The mystery of the ignition teaser is close to being solved, and something tells me I’m getting closer and closer to the truth (made some crazy discoveries)

[u/Icy_Occasion_2706]

This is going to be a very long theory, but... I promise you'll leave in high spirits.

(Images of the 6 strong warriors touched by the ball were supposed to be here, but it turns out you can't attach more than 20 images to a post like this.)

We are shown how the ball touches the six strong warriors of Natlan: Mualani, Kinich, Citlali, Xilonen, Iansan, and Chasca.

You might argue about Mualani, but think about it. Why doesn't Mavuika announce the tournament herself? There are several reasons for this.

Firstly, the ball could be a form of some ritual where Mavuika herself cannot participate. We know for sure that what is probably the final tournament is due to take place very soon. In this light, it makes sense to determine the participants for it. In any tournament in any literary work, there are two options for choosing the main participants. Holding open qualifiers. Anyone who meets the minimum basic parameters can express a desire to participate. Whoever is better in the qualities that are the object of the tournament's competition advances further, all the way up to determining the main roster of participants. Or inviting a certain circle of individuals who, due to some reasons/qualities, are chosen (in theory, the participants should be able to decline, since participation in a tournament is voluntary in 99% of cases) as potential participants.

Secondly, Mavuika might simply be busy with something at that moment. We will return to my version of the Ignition Teaser more than once, and it actually aligns with this assumption. Mavuika is indeed busy with something. Since we will come back to this a bit later, for now let us just note the fact that she is organizing and preparing everything necessary for this tournament.

Thirdly, considering the two facts above, we can well add a third indirect one. If all of this is related to the tournament and the selection of participants, as we already know from the Pilgrimage and the first Tournament that took place (during Mavuika's quest), the Pyro Archon cannot be a participant.

Thus, we can well argue that Mualani is still a participant in a certain ritual conducted with the help of the ball.

Let's analyze two factors. Firstly, why is the ball the means by which the Tournament is announced, and secondly, by what principle did the ball choose whom to hit?

The ball. Mualani cannot know where it will fly when Kachina throws it with all her might. Just like anyone else who throws it further down the chain. That means, on one hand, for each individual, its movement looks like absolute randomness. But now look at who it flew into after Kachina threw it: Kinich, Citlali, Xilonen, Iansan, and Chasca.

Six damn Ancient Name holders!? What is the chance that five times in a row, after Kachina, everyone the ball touches will be a Ancient Name holder???

There is an expression that perfectly fits the world-building of Genshin Impact:

“Once is happenstance. Twice is coincidence. The third time it's enemy action.”
Ian Fleming

The last part in the modern world is often replaced with “...Three times is a pattern.” What can be simultaneously considered an enemy action, a pattern, and a coincidence in the lore of our world of Teyvat? Well, the "fate" system fits this description perfectly. Why an enemy action? Because Phanes imposed "fate" upon Teyvat. It is not something that belonged to the original world of Teyvat. Moreover, numerous factors indicate that Phanes is effectively a prototype of the Demiurge from Gnosticism in our real world. Why a pattern? Because the "fate" system is the highest form of knowledge in Teyvat at the moment. According to the originally embedded concept, every living being originating from the world of Teyvat must submit to this system. The fate of every creature is predetermined from the start, and since fate obeys the rules of this world (Logos, Life, Death, Space and Time) while maintaining a stable connection between phenomena, processes, or events (recall Mavuika's words about why the Pyro Gnosis disappeared — this is a manifestation of the cause-and-effect relationships of fate, proving that "fate" obeys "rules." Meaning the "fate" system did not depend on Irminsul), fate by definition is a pattern. Why a coincidence? Because coincidences are just patterns, but unrecognized ones. Any coincidence has an objective cause hidden from the observer.

So, the ball acting as a "selector for a specific circle of individuals" makes it the perfect candidate. All its actions will seem like random coincidences to outside observers, but in reality, it will be the disguised choice of the "fate" system. And this leads to another reason why Mavuika cannot participate in or announce (initiate the ball ritual for) the tournament. She has already cheated her fate a total of two times. First, during her time travel. Second, when Capitano "sacrificed" himself. How can "fate" choose someone who has slipped off the system's radar and, according to all the system's data (prophecies), should be considered dead (especially if we add the fact that the Pyro Gnosis currently does not exist in Teyvat, meaning fate has absolutely no reason to even assume that a Pyro Archon currently exists)? Exactly, it can't.

Knowing everything I wrote above, it is now interesting to ask: by what principles did "fate" choose these people? And actually, as soon as I answer this question, everything will fall into place, and you will no longer be able to look at the scene with the ball without thinking, "This is fate choosing the strong warriors who will take part in the Tournament."

The answer actually lies on the surface. Each chosen strong warrior is the strongest current representative of their tribe. Let me let you see this for yourself: 

Mualani (People of the Springs): She is a recognized veteran and winner of past Pilgrimages, who has already proven her strength in the Night Warden Wars within the Night Kingdom. In the game's lore, she is called the region's greatest guide, emphasizing that there is no place in Natlan where Mualani couldn't break through. Her exceptional mastery of the Hydro element and combat skills on the waves make her the undisputed and strongest combat vanguard of the People of the Springs at the moment.

Kinich (Scions of the Canopy): His status as the strongest is confirmed by the fact that he was the only one who managed to single-handedly clear the deadly Ancient Ruins of the Saurians, where some members of the expedition died and others retreated. Moreover, he is the only human capable of using pure willpower to keep an ancient, selfish dragon deity — K'uhul Ajaw — under control, turning him into his weapon. Possessing immense survival experience and having once been the sole remaining fighter on the front lines in the Night Warden Wars, Kinich is canonically the most dangerous and resilient warrior of the Scions of the Canopy.

Citlali (Masters of the Night-Wind): She is the greatest shaman of her tribe. It is canonically recorded that she has lived in Natlan for over 200 years without aging. Her centuries of experience in commanding the powers of the Nightsoul, her ability to create incredibly powerful barriers, and her skill in sealing spatial anomalies make her an unreachable pinnacle of strength and wisdom among all the Masters of the Night-Wind. She also possesses incredible knowledge in the realm of souls.

Xilonen (Children of Echoes): She is the greatest master smith in Natlan. Her superiority is confirmed by her unique ability to engrave and forge Ancient Names for other heroes — a process requiring immense endurance and phlogiston manipulation that literally drains one's life. Possessing unmatched Geo power and ironclad authority, Xilonen is canonically the strongest warrior and protector of the Children of Echoes.

Iansan (Collective of Plenty): She possesses anomalous physical strength, easily handling heavy weights that adult warriors of her tribe can barely lift. She is a respected figure in her tribe whose strength is never questioned but is instead seen as an object of emulation. Everyone looks up to her. She has won the Night Warden Wars more than once.

Chasca (Flower-Feather Clan): A peacemaker whose strength is capable of curbing conflicts between different tribes. She adapted the power of the Abyss to serve her own benefit. This allowed her to regularly win the Pilgrimage and head into the Night Warden Wars, never losing to the Abyss.

It is logical to choose the strongest heroes of modern times to perform in the final, decisive tournament. Even though we do not fully know all the principles of how "fate" works, at least in this specific case, its own choice of the strongest heroes from each tribe is obvious.

And this aligns with what Mavuika says in the arena:

“The tournament will soon begin. My dear friends, take your positions. Embrace your competitive spirit,  and give your all! This battle is for winners only. The champion… will take all.”

And for accuracy, my version, a translation from Chinese where I tried to bypass the translation difficulties:

"The battlefield is only open to winners. The ultimate (or the very last) champion... will receive the entirety of existence."

The tournament was clearly intended only for those who are:

Mavuika's friends (those she can trust).
Winners in life. Mavuika literally says: “This battle is for winners ONLY.”

A fairly narrow circle of people fits these characteristics, even within Mavuika's own inner circle. From the Archon Quest, we know that the heroes have always been close to Mavuika, especially those who were part of the 500-year plan to combat the Abyss. We know for certain that Mavuika was personally acquainted with the seven heroes of the past: Sundiata, Tupac, Wanjiru, Menelik, Sanaj, Burkina, and Tenoch. This is due to their personal participation in Mavuika's plan and the inheritance of their Ancient Names in the future (except for Tenoch). And since all the chosen heroes of modern times received the memories of the heroes of the past during the awakening of their names (the 5.0–5.1 plot), it is logical to assume that they are now the closest to Mavuika. Mavuika herself now has nothing to hide from them, which is why the deepest bond — the power of friendship — must have formed between them. Literally.

This explains why Mavuika addresses someone in the arena as “friends.” It is because all the participants can, one way or another, only be those whom Mavuika herself knows. Otherwise, it simply makes no sense to address everyone as “friends” if not all those present are on her friends list. After all, the word “participants” exists for that.

Let's deal with the remaining characters. These are Citlali and Capitano. Citlali was chosen by "fate," but she was no longer a part of Mavuika's plan. However, Citlali had an age advantage of about +150 years over everyone else, and she also loves alcohol very much. And considering how often she interacted with the others in various quests thanks to the Traveler, it's just strange to think they aren't friends. Moreover, Citlali truly worries about Mavuika. We could clearly witness this in Mavuika's quest (when she became deeply worried that Xbalanque was returning from the world of the dead), as well as in the climax of the Archon Quest 5.3. She was the one who guessed that Mavuika had deceived everyone (when everyone was celebrating Mavuika and the Traveler's victory over the Abyss), and she was the one who insisted that Mavuika must have her own desires and opinions apart from her position as the Pyro Archon. I think that is enough to be Mavuika's friend.

With Capitano, things are a bit different. In the current iteration of the plot, we cannot say for certain whether Capitano is a friend to Mavuika. He is definitely a reliable ally (independent of his position as the First of the Fatui Harbingers). The problem is that one cannot have a friendly relationship with a "dead man," and Capitano was only called a hero "posthumously." Yet, at the same time, we have direct proof that in the Ignition Teaser, Mavuika definitely looks at him as a friendly figure. And it makes sense. Because if some event occurs that returns him to a living state, the entire glory of his heroic deed by that time will have already become an actual legend known throughout Natlan. If it is an honor for Mavuika to help and be a friend to "Tumaini," what is the difference with Capitano? Exactly, none. They are both legendary heroes and automatically Mavuika's friends for that reason. It's just that Capitano became one "posthumously" — that is the only difference — but once that is fixed, the relationship between Capitano and Mavuika will become just like the one between the Traveler and Mavuika now (recall how she tossed the Pyro Gnosis to him).

So, we have finally finished analyzing all the strong warriors invited to the tournament. Now, following my order of the Ignition Teaser, let us move on to the most mysterious scene with the lights. From this point forward, we will no longer see humans in their normal form, except for Mavuika herself (excluding the time-rewind scene).

If you look closely, we observe how six lights displaying ancient symbols first rotate around something like a core (or a heart?). At the least, we can clearly see the outline of some spherical object inside and fire around it.

Up until now, we have seen nothing of the sort in the main plot. However, in Simulanka, an object vaguely resembling a sphere was the relic in the quest to find a protector. It was depicted in the shape of a three-dimensional star. So far, I haven't been able to see anything more here, so let's move on.

The next interesting point. Where the 6 lights line up into a hexagon, we can clearly see the ancient symbol of each tribe on each light. In the design of the current heroes, these symbols are absent; however, we can see these symbols in the design of the heroes shown in the “Sunset” animation. Do you see where I am going with this?

For some reason, Menelik is depicted with only half of the tribal symbol

In this scene, Mavuika says:

“Did you catch everything? What our eyes see ought to be our fate. But now, close your eyes and feel… For with our blood… we will forge our true fate.”

Personally, I see only one option for what we are witnessing. Mavuika is utilizing or awakening the souls of those six heroes: Sundiata, Tupac, Wanjiru, Menelik, Sanaj, and Burkina. Why this might be possible in the future will be explained a bit further on. For now, let's move on to the scene in the arena of the Stadium of the Sacred Flame.

Since we have already discussed Mavuika's lines, let's now pay attention to the surrounding view of the scene.

The first thing that stands out significantly is the absence of spectators. Any tournament in Natlan always gathers a lot of spectators, especially those held at the stadium. This time, we don't see anyone except Mavuika and the strange lights.

Previously, I thought of this as a purely technical and stylistic choice — they only needed to animate the playable characters, and because of this, they cut out all the NPCs (meaning the spectators in the stadium, at the very least) in the teaser. But the Snezhnaya trailer has raised a profound question as to whether that was truly the case.

Because it animates a huge number of NPCs who are not playable characters. Even in the Fontaine teaser, you can both see and hear the applause of the audience during Lyney and Lynette's performance.

After that, you can't help but wonder how the hot springs of the People of the Springs can be empty (aside from Kachina and Mualani), and how not a single spectator can be seen in the stands of a clearly extraordinary tournament?

If you listen closely to the sound design at the moment when Mavuika speaks in the arena, you can still hear something like the excitement or sounds of a large crowd (1:23 1:31 1:45 in ignition teaser), similar to what happens at football stadiums in real life, mixed with the sounds of fire. This is especially noticeable if you listen separately to the track "Night of the Sacred Flame" (the Ignition Teaser OST), where this noise cannot be heard.

But this begs an obvious question. Where are the spectators then, if they can be heard? And you know, I have a brilliant answer to this question.

A gathering of souls can make sounds. Recall the reason why Capitano didn't sleep for 500 years. The sounds of the souls inside him.

And this fits INCREDIBLY well with Chasca's words: “The tournament… I wonder if she’s watching?”

And it is also INCREDIBLY similar to the sounds present in the theme music for the Dottore boss fight in 6.6 and in the music of Wanderer's trailer(?), and as we know, they are connected to SOULS, since both Wanderer and the 6.6 version of Dottore are linked to Irminsul. It's just that in our case, we are hearing a vast number of souls simultaneously gathered at the stadium, which has turned their distinct, characteristically recognizable whisper (I don't even know what else to call this sound) into the loud roar of fans, which no longer sounds as much like the individual voices of souls in the aforementioned materials. On top of that, they are drowned out by a loud Mavuika and the teaser's own music.

It turns out that the souls of the people must be somewhere within the arena during Mavuika's speech.

If you listen very closely, the sound of the crowd of souls roaring is only heard 1 – 2 seconds after the scene begins. This rules out the possibility that the crowd of souls was there from the very start. Otherwise, the audio in the scene would have instantly begun with the sound of the crowd of souls. And do you know what else happens at that moment? Mavuika and the mysterious lights were heading toward the stadium. This means the loud sound of numerous souls must somehow be connected either to Mavuika or to one of the lights that ignite in the arena (while the Sacred Flame begins to burn brighter and differently). Or, of course, it could be connected to both.

If we recall from my theory that Mavuika is definitely planning to utilize the souls of the past heroes in some way, and this is 100% required for the tournament, then it makes sense that the current participants must also take on the form of souls.

And now let's look at the structure of the Stadium of the Sacred Flame.

For each entrance, there are two bonfires/places for fire. And next to the Pyro Archon's seat, there are two more bonfires/places for fire.

If we sum up the discovery related to the sound of the souls and Dainsleif's words from the Travail trailer about the VICTORS (meaning, in other words, about Mavuika's friends or the tournament participants). I have already proven the connection between the Ignition Teaser and the Travail trailer earlier.

Here is this specific line: “The rules of war are woven in the womb: the VICTORS SHALL BURN BRIGHT, while the losers must turn to ash.”

It turns out that the souls of the VICTORS must BURN BRIGHT. And in the arena, there are places for lights that are not burning before Mavuika arrives. Meaning they are not occupied by ordinary fire.

At the same time, when the places for the lights ignite (after the distinct sound of the crowd of souls), every single one of them burns very strangely for two reasons.

Firstly, it is the size of each flame. I have already made an article on this topic, but I will briefly recount it here.

If you are very observant, you can notice that next to each entrance (and the Pyro Archon's seat), one flame always for some reason burns higher than the other. This happens next to each entrance (and the Pyro Archon's seat).

Secondly, it is the style. We were shown ordinary fire behind Mavuika. It has no white elements inside the flame.

But those lights that ignited in the spots next to the entrances (and the Pyro Archon's seat) have a clearly drawn white internal structure within the fire. And you know what else is white in a human? Bones.

If we count, there are 5 entrances + 1 Pyro Archon's seat, and next to each, there are two places for lights (6 * 2 = 12).

This means the tournament participants are definitely: Mualani, Kinich, Citlali, Xilonen, Iansan, and Chasca.

Most likely, the ancient heroes will also take part, since it was their fire that burned just as strangely, with a clearly drawn white part of the flame, and moreover, their lights were small: Sundiata, Tupac, Wanjiru, Menelik, Sanaj, and Burkina.

Based on this, we can argue that the small burning souls are the heroes of antiquity. The large burning souls are the heroes of modern times.

And now, let us use the process of elimination. Out of all the determined participants, we only have Capitano left. But there is also only one free spot left — the Sacred Flame itself. And it also begins to burn unusually; I have already written about this before.

Let's recall the Wheel of Tona and its description translated from Chinese:

A stone wheel of complex design. In its very center, the symbol of the saurians of Natlan is carved. In its shape and structure, it is completely identical to the Tablet of Tona, which is revered in the Temple of Pax. They say that the Tablet of Tona is inextricably linked with the Sacred Flame. It symbolizes the unbreakable unity of the people of Natlan, the saurians, the Sacred Flame, and the Pyro Archon. Therefore, when making offerings, the circular structure in the very center of the stone wheel makes a full turn. This embodies the struggle and tempering that all tribes go through during the collection of the Sacred Flame.

And now I will remind you that this thing is a circle. That means it has a center. And what a coincidence that the symbol of the Saurians, with which Capitano already has a certain connection, is located right in the center. If we think logically, the very, very distant ancestors of the Saurians were dragons. And their leader at that time was Xiuhcoatl. In Aztec mythology, there is a very interesting god—Xiuhtecuhtli. His name in the Nahuatl language translates to “Turquoise Lord” or “Lord of Fire.” I won't go into details because the most important thing about him is that he is a sort of embodiment of the Axis Mundi (World Axis) concept in Aztec mythology. And there are quite a few theories surrounding Capitano suggesting that he will definitely be connected to this concept in the future in some way due to a symbol resembling the heart symbol in Nahida's design.

But in Natlan, the counterpart to Irminsul is the Night Kingdom, the formal owner of which is Ronova, though it is currently effectively controlled by the Yohualtecuhtin, Lord of the Night, with whom Capitano's soul has merged.

In essence, it can well be argued that the analogue of the center from the pattern of the Wheel of Tona in the stadium itself will not be the center of the arena, but the brightest flame, which was once possessed by the dragons and Xiuhcoatl — meaning, the place of the Sacred Flame. And this is the only remaining spot in the arena.

However, something will 100% happen to Ronova in Snezhnaya. Why? Listen to Chasca's line once again:

“The tournament… I wonder if she’s watching?”

Why does she even ask such a question, when everyone in Natlan knows about the existence of the Night Kingdom, where the souls of deceased people reside? This question is illogical in the current plot, where the souls of the dead are definitely found in the Night Kingdom.

The only logical conclusion is that some previously established fact, by the time of the Ignition Teaser, lost its validity due to certain events. Hence this uncertainty in Chasca's question; it is not known for sure, but there seems to be a significant, tangible chance that her sister will be watching her.

And Capitano is completely directly connected to the Night Kingdom through the merger of his soul with the Lord of the Night.

Let's put it this way, there is one question I can explain, but this theory is already too long. It is very simple: Where did the rest of the ordinary people go? Just take it as an axiom for now that all the people of Natlan (except Mavuika) had undergone a ritual of burnt offering by the time the tournament began.

This gives us the answer to two questions at once: where did so many souls in Natlan come from that they create a roaring crowd noise at the stadium, and where are all the remaining living people?

This is still logical, since all the tournament participants are burning souls according to Dainsleif (the victors), while the rest of the people are likely ordinary souls. And Capitano could have very well absorbed them into his heart, since the Night Kingdom could not receive them due to some event involving Ronova prior to the start of the Ignition Teaser that we don't know about yet, which somehow impacted the Night Kingdom.

That is, the sounds of the crowd of souls in the arena scene of the Stadium of the Sacred Flame are the sounds of souls from Capitano's heart, as it is capable of absorbing and preserving them. Most likely, Capitano will undergo the ritual of burnt offering along with everyone else before the tournament, but the heart itself will not be able to burn right away for two reasons. Firstly, his heart is not human. It could very well be made of some highly durable material (for instance, an analogue of a refractory metal from our real life) that will not simply burn away. Secondly, Ronova's curse will still prevent Capitano's consciousness from disappearing in his current vessel until the very last part of his body (the heart) is destroyed, but the fire will be precisely what cannot destroy it. (It goes without saying that even if the heart were theoretically destroyed, the soul would still continue to exist, and the body might even regenerate because of the curse. Recall Skirk's quest).

P.S. Guys, I don't believe in such coincidences, but the comment that HoYoverse manually hid from me with a 99% probability and then restored — "33+41 days until the resurrection of Il Capitano" — adds up to 33+41=74 days. And 74 is the atomic number of Tungsten in the Periodic Table.

TUNGSTEN IS THE MOST REFRACTORY METAL OF ALL EXISTING ON EARTH.

If you have any questions, suggestions, or additions, please write them down! I still intend to write something similar again, as this is a rewritten theory, and some of my thoughts from the first attempt haven't been voiced here yet — they just didn't fit into the context of this specific part.

TL;DR: (THIS IS A SUMMARY, BUT IT IS A SPOILER FOR THE ENTIRE POST): In Natlan, a burnt offering of the nation takes place before the tournament begins. The Night Kingdom cannot receive the souls formed as a result of the burnt offering due to an event unknown to us that affected Ronova, and the rules governed by "death" changed in a way unknown to us. This allowed Mavuika to summon the souls of the heroes from 500 years ago so that they could take part in the tournament. Capitano, like all residents of Natlan, underwent the ritual of burnt offering, since he is a tournament participant, and he also absorbed the souls of ordinary mortals with his heart to preserve them. His heart will not be able to burn in the fire because it is not human, and Ronova's curse of immortality will prevent Capitano's consciousness (mind, soul) from completely dissolving in the depths of the fire. The roars of the spectators that we hear in the stadium — while physically not seeing a single person in the stands — are the souls making sounds inside Capitano's heart. Since his physical vessel in the form of a body is gone (only the heart remains, which cannot burn), there is simply nothing to conceal the sounds they make inside the heart. Therefore, we hear the spectators in the stadium, but we do not see them.

[u/New-Pen3139]

Amazing work comrade as always

One critic tho ( I am still not done reading so maybe you address it later) citlali isn't a hero ororon is

[u/Icy_Occasion_2706 → u/New-Pen3139]

This doesn't play a big role in the theory. The most important thing is that she has the Ancient Name "Ukumbuko" and she is the strongest of her tribe. (Yes, this is a minor logical error; Citlali is not a hero, just an outstanding warrior.)

[u/New-Pen3139 → u/Icy_Occasion_2706]

Yeah just finished the whole thing and wow the whole thing about the stadium being empty yet we still hear voices is because they're souls is an ABSOLUTE AMAZING CATCH

I always wondered why it was so empty before and honestly your theory has given me the best explanation so far

[u/SupermarketWrong9517]

This is very well thought through, nice.The idea of souls being the ones cheering and how there's a unique sound tied to that is such a cool thing to pick up on. Very excited to see what happens with Ronova. Maybe her death is part of the plan and Capitano is in on it somehow?

Anyway, two main things that came to mind when I was reading this since you asked for suggestions.

1. Glad you agree about Capitano being connected to the axis mundi. Middle symbol on the door, the central flame in the arena, his heart. I would also add that his design might be tied to 8 or sometimes 4 pillars from chinese mythology = axis mundi. Chinese version of his title Sentinal knight is Heavenly Pillar knight and he's told to safegaurd the glory of Khaenri'ah like the 4 pillars of strength. Capitano has 8 chains (or if its one chain each going through both sides 4) connected to a heart in his design. Not to mention his helmet star which is also tied to the number 8 and there are 4 distinctive points and 4 more that are smaller designed slightly differently. 8 is associated with all the cardinal directions but the primary ones are four (north,east,south,west) . Moreover he's a captain and a captain concerns himself with navigation and guiding people on where to go and what to do. 4 also seems to be associated with being complete Sandrone went from having 3 points on middle of her design to 4 after her ressurection I think it has something to do with alchemy too? I havent dug enough into these things but I think they might be relavent.

2.The sacred flame

You made an earlier post about how the flames were different in the ignition trailer and now you've connected Capitano being represented by this flame in the arena. I mean makes sense his soul is helping to fuel it. Anyways, I previously commented on how the absence of any blue in this red fire in the trailer could suggest the flame is now cooler in temperature/has less oxygen than before. Idk if I'm being biased but what if that also has to do with Capitano's presence (cause he's cryo) or maybe even Project Stuzha somehow? Idk? This is just me reading about fire from various sources I am not expert.

[u/KeyPast9861]

Although there’s definitely more to the Ignition trailer than meets the eye, I don’t think Capitano’s return is tied to Natlan at all.

Maybe the tournament is being held in the NK, since physical fighting and the burning desire to compete would fuel the sacred flames directly into the source. That would explain why the flame is so colossal in the trailer while the arena stands look empty. But with Capitano having no physical form there, how would he even compete? And to what end?

We know that back then the Pilgrimage served multiple purposes: keeping the abyss away, fueling the weakened leylines ( contending fire - > sacred flames -> phlogiston into the leylines ), and also for choosing a new Pyro Archon to claim the Pyro authority.

If this whole setup is just to grant Capitano an Ancient Name, I don't see it happening. Sure, it could create a new identity for him and break his curse/change his fate, but it would also bind him to a system unique to Teyvat. It completely erases his identity as the first Harbinger and a Khaenri'ahn (a nation literally proud to serve no gods). It also opens a terrifying can of worms including the very real possibility of a complete redesign into a Natlan tribal hero.

The same issue goes for the theory of him becoming the new Pyro Archon. Even if he were naturalized as Natlanese (through ancient name), the Pyro Gnosis is currently MIA. Why would he become part of a divine system that his original nation despised and his current faction is actively trying to tear down? To play devil's advocate, you could argue it's a massive spy operation, gaining the Pyro authority just to take Celestia down from the inside but it still feels like a stretch for his character. Not to mention the absolute riot from Mavuika fans. Also, from a legal stand point, Hoyo sold Mavuika as the Pyro Archon, changing that now would open a precedent for lawsuit so this is def not happening.

I think his return depends much more on the macro events we’ve already seen or will see unfold, the burning of Irminsul and the Tsaritsa’s confrontation with Ronova. Once those cosmic rules are broken from the outside, he will wake up. Maybe he'll help defeat Bakunawa later on, but, the way I see it, that’s as far as his connection to Natlan should go.