MiHoYo has announced a new playable hero in Genshin Impact who’ll probably be added with the 2.2 update. The new character is Thoma, a retainer for the Kamisato clan who was a member of the supporting cast in the Inazuma storyline. While we don’t have any details yet on when he’ll be playable, or all the details on what he’ll be able to do,
The announcement describes Thoma thus: “Perhaps influenced by the relaxed and happy atmosphere of his hometown, Thoma is very good at socializing. Although he is an outlander, he has built an unexpectedly powerful network of people in Inazuma.” He appears to be Pyro polearm user who plays a part in the first half of the Inazuma story (and probably the second; I, personally, have not yet played it). While Thoma has an important role to play in the story, he’s not likely to be prominent enough to be a five-star character.
So far we don’t know for sure which other characters will be coming to Genshin in this update, but there are a few Inazuma characters who are likely candidates. We do know that Horizon archer Aloy will become available to everyone in the new update, instead of just to PlayStation users. Other than her, priest Yae is also a likely character to be added in the next slate of major character releases.
Given that the 2.1 update isn’t out yet, we have no way of knowing when the 2.2 update is coming (assuming Thoma is even included in that particular update and not the next one). The new update, 2.1, will include three new characters (with Aloy as a bonus), a fishing mechanic, new regions and enemies, the conclusion of the Archon Quest, new events including the Moonchase Festival, and a fighting game tournament.