Note: This page is for theories about the video game series World's End. All theories are welcome, but do note that SPOILERS WILL BE UNMARKED. PROCEED WITH CAUTION.
The series is building to an apocalyptic, end-of-days finale in the last Chapter
- Hence the title "World's End".
Tevoran is the "narrator" of the descriptions for items, skills, etc.
- It's subtle, to be sure, but read through the party members' skill upgrades and special attack descriptions. Sometimes you could swear they were being written by Tevoran. All of them have that same purple prose antiquated yet sarcastic tone that Tevoran is always using; it extends to in-game description of items, armor, and weaponry.
- More significantly, the passive skill upgrades, which are titled as descriptive adjectives of their character, always describe the party member as Tevoran sees them. For example, Zofia's upgrades (Hedonism, Prurience, Libertinage), are all flowery and verbose ways of calling her a slut, Ivan's passives make him out to be a lazy bum, Casimir is described as an Alchemical Deity, and so on.
The final chapter will see Tevoran & Co. leave the Valelands
- It seems almost fated at this point that wherever the Company is going next chapter, it's going to take them further from home than ever before. Possibly off the entire planet. Fallon's mysterious homeland of "Thaelea" and Aizu's cryptic "Setora" have yet to be explored, and neither appear to be part of the Valelands.
- Add to this that the gang is heading South, towards Hrvain and Emeria, both seaports, and the offhanded revelation from one of the creators that the final chapter will have naval battles, and this conclusion seems almost certain.
The final chapter promo cover will feature Tevoran and Aizu
- Just a for fun guess, but it would fit the pattern of three characters for odd numbered chapters and two for even numbered chapters. Also, it's hard to imagine what other character would be so central to the plot who hasn't already been shown in a previous chapter.
Aizu's true form is an Eldritch Abomination
- Fans had been speculating this almost from Chapter 1, but now that we've seen Nidh-Perquunos and know that this series has more than a bit of a Lovecraftian bent, the idea that Aizu is a cosmic horror in human guise seems very plausible.
- Duriken and Fallon calling her "the god-creature" seems to lend even more credence to this theory.
Aizu is an expy of River Tam
- The array of similarities between the two characters are astonishing: fragile, seemingly helpless waifs with confusing thought patterns and a host of mental issues. Both are being hunted down by powerful empires for unknown reasons, both are found in a box by a Ragtag Bunch of Misfits, taken in by the group but treated as the outsider. Both girls are prone to unpredictable bouts of extreme violence with little or no remorse, possess telekinesis, telepathy, and a number of other psychic powers, turn out to be more dangerous and powerful than anyone else in the group, and as a result end up saving the team themselves several times. Also, as of Duriken's reveal in Chapter 3, both sides want to use the girl in question as a living weapon.
- Note that the creators themselves have stated that they hadn't seen Firefly at the time of writing the story, so this almost certainly a big coincidence.
Cannibalism increases/awakens Aizu's power
- When we first meet Aizu in Pagoya hole, she seems genuinely helpless against the Redguards and completely confused. Very shortly after biting off Bernard's ear, her first act of cannibalism on screen, the Cloaked Woman announces that "the god-creature has awoken." Was that the triggering event?
- The next time we meet her in the Tiervan wilderness, she's still pretty fragile, but more ready to fight and beginning to show signs of supernatural power. Her latent psychic powers continues to wax throughout the chapter, but they noticeably take a bump in frequency right after Vadim dies note .
- The gang leaves her alone in Zofia's basement, where Zofia admits she had an excess of organic matter she needs to get rid of. It's unknown exactly what "organic matter" entails, but at least some of it appears to be human flesh, notably an arm sticking out of the hopper. Whatever Aizu did during the battle with Rudolf, she somehow came back strong enough to drag the hellcart by herself and with most of her memories recovered.
- The most obvious example is after her first resurrection in Chapter 3. The gang finds her chowing down on a literal pile of human steaks, which she freely admits she has a taste for now. And she's much stronger than she was the last time.
- The conclusion? It appears Aizu's power, and her latent memories, are waxing in proportion to how often she indulges in cannibalism. It also appears that as her power level is growing stronger, so is the signal it casts, making her easier for the villains to track.
Aizu is a soul eater
- Related to the above WMG, it could be that Aizu is growing stronger by eating human flesh is because she's absorbing the life force or souls of those she's eating.
- Vadim's scene at the end of Chapter 3 provides the biggest speculation for this. It certainly appears that his soul is conscious and walking around inside of Aizu's digestive tract, but what this could possibly mean...
- Note that Aizu wouldn't be the first to gain powers from this kind of cannibalism. Besides Jedmesz, Nidh-Perquunos, whom she described as her enemy, also appears to be in the practice of absorbing body, mind and soul out of others and draining their life force.
Aizu is keeping Vadim's soul alive out of sympathy
- Not much to support this theory, except that it would explain why he's sentient and fully clothed in her stomach.
Aizu destroyed Setora by self-destructing
- We never hear anything about Setora except what Aizu tells us. But in the final screen of Chapter 1 we see her in an unknown place overlooking a massive crater. For all intents and purposes it appears to be the wreckage of one of her previous self-destructing mishaps. But was it also the remnant's of her hometown, Setora? Did Aizu accidentally blow up the entire village, and start wandering homeless and friendless as a result?
The original location of Setora was right beside Tierva
- If the final screen of Chapter 1 is indeed Aizu overlooking the remains of Setora, it seems very likely that we can deduce the rough location of where she's sitting from clues in the picture. Aizu is surrounded by hills and there's a sizable lake beside the crater. According to the official map of the Valelands on the wiki, the wilderness surrounding Tierva is chock full of hill country and there's exactly one lake in the area, almost the exact shape of the one shown in the picture, only a couple of miles from west of Tierva.
- This matches the game's timeline as well. It's implied that the between the games, Aizu was wandering the Tiervan wilderness and was captured by Voro soldiers in the same hill country, which is exactly where we find her in Episode 6.
"Setora" is the ancient name of Tierva
- Closely related to the above theory, it's possible that Aizu is a truly ancient creature who's been in suspended animation for perhaps thousands of years, and what she remembers as the small village of Setora grew up into the urban hellscape of Tierva over the centuries while she lay dormant. It would explain both why she first appeared in that city instead of Vorona, and why she seems drawn to it after her resurrection.
"Setora" is an implanted memory
- There's nothing in the codex or in the game that gives us any kind of information about Setora besides Aizu's garbled memories. None of the other characters ever mention it or even bother to confirm it's existence; it appears no one has heard of the place before. It's enough to make one wonder if the village was ever real in the first place.
Aizu was once a normal human girl
- It could be that the "god-creature" inside Aizu merely possessed and took over a human body, erasing most of her memories and turning her hair blue in the process. This would explain why Aizu appears to have vestiges of a former, mundane life as a normal person, and why she insists to Duriken that she is a human girl in the end of Chapter 3.
The Cloaked Woman once experimented on Aizu
- There's the fact that Fallon claims she "owns" Aizu, and the fact that unlike everyone else, Aizu instinctively knows to be afraid of her and gets very defensive anytime she's around. Note that she doesn't do the same for Duriken; she doesn't even recognize his name note What sort of sordid past could these two have had to make Aizu so terrified of her?
Aizu comes from a warmer climate
- Hardly a groundbreaking prediction, but look at her clothes: a knee length skirt, sandals and tank top. Hardly ideal for a temperate climate like Tierva seems to be set in, especially in the coming winter months. Of course, this could just be a sign of her poverty, but if that was the case, why not make her barefoot?
Nidh-Perquunos is an aspect of Haxis
- If Aizu is indeed a reincarnation of Ecthain, it makes sense that the abomination she calls "her enemy" would be an aspect of Haxis. Although perhaps those two beings aren't really as different as they seem.
Milan will be assassinated
- Given the series subtle sex signals death humor, the fact that Milan both banged Zofia and is now acting as a completely incompetent lord of a highly volatile city-state after all the previous leaders were assassinated, and left without Tevoran &. Co to protect him to boot, he might as well be wearing a walking target on his back.
Fallon is a fey creature
- She's clearly not human, but the number of nature themed attacks she has plus Duriken telling her to "crawl back to her stinking grove" lead some to believe that she's some sort of faerie or wood elf creature.
Fallon and Duriken were once romantically involved
- Some of Fallon's dialogue from Episode 13-5 practically screams this, and they tend to bicker much like a couple of exes would. Fallon apparently likes to teasingly flirt with Duriken about her voluptuous appearance "distracting" him, but he's clearly having none of it. Whatever the case, it seems their partnership might not have always been completely platonic.
Fallon and Duriken are both from different superhuman races
- All but confirmed at this point.
Ivan's father Tomasz is already deeper involved in magic than the rest of Tevoran & Co.
- Tomasz Vaclav has always been the ghost, hinted at in the background but never seen, yet it seems like a strong probability that he's going to be heavily involved in the final chapter. It would make sense if, after going adventuring and going missing inexplicably, that he found himself knee-deep in magic and otherworldly forces, couldn't find his way out, and that's where exactly where the gang is going to find him.
The World's End series is set in the same world as Fullmetal Alchemist
- The technology level and corresponding anachronisms aren't too far off, plus both series' Lovecraftian edge to their big bads, but what really stands out is the magical "red stones" used by Ecthainian priests, which of course are made from the blood of thousands of innocent dead people.
Ysabel is reminded of herself as an orphan when she sees Aizu
- It's more just speculation, but Ysabel has an unexpectedly soft side she shows towards Aizu, always being the first to stand up to her and at times nearly taking her under her wing like a big sister. Is it possible that she remembers her days as a foundling on the Solet Archipelago?
The final battle will take place in Tierva
- It wouldn't feel right any other way.
Vera's attraction to Aizu relates to her magical sensitivity
- She's the only one who instinctively senses how powerful and important Aizu is, but she's also unusually adept at magic. Are the two connected?
- What's more, at the end of Chapter 3 she claims she can "sense" that Aizu is still alive, and where she is. But this seems to be the same basic method that Duriken and Fallon are using to track her.
Aizu is the source of magic returning to the world
- This theory has been circulating since Chapter 1, and magic use does appear to be becoming more and more widespread as Aizu's powers are awakening.
- Undermining this, however, is the implication that Duriken, Fallon, and possibly even the Sewer Shaman can use magic independently of Aizu, and Rudolf's explanation of the necromantic nature of the stones.
Skepticism inhibits magic use
- This would actually make sense as to why some people can use it and others can't. The Ecthainian priests, being mystics by nature, are much more likely to believe in magic and therefore pick up on the craft easier. Same goes for Oksana, whose rustic homeland is filled with sentient cacti and magical caves. As such she likely has no problem embracing superstition. Vera outright criticizes the rest of the gang for being too "rational" to accept the supernatural world. Unsurprisingly, she becomes a quite powerful magic user.
- This also explains why Ivan can't use the stones, despite trying. Even though he reluctantly mentally believes that magic is possible, his innate initial skepticism to the supernatural is still blocking him.
There is a greater scope villain to the series than even Duriken.
- Likely either a case of Orcus on His Throne or powers that be, but it seems that there's something even greater at play here than the traitorous chancellor's ambitions. If so, we'll likely only encounter it at the very end.
Triangle Guy will join Tevoran & Co. in Chapter 4
- No one knows the story behind Triangle guy, but he feels too significant to just be a goofy extra. Some fans suspect this next Chapter will shed some more light on his origin, possibly even having him become an ally and the 10th member of the company. Alternatively...
Triangle Guy is the true big bad behind everything
- If would be either the biggest troll or the most fantastic reveal of a mundane detail that'd been right in front of the player's face. Possibly both.
Tevoran had a wild and licentious past
- Details on Tevoran's youth are hazy, to say the least, but it's known that he fought in the Voronese Civil War. However, Tevoran refers to this war as "the Libertine's Rebellion". With the implication being that he fought on the Libertine's side.
- This becomes doubly humorous when you start to notice how many times Tevoran either makes stealth innuendos or mistakes something completely innocent for an offer of debauchery.
- You have to read between the lines, but there's some insinuation that the reason he left Vorona was because he was banished for indecency.
Tevoran once had (or still has) a secret penchant for necrophilia
- Closely related to the above, it's always been a mystery as to why a man as dirty-minded as Tevoran shows so little interest in the other women (or men, for that matter). But there have been hints that his tastes might be a bit more aberrant than normal:
- In the beginning of Chapter 2, he mentioned that he had been arrested by the town guards for trafficking human remains. A false accusation, he insists: I gave up such base pastimes long ago.
- It's established that Tevoran fought in the Libertine's Rebellion and heavily implied that he was exiled from Vorona after losing, but was that for war crimes, or was he driven out for his own personal deviance?
- Then there's the gem at the end of Chapter 3 where he mentions that he'll "never again labor under a corpse". Meaning in context that he was done being in Martin's employ if the latter had perished, but there's a rather squicky double meaning to his words that implies he's already that very thing before...
Zofia killed her parents to inherit their wealth
- It's certainly one of the darker explanations for why she keeps changing her story about how her parents died. It certainly would be in line with everything we know about Zofia so far, and may explain why her name is so hated throughout Masori.
The Czartorysk family was once very religious
- There are plenty of hints that the Czartorysks used to be heavily involved with the church and did missionary work. Most of these references are tongue-in-cheek innuendos from Zofia, but even Zofia herself shows many signs of a good girl turned bad. Interestingly, she drops a "Holy Beverage" the first time you fight her.
Aizu will "resurrect" Vadim by putting his soul into a suit of armor
- Perhaps subtly foreshadowed by the armor suits in Leithar's sanctum?
The Sewer Shaman is an avatar of some god
- In Chapter 3 Ivan mentioned Milan's theory about the "undead god-emperor of the Wastes" who is going to rise and devour everyone. Since some of his theories seems to be true, he might be right about this one as well.
- Like Lord Leithar, it's likely that this was a foreshadowing of the battle with the Sewer Shaman and the threat has already been dealt with.
- We don't know about his source of supernatural powers, but it can be similar to Aizu's.
Milan has a supernatural gift
- Though his conspirology doesn't make much sense, he was right about Tiervan Mission of the Holy Church of Ecthain. He also seems to know about troglodytes (in episode 8 Ivan says that it reminds him one of his uncle's theories) and Sewer Shaman (previous WMG). Pretty possible that his paranoia is actually an ability to sense such things.
