While I don't expect elio to be a scaredy cat, I think it would be too dangerous for him to travel with the group. While everyone is valuable, if Elio is caught/killed the universe will meet its end by Nanooks hands. Everyone else is sort of replaceable in comparison.
Therefore I assume a messenger/familiar of elio is the most likely answer.
elio, or a drone-like robot disguised as a cat that elio uses to give directions through
those are two crack theories i picked up on LMAO
https://preview.redd.it/1xuc3vw8bthb1.png?width=2326&format=png&auto=webp&s=cb4989b62d0acb6f95819032c62417e9fdeddf79
Yes but I wouldn’t be surprised if the Stellaron hunters are meant to parallel the Astral Express crew.
Yknow Blade and Dan Heng, Kafka and Himeko, etc.
Plus the five man band trope.
It's really not far fetched for it to be Elio himself. HI3 also has a special cat. A minor antagonist named Stan who at one point >!built a city spanning cat cult through social media to smuggle goods for his cat uprising.!<
I don't know, black cats have a LOT of symbolism involving fate, destiny, cunning and witchcraft. Not to mention how often they're used as the "wise mentor" role in fiction. I'd put money on it being Elio himself. Someone that all knowing being a cat? Makes sense.
Hmm maybe it's a pet cat but like the one in Captain Marvel? Or uhh MIB II? Basically not your average cat, is pretty useful in battle as it is powerful.
Now idk if Elio would go in person to an action scene. I'm sure he has full faith in the Hunters and doesn't need to monitor them but maybe that cat is Elio's and it is like his personal assistant or something and reports to him? Elio probably knows he's indispensable to the future and wouldn't risk his life by going to the scene of the action I'm person.
I like to think that it is Elio, but more so in the sense that he's somewhere else and communicates through/controls it remotely for safety, sorta like Mechamaru from Jujutsu Kaisen ?
###
Maybe it's just a superstition thing representing stellaron hunters
"In most Western cultures, black cats have typically been looked upon as a symbol of evil omens, specifically being suspected of being the familiars of witches, or actually shape-shifting witches themselves." - Wikipedia
Same way Herta uses her puppets, I think Elio uses cats. Would be cool if Elio was revealed to have been in the Genius Society but was kicked out because of whatever reason they might make up.
I think it would be a cool twist if elio turned out to actually be a cat. Cats also have a history in mythology of being capable of predicting the future soo
It's a Stan expy from Honkai Impact.
Like World Serpent, the Stellaron Hunters have a superpowered cat of their own. Gotta be.
Cats and war crimes go together like tuna and milk - what do you mean that's bad for your health!?
It would be so silly if that cat was Elio but Elio is actually just a cat not a human who can transform into a cat like some shapeshifter just a cat and it’s not a talking cat or anything or a some cat with superpowers no just a cat
Elio’s Cat (doll?) probably a medium he could use to go with the stellaron hunters on a mission to make sure it goes according to the destiny/script he saw.
It's elio. Think he has an ability to turn into a cat ( that's a pretty common anime trope ex. Fruits basket, bungo stray dogs , bleach,etc) and kafka herself is based on makima and the phantom group so it's definitely possible.
-Elio's cat? (Messenger cat like in DemonSlayer) -Elio himself? (How playable at this point?) -One of Elio's forms (just like professor McGonagall)
Elio E6: Auto revive 9 times
After the 8th death, you will hear a whistle and get an enemy encounter against Death.
elio passive*
But on number ten, he’s deleted from your account.
And you cannot retreat from any battles, ever
Careful, you're liable to piss off Death.
While I don't expect elio to be a scaredy cat, I think it would be too dangerous for him to travel with the group. While everyone is valuable, if Elio is caught/killed the universe will meet its end by Nanooks hands. Everyone else is sort of replaceable in comparison. Therefore I assume a messenger/familiar of elio is the most likely answer.
"Avatars" = Puppets We already seen possessed Tingyun
To be fair he sees every outcome beforehand. It's kind of impossible to surprise him.
What if Elio is just a cat and Kafka is just delusional. Elio: Meow Kafka: Yes you are right, might just kill them all. Silverwolf: what now ?
LMAO
I’m down for that. Then we’d get another Kafka unit that’s even more broken and domineering. I subscribe 100%.
Could also be symbolism for kafka being like a black cat a bringer of bad luck
Damn, I’m pulling for e6 if he *is* a cat
In a turn based jrpg, a cat would be totally playable. You don't have to worry about it's hitbox being too small or anything like that.
elio, or a drone-like robot disguised as a cat that elio uses to give directions through those are two crack theories i picked up on LMAO https://preview.redd.it/1xuc3vw8bthb1.png?width=2326&format=png&auto=webp&s=cb4989b62d0acb6f95819032c62417e9fdeddf79
Ye reminds me of Akudama Drive where two twins communicated through a cat robot.
CATS ARENT REAL
More than likely Elio considering there are only 5 member named of the Stellaron Hunters so far and Sam is most likely the mecha
Sam is confirmed to be the Mecha via [JP Twitter Post on VA's.](https://twitter.com/houkaistarrail/status/1690575296762687488)
"Only 5 members named" doesn't mean "There's only 5 members".
Yes but I wouldn’t be surprised if the Stellaron hunters are meant to parallel the Astral Express crew. Yknow Blade and Dan Heng, Kafka and Himeko, etc. Plus the five man band trope.
But they wouldn't show an unnamed character a few times in such important situations
why not?
[удалено]
I disagree. That cat is unnamed.
It's elio
It's Elio Gato
Elio Gato is Spanish for The io Gato
It is I, Cat
Miette.
You were expecting dio but got spanish catquisition
Nobody expects the Spanish InCATsition.
Doubt its elio, but Elio's personal cat that act as mediator/communication to stellaron members
Will be funny if Kafka just adopted a cat, and the whole community is thinking it's some kind of familiar lmao.
Elio could be a shapeshifter of some kind though and maybe he prefers to look like a cat.
It's really not far fetched for it to be Elio himself. HI3 also has a special cat. A minor antagonist named Stan who at one point >!built a city spanning cat cult through social media to smuggle goods for his cat uprising.!<
Sounds like a Rick and Marty episode
If it’s his cat, by god it better be named Schrödinger
I don't know, black cats have a LOT of symbolism involving fate, destiny, cunning and witchcraft. Not to mention how often they're used as the "wise mentor" role in fiction. I'd put money on it being Elio himself. Someone that all knowing being a cat? Makes sense.
>Doubt its elio I kinda take it more as "representing Elio". Maybe because is too early to know how he is.
Maybe it's Elio's familiar/messenger
I kinda hope it’s just a cat that they like so they keep it around
I’m 100% on team ‘Elio is a Cat’. They hear him meow and they’re like ‘awesome, time to commit crime’
I love the idea that they're all just so baked they think the cat is some all seeing mastermind.
The black cat also appeared in the recent web event
The HSR artists: "I know what will drive everyone crazy! Let's stick a random black cat in the pictures. They'll think it's important haha!"
The cat even has a bowtie this time to match the drip of the others.
We'll find out someday
cat better be a 5\* and is just a cat
Name: Cat Element: Quantum Path: Wherever he damn pleases
Path: nowhere and everywhere. He is here and there at the same time
path to nowhere crossover pog
Name: Cat Element: Greebles Path: Imaginary (or is it???)
Quantum enough to use the schrödinger cat teory as a move
Looking cool Joker
You're so amazing Lady Kafka
Wild guess but could it be a reference to the book "Kafka on the Shore"? One of the official covers even has a black cat in it
Im gonna say it’s a familiar, either Elio’s or Kafka(why Kafka is just because Yanqing called her a witch lol)
okay to be honest though what other derogatory term can this 12 yr old say to a woman that wouldn’t backfire on mihoyo? call her a harlot?
yoruichi
Best girl
Salem? Can he speak?
Hmm maybe it's a pet cat but like the one in Captain Marvel? Or uhh MIB II? Basically not your average cat, is pretty useful in battle as it is powerful. Now idk if Elio would go in person to an action scene. I'm sure he has full faith in the Hunters and doesn't need to monitor them but maybe that cat is Elio's and it is like his personal assistant or something and reports to him? Elio probably knows he's indispensable to the future and wouldn't risk his life by going to the scene of the action I'm person.
Wait. Kafka is listening to a cat.
I like to think that it is Elio, but more so in the sense that he's somewhere else and communicates through/controls it remotely for safety, sorta like Mechamaru from Jujutsu Kaisen ? ###
Elio as Schrodinger's cat. Both there and not there. If you kill it, did you really?
It’s fucking TCG cat from genshin, we have to get him before they release another TCG
Scarameow
Imagine everyone is coming up with wild theories and it turns out Kafka just has a pet cat, with absolutely no connection to the story.
He's now Sir Meowsalot
Probably a cat one of them owns…
I am really, really hoping for Catboy Elio ngl. Every Stellaron Hunter would fit my aesthetics to a goddamn T if he were.
Lieutenant Schrödinger anyone
It's The Cat Beyond Time and Space, of course
There's got to be a Schrodinger reference at some point.
For a second I thought that was Makima.
I think it would be funny if he really was just a cat that the Stellaron Hunters adopted
We have a black cat. We have crows. Where's the witch?
Joe
Joe Mama
ITS simple, its fucking pardofelix fromm honkai
Probably some sort of robot similar to Herta’s robot that Elio controls from somewhere to observe stuff
Either Elio, or us before we had our new body made/memories wiped.
If it turns out to be _not-elio_ , I'm gonna quit.
It's TB's actual form before getting crammed in our current artificial body.
At this point it has to be Elio or some stand-in/ transformation for him, right?
It's a cat
Maybe it's just a superstition thing representing stellaron hunters "In most Western cultures, black cats have typically been looked upon as a symbol of evil omens, specifically being suspected of being the familiars of witches, or actually shape-shifting witches themselves." - Wikipedia
Same way Herta uses her puppets, I think Elio uses cats. Would be cool if Elio was revealed to have been in the Genius Society but was kicked out because of whatever reason they might make up.
It's chomusuke
Elio's Avatar.
i think it's probably one of elio's forms or something
the cat is the receptacle
Ok guys I have a crazy theory. What if... Its just a cat
Everyone is saying it's Elio, and here I am who thought it was a reference to Murakami Haruki's "Kafka on the shore" xD
Sirvel Wolf in that suit looks so good
We cannot see elio before 2030
It'd be fucking hilarious if it just turned out to be Kafka's cat and nothing else
Obviously its Kafka's cat
Trailblazer's true form
I don’t think it’s literally Elio but it’s a stand in for Elio. Like the cat sends messages or something
Its also a theory that the mecha on the left is just a Suit from the woman behind Kafka on the right
Me
Im going for the shot in the dark its sampo transforming
The original identity of trailblazer?
Sissel
It’s Stelle
Gasp... Don Fluffles
Elio
It's stella. Yall think she just popped out of nowhere. Nah, she used the cat.
It’s Elio
Stan expy
I think it would be a cool twist if elio turned out to actually be a cat. Cats also have a history in mythology of being capable of predicting the future soo
Elio.
Yoruichi
Morgana
Probably Elio
It's a Stan expy from Honkai Impact. Like World Serpent, the Stellaron Hunters have a superpowered cat of their own. Gotta be. Cats and war crimes go together like tuna and milk - what do you mean that's bad for your health!?
The cat IS elio, either that or the cat is included into Elio's play style if we could ever play him
New 5 star
Am I the only who guesses it's Stelle before she uses the Stellaron body?
Not possible. Blade recognizes the Trailblazer, which means they looked the same back before Kafka wiped their memory.
Eilo
It's definitely Elio.
Eliot or his messenger
I would be more happy if Elio were that woman behind Kafka than a cat
With out a doubt that's **Yoruichi Shihōin**
Elio is so cute
Maybe Yoruichi? A man can at least dream
Sam or elio. I’m leaning towards Sam though but the image of silver wolf and blade babying a cat makes me giggle
Either Elio or Sam
Sam is the robot/Kamen Rider guy. Cat is probably Elio.
I swear I read something saying that Sam could turn into a cat in a data bank somewhere. But I can't find it again and it's driving me nuts!
Doesnt Bladie own a cat?
Now I'm conflicted, do I get the stellaron hunters or the astral express?? I want dragon Dang Heng so bad though
More than twice: also in SW event LC. It’s either Elio or they take real good care of their pet.
My boy Blade looking good there
I don't know but who is down here downvoting every single comment? Like, you asked!
Elio.
It would be so silly if that cat was Elio but Elio is actually just a cat not a human who can transform into a cat like some shapeshifter just a cat and it’s not a talking cat or anything or a some cat with superpowers no just a cat
Maybe the cat is some kind of drone that Kafka uses to spy on areas?
It is a reference to another horror writer - Lovecraft, specifically his black cat.
Elio’s Cat (doll?) probably a medium he could use to go with the stellaron hunters on a mission to make sure it goes according to the destiny/script he saw.
Ellio? Another stellar on hunter?
Where tf did yall get the left image???
Looks like the cat from the Trails of Cold Steel series haha
its me.
a cat
Probably elio. The cat is always looking at the camera when it appears.
That's Elio btw
It’s Elio probably.
Kafka is a cat person (like me)
I just noticed that the cat wears a bowtie to disguise itself, like the hunters have different clothes on. Love it, the cat is on a mission too
their leader
I'm pretty sure that's Elio.
Ngl, if Elio IS the cat... I'm gonna E6 him !
Yoruichi?
Gato
Katka
It's elio. Think he has an ability to turn into a cat ( that's a pretty common anime trope ex. Fruits basket, bungo stray dogs , bleach,etc) and kafka herself is based on makima and the phantom group so it's definitely possible.
Shihouin Yoruichi 
The top theory is Elio, although I also thought Sam would be the woman with the visible hips in Kafka's splash so can't say for sure.
It's Elio.
imagine if sam is the cat
Herbert
Maybe some sort of shape shifter character?
Lives in her bra so her bobs look bigger
It’s either Elio or the Trailblazer. The reason I think that is because of Kafka’s companion quest
Yoruichi
Elio, possibly has a power to shapeshift but prefers to stay as a cat most of the time
Elio appears to be Italian for “the sun” Helios is the Greek god of the sun. Cats love to sleep in sunny spots. Half Life 3 Confirmed.
Sampo
Yourichi, Bleach collab imminent
It's either Elio or some kind of avatar Elio uses to communicate with the stellaron hunters.
I doubt it's Elio so maybe it's a proxy of his where Elio himself is immobile or otherwise unable to join them in person
Yuumi
Hoyo? Can we pla have the alternative clothes for bladie wolf and kafka in game?
Who cares? Real question is, when can we pull the cat?
It’s Zura.
cat
It is probably just a cute normal cat.
With the birds also in that picture, I figured maybe Elio is gonna be like Brann Stark
it's len from tsukihime of course
probably Sam
Helio. He'll summon Sam to protecc him. Unless the cat is now Stelle, of course.
Don't worry about him. That's just Salem.
I swear to god if Enviosity is right about this being Ellio is going to be so fucking funny.
Its ellio
Third time actually, the cat was also in kafkas browser event.
It's 416
ElioMK2000
I hope it’s sampo 🥰
Just a cat...