Talk:Sora/@comment-2601:184:4A80:D144:F4B7:955A:4ED3:B14D-20180224165807/@comment-26445048-20180225041057

tl;dr they are almost certainly reincarnations

Personally, at least for me, one of the biggest reasons why I believe this reincarnation theory to be true is that, if it wasn't, then it doesn't make much literary sense for the author to devote an entire volume of what is only now a 9-volume series to something that is entirely unrelated to the main characters. Generally in literature such major and detailed sub-plots usually relate back to the protagonists one way or the other, even if initially unclear. Besides, they even made a movie out of it, so it's not like Riku and Schwi's story is something minor or an aside. Additionally, the character backstories of Sora and Shiro have essentially been left pretty much unexplored. For me, this isn't a coincidence - because, if in due time, the two are revealed to be Riku and Schwi reincarnated, then volume 6/the movie essentially becomes their backstory - adding a whole new level of depth to their character in the process.

Secondly, and perhaps the most importantly, it doesn't make much sense for Yuu Kamiya to craft up Riku and Schwi's characters in such a way that that readers start to assume that Sora and Shiro are their reincarnations (because that's the logical conclusion you get with characters so similar) and then for him to pull a 180 later and say "haha, too bad reincarnation doesn't exist in this world, get bamboozled!" - like, there is no point in him doing that. Basically, if Riku and Schwi are genuinely unrelated to Sora and Shiro, there's no reason remaining in making them carbon copies of Sora and Shiro. For me at least, the parallels go far, far beyond than Tet "changing the story a little to make Riku seem more like Sora". The two duos are literally mirror images of each other at this point, from appearance, to personality, to relationships, to even the little easter eggs like how Shiro's crown corresponds to the spinner thingy Schwi has on her head, Riku/Sora's comic gag about being a virgin, their identical ages (or at least 211 vs 11 for Schwi/Shiro), the motif of them holding hands etc. And the subtle hints such as how Schwi wished "next time" they won't part and now they physically can't part, Tet's message of "have you siblings ever felt as if you were born into the wrong world?", etc. There must be a point, plotline-wise, to all this; otherwise, he might as well have went with completely original characters.

My personal explanation (and I think it makes sense) is this: Yuu Kamiya wants audiences to play with the idea of the pair being reincarnated, but he still wants to - at least as of now - maintain plausible deniability and not confirm it. He does this by making Tet say reincarnation isn't possible in Disboard (leaving the loophole) and how Tet changed Riku "a little bit". There are several potential reasons why Kamiya does this: there are plenty of plot reasons why Sora/Shiro can't know this information yet, or he's setting up a grand reveal, or he wants Riku and Schwi to play the 'tragic' character without a happy ending for a little while longer. He does want the tale told ahead of time, though, for the reader to contemplate on and to make the reveal more powerful - Kamiya achieves this through having Tet tell the story to Izuna when Sora, Shiro and Jibril are conveniently not around (otherwise not tell all of them - they are the protagonists after all?). Admittedly, I haven't read the light novel, but I will bet that Izuna never tells what she knows to Sora and Shiro afterward, thus keeping the dramatic irony effect going as well as a certain sense of foreshadowing.

I personally believe that Sora and Shiro learns and remembers their past selves right before or immediately after they defeat Tet to become the 'One True God' (let's face it, they're not losing). I say this because there are definitely parallels between Sora and Riku's respective quests in conquering Disboard even if their motives are slightly different. My pet theory is that Tet invited the duo back to Disboard under a new guise because he secretly believes that Riku/Schwi are the 'rightful' owners of the One True God title (reasons I discuss below). Such a scene would be more emotional and more powerful symbolically because audiences then know of the immense hardships not only Sora and Shiro but also especially Riku and Schwi have had to go to in obtaining it. It's also a fitting end, with the culmination of the light novel setting the canvas as a perfect opportunity for the author to tie in the events of the movie, currently more or less a separate reality, into the greater Disboard story arc.