Scaramouche (Genshin Impact)

Scaramouche, also known as Wanderer, Kabukimono, The Balladeer and Kunikuzushi, is a character from the video game Genshin Impact. He was first introduced as an antagonist under the name Scaramouche, the Balladeer, until later on in the game's lore becoming a 5-star playable Anemo character under the name Wanderer.
His fandom is often called "Scaramouche Nation" or "Scaranation". His fans, the "scara simps", are known to be especially enthusiastic.
== Fandom ==
Fanwork of the character usually takes place in one of the three times: Scaramouche's past, Scaramouche as an antagonistic Fatui Harbinger, and Scaramouche after turning a new leaf and trying to live a better life (typically with the help of Nahida). These eras of his life were revealed to players progressively over time, so a lot of fanworks are working with only a subset of information and building theories off of that. The earliest fanworks were based off of only his appearance and the fact that he is a Fatui Harbinger, revealed during the Unreconciled Stars event in version 1.1.
The major events that gave the fandom more to work with after that were the release of the Pale Flame artifact set in version 1.5 (the lore in the cup artifact was widely speculated to refer to Scaramouche), the Inazuma archon quest finale in version 2.1, the Sumeru archon quest finale in version 3.2, and the Archon quest interlude chapter Inversion of Genesis in version 3.3, where he becomes his playable incarnation, the Wanderer.
===Name===
Scaramouche has had multiple names during his 500-year long lifespan. The one used the most by fandom is Scaramouche, as that is the name he was introduced with. Some fanfics also call him Kunikuzushi ("Country Destroyer") or "Kuni" for short, the name he picked for himself when killing swordsmiths in Inazuma. When he became playable, a quest was also released in which the player is asked to give him a new name. He won't accept any of his old names for this. While fans have come up with all kinds of names for him in their games, a common meme name to give him is "babygirl".
===Release===
The tweet announcement of him becoming a playable character gained so many likes it became the most liked character announcement for the game.Wanderer is now the most liked Drip Tweet on Genshin Impact EN by Ts_Patriarca. The term "SCARAMOUCHE NATION HAVE WON" surged on Twitter.
===Bohemian Rhapsody===
As soon as his name was revealed, people started making jokes and memes about him regarding Queen's song "Bohemian Rhapsody"Genshin meme stickers about Scaramouche to the lyrics of Bohemian Rhapsody by Keyade. The song has the lines "Scaramouche, Scaramouche, will you do the fandango? Thunderbolt and lightning, very, very frightening me." It is common for fanworks to include characters asking Scaramouche to do the fandango. What's more, Scaramouche actually had electro powers, so the thunder part of the song is often his response to this request. A common wishing ritual for the character is to play the song and pull during the song.
As it turns out, the developers were also in on it: Scaramouche's backstory seems to be, in fact, based on the song. The game itself also includes many references to it, such as Scaramouche having a theme called "Ominous Fandango", and him stating he is not "a fan of dango".
== Controversy and Criticism ==
Scaramouche is a polarizing character, hated or loved but hardly indifferent, especially in the Chinese-speaking fandom. Some of the dislike for him there is sometimes directed towards Nahida, who helped Scaramouche get a spot in the Akademiya, as this is seen as favoritism. Some people think it's unfair because the Eremites (Sumeru citizens from less privileged backgrounds) don't get these kind of opportunities from their Archon, similar to how some regions in China face challenges in accessing education. However, there are still people who like Scaramouche, and they form a separate group of fans. These differing opinions also exist in other communities, leading to divided views on the character.https://www.reddit.com/r/ScaramoucheMains/comments/13qvxvv/cn_perspective_analysis_on_why_scaramouche_is/ CN perspective analysis: on why Scaramouche is very loved or hatedhttps://www.reddit.com/r/Genshin_Memepact/comments/1eecib6/tf_cn_peeps_copingreaching_so_hard_for_their_hate/
=== Scaramouche July 2023 Rerun ===
In his last banner rerun, Scaramouche has found himself at the center of a heated wank, initiated in the 和裕茶馆（里） subforum on NGA Chinese gaming forum.
* https://www.reddit.com/r/Genshin_Impact/comments/15c0nht/about_wanderers_drama_a_glimpse_into_chinese/
==Pairings==
Popular pairings for Scaramouche are:
* Scaralumi, with Lumine
*Kazuscara, with Kaedehara Kazuha
*Chiscara, with Childe
*Aether/Scaramouche, with Aether
*Sethoscara, with Sethos
*Mona/Scaramouche, with Mona
*Nahida & Scaramouche (gen)
==Example Fanworks==
=== Fanart ===
thumb|150px|right|Scaramouche Strip game fanart by matemi
* Wanderer by raooraku_ (2022)
* Scaramouche modern AU but he's Spaniard by duhaeriss (2023)
===Fanvids===
====Fatui-only====
* Will scaramouche do the fandango?? by mileggingss (2020)
* 【MMD Genshin Impact】 威風堂々 【Xiao Albedo Scaramouche】 by Rein (2021)
* Suck It Up (Animation Meme) by VildrArt (2021)
====Post-Inazuma Act III====
* GENSHIN IMPACT (Scaramouche) | ANIMATIC by Sin Cven (2021) - Scaramouche going from idolizing to resenting his creator Raiden Ei, to Penelope Scott's song "Rät"
* 美人★未归的熄星活动一周年纪念 by 鹿喑kana (2021)
* Neoni - DARKSIDE (Scaramouche Animation Meme) by Watania :3 (2022)
====Post-Sumeru Act V====
* SUCK IT UP [genshin impact] by Milknkookiess (2022)
* 【原神手书】流浪者「释 迦 殿 下」 by 哈米伦的弄笛者 (2022)
* What happened after the Fall? (Scaramouche Animatic) by VildrArt (2022)
====Post-Inversion of Genesis====
* 【原神手书】散兵「 荣耀向我俯首」 by 愚人戏社 (2022)
* Wanderer❄Lost by 喵太Miota (2022)
* Coco - Cat's Dreamland Journey by Grinch Studio (2023)
====Other====
* People I Dont Like by Ramuu (2021) - reimagines Scaramouche as a cat alongside Aether and some Inazuma characters (but was posted prior to Scaramouche appearing in the Inazuma plot, and well prior to the cat version of Scaramouche actually appearing in canon). Sometimes Scaramouche as a cat is described as Scarameow, an example of Cat AU
* Scaramouche tries to sell you Domino's Pizza by Ohjo's Shenanigans (2022) - made using audio from a commercial done by Scaramouche's English VA
===Zines===
* Heartless
==Archives and Communities==
*Scaramouche on AO3
*r/ScaramoucheMains on Reddit
==References==
Category:Genshin Impact Characters