Who Are Aether and Lumine in Genshin Impact?
Aether/Lumine, also known as the Traveler and the Outlander, is the main protagonist and player character of the 2020 action role-playing fantasy video game Genshin Impact. They are twin siblings who were traveling out of Teyvat when blocked by an Unknown God. As a result, they were defeated and sealed away, leading to their separation and the sealing of their powers. While the Traveler’s sibling eventually returned to Teyvat, the Traveler remained sealed until an unknown number of years later. Following their release, the Traveler wandered around Teyvat and encountered Paimon, who helps guide them in search of their missing sibling.
Character Descriptions
- Aether: The older twin with long braided hair, wearing a black, white, and gold outfit. He accessorizes with a gold earring, white scarf, gold and white cape, a gold and brown midriff shirt with short sleeves, black gloves, black pants, a belt with a star, and black boots.
- Lumine: The younger twin, characterized by short hair and a blue and white dress. She adorns her hair with two white flowers (known as Inteyvat, the national flower of Khaenri’ah), along with a white scarf, a white and blue cape, a light blue skirt, shoulder-length white stockings, and white boots.
Powers and Abilities
The Traveler is capable of performing feats unheard of within Teyvat. Aside from wielding their sword as their primary method of combat, they can resonate with multiple elements even without possessing a Vision of their own. By touching the Statue of the Seven, the Traveler can acquire powers similar to the Archon in question. Furthermore, the twins have witnessed the birth and death of stars, implying that they could be millions of years old if taken literally.
Gameplay Mechanics
In Genshin Impact, players are presented with the option to choose either Aether (male) or Lumine (female) as the Traveler, with the other sibling captured by the Unknown God. Together, they embark on a journey to find The Seven and reunite with the Traveler’s lost sibling. Although players can designate any name for their character, the Traveler’s Sibling consistently refers to the Traveler by their real name, regardless of customizations. Aether represents the Dark element, while Lumine embodies the Light element. This elemental resonance emphasizes the dichotomy between the two characters, with Aether often associated with black elements and Lumine with white elements.
Officially, their exact age remains unknown, but they’re implied to be very old, having experienced monumental cosmic events like the birth and death of stars.
The Role of the Traveler in Genshin Impact
The Traveler is the protagonist of the game Genshin Impact. In the opening cutscene, twin siblings from another world travel through the universe until an unknown god blocks their path. The player gets to choose either Aether (male) or Lumine (female) as the traveler.
The Traveler does not possess a vision, but rather borrows elements from Statues of the Seven. They can switch between Anemo, Geo, Electro, Dendro, and Hydro elements by resonating with these statues around the world. Each element offers a vastly different way of building the Traveler.
Specifically, the:
- Anemo Traveler:
- Is a 5-Star Anemo Sword character.
- Has strengths in:
- Elemental Skill and Burst that offer crowd control.
- Normal Attack combo to apply Anemo.
- Elemental Skill and Burst capable of absorbing and dealing additional elemental damage.
- 6th Constellation that can reduce enemy Elemental RES.
- The Elemental Skill, Palm Vortex, can pull enemies in and spread elemental auras or applications to nearby enemies. This is useful for setting up large chains of Swirl and other Elemental Reactions.
- Pyro Traveler:
- Is the Traveler’s pyro form acquired from Natlan.
- Provides off-field Pyro as a lesser but easier-to-activate alternative to Xiangling, especially for characters requiring periodic application in teams like Kinich or Chevreuse.
- Can function well in Vaporize teams as a dedicated Pyro Sub-DPS due to the abundance of Hydro DPS units, amplifying damage through reactions.
- Also effective in Burgeon comps when built with Elemental Mastery, as consistent Pyro application can trigger multiple Pyro explosions against opponents.
- However, the uptime of Pyro application is criticized for being slow and short, often ending before Main DPS can complete their rotations.
- To obtain and upgrade Traveler’s constellations, players must acquire the Blazing Flint Ore from reaching Reputation Level 4 from all Natlan tribes and offer it at a specific location after the Archon Quest to unlock additional overworld effects.
Differences Between Male and Female Protagonists in Genshin Impact
The male to female character ratio in Genshin Impact is approximately 1:2 since the game’s inception. There are 20 male playable characters and 40 female playable characters, resulting in this ratio.
Currently, as of update 3.3, there are 60 playable characters in Genshin Impact. Among these, 20 are male and 40 are female. This indicates a disproportionate representation, with almost twice as many female characters compared to male characters.
Additionally, while the gender choice of the twin characters (Aether and Lumine) does not affect the story, it is often assumed that Aether is the canon main character based on his prominence in trailers, overshadowing his sister Lumine.
Moreover, some players express a desire for more male characters, suggesting the inclusion of ‘himbo’ characters for variety. This interest reflects a critique of the prevalence of female filler characters in the game.
Notably, the gender split wavers slightly across geographic regions, influenced by cultural norms. This is linked to there being more male mythological heroes and historically significant figures, which limits the ability to genderbend many of these characters.
Lastly, male characters are slightly over-represented in the five-star pool, while female characters are under-represented. This disparity may create a perception of more male characters, contributing to the narrative that there’s a 50/50 split, primarily because there is much more focus on five-star characters.
