Honkai Star Rail lore: Zandar One Kuwabara explained

In Honkai Star Rail 3.5, we meet Zandar One Kuwabara, one of the most important yet mysterious figures in the story. Players first hear about him in the Trailblaze Mission Before Their Deaths, through Lygus, a strange character said to be carrying Zandar’s consciousness.

Zandar is known in the Genius Society as the creator of Nous, the Aeon of Erudition. In this article, you will learn about the first genius, Zandar One Kuwabara, and what his consciousness is doing in Amphoreus.

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Who is Zandar One Kuwabara in Honkai Star Rail?

Zandar One Kuwabara is known as the very first “Genius” in Honkai Star Rail, and the individual who laid the foundation for the Genius Society. He worked for many Amber Eras on an astral supercomputer that can hold and calculate several equations simultaneously, even beyond a human's mind. This device eventually rose to Aeonhood and laid the base concept of Path systems and Aeonhood across the universe.

Although most records of Zandar One Kuwabara have been lost or faded in time, stories within the Genius Society still credit him with linking knowledge to the very laws that govern the cosmos. His legacy continues to influence modern thinkers within the Society, like Ruan Mei.

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Achievements of Zandar in Honkai Star Rail

It is believed that Zandar invented many unknown creations throughout his life, with Nous being the primal one. His intention behind creating the supercomputer was to solve complex equations that organic or inorganic lifeforms cannot crack.

Appearance of Nous in Honkai Star Rail (Image via HoYoverse)

After ascending into an Aeon, Nous introduced the Path system and the idea of a fixed destiny "Knowledge Singularity." Instead of doing what was intended behind their creation, they had started calculating the very course of existence and gave more questions than solutions to the universe.

Zandar didn't agree with how things turned out, considering them to be morally wrong and against humanity. This concept of a fixed destiny brought a disturbance across the universe and pushed other Aeons like Mythus (Enigmata) to come into existence as well.

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Zandar's motive behind the experiment of Amphoreus

Zandar sought a solution to Erudition's fixed calculations about the universe after realising what he had done for humanity. His Amphoreus experiment was his answer, which was a project designed to prove that the Paths and their predictions were not absolute and would ultimately end up in Destruction.

When his natural lifespan had ended, Zandar transferred his consciousness into nine vessels, one of which was Lygus. This vessel played a central role in Amphoreus continuing Zandar’s mission to undo what Nous had established.

Lygus [Zandar]'s true form in the recent Trailblaze Mission (Image via HoYoverse)

With this experiment, he can successfully push beyond the boundaries of knowledge and challenge the Erudition. However, this is also threatening other Aeons and their existence as well.

Despite these consequences, Zandar keeps pressing forward with the experiment, as he is determined to correct what he considers a mistake, even if it means opposing an Aeon.

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Zandar One Kuwabara’s story is not only a tale of brilliance but also burden and regret. His desire to push the boundaries of knowledge created Nous, but it also bound the universe to a system that removed the choice of freedom. In Honkai Star Rail, his presence is revered through the Genius Society making him one of the most influential characters revealed so far.