I’m not going to lie to you, I am not a fan of shows that are overtly dark or filled with depressing themes. This sounds hypocritical because my top 3 favorite anime include Puella Magi Madoka Magica, which is very much despair galore all around. But I think a better way to put it is that I can’t stomach grim undertones in subversive shows. This is why Made In Abyss always made me uneasy. Hell, we don’t even know what happened to Lyza.
Sadly, I don’t think Lyza, the protagonist’s mother, is ever coming back. I believe she is truly dead, and her body lies at the very bottom of the unsettling Abyss, aka the big mystery people die to try solving. I would love to see her actually come back and reunite with her daughter, Riko. It’d make sense, Lyza was known to be extremely powerful and adept at surviving harsh conditions. But the way this anime goes, I think that’s very, very unlikely.
Lyza being lost to the Abyss wouldn’t be out of bounds for Made In Abyss. After all, it is widely known that the Abyss is the Eldritch horror space where things reside and they are never, ever good. If you make it out from the shallower depths, it’s a cause for celebration. Because not many people do. And that’s not talking about the deeper levels, which have never been explored to the point where you could document and create fail-safes to keep the explorers safe.
And Lyza? She was one of the strongest Delvers they had. Hell, the woman earned the title of being an annihilator, because she didn’t let anything get in her way. So, what went so horribly wrong that someone like that never came back? Let’s discuss that and more in today’s segment of Lore Analysis – where we take a deep dive into the history of certain anime and manga to figure out where the plot might be taking us. Today, it’s Lyza The Annihilator!
Lyza The Annihilator: A Fire That Went Out Too Soon?
There’s a reason why Riko looks up to her mother in such a strong way. Lyza was a force to be reckoned with. After all, not everyone gets to be a legendary White Whistle, some of the greatest Delvers to ever live.
But that’s exactly why the Lord Of Annihilation is so prolific. Lyza was known for being this rambunctious personality who took on the hardest of challenges. She was one of the bravest people in her unit, rumored to have conquered anything that she encountered in the Abyss which was a threat. But at the same time, she had a love for the Abyss, claiming it to be a place of wonder which got her curiosity peaked. It’s why she dedicated her entire life to it exploring its secrets and unearthing as many as she could.
It is said that she uncovered plenty of mysteries in the Abyss, and her favorite place there was the Garden of the Flowers of Resilience within the 4th layer. It was odd, I mean who can grow to adore a space that was as close to hell as the Abyss? But she found beauty in its grotesque and bizarre nature.
Sadly, it seems like her curiosity was her biggest downfall. Because the last time she dove into it, she never surfaced again.
How Does Reg Factor Into Lyza’s Supposed Death?
So, where is she? Well, Lyza descended into her “Last Dive” when Riko was around 2 years old. This was an attempt to go beyond the uncharted waters of the 6th layer of the Abyss. Which she succeeded in doing.
However, after that point, no one knows what happened to her. According to the few facts, we do know, she ended up reaching an extremely deep point near the 7th layer and encountered a humanoid entity. It also simultaneously suggests that she made contact with Reg, which is how he knows about her and carries her last notes and weapon around with him.
It is a popular theory that Reg was probably sent to the surface by Lyza to stop Riko from following in her footsteps. However, when he encountered Riko being abused, he probably used the last of his Incinerator to help her, and that’s how he lost his memories.
