Mono (モノ Mono) is the deceased young woman whom Wander brings to the altar in the Shrine of Worship. The mysterious Dormin agrees to revive her if he can defeat the sixteen colossi that inhabit the Forbidden Lands. With each colossus slain, Mono's voice becomes more audible and clear in the visions that Wander experiences before his return to the Shrine of Worship. After Dormin is defeated and the bridge collapses, Mono finally awakens. Agro, though suffering greatly from a broken back leg, leads her to the baby in the now-empty pool at the back of the Shrine, and then up to the Secret Garden atop the massive structure.

Appearing dazed, yet strangely unsurprised to find herself resurrected from the dead; seemingly unshakable, she picks up the strange baby without so much as a look of surprise.

Contents 1 Mono's Cursed Fate 1.1 Speculated Fates 1.1.1 To become the Queen 1.1.2 To bring monsters into the world of mortals 1.1.3 To participate in the ressurection of Dormin

Mono's Cursed FateEdit

At the beginning of the game, Wander states that Mono was sacrificed because she had a cursed fate, but does not elaborate on what exactly that fate was. This is one of the many questions that Shadow of the Colossus raises, and leaves to the player to figure out. For the sake of this wiki, we will only look at three proposed "cursed fates", although there are many other possibilities. A combination of these three is also a possibility.

Speculated FatesEdit

To become the QueenEdit

Most of the players believe that, due to her resurrection by Dormin, Mono came to gain immortality or some sort of dark power, eventually becoming the powerful Queen. This explanation makes sense because it plays into the tragic nature of Shadow of the Colossus's story, having Wander work so hard to revive her, only to have her turn evil. Some players have also noted similarities in Mono's and the Queen's appearances. It should also be noted that Dormin speaks with two simultaneous voices - male and female -, and when they are fully manifested, the female voice is inaudible. This implies that Mono was brought back to life with the "female" side of Dormin, and would explain why she would become the Queen later. Moreover, Dormin does passively mention at the beginning that it is impossible to return lost souls to bodies -- instead, Mono may have inheritted a new one.

To bring monsters into the world of mortalsEdit

Others believe that Mono was said to bring demons into the world, and so was sacrificed before she could get the chance to. The demons this prophecy is referring to are none other than the horned boys, such as Ico, who are referred to as being cursed or bringing bad luck. The irony in this is that the events that lead Wander to try and resurrect Mono are the same events that lead to Wander's revival as a horned infant, starting the lineage of horned children. If Mono had not been sacrificed in the first place, Wander would not have been compelled to revive her, and there would not be any horned boys. The act of trying to avoid the prophecy led to its fulfillment.

To participate in the ressurection of DorminEdit

Alternatively, it would be logical to assume that the cursed fate was that she was to help in resurrecting the game's forbidden and antagonistic deity. Therefore, we could go as far as saying that Lord Emon would have had her put to death to prevent this, explaining his prayer for her life and soul which we see when Wander returns from killing Malus. This would also fall in line with the aforementioned irony as her death to prevent Dormin's return would have simultaneously instigated it.

v • d • e
Characters	Wander (Kenji Nojima) • Agro • Mono (Hitomi Nabatame) • Dormin (Kazuhiro Nakata, Kyōko Hikami) • Emon (Naoki Bandō)
The Colossi	( I • II • III • IV • V • VI • VII • VIII • IX • X • XI • XII • XIII • XIV • XV • XVI ) • Magic Sigil • Time Attack • Unused Colossi • Hard Mode
The Forbidden Lands	Shrine of Worship • Shadow creatures • Save shrines • Fruit trees • White-tailed lizards and other animals
Production & Staff	Fumito Ueda • Kenji Kaido • Kō Ōtani (Roar of the Earth) • Sony Computer Entertainment • [Full Credits...]
Giantology campaign	(Fake discoveries of Phalanx, Valus, Hydrus, Quadratus, Gaius) • Eric Belson (podcasts 1, 2, 3, 4) • IPICP memo
Other media	Demo • "Nico" bonus DVD • Official artbook/guidebook • Collectible figurines • Upcoming film adaptation by Sony Pictures