Analysis of Sandrone's Backstory and Character Design

When discussing the story content of Luna IV, it is impossible not to mention a pivotal and highly popular character among Travelers—the "Marionette," Sandrone.

Why is Sandone So Popular?

As a character in Nod-Krai whose popularity arguably rivals only that of Columbina—her immense popularity even led to her Japanese voice actress gaining a massive surge in attention on YouTube, with her subscriber count skyrocketing dozens of times before the launch of Luna IV—her portrayal in this main storyline has elevated her overall character to new heights.

What makes this even more remarkable is that, as Sandrone is deeply connected to the legendary Fontaine figures Alain and Rene, whom I have mentioned multiple times in previous articles, the parts of the storyline involving her also encompass a vast amount of related content.

First, Sandrone's character continues the textbook tsundere persona established over the previous three versions. For example, she is clearly worried sick about Columbina, yet puts on an act of not caring at all after receiving good news.

Then comes Albedo's sharp retort.

And after the Traveler is successfully rescued and returns with the Wanderer, Sandrone is clearly overjoyed but still refuses to back down verbally.

Which then turns into the Wanderer's sharp retort.

Furthermore, while she is clearly extremely happy, she refuses to admit she was worried about the Traveler.

And is instantly called out by Arlecchino for it.

It should be said that this consistently tsundere persona is indeed one of the key reasons why Sandrone has gained such high popularity. However, in this storyline, the Marionette does not always play the role of the tsundere comic relief; on the contrary, she becomes another crucial commander and planner, second only to Varka. As I mentioned earlier, Sandrone is arguably the only person in Teyvat who can understand the research manuscripts of Alain and Rene and integrate their theories, which also makes the Marionette one of the most critical roles in the operation to save Columbina.

Such character development clearly adds more dimensions and depth to the character, as a person cannot have only a single facet. To be fair, while Sandrone's previous image leaned heavily towards being the comic relief—making her very memorable and popular—it also made her character somewhat one-dimensional, primarily because it was difficult to highlight her side as a Fatui Harbinger.

However, all the above issues are resolved in this main storyline. What we see now is someone who is both brave and resolute, willing to shoulder responsibility, cares deeply for her friends, and is ready to sacrifice herself to save others—although Miss Sandrone remains stubbornly insistent until the very end that she was not doing it to save anyone.

But I believe that after witnessing this scene, any player would feel respect for Sandrone—without a doubt, she has become a true human, and moreover, one of those exceptionally rare and noble kinds among humanity.

Analysis of World Formula in Genshin Impact

Next, let's talk about some interesting things mentioned in the texts when the Marionette was studying the old manuscripts of Rene, Alain, and others.

The log's owner here, Carter Scherbius, is actually the prototype of the Hilichurl Ranger Caterpillar, who escaped the Fortress of Meropide with us in Genshin Impact Version 4.1—he was an assistant to Rene and Jacob. Carter Scherbius suffered from an incurable illness with no treatment available (this is also described in the current storyline). With Jacob's consent, Rene attempted a physical ascension treatment on him. Tragically, Jacob succeeded, but Carter failed. It was because of this that Rene later created Caterpillar.

Then there are the texts regarding the World Formula, the miraculous formula Sandrone used to calculate the world's future and save Columbina.

And this World Formula is actually the computational model originally co-created by Alain and Rene—the legacy of super-geniuses from centuries ago still wields such immense power today, truly highlighting the immeasurable skill of Alain and Rene. Of course, it is also rare genius for the Marionette to build upon the foundations of her predecessors, integrating parts of Rene’s theories into what Alain had created. No wonder The Doctor, even in his current mentally troubled state, still expressed a degree of admiration for this former colleague.

The text in the game once again explicitly mentioned that the Narzissenkreuz Institute learned the method of Transcendence from Liyue and Sumeru, and it is clearly stated that even upon attaining godhood, one would still be bound by Teyvat’s fate, the Irminsul, or the ley lines.

Only by achieving Transcendence can one enter the infinite space and infinite stars—that is, the cosmos. This frankly tells players that even if The Doctor truly devoured the Authority of the Three Moons and became a genuine god, he would still be unable to accomplish his grand goal of becoming the "deity of a new world"—after all, he still cannot break free from the Irminsul and has completely forgotten about the Wanderer.

Here is an important text that clarifies the secrets of time in Teyvat. The protagonist of this story invented a time machine, and during his final journey through time, he arrived at the primordial Teyvat, a time long before Phanes had even appeared. There, he encountered someone exactly like himself. And according to this person—who seems to be his future or past self—time in Teyvat is structured in this manner.

Time in Teyvat does not fundamentally exist; it is a concept, not even the fourth dimension of the universe in our physics. Here, time corresponds to fate; time is an illusion of fate, an external manifestation. When we speak of transcending time, we are actually discussing transcending fate because fate is anchored by names, which anchor each individual. The reason Columbina can travel through time is that she entered the space behind the Lunar Gate—a prison created by Nibelung using the power of the Abyss to imprison the trinity of moon goddesses. The Abyss can corrode fate, which is why the Abyss can traverse time.

The text in this part of the storyline is truly fascinating, revealing and clarifying many past ambiguous theories and speculations. I believe any player interested in Genshin Impact lore would be quite excited upon reaching this point.

Sandrone's True Identity

Finally, there is the matter of Sandrone the Marionette's true identity. Based on the old photograph she produced, many speculate that she is Alain's sister, Mary-Ann, or at least has a very deep connection to Mary-Ann. After completing the main storyline, following the information provided by Arlecchino, if we go to the Traveler's room in The Flagship's tavern, we will find the research notebook/diary that Sandrone entrusted Arlecchino to deliver to us. 

It is clearly mentioned here that Sandrone is a doll created by Alain, with her personality template and appearance based on Alain's memories of his sister Mary-Ann. Thus, although Sandrone is indeed not Mary-Ann, to Alain, she isMary-Ann. This is precisely why Alain told her he hoped she would "do whatever she wanted"—words only a family member could say.

This passage, in my opinion, clearly reveals Alain's complex state of mind. Alain expresses sadness toward the "unknown," which is a very intricate sentiment. In my humble view, the Lord-Artificer likely thought this: Alain, as a true wise man and absolute pioneer among humans, felt on one hand that almost no one could keep up with his pace (likely related to his parting of ways with Rene), and on the other hand, harbored considerable uncertainty about the world's future.

Simultaneously, as a human, Alain deeply felt the limitations of human capability—this is probably the source of his sorrow. As indicated in the following passage.

In Alain's final days, he once asked Sandrone that question.

At that time, Sandrone's answer was, "I haven't found that yet." The text that follows is

This part, in my opinion, should be read in contrast with the earlier storyline. When Sandrone attempted to solve the problem using both Rene's and Alain's theories, she succeeded. However, when Arlecchino came to ask her about it, the Marionette said, "If Arlecchino's child, say Lyney, learned skills from someone Arlecchino deeply resents, how would Arlecchino feel?" Arlecchino replied she would feel proud because they have surpassed her.

I believe that the moment Sandrone finally used the World Formula to calculate a definitive result and accomplished it, Alain would likely have felt proud of her. And on the last two pages of the notebook, Sandrone left these words:

As the Traveler said, The Doctor lost because he never trusted anyone, while Sandrone succeeded—she not only found what she wanted to do but also accomplished it.

We look forward to seeing dear Miss Sandrone again in future versions soon. I believe many Travelers feel the same way! Remember to keep an eye out for new merchandise and articles on the site. See you next time!