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Chinese Mythology

So, let's start with summarizing generally what we do have in here so far. The entire Five Star thing is based on Chinese Mythology. I went over that in the past. The Five Stars are based in the Chinese elemental theory, with each of them representing a Chinese element: Fire, Water, Earth, Wood, Metal.

The Digimon of the Five Stars are all related to their respective elements. For pretty much all of them the relation is very simple (the water element has a water Digimon, the fire person a fire Digimon, duh), but for the two Gold Stars it is more related to mythology: Murasamemon in his design is a reference to Baihu/Byakko, the White Tiger of the Western Road, who in the mythology is associated with Metal. Meanwhile Genjo's Gokuwmon is associated with the element again over being associated with the West (Journey to the West).

This is also, where we need to quickly remember one aspect, that might seem obvious, but is easily forgotten: China is the West from a Japanese perspective. In the entire relevant mythology "West" never means Europe or America. In a bunch of Japanese mythology "West" refers to China, and in "Journey to the West" the West in the title is India.

And of course it should be noted that it is heavily implied that World Union likely originates from China (the boss has one of those names that in the end boil down to "I am Mr. From-China"). And of course while Shangri-La/Shambala are technically originating from India and the mountain regions, it is one of those mythologies that became widely adapted because of Buddhism.

The Story of the White Snake

So, the new Episode references the White Snake. The White Core, that seems to be the MacGuffin for the Kyo-Backstory Arc, is likely a reference to the White Snake myth from China.

Now, it should be noted that like many mythologies, Chinese mythologies has its own set of tropes that show up. You know, like in Greek Mythology about half of all drama starts with "Zeus cannot keep it in his pants". One of the common tropes in Chinese mythology is: "Immortal with a mortal lover."

So, the White Snake story features two giant immortal snake ladies, named Bai Suzhen (the white snake) and Xiaoqing (the blue/green snake). The two of them turn into women, and then the white snake falls in love with a mortal medicine man, Xu Xian.

Now, what happens from that point on is very depedend on the version of the story, because we have variations of this story that have been written over the course of several hundred years, and as you might imagine: the story shifted over this time. The most common version of the story today frames it as a tragic love story, where the love is mutual, but then Xu Xian finds out who Bai Suzhen is, and he is revolted. Then he dies, and Bai Suzhen and Xiaoqing basically go to find a cure for death in Kunlun (the mountain range in China, that in the mythology is also basically heaven), revive him and make him immortal.

It should be noted, though, that there are version of the legend too, in which Bai Suzhen and Xiaoqing are more antagonistic and it is more framed as a "evil demon seduces innocent good man".

The important thing here is: white and green/blue snake do stuff together and are a duo.

The Flood Myth (and Five Stones)

So, if you know one thing about comparative mythology, it is likely that there is a whole lot of flood mythology - and myths that involve some sort of sky or storm god killing a big often snake-like monster. And if anyone told you about comparative mythology, there is a high likelihood they compared the bible flood with the Chinese myth of the great flood.

In Chinese mythology it so happens that one of the big world creation myths involves a flood. And snakes. The core of it boils down to: there is a water god (often depicted as a Black snake or dragon) that floods the world, and then there is another god (often also depicted as a dragon or snake) that saves it by stopping the flood with five pillars made from stones that also are related to the elements. Again: Chinese mythology has been told and retold about a gajillion times, so details often vary. But yeah, the flooding god is Gonggong (共工), and the saving god is Nüwa (女媧). And those five elemental pillars that were used to safe the world do show up a bunch in other myths.

But important to note here: Black snake and a flood.

And the Japanese World Creation Myth

Finally, before we actually get to the main theory part, I also need to note down the Japanese Creation myth. This one you likely have encountered at some point if you like anime: Izanami and Izanagi get sent down to the world which is fully covered in water (or, as one could say: flooded). They birth the islands and then the gods (which is in mythology referred to as 神生み Kamiumi), until Izanami dies in the birth of the fire god. Izanagi tries to get her back, it does not go well. Izanagi creates the big three gods of Japanese mythology: Amaterasu (the sun goddess), Tsyukiyomo (the moon god), and Susanoo (the storm god), with Susanoo taking on many of the typical storm god traits we see in other myths.

Especially Amaterasu and Susanoo are featured in a ton of Japanese mythology, with Tsukiyomo ironically generally showing up way less even though he is part of that trio.

But the most important parts for this moment: Susanoo at one point kills the eight-headed serpent Yamato no Orochi with the sword Ama no Habakiri. After slaying the serpent he gets Kusanagi no Tsurugi from the corpse of the serpent, which later goes to Amaterasu because, well... there is the other mythology that is important.

Susanoo and Amaterasu do get into a lot of arguments, and at one point Amaterasu goes to hide in a cave, which is bad, because she is the sun, and not having a sun is kinda bad. So the other gods try to lure her out. One of the things they use is a mirror (Yata no Kagami) so she can see her own beauty.

It should also be noted that there is a third artifact in Japanese mythology (Yasakani no Magatama), though... uhm, with that one I am not fully sure.

So, the Beatbreak Mythology stuff

So, let's start with the most obvious connection: Kano Island is quite literally written with the same Kanji as Kamiumi. 神生. Kano Island happened, there was a big light, and then there was a flood. It is kinda the reverse of the actual mythology.

Beatbreak using the entire Flood Myth thing is now kinda the most on your nose thing that they are arguably doing in that show. "So this thing happened and then there was a flood." How very Indo-European-Mythology of y'all.

Obviously, we have two different mythologies here now. Chinese and Japanese. Due to the entire history part, both mythologies borrow from one anohter, but are still distinct. And one thing I am not fully sure on is whether or not they are just actively mixing, or what is actually happening might be Wong assuming that he is doing Chinese mythology, while actually it is the Japanese one. Who knows?

Either way: the Five Stars represent the Five Pillars from the mythology, stopping the world from collapsing into the flood - or at least that is the thought behind it. Arguably it does not work.

Though the more pressing question should be: why was Kano Island? Because, here is the thing: I am almost 100% certain I know what World Union, Wong specifically, wanted to get is immortality. Be it some sort of AI powered immortality (turning people's souls digital or something), or some more mythical immortality (accessing Shambala as the world of the gods). Somehow this resulted in the Digimon. Be it that they were actually created through those experiments, or that those experiments just made the veil between the worlds thin. I don't know.

Either way, I think it is possible that there is some "the gods were displeased" going on causing the flood. Maybe not in the sense of physical gods, but indeed with the world itself possibly rejecting this pursuit? I dunno.

And I think they need two specific frequencies of Code to try and open that gate again. The white code and the blue/green code. Aka, the White Core and Asuka's ePulse.

Amaterasu, Susanoo, and Tsukiyomo

But there is also the Japanese mythology layer to this. From the Card Game we know there is two Ultimate Digimon related to Glowing Dawn: Habakirimon and Atratusmon. And looking at their designs, we can be almost certain that Habakirimon is Cougarmon's Ultimate form, while Atratusmon looks a hella lot like a Dark Evolution of Gekkomon.

Ama no Habakiri obviously is the sword with which Susanoo slays Yamato no Orochi. And given Kuroshio Souji is literally written as "Black Current" and has all the snake symbolism, there is absolutely not a single doubt in my mind that confronting him will at the end of the Kyo Flashback arc lead to the Habakirimon evolution for Cougarmon (with Souji being both the flood element and the serpent to be slain). It will likely be a Kyo and Cougarmon fuse together evolution, given all we have seen so far. But, more importantly: it codes Kyo as a Susanoo standin.

Which is the moment where I say: I am sorry. I was wrong. Yes, Tomoro and Gekkomon are the Tsukiyomo-coded characters. And Atratusmon is likely the "dark side of the moon" evolution that gets triggered towards the finale, before the true evolution can happen.

Which leaves us with the obvious question: Where is Amaterasu? Because Amaterasu is kinda sorta really important. And hey, there is a gajillion references all over this show towards the regalia most associated with her: the mirror. We are literally talking about a MIRROR WORLD.

And, well... what character is currently locked away with a good bit of plot related to getting this character back? Asuka. Asuka, as I said about ten times before, also has a name that is usually associated with the sun, the morning, the sunrise and the like. Would you look at that. He also has warm tones as the main colors for his design. Huh! Also, the light of the moon is the light of the sun reflected.

So, yeah. It is Asuka, I am very bloody sure it is Asuka.

Predictions for the Last Quarter of the Show

So, my prediction for what is going to happen in those last 12 or so episodes.

We will get some information what went wrong on Kano Island and what they tried to accomplish. Souji becomes more of a problem, and confronting him leads to Habakirimon to happen. I will stop predicting Kyo being cold-hearted, though technically speaking I could see him being out of it for like two episodes or something after Habakirimon, given that so far we have seen that the "merging for Ultimate level" might at the very least be unstable in some way.

Either way: Wong, Genjo, and Kichiwada (who is the one person I struggle to place mythologically) make their move, which likely will involve Asuka's ePulse. And my big prediction is that pulse being used will likely lead to a fake-out where it seems that indeed Asuka is irreversably lost, which leads to the Atratusmon evolution. But then they find out what the true nature of the Digimon is, and Tomoro has some epiphany leading to the true evolution for Gekkomon.

The one thing I am not fully sure: will anyone but Kyo and Tomoro get their Ultimate level? Because... admittedly, pacing-wise it looks like there is still a lot to happen in those 12 or so episodes left.

Also I do wonder... I am fairly certain that both Tactics Team 7 and Miharu will have actually played a role in the larger context - but I am right now not sure what that role was. Like, what did they do that needed to happen to do... whatever.