Genshin Impact Leak Teases Upcoming Natlan Character

gamerant.com:

While Genshin Impact is approaching the latter half of its Fontaine updates, a recent leak has confirmed information relating to Xbalanque, a highly anticipated character from Natlan. The main appeal of Genshin Impact has always been twofold: its addictive open-world exploration, and its memorable cast of characters. Though the game started with only Mondstadt and Liyue, each subsequent year has given Genshin Impact players a whole new region of Teyvat to explore, complemented by a steady stream of characters belonging to that region (with a few wildcards sprinkled in).

Genshin Impact characters such as Neuvillette have become a mainstay, and fans eagerly await to see how Arlecchino will shake up the meta in Version 4.6. While HoYoverse doesn't favor the concept of power creep in Genshin Impact, the developers have still managed to create new characters that provide unique gameplay or expand upon an underrepresented niche (such as Xianyun enabling plunge teams).

The recent leak posted on the Genshin Impact Leaks subreddit, in what many fans consider to be a period of drought, concerns the Natlan character of Xbalanque. Second only to the Pyro Archon in terms of player excitement, Team Mew claims that Xbalanque has the boy model template in his concept art. The medium male body type – as it is alternatively known – has been used by many iconic Genshin Impact characters, such as Cyno, Wanderer, and Venti.

Though no current concept art of Xbalanque exists, Natlan in Genshin Impact is expected to draw from Latin American, Mesoamerican, and West African influences – both colonial and pre-colonial. Earlier leaks have described Xbalanque as a darker-skinned Bennett, which certainly lines up with the latest information. Considering the inspiration behind his name, it's safe to assume that Xbalanque will most likely be a Pyro character, if not the Pyro Sovereign himself.

As a Pyro Polearm, Arlecchino in Genshin Impact is expected to be an on-field character with a focus on