Genshin Impact: Who Is Actually the Oldest Character?

Jessica Turner

Jul 3, 2026

Hello, Travelers! One of the most surprising things about Genshin Impact is how old some of these characters actually are. Most of them look young — really young — but a lot of them have been around for thousands of years. Venti looks like a carefree teenager, but he’s been alive since before Mondstadt was even a city. Ganyu looks like she’s in her twenties, but she’s been working for the Liyue Qixing for over 3,700 years. This list ranks the oldest playable characters by their lore age, based on what the game actually tells us. Want to pull for these ancient characters? Top up Genesis Crystals through LootBar for the best rates.

Zhongli — Over 6,000 Years Old

Zhongli is the oldest confirmed playable character in the game. He is Rex Lapis, the Geo Archon, and his age is directly confirmed by Ganyu’s character lore — he has been around for over 6,000 years.

Liyue Harbor: founded 3,700 years ago. Zhongli was already a god by then, no “establishing himself” required. The Archon War ended 2,000 years ago, he was there for that too. Today he looks like a thirty-something guy who really likes tea and good posture. Do the math. It does not work, and that is sort of the joke. The gap between his appearance and his actual age is the biggest of any character in the roster.

Neuvillette — At Least 1,000 Years Old (Likely Much More)

Neuvillette is the Chief Justice of Fontaine and the reborn Hydro Dragon Sovereign. In the Chinese version of the game, Furina states he is “at least 1,000 years old.” But his role as the Hydro Dragon Sovereign — a being that existed before the current era of Archons — suggests he is actually much older than that.

HoYoverse has not confirmed an exact number for Neuvillette’s age. The community generally places him in a similar tier to Zhongli based on lore context, but that is an inference rather than a confirmed figure. What is clear: he is not one of The Seven. He is something much older.

Xianyun (Cloud Retainer) — Over 3,700 Years Old

Xianyun has been around Liyue almost as long as Zhongli has, and the proof is right there in a flashback cutscene — she is the one raising a young Ganyu. That alone puts her well past 3,700 years old. Unlike some entries on this list, her age is not really up for debate.

Ganyu — Over 3,700 Years Old

Ganyu is half-human, half-Adeptus, and she has had the same job — secretary to the Liyue Qixing — for over 3,700 years. Historical flashbacks back this up. She was on the clock before Liyue looked anything like it does now.

3,700 years on the job and she still turns red over compliments. The anxiety apparently does not have an expiration date. The lore plays that contrast quite intentionally.

Xiao — Over 2,000 Years Old

Xiao is one of the five Yaksha, a group appointed by Zhongli to fight demonic forces after the Archon War. He has been absorbing karmic debt from demons for over two millennia. His character story goes into the psychological toll of that — centuries of isolation and the weight of all the resentment he has taken on.

The game does not give Xiao an exact age, but his role during and after the Archon War places him well past 2,000 years.

Raiden Shogun (Ei) — Over 2,000 Years Old

Ei, the current Electro Archon, has existed for over 2,000 years. She and her twin sister Makoto both fought in the Archon War. Makoto was the original Electro Archon but died 500 years ago during the Cataclysm. Ei took over as the ruling Archon at that point, which is why the Raiden Shogun’s visible reign is only 500 years — even though Ei herself is far older.

Venti — Over 2,600 Years Old

Before “Venti” was a name anyone used, he was just a wind spirit helping humans fight off Decarabian, a tyrant god, more than 2,600 years ago. A human he fought alongside died in that war. Venti took the man’s face as his own afterward and, eventually, became the Anemo Archon.

Acts like a carefree bard who just wants free drinks. Is, in fact, over 2,600 years old. The lore frames this less as immaturity and more as a deliberate choice — watching everything change over and over does something to a person, god or otherwise.

Yae Miko — Over 500 Years Old

As a kitsune, Yae Miko has an extended lifespan similar to the Adepti of Liyue. She appears in cutscenes from 500 years ago as Ei’s close friend during the Cataclysm period. Her actual age is at least 500 years, though the game does not confirm an exact number.

Nahida — Around 500 Years Old

Her predecessor, Greater Lord Rukkhadevata, died during the Cataclysm roughly 500 years ago. Nahida took over after that. She looks like a kid. She is not carrying a kid's worth of knowledge. Within the story, Nahida treats herself as relatively young — and compared to Zhongli or Venti, she is.

Furina — Around 500 Years Old

Furina is the human half of the former Hydro Archon Focalors. She was created around 500 years ago and spent that entire time fulfilling a duty she did not fully understand until the Fontaine chapter revealed it. Her story is one of the more emotionally heavy in the entire game.

Wanderer (Scaramouche) — Over 400 Years Old

Scaramouche was created by Raiden Ei as a puppet several centuries before the current story. HoYoverse has not given an exact creation date, but his existence clearly predates much of the current political landscape of Teyvat. His character story covers what those centuries actually felt like for him, and it is not a cheerful read.

Faruzan and Qiqi: Two Special Cases

Faruzan is not immortal, but she ended up trapped inside ancient ruins for about 100 years while solving a puzzle. The energy inside kept her body in stasis, so she walked out looking exactly the same as when she entered — but now over a century out of sync with the world around her.

Qiqi died young. The Adepti brought her back as a zombie, which means her body stopped aging at whatever point she died. She has been walking around like that for at least a century now. Most of her memories from before did not survive the process.

The Traveler: The One Nobody Can Answer

The Traveler traveled between worlds for an unknown amount of time before arriving in Teyvat, then was sealed and asleep for 500 years before the game begins. So at a minimum they are over 500 years old — but the dimensional travel before Teyvat adds an unknowable amount on top of that.

There are entire Reddit threads dedicated to whether the Traveler technically wins this whole list. Nobody actually knows the answer, including, it seems, the people writing the story.

Why Do They All Look So Young?

Divine beings in Genshin choose or are assigned physical forms that do not reflect their actual age. Venti took the form of a human friend who died during the rebellion. Nahida’s childlike form is tied to her role as a symbol of new growth. Zhongli’s appearance suggests stability and experience but not the 6,000 years behind it.

Knowing the real ages does change how you read these characters. Ganyu’s nervousness is funnier when you remember she has been professionally anxious for 3,700 years. Venti’s carefree attitude makes more sense when you realize he has watched everything he once cared about change completely, multiple times over.

Conclusion

Here is the quick summary: Zhongli leads at over 6,000 years. Neuvillette is likely in a similar range but HoYoverse has not confirmed it. Xianyun and Ganyu follow at 3,700+. Xiao and Raiden Shogun are past 2,000. Venti hits 2,600. Yae Miko, Nahida, Furina, and Wanderer cluster around 400 to 500. Faruzan and Qiqi are the human outliers who stopped aging under unusual circumstances. And the Traveler sits somewhere at the top of the list in a category the game has not defined yet.

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