The cast of characters in HoYoverse's Genshin Impact hails from the continent of Teyvat,[a] which has seven nations: Mondstadt, Liyue, Inazuma, Sumeru, Fontaine, Natlan, and Snezhnaya.
[b] The seven Archons stand for seven different elements: Anemo (air), Geo (earth), Pyro (fire), Hydro (water), Cryo (ice), Electro (electricity), and Dendro (plant).
Some of Genshin Impact's characters were first introduced in an official manga released prior to the game's launch.
The production team will first establish the character's background story and place of residence, then conduct internal discussions and brainstorming.
The production team will work as a group to evaluate the character's art style, background design, and gameplay mechanics based on player preferences.
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.
AI is mainly divided into three categories: humans, wildlife, and non-player characters (NPCs) in combat.
The entire system facilitates giving NPCs different personalities and special abilities, also allowing boss-type characters to have unique actions.
[7] Some voice lines in the voice-over sections tease things to come, serving as hints and references to upcoming content in the game, including new characters.
[16] Many characters are derived from legends of certain nations: for instance, the adepti of Liyue are based on the Xian of Daoism.
[57] Natlan characters are grouped into the six tribes of the nation: Nanatzcayan (Children of Echoes), Meztli (People of Springs), Huitztlan (Scions of the Canopy), Mictlan (Masters of the Night-Wind), Tlalocan (Flower-Feather Clan) and Teteocan (Collective of Plenty); each of which aligns with six of the game's seven elements and each owns specified Saurian (tamed and developed dragon).
[82] 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.
[84] Later, miHoYo issued an apology, and promised to improve the character's kit during beta testing for version 1.3.
[85] In early March 2023, HoYoverse was criticized following Dehya's release, as some of the game's fanbase argued that her kit was underpowered and dysfunctional, particularly compared to those of lower-rarity characters.
[86][87] Several players announced that they had stopped spending money on the game, while others sent feedback to HoYoverse demanding improvements.
[88] As one of the few dark-skinned playable characters in the game, some suggested that her poor skillset might be due to colorism, given similar accusations made against HoYoverse in the past.
[89] A campaign urging the wider playerbase to press HoYoverse for change trended on Twitter under the hashtag #FixDehya, with many spamming the game's official account.