Genshin Impact: The Lore Behind Raiden Shogun Explained

2 years ago

The Raiden Shogun, Electro Archon and ruler of the isolated island nation of Inazuma, is one of the most mysterious characters in Genshin Impact.

Genshin Impact, the massively popular gacha-based RPG from Chinese developers miHoYo, was recently awarded the Player's Voice award at the Game Awards 2022. Genshin Impact has grown steadily since its 2020 launch, expanding its world and introducing dozens of new playable characters. One of the most mysterious of these characters is the Raiden Shogun, Electro Archon and tyrannical ruler of the island-nation of Inazuma.

Players reveal the Shogun's background over the course of Genshin Impact's main story, from her introduction upon their arrival in Inazuma, to her final battle before the Traveler leaves for Sumeru. This section of Genshin Impact's story has revealed a lot about the true nature of the Raiden Shogun.

Who is the Raiden Shogun?

The biggest reveal in the Raiden Shogun's story in Genshin Impact is that she is not one being, but two. The aspect of the Raiden Shogun that players first encounter is simply called the Shogun, an emotionless, robot-like puppet that governs the islands of Inazuma with an iron fist. It's only much later in the story that players will meet Ei, the true Electro Archon and creator of the puppet Shogun. Ei, a warrior-god from Inazuma's distant past, inherited the title of Electro Archon from her sister Makoto. 500 years before the events of Genshin Impact, Makoto was killed during the Cataclysm that swept Teyvat, causing Ei to take up the mantle of the Electro Archon. As the Archon, Ei's Divine Ideal is Eternity, and she strives to make sure that Inazuma never changes in order to fulfill that Ideal. While Makoto embraced Eternity by living each moment to the fullest, Ei instead created the Shogun to strictly control Inazuma on her behalf, programming the puppet with a limited set of reactions and decisions. After delegating the rule of Inazuma, Ei retreated to the Plane of Euthymia in order to meditate on eternity. Euthymia is a plane created by Ei's own consciousness, and its appearance changes to reflect her state of mind when the Traveler visits it in Genshin Impact's story.

The Raiden Shogun in Genshin Impact's Story

Inazuma is no longer living peacefully under the Raiden Shogun's rule by the time the Traveler arrives at the isolated archipelago. Unrest has swept the islands after the Fatui Harbingers manipulated the Shogun's lack of imagination to get her to enact the Vision Hunt Decree. This Decree, which bans the use of all the god-given Visions that gift their users elemental powers, caused a massive social upheaval and a bloody civil war. Over the course of their time in the island nation, players slowly learn more about the suspicious origins of the Decree, the strange actions of the Shogun, and the existence of her creator Ei. This story comes to a head when the Traveler challenges Ei in the Plane of Euthymia, showing her the damage caused by the Vision Hunt Decree, and using the powers of the confiscated Visions to defeat her in a duel. After this defeat, Ei concedes her mistake and revokes the Vision Hunt Decree, taking immediate action to arrest her traitorous Commissioners and seeking revenge against the scheming Fatui. Although this marks the end of the Raiden Shogun's role in the main story of Genshin Impact, players can learn more in her optional personal quests. In these quests, they will discover that Ei is having trouble with the Shogun, who now sees her as an enemy of eternity after her defeat. Unable to easily change the Puppet's programming, Ei is forced to duel the Shogun again and again on the Plane of Euthymia in order to demonstrate the strength of her new conviction. When the Shogun eventually relents, Ei vows to take a more personal hand in Inazuma's governance from now on, and begins by abolishing the Sakoku Decree, opening the borders of her isolated nation to trade and travelers once again.

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