Alhaitham (Genshin Impact)

. Alhaitham first appeared briefly in the Genshin Impact Sumeru preview short, "Prelude to Wisdom", where his occupation as a researcher was revealed. He later appeared as a non-playable character in the Sumeru chapter of the main storyline introduced in version 3.0 of the game. miHoYo announced his release as a playable character during a special livestream preview for the game. On January 13, 2023, miHoYo released Alhaitham's character trailer "Questions and Silence". On January 17, the character demo "Think Before You Act" was released, followed by a combat tutorial video alongside the version 3.4 update. Alhaitham's name is believed to reference the Arab mathematician and physicist Ibn al-Haytham, a major figure of the Islamic Golden Age known for his groundbreaking achievements in optics. Alhaitham's Japanese voice actor is Yūichirō Umehara. In an interview, Umehara remarked that when he first voiced the character, he realized that although Alhaitham is portrayed as an intellectual, he also struggles somewhat with interpersonal communication. Over time, however, he came to feel that Alhaitham's emotions are nuanced and expressive, giving him a sense of warmth. Compared to other characters, Alhaitham comes across as calm but not arrogant, or someone who makes an effort to remain sociable. Umehara considered the role a difficult one and said that certain lines could carry ambiguous meanings that made it challenging for him to capture the right emotion. Alhaitham is voiced in Chinese by Yang Chaoran, in English by Nazeeh Tarsha, and in Korean by Jeon Seung-hwa. == Appearances ==

Lore Within the game's lore, Alhaitham is a scholar of the Haravatat Darshan of the Sumeru Akademiya (which studies topics such as ancient runes and linguistics) and currently serves as its scribe. Although he holds a prestigious position, he shows little interest in Akademiya meetings or policy-making; instead, he prefers to live a low-profile life, reading for leisure. Nahida describes him as someone who is constantly thinking. He shares a residence with his roommate Kaveh. After the regime's collapse, Nahida reinstates the council of sages that had previously governed the country and appoints Alhaitham as the Acting Grand Sage. Gameplay Alhaitham is a five-star character who wields a one-handed sword. His Elemental Skill, one of his primary modes of attack, allows him to generate "Chisel-Light Mirrors" which not only boost his damage output and convert his normal attacks into Dendro damage, but also provide coordinated attacks. According to PCGamesN, players discovered a humorous programming bug related to this skill: because Alhaitham's abilities can cause him to leap into the air, if his jump is interrupted by colliding with an enemy's projectile at the right moment, he may be uncontrollably launched along a parabolic trajectory, soaring a great distance across the map. == Reception ==

Alhaitham has been generally well-received by players. Fans have expressed their fondness for the character through cosplay and derivative works, including the fanmade Chinese game On Time to Leave, Alhaitham () which humorously depicts him using his wits to ensure he can leave work on time at the end of the day. Despite his popularity among players, sales estimates for his character banner were relatively weak. According to the data analytics site GenshinLab, the banner featuring both Alhaitham and Xiao performed poorly in version 3.4. PCGamesN writer Ethan Anderson attributed this to the subsequent banner, featuring Hu Tao and Yelan, two highly sought-after characters, leading many players to skip Alhaitham's rerun. Yeo Hyeon-gu of Inven speculated that Alhaitham's lack of popularity may be because he was a male character. Kotaku writer Sisi Jiang considered Alhaitham the most interesting character in the Sumeru story arc, writing that while he presents himself as a "frail academic", he is in reality nothing of the sort. Although he refuses to assume a high leadership role in Sumeru, Jiang remarked that his companions repeatedly elevate him to positions of authority, which left her eager to see how his story develops in future updates. Screen Rant critic Ryan Clouse described Alhaitham's dynamic with his roommate Kaveh as entertaining. Although they live together and both serve as Akademiya scholars, they are portrayed as mirror opposites: Alhaitham, logical and calculating; Kaveh, emotional and empathetic. Their frequent arguments reflect these differences, but they also complement each other, creating a close and balanced relationship. Clouse compared them to Sumeru's rainforest and desert regions, arguing that their interactions deepen the game's exploration of rationality and emotion. Game Rant writer Elara Leclair drew a philosophical comparison, likening Kaveh to Plato's idealism and Alhaitham to Aristotle's materialism, framing their relationship as a reflection of the tension between the two concepts. Stephanie Liu of Siliconera complimented Umehara's voice acting for the character, saying "This man could insult me and I'd thank him." Alhaitham's gameplay was generally received positively. Commentator Lam Cheuk-hang from HK01 and Gozie Ibekwe from Game Rant both complimented Alhaitham's offensive capabilities as a DPS; he can also apply the Dendro element to enemies, enabling synergy with other elemental characters to trigger elemental reactions. Stephanie Liu of Siliconera said that he was "fun to use, as well as fun to look at" and complimented the damage Alhaitham does using elemental reactions, but also wrote that this also depends on the characters Alhaitham is paired with. == Notes ==