#b-but...if X is a singularity thingy...what does this mean for bird theory...

[supremefloof]

YOU....

e-soul, what's his deal? spoilers for ep.4 and 5 trailer - big analysis post. ~1300 words

so, the slight difference in colors DOES matter. I thought they were just like, time-related or maybe changed based on if powers were being used, but no. interestingly we have seen both these designs in 3d/canon - the gray one in the trailers and the blue/yellow one in episode 3.

i think it's safe to say that at least in some way, Blue and Gray are two different entities, but a ton of other Crazy Director Li Bullshit is totally possible alongside this.

he's got some kind of themes with duality. yk, just maybe. easiest answer is that "oh he's got an evil half" but that seems too straightforwards? i find it really interesting that in ep.3, his "nemesis" that firm man kills on accident looks like him! presumably on purpose for some aesthetic reason.

Section 1: the random guy from the trailer!

off the new episode preview, it seems like the pov we follow is gonna be some guy who also becomes e-soul, somewhat similar to nice. most likely, he becomes Blue E-soul.

in episode 3, Firm Man is called to help out E-soul who is listed with "mighty glory" despite him being with Treeman. so organizations do work together to some extent? put a pin in this!

he looks like such a loser... and notably he has all his limbs intact whereas gray e-soul has fake arm(s?).

we get a good bit of his backstory:

Gray E-soul probably saved him - while being incredibly sus and murdery.

so, no way to know if this guy even LIKES e-soul. he either idolizes him or he's traumatized.

i mean. he does follow his example, so maybe he got inspired, but im getting ahead of myself

He's got a friendship with some little kid who looks like Lin Ling! they could be brothers - maybe this is the answer to what happened to Lin Ling's family after he faked his death? this would also affect L0 in hindsight because he's not just a "normal guy". this could also just be some other kid.

Section 2: OG E-soul

straight-up, Gray E-Soul is probably old. hella old. maybe even pre-commission, whatever the "commission" is. he's described as a "hero of legend".

Gray E-soul seems morally gray as well, seen by how he's totally killing those guys in front of a child. which, TOTALLY made me instantly think: what if Gray E-soul isn't even an actual hero (unlikely) but instead just Blue E-soul's inspiration. OR vice-versa. maybe his methods are really brutal/controversial. maybe he's retiring.

something related to this might be the cause of this line:

E-soul also has associations with the cross! i'm not religious and I don't know what that symbolizes, but it did set off analysis alarm bells.

ALSO. this could be interpreted heavily as a cross, but i see it more as a four-point star thingy. which idk what that could mean on it's own, except i dont have to because

X is already associated with this! and also, associated with THIS GUY, who e-soul fights in the pv!

Section 3: Zero + Singularity Theory

I'll call him Zero because that's the only name we got. it's possible "gray e-soul" is actually Zero and blue e-soul is e-soul but... idk doubt it. this guy has a ton of religious imagery. loads. they seem to be like... black hole related?

Zero seems to have this false savior kind of vibe in their creepy human form. in general, they seem a lot more large-scale + cosmic than anyone we've seen so far (except X, maybe?)

the first concept I thought of was the technological singularity.

wikipedia blurb that explains everything actually:

"The technological singularity—or simply the singularity[1]—is a hypothetical point in time at which technological growth becomes uncontrollable and irreversible, resulting in unforeseeable consequences for human civilization.[2][3] According to the most popular version of the singularity hypothesis, I. J. Good's intelligence explosion model of 1965, an upgradable intelligent agent could eventually enter a positive feedback loop of successive self-improvement cycles; more intelligent generations would appear more and more rapidly, causing a rapid increase ("explosion") in intelligence which would culminate in a powerful superintelligence, far surpassing all human intelligence.[4]"

this could be relevant because E-soul is literally like. electric and cyborg, but also! A singularity is the thing we theorize to be at the center of a black hole.

the singularity is increasingly talked about especially regarding AI, and the point where AI becomes self-sufficient/aware. This could be really juicy commentary, and personal character angst for og e-soul if he ends up not being totally organic and super duper old.

something something singularity -> technology -> X

The singularity could be good, or bad. paired with E-soul's duality theme, and X's weird 1 frame cutaway with this guy in the opening, well.

X can break the fourth wall. for a character in a story, isn't awareness kind of like the Ultimate Knowledge? ultimate intelligence - like a singularity. whoever holds the title of X gets stronger and stronger every year, with the popularity of Heroes increasing and people constantly getting stronger. I think this is the cycle where X has reached a turning point.

X is also constantly seen on electric billboards and drinking his drinks lmfao. that theory where he's a mascot, omg i can't find it in all the posts but credit to that person @warabito!! it's been living in my head rent free. if X is a created hero that would certainly fit this!! literal singularity.

explosions - Zero, but also the sudden explosion in trust value for X.

Meanwhile, I think Zero is the reason for the commission. X and Zero might be associated because they are narrative foils? @awkwardambivert789 said that X could want to tear down the Hero system. in this way -wanting to destroy heroes- they could be similar! also Zero is eclipse associated and dark, while X is all white

this is total speculation atp, but I think that Gray E-soul could be the reason for the system as we know it in some shape or form. when people say "we're all counting on you, E-soul" in the PV, I think that's a singular, utterly extraordinary instance where E-soul gets insanely powerful for one moment to defeat somebody outside his weight class. He prevents the singularity (using a four-point star thing!!), but is also a shining example that people can point to for the Trust Value system. again total speculation though.

Section 4: Speculation on Blue vs. Gray

I think this is a case where Gray E-soul is alive, but retired. like, maybe this is an instance where people KNOW Blue is Not The Same as Gray. This would explain why a supposed "legend" is not X but instead #9 below a dog with a hat 💀

Okay, I think it's fair to say that Gray E-Soul is a little messed up + in need of therapy. that's why it's SO INSANELY INTERESTING that BLUE E-SOUL KILLS MOON. he saw OG e-soul killing people and said "bet"

DOESN'T TREEMAN HELP U OUT? IS LIN LING OKAY???? WHY DID YOU DO THAT TO HER. AREN'T YOU A GOOD GUY? LOOK, EPISODE 3 HE'S A GOOD BOY

Director Li does this thing where he really, REALLY likes to withhold information and mislead the viewer (very rarely to the detriment of the material, but often just makes it really nail-biting and hooks you to the next episode. Link Click is very similar!). this is where what we know presents LOTS of interesting directions, but no concrete, probable paths.

Maybe E-Soul did it in some part because they know Lin Ling. Maybe this is because the Treeman boss said he'd handle the Moon problem, and sent both a hero to publicly rescue Moon AND a hero to straight up make her Actually Dead since Mighty Glory has been shown to collaborate with Treeman.

The Treeman boss is like. totally part of Spotlight right...? maybe that's how they found Moon, like w/ the power of fear the same way they found Enlighter's reddit cave

maybe if we take E-Soul's PV at face value, then Blue and Gray are enemies! it could be that Gray sees Blue as their personal demon or something like that, seeing how Blue makes Gray's modern armor crack. fear of replacement, or Gray doesn't like the kind of person Blue is?

the theme of replacement could be applied to tbhx as a whole.

All this loss of life + killing and edgy history... somebody ship them with ghostblade i don't make the rules

thanks for coming to my ted talk!