Episode 106: Saurian Hunter, Kinich

Kinich has a unique style in comparison to the rest of Teyvat, but he fits in just perfectly in Natlan! His bright colors make him stand out, and the blocky design on his clothes matches the look of his sidekick Ajaw.

There’s no getting around it: Ajaw looks like pixel art. While this style has been pretty prevalent in pop culture lately, that’s not exactly why Ajaw is pixel art. Nor is it a meta take on the game being a game inside a game. Instead, Bee tells us that it’s simply the look he gets while being projected via Phlogiston from the bangle bracelet he’s trapped inside.

Feens talked about Kinich’s constellation, Chimaera Alebriius, and how its look is actually quite similar to the Mexican Folk Art Alebrijes. This is a nice nod back to one of many cultures we find across Natlan. It also has a close resemblance to his elemental burst for Ajaw.

There are three main characters in Kinich’s Story Quest, outside of himself. That is Huni, Toba & Trinidad. Huni and Toba are the two kids who make friends with Uncle Glasses when trying to help Nana’s babies. Trinidad, Huni’s dad, is the “villain” of the story and the one who wants to put the Mountain King to sleep forever.

Uncle Glasses, aka Sanka, aka The Thing Calling Himself “Sanka,” is none other than our favorite NPC baddie, Enjou. If you’re unfamiliar with Enjou, he is the baddie we meet down in Enkanomiya, and he is downright hysterical. He is most known for an interaction where he outwardly, with no remorse, admits he betrayed the people of Enkanomiya. You can check out our episode on him to learn more!

At the center of the Scions of the Canopy’s Turnfire Ceremony is Kongamato, also known as the Gluttonous Yumkasaur Mountain King. This fluffy beastie gets woken up occasionally because of his Abyssal corruption, and the chosen flame bearer has to cleanse the energy and put him back to sleep. But thanks to some smart thinking on Kinich’s behalf, this cutie is awake, pain-free, and ready to bellyflop his way into your heart.

Kinich’s tragic backstory explains why he values hard work and making money. But he’s also fair and compassionate. So when he finds out some poachers hired him to kill a Yumkasaurus mother so they could steal her babies, he takes the money, but he feeds the baddies to Ajaw.

Unrelated to Natlan and Kinich, we mention the kid in Mondstadt trying to get a sword out of a stone. His name is Arthur, and he’s a nod to the stories of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table and The Sword and the Stone. If you’re like Tif, you know these stories from the old Disney films, but they’re quite legendary in British history, along with all the stories of Camelot.

Be sure to watch Kinich’s Character Teaser video and his Collected Miscellany video to get a nice overview of the character. Hopefully, soon, his story will be more than just some lore in his character stories.

We really wish we had seen Kinich’s fight in the Night Warden Wars when he received his vision. And if the Archon gave that vision, how much do you think Nahida hates the Abyss to puppet Kinich’s almost dead body around to be sure he survived the resurrection? Or maybe she just hates Ajaw.

Here are some helpful links if you’re unfamiliar with the pop culture references we mentioned during the episode. Tif and Bee sing the theme song to Reading Rainbow – a kids’ show that premiered in the ’80s. And Feens mentions the mustachioed man from Spy X Family.

Thank you to fellow travelers Yuki and Azirim for writing in. We truly appreciate your questions and comments! If you’d like to send us mail via the Komaniya Express, reach out on our Instagram, X/Twitter, or email. We’d love to hear from you! And Kirara could use the work.