[3.3] The Complete Scaramouche Design Analysis

[@rue1533]

Considering mihoyo as a company was started by 3 huge evangalion fans, I definitely see scara being a eva reference

[@stevem.9340]

I mean they can be fans of Destiny too because Uldren Sov in that game is similar to Scara in areas not too different from each other. Both Wanderer and Crow have their own similarities in both personalities and appearance.

[@Cata-qp6fi]

@@stevem.9340 I have a friend who talked about both Uldren/Crow when theorising about his history in the interlude XD

[@Cata-qp6fi]

Plus Honkai has heavy eva inspirations

[@myar4isa]

@@Cata-qp6fi yeah didnt honkai also have a collab with evangelion too?

[@dylanmorales450]

@@myar4isa yes they did

[@danielm5535]

People say that Scaramouche was discarded because he was weak- but I think the opposite- he was made too well. Ei was flawed in seeing emotions as erratic and unpredictable, which was contrary to her ideal of Eternity which was Stasis. Given the fulfillment of her storyline to this point, one must wonder if she would have chosen to dispose of him today.

[@karolinedemon]

True but its just no one ever told him that and explained that hes actually human in this and im sad that we cant be friendlier to him in game

[@noidea5927]

Yeah. I guess Ei told something like that to us herself in one of her story quests. But it's kinda sad Scara have never heard these words

[@ruiakami]

I thought about it too! Like it is must be really hard to make something feel emotions, so as a creation he is well made. Ei was successful but in the way she didn't wanted to.🥲

[@moonlight.z6543]

That's precisely it. Ei, because the pain her grief brought her and, because of Makoto's emotions perhaps being a factor leading to her death, she deemed emotions as weakness. She's, of course, wrong. And in the process, she brought so much grief to herself, her son, and her people.

[@esper2464]

He was indeed, it was said that she created a lot of puppets before him, and he was the first that worked actually and was perfect, and this that was the problem, she was trying to make a tool, and she saw that she created a living being, someone with conscious, feelings, emotions.. and instability like her, although he had the eternal/immortal body and divine strenght and power she wanted him to have to fulfill his role as ruler of inazuma and gnosis holder, those fragile and gentle emotions that she saw on him, make she think that it wouldn't be a good idea to him be the ruler and hold the gnosis, it would be a big burden to him hold(emotionally), after Makoto death and the cataclysm, she thought Inazuma needed an more harsh and restricted ruler, to achieve the goal of eternity to the nation.. and even so, she used his basis to create the actual Shogun's puppet body (like, the same resistance, strength, capacities), with the only difference being her apparence(made to be exactly like Ei), and her restricted emotions, focusing only in ruling, and protecting inazuma from danger

[@KallaTheYapper347]

What I like about Scara's new design is that the position of his vision is placed where the human heart is located. Which clearly says he now has his divine heart that belongs to him and no one else. Unlike the Electro Gnosis.

[@sixteenthbluemoon7606]

Also I think there's another interesting bit about the Vision and Gnosis, which is my own interpretation too. In the JP dub, they're called as followed: Vision - 神の目 (Kami no Me/Eye of a god) Gnosis - 神の心 (Kami no Kokoro/Heart of a god) With the Vision, he atleast now has a new view of the world and what he had done, accepting everything he had done as the Balladeer/Scaramouche, moving forward as the Wanderer. He may not have a literal (in this case) hear to fill himself with [or what he tried to fill himself with], he now has eyes of his own which can never be taken away from him, pairing it with your own remarks. Also a far better fate imo than being completely dependent on the huge machine he'd be stuck in should the plan be fulfilled.

[@KallaTheYapper347]

@Sixteenth Blue Moon Nice interpretation. After reading yours, I should say that he now has an opened eye (or new perspective) placed where the human heart is located.

[@sixteenthbluemoon7606]

@@KallaTheYapper347 Also I think it's also a bit more fitting rather than just 'follow your heart'. An opened eye, that can see everything as is and in a deeper perspective can stand to be one's true heart.

[@KallaTheYapper347]

@@sixteenthbluemoon7606 A true statement indeed.

[@travellingwaniisa6177]

AHhh I actually love that! Thinking about that made me all happy for him. He truly deserves the best. Im a huge Sasuke fan so obvs I'm out here cheering for the Scara redemption arc lol

[@momslayer456]

I feel bad for scaramouche because azar said " in the event that a successful connection is established, his body will become permanently bound to the machine, and he will be unable to move independently of it" meaning when he desperately tried getting the gnosis back from nahida. He couldn't stop his fall because he was completely paralysed

[@semideadnat]

You know I find it very fitting that Wanderer wears women's clothing at the beginning of his character arc in his backstory. Ei wanted to create a puppet who could hold her sister's powers yet not completely replace her. So, she at the time created a puppet to be a boy rather than a girl as she was hit with so much grief, she probably didn't want to make a puppet look too much like her. However, what she did not realize was that she did not have much clothing for this new puppet, or the knowledge of hair styles the men of Inazuma would wear.

[@RenaissanceRockerBoy]

Also: trans wanderer trans wanderer!!! :DD an allegory, at least

[@semideadnat]

@@RenaissanceRockerBoy Idk about that as personally I think it would feel out of place with his character. But feel free to make that a headcannon

[@DameOfDiamonds]

@@RenaissanceRockerBoy nope, not even an allegory, if that were the case hyo would've at least hinted at it in some why shape or form but they did not.

[@mosososa]

Its just a headcanon,,

[@onionarmpit]

​​@@DameOfDiamonds Many trans people resonate with Scaramouche for a reason; throughout his story, themes of identity and finding the true self is heavily integrated. Whether it is his deep desire to be human despite being a puppet at the start, his numerous name changes to try find the perfect one that fit him in the differentstages of his existence, or in the end his attempt to erase himself from existence, trans people deeply resonate with him. Body dysmorphia, name changes and suicidal thoughts are very prominent in the lives of trans people, you can't say the hints aren't there, because they are. It is just up to the individual to decide how to put them together. Do I think Hoyoverse purposely did this? No. Do I think hes canonically trans? No. Do I think its unreasonable for people to think he's trans? No. You do not have the right to dictate how others interpret media, art and stories at their core are subjective to the viewer and are subject to change. I think people who feel uncomfortable of idea of trans Scaramouche should try to find where that feeling comes from. Why does Scaramouche's gender change anything for you? Would you stop liking him if he was a girl? Would you think of him the same if he looked and sounded exactly the same with the only different being he's now canonically a flat chested woman? If not, why? I'm not attacking anyone, but I just think people who are secure in their identities don't feel the need to correct the headcanons of others that they deem wrong, it just comes across as a bit petty. I'm not trans or anything but I still feel like its very beautiful that Hoyoverse unintentionally created a character that makes so many trans people feel represented, especially with high suicide rates in trans people, maybe he was enough to save someone. Idk tho.

[@nuane_]

also a fun thing i’ve remembered, makoto loved drinking tea as we know from ei’s story quest. and scara’s favorite food is well.. tea

[@belialren]

Maybe he’s actually a copy or recreation of Makoto? When Ei didn’t succeed, Scara was discarded.

[@rosesrred7899]

I don't think so because during Ei's story quest Makoto talks to her. This is well after Scaramouche was born and he lived while that happened. If he was a reincarnation of Makoto then Makoto wouldn't be able to talk to Ei. They might purposely have similarities, however.

[@kanrakiddler]

If he was more or less subconsciously created in the image of Makoto, would losing the feminine clothing elements as Wanderer be a further symbolism of him becoming his own person?

[@KogawaYuri-ENVtuber]

Probably

[@mmgei5649]

You could probably read wanderers storyline as a trans person discovering themselves/coming out, aggressively embracing the gender they’re transitioning too (to the point of toxicity) as a way of rejecting their gender assigned at birth, then finally calming down and improving as a person These are just somethings I’ve noticed and obviously not every trans person has this specific life experience

[@KogawaYuri-ENVtuber]

@@mmgei5649 That’s an interesting way to look at the situation 🤔

[@strawberryyyz]

Nah his outfit is just a minamoto no yoshitsune reference. Nothing deeper than that.

[@KogawaYuri-ENVtuber]

@@strawberryyyz Hmm… if you say so

[@Celesgosa]

There's another interesting detail in his Balladeer's design - the stylized Evil kanji on his veil (悪), divided in two. Evil itself consists of two kanjis: Asia (亜) and Heart (心). And it literally depicts the name Kunikuzushi: divided, or broken, Asia which relates to his homeland, Inazuma, and divided, or broken, heart. Together they, imo, poetically can describe this: "Heartbroken, I destroy my homeland". And Evil itself describes how he sees himself.

[@bnd2nd]

亚 (simplified Chinese transcription of the kanji you used) by itself means inferior/lower. It is used in the now dated Chinese transcription of the English word of Asia (亚细亚). Nowadays 亚 is mostly used to refer to the continent of Asia as a shorthand, but the division of the world into continents have always been an imported Western concept. The etymology of the word evil (恶) is "inferior heart". Or I guess in Scara's case, no heart at all.

[@Celesgosa]

@@bnd2nd Scara is a character from Inazuma (Japan). The Chinese meaning of the kanji here definitely does not make sense to consider. The simplified Chinese version doesn't even remotely resemble the kanji from Scara's veil. The Japanese version looks like this: 悪. Which almost does not differ from the original 惡 The plot of Skara says that he has the "heart" that he so wanted. "Can you, who have desires of such intensity, still be considered a being without a heart?" 心 (kokoro) it means not only the heart, but also the soul and feelings.

[@bnd2nd]

@@Celesgosa Seeing as Kanji is Hanzi imported and slightly modified, I'd argue that on some words that have a history of it being used for a very long time in both countries (concepts like good and evil for example) the Chinese etymology must be considered. Sort of like how you'd consider Latin roots of some English words even though it's of a Germanic linguistic branch, just because many English vocabularies were imported from French, of which Latin is the preceding language. The Chinese Hanzi for "Ya" (亚 in simplified or 亞 in traditional version) and the Japanese Kanji of what in On-yomi is read as "A" (亜) retains similar meaning today: primarily Asia the continent because it is used twice in the Hanzi transcription of the name, but also the older original meaning of "lower". In Chinese it can mean both physical or metaphorical lowness, in Japanese, it mostly means something physically being lower than something else. Of course, it could be used as a double entendre, which is a classical technique in both Chinese and Japanese poetry, so who knows.

[@Celesgosa]

@@bnd2nd If you are considering a Latin meaning, this does not mean that the author of the text meant it. Scara is a character with a reference to Japan, and the Japanese meaning should be considered first. I still think that the condemnation of Chinese here does not make sense. This overloads the reader with unnecessary information. The main meaning has already been given in my comment.

[@Hoshiamekei]

In fact, there are also elements of women's clothing on the wanderer. The collar of his kimono is completely worn by women, and the exposure of the back of the neck means vulnerability (sorry, I used a translation software)

[@microqueen69]

All aboard for enby wanderer.

[@Schnubi]

The second Ashikai compared Scara to Shinji I immediatelly thought about that image of Shinji sitting on the chair facing the floor, but with Scaramouche 😂

[@FluffyWaffle33]

someone needs to make it happen

[@s2wuolf508]

@@FluffyWaffle33 p sure someone did make it already?

[@velocivoid7974]

yup, it’s already done

[@recentmap7268]

I only know the congratulation scene and hospital scene bc of meme. And i can't imagine those scene with wanderer (maybe my imagination is not strong).

[@snowy3869.]

I need to see this WHERE IS IT

[@wheattins9250]

The Samsara theory is very compelling. There’s another KZbinr RedFlaim who made a video that theorized Scaramouche being a reincarnation of Makoto over a year ago. It just makes so much sense, especially now that we have the complete backstory of Scaramouche. In addition to the whole idea of Ei trying to bring her sister back, I like to believe that she placed the remnants of Makoto’s divine essence into the prototype puppet which ended up creating Scaramouche as a different entity. This could explain why he gained a consciousness of his own and has free will unlike the Raiden Shogun puppet who only follows a set of directives.

[@kachiyt7863]

Oh god this explain a lot why ei first puppet has an own consciousness/souls 😭😭

[@wate722]

lmao i wasnt rlly on board with redflaim's theory back then but now i can see why he thought of it 😭

[@sundalosketch4769]

This makes him a great example of the "two branches from the same tree" kind of thing. He mirrors Nahida well in being a "revised reincarnation" of their "past" counter parts.

[@beashemmad.sayson545]

@@sundalosketch4769 also called incarnations

[@hazaubel6532]

my favorite part of the video is when you explained the theory of Scaramouche being made out of Makoto, girl i was legit screaming

[@silverhawkscape2677]

Explains his first design.

[@protagkun8859]

12:17 "Someone who stays on earth to assist others in their journey to enlightenment" Scara in the background: *Die!*

[@Ashikai]

See? Enlightening.

[@protagkun8859]

@@Ashikai 😆

[@charliandluca5928]

I personally think that his constellation changed bc in his fatui constellation it was a kokeshi doll, kokeshi dolls have a dark past of being associated with murder or abandonment at birth, so it would make sense for fatui scara to have this bc he was still wounded by the fact that his mother or creator abandoned him at birth, he lived to prove himself worthy to her, but when he became wanderer the image on the con became himself which means the scars are healing and he is improving ❤

[@kiaradoesart9682]

If mihoyo really did have all this in mind when designing him, their concept and narrative teams are god tier (and they actually talk to each other!)

[@jonathanwilson5355]

*Ashikai & Chill with Aster competing with each other to see who’s the bigger Scaramocuhe enthusiast XDD* In all seriousness though, This was so fun to watch. Historical references are so freaking cool, and studying genshin character design is so much fun. Anyway, I’m gonna post a couple little thoughts I had here. 9:30 This is interesting in retrospect, because wasn’t one of Nahida’s major metaphors for herself about being a bird in a cage? They really were meant to be mirrors huh? 20:26 thinking about that now, that’s honestly friggin hilarious. Considering all the evangelion references that is. In fact, doesn’t his mech also have similar attacks? 22:24 well considering the traveller being an exception for everything, and Dain’s message relating to re-weaving the threads of fate, I’d say it’s possible for beings of teyvat to change their fate, albeit to a much lesser extent compared to say an outlander. Teyvat laws be like XD man, now I miss Dainsleif. I was gonna comment on the makoto resemblance thing, but you literally took the words right out of my mouth XD so these are where my thoughts end. It’s really nice to see how detailed each genshin character can be. Props to hoyoverse man.

[@sageofsixpaths8392]

Literally they simp for this man 🤣

[@jonathanwilson5355]

@Beksultan Mukhamedadiuly lmao based fr.

[@syzygy536]

They are, too, competing with each other to see who sounds the most like Yanfei

[@valky37]

It would blow my mind if Albedo's painting of Scaramouche in the Irodori festival is a foreshadow that Hydro can reveal truths

[@shishiroro6351]

@@valky37 considering that hydromancy is a thing and that Fontaine is known for its judicial system (which ya knoe, tries to get to the bottom of the cases presented to them), I think that wouldn't be a stretch

[@Dizzykathie]

The fun thing about his new shugenja monk identity is that he never choose it for himself, since the past can't be changed and only memories can. In reality he has never been a monk and his soul searching as a shugenja never happened - this was a fake memory created for him by Irminsul. Now to the fun part. In the last desert quest the goddess of flowers was called "a guardian of monks and lost wanderers". They even mentioned it twice for some reason, once we enter the eternal oasis. And remember video by Ashikai thorizing that the Goddess of flowers could be Istaroth herself? Remember that mysterious voice at the end of Scara's quest who obviously observed Scara's attempt to change past. And remember how he got a vision at the end of this little adventure? My theory is that Istaroth herself took Scara under her wing and granted him this new identity of a monk, when he attempted to delete himself. This would also explain the lotus and moon Lady references

[@beashemmad.sayson545]

*laughs in recent leaks regarding the voice at the end*

[@queenbee7266]

@@beashemmad.sayson545 wait what happened??

[@beashemmad.sayson545]

@@queenbee7266 well it's not a leak as of now because it's in the windblume event

[@bbysiea]

@@beashemmad.sayson545 she even talks to us in the 4.1 archon quest! shame this theory got trashed so quickly

[@corpiew]

Makoto’s name (眞) can also be read as Shinji :) One of the reasons I wanted to call him that in-game (though I didn’t in the end lol) I just thought it was a fun piece to share

[@echodragon6]

Scara being Makoto makes SO much damn sense Also on a different note I just realized he got a REAL. HEART. From Dottore. It's literally in his character story!! a WARM BEATING HEART. FROM NIWA'S CHEST. LITERALLY. A HUMAN HEART. THAT IS SO FUCKING DEPRESSING. and also implies that he did, indeed, have a human heart at one point.

[@adityawidarma3803]

Well Scaramouche probably made in the image of Makoto. The color White choice of her garment, and long sleeve Ei's choice of adding emotion since Makoto was more of an Expressive/Emotional Ruler (sometimes teasing Ei by 'bit of blunt to Ei' and i'm pretty sure Yae Miko took some note from Makoto personality). And i think Ei cast Scaramouche aside and won't lift a finger with the intention of not repeating her tragedy (irony). When he don his Balldeer outfit. He does look more as Ei before the tragedy. Short sleeve and prodominaly Black color garment. He dress in a more practical use. The Balladeer is more emotionally fragile just as the state of Ei creating him. And now his Wanderer outfit reseble the current Raiden Shogun with combination of Black and White color. And also all of his clothes are combination of the Nation of Monstadt (The postion he put his vision like a Kaeya/Eula), Liyue (His Flowing cloth having Liyue bird motif), Inazuma (His Footwear and overall style), and Sumeru (Lotus motif hat).

[@Squonkalicious]

Something that I find really interesting with his new outfit which wasn’t mentioned, is that the neckline is dipped in the back like a traditional women’s kimono, so perhaps thats a nod to the feminine parts of his previous designs?

[@anhongoc2899]

I’m sorry which part you were talking about ? The white one?

[@thealloenvera9084]

yaaaay half an hour plus of analysing Scaramouche’s design?!? HECK YESS!!! sooo excited to watch this!!!

[@almerarosli4133]

I absolutely fallen in love with him because I was going to skip him but damn those blue aesthetic design just speaks to me. His namecard?? Sheeeshh. Never once regret pulling him with his beautifully matching weapon. Heck everyday I watched other Genshin content then I will log in, feel grateful to have Wanderer in my account! That alone will make my heart flutter inside 🥰

[@hassamalishah.]

True.. 👍🏼

[@alexaisintheinternet157]

I unexpectedly got him because i was trying to get starglitter but I'm grateful he came. I going to see if I could get his weapon if he reruns.

[@anhongoc2899]

Ngl his name card is underrated It’s so pretty yet many ppl say it looks boring 😭

[@dante4401]

Wanderer's feminine motif seems to continue symbolically even after not becoming the role of ei's alternate form, wondering if there's other meaning behind it or just that it parallels his past for being the representation of a female. Loved this video btw, first exposure to the channel and cool to learn how much detail and influence went into this short scamp I adore.

[@Frazzled_Chameleon]

Yanfei is now co-hosting with Faruzan. Love it!

[@moonlightappreciator]

OMG FINALLY SOMEONE IS TALKING ABOUT THE SCARAMOUCHE/BELIAL CONNECTION

[@emanatingauras4017]

Hehe, thank you for featuring my doc, Ashikai! I love doing cultural references and Scara's was such a blast to sift through; he's so perfectly designed and foreshadowed in all of his identities, especially as the Wanderer. I'm honoured to be able to contribute to your very compelling analysis.

[@croen]

Watching this makes us appreciate more how awesome Hoyo is! 💯 Also Ashikai for parsing all these dots into a beautiful art appreciation ❤️ Without you, i would've gloss over these tiny facts painting a picture.

[@ironheadedDoF]

maybe Hoyo will give us some resin for reading source materials?!!?

[@cen3684]

Scara being literal evangelion reference explains why they put so much effort into him compared to other units looool

[@curious_mitch]

On the topic of what type of Yōkai the Electro Archon Twins are, someone suggested they may be a kind of shoe Yōkai, which is pretty fitting since they mirror and compliment each other perfectly and one without the other would loose all purpose in life... and yes, they can be made from wood.

[@Kiko-es6xx]

You forgot to mention that the word peregrinum, from latin, means someone who wonders around, normally looking for a holy place, for devotion or someone who has a promise for someone/themselves and wonders around because of it.

[@henoji777]

Satisfying to see your early analysis about fujin and raijin come true! A question that finally came after watching all your vids: it also occurred to me, since scara has mixed gender associations (the 'princess' hairstyle, a young man described as beautiful w delicate features, possibly being makoto prototype etc.) if that can be a a nod toward a class during Japan's edo era called "wakashu." Only using a pg description for this speculation: They were apprentice age boys (not a kid but not a man) who often, among other things, acted as female parts of kabuki plays. There's also a darker aspect to the class that can allude to scara being manipulated by dottore. Would love t hear your thoughts as one of the best known scara scribes! Somehow these analyses keep on finding new connections and love that so much! You think you are done but it just gets deeper and the excitement doesn't stop!

[@alexfirth21]

In regards to his constellation: it might be the fact that he’s a puppet, which can be altered…unlike any other natural occurring being. Or the fact he did attain god-hood for a brief moment.

[@unsecretcrush]

I absolutely love this kind of deep dive into a topic. I always know that there is this level of care and detail going into the planning and design of a game like Genshin but don’t always have the right foundational knowledge to confidently make these connections myself.

[@KS-ik1zl]

This was amazing and so detailed, I'm amazed. I know you said on Twitter you probably wouldn't do another design analysis like this, but if you'd do this for another favourite character of yours, I'd watch it in a heartbeat

[@hi-of6xx]

one thing i do know about his outfit is the golden feather he recieved from ei im not sure about anything else

[@eisflamme2438]

His tattoo/ birth mark electro symbol is now almost invisible under his Shirt, but wen he uses his powers, ot glows.

[@heenthousiast383]

@@eisflamme2438 it actually fits perfectly onto the symbol on the neck of the shogun puppet, they are intertwined. coincidence? I THINK NOT!

[@hi-of6xx]

@@eisflamme2438 oh yeah i forgot about that lmao

[@hi-of6xx]

@@heenthousiast383 hoyo really did put a lot of effort into scaramouches design the amount of detail is insane

[@eisflamme2438]

@@heenthousiast383 @HE Enthousiast Makoto had the electro symbol, Ei the symbol that is the negative of it "When lightning strikes, it casts a shadow. My Name means shadow." Ei sayd that in her trailer. The Shogun Was made from parts of Ei's body and has the same symbol. Scara coud have been made from parts of Makotos body, thus having the same symbol.

[@devilsadvocate22289]

I really like how deep you go with this analysis. I almost feel like Scara is Hoyo’s fav character because of all of the detail and symbolism in his… well everything, lol. P.S. the use of Persona 5 music is both stylish and appropriate and I love it. Scara reminds me of Akechi from the game and I ended naming him as such. 😄

[@Punniz]

While he's not my favorite character you have made me apreciate him a lot more than I did before! Very fun to see lore thoerist goes crazy over him. Thanks for the video!

[@Nauseashred]

For the first time, i am rewatching an entire video again right after finishing because I need all these details and insights be burned into my brain. Loved this, thank you so much!

[@Nauseashred]

Ashikai! This is my fifth? Sixth? Time watching this and I cannot thank you enough for this masterpiece. I can finally save my friends from my ramblings and just direct them to this extremely eloquent and enjoyable video instead.

[@memorycurse1342]

I didn't really like scara that much until i played him and finished his storyline, honestly such incredible writing for his char and very persona of him to have to accept both parts of himself. Also the unmatched king of overworld travel, i feel so slow when i don't use him heh. Thanks for doing a better job than genshin did on explaining his entire story and this additional video was such a treat.

[@GAlizhaJoySGuzon]

I got a feeling that the reason why he was often wearing the hats or veils that is for female before he was kinda reborn was because he was still wanting to follow the footstep of ei(not following but to fulfill his job a puppet vessel so he has those woman accessories) but after he was reborn, he was basically his own person not needing to be similar to someone. But idk, I don't feel like its a strong idea

[@blackraen]

For the Japan-centric explainer on Shintoism vs. Buddhism, I always use the TLDR that Shintoism is religion for "living" and Buddhism is the religion for "dying", being that most people have some vague sense of identification and internalization of Shintoism and only a sense of respect and acknowledgement of Buddhism, but as they grow older or experience a greater sense of mortality, that shifts towards Buddhism. Wedding ceremonies, for instance, will largely draw on Shinto traditions, while funeral rites are Buddhism heavy affairs. This is also why most Ascetics are more aligned with Buddhist philosophies as they are pre-emptively withdrawing from the world. I think that also contributes to the significance of Scaramouche's Shugendo positioning as someone straddling the line between living in the mix of it, and at the same time withdrawing from the world.

[@gler3179]

heck yeah, i love design analysis! as a european i often miss design cues for genshin characters and can't fully appreciate the work that goes into characters' outfits besides a superficial "oh this looks cool". for example, if not for the 50 pages alhaitham mains document, i legit wouldn't know just how many shoutouts there were to egyptian mythology/in-game deshret lore, or some videos on liyue characters. obviously, the line between a design "shoutout" and things like orientalism can be very thin, especially when there's fanservice involved, but it's good to be more knowledgeable about these things all the same. (please snezhnaya give me a female character in a full suit i beg) (also i wonder what's the significance of wanderer's hat having galaxy-like coloured dots)

[@printornkordumrong9926]

Love these videos! Something I've noticed over time of maining wanderer is that the halo when he flies has six sides which can represent the six realms of rebirth in Buddhist religion. The boddisatva would then be a person who has reached enlightenment and stays in the world much like how wanderer is outside of his halo, the six realms, but still doesn't transcend his halo which can show his decision to stay on earth to help others reach enlightenment as well.

[@AzuRemilia]

Oh wow I was not aware of all the references in Scaramouche's design to Japanese theatre, the Shuugendou monks him being a bodhisattva and a jizou, assisting both a child buddha and the Traveller, it's genuinely amazing to see. I believe his constellation changing visually is amazing - the doll on the Fatui Wheel looks very clearly feminine, with Kabukimono and Scaramouche clearly dressing in female garb, while Wanderer has accepted himself which is rightfully reflected in his constellation Also, this video has created a transmasc Scaramouche brainrot in my head and I shall leave it there for now

[@catboymiles7224]

oh hes been very VERY trans-coded the entire time hes been on screen and its nice to know that it might honestly be intentional

[@AzuRemilia]

@@catboymiles7224 actually, you're right. Ever since it was clear he was a failed version of Makoto I started thinking there's some transgender allegories at play but now with all the insight of his clothing, and constellation, and the Pinocchio motif of becoming a real boy (unless I'm mixing him up with Spamton now). Thank Buer for helping our boy transition. 10/10 God and a trans ally

[@strawberryyyz]

​@@catboymiles7224lol no.

[@catboymiles7224]

@@strawberryyyz uh idc

[@loola8908]

Half an hour of analyzing Scara's design and inspirations?? Amazing. Gotta put this on my watchlist though

[@viv7677]

I think the feminine wear he has throughout his character design is a reference to Makoto who he was basically made after

[@luxhyashah8190]

When I got a pick a name for him. I picked Belial (as a reference to magi and sticking with the theme of Baal) I just thought it was a good name since it sounded similar to baal. I really did not think it would be such a perfect name lol.

[@Nauseashred]

LITERALLY SAME i just thought it went well with Baal and Beelzebub lmao

[@ianira2711]

Wow the details of wanderers outfit is so we'll detailed. They really innovate a new outfit.

[@wate722]

i always wondered if scara's birthday date might be referencing something (since this little man is literally full of references from bunch of diff things ) but i didnt expect this video to tell me abt the "coincidence" of his bday lmaoo

[@cherry5109]

Great video as always!! I loved that you found and listed so many real life and other fictional works' references although I'd like to mention another one: The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. While the Tin Woodman has the most connection to Wanderer, actually the whole story is about wishing for something: Dorothy wants a way to go home, the Scarecrow wants a brain, the Tin Woodman a heart, the Lion courage. But at the end of the story we, readers realise that they had the thing they wished for all along, they just needed a "placebo" to be able to believe in themselves. Wanderer is the same: he has no need for a heart to become a human; he was either already one from the beginning or became one while he stayed in Tatarasuna (because in the essay we can read in the interlude quest there's a small mention that Scara's joints lines were slowly fading, until they completely disappeared. I really like to think that this symbolizes that the more time he spent around humans the more human he actually became; not to mention that Niwa accepted him as one as well). This really ties well with my little theory or headcanon(?) that while other genshin fans often describe Wanderer's journey as him becoming himself, I rather say it's more like a journey of not just accepting himself with all the imperfect, not-so-nice parts but realising that he was what he wanted all along. A human capable to feel, cry and hurt even without a physical heart. Anyway I also loved the samsara theory although if it's true, I do wonder: then why are they lying to us about it? Otherwise I love the connection between Wanderer and Makoto but I personally don't believe Ei would ever use her dead sister's parts to make a prototype puppet, it would go against everything what we learned about her and her grief (that still affects her life after all these centuries). Though I do think: what if she didn't know that she used a part of Makoto or even something that ties closely to her? I'd say the Sacred Sakura Tree but it's neither white nor would really fit the whole thing... Lastly, his clothes not just connected to Makoto but the current state of his mind: the innocent Kabukimono wore light clothes, the power and godhood seeking, full of hatred Scaramouche wore dark clothes. Wanderer is somewhere between the two of them with his white-blue-black attire. He still wants revenge but also accepts the wrongs he made and wants to atone for them. Wow, this became so long that I can't even write a TL;DR...

[@Lemonorange367]

Actually it was not a bad decision to have Scaramouche become the Wanderer. His character still has much more to experience in the game. Makes him so much more interesting!

[@wapneil]

legitimately i am blown away by all the little details that fit together JUST RIGHT, really can't keep it to myself after watching each time. thank you ashikai!!! you're the best!!

[@barbaragagner7053]

I named him Suzuki(Bell Tree) because of all the bell stuff. Also because I was put under the impression that Suzu means "Tin" and with both the "Steadfast Tin Soldier" Reference in his trailer as well as me making the joke after words "Oz didn't give nothin' to the tin man that he didn't already have" it just fit. Because while Puppet Boy didn't meet a wizard in an emerald city, he did meet an emerald archon.

[@Grafii2198]

I want to add something about Shouki no Kami design. He is surprisingly similar to Magatsu Mitake Narukami no Mikoto! The most obvious are the arms, they look literally identical from the general shape, joints to even the eye inside of them. Then there are the rest of arms, similarly they are not connected to the rest of body, and interestingly they too have almost identical shape, they even have the same piece that looks like an eye although Magatsu has it full open while Shouki has it partially covered by armor. Shouki's arms are also ended similarly to Magatsu's smaller arms with a pointy end, but also seem to have a ball looking object like her bigger arm. Then the centerpiece is also obvious, both of them have a big Electro symbol, what is less obvious tho is that it seems Shouki's symbol has this golden part around it which is very similar to puppet's golden part of shoulder plate, not perfectly same but very similar. Lastly, he has this thing behind him that looks like Raiden's Chakra Desiderata, Magatsu is also using it although hers is different and is attached to her arm that just floating behind her. What is interesting, although his middle piece of it has more going on, just like when Raiden has her Eye of Stormy Judgment active. Unrelated to Magatsu, but he also has this weird halo that seems to serve absolutely no purpose, but looking back at Evangelion and thinking about halos then... umm... yeah... There are also smaller details that I would like to share, but it is already 4:30 am as I am writing this, this comment probably makes no sense already, so I will save you from ready more of this comment that probably turned into gibberish 😛 But I will add one more thing for those who stayed. Continuing on the Samsara theory, do you realize who is Magatsu Mitake Narukami no Mikoto designed after? It is not Ei, it is Makoto. The brighter outfit, long hair and the Musou Isshin itself makes me think that she is closer in design to Makoto than Ei. And this whole comment is about how Scaramouche's eva looks like Magatsu, who is depicted as Makoto. He also loves tea, just like Makoto.

[@ScarasApologist]

the way i never noticed he fights like ruin guards incredible work subscribed thank you for this masterpiece I don't usually watch long videos but this one is so perfect and interesting I had to watch the whole thing also thank you for pronouncing Nahida's name correctly

[@MeLMeLMox]

I think the reason why Scaramouche wore womens clothing was that accompanied by his depression hes also desperate to be a god/he wanted to be like the shogun the reason why he dressed up in womens clothing is like a plea saying "hey im wearing womens clothing so i can be accepted by you" idk its just a random thought i had Edit:this comment was made before the ending lol

[@Naifukiti]

Why would the feminine traits be weird? He was going to be a host for Ei and the gnosis.

[@charliandluca5928]

Omg I just watched the end of this video and I’ve got to say, your theory is so awesome! I too believe that in her grief ei unknowingly / knowingly created a male version of makoto, since there is the very little but unanswered question of why kabukimono showed EMOTION when Ei tried giving him the gnosis, knowing hoyoverse I don’t think they would leave this question unanswered. The way you went in depth abt everything is amazing! I totally hope that in the future we will get this theory confirmed or just see something else about Scaramouche because there is so many unanswered questions!

[@valky37]

Are they foreshadowing that Hydro can reveal The Truth?? I'm truly baffled by the level of detail they put into this game, Sasuga Hoyoverse

[@JustASunflowerSeeD]

Every time I watch a lore video I'm baffled by how much time and effort they put into the lore but still took like half a year to give us markings for underground waypoints 😭 How tf did they make Scaramouche tie to 50 different cultural stuff but couldn't make a functional kit for Yoimiya, Hoyoverse's priorities never stop to amaze me.

[@Sacration]

This video was perfection, I love it so much. Thank for this as always. Take care !! Ps: also you forgot to talk about the Dharmachakra, or wheel of Dharma aka the wheel of law he has like twice in his design. A symbol of enlightment. I find it quit an important detail.

[@DonKangolJones]

It’s amazing that I didn’t notice some very clear Eva themes during Shouki no Kami boss fight. I think I’ve watched so many anime heavily influenced by Evangelion that it’s almost expected to see its influence somewhere in pop culture. In a game so heavily influenced by anime, I feel this was bound to happen. And it warms my heart.

[@MAR-db7hi]

i loved this analysis so much. when you brought up all the references to eva's characters and mentioned how both scara and shinji are taken in by a person named katsuragi i paused and slapped my face in shock in realization lol these analysis truly put mihoyo's work to the surface and i love to see al the references they put in their characters, so id love to see more if you ever feel like making video like this one again. and btw, thank u so much for all the effort you put in every video!!

[@sylvan-projectxorven-8210]

I really do like these in-depth character analysis videos, and I hope you can do more of these for some if the other characters like Itto or Ayaka for example. Hoyoverse is skilled in hiding all kinds of references in this game and you obviously have the skills to reveal them. If this suggestion is considered I look forward to any new videos released in the future.

[@spaghettiwolf5610]

I don't know if it has any significant meaning, but I found the design choice of putting(what I assume is) black opal on wanderer's hat very interesting. I looked up the meaning of black opal and it represents the "gateway to paradise" and "all positive energy as it creates peace".

[@nadiikoh]

So basically Sacra is a masterpiece of character design

[@zafira2399]

holy moly I NAMED HIM MAKOTO!!!!!!! fully knowing that he was made to be a SUBSTITUTE to Makoto BUT THIS PERSPECTIVE OF HIM BEING HER "IN THE NEXT SAMSARA" paired with the constellation thing that only archons have themselves pictured in it makes my head go BOOM! i thought i was only being biased when i made this decision to name him makoto, but seeing this theory makes me feel more confident of the stuff i come to conclude in my messy brain!!!!!

[@randomgkyo]

You can tell Scara is Hoyo's fave by the way they totally made him a walking evangelion reference, an anime deeply loved by the devs

[@rina8764]

hes just too perfect for me never gonna stop maining him

[@joshhaworth2155]

I'd also like to note that Scara's ring behind him during his skill and hexagonal pattern in his constellation are traits shared with Raiden.

[@darkomiku8902]

Yup, seems like it is never enough overthinking when playing in any Hoyo games.

[@klers9940]

Scara having so much lotus motifs makes me wonder if nahida is remaking the trio of gof, rukha and deshret, since she also made alhaitham acting sage and he’s also covered with motifs of the scarlet king

[@SandroneEko]

It's ridiculous how many King Deshret motifs and other references Alhaitham has

[@caparashon]

Awesome video as usual! If I may add, I investigated Jizou Bosatsu aka Kṣitigarbha or Dìzàng Pú Sà (the bodhisattva of travelers) and the references of him on Scara a couple of months ago, and I found these interesting things: 1. Jizou uses the same staff with rings as the shugenja, being a traveling monk as well. That staff he uses to open the gates of hell (the fact he's related to hell mythology could be a reference to his incursions to the abyss?). He also has a halo (Scara's hat) and a tear-shaped jewel that can light the darkness and grant wishes (vision?). The jewel is held by his left hand, and Scara's vision is on his left side akin to his heart so maybe as a stretch? 2. Jizou is a patron of childhood, especially diseased or dead children who he protects in hell/purgatory. We can bring it back to being Nahida's protector, but also to the nameless sick child he adopted as family 3. Like you mentioned, he's the patron of travelers, and in Japan his little cute statues are everywhere. His Japanese self wears a haori as well, and a kasa hat (similar to the hangai, and kasa means umbrella so lol) 4. Jizou usually stands or sits on a lotus in a lot of his iconography, as a symbol of his release from rebirth. You've already covered the lotus a lot so yeah 5. Common offerings and decorations to his statues are toys, hats, and relevant clothing like bibs and little knitted hats. The toys usually come from parents with sick or dead children so the buddha can protect them. Scara has just learned how to make dolls (like the one his friend had) as Wanderer in his character stories and has a doll with him all times 6. The litte Japanese statues tend to be baby-faced and child-like in shape as a wink to his role of guardian of childhood. Scara has been made to look eternally youthful, like a doll 7. You already covered this title and the connection to 6 but Lord of the Six Ways/Worlds could also be referenced in Scara's hat and E skill and constellation having 6 points or edges (like his mom but shh) 8. He has a mantra called Mantra of Eliminated Fixed Karma. I mean... And unrelated to Jizou, I think the birds on his Wanderer outfit (and maybe in the Balladeer's chest ornament) could be swallows but more leaf-shaped. Since they're migratory birds, to me they can symbolize Scara's new freedom and life, and because they are considered to symbolize the arrival of spring and good fortune and positive changes and wanderlust

[@thepr4589]

absolutely love these videos can't wait for more ♥️♥️♥️

[@cdv3401]

Samsara reincarnations makes me think of hoyoverse’s use of expy characters between their games. Characters who share similar appearances or names and could be thought of as alternate versions of each other from other universes or timelines.

[@Sean.A.M]

I always thought that he might be based off Mokato. Since finding out Ei made him that is. She seemed gentler and more emotional and that's how he was and that maybe of traumatized Ei and she put him away in a safe place to hopefully never wake up. Then made the next puppet more like her and that was easier to deal with. I do some what feel her first attempt at making a puppet was a way to try and bring her sister back in some way. Why is he a boy tho? No idea. Maybe she thought a male ruler would be better? I still really hope he gets some resolve with Ei. I really want that

[@rotkappchenlp7032]

I always kinda assumed that scaramouch was makotos reincarnation (or replacment made by ei in her grieve) but that was mostly a gut feeling based on vibes so seeing all the actual evidence is shown in the vid is nice

[@anastasiyaivanova4665]

Man, now I wish I had kept the item to rename Scara for longer. I originally gave him a simple Japanese name with a relatively fitting meaning (according to Internet, at least) but as I was in a hurry, I always knew it would be more of a placeholder. I later used the item to re-name him "Nara" (because of aranaras yes). But now I have other ideas and I am so torn 😭

[@anesidora3084]

If last part is true then I can only imagine what kind of story progression we can see between Ei and Scara if she realizes she treated reincarnation of her sister the way she did.

[@agojinu517]

The fact that all his life prior to becoming the Wanderer, he was given outfits that depicted him as a woman, and that he could never truly accept and find true fulfillement in his identity, and it's only when he decides to start over with a name he wants and a new identity that he truly sees as himself that he dresses as a man... He's, without joking, one of the greatest trans allegory anyone could make to avoid any form of censorship, it's honestly very, very impressive

[@catboymiles7224]

YOU FUCKING GET ITTTT everything about him is a trans journey of acceptance its crazy how embedded this is into his character and how often people seem to miss that fact

[@mary_bblueraven]

I'VE BEEN SAYING I'VE BEEN SAYIIIIIING RAHHHHHHHH

[@jyeonsx]

well he was struggling with the fact that he should be a god and wasnt, not that he was supposed to be a woman LMAO maybe he would be happy being whatever he was born to be if he was serving his purpose since his creation

[@jyeonsx]

he looks like he was design by Ei to have a male body because...he does, he never grew or developed anything because hes a puppet. if raiden wanted a woman or makoto 2.0 she would simply do it, because after him she literally created the shogun. also not crazy he having femminine features as he seems inspired of makoto.

[@Kaiserker]

Such an amazing video! I would love to see more deep dive character design videos like this. Scara is my fav, this only made me love him more!

[@chocojoou]

it's insane how much real life references they can fit into one single character's design.

[@NohAotori]

4:30 during Heian era, it was very common ( mainly from aristocratic families) to dress boys as girls because it does existed the belief that evil gods would like to kill the boys (but ignore the girls) in order to curse a family. The use of a veil was also a custom for some young men wich were seen as "sacred" so some noble families with religious heritage used to do this on boys the same as with girls. The main thing to do those things was to protect them from evil spirits or gods. There was no other reason. And for Scara, a sacred being created by a goddes and still young well, it was more than normal to use those garments to show his sacred status even if in the game was a rare sight. Buuuut I loveeeee your thoughts on him being Makoto's next samsara and all the analysis was top quality

[@tsunderemerc2963]

I actually renamed my Scara to Fujin because of some of those similar elements you mentioned. Well, that and since I can't just give him one of his older names.

[@MiyuKawasaki]

You can actually use a different font that looks the same, then you can use the name Scaramouche.

[@alicjaorowska6309]

the amount of research and heart you put into this is absolutely insane. thank you for making me appreciate this character even more! amazing video

[@luz0103]

wow, he has so much depth i love seeing this deep dive into all the references. funnily enough i somewhat knew about a lot of these connections as both a scaramouche/lore fan but i never caught on to how his attacks are really similar to a ruin guard lmao. nice subtle khaenri'ah/mechanical origins connection right there

[@lyna2905]

I'm sorry the first second I saw this I immediately laughed because I knew how much of a jumble these information must have been. But nonetheless this is well done, tysm.

[@minnienish]

I'd like to propose a theory on Scara's relationship with his mother, Ei. So, I find it interesting how in Ei's character stories, it says she created and discarded "countless" prototypes, but for some reason the only one we see out for blood is Scaramouche. Ei's intentions from the beginning were to create a mechanical replica of herself, yet Yae Miko says that neither Scara's appearance nor intellect were modeled after Ei and that he was merely a proof of concept (likely a recreation of whatever Khaenri'an blueprints she found). She also says that Ei's original plan was to discard him like she did with her past attempts but decided to spare him out of pity, leaving him in Shakkei Pavilion. (I personally disagree with the theory that Ei was going to model her creation after Makoto, because... I don't get why she'd build her puppet to contradict her ideals of eternity, I think the parallels are more thematic than they are literal here) Which leads me to believe that his emotions were not the reason Ei chose not to use him -- she never intended on using him to begin. No, what Scara saw as abandonment was actually her act of mercy on him. I think she spared him *because* she saw him cry and took pity on him. I do think that Ei saw the emotions as a flaw in her design which she corrected in her creation of the Raiden Shogun, but it was Scara who misunderstood her actions as abandonment owed to his emotional instability, when it was actually his tears that saved him from being destroyed. Another misinterpretation of the lore I see a lot of people make is that Scara was going to be a device used to store the Gnosis, and I think this was because of the way it's written. Again, in Ei's character stories, it says she was going to modify the Gnosis into an energy supply device, but after failing to do so, gave it to Yae Miko. I think Ei's plan was to use the Gnosis to supply energy to her puppet replica, until she decided to place her consciousness in Musou Isshin and then house it within the puppet as an alternative source.

[@Yamam0t0K0u]

Scara's original purpose as a device to store the Gnosis was alluded to in the Song of Life artifact Husk of Opulent dreams set: "He was originally born to be a vessel for a "heart."

[@minnienish]

@@Yamam0t0K0u The artifact sets are recounts of a person's memories, since they are literally crystallized memories. The Husk of Opulent Dreams is told from Scara's own perspective.

[@Yamam0t0K0u]

@@minnienish I think artifacts are not the memories/ideals of only one character. The Song of Life artifact for example also included a detail that Scaramouche would not have known about, which was what happened to the Gnosis after he was put in the Shakkei Pavillion: "Not long after, that noblest and most prestigious "proof" in the world would come to have no home, And thus was sent to the great shrine at Mt. Yougou." Yae tells the traveler during the "Wishes" Archon quest about how the Gnosis was only passed on to her and the shrine after the Shogun had completed her new puppet form, a detail which Scaramouche could not have known at all. I believe the memories/ideals artifacts are made from are manifestations of Irminsul's data aka its "memories and ideals" from all over Teyvat. So the part about Scaramouche originally being made to house the Gnosis is valid and not just his personal interpretation.

[@minnienish]

@@Yamam0t0K0u Yeah that makes sense. I just don't think the artifact descriptions are *objective* recounts per say, they still draw from the views of the specific person, the degree to which I think can vary. And I mean, it's not totally impossible that Scaramouche didn't know about the Gnosis being on Mt. Yougou. He did end up getting it from Yae Miko, so it stands to reason. Chronologically, artifact seems to draw from memories after Dottore found him and was planning on making him a false god with the assistance of the sages.

[@charliandluca5928]

that could make sense but Ei s plans were to give him the gnosis but he started crying

[@TheStrongestPokemon]

*”This was all a cruel Shogun’s thesis from the start-“*

[@finklesubs]

those "birds" from his sleeves, namecard and kunikuzushi chest piece also have the silhouette of ei's morning glories, the symbol of the minamoto aka genji clan, the first "real" shogun in history hails from there

[@senu.]

I bow down to you ashikai, once again I'll be thinking about this whole video for a long time. thank you for the scara trans validation 🙏 the more I learn about him the more relatable he gets, amazing.

[@jamndude3559]

I will note one other thing about the name Peregrinus, which is also how I ended up naming my wanderer Falcon...the name Peregrine literally means "wanderer." I, however, appreciate your elective!

[@alguien908]

Thank you for this video, you actually convinced me to roll for Scara when he gets a rerun, I couldn't roll because I was saving for Eula, and I liked Scara but not enough to go for him, now the reason will sound very stupid I'm (southern) Spanish and of this entire video the point you should me on the character is the three cultures part. I promised myself that I'll get any characters that have any inspirations from Al Andalus or Andalusia, and learning that Scara embodies that in a sort of convoluted way actually convinced me to roll for him since I now see him as the way Hoyo has of aknowledging convivencia, which it's pretty nice. I'm only rolling for my favourite characters from now on and Scara gained a spot in that list, I actually liked his gameplay too but idk I'm prefarming for one hypercarry already so two of them is a bit too much. After Eula and Tighnari I don't see this sort of inspiration coming up until like possibly Natlan, we will see what they do

[@Hufflepufftuff247]

Wasn't super interested in pulling for him when he was out. Now kinda intrigued to see about it if he reruns. Thanks for such a lovely in depth breakdown :)

[@_mika-mikazuki_]

I dissagree that naming him `Wanderer` was a stupid decision. `Scaramouche` was just one of his many identities like the `Kabukimono`, so when he transcended to his new identity it's no suprising that he got a new name as well. Just like he explained himself, there was no way for him to carry his old name after he found out the truth. After all, he was never tied up to a one name, it's just that you as well as many people got stuck in perceiving this character as only one identity. Personally, I fully accept his new name and identity, it's honestly really poetic. (✿◡‿◡)

[@Senorgato029]

I have learned things today, I genuinely feel like if I was listening to anyone else I’d be lost you just say/explain things in a way I can follow and I appreciate that for a lore specialist like yourself

[@protagkun8859]

I really really do wish you were more well known in the community and got even more recognition that you deserve, people would learn so so much from your videos and appropriate the lore so much more cause of you!

[@LymELemoN]

I like that other peope are now considering the makoto theory, I have been talking about it as a possibility since the 2nd patch of inazuma and I am so happy others are starting to see something I did too,

[@SandersCat_yo]

yay I was waiting for this video!! great job as always ❤️ also am I the only one who can't help but sense some Frankenstein 's monster vibes from Scaramouche??