Summary
One thing thatGenshin Impacthas done beautifully many times is writing characters' stories perfectly. These stories are often well-thought-out and hold tons of tiny details, some of which may breakGenshin Impactplayers' hearts. When the game revealed Furina’s truth to the world, some members of the community looked straight at Wanderer, and the parallels were uncanny. After all, one was cherished for how human she was, and the other was tossed aside for it.
The pair makes a perfect example of a narrative foil; the two of them reflect each other’s stories and how things could have gone for the other if they had been swapped.Genshin Impact’s Furinamay seem like the one with the ideal situation, but she had to keep herself in character for centuries. Wanderer (previously known as Scaramouche) had hopes he’d fit into human society for a long while, but he claims now to no longer care for dreams like this that aren’t going to happen in his eyes.
The Similarities Between Genshin Impact’s Scaramouche and Furina Explained
Furina
Although Furina isn’t human, she exhibits more human traits than most other characters. That’s the cruel joke placed on her - as Focalors’s humanity and body, she was so human for someone who was tasked with playing god for 500 years. Beneath it all, though, under everything she was pretending to be, she wanted help badly. Furina almost caved whenGenshin Impact’s Travelerextended a hand, though it was for the court more than anything.
Furina had wanted to accept that help desperately. But she knew it was a risk and couldn’t afford to toss her plan to the side like that if the Traveler still counted.The Traveler is a descender, but she couldn’t guarantee that this meant her plan would be fine. Being cursed with immortality and tasked to pretend to be Focalors weighed heavy on her. And even when her freedom came, she didn’t know what to do with it–she saw it as having no place in Fontaine’s society anymore, despite being a celebrity of sorts.
Wanderer/Scaramouche
Wanderer, then Kabukimono, was human in a sense too, but his creator saw this as a flaw rather than something to be cherished. His tears that fell when he held the Gnosis that first time were his undoing. Though they shouldn’t have been–especially not if that made him so similar tothe late Electro Archon, Makoto. One would’ve thought this made him perfect to be an Archon for Inazuma, but Ei’s goal was an emotionless puppet, so to be human is to be flawed.
He held onto humanity for a while before the betrayal from that nameless child and Niwa (which was later revealed in Irminsul byGenshin Impact’s Nahidato have been a lie all along.) Kabukimono was crushed then and there when he swore to rid himself of any human emotion and became Kunikuzushi. But even then, it was clear he still had the Kabukimono side of him hidden, especially when the Gnosis was being taken from him, and he begged for it back.
Focalors and Ei
The differences in their approaches to the two are painful. Focalors had truly loved Furina, she thought she was perfect and could bear the weight of holding onto a secret for so long. She cherished Furina’s humanity, but cursed her anyway. There was a job to be done and there was no beating around the bush. Had Wanderer been given something like this, an opportunity to prove himself, he likely would’ve given it his all to do so. After all, he sawGenshin Impact’s Eias his mother and would have done anything to have her approval before it all came crashing down.
But Ei was detached. Her old voiceline about Kunikuzushi said that though she felt she owed him something, she couldn’t bring herself to intervene in his fate. But this does nothing for him or his past–it’s just salt in the wound. She discarded him for being unfit, and her closest companion,Genshin Impact’s Yae Miko, thought he should be destroyed. There was never going to be a way that he saw this dismissal of him as helpful. But had it been Furina, she might’ve been given the chance to live the human life she wanted to, originally. She may have this chance now, but it cost her so much to get to this point.
Furina and Wanderer/Scaramouche
Both Furina and Wanderer yearned to be human and free. But when the chance finally came for them both, it didn’t feel like they were either. Furina didn’t think she had a place in the world anymore and thought that should mean she was free, it’s more akin to the burden of figuring out where one wants to spend their life. And Wanderer may not ever realize that he’s free–it’s clear to most that Nahida doesn’t really consider him a prisoner anymore. His crimes asScaramouche, the 6th Fatui Harbinger, (though not invisible) aren’t pressing on Nahida’s mind. She just wants him to figure himself out before “letting him go.”
Furina and Wanderer alike were almost unbearably human. And even in the present time, Furina still has the chance to get to try and be human. Wanderer does too but he’s been too hurt to realize it. His place inthe Sumeru Akademiyafeels like one he’s being forced into. But Nahida isn’t Ei, she truly does want the best for him and is playing an active role in that.
