While this work has become famous through its anime and manga, it was originally a computer game by the doujin circle "07th Expansion." It is a sound novel, directed and written by Ryukishi07. The game, manga, and anime are all divided into a question section and an answer section, and are structured so that you cannot grasp the full story unless you play or read both. The official title is "Higurashi When They Cry," with the "na" in red, and the "C" in the English title "When They Cry" is also in red. The story is brutal and thrilling, something you would never imagine from the cute characters, and it also excels as a horror work. Each character in this work is unique and has two faces. In this article, we would like to introduce the personalities and backgrounds of these fascinating characters.
Maebara Keiichi, a passionate young man
He is voiced by Soichiro Hoshi. He is the protagonist of the series and a curious boy. After moving to Hinamizawa from the city, Keiichi works hard at club activities with his friends and gradually becomes embroiled in incidents that occur in Hinamizawa.
In the "Onikakushi-hen" arc, he becomes suspicious and develops Hinamizawa Syndrome, but he is generally calm, quick-witted, and a very caring and reliable friend.
Keiichi Accepts Even His Sins
In the "Watanagashi-hen" arc, Keiichi and Rena come to the conclusion that Mion is the culprit, and visit the Sonozaki household to confront her directly.
Cornered, Mion confesses everything, telling them the truth about her crimes, the Sonozaki family's misdeeds, and the curse of Oyashiro-sama.
With this one word, Keiichi decides to accept Mion for who she is and face reality.
Keiichi's ability to say this even after finding out his friend is a murderer is truly cool and caring towards his friends.
Rena Ryugu, famous for her "Take Me Home" line
Rena is voiced by Mai Nakahara. She is the main heroine of the series, and her real name is Rena Ryugu. Since coming to Hinamizawa, she has been calling herself Rena in order to forget the unpleasant events of her past.
Rena is usually kind and cheerful, but she has an abnormal obsession with cute things and shows no mercy to those who get in her way or get in her way. When Rena goes berserk, she displays unimaginable strength and knocks her opponents away with incredibly fast punches called "Rena Pan." She often uses phrases like "Take me home," "So cute," and "Ahh," and is known for her unusual way of speaking, often repeating phrases like "I wonder? I wonder?".
Famous line: "That's a lie!!"
This is the scene in the "Onikakushi-hen" arc where Rena Ryuuguu declares to the protagonist, Keiichi Maebara, "That's a lie!!"
Detective Oishi asks Keiichi for his cooperation and he begins to work on solving the case, but one day Rena asks him if he's hiding something.
When Keiichi replies that he's not, Rena suddenly changes and says, "That's a lie!!" This scene shocked viewers with the sudden change in Rena's expression, which had previously been calm and cute, and the line "That's a lie!!" has become synonymous with Higurashi When They Cry.
Rena's suddenly changed state is also known as "Oyashiro Mode," and it appears in various scenes from this scene onwards.
Everyone's Leader, Mion Sonozaki
She is voiced by Satsuki Yukino. *In the game "Higurashi When They Cry Hou: Hinamizawa Station," she is voiced by Makoto Koichi.
Born as the older twin sister of the Sonozaki family, who rule Hinamizawa, she serves as class representative. While she may look beautiful, she has an aggressive, spirited personality and possesses the charisma to bring her classmates together.
He refers to himself as an old man, and his speech and manner of speaking are reminiscent of a middle-aged man. However, he also has a feminine side, such as when he becomes depressed when Keiichi doesn't give him a doll, which causes Mion to become suspicious.
I wish I had a doll...
In the "Watanagashi" arc, Mion becomes depressed after not receiving a doll from Keiichi.
A contrast to her usual boisterous and active demeanor, she shows a very feminine side. However, she is shocked that Keiichi doesn't notice this, which triggers Mion's madness.
Incidentally, in the "Massacre Arc," Keiichi gives the doll to Mion, averting this tragedy.
The daughter of a Yakuza?! Shion Sonozaki
She is voiced by the same voice actress as Mion, Satsuki Yukino.
Mion's twin sister, who has feelings for Satoshi Hojo, is a well-bred young lady who wears jewelry and speaks politely, unlike her older sister. She employs Kasai, a former gang leader, as her bodyguard.
In "Meakashi-hen," Shion dislikes Satoko, who causes trouble for Satoshi. A word from Satoshi triggers her, leading to her taking ruthless actions that are hard to believe a child would commit, such as torturing Satoko.
The Ultimate Bodyguard, Too Cool
Shion's bodyguard, Kasai Tatsuyoshi, is a former leader of the Sonozaki Yakuza gang, nicknamed "Shotgun Tatsuyoshi."
Kasai's determination to put Shion's safety first and overcome any situation is incredibly cool.
It's easy to see that Kasai's sniping skills are top-notch, but his assistant, Shion, is even more impressive...
Trap Master Satoko Hojo
Her voice actor is Mika Kanai. She has excellent athletic ability and is a friendly rival to Keiichi in club activities. Her appearance is completely childish, and her catchphrase, "It's...desuwa," sounds like she's trying to provoke those around her.
Her hobby is setting traps in the mountains behind her house, and her skill level is so great that even the Yamainu, a combat-specialized unit, fears her. When it comes to fighting in the mountains behind the house, no one can match Satoko.
Developed due to the stress of her mother's repeated marriages and divorces, Satoko has become a terminally infected L5 patient and is required to undergo regular checkups at the clinic.
After killing her parents, she loses her memory, and then her brother disappears - a series of misfortunes...
Despite her bright and playful personality, Satoko is the girl who bears an especially cruel fate out of all the characters in Higurashi.
How could he abuse such a cute girl?
In the "Tatarigoroshi-hen" and "Minagoroshi-hen" arcs, Satoko's uncle Teppei returns home and abuses her.
Teppei, who is unable to do housework, makes Satoko, who obeys without complaint, do all the housework.
It was a disgusting scene depicting Teppei treating his daughter like a slave, even though they are not related by blood.
She's an important character despite having few screen time! Satoshi Hojo
His voice actor is Mitsuki Saiga. He is Satoko's older brother, and disappeared one year before Keiichi came to Hinamizawa. He is quiet and shy, but after being invited by Mr. Irie to join the Hinamizawa Fighters, he becomes a star baseball player and becomes accustomed to the team. He quits baseball to protect Satoko from her father's abuse. While he rarely appears directly, the reasons for and where Satoshi disappeared are key to the story.
Rika Furude, the Mysterious Girl Who Travels Through Time
She is voiced by Yukari Tamura. *In the game "Higurashi When They Cry Hou: Hinamizawa Station," she is voiced by Shiki Aoki.
Rika is in the same grade as Satoko and is close friends with her. She is the only daughter of Furude Shrine and is said to be the reincarnation of Oyashiro-sama. She refers to herself as "boku" (I) and her catchphrase is "Nipa~☆."
Although she is a mysterious girl, Rika is at the center of the parallel world of this story, and together with Hanyuu, the fate of Hinamizawa is repeated over and over again.
His feelings finally reach her...
Akasaka Mamoru, the protagonist of the "Killing Time Arc," once visited Hinamizawa and met young Rika. During this time, Rika told Akasaka that her wife and unborn child were in danger, and that she would be killed in June 1983.
After returning to Tokyo, Akasaka had forgotten Rika's words due to the shock of his wife and child's death, but something happened that reminded him of Hinamizawa and Rika, and he set out to rescue her.
When Akasaka came to her rescue, it was like, "I've been waiting for this!" He truly was a hero of justice. Another highlight is seeing Rika's genuine joy.
Hanyu, Rika's partner who knows all of our destinies
Hanyu is voiced by Yui Horie. She is a girl who has repeatedly rekindled her fate alongside Rika, and she is the very embodiment of Oyashiro-sama himself. Though only Rika, who is believed to be the reincarnation of Oyashiro-sama, can see her, but when she decides to become involved in the world, her destiny changes and she joins the group later in the story as a being visible to everyone.
Friend or foe...?! Oishi Kurando
He's voiced by Chafurin.
A compassionate detective, he's pursuing the true culprit behind a series of mysterious deaths in Hinamizawa, seeking revenge for the "boss" who changed him.
He often says cryptic things, which ultimately arouses suspicion among those around him, but he doesn't mean any harm and is probably unaware of it...
Jiro Tomitake, the Muscular, Gag Cameraman
He is voiced by Toru Okawa. He is a gentle cameraman who is attracted to Takano, and possesses physical abilities and fighting prowess unimaginable at the beginning of the story.
Jiro Tomitake's true identity is a second lieutenant in "Tokyo," who also serves as a liaison for the organization and is capable of calling in the special forces "Watchdog."
His battle scenes feature a strong comedy element, making him a popular character among viewers.
Bakusou! Tomitake-san
This scene from the "Festival Music Arc" encapsulates Tomitake Jiro's charm as he flees from the Yamainu.
His true identity, thought to be a cameraman, is revealed, and he shows off his unique moves! He speeds along like a locomotive, ramming into his pursuers with his body, a spectacular move!
However, he's soon captured, completely relegated to a comedic role (lol). This scene was cut from the anime, so Tomitake-san's charm isn't fully displayed.
The Root of All Evil?! Beautiful Nurse Miyoko Takano
She is voiced by Miki Ito. Her real name is Miyoko Tanashi. She works as a nurse at a clinic in Hinamizawa and is the female character who could be considered the ultimate antagonist of "Higurashi When They Cry."
Following the wishes of her savior, Hifumi Takano, who saved her from a dire situation, she delves into research into the Hinamizawa Syndrome, but due to the lack of social recognition, she gradually becomes consumed by madness.
As Hifumi Takano's granddaughter, Miyoko began calling herself "Miyoko Takano." After Hifumi's death, she took on the name "Takano Miyoko" to hide her true identity.
The kanji characters are said to have come from her grandfather's nickname "Miyo," and to mean that Miyoko will expand on what Hifumi built.
She too suffered a tragic fate...
Takano Miyoko's past was revealed in the "Matsuribayashi-hen" arc. After losing both parents in an accident, Miyoko was taken in by an orphanage. However, the conditions at the facility were poor, and child abuse was commonplace.
Who will be the next victim? The children live in fear every day. At the suggestion of one of the children, Miyoko and her friends attempt an escape. Along the way, Miyoko finds a phone booth and somehow remembers her parents' final message, calling Mr. Takano. The moment she finally gets through, she is brought back and treated even worse than before (the abuse scene is quite gruesome, so we're not including it here). It's so unfair that Miyoko, who has done nothing wrong, is treated this way. It makes you want to resent fate, even God. Fortunately, Mr. Takano notices something strange on the phone and comes to the facility to pick Miyoko up, saving her.
Each of them has their own darkness inside them?! Summary of Main Characters
These are the main characters appearing in "Higurashi When They Cry."
While many characters appear cheerful on the surface, the story becomes even more interesting when you learn about their backgrounds.
Another unique aspect of this series is how their personalities and friendships change slightly due to the influence of the previous fate.
