Throughout its many years since Traveler’s adventure began on the shores of Mondstadt, Genshin Impact continued to steadily release characters. And, unlike its younger siblings, the game did not abandon its 4-stars either. Warriors, religious figures, civilians, performers and creators, mages, gods and other supernatural creatures, Genshin Impact has it all, coming from all walks of life and nations.
One of the things when it comes to the game is keeping the balance between the newly released 4-stars and 5-stars, giving players a low-cost substitute or a relatively easily acceptable unit for party-building such as recently released Iansan or Aino.
And one of the drawbacks that comes with this necessity is sometimes giving narratively-important characters a lower rank, despite their screentime, contribution or even story standing. While Genshin has massively improved over time, there are still plenty of 4-stars that have deserved a better fate, story-wise.
Let’s dive right in and go faction-by-faction, splitting the worthy candidates into 2 categories: straight-up deserving of being a 5-star and an honorable mention. That means a character who, in my eyes, has what it takes to qualify for a 5-star treatment… but for one reason or another the character themselves won’t have gone for it.
Enjoy!
Mondstadt
Mondstadt, the OG Genshin region, where the Traveler’s journey began and this story started with the song of the Dragon and Freedom. As all early locations, it came saturated with 4-stars to allow baby players to form working teams for the early game. And I feel like some of them had been deserving of a better treatment if you look back at the cast and consider the 5-stars over the years.
Also, Mondstadt being Mondstadt, with its laidback and easygoing vibes (unless the booze or the Abyss are involved), immediately starts being difficult with all three candidates hopping onto the Honorable Mention list – worthy, but unassuming and sometimes very intentionally lazy.
Lisa Minci – Honorable Mention
That’s right, the first on our list is no other than the Witch of the Purple Rose. Before becoming the humble librarian of the Knights of Favonius, Lisa was recognized as Sumeru Akademiya’s most distinguished graduate in 200 years, having finished her education in the Spantamad Darshan. She is also a powerful mage in her own right and widely accepted as having an unparalleled wisdom throughout Mondstadt.
Despite the repeated pleas to return to the Akademiya, she seems content with her life in the nation of Freedom. When joining the Knights of Favonius, she also (repeatedly) refused the position of the Captain of the 8th Company. And, finally, it is said that she has no interest in Hexenzirkel, as the idea of Irminsul exploration and formal tea parties is not up to her liking.
However, behind the carefree facade is a fascinating story. The core of Lisa’s reluctance is not laziness, it is fear. During her time in Sumeru, Lisa witnessed first-hand how much people were willing to sacrifice to attain knowledge and power. She was further convinced to abandon that path once she acquired her Vision. For whatever reason, the gods gave humans the key to changing everything, but they did not explain the cost involved.
“Before demanding too many miracles from the gods, first consider if you are willing to pay the price they ask.”
There was also an interesting, seemingly abandoned plot involving that very concept. Lisa’s Constellation is Tempus Fugit, the Hourglass, symbolizing the trade-off between time and knowledge. During an early interview, MiHoYo brand manager noted that Lisa acquired immense powers by (unwillingly) sacrificing a half of her lifespan, and thus has only a few years left to live.
As Mona says in her voice-line about Lisa, “As each grain of sand falls down, a moment of time — of life, even, dies for good. To stop the unrelenting flow of sand, one would have to turn the hourglass on its side. But once the sand comes to rest, it remains motionless forever.”
So, to sum it up, Lisa Minci has the narrative standing, position, power and knowledge to back up a 5-star claim… but she persistently and actively avoids the responsibilities and the sacrifices that will have to follow. Thus, Honorable Mention to the lovely librarian. Still, one can only wonder how things would have turned out if she had accepted the invitation by the Hexenzirkel or maybe by the Fatui if they were able to dispel her supposed “curse”.
Kaeya Alberich – Honorable Mention
Kaeya Alberich, the horse-less Cavalry Captain of the Knights of Favonius and the first Khaenri’ahn we’ve met, back before we even knew when Khaenri’ah even was. A bold, charming and outgoing man, who privately struggles with his loneliness, guilt and fears.
Seemingly abandoned at the Dawn Winery at a young age, Kaeya is an adopted son of Crepus Rangvindr, whose untimely death caused the falling out between Diluc and the Knights of Favonius. With a heavy heart, Kaeya shared the truth with his brother: unknown to all, he was an agent of Khaenri’ah, placed in Mondstadt to serve their interests. The brothers then came to blows, before going their separate ways for good.
Of particular interest is his clan name, Alberich. 500 years ago, during and after the Cataclysm, his noble clan members took on important roles: Anfortas Alberich became the regent of Khaenri’ah when King Irmin was unable to rule, while Chlothar Alberich became the founder of the Abyss Order in order to save his son, Caribert.
Here’s how Mona describes his Constellation, a Pavo Ocellus, Peacock Eyespot. “Destined for greatness and grandeur… and to hide ugly realities behind a layer of charm and elegance. He believes he has made a clean break with his past, but one day fate will catch up with him. When it does, he will have a major decision to make.”
Does that mean we’ll see more of Clan Alberich and Khaenri’ah in the days to come, and that is when Kaeya will have to make his choice? Stay tuned, but as of now, I believe Kaeya has the potential for a 5-star version… provided Varka finally brings horses back!
Also, Kaeya met Dainsleif in Sumeru, which could be another hint at the way things will unfold… or will be totally forgotten in order to bring in new characters, we just have to wait and see.
Dahlia – Honorable Mention
Dahlia, a deacon from the Church of Favonius and, more importantly, the Herald of Barbatos, the man who informs Venti of any notable events in Mond, and relays his feedback to the people.
Other important religious figures are all 5-stars – Yae Miko, Sangonomiya Kokomi and the most recent addition, Lauma. Sure, there are also Barbara and Rosaria, but their positions and relations to their god are much more humble, unaware of his real identity beyond the legends. Rosaria also repeatedly fails to remember his godly name.
However, despite his deep devotion to his god and the occasional surprise baptism, Dahlia looks for entertainment and drama wherever he goes. As such, he is likely worth the position of a 5-star based on his standing and importance, but would instead follow the carefree and laidback ways of his Archon and skip out anyhow, grabbing Venti and going out for drinks and gossip instead.
Liyue
Moving onto the nation of trade and contracts, Liyue, which shared an approach similar to Mondstadt since it was also a part of 1.x patch series. Meaning, a lot of 4-stars to choose from, including some early game beasts like Xiangling and Xingqiu.
Still, the rules stand, and instead of their gameplay strength, let’s take a look at how the narrative treated certain characters.
Ningguang
That’s it, that’s the thread. Ningguang should have been a limited or a standard 5-star from the get-go. As the Tianquan of the Liyue Qixing and owner of the floating Jade Chamber in the skies of Liyue, she is one of the richest and most powerful women in Teyvat. Note, not the strongest, but one of the powerful anyhow, having created her empire from nothing.
In the new era of Liyue, it is humans who lead the nation into the future, not Rex Lapis or his Adepti. And among the humans, it is the Qixing that have the biggest narrative importance for the nation. Out of the seven of them, we are only personally familiar with two: the Tianquan Ninnguang and the Yuheng Keqing (who is a standard 5-star). There’s also the Tianshu, Uncle Tan, but it’s been a long time since his last appearance, and he might not be filling the position anymore for all we know.
Ningguang is calculating and ruthless, but also highly meticulous and influential, affecting not only the policies of Liyue, but also having a certain amount of power outside the nation due to her intelligence network, wealth and cunning. “Ningguang knows everything,” foreigners will often find the Liyue locals warning them.
How is this woman not a 5-star?
Beidou
Where there is Ningguang, there’s Beidou. Coming from similar backgrounds, Beidou is the captain of The Crux fleet, also known as the Uncrowned Lord of the Ocean for her great strength — capable of slaying the leviathan Haishan without the aid of a Vision.
Beidou is well-known across Liyue for her strength, her easy-going personality, her good judgement of characters, and being absolutely unafraid of the Tianquan. She is also admired for her leadership qualities and courage, having earned herself quite the reputation throughout the nation of Contracts and beyond.
She has played an important part not just in the events of Liyue, but in those of Inazuma as well, having stealthily delivered the Traveler and Kazuha to the shores of Raiden Shogun’s region in spite of the Sakoku Decree. It is unlikely that there is a 4-star with the importance to match in the overall worldly affairs, and Beidou has an upper hand compared to some 5-stars as well.
Give the woman a big admiral hat (and pants!) and another star to her rarity.
Inazuma
The first real expansion for Genshin Impact, Inazuma marked the point in the game’s life when the number of 5-stars had grown equal or even larger than that of the 4-stars, the shift that keeps ongoing even now. Naturally, that means that most narratively-important characters got their coveted 5-star ranks… but not all.
In fact, this approach sometimes works out in a way where the 4-stars hold more lore significance than 5-stars, but they are also made the dedicated support type of characters, such as Sara, Gorou, Chevreuse, Faruzan, or Iansan.
But let’s not get too ahead of ourselves just yet, it’s Inazuma time!
Kujou Sara
The character that had pulled the shortest end of the stick ever, Kujou Sara is a Tengu warrior that proudly serves Raiden Shogun and leads the forces of the Tenryou Commission.
Ask anyone in Inazuma, including the former enemies from the Watatsumi Island, and they will describe Sara as loyal, sincere, relentless, even-headed and skilled in battle. During the Vision Hunt, she had forbidden her people from harming civilians, and had expended utmost patience and sincerity in attempting a peaceful resolution.
However, when such an outcome was not possible, Sara would sigh helplessly before resolutely facing and taking down an enemy. That is what allowed her to defeat Kazuha’s friend and Arataki Itto, a powerful Oni… and a 5-star.
“Victory will belong to all of us, even if I am not the last person remaining on the battlefield.”
So, let’s go over it again: Sara is a Tengu, a Youkai with power vastly higher than a normal human; she is a trained elite warrior and a leader; and she had a certain narrative importance, presenting Raiden Shogun’s side and forces during the Vision Hunt Decree, before Signora knocked her out and she disappeared forever.
Justice for my girl! I hope that one day HoYoverse remembers that she exists and gives her a skin that allows her to use her own Tengu wings for gliding instead of the basic glider.
Gorou – Honorable Mention
Kujou Sara but on the other side, Gorou is the General of the Watatsumi army that follows Divine Priestess Sangonomiya Kokomi in opposition to the Vision Hunt Decree. He is a Youkai who, despite his slim build, is known to be a brave and loyal leader among his troops.
So, why is he only an honorable mention while Sarah is a full-blown “why aren’t you a 5-star”? The truth is, the whole narrative of Watatsumi has fallen off ever since the Sakoku Decree and the Vision Hunt Decree had been taken down.
Whenever we (infrequently) return to Inazuma, it is inevitably focused on Narukami and the way things are evolving under Raiden Shogun’s rule, after she embraced a new ideal of Eternity. Sure, sometimes the folks from Watatsumi show up to participate, but usually as side-characters in a narrative that is not their own, and to have Yae Miko tease Gorou around.
Instead of ranking Gorou up, I’d rather Watatsumi get a couple of new characters – either 5-stars or 4-stars, either will do, but preferably both – and a few storylines that show how things are evolving for them. Still, it would have been unfair to mention Sara but not bring him up, so here goes the Honorable Mention for Gorou.
