This Fan-Favorite Character in 'Genshin Impact' Is Finally Projected to Appear in the Game

Among the many leaks and rumors that circulate among the Genshin Impact community, Kamisato Ayato was a character who was heavily teased but never actually shown. Though his eventual appearance has been hinted at by various characters for quite some time, Ayato had yet to appear in the game. But along with some epic news for Version 2.5, Mihoyo has finally officially unveiled Ayato as a future playable character. When will he finally be released?

In the sprawling world of Genshin Impact, the Traveler's search for their lost sibling takes them to the Japanese-inspired nation of Inazuma. There, they encounter an Archon named Raiden Shogun who strives to keep her nation isolated from the rest of the world. After resolving the conflict, Inazuma and its people are free to visit other nations once more.

Inazuma introduced many new popular playable characters to the game, but Ayato has been a long time coming.

Though character details on Ayato have been elusive since the game's release, his existence is no secret. As the brother of Ayaka, a playable Cryo character who was released in July 2021, he is mentioned by her explicitly in one of her in-game voice lines. According to Ayaka, Ayato is the head of the Kamisato clan who typically has an incredibly busy schedule, which would certainly explain his absence up until this point.

While his presence was briefly hinted at in a previous trailer, Ayato's design was officially revealed in early February 2022 to coincide with a news update on the upcoming update for the game. His official character description reads: "As the head of the Yashiro Commission, Kamisato Ayato is committed to maintaining the prosperity and stability of the region."

Ayato is also confirmed to be a Hydro character who utilizes water attacks in combat, which may work well with his sister's icy swordplay.

But when will Ayato finally be playable? If Genshin's release schedule is any indication, he at least won't be in 2.5. The recently announced banners don't include Ayato just yet. But in the past, characters who are revealed alongside big info dumps for new versions typically get released in the version after the upcoming one.

Leakers seem to corroborate tis theory. According to a December 2021 Reddit thread, Ayato is rumored to arrive in Version 2.6, a month or so after 2.5 drops. The leak also describes his appearance accurately, despite his design having only been revealed later on. While fans should take this with a grain of salt, we could easily Ayato being released some time in March.

Though Ayato fans will have to wait a little longer to play as him, Version 2.5 is just around the corner! This latest major update for the game will introduce Yae Miko, a new 5-star Electro character in her own banner. The new update will also see reruns of characters like Raiden Shogun and Sangonomiya Kokomi.

Story updates will include a new quest in the underwater city of Enkanomiya as well as a fight against Raiden Shogun's physical avatar gone berserk. New events will also be available.

Version 2.5 of Genshin Impact is scheduled to release on Feb. 16.