Honkai Nexus Anima: A Pokemon-Like Game? Fan Theories from Star Rail LIVE 2025

MiHoYo has sparked excitement with a teaser for a brand-new Honkai game that hints at a Pokémon-like experience. The trailer, unveiled during the Honkai Star Rail Concert livestream on May 4, 2025, showcased familiar characters like Kiana from Honkai Impact 3rd and Blade from Honkai: Star Rail, engaging in battles with creatures and monsters. This suggests a gameplay style that could involve monster collecting, battling, or even an auto-chess strategy, drawing parallels to the popular Pokémon franchise.

The idea of a monster-based game isn't new to MiHoYo's repertoire. Both Genshin Impact and Honkai Star Rail have introduced creatures that have captured fans' attention. For instance, Genshin Impact's Serenitea Pot allows players to capture and keep creatures, while events like "Fabulous Fungus Frenzy" feature beast tamer tournaments. Similarly, Honkai Star Rail's "Aetherium Wars" event uses the game's turn-based mechanics with monsters as partners, closely resembling Pokémon's core concept.

The teaser concluded with silhouettes of various characters, possibly including Aventurine from Star Rail, indicating that this new game will incorporate a wide array of characters from the Honkai series. Fans are hopeful that characters from Genshin Impact might also make an appearance, though details remain scarce.

Is this Honkai Nexus Anima?

Speculation is rife that the teased game could be the rumored Honkai Nexus Anima, which MiHoYo trademarked recently. Although the trademark filing didn't reveal much, the timing and nature of the teaser have fueled fan theories. Additionally, job listings from HoYoVerse in September 2024 mentioned roles like "Character Concept Art (Anthropomorphic Animals)" for a chibi-style life simulation and "Scene Concept Art – Honkai IP Pre-research" for fantasy spirit companions, which may be linked to this new project.

While there's no official confirmation that the teased game is Honkai Nexus Anima, the excitement among fans is palpable. MiHoYo's track record promises a fresh and engaging experience, leaving players eager to learn more about this mysterious new addition to the Honkai universe.