Disclaimer: As an autistic person who's nearly a hikikomori, I have very little positive experience interacting with other people outside of my close friend group. I am not a psychologist and I wrote this while somewhat sad and angry. Therefore, some of my theories may be wildly incorrect.
Based on Version 5.3 after the Version 5.4 Special Program showcasing Yumemizuki Mizuki.
Autistic people are known for their extremely strong special interests but...subpar social skills. While many neurotypical people intuitively understand how to navigate social situations starting in childhood, this can be tough even for autistic adults like me. Instead of "going along with the vibe" which many of us are unable to feel, we thus can be notorious for "logicking" psychology and social dynamics; in my case as a passionate gamer, I assign archetypes based on video game characters or traits.
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| A quick tier list I made while in public transport. The higher the tier, the more likely people are to associate me with the character. |
While I heavily associate myself with my favorite characters like Xingqiu, Tartaglia, and Bennett, I also predicted (but not proven because from my experience, Genshin Impact and Honkai: Star Rail fans only exist either online or in official HoYoverse conventions; every Filipino and their mother is a Call of Duty: Mobile, Mobile Legends, or VALORANT player while every Japanese kid plays Apex Legends, Fortnite, Mario Kart, or Splatoon) that most hardcore neurotypical Genshin Impact players would raise eyebrows if they heard me say this. My behavior around strangers is extremely different from how I act around close friends. For example, I keep quiet because if I exhibited Tartaglia's thirst for battle in public, I'd get in trouble for inciting violence or something—I admittedly only recently noticed that most fighters rarely reveal their combat talents even in casual conversations with friends outside of places like martial arts gyms. I prefer solitary and sedentary hobbies like gaming and rarely yap about travel so people are unlikely to associate me with Bennett...even though I actually enjoyed traveling to several places like beaches, caves, mountains, and other cities.
Assumptions
These theories are based on my image of an average neurotypical ExxP teen or young adult American or Filipino and average out the opinions of both genders. They only know me from a surface level after both limited first-hand interaction and third-party observation at school, work, or a similar collaborative setting. This person is at least Adventure Rank 56 and has completed all the Archon Quests.
Unless otherwise specified, meta strength is not considered.
C and D Tiers
These characters are simply so different from my surface-level behavior that one would have to observe closely or become friends with me for real to see the actual similarities.
The C tier covers characters I have a very small but sometimes obvious similarity with while the D tier contains characters that people would think I have no similarity to at all or be unsure of.
Different Skills From Me
This category applies to: Baizhu, Emilie, Sigewinne, Xiangling, Xinyan, and Yumemizuki Mizuki.
Obviously, I am not a doctor, musician, perfumer, or psychologist.
And less obviously, I suck at cooking. I am still terrified of deep-frying anything and my Dexterity drops to a horribly low score when attempting it.
People Have Forgotten These Characters
This category applies to: Aloy, Baizhu, Barbara, Chasca, Chongyun, Collei, Emilie, Jean, Kachina, Mika, Sucrose, Xilonen, Xingqiu, and Xinyan.
To put it simply...you can't really compare someone to someone else you don't know except by name.
It's a darn shame that Sucrose and Xingqiu are forgotten because that heart-to-heart talk between Collei and Sucrose was one of the best friendly moments I've seen in the game. I also believe more people should be inspired by Xingqiu's reason for learning martial arts: reading epic novels.
Too Extroverted
This category applies to: Amber, Arataki Itto, Beidou, Bennett, Dori, Gaming, Hu Tao, Kaeya, Kirara, Klee, Lyney, Mavuika, Mualani, Nilou, Noelle, Sethos, Thoma, Venti, Xiangling, Xinyan, Yae Miko, and Yoimiya.
All these characters love some kind of high-energy activity or conversation involving other people and assimilate fairly easily at the very least in most social interactions.
I am...simply unlikely to approach people unless I need to speak to them professionally. Just like how I value my personal space, I also try to respect others'...especially since social reciprocity seems to get thrown out the window when I get involved—with Filipinos, they keep yapping random nonsense to each other, ask me boring surface-level questions or drag me to activities I don't like, or just act like I don't exist while with Japanese people, it's as if I have to yap nonstop about "safe" topics and they're unlikely to ask more about me or talk about themselves outside of boring surface-level questions when I explicitly tell them "it's your turn".
In comparison, I sound quite extroverted as the leader of my friend group. I'm in charge of choosing fun activities, strategic development, and well-being.
B Tier
These characters have one major similarity to me but are otherwise unlikely to be associated with me unless maybe someone was upset with me.
Charlotte
This is the most unique in my opinion because I have not actually exhibited Charlotte-like behavior in public recently but certainly still can.
In elementary school, I had a knack for interviewing other students and learning their interests that way such as a boy who for some reason I still memorize his hobby of watching SpongeBob SquarePants.
I enjoyed working on my college thesis because I gathered opinions on the playstyles of those who plan to play Hytale in the future.
That said, I try to minimize this because of the personal space thing I mentioned in the C and D tiers. My girlfriend Alevius is currently the only person I'm willing to do Charlotte shenanigans to.
Ningguang
The woman whose wealth is "unsurpassed in all of Teyvat" according to her in-game description is the only reason she's in the B tier. Sometimes, when I tell people that I'm a gamer, when they combine it with my preference for and skill in English, they automatically assume I'm rich along with asking me if I have a PlayStation which I think in Filipinos' eyes is a sign that someone has a lot of money to burn—many Filipinos are mobile gamers due to the sheer convenience and versatility of smartphones at many accessible price points.
Practical Nerds
This category applies to: Kuki Shinobu, Sangonomiya Kokomi, Tighnari, Yanfei, and Zhongli.
It takes me a while (and looking like a complete idiot) but once I get used to a job, I get encyclopedic knowledge of it, making me easily able to teach it to either experienced employees or total noobs. Heck, I've even assisted managers!
In trope terms, as an autistic person, I have Magikarp Power: horribly weak in the beginning but extremely strong when well-raised.
The thing is I'm not an enthusiast in biology or law. Most people, however, don't know that I'm the strategist and tactician in my close friend group...and even if I tell them, they don't get curious at all. :beer:
Shy but Kinda Kind-Hearted
This category applies to: Freminet and Ororon.
While I imagine most people would think I'm hostile by default, a few may see the random acts of kindness I do and thus associate me with those two characters. I love how Freminet helped a mother get over the death of her son and how Ororon gave words of encouragement to a little boy who wants to compete in the Pilgrimage of the Sacred Flame.
Stern Bosses
This category applies to: Chevreuse, Clorinde, Keqing, Kujou Sara, Kuki Shinobu, Neuvillette, and Tighnari.
Yes, I actually have held a leadership position at work before. I have...passive-aggressively raged at some subordinates I thought were incompetent, hence why I think they may feel I'm like one of these characters. (Thankfully, they got gud several weeks later.)
A Tier
These characters, in the eyes of my hypothetical average person, fit 60-80% of my core personality. There is still at least one major dissimilarity, however.
Delusional Actors
This category applies to: Fischl and Furina.
Autistic people can be scarily spot-on when mimicking the behavior, movements, and voices of fictional characters. Many also greatly enjoy roleplay—I, for example, sometimes run Dungeons & Dragons games with my close friends.
This roleplay can leak outside of quality time with friends, however. Sometimes, just because I'm bored, I may perform anime-inspired LARPing. Sadly, it's still a boring solo performance.
Don't Annoy Me Or Else!
This category applies to: Citlali, Diona, Eula, Faruzan, Mona, the Raiden Shogun, and Shenhe.
When sufficiently angered, I can be quite fierce in my pushback to demand personal space or make someone do something correctly. It's like I'm exacting vengeance upon them while giving them information overload.
This can happen even if, say, I was majorly triggered by Person 1 an hour ago and then Person 2 mildly annoys me, causing me to blow up at Person 2 because Person 1 is either not around or will destroy me if I fight back. OK, more concrete example: I've raged at Alevius for trying to talk to me while I was angry at family members.
Admittedly, I'm scared to apologize after blowing up at most of these people because I incorrectly assume that "you did something bad to me; therefore, I hate you forever no matter what you do to rectify the situation".
Just Plain Low-Key
This category applies to: Kinich and Lynette.
Unlike the above characters, Freminet, and Ororon, these are more level-headed quiet characters. These comparisons may be triggered when I stay away from groups of people but also avoid yapping about nerdy things...as intelligent as Kinich is.
Lynette is additionally popular among female cosplayers. I have a feeling she's the most relatable Genshin Impact character to them. :beer:
S Tier
These characters are, in the eyes of most people (I think), so similar to me that these characters are the first thoughts in their heads.
Albedo
Alongside Xiao, this is the first character that came to my mind when I first conceptualized this tier list. Albedo barely feels any emotions and that apathy is quite noticeable when IRL people look at me...and while that is true for certain situations in my case such as family life, I actually do have strong passions, even interpersonal ones. I mean, why else would I raise my Sucrose like crazy (she's my Genshin Impact waifu and one of the characters I associate with Alevius) over Kaedehara Kazuha?
Diluc
A combination of Ningguang and Xiao, this is me as the rich but solitary gamer.
I still remember Mom told me that girls in high school secretly fell in love with me as well which is akin to fathers presenting their daughters to Diluc for him to choose who to marry...but he turned them all down. As for me, I never realized they were in love and still take what Mom said with a massive grain of salt.
Alevius is the only person who has ever confessed to me for real and I responded with a big fat yes.
Nerdy Jerks
This category applies to: Alhaitham, Chiori, Rosaria, and the Wanderer.
When you combine the Practical Nerds and the Don't Annoy Me Or Else! categories, this is what you get. Do not invade their personal space or they'll give you big-brained condescension, especially the Wanderer...if not kill you outright.
I sometimes practice martial arts in a corner because I'm bored so combined with my intelligence and lack of desire for social interaction, some people see me as a major threat—like I can easily destroy their arguments and their bones.
The truth is I don't like attacking innocent people even if they annoy me. Admittedly, however, it takes me a lot of restraint to avoid directly calling out something I don't like about a person's actions...so I write my more controversial opinions in essays that only my close friends, not the person who annoyed me, can see.
Xiao
Xiao, despite his reputation for defending Liyue from demon attacks, is notoriously averse to social interaction with humans. He likes to perch atop Wangshu Inn alone while only getting down to eat. In the first Lantern Rite in 2021, he initially refused to join in but was eventually convinced by the Traveler.
I similarly am uninclined to participate in many social activities. While it's because of bad karma for Xiao, for me, it's simply being unwilling to go with the vibe. When I play party games, I don't play for fun, for example—I play to win, thus making me look like a killjoy. I do not like smiling in photos because I am not genuinely happy being with the other people in those photos—I showed Alevius a photo of me fake-smiling in a family photo and she understood what I meant.
But when someone becomes my close friend, I do not just genuinely smile and be playful with them. I stand by them to the end. Whenever they need me, I'm available at their beck and call. Just look at Alevius—when she needs an Imaginarium Theater or Spiral Abyss cycle destroyed, I act upon it with glee.
Bonus: Silver Wolf (Honkai: Star Rail)
Silver Wolf, the hacker and hardcore gamer from the Stellaron Hunters, is a unique case. It's easy to put her in S tier...but what makes her stand out from Alhaitham, Chiori, Kinich, etc. is Silver Wolf is also what other Filipino gamers expect me to be like upon finding out that I'm a gamer. Even if I tell them I prefer games like Genshin Impact, Minecraft, Pokémon, etc., they never ask about those games, instead segueing immediately to the mainstream competitive games like Mobile Legends and asking me to play with them. No thank you—I simply cannot git gud in competitive gaming, let alone enjoy it. Believe me, I've tried. I prefer the freedom of single-player gaming and the collective enjoyment of co-op gaming—competitive gaming may only make me rage at my teammates or the opponents or make me feel bad about myself for being a terrible gamer.
I think Japanese gamers also quietly expect me to be like them because they will only ask surface-level questions about Genshin Impact (usually about the genre and whether it's a Japanese game) before changing the topic (not necessarily about another video game).
