Everything we know about Heizou, Genshin Impact's next Anemo four-star

Heizou has arrived at the scene. Leakers have been collecting information on his kit and role in the story for months, so it’s a relief to finally put a face to the name. The Tenryou Commission’s number one detective has been on leaker’s radars since before Genshin Impact 2.6. However, HoYoverse only introduced him recently amidst the Genshin Impact 2.7 delay. Here’s what we know so far about the latest Genshin Impact Anemo addition, Shikanoin Heizou.

When will Heizou come to Genshin Impact?

Heizou might come as early as Genshin Impact version 2.8 and fans have known about Heizou’s existence for months. We can expect his arrival in the “next update,” as many other characters have shown up in updates following their initial character reveals on social media. However, he likely won’t be Genshin Impact 2.7 because of the weird timing with the delay.

What are Heizou’s skills and abilities?

The Genshin Impact 2.8 livestream confirmed most of Heizou’s skills and abilities. He’s an Anemo character like Kazuha, Venti, and Xiao, and the first male catalyst user. Most catalysts apply long-range elemental damage like a mage, but Heizou uses martial arts as part of his fighting style. Some fans even refer to him as a “melee catalyst” user.

Heizou’s kit resembles that of a catalyst DPS with high Crit Rate and explosive Swirl potential. Windmuster Kick, his vacuum Anemo attack, especially empowers elemental reactions with a delayed explosion that deals corresponding elemental damage to enemies affected by Pyro, Cryo, Hydro, or Electro.

These are the talents, passives, and other abilities that the community currently expects from the Inazuman detective.

Elemental Skill - Heartstopper Strike

This seemingly ordinary straight contains Heizou’s desire for criminals to honestly confess and repent.

• Wields the swift winds to launch a Heartstopper Strike that deals Anemo DMG.
• Charges energy to unleash an even stronger blow. He will obtain the Declension effect while charging, which will increase the power of the Heartstopper Strike. When the skill button is released or the skill finishes charging, he will strike forward, dealing Anemo DMG.
• Increases the power of the next Heartstopper Strike. Max four stacks. When you possess four Declension stacks, the Conviction effect will be produced, which will cause the next Heartstopper Strike to be even stronger and have a larger AoE.

Elemental Burst - Windmuster Kick

A unique technique that gathers Anemo in one place before unleashing it all in one kick. Is always there in a pinch to land on some criminal’s fleeing back.

• Leaps into the air and uses the Fudou Style Vacuum Slugger to explosively kick his opponent, dealing AoE Anemo DMG.
• When Vacuum Slugger hits opponents affected by Hydro/Pyro/Cryo/Electro, these opponents are afflicted with Windmuster Iris, which will explode after a moment and deal AoE DMG of the corresponding aforementioned elemental type.
• Vacuum Slugger can afflict a maximum of four opponents with the Windmuster Iris. A Single opponent cannot be under the effect of Windmuster Irises of different elements at the same time.

What are Heizou’s passives?

Dimbreath’s original tweet about Heizou’s passives is still visible in the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor Discord. However, this same information has also been transferred to Honey Hunter and other Genshin Impact Wikis. Some of these passives are probably level-locked like with other characters.

• Pre-Existing Guilt: Decreases sprinting Stamina consumption for your own party members by 20%. Not stackable with Passive Talents that provide the exact same effects.
• Paradoxical Practice: When Shikanoin Heizou activates a Swirl reaction while on the field, he will gain one Declension stack for Heartstopper Strike. This effect can be triggered once every 0.1s.
• Penetrative Reasoning: After Heartstopper Strike hits an opponent, increases all party members (excluding Shikanoin Heizou) Elemental Mastery by 80 for 10s.

What are Heizou’s constellations?

Heizou’s constellations haven’t been confirmed via an official outlet. However, here’s the most recent data (including leaks) as per Honey Hunter:

• Level 1: Named Juvenile Casebook: For five seconds after Shikanoin Hezou takes the field, his Normal Attack speed is increased by 15%. He also gains one Declension stack for Heartstopper Strike. This effect can be triggered once every 10 seconds.
• Level 2: Investigative Collection: When the Fudou Style Vacuum Slugger created by Windmuster Kick explodes, it will pull nearby opponents in.
• Level 3: Esoteric Puzzle Book: Increases the level of Heartstopper Strike by three. The maximum upgrade level is 15.
• Level 4: Tome of Lies: The first Windmuster Iris explosion in each Windmuster Kick will regenerate nine Elemental Energy for Shikanoin Heizou. Every subsequent explosion in that Windmuster Kick will each regenerate an additional 1.5 energy for Heizou. One Windmuster Kick can regenerate a total of 13.5 energy for Heizou.
• Level 5: Secret Archive: Increases the level of Windmuster Kick by three. The maximum upgrade is 15.
• Level 6: Curious Casefiles: Each Declension stack will increase the Critical Rate of Heartstopper Strike by four percent. When Heizou possesses Conviction, this Heartstopper Strike’s Crit Dmg is increased by 32 percent.

What do I need to farm for Heizou?

Thanks to leaks, Heizou’s ascension and talent materials are already circulating the web. Materials can change but these relatively reliable leaks are based on the recent past. If you’re conflicted about believing the leaks, at least farm for Vayuda Turquoise Slivers, Shards, and the like. These are applicable for ascending any Anemo character. Beating up a bunch of Treasure Hunters isn’t a bad idea either, considering how many characters need their emblems.

What role does Heizou play in the story?

Shikanoin Heizou works for the Tenryou Commission — the same place that employs Kujou Sara. Instead of working as military personnel, he investigates hard-to-crack cases as the commission’s “number one detective.” His “godlike” intuition is responsible for the Tenryou Commission’s crammed jail cells, full of criminals that Heizou has tracked and caught.

As per the Genshin Impact Facebook post:

Not only does he possess a wild imagination, but he also has a mind for meticulous logic and reasoning, as well as an extraordinary sense of intuition when it comes to solving cases. Whenever a crime occurs, his colleagues rely on experience to help them with handling the case, but Heizou brings in an out-of-the-box perspective and gets straight to the crux of the case.

He’s known as a lively, cheerful character that’s a bit unorthodox in his methods. His unruly nature clashes with Sara’s more organized and rule-abiding one and confuses the other Inazuman characters. However, as flashy as he may seem, he’s not about the fame. As per the Genshin Impact 2.8 livestream, “To Heizou, you only become a true detective when your reputation is strong enough to make a person think twice before committing a crime for fear of getting caught.”

If you want to join Heizou as a detective for the day, you can do so during his Hangout Event series coming in the 2.8 update.

What do other Genshin Impact characters say about Heizou?

A couple of playable characters, including Thoma, Kamisato Ayaka, Gorou, Sangonomiya Kokomi, Kuki Shinobu, and Kujou Sara, have voice lines about Heizou. All of them seem to either be confused by his behavior or principles that work outside the boundaries of the law.

• Thoma: Ho, that guy is a detective for the Tenryou Commission. He seems to have his own way of doing things — not the easiest person to get along with. Also... Any situation that involves a detective is probably not one that's going to end well. I think I'll keep on giving him a wide berth.
• Ayaka: Mr. Shikanoin belongs to the Tenryou Commission, just like Miss Kujou. He is very... principled, sometimes even more determinedly so than Miss Kujou. The only thing is, when it comes to the question of which matters should be governed by his principles, I believe only Mr. Shikanoin himself knows the answer...
• Gorou: You mean that sneaky detective that never seems to actually be working on a case? Well, no one from the Shogunate can be fully trusted, so I'll be keeping my eyes and ears on him! On a separate note, he does have some talent for investigation. But how can we know that this isn't all part of some nefarious scheme? Hmm. Only time will tell, I suppose.
• Kokomi: Initially, I was astonished to see anyone coming to Watatsumi Island wearing a Tenryou Commission uniform. A Tenryou Commission samurai would never be that brazen, and a Tenryou Commission spy would never be that conspicuous. Shortly after, I discovered that he was a self-proclaimed "detective" by the name of Shikanoin, and that he took no interest in military, government, or commercial affairs. Instead, he seemed to have arrived for a bit of sightseeing. As such, I set a few eyes on him, but refrained from taking any action to remove him from the island. Be sure to talk to him if the chance ever presents itself.
• Sara: Shikanoin and I may be colleagues, but I have few positive words to say about him. He seems preoccupied with his personal schemes while official duties take second place. The only reason I have not sought to bring him into line so far is that his investigations deliver results...*sigh* He is such a headache.
• Shinobu: He's different from the other Doushin of the Tenryou Commission. I have yet to see him on patrol or apprehend anyone, and he occasionally comes to me to buy intelligence. In exchange, I asked him to put in a good word for me whenever I'm bailing people out of the Police Station. He gladly agreed. I'd say that's a pretty good deal... After all, getting the boys to keep their eyes and ears open on the streets is easy enough.

Kano Nana, Heizou’s distant cousin and Narukami Shrine maiden, thinks Heizou ought to get a promotion for his work and worries about him getting into trouble. She also occasionally takes care of Sayu, who she says can sometimes be a bigger headache than Heizou.