In general, Genshin Impact characters are widely recognized by their unique elemental abilities and background stories but also being able to play a certain role within the game´s combat system. Every character is connected to one of the seven elements: Pyro, Hydro, Electro, Dendro, Cryo Anemo and Geo — these are what bind Genshin Impact's combat strategies together through reactions like Vaporize, Melt or Overload. Hu Tao is one of the single target DPS characters at maximum potential (aside: thanks to her Pyro element, and by triggering Vaporize reactions). Hu Tao is a beast widely renowned for his high burst damage, boasting off of 33% crit rate and x2.5 critical DMG multiplier when built right!
The terminology of the industry: “DPS,” “sub-DPS” and so on, all pinpoint what each character does in a specialized manner. Sure, 4‑star units like Xingqiu and Fischl are common in top-tier teams as sub-DPS because they can apply off-field Hydro and Electro respectively to constantly proc elemental reactions. Also Xingqiu's E and Q provide constant Hydro application, which if you're playing a band team aka "National Team" means massive dmg just from supported reactions. It is this stacking of abilities on top that, uniquely to genshin impact characters, makes each one so full and varied.
The individual cultural and narrative depth is what sets each character apart. All these personalities are bound to the stories of their area, whether it be Mondstadt, Liyue, Inazuma etc. He is the God of Geo, who values contracts and commerce as demonstrated in Liyue during ancient times. In his story quest, named “Historia Antiqua,” the players will learn more about him and how he relates to the people there guided by their economic philosophies stoking development throughout Liyue. Zhongli's character design was inspired by traditional Chinese value while his calm demeanor and authoritative presence appealed to those who admire stability and wisdom as confirmed by miHoYo the developer of Genshin Impact.
In recent game events, such as the annuaL Lantern Rite Festival, it shows off more of its character dynamics and personal growth. The 2023 edition of the Lantern Rite delivered an emotional arc for its storyline with Xiao, touching on duty, sacrifice and connection (in game terms: around 70% player participation by miHoYo’s own numbers). Such instances only further strengthen the narrative capabilities of genshin impact characters, as players interact in fights that tells not just about how good they can play these combat mechanics but also on a personal level and get to know their stories.
In addition, the performance statistics further reflect that characters are known for. Raiden Shogun, for instance, has an energy recharge effectiveness of 300% if built correctly — making it so that she can generate all other characters' Bursts within a matter of seconds while also dealing incredibly strong Electro-based damage. Her high efficiency has turned her into an evergreen kit in tons of team comp and particularly for endgame Spiral Abyss' consistent energy management. On the other hand, characters such as Kazuha are crowd controllers and/or amplifiers of elemental damage - something that mere numbers cannot achieve.
In fact, the work done on genshin impact characters by rolling out such a nice blend of mechanics and lore is arguably one of their strongest suits. Players are encouraged to take on characters not only because of their combat roles, but the way miHoYo has blended storytelling and gameplay in all its characters. Though some surely play to minmax their builds, making the most of what they can out in Teyvat and striving for us 6★ artifacts, at its core Genshin Impact is a character game about characters that people have continued loving even with how widespread across dimensions those characters themselves be.