The Star

In Roscaelifer, there is a fairy tale called the Bangboo prince detailing the adventures of the bangboo prince and him meeting his treasured companions. With the Bangboo Prince in question being Sunbringer and their companions being the original void hunters. But there is one existence in this storybook that everyone I've talked to has been confused about (including me) and that's the identity of the star.

https://preview.redd.it/ci2p12pityrh1.png?width=1000&format=png&auto=webp&s=85edb88b529bb78ac0087e0e865e4bd3f6d21022

At first, I believed the star's identity was something abstract like Rosetta data given the fact the book mentions it doesn't talk at all. But the more I thought about it, the more I realized that it makes sense and doesn't make sense at the same time. Because the story treats the star as something with a consciousness of its own, as it describes in the passages "The star had forgotten where it came from". Which to me suggests that The Star is an allegory connecting to an unknown character in the storybook.

https://preview.redd.it/6c4zjudmtyrh1.png?width=1000&format=png&auto=webp&s=89d6bf08651bf17145941c0c8411559f302e3cf7

But the identity of the star still eludes me, because this star is clearly something that originally came from the hollows and is a treasure of the Bangboo King (Creator). But at the same time in a later page of the book, we see the Star being brought to the lighthouse (Roscaelifer) and allowing the beacon to shine once more. So Rosetta data makes the most sense since Roscaelifer is described as the celestial nexus where Rosetta data is transcribed and utilized to chart the hollows.

So, my thoughts here is that the star is made up of three important clues

1. It originated from the hollow
2. It's likely related to Rosetta data
3. It possesses a consciousness of it's own

I believe given the clues, the star is likely some form of artificial intelligence that became central to Roscaelifer and in order to investigate this further. I needed to trace back to the oldest information that started to give us hints about Sunbringer, I needed to head back to people's least favorite region.

Waifei Peninsula

Nite

In Waifei Peninsula, there exists a shop filled with all sorts of information and gossip. And no I'm not talking about dear old sweety, this particular shop deals with ancient antiques. And in order to get the information I needed, I neede to visit our old friend Ginger at Buyan Store. This particular shop is basically a library for all the relevant information on Sunbringer that we learned in season two.

https://preview.redd.it/c0lagb1otyrh1.png?width=926&format=png&auto=webp&s=8869eaba182fe9cb715996e3fffd5c0d0fc45f88

And I was combing through data in anything related to Sunbringer, I came across one particular index detailing an artificial intelligence named Night IV. And while Night IV is the AI's official name, it's affectionally called "Nite". And what's interesting about this particular A.I is that it was personally written by Lady Sunbringer herself.

And no other research is allowed access to Nite's personal code without Lady Sunbringer's personal approval. And the reason for this becomes more apparent, when the passage later describes that Nite's code is written in an otherworldly language that no one else can understand. And I find this particular line interesting because given that we know Sunbringer is an enchainer, it suggests that Nite's code is written in an otherworldly language belonging to ethereals.

This also suggests that intelligent ethereals possibly have their own language system or maybe their own code. And the passage further describes that Nite's voice-recognition models had to be tuned in order to understand humans, thirens and intelligence constructs. This to me suggests that Nite has likely been with Sunbringer far longer than the other humans she acquinted herself with, and was likely brought back from the hollows similar to the Bangboo Prince and the Star.

I believe Nite is The Star in the Bangboo Prince Story

So, this brings us to our next important inquiry. If Nite is a super advanced A.I that we've never heard of before, then where is she currently located right now?

The Storyteller

https://preview.redd.it/fq2742srtyrh1.png?width=640&format=png&auto=webp&s=de3b266fa34d61a1dce514985f6d36b7cef1bd94

I believe Night IV or Nite's true identity is likely to be Storyteller. There are a few reasons that I believe this, but the first thing to understand is that Night IV is likely no longer Night IV in the present. When we first recovered the logs detailing Night IV, that was likely over 100 years ago when the original Sunbringer was likely still active. By then I imagine Night IV would have undergone a tremendous number of changes and would be more capable of conversing with humans, thirens and intelligence constructs.

So, let's go through a few of the reasons why I do believe Nite is likely Storyteller

Nite's Pronouns

Nite is always described with feminine pronouns in the passage. Which is very interesting, because it does suggest there is a level of human connection between Nite and the others. Not to mention that they were willing to give Night IV the nickname "Nite" as described in the passage. So, I do believe that Sunbringer and Nite are very closely related to each other as hinted in the passage.

How would her body have been created? (3.2 spoiler)

>!Of course, one thing I'm sure people are wondering about is how can an intelligence A.I have a fully humanoid body like "Storyteller?". Well, the answer makes sense when you consider Sunbringer's unique ability Genesis Reconstruction. If Sunbringer was capable of creating three versions of herself through genesis reconstruction with the Karma Core as it's powersource. Then I believe it's possible that Sunbringer created a body for Night IV through a similar method likely utilizing Porcelloy and other materials as the base. !<

How is she similar to Storyteller personality wise?

https://preview.redd.it/vc8w1iv3uyrh1.png?width=1852&format=png&auto=webp&s=59163c4c4d72c75349fd45c60e4c10036347a0df

Another reason I do believe that Nite is likely Storyteller is Remielle describing Storyteller as "an emotionless girl". Which is an interesting phrase to describe someone upon their first meeting, not to mention that a name like Storyteller is quite unusual at a first glance. But it starts to make more sense why her name is "Storyteller" if the person who originally gave her that name is literally called "Sunbringer". If I had to hypothesize further, I would assume Night IV and Sunbringer had something similar to a parent and child relationship.

Where is Storyteller at the moment?

https://preview.redd.it/tr9sfme8uyrh1.png?width=1000&format=png&auto=webp&s=e99afaef56b037c521e801d6881cf89e3bf115dc

I believe that the Bangboo Prince gives us the hint at what happened to Storyteller. If Storyteller represents the star in the bangboo prince and the star was utilized to light up the lighthouse (Roscaelifer). Then the ominous page? describes what happened to the lighthouse and likely what led to Sunbringer's original descision to split herself into three

Yet the lighthouse will eventually go dark... = Storyteller is gone from Roscaelifer
Like rusted armor, fallen feathers = Big Armor VH has rusted, Remielle & Belli have fallen
Yet the lighthouse will eventually go dark... = Storyteller is gone from Roscaelifer
Like a slumbering hunter, broken antlers = Miyabi's ancestor is gone, Joyous is gone
The evil king will return to its throne = The Creator will return to Hollow Zero
This world will be as cold as yesterday = The world will return to the state the creator left it in
Yet the bangboo prince is nowhere to be found = O.G Sunbringer is missing
Yet the bangboo prince is nowhere to be found = O.G Sunbringer is missing

Storyteller's mission

https://preview.redd.it/5vshuzpguyrh1.png?width=1850&format=png&auto=webp&s=ff894f3fead56d448fc2f8330076f553de54f5dd

So, if we assume that Storyteller's relationship with Sunbringer is closely related to each other due to Sunbringer discovering her in the creator's domain. Then it would explain why Storyteller would have joined the Covenant of Dayat since their original mission is to find the Original Sunbringer. And I believe that Nite possibly left Roscaelifer after Sunbringer went missing and has been looking for a way to bring her back ever since.

I also do believe that if Storyteller really is the star in the story, then her presence will be really integral to Roscaelifer. Since it would mean that she's capable of "lighting the lighthouse" as originally depicted in the Bangboo story. And it would also explain why she's likely being saved for the climax of the story given it involves the fate of Roscaelifer.

Tl;dr

The Star = Nite (Night IV) = The Storyteller

Anyway, that's the end of my theory and I'm curious to see what people think about it! I hope you enjoyed it

I thought Storyteller was maybe a member of Krampus at first, but after playing the latest S3 story and learning more about Helios Academy. Especially after learning about Serpico and Truvia, I think most people have had two theories when it comes to Storyteller and Truvia. One being that they're the same person after Serpico passed away or that they're two completely different individuals and Serpico is still alive.

https://preview.redd.it/616uklilvb8h1.png?width=1080&format=png&auto=webp&s=7aa15be08862966fdc589727a05d85f60c3b348f

I think they're both right and that the answer to Storyteller's identity has to do with Helios' legacy. I think Storyteller is the etheric other of Truvia and that Serpico is still alive due to Roscaelifer's involvement. It kind of makes sense to me because the other two siblings seem to be building up to be rivals or another side of helios academy to our siblings. So, I could see them having their own etheric others to help with their motives in Roscaelifer.

Plus we know that Helios Academy has been conducting experiments with etheric others, so it's quite possible that Phaeton wasn't the only success with etheric others. And that there are others from helios academy who have managed to tame their etheric other, which I am predicting to be Truvia and Storyteller in this case. Not to mention that their designs are very similar to each other and these could be due to Storyteller being Truvia's etheric other.

https://preview.redd.it/j6pyt46nvb8h1.png?width=1080&format=png&auto=webp&s=cbedfee544b842329b4dddaa6b1550e608f229e7

Also season 3 revealed that etheric others are intelligent creatures and capable of having their own motives. Not to mention that Pyrios and Storyteller love talking in their cryptic shit lmao, so that would be two traits they immediately share. Plus storyteller is a wild name to give someone at birth and I honestly could see it making more sense if the character in question is an etheric other.

https://preview.redd.it/b3xjm5movb8h1.png?width=640&format=png&auto=webp&s=b3a1f004a079e7f754c127f22ea835cb6fce3236

Plus design wise, it's possible that the metal we're seeing around Storyteller is Flint Porcelloy and we know it has a unique trait of helping to surpress the Proxies symptoms due to being effective at conducting and stabilizing ether. But what's more notable is that when Pyrios was fully formed, he absorbed all of the Flint Porcelloy which seemed to have form the base of his armor. Similarly, the metal we see around Storyteller's legs could be Flint Porcelloy as well that could have possibly been used for Truvia's treatment.

Anyway, that's my thoughts on who storyteller is. Let me know if theory sounds plausible or just pure speculation.

Today I'll be doing an analysis on Rin and where his current development is leading him.

Fear of Abandonment

https://preview.redd.it/qnv5vh7fam2h1.png?width=1124&format=png&auto=webp&s=bcac9bf56a463dc63fe1ca3ac691045698fbe834

Long story short, Itoshi Rin has begun to stagnate as a player. Previously in the past when Rin began to see his coordination with Isagi wasn't working, he would immediately move on to the next best option and coordinate with someone else. After all this was the most optimal decision that could lead him towards scoring his own goal as a striker. A striker that could score goals with his own skillsets ultimately to crush Itoshi Sae.

Rin's ultimate goal for joining Blue Lock was to score goals all for the sake of crushing Itoshi Sae. However, the Rin we're seeing today is profoundly different from the Rin that entered Blue Lock for the first time aiming to crush Itoshi Sae. Because now this present Rin wants to crush Itoshi Sae and Isagi Yoichi.

https://preview.redd.it/7lgrvazwbm2h1.png?width=960&format=png&auto=webp&s=48d6d0ba4978e32eb3f17499058d1e4b65dd49eb

And ultimately, this seems like a good thing, right? Because this fixation of wanting to crush these two players had lead Rin to entering the destruction flow state several times and score other-worldly goals that can't be explained through logic. But ultimately every time he's entered destruction state, it's all had one common theme withing each entrance.

They all stem from the fear of being abandoned.

Itoshi Rin absolutely hates the idea of another person making him feel wanted. And at the same time, when he feels someone has entered his heart and makes him want to chase them to grow stronger alongside with them. That's when things become dangerous, because the fear of that absolute egoist leaving him causes him to fear being abandoned the same way Sae left him.

https://preview.redd.it/qukqk139lm2h1.png?width=960&format=png&auto=webp&s=1ac94d21ffe2746d22c48a7a445cc0c725fc3593

And we see this in the current match because Isagi has unknowingly become an existence similar to Sae that Rin admires. While Rin would never admit it publicly, he respects Isagi as a rival and wants to keep this relationship with him. He wants him and Isagi to always be devouring each other to ultimately reach the world's best. Does that sound familiar to you?

https://preview.redd.it/v2zj5t2hlm2h1.png?width=1124&format=png&auto=webp&s=c6efaa5c696d02bb0a0af0a23c686340d0fea12f

Yes, because it's the same dream that he and his brother had. The dream of reaching the world as the best strikers together. And now when he sees the status quo being threatened and Isagi potentially abandoning him to seek his own goal. That fear of being abandoned triggers him to immediately enter destruction mode in order to never let Isagi escape his grasp

Ironically, he does something similar in the P.X.G game where he tells Isagi "I've kept a 4cm mark on you, so you'll never escape me." Gents make sure to not have a yandere bf on your tail

The Subjugation of the Monster

Ultimately, I believe Rin's arc in the U-20 cup will be heading towards a devastating loss for him personally. And I believe the seeds were initially planted in chapter 311. Just as how chapter 311 hinted at an upcoming ideology war between Isagi (Blue Lock) and Karasu (Side B). I believe it also hints at where Rin's personal arc will kick into play which will be his confrontation with Isagi Yoichi.

https://preview.redd.it/32pt6qwmem2h1.png?width=1496&format=png&auto=webp&s=8612eb7aec546206a3e5018807da4d114ec6b595

"Save it for after you've totally beaten me... you wannabe demon king.". Currently the status quo between Isagi and Rin is one where both of them are considered the Number 1's of Blue Lock. This is obvious in hindsight as Kaneshiro deliberately placed both of them in a position of a tie after the events of the NEL.

And I believe the reason for this was intentional as Kaneshiro was saving Rin's complete subjugation for the U-20 Cup.

Now, in order to give a rough idea of what I believe will happen. I'll need to use another antagonist as an example of what I mean by a complete subjugation.

Introducing Michael Kaiser

Kaiser's arc in the NEL was very interesting, but for the sake of time. I'll only focus on the things that matter here. Kaiser initially started as someone with complete control over the Germany team and felt his position wouldn't be threatened. Similar to Rin, what Kaiser feared the most was losing his position, power and prestige in the team.

https://preview.redd.it/163c0feplm2h1.png?width=960&format=png&auto=webp&s=374872bfb79b451747ce026e76b5bd4c5c30b41d

And throughout the NEL we slowly saw Kaiser start to lose his teammates, prestige and power one by one. Till the P.X.G game finally came it was ultimately only him and Ness left alone. When it came time for him to evolve and move past his insecurities, he proceeded to do so and experienced a rapid evolution in 266 while scoring a super goal. The Kaiser we saw playing at the end of the NEL was a different beast entirely and was on the verge of scoring the final goal until he ultimately regressed at the final steps and failed to believe in the impossible. Which signaled his lost against Isagi as Isagi proceeded to fully crown his victory against Kaiser.

So, what's the point of me mentioning Kaiser here? it's because I believe Rin's storyline in the NEL will be heading a similar direction.

The Domino Piece that kickstarts it all

Now, as you've probably seen in my post I've been comparing Rin to Kaiser a lot here. And the reasoning for that lies in the current match of Isagi vs Hugo. Currently, Isagi is struggling to handle the weight of being number one in the team. Interestingly, I believe his arc bears a striking resemblance to Kaiser's arc from P.X.G 262 to 266.

https://preview.redd.it/ijq7pfqtjm2h1.png?width=1080&format=png&auto=webp&s=9a333ea2eb317e898950ac6b333558da8297bcf6

Where Kaiser learned to let go of all his prior accomplishments and return to his original state of ego. Just like how Isagi learned to let go of the label of number 1 and 2, and discovered his true ego is that of a Rebel. It's why I believed Kaneshiro & Nomura are showcasing striking similarities with Isagi and Kaiser here.

Because they're perfect mirrors of one another and their egos are quite similar in how they handle adversaries. So, what does this have to do with Rin? Well, if you recall the person who scored the goal in 266 ended up being Kaiser. But I believe that while Isagi & Rin kicked the ball at the same time, the person who will ultimately be awarded for scoring this goal will be Rin.

And I believe this will be a deliberate choice by Kaneshiro because it'll be the Domino piece that will kickstart all of the events I talked about previously. With it culminating in the status quo of Isagi and Rin's being broken as one of them will have fully subjugated the other.

The Striker he Chose in the end

Ultimately as I've re-iterated in the post before, what Rin fears the most is losing those who he considers close to him. Which in this case would be Itoshi Sae and Isagi Yoichi. And in order to prevent this from ever happening, we're going to see Rin enter destruction states countless times up until the Spain game.

However, I believe that throughout the U-20 Cup Isagi will get farther and farther from Rin in terms of performance. To the point where Rin's position in the team is threatened to be removed if he fails to keep up with Isagi. And similarly, I believe that this will start happening around the time Sae officially joins the team.

https://preview.redd.it/t858ztqzlm2h1.png?width=960&format=png&auto=webp&s=c4e34dc0314d1f16dc71784e7db2181433514cf8

Ultimately, I believe Rin's arc will conclude in the Japan vs Spain game where him, Isagi and Sae will all play at the same time. And when it seems like Rin is failing to coordinate because of his obsession with Sae and Isagi. He'll go through a similar rebirth just like Kaiser where he enters a new state fully focused on himself and showcasing a performance we've never seen before from him. This state will cause Sae for the first time to fully coordinate with Rin as he's fully focused on scoring goals while competing with Isagi at the same time.

So, where's the catch here? I believe similar to Kaiser that Rin in his final moments of the Spain game will regress to a state where he fails to deduce someone's evolution. The person's evolution I'm speaking of will be Itoshi Sae. And finally, I think it'll come down to a decisive pass where both Rin and Isagi are running at the same time. However, this run course will show the fundamental flaw in Rin as I believe he'll make the same mistake that Kaiser did in the P.X.G

https://preview.redd.it/d7uyqii2mm2h1.png?width=1200&format=png&auto=webp&s=1ed1bbd8bf8933599033fde0ea41520e7aabacfd

The mistake of "having too much fun playing with football with Sae". Sounds stupid, right? Well, it'll make sense when you realize that what Rin wants is to ultimately play football with Sae like the old days. So if his new-found evolution suddenly makes Sae want to play with him, then it'll lead Rin into a new false sense of weakness where he's momentarily let his guard down. And I believe he'll choose to run to a spot where he thinks Sae will pass the ball. Meanwhile, Isagi will run to a spot that's perfect for the ball to land in and score a goal.

https://preview.redd.it/obo82iqxkm2h1.png?width=923&format=png&auto=webp&s=a777bcbc40e1e8ea4ddce1fd0720d651b0fc3ed2

Which is why I'm predicting the final goal in the Spain game will be an Isagi x Sae goal that will signal Rin's (+ Bunny) ultimate loss in the Spain game.

Afterthoughts

Anyway, what are your thoughts on my analysis and theory? Yes, I am painfully aware that this theory immediately goes into the mud if Japan fails to score the next goal. But that's why I think it'll be much more entertaining to bet my ego and see if I had the right idea on what Kaneshiro was thinking.

I hope you enjoyed my analysis and theory! Thank you for reading!

Warning: This will contain spoilers for 2.8

Krampus' Design Philosophy - Circus

The design philosophy of Krampus is basically based around a Circus Troupe. Every member of Krampus can be linked to some Circus performing act in one way or another. Don't believe me? Let's go through each of them one by one

1. Zhao - Bunny in Hat
2. Banyue - Lion ball juggler
3. Dialyn - Aerial Hoop
4. Promeia - Escape Artist

All four of the acts I've just listed are famous acts used in circuses that each of the Krampus members are inspired by. Which you can tell by their combat animations and initial designs such as Promeia being bound by handcuffs she can escape from.

Phoenix

And now in the latest story we're introduced to our newest member Pheonix who is also a member of Krampus. If I had to speculate on what her Circus act is then my guess would most likely be the Human Cannonball.

https://preview.redd.it/6z2b5fglic0h1.png?width=1756&format=png&auto=webp&s=59d9aca984aec403e678bb8a792e128b54296dc4

And the main reason for why I believe this is her latest interknot post where you can see Phoenix on the ground showcasing a drawing of Zhao. I believe this is used to showcase Phoenix main gag and hint at what her possible inspiration will be. Which is one of the most famous circus acts where you launch a person from a cannonball, which is quite fitting given the nature of a phoenix being rebirth through death.

Storyteller

Finally, we're introduced to our most mysterious character in the season 3 teaser who people rightfully speculate she's antagonistic. And I actually do agree with those notion that there's a chance she possibly could be antagonistic to our protagonists. And it further makes sense if we think back to Promeia's statement, "don't trust TOPS. Including Krampus, and me. ". And I believe this quote was hinting at that not all of Krampus' actions will align with Phaeton's goals and that there will be some parts of Krampus that will be antagonistic against them such as possibly Storyteller.

But of course this isn't the only reason I think she's part of Krampus

https://preview.redd.it/9uiucatujc0h1.png?width=2880&format=png&auto=webp&s=e7b57a7ee7515d12461631904bfc7f10e641fd60

The 2nd main reason is what I believe is the main Circus Act she's being inspired from. Which is Tightrope Walking. Tightrope walking is basically described as the skill of walking along a thin wire or rope. And I think it could fit Storyteller incredibly well since in her introduction you can see she's rounded by black sharp lines(?) that could possibly be used to walk on top of especially if you take a look at the unique shape of her legs.

Also, an interesting thing to note is that some Circus members do tightrope with their eyes closed or blindfolded. Which is basically used to demonstrate extreme skill and sensory focus with their bodies which is quite fitting for Storyteller in my opinion.

Finally, in the main teaser we can see Pheonix responding to someone and asking "Is this really the outcome you wanted?". Which I think was personally in respond to Storyteller who seems to be telling the story of how Roscaelifer' main conflict will unfold. Of course it's all pretty vague, but I do believe there are hints to Storyteller being linked to Krampus based on her designs and disposition.

Anyway, that's all I have on that subject. What are your thoughts on my analysis and theory? I hope you enjoyed!

P.S: For anyone curious on what I think Krampus Boss would be in terms of Circus Act. She might not specifically have one, but will more so be the Ringmaster to highlight her as the boss of Krampus and possibly with a whip as her weapon.