as a yaksha is the Traveler's voice. In that same letter, he mentions not being able to hear anything from the starconches he collects by the sea, so he invites the Traveler to tell him about the things they hear instead.
"The wrath of evil spirits, omens of calamity... and your voice. That's all I need to hear."
- During the 2021 Moonchase Festival event Moonlight Merriment:
  - Smiley Yanxiao asks if the Traveler could teach him the Satisfying Salad recipe which he fed Xiao when they first met. He says that Xiao ate it up the last time even though he usually wouldn't eat anything else besides Almond Tofu.
  - Despite Paimon yelling for Xiao twice, all it takes for Xiao to appear is the Traveler gently calling out his name. When the Traveler expresses their surprise, Xiao says that he always keeps his vow, that all they have to do is call his name and he'd be at their side.
  - The Traveler chooses Xiao to be the taste tester for Xiangling's milder dishes, mindful of the yaksha's tastes in food. When the chef asks him to sample her cooking, Xiao immediately obliges for the Traveler's sake.
- During the second Archon Quest Interlude chapter Perilous Trails:
  - While trying to convince Xiao to regroup with them, Yanfei mentions that the Traveler was tricked into going to a dangerous place. Xiao, who was initially opposed to the idea, immediately asks how to meet them.
  - After Xiao's argument with Yelan, Yanfei approaches the Traveler to apologize to him on the latter's behalf, citing later on that they and the Yaksha "seem pretty close."
  - If the camera angle and the characters' positions are any indication, it appears that Xiao glances at the Traveler one last time◊ before he teleports the entire party away from the platform. Interestingly, the Traveler is also the first one to realize Xiao's plan,◊ mere seconds before Yelan catches on and reaches out to him.
  - After Xiao is saved from his self-sacrifice gambit, the Traveler is the first to rush to his side.
  - At the end of the quest, Xiao waits at the side for the Traveler to wrap things up with the rest of the group, with the Traveler remarking it was obvious he was waiting for them. Xiao then invites them to visit Pervases' shrine together. There, he confides in them his personal thoughts about their recent adventure and reminisces about his siblings-in-arms. He even mentions that he doesn't feel the need to "hold back as much" while talking to them.
  - Out of everyone that was in the Chasm's Bed, the Traveler was the one entrusted by Ushi to tell Xiao he doesn't have to close himself off from others and "there will always be someone willing to be by (his) side." They tell him that Bosacious, Boyang, and the Millelith's sacrifices in the Chasm make them heroes, a statement that makes Xiao feel better.
- During the 2023 Lantern Rite event The Exquisite Night Chimes:
  - The Traveler pretends to drown in an attempt to summon the Adeptus that Dvorak mentioned, and Xiao shows up unprompted to rescue them out of the water along with Shenhe. While the group nervously attempts to explain the circumstances of their drowning attempt, he says nothing and makes an evidently distressed face instead. After confirming that they were alright, he warns them not to do it again, saying they "caused others a great deal of worry."
  - Hu Tao makes them sit together after the Traveler confirms they are old companions. Later on, she points out their closeness when the Traveler correctly deduces that Xiao's reservations are due to his karmic debt.
  - When Xiao begins to feel overwhelmed during Hu Tao's dinner, the Traveler takes them outside Xinyue Kiosk for a breather. While outside, he confides in them his insecurities about blending with mortals and is subsequently comforted by the Traveler, who reminds him it's okay to be himself. Afterward, Xiao says in the Chinese voice-over that he "occasionally thinks of the times they hang out" and he feels emotions that are "strange and novel but not unwelcome."
  - In the last few seconds of the 2023 Lantern Rite promotional video, the Traveler (depicted as Aether) joins Xiao on a rooftop in a private corner of the city to watch the Xiao lanterns float into the sky, with Xiao briefly glancing at the Traveler settling next to him with a smile. The whole scene appears like an intimate date night.
- On his 2023 birthday:
  - The caption that accompanies his official chibi birthday art has him stating that he now looks forward to his birthdays due to the presence of the Traveler. He's even smiling as he accepts their gift and looks directly at where they presumably would be off-screen.
  - The birthday art from the CN exclusive web event has Xiao letting his guard down to nap peacefully beside the Traveler and Paimon as they look out for him under the sun.
  - Xiao's letter recounts his attempt to socialize more on the Traveler's advice, and understanding that who the people by his side are is most important to him. It ends off with him inviting them to the adepti's impromptu gathering, saying:
  "Having you around would make even (bitter) Qingxin feel like a treat."
Sitting on the Roof: Has a habit of sitting on Wangshu Inn's roof, as seen in the 2.4 ''Fleeting Colors in Flight'' cutscene where he admires the fireworks, his featured EP, as well as in ''Gourmet Tour: "Liyue's Cuisine Collection" Issue No. 4''.
Sleep Deprivation: Since his line of work requires him to be vigilant all the time, constantly fighting demons day and night, Xiao suffers from this case. You catch him dozing off in his voice line About Us: Drowsiness, to which he says irritably:
"You think I sleep? You have no respect for the ways of the adepti."
- Related to this, he actually Fell Asleep Standing Up in one of his chibi birthday arts.
Sliding Scale of Gameplay and Story Integration: Xiao is noted to have little in the way of material desires, doesn't care for teamwork and allies much, and prefers to go it alone most of the time. Gameplay-wise, Xiao is a DPS unit who works alone to deal as much damage as possible, whose party should be built more around keeping him alive than being extra sword hands. He has no weapon made to capitalize on his playstyle and for a long time did not have an artifact set that synergizes with his kit. And while all other 5-stars' Story Quests have them as a 5th guest member to your existing party, Xiao's Story Quest instead has you play as him alone.
Sour Outside, Sad Inside:
- Xiao can be quite blunt and rude, but after hearing his backstory even Paimon cannot help but sympathize with him. He rarely loses his cool and only shows off his more vulnerable side to the Traveler as they spend time together.
- One of his idle animations explores the "sad inside" part more in-depth: a glowing little being catches Xiao's attention, and he tentatively tries to reach out to it. However, it senses his karmic debt and quickly flies off, leaving Xiao staring at his hand for a while, feeling dejected.
Speed Blitz: Xiao is known for his exceptional speed, which gameplay-wise shows in his Elemental Skill, a high-speed lunge during which he disappears into a gust of wind and phases right through his opponent. It's powerful enough that he doesn't even need his polearm to perform said attack.
Spontaneous Weapon Creation: Performing plunge attacks while the Yaksha Mask is on allows Xiao to create a circle of spears made of Anemo energy that erupts from the ground.
Status Buff: In the battle against Osial, he provides the active character with a buff that increases movement speed.
Stealth Hi/Bye: Xiao has a habit of suddenly appearing and disappearing without much of a warning, often startling the others nearby, particularly Paimon.
Paimon: "Well that's Xiao for ya. Shows up without a warning and disappears without a trace."
Stern Teacher: Xiao was one of Ganyu's mentors and the only one she claims can unlock her true potential, to Paimon's surprise. He grills Ganyu for being half an hour late and refuses her apology, saying that he does not require mutual understanding between them and is only there to help her with her training. Beneath his callous behavior, however, lies the understanding that Ganyu is treading a fine line between two worlds and that only she can forge her path forward, and thus approval from others is not needed.
The Stoic: Xiao rarely shows any emotion outside his near-constant irritation. Even though the news of Rex Lapis's death upsets him, he does not even raise his voice or fly in a rage like the other adepti. Even among his fellow Yakshas, he seemed the most reserved.
Sugar-and-Ice Personality: Xiao is icy towards everyone he meets. He does have a gentler side but is reluctant to show it to anyone. As the story progressed he slowly warms up to the Traveler, and his birthday messages all but confirm it. Xiao also seems to have a soft spot for children, having personally returned a stolen doll to a little girl.
Super Mode: Bane of All Evil has him don his Yaksha Mask, becoming a much more fearsome fighter. For fifteen seconds, he jumps much higher and gains wider and more powerful attacks infused with an Anemo effect that cannot be overridden with reactions, albeit at the cost of he slowly losing HP for every second it is active. With his first-ascension passive, Conqueror of Evil: Tamer of Demons, he can get a bonus damage boost the longer he stays in this mode.
Supernatural Gold Eyes: He has yellow and slitted eyes showing his identity as an Adeptus.
Sweet Tooth: Xiao has an affinity for Almond Tofu, albeit not so much for its flavor as much as for the texture, describing it as similar to the sweet dreams he once devoured from people. Still, the Traveler calls him to be a taste tester for Xiangling because of his mild taste in food.
Terrifying Rescuer: He's described as striking fear into the hearts of the common people who happen to catch a glimpse of him, even from a distance.
Thou Shall Not Kill: As far as humans go, at least, since he takes his vow to protect humanity very seriously. Though the ferocity of his battles may catch unfortunate bystanders, he has managed to avoid explicitly going after humans with lethal force and is not in a hurry to change that any time soon.
Trademark Favorite Food: Almond Tofu. Xiao himself claims it's the only thing he's able to stomach, but he will occasionally try different dishes if he's honoring a dead friend, or as a favor to the Traveler. Smiley Yanxiao still has trouble trying to feed him anything else.
Tsundere: As his friendship with the Traveler improves, he comes off as the Harsh type. His birthday voice line has him expressing contempt for the concept of a birthday in the first place, then handing them a butterfly of leaves he made himself.
Tsurime Eyes: Befitting his personality, he has upward-angled eyes that are made to appear even more angular through sharp eyeliner.
Undying Loyalty: To Rex Lapis. His dedication to protecting humanity is due to a millennia-old contract with Rex Lapis. Xiao willingly follows this contract since he holds the Geo Archon in a very high regard.
More About Xiao: IV - "'Morax'...? What do you know of this name?! He gave me the name Xiao and released me from the endless pain I endured. I will not forgive those that dare to speak against him, even you."
Unwitting Instigator of Doom: Defied. All the bad karma he accumulated from fighting off the remnants of the old gods started to taint the monsters in the wild as well, so he goes out to take them down personally.
Upgrade Artifact: A variant—his third and fifth Constellation upgrades, Conqueror of Evil: Wrath Deity and Evolution Eon: Origin of Ignorance, increase the talent levels of, respectively, Lemniscatic Wind Cycling and Bane of All Evil by three.
Used to Be a Sweet Kid: Implied in his character story. Although it seems that well hidden, Xiao still managed to retain a bit of his gentle nature as he mellowed out considerably around the Traveler.
Character Story 3: His past of service under the evil god had rid Xiao of his innocence and gentleness. All that remained within him was the means to kill and the weight of his sins.
Useless Useful Spell: His constellations other than the first and the sixth are this.
- The second constellation upgrade, Annihilation Eon: Blossom of Kaleidos, requires Xiao to be off-field to benefit from increased Energy Recharge, which is counterproductive to an on-field DPS like him.
- The third constellation upgrade, Conqueror of Evil: Wrath Deity, upgrades his Elemental Skill level by 3. Unless if Xiao has his sixth constellation upgrade (which allows him to use his Skill more frequently), it is not his main source of damage, thus not very useful.
- The fourth constellation upgrade, Transcension: Extinction of Suffering, increases his DEF when his HP is below half, but not only does Xiao lack any DEF-scaling talents, his optimal supports tend to be shielders (such as Zhongli) and/or healers (such as Bennett) anyway, rendering his increased survivability from the DEF increase moot.
- The fifth constellation upgrade, Evolution Eon: Origin of Ignorance, while directly upgrading his Elemental Burst level by 3, does not provide significant increase in DPS.
Vague Age: Xiao is stated to be "something over two thousand years" old, but he was enslaved by an evil god for "eons" during the Archon War which only ended two thousand years ago, and there is an unspecified amount of time he lived before he was enslaved. The "Echoes from the Heart" cutscene from The Exquisite Night Chimes event even puts his age at more than three thousand seven hundred years old as he is shown sealing the remains of Guizhong upon her death with his fellow Foremost Yakshas.
Van Helsing Hate Crimes: Implied. In one commission Huai'an asks that the Traveler deal with some monsters foraging for Silvergrass in Dihua Marsh. He explains that the Millelith have already taken care of most of them and that they won't come anywhere near the Inn but are an "eyesore." If you express shock over being asked to deal with an eyesore, Huai'an will explain that he wouldn't bother to deal with them normally but that a certain guest can't tolerate their presence, indicating that Xiao doesn't care whether or not the monsters he's hunting pose a threat. Of course, it could be that Xiao is simply afraid his evil aura will aggravate the monsters, which means if they don't pose a threat now, they will become one later.
Weapon Specialization: The Primordial Jade Winged-Spear is closely associated with Xiao, as he is often depicted holding it in official art and cutscenes. Gameplay-wise, it suits well with his pure offensive gameplay, with a Critical Rate sub-stat that can reach as high as 22.1% at Level 90 and a "Eagle Spear of Justice" passive that, at its fifth and final refinement, grants him up to seven stacks of 6% Attack boosts for six seconds per hit, with an additional 24% damage boost if he has seven stacks.
When He Smiles: It's very brief, but in the ending cinematic of the first Lantern Rite event, Xiao smiles up at the lanterns◊ while watching from Liyue Harbor's outskirts, and again during the Fleeting Colors in Flight custscene, while he watches the Wangshu Inn crew dine.◊ He also sports a small smile for his 2023 chibi birthday art.
You Are Better Than You Think You Are: Despite his status, Xiao seems to harbor a few self-esteem issues, seeing himself as little more than a historically glorified slaughterer and worries about burdening others, even when those have given their help freely. It takes a bit of a pep-talk from the Traveler (and indirectly Ushi) for him to accept that there's no shame in relying on help, and that people should look out for one another.
Your Soul Is Mine!: In his Story Quest, he and the Traveler use an adeptus ritual called "Dream Trawler" to put the "Starsnatcher's" consciousness to them while he was sleeping, to teach him a lesson about pretending to be an adeptus to scam people.

Inazuma

Kaedehara Kazuha

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

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

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★
Birthday: October 29
Element: Anemo
Weapon: Sword
Associated Weapon: Freedom-Sworn^note
Model: Medium Male
Constellation: Acer Palmatum, the Japanese Maple
Specialty Dish: All-Weather Beauty (Dry-Braised Salted Fish)
Normal Attack: Garyuu Bladework
Elemental Skill: Chihayaburu
Elemental Burst: Kazuha Slash
Utility Passive: Cloud Strider (Decreases sprinting Stamina consumption for your own party members by 20%)
Affiliation: Crux Fleet, Kaedehara Clan

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 borne 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.

Befitting a mellow yet lethal ronin, Kazuha combines elegance with agility and power, drawing enemies within slashing range and then raining plunging attacks upon them, as well as exploiting the elemental infusion innate to Anemo. His Elemental Skill, Chihayaburu, is a heavenward slash that launches him in midair, pulls enemies towards him, and can be triggered in midair, in addition to turning his first plunging attack into Midare Ranzan, which deals Anemo-elemental damage and creates a vortex that sucks in enemies and objects for a short while. His Elemental Burst, Kazuha Slash, is a sweeping slash on surrounding enemies that 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.

As Kazuha continues to follow where the wind blows, Chihayaburu gains the ability to absorb either Hydro, Pyro, Cryo, or Electro to allow Midare Ranzan to deal additional damage based on the latter element, and Kazuha gains the ability to grant the party an Elemental Damage Bonus to that he triggers a Swirl reaction with, its value based ona fraction of his Elemental Mastery stat. Once Kazuha masters his family's arts, the cooldown time of Chihayaburu is reduced, as well as reset whenever he triggers Kazuha Slash; the Autumn Whirlwind field gains an Elemental Mastery boost effect for the party, with Kazuha's being applicable even when he is outside; and he gains the ability to regenerate Energy whenever he glides or uses Chihayaburu if his pool is below half, as well as temporarily infuse his regular attacks with Anemo after using either Elemental Talent.

Kaedehara Kazuha can only be obtained when the Leaves in the Wind Character Event Wish is active.

Area of Effect: Kazuha Slash 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:
- In Act II of the Inazuma Archon Quest, Kazuha 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.
- In Act III of the same Quest, he joins the raid on Tenshukaku just before the Shogun is about to strike the Traveler down with the Musou no Hitotachi. 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 Chihayaburu after using Kazuha Slash.
Death from Above: Chihayaburu 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 Chihayaburu while in midair, allowing for an extra burst of height. Stamina and cooldown 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 Name Change: In the Chinese dub, per Alternate Character Reading with pinyin, his name is Fēngyuán Wànyè.
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 the blade's old age, poor condition, and Tatarigami corruption, the blade gets harder and harder to use, which Kazuha notes aloud 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 the attack bonus is also gradually decreasing. By the time of the final battle, the attack bonus of the blade falls all the way to 0.0%, and its passive ability lowers the damage output of the wielder by 50%.
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.
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: Chihayaburu 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 Midare Ranzan, it can also function as a way to quickly dodge sweeping ground attacks and leap over obstacles and gaps.
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: Kazuha's full name in kanji is 楓原万葉.
- 楓原 (Kaedehara) translates to "maple grove." 万葉 (Kazuha) means "a myriad of leaves." Together, they bring to mind the imagery of a field of maple leaves, in line with the proliferation of maple leaves called forth by his moveset.
- 万葉 can also be read in nanori (i.e., as a proper name for a person or place) as manyō, which also refers to the Man'yōshū, a collection of ancient Japanese poetry, allusions and quotations from which are also featured in his dialogue and skill 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 who can use his Elemental Skill in midair, the first being Xiao.
Mundane Utility: Kazuha's Elemental 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.
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.
Nice Guy: A calm, humble and kind samurai who is wise and a loyal friend.
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 of 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.
Regenerating Mana: His fourth Constellation upgrade, Oozora Genpou, allows him to regenerate Energy whenever it is below 45 points (i.e., three-fourths, as Kazuha Slash 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 Chihayaburu.
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: Chihayaburu 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 Midare Ranzan, an alternate plunging attack that deals Anemo damage and creates another wind vortex. His first-ascension passive, Soumon Swordsmanship, allows Chihayaburu to transform into either Hydro, Pyro, Cryo, or Electro depending on which it comes into contact with first, as well as allows the subsequent Midare Ranzan to deal additonal, corresponding elemental damage equivalent to twice his Attack stat.
Sprint Shoes: Kazuha's field skill reduces the party's stamina consumption while sprinting by 20%.
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, increase the talent levels of, respectively, Chihayaburu and Kazuha Slash by three.
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: Initially wields the Fillet Blade for his story appearances. After his Story Quest, he also acquires the reforged and cleansed Kagotsurube Isshin. Both weapons are geared towards amplifying Kazuha's damage potency, judging from both having Attack percentage as substats (which can reach, respectively, 35.2% and 41.3% at Level 90), as well as the pure offensive nature of their passives—at its fifth and final refinement, that of the former, "Gash," has a 50% chance to deal damage equal to 400% of his Attack stat, activated once every eleven seconds; meanwhile, that of the latter, "Isshin Art Clarity," unleashes Hewing Gale, a wide-ranging attack triggered in conjunction with normal, charged, or plunging attacks that deals damage equivalent to 180% of his Attack stat and gives him a 15% Attack boost for eight seconds, triggered once every eight seconds at least.

Sayu

Voiced by: Sakula (Chinese), Aya Suzaki (Japanese), Lee Ji-hyeon (Korean), Lily Ki (English)
Introduced: August 10, 2021 (v2.0 "The Immovable God and the Eternal Euthymia" [second half])

Mujina Ninja

"So I don't do any important work at the Shuumatsuban, and anything that gets put off for long enough ends up getting done by someone who's more suited to it anyway. *(yawn)* Sleep, on the other hand — that is of the utmost importance! Because I need to get enough sleep to make sure I get my growth spurt."

Rarity: 4★
Birthday: October 19
Element: Anemo
Weapon: Claymore
Model: Short Female
Constellation: Nyctereutes Minor, the Little Tanuki
Specialty Dish: Dizziness-Be-Gone no Jutsu Version 2.0 (Onigiri)
Normal Attack: Shuumatsuban Ninja Blade
Elemental Skill: Yoohoo Art: Fuuin Dash
Elemental Burst: Yoohoo Art: Mujina Flurry
Utility Passive: Yoohoo Art: Silencer's Secret (If Sayu is in the party, Crystalflies and certain other animals won't be alarmed when approaching them)
Affiliation: Shuumatsuban

A young ninja from the Shuumatsuban, the intelligence agency of the Yashiro Commission. When she isn't spending her spare time sleeping and/or looking for excuses to ditch practice, she is constantly searching for ways to grow taller.

When she's not sleeping away the day, Sayu is a highly mobile and aggressive fighter whose style strikes a balance between damage-dealing and healing. Her Elemental Skill, Yoohoo Art: Fuuin Dash, has her curl up into a "Fuufuu Windwheel" and roll towards enemies, ending with a Whirlwind Kick; in its held form, the Fuufuu Windwheel can be manually controlled, during which she enjoys heightened flinching resistance and gains the ability to change the roll's element into either Hydro, Pyro, Cryo, or Electro depending on whichever it comes into contact with first, in addition to a heightened damage potency for the subsequent Whirlwind Kick. Her Elemental Burst, Yoohoo Art: Mujina Flurry, simultaneously deals Anemo damage and heals her allies, as well as summons a "Muji-Muji Daruma," which attacks nearby enemies unless an ally has low enough HP, in which case it will then concentrate on healing before it resumes attacking.

When she is pushed to master her powers, Sayu gains the ability to automatically heal her allies whenever she triggers Swirl reactions, and the damaging and healing of the Muji-Muji Daruma can now affect surrounding enemies and allies, respectively. Once Sayu completes her training in spite of herself, she can now regain some Energy whenever she triggers Swirl reactions; Whirlwind Kick increases in damage potency proportional to the duration of the preceding Fuufuu Windwheel stance; and the Muji-Muji Daruma loses the HP-based restriction on its fighting stance, hence allowing it to simultaneously attack and heal, in addition to a boost to its damaging and healing potencies based on a fraction of Sayu's Elemental Mastery stat.

Sayu can be obtained from any banner.

Achilles' Heel: Uneven terrain can severely limit the effectiveness of Fuufuu Windwheel, as the game tends to be somewhat nitpicky as to what objects Sayu can and cannot pass over while rolling. This issue is fixed in v3.0.
An Adventurer Is You: Sayu is a Jack of All Stats for the most part, but Yoohoo Art: Fuuin Dash turns her into an Avoidance Tank, as she moves so quickly during it that enemies targeting her often struggle to land a hit.
Airplane Arms: Like all characters with the "Short Female" model, she sprints with her arms extended.
Animal-Eared Headband: She wears a hood with animal ears and markings as part of her overall mujina/tanuki theme.
Area of Effect: The Muji-Muji Daruma attacks enemies and/or heals allies within a wide area.
Badass Adorable: A little girl dressed like a mujina, with serious Height Angst, and who is Really Fond of Sleeping under the belief she will grow, but whose ninjutsu is not to be underestimated, and she also wields a claymore as her weapon of choice.
Berserk Button:
- Sayu does not like it when people associate her with tanukis. She is dressed like a mujina, thank you very much.
- She also absolutely hates being patted on the head, with the belief that it stunts her growth.
  - This is one of the reasons why she dreads getting caught by Yae Miko, since the latter would give her headpats in addition to more missions.
  - She's so sensitive to being headpatted, even an incidental graze on her head while fighting bandits is enough for Sayu to freak out.
  - One of her voice-overs, however, has Sayu allow the Traveler to headpat her a little since it's them.
BFS: Despite her diminutive stature, her weapon of choice is a giant claymore. According to her, the reason she is even able to lift claymores in the first place is due to her Anemo Vision, and that she would not have otherwise been able to wield it despite her ninjutsu training.
Brilliant, but Lazy: Sayu is said to be a skilled ninja who is very adept at stealth and camouflage. However, she uses her talents to shirk her duties. Her character story even notes that she would have had many great accomplishments if she actually used her skills to work hard.
Burning Rubber: Of a sort. When Sayu absorbs Pyro while under the Fuufuu Windwheel state, any grass she comes into contact with while rolling is set on fire, giving a similar effect.
Color-Coded Elements: In terms of character design, Kazuha and Sayu—both from Inazuma—avert the Wind Is Green trope that has been used for the color palettes of other Anemo characters. Sayu opts for a color palette inspired by spring.
Combat Medic: Yoohoo Art: Mujina Flurry summons the Muji-Muji Daruma, a doll-like being that normally attacks surrounding enemies unless there are allies with less than 70% of their HP, in which case it will switch to healing the one with the lowest remaining HP before resuming the offensive. Both her ascension passives and two of her Constellation upgrade prioritize on adding effects to the field:
- Her first-ascension passive, Someone More Capable, allows her Swirl reactions to heal any ally within its area-of-effect (with at least 2-second intervals), equivalent to a base 300 HP plus 1.2 HP for every point of Sayu's Elemental Mastery, allowing her to heal allies even while in Fuufuu Windwheel.
- Her fourth-ascension passive, No Work Today!, increases the Daruma's damage radius as well as heals allies within that radius for 20% the amount of their current HP.
- Her first Constellation upgrade, Multi-Task no Jutsu, removes the HP restriction for the Daruma's healing and attacking stances, allowing it to simultaneously damage and heal as needed
- Her sixth Constellation upgrade, Sleep O'Clock, increases the Daruma's damaging and healing potencies based on Sayu's Elemental Mastery stat (respectively, by 0.2% Attack and 3 HP per point, to a maximum of 400% Attack and 6,000 HP, equivalent to at least 2,000 points of Sayu's Elemental Mastery).
Cute Bruiser: A cute Token Mini-Moe who favors claymores and makes use of a very physical Elemental Skill.
Difficult, but Awesome: Making the most of Yoohoo Art: Fuuin Dash requires the player to get familiar with enemy attack hitboxes and patterns and figure out how to avoid getting hit while still dealing damage, as the Fuufuu Windwheel is fairly easy to interrupt and will put the Skill on cooldown before they can even use Whirlwind Kick. They must also take care to avoid triggering elemental reactions on Sayu herself from being perpetually marked with whatever element she triggers Swirl with. These barriers overcome, the combined damage from both Swirl and constantly triggering other reactions gives Sayu tremendous damage output.
Dreary Half-Lidded Eyes: Her eyes lack shimmer and are half-shut in her default expression, indicating her perpetual drowsiness.
Dub Name Change: In the Chinese dub, per Alternate Character Reading with pinyin, her name is Zǎoyòu.
Everyone Has Standards: Despite her sloth, she is appalled that her fellow ninjas would leave their caltrops lying around for the local kitsune to step on or even eat, and insists that the Traveler helps her pick them up.
Giant's Knife; Human's Greatsword: A case of her weapon being not up to scale compared to other characters; due to how small she is in general, any claymore she wields are roughly the size of swords wielded by characters from the "Tall Female/Male" models.
Height Angst: Her reason for constantly trying to sleep is this. She hopes that sleeping more will make her grow taller.
Highly-Visible Ninja: Her field passive allows the party to capture smaller critters in the overworld without alerting them, but when it comes to actually fighting, she's not exactly subtle.
Insistent Terminology: Sayu is quick to correct those who assume that her costume is supposed to make her look like a tanuki-it is meant to mimic a mujina. Being mistaken for an actual tanuki is also a constant source of consternation for her. Ironically, the name of her constellation translates to "Little Tanuki."
Irony: Despite her fondness for sleeping, she moves faster than anyone else in the game while in her Fuufuu Windwheel state.
Jack of All Stats: Like Jean, Sayu is an Anemo unit that is a reliable source of both damage and healing, and can be built either way to little detriment. Out of combat, she is the perfect character for exploration and gathering, with faster travel, mining capability, ease of hunting, and occasional heal from environmental damage.
Kids Hate Vegetables: One of the weekly Reputation Requests possible for Inazuma is to deliver carrots to Kano Nana, Sayu's caretaker, with the request description stating how she falls asleep in the middle of eating her carrots with Nana wondering if she might be faking it.
Laborious Laziness: She uses her ninja skills to get out of having to properly practice them, almost defeating the purpose of skipping out on training in the first place.
Leaning on the Fourth Wall: Sayu seems to be aware of the process that requires growing stronger in the game, according to one of her Ascension quotes.
"Hey, thanks for going and gathering all those materials for me. I would've gone myself, but... I probably would've got about halfway before falling asleep."
Let's Get Dangerous!: Lazy as she usually is, she will put her coveted naptime on standby and get serious if presented with a legitimate crisis. In one branch of her Hangout Event tree, when she learned that the young daughter of a Yashiro Commission official has been kidnapped, she pulls out all stops in rescuing her, to the point that the Traveler notes afterwards how unusually focused she was.
Meaningful Name: Sayu's name in kanji is 早柚.
- 早 (zǎo in Chinese) can either be read in kun (native Japanese) as sa, used in Sayu's name, or hayai, meaning "swiftness," befitting her speed in combat. In addition, sa is the first syllable for saiwai or sachi, both kun readings of 幸 (xìng in Chinese) and meaning "good fortune," befitting Sayu's association with the tanuki, a symbol of good luck in Japanese culture, as well as her profession as a ninja by way of their shared ability to shapeshift.
- 柚 (yu; yòu in Chinese) is the name for citrus fruits, such as the yuzu (Citrus junos), a species of citrus native to East Asia.
Morphic Resonance: For some reason, her transformations always leave her tail visible.
Mundane Utility:
- Due to being an Elemental Skill faster than even alternate sprints, Yoohoo Art: Fuuin Dash makes Sayu one of the fastest characters for ground travel. With enough stamina Sayu can take off in her Fuufuu Windwheel, then sprint for the entire cooldown duration, then go back into Fuufuu Windwheel before running out of stamina. The only caveat is that stamina doesn't regenerate while the Skill is active.
- In an even more mundane example, Fuufuu Windwheel can knock all the fruit off a tree faster than chopping at it with physical attacks.
Mythical Motifs: She is based on the mujina, a creature from Japanese Mythology; while the term mujina is traditionally used for the tanuki, it's also used for the Japanese badger (Meles anakuma), which is depicted similarly to the Japanese raccoon dog (Nyctereutes viverrinus, the direct inspiration for the tanuki) as a shapeshifting trickster, exactly what Sayu can do as part of her ninja training. Her costume also invokes this by having a large tail sown onto it and ears on the hood.
The Napoleon: She complains about not hitting her growth spurt yet, and how others her age are at least twice her height. Additionally, she dislikes receiving headpats on the grounds that it will stunt her growth.
No Good Deed Goes Unpunished: Played for Laughs. In one branch of her Hangout Event tree, Sayu has the Traveler pick up a bunch of caltrops so that the nearby kitsune won't get hurt from them. Later, one of these kitsune follows Sayu to her hiding spot in the Sacred Sakura's branches, which allows Nana to catch her.
Not Drawn to Scale: Sayu's claymores are much smaller than those of other claymore users, and in fact hers are closer to the size of normal swords wielded by tall characters like Jean or Kaeya.
Pint-Sized Powerhouse: Her tiny build and lethargic nature belie a fast-paced and destructive fighting style.
Really Fond of Sleeping: Apart from her own admittance to a love of sleeping, descriptions for her Elemental and Passive Talents also make constant references to this trait.
Red Baron: She is known as the Mujina Ninja, due to being a ninja with a Mujina theme.
Regenerating Mana: Her fourth Constellation upgrade, Skiving: New and Improved, restores 1.2 Energy whenever she triggers a Swirl reaction (within at least 2-second intervals).
Rolling Attack: Yoohoo Art: Fuuin Dash has her curl up into a ball before rolling around and smashing into opponents at high speeds, ending with a wide-ranging Whirlwind Kick. In its held form, she can roll for up to ten seconds, with increased interruption resistance and damage potency of the subsequent Whirlwind Kick. Her second Constellation upgrade, Egress Prep, increases the damage of Whirlwind Kick by 3.3% for every half-second Sayu is rolling (once in its base form, up to 66% in its held form).
The Slacker: Sayu doesn't concern herself much with fulfilling her duties as the Mujina Ninja, and rather prefers sneaking away from her shrine maiden caretakers to take day-long naps instead.
Token Mini-Moe: Sayu is the youngest and smallest of the playable Inazuma cast.
Upgrade Artifact: A variant—her third and fifth Constellation upgrades, Eh, the Bunshin Can Handle It and Speed Comes First, increase the talent levels of, respectively, Yoohoo Art: Mujina Flurry and Yoohoo Art: Fuuin Dash by three.
Weapon Specialization: Promotional material has her wielding the Debate Club. Aesthetics-wise, it fits her, as the weapon resembles a kanabō, a studded war club historically used by the samurai and associated with the oni in Japanese Mythology.
"Well Done, Daughter!" Girl: "Student," to be precise. While she's not so eager to interact with her superiors in the Yashiro Commission, much less perform her duties, Sayu is always happy to be praised by her sensei, who disappeared a few years ago.
You Remind Me of X: During her Hangout Event, Sayu notes how the Traveler reminds her of her sensei in certain ways.

Shikanoin Heizou

Voiced by: Lin Jing (Chinese), Yūichi Iguchi (Japanese), Jeong Ui-jin (Korean), Kieran Regan (English)
Introduced: July 13, 2022 (v2.8 "Summer Fantasia" [first half])

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

Analytical Harmony

"A detective should be using their smarts to crush criminals' hopes of getting away with their crimes. So really, a true detective should never even have to touch their weapon."

Rarity: 4★
Birthday: July 24
Element: Anemo
Weapon: Catalyst
Model: Medium Male
Constellation: Cervus Minor, the Deer Fawn
Specialty Dish: The Only Truth (Katsu Sandwich)
Normal Attack: Fudou Style Martial Arts
Elemental Skill: Heartstopper Strike
Elemental Burst: Windmuster Kick
Utility Passive: Pre-Existing Guilt (20% reduction to his party's Stamina consumption while sprinting)
Affiliation: Tenryou Commission

A headstrong, offbeat young Doushin and detective under the employ of the Tenryou Commission. Unorthodox and unruly, yet cheerful and lively, he is considered to be one of the Commission's best officers, despite being at complete odds with the usual perception of what a public servant should be like.

Befitting his paradoxical nature as a man of the law who often refuses to play by the rules, Heizou is unusual among most of his fellow Catalyst wielders for applying its powers onto his punches and kicks rather than spellcasting. His Elemental Skill, Heartstopper Strike, is a swift, Anemo-enhanced punch which, in its charged form, endows him up to four stacks of "Declension," which increase the power of the next use of the Strike, in addition to activating "Conviction" whenever he has a full stack, which increases its damage radius. His Elemental Burst, Windmuster Kick, summons the "Fudou Style Vacuum Slugger," a spherical vortex that he kicks onto his enemies and which, upon contact, creates an "Arresting Windtunnel" that deals wide-ranging Anemo damage and sucks in nearby enemies, in addition to inflicting up to four enemies with either a Hydro, Pyro, Cryo, or Electro effect with "Windmuster Irises" that, after a short delay, deal additional wide-ranging damage depending on the first element the Vacuum Slugger came into contact with.

When the going gets tough and Heizou has to push his wits (and fists) to the limit, he gains the ability to gather a stack of Declension whenever he triggers a Swirl reaction, and Heartstopper Strike can now confer a temporary Elemental Mastery boost to his allies. Once Heizou is fully confident in his own brand of upholding the law, he enjoys a temporary boost to the speed of his normal attacks, as well as gain a stack of Declension, whenever he is switched in; the Arresting Windtunnel gains a faster pulling speed and an extended duration; Windmuster Irises can now restore Heizou's Energy; and stacks of Declension gain the ability to increase the Critical Rate of Heartstopper Strike, in addition to that to its Critical Damage if Conviction is also active.

Shikanoin Heizou can be obtained from any banner.

Animal Motifs: The deer, revered in Shinto as messengers of the gods. His Constellation is shaped like one, and the kanji for "deer" (鹿, shika) appears as the first character of his family name (鹿野院).
Anime Hair: He has an unkempt Samurai Ponytail with Idiot Hair and bangs of varying lengths framing both sides of his face. It's not quite Shonen Hair, but it gives off the same impression.
Awesomeness by Analysis: Heizou's intuition is razor-sharp. Combined with his analytical skills, meticulous logical reasoning and hunger for justice, he is able to efficiently unravel even the knottiest of cases.
Breaking Old Trends: Up until his introduction, all Catalyst units introduced were female spellcasters (i.e., Lisa, Barbara, Mona, Klee, Sucrose, Ningguang, Yanfei, Kokomi, and Yae Miko). Heizou bears the distinction of being both the first male and the first melee-oriented Catalyst unit.
Brilliant, but Lazy: Sara describes him as a man who puts personal schemes and pursuits ahead of his duties to the Tenryou Commission. Despite this, she is unable to reprimand him since he's able to produce results.
Broken Ace: In his Hangout Event, he explains that he’s not as confident as others believe him to be. Furthermore, he has a difficult time asking for help because everyone brushes off his concerns, assuming that he’s just so smart that can handle anything that comes his way, which makes him uneasy.
Bunny-Ears Lawyer: Heizou is a notorious maverick who rarely shows up for routine patrol and often thumbs his nose at bureaucratic red tape. He is also one of the brightest minds of the Tenryou Commission, being so efficient that Sara is willing to put up with his eccentricities despite her dislike towards them.
Catchphrase: During his hangout event Heizou expresses surprise with "Man alive!" often enough for it to count.
Child Prodigy: Sango and his cousin Kano Nana both suggested that he is still in his teens, but his analytical and deductive skills have made him Inazuma's best-known detective and he is also a well-known martial arts master.
Close-Range Combatant: In a drastic departure from how Catalyst wielders typically fight, Heizou attacks with martial arts techniques and generally lacks the ability to attack at range. Windmuster Kick is the only exception, where he kicks a wind vortex that can travel far before exploding.
Corralling Vacuum: Windmuster Kick summons the Fudou Style Vacuum Slugger, a spherical vortex that he kicks onto enemies, turning it into the Arresting Windtunnel that deals wide-ranging Anemo damage and sucks in enemies; in addition, if there is at least one enemy affected with either Hydro, Pyro, Cryo, or Electro, the Windtunnel can inflict up to four enemies with Windmuster Irises that, after half a second, explode to deal damage whose element corresponds to the first one the Burst came into contact with. His second Constellation upgrade, Investigative Collection, increases its pulling speed and duration by one second.
Cowboy Cop: He is rather lackadaisical with his duties and employs out-of-the-box investigation methods, which has earned him the ire of fellow but independent detective, Sango. Kujou Sara, as his superior officer, personally dislikes this and how he puts his own personal pursuits ahead of his work, but can't really do anything to put him in line since he still produces results despite this.
Critical Hit Class: His sixth Constellation upgrade, Curious Casefiles, increases the Critical Rate of Heartstopper Strike by 4% for each stack of Declension he has (to a maximum of 16%); in addition, Conviction bestows a sizable 32% boost to its Critical Damage.
Dark and Troubled Past: Heizou rarely talks about his childhood as it was not a happy one. As a child, he was rebellious and disliked having to inherit his martial artist father's dojo. One day, at a festival, he met and befriended a boy who claimed to hail from a wealthy family, only for Heizou to eventually cast doubt on his story upon noticing his shabby clothing, forcing the other boy to admit to having lied and being a petty thief who initially tried to mug Heizou during that festival; feeling betrayed, Heizou disowned him. The next time Heizou and his ex-friend met, during the following year's festival, the latter was fatally wounded after a failed attempt to rob an armed ruffian, dying while Heizou tried in vain to save him. Shocked by the injustices around him, Heizou developed an animosity towards the concept of sin, blaming it for ruining his friendship, after which he left home for a month to train himself to be a fighter for justice, during which time he earned his Anemo Vision.
Declining Promotion: While Heizou has been offered promotions in the past, he has refused them due to his wish to stay close to the crime scenes.
Deliberately Distressed Damsel: Gender-flipped version. His Hangout Event tree begins with the Traveler being commissioned to search for him. They find him in Watatsumi, imprisoned by a group of Kairagi. As soon as the Traveler defeats them, however, Heizou easily frees himself from the cage, revealing that he deliberately allowed himself to be captured so he can investigate a series of thefts in the island.
Distinguishing Mark: Heizou has twin moles, one under each eye.
Dub Name Change: In the Chinese dub, per Alternate Character Reading, his name is Lùyěyuàn Píngzàng.
Elemental Punch: As a Catalyst user who opts to use melee martial arts in lieu of firing spells, Heizou fights with Anemo-enhanced punches and kicks. His Elemental Skill, Heartstopper Strike, is an especially powerful punch that creates a windy explosion.
Fiery Redhead: He has burgundy red hair, and he's described as simultaneously very passionate about what he does and not one to follow protocol.
For Great Justice: His goal in life is to become the bane of Inazuma's criminal elements. Believing that a great detective can prevent crimes before they can even occur, Heizou aspires to build so imposing a reputation, any would-be do-no-gooder would think twice for fear of running afoul of him, to the point of declining promotions lest he be removed from the action.
Former Teen Rebel: As a child he rebelled against his family and was not at all happy having to take over the reins of his father's dojo. His cousin still calls him a brat.
Freudian Excuse: Heizou's relentless pursuit of justice is rooted in the trauma of seeing his former friend having to resort to petty theft to survive and eventually dying in one failed attempt.
The Friend Nobody Likes: Amusingly, no one (bar Kazuha) seems to like him all that much. Kokomi and Ayaka are somewhat neutral, if wary, of him, but Gorou finds him suspicious, Thoma deliberately avoids him, and Sara only tolerates him (and even then, just barely) because he produces results. The only possible exception to this is Itto and Shinobu, but the former doesn't have any voicelines about him (even in his Hangout Event, Itto barely recognizes the guy so his clear opinion of him isn't made) and yet, despite it all, everyone still respects his skill and principles, acknowledging that for all his faults, he's very good at what he does.
Full-Contact Magic: A catalyst user who fights using unarmed combat techniques.
The Gadfly: Loves to get a ride out of people; his teasing, occasionally flirty remarks are considered his main method of communication.
Gathering Steam: Heizou can gain up to four stacks of Declension (which last a minute long) whenever he uses the charged form of Heartstopper Strike, which increase the damage potency of the following strike; in addition, with four stacks on hand, Heizou also gains the Conviction effect, which further increases the strike's damage potency and radius. His first-ascension passive, Paradoxical Practice, allows him to generate one stack whenever he triggers Swirl reactions, while his first Constellation upgrade, Named Juvenile Casebook, also bestows him one stack whenever he enters the field, in addition to a 15% boost to the speed of his normal attacks, triggered at least every ten seconds.
Genius Bruiser: The game's first ever Bare-Fisted Monk, albeit doubling as a Kung-Fu Wizard, and a talented detective who, despite how lackadaisical he is with his duties, gets his work done well enough to keep Sara off his back about his laziness.
Glass Cannon: Heizou is one of the deadliest Main DPS units in the game. As an Anemo Vision holder who specializes in Full-Contact Magic, any of his normal attacks can be infused with other elements via the Swirl reaction and do a lot of damage. Windmuster Kick also deals good damage (and in turn can create Swirl reactions for further damage) and has a very low Energy cost, while Heartstopper Strike can deals ridiculously high damage for a 4★ character and can increase with the Declension stacks gained up to Conviction via Swirl reactions. Such devastating fighting style is offset with being a Squishy Wizard concomitant with wielding a catalyst, and while his Max HP and Defense stats are higher than most fellow catalyst wielders, they still don't allow him to take too much damage without falling.
Kung-Fu Wizard: Heizou stands out by being the first male Catalyst wielder in the game. Despite this, his gameplay resembles more of a Bare-Fisted Monk, with him attacking with close-quarter strikes empowered by Anemo, and his Elemental Skill and Burst being a Megaton Punch and kick, respectively.
Lonely Rich Kid: Heizou's Vision Story reveals that Heizou, son of a prominent martial artist from a distinguished clan from a remote village, always felt lonely while his father forced him to take mandatory martial arts lessons with him. He got his hopes up when he befriended a boy one day while he snuck out to attend a festival, only to be heartbroken upon discovering that he was a petty thief, more so when they met a year later, his ex-friend mortally wounded from a failed robbery.
Martial Pacifist: Downplayed, as he doesn't mind participating in Inazuma's annual martial arts tournaments to test his abilities, but Heizou generally prefers to rely on his wits and interpersonal skills over his fighting prowess or his Anemo Vision to resolve difficult situations.
Mechanically Unusual Fighter: Catalyst wielders are normally spellcasters that fight from a distance. Heizou stands out by virtue of being a melee fighter; because of this, he can damage weaker ores and Rock Piles like a melee attacker.
Megaton Punch: Heartstopper Strike is a swift Anemo-charged punch that, in its charged form, increases in potency for each stack of Declension it also generates. His fourth-ascension passive, Penetrative Reasoning, increases his allies' Elemental Mastery stat by 80 points for ten seconds.
Mr. Fanservice: A Pretty Boy in shorts sporting a vest without a tank top that leaves the sides of his hips and armpits exposed and with a Samurai Ponytail that helps frame his beautiful face. He also has a tendency to make passes at the Traveler, especially in his Hangout Event.
My Greatest Failure: The reason Heizou decided to leave his home and family to fight crime as a detective is because he deeply regrets for not being able to save his former friend's life.
Ornamental Weapon: Heizou carries a jitte, a thin metal baton wielded by palace guards during the Edo/Tokugawa period in lieu of bladed weapons, the carrying of which within palace grounds was punishable by death. Although his idle animation shows that Heizou is skilled at handling it, he only ever uses unarmed techniques in battle. The same might be said for whichever catalyst Heizou is equipped with-unlike most other catalyst wielders who uses them to cast spells, Heizou merely fights with punches and kicks, with the catalyst only appearing stowed behind him outside of combat.
Pretty Boy: Quite the soft face, and his Samurai Ponytail certainly helps in selling this out.
Punched Across the Room: Heartstopper Strike involves Heizou charging up to deliver an almighty punch that can send lighter enemies flying across the battlefield. Windmuster Kick has similar results, except he uses the Fudou Style Vacuum Slugger to kick them away.
Refuge in Audacity: Kokomi recalls a time when he, a detective employed by the Tenryou Commission, casually visited Watatsumi in full uniform for some sightseeing despite tensions between both sides of the civil war, completely catching her off-guard. Heizou himself reveals that he really was sent to collect intel on the Resistance by Takayuki, but since he disliked the man he ignored the orders altogether and treated the trip as a government-funded vacation.
Regenerating Mana: Heizou's fourth Constellation upgrade, Tome of Lies, restores 9 Energy after the first Windmuster Iris explosion, with an addition 1.5 Energy for every subsequent explosion, for a total of 13.5 (equivalent to four explosions).
The Runaway: A month after the death of his only friend, Heizou snuck away from home, simply leaving his family with a farewell letter.
Samurai Ponytail: Heizou has a rough ponytail. He's a detective, so he's technically not a samurai, but as a Vision holder who's part of the Tenryou Commission that's dedicated to military affairs and law and order, he's close enough for government work.
Screw the Rules, I'm Doing What's Right!: Ayaka suggests that Heizou has a stronger moral compass than even Kujou Sara despite his penchant for following his own principles over that of the written law. His Hangout Event tree puts this tendency on full display, where he states that certain things in life are more important than the truth, and thus he's willing to disregard rules in cases where following them brings more harm than good, something he follows through in the ending where he fully reveals the truth about Isamu and his death to Sango and Ryuuji, the latter the adopted son of Isamu—though they are shocked that Isamu is not exactly as good a man as they thought he was, they ultimately agree with him to keep it a secret from his posthumous daughter Chika until she has come of age.
Ship Tease: Some of the dialogue towards the Traveler in his Hangout Event can come across as very flirty. Especially when he claims to have wanted to meet them since before they even arrived in Inazuma, and calling them “dreamy” in a swooning tone. Furthermore, a considerable amount of the dialogue choices available in almost all paths tend to give a heart of approval.
Sideboob: Male variation. Heizou is a lithe man, so he doesn't have protruding cleavage, but he wears a vest without an undershirt, leaving the crease of his armpit and the side of his torso visible.
Sliding Scale of Gameplay and Story Integration: In spite of working for law enforcement, Heizou is infamous for frequently doing things his own way, and it shows in his unusual fighting style, where he is a martial artist-style Catalyst wielder, in contrast to the spellcaster mold of his predecessors.
Upgrade Artifact: A variant—his third and fifth Constellation upgrades, Esoteric Puzzle Book and Secret Archive, increase the talent levels of, respectively, Heartstopper Strike and Windmuster Kick, by three.
You Are Already Dead: Windmuster Kick inflicts up to four enemies affected by Hydro, Pyro, Cryo, or Electro with Windmuster Irises that deal wide-ranging damage after a few seconds.

Sumeru

Faruzan

Voiced by: Yan Mengmeng (Chinese), Yui Horie (Japanese), Kim You-rim (Korean), Chandni Parekh (English)
Introduced: December 7, 2022 (v3.3 "All Senses Clear, All Existence Void" [first half])

Enigmatic Machinist

"Hm? What did you say? I'm old now, so every other phrase escapes my ears. Try calling me "Madam Faruzan" and see if I can pick that up."

Rarity: 4★
Birthday: August 20
Element: Anemo
Weapon: Bow
Model: Medium Female
Constellation: Flosculi Implexi, the Entwined Flowers
Specialty Dish: Traditionally-Made Charcoal-Baked Ajilenakh Cake (Charcoal-Baked Ajilenakh Cake)
Normal Attack: Parthian Shot
Elemental Skill: Wind Realm of Nasamjnin
Elemental Burst: The Wind's Secret Ways
Utility Passive: Tomes Light the Path (25% increase in rewards when dispatched on an Expedition in Sumeru for twenty hours)
Affiliation: The Akademiya

A youthful-looking woman described as a living encyclopedia of mechanics who is oddly in the Haravatat Darshan.

Faruzan's proud reputation as an ambitious professor and a glimpse of the Akademiya's past glories belies a capable fighter with her trusty bow and an ability to rein in her enemies from a safe distance. Her Elemental Skill, Wind Realm of Nasamjnin, damages surrounding enemies as well as endows her the "Manifest Gale" state, wherein Faruzan's next fully-charged shot turns into a "Hurricane Arrow" that, upon landing, triggers Pressurized Collapse which, after a short delay, deals Anemo damage to surrounding enemies and sucks them in. Her Elemental Burst, The Wind's Secret Ways, damages surrounding enemies and summons a "Dazzling Polyhedron," an icosahedron made of Anemo energy that travels along a triangular path, which then triggers Whirlwind Pulse whenever it makes a turn, dealing Anemo damage to surrounding enemies and inflicting "Perfidious Wind's Bale" on them that reduces their Anemo resistance, in addition to bestowing her allies with the "Prayerful Wind's Benefit" effect that increases their Anemo damage potency.

Drawing from Faruzan's vast knowledge honed by decades of experience grants the Manifest Gale state a sharp reduction to the charging time of her aimed shots as well as the ability to inflict Perfidious Wind's Bale on enemies hit with Pressurized Collapse, and the Prayerful Wind's Gift state gains the ability to let affected allies deal Anemo damage with all kinds of attacks, as well as the "Hurricane Guard" effect, which provides a sizable boost to the first Gift-enhanced attack based on a fraction of Faruzan's Attack stat. Once Faruzan becomes free to show the full extent of wisdom she gathered through the decades, the Manifest Gale state can now let her fire two Hurricane Arrows at once; the duration of the Dazzling Polyhedron increases; Pressurized Collapse can now restore Faruzan's Energy depending on the number of enemies struck; and the Prayerful Wind's Benefit gains the ability to boost the Critical Damage of the active character's Anemo-aligned attacks, as well as trigger Pressurized Collapse with them.

Faruzan can be obtained from any banner.

Accidental Truth: On one branch of her Hangout, Faruzan claims that she found an "automatic irrigation system" in the rainforest and would be working with Tighnari to implement exactly such a system. Though she made up the excuse on the spot, the Traveler can encounter such a mechanism in the Apam Woods: the Varuna Contraption, which regulates and maintains the entire Dharma Forest's climate. The reason it's so obscure despite its importance is likely because it's managed by the Aranara, whom the Akademiya largely don't even believe exist.
Adventure Archaeologist: Faruzan's specialty lies in analyzing the various ruins' puzzles and mechanisms by deciphering clues in the local environment such as stone carvings and other records. This is why she rose to prominence; during her time, large portions of Sumeru's ruins remained unexplored, and the Kshahrewar's understanding of mechanics was not fully mature, which made her role as a specialist invaluable. In the present however her work is considered obsolete; with the exception of certain enigmas like King Deshret's Mausoleum, most of those ruins have been mapped out, and much of her expertise has already disseminated into the Kshahrewar's general teachings in the century she's been gone. Additionally, her Hangout explains that, despite the Kshahrewars' efforts to persuade her to join their Darshan, her teachings have been considered niche even there.
All of the Other Reindeer: Her introductory post reveals that despite her obvious capabilities, she and her teachings are shunned in Haravatat, being more popular among Kshahrewar instead.
And I Must Scream: She spent 100 years in King Deshret's ruin, trying to unravel the codes and traps in order to discover a way out, fully cognizant for some time, alone, unable to age, and devoid of the need to sleep or eat. Faruzan was forced to decipher the codes in her head after she ran out of material to write on, which eventually caused her mind to go numb. By the time she escaped and was discovered, she was in a stupor and unable to form coherent sentences until after going through a lengthy recovery period.
Anime Hair: Faruzan's not-twintails appear to retain their positions and shapes without being held into place by anything.
Attack Drone: The Wind's Secret Ways summons the Dazzling Polyhedron, an icosahedron made of Anemo energy, that travels along a triangular path for twelve seconds. Every two seconds, it moves into another "vertex," where it unleashes Whirlwind Pulse, a wide-ranging attack that simultaneously reduces enemies' Anemo Resistance and increases the Anemo Damage Bonus of allies caught within its blast radius (with a total of seven bursts). Faruzan's second Constellation upgrade, Overzealous Intellect, increases its duration to eighteen seconds (and hence ten bursts).
Berserk Button: Kshahrewar students looking for her assistance are often instructed to never act surprised upon seeing her youthful appearance, let alone ask why she is shunned in Haravatat or suggest joining their Darshan. Breaking any of these unofficial rules tends to bring down a fiery scolding for which Faruzan is infamous for.
Breaking Old Trends: Faruzan is the first 4★ character to possess a unique charged attack^note where her Elemental Skill allows her next charged shot to damage surrounding enemies, followed up by sucking them in. Before her, unique charged shots were typically reserved for 5★ archers.
Broken Ace: As her "Hello" voice line demonstrates, Faruzan was once a distinguished top scholar and leading researcher at the Akademiya a hundred years ago, whose work remains influential in the present day. However getting trapped in a King Deshret ruin and only managing to escape a hundred years later has made her behind the times, and she is now shunned in her Darshan for insisting on studying a topic that is perceived to have lost its relevancy.
Color Motif: Her color palette incorporates a number of shades of turquoise, possibly as a reference to the Persian turquoise, which is a staple in Iranian architecture and the country's national gemstone.
Commonality Connection: Teams up with Kaveh in the first round of the Interdarshan Championship due to both working with machines in their field of research. It’s also revealed that Kaveh previously consulted Faruzan on how to make his mechanical Swiftfly’s small and nimble for his interior design project.
Cool Big Sis: As the oldest member of the Akademiya, Faruzan can be very generous to her juniors or anyone who she sees as younger siblings. In Collei's case, Faruzan takes a liking for her, to the point Tighnari has to make sure Faruzan doesn't give her too many snacks. She also wants to treat Kaveh for supper after she learns about his situation and is generally very kind to and supportive of him as his senior.
Cooldown Manipulation: Faruzan's first-ascension passive, Impetuous Flow, sharply reduces the charging time of her charged shots by 60% while she is in the Manifest Gale state, in addition to allowing her to inflict Perfidious Wind's Bale on enemies hit with Pressurized Collapse.
Corralling Vacuum: Wind Realm of Nasamjnin turns Faruzan's next fully-charged shot into a Hurricane Arrow which, upon contact, triggers Pressurized Collapse which sucks in enemies. Faruzan's first-ascension passive, Impetuous Flow, also allows it to inflict Perfidious Wind's Bale on enemies struck, while her sixth Constellation upgrade, The Wondrous Path of Truth, allows allies endowed with the Prayerful Wind's Benefit to trigger it (with at least 3-second intervals), in addition to a 40% boost to Critical Damage of Anemo-enhanced attacks.
Cursed with Awesome: Nahida's voiceline about her explains that her youthful appearance and longevity are the result of exposure to the remnants of King Deshret's power.
Damage-Increasing Debuff: Enemies struck with Whirlwind Pulse are inflicted with the Perfidious Wind's Bale for four seconds, which reduces their Anemo resistance by 30%, in addition to a Status Buff to allies caught within its damage radius that increases their Anemo damage. Faruzan's first-ascension passive, Impetuous Flow, adds this effect to Pressurized Collapse.
Determinator:
- During the hundred years that Faruzan was missing, she was trapped in a ruin from King Deshret's civilization that, not unlike the Chasm's Bed, removed her need for food and sleep but slowly wore down on her mental faculties. In spite of all these, she continuously tried to solve the mechanism needed to unlock the ruin, even when her deductions covered the entire floor and she was slowly losing her mind, reasoning that even if she died there, her calculations could be of help to the next victim, though fortunately, she succeeded. For her determination, Faruzan earned an Anemo Vision.
- She's refused to join the Kshahrewar Darshan despite their promise of more students to teach and a far higher spending limit than the Haravatat is willing to offer her because, despite how Haravatat looks down on her teachings, someone in her Darshan needs to continue studying niche topics so that humanity can expand on its frontier of knowledge.
Everybody's Dead, Dave: After coming back from the ruins she was trapped in for a century, Faruzan was forced to accept the reality that everyone she once knew had already passed on.
Exotic Eye Designs: She has triangular pupils, with her left pupil having the same shade of light teal as her hair while her right is more bluish.
Fear of Thunder: She gets startled by thunder falling in her "When Thunder Strikes" voice-over and admitting to it.
"Whoa! Wha-what? There's nothing wrong with being afraid of thunder, even at an older age!"
Fish out of Temporal Water: Faruzan lived a hundred years ago before she was Frozen in Time in a ruin from King Deshret's civilization. Upon escaping, she couldn't recognize modern Sumeru at all, and thought she was stuck in an illusion until someone explained things to her.
Frozen in Time: She was stuck in time for a hundred years in a ruin from King Deshret's civilization.
Gender-Blender Name: "Faruzan" appears to be based on the Persian masculine given name "Farzan". While it's possible the "u" was added to feminize the name, the actual feminine equivalent of "Farzan" would be "Farzaneh" (فرزانه) or "Farzana".
Hot Teacher: For an "old lady", she sure looks good. Unfortunately, she's more concerned with attracting students than admirers, which has made the "teacher" half difficult since everyone in Haravatat thinks her studies are obsolete.
Hypocrisy Nod: Modern Haravatat scholars shun her continued studies of ancient Sumeru, believing that there isn't much left undiscovered and her topic has become too niche to be worth investing in. Faruzan finds this to be a hypocritical stance to take, considering Haravatat as a whole has the most niche specialization of all the Darshans, and the fewest students because of it.
"Those geezers at Haravatat love to decline my funding requests with the excuse that my research's become too niche and impractical. By that logic, since we're still the Darshan with the lowest enrollment numbers, we might as well close our doors altogether."
Immortal Immaturity: Not immortal, although she still acts quite immature at times despite being over 100 years old and insisting on her seniority over others.
Irony:
- Being chronologically over 100 years old, she tends to treat everyone around her as youngsters, including the Traveler, not knowing that the Traveler is at least 500 years old.
- Her studies and teachings greatly contributed to the study of mechanics, which is the specialty of the Ksharerwar, but she's actually a member of the Haravatat, which specializes in languages. After being freed from the ruins, she found that Haravatat could no longer understand, nor respect, her teachings, and as such she was ostracized by the members of her Darshan, while she would go on to be quite popular with the Ksharerwar members instead.
Jerk with a Heart of Gold: As long as you call her "Madam", Faruzan's sassy nature doesn't get in the way of kindness. She can be a caring teacher and is kind to her "juniors," as she plans to take Kaveh to a meal after learning of his financial difficulties, and she is openly concerned about Collei's health and how Tighnari treats her. In her Hangout, she creates a course to educate Collei on how to read.
Living Relic: Nahida describes her as such, telling the Traveler that they could "catch a glimpse of Sumeru from a bygone age through her".
Ma'am Shock: Inverted – Faruzan reacts favorably to being called "madam" and demands her students to do so.
Faruzan: First! That curiosity of yours is best served in your studies. And secondly! You shall remember to call me "Madam"!
Magikarp Power: Faruzan is a somewhat decent support for Anemo Vision holders at the bare minimum, but with a full Constellation she turns into a ludicrously powerful support that elevates her fellow Anemo Vision holder to new heights of damage.
Meaningful Name: The name "Faruzan" appears to be based on the Persian name "Farzan" (فرزان), which translates to "wise". This name is befitting of her character, as she is stated to be quite intelligent despite her teachings being shunned by modern-day Haravatat students.
Multishot: Her first Constellation upgrade, Truth by Any Means, allows Faruzan to fire two Hurricane Arrows while the Manifest Gale is active.
Nostalgia Filter: Subverted. After catching a glimpse of light novels, Faruzan waxes on about how much better Tales of Shahryar was and is shocked to discover that no one remembers the story. She ends up finding a copy of one volume at an antique store and is incredulous that the book has not only been out of circulation for long enough to count as an antique, but was disappointing enough that the last person to express interest in the book sighed, put the book down, and walked away. Then she reads it and realizes that the book is of a much lower quality than she remembers. She decides to question the person who had been looking at the book earlier, as he's a storyteller who reads novels by that author for a living, and he explains that the series jumped the shark after Volume 4, which was the last volume to be published before Faruzan fell absent. In other words, the story was just as good as Faruzan remembers: the problem is that it didn't stay that way.
Older Than They Look: While she looks like a teenager, her writings have contributed to learning materials in textbooks that are nearly a century old, making her the oldest in modern-day Sumeru. This trope is also a major Berserk Button for her should anyone bring it up. The Japanese dub highlights Faruzan's longevity by having her refer to herself with the self-honorific washi, which is commonly used by older characters.
Perpetual Poverty: Implied. Several of Faruzan's voice-lines mention how frequently the Harvatat denies her funding. She also says that once her funding is approved, she will treat Kaveh to a nice meal, implying that funding is not only for projects but also a source of income for her.
The Professor: Faruzan is the only playable character among the Sumeru cast who is actively trying to recruit more students to attend her classes.
Regenerating Mana: Faruzan's fourth Constellation upgrade, Divine Comprehension, restores her Energy depending on the number of enemies hit with Pressurized Collapse—2 points for the first enemy, with another half-point for every additional enemy, to a maximum of 4 Energy (equivalent to at least five enemies).
Screw Politeness, I'm a Senior!: Downplayed. Due to being a senior in the Akademiya (being over 100 years old), her voicelines are very sassy and prideful.
Shameless Fanservice Girl: More or less asks the Traveler to take a photo of her rear if she wins the "Parade of Providence" competition. The camera pans over her legs and her back followed by a wink as she's saying this for even less subtlety.
"Remember to shoot from behind at a lower angle — you know, to capture a senior's class!"
Squishy Wizard: Faruzan's kit is tailored towards crowd control, damaging and debuffing her enemies and buffing her allies through her Elemental Talents. However, her base Attack is nothing to write home about, and her HP and Defense, like her fellow archers, are predictably on the lower side.
Smart People Build Robots: She’s an expert machinist and builds anemo-infused mechanisms, one of which she deploys in the event cutscene of "Parade of Providence."
Status Buff: In addition to the Damage-Increasing Debuff (see above), Whirlwind Pulse has the ability to bestow upon allies caught within its blast radius the Prayerful Wind's Benefit effect for four seconds, which increases their Anemo damage. Faruzan's fourth-ascension passive, Lost Wisdom of the Seven Caverns, adds the Hurricane Guard effect, wherein the first Anemo-augmented attack of any kind gains a damage boost based on 32% of Faruzan's Attack stat (within at least a 0.8-second interval), while her sixth Constellation upgrade, The Wondrous Path of Truth, adds a 40% boost to Critical Damage of Anemo-infused attacks, in addition to the ability to trigger Pressurized Collapse (within at least 3-second intervals).
Stepford Smiler: Her Character Story 5 touches on that she was in denial about outliving her former classmates and ended up in an unfamiliar version of Sumeru due to being displaced in time. Even after being forced to accept her situation, she masks her sadness behind her sassy personality and refuses to allow herself to be stuck in time again.
They Call Me MISTER Tibbs!: As she will readily tell you, she is to be addressed as Madam Faruzan.
Unconventional Electives 101: Faruzan's specialisation in "the analysis of the structure of and solutions to various ruin devices via the study of stone carvings and other ancient texts" is presently considered a niche topic in modern day Sumeru, which is why she has trouble recruit students for her classes or securing funding for her research.
Upgrade Artifact: A variant—her third and fifth Constellation upgrades, Spirit-Orchard Stroll and Wonderland of Rumination, increase the talent levels of, respectively, Wind Realm of Nasamjnin and The Wind's Secret Ways by three.
What Happened to the Mouse?: Faruzan's Character Stories reveal that she did have friends who she left behind while she was imprisoned in King Deshret's ruin for over 100 years, though what happened to them and how they reacted to her disappearance was unclear until her Hangout event. Her mother, friends, and instructors all worked together to find her, a quest that lasted 20 years until they were all too old to continue. They ultimately decided to send Tamimi, a mechanical lifeform invented by Faruzan and modified by her companions, to explore the ruins in search of her, carrying notes written to her to read when she was eventually located.
Vague Age: While Faruzan is over 100 years old currently, her age at the time she went missing is less clear. She resembles a teen, her youth maintained from her time spent in King Deshret's ruin, and her Hangout reveals that she used to live with her mother whilst attending the Akademiya. In the present, it has also been a few years since she had been rescued, which adds to her probable age.

The Wanderer

Fontaine

Lynette

Sandbox / Genshin Impact Anemo

Anemo

Mondstadt

Jean Gunnhildr

Voiced by: Lin Su (Chinese), Chiwa Saitō (Japanese), Ahn Yeong-mi (Korean), Stephanie Southerland (English)
Introduced: September 28, 2020 (v1.0 "Welcome To Teyvat" [game launch])

Sucrose

Voiced by: Xiaogan (Chinese), Akane Fujita (Japanese), Kim Ha-yeong (Korean), Valeria Rodriguez (English)
Introduced: September 28, 2020 (v1.0 "Welcome To Teyvat" [game launch])

Venti / Lord Barbatos, the God of Freedom

Voiced by: Miaojiang (Chinese), Ayumu Murase (Japanese), Jung Yoo-jung (Korean), Erika Harlacher (English)
Introduced: September 28, 2020 (v1.0 "Welcome To Teyvat" [game launch])

Liyue

Xiao, né Alatus

Voiced by: kinsen (Chinese), Yoshitsugu Matsuoka (Japanese), Jeong Yoo-mi (Korean, pre-update), Shim Gyu-hyuk (Korean, current), Laila Berzins (English)
Introduced: February 3, 2021 (v1.3 "All That Glitters" [first half])

Inazuma

Kaedehara Kazuha

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

Sayu

Voiced by: Sakula (Chinese), Aya Suzaki (Japanese), Lee Ji-hyeon (Korean), Lily Ki (English)
Introduced: August 10, 2021 (v2.0 "The Immovable God and the Eternal Euthymia" [second half])

Shikanoin Heizou

Voiced by: Lin Jing (Chinese), Yūichi Iguchi (Japanese), Jeong Ui-jin (Korean), Kieran Regan (English)
Introduced: July 13, 2022 (v2.8 "Summer Fantasia" [first half])

Sumeru

Faruzan

Voiced by: Yan Mengmeng (Chinese), Yui Horie (Japanese), Kim You-rim (Korean), Chandni Parekh (English)
Introduced: December 7, 2022 (v3.3 "All Senses Clear, All Existence Void" [first half])

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Sandbox / Genshin Impact Anemo

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Anemo

Mondstadt

Jean Gunnhildr

Voiced by: Lin Su (Chinese), Chiwa Saitō (Japanese), Ahn Yeong-mi (Korean), Stephanie Southerland (English) Introduced: September 28, 2020 (v1.0 "Welcome To Teyvat" [game launch])

Sucrose

Voiced by: Xiaogan (Chinese), Akane Fujita (Japanese), Kim Ha-yeong (Korean), Valeria Rodriguez (English) Introduced: September 28, 2020 (v1.0 "Welcome To Teyvat" [game launch])

Venti / Lord Barbatos, the God of Freedom

Voiced by: Miaojiang (Chinese), Ayumu Murase (Japanese), Jung Yoo-jung (Korean), Erika Harlacher (English) Introduced: September 28, 2020 (v1.0 "Welcome To Teyvat" [game launch])

Liyue

Xiao, né Alatus

Voiced by: kinsen (Chinese), Yoshitsugu Matsuoka (Japanese), Jeong Yoo-mi (Korean, pre-update), Shim Gyu-hyuk (Korean, current), Laila Berzins (English) Introduced: February 3, 2021 (v1.3 "All That Glitters" [first half])

Inazuma

Kaedehara Kazuha

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

Sayu

Voiced by: Sakula (Chinese), Aya Suzaki (Japanese), Lee Ji-hyeon (Korean), Lily Ki (English) Introduced: August 10, 2021 (v2.0 "The Immovable God and the Eternal Euthymia" [second half])

Shikanoin Heizou

Voiced by: Lin Jing (Chinese), Yūichi Iguchi (Japanese), Jeong Ui-jin (Korean), Kieran Regan (English) Introduced: July 13, 2022 (v2.8 "Summer Fantasia" [first half])

Sumeru

Faruzan

Voiced by: Yan Mengmeng (Chinese), Yui Horie (Japanese), Kim You-rim (Korean), Chandni Parekh (English) Introduced: December 7, 2022 (v3.3 "All Senses Clear, All Existence Void" [first half])

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Voiced by: Lin Su (Chinese), Chiwa Saitō (Japanese), Ahn Yeong-mi (Korean), Stephanie Southerland (English)
Introduced: September 28, 2020 (v1.0 "Welcome To Teyvat" [game launch])

Voiced by: Xiaogan (Chinese), Akane Fujita (Japanese), Kim Ha-yeong (Korean), Valeria Rodriguez (English)
Introduced: September 28, 2020 (v1.0 "Welcome To Teyvat" [game launch])

Voiced by: Miaojiang (Chinese), Ayumu Murase (Japanese), Jung Yoo-jung (Korean), Erika Harlacher (English)
Introduced: September 28, 2020 (v1.0 "Welcome To Teyvat" [game launch])

Voiced by: kinsen (Chinese), Yoshitsugu Matsuoka (Japanese), Jeong Yoo-mi (Korean, pre-update), Shim Gyu-hyuk (Korean, current), Laila Berzins (English)
Introduced: February 3, 2021 (v1.3 "All That Glitters" [first half])

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

Voiced by: Sakula (Chinese), Aya Suzaki (Japanese), Lee Ji-hyeon (Korean), Lily Ki (English)
Introduced: August 10, 2021 (v2.0 "The Immovable God and the Eternal Euthymia" [second half])

Voiced by: Lin Jing (Chinese), Yūichi Iguchi (Japanese), Jeong Ui-jin (Korean), Kieran Regan (English)
Introduced: July 13, 2022 (v2.8 "Summer Fantasia" [first half])

Voiced by: Yan Mengmeng (Chinese), Yui Horie (Japanese), Kim You-rim (Korean), Chandni Parekh (English)
Introduced: December 7, 2022 (v3.3 "All Senses Clear, All Existence Void" [first half])