You know that feeling when you spot an old friend in a crowd? That’s exactly what playing Honkai: Star Rail feels like if you’ve spent any time in Honkai Impact 3rd. As a longtime Hoyoverse fan, I’ve had more than a few “wait, is that who I think it is?” moments while blasting through the Astral Express. Hoyoverse loves sprinkling in familiar faces from its other games—sometimes it’s just a wink at the veterans, and sometimes it’s a full-blown multiverse collision. Let me walk you through all the returning characters (and a few who aren’t just lookalikes) that made my jaw drop. Buckle up, Trailblazers—there’s a lot of history here.

Kafka and Kafka (Stigmata)

Here’s a wild one to start with—the Honkai: Star Rail Kafka doesn’t even have a playable counterpart in HI3. Over there, Kafka is a Stigmata, a kind of equippable buff that looks like a sickly girl who adores writing and never stops smiling despite her illness. Now, in Star Rail? Total 180. She’s a Stellaron Hunter, all calm and collected, a professional beauty who literally doesn’t know how to feel fear. She whispers into your ear and suddenly you’re doing her bidding. I mean, can you blame me for doing a double take when I first saw her art? Same name, completely new vibe—and I’m here for it.

Silver Wolf and Haxxor Bunny

If you’ve ever heard the name Bronya, you know things get complicated fast. In Honkai Impact 3rd, there’s this rebellious hacker named Bronie—Haxxor Bunny—who can materialize gear out of thin air. Honkai: Star Rail gave us Silver Wolf, also a genius hacker but with a gamer’s soul. She’s part of the Stellaron Hunters, bypassing security like it’s child’s play. The kicker? In Star Rail, Silver Wolf and Bronya are completely separate people. It’s like looking at a photo of an old friend and realizing… no, that’s actually their cousin from another dimension.

Himeko and Murata Himeko

Okay, deep breath. HI3 fans know exactly why seeing Himeko again hits different. Her fate in Impact was… well, let’s just say I still tear up thinking about it. In Honkai: Star Rail, she got a second lease on life. This Himeko fixed up the Astral Express and became its elegant navigator, a warm parental figure who dreams of starry skies and brews terrible hand-made coffee (no, seriously, her coffee is infamous). In HI3, Himeko was the squad captain who loved alcohol, charged in recklessly, and held her students together. It’s not the same person, but when I saw her standing on the Express, I whispered “welcome back” under my breath. Some characters just stay with you.

Bronya Rand and Bronya Zaychik

Bronya is the queen of alternate versions. In Honkai: Star Rail, she’s the Supreme Guardian of Belobog, all grown up and carrying the weight of an entire city on her shoulders. This version draws heavily from Silverwing Bronya in APHO (that’s an open-world map in HI3 where you play a mature Bronya). The regular Bronya Zaychik is a student who eventually becomes the Herrscher of Reason. But here’s the twist that gets me every time: in both universes, she’s Cocolia’s adopted daughter. The family tree in Hoyoverse games is one big, tangled mess—and I love every bit of it.

Seele and Seele Vollerei

Another daughter of Cocolia? You bet. HI3’s Seele is sweet, gentle, and Bronya’s closest friend—until you meet her darker half, Veliona. Star Rail’s Seele flips the script: her personality is pure Veliona—brash, headstrong—but she looks like a grown-up version of the original Seele, butterfly motif and all. She’s a member of Wildfire in Belobog’s Underworld, a freedom fighter through and through. Despite the attitude, she still ends up befriending Bronya by the end of the Belobog arc. If that isn’t peak \u201csome bonds transcend universes,\u201d I don’t know what is.

Natasha and Natasha Ciora / Raven

Talk about a complete character rewrite. Honkai: Star Rail’s Natasha is a kindhearted doctor in the Underworld who secretly runs Wildfire. In HI3, Natasha Ciora—better known as Raven—is a cold-blooded mercenary with bloody hands. She’s terrifying. And yet, both versions share a deep soft spot for children. When I first realized the connection, I had to pause the game. The gentle healer and the ruthless mercenary… wearing the same face. Hoyoverse really knows how to make you reassess everything.

Sushang and Li Sushang

Sushang doesn’t get a ton of screen time in HI3’s main story, but if you dig into the Seven Swords visual novel, she’s one of the protagonists—the daughter of a disciple. In Honkai: Star Rail, our Cloud Knight Sushang helps Dan Heng and Luocha navigate the chaos of the Xianzhou Luofu. She’s hardworking, earnest, and dreams of becoming a renowned figure. I grinned ear to ear watching her bumble through her duties; the spirit of the character translates so well, even if the setting is stars and ships instead of swords and mountains.

Yanqing and Ma Yanqing / Ma Feima

This one genuinely threw me. In HI3, Yanqing is an old man—Ma Feima, the only male disciple in Seven Swords. Then Hoyoverse said, “What if we de-aged him into a prodigy sword boy?” And somehow it works. In Star Rail, Yanqing is the youngest lieutenant of the Cloud Knights, General Jingyuan’s disciple, brimming with talent and sass. I still chuckle thinking about the sheer audacity of turning a venerable mentor into a teen with a chip on his shoulder. Only Hoyoverse, I swear.

Luocha and Otto Apocalypse / Void Archives

Oh boy. If you don’t know Otto Apocalypse, just know that he’s one of the most complex and divisive figures in HI3—a man who rewrote the universe to save his love. Luocha in Star Rail shares his face, carries a suspicious coffin, and knows way too much about medicine for a foreign trader. The resemblance is uncanny. During his companion mission, Welt literally flashes back to his encounters with Void Archives (who copied Otto’s form). Is Luocha actually Void Archives? The game hasn’t confirmed it outright, but I’ve got my theories—and a very uneasy feeling in my gut whenever he smiles.

Welt Yang

And here’s the one that broke my brain: Welt Yang is the exact same person in both games. Not an alternate, not a reincarnation—the same Herrscher of Reason who fought alongside the HI3 cast. After the events of Alien Space and APHO, he infiltrated an alien ship to save other worlds, got stranded, and eventually found his way to the Astral Express. When I saw his splash art littered with HI3 callbacks (including Void Archives!) I almost fell off my chair. No other character can claim this kind of direct continuity. Every time Welt shares wisdom or gives that tired-dad smile, I feel the weight of his entire history. He’s my favorite living proof that Hoyoverse’s universe is bigger than any one game.

There you have it—the full family portrait, from familiar strangers to the one true traveler between worlds. Whenever I boot up Honkai: Star Rail, I can’t help but feel like I’m piecing together a cosmic puzzle. These returning faces aren’t just fanservice; they’re signposts, reminding us how vast and interconnected Hoyoverse’s stories really are. Next time you spot a familiar name or a hauntingly similar design, take a closer look. You might just be staring at a piece of a much larger legend.