Honkai Star Rail: 12 Sentinels, Sovereigns, and Herrschers lore explained

The newest Acheron trailer for Honkai Star Rail's upcoming update has raised many questions, especially for the lore buffs. Titled Kyoden: A Cleave Across the Transient World, this trailer showcases the character and her backstory in what appears to be her old world. Typically, HoYoverse left crumbs for fans of the Honkai series in the form of Sovereigns and Sentinels.

While most of the older fans from Honkai Impact 3rd will be quick to connect the dots, newer players will be confused. The latter, while it can be frustrating, is entirely okay for the most part, as there hasn't been any confirmation of a direct link between the two games' worlds.

This article will showcase the lore of Sovereigns and the 12 Sentinels from Honkai Star Rail and how they parallel the 12 Herrschers from Honkai Impact 3rd.

Disclaimer: This article showcases theories based on official information. As mentioned, HoYoverse has not confirmed a direct link between Honkai Star Rail's Acheron and Honkai Impact 3rd's Herrscher of Thunder/Origin.

The 12 Sentinels and Sovereigns in Honkai Star Rail

The Acheron trailer released on March 22, 2024, mentioned the names of the 12 Sentinels, which were heard for the first time in Honkai Star Rail. The naming and the colors of these Sentinels were immediately grasped by the longtime fans of the Honkai series, claiming them to be variants of Herrschers.

Here is a list of all 12 Sentinels mentioned in the Honkai Star Rail trailer:

"Truth: by Slain Sovereign of Revelation: Allows to "recreate" miracle.
"Sky" by Slain Eternal Zenith: Turns skies into walls and provides barriers against gods.
"Howl" by Slain Almighty Thunder: Summons Lightning that can kill gods.
"Mist" by Slain Everbreath: Can break earth and tear clouds with wind and rain.
"Frost" by Slain Heaven's Winter Cloak: Can freeze the entire land.
"Fate" by Slain Spurned Sister of Mortality: Make flowers bloom and hold a balance of life and death cycles.
"Flair" by Slain Flamebringer: Summons fire to burn down the world
"Thought" by Slain Wisdom Supreme: Discerns past and future with a mirror of water and tell the truth from lies.
"Root" by Slain Father of Lands: Commands islands to float in the air, alongside mountains and valleys to burst before armies.
"Form" by Slain Nether Lord: Can make masses join in unity and for endless forms to become one.
"Bind" by Slain Omen Ward. Drives misfortune into a cage and instantly vanquishes any evil.
"Maw" by Slain Woes Eighty: Corrodes the world and makes allies against the threat, leaving all entity's souls to be sundered into two of the same kind.

After a major war broke out, these 12 Sentinels were shattered to form two blades as Bearers. One being "Origin" and the other being "End."

The "Kyoden: A Cleave Across the Transient World" trailer also played a few instances of the original "Honkai World Diva," the original Raiden Mei's OST from Honkai Impact 3rd.

All Herrschers from Honkai Impact 3rd and their parallels with the Honkai Star Rail Sentinels

Herrschers of Reason, Death/Rebirth, Thunder, and Void in order (Image via HoYoverse)

Here is a list of all Herrschers and their parallel links with the Sentinels in Honkai Star Rail:

First Herrscher, of the Reason (Welt Yang, Welt Joyce, and Bronya) with the power of object creation: Parallel with "Truth."
Second Herrscher, of the Void (Sirin and K423 Kiana) with the power of space manipulation: Parallel with "Sky."
Third Herrscher, of Thunder (Raiden Mei) with the power of Lightning: Parallel with "Howl."
Fourth Herrscher, of Wind (Wendy) with the power of weather and wind manipulation: Parallel with "Mist"
Fifth Herrscher, of Ice (Ana Schariac) with the power of thermal manipulation: Parallel with "Frost."
Sixth Herrscher, of Death and Rebirth (Seele) with the power of regeneration, manipulation of the life and death cycle: Parallel with "Fate."
Seventh Herrscher, of Fire or Flamescion (applies with both Himeko and Kiana): Parallel with "Flair."
Eight Herrscher, of Sentience (Fu Hua) with the power of Illusions and World Creations: Parallel with "Thought."
Ninth Herrscher, of Stars (Owl) with the power of gravity manipulation: Parallel with "Root."
Tenth Herrscher, of Domination (nameless) with the power of connecting consciousness over a large sum of bodies: Parallel with "Form."
Eleventh Herrscher, of Binding (nameless) with the power to nullify all Honkai and put them on hold: Parallel with "Cage."
Twelveth Herrcher, of Corruption (Elysia alt form and Yae Sakura) with the power of data absorption and corruption: Parallel with "Maw."

The final two Swords after the 12 shattering parallel the final two Herrschers of the Honkai Impact 3rd part 1 story. They are Herrscher of Origin (Raiden Mei) and Herrscher of Finality/End (Kiana).