The yakshas are a mysterious race of beings originating from Liyue. Before the events of Genshin Impact, many roamed across the region, serving the Geo Archon Rex Lapis. None are known to be active in the present time, however — except for one, whom the player can acquire through Wishes.
This last remaining yaksha of Genshin Impact is a powerful one, once a member of the Five Yakshas. These legendary yakshas were the most fearsome of their kind, capable of felling many forms of monsters with their Elemental abilities and martial prowess.
The Five Yakshas of Genshin Impact
It’s said that after the Archon War of Genshin Impact, the remains of dead gods decomposed into the earth, but their souls were filled with bitterness. That bitterness was so strong that it manifested into evil monsters. The creatures then wrought havoc across Liyue, causing great plagues and all forms of tragedy to befall the people.
Thus, Rex Lapis summoned “illuminated beasts” known as the yakshas. These beings were terrifying in appearance and violent by nature, prepared to kill anything that threatened the Geo Archon’s rule. Five of them were known to be the strongest of them all — Bosacius, Indarias, Bonanus, Menogias, and Alatus. They were simply known as The Yakshas in Genshin Impact.
These five yakshas served as Rex Lapis’ guardians in Genshin Impact for years, defeating countless evils that plagued Liyue. However, this came at a price. The divine bitterness that still lingered began to poison them, destroying them from within. Some of the yakshas fell into blind rage, and some were driven into madness by an indescribable fear. Others even turned on their brethren, killing them. In the end, three of The Yaksha perished, one disappeared, and only one remains alive.
The yaksha that disappeared was Bosacius, a four-armed being who wielded the power of Electro in Genshin Impact. He grew tired of his duties, so he abandoned them and his brethren when he saw that Liyue was safe. However, the divine bitterness still took hold of him after, causing him to forget his own name. Despite this, Bosacius would play a crucial role in the Cataclysm. He assisted the forces of Liyue as they fought against monsters from Khaenri’ah, eventually making the ultimate sacrifice to protect the people.
The Last Yaksha in Genshin Impact
As for the last living yaksha, his name is Alatus, but players know him better as Genshin Impact’s Xiao. His other titles include the “Golden-Winged King” and the “Conqueror of Demons.” Now that Liyue knows peace, Xiao spends most of his time at the Wangshu Inn, avoiding crowds and any form of human interaction. When he’s forced to speak to anyone, he’s often curt in his responses, making him appear unapproachable. Though it’s only because he fears that the bitterness that poisons him could spread to whomever he interacts with.
Though Xiao doesn’t show it, the divine bitterness causes him physical pain, which Zhongli of Genshin Impact tries to alleviate by giving him medicine. He also has many painful memories of the yakshas he once knew and fought alongside. He’s one of the few who still remember the illuminated beings and what they did for Liyue. The rest of the people in the region believe them to be nothing but exaggerated legends. Though that’s arguably a good thing because the locals might descend into panic if they found out that yakshas and evil demons were real.
Given this, Xiao mostly keeps to himself, only traversing Liyue to defeat monsters. Though some Genshin Impact quests push the lone yaksha to collaborate with the Traveler, such as his Story Quest and the World Quest “Hereafter: The Trail of Pervases.” Since HoYoverse continues to add more content to the region of Liyue, players can probably expect more lore on Xiao and the yakshas in the future.
Genshin Impact is available on mobile, PC, PS4, and PS5. A Switch version is currently under development.
