u/WritingRiver

Firstly, the reasons I have seen for why some think she is a younger version of herself.

1. She looks younger in the new splash art.
2. Her name is Himeko Nova, which literally translates to Himeko New, which could imply her younger self.
3. The user u/TheOneMary pointed out the following. "One more reason why ppl think she might be younger is the Chinese name. 姬子•启行 - Himeko - setting off/departure :/"

I'm not going to lie, those are the only two I can think of at the moment. If I hear more in the comments, I will add them to the list!

Now, for the reasons I think she's not going to be a younger version.

1. This one is subjective, but so is the first point of her being young. Personally, I dont believe she looks younger here. Yes, I can see why people think that, since she has a shorter dress, but that doesn't equate to young.
2. While the name Nova could imply her youth, I personally think it makes more sense for it to suggest a new form of her.
3. In her drip marketing, Himeko talks directly to the Trailblazer, saying this: "No matter how tangled our pasts or how distant the future, our bond remains unchanged. I am Himeko, Navigator of the Astral Express — and your family, always looking out at the same horizon as you." I dont see why she would say that if she were a young version of Himeko, considering she would have never met any of her current companions, nor would she have the reason to assure the reader she has remained unchanged.
4. As seen in the second picture, which I found on this subreddit, all (current) members of the Express are represented in her splash art as stars, one for Sunday, one for Dan Heng, one for Welt, one for March, one for Himeko herself, and two for the Trailblazers.
5. This one is the leak: >!Himeko is expected to have a faction bonus for the express, featuring all current members, including Sunday.!<
6. In the third picture, you can see a banner on her weapon with the Trailblaze logo. In the fourth picture, you can see an express ticket on her outfit. Neither of those would make sense for a version of Himeko from the Bloodstained games when she was not a Nameless and, more importantly, was not part of the Express.
7. Her hair. As seen in pictures five and six, you can see a statue of Himeko from the timeline of the Bloodstained games, where she had hair just past her shoulders, and it seems her hair on her new form is, at the minimum, as long as her current hair, if not even longer yet. Also, her hair is darker and has sparkles or dots on it at the ends, which, if her younger self had that, why would her modern self not have that?
8. It is stated in her second character story (as seen in picture 7) that she has used that suitcase ever since she fixed the express, so if this is a younger version of Himeko, why would she be using a weapon we've never seen before?
9. My last point is actually one I stole from my brother. He pointed out that we have never gotten a prologue character, aka, we've never gotten a character purely from the past. We have gotten a couple of characters similar, we've gotten Misha, who is a manifestation of Mikhail's past, and Evernight, who is the self-proclaimed version of March with all of her memories, making her both a past version and present version. But both of them are characters the Trailblazer has interacted with, if Himeko • Nova is purely the past version, not only would point 5 make no sense, but neither would point 4, or point 3, and it would be impossible for her to interact with the Trailblazer, which, while we have playables who have never interacted with them before, we dont have any where it would be impossible.

In conclusion, due to the 9 points I listed, I would be shocked if she were the past version of Himeko from the Bloodstained games.

What do you think? If you think she is from 15 years ago, feel free to tell me why. I'll most likely add it to this post under the reasons for her being the younger self, and I'll add your username as credit.

Firstly, it seems like she is going to be a character who uses multiple skills in a single turn, and we know she is going to have an express faction bonus. I had an idea for a possible talent of hers, as well as a possible trace for her. I wanted to write a full fan kit, but I'm tired and can't think of stuff right now, so I'll have to do that another time, but I'll almost certainly include the following in it:

Talent: Blessing of Murata [Enhance] When there is an Astral Express ally on the team when entering battle, grant them "Blessing of Murata." with each one gaining a special effect.

• Trailblazer: [Destruction] When dealing Skill DMG/Ult DMG, the Trailblazer ignores 30% of the enemies' DEF, and deal 75% of their original DMG to adjacent enemy targets.
• Trailblazer: [Preservation] When the Trailblazer grants ally targets a shield, increase their chance to be attacked by 50%. Additionally, increase their shield effect by 50%, and their shield can stack up to 4 times.
• Trailblazer: [Harmony] When the Trailblazer uses their Ultimate, implant Fire and Imaginary weakness on all enemy targets. Increase all other allies' Break Effect by 200%, and cause their Superbreak to be triggered twice.
• Trailblazer: [Rememberance] Increase the Trailblazer's Crit Rate and ATK by an amount Equal to Himeko • Nova's. Additionally, when the Trailblazer uses "Together, We Script Tomorrow!" advance Mem's action by 100%.
• Trailblazer: [Elation] The ally target with "May the Trailblaze Fly You Starward" Deals 150% Elation Additional DMG based on the Trailblazer's Elation. Additionally, increase the subject of "May the Trailblaze Fly You Starward", and the Trailblazer's Elation DMG dealt by 25%.
• March 7th: [Preservation] When March applies a shield, grant the same shield to the adjacent targets, and grant herself a shield equal to 50% of the total shield effect allies have. Her counter can now trigger 4 times per turn, and has a 50% base chance to freeze the target for 1 turn(s).
• March 7th: [The Hunt] Enable March and Shifu to deal 18% True DMG at the end of each attack. March additionally deals 10% True DMG.
• Evernight: When Evernight uses her ultimate, increase the stacks of charge for "Darkest Riddle" gained from two to three. Additionally, for every 2 memoria gained, Evernight gains 1.
• Dan Heng: Increase Dan Heng's DMG to slowed enemies by 50%. Dan Heng's Talent is now permanent. Additionally, when Dan Heng uses his skill to attack slowed enemies, it automatically triggers again as a Follow-Up ATK.
• Dan Heng • Imbibitor Lunae: Increases the max stacks of "Squama Sacrosancta." by 2, and the amount generated from his ULT to 4. Make his Enhanced Basic ATK "Fulgurant Leap" AoE, and increase the max amount of skill points it can consume by 3, each additional stack increasing dmg dealt by 20%.
• Dan Heng • Permansor Terrae: Increase Dan Heng's ATK by 40%, and increase Souldragon's Crit DMG by 150%.
• Welt: When an enemy's actions are delayed, increases all allies' DMG dealt by 10%, stacking up to 5 times. Additionally, increase Welt's DMG dealt by 10%, stacking up to 5 times.
• Himeko: Increase the max stacks for her Follow-Up by 3, for each stack over 3, increase DMG dealt by Himeko by 30% for 2 turn(s), stacking up to 3 times. Additionally, Himeko's ULT now does another hit, dealing Fire DMG equal to 300% of her ATK to all enemies, and her skill is now an AoE.
• Sunday: Sunday generates half of the energy granted from his ULT to other allies, excluding himself. Additionally, his skill now grants the full DMG boost with or without a summon.
• Misha: When Misha hits max stacks, gain the rest of the energy needed to launch his ULT. Additionally, if you hit max stacks before Misha's ULT is ready, increase its DMG by 150% and make it bounce 5 additional times.

Trace 3: Trailblazing Spirit
When there are 1/2/3 Astral Express characters on the team (Himeko, Himeko • Nova, Welt, Sunday, Trailblazer, March 7th, Evernight, Dan Heng, Dan Heng • Imbibitor Lunae, Dan Heng • Permansor Terrae, and Misha.) Increase all allies' DMG Dealt by 12.5%/25%/50%.

Before I get into this, the leaks I'm referencing are:

1. >!Leaks a while ago suggested we would be getting one Remembrance character in 4.X, and it would be a healer.!<
2. >!Leaks suggest Robin's SP will be joined at the hip with Evernight.!<
3. >!Robin's SP is leaked to be Remembrance.!<

Now then, for the kit: Robin: Starward Singer, 5⭐Physical Remembrance

Basic ATK: [Blast] Physical
Deals Physical DMG equal to 100% of Robin: Starward Singer's ATK to one designated enemy, and 70% of Robin: Starward Singer's ATK to adjacent enemies.

Skill: [Summon] Physical
Summons the memosprites Charmony Dove, equal to the number of allies on the team, and assigns one Charmony Dove to each ally and their memosprite. If there are already Charmony Doves summoned, restores their HP by an amount equal to 60% of their Max HP. Additionally, characters with an attached Charmony Dove are considered to have a memosprite.

ULT: [AoE] Physical
Deals Physical DMG equal to 400% of Robin: Starward Singer's ATK to all enemies. Activate a zone, lasting for 3 turn(s), decreasing by 1 at the start of her turn. While in the zone, all allies deal 30% increased Final DMG to all enemies.

Talent: [Restore]
When an ally target with an assigned Charmony Dove takes action, restore their HP by 5% of Robin: Starward Singer's ATK plus 144, additionally restore all allies' HP by 5% of Robin: Starward Singer's ATK plus 144.

Memosprite Talent [Blast] Physical
When an ally target is attacked or loses HP, the Charmony Dove memosprite attached to the ally will launch an attack dealing Physical DMG Equal to 200% of Robin: Starward Singer's ATK to the attacking enemy and 120% of Robin: Starward Singer's ATK to the adjacent enemies. If the cause of the HP loss is not due to an enemy target or the enemy target has been defeated before this attack, launch this attack on one random enemy instead. This is considered a Counter and Follow-Up Attack.

Memosprite Skill [Restore]
When Charmony Dove takes action, restore all allies' HP by 10% of Robin: Starward Singer's ATK plus 288.

Technique: [Enhance]
After using Technique, switches to the next character in the team if one is available, and Summon Robin: Starward Singer, where she will follow the active character, sing an enchanting song, and create a Special Dimension around the active character that lasts for 15 seconds. Enemies within this dimension will not attack Robin: Starward Singer or the active character and will instead follow them while the dimension is active. When the active character attacks while the Special Dimension is active, activate Robin: Starward Singer's Ultimate at the start of battle. Only 1 Dimension Effect created by allies can exist at the same time.

Traces:

Trace 1:
All ATK boosting effects provided by characters other than Robin: Starward Singer will be duplicated and converted into a Max HP boost of equal effect. Additionally, all Max HP boosting effects provided by characters other than Robin: Starward Singer will be duplicated and converted into an ATK boost if equal effect. Additionally, Robin: Starward Singer copies the CRIT Rate and CRIT DMG of the ally target with the highest of each stat.

Trace 2:
When there are 1/2/3 Physical or Remembrance characters in the team, Robin: Starward Singer increases all allies' ATK and Max HP by 5%/10%/20%. Additionally, grant a 5%/10%/15% Energy Regeneration Rate to all allies.

Trace 3:
All Ally Memosprites are considered to deal Follow-Up DMG. Additionally, increase all allies' Follow-Up ATK DMG by 40%. If the Follow-Up is a counter, further increase the DMG by 40%.

Trace stats: Physical DMG Boost 22%, ATK 28%, Effect Res 20%

Sig LC: Increase the wearer's ATK by 54%, and Outgoing Healing by 12%. When the wearer's ATK hits 3000, increase all allies' DMG dealt by 40%, and Crit Rate by 10%.

Eidolons:

E1:
Increase all allies' All-Type RES PEN by 16%. Additionally, for every memosprite on the team, increase allies' All-Type RES PEN by 2%.

E2:
When the memosprite Charmony Dove launches an attack, Robin: Starward Singer launches a Follow-Up ATK dealing Physical DMG equal to 150% of Robin: Starward Singer's ATK to all enemies.

E4:
Robin: Starward Singer is considered to be a memosprite. When a memosprite takes action, all allies and memosprites gain 4 energy.

E6:
When Robin: Starward Singer, or Charmony Dove launches a Follow-Up, launch the same Follow-Up ATK again. The duplicate Follow-Up cannot trigger itself.

• TLDR: Robin: Starward Singer is a healing, sub dps support. Her entire kit revolves around buffing and dealing Follow-Up Attacks, while making all memosprite attacks considered Follow-Up DMG, and having teammates who are Physical and/or Rememberance teammates, making her an ideal teammate for the likes of Robin (og), Clara, Yunli, Evernight, Castorice, Aglaea, Phainon, RTB, DTB, and Cyrene, to name a few.

"Aha Instant" | Himeko • Nova

"not matter how tangled our pasts or how distant the future, our bond remains unchanged. I am Himeko, Navigator of the Astral Express — and your family, always looking out at the same horizon as you."

Some fight by your side, while others watch over you, the Trailblaze is never a solitary voyage. She paints a trailblazing miracle. The silver rail stretches on, and the Nameless set sail once more, illuminating the galaxy's eternal night. At the end of the line, she looks back once again. The dream of setting forth has never run aground. ========== Aha! Special celebration for obtaining Himeko • Nova: ✧ "Astral Express Coffee Master" 1st Place ✧ ✧ "But My Robot Is Better Than Yours" 1st Place ✧

Note: I know he doesn't really need a Novaflare, and I don't really think he needs a Novaflare, but due to *story reasons* aka>!all his talk about the trailblaze, and the bond he's grown with the other express members!< I think he is going to join officially at some point in the 4.x updates, probably when we leave Planarcadia, which I predict is 4.3 or, more likely, 4.4, or in Astropolis, and I wanted to give him a fan buff in honor of that.

• Original Kit: Sunday 5⭐Imaginary Harmony.

Basic ATK: Gleaming Admonition [Single Target] Imaginary
Deals Imaginary DMG equal to 100% of Sunday's ATK to one designated enemy.

Skill: Benison of Paper and Rites [Support]
Enables one designated ally character and their summon to immediately take action, and increases their DMG dealt by 30%. If the target has a summon, then the DMG Boost effect is further boosted by an additional 50%, lasting for 2 turn(s).
After using Skill on The Beatified, recovers 1 Skill Point.
When Sunday uses this ability on characters following the Path of Harmony, cannot trigger the "immediate action" effect.

ULT: Ode to Caress and Cicatrix [Support]
Regenerates Energy by 20.0% of Max Energy for one designated ally character, and turns the target and their summon into "The Beatified." "The Beatified" have their CRIT DMG increased by an amount equal to 30.0% of Sunday's CRIT DMG plus 12.0%.
At the start of Sunday's every turn, the duration of "The Beatified" decreases by 1 turn, lasting for a total of 3 turn(s). And it only takes effect on the most recent target of the Ultimate (excluding Sunday himself). When Sunday is knocked down, "The Beatified" will also be dispelled.

Talent: The Sorrowing Body [Support]
When using Skill, increases the target's CRIT Rate by 20.0%, lasting for 3 turn(s).

Technique: The Glorious Mysteries [Support]

After this Technique is used, the first time Sunday uses an ability on an ally target in the next battle, the target's DMG dealt increases by 50%, lasting for 2 turn(s).

Traces:

Trace 1: Rest Day's Longing
When using Ultimate, if the Energy regenerated for the target is less than 40, increases the regenerated Energy to 40.

Trace 2: Exalted Sweep
When battle starts, Sunday regenerates 25 Energy.

Trace 3: Haven in Palm
When using Skill, dispels 1 debuff(s) from the target.

Trace stats: DEF 13%, CRIT DMG 37%, Effect RES 18%

Eidolons:

E1: Millennium's Quietus
When Sunday uses Skill, the target character can ignore 16% of enemy target's DEF to deal DMG and their summon can ignore 40% of enemy target's DEF to deal DMG, lasting for 2 turn(s).

E2: Faith Outstrips Frailty
After the first use of Ultimate, recovers 2 Skill Point(s). The DMG dealt by "The Beatified" increases by 30%.

E4: Sculpture's Preamble
When the turn starts, regenerates 8 Energy.

E6: Dawn of Sidereal Cacophony
The Talent's CRIT Rate boost effect becomes stackable up to 3 time(s), and the Talent's duration increases by 1 turn(s). When Sunday uses Ultimate, can also apply the Talent's CRIT Rate boost effect to the target. When the Talent's CRIT Rate boost takes effect and the target's CRIT Rate exceeds 100%, every 1% of excess CRIT Rate increases CRIT DMG by 2%.

• Fan Novaflare: Sunday 5⭐Imaginary Harmony.

Basic ATK: Gleaming Admonition [Single Target] Imaginary
Deals Imaginary DMG equal to 100% of Sunday's ATK to one designated enemy.

Skill: Benison of Paper and Rites [Support]
Enables one designated ally character and their summon to immediately take action, and increases their DMG dealt by 60%. If the target has a summon, then the summon's DMG Boost effect is further boosted by an additional 40%, lasting for 2 turn(s).
After using Skill on The Beatified, recovers 1 Skill Point.
When Sunday uses this ability on himself, he cannot trigger the "immediate action" effect.

ULT: Ode to Caress and Cicatrix [Support]
Regenerates Energy by 40.0% of Max Energy for one designated ally character, and turns the target and their summon into "The Beatified." "The Beatified" have their CRIT DMG increased by an amount equal to 40.0% of Sunday's CRIT DMG plus 16.0%.
At the start of Sunday's every turn, the duration of "The Beatified" decreases by 1 turn, lasting for a total of 3 turn(s). And it only takes effect on the most recent target of the Ultimate (excluding Sunday himself). When Sunday is knocked down, "The Beatified" will also be dispelled.

Talent: The Sorrowing Body [Support]
When using Skill, dispels 1 debuff(s) from the target, and increases the target's CRIT Rate by 20.0%, lasting for 3 turn(s).

Technique: The Glorious Mysteries [Support]
After this Technique is used, the first time Sunday uses an ability on an ally target in the next battle, the target's DMG dealt increases by 50%, lasting for 2 turn(s).

Traces:

Trace 1: Rest Day's Longing
When using Ultimate, if the Energy regenerated for the target is less than 60, increases the regenerated Energy to 60. If the target has 0 max Energy, regenerate 40% of the stacks needed for their Ultimate instead.

Trace 2: Exalted Sweep
When battle starts, Sunday regenerates 25 Energy.

Trace 3: Haven in Palm
When using Ultimate, if the Energy regenerated goes over the target's max Energy/Max Stacks for Ultimate, the wearer gains "Haven in Palm" equal to the overflow. "Haven in Palm" will be converted to the corresponding Energy/Stacks.

Trace stats: DEF 13%, CRIT DMG 37%, Effect RES 18%

Eidolons:

E1: Millennium's Quietus
When Sunday uses Skill, the target character can ignore 16% of enemy target's DEF to deal DMG and their summon can ignore 40% of enemy target's DEF to deal DMG, lasting for 2 turn(s).

E2: Faith Outstrips Frailty
After use of Ultimate, recovers 2 Skill Point(s). The DMG dealt by "The Beatified" increases by 30%. Additionally, "The Beatified" is considered to have a summon.

E4: Sculpture's Preamble
When the turn starts, regenerates 8 Energy.

E6: Dawn of Sidereal Cacophony
The Talent's CRIT Rate boost effect becomes stackable up to 3 time(s), and the Talent's duration increases by 1 turn(s). When Sunday uses Ultimate, can also apply the Talent's CRIT Rate boost effect to the target. When the Talent's CRIT Rate boost takes effect and the target's CRIT Rate exceeds 100%, every 1% of excess CRIT Rate increases CRIT DMG by 2%.

TLDR: Honestly, not much needs improvement on his kit. All he really needs, in my opinion is a boost to his Energy regen considering Huohuo gives 20 to everyone while he give 20 to a single target, make him a little less dependent on summons, add energy overflow as well as compadibility with allies who have special energy like Cyrene, and gave a buff to his E2 which makes the target of his ULT considered to have a summon.

I got the fan art from this Reddit post.

[Note, I do not think the Himeko SP will be a young Himeko, nor do I want it to be. This is a possible 4-star that could release in addition to the Himeko SP. Also, I understand some people don't want a new 4-star, but this post isn't the place to say you don't want a new 4-star. Please do not comment that. Thank you!!)
I got this idea from a conversation with someone on a different post of mine about Himeko, enjoy!

Murata Himeko • Phantasmoon Supplicant 4⭐Lightning Elation (I imagine her weapon would be a paint brush based on a readable in-game that said she used one during the Bloodstained games)

Basic ATK: [Single Target] Lightning
Deals 100% Lightning Elation DMG to 1 enemy. Gains 5 Punchline point(s).

Skill: [Blast] Lightning
Deals 250% Lightning Elation DMG to 1 enemy, and 175% Lightning Elation DMG to the adjacent enemies. Gains 10 Punchline point(s), and gains 10 point(s) of "Certified Banger."

ULT: [AoE] Lightning
Deals 500% Lightning Elation DMG to all enemies, and triggers the talent's Follow-Up ATK. Gains 10 Punchline point(s), and gains 20 point(s) of "Certified Banger."

Talent: [AoE] Lightning
Every time an ally character attacks an enemy, Murata Himeko • Phantasmoon Supplicant deals 100% Elation Additional DMG of the attacker's type, and gains 2 Punchline point(s). Murata Himeko • Phantasmoon Supplicant's Elation and Crit Stats will be taken into account for this DMG. When this effect has been triggered 5 times, Murata Himeko • Phantasmoon Supplicant launches a Follow-Up ATK dealing 250% Lightning Elation DMG to all enemies.

Elation Skill: [AoE] Lightning
Enhance the Talent's Follow-Up, causing it to deal an additional 150% Lightning Elation DMG for the next 2 uses, then deal 350% Lightning Elation DMG to all enemies.

Technique: Lightning
Enter the "Imaginae Domain" State, causing all enemies within a certain area to be unable to move. When attacking, enter battle and immediately use the enhanced form of the Talent's Follow-Up ATK.

Traces:
Trace 1:
For every 100 of Murata Himeko • Phantasmoon Supplicant's ATK that exceeds 1800, increases this unit's Elation by 5.0%, up to a maximum increase of 100.0%.

Trace 2:
When there are no more than 2 Elation characters in the team, including Murata Himeko • Phantasmoon Supplicant, increase all Elation characters' Elation by 50%, and Crit Rate by 30%.

Trace 3:
If the talent's Additional DMG is triggered by an Elation Character, the Additional DMG will also take their Elation and Crit Stats into account.

Trace stats: ATK 20%, Crit Rate 12%, Elation 24%

Eidolons:

E1:
If there are no less than 2 Lightning characters in the team, including Murata Himeko • Phantasmoon Supplicant, increase all allies' ATK by 50% and Crit DMG by 50%.

E2:
For every 1 Punchline point gained by any ally, Murata Himeko • Phantasmoon Supplicant's action is advanced by 2% and regenerates 1 energy.

E4:
Every time an ally gains "Certified Banger", regenerate 1 energy for every 1 point of "Certified Banger."

E6:
When Murata Himeko • Phantasmoon Supplicant's Elation skill is used, retain half of the Punchline used during the Elation Skill

Signature LC (Some four stars do have a 4-star signature)

Increases the wearer's ATK by 24%. When the wearer launches a Follow-Up ATK. Increases all allies' Elation by 20% for 2 turn(s).

TLDR: Murata Himeko • Phantasmoon Supplicant is a Lightning Elation DPS who is built around having one Elation teammate in addition to her. She does additional dmg when allies attack and she has a follow up atk which she launches when allies attack a certain number of times. I built her around being a Teammate for the Elation Trailblazer since he doesn't really have a Teammate who is great with him. For example, HTB has Firefly, RTB has Therta, but ETB has some not bad teammates, but nobody who feels really great with him.

Okay, I have a few reasons I think this isn't a young Himeko like I've heard on here and twitter, feel free to debate!

• The hair. In her new form is way too long, even longer than it is now. In the statue, it was just past the shoulders, and she had a hair band just behind her bangs, which is not in the new form. Even if you ignore that the hair is still way too long.
• Her new form has an Express ticket and a banner with the Trailblaze logo, neither of which (especially the former) would make sense if it were the version of her from 15 years ago before she joined the Express.
• It is stated that Himeko used a brush 15 years ago, not the weapon used in her concept art

>"Last night, numerous residents of Duomension City witnessed a masked, red-haired woman wielding a brush, gently tapping it against the night sky. Moments later, a magnificent spectacle erupted across the sky, like a mirage spanning hundreds of light-years. According to analysts from Phantasmoon Games, this Supplicant likely employed some form of special artistry, using a canvas to veil the sky and create this fleeting marvel."

• Some (potentially sus) leaks about her kit say >!she has a faction bonus for members of the express. I can't see why she would have a faction bonus for characters she canonically hasn't met yet.!<

All that to say this is all speculation, obviously, but personally, I just dont see her being the 15 years ago version of Himeko, and personally, I do not want it to be a version of her from 15 years ago for two main reasons. Firstly, I like character variants that aren't the ones we know {for example, Sparkle/Sparxie, March/Evernight}. But I prefer variants that are the same person {for example, the Dan Hengs, the Hertas, the 4-star Marchs, and the Tingyuns}. Secondly, I want her to have voice lines with all of the Express members {Dan Heng, Dan Heng IL, Dan Heng PT, Welt, OG Himeko, The Trailblazer, March 7th [Preservation], March 7th [Hunt], Evernight, and Sunday}, and only one for OG Himeko would make any kind of sense for a version of her from 15 years ago. There would be no reason for her to have lines with any of them if it were a version of her who has yet to meet even one of them.

Edit because I forgot to say this: Either way, we will probably find out in a week. Since drip marketing usually has a quote from the character, we will probably find out between that and her name.

My cope is it will happen when he gets his Express ticket and officially joins.

Source AAAAAAAAAA SHE LOOKS AMAZING THE TRAILBLAZE LOGO ON THE BANNER, HER WEAPON, HAIR, OUFIT AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

With Sunday talking about Trailblazing a path, and all the growth he's had in Planarcadia, my prediction is he will officially join the express and get a ticket on his model in 4.4 at the end of Planarcadia. If not, then at some point in Astropolis, possibly with Robin being there to watch, since she said she will be going there.

The somewhat unrealistic part is when he does get his ticket, they redo his drip marketing and give a copy of him for free. To be fair, before he was released, there was a leak that said he would be free. We just assumed that was a false leak since he wasn't, but who knows? Maybe they just plan on giving him out for free when he officially joins the Express. At this point, he and Evernight are the only two members of the express who have never been free at any point in time.

We only have 4 Erudition characters that can use this lightcone: Jade, Jing Yuan, Himeko, and Puppet Herta. Out of those characters, Puppet Herta isn't really focused on ULT DMG, nor is Himeko. Jing Yuan is the most suited for this lightcone, but he came out in like 1.0 and is desperately in need of a novaflare. I can't imagine someone buying this lightcone for him. Jade isn't a bad option for this lightcone, but again, she came out in 2.3 and has not aged well enough to reasonably spend 10 bucks on this lightcone for her. Plus, honestly, I feel like Puppet Herta's lightcone would be better for her.

The only reason I can think of is they intend to make a character in the future who is big on ult and follow-up dmg, or buff Jing Yuan, but it's been so long since this came out, and they still haven't.

Note before you read, it is late when I am writing this, I'm tired, so I'm sorry if any information is missing. Every quote is directly from the wiki, though, so any issues with spelling in the quotes will be an issue with the Wiki. Any spelling issues outside of the quotes can be blamed on me being eepy. Thank you for reading something I spent way too much time on!

>"Last night, numerous residents of Duomension City witnessed a masked, red-haired woman wielding a brush, gently tapping it against the night sky. Moments later, a magnificent spectacle erupted across the sky, like a mirage spanning hundreds of light-years.
According to analysts from Phantasmoon Games, this Supplicant likely employed some form of special artistry, using a canvas to veil the sky and create this fleeting marvel."

That is a quote from an in-game readable titled "Bloodstained Games" Archives, which shows what was already fairly obvious from the fact that she went to Graphia Academy, which is she is very skilled with imagenesis. I think that is how she was able to win against The Herald of Death during the bloodstained games, possibly using this, which is also a quote from the same readable.

>It was huge. I'm absolutely certain I saw it. No, no, it wasn't a UFO. It's more like... part of a human body... Yeah, a massive arm, and it was glowing.
Without a doubt, that was a subspace giant warrior from the K87 Nebula! Hero of Light, take me with you!

>Note: Some speculate it's a secret weapon developed by the IPC in the shadows.
Note 2: Others speculate it's a miracle bestowed by Aha. Of course, the credibility is questionable.
Note 3: It's theorized that this urban legend may be one of the origins of mechatrons.

Something interesting can be found in her first Character Story

>The girl is lost.

She can't remember when she became lost. She just walked and walked, on and on into the dark night, chasing the sun and the moon, over and over again — until she falls.

She remembers what she looked like as a college freshman, remembers her chosen major — interstellar travel dynamics — and now she's lying face down in the mud.

She looks up to the stars, and just then sees meteors streaming down: one, two, three... And then more, smaller ones, flickering and flashing ever so finely before a magnificent blaze tore open the night.

Her limbs drag her forward, leading her on to where the land meets the ocean. At the shoreline, the waters jostle against her like how the tide treats that stranded Express, alone and lost.

She walks in and see the scenery outside beginning to change. The Express shows her a myriad of magnificent worlds. They are faraway, beyond her homeworld, yet also close enough to be a simple train ride.

She tries to repair the Express. It starts up only briefly, but it is enough to skid across the sky of her home. She immediately sees the path home. From that altitude, the journey is so short, and even the ocean of her homeworld appears so insignificant.

It asked her whether she'd like to travel together. She wonders what kind of journey that would be.

"A journey to the beginning."
"Let's go then." Without hesitation, the girl replied, "Just as you brought me home, so would I take you home, too."

I wonder what happened between her defeating The Herald, and this character story?

Something else interesting is her fourth character story.

>"What a long journey." She says.

*"I've been waiting for so, so long."*████ looks at her: "It wasn't bad luck that has led you down this path, but wanderlust and curiosity."

"Of course," she smiles, "But I've experienced far less than what you've been through."

"No, I've never experienced the things you have." ████ shakes their head: "There are as many routes as there are pairs of feet."

"Right now, we may be standing in the same place, but we harbor different thoughts and views."

Together, they look up to the stars in silence, and just then saw meteors streaming down: one, two, three... And then more, smaller ones, flickering and flashing ever so finely before a magnificent blaze tore open the night.

A quiet voice disturbs the still air once more: "What do you see?"

"The stars have finished their journey." She says.

████ laughs: "I, instead, see that their journey is only just beginning."

They do not speak again.

"Let's go back. They're waiting for me."

████ is silent, then asks: "Has the journey so far made you happy?"

She picks up her suitcase and walks back in the direction of the Express without looking back.

"Same as always."

I can't help but wonder who that redacted person?

Yao Guang has this to say about Himeko in her voicelines.

>She keeps her edge hidden and doesn't draw attention to herself... Even you know very little about her past, don't you? But everyone must return to where they started at some point in life, and from there, embark on a new journey.

During the 4.2 Trailblaze mission, you get the option to search "Himeko" in the school's archive room. This is the result.

>"Formal caution regarding a student's non-compliant hairstyle," "Disciplinary action concerning a student's involvement in three food poisoning cases," "Disciplinary notice for a student's involvement in a physical altercation"...

>"That new red-haired assistant is the dean's daughter. Her constitution is weak, so she can't handle heavy labor. Remember: don't assign her anything outside of clerical work." So read the note in the file.

Something interesting to me is how exactly a woman with a "weak constitution" defeated the man that several other supplicants of the bloodstained games could not?

When we later run into Fulwish, she says the following.

>Poor Himeko. If you had met the Herald of Death, with that delicate frame of yours...

>But who would have guessed? You're alive, and living quite well.

>You became the Navigator of the Astral Express, roaming freely beyond the sky. Just like the three of us used to talk about in our chats, your dream came true.

Further confirmation that Himeko was frail.

>Back then... I had taken a leave of absence from university due to health issues, so I was doing some idle work at my father's school to clear my mind.

Himeko said that, letting us know she was sick. Now we already knew this because Himeko was talking with her father, which revealed the Graphia family curse.

>For generations, many members of our family have attempted to enter the Phantasmoon Games, hoping to rely on the Aeon's immense power to lift the curse afflicting the Graphia bloodline.

>That was, until four hundred years ago when your great-great-grandfather, Hiro, won the Phantasmoon Games and successfully gained an audience with Aha.

>But the family's curse was not broken. In his notes, he wrote—

>"Just as the God of Destruction cannot cradle a bouquet, so too is the God of Elation powerless against a curse, such is the cycle of cause and effect."

Himeko replied with this.

>Father... are you wondering what it was that healed me?

Her father said this.

>I know you're keeping something from me. But I don't care what cured you fifteen years ago. As long as you're alive, I can wait until the day you're ready to tell me.

That conversation revealed to us that Himeko should have died.

The following is the wiki entry for the Graphia Family, more specifically, the section in it for the Weathering Curse

>Graphia's salvation of the world came at a cost. Her bloodline became afflicted with the Weathering Curse, a hereditary condition with differing effects:

>Female descendants experience physical deterioration, their bodies decaying like aged paintings.

>Male descendants suffer mental collapse, eventually succumbing to madness.

>There are several hypotheses about the causes of the curse but none of them have proven:

>The Sacrifice Theory — To save the world, Graphia had no choice but to trade her own life and the lives of her descendants through the Phantasmoon Games in exchange for the power to duomensionalize a planet in an instant.

>The Corrosion Theory — During Graphia's battles against the Antimatter Legion, she was struck by enemy forces. The corrosion of Destruction took root deep within her bloodline, cursing the Graphia family to eternal unrest.

>The Genetic Theory — The genes of the Graphia ancestors may contain certain hereditary material that causes descendants to have an increasingly higher probability of developing the condition after reaching a certain age phase, ultimately leading to death from the "Weathering Curse."

>The Graphia family has also tried all known methods to cure the Weathering Curse, but have failed. These treatments include:

>Conservative treatment

>Imagenesis-based restoration

>Organ and body replacement

>Divine intervention via the Phantasmoon Games

>Blessings from Aha

>Advanced technologies from Elixir Seekers, Intelligentsia Guild, and Interastral Peace Corporation

The following is something Himeko's father asked near the beginning of 4.1's story.

>...So, the Phantasmoon Games 15 years ago were the reason you were able to overcome the Weathering Curse?

Himeko replied with one word.

>Indeed.

Her father said this.

>I see. That makes sense. For those of us who haven't experienced the Aeonic game firsthand, it's just something from the history books, or even akin to a myth.

So while we know Himeko was cured from the bloodstained games, we have no clue how.

To this day, we have no clue who won the Bloodstained games. Here is the only thing I can find about a winner for those games from the "Bloodstained Games" Archives.

>Regrettably, Planarcadia may be facing a Phantasmoon Games with no victor due to successive sacrifices of Supplicants during the operation.

Considering Himeko was assumed dead its fair for them to assume there would be no winner, since as far as we know, she was the only surviving supplicant.

All of this to say, we have several mysteries surrounding our Navigator.

1. How did the woman who was described by others as frail and by herself as having health issues not only survive against The Herald of Death, but beat him?
2. How did Himeko survive the Weathering Curse?
3. What exactly happened to her after the end of the games for her 1st Character Story to happen?
4. Who exactly won the Bloodstained Games?
5. Why doesn't she use her talent with imagenesis at all? Opting to stick to mechanical powers over the powers of the Elation she has from her school and bloodline?
6. Who is the redacted person in her fourth Character Story?
7. Why exactly did she essentially fake her death?
8. Is whatever she did to survive the Weathering Curse just for her, or for all future generations?
9. Is her cure of the Weathering Curse temporary?
10. Exactly how closely tied to the elation is she?

Her current kit:

Himeko 5⭐Fire: Erudition

Basic ATK: Sawblade Tuning [Single Target] Fire

Deals Fire DMG equal to 100% of Himeko's ATK to one enemy.

Skill: Molten Detonation [Blast] Fire

Deals Fire DMG equal to 200% of Himeko's ATK to one designated enemy and Fire DMG equal to 80% of Himeko's ATK to enemies adjacent to it.

ULT: Heavenly Flare [AoE] Fire

Deals Fire DMG equal to 229% of Himeko's ATK to all enemies. Himeko regenerates 5 extra Energy for each enemy defeated.

Talent: Victory Rush [AoE] Fire

When an enemy target is inflicted with Weakness Break, Himeko gains 1 point of Charge (max 3 points).
If Himeko is fully Charged when an ally target performs an attack, Himeko immediately performs 1 Follow-Up ATK and deals Fire DMG equal to 140% of her ATK to all enemies, consuming all Charge points.
At the start of the battle, Himeko gains 1 point of Charge.

Technique: Incomplete Combustion [Impair]

After using Technique, creates a Special Dimension that lasts for 15 second(s). After entering battle with enemies in the Special Dimension, there is a 100% base chance to increase Fire DMG taken by enemies by 10% for 2 turn(s). Only 1 Dimension Effect created by allies can exist at the same time.

Traces:
Trace 1: Starfire

After using an attack, there is a 50% base chance to inflict Burn on enemies, lasting for 2 turn(s).
When afflicted with Burn, enemies take Fire DoT equal to 30% of Himeko's ATK at the start of each turn.

Trace 2: Magma

Skill deals 20% more DMG to enemies currently afflicted with Burn.

Trace 3: Benchmark

When current HP percentage is 80% or higher, CRIT Rate increases by 15%.

Trace Stats: Fire DMG 22% ATK 18% Effect Res 10%

Eidolons

E1: Childhood

After "Victory Rush" is triggered, Himeko's SPD increases by 20% for 2 turn(s).

E2: Convergence

Deals 15% more DMG to enemies whose HP percentage is 50% or less.

E4: Dedication

When Himeko's Skill inflicts Weakness Break on an enemy, she gains 1 extra point(s) of Charge.

E6: Trailblaze!

Ultimate deals 2 extra instances of Fire DMG equal to 40% of the original DMG to one random enemy.

Himeko 5⭐Fire: Erudition

Basic ATK: Sawblade Tuning [Blast] Fire

Deals Fire DMG equal to 100% of Himeko's ATK to one designated enemy and Fire DMG equal to 40% of Himeko's ATK to targets adjacent to it.

Skill: Molten Detonation [Blast] Fire

Deals Fire DMG equal to 300% of Himeko's ATK to all enemies

ULT: Heavenly Flare [AoE] Fire

Deals Fire DMG equal to 600% of Himeko's ATK to all enemies. Himeko regenerates 5 extra Energy for each enemy defeated. Automatically triggers Talent's Follow-up ATK

Talent: Victory Rush [AoE] Fire

When an enemy target is inflicted with Weakness Break or is defeated, Himeko gains 1 point of Charge (max 12 points).
If Himeko is fully Charged when an ally target performs an attack, Himeko immediately performs 1 Follow-Up ATK and deals Fire DMG equal to 300% of her ATK to all enemies, consuming 3 Charge points.
At the start of the battle, and at the start of Himeko's turn, Himeko gains 1 point of Charge.

Technique: Incomplete Combustion [Impair]

After using Technique, creates a Special Dimension that lasts for 15 second(s). After entering battle with enemies in the Special Dimension, there is a 100% base chance to increase Fire DMG taken by enemies by 10% for 2 turn(s). Only 1 Dimension Effect created by allies can exist at the same time.

Traces:

Trace 1: Starfire
After using an attack, inflict Burn on enemies, lasting for 2 turn(s).
When afflicted with Burn, enemies take Fire DoT equal to 80% of Himeko's ATK at the start of each turn. When allies attack enemies afflicted with Himeko's burn, Himeko gains 1 charge. This effect can only be triggered 3 times, the limit resetting when Himeko's turn starts. Additionally, Skill and ULT deals 20% more DMG to enemies currently afflicted with Burn and ignores their weakness type.

Trace 2: Magma
When Himeko's Skill or ULT inflicts Weakness Break on an enemy, she gains 1 extra point(s) of Charge. Additionally, Himeko deals 15% more DMG to enemies whose HP percentage is 50% or less.

Trace 3: Benchmark
When current HP percentage is 80% or higher, CRIT Rate increases by 15%, and CRIT DMG by 50%.

Trace Stats: Fire DMG 22% ATK 18% Crit Rate 20%

Eidolons

E1: Childhood

After "Victory Rush" is triggered, Himeko's SPD increases by 20% for 2 turn(s).

E2: Convergence

Ultimate deals 5 extra instances of Fire DMG equal to 100% of the original DMG to one random enemy, prioritizing enemies that haven't already been hit by this instance of Ultimate.

E4: Dedication

Every time an enemy target is defeated or weakness broken, advances Himeko's action by 15%

E6: Trailblaze!

When Himeko triggers weakness break or defeats an enemy, grants all ally targets "Power of the Trailblaze," Lasting for 2 turns. For every 1 instance of DMG dealt by a target that has "Power of the Trailblaze," additionally deals 1 instance of True DMG equal to 20% of the original DMG.

I wanted to give her Superbreak but I honestly couldn't think of a way to include both crit and Superbreak without making it stupid weak or stupid strong, so I chose crit since it was the original source of dmg, and it wouldn't make her conflict with other superbreaks since Constance can only be used by one person at a time.

TLDR: Massive multiplier boost since her old ones are so low, made her skill into an AoE, moved her e6 to e2 and made it stronger, E6 makes her a great support dps, made her follow-up deal more dmg, and made it easier to trigger, I made her skill and ult ignore weakness type like Acheron, and lastly, I made her kit embrace the hints of enemy death love it had.

I love her design so much, the coat, the amazing dress, the flowers everywhere, the rose-red hair, I LOVE HER.