Wanderer/Storyline

The Wanderer, also known as Hat Guy, is a student in the Vahumana Darshan of Sumeru Akademiya and Nahida's covert assistant. Before the events of Chapter III, however, he was the Sixth of the Eleven Fatui Harbingers, known as "The Balladeer" Scaramouche.

Profile

Wanderer is a puppet created by Raiden Ei using the wood of a silver-white tree, as a proof of concept for her plan to preserve Inazuma's "Eternity," which eventually culminated in The Shogun. Unwilling to dispose of him, Ei sealed his powers and left him dormant in the vicinity of Tatarasuna, which he later came to see as the first of his "three betrayals." Some time later, he was accidentally discovered and awoken by the workers at the Mikage Furnace. He was taken in and given the nickname "kabukimono," living an ordinary life until the arrival of a disguised Dottore, sent on a mission to sabotage the Furnace and lay the foundations for future disruptions in Inazuma. Dottore murdered Niwa Hisahide — the worker closest to the kabukimono — and scapegoated him for the tragedies at Tatarasuna. Shocked by Niwa's perceived betrayal, the kabukimono left Tatarasuna to become a wanderer. He came across a young orphan whose parents died to the illness caused by Dottore's sabotaged furnace, and came to see him as a brother. Despite their promises to stay together, the orphan succumbed to illness, which he saw as the "third betrayal."

Disillusioned with humanity and the gods, the nameless puppet wandered Teyvat until he was personally recruited by Pierro into the Fatui, where he eventually became the Sixth Harbinger, Scaramouche. Seeking vengeance on Ei and the Niwa Clan for their "betrayals," Scaramouche sabotaged the Raiden Gokaden around 100 years ago, leading to a period of internal tumult within the Yashiro Commission.

Scaramouche makes his first in-game appearance in the limited-time event Unreconciled Stars, where he is dispatched to Liyue in order to discover the truth behind the "false sky." His next appearance — and chronologically the first for those who did not encounter him in Unreconciled Stars — is in Chapter II, where he manages the Delusion Factory in Inazuma to stoke the flames of civil war. He abandons that mission and vanishes after successfully acquiring the Electro Gnosis, leaving fellow Harbinger Signora to carry out a fruitless mission which culminates in her demise. By the time he reappears in Chapter III, he is in the process of becoming Shouki no Kami, an artificial god in Sumeru, with the assistance of Dottore and some of the Sumeru Akademiya Sages. Following his defeat by the Traveler and Nahida, and after learning the truth of the Tatarasuna Mystery, he erases the memory of his existence from Irminsul.

He reappears in Sumeru as a nameless wanderer, reverting to his original personality before undergoing the "three betrayals" but feeling a persistent lack of purpose. The Traveler finds him and reveals that they know his origins as a puppet, bringing him to Nahida so that she can show him his memories of his past life. After seeing both the good and the bad parts of his past life, he decides to reclaim those aspects of himself. He gives the Traveler the privilege of giving him a new name, although he usually is referred to by his popular nickname in Sumeru Akademiya, Hat Guy.

Since then, he has become a student in the Akademiya's Vahumana Darshan, specializing in political science,^[8] while also working as an informal assistant for Nahida behind the scenes. He heads to Nod-Krai in Song of the Welkin Moon, seeking to get his vengeance against Dottore for the events at Tatarasuna and all the misery the Harbinger put him through.

Personality

In his "original state" — before experiencing the "three betrayals," and after his memories were wiped by removing himself from Irminsul — Wanderer is a kind-hearted, polite, and innocent puppet, but yearns for a sense of purpose and fulfillment. The "three betrayals" led him to become consumed by hatred and resentment, making his personality take a misanthropic turn. After his defeat in Sumeru and abandonment by Dottore, he sets aside his former hostility towards Nahida and the Traveler and cooperates with Nahida's requests, knowing that unnecessary hostility would help none of them.

Discovering that two of the three betrayals were directly or indirectly caused by Dottore's machinations leads Scaramouche to attempt to erase himself from history, in the vain hope of changing the past and preventing the deaths that occurred both at Tatarasuna and during the Case of the Eccentric. While he fails — history is rewritten to occur the same way without him — after Wanderer reacquires his memories of his "past self," he loses much of his misanthropic attitude, realizing that his disillusionment with the world around him was manufactured by the whims of a single person. He nonetheless maintains a skeptical and pessimistic attitude, often criticizing those who attempt to help him or show him sympathy.

Despite having a prideful and harsh attitude, Wanderer has empathy for others, specially for those whom he sees parts of himself in. Recognizing that both of them have been abandoned or betrayed and that such experiences have deeply affected their outlooks, Wanderer displays an unusual softness towards Mini Durin, and later takes him out of Simulanka to experience the world of Teyvat. While Wanderer is not present for Mini Durin's transformation into Durin, the two are reunited in Nod-Krai. Durin also comments that Wanderer has come to see Tighnari, Cyno, and Sethos as friends, even if he complains about how noisy they can be.^[9]

Appearance

Wanderer was created as a medium-height male with a boyish and fair-faced appearance, with a red eyeliner, blue eyes, and short navy blue hair. He initially had joint lines that were exposed, but these were designed to fade so that he would appear fully human after enough time passed.^[10] By the present day, the joints on his elbows, fingers, and knees appear like those of a normal human. He can bleed and feel pain, and is capable of feeling temperature. He does not strictly need to eat, although he has expressed an interest in food and finds dinner tables fascinating.^[11] He also refers to his ears as “mechanical ears,” which require maintenance.^[12]

As Kabukimono, he wore a full jōe ensemble, with a red cord ornament tied at the chest and the golden feather given to him by Ei, accompanied by a small fur ball. He sometimes draped a purple veil over his head and shoulders, but is consistently shown barefoot.

His attire as a Fatui Harbinger is loosely based on traditional samurai attire. His outer jacket is presented in layers of red, white, and black, reminiscent of kimono layering, his pants are a short version of umanori hakama with a small bit of kusazuri plate armor over it. On his legs and feet, he wears gray kyahan and black zori. His distinguishing wide-brimmed, conical hat seems to be a cross between a jingasa (worn by samurai) and an ichimegasa (women's veiled hat worn to protect their identities), with a translucent veil printed with the character 惡 "evil" hanging from the back of the hat. The hat is additionally accessorized by a mask on top and two hanging bachi on either side. Mitsudomoe are also present throughout his attire — on his hat, on his metallic chest accessory, and on the bag he wears behind his back. While in Snezhnaya, Scaramouche wore a formal Harbinger coat over his regular attire, forgoing his hat for his coat's hood and replacing his sandals with winter boots.

Following his erasure from Irminsul, Wanderer's attire retains many of the features from his Harbinger look. His color palette is the most obvious difference, substituting the red and purple for teal and blue, while white has a bigger presence than before; the mitsudomoe is also no longer featured in his design. His jingasa now bears a lotus motif on top, the veil is no longer present, and the ends of the two hanging accessories attached to his hat resemble the metal rings of a shakujo staff. The plate armor is replaced by an obi identical to the one he wore as the Kabukimono, and the bag strapped to his back is replaced by a freefalling sash. After obtaining his Vision, Wanderer wears it over his left chest, with a golden plume attached to the end — a reminder of the gold ornament which Ei originally left him as proof of his identity.

As Kabukimono

Scaramouche's appearance as a Fatui Harbinger

Scaramouche wearing a formal Harbinger coat in The Song Burning in the Embers

History

Pre-Fatui Life

Raiden Ei sought to create a puppet body who could inherit her power and rule over Inazuma in her stead, as she desired to retreat into her own mind and meditate on the true meaning of "eternity” while escaping erosion. Ei built the puppets from a branch of an Irminsul tree, using technology left behind by the Khaenri'ahn schools of mechanical engineering.^[13] Before creating a finalized puppet of her own godly form, she created prototype puppets, one of them being Scaramouche. This nameless puppet was meant to be a mere test as a proof of the concept, and unlike her final puppet, The Shogun, its appearance and intellect were not directly based on Ei.

After observing the puppet shed tears during his sleep, Ei thought it would be too cruel to interfere with his fate by ending his existence, deciding to “free him” instead. Rather than disposing of her prototype as Yae Miko had advised her to, Ei instead opted to seal away his divine power, placing him into stasis in a hidden mansion on Inazuma's Kannazuka called Shakkei Pavilion.

Later on, the puppet came to believe that she had deemed him a failure and for that, abandoned him. For a long time the puppet, whose sole possession was a golden feather given to him by the Electro Archon, was only capable of observing his surroundings as his perception of reality slowly slipped away from him. Eventually, he was discovered and freed by Inspector Mikoshi Nagamasa's yoriki Katsuragi, who had come across the hidden pavilion after a landslide. In order to hide the puppet's noble origins, Katsuragi claimed to have found him wandering by the shore instead. Nagamasa's group referred to him as the Kabukimono (wandering eccentric),^[14] as he had no name at the time. The Kabukimono grew close with Katsuragi and, after the forging of the Daitatara Nagamasa, performed a sword dance with him.^[15]

Dottore, who had infiltrated Tatarasuna to pave the groundwork for the Fatui's future endeavors in Inazuma, disguised himself as a man named Escher and revolutionized the forging process in the Mikage Furnace to help smith weapons by using Crystal Marrow. However, the people did not know that the marrow was the remains of Orobashi and that it contained malevolent energy, which began to kill the people over time. Kabukimono went to the Shogun to request an audience, while Niwa Hisahide was murdered by Dottore. However, Ei had already sealed herself away in the Plane of Euthymia by then, and he was only able to gain an audience with Yae Miko; while she promised to send help immediately, the kabukimono did not believe her. When he returned to Tatarasuna, he was told by Dottore that Niwa had fled and left the people to his fate. The Kabukimono proceeded to enter the heart of the furnace with a mysterious box that Dottore gave him and purged the furnace of its filth, which he survived in spite of the load being extreme. When Dottore told him to open the box, he found a withered human heart, which Dottore claimed was from a subordinate that Niwa had killed. The idea that Niwa gave him the heart he so desired through an act of immense cruelty horrified the Kabukimono, and overwhelmed with anger and sorrow, he threw the heart away and left Tatarasuna. He would come to regard Niwa's presumed actions as the second of his life's betrayals.^[16][17][18]

At some point after this, he befriended a young boy plagued with an illness, who was a child of Tatarasuna crafts-people.^{[19][Note 1]} The boy made a promise to live together with him as family,^[14] but later died, breaking his promise. The Kabukimono considered this his life's third and final betrayal, and he began wandering across Inazuma.

Fatui Recruitment

The puppet eventually was found by Pierro, who persuaded him to join the Fatui and take his place at the banquet against the divine. Intrigued by the Jester's words, he joined their ranks and had his innate power as an Archon's creation unlocked in exchange for becoming a subject of Dottore's research and experiments. The following century, he would lead an expedition to the Abyss per orders of the Tsaritsa. After a series of injuries, repairs and enhancements, the puppet would eventually finish his expedition and bring result back to Snezhnaya, gaining the position of The Balladeer, the Sixth of the Eleven Fatui Harbingers, in the process. Since then, his orders were changed to constantly be on standby, assisting the clandestine activities of the Fatui across the world, which includes helping Pierro with more expeditions to the Abyss.^{[16][20][21][22]} It is unclear whether this occurred before or during the Case of the Eccentric, which he masterminded and the Fatui assisted in.^[23]

At some point in time, the Futsu, Hyakume and Senju arts of Inazuma's famous five bladesmithing practices, the Raiden Gokaden, fell from grace as a result of Scaramouche's manipulations, done in an act of revenge against "the bladesmith." Scaramouche also took on the name "Kunikuzushi" during this time. Scaramouche then turned his attention towards the Isshin Art and sabotaged a diagram of a Goshintou blade, which caused all of the Isshin craftsmen to create defective blades and flee when the deadline approached, taking refuge with the Fatui and entering exile in Snezhnaya.^[23][24]

Kaedehara Yoshinori and the Yashiro head at the time proceeded to hunt the craftsmen, but were led to Scaramouche who confessed to the crime before dispatching the entire group with ease. However, he appeared to recognize Yoshinori and asked him if he knew of "Niwa," which he confirmed. Scaramouche then told him to let "her" know his name, Kunikuzushi, before leaving. The incident caused Yoshinori and the Yashiro head to never speak of the incident for fear of Scaramouche's retribution. Yoshinori also decided to no longer maintain the Isshin Art.

Over a decade ago,^{[Note 2]} he was present when Pierro appointed Peruere as the new Knave to replace Crucabena under the Tsaritsa's orders.^[25]

Present

Scaramouche first appears during the Unreconciled Stars Event Quest The Crisis Deepens, where he introduced himself as a "vagrant from Inazuma."^[26] While he appeared to be friendly at first, he learns of the Traveler's identity as the Honorary Knight and tries to strike them down, only to be stopped by Mona, who realized his intentions and helped the Traveler escape just in time.^[27]

It is later revealed that he traveled to Liyue to investigate mysterious meteorites and entered a dream where he realized that the stars and sky are a "lie" and that "The Jester" had intentionally sent him without forewarning what would happen. After leaving a promising threat against the Traveler, he took his leave to confront the senior Harbinger.^[28]

He later headed to Inazuma to oversee the creation of Delusions at a secret facility and confronted the Traveler, recognizing them from before.^[29] Rather than facing them head on, he incited them into succumbing to the old gods' wrath, but the plan was partially foiled when Yae Miko walked in. She then negotiated for the Traveler's safety by offering Ei's Gnosis, which he accepted and allowed them to leave safely.^[30]

After obtaining the Gnosis and Signora's death, Scaramouche cut off contact with the Fatui, causing them to believe he had gone rogue. Childe went to Inazuma to track him down to no avail.^[31] When the Harbingers convened at Signora's funeral, Il Capitano asked Il Dottore about him, in which Dottore anticipated that Scaramouche would make his move soon.^[32]

With Dottore's assistance, the sages of Sumeru Akademiya worked to ascend Scaramouche into a new God of Wisdom under the name of "Shouki no Kami, the Prodigal," comparable to Greater Lord Rukkhadevata. He also gained a follower in the form of Haypasia, who had managed to see his past during her connection to Irminsul. Showcasing his new power to the Traveler after learning Dottore was after her, he hurls lightning across Pardis Dhyai, striking Tighnari as collateral damage in the process. The Traveler eventually returned with Nahida and managed to defeat him after a prolonged fight, during which Nahida removed the Electro Gnosis powering his new form, much to his horror. Scaramouche became despondent when the Gnosis was removed and he crashed straight onto the floor, rendering himself unconscious. Nahida would take him into her custody afterwards, hiding him in a secret location.

Soon recovering and knowing that he had no allies to rely on as Dottore had left with the two Gnoses, Scaramouche made a deal with Nahida to search Irminsul on her behalf and also help the Traveler despite being on uneasy terms with them. During the investigation, Nahida left behind the true events of the Tatarasuna incident for him to discover. Scaramouche was disgusted to learn that his second "betrayal" was masterminded by Dottore and decides to give his friends a second chance by erasing himself from Irminsul as the Kabukimono and his Fatui codename. This would retroactively cause his former seat to be remembered as being unoccupied for hundreds of years, but otherwise leave unchanged the tragedies that happened, as they still occurred with seemingly different actors and causes, as the altered memories and records convey.

Scaramouche would instead be revised as a traveling wanderer, who somehow left Inazuma and arrived at Sumeru. Through sheer chance, the Traveler recognizes Scaramouche and manages to convince him by revealing his mechanical nature and brings him to Nahida, who reveals his past to him through a backdoor capsule. The Wanderer agrees to inherit Scaramouche's memories despite the pain and anguish it would bring. During the process, the Everlasting Lord of Wisdom emerged to attack, but he recovers and defends the Traveler, gaining an Anemo Vision in the process. Forsaking his previous identities and the Fatui, he took on a new name and promises to help the Traveler behind the scenes when needed while desiring revenge against Dottore. For his own safety, Nahida ensured that he remained within Sumeru's borders.

During the Interdarshan Championship, Nahida asked the Wanderer to observe Sachin's successor, and to intervene if something went wrong.^[33] To that end, she enrolled the Wanderer as a student into the Vahumana Darshan of Sumeru Akademiya so that he could participate in the competition as Vahumana's representative under the name "Hat Guy."^[8] After the competition, the Wanderer continued as a student within the Akademiya,^[34] specializing in political science,^[8] and eventually received acclaim for some of his works.^[35]

During the following summer, the Wanderer came into contact with a book that transported him to the world of Simulanka, along with the Traveler, Nilou, Navia, and Kirara. There, he became the prophesied Hero of Simulanka who saved that world from the fell dragon Durin by befriending him.^[36] Durin ultimately decided to leave Simulanka to explore Teyvat and accompanied the Wanderer. At some point in their travels, Durin went to Mondstadt, but asked the Wanderer if he could go. While he did not appear to show it, Durin sensed that the Wanderer gave his approval.^[37]

Some time afterwards, the Wanderer traveled to Nod-Krai with the intention of settling his vendetta against Dottore.^[38] Under the assumption of a Sumerean researcher investigating Dottore, he met with Varka and Lauma before going off to see his former colleagues, Arlecchino and Sandrone, at the Kuuvahki Experimental Design Bureau. There, he shared a similar dislike of Dottore with Sandrone, while Arlecchino asked how he was so familiar with the Fatui and Dottore; he did not answer the question, instead thanking them for their time.

The Wanderer would later meet up with Durin and Albedo, investigating Hyperborean ruins that had manifested in Nod-Krai. They were able to make progress after he told Durin to use his abyssal powers to influence the phantoms, though they did not discover any notable clues. Durin later asked him about his past, which he initially dodged by claiming he was studying for the Akademiya's exams, but later admitted the truth to him and Albedo. He later partook in the Moon-Prayer Night, much to his reluctance. Later on, after Dottore had disappeared after attacking Columbina, the Wanderer became upset that he had been tricked by him again. He returned to Hyperborea, discovering that Dottore had manipulated the phantoms with "variables" that distorted their perceptions compared to what Nicole had remembered, allowing Dottore to create a false moon. While the group discussed their next course of action, the Wanderer promised to help, using his experience to anticipate Dottore's moves.^[39]

With some time to spare, the Wanderer later returned to Sumeru, returning volume five of a heavily edited book to Katayoun, though she refused to accept the return nor loan the actual copy to him. There, he unexpectedly caught up to the Traveler and Durin, where he learned of Durin's situation to them. He revealed that after exploring Simulanka, he began writing a book about it, discovering that any attempt to write about the Durin of Simulanka quickly being revised into the original Durin. He believed that Irminsul refused to accept Durin as a separate entity and agreed to help discover the cause of the problem. Upon arriving in the story, he was surprised to find himself turned into a cat, learning that it was who Durin saw him as during his travels. He later accompanied them to Dragonspine to meet with Albedo, where they managed to resolve the troubles plaguing Durin. While Durin thought they should celebrate, the Wanderer decided to leave, stating that he had no need to accompany him any further until he needed his help again.^[40]

The Wanderer later returned to Nod-Krai to assist the Traveler and their friends in stopping Dottore. He helped Albedo investigate the energy fields, as Durin's abyssal energy could cause a problem with the fields, which were comprised of light energy. He was sickened to discover what Dottore was doing in the fields before he saved the Traveler from Dottore when Nefer pinpointed their location. Although Dottore did not recognize him due to erasing himself from Irminsul, the Wanderer believed that he would realize who he was sooner or later. When Sandrone was stuck on figuring out an equation to bring Columbina back, as she did not have enough power to compute, the Wanderer offered his core to her, since his was made from Irminsul. Sandrone was shocked, informing him that if she had failed to finish her work, his memory would be wiped or worse, a shutdown. Nonetheless, he accepted the risk, believing that he should've died long ago. The equation was finished and the core was placed back in him without any lasting problems.^[41]

He later met with the Traveler and Arlecchino, where he credited Sandrone for their victory. After Arlecchino took her leave, the Wanderer reminded the Traveler about their meeting with Columbina. They were nervous, but he knew that they needed their family and that their friends would support them regardless of their decision. While upset that he could not end Dottore himself and that he was still unsatisfied with his apparent death, he decided to return to Sumeru to assist Nahida with the chaos that Dottore had left in his wake.^[42]

As the Wanderer continued to monitor Dottore's chaos, Nahida was informed by Collei of a strange vision she saw, convinced to tell her when a voice in her head suggested she do so. Nahida delved into Irminsul to investigate, but failed to respond after twelve hours, so the Wanderer and the authorities were figuring out what to do. The authorities gave some theories onto what was happening, such as an attack on Irminsul, though he ruled it out after investigating himself. Shortly after briefing the Traveler, Nahida collapsed, so he accompanied the final caravan out of the city.^[43] He suspected Dottore was responsible, but believed that it wasn't the case since he was dead.^[44]

Cyno and Nefer later caught a Fatui spy in Caravan Ribat and interrogated him, learning that he was supposed to meet up with a contact. The Wanderer begrudgingly agreed to track the target. Paimon then suggested someone should go with him, and when he sarcastically stated that she should come with him, she agreed to. He warned her to remain quiet or he would have to stuff her in a bush for their own safety. They arrived at the meeting point, where Paimon expressed worry over her uselessness. Surprised that she felt as such, he explained to her that when such a roadblock came up, she had two choices — to give up or change and that the decision lied solely on herself. Paimon took his advice to heart, but they then realized that they had been deceived as the contacts never showed up, forcing them to return to The Mausoleum of King Deshret. A massive Irminsul tree burst from Lokapala Jungle shortly after they returned, and he realized who Dottore's other collaborator was. The Wanderer, along with Sethos and Cyno, salvaged some materials from a few Primal Constructs in the area to create Akasha Terminals.^[45]

The Wanderer later accompanied the Traveler to the Sanctuary of Surasthana while the people besieged Sumeru City, descending into Irminsul to flush Dottore out. Believing that Dottore did not have full control, he warned the Traveler to avoid touching corrupted Irminsul before they were led into a trap. Nicole led them out and they escaped Dottore's pursuers that he had sent to eliminate them. Taking a moment of respite in an open area, Dottore revealed himself and also knew of his true identity as Scaramouche, having discerned as much during their meeting in Nod-Krai. Dottore tried to provoke him, but after a short fight, he distracted him long enough so the Traveler could allow Nahida to enter Irminsul through The Orchard of Pairidaeza. Ultimately, the trio prevail against Dottore and end him for good.^[46] Satisfied to have ended the life of the person who caused him immense suffering, the Wanderer decided to continue his studies and showed a more positive outlook on things to come, much to the delight of both Nahida and the Traveler, who sensed his growth.^[47]

Trivia

• While wearing his default outfit, A Wrathful Void, when the Wanderer is in the Windfavored state from his Elemental Skill, certain patterns on his turtleneck bodysuit, shorts, and gloves, on the neck, shoulders, chest, hips, upper arms, hands, and even his eyes in his Elemental Burst glow in the Anemo-aqua color. A symbol similar to the Raiden Shogun's appears on the back of his neck on his shirt. If superimposed on each other, their symbols fit together to make a full mitsudomoe.
• The Wanderer confirms that he was originally constructed from the branches of a white tree using Khaenri’ahn mechanical engineering technology. When Albedo questions whether that tree was Irminsul, Wanderer clarifies that it was specifically a branch once connected to the main Irminsul tree.^[48]
• The top of the Wanderer’s core resembles the top of the Electro Gnosis.
• The Wanderer is one of four characters who does not have a visible breath when exposed to Sheer Cold in Dragonspine, owing to his nature as a puppet; the other characters with this distinction are the Raiden Shogun, Ineffa, and Flins. However, his Character Introduction shows that he is still capable of imitating human breath.
• The Wanderer is the first playable character to receive a Vision onscreen.
• Wanderer is described as a “transcendent being.”^[49] His creator placed him in slumber, yet, due to “an error that cannot be known,” he awakened on his own. A similar situation occurs in Event Story Quest Where Ancient Stars Align in Unreconciled Stars: Act IV, where Scaramouche easily awakens from a dream by his own strength, despite others struggling to wake from it.
• Wanderer is one of the few characters whose aware that the Traveler is from another world as they revealed this to him and the others at the end of Summertide Scales and Tales by saying they have "traversed many worlds" in their blessing to Durin,^[50] However, as a Fatui Harbinger, the Wanderer was already aware that both the Traveler and their sibling came from outside Teyvat prior to this revelation.^[51]
• Despite knowing very little about The Jester (Pierro) and never having a close association with him, Wanderer notes that Pierro seems to want something from him. Pierro had previously assigned him important tasks, including several trips to the Abyss.^[52] Interestingly, Pierro also personally told Scaramouche about his own history with the Traveler’s Sibling, including that Khaenri’ah was their first destination after arriving in Teyvat and that they came to this world because the heavens responded to a summoning. Pierro also told him that he was a royal mage of Khaenri’ah who lived with the sibling for a time. Scaramouche admits that he does not know why Pierro shared this information with him.^[53]
• Wanderer also has no affiliation listed in his character profile, like the Traveler, making them the only playable characters in the game without an officially listed faction.
• Wanderer is the only playable character alongside with the Traveler whose names can be customized.
  • Wanderer has a positive reaction only when the player gives him the same name as their Traveler.
• While playing the Archon Quest Delusion in Chapter II: Act III - Omnipresence Over Mortals, the dialogue changes depending on whether or not the player experienced the Version 1.1 event Unreconciled Stars. The Archive entry for the quest only lists the version where the player did not experience Unreconciled Stars.
  • Even though Paimon and the Traveler only ever hear him go by "The Balladeer," Paimon later refers to him as "Scaramouche," a name which is only given to the player during his introduction screen in Unreconciled Stars and in his dialogue boxes. This discrepancy is the result of the English localization using "The Balladeer" and "Scaramouche" interchangeably for a single Chinese term, 散兵 Sǎnbīng.
• The cinematic cutscene in the Archon Quest The Gaze From a Certain God in Chapter III: Act III - Dreams, Emptiness, Deception symbolically depicts Ei's abandonment of Scaramouche, with Scaramouche dropping from his puppet strings and landing in front of a Domain that seems to be Slumbering Court.
• The lowermost accessories hanging from the red threads attached to Scaramouche's stylized kasa resemble bachi plectrums, which are used to play traditional Japanese string instruments, such as the shamisen. This could allude to his title as the Balladeer, and could also allude to the various references to Kabuki theater in his design, name, and lore.
  • This could also be because in commedia dell'arte, Scaramouche is sometimes depicted playing a lute, and a shamisen is a three-stringed fretless traditional Japanese lute.
• Besides using it as a shelter from the sun and rain, Wanderer also uses his hat to hide his emotions.^[54]
• Wanderer’s fondness for tea stems from his first experience drinking it. He initially found only bitterness in tea, but after tasting many flavors, he came to prefer bitterness, describing it as “the true flavor of life” and associating it with accepting the truth as it is.^[11]

Aliases and Titles

• The Wanderer is also known by these aliases or titles (not including the player's own name for them):
  • Hat Guy (official Akademiya enrollment name)^[8]
  • Hero of Simulanka^[36]
    • Hero of Prophecy^{[55][Note 3]}
  • Hat-Man (by Sandrone)^[41]
  • Hat-wearing servant (by Fischl)^[56]
  • Driyosh^[57]
  • Mr. Guy and "Cat Guy" (by Albedo)^[58][59]
  • Wandering tom (by Paimon)^[60]
  • Scaramouche (former Fatui name)
  • The Balladeer (former Fatui codename)
  • The Sixth of the Eleven Fatui Harbingers (formerly)^[29]
  • Kabukimono (formerly)^[14]
  • Kunikuzushi (Japanese: 国崩) (formerly)^[61][16]
  • Everlasting Lord of Arcane Wisdom (formerly)^[62]
  • Shouki no Kami, the Prodigal (formerly)^[62]

Etymology

• Scaramouche (Scaramuccia in Italian) is derived from a stock character in commedia dell'arte, a type of Italian theatre.
  • Scaramouche ("Little Skirmisher") is usually an assortment of different villainous traits, but is primarily unscrupulous and unreliable with a penchant for intrigue, which lands him into difficult situations.
  • Unlike his fellow Harbingers, Scaramouche does not wear a mask on his face, but on the top of his hat. This could relate to the original commedia dell'arte actor Tiberio Fiorillo, the role for Scaramouche, who played without a mask.
  • Scaramouche's stylized kasa may be a reference to the character's costume; it consisted of a large loose hat that hung down over his neck.
  • The bachi plectrums hanging from his hat may also allude to the fact that the character is sometimes depicted playing a lute.
• The term scaramouche has become associated with a class of puppets with extendable necks, which may be attributed to the fact that Scaramouche was originally a prototype for the Raiden Shogun's puppet.
• Kunikuzushi (Japanese: 国崩), the name he currently uses for himself, literally means the "Country Destroyer" in Japanese. In Mandarin, the word 国崩 guóbēng unambiguously means the collapse of a country. This contrasts with the Japanese usage of Han characters wherein 国崩 has two equally possible interpretations: the collapse of a country (Japanese: 国崩れ kuni kuzure) and the destroyer of (or the act of destroying) a country (Japanese: 国崩し kuni kuzushi). Historical canons, traditional stock characters, and the English name of the in-game character follow the latter reading.
  • Kunikuzushi is a villainous stock character in kabuki, a traditional form of Japanese popular drama,^[63] which also exists in the Genshin universe as Inazuman traditional theater.^[16] Kunikuzushi typically appears in works whose theme is O-Ie Soudou (noble family disputes), where it plots to usurp a country. Kunikuzushi is considered to be one of the most heinous yet energetic and prominent stock characters in kabuki, and its importance usually demands the role to be played by the head or the star of a kabuki troupe.^[63]
• In the Version 3.3 trailer, Scaramouche says "From this day forth, 'Balladeer' and 'kabukimono' will cease to exist." The name "kabukimono" (Japanese: 傾奇者) is a Japanese reading of the term that was localized as "wandering eccentric" in the Rather Aged Notes, and refers to wandering samurai who wore unusual or exotic clothing and formed street gangs during times of peace.
• Various aspects of Scaramouche's character, particularly pertaining to his appearance during Unreconciled Stars, reference the lyrics of the song "Bohemian Rhapsody" by British rock band, Queen, which has a famous line that goes "Scaramouche, Scaramouche, will you do the fandango?"
  • The soundtrack that plays during Scaramouche's first appearance in the event is named "Ominous Fandango."
  • The lyrics mention "Beelzebub," an alternative form of Beelzebul, who is Scaramouche's creator. The song's speaker addresses his "mama" several times, which may be an interpretation of the type of relationship between Beelzebul and Scaramouche.
  • "Thunderbolt and lightning" are mentioned in the lyrics, which is symbolic of Inazuma, the Electro region, where Scaramouche originates from.
  • The lyrics "Is this the real life? Is this just fantasy?" show the song's speaker having doubts about the natural order of the world. The song also makes reference to Galileo Galilei, who was known for challenging beliefs about the astronomical model during his time. Towards the end of Unreconciled Stars, Scaramouche makes a discovery that prompts him to declare: "The stars, the sky... It's all a gigantic hoax. A lie."
  • The lyrics "Any way the wind blows" is the name of the Wanderer's Collected Miscellany video, in reference to his Anemo Vision.
  • The lyrics "I sometimes wish I'd never been born at all." is referenced in his attempt to retroactively prevent his own birth in the Archon Quest Interlude Chapter: Act III - Inversion of Genesis. In the Wanderer's character teaser, he specifically says the line "No, in fact... I wish I'd never been born at all" in despair after the death of his third friend due to his illness.

Removal From Irminsul

Scaramouche attempted to remove himself from Irminsul during the Archon Quest The Night-Bird Falls at the Curtain's Call in Interlude Chapter: Act III - Inversion of Genesis. He successfully removed all significant traces of his life up to that point, but he himself continued to exist afterward as the Wanderer.

Scaramouche's attempted removal of himself had the following consequences:

• Ei and Yae Miko's "About Kunikuzushi" voice-overs and Tartaglia's "About The Balladeer" voice-over are removed. Other Harbingers do not have any voice-overs for "About The Balladeer" at all.
  • Nahida's "About The Balladeer" voice-over is not removed, even temporarily.
• Mikhail and Lyudmila's dialogue regarding the recent events in Sumeru is slightly altered to discuss Signora instead of Scaramouche, and Mikhail mentions that the Sixth Harbinger's seat has been vacant for hundreds of years.
• Viktor's dialogue about Scaramouche in the World Quest Equivalent Exchange is changed to instead talk about Tartaglia.
• Viktor's mention of Scaramouche in the Mondstadt Commission Return to Days of Winter is removed.
• Tatarasuna's known history from 400 years ago, including the Tatarasuna Mystery, was changed to eliminate the kabukimono's presence. The extra tragedies related to him that Dottore brought about due to both his interest in the kabukimono (Scaramouche) and his mission from Pierro to sabotage Tatarasuna still occurred, but are now remembered to have happened through slightly different means. The Traveler personally verifies many of these changes during A Dance of Destruction and The Kabukimono's Finale immediately following Scaramouche's attempted removal of himself.
  • Text regarding a "wandering eccentric" from the Rather Aged Notes in Inazuma is removed.
  • In Aqaba's report, the suspicious figure changes from the "puppet" to a mechanic from Fontaine (Dottore as Escher).
  • Niwa Hisahide is now believed to have died with another swordsmith, both having jumped into the furnace to purge Tatarasuna of its filth and stabilize the furnace. In the original version, Niwa intended to sacrifice himself to stabilize the furnace using Dottore's device, only for Dottore to murder him and extract his heart from his body to power the device. Niwa's fate remained a mystery to the general populace, who believed he had fled with his family.
    • Interestingly, Aqaba and Sawada's documents still regard Niwa as having disappeared under mysterious circumstances in the revised history, even though Amenoma Tougo gives a clear story regarding Niwa's fate.
• Records and memories of the fall of most of the Raiden Gokaden, including the Case of the Eccentric, was heavily altered. The Traveler personally verifies many of these changes during A Dance of Destruction immediately following Scaramouche's attempted removal of himself.
  • The fall of the Futsu, Hyakume, and Senju and the near-fall of the Isshin are now attributed to an indiscriminate murder spree by the head of the Hyakume Clan, who was a descendant of the swordsmith who died with Niwa Hisahide in the revised history and inherited the swordsmith's son's resentment towards Inazuma. In the original history, the four schools suffered from various seemingly natural misfortunes orchestrated by Scaramouche.
  • Kaedehara Yoshinori's Letter, a quest item from Hues of the Violet Garden, is changed to describe the encounter with the vengeful Hyakume bladesmith instead of the encounter with Scaramouche.
  • While not confirmed, it is possible that the Case of the Eccentric is no longer referred to as such, as "eccentric" was used to describe Scaramouche but not the vengeful Hyakume bladesmith.
• While he could not eliminate himself from Teyvat and continued to exist as the Wanderer, he did lose his memories of his previous identities since those were successfully removed.
  • The Wanderer still knew himself to be a puppet even before his memories were restored. Further details on his and others' perceptions, such as Ei's perception, of the Wanderer's existence as a puppet are unknown.

The following Weapon and Artifact descriptions, which have not been affected by Irminsul modifications, retain their references to Scaramouche or events related to him:

• The artifact Surpassing Cup
• The artifacts in the set Husk of Opulent Dreams
• The weapon Kagura's Verity
• The weapon Kagotsurube Isshin

The following reference to Scaramouche was removed for all players in Version 3.3, regardless of their completion of The Night-Bird Falls at the Curtain's Call:

• Shakkei Pavilion's domain description

Notes

Other Languages

References