Honkai: Star Rail’s new 5-Star Jiaoqiu sparks player debate over his design

Honkai: Star Rail has introduced the second new 5-star character in 2.4, Jiaoqiu, and players are divided about the character’s design.

Honkai: Star Rail, developed by miHoYo and released globally in April 2023, has quickly captivated players with its turn-based combat and rich storytelling blend. As an installment in the Honkai series, the game follows the adventures of the “Trailblazer” across multiple worlds, resolving crises caused by the destructive Stellaron.

The latest addition to the game’s roster is Jiaoqiu, a Fire Nihility 5-Star character. Announced through an official drip marketing campaign, Jiaoqiu is a Foxian healer from the Xianzhou Yaoqing who specializes in alchemical prescriptions that combine cooking and medicine. His unique healing approach and intriguing backstory have stirred mixed reactions among players.

Extraterrestrial Satellite Communication | Jiaoqiu

"No matter how many times I say it, people always forget — cooking is medicine, and making medicine is cooking. Using food to treat the sick is my specialty. As the saying goes, a chef who doesn't want to be a healer isn't worth… pic.twitter.com/ez7f7Cny7X

— Honkai: Star Rail (@honkaistarrail) June 6, 2024

Jiaoqiu’s character is described as a cunning yet amicable counselor who once retreated from medicine due to heartbreak but returned to treat the infamous “Merlin’s Claw,” General Feixiao. His skills involve creating spicy, medicinal foods and using a “nine-squared grid” cauldron-based formula. Mark Whitten voices the character in the English version.

However, Jiaoqiu’s design has sparked division within the community. Reactions range from enthusiastic praise to outright disdain. One player tweeted, “I’m not going to lie to you… Jiaoqiu is quite fresh. I fricks with this design BIG TIME!” Another player stated, “NIHILITY HEALER, HELLO!?!?!? ACHERON BUFF IS INCOMING, AND HE IS PINK AND CUTE OMG.”

Conversely, some players were not impressed. A player bluntly stated, “Bro is hideous,” highlighting the polarizing nature of Jiaoqiu’s design. Another player expressed indifference towards his gameplay benefits because of his design, saying, “I DONT CARE IF HE BUFFS ACHERON THERES NO POSSIBLE UNIVERSE OUT THERE IN WHICH I PULL THIS CREATURE GO AHEAD AND CANCEL ME.”

In version 2.4 of Honkai: Star Rail, Jiaoqiu will join Yunli in the banner lineup. This marks a return to characters from Xianzhou, as the last Xianzhou character, Xueyi, was released in version 1.6.

As the game evolves, introducing characters like Jiaoqiu ensures there will always be something to discuss, whether praise or controversy.