r/HimekoMains

source

source:https://www.artstation.com/artwork/GeLW2N

source: https://x.com/i/status/2056746036908228948

source:https://x.com/marumaru_wanwan/status/1929739592720437547?s=46

here's my style graphic design for himeko

source: https://x.com/penguintake/status/2057058947245416487

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.

source: https://x.com/i/status/2056882027430109575

source:https://www.pixiv.net/en/artworks/128237937