[Wanderer]

Originally Posted by Jan-Poo

Yasu didn't do that, unless you assume that Yasu=Ikuko to begin with, and then that becomes circular logic.

Who cares if it's circular. Everything has to rest on some kind of circular logic. In most stories we'd have the luxury of assuming everything we are presented, at least, to be true. In Umineko we don't. I'd say what we should be looking for is the most "elegant" circle that balances both theme and plausibility.

That being said, I really appreciate Patchwork's thematic argument against my Touya=random theory, although I'm not sure I understand it fully.

Originally Posted by Jan-Poo

I think being an exceptional speedreader is the most relevant part.

Where was it said Battler was a speed-reader? You mean this part from EP5?

Spoiler:

".........I'm impressed. ......You must read a lot, ......don't you, Battler-san?"
"Books? I don't read those at all."
".........You liar. ......You know......quite a lot, don't you?"
"I'd never say something as arrogant as 'I read books'. ......'I read books' isn't something a person who only reads about a hundred per year should say so lightly, don't you think......?"
"Y, ......you mere......piece........."

In EP5 in particular Battler did a complete 180 in the competence department, so I tend to view the authenticity of his depiction in EP5 skeptically. From the standpoint of my theory it is pretty easy to imagine that Battler never was a speed reader but because Touya was a speed reader "Battler" in the stories became one, too.

Plus Battler was being sarcastic anyway. Even if Touya and Battler are the same person I would still take this comment of Battler's with a grain of salt.

Originally Posted by Jan-Poo

You're assuming that she's Yasu

If Touya isn't Battler, and Ikuko isn't Yasu, then where's all the information to write the forgeries coming from?

Originally Posted by Patchwork Chimera

Maybe because, in the great scheme of things, the REAL Battler was unknown even to the authors in all the levels of narration. Even to himself! It was an ideal to Yasu, the old personality of an amnesiac to Ikuko, and a lost personality to Tohya. Aside of some important clues about the murder case, nobody really knew Battler. And Ange last saw him 12 years ago

Well, Touya claimed that he clearly remembered everything about Battler's life before the Rokkenjima incident. IIRC correctly, in order to prove it to Yukari he mentioned how she still had those hair ornaments she got from Battler, and how she used to hate... peppers, was it? And that was enough to convince Yukari (though I personally would want a bit more than that). He also claimed that for some reason he couldn't remember the days of the Rokkenjima incident clearly.

Of course he could be lying about any of this. I especially suspect the part about him not remembering the incident clearly, because if (assuming he really is Battler) something really awful happened that day that he didn't want Yukari to know about then of course he'd hide it.

In any case, assuming Touya really is Battler, it seems probable that Touya knew Battler's past very well and should be able to write about it. Yet whoever is writing these stories (besides maybe EP5) seems to know a lot more about Yasu than they know about Battler. Heck they even seem to know a hell of a lot more about Maria than about Battler.

All other things being equal, Yasu seems to be a more likely author of Banquet and Alliance than Battler. Actually, Eva seems to be the most likely author of Banquet if not for Ange saying in EP6 that "Itouikukuro Reigonamu" wrote it.