Quote Originally Posted by Anonymoose View Post
I think that's just a fancy way of saying, "The visual resemblance is a development decision for player recognition. They're not the same guy, they're not related. It's just an interesting coincidence. (Blame aether and fate if you have to.)"

Or, as Banri Oda-san would say, "Please do not think too hard about this."
Yup, it's the same as Arbert looking identical to the default Midlander male. It's a narrative echo for the player, but in practical in-story terms there's nothing tangible connecting the characters of the First and the Source--not culture, not ancestry, especially not personal history, unless ShB proper throws some major curveballs in this understanding. As I put it in a similar discussion, they're doppelgangers at best: the similarity is only superficial.