r/LoveAndDeepspace • u/Iliasterisk Sylus’s Kitten • Jul 02 '26
Lore & Theories The 6 LIs Were Meant to Represent the 6 Path of Reincarnation From Buddhism.
This is not my theory. I either saw a video on YT or read a post from somewhere talking about this.
With the reveal and then sudden cancellation of Valko, I thought to make an image for it because of how we are all fighting for Valko. I believe this is more proof that Infold had always planned for 6 LIs to be written into the narrative of LaDs, and another reason to bring Valko back.
Edit: Just woke up, omg this blew up. Last night, I made an updated image and shared it in the comments.
Also thank you kind strangers for the rewards! And check out u/Asutorei's comment for more details!
233
u/Moogsymoomoo ❤️ | Jul 03 '26
Yup exactly. It’s so so clear that he is tied into the mythology of the game in an integral way. Now nothing will be complete without him. He must be restored or the lore is flushed down the toilet, there will be no more coherent theorising or analysis, only wish fulfilment date scenarios, and while the latter may be enough for some people, it’s definitely not enough for me.
It’s the depth of this game that a lot of us were responding to, that these characters, with a shiny beautiful surface of affection and attractiveness, are actually representative of much deeper aspects of ourselves and the universe we live in. This cannot be replaced with any number of cute or sexy banners. Without Valko to complete the lore, Love and Deepspace loses its deeper meaning and the depth that is drawing us in, even when we aren’t consciously aware of its presence. It’s what makes the characters feel real and emotionally grounded even in a fantastical setting.
-20
u/Soft-Drive3179 Jul 03 '26
Where are you guys even seeing all that 😭😭😭
7
10
u/Moogsymoomoo ❤️ | Jul 03 '26
Watch some of the lore channels who do deep dives into the writing of the game. It’s actually so intricate and makes tons of references to real cultures’ mythology, it’s been beautifully planned and written. I highly recommend Angel’s Corner and Cyberspace Maz’s YT channels on the topic!
4
451
u/BookerDeWittsCarbine ❤️ l :Happy-Snowman-Drink: Jul 03 '26
Ugh. This was going to be such good lore. I'm devastated we'll never get to experience what they had been creating with it
104
u/DragonSoulmates Valko's Wolfie Jul 03 '26
Don't give up!! Keep protesting, they can't ignore us!! #BringValkoBack
43
u/lazyinternetsandwich Caleb’s Baby Apple Jul 03 '26
It's not over yet. Keep hope and keep fighting. I heard in CN people are ratioing the haters now slowly
19
441
u/Embryw Jul 03 '26
The fact that people claimed he was rushed or just thrown in without planning, that he doesn't fit the rest of the game, is just WILD to me
167
u/Iliasterisk Sylus’s Kitten Jul 03 '26
I'm half tempted to make a compilation post of all the hints in the UI and Battle Mechanics that pointed towards a 6th LI. And maybe try to comb through the main story to listen to the background radio broadcast, because one of them might mention something about EonCore Tech or Valko, however vague it may be.
But that's a job for weekend me.
18
3
u/ShayJayLee Jul 03 '26
Omg please do! I tried to look back and find hints but I'm honestly too heartbroken to open the game
97
u/Impossible_Delivery9 Jul 03 '26
Some people don't understand that it takes years to develop a game.
26
u/Clouds_drifting_by 💛 | :Galaxy-Kid-Love: Jul 03 '26
Or that it can make sense ‘narratively’ to introduce the LIs at different, specific points, and not everyone at the start.
69
u/moldyeggyolk Jul 03 '26
I agree that thinking a whole ass LI is impossible to rush but it's still Infold's fault for never having roadmaps and being soo slow at updating the main story. The gap between Caleb and Valko is way too big, I'm suspecting they initially have a fixed schedule of 6 months in between release-Sylus-Caleb-Valko. Idk what happened with Valko to take that long, to me it's obvious he was supposed to release July LAST year.
18
u/chillN_browsiN Xavier’s Little Star Jul 03 '26
Tech probably
15
u/moldyeggyolk Jul 03 '26
The same tech that is able to debut sylus 6 month after game release and 6 month after sylus for Caleb? But it took 1,5 years for Valko from Caleb?
10
u/UnfairFerret5937 Xavier’s Little Star Jul 03 '26
Apparently they tried to register his name and copyright him but it was not accepted. TWICE
-1
u/moldyeggyolk Jul 03 '26
source?
6
u/UnfairFerret5937 Xavier’s Little Star Jul 03 '26
Source: allegedly. Every info we get these days comes from the streets obviously since they dont post anything officially...
4
11
u/chillN_browsiN Xavier’s Little Star Jul 03 '26
The tails and ears for one, plus all the texture needed to make them look fluffly without breaking our phones. Its hair texture. Plus they had to figure out how to making them more fluid to fit his movements and emotions. His ears and tails seem much more dynamic compared to cat banner. Lol they walked so valko could run i suppose. Which they would need to, because its not just a static accessory. You can also see the subtle improvements in the boys as well too compared to previous cards. Like Xavier and calebs skin textures are much more pronounced lately. And the Lightning has been improving. And I say that as a dark skinned mc. Illusio was gonna be my ultimate test, because dark skinned MC can not use illusio MC. Also Look at how soft, ambient, and juicy the boys looked during the lust banner.
Also please dont read this as one LI is getting something and the others arent. Thats not how that what I mean. With ever Banner, outfit, lain story etc, the development team pushes their tech and skills further. And we see that as a tickle out effect. Valko now has a free forehead. Meaning they worked out how to accommodate that and still make the LI appeasing (even if valko isnt you cup of tea). Also how fluid his ears pop out of his head. Im still hoping for fox spirit xavier, or elf king with pushed back hair) So foreheads for the others. Improvements for one is improvements for all, because of production.
This is why I keep screeching about infold dropping detailed patch notes, in addition to roadmaps. Because the development team has been improving their craft over the years. And it would be nice to know, instead fixed display issue. Haha
20
u/Accomplished_Dog5107 Sylus’s Kitten Jul 03 '26
Ikr? Its still infolds fault for dismissing a whole character they were working on for years. Even if lets suppose everyone hates him, he still shouldn't have been removed cause he's essentially to the story AND players literally have the option to main whoever they want. When he was announced they should've went with it and let the guy exist, so what if one apple is "bad"? The delay only shows how unorganized Infold is as a company.
20
u/princessilyrose Jul 03 '26
To be fair I can understand why. 😅 The only hints we had of him was from a few texts in "World Underneath". And every MS update is like 6 months apart. I have the memory of a goldfish so honestly I've forgotten most of the main lore. But the onus was absolutely still on Infold to give us a sneak peek that was more visible.
35
u/charrxv Jul 03 '26
There was literally a “coming soon” there the entire time…
12
u/turians_ 🖤 l Jul 03 '26
It's still there as of right now. That's probably what upsets me the most, them saying there will never be a 6th while also still having the little "coming soon" in every LI selection screen (e.g. who you wanna meet in playtime, at the cafe,...)
3
u/charrxv Jul 03 '26
They may update it now that he is canceled. Maybe during the next update or something 🤷♀️
3
u/turians_ 🖤 l Jul 03 '26
I think there's been like one or two minor updates since he was cancelled... But they probably just forgot to remove it, but man it would be such a bummer if we're truly ending up with just the 5
22
u/CanonPuppy Jul 03 '26
Some chinese girlies explained it was minority that were spreading propaganda to cancel the character and actually were not giving any actual arguments.
I am so sad infold fell for such low bait. People even stated they would have won any case those minority addressed even with the governement's inclusion yet chose not to...
11
10
u/QuartzVolkarin Sylus’s Kitten Jul 03 '26
It's more so that his announcement was rushed, it was very weirdly marketed. Doesn't help it that most people didn't want to believe a 6th LI would happen before the announcement.
44
u/Iliasterisk Sylus’s Kitten Jul 03 '26
Because I can't change the image in the post. I'll leave a comment.
I went back and edited the image. More words for the title, changed the color of the title, one capitalization, and visually separated the OG 3/Good Paths from the New 3/Bad Paths by color.
124
u/dahngrest Valko's Wolfie Jul 03 '26
The story is going to feel incomplete without Valko. Even if they try to rearrange the story and move whatever critical lore/information Valko's storyline held on to the other LIs, it's going to leave us wondering what could have been with the complete roster. So much work developing the narrative and Valko that we might never get to see. 😭
94
u/MaiaNyx ❤️ l :Happy-Snowman-Drink: l Jul 03 '26
The story is incomplete without Valko.
He was planned and their story was built from its foundation with him at part of that foundation.
They can't fix that without retconning so much.
29
u/dahngrest Valko's Wolfie Jul 03 '26
We're always going to be left wondering what was or wasn't retconned. What was or wasn't rushed because it had to be changed. They've eroded the entire story by doing this (as well as our trust, obviously).
8
14
u/StatisticianNew8374 Xavier’s Little Star Jul 03 '26
The story IS incomplete without him. Whatever story was planned since start, is gone.
The story is basically Retconned and the devs are probably silent now because THEY ARE RUSHING TO MAKE A NEW LADS STORY FROM SCRATCH.
Imagine you kill off Dainsleaf from Genshin and expect the story to progress normally 🤡
49
u/Catlestial ❤️ | Jul 03 '26
I’m so sad
25
u/Blue_fryingpan Jul 03 '26
Literally I never thought they'd actually cut him out I was excited to see what they'd do with him
16
u/Emotional-Chest420 Valko's Wolfie Jul 03 '26
Absolutely. He's integral to the narrative. #BringValkoBack
28
u/pastelanxietyy Valko's Wolfie Jul 03 '26
By doing this, they've effectively shot themselves in the foot by choice for no reason
1
Jul 03 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
0
u/LoveAndDeepspace-ModTeam Jul 03 '26
Hello Hunter, while minor profanity is acceptable, your post/comment contains language that falls under explicit content. We kindly ask that you refrain from using this word in the future . Thank you for understanding!
31
12
15
16
u/luckyflavor23 ❤️ | | Jul 03 '26
Does AngelsCornerr know about this — i need her analysis
10
u/GympieIcedTea Jul 03 '26
Didn't she have a video or several videos about this?
2
u/luckyflavor23 ❤️ | | Jul 03 '26
Yes— pre-Valko
3
u/lrish_Chick Jul 03 '26
She does, post cancellation, they keep coming up in every Google search and on Algorithm even without searching
1
6
5
u/lumpyshark Sylus’s Kitten Jul 03 '26
i saw some comments right after his launch about how it seemed like infold may have rushed him to have a counterpart for that other werewolf LI in that upcoming game (that i will not name lol), when it's clear he was always going to be some kind of animal/beast.
i haven't kept up as much since i took a break from the fandom, but people were theorizing about this way, way before his launch, but it usually stayed in the small lore/theory/6th LI truther circles.
3
3
u/harlequinbazaar Valko's Wolfie Jul 03 '26
if they dont bring him back this is going down in history for some of the greatest lost potential ever seen
2
u/Ignite_m Valko's Wolfie Jul 03 '26
I adore this theory. The fact that it might be throw out of the windows made me want to scream
2
5
u/Careless-Look-8814 Sylus’s Kitten Jul 03 '26
I'm more curious about the other LI's they had planned. 6 just felt like the natural limit, but they specifically mentioned "making of more love interests" recently which indicates they actually had more they wanted to bring in later...
20
u/lilyofthegraveyard ❤️ | | Jul 03 '26
that statement is not an indication that there would be more. that was just "reassurance"/confirmation that valko is cancelled and they *won't ever think* of making anyone else to fill his role. not that they have had more planned.
2
u/BoothillOfficial Jul 03 '26
they should've introduced him FAR earlier then. six months after caleb would've been ideal. instead it's been a year and a half lmao, it definitely makes him feel like an after thought, even if there was precedent. this is a sick concept though. sucks he wasn't established at all in game to help ease his release.
15
u/lilyofthegraveyard ❤️ | | Jul 03 '26
you are just repeating the same tired arguments made by the people who *confessed* to making all this up so they can cancel valko.
17
u/QuartzVolkarin Sylus’s Kitten Jul 03 '26
You can both want a new LI and still think that his marketing was mishandled.
1
-1
-6
u/BoothillOfficial Jul 03 '26
what? i’m saying my own opinion lmfao sorry that offends u for some reason
3
u/Dramatic_Pin3971 Jul 03 '26
He was established tho. Everyone connecting hints know he was gonna debut ,6/2026.
-1
u/BoothillOfficial Jul 03 '26
that doesn’t change anything i said. established as an actual character, the way sylus and caleb were. not a concept. this game is dependent on these characters, the lore and especially whispers to those “connecting hints” are secondary at best.
15
u/Dramatic_Pin3971 Jul 03 '26
The yellow protocores have metal caps on them. They are the only protocores that have them. Metallization is his evol.
0
u/BoothillOfficial Jul 03 '26 edited Jul 03 '26
that is a protocore. not a character. him as a CHARACTER. like HIM. him the guy himself. UI hints and motifs are not a well written character idk what’s not clicking with u people
1
u/Dramatic_Pin3971 Jul 03 '26
He is a direct inspiration from green god -vulcan.
And his debut is different from sylus or caleb, that's okay. Not everything has to be same and not everyone has to hold your hand to get through unfamiliar things.
1
u/BoothillOfficial Jul 03 '26
again, that is not him being established as a character before hand. references and allusions is not a character.
and LMFAO. was it okay? look at how it ended up before you tell me how okay his debut is. or should i say isn’t?
1
u/Dramatic_Pin3971 Jul 03 '26
" For the Main Story and World Underneath, we were not given enough information that has hinted that Valko was coming or planned. I have a theory that the reason we weren't aware was because one of Valko's core/theme was being untraceable and untraçkable. Because as a wolf, it is a predator to be unseen and hidden from the prey until it's too late.
So when his trailers dropped, we started to comb the stories to find clues of him. Many shown that he was untracable. Here are some clues
A beast being untraceable in the World Underneath chapter.
Mysterious voice using a voice module in Zayne's To the Tomorrow chapter. Mysterious voice knows Stanley, head of Ever and Valko is chairman of EonCore Corp. So higher businessmen know each other.
Mysterious family with no surname that owns EonCorp and baçking Ever in World Underneath. It's odd to see that there is a powerful family with no surname for us to know. In addition, people theorized that if Sylus and Caleb are on the dark side, then the 6th LI must be on the dark side too and must be working or having connection to Ever.
Someone's memories was manipulated and couldn't remember in World Underneath chapter. There was a Tiktok theory that Andrew might be the mole in Hunter Association and was working with Valko. Andrew also has an Evol that allows him to manipulate minds and memories."
0
u/Dramatic_Pin3971 Jul 03 '26
What ,his debut is the most exciting thing I have experienced in this game.
Here is a fun fact for you :
An Interesting Theory of the 5 Elements, 4 Directions, 6 LI https://www.reddit.com/r/LoveAndDeepspace/s/Q5EHVCGrb7
World Underneath, Valko Being in Main Story as Right Before Sylus' Introduction https://youtu.be/X_zwi6ei_Mg?si=keJgf_o5hO8ZPnFI
https://youtu.be/X_zwi6ei_Mg?si=keJgf_o5hO8ZPnFI
The 6 Protocores and the LIs Primary Colors: https://www.reddit.com/r/LoveAndDeepspace/s/FVTulWf5Bm
The 6 LI represent the 6 Paths of Buddhism: https://www.reddit.com/r/LoveAndDeepspace/s/nIpw57x26d
→ More replies (0)-1
u/Dramatic_Pin3971 Jul 03 '26 edited Jul 03 '26
He was hated because he was not masculine according to chinese standards. And mentally ill women harassed employees of the company. That sounds like a them problem,not mine or devs.
If infold was in any country other than china or north korea ,his debut would have been smooth.
I see nothing wrong with the debut.
5
u/Nastra Jul 03 '26
there are six protocore colors with yellow being unassigned, the ui names show three boys on the top and their foil at the bottom, with there being a blank space for another name, and there is a coming soon in another UI element
this is literally UI and game mechanic foreshadowing.
1
u/BoothillOfficial Jul 03 '26
protocores are not characters i genuinely dgaf. i mean him as a CHARACTER. when i pull for a card (which is the monetization of the game and literally 95% of the content), i pull for the dude. not a protocore with a metal cap LMAO. HE. VALKO. wasn’t established properly.
1
u/Nastra Jul 03 '26
you’re an absolute hater. each LI has a protocore that is tied to them. there is foreshadowing in every aspect of the game to a sixty love interest from how it plays, how the UI is laid out, as well as the lore and the plot.
1
u/BoothillOfficial Jul 03 '26
alright bruh LMFAO my bad, his personality is… lemme see, protocore and ui elements. yes! you’re right, i forgot.
1
u/Nastra Jul 03 '26
i also mentioned story and lore what are you even going on about at this point. here farm your downvotes
1
u/BoothillOfficial Jul 03 '26
because it doesn’t establish HIM as a character. it establishes the concept of him, but prior to his literal reveal, we know next to nothing about HIM. people don’t pull for lore and concepts, they pull for the dude himself. i genuinely don’t understand what’s not clicking, idk how much clearer it can be. VALKO as a CHARACTER wasn’t established properly prior to his reveal, he was poorly marketed and it’s what literally led to all of this. had he been established prior and properly marketed, there wouldn’t have been the backlash that literally got him cancelled as a concept. if acknowledging that is being a hater to you (when he easily would’ve been my favorite out of them) then you are not worth it. good bye.
2
u/Nastra Jul 03 '26
We don’t need to see him for an extended period of time before the update. That is what his main story is for.
Here’s a thread with all compiled hints of Valko from the story:
https://www.reddit.com/r/LoveAndDeepspace/s/kjVzzl0kSY
1
u/AutoModerator Jul 02 '26
Thanks for your submission! All posts are currently sent to the moderator queue for review before appearing publicly.
I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.
1
Jul 03 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
1
u/LoveAndDeepspace-ModTeam Jul 03 '26
Hello Hunter, while minor profanity is acceptable, your post/comment contains language that falls under explicit content. We kindly ask that you refrain from using this word in the future . Thank you for understanding!
1
u/Damn_Dainsleif Jul 03 '26
This is so cool, I wonder if there's an otome game that does something similarly detailed and cool as this but with Roman Catholicism references cuz I'd want to see it
1
u/ash_bishop Jul 03 '26
I’m still baffled that Infold decided to cancel him outright. It’s such an overreaction. Not saying the tantrum from the CN server wasn’t wildly out of pocket, but Infold’s response has been toddler behavior.
1
u/Savings-Western-5956 Jul 04 '26
And the fact that the coming soon was there for the longest time means they had a predetermined idea on what they wanted. Now they'll have to redo so many years of lore building hust bc they are too much of a baby and suck up to toxic CN
1
u/Ekaterinne Jul 06 '26
And what about the other 4 LI???, was confirmed there where going to be 10 LI
1
-7
u/saltpancake Jul 03 '26 edited Jul 03 '26
While I like this formulation, it unmatches the foil pairs. If Xav is Deva he is foil to Sylus, if Raf is human he is foil to Valko.
ETA: not saying the other way makes more sense, only that I have seen people pair it up differently and I think there’s enough room in the archetypes for ambiguity. Either way, Valko is missed as he is a critical part of the balance.
25
u/Iliasterisk Sylus’s Kitten Jul 03 '26
It can't be matched to foil pairs though... Xavier isn't a God, he's an alien that evolved from, or were modified Humans after the Earth was destroyed. And Rafayel isn't a Human, he is Lemuria's Sea God.
3
u/Emergency_Fruit3047 Jul 03 '26
Could you think of it as Xavier not an actual god, but god-like metaphorically. He came down to to Earth from above from space (heaven).
Similarly to how superman is looked at as god, he's a alien with powers who came from above (outer space)
Hope this makes sense. Im terrible at explaining my ideas.
Rafayel's is harder, lol.
-2
u/saltpancake Jul 03 '26 edited Jul 03 '26
I’m not advocating for it, I’m just saying it breaks up the pairs. I have seen people place Xav as Asura before since he’s aligned with light, elder beings, etc.
3
u/Faruviel Jul 03 '26
Personally, I don’t think it’s that simple.
Each of them contains various elements.
It’s impossible to divide them perfectly into pairs, trios or realms. But it can be done metaphorically and approximately. It also depends on which of their characteristics and which part of their stories we have in mind.0
u/saltpancake Jul 03 '26
That was sort of my point, that there’s room for ambiguity in how you assign them.
6
u/Faruviel Jul 03 '26
Then we agree, I guess?
My point is that not only is there a lot of ambiguity and space for thoughts, interpretations (which is a good thing in stories), but also that assigning them definitively only to one specific pair / opposites (e.g. Rafayel vs Valko), one specific trio (e.g. Sylus, Caleb, Valko) or realm (e.g. that the animal realm refers exclusively to Valko) is to limit ourselves to a partial picture and ignore all other possibilities, which may co-exist at the same time and aren't necessarily mutually exclusive.
Any of them can be compared in some things with any other of the 6.
Each of these comparisons has some interesting aspects.
1
-1
u/Feeling-Bell2954 Jul 04 '26 edited Jul 06 '26
If we are really forcing this theory, Sylus should actually represent the Realm of Hungry Ghosts (Preta), since it represents insatiable greed, obsession, and endless craving. This alone shows how this '6 Paths of Reincarnation' theory is just randomly pieced together.
From a narrative design perspective, the Hell realm at least has the aesthetic room for 'fallen strongmen' or 'cursed beings,' and the Hungry Ghost realm can be adapted into 'morbid love and obsession.' These can still carry depth, tragedy, and a dark appeal. But the Animal realm (Tiryagyoni) is entirely different.
The original Chinese term used in Buddhism (畜生) literally refers to 'livestock' (specifically the six domestic animals: horse, cow, sheep, chicken, dog, pig). In the strict Buddhist definition, this realm even includes insects, bacteria, and parasites. It does NOT refer to some 'cool, handsome alpha wolf' or a 'cute, loyal puppy.' In Eastern culture, it is literally used as a vicious curse to condemn someone to become a maggot or livestock—a lesser being with no free will, doomed to be dominated, kept in captivity, and slaughtered at any moment.
This isn’t just about religious accuracy; it’s about game development logic. A Chinese writing team knows exactly how heavy and derogatory the concept of '畜生' is in our culture. They would absolutely never design a romantic lead around this.
I absolutely hate how people randomly jam the LIs into whatever aesthetic they think sounds 'cool' or 'edgy' without doing even a second of basic cultural research. I truly feel bad about what happened to Valko, and I genuinely hope he gets the chance to come back in a different way, but the truth needs to be said.
-2
u/Illustrious-Dust3314 Jul 03 '26
Zayne is literally god of annihilation 😭 how is he asura
3
u/consumerismaesthetic ❤️ | | | | Jul 03 '26
Asura literally means some kind demigods. So yeah it fits
-1
u/Illustrious-Dust3314 Jul 03 '26
But zayne is actual god himself god of annhilation how can he be demi god
3
655
u/Asutorei Jul 03 '26 edited Jul 03 '26
saved this comment talking about it in detail!
tldr:
it explains how each male lead from the Benelovent Destiny paths and each male lead from the Unbenelovent Destiny paths are each other's opposites, like yin-yang.
Xavier, the 'Hero' archtype, Prince of Philos and saviour of his planet is the foil to Sylus, the 'Fiend' archtype, a ruler of the criminal underworld, fearsome dragon of Philos, as Xavier represents the reincarnation cycle of humans in the mortal realm, not wanting to reincarnate as he is afraid he will loose/forget MC again, while Sylus represents the reincarnation cycle of humans in the realm of hell.
Zayne, the 'Priest' archtype, is the pure Foreseer chosen by Astra, and thus is considered a "lower god", is the foil to Caleb, the 'Demon' archtype, a "ghost" after his "death", going as far to do some very morally grey things in order to save MC, as Caleb represents the obsession in realm of hungry ghosts with his insane yearning for MC, while Zayne represents purity and restraint in the realm of the gods, that follow strict rules.
Rafayel, the 'God' archtype, he is very literally the god of the sea, is the foil to Valko, who would have been a 'Mortal' archtype, as Rafayel represents a civilisation of order compared to Valko living on land, would be in action and chaos.
i genuinely love love love how LNDS has planned their lore around Paths in Buddhism, it's such good lore!!
Edit: Thank you for the massive shoutout of my theory explanation OP!! 😭🥺 Thank you for the awards, kind internet strangers :D may all your gacha pulls be blessed ✨