Hu Tao‘s Eye Color: A Striking Shade of Scarlet Red
The popular Genshin Impact character Hu Tao has vivid scarlet red eyes with flower-shaped pupils that perfectly encapsulate her fiery personality. But what is the significance behind this striking eye color? As an avid Genshin fan and content creator, I‘ve done a deep dive into the meaning behind Hu Tao‘s crimson eyes.
Symbolic Meaning of Scarlet Red
Let‘s start by talking about the vibrant shade of red. In color symbolism, a bold red is associated with passion, love, anger, intensity, and fire. This connects directly to Hu Tao‘s lively and energetic personality as the boss of Wangsheng Funeral Parlor. She runs around making cheeky comments, playing pranks on Zhongli, and trying to provide Qiqi with a proper burial.
Her mischievous yet kind-hearted spirit comes through in her sparkling red eyes. Plus, as a Pyro polearm user, the red ties perfectly with her elemental fire abilities in-game.
Some fans have also speculated on forums that the shade of red indicates her ability to guide souls into the afterlife. This would make sense given her occupation‘s focus on honoring the dead. Perhaps the vivid scarlet shade gives Hu Tao a glimpse into the spirit world.
Meaning of the Flower Pupils
Let‘s not overlook the equally meaningful flower-shaped design of Hu Tao‘s pupils. Given her name Hu Tao means "Walnut" in Chinese, the flower eyes are likely meant to connect her to plants and nature. In Chinese culture, flowers represent life and death cycles.
A close-up of Hu Tao‘s unique red eyes
As someone so closely involved with funeral affairs, this symbolism reflects Hu Tao‘s role ushering souls into reincarnation and rebirth. The flower pupils remind us of life‘s impermanence and transition. They also have an innocent, childlike feeling similar to Hu Tao‘s playful antics.
Contrasting Color Scheme
On a visual level, Hu Tao‘s scarlet red eyes starkly contrast against her brown hair that fades into a reddish-pink hue. This creates a harmonic color scheme between the eyes and hair. But the eyes themselves stand out even more against the muted background colors of her outfit.
No doubt this contrast was an intentional design choice to make Hu Tao‘s expressive eyes the focal point of her appearance. And combined with her eccentric personalities and behaviors in-game, all attention remains fixed on her striking red gaze.
Behind the Eye Color Design
According to interviews with miHoYo developers, Hu Tao‘s eye color design draws inspiration from Chinese vampires. These reanimated corpses from folklore had bright red eyes and long claws for nails.
So Hu Tao‘s red eyes and fingernails reference this legend and further connect her command over fiery abilities from the afterlife. Her role as a guide between the mortal realm and afterlife comes through in her vampire-esque design.
Perfect Reflection of Hu Tao‘s Spirit
As both a gamer who mains Hu Tao and content creator focused on all things Genshin lore, I believe Hu Tao‘s scarlet red eyes perfectly encapsulate the essence of her character. The symbolic connections to life, death, fire, passion, and rebirth speak directly to Hu Tao‘s personality and abilities.
Whenever Hu Tao leaps across the screen spear in hand, those vibrant red eyes sparkling with mirth remind you exactly who you are dealing with. The eye color is carefully crafted to align with how Hu Tao sees the world – as a wondrous place filled with adventure even amidst its grief over lost souls. We are also reminded of our own mortality through gazing into Hu Tao‘s permanent stare.
Ultimately, her eyes bear witness to all souls crossing between worlds. They urge us to live fully and earnestly like Hu Tao – appreciating life‘s beauty while laughing in the face of death.
