I promise I will eventually go back and revisit all of Itto’s lore and the quests & events we’ve seen him in so far, but for now, just hear me out. There’s a weird, building connection between Itto and Paimon and I’m starting to think it’s because Itto represents Nibelung, while Paimon represents Phanes — and this whole thing is linked to the theory that Phanes & Nibelung are partners.
First, it’s really odd that they share a birthday. Maybe Phanes & Nibelung are actually siblings, just like the twins. (Paimon and Itto also have the same hair color, if that’s…anything.) This year, both of their birthday letters also opened with a variation of the phrase “time flies,” which I just think is funny. They’re trying to tell us something.
There’s gotta be some kind of significance to Itto calling Paimon a “lavender melon,” but I have no idea what it is, aside from being an “emergency food” thing. Which is a whole other theory for another day.
Mostly what’s got me thinking about this, aside from the fact that we’ve seen so much of Itto despite him not seeming like a super important character (sorry), is the recent Iridescence Tour event on Watatsumi Island. Itto and Paimon directly competing in a contest and then putting on a performance together, singing a song with suspiciously lore-heavy lyrics, definitely made me think something’s cooking there.
Lyrics:
Arataki Itto: Raven, took an arrow to the heart
Arataki Itto: And the bake-danuki, shapeshifted into dark
Paimon: I, Weasel Thief, hereby bequeath all my Mora
Paimon: Two hundred goes to my pa
Arataki Itto: Three hundred to dear mama
Arataki Itto: Poor little General Crab, only a shell remains
Paimon: Unagi goodbye
Paimon: Now rest in peace, please don’t cry
Arataki Itto: Cause we’ll get reborn as a beetle next time
Paimon: Onikabuto, raise your horns
Arataki Itto: Here’s to a world beyond the storm
Arataki Itto and Paimon: Of rosy skies
The title of the song, “I Got Reincarnated as an Onikabuto… And Flipped the World Upside Down,” is a reference to “Shogun Almighty: Reborn as Raiden With Unlimited Power.” That alone tells me that Onikabuto probably represents the Raiden Shogun.
As for the others, we can take a guess based on the Puppy Union Admission Details note, which also uses some of these animals as code words for people from certain nations. The Weasel Thief represents people from Liyue (or maybe Morax himself), while Unagi represents people from Fontaine (or maybe Egeria). General Crab and the bake-danuki are a little harder to pinpoint for me, because both seem to be used to refer to people from Inazuma, but the lyric “only a shell remains” makes me think this General Crab might be Orobashi. As for the Raven…anyone’s guess! Might have something to do with who Oz and Fischl represent, but I can’t go down that rabbit hole today.
Anyway, this song sounds like it might have something to do with…the Archon War? Not sure, honestly. But it’s definitely telling us an important story, and the fact that Itto and Paimon are the ones narrating it together is really interesting.