Genshin Impact Heizou Build and Lore
Name: Shikanoin Heizou (in Japanese style, last name first)
Vision: Anemo
Birthday: 24 July
Constellation: Cervus Minor
Titles: Analytical Harmony, Detective of the Tenryou Commission
Heizou may be a four-star unit, but he’s one of the best ones in terms of damage in Genshin Impact. Also, as an Anemo catalyst user, he can cause Swirl reactions with every attack. Whether you want to take advantage of that or his naturally high damage output, he’s a great unit to wish for.
Interestingly, he uses his Vision to augment his martial arts, making him a melee character despite wielding a catalyst. This also means he can mine ores, though other means are still more efficient. Heizou is the first unit in the game to have these kinds of mechanics.
Heartstopper Strike, his E skill, creates an Anemo-infused punch that’s even stronger than his regular attacks. You can hold the button for a few seconds for a more potent strike. With his second Ascension passive, a Swirl reaction grants him a single charge for the ability (up to four). That eliminates the need for charging. Each stage increases the damage and AoE of the skill.
Windmuster Kick, his Burst, launches a ball of Anemo that explodes when it hits an enemy. The explosion creates a slight suction AoE and has a Windmuster Iris effect. If the targets hit by the skill are affected by Hydro, Pyro, Cryo, or Electro, enemies explode a second time. The second boom deals corresponding elemental damage.
Take note that Windmuster Kick explodes with the first enemy hit, so it takes some positioning or grouping to affect the most targets. Charging up the Heartstopper Strike also leaves him vulnerable for a few seconds. Fortunately, he retains the charge level on interruption, so you don’t have to start from zero when he gets hit. His Elemental Ability also has a 10-second cooldown, which can be pretty long.
Table of Contents
Genshin Impact Heizou Builds
Anemo DPS
This build focuses on enhancing Heizou’s naturally high damage output. He doesn’t have to rely so much on reactions with this build, but those help with charging up Heartstopper Strike. Still, it also accounts for much of his damage output, which makes the VV set an excellent pick. With this build, Heizou becomes a superb damage dealer.
Possible Sets: Viridescent Venerer, Echoes of an Offering, a combination of VV and an ATK +18% set
Main Stats: ATK%, Anemo DMG Bonus, Crit Rate/DMG
Substats: Crit DMG/Rate, ATK, Elemental Mastery
Swirl DPS/Support
This leans toward Heizou’s supportiveness, mainly with the Elemental RES shred of Viridescent Venerer. The Noblesse Oblige set is also an option with the low energy cost for his Burst. Still, VV and RES shred wins over an ATK boost. There are better ways to get the latter anyway.
Possible Sets: Viridescent Venerer
Main Stats: 3x Elemental Mastery
Substats: Elemental Mastery, Crit Rate/DMG, ATK
Weapons
Heizou doesn’t have a signature weapon. However, here are the common catalysts players use for him:
- Lost Prayer to the Sacred Winds
- Skyward Atlas
- Kagura’s Verity
- The Widsith
- Mappa Mare
- Sacrificial Fragments
- Solar Pearl
Sacrificial Fragments solve his long cooldown time, but The Widsith is a better 4-star alternative due to having a Crit DMG substat. Still, it would depend on the build you’re using and the weapons you have on hand. Mappa Mare is the one you can forge, and it’s the easiest one to get.
Genshin Impact Heizhou Lore (Backstory)
He rarely talks about his childhood because it was not particularly happy. Still, he grew up as the most proficient detective the Tenryou Commission has ever seen. His fame has grown such that criminals everywhere know and fear his name. In contrast, nobody could name all the Yoriki the commission employs.
Heizou’s detective days didn’t actually start in the commission, however. He began in the Bantan Sango and Heizou Detective Agency, which later became the Bantan Sango Detective Agency we see in the game. If you ask Heizou why he split, all he’ll say is that they have irreconcilable views on what a detective must do.
This is explained in one branch of his hangouts. His conflict with Sango stemmed from a disagreement on the verdict for a solved case. Sango had always felt something more to the mystery and invited the Traveler and Heizou to revisit it.
Without spoiling it too much, you find the truth and, as the Traveler, decide what to do with it. Of course, you can choose to go back and pick the other ending afterward, but it poses a good question. Would you tell someone the truth even if it hurts them or keep them in blissful ignorance? Still, the case did a number on a peripheral victim, and that can’t be erased just by the truth. Thus, Heizou resolved to prevent crime before it happened.
At any rate, this case resulted in Heizou breaking off and joining the Tenryou Commission. You won’t find Heizou doing whatever a usual Doushin does, though. He doesn’t go on patrols or report to the station daily. Neither does he have the serious mien other Doushin have.
However, his achievements in solving cases (even the most difficult ones) give his behavior a free pass. His co-workers speak well of him, and his superiors seldom criticize his’ work.’
Despite having all the solved cases under his belt, he remains a Doushin. Even some of his co-workers have been promoted as a by-product of his impressive track record. When his cousin, Kano Nana, the Shrine Maiden, heard about this, she wanted to go to the commission to complain.
Heizou has no use for a higher position, though. As mentioned above, he’s more well known than most of the Doushin and Yoriki in the commission. That gives him more influence than a promotion would. That calmed his cousin down enough to stand down.
His influence is so significant that many Doushin want to be his assistant. Every great detective needs one, right? Sango has Ryuuji, and those in the novels also have companions. With that in mind, the new recruit Uesugi walked up to Heizou with a smile.
The conversation was short and ended with rejection from Heizou, plus laughter from the seniors who overheard it. As it turns out, the detective already has a partner, his intuition, and he doesn’t need a physical one.
As a detective, Heizou believes that violence is only used as a last resort. He’ll defeat criminals with the power of his wits and intelligence before resorting to his fists. He also thinks that fighting is a more inferior way to subdue suspects.
All that resulted in the Police Station’s surprise at Heizou joining the regular intra-station Martial Arts Competition. They thought he was a dainty or delicate young man, content to solve cases without facing the criminal. He had also brought nothing but his own fists, not even a sword to defend himself with. The rules had not allowed Vision-users to compete with their element as well.
They were blown away, nonetheless. Heizou won his way to the finals with nothing but his bare fists. Kujou Sara, who caught wind of the competition, came to watch the final match. She assessed it with Heizou’s win before it even started. Sure enough, his opponent conceded after taking several punches to the side while only being able to slash a lock of his hair in retaliation.
Before Heizou was named champion, Sara took up a bow and entered the ring. The detective, wanting only to test his skills, could still feel the rush of his previous battle and accepted the match. For this round, the rules were slightly altered.
The combatants start from the fifty-pace ring’s opposite sides, and the one who touches the other with their weapon wins. In a flash, all the audience saw was Sara letting an arrow fly and Heizou catching it with two fingers’ distance from his chest.
The General was amazed at his skills and said she only won because of the competition rules. Otherwise, she mused, the results would’ve been different.
Later, Kano Nana received a medal from her cousin and a letter asking her to send it to Heizou’s father. Heizou wanted to show that the martial arts lessons when he was young weren’t for naught.
