#the bookman theory

[seijitheclown]

Who is the Bookman waiting at the Campbell Residence?

I'm back with another theory that bugged me for the last two days I need to put it down. This theory here will contain spoilers regarding Chapter 249/251!

So my theory starts with the following information from the panel above (both from Chapter 222). Lucia says "Bookman has woken up" and:

This scene takes part as Allen was found by Kanda/Johnny, as Allen is on the run for 3 months.

The implication here that it's "just" Bookman. Well, ... which Bookman? As Hoshino confirmed in her last Broadcast Bookman and Lavi are hold hostage for about 4-5 months which will be learn later on, that means around this time of the Story Bookman is still hold hostage by the Noah, same for Lavi.

And for now we know that Lavi will return but not "the same as before". So he is not dead (now), the referenced Junior is Past!Bookman Junior (PBJ for short). There is only one Junior per Generation, so if one is gone another has to be born or the Clan is in danger.

So... who is it?

It's talked about that "Junior" isn't there anymore to carry on the collected memories but also told this will solve once Allen arrives, the scene takes part right after Cross(!) tells Allen to go to the Residence. Mother holds the other key with the Information regarding Zeugle after Allen tells her Cross appeared and told him about Katherina (and we have a huge hint that Cross is still alive by Mother).

So we have an injured Bookman in the twin's old home who was not conscious for quite some time. Bookman Sr. is not injured around that time as Desires just pressures him, Lavi is, but I doubt Lucia would address Lavi as "Bookman-sama" as he is only the apprentice so far, also Lavi is conscious despite being in pain.

You know who is also injured by that time and we all pretty much expect that he is not dead....? Cross. Who was/is suspected to be a Bookman/Bookman Jr even by a lot of people...? Cross. Who has a striking resemblence to Lavi? Also Cross (yes I know some suspect they are related).

Then we have another indicator: Urcampy. It could be that Cross either left Urcampy there (I love the theory both of the Twins have a Golem, but eh) and then we have the information that Cross uses a spell to appear way younger than he is. Another drop of information we got from the recent Broadcast (28.4.24) from Hoshino is that the girl in the panel above is indeed the Lucia we meet in Ch. 251 again and that it has something to do with the Residence. Could it be the same magic Cross uses? But in the opposite direction? To make her appear younger or older depending on how it's needed?

Cross walks upon the lines all the time, he can do as he pleases, he is above the law. He interacts with the Noah casually, Road treats him like an old friend (Vol 27) despite him having not only one but two Innocence (which is, another really interesting information), he has obtained knowledge nobody else has. He can modify Akuma, he uses a Corpse and her Innocence. Why is he not killed despite the fact he knows the true identity of the Earl? He is above the Black Order and Central makes a deal with him, yes he's a good Exorcist, strong and all that. But he doesn't get the "you are a traitor" treatment Allen got, ... what has he going on there?

We don't really know why he cares for Mana, how they met and whatever deal/relationship we have going on (no I don't really go for the Cross = Cyrus theory here). We know by now Cross most likely knew PBJ, but not Past!Allen. As he has no indication on what he looks like aside the age, not even a hair color, personality or anything else aside the information that an Allen is the host and that Mana got told that "Allen" is the key.

This fuels my theory that Master and Apprentice parted, one followed Mana and the other Nea to record their part of history as the both weren't able to engage anymore without trying to kill each other/the Noah side needed to regain anyways after Nea killed them all but the Earl/Road.

So I am back with this panel. This is a Bookman. But which? I had an tad of an idea that this could be 'our' Bookman in younger years but by now I think I was wrong.

Could this be Cross as his role as Bookman? One side of the face is hidden, just like Cross'. Also while we are at hidden face, I am by now sure that Cross mask is a reference to either the same mark PBJ has, or he has the same mark because he is the Master to even that PBJ. In one of the recent Volumes Allen is asked if Cross has a limited vision because of the mask and Allen denies (it's in Komui's Lounge in either Vol 27 or 28... i can't recall it rn I read too many things the last days) and says Cross has a very good vision and can see well despite the mask.

Another point is that Cross is not named Marian Cross, it's a fake identity. We basically know nothing about him. Other than he has forbidden knowledge, even about the hidden side of the war, something only a Bookman should have.

Does Bookman sr. knows? Well, I am not sure about that. In Ch. 251 it's mentioned that not all of Zeugle know each other, they could be fighting each other in the same war until they reveal they are from the Clan, so.. it's pretty much possible that the Order has basically 3 Bookmen among them.

Desires might address Bookman sr. that he was friends with the former generation of Noah but ... he can't access his Noah memories, therefore Bookman could play pretend and maybe truly doesn't know shit about Nea or he covered his fellow Bookman aka Cross.

.. so yeah. I needed to get this out of my head. I have literally no idea if any of this makes sense or if anybody would agree with me, but I am certain we have a different Bookman here and that the Bookman Clan/Zeugle play a way bigger role than we thought.

[sheshowardlinksgirl]

[celestisnothere]

DGM FANDOM HOW ARE WE FEELING ABOUT 251?????

BECAUSE I AM NOT DOING OKAY

On the one hand I am "happy" Lavi got an appearance after 13 fucking years, even if just being mentioned and not his character.

Also 90% of the theories I had about Bookman and the clan (and Lavi's eyepatch) being right????

ON THE OTHER HAND THOUGH??? THE MASSIVE LORE DROP?? BOOKMAN LORE AT THAT?????? I AM STARING AT IT. INJECTING IT INTO MY BLOODSTREAM AND BURNING IT INTO MY BRAIN.

ALSO ALLEN? PLEASE?? THINK ABIUTVWHAT YOU'RE DOING??? LIKE WHAT THE FUCK????

[cinammonelles]

I want to talk about this page in particular because the implications here are so riveting.

Lavi is currently 19. Allen is believed to be 16.

Which means that either

The Bookmen are lying

Bookman Jr. did die then and Allen either didn't age the first few years or his age got fucked up multiple times before he met Mana

The first seems highly improbable at this point tbh. If the Bookmen were planning to make Allen take the poison to make him remember his past then lying about when Past!Junior (presumably) died seems counterintuitive and would only make Allen mistrust them more once he was in full possession of his memories.

It doesn't seem like Allen de-aged to an infant. He says his earliest memories are from when he was in the circus. Even if he did age back to an infant, he would've needed caretakers and nothing in the story suggests he had any.

(Note how little Allen doesn't have his Innocence in the last panel. What the fuck does this mean Hoshino.)

Allen looks perhaps 4-5 in both of these panels. If Past!Junior died over 19 years ago and Allen aged linearly since then, then he would have to be 23+ by now. Even considering the possibility that he aged back to an infant, he he should be 19+ by now and he looks barely over 17.

We can assume that he must've aged in a somewhat even fashion once he joined the circus because otherwise the performers would've commented on it at some point of time.

What happened in the years between Junior dying and little Allen getting into the circus? Was he in a child's body till he acquired his Innocence? How did he even acquire his Innocence in the first place?

There's also a final possibility that came to me while I was writing this post— Lavi was born while Past!Junior was still alive. He was born with the 'mark' because Past!Junior was no longer fit to be a Junior. I genuinely have no idea how Hoshino will explain this. Will it be some sort of corruption? Memory loss? Chronic illness?

All of them seem equally unlikely options at this point. But so did the possibility of Allen and Bookman Jr. being different people before this chapter :)

Either ways, this was a very intriguing chapter and I'm looking forward to whatever Hoshino has in store for us.

[hiddenremnant]

(core) just noticed this and i'm 👀👀👀👀👀

more under the cut

so yeah i mean this pretty much confirms that lavi's right eye is the bookman clan mark, something he was born with that specifically marks him as the next junior.

since the previous lavi has a scar over this eye that wasn't there in neah's flashbacks, we can assume past!lavi either deliberately or accidentally lost his bookman ascension with his eye being removed.

since lavi's tattoo appears when he's in a true bookman state and/or under threat, i wonder if the powers he has in that scene with allen are some kind of magical defense mechanism? other than literally marking him from birth as a bookman, what else does the mark do?

we always loved lavi's right eye being the heart and the mysterious tattoo / powers being from that, but yeah as far as canon goes the bird symbolism and the lore about the mark in 251 pretty much confirms what it is. i just hope we get an actual look at his eyeball someday lol.

[chaoticace2005]

Anyone else notice how the rings in this frame (251) make a pattern similar to what we see in their eyes during what were likely moments where they were especially usually Bookman memory?

(Bookman in 75 when Lenalee’s Innocence protects her.)

(Lavi in 101 when he’s trying to find the key.)

This along with the fact that Lavi covers his eye for non-injury related reasons that apparently connects to his reason for being chosen as the apprentice (and the fact that his thoughts from 101 seem to imply he still has both eyes (taking the translation with a grain of salt.))

As well as the fact the time we do see the previous Junior he appears to have a scar and the fact that Bookman are born with a “mark.” (Both 251.)

The mark of the Bookman could very much be eye related, and I wonder if the next chapter is going to support this at all.

[madmachaca]

Guys, I know I am most likely completely off, THIS IS ONLY A CRACK THEORY, BUT!

...what are the odds...

That the Bookman Jr who just vanished 35 years ago...

is Tykki?

I guess, we´ll know eventually...

(No, but serously, it´s more likely previous JR was Timcampy. Rest in peace, again, I guess)

[captainofthetidesbreath]

As someone who contributes a lot to wikis, and even admins one, I'm so glad I don't do the DGM wiki bc I think the Allen, past!Allen (apparently the same as the other Allen but tbh functionally / narratively different), Nea (hosted by both Allens and is slowly taking over Allen), Mana, the Earl (who is Mana, but also split to create Mana and Nea), Lavi, and other Lavi situation is a nightmare to try to document and explain especially since all these characters are tightly woven together in the most complex relationship web ever

[vitamiiiiins]

...I've reread over 222 and I have to ask, is it being taken for granted that the 'Bookman' mentioned as being in the Campbell manor is in fact specifically Bookman Sr?

What i mean by this, is that we don't actually see Bookman. Do we have any confirmation that it's who we're assuming it is (Bookman Sr), other than them referring to him as 'Bookman'? All I can see in the chapters is what Lucia says regarding there no longer being a Bookman Jr. Translations read it a few ways, but the Japanese line is:

後継者となるJr.はもういません.

Direct translation: There is no longer (a/the? unclear) Jr. to become the successor.

The context being the question of what happens to the Bookman lineage if he dies now, given his poor health.

My Japanese is far from fluent, but I see no indicator that specifies anything other than referring to the person in question as "Bookman", and commenting that if he dies (which given the state both Jr & Sr were last seen in would be a valid concern), there is now no Jr to succeed him.

I ask because this would also be the case had Bookman Sr. been lost, and Lavi had now succeeded him as the Bookman. It could also explain Hoshino's comment about how when Lavi returns, it may be "in a form we didn't wish for". Because in that case, he wouldn't be Lavi anymore. He'd just be the Bookman now. The Lavi persona would be discarded.

Is there something I'm missing/forgetting from the info we have, or can someone who is fluent in Japanese correct me on the dialogue/chapter in question if I'm wrong? Cause I'm really curious if it is actually an established fact that the Bookman in question is definitely Bookman Sr, or if that's an assumption we're making because of how the characters have been referred to up to this point and we're overlooking another possibility here

[lapetiteshippeuse]

Theory time : Okay but Cross is a Bookman, right ?

Now share this post to debate and give your opinion :)

Any interpretation is welcomed ^^

[halcyonfiction]

UMMM if the theory that apocryphos merged old Allen and old bookman junior is true, that would make present Allen a bookman, exorcist, AND a Noah. Both sides of the holy war AND the supposedly neutral party all trapped in one person. TRULY the most morally ambiguous character…….dare I say the gray man………hoshino you madwoman

[sallen050]

so, since we had that big reveal of the previous bookman holding the "Lavi" name, i decided to reread the discussion rooms of the later volumes and found this segment in vol 26 under the question "Do Lavi and Bookman still remember their former names?"

This doesn't lend much to theories, but its an interesting bit of foreshadowing to the significance of the name! I can't really think of anything else to say about it, lol.

EDIT: i also found this part, which is more foreshadowing. obviously, our current Lavi is very in the dark about all this, while Bookman, Wisely (and Road too most likely) know. This kinda lends more to Cross being the (or at least a) former Bookman Jr. as well. Idk just extra material to base things on.

[anneapocalypse]

There are plenty of good theories about where Urianger got his new fit in the First but personally I cannot rule out the possibility that he simply moved into the Bookman's Shelves, opened up the wardrobe and put on what he found there, and said, "This is who I am now."

[shiroganeryo]

DGM 252: New perspectives and confirmations it has given us

⚠️First of all, I'll be tagging this under DGM spoilers so if you have somehow stumbled upon this even if you're avoiding spoilers for Chapter 252 (or the most recent DGM talks as a whole), this is your warning to turn back now!

And secondly, I'm under the effect of allergy meds so please pardon me if I'm talking gibberish 😂 But the latest chapter has given us some food for thought and I've been mulling it over.

There are two points I want to cover in this post; the first one being much extensive while the other is rather short.

1. Bookman Jr.

The reveal that the guy we had thought to be Past!A all along was actually the former Bookman Jr. in one of the best twists Hoshino has given us in a while - she sounded very proud of how we were all misled by her narrative and honestly I tip my hat at her for such genius - has also fueled questions about his identity.

I'll start by saying I do not believe he and Cross are the same person. That's not what I'll be talking about so I'm playing this card right off the bat. This theory, although popular, has always had way too many gaps for my liking and after the latest chapter, the chances are practically null that it's true.

If you want a discussion as to why, this post has put it into words better than I could and I agree 100% with OP's point, hence why I don't see the need to say anything on the matter.

But there's one thing that I'm yet to see people discussing and it's about the talk Lucia had with Joe back in The 222nd Night: Searching for A.W. - Hypokrisis.

(I'm showing what I believe to be the official translated English version by Viz and there's a reason why)

For a long time, people have debated about this small exchange between Lucia and Joe. There's no doubt the one they're talking about is old man Bookman, so we can confidently affirm he's the one waiting at the Campbell Mansion.

And what about Lavi? This is where the next dialogue from Lucia comes into play:

Since this is probably the version a lot of people have read, I must make it clear that the like "Junior, his successor, isn't here" was a mistranslation. Here's the original:

Lucia: Koukeisha to naru Jr. wa mou imasen. (The one who'd become his successor, Jr, is no more.)

I've double-checked with the Brazilian Portuguese translation because it tends to be as close to the original as possible, and surely enough, it's translated correctly:

(image courtesy of the volume I own by my so-so phone camera 😋)

"Junior, who was his heir, is no more."

The literal translation for what Lucia is saying is "isn't among us anymore", but that's an expression in Portuguese that means that someone has died/doesn't walk on Earth anymore.

While the mistranslated English version and the original Japanese/Brazilian version have similar meanings, the way it's worded gives the sentence a completely different meaning: in one we're led to believe Jr. isn't physically there at the Mansion, while the other two make it clear that Jr. has died.

And that's exactly why that, after Chapter 252 dropped, this scene is given a new perspective - because Lucia was referring to the former Bookman Jr, and not the current one.

We don't know the whereabouts of current Lavi - cue in the chair jokes, I unfortunately love them all - and while I might be wrong, I have my reasons to believe he's alive.

It just doesn't feel like Hoshino to kill an important character off-screen, plus she has said we'll see him again eventually and that the mystery of what's behind his eyepatch is still to be revealed (and will only happen once Bookman passes away, something that will possibly happen before the story reaches its end).

I have the feeling Lavi still has much to contribute to the story and he's actually one of the characters that, to me, seem to have the highest odds of making it alive until the end. It also isn't mere coincidence that Bookman picked the same alias for both Juniors, since Lavi has mentioned in a discussion room that the aliases refer to their record logs and the Holy War is being recorded under 'Lavi'. There's unfinished business to be taken care of.

Using the mistranslated version to illustrate was important because I've seen people wondering where Lavi is if not in the Mansion, while others were afraid he has died. He's very likely in a predicament, but dead? I don't think so.

So that only leaves us with one viable subject for that dialogue, that being the former Bookman Jr. (now affectionately dubbed Lavi Sr. by the fandom).

"But how come they didn't know Bookman already had a new apprentice back in Chapter 222 if the Zoogles mentioned it in Chapter 251?"

Yes, it's a little odd. What I can infer from this is that they either 1. Didn't know Bookman already had a new Jr. because he had been unconscious and only after they stabilized his situation they could talk, or 2. Did know about the current Lavi but believe him not to be ready to take on the mantle yet while Lavi Sr. was (but unfortunately deserted the clan).

Since only the Bookman and his appointed apprentice, who was born with the seal, can exchange information and records via their blood, it might be not that off the chart that the Zoogles weren't up-to-date on his affairs since they're not Bookmen themselves but rather a bloodline of people scattered across the globe who are supporters of Bookman's mission like Lucia has explained. Yet, even if they aren't all-knowing, it seems odd for them not to know something as vital as that about the person they're supporting.

And of course, there's also the possibility of option 3, something else that I completely failed to consider right now. Time will tell which one.

Note: By the way, the Lucia in 222 and the Lucia in 251/252 are indeed the same person; Hoshino seemed to hint there's a reason behind her sudden aging that we don't know yet. It's important to make this clear since what I've said is related to dialogues delivered by her.

2. Past!A = current Allen

(image courtesy of Kougeki Scans' Chapter 251's translation)

There were theories around and people still considering the possibility of our current Allen being a clone and all sorts of theories because of the unexplainable age gap between him and Past!A, but it seems the deaging theory has been fully confirmed by Chapter 252, as we saw it taking place before our very eyes.

There are still some mysteries surrounding it, but seeing how Apocryphos mentioned the "Helix", we can't help but be taken back to the explanation we've previously seen about the Helix of Life (The 221st Night - The Clown's Joke).

Since that's a topic that feels like there's more to it as of now, I won't be discussing the how and why Allen deaged, especially with the unseen variable in the mix that is Innocence; who knows if that might make the Helix energy behave differently.

I was on the "deaging theory" train because Nea was able to recognize Past!A all right when he looks in the mirror (The 214th Night: Searching for A.W. - Awakening) and also questioned the presence of Innocence on his body as well as how he hadn't aged but instead had gotten younger (The 215th Night: Searching for A.W. - By Your Side).

There are many mistranslations in the official English version of these two chapters (214 and 215) that have fueled countless misconceptions within the fandom but I won't be pointing those out in this post since I'm not here this time specifically to talk about it.

Note: Mangadex seems to have nicely translated versions of these chapters if you want to check them out for a recalling - I can't confirm fully but what I read of them looked consistent and faithful to the original.

Anyways, back on track; now that we've seen what took place 35 years ago in Chapter 252, Nea's bewilderment at the current situation of Allen back in Chapter 214/215 makes a lot more sense.

And even more interesting is that as soon as he noticed the Innocence lodged into Allen's left hand, we see the image of Apocryphos, as if Nea could feel its presence. Turned out that meant more than just Apocryphos being able to resonate with all Innocence, but rather, that the very reason why that Innocence had found home in Allen's body was by its intervention.

Just what the hell, dude. That was, once again, extremely well-played on Hoshino's part. I'm really looking forward to the next chapter!

[cinammonelles]

Wait wait. I just remembered its dgm month.

I need to start insaneposting again.

[amipenthe]

New chapter has me going feral because for years I’ve seen people theorize that past Allen was past book man junior and babes you were half right lmao. Hoshino is the embodiment of never let them know your next move.

I will say I’m on board with the theory that apo merged those two since he seems so attached to Allen. Also, this means the Allen we just met (the real pasta lmao) must have had a serious connection with mana at the very least, because why would mana have named his dog Allen? Also….does nea think he’s in bookman jr.’s—not pasta’s—body??? He seemed upset at the host he was in then remembered bookman jr and said goodbye to him all sad like. Did he even like pasta?? Why was he the chosen host? What is going on?!?

All that to say neah is as canonically confused as the rest of us