Upcoming Genshin Impact character, Shikanoin Heizhou, shows off kicks and punches in new leak

The new Genshin Impact character Shikanoin Heizhou was just officially revealed, giving us a brief glimpse into the new detective character who knows how to pack a punch. Now that Version 2.8 of Genshin Impact has entered closed beta testing, leaks are coming out of the woodwork about this new character, and we have an idea of how exactly he’ll play.

While we initially predicted Shikanoin Heizhou would function as a support character due to his Anemo-typing and Catalyst weapon type, in a surprise twist, the character will actually function as a main DPS carry. In-game, Shikanoin Heizhou is a detective, but gameplay-wise, Heizhou is putting up his deuces as a martial artist extraordinaire. His punches and kicks are all elevated with the Anemo element, allowing him to punch and kick the enemy with relative ease and grace.

Footage of his new Normal Attacks comes straight from the /r/Genshin_Impact_Leaks subreddit, which is slowly posting leaks about the upcoming version. This video also gives players a look at Shikanoin Heizhou’s character model as it relates to the art. Another post also revealed animations of his Elemental Skill and Elemental Burst.

However, Shikanoin Heizhou’s full kit has already been revealed at the time of this post, as it fully leans into this melee gameplay style that’s pretty rare in Genshin Impact. We think it’s a nice surprise that Shikanoin Heizhou is a DPS character. He would also be the first 4-star main carry character since Yanfei’s release, and it’s always nice to give players more options for those who can’t chase that elusive 5-star option.

Shikanoin Heizhou will release in Genshin Impact Version 2.8 — he’s included as a part of the 2.8 beta test. However, do note that Version 2.7 of the game has been delayed, making the actual release date of this new version up in the air.