Some fans may have noticed it right away with the Darknight Hero quests, but others may not have realized yet that Diluc is the Batman of Genshin Impact. Early on, a rumor began circulating through Mondstadt of a vigilante keeping the streets safe at night, and the Traveler is tasked with finding this mysterious hero's true identity.
If the name of the quest didn't give it away, there are a number of tells even within the first few steps of the intro quest that point to Diluc being an anime replica inspired by the popular DC comic franchise. Still, if the player hasn't figured it out yet, they will soon meet Diluc after the Traveler wanders the streets at night and encounter some danger, and is saved by the five-star Pyro wielder. But aside from the quests' titles, Diluc shares many similarities with the illusive Batman and the city of Gotham.
Diluc and Bruce Wayne
Kaeya dubs both himself and Diluc the "antiheroes with attitude problems," the first of many parallels shared by Genshin Impact's rare Pyro user and Bruce Wayne. Diluc's father supposedly met an untimely death, resulting in Diluc's developed "attitude problem." Though there are different versions of Bruce's past depending on the comic or movie series, he typically develops some sort of psychological issues in response to his own parent's sudden deaths.
Also as a result of his parent's death, the young Master Wayne becomes obsessed with justice and realizes that he cannot rely on the justice system and police force to do the job. Diluc, as well, is skeptical of the effectiveness of the Knights of Favonius who are in charge of protecting Mondstadt. Prior to the events of Genshin Impact, he was an active, dedicated member and made it up to Calvary Captain and went on to focus on running Dawn Winery and its estate.
Though Eroch, the man who poorly handled his father's death (noted in Genshin Impact's manga series), was discharged from the Knights as a traitor, he still remains bitter towards the force. This parallels many versions of Batman about Bruce's feelings towards the law, which eventually makes him feel he needs to act outside of it. Much like Knights, the police force in Gotham has differing opinions of Batman as a vigilante hero.
As many fans of the DC comics would know, Bruce Wayne is one of the wealthiest men of Gotham City through his inheritance. He uses his wealth to his advantage for his technology such as the Batsuit and the Batmobile. Diluc is also excessively wealthy through the Winery and uses the intelligence gained through his professional connections to engage in issues throughout Mondstadt, as noted in the Darknight Hero's Crisis quest.
Though he doesn't wear a mask when fighting crime, Diluc believes it important to keep his identity a secret in order to continue keeping Mondstadt safe. Though he has this rocky relationship with the Knights, he has a good relationship with Jean, the Acting Grand Master, to the point that many fans wonder if they are dating, have dated, or will in the future. This could be paralleled with Rachel Dawes, a love interest specific to the Dark Knight Trilogy, as she works as a district attorney for Gotham.
Some fans wonder if that means the Traveler will be surrounded by Robin jokes further down the line since Aether is essentially his sidekick who does a lot of his dirty work. Diluc's story as the brooding, mysterious hero of Mondstadt seemingly isn't over, so fans will have to wait and see if more parallels between the Darknight Hero and the Dark Knight pan out.
Genshin Impact is out now for mobile devices, PC, and PS4, with a Nintendo Switch version in development.