There are a total of around 30 playable characters in the Genshin Impact universe today. This is an overwhelming variety of characters to choose from, and that total is only set to increase as more characters are introduced.
As updates 1.3 and 1.4 have shown us, Mondstadt and Liyue are far from done showing us all of the new characters that are in the story, introducing fan-favorites like Hu Tao and the new Cryo polearm-user Rosaria. And with Inazuma expected sometime closer to the summer of 2021, Genshin Impact's story will hopefully increase dramatically. That said, some characters are more anticipated than others to make an appearance in the game's storyline, from old-guard pirates like Beidou to new recruits like Yaoyao.
10 Beidou
The pirate captain of the Crux fleet, Beidou is an influential character that has been around since her release back in September of 2020. However, despite her popularity as an electro DPS, Beidou has not appeared yet in the storyline.
Nonetheless, because she has just returned from Inazuma at the current moment in the story (as we learn from her crewmates on the Alcor), many speculate that she will make an appearance at Inazuma's release. After all, we need to get to Inazuma somehow, and being smuggled in by the most influential pirate in the game suits the bill just right.
9 Ayaka
Funnily enough, Ayaka is a character that has been around since the beta testing phase. Despite being a character slated for Inazuma, the community already knows a lot about Ayaka from her design to her general story to her move set.
The Genshin Impact community has a lot of hype for Ayaka, and so many hope that she will appear early in Inazuma's release due to a mix of her popularity and her already complete design.
8 Fischl
Technically, Fischl has appeared in the game during the limited-time event Unreconciled Stars. However, her appearance here was rather limited and only player's who joined the Genshin Impact community before the event actually saw her appearance.
Given that, Fischl's increased involvement in the story is a great source of anticipation now that Hangout Events have been added for Barbara, Noelle, Chongyun, and Bennett. With many fans speculating that 4-stars without permanent appearances will receive Hangout stories in the future, Fischl would be a top pick if this is true.
7 Diona
The infamous bartender from the Cat's Tail, Diona has yet to make an appearance in the game's story at all. The daughter of Draff and an open anti-alcohol advocate, Diona's inclusion would be a great way to characterize Springvale and the nation's wine industry.
Now that Hangout Events are the roar of the community, we can at least expect a limited-time event for Diona at some point in the future.
6 Xinyan
Xinyan is another playable character that has yet to appear in the storyline and one of the few in Liyue at that. One of two characters in Liyue connected to the music world, Xinyan's rock star-like atmosphere makes her well-known in the community.
Although not as popular as characters like Fischl, it's out of the ordinary for a character like Xinyan to remain unrecognized. Nonetheless, as one of the most unique characters in the game so far, she tops the list for most anticipated characters to make an appearance in the story.
5 Yunjin
Yunjin is the other musician from Liyue, filling an idol position like Barbara. That said, unlike the other characters on this list, we only know Yunjin from a leaked model and voice-lines. Nonetheless, with the popularity of her Mondstadt counterpart Barbara, many are curious about what type of character Liyue's idol will be.
And Genshin Impact fans aren't the only curious people. With crowds to see her causing noticeable traffic issues (much to the chagrin of the Liyue Qixing), she will likely have a major influence on the perception of Liyue in the story.
4 Alice
The story has really revolved around a lot of speculation about Alice. For those who are unfamiliar, Alice is the mother of Klee and the writer of the Teyvat Travel Guide. Nobody is quite sure where Alice is, yet many have something to say about her: Jean considers her dangerous and Albedo looks up to her.
Nonetheless, given the character's lack of an appearance, the community has speculated a great deal on who Alice is. Some even go as far as to say she is from another world like the Traveler, though this will remain a mystery until she finally appears in the game.
3 Dottore
There are five Fatui Harbingers that have some kind of appearance in the story: La Signora, Pulcinella, Tartaglia, Scaramouche, and Dottore. Many are familiar with the others (except for maybe Pulcinella), but only a handful are familiar with Dottore.
This is because Dottore's appearance was released only in the Genshin Impact manga so far, during a story involving Diluc. Some in the game may recognize his name, as it appears during Tartaglia's Story Quest as the owner of the Ruin Guard laboratory. Just as you may expect, Dottore is something of a mad scientist, and this hint leads many to believe that he may have an appearance sometime in the near future.
2 Varka
Varka is the Grand Master of Mondstadt's Knights of Favonius. Not much is actually known about Varka: there is no information outside of voice-lines, the community doesn't even know what he looks like.
Though the community lacks information, a lot about him from voice-lines about him alone. From Razor's voice-lines, we know that he is incredibly tall and strong. Most others seem to hold him with a lot of respect as well, and his judgment in picking Jean as Acting Grand Master shows a lot of intelligence.
1 Yaoyao
Genshin Impact is relatively known for making lovable young characters, from Klee with her explosive cuteness to Qiqi's sad backstory. Continuing with this trend, many in the community are ripe with anticipation for Yaoyao, an assistant that works under Ganyu.
A lot of the anticipation is due to Yaoyao's recent inclusion in miHoYo's official artwork, many speculating that these inclusions are hints as to the character's release being sooner than expected. MiHoYo has not confirmed these rumors, but Yaoyao's release would be monumental as the first playable Dendro character.