# Yae Miko
**Yae Miko** (八重神子) is a playable 5-star Electro Catalyst character in the action role-playing game *Genshin Impact*, released in Version 2.5 as the third Electro character from the Inazuma region[1](https://www.oneesports.gg/genshin-impact/mtashed-on-yae-miko-not-special/). In the game's story she is the Guuji (head priestess) of the Grand Narukami Shrine and the owner of the Yae Publishing House[2](https://www.hoyolab.com/article/30340880). In combat she is designed as an off-field sub-DPS, a unit that deals sustained Electro damage while another character fights on the field[3](https://keqingmains.com/q/yae-quickguide/). Her English voice actor is Ratana and her Japanese voice actor is Sakura Ayane[4](https://www.icy-veins.com/genshin-impact/yae-miko-guide-best-builds).
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Identity | 5-star Electro Catalyst character, released in Version 2.5 as the third Electro character from Inazuma[1](https://www.oneesports.gg/genshin-impact/mtashed-on-yae-miko-not-special/) |
| Role | Off-field Electro sub-DPS with consistent Electro application[3](https://keqingmains.com/q/yae-quickguide/) |
| Elemental Skill | Sesshou Sakura: up to three turrets on the field at once, each striking 5 times over 14 seconds[5](https://www.gamespot.com/articles/genshin-impact-yae-mikos-abilities-artifacts-and-team-comp-guide/1100-6500789/) |
| Elemental Burst | Great Secret Art: Tenko Kenshin, 90 energy cost and a 22-second cooldown, the highest burst cost and longest burst cooldown in the game[6](https://mobalytics.gg/genshin-impact/characters/yae-miko-build-guide) |
| Signature weapon | Kagura's Verity, a 5-star catalyst released specifically for her[5](https://www.gamespot.com/articles/genshin-impact-yae-mikos-abilities-artifacts-and-team-comp-guide/1100-6500789/) |
| Story roles | Guuji of the Grand Narukami Shrine; owner of the Yae Publishing House[2](https://www.hoyolab.com/article/30340880) |
| Later buffs | The Witch's Revelation update extended her Skill duration, stopped her Burst from consuming Skill totems, and made Stellar-Conduct teams her strongest archetype[3](https://keqingmains.com/q/yae-quickguide/) |
## Abilities
**Elemental Skill: Sesshou Sakura.** Casting her Elemental Skill summons a Sesshou Sakura turret, and up to three can exist on the field at once[6](https://mobalytics.gg/genshin-impact/characters/yae-miko-build-guide). Each turret strikes 5 times over 14 seconds, so a full set of three delivers 15 strikes over that window; strikes also generate elemental particles, about 5 per 14 seconds[5](https://www.gamespot.com/articles/genshin-impact-yae-mikos-abilities-artifacts-and-team-comp-guide/1100-6500789/). The skill has three charges, and the standard rotation is to place all three turrets, cast her Burst, then place three more to replace the consumed ones[7](https://www.gamepur.com/guides/how-to-play-yae-miko-in-genshin-impact-yae-miko-guide).
**Elemental Burst: Great Secret Art: Tenko Kenshin.** The Burst deals an initial hit of AoE Electro damage and converts each Sesshou Sakura on the field into a Tenko Thunderbolt for additional AoE hits, up to three extra strikes with a full set of turrets[4](https://www.icy-veins.com/genshin-impact/yae-miko-guide-best-builds). It carries the highest energy cost in the game at 90 energy and the longest burst cooldown at 22 seconds[6](https://mobalytics.gg/genshin-impact/characters/yae-miko-build-guide). Because she generates only a small amount of energy herself, guides recommend building Energy Recharge until her requirement is met, then prioritizing ATK%, Crit Rate, and Crit Damage[5](https://www.gamespot.com/articles/genshin-impact-yae-mikos-abilities-artifacts-and-team-comp-guide/1100-6500789/).
## Playstyles and teams
Yae Miko's defining trait is low field-time damage: her turrets keep firing while she is off the field, so she contributes damage without occupying the on-field slot[3](https://keqingmains.com/q/yae-quickguide/). The Keqing Mains theorycrafting group (KQM), a community theorycrafting organization for *Genshin Impact*, describes three primary playstyles depending on her field time: a Skill plus Burst style with fixed rotations, a driver style, and a Skill-only style in which she never casts her Burst[8](https://keqingmains.com/yae/).
Her most cited partner is the Raiden Shogun (Ei), whose energy restoration offsets Yae's 90-cost Burst; GameSpot called the pairing "a match made in heaven"[5](https://www.gamespot.com/articles/genshin-impact-yae-mikos-abilities-artifacts-and-team-comp-guide/1100-6500789/). After the Dendro element's introduction, Aggravate teams became a strong home for her, with Elemental Mastery becoming a desirable stat in that archetype[8](https://keqingmains.com/yae/).
## Reception and changes
At release, player opinion was divided. Critics pointed to the turrets' short 14-second duration, the field time needed to place all three, and the Burst's 90-energy cost as design problems, with one HoYoLAB post calling her kit clunky and her damage mediocre for the setup required[9](https://www.hoyolab.com/article/3460095). Others rated her highly as a sub-DPS with strong sustained and burst damage and good free-to-play weapon options[10](https://www.hoyolab.com/article/7275748).
**Developer adjustments.** Much later, the Witch's Revelation update gave her a new passive, Edict of Cleansing, extended her Skill duration, removed the Burst's consumption of her turrets, and reworked her constellations around a new Stellar-Conduct playstyle, which guides describe as her strongest archetype[3](https://keqingmains.com/q/yae-quickguide/). After these changes, Mobalytics places her as a core member of Stellar-Conduct teams while noting her value outside that archetype remains limited[6](https://mobalytics.gg/genshin-impact/characters/yae-miko-build-guide).
## Constellations and building
Her constellations are mostly damage increases. Her C1 restores 8 Energy each time her Burst activates a Tenko Thunderbolt, up to 24 Energy with three Thunderbolts; one reviewer called an eight-Energy refund on her 90-cost Burst nearly negligible, while noting that she is fully functional at C0 and advising players to skip the early constellations if not going for C6[11](https://www.hoyolab.com/article/13801957) • [15](https://www.icy-veins.com/genshin-impact/yae-miko-profile-talents-constellations). KQM's assessment differs in emphasis, describing C1 as a large reduction in her Energy Recharge requirements that makes her easier to build[8](https://keqingmains.com/yae/). Her signature weapon, Kagura's Verity, is her best-in-slot catalyst across playstyles, though strong 4-star options such as The Widsith mean it is not required[4](https://www.icy-veins.com/genshin-impact/yae-miko-guide-best-builds).
## Cultural background
Yae Miko draws on the kitsune, the fox spirit of [Japanese folklore](https://www.edgepedia.org/japanese-folklore); an academic study compared her depiction with kitsune tales from the medieval Japanese collection *Tales of Times Now Past*[12](https://publikasi.dinus.ac.id/jrllc/article/download/13751/5464/48017). Scholars have also read her as a representation of Shinto, the main religion of Japan, within the game's Inazuma region[13](https://journal.ugm.ac.id/jmki/article/download/91984/pdf_1). In a Chinese community popularity poll shared on Reddit, she ranked among the most popular female characters in the game[14](https://giorgieristudio.it/uploads/kcFinder/files/93904479-175a-490b-a227-f1782463d8e4.pdf).
## References
1. [Mtashed on Yae Miko: 'She doesn't do anything too special', ONE Esports](https://www.oneesports.gg/genshin-impact/mtashed-on-yae-miko-not-special/)
2. [Happy Birthday, Yae Miko! HoYoLAB](https://www.hoyolab.com/article/30340880)
3. [Yae Miko Quick Guide, KQM](https://keqingmains.com/q/yae-quickguide/)
4. [Yae Miko Guide and Best Builds, Icy Veins](https://www.icy-veins.com/genshin-impact/yae-miko-guide-best-builds)
5. [Genshin Impact – Yae Miko's Abilities, Artifacts, and Team Comp Guide, GameSpot](https://www.gamespot.com/articles/genshin-impact-yae-mikos-abilities-artifacts-and-team-comp-guide/1100-6500789/)
6. [Yae Miko Build Guide, Mobalytics](https://mobalytics.gg/genshin-impact/characters/yae-miko-build-guide)
7. [How to play Yae Miko in Genshin Impact, Gamepur](https://www.gamepur.com/guides/how-to-play-yae-miko-in-genshin-impact-yae-miko-guide)
8. [Yae Miko Guide: The Secret Spells of Lady Kitsune, KQM](https://keqingmains.com/yae/)
9. [Yae Miko is very clunky to play, HoYoLAB](https://www.hoyolab.com/article/3460095)
10. [Yae Miko: Astute Amusement, is she worth it? HoYoLAB](https://www.hoyolab.com/article/7275748)
11. [YAE MIKO: Brief Build guide & Post Dendro Review, HoYoLAB](https://www.hoyolab.com/article/13801957)
12. [Japanese Research on Linguistics, Literature, and Culture, J-RLLC](https://publikasi.dinus.ac.id/jrllc/article/download/13751/5464/48017)
13. [Race Representation and the Concept of Religiosity in Genshin Impact, UGM Journal](https://journal.ugm.ac.id/jmki/article/download/91984/pdf_1)
14. [Genshin Impact character popularity polls, Giorgieri Studio](https://giorgieristudio.it/uploads/kcFinder/files/93904479-175a-490b-a227-f1782463d8e4.pdf)
15. [Yae Miko Profile Talents Constellations, icy-veins.com](https://www.icy-veins.com/genshin-impact/yae-miko-profile-talents-constellations)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license