Encantadia 2016 Character Design: Pirena
By Noel Flores
April 28, 2025
Pirena is the eldest among the four sisters. Her blood line is both of Hathor and of Diwata. She has been my favorite character ever since the 2005 version was conceptualized. Her element is fire.
The costume designs of the four sisters of 2005 were independent of any culture. In the 2016 version, I believe the approach should not deviate from the over all LIREO motif to show that their society is a visually solid one.
Originally, the idea was that the characters start with simple attires or garbs. As their skills grow, their persona would also level-up. The gamified idea is that characters improve after every story quest or side quest. Their armors get upgrades. Their skills in battle improve as also their capabilities in wielding the elemental gem given under their care.
In Filipino culture, our witch doctors or healers known to us as "babaylan" would conduct rituals with veils or cloths that cover their faces. It is said that it is to imitate the guardians of nature called collectively as "diwata". With that in mind, I figured that Pirena and her sisters would eventually have veils. These veils are used by the "diwata" and "babaylan" to shield their thoughts or intentions from other beings.
Showing the cultural connection between folklore and heritage would have been cool if we had that in the story.
