"Kemono Friends" is a popular, heartwarming road movie anime featuring animals in the form of girls. The "Ceruleans" are sinister and out of place in this anime, and have left a deep impression on viewers as the Friends' terrifying nemesis. Ceruleans have strange properties and many mysteries are hidden within them. Let's find out what Ceruleans are.
Cerulean threatens peace
Source: Kemono Friends ©Kemono Friends Project
Cerulean suddenly appears in Japari Park and attacks the Friends, and is depicted as a mysterious monster that threatens the peace of the park. They come in a variety of sizes, from small to large, and in a variety of shapes and colors. They look like jelly, but when you touch them they have an indescribable texture that is a mix of gritty and squishy. Some of their characteristics include their tendency to move, their tendency to chase light, and their dislike of water. They were once known as a "special species" within the park, and research and countermeasures were being conducted.
Ceruleans are strong!
Source: Kemono Friends © Kemono Friends Project
Since they are enemies that attack the Friends, they are opponents that the Friends would rather not encounter. They are generally stronger than the Friends, so if they encounter them, they often run away. In the anime, Serval only actually fights three times and runs away the rest of the time. To defeat a Cerulean, all you need to do is destroy the "stones" in its body, which will break down into square blocks with a "pop!" and disappear. If it is exposed to water, it will turn to stone and cease to function. Some Friends are "Hunters" who specialize in defeating Ceruleans.
Ceruleans hunt Friends...
They prey on Friends!
Source: Kemono Friends ©Kemono Friends Project
We said that Cerulean attacks Friends, but to be more specific, it preys on them. It absorbs them into its jelly-like body. Cerulean only absorbs the Sand Stars that Friends have. After a while, the absorbed Friends turn into balls of light and their Sand Stars are taken away.
What happens to the Friends that are eaten (absorbed)?
Source: Kemono Friends © Kemono Friends Project
The answer is that they will no longer be friends and will return to their original animal form. In the place where Serval and Cerulean fought in episode 1, an animal from the final episode remained. This represents the fact that a friend was attacked before Serval and the others fought Cerulean in episode 1, and that friend has returned to its original form. It doesn't mean that they will die, so that's a relief.
How do I return to being a friend?
Source: Kemono Friends ©Kemono Friends Project
Friends who have been restored to their original form by Cerulean can become friends again if they are exposed to the Sand Star again. However, they seem to lose their previous memories.
Cerulean is the culprit who destroyed the park once!
Source: Kemono Friends © Kemono Friends Project
Japari Park is filled with things made by humans, such as buses and solar power generation. However, no human figures can be seen (except for one person). In fact, it turns out that the park was once bustling with staff and tourists, but the appearance of a giant Cerulean caused the Friends to be attacked, making the park dangerous and resulting in its closure.
Fighting against the Ceruleans
Source: Kemono Friends © Kemono Friends Project
In order to protect the park, which was in danger due to the Ceruleans, the people at the time tried to eliminate the Ceruleans through military operations. This can be inferred from the remains of the bomber and Mirai's words. However, the operation failed, and the park became what it is today.
Super Large Cerulean
Source: Kemono Friends © Kemono Friends Project
A black Cerulean that appeared in episode 11, it is a fairly large quadrupedal individual, resembling the military robot Big Dog. It is so strong that even hunters have a hard time fighting it, and even if they have to work hard to expose its weak stone by scraping its body, it absorbs the Sand Star Law erupting from the volcano to recover and grow larger. According to the records of the Lucky Beasts, a similarly large individual appeared in the park in the past and put the park in danger.
Why were Ceruleans born?
An opposing entity to Friends
Source: Kemono Friends ©Kemono Friends Project
In addition to being a "natural enemy" that preys on Friends, it has been revealed that they are also the opposite of Friends. For example, Friends are born when a sparkling Sand Star hits a living thing and becomes a Friend. However, Ceruleans are born by absorbing the black soot-like Sand Star Raw. They also seem to form by reacting with inorganic matter. This contrasts with Friends that become living things and Ceruleans that imitate inorganic matter. However, in some works, Ceruleans also exist that copy the appearance of living things.
Leaking Sand Star Law
Source: Kemono Friends ©Kemono Friends Project
The crater from which the Sand Star erupts is filtered by human power to suppress the eruption of only the Sand Star Law, but in the anime, the filter was incomplete and the Sand Star Law leaked out. This is why the Ceruleans were born. It has not been revealed why this filter was incomplete.
Game version of Cerulean
Source: Kemono Friends ©Kemono Friends Project
In the NEXON app version (now out of service), where Kemono Friends was first released, we see that there were many types of Cerulean. They appear as enemies with the ability to steal "shine" (positive elements such as motivation and memories) from objects and living things and copy their shapes. Their main characteristic is that they come in various shapes and hierarchies. There are everything from minor characters to strong boss-level Cellians, and even a queen who commands the Cellians, and their shapes range from monster-like to human-like, to ones that copy the appearance of the Friends. While such a diverse range of Cellians did not appear in the anime, "Ceruleans in the appearance of the Friends" have been mentioned jokingly, so perhaps they may appear in the future.
Cerulean brings tension
Source: Kemono Friends ©Kemono Friends Project
At first glance, Kemono Friends seems like a warm and fuzzy story, but the presence of the "Cerulean" adds tension to the story and makes it a deeper anime. These include past incidents and their relationship with the Friends. There are still many things that have not been revealed, but as they are important beings who are the "enemies of the Friends" and have been involved in "past incidents," they will likely be involved in future stories. How will they threaten the Friends in the new series, and what mysteries will be solved? We're also looking forward to seeing what Cerulean does.
