Genshin Impact plays host to a number of beloved characters, but few are as universally adored by their fellow citizens as Jean Gunnhildr. As Acting Grand Master of the Knights of Favonius, Jean is effectively the highest governing authority in Mondstadt—a position she has trained for since childhood. In Genshin Impact's lore, the Gunnhildr clan is one of Mondstadt's oldest lineages, and one of the few aristocratic families who were benevolent among the city's corrupt oligarchy.
Despite being in command of the knights, and having many capable subordinates, like the roguish Kaeya or the Knights' brilliant librarian, Lisa, Jean is terrible at delegating. Her character stories state that she tackles everything from paperwork, to protecting the city from threats, to doing random chores for citizens like rescuing cats from trees. These stories also imply that Jean would forego sleep completely to continue working if it was possible.
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Jean idolizes Vennessa, the ancient heroine who liberated the city from its tyrannical aristocracy. Fittingly, Jean has inherited three of Vennessa's titles: the Dandelion Knight, Grand Master of the Knights of Favonius, and most importantly, the Lion of the South.
The New Lion of the South
The Lion of the South is one of Mondstadt's Four Winds, which are not unlike the city's patron saints and protectors. Originally, Vennessa held this title before ascending to the divine realm of Celestia, at which point she became the Falcon of the West. It is unknown when Jean inherited the title, or who held it before her, but it seems as if the title is passed from one leader of the Knights to the next.
Though it does not appear to bestow the user with any special power, the Lion of the South is a powerful symbol to the people of Mondstadt. It is unique amongst the Four Winds in that it is a mantle that mortal humans have always held, unlike the other three Winds, which are generally held by other spirits, such as Dvalin, the Dragon of the East, and Andrius, the Wolf of the North.
The Heart of Mondstadt
Jean is unique amongst Mondstadt's heroes in that she has detailed relationships with a number of characters. She (with some help from Kaeya), supervises Klee, and cares for her almost like a daughter. She is the elder sister of Barbara, whom the people of Mondstadt also adore, and just as Jean idolizes Vennessa, Barbara idolizes Jean. Lisa and Jean appear to be very close friends despite having polar opposite personalities—while Jean is a committed workaholic, Lisa avoids effort whenever possible and tries (in vain) to persuade Jean to do the same.
Jean also appears to be smitten with Mondstadt's very own Batman, Diluc. While usually composed, she gets flustered around the dashing aristocrat and still addresses him as her senior, even though he left the knights long ago. And the affection might be mutual. Diluc shows Jean considerable respect, despite his contempt for the rest of the knights, including his foster brother, Kaeya.
Tips, Tricks, and Techniques
Jean is not only a powerful healer, but a character with surprising combat utility as well. A popular trick with Jean's elemental skill, Gale Blade, is holding the skill key down near a group of normal or small-sized enemies, then aiming upwards before releasing the attack. The skill will deal base damage as normal, but the enemies will also suffer fall damage depending on how high they are launched. But be warned: while the enemies caught in Jean's vortex will float helplessly, she is still vulnerable to attacks from other foes, which will interrupt the skill altogether. To avoid this, it is best to disable solo foes like archers with her float-inducing charge attack before flinging clustered groups of enemies to their doom.
Players who want to build the best Jean they possibly can will want to track down the Skyward Blade 5-star weapon, and at least 2 Viridescent Venerer artifacts for the anemo damage bonus. When farming artifacts, prioritize stats that will up her attack damage to maximize her attack-based heals, as well as bonus healing and anemo damage. For a detailed breakdown and more specific tips, consult our Jean Build Guide.
Genshin Impact is available now for mobile devices, PC, and PlayStation 4, with a forthcoming release for PlayStation 5 and Switch.