Like with most fandoms, Genshin Impact fans have started shipping many of the characters seen in the game. While Hoyoverse hasn’t come out and confirmed any romantic relationships between playable characters, that hasn’t stopped fans from imagining what their relationships would be like and actively pushing for more canon interactions between them. Which is why we wanted to come up with a list of the best ships in Genshin Impact!
As is tradition, shipping always leads to divisive opinions on the Internet. Making any relationship canon is dangerous territory, so don’t get your hopes up too much that your favorite Genshin Impact ships will ever be fully realized.
That being said, here are some of the most popular ships and pairings in the Genshin Impact community, including a couple of our favorites. These are not ranked in any particular order.
Alhaitham x Kaveh
If “oh my god they were roommates,” has a better representation than these two, we’d love to see them.
Alhaitham and Kaveh have been a popular ship since even before Kaveh was released in the game. Since Sumeru was released, these two have been bickering back and forth like an old married couple, which is somehow more endearing than anything else.
Plenty of fans have analyzed the tiniest details of these characters’ dialogue, idle animations, and aesthetics to explain how and why these two are the perfect romantic couple. Even their in-game thoughts (viewable if you have Nahida) are often centered around each other, supporting how close the two are.
Be warned that the canon miscommunication between these two can be kind of painful to watch though. Most of it comes from Kaveh’s hangout event though, so main quests and events have been much lighter on the secondhand embarrassment.
That being said, it’s clear that the two understand each other better than anyone else. It speaks volumes that not even the Traveler can comfort Kaveh when revealing the tragic origins of his father’s ill-fated journey in the “A Parade of Providence” event.
However, if you decided to let Alhaitham handle breaking the news instead, he manages to distract Kaveh from his grief with one of their usual philosophical discussions. Although Alhaitham is rather blunt and objective about the matter, his approach is the one that lets Kaveh process and find some peace with the matter – showcasing how well the two understand each other.
Cyno x Tighnari
Another Sumeru pairing, Cyno and Tighnari are a heartwarming mix of healthy cynicism and puns. So many puns.
Their relationship is a rather wholesome one with Tighnari acting as the cool headed healer who patches up the General Mahamatra whenever he gets injured on a dangerous assignment. These two are also closely linked to another playable character, Collei, who is basically their adopted daughter that they watch over together.
One of the best things about this ship is actually the support from the English VAs too. In fact, Cyno’s voice actor even wrote a parody of the “Peaches” song from the Super Mario movie. Adapted for Cyno and Tighnari of course. While the original video has been taken down, you can still find edits on YouTube and TikTok.
Beidou x Ningguang
Liyue’s premiere power couple has been one of the top ships from day one of the game’s release. Both Ningguang and Beidou are strong in their own right, but together? Nothing could stand in their way, not even an evil god of old.
While these two ladies are often apart due to their different responsibilities, the moments they do share together on the screen are more than enough to imply that there’s more to their relationship than meets the eye.
Simply gaining an audience with Ningguang is already a rarity, but Beidou just casually strolls into the Jade Chamber whenever she feels like it. The banter between the two is always light-hearted and ridden with flirtatious sub-text.
Players lucky enough to be around during the “Fleeting Colors in Flight” event from Version 2.4 were also treated to some of the best Beiguang moments released so far, ranging from Beidou admiring Ningguang’s new outfit to the infamous “I also compensate her in other ways…” line by Ningguang when referencing her “mutually beneficial agreement” with Beidou.
While it could certainly just be a business arrangement, we (and pretty much every player) doubts that. These two have been a fan favorite from the beginning and are definitely one of the best ships in Genshin Impact.
Aether x Furina
You can’t talk about the best ships in Genshin Impact without at least talking about the Traveler. Not surprising, given they’re the main character of the game. As such, some players treat the Traveler as a self-insert by extension and naturally want to end up with their favorite character.
As with most ships including the Traveler, technically you can swap in either twin. The subtle differences between the twins don’t typically extend to their dialog. It also doesn’t drastically influence the way other characters treat them in 99% of cases.
That being said, Aether is by far the more popular choice when it comes to shipping the Traveler with Furina. And for one simple reason – the ahoge (the little tuft of hair that sticks out) on both Aether and Furina make a heart when facing one another. Aside from that cute little detail, there are plenty of reasons to ship the Traveler and Furina.
While Furina usually presents herself as boisterous and puts up an air of bravado, it all falls apart when she’s alone with the Traveler. Her voice-over lines exhibit a high degree of intimacy when speaking to Aether. From her willingness to discuss her past and mentioning that she feels constantly happy around him, to referring to their future together as “OUR story,” it’s all filled with sweet moments.
However, considering what Aether did for Furina, this shouldn’t be surprising. The 500 years that Furina spent silently maintaining the masquerade on her own nearly broke her. At Furina’s darkest moment, just before she could break, Aether would gain the chance to serve as her sole witness—to see and share in the silent suffering that Furina went through.
It’s no wonder that at the end of it all, just after she was deposed as the Hydro Archon, Furina would consider Aether to be her only friend. The only person who understood and truly appreciated what she sacrificed as the Archon.
But with her role as a god over, Furina now has the freedom to explore the world and pursue her own happiness. With recent events and appearances suggesting that Furina will be a commonly re-occurring companion on our adventures going forward, the future of Aether X Furina is looking bright in Genshin Impact.
Yae Miko x Raiden Shogun
Yae Miko and Raiden Shogun are one of the “oldest” couples on our list. They’ve known each other for hundreds of years, and Yae has always been there when Ei is being particularly stubborn.
Their relationship dynamic is really fun to see, as there are very few who can tease the domineering Electro Archon. Especially as masterfully as her mischievous kitsune companion familiar.
As the Traveler gets to know Ei personally and learn about her backstory, it becomes pretty apparent that no one knows her better than Yae. Of those Ei knew before the calamity of 500 years ago, Yae is pretty much the only one left who knows what lies beyond the ever-stoic vestige of the Shogun.
Although Yae comes off as aloof and care-free, the fact that she has been constantly waiting and looking for an opportunity to pull Ei out of her 500-year isolation in the Plane of Euthymia speaks volumes of her dedication to Ei.
Even if Yae’s said solution involved basically aiding in a coup against Ei, sometimes tough love is the only answer. Given how quickly the two make amends after the Traveler defeats Ei within the Plane of Euthymia, it’s clear their bond is deep and that they’re likely the only two who can truly understand each other.
Eula x Amber
Eula is a rather unapproachable person within Mondstadt due to the repuation of her clan and icy demenour. Amber ignored all of that and insisted on reaching out to Eula, cementing her as one of the most important people in Eula’s life.
While the two contrast one another in both appearance and approach, they constantly help one another. Amber is able to help others see that Eula doesn’t always mean what she says and that there’s a softer side to the Reconnaissance Captain than what the people of Mondstadt are used to seeing.
Meanwhile, Eula is always looking out for the Outrider who is constantly helping others due to her seemingly endless kindness. From going on patrols with Amber and pulling her out of the way of an avalanche in the “Shadows Admist Snowstorms” event, Eula constantly has Amber’s back and won’t let any harm come to her.
The fact that the two are also almost always featured together whenever they appear in recent events has only reinforced the popularity of this ship. With the addition of Sumeru, fans have also taken to portraying Eula and Collei as constantly rivaling for Amber’s attention, which we find rather cute and entertaining.
Xingqiu x Chongyun
For two characters who would seemingly have nothing to do with each other, Xingqiu and Chongyun are pretty much attached at the hip. After their initial introductions, the two best friends are most often found side-by-side. They even travel together during Liyue-centered events most of the time.
Naturally, this makes them a very popular ship for the fandom. It doesn’t hurt that their dynamic is so much fun.
Xingqiu’s mischievous streak often only comes out around Chongyun. Since the prodigy exorcist is one of the few people Xingqiu feels truly comfortable around, the young Feiyun Commerce guild heir is often seen teasing and pulling tricks on his companion.
They’re lighthearted enough that no harm is done of course and when Chongyun wises up, it’s incredibly endearing to see Xingqiu promise to make it up to him. It doesn’t hurt that most of the time Xingqiu is just coming up with a tall-tale to spend more time with Chongyun.
Childe x Zhongli
Depending on how you look at this next couple, Childe and Zhongli can either be a very intense ship… or a completely comical one. The main aspects of their relationship that fans key in on is Childe’s blood-thirst/desire to fight and Zhongli’s perpetual lack of funds.
That and they’re both tall handsome man who were technically enemies. It really writes itself, doesn’t it? It doesn’t quite go as far as being a toxic relationship or one based purely on Mora, but it does still stand out among all the ships in Genshin Impact.
The two characters compliment each other and get along well, while also having similar hidden sides to them. Both Childe and Zhongli do their best to hide their darker sides from their loved ones while seeming more comfortable when keeping those loved ones at a distance. Which makes it interesting to see how the two might reconcile those different sides with one another.
Xiao x Aether
We chose Aether for this specific ship because he seems like a somewhat better fit with Xiao. Aether as the “default” main character seems more likely than his twin to trend toward self-sacrifice, which plays a huge part in the Traveler’s relationship with Xiao.
As an adeptus who has lost most of his loved ones, Xiao is only slowly able to open up to the Traveler by swooping in to save them during times of danger. The Traveler in turn, urges Xiao to avoid his own self-destructive tendencies. They do their best to help the Conqueror of Demons to cherish himself more.
The most recent Lantern Rite event even had Xiao request that the Traveler meet up after the festivities to help him light up and send off a Xiao Lantern together. Seeing Xiao open up and partake in traditions that he deemed pointless at one point shows just how much of an impact the Traveler has had on him.
It’s a very healing relationship and hands down one of the best ships in Genshin Impact that we hope to see more of in future updates.
Ayaka x Lumine
Like we mentioned before, ships with the Traveler can really include either Aether or Lumine. Something about Lumine just seems to make her a better fit for the Shirasagi Himegimi of Inazuma.
It has been heavily implied that Ayaka canonically has feelings for the Traveler, which makes sense. Her character is set up as a sort of “untouchable flower”. She isn’t able to have many friends because of her duties, and she does her best to maintain a responsible and elegant air to uphold her family name. Unsurprisingly, this makes it hard for others to approach her and vice versa.
Thoma is Ayaka’s only true friend before the Traveler and Paimon come onto the scene, but as someone who also works for her family, there is still somewhat of a barrier for Ayaka. But between her and the Traveler, that barrier doesn’t exist.
Lumine in particular seems to be able to draw out Ayaka’s true feelings and encourage her more gently to be true to herself rather than always living under the name “Kamisato”.
Childe x Lumine
Though this ship also involves the Traveler, the fandom largely prefers Lumine for it.
Childe x Lumine is an incredibly popular ship in Genshin Impact, but it is often depicted as pretty toxic. Not to say we don’t love a good Enemies to Lovers story, but their dynamic is rather… strenuous.
Childe very much so emanates a bad-boy vibe (helped drastically by being a Fatui Harbringer and his constant battle-lust) which contrasts nicely with Lumine’s overall pure and white design. Him calling her “girlie” on their first encounter while swooping in to to save her from the Millelith just really cinches it.
Though Lumine and Childe are still technically enemies (with Lumine typically acting as such), it’s rather easy to forget with how excited Childe is to see his “comrade”. Save for the incident involving the Geo Gnosis, Childe has been nothing but friendly to Lumine – even saving her from the Fontaine court system in the most recent story update.
Beyond that, both Lumine and Childe also share an incredibly strong dedication to their respective siblings. The entire point of Lumine’s journey is to reunite with Aether, while Childe would do anything for his brothers and sisters – as evidenced by putting on an entire charade as a toy-seller for Teucer and using his Foul Legacy form while injured to save Teucer from a horde of Ruin Guards.
If the two are willing to go so far for their family, it’s easy to see how protective the two would be towards one another if they were together. Plus, they would be a terrifying unstoppable battle couple.
With Childe’s involvement in the new Fontaine story quests, we can expect even more fuel for this ship soon!
Aether X Keqing
There’s a meme amongst the Genshin Impact community that Aether is a complete playboy and accidentally develops a harem wherever he goes. Couple this with the trend that there’s always one girl in each region pinning for the Traveler’s affection, and you can see where this is going.
For Liyue, the general consensus is that it’s Keqing, given how flustered she gets with her choice of words when speaking with Aether. While their initial interactions in the main story quests are rather professional, the moments they’ve shared since then have left fans gushing over this ship.
Highlights of this ship include going to watch the fireworks together during Lantern Rite (complete with Keqing’s embarassed “t-t-together”), Keqing calling Aether the person of her dreams (and not realizing the implications), and her birthday letter requesting the two of them spend time together in disguises.
It’s just really cute how Keqing unwittingly is constantly confessing to wanting to spend more time with Aether. She even hopes that he’ll still be standing by her side when her dreams finally come true.
If that’s not enough to convince you of the potential of this ship, there’s even an off-screen moment where Keqing personally came down to the Chasm to scold the supervisor there for letting Aether take on the risk of delving down alone, purely out of concern for his safety.
While this ship has been overshadowed in popularity by others in Genshin Impact, it’s still one of the strongest (and sweetest) ones for Aether in our opinion.
Vlad x Nadia
Don’t be too confused if these two names aren’t familiar to you. Unlike the other entries on this list so far, the two characters involved are just NPCs (and can be completely missed if you don’t notice them). That being said, the two are one of the most agreed upon ships in Genshin Impact.
Both Vlad and Nadia are Fatui members who work as guards for the Fatui-backed bank in Liyue. Although they work completely separate day and night shifts, the two struck up a friendship after Vlad accidentally mistook a letter written by Nadia to her brother as one meant for himself.
The two have been pen-pals ever since, regularly writing to one another and reading each other’s letters during their shifts. Thanks to their correspondence, the mutual longing for their home of Snezhnaya has been satiated a bit and their time in Liyue has become more bearable.
However, despite their long-standing written friendship, the two have not met in person… at least, not knowingly.
Vlad and Nadia have met each other in person during the first in-game Lantern Rite festival and struck up a conversation due to being natives from Snezhnaya. However, neither one realized the other one was their pen-pal. Despite that, the two felt a sense of familiarity with one another and quickly bonded.
Ever since then, the two have been seen attending each Lantern Rite festival together and can be interacted with to listen in on their conversations. With each major festive event in Liyue, we see the relationship between Vlad and Nadia progress a bit more.
At this point, it’s almost inevitable that the two will get together, and we’re all just waiting for it to happen. And when it does, all the shippers of Genshin Impact will rejoice in harmony, which in itself is a miracle given how toxic shipping can get.
Lumine x Jeht
Remember when we mentioned that 99% of dialogue involving the Traveler is largely the same regardless if you play as Aether or Lumine? Well this is the 1% exception, as there’s a bit of a noticeable difference if you selected Lumine as your twin of choice.
Jeht is a major character and ally in the “Golden Slumber” quest chain that takes places in the Great Red Sand region of Sumeru’s desert. We learn that Jeht is a member of the Tanit tribe, a group of rather insular nomadic Eremite warriors that demand absolute loyalty, and is looking to find the Eternal Oasis to set her parent’s keepsakes to rest there.
Unfortunately, Jeht has the rather grizzly task of serving as the purger of the tribe’s traitors at the request of the matriarch (Babel) to prove that she belongs in the tribe due to her half-outsider status. Despite this, the Traveler and Jeht quickly bond to the point that Jeht considers them her best friend.
That being said, if you’re playing as Lumine, it’s implied to be a bit more than just friendship that Jeht feels. Jeht’s dialogue throughout the quest chain will change to be a bit more flustered whenever her relationship with Lumine is brought up (especially in comparison to Aether).
If you still have doubts about Jeht’s preference for Lumine, the most blatant hint (without outright saying it) is when Jeht is teased by her friend Azariq about, “hanging out with the ladies more.”
If you’re playing as Aether, Jeht is a bit confrontational and asks if you have a problem with that. But if you’re playing as Lumine, Jeht becomes flustered and embarrassed, not wanting to be outed like that.
Although Jeht ultimately parted ways with us at the end of the “Golden Slumber” quest chain, we fully expect to see her again at some point in the future. Especially given how popular and well-received of a character she was by the playerbase. It also helps that miHoYo just released an official art piece of Jeht for this year’s Valentine’s Day, so they haven’t forgotten her!
Ayato x Thoma
Rounding out our list of the best ships in Genshin Impact is Ayato Kamisato and Thoma from Inazuma. While we haven’t gotten a whole lot of interaction between the two characters, they have a sort of nobleman/servant dynamic going on.
It’s clear that Thoma is the one primarily taking care of Ayato and genuinely respects him. He is one of the few people either of the Kamisato siblings can open up to and is always encouraging them to do their best. Something they severely lacked after losing their parents.
Even when the Kamisato clan was undergoing upheaval, Thoma chose to stay and support them, despite being considered an outsider who had no obligation to remain. That loyalty has secured Ayato’s trust in Thoma without compare.
Ayato meanwhile is able to act more his age and let go of his responsibilities around Thoma in a way he doesn’t feel comfortable doing around anyone else. Sometimes even his own sister. It’s clear that the two characters are incredibly close and truly care for each other, so it only makes sense to see them in a romantic light.
Plus, there’s the amusing trend of Ayato pawning off questionable dishes onto Thoma to finish in his stead. Fans have naturally run with this as prevalent gag between the two.
Ying’er x Timaeus
One last ship for the road, and one of the few canonical ones in Genshin Impact!
While both characters are non-playable, Ying’er and Timaeus have had some rather memorable roles throughout events and quests. Plus, we got to see the relationship between the two unfold in real-time throughout events!
Starting with the relatively minor “A Study in Potions” event, we escorted Timaeus to Liyue to help find an expert on an alchemical elixir he was working on. However, it’s quickly revealed that the elixir is actually nothing more than a perfume and that the expert is Ying’er.
Despite Timaeus’ original hopes being dashed, he quickly finds his spirits recovering after Ying’er offers to teach him what she knows about perfumes to find a new avenue for his research. The two’s collaboration proves to be fruitful and begins the spark of the two’s relationship – spurred on by Timaeus’ earnest praise of Ying’er’s techniques and Ying’er’s um… “sensual” manner of speaking.
We learn later on in the “Windblume’s Breath” event that the two have been sending letters to each other ever since then, slowly growing their relationship. It’s reached the point where Timaeus was planning on picking up Ying’er for the festival and confessing to her.
Of course, things get a bit complicated, delaying Timaeus from his journey. Luckily for him, Ying’er decided to make the trip herself. Between Timaeus’ awkward lovestruck bumbling and Ying’er’s teasing understanding, it’s hard to not smile at the conversation between the two.
We’re hoping to see more of this ship in future Genshin Impact events, especially since we personally witnessed its beginning and helped it grow. It’s nice to see two characters unambigiously in love with one another and become an official pairing.
That’s it for our list of the best ships in Genshin Impact! Did you see your favorite pairing? Let us know in the comments below, we’d love to know which ones you support!
If you’re interested in our other Genshin articles, be sure to check out our piece on whether or not Genshin Impact is pay to win here. You can also sign up for our newsletter to stay up to date with all things gaming and Genshin too!
Until next time, ad astra abyssosque and happy gaming!
Genshin Impact Navigation
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