Image: HoYoverse
HoYoverse’s lineup of gacha games has no shortage of fan-favourite women, but these are our favourite fan-favourite women. Make sense?
The HoYoverse umbrella of characters is constantly growing, seeing as Genshin Impact, Honkai: Star Rail, and Zenless Zone Zero are constantly adding new playable characters every year for players to pull for. With such an expansive roster of female characters to play across all three games, it’s genuinely difficult to narrow our list of favourite women in the HoYoverse games down to six.
Nevertheless, we’ve come up with our favourite female characters from our favourite HoYo gacha games (excluding Honkai Impact 3rd). Here are our picks:
Nahida (Genshin Impact)
By Arianne Blanco
No words can ever quantify the character that is Nahida, who I can argue is one of the most well-written in Genshin Impact so far.
Nahida was at first the unloved Archon of Sumeru, who, despite being imprisoned in the Sanctuary of Surasthana, still loved and wanted the best for her people. She suffered 500 years in isolation, and due to this believed that she was unworthy of being the god of her people. However, through all the hurt she had been through, Nahida still rose to the occasion when Sumeru needed her most, and with the aid of the Traveler, broke from her prison to change the nation for the better.
Nahida’s freedom and her sacrifice to save Sumeru from destruction proved to her that she is more than what she thought she was meant to be, earning her the love and adoration of the people who view her as their god. Now, Nahida enjoys the beautiful wide world and all the knowledge that she can get her hands on – truly something that she more than deserves!
Nahida is the most emotionally-attuned to her nation when compared to her other fellow archons, making her a beautifully written, humanistic character that any person should aspire to become.
Furina (Genshin Impact)
By Arianne Blanco
Furina comes in second as the best character in Genshin Impact to me, although some of the fans would argue that she clearly comes out on top. Yet in the end, Furina immersed players in a tragic, heart-wrenching story that highlighted how she is the best archon of all time (no one can argue with that!).
Furina’s story is as complex as her internal struggle, having been separated from her god form to perform a role for over 500 years, Furina believed that her actions were imperative to secure the future of Fontaine; a future that she herself was unsure of.
Furina separates herself from the rest of the Archons with how human she is; there were no stories of war and military might as with Zhongli, Raiden Ei, or Mavuika, songs of freedom with Venti, or dream-weaving power like with Nahida. Furina was just a simple human girl with no exalted capability, and yet her hundreds of years-long performance as someone with omniscient power to ease the anxiety of her nation, to me, trumps out all of her fellow Archons’ achievements. Her emotional strength, even at the face of loneliness, kindness, and her belief in her people’s and her nation’s future are qualities that truly make her shine like the star she is.
Miyabi (Zenless Zone Zero)
By Timothy Raj Augustin
Hoshimi Miyabi’s arrival in Zenless Zone Zero was a long time coming. The playable Agent was originally made available in a beta test for the game prior to its launch. She didn’t officially launch until 18 December, 2024, with the game’s final update of the year–and it was a big one, too. The final update served to tie up a lengthy storyline that began at launch, featuring Miyabi as its shining star.
Putting Miyabi front and center during such a pivotal update proved to be the right move. The chief of Hollow Special Operations’ Section 6 team is a rather pragmatic individual, taking a straightforward approach to most problems she faces without stopping to examine their finer details. Her family history is more complicated than most, as are her ties to her sword Tailless. Despite her many burdens and obligations however, she never fails to show up for the people she cares about–and the safety of New Eridu at large.
It’s fair to say that Zenless Zone Zero is filled with a roster of larger-than-life characters. Miyabi, for all her flashy powers and complicated family ties, is a refreshing addition to the roster who comes with both feet planted firmly on the ground, and one hand resting on her trusty–albeit slightly cursed–katana.
Astra Yao (Zenless Zone Zero)
By: Anna Bernardo
Zenless Zone Zero is full of strong and unforgettable women, but Astra Yao stands out in a way that’s entirely her own. Unlike most fighters, she doesn’t rely on brute force or sharp weapons—her strength comes from her voice. Her singing fuels her staff, turning melodies into power, and in battle, she fights not just with skill but with emotion.
Astra’s past is filled with tragedy and loss, but instead of letting it break her, she searches for inspiration and clings to hope, so she can share it with others. Her music isn’t just sound; it’s a lifeline for those who feel lost or defeated. Even when she steps into the Hollow to face Ethereals head-on, her influence reaches far beyond the battlefield. And despite her rising fame as a superstar in New Eridu, she’s never lost sight of what truly matters—finding joy in the small things and offering comfort that isn’t just empty words or false promises.
She even reached someone as close off as Evelyn, a former assassin who had long stopped believing in anything. Where others saw a tool and a hardened killer, Astra saw someone searching for something more. Initially consumed by distrust, Evelyn gradually starts to open up again with Astra’s help, rediscovering the warmth of life.
Firefly (Honkai: Star Rail)
By Kurt Lozano
Honkai: Star Rail has no shortage of powerful and badass women, and Firefly, aka the Stellaron Hunter SAM, is arguably the most popular among them. While she normally appears as a demure teenage girl, she becomes a ruthless combatant once she dons her iconic mechanized armor.
Firefly has one of the most tragic backstories in the game, as she comes from a long line of genetically-engineered child soldiers used by the Republic of Glamoth to pilot the Strategic Assault Mechs (SAM) to combat the unending Swarms created by the Aeon of Propagation Tayzzyronth. Alongside her brothers and sisters, Firefly fought in countless bloody battles but ultimately failed to stop the Swarm from consuming Glamoth. As depicted in ‘The Embers of Glamoth’ animated short, Firefly participated in the last stand of the Iron Cavalry, with the pointless deaths of all her siblings eventually sparking a deep desire within her to live a life beyond being a child soldier, and awakening her power as a Pathstrider.
Firefly was then found floating in space by Kafka and recruited into the Stellaron Hunters, called upon by the group whenever they needed an entire battlefield wiped clean with a blazing inferno. Firefly also has a close relationship with the Trailblazer from the latter’s time with the Stellaron Hunters before having their memory wiped, with the two reuniting in Penacony and reigniting their bond. As the character with the clearest ‘love interest’ flags in the game, it’s easy to see why Firefly is so popular. But then again, what’s not to love about a cute teenage girl who’s also a ruthless killing machine while piloting her badass mecha, but deep down, just wants to eat sweets and live a normal life?
Acheron (Honkai: Star Rail)
By Kurt Lozano
Acheron, whose true name is Raiden Bosenmori Mei, is Honkai: Star Rail’s version of the iconic Raiden Mei character present in almost every HoYoverse game. But unlike her versions from Honkai Impact 3rd or Genshin Impact, we meet Acheron in Honkai: Star Rail long after her hero’s journey ended.
While Raiden Bosenmori Mei succeeded in defeating a demonic force invading her planet at great cost, it was all for naught as her world fell into the shadow of the Aeon of Nihility IX. For an unknown reason, she attracted the gaze of an Aeon well known for its apathy and became the Emanator of Nihility we now know as Acheron. But even if she received world-ending powers from IX, Acheron does not serve the Aeon that made her an Emanator. Instead, she aligned herself with the ‘Self-Annihilators’ and now roams the universe in search of others who were unfortunate enough to fall under the shadow of IX to grant them a peaceful end.
This is how the Trailblazer ends up meeting Acheron in Penacony, as she masqueraded as a Galaxy Ranger in order to fulfill the last wish of an actual Galaxy Ranger named Tiernan, who fell under the shadow of IX, to return to his home planet. Acheron’s presence would then play a crucial role in helping the Astral Express Crew prevent the Oak Family’s plot to resurrect the Aeon of Order Ena, with her power as an Emanator of Nihility nullifying all other Paths.
But more than just her might as an Emanator of Nihility and enchanting beauty (just ask Black Swan), what makes Acheron one of Honkai: Star Rail’s most compelling characters is her compassion and – ironically enough for someone granted powers by the literal cosmic god embodying the concept of nihilism – her capacity for hope. Even as she slowly but surely loses her sense of self (and direction), Acheron never ceases to guide those unfortunate souls tormented by the shadow of IX into a peaceful rest. She instills hope in a darkening universe teetering on the edge of destruction from the whims of cosmic gods beyond human comprehension, a flash of red from within the heart of darkness.
