Highlights
Honkai: Star Rail offers a variety of characters with unique abilities, and the five-star banner characters enhance the competitive experience.
Seele, the initial character featured in the five-star banner, remains the leading revenue generator, surpassing even highly anticipated characters such as Kafka. Imbibitor Lunae and Jingliu show potential as strong competitors to break Seele's revenue record, as players are increasingly interested in their unique narratives and abilities. Honkai: Star Rail plans to introduce more five-star characters in the coming future.
Gacha games like Honkai: Star Rail offer players a wide range of characters with unique abilities, adding to the excitement and competitiveness of the experience. One aspect that enhances the gameplay is the presence of five-star banner characters. Currently, Honkai: Star Rail has unveiled a total of 10 five-star characters, with seven of them now available to play in Version 1.3. Imbibitor Lunae was the first to be introduced in this phase.
Players who are heavily invested in Honkai: Star Rail can easily gauge which banner character has gained popularity within the community. In the previous version (1.2), Kafka was the most recent addition and quickly became a highly anticipated character. Many players believed she would generate significant revenue in a short period of time. However, based on revenue statistics, Kafka was unable to surpass the current frontrunner, Seele.
Seele Continues to Top Honkai: Star Rail's Banner Revenues
Seele, the first five-star banner character in Honkai: Star Rail, is a Quantum character who follows the Path of The Hunt. This allows her to inflict significant damage on a single enemy. Players will initially encounter her in the first world, Jarilo-VI, where she is a member of the Underworld peacekeeping faction known as Wildfire. Fans of the HoYoverse will also recognize her from Honkai Impact 3rd, which was confirmed to be an alternate universe of Honkai: Star Rail within the developer's multiverse.
At the conclusion of the initial half of Honkai: Star Rail Version 1.1 in May, HonkaiLab released a report stating that Seele generated more than $41.5 million in banner revenue. It is important to mention that these figures only account for the iOS App Store in China, and it is possible that the numbers could increase even further when considering other sources of revenue. Despite the passage of nearly four months and the introduction of five additional five-star banner characters, Seele still managed to maintain the top position. Even the highly popular Kafka introduced in Version 1.2 couldn't surpass her, as Kafka secured fourth place with over $16.6 million in revenue.
Many players in the gacha community often spend real money in the hopes of obtaining each five-star unit. When Honkai: Star Rail launched in late April, it is highly likely that both new and experienced HoYoverse players wanted to acquire the game's first five-star banner character. Furthermore, Seele's high-damage capabilities and compatibility with various team compositions made her a desirable unit. It is also possible that some players aimed to collect all six of Seele's Eidolons, which could be quite costly.
Who Could Beat Seele's Banner Record?
Seele's banner revenue might be difficult to surpass, especially with the potential re-run of Honkai: Star Rail in the near future. This could lead to more players trying to obtain Seele or complete her Eidolons, thereby contributing to the overall banner revenue.
However, there are two new contenders, Imbibitor Lunae and Jingliu, who have the potential to surpass Seele's record. Imbibitor Lunae is the featured five-star banner character for Version 1.3 and is known as Dan Heng's alter ego. Many fans are invested in Imbibitor Lunae's story, particularly his rivalry with Blade from Honkai: Star Rail. Players also had the chance to try him out in Version 1.2's main story, where they witnessed his impressive Imaginary abilities. It is possible for players to show the same level of enthusiasm and support for Imbibitor Lunae as they do for Seele.
Jingliu, a highly anticipated character set to be released in Version 1.4, has quickly gained popularity among fans since her appearance in Jing Yuan's cinematic. As a skilled sword master consumed by Mara, she captivated viewers as she effortlessly defeated her opponents with her powerful sword strikes. Jingliu's mysterious resurrection following her defeat by her pupil, Jing Yuan, has only further piqued interest in her character. Known for her exceptional damage-dealing abilities, Jingliu has the potential to become a sought-after banner character upon her release. In the coming months, Honkai: Star Rail will introduce numerous other five-star characters, with the likelihood of re-runs featuring past characters. With such promising additions, it is possible that one day the game could surpass Seele's record-breaking revenue. Currently, Honkai: Star Rail is accessible on PC and mobile devices, and plans are underway to develop versions for PS4 and PS5.