It’s been a rough week for anyone who’s looking forward to playing Kokomi, a new healer coming to Genshin Impact tomorrow. Ever since leakers revealed that her passive talent boosts her healing abilities in exchange for completely nuking her critical hit rate (severely limiting her ability to deal much damage altogether), many players have been calling her the worst high-rarity character in the game. To which I say: Just relax, everyone. Nobody has even played her launch build yet.
Sangonomiya Kokomi is the latest character to debut in Genshin Impact’s Inazuma region. Players are expecting to start pulling for her on September 21, since that’s when Raiden Shogun’s limited banner (a period focused on a rare limited-time character and several common characters from the general roster) ends. As the leader of the Sangonomiya Resistance against the tyrannical Raiden Shogun, players expected Kokomi to be a lot more powerful than the leaks would suggest.
Instead, while some Genshin players on YouTube have been defending her from detractors, others have been calling her “the worst five-star in the game.” On Twitter, describing her as “Worse than Barbara” has become something of a meme. Honestly, I’m not sure how effective this is as an insult, since Barbara is currently the best dedicated healer in the meta. However, admittedly she does fill a very similar gameplay niche to Kokomi, and she’s easier to obtain for players who don’t spend money on the game. And unlike Kokomi, she also actually has a critical rate (though it’s very low). To some players, it doesn’t matter that Barbara’s vanilla kit isn’t built to deal damage. What matters is that Kokomi doesn’t seem to have her own niche, despite her rarity.
First off, everyone needs to calm down. As the Raiden controversy showed us, the information that leakers obtain isn’t completely foolproof. All numbers (I’m looking at you, ability that scales with HP!) should be taken with a grain of salt until she’s actually released. And even if Kokomi doesn’t deal massive YouTube damage numbers, the vast majority of players aren’t going to be using a healer as their main damage dealer anyway.
Additionally, there are reasons to think that having another healer in the mix could be quite valuable. Genshin Impact only has one competitive mode, which involves completing levels in an area called the Spiral Abyss. The eleventh floor has a special effect called “corrosion,” which periodically reduces the entire party’s health. If the developers keep the corrosion effect for future levels, then it’s very likely that players will want more than one dedicated healer.
Personally, I’m also excited about what Kokomi can do outside of combat. If the leaks are trustworthy, then she can reduce stamina consumption for swimming. I’ve lost count of the number of times I’ve tried to get to an island, only to have to wait five minutes for my food cooldowns to regenerate. Swimming is the most annoying mechanic in the game, and I welcome any character who can make it a less painful experience.
Most importantly, Genshin Impact is an anime wife game. Kokomi has great English voiceover, her animations are gorgeous, and she’s a mermaid. As any Fate/Grand Order player can tell you, sometimes you just have to accept that your favorite character isn’t at the top of the meta. Only cowards let something as insignificant as “critical hits” get in the way of stanning for a character that really appeals to them.
So don’t be a coward. If you truly love Kokomi, then don’t let other people ruin her for you.