Why Shoyo Hinata From Haikyuu!! Sounds So Familiar
By William Rodriguez
When it was released in 2020, Chinese developer MiHoYo's "Genshin Impact" video game was seen as a "Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild" clone (via Game Informer), but it soon became a bona-fide pop culture phenomenon in its own right (for example, its characters appearing in memes on TikTok went viral). "Genshin Impact" also became a big hit, raking in $2 billion in its first year, according to mobile-app monitoring company Sensor Tower as quoted in the New York Times.
In the game, Murase provides the voice of playable character Venti, a free-spirited bard who uses the Anemo Bow. Venti was a very popular character when the game first came out, but his popularity has been variable based on what various patches and updates did to his abilities. One YouTuber, dragonfly, noted in September that Venti was so popular at the beginning because his strength is combat against large hordes of enemies. Later versions of the game focused on other enemies and bosses that Venti was not as good at tackling. Along with that, "Genshin Impact" released new characters, like Kazuha in July (via Ginx), who were more versatile heroes overall.
However, he remains popular with fans. PC Gamer calls Venti "arguably the best elemental support in the game." On Reddit threads, players often name him as a favorite. u/Kosmic_Kraken said, "He's absolutely wonderful and beautiful. Playful and carefree but also very emotionally intelligent. Sad yet genuinely caring. Complex — trying to balance his ideals with the harshness of reality. And a god of freedom just speaks to my soul on a primal level."
