In the ever-churning, glittering casino that is Genshin Impact's gacha system, some characters seem to have booked a one-way ticket to a very exclusive, very quiet resort. As of 2025, with the roster swelling larger than a Sumeru scholar's library, the competition for a spot on the coveted limited character banner is fiercer than a Treasure Hoarder spotting an unattended Mora chest. A dedicated player has done the community a service by charting out which five-star luminaries have been gathering the most dust, turning their absence into a strange kind of prestige. These aren't just characters waiting for a rerun; they've become the game's most elusive cryptids, their banners as rare as a peaceful day in the Chasm.
The Reigning Champion of Absence: Shenhe 🥇
Perched at the icy peak of this lonely mountain is Shenhe, the Cryo adeptus who has perfected the art of vanishing. With a staggering 13 consecutive updates without a banner appearance, her last sighting was over 500 days ago. To put that in perspective, some players have completed entire regional archon quests, raised multiple characters to level 90, and forgotten what her splash art looks like in that time. Her initial rerun took over 440 days after her debut, setting a precedent for her ghostly schedule. Yet, her value hasn't frozen over. Shenhe remains the premier Cryo support, a specialist whose kit demands a team full of fellow frost-wielders, making her as niche but powerful as a master craftsman's single-purpose tool. Her absence is a paradox: a character crucial for maximizing certain team compositions, yet as readily available as a genuine smile from the Tsaritsa.
The Frosty Runner-Up: Ganyu 🥈
Hot on Shenhe's chilly heels is another queen of the cold, Ganyu. The half-qilin secretary of the Yuehai Pavilion has skipped a significant number of banners, making her a veteran of the waiting game. This is particularly ironic given her historic reputation. Upon her release in version 1.2, Ganyu wasn't just strong; she reshaped the meta, her charged shots hitting with the force of a ballistic trebuchet. Even now, years later, she's considered an S-tier DPS. Her sustained absence feels like hiding a legendary cannon in the basement—everyone knows it's there and it still works wonders, but you have to wait for a very specific parade to see it fired.
| Character | Element | Consecutive Updates Skipped (As of 2025) | Last Known Banner Era |
|---|---|---|---|
| Shenhe | Cryo | 13 | Pre-Sumeru |
| Ganyu | Cryo | 12 | Mid-Sumeru |
| Kokomi | Hydro | 10 | Early Fontaine |
| Zhongli | Geo | 9 | Mid-Fontaine |
| Tartaglia (Childe) | Hydro | 9 | Mid-Fontaine |
The Surprise Comeback Story: Sangonomiya Kokomi 🐟
In third place, having skipped 10 updates, is the Divine Priestess of Watatsumi Island, Sangonomiya Kokomi. Her story is one of the greatest redemptions in Teyvat's history. At launch, many players dismissed her, criticizing her kit and negative crit rate as underwhelming for a five-star—like receiving a grand, ornate box only to find it filled with slightly damp seaweed. Oh, how the tides have turned! The introduction of the Dendro element and the Bloom reaction catapulted Kokomi to stardom. Her perfect, constant Hydro application and immense healing made her the cornerstone of devastating Bloom and Hyperbloom teams. Her absence now is deeply felt; she went from a skipped banner to a must-pull, and now to a "will-she-ever-rerun-again" meme.
The Archon & His Harbinger: Zhongli and Childe ⏳
Sharing the fourth spot with 9 skipped banners are two legends from Liyue's early days: the Geo Archon Zhongli and the Fatui Harbinger Tartaglia (Childe). These two are forever linked, symbolically released together long ago. Their joint absence adds a layer of poetic symmetry. Zhongli, the defender of all that is solid and permanent, has become temporally elusive. Childe, ever craving a good fight, is nowhere to be found on the battlefield of the warp. Rumors swirled that Zhongli would grace the version 5.0 banners, but official announcements placed the Raiden Shogun instead, extending the Geo archon's vacation. Their situation is like two classic novels that everyone recommends but have been out of print for years.
Why Does This Happen? The Banner Lottery Explained
HoYoverse's banner system is a delicate, often mysterious dance. Each update typically features:
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1 New Limited 5-Star Character
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1 Rerun Limited 5-Star Character (sometimes 2 during special patches)
With nearly 50+ five-star characters (and counting) in the game as of 2025, simple math shows the problem. Not everyone can get a turn regularly. HoYoverse's scheduling seems to follow an inscrutable logic that considers:
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Relevance to the current version's story (e.g., a Fontaine character during the Fontaine arc).
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Synergy with new characters or mechanics (like a support for a new DPS).
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🥚 Special Event or Holiday themes (Lantern Rite often features Liyue characters).
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Pure, unfathomable mystery (This factor cannot be overstated).
The result is that some characters, especially older ones who don't fit the current narrative or elemental meta, can fall into a black hole of scheduling, becoming more myth than menu option.
The Player's Plight & Silver Linings 💎
For players, this creates a unique form of agony and anticipation:
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Newer players may hear tales of a character's power but have no way to acquire them, making guides feel like historical documents.
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Veterans missing one constellation for a key character are left in perpetual suspense.
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It turns the "Should I pull?" calculation into a long-term investment strategy. Skipping a current banner might mean waiting over a year for the desired character to return.
Yet, there's a strange silver lining. This scarcity:
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Creates legendary status for these characters. Their eventual rerun becomes a major event.
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Encourages players to deeply invest in and appreciate the characters they do have.
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Generates immense hype and saving periods, leading to massive pull sessions when the banner finally drops—a feast after a long famine.
In the end, the chart of missed banners is more than a list; it's a testament to Genshin Impact's expanding world and the bittersweet reality of a live-service game. These characters aren't gone. They're just... practicing their isolation in the serene peaks of Qingyun, or conducting secret diplomacy in the depths of Enkanomiya, waiting for the moment the Traveler's Primogems are perfectly ripe for the picking. Their return will be glorious, unpredictable, and entirely on HoYoverse's own inscrutable schedule—a schedule as mysterious and layered as the Irminsul itself.