[3.8] We're wrong about the Gnosis - Genshin Impact Theory

Find out more about the RedMagic 8s Pro gaming phone here: redmagic.gg/pages/redmagic-8s...
redmagic.gg/pages/redmagic-8s...
Ever since the very beginning of the game, we've believed that the Anemo Gnosis was the Queen piece of a chess set while the Geo Gnosis was a Rook. Logically, that means every other Gnosis should follow that pattern.
But what if we're wrong about that? What if the Geo Gnosis ISN'T a rook, and the Anemo Gnosis ISN'T a Queen? Does it change anything?
This video was edited by Queerbunny Productions: queerbunnyedits.com/
*Further Reading:*
This section is a combination of citations and terms/topics that came up during the video alongside their wikipedia articles (or similar related sources) which should help get you started when doing your own research.
Gnosis: genshin-impact.fandom.com/wik...
Deep Blue vs Gary Kasparov 1996: www.chess.com/article/view/de...
National Symbols of China: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nationa...
Dragon Kings (Mythology): en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dragon_...

[@Ashikai]

Find out more about the RedMagic 8s Pro gaming phone here: redmagic.gg/pages/redmagic-8s-pro redmagic.gg/pages/redmagic-8s-pro-launch

[@kyuriht]

I don't know I like the theory of all of them being the king but the line talking about how the vision (pawn probably) being a lesser gnosis that can ascend makes me think that the gnosis is everything BUT a king because it's the only thing it can't become Also I'm biased because I just really like Venti being the queen lol anyway only time will tell really, maybe we'll see a horse in the future and we'll have our answer 😂

[@dareokoski8158]

this seem similar to no game no life

[@sylvarogre5469]

Those gaming phones look awesome. I never would have known they existed if you didn't get that deal. Win-Win.

[@Boomdizzle99]

Im interested!!! But I bought a new phone not long ago. Would love to recommend this one to friends though

[@mohamedphoenix2866]

I heard indirect and unofficial news about dehya's dmg will increase in the coming versions

[@sxxmantha]

there's only one reason that the tsaritsa needs the gnoses ...it's because childe ate some of the chess pieces and they don't have any replacements

[@WhiteKoneko]

This comment is legendary. 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

[@yaemiko0614]

YOU, sir.... have won the internet today👏 this is definitely going in the books🤣 this comment deserves to be pinned😂 top 10 internet hall of fame comments💀

[@c.salt1]

commenting before the blows up you have my utmost respect

[@mainslayer3390]

@@yaemiko0614 LMAOOO

[@siddhantroy8969]

Goddammit 😂

[@maxliu1099]

The Gnosises are basically a treasure trove of foreshadowing

[@pokelover02]

*gnoses is the plural of gnosis

[@dazz_2d]

@pokelover02 🤓

[@SavanaYuu-sh8xk]

they're the fnaf lore of genshin

[@SavanaYuu-sh8xk]

@@pokelover02 i prefer gnosi 🤷‍♂

[@marfaleon7025]

@@SavanaYuu-sh8xk Gnosis 1987

[@PieaterProducts]

A little extra detail about pawns 'ascending'. To reach this point, a pawn needs to move forward 6 spaces. They must ascend 6 times to reach their full potential.

[@ayamii37]

that's actually interesting because in genshin to reach a character's max level you ascend them 6 times

[@Rihorama]

@@ayamii37 And you have constellations made of six stars. I remember seeing a theory that the count of stars in one's constellation is how many samsaras of Teyvat they have undergone (and the traveler is not recorded yet, it's our first run). Just a thought.

[@PieaterProducts]

@@ayamii37 That is what I'm getting at, yes.

[@TheDhanaMC]

Gasp. That's it, it's canon.

[@nonamepasserbya6658]

@@Rihorama We can't be recorded. Nahida said we are literally not from this world otherwise Irminsui would affect us. Zhongli would not trust us to keep the knowledge otherwise much like how his piece can't be rook

[@Hyopomora]

The visions wielder being the pawns would give leverage to the line Zhongli has about “power coming with a price”

[@RedditorStoriess]

Yeah because pawns can become any piece if they make it to the end of the board, like allogenes

[@donkey_mediocre7246]

​@@RedditorStoriessyeah but they don't become archons tho they become animals or some $hit

[@eisflamme2438]

​@@donkey_mediocre7246 Vision holders can ascend to godhood.

[@F1ll1nTh3Blanks]

@@eisflamme2438 They can?

[@F1ll1nTh3Blanks]

@@donkey_mediocre7246 Animals? Do you mean monsters?

[@antoinelelong1324]

In the french chess, the bishop is actually called "le fou" or in latin... A Fatuus !

[@estebanlacabane]

"le fou" also literally means "the crazy" or "the insane"

[@nawawii3750]

Luofu is a region in Honkai Star Rail

[@mittenvonscrufflears7233]

OMG

[@Freezerrfr]

@@nawawii3750 not funny

[@awsomeone7213]

​@@estebanlacabanehere in romania we call them "nebun" which stands for "crazy one" or something like that

[@consta2831]

If the games of Deep Blue vs Garry Kasparov were only 6 it makes sense for every gnosis piece to be a king piece because the Fatui have to play only 6 games since there is no need to play a game for the cryo gnosis since the Tsaritsa is their leader therefore the cryo gnosis is in their hands from the beginning right? All that in case they really are chess pieces and the chess board is not just an artistic way of saying "these guys are playing mindgames"

[@Onifans69]

It's kinda weird since the First game ends in Inazuma If we assume the rest of the regions is one game, then Natlan ends at game 3, so there are 3 more games after Natlan I wonder how they're going to continue these games Maybe The Tsaritsa is game 4, khaenriah is game 5, and Celestia is game 6

[@consta2831]

@@Onifans69 that is true, while writing the comment i didn't keep in consideration that both the anemo and geo gnosis were on the board, hopefully we get more videos like that one that show more of the "games"

[@bluesteel1389]

@@Onifans69 natlan is the 4th game tho and the analysis ends with Khaenriah: (1) Inazuma, (2) Sumeru, (3) Fontaine, (4) Natlan, (5) Shneznaya, (6) Khaenriah.

[@Onifans69]

@bluesteel1389 oh I must've missed that I apologize

[@nonamepasserbya6658]

It depends on if they want it to just be an allegory or for the game to be literal like Kingdom Hearts

[@saad_5151]

I thought ei's gnosis only having 2 little spikes as a crown makes sense because with makoto's death she took the other 2 spikes. There were 4 but were split to 2 for each sister. When makoto died, the crown got cut in half cuz Ei only has "shared" it with Makoto.

[@nawawii3750]

Ei was never part of the gnosis granting. She was dead for Makoto to ascend in first place. Then after Makoto got her gnosis, she ressed Ei. So gnosis has nothing to do with Ei at all.

[@Razor-so9zk]

This could be a strech but remember that in genshin impact, we have a chess game invented by Ningguang and she changes rules as she please. Maybe If you collect all of the different chess pieces, you may change the game enough to have absolute power on your side. This could be also applied to real world chess. There are custom chess games that only allow specific pieces. Like one side only allowed to use pawns and one king meanwhile other player has regular chess pieces. Fancy enough ?

[@Jazzatic2011]

So basically a chess simp challenge video on youtube

[@TheCsel]

Ningguang's chess sounds more like Dungeons and Dragons or Warhammer honestly. Lots of pieces modelled after real people and places, with crazy movesets and the rules keep changing

[@Eurasian_]

I remember Mongol Chess. Also Atomic Chess. And Crazyhouse. And Anti-chess. There's many insane stuff in chess variants.

[@KKKuma]

Ningguang chess is likely Chinese chess though. Similar to in Honkai Star Rail, the Xianzhou Luofu chess is also Chinese chess

[@BlackGateofMordor]

@@KKKuma While xiangqi is a fair bit more complex than western chess, both games are descended from the Indian version, they're not really that different. Similarly to western chess, in xiangqi the goal is to checkmate your opponent's general, so it doesn't affect Ashikai's theory. The Xianzhou's celestial jade is a weird version of mahjong, not xiangqi.

[@fricky9713]

Somewhere in the future years of playing this game. We will come back to this video to either chuckle at how clueless we are or in awe by how far we have predicted and saw. Either way, it is a great pleasure and experience to be in this ride since the very beginning. I am still very much having fun and addicted to this game ever since dragonspine was just released. Happy journey to you all, newcomers and veterans!!!

[@johnal8319]

If Genshin is an elaborate, story-driven, series of chess matches, no wonder we get a recurring theme every time the Traveler comes to a new region. They move all along the map (chess board), they get arrested and imprisoned by local law enforcement (pawns blocking enemy pawn from reaching the end of the board), you do random shiz for important figures in the region before they help you (taking over pieces) and at the end of the archon quest they eventually reach the archon's side (pawn getting promoted from a pawn to the chess piece needed the most to win the game)

[@TBCool]

The archons are also the intended rulers of each region. Making them the "king". Venti was called the weakest due to not playing an active part in ruling his kingdom. I think the idea they're all king pieces tracks. They might just fill in for other pieces during different games, should they be involved in the match.

[@chronar0s156]

I would say that the theorie is more likely then the previous ones we had all agree on. The promote talk (or ascend) with pawn goinbg to the end of the board remind me of how Vanessa who was human turn into the falcon in the manga (and seem to have reach celestia, so maybe the other end of the board ?) I wonder if the fours winds are like rook, knight, bishap and queen for Barbatos =o

[@MiyuKawasaki]

Hmm interesting, the Lion of the South Jean actually IS a knight, and Vennessa as the leader of the four winds is the Queen, making Dvalin and Andrius the bishop/rook

[@cihanica8155]

For Liyue’s Gnosis, I think I know where its shape comes from - check out “ding.” The Chinese character is 鼎, it is a wine vessel used for rituals, a symbol of power. No wonder they made the Liyue Gnosis like this.

[@baldwinivofjerusalem47]

@@zaraki942 Next episode is you abs Gremmy, can't wait to witness it.

[@DeviL_4939]

​​@@zaraki942"7 such vessels"? Hmmm

[@aden5297]

a ding is a ceremonial cauldron used in ancient times for offerings and sacrifices, not a wine vessel, but you're right in saying that it tends to be associated with authority.

[@SDJHSFDH]

Liyue's gnosis not matching that of a chinese emperor can honestly be explained with that Hoyoverse wasn't very strict with the design rules and that the design team wanted the Inazuma gnosis to be more culturally inspired than they did before 😭

[@supayambaek]

I think the discrepancy in the Electrognosis's representation in the chess game featured in the winter night's lazzo and its actual shape can be explained if we think that the knight is supposed to symbolize the traveler, the honorary knight, defeating signora, the pawn. The Dendrognosis is the bishop, the Hydrognosis and/or Pyrognosis is the knight and the Cryognosis or Pyrognosisis the rook.

[@worm2976]

Yea I think honorary 'Knight' makes sense. Ei only executed signora, it was traveler who really sealed her death

[@TheCsel]

and in Sumeru the Traveler was the first Sage, almost like a bishop. In Inazuma you might consider Kokomi and Yae bishops due to their religious positions, maybe Sara and Gorou as a knights? I don't know how deep that line of thinking would go though.

[@TinkRomero]

I believe that the Gnoses are actually the Thrones. The Statues of the Seven aren’t actually the Statues of Barbatos, Morax, Beelzebub, Baal, or Buer, or so on. Instead that Statues of the Gods are placed on top of the Statues of the Seven, as if they are placed on a throne. We aren’t repairing the Statue of the Gods, but the Statue of the Seven. The Statue of the Seven’s construction depends on Oculi, after all, we use it to Worship the Statue, and Birds removed the Oculi from the Statue, causing it to break down. When we interact with a Statue for the first time, it says that a Noble Heart is Revealed to the World (something like that, it’s been a while, sorry, it does mention a Noble Heart though, no question there.) and we all know by now that CN Gnosis means “Gods Heart”. Gnoses and Visions (and Delusions too, I guess) are foculi of Elemental Energy. Visions are for those with an ambition, with a HEARTfelt wish, while Gnoses are, as Nahida says, the symbols of the Heavenly Principles Control over Teyvat, and all the laws. The Control over Teyvat was always an obvious observation, but all the laws as well? … for Seven Gnoses, Seven Laws? So, what I’m visualizing right now is A King that Controls the Bishops A King that Controls the Knights A King that Controls the Rook A King that Controls the Queen A King that Controls the Pawns A King that Controls the King And for the last King … A King that Controls the Board? Anemo Gnosis Controls the Queen Geo Gnosis Controls the Rook Electro Gnosis Controls the Knight? Dendro Gnosis Controls the Bishop? This would leave the Pawns, King, and Board left, for the Cryo, Pyro, and Hydro Gnosis. My personal predictions are Cryo Gnosis Controls Pawns Pyro Gnosis Controls the King Hydro Gnosis Controls the Board. Now, just to say this more clearly in case I didn’t mention it correctly. The Gnosis Controlling a Chess Piece/Board is supposed to mean that the Gnosis is Controlling the Law of that Chess Piece/Board

[@podlybolcownik]

If you stick to the theory, you could maybe give us an idea how Fontaine quest would conclude based of game 3? It would be interesting to see if you were right afterwards

[@LilianaKali]

Great idea! Would be super interested in seeing comparisons of each game to their (possible) respective nation quests.

[@andreimoga7813]

my thought exactly!

[@Ei_Shogun]

If this was true then we can somewhat map out the whole story

[@sersarahmed1799]

I always believed that the gnosis doesn't represent the person holding it but the element and its characteristics and even its ideals Anemo freedom Geo contracts Electro eternity Dendro wisdom Hydro justice Pyro war Cryo love?

[@nobodypls10]

you put my thoughts into words lol

[@bluefanta6901]

Thats would tie in with the gnosis representing the original 7 archons, because they are the originators of those Ideas, or rather, the ideals of the element are reflected into the archon

[@TheDhanaMC]

But here's my question is the ideology cames from the nature of the element or from the nature/character of the archon? At least for Barbatos I'm very sure it's the later. Did Barbatos cares so much about freedom because of the gnosis/anemo? I don't think so, it was the result of Barbatos' personal journey with Mondstadters, no? Or everything just magically match just like that idk, lol.

[@sersarahmed1799]

Well from both of the new archons we new of aka raiden and nahida Ei is makoto's twin sister so maybe that's why they share ideals And nahida is kinda like a rukkedevatta didn't she say you are me in the new samsara?so that's a plausible reason for ideal repition As for the other newer archons hydro pyro and cryo we don't know yet Is the former hydro archon the god of justice aswell?i don't know if it was ever mentioned

[@someoneinasia]

iirc tsaritsa used to be the god of love. the inversion of love is hate. so maybe she is now the god of hate, which fitting her actions.

[@pokelover02]

Interesting how Deep Blue only won the first game. They had draws on the 3rd and 4th games. Not sure what that means if Celestia is Deep Blue

[@Shin_Haeiruu]

This is a stretch, but i think after the Fontaine and i guess Natlan's archon quest, either both sides got what they want?? (Fatui being the Gnosis, and Probably Focalor's Prophecy being lifted [see the 4.0 trailer for details abour the prophecy) or both sides were leaved wrecked, I mean wrecked both of the parties had major losses, like the fatui didn't got Focalor's gnosis, or after the Archon quest, it left Fontaine in "wreck" Because Focalor's Prophecy almost happened idk

[@keshavarya2771]

@@Shin_Haeiruu Ikr their comment matches with the prophecy mentioned in the Fontaine trailer

[@pixelchrome2]

I mean, the places are switched, with queens being in the place of kings, so that might change it

[@oyaouais]

@@Shin_Haeiruu this aged well

[@rytraccount4553]

Ei is a bishop because it has duality, like electro slime theory. There is a light square bishop and a dark square bishop on each side. Ei is the dark bishop to makoto’s light square bishop. It’s too thematic. Also, venti could’ve been a pawn who promoted to queen, which is what happened in lore -> wind spirit becamd barbatos…

[@koteghe7600]

But again, there should be two electro gnosis then, where is second one

[@cryophoenix6114]

@@koteghe7600 why would there be two electro gnosis?

[@koteghe7600]

@@cryophoenix6114 With "ei is a bishop cause there are two bishops" would either imply that set is incomplete, or that there are two electro bishops

[@justadragonnamemarcus1751]

​@@koteghe7600the other one is dendro

[@koteghe7600]

@@justadragonnamemarcus1751 We don't know it tho

[@mossblomma]

I think maybe it's both, they're the "kings" of their respective boards, but if you take them and use all on the same board they each become a non-king piece, which would represent gathering all the necessary pieces to challenge the Heavenly Principles.

[@CodyPurviance]

14:30 sent me down a brief rabbit hole (assuming vision wielders are "pawns") where I thought that if each region has 8 5 stars (your queen/bishop/knight/rook) and 8 4 stars as pawns then each region has a complete chess side. It fell apart instantly at Mondstadt as it has seven 5 stars but twelve 4 stars, and Liyue has 9 of both.

[@krumi_hazuki1440]

Well, consider the developer need to make Character every pacth

[@Zhonglily_99]

Honestly that would answer my hesitant opinion about the chess gnosis theories. I always felt like it was a good idea but uncomplete/half wrong. I will get that in mind while patiently waiting to see the hydro gnosis

[@xYuki217x]

Worth pointing out that in Shogi (which is pretty much Japanese chess), the equivalent of a King piece is the 玉将 (Jeweled General) or 王将 (King-General). So it makes sense the Electro Gnosis looks more like a Shogun (General) than a traditional King.

[@_black_bird]

I had this idea a long time ago, I always felt the crowns meant that the Geo gnosis and anemo gnosis were either both kings, or one king and one queen, I never got that rook feeling lol

[@komi7051]

It still doesn't make sense if Anemo is a queen and Geo is a King. And Liyue isn't the source of life in Teyvat, but Sumeru is, or nations with divine trees in general And geo doesn't give king vibes I'd agree that all pieces are king tho

[@_black_bird]

@@komi7051 idk, Zhongli is pretty kingly to me

[@_black_bird]

@@komi7051 how is being the source of life related to this tho?

[@komi7051]

@@_black_bird Cuz if you manage to take over your opponent's king then you win

[@komi7051]

@@_black_bird He's more into a rook, and he's also more to the defensive side ( His element is also one )

[@Gnidel]

Wait, there were 6 games of Kasparov vs Deep Blue? It reminds me of the loop theory, that each constellation represents a single cycle of samsara of Teyvat. 6 games - 6 constellations - 6 loops of samsara.

[@ignis7772]

Also notice how visions are very similar to the gnosis shape - mond has the same arrow liyue is square (btw the only square vision so far) and inazuma…..well its the odd one out

[@MrSoso1050]

dendro and cryo visions matched the shape of a bishop

[@isaiahhaley4816]

@@MrSoso1050well snezhnaya doesn’t have a vision shape. As of right now we’ve only seen the fatui have it and ik childe has a vison but that’s likely because he’s part of the fatui I mean look at Fountaine vision shapes there are two different versions of it so it’s like snezhnaya has a similar thing two

[@MrSoso1050]

what do you mean by two different versions? @@isaiahhaley4816

[@Frazzled_Chameleon]

The Tsaritsa is essentially taking over for Deshret where he left off. She's trying to gather all the "kings" under one unified humanity front to take on Celestia. I think Kaeya secretly holds the 8th gnosis as the only living descendant of Khaenrian royalty. The secret lies in that eye covered by the eyepatch.

[@liathelie8805]

doesn't kaeya wear that eyepatch just because his eye was scarred (but not blinded) in his fight with diluc? based on the dire straits event

[@isaiahhaley4816]

But he’s not a god and the gnosis originate from celestia, so it wouldn’t make sense for there to be a eighth gnosis, and only giving it to a four star character who we barely see throughout the story

[@user-vr8qd4hk6y]

@@liathelie8805 No. It's because his grandpa was a pirate. Kaeya explained it.

[@user-vr8qd4hk6y]

? Gnosis are from Celestia and a device to keep in touch with Celestia. Khaenria'h was not under the rule of Celestia, didn't have a god. So this 8th gnosis idea has no sense.

[@ahteng3739]

@@user-vr8qd4hk6y i wont really believe into that. He's just playing dumb and actually avoiding important questions

[@fishfish2567]

Really interesting theory, but the geo gnosis really looks nothings like the Chinese Emperor's hat to me at all I mean the Emperor's hat is a flat piece plus pearl curtain on the front and behind, no points on the top The geo gnosis look more like a common European kings' hat or rook

[@iishiir]

I think the slimes of each element reflect the gnoses. The cryo and geo have a sheild, both rooks, pyro and hydro have horns, both knights, the electro and dendro have something on their head, both bishops, and anemo is the only one with wings, so it's either the king or queen

[@shina_mashiro5313]

Can't wait for your Fontaine theories once 4.0 launches!

[@didbdidobdidoo7479]

This theory is really interesting, specially when you think about what's going around about how each archon has their "2nd in command" that act like the "leader" of each region and have the same element as the archon (Jean, Ningguang, Yae Miko, Alhaitham and now Neuvilette) these might be queen pieces, and there's also the Electro users that are close confidants of these "leaders" (Lisa, Keqing, Sara, Cyno and now maybe Chlorinde), and to be fair I don't know which piece they'd represent, if they'd even all represent the same one. Like Lisa and Keqing seem more like bishops, as they're not in the front lines all that much, while Sara, Cyno and Chlorinde are all in some way regarded as a police of some kind, so they could be knights. Maybe if we look at the key players in each region we can find all the pieces for each board.

[@worm2976]

I think we're all forgetting to account for the "Heart of Naberius" that Gold found _right_ before she left Albedo. And Khaenri'ah didn't have an archon, so the gnosis she found couldn't have been Khaenri'ahn either. Also Al-Ahmar/Deshret declined a gnosis, so it couldn't have been his.

[@isaiahhaley4816]

That’s very unlikely, because if he declined, it been most likely celestia took it back

[@xViola]

But she named it "Heart of Naberius" and not "Heart of god" (which is the chinese name for gnosis) for a reason right? It probably isn't a gnosis. The gnoses typically reside within an Archon's chest, and they can be used to summon a mass of elemental power. Perhaps the Heart of Naberius also has these functions but then is not from an archon. But someone who fits the description of Naberius better. So far with all the demon names, part of the description fits the archon. That being the abilities/knowledge part. Barbados - can talk with animals, knowledge of past and future events, reconciles disputes between friends&the powerful Morax - knowledge about stones Buer - knowledge about natural and moral philosophy, logic, herbs and plants, capable of healing all infirmities Baal - powers of invisibility but also sciences and love (one of the sisters was invisible as they were known as 1) Naberius is described as "when he speaks with a hoarse voice: he makes a man amiable and cunning in all arts, and special in rhetoric, he procures the loss of prelacies and dignities" and he's being described as possibly being the same as Cerberus (often referred to as the hound of Hades) who is a multi-headed dog that guards the gates of the Underworld to prevent the dead from leaving. He guards the underworld... What do we see as the underworld in Genshin? Perhaps the abyss? Perhaps Khaenriah? Perhaps it could then be the heart of "the sinner" as he was the one that imbued Chlothar with the power of the Abyss. Or something we have yet to gain knowledge about.

[@Lightark233]

Interesting! By the way, the GEO Gnosis's moulding reminds me of the Great Wall. Go back in long long history, since Xia Dynasty (夏朝，a dynasty of China, more than four thousand years ago)，there has been a tradition of building Walls, as the historical documents saying “鲧筑城以卫君，造廓以守民”, means Build a city to defend the king and a border to defend the people. And I found a folk mythic story about that: 说起夏朝建城，民间还流传着一个故事。说是夏王启，有一条心爱的黄龙坐骑，启常骑它上天官与诸天神谈论治国之道，返人间向他的臣民传达天帝的旨意。不知过了多少年，黄龙老了，再也无力腾飞了。当它快要咽气时，启非常伤心，抚摸着龙头泪流不止。黄龙偎依着他，说：“我的主人，你不要伤心。我死后，你把我的身体盘成一个方形，你住在里面，我的灵魂将永远护卫你的安全”。黄龙说完就死去了。 启遵照黄龙的遗言，把它的身体盘成一个方形。第二天早晨，启从他的屋里走出来，只见昨天盘放黄龙身体的地方，出现了一座高大雄伟的城垣，上面还建有一座凌空高耸的城楼。这城垣、城楼气宇轩昂，那形状，隐隐地显出那心爱的黄龙的身影。 启非常高兴，立命臣民在城垣里修房建宫。宫殿建好后，启和王族全部搬进去居住，他在高大城垣的保护下，平安地度过了执政期。此后，历代国王都仿效启，修筑高大的城墙，保护自己的安全。

[@serenaart8368]

But wait, in the chest game we established that the Geo Gnosis was indeed in the position of the rook (the only ones that they aren't in the position that may had, are the queen peaces) So, this is gonna be interesting... (I'm sorry if I wrote this incorrectly, my English is kinda meh)

[@councilofcolours5364]

since neither of those roles belong to the gnoses (aside from the king), you could say this relates to the role the archons played in the match with fatui. Venti is a King because he couldn't stop the fatui from taking his, while Zhiongli had chosen to take the path he took and straight up (haha, pun intended) gave up his gnosis.

[@kyuriht]

​@@councilofcolours5364Venti is a queen tho, in that game the black queen and king are indeed switched so are the white pieces, Venti can't be the king because there is already a white king on the board so he indeed is the queen

[@Nightshade860]

But the point of this theory is that the places the gnosis took don't matter cause it doesn't have inherent meaning. It's only meant to show they are present and the rules of colloquial chess don't apply

[@dazz_2d]

​@@kyuriht she did say that any of the pieces can take any place " wear a costume and play pretend"

[@kyuriht]

@@dazz_2d sure i guess this just doesn't really resonate with me tbh but it makes sense

[@sleet9289]

Seems more probably than them all being from the same chess set, just the fact that all the archons have them makes it seem likely since the archon are basically the kings of their respective nations.

[@TheJH1015]

actually, thinking about it... If the Archons are the Kings of their respective chess set, we can do some fun things: - Every Archon is 'stuck': Venti is not recognised by his people and is thought to be not physically walking among his people; Zhongli used to be 'trapped' into his role as Rex Lapis until he faked his death, freeing him from his responsibilities; Ei was LITERALLY stuck in her Plane of Euthymia; Nahida was PHYSICALLY stuck in the Sanctuary of Surasthana. - We can assume the Traveler is the Queen, because they can basically go anywhere they need to solve the region's problem. This leaves Bishops, Rooks, Knights. If we take each nations' main players in the Archon quests, we get: - Mondstadt: Jean, Kaeya, Lisa, Amber, Diluc, Barbara. Jean and Barbara=Bishops (Gunnhildr clan, close ties to Mondstadt's history and Barbara is basically an actual bishop), Kaeya and Diluc=Knights (Don't think this needs explaining from their past). Lisa and Amber=Rooks: Both characters with very 'random' movement in a way, but see their 'movement' through until their goal is reached, like a Rook. - Liyue: Ningguang, Ganyu, Keqing, Xiao, Madame Ping, Moon Carver, Mountain Shaper, Cloud Retainer. Ganyu and Keqing: Knights (obviously), Ningguang and Xiao: Rooks (highest ranking of their societies), the other adepti: filling in the other two roles. - Inazuma: Yae Miko, Kokomi, Kujou Sara, Gorou, Kazuha, Thoma. Yae Miko and Kokomi: Bishops (both religious figures in their respective society). Kujou Sara and Gorou: Knights (both generals). Kazuha and Thoma: Rooks (both free people with a goal in mind, see Mondstadt). - Sumeru: Alhaitham, Dehya, Nilou, Cyno, Tighnari, Candace. Nilou and Candace: Bishops (Nilou is Nahida's biggest devotee, Candace is the protector of the 'descendants of King Deshret' You *could* also swap out Candace for Rahman, for a more direct worship-focused character.). Dehya and Cyno: Knights (self-explanatory). Alhaitham and Tighnari: Rooks.

[@nic0648]

Of all the Genshin Theories out there, the Gnosis ones and its link to chess is the only one I actively pay attention to. Its easier to follow and more plausible than the outlandish theories that bases on vague item descriptions and lines.

[@TheMasaoL]

This theory addresses one issue I have always had with the chess-gnosis theory in that it looks like each piece has a crown while only two pieces on a side have a crown. HOWEVER! You inspired me with the closing bit. Perhaps each of the gnosis are in fact queens! A game can have more than one queen on each side. In fact each pawn can be promoted to a queen meaning a board could hold a total of 18 queens; 9 per side. Visions are promotions from pawn to something else but not a queen.

[@soulstarved4116]

I'm not sure what chess match you're referring to, but from the look of the board in the trailer, there were two kings already on the field, meaning Venti wasn't the King in that match. It makes sense that each nation could be its own game of chess, where the gnosis is king, but I think the big picture is all the gnosis representing their respective piece. Zhongli's still looks like a Rook, Raiden's still looks like a Bishop, Venti's honestly doesn't look like anything, but if I had to pick one, it looks closest to the Queen. I don't think the gnosis represents people, I think they represent the elements, and the people reflect those elements' qualities.

[@raventenebris5344]

Ah :) you noticed She mentioned briefly that there was a theory that king and queen are switched at 4:56 Which we can see by the black king and queen being switched from the original game Meaning venti is the queen in the position of king

[@sylvarogre5469]

I like the idea that the gnoses are all kings. Both theories (different pieces in one set vs. kings from different sets) are fun, though. I lean toward that other guy's theory that included the previous 2 games between Kasparov and the team that built Deep Blue. Partly because Mondstadt and Liyue line up generally with those previous games. Also, I'm happy you mentioned so many fun strategy board games. I enjoy Risk, Checkers, Go, Stratego, etc.

[@TheCsel]

I love this theory, its a lot simpler than thinking them as separate pieces. Afterall, Archon literally means ruler, and they are the lords and sovereign over their lands. And the gnosis is the goal of the Fatui, hence the King chess piece. It fits very nicely.

[@farhanrejwan]

10:00 - umm, no. I disagree. The restrictions on both Nahida and Scaramouche still indicate that their positions fit as bishops. Not kings. The movements of the king and the queen are quite similar, except the queen has a much larger range. On the other hand, Nahida and Scaramouche having restrictions on their movements kinda makes it look like they can't take the straight forward path. Rather, they have to take a crooked path. So, for the electro gnosis and the dendro gnosis, their users still fit the roles of a bishop.

[@baguette_connoisseur]

Ashikai is cooking something. Can't wait to watch this.

[@aruakabane2077]

tbh, i was putting on the tin foil hat mid way through the video cause it was starting to become reallly far-fetched but when you said that each gnosis is in fact its on king of its own board i put it down, it made sense; and the bit where you said that each playable chara was a pawn really sold me

[@Nyarlschannel]

Shogun being the "power behind the throne" qualifies it perfectly for being the Queen piece, no? That's the perfect summary of the concept for the piece which was originally named Vizier. It's the one that actually handles things while the King is just there for legitimacy of the state's existence - it doesn't do much by itself, but if it's compromised the game is over.

[@finebook281]

I think they're just not really chess pieces. I think their design is based on chess pieces because it looks cool and implies the archons are being played/controlled by Celestia. I think the chess board in Winter Nights Lazzo was a one time thing. Chess if very popular in media to visually represent battles, and I think they chose the Deep Blue vs Kasparov game because it's famous and represents human vs non-human.

[@ontosgold]

dottore literally calls a gnosis a chess piece when negotiating with nahida tho

[@shinnyshinshin6038]

THEORY: Mihiyo just made a chess game scene to make us confused abt everything and lore videos to promote their game

[@Sleepy_Muse]

I’m not entirely sure how it seems youv forgotten this, but it was Ei who was given the electro gnosis during the archon war, since she was the one doing all the fighting on Makotos behalf, and after receiving the gnosis in celestia, she destroyed herself, so that makoto would receive the gnosis instead, she believed she was only just the warrior here, and not a good enough leader for inazuma. After this, using the power of the gnosis, (and likly because of there connection to eachother) makoto revived and reformed EI’s Devine will, and the rest is history, we get this story from a book called like, the forbidden text or something from the book shop

[@isaiahhaley4816]

Ei wasn’t given the electro gnosis because she wasn’t the og archon mokoto is the og which is why it’s a bishop but sinced they shared it that’s why the crown of the electro gnosis has the shogun headdress to symbolize a worrier

[@Kodukushi]

I’m not necessarily sure in taking what that book says as fact. After all, books with heavy lore are put emphasis on being legitimate or having great importance. But some information found in this book is directly contradicting what we have been shown, especially since Ei has referred to herself as Makoto’s Kagemusha and so on. Ei destroying herself and then Makoto forging Ei once more through divine will seems so far fetched even in Genshin lore. After all, if all it takes is a gnosis, power, to bring people back from the dead then Makoto wouldn’t have died and Archon’s wouldn’t lose who they love.

[@SainInaban]

well from the thumbnail, idk but the top piece of the geo gnosis kinda looks like a king piece. And the fact that there are only 2 original OG Archons left and the possibility of Morax being the Dragon King (the king of dragoniers) who fought the primordial one. ye This makes it rather intresting.

[@quietguyjosh4643]

On this board checkmate is not the end of the game

[@manas4288]

It does not look like a king piece at all

[@tirramasu7948]

Was Ei not given the title as the og archon? If not, why was Makoto the one chosen as archon

[@elainasynranelt]

Morax is half Qilin. He is in no way the Earth Dragon Sovereign. Not all dragons are sovereigns.

[@Astrophel24]

@@manas4288The gnosis’ don’t look like a typical chess piece either. Electro and geo gnosis are only VAGUELY resembling a bishop and rook.

[@staarfall5317]

if each of the gnoses represent the king in their own chess board, i say that each game represents the lore of the region. for example in mondstadt, the war in mondstadts lore could be what mondstadts "game" is. the gnosis is the king, and one of the pawns to made it to the other side of the board could be vanessa. each of the other pieces could either represent people in the war or characters within the mondstadt story arc, like jean, diluc, barbara, etc. and its a bit of a stretch, but if each of the gnoses is a king, i think the traveler is the queen, the piece traveling across the "board", "capturing" pieces, and if everything plays out correctly, winning the game. except since every single gnosis so far has been taken some way or another, the traveler has yet to win.

[@amouramarie]

Ohhhh..... That is a cool idea... the Traveler is the only one who can go anywhere. Also the most powerful (plot armor yay) piece doing most of the fighting.

[@Odottehe]

I do think Venti is intended to be a "queen" on some level. If you rip the data from the game, the texture for his big statue is called "queen", for example. Texture names have been fairly reliable so far, such as predicting which characters may be playable and whatnot.

[@EmergencyCringe]

Wooow this is brilliant, thanks for the step by step explanation, this wasn’t overwhelming to comprehend, keep up the great theorising!

[@Kasraken]

Why do I always feels so good listening to your theory videos? Well anyway, thank you!

[@Ren_rz]

It's not the rook it's the king 😮😮😮😮😮😮 What if all of them are king pieces ? Just designed in the way of the region

[@isaiahhaley4816]

There not non of tge head peices have a crown and zhonglis gnosis is definitely a rook because of the head peice

[@Ren_rz]

@@isaiahhaley4816 that's only when you go by the conventional chess pieces that we're familiar with who's to say they're made in the same way in teyvat? Or their look could also differ from region to region

[@isaiahhaley4816]

@@Ren_rz there look is different but non of them are king ventis chess peice is the only one that closely resembles it plus if they were king all of them would have a cross but they don’t if all of them was king then there would be no point the game would be over but if you think of each of them being there own king of a nation then your right but since celestia has control over them then there obviously the king

[@KoalaNoMarch]

Yeah, all various kings would be a interesting direction, it would also place a greater emphasis on how the chess game doesn't end with checkmate,,, because a dead archon just means there is a successor archon. Checkmate by itself isn't good enough.

[@isaiahhaley4816]

@@KoalaNoMarch your right this also explains how the pawns work let’s say nahida was a pawn and turned into a bishop when ruhkkadahvata was a raced, that’s probably how the gnosis work in some way but you have to get all of the chess pieces in order to fully have a checkmate

[@PigeonSuWi]

Ashikai, your theories are always fun and interesting to watch! I like how you try to look outside the box and think alternatively "what if it's not what we think it is?". Keep doing amazing contnet and I'm looking forward for more theories when Fontaine comes out!

[@sariandoesstuff3587]

I mean the knight can be the traveler as he/she defeated signora . Shogun simply dealt the killing blow by the "duel before the throne " thing

[@vampsify]

Every nation besides Khaenriah has an Archon. Khaenriah has a King, and is the final nation we will visit, was always something I thought about from the start of the chess theory 👀

[@sekaisamurai]

What an absolutely fantastic video! Im glad i found you, and I totally subscribed!

[@ej4346]

I saw a video comparing the slimes with the chess pieces (gnosis). The slimes are somewhat in pairs, like chess pieces. Geo & Cryo slimes - have rough rock-like helmets, resembles rooks Electro & Dendro - have protrusions on top, resembles bishops Hydro & Pyro - have 2 pointy things (horns?) on top, resembles knights (pointy ears of the horse) Anemo - can fly, likely represents freedom of movement much like the queen So who/what is the king? In TCG we have the omni element. Who is always depicted in omni cards, Paimon! And look at her crown, looks like a king chess piece. Again, not my original theory as I just saw this video but I believe this to be correct. Now to add to this, in Ars Goetia, it's King Paimon! More evidence for Paimon to be the king piece. We (us travelers) are the pawns, Paimon taught us to use other elements much like a pawn turning into other chess pieces. Not to mention the traveler's skills are watered down version of the archon's.

[@Huogo_]

I never knew chess had such a connection to the lore. That’s so cool!

[@gabrieldartemius9940]

I really like this theory! You're amazing, as always

[@OneRadicalDreamer]

This can't come soon enough

[@spytonio]

I personally have always seen Venti's gnosis as a king. It made sense to me since it had a crown and Venti is a male, so I just couldn't visualize it as being the queen, plus the fact that he is the archon of the first region we set foot in which makes it important and the fact that in my opinion freedom is the most important thing in a human's life, it just made sense internally to me that Venti would be the king. Also, his whole attitude just gives me "This isn't even my final form" vibes. Interesting theory as a whole though, never thought about the others as being kings themselves.

[@isaiahhaley4816]

Venti being king doesn’t really make much sense since kings rule donation and ventis the only Archon who doesn’t do that He also has the most freedom out of all the other gods, and is able to travel around all of teyvat just like how the queen is able to travel through the chess board just because he takes the appearance of a male which is his friend doesn’t mean that he’s any less king if you’re really being honest you can interpret him being the queen as being the next ruler of Celestia because in reality, if a king dies in real life than most likely the queen is going to take charge of the nation

[@KawaiiStars]

but the king can only move one space at a time, whereas a queen is a more free piece, being able to move anywhere on the board with no restrictions, so it makes sense for venti to be queen, especially since a pawn can be promoted to queen so maybe he was promoted during the archon war or something

[@isaiahhaley4816]

@@KawaiiStars you and I have the same mind my brother

[@KawaiiStars]

@@isaiahhaley4816 i agree, i think morax suits the king piece more since contracts are limiting just like the piece itself, which is why he gave it up, but when venti had his "stolen" it seems his power wasn't used fully to defend himself (hair doesn't glow), and the way he explains gnosis like it's a toy, i think he has way more power than he lets on justifying his queen piece

[@isaiahhaley4816]

@@KawaiiStars well Morax isn’t the king. In fact, none of the Archons are if you think about it in fact you can interpret all the Archons being king, because they all rule there nation but in the world of teyvat celestia is the true king

[@Forgot10Legends]

Imagine if the story is just “no game no life” because in that story you need to collect chess pieces too😂

[@Jawdenz]

😭❤️ your outro speech got me I guess I'm Subscribing

[@Archetype_Angel]

When watching this video, a short I just saw yesterday came to mind. It was about asking someone who doesn't know about Genshin to guess who among Alhaitham, Nahida, Tighnari and Baizhu was a God. . And I just realize any of them could fit the role of a God or Archon to a certain degree. . So I just thought, what if visions are just marks for potential God/Archon candidates? . (That little elf terrorist from Mondstat is already a potential God of War candidate XD)

[@piggyprincess]

BRO, I don’t know a lot of the lore but when you said they were all kings, it was like WOAH, that makes sm sense!!

[@jonasgueldryriviere8123]

AAAAAAH I LOVE U SO MUCH I LOVE UR BRAIIIIN ur making my lore lover heart exploooode ur amazing

[@phaeorie533]

love listening to your theories, I agree with everything you've ever said, this is amazing lmao

[@Antigen__]

This is unrelated, but I just love how you've made Yanfei your avatar of sorts. Best girl just cannot stop winning

[@BrambleJam]

Super awesome vid, and well reasoned!

[@toruiwatobi1484]

Genshin Impact really got me looking up PGNs of Kasparov vs. Deep Blue for clues.

[@calrosefsky8550]

That's... actually a really cool theory! As much as I like the symbolism of each archon being a different chess piece, I feel like your theory holds way too much water to not be even a little bit true. I'm already sold!

[@newbie4789]

The only contradiction to this theory is the Fatui trailer and these gnosis being used as chess pieces. But the replacement theory makes sense. Though I am still believing in single chess board theory

[@oversizedflowerpot]

Is the ashmyster also gonna stream the fontaine trailer later tmmrw?

[@x14113]

A few things come to mind while watching this: --It could also be possible for each region prior to Snezhnaya to be assigned its own game, With Game 1 (DB) in Mondstadt (Fatui in control from the start, even in the shadows), Game 2 (GK) in Liyue (Fatui were publicly embarrassed, even with the Geo Gnosis acquired), Game 3 (Draw) in Inazuma (All sides of the conflict are satisfied), and Game 4 (Draw) in Sumeru (Ditto). This would suggest that the next two games (Both won by Kasparov, and with it the match) are going to end badly for the Fatui, even if getting the Gnoses at the end seems to be expected at this point. Mind, this would mean ignoring the timing of the position shown in Lazzo, but what it does offer is an opportunity to portray the start of the 1997 rematch (won by DB) in Snezhnaya, with Khaenri'ah and beyond depicting the following games. --Likewise, it's just as possible for Game 2 to last through Natlan, just in time to start Game 3 in Snezhnaya. Some arcs beyond Khaenri'ah would have to be conjured if all 6 games were to be referenced this way, though. --For the sake of accuracy, the name Kasparov is pronounced with an accent on the second syllable (k'SPAR-of), as Garry himself demonstrates in his onscreen appearances.

[@regisaglaeka1837]

Just so you know, you're really good at captivating the audience's attention. Even watching the ads part was satisfying with your performance)

[@isaiahhaley4816]

I think the archons are there own king with each nation even though they represent different chess pieces with their been to Bishops two knights and two rooks it’s definitely possible that the gnosis are each there own king and another thing is that the gnosis represent the original Archons who earned them in a way there, just mirrors of the original Archons, personality and strength just like the statue of the seven, which I may add also depict the original archons because of the Electro statue of the seven having shorter hair then ei plus each one holds a sort of object that looks very similar to the gems of their gnosis not to mention the statues of the seven look like chess pieces themselves and if you invert the colors of the slimes, which represent the Archons they will become their physical trait counterpart with hydro and pyro being together dendro and electro and the same with cryo and geo the Anemo Salina suspiciously is the color of the sustainers cubes so it’s possible she might be the king but idk if feels unlikely but you are definitely right about each gnosis being their own king

[@ahamilaag192]

I already thought they were their respective kings because the chess pieces all look like they could be kings but don't look like they could be other pieces unless you stretch a bit. It would also make more sense lore wise since they're all the kings of their respective regions and the wars they had were to get the king position.

[@saskiamel7368]

I really like how unique most of your theories are =)

[@rainiplaysgames3545]

i like the bit about pawns ascending to other pieces. also i think there might be some symbolism behind the tipped over pawn piece (signora). Also it's also fits nicely with the whole concept of the archon war where all the gods battled it out or got to the other side of the board and then were given gnosis, but at most they could become queen, arguably the most powerful piece on the board, but not the king.

[@chErY60]

would really love to see you analysing all the deep blue games, future foreshadowing of future archon quests??

[@okradiowise]

im here waiting for the stream and this vid 😪🙏

[@loventi7640]

it brings me much comfort knowing that one day there will be a confirmation and explanation for all these things we dont know

[@GoatOnATrain]

This is the first Gnosis theory that's made sense to me.

[@KoalaTeaGuy]

Ashikai out here always making me question my thought lol. Great video!

[@Richinnameonly]

Ooooh. My favorite creator is back. This is going to be great.

[@spencerp4242]

at this point i feel like it’s a no game no life type concept, like collect all gnosis to ascend and fight the primordial one

[@methebestwithoutadoubt2149]

I always thought it was the way it goes on the loading screen starting from pyro knight hydro bishop anemo queen etc

[@kusogg4326]

HOLY MOLLY!!! I didnt even realize that the chess board in winter nights lazzo is based on Kasparov game scene! WTF!!! You really did a GREAT JOB researching!!! THANK YOU!

[@claraanselmo2973]

I loved it! This theory makes sooooooo much sense

[@kimarimoi]

Making all the gnoses kings does seem more straightforward, though it still doesn't explain why Pierro was using the geo gnosis as a rook (first shot 5 moves before checkmate). Could be a red herring, but it's weird. And if game 1 ends with Inazuma, this creates a problem with Mond and Liyue, where the Fatui took two kings (I guess by victory and resignation) but there obviously weren't any games before game 1 to assign to those. Maybe this whole chess thing is just Hoyoverse's way of messing with our heads...

[@isaiahhaley4816]

Each gnosis is a different chess peice of celestia but in there nation alone there the kings because they rule over that nation so technically there all kings of there OWN nation but in the entirety of teyvat there a certain peice in chess the other chess peices don’t have much noticeable features of being king or queen but ventis does which means he’s the queen archon with zhongli being the rook mokoto and nahida the bishop with pyro and hydro being the knights and cryo the rook

[@bluesteel1389]

I just realized, the gemstone at the center of the gnosis is the same shape as the one they're holding in the statue of the seven

[@blacklight683]

7:38if that happens it would KIND of make sense cuz you know electricity comes in 2 posstive and negative (which is the 2 types of electric slime) but i always took it as the absolute electricity aka the 2 in 1 but due to the "twin arcon" i could see it happening

[@alcoholicbunny2649]

Those sponsors for the phone and key board and mouse actually intrigued me imma check them out especially the phone

[@Zarozian]

DAAAAAMN ASHIKAI! ROASTING THE NINTENDO SWITCH INTO THE GROUND LIKE THAT! ;o

[@Sheerwinter]

Yea i even saw so much similarity between 4* from each region. 5* from each region on the other hand represents the special characters in a chessboard.

[@Lukz243]

Quite an interesting take and it makes more sense compared to the original chess theory. However part of me wonders if Tsaritsa is actually playing some sort of 3d chess with herself with all the gnosis Fatui are obtaining for her