Who is Ayato? The long-rumored and recently announced head of the Yashiro Commission was mentioned quite early on in the Inazuma questline, especially as we met his sister, Ayaka, pretty much on arrival. Unlike his Cryo vision sibling, Ayato is all about Hydro, and this might turn them into a pretty deadly brother-sister Freeze combo.

Ayato is a sword-wielder just like Ayaka, and his abilities also rely on elemental weapon infusion as he uses a Hydro blade to slash at foes, similar to Childe. But what about Ayato himself? Well, as is pretty typical for Genshin characters, the head of the Kamisato family is a humble overachiever, having saved their clan from ruin despite his young age.

Just as Yae Miko was the headliner for the current version, Kamisato Ayato is set to become the new featured character alongside whatever reruns we get, though we’ll find out for sure when the special programme airs. In this Genshin Impact Ayato guide, we’ll go through his abilities, constellations, as well as a likely release date for anyone eager to snap him up.

When is the Genshin Impact Ayato banner release date?

Though not yet confirmed by the Genshin Impact 2.6 special programme, which airs on March 18, Ayato is expected to arrive as the headlining banner for the new version. This would mean his banner releasing on March 30, when 2.5 ends, though there is a possibility that he might arrive in the second half, which would mean he’d drop around April 20 instead.

What are Ayato’s abilities?

As with any unreleased characters, these abilities are likely to change or be tweaked before Ayato’s release, but this should give you a rough idea (Thanks Honey Hunter):

• Elemental Skill: Kyouka – Ayato enters his Takimeguri Kanka state, shifting position and leaving behind a watery illusion that will explode when opponents are nearby, or its duration ends, dealing AoE Hydro damage. In this state, Ayato will deal fast Shunsuiken attacks with Hydro infusion, gaining up to four stacks of the Namisen effect every time he hits. This will increase his damage based on his max HP. The Takimeguri Kanka state also buffs Ayato’s resistance to interruption, though he’ll be unable to use charged or plunging attacks during.
• Elemental Burst: Suiyuu – Ayato creates an AoE that constantly rains down Bloomwater Blades, dealing Hydro damage, and buffing normal attacks for characters within it.

On the whole, Ayato sounds like a more melee-focused version of Childe, with a similar Hydro-infusion state activated through his elemental skill, but also a burst AoE that can further strengthen his attacks.

What are Ayato’s constellations and passives?

Constellations and passive talents are pretty indicative of playstyle and the role that the character is usually expected to fill. Here are Ayato’s constellations:

• Kyouka Fushi: Shunsuiken attacks are buffed by 40 percent against opponents with half health or less.
• World Source: Ayato’s number of Namisen stacks is raised to five. When he has at least three, his max HP is increased by 50 percent.
• To Admire the Flowers: Increases the level of Kyouka by three. Max upgrade level is 15.
• Endless Flow: After using Suiyuu, all party members gain 15 percent increased normal attack speed for 15 seconds.
• Bansui Ichiro: Increases the level of Suiyuu by three. Max upgrade level is 15.
• Boundless Origin: After using his Kyouka skill, Ayato’s next Shunsuiken attack will deal two additional Shunsuiken strikes, each one inflicting 300 percent of his attack as damage. These are unaffected by Namisen stacks.

And here are Ayato’s passive talents:

• Kamisato Art: Daily Cooking – When Ayato cooks a dish perfectly, he has an 18 percent chance to cook a suspicious dish of the same type.
• Kamisato Art: Mine Wo Matoishi Kiyotaki – When Ayato uses Kyouka he now gains two Namisen stacks, and max Namisen stacks when his water illusion explodes.
• Kamisato Art: Michiyuku Hagetsu – If Ayato is not on the field and his energy is less than 40, he will regenerate two energy per second.

Though Ayato’s constellations are very good, his last two passive talents in particular seem extremely powerful. Mine Wo Matoishi Kiyotaki seems to basically give Ayato all the Namisen stacks he needs.

Who is the Kamisato Ayato voice actor?

We first got to hear Ayato at the end of the character trailer for Arataki Itto. He was voiced by Chris Hackney in that trailer, so it’s likely he’ll continue to be the English voice actor. The Japanese voice actor is Akira Ishida. As with Baizhu, there is a chance that another voice actor will replace Chris Hackney as the voice of Ayato, but we’ll just have to wait until the special programme to find out.

And that’s everything you need to know about Ayato. Good luck with wishing for him in the next version!