Genshin Impact’s first introduction of Yelan and Kuki Shinobu gave a brief glimpse into the backstory of the characters and where they fit into the world of Teyvat. Yelan was introduced as a mysterious woman from Liyue who claims to work for the nation’s Ministry of Civil Affairs, while Shinobu was introduced as the deputy leader of the Arataki gang led by the previously released Arataki Itto. Shinobu, in particular, has been popular due to her ninja-like theming and the heavy focus on the Shuumatsu-ban ninjas in Ayato’s trailer has fans wanting Shinobu to feature an iconic ninja reference.
RELATED: Genshin Impact 2.7 Leak Hints at Yelan Skills and Constellations
The idea was first suggested by Reddit user DesireForHappiness on the Genshin Impact subreddit with the request that Shinobu’s dash should be the iconic “Naruto Run,” a reference to the hit anime. Ayato’s trailer features the Shuumatsu-ban as a prominent part of the video with multiple members of the secretive ninja association running in a similar manner, leading many fans to request that the obviously ninja-themed Shinobu should share their run. Genshin does notably feature a member of the Shuumatsu-ban, Sayu, as a playable character, though she does not have a similar Naruto Run.
The idea of Shinobu sporting a Naruto-esque run cycle was well-received by fans in the replies to the post with some expressing their desire for Genshin to feature more unique run cycles for individual characters. The game typically features standard run cycles for characters of different builds with most short, medium and tall characters sharing similar cycles to one another. Other fans were surprised and smitten with the appearance of Sayu during the trailer with her brief moment on screen easy to miss on the first watch.
While Shinobu has seen plenty of attention due to her unique theming, the reveal of Yelan has been long expected from fans of Genshin Impact as rumors have floated around the community for months. January saw major leaks for Yelan revealing her as a Hydro character wielding a bow with the character being teased in a cutscene during Genshin’s Version 2.1 update last September. With Genshin’s newest update just being implemented, fans can expect to see plenty more of both Yelan and Shinobu in the weeks leading up to their addition.
Genshin Impact is available now for PC, PS4, PS5, and mobile devices. A Switch version is in development.
MORE: New Genshin Impact Characters Yelan and Kuki Shinobu Explained
