#At least Sampo and Dr Ratio are still my epicc bois

[epicness1000]

I'm Disappointed in How Honkai Star Rail's 2.6 Update Handled Boothill

I posted this elsewhere, but I thought to post this here.

If you're unable to take criticism of HSR and its writing, then don't read.

Is it just me? Well, it probably is, but I'm going to make a post (more like an essay) about it anyway.

I think a character like Boothill– one driven by anger, hate and revenge– isn't one to just be ignored or accepted. This is the kind of character that should be deconstructed. He claims to protect the innocent, and kill those who are evil– but who is he to decide who is innocent, and who is guilty? If he claims to spread justice– well, what is justice? Is it really as simple as the deadly means he uses, or is this all just a wall to justify his embracing of violence, a method of lashing out he uses in response to his trauma? I mean– he's killed a lot of people, and if those people include IPC lackeys (they almost certainly do), then there's no doubt at least some of them were innocent by most definitions of the word. And, if they're all truly just evil and guilty– well, that just feels like a weakness of the narrative, and its unwillingness to genuinely explore the possible issue it raises, an easy way out so to say. Boothill comes across as hypocritical to me, since who's to say that in the eyes of another, he's not also a villain/criminal to be put down? Is he not guilty in many ways too, maybe even within his own moral framework?

I'd LOVE to see the HSR narrative tackle these things, and I was hoping it would– but this update doesn't seem to have done any of that, even if it tried to open up his character.

I don't like that the fact that he genuinely doesn't seem to have any qualms with killing goes unquestioned. Don't get me wrong– I love morally grey/dark characters– but only if they're handled well. And I don't think that's the case here, since it feels like the narrative fails to frame his acts as something questionable. Even the robot ape guy he threatens brings up that taking a life the first time would make anyone hesitate, even the most heinous of villains– yet Boothill doesn't, and this... isn't really brought up again? Even though I think it really should be? If a couple things were flipped, Boothill could easily be a (really cool) tragic villain, or questionable anti-hero– but it feels like hoyo is just trying to make him marketable without really exploring these interesting ideas, because they might make him look less innocent/likeable.

I make this analogy a lot, but I think the best character to look at when it comes to 'anti-hero who is convinced that he's spreading justice and defending the weak, when in reality it's just a front for violence/trauma, and their morals desperately need to be deconstructed' is Raiden from Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance. If you know, you'll probably understand what I mean– if not, I'm happy to elaborate.

Either way, I just hope that when Boothill inevitably gets more development, these things are explored in some capacity. I love him as a character, I just don't like how the narrative is dealing with him so far.

(I'm very happy to have a discussion about this– I'm not aiming to change anyone's mind if they enjoyed the update's contents– but I did want to speak my opinion).

(ALso- I brought this up in a discord chat, and I want to bring it up again. This is kind of comparable to Light Yagami's mindset– OBVIOUSLY they are literal opposites in personality and character, but the whole concept of 'I eradicate the guilty and protect the innocent' seems to be driving both of them. The difference is that Death Note bothered to analyse this idea and point out how ultimately wrong it is for one person to decide who is innocent or guilty, who deserves to live or die– while Honkai Star Rail not only avoids this, but almost seems to frame it as heroic? To be blunt– I think that is incredibly stupid.)