Maybe the Statue of the Omnipresent God is indeed Ronova
Statue of the Thousand-Armed and Hundred-Eyed God
Yes, I know the identity of the Statue of the Omnipresent God is "confirmed", and that it's supposed to be Ei. I also know there are numerous arguments to support this, but we're all aware that the statue doesn't resemble Ei.
Arguments in favor of Ei
Before proposing another interpretation, it's important to address the arguments that most people already accept.
1. The statue’s wings
Ei possesses the same wings as the Statue of the Omnipresent God. This is undeniable and represents the strongest visual link between the two.
2. Direct in-game statements
It's explicitly stated that the statue is Ei on two occasions, once by Yamada and once by Arataki Itto. These are the only times in which the game directly mentions the statue’s identity.
>That Vision, which should have become a part of the statue of the Almighty Shogun, is now in the hands of some unknown ronin... Alas, what a terrible omen!
>That said, unlike threats of "the Great Mujina Youkai grabbing you and taking you deep into the mountains," or "being inlaid upon the Shogun's statue," the scenario threatened here can actually occur.
3. The title “Omnipresent God”
Ei is referred to as the Omnipresent God, and the statue’s original title is Thousand-Armed and Hundred-Eyed God, which is also associated with her.
>The Omnipresent God is a thing of the past, and yet the storm has not abated, and the scars on this land have not healed. She remains deep within her personal plane, balancing "Eternity" and "Wishes" in her hands as if on a scale. Go forth and try to open this god's heart to the images of the transient mortal realm.
Considering all these points, the conclusion seems obvious... the statue has Ei's wings, it's said to be Ei, and furthermore, the statue's name is a title of Ei. However, there's still a significant problem that could completely invalidate this conclusion, and that is, as I said at the beginning, the statue doesn't resemble Ei.
The statue does not resemble Ei
This is the central issue. If the Statue of the Omnipresent God were truly meant to represent Ei, its design should resemble her, just as is the case with other giant statues of gods.
- The statue of Barbatos in Mondstadt is identical to Barbatos.
- The statue of Columbina in Nod Krai is identical to Columbina.
- Even Ei’s (not Makoto’s) statue of the Seven is a faithful representation of her appearance.
However, the Statue of the Omnipresent God in Inazuma does not resemble Ei at all. The statue’s design cannot be dismissed as a simple coincidence, especially in a game where almost everything is carefully controlled. Such a clear difference is very likely intentional, soo, if the statue is not Ei, then whom does it represent? Ronova.
The people fear you, for you see all, hear all, and judge all.
The statue’s wings
This isn't really the strongest argument. Only two characters are known to have these wings, Ei and Ronova. This alone doesn't prove that the statue belongs to one or the other, but it does open the possibility that it belongs to either of them.
Unreliable sources
The in-game statements confirming that the statue is of Ei come from ordinary Inazuma characters. Neither Yamada nor Itto can be considered reliable sources on this matter. They, like any other Inazuma resident, believe the statue is of the Shogun, the idea that this statue represents another god makes no sense to them.
The statue's design
And let's return to the main issue, if the statue truly represented Ei, the developers could have easily made it resemble her. They've consistently done so in other cases, especially with her statue of the Seven. The fact that this isn't the case here perhaps implies that the Statue of the Omnipresent God was never intended to represent Ei.
On the other hand, the statue shares more visual/physical similarities with Ronova, particularly in the hairstyle and elements reminiscent of what might be a veil.
So, people were somehow able to sculpt Ei's wings with perfect precision, but not her face, even though they probably never saw her wings and literally had her image in their sight for hundreds of years...
Of course, many might argue that Inazuma never saw Ronova either, but perhaps that's not entirely true. Here, I'm going to reuse an old theory about the statue, which is the only reasonable explanation I can think of. The statue wasn't built recently.
The origin of the statue
I know it's stated that the statue is "under construction" but that doesn't necessarily mean it's being sculpted or carved.
As one theory suggests, the statue could have been brought from elsewhere, which would make a lot of sense. After all, the statue hasn't changed since we first arrived in Inazuma, and the crack at the base hardly seems like a coincidence.
It's possible it belonged to a civilization from the First Era, before the islands were formed, that worshipped Ronova (similar to Arcadia with Istaroth), where her image or appearances were recurrent and well known, I mean, enough to be represented in a statue.
We all know that Inazuma was once a single, large landmass. However, after the fall of the Eternal Moon, the ocean levels rose dramatically, causing the region to fragment into the islands we know today. It's very likely that numerous civilizations were buried beneath the sea… and this could be one of them. Therefore, the Statue of the Omnipresent God was extracted from the depths of the sea.
And this scene seems to depict that event, you can see the reflection of the water beneath the statue, as well as several ropes tied to it, as if they were being used to pull it from the seabed.
So the statue would have been discovered among the ruins of that civilization buried beneath the sea, taken out of the water and moved to the center of the city by order of the Shogun.
The name of the statue
The statue's original name, statue of the Thousand-Armed and Hundred-Eyed God, is often considered to belong exclusively to Ei, mainly because it's literally one of her titles. However, is it truly hers alone?
To explain, I will use the original description, in chinese, found in one of the drops of the Magatsu Mitake Narukami no Mikoto:
>已经化做祸神的「她」, 同样可以驾驭此等手眼神通
Translation:
>“She,” having already transformed into a Calamitous God, can likewise wield this kind of divine power of hands and eyes.
This implies that the power of “hands and eyes” is a characteristic of calamitous gods, and that Ei gained access to this power by becoming one...
What Is a calamitous god?
Calamitous gods are described as beings capable of bringing disasters and curses with nothing more than their gaze:
>Since they are able to bring down curse and catastrophe alike with a mere gaze, it might seem natural to blame life’s misfortunes on calamitous deities.
These entities wield divine power of hands and eyes, and as mentioned earlier, Ei, having become a calamitous deity, can use this power.
Reinterpretation of the statue’s name
Ronova is a calamitous god, and I hope I don't have to explain that, from my point of view, it's quite obvious. Ronova is primarily known for being the Ruler of Death and for having imposed the curse of immortality upon Khaenri'ah.
Ronova is the Thousand-Armed and Hundred-Eyed God
If calamitous gods wield divine power of hands and eyes, then the title Thousand-Armed and Hundred-Eyed God can be understood as:
>A calamitous god who exercises divine power of hands and eyes.
Under this interpretation, the title Thousand-Armed and Hundred-Eyed God fits Ronova perfectly, who, being a calamitous god, can use the divine power of hand and eyes, especially considering all her motifs involving eyes.
>The people fear you, for you see all, hear all, and judge all.
The symbol of Inazuma's eternity
Yeah, the Statue of the Omnipresent God is Inazuma's symbol of eternity, but what does it really mean, and how can death be related to Inazuma's eternity?
>...and this Statue of the Omnipresent God can be seen as Inazuma's symbol of eternity.
>Come into contact with the Statue of the Omnipresent God, the symbol of Eternity.
Because the essence of Inazuma's eternity IS death.
>Light is the yearning of the land of thunder. Though they must live forever on the earth, humanity will always reach for the light. Mortals will pursue and surpass, and they will never stop. A sealed eternity may, perhaps, look magnificent, but its essence is death.
So, in short, the statue of the Omnipresent God (if that was indeed its original name, as it could easily have been renamed) was carved by some civilization of the First Era, in honor of Ronova. It was recently discovered by the Shogunate and brought to the city. Obviously Ei remains deeply connected to the statue, after all, she and Makoto are Ronova's creations.