Enter the Void: My Theories on the Void Girls/Coordinators
Reddit Post: [reddit]
Previous: A Tale of Two Siblings: Mitama and Mikage Yakumo
Related reading: Symbolism of Magia Record: Mitama and Memento Mori
Originally, I was going to include this in Yozuru's or Livia's section, however, because both girls are rather complex and will likely have long write-ups, I figured it might be a good idea to separate this into its own thread that is somewhat separate from my series.
The subject I want to give my input on is the void element and how it (potentially) relates to our 4 coordinators. Getting straight to the point, my guess is as such:
The girls in the void element represent individuals who have, as a result of their wish, been left feeling "empty"--that is, their wish is one that: 1) has a major impact on others or herself and 2) led them to walk a path of atonement--their service as a coordinator.
u/theRazielim has covered this subject in a well-organized video on his Youtube channel, which briefly describes each of the current void girls and their respective circumstance, so if you haven't already, I'd suggest watching it--really interesting stuff. With that in mind, I'll be adding my own input, as well as reasoning for my hypothesis. Along the way, I'll attempt to cover any questions I've seen pop up around this mystery.
Could we be overthinking things?
There is always that possibility. While reading into metaphors and symbolism is extremely interesting, there is always going to be that chance where one can find a very convincing coincidence and run with it. In this case, the one fact about (the current) void girls is that they are coordinators (or in Sudachi's case, training to be one).
With that in mind, our mystery can end right there: coordinators are to be of the void element. Nothing more, nothing less. There is a chance that the devs had an element they wanted to add that's separate the traditional elements. To keep things organized, they may have opted to reserving the slot for coordinators. I don't think that is the case, however, as there are so many common denominators out of our current sample of void gals.
What does being a coordinator have to do with void/what about certain other girls who fit a criteria?
For this, I'd like to start off by bringing up the literal definition of void, which is destitution or to be empty. Applying this to human emotion, one who feels empty may suffer through a form of trauma or hold onto regrets. More accurately is feels of disconnection of the world around you/your own true self. The video I linked goes through each girl, but in sum:
- Mitama was rejected by her peers and, after hearing her sister brought up negatively, lashed out, wishing to destroy Kamihama. This represents Mitama's separation from her community.
- Livia isn't 100% revealed, but there are enough clues to assume that she was formerly wedded.
- However, her union was cut short with some implications that her lover went off behind her back. This is hinted at in the Memoria, Blessing Unto You, with the wording implying that Livia knew of her lover's infidelity during the ceremony, but went through with it anyways. As such, Livia had become disconnected with the concept of love, a major emotion among human relationships.
- Yozuru is rather direct--the result of her wish led to the disconnection from her emotions.
- Finally, Sudachi is similar to Mitama, in that her wish was spur-of-the-moment and led to the murder of her classmates. The trauma led to Sudachi to become a mute, symbolic of the fact that her words (wish) led to a massacre. As such, Sudachi became disconnected from her physical world.
This brings up a few girls who seem like they could fit these criteria, most popularly that of Hana. Hana wished for the removal of individuals, so she fills out the "destructive" requirement. However, it's important to note 2 things. First being related to Hana's mental state, which has been on a decline even before her wish. Second, Hana, unfortunately, never had the opportunity to repent; after her wish, Hana was an individual full of malice for the world and who was swept by the winds of madness. While Mitama and Sudachi's wishes were based on their emotions (shock and anger), they were able to pick themselves back up and dedicate themselves to helping others as coordinators.
Kanagi, like Mitama, has the desire to destroy Kamihama--but unlike our coordinator, that wish is still present, and we can assume Kanagi might be on-board with an opportunity to do so, given that the threat doesn't reach out further than Kamihama.
Livia will be the girl to watch out for to test all of these theories, as she is the only void girl whose background is still rather ambiguous. Likewise, Mikage's wish might also provide some evidence. She is a dark type, but if the nature of her wish is separate from that of her sister, these theories would become a bit more verified.