honkai star rails issues with character design: Part 1! Regions/Factions

hello hello!! im back at it being annoyed over how hoyoverse designs their characters, so why not make a longer blog post about it w some of my thoughts!! 

IMPORTANT: THIS IS ALL MY OPINON. I AM ALWAYS RIGHT BUT OPEN TO DISCUSSION AS LONG AS YOURE NOT BEING AN IDIOT!

i will probably some comparisons to genshin too. while genshin also has it's issues/struggles with character design they have their stronger aspects too. 

also, I would've added more images to show what I'm thinking but unfortunately I'm too eepy for that

ALRIGHT SO 

In genshin it's very clear where xyz character is from due to each region having their distinct style. Even abandoned/lost/hidden regions have their distinct styles (like Enkanomiya). Childe is a very good example of this as he stands out in Liyue when we first meet him, and as the story progresses his attire continues to give the player an impression of what Snezhnayan/Fatui fashion looks like. this snezhnayan style is again confirmed by Dottore and Arlecchino, who have a similar grey palette + sharp edges in their designs. The traveler also looks distinctly out of place due to their attire, something which is frequently commented on by npcs.

Hsr does this too,, to some extent. Belobog struggles the most with having a cohesive regional style. This lack of cohesion mainly affects the playable characters, which it's kinda bad when the main characters from a region looks so out of place compared to the npcs. There are some traits that are reoccurring, notably the similarities in attire between Cocolia, Bronya, and Serval: all of them having a white flowy coat/dress. 

There is also a nice difference in style between the ones from the overworld and those from the underworld. I think Hook is the best example of this with her very minery attire. However, nothing excuses Seele's design (which I have ranted about here). even compared to the other underworlders, she just doesnt look like she's from Belobog at all. Her being at the centre of and representative of Wildfire, just falls flat bc of her design. 

In the Xianzhou Loufu it (thankfully) gets better. The playable characters there look distinct but not out of place. it's a breath of fresh air compared to Belobog and I was far more immersed into the story. It seems like the designers had a more clear idea of the style they wished to achieve. 

Of course there are some characters that stand out, but not so much it makes them seem out of place, and the ones who aren't native to the Xianzhou look the part. Luocha does this very well. His suit is a stark difference to the other Loufu characters and assists in his look as a traveling merchant. Blade is also an interesting example. He looks like he's from there when we first meet him, despite his dark outfit, but when he then leaves with Kafka the player questions on whose side he stands. <- there is a better way to phrase this im sorry. Dan Heng's 4 star outfit also gives an impression that he's from there, while Imbibitor Lunae cements this fact. It's nice visual storytelling that even his clothes change to a more traditional (???) Xianzhou look. 

Now, we have Penacony! although it is a region open to all (who can afford it), they still manage to make the native Penaconian characters fit well into the world. It balances very well the cast of outsiders and insiders, making the player able to differentiate the many factions. Due to these design choices the player might start to question Firefly's identity. She claims to be a local, yet her clothing is quite different compared to Sunday, Robin, Misha, Gallagher, and the local Penacony npcs. 

I'm also a fan of the 3 types of npcs we see here: the human(oid) ones, the robots, and the pepeshi. having 3 quite different looking npcs gives Penacony the touristy feel it seeks to achieve. While there aren't that much clothing differences between them, the rest of their body makes up for it. 

I dont have much to say on the Herta Spacestation (due to there being pretty few playable characters from there). It is however more cohesive than Belobog, especially with Asta and Arlan gliding right into their environment as workers there. Herta and Screwllum looking vastly different from the rest is actually a good thing as it sets their status as the geniuses who don't comply with the norm or rules of the station. Ruan Mei is a bit more meh if you ask me. Her attire is similar to that of the Xianzhou although it doesnt seem like she's from there. She looks distinct on the station, and that's really all I can say for now on her design. 

Second to last is the IPC. They had a strong start with Topaz and Aventurine, and are kinda falling apart over Jade. Topaz is again the first representative we get of the IPC. Giving her a modified IPC uniform is, imo, genius: it clearly states which faction she belongs to, yet the modifications makes the player aware that she isn't just some ordinary worker there. Aventurine also lives up to his cornerstones name with the deep greens, and fits the IPC's associated wealth with gold details all over his design. 

Jade however, she kinda makes this lineup fall apart. I'm really not sure what they're trying to achieve with her design other than "elegant sexy lady". She looks too disconnected to be recognized as distinctly from the IPC as her outfit looks so starkly different from Topaz and Aventurine's. It is an interesting choice for her to wear so much blue despite her cornerstone being green. It could be that Hoyo wants to avoid making all the cornerstones match their cornerstone in terms of colour. Yet, with not much else to connect Jade to the IPC, it is difficult for me to imagine her as a worker and much less a boss there.  

Now lastly The Astral Express! Man I love the Astral express. All the characters there look extremely distinct, which fits the path of trailblazing to a t. Dan Heng obviously has the connections to the Loufu in his design, while March, Welt, Himeko and the Trailblazer all look like they come from their separate worlds. Even with all this mismatch of characters, the Trailblazer stands out. They contrast Welt's grey with their yellow accents. I'd also argue that Stelle's (unfortunate) pencil skirt connects her just slightly to Kafka (due to her style also being somewhat professional, and pencil skirt -> professionalism). Of course the astral express also have their little ticket pin that discreetly connects them visually. <- Misha also has this pin (at least in that one light cone) which hints at the connection between him and the express. 

TLDR: The IPC and Belobog struggles with making their characters look apart of the region/faction they're supposed to be associated with. The Loufu is by far the strongest in this regard. Penacony also does a good job of separating the locals from the non-locals, and giving the area a touristy feel. 

This is gonna have to be a multiple parter due to the absolute wall of text lmao 

anyways I'd love to hear everyone's thoughts! feel free to argue with me! it's fun!