Raiden Shogun
Archon of Inazuma, composed of puppet and consciousness.
The Raiden Shogun is a character from the 2020 action role-playing gacha game Genshin Impact, developed by miHoYo. Added in a 2021 update, she initially appeared as a boss enemy and was later released as a playable character. Within the game's story, she is the ruling Archon of the Inazuma region, consisting of two separate beings: the puppet body 'Shogun' and the consciousness of Archon Raiden Ei. She originally acts as an authoritarian and stern ruler, but as the story unfolds, the two aspects come into conflict, and she adopts a more forward-thinking approach to governing her nation.
- Height
- Approximately 5 feet 5 inches (166 cm)
- Field
- Video game character
- Nationality
- Inazuma (fictional region)
- Known for
- Ruling Archon of Inazuma; high revenue generation for miHoYo; subject of studies on character appeal
Lore & Background
The Raiden Shogun was created for Genshin Impact by miHoYo, who spent the most time refining her out of any character at that time. Her combat animations took influence from Kendo swordsmanship, with her ultimate attack based on postures such as hassō-no-kamae, jōdan-no-kamae, and gedan-no-kamae. Designed as both a boss and playable character, her boss fight was intended to deny players regular attacks and skills to illustrate her immense power, while her playable version can buff teammates to reflect the game's 'visions' and 'wishes' mechanics.
Reader's Guide
The Raiden Shogun was positively received upon release, with players creating memes based on her portrayal and inability to cook. She has been one of the highest revenue generating characters for miHoYo, leading to studies that attributed her appeal to Japanese influences in her design or to her sex appeal. Her story arc has been praised for its depth and portrayal of grief and the conflict between emotion and logic, but also criticized for its handling of Ei's personality. Kotaku's Sisi Jiang discussed her character, noting a protective personality underneath her commanding air, but voiced disdain for her English localization's portrayal as a 'girlboss' and questioned her strict adherence to logical thinking. The character's design takes elements from Japanese culture, specifically Raijin, the lightning god, reflected in her name and abilities. Her English voice actress, Anne Yatco, portrayed the 'Shogun' aspect as 'cold and unemotional, but not emotionless' and the 'Raiden' aspect more naturally, using a 'light British' accent to sound regal.
Did You Know?
- The Raiden Shogun is voiced by Anne Yatco in English, Juhuahua in Chinese, Miyuki Sawashiro in Japanese, and Park Ji-yoon in Korean.
- In September 2021, Genshin Impact generated approximately 150 million US dollars in revenue for the entire month, not just the week of her release.
- Internet memes arose suggesting her inability to cook, sparking fan art that sometimes portrayed her servant Kujou Sara as the 'wife' ensuring she did not starve.
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