As we draw closer to the Genshin Impact Lantern Rite, Hoyoverse has decided to give us a pleasant (yet somewhat painful) surprise in the form of a fresh Genshin Impact Xiao trailer. The beautifully animated ‘Endless Suffering’ short trailer follows our favourite dutiful yaksha as he struggles to handle the pain of his past. Luckily, he’s not alone, as we also get some lovely cameos from a zombie, a pharmacist, and even Xiao’s old pal, the tone-deaf bard.
The trailer begins with Xiao slashing through his enemies, discussing the duties of a yaksha and how it’s his responsibility to purge the world of evil. But, as we know, after a millennia of bloodshed, the karma takes its toll. Haunted by painful memories and distorted reflections of himself, Xiao suddenly finds himself in the care of Genshin Impact’s Baizhu and Genshin Impact’s Qiqi, waking just in time for the Lantern Rite celebrations.
Heading out into the streets of Liyue, he continues to see warped visions of his own face, both masked and unmasked, causing his sight to blur and a kind-hearted young girl to run to his aid. We then get a glimpse of the ever-cheerful (and ever-drunk) Genshin Impact’s Venti, who invites Xiao to join him in celebrating the festivities. However, Xiao apologises, stating that he simply wants to rest tonight. Venti doesn’t take it to heart though, saying ‘very nice, it’s good to take the mask off once in a while, even just for one night’.
Though it may not seem it, this trailer marks a pretty big development in Xiao’s character, as it’s very rare to see him ‘taking the mask off’, accepting help from others and admitting to his need for rest. And, with him being featured on one of the upcoming Genshin Impact banners in version 3.4, we’re hoping this trailer hints towards a new story focused on Xiao and his progress towards healing and taking care of himself. You can check out the trailer in full below.
If you’re interested in Xiao’s struggles and the effect characters like Xiao and Genshin Impact’s Collei have on people with real-life disabilities and chronic pain, be sure to check out our piece on disabled representation in Genshin Impact, in which we discuss the topic with Collei’s voice actress, Christina Costello. Or, if you’re eager to find out more about what’s happening in Teyvat, head over to our Genshin Impact events and Genshin Impact update guides.
