The Hero and Indykirby

Twins Theory
In Level 11, when The Hero is looking at the green calendar and pondering Indiana Kirby’s disappearance, he states that she’s exactly his age:"'I don't remember meeting this girl at all, I don't remember knowing her at any point. I remember you saying that we are, exactly the same age.'"Not long later he adds: "'I do agree there is a resemblance, very strong resemblance between us.'"This may indicate that The Hero and Indykirby/Indiana Kirby are twins. Since The Hero claims that he doesn’t recall ever meeting her, it’s possible that either one or both of them were adopted.

Earlier in the level, The Hero also reveals that the game is indirectly tied to him: "'there were signs along the way, that I ignored, cuz it, it would've been a completely ridiculous idea to me. But when I found my room, it made, well uh I was shocked at first, but it made sense, especially considering where I found the game in the first place, it would be tied in some way to me through you.'"This could imply that Indykirby-with-Mike's-Eyebrows’s room belongs to The Hero, as it wouldn’t be far fetched for him to look like his twin sister, but with eyebrows. If so, then the censored object in it may be something personal to The Hero. Furthermore, if said room does indeed belong to The Hero and feature his facial features, it’d indicate that he’s a “member of the family,” as mentioned in Level 12.

The Hero’s Reddit account appears to be u/theroleskowitz, presumably short for The Hero Leskowitz. Since this is also Lina’s (Indykirby’s aunt’s) surname, it further implies a familial connection.

Same Person Theory
A set of alternative theories takes this reasoning further, and postulates that The Hero and Indykirby are, in fact, the same person. The specific meaning of this claim varies from theory to theory:


 * Indykirby is a boy all along, and is forced to dress like a girl (presumably by King Dede-Belloque), just like Rainer Rilke was forced to do so by his mother
 * The Hero goes through gender-change process, and doesn’t remember it
 * They’re two versions of the same person from different timelines or realities
 * Something supernatural—possibly rebirthing—caused Indykirby to become The Hero
 * The Hero is being brainwashed into thinking that he’s Indykirby
 * The Hero’s past is being altered

Arguments for the Same Person theories are mostly based on specific events and observations from levels 14 and onwards:


 * During the party scene, Indykirby appears to be hiding something under her hands, and her mother attempts to cheer her up by pointing out that her eyes and nose—two out of three features recognized by the Child Library—are unchanged. This could imply a change to her eyebrows, or rather, that she now has them, as she didn’t have them earlier the same year. (Level 22, however, implies that there might be a bruise on her face (“a very big boo-boo”))
 * In Level 15, the player character, presumably The Hero, gets repeatedly dragged towards a picture of a woman, which displays the word “GiRL” upon closer inspection. It has been proposed that the game is misgendering The Hero or attempting to remind him of a past identity. (It is however possible that The Hero is simply playing the role of Indykirby in this scene, and that the word is directed at her.)
 * It appears that during his 2017 birthday The Hero controls Indykirby in a similar fashion as he controls the demo copies of his own character. Additionally, Indykirby runs into a door instead of a wall or furniture, which could also indicate that the two parties took place in the same House.
 * It’d also explain why The Hero doesn’t remember ever meeting Indykirby, despite them seemingly sharing social circles.
 * The list of all sounds features the following three entries: King Dede-Belloque Message, The Grinning Colossus Message, Indykirby Message. This likely references the sounds characters make when using the Gamepad Language. “Hero,” who is most likely The Hero, is the only character other than King Dede-Belloque and The Grinning Colossus who’s seen using this system, and the sound he makes is different from theirs. Based on that, it can be speculated that The Hero’s gamepad speech uses the “Indykirby Message” sound—potentially hinting at them being one and the same.
 * In Level 17, the game outright tells the player that they’re Indiana Kirby. It’s unclear if this message is tailored for The Hero, or aimed at anyone who might be playing. The message also lists Indiana Kirby’s family, but makes no mention of The Hero, despite all their connections—which can be resolved by their being the same person.
 * Since Lina goes missing at the age of eight (before her ninth birthday), Leskowitz is her maiden name, one which she most likely shares with her sister Anna. After separating from King Dede-Belloque, Anna could change her surname back to Leskowitz, in which case her child would also go through a name change.
 * When seen by other players, The Hero’s character is represented by the Archaeologist Hat. Archaeologist Hat bares a close resemblance to Casket 2, which, in turn, appears to represent Indykirby A.
 * Indykirby-with-Mike’s-Eyebrows’s Room has blocks spelling “INDYKRBY” (a letter short from “Indykirby”) and, most likely, Casket 1 on the table. Casket 1 represents a highly emotional moment specific to Indiana Kirby, so if this is indeed The Hero’s room (as suspected), this would imply a very close connection between the two—one further reinforced by The Hero’s silent utterance of “oh my god” while inside.
 * Level 21 portrays Indykirby dancing to “The Sign” by Ace of Base. The first line of that song, “I got a new life, you would hardly recognize me,” suggest that Indiana Kirby underwent a significant change, possibly to the point of becoming a new person.
 * In Level 22, the dialogue in Game Room implies that Indiana Kirby may have changed her name
 * All the Caskets are connected to both Indykirby and the color red. In Level 22, The Hero’s name is written in red.
 * The egg created by placing Indykirby B in the Machine in Level 24 has yellow and red stripes. Yellow is usually associated with Indiana Kirby, while Level 22 writes The Hero’s name in red. The egg may therefore represent a transformation (or rebirthing) from one to the other.

A problem noted with Same Person theories is that Indykirby and The Hero seem to have separate and non-identical rooms in the Child Library. If they are indeed the same person, then the Library must be differentiating them for an unknown reason. It could be due to different names, different facial features (eyebrows and lack of them), or different self-identity.