HoYoverse’s newest gacha,Honkai: Star Rail, has seen plenty of attention since its premiere last month, especially with theGenshin Impactcommunity taking a liking to the space RPG.The incredibly successfulHonkai: Star Railcan be played separately from its older sibling due to its standalone storyline, but this hasn’t stopped people from noticing all the ways in which the two are connected.
While there was plenty of fan speculation that the games were linked, it’s been canonically proven by HoYoverse itself. Still, it is important to understand thatHonkai: Star Railis not a sequel toGenshin Impact,just asGenshin Impactwas not a sequel to the first among the Honkai Universe:Honkai Impact 3rd. All three games are not meant to be directly related to one another but rather exist in tandem.
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The HoYoverse Multiverse is Canon
It’s been confirmed that the worlds withinHonkai: Star Rail,Genshin Impact, andHonkai Impact 3rdare all a part of something called the Imaginary Tree, which was firstfeatured inHonkai Impact 3rd. While it’s very much a physical place in the first game,Honkai: Star Railhas only recognized the tree as a theory so far. Regardless, the Imaginary Tree is said to have emerged from “an endless Sea of unfathomable depths and boundaries,” which is a reference to the Sea of Quanta.
Exactly what the Imaginary Tree is can be confusing to grasp, but it can be simplified by focusing on the leaves from the tree. Each individual leaf is said to be an independent world of its own, withGenshin Impactbeing one leaf andHonkai Impact 3rdacting as another. It should be noted that thebubble universes introduced inHonkai: Star Rail, such as Jarilo-VIand Xianzhou Luofu, are actually worlds that exist in the same leaf and are not leaves of their own.
With this being said, it is very possible that HoYoverse will create a crossover event, perhaps by bringing beloved characters fromGenshin Impactinto the world ofHonkai: Star Rail. After all, an interaction betweenthe Astral Express conductor Pom-Pomand the deuteragonist Paimon could make for some funny dialogue. There is plenty of unconfirmed information that alludes to the characters in the space RPG being closer toGenshin Impactthan previously thought.
The beginning ofGenshin Impactsees the Travelerlanding in Teyvat following a battle with the Unknown Godon another world. This could mean they fell from the world ofHonkai: Star Rail, which could make sense because it’s been confirmed that The Traveler has “tremendous and strange” powers which might resonate with the paths inHonkai: Star Railrather than the Archons. The Unknown God is rumored to be the ruler of Celestia who has the ability to separate realities and universes.
It’s possible the Unknown God could make an appearance inHonkai: Star Rail, as this game already features a character from another universe: Welt Yang.Welt Yang is a playable crew member of the Astral ExpressinHonkai: Star Railbut originally came fromHonkai Impact 3rd’suniverse. Uncertain as to how he arrived, Yang is actively trying to return to his own universe which may have to do with someone or something like the Unknown God, tampering with reality.
There is plenty of speculation as to how, or if, the two games will intersect, butHonkai: Star Railis likely too new for anything concrete to be said. Given more time, the futuristic sci-fi universe ofHonkai: Star Railcould cross over withGenshin Impactin future chapters and updates.
Honkai: Star Railis now available on Android, iOS, and PC. A PlayStation version is currently in development.
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