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Really long speculative post about the future arc
I got tired of meticulously editing a 6000-word fic (right now I'm at that point where I can't even stand to look at it, you know?) and decided instead to write a long post about the mysteries of the Future Arc and my guesses at the answers. Yes, rambling is therapeutic for me. HUSH LET ME HAVE MY VICES.
First, for reference, I made a list of the mysteries we've got so far, by category lol SO NERDY.
The Set-Up
The Millefiore
The TYL Vongola
Those are the main ones, or at least they're the ones I've been pondering since I first started reading this arc. And from what I've managed to put together from guessing, this is the theory I've currently got. Actually, it's more of a timeline than a theory; basically, this is my best guess at what's been going on in this arc.
So, I kind of lost track, but I think this theory explains mostly everything except the current mystery with Genkishi, which we don't really know enough about yet to say. Anyway... um, any thoughts? wow I wrote a lot XD
ETA: Forgot all about the part of chapter 196 that clearly says THE GIGLIO NERO HAD THE MARE RINGS, lol whoops. XD
First, for reference, I made a list of the mysteries we've got so far, by category The Set-Up
- Who was spying on Reborn, Lambo and Tsuna when Reborn got hit by the bazooka?
- Who was it that hit Yamamoto and the others with the bazooka from behind?
- Why is the bazooka malfunctioning (sending them only 9 years and 10 months forward, and not sending them back after five minutes)?
The Millefiore
- What is Byakuran's master plan?
- What is Byakuran's relationship with Shouichi?
- Why did Shouichi join the Millefiore and why does he so badly want the Vongola to DIEEEEE YOU SCUUUMMM?
- What is that machine Tsuna saw in his dream, and what does it do?
- How did Byakuran and Shouichi know the TYL!Vongola had been swapped out with middle schoolers?
- How did Byakuran convince Uni to join forces/what did he do to brainwash her?
- How and why did Genkishi betray the Giglio Nero?
The TYL Vongola
- What is the non 7^3 radiation/where does it come from/why is it deadly to the Arcobaleno?
- How was Future!Tsuna killed?
- How did Future!Gokudera know the younger Vongola would be brought to the future?
Those are the main ones, or at least they're the ones I've been pondering since I first started reading this arc. And from what I've managed to put together from guessing, this is the theory I've currently got. Actually, it's more of a timeline than a theory; basically, this is my best guess at what's been going on in this arc.
- At some point during the ten-year gap, Irie Shouichi, possibly still harboring a hilarious grudge against the Vongola family for perceived wrongdoings and mental scarring, joins the mafia. Most likely the Bovino family, when he finally tries to return their goddamn box.
- Rings eventually become the new in thing and everyone has to have one. Sometime around this point, an up-and-coming punk named Byakuran becomes the new boss of the Gesso family. Somehow or other he comes across a MACHINE that's huge and awesome but needs to be powered by an RPG-like combo of mystical rings and binkys. He decides he wants this AWESOME POWER for himself and so begins on an epic quest of plotting and schemery.
- As the mafia families become increasingly violent in their greed for RINGS OF POWER, Sawada Tsunayoshi, up-and-coming boss of the Vongola family, makes the decision to destroy the Vongola rings so as to prevent more senseless bloodshed. Oh Tsuna.
- Temporarily pwned by lack of mystical items to power his doomsday device, Byakuran sulks until one day, fate smiles upon him in the form of a chance meeting with the aforementioned Shouichi, who's getting bored tinkering with bazookas in the Bovino R&D department and wants a project he can really sink his teeth into. And also, REVENGE since it's a nice bonus.
- While fucking around with the Doomsday Machine, Shouichi discovers a random and extraordinarily useful effect; it can do this cool thing where it produces a type of radiation THAT KILLS CURSED MAFIA SUPERBABIES. SWEET.
- Also, since that whole "Vongola rings being destroyed" thing is rather inconvenient, Byakuran has Shou-chan, with his Bovino know-how, begin work on a modified ten-year bazooka that will A) send targets to a specified point in the future rather than precisely ten years foward, and B) function for more than five minutes. Byakuran's plan is to target the Vongola kids just after they first acquire their rings--in other words, right after the Varia Arc. He wants them to be as weak/inexperienced as possible; the easier targets, the better.
- While Shou-chan is working on all this, Byakuran busies himself by hunting down the Mare rings, which are in the possession of the Giglio Nero family. He starts by murdering their boss with the non-7^3 radiation, possibly through the aid of an inside man, Genkishi.
- Byakuran then eventually maneuvers the Giglio Nero's new boss, Uni, into meeting with him to discuss the future of their two families. Except that once the two are alone, Byakuran... does... something... and somehow brainwashes her. JUST AS PLANNED!
- Encouraged by his success with Uni, Byakuran gets ambitious and decides to take the risky step of inviting Tsuna to come negotiate as well. Once he has Tsuna there, he attempts to use the same brainwashing trick that worked on Uni.
- Except that it doesn't work out, for two reasons. One is that his brainwashing isn't quite as thorough as he believes (Uni still had enough of her wits to send Gamma a message by returning his box to him). And the second reason is because Tsuna has inherited the Vongola gift of intuition strongly enough to help him fight it off. (Uni seemed to have the same ability, after all, which might be what enabled her to eventually resist.) Somewhat discouraged by this failure, and in a bit of a bind as Tsuna's guardians realize their betrayal and rush to their boss's aid, Byakuran resorts to Plan B: just shoot him.
- With Tsuna dead, Byakuran decides to go ahead with the original scheme, and starts killing off Arcobaleno in earnest, while simultaneously hunting down the Vongola and their allies. The more chaos, he figures, the less likely they'll be to put up an effective resistance when he swaps them out to take their rings.
- Somehow, either through an informant or just simply putting the pieces together
because he's not a traitor, damn it, TYL!Gokudera gets wind of Byakuran's plan and takes steps to counteract it by leaving an encoded message for his younger self. - Some way or other (possibly with the aid of a modded bazooka), Byakuran manages to send one of his agents ten years into the past to start targeting the young Vongola. Said agent manages to nab Lambo's bazooka and modify it according to Shouichi's designs, then sits back to wait for an opportunity. Once Reborn, Tsuna, and Lambo are alone, he hits Reborn with a blast of non-7^3, immobilizing him and allowing him to be hit. With Reborn (and soon after, Tsuna and Gokudera) out of the way, he proceeds to target the others, setting up the current circumstances in the manga.
So, I kind of lost track, but I think this theory explains mostly everything except the current mystery with Genkishi, which we don't really know enough about yet to say. Anyway... um, any thoughts? wow I wrote a lot XD
ETA: Forgot all about the part of chapter 196 that clearly says THE GIGLIO NERO HAD THE MARE RINGS, lol whoops. XD
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I thought Future!Tsuna was gunned down in public? I always imagined him in some JFK scene, getting sniped at LOL but it probably isn't true.
And also, maybe Shouichi got scared by the Vongola when he went to Tsuna's house as a boy LOL, what with all the mayhem there.
Y'know, if your theories turn out to be accurate, I'll fly over and bow to you LOL. 8D We wouldn't have to speculate about the chapters anymore; we could ask you!
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Well, Gamma said "many of his comrades witnessed it too", so it definitely wasn't a private affair, but I didn't get the sense that it was quite as public as that. I figured it was more of a meeting gone bad thing. I should probably edit my post accordingly; it probably happened soon after Byakuran's attempt failed, like when Tsuna was leaving or all his
gayloyal bodyguards burst into the room or something. Or you could be right, since this is just speculation based on what happened with Uni.Yeah, that seems to be the prevailing theory, though I still think it's hilarious if it's really true. OMG MY NEIGHBORS ARE THE MAFIA, WAAAAAHH TRAUMA seriously Shou, get over it. XDDDD
Haha, no way they're all right, but I'm fairly sure I'm at least on the right track with all the bazooka business? Since all the clues seem to be pointing that direction.
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i va~guely recall this machine that tsuna saw in his dreams. would you happen to remember the chapter that shows it? ^^
yeah i'm having trouble seeing 10YL!dera as a traitor too. although it would be so cool if there really was a traitor and it happened to be one of the guardians. major plus points if it happened to be either yama or dera. it'll take a LOT on amano-sensei's part to pull it off, is why.
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WOMAN'S VILLAIN. ♥ I doubt most of it is anywhere near the mark, but I'm hoping I'm at least halfway on the right track.Um... let's see. XD The dream was in chapter 171, and then chapter 173 is when Tsuna tells the others and Reborn says the machine may be "the key to unlocking the mystery of Irie Shouichi and everything else." And earlier back in chapter 161 is when Byakuran is talking about the tre-ni-sette being the key to ultimate power... though now that I think about it, I'm not sure how I got the idea that the 7^3 and the machine were linked, but I still think they are, damn it. XD
It would be a pretty impressive plot twist, but if there is a traitor I still hope it's not Yama or Dera. XD I can't imagine how it could be done without raping their characters pretty thoroughly. (Unless, of course, it involved MORE BRAINWASHING...?!!)
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* Who was spying on Reborn, Lambo and Tsuna when Reborn got hit by the bazooka? I have no idea, but the only person who comes to mind is Shouichi? That'd be some kind of freaky time paradox deal.
* Who was it that hit Yamamoto and the others with the bazooka from behind? I HAVE NO IDEA. Doesn't make sense for it to be Shouichi yet, I don't think.
* Why is the bazooka malfunctioning (sending them only 9 years and 10 months forward, and not sending them back after five minutes were up)? I had a thought about this. Either it's just broken or maybe it has something to do with the radiation? Since it seems to be strongly connected with 'time', maybe it was somehow affecting Reborn? This is all very confusing and I'm basing it on my recollection, which might be incorrect.
- The Millefiore
* What is Byakuran's master plan? To kill off the Vongola completely, from the future and the past? Probably he ultimately wants to create the strongest Mafia family ever/in existence. He doesn't seem to have a strongly 'personal' motivation to me. Just seems like ambition.
* What is Byakuran's relationship with Shouichi ("If it wasn't for that guy, Byakuran wouldn't be like this...") Maybe we've encountered Byakuran before and we didn't realize it? My canon feels really fuzzy here as I don't recall when the quote in question is said.
* Why did Shouichi join the Millefiore and why does he so badly want the Vongola to DIEEEEE YOU SCUUUMMM? I'd be pretty scarred by what happened to him, but probably not enough to join the mafia. Uhm, I don't know and cannot fully speculate. But I can't wait to find out~
* What is that machine Tsuna saw in his dream, and what does it do? I always assumed something to do with the 7^3 radiation. I DON'T THINK ENOUGH WHEN READING THIS SERIES, DO I?
* How did Byakuran and Shouichi know the TYL!Vongola had been swapped out with middle schoolers? The Vongola Rings exist in the past and not now? *scratches head* I really need to re-read the Future Arc thusfar, don't I?
* How did Byakuran convince Uni to join forces/what did he do to brainwash her? I'd go with blackmail. He must have some kind of supernatural power of persuasion, but still. He seems the blackmailing type.
* How and why did Genkishi betray the Giglio Nero? I don't like him much, so I'm currently going with 'he's an ambitious jerk'. *hides*
- The TYL Vongola
* What is the non 7^3 radiation/where does it come from/why is it deadly to the Arcobaleno? I guessed it came from that machine and the Rings have something to do with the curse and I'M CONFUSED BY MY OWN THEORIES.
* How was Future!Tsuna killed? I got that he was gunned down in public and if you mean physically HOW, then I'd guess it was either him or one of his Family members and he's selfless like that?
* How did Future!Gokudera know the younger Vongola would be brought to the future ("gather the guardians and use the rings to defeat Byakuran")? Maybe he's been to the past before. Sometime when our Gokudera wouldn't have known about it? (Can you be hit with the bazooka while sleeping and remain asleep? How would that happen? I HAVE NO IDEA.)
... plainly, I am confused as well.
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I like your notes, though some things don't line up with what I remember... I REALLY need to re-read. Like, is there something that might make you assume Gokudera was a mole/traitor/double agent of some sort? Also, did it say Byakuran killed Uni's mother with the radiation? I don't remember this, but it seems to be mentioned often enough that I'm mis-trusting my own memory. Then there's the question of how we get to a modded bazooka that brings everyone to a specific point in time. Is that maybe an explanation for why the latter additions to the kids-in-the-future cast never saw TYL versions of some people? Because they wouldn't exist in that situation? I DON'T KNOW. Come on, Amano. Spill the beans.
Long comment. *brain explodes*
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I have no idea, but the only person who comes to mind is Shouichi? That'd be some kind of freaky time paradox deal. Shouichi definitely has something to do with it, since Byakuran even said he'd done a lot of research on the ten-year bazooka (chapter 161, I think it was). But I'm not sure if that was actually him who went back; it could have been someone operating under his/Byakuran's orders.
I had a thought about this. Either it's just broken or maybe it has something to do with the radiation? Since it seems to be strongly connected with 'time', maybe it was somehow affecting Reborn? This is all very confusing and I'm basing it on my recollection, which might be incorrect. The thing about it simply being broken is that it's way too convenient, though. Byakuran needs the Vongola rings to complete the tre-ni-sette, but the Vongola rings have been destroyed. Then suddenly, the Vongola kids are brought to the future from a point in the timeline right after they've first obtained the rings. And the bazooka doesn't send them back after five minutes, but instead leaves them stuck there. If it was a malfunction or an effect of the radiation, it would be the luckiest thing that ever happened to Byakuran.
To kill off the Vongola completely, from the future and the past? Probably he ultimately wants to create the strongest Mafia family ever/in existence. He doesn't seem to have a strongly 'personal' motivation to me. Just seems like ambition. I'm basing that bit of speculation off of chapter 161, where he specifically says "The targets of our plan are not the young Vongola family ducklings; rather, it's the green onions they're carrying." He then says that he's after "the key to ultimate power... the 7^3."
I'd be pretty scarred by what happened to him, but probably not enough to join the mafia. Uhm, I don't know and cannot fully speculate. But I can't wait to find out~ I know, same here. :D
I always assumed something to do with the 7^3 radiation. I DON'T THINK ENOUGH WHEN READING THIS SERIES, DO I? I assumed the same, which is why I somehow got the idea that it needed to be powered by the 7^3 (rings and pacifiers) that Byakuran is after. That's pretty speculative, though.
The Vongola Rings exist in the past and not now? *scratches head* I really need to re-read the Future Arc thusfar, don't I? I think Byakuran and Shou started making references to the younger Vongola before the Vongola rings were detected, though. Not only that, but Byakuran knows exactly what point in time the Vongola have been taken from, and later on he explains the whole time travel thing to some of his Millefiore guys in detail.
WELL SCREW YOU TOO, COMMENT LIMIT!
Maybe he's been to the past before. Sometime when our Gokudera wouldn't have known about it? (Can you be hit with the bazooka while sleeping and remain asleep? How would that happen? I HAVE NO IDEA.) If the note had contained the same message he'd given to Tsuna ("go bump off young Irie Shouichi"), I'd think it was probably something like that, but the fact that he knew things like a) multiple guardians would be brought to the future, and b) those guardians would stay in the future for an extended period of time... makes me suspicious. Aside from that, there isn't anything that makes me specifically think Gokudera is a traitor, but apparently that's not an uncommon theory (though most of the justification I've heard comes from his hesitation when Tsuna asks "why am I in a coffin?" and the fact that he never got to answer that question).
As for Byakuran killing Uni's mother, it's never explicitly stated, but we do know that she was an Arcobaleno and that she apparently died from a mysterious "disease"--I'd say non-7^3 is pretty likely, especially considering what happened to the Giglio Nero after her death. And I like the suggestion that a modded bazooka could be why we haven't heard about any TYL!Vongola-in-the-past antics, which a lot of people have wondered about. Hmm...
God, this is a lot to think about. XD
Re: WELL SCREW YOU TOO, COMMENT LIMIT!
First, for Uni. I assumed that it was blackmail because it would be more suspicious if it weren't. If she were merely acting that way because Byakuran told her to, then it wouldn't arouse as much suspicion from her comrades/subordinates/Family. Maybe this makes sense to only me. I mean, it's obvious they'd notice... but. Hmm. Writer senses are tingling on this one. Still, Genkishi being blackmailed seems highly possible.
Secondly, Gokudera not answering right away = something suspicious about his loyalties? I ALWAYS assumed it was out of grief, not shadiness. I guess I believe in Gokudera pretty strongly though and might not notice odd behavior. ^^; As for the first part, that makes sense. It's hard to keep it all straight in your head sometimes.
Lastly, I guess I missed Uni's mother being an Arcobaleno somehow? Uh. I didn't know it was explicitly stated, I've been taking it as the fandom's general assumption. (Okay, I admit it, sometimes I read Reborn! chapters while half-asleep and forget to RE-READ them when I'm awake.)
With regard to the modded bazooka, can I take that to mean that people/you assume the following:
Gokudera is hit with modded bazooka and travels almost ten years into the future.
Gokudera, in the future, is removed to the past, except not by 9 years and 10 months, but by ten years exactly?
How long have the kids been in the future? Has it been nearly two months, such that if the above were true, that the ten-years later folk would now be in the 'past's' present? (THAT is confusing.)
My brain really hurts! I'll get to the first comment when I get home again. ^^;
Re: WELL SCREW YOU TOO, COMMENT LIMIT!
Like I said, I do think blackmail's a possibility; I just think there's something else to it as well. Byakuran just gives off that impression of being more than he appears and possessing abilities he hasn't yet shared. I just got a sort of brainwashing/mind control vibe from it all, particularly the scene where Gamma looks into her eyes and says "The princess... isn't there!" or something along those lines. (And it wouldn't be the first time mind control has come up in the series.)
I COMPLETELY AGREE about TYL!Gokudera's behavior, and it never even occurred to me that it could be anything but grief until I heard people were theorizing. To me, the only thing that was even remotely suspicious was the fact that he knew about the things in the message. When I posted this on the comm, though,
I think Uni's mom being an Arcobaleno is just an educated guess/assumption, come to think, but it's a pretty given one, considering that she had the pacifier? That and she was talking about being cursed. So I think it's pretty likely.
As for what happened when the TYL!Vongola got sent back to the past, I guess I was assuming it was the same 9 years and 10 months as the kids? I never even thought about what might happen if they'd still been sent back the full 10 years. D: I don't think they've been in the future for two months, but I'd say they've been there at least one, taking account of the time they've spent training plus the 10 day recovery time for Yamamoto and Gokudera, plus the first couple days they were there before that. If the TYL!Vongola were sent back a full decade and have been waiting it out since then, though...oi. Would that mean they could actually encounter their younger selves? ...Oh man, now my brain's starting to hurt too. XD
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And that way when the manga inevitably proves half of this wrong, you have it saved so you can point and laugh :P