Genshin Impact 5-Star Characters Are Too Predictable

Genshin Impact releases a new character about every six weeks. The pool of originally 19 characters has expanded to almost 50, with more coming in the near future. 5-star characters were only a select few, but now there are almost as many 5-star characters as there are 4-stars. Every character brings new excitement for fans as they anticipate the newcomer’s combat abilities. After all, Genshin Impact is a gacha game at its core, and each new 5-star character brings success for this otherwise free-to-play title.

However, with the exception of the Hydro element, the pattern of 5-star releases has been predictable. With an upcoming rerun of Hydro catalyst Kokomi, Kamisato Ayato coming in 2.6, and Genshin Impact leaks of another Hydro character, Yelan, fans have been venting their frustration with the apparent lack of diversity for the other elements. Female characters outnumber male characters by a huge margin, and elements amongst the gendered characters are also formulaic. 5-star characters in Genshin Impact have become too predictable.

All promotional Genshin Impact 5-star Pyro characters have been female and usually preferred as a DPS role since their scaling is incredibly high. This was seen especially through the characters Klee and Hu Tao. Yoimiya was a bit underwhelming, but she still fits the criteria of a Pyro DPS. Diluc is the only male Pyro 5-star character, but he is not limited and will always be available in the gacha system.

There May Be Bias Toward Genshin Impact Elements & Characters

Similarly, all 5-star promotional Cryo characters were all female and were also mostly DPS. Ganyu and Eula has ridiculous damage. Kamisato Ayaka is now considered a top-tier DPS, on par with Hu Tao. Shenhe, one of the best Genshin Impact characters to use with Ganyu, is an amazing Cryo support to the aforementioned Cryo characters. This is further proven by the fact that there are absolutely no male 5-star Cryo characters. In fact, there are only 2 male Cryo characters, and they were available since Genshin Impact‘s launch.

On the other hand, all 5-star promotional Genshin Impact Geo and Anemo characters were male, with 4 out of the 6 having a more supportive role. Albedo and Zhongli deal consistent off-field Geo damage and can provide shields. Kaedehara Kazuha and Venti have superb crowd control abilities and can shred enemy resistance. Arataki Itto and Xiao and are the only Geo and Anemo DPS, respectively. Like Diluc for Pyro users, Jean is the only 5-star Anemo female character, but she is always available through the gacha system.

There are still only two promotional Electro characters, Genshin Impact 2.5’s Yae Miko and Raiden Shogun, who is having a character rerun in Genshin Impact 2.5. However, Genshin Impact fans are already hoping for diversity because there has only ever been one Electro male character, and that’s Razor. Electro was the most common element when the game initially launched. Raiden Shogun was the first promotional Electro character and that was almost a year since release.

This somewhat formulaic release of 5-star characters has been a controversial topic in the Genshin Impact fandom. Are new characters still genuinely exciting, or is it because of the lack of content during endgame that makes them seem new? Is repetition okay or is it only tolerable? Alongside HoYoverse’s multiple controversies regarding the game, new characters are always under scrutiny because they are both the most desirable and criticized aspect of the game. This further proves the need for new weapon types in Genshin Impact or new elements. How long can the game succeed with new characters remains to be seen.