In Genshin Impact, there is power according to gameplay and there is also power according to the story. Those two aspects of power in the title often don't agree with each other's tier lists, just like in real life. As a result, we have mere funeral parlor pranksters more powerful than literal gods and elves deadlier than an actual army of knights when it comes to practicality.

The lore, however, tends to disagree. The quests, as well as the narratives themselves, paint a different picture — a clearer hierarchy of power as intended by the story. Needless to say, the game's lore has its own designation of who's who when it comes to being powerful. Some are at the top as a result of a divine mandate while others just got there through sheer riches and aptitude. Here's how they rank up according to the game's story.

Updated March 31, 2024, by Sanyam Jain: As Genshin Impact gets more updates and introduces more characters, the list of characters that you wouldn't want to mess with grows scarily high. Of course, the more strong personalities you have in the story, the better it'll become.

22 Cyno

If Cyno isn't looking forward to a round of TCG with you, then you ought to be concerned. Though he was a scholar of the Akademiya, he wasn't exactly a legendary researcher, so there are many who criticize his position as the General Mahamatra.

But many of these criticisms crumble once he's in action, and in his story quest alone, he was able to apprehend 300 prisoners all by himself. If that's not enough proof of his inhuman strength, he's also skilled at sealing archon residue, and it might have to do with the mysterious spirit that dwells inside of him, which is rumored to be associated with King Deshret's civilization.

21 Kazuha

For somebody as gentle and carefree, Kazuha holds a frightening amount of power. He doesn't descend from divinity, but he did come from a fallen samurai clan — which explains his swordsmanship, but not exactly his unusual strength. He's also the first person from Teyvat we know of that was able to wield two different elements, even if only for a moment.

Despite being a descendant of an Inazuman sword-smithing clan, there's nothing normal about parrying the Musou no Hitotachi. There are those who dare to brave the lightning's glow, but only one was known to do so and come out alive.

20 Jean

As the current acting Grandmaster of the Knights of Favonius, Jean has her hands full. However, she deserves her rank as the second-best member of the group before the actual Grandmaster stepped down.

She's practically the elite of the elite in the Knights of Favonius. Moreover, being Grandmaster means she has an army at her disposal. That somehow makes her the effective ruler of Mondstadt since the Knights of Favonius are the city's military power. Besides, having a Vision-controller as your general is already impressive enough.

19 Diluc

Then again, the Knights of Favonius are "inefficient" at least according to one man. Diluc himself is a former member of the Knights of Favonius but quit after a fiasco involving his father. Now he operates on his own and practically controls Mondstadt through his wine business and riches.

Back in his Knights of Favonius days though, Diluc was considered the best among them. He probably would have been Grandmaster by now instead of Jean if only he stayed. That would have made him even more powerful on paper, but he's been able to prove that they need him more than he needs them. Not only has Diluc been successfully able to spy on the Fatui on his own, but he's also capable of keeping Mondstadt safe all by himself under the moonlight.

18 Alhaitham

For a "feeble scholar", this man gave the Sages of Sumeru a run for their money — or in this case, their wits. He didn't slay gods or defy heavenly principles, but he was able to create a meticulous plan to overthrow Sumeru's corrupt power structure.

He's the brain behind Sumeru's archon quest, and he became the Acting Grand Sage at the end of it all (much to his dismay). Though he truly is a simple man who'd rather be cooped up with a book, he's not exactly as feeble as he claims to be.

17 Ningguang

It is not the Fatui nor Diluc who possesses the most wealth in Teyvat but rather Ningguang, who is the Tianquan of the Liyue Qixing. Thus, her domain in Liyue is law and order, and her wealth is said to be unsurpassed by anyone in Teyvat.

That makes Ningguang even more economically powerful than Diluc. Ningguang is also Ganyu's boss and the one responsible for the majestic and powerful Jade Chamber in Liyue. Her only weakness is that she's a mortal and thus has a limited lifespan compared to Adepti.

16 Alice

Alice has yet to physically appear in the game. She is Klee's mother and based on Albedo's words, she's a powerful sorceress capable of impressive feats such as discovering hidden island chains on her own and even putting enchantments on those islands. That's practically what happened during the latest event.

She's not exactly stable though since her personality is somewhat diabolical, and she doesn't seem to care much for the dignity of her enemies. Even someone like Jean fears her so that's probably why she looks after Klee, to prevent the kid from taking after her mother.

15 Rhinedottir

Rhinedottir, just like Alice, is a part of Hexenzircle. She's a skilled alchemist who can create beings that are not of this world, and she's also Albedo's mother. If you've stuck around long enough in this game, you'll know that Albedo has a sibling named Durin, whose draconic remains lay in the mountains of Dragonspine.

Put two and two together, and you'd have realized just how powerful Rhinedottir is if she was able to create Durin and Albedo out of pure alchemy. A lesser-known fact is that she's also unintentionally created the Golden Wolflord. It's uncertain how much-forbidden knowledge she holds, but she's undeniably powerful if she can create something out of nothing.

14 Albedo

Albedo is a unique individual in Mondstadt who was created by Rhinedottir. If Alice found something special in Albedo, then that must mean he's quite capable himself. His experiments and intelligence are proof enough of his capabilities.

What makes him quite a worrying figure in Mondstadt is how he kept hinting that someday he might destroy the whole city. He's definitely not human and is likely more powerful, but those hints are a little too extreme, and he's not known to joke much.

13 Venti

Venti or Barbatos is likely the weakest among all the seven gods or archons in Teyvat. That's all thanks to Signora snatching up his gnosis, effectively making Venti less than an archon in terms of power.

Truth be told, it seems that Venti is losing his touch after failing to subdue Dvalin by himself and then losing to a Fatui Harbinger. However, he's still an archon in all respects and was certainly influential back in his heyday.

12 Tartaglia

Tartaglia or Childe is a bit of a wildcard since his powers seem to be all over the place, but there's no doubt he's not your average Vision-wielder. Canonically, he has unlocked his Delusion powers, which puts him at a higher level than most mortals in the game lore.

He's also the 11th among the 11 Fatui Harbingers, all of whom command vast authority for Snezhnaya. Tartaglia, for that matter, has an army behind his back and dizzying amounts of wealth. Moreover, he's also one of the most difficult bosses to fight in the game, never mind his playable version (though that one's also a top DPS).

11 La Signora

La Signora is the de facto leader of the Fatui Harbingers and is thus also the strongest member of Snezhnaya's elite. Given their meddling in most of Teyvat, it's clear that they're more ferocious and efficient than the Knights of Favonius or even the leaders of Liyue.

There's also the fact that La Signora was able to steal Venti's Gnosis like taking candy from a baby. That's no easy feat and is a testament to an inkling of her prowess as a Vision user. Besides, being feared or respected among the Fatui Harbingers is proof enough.

10 Xiao

Being more than 2,000 years old, Xiao has had the luxury of time and appropriately used that to become one of the strongest Adepti in existence. Out of the five Adepti Rex Lapis appointed to become Yakshas or specialized demon slayers, Xiao is the only one who remains alive or sane.

That alone is proof of his power. There's also the fact that he managed to live for thousands of years despite having the most dangerous job in Liyue. He does seem to know only a few things despite his long life but one of them, which is fighting, is as natural as breathing to him.

9 Venessa

Venessa is Mondstadt royalty and at one point was the country's finest. She led the rebellion against the tyrant Decarabian and for her legendary feats, she was chosen as a candidate for godhood. Thus, Venessa is now presumably undergoing a trial in Celestia.

For a mortal to be chosen for such an ascension, they would have to be both powerful and decorated. Venessa managed to catch the attention of the gods of Celestia, enough to be invited over. That's the highest honor and most impressive achievement a mortal can attain in Teyvat.

8 Shenhe

Shenhe wouldn't have reached her full potential if it wasn't for Cloud Retainer standing in as her foster mother. As early as her childhood, Shenhe learned how to fight for survival after her father cursed her and caused her to become somewhat of a monster.

In some of the most recent events of Genshin Impact, Shenhe has proven that she can defeat a being almost as powerful as Osial such as his wife, Beisht. It also appears that Shenhe has more up her sleeve since she can continue fighting after unleashing an attack that maimed Beisht.

7 Yae Miko

Both Zhongli and Venti had pet dragons that sadly became boss monsters (which is why they're not here). Meanwhile, there's Raiden Shogun or Ei who doesn't get along with giant lizards and prefers shape-shifter foxes instead, namely Yae Miko. She's been with Ei ever since before Inazuma became an independent state.

The thing is, Yae seems too reserved at using her skills and her power, even when saving the Traveler as she had to trade Ei's Gnosis to Scaramouche in order to save the Traveler. However, her age and her ability to break into the Raiden Shogun's Eternity plane signifies what she's capable of if she's willing to take action.

6 Arlecchino

While there might not be a lot of information about Arlecchino in the current state of Genshin Impact, the little information there is makes it clear that she's not one to be messed with. It's already been revealed that she had the power to slay the Hydro Archon herself but chose to spare her.

We also witness some shrewd diplomacy from her when Childe goes missing, and it's obvious that she'll use anything she can find to her advantage. However, the way she treated Lyney and his siblings also show that she has a good heart.

5 Raiden Shogun

It was revealed in the story that the current Raiden Shogun right now isn't the original but rather, her shadow twin, Ei. Still, Ei possesses roughly the same level of power — except she's timid and less sociable compared to her sister.

Regardless, Ei is an Archon, and like her sister before her, she's very much capable of competing with other archon figures or the mightiest beings in Teyvat. She can change the landscape of Inazuma with a swing of her sword, as she did against Orobashi.

4 Traveler

It's fair to assume that the Traveler (Aether/Lumine) would have been at the top of the list if the mysterious god of the story didn't mess with them. The twins were essentially gods of their own realm before they got sent to Teyvat and neutered.

That isn't to say the Traveler is incapable. Despite the poor gameplay tier list ranking for them, they're actually highly capable. No other character in Teyvat can control whatever element they resonate with or is known to resist alterations to Irminsul. Sure they only have five elements for now, but that might change in the future.

3 Zhongli

After seeing Venti get beaten up and his Gnosis being snatched by the harbingers, it was a nice breath of fresh air to see the second Archon willingly handing it over and not getting bullied out of it. Zhongli even faked his own death so that he could get rid of the Archon's responsibilities and is likely the oldest Archon in the game.

He's faced various losses throughout his journey and has defeated many gods, two of which are revealed in his Story Quests. He even saved Xiao from death while the gang was journeying through The Chasm.