Genshin Impact: All we know about Kuki Shinobu

Currently, there are a few characters in Genshin Impact that have a good chance of becoming playable, even if they haven’t appeared in the game yet. Such is the case for Grand Master Varka, Yaoyao, Yelan, Shikanoin Heizou, and Kuki Shinobu, and all we know about them is mostly from character voices.

While some may be skeptical about them becoming playable in the future, the same was true for characters such as Xinyan (introduced in 1.1 but having only appeared in 2.2) and Yun Jin (introduced only in 2.4). Here, we’ll talk about Kuki Shinobu, who may probably be one of the next Inazuma characters introduced.

Who is Kuki Shinobu?

Known as Kuki Ninja prior to 2.2, her most important mentions were made through character voices unlocked at Friendship lv 4, but some other small lore pieces are scattered around the world, such as in Bulletin Boards, and we shouldn’t expect much more to drop until she’s eventually released.

She’s a member of the Arataki Gang and seems to be the single responsible member among them. She’s the one who usually releases Itto whenever he goes to the jail, and also returns the goods he takes (probably from children) back to their owners when he brings them to the gang. According to an NPC in Inazuma, she also wears a mask.

READ MORE: Genshin Impact: The best teams for Raiden Shogun

Despite having studied in Liyue and being well versed to the point she has Yae Miko’s attention, she prefers hanging out with the Gang. The reason may be her family has a tradition of working as shrine maidens, something that doesn’t fit her. So as an act of rebellion, she joined a delinquent gang.

Sayu refers to her as “Itto’s little sidekick”, and from her other descriptions, we can assume that she’ll use the “young girl” character model (e.g Amber, Hu Tao, Barbara). She’s also the younger sister of Miyuki, the shrine maiden who gives us the Thunder Sakura world quest (the one in which we restore the Sakuras around Inazuma and fight an Electro Hypostasis).

Voicelines regarding Kuki Shinobu

Curiously, it was Yae and not Itto who gave us the most information about her. But at least, he gave us all we know about Kuki Shinobu’s role in his gang. We also learned that he respects (and fears) her, reinforcing the idea of her being the responsible person in the gang.

Arataki Itto:

“Nobody questions my leadership in the gang, what I say goes — except when it comes to Shinobu. She’s always challenging everything I say. And not only that — all the hard-earned loot I bring back and share with everyone? She goes and returns it! But also, she gets me out of jail, and out of every mess we get ourselves into, so I’ll let it slide. Besides, I don’t wanna get on her bad side… An angry Shinobu would make my life a nightmare.”

Yae Miko:

“I’ve heard a lot about Miyuki’s little sister. Quite the character, I’m told. Although she comes from a family of shrine maidens, she’s gone her own way in life — tried her hand at many different trades, studied abroad in Liyue, even ended up joining the Arataki Gang… Fascinating girl. Maybe I should have Miyuki introduce me. Yes, that’ll work — Miyuki wouldn’t dream of refusing my request.”

Sayu:

“Doesn’t ring a bell, umm… What? Arataki Itto’s little sidekick? Ugh, well she’s definitely gotta be a sleep disturbance then. Birds of a feather flock together…”

READ MORE: Genshin Impact: New Nendoroid Venti figure on preorder

When is she being released?

We don’t have any concrete leak regarding her currently. That also means that we don’t know anything about her possible weapon of choice or vision. Her model not being completed is most likely the reason she was absent during Itto’s quest.

Regarding the lore, an excuse would be that she was away for some reason during the quest, or that she simply decided not to help Itto with his personal problems. She’ll probably be the one releasing him and the gang from jail, once more. This could be a way to introduce her during her Story Quest/Hangout.

With that said, many believe her to be one of the next 4-star characters in Inazuma, given her smaller role in the story. She, alongside Heizou and Yelan (who does have a model), is the next character believed to be released during 2.7 or 2.8, before Sumeru is revealed.

Genshin Impact is currently on its 2.5 version, “When the Sakura Blooms”, which brought the new playable character Yae Miko along with some character reruns, new story quests, events, weapons, and enemies, including a new Weekly Boss.

You can play the game for free on mobile devices including Android, iOS, Playstation 4, Playstation 5, and Pc on both Hoyoverse’s official launcher and Epic Games Store. A Nintendo Switch version is stated to be in development.