Far Cry 6 will take fans to the tropical Caribbean island of Yara, based largely on Cuba. Controlled by the iron-fisted regime of President Anton Castillo, player character Dani Rojas must join a revolution to bring down Anton's regime and liberate Yara once and for all. The time period in which the game takes place is unclear, however, leading some fans of the franchise to speculate that one fan-favorite character could be returning.

Vaas was the undeniable star of Far Cry 3. The game's villain was brought to life with a performance by Michael Mando that shaped the series' relationship with its villains from then on. Although Vaas dies in the third game, some fans have been hoping that a younger version of the character might appear in Far Cry 6. However, there are some key reasons this is unlikely to happen.

RELATED: The Far Cry 6 Community Should Really Be Applauded

The idea that Vaas could return in Far Cry 6 has origins in one of Far Cry 3's strangest unexplained mysteries. Vaas is from the Rook Islands, where Far Cry 3 is set. The Rook Islands are based largely on Indonesia, but Vaas' accent suggests he grew up speaking Spanish. This seems particularly strange when comparing him to his sister, Citra, who has a completely different accent from Vaas.

When Yara was announced as the setting of Far Cry 6 some fans began speculating that the Cuba-inspired nation might lend some insight into where Vaas' voice came from. Citra claims that Vaas abandoned his path as the "Ultimate Warrior" of the Rakyat tribe, leading many to wonder if Vaas had left the Rook Islands at a young age, explaining the difference between his and his sister's accents.

Even Michael Mando has acknowledged the rumors of Vaas' return. Those hoping to see a younger version of Vaas appear in Far Cry 6 are likely to be disappointed, however. There are a few reasons that Vaas' return may not make sense in the Far Cry timeline.

Vaas was born in 1985, and Far Cry 3 takes place in 2012. While working on a model car in Far Cry 6's cinematic reveal trailer, Anton's heir Diego is listening to music through what look like modern headphones. It's unclear when Vaas was absent from the Rook Islands if he ever was, but the inclusion of this technology makes it seem more likely that Far Cry 6 takes place after Vaas' death in 2012. It also makes some fan theories that Diego could be a younger version of Vaas extremely unlikely. Vaas would have been Diego's age around the year 2000, while Far Cry 6 appears to be set in the modern day.

There are also reasons to believe that Far Cry 6 may not take place in the same continuity as the other games. The apocalyptic ending to Far Cry 5 was explored in Far Cry New Dawn, and based on in-game dialogue and recurring characters like Hurk Drubman, Jr, it is clear that there is continuity stretching from at least Far Cry 2 to the events of New Dawn. It seems very unlikely that Far Cry 6 will be set in the same timeline as the last two games' nuclear war, however. Fighting for Yara's freedom would be undermined from the player's perspective if they knew they were fighting for control of a government soon to be destroyed anyway.

It is possible that Far Cry 6 will be set in a world where the events of Far Cry 3 and 4 took place, but will ignore the apocalypse from Far Cry 5. Even still, Far Cry 6 may not want to draw too much attention to previous games in the franchise. Far Cry 3 is considered the high water mark of the series by many, and Far Cry 6 already has a tough legacy to live up to.

RELATED: Far Cry 6 Will Likely Be the Crown Jewel of E3's Ubisoft Forward Event

Far Cry 6 already risks drawing negative attention for some of its similarities to past games in the Far Cry franchise. Like Far Cry 3, Far Cry 6 will be set on a tropical island. Like Far Cry 4, it will see the player fight in a revolution against a dictator, with Yara's revolution being described as "divided" in a similar way to Far Cry 4's Golden Path. Even the slogan of Far Cry 6's villain Anton Castillo uses some of the same religious imagery found in Far Cry 5 — "reconstruct paradise."

Including Vaas could make it seem like Ubisoft is trying too hard to recapture Far Cry's glory days instead of pushing the series and the kind of stories it tells somewhere new. Even including the character in a cameo role would force the storytellers to set the game before 2012, which is a big limitation to place on the plot just for the inclusion of a single fan-favorite character in a minor role.

It has been nearly ten years since the release of Far Cry 3, but it's clear that the game and Michael Mando's performance as Vaas are still considered among the best moments in the series so far. If Far Cry 6 is going to live up to the third game's legacy it should spend time exploring Anton's villainy and the things that make him unique as a character, not calling back to major villains from past games.

Vaas' accent might not make much sense in Far Cry 3, but even several years spent in Yara wouldn't exactly explain how he picked up an accent so strong that it stuck even after returning to the Rook Islands. If anything, Vaas' presence in Yara might confuse the world of Far Cry even more, as well as distracting from what the new game has to offer.

After the lukewarm reception of the last two Far Cry games, Far Cry 6 needs to hit players with the same sense of originality that animated Far Cry 3 had it released nearly a decade ago. With so many elements in common with past games, Ubisoft already needs to take care to make sure Far Cry 6 is not retreading old ground and relying on old character types. Vaas would be the first to point out that, at this point in the series' lifespan, trying to repeat the past would be the definition of insanity.

Far Cry 6 is in development for PC, PS4, PS5, Stadia, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X.

MORE: Far Cry 6's Message Would Resonate More With Environmental Destruction