Players can start bracing themselves for the arrival of a Yae Sakura expy character in Hyacine and Cipher to Honkai: Star Rail, two Chrysos Heirs who made their debuts as NPCs and are now playable, provided that players can pull them.

There is still a lot to go through during Version 3.3, including limited-time events, but some attention is already shifting toward the future. For example, there have already been several leaks about Version 3.4, a patch that will not only add Phainon as a playable unit – something that has been teased by HoYoverse – but also the Fate/stay night: Unlimited Blade Works collaboration event. With it, players will get access to Saber and Archer in Honkai: Star Rail, as has been confirmed by the developer. While most leaks are centered around the near future, some are looking even further.

Leaks Show Yae Sakura Expy Character Will Be Released In Honkai: Star Rail 4.X

The Character May Be One Of The Final Main Expies From Impact 3rd

Version 4.X leaks have already begun, including rumors of the Astral Express’ visit to the Edo Star, a cyberpunk-inspired destination. Now, according to the leaker known as Luna (via new Relics in Honkai: Star Rail 3.3, a Yae Sakura expy character will be released in Version 4.X patches. According to the , the Yae Sakura expy will be a “main push character.”

For reference, an expy is a character that resembles a unit from another of the company’s titles. Expy characters usually carry over distinguishable design traits from their counterparts in other games, and often even personality traits. Bronya and Seele from Star Rail are expies for Bronya Zaychik and Seele Vollerei from Honkai Impact 3rd, for example. Acheron in Honkai: Star Rail is considered an expy based on Raiden Mei, from Honkai Impact 3rd. Curiously, during the story, Acheron was questioned by Welt (he is the same character in both games’ universes), though she denied she was the person he thought.

Yae Sakura Expy In Honkai: Star Rail Will Likely Be Broken, Like Acheron

The Character May Be Highly d By HoYoverse

There is a chance that the rumored Yae Sakura expy character will be a broken one, possibly to the same extent as Acheron at launch. This is because the leaker reported that they will be a “main push character” in the game. Oftentimes, HoYoverse makes an effort to some character releases more than others, and these are usually characters with a huge sales potential that is usually compensated for with great in-game performance. This has happened before in several instances, one of which was with Acheron. Near her launch, Acheron was highly d in Honkai: Star Rail.

In of gameplay, the push toward Acheron made sense, as she quickly became one of the game’s strongest DPS characters and remains among that group after over a year – which is impressive, considering how much of an issue powercreep is. More recently, the same happened with Aglaea and Castorice, both of whom were highly marketed during the period leading up to their respective releases. Similarly, they both proved to be broken characters in of gameplay, with Castorice in Honkai: Star Rail becoming one of the strongest DPS, suring most others in the same team comp role.

If the rumored Yae Sakura expy character is to be given a similar amount of advertising attention from HoYoverse during her reported release in one of the 4.X patches, it is likely that she will live up to the expectation and be a broken character, too. This does not mean that she will necessarily operate as a powerful DPS, however. Instead, the leaked Yae Sakura expy could prove to be a broken or sustain character in Honkai: Star Rail. Even so, the idea that HoYoverse will use her release to push sales is very possible.

Among the most popular characters from Honkai Impact 3rd, Yae Sakura is one of the final ones that remains to be seen adapted into Star Rail. The character made her way into Genshin Impact under the expy guise of Yae Miko, a character who shares similar design traits as Yae Sakura, but has yet to be inserted into the turn-based RPG. There is reason to believe that the leak is accurate. Not only is Yae Sakura’s expy long overdue, as most characters have already been adapted, but the rumors hint at next year’s destination being set in the Edo Star.

This place is rumored to have a cyberpunk theme, but moreover, a plethora of Japanese influences – the cyberpunk theme itself as a genre often draws from a futuristic vision of Japan. Seeing that Yae Sakura is a character with Japanese inspirations, it would be fitting for her to be released during the patches related to such a destination as the rumored Edo Star. With the possibility of her being one of the main characters in the Version 4.X patches, I’m convinced Yae Sakura’s leaked expy will be a great character to save Stellar Jade for in Honkai: Star Rail.

Honkai: Star Rail Is Full Of Expy Characters, Despite Direct Connections To Impact 3rd

The Game Shares The Same Universe, But Similar Characters Are Distinct

The world of Star Rail is full of expy characters from Impact 3rd, and there have even been straightforward approaches toward that before. Within the Astral Express, players get to know Himeko, who is an expy for Murata Himeko from Impact 3rd. Upon arriving in Jarilo-VI, players can interact with Bronya, Seele, and Natasha, for instance, all of whom have counterparts in Impact 3rd. Welt is a character from both games, and upon seeing Luocha, he is convinced that it is Otto Apocalypse, a major antagonist from Impact 3rd. Likewise, he initially believes Acheron is Raiden Mei.

Acheron, whose real name is Raiden Bosenmori Mei, explains to Welt that she is not the same Raiden Mei he met during his adventures before, despite all the similarities – something that is also likely true for Luocha, who is not Otto Apocalypse.

It remains to be seen how HoYoverse will deal with the rumored release of Yae Sakura in the turn-based RPG. Seeing both game universes converge at times, there is space for the Yae Sakura to be the same from Impact 3rd, though I believe it is most likely that the character will be an expy for the pink-haired fox lady. Even if there is still some time to go and rumors to prove, I’m already excited about the possibility of obtaining a powerful Yae Sakura in Honkai: Star Rail.

Source: Luna via raadrules/Reddit