New leaks about the playable status of Capitano’s playable version in Capitano in Genshin Impact, but leakers haven’t been able to pinpoint his release window.

This article contains spoilers about the Natlan story arc and its potential ramifications.

Initially, the leaks had mentioned that Capitano would be playable during this year of content leading up into Snezhnaya, but that was soon debunked as he was notably absent from the datamined character names scheduled for release during the Version 5.X patches. Later on, there were some rumors that his release had been postponed, pushed back into the Version 6.X patches where his playable form’s release would align with the Snezhnaya region. Most recently, the rumors about Capitano’s release have been rather scarce, as leaks have been focusing on characters teased by developer HoYoverse, such as Skirk in Genshin Impact.

Click here to view the leaks about Capitano’s release in Genshin Impact.

Capitano May Never Become Playable In Genshin Impact

New Leaks Reinforce Older Rumors

Now, mentions of Capitano have started to circulate again, but possibly not in a way that players awaiting his release would expect. According to information provided by the leaker known as Firefly, who has proven to be somewhat unreliable in the past, the release of Capitano’s playable version will not occur in any of the Version 6.X patches. Furthermore, they state there is a chance that the character will never be added to the playable roster at all. The leak was shared in a post flagged as “Questionable” on Capitano’s release in Genshin Impact.

Previously, the leaks had mentioned that Capitano’s release as a playable character could have been canceled altogether, instead giving way for Columbina to become playable in the Version 5.x patches. That hasn’t happened, and based on developer HoYoverse’s teasers so far, it’s unlikely the Third Fatui Harbinger will become playable before the arrival of Snezhnaya or Nod Krai in Genshin Impact. This somewhat debunked the leak altogether, but seeing how the new leak by Firefly goes hand-in-hand with the previous rumors, there is reason to believe that Capitano will truly not become playable soon – or ever, for that matter.

Leaked Claims For Capitano In Genshin Impact Make Some Sense

The Character Is Dead In The Story

While this may be disappointing news for players who were eagerly anticipating Capitano’s release, even if months away from it potentially happening, there is some logic as to why the character’s release may not occur at all. The first and most meaningful piece of evidence as to why Capitano may not be released in Genshin Impact is the fact that he died at the end of the Natlan story arc. The first of the Fatui Harbingers stood up to Ronova, the Ruler of Death, and, in doing so, abdicated his immortality, gifting it to Yohualtecuhtin, the Lord of the Night.

Thus, Capitano was freed from his flesh. His body remains at the Throne of the Primal Flame, while his consciousness was then sent to the Night Kingdom, where all souls go upon death. So far, HoYoverse hasn’t released any playable character that is dead and impossible to interact with in the game. The closest thing to that is Qiqi, who is a zombie, but even so, players can still interact with her in missions. The idea behind playable characters is that they accompany the Traveler on their adventures, so Qiqi fits the profile of a venturing ally in Genshin Impact.

If Capitano, an effectively dead character, were to be released as a playable unit, he would be the first of his kind, and HoYoverse would likely have to find a way to explain his presence in team comps when it comes to lore. Under the game’s current standards, Capitano’s death makes him ineligible for a playable release unless the developer finds a way of bringing him back to life – though that would ultimately destroy the impact that his sacrifice had within the Natlan story arc.

Another reason that could justify his release not happening so soon is that he is a Cryo character in Genshin Impact who wields a sword. HoYoverse has confirmed that Skirk is set to be released this year before the arrival of Version 6.0, and based on previous years and how the leaks are going so far, it’s likely that Skirk will arrive in Version 5.7. Furthermore, the leaks about Skirk indicate that she will be a Cryo character. Combined with the fact that she’s a legendary swordswoman, her potential release as a Cryo sword character would directly conflict with Capitano.

The First Fatui Harbinger is known to use a sword in combat and have access to Cryo powers, as abundantly demonstrated during his fight against Mavuika. As such, his release would directly oppose Skirk’s, who is expected to have the same kind of powers, even if applied differently. With Skirk being one of the most anticipated releases this year, it wouldn’t make sense for a similar character like Capitano to be released too close to her. Even so, this comes at the risk of him not being released at all.

Capitano Leaks In Genshin Impact Shouldn't Be Believed Entirely Just Yet

Leaks Are Often Unreliable

Despite the abundance of evidence pointing toward Capitano not being released as a playable character in the near future, I don’t immediately take these leaks at face value. As I’ve mentioned, the leaker isn’t considered completely trustworthy, and, beyond that, the leaks that delve too deep into the game’s future have been unreliable. Last year, there were numerous mentions about the playable version of Madame Ping in Genshin Impact, who would allegedly debut during this year’s Lantern Rite. The annual event happened, and the Liyue character known as Streetward Rambler was not released.

At the time, there had even been mentions about some of Madame Ping’s supposed gameplay abilities, such as her focus on Plunging Attacks. This leaked kit may have actually been referring to the recently released Varesa, but Varesa is a character from Natlan, and, at the time of the leaks, she was not a known character like Madame Ping, so the possible association was deceitful.

For now, as hopeless as it seems for Capitano’s release, I’d recommend taking the leaks with a huge grain of salt. A lot could change in the year of content, and there is always a possibility that Capitano could be the first playable character who isn’t actually alive in the game’s story. However, it’s also prudent to consider the possibility of never being able to control Capitano in Genshin Impact.

Source: Reddit