Pyra

Lore & Background

Pyra is an alternative persona created to limit the immense power of the original Aegis, Mythra. Five hundred years after being sealed away, she was discovered by Rex, a salvager who became her Driver after bonding when he was mortally wounded by Jin. Upon examination of her container, Pyra implanted part of her Core Crystal into Rex's chest. While Pyra is gentle and calm, she exists as two personalities sharing one body with Mythra, switching control at different narrative points. At the conclusion of Xenoblade Chronicles 2, both personas sacrifice themselves to prevent the World Tree from destroying Alrest but are later resurrected in separate bodies to provide a conclusive ending.

In Their Own Story

In Future Redeemed, an expansion for Xenoblade Chronicles 3, it is revealed that Pyra and Rex had a child named Glimmer. This follows her appearance in a photograph near the end of Xenoblade Chronicles 3 alongside Mythra and their teammate Nia, where they are shown to have each had a child with Rex; however, the identity of Mythra's child remains unknown. Originally, Monolith Soft executive producer Tetsuya Takahashi stated that Pyra and Mythra were not intended to return after their sacrifice, leaving the game's ending ambiguous with only Rex's glowing Core Crystal visible. They were brought back specifically to give the story a more definitive conclusion.

Reader's Guide

In Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, released in March 2021 as downloadable content, Pyra and Mythra appear as a single joint playable fighter capable of switching between forms during battle. For this crossover title, their designs were revised under director Masahiro Sakurai to be less sexualized for an all-ages audience; Pyra received black leggings to reduce thigh visibility, while Mythra gained additional covering around the chest and legs. Gameplay-wise, Pyra specializes in slower, high-damage fire-based attacks, whereas Mythra focuses on faster, combo-oriented light-based abilities. This dual-mechanic was chosen over including Rex separately due to technical constraints that prevented two distinct characters from sharing a slot.

Did You Know?

• Pyra was originally named Homura in Japan, meaning 'flame', while her name Pyra is derived from 'pyre' to evoke fire in the English localization.
• Good Smile Company released a 1/7 scale figure of Pyra in December 2018, followed by Mythra's figure in March 2019.
• Masatsugu Saito designed Pyra with intentional asymmetrical details, such as uneven glowing elements and an uncovered back, to symbolize her incomplete nature alongside Mythra.
• The late streamer Etika previously referred to Pyra and Mythra as his 'waifus' before their inclusion in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate was announced.