New playable characters are almost always coming to Genshin Impact. In many ways, these new characters are more exciting than the nearly constant story updates and limited-time events. For now, many fans may be waiting for Kokomi's Banner to arrive in Version 2.1, but there have been several alleged leaks that hint at which characters may become playable in the future - like Shenli.
Typically, characters leak for Genshin Impact right before they appear in-game. These leaks surface online through datamines or the closed betas developer miHoYo typically hosts before a new Version update. More recently, miHoYo has also been promoting characters ahead of showing them off in Special Program livestreams, such as sharing images and info for Raiden Shogun (Baal), Sara, and Kokomi early on. Ahead of a Version 2.2 livestream, images and information was shared about Thoma, a Pyro user, as well. So far, nothing as concrete has been shared about Shenli.
Also known as Shenhe or Shen He, Shenli was one of the eight Genshin Impact characters leaked last year as part of fans' datamining efforts. Since then, she's been given 3D renders by fans (pictured above) and is believed to be a Cryo user. Additionally, Shenli is likely a 5-star character (meaning she'll be difficult to pull through the game's gacha Wish system) and she appears to use a claymore in combat.
Why Shenli (Shenhe) May Not Be Coming To Genshin Impact Soon
Due to miHoYo's silence on Shenli, many fans feared she may have been scrapped for other characters - or that her designs were being used for someone else. However, several prominent Genshin Impact leakers have stated they believe she will still arrive in the game at some point. During the summer, interest in Shenli was once again piqued, but the character has so far not been confirmed for 2.1, 2.2, or beyond. One of the tweets from leaker Hizumin can be viewed below.
Given that characters are already confirmed (or in) Version 2.1 already, and that Thoma is the only seemingly confirmed character for 2.2, it's unlikely that Shenli will debut in Genshin Impact anytime soon. She's also a Liyue character, and with the game's current story moving away from there and into Genshin Impact's Inazuma region, it furthers the unlikelihood that she'll appear in a Banner right now. Fans should expect her for Version 2.3 at the earliest, although it may be even longer before she arrives, depending on where the current Inazuma story takes Travelers in future updates.
Given that official images of Shenli also haven't been shared, this also hints that the character may be months - or even years - away from showing up in Genshin Impact. However, many characters from that same datamine as Shenli - like Hu Tao and Rosaria - have now been introduced into the game. So, once the current roster or Inazuma characters is cleared out, it's certainly possible that Shenli (Shenhe) will be next.
Source: Hizumin/Twitter