A long running sort of ironic Xenoblade theory has finally been laid to rest thanks to today’s Nintendo Direct. The canon child of one of Xenoblade 2’s main heroes has been unveiled, and it’s not the crusty villain that much of the fanbase had been willing it to be.
A fresh trailer for Xenoblade Chronicles 3’s Nintendo Switch 2 Edition was shown off today, highlighting more of the Heroes’ Vault mode, which sees you take on waves of enemies while grabbing upgrades as you go, be it for your abilities or to bring new allies into the fray.
More excitingly, though, we’ve been given our first glimpse of the JRPG’s upcoming new Hero. Her name is Shimmer – she’s got blonde hair, a white outfit, and the Foresight ability… sound familiar?
We’re going to get into some spoilers now for a revelation that comes at the end of Xenoblade Chronicles 3 – as well as a rather obvious observation about its Future Redeemed DLC – so proceed with caution.
At the end of Xenoblade Chronicles 3, we see a photo of an aged-up Xenoblade 2 cast, including protagonist Rex standing behind Pyra, Mythra, and Nia – each holding a child, with the implication that he’s the father of all three. We meet Pyra and Rex’s daughter, Glimmer, in the Future Redeemed DLC, and it’s quite widely accepted that 3’s co-lead Mio is most likely Nia’s daughter, too. But what about the remaining blonde baby we see Mythra holding?
Well, with no concrete answers up to this point, fans have been… creative, with their theories. Perhaps the most common – though how seriously it’s believed varies from person to person – is that it’s one of Xenoblade 3’s villains, Dirk, otherwise known as Consul D. He’s, uh, not a nice guy. Even before becoming one of the Moebius (you know, the bad guys you’re fighting for the entire game), he was a twisted, sadistic soldier. So what’s the evidence of him being related to good guys Rex and Mythra?
He’s blonde, I guess? There is a bit more to it than that, actually – folks have also pointed out before that he and Rex share similar ear shapes and facial hair, and have names with comparable meanings. Dirk is also lacking a significantly expanded backstory unlike many of the other baddies in the JRPG, leaving some to wonder if it connected to this larger plot point. For many, it’s been more of a meme than anything – after all, he’s hardly a likeable character, so willing it to be true is more funny than anything else.
Anyway, today, all of that has been debunked, and fans are mixed on the outcome. “Dirk Mythra kid truthers it’s so over,” one writes on Twitter, as another responds: “We fought hard it was a good run.”
Others, however, are more welcoming of Shimmer’s existence: “Finally that fuckass theory of dirk as mythra kid is disproven,” one says. Another writes: “Thank God Shimmer finally exists because I was tired of the whole Dirk is Mythra kid BS Theory.”
I, for one, am also accepting of Shimmer as our official Mythra Kid. Honestly, my only real problem is with her name. You’re telling me that Rex really looked at two of his newborn children and said, “Yeah, that one can be called Glimmer and the other can be Shimmer”? …Actually, yeah, that tracks.