Mi’ihen Highroad Mystery
The Mi’ihen Highroad Mystery is a side quest of sorts that takes place throughout each chapter of the game, with the bulk of it occurring during the CommSphere sequences in Chapter 4. Rin investigates who caused the hover crash in the Newroad area in Chapter 1 and messed with the Machina in Chapters 2 and 3, causing them to go haywire.
This culminates during the Chapter 4 CommSphere scenes and the follow-up in Chapter 5 in these two sections of the game:
Walkthrough
The investigation itself. Rin asks for help over the Mi’ihen Highroad CommSphere, and the camera sequence you follow decides who he names.
Walkthrough
Rin presents his findings outside the Travel Agency and hands over the reward for the culprit you steered him toward.
Eligible Suspects
It sounds weird for a character to be “eligible” to be guilty, but there’s obviously only so many characters in the game that Rin can identify as the culprit. Who he chooses is dependent on the actions you take in the leads-up to and during Chapter 4. There are five potential suspects, and they are:
- Rikku
- Calli
- The Prophet
- Chocobo Eater
- Rin himself
So how does Rin decide? What are the decision points? There’s actually a point system tracking the likelihood of each suspect being chosen, and those points are driven by different stories and events that happen as you progress through the game. This guide doesn’t list points point-by-point, but you can use the information below to point to a specific culprit if you’d like.
Storylines and Events
Chapter 1
- Talk to the Al Bhed woman along the Oldroad pathways on the way from Luca. Rin
This interaction is required for Rin to be the culprit. - Talk to the Prophet and his assistant on the north end of Mi’ihen Highroad. The Prophet
Helps to build the case against the Prophet. - Ride the hover from the north end to the Travel Agency. The Prophet
You’ll see another hover going off the cliff. This helps to build the case against the Prophet.
Chapter 2
- Story outcomes based on how you complete the “Cuckoo for Chocobos” Mission: Rikku
- Guess wrong a few times to ensure that you get the 100% Story Completion points from Rikku’s scenes along the southern Highroad, and required for Rikku to be the suspect.
- Guess right too often, and Yuna will capture the Chocobo early, skipping Rikku’s scenes, making it difficult for her to be the suspect and forfeiting 100% Story Completion
- Talk to the Prophet on the way to the crash site. The Prophet
Helps to build the case against the Prophet. - Reach Calli and the Chocobo Eater before the timer runs out. Rikku Calli
If you reach Calli in time, Rikku’s bridge scene will play, and Rikku remains possible as a suspect. If you don’t reach Calli in time, Rikku won’t be the suspect, but Calli can be. - After the Mission, you can interact with Calli and Clasko just north of the Travel Agency. Calli
If you let Calli board, she is removed as a suspect, but refusing keeps her a suspect. - After the Mission, enter the agency to see Rin walk out. Rin
This is required for Rin to be a suspect. - Talk to the Prophet and his assistant in the north end. The Prophet
Helps to build the case against the Prophet.
Chapter 3
- Arrive at the Mi’ihen Highroad. Shinra enters the scene and places a CommSphere in the area. All Suspects
This is a requirement for any suspect and to complete the mystery, as Rin will not conduct his investigation if you skip this step. - Enter the Mi’ihen Highroad from Mushroom Rock Road. The Prophet is seen fleeing. The Prophet
Helps to build the case against the Prophet. - Destroy the machina on the ledge by dropping down from the upper level. Rikku will drop down first. Rikku
Helps build the case against Rikku (but not required). - Destroy seven or more Machina groups during the “Machina Mayhem” Mission. Wait for Rin to appear during the Mission Complete screen. Rin
Required to make Rin a suspect. - Return to the Newroad North area after completing the Mission. Shinra will explain that he dropped a CommSphere off the cliff. Rin
Required to make Rin a suspect. - Talk to the Prophet and his assistant at the north end. The Prophet
Helps to build the case against the Prophet.
Chapter 4 CommSpheres
During the CommSpheres section of Chapter 4, you’ll have an opportunity to assist Rin with his investigation into everything that’s happened along the Mi’ihen Highroad. This is where the game determines who the culprit is based on the list of available suspects. As noted in the section above, some of the suspects may not be an option by the time you get to this section of the game.
Here are the steps you can take for each potential culprit:
| Culprit | Steps |
|---|---|
| Rikku | Phase 1 1. Ruins (3): A Machina will appear from behind the ruins. Call Rin over after it stops moving. 2. Newroad (4): Pan to the crowd of people and call Rin over.Phase 2 (if you dropped down to the ledge Machina in Chapter 3) 1. Hover Crash Site (5): Wait for three Machina to surround the crashed hover, then call Rin over. 2. Shinra’s CommSphere (7): Call Rin over and he will find footprints on the ledge.Phase 2 (if you did not, or if Rin finds nothing at Shinra’s CommSphere) 1. Travel Agency, Front (1): Wait for the Chocobo Eater to run past chasing a bird, then call Rin over. 2. Newroad (4): Pan to the right and wait for a hover to drive past with the Chocobo Eater chasing it, then call Rin over. 3. Hover Crash Site (5): Wait for three Machina to surround the crashed hover, then call Rin over.Phase 3 1. Travel Agency, Front (1): Pan to the left until you see Rin talking to a man, then call Rin over. 2. Travel Agency, Back (2): Pan up to the roof and wait for a man to start hammering on it, then call Rin over. |
| Chocobo Eater | Phase 1 1. Travel Agency, Back (2): Wait for the Chocobo Eater to approach the computer console, then call Rin over. 2. North End (8): Wait for the Chocobo Eater to sit and “listen” to the Prophet, then call Rin over. 3. Newroad (4): Pan to the crowd of people and call Rin over.Phase 2 1. Travel Agency, Front (1): Wait for the Chocobo Eater to run past chasing a bird, then call Rin over. 2. Newroad (4): Pan to the right and wait for a hover to drive past with the Chocobo Eater chasing it, then call Rin over. 3. Hover Crash Site (5): Wait for three Machina to surround the crashed hover, then call Rin over.Phase 3 1. Travel Agency, Front (1): Pan to the left until you see Rin talking to a man, then call Rin over. 2. Hover Crash Site (5): Call Rin over. |
| Calli | Phase 1 1. Oldroad (6): Wait for Calli to appear, then call Rin over. 2. Hover Crash Site (5): Wait for a chocobo feather to fall to the ground, then call Rin over. 3. Newroad (4): Pan to the crowd of people and call Rin over.Phase 2 1. Travel Agency, Front (1): Pan to the left and wait for Calli to appear, then call Rin over. 2. Travel Agency, Back (2): The Prophet’s assistant will examine the computer console. Do not call Rin over. Switch to Travel Agency, Front (1) and immediately back to Travel Agency, Back (2). The assistant will run off and Calli will approach the console a few seconds later. Wait a few seconds, then call Rin over. 3. Hover Crash Site (5): Wait for three Machina to surround the crashed hover, then call Rin over.Phase 3 1. Travel Agency, Front (1): Pan to the left until you see Rin talking to a man, then call Rin over. 2. Ruins (3): Wait for a woman in yellow to appear near the building, then call Rin over. 3. Newroad (4): Wait for Calli to show up and start running, then call Rin over. |
| The Prophet | Phase 1 1. North End (8): Wait for the Prophet’s assistant to talk with an Al Bhed, then call Rin over. 2. Newroad (4): Wait for the Prophet and his assistant to meet up, then call Rin over. Switch to Travel Agency, Front (1) and immediately back to Newroad (4). 3. Newroad (4): Pan to the crowd of people and call Rin over.Phase 2 1. Travel Agency, Back (2): Wait for the Prophet’s assistant to examine the computer console, then call Rin over. Switch to Travel Agency, Front (1) and immediately back to Travel Agency, Back (2). An Al Bhed will examine the console. Do not call Rin over, and wait about 15 seconds before switching to another CommSphere. 2. Ruins (3): Wait for an Al Bhed to run to the Prophet inside the ruined building, then call Rin over. 3. Hover Crash Site (5): Wait for three Machina to surround the crashed hover, then call Rin over. 4. Oldroad (6): Wait for the Prophet to start talking to two men, then call Rin over.Phase 3 1. Travel Agency, Front (1): Pan to the left until you see Rin talking to a man, then call Rin over. 2. Oldroad (6): Call Rin over. 3. North End (8): Wait for the Prophet and his assistant to start talking, then call Rin over. |
| Rin | Phase 1 1. Shinra’s CommSphere (7): Wait for Rin to appear with an Al Bhed woman, then call Rin over. He will comment that he did not know a CommSphere had been installed here. 2. Travel Agency, Back (2): Wait for the Chocobo Eater to approach the computer console, then call Rin over. 3. Newroad (4): Pan to the crowd of people and call Rin over. 4. North End (8): Wait for the Chocobo Eater to sit and “listen” to the Prophet, then call Rin over.Phase 2 1. Travel Agency, Front (1): Wait for the Chocobo Eater to run past chasing a bird, then call Rin over. 2. Newroad (4): Pan to the right and wait for a hover to drive past with the Chocobo Eater chasing it, then call Rin over. 3. Hover Crash Site (5): Wait for three Machina to surround the crashed hover, then call Rin over.Phase 3 Do not call Rin over while viewing Travel Agency, Front (1) during this phase. 1. Switch to Travel Agency, Front (1) and immediately back to Hover Crash Site (5), then call Rin over. He will examine a dent in the hover. 2. Switch to Travel Agency, Front (1) and immediately back to Hover Crash Site (5) and wait. After a while the CommSphere will break and Yuna will comment on it. 3. Newroad (4): Rin can be seen down near the hover. Once Yuna wonders what he is doing, call Rin over. He will run up and apologize, saying he has business to attend to. 4. Shinra’s CommSphere (7): Nothing will happen here. Wait at least ten seconds, then call Rin over anyway. He will arrive and say that everything is fine. Switch to Travel Agency, Front (1) and immediately back to Shinra’s CommSphere (7), then repeat. On the sixth call Rin will not show up, and Yuna and Shinra will wonder where he went. 5. Press Square immediately to end the CommSphere sequence. Do not view anything else. |
Rewards and Paths
Each culprit leads to a different scene outside the Travel Agency in Chapter 5 and a different set of rewards. Only three of the five outcomes count as an Episode Complete for the Mi’ihen Highroad, which matters for both the Mascot Dressphere and 100% Story Completion.
| Culprit | Episode | Rewards |
|---|---|---|
| Rikku | Episode Complete |  Ragnarok, and chocobo rides on the Highroad |
| Chocobo Eater | Episode Complete | Chocobo rides on the Highroad |
| Calli | Episode Complete | Chocobo rides on the Highroad |
| Rin | Episode Concluded |  Gippal’s Sphere, and chocobo rides on the Highroad free of charge |
| The Prophet | Episode Concluded | Nothing |
Rikku is the recommended path and the one the Walkthrough follows. It is the only way to obtain Ragnarok, which reduces the MP cost of every ability to zero, and it keeps 100% Story Completion on track. The Chocobo Eater also keeps 100% available and needs no preparation at all, which makes it the safe fallback if you are unsure which suspects are still eligible. Calli earns the Episode Complete but not 100%, because failing the timer in the “Cuckoo for Chocobos” Mission costs Story Completion points that cannot be recovered.
Rin is the only other path with a reward. Naming him earns Gippal’s Sphere, but there is no Episode Complete, so 100% Story Completion becomes impossible on that save file. Most players should skip it, and the tracker below treats it as the exception. The Prophet rewards nothing at all, and it is the only outcome where chocobos never return to the Highroad.
Note that the Rikku outcome means you never receive Gippal’s Sphere, which belongs to a different culprit’s path; that line is one of the few the tracker shows as mutually exclusive, and 100% Story Completion is still fully reachable without it.
Who did Rin name as the culprit for the Mi’ihen Mystery?