The game is trying to say that Himeko is a Exclusive Character from HSR and has nothing related to Hi3rd. She IS a completely new character, according to her lore! But at the same time Hoyoverse keep trowing details at us, like theyre trying to say that SHE IS Himeko from Hi3rd. Dont get me wrong, being a new character is great but at this point i dont know what to think about her, specially with all these details.
Here i have some examples:
1- Her Interaction with SURTR fragments, back at Herta Space Station: "You hear someone sobbing, someone yelling, and someone mourning wordlessly. Finally, someone whispers... She was reborn in the fire. She was smiling in the fire."
So, about this one. For some reason i decided go back at Hi3rd Chapter 25, to check this specific dialog between Himeko and Kiana, where Himeko tells her about the her mother's funeral.
"You remind me of myself as a child. At my mother's funeral, I cried my eyes out holding my father's hand and refused to leave. In the end, everyone left but us. After a long time, he patted me on the head. I looked up and saw his red eyes. Unlike me, he only shed silent tears."
Lets consider FOR A MOMENT what Hoyo has been doing, that theyre trying to make us believe that Our Navigator is the same Himeko from Hi3rd. The three people she hears in this Interaction are: Child Himeko, Her father and Kiana who was also crying in the cutscene!
2- Another small detail came in Penacony back at Version 2.2. Before the first Boss Fight with him. The Firs part of it i believe, when he starts asking questions to the MC, if you talk to Himeko she will say this:
"I often feel like I've dreamt of similar scenes on certain nights. In the dream, I see blurry faces. I don't know who they are, but I sympathize with all of them, fighting for survival against some unfathomable force... Their confusion and fear are lucid to me... But I also remember they chose never to give up — just like Miss Robin."
She clearly isnt talking about the students from Graphia Academy OR the people from Dovebrook District, who were trying to run away from the Herald of Death to save their lives, not fighting against it. This could be her referencing Captain Ragna, whitout knowing.
3- Her memory!! Again!! I said it before and i will say it again!! She has memory problems. Ok, fine! It doesnt look like a big deal, and to be honest its nothing serious. She mentions it in Penacony when telling us about her dreams. Evanescia knows Himeko from the previous Phantasmoon Games aparentelly, but Himeko doesnt recognize her. WHY? What is going on with her? This even made think about her SP Paths being tied to it and could be Rememberance or even Nihility.
Rememberance because of the signs in Hi3rd, for example, back in Arc City when she appears to Kiana followed by that Glass shattering effect we have in HSR. And in Chapter 25, the Zone where they are is a "copy" of St. Freya made with her memories, and its covered by snow and everything around them seems to be frozen at first. And lets not forget about the encounter Kiana had with a Memo Keeper not long ago.
For Nihility, im comparing her with Acheron. They both dont feel the taste of food, wich can explain her coffee and her food. Because she cant taste any of it, she obviously doesnt know how bad they are. Her bad memory being another effect.
AND FINALLY...
4- VERSION 3.8!!
This one is the worse!
Version 3.8 was all about the Truth of what really happened in Penacony. Things finally made sense. And Yes, Hoyo did it again! Right at the fight against Sunday! There are moments where the character talk to Sunday. Everyone has something to say to him. But only the MC and Himeko had it diferent. Right above Himeko's name theres a "TO THE MOON" written, and what she said to Sunday has to be THE BEST PROOF on her true Identity and what Hoyo is trying to do:
"Tomorrow, people will know that THE WORLD WILL STILL WELCOME COUNTLESS MARVELS WORTH FIGHTING FOR!"
Another reference to Ragna. In Chapter 25 Himeko shares with Kiana a story about a letter written by Ragna, to her comrades. And at the end of the letter she writes:
"WE FIGHT FOR THE GOOD THINGS IN THIS WORLD WE DEEM IMPORTANT. They mey seem small, insignificant, and that's only because they are seeds."
Another strong reference to Hi3rd. But why are they doing this?? Honestly, if theyre doing this shit just to mess with people, it would be cruel actually, for all the Hi3rd Himeko fans out there. I myself being one, and this is why im writting all of this. About SP Himeko's design, they probably showed us already. On one of the bilboards you can easily find around Duomension City, theres a huge one where you can see three characters. Theres a woman wearing White Clothes, wich could be Graphia now that we know about the 4.3 Boss.
Well, thats all! I hope you guys find this "theory" usefull, and please, let me know what you think.