[1.6] The Eyes Behind The Masks - A Genshin Impact Theory

Corrections down in the pinned comments.
Khaenri'ah Lore Project (discord link can be found there) - khaenriah.com
The Emerald Tablet Theory - • [1.5] The Domain Mural...
Undiscovery's Unmasking of the Hilichurls -www.youtube.com/watch?v%3DCfi...

[@Ashikai]

VIDEO NOTES + CORRECTIONS: -El Musk is related to Ella musk but is not confirmed to be her father. There are two El Musks, a previous generation and a present generation, but the details surrounding them is unclear. I made an assumption that the present generation El Musk was Ella and Edith's father but that should be noted as speculation and not taken as fact as of version 2.0.

[@plat4663]

I think Mihoyo just gives enemies masks so they don't feel humane but more like... "mobs"

[@Zarozian]

Xiao wears a mask. o 3o

[@kirboist6549]

Elon musk

[@zerooskil7161]

@@plat4663 i think we are way past needing masks to see a mob as a mob considering all the games that exist, not to mention to need to make something less human, why? we kill each other in pvp all the time in many games plus consider that they also have other games like honkai impact, no i dont think mihoyo would do it for that reason

[@satokori1689]

@Ashikai I really want to say the principles of egyptian mythology is to sustain or a cycle that will never end and the goddess name the sistainer of heavenly principles.

[@crayola7494]

We all know Kaeya wears an eyepatch because he's a pirate, just like his great grandpa. /s

[@somewherefaraway3093]

But is he really? He's a slick person, he can manipulate anyone with just his words and one would believe what he says is the truth (when all he said was fake or a lie, but that doesn't mean he lies all the time). And I just realized that Dainsleif and kaeya both cover the right side of their faces, kaeya only covers his eye meanwhile Dainsleif covers his entire right face but his eye. They could be hiding something dangerous under the cover for all we know. And I personally think that if his great grandparents were to be pirates, then it'd make sense to find ships in the Golden Apple Archipelago, but it'd make sense too if the ships are from Inazuma (because of the boss), we don't know for sure until the next evidence comes.

[@Saya-ng1sl]

@@somewherefaraway3093 do you not know why the /s is there lol btw it denotes a sarcastic tone

[@gwen-cb7uk]

He lied about that lol

[@sshk1653]

Is that sarcasm 😂😂 we all know why he wears.. he is shadiest character.. in whole genshin

[@somewherefaraway3093]

@@sshk1653 Idk, but I think Dainsleif is the shadiest, and Venti too, Kaeya isn't that shady because we already know where he's from and we can theorize from that. Venti tho...what's his relationship with time? We'll never know...

[@scarlettt9310]

It's starting to sound like it's Yanfei talking to us as I stare more at her, your voice also sounds kinda like hers (a compliment hehe)

[@aelius9907]

ikr-

[@moonhall]

3:35 Ikr, this is were I realized

[@AmazonWarriorQueen]

I hope they use Yanfei like this in future videos…

[@prophetkat]

I was lowkey wondering if the VA was doing theory videos

[@Ashikai]

Just in case, I'm not a VA for any character in Genshin. I'm a random person doing theories. XD

[@Simon-me9fh]

when you told me that samachurls only have one eye and it's where their mouth is located, I can see why Lisa thought the pursuit of knowledge was too great a cost to bear

[@Nokyyyyy]

Samachurls come from kirby lore With the dark matter beings having one eye in their mouth Edit : would say digging into it is a good thing, but you'll find only pain And "eye in the mouth = dark evil magic"

[@apekkusu4563]

Not really their mouth but the "mouth" of their masks.

[@rakaneko4229]

This is like a quantum physics like everything is doesn't make any sense

[@Maggie4519]

wait what do you mean by this? i don't understand the connection with lisa's ideals

[@faraday3683]

Please- At this point Childe is literally WAVING death flags at our faces

[@strivingtoonedaybeuseful6049]

Nooo not my childe!!!

[@nabieladrian]

I wonder if someday we will have Awaken mode. Boy, I'm glad playing this game FOR FREE.

[@yoonie1828]

Please don’t kill off my Russian Ed Sheeran mihoyo

[@whoscatimi7590]

Sadly yes

[@fourxy]

Childe have way TOO many red flags about his possible future dead. *Having Honkai Flashbacks*

[@Tectone]

i think dream from the SMP is a hillichurl

[@martinordonez5675]

sus

[@firdaussidique3641]

Mom Im on twitchhhhh!!!

[@muenstrr]

HI TECTONE

[@ZentoBrinebg]

nice

[@atron437]

CONFIRMED

[@PinkC0bra]

To add on top of this theory, in the "we will be reunited" quest the abyss was constandly looking for the EYE of the first field tiller!

[@xdre6558]

I don’t know how relevant this even is but I remember looking into kaeya’s animations and noticed him flipping a coin in one of them, one interpretation i had ended up linking into the peacock constellation. When someone flips a coin they might say “heads or tails” similiar to what a predator might wonder when looking at the fake eyes on a peacock. The coin flip could also symbolise the choice kaeya has to make between the abyss and Mondstadt. Again I don’t know how relevant this is but I’d like to hear your opinion on this :]

[@Ashikai]

Ooohhh heads or taails! That's fun! Is mora the same on both sides...? Now I need to check.

[@somewherefaraway3093]

Kaeya has a gambling addiction side- 👁👄👁

[@xdre6558]

@@somewherefaraway3093 GAMBA

[@saarika497]

both the coin flip and the peacock thing suggest that Kaeya has a side that he's not showing to anyone- i really like your interpretation!! :DDD

[@xdre6558]

@@saarika497 thanks! I thought it was interesting enough to share so im glad you liked my comment!

[@naisu5298]

and to top it of, kaeya's passive talent glacial heart, used to be named... HEART OF THE ABYSS 🤯

[@cissy2525]

You know I checked the Chinese version, and in Chinese it’s “Galacial heart of the abyss” lol. You could interpret this two ways, either (kaeya) is the center (or “heart”) of the abyss, or, (kaeya’s) heart is corrupted like the abyss

[@rotaderp88]

It’s part of the lore that keaya was from kha’nriah and everybody from khan was cursed to be immortal monsters.

[@beashemmad.sayson545]

@@rotaderp88 well, almost everyone

[@Nokyyyyy]

@@rotaderp88 dainsleif is immortal They didn't precise anything about the abyss? But since they are back everyday like the guy from south park, they might indeed be immortal

[@swordzanderson5352]

@@cissy2525 If you think about it another way, since Khaenri'ah basically represented the Abyss due to how dangerously powerful they were, and since Kaeya's C1 is Excellent Blood, he could very well be a member of the Royal Family that Dainsleif swore to protect as the 12(or 13, I forgot) Royal Swords. Kaeya's last name, Alberich, is also the name of a king who was deemed as 'Ruler of Supernatural Beings'. So, he could very, VERY well be the actual fricking prince of Khaenri'ah, seeing how his father entrusts the entire fate of their nation into his hands, and assumably how many people has died to bring Kaeya safely to Monstadt.

[@bleucat3119]

I know this isn’t insanely crazy, but if you read the item description on the Ominous Mask it says something about a theory on why Hillichurls wear masks (being that they probably don’t want to look at their face). If this is true maybe it means they’re scared of disgusted by their appearance. I think this is pretty interesting considering how the Hillichurls and other Abyss enemies were allegedly once people from Khanri’ah who could possibly want to refuse the reality of them not being human anymore. I don’t know if this makes sense but I think it’d be pretty on par with the fairly tragic undertones of Genshin

[@michellaneous3364]

at this rate im thinkng that genshin is dark but its hidden while honkai is dark and waving around that fact

[@Lelfay]

It’s confirmed that the Abyss were once people however I think somewhere mentions that Hilichurls existed way before the fall of Khaenri’ah and just became more aggro in recent times

[@spiritofstars3867]

@@Lelfay Yeah but some people from Khaenri'ah turned into hilichurls.

[@mrthanos2404]

@@spiritofstars3867 I thought only the Abyss mages are born from humans.

[@spiritofstars3867]

@@mrthanos2404 Dainsleif's second story quest says that some hilichurls were people of Khaenri'ah.

[@forbiddensoju]

The fact that you're using Yanfei as the "thinking character". It puts a smile on my mouth or however it goes.

[@Ashikai]

Yanfei and Beidou are my girls.

[@spoookley]

Have you noticed that they have internationally align the abyss with a bluish purple color and celestia with orangish red? The Sustainer of Heavenly Principles has red magic and a red cape, whereas Dainsleif has a blue cape. Also, Paimon has a cape that’s mostly blue, but is sometimes red too.

[@serinaxoxo]

Just a side theory: If you read Vera's Melancholy Vol. 8 it mentions something about eyes and their symbolism, and you know how Mihoyo likes to hint at things through these books if you take the time to actually read them. the line from Vol 8. I'm referring to reads: "The dominant race of the Andromeda Empire have organs on the palms of their hands that allow them to capture and consume eyeballs." "I've seen it before. Looks like some sort of... lamprey?" Sachi shivered a little as he said that last word. "Let me finish." Ike wanted to touch his eyes, but wound up pressing his fingerprint into his glasses. Taking his glasses off, he touched his left eye. "Their practice of eating eyes has two meanings: submission..." He touched his right eye. "...and love." The right and left eye have symbolism in this book, and the Andromeda Empire could represent the Abyss Order easily. What does it mean? Don't know, but I thought it was cool that Kaeya and Signora hide their right eyes, which symbolize love, and Childe hides his left eye, which symbolizes submission. Seems to fit them well.

[@Ashikai]

Hmm that's a good point. Andromeda is also a galaxy... From all these comments I literally have enough content for a part two now lol

[@word6344]

Kaeya and Signora are cryo users and the cryo archon is also the one of love.

[@beashemmad.sayson545]

Madafaka, omg woaH

[@beashemmad.sayson545]

Does this have something to do with visions too? Like its other purpose not yet known

[@petrichorrs]

I'm blown away!

[@santiagocastello3579]

I agree that masks may have something to do with delusions and Abyssal powers But one question remains: how would a mask help in any way? If Crepus died because he wasn't using a mask, then how would a mask actually help you survive? It's not like your mask is connected to you, or that you need a special type of mask. So to answer my own question I remembered one very key line in the descriptions of Hilichurls' ominous masks: "Maybe they use them to not see their faces reflected in the water" (not the exact quote but it's something like that) So I wonder, if you use these powers and you see your face, do you die? Is it because seeing how your face changes when you use these powers makes your brain unable to process what's going on? Is it because seeing your eyes (or just one eye) makes you see things that your brain can't handle? Is that why using your mask is so important? To preserve some sanity so that your body doesn't destroys itself?

[@Ashikai]

Yeah, I think your last line is probably right. At least, that's the conclusion I've come to. o3ob

[@mi-hq4zj]

But I still have one question how did diluc know that he had to wear a mask while using the delusion or was it a coincidence? Or maybe he knows already about delusions and the abyss since keaya told him his story or something idk I m just really confused

[@nabieladrian]

@@mi-hq4zj I haven't read the manga, but didn't Kaeya only told Diluc 'everything' after the father's death, before their own duel?

[@zacnieprawisz9171]

@@mi-hq4zj Diluc went on a revange-trip killing the Fatuis, maybe he forced some of them to tell him how to use a delusion safely

[@mi-hq4zj]

@@nabieladrian oh yes you’r right

[@astraySparrow]

interestingly enough, the death of Yakshas is also represented by breaking of their masks, being corrupted by all negative energy they have collected due to centuries of their servitude ~ excellent video, as always :)

[@scratchshinou4983]

its nice to listen to ashikais voice and they have so in depth theories, its too impressive hope ill catch premiere tomorrow prayge

[@Keima97]

I thought I'd say after tomorrow. 9/7.

[@AdGuGeHo]

Ashikai deserve to be in top GI theory COntent creators, her videos very good made they are not copy-past videos of another theory. Ashikai is archonts of theoryes

[@stingrae919]

25:43 Venti being abyssal himself would explain why we only ever see Khanri’ahns in Mondstadt. It would also explain why there’s no anemo abyss mage, since maybe they were actually the wind spirits and Venti is the last one...

[@abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwyxz102]

I think it's because lhaenriuah is right next to mondstadt also, what are your ideas on the geo abyss mage?

[@themikatoon]

Or the fact that air is the element of freedom and abyssal creatures are never free because they're chained to abyss.

[@worm2976]

​@@abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwyxz102 Geo and Anemo (and maybe Dendro too?) are both elements that intensify or attenuate the effects of other core elements. They're perhaps not accessible as pure element

[@knightofwisdom8851]

I love how there are many infos about the world of genshin hidden in the archives or in-game reading materials;books,tablets,etc. Mihoyo trying to encourage the players to do something they probably didn't like; Reading. XD

[@zenzenitha]

I love how it gave the player option too, if you want to chase the lore they're there but if you don't then the main quest would suffice to know who's doing what. And even so there are still complaints about unskippable dialogue etc

[@Nino-pn4vc]

Waiting for Keaya to become abyss herald just like childe.

[@icantbelieveyoudonethis4059]

“The Keeper is fading away the Creator has not yet come. But the world shall burn no more for you shall ascend.” So if Dain is fading does that mean Traveler will take his place as the Bough Keeper and go against the Sustainer or perhaps Teyvat’s God? I know this isn’t really on topic with the vid but it got me thinking

[@Ashikai]

Possibly? I think there's something about a cycle that the travelers will put an end to but I don't really have any clear thoughts on it yet.

[@icantbelieveyoudonethis4059]

@@Ashikai That makes sense. We know Teyvat has been in cyclical destruction and creation and Traveler and their sibling wouldn’t stand for that especially since the sibling seems to be trying to bring down Celestia and fight destiny. Plus with the Tsarista planning a rebellion Celestia would most likely retaliate and try to reset them again.

[@epictetusphilosophy]

@@icantbelieveyoudonethis4059 could you elaborate more on the cyclical destruction and creation of Teyvat a bit more. Was this mentioned in the game or is this also a theory?

[@icantbelieveyoudonethis4059]

@@epictetusphilosophy It’s mentioned in the lore concerning Sal Vindagnyr and the Circlet of Seasons artefacts. The cycle goes somewhat like this: Humans come up and build civilisations. Humans prosper with the aid of the gods. Humans begin to question if this immense prosperity is permanent and receive no answer from the gods. Humans search for answers before unveiling the truth. Humans try to challenge the gods and are destroyed. Then it all starts over again.

[@Ashikai]

@@epictetusphilosophy It's kind of implied through books, artifact lore etc, but they haven't come out and explicitly said it in like an archon quest I don't think.

[@kyosmic]

I remember looking at kaeya's burst and the sigil looking thing made by kaeya is seen somewhere in dain's clothes and signora's earrings. Also, it's on the roof of the tents of hilichurls

[@hennill3336]

On the topic of eyes in mytology, in norse mythology Odin sacrifices his right eye for wisdom

[@jonathan0225]

ashikai theories hit different when it's been confirmed., lol

[@dotkiarika1026]

Omg this is such a great video!! And it made me think that a lot of the circlets we get from artifacts are actually masks too right? And if you look into the lore of some of them, specifically the Bloodstained one, that has *one bloody left eye* it literally talks about the story of a Knight that allied himself with the Abyss after finding out about the injustices that happened to the "ancient kingdom" who had their people "cursed". The Knight then goes on to realize after some time that his drawn-out war made him as much of a monster as the ones he fought against. Specially the quotes "shield me from the eyes of those I vowed to protect, and shield them the horrors I am bound to effect" really remind me of Dain's story, or at least of what we know of Dain's story.

[@Ashikai]

Oh shiz I actually forgot all about the Bloodstained mask!! Great catch! :0

[@Moshi_Mochi]

When you mentioned the "galaxy capes", I remembered something. Mona has stars and galaxy design as its animations when going into her normal/charge atks, elemental skill and burst. Does that mean mona, or atleast hydromancy has a connection to the abyss? Really great video btw.

[@delaisaka3318]

Interesting she has teleportation abilities as seen in the reconciled stars event. Similar to the Abyss Heralds perhaps?

[@stingrae919]

Well, stars do have some sort of connection to Khaenri’ah and the Abyss, so she very well might since she’s an astrologist.

[@aerin699]

I think her teacher and Klee’s mom (Alice) have a connection to the abyss I think it was said somewhere but I honestly don’t know where I saw it LOL

[@JustANyanCat]

I'm one month late, but doesn't Paimon have a Galaxy cape herself?

[@samueljo7910]

@@JustANyanCat Yes. Also has anyone noticed how in Reconciled Stars, Mona's teleportation bubble looks eerily similar to Childe's transformation bubble? Concerning...

[@ori_the_omnivorous]

Oh damn, listening to the last few minutes made me remember this quote... _He who fights monsters should be careful lest he thereby become a monster. And if thou gaze long into an abyss, the abyss gazes back into thee._ Maybe the mask does protect the people so the abyss does not gaze into them. Anyways, great video, I'm always excited to hear theories on Genshin as the world is packed full with small details, stories and soooo many symbols, just like with the eyes.

[@WhaleMilk]

"To change a face; to conceal it fully within another... A powerful protection that is, but one with sad consequence. The original mind is destroyed, though those of striking will may still retain a sliver of that concealed self." -The Mask Maker, Hollow Knight Masks are such an interesting symbol in any fictional situation, and they're one of my favorite literary symbols. I'm really glad somebody pointed out this point that Genshin really likes its masks. And I think this quote from the Mask Maker relates to Genshin's use of masks as a symbol quite well, even though the quote is really only relevant to Hollow Knight's use of masks in lore. In, like, every mythology, religion, or folk lore, masks most commonly represent hiding your face, which represents either protection from something, as your face is your truest expression of your emotion, or hiding from something, usually humiliation or some other negative social emotion. Mask-users in Genshin are, across the board, people who are in opposition to Celestia in some way, or, in the case of hilichurls, are a result of that opposition. The Fatui are quite against the gods, and the Abyss are the result of not having a god, and are fighting to destroy celestia. So why can't masks be "a powerful protection" from the gazing eyes of the gods? Even Delusion wielders, where a delusion is the perversion of a gift given by a god, wear masks, possibly to protect themselves from some sort of punishment by the gods. I think that second half of the Mask Maker quote is also really interestingly relevant: the wearer of a mask has their original mind destroyed, though those with powerful wills might be able to retain their original self. Again, in the world of Hollow Knight, this is a very literally what happens, but it also has a much more symbolic interpretation. The more you wear a mask and present that as your true self, the more you might actually become the image you set forth. What if primitive creatures, like Hilichurls or Abyss Mages, have fully sucumbed to that "sad consequece?" Abyss Mages are the epitome of abyssal corruption, and maybe a being that has fully been corrupted by the abyss loses their face, with their new face becoming the mask, their new face becoming the protection they put forth? But people like the harbingers and delusion wearers are able to keep their humanity, and only use their mask in certain situations? Idk I could be stretching, but I feel like that quote is weirdly relevant. I'm not good with theorizing as much as other people, but masks are such a powerful symbol that I can't help but read the game's use of masks like that. Love the video by the way, great work!

[@Ashikai]

Oh man, Hollow Knight!! That's like a perfect comparison! You gave me more food for thought... I think I need to do a followup/part-2 digging into this now that the foundation/justifications are in place. Thank you!!! :0

[@WhaleMilk]

@@Ashikai np! Foundations are my specialty, so I'm glad I was able to help

[@word6344]

"in the dark corners of the world where the gods' gaze does not fall, there are those who dream of dreaming" What we see in dreams are things we see in our minds, because our physical eyes are asleep, hidden behing our eyelids

[@Nataninko]

Hey, I know why they all have only one eye revealed, it's because they're all huge stans of Sans from undettale and are too shy to expose it!!

[@byssopelagic]

remember the sans fan girls? these are their bastard children

[@guibragatto]

11:08 turns out that Childe's left eye in his delusion form is covered because mihoyo forgot to remove the eye patch that he used to have in his model in the beta

[@yoi3652]

i mean... the theory still applies right?

[@kopp2663]

15:08 This part brought shivers down my spine, about the fall of a nation. Because in Lumine's flashback to when Khaenriah was being destroyed in the We Will Be Reunited trailer, the sky is blood red - kind of like a solar eclipse. And do you want to know who died during the fall of Khaenriah? The previous dendro archon. The previous archon to Sumeru, which is based off of the middle east. Just thought it was interesting

[@JacobWangShu]

Holy shit your right coz I think I read from somewhere that the dendro archon is very young, about 500 years old, about the same time as the cataclysm

[@amorimjt]

I dont know how deep u went into the Italian Comedia thing with the Harbingers, but even their masks take into account the aspects of the story and the characters. Funny to see that Snezhnaya is based on Russia but has a heavy influence from Italy.

[@Ashikai]

You don't wanna know how deep. You. really... don't wanna know...

[@amorimjt]

@@Ashikai so i want a deep dive in that rabbit hole!!! I really wanna hear your take on it all.

[@mneech609]

Well Soviets did believe to be the descendants of the Romans, didn't they? Maybe there's a connection.

[@genghiskhunt1609]

Always wondered what’s under hilichurl masks! I just thought the 1 eye reference among some abyss/fatui might’ve had to do with a sacrifice they made for hiden knowledge, like Odin giving his eye to drink from Mimir’s well lol

[@_mystic_5653]

Hidden knowledge from…… cue dramatic music THE ABYSS!!!

[@rositaleonfuentes5211]

Oo that sound good! After all, the nations with too much knowledge were the ones destroyed

[@Raaaycat]

"is Venti from the abyss?" well, he's sus just like Kaeya, they both speak hilichurlian xD also, Kaeya's passive Glacial Heart had a different name before 1.2... the original name was Heart of the Abyss (apparently the first part of the Chinese name [ 冰渊 ]之心 is a metaphor for a dangerous situation as if walking on thin ice over an abyss)

[@sweetkillerforfun]

Aside from the fact that i would love an abyss kaeya upgrade in the future, this theory got me thinking that since it seems that kaeya is royalty maybe one of Khaenri'ah alchemist did something to his eye that is more efficient than a mask so he won’t suffer abyss corruption like others, he problably had to passed some time in the abyss to appear in Mondstadt 500 years after the fall of his nation and in the comics he has a bandaged around his head and eye when left by his father (plus the crush and so much interesting in albedo and his alchemy is kind sus to me too) or his eye is the key to open the gate between Mondstadt and celestia but that maybe is going way too far 😅 I’ve seem some theories saying that the twin that is with the abyss is taking kaeya role as the prince, but maybe he was never intend for the role of the prince but the king itself or other more significant role, we don’t know yet how abyss organization works and we're doom with paimon’s questions about it for now, she’s the one directioning our perception as the viewers about all the events and that makes it more tricky Anyway i love what Mihoyo is doing with Kaeya’s history and i have great expectations about how it will unfold

[@priestking8636]

Hi! Why do you think that Keya is 500 years old? He can be just a relative to king due to bloodline

[@sweetkillerforfun]

@@priestking8636 hi! I don’t think he’s that old! It’s just that Childe stated that time in the abyss pass differently, what i think is that he stayed just some years in the abyss and his family invested in something to prevent baby kaeya suffer from abyss corruption, that would be enough for him appearing in Teyvat 500 years after the fall of Khaenri'ah, plus Kaeya said to Diluc about him being a double agent when Crepus died, and if his people are now the ‘’monsters” of the abyss order it’s very possible that he has some conection with the abyss For now it’s what makes sense to me, we don’t know of anyone else that survived the curse on Khaenri’ah’s people besides Kaeya and Albedo master, Dainsleif is cursed with immortality and Albedo is a homunculus so i don't know if it count as survivors. And well if anyone else survived, where besides the abyss could they seek shelter ? For now i don’t see enough information to think of that could be another place that they would choose, but maybe when we have access to other maps in the future and more information about what happened a possibility for it will appear, in the end it's just theories until we get more parts of the story

[@priestking8636]

@@sweetkillerforfun a-ah, ok ok Didn't think about this under such angle xd Very like the idea! If there are survivers, probably Tsaritsa care of them. Could be Also, they can be Hilichurls, as they are known being everytime, their number increased in the recent 500 years 👀

[@ChaoticPro_]

Just some notes: 1. An Abyss Herald actually doesn't have eyes. They (this is pure speculation) use magic to see around them, or in other terms, magic sense. 2. In Childe's 2nd form, I have reasons to believe that he does have 2 eyes, but their colors are different. Also, off-topic but, Kazuha and his friend are painstakingly alike. Could his so-called friend be an actual relative? My eyes probably deceive me, but that's what I'd like to think lol. Also, don't you think it's too coincidental that Baal would have the Vision Hunt Decree at the same time The Tsaritsa is collecting Gnoses from other Archons? Honestly, I feel like it's too coincidental, it's possible they are both on it. Again, it's just speculation, nothing else.

[@Ashikai]

If you zoom in on Childe's right eye, it's just not there. You can still see his mouth through the mask so if he does have two eyes there, it's not drawn.

[@ChaoticPro_]

@@Ashikai That's a possibility. But I can't think of a reason why his eye would just disappear, and if it did, then *how?* Just imagining it gives me the chills.

[@somewherefaraway3093]

@@ChaoticPro_ Anything is possible in GI

[@ChaoticPro_]

@@somewherefaraway3093 I think *anything* is a stretch.

[@somewherefaraway3093]

@@ChaoticPro_ What if everything that had happened in GI timeline was a lie? And the traveler is just in a coma and dreaming weird things about the people he had met in his life?

[@user-il3zm9qs4x]

this is amazing! fun fact about delusions: they were invented by dottore, one of the harbingers, and are made of dead archons’ remains so they don’t really have anything to do with the abyss. except maybe dottore was in some way inspired by abyssal creatures and the way they use energy since we know that the fatui are very interested in investigating abyss and kaenriah and its culture

[@user-il3zm9qs4x]

i also think it’s worth mentioning that durin was made not of some “abyssal power” but from honkai - destructive energy that corrupts one’s mind and destroys everything it encounters. honkai and the creation of durin is also the main reason why kaenriah was destroyed - masters of khemia weakened the borders of teyvat by their experiments and brought honkai in this world which caused celestia to destroy the nation. oh btw kaeya is definitely related to the abyss since he’s from kaenriah too…… your video put so many thoughts in my head

[@volfreude2637]

you really convicted me, I would like to add that the fatui also rejected they true identity in orden to use his delusions, in the case of Childe his real name is axjal (or something similar, I don't remember his spelling correctly) and this actual name "Tartaglia" was given when he become a harbinger and starting to use a delusion, I think this is the case for everyone in the harbingers

[@Sakuyamon]

To adress Ventis sprite eyes, I believe first image is just him shown from the side, and thats why you only see one eye. The other images show him 3/4ths so naturally the second eye should be smaller than the other in order to show that dimension.

[@Ashikai]

I don't think that's a view from the side. I think it's still a 3/4 view like the others.

[@dori373]

wait shouldn't the other eye be smaller on the first picture then? (left one) correct me if i'm wrong

[@nabieladrian]

@@dori373 Yeah, if it has two eyes, the left should've been at least visible since it's closer to our perspective.

[@cissy2525]

@@nabieladrian I thought the same thing

[@geavaska]

Another Genshin scholar. Are you graduated from Teyvat Historia Institute?

[@Atrenu]

I'm never going to unsee that Abyss Mage tp

[@michellaneous3364]

xiao has a mask, just wanted to say that, and when he use his burst he has mask, and then starts to loose hp, but cool dmg-

[@isha8486]

What ??? No way he does that !!

[@ascaredmilipede7971]

Well that settles it, i believe were gonna get a lot of our questions answered in sumeru, between the fact that its based on egypt and the archon is the *God of Wisdom* im pretty sure were gonna get something out of him/her. Side note: if this does happen then the fact that the next region is ruled by the god of *War* and *Justice* unsettles me

[@Sidtheriser07]

Sumeru seems to be the mix of Egypt, Arabia and India. After all, Sumeru is a Sanskrit word, but could also refer to the Sumer kingdom, plus the Travail trailer says the act in Sumery has "puranas" in its name. Fun fact: Thoth mentioned in this video as Ra's right eye's manifestation is also the god of wisdom :D

[@priestking8636]

The Unwise God of Wisdom :D

[@Nokyyyyy]

There are also all the experiments made on children by the fatui sumeru indian guy and dottore using archons remains (which are also used to make delusions (not 100% sure about it tho)) Archons remains are, well, remains of dead/defeated/corrupted gods like osial, decarabian or the serpent from inazuma Not 100% sure about this either

[@peachicedtears]

isn’t the god of justice fontaine’s archon??

[@Nokyyyyy]

@@peachicedtears yes Yes it is

[@Weaponized]

you forgot to mention that Childe said that foul legacy was too great for his body to handle.

[@elm-ishh5718]

The abyss mages have to face actually, if you slowdown the teleporting animation when they finish teleporting they put back their mask which fell off, but if you look close enough you can see that their face is a black pit

[@elm-ishh5718]

Have no*

[@elm-ishh5718]

Oh you just said that in the video-

[@Senti_Scams]

That’s actually creepy tho o.o

[@rachelrostkowski5464]

me returning to this video 8 months later from the 2.6 archon quest: SHE WAS RIGHT!!! SHE WAS RIGHT!!!!!!!!!!!

[@delphynenull2136]

I was today years old when i learned Delusions were actually gems like Visions, and not the objects i had previously associated with them (Childe’s mask and Crepus’/Diluc’s glove).

[@vicentem.6456]

I think yanfei fits your personality perfectly lol, great video as always!

[@squibbkinns]

What if kaeya wears an eye mask because he’s hiding that he only has one eye?

[@roborai9492]

yOooo

[@meow-gk8gz]

or what if, he keeps he's non delusioned eye and hide the other...

[@roborai9492]

@@meow-gk8gz OWIASISJ WIAH

[@depressednoodle8579]

That scARILY F I T S-

[@echodragon6]

his model does have another eye so probably not

[@bbbbbbbbbbbrbbrb]

the eye emphasis could also be a reference to void drifter/herrscher of the void. kiana's void drifter battlesuit is the result of her successful attempt to control her herrscher powers, one eye is blue and one eye is yellow (yellow is the corrupted honkai aka the herrscher of the void). in the lament of the fallen scene with mei turning into the herrscher of thunder, kiana uses herrscher of the void powers to control mei and covers one of her eyes with her hand, the yellow eye, during it as to control the herrscher powers

[@toxicsamantha2135]

Also wanna say that connecting the twins to the Eclipse Dynasty is decently easy, with the "We will be reunited" quest, we can see that the twin's canonical weapons are two swords that don't exist in game, one that looks like the sun, and the other which looks like a moon.

[@notmaylea]

And Dainsleif was seen in Mondstat looking for a blacksmith who can forge a particular weapon with materials that even Wagner doesn't recognize. And like already theorized, Dainsleif asked for 500 mora which is also the cost for forging a weapon. Could he be trying to create the twins' weapon? Perhaps he found the Traveller's sword when they dropped it from the fight with the Sustainer, and it's broken and needs to be repaired. Anyhow, it's also possible Dainsleif is trying to forge his own weapon. It's just that his powers seem self-sufficient to me and he's been fine fighting without a weapon so far, so I couldn't see why it was necessary for him to forge a weapon for himself. And also he could be playable, so he could actually be potent at using a sword.

[@rainn1738]

I think most eyepatch characters have an eye under their mask because it’s just easier to have two eyes on a human model, rather than the hilichurl construct model….??? I don’t know if that makes sense

[@ryuushi26]

Sucrose is so similar to the fatui cicin mages like they use butterflies on attacks If she's one of the Fatui the Tsaritsa maybe ordered her to be with albedo to manipulate and prevent him from his threatening power Her foul legacy might be anemo vision then dendro delusion

[@AfroNinja89]

Well I came back to this video after the events of the Chasm and my God! This theory was just too on point!

[@dorothy8880]

Oh my god I find Venti gaining a second eye so interesting and mysterious. From a little cutie anemo abyss mage to the anemo archon.. someone is definitely sus

[@meow-gk8gz]

20:05 my brain stop processing at this moment and i kept thinking how sexy genshin characters feet are... even lector

[@word6344]

Abyss lisa

[@Trime8istus]

well, i always have a little theory conecting the abyss enemies with hte hilithurls, and this theory is that Hilithurls are like humunculus of the abyss beens and they were send to teyvat to watch humans and know they weakeness, and even testing them with thus giving live to the elemental hili, mita, lawa and samathurls. And about the fatui mask motif... i just think is that to show they "best eye" or trade one of they eyes (metaforlicaly) to gain power. Is just a little theory of mine but yeah...

[@nabieladrian]

That's really interesting. We've presumed that Albedo is homunculus created by Rheindottir, who've been suspected as Gold itself. If Kaenri'ah truly able to produce automaton and homunculus at massive scale, no wonder Celestia made cataclysm.

[@KingOfHeroes1996]

Yo I just had a crazy moment of revelation, when you talked about Dainsleif 'losing his memory' and how it might be similar to Zhongli's 'erosion' I was reminded of how now, in Inazuma, we've seen what happens to a person when you take away their vision. They lose their memories and forget who they are! My brain just screamed when it made this connection, it's a vague, ambiguous connection but this clearly links into the whole wack ass overarching concept of eyes!

[@s.8462]

Might be worth revisiting and updating this one to include the details about Odin's one eye from the Chasm drops, all the Deshret stuff in Sumeru, and the fact that our new Hydro archon has two different colored eyes? :D

[@williansnobre]

I really like that they leave a lot of these things vague and even have characters in the game act as unreliable, biased sources of information and item descriptions that hint at things. It's like anime Dark Souls lore.

[@ysabelasophiab.didulo3522]

Random thought out of the blue so I'm putting it here so I won't forget: What if Paimon is some sort of princess since she wears a crown? I'm going to try thinking back at a different time to see if I can recall any times a princess has been mentioned in the Genshin.

[@lilielf5652]

There was a princess in the story of Sal Vindagnyr / Dragonspine. I don't think it was Paimon but... Maybe?

[@selezic]

This theory is really interesting and I have so many thoughts now,, Something has to happen to their eyes for sure.. even Diluc, who has never sided with the Fatui, knows to wear the mask while using a delusion. But as to how he would know its necessary.. There's only one delusion user we ever see not wearing a mask while using their abilities, that being Crepus - but we never once see his eyes. We don't see them before, during, or after, so we don't know if or in what way his eyes were changed. The only one who would've is Diluc himself, since he watched his father use his abilities, if something happened to his eyes during that time Diluc would've been there to witness it. Maybe his father warned him before passing away, or maybe he just made the connection independently after seeing something happen to Crepus and then realizing all the Fatui who have delusions wear masks. Another thing I noticed is that, while it's not in every panel, Diluc's eyes are often drawn fully white and blank while wearing the mask and holding the delusion. Since he's the only one who's eyes aren't obscured by the darkness of the mask for the viewers, this is the only time we actually fully see the eyes of someone using a delusion. When they arent blank, his eyes are glowing, like we see from Childe under his mask. Dotorre is also drawn with blank white eyes under his mask in one panel of the manga, when he's looming over mondstadt, though he isn't visibly using any elements, so I can't say whether or not he's using a delusion there or not. I hope my thoughts make sense C:

[@dragon_nova_luna]

a little more than unhinged :))) zhongli himself if i recall correctly, said even he cannot avoid the erosion. i dont know if they went so far with these details, but it makes sense, they seem kinda connected in a way. was looking at honkai's herscherrs a day ago and i felt the same vibe as the archons, so i wonder if thats also connected, maybe either theyre related or subordinate to whomever controls celestia(and possibly them through the gnosis - i still dont think theyre evil perse, just have questionable decisions and motivations, though they do have demon names...), who could be a herscherr(regarding the video you had with the honkai projects - the ark specifically - maybe teyvat was indeed that project and they found it and decided to rule over humans (?) . just a thought. i mean i am not so familiar to honkai and whats in there as i just recently started playing it, but was just thinking of possibilities. if this makes sense... anyways, interesting theory. always nice to listen to your videos.

[@dragon_nova_luna]

unrelated, but I stand corrected. today a honkai player told me the ark are the twins(that were stopped by unknown God in their search for a home for humanity(?)) and not teyvat. they also told me to look for the video about the Imaginary Tree in honkai(not sure if I found the actual one, but there was sth about a guy called Otto who figured the universes with all their worlds are basically the branches and vuds of a tree, seeped in water - sound familiar?). maybe that will help with genshin theories(?), but somewhat confirmed genshin is part of honkai or at least by the tree video that teyvat is another world in the same verse.

[@welt4216]

@@dragon_nova_luna this is correct as Otto had on one of his screens an image of Dvalin himself. So he definitely knows at least something about Teyvat.

[@welt4216]

Also speaking of Herrschers. notice the similarities and difference between how Archons and Herrschers are chosen. The original seven became how they are through war while Herrschers are chosen solely based on the gem making the decision. Archons while are faithful to their home follow the will of Celestia just like how Herrschers follow the will of the Honkai. Along with that it seems exceptions have been made as well. The New World Herrschers at least some of them haven’t followed the will of the Honkai unlike their Old world counter parts and to Genshin, the Tsaritsa obviously wishes to topple the thrones of Celestia.

[@priestking8636]

@@dragon_nova_luna teyvat IS one of the leafs of Irminsul - that huge multiversal tree, parts of which you can see in the world (white trees that do not give you wood) and in dungeons

[@midnight.blue42]

So.. when Childe in his voiceline talked about "heretical teachings from the abyss" he actually wasn't joking

[@magegammer4879]

Childe hydro vision is his love/loyalty/selflessness (we need more hydro characters) for his family and country while his delusion pushing him to fight without reason and for personal gain the opposite of love/loyalty/selflessness

[@Jreft]

I love to imagine this is Yanfie talking to us directly, Searching through history, and making connections all through the world.

[@pineapplespacecake]

This is so weird watching these older videos 😆 we now know about hilichurls further in depth, apep, and khaenri'ah geeze we've earned a lot in only a year!

[@GothelGrigore]

she really just unraveled the whole storyline. WHY DOES IT ALL CONNECT

[@costcobongwater]

The fact that this all makes sense to me, makes me glad that I'm into game lore theories and not irl conspiracy theories

[@fanta4042]

i don't know why but that thing about abyss mages not having a face just spooked the hell out of me lol

[@lemon_bloo_4222]

If no one else has mentioned it (I highly doubt) the peacocks “eyes” are on the ends of its feathers and Baal’s statue has the “eyes of god” on the wings or feathers

[@pipedream2556]

Have you considered a follow up/reworking pf this theory? Theres so much mpre to chew on now, from Signora's boss fight mask to Caribert's reaction to seeing himself to more info on how the world works including how Delusions are made with dead gods lingering resentment which may well be comnected to the Abyss's very existence. We've got the theoretically younger Dottore(s) in the manga with masks that show one eye and the elder, more powerful segments with their eyes fully covered, Capitano and Columbina also with masks a permanant part of their design as opposed to something they can put on or take off like the remaining Harbingers, and theyre meant to be crazy strong. Not to mention Pierro's half mask, Signora's mask apparently being a funerary mask, just a LOT to chew on!

[@hajrakhan2129]

oh shit this eye talk is so enlightening and you were right on so many things! im really curious now about the connection between maks and abbysal power, and abt all the characters connecitons with the abyss

[@fenne3589]

Oh man, I'm so glad you mentioned this! I believed it was implied that hilichurls were connected to the Abyss, especially when it's referenced that the appearance of monsters (hilichurls included) only was within the last few lifetimes. It makes for some interesting food for thought.

[@nggames9201]

I love the fact that when you talk we can see Yanfei. It suites you!

[@boogeythems]

Your theories are honestly amazing and are criminally underrated. Like this just makes way too much sense to not be at least a little bit true. I never noticed just how often eyes come up in-game alongside abyssal ties/corruption until you pointed it out here... it's definitely shaping up for a really interesting - and potentially dark - plot if things continue going the way they are. Really invested in this theory and I'm interested in the potential theory of the yakshas' masks as well! Keep up the great work :)

[@finnthefannibal]

Theory: Kaeya's eyepatch is like a Mark of Cain from the Bible. He's hiding the signal that he's been marked for punishment or excommunicated by the gods. It's also on the Khaenria half of his outfit. Dainsleif has lived much longer than Childe and he probably got exposed to abyssal corruption and is turning into an abyssling(his own kind of erosion). Signora's delusion contains her pyro powers with cryo while Childe's delusion amplifies his abilities.

[@jinx3709]

I was waiting for your video, oh.. your voice is just too amazing.. it adds depth and intensity to the theory.. I absolutely adore your theories.

[@ayato3498]

Atleast from what we have seen until now I think that kaeya was a prince since his first constellation is excellent blood and is a peacock which is most of the time view with royals and nobles and since his real father said he is the only hope I think that he has a high status there

[@GeneSysFNLT]

I love the fact that when you theorycraft or dig into lore, you go the extra mile. I'm a recent sub, but watching your vids has gotten me so hype for Genshin lore that I had to info dump on my poor unsuspecting brother during our Co-Op sesh. 😆 Fk that's quality content! 👌👌👌

[@fuschiavenom3455]

i’ve been falling down a rabbit hole of your videos. thank you so much for all these amazing videos. i love your voice!!

[@henoji777]

👀👀👁️Love all these details and analysis! Great vid! (Also venti's elemental burst being like a black hole could further connect him to being from the abyss bc space theme)

[@Liz-fm6mv]

Very interesting theory! And also Childe's eyes has no shine on them. pretty sure that happened because he was in the abyss. Maybe he was corrupted by it? But i wonder how he survived the abyss. Did skirk somehow lessened the corruption on him? Or was he that ambitious and strong-willed? And for kaeya I think his eye is just like dain's and that's why he wears an eye-patch!

[@bricali]

The Kaeya-Abyss Mage and Venti-Abyss Mage comparisons surprised me sm, how could I not noticed that. And hopefully with the Inazuma quest we can learn more about everything eyes. Amazing video as always!!!!

[@zacnieprawisz9171]

I love the Fatui and the Khaenriah, I am so glad I have found your channel, you deserve much more views

[@Vafarien]

been watching tonsa kewl lore theory vids on youtube about genshin being snow globe and kewl tree roots and uh uhmm stuffs about the symbol on the mora coin being 3 moons!!! now i find u have a new video ready to go already!? i'm so happy~

[@GenjiKoi]

Just building off the end, “Genshin”, and I believe the Chinese version of the name means “Original/First god”

[@aedriethompson9988]

Thank you so much for these incredible videos and all the research you do! As a newer player it's great to have these videos as a resource to get caught up! Also your voice and narration is awesome!

[@lordmars555]

I could listen to you discuss Genshin theories ad nauseam without reprieve and enjoy every moment.

[@kouryuu165]

That point about the masks and the delusions is pretty fitting, but Crepus didn’t loose his face or anything when he died because of the delusion. Thus I think that the masks protect the user’s identity/slows down the process of losing their identity, and that’s why Crepus died. No mask to protect his identity

[@fayflurina3382]

kinda crazy to think how for example apep, mentioned at 17:46 is now an actual lore-heavy deity in the game

[@AhmedAli-ou3to]

you are a joy to watch and bring up a lot of topics that are worth looking more into. you keep genshin super interesting and i appreciate everything you are doing. thank you for yet another amazing video!

[@IZUK0ZU]

THIS IS SO INTERESTING!! there are so many little details in here that i've noticed while playing but never connected the dots and u did so perfectly AHH! i absolutely can't wait for the future of genshin lore there is so much to think about and anticipate the answers to

[@tyronetalam8488]

I think more than anything, on a visual design level, masks on characters and such are mostly just meant to represent secrets and the unknown. I mean masks or anything covering your face overall realistically is meant to cover/hide something regardless of why. Maybe it's for a costume, maybe for medical reasons, maybe to hide your identity, etc. 👹Hilichurls= nobody's really sure how they came to be, people like Ella are still studying about them to this day and they still don't have any concrete information about them 🎭Fatui (including the Harbingers)= their intentions are mysterious, their methods are questionable yes but what exactly is their end goal and why go through such lengths. The Harbringers work in very vague ways as well, never really truly revealing their plans and thoughts (we still don't know what Scaramouche meant when he said that the sky was a lie) 🌀Abyss creatures= we know what their goal is, we also know that they're actually Kaerin'ahn, but like most things tied to Celestia in one way or another, there's just to many things we don't really know about them either 🌌Dainsleif= literally the only thing we know about this man is that he's Kaerin'ahn, he used to be the abyss twin's travel companion, he's immortal, and he supposedly single-handedly failed to protect Kaerin'ah. We don't know how he failed, how exactly did he meet the twin, what exactly did he get cursed with immortality with, etc. He also literally doesn't give us any context about himself whatsoever ❄️Kaeya= (not really a mask but i digress) again, like Dain, we don't know much about his origins either. Yeah we know he's Kaerin'ahn and he was sent here as a spy, but that's practically it. Why was he the one chosen as a spy? Why did his dad say he was Kaerin'ah's last hope? Kaeya as a person too is also quite secretive and isn't really the type to voice out his true thoughts

[@Ashikai]

I'd concede part of the point here, but I suggest you look into the symbolism of Roses first. I don't really think there's a reason to use two very distinct symbols for the exact same thing, so while they could be related, I'm unable to see "secrecy" as symbolized by anything other than a Rose. Masks for me are linked more to "identity". We'll see if that pans out with time.

[@tyronetalam8488]

@@Ashikai oh wait let me elaborate the part about secrecy, and yes i'm aware of the symbolism of roses thing haha. What i meant was that the overall identities of the aforementioned people are more shrouded in mystery and "secrets". I don't necessarily mean that they're all actively trying to not tell us things, just that there's things about them we just don't know the answers to, or didn't know exist. A Chamber of Secrets if you will: it's there but we just haven't discovered the true purpose of its' existence (identity) just yet. While it's true that the rose means secrets, it's more subtle and not many people may be aware of this (i think most people would associate it with love more even), whereas masks hold a very clear message: they have something to hide about themselves/there's something we don't know about them And on the topic of roses and secrets, lisa's lookin rather sus LMAO

[@tyronetalam8488]

@@Ashikai actually now that i think about it doesn't signora have a rose on her design? And rosaria's burst

[@jazzeetazzee7800]

Oh wow, I never thought about making connections to Egyptian mythology :0 Big props to Mihoyo’s development team for researching so many different cultures from around the world to create the complex story and characters we know in Genshin Impact

[@georgeelliota2aa]

Great commentary, nice and calming but informative, good supported theories, definately deserve my sub

[@amorimjt]

So yeah… I rock!… hope find another rabbit hole soon cause we wanna follow whatever it goes… its so incredibly amazing to see how your process work. To follow your train of thought from start to finish with such a coherence. All your videos get me hooked all the way thru… cant pinpoint what it is… your lovely voice… your storytelling skills… the love and passion you do in your research… everything is so well put together… i can’t imagine how much work you put into every video… but we appreciate and love it. Looking forward for more

[@gwagwa76]

That’s what the mask is that’s what the point of the mask is

[@Vafarien]

i'll add another comment about the yae sakura mask in the retracing bolide set?

[@reaversal5728]

I just found you through sekkapoko and you have rejuvenated my love for this game

[@qriusmeerkat6584]

Admittedly I've joined here a little later than I'd like. My first video here was the one in which you explain the domain tablets. That was a lot of information overload for my casual brain. But this is making me look at Genshin through a magnifying glass. Noticing small details like how visions light up when you switch characters in a party and make the symbol of the element before disappearing briefly after. Thanks for the content you create.