Is the Honkai: Star Rail storyline hidden this deeply? The mystery of Himeko's death left in version 4.0 was actually foreshadowed right at the game's launch.

After entering the Second Phase Paradise in Honkai: Star Rail version 4.0, both the main storyline and the map Easter eggs were very enjoyable. Even though the main story takes nearly seven hours to complete, players still felt it was not enough. However, not all of it was lighthearted; at the end of the main plot, a major bombshell was dropped — the navigator of the Star Rail, Himeko, had actually died a long time ago.

Once this information was revealed, players who had been enjoying the story suddenly wore expressions like the Trailblazer — utterly shocked. It seemed unbelievable: if Himeko died 15 years ago, then who repaired the Star Rail and accompanied us on the pioneering journey? Did she come back to life, or are there actually two Himekos in the Honkai: Star Rail universe?

With such questions, players began to scrutinize all the in-game texts related to Himeko. Given the meticulousness of Honkai: Star Rail’s writing, such a major plot point surely wouldn't be without any hints. Some players compiled all known information about Himeko and analyzed it along the timeline, discovering that this foreshadowing had actually been laid down since the game’s launch.

The most obvious clues appear in Himeko’s character story, which mentions phrases like “journey’s end,” “smiling farewell,” and “never losing again,” all of which strongly suggest that Himeko’s past involved some significant, possibly tragic event.

In Himeko’s third character story, there is a line that says, “It is memories that form the path she came from.” Initially, this seemed unremarkable, but after the Ong Pharos update, when we learned about the fate of "memories," this line feels like a hint that Himeko, like the Trailblazer, is influenced by the Stellaron and exists in another form.

Besides the character stories, Himeko’s Light Cone also contains hints. Named “Night on the Galactic Railroad,” the title is likely not just a simple reference to the fantasy novel of the same name, but rather a metaphor for Himeko’s background, consistent with Honkai: Star Rail’s tendency to embed subtle meanings in names.

The novel Night on the Galactic Railroad tells of a boy who rides a train traveling through the galaxy in a dream, meeting his friend on board. They tour together, but when the train arrives at the station, the friend disappears. The boy then wakes up to realize the truth: his friend had drowned trying to save a classmate.

In Himeko’s first character story, the text describes her as if she climbed out of the sea after falling in, which led her to encounter the stranded Star Rail. In the third story, the line following “memories form the path she came from” is “only to eventually return to the sea at the starting point.” Taken together, this feels less like a hint and more like a clear revelation.

Apart from Himeko-related texts, even the coffee she brews seems to be a subtle design detail. Previously, players joked that Himeko’s coffee tastes awful, capable of knocking out even the Trailblazer, who carries a Stellaron inside. Yet Himeko drinks it with great enjoyment, which might hint that her physiology is somewhat unusual.

All of the above are players' interpretations based on in-game texts. Whether Himeko really died 15 years ago remains uncertain, especially since she questioned Ryunosuke, suggesting there is more to their past yet to be uncovered. We will have to wait for the 4.1 version’s storyline to reveal more.

What do you all think about the cliffhanger left at the end of Honkai: Star Rail’s 4.0 main storyline?