I’ve talked a few different times now about Honkai Star Rail, and I will most likely continue to do so far into the future. It’s simply a one-of-a-kind game, providing the incredible depth and fun of a AAA sci-fi JRPG, but in the constantly evolving and growing package of a mobile game. I’d highly recommend giving it a try. It is free, after all!
There’s a lot of draws and appeal factors with Honkai Star Rail, and perhaps one of the biggest is its stellar and visually engaging cast of characters. There’s all sorts of folks in this game that you can interact with, explore the world with, and take into battle against the beasties of the galaxy. There’s so many, in fact, that chances are the list I’m about to write could be wholly different a year from now. But, until that happens, let’s take a look at my (current) Top 10 favorites in the game!
10) Sampo
Despite his placement on this list, I can’t really say that I like Sampo (or ‘Sampo Koski’, his full name that he insists on repeating ad-nauseum). This is by design, of course, which is also why I can’t really say that I dislike Sampo. He’s a liar, a thief, a trickster, and every other synonym for ‘scoundrel‘ that you could think of. At the same time, he doesn’t hide who he is either. Everyone knows not to trust his bumbling do-gooder shtick, and practically everyone just rolls their eyes whenever he gets up to his usual tricks. Because, at the end of the day, he is charismatic and quite funny (owing to a phenomenal vocal performance). You just can’t fully hate him!
9) Robin
Robin, as a character in the narrative of Honkai Star Rail, is a pretty good but not mindblowingly exceptional character. I like her contrasting perspectives on life and the freedom of choice in comparison to her brother (who is an amazing character but, not being a playable party member, I did not include on this list). However, it’s Robin’s gameplay that carries her to this spot on my list. She’s a support unit who provides amazing buffs for your whole team while also dishing out eye-watering damage of her own. On top of that, as a professional singer, Robin just straight up belts out a catchy earworm pop tune whenever you use her ultimate, which is so fun and cheesy that I can’t help but love her.
8) Guinaifen
If you only play the main story of Honkai Star Rail, Guinaifen isn’t any more relevant than a single passing reference and a few NPC comments. It’s in the side events that she really shines, having a bit role in the Aurum Alley event, and then being the star of the Ghost-Hunting Squad storyline. She’s a modern-day influencer in this sci-fi fantasy world, and she manages to strike the perfect balance of equally skewering and praising real-world influencers (she’s comically hungry for clicks and engagement, but her posts also genuinely help her community gain traction and unite people). In battle, Guinaifen is no slouch either. She deals substantial fire damage to foes, and can trigger multiple burn effects at once, making her a shoe-in on a death-by-a-thousand-cuts team.
7) Firefly
Firefly hasn’t even released as a playable character yet, and I’m still placing her at a respectable rank in this list. Her role in the story is unforgettable, after all. Starting off as a scrappy but vulnerable stowaway, Firefly quickly worms her way into both the protagonist’s and the player’s heart, and a certain rooftop conversation with her is an emotional highlight. Then you cue in the crazy twists and turns, a dramatic fake-out, and the unveiling of Firefly’s Gundam-esque suit of power armor? Yeah, it’s pretty awesome. Gameplay wise, preview footage has promised that she’ll unleash some seriously heavy firepower once she releases.
(Also, though this is largely irrelevant, but she looks shockingly like Corrin. Probably just a coincidence.)
6) Qingque
The queen of Mahjong gambling (oh, I’m sorry, I meant to say ‘Celestial Jade‘), who packs a shockingly devastating punch into a tiny unassuming package. There’s no bigger slacker in the universe than Qinque, and the lengths at which she goes to to avoid work are almost commendable. Of course, the layers of her personality peel back the more sidequests you complete that explore her backstory, but she’s still pretty chronically lazy. Thankfully, she’s not lazy in battle, as the damage she dishes out with her explosive Celestial Jade tiles can surpass even some of the strongest characters in the game!
5) Black Swan
‘Mystique‘ is probably the word that best defines Black Swan, a character who has been around in the story for the past four months and yet is still shrouded in mystery. She’s part of a faction of dreamwalkers who wander through the galaxy in a never-ending quest to make a record of everything that ever happens, everywhere. In battle, she befuddles foes with wind-based debuffs and a visually stunning ultimate animation of spectral hands crushing her foes, but in the story she’s eternally calm and soothing in her manner of speech. Major props, of course, go to her voice actress, Arryn Zech (the voice of Blake from RWBY). I hope she continues to hang around even after the conclusion of this current arc.
4) Jingliu
The first limited 5-Star character that I pulled, and the reason why I was able to coast with ease through the first two chunks of the entire game. Gameplay-wise, Jingliu is an absolute monster who annihilates almost anyone foolish enough to stand in her way. Her attack and critical rate are sky-high, and she has an alternate mode that charges up during battle, wherein she gets to attack groups of enemies for massive damage, all without using up your precious skill points (which are shared team-wide in battle). Story-wise, she’s an uber-powerful swordswoman fighting off an incurable affliction of accursed insanity through sheer willpower alone…which isn’t to fully say that she’s not at least a little bit crazy. When her usual blindfold comes off and her red eyes are revealed…nothing tends to live afterwards.
3) Acheron
If Black Swan represents mystery, than her narrative mirror, Acheron, is the manifestation of ‘Cool‘. From the first moment she appears by invading your dreams on the way to the magical land of Penacony, Acheron makes a big impression. She’s actually a bit similar to Jingliu in a few ways, like being a mysterious swordswoman who is unfathomably powerful, and also has a barely-contained dark side. But whereas Jingliu is more literal and straight-forward in her presentation, Acheron often feels like she walked right out of a Philosophy 101 textbook, having her entire backstory predicated on some really heavy thematic material like nihilism, choice, and predestination. There’s a lot of wordy but engrossing conversations spurred on by and about Acheron.
In gameplay, Acheron dishes out some monstrous damage thanks to her unique ultimate move and insane bonuses to her critical damage. She fits pretty neatly into almost any team, but she especially shines in my much-beloved DOT team (just like Guinaifen and Black Swan from earlier on this list do). And I’d be remiss not to mention her special ability to straight-up delete all non-boss enemies from the field with a single button click! As amazing as it is convenient!
2) Aventurine
While I didn’t hate him, I absolutely did not particularly like Aventurine when he first made an appearance in the story. He’s smug, full of himself, and behaves in a way that would indicate that he believes himself to be better than everyone around him (despite taking quite a few Ls during the Penacony storyline). And then players got hit with a lengthy mandatory story quest centered almost exclusively around Aventurine, whereupon it became pretty obvious that he’s actually awesome. With an intense backstory that shapes his actions, and a whole lot of doubt and self-loathing under his bravado, Aventurine just gets better and better the more his layers are peeled back.
What also elevates him this high is just how instrumental he is in battle. He’s a tank, and a gosh dang incredible one at that! With a mountain of defense, the ability to provide humongous shields to all allies, and a plethora of tricky moves to mess with opponents, Aventurine can do it all. He’s the man for the job no matter your team, whether because you need his skills, or because you just want to admire his immaculate fashion sense!
1) Trailblazer (Stelle)
You never know exactly what you’re going to get in a JRPG that centers around an avatar protagonist. Sometimes you end up with Robin or Alear from Fire Emblem, who are characters that legitimately feel like contributing forces in the story with their own arcs and agency. Sometimes you end up with Link from Zelda, who is obviously cool and iconic but is as much a character as a piece of wood (Wind Waker and Skyward Sword notwithstanding). Sometimes you end up in the middle, like with Cross from Xenoblade Chronicles X, who does next-to-nothing in the main story but absolutely comes alive in the side content (and has some amazingly funny dialogue options).
In Honkai Star Rail, you play as the Trailblazer (the female version’s canonical name is Stelle, though I named mine Aurelia), and she is 100% of the Robin and Alear category. Outside of choosing your own name for her (or the male counterpart, Caelus), the retain their own visual identity and voice throughout the story. You can shape their dialogue choices (and oh boy are there some fantastic options), but their base identity remains the same. It’s a perfect balance of making the Trailblazer feel like an extension of yourself (as avatar characters are meant to do), while also being their own being worthy of praise and character analysis.
Speaking of, the Trailblazer is a pretty refreshingly unique protagnist for the JRPG scene. They aren’t a legendary hero of prophecy. They’re a human born with a cosmically evil disease inside of them that gives them cool powers, yes, but also threatens the lives of them and their friends. They aren’t a 100% happy-go-lucky do-gooder, nor are they an edgy brooding loner. They help out others, but sometimes are selfish, often love to goof off and make dad jokes, and are never above punching first and asking questions later. In short, they feel like a real person, which is shockingly abnormal for a JRPG hero.
And their battle prowess doesn’t disappoint either. Unlike other characters, the Trailblazer picks up a new weapon during each major story arc, meaning they have multiple class options to play around with. While the default attacker Trailblazer is a bit lackluster, admittedly, the tank Trailblazer is a phenomenal unit for keeping your team alive, and the recently-released buffer Trailblazer is great at supporting others in doing insane damage to foes. And, because of this pattern of learning new classes, the Trailblazer is only going to get more useful as Honkai Star Rail continues updating! Color me excited!
But hey, that’s just my opinion!
The Contrarian Corner 