Video game fans recently uncovered a surprising detail about a beloved character. Many people know Type-Moon best for their popular Fate series. But an earlier title, the visual novel Tsukihime, also put them on the map. This game even got a full story remake in 2022. Now, fans have found a long-hidden secret: the main character, Arcueid, was based on a real-life model who worked in Japan.
The clues came from an old chat log from 2001. This conversation included Nasu Kinoko, who created Tsukihime and Fate. Also in the chat were Okashike (OKSG) and Takashi Takeuchi, Type-Moon’s artist and character designer. Takeuchi, who drew Tsukihime‘s characters, shared a little secret. He said that when he designed Arcueid Brunestud, he used a foreign model as his inspiration. He had seen her on a fashion magazine cover at a friend’s house back in college. This model sparked the idea for the vampire princess character.
For years, this detail remained a mystery. There was very little information to go on. But an eagle-eyed user on Reddit finally cracked the case. They revealed the model’s identity: Amanda Dyer. She is Canadian and appeared on the cover of Japan’s SPUR fashion magazine around the time Takeuchi mentioned, specifically in 1995. Looking at her old photos, the resemblance to Arcueid is quite striking.
Amanda Dyer was only 15 years old when she graced the SPUR cover. She recently shared her thoughts on her personal website. She was very happy when fans reached out to her on Facebook to tell her about this connection. She noted that while she isn’t a vampire like Arcueid, she is a big fan of vampire stories and movies. Now, she’s becoming more and more interested in the Tsukihime series itself.
Dyer has even started making plans to collect Tsukihime merchandise. She mentioned that she’s looking forward to checking out the novels and other media related to the series. It’s a fun full-circle moment for a character whose true-life inspiration stayed hidden for so long.
Sources: Reddit, Amanda Dyer’s personal website