author: Ewa Ichniowska
Honkai Star Rail (HSR) - Is Duke Ifrit Inferno Really Dead? Answered
Honkai Star Rail fans have been looking forward to Duke Inferno as the next villain, but the Penacony story reveals he’s already dead. Is it really true?
The Penacony storyline has shocked many Honkai Star Rail players, who are wondering if their favourite characters will survive on the Planet of Festivities. It seems like anyone can die; even Duke Inferno, who was largely hinted as the next major villain, has apparently been killed off-screen. However, should we really believe that?
Honkai Star Rail (HSR) – Is Duke Ifrit Inferno Really Dead? Answered
Duke Inferno has been first shown in the version 1.8 livestream as a member of the Annihilation Gang. Since he was featured alongside other characters who have shown up on Penacony, many believed we would meet him there as well.
The Duke, whose name is Ifrit, was mentioned in the Crown of the Mundane and Divine Trailblaze Continuance Mission, where his Phase Flame is used to kidnap Asta in the Herta Space Station.
More information about him, his followers and goals was given in the Myriad Celestia Trailer — "A Night of Ever-Flame: Scene 33" which will be referenced thorough this article.
However, in the chapter The Sound and the Fury of the Whodunit Trailblaze Mission on Penacony, Aventurine and Black Swan claim that Duke’s Inferno whole family was killed on the way to Penacony by Acheron. Could it be true? It would be a very anticlimactic end to a seemingly powerful villain. Common detective drama logic, which the Penacony story seems to reference, is to doubt unless there’s been a body. It’s also suspicious that such an intense fight, which would be a great display of Acheron’s abilities as a confirmed future playable character, wasn’t shown even as a cutscene.
On the other hand, fans hoping to see Duke Inferno in the game have a reason to worry as the HSR leak communities lack information about playable Ifrit. What’s more, the same can be said for the four of his “children” featured in the Myriad Celestia trailer – Akash, Dubra, Caterina and Constance. That means they do not have confirmed elements or Paths. According to the words of Akash, who asks “Since when has those on the Path of Destruction feared death?” in the video, they would all likely be Destruction characters. However, there is no concrete confirmation of that via leaked data, nor a hint about what their kits could be. In the community of players of the HoYoverse games Honkai Star Rail and Genshin Impact, where no playable unit has been killed yet, unconfirmed playable status is often seen as a sign that a character isn’t “safe” and might die in the storyline.
We can speculate, based on the content of the "A Night of Ever-Flame: Scene 33" official tailer, that Duke Inferno’s Faction has been designed with too much care – and using too much resources – to be completely wiped out off screen. Moreover, Ifrit has a relic set dedicated to him, called the Ashblazing Grand Duke, which reveals lore about him in descriptions. It feels like too much effort has been put into the set-up of Duke Inferno to make him a throwaway character.
Another clue to the continued importance of the Ever-Flame Mansion in the story might be Ifrit’s words to his children. He seems to be sending each of them to torment a specific Path:
- Akash – Harmony,
- Dubra – Elation,
- Caterina – Preservation,
- Constance – Remembrance.
Paths are associated with specific planets or factions, such as Remembrance with the Garden of Recollection, represented by Black Swan. It’s possible that each member of Duke Inferno’s group would be fighting a specific guest on the Planet of Festivities, or appear later in the plot at the next stops of the journey. However, this is merely guesswork on our part. HSR players will have to wait for the future updates to resolve the mystery of what’s going on at Penacony.
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