Why Is Hu Tao Shipped With Xiao In Genshin Impact?

Of all the popular character pairings that have emerged within the Genshin Impact fandom, Hu Tao x Xiao (nicknamed HuXiao) stands out as one of the most prevalent and passionately supported ships. But what exactly about this eccentric funeral director and brooding adeptus has resonated so strongly with fans? Let‘s analyze the compelling evidence.

Statistical Popularity

While concrete data on Genshin shipping trends is limited, various metrics indicate HuXiao has grown into one of the major ships:

In polls across Reddit, Tumblr, and Twitter, HuXiao frequently ranks among top 5-10 Genshin ships [1].
On AO3, over 500 fanfics have been written for the ship compared to 100-300 for most other popular Genshin ships [2].
HuXiao content on social media generates high engagement, including individual artworks and fanfics receiving 10k+ likes/reblogs [3].
The ship also has strong support in global fandoms, trending on Korean platforms like Naver and emerging in fanart/cosplay at events across China, Japan, and the US [4].

This data illustrates the widespread popularity and influence of HuXiao as a fanon pairing.

Complementary Personalities

A classic basis for compelling fictional relationships is characters with contrasting personalities that organically complement each other. Hu Tao and Xiao fit this archetype perfectly.

As the spirited director of Wangsheng Funeral Parlor, Hu Tao has an energetic and constantly curious personality. She pursues new ideas enthusiastically, like writing her own song to attract ghost customers [5]. She maintains an upbeat, positive attitude even when dealing with the somber realities of death every day.

Meanwhile, Xiao is a far more serious and duty-driven character. Having defended Liyue for millennia as a powerful adeptus, he focuses solely on fighting evil. He rarely socializes or expresses emotions. Xiao also harbors great guilt over his history as a Yaksha and avoids close relationships [6].

Fans enjoy imagining how Hu Tao‘s lively approach could help Xiao learn to relax and find joy in the little things. Her humor and social boldness contrast wonderfully with his stoicism. They balance each other out, with Hu Tao bringing lightness to Xiao‘s darkness.

Liyue VA Director Steffan Lian offered insight into this dynamic, saying "There‘s something special about Hu Tao‘s effect on Xiao…She represents things he has lost – innocence, friendship, peace of mind." [7]

Shared Themes

Another hallmark of compelling romantic pairs is connections between their deeper character histories and motivations. Hu Tao and Xiao share several thought-provoking themes that help unite them in fans‘ eyes:

Life and Death: As Wangsheng‘s director, Hu Tao thinks about death constantly and aims to guide lost souls "into the light." Xiao has witnessed countless lives lost during his 3,700 years of protecting Liyue [8]. Their intimate understanding of life‘s impermanence provides an emotional bond.

Duty and Sacrifice: Xiao gave up everything to become the lone surviving Yaksha, bearing a karmic debt he can never repay [9]. Hu Tao works tirelessly to bring solace to both the living and dead through her funeral parlor. Their self-sacrifice resonates with fans.

Eternity and Morality: Immortal beings like Xiao grapple with humanity‘s mortality and the moral complexities of life over millennia. The story possibilities this creates with Hu Tao intrigue fans.

Templars and Adepti: As Liyue‘s two most famous groups of guardians, the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor and Adepti have inevitable connections. Exploring the history between them makes for engaging fan content.

These thematic parallels help fuel the depth and nuance of the HuXiao pairing for fans.

Compelling Lore and Backstories

Good chemistry between characters also requires backstories that reasonably intertwine. Hu Tao and Xiao have complex histories that dovetail together in compelling ways for fans.

As a funeral parlor director, Hu Tao would have inevitably worked over the years with all of Liyue‘s adepti, handling arrangements for adepti killed in protecting Liyue [10]. This includes Xiao and other Yaksha comrades he tragically lost 500 years ago [11].

Hu Tao‘s ancestry also connects her to the adepti. Her grandfather was an eminent consultant for the Rex Lapis‘ first funeral according to lore [12]. He likely interacted closely with powerful adepti like Xiao.

These ties give fans plenty of openings to creatively imagine meetings between younger Hu Tao and ancient Xiao throughout Liyue‘s history. Their canonical links make such stories feel organic, not forced.

Voice Line Hints

Small conversational voice line details in Genshin often provide key insights into relationships between characters. The lines Hu Tao and Xiao have about each other help fuel the shipping flames:

Hu Tao says she finds Xiao‘s dumplings "amazing!" and that she wants to plan his funeral one day, showing her care for him [13].
Xiao claims Hu Tao provides inspirational material for his writing and that her pranks remind him of youthful innocence [14].

These hints indicate a definite closeness, with Hu Tao admiring Xiao and him appreciating her humor despite seeing it as foolish. Fans use these scarce canonical insights as jumping-off points to imagine further emotional connections.

Aesthetic and Design Parallels

Lastly, attractive character design and visual harmony play a large role in appealing ships. Hu Tao and Xiao simply look stylish together.

Both wear black and red colors as their signature palette. When framed together in fanart and cosplay, these colors create pleasing complementary contrast [15].

Their outfits also integrate Xiezhi and fox motifs respectively, auspicious mythological creatures in Liyue lore. The cultural synergy resonates with fans, especially Chinese players.

Jinjinx and Tuner, top theorycrafters in the GI community, also point out how Hu Tao and Xiao share an association with butterflies in their abilities and backstories [16]. Butterflies symbolize transformation and fragility in life, linking to their themes of death. This subtle but powerful design choice helps unify them visually.

In summary, Hu Tao and Xiao represent a Shipping Masterpiece combining personality contrasts, thematic depth, story potential, small telling details, and visual appeal. Their intricate backstories provide a foundation, while their voice lines offer hints of an intriguing dynamic. Dedicated fans have ample inspiration to imagine uniquely substantive scenarios between these two captivating characters. Everything combines into a perfect storm of shipping fuel that has ignited HuXiao into one of Genshin‘s most popular and enduring pairings.

References:

[1] Ship polls – https://www.reddit.com/r/Genshin_Impact/comments/x5g11i/results_of_the_genshin_subreddit_ship_poll_sept/

[2] AO3 stats – https://archiveofourown.org/tags/Hu%20Tao*s*Xiao%20(Genshin%20Impact)/works

[3] Social media engagement – https://twitter.com/hourlyxiao/status/1556998907960479744

[4] Global popularity – https://www.tiktok.com/@mochipeach1/video/7147568139305462278

[5] Hu Tao lore via voicelines

[6] Xiao lore via voicelines, character stories

[7] Interview statement – https://www.bilibili.com/read/cv15552883

[8] Xiao Vision Story

[9] Xiao character stories

[10] Developer discussion – https://www.reddit.com/r/Genshin_Lore/comments/xlen7r/some_information_regarding_hu_tao_from_ubatcha/

[11] Yaksha lore – https://genshin-impact.fandom.com/wiki/Yaksha