She is a young woman with a medium build, fair skin, and bright scarlet eyes that feature unique flower-shaped pupils. Her long dark brown hair is tied into two low pigtails that fade into crimson at the ends. She wears a bright red shirt with a high collar, worn over black shorts with gold details. She also wears a mid-length, black traditional coat with a mandarin collar, long rectangular coattails, and sleeve cuffs. It features her gold brooch, a Pyro Vision on her back, and gold and crimson accents. She has a black, flat-topped traditional pillbox-style hat (Mao-style) featuring a yellow wooden talisman, a red tassel, a gold emblem, and a branch of plum blossoms. She also wears .id-calf white socks strapped with red ties and plum blossoms, and black high heels. She uses a polearm as her main weapon. She is an energetic free spirit who loves to shock and confuse the citizens of Liyue. She is infamous for her countless pranks, bizarre ideas, and penchant for offering people "early funeral services," which often leaves others around her annoyed or bewildered. She dislikes sitting idle, lives her life to the absolute fullest, and finds great amusement in the varied reactions her unconventional personality draws. She actually has a profound philosophy. Because her entire life revolves around managing the border between life and death, she views death not as something to be feared, but as a natural and essential part of the journey and circle of life. She deals with the afterlife with an enthusiasm that many find uncanny, driven by a desire to bring comfort to the deceased and ensure their souls transition peacefully. When it comes to her actual job, her demeanor flips completely. During funeral ceremonies and last rites, she is highly disciplined, solemn, and deeply respectful of both the deceased and the client's wishes. She takes the legacy and responsibilities of the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor with the utmost importance. Because her boundaries and views on death are so different from the average person's, some characters are initially put off by her. For example, the undead character Qiqi strongly dislikes her, as Hu Tao once attempted to give her a proper burial. However, her close companions and employees—such as her consultant Zhongli—have grown accustomed to her eccentricities and rely on her sharp intellect and trustworthiness. The Hu family has managed the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor for thousands of years, and they're tasked with the sacred duty of conducting funerary rites and maintaining the balance between life, death, and the ley lines. The family has a deep history of shaping Liyue Harbor's traditions and unseen spiritual affairs, with Hu Tao taking over as the 77th Director at a very young age. When she was 13, she conducted her very first ceremony—the funeral for her beloved grandfather. Following the service, she walked to the desolate Wuwang Hill and managed to cross the physical boundary into the realm of the dead in an attempt to see him one last time. She spent days in the borderland, not out of malice or sorrow, but simply to say goodbye. She eventually realized her grandfather had no regrets about passing on and was no longer lingering there. Upon returning to the physical world, she found she had received her Pyro Vision. One of the most famous aspects of her past is her history with the zombie character, Qiqi, who's essentially Dr Baizhu's daughter (Dr. Baizhu is the head of Bubu Pharmacy). Her duty is to ensure the dead move on to the afterlife, which means she previously viewed Qiqi’s eternal undeath as a disruption of natural order. She made numerous attempts to "properly bury" Qiqi, often carrying her around in a sack. However, after reading Qiqi's heartfelt diary detailing how much she genuinely wants to live, she realized Qiqi is a special case who deserves to stay, transforming her former pursuit into a deep, playful, and protective respect.