Genshin Impact has introduced a new baddie to its lineup of playable characters and this time it’s a roller-skating cat girl named Xilonen. As to be expected with Genshin fans, people are already thirsting over her, but she has more than her sultry smoky eye going in her favor. Developer Hoyoverse released her character trailer on Monday and now fans online are divided because the character sings an entire original rap verse in the trailer.
Xilonen is a 5-star Geo sword user running as part of the first phase of banners in the 5.1 patch. She’s introduced as part of the new region, Natlan. According to her official character description, she’s a blacksmith who is “skilled at finding a good balance between the heavy responsibilities of her job and living well.” At first, I thought this description referred to her roller-skating hobby, but her new character trailer shows her partying as well. In it, she performs from behind a DJ booth fit for a club and raps as if it were a music video.
Beth Curry voices Xilonen in the English-language version of Genshin Impact. The short, staccato rhythm of the song kind of reminds me of a rap verse from a K-pop song or a track a Vtuber might sing. Viewers in the comment section compared Xilonen’s performance to the League of Legends girl group, K/DA. One person replied to the official Genshin Impact TikTok and said, “The K/DA vibe from this trailer alone just made me fall in love with her even more.”
However, everyone wasn’t thrilled with the trailer and some said the concept was too modern for a fantasy game like Genshin. “If she were in [Honkai: Star Rail] or [Zenless Zone Zero] I wouldn’t have any complaints but I started playing genshin [sic] for its fantasy aspect & escapism so I really dislike some of the recent designs,” user PlerryTheDingus said on TikTok.
At the end of the day, it’s just a trailer that gives players another look at Xilonen before she arrives to the game as a playable character. The theme of the trailer doesn’t mean Traveler and Paimon will be hitting the club in Natlan anytime soon. But hey! Maybe after all that grinding for Primogems it wouldn’t hurt for the two to go dancing and kick back a little bit.
