Genshin Impact: Itto’s Story and How He Got His Vision
Table of Contents
Arataki Itto’s Lore
Arataki Itto is a delinquent through and through. Though he is not an outright villain in Genshin Impact, his reputation in Inazuma isn’t too good either. It’s to the point that some mothers would use him to make children behave by saying ‘he’ll come and steal your snacks’. Unlike the other threats of the Great Mujina taking them away or being inlaid upon the Shogun’s statue, the threat concerning Itto is likely to happen. Whether this makes it more effective or not is the mother’s problem.
Despite Itto ‘stealing’ their snacks, children actually love playing with him. He will take any game seriously, giving it his all and not holding back because they’re children. It’s something the kids appreciate, so even if they lose their snacks, they know that it was done fairly. They also appreciate Itto’s extensive knowledge of games and especially love Onikabuto Battling. At least with that game, they have a good chance of winning, unlike some other physically-oriented games.
When Itto’s not playing with the kids, he usually hangs out with the Arataki Gang. Their bonds are real even though they don’t agree about when they were founded. Akira argues it was the time Itto saved him from some ruffians. Genta and Mamoru say it was the time they all roasted some Lavender Melons near the end of the year. Kuki Shinobu adamantly believes it was the first time the name ‘Arataki Gang’ ended up on the papers. Among these arguments, Granny Oni only believes that they are ‘Itto and his friends’.
The argument even extended to what they could do early as a celebration at the end of the year. While roasting Lavender Melons was fine, eating only that as a ‘celebration’ wasn’t. An Onikabuto festival idea was also put on the table, but it wouldn’t be too exciting as it wouldn’t be mating season. That meant the bugs won’t be too energetic for a festival. The gang decided to draw lots, and the Great Singalong was chosen. It was Itto’s idea, and though the others were wary of it at first, they had fun singing and screaming against the wind. Surprisingly, Itto has a nice singing voice as well.
About a quarter of his days is dedicated to working odd jobs if only to put some Mora in his pocket. That, to him, means working for a day and spending the next three at his leisure. He doesn’t consider himself as unemployed, merely being ‘three-quarters unemployed’. The Tenryou Commission doesn’t consider his position as head of the Arataki Gang as a legitimate job, after all.
As for his allergy, it’s something all oni, from time immemorial, have had. Despite the oni blood thinning out over time, this allergy hit Itto quite hard. Where another oni would only get a mild rash, Itto gets the symptoms of difficulty breathing and itchiness all over. This makes him wary of the stuff, though one incident does come to mind.
Upon coming to his favorite food stand, he found Guuji Yae sitting on ‘his’ seat. After an argument on who the seat belongs to, it led to a ramen eating contest. Itto gave Yae the choice of food, to which she decided on kitsune ramen. The oni balked when he realized it contained Fried Tofu, but he bravely forged on with his pride on the line.
He won the battle (and the seat), but he was bedridden for a whole month in the aftermath. Afterward, he can’t look at Fried Tofu without becoming queasy for three days straight. Itto’s consolation is that the Guuji had to foot the bill for 32 bowls of ramen.
Two other contests of his that weigh on his mind all involve tengu. One is his rematch with Kujou Sara, which the latter keeps on refusing. The other was an argument with a young tengu when he was younger himself. The argument led to a sumo challenge, which then resulted in them rolling down a mountain. With a sprained ankle, the tengu had to carry Itto home and that left the match undecided.
Every Inazuman knows the story of the Blue Oni and the Crimson Oni. They were the best of friends even if they had polar opposite personalities. The red one wanted to befriend humans, while the blue one wanted to be left alone.
Wanting to help his friend, Ao, the blue oni, devised a plan to help Aka, the red oni. Ao would cause a ruckus and a bit of trouble, while Aka will chase him away, earning the praise of the humans. The plan went off without a hitch, and the humans accepted Aka as a friend.
Wanting to share the celebration with his friend, Aka went to find Ao, but he only found a letter addressed to him. Ao left, so Aka can keep his reputation untarnished. He sacrificed himself, so his friend can enjoy company with the humans.
During his Story Quest, you’ll find out Itto is a descendant of this Crimson Oni. He takes pride in his heritage and bloodline, and so sets out to find the truth of an ‘oni stealing and kidnapping people’. As you progress through the quest, you’ll see that Itto may be a little slow on the uptake, but when push comes to shove, he can get things done.
His belief in his pride may be shaken at times, but someone always comes along that confirms that belief. Those people let him continue to be who he is, and that’s something that won’t change.
The end of his quest gives a different ending for Aka and Ao. Aka didn’t let the letter stop him, and set out to find Ao. Upon realizing that Ao has been avoiding him, he left a letter, inviting Ao to a human celebration. Ao went to the festival but hid in the shadows, envy and hunger swirling in his gut. As he turned to leave, Aka was behind him all along, and he got pulled into the light, giving a happy ending for the both of them.
How Itto Got His Vision
As far as receiving Visions go, Itto got his rather anticlimactically. He just woke up one day with it under his hip. Excited, he showed it to everybody, his dad, his mom, Granny Oni, and everyone he met that day. He repeated the story so much, everyone almost got sick of hearing it.
It takes a few days for the story to change. He’ll brag about it, saying that it’s a given for the head of the Arataki Gang to have a Vision. Later, he’ll somewhat change his tune, saying that a Vision doesn’t decide a person’s worth. No matter what, Itto actually prizes his Vision very much, even if he lost it for a time.
As Itto is an oni, perhaps human standards don’t apply to his receiving of a Vision. However, Celestia saw his steadfast nature and will to stay true to himself and his pride as an oni. That is the most likely reason to give him a Geo Vision.
Interestingly, despite other Vision users losing their ambition after having their Vision taken away, Itto didn’t exhibit these symptoms. Bulletin boards were littered with his messages calling out for a rematch with Kujou Sara. What made him different, we’ll never quite know.
At any rate, enjoy Genshin Impact!
