[3.3] The Complete Scaramouche Design Analysis 

Considering mihoyo as a company was started by 3 huge evangalion fans, I definitely see scara being a eva reference

What I like about Scara's new design is that the position of his vision is placed where the human heart is located. Which clearly says he now has his divine heart that belongs to him and no one else. Unlike the Electro Gnosis.

People say that Scaramouche was discarded because he was weak- but I think the opposite- he was made too well. Ei was flawed in seeing emotions as erratic and unpredictable, which was contrary to her ideal of Eternity which was Stasis. Given the fulfillment of her storyline to this point, one must wonder if she would have chosen to dispose of him today.

also a fun thing i’ve remembered, makoto loved drinking tea as we know from ei’s story quest. and scara’s favorite food is well.. tea

About you saying that changing his name to Wanderer is a stupid decision in the beginning of the video, I would beg to differ. I think it's a rather poetic name for him. You see, all of his previous names were akin to the roles he was supposed to play (and he did). Kabukimono "the crazy person", Kunikuzushi "the country destroyer", Scaramouche "the little skirmisher" and the Balladeer "the one who weaves stories" are all carrying some pre-set expectations of how the person called that would behave. But the Wanderer is just someone who... wanders. That's it. Anyone could be a wanderer. I think it's a good call to change his title to something with no distinct expectations tied to it, it signifies his growth from a puppet into a person well.

You know I find it very fitting that Wanderer wears women's clothing at the beginning of his character arc in his backstory. Ei wanted to create a puppet who could hold her sister's powers yet not completely replace her. So, she at the time created a puppet to be a boy rather than a girl as she was hit with so much grief, she probably didn't want to make a puppet look too much like her. However, what she did not realize was that she did not have much clothing for this new puppet, or the knowledge of hair styles the men of Inazuma would wear.

I feel bad for scaramouche because azar said " in the event that a successful connection is established, his body will become permanently bound to the machine, and he will be unable to move independently of it" meaning when he desperately tried getting the gnosis back from nahida. He couldn't stop his fall because he was completely paralysed

The second Ashikai compared Scara to Shinji I immediatelly thought about that image of Shinji sitting on the chair facing the floor, but with Scaramouche 😂

There's another interesting detail in his Balladeer's design - the stylized Evil kanji on his veil (悪), divided in two. Evil itself consists of two kanjis: Asia (亜) and Heart (心). And it literally depicts the name Kunikuzushi: divided, or broken, Asia which relates to his homeland, Inazuma, and divided, or broken, heart. Together they, imo, poetically can describe this: "Heartbroken, I destroy my homeland". And Evil itself describes how he sees himself.

In fact, there are also elements of women's clothing on the wanderer. The collar of his kimono is completely worn by women, and the exposure of the back of the neck means vulnerability (sorry, I used a translation software)

If he was more or less subconsciously created in the image of Makoto, would losing the feminine clothing elements as Wanderer be a further symbolism of him becoming his own person?

The Samsara theory is very compelling. There’s another RU-vidr RedFlaim who made a video that theorized Scaramouche being a reincarnation of Makoto over a year ago. It just makes so much sense, especially now that we have the complete backstory of Scaramouche. In addition to the whole idea of Ei trying to bring her sister back, I like to believe that she placed the remnants of Makoto’s divine essence into the prototype puppet which ended up creating Scaramouche as a different entity. This could explain why he gained a consciousness of his own and has free will unlike the Raiden Shogun puppet who only follows a set of directives.

my favorite part of the video is when you explained the theory of Scaramouche being made out of Makoto, girl i was legit screaming

12:17 "Someone who stays on earth to assist others in their journey to enlightenment" Scara in the background: *Die!*

Something that I find really interesting with his new outfit which wasn’t mentioned, is that the neckline is dipped in the back like a traditional women’s kimono, so perhaps thats a nod to the feminine parts of his previous designs?

*Ashikai & Chill with Aster competing with each other to see who’s the bigger Scaramocuhe enthusiast XDD* In all seriousness though, This was so fun to watch. Historical references are so freaking cool, and studying genshin character design is so much fun. Anyway, I’m gonna post a couple little thoughts I had here. 9:30 This is interesting in retrospect, because wasn’t one of Nahida’s major metaphors for herself about being a bird in a cage? They really were meant to be mirrors huh? 20:26 thinking about that now, that’s honestly friggin hilarious. Considering all the evangelion references that is. In fact, doesn’t his mech also have similar attacks? 22:24 well considering the traveller being an exception for everything, and Dain’s message relating to re-weaving the threads of fate, I’d say it’s possible for beings of teyvat to change their fate, albeit to a much lesser extent compared to say an outlander. Teyvat laws be like XD man, now I miss Dainsleif. I was gonna comment on the makoto resemblance thing, but you literally took the words right out of my mouth XD so these are where my thoughts end. It’s really nice to see how detailed each genshin character can be. Props to hoyoverse man.

The fun thing about his new shugenja monk identity is that he never choose it for himself, since the past can't be changed and only memories can. In reality he has never been a monk and his soul searching as a shugenja never happened - this was a fake memory created for him by Irminsul. Now to the fun part. In the last desert quest the goddess of flowers was called "a guardian of monks and lost wanderers". They even mentioned it twice for some reason, once we enter the eternal oasis. And remember video by Ashikai thorizing that the Goddess of flowers could be Istaroth herself? Remember that mysterious voice at the end of Scara's quest who obviously observed Scara's attempt to change past. And remember how he got a vision at the end of this little adventure? My theory is that Istaroth herself took Scara under her wing and granted him this new identity of a monk, when he attempted to delete himself. This would also explain the lotus and moon Lady references

If mihoyo really did have all this in mind when designing him, their concept and narrative teams are god tier (and they actually talk to each other!)

Makoto’s name (眞) can also be read as Shinji :) One of the reasons I wanted to call him that in-game (though I didn’t in the end lol) I just thought it was a fun piece to share

Wanderer's feminine motif seems to continue symbolically even after not becoming the role of ei's alternate form, wondering if there's other meaning behind it or just that it parallels his past for being the representation of a female. Loved this video btw, first exposure to the channel and cool to learn how much detail and influence went into this short scamp I adore.

Scara being literal evangelion reference explains why they put so much effort into him compared to other units looool

I personally think that his constellation changed bc in his fatui constellation it was a kokeshi doll, kokeshi dolls have a dark past of being associated with murder or abandonment at birth, so it would make sense for fatui scara to have this bc he was still wounded by the fact that his mother or creator abandoned him at birth, he lived to prove himself worthy to her, but when he became wanderer the image on the con became himself which means the scars are healing and he is improving ❤

I absolutely fallen in love with him because I was going to skip him but damn those blue aesthetic design just speaks to me. His namecard?? Sheeeshh. Never once regret pulling him with his beautifully matching weapon. Heck everyday I watched other Genshin content then I will log in, feel grateful to have Wanderer in my account! That alone will make my heart flutter inside 🥰

I think the feminine wear he has throughout his character design is a reference to Makoto who he was basically made after

Well Scaramouche probably made in the image of Makoto. The color White choice of her garment, and long sleeve Ei's choice of adding emotion since Makoto was more of an Expressive/Emotional Ruler (sometimes teasing Ei by 'bit of blunt to Ei' and i'm pretty sure Yae Miko took some note from Makoto personality). And i think Ei cast Scaramouche aside and won't lift a finger with the intention of not repeating her tragedy (irony). When he don his Balldeer outfit. He does look more as Ei before the tragedy. Short sleeve and prodominaly Black color garment. He dress in a more practical use. The Balladeer is more emotionally fragile just as the state of Ei creating him. And now his Wanderer outfit reseble the current Raiden Shogun with combination of Black and White color. And also all of his clothes are combination of the Nation of Monstadt (The postion he put his vision like a Kaeya/Eula), Liyue (His Flowing cloth having Liyue bird motif), Inazuma (His Footwear and overall style), and Sumeru (Lotus motif hat).

Scara being Makoto makes SO much damn sense Also on a different note I just realized he got a REAL. HEART. From Dottore. It's literally in his character story!! a WARM BEATING HEART. FROM NIWA'S CHEST. LITERALLY. A HUMAN HEART. THAT IS SO FUCKING DEPRESSING. and also implies that he did, indeed, have a human heart at one point.

On the topic of what type of Yōkai the Electro Archon Twins are, someone suggested they may be a kind of shoe Yōkai, which is pretty fitting since they mirror and compliment each other perfectly and one without the other would loose all purpose in life... and yes, they can be made from wood.

Yanfei is now co-hosting with Faruzan. Love it!

yaaaay half an hour plus of analysing Scaramouche’s design?!? HECK YESS!!! sooo excited to watch this!!!

Actually it was not a bad decision to have Scaramouche become the Wanderer. His character still has much more to experience in the game. Makes him so much more interesting!

Watching this makes us appreciate more how awesome Hoyo is! 💯 Also Ashikai for parsing all these dots into a beautiful art appreciation ❤️ Without you, i would've gloss over these tiny facts painting a picture.

Hehe, thank you for featuring my doc, Ashikai! I love doing cultural references and Scara's was such a blast to sift through; he's so perfectly designed and foreshadowed in all of his identities, especially as the Wanderer. I'm honoured to be able to contribute to your very compelling analysis.

You forgot to mention that the word peregrinum, from latin, means someone who wonders around, normally looking for a holy place, for devotion or someone who has a promise for someone/themselves and wonders around because of it.

OMG FINALLY SOMEONE IS TALKING ABOUT THE SCARAMOUCHE/BELIAL CONNECTION

one thing i do know about his outfit is the golden feather he recieved from ei im not sure about anything else

So basically Sacra is a masterpiece of character design

In regards to his constellation: it might be the fact that he’s a puppet, which can be altered…unlike any other natural occurring being. Or the fact he did attain god-hood for a brief moment.

while him being born on the day that marked the end of shogunate rule might be a jab at Ei, maybe it's because he was made as a result of the shogun's death (Makoto)

i always wondered if scara's birthday date might be referencing something (since this little man is literally full of references from bunch of diff things ) but i didnt expect this video to tell me abt the "coincidence" of his bday lmaoo

Why would the feminine traits be weird? He was going to be a host for Ei and the gnosis.

Oh wow I was not aware of all the references in Scaramouche's design to Japanese theatre, the Shuugendou monks him being a bodhisattva and a jizou, assisting both a child buddha and the Traveller, it's genuinely amazing to see. I believe his constellation changing visually is amazing - the doll on the Fatui Wheel looks very clearly feminine, with Kabukimono and Scaramouche clearly dressing in female garb, while Wanderer has accepted himself which is rightfully reflected in his constellation Also, this video has created a transmasc Scaramouche brainrot in my head and I shall leave it there for now

I think the reason why Scaramouche wore womens clothing was that accompanied by his depression hes also desperate to be a god/he wanted to be like the shogun the reason why he dressed up in womens clothing is like a plea saying "hey im wearing womens clothing so i can be accepted by you" idk its just a random thought i had Edit:this comment was made before the ending lol

I would surely be attacked if I said this on Twitter where many individuals make it their occupation to force others to accept the headcanon that scara is transgender as literally canon, but I personally don’t think he is. The argument he was based on Ei/Makoto isn’t true anymore, because it was specifically stated he wasn’t made in Ei’s image and he was just a test. I play the game in Chinese and Ei’s former voice line about him (which is erased after the new quest) also refers to him as ‘that boy’ (那小子) and uses the male pronoun 他 instead of feminine 她 when mentioning he is a byproduct of her shogun model, implying he was made as a boy. The entire thing about Miko calling him an “it” is far more pronounced in the English localization, and I believe it is merely meant to show her dehumanization of him instead of his gender. Also, about wearing feminine clothing, I don’t understand why people born as male can’t wear them without being associated with feminity, which is imo honestly a quite toxic notion because my younger brother (who is amab and identifies as male) liked elements of girls’ clothing more as a child and was often ridiculed for it/called ‘you look like a girl’ in a derogatory way. Many people also found it problematic when my parents allowed him to do that if it made him happy since many still frown upon allowing kids this type of freedom. I don’t think there’s anything wrong with a person naturally born as male to appear more gentle and beautiful, it doesn’t necessary mean they have to be female biologically and make them any less of a male. Unfortunately this is usually considered ‘bad’/unmasculine where I’m from, when it should be fine for people to live the way they wish without having to change their identity. Scara also retains feminine elements that one would usually try to get rid of if they did transition, like the hime hair. His fragility, such as crying in his sleep, is something I believe also deserves to be addressed because traditionally it’s seen as inappropriate for boys to cry, or even express emotions; they are immediately seen as weak, when such a natural reaction should be anyone’s right. Tbh I think these things just represent his gentleness/softer side, and his similarity in personality to Makoto (soft/kind) which might be unintended on Ei’s part given she was undoubtedly grieving her sister at that time. Of course, it’s also entirely fine to see him as a character who was formerly a girl, but I wish it wouldn’t be forced on others who appreciate him as a male character unafraid to appear more “feminine” at times rather than conform to the standards of a typical boy character. Either way, he’s such a beautiful character and I’m really happy he was created

Satisfying to see your early analysis about fujin and raijin come true! A question that finally came after watching all your vids: it also occurred to me, since scara has mixed gender associations (the 'princess' hairstyle, a young man described as beautiful w delicate features, possibly being makoto prototype etc.) if that can be a a nod toward a class during Japan's edo era called "wakashu." Only using a pg description for this speculation: They were apprentice age boys (not a kid but not a man) who often, among other things, acted as female parts of kabuki plays. There's also a darker aspect to the class that can allude to scara being manipulated by dottore. Would love t hear your thoughts as one of the best known scara scribes! Somehow these analyses keep on finding new connections and love that so much! You think you are done but it just gets deeper and the excitement doesn't stop!

For the first time, i am rewatching an entire video again right after finishing because I need all these details and insights be burned into my brain. Loved this, thank you so much!

While he's not my favorite character you have made me apreciate him a lot more than I did before! Very fun to see lore thoerist goes crazy over him. Thanks for the video!

The fact that all his life prior to becoming the Wanderer, he was given outfits that depicted him as a woman, and that he could never truly accept and find true fulfillement in his identity, and it's only when he decides to start over with a name he wants and a new identity that he truly sees as himself that he dresses as a man... He's, without joking, one of the greatest trans allegory anyone could make to avoid any form of censorship, it's honestly very, very impressive

When I got a pick a name for him. I picked Belial (as a reference to magi and sticking with the theme of Baal) I just thought it was a good name since it sounded similar to baal. I really did not think it would be such a perfect name lol.

I really like how deep you go with this analysis. I almost feel like Scara is Hoyo’s fav character because of all of the detail and symbolism in his… well everything, lol. P.S. the use of Persona 5 music is both stylish and appropriate and I love it. Scara reminds me of Akechi from the game and I ended naming him as such. 😄

heck yeah, i love design analysis! as a european i often miss design cues for genshin characters and can't fully appreciate the work that goes into characters' outfits besides a superficial "oh this looks cool". for example, if not for the 50 pages alhaitham mains document, i legit wouldn't know just how many shoutouts there were to egyptian mythology/in-game deshret lore, or some videos on liyue characters. obviously, the line between a design "shoutout" and things like orientalism can be very thin, especially when there's fanservice involved, but it's good to be more knowledgeable about these things all the same. (please snezhnaya give me a female character in a full suit i beg) (also i wonder what's the significance of wanderer's hat having galaxy-like coloured dots)

I want to add something about Shouki no Kami design. He is surprisingly similar to Magatsu Mitake Narukami no Mikoto! The most obvious are the arms, they look literally identical from the general shape, joints to even the eye inside of them. Then there are the rest of arms, similarly they are not connected to the rest of body, and interestingly they too have almost identical shape, they even have the same piece that looks like an eye although Magatsu has it full open while Shouki has it partially covered by armor. Shouki's arms are also ended similarly to Magatsu's smaller arms with a pointy end, but also seem to have a ball looking object like her bigger arm. Then the centerpiece is also obvious, both of them have a big Electro symbol, what is less obvious tho is that it seems Shouki's symbol has this golden part around it which is very similar to puppet's golden part of shoulder plate, not perfectly same but very similar. Lastly, he has this thing behind him that looks like Raiden's Chakra Desiderata, Magatsu is also using it although hers is different and is attached to her arm that just floating behind her. What is interesting, although his middle piece of it has more going on, just like when Raiden has her Eye of Stormy Judgment active. Unrelated to Magatsu, but he also has this weird halo that seems to serve absolutely no purpose, but looking back at Evangelion and thinking about halos then... umm... yeah... There are also smaller details that I would like to share, but it is already 4:30 am as I am writing this, this comment probably makes no sense already, so I will save you from ready more of this comment that probably turned into gibberish 😛 But I will add one more thing for those who stayed. Continuing on the Samsara theory, do you realize who is Magatsu Mitake Narukami no Mikoto designed after? It is not Ei, it is Makoto. The brighter outfit, long hair and the Musou Isshin itself makes me think that she is closer in design to Makoto than Ei. And this whole comment is about how Scaramouche's eva looks like Magatsu, who is depicted as Makoto. He also loves tea, just like Makoto.

This was amazing and so detailed, I'm amazed. I know you said on Twitter you probably wouldn't do another design analysis like this, but if you'd do this for another favourite character of yours, I'd watch it in a heartbeat

Half an hour of analyzing Scara's design and inspirations?? Amazing. Gotta put this on my watchlist though

I absolutely love this kind of deep dive into a topic. I always know that there is this level of care and detail going into the planning and design of a game like Genshin but don’t always have the right foundational knowledge to confidently make these connections myself.

Are they foreshadowing that Hydro can reveal The Truth?? I'm truly baffled by the level of detail they put into this game, Sasuga Hoyoverse

I didn't really like scara that much until i played him and finished his storyline, honestly such incredible writing for his char and very persona of him to have to accept both parts of himself. Also the unmatched king of overworld travel, i feel so slow when i don't use him heh. Thanks for doing a better job than genshin did on explaining his entire story and this additional video was such a treat.

I named him Suzuki(Bell Tree) because of all the bell stuff. Also because I was put under the impression that Suzu means "Tin" and with both the "Steadfast Tin Soldier" Reference in his trailer as well as me making the joke after words "Oz didn't give nothin' to the tin man that he didn't already have" it just fit. Because while Puppet Boy didn't meet a wizard in an emerald city, he did meet an emerald archon.

I got a feeling that the reason why he was often wearing the hats or veils that is for female before he was kinda reborn was because he was still wanting to follow the footstep of ei(not following but to fulfill his job a puppet vessel so he has those woman accessories) but after he was reborn, he was basically his own person not needing to be similar to someone. But idk, I don't feel like its a strong idea

Scara having so much lotus motifs makes me wonder if nahida is remaking the trio of gof, rukha and deshret, since she also made alhaitham acting sage and he’s also covered with motifs of the scarlet king

Wow the details of wanderers outfit is so we'll detailed. They really innovate a new outfit.

the way i never noticed he fights like ruin guards incredible work subscribed thank you for this masterpiece I don't usually watch long videos but this one is so perfect and interesting I had to watch the whole thing also thank you for pronouncing Nahida's name correctly

You can tell Scara is Hoyo's fave by the way they totally made him a walking evangelion reference, an anime deeply loved by the devs

Great video as always!! I loved that you found and listed so many real life and other fictional works' references although I'd like to mention another one: The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. While the Tin Woodman has the most connection to Wanderer, actually the whole story is about wishing for something: Dorothy wants a way to go home, the Scarecrow wants a brain, the Tin Woodman a heart, the Lion courage. But at the end of the story we, readers realise that they had the thing they wished for all along, they just needed a "placebo" to be able to believe in themselves. Wanderer is the same: he has no need for a heart to become a human; he was either already one from the beginning or became one while he stayed in Tatarasuna (because in the essay we can read in the interlude quest there's a small mention that Scara's joints lines were slowly fading, until they completely disappeared. I really like to think that this symbolizes that the more time he spent around humans the more human he actually became; not to mention that Niwa accepted him as one as well). This really ties well with my little theory or headcanon(?) that while other genshin fans often describe Wanderer's journey as him becoming himself, I rather say it's more like a journey of not just accepting himself with all the imperfect, not-so-nice parts but realising that he was what he wanted all along. A human capable to feel, cry and hurt even without a physical heart. Anyway I also loved the samsara theory although if it's true, I do wonder: then why are they lying to us about it? Otherwise I love the connection between Wanderer and Makoto but I personally don't believe Ei would ever use her dead sister's parts to make a prototype puppet, it would go against everything what we learned about her and her grief (that still affects her life after all these centuries). Though I do think: what if she didn't know that she used a part of Makoto or even something that ties closely to her? I'd say the Sacred Sakura Tree but it's neither white nor would really fit the whole thing... Lastly, his clothes not just connected to Makoto but the current state of his mind: the innocent Kabukimono wore light clothes, the power and godhood seeking, full of hatred Scaramouche wore dark clothes. Wanderer is somewhere between the two of them with his white-blue-black attire. He still wants revenge but also accepts the wrongs he made and wants to atone for them. Wow, this became so long that I can't even write a TL;DR...

Love these videos! Something I've noticed over time of maining wanderer is that the halo when he flies has six sides which can represent the six realms of rebirth in Buddhist religion. The boddisatva would then be a person who has reached enlightenment and stays in the world much like how wanderer is outside of his halo, the six realms, but still doesn't transcend his halo which can show his decision to stay on earth to help others reach enlightenment as well.

I'd like to propose a theory on Scara's relationship with his mother, Ei. So, I find it interesting how in Ei's character stories, it says she created and discarded "countless" prototypes, but for some reason the only one we see out for blood is Scaramouche. Ei's intentions from the beginning were to create a mechanical replica of herself, yet Yae Miko says that neither Scara's appearance nor intellect were modeled after Ei and that he was merely a proof of concept (likely a recreation of whatever Khaenri'an blueprints she found). She also says that Ei's original plan was to discard him like she did with her past attempts but decided to spare him out of pity, leaving him in Shakkei Pavilion. (I personally disagree with the theory that Ei was going to model her creation after Makoto, because... I don't get why she'd build her puppet to contradict her ideals of eternity, I think the parallels are more thematic than they are literal here) Which leads me to believe that his emotions were not the reason Ei chose not to use him -- she never intended on using him to begin. No, what Scara saw as abandonment was actually her act of mercy on him. I think she spared him *because* she saw him cry and took pity on him. I do think that Ei saw the emotions as a flaw in her design which she corrected in her creation of the Raiden Shogun, but it was Scara who misunderstood her actions as abandonment owed to his emotional instability, when it was actually his tears that saved him from being destroyed. Another misinterpretation of the lore I see a lot of people make is that Scara was going to be a device used to store the Gnosis, and I think this was because of the way it's written. Again, in Ei's character stories, it says she was going to modify the Gnosis into an energy supply device, but after failing to do so, gave it to Yae Miko. I think Ei's plan was to use the Gnosis to supply energy to her puppet replica, until she decided to place her consciousness in Musou Isshin and then house it within the puppet as an alternative source.

legitimately i am blown away by all the little details that fit together JUST RIGHT, really can't keep it to myself after watching each time. thank you ashikai!!! you're the best!!

It’s amazing that I didn’t notice some very clear Eva themes during Shouki no Kami boss fight. I think I’ve watched so many anime heavily influenced by Evangelion that it’s almost expected to see its influence somewhere in pop culture. In a game so heavily influenced by anime, I feel this was bound to happen. And it warms my heart.

I don't know if it has any significant meaning, but I found the design choice of putting(what I assume is) black opal on wanderer's hat very interesting. I looked up the meaning of black opal and it represents the "gateway to paradise" and "all positive energy as it creates peace".

Every time I watch a lore video I'm baffled by how much time and effort they put into the lore but still took like half a year to give us markings for underground waypoints 😭 How tf did they make Scaramouche tie to 50 different cultural stuff but couldn't make a functional kit for Yoimiya, Hoyoverse's priorities never stop to amaze me.

I always kinda assumed that scaramouch was makotos reincarnation (or replacment made by ei in her grieve) but that was mostly a gut feeling based on vibes so seeing all the actual evidence is shown in the vid is nice

*”This was all a cruel Shogun’s thesis from the start-“*

Awesome video as usual! If I may add, I investigated Jizou Bosatsu aka Kṣitigarbha or Dìzàng Pú Sà (the bodhisattva of travelers) and the references of him on Scara a couple of months ago, and I found these interesting things: 1. Jizou uses the same staff with rings as the shugenja, being a traveling monk as well. That staff he uses to open the gates of hell (the fact he's related to hell mythology could be a reference to his incursions to the abyss?). He also has a halo (Scara's hat) and a tear-shaped jewel that can light the darkness and grant wishes (vision?). The jewel is held by his left hand, and Scara's vision is on his left side akin to his heart so maybe as a stretch? 2. Jizou is a patron of childhood, especially diseased or dead children who he protects in hell/purgatory. We can bring it back to being Nahida's protector, but also to the nameless sick child he adopted as family 3. Like you mentioned, he's the patron of travelers, and in Japan his little cute statues are everywhere. His Japanese self wears a haori as well, and a kasa hat (similar to the hangai, and kasa means umbrella so lol) 4. Jizou usually stands or sits on a lotus in a lot of his iconography, as a symbol of his release from rebirth. You've already covered the lotus a lot so yeah 5. Common offerings and decorations to his statues are toys, hats, and relevant clothing like bibs and little knitted hats. The toys usually come from parents with sick or dead children so the buddha can protect them. Scara has just learned how to make dolls (like the one his friend had) as Wanderer in his character stories and has a doll with him all times 6. The litte Japanese statues tend to be baby-faced and child-like in shape as a wink to his role of guardian of childhood. Scara has been made to look eternally youthful, like a doll 7. You already covered this title and the connection to 6 but Lord of the Six Ways/Worlds could also be referenced in Scara's hat and E skill and constellation having 6 points or edges (like his mom but shh) 8. He has a mantra called Mantra of Eliminated Fixed Karma. I mean... And unrelated to Jizou, I think the birds on his Wanderer outfit (and maybe in the Balladeer's chest ornament) could be swallows but more leaf-shaped. Since they're migratory birds, to me they can symbolize Scara's new freedom and life, and because they are considered to symbolize the arrival of spring and good fortune and positive changes and wanderlust

For the Japan-centric explainer on Shintoism vs. Buddhism, I always use the TLDR that Shintoism is religion for "living" and Buddhism is the religion for "dying", being that most people have some vague sense of identification and internalization of Shintoism and only a sense of respect and acknowledgement of Buddhism, but as they grow older or experience a greater sense of mortality, that shifts towards Buddhism. Wedding ceremonies, for instance, will largely draw on Shinto traditions, while funeral rites are Buddhism heavy affairs. This is also why most Ascetics are more aligned with Buddhist philosophies as they are pre-emptively withdrawing from the world. I think that also contributes to the significance of Scaramouche's Shugendo positioning as someone straddling the line between living in the mix of it, and at the same time withdrawing from the world.

it's insane how much real life references they can fit into one single character's design.

Faruzan has more screentime in this video than in the actual game.

This is fantastic. I didn't realise so much went into his design and the theory at the end has given me a lot to think about.

This video was perfection, I love it so much. Thank for this as always. Take care !! Ps: also you forgot to talk about the Dharmachakra, or wheel of Dharma aka the wheel of law he has like twice in his design. A symbol of enlightment. I find it quit an important detail.

I really really do wish you were more well known in the community and got even more recognition that you deserve, people would learn so so much from your videos and appropriate the lore so much more cause of you!

Man, now I wish I had kept the item to rename Scara for longer. I originally gave him a simple Japanese name with a relatively fitting meaning (according to Internet, at least) but as I was in a hurry, I always knew it would be more of a placeholder. I later used the item to re-name him "Nara" (because of aranaras yes). But now I have other ideas and I am so torn 😭

This randomly appeared on my screen but I wasn't expecting this much details! Amazing work !

I LOVE analyses like this!! I always learn so much, thank you for putting so much effort and research into this!

I have learned things today, I genuinely feel like if I was listening to anyone else I’d be lost you just say/explain things in a way I can follow and I appreciate that for a lore specialist like yourself

I really do like these in-depth character analysis videos, and I hope you can do more of these for some if the other characters like Itto or Ayaka for example. Hoyoverse is skilled in hiding all kinds of references in this game and you obviously have the skills to reveal them. If this suggestion is considered I look forward to any new videos released in the future.

10:34 ashikai really called Wanderer motherless, I can't Also great video as usual, sad no Bohemian Rhapsody ... I really want to know what is up with Wanderer and that song.

Your videos are so cool. It's so well written and presented. You make the lore of this game way more enjoyable

absolutely love these videos can't wait for more ♥️♥️♥️

Such an amazing video! I would love to see more deep dive character design videos like this. Scara is my fav, this only made me love him more!

hes just too perfect for me never gonna stop maining him

This analysis and video are so well done, thank you!! There are so many hystorical references I didn't know about, genshin really take care of their characters design✨

So much delicious lore! Thanks for making this. I love the incarnation of Makoto idea. It explains why he woke up.

This is probably one of your best videos yet. Excellent.🎉

incredible video! the scara/makoto thing is so interesting to think about

This is so comprehensive and well done. I enjoyed all the history lessons. I came to love this character so much so this video was a real treat. I like your tone of voice and how well this was organized. This is a really nice gem of a video. The references and analyses were very well put together and thought out. Thank you for sharing.

thank you so much for the vid!! this was extremely helpful and insightful, i never knew there was this much meaning behind his design/creation and it made me realize how what we see outright ingame is only surface-level, so thank you for taking the time to put this all together! this really makes me appreciate all the little details hoyoverse hides in every single facet of their characters, it really astounds me in the best way possible

Glad to see these detailed description of a characters journey and his reference to the real life. Thankyou for investing your time in this and if possible in future we want all the other characters details and their references as well from your voice we would love to watch this forever.

Wasn't super interested in pulling for him when he was out. Now kinda intrigued to see about it if he reruns. Thanks for such a lovely in depth breakdown :)

yay I was waiting for this video!! great job as always ❤️ also am I the only one who can't help but sense some Frankenstein 's monster vibes from Scaramouche??

I just wanna say thank you for this vid!! It makes me appreciate him even more💙💙💙

Please do some more character design analysis ! Love this stuff

seriously one of your best videos yet!!!!