Higurashi no Naku Koro ni/Characters

The cast of Higurashi no Naku Koro ni and Higurashi no Naku Koro ni Kai, and associated tropes. Beware of spoilers.

Voiced by: Soichiro Hoshi (JP), Grant George (EN)
Keiichi Maebara is the main protagonist in the "question" arcs. The son of a famous artist, his family recently moved to Hinamizawa after an unfortunate event involving him in their hometown,. His charisma and remarkable talent for speechmaking allow him to easily make new friends and become popular in the village.

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His arc is "Onikakushi-hen." ("Spirited away by the demon" in the dub) -
 * Adaptation Dye Job: Eye variation. The anime and the Mahjong game are the only continuities in the series that display him with purple eyes, though occasionally a manga color will show him with purple.
 * All Men Are Perverts: Strong believer of this and proud of it.
 * : "What have I done? "
 * Anti-Hero: Type IV in the Curse Killing arc.
 * The Atoner: In Tsumihoroboshi-hen ("Atonement Chapter"), naturally.
 * Bad Liar: Whenever he does anything that will get him in loads of trouble, he will act very guilty and his lies are horrendous, especialy in Watanagashi-Hen and Tatarigoroshi-hen.
 * However, in all other cases, he is an absolute god at getting people to believe crap that he makes up.
 * Batter Up
 * Big Brother Instinct: An incredibly dark twist on it.
 * Big Fancy House: Called "the Maebara Mansion" by the villagers, though about 2/3 of it is taken up by his father's art studio.
 * Bishie Sparkle: Used in liberal amounts.
 * Bishonen: He's noticeably pretty and even sparkles on various occasions.
 * Blue Eyes.
 * Book Dumb: Played with. In the first episode, he's seen helping Rena and Mion to understand their work, and in Tatarigoroshi-hen, it's shown that part of the reason he was teased so much in his hometown was because he was doing too well in school. He just has a different learning style.
 * Break the Cutie: Tends to "snap" rather than "break", though.
 * Broken Ace
 * Butt Monkey: The other members of the club seem to take glee in pulling pranks and embarrassing him even outside their usual punishment games. Especially Satoko who spends hours designing and setting up traps just to humiliate him and Mion whose needle filled ohagi convinced him they were trying to kill him. In fairness if your friends treated you like they do, you would have probably come to the same conclusion.
 * Buxom Is Better: Averted! In the manga, when Mion boasts before him about her breasts, he tells her they are too big and that he prefers Rena's more average size. Then again, he may say that both to upset Mion and to make Rena blush.
 * The Charmer: Called The Magician of Words for his supreme charisma and talent in bullshitting.
 * Chick Magnet: Though it can also work against him. Either way, he has Mion, probably Rena and maybe Satoko based on one of her last lines in Tatarigoroshi as well as general popularity.
 * Chivalrous Pervert
 * Cry Cute
 * Dark and Troubled Past: His family moved to a little town in the middle of nowhere for a reason...
 * Determinator: In sharp contrast to Rika's fatalism.
 * Foil: To Rika.
 * Even the Guys Want Him: Has an entire army of loyal fanboys that call him Comrade K because he helped them embrace that All Men Are Perverts.
 * Fan Service: Higurashi no Naku Koro ni Rei, first episode. That's all.
 * The Heart:
 * The Hero:
 * Hot-Blooded
 * Image Song: "Cool ni Nare". Also has a rather humourous rap with Ooishi.
 * Inexplicably Identical Individuals: Apart from hair color, he is the spitting image of Satoshi.
 * Intelligence Equals Isolation: In the Tatarigoroshi-hen arc, its revealed in a flashback that he was bullied for being too smart. As a result, he tended to be isolated from the class and even had a dead rat placed on his desk as a result. You know the rest, but this leads him to becoming Book Dumb.
 * : Once, he got bored of studying and
 * Interrupted Suicide: The full ending of.
 * I Wished You Were Dead: Tatarigoroshi-hen.
 * Knight Templar Big Brother: In Tatarigoroshi.
 * Lolicon: In Higurashi no Naku Koro ni Rei, he is revealed to harbor a rather squicky attraction toward Satoko.
 * And he even got a nosebleed at fantasizing at Rika going to a brothel in one of the TIPS.
 * The Messiah: In the later arcs.
 * Murder Is the Best Solution: NO, IT ISN'T!
 * Oblivious to Love: Can't seem to catch on to Mion and (presumably) Rena's attraction to him. Taken Up to Eleven in Musubienishi-hen.
 * Odd Intergenerational Friendship: In Minagoroshi-hen,
 * Rousing Speech: An expert on these. Mion goes so far as to call him a master of words. Becomes a plot point in Minagoroshi-hen.
 * Smarter Than You Look: He's actually among the most intelligent people in the main cast. Shion in particular doesn't think much of his brains.
 * : In Tatarigoroshi.
 * : In many of the early arcs, especially Onikakushi-hen.
 * : In Onikakushi and Tatarigoroshi. More so in the former than the later.
 * Weapon of Choice: Houjou Satoshi's baseball bat.
 * What the Hell, Hero?: When Rena finds out some things about his past, she calls him on this. Also the catalyst for the Atonement Chapter having the name it has.
 * Weapon of Choice: Houjou Satoshi's baseball bat.
 * What the Hell, Hero?: When Rena finds out some things about his past, she calls him on this. Also the catalyst for the Atonement Chapter having the name it has.

Voiced by: Mai Nakahara (JP), Mela Lee (EN)
Rena Ryugu is a girl who returned from Ibaraki to Hinamizawa one year ago, and she is in same grade level as Keiichi. She has an obsession with things she perceives as cute, whether they're actually adorable or butt-ugly. Every now and then, she goes treasure hunting in the town's trash heap, searching for "cute" things to collect, and upon finding something "cute", it's difficult to stop her from taking it home. Despite this disarming trait, Rena is shown to be amazingly observant and perspective about the things around her. According to Mion, while Rena might seem cute herself, people should be careful not to anger her as she becomes quite scary. She is especially sensitive about the topic of Oyashiro-sama, who she fears will curse her for leaving Hinamizawa.

Her arc is ""Tsumihoroboshi-hen." (Atonement in the dub) -
 * Agent Mulder
 * Alliterative Name
 * A Billhook To Grind
 * Ax Crazy: Billhook Crazy!
 * : Subverted, as  and she nearly kills the boys as a result.
 * Though
 * Berserk Button: Don't mock her belief in Oyashiro-sama.
 * Break the Cutie: Like Keiichi, snaps more often than breaks
 * Blue Eyes
 * Catch Phrase: "HAU~! OMOCHIKAERII!"
 * Covert Pervert:, she blushes when she hears Keiichi say that it's soo hot his crotch is getting sweaty to both her & Satoko in the VN.
 * Also, in Rei.
 * Cute and Psycho: She supplies the Page Image.
 * Cute Bruiser: Able to snap the rope that has her tied up with ease. Can wield the billhook without any difficultly also. And probably brought home the statue of Col. Sanders that's bigger than she is without any assistance.
 * When Hilarity Ensues she doesn't hesitate to hit her friends, and she's thrown tables a few times when things get rough. She's apparently quite strong.
 * Cuteness Proximity: One of her Running Gags.
 * Daddy's Girl: Remained very loyal to her father after her mother betrayed/cheated on him, and as shown in Tsumihoroboshi-hen she is willing to go to extreme lengths to protect him.
 * Dark and Troubled Past: She discovered that her mother cheated on her father. While her parents were finalizing their divorce, she   . She and her father then moved back to Hinamizawa to start a new life.
 * Genius Ditz (or possibly Obfuscating Stupidity): Compare her behavior at the end of episode 4 of Rei with her behavior in episode 5.
 * For that matter, see the end of Watanagashi-hen. She figures out the identity of the killer just based on a flyer and the state of Rika and Satoko's dinner.
 * Genki Girl
 * Girl with Psycho Weapon
 * Hot-Blooded: She defiantly shows this, sometimes to the degree of Keiichi, whenever she snaps out of her calmness.
 * Hyper Awareness: Seen best in Watanagashi-hen. It's implied she's Obfuscating Stupidity.
 * I'm Taking Her Home with Me: Trope Namer.
 * Image Song: "Egao Happy Peace"
 * : Motivated her to return to Hinamizawa.
 * She seems to believe that it will prevent Hinamizawa from being destroyed.
 * Miss Exposition: In Tsumihoroboshi-hen, as she explains Miyo's scrapbook to Keiichi.
 * Mood Swinger - It's hinted in the games that she's actually bipolar.
 * My Nayme Is - She changed her name from "Reina" to "Rena" to reinvent herself when she returned to Hinamizawa. She felt that, by removing the "i", she was removing her bad memories.
 * Note possible Meaningful Name: "Reina" is the Spanish for "queen".
 * She also changed the writing of the name from Kanji to Katakana, using katakana in a name was quite unusual at the time, too.
 * Nightmare Fetishist: She finds some very odd things to be "cute". One of the TIPS say that
 * Nosebleed: Has frequent ones in the Visual Novel, triggered by the presence of cute things.
 * : Many of her moments are due to this.
 * Parent with New Paramour: Rena's mother divorced her father and married another man, resulting in a permanent estrangement between them.
 * Red Headed Heroine
 * Smarter Than You Look: She's often underestimated due to her cute mannerisms and vaguely ditzy/detached manner. However, she possesses one of the most analytical minds among the cast.
 * : "Haooo~ I'm taking her home with me!"
 * The Big Guy: Don't underestimate Rena because of her size. She looks cute, but get her mad and she'll have a cleaver to grind with you.
 * There Are No Therapists: Averted. She did see a therapist after the little... incident at her old school.
 * Verbal Tic: She has a case of Palilalia which is the ocasional repeating the last words of her sentences, most notable "kana, kana?" ("I wonder, I wonder?"). Done to very sinister effect in Tsumihoroboshi-hen.
 * Weapon of Choice: A billhook. Though some confuse it for a machete or cleaver, hence the nickname "Cleaver Girl."
 * : Tsumihoroboshi-hen. She also just wants the happy days in Hinamizawa to last,
 * Wise Beyond Their Years
 * Woman in White
 * Zettai Ryouiki: In an odd way in the Visual Novel. Is she wearing anything at all under there?
 * Zettai Ryouiki: In an odd way in the Visual Novel. Is she wearing anything at all under there?

Voiced by: Satsuki Yukino (JP), Megan Hollingshead (EN)
Mion Sonozaki is the oldest classmate in Keiichi's class. As the elder, she is the class president and everyone looks up to her as the leader. Her social skills are on par with Keiichi, whom she highly respects as a friend and rival (though it is later shown that she has a crush on him). She acts like a tomboy, but has a hidden girlish side. She is next in line to be the head of the Sonozaki household, one of the Three Families which holds tremendous influence in Hinamizawa. Her position as heir is marked by an oni tattoo on her back.

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Her arc is "Watanagashi-hen." (Cotton Drifting in the dub) -
 * Break the Cutie: However, compared to the others, she doesn't have as much of a Dark and Troubled Past, and is one of the more psychologically well-adjusted characters in the cast.
 * Bokukko: To the point of using ojisan ("old man") as a first-person pronoun.
 * Brilliant but Lazy / Book Dumb: Don't think she's stupid because she asks Keiichi for help on her schoolwork despite being in a higher grade.
 * Cain and Abel: The Abel versus Shion.
 * Chivalrous Pervert: Prevalent in the manga where she does such wholesome things as grope Keiichi's rear in the Cotton Drifting chapters and raunchily stares at his crotch in the Curse Killing chapter.
 * Comatose Canary: In the Playstation 2-only Taraimawashi-hen, the inspiration for Satoko's scene in Yakusamashi-hen.
 * Curtains Match the Window
 * Empty Shell: See Comatose Canary.
 * A Friend in Need: The origins of.
 * The Gadfly: Really loves cranking Keiichi's chain, in part because she's really bad at expressing how she really feels. Her punishment games do however go into borderline Troll territory (still good spirited).
 * Genki Girl
 * Image Song: "Futari no birthday" and "Ienai Kotoba".
 * Lady of War: Becomes this in spades in the alteverse sequel manga, Yoigoshi-hen.
 * Large Ham: She can get very hammy during club games.
 * My Greatest Failure:
 * Nice Girl: Once you get past her playful competitive side, she's one of the kindest members of the cast.
 * The Ojou: Heir to a prestigous family, though she doesn't quite act the part.
 * One of the Boys: Mion has trouble not just getting her feelings across to Keiichi but also getting him to really acknowledge her actual gender.
 * Red Oni, Blue Oni: Red Oni to Shion's Blue. . The archetype is referenced by her blue oni tattoo.
 * Sibling Yin-Yang: Mion is boyish, openly perverted but secretly shy, generous and calm when not playing games. Shion is much girlier, The Tease instead of perverted and tends towards being selfish and hotblooded. Mion herself states that she's the warm friendly one while Shion is cold.
 * Shorttank
 * Single Woman Seeks Good Man: Revealed to be the reason she likes Keiichi so much during the Eye Opening chapter.
 * Spirited Competitor: Moreso than the rest of the club unless Keiichi or Rena get fired up.
 * Tall, Green-Haired and Bishoujo
 * The Lancer / Team Mom: Was the group leader prior to Keiichi's joining of the club, but directs the groups' activities even now. As the oldest member, she usually coordinates the abilities of everyone to maximum and frightening effect in and out of battle. Thus showing her brilliance despite being the most laid back of the group.
 * The Tease: In the manga especially, she has quite a few moments of this in the beginnings of different arcs.
 * Tsundere: A unique type. She neither acts terribly tsun nor dere, but has the classic signs of denying her attraction or her desire for things. Note that since her "nice side" is the dominant personality, she has slight type B leanings.
 * Tomboy and Girly Girl: She's a tomboy, while her twin sister Shion is more feminine.
 * Tomboyish Ponytail
 * Twin Switch: Frequently with Shion..
 * Unreliable Expositor: The Sonozaki family is often implicated in the goings on in the village, meaning that of all the cast she has some of the best reasons to lie.
 * Unusually Uninteresting Sight: No one ever comments on the gun she carries around. It's an airsoft gun, but you'd still think it would draw some attention...
 * Then again, she is a Yakuza Princess and heir apparent of the Sonozaki household.
 * Waif Fu:
 * Weapon of Choice: . However, in Higurashi Daybreak, she wields her airsoft gun, and in the manga-only chapter Yoigoroshi-hen, she is convinced that Katanas Are Just Better.
 * Yakuza Princess
 * You Gotta Have Green Hair
 * Weapon of Choice: . However, in Higurashi Daybreak, she wields her airsoft gun, and in the manga-only chapter Yoigoroshi-hen, she is convinced that Katanas Are Just Better.
 * Yakuza Princess
 * You Gotta Have Green Hair

Voiced by: Satsuki Yukino (JP), Megan Hollingshead (EN)
Shion Sonozaki is Mion's identical twin sister, who currently resides in Okinomiya. In spite of their different personalities, she and Mion often switch places, and it can be difficult to distinguish between them. She was sent by the Sonozaki family to a private boarding school, but escaped and returned to live near her hometown, where she lives with Kasai. She was in love with Satoshi, and blames the Three Families of Hinamizawa for his disappearance. She works as a waitress at the Angel Mort restaurant and is the manager's assistant for the Hinamizawa Fighters little league team.

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Her arc is "Meakashi-hen." (Eye Opening in the dub) Legendary for its infamy. You Have Been Warned. -
 * Note that in the VN version of Meakashi-hen, this was never implied, nor did it ever happen.
 * Break the Cutie:
 * Cain and Abel: The Cain versus Mion.
 * Cold-Blooded Torture: Her MO. Ironically, she was the victim of it herself.
 * Cool Big Sis: To Satoko, as a promise she made to Satoshi.
 * Curtains Match the Window
 * Disney Villain Death: In the Cotton Drifting and Eye Opening chapters.
 * Does Not Like Spam: She hates canned foods because her father traumatized her into thinking that human meat gets packed inside.
 * : In Watanagashi-hen and Meakashi-hen, excluding the anime.
 * Fan Service with a Smile: Her job at Angel Mort.
 * Foreshadowing: From Frederica Bernkastel's poem in Meakashi-hen: "How many years will pass before she wonders if she really dropped them?"
 * Future Badass: In the manga- only arc Yoigoshi-hen. However,.
 * Green-Eyed Monster:
 * : Her reaction to realizing she just was, number one:  . Number two: Saying "Oh, what the hell". In the VN, it's expanded upon:
 * Image Song - "Futari no Birthday" and "Ienai Kotoba", along with Mion.
 * I Will Wait for You: Although most of the arcs involve what happens if she forgets.
 * Laughing Mad :In Meakashi and Watanagashi.
 * : Meakashi-hen. Enough said.
 * Off to Boarding School
 * The Rashomon: Watanagashi-hen was told from Keiichi's point of view, and Shion retells it in Meakashi-hen.
 * Red Oni, Blue Oni: Blue Oni to Mion's Red..
 * Sibling Yin-Yang: Between her and Mion. See Mion's entry for details.
 * Sixth Ranger
 * Spanner in the Works: See the trope's page for details.
 * Star-Crossed Lovers: Her family is not happy about her being in love with Satoshi.
 * Start of Darkness: Subverted with the "distinguishment scene". It is so in arcs where she snaps but not in arcs where she doesn't.
 * Tall, Green-Haired and Bishoujo
 * The Chick
 * Tomboy and Girly Girl: The girly girl.
 * Twin Switch: Frequently with Mion..
 * The Unfavorite: As the younger twin, she is denied any family privilege. Especially painful because . However, it seems that for the most part she doesn't entirely mind because it's not very fun having the responsibilities of the Sonozaki heir.
 * Unreliable Expositor: Like a lot of the cast are at varying points. However, this is specifically referring to
 * Weapon of Choice:
 * Violently Protective Girlfriend: GOOD GOD.
 * Yakuza Princess
 * You Gotta Have Green Hair
 * Yubitsume: What she had to do to gain forgiveness from her grandmother for running away from her boarding school.
 * The Unfavorite: As the younger twin, she is denied any family privilege. Especially painful because . However, it seems that for the most part she doesn't entirely mind because it's not very fun having the responsibilities of the Sonozaki heir.
 * Unreliable Expositor: Like a lot of the cast are at varying points. However, this is specifically referring to
 * Weapon of Choice:
 * Violently Protective Girlfriend: GOOD GOD.
 * Yakuza Princess
 * You Gotta Have Green Hair
 * Yubitsume: What she had to do to gain forgiveness from her grandmother for running away from her boarding school.
 * You Gotta Have Green Hair
 * Yubitsume: What she had to do to gain forgiveness from her grandmother for running away from her boarding school.

Voiced by: Mika Kanai (JP), Minx Lee (EN)
Satoko Houjou is a younger classmate in Keiichi's school. In spite of her young age, she seems to have an impressive arm strength and is quite clever in setting up traps, which she likes to practice on Keiichi. Although her personality is quite energetic and mischievous during the events of the games, Satoko's past was full of trauma; her family were outcasts for supporting the dam project that would have destroyed the village, her parents died in an accident , she was abused by her foster parents (her aunt and uncle), and her beloved brother Satoshi disappeared. She greatly misses Satoshi, and feels that by being strong, he will return. . She cannot tell the difference between cauliflower and broccoli because she is color blind.

Her arc is "Tatarigoroshi-hen." (Curse Killing in the dub) -
 * Badass Adorable
 * Bratty Half-Pint: Especially in the first Higurashi: Rei episode.
 * Break the Cutie
 * Break the Haughty: Rei Episode 3.
 * Cheerful Child: Usually.
 * The Chew Toy: Besides her tragic past, it seems that, no matter who dies over the course of the series, one thing that's almost guaranteed is that Satoko's going to get beaten up at some point (most likely with a chair).
 * Comatose Canary: In Yakusamashi-hen.
 * Covert Pervert: In Rei.
 * Cute Bruiser: She's strong enough to shove Keiichi across the room.
 * Cute Little Fangs
 * Crazy Prepared: Sometimes you wonder how and when she sets up some of the traps that she does and how she times them so well.
 * Does Not Like Pumpkins
 * Drop the Washtub: A preferred prank. She can summon them anywhere.
 * Entendre Failure: Presumably because she's one of the Token moes, she is particularly prone to this. The one to lampshade this is usually Rika, the other one. Notably, she always gets it. Occasionally, it seems like she chooses not to understand the entendre.
 * Hair Decorations: She nearly always wears a black hairband.
 * Genki Girl
 * Image Song: "Sukisuki Nii Nii".
 * Morality Pet: To different character in different arcs, most notably Irie.
 * : You might miss it and you won't understand it at the time, but it happens at the end of Minagoroshi chapter
 * Noblewoman's Laugh: "Oh ho ho ho!"
 * Parental Abandonment: Boy, does poor Satoko get it bad. Her mother, father, aunt, and brother all died or disappeared, and her uncle skipped town.
 * That last one really isn't a bad thing.
 * : An accidental, tragic example.
 * Technicolor Eyes: Pink and in some versions, Red.
 * The Smart Guy: The "Trap Master" of the group. She can make weapons and traps out of anything. Her expertise even allows her to understand and figure out the things others make, such as
 * Token Mini-Moe
 * Trap Master: It's her club title.
 * Trauma Conga Line:
 * Weapon of Choice: It's given more importance in the games, but she is quite good at making traps.
 * Yaoi Fangirl: She seems a little bit TOO happy at the sight of  in the first episode of Kira.
 * Then again,

Voiced by: Yukari Tamura (JP), Rebecca Forstadt (EN)
Rika Furude is the main character of Higurashi no Naku Koro ni Kai. She is a younger classmate in Keiichi's school, and is in the same grade level as Satoko. Naturally, she is great friends with her, as they live together in the same house. She is the Miko of the Shrine of Oyashiro-sama, and some of the villagers revere her as a prophet. She has been the head of the Furude family since her parents died, but rarely attends town meetings due to her young age.

. She is the only one who can see Hanyu, whom everyone else thinks is an Imaginary Friend.

Her arc is "Minagoroshi-hen." (Massacre) --
 * A-Cup Angst: Rika at one point laments her small breast size (due to not being done with puberty yet), and a DVD extra has her do a Skinship Grope of Mion.
 * Badass Adorable
 * Badass Long Hair
 * Bokukko: Uses "boku" as a first-person pronoun, probably a habit acquired from Hanyu.
 * Cassandra Truth: Rika has long since given up trying to convince people that she knows the future.
 * Cheerful Child: Or so it seems...
 * The Chick
 * Covert Pervert: In Rei.
 * Creepy Child: She occasionally acts in a knowing, creepy manner completely unfitting her age.
 * Curtains Match the Window
 * Deadpan Snarker: In the silly episode previews.
 * Also a majority of her dialogue consists of this when she isn't being innocent or serious.
 * Deliberately Cute Child
 * Drowning My Sorrows: She drinks wine, despite being underage.
 * Expy: Cute Witch Bernkastel in Umineko no Naku Koro ni.
 * Along with new Canon Sue Erika, . Sadly,.
 * The Fatalist
 * . And yes, this is a plot point
 * Hime Cut
 * Image Song: "Mugen Kairou", and "S A G A Rinne no Hate ni".
 * : By unusual means, but ultimately to the same effect.
 * Miko
 * Oracular Urchin
 * Averted, though she puts on an act so as not to freak people out.
 * Precocious Crush: Strongly implied towards Akasaka.
 * Purple Eyes
 * Trademark Favorite Food: Bernkastel Wine.
 * Troubling Unchildlike Behavior
 * Verbal Tic: "Mii", "Nipa~"
 * The "nipa~" could actually be
 * For some reason, she ends all her sentences with "desu" or "nano desu", even when it makes no gramatical sense.
 * Waif Prophet
 * Weapon of Choice:, and strangely enough, a mop.
 * Yaoi Fangirl: In the preview at the end of Kai episode 7.
 * You Can't Fight Fate: Or so she believes..
 * You Gotta Have Blue Hair
 * Trademark Favorite Food: Bernkastel Wine.
 * Troubling Unchildlike Behavior
 * Verbal Tic: "Mii", "Nipa~"
 * The "nipa~" could actually be
 * For some reason, she ends all her sentences with "desu" or "nano desu", even when it makes no gramatical sense.
 * Waif Prophet
 * Weapon of Choice:, and strangely enough, a mop.
 * Yaoi Fangirl: In the preview at the end of Kai episode 7.
 * You Can't Fight Fate: Or so she believes..
 * You Gotta Have Blue Hair
 * Yaoi Fangirl: In the preview at the end of Kai episode 7.
 * You Can't Fight Fate: Or so she believes..
 * You Gotta Have Blue Hair

Voiced by: Yui Horie (JP)
Hanyu is the mysterious "transfer student" in Matsuribayashi-hen. She has a pair of dark-colored horns on her head, one which is chipped slightly. In fact, she has appeared to Rika all her life, but only in Matsuribayashi-hen did she gain the power to interact with others. She is very meek and often makes the noise "Au au au¦" when she is nervous or uncomfortable. She dislikes alcohol and kimchi, which Rika uses in large amounts when Hanyu is being particularly annoying (Hanyu's and Rika's senses are linked together).

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Her arc is "Matsuribayashi-hen." (Festival Music) --
 * : See Immortal Immaturity below.
 * Apologises a Lot: "Gomen nasai..."
 * Bokukko: Uses "boku" as a first-person pronoun.
 * Break the Cutie: Quite a lot, though often missed in the anime adaptation or replaced with a more cute reaction.
 * But Your Wings Are Beautiful: She has something of a complex about her horns. Rena thinks they're cute. The only one to react negatively is Takano, and even she probably didn't really care.
 * It's implied that her complex comes not from her current-day friends' reactions (or lack thereof) but rather the fact that
 * Can't Hold Her Liquor: A fact that likes to take advantage of.
 * Clap Your Hands If You Believe:.
 * Curtains Match the Window
 * Detached Sleeves
 * Does Not Like Spam: Wine and spicy food.
 * Expy: Featherine Augustus Aurora from Umineko no Naku Koro ni.
 * : In fact, she even goes so far as to describe herself as "".
 * Horned Humanoid
 * Image Song: "Nano Desu".
 * Immortal Immaturity: Especially jarring when you consider a TIPS that reveals that,.
 * Heck, the sound novel has an based off and we see her  in one arc.
 * Intangible Man
 * Messianic Archetype: Subverted. Hanyu was one in the past,, but now disagrees with the idea of people sacrificing others in the name of purifying their own sins.
 * New Meat: After she joins the club, Mion calls her the "newbie".
 * Only Known by Their Nickname: Most people call her, people who know her call her Hanyu, but her real name is
 * : But only in Matsuribayashi-hen.
 * Purple Eyes
 * Sweet Tooth
 * Tagalong Kid: Even before.
 * Unusually Uninteresting Sight: Subverted, as the games reveal that everyone did notice her horns but avoided mentioning them because they either were too polite, they liked them or they thought they were some kind of accessory. It was the Big Bad crudely pointing them out that jogged her and Rika's memory. Interestingly, . None of this is mentioned in the anime.
 * Why doesn't anyone her horns?
 * Verbal Tic: "Hau au auu~" and "Nano desu"
 * The Voice: Until Minagoroshi-hen. "Gomen nasai..."
 * In Onikakushi, in at least the sound novel remakes, you can hear her in the scene where Keiichi looks out his window at Rena. It's scary.
 * You Gotta Have Purple Hair
 * Sweet Tooth
 * Tagalong Kid: Even before.
 * Unusually Uninteresting Sight: Subverted, as the games reveal that everyone did notice her horns but avoided mentioning them because they either were too polite, they liked them or they thought they were some kind of accessory. It was the Big Bad crudely pointing them out that jogged her and Rika's memory. Interestingly, . None of this is mentioned in the anime.
 * Why doesn't anyone her horns?
 * Verbal Tic: "Hau au auu~" and "Nano desu"
 * The Voice: Until Minagoroshi-hen. "Gomen nasai..."
 * In Onikakushi, in at least the sound novel remakes, you can hear her in the scene where Keiichi looks out his window at Rena. It's scary.
 * You Gotta Have Purple Hair
 * The Voice: Until Minagoroshi-hen. "Gomen nasai..."
 * In Onikakushi, in at least the sound novel remakes, you can hear her in the scene where Keiichi looks out his window at Rena. It's scary.
 * You Gotta Have Purple Hair

Voiced by: Mitsuki Saiga (JP - drama CD), Yuu Kobayashi (JP - anime), Darrel Guilbeau (EN)
Satoshi Houjou is Satoko's older brother, who disappeared a year before the story began. It's eventually revealed that. -
 * Big Brother Instinct: He was very protective of Satoko.
 * Bishonen: Quite handsome along with Keiichi.
 * Break the Cutie
 * Chekhov's Gunman: His disappearance is a major part of what sets off the killers in three of the four question arcs fueling Keiichi's paranoia (Onikakushi), Shion's grief (Watanagashi and Meakashi) and Keiichi's protectiveness (Tataragoroshi).
 * Cross-Dressing Voices
 * Foreshadowing: From Frederica Bernkastel's poem in Meakashi-hen: "How many years will pass before she wonders if she really dropped them?"
 * Ill Boy: According to Dr. Irie, he was frail due to a heart condition.
 * Posthumous Character: All character development is done through flashback
 * Promotion to Parent: For Satoko.
 * Technicolor Eyes: Pink.
 * Posthumous Character: All character development is done through flashback
 * Promotion to Parent: For Satoko.
 * Technicolor Eyes: Pink.

Voiced by: Chafurin (JP)
Kuraudo Ooishi is a veteran police investigator at Okinomiya who has vowed to solve the mystery of the Hinamizawa murders before his retirement, due to personal reasons. Due to his uncouth tactics and the lengths that he goes to in order to solve the mystery, he is looked upon as a nuisance by the villagers. He approaches one of the main characters to become his informant in several arcs, and is sometimes unwittingly responsible for triggering their paranoia. -
 * Fan Nickname: Mr. Delicious, since his name sounds like "oishii", the Japanese word for "delicious".
 * Inspector Javert: He's usually right, though, like in and.
 * It's Personal: The dam construction manager who was the first murder victim was a Mentor to him. Once he finds out he was murdered and suspects the Sonozakis of it, he becomes determined to crack the case.
 * Obfuscating Stupidity: His drawling accent, casual manner and crude humor put people off their guard. Unfortunately, it makes him come off as arrogant and causes distrust in him.
 * Odd Intergenerational Friendship: With in Minagoroshi-hen.
 * Odd Friendship:
 * Reasonable Authority Figure: In most of the arcs.
 * Retirony - In the arcs where he is killed, due to the short time limit that he has to solve the case before he retires.
 * Unwitting Instigator of Doom: He doesn't realize it, but his actions frequently wind up just making a given arc worse and making it so that there's really no one sane left for to get help from. Particularly egregious in, where he's arguably the cause of  going off the deep end, but he also exacerbates  jumps off the cliff in Tatarigoroshi-hen and Tsumihoroboshi-hen, no matter how much help he might turn into near the end of the latter. And his consistent mistrust of the Sonozakis makes it impossible for anyone to trust  in the group.

Voiced by: Tohru Ookawa (JP), Kyle Hebert (EN)
Jirou Tomitake is a freelance photographer who comes to Hinamizawa occasionally. He gets along well with Miyo Takano because of their similar interests in photography. Despite being only an occasional visitor, he seems to know a fair amount about Hinamizawa's past. Ooishi and the police are suspicious of his identity.

In the first six arcs, he is consistently found dead of suicide on the night of Watanagashi, triggering many of the events that follow. .


 * Curtains Match the Window
 * Designated Victim
 * : Especially evident in Matsuribayashi-hen.
 * Weapon of Choice: Camera. "TOMITAKE FLASH!!!!"
 * We Hardly Knew Ye: He usually dies too early to get any kind of development.
 * : Especially evident in Matsuribayashi-hen.
 * Weapon of Choice: Camera. "TOMITAKE FLASH!!!!"
 * We Hardly Knew Ye: He usually dies too early to get any kind of development.
 * We Hardly Knew Ye: He usually dies too early to get any kind of development.

Voiced by: Miki Ito (JP), Fuyuka Ooura (JP - young), Karen Strassman (EN)
Miyo Takano is a nurse at the village clinic who has a keen interest in Hinamizawa's past and culture, recording all her speculation in notebooks. At times, her storytelling can be very mysterious and chilling she seems to enjoy putting people on edge. In the first six arcs, she consistently disappears on the night of Watanagashi, and an incinerated body thought to be hers is found in the mountains.

. --
 * : The end of Minagoroshi-hen.
 * Specifically, Fast-forward to modern day and Miyo
 * Break the Cutie
 * The Chessmaster
 * Deadly Doctor: Although she's always one of the first two victims of Watanagashi, she isn't quite so helpless as you'd think. Plus, her weapons of choice in Higurashi Daybreak are syringes.
 * Designated Victim:.
 * The Determinator
 * Dissonant Serenity: To contrast all other infected ones.
 * Epileptic Trees: A perpetuator of these in-universe. They range from the clearly correct (the prevalence of the "oni" character in the Sonozaki and Kimiyoshi family names), to the plausible but unprovable (the possible alternate spelling of "Oyashiro"), to the clearly insane (Oyashiro was an alien doctor!)
 * Expy: Cute Witch Lambdadelta in Umineko no Naku Koro ni.
 * An extra TIPS implies that Other than that, they have no other connection. Possibly.
 * Eyes of Gold
 * Fan Nickname: Droopy-Tan, for her 'droopy' features that make her appear sleepy-eyed.
 * Freudian Excuse:.
 * : But only in the very end of the series.
 * Ironic Echo: Not exactly a quote, but the scene near the end of Matsuribayashi-hen where very closely echoes the scene near the beginning of the arc where . It can be interpreted that
 * Hello, Nurse!
 * : Hello,.
 * Lack of Empathy
 * -  she's still just a nurse when it comes down to it.
 * Nay Theist: Highly disparaging of the local religion. She actually hates God despite appearing to be a Christian.
 * Numerical Theme Naming: The kanji for her name uses the kanji for three (三) and four (四).
 * Nice Hat: Her nurse's cap. Also,
 * Nightmare Fetishist: Over the legends of Oyashiro-sama.
 * Orphanage of Fear: She was sent to one of these after her parents died, witnessing and suffering lots of horrors there.
 * Plucky Girl: Enough will to.
 * Zettai Ryouiki: As part of her nurse uniform.
 * : Hello,.
 * Lack of Empathy
 * -  she's still just a nurse when it comes down to it.
 * Nay Theist: Highly disparaging of the local religion. She actually hates God despite appearing to be a Christian.
 * Numerical Theme Naming: The kanji for her name uses the kanji for three (三) and four (四).
 * Nice Hat: Her nurse's cap. Also,
 * Nightmare Fetishist: Over the legends of Oyashiro-sama.
 * Orphanage of Fear: She was sent to one of these after her parents died, witnessing and suffering lots of horrors there.
 * Plucky Girl: Enough will to.
 * Zettai Ryouiki: As part of her nurse uniform.
 * Zettai Ryouiki: As part of her nurse uniform.
 * Zettai Ryouiki: As part of her nurse uniform.
 * Zettai Ryouiki: As part of her nurse uniform.
 * Zettai Ryouiki: As part of her nurse uniform.
 * Zettai Ryouiki: As part of her nurse uniform.
 * Zettai Ryouiki: As part of her nurse uniform.

Voiced by: Toshihiko Seki (JP), Dave Mallow (EN)
Kyousuke Irie is the head doctor of the village clinic. Initially interesting in being a doctor just for the money, he became devoted to the field of psychosurgery after a head injury changed his father's personality. Despite his young age and the fact that he has a severe maid fetish, he is highly respected in the community. He cheerfully makes house calls and seems to truly care about everyone's health. He has (half-jokingly) admitted that he wishes to marry Satoko when she is older, but is not above chasing after Rika when she is wearing one of the uniforms from the restaurant Angel Mort. In addition, he is the manager of the village's baseball little league team, the Hinamizawa Fighters. .


 * Curtains Match the Window
 * Domestic Abuse: Figures a lot in Irie's backstory. . This serves as a major motivator for, among other things,.
 * Fan Nickname: Pedodoctor.
 * Lolicon: Played for laughs.
 * Meido: His fetish.
 * Reasonable Authority Figure: He always listens to the main characters' worries about what's going on and helps them if possible. Unfortunately, when he figures out what's going on, it's not always to the benefit of the character telling the story...
 * Reasonable Authority Figure: He always listens to the main characters' worries about what's going on and helps them if possible. Unfortunately, when he figures out what's going on, it's not always to the benefit of the character telling the story...

Voiced by: Takehito Koyasu (JP - drama CD), Daisuke Ono (JP - anime), Patrick Seitz (EN)
Mamoru Akasaka is a young police investigator at the Metropolitan Police Department in Tokyo. He befriended Rika while investigating a case in Hinamizawa four years ago, all due to a prophecy about his wife which came true; he, however, just brushed it off as coincidence.

.


 * Badass: In Matsuribayashi it becomes clear why Rika had so much faith in him.
 * Big Damn Heroes: Hoo boy.
 * Chekhov's Gunman
 * Fair Cop
 * Future Badass:
 * Redemption Quest
 * Took a Level In Badass: Took a lot of levels in Badass.
 * And learned the Falcon Punch during the Level Grinding.
 * And learned the Falcon Punch during the Level Grinding.

Voiced by: Katsuhisa Hoki (JP), Steve Kramer (EN)
Teppei Houjou is Satoko and Satoshi's uncle/foster father. He and his wife were forced to take care of Satoko and Satoshi after the death of their parents, but they abused them. He left Hinamizawa after Tamae's death, and currently lives in Okinomiya. According to Kasai, he is a pimp and uses his lover Rina to swindle men out of their money.


 * Abusive Uncle: It doesn't end well for him.
 * Asshole Victim:
 * Blonde Guys Are Evil
 * Evil Uncle: to Satoko and Satoshi. He's not even their real uncle. His older brother was their stepfather.
 * Kick the Son of a Bitch: Frequent target of it.
 * Outlaw Couple: With Rina
 * They Killed Kenny: Dies....quite a lot, mostly to his own evil acts biting him in the ass.
 * Vigilante Execution: Vigilante action (for NASTY child abuse and badger games) is the common motive in his many deaths throughout the arcs.

Voiced by: Shizuka Okohira (JP), Barbara Goodson (EN)
Oryou Sonozaki is Mion and Shion's grandmother and head of the Sonozaki household. She appears to be a very harsh old woman and is considered the most powerful person in Hinamizawa. Both Mion and Shion call her "Oni-baba" ("demon granny").

Shion suspects that she was the mastermind in Satoshi's disappearance.


 * Abusive Grandparent: Treats Shion like garbage. Best grandmom ever!
 * Cold-Blooded Torture: The "distinguishment" scene.
 * Disproportionate Retribution: Motive for the "distinguishment" scene.
 * Evil Matriarch: Her granddaughters call her demon granny, what more do you need to know?
 * Meaningful Name: "Oryou" contains the character "oni", as do all the names of the Sonozaki heirs. Oryou's daughter Akane (Mion and Shion's mother) used to have an "oni" in her name, but was forced to change the spelling when she was disinherited for marrying an outsider.
 * Never Mess with Granny
 * Pet the Dog: When she gives her support to Keiichi in Minagoroshi-hen, and later in Matsuribayashi-hen when it is revealed that she was pulling the strings on
 * Sure, Let's Go with That:
 * Tsundere
 * Never Mess with Granny
 * Pet the Dog: When she gives her support to Keiichi in Minagoroshi-hen, and later in Matsuribayashi-hen when it is revealed that she was pulling the strings on
 * Sure, Let's Go with That:
 * Tsundere
 * Sure, Let's Go with That:
 * Tsundere
 * Tsundere

Voiced by: Fumiko Orikasa (JP), Sam Carr (EN)
Rumiko Chie is the female teacher of Keiichi's class, who is a parody character of Tsukihime's Ciel-senpai (permission for her usage was given by Type-Moon). The seiyu for her character in the anime series is the same as the seiyu of Ciel from the Tsukihime anime. Going along with the parody, her favorite food is curry rice, just like Ciel.


 * Berserk Button: Don't you dare insult curry in front of her. It won't be pretty. Sometimes she can hear an insult even when she's not in the room!
 * Blue Eyes
 * Expy: If the above wasn't enough, in Higurashi Daybreak, many of Rumiko's moves are direct references to some of Ciel's moves from Melty Blood. In the Expansion Pack, one of Rumiko's alternate outfits is Ciel's nun outfit and, if the player uses this costume, she will talk very much like her Tsukihime counterpart.
 * More specifically, she's an Expy of Ciel-Sensei - she even wears the same pendant. Unlike Neko Arc, her status as just Ciel in a teacher's uniform or as a separate character is not quite confirmed. At least one story in Kagetsu Tohya seems to suggest Ciel Sensei is a separate character, which would make Chie an Expy of an Expy.
 * Hot Teacher
 * Reasonable Authority Figure: Unfortunately, there's generally little she can do.
 * Trademark Favorite Food: Curry.
 * Two-Teacher School: Justified. It's a pretty small school, though Keiichi is still impressed that she manages to teach a class full of students from different grades.
 * Higher grade students are also expected to teach to lower grade ones during free study periods, effectively raising the number of teachers.
 * You Gotta Have Blue Hair

Voiced by: Fumihiko Tachiki (JP), Steve Kramer (EN)
Tatsuyoshi Kasai is an employee of the Sonozakis, who looks like a secret agent. He was more active in the past, but has settled down to become Shion's caretaker.


 * Badass
 * Badass Beard
 * Retired Badass
 * Cool Shades
 * Sunglasses At Night: He is always seen wearing sunglasses.
 * Yakuza

Voiced by: Kyoko Hikami (JP - drama CD), Misa Watanabe (JP - anime), Jean Smart (EN)
Rina Mamiya is a woman who appears in Rena's life in Tsumihoroboshi-hen. She is the lover of Teppei Houjou, and together they swindle men out of their money through intimidation and blackmail schemes. Her real name is Ritsuko, but she uses Rina as a fake name.

In Tsumihoroboshi-hen,. Also, in Tatarigoroshi-hen and Minagoroshi-hen,.


 * Asshole Victim:
 * Bitch in Sheep's Clothing
 * Distinguishing Mark: A red star-shaped tattoo on her left thigh.
 * Honey Trap: And how.
 * Gold Digger
 * Gorn: In a series full of Family-Unfriendly Death and Gorn, her death at the hands of  may just be the crowning one.
 * Meaningful Name: Rena took the "i" out of her name to signify the removal of all "ickyness" from her life. Could it really be a coincidence that Rina is nothing but horribleness?
 * Outlaw Couple: With Teppei.
 * Red Eyes, Take Warning: Major hint that there's something not right about her.
 * Tall, Dark and Bishoujo: Despite her bitchy behavior she is rather good-looking.
 * Tattooed Crook
 * You Gotta Have Pink Hair
 * Would Hurt a Child: A rare female example.

Voiced by: Kikuko Inoue (JP)
Akane Sonozaki is Mion and Shion's mother. Although one of her daughters is still the family heir, Akane herself was disowned after marrying someone of whom her family disapproved.


 * Action Mom
 * Curtains Match the Window
 * Katanas Are Just Better
 * Missing Mom - She's rarely on screen due to her estrangement.
 * Odd Name Out: She's the only female of her family not to have the character for oni in her name. She used to, but had to change the spelling of her name when she was disowned.
 * Weapon of Choice - A katana. Mion must have got it from somewhere.
 * Yakuza: Her husband is a crime boss.
 * You Gotta Have Green Hair
 * Yakuza: Her husband is a crime boss.
 * You Gotta Have Green Hair

Voiced by: Masaaki Tsukada (JP), Kyle Hebert (EN)
Kiichirou Kimiyoshi is the head of one of the Three Families and the official village chief of Hinamizawa. He seems to be a kindly old man, but is vehement in his hatred for Hinamizawa's enemies. .


 * Meaningful Name: The characters for "Kimiyoshi" can be rearranged to form the character "oni".

Rie Tanaka (JP )
Nomura is a woman from the organization 'Tokyo'.



Jurota Kosugi (JP - drama CD, anime), Ken Narita (JP - games)
Beware the Gardeners, for they are Anonymous, and they are Legion! ...They are actually called the Yamainu ("Jackals"), but they look more like janitors than anything else. Headed by Okonogi, they serve as The Men in Black for the majority of the arcs. .


 * Government Conspiracy
 * Informed Ability:
 * The Men in Black
 * Theme Naming - Despite being called the Jackals, titles within the organization are bird-themed.
 * The Worf Effect -
 * - To Mion
 * The Worf Effect -
 * - To Mion
 * - To Mion

Oyashiro-sama
Oyashiro-sama is the guardian god of Hinamizawa, a demonic god of torture and bloodshed. The old legends say that Onigafuchi used to be inhabited by demons, until a sacrifice by Oyashiro turned them human, and that the inhabitants of Hinamizawa are descendants of those demons. Oyashiro-sama is honored by a "Cotton-Drifting Festival", which has dark roots in cannibalism and human sacrifice. Five years ago, when a dam endangered Hinamizawa, the residents prayed to Oyashiro-sama for protection. The dam was cancelled, but ever since, on the day of the Cotton-Drifting Festival, one person has died and another has disappeared, all people who supported the dam. This is the Curse of Oyashiro.


 * Corrupt Church:
 * God Is Evil:
 * Meaningful Name: "Oyashiro" can be literally translated as "the deity is the shrine itself" or "the deity of every eight generations", depending on the characters used to spell it. Normally, it's just written in katakana, though.
 * Religious Horror: The worship of Oyashiro-sama is a form of anti-Shinto.
 * Ultimate Evil:
 * Religious Horror: The worship of Oyashiro-sama is a form of anti-Shinto.
 * Ultimate Evil:

Frederica Bernkastel
Frederica Bernkastel is a mysterious figure in the Higurashi universe, author of a series of poems (fan translated version) (official translation) about the series. The most direct information about her comes from "A Message From Frederica Bernkastel", which basically consists of her laughing about the Wild Mass Guessing that she's Rika Furude or Oyashiro-sama. Frederica has exactly one scene in the anime, after the credits of the final episode, and a few appearances in the manga.

She also appears (or does she?) in Umineko no Naku Koro ni, in which she gets a much more visible role.


 * Breaking the Fourth Wall: In the games, Frederica will directly address the player, a habit she/her Expy carries over to Umineko no Naku Koro ni.
 * Demoted to Extra: The anime only includes one appearance by Frederica, and none of her poems.
 * Even worse, most people thought that was an adult Rika.
 * The animation studio wasn't completely unfaithful. The next episode previews from the original series may have been a homage to Frederica's poems from the game, given their cryptic nature.
 * Rika also mentions her in Rei.
 * Meaningful Name: "Frederica" is more or less "Furude Rika" in katakana with a minor change, and Rika drinks Bernkastel wine. They also strongly resemble each other. Nevertheless, Frederica insists, "Frederica and Rika Furude aren't the same. Shame on you if you thought so."
 * Pet the Dog:
 * Really Seven Hundred Years Old: Actually,, she's quit counting her age.
 * Really Seven Hundred Years Old: Actually,, she's quit counting her age.

Voiced by: Nana Inoue (JP)
Tomoe Minai is a detective who investigates the curse of Oyashiro and the gas disaster. Initially, she got involved through the case of back in 1982. She later on gets deeply involved with Natsumi's problems through her investigations. She is included in only the DS renditions of what was known in the manga as Onisarashi-hen. These became Someutsushi-hen and Kageboushi-hen. She also appears in the DS rendition of Miotsukushi-hen and a DS-only arc called Tokihogoshi-hen.


 * Fair Cop
 * Inspector Javert: Similar to Ooishi, in those situations.
 * Promotion to Parent: Became this to her younger sister Madoka after their father`s death.
 * Seeker Archetype

Voiced by: Kaori Mizuhashi (JP)
Natsumi Kimiyoshi is a girl whose family used to live in Hinamizawa. After the Great Hinamizawa Disaster, her grandmother starts acting strange, setting off a horrific chain of murders.


 * Blood-Splattered Innocents: Happens to Natsumi three times..
 * Continuity Cameo: In the original (PlayStation 2) Miotsukushi-hen, she pops up briefly as a nod to people who had read Onisarashi-hen.
 * Country Mouse: Okinomiya is a bigger town than Hinamizawa, but this sort of dynamic still plays pretty strongly when she moves to the city.
 * : Someutsushi-hen only.
 * : She tries to in Someutsushi-hen. It doesn't go exactly to plan.
 * Never My Fault: She actually spends in Someutsushi-hen, presumably for , although possibly referring to.
 * Expository Hairstyle Change: Miotsukushi-hen in the DS rendition. Also somewhat used in the Onisarashi-hen manga.
 * Girlish Pigtails
 * Rapunzel Hair
 * I Can't Believe a Guy Like You Would Notice Me: Before Akira admits he likes her too, her apparently Unrequited Love was largely full of this dynamic.
 * : At the end of Someutsushi-hen. Ends about as well as.
 * : "Help me... Toudou... he... It was my fault...!"
 * New Transfer Student
 * Odango Hair
 * : In Onisarashi-hen's epilogue. She never gets over the guilt from.
 * Room Full of Crazy: The room with all of the seals
 * Shout-Out: In the PSP game Higurashi Day Break, her charge move looks alot like what Sekai does to Makoto in the finale of the School Days anime.
 * Shrinking Violet
 * Trauma Conga Line: In the manga too, but it's definitely stepped up in the DS version. The gas disaster and her entire family's murders happen in all versions, but Someutsushi-hen tosses in all sorts of college related trauma - she finds out that even though all of her friends are shooting to go to one university, she's being cut off due to weaker grades - and the murder of her boss at a retirement center where she works part-time that was done by a Hinamizawan guy she had just befriended a few days earlier. Of course, . Also, her.
 * Trauma Conga Line: In the manga too, but it's definitely stepped up in the DS version. The gas disaster and her entire family's murders happen in all versions, but Someutsushi-hen tosses in all sorts of college related trauma - she finds out that even though all of her friends are shooting to go to one university, she's being cut off due to weaker grades - and the murder of her boss at a retirement center where she works part-time that was done by a Hinamizawan guy she had just befriended a few days earlier. Of course, . Also, her.

Voiced by: Satoshi Hino (JP)
Akira Toudou is a classmate of Natsumi's who she has has a crush on. He admits to liking her back fairly early on and is quickly drawn into the madness surrounding the Kimiyoshi household. Depending on which version, his intervention leads to either or.


 * The Caretaker:
 * Cooldown Hug:
 * Despair Event Horizon: The outcome of.
 * The Farmer and the Viper
 * Love Redeems: His last-minute usage of The Power of Love in one version only.
 * One Steve Limit: Averted - he shares a name with the main character in Yoigoshi-hen. Of course, it's assured that the two of them will never interact, since the arcs have a 20-year long distance between them.
 * The Quiet One: He's for the most part a pretty darn quiet character who mostly expresses himself through his artwork. His expressions are also a heck of a lot blander than most of the other characters. Of course, once the horror kicks in, he's Not So Stoic anymore.
 * Single Woman Seeks Good Man
 * Sugar and Ice Personality
 * Sugar and Ice Personality

Voiced by: Eri Kitamura (JP - Chisato), Yukari Fukui (JP - Tamako)
Chisato Saeki and Tamako Makimura are two of Natsumi's friends. Both of them first appeared in the Onisarashi-hen manga and were given expanded roles (especially Chisato) in the DS remakes of that arc, Someutsushi-hen and Kageboshi-hen.


 * Brainy Brunette: Tamako. Really, her hair's purplish, but Natsumi (although her hair's greenish-blonde) actually fits that trope better, and Tamako overall fits this one better, especially since the purple's pretty darn close to black.
 * Blush Sticker: One of Chisato's standard expressions in the DS.
 * Deadpan Snarker: Tamako.
 * Fiery Redhead: Chisato
 * Girlish Pigtails: Chisato
 * Meaningful Name: Tamako's is commented on the manga omake. "Tama" means round. The manga artist wonders if her name is so because she's roly-poly.
 * Plucky Comic Relief: Chisato in spades.
 * Romantic Two-Girl Friendship: Chisato has a bunch of jokes toward this with Natsumi
 * Lesbian Jock: Chisato. Though she apparently used to have a crush on Akira, her childhood friend.
 * Those Two Guys

Voiced by: Kouki Miyata (JP)
Akira Otobe is a boy who wanders into Hinamizawa 23 years the events of Tsumihoroboshi-hen occur (with a small twist) He gets separated from the group he was traveling into the village with and runs into someone claiming to be Mion Sonozaki, who confuses him with Satoshi. .


 * Don't Go in The Woods
 * Identical Stranger
 * Technicolor Eyes: Pink eyes, just like Satoshi and Satoko.
 * One Steve Limit: Averted - he shares a name with Natsumi's love interest in Onisarashi-hen. Of course, it's assured that the two of them will never interact, since the arcs have a 20-year long distance between them.
 * One Steve Limit: Averted - he shares a name with Natsumi's love interest in Onisarashi-hen. Of course, it's assured that the two of them will never interact, since the arcs have a 20-year long distance between them.

Voiced by: Tomoaki Maeno
Ryunosuke Arakawa is a reporter who goes to Hinamizawa in order to investigate some of the rumors of what happened there over 20 years ago.


 * Going for the Big Scoop: "I'll go just because they say not to go in June. I'll write an article for the readers who are not afraid of danger. This is journalism, right!"
 * Intrepid Reporter
 * Perma-Stubble

Voiced by: Ryoko Shintani (JP)
Yae Towada decided to visit Hinamizawa with her boyfriend, Takumi, where she meets Otobe. .


 * Comforting Comforter:.
 * Curtains Match the Window
 * Domestic Abuse
 * You Gotta Have Pink Hair
 * You Gotta Have Pink Hair
 * You Gotta Have Pink Hair
 * You Gotta Have Pink Hair

Voiced by: Akira Ishida
Takumi Kurosawa accompanied his girlfriend, Yae, on an outing to Hinamizawa. Early on, it is established that he is rather abusive to his girlfriend. .


 * Beautiful Dreamer: With Towada
 * Dead Man's Chest:.
 * Desperately Looking for a Purpose In Life
 * Domestic Abuser
 * Jerk with a Heart of Gold

Voiced by: Miyuki Sawashiro (JP)
Miyuki Sorimachi is a freelance writer who appears in the DS rendition of Yoigoshi-hen, accompanying Otobe and everyone else.



Voiced by: Mayako Nigo (JP)
Nagisa Ozaki is a childhood friend of Rena's from Ibaraki. She appears in Tokihogushi-hen. She helps with Tomoe's investigation into Rena's case.


 * : The reason she is.
 * You Gotta Have Blue Hair