[2.7] Predicting the Harbingers - A Genshin Impact Theory

Seeing as we're on the cusp of Sumeru and possibly meeting some new Harbigners, I thought now would be a great time to take a stab at predicting what number our unknown Harbingers are, AND their constellations! But the method by which the predictions take place... well, it's a little unorthodox.

**TIMESTAMPS**

**FURTHER READING**
Passion Etymolgy

Haeresys

Theatrum Mundi

Harbingers

Biblical Numerology

Commedia Dell'Arte

[Ashikai]

(you get a neat feature on your GX tab where you can see all my videos wink wink)

**NOTES AND CORRECTIONS**
- This video was made before 2.8 with Childe's new voice lines, HOWEVER - there are some nuances to the "ranked by strength" thing. In CN the word used doesn't refer to raw combat power, it's talking about overall strength for the harbingers. For example, Pantalone may actually be considerably weaker than Childe in combat, but the fact he runs the Northland Bank and brings in funding for the Fatui allows him to rank higher because the POWER he adds to the fatui OVERALL comes from money. Same with Pulcinella being a government official. Even without that nuance, ranking the last few by strength is incredibly difficult because we know next to nothing about their combat prowess.

- So many people have suggested that the plague doctor mask belongs to Dottore not Pulcinella. I disagree. The reason being is that Dottore is not a medical Doctor. His title is, "The Professor" which implies that he's someone who either has or is pursuing his doctorate degree. He's a PhD. Pulcinella generally has a mask in the commedia that has a long nose, so I'm sticking with my original predictions there.

- A lot of you asked where the hersey symbol came from. Best I can offer is that it came from the symbol of the "Sacred Heart" which, through Jansenism, became associated with heresy over time. At least as far as I can tell.

- It's also been brought to my attention two things about the hand with a flame. The first is that it's actually called a "Hand of Glory" which is a hand that's been cut off a criminal or a dead person and turned into a candle or candle holder. You can google details yourself but it's kinda gross. The second thing is that Arlecchino runs an orphanage called the "House of Hearth" and you light a hearth with a flame, so I think my "process of elimination" actually worked in my favor here.

- Note that some genders of unmet harbingers may not be accurate in this video. Some of the characters I've classified as men might be women for example. A lot of the harbingers are referred to in CN with gender neutral terms.

- I'm also aware that we don't have an exact date for Signora's recruitment, but it feels extremely far-fetched to assume she wandered the world for over 50 years in a constant state of deterioration. It's possible, but I'm very very skeptical.

[NateDHWT]

The role thing 100% makes sense when you realise that Tartaglia's role seems to basically be 'do whatever we need you to do in the moment'. Like he's currently chasing down Scaramouche likely because he's the one who'd be most free to do so. It's not that his role doesn't matter, it's that his seems to be the most flexible.

[moneminer]

Ashikai: Spends hours piecing together the identities of all the harbingers. Mihoyo: I'ma do what's called a pro gamer move.

[jamonyqueso]

This girl ACTUALLY predicted the Fatui Harbinger Reveal this is insane

[Ranakel]

Ashikai: "After trying to make sense of timelines in Genshin, I have literally determined that time has no meaning and that making sense of timelines is an exercise in absurdity"
Also Ashikai: "So about the timeline of fatui harbinger recruitment..."

[AP.DistribuZone]

From a world quest "The Very Special Fortune Slip", Arlecchino is said to run an orphanage, called the House of the Hearth. The process of elimination you jokingly said could be fitting.

[kyesix]

There's more evidence to prove Pantalone being associated with the word 'gift' as in one of Yelan's character stories it mentions that he intended to gift the tsarista a jacket but Yelan intruded the operation and essentially stole it from him.

But aside from that, I never even considered the harbingers being numbered according to their roles. This was such an amazing theory

[keqingsimp]

The hand constellation always reminded me of Midas's golden touch. You know, everything he touched turned to gold, gold=money, Pantalone is the harbinger known for money... But then again he (Midas) was granted the golden touch by a god, unlike Pantalone who never received anything. Idk probably just me nerding over mythology

[raidenbeelzubub]

is it just me or whenever she uploads i always tend to feel a burst of excitement before the videos even starts like ToT MORE LORE

[jaralara]

La Signora’s constellation being the moth is perfect- drawn to the flame, reborn in fire

[prenyan]

I initially thought that Arlecchino was going to be one of the lower Harbingers, but then after I watched the video, I remember I read something like this: “Scaramouche is often beaten by Arlecchino, due to his boasting and cowardice.” So now it makes more sense that he may be a higher number than Scaramouche…

[Cadmun]

Numbering by roles is also a schema used by soccer teams, funnily enough also 1-11. 1 is usually the goalkeeper, 4 a defender, 9 a striker etc.

[nicko]

The fact that this is almost PERFECTLY accurate to what we saw in the teaser with all the harbingers shocked me. Now that we know a little more on each of the harbingers this theory can be even more precise and give us a better idea of each harbinger

[aullennessef]

so we all just flipped out and came back to this vid

[Ethan-ydgn]

Hoyoverse dropping the harbingers just like that is not only literally crazy, but also kinda funny given you had made this so recently. Cant wait to for a vid about ur reaction

[Shadoweagle]

I might have missed an in - joke somewhere but after watching a few of your videos I am now convinced that Yanfei is your spirit animal which is completely valid

[dmbanisi]

Who else came back to watch this after Hoyoverse dropped the bombshell of revealing the designs for all the Harbingers

[vanessachowjiaying]

For some reasons, fighting the Fatui Harbringers in potentially each chapter feels like the equivalent of battling the Flamechasers in the Elysian Realm storyline in HI3. For every battle, Raiden Mei unlocks some of the Flamechasers truth and reasons, even though they are memory avatars in the realm. This goes the same for the traveller, though its better to pay attention to the details and progression.
So far the 11 Fatui Harbringers and 13 Flamechasers have several similarities/parallels;
- assigned codenames/alias
- Harbringers constellations are akin to Flamechasers signets
- underwent body alteration (delusions and experimentation, MANTIS surgery)
- both battles involves defying the fate of destruction set in stone
- their lores unlocked when certain quests/actions are done (Genshin through Archon/Character/Event/World Quests and reading the item lores closely, Honkai involves battles and reaching a certain level of each Flamechaser signet)
- both groups have their own hidden agenda, which sometimes involves taking out each other
- both involves somewhat distorted time-space to some extent (Honkai with bubble universes/anchors/quantum sea, Genshin with Abyss/chaotic spaces/domains)
- some members are playable (female Flamechasers due to Honkai system, Tartagila is only playable Harbringer for now in Genshin)
- some members are partly dead in a metamorphical sense (Elysian realm Flamechasers are sims/memory avatars with only a few still alive in flesh, Harbringers situation are highlighted in artifacts/leylines, which stores memories)

[weebyjason]

Finally someone actually made a sensible video about the numbering of the harbingers and not just like "I feel like this will go here because because of my gut feeling" XD. I've always thought that the no. were recruitment order and not anything special but this video opened my brain so much. I'm really hyped of how much the ramp up in Sumeru is gonna be (as I have predicted) and since I consider the Fatui some of the best antagonists in stories that I have seen just because how simple yet intriguing they are I am hyped to meet more fools and crazy people that actually feel scary and stupid XD.

[shaunpichu]

I actually had this thought that the world of genshin is just a big act. Especially considering that archon quests are separated through acts and that, in the manga, when Vennessa enters Celestia, it looks like one of those big stadiums.