the most hated character in genshin impact (let's talk about paimon)

[@dominickroberts4653]

I hate how paimon is such am anomaly to the world and NO ONE QUESTIONS IT

[@Nidhiflix]

Real!

[@DragonMoth27]

Only Albedo and Mona is curious about her

[@zente3003]

It's not like they are supposed to but choose not to. My personal theory is that something is making them not question her existence, some influence.

[@flyingorange2482]

I mean, a lot of different creatures exist in Teyvat and most people didn't travel to all nations, maybe they think she's a species of some sorts from other nation and they just decide to not question It. Just like Melusines for example.

[@ZenithintheMaking]

The Traveler is an anomaly themselves, so I bet everyone who sees them both are like "It's those guys! The unique ones"😂

[@freckles6424]

Tbh my favorite Paimon moment was when dehya said “shut it paimon” and I was like “finally someone said it!”

[@hehuho890]

then hoyoverse responded by nerfing her badly on release :P

[@azuarc]

Reeks of "Shut up, Wesley."

[@catdownthestreet]

I quote that constantly even though I love Paimon lol

[@nevion5533]

I think Ajaw is even more annoying than Paimon so far

[@edgarahcow7748]

Yeah, but he is supposed to be, Paimon is supposed to be liked as the mascot​@@nevion5533

[@JoshuaA1307]

Mondstadt is objectively the best region where Paimon actually did well… her voice was sweet but not hyper pitched, you could feel her emotions and she actually gave good insight on the region itself. Also she actually interacted with the traveler and had different reactions to different answers we players gave to her… for example the Anemo power up and Dvalin first encounter.

[@Nationalist166]

Actually i don't agree with that take, i don't like the high pitched version but EN Paimon in Mondstadt sounds way too robotic like, i feel like there barely emotions in her voice and she's just reading a script, while i do like the deeper tone it's not executed well at all.

[@JoshuaA1307]

@ well I guess… but to be honest she felt more real compared to the high pitched version. Specially when she seems excited about telling us about Mondstadt. And she seemed really sad when we find out the truth of Dvalin

[@Nationalist166]

@@JoshuaA1307 Eh even that, the problem is that a lot of the early EN voice acting were kind of..off or awkward i guess ? But it was probably more due to the dialogues themselves being so poor in movements, while nowadays it has a lot of problems it definitely improved a lot, especially how the camera works

[@JoshuaA1307]

@ oh it was definitely the dialogue… Sadly since Liyue released, Paimon suffered a character massacre. I have been pondering on making a rewrite of the story in the game. Example being: after act 2 of Mondstadt, Eula’s story quest would be the new act 3, which would give more in depth at Mondstadt corruption and the Fatui involvement regarding the situation right before the finale (which would make act 3 the new act 4) It’s also possible that we could spit act 1 into 2 parts and the same for act 2 The beginning would be the interlude, where it would begin in the beach and end just after the sky battle with Dvalin. Act 1 would be the traveler going to each temple and uncover the situation and destroy what’s giving Dvalin so much power. After that Kaeya’s story quest would be turned into the rest of the act 1, being a way to interact and learn more about the Knights operational system. Act 2 would be the same up until we Lyre is reclaimed. It’s then that Eula’s quest would start as the traveler would ask the Lawrence clan for help but get ignored. After the whole situation with Eula’s story quest act 3 would be the location of the dragon tears, which would’ve been harder to attain overall, for example: Jean points out that the traveler needs a gliding license and ask us to go to Amber. Amber story quest would have them find out Raptor’s temple and actually find a tear that Raptor had stolen a while ago. We talk with Amber and she tells us to ask Lisa for more info about the tears. We’d help Lisa reclaim the missing books and not only get the travel guide and the princess and the six pyigmeas but also another tear. After that is done, we’d had Diluc’s story quest where the reason for the attack is to prevent the usage of the Lyre against Dvalin. They fail and Diluc collect the tear from the temple and then fends off the wave in order to protect Mondstadt. Once the group rejoins, things would go the same and the act would end with the sibling cutscene. Act 4 would be the original act 3

[@Nationalist166]

@JoshuaA1307 Seems interesting.

[@pedrolemos8566]

Quest relevant npc: You see....that beast that attacked you.....was my brother. Paimon: The beast that attacked us was your brother!!! Npc: yes he was my brother. To be fair that is an issue I have with the game narrarive not specifically paimon....but boy the fact that 90% of the time she is the one doing it dosent help.

[@King_Jockey]

she exists to spoonfeed the story to anyone that doesn't have 2 functioning braincells or to story skippers that don't care about the lore at all it would have been fine if she was made that way in the starting regions but it should have stopped in inazuma entirely the writers were even joking about the fact that she is this way with some sumeru characters telling her to shut up during the main quest

[@justacat5069]

Shorten to He's your brother! NPC: Yes explains info about brother. That has been my experience so far of current Paimon. Some of her dialogues have improved.

[@OfficialRainsynth]

This reminds me of a certain chapter in Portal 2. It's literally called "The part where he kills you" followed by an achievement with the same name and THEN Wheatley saying "This is the part where I kill you!" And then GLaDOS adding "Oh no! This is the part where he kills us!" And on top of that, the song, which plays in the chapter is called, guess what... Yes, it's "The part where he kills you." It's just... Hilarious...

[@danielbarnes1241]

​​​@@OfficialRainsynth That part of Portal gets a pass because it was making fun of shitty movie writing before every action movie started doing it unironically *Cough* Marvel *cough*

[@YolandaHalfAlmonde]

Wow this fandom is so cringe and dumb I cant even. The character is just a device for storytelling and to explain stuff to child players and y'all are to simple to understand that so you hate a child looking character. I know, y'all are used to anime pandering to edgy teenagers so its weird to have paimon when you dont realise this game is pandering to children too. But hearing your "opinions" just proves you are a bunch of tiktok brainrot illiterate creepy edgelord wannabe stalkers of child looking anime girls that dont understand that gacha games will obviously not have a perfect story structure, it will have to adapt itself to the game's structure (releases of characters/regions, time constraints). Too much for your teeny weeny brains 😢 And I dont even play this game anymore its just funny that in a game that constantly dresses MINORS like slots y'all have a problem with a high pitched baby. You've literally been normalised ot pedophilia and have a problem with an "annoying high pitched woman that keeps talking" YIKES 😬😬😬😬😬😬😬😬😬😬😬😬 SO Y'ALL ARE CREEPS

[@stormydiariez3449]

Something I realized after playing star rail was that I didn’t hate Paimon because she’s our companion, I hate her because she’s our ONLY companion. In star rail you start off with 2 main companions, Dan Heng and March along with Welt and Himeko. Throughout Genshin you are only left with Paimon and the lack of other companions really shows. The traveler rarely talks meaning that most of the time Paimon is talking AT you rather than talking TO you. In story it make the player wonder why the traveler and Paimon are even “friends” when they don’t feel that way.

[@thelaw_00]

Traveler and Paimon just don't have any dynamics compared to Trailblazer and the rest of the Nameless

[@KatsuImagitian]

@@stormydiariez3449 This is exactly my thought process as to why TB gets a pass from most when their writing is really not all that different from how Hoyo writes Traveler. Having the ensemble that is the Express Crew helps tremendously in more character banter and personalities to bounce off of so it's not so blatantly obvious how "silent" or Silent Protagonist is.

[@ixirion]

She is like a small Karen. also she treats us like we are fools. most of her lines are - lets go to tf marker that is 50 m away - lets pull that lever that is the only one that we can pull, - char X is here while we see that she approaches us on the screen - the voice doesnt fit the baby in pampers look in EN. If you listen in Chineese her voice is angelic and calm also she has no motivations or goals - she cant guide us cos we go to places she never were and meet ppl she dont know, we dont pay her, she is mostly useless in the story etc

[@Moon1tan]

One thing that I also like about TB is during quests where the focus isn't on them we do get to hear them For example when you get to run around as Firefly in Farewell Penacony quest and every time she finds TB they're doing something silly and we get to hear them talk Another more recent example is the Luka event as TB is their coach So they do get to talk more often compared to the traveler who we can only hope to hear in some cutscenes or the Dain quests once a year

[@cen3684]

You absolutely can make a voiceless protag x comic relief sidekick work, literally portal 2 did that, wheatley is literally paimon if it were handled by GOOD WRITERS both are guides, both are dumbasses, except Wheatley actually EVOLVES THROUGHOUT THE GAME, mind you portal on avg takes 20h to finish, and Wheatley had more development and actual character progression in that time than paimon in 3 YEARS

[@KireiRyuusei]

I was never a Paimon fan, mainly because she constantly put us in terrible situations by running her mouth. And like you mentioned, bloated the dialogue when for the most part simplification was never needed. But what sealed my disdain was her attitude in Sumeru. Why is Paimon who eats anything and everything INCLUDING SLIMES, all of sudden turning her nose up at Sumeru's cuisine? Or why is calling their customs and traditions weird??? And she only continued with saying such thoughtless things when characters and even NPCs are upset??? And I don't know why hoyo decided to put the traveler's and Paimon's banter only in the menu? Why couldn't their conversations just be random topics of conversation that come up while you're exploring? Like I'd at least take a little longer to put music in the background of playing genshin if like while I was climbing I got to listen in on Traveler and Paimon, I don't know, debate about what the best cuisine they'd had so far or why I decided to go rock climbing instead of using the path? Something! That'd build up my rapport with Paimon way better than just being sat in quests and told I HAVE to like her.

[@KittyNatiquinha]

She did what to Sumeru?? When did that happen?

[@cqwiii]

I prefer Paimon's voice from early monstadt, but they told the VA to change it up Also a very minor point, Paimon isnt actually our guide. Thats something she decided that she would be on the fly as an excuse to keep travelling with us- and Traveller had no reason to object and it was obvious this smol child just didnt want to be left alone. Plus she did teach us the language, so we had good reason to assume she might be useful going forward Hoyo just handled it all so poorly though..

[@eeveeofalltrades4780]

She does seem to be a guide in some way. At least the Paimon Menu and everything in it has to do with her.

[@Boricosa]

If I recall correctly, the VA said that doing the original voice put a strain on their health because their voice is naturally high pitched

[@triii8939]

She teaching traveler language and traveler still rarely speak so she a bad teacher😂

[@OmniMon94]

​@@Boricosa then it's understandable why her voice had to be pitched up For the sake of comfortability and sustainability Or something like that

[@OmniMon94]

@triii8939 idk if Genshin is even trying at this point

[@sapphireshineauthor]

Im only a few minutes in and now i have a question since Natlan's release. Regardless of whether its intentional or not. Paimon vs Ajaw as the "annoying companion with no filter". Its funny how i often see people say they enjoy hearing Ajaw diss and insult people and that his style of agitation and insults is entertaining. My immediate explanation is that while Ajaw has even less filter and consideration, he also ends up facing consequences. Everytime Kinich knocks him into timeout or gets a rebuttal to his quips makes me laugh. And i do see a lot of people who hate Ajaw with a passion, calling him as even worse than Paimon, which makes sense, i am certain that was the intent. But i find it interesting we have another duo in the form of Kinich and Ajaw and the people who like Ajaw find his aggression more entertaining and less annoying than Paimon for some reason.

[@truegodofdestruction]

I can understand ppl finding Ajaw annoying imo, but I personally don't since I find it hilarious that he has his own motive, makes it very obvious and talks shit even tho he KNOWS he'll be punished for it. He's rude to ppl but mostly cuz he thinks everyone is beneath him and he believes he's a powerful being and such. U can say sure eventually that'll get annoying but at LEAST he doesn't repeat dialogue or useless bs that we JUST learned. I loved the moments where he would insult Paimon for being dumb cuz stfu and listen, and she tends to make everything about herself like the Traveler isn't trying to find their sibling and you're just tagging along, we always gotta cater to her that it's a pain in the ass. Kinich doesn't do that, he does stuff for Ajaw but mostly after he asks him to do something for HIM, I barely ever seen Paimon do something for the Traveler that isn't talking about basically the Zhongli 2nd story quest and asking about our sibling but mostly cuz we don't speak.

[@SuperHaoken]

I will gladly switch Paimon for Ajaw. At least he is funny

[@aimisan151]

I disagree with the comment above me, i could not switch Paimon with Ajaw. I like Ajaw for the reasons you said, he's annoying but that makrs his timeouts and consequences even more funny, and its funny to see his grandiose self in such a small pitiful body. But with a silent traveler? If we had an Ajaw he would be annoying us the entire way and the most we will get from the traveler will be a "knock it off" and maybe an annoyed face. There wouldn't be a team rocket launch, a pulling of Ajaw tail to attack, not even a sassy reply. Ajaw works because Kinich compliments it. Traveler and Ajaw would be Paimon but worse

[@z.z.4752]

Ajaw is a lot more antagonistic than Paimon - but he actually gets called out on it. Not just by Kinich, but also by characters who are otherwise friendly towards everyone like Mualani, Xilonen, and Ifa. None of these characters try to explain away or excuse his behavior. They all give him consequences and make it clear that they won't lick his boots no matter how strong he used to be so that's why he's not nearly as cringeworthy to watch. Paimon is considered the greatest companion ever and the pinnacle of goodness alongside the Traveler no matter what she says and does and that's the issue. And some of her worst moments aren't even intended to be that way - they're her condescending goody two shoes moments where she scolds someone for being lazy for example. She acts like she's morally superior to people who aren't working themselves to death (Kaeya, Lisa, Venti to name a few, even though two of them are survivors of extreme trauma and one has a health condition, plus all three of them put forth a lot of effort for the sake of others anyway so...yikes). Since I'm Chinese I do have cultural context for this - this kind of mindset was really encouraged in a lot of us growing up, even overseas. And scolding and motivating people who were "lazy" was seen as ambitious and even positive - but that still leaves behind and hurts a lot of Chinese people, like those with chronic conditions and neurodivergent people (like myself). Even a few years back there were a lot of inter-community discussions about undoing this mindset because of how much it hurt a lot of us and encourged unhealthy grind mentality and burnout. And that’s not even getting to international fans who are affected by this too. So trying to explain away that they wouldn't know because they're from China isn't an excuse for a billion dollar company to do better. I really do hope they make Paimon grow out of this since she genuinely likes the Traveler and is around for almost all of the game, because there are players out there who have to think 'Paimon might not like me if I was really the Traveler' based on the way she talks.

[@coffeeluci]

I also feel like a BIG part of this is the amount of time we have spent with Paimon vs how rarely we see Kinich and Ajaw for more than a couple minutes. If we had to listen to Ajaw acting high and mighty before getting punted for the past almost-four years like how we hear jokes with Paimon loving her food and money, we would definitely get over it and find it grating at some point.

[@plvto1]

my main issues with her is her constant appearances and the fact that half of the time people just ignore her. we rarely see any characters interact with paimon they sorta just brush her off for the most part, and the FACT THAT THE TRAVELLER, NEVER, TALKS. he responds yes, but we don't hear him respond, so it sounds/feels super weird and takes me out of the experience. and as for the constant appearances part, i believe a character like paimon should be used in small doses, not constantly talking all the time and especially not replacing the traveller's voice. the only thing i can ever think of when traveller talks is "holy shit zach can talk?!"

[@hoppie4263]

Paimon is also staying behind for a change when we go with the pyro archon in the archon quest

[@needabettername4357]

The Travelers actually talk a lot in these quests in those "illusion of free choice" split-in-half dialogue options. I think they just aren't voiced so Hoyo doesn't have to pay twice the price for just a couple brief voicelines. Maybe people don't realize this because the cutscenes just cut to the next speaking character instead of showing the Travelers react to the dialogue options like the HSR Trailblazers do.

[@adriandaliva1341]

@@needabettername4357 billion dollar indie company can't afford to pay voice actors🔥

[@ziephel-6780]

Only a few people like Albedo really question her origins, but it's not that many.

[@plvto1]

​@@needabettername4357 i know he responds, i said we don't hear him actually respond nor do we see any movements from him. as you said, it just cuts directly to the next character.

[@FirstLast-wk3kc]

I would have preferred if she starts as annoying, but develops into more and more genuinely better person... So we would care for whatever happens in the future with her!!

[@Sad-Lesbian]

"I'm not gonna expect Paimon to be the best companion ever." The game does advertise as her as the best companion ever though. False marketing!

[@ziephel-6780]

@@Sad-Lesbian We need a damn refund

[@GuyWithAnAmazingHat]

That's because she is beloved by everyone who plays the CN/JP/KR version. In fact Duoduo, the CN VA of Paimon went from 100k to 3 million followers after getting the role, that's more followers than every JP VA out there. There's a real failure in EN localisation for Paimon, that people literally can't relate to her, compared to a Korean streamer I watched cried when Paimon disappeared in Caribert.

[@alicehoang3529]

My problem with Paimon is that her existence took away a lot of Traveler's agency. It made their bond with characters in the story questionable because it's not the Traveler who interacted with them, but Paimon, yet they somehow gravitate towards the Traveler instead??? Like yeah it's cheaper to pay for just Paimon VA instead of Traveler two VA in each dub, but it seriously hurt the experience.

[@HunterOmbrégal]

even then, knowing all the dialogues happening between The traveler and Paimon in the character sheet/menu...where it diesn't matter at all !! budget was never an excuse

[@SageRuffin]

I was doing a hidden quest in Natlan yesterday and there's a part where you come across an NPC with a name that's long and hard to pronounce. Paimon immediately pulls a Paimon and goes "I'm gonna call you X instead." (I'm being super vague to avoid spoilers) Like, Paimon doesn't ask if it's all right or if the NPC has a different nickname or pseudonym they would prefer when they get upset at Paimon's suggestion or anything. Just "I don't like that name." or "That name is weird." and that's the end of it. Not to mention Paimon's insistence of referring to some characters by their "ugly nicknames" even after literal years (Genshin's story implies that it takes place over the course of several months if not years). I understand if there's mutual animosity like with Itto, but how long is she going to hold that grudge against Venti? And that's just that one scenario! There are countless others such as: stating the obvious AFTER the obvious has already been stated; the inability to read the room; overreacting to any and everything; inserting herself into sensitive or intimate situations; derailing conversations; also, you ever notice how we here about various activities and events at PAIMON'S behest, i.e "Hey Traveler, I heard about this one thing happening at that one place. Let's check it out!"? Sidekicks and companions are fun (e.g. the Palicoes from Monster Hunter), but Paimon, at least in her current form, ain't it. Edit: Oh, you already mentioned most of that in the video. Oops. 🙃

[@windwaker407]

When Paimon first dropped 'Bull Chucker' I thought it was so lame that there's no way it sticks Years later and she still thinks she cooked so hard with that she just keeps using it...

[@aeo202]

I really wish the traveller and her were written like Phaethon from ZZZ. Have the two be dynamic and bounce off each others personality but still be independent enough to allow each other to have good screen time and opportunities to show their character. I feel like it’s a lot of wasted potential :/

[@sunglassfrog89]

ZZZ and star rail has the advantage of releasing after genshin and genshin story writing is already finished so its like any future content we get in genshin i terms of existing character writing and story telling will not change its like the writer probably thinks well we already write the story we cant change that much about it . Like archon quest for the major nation story world quest is for the world lore and traveler quest are for the travelers actually nowadays when the new update came out im more exited to play the world quest than archon or story quest because now the reason I play genshin is for the discovery and lore of teyvat

[@Elyssa_00]

@@aeo202 Yeah. I really like the dynamic between Wise, Belle, and Fairy. Those three have established and consistent personalities, and they have really good dynamic with each other. And just like you said, they're also independent enough that makes them able to have good screen time and get the opportunities to show their characters. While for the Traveler and Paimon, because the Traveler is such a nothing character and they barely speak, they need Paimon to decide everything for them and speak for them. And because Paimon is unable to do anything on her own without the Traveler, she needs the Traveler to do everything for her (including protecting her). Because they stick to each other for most of the time, and Paimon always ruin everything, it's hard for them to have their own moments without each other's present.

[@ochayta]

I'll never understand why did they decide to ruin the atmosphere in Shenhe's quest with Paimon's "let's hurry and get our money advice from Ning guang!!", clearly that's more important than Shenhe's trauma, yeah...

[@PowerSpirit50]

Didn't they call her out on it?

[@amari7782]

@@PowerSpirit50bruh she basically called reading shenhe dads suicide note boring and we just took that.

[@aeso3555]

​@@PowerSpirit50 No we don't. She's never called out for her bad behaviour or face any consequences for it. In fact, she's actively rewarded for her brattiness. It's one of the reasons why she's so hated.

[@fencerderio9814]

Paimon would be leagues more likable if she spoke WITH the Traveler, not FOR the Traveler.

[@AHylianWarrior]

The Traveler's lack of voice is so maddening especially when you get the likes of Star Rail giving the Trailblazer an actual voiced rap or a barrage of censored swears in last patch's update as part of a silly dialogue option tree lol

[@Sarahshi.Destiny]

I love Paimon personally but what annoys me the most about her is 1. Nobody except Albedo and Mona seems to question her and 2. I see so many theories about her "true identity" but at this point I feel like they are gonna either not do anything with her through the course of the story at all or lore drop on us near the end, reveal her true identity or something similar and it will feel rushed and out of nowhere. If they really wanna do something interesting with her, they really need to start building up to something...🙃

[@kazerniel]

There were some foreshadowy dialogue lines, like in the 4.0 world quest Book of Esoteric Revelations when the clairvoyant melusine Canotila describes Paimon as "But to my eyes, Paimon is just like a little rainbow balloon floating in the air, and her string seems to extend upward, to somewhere above the sky itself..." which is I think the first explicit reference we get of her connection to Celestia (outside of her obvious design motifs).

[@catdownthestreet]

I think they're starting to pick up the pace a bit. Even Paimon noticed how weird it was that she wasn't affected by the Abyss after the trip to the Night Kingdom. That's the first time her weirdness has been pointed out directly by her in a main quest! Also, I love Paimon too. She's amazing, but she deserves better.

[@Sarahshi.Destiny]

​@@kazerniel Ok I didn't know about that one since I am mainly referring to the main story and I can't stand reading through the World Quests mainly because the german translation is awful. So my knowledge on those is limited to summarys on wikis and such...😅

[@stoopyemi6701]

I honestly think the Kinich and Ajaw duo is way more interesting. Ignoring how they met, the way they talk to each other feels realistic. Ajaw GETS consequences when he runs his mouth too much. Paimon is just plain dumb. How tf is she a guide. Exposition that comes out of her could have came out of a character we actually care about. I get genuinely pissed when she says she is also a hero along with the traveler. She has done nothing to help but mOrAl support, where. I remember in Sumeru when we supposedly abandoned, everyone started calling her cute and how she actually cares. No, she’s upset that the only person that puts up with her BS is gone. Her voice in en also is terrible. No hate to va ofc. I play in cn specically for this

[@amaria7072]

Fr, and this is being said when everyone knows that he’s just as if not more antagonistic, hateful, and literally imprisoned to keep him from hurting people. I think that’s what makes him and Kinich such a fun dynamic- an emotionally stable person with a stoic personality that doesn’t constantly put up with shit and scolds his companion for saying something he shouldn’t. It’s honestly a great way of making both of their characters pop.

[@glasperle77]

but tbh thats also the sibling thing. even if not blood related, kaeya and diluc are the ONLY siblings that behave realistic. second maybe lyney and lynette. the rest are just sugarcoated and romatized (especially the twins, i never saw such horrible written twins...) . people that grow up should have their own opinion. at this age clinging together like this is almost creepy. if someone behaves stupid they should be told off and NOT apologize later (but genshin always sugarcoats the kids, we never had the chance to hate on klee even if she (similar to paimon) sometimes misbehaves , we still have to say nice things. You cant even excuse it with "paimon is a tiny kid who has nowhere to go" no. she fell from the sky into a lake. she is no mortal. and even if she would be a mortal , almost all kids we have met have no caring parents or even grew up somewhat indipendent and alone. Kinich and ajaw are a bit over the top with insults but they like you said are realistic written. the issue: there was already this asian uproar because of yae, wanderer and alhaitham to be "too rude and not cutsywutsy UwU nice to traveler" . Now imagine paimon would start to even become worse and we also say things to her. even if its realistic the fans would rant again. they just want a cutsy wutsy game.

[@Elyssa_00]

Paimon is such a useless companion to me. While few times she does heroic things that actually matter and gives important informations that we don't know, most of the time she does and says absolutely nothing important. She doesn't help us in the fight. She barely gives useful informations that we haven't know yet. She sucks at being companion and guide. What can she even do? What even is her purpose in the story and as the Traveler's supposed companion and guide? And yes, it's so annoying when Paimon of all people, SCOLDS other character or characters for being lazy and useless, and acts morally superior than them. While she herself doesn't even have a good personality, including being lazy, and she's almost completely useless to the Traveler. Like what the actual hell????

[@imanen5780]

I also find her cn voice to be the best one, it's the only one where she actually sounds sweet, caring and genuine, not just forcing and overreacting everywhere. It sounds more natural to me, and I don't get why en's VA was directed to force this much.

[@amari7782]

Till this day I will never forget paimon saying flying over sand makes her tired. That shit is the wildest thing they could’ve ever made her aay

[@yungchen9780]

They just need to let traveler speak more

[@InmateOmighty]

Can I explain to you why Genshin trains its players to not pay attention. Let me explain. The reason why people don’t pay attention is because it teaches the players to not pay attention. Let me explain. The reason why Genshin teaches players to not pay attention is very simple. Let me explain. So the reason why when you’re doing the quest you don’t pay attention is because you aren’t paying attention. Let me explain. So the reason why Genshin teaches its players to not pay attention is very simple. Let me explain. So the reason why I’m doing the quest and I have to reread it because I wasn’t paying attention is because I’m not paying attention. Let me explain. So the reason why you’re not paying attention is because when you actually aren’t paying attention because you’re not paying attention. Let me explain Paimon: “Oh so the reason you’re not paying attention is because the game teaches you to not pay attention. So when it double speaks, it’s saying the same thing twice. Let me explain. So the reason why you aren’t paying attention is because of the dialogue bloating. Let me explain.” And that right there is an example of the dialogue 😭 It says water is a liquid, it explains that water is a liquid, it repeats that water is a liquid, then Paimon repeats that water is a liquid for reassurance, then a dialogue option appears explaining that water is a liquid 💀 PLEASE PLEASE JUST LET TRAVELER TALK MAN IT’LL FIX SO MUCH

[@johns3002]

Meanwhile the Traveler: 🙂

[@maitequilla]

Paimon thinks that water is a liquid!

[@fgsfds__]

Lol good one

[@Khloe.6102]

i actually got annoyed reading this lol

[@softnoobgirl73]

​@@Khloe.6102same

[@grant6864]

what i hate most is the moment from “We will be reunited” where the Traveler finally meets their sibling again and the conversation goes something like this: -You shouldn’t team up with him, he’s my enemy.. -YOUR SIBLING KNOWS DAIN?! -Lumine/Aether… -DAIN KNOWS THEM TOO?!

[@HunterOmbrégal]

that was the point of no return for me honestly

[@thelaw_00]

Genshin's best companion is Pari and our saurian pet because we can play as them and solve puzzles but Pari comes above all else

[@JUST.A.PERSON.EXISTING]

sorush?

[@glasperle77]

I disagree .the pari and jinny are even worse than paimon. it would have still be best if we just could pick one pulled character and this character will just travel with us

[@Nationalist166]

​@@glasperle77 How are they worse ? They're definitely better written than Paimon with only appearing in unvoiced world quests, except if you mean something else.

[@lazyvoid7107]

​@@JUST.A.PERSON.EXISTINGshe has a voice

[@honestlyslay]

Another point I would like to add is we as the Traveler are forced to like her. And if the Traveler does get mad at Paimon, it never lasts for more than 5 seconds.

[@FriskTS]

Honestly I think the main reason I dislike Paimon so much is just because of how generally disrespectful she is to characters for just no reason. The best example I can really say is like Furinas story quest and that one conversation with Navia at her fathers grave where she just outright calls out the fact her mothers dead with just no remorse. Like I think theres just way too many times where she just doesn't care about the people around her, even the traveler at times. I really wish she was a character who actually felt like she could feel empathy, instead of just being a complete piece of crap.

[@skirnchskirnch]

i heard that in other dubs, paimon is more polite, but in en, she is what u said

[@Renteka-Bond]

We just had a whole section of the game where Paimon was incredibly emotionally distraught over the war and it's victims while the Traveler was aloof. Paimon is incredibly empathetic.

[@adriandaliva1341]

paimon called furina knowing only macaroni recipes as a "coping mechanism" after the archon quest 😂 like no sh*t, i was a mortal impersonating as an archon for hundreds of years did you think i had time to learn to cook for myself?

[@ziephel-6780]

little psycho she is lmao

[@andredarkstorm5751]

yeah I think that's on purpose on the ENG dub and Sub, because in Chinese IE the original dialogues she's more chill and way less pedantic with other characters. why they do that in the ENG dub? beats me

[@weirdfish09]

20:30 Paimon being devastated sure made me speechless, but what I hate on this archon quest is Paimon is stating the obvious after Chasca about to berserk. After her attempted berserk, Paimon and Traveller talking about the obvious "It's the first time seeing Chasca being that blah blah blah." They should have cut that seen out, then instead give the POV to Chasca for a while after Traveller told Paimon to give her time. That conversation didn't let me mourne for Chuychu in peace.

[@byrdman4644]

Paimon irks me because she spends so many moments just recapping stuff we learned about just minutes ago, and often speaks FOR the traveler instead of ALONGSIDE the traveler.

[@keitafanskwangya]

If you ask me I'm pretty stoked rn that Paimon will not be involved in the final act of the Natlan archon quest and its gonna be a solo venture with Mavuika. I still stand by what I said that the best quest in Genshin is the one that doesn't have Paimon in it, and that is Caribert.

[@rb8258]

Sorry to burst your bubble but in the 5.3 archon quests, Paimon has the most lines right behind Mavuika at around 300.

[@triii8939]

😂😂no we still stuck with her until ...

[@mitchsz]

​@@rb8258😭😭😭

[@Fairygelic]

I hate when a quest actually has a really deep and/or dark storyline and Paimon won’t shut up. It completely ruins the vibe for me and just makes me wanna skip all her voice lines. She also speaks FOR the traveler 90%of the time, making the main character feel flat and boring. While I’m playing I actually feel like I’m just Paimons bodyguard or something bc if you really think about it, she’s the one calling all the shots.

[@kokoro7996]

I feel like I’m one of the only few people who actually like Paimon. Like, I get way people don’t like her, it’s just never personally bothered me that much.

[@buttermanaws4693]

I think the problem i have most of the time is when a scene needs emotional intelligence and she just says something so wrong for the situation that I'm just angry at her for not reading the room at all or when she is scared or worried about something that we have encountered dozens of times and then she takes the entire scene for a good solid few minutes Like yeah i get it shes naive and not that smart but i really wish she just would not talk during those scenes and just let the proper characters be characters

[@persephonehades7547]

"Oops, sorry Navia. I forgot your mom is dead" was basically the first five minutes of Navia's story quest.

[@deckyfx2188]

For me, the final nail was when Paimon rudely forced and coaxed Furina to take on the stage even though Furina multiple times declined the offer due to her being burned out with acting. in that scene, I can't see Paimon other than rude, obnoxious, and egoistic.

[@Boricosa]

Back in 1.0, I really liked Paimon, but over the years I think my appreciation for her has dwindled. I still like that her gluttony saved Navia's life, that was good writing

[@pulledporc5334]

For a character who talks so much, we know so little about her.

[@karymdok]

i would not mind paimon if the traveler would actually speak or it would be 50% paimon 50% traveler, i really really want to like traveller but aether in my case he just seems like he is just tagging along and its a paimon adventure, genshin has so many great characters so its sad that the main one is uninteresting most of the time, if they would cut paimon voice and replece it with traveler and his thoughts on the current situations he would feel more like a main character to me

[@Fairygelic]

What’s crazy is the traveler actually does have voice lines 😭 if you look at their profile, there’s a plethora of unused voice lines that hoyo just refuses to implement for some reason. It’s so uncanny to me that the traveler could actually be interesting and have a personality but they chose not to for whatever stupid reason

[@tsunderemerc2963]

She has her moments (like in Caribert), but more often than not my issue with her is that she talks SO MUCH or fails to grasp a situation, and as a result it really stifles any character Traveler has because Paimon is the pseudo-MC due to her primary speaking role. I was banging my head against the wall in Arlecchino's quest where Paimon takes it upon herself to lie to the Knave's face when Lyney's life is in danger if she finds out (hey, ego death is still death), and Paimon just goes "UM UH WAIT UM UH". It made Traveler feel stupid and stripped all their agency as Paimon hopelessly flounders about. I always tell my friends that it feels like Paimon is the main character, while we just act as the muscle. Despite her role as a "guide" though, I do at least like that she doesn't actually know everything. Morgana in P5 has that issue where they just explain everything to you (except when it suits the plot not to know), and it makes me feel even more like my hand is held or treated like I'm even dumber than I already am sometimes. I didn't mind it as much at first, but after playing ZZZ and coming back, Paimon annoys me tenfold. Fairy can have her funny moments and jump in with a remark of her own, but she doesn't overshadow Belle and Wise, allowing both of them to still hold a natural conversation. Fairy doesn't whine and cry and decide that she's going to give a stupid nickname to a man as he is DYING IN FRONT OF HER. A silver lining is that it makes Xiao even more special to me as a character, seeing as he often specifically requests to see Traveler alone without Paimon, or she's just mysteriously absent from the scene. The (what I believe to be) romantic implications are strengthened since he makes it personal. Or at least a stronger bond in general, likewise with other characters who engage with Traveler personally :)

[@baax97]

20:56 when the traveler spoke in this scene it killed my emersion lol. I didn't recognize the voice and then I realized that the traveler was speaking. It kinda took me out of the moment because I started to think about how little the traveler actually speaks

[@FoundaPeanut]

Navi from Ocarina of Time at least told you what was going on... Paimon has no idea.

[@ExceedRed]

If Paimon ends up being the final twist villain that makes you feel bad for fighting her, I’m gonna laugh so hard because it’ll have the opposite effect and make me happy we can finally get rid of her after 6 years

[@YaiphabaNgangom-u4g]

Me too😂😂😂

[@hehuho890]

would come back to genshin just to kick her hide REALLY HARD

[@triii8939]

Same i finally can beat her asss

[@aeso3555]

Good riddance I'd say.

[@StoryLover-7]

i so hope that's going to happen..

[@smallpatrick6816]

I love when paimon isn’t included to a quest sadly its very rare

[@Luxndr]

You know, I think I got too used to watch Sarah Miller-Crews playing Genshin that I forgot how silent the Traveler is. She made We'll Be Reunited actually bearable, and Zach Aguilar too when he played this quest, because they both voiced the Traveler's lines. So when I watched a normal gameplay, I couldn't bear the Traveler simply standing like 🧍 while Paimon kept regurgitating every single thing the Traveler's sibling said. Like, we get it, we get it that the Traveler's sibling is the leader of the Abyss Order, we get it that Dain is from Khaenri'ah, we get it that the Abyss Monster are the people of Khaenri'ah, there's no need for Paimon to repeat all of what has been said literally seconds ago. This was supposed to be a moment for the >>>Traveler

[@starflame34]

5:55 KIND of!? She's been useless since the beginning of the game! Sure, a little tutorial when the game starts, but that's it! 9:05 No, I'm not interested in the Traveler anymore! Paimon does play a part of that as you said, making them feel like a sidekick with not much of a personality with just checkboxes, but it's also because we never learn about their relationship with their sibling. All we know is that their siblings, THAT'S IT! Give me some flashbacks to their time together before their separation! And no, I'm not gonna wait until Khaenri'ah for them to address that, because you can't put off what their relationship was like for THAT long and still expect me to care by then! Like seriously, I legitimately have forgotten that that's why we're on this journey to begin with! 15:20 I am NOT convinced of ANY kind of "build-up" for Paimon in the future! If there's any kind of hidden truth to Paimon the devs have, it's in a VERY early rough draft, you cannot convince me they had this all planned out ahead of time! Paimon's first and ONLY goal is to just be the mouthpiece, that's it! 25:52 Yes...what a wonderful world that would be to live in. But no seriously, if we DIDN'T have Paimon, very little would actually be lost. She doesn't do ANYTHING to progress the story! You may see that cutscene of Paimon staying with us when Raiden Shogun attacked us as endearing, but all I see is a cutscene that wouldn't change if she wasn't even there to begin with!

[@Elyssa_00]

Right??? What even is Paimon's purpose in the story when almost everything that she says and does are useless????

[@starflame34]

@@Elyssa_00 I don't remember EVERYTHING from the start of the game, but people told me that Paimon taught you the basic language of Teyvat, but even that is a strech. First of all, that doesn't explain why we just sat on the beach at the start of the game for YEARS without looking around! Second, the first town we visit is Mondstadt...which has a LIBRARY! Lisa could have easily fit the rule of a teacher for that! Whatever Paimon has done for us, you could easily replace her with...literally ANYONE! And the story wouldn't change at all!

[@Elyssa_00]

@@starflame34 If I remember correctly, we met Paimon two months before the game started. My question is, what exactly were those two doing in a span of two months? Why did they only go to Mondstadt after spending time together for two months? I forgot how long the Traveler woke up before they met Paimon tho. But regardless of that, Paimon is absolutely unimportant and useless in my eyes. ALMOST everything that she says and does are neither important and useful. And like you said, the game can change Paimon with literally anyone, and the result maybe better than what we have right now. That's how unimportant and useless she is.

[@starflame34]

@@Elyssa_00 Should have just let Amber, the first person we meet, be our companion. It's not like they do anything with her (or Mondstadt in general). Hell, they don't even really do anything with Collie and her relationship with Amber! Collie goes back to Mondstadt for a visit and is like, "Hi...okay bye!"

[@Yusanis]

Not once I laughed at Paimon's antics since Fontaine release. I was against skip button feature, but the way this white blob of unholy flesh can't stop yapping, explaining everything we do, for the umpteenth time failed to keep a secret, rude and obnoxious for no reason, i'm constantly being convinced to feel otherwise. I feel refreshed when Paimon is stuck as a world instance during Tighnari's character quest setting up a camp and doesn't appear on the pause menu anywhere in the world, I should've never completed it.

[@arminkir9389]

I think paimon can stop be saved because we’ve seen aspects of paimon being an actual charecter and this was in sumeru AND HERE ME OUT WE MAY GET MOREE CHARECTER DEPTH TO PAIMON IN NATLAN Because in act 2 of sumeru paimon and traveler were separated for a little bit during the samsara loop and when traveler gets back she was BAWLING because she hates getting separated from them so I think she has a little bit of separation aniety cause she Litterally doesn’t wanna go anywhere without the traveler and idk if this is just me but The current natlan archon quest paimons voice has gotten a little deeper kinda like mondstadt paimons voice and mavuika said that paimon can’t come with traveler to go and fight the abyass so what if another sumeru happens? At this point im praying for us to get anything more to paimons charecter cause it’s their she just refuses to show it so idk we can see her stressing on if the travelers gonna make it back and then she can have like a conversation with idk mualani or chasca because 2 of them have already experienced loss I just want our companion to be more then just a companion and I pray act5 does this

[@vivianameganviviana3486]

Honestly, I have so many grievances with Paimon that I'dbe here all day listing them all. I'll just say , my turn off was the Inversion of Genesis questline but not for the reason my PFP will make you think. I'm not even mad about her asking Wanderer if he was "done yet" although that was very "shut the fuck before I put you back in that lake where I found you" worthy. I'm more annoyed that throughout the whole quest, after a whole AQ dedicated to an Archon who has literally been locked away by her own people because they personally decided her regression meant she wasn't fit to be in charge, both the traveller and Paimon do literally nothing more than constantly question her decision to keep Wanderer around even after it was explained to them in detail why she felt confident doing so. It was so annoying to me- Like okay be wary of Wanderer but why the fuck are we borderline talking down to Nahida like she is a literal child who doesn't understand the implications of trusting a guy who tried to usurp her position as a deity? I think she knows what she's working with, considering we were told that she dealt with Dottore, alone, and managed to make an absolutely huge deal that nerfed the dude, and he is arguably worse than Scaramouche. Like she's not an invalid. If she wants to keep him around after the fatui pulled a Toy Story 2 on him (because apparently Ei wasn't enough, they needed a sequel) then I'm gonna trust she's done the math on it already and has taken the precautions necessary. It felt so unnecessary how much her and the Traveller played "Are you sure? Are you sure that you're sure? Are you sure that you're sure that you're sure?" Was just frustrating.

[@ThatRandomGirlOnTheInternet]

There is a game called Twisted Wonderland that has a character named Grim that is very similar to Paimon, both in terms of personality and role in the game. The thing that makes Grim likable compared to Paimon is that we are given reasons to care about him, his actions drive the story forward, the mistery surrounding him is actually set up. To me, Grim is just what Paimon could have been if she was handled correctly

[@thatminer7174]

4:18 i also want to add that another problem with the repeated joke us that the reaction also never changes it's always Paimon is emergency food NO PAIMON ISN'T LAUGH NOW

[@Painroses]

yeah, the most annoying thing is her knowing nothing at all but not shutting up either. she has the horrible habit to say something stupid about everything till the end of time and to repeat what has already been said two seconds earlier. the voice makes everything less bearable.

[@GREATMAGICIANLYNEY]

i honestly always forget paimons a guide

[@point0case144]

I'm not a Paimon hater, but how she treats my boy Kaveh out of all people... ohh I feel like we gon have a problem each time they interact or she "accidentally" spills his secrets 😭

[@Anna-fu5nw]

The one Paimon joke i really enjoyed is in the Aranara quest. Where the traveler calls Paimon schizophrenic because she started talking to the aranara in front of that researcher

[@xXSamir44Xx]

I absolutely can't stand when writers treat the audience like idiots and Paimon is pretty much the ohysical embodiment of that, while lacking any real personality beyond that. There are glimpses sometimes, but that's all it is, glimpses.

[@GiniroTsuki]

I think part of the problem with Paimon is that she's become sort of the...guide for players that maybe aren't able to figure things out themselves and need to be told directly what they are supposed to do. That's why there are so many scenes where, if you're paying attention to the dialogue and overall story, you know what's going on and the traveller responds in a vague way that they understand what they have to do but Paimon has to be lost and dumb so that they explain it to her directly for the players that aren't paying attention or who honestly can't put it together for whatever reason (don't forget there are kids that also play this game). This is annoying for players that do understand what is going on and who don't want to be hand held throughout the game. But there is a large segment of players who don't even read the dialogue or just zoom through to the next fight so I can understand why Hoyo feels the need to make her do this. But it certainly doesn't help lessen how annoying she can be. I really wish the Traveller just spoke normally, like the MCs for HSR or ZZZ instead of this silent, Link-esque character. That works for a Zelda game, but it doesn't work for Genshin. I don't need to project myself onto the Traveller in order to enjoy the game. Let the Traveller be their own damn character, please.

[@lordlyka68]

I've seen more than a few people say that the reason they even skip through text is, well, because its not voice acted, but also _because_ they know paimon will summarize everything that happens. I don't like skipping through text, but I did try it for a world quest I didn't particularly care about, and I can confirm, you don't need to pay attention to literally anything anyone says because paimon will just tell you the important parts, and you'll still understand the general story, its crazy. I feel like it's a bit of a loop, where they have paimon summarize stuff for players who skip, but players skip because paimon summarizes stuff; a catch 22, I think. And as someone who hardly ever skips stuff, it makes her dialogue really annoying to read/get through, because I know she's just gonna repeat the things I already know. Or worse, be incredibly rude to the other characters (furina's story quest). I like the idea of paimon more than how she actually is (which, as an aside, is also how I feel about inazuma; while most people hate it, I like the ideas enough that the way hyv wrote it doesn't affect me as much, though it is sad the fumbled so hard there)

[@Elyssa_00]

@@GiniroTsuki The Trailblazer is just like the Traveler. Only few of their dialogues are voiced. Most of their dialogues aren't. The actual example of MCs who talk normally are Belle and Wise from ZZZ.

[@bruh3369]

What really made me hate paimon so much is her interactions with furina, after the archon quest, and i really didn't like her before that. She is just so terrible and annoying, thinking she's so important 🙄. Dont get me started on emotional moments you can 95% of the time expect her to ruin it. Plus, her voices(no hate to VA but hell) also don't get me started on her repeating stuff we just heard

[@zente3003]

She was just curious how a used to be celebrity and a very over their head person is now living in a normal house. It's not like she was trying to make Furina feel bad about it.

[@bruh3369]

​​​​@@zente3003 yes you right when someone has be though an extremely traumatic thing lets start talking about how you've fallen from grace instead of asking them how they fell that what a normal person with a functioning frontal lobe would do. plus this isn't only with furina and you know it

[@ExceedRed]

The best thing about Act V of Fontaine’s Archon Quest is that Furina’s entire twist has 0 Paimon involvement in it. It was just Furina, Focalors, and Neuvillette in the moment and it was amazing And then Furina’s actual story quest had Paimon in it which automatically made it worse because it’s Paimon☠️

[@bruh3369]

@ExceedRed she always does this. Any quest without her is always the, best too bad there so rare

[@lavenderkitten4212]

reall,like honestly,as a whole,i dont mind her. She has her sweet,cute and funny moments. But then Fontaine came. She was so inconsiderate the whole region. Furina's story quest,the archon quest. She literally had no filter and i hated her sm. Even traveller was a bitch

[@Ohwell900]

Paimon being stupid on world quests, story quests and archon quest is top 1 reason I hate her, she yaps a lot too and almost always have a different reaction to things than me.. she cant read the situation and just yaps stupid things. I like her roasting people though, I mean the nicknames are fun for me. Ezlo on Zelda Minish Cup should be a standard on making companions ngl

[@glasperle77]

another thing that really gets on my nerves and adds to the babyfication of the game- we cant even have time to solve any puzzle by ourselves. there is like one lets say button to press. and paimon literally says without the scene even started when camera points at a gate "maybe we should find a button we can press like the one over there!" (and camera points then to the button...) normal games throw you into something and you have to figure it out for yourselves. but paimon like pointed out not only repeats things that are already said, and even when npcs make fun of this (i think ajaw did) the game continues with it, but already gives the solution to any kind of riddle or puzzle without us having even time to figure things out.

[@TheGreatMillz]

I tried to pick up Genshin Impact when it first released and Paimon was the reason why I couldn't get past more than 3 hours of the game. I don't really like mascot characters in the first place, so that was already a bad start for her. Like many people, I found her voice to be grating and it was even more frustrating that she was basically the "voice" for the Traveler (aka me). I didn't like how this little gremlin was basically dictating what I said and did. And when I tried to imagine playing dozens and dozens of hours of a game with this...thing by my side, I just quit. It sucks because I know there's a lot to enjoy about Genshin Impact but I just can't STAND Paimon.

[@ixirion]

She is like a small Karen. also she treats us like we are fools. most of her lines are - lets go to tf marker that is 50 m away - lets pull that lever that is the only one that we can pull, - char X is here while we see that she approaches us on the screen - the voice doesnt fit the baby in pampers look in EN. If you listen in Chineese her voice is angelic and calm also she has no motivations or goals - she cant guide us cos we go to places she never were and meet ppl she dont know, we dont pay her, she is mostly useless in the story etc

[@monkiplatts9224]

I do find very wholesome the fact that traveler and paimon sleep in the same bed

[@rb8258]

Does anyone else simply skip Paimon's dialogue in archon and story quests now?

[@CookieofArls]

I do

[@animo9050]

Man, the attention spans of you people these days must be extremely short if you're *skipping* dialogue.

[@xXSamir44Xx]

​@@animo9050 It's the opposite, actually. Half of Paimon's dialogue is either stating the obvious or pointlessly repeating stuff. I don't need that.

[@Lynn.-_-.]

@@animo9050 attention span has nothing to do with skipping dialogue. If you can't make the dialogue interesting then ofc people gonna skip.

[@kazerniel]

yup, it took the game 3 years to wear me down (who otherwise loves game narratives and dialogues) to the point where I just skim the text and skip most of the voice lines. The writing quality never rises above mediocre anyway - they stick too closely to the Chinese text, which is unbearably dry and ornate when directly translated to English.

[@mayumi6021]

I clicked on your channel about 1 hour ago to watch a video about Furina bc my bf thinks she's the worst written character and I'm trying to prove him wrong and then I see a notification that you posted about Paimon lmao, perfect timing

[@umnothanku]

he WHATTTTT

[@playcompile]

Paimon is actually Satan. She's the reason you lose every 50/50, she's the reason you roll defence more than any other stat on your artifacts and she's the reason we can never find our twin and can't speak for ourselves. This is all to make the end of the game a huge pay-off when she finally reveals herself and we beat her to death with her favourite chicken leg! (Unless you lose the 50/50 on the chicken leg banner in which case it'll be a debate club!)

[@andredarkstorm5751]

marvelous essay and you took all the opinions I had over years of this character and present it a more reasonable argument, I'm so happy that there's more people that see that this a completely wasted opportunity, to make the game more interesting if the duo was executed as a... well an actual duo and really doubt this will change any time soon and totally agree that the voice direction is absolutely horrendous. (also i agree that the robot bit was funny)

[@Cosmic_Espeon]

Paimon is that unfunny friend who thinks they’re funny but they really aren’t. 1.0 Paimon was alright but after they told Corrina to change how she spoke, I just did not like her. Fontaine’s story quest would have been way better if it had Paimon shutting the hell up. I used to think Paimon spoke for the Traveler because they didn’t speak Teyvat’s language but they clearly do, so why does she speak for them all the time? It’s baffling.

[@alet1934]

There's instances where paimon is serious/not dumb where i kinda like her, then she is dumb or acts like a child.

[@Chuggsy22]

If Paimon didn't have a speaking role, people would stop complaining about the lack of a skip button during cutscenes. (She just doesn't...stop...talking.)

[@YaiphabaNgangom-u4g]

True

[@Axterix13]

Paimon says barely anything compared to all the stupid NPCs. Just think about ones like the lame multiple choice commissions, the painting/photo ones from Fontaine, the nail clipping one from Natlan. The long intro quests a bunch of events have had. Half the character quests that are barely even about the character. And on and on. With Paimon, she says a line or two and you often get to tease her a bit. With most other characters, you just get bored with line after line after line of pointless droning on.

[@Chuggsy22]

@@Axterix13 The NPCs are an entire extra can of worms. At least for the majority of the main quests, their ramblings only go on a couple of lines. Still, you have a point. Those NPCs suck.

[@Taebooty-y6k]

The impositions from Paimon, treating audiences like dumb, over explaining or over hyping everything ( like Shane Dawson ), over reacting, too loud when everything else is silent. Like that one scene when we first met Neuvillette. Paimon gets scared easily over trivial things when she and traveler faced far greater things. It seems like she does it to hype another character as a way to promote them. Yeah that's all annoying to me. There's no character development to her either. I do find some moments funny. It would be nice if there's like a sudden lore drop or hints about her.

[@thatsnotimportant]

Even if the devs find a way to explain paimon’s purpose as a guide at the end of the story (similar to how the whole fandom changed their opinion of furina’s actions) it still doesn’t excuse how she was kinda not very fun for maybe six or seven patches

[@-o8358]

i personally feel like they overstate her character. I dont know if it is because it will change later on so they wanna rely on the feelings, but it just too much, i don't know how to explain

[@lamantdapollon]

The only moment i liked Paimon was when she said "Ajaw is coming way too hot, is it possible to mute him?" then Mavuika muted Ajaw. Cause Ajaw is way more irritating and infuriating than Paimon and she became my voice.

[@Encrypted-Name]

Another thing that March does better than Paimon is the mystery aspect. Yes, right now March has way more character, but let's not forget her mysterious past is a huge part of her. And the writers actually acknowledge that and use it to explore her. Not only does she like photography because she's scared to forget again, but they also used that fortelling thing in Xianzhou Loufu (i was coming to HSR from Genshin and remember being shocked that they actually used that to explore March lmao). Adding the Garden of Remembrance and its involvement in her also leaves a lot of potential for the future. Paimon just doesn't feel like she has the same potential. You were right about calling her just a mascot.

[@jadeparelius]

I personally dislike her just 'cause her voice grates on my ears after a while and its so annoying to deal with her. I do wish the Traveler just spoke more and Paimon was toned back from an exaggerated trope to a normal character.

[@truegodofdestruction]

Paimon used to be aiight or fine imo, idk what happened or what changed but they just started writing her to be annoying af and she talks alot and say stuff we already know or just robs the traveler of any voicelines/voiceline potential and most of her dialogue can be useless. Like I see ppl say they love her or like her and I can understand but I just don't like her but I try to tolerate her but when something bad happens to her I enjoy that more than feeling sorry for her, any dialogue option where u throw her under the bus I do them immediately, and it's not just to tease her. Nowadays I'm kinda getting used to her u could say, like I would rather play without her but she's there and I just autopilot when she's there. Her being rude to Furina randomly in her story quest and hating on her constantly is not something I will ever like tho, that definitely made me NOT like her.

[@SuperHaoken]

Paimon's character makes no sense. No one wonders what she is? The fact that she speaks over the traveler is a real problem. I don't understand how we can emerge through the traveler and the story in such conditions.

[@nadaalgh98]

alt title: how one (1) npc character killed an entire game.

[@HunterOmbrégal]

I agree

[@Beastgaming.9]

Npc? Paimon is literally the mascot of the game💔

[@millie567]

Isn't she the Secret protagonist, though...? ...And then the Traveler is sadly more of a side character, NPc or background.

[@nadaalgh98]

@@Beastgaming.9 just bc shes a "mascot" doesnt mean shes playable. she is quite literally just a NON-PLAYABLE CHARACTER that ruined the whole game's lore progression bc she'd yap about unimportant shit & be an insensitive tone-deaf dickhead that faces no consequences for her actions than... do anything that furthers the plot.

[@nadaalgh98]

@@millie567 youre coping my guy, i hate to tell you.

[@cardescomedioses3674]

The biggest argument in favor of what you say is actually listening to the traveler's voice lines, he talks with paimon, they banter, they tell jokes, they ask eachother about random topics and that works, and how the traveler rejects the idea of speaking in game is so damn hurtful, that paimon's flaws are exponentially worsened by doing a double talk load and reacting for him, at least the trailblazer reacts for himself, also the fact that paimon is more of a mascot than a character

[@haxox1795]

I've been playing since release and my first bit of feedback was a "Mute Paimon" button. I rarely play with voices on because her dialogue is so grating. She does nothing but take away from any dramatic tension in scenes she's present in. I whole-heartedly believe that the game would be better off without her. I very much enjoy this games narrative in SPITE of Paimon. Glad to see I'm not alone in at least some of my issues!

[@blackjackal8770]

On top of all your arguments, i genuinely feel like the English dub made the situation worse with the VA casting. I play mostly in Japanese and Paimon's voice isn't so grating. It doesn't annoy me nearly as much as when I play in English. She's a typical anime character, high pitched voice, noisy personality, blablabla, but that doesn't translate well to English and to western media standards.

[@TsukatsukiRio]

the worst about paimon is because they can't remove paimon out of sudden, she is there to stay, paimon VA is employed for life

[@catdownthestreet]

I gotta say, having Little One (the Tepetlisaurus whelp we adopt) in the world quests for Paimon to interact with has been AMAZING. Seeing her try and fail to riddle out what Little One is saying is adorable and makes every Natlan world quest so much more interesting. Her narration isn't useless anymore either, because it's actually necessary to understand Little One. Also, I love Paimon to bits. I spend so much time in world quests and reading voicelines that she's genuinely one of my favorite characters. I cried a little when she got separation anxiety during the Sumeru archon quest- that's when it became clear to me just how much she loves Traveler. I just wish Traveler would speak more so everyone would see what makes Paimon so amazing. She has so much more to her as a character and Hoyoverse is doing her a huge disservice by keeping her the way she is now. :(

[@aquajeth4965]

I like Paimon but I'd prefer to give more spotlight to the Traveler himself. Wise and Belle do this perfectly and the Trailblazer speaks when he wants to as well as having a personality that stands out more compared to Aether and Lumine. We need more Paimon and Traveler dynamics, please! 🙏

[@lulufortytwo3884]

As a Paimon appreciator, I have sort of mixed feelings on how she's written. I started an alt account in 5.0 because I have wanted to replay some quests and the five star selector ensured a decent character immediately. And wow, although the softer voice was nicer, Paimon was SUPER annoying in Liyue AQ. All of her worst aspects were there, and I think that initial impression just soured people so much on her character. Couple that with her speaking for the Traveler ALL the time, it's hard to correct that initial impression of her being unnecessary. I also suspect there's a bit of culture clash too, Paimon's higher voice is more grating to English speakers where it's considered cute in others. JP Paimon is even more high pitched, it makes the whole dub unusable to me because it triggers my tinnitus. I believe they did the same with Kokomi, switching it to a higher pitch :( It's frustrating, because I can kind of "see" what they want for Paimon, a lighthearted companion that is the exact opposite of Dainsleif. So when the MC is done fighting off the Withering in Sumeru and discovering horrors, Paimon insists they go to Festivals and balances that with good memories. Meanwhile the Abyss sibling had Dainsleif, who was traumatized; there was no happiness to be found. The 5.1 AQ was a great use of Paimon, and I think one of the few times they absolutely nailed it. The Traveler is a fighter and older than Zhongli. War and destruction aren't new to them, The Traveler had a determination when fighting the abyss while Paimon was completely overwhelmed. Without someone to react like Paimon, the Traveler's determination can come off as uncaring or aloof. As it was pointed out, they really just need to have the Traveler talk more. Because honestly, that moment in Yoimiya's quest II made me wince.

[@Dext3rM0rg4n]

Gallica is the fixed version of Paimon, very simillar role but better in every way.

[@nargacuga8870]

As someone like paimon i can say that I agree with all what you say, i really pissd me off how the writers treated her and the traveler this bad but i really hope that ufutoble anime fix this with a lot of my problems with genshin story

[@SstarfruitT]

1:02 MORGANA FROM THE HIT GAME PERSONA 5, PERSONA 5 ROYAL, PERSONA 5 STRICKERS, PERSONA 5 TACTICA, PERSONA 5 DANCING IN STARLIGHT AND PERSONA 5 X: THE PHANTOM X

[@hanyanyanyanya]

The most annoying thing abt how Hoyo decided to execute the relationship between the Traveler and Paimon is lock the process, the bantering behind voicelines. There are genuinely good dialogs between those two in the voicelines, but not everyone log on to genshin to sit through 30+ voicelines. I get that they want some more exposition for some of the topics but is it worth it if the relationship between them feels unearned and forced?

[@Saturn0308]

I really liked Paimon during the beginning of the game, but I just can’t stand her voice anymore :( she’s become so rude too. Its like she’s a completely different character now

[@mschemi4886]

Paimon annoys me so much. I can't stand her voice, and I can't stand her nicknames for everyone. I wish the traveller actually spoke because the traveller feels like an NPC or Paimon's silent sidekick and it's hard to make sense of people connecting with the traveller because of that.

[@Dumb_Plushie]

Watch Paimon be revealed to be Akivili 😭

[@hehuho890]

reasons why i despise paimon ~her VA, in every language ~drags us into an endless routine of finding the seven (one nation to go) ~didn't contribute in any scenario, whether be combat or minimal labor (name one action she did to help the plot, i dare you) ~gaslighting traveler (you) in dramatic scenarios and finally ~no one in teyvat knows about her, granted that you (traveler) is the same... but how does she know much about teyvat but they themselves don't know who or what paimon is? she is sus can't wait for a plot twist at the end

[@xXSamir44Xx]

For the past 3 years we've been meeting each of the Seven because that's what the traveller's sibling told them to do.

[@amaria7072]

She literally knows diddly squat about Teyvat though, even the simple lore drops like Nahida being the Lesser Lord Kusinali is not known to her, which SHOULD BE because she’s SUPPOSED to know about the nations or at the very least their archons!

[@subchesters]

the problem with paimon is that she's always been a greedy, self-centered fame hungry leech that offers no real importance to the story as a whole. she's constantly roping the traveler into situations because she wants it, she's talking shit to people cause she thinks the traveler will protect her, she often tries to get the traveler to abandon their missions cause she's hungry. she just constantly oversteps her boundary and it's extremely immersion breaking. this is why carubert is superior cause of her lack of presence. those moments where she's not around feel so good and the story can progress like normal. it feels like she needs the traveler more than the traveler needs her--her clinginess and refusal to let the traveler be alone is becoming very evident, even at the detriment of the traveler's relationships. she got upset at the traveler for having a one on one with xiao during the lantern rite and that was very uncalled for. it's also weird how prone to tantrums she is, and getd angry when people respond back to her shit talking. paimon's not even a good guide, she offers very little in knowledge, experience, and cant seem to fight to help defend the traveler. paimon could be presented so much better but she's just generally a character that doesnt add anything important to the story

[@wompadillœ]

It’s kind of amazing that the way you described Paimon is just like an annoying younger sibling: leeches money off you, drags you into stupid situations because “it seems fun”, constantly begging for food… I don’t know what you’re talking about, Paimon is the most realistic thing in this game lol

[@subchesters]

​@@wompadillœshe doesn't feel like a sibling (i have 4 of them), she feels like an interloper, that roommate who doesn't want to contribute to the rent and food and gets mad when you question why they won't pull their weight, which is what paimon feels like it's not realistic to present yourself as knowledgeable and the "best guide" when you don't do anything nor do you try to improve on those areas of being weak in. instead of learning that she could help protect the traveler from situations, she does not choose to learn how to fight, how to defend the traveler, nor does she try to contribute to their battles and is often in the way or somewhere panicking and shaking and hoping the traveler will help her. paimon isn't a realistic character, she's barely a character outside of exposition dump.

[@Hie_Hyoumaki]

You dont like paimon's clinginess and as someone with abandonment issues, ngl I feel kinda hurt 😂

[@subchesters]

​@@Hie_Hyoumakii'm not sure why you decided to bring that up like it's supposed to make me have a revelation and change my stance on paimon? paimon's overreaction to the traveler being independent of her at times is a detriment to the traveler's relationships, and her negative reaction to other characters or whoever is around is irrational and uncalled for me not liking how a fictional character acts and holds herself isn't a slight against you and i'm not sure why you took it that way

[@Lynn.-_-.]

I agree with this so much.

[@marcomafr2]

i find some of the jokes funny but like.. ''tone deaf bard'' is literally killing me like btc lets be forreal this aint funny.

[@merru-mun7414]

If they switched out the dialogue in Traveler's voicelines, and the dialogue in the quests, Traveler and Paimon would be so much more interesting. They decide to shove a ton of lore and character building in the voicelines, which not everyone looks at, and, imo, should NEVER be the main source of personality traits in a game, instead of inserting it in the actual quests that people read. Make people enjoy your game at face value and then they'll enjoy the game at its deepest depths.

[@Laura-ol5mt]

The problem is exactly that the traveler can't have a long response to Paimon. I think that the voicelines with Traveler and Paimon are way more fun that the interactions that we have in game between them, because in the voicelines the Traveler has a PERSONALITY that goes well and is playfull with Paimon and makes things more enjoyable. And in the voice lines they discuss things and interesting facts about the regions and Paimon shows that she is what she said… a FREAKING GUIDE!!! And one of the reasons that I love 4 star hangouts is because there is NO PAIMON! Just the traveler and the character. It's a shame that Genshin aren't making more of them... where is my Freminet, Chevreuse, Kachina and Ororon hangout??? I hope the anime helps explore there dinamic between Paimon and the Traveler better!

[@tetsupannn]

Honestly, switching the dub over to Chinese made me dislike Paimon like 20% less. It doesnt undo the terrible writing and her obnoxious personality, but it helps quite a bit when she isnt screaming all the time.

[@dominickroberts4653]

If paimon was a proper guide Hoyo would be worries about her revealing too much

[@nasakezero]

Would like an option to toggle Paimon as a companion. Or she could just not dominate dialogue and only speak IF or when needed.

[@ImAaronTV]

Ever since i started to skip paimon's dialogues on the archon quest i started to enjoy those quest a lot more

[@Crop_SP]

Real

[@Saliandros]

I wouldnt say I hate Paimon, but not will I say I like her either. Shes fine. I like her more in Natlan story ark then in Liyue. Yes im a new player who thinks gems is gems, so I do the current content, and when I wait continue my main story.

[@coffeeluci]

you know, I've always been fine with Paimon she can get grating sometimes, but I think that she works for the more talkative partner of the Paimon-Traveler duo, though that probably is something I am more used to due to my introverted traveler headcanon, which comes from how usually the only time traveler talks comfortably is with Paimon as banter. Like, he can get friendly with others, yet it seems like the only times they are willing to heckle with someone is usually with Paimon, and almost always in jest, which is how my friends and I act around each other as well. Plus, she has a few moments that end up actually showing her feelings other than "rude, food, money," and those moments really help show the friendship between the two BUT her voice direction really has gotten way too bad for me. And I am not blaming the va, because I was pleasantly surprised with her voice in Mondstadt after all the memes I saw before playing. It was perfect for the cutesy character without getting on your nerves. And then her voice kept getting higher and higher, whinier and whinier, and now I play with voice volume off