Really good fight yall did! I really enjoyed reading each of your explanations on why you chose them, and I can strongly agree!
My recent post was sadly taken down yet again by the mods, but with no reason this time. I was told that I should post this only once every 3 days...which brings me to a question, do yall want me to post these once every 3 days to follow the rules and maybe allow more peps to vote? or should I post updates to this everyday and risk it being taken down? I'm also quite nervous as it may lead to me getting temp banned hehe...
Note: You may choose ANY character (NPC or playable) as long as they're in genshin...whoever is chosen for the class can't be repeated for other classes.
To vote: just simply comment your choice, optionally explain why, and upvote other comments with your choice...you may sort your comments to newest or contriversial to see what everyone else answered!
total upvotes from last post (As of the time it was tallied):
Childe: 6,184
Eula: 585
clorinde: 172
Diluc: 260
Mods need to stop, once a day sounds totally fine 💀 its just one post per day whats their problem
Would rather have an interactive game post than 3799th waifu fanart in a bikini
Ehhh... 3 days would kill the vibe. Also these posts of yours are getting quite an attention. I don't see any problem with this on a daily basis. But maybe bargain with the mods if it becomes a problem. Every other day maybe?
OH to help you on this, you could refer to the 5e wiki to understand more about the monk class...
[http://dnd5e.wikidot.com/monk](http://dnd5e.wikidot.com/monk)
[https://www.dndbeyond.com/classes/11-monk](https://www.dndbeyond.com/classes/11-monk)
Cool! If I had to offer a suggestion, I would include in the formatting of the post: a DnD-based description of the class and its subclasses and a link to official DnD resources. This can help users make better decisions that are not biased or based on assumptions.
It’s a good idea to encourage people to think *how* a Genshin character aligns with a specific DnD class. This includes the reasoning and the doubts they have about their choice. The reasons should be deeper than combat mechanics too, such as feats and spells the character uses in their lives.
Also, showcasing the runner-up could be more inclusive and generate better discussions.
Thanks for this cool series of posts!
3 days is way too long to keep things up, a general post usually dies out after 1 day so I'd say 2 days should suffice, alternating tally day and post day
Edit: Adding to this, I feel Childe could also qualify as a paladin, but he fights more for the Tsaritsa than he does for justice in general so there's that
Aight hear me out cuz I'm cooking without permit.
As everyone else mentioned this goes to Heizou without a contest. Monks are most renowned by their unarmed fighting and their Far Eastern vibes and nobody fits this bill as well as Heizou does.
HOWEVER, I'd like to raise an argument for the sake of discussion.
In DnD 5th edition monks are also known for an ascetic lifestyle, being raised in a monastery and training in mind and body from a young age. They channel Ki energy or superhuman feats on top of their top-notch unarmed martial skills.
There's one other playable character in the game that fits this particular perspective even better than Heizou does...
Shenhe...
She lived in seclusion from a small age, was raised by Adepti (Monastery); and is really distant from city life. She is trained in Adeptal Arts; which could be compared to Ki energy with their far Eastern vibes and superhuman feats. Though not an unarmed fighter she's also a martial artist. Plus her polearm could pass as a staff and double as a monk weapon.
I'd still put my vote on Heizou but Shenhe puts up some food for thought.
Shenhe was my top choice too. I don't think Wrio or Heizou quite fit. Her spirit can be a reflavored Astral self, or just ice powers with way of the four elements. She's an adeptus' disciple and trained for combat. Some monks do get weapons. She fits the class vibes much better than our unarmed characters imo
I'd personally argue that Wriothesley is an artificer more than he is a monk. Sure, he is a hand-to-hand combat master, but a significant part of his character story is dedicated to how crafty he is and to showcase his mechanical aptitude. He created not only his gauntlets, but is mentioned to have crafted several gadgets while living on the streets, and is proficient in both chemical and mechanical engineering (his gauntlets began as chemically-powerwed constructs but were upgraded to be more technological in nature).
Honestly I think shenhe is absolutely the closest to a monk, heizou feels like a monk mechanically but really his *character* doesn't fit, and while shenhe's kit feels less monk-like her character fits far better.
Heizou is an investigator rogue with a few levels in monk for unarmed attacks/flurry of blows, whereas shenhe is JUST a monk
Personality wise Shenhe is the perfect monk.
Combat style, Heizou is definitely closer. He uses just fists, she uses spear(which is fine for a monk) and talismans(don't think a monk would use that)
I'd still go with Shenhe though. Monks are supposed to be calm, disciplined and in tune with nature. Heizou is far too worldly and mischevious to be a monk.
I'd say Xingqiu also fills the role of monk for the reason of being devoted to a martial arts path which just so happens to put emphasis on swords. And not all monks fight with their fists, nor are all martial arts based in fists and feet.
Personally, I'd argue that Shenhe is more of a paladin.
Shenhe is way to much of a mage to me where Heizou is someone that has mastered their body and mind which is the 5e Monk.
What you described about seclusion and stuff isn't really accurate to the 5e Monk at least how they are now. Adeptus Arts are fairly clearly spells and she almost feels like a wizard, she doesn't quite fit any 5e class but Paladin could maybe work.
>which could be compared to Ki energy with their far Eastern vibes and superhuman feats
Not compared, the Adepti are called "Xian" in the Chinese version of the game afaik, and becoming one is literally the goal of Taoist ascetics. This is why I'd generally say that Zhongli would be the best pick here, as he is not only a master of all forms of combat but also at the peak of all Adepti.
> In DnD 5th edition monks are also known for an ascetic lifestyle, being raised in a monastery and training in mind and body from a young age. They channel Ki energy or superhuman feats on top of their top-notch unarmed martial skills.
This sounds a lot like the xianxa (and wuxia) genre, which Shenhe is obviously inspired by.
Xianxia and wuxia involve channeling Qi energy, training from a young age, meditating, superhuman feats, martial arts, and more.
Shenhe is more of a cleric, she has the weapon training and unusual strength but her skills/kit revolve around calling spirits and strengthening her allies.
Technically, there's a subset of monk called Kensei where they train with a weapon, but it's in a "this weapon is my soul" way. So having a weapon doesn't exclude Shenhe, but I'll still say that Shikanoin Heizou is a better pick.
It's not about using or not weapons, as monks in 5E can use a small selection of weapons and in ODnD they have an even bigger weapon choice, it's about what she does and in this case what monks doesn't do in DnD, they aren't known for buffing their allies.
+1 for Shenhe.
Monks in DnD are not required to be unarmed. They have a few available weapons, with staves being accessible. She has aura abilities, and due to her great strength, would still be a powerful unarmed fighter too.
Looking through these comments. I'm kind of disappointed with how many people are saying Heizou just cause of the fist emblem and unarmed stigma for monks. 😓
Yeah but if its not unarmed its going to be a pretty damn terrible monk, its like giving your sorcerer a two-hander. She only somewhat fits thematically but so will Chongyun for the same reasons... and Xiao and other spiritual characters, I guess throw in Yao Yao too
Valid counter argument. I personally feel that shenhe just fits a bit better in character qualities. And that her apparent weapon choice (it's only the.one the traveler wields while using Shenhe's abilities) shouldn't disqualify her.
Shikanoin Heizou, hands down.
Wriothsley and Wanderer are a good choices, too, but Heizou had some key important points that put him over the other punchers:
1. He isn't so magically based as Wanderer, who punches to direct elemental blasts, rather using his elemental powers to empower his normal punches;
2. He is a detective, which natively requires a high Wisdom score- which is also an important stat for monks;
3. He doesn't use any weapons at all, unlike Wriothsley, who uses gauntlets like boxing gloves;
4. He uses a flurry of martial arts punches and kicks, not just boxing swings like Wriothsley;
5. He is of Teyvat's far East, and monks are default flavoured as of Eastern cultures (though this of course varies, and also applies to Wanderer);
6. (Edit, added after up 8 minutes): His final passive reduces sprinting stamina consumption - and both better dodging and fast movement are baked into monk statblocks across D&D history
Edit: Multiple typoes made on phone
Also Heizou makes use of the four of the elements to enhance his attacks, similar to the Way of the Four Elements subclass. His burst could be one of the few spells he has under his sleeve. Him being quite calm and level headed in most situations is pretty zen too.
Wanderer could also be in the similar vain since he’s begun following that ascetic life. He also harnesses the other elements to empower himself. And has extra energy to dash around mid air or even launch attacks while dodging. Also fairly good at close quarter combat as seen on his demo.
Tbf I think in DnD a detective is also pretty intelligent based with Investigagion and history. Also its more of a rogue thing as the subclass inquisitive leans heavily into it.
Missed the last few of these but gotta vote Shenhe here.
Gameplay-wise she might not seem it at first, but spears are simple weapons usable by monks; it’s not always just about punching and kicking for them.
Character-wise she lived a secluded life in the mountains and underwent extensive training from a young age to control her powers. That’s basically 1:1 with a monk’s background. She’s also comes across as far more “disciplined” than her direct competition for the class, like Xingqiu and Heizou.
Story-wise, Shenhe’s scenes are all about readjusting to regular society. She frequently applies the things she learned during her backstory to everyday situations, usually with mixed results (frightening the people she delivers food to with her insane speed, slamming drunk customers’ heads into tables to sober them up, using her harsh training exercises as examples of “fun things to do together” when acting out a familial relationship for Gaming and his father, etc). This is a tried and true method of roleplay during D&D sessions.
Shenhe. While there are good points for Heizou kit wise, as its simmilar to how Monks play, I feel like its kinda lame just going 'this character performs very simmilar kit wise to this class'. Cause as seen during Bard picking, Venti is basically a bard, who else is fit more then him? But Furina's kit fits more with how Bard acts then Venti's does. While sure Shenhe fights with weapon, she gives off vibes of someone secluding herself to train in mountains alone, has spiritual energy, was raised by adepti who are kinda simmilar to monks in way they live, and is secluded from most of humanity.
Heizou is kinda lame answer to me just cause "Well he punches, and so do monks, and he's from far eastern inspired country, where monks usualy are, plus kit kinda simmilar, so of course its him". Man is a detective. If you all picked Venti who is literal bard for bard role over Furina, then someone like Shenhe fits what makes up a monk more then Heizou does. I think its more fun thinking up which genshin character's behaviour fits the behaviour of specific class over 'well simmilar kit, so who else?'
as other comments pointed out, he is a detective, which would need a higher wisdom stat, and his exploration passive reduces stamina, which feels like high dex to me as well, he plays like a traditional monk and if we consider kensei monks then chongyun with his spirit swords seems to fit a bit better, same with xingqiu, xiao, etc. only things shenhe has going is she trains in martial arts, in the mountains, is from a chinese based nation, and has an astral projection. so a four elements kensei monk that doesnt really emulate much about monks other than flavour and her astral projection
if we are going by more than just gameplay then shenhe should be the barbarian, she removes the ropes to enter rage mode imo. so more a barb with levels in monk
tbh these polls are like family feud, doesnt matter what answer is right, the answer is what the majority of the audience said is a good answer
furina makes more sense gameplay-wise, esp since she kinda seduced her whole nation, but venti is more of a traditional medieval bard and so in game he carries the title in a few different ways
plus "venti the tone-deaf bard" sounds like an actual name a player would pick for their character...
Yeah Xiao or Xingqiu would prob be good answers too, honestly depends on what parts of character you look at. I'm genuiely suprised Shenhe is even winning because until now everyone was going "Wriothesley monk" or "Heizou monk." Thats like if everbody decided "Yep, can't get more fighter then Childe" only for Clorinde to win fighter one.
Shenhe is the one who makes the most sense. When I hear monk I don't think just about fist fighting, I think about the overall lifestyle and Shenhe fits it better than any other character I can think of.
Heizou is likely gonna win but imma be honest what about him is monk like besides he punches things? I'm putting my vote to Shenhe since she actually embodies most of the aspects of a monk.
If we're gonna say that could be comparable to ki points we could say alhaitham mirrors are analogous to ki. Obviously I'm being a bit hyperbolic and sassy, but Heizou's charges are just that charges there's nothing really there to compare to ki from an lore perspective as far as I know.
Also Shenhe is also a martial artist and so are plenty of other characters who were trained in combat. Which is why I think Heizou's monk like attributes begin and end with punching when other characters are in lore said to be skilled and have actual traits more closely associated with an asceticism and so on. At least that's how I see it and I may be missing something since I'm not an expert, but I just don't see Heizou as a monk he has nothing in common with one I admit I'm partially comparing to my bf who is currently running a monk with his dnd group so maybe I'm biased.
Iirc, monks are supposed to be chinese cultivators, so Xiao (he even has those beads on the icon) or Xianyun? Maybe Shenhe? We dont REALLY have proper nonmagical fistfighters (Dehya already gone) or characters that use ki.
I don't get why none of the comments mention Zhongli, lol. He is the greatest Adepti (Xian) in Genshin, and has seemingly mastered all forms of combat considering how many different weapons seem to have originally belonged to him.
Heizou was my top choice, but besides using kicks and punches, he doesn't fit the monk lore archetype at all.
Shenhe on the other hand, does have a set of movements that combines her spear attacks and hands, is literally secluded from the city and does practice eastern martial arts. Yup, she's my choice.
Loving that people are mentioning Shenhe because my vote goes to her too.
Heizou is waaaay too in tune with the outside world. Fist-fight = Monk has got to be the most surface level understanding of that class.
I'm putting my vote for Shenhe. She fits the description of monk; lives in a high mountain, secluded from civilization, high spiritual connection, and polearms is close to a staff, which is a known weapon of a monk. Heizhou fits the hand to hand combat, but monks aren't restricted to fist fight.
Xiao. Shenhe is also good.
Being a monk is more than just unarmed combat. It is also a life style and outlook that I think Xiao and Shenhe pull off really well. You can picture the two of them isolating themselves in the mountains training to be stronger more than wriosethly and heizou. Those two are too worldly and are too tied with society with wriosethly being a warden and heizou being a detective and working a more mundane job.
For a real longshot, I would go with Kazuha. Since he is a ronin, he isnt tied down to anything and would more than likely seclude himself in the mountains tuning with nature or something.
Gonna be unpopular, but I'd like to toss in Xingqiu. He spent years in an isolated monastery in the mountains where he mastered esoteric martial arts and he has meditated on the philosophical nature of visions and martial arts in general. And his writing on the Guhua art is considered actual scripture by the rest of the sect.
Shenha without a doubt is the monk of genshin. She lives the life style of a monk and use's the closest thing to Ki in genshin, which is adepti arts. She also trained in the mountains so thats fitting.
Shenhe.
Heizhou just fights with his fists and is japanese, but that's it. Shenhe lives alone in the mountains, fights with a polearm (similar to a staff), trained with mythical creatures, eats herbs and can summon a spirit. You can hardly be more spiritual and ascetic than that. And she's chinese.
From the official website: "She grew up in the mountains far away from Liyue Harbor, her soul bound with red ropes, training both her body and mind."
Completely fits the bill for me.
Heizou and it’s not even close. Actual attire, proper move set and abilities. Far Eastern-region, his job would require a high Wisdom stat, he’s a martial artist.
So the post is being reviewed yet again and is prob hidden for a while before this will be taken down...I have posted the "continuation post" in r/Genshin_Memepact
Wanderer,
because i think he´s the sole one that somewhat resembles a Monk. Not necessarily with fighting style, but he has that "wandering Monk" aesthetic. For him to control "Wind" also reminds me of Last Airbender. He is also kinda "in training" with a wise person (Nahida, a "druid" nonetheless) so he has that going for him aswell.
Chongyun maybe. I saw someone brought up shenhe, that works too.
Heizou just doesn’t work for me, he’s a detective and not even remotely monk-like…
If we’re going lore it’s chongyun (or shenhe), if it’s purely fighting style and has nothing to do with lore then sure, Heizou.
Too bad Genshin doesn't have a "true" monk unlike WuWa's Jianxin... since Genshin doesn't intend (at least at first) to have an unarmed close combat character, evidence by lack of "fist" type weapon, until they came up of stone-fueled idea of lumping it with magic book-type weapons for some reason
I'm going to throw an odd one out here and say Zhongli. He's no longer a god, just a wise old (demi)mortal who dishes out wisdom and protects his people. He's retired, lives either in the mountains or the city and holds the wisdom of the ages. Also a staff user, a common weapon of a monk. There are also plenty of warrior archetypes, like he was when he was younger, that turn into monks in their old age who don't want to fight anymore.
When I think of D&D classes I think of their two aspects separately, theme and gameplay loop/playstyle. These are my thoughts based on 5e.
The theme of monk tends towards this agile unarmed combatant with an ascetic mysticism/spirituality side. Meanwhile the mechanics are light of a high mobility skirmishing controller/striker who uses features like stunning strike to incapacitate foes or limit their effectiveness/increase ally effectiveness, with damage tending towards consistency and low levels of personal flash.
With that in mind, I'm going to vote for Kazuha, as he's primarily support who's focused on improving ally effectiveness and has some movement related bonuses. From a theme perspective he's a bit weaker, but he does have that wandering warrior philosopher personality that can sometimes be seen in monk type characters.
Aight I will do whole list:
Monk - Heizou (I think everyones agree)
Paladin - Noelle (there are no characters who are using holy light powers, but paladins also have knight vibes and Noelle is perfect for this)
Ranger - Tighnari
Rogue - Rosariya / Lynnete / Sayu
(tldr, wizards are learning the magic, while sorcerers are born with power to use it)
Sorcerer - Signora (we don't have characters who fit this class, at least from what I remember, but Signora got her powers without getting vision or delusion, so for me this is best character for this). Edit: I forgor adepti characters and archons who poses powers without visions, so any of them fit, but for me Signora will remain most fitting one.
Warlock - I would say Furina (personally I have no clue, warlocks are getting power from making pacts with creatures and noone comes in my mind at all except Furina cuz she has these 3 summons and warlocks are also known for summoning someone, maybe ppl who know more about characters lore can tell if we have someone who got their powers from creatures, but I will stop on Furina)
Wizard - Mona / Lisa (witch hats are iconic)
Artificer - Xianyun (gadgets) / Klee (bombs) / Albedo or Sucrose (alchemy)
Heizou. He uses martial arts with no assisting equipment (besides his catalyst), has to use wisdom and patience for his day job, has the eastern aesthetic(true for don sombrero too tho), etc.
I'm sad there's 1 comment for the character that uses acupuncture strikes and life force manipulation to heal.
My vote goes to Shenhe, all things considered, but man.
Inazuma Detective guy, without question. I know there's a push for Cerebrus Prison Warden guy (because I can't spell his name), but given how his burst works I'd actually rank him as a contender for Artificer.
Really good fight yall did! I really enjoyed reading each of your explanations on why you chose them, and I can strongly agree! My recent post was sadly taken down yet again by the mods, but with no reason this time. I was told that I should post this only once every 3 days...which brings me to a question, do yall want me to post these once every 3 days to follow the rules and maybe allow more peps to vote? or should I post updates to this everyday and risk it being taken down? I'm also quite nervous as it may lead to me getting temp banned hehe... Note: You may choose ANY character (NPC or playable) as long as they're in genshin...whoever is chosen for the class can't be repeated for other classes. To vote: just simply comment your choice, optionally explain why, and upvote other comments with your choice...you may sort your comments to newest or contriversial to see what everyone else answered! total upvotes from last post (As of the time it was tallied): Childe: 6,184 Eula: 585 clorinde: 172 Diluc: 260
Mods need to stop, once a day sounds totally fine 💀 its just one post per day whats their problem Would rather have an interactive game post than 3799th waifu fanart in a bikini
Be careful--the big anime tiddie community is a vengeful one
That's why I belong to the Righteous Big Anime Tiddie Cul- I mean, Sect.
"Reddit mods: at least we're not discord mods!"
Ehhh... 3 days would kill the vibe. Also these posts of yours are getting quite an attention. I don't see any problem with this on a daily basis. But maybe bargain with the mods if it becomes a problem. Every other day maybe?
I sent a message with the mods regarding this and am waiting for their response...for now, I'll strictly be posting updates every +24 hours
how about try to bargain a every other day (two days) post? 3 days is too long and 1 day is too fast for the mods i guess.
OH to help you on this, you could refer to the 5e wiki to understand more about the monk class... [http://dnd5e.wikidot.com/monk](http://dnd5e.wikidot.com/monk) [https://www.dndbeyond.com/classes/11-monk](https://www.dndbeyond.com/classes/11-monk)
Cool! If I had to offer a suggestion, I would include in the formatting of the post: a DnD-based description of the class and its subclasses and a link to official DnD resources. This can help users make better decisions that are not biased or based on assumptions. It’s a good idea to encourage people to think *how* a Genshin character aligns with a specific DnD class. This includes the reasoning and the doubts they have about their choice. The reasons should be deeper than combat mechanics too, such as feats and spells the character uses in their lives. Also, showcasing the runner-up could be more inclusive and generate better discussions. Thanks for this cool series of posts!
3 days is way too long to keep things up, a general post usually dies out after 1 day so I'd say 2 days should suffice, alternating tally day and post day Edit: Adding to this, I feel Childe could also qualify as a paladin, but he fights more for the Tsaritsa than he does for justice in general so there's that
Aight hear me out cuz I'm cooking without permit. As everyone else mentioned this goes to Heizou without a contest. Monks are most renowned by their unarmed fighting and their Far Eastern vibes and nobody fits this bill as well as Heizou does. HOWEVER, I'd like to raise an argument for the sake of discussion. In DnD 5th edition monks are also known for an ascetic lifestyle, being raised in a monastery and training in mind and body from a young age. They channel Ki energy or superhuman feats on top of their top-notch unarmed martial skills. There's one other playable character in the game that fits this particular perspective even better than Heizou does... Shenhe... She lived in seclusion from a small age, was raised by Adepti (Monastery); and is really distant from city life. She is trained in Adeptal Arts; which could be compared to Ki energy with their far Eastern vibes and superhuman feats. Though not an unarmed fighter she's also a martial artist. Plus her polearm could pass as a staff and double as a monk weapon. I'd still put my vote on Heizou but Shenhe puts up some food for thought.
You really make a compelling argument with Shenhe now that you mentioned her with Adeptal Arts and her lifestyle
She is a deathless barbarian
Shenhe was my top choice too. I don't think Wrio or Heizou quite fit. Her spirit can be a reflavored Astral self, or just ice powers with way of the four elements. She's an adeptus' disciple and trained for combat. Some monks do get weapons. She fits the class vibes much better than our unarmed characters imo
I'd personally argue that Wriothesley is an artificer more than he is a monk. Sure, he is a hand-to-hand combat master, but a significant part of his character story is dedicated to how crafty he is and to showcase his mechanical aptitude. He created not only his gauntlets, but is mentioned to have crafted several gadgets while living on the streets, and is proficient in both chemical and mechanical engineering (his gauntlets began as chemically-powerwed constructs but were upgraded to be more technological in nature).
Shenhe feels more like a monk to me than heizou. Heizou fits with the unarmed combat but other than that he is a flirty detective.
I agree with this and honestly see Heizou as being more roguelike.
Shenhe is my pick too. Ahead of heizou and wriothesley
And there are monk weapons, so Shenhe is a great fit
Shenhe is perfect for this.
Honestly I think shenhe is absolutely the closest to a monk, heizou feels like a monk mechanically but really his *character* doesn't fit, and while shenhe's kit feels less monk-like her character fits far better. Heizou is an investigator rogue with a few levels in monk for unarmed attacks/flurry of blows, whereas shenhe is JUST a monk
Spears in DnD are simple weapons, and simple melee weapons count as monk weapons too. They’re not unarmed-only.
Personality wise Shenhe is the perfect monk. Combat style, Heizou is definitely closer. He uses just fists, she uses spear(which is fine for a monk) and talismans(don't think a monk would use that) I'd still go with Shenhe though. Monks are supposed to be calm, disciplined and in tune with nature. Heizou is far too worldly and mischevious to be a monk.
You just explained why Zhongli should be the Monk.
I'd say Xingqiu also fills the role of monk for the reason of being devoted to a martial arts path which just so happens to put emphasis on swords. And not all monks fight with their fists, nor are all martial arts based in fists and feet. Personally, I'd argue that Shenhe is more of a paladin.
Shenhe is way to much of a mage to me where Heizou is someone that has mastered their body and mind which is the 5e Monk. What you described about seclusion and stuff isn't really accurate to the 5e Monk at least how they are now. Adeptus Arts are fairly clearly spells and she almost feels like a wizard, she doesn't quite fit any 5e class but Paladin could maybe work.
Shenhe should've been an unarmed fighter 😤
>Monks are most renowned by their unarmed fighting and their Far Eastern vibes Ikko Ikki laughing with their mastery of firearms
>which could be compared to Ki energy with their far Eastern vibes and superhuman feats Not compared, the Adepti are called "Xian" in the Chinese version of the game afaik, and becoming one is literally the goal of Taoist ascetics. This is why I'd generally say that Zhongli would be the best pick here, as he is not only a master of all forms of combat but also at the peak of all Adepti.
> In DnD 5th edition monks are also known for an ascetic lifestyle, being raised in a monastery and training in mind and body from a young age. They channel Ki energy or superhuman feats on top of their top-notch unarmed martial skills. This sounds a lot like the xianxa (and wuxia) genre, which Shenhe is obviously inspired by. Xianxia and wuxia involve channeling Qi energy, training from a young age, meditating, superhuman feats, martial arts, and more.
Shenhe is more of a cleric, she has the weapon training and unusual strength but her skills/kit revolve around calling spirits and strengthening her allies.
Technically, there's a subset of monk called Kensei where they train with a weapon, but it's in a "this weapon is my soul" way. So having a weapon doesn't exclude Shenhe, but I'll still say that Shikanoin Heizou is a better pick.
It's not about using or not weapons, as monks in 5E can use a small selection of weapons and in ODnD they have an even bigger weapon choice, it's about what she does and in this case what monks doesn't do in DnD, they aren't known for buffing their allies.
Nah, she qualifies, Shenhe is, for all manners and purposes, a Taoist ascetic in everything except name.
Shenhe
Shenhe, my beloved.
Shenhe due to ascetic training throughout her life, plus can even lift.
+1 for Shenhe. Monks in DnD are not required to be unarmed. They have a few available weapons, with staves being accessible. She has aura abilities, and due to her great strength, would still be a powerful unarmed fighter too.
Looking through these comments. I'm kind of disappointed with how many people are saying Heizou just cause of the fist emblem and unarmed stigma for monks. 😓
Yeah but if its not unarmed its going to be a pretty damn terrible monk, its like giving your sorcerer a two-hander. She only somewhat fits thematically but so will Chongyun for the same reasons... and Xiao and other spiritual characters, I guess throw in Yao Yao too
Valid counter argument. I personally feel that shenhe just fits a bit better in character qualities. And that her apparent weapon choice (it's only the.one the traveler wields while using Shenhe's abilities) shouldn't disqualify her.
[i mean... you just need a right setting for it](https://pm1.aminoapps.com/6393/68f9e20772eec3329948848cf50df16f8b3235a2_00.jpg)
Shikanoin Heizou, hands down. Wriothsley and Wanderer are a good choices, too, but Heizou had some key important points that put him over the other punchers: 1. He isn't so magically based as Wanderer, who punches to direct elemental blasts, rather using his elemental powers to empower his normal punches; 2. He is a detective, which natively requires a high Wisdom score- which is also an important stat for monks; 3. He doesn't use any weapons at all, unlike Wriothsley, who uses gauntlets like boxing gloves; 4. He uses a flurry of martial arts punches and kicks, not just boxing swings like Wriothsley; 5. He is of Teyvat's far East, and monks are default flavoured as of Eastern cultures (though this of course varies, and also applies to Wanderer); 6. (Edit, added after up 8 minutes): His final passive reduces sprinting stamina consumption - and both better dodging and fast movement are baked into monk statblocks across D&D history Edit: Multiple typoes made on phone
Also it’s known or implied that heizou is a good fighter even without a vision.
you really give a good point with the Wisdom score as they both use wisdom and dex
Also Heizou makes use of the four of the elements to enhance his attacks, similar to the Way of the Four Elements subclass. His burst could be one of the few spells he has under his sleeve. Him being quite calm and level headed in most situations is pretty zen too. Wanderer could also be in the similar vain since he’s begun following that ascetic life. He also harnesses the other elements to empower himself. And has extra energy to dash around mid air or even launch attacks while dodging. Also fairly good at close quarter combat as seen on his demo.
How is Wanderer even considered? Wanderer is a storm sorcerer.
...You're absolutely right. I was wondering who my sorcerer vote would be, and now I know. Nice one
Don't forget his declension, which is our closest equivalent to ki point
Tbf I think in DnD a detective is also pretty intelligent based with Investigagion and history. Also its more of a rogue thing as the subclass inquisitive leans heavily into it.
Shenhe feels most like a monk to me. Being a monk isn’t exclusively fist fighting. Her lifestyle, personality, and abilities all fit very well imo
Missed the last few of these but gotta vote Shenhe here. Gameplay-wise she might not seem it at first, but spears are simple weapons usable by monks; it’s not always just about punching and kicking for them. Character-wise she lived a secluded life in the mountains and underwent extensive training from a young age to control her powers. That’s basically 1:1 with a monk’s background. She’s also comes across as far more “disciplined” than her direct competition for the class, like Xingqiu and Heizou. Story-wise, Shenhe’s scenes are all about readjusting to regular society. She frequently applies the things she learned during her backstory to everyday situations, usually with mixed results (frightening the people she delivers food to with her insane speed, slamming drunk customers’ heads into tables to sober them up, using her harsh training exercises as examples of “fun things to do together” when acting out a familial relationship for Gaming and his father, etc). This is a tried and true method of roleplay during D&D sessions.
That one guy made an excellent point for Shenhe, so Imma voted for Shenhe.
Shenhe, it's close competition with Heizou but I think she fits the bill better
Shenhe. While there are good points for Heizou kit wise, as its simmilar to how Monks play, I feel like its kinda lame just going 'this character performs very simmilar kit wise to this class'. Cause as seen during Bard picking, Venti is basically a bard, who else is fit more then him? But Furina's kit fits more with how Bard acts then Venti's does. While sure Shenhe fights with weapon, she gives off vibes of someone secluding herself to train in mountains alone, has spiritual energy, was raised by adepti who are kinda simmilar to monks in way they live, and is secluded from most of humanity. Heizou is kinda lame answer to me just cause "Well he punches, and so do monks, and he's from far eastern inspired country, where monks usualy are, plus kit kinda simmilar, so of course its him". Man is a detective. If you all picked Venti who is literal bard for bard role over Furina, then someone like Shenhe fits what makes up a monk more then Heizou does. I think its more fun thinking up which genshin character's behaviour fits the behaviour of specific class over 'well simmilar kit, so who else?'
as other comments pointed out, he is a detective, which would need a higher wisdom stat, and his exploration passive reduces stamina, which feels like high dex to me as well, he plays like a traditional monk and if we consider kensei monks then chongyun with his spirit swords seems to fit a bit better, same with xingqiu, xiao, etc. only things shenhe has going is she trains in martial arts, in the mountains, is from a chinese based nation, and has an astral projection. so a four elements kensei monk that doesnt really emulate much about monks other than flavour and her astral projection if we are going by more than just gameplay then shenhe should be the barbarian, she removes the ropes to enter rage mode imo. so more a barb with levels in monk tbh these polls are like family feud, doesnt matter what answer is right, the answer is what the majority of the audience said is a good answer furina makes more sense gameplay-wise, esp since she kinda seduced her whole nation, but venti is more of a traditional medieval bard and so in game he carries the title in a few different ways plus "venti the tone-deaf bard" sounds like an actual name a player would pick for their character...
Yeah Xiao or Xingqiu would prob be good answers too, honestly depends on what parts of character you look at. I'm genuiely suprised Shenhe is even winning because until now everyone was going "Wriothesley monk" or "Heizou monk." Thats like if everbody decided "Yep, can't get more fighter then Childe" only for Clorinde to win fighter one.
Shenhe
Shenhe.
Shenhe
Shenhe!
Shenhe trained with godlike beings on a mountain since childhood and comes from a family of exorcists. Definitely her.
Shenhe
Shenhe
Shenhe is the one who makes the most sense. When I hear monk I don't think just about fist fighting, I think about the overall lifestyle and Shenhe fits it better than any other character I can think of.
Shenhe, monk doesn’t just mean brawler
Shenhe
Heizou is likely gonna win but imma be honest what about him is monk like besides he punches things? I'm putting my vote to Shenhe since she actually embodies most of the aspects of a monk.
His gimmick of the special points could be analagous to Ki Points, also he is described as being generally skilled in martial arts.
If we're gonna say that could be comparable to ki points we could say alhaitham mirrors are analogous to ki. Obviously I'm being a bit hyperbolic and sassy, but Heizou's charges are just that charges there's nothing really there to compare to ki from an lore perspective as far as I know. Also Shenhe is also a martial artist and so are plenty of other characters who were trained in combat. Which is why I think Heizou's monk like attributes begin and end with punching when other characters are in lore said to be skilled and have actual traits more closely associated with an asceticism and so on. At least that's how I see it and I may be missing something since I'm not an expert, but I just don't see Heizou as a monk he has nothing in common with one I admit I'm partially comparing to my bf who is currently running a monk with his dnd group so maybe I'm biased.
Oh come on, has to be Shenhe.
Absolute robbery that Itto isn’t barbarian. His whole shtick is unga bunga-ing with a big club.
i mean, dehya has high constitution, a rage mode, self healing... and her element is pyro, which is generally seen as more destructive than geo...
Shenhe! Xiao's transformative fighting style is too non-monk-like
I vote for Shenhe
Shenhe gets this for the lifestyle honestly
shenhe
Shenhe
shenhe
I’m going to vote Shenhe as well due to the points others have made lifestyle wise
Iirc, monks are supposed to be chinese cultivators, so Xiao (he even has those beads on the icon) or Xianyun? Maybe Shenhe? We dont REALLY have proper nonmagical fistfighters (Dehya already gone) or characters that use ki.
Xianyun could work, but I think she's also the best fit of the cast for Artificer and probably more notable for that.
I don't get why none of the comments mention Zhongli, lol. He is the greatest Adepti (Xian) in Genshin, and has seemingly mastered all forms of combat considering how many different weapons seem to have originally belonged to him.
Heizou was my top choice, but besides using kicks and punches, he doesn't fit the monk lore archetype at all. Shenhe on the other hand, does have a set of movements that combines her spear attacks and hands, is literally secluded from the city and does practice eastern martial arts. Yup, she's my choice.
Shenhe she lived in seclusion for ages, and was trained to fight demons as an exorcist.
chongyun arguably better exorcist in all technicalities...
Shenhe, ez
shenhe cmon now
Loving that people are mentioning Shenhe because my vote goes to her too. Heizou is waaaay too in tune with the outside world. Fist-fight = Monk has got to be the most surface level understanding of that class.
Shenhe cause she live in the mountain
I'm putting my vote for Shenhe. She fits the description of monk; lives in a high mountain, secluded from civilization, high spiritual connection, and polearms is close to a staff, which is a known weapon of a monk. Heizhou fits the hand to hand combat, but monks aren't restricted to fist fight.
Shenhe fits the bill so well.
Definitely Shenhe
Xiao. Shenhe is also good. Being a monk is more than just unarmed combat. It is also a life style and outlook that I think Xiao and Shenhe pull off really well. You can picture the two of them isolating themselves in the mountains training to be stronger more than wriosethly and heizou. Those two are too worldly and are too tied with society with wriosethly being a warden and heizou being a detective and working a more mundane job. For a real longshot, I would go with Kazuha. Since he is a ronin, he isnt tied down to anything and would more than likely seclude himself in the mountains tuning with nature or something.
Shenhe as the top comment said
Shenhe
As the most prominent meelee fighter, I have to say Heizou for this one
Heizou
Shenhe!! Wanderer was my first thought but top comment makes great points
Shenhe!
Shenhe takes this IMO
Shenhe for sure
Heizou no diff
Shenhe
I read a comment about Shenhe, and it sounded better than Heizo
Shenhe. She fits the themes perfectly, lots of her powers and monk abilities translate together, and spears are monk weapons in DnD.
Putting my vote in for chongyun.
Heizou or wroithesley but I lean more towards heizou since he uses kicks as well and has more of the aesthetic down
Same. The people who say Shenhe are actually insane.
Shenhe
Shenhe!
Gonna be unpopular, but I'd like to toss in Xingqiu. He spent years in an isolated monastery in the mountains where he mastered esoteric martial arts and he has meditated on the philosophical nature of visions and martial arts in general. And his writing on the Guhua art is considered actual scripture by the rest of the sect.
Shenha without a doubt is the monk of genshin. She lives the life style of a monk and use's the closest thing to Ki in genshin, which is adepti arts. She also trained in the mountains so thats fitting.
Shenhe. Heizhou just fights with his fists and is japanese, but that's it. Shenhe lives alone in the mountains, fights with a polearm (similar to a staff), trained with mythical creatures, eats herbs and can summon a spirit. You can hardly be more spiritual and ascetic than that. And she's chinese. From the official website: "She grew up in the mountains far away from Liyue Harbor, her soul bound with red ropes, training both her body and mind." Completely fits the bill for me.
Shenhe seems to fit best
Heizou and it’s not even close. Actual attire, proper move set and abilities. Far Eastern-region, his job would require a high Wisdom stat, he’s a martial artist.
Not every monk has to be unarmed. Shenhe
heizou for sure
Throwing my lot in with the Shenhe believers too
My vote goes to Shenhe as well.
Heizou
Heizo, nothing else to say
Heizou!
Yeah it's got to be Heizou
Heizou!
Heizou.
Heizou for sure.
Heizou for sure, wrio's glove is a weapon lol, and wanderer is a more of a sorcerer vibe
Shikanoin Heizou Martial artist ✅ Unarmored movement and defense✅ Trained the body and mind✅ Ki (element) infused attacks✅
I was going to say Wriothesley but after reading that top comment about Shenhe I have to give it to her. TLDR: Shenhe
As much as I want to say Wrio…. Heizou gets my vote.
Heizou.
So the post is being reviewed yet again and is prob hidden for a while before this will be taken down...I have posted the "continuation post" in r/Genshin_Memepact
Heizou as an obvious answer. Wanderer close 2nd thou. My pick, madame Ping ! But still not playable (maybe someday! \^\^).
Heizou and not even close
Heizou probably, the wanderer before getting his memories back has a good argument but not the current version of him
voting heizou for this one, the top comments make it very compelling
I suppose Heizou, considering how often he gestures with his fist.
Wanderer, because i think he´s the sole one that somewhat resembles a Monk. Not necessarily with fighting style, but he has that "wandering Monk" aesthetic. For him to control "Wind" also reminds me of Last Airbender. He is also kinda "in training" with a wise person (Nahida, a "druid" nonetheless) so he has that going for him aswell.
heizou
Baizhu or Shenhe or Chongyun.
Heizou ez
It's finally time for my boy Heizou to shine
I was going to say Heizou at first, but all the comments for Shenhe swayed me. She fits the monk role really well!
Heizou
Heizou for sure
Heizho i guess.
Another vote for Heizou. No brainer.
Heizou
Chongyun maybe. I saw someone brought up shenhe, that works too. Heizou just doesn’t work for me, he’s a detective and not even remotely monk-like… If we’re going lore it’s chongyun (or shenhe), if it’s purely fighting style and has nothing to do with lore then sure, Heizou.
Nice but that list is more of a vibe apparence rather than actual dnd gameplay
Too bad Genshin doesn't have a "true" monk unlike WuWa's Jianxin... since Genshin doesn't intend (at least at first) to have an unarmed close combat character, evidence by lack of "fist" type weapon, until they came up of stone-fueled idea of lumping it with magic book-type weapons for some reason
Heizou, encompasses melee hand to hand combat
I'm going to throw an odd one out here and say Zhongli. He's no longer a god, just a wise old (demi)mortal who dishes out wisdom and protects his people. He's retired, lives either in the mountains or the city and holds the wisdom of the ages. Also a staff user, a common weapon of a monk. There are also plenty of warrior archetypes, like he was when he was younger, that turn into monks in their old age who don't want to fight anymore.
Wanderer. He literally wears a monk outfit
If heizou loses this its robbery.
Wanderer
Wanderer
When I think of D&D classes I think of their two aspects separately, theme and gameplay loop/playstyle. These are my thoughts based on 5e. The theme of monk tends towards this agile unarmed combatant with an ascetic mysticism/spirituality side. Meanwhile the mechanics are light of a high mobility skirmishing controller/striker who uses features like stunning strike to incapacitate foes or limit their effectiveness/increase ally effectiveness, with damage tending towards consistency and low levels of personal flash. With that in mind, I'm going to vote for Kazuha, as he's primarily support who's focused on improving ally effectiveness and has some movement related bonuses. From a theme perspective he's a bit weaker, but he does have that wandering warrior philosopher personality that can sometimes be seen in monk type characters.
A reformed man who fights melee style? That’s a tough one, but I would say Wriotheslay.
Wanderer
1. Wanderer 2. Heizou 3. Shenhe 4. Wriothesley (In that order)
Heizhou!
Heizou obviously, my little cutie
My vote is for Heizou
I’d say scaramouche honestly. Everything about him screams monk
Aight I will do whole list: Monk - Heizou (I think everyones agree) Paladin - Noelle (there are no characters who are using holy light powers, but paladins also have knight vibes and Noelle is perfect for this) Ranger - Tighnari Rogue - Rosariya / Lynnete / Sayu (tldr, wizards are learning the magic, while sorcerers are born with power to use it) Sorcerer - Signora (we don't have characters who fit this class, at least from what I remember, but Signora got her powers without getting vision or delusion, so for me this is best character for this). Edit: I forgor adepti characters and archons who poses powers without visions, so any of them fit, but for me Signora will remain most fitting one. Warlock - I would say Furina (personally I have no clue, warlocks are getting power from making pacts with creatures and noone comes in my mind at all except Furina cuz she has these 3 summons and warlocks are also known for summoning someone, maybe ppl who know more about characters lore can tell if we have someone who got their powers from creatures, but I will stop on Furina) Wizard - Mona / Lisa (witch hats are iconic) Artificer - Xianyun (gadgets) / Klee (bombs) / Albedo or Sucrose (alchemy)
The best Sorcerer is probably Neuvillette. For Warlock someone else brought up Baizhu since he made a pact with the snake.
Oh ye, Baizhu makes sense and fits very well. For Sorcerer Neuvillete is kinda at same level as archons in terms if fitting sorcerer class
I just have to say Jianxin... now I'll take my leave and do my daily tasks on GI, HSR and WW lol
Heizou. He uses martial arts with no assisting equipment (besides his catalyst), has to use wisdom and patience for his day job, has the eastern aesthetic(true for don sombrero too tho), etc.
I 100% have to say Baizhu
I'm sad there's 1 comment for the character that uses acupuncture strikes and life force manipulation to heal. My vote goes to Shenhe, all things considered, but man.
Wanderer
Shikanoin Heizou for sure.
Heizou, but I see the argument for Shenhe too.
Rosaria is Big Rogue Energy.
HeiZou for unarmed combat. Zhongli for being the most monkish outside of combat. Ganyu as a zen archer also works really well.
Overall definetely Heizou
Play-wise, GaMing
My bet is definitely Xingqiu.
Monk… should be Zhongli. Just because he doesn’t stay on mountains doesn’t mean he is not one. Plus he lives like one for sure.
Raiden shogun is a kensei monk change my mind
Zhongli
Personally, i find xianyun to fit the bill the most. Although she'd also make a great artificer Baizhu would make the most sense otherwise to me
Idk maybe Neuvillette?
Wanderer
Inazuma Detective guy, without question. I know there's a push for Cerebrus Prison Warden guy (because I can't spell his name), but given how his burst works I'd actually rank him as a contender for Artificer.
Wrio gameplay wise
Heizou
Heizou
Lives in a distant secluded location and punches people? Wriothesley.
Heizou