This article has multiple issues. Please help improve it or discuss these issues on the talk page . (Learn how and when to remove these messages)
|
Genshin Impact is an open-world action RPG built around exploration, elemental combat, and a diverse roster of playable characters. Each character is aligned with one of seven elements and wields a Vision [a] , a magical device that lets its bearer channel elemental energy in combat. [1] [2] As of December 2025, there are 109 playable characters in the game, each offering distinct playstyles, backstories and ties to Teyvat's culture. The current roster consists of 21 characters from Mondstadt, 21 from Liyue, 17 from Inazuma, 14 from Sumeru, 13 from Fontaine, 11 from Natlan, 2 from Snezhnaya and 6 from Nod-Krai. Four characters come from outside of Teyvat.
Genshin Impact uses a gacha system as its core business model. This means that most of the game's revenue comes from sales on time-limited character "banners" during which players can spend in-game currency for the chance to acquire characters. Through this, some characters such as Zhongli and the Raiden Shogun have earned massive amounts of money for developer HoYoverse. However, some characters faced criticism from players for issues like poor performance in combat and cultural misrepresentation.
Genshin Impact producer Cai Haoyu said that characters are one of the most important components of the game. The characters have unique gameplay based on different elements, which represent the cultural characteristics of their respective regions. The multi-character design of the game is derived from Japanese card games. New characters are continuously introduced; at the same time, contrary to mainstream and past designs that used characters to serve the plot, the production team designed a narrative centered on characters, carrying out multi-plotline parallel narratives under the same worldview. In addition, the characters of Genshin Impact are the main source of profit for the game, with most characters obtained through a wishing mechanic, while other content in the game is provided to players for free. [3]
Each character is designed by a team rather than an individual and there are no "art director" or "creative director" positions in MiHoYo. The production team first establishes the character's background story and place of residence, then conducts internal discussions and brainstorming. Afterwards, they evaluate the character's art style, background design, and gameplay mechanics based on player preferences. Once a concept design is finalized, the character design process enters the modeling stage. The production team continuously reviews the character's 3D model to ensure that it is consistent with the concept drawing. In terms of character rendering, the in-game character model and the scene are rendered independently. The scene uses deferred shading, while the characters use forward rendering, allowing the production team to control all lighting effects to ensure that the effect of the character presentation always meets the artist's expectations. To maintain the display effect of the character's face, a system that will automatically adjust according to the direction of the main light source was designed. In terms of the overall shadow effect of the character, the production team depicts the character in a cartoonish art style through cel shading, while also allowing the character to be affected by real-time light sources. [3]
In terms of character artificial intelligence (AI) design, the production team has been developing the game's character AI system since 2017. AI is mainly divided into three categories: humans, wildlife, and non-player characters (NPCs) in combat. There were more than 200 types of AI in the early stages of the game. With the increase in AI brought about by game updates, the production team designed an AI framework and established an independent AI pipeline, breaking the inference modules into different categories according to each function to facilitate subsequent updates and maintenance. The character's behavior is based on a decision tree system to determine the character's skills or movements, and the data will be imported into the animation system for execution. The entire system facilitates giving NPCs different personalities and special abilities, also allowing boss-type characters to have unique actions. [4]
For a character's background, the production team creates their image by building interpersonal relationship networks for the character and refining the regional cultural background of the character's origin. [5] Before the character is officially launched in the game, miHoYo promotes them by releasing relevant videos through its official social media accounts for promotion. Initially, a character teaser in Live2D is released to provide a first impression of their design, identity and personality to players. The day before the character's release, a character trailer (formerly termed "character demo") is released, showing their detailed 3D model, combat animations, skill effects, and some exclusive story and interaction clips. Finally, "Collected Miscellany" videos explain how to use the character's skills and their unique mechanics, with the narrator also describing and commenting on the character's personality based on their respective worldviews. [6]
Many characters are derived from legends of certain nations: for instance, the adepti of Liyue are based on the Xian of Daoism. The idea of the Vision is derived from Daoism: in the game, the concept of a third eye manifests itself in humans in the form of their Vision. [7] Some characters are named after historical or literary figures; for example, Alhaitham is named after the real-life figure Ibn al-Haytham. [8]
Outlanders are characters that are not originally from the world of Teyvat.
Mondstadt was released in September 2020.
The Knights of Favonius is the order of knights that protect Mondstadt.
The Church of Favonius is the church subordinate to the Knights of Favonius, worshipping Lord Barbatos.
Liyue was released in September 2020.
The Adepti (singular Adeptus) are a group in Liyue that consists of both illuminated beasts and gods. Most of them are bound by a contract to protect Liyue from demons and evil gods and are led by the Prime of Adepti, Rex Lapis himself.
The Liyue Qixing is a committee made up of seven merchants and business leaders who govern Liyue.
Inazuma was released in July 2021. [73]
Sumeru was released in August 2022, and introduced the Dendro characters to the game. [107]
Fontaine was released in August 2023. [124]
The House of the Hearth is an orphanage run by Arlecchino, the fourth Fatui Harbinger. Orphans within the house are often raised directly into the Fatui or remain closely affiliated with the organization by way of their relation to Arlecchino.
Natlan was released in August 2024. [128]
Snezhnaya saw a partial release in September 2025 with the release of Nod-Krai. The rest of Snezhnaya is scheduled to release in 2026.
The Eleven Fatui Harbingers are the powerful lieutenants of the Tsaritsa. They are based on characters from the commedia dell'arte . [133]
Nod-Krai is an autonomous region located at the southernmost part of Snezhnaya. Kuuvahki, a primordial lunar energy predating the seven elements, is abundant in Nod-Krai and harnessed for many purposes, including powering the Vision-like Moon Wheels and their Lunar Elemental Reactions. Nod-Krai was released in September 2025.
Khaenri'ah is expected to be released after Snezhnaya. It is not part of the continent of Teyvat, and not ruled by any of the Seven Archons.
Celestia is a mysterious floating island above Teyvat. It is the residence of the gods.
The Four Shades are the envoys and emissaries under the Heavenly Principles. Embodying fundamental concepts of existence, they exert their influence on a higher plane of reality.
The Hexenzirkel is a mysterious coven of mages, some of whom possess immense power. They conduct explorations of the world tree that holds all of Teyvat's information, Irminsul, and sometimes host "formal tea parties". Each member has a unique codename corresponding to a letter of the alphabet.
Several of the game's characters have enjoyed massive popularity and have earned millions of dollars in revenue. According to PCGamesN, the character banner featuring the Wanderer and Arataki Itto generated over US$3.79 million in revenue on its first day of release and more than US$17.43 million in its first week. [137] In September 2021, during the week of the Raiden Shogun's first banner, the game generated $150 million in revenue, far exceeding that of the whole preceding month. Genshin Impact topped the sales ranking for mobile games in 42 countries and regions. A commentator for HK01 attributed this to her character design, widespread advertising, high player expectations, and the discounts of the game's first anniversary. This record exceeded all previous characters until she made available again in March 2022, which resulted in the game topping iOS revenue charts in over 20 countries and regions. The Raiden Shogun's record was eventually broken by the November 2, 2022 banner, which introduced the Dendro archon Nahida and earned US$34 million in the Chinese market. [138] The record was broken again by a banner featuring Xiao. [139]
In August 2022, HoYoverse introduced the nation of Sumeru, a region inspired by Middle Eastern and South Asian cultures. Many of its playable characters and NPCs were depicted as white-skinned, prompting accusations of whitewashing and colorism. [140]
In July 2024, HoYoverse released a trailer for the nation of Natlan, which was inspired by pre-Columbian Mesoamerican, African, and Polynesian cultures. Similar to Sumeru's characters, the character designs received criticism for perceived colorism and cultural appropriation, as the majority of the characters are depicted with white skin. Among those criticizing included many of the English voice actors in the game. [141] [142]
In February 2023, allegations of abusive behavior and sexual exploitation of minors were made against Elliot Gindi, the English voice actor of Tighnari. Gindi apologized for some of his actions but denied the allegations of preying on minors. He was widely condemned by the Genshin Impact community and fellow voice actors, with the voice director of the game, Chris Faiella, seeking to take action against Gindi. [143] [144] HoYoverse later fired Gindi and replaced him with Zachary Gordon. [122]
Although HoYoverse wasn't listed as one of the companies targeted in the SAG-AFTRA strike, multiple English voice actors in support of the strike stopped voicing their assigned characters as part of an independent strike separate from the main strike. HoYoverse responded by recasting various striking voice actors. [145]
Following the main strike's suspension, while some voice actors continued their work, Sean Chiplock stated that other voice actors are still striking against HoYoverse independently due to the company's non-union status. [146] As a result, HoYoverse continued to recast multiple voice actors, including Corina Boettger (formerly Paimon), Kayli Mills (formerly Keqing), Valeria Rodriguez (formerly Sucrose), and Shara Kirby (formerly Candace). [70]