Genshin Impact boasts a global player base of tens of millions, so it’s no surprise that fans regularly seek out characters that reflect their own identities and backgrounds. I’ve gotten dozens of DMs from friends and new players asking are there any black characters in Genshin Impact, especially as more people pick up the game for the first time every month. This guide breaks down every canon character that fits that description, their lore, and what we can expect from future updates, so you don’t have to scroll through scattered Reddit threads or outdated forum posts to get clear answers.
Are There Any Black Characters in Genshin Impact? Canon Playable Picks First
Let’s start with the most prominent playable black-coded characters, since those are the ones most fans want to add to their teams. First is Dehya, the 5-star Pyro claymore user from Sumeru’s desert region. She’s written as a former Eremite mercenary who left her old crew to protect the people of Aaru Village, and her story arc focuses on breaking cycles of generational poverty and protecting vulnerable communities. She has one of the most heartfelt story quests in the entire game, and her design draws heavily from North African and East African cultural references.
Next is Cyno, the 5-star Electro polearm user who serves as the General Mahamatra of the Sumeru Akademiya. He’s in charge of disciplining researchers who break academic rules, and while he comes off as strict at first, fans love his hidden dorky side: he’s obsessed with Genius Invocation TCG and tells terrible puns that make other characters cringe. Third is Candace, the 4-star Hydro polearm user who is the guardian of Aaru Village. She’s a descendant of King Deshret, the ancient god of Sumeru’s desert, and she’s fiercely loyal to the people who live in her village, even if that means standing up to powerful figures from the rainforest region of Sumeru.
You might also see fans mention Xinyan, the 4-star Pyro claymore user from Liyue, as a black-coded character. She has a darker skin tone than most other Liyue characters, and her rockstar personality has made her a fan favorite among many Black Genshin players, even if she doesn’t have explicit ties to the African-inspired regions of the game. We also can’t forget the dozens of black-coded NPCs scattered across Sumeru and other regions, including the Eremite mercenaries, scholars from the Akademiya, and residents of Aaru Village who play small but important roles in Sumeru’s main story.
Context Behind Genshin Impact's Black Character Design Choices
If you played Genshin when it first launched, you might have noticed that there were almost no dark-skinned characters available in Mondstadt or Liyue, the first two regions released. That was a common point of criticism from the global community, who asked HoYoverse to include more diverse skin tones as the game expanded. The devs listened, and when Sumeru launched, it included a wide range of skin tones for characters from the desert region, which draws cultural inspiration from Southwest Asian, North African, and East African cultures.
HoYoverse has stated multiple times that they design characters to match the real-world cultural references they use for each nation, so it makes sense that the desert region of Sumeru would have more dark-skinned characters than the European-inspired Mondstadt or East Asian-inspired Liyue. That said, many fans have pointed out that even within Sumeru, there’s a lack of very dark skin tones, and most dark-skinned characters are limited to the desert region, which feels like a missed opportunity to have more diverse characters across all parts of Teyvat.
It’s also worth noting that HoYoverse doesn’t explicitly label any characters with real-world racial identities, since Genshin is a fantasy game set in a completely fictional world. But the design choices for characters like Dehya, Cyno, and Candace are clearly intended to represent Black and brown communities, and that’s how most fans interpret them. The community feedback around representation has clearly shaped HoYoverse’s design choices for later regions too, with leaks hinting at even more diverse skin tones for upcoming nations.
Common Fan Questions About Genshin's Black Characters Answered
I’ve seen hundreds of questions about these characters across social media, so I’m breaking down the most common ones below to save you time searching for answers.
- Are any of Genshin's black characters limited banner only? Cyno and Dehya have only been available on limited event banners so far, but Candace was added to the standard banner a few months after her initial release, so you can get her randomly from any wish, even if you don’t pull on limited banners. HoYoverse also re-runs limited characters every 6-12 months, so you’ll have plenty of chances to pull for Cyno or Dehya if you missed their initial runs.
- Do any black characters in Genshin have central story roles? Absolutely. Cyno is one of the core characters in the Sumeru Archon quest, and he plays a key role in taking down the corrupt Akademiya leaders who were holding the Dendro Archon captive. Dehya also has a major role in the Sumeru Archon quest, and she later appears in the Fontaine Archon quest as a representative of Sumeru. Both Dehya and Cyno also have their own dedicated story quests that dive deep into their backstories and personal motivations.
- Has HoYoverse announced future black characters for upcoming nations? HoYoverse rarely shares character details more than a few weeks before a new update launches, but we do know that the Natlan region, the upcoming Pyro nation, is inspired by a mix of pre-Columbian American and West African cultures. Most fans expect that the vast majority of Natlan’s playable and NPC characters will have dark skin tones, so we’ll almost certainly see more black-coded characters added to the game when Natlan launches.
Another common question I see is whether these characters rely on harmful stereotypes. For the most part, no: Dehya isn’t just a one-note “strong mercenary”, she’s a complex character who cares deeply about her friends and works to make life better for other desert residents who grew up in poverty like she did. Cyno isn’t just a strict enforcer, he’s a dork who loves bad jokes and spends his free time playing TCG with kids in Sumeru City. There’s definitely room for improvement, but the writing for these characters avoids most of the harmful stereotypes that often show up in fantasy games.
What This Representation Means for the Genshin Community
As someone who’s been part of the Genshin community since the game launched, I’ve seen first-hand how much these characters mean to Black fans of the game. I’ve seen hundreds of cosplays of Dehya and Cyno from Black fans who say they’re the first characters in a major gacha game that look like them. I’ve also seen fans share stories about how Dehya’s story quest, which focuses on protecting vulnerable kids in the desert, helped them process their own experiences growing up in low-income communities.
The best part of this representation is that it’s non-stereotypical writing first: these characters are interesting, well-written, and have meaningful roles in the story, before they’re representative of any group. That’s the kind of representation that actually matters, instead of just adding a character with a dark skin tone as an afterthought.
That said, there’s still a lot of progress to be made. HoYoverse still only has a handful of dark-skinned playable characters, and many fans have pointed out that the game’s character customization options for the Traveler don’t include any dark skin tone options, which is a big miss for players who want to make a protagonist that looks like them. But the characters we do have are a solid step in the right direction, and the community representation around these characters has made the Genshin fan space feel more welcoming for many players from marginalized backgrounds. If you’re a new player looking for characters you can relate to, I highly recommend playing through the Sumeru Archon quest first to meet all three of the main playable black-coded characters, and playing Dehya’s story quest if you have the Story Keys to unlock it.
If you came to this article wondering about representation in Teyvat, you don’t have to look far to find well-crafted, memorable characters that fit what you’re searching for. Now that you know are there any black characters in Genshin Impact, you can go into the game knowing which quests to prioritize to meet them, or which banners to save your Primogems for if you want to add them to your team. I still get excited every time I see a new character with a darker skin tone announced, and I’m looking forward to what Natlan brings to the table for diverse representation in the game. Whether you’re playing for the story, the gameplay, or just to collect characters you relate to, there’s something for everyone in Genshin’s massive open world.