Yae Miko (Chinese: 八重神子; pinyin: Bāchóng Shénzǐ) is a character from Genshin Impact, a 2020 action role-playing gacha game developed by miHoYo. She debuted in version 2.0 of the game in 2021 as a non-playable character and became playable in 2022. She is the chief priestess, or Guuji, of the Grand Narukami Shrine in the fictional nation of Inazuma and is a familiar of the nation's ruler, the Raiden Shogun. She is also the co-founder and editor-in-chief of the local publishing house. Yae Miko's character is modeled after a Shinto shrine maiden, or miko, and her design draws inspiration from the Japanese kami, Inari Ōkami. Her appearance is similar to that of Yae Sakura, a character from Honkai Impact 3rd, another one of miHoYo's games. As an important character in the Inazuma arc of Genshin Impact's story, Yae Miko has attracted considerable attention and commentary from both players and media. Her character portrayal has generally received positive evaluations, while her combat performance has been regarded as average.
Design and voice acting On February 10, miHoYo released a character teaser that fully revealed Yae Miko's in-game identity as the Guuji of the Grand Narukami Shrine. The trailer showcased a side of her personality that differs from her aloof and reserved portrayal in the game's main storyline, while also emphasizing the deep respect she commands among the people of Inazuma. On the same day, miHoYo launched a web-based mini-game entitled "Fox's Daydream: Strolls Around the World" which featured Yae Miko as the protagonist. In the mini-game, players take on the role of Yae Miko as she visits various shops around Inazuma, and completing the game rewards players with character-themed desktop wallpapers. On February 15, miHoYo released another video which showed that Yae Miko was also the editor-in-chief of the Yae Publishing House. On March 11, they released a set of stickers featuring characters such as Yae Miko and the Raiden Shogun on HoYoLAB, miHoYo's player community platform. In the game's lore, Yae Miko holds the prestigious dual status of Guuji of the Grand Narukami Shrine and familiar of the Electro Archon. At the same time, as editor-in-chief of a publishing house, she is enthusiastic about founding and organizing festivals. She is portrayed as highly intelligent; this is reflected in her gameplay in that when crafting materials, she has a chance to produce additional random talent materials from the same region as the ones being used to craft. Her character design draws heavily on Japanese culture. The name "Miko" (神子) is derived from the Japanese term for "shrine maiden", and her outfit resembles traditional Shinto shrine maiden attire. The Grand Narukami Shrine where she resides is modeled after Fushimi Inari-taisha in Kyoto, being situated atop a mountain and accessed by a path lined with torii gates. She is depicted in-game as a descendant of the kitsune and is fond of fried tofu, mirroring the preferences associated with the Inari deity in Japanese folklore. She is also a fan of light novels. Her signature weapon, "Kagura's Verity", is visually inspired by the bells used in Kagura dances. Yae Miko is voiced in Chinese by Du Mingya, who is also the voice of the character Ningguang. Du said that Yae Miko likes to read light novels and also appreciates the sorrows and joys faced by humans. As the Raiden Shogun's familiar, she also undertakes many important responsibilities in Inazuma and is very capable, but also has a dignified side. Her Japanese voice actress is Ayane Sakura. When voicing the character, Sakura was asked to convey a sense of seduction and playful teasing, while also expressing the character's feminine charm and air of mystery. She personally considers Yae Miko to be a highly captivating character due to her perceived omniscience and alluring tone of voice, and remarked that if such a person existed in real life, Sakura would be scared of her. Yae Miko's English voice actress is Ratana. Her audition for the role was overseen by Anne Yatco, the English voice actress for the Raiden Shogun. She is voiced in Korean by Moon Yoo-jeong.
Appearances
Lore
Yae Miko is the Guuji of the Grand Narukami Shrine in Inazuma and editor-in-chief of the Yae Publishing House. She became a familiar of the Electro Archon during the reign of Raiden Makoto, the predecessor to the Raiden Shogun. After the death of Raiden Makoto, Yae Miko became the only close confidante of the current Electro Archon. Yae Miko does not fully agree with the Raiden Shogun's pursuit of "eternity" and believes that her prolonged presence in the Plane of Euthymia (the Raiden Shogun's internal plane of consciousness) represents an act of avoidance that ignores changes in Teyvat. After the Traveler arrives in Inazuma, Yae Miko discovers that the Traveler is able to enter the Plane of Euthymia, which signifies that the Raiden Shogun perceives them as a threat to her ideal eternity. Yae Miko then trains the Traveler to gain the ability to oppose the Raiden Shogun, hoping that confrontation through force would help the Raiden Shogun realize that her current approach to the pursuit of eternity is flawed. This is successful in part due to Yae Miko having given the Traveler an omamori, or good luck charm, that helped them convince her.
Gameplay Following version 2.5, players could obtain Yae Miko through the game's gacha wish system. She is a five-star Electro character who wields a catalyst in combat. Her normal attacks summon kitsune spirits to deal ranged damage at certain time intervals. Her Elemental Skill places an object called a Sesshou Sakura on the field, with a maximum of three on the field at the same time. Sesshou Sakura will actively use lightning to attack enemies. Her Elemental Burst is an area of effect attack in which when there is a Sesshou Sakura on the field, each one is transformed into a lightning strike. Both her Elemental Skill and Burst have been cited for their high damage output.
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