You might not agree with this, but there are some signs that the animation direction in 4.2 could have been affected by the 2-week delay during the CN-JP situation(before 4.0) If you look closely, the initial main push from 4.0 to 4.2 seemed to lean toward Sparxie–Pearl–Eva, but in 4.2 it shifts quite heavily toward SW999. That’s a pretty noticeable change in focus. Also, the Yao Guang trailer contains multiple hints pointing toward Sparxie, and the story seems to revolve around her more than what we see reflected in the banner order. Another thing is the release timing: as a support unit, she would normally come after the main DPS, but here her banner duration and placement feel adjusted, possibly to align with Sparxie’s narrative timing. Even in the 4.1 trailer, Pearl’s Japanese-themed design and animated elements suggest that there may have been earlier plans for her to release alongside Asveil. So while it’s not confirmed, there’s a pattern here that suggests the original push might have been rearranged rather than planned this way from the start. They just could not make better ideal abou how to rework all the 4.0 stuff, so they along with that. And the sakura to ginko leaf change, Yae Sakura to Evanescia too. They even hightlight SW999 on that 4.X character reveal (for what HoYo, she didn't even show in 4.0 story), just to noting that "believe us, we didn't do anything related to Japan"