Not really a theory, just a lore drop! I wanted to share the reason why I was excited about this trailer dropping on twitter. I like getting a little insight into her mind. It’s very different from Zhongli and Venti.
I'm so interested to find out what Raiden was before she ascended to a God. Was she a spirit? or was she a human that ascended to Godhood? If she was a human, maybe the reason she takes visions is to prevent others from ascending to Godhood and experiencing the pain she did and realising the truth of the Gods.
I believe Orobashi actually was "corrupted" by Khaenrian agents. From what we know of Orobashi, it was a gentle and kind god even though it was a snake… So attacking Baal at that time was wierd and came from nowhere so I think khaenriahns may have provoked it to start their war with Celestia. We know what they did with Dvalin so it wouldnt be out of possibility.
3:37 Is that true? In one of the previous Special Program, Zhongli mentioned that Yae is an old friend of his and Ganyu. That means Yae is older, probably more than 500 years old.
Another great analysis. I'm mostly parting with the idea of possession for Baal. Although I do think they're something mentally fragile or broken there that maybe has allowed for an easier manipulation? By the Fatui? Thus far the idea of the Shogunate aligning with the fatui because they just seem like good dudes, i.e. they align in goals still feels weak…
@TeyvatHistoria had a wonderful catch that there are actually five "members" present at the start of this video, not four. In the bottom left hand corner there is an umbrella up until the loss of the Oni. I agree with the idea that the umbrella bearing Ei is is a representation of herself, her holding to the ideal of the original Electro Archon, but unable to hold to an oath she swore to any longer. Additionally this would align with the split in personality that is alluded to during the meeting with those who had their visions taken from them, being torn between who they would strive to be, and the internal conflict and breakdown it can cause within.
unrelated to the video, but I’m so glad you’re getting more attention and subs. You’re definitely my favorite genshin theorist right now, so it’s really great that people are finding out abt you! <3
i feel really bad for raiden the feeling when you lose someone is unbearable at least, but when you start feeling like you are the one to blame for their death… it is such a feeling i don't want anyone to experience themselves… but because she is an archon, she can't show her true feelings and needs to stay "unchanging" for an eternity… this is just so tragic…
The Oni girl Chiyo is suspected to be slain by her eldest son Mikoshi Doukei in the forest she fled to, who got despised by folks because of her mother's betrayal to the shogun, and ended up hiding in Konda Village, where he met Teruyo from Tengu clan and got Iwakura name, together they duel and developed Iwakura art where he destroyed an abandoned temple along with his sword near Konda village, so he had blacksmith craft the Amenoma Kageuchi sword and gave Konda village chief the diagram as gratitude, that's where we get the diagram today.
I have another theory that paimon might be from the dark sea thats why people from seven netion doen't know what she is or she is a fully formed seeli, Told you i had some annoying theories
Maybe I'm overthinking everything too much. But the loss of the Baal's friends seems to be linked to Khaenri'ah and the Cataclysm in some way, shape, or form. By enacting the Vision Hunt Decree, Baal may be trying to limit human ambition and pride to prevent the events of the cataclysm from repeating again.
Anyways, the trailer raised more questions than it answered. Can't wait to play through 2.1 and learn more!
that rain scene when Baal chased her old self and the rain stopped, i just noticed the same thing happened when aether tried to catch Thoma's vision, the raindrops somehow slowed down. Idk if that adds up to the story tho
6:14 Also she faded into yellow or gold particles, not the same as we saw in 2.1 trailer with statue but still, maybe it also means that she lost her old ambitions, goals etc. Maybe that's why she changed, like those people who lost their visions, but she has her gnosis still, right? But what if she had vision maybe before becoming archon and then someday it disappeared (yeah I know that I don't know lore very well and maybe what I'm saying is fundamentally wrong but it is so interesting)
About the lore of Iwakura and Chiyo, for anyone interested, heres a link to a short video which explains a few more things. The legacy of her clan isnt completely wiped https://youtu.be/PaToAhI-rpw
With regards to the confusion about when Orobashi was defeated, call me crazy but I have a theory that the Archons in Genshin work kind of like some of the gods in The Elder Scrolls. Specifically, the concept of "Mantling" within TES lore: taking up the role (or mantle) of a god, and emulating them so closely that there is no longer a difference between your existence and that god's existence. In TES, several characters step up to fill in the roles of gods who are either dead or "retiring," and through this process of replacement, either create a completely new entity that's kind of a fusion of themselves and that god (e.g. Talos), or just get "absorbed" into the identity of that god (e.g. Sheogorath) — rather than a true replacement, they're more like an extension that continues after the original is gone. Kind of like season 2 of a TV show.
So like, in Genshin, imagine that "Baal" was the name of the original Electro Archon, someone who pursued eternity in their own way, and the one who slayed Orobashi during the Archon War. Then, when the original Baal died, Ei took up their "mantle," thereby becoming the next Baal: inheriting the memories, ideals, motivations, and possibly even demeanor & physical appearance as the original. To the point that, while everyone knows Ei and the original Baal are different people, they are functionally the same entity.
I don't think they would go this route in Genshin, or at least not as literally as how TES does it. But it certainly does explain the discrepancies/confusing timeline about Orobashi: physically, that may not have been the Baal we know, but spiritually, there's no difference between that Baal and the one currently alive, because the one alive right now has the memories of killing Orobashi and feels the same way about it as the original Baal would've. It would be easy for an in-universe author to just simplify it by treating both OG Baal and Ei as the same person.
Zhongli once said “of all the ideals, eternity is closest to celestia” . Maybe Baal is confiscating the vision of Inazuma to prevent another Khanre’ah incident and vision holders are just a small amount of people compared to those who aren’t. She wants to protect her people and keep her promise of unchanging eternity
I wander if her idle animation she will say: "the picnic table is the same, but were are those who share the memory?"
I'm so interested to find out what Raiden was before she ascended to a God. Was she a spirit? or was she a human that ascended to Godhood? If she was a human, maybe the reason she takes visions is to prevent others from ascending to Godhood and experiencing the pain she did and realising the truth of the Gods.
I believe Orobashi actually was "corrupted" by Khaenrian agents. From what we know of Orobashi, it was a gentle and kind god even though it was a snake… So attacking Baal at that time was wierd and came from nowhere so I think khaenriahns may have provoked it to start their war with Celestia. We know what they did with Dvalin so it wouldnt be out of possibility.
Basically… Morax is more mature than Baal…
Inazuma will be a great anime 💜💖⚡
In religious lore Baal is said to have 3 heads: a cat, a toad, and a man.
3:37 Is that true? In one of the previous Special Program, Zhongli mentioned that Yae is an old friend of his and Ganyu. That means Yae is older, probably more than 500 years old.
Ashikai mentions that we cause the destruction of chio's clan. Which quest are those? I dont remember doing any of that.
Hope she’ll find her happy ending
Another great analysis. I'm mostly parting with the idea of possession for Baal. Although I do think they're something mentally fragile or broken there that maybe has allowed for an easier manipulation? By the Fatui? Thus far the idea of the Shogunate aligning with the fatui because they just seem like good dudes, i.e. they align in goals still feels weak…
@TeyvatHistoria had a wonderful catch that there are actually five "members" present at the start of this video, not four. In the bottom left hand corner there is an umbrella up until the loss of the Oni. I agree with the idea that the umbrella bearing Ei is is a representation of herself, her holding to the ideal of the original Electro Archon, but unable to hold to an oath she swore to any longer. Additionally this would align with the split in personality that is alluded to during the meeting with those who had their visions taken from them, being torn between who they would strive to be, and the internal conflict and breakdown it can cause within.
~4 days…
unrelated to the video, but I’m so glad you’re getting more attention and subs. You’re definitely my favorite genshin theorist right now, so it’s really great that people are finding out abt you! <3
I love your content, keep up Ashikai!
MiHoYo when they were making this trailer:
"how can we condense a feature-length movie into a 3-minute-long clip?"
Love this analysis! I think I am starting to piece things together.
chiyo can’t be the mother of iwakura clan because it was her first son
chiyo was from mikoshi clan
i feel really bad for raiden
the feeling when you lose someone is unbearable at least, but when you start feeling like you are the one to blame for their death…
it is such a feeling i don't want anyone to experience themselves…
but because she is an archon, she can't show her true feelings and needs to stay "unchanging" for an eternity…
this is just so tragic…
The Oni girl Chiyo is suspected to be slain by her eldest son Mikoshi Doukei in the forest she fled to, who got despised by folks because of her mother's betrayal to the shogun, and ended up hiding in Konda Village, where he met Teruyo from Tengu clan and got Iwakura name, together they duel and developed Iwakura art where he destroyed an abandoned temple along with his sword near Konda village, so he had blacksmith craft the Amenoma Kageuchi sword and gave Konda village chief the diagram as gratitude, that's where we get the diagram today.
No one gets happy ending in Mihoyo story :')
Can you by any chance tell about your profe pic?
Is there a posibility that chiyo will be found out somewhere in Tsurumi island?
I have another theory that paimon might be from the dark sea thats why people from seven netion doen't know what she is or she is a fully formed seeli,
Told you i had some annoying theories
If Baal wasn’t the electro archon she’d be a Anemo character
Maybe I'm overthinking everything too much. But the loss of the Baal's friends seems to be linked to Khaenri'ah and the Cataclysm in some way, shape, or form. By enacting the Vision Hunt Decree, Baal may be trying to limit human ambition and pride to prevent the events of the cataclysm from repeating again.
Anyways, the trailer raised more questions than it answered. Can't wait to play through 2.1 and learn more!
that rain scene when Baal chased her old self and the rain stopped, i just noticed the same thing happened when aether tried to catch Thoma's vision, the raindrops somehow slowed down. Idk if that adds up to the story tho
is it possible that her old self is stuck inside this domain
it just seems strange her sitting there like this
the pronunciations are killing me
how to achieve eternity
have eternity
Just realized I've watched several of your videos and for some reason I'm not subscribed. You definitely got my sub.
Maybe raider is corrupted and is trying to get her old self. Idk just got back from school my brain is dead.
Lil Raiden Vert push me to the edge all my friends are dead
You remind me a lot of Yanfei‘s english VA!
You literally have some of the best genshin videos on YouTube!! I get so hype to see you release a new one!
Perhaps (if Baal has heard about it) the "death" of Morax further solidifies Baals desire for eternity.
6:14 Also she faded into yellow or gold particles, not the same as we saw in 2.1 trailer with statue but still, maybe it also means that she lost her old ambitions, goals etc. Maybe that's why she changed, like those people who lost their visions, but she has her gnosis still, right? But what if she had vision maybe before becoming archon and then someday it disappeared (yeah I know that I don't know lore very well and maybe what I'm saying is fundamentally wrong but it is so interesting)
Where to get domain lores btw
About the lore of Iwakura and Chiyo, for anyone interested, heres a link to a short video which explains a few more things. The legacy of her clan isnt completely wiped
https://youtu.be/PaToAhI-rpw
With regards to the confusion about when Orobashi was defeated, call me crazy but I have a theory that the Archons in Genshin work kind of like some of the gods in The Elder Scrolls. Specifically, the concept of "Mantling" within TES lore: taking up the role (or mantle) of a god, and emulating them so closely that there is no longer a difference between your existence and that god's existence. In TES, several characters step up to fill in the roles of gods who are either dead or "retiring," and through this process of replacement, either create a completely new entity that's kind of a fusion of themselves and that god (e.g. Talos), or just get "absorbed" into the identity of that god (e.g. Sheogorath) — rather than a true replacement, they're more like an extension that continues after the original is gone. Kind of like season 2 of a TV show.
So like, in Genshin, imagine that "Baal" was the name of the original Electro Archon, someone who pursued eternity in their own way, and the one who slayed Orobashi during the Archon War. Then, when the original Baal died, Ei took up their "mantle," thereby becoming the next Baal: inheriting the memories, ideals, motivations, and possibly even demeanor & physical appearance as the original. To the point that, while everyone knows Ei and the original Baal are different people, they are functionally the same entity.
I don't think they would go this route in Genshin, or at least not as literally as how TES does it. But it certainly does explain the discrepancies/confusing timeline about Orobashi: physically, that may not have been the Baal we know, but spiritually, there's no difference between that Baal and the one currently alive, because the one alive right now has the memories of killing Orobashi and feels the same way about it as the original Baal would've. It would be easy for an in-universe author to just simplify it by treating both OG Baal and Ei as the same person.
Zhongli once said “of all the ideals, eternity is closest to celestia” . Maybe Baal is confiscating the vision of Inazuma to prevent another Khanre’ah incident and vision holders are just a small amount of people compared to those who aren’t. She wants to protect her people and keep her promise of unchanging eternity
1:10 sus a yuri
SUSayuri?