In HoYoVerse games, we’ve tended to see player protagonists and main characters who tend to be generally kind and polite people. Kiana Kaslana from Honkai Impact 3rd is an optimistic, kind, and dedicated. Likewise, both Aether and Lumine from Genshin Impact are always very pleasant and tend to be willing to go out of their way for people, teasing of Paimon aside, with most of the silent protagonists’ lines being largely “good.” Rosa, the main character in Tears of Themis, is also very smart, justice-driven, and willing to help. Meanwhile, the Honkai: Star Rail Trailblazer Stelle and Caelus avatar options can often be a sarcastic, pessimistic, lazy, self-serving, dumpster-diving gremlin. Simply put, it’s refreshing to get the option to be more of a “well, I guess I’m here and will do it” person.
Part of it comes from their general appearances. Both the Caelus and Stelle Trailblazer options in Honkai: Star Rail are delightfully disheveled. Part of it could come from their origins. After all, Kafka woke them up by shoving a Stellaron into their body. Buckles are askew and unfastened. Their hair is messed up. Their eyes look sleepy. Their shirts are untucked. They look like they rolled out of bed and we should be thankful they are there and willing to help out. The outfit and design look great, to be clear, due to an “organized chaos” approach.
Screenshot via Siliconera
I also love how the Trailblaze Mission story quests and sidequests all often have at least one response that makes it seem like the Trailblazer is telling the other person it’s basically an honor for them to be there. You can be lazy. You can be driven by money. You can be sarcastic. You can constantly try and pass off the job to someone else. It’s like the Trailblazer is an exasperated 30 year old with so much on their to-do list who’s been up since 5am without coffee and just needs a minute. Though, at the same time, it’s equally wonderful to see them play along during missions involving Hook and other children, exemplifying that while lazy and snarky, they are also silly and not necessarily cruel.
Unless it comes to Sampo. I will always take the opportunity to have my Trailblazer Stelle blame or volunteer Sampo for something in Honkai: Star Rail, and HoYoVerse is constantly giving us that option. Her being a grudge-bearing goblin is my canon view of the character. By update 3.0, she’ll be planets away and be telling the latest prominent NPC in need that someone named Sampo will be by in 2-4 weeks to accomplish their task.
Screenshot via Siliconera
All of the text messages also provide the opportunity to witness this goblin in presumably their natural habitat. That is getting to be lazy somewhere else and avoid actual work and interactions, being snarky and silly with no one to “stop” them. Telling March 7th that a photo she sent is “bad” before she’s even sent it could be seen as either sarcastic or silly. Telling Asta you have no interest in learning about “a rich mindset” is actually the optimal response in that message chain.
Screenshot via Siliconera
Even incidental messages when interacting with the environment show that the goofy, greedy, lazy, and sarcastic versions of Caelus and Stelle in Honkai: Star Rail might be the “default” attitudes for the avatars. When removing the wanted posters from Belobog, the responses seem a bit silly. You know, they’re being taken down for the good of the town, and not to evade arrest. Hiding inside of a hotel closet to terrify the person in charge of room service? That’s absolutely gremlin behavior. Not to mention they are rooting around in every garbage can possible, getting an avatar icon to show they are a trash person (and actual trash for their inventory) as a result.
Screenshot via Siliconera
Perhaps the best thing of all is that a player can make their Honkai: Star Rail Caelus or Stelle avatar into this gremlin and know that their allies love and accept them as they are. Dan Heng and March 7th accept that the hero of this story will just root around in the trash and understand that’s the life they chose. People will react positively to you being silly or sarcastic. Laziness will be even be joked about, in a way. It’s treated as something of an endearing personality trait or running gag. I’m a big fan of it and hoep it continues throughout the game’s lifespan.
Honkai: Star Rail is available for PCs and mobile devices, and PS4 and PS5 versions are in development.
