Yae Miko
Yae Miko 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 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 which was also developed by miHoYo. As an important character in the Inazuma arc of Genshin Impact
Creation and design
During the promotional livestream for version 1.5 of the game on April 16, 2021, Yae Miko appeared as a guest character and introduced the Inazuma region for the first time. The program also revealed that she is the "guuji" of a shrine and that she was acquainted with other important characters in the storyline such as Zhongli, Ganyu and the Raiden Shogun. Yae Miko first appeared in the game as a non-playable character in version 2.0, where she served as one of the key characters in the game's Inazuma arc. At 11:30 PM on December 31, 2021, miHoYo released Yae Miko's official character illustration on their social media. It was also announced she would use a catalyst in combat. In early February 2022, miHoYo revealed that she would become a playable character in version 2.5, alongside a dedicated story quest focusing on her. Access to the story quest would require players to have completed act 2 of the Raiden Shogun's story quest as a prerequisite. At the same time, her signature weapon "Kagura's Verity" was also released.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" 2=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 gate
Yae Miko is voiced in Chinese by Du Mingya, who is also the voice of the character. 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 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.Reception
Yae Miko has generally received positive reviews. After she appeared in a chibi style during the promotional livestream for Genshin Impact version 1.5, she quickly attracted the attention of players. Soon afterward, fan-made illustrations and 3D character models began circulating online. As she appeared in the main storyline, many players were drawn to her character design and personality. Several of them drew fan art or engaged in other creative works to celebrate her release; one fan even got the game's official social media accounts to like their post of it. Her character trailer video received 3.5 million views on Bilibili on release day and ranked second on the platform's trending videos list. Her combat demonstration video also received more than 3 million views the day after its release. Shortly after Yae Miko was released as a playable character, many fans continued to release fan works such as fanmade songs. Members of the China National Traditional Orchestra recorded a cover of her demonstration song, and a master craftsman named Amoxicillin Amo made a figurine of her. Austin Wood, an editor at GamesRadar+, described Yae Miko's character teaser as the most expressive and visually striking trailer released for Genshin Impact to date, praising miHoYo's animators for crafting vivid character expressions. The use of the omamori in the storyline was also seen as a strong representation of Japanese culture within the game by scholars of the University of Indonesia's Japanese Studies Program.Regarding her character design, editor Nuo'er of Chinese gaming site Game Daily pointed out that her design is very similar to that of Yae Sakura, a character in the video game Honkai Impact 3rd, also developed by miHoYo. Both characters have pink hair and the surname Yae. Another editor, Nanshanhu, also believes that the character's image design is derived from Yae Sakura, writing that the two characters' hair and eye colors are the same but that their ears are different: Yae Sakura's fox ears are "soft and drooping" while Yae Miko's ears are not. There is a popular theory among fans that the "lesbian coding" of Yae Miko is related to Yae Sakura as well, because the latter is a canon lesbian character. Rain Kengly of Screen Rant believes that Yae Miko, as a descendant of the kitsune, is a highly intelligent person who frequently uses her wit and cleverness to achieve her goals. As the Raiden Shogun's familiar, she is portrayed as a powerful and cunning ally for the Traveler. Game Rant editor Brittni Finley commented that Yae Miko is both mysterious and awe-inspiring, and that she plays an important role in the Inazuma arc of the game's storyline due to her relationship with the Raiden Shogun. Another critic, Nahda Nabiilah, said that Yae Miko is one of the most interesting characters in Genshin Impact to date, and that her beautiful design and personality make her a character that many players look forward to acquiring. One analysis referred to her as being an "implied lesbian" for her relationship with the Raiden Shogun, citing in particular the in-game content regarding it and its significance to the story.