Genshin Impact finally gets its snake daddy, Baizhu

Baizhu, the “snake daddy” to Genshin Impact’s diehard fans, is coming to the game as a playable character at long last. On Friday, Genshin developer Hoyoverse confirmed that Baizhu will soon come to the game as a playable character, likely to appear on the banners part of the 3.6 patch. Another character, the vivacious Kaveh, will join him.

Baizhu will join the growing slate of characters who wield the grass element, Dendro. Though this is his debut as a playable character, Baizhu has been a part of the game’s lore since its beginnings. Baizhu appeared in Genshin Impact’s 1.0 version, and when the Traveler (the game’s player character) met him in Liyue, Baizhu said he had studied in Sumeru. So fans had long expected that Baizhu would return at some point during the journey in Sumeru.

Genshin Impact fans reacted to Baizhu’s long-overdue roster appearance with social media memes, poking fun at the idea he’s finally out of jail.

Baizhu will be joined by Alhaitham’s roommate, Kaveh, who is a charmer in his own right — just look at him carry that briefcase! You can spend a lot of time with Kaveh during Alhaitham’s story quest, which I recommend because watching the two bicker is actually great. Similar to Baizhu, Kaveh will also wield a Dendro vision.

Together, the two will likely help rally some more excitement around the character banners, which some fans have criticized lately. The first half of the 3.5 update’s banners will be Deyha and Cyno, and the latter half will consist of Shenhe and Ayaka.

Fans have expressed confusion or upset feelings because Ayaka got a long run while the game’s expected updates were delayed in the spring of 2022, and Cyno was featured more recently. On top of that, Deyha will be joining the standard banner and will not become an event-exclusive character. So at least now, fans have two shiny new boy toys to look forward to.