Sparkle (Chinese: 花火; pinyin: Huāhuǒ; lit. 'fireworks') is a character in the video game Honkai: Star Rail, published by miHoYo. In the game, she is a member of the Masked Fools, an intergalactic organization devoted to elation and fun. She was released in version 2.0 of the game in February 2024, and received favorable reviews for her cute appearance and intrigue. In 2026, an alternate version of Sparkle called Sparxie (火花; Huǒhuā; 'spark') was released in version 4.0 of the game. In the game, Sparxie is a livestreamer originally created by Sparkle to run her livestream accounts when Sparkle herself was not able to. Sparxie was also praised for her appearance.
Design and voice acting Sparkle was first mentioned in-game in version 1.4 of the game, which was released on October 11, 2023. Sparkle's character illustration, damage type and Path were first revealed by miHoYo on December 14, 2023. On February 26, miHoYo released another trailer called "Sparkle: Behind the Curtain" which revealed that Sparkle was able to shapeshift in order to assume different identities. The trailer explained that the Masked Fools, of which she is a member, were a group dedicated to pleasure and who followed the Path of Elation. On February 27, 2024, a trailer called Monodrama was released which hinted at Sparkle's ability to take on many identities and her place in the game's lore. A few hours before she was set to be released, miHoYo released a 2D animated video hinting at the role she would play in the game's story, as well as another video discussing her abilities in combat. She was officially released in version 2.0 of the game on February 29, 2024. She is the fourth member of the Masked Fools overall that the protagonist meets in the game, and the second one to be a playable character. On June 20, 2024, a cinematic trailer entitled "The Great Tatalov Salutes You" was released which showed Sparkle explaining the reasoning behind her actions in the game's storyline. On January 2, 2026, HoYoverse revealed that an alternative form of Sparkle, called Sparxie, would be released as a separate playable character in version 4.0 of the game, having released a trailer revealing Sparxie's appearance and hinting at her profession a day earlier. Sparxie was revealed to be Sparkle's alternate persona, and was a famous livestreamer on her home planet of Planarcadia. She was described by Delle Tribdino of GameDaily as an attention-seeking, fun-loving and mischievous character who likes pranks and who seems to long for the spotlight. Sparxie was released as a playable character on February 14, 2026; she is the third character from the Masked Fools to be a playable character. February 24 saw the release of "Sparxie: Never Gonna Desert You", an analysis of her combat abilities provided by HoYoverse. The company uploaded a full-length trailer called "Ravings" on March 1, 2026, which discussed Sparxie's character and showed her streaming. Sparkle and Sparxie are voiced in English by Lizzie Freeman, in Chinese by Zhao Shuang, in Japanese by Reina Ueda, and in Korean by Seong Ye-won. In an interview, Ueda said that Sparkle looks innocent, but actually has the temperament of a "little devil" and likes to tease others while smiling mischievously. She also thinks that the way the character speaks in the Japanese dub (that is, by using her name in place of a first-person pronoun) is both cunning and cute. Ueda also mentioned that Sparkle seems to only pursue happiness and fun on the outside, but that there are still things she cares about. In another interview, Ueda said that Sparxie was a popular livestreamer active in Duomension City, a major city in Planarcadia. She prefers improvisation and pranks, and accumulates popularity by creating internet memes and encouraging viewers to leave comments and interact with her stream. Ueda summarized the character's charm as a "combination of innocence and danger".
Appearances
Story
Penacony
Sparkle is said to pursue elation in all that she does, and views the world as a joke. She values fun and enjoyment, and lives a carefree life. After the Trailblazer, the game's protagonist, enters the dream planet of Penacony and meets Firefly, the two of them decide to go sightseeing, during which Firefly notices that they are being followed. The Trailblazer recognizes the man as Sampo, a Masked Fool seen earlier in the game. Eventually, Sampo gets the Trailblazer by themselves and tells them that Firefly is suspicious, which causes the Trailblazer to attempt to locate her again. The Trailblazer witnesses a conversation in which Sparkle confronts Aventurine, a senior manager of the Interastral Peace Corporation (IPC) who has been stalking her. She clarifies to him that the Masked Fools are not on good terms with the IPC. Sampo later realizes that the Trailblazer had not heeded his warning that Firefly was suspicious. It is then revealed that "Sampo" was actually Sparkle, who shapeshifted into Sampo, all along. She knocks both Firefly and the Trailblazer unconscious and sends them elsewhere in the dreamscape, where a woman calling herself Black Swan explains that Sparkle's abilities are tied to illusions and hallucinations. Sparkle later appears disguised as Robin, a famous singer. As the conflict unfolds, Robin's brother Sunday, Penacony's ruler, is revealed to be trying to remake Penacony into an eternal dream under the Path of Order. This ideological divide leads to a decisive battle which ended in the Trailblazer's group being defeated and drawn into the dream. In the end, the group defeats Sunday. At a celebratory banquet aboard a cruise ship, Sparkle claims she has planted bombs on board, causing everyone to work together to defuse them. The "bombs" were revealed to be fireworks instead. It is later revealed that Sparkle has been secretly assisting Firefly at Silver Wolf's request. She previously passed along a warning regarding Penacony's Dreammaster and disguised herself as Sunday so she would be able to approach Robin and send her into the dreamscape. When everyone was trapped within the sweet dream, she detonated bombs she had planted throughout Penacony in advance, allowing the group to break through the layered dream and launch a counterattack against him.
Planarcadia
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