History Characters / HigurashiWhenTheyCry

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

* Characters/HigurashiWhenTheyCryProtagonist

!!Other Characters
[[folder:Nomura]]
!!Nomura
!!!Voiced by: Creator/RieTanaka (JP)
[[quoteright:258:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Nomura_8915.jpeg]]

A woman from the organization 'Tokyo' who serves as Takano's contact outside of Hinamizawa. Unfortunately, there's far more to her than that...
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* BitchInSheepsClothing: [[spoiler:While she does aid Takano in her designs, she ultimately doesn't give a rip about her - and considering half of her plan was to get rid of Tokyo's Koizumi faction whom Takano works for, she likely planned to backstab her anyway.]]
* DissonantSerenity: Every time she speaks, regardless of what kind of carnage of murder is going to happen or ''is'' happening on the other end of the phone line, it's done with the same eerily calm tone. Makes you wonder if this isn't the first time she's done this...
* EvilerThanThou: [[spoiler:Takano is very much her UnwittingPawn, using her anger against Hinamizawa and leaving her to her downfall [[YouHaveOutlivedYourUsefulness once she fails]].]]
* {{Expy}}: To [[Manga/RozenMaiden Suigintou]]. They even share the same actress.
* GreaterScopeVillain:[[spoiler:While the plan and reasons to ruin Hinamizawa are all Takano's, it's Nomura that drove her to do it.]]
** [[spoiler:The first episode of AlternateUniverse ''Outbreak'' OVA unsubtly spells out that she's the chief antagonist. In a meeting with the Prime Minister, she all but admits that her "Alphabet Council" is responsible for the (accidental) titular outbreak of the MindVirus that is steadily spreading across the globe. Oh, and that they were conducting secret tests of the virus and ''planning to turn it into a bioweapon'' long before the outbreak happened.]]
* HiddenAgendaVillain: [[spoiler:All we know about her goals is that she wanted the Hinamizawa Syndrome for ''something'' and that Old Koizumi was in the way. Aside from the non-canon ''Outbreak'' story that details her wanting to use it as a bioweapon, her ultimate plans are forever a mystery.]]
* IHaveManyNames: She uses a different alias for each of her contacts, such as "Maizawa", "Watanabe" and "Takagi". Even Nomura might be a forgery.
* KarmaHoudini:
** [[spoiler:Lampshaded in the author's notes at the end of the game, saying you have to draw the line somewhere on where the story ends. Thus, she is never held responsible for her actions - although it's stated there is an investigation going on that could yet turn something up although she is trying to scapegoat Okonogi now - and in the vast majority of timelines succeeds entirely.]]
** Subverted in Miotsukushi-hen [[spoiler:as she mentioned to be arrested (offscreen).]]
* KnowWhenToFoldEm: [[spoiler:When Okonogi informs Nomura of the current state of things in ''Matsuribayashi'' - that is, that things are currently being FUBAR'd - she orders Okonogi to LeaveBehindAPistol for Takano before cutting all ties with them.]]
* LastEpisodeNewCharacter: Appears only at the end of ''Matsuribayashi'''s [[ProlongedPrologue prologue]], and she doesn't even have a sprite in the original sound novels.
* ManipulativeBitch: She convinces [[spoiler:Takano]] by taking advantage of her emotional state, and probably not only her.
* MysteriousBacker: [[spoiler:A villainous example; she fills in for Old Koizumi after he passes away, serving as Takano's ([[TreacherousAdvisor treacherous]]) advisor.]]
* NothingIsScarier: Outside of her plans for Hinamizawa and being a ManipulativeBitch, ''nothing'' is known about Nomura. And that's probably for the better, because given her actions in [[spoiler:the ''Outbreak'' OVA AlternateUniverse]], whatever she was planning to do in the actual ''Higurashi'' canon is perhaps [[YouDoNOTWantToKnow best left to the imagination]]...
* TheReasonYouSuckSpeech: Gives this out in Ayakashisenshi-hen after learning of Takano's failure to defeat Rika and Satoko and take over Hinamizawa.
-->''"Takano Miyo, you talked a big game, but you were a foolish girl. The duty of the generals was too heavy for you."''
* TreacherousAdvisor: [[spoiler:Nomura is clearly only working with Takano until she can ruin the Alphabet Project and make off with the Hinamizawa Syndrome - which would ultimately ruin Takano in turn.]]
* WalkingSpoiler: As the one who leads [[spoiler:Takano]] down the path to being the BigBad, she is this by itself.
* [[ManBehindTheMan The Woman Behind the Woman]]: [[spoiler:To Miyo Takano. A seldom seen female-to-female version of the trope.]]
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Tetsurou Okonogi]]
!!Tetsurou Okonogi
!!!Voiced by: Creator/JurotaKosugi (JP - drama CD, anime), Creator/KenNarita (JP - games)
[[quoteright:200:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/higu_okonogi_6950.png]]

[[MemeticMutation Beware the Gardeners, for they are Anonymous, and they are Legion!]] ... They are actually called the Yamainu ("Jackals" or "Mountain Dogs", depending on the translation), but they look more like janitors than anything else. Headed by Okonogi, they serve as TheMenInBlack for the majority of the arcs.
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* AdaptationalNiceGuy: A mild example of it in one scene in the anime when compareed to the visual novel: [[spoiler: in the visual novel, he actually attempts to shoot and kill Takano himself when she refuses to commit suicide, but gets stopped by the Banken and Takano seizes the opportunity to flee. In the anime, he just shoots near her to scare her into fleeing, remarking to himself that he's going soft before turning himself in to the Banken.]]
* AnimalThemeNaming: Despite being called the Jackals, titles within the organization are bird-themed.
* BloodKnight: He's eager to put his combat skill into use, and laments that he ended up in a covert unit.
* CombatPragmatist: As befitting of a special operations unit that doesn't specialize in tactics, the Mountain Dogs tend to use trickery and dirty tactics to win.
* TheDragon: To [[spoiler:Takano]].
* DragonWithAnAgenda: Holds a deep-seated contempt for [[spoiler:Takano]] and considers her an incompetent commander. By the end of ''Matsuribayashi'', he and his men don't even bother paying lip-service to obeying her and just flat-out ignore her orders (which, to be fair, were completely outrageous by that point given how badly the Mountain Dogs had lost the battle). [[spoiler:He also receives periodic private messages from Nomura, which eventually leads to him betraying Takano and telling her she can either kill herself or he'll do it instead.]]
* EvilerThanThou: [[spoiler:Okonogi reveals to Takano that she was just being used by Tokyo, then tells her [[YouHaveOutlivedYourUsefulness to commit suicide.]]]]
* GovernmentConspiracy: [[spoiler:He and the Mountain Dogs are the primary enforcers of Tokyo and their plans involving Hinamizawa Syndrome.]]
* GracefulLoser: When he and the Mountain Dogs are defeated, he treks up the mountain with what is left of his company to pay his congratulations and respects to the enemy leader, Mion. [[spoiler:He requests - and receives - a personal duel in hand-to-hand combat with her to fulfill his sense of honour, and when he ultimately is defeated, he heads back down the mountain over Takano's objections.]]
* InformedAbility: [[spoiler:Okonogi loses to a teen girl in hand to hand combat. Losing to Akasaka can be forgiven, but Mion is stretching it. He's also completely outmaneuvered tactically throughout the chapter. It's stated the Yamainu are actually a surveillance organization above everything else. So there's adequate reason to suspect their supposed "prowess" in other areas (combat, tactics, etc.) is mostly bluster. It's also implied that he [[ILetYouWin intentionally let Mion toss him around]] to atone for failing his mission and men.]]
* KarmaHoudini: If we assume that he and ''Umineko'''s Okonogi are the same person, that would mean he received little to no punishment after the story. However, that would also mean that he may have [[HeelFaceTurn turned over a new leaf]], as he's ([[MindScrew in the true path, at least]]) shown to be on Ange's side.
* KnowWhenToFoldEm: In ''Matsuribayashi'', he recognizes the battle as lost long before Takano does, at which point he more or less stops following her orders and lets the battle play out to its inevitable conclusion.
* TheMenInBlack: [[spoiler:He and the Mountain Dogs fill this role, posing as gardeners to allay suspicion. Should anything happen to Rika, they are tasked with executing Emergency Manual 34, which involves gassing the entire village to contain a potential disaster.]]
* TheStrategist: Actually shows a somewhat realistic appraisal of the Mountain Dogs' situation in ''Matsuribayashi'', claiming that they would need substantially more men and/or artillery and air support to ensure victory given the enemy's familiarity with the terrain and defensive position. He also recognizes the hopelessness of their fight long before anyone else when the battle starts going badly.
* WalkingSpoiler: It's basically impossible to talk about his role in the story without understanding 90% of the actual answers to the mystery of the entire series.
* TheWorfEffect: [[spoiler:They consistently fail in ''Matsuribayashi.'' By the end, the entire unit has lost to a bunch of children and Okonogi himself has lost to Akasaka and later Mion in a curbstomp battle despite supposedly being an expert in hand to hand combat. To be fair though, he wasn't exactly in his best shape, since he and his men were already exhausted after walking in the mountains for hours, and it's heavily implied that he intentionally lost to the latter.]]
* WorthyOpponent: [[spoiler:He considers Mion to be this.]]
* YouHaveOutlivedYourUsefulness: [[spoiler:Okonogi gives Takano this treatment when he realizes things aren't going their way. Presumably she doesn't fare any better on other sequences. Strangely enough, this surprises her despite the fact that she knew it would happen ''even if she won.'']]
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Oyashiro-sama]]
!!Oyashiro-sama
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/826b69fe_3fb2_4de2_87e6_53cba3b57591.png]]

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.
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* AmbiguousGender: Oyashiro's gender is used very mysteriously, at least until until TheReveal that [[spoiler:Oyashiro is actually a girl. No one in Hinamizawa barring Rika knew the god they worshipped was actually a goddess, most likely due to Oyashiro's legend becoming distorted over hundreds of years]]. And it was foreshadowed as early as the first novel, [[spoiler:with Keiichi deducing that the breath on him was coming from a girl]].
* BigBad: Pretty much everyone points to him as the cause of the mysterious murders in Hinamizawa. He turns out to be [[spoiler:[[DiscOneFinalBoss not responsible]]. And [[SamusIsAGirl not a guy]].]]
* CorruptChurch: [[spoiler:The practice is the problem, not the deity.]]
* DeityOfHumanOrigin: [[spoiler:Was originally human, as revealed in Hanyu's backstory.]]
* DiscOneFinalBoss: [[spoiler:Turns out Miyo Takano was just pretending to be Oyashiro-sama]].
* EldritchAbomination: A black, shadowy deity with the power to make people dissapear and go crazy. Sounds like your typical [[Creator/HPLovecraft Lovecraft]] villain. [[spoiler:[[GoodAllAlong She’s not.]]]]
* GodIsEvil: [[spoiler:Subverted with the true nature of Oyashiro-sama.]]
* HiddenVillain: One of the big mysteries is who or what exactly he is. TheReveal is... complicated.
* MeaningfulName: "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.
* ObviouslyEvil: The few times Oyashiro appears before his true identity is revealed, it’s as a sinister black shadow with glowing eyes (as seen above). [[spoiler:[[SubvertedTrope When she does show up]], [[DarkIsNotEvil well...]]]]
* OurGodsAreDifferent: Since ''Higurashi'' is a Japanese work, Oyashiro-sama takes inspiration from the many gods that exist in Shintoism, namely by being a localized god that's only worshiped by those who live in Hinamizawa. However, the way Oyashiro-sama is worshiped goes into ReligiousHorror.
* ReligiousHorror: The worship of Oyashiro-sama is a form of anti-Shinto. Worshiping Oyashiro-sama originally involved {{Human Sacrifice}}s and ritualized disembowelment; not only is this cruel and violent, but also highly blasphemous against Shinto beliefs since shedding blood in a religious context is considered taboo. In the present day, this has been replaced by the Cotton-Drifting Festival, which involves ripping cotton out of a large futon to imitate gouging out a human's intestines. [[spoiler:Oyashiro-sama herself is not very fond of it.]]
* UltimateEvil: [[spoiler:Subverted heavily by Hanyu's [[SilentScapegoat true nature.]]]]
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Frederica Bernkastel]]
!!Frederica Bernkastel
[[quoteright:230:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Frederica__9893.jpg]]

A mysterious figure in the ''Higurashi'' universe, author of a series of poems ([[http://forums.animesuki.com/showthread.php?t=31811 fan translated version]]) ([[Trivia/HigurashiWhenTheyCry 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 WildMassGuessing 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.
\\\
It is unclear whether she and [[VisualNovel/UminekoWhenTheyCry the Witch of Miracles Bernkastel]] are the same entity or not.
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* AmbiguouslyEvil: [[spoiler:In an alternate ending, Frederica prevents the death of Miyo's parents at the end of Matsuribayashi-hen, giving her a happy ending as well. Which means she won't end up screwing up everyone's life in the future, except for the fact that the village is doomed if Miyo never comes. And this may well have been her intent. That act is possibly responsible for the "Dice Killing" chapter of Rei. If she and ''Umineko'''s Bernkastel aren't the same, then she [[UnwittingInstigatorOfDoom is indirectly responsible for the "birth" of "Trollkastel" and all the havoc that ensues.]]]]
* BreakingTheFourthWall: In the games, Frederica will directly address the player, a habit she/her {{Expy}} carries over to ''Umineko''.
* DemotedToExtra: The anime only includes one appearance by Frederica, and none of her poems. Rika also mentions her in Rei.
* HimeCut: Since she's identical to Rika [[spoiler:due to being the amalgamation of the versions of her that died]], Frederica has Rika's hairstyle with the straight full bangs, bra strap-length sidelocks, and waist-length straight hair.
* LiteralSplitPersonality: [[spoiler:One of the prevailing theories about Frederica's creation is that she was a culmination of hopeless Rikas that were somehow separated from her consciousness after ''Tsumihoroboshi-hen'', wherein Rika gave up on fighting fate after Keiichi's valiant efforts [[HopeSpot still didn't end the time loops]]. Like ''Umineko'''s Bernkastel was born of [[EnemyWithout Rika's death and torment being purged from her soul]], Higurashi's Frederica may have been born by Rika crossing the DespairEventHorizon. [[HilariousInHindsight Which means the mistaken theories of her being an adult Rika might have been more true than previously thought.]]]]
* MeaningfulName: "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." It doesn't help that in the ''Minagoroshi'' sound novel, she talks about [[MindScrew "us, Rika Furude"]].
* MeaningfulRename: In ''Saikoroshi-hen'', Rika muses that [[spoiler:she's really a separate person from the Rika Furude of ''Saikoroshi-hen'''s world - and by extension, the Rika Furude who existed before the time loops. Rika decides that if she's not truly Rika she should call herself something else. [[LineOfSightName She then looks at a bottle of Bernkastel wine...]]]]
* ReallySevenHundredYearsOld: Actually, like Rika, she's quit counting her age.
[[/folder]]

!Characters Not Adapted in the Anime
[[folder:Tomoe Minai]]
!!Tomoe Minai
!!!Voiced by: Nana Inoue (JP)
[[quoteright:171:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/minai_tomoe.png]]

A detective who investigates the curse of Oyashiro and the gas disaster. 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.
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%%* FairCop
* InspectorJavert: Similar to Ooishi, [[spoiler:and just as similarly proven to in fact be right]] in those situations.
* PromotionToParent: Became this to her younger sister Madoka after their father`s death.
* PursuingParentalPerils: Both she and her sister Madoka work with the police department. Their father was killed in the course of duty as a police officer.
%%* SeekerArchetype
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Natsumi Kimiyoshi]]
!!Natsumi Kimiyoshi
!!!Voiced by: Creator/KaoriMizuhashi (JP)
[[quoteright:224:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/natsumi_matsuri2_3177.png]]

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.
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* AccidentalMurder: [[spoiler:The initial killing of her grandmother was actually an accident on Natsumi's part when she shoved her grandmother away and she hit her head on the table. The subsequent chopping the corpse into pieces was... less of an accident]].
* BloodSplatteredInnocents: Happens to Natsumi ''three times''. [[spoiler:Subverted, because her bloodiness is eventually used to prove that she's not so innocent after all]].
* ChastityCouple: Kinda. It's actually kind of a mix of this and CitizenshipMarriage in Onisarashi-hen's epilogue. Though Natsumi and Akira did start a relationship [[spoiler:before Natsumi's murder spree]], Akira confirms in the epilogue that he can't really say he loves her anymore. At the same time, though, he's certainly devoted to the extent that very few other people would be. [[spoiler:He tries for five years to track her down, forcibly separates her from the abusive circumstances she ended up in, and then marries her to separate her from the baggage and legacy of the Kimiyoshi surname. He attempts briefly to live with her, but finds that she's too emotionally broken for that, so he provides for her to go to a mental institution where she can further recover]]. Oh yeah, and he also takes the blame for [[spoiler:Natsumi's murder spree]] to try and keep that guilt away from her. Not that she buys it. If that's not love and devotion, it's difficult to say what is.
* ContinuityCameo: In the original ([=PS2=]) Miotsukushi-hen, she pops up briefly as a nod to people who had read Onisarashi-hen. Her role is expanded in the subsequent (DS and [=PS3=]) releases of that arc.
* CountryMouse: Okinomiya is a bigger town than Hinamizawa, but this sort of dynamic still plays pretty strongly when she moves to the city.
* DrivenToSuicide: [[spoiler:Someutsushi-hen only.]]
* ExpositoryHairstyleChange: Miotsukushi-hen in the DS rendition. Also somewhat used in the Onisarashi-hen manga.
* GirlishPigtails: Combined with OdangoHair.
* {{Hammerspace}}: In Onisarashi-hen, after she's taken to the hospital after [[spoiler:the murder of her entire family]], she talks with Akira, Chisato, and Tamako in her hospital bed. Chisato and Tamako take her up to the roof where they do her hair. Akira later comes up and has a very difficult conversation with her, in the middle of which [[spoiler:she stabs him with a knife that somehow shows up in her hand]]. Unless the hospital's in the habit of leaving [[spoiler:knives]] around near the hospital beds, {{Hammerspace}} is the only explanation.
** ... She clearly grabs a knife that was left after her friends cut cake.
* ICantBelieveAGuyLikeYouWouldNoticeMe: Before Akira admits he likes her too, her apparently UnrequitedLove was largely full of this dynamic.
* IAmAMonster: [[spoiler:At the end of Someutsushi-hen]]. Ends about as well as [[spoiler:Shion's]].
* LoveMakesYouCrazy: [[spoiler:Her entire episode of Hinamizawa Syndrome is triggered when she freaks out about Akira seeing paper cut-outs in front of her house intended to ward off evil]].
* MadwomanInTheAttic: [[spoiler:For five years as explained in Onisarashi-hen's epilogue, before Akira moves her to a proper mental institution where she's able to recover more fully]].
* MurderSuicide / SuicidePact: She tries to [[spoiler:force Akira into a joint suicide]] in Someutsushi-hen. It doesn't go exactly to plan.
* MyGodWhatHaveIDone: "Help me... Toudou... he... [[ItsAllMyFault It was my fault...]]!"
* NeverMyFault: She actually spends [[spoiler:her last words]] in Someutsushi-hen [[spoiler:blaming Akira]], presumably for [[spoiler:her own death]], although possibly referring to [[spoiler:her entire episode of Hinamizawa Syndrome]].
* NewTransferStudent: Leads to a lot of her angst, as she isn't terribly settled in the city, and after the [[spoiler:Hinamizawa Gas Disaster]] occurs, one of her big driving motivations is to prevent others from thinking of her and her family as one of those weird Hinamizawans.
* OdangoHair: Two big buns that the author added to make her look a little less plain than the first designs for her.
* TheOphelia: In Onisarashi-hen's epilogue. She never gets over the guilt from [[spoiler:having killed her parents and attempting to kill Akira. After a failed attempt at living with some other relatives who consider her cursed and a failed attempt at living with Akira, she winds up institutionalized, although Akira comes to visit her regularly]].
* RapunzelHair: The odango should be a clue, but you actually get to see her hair loose in the DS version of Miotsukushi-hen, and it is very long.
* RoomFullOfCrazy: The room with all of the seals [[spoiler:that she's locked into by her relatives during the epilogue, in order to protect to relatives from "Oyashiro-sama's curse"]]
* SavvyGuyEnergeticGirl: Appears to become the Energetic Girl to Akira's Savvy Guy in Onisarashi-hen's epilogue. Although once you scratch beneath the surface, the relationship's a bit more complicated than that.
* SelfMadeOrphan: [[spoiler:To repeat, she murders her entire family]].
* ShoutOut: In the PSP game Higurashi Day Break, her charge move looks alot like what Sekai does to Makoto in the finale of the VisualNovel/SchoolDays anime.
%%* ShrinkingViolet
* SympatheticMurderer: [[spoiler:Thanks to FakeMemories and TraumaInducedAmnesia]], her killing [[spoiler:her mom]] looks like this. [[spoiler:The reality is a little different]].
* TearsOfBlood: [[spoiler:In Someutsushi-hen, once she begins [[ClawingAtOwnThroat Clawing At Her Own Throat]]]].
* TemptingFate: When Akira tells her he wants to learn more about her, she says among other things that her favorite movies are those with happy endings. Yeah, Natsumi, that's gonna work out real great for you in the [[KillEmAll When They Cry series]]. [[spoiler:She actually manages to pull off a happy ending in some of her arcs, but most of them are [[BittersweetEnding Bittersweet]] or [[DownerEnding Downers]]]]. In fact, [[spoiler:only in Miotsukushi-hen that she managed to do so.]]
* TraumaCongaLine: 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, [[spoiler:She was the one who murdered her family]]. Also, her [[spoiler:attempted murder of Akira, though at that point, she was already pretty well off the deep end]].
* TraumaInducedAmnesia: [[spoiler:complete with FakeMemories]]
* UnreliableNarrator: Half of Onisarashi-hen - and by extension Someutsushi-hen - is simply [[spoiler:FakeMemories she created to repress her own guilt for having been the one to murder her family]].
* VillainProtagonist: [[spoiler:She murders her whole family and tries to stab Akira as well]].
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Akira Toudou]]
!!Akira Toudou
!!!Voiced by: Creator/SatoshiHino (JP)
[[quoteright:207:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/todo_akira.png]]

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.
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* TheCaretaker: [[spoiler:To Natsumi in Onisarashi-hen's epilogue.]]
* ChastityCouple: Kinda. It's actually kind of a mix of this and CitizenshipMarriage in Onisarashi-hen's epilogue. Though Natsumi and Akira did start a relationship [[spoiler:before Natsumi's murder spree]], Akira confirms in the epilogue that he can't really say he loves her anymore. At the same time, though, he's certainly devoted to the extent that very few other people would be. [[spoiler:He tries for five years to track her down, forcibly separates her from the abusive circumstances she ended up in, and then marries her to separate her from the baggage and legacy of the Kimiyoshi surname. He attempts briefly to live with her, but finds that she's too emotionally broken for that, so he provides for her to go to a mental institution where she can further recover]]. Oh yeah, and he also takes the blame for [[spoiler:Natsumi's murder spree]] to try and keep that guilt away from her. Not that she buys it. If that's not love and devotion, it's difficult to say what is.
* CoolDownHug: [[spoiler:To Natsumi. Subverted.]]
* DespairEventHorizon: [[spoiler:At the end of]] Someutsushi-hen, he looks like he's probably crossed it. [[spoiler:His final words in the arc are him telling Natsumi's corpse that it's OK because everything that had just happened was just a dream. The narration then goes on to say that he would prefer to just fall asleep like that with Natsumi and escape the dream]].
* FailureToSaveMurder: Akira seems to consider himself to have done this to [[spoiler:Natsumi]] at the end of Someutsushi-hen because when she went crazy, he couldn't bring himself to accept her and before things got out of hand, he tried not to talk with her about what might be bothering her. [[ItsAllMyFault How fair this assessment is isn't directly addressed.]]
* LoveMartyr: [[spoiler:Even after she tries to kill him, he's still either pledging his love to her or crying over her dead body right until the end]].
* LoveRedeems: His last-minute usage of ThePowerOfLove [[spoiler:saved both him and Natsumi]] in [[AlternateUniverse one version only]].
* OneSteveLimit: 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.
* TheQuietOne: 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 NotSoStoic [[DespairEventHorizon anymore]].
* SavvyGuyEnergeticGirl: Appears to become the Savvy Guy to Natsumi's Energetic Girl in Onisarashi-hen's epilogue. Although once you scratch beneath the surface, the relationship's a bit more complicated than that.
%%* SingleWomanSeeksGoodMan
%%* SugarAndIcePersonality
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Riku Furude]]
!!Riku Furude
!!!Voiced by: Creator/TomokazuSeki (JP)
[[quoteright:160:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/furude_riku.png]]

Hanyu's husband in her past life as human.
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* FamilyThemeNaming: His name is Rike and Rika is his direct descendant.
* ForgottenFirstMeeting: [[spoiler:Hanyu rescued Riku while he was still a baby from a house burned by "half-blood" (implied to be those infected by the syndrome) but they do not meet again until he had grown into a young man.]]
* InterspeciesRomance: With Hanyu. [[spoiler:He was a human and she was a demon in human form.]]
* {{Keigo}}: He spoke politely at all times, and taught it to Hanyuu so she'd sound more feminine.
* MayflyDecemberRomance: With Hanyu. [[spoiler:She was from a LongLivedRace of demons and she met him when he was still a ''baby''.]]
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Ouka Furude]]
!!Ouka Furude
!!!Voiced by: Creator/YukariTamura (JP)
[[quoteright:160:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/furude_oka.png]]

Hanyu and Riku's only daughter.
----
* FamilyThemeNaming: Both her name and Rika's use a type of flower for the first character and share the final character "ka."
* HalfHumanHybrid: [[spoiler:Half-demon.]]
* HimeCut: She has blunt bangs, cheek-length sidelocks, and hip-length straight hair. Like her descendant Rika, Ouka was the daughter of a Shinto Priest of the Furude Shrine where she served as a {{Miko}}.
* {{Matricide}}: [[spoiler:She sacrifices her mother, Hanyu, in a ritual to atone for the village's sins.]]
* {{Miko}}: Much like Rika, Ouka served as one as her father was the priest of the Furude Shrine.
* OlderThanSheLooks: Interesting to say that near the end of Kotohogushi-hen, she physically looks like a beautiful teenage girl if the same thing counts for Rika if she survives to the bitter end but it's confirmed she's 20 as Hanyu met her at the age of 10. The same length of years after [[spoiler:Riku's tragic death.]]
* YouGottaHaveBlueHair: She had blue hair like Rika, but in a slightly lighter shade of purple.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Chisato Saeki and Tamako Makimura]]
!!Chisato Saeki and Tamako Makimura
!!!Voiced by: Creator/EriKitamura (JP - Chisato, ''Kizuna''), Creator/RinaSato (JP - Chisato, ''Sui'') Creator/YukariFukui (JP - Tamako)

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.
----
* BrainyBrunette: Tamako. Really, her hair's purplish, but Natsumi (although her hair's greenish-blonde) actually fits [[ShyBlueHairedGirl that trope]] better, and Tamako overall fits this one better, especially since [[HairColorDissonance the purple's pretty darn close to black]].
* BlushSticker: One of Chisato's standard expressions in the DS.
* ChildhoodFriendRomance: Chisato apparently used to have a crush on Akira, her childhood friend.
* DeadpanSnarker: Tamako.
* FieryRedhead: Chisato
* GirlishPigtails: Chisato
* LesbianJock: Chisato.
* MeaningfulName: 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.
* PluckyComicRelief: Chisato in spades.
* RomanticTwoGirlFriendship: Chisato has a bunch of jokes toward this with Natsumi
* ThrowTheBookAtThem: Tamako wields one against Chisato a few times when trying to get her to quit overwhelming Natsumi in the console arcs.
* ThoseTwoGuys: Particularly in Onisarashi-hen, they're hardly ever seen without each other.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Akira Otobe]]
!!Akira Otobe
!!!Voiced by: Creator/KoukiMiyata (JP)
[[quoteright:160:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/otobekizuna.png]]

A boy who wanders into Hinamizawa 23 years the events of Tsumihoroboshi-hen occur ([[BadFuture 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 [[IdenticalStranger Satoshi]].
----
%%* DontGoInTheWoods
%%* IdenticalStranger
%%* LovableCoward
* OneSteveLimit: 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.
* SuicidePact: [[spoiler:Was about to do one, but got scared and left at the last minute]].
* TechnicolorEyes: Pink eyes, just like Satoshi and Satoko.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Ryunosuke Arakawa]]
!!Ryunosuke Arakawa
!!!Voiced by: Creator/TomoakiMaeno

A reporter who goes to Hinamizawa in order to investigate some of the rumors of what happened there over 20 years ago.
----
* GoingForTheBigScoop: "I'll go just because they say [[DontGoInTheWoods not to go in June]]. I'll write an article for the readers who are not afraid of danger. This is journalism, right!"
* IntrepidReporter: He reports on the paranormal. Hinamizawa is his most recent assignment, which he was actually initially discouraged from, as you can see by the above quote.
* PermaStubble: One of the few characters in this series drawn with [[http://vignette3.wikia.nocookie.net/whentheycry/images/c/cf/Ryuunosuke_Arakawa.jpg/revision/latest?cb=20090510085803 clearly visible stubble]].
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Yae Towada]]
!!Yae Towada
!!!Voiced by: Creator/RyokoShintani (JP)

A woman who decided to visit Hinamizawa with her boyfriend, Takumi, where she meets Otobe.
----
* ComfortingComforter: [[spoiler:Subverted once you find out that the reason she covered him like that was to make it look like he was sleeping, when he was actually ''dead'']].
%%* CurtainsMatchTheWindow
%%* DomesticAbuse
* MyGodWhatHaveIDone: [[spoiler:Yae feels no remorse for killing Takumi until Mion proves to her that he intended to get a real job and turn over a new leaf by speaking to him from beyond the grave and finding an employee's notice on his body.]]
%%* SympatheticMurderer
%%* UnreliableNarrator
%%* YouGottaHaveBlueHair
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Takumi Kurosawa]]
!!Takumi Kurosawa
!!!Voiced by: Creator/AkiraIshida

A man who accompanied his girlfriend, Yae, on an outing to Hinamizawa. Early on, it is established that he is rather abusive to his girlfriend.
----
* TheAtoner: [[spoiler:Yae never realized this until it was too late.]]
* BeautifulDreamer: With Towada
* DeadMansChest: [[spoiler:His body is found shoved in a closet under some sheets]].
%%* DesperatelyLookingForAPurposeInLife
%%* DomesticAbuse
%%* JerkWithAHeartOfGold
%%* PosthumousCharacter
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Miyuki Sorimachi]]
!!Miyuki Sorimachi
!!!Voiced by: Creator/MiyukiSawashiro (JP)

A freelance writer who appears in the DS rendition of Yoigoshi-hen, accompanying Otobe and everyone else.
----
* FairCop: [[spoiler:She's actually a detective investigating Hinamizawa]].
* GenerationXerox: She grew up to do the exact same type of job as her father, one [[spoiler:Mamoru Akasaka]].
* TheGunslinger: Her favored weapon when she needs to fight is a handgun.
* IntrepidReporter: [[spoiler:Her cover]].
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Nagisa Ozaki]]
!!Nagisa Ozaki
!!!Voiced by: Mayako Nigo (JP)

A childhood friend of Rena's from Ibaraki. She appears in Tokihogushi-hen. She helps with Tomoe's investigation into Rena's case.
----
* HeKnowsTooMuch: The reason she is [[spoiler:kidnapped]].
* YouGottaHaveBlueHair: Bright blue, in this case.
[[/folder]]

!! ''Higurashi Hou'' Characters (Warning: '''Spoilers''' ahead)
[[folder:Princess Tamura of Life (Tamura-Hime no Mikoto)]]
!!Tamura
!!!Voiced by: Creator/YoshinoNanjo
[[quoteright:182:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/tamurahime_no_mikoto_kizuna.png]]

A woman introduced in ''Higurashi Hou''. Has feathered wings in a similar posistion to Hanyu's horns.
----
* FantasticRacism: She thinks very poorly of demons outside of her clan, such as Hanyū.
* GoodWingsEvilWings: [[spoiler:Has black demonic wings]].
* GreaterScopeVillain: [[spoiler:Of ''Hou''. Due to certain drops, there's hint's she's such in the main series as well]].
* HonorBeforeReason: [[spoiler:She knew the whole time that Une was the biggest threat, but refused to tell Hanyu about it because Hanyu once ate an offering given to Tamura.]]
* NeverMyFault: She is very quick to blame Hanyū for [[spoiler:allowing the threat of Une to grow as much as it did]], even though the onus was on Tamura to warn Hanyū about it and she didn't because of a petty grudge.
* RedEyesTakeWarning: [[spoiler:First sign of her true colors.]]
* WeWouldHaveToldYouBut: [[spoiler:She's still mad at Hanyu for eating one of her offerings.]]
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Une]]
!!Une
!!!Voiced by: Creator/AyaSuzaki
[[quoteright:160:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/une_kizuna_casual.png]]

A girl introduced in ''Higurashi Hou''.
----
* AndThenWhat: [[spoiler:Rena asks Une what she planned to do after devouring everyone on Earth, pointing out that the only thing she could do was head for the next planet with life on it, and think how long that would take.]]
* BitchInSheepsClothing: [[spoiler:An even bigger one than Takano and Nomura.]]
* DisproportionateRetribution: [[spoiler:She claims that she just wanted to live in a little piece of land, but Tamura refused to let her do so. So Une decided to release her virus and kill everyone on Earth. ''Wow''.]]
* {{Expy}}: She seems very similar to [[spoiler:Sumire/Reiko]] from ''Manga/HiganbanaNoSakuYoruNi''.
* GreaterScopeVillain: [[spoiler:One of two in ''Hou'']].
* HumanAliens: [[spoiler:She came to Earth from outer space.]]
* KillEmAll: [[spoiler:If her virus is released.]]
* SlasherSmile: [[spoiler:She wouldn't be a ''Franchise/WhenTheyCry'' villain without one.]]
* VerbalTic: Like to use "super" a lot.
* WalkingSpoiler: As you can see by how many spoilers there are here.
[[/folder]]

[[foldercontrol]]

!!Protagonists
[[folder:General]]
* RagtagBunchOfMisfits: There's the NewTransferStudent who moved from the city because of some actions he deeply regrets, a girl weirdly obsessed with cute things and the local deity, the heir of the local {{Yakuza}}, a BrattyHalfPint expert at setting up traps, and the little {{Miko}} of the local shrine [[spoiler:who has been looping after being killed for over a hundred years]].
* SanitySlippage: Almost every single main character in ''Higurashi'', minus Mion, Rika and Hanyuu, has an arc about their gradual descent into madness as a result of paranoia [[spoiler:caused by the Hinamizawa Syndrome]].
* TheyKilledKennyAgain: All of them are subjected to this but it's especially the case for [[spoiler:Rika]].
* TrueCompanions: The club members will try to support and help each other for anything, even helping conceal a murder. Too bad that many of the arcs has one of the members go crazy and murder their friends.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Keiichi Maebara]]
!!"[[TheCharmer Magician of Words]]" Keiichi Maebara
!!!Voiced by: Creator/SoichiroHoshi (JP), Creator/GrantGeorge (EN, Bang Zoom), Creator/KhoiDao (EN, Funimation)
!!!Portrayed by: Gouki Maeda (film), Yu Inaba (drama series)
[[quoteright:200:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/higu_keiichi_9343.png]]

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.
\\\
The first arc, Onikakushi-hen (Spirited Away by the Demon chapter), is focused on him.

* AbsurdPhobia: He once read a manga where [[RazorApples needles were mixed into food]], which makes him a bit apprehensive about accepting food from others. [[spoiler:In the first arc, Mion gives him ohagi with tobasco sauce as a prank, but Hinamizawa Syndrome convinced him that the unpleasant taste was a needle.]]
* AdaptationDyeJob: Eye variation. Both the original and the [=MangaGamer=] art for the visual novel generally give him indigo eyes, though the [=PS3=] port makes them a purplish-brownish-gray. The first anime, manga, and the Mahjong game are the only continuities in the series that display him with outright purple eyes.
* AllLovingHero: Starting with Tsumihoroboshi, Keiichi essentially become the symbol of ThePowerOfFriendship and hope as he keeps trying to fight for an ending that doesn't end in tragedy for him and his friends.
* AmnesiacDissonance: "[[MyGodWhatHaveIDone What have I done?]] [[spoiler:I killed Rena and Mion!]]"
* TheAtoner: In ''Tsumihoroboshi-hen'' ("Atonement Chapter"), Keiichi atones for [[spoiler:brutally beating Rena and Mion to death with a bat when he was under the influence of the Hinamizawa Syndrome]] in ''Onikakushi-hen''. Once he remembers what he did and figures out Rena is in the same state he was [[spoiler:in the previous world]], Keiichi sets out to snap her back to sanity [[spoiler:and stop her from blowing up the school]].
* BadLiar: 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.
* BatterUp: His go-to weapon is Satoshi's baseball bat.
* BeCarefulWhatYouWishFor: Keiichi gets smacked around with this {{Aesop}} in ''Tatarigoroshi-hen''. Create a perfect murder that can't be discovered and verified? Fine. Except it can't even be verified by you. [[IWishedYouWereDead Wish people who are making your perfect murder more difficult were dead]]? Fine. Insanity Ensues.
* BecameTheirOwnAntithesis: He recognized that moving to Hinamizawa meant he could change himself, and jumped on the chance - partly because he was afraid of becoming entirely isolated from emotion again, to the extent of hurting others for fun, and partly because his 'past life' was joyless and ultimately unfulfilling. The fact that his current personality - social, warm-hearted, and TheHeart - is entirely opposite to his old one is probably not a coincidence.
* BerserkerTears: He cries his heart out while killing his two best friends in what he ''thinks'' is self-defense. [[RRatedOpening This is pretty much the first thing you see in the series.]]
* BigBrotherInstinct: An incredibly dark twist on it. In Tatarigoroshi-hen, Keiichi tries to act as Satoko's older brother in place of the missing Satoshi. When Satoko's uncle returns to abuse her terribly, Keiichi ends up killing Teppei to protect Satoko. [[spoiler: It doesn't end well for him as things take a horrific turn for him unpredictably.]]
* BigFancyHouse: Called "the Maebara Mansion" by the villagers, though about 2/3 of it is taken up by his father's art studio.
* BishieSparkle: Used in liberal amounts.
* {{Bishonen}}: He's noticeably pretty and even [[BishieSparkle sparkles]] on various occasions.
* BookDumb: 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.
* BrokenAce: In his backstory, Keiichi was the top student at his school, but he was also very lonely and didn't find any enjoyment in anything he did. Eventually, the stress and frustration over his parants and teachers demanding more of his studies and his classmates bullying him caused Keiichi to relieve himself in destructive hobbies. [[spoiler:He bought a BB gun and started shooting at little girls as if it was a mere game. He didn't realize the risk of his actions until he shot a girl in the eye.]]
* BullyMagnet: In the Tatarigoroshi-hen arc, it's revealed in a flashback that he was bullied at his previous school for being too smart. He even had a dead rat placed on his desk.
* ButThouMust: In the [=PS2=]-only adaptation, Matsuri, there actually is a way for Keiichi to offer the doll to Mion before [[spoiler:''Minagoroshi-hen'']]. She still refuses, and you can unlock Watanagashi-hen through that route as well, though instead of flaying you for not giving the doll to Mion, it instead flays you for offering it to her when there's no way she feels she can accept it without embarrassing herself. You just cannot win.
* ButtMonkey: 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 [[spoiler:tabasco sauce/]]needle filled ohagi convinced him they were trying to kill him. In fairness if your friends treated you like they do [[spoiler:and you were suffering from a disease that causes ''extreme'' paranoia]], you would have probably come to the same conclusion.
** In ''Kai,'' he is horrified when [[NewMeat Hanyu]] joins the club... and everyone still decides to haze him. Apparently club ranking is not determined by how long you've been in it.
** In ''Watanagashi-hen'', the earlier chapters (especially at the game store) are an entire HumiliationConga of this, mostly done by Mion. This may have been a factor in him giving the prize doll to Rena instead of her, kicking the story into high gear.
* BuxomIsBetter: Averted in the manga[[note]]Onikakushi, Volume 1, Chapter 3, Page 16[[/note]]. He tells Mion her boobs are too big and that he prefers Rena's more average size. Then again, he may have said that merely to tease the both of them. Strangely, it's the other way around in the VN: after criticizing Mion for skipping breakfast and praising Rena for eating hers, he encourages Rena to grow curvier, not flat like Mion. Probably a subversion of the trope, since, as Mion is visibly ''not'' flat, Keiichi is definitely teasing.
* CharacterExaggeration: He's notably more HotBlooded and [[AllMenArePerverts a pretty big pervert]] in the anime adaptation. In the original sound novels, he's more of a rather generic, but good-natured NiceGuy who only occasionally acts hot-blooded ([[MundaneMadeAwesome typically only during club games]]) and perverted, and often even chastises some of the ''girls'' (like Mion) for acting like a pervert. He's also much less subtle and introspective in the anime, however this can easily be justified in that it's hard to get across an introspective internal monologue in an animated format, as opposed to a sound novel format.
* TheCharmer: Called The Magician of Words for his supreme charisma and talent in bullshitting.
* ChickMagnet: Though it can also work against him. [[spoiler:Shion was attracted to him in Watanagashi/Meakashi and it's one of the things that set her off since she didn't want him to replace Satoshi in her heart.]] Either way, he has Mion AND Rena, at the very least, as well as general popularity.
* ChivalrousPervert: Takes pride in being a pervert, but he cares very much for his friends.
* CityMouse: A nicer example than most, but he moved to Hinamizawa from the city. He sees the village as a huge improvement over his past life there once he gets used to it.
* ConvenientlySeated: He always sits in the second-to-last row, along the windows.
* DarkAndTroubledPast: His family moved to a little town in the middle of nowhere for a reason...
* DecoyProtagonist: Though he remains an important character, in ''Kai'' it's revealed that the real main protagonist of the story [[spoiler:is Rika.]]
* {{Determinator}}: No matter what, Keiichi does not give up.
* DidIJustSayThatOutLoud: In the sound novel, he wonders why the other club members can read his wacky thoughts like an open book when he is nervous. When the narration switches to Rena in ''Tsumihoroboshi'', it turns out it's because he doesn't just think them.
* DraggedIntoDrag: The girls force Keiichi to wear embarrassing female cosplay a few different times as the result of punishment games. Usually it's a {{Meido}} costume or a SchoolSwimsuit with cat ears.
* EvenTheGuysWantHim: Has an entire army of loyal fanboys that call him Comrade K because he helped them embrace that AllMenArePerverts.
* {{Fanservice}}: The first episode of ''Higurashi no Naku Koro ni Rei''. That's all.
* FeaturelessProtagonist: In the first half of the sound novels, Keiichi had no character sprite or mentions of his physical appearance. This is in keeping with the typical faceless male protagonists of visual novels at the time, even though it's quickly revealed that ''Higurashi'' is ''not'' a DatingSim or even a typical visual novel.
* {{Foil}}: In sharp contrast to Rika's fatalism, Keiichi is a {{Determinator}} who won't believe fate decides everything. Also serves as this towards Mion and Rena, being less calm than them.
* {{Foreshadowing}}: In the sound novel, Keiichi hears [[spoiler:Hanyu's voice apologizing]] as soon as just after the title screen of the first chapter. [[spoiler:Since he has been away from the village for a few days, he has already started to develop the syndrome.]] At that moment though, he's half-asleep and thinks it's just a girl apologizing to someone.
** This later counts as FridgeBrilliance, too. Annoyed with the unknown girl's constant apologies, he thinks that whoever she's apologizing to should just forgive her already, as she clearly feels guilty over what she did. ''Higurashi'' is the story of [[spoiler:how Hanyu and Rika forgive themselves for failing the GroundhogDayLoop so many times, and are thus able to move on to the future.]]
* FriendlessBackground: Back in the city, he spent all his time studying. Keiichi never knew what it was like to have friends until he was accepted into the games club at his new school.
* GivingSomeoneThePointerFinger: In the VN, Keiichi does this during the bento competition (at least in the CG), when he basically turns it into [[VisualNovel/PhoenixWrightAceAttorney Phoenix Wright]]: Lunchtime Edition.
* TheHeart: [[spoiler:When he's not a VillainProtagonist.]] Rika and Hanyu comment in the manga that he is the 'piece' that brings change to Hinamizawa. Because Hinamizawa is a village so traditionalist and unchanging that its people have begun to stagnate, it is very important that he comes and stirs up their preconceptions - in particular, changing the ostracising attitude that many have towards the Houjou family. In Matsuribayashi-hen [[spoiler:Rika and Hanyu are shown to takes measures to ensure Keiichi moves to Hinamizawa.]]
* HeelRealization:
** He realized what horrible things he had been doing back in his old life [[spoiler:when he was shooting at children with a BB gun and he treated it like a game until one of the kids got seriously hurt]].
** In Tsumihoroboshi-hen, Keiichi breaks down after [[spoiler:he remembers Onikakushi-hen. In that timeline, he thought Mion and Rena went crazy and betrayed him by trying to kill him. When he can see it from a sane perspective, he realizes the one who went crazy, betrayed his friends, and killed the innocent Rena and Mion was him.]]
* HeKnowsTooMuch: Keiichi spends most of Onikakushi-hen being harassed by Rena and Mion because Ooishi has told him all the secrets related to the mysterious deaths and disappearances that are blamed on Oyashiro-sama's curse and Keiichi suspects the entire village is trying to kill any outsider like him. [[spoiler:Subverted as it's later revealed that Rena's and Mion's crazy behavior in that arc was all the product of Keiichi's hallucinations induced by the Hinamizawa Syndrome.]]
* TheHero: Takes up the role in ''Tsumihoroboshi'' and ''Minagoroshi.'' In two of the prior three arcs [[spoiler:he's actually a VillainProtagonist.]]
* HopeBringer: His presence is what gives hope to [[spoiler:Rika]], since according to her he didn't move to Hinamizawa in two unseen timelines and these were "sad and doomed worlds".
* HotBlooded: Keiichi just about oozes passion, no matter what he's talking about. For just one example, see his speech [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lLXaNGafL34 as K]].
* IDontWantToRuinOurFriendship:
** In Wataganashi-hen, he doesn't give Mion the doll not really because he doesn't think of her as a girl, but because Mion is someone he likes to joke around with and he didn't want their friendship to change if he treated her as a girl.
** In ''Kira,'' this is Keiichi's response to the romantic shenanigans going on. More justified than most examples, in that the story fully establishes that he knows how wonderful it is to have TrueCompanions that one can trust like family, and he doesn't want to screw that up by causing jealousy between anyone.
* ImageSong: "Cool ni Nare". Also has a rather humorous rap with Ooishi… at least [[SanitySlippage until]] [[DrivenToSuicide the end]].
* IndyPloy: Along with [[PsychologicalCombat fast talking]], this is a characteristic distinct to Keiichi, and what his club mates admire and rely on him for.
* InnocentlyInsensitive: Keiichi is a great friend to be around but in 'Watanagashi' and 'Meakashi'-hen, when he wins a doll at the toy store and gives it to Rena instead of Mion because he assumes the latter doesn't seem to be fond of girly things, he doesn't realize until Rena notifies him that Mion did wanted that doll and was devastated when he doesn't give it to her. His action inadvertently cause [[ForWantOfANail tragic circumstances for everyone at the end]] as he indirectly made [[spoiler:Shion]] succumb to the [[spoiler:Hinamizawa Syndrome]] and cause her to commit murders without remorse. Fortunately in 'Minagoroshi' hen; thanks to Rika's advice, he gives the doll to Mion insisting she's still a girl to him therefore preventing similar events like this from happening.
* IntelligenceEqualsIsolation: Because his classmates were jealous of his good grades, he was bullied and tended to be isolated from the class. This leads him to becoming BookDumb after transferring schools.
* IntergenerationalFriendship: In ''Minagoroshi-hen'', with Ooishi. Doubles as a rather OddFriendship, especially considering their cold relationship in the previous arcs. In some of the post-finale arcs, they form the "Soul Brothers" along with Irie and Tomitake.
* InterruptedSuicide: In the ending of Tatarigoroshi-hen, [[spoiler:it's mentioned that Keiichi tried to commit suicide after surviving the Great Hinamizawa Disaster, but was stopped. He did die from a fever caused by the Hinamizawa Syndrome months later.]]
* ItAmusedMe: Once, he got bored of studying and [[spoiler:decided to shoot down random kids with a BB gun. He stopped and turned himself in because he hit a little girl in the eye.]]
* IWishedYouWereDead: In ''Tatarigoroshi-hen'', everyone he wanted dead end up in deadly accidents.
* JackOfAllStats: In ''Higurashi Daybreak'', he's this along with Nata Rena. He has decent running speed, plausible defence, great melee range and powerful range attacks that cover quite a distance. However, all three of his weapons lean slightly towards being a ranged moevest of varying styles, with the Baseball Bat being more BoringButPractical , the golf clubs going for more damage at expense of less control and the shovel has an emphasis on wide-spread keep-away tactics.
* JerkassBall: Horrifically goes through this in ''Onikakushi''-hen under the [[spoiler:Hinamizawa Syndrome]] when he learns about a murder case and Oyashiro's curse, he becomes downright paranoid and antagonistic towards his friends, mostly Rena and Mion who are in reality trying to help him instead of killing which he wrongly assumes as the hallucination from the syndrome worsen his perspective and ends with him [[spoiler:bludgeoning them to death with Satoshi's baseball bat at his house.]] By the time he suddenly remembers it in ''Tsumihoroboshi''-hen, he immediately breaks down in tears remorseful about it.
* KickTheSonOfABitch: What he does to [[AssholeVictim Teppei]] in the 3rd novel and the [=PS2=] "Exorcism Chapter".
* KillingInSelfDefense:
** Subverted in Onikakushi-hen. [[spoiler:Keiichi ''thinks'' that Mion is going to inject him with the same drug that made Tomitake claw his own claw out. This makes him go apeshit and beat Mion and Rena to death with a baseball bat. In Tsumihoroboshi-hen, it's revealed Keiichi was only hallucinating the syringe because of the Hinamizawa Syndrome and Mion and Rena never tried to hurt him.]]
** Also, in Higurashi Gou's Onidamashi arc [[spoiler:he gets attacked by a crazed Rena and has to bash in her head with an alarm clock in self-defense. He doesn't find out Rena died from her injuries until he speaks to Ooishi and later Mion and he mourns heavily for her.]]
* KnightTemplarBigBrother: In Tatarigoroshi, once he sees no other way to save Satoko from her uncle's abuse, Keiichi takes ''extreme'' measures to put it to an end by killing Teppei as he thinks he must protect Satoko while her older brother Satoshi is missing.
* TheLeader: Type IV - Charismatic. His charisma and force of personality are essential to bringing everyone together as a group. [[spoiler:Rika]] mentions that [[spoiler:there have been worlds where Keiichi never moved to Hinamizawa - all of them doomed to failure.]]
* LethalChef: Screwing up some basic stuff like Miso soup or rice is a thing. Almost setting fire to your house while cooking vegetables is [[EpicFail Homer Simpson level]].
* LonelyAtTheTop: [[spoiler:Before moving to Hinamizawa, he was top of his class, but his high grades isolated him from his envious classmates, and praise from adults gradually faded into high expectations with little reward. He started relieving stress by scaring girls with a BB gun, but accidentally shot one in the eye.]]
* LoveEpiphany: The first part of his narration is a very dark example towards Rena, who he has just murdered in a crazed fury. It should be noted, though, that he may mean platonic love rather than romantic love. Also crosses over with EtTuBrute and WasItAllALie.
* MistakenForMurderer: In the ending of Tatarigoroshi-hen, [[spoiler:Satoko sees Keiichi standing in front of Rika's mutilated corpse with a weapon in his hand. In that arc, Keiichi ''did'' murder Teppei, but Rika's murderer was Takano. Still, Satoko was unstable because of the Hinamizawa Syndrome and didn't trust the claims of innocence of a guy who admits to not trusting his own perception of reality anymore.]]
* MoralityChain: Zigzagged with [[spoiler:Shion in the arcs where she goes crazy. Part of her wants to kill him [[RevengeByProxy just to make Mion suffer]]. Part of her also understands just why Mion fell for him, especially when he refuses to believe that she'd become a sadistic killer unless she was under DemonicPosession. She ends up sparing him and apologizing for defiling his image of "Mion" (who she's claiming to be), but later SanitySlippage leads to her stabbing him anyway.]]
* MyGodWhatHaveIDone:
** In his backstory, [[spoiler:he didn't realize what a terrible thing he was doing by shooting at kids with his BB gun until he hurt a girl in the eye and possibly blinded her.]]
** In Tsumihoroboshi-hen, Keiichi is able to remember [[spoiler:the events of Onikakushi-hen in one of the previous timelines]]. Keiichi breaks down in tears, horrified that he [[spoiler:killed Rena and Mion when the Hinamizawa Syndrome made him hallucinate that they were trying to harm him when they were really worried about him as the good friends they are.]]
* MyGreatestFailure:
** In his backstory, [[spoiler:he shot a little girl in the eye when he was shooting at children with his BB gun to relieve the stress of his studies]]. After he and his parents moved to Hinamizawa, Keiichi just wanted to start anew and leave behind the terrible thing he did by being a better person.
** In Tsumihoroboshi-hen, [[spoiler:he realizes his previous self from another timeline killed Rena and Mion when he was driven insane by the Hinamizawa Syndrome. This motivates him to save Rena from the Hinamizawa Syndrome once he understands she's in the same crazied state he was in the other timeline.]]
* NaiveNewcomer: ''Onikakushi'' might be a {{Deconstruction}}. The fact that Keiichi knows nothing about Hinamizawa or important past events and feels like an outsider, is a major cause of his growing paranoia and suspicion toward his new friends; and serves to lure the equally clueless reader as well.
* NiceGuy: More so in the sound novels.
* ObliviousToLove: He can't seem to catch on to Mion and Rena's attraction to him.
* OneDialogueTwoConversations: In ''Onikakushi'', a few days after he ate the Ohagi with [[spoiler:the "needle" (actually tabasco sauce) inside]], he screams at Mion, saying that her ohagi was so good he almost died. She answers, almost crying, that it was just a little prank. It's obvious in this exchange that they are ''not'' talking about the same thing.
* TheOneGuy: He is the only guy in a club full of females.
* OneOfTheGirls: His group of friends is made up entirely by girls.
* OnlySaneMan: Seems so at first when he's his normal self. He was the only one to notice that the town wasn't normal.
* ProperlyParanoid: In Onidamashi-hen, [[spoiler: after being convinced by Rika to trust his friend Rena in what seems like a repeat of the events in Onikakushi-hen, it turns out he had every right to be suspicious as Rena had a case of Hinamizawa Syndrome and attempts to murder him.]]
* PsychologicalHorror: The horror from his arc ''Onikakushi-hen'' comes more from paranoia and fear rather than blood and gore.
* RedOniBlueOni: Invoked by Hanyuu, who calls him the "furious red flame" to Rena's "silent blue flame". Later plays the same role, but to Rika instead. Also has this relationship (same role, but to a lesser extent) to Mion.
* RousingSpeech: An expert on these. Mion goes so far as to call him a master of words. Becomes a plot point in ''Minagoroshi-hen''.
* RunningGag: In the visual novel, it's a running gag to have Keiichi imagine something really outlandish and then have everyone respond specifically to the outlandish thing he was thinking. Everyone else says that you can tell exactly what he's thinking by his face.
* SmarterThanYouLook: He's actually among the most intelligent people in the main cast. Shion in particular doesn't think much of his brains.
* SoleSurvivor: In Tatarigoroshi-hen, he is the only person living in Hinamizawa who survives the Great Hinamizawa Gas Disaster because he was unconscious by the riverside during the time of the tragedy. He does die eventually, though. Just not from that.
* StupidSexyFriend: Often feels this way towards...well, every teenager in the club. He's not interested in dating yet, but the fact that all of them are hot chicks makes such things as swimming expeditions awkward.
* SupportingProtagonist: [[spoiler:The story is really about Rika changing timelines with Hanyuu's power as she loses hope of finding a world where she isn't murdered. However, he ''is'' the character that inspires her to fight fate and find a happy ending the most.]]
* SuspiciouslySimilarSubstitute: Subverted. In-universe his similarities to Satoshi are often pointed out, but it turns out the only they are just the similarities others want to perceive...[[spoiler:[[ZigZaggedTrope until]] the syndrome strikes, and they act OutOfCharacter in almost identical ways.]]
* SympatheticMurderer: In ''Tatarigoroshi'', [[spoiler:he murders Satoko's uncle to free her from his abuse. Unfortunately, him admitting to doing so at a Satoko who is unstable because of the Hinamizawa Syndrome and finding Rika's mutilated corpse shortly after, ending in Keiichi being pushed off a bridge by a crazed Satoko.]]
* TearsOfRemorse:
** In Tsumihoroboshi-hen, Keiichi starts crying out of guilt and horror when he remembers [[spoiler:he killed Rena and Mion during his madness induced by the Hinamizawa Syndrome]] in Onikakushi-hen.
** Also in Higurashi Gou, at the end of Onidamashi-hen, Keiichi cries deeply in mourning and remorse [[spoiler:in his hospital bed while retelling Ooishi how he killed Rena in self-defense while she, overcome with Hinamizawa Syndrome, was stabbing him recklessly.]]
* ThinkingTic: Rena once remarked that when Keiichi is thinking deeply about something stupid, he will often bend his head backwards and start [[DidIJustSayThatOutLoud speaking his thoughts without realizing it.]]
* ThroughTheEyesOfMadness: In Onikakushi-hen, [[spoiler:Rena and Mion did hide several dark secrets from Keiichi, but the parts where the girls act insane and appear to be trying to make him "transfer schools" like Satoshi are actually Keiichi hallucinating because of the Hinamizawa Syndrome making him go insane from paranoia]]. The two most notable examples are [[spoiler:when Rena and Mion make ohagi for him, Keiichi thinks he finds a needle inside the food because red liquid is coming out of his mouth, but the truth is there ''wasn't'' any needle (Mion had simply filled the ohagi with hot sauce as a prank and the needle was Keiichi's hallucination)]] and also [[spoiler:the "syringe" Keiichi thought Mion was going to inject him with was really a marker as the girls just wanted to doodle on his face]].
* TooDumbToLive: So your friend has just admitted to committing multiple murders, then suddenly decides she wants to go on a walk with you alone? Sure. Then said friend asks you if you want to see her sister, whom she has kidnapped? No problem. She leads you into a TortureCellar, admits to killing two of your closest friends, torturing her own sister, and said sister screams bloody murder at the sight of her? Everything's absolutely fine. Somehow he still manages to act surprised when he gets knocked out and wakes up strapped to one of the torture devices. Through dumb luck, he survives, and even though this friend ''explicitly warns him'' to stay away if he ever sees her again, he still trusts this friend enough to step out of his house and speak with her when she drops by in the middle of the night. At this point, he ''deserves'' to die.
* UnscrupulousHero: A pretty dark take on this in Tatarigoroshi-hen.
* VillainProtagonist: Only in [[spoiler:''Onikakushi''. Not that he, or the reader, are aware of that.]]
* VitriolicBestBuds: He and Satoko - except in Tatarigoroshi-hen, where Keiichi tries to act more like Satoshi - constantly snipe at each other, and it's very clear that their friendship is built on this dynamic.
* WeaponOfChoice: Satoshi's baseball bat.
* WhatTheHellHero: 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.
* WorthyOpponent: Partly why Mion likes him so much. They're not equals in skill, but they share a competitive, easily riled spirit that no one else in the club has.
* WouldHitAGirl: If said girl set up a combo-trap for him on his first day at his new school, yes he would. Not to mention [[spoiler:hitting a girl in the eye with a BB gun in his backstory.]]
* YouCanAlwaysTellALiar: In one scene in Taraimawashi-hen, Rena claims that when Keiichi lies, his nose twitches.

[[folder:Rena Ryugu]]
!!"[[ImTakingHerHomeWithMe Cute Mode]]" Rena Ryugu
!!!Voiced by: Creator/MaiNakahara (JP), Creator/MelaLee (EN, Bang Zoom), Creator/EmiLo (EN, Funimation)
!!!Portrayed by: Airi Matsuyama (film), Minami Kato (drama series)
[[quoteright:125:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/higu_rena_5186.png]]

A girl who returned from Ibaraki to Hinamizawa one year ago, and she is in the 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 perceptive 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.

The sixth arc, ''Tsumihoroboshi-hen'' (Atonement Chapter), is focused on her.
-----
* ActionGirl: Very violent behind her usual cute self.
* AdaptationDyeJob: Her hair can be orange or light brown depending on the medium.
* AgentMulder: She believes whole-heartedly in Oyashiro-sama and the legends surrounding the god, especially the curse. Questioning her beliefs will make her angry and quite unstable.
* AlliterativeName: '''R'''ena '''R'''yugu.
* AnAxToGrind: Alongside her signature "cleaver", she's even strong enough to wield a ''great axe'' to brutal effect.
* ArmorPiercingSlap: On Keiichi to push him to apologize to Mion in ''Watanagashi''. It kind of feels like a mother scolding her kid.
* AttackOfTheFiftyFootWhatever: As a BackgroundBoss in the "Strolling Rika" mini-game.
* AttemptedRape: She may or may not have been on the receiving end of this, as [[spoiler:she was affected by Hinamizawa syndrome at the time and possibly only ''thought'' this is what her male classmates were attempting to do, and she nearly kills them as a result. But because the boys refuse to talk about Rena's attack, even to the police, they really might have been trying.]]
* AttentionDeficitOohShiny: She gets distracted easily, especially when she sees something she finds cute.
* AxCrazy: In the scenarios where she snaps, Rena becomes unstable, violent, and murderous.
* BadassAdorable: Don't underestimate Rena because of her size. She looks [[CuteBruiser cute]], but [[BewareTheNiceOnes get her mad]] and she'll have [[AnAxeToGrind a cleaver to grind with you]]. Keiichi thinks that he wouldn't be able to beat her in a fight. The climax of ''Tsumihoroboshi-hen'' shows [[spoiler:he was ''right''.]]
* BerserkButton:
** Don't mock her belief in Oyashiro-sama.
** Lying is also one quick way to piss her off as Keiichi learns this the hard way in Onikakushi and Tsumihoroboshi hen as it turns out that her aggressive reaction isn't really a hallucination brought on by the [[spoiler: Hinamizawa Syndrome he contracted with]] which is understandable as she was lied to by her mother regarding adultery many times.
** Also, being called "Reina-chan" by Rina [[spoiler:in the same way as her hated mother.]] In this case though, the problem is not so much the button than the ''person'' who presses it.
** On a less serious note, she has little tolerance for lewdness, and has clobbered Keiichi and Mion several times for their perverted behavior.
* BewareTheNiceOnes: Rena is a very friendly and sweet girl. Just don't mess with her father or lie to her. She can turn scary. In extreme cases especially in ''Tsumihoroboshi''-hen, she won't hesitate to get her hands stained with blood literally when she kills [[spoiler:Ritsuko and Teppei]] to protect her father and in ''Minagoroshi''-hen when she kills a few [[spoiler:Mountain dogs.]]
* CatchPhrase:
** [[ImTakingHerHomeWithMe "HAU~! OMOCHIKAERII!"]]
** She's the most infamous source of [[ThatLiarLies "USO DA!"]]
* {{Cloudcuckoolander}}: She has a strange thought process.
* TheConfidant: To Mion in ''Watanagashi''. She also helps Keiichi realize that he hurt Mion's feelings, so it may be a indirect case of PlayingCyrano.
* ContraltoOfDanger: Her high-pitched, cutesy voice turns lower when she's angry or crazy.
* CovertPervert: [[ItMakesSenseInContext She blushes when she hears Keiichi say that it's soo hot his crotch is getting sweaty to both her and Satoko in the VN.]]
** Also, in ''Rei'', she’s a little ''too'' eager to [[ItMakesSenseInContext strip Keiichi of his swim trunks...]]
* CryIntoChest: At the end of Tsumihoroboshi-hen, Rena breaks down and sobs her heart out into Keiichi's chest after he finally manages to bring her back to her senses [[spoiler:even though she had already reached a high level of the Hinamizawa Syndrome]].
* CryLaughing: In ''Tsumihoroboshi-hen'', she spends a long monologue insisting that she had no other choice than killing [[spoiler:Teppei and Rina]] who were swindling her father, and that telling her friends would have been useless. Then she mocks them and starts laughing out loudly before bursting into tears, as she understands fully well that this may not have been the right choice.
* TheCuckoolanderWasRight: In ''Tsumihoroboshi'', she may not be all there but there are a few things that she actually gets ''right''. [[spoiler:Notably the Okonogi gardeners being a fake society hiding secret agents, the fact the Hinamizawa Syndrome is being researched at the Irie Clinic, or the fact that there is ''some kind'' of relationship between said research and the mysterious deaths.]] Of course she is completely off the mark about all the rest, but that's still ironic.
** Well... at least until ''Hou'', when [[spoiler:it's revealed that one of the mysterious viruses ''is'' the work of an alien. Une's, that is. It wasn't Hinamizawa Syndrome, but it was close.]]
* CuteAndPsycho: She's cute as a button. She also has a record of breaking all the windows at her previous school and physically assaulting some guys with a baseball bat. In Onikakushi-hen, Keiichi gradually becomes terrified of her as she randomly goes from her usual cute self to going livid, making scary eyes, and laughing maniacally. [[spoiler:This bit is subverted when it's revealed Rena's psycho behavior in that arc was all Keiichi's hallucination produced by the Hinamizawa Syndrome. It's played straight in the scenarios where the Hinamizawa Syndrome makes her go insane and murderous.]]
* CuteBruiser: Once she goes into "Cute Mode", she's prone to {{Megaton Punch}}ing anything in the nearby area, even without her famous cleaver handy. Able to snap the rope that has her tied up with ease. Can wield the axe without any difficultly also. And probably brought home the statue of Col. Sanders[[note]]the KFC mascot[[/note]] that's bigger than she is without any assistance. When HilarityEnsues 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.
* CutenessProximity: One of her [[RunningGag Running Gags]]. However, she doesn't have quite the same idea of what's "cute" as most people do.
* DaddysGirl: She remained very loyal to her father after her mother betrayed/cheated on him. If only he were worthy of such loyalty...
* DarkActionGirl: When she's under the Hinamizawa Syndrome's effects.
* DarkAndTroubledPast: She discovered that her mother cheated on her father. While her parents were finalizing their divorce, she [[spoiler:attacked her classmates while suffering from Hinamizawa Syndrome. She then attempted suicide and was treated with medication and therapy]]. She and her father then moved back to Hinamizawa to start a new life.
* DefiantToTheEnd: In Minagoroshi-hen, [[spoiler:Rena tells Takano that she will never become Oyashiro-sama right before Takano shoots her dead.]]
* ElmuhFuddSyndwome: This is how the English translation of the manga decided to translate her [[CatchPhrase signature]] "kaaii" (A slurred way to say "kawaii," the Japanese word for "cute"). In the translation, it became "adowable", while in the sound novel translations it's rendered as "sho kyute".
* EmptyEyes: A striking example. When Rena starts losing herself to madness or talking about Oyashiro-sama, her sprites are identical, right down to her cheery smile, except her eyes lose their inner lighting, making them appear dark and empty. The effect is ''exceptionally'' disturbing, particularly with the most recently updated [=MangaGamer=] sprites.
* EvilLaugh: Gives a very nasty one in Tsukiotoshi-hen after [[spoiler:she burnt down Satoko's house.]]
* {{Expy}}: According to WordOfGod, her name and appearance were based on Lenna from ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyV'' (specifically, Rena's appearance was based on Lenna's SNES sprites).
* ExtremelyProtectiveChild: As shown in''Tsumihoroboshi-hen'', she is willing to go to [[MurderIsTheBestSolution extreme lengths]] to protect her father from being extorted by his scammer girlfriend.
** Played surprisingly in Higurashi Gou [[spoiler:when she succumbs to the disease and stabs Keiichi under the impression that if she kills him and gets spirited away, Oyashiro-sama will let her father live peacefully in Hinamizawa.]]
* FieryRedhead: Her hair is a shade of orange and she's sure a very passionate person who can become fierce when provoked.
* FigureItOutYourself: Rena asks for Keiichi to do this regarding how he hurt Mion's feelings in Watanagashi-hen.
* {{Fingore}}: Keiichi smashes Rena's fingers with a door when Rena is trying to force her way into his house.
* {{Foil}}: To Keiichi and the twins. She is more calm and quieter compared to the loud Keiichi or Mion. But when it comes to bad situations, she is the most insane and scariest. Shion is jealous that Rena is way more intimidating and perceptive than her.
* GiantWaistRibbon: Part of her usual outfit.
* GirlWithPsychoWeapon: She's quite famous for wielding a cleaver.
* GlurgeAddict: Subverted; while she is obsessed with "cute" things, her idea of what's "cute" isn't the same as most people's (like a statue of Colonel Sanders, for example).
* HotBlooded: She defiantly shows this, sometimes to the degree of Keiichi, whenever she snaps out of her calmness.
* HyperAwareness: Seen best in ''Watanagashi-hen''. Most of the time [[ObfuscatingStupidity she hides it very well.]]
* IfItsYouItsOkay: Pulls that move on Keiichi during the zombie-tag game to "paralyse" him.
* ImageSong: "Egao Happy Peace"
* ImTakingHerHomeWithMe: TropeNamer. Not only does she often declare that she wants to take cute things and people home with her, but she'll frequently try to physically run off with them.
* InterruptedSuicide: [[spoiler:Motivated her to return to Hinamizawa.]]
** [[spoiler:The end of ''Tsumihoroboshi-hen'']] also counts, with [[spoiler:Keiichi's stopping both the {{time bomb}} and her desire to claw out her throat]].
* KickTheSonOfABitch: Her killing of [[spoiler:Rina and Teppei in the 6th novel and Teppei again in the [=PS2=] "Exorcism Chapter".]]
* KillItWithFire: In Tsumihoroboshi-hen [[spoiler:she plans to burn down the school along with the hostages and herself should Oishi not agree to investigate the Sonozaki.]] She also [[spoiler:burns down Satoko's house to kill Keichi and destroys the evidences after succumbing to the syndrome in Tsukiotoshi-hen.]]
* {{Leitmotif}}: [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=58UO_uRup-U "Lunch Time"]] (although you only hear it in the first novel).
* LightningBruiser: ''Very'' fast when in Cute Mode. Avoiding her punches is actually a reflex-based mini-game.
* MacGyvering: A rare non-heroic example. She makes [[spoiler:a school-blowing bomb with a little gasoline, a cook timer and a base-ball.]] And it works horribly well, as ''Yoigoshi-hen'' shows us.
* MeaningfulRename: 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. She also changed the writing of the name from kanji to katakana; using katakana in a name was quite unusual at the time the story is set.
* MightyGlacier: In Higurashi Daybreak Kai, she has a weapon called an "Iron Clad Nata". This cripples her mobility, giving her no ability to run on the ground and having a very small stamina bar, meaning she floats very slowly in the air in a very short period of time. She also barely moves when she walks, giving her the slowest walk speed in the entire game. However, all her attacks are very powerful and have enormous range.
* MoodSwinger: It's hinted in the games that she's actually bipolar.
* MsExposition: In ''Tsumihoroboshi-hen'', as she explains Miyo's scrapbook to Keiichi.
* MurderIsTheBestSolution: [[spoiler:She seems to believe that it will prevent Hinamizawa from being destroyed.]] Instead, [[spoiler:it sends her down spirals of madness.]]
* NiceGirl: Her usual, normal self which fits the name in general. A cheerful girl with a sweet and friendly nature who has a high sense of morality, usually trying to do the right thing.
* NiceHat: Her casual outfit includes a white beret.
* NightmareFetishist: She finds some very odd things to be "cute". One of the TIPS says that [[spoiler:this might be a psychological reaction to prevent other people from entering and ruining her household]].
* {{Nosebleed}}: Has frequent ones in the Visual Novel, triggered by the presence of cute things.
* ObfuscatingStupidity: 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 [[spoiler:(mostly)]] just based on a flyer and the state of Rika and Satoko's dinner.
* ParentsInDistress: Rena wants to protect her father from two scam artists who want to steal one million yen from him.
* ParentWithNewParamour: Rena's mother divorced her father and married another man, resulting in a permanent estrangement between them.
* RedOniBlueOni: Invoked by Hanyuu, who calls her the "silent blue flame" to Keiichi's "furious red flame".
* SailorFuku: Her chosen school outfit.
* SeriesMascot: Rena has become practically synonymous with the entire ''Higurashi'' franchise. She's featured in promotional art and covers more than any other main character. [=Ryukishi07=] comments on this in Tsumihoroboshi, believing that she best represents the story's [[SurpriseCreepy ups and downs]].
* ShowgirlSkirt: Her casual dress has the skirt split at the front, displaying her legs.
* SilkHidingSteel: The scary yangire under her usual seemingly light and girly demeanor.
* SmarterThanYouLook: 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.
* SoleSurvivor: Rena is the only person living in Hinamizawa to survive the [[spoiler:Great Hinamizawa Gas Disaster]] in the anime's adaptation of [[spoiler:Tsumihoroboshi-hen]]. Originally, in the visual novel, she's supposed to die with everyone else. In a more limited scope, she's also the only one of the TrueCompanions to survive the events of [[spoiler:Watanagashi-hen and Meakashi-hen]].
* StepfordSmiler: She acts cheerful, but she has a lot of issues and insecurities and actively tries to keep them surpressed most of the time.
* SupremeChef: A great cook, Satoko and Keiichi will fight for her side dishes.
* SurvivalMantra: "Hauuu~ I'm taking her home with me!"
* TeamMom: Rena has a maternal streak that grows stronger as the series progresses. By the end of ''Matsuribayashi'', her ending sequence explains that she acts like a mother to all the younger children in school.
* ThereAreNoTherapists: Averted. She ''did'' see a therapist after the little... ''incident'' at her old school.
* ThirdPersonPerson: Usually when she's joking around.
* ThroughHisStomach: She tries this with Keiichi in the third episode of ''Kira''.
* TomboyAndGirlyGirl: Girly Girl to Mion's Tomboy.
* TheUnSmile: There is her happy and cheerful [[ImTakingHerHomeWithMe "cute mode"]]. There is also her "Oyashiro-sama mode". Her smile in this mode is described as looking "as a sharp cut from a knife".
* UnstoppableRage: Given her surprisingly-strong attacks, including a punch that is fast enough to even take Mion by surprise, it is understandable that when Rena gets angry, you probably don't want to be within the same area code.[[spoiler:This shows up most notably in ''Tsumihoroboshi'', where she is able to fight off the much-larger Rina, beat her to death, and mutilate her corpse fuelled purely on rage, and later fights Keiichi to a standstill on the school roof.]]
* VerbalTic: She has a case of Palilalia which is the ocasional repeating the last words of her sentences, most notably "kana, kana?" ("I wonder, I wonder?"). Done to very sinister effect in ''Tsumihoroboshi-hen''. As an added bonus, "kana" is also one of the onomatopoeias for the cry of cicadas.
** Also "Hauuu..." when bashful, depressed, or suffering CutenessOverload.
* WeaponOfChoice: A Japanese gardening tool called a "nata." The in-game text called it an axe on the first chapter but promotional game art showed her using the more distinctively shaped weapon, and it stuck. Eventually the in-game dialogue started referring to it by name (Rena was nicknamed "nata-onna"), and the English translation started to call it a cleaver thanks to its rough silhouette (by extension, Rena herself was nicknamed "cleaver girl"), though that it has more in common with similar gardening tools such as billhooks and machetes.
* WellIntentionedExtremist: ''Tsumihoroboshi-hen''. [[spoiler:She genuinely believes that her actions in that arc are going to save Hinamizawa from the disaster. Ironically, it might actually have, at the cost of the lives of all her hostages.]] She also just wants the happy days in Hinamizawa to last, [[spoiler:it's just that she thinks that MurderIsTheBestSolution]].
** Although we later learned in Yoigoshi-hen that [[spoiler:it is NOT the solution at all as Takano still has the entire town gassed anyway.]]
* WiseBeyondHerYears: ''Tsumihoroboshi'' clearly shows it, especially the sound novel.
* WouldHurtAChild: In ''Tsumihoroboshi-hen'', she held her classmates hostage and threatened to bomb the elementary school with all of them inside.

[[folder:Mion and Shion Sonozaki]]
!!Both
* AdaptationDyeJob: Their eyes are blue in the visual novels, but the anime often portrays them as [[CurtainsMatchTheWindow green like their hair]].
* AlwaysIdenticalTwins: They're identical twin sisters.
* CainAndAbel: [[spoiler:Mion and Shion genuinely love each other, but in the arcs where Shion snaps, Mion ends up among her many victims. Shion also tormented Mion by forcing her to watch as she tortured and killed her friends.]]
* ClingyJealousGirl: Funny with Mion when Shion flirts with Keiichi to get under her skin. Not so funny when Shion starts feeling contempt toward Satoko because her older brother Satoshi is running himself ragged to protect her, which Rena calls her out on.
* {{Fingore}}: [[spoiler:Shion was forced to pull out three fingernails in order to protect people she had endangered. Mion also pulled off three of her own fingernails (though unlike Shion, she did so off screen) because she felt it was unfair that only Shion got punishments despite them being identical twins.]]
* {{Foil}}: To each other.
* TheGadfly: Their favorite hobby is teasing people, especially Keiichi.
* GagBoobs: The Sonozaki twins are the 'bustiest' of the gang.
* IdenticalTwinIDTag: The main difference between the twins' looks is that Mion has a TomboyishPonytail while Shion wears her hair down, but all they need to do is swap hairstyles and exchange clothes and you once again can't figure out which is which. The only definite way to know is checking their backs because of Mion's oni tattoo. Gou added a little bit of differences to them to make it easier to tell who's who. Mainly that Mion has ''TsurimeEyes'' while Shion has ''TaremeEyes''.
* IdenticalTwinMistake: When Keiichi first meets Shion at Angel Mort, he thinks she's Mion using another name out of embarrassment over her job as a waitress. He doesn't realize Mion really has a twin sister until he sees them both together, [[spoiler:though his first encounter with "Shion" at Angel Mort was in fact an embarrassed Mion. He finally meets the real Shion days later when she invites him to dessert tasting at the restaurant, but Keiichi still thought she was Mion.]]
* LightFeminineAndDarkFeminine: Behind the TomboyAndGirlyGirl front, both are actually very girly in radically opposing aspects. Mion is outgoing, upbeat, and very well-balanced, in contrast Shion is flirtatious, sly, and [[{{Yandere}} dangerously unstable]] if provoked.
* PolarOppositeTwins: Mion is tomboyish and openly perverted, but secretly shy and calm when not playing games. Shion poses as a ProperLady, but she's actually HotBlooded and [[AxCrazy quite insane]]. Mion herself states that she's the warm friendly one while Shion is cold.
** It's actually {{subverted}} to some extent. At first, they seem very different, (even if one takes into account all the TwinSwitch confusion) but then Meakashi reveals they're both [[TheGadfly gadflies]], both friendly, both somewhat cheerful, both socially intelligent, both have weak spots the size of Mount Fuji when it comes to romance, both hate their grandmother, both adept at manipulating people. The main difference is how they approach these similarities; in the latter example, Shion likes to manipulate on a personal level, swaying individual perceptions; Mion likes to manipulate groups, with speeches and military tactics and ginormous guns.
* RapunzelHair: Both have long green hair reaching past the butt.
* RedOniBlueOni: The hammy GenkiGirl Mion is the Red Oni to the more demure Shion's Blue Oni. [[spoiler:Their true personalities are the other way around. Mion pretends to be the dominant twin and Shion the passive one because they accidentally switched roles of the older and younger twin when they were children and have been acting their parts since so no one notices the switch. In reality, Shion is way more of a Red Oni than Mion could ever be.]]
* TheTease: Suggestive lines and disregard of personal space are some of their favorite tactics for use in screwing with Keiichi, although Shion is much more typically flirtatious while Mion focuses more on acting perverted and groping.
* ThemeTwinNaming: The "on" in Mion and Shion is the same kanji, 音 (meaning "sound").
* TomboyAndGirlyGirl: Mion is carefree and energetic in a somewhat tomboyish way, while her twin sister Shion is more feminine. [[spoiler:At least it appears as such. As noted under RedOniBlueOni, the two act this way because it is expected from them. Deep down, Mion is quite girly, while Shion is, [[BreakTheCutie well]], [[{{Yandere}} unstable]] and [[AxCrazy murderous]].]]
* TricksterTwins: The Sonozaki twins have screwing with Keiichi as their main pastime. Particularly, they like to make things confusing for him by switching places.
* TwinSwitch: Mion frequently switches identities with Shion to let her twin sister enjoy some freedom that's usually denied to her because of her bad position in the family. The key to the main mystery in Watanagashi-hen is figuring out in which scenes one of the twins is posing as the other. Early on, Mion starts dressing like Shion to make Keiichi acknowledge her as a girl (Keiichi knew it was her, but he didn't know Shion was a real person until he meets both at the same time). [[spoiler:After the festival, Shion is thought to go missing, but she's really the murderer of that arc while disguised as Mion.]] Then it's revealed [[spoiler:the twins changed places since they were children because the younger one wanted to take a break from being the rejected twin "Shion". One day, they made the switch on the day there was an important ceremony where the heir of the family was branded with the oni tattoo. From that day, the younger twin became "Mion" and the older one "Shion" permanently to not let anyone find out they made the disowned twin the heir by accident.]]
* TwoSiblingsInOne: Yoigoshi-hen features a world where [[spoiler:Mion died, but her spirit lingers in Shion's body and can briefly possess her.]]
* YakuzaPrincess: The Sonozaki family are portrayed as a dangerous group that work like {{Yakuza}}, and are actually tied to the Yakuza by virtue of Akane's husband. Mion and Shion are the daughters of the current heads of the family.
* YouGottaHaveBlueHair: Both have green hair.

!!"[[TheLeader Club Leader]]" Mion Sonozaki ([[spoiler:birth name: Shion Sonozaki]])
!!!Voiced by: Creator/SatsukiYukino (JP), Creator/MeganHollingshead (EN, Bang Zoom), Creator/MichelleRojas (EN, Funimation)
!!!Portrayed by: Rin Asuka (film), Rika Nakai (drama series)
[[quoteright:150:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/higu_mion_9545.png]]

The oldest classmate in Keiichi's class. 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 boyish, 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.

The second arc, Watanagashi-hen (Cotton-Drifting chapter), is focused on her.
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* AccompliceByInaction: In Meakashi-hen, Shion condemns Mion nearly as much as their grandmother for the ostracization Satoshi suffered from the village because Mion never even tried to do anything with her position as the Sonozaki heir to put a stop to it. Shion also resented Mion for never standing up to the mistreatment the Sonozaki put Shion through which is especially unfair considering that [[spoiler:the entire reason why her sister is shunned by the family is that Mion unintentionally stole Shion's birth name and rights when she got the oni tattoo by mistake]]. Even when Shion was forced to rip off her own fingernails and cried in pain, Mion only stood and watched. Shion comes to believe Mion wouldn't have helped Satoshi if she watched him being tortured to death by their family, [[spoiler:although the Sonozaki aren't responsible of Satoshi's disappearance]].
* BadLiar: When impersonating her sister. Keichii doesn't exactly buy it, but plays along anyway.
* BecauseYouWereNiceToMe: In Gou's last episode of the Watadamashi-hen arc, [[spoiler:Mion locks Keiichi in a cell and intends to deal with what she thinks is a conspiracy of the Three Great Families of Hinamizawa in order to protect Keiichi. When Keiichi begs her to let him help her, Mion tells him she was happy when he treated her like a girl by giving her a doll so she's going to protect him to the end or die trying.]]
* BerserkButton: Shown in ''Matsuribayashi-hen'', [[spoiler:do not bring the resentment against the Houjous into the school. As the "den-mother" for the students, you'll regret it]]. This BerserkButton [[spoiler:is the only one in this series that doesn't result in bloodshed]].
* BlatantLies: In ''Watanagashi'', Keiichi first thinks her having a twin sister is this. He was wrong and right at the same time. [[spoiler:The few times they meet at the beginning it's ''really'' her pretending to be her twin. The last time though, it's the real Shion.]] [[BadLiar Her red face and stuttering when asked about Shion and Angel Mort really don't help.]]
* BoobsOfSteel: Very busty and ''very'' competent in close combat. She hands [[spoiler:Okonogi]]'s ass to him beautifully in ''Matsuribayashi''.
* BookDumb: She may need to ask Keiichi for help studying, but that does not mean she's stupid. In Matsuribayashi, [[spoiler:she figures out Takano's plans based on bits and pieces Rika gave her, then outwits the Yamainu through a mix of Satoko's traps and psychological warfare.]]
* BreakTheCutie: Meakashi-hen has her go through a hellish nightmare. [[spoiler:She's locked in a dungeon and her sister emotionally tortures her by killing their grandmother, the town's mayor, and Satoko (Keiichi nearly met the same fate, but was spared on a whim) while Mion can only scream and futilely beg Shion to stop.]] She's a sobbing wreck by the time [[spoiler:Shion finally kills her too.]]
* CallingTheOldManOut: [[spoiler:Calls Oryō out over her unfair treatment of the Hojo siblings after the [[MoralEventHorizon "distinguishment incident"]] offscreen (talked about in the Eye Opening chapter). The incident was the last straw as Mion was comtemplating KILLING HER in a NobleTopEnforcer style rebellion.]]
* CannotSpitItOut: Even [[spoiler:pretending to be Shion to show her feminine side to Keiichi]] doesn't really help.
* CheshireCatGrin: Often before she [[TheGadfly decides to mess with someone]].
* ClassRepresentative: As the elder, she is the class president and everyone looks up to her as the leader.
* ClubPresident: She's the president of the games club formed by the main characters.
* ComatoseCanary:
** In the Playstation-only Taraimawashi-hen, [[spoiler:Mion survives the Great Hinamizawa Disaster, but her mental trauma has reduced her to a vegetable. She recovers if presented Rena's hat, but suddenly dies before she can see Ooishi again.]]
** Also in the one-shot chapter ''Hinageshi-hen''. [[spoiler:Mion also ends up as the only survivor of the Great Hinamizawa Disaster in that timeline. Ooishi still can't get any answers out of her about anything because the poor girl is stuck in a catatonic state where she's living in a fantasy where all her friends are still alive.]]
* CreepyMonotone: When acting as the next head of the family, she often uses a flat, emotionless tone with an equally stoic face. At the end of Taraimawashi-hen, her lines are delivered in a monotone that is half-creepy and half-depressing in the context of being a [[spoiler:ComatoseCanary]].
* DeathSeeker: [[spoiler: Shortly after Keiichi is shot and killed by Takano in episode 13 of ''Higurashi Kai'', it's heavily implied that her sacrifice to buy the others time to escape was her being this out of grief over Keiichi's subsequent death.]]
* DualWielding: She uses the traditional "katana and wakizashi" combination in ''Yoigoshi-hen''.
* EmptyEyes: Less common than Rena, but occasionally Mion's eyes lose their lighting effects and take on a disturbing, empty look. [[spoiler:Somewhat unusually, where this visual effect is usually used to show that the person with empty eyes is suffering from high-level Hinamizawa Syndrome, in Mion's case it becomes a highly reliable indicator that the ''narrator'' is suffering from it instead and is starting to hallucinate.]]
* EmptyShell: In the Taraimawashi-hen only found in the [=PS2=] version, [[spoiler:Mion survives the Great Hinamizawa Disaster, but her trauma has left her in a vegetative state. She still hasn't recovered in her late twenties.]]
* ForcedIntoEvil: She's forced by her family to take part in many morally corrupt deeds, but she's not happy about it.
* ForcedToWatch: In ''Meakashi-hen'', [[spoiler:Shion locks her in a cell of their family's abandoned TortureCellar while Kimiyoshi wastes away, Shion directly tortures Satoko to death in front of her and then decides to do the same to Keiichi just so Mion can hear his screams of agony (though she ended up sparing him).]]
* AFriendInNeed: The origins of [[spoiler:the club]].
* FriendToAllChildren: She is a friendly and protective club leader who is well liked by all the younger classmates.
* {{Gaslighting}}: Tragic and unintentional example in Tatagoroshi-hen, where [[spoiler:she is the accomplice to Teppei's murder trying to prevent a repeat of the events of 1982, but her attempts to help Keichii convince him that he's going insane]].
* GenkiGirl: When she gets ''way' too excitable and hammy during games or punishment games.
* GirlNextDoor: She's the approachable, down-to-earth, and somewhat tomboyish friend who Keiichi thinks of as OneOfTheBoys.
* GuileHeroine: She's very cunning and sharp thanks to her family's business of organized crime. Good thing she's one of the heroes and only uses her criminal mind to help her friends.
* HeroicWillpower: [[spoiler:She's confirmed to be one of the few characters who can't reach high levels of the Hinamizawa Syndrome (unless she's injected like Tomitake) because Mion is too mentally and emotionally strong to develop the paranoia and hallucinations.]]
* ImageSong: "Futari no birthday" and "Ienai Kotoba".
* IWantMyBelovedToBeHappy: Had feelings for Satoshi, but sealed them for her twin's sake.
* LadyOfWar: Becomes this in spades in the alteverse sequel manga, Yoigoshi-hen. [[spoiler:This technically applies to her twin sister Shion as well, whose body she is possessing.]]
* TheLancer: Although technically the leader of the club, in terms of the plot, she takes this role with Keiichi.
* LargeHam: She can get '''very''' hammy during club games.
* TheLeader: She isn't TheHeroine, but she directs the groups' activities. As the oldest member, she usually coordinates the abilities of everyone to [[TheStrategist maximum and frightening effect]] in and out of battle. Thus showing [[BrilliantButLazy her brilliance despite being the most laid back of the group.]]
* {{Leitmotif}}: [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KmmU8HWWgvg "Spring Step"]] (shared with Shion).
* LovableSexManiac: A boyish girl who is openly perverted, often joking about sex towards Keiichi. This is prevalent in the manga where she does such [[SarcasmMode wholesome]] things as grope Keiichi's rear in the Cotton Drifting chapters and raunchily stares at his crotch in the Curse Killing chapter. Gets blurry since its hard to tell how much of it is her being a pervert and how much of it is it being her normal [[TheGadfly gadfly]] self. Note that acting perverted is one of her favorite tactics for messing with people.
-->'''Keiichi:''' ''<internal narration>'' Thank goodness you were born a girl. If you were a boy, you'd probably be a perverted asshole...
* LuminescentBlush: Happens every time Keiichi says nice things to her. And it's adorable.
** Also, note hug in the Atonement arc.
* MoralityPet: The ''only'' reason why Shion's RoaringRampageOfRevenge from Meakashi-hen didn't happen a year earlier was because Mion swore to her that she had no idea of why Satoshi went missing and [[spoiler:ripped off her own fingernails so Shion wasn't the only one who suffered]].
* MsFanservice: Her sexy outfits during the punishment games.
* MyGreatestFailure: [[spoiler:The reason she refuses to talk about Satoshi is because she was unable to save him. To clarify, Satoshi specifically asked her for help dealing with his obviously abusive aunt, but Mion's grandmother ordered her not to. The only thing Mion did (could do?) was establish a 'safe zone' at their school where the Houjous were not ostracized or bullied. She blames herself for Satoshi's trauma, believing that if she had had the courage to rebel against her family, he would be alive. Which may or may not be true. It should be noted, however, that this was happening around the time when ''Shion'' tried to rebel against the Sonozakis and got three fingernails ripped out in a formalized torture ritual because of it. After Satoshi's mysterious disappearance, which she believes she could have prevented, she resolves to make sure nothing like that ever happens again. Hence, she is deeply loyal to her friends and very protective of those she loves.]]
* NiceGirl: Once you get past her playful competitive side, she's very friendly and one of the kindest members of the cast. And unlike Rena, who is just as nice, she technically has no dark backstory [[spoiler:and according to Rika, she never succumbs to Hinamizawa Syndrome.]]
* ObliviousMockery: In ''Tatarigoroshi'', she eagerly and repeatedly mocks Keiichi's lunchbox, pointing out what a terrible cook he is, with Satoko nodding and snarking in agreement. Except Satoko is actually the one who made the food in said lunchbox.
* {{Ojou}}: Heir to a prestigous family, though she doesn't quite act the part, except when she is in a formal meeting [[spoiler:or has to witness her sister's punishment]].
* OnlySaneWoman:
** Compared to the others, she doesn't have as much of a DarkAndTroubledPast, and is one of the more psychologically well-adjusted characters in the cast. According to Rika, she's [[spoiler:the only member of the known group to never succumb to Hinamizawa Syndrome's paranoia. Even Rika herself apparently fell victim to it, though since she's so weak she never caused much damage.]]
** The 2020 series may have seemingly flipped this on it's head [[spoiler: with the Watadamashi-hen arc. A reimagining of Watanagashi-hen from the original series, here Keiichi is rather faithful to developing a bond with Mion including giving her the doll and even telling her the truth about his breaking into the ritual tool shed. While Mion maintains that there is no actual curse, just villagers taking advantage of the paranoia to kill without consequence, she rationalizes that the real solution for her would be to turn into a ViolentlyProtectiveGirlfriend for Keiichi. Though given the nature of [[TwinSwitch how the original arc]] [[MindScrew originally played out]] it's still left vague if it was Mion or Shion who did the killing to protect Keiichi.]]
* ParryingBullets: [[spoiler:In Yoigoshi-hen, she's capable of ''cutting bullets in midair'' with a katana.]]
* PlausibleDeniability: As per her grandmother's indirect phrasing during family planning meetings. [[spoiler:This is a clue that the MotiveRant at the end of Watanagashi-hen wasn't from her.]]
* RaisedByGrandparents: She's primarily raised by her grandmother Oryou because she's being groomed to succeed her as the family head and her mother was disowned for marrying a {{Yakuza}} boss against Oryou's wishes.
* SheCleansUpNicely: Mion dresses up as Shion in front of Keiichi to show him she can be cute and girly. It works, although it's awkward for both when Keiichi finds out Shion does exist and isn't just Mion's disguise.
* ShipperOnDeck: She plays this role for Keiichi and Rena during the festival in ''Onikakushi'' (especially in the sound novel). [[FridgeLogic Which is quite baffling]] when we learn her feelings for Keiichi in the following arc.
* {{Shorttank}}: While she isn't a co-lead, Mion fits into the image of the trope, being the male protagonist's tomboyish friend who can be rough on him and wears sporty outfits. She does have her girly side, but has trouble not just getting her feelings across to Keiichi but also getting him to acknowledge her actual gender.
* SignatureLaugh: An awesome one can be heard a few times in the anime, [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9juWiTRRtjw notably at the end of the Zombie Tag.]] GAHAHAHAHA!
* SingleWomanSeeksGoodMan: Keiichi being a NiceGuy is the reason why she likes him so much.
* SlapstickKnowsNoGender: In the initial arcs she and Keiichi both get knocked around by Rena for their jabs at the younger girls.
* SoleSurvivor: [[spoiler:She is the only survivor of Hinamizawa in Taraimawarashi-hen as she was imprisoned by Shion in the torture chamber which allowed her to evade being killed by Yamainu]]. This however [[spoiler:left her in a minimally conscious state for the rest of her life]]. The story contradicts itself about the cause. One of the TIPS speculates that it was emotional trauma about what she witnessed, but in the ending of the arc, the narration states that it was from a physical injury to the head (presumably from when [[spoiler:Shion locked her up]]).
* SpiritedCompetitor: Moreso than the rest of the club unless Keiichi or Rena get fired up.
* StaticCharacter: Unlike the other members of the main cast, Mion stays the same character from start to end. This is because she's the only protagonist who is emotionally mature from the beginning and has no personal conflicts thanks to her stable background [[spoiler:so she never develops the Hinamizawa Syndrome]].
* TheStrategist: "If she had joined [[UsefulNotes/NapoleonBonaparte Napoleon]], Siberia would be French territory by now. If she had joined [[UsefulNotes/AdolfHitler Hitler]], the Third Reich would be all over Europe."
* SugarAndIcePersonality: She's normally a GenkiGirl who loves playing games with her friends, but when acting as the next head of the Sonozaki family, she can construct a cold-hearted persona who can [[spoiler:make her twin sister rip out her fingernails]] without showing a shred of sympathy.
* SuspiciouslySpecificDenial. S-stupid Kei-chan! I'm just accepting this doll be-because you insist, n-not because I like it! S-so don't get the wrong idea!
* TeamDad: A rare female example. While Rena typically pulls TeamMom duties, with her kinder, more nurturing side, Mion is the tomboy leader who keeps everyone else in line.
* ThirdPersonPerson: Sort of. She uses ''ojisan'' ("old man") as a first-person pronoun. She does use ''[[UsefulNotes/JapanesePronouns watashi]]'' sometimes though.
* TomboyAngst: A mild example. Mion is mostly comfortable with her tomboyish ways, but she feels distressed about the guy she has a crush doesn't seem to find her attractive in the feminine sense. In ''Watanagashi-hen'', Keiichi gives a cute doll to Rena instead of Mion, saying such a girly thing "doesn't suit" a mannish girl like Mion. Unbeknownst to him, this deeply hurt Mion.
* TomboyishPonytail: Mion wears her long hair in a ponytail to fit her sporty and unladylike personality. This is also one of the traits that set her apart from her girlier twin sister who lets her hair down.
* TomboyWithAGirlyStreak: She's a very boisterous GenkiGirl who seems like a tomboy. Later, we learn that Mion is actually really girly. If one looks closely, her ''desires'' are feminine (she wants to spend time with her friends, she's attracted to Keiichi, etc.) but her ''methods'' are very masculine. (She takes a leadership role among her friends, often deciding when and why they meet; she gropes Keiichi, jokes about wanting to have sex with him - you get the idea.)
* TomboyishVoice: She speaks with a raspy voice compared to her twin sister whose voice sounds more gentle and ladylike. Both sisters can change the tone of their voices when they switch places, though.
* {{Tsundere}}: A unique Sweet (Dere) type. She neither acts terribly tsun nor dere, but has the classic signs of denying her attraction or her desire for things, including her crush on Keiichi. Her tsun side shows up when she starts acting cold in her tone.
* UnreliableExpositor: 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. [[spoiler:Subverted. More than just about anyone else, you can trust what Mion has to say. However, tricks can be played on the reader such as 'Mion' confessing to all the murderers and talking about the history of the village and really playing up the angst. However, not only is this not Mion, Shion was actually bullshitting throughout the entire thing, meaning that at least half of what she said was a lie.]]
* UnusuallyUninterestingSight: 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...
* ViolentlyProtectiveGirlfriend: She stands up to some thugs who were about to beat up Keiichi. Also in Watadamashi-hen, [[spoiler:she was ready to confront what she thinks is a conspiracy of the Three Big Families to protect Keiichi when she and he believe he's a target]].
* WaifFu: [[spoiler:Matsuribayashi reveals that she's excellent in hand to hand combat, particularly aikido. She manages to beat Okonogi, a combat specialist with professional military training.]]
* WeaponOfChoice: [[spoiler:[[IKnowKarate None]]]]. However, in ''Higurashi Daybreak'', she wields her airsoft gun, and in the manga-only chapter Yoigoroshi-hen, she is convinced that KatanasAreJustBetter.
* YoungerThanTheyLook: Mion, while not ''as'' mature looking as Shion, seems to appear to be the oldest in the club physically, as well as noticibly taller than them sans Keiichi. In most media, it may surprise that she was depicted as ''14''. The re-releases on the [=PS2=] and the live action adaptations rectify this somewhat by making her and Shion 17.


!!Shion Sonozaki ([[spoiler:birth name: Mion Sonozaki]])
!!!Voiced by: Creator/SatsukiYukino (JP), Creator/MeganHollingshead (EN, Bang Zoom), Creator/MichelleRojas (EN, Funimation)
!!!Portrayed by: Rika Nakai (drama series)
[[quoteright:150:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/higu_shion_1123.png]]

Mion's identical twin sister, who currently resides in Okinomiya. Unlike her twin, she is girly and somewhat cold. 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.
\\\
The fifth arc, Meakashi-hen (Eye Opening chapter), is focused on her. Infamous for its content. Administrivia/YouHaveBeenWarned.
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* AbsurdPhobia: Shion has an irrational fear of canned foods. This is because Kasai used to tell her stories about canned food containing human meat.
* AdaptedOut: She's the only member of the party who doesn't appear in the live-action movies. Granted, she doesn't appear ''Onikakushi'' and only has a minor role in ''Tsumihoroboshi'' (the two arcs the movies adapt).
* AlliterativeName: '''S'''hion '''S'''onozaki.
* AnnoyingYoungerSibling: She likes doing stuff to mess with her twin sister. The main reason why she flirts with Keiichi is to see Mion go nuts because she knows Mion has a crush on Keiichi.
* ArcVillain: She's the culprit of the Watanagashi-hen and its answer arc Meakashi-hen, although the BigBad of the series overall is someone else.
* TheAtoner: [[spoiler:In the Eye Opening Arc, she realizes too late that she broke her promise to Satoshi of protecting Satoko in his place after she has already killed Satoko. She becomes especially aggressive in protecting Satoko in later arcs.]]
* AxCrazy: '''Incredibly so'''. She's one of the most dangerously psychotic and violently unstable characters in the whole series. Viciously torturing and murdering several innocent people in the course of just a few days, and all for a guy she just met.
* TheBadGuyWins: [[spoiler:Though she ends up regretting her actions, she still succeeded in taking revenge on all of her intended targets, and she dies without having to face any justice.]]
* BecauseYouWereNiceToMe: She falls head-over-heels for Satoshi after he merely pats her head. She wonders herself how that could happen so easily.
* BeingTorturedMakesYouEvil: Her grandmother forced her to rip off three of her own fingernails as punishment for returning to Hinamizawa and falling in love with a Houjou. In the scenarios where she snaps, Shion puts her victims through a torture several times worse than the one she experienced.
* BigLittleSister: Seeing how she plays Mion like a harp and acts somehow superior to her, you really wouldn't think she's the younger twin. [[spoiler:[[{{Foreshadowing}} And that's because she is the older one.]]]]
* BreakTheCutie: [[spoiler:Warnings about tormenting cute things apply. She doesn't simply break or snap, she ''explodes''.]]
* BringMyBrownPants: In the anime, she wets herself [[spoiler:after killing Satoko and [[MyGodWhatHaveIDone suddenly remembering Satoshi's last wish]]]]. Some fans have theorized that what comes out between her legs is not urine. Not that she cares anymore at that point.
* TheCameo: She appears in a short-story of ''VisualNovel/{{Umineko|WhenTheyCry}}'', "Cornelia the New Priest" which doesn't make sense as that story clearly takes place in a Western town (or a different world?), but it's probably more of a joke anyway.
* TheCharmer: When Shion wants to be, she is very charismatic. This is especially clear in the Watanagashi chapter, where newcomer Keiichi has none of the locals' fear of her family, and she basically waltzes in and [[{{TheGadFly}} starts fucking with him.]]
* CheshireCatGrin: Much like her sister. [[spoiler:She takes upon a [[SlasherSmile different]] [[PsychoticSmirk smile]] when she turns into a {{Troll}}.]]
* ConsummateLiar: In Watanagashi and Meakashi, Shion shows she's an amazing liar as she can sound incredibly convincing when deceiving Keiichi.
* CoolBigSis: In the worlds where she remembers the promise she made to Satoshi of looking after Satoko, Shion acts as a loving older sister figure to Satoko. She's sometimes called "Nee-nee" similar to how Satoshi was called "Nii-nii".
* CovertPervert: A subtle example. [[spoiler:The ending to ''Matsuribayashi'' notes that she has been seen cheerfully buying up men's clothes and taking them to the Irie Clinic, where a comatose Satoshi is being held. Then it mentions that she very excitedly bought a maid outfit that didn't fit her and brought it during her next trip...]]
** In Hajisarashi-hen, Irie uses a collection of pictures with Satoshi in various states of undress to tempt her out of further interference with Keiichi.
* DangerouslyShortSkirt: In the anime only, curiously. In other versions, she wears a long skirt.
* DatingWhatDaddyHates: Her family is not happy about her being in love with Satoshi. [[spoiler:Subverted: Her grandmother long stopped detesting the Houjou family but has to keep up appearances. It also turns out that the main reason the Sonozaki family was against the relationship was that Satoshi is a murderer, not that he is a Houjo.]]
* DesecratingTheDead: In Meakashi-hen, after she figures out that Oryou is dead, [[spoiler:frustrated that she didn't get to interrogate and (perhaps) torture her first, she lashes out at Oryou's corpse with a barbed whip over and over again]].
* DesperatelyCravesAffection: A lot of Shion's actions and emotional responses make more sense when you remember how lonely she must feel. She's been estranged from her family for years at a time (and they were abusive to begin with), separated from her sister, and the closest thing she has to a guardian is a bodyguard who admits he would side with Shion's family over her. Fortunately, this gets better once she joins the main characters and has actual friends to support her.
* DisneyVillainDeath: [[spoiler:In the Cotton Drifting and Eye Opening chapters, she dies by throwing herself off her apartment building. The manga does give a ''very'' graphic illustration of her corpse after she hits the concrete.]]
* DoNotGoGentle: [[spoiler:While Keiichi not giving Mion the doll is considered the trigger for her inner demon reawakening in Meakashi, what truly sent her over the edge was the deaths of Takano and Tomitake, which were supposedly punishment for entering the ritual storehouse. Having also entered the storehouse with Keiichi, and experiencing several grave reactions to trespassing (even from Kasai, who'd generally been on her side), she's convinced that she's next, and that whoever's responsible also erased Satoshi the previous year. This is when she actually starts capturing and torturing people, determined to get answers and fight back as much as possible before her apparent incoming demise.]]
* DoesNotLikeSpam: She hates canned foods because Kasai traumatized her into thinking that human meat gets packed inside.
* DrivenByEnvy: She holds buried resentment toward her family for being TheUnfavourite, and ostracizing and possibly doing away with Satoshi. In ''Meakashi-hen'' [[spoiler:when Mion cries to her about Keiichi not viewing her as girly enough to give her a doll he won, the "demon" in her reawakened out of frustration that only Mion gets to interact with the guy she likes, while her crush Satoshi is nowhere to be found. After torturing to death several people who she believes made Satoshi suffer, she gleefully tells a devastated Mion that she's going to capture and torture Keiichi, not because he'd wronged Satoshi (he'd never even met the guy), but [[RevengeByProxy just to subject Mion to the agonized screams of the guy she likes]] before killing her too.]]
* DrivenToSuicide: [[spoiler:In ''Watanagashi-hen'' and ''Meakashi-hen'', after she fails to get inside her apartment room, Shion is overcome with regret over how she murdered almost everyone she knew in a misguided revenge and throws herself off the building, falling to her death as she apologizes to all the innocent people she killed.]]
* EasilyForgiven: [[spoiler:While still believing her to be Mion, Keichi and Rena listen to Shion admit that she murdered Rika and Satoko. They literally forgive her immediately for this and still consider her to be their beloved friend. It's...weird. She's actually appalled at how readily they accept their friend "Mion" being a murderous psycho, but seeing her overtly sadistic behavior toward the captive Mion (she claimed her previous behavior was just part of her duties) later convinces Keiichi that she must be under DemonicPosession, which Shion herself believes is motivating her behavior.]]
* FanserviceWithASmile: 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?"
* FragileSpeedster: In ''Higurashi Daybreak''. She has A LOT of mobility options and great damage in the melee department. She also has the fastest walk and run speed and second best air dash speed, behind non-scythe Rika. She also travels quite the distance when attacking someone with a regular attack, dashing forward a few feet forward before actually attacking them, depending on the distance, giving her deceptively good range in melee. However, she is almost the first to be knocked out in a game, has less than an average health and has one of the lowest defenses in the game, along with Rika.
* {{Gainaxing}}: In some of the most disturbing scenes.
* GirlyGirlWithATomboyStreak: She inverts [[TomboyWithAGirlyStreak her twin]] because she is very girly, but is just as spunky and is as much of TheTease as her twin. She has some HotBlooded traits as well, and has frequently displayed far less control over her emotions because she hasn't needed to temper herself like Mion as the next family head.
* GoOutWithASmile: [[spoiler:Despite the shame and remorse she feels in her final moments in ''Meakashi-hen'', she dies pretty happy. The visual novel and manga versions suggests she finds her own Heaven after coming to terms with herself.]]
* GoodGirlGoneBad: She was a simple girl ostracized by her family just for being born second [[spoiler:when she's actually born first]] who had a crush on a boy for being nice to her. Then her family forced her to rip off three of her fingernails and her crush went missing with the main suspects being her own family. In Meakashi-hen, we see the consequences of all the physical and emotional pain she was put through when she goes on a killing spree as she decides to take revenge for the apparent death of the boy she liked.
* GreenEyedMonster: In Watanagashi-hen and Meakashi-hen, [[spoiler:what starts her fall into madness is hearing about her twin sister's romantic woes as she's madly jealous that her sister's crush is around while her Satoshi is missing. At the end of both arcs, she stabs Keiichi because she couldn't stand leaving Mion's crush alive.]]
* {{Hammerspace}}: Appears to be where she kept her taser as none of her outfits at time seem to feature any pocket.
* HeelRealization: At the end of Meakashi-hen, [[spoiler:Shion realizes too late that she tortured and murdered several innocent people and committed the ultimate betrayal to Satoshi by killing his beloved sister. As she lets herself fall to her death from her apartment building, Shion apologizes for her crimes and thinks how everything would have been better if she had never been born.]]
* HonoraryTrueCompanion: She's considered part of the main cast's team, but she isn't a club member nor even lives at Hinamizawa because of her complicated family circumstances so her presence in the story is much more sporadic than the main group.
* ImageSong: "Futari no Birthday" and "Ienai Kotoba", along with Mion.
* {{Irony}}: In Watadamashi-hen, [[spoiler:Shion's corpse is found at the bottom of the Sonozaki's well where Shion dumped the corpses of her victims in the Watanagashi and Meakashi arcs.]]
* ItAmusedMe: The main reason for her love of screwing with people; she's been stuck out in Okinomiya with no-one to talk to and nothing fun to do. By the time of her introduction, she's bored as hell.
* IveComeTooFar: In Meakashi-hen. [[spoiler:After she kills Satoko, she realizes that she forgot her promise to Satoshi to protect his little sister, but she felt it was already too late to atone and she had no choice but to continue her murderous rampage. Later, as she's about to kill Mion, her sister desperately tries to convince her that the Sonozakis have nothing to do with the annual curses. Shion briefly considers that she may have just killed a lot of innocent people for no reason... then just laughs it off as Mion trying to ruin her RoaringRampageOfRevenge, feeling that she has to complete her vengeance after pushing herself past any sort of redemption and that she's become too much of a demon to be swayed by Mion's tears anymore, and makes her fall to her death.]]
* IWillWaitForYou: Ever since Satoshi disappeared, Shion has been clinging to the hope that he will return someday and she will be waiting for him until then. Although two arcs involve what happens if she gets tired of waiting and decides to seek revenge instead. It's not pretty.
* {{Keigo}}: She has more polite speech patterns than her sister who kinda talks like a boy.
* KickTheSonOfABitch: Among all the people she kills, no one feels like condemning her for the deaths she brings to [[spoiler:Oryou]] in the 2nd/5th novels and [[spoiler:Teppei]] in the [=PS2=] exclusive "Exorcism Chapter".
* KnightTemplarBigSister: For Satoko after the Meakashi arc concludes and she remembers in future arcs that she was asked by Satoshi to protect her. She would have killed Satoko's uncle to free her if Keiichi haven't stopped her.
* LaughingMad: In Meakashi and Watanagashi.
* LoveConfessor: She openly admitted in front of her family that she's in love with Satoshi, one of the Houjou they hate so much. This only got her grandmother even angrier at her.
* LoveMakesYouCrazy: What kicks off the start of her SanitySlippage is being reminded of how much she misses Satoshi and coming to believe she really might never see him again because he was killed by her family is a big factor in sending her into a murderous rampage.
* LoveMakesYouEvil: [[spoiler:Being convinced that the Sonozaki family is behind the disappearance of her beloved Satoshi, Shion murders everyone in the family and those who she, in her insanity, blames for any trouble Satoshi went through.]]
* LovingAShadow: Her attraction to Keiichi mostly comes from how he reminds her of Satoshi.
* ManipulativeBastard: Frequently, particularly in ''Meakashi''.
* MatchmakerCrush: Has some feelings for Keiichi, but represses them to get her twin with Keiichi. Also, in ''Watanagashi'', even if she takes a rather unsympathetic delight at making Mion jealous, she does make Keiichi realize that Mion loves him. Then things go downhill from there. In Kira Episode 3, she poses as Mion to push their relationship forward, but finds herself falling for Keiichi after he defends her from thugs they way Satoshi did when she first met him, and Kasai suggests that Keiichi might make her happier than waiting for [[spoiler:Satoshi's recovery which may never happen.]]
* MisplacedRetribution: She goes on a RoaringRampageOfRevenge against the Three Great Families in Watanagashi and Meakashi-hen because she's sure they are responsible for Satoshi's disappearance. [[spoiler:Turns out they really had nothing to do with it.]]
* MsFanservice: The fact that she works at Angel Mort.
* MyGodWhatHaveIDone:
** [[spoiler:She's disgusted with herself when her assault on Satoko for being a burden to Satoshi results in that same boy attacking her while ranting about how badly everyone treats them, though she's not truly remorseful to Satoko.]]
** [[spoiler:After torturing Satoko to death she remembers that Satoshi asked her to take care of his little sister and that while she gave up on Satoshi coming back and went for revenge, Satoko never lost faith.]]
** At the end of Meakashi-hen, [[spoiler:Shion discovers the Three Great Families had nothing to do with the strange murder and disappearances in the Cotton-Drifting Festival, meaning she brutally killed innocent people. She still tries to escape from the law, but in the end she can't handle the guilt over her crimes and kills herself.]]
* MySiblingWillLiveThroughMe: In Yoigoshi-hen [[spoiler:which features the world where Mion died in Rena's explosion. After Mion's death, Shion took on the name and identity of her twin sister.]]
* NoGoodDeedGoesUnpunished: [[spoiler:She lost all her birth rights as the firstborn child and has lived her life shunned by her family because when she was a child, she felt bad for her twin sister being mistreated and changed places with her from time to time so her sister could enjoy some of the privileges of being "Mion". This resulted in the wrong twin being branded as the next family head.]]
* OffToBoardingSchool: Her family sent her to one that she managed to escape from before the beginning of the plot.
* ThePiratesWhoDontDoAnything: She's technically co-manager of the Hinamizawa Fighters, but lost interest in the team after Satoshi quit, and considers herself a "phantom manager".
* ProperLady: Seems so with her usual self, until she isn't sane.
* PsychoElectro: Kasai gave her a stun gun for self-defense, [[spoiler:though she gets far more aggressive with it during her RoaringRampageOfRevenge in Meakashi-hen.]]
* PsychoticSmirk: When she's a {{Troll}} instead of her usual self.
* TheResenter: Normally suppressed, but she has some resentment for Mion because she can still see the boy she likes.
* RoaringRampageOfRevenge: In Watanagashi-hen and Meakashi-hen, [[spoiler:Shion kidnaps, tortures, and murders the representatives of the Three Great Families to avenge Satoshi's apparent death. Then she finds out her suspicions were mistaken.]]
* {{Sadist}}: During Watanagashi and Meakashi, for which she is the protagonist of, she acquires a certain fondness for breaking people and causing severe pain, both physical and emotional.
* SerialKiller: [[spoiler:Unlike other arcs, her murders occur over the course of days. Visionary type combined with revenge sub-type due to Hinimizawa syndrome.]]
* SheWhoFightsMonsters: [[spoiler:In Watanagashi and Meakashi-hen, Shion becomes a monster way worse than her family in order to avenge Satoshi as she's convinced the Sonozakis are behind the mysterious murders linked to the Cotton Drifting Festival (which turns out to be wrong).]]
* ShipperOnDeck: For Mion and Keiichi; she may or may not have a MatchmakerCrush on him, but Sane!Shion doesn't let that stop her. In Matsuribayashi, [[spoiler:when she and Kasai are about to make what everyone thinks will be a HeroicSacrifice, Keiichi asks Shion what her last words are.]] Her response, paraphrased, is essentially: "Tell Mion I love her and I hope we're twins in the next life...also, you know my sister wants to bang you, right?"
--> '''Keiichi:''' What?
* SiblingMurder: In Wataganashi-hen and Meakashi-hen, [[spoiler:she kills her twin sister by throwing her into a pit to have the police think Mion is dead while she can get away by reassuming the Shion identity.]]
* SilkHidingSteel: Despite her refined and girly persona, she is either a violent {{yandere}} or a badass tease like her sister.
* SingleWomanSeeksGoodMan: She fell so hard for Satoshi because he was the first boy of her age who showed her even a bit of kindness after she was starved of affection by her family.
* SixthRanger: She shows up for the first time in Watanagashi, an arc later than the rest of the FiveManBand, and she isn't treated as a true member of the team until the next-to-last arc since she was the villain of two arcs before that.
* SpannerInTheWorks: Her actions in Watanagashi and Meakashi are what saves the village in those two arcs. [[spoiler:More than two days pass between Rika's death and the finding of her body, but no villager has gone insane, destroying the basis of the Emergency Manual 34, and thus preventing the Hinamizawa disaster. Too bad Shion tortured and killed half of the main cast in the process.]]
* StartOfDarkness: Subverted with the [[spoiler:"distinguishment scene"]]. It is so in arcs where she snaps but not in arcs where she doesn't.
* StepfordSmiler: Unstable type. Behind that polite and sweet smile, there's a batshit crazy {{Yandere}}.
* StunGuns: She carries a taser with her for self-defense.
* TalkingToThemself: Near the end of Watanagashi-hen and Meakashi-hen, she has become so deranged that she has conversations with herself while pretending to have arguments with her dead twin sister.
* TokenEvilTeammate: In the arcs where she's the club's ally, Shion still believes MurderIsTheBestSolution when Satoko might be in danger and hurts Keiichi when he refuses to let her get blood in her hands.
* TortureTechnician: Meakashi-hen is infamous for the scenes in which Shion horrifically tortures her victims.
* {{Troll}}: In the PlayedForLaughs vein, she basically steers Keiichi over to the toy shop where Mion works in order to get him to buy the doll that he failed to give to Mion (an unintended insult that she had told Shion about and was still smarting over) for her. She does similar activities as TheTease a few different times, mostly when Mion's around.
* TheUnfavourite: As the younger twin, she is denied any family privilege. Especially painful because [[spoiler:she is really the older twin, and thus should be the Sonozaki heir]]. 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.
* TheUnfettered: She's all for manipulating and killing people who she thinks have wronged the Houjou siblings.
* UnreliableExpositor: Like a lot of the cast are at varying points. However, this is specifically referring to [[spoiler:almost the entirety of what she says at the end of ''Watanagashi'' being bullshit.]]
* UptownGirl: PlayedWith. Shion's family is one of the Three Great Families in Hinamizawa, but she doesn't enjoy any prestige from it because the family shuns younger twins. She fell madly in love with Satoshi, a boy from a low-class family that was hated by the villagers because the parents supportedd the dam project that would have destroyed the village.
* VillainHasAPoint: [[spoiler:She slowly becomes a vengeful, sadistic murderer in Meakashi over Satoshi's mistreatment and supposed death. While the latter didn't actually happen, the Sonozakis still unreasonably made him and his sister pariahs for the actions of his already dead parents, Mion and Rika simply showed them pity at school without really using their positions to put a stop to the ostracization, and the aforementioned sister was constantly crying for his help without ever thinking about the burden he was suffering. When Rena brings up the same points in the next arc while explaining why she didn't expect any help from her friends, they can't really argue with her.]]
* VillainProtagonist: [[spoiler:In Meakashi-hen, she takes center stage by going absolutely insane in the pursuit of revenge.]]
* ViolentlyProtectiveGirlfriend: During the arcs where she is a {{Yandere}}, even ''looking'' at Satoshi in a way she doesn't like is a good way to set her off. Special mention goes to [[spoiler:her bullying of Satoko for being overly reliant on him]].
* VoiceChangeling: She can perfectly imitate Mion's voice.
* WalkingSpoiler: It's difficult to talk about Shion without spoilers for Watanagashi and Meakashi-hen.
* WeaponOfChoice: A taser, [[spoiler:as well as the contents of the Sonozaki family's torture cellar. She also knows how to handle an ''assault rifle''.]]
* WouldHurtAChild: She physically assaulted Satoko for being such a big crybaby and burdening her already stressed out older brother. In Watanagashi-hen and Meakashi-hen, [[spoiler:she tortures and kills Satoko out of spite. She did the same to Rika in the former, but she killed herself to avoid the same fate in the latter.]]
* WoundedGazelleGambit: She has frighteningly good acting skills and can summon DistressedDamsel tears at will. She meets Satoshi thanks to that.
* {{Yandere}}: During the arcs where she snaps, she goes on a RoaringRampageOfRevenge against those she blames for Satoshi's disappearance.
** Briefly occurs in Miotsukushi when she overhears Rika and Irie talking about [[spoiler:Satoshi being in the clinic the whole time]] (Irie had voluntarily revealed this to her in Matsuribayashi). She forces him at gunpoint to [[spoiler:guide him to Satoshi's room, and becomes furious that she left him and Satoko in the dark for so long and has been performing tests on him, even trying to brush off his illness as an excuse to keep him there.]] The rest of the club tries to stop her, but she's convinced that they've known about the matter and just hid it from her. Only Satoko, who accepted the info much more readily, was finally able to talk her down.
* YoungerThanSheLooks: Maybe it's her civil outfit, her behaviour and personality or her RapunzelHair, but for some reason she looks older than Mion [[spoiler:(she is, but it's not that big a difference as they're still twins)]]. Add to that her apparent military training and experience with guns, and it's really easy to forget that she is depicted as ''14'' in most media. The live action adaptations and the re-release age her and Mion up to 17, which isn't nearly a big of a pill to swallow.
* {{Yubitsume}}: She had to rip off three of her fingernails to gain forgiveness from her grandmother for running away from her boarding school.

[[folder:Satoko Houjou]]
!!"[[TrapMaster Trapmaster]]" Satoko Houjou
!!!Voiced by: Creator/MikaKanai (JP), Jennie Kwan [[note]] credited as Minx Lee [[/note]] (EN, Bang Zoom), Creator/BrittanyLauda (EN, Funimation)
!!!Portrayed by: Erena Ono (film), Reina Seiji (drama series)
[[quoteright:175:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/higu_satoko_9621.png]]

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.
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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.
\\\
The third arc, Tatarigoroshi-hen (Curse-killing chapter), is focused on her.
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* AdaptationalModesty: The anime lets her have her clothes on for the ending of Tatarigoroshi-hen.
* AllOfTheOtherReindeer: Because her parents supported the dam construction, Satoko and the rest of her family are seen as outcasts by the village's adults (though she's treated normally by other children).
* AnnoyingYoungerSibling:
** She's a surrogate example to Keiichi. With the way they act, anyone would think Satoko is his bratty little sister who he finds very annoying yet he still cares for her.
** In a more dramatic sense, Satoko's constant whining and overdependence on her older brother's protection added to Satoshi's stress and he eventually reached a point where he was just tired of looking after Satoko. This was one of the factors that made the guy break down [[spoiler:resulting in the Hinamizawa Syndrome making him go insane]].
* BestFriend: While Rika cares about all her friends in the games club, Satoko is her closest and most cherished friend.
* BigBrotherWorship: She adores her Nii-nii more than anyone. His disappearance really crushed her to a degree that you only begin to see in Tatarigoroshi-hen.
* BloodSplatteredInnocents: At the end of Tataridamashi-hen in ''Gou'', she's splattered with blood when [[spoiler:she sees Keiichi smashing her uncle with a bat in self-defense]].
* BrattyHalfPint: She's a very loud and arrogant child who loves making a fool of Keiichi by having him fall into her traps or just annoying him in general.
* BreakTheCutie: Tatarigoroshi-hen is about the bubbly little prankster Satoko turning into a extremely depressed shell of herself because of her uncle returning to abuse her.
* ButtMonkey: 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).
* CheerfulChild: Usually, she's a very lively little girl who almost always smiling and laughing. In the arcs where her uncle returns to abuse her again, Satoko loses all her cheerfulness as she falls into serious depression.
* ColorBlindConfusion: Both her and her brother are colorblind, which means they can't tell broccoli and cauliflower apart.
* ComatoseCanary: In the anime-only arc ''Yakusamashi-hen'', [[spoiler:Satoko manages to escape from the Yamainu and survives the Great Hinamizawa Disaster. Ooishi tries to get her to tell him what happened in the village, but the trauma of seeing Rika's corpse has left Satoko in a catatonic state, unlikely to recover any time soon.]]
* CovertPervert: Her little smile after seeing Keiichi's "fur seal" in Rei speaks volumes.
* CrazyPrepared: Sometimes you wonder how and when she sets up some of the traps that she does and how she times them so well.
* CuteLittleFangs: Every so often during club activities, she shows these to show her mischievous personality. In the 2020 anime, she has a little fang sticking out as part of her default expression.
* DeceasedParentsAreTheBest: A revolving door of replacement daddies was hard enough to adjust to before she was left in custody of her aunt and then uncle. Confirmed in both Saikoroshi-hen and Miotsukushi-hen that [[spoiler:Mr. Houjou isn't a bad stepfather and if they're still alive she would have accepted him.]]
* DoesNotLikeSpam: She hates kabocha squash and complains about it very noisily whenever Shion makes her eat it.
* DropTheWashtub: A preferred prank. She can summon them ''anywhere''.
* DullEyesOfUnhappiness: Her eyes are sometimes portrayed as dull and lifeless. In their case, it's usually reason to be afraid for the narrator's safety; in Satoko's case, it's reason to be afraid for ''her'' safety, as it typically shows up when she is [[spoiler:suffering traumatic abuse at the hands of her uncle.]]
* EntendreFailure: Presumably because she's one of the {{Token Mini Moe}}s, 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. [[spoiler:Makes sense as Rika is a 100+ year old being pretending to be a child.]]
* FanDisservice: Her appearing fully naked (and ''not'' in BarbieDollAnatomy) in the bridge scene of the ''Tatarigoroshi'' sound novel only makes it more disturbing. Notably, all releases after the original give her a ModestyTowel to help address this.
* FreakOut: She's prone to random panic attacks with lots of crying and screaming in the scenarios where her uncle comes back to abuse her. [[spoiler:This is also one of the effects of having an advanced case of Hinamizawa Syndrome.]]
* TheGadfly: Very mischievous, especially towards Keiichi.
* GenkiGirl: Her facade is along these lines, until she [[BreakTheCutie breaks]].
* HairOfGoldHeartOfGold: She's an energetic and playful little girl with blonde hair.
* HeroicSafeMode: [[spoiler:After suffering her uncle's abuse, she acts borderline catatonic, barely responding to her friends entreaties.]]
* ImageSong: "Sukisuki Nii Nii".
* InsistentTerminology: They are not "pranks", they are "traps"!
* JerkWithAHeartOfGold: She may always be an arrogant brat who come up with traps to prank everyone including her friends but she does really cares about them; in this case apparently in ''Tatarigoroshi''-hen when she feels concerned for Keiichi when he nearly sets his house on fire when he learns to start cooking.
* {{Keigo}}: She speaks in an extremely formal way, using the first-person pronoun "watakushi", forms like "de gozaimasu" and the honorific -san with even her close friends, as well as the request formula "-kudasaimase". According to Rika, Satoko does this because she forced herself to be hyper-polite so as not to be a target of gossip when the Hōjō were ostracized, but it didn't really help.
* {{Leitmotif}}: [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YxhEa_e9aZQ "Small Town".]]
* LivingEmotionalCrutch: We can assume that if not for her, Rika would have given up long ago.
* MinorLivingAlone: Satoko and Rika are grade-schoolers who live on their own because both lost their parents a while ago. Satoko is happier with this as her other option would be moving with her abusive uncle.
* MiseryBuildsCharacter: Part of the reason she won't seek out help whenever Teppei comes back and starts abusing her is because she believes that enduring it will make her stronger when Satoshi comes back. [[spoiler:In Minagoroshi-hen, Rika points out that she's really just waiting to hide behind him again, and true strength would be taking a stand against it like he did. This finally convinces her to accept help from child services.]]
* MoodSwinger: In Tatarigoroshi-hen, the effects of enduring her uncle's abuse causes her to appearently act normal at school to abruptly have a panic attack and then just as abruptly go back to pretend she's okay when the teacher arrives.
* MoralityPet: To different character in different arcs, most notably Irie.
* MyGodWhatHaveIDone: You might miss it and you won't understand it at the time, but it happens at the end of ''Minagoroshi'' chapter [[spoiler:when she realizes that her parents weren't trying to kill her and she didn't need to push them off the cliff.]]
* NoblewomansLaugh: "Oh ho ho ho!" Often while bragging about the setup or success of her traps.
* NotAfraidOfYouAnymore: [[spoiler:After Rika finally convinces her to accept help from child services in Minagoroshi, she tells Teppei that she hates his guts and wants him out of her house, putting up as much of a fight as she can before the police Ooishi wisely set up in advance come to her aid. She's also spurred by Rika and Keiichi to fight back in Miotsukushi, even mocking him when he can't keep up with her, but Teppei takes the wind out of her sails by revealing that she's a SelfMadeOrphan.]]
* ParentalAbandonment: 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.
* ParentWithNewParamour: Satoko suffered from this in her backstory. Her mother and father divorced when she was young, and Satoko's mother remarried multiple times. She suffered abuse from some of them, but got along so poorly with the last one that she called the child abuse hotline falsely. [[spoiler:Ultimately, she deluded herself into believing her new stepfather and her mother were trying to kill her and shoved them off a cliff herself]]. The false call to the child welfare office unfortunately leads them to delay acting on reported abuse when Teppei returns in Tatarigoroshi-hen.
* ThePrankster: She's the master of pulling pranks on her friends, especially Keiichi. Although, she says her pranks are traps.
* ProperTightsWithASkirt: She wears black tights with the small dress she wears as her school uniform. Given her incrediby sophisticated speech, she's probably trying to create an elegant image.
* ProneToTears: She easily starts crying, especially when she and Keiichi bicker. It was way worse when she still lived with her abusive uncle and aunt as Satoko spent all her time crying loudly and calling for her brother to help her. Shion hates Satoko for being such a crybaby and burdening Satoshi with her whining.
* SelfMadeOrphan: [[spoiler:An accidental, tragic example; her Hinamizawa Syndrome made her delude herself into thinking that her mother and stepfather were trying to kill her, and she shoved them both off a cliff in what she thought was self-defense.]]
* TheSmartGirl: The "TrapMaster" of the group. She can [[{{MacGyvering}} make weapons and traps out of anything]]. Her expertise even allows her to understand and figure out the things others make, such as [[spoiler:[[ChekhovsSkill quickly concluding that the bomb Rena created was hidden in the rain gutter on the roof.]]]]
* StressVomit: In Tatarigoroshi-hen, the stress of trying to act like everything is alright when her uncle is abusing her at home makes her vomit during lunch break.
* SuperStrongChild: She's strong enough to shove Keiichi across the room [[spoiler:or off a bridge, and she also shoved her mother and stepfather off a cliff. Considering that on all of these occasions she was crazed due to the effects of Hinamizawa syndrome, it isn't all that surprising]].
* TechnicolorEyes: Pink and in some versions, Red.
* TokenMiniMoe: Along with Rika, she certainly seems to be younger than the other cast members.
* TrapMaster: It's her club title. [[spoiler:She can make traps that can catch ''trained soldiers'' off guard!]]
* TraumaButton: During Tatarigoroshi, Satoko returns to school seemingly back to normal despite Teppei's abuse. However, the moment Keiichi gives her an AffectionateGestureToTheHead, she suddenly shoves his hand away and starts freaking out. Further attempts at physical contact lead to him getting shoved hard, followed by StressVomit and incoherently begging for forgiveness. It's likely that Keiichi just touching her at all made her think of Teppei getting rough with her.
* TraumaCongaLine: More than anyone else, Satoko's history has been a list of things going wrong in her life. First, her parents die due to a tragic accident. Then, she and her brother are forced to move in with her abusive aunt and uncle. Then, [[spoiler:her aunt is killed by her brother,]] her brother disappears a few days later, and her uncle abandons her (although this last one was actually a good thing for Satoko).
* TraumaInducedAmnesia: [[spoiler:She doesn't remember that she's a SelfMadeOrphan, though she starts to remember after Rika's ExpositionDump about Hinamizawa Syndrome late in Minagoroshi, and is directly told by Teppei in Miotsukushi.]]
* UnwittingTestSubject: [[spoiler:Satoko thinks she has to go to the Irie Clinic frequently to get shots and treatment for a nutrients research project. The truth is that she's a test subject for the Hinamizawa Syndrome treatment Dr. Irie is researching in hopes of fully curing Satoko one day. Without the injections, Satoko would go back to Level Five in a short period of time, but she doesn't know any of this.]]
* VagueAge: Like Rika, she's somewhere from 9-13, but specifics are never given.
* VitriolicBestBuds: She and Keiichi - except in Tatarigoroshi-hen, where Keiichi tries to act more like Satoshi - constantly snipe at each other, and it's very clear that their friendship is built on this dynamic.
* WeaponOfChoice: It's given more importance in the games, but she is quite good at making [[RubeGoldbergDevice traps]].
* YaoiFangirl: She seems a little bit TOO happy at the sight of [[spoiler:her brother about to feed Keichii will a spoon held in his mouth]] in the first episode of Kira.
** Then again, [[spoiler:[[AllJustADream Keiichi was dreaming that entire sequence]] so it might not be true.]]
** The visual novel version of this scene states that [[spoiler:Satoko was disgusted after seeing her brother perform such a punishment game, and even begs him not to get caught in one anymore. Rika knocks her out with chloroform afterwards, claiming that she was 'too loud'.]]

[[folder:Rika Furude]]
!!"{{Tanuki}}" Rika Furude
!!!Voiced by: Creator/YukariTamura (JP), Creator/RebeccaForstadt (EN, Bang Zoom), Creator/ApphiaYu (EN, Funimation)
!!!Portrayed by: Aika (film), Hinata Homma (drama series)
[[quoteright:115:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/higu_rika_7641.png]]

A younger classmate in Keiichi's school, who 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 ImaginaryFriend.
\\\
The seventh arc, Minagoroshi-hen (Massacre chapter), is focused on her.
------
* OneHundredPercentAdorationRating: In sharp contrast to the discrimination her friend Satoko suffers, all the native Hinamizawans fawn over her and address her with the honorific "-chama" ("chan"+"sama"). She's seen as the head of the Furude family now that her parents are dead, the reincarnation of Oyashiro-sama, [[spoiler:and supposedly carrying the Queen pathogen that keeps Hinamizawa Syndrome in check and instinctively promotes reverence toward her.]]
* ACupAngst: 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 SkinshipGrope of Mion. There is also a manga omake where she is jealous of Hanyu's breasts (Hanyu is adult when in her ghost form in the manga). [[spoiler:The reason she's so hung up about this is because [[NotGrowingUpSucks she can never physically grow older]] until the GroundhogDayLoop is finally broken.]]
* AdaptationDyeJob: Rika's hair is blue in the original sound novels, but the anime gives it a more purple tint.
* AffectionateGestureToTheHead: Often does this to people. While most assume that it's her way of comforting them, she's actually mocking them.
* AnimalMotifs: Between her punishments (often involving having to wear cat ears), her VerbalTic ("Mii~", which is meant to be a kitten's mewing), and her general behaviour, characters in the sound novel often compare her to a kitten. And there is a mini-game where she's dressed as a CatGirl. The theme is perpetuated by [[spoiler:her other self]] Bernkastel in ''VisualNovel/UminekoWhenTheyCry'', who has a cat's tail and can turn into a cat. Oddly enough, her club title compares her to a {{Tanuki}} instead.
* BadassAdorable: Near the end of arc 6: [[spoiler:Fighting against a psychotic girl who is 4-5 years older than you physically, is stronger than you, and is wielding a hatchet, with a mop, and surviving to tell the story. That's no easy feat. And who could forget the line "I'll play with you. Come on, hatchet girl!"... *Nipaa~*]]
* BarrierMaiden: [[spoiler:Takano's theory about the Hinamizawa Syndrome says Rika is the Infection Queen whose existence keeps the disease dormant. If Rika dies, everyone in Hinamizawa would start to go insane and homicidal within a few days. The Mountain Dogs and other members of the Irie Institute are assigned to keep a close eye on her to make sure no harm comes to her, while Emergency Manual 34 contains a contingency plan to slaughter everyone in the village with poisonous gas should she ever die unexpectedly. Takano is the one planning Rika's murder to prove the Hinamizawa Syndrome is real and have the village wiped out. However, this is subverted as there's no outbreak of the syndrome in the arcs where Rika is killed or commits suicide because of Shion instead.]]
* BeneathTheMask: [[spoiler:Despite being over a century old, Rika is forced to keep up the act of being an innocent, prepubescent girl. Sometimes she either tires of the act and gives up on it, or lets it slip when she thinks no one is paying attention, and the result is that the seemingly sweet-natured Rika is revealed as bitter, world-weary, and decidedly more harsh and snarky than her act would suggest. This actually winds up creating some strife with her mother, who is one of the only people to notice that every once in a while her daughter doesn't act like a "normal" child her age.]]
* BerserkButton: Teasing her about her crush on Akasaka is a surefire way to draw her ire.
* BetterToDieThanBeKilled: [[spoiler:In Meakashi-hen, Rika stabs herself in the throat when she's at mercy of Shion, as she knew the fate that awaited her in that world was brutal torture and death at hands of Shion so she chose to give herself a quicker and less painful death.]]
* BludgeonedToDeath: In ''Gou'', [[spoiler:she's killed by Ooishi in Tataridamashi-hen where he crushes her skull with a bat.]]
* BlushSticker: As a little child.
* {{Bokukko}}: Uses "boku" as a first-person pronoun, probably a habit acquired from Hanyu. The [=TIPS=] mention that she got into fights with her mother because she didn't approve of it. [[spoiler:Her true personality uses an ordinary "watashi" with the speech patterns of a mature woman.]]
* BrokenBird: Underneath her cheerful and innocent exterior, Rika is actually a cynical and desperate girl who has almost entirely given up on her future after [[spoiler:being repeatedly killed in gruesome ways]].
* BrokenTears: In ''Gou'', she cries in grief and desperation when [[spoiler:Hanyu's lingering spirit vanishes and leaves her to try and overcome the new time loops on her own]].
* TheCassandra: She has tried to give warnings about future incidents to adults in the past, but they either ignored her or were too freaked out by her abrupt change of personality to listen to what she said. Rika has long since given up trying to convince people that she knows the future.
* CheerfulChild: This little girl is a bright ray of sunshine. [[spoiler:Or so it seems.]]
* ChekhovsGunman: During the first half of the story, she gets the least amount of focus out of all the Games Club members, but she still drops several hints that she knows more than she lets on. [[spoiler:In ''Kai'' we learn a great deal more about her relevance to the plot, and she essentially replaces Keiichi as the main protagonist.]]
* TheChessmaster: Very intelligent and precise when fighting.
* ContraltoOfDanger: Whenever she drops the innocent child act, she also drops her high-pitched voice and sounds deeper while showing her more cynical true self.
* CreepyChild: She occasionally acts in a knowing, creepy manner completely unfitting her age. [[spoiler:[[ReallySevenHundredYearsOld There's a reason for this]].]]
* CruelAndUnusualDeath: [[spoiler:She is a frequent victim of this, usually involving disembowelment. In one arc, she [[DrivenToSuicide inflicts this on herself]] by bludgeoning her brains out with a kitchen knife.]]
* CurtainsMatchTheWindow: Only in the anime and then in the VN's UsefulNotes/{{Steam}} release, both of which give her purplish-blue hair and eyes. In all other media, her hair is blue and her eyes are purple.
* DeadpanSnarker: [[spoiler:When her true personality comes out toward Hanyuu, she's often teasing her and threatening to consume spicy food when she gets too whiny.]]
* DeathOfPersonality: [[spoiler:She sometimes doesn't consider herself "Rika Furude" because her MentalTimeTravel to each new timeline overrides whatever carefree little girl existed beforehand. In ''Saikoroshi-hen'', she finds herself in a completely different Hinamizawa where nobody had any DarkAndTroubledPast. The Rika of this world isn't an orphan nor linked to Hanyuu (her mother is instead the eighth first-born daughter), and was said to be quite spoiled. Rika muses that the Rika who existed before her MentalTimeTravel into this alternate world is probably no more.]]
* DeliberatelyCuteChild: Even before the reveal that [[spoiler:she's mentally much older than she acts]], you still get the sense that some of her cutesy behaviour is deliberate.
* DeterminedDefeatist: [[spoiler:She has been trying for a long, long time, but she's been killed so many times that she's become a cynical fatalist. She keeps trying though, and eventually gets it right.]]
** [[spoiler:In the very beginning of Higurashi Gou Onidamashi-hen episode 2, Rika wakes back up in the realm of kakera, not knowing how she died or why Hanyuu isn’t with her anymore—only knowing that she’s being sent back to June 1983, that she’s not the same little girl she was one hundred years ago, and that she’s ready and armed with the knowledge to get their happy ending back.]]
* DrivenToSuicide:
** [[spoiler:She is captured and tortured to death by Shion]] in ''Watanagashi''. In ''Meakashi'', when she ends up in the same situation again, [[spoiler:[[BetterToDieThanBeKilled she prefers to skip the torture part and kills herself with a kitchen knife]].]]
** [[spoiler:She also almost kills herself in ''Minagoroshi-hen'' when she finds out that Satoko's uncle has returned and neither Takano or Tomitake can help her. She stops once she realizes that by doing this she would just leave this world's Satoko alone.]]
** This trope seems to be the central theme of Gou's ''Nekodamashi-hen,'' wherein [[spoiler: Hanyu disappears (presumably for good) and leaves Rika with the means to find a weapon that could permanently kill herself as a parting gift. Even in her starting moments within the new world, she plays with the idea of stabbing herself with a kitchen knife at the very thought of having to continue on alone. Upon finding the last shard of the weapon, Rika is able to find the last remaining shreds of her hope and resolve to solve this mystery within five loops, or she'll end her existence as an eternal consciousness forever.]]
* DrowningMySorrows: [[spoiler:She drinks wine when she's depressed, despite being underage. She notes that it's quite easy to get drunk with her small frame. She knows she's fated to die anyway, so what harm could it do?]]
* EmotionlessGirl: She is not, but is afraid of becoming one [[spoiler:because of the repetition of an increasingly short period of her life.]] This is elaborated more in the ''Minagoroshi'' sound novel.
* TheFakeCutie: [[spoiler:Acts like a cute CheerfulChild in public, but when alone with Hanyu or with her own thoughts she's very cynical.]]
* TheFatalist: [[spoiler:Years of being stuck in a gruesome GroundhogDayLoop]] has led Rika to believe YouCantFightFate and there's nothing she or anyone else can do about it. [[spoiler:Inspired by Keiichi, she keeps trying, though, and eventually gets it right.]]
* FriendshipFavoritism: Downplayed in a realistic fashion; Rika cares about all of her friends, but she has a closer bond to Satoko compared to the rest. The rest of the cast is aware of both the favoritism and its innocent nature but are not really bothered by it.
* GlowingEyes: In the 2020 anime, her eyes glow red in a post credits scene. [[spoiler: Just like Hanyuu can do]]. This scene [[spoiler: foreshadows her demon blood (from her ancestor Hanyuu)]].
* GroundhogPeggySue: [[spoiler:Rika has been stuck in a GroundhogDayLoop for at least a century where she relives the last month of her life continuously. She is unable to break the loop until the end of the series.]]
* GuileHeroine: Rika is by far the most manipulative of the main group, and tends to use her cuteness and innocent nature to distract people or lure them into a false sense of security. [[spoiler:This turns out to run even deeper than it first appears, as Rika has actually existed for over 100 years stuck in a GroundhogDayLoop, meaning every bit of her cutesy, innocent persona is a carefully cultivated act.]]
* GuttedLikeAFish: [[spoiler:Her demise in most arcs. She's usually knocked out by [[InstantSedation chloroform]], so she's spared the pain but never learns who's killing her until Minagoroshi-hen. Takano's plan requires her death, and she chooses to honor the original Wataganashi (Instestine Drifting).]]
* HimeCut: She has straight full bangs, bra strap-length sidelocks, and waist-length straight hair, fitting her position as the {{Miko}} of her town's shrine.
* HiveQueen: It's noted that the older residents in the city are all incredibly fond of her. [[spoiler:This is due to a pheremone signal she releases for her "subjects". Though this is the extent of her power; she theorizes that the effect could have played the trope more straight in the past.]]
* HoistByHerOwnPetard: [[spoiler:She attempts to inject Shion with Hinamizawa Syndrome medication in Meakashi, but Shion ends up overpowering her and injecting it into Rika herself, which leaves her too ill to do anything but kill herself to avoid a more drawn out death from Shion's torture. When she approaches Rena in Tsumihoroboshi with the same needle, she decides that she's not even going to try forcing it into her if she won't accept it.]]
* HowDareYouDieOnMe: She desperately cries and begs [[spoiler:Hanyuu]] to not die after [[spoiler:Hanyuu gets shot]] in Miotsukushi-hen.
* IdenticalGranddaughter: She looks a hell of a lot like her ancestor Ouka. Except for Ouka's hair being a slightly lighter shade of purple, she and Rika look the same. Ouka is voiced by Rika's seiyuu as well.
* ImageSong: "Mugen Kairou", and "S A G A Rinne no Hate ni".
* ImmortalImmaturity: [[spoiler:While she says she's mentally hundreds of years old, it becomes clear that it's not true. Instead, she's actually grown desperate rather than truly growing old. This can also be explained by the fact that her body has not yet reached puberty, so her brain is not fully developed, and thus she simply cannot be completely adult in mind since she is not physically capable of it. While she does not act her apparent age (somewhere around nine to eleven) it's clear that she's really still pretty childish. Considering how she's spent hundreds of years hanging out with kids and teenagers and acting like a kid to fit it, it's also likely that she doesn't know ''how'' to act like an adult.]]
* JadeColoredGlasses: [[spoiler:In the first half of ''Minagoroshi''. You can't really blame her.]]
* LackOfEmpathy: [[spoiler:Some of her monologues in ''Minagoroshi'' make her appear not only cynical but also disturbingly selfish, only worrying about people's safety if that can allow her to survive (physically or mentally).]] The worst in all that? [[spoiler:She perfectly knows that the Mountain Hounds killed her parents and ''she doesn't even care'', since she considers it's her mother's fault for opposing the experiments in the first place. No longer the case after the Dice Killing Chapter when her darkness is purged from her consciousness. In ''VisualNovel/UminekoWhenTheyCry'', this darkness manifests itself as [[EnemyWithout Bernkastel]]]].
* LadyDrunk: [[spoiler:A bit of a disturbing example. ReallySevenHundredYearsOld or not, she ''is'' physically a prepubescent girl. In large part it's a way for her to pick on Hanyu.]]
* {{Leitmotif}}: [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oHU5C3uKYTM Baby's Walk]]; also used in some situations where a character ridicules himself without getting what's going on.
* LightFeminineDarkFeminine: During their private interactions, Rika is the Dark Feminine to Hanyuu's light. [[spoiler:Rika can be her true pessimistic and sardonic self when alone with Hanyuu who is more comedic and childish despite being a ghost.]]
* LittleMissSnarker: A majority of her dialogue consists of snarky remarks when she isn't being innocent or serious. At first you may think her patting the head of people is to comfort them; you quickly realize it's her way of ''mocking'' them.
-->'''Satoko:''' Mion must have caught a cold, she looks a bit feverish. Hey, Rika, why are you patting my head?!\\
'''Rika:''' Satoko, you too will catch a cold someday.
* TheManyDeathsOfYou: Most of the time [[spoiler:she is disemboweled following the "gut drifting" ritual]]. But there are also worlds where [[spoiler:she is tortured to death by Shion, stabs herself not to be tortured to death by Shion, burns when Rena blows up the school, or is killed by Teppei when trying to save Satoko]]. And probably others in the early worlds when she actually tried to do something.
* MeaningfulName: Rika means ''Pear Blossom'' whose meanings are "lasting friendship and hope". This also created some sad meaning with [[VisualNovel/UminekoWhenTheyCry the sequel’s]] [[spoiler:Bernkastel]] as [[spoiler:Rika removes herself (Frederica) from "Frederica Bernkastel"]] which means that [[spoiler:Bernkastel [[FaceHeelTurn has]] [[EnemyWithout lost all hope]]]].
* MentalTimeTravel: [[spoiler:By unusual means (using {{Alternate Universe}}s rather than actual TimeTravel), but ultimately to the same effect.]]
* {{Miko}}: She serves as one at Oyashiro-sama's shrine, and she also performs rituals at the Cotton-Drifting Festival.
* TheMindIsAPlaythingOfTheBody: [[spoiler:Due to still being physically a preteen, she cannot achieve complete mental maturity despite being mentally hundreds of years old, simply because certain changes in the brain that occur during puberty haven't occured for her yet. A line in the visual novel suggests she hasn't even gotten her first period yet.]]
* MinorLivingAlone: Rika lives together with Satoko at their own house even though both are kids of elementary school age. Their parents died a few years ago, leaving the two with no adults to look after them. Despite that, they're quite happy and don't have much trouble looking after themselves. It's mentioned in Tatarigoroshi that Kimiyoshi is her official guardian.
* MyGodWhatHaveIDone: In Saikoroshi-hen, [[spoiler:she finds herself in an alternate Hinamizawa where everyone's better off, with Rika herself not being an orphan, but the only way to return to the Hinamizawa that [[EarnYourHappyEnding she fought for]] is to kill her mother, who holds a fragment preventing Hanyuu from entering that world. After seemingly just accepting her new life, she wakes up back in her original world and breaks down crying over the realisation of what she must have done, even though Hanyuu tries convincing her that it was AllJustADream.]]
* NotGrowingUpSucks: [[spoiler:One of her dismays with being trapped in a GroundhogDayLoop is the fact that she hasn't aged past ten for hundreds of years now. In Matsuribayashi-hen, as part of her SurvivalMantra, she boasts that once the loop ends among most things, she's gonna grow taller and develop breasts.]]
* ObfuscatingStupidity: As part of her DeliberatelyCuteChild routine, she passes herself off as a clueless kid, but she knows a lot more of what is going on than any of her friends.
* OracularUrchin: Rika often gives creepily ominous advices and warnings to the other characters about bad things that are coming [[spoiler:because she already lived through those bad things in previous timelines]].
* OutOfContinues: [[spoiler:Unlike other examples of GroundhogDayLoop, the period of time she and Hanyu can rewind becomes progressively shorter, meaning that her attempt in ''Matsuribayashi'' was probably her last chance.]]
* OutOfTimeOutOfMind: [[spoiler:Averted, though she puts on an act so as not to freak people out.]]
* PleaseDontLeaveMe: In ''Gou'', [[spoiler:she starts to fall into despair when she sees Hanyu's spirit fading in the sea of fragments because she never wanted to face more deadly loops without Hanyu]].
* PrecociousCrush: Strongly implied towards Akasaka.
* ReallySevenHundredYearsOld: [[spoiler:Technically, Rika would be an over 100-year-old in a little girl's body.]]
* RedEyesTakeWarning: In ''Gou'', her eyes glow red when [[spoiler:she drops the cute act and goes into creepy mode in front of others]].
* {{Reincarnation}}: She's thought to be the reincarnation of Oyashiro-sama. [[spoiler:This is later revealed to be wrong; Oyashiro-sama didn't reincarnate into Rika, but she looks after her as some sort of spirit guardian.]]
* ResurrectionDeathLoop: [[spoiler:Each time she dies, Hanyu transfers Rika's consciousness to another fragment. However, no matter how many times Hanyu does this, Rika always ends up being killed again one way or another. This has been going on for possibly over a hundred years. The period of time Hanyu can rewind becomes progressively shorter; the first times, Hanyu could send Rika back a few years, but in the latest loops, Rika ends up reliving the same nightmarish June 1983 where she and her friends always die because of Takano's ploy.]]
* RetroactivePrecognition: She already knows every crucial event that will happen in each scenario, but she isn't really predicting the future; [[spoiler:she "remembers" it because she's the only one who retains memories from the previous timelines.]]
* RippleEffectProofMemory: [[spoiler:Along with Hanyu (who's the one responsible for the loop in the first place), she's the only person who knows that there's a GroundhogDayLoop going on, and she remembers all the previous universes.]]
* SayingSoundEffectsOutLoud: She has a habit of doing this, such as saying "pachi pachi" ("clap clap") while clapping. Her "nipa~" VerbalTic is essentially this as well, since "nipa" is a Japanese UnsoundEffect for smiling.
* ShamefulStrip: In the arcs where [[spoiler:Takano kills her in the Watanagashi ritual, she has the Mountain Dogs strip Rika of her clothes beforehand. Rika comments that she's bothered more by Takano's perverse pleasure at the ritual than she is about being seen nude.]]
* SoreLoser: In the first episode of Gou, she pretends that she has no ill feelings over Satoko using her traps to beat her in the club's first game with Keiichi. Then, she gives her a box that springs out a boxing glove and punches Satoko's face.
* StepfordSmiler: In a cast full of them, she's probably got it the worst; she acts like a cute CheerfulChild, but in reality she's [[spoiler:suppressing how she's witnessed and experienced hundreds of years' worth of murder and torture]].
* TheStoic: Whenever she drops the DeliberatelyCuteChild act, her personality becomes cold and emotionally detached.
* SupportingProtagonist: Shares the status with Keiichi. [[spoiler:Basically, the whole story is about her and the latter half is frequently from her perspective, but despite this, it is mostly Keiichi and the rest who act to save Rika from her fate.]]
* TaremeEyes: When in her "cute" facade, otherwise they're [[TsurimeEyes not]].
* TechnicolorEyes: Rika's eyes are purple, [[spoiler: just like Hanyuu's]]. Given that [[spoiler: Hanyuu is her ancestor and was a demon, the eye color is NOT cosmetic]].
* TimeLoopFatigue: [[spoiler:She has been stuck in a GroundhogDayLoop for somewhere between a century and a millennium. In most iterations, one of her friends will [[HatePlague go insane and kill a bunch of people]]. In every iteration, she is murdered, usually [[CruelAndUnusualDeath disemboweled while she's still alive]], and most or all of her friends die within a few days. Then she's resurrected in the past, and goes through it all over again, and she's the only one who remembers what's happening, but enough important details keep changing that she can't manage to stop it.]]
* TomboyAndGirlyGirl: Girly Girl to Satoko's Tomboy.
* TooDumbToLive: [[spoiler:Saikoroshi-hen kicks off with a bike race where Rika gleefully ignores Hanyuu's safety warning and then Satoko's direct warning that a ''truck is coming her way'', assuming that the latter is just trying to slow her down. Rika ends up in a parallel world after getting run over, and learning what happened to her from Hanyuu reduces her to CryLaughing when she realizes that she devastated her friends and basically threw away her [[EarnYourHappyEnding hard-fought victory]] from the GroundhogDayLoop by ignoring common sense about playing on the road.]]
* TookALevelInIdealism: [[spoiler:After having pretty much given up on fighting fate and resigning to keep dying continuously, Rika is inspired by Keiichi to not give up and keep trying. She eventually gets it right and frees herself from the loop.]]
* {{Tsundere}}: Harsh type toward Hanyuu. She's very snarky toward her and often consumes spicy food and wine just to make her suffer through their shared senses, but she learned more from her than her actual mother, feels distressed when she's not around, and is devastated [[spoiler:when she gets fatally shot in Miotsukushi-hen.]]
* TrademarkFavoriteFood: [[spoiler:Bernkastel Wine.]]
* TroublingUnchildlikeBehavior: [[spoiler:She drinks wine to [[DrowningMySorrows drown her sorrows]] and she's not any older than twelve (at least, not physically).]] She does this behind everyone else's backs, though.
* TsurimeEyes: In her "mature" form.
* VerbalTic: "Mii", "Nipa~"
** The "nipa~" could actually be [[spoiler:foreshadowing of some sort. Turns out, "nipa~", as well as being the Japanese onomatopoeia for "smiling", is also the name of [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henipavirus a virus that causes neurological failure and death in humans.]]]]
** Like Hanyu, she ends all her sentences with "desu" or "nano desu", even when it makes no gramatical sense. In the English release of the manga, she instead ends her sentences often with "sir".
* VocalDissonance: Her "real" voice, when she's not ObfuscatingStupidity, sounds deeper than a little girl should sound.
* WalkingSpoiler: Her close ties to fellow Walking Spoiler Hanyuu qualify her as this, [[spoiler:namely that she's the only one of the main characters who really knows what's going on due to being aware of the GroundhogDayLoop Hanyuu created]]. The fact that she's not the CheerfulChild she seems to be on the surface also ties into it.
* WeaponOfChoice: [[spoiler:Satoko's Hinamizawa Syndrome medication]], and strangely enough, a mop.
* WithFriendsLikeThese: She and Hanyu are close friends, no doubt about it; that doesn't prevent her from regularly punishing Hanyu with wine and spicy food or outright shutting her up when she finds her annoying.
* WrongGenreSavvy: In the ''Gou'' anime, [[spoiler:Rika thinks she's in the Onikakushi-hen scenario and to prevent Keiichi from succumbing to the Hinamizawa Syndrome and killing his friends, she tries to reassure him that Rena's scary behavior is all in his head and he should believe Rena isn't plotting to hurt him. Alas, this isn't Onikakushi-hen, it's a new arc named Onidamashi-hen and Rena ''does'' want to kill Keiichi here since she's the one with the Hinamizawa Syndrome this time around.]]
* YaoiFangirl: In the preview at the end of Kai episode 7 she claimed that she ships [[CrackPairing Keiichi/Ooishi]].
* YouGottaHaveBlueHair: Her hair is blue, though the anime gives it a more purple tint.

[[folder:Hanyu]]
!!Hanyu
!!!Voiced by: Creator/YuiHorie (JP), Creator/XantheHuynh (English)
!!!Portrayed by: Moeka Takakura (drama series)
[[quoteright:208:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/hanyuu_6.png]]

The mysterious "transfer student" in ''Matsuribayashi-hen''. She has appeared to Rika all her life, but only in ''Matsuribayashi-hen'' does she choose 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 spicy foods like kimchi, which Rika uses in large amounts when Hanyu is being particularly annoying (Hanyu's and Rika's senses are linked together).
\\\
The eighth arc, Matsuribayashi-hen (Festival Music chapter), is focused on her.
------
* EleventhHourRanger: She doesn't join the team until the final arc [[spoiler:where they all work together to stop Takano's plan]]. She technically ''was'' with the main cast since the first arc, but no one but Rika could see her so Hanyu couldn't participate in the plot until the very end.
* AFormYouAreComfortableWith: [[spoiler:Her race took on human forms to associate with the residents of Hinamizawa, but they couldn't hide their horns.]]
* AdaptationalCurves: Her ghost form has a more adult appearance in the manga, making her considerably more busty.
* AllLovingHeroine: She is all about love and forgiveness. [[spoiler:She is ''not'' happy with Hinamizawa's bloody history of torture and death in her name.]] Even people she professes to hate, like [[spoiler:Takano]], she is willing to forgive and even sacrifice her life for when it comes down to it.
* AntiquatedLinguistics: [[spoiler:In the few situations where she acts like a proper god, like her conversation with Takano at the end of Matsuribayashi, where she addresses her as "child of man" and calls her gun "iron fire". This was how she initially spoke in the past, but her husband taught her {{Keigo}} to make her sound more feminine.]]
* ApologisesALot: "Gomen nasai..."
* AscendToAHigherPlaneOfExistence: [[spoiler:She was originally a demon in human form who ascended to godhood by dying for the sins of others.]]
* BerserkButton: [[spoiler:She's horrified by all the torture and killing done in her name, and hates Takano for glorifying her malicious portrayal. She also can't stand being called a monster for her horns.]]
* {{Bokukko}}: Uses "boku" as a first-person pronoun, despite not being tomboyish at all. According to her, that's because [[spoiler:in her time (she is 1000 years old after all) boys and girls didn't speak differently. However, she often switches to "watashi" in her more serious persona, like Rika.]]
* BreakTheCutie: Quite a lot, though often missed in the anime adaptation or replaced with a more cute reaction.
* TheCameo: She appears in a single panel in the manga version of Episode 6 of ''VisualNovel/UminekoWhenTheyCry'' [[spoiler:as the GameMaster who trapped Bernkastel/Rika in a hellish {{Unwinnable}} game]].
* CantHoldHerLiquor: A fact that Rika likes to take advantage of.
* ClapYourHandsIfYouBelieve: [[spoiler:The reason why her powers are failing lately.]]
* ContinuitySnarl: [[spoiler:At the end of ''Matsuribayashi-hen'' (the conclusion of the main storyline) and in the later ''Yumeutsushi-hen'', Hanyu stays as a physical being... but in the in-between chapter ''Saikoroshi-hen'', she's suddenly a spirit again. This is never explained, though the visual novels have implications that she can willingly transition between being physical and being incorporeal.]]
** [[spoiler: In the beginning of Higurashi Gou Onidamashi-hen episode 2, Hanyuu is still a spirit with Rika having commented that she didn’t see Hanyuu next to her when she woke up and Hanyuu explains that she’s become a lingering spirit and is beginning to fade away.]]
* ContraltoOfDanger: [[spoiler:She drops the cutesy tone when she gets serious and her pupils turn red. ''Kotohogushi-hen'' reveals that she used to be far more aggressive demon whose default voice was this deep.]]
* CowardlyLion: She's really fearful and insecure, but lays the smackdown when it comes to people she cares about, as shown at the end of Kai. [[spoiler:This isn't always a good thing though]].
* CurtainsMatchTheWindow: Purple hair and eyes.
* CuteGhostGirl: Before ''Matsuribayashi'', Hanyuu can only manifest as a ghost that looks like a cute girl in {{Miko}} garments.
* CuteMonsterGirl: [[spoiler:Before she became a god, she was a demon who took on human form but couldn't hide her horns. What a "demon" actually is is left vague. In ''Matsuribayashi-hen'' Rika confesses to her that no matter how many times Hanyu has explained who she is and where she came from, she can never understand it. Also worth noting that she ''hates'' being called a monster.]]
* DarkAndTroubledPast: [[spoiler:She was forced to kill her husband who was "possessed" by a pure-blood demon to save him. She also had her daughter kill her to prevent her from turning "evil" again.]]
* DeathByAdaptation: [[spoiler:She lives and stays with Rika in the ending of Matsuribayashi-hen. In Miotsukushi-hen, the new ending for the [=PS2=] port, Hanyu dies protecting Takano and disappears in front of Rika and Keiichi.]]
* DeityOfHumanOrigin: [[spoiler:She was originally a demon who took human form and was sacrificed as a scapegoat in order to "atone" for the village's sins. After dying, she ascended to godhood.]]
* DeterminedDefeatist: [[spoiler:In a slightly different manner from Rika. While Rika has a tiny sliver of hope that the perfect circumstances may line up, Hanyu is only doing it because she wants to spend more time with Rika. She changes her attitude at the end of Minagoroshi, when the Club encounter her in the afterlife and chastise her for shedding tears over their failure that she never once had any faith in overcoming.]]
* DisappearsIntoLight: In the ending of Miotsukushi-hen, [[spoiler:Hanyuu's form vanishes and turns into light as Rika and Keiichi watch on.]]
* DoesNotLikeSpam: She can't stand wine and spicy food.
* TheFatalist: [[spoiler:While she's outwardly less cynical than [[BrokenBird Rika]], she's really only perpetuating the GroundhogDayLoop to spend more time together, as nobody else will be able to talk to her if Rika stays dead. She spends much of Minagoroshi-hen warning Rika not to get her hopes up even after several unforeseen miracles, fearing that Rika will become an EmptyShell if her hopes keep getting shattered. While the arc does end in failure (it's called the Massacre chapter for a reason), Hanyuu actually sheds tears over the Club's failure to overcome the recently exposed BigBad Takano, and the other members in the afterlife [[WhatTheHellHero call her out]] for getting upset over an outcome that she never once believed that they could overcome, leading to her direct involvement in the following Matsuribayashi-hen.]]
* FreakinessShame: She has something of a complex about her horns. Rena thinks they're cute (but then again, Rena thinks a lot of things are 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 [[spoiler:when she took on human form to mediate between demons and humans, she could not hide her horns. They are a large part of the reason why she was chosen as a sacrifice]].
* GodIsGood: [[spoiler:She's the BigGood of the story, despite initial impressions.]]
* GodsHandsAreTied: [[spoiler:In fact, she even goes so far as to describe herself as "a powerless god".]]
* GodWasMyCopilot: [[spoiler:She's Oyashiro, and, in spite of her InUniverse HistoricalVillainUpgrade, is the reason Rika can utilize MentalTimeTravel]].
* GoingCommando: In her {{Miko}} outfit. Ironic given that her adult form's garb is much more conservative.
* HistoricalVillainUpgrade: InUniverse; [[spoiler:She's [[DiscOneFinalBoss Oyashiro]], who's known as a god of torture and bloodshed]].
* HornedHumanoid: She has a pair of dark-colored horns on her head, one which is chipped slightly. [[spoiler:It turns out that she used to be a demon whose horns remained when she took human form. Her horns were largely the reason why she was sacrificed, since many people feared and distrusted her because of them.]]
* ImageSong: "Nano Desu".
* ImmortalImmaturity: Generally, she can act and sound like a thousand-year old goddess when she is serious, even calling [[spoiler:Takano]] "child of man" at the end of the last arc. She actually seems to have the same kind of dual personality as Rika. The same voice actress voices her "child" and "adult" voices. In addition, she demonstrates some stunning immaturity by refusing to so much as apologize for [[spoiler:stealing Tamura's offering, even though that minor transgression is what motivated Tamura to let Une's threat spread to a global scale]]. DisproportionateRetribution or not, what Hanyū did in that moment was wrong and yet she still can't bring herself to even say sorry to someone [[spoiler:who put the whole world in danger]].
* {{Intangibility}}: In most of the arcs, she is a spirit who can only be seen and heard by Rika and, to a lesser extent, by those in the final stages of Hinamizawa Syndrome.
* InterspeciesRomance: In life, [[spoiler:Hanyu was a demon who took human form. She married a human man and they had a daughter together]].
* InvisibleToNormals: Only Rika can see her in her ghost form. [[spoiler:Anyone else who can hear her must be at dangerously high levels of Hinamizawa Syndrome.]]
* {{Keigo}}: An exaggerated version where she adds "desu" or "nano desu" to the ends of all her sentences even when it makes no grammatical sense. [[spoiler:[[DeliberatelyCuteChild Rika]] bases her public persona on this.]]
* LadyOfWar: [[spoiler:Her more mature past self in Kotohogushi-hen was a skilled swordswoman who taught her daughter Ouka how to strike an enemy's weak points.]]
* {{Leitmotif}}: [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wqpPqPhyjuo "Over the sky"]] represents the "Goddess" part of her character. Really makes you feel like you are hovering above the clouds. The human part is represented by [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6jM5OslNI3w&feature=endscreen&NR=1 "Air Pizz"]].
* LightFeminineDarkFeminine: Light to Rika's Dark. She has a more lighthearted and softer personality than Rika when [[spoiler:the latter stops acting cute and reveals her true cynical self.]]
* LittleMissAlmighty: [[spoiler:She's the true form of Oyashiro-sama, the patron deity of Hinamizawa.]]
* LivingEmotionalCrutch: Rika would have probably become an EmptyShell long ago if it wasn't for Hanyu. [[spoiler:She has been Rika's sole companion who remembers the other timelines and knows just how much Rika has suffered from being killed so many times. In ''Gou'', Hanyu has already passed on and the copy she left behind can't go into the new fragments with Rika and fades away after Tataridamashi-hen. Without Hanyu to support her in the new hellish loops, Rika seriously considers killing herself with a piece of the Onigari-no-Ryuoo sword so she does die for good.]]
* MayflyDecemberRomance: According to Kotohogushi-hen, Hanyu first met her husband [[spoiler:when he was just a baby]]! Added to the fact that she's mentioned to be "long-lived" and this is in full effect.
* MessianicArchetype: Subverted. Hanyu was one in the past, [[spoiler:allowing herself to be killed by her own daughter, initiating the first Watanagashi Festival, to atone for the sins of the inhabitants of Hinamizawa]], but now disagrees with the idea of people sacrificing others in the name of purifying their own sins.
* {{Miko}}: She wears a miko outfit in her spirit form.
* MisappliedPhlebotinum: [[spoiler:For every arc until the last she is undetectable to anyone that is not named Rika or in the later stages of Hinamizawa syndrome. It apparently never occurred to Rika to utilize her invisible ghost spy to do anything like figure out who killed Tomitake. Then again, Rika is still quite the child, even though it sometimes seems otherwise. And quite pessimistic at that, with the whole "what's the point" attitude since she can never seem to alter some events.]]
* NeverMyFault: Downplayed in ''Higurashi Hou''; while the situation [[spoiler:with Une and Tamura]] is clearly more their fault than her own, Hanyū stubbornly refuses to take any sort of responsibility for her role in [[spoiler:Tamura]]'s backstory. While it's true that [[spoiler:Tamura]]'s actions are major DisproportionateRetribution of the highest degree and petty in their intent, Hanyū always tries to shift all of the blame on her when the more mature thing to do would probably be to apologize for her own (admittedly minor) wrongdoing against [[spoiler:Tamura]].
* NewMeat: After she joins the club, Mion calls her the "newbie".
* NewTransferStudent: Apparently to the other classmates who don't know her true identity.
* NiceGirl: Contrary to how others perceived Oyashiro, Hanyuu is a sweet and selfless girl.
* NotSoImaginaryFriend: She has appeared to Rika all her life and Rika thought she was just her ImaginaryFriend. When she was growing up, Rika's mother was bothered by her "imaginary friend" Hanyu. Not helped by the fact that Hanyu taught her to cook and do laundry.
* OnlyKnownByTheirNickname: Most people call her [[spoiler:Oyashiro-sama]], people who know her call her Hanyu, but her real name is [[spoiler:Hainiryūn Ieasomūru Jieda. She got the nickname of Hanyu because her husband could not memorize her full name.]]
* OurDemonsAreDifferent: [[spoiler:She's a demon who took on human form, though what a demon really is in this setting is left very vague; Rika mentions that she still doesn't understand what a "demon" is even after Hanyu explained it to her.]]
* OurGodsAreDifferent: [[spoiler:She was a demon in human form who was sacrificed and ascended to godhood after dying. She's currently worshiped in a similar manner to most Shinto gods in real life, though her reputation has been distorted over the centuries so that now everyone sees her as a malevolent force who will curse anyone who displeases her. She isn't too happy about that.]]
* OverlyLongName: [[spoiler:Hainryun Ieasomuru Jieda.]]
* ParentalSubstitute: A weird example. She replaced Rika's mother in teaching her cooking, sewing and so on, while the latter was ''alive and living with her''. Naturally, her real mother was pretty freaked out and upset to see her daughter talk with a NotSoImaginaryFriend ''and'' do things she never taught her. [[spoiler:Probably not made better by the fact that as soon as Rika was born the villagers started adoring her instead of her mother.]]
* PhysicalGod:
** [[spoiler:But only in ''Matsuribayashi-hen''. It appears to be a significant step down on the power scale.]]
** [[spoiler:Played straight in the ''Daybreak'' doujin games; compared to the rest of the cast that uses whatever weapons/tools/toys they could get their hands on, Hanyu wields actual (powerful) magical energy blasts of varying types.]]
** [[spoiler:In the visual novel she can switch between forms. She turns into her spirit form at least once during Matsuribayashi-hen, and there's the fact that Keiichi's father can see her when they are attracting the Maebara family to Hinamizawa, which too implies she can switch at will. She probably stayed in spirit form in most worlds because she had yet to step onto the stage.]]
* ReallySevenHundredYearsOld: [[spoiler:As the origin of the Oyashiro-sama legend she's around a thousand years old. Even older when you factor in the [[GroundhogDayLoop Groundhog Day Loops]]. Not to mention her not even being in [[VisualNovel/UminekoWhenTheyCry her true form]] either.]]
* RedEyesTakeWarning: The few times she is seen legitimately angry, her pupils glow red.
* SaveTheVillain: In Miotsukushi-hen, [[spoiler:she saves Takano, the one responsible for Rika's murder and the genocide of Hinamizawa in countless timelines, at the cost of her own life]].
* ShipperOnDeck: She teases Rika quite a bit when Akasaka comes to her home [[spoiler:to occupy the house while she and Satoko are hiding at Mion's place.]] As a response, Rika eats dinner with Akasaka; a super-spicy dinner.
* ShrinkingViolet: She's incredibly shy around other people at first, but she gradually opens up.
* SilentScapegoat: [[spoiler:As part of the deal to allow her people to live in Hinamizawa, Hanyu allowed herself to be set up as a scapegoat and killed by Ōka via ritual butchering. As her daughter was also the daughter of one of the village priests, this brought unity to the two factions.]]
* SomeCallMeTim: Her real name is so long that [[spoiler:her husband]] had trouble remembering it and shortened it to her current name, Hanyu.
* SpiritAdvisor: Though when it comes down to it she's not a very good one, since the only "advice" she gives Rika is to not let her hopes up to avoid disappointment. This only served to make Rika more cynical.
* SupernaturallyYoungParent: [[spoiler:In life, she had a husband and a daughter. However, she was already an adult when she died, and only appears as a young girl in the present as a way to get Rika to relate to her.]]
* SweetTooth: She loves sweets, especially cream puffs.
* {{Synchronization}}: Her senses are connected to Rika's. Though it's PlayedForLaughs rather than drama, with Rika threatening to eat spicy food and drink alcohol whenever Hanyu annoys her.
* TagalongKid: Even before [[spoiler:the group aside from Rika could see her]].
* TakeCareOfTheKids: In Miotsukushi-hen, [[spoiler:as she's about to disappear, Hanyu asks Keiichi that he and his friends look after Rika who she calls her beloved child.]]
* TakingTheBullet: In Miotsukushi-hen, [[spoiler:Hanyu is shot by the Banken in order to save Takano]].
* TemporalMutability: [[spoiler:Hanyuu doesn't actually turn back time, but travels to a new timeline and transfers the dead Rikas' memories into an alternate Rika while the previous worlds continue with Rika dead. However, Rika keeps getting killed due to enough factors in the new timelines remaining unchanged for the outcome to be the same. It's until the end of the series that Rika is able to live on in the last timeline where she and her friends find a way to stop Takano from murdering Rika.]]
* TimeMaster: [[spoiler:She can stop time primarily in the manga version, though it is only really good for speaking because when she stops time not only do bullets stop moving, but so do people. She's also the one responsible for Rika's MentalTimeTravel to parallel worlds whenever she dies.]]
* TrademarkFavoriteFood: Cream puffs.
* UnmovingPlaid: Her skirt in the [=MangaGamer=] visual novels. It's very subtle, based on the way the pleats in her skirt fold, but the plaid pattern doesn't quite distort around the folds the way it should.
* UnusuallyUninterestingSight: Subverted. The games reveal that everyone ''did'' notice her horns but avoided mentioning them because they either were [[IgnoreTheDisability too polite]], [[FreakyIsCool they liked them]] or they thought they were some kind of accessory. [[spoiler:[[BigBad Takano]]]] is the only person who reacts as negatively as she feared.
* UnwittingInstigatorOfDoom: [[spoiler:Anyone besides Rika who can hear her is already around L4, so her disembodied voice and footsteps are only going to worsen their SanitySlippage. Following Keiichi around after he murdered Mion and Rena pushes his paranoia to a throat-clawing end, and Shion twisting her into Satoshi's specter helped reignite her resentment toward her family for supposedly erasing him.]]
* VerbalTic: "Au au auu~" and "Nano desu"
* TheVoice: Until ''Minagoroshi-hen'', she only appears in the form of a mysterious voice. 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.
* WalkingSpoiler: Her being [[spoiler:Oyashiro, and [[GoodAllAlong not being the]] BigBad as we were led to believe]].
* WolverineClaws: [[spoiler:Her race could enter a state with heightened offensive power and incredibly sharp claws, but staying in it for too long would erode their sanity.]]
* YouGottaHaveBlueHair: Hers is purple.

!!Supporting Characters
[[folder:Satoshi Houjou]]
!!Satoshi Houjou
!!!Voiced by: Creator/MitsukiSaiga (JP - drama CD), Creator/YuuKobayashi (JP - anime), Creator/DarrelGuilbeau (EN)
!!!Portrayed by: Toshiki Seto (drama series)
[[quoteright:150:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/higu_satoshi_5078.png]]

Satoko's older brother, who disappeared a year before the story began.
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* AffectionateGestureToTheHead: Often did this to Satoko and Shion, the latter stunned at herself for how easily such a simple gesture made her fall for him, and somewhat developed feelings for Keiichi when he imitated this behavior.
* BigBrotherInstinct: Subverted - while he was ''very'' protective of Satoko, a repressed part of him was also tired of protecting her from their aunt and hearing her constant whining.
* {{Bishonen}}: Quite handsome along with Keiichi.
* ChekhovMIA: For most of the story, no one has any idea of where Satoshi disappeared to the night of the Cotton-Drifting Festival. [[spoiler:In the Matsuribayashi-hen, Shion discovers Satoshi is in a coma in Irie's clinic and he'll need to stay like that at ''least'' until there's a real cure for the Hinamizawa Syndrome.]]
* ChekhovsGunman: 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).
* ColorBlindConfusion: Shion was partly amused and partly exasperated by his inability to distinguish broccoli from cauliflower.
* DumbBlonde: A rare male example. Satoshi has a reputation for being somewhat air-headed and unfocused.
* FamilyThemeNaming: '''Sato'''shi, older brother of '''Sato'''ko (though the kanji are completely different).
* {{Foreshadowing}}: From Frederica Bernkastel's poem in ''Meakashi-hen'': "How many years will pass before she wonders if she really dropped them?"
* FreakOut: [[spoiler:The day of the Watanagashi festival in 1982, Satoshi finally snaps and murders his aunt to prevent her from abusing him and Satoko any further. He fulfills his plan to buy Satoko a giant stuffed bear for her birthday, but as Irie is driving him home, the last of his sanity is finally shed and he begins to hallucinate and see his aunt's face in nearby drivers and pedestrians. This forces Irie to take him to the clinic and begin treating him for Level 5 Hinamizawa Syndrome.]]
* IllBoy: According to Dr. Irie, his mental and physical health is slowly declining from all the stress both in and out of home.
* ImageSong: "Yellowsick". Ironically, he has one of the most energetic and hot-blooded image songs of the cast.
* JerkassBall: As his emotional and physical health decline, he quits the Hinamizawa Fighters and becomes bitter toward Mion (actually Shion), as his contempt toward her family spreads to her despite all the time they'd spent bonding. When Shion later starts beating Satoko for being overly dependent, he assumes that she's just taking part in the village's discrimination against them, despite later admitting that she'd never done so.
* KnightTemplarBigBrother: [[spoiler:He killed his aunt in order to protect Satoko. In large part it was due to Hinamizawa syndrome, though.]]
* TheLostLenore: His disappearance causes no small amount of grief for Shion. [[spoiler:In ''Meakashi'', [[LoveMakesYouCrazy it makes her go crazy]]]].
* NiceGuy: Usually nice and kindhearted, even moreso than Keiichi.
* PresentAbsence: Satoshi went missing a year before Keiichi moved to Hinamizawa. The mystery of what happened to him and how his disappearance affects the emotional state of his little sister Satoko and Shion who loved him are prominent elements in the tragedies of almost all arcs.
* PromotionToParent: Satoshi steadily becomes more and more of a caretaker to his sister, almost from the time she was born. Satoko has trouble bonding with the men her mother meets and emotionally pushes them away, resulting in Satoshi trying to serve as mediator. When both of their parents die and they wind up in the care of their abusive aunt and uncle, Satoshi is forced to endure their abuse and constantly come to Satoko's rescue.
* SanitySlippage: [[spoiler:A notable aversion. Despite the stress of everything that's going wrong in his life, Satoshi is remarkably adept at keeping up appearances, with only his coach, Irie, knowing how much he's suffering. When he finally snaps, it is not in small measures, but [[FreakOut in one sudden outburst.]]]]
* TechnicolorEyes: Pink.
* TraumaCongaLine: Satoshi's mother falls in and out of relationships constantly, resulting in emotional trauma for Satoko (and likely Satoshi too) that eventually makes her refuse to trust in anyone but her brother. Then their parents come out in support of the dam project, resulting in the entire village ostracizing the whole family. Then their parents wind up dead in an accident. Then Satoshi and Satoko wind up in the care of an abusive aunt and uncle and Satoko's emotional outbursts start getting worse. Satoshi, worn to exhaustion with school and a part time job, confides in his coach that he feels his emotional and physical strength crumbling. [[spoiler:He finally snaps, murders his aunt, and is overcome by Level 5 Hinamizawa Syndrome.]]
* VerbalTic: He often utters "Muu~" when troubled.
* WouldHitAGirl: He hits Shion, although justified since he did it to save his sister Satoko from her beatings. [[spoiler:He also bludgeoned his aunt to death.]]

[[folder:Kuraudo Ooishi]]
!!Kuraudo Ooishi
!!!Voiced by: Creator/{{Chafurin}} (JP), Joe [=DiMucci=] (EN)
!!!Portrayed by: Tetta Sugimoto (film), Shinobu Tsuruta (drama series)
[[quoteright:265:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/higu_ooishi_9112.png]]

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.
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* AxCrazy: [[spoiler: Normally, he's the opposite of this trope throughout the entire series. But in ''Gou'', he somehow comes down with L5 Hinamizawa Syndrome, and goes on a murderous rampage gunning down everyone at the festival.]]
* AdaptationalJerkass: InUniverse example; In ''Onikakushi-hen'' and ''Watanagashi-hen''; he's a pleasant person to talk to Keiichi and gives helpful infos to him about Hinamizawa and the mysterious incidents but in ''Tatarigoroshi''-hen, he's a downright asshole who never hesitates to squeeze Keiichi's shoulders literally painful enough to intimidate him and as he interrogates Keiichi while his fellow men dig up [[spoiler:Teppei's corpse]] in the forest, he throws muddy waters on him to force the truth out of him. Keiichi wishes he dies which is by coincidence granted as he suddenly disappears as he rescues Satoko.
* AdaptationalVillainy: [[spoiler: In ''Gou'', under the paranoia-induced influence of the Hinamizawa Syndrome, he goes on a rampage and shoots everyone to death at the festival, with the exception of Rena.]]
* BatterUp: In ''Gou'', [[spoiler:he goes L5 at the end of Tataridamashi and beats Rika to death with a bat.]]
* CryLaughing: In Matsuribayashi when he learns that [[spoiler:the Sonozakis have nothing to with the annual murders, relieving his animosity toward them.]]
* DirtyOldMan: It's more apparent in the manga and [=VNs=], but he really does have a strong interest in porn, gentleman's clubs, and brothels.
* DrinkingOnDuty: Ooshi's carefree attitude on the job does have him indulge in a drink every so often. He drinks with the thugs he arrests in Chapter 4 of Watangashi.
-->"Beer is best when you drink on the job!"
* {{Foil}}: Old, perverted, and usually implementing a very signature brand of ObfuscatingStupidity, to Akasaka's more young, straightlaced, and straightforward persona. He also foils a little bit against Kumagai, his relatively straightlaced assistant who is much calmer and better at negotiation, whereas Ooishi intentionally puts people off with his brash attitude.
* GallowsHumor: There's a bit of an on-going dark joke between Ooishi and anybody he has visiting to investigate the Tomitake murder where he'll end a conversation with, "Have a nice year!" in reference to the serial Watanagashi murders. It shows up repeatedly in the Onikakushi-hen TIPS.
* InspectorJavert: He's usually right, though, like in [[spoiler:Tatarigoroshi-hen]] and [[spoiler:Onisarashi-hen]]. [[spoiler:But he's completely wrong in the most important way in that he thinks the Sonozakis are behind everything. This keeps him from approaching the only person in the group that never goes insane.]]
* IntergenerationalFriendship: With Asakasa in ''Himatsubushi-hen'' and [[spoiler:Keiichi]] in ''Minagoroshi-hen''.
* KnightOfCerebus: In most arcs, he signals the end of comedy, or a [[FromBadToWorse sharper dive into tragedy]], not always in his first appearance, but in his first confrontation with the arc's protagonist. Lampshaded by Dr. Irie.
** Played with in ''Gou'', where [[spoiler: he's directly responsible for at least one of the tragedies taking place. Case in point, in ''Tataridamashi-hen'' when it finally seems like things are starting to get better, he goes crazy and shoots everyone to death at the festival.]]
* ItsPersonal: 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. [[spoiler:However, as noted, this actually works against him because he starts looking for links between events that just aren't there, which impedes his effectiveness.]]
* TheLastDance: Although not dying, Ooishi is coming up on his mandatory retirement age and is slated to leave the police force within a year. The summer of 1983 represents his final chance to solve the mystery of Oyashiro-sama's curse before his imminent move to Hokkaido to be near his elderly mother.
* {{Leitmotif}}: [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8HN8tmCoKwM "Big Bear".]] Also, "Dancers 5" in ''Himatsubushi''.
* MentorArchetype: The "old man". Ooishi's father died in a bombing just after the end of World War II, and Ooishi spent the few years after that reluctantly arresting starving people who bought rice on the black market. While he was chasing one, a guy who looked just like his father punched him and [[TheReasonYouSuckSpeech scolded him in front of everyone.]] He started to consider that man as a second father.
* MrExposition: Ooishi has been investigating the murders from before the game started and as such fills Keiichi (and the audience) in on numerous details of the case and Hinamizawa's history.
* MyGreatestFailure: His inability to solve the Hinamizawa murders [[spoiler:and the eventual disaster that almost inevitably befalls the village]] serves as this for Ooishi in most of the endings.
* NeverTheObviousSuspect: [[spoiler:Invariably, if Ooishi winds up in close contact with someone in an arc, that person will either succumb to psychotic madness and go on a killing spree in short order or, in the case of ''Tatarigoroshi'', will have already begun their descent into insanity. ''Minagoroshi'' even highlights this as an obvious pattern. As it turns out, this is simply coincidence and Ooishi is not, in fact, responsible for any aspect of Hinamizawa Syndrome.]]
* NotSoDifferent: In Tsumihoroboshi-hen, the narration notes that the way that Ooishi operates is actually pretty similar to the stereotypes of the {{Yakuza}}, embodied in the story by his [[ArchEnemy Arch Enemies]], the Sonozaki family.
* ObfuscatingStupidity: 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.
* OddFriendship: With Keiichi in ''Minagoroshi-hen'' and Akane Sonozaki in ''Matsuribayashi''.
* OOCIsSeriousBusiness: In ''Gou'' [[spoiler: he comes down with L5 of the Hinamizawa Syndrome and goes on a murderous rampage, which has not happened in any of the arcs throughout the entire series.]]
%%* ReasonableAuthorityFigure: In most of the arcs.
* RedHerring: [[spoiler:Whenever he contacts someone in the main group one-on-one, they either will go or already are going insane (Keiichi in Onikakushi and Tatarigoroshi, Shion in Meakashi, and Rena in Tsumihoroboshi), which makes him an obvious candidate as the force behind the Curse of Oyashiro-sama. This is actually a false lead, meant to draw attention away from the *other* constant trend in the stories: that Tomitake and Takano always die the exact same time and way, which is the actual clue to the real mastermind.]]
* {{Retirony}}: In the arcs where he is killed, due to the short time limit that he has to solve the case before he retires.
* SignatureLaugh: Nfufufufu!
* UnwittingInstigatorOfDoom: 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 [[spoiler:Rika]] to get help from. Particularly egregious in [[spoiler:Onikakushi-hen]], where he's arguably the ''cause'' of [[spoiler:Keiichi]] going off the deep end, but he also exacerbates [[spoiler:Keiichi's and Rena's]] 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 [[spoiler:the one reliably sane person]] in the group. [[spoiler:Rika expresses contempt for him and Takano (even before learning that the latter is the BigBad) in ''Minagoroshi-hen'' for constantly triggering her friends' paranoia.]]

[[folder:Jirou Tomitake]]
!!Jirou Tomitake
!!!Voiced by: Creator/ToruOkawa (JP), Creator/KyleHebert (EN)
!!!Portrayed by: Masashi Taniguchi (film), Yuuma Ishigaki (drama series)
[[quoteright:180:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/higu-tomitake_766.png]]

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.

* AdaptationalUgliness: His facial features are slightly more weathered in Gou.
* AfraidOfNeedles: He always averts his gaze from injections, [[spoiler:leaving him oblivious to Takano faking his inoculation to Hinamizawa syndrome.]]
* CurtainsMatchTheWindow: He has brown hair to go with his brown eyes.
* DesignatedVictim: Like Takano, in most arcs, he is found dead on the night of Watanagashi.
* DrivenToSuicide: [[spoiler:In most of the arcs, he claws his throat out due to being injected with H173.]]
* EmbarrassingNickname: [[spoiler:Irie calls him "Risa-san"]] As a subversion, this conveniently serves to hide their connections to the reader in the early arcs.
* {{Foreshadowing}}: He can hear [[spoiler:Hanyu's fuss]] in the shrine storage. Meaning that [[spoiler:he was already at least at level 4 of the Hinamizawa syndrome at that time.]]
* FriendlySniper: He's a good guy who is also a skilled sniper.
* ImprobableAimingSkills: [[spoiler:Called out on this by the Mountain Hounds when sniping on a moving vehicle while on rough terrain.]]
* InformedDeformity: He is visibly ripped, yet in ''Matsuribayashi-hen'', Takano views him as plain looking with a bit of a belly.
* LoveMartyr: [[spoiler:Especially evident in ''Matsuribayashi-hen''. Despite everything Miyo did to him and to the people of Hinamizawa, he is willing to get her help after she was defeated.]]
* MrFanservice: Is shown as being ripped; the first episode of the ''Rei'' OVA has him shirtless due to it being the PoolEpisode of the anime, and he even stops a missile with his pecs.
* NiceGuy: His most defining trait is just how kind he is.
* ObfuscatingStupidity: [[spoiler:He's a veteran sniper.]]
* OfficialCouple: With Miyo Takano. [[spoiler:Yes, even after she tries to kill him.]]
* OnlyKnownByTheirNickname: It's mentioned in several arcs that Jirō Tomitake is not his real name, but we never learn what it is.
* WeaponOfChoice: Camera. [[MemeticMutation "TOMITAKE FLASH!!!!"]] [[spoiler:His weapon is actually a sniper rifle.]]
* WeHardlyKnewYe: He usually dies too early to get any kind of development.

[[folder:Miyo Takano]]
!!Miyo Takano[[spoiler:/Miyoko Tanashi]]
!!!Voiced by: Creator/MikiIto (JP), Creator/FuyukaOura (JP - young), Creator/KarenStrassman (EN)
!!!Portrayed by: Ayako Kawahara (film), Rie Kitahara (drama series)
[[quoteright:155:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/higu_takano_5877.png]]

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, and [[TheGadfly she seems to enjoy putting people on edge]]. Unlike the other villagers, she opposes the almighty Oyashiro-sama.
\\\
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.
------
* AntiVillain: [[spoiler:An interesting take on a [[SlidingScaleOfAntiVillains Type II]]. Exposing the truth about the Hinamizawa Syndrome for the sake of her adopted Grandfather's legacy, someone whom she viewed as a savior, is hardly what you could call "evil." But with the abuse she took in the OrphanageOfFear before being adopted and the subsequent repeated brushing off of her Grandfather's research, desperation and insanity take hold and drive her to do gradually less savory acts in pursuit of her goal.]]
* AttackAttackAttack: Lampshaded [[PlayedForDrama in a serious manner]]. [[spoiler:She keeps sending in the Yamainu to attack an entrenched enemy on their territory no matter how many casualties they take nor how demoralized they are. Any sensible commander would have done a tactical retreat to regroup at the very least.]]
* BeingTorturedMakesYouEvil: [[spoiler:The consequence of being tortured into pretty much ''insanity'' in the OrphanageOfFear from her childhood. It's heavily implied that she suffers from severe PTSD as a result.]]
* BigBad: [[spoiler:Is revealed to be this toward the end.]]
* BitchInSheepsClothing: [[spoiler:She's a nurse who acts kind and pleasant on the surface until it was revealed that she is the main villain responsible for much of the chaos in the story.]]
* BreakTheCutie: [[spoiler: Her backstory in a nutshell. She UsedToBeASweetKid, and then was made to undergo Hell that no child should have to suffer through.]]
* BrokenBird: [[spoiler:Everyone who supported her in her life died - first her parents, in a train accident; then her grandfather, in suicide due to the onset of senility; and finally Koizumi, from old age. Koizumi's death also put a 3-year deadline on her research because nobody else was taking it seriously, after which it would vanish into obscurity. This twisted her personality and psyche, making her ready to do ''anything'' to prove her grandfather's thesis.]]
* ComplexityAddiction: [[spoiler:She's aware that [[FakingTheDead her decoy corpse]] is a day too old given when she was last seen in public, but decides to use it anyway to make things more mysterious even though it could spoil her plans. By the time the body's time of death comes up, the arc's protagonist is often too shaken up by other events to think about it rationally, and will come to odd conclusions like coming back from the dead or alien clones.]]
* CriminalMindGames: A somewhat strange example. [[spoiler:In ''Tsumihoroboshi'', she gives an increasingly-unstable Rena a book of notes for the girl to pore over. These notes, somewhat surprisingly, contain some accurate details about what's actually going on in Hinamizawa (like the Okonogi Gardeners not being who they seem, or the fact that Hinamizawa Syndrome is being researched in the Irie Clinic) - details that Takano, as the plan's mastermind, knew were true. However, the books also contain a significant number of wildly inaccurate statements and also serve as one of the triggers that cause Rena to succumb to Hinamizawa Syndrome. Given that Takano had nothing to gain from making Rena fall into psychosis, it appears she simply did this to amuse herself while she waited for the right time to enact her plan.]]
* DeadlyDoctor: Although she's always one of the first two victims of Watanagashi, she isn't quite so helpless as you'd think. [[spoiler:Especially since she isn't ''really'' a victim]]. Plus, her weapons of choice in ''Higurashi Daybreak'' are syringes.
* DesignatedVictim: Like Tomitake, in most arcs she goes missing on the night of Watanagashi, and is later found dead. [[spoiler:Subverted, since she was faking her death]].
* {{Determinator}}: [[spoiler:A villainous example. Takano is so traumatized by her youth, so grateful to her grandfather for saving her, and so agonized by the disrespect to his work, that she resolves she will make the world see his brilliance, thus immortalizing him forever. Her will to do this is so strong and unbreakable, it drives the entire plot and it takes virtually the entirety of the cast, along with a few strokes of good fortune, to stop her. After learning that she's the BigBad, Hanyuu reluctantly acknowledges that her strong will that made most of the arcs go her way puts her near the realm of godhood.]]
* DissonantSerenity: To contrast all other [[AxCrazy infected]] [[UnstoppableRage ones]].
* DrowningMySorrows: After she learns that the research will be stopped, [[spoiler:indicating that she has crossed the DespairEventHorizon.]]
* EarlyBirdCameo: Right near the start of the very first chapter of the game, Onikakushi, you come across Miyo when Rena and Mion are showing Keiichi around Hinamizawa. She's simply mentioned as the third of three people (along with two extras) the trio run into who is named and briefly described by the girls to demonstrate how everyone in Hinamizawa know all about everyone else- she doesn't even make an on-screen appearance or have any lines ascribed to her. Except in the manga version, where she ''does'' make a physical appearance.
* EasilyForgiven: By Tomitake in the realities where he lives, even though [[spoiler:she attempted to kill him. Seeing her in a defeated, pathetic state probably helps, it's difficult to hate someone in that position. Not to mention that Tomitake is more aware of Takano's sad past and motivations than other characters.]]
* EpilepticTrees: A perpetrator of these InUniverse. 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 (a UFO crashed in the swamp and Oyashiro was an alien doctor!). [[spoiler:These trees are her tactic of choice in [[{{Troll}} her trolling the cast]]]].
* EvenEvilHasLovedOnes: {{Downplayed|Trope}}. [[spoiler:She genuinely loves Tomitake and isn't really eager to kill him, but that never stops her from making him the victim of "Oyashiro-sama's curse".]]
** Played ''very'' straight, however, with [[spoiler: her grandfather, whom she still loves even when evil...in fact, he is the primary motivator behind her becoming evil to begin with.]]
* EvilLaugh: Like [[DysfunctionJunction most of the characters]], she gets one at some point. [[spoiler:A truly epic one when she's revealed to be the BigBad.]]
* EvilWearsBlack: [[spoiler:When she's revealed to be the main villain, Takano wears a completely black military uniform due to her position as a major of the Tokyo organization.]]
* FakingTheDead: [[spoiler:She fakes her death in each arc on the night of the Watanagashi festival in order to divert attention away from her plot to kill Rika and enact Emergency Manual 34. While the burned corpse is identified as her through dentition, careful examination reveals that it's just a day too old for when she was last seen, though shit has usually hit the fan by the time anyone figures this out.]]
* FreudianExcuse: The reason she’s so adamant about opposing [[PhysicalGod Oyashiro-sama]]? [[spoiler:After losing her parents, she had to live in a hellish OrphanageOfFear. She was rescued from the orphanage and raised by a loving, kindly old man and now wants to prove his research, no matter what. Unfortunately, the trauma she already had from the orphanage led to her taking a few things that her grandfather said the wrong way, which, combined with people treating her grandfather's thesis as garbage, as well as her underlying selfishness and 'us-vs-them' mentality, led to her becoming a heartless monster.]]
* ForScience: [[spoiler:While Irie has taken some questionable actions (namely dissections of living peoples' brains), he at least [[WellIntentionedExtremist genuinely wants to solve mental disorders.]] Takano actually just cares about the research itself building fame over anyone benefiting from it.]]
* FromNobodyToNightmare: From sweet kid to BreakTheCutie to friendly but detached nurse [[spoiler:to [[TheSociopath sociopathic]], murderous researcher.]]
* GenreBlindness: [[spoiler:Boy, does she ''ever'' catch a case of it in the end. Alluded to in AttackAttackAttack above, while the entrenched enemy in question is [[JustAKid a group of schoolchildren]], they also happen to be [[TheHero the protagonists]]. Who also have a sort-of-PhysicalGod on their side ''[[VillainBall whom Takano had actually met with and thus KNEW would be acting against her at the start of the arc]]''. Failure to acknowledge any of this leads to her downfall.]]
* GodhoodSeeker: [[spoiler:The end of ''Minagoroshi-hen''.]] Specifically, [[spoiler:it was influenced by a metaphor from her grandfather, saying that if his research proves fruitful his legacy will live forever, like that of a god.]] Fast-forward to modern-day and Miyo [[spoiler:raves about how if she proves her grandfather's research is true, and re-inspires fear of Oyashiro-sama in the process, she will in effect ''become'' Oyashiro-sama and live forever with her grandpa.]]
* GoodEyesEvilEyes: [[spoiler:One of the indicators that she's not the innocent victim she appears to be.]]
* GreenEyedMonster: [[spoiler:In the climax of Miotsukushi, he starts spewing hatred at Rika for being seen as divine from birth as Oyashiro-sama's reincarnation while she and her grandfather had to claw their way up just to try getting such reverence.]]
* HappilyAdopted: After [[spoiler:some ''very'' nasty experiences at her OrphanageOfFear]], she was adopted by Hifumi Takano and was able to live a relatively happy life with him until he died. [[spoiler:Unfortunately the trauma from her time at the orphanage eventually caught up with her, and she became willing to go to extreme methods to continue her adopted grandfather's research...]]
* HatesBeingAlone: [[spoiler:Her desire to immortalize herself and her grandfather is out of a pathological desire to never be alone again. She also tries to keep Tomitake on her side as her plans commence, even desperately offering herself from head to toe in Matsuribayashi, because she knows that the Yamainu and Nomura only have financial interest in her.]]
* HeelFaceTurn: [[spoiler:But only at the very end of the series. And in later arcs she continues to terrorize the heroes.]]
* HospitalHottie: Her outfit consists of a really short skirt and a pair of [[ZettaiRyouiki high black stockings]]. [[spoiler:Rare [[EvilIsSexy evil]] example, at that.]]
* ImageSong: "Bon Karma".
* IronicEcho: Not exactly a quote, but the scene near the end of ''Matsuribayashi-hen'' where [[spoiler:her bullet misses Hanyu]] very closely echoes the scene near the beginning of the arc where [[spoiler:"God"'s lightning bolt narrowly misses Takano, immediately after she asks God to either give her a better life or kill her. Since she was spared, she took this as a sign that she is meant to live, and as a result, she became something of a Determinator]]. It can be interpreted that [[spoiler:her bullet missing Hanyu is a sign that Rika and Hanyu's determination to live has finally reached the same level as Miyo's will to live on that day. However, it didn't miss on purpose. [[CompressedAdaptation Although the anime does not show this]], Hanyu stops time and realizes that the bullet won't miss. Then Rika starts moving, despite time being stopped, and ''grabs the bullet'', moving it so that it won't hit anyone.]]
* KarmaHoudini: [[spoiler: She tries to kill an entire village over and over again, and what does she get? Treatment for a disease that it wasn't well-established she had (though current evidence points to yes) and a good cry in her lover's arms. While in that chapter she didn't manage to kill anyone, she's still responsible for the death of Rika's parents and generally being an amoral researcher. It's particularly JustForFun/{{egregious}} in the worlds where Rika fails, Takano succeeds in murdering everyone in Hinamizawa, and she gets away with it scot-free aside from possibly dying of her own free will as part of the cover-up.]] It actually makes sense in context a bit with [[spoiler:Hanyu offering to forgive Takano of all her sins. [[TheFarmerAndTheViper Then she tries to kill Hanyu.]]]]
** [[spoiler: The author's notes at the end of the last VN actually invokes this, with the author saying that he had gotten tired of stories where the BigBad being punished wraps everything up, which is also reflected in Takano's monologue about how the world always seeks to find a scapegoat to pin blame upon and how all conflicts need a "loser" in order to be resolved. Takano is spared in order to reject this nihilistic view and to end the cycle of suffering for everyone, including her who [[BreakTheCutie suffered greatly before turning to villainy]].]]
* ManBehindTheMan: [[spoiler:To the Sonozaki family, the Yamainu, and the false image of [[DiscOneFinalBoss Oyashiro-sama]] she created.]]
* ManipulativeBitch: [[spoiler:The biggest in the series. She manipulates Keiichi, Rena, and Shion with both her scrapbooks, the Oyashiro Curse and faked her own death in order for them to succumb to Level 5 and throw a giant suspicion on the Sonozaki Family.]]
* MeaningfulRename: [[spoiler:After being adopted by Hifumi Takano, she changes the kanji in her name to follow his NumericalThemeNaming. She later changed the "Taka" in his surname meaning "high" to a homonymous kanji meaning "hawk" so him being her motivation wouldn't be as obvious.]]
* MentorArchetype: Her main role in the story before [[spoiler:being revealed as the BigBad]] is to inform the heroes of the legends of Hinamizawa and help them in defeating the conspiracy.
* MilkmanConspiracy: [[spoiler:BigBad or not she's still just a nurse when it comes down to it.]]
* MoralMyopia: [[spoiler:She's motivated by devotion to her adoptive grandfather, yet complains about Irie's shaky support for her plans and outright kills Rika's mother for opposing her experiments on Rika, viewing ''their'' familial attachments as a nuisance.]]
* MsFanservice: She's [[HeadturningBeauty a fairly attractive human]] with [[BuxomIsBetter ample assets]] who wears a few revealing outfits, such as her nurse outfit. She also SleepsInTheNude and wears a BarelyThereSwimwear during the BeachEpisode. [[spoiler:This makes the fact she's the BigBad all the more shocking.]]
* NaughtyNurseOutfit: Irie once notes that since she is a doctor she isn't supposed to wear a nurse outfit (with an impressive ZettaiRyouiki to boot), but she does just for the hell of it. Mion and Shion also tease her and Tomitake about their "foreplay" with that kind of outfit.
* NayTheist: She studies myths, religion, and the occult, but doesn't actually believe in any of them. In fact, she ''hates'' the local god Oyashiro-sama and will do anything to bring them down, in part because of her DarkAndTroubledPast. In Matsuribayashi, she notes the irony that she denies Oyashiro-sama yet has no doubt about [[spoiler:Hanyuu's]] identity when they meet face-to-face in front of the latter's shrine.
* NeverASelfMadeWoman: [[spoiler:She became devoted to her adoptive grandfather's research to repay him for saving her from an OrphanageOfFear. After his research was unfairly ridiculed, she became a top-tier doctor just to further his studies and salvage his reputation. She's willing to throw people's lives away and even weaponize the Syndrome as long as Hifumi's research is validated.]]
* NiceHat: Her nurse's cap. Also, [[spoiler:her ''epic'' special forces beret.]]
* NightmareFetishist: Her personal hobby is researching the spooky legends about Hinamizawa's demon heritage and the old rituals involving eating people, human sacrifices, and curses from the town's EvilGod.
* NoblewomansLaugh: Gets a classic one in the anime [[spoiler:after her AGodAmI speech]], yet it's somehow less disturbing than most of the protagonists' laughs.
* NotQuiteTheRightThing: [[spoiler:Just before the Final Operation, she realizes that because of her obstination to continue the research on Hinamizawa Syndrome, instead of staying in history, her grandfather's research is going to be erased and forgotten, whether a cure is found or the Manual 34 is implemented]]. She is the only one who regrets it though.
* NumericalThemeNaming: The kanji for her name uses the kanji for three (三) and four (四). [[spoiler:Just like how her adoptive grandfather's name is written as one (一), two (二), three (三).]]
* OfficialCouple: She's dating Tomitake.
* OrphansOrdeal: She was sent to an OrphanageOfFear after her parents died, witnessing and suffering lots of horrors there. [[spoiler:She got so throughly broken that she went ''insane'' and became the BigBad with time.]]
* PluckyGirl: Enough will to [[spoiler:alter fate itself]].
* ProperlyParanoid: Midway through Matsuribayashi, she admits to Tomitake that [[spoiler:the Yamainu are only as loyal as she pays them, and Nomura just took advantage of her while she was vulnerable while seemingly not even giving her real name, so Tomitake is probably the closest thing to an ally that she actually has. Sure enough, the Yamainu were actually bought out long ago by Nomura, who never truly cared about the validity of her research and just wants her dead as a scapegoat when the operation to kill Rika fails. It's Tomitake who steps in at the end to save her and offer another chance at life.]]
* PsychopathicWomanchild: Despite many characters describing her as a mature adult woman working as a nurse for the Irie clinic, her personality is actually frighteningly childish when she mutters a lot of dark and scary subjects about Hinamizawa to everyone that most of them never asks for.
* SmiteMeOhMightySmiter: [[spoiler:She challenges God to give her a better life or kill her. A subsequent lightning bolt narrowly misses her.]]
* SoftspokenSadist: She enjoys making people uncomfortable in casual conversation, typically with her lurid fascination with the curse. Soon after introducing herself to Keiichi, she advises him to come to her clinic so she can give him [[AfraidOfNeedles BIG shot]] [[spoiler:foreshadowing her PlayingWithSyringes and other overt sadism]].
* StepfordSmiler: Unstable type. She isn't as sane and friendly as her affable smiles would make others think.
* TraumaButton: [[spoiler:After watching Hifumi's research getting mocked and desecrated, she'll essentially revert to a crying child whenever she relives the experience.]]
* {{Troll}}: [[spoiler:She manipulates several characters into going paranoid and berserk out of sheer amusement.]]
* TheUnfettered: [[spoiler:She is capable of doing pretty much anything, no matter how heinous, in order to prove her grandfather's thesis and "become a god".]]
* UnwittingInstigatorOfDoom: [[spoiler:Whether it's intentional or not, she's partially responsible for causing Rena and Shion to go off the deep end by giving her the scrapbook.]]
* UsedToBeASweetKid: [[spoiler:The sweet girl who collected flags and loved to go out with Dad and Mom? Yeah, she grew into a horrible bitch after she was tortured in the orphanage. Although she still was a sweet child when with Dr. Takano, and it's only after his death ''and'' his research is mocked that she goes off the deep end.]]
* VillainousBreakdown: [[spoiler:Started in Matsuribayashi-hen when Rika was falsely reported as dead for 48 hours and it just got worse after she was beaten.]]
* VillainWithGoodPublicity: [[spoiler:To most of Hinamizawa, she’s a kindhearted nurse with a weird hobby. She’s actually the direct leader of the MilkmanConspiracy controlling the town.]]
* WalkingSpoiler: Her past [[spoiler:(and the fact that she is the BigBad)]] makes her this.
* WoobieDestroyerOfWorlds: [[spoiler:Her childhood at the orphanage was a living hell. The man who saved her was her kind adoptive grandfather. That's why she's going to prove his thesis about the Hinamizawa Syndrome and shut up the people who mocked her grandfather, being willing to have the entire Hinamizawa village massacred to achieve it.]]
* WouldHurtAChild: [[spoiler:This woman ''disembowels'' a little girl after executing her friends in front of her.]]

[[folder:Kyousuke Irie]]
!!Kyousuke Irie
!!!Voiced by: Creator/ToshihikoSeki (JP), Creator/DaveMallow (EN)
!!!Portrayed by: Koutaro Tanaka (film), Tomohiro Kaku (drama series)
[[quoteright:175:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/higu_irie_4543.png]]

The head doctor of the village clinic. Initially interested 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 [[TheJailbaitWait 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.

* {{Bishonen}}: He's noted to be quite good looking.
* CharacterExaggeration: Him being a ComedicLolicon is more pronounced in the anime adaptation. In the VN and manga he has an attraction to younger women and a {{Meido}} fetish, but he doesn't actively perv on the girls quite as much as in the anime.
* ComedicLolicon: He tends to express an attraction towards Satoko (and sometimes Rika), and it's always PlayedForLaughs.
* CreepyPhysical: To quote Irie, "It's good to be a doctor... because I get to touch the skin of young people many times, and I can turn them into my slaves with a little injection." Off-putting sense of humor for a doctor.
* CurtainsMatchTheWindow: He has brown hair and brown eyes.
* DeadlyDoctor: [[spoiler:He performed psychosurgery on unwilling patients in the past, although he had good intentions. Patient consent wasn't required at the time.]]
* DomesticAbuse: Figures a lot in Irie's backstory. [[spoiler:After his father suffered a traumatic brain injury, he began to act abusive toward Irie's mother. The two ended up hating each other, a fact that Irie regrets]]. This serves as a major motivator for, among other things, [[spoiler:joining work with Takano on Hinamizawa Syndrome]].
* DrivenToSuicide:
** [[spoiler:In Outbreak, he hopelessly realizes that the parasite spread too fast and is infected himself so he AteHisGun right in-front of Rika Furude.]]
** He's also claimed to have committed suicide near the end of [[spoiler:Tatarigoroshi-hen]], and by extension any arc in which [[spoiler:the Great Hinamizawa Gas Disaster]] occurs. Given the circumstances explained in some of the later arcs, however, [[spoiler:these are at least as likely to be cases of NeverSuicide]].
* HospitalHottie: For a doctor, he's quite young and handsome.
* LargeHam: When he goes into a Keiichi-esque nonsensical rant about Maids in ''Matsuribayashi''. [[spoiler:''[[MoodDissonance In the middle of a life-or-death situation.]]'']]
* {{Meido}}: His fetish. '''''MAID IN HEAVEN!'''''
* NiceGuy: Perverted tendencies asides, Irie is a compassionate doctor who cares about everyone's wellbeing and other than willing to find the cure for the Hinamizawa Syndrome, he's willing to defend Satoko from her abusive uncle as seen in the Minagoroshi chapter. He also seemed to be the only adult figure in the village who ever attempted to give Satoshi some peace of mind.
* ReasonableAuthorityFigure: 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...
* UnwittingInstigatorOfDoom: [[spoiler:He's one of the few people who knows about the HatePlague, and he's the actual reason Satoshi went missing. Keeping these secret ends up propagating fear of the annual "curse", and Meakashi in particular could have easily been avoided if he'd just been upfront with Shion.]]
* WellIntentionedExtremist: [[spoiler:In his past anyway. May have had good intentions but his medical practices were ruthless. See DeadlyDoctor above.]]

[[folder:Mamoru Akasaka]]
!!Mamoru Akasaka
!!!Voiced by: Creator/TakehitoKoyasu (JP - drama CD), Creator/DaisukeOno (JP - anime), Creator/PatrickSeitz (EN)
[[quoteright:195:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/higu_akasaka_3967.png]]

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.
\\\
The fourth arc, ''Himatsubushi-hen'' (Time-wasting), is dedicated to him.

* EleventhHourRanger: [[spoiler:In ''Matsuribayashi-hen''.]]
* BigDamnHeroes: Hoo boy. When he finally reappears, he proves instrumental in taking down the BigBad.
* ChekhovsGunman: Appears as the mostly hapless protagonist of "Himatsubushi-hen", seemingly only to show off what happened during the Dam Conflict, [[spoiler:as well as Rika's mysterious ability to predict the future tragedies. He finally comes back at the end as a badass to help save everyone.]]
* FairCop: He's a morally correct and friendly police investigator.
* {{Foil}}: Young, straightlaced, and straightforward to Ooishi's older, perverted, and more wily persona.
* FutureBadass: [[spoiler:In the worlds where his wife dies.]]
* {{Leitmotif}}: [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TtyE3kUIeLY And a pretty cool one.]]
* HiddenBadass: Though he'd [[RetiredBadass hung up his coat in university]], Akasaka uses his ([[AlwaysSomeoneBetter nearly]]) unparalleled mahjong skills to [[GrewASpine assert himself]] during Ooishi and his friends' attempt to {{hustle|r}} the rookie out of money.
* IronicName: ''Mamoru'' means "to protect" in Japanese. [[spoiler:He fails to protect both his wife and the entire town of Hinamizawa. However, it's subverted in "Matsuribayashi-hen" when he finally manages to do it; or at least, in the latter case, he plays a critical role in the effort.]]
* LikeADaughterToMe: He views Rika as the living portrayal of his ideal daughter.
* MyGreatestFailure: His inability to solve the Hinamizawa murders [[spoiler:and the eventual disaster that almost inevitably befalls the village]] and consequently his failure to prevent [[spoiler:Rika's]] death serves as this for Akasaka in most of the endings.
* RedemptionQuest: Himatsubushi-hen ends with Akasaka swearing to search for the truth behind the mysteries of Hinamizawa, [[spoiler:mainly Rika's murder,]] to atone for [[spoiler:not listening to Rika's warnings which resulted in both his wife's and Rika's deaths]].
* TookALevelInBadass:
** In ''Himatsubushi'', he's just a greenhorn. In ''Matsuribayashi'', he is refered to multiple times as a monster.
** And learned the [[VideoGame/SuperSmashBros Falcon Punch]] during the Level Grinding. [[spoiler:He punches a bulletproof windshield, causing it to shatter.]]
** In the VN, [[spoiler:he doesn't only shatter the windshield, he ''destroys the entire van'' with his punch!]]

[[folder:Oryou Sonozaki]]
!!Oryou Sonozaki
!!!Voiced by: Shizuka Okohira (JP), Creator/BarbaraGoodson (EN)
[[quoteright:200:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/sonozaki_oryo.png]]

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. Shion call her "Oni-baba" ("demon granny").
\\\
Shion suspects that she was the mastermind in Satoshi's disappearance.

* CovertPervert: According to the preview for Kai episode 18, she's an active dominatrix.
* DisproportionateRetribution: Motive for the "distinguishment" scene.
* EvilMatriarch: Shion and Akane call her ''Onibaba (demon granny)'', what more do you need to know? Hey! She even has the voice of [[Series/MightyMorphinPowerRangers Rita Repulza]] so why not? [[spoiler:In reality, she's not actually evil, just a JerkWithAHeartOfGold.]]
* GruesomeGrandparent: She treats her granddaughter Shion like garbage because the Sonozakis ostracize younger twins. [[spoiler:The worst thing she did to her was forcing her to rip off her own fingernails.]]
* HiddenHeartOfGold: Oryou may have come off as an unforgivable cruel lady in the early arcs but she's not without kindness when she helps Keiichi and the others [[spoiler:rescue Satoko from her abusive uncle.]] in 'Minagoroshi'. [[spoiler:She stubbornly turned down the Club's appeal to end her ostracization on Satoko, but Rena notes afterward that she never actually seemed mad at Keiichi's hostility. Shortly afterward, Akane gives them Oryou's approval, explaining that her position made her feel like she couldn't just relent without a third party like Keiichi putting pressure on her.]] It's also implied that she really loves Shion despite her harshness on her as it's required for her to put on a tough facade as the head of the Sonozaki family. Matsuribayashi reveals that [[spoiler:she makes ohagi for the dam director's grave every year despite him being public enemy #1 during the dam conflict.]]
* InformedKindness: She acts as a [[GrumpyOldMan Grumpy Old Woman]] whenever she appears and her mistreatment of Shion and the Houjou children make her look cruel. According to Mion and Akane, Oryou just pretends to be a worse person than she really is to keep up appearances as the leader of the Sonozaki. Akane actually tells Shion that Oryou is quite nice to her in private even though Oryou disowned her for marrying a man she did not approve of. Of course, since the audience doesn't get to see that and only has Mion's and Akane's word about Oryou's softer side, Shion's view of her as a heartless "oni old hag" is the main image one gets of her.
* MeaningfulName: "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.
%%* NeverMessWithGranny
* ParentalMarriageVeto: She and her daughter got into a SwordFight when Akane decided to marry an outsider of the village. Because of this, Oryou disowned Akane and forced her to change the spelling of her given name to remove the "oni" kanji.
* PetTheDog: 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 [[spoiler:Keiichi, of all people -- she put real estate up for sale for the explicit purpose of having an energetic outsider kid like him move in and clear up the village resentment against the Hojou family.]]
* PlausibleDeniability: She's carefully indirect with her phrasing at formal family and village meetings, and alert family members carry out her "wishes". Unless she personally gets her hands on something, she knows nothing of the details of operation. She teaches Mion to function this way as head of the family.
* RedHerring: [[spoiler:Her position as the family head of a yakuza family and her hatred towards outsiders and the Houjou family makes her a prime suspect for the murders and disappearances during the Wataganashi festivals. She in fact actively encourages this for the sake of holding the scary reputation of the Sonozaki family. The truth of the case of that the Sonozakis are innocent and the real culprit is Takano.]]
* ShipperOnDeck: In Kira episode 3, she warns Keiichi [[IfYouEverDoAnythingToHurtHer not to make Mion cry]], and later encourages Mion to take the initiative with Keiichi while assuring her that she's plenty feminine despite her TomboyAngst.
* SlaveToPR: [[spoiler:She actually does love her daughter and Shion, plus she forgave the Houjou family long ago, but she has to keep up appearances.]]
* SureLetsGoWithThat: [[spoiler:A policy she has in place. If anything mysterious happens and it's credited to the Sonozakis, she acts like she is responsible without confirming it. Nastily deconstructed as [[RedHerring this causes]] [[UnwittingInstigatorOfDoom a lot of problems.]]]]
* {{Tsundere}}: In public, she's always harsh, but in private she cares a lot about her daughter and granddaughters.
* UnwittingInstigatorOfDoom: [[spoiler:Major offender of this trope; the Sonozaki family's policy of making them look tougher than they really are bites everyone in the ass by causing them to become incredibly suspicious and cause distrust in the OnlySaneMan of the club. Oryou's actions are the primary cause of the Cotton Drifting/Eye Opening chapters. Her SureLetsGoWithThat attitude is a cause for Ooishi being one himself, which causes her to be indirectly responsible for the Spirited By the Demon and Atonement chapter. Her stubborness towards not cleaning up resentment towards the Hojou siblings is a contributing factor in their problems with the HatePlague.]]
* YouGotSpunk: [[spoiler:Has this opinion of Keiichi after he threatens to split her head open if she doesn't give her support to rescuing Satoko from Teppei.]]

!!Minor Characters
[[folder:Rumiko Chie]]
!!Rumiko Chie
!!!Voiced by: Creator/FumikoOrikasa (JP), Sam Carr (EN, Bang Zoom), Creator/MacyJohnson (EN, Funimation)
!!!Portrayed by: Hitomi Miwa (film)
[[quoteright:145:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/higu_chie_3182.png]]

The female teacher of Keiichi's class, who is a parody character of ''VisualNovel/{{Tsukihime}}'''s Ciel-senpai (permission for her usage was given by [[Franchise/{{Nasuverse}} Type-Moon]]). The voice actress for her character in the anime series is the same as the voice actress for Ciel from the Tsukihime anime. Going along with the parody, her favorite food is curry rice, just like Ciel.

* BerserkButton: 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!
* CurtainsMatchTheWindow: She has blue hair and blue eyes.
* {{Expy}}: She's clearly based on Ciel from ''VisualNovel/{{Tsukihime}}'', and Type-Moon even granted permission to 07th Expansion to do so. She seems to be more specifically based on Ciel-sensei, the version of Ciel that appears in ''Tsukihime'''s "Teach me, Ciel-sensei!" segments; she even wears the same pendant.[[note]]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.[[/note]] If that 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 ExpansionPack, 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.
* HotTeacher: Parodied in Kira with Keiichi "sketching" her as punishment game in the Soul Brother's delusion.
* MyNaymeIs: Her name is oddly spelled "Lumiko Cie" in the French version, most likely to make her PunnyName more obvious.
* PunnyName: Her name in Japanese order is Chie Rumiko. If you combine "Chie" and "Ru", you get "Chieru", which sounds very similar to the Japanese pronuncation of [[VisualNovel/{{Tsukihime}} Ciel]]'s name.
* ReasonableAuthorityFigure: Unfortunately, there's generally little she can do.
* {{Schoolmarm}}: She's the only teacher at the school the main characters attend, which isn't surprising since Hinamizawa is a rural village and the school is a one-room schoolhouse with a single class of children of different ages. Keiichi is 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.
* SeriousBusiness: Curry, both cooking it and respecting its history. Rena says she's a tyrant when it comes to curry.
* SternTeacher: In the visual novel, Rena states that Rumiko would not hesitate to discipline her students who had crossed the line with harsh methods, such as hitting them with a wooden ruler. This is never brought up in the anime, where she's generally nice to her students.
* TrademarkFavoriteFood: Curry, which is yet another indication that she's an {{expy}} of Ciel.
* YouGottaHaveBlueHair: Her hair is dark blue, which is another trait she has in common with Ciel.

[[folder:Tatsuyoshi Kasai]]
!!Tatsuyoshi Kasai
!!!Voiced by: Creator/FumihikoTachiki (JP), Creator/SteveKramer (EN)
[[quoteright:185:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/higu_kasai_4170.png]]

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.

%%** BadassBeard
%%** RetiredBadass
%%* CoolShades
* RedBaron: "Shotgun Tatsu". Do ''not'' mess with this guy!
* RomanticRunnerUp: According to Shion, her father, Kasai and Akane had a LoveTriangle in their youth. Kasai lost but stayed close to Akane as right-hand man. It didn't end so badly for him at all since he does get to watch over Shion.
* ShotgunsAreJustBetter: He wields a shotgun during [[spoiler:the assault on the Irie clinic]] in ''Matsuribayashi''. A single slug from it tears a massive hole through the door and the table the guards were using as cover, scaring them shitless. A second shot gets them all to surrender [[spoiler:except for one]].
* SunglassesAtNight: He is ''always'' seen wearing sunglasses.
%%* {{Yakuza}}

[[folder:Kumagai Katsuya]]
!!Kumagai Katsuya
!!!Voiced by: Shumpei Otani (JP), Kyle Hebert (EN)
[[quoteright:200:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/kuma_sifuku_3.png]]

A police officer in Okinomiya who assists Ooishi in his investigation.

* StraightMan: He plays the calm ByTheBookCop to Ooishi's BunnyEarsLawyer. Often times being the level-headed {{Foil}} to Ooishi's boistrous antics.
* TheWatson: Ooishi often explains what's on his mind to Kumagai in the process letting the audience know what the police know. It's especially prominent in the TIPS where no protagonists are present for Ooshi to play off of.

[[folder:Teppei Houjou]]
!!Teppei Houjou
!!!Voiced by: Katsuhisa Hoki (JP), Creator/SteveKramer (EN)
!!!Portrayed by: Riki Takeuchi (film), Tomohiro Waki (drama series)
[[quoteright:250:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/higu_teppei_285.png]]

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.

* AbusiveParents: He's [[EvilUncle Satoko's uncle]], but ends up as her direct guardian in some arcs, making him a parental figure. Not only does he treat Satoko like crap and hits her, one of the TIPS flat-out states that if she had been a few years older, he would have had no qualms about abusing her sexually too. It doesn't end well for him.
* AssholeVictim: [[spoiler:He gets by Keiichi and Rena in Tatarigoroshi and Tsumihoroboshi respectively for tormenting their loved ones, but in Miotsukushi, Takano injects him with H173 to induce the [[ClawingOnesOwnThroat final stages of Hinamizawa Syndrome]]. He'd been abusing Satoko earlier in the arc, so no tears are shed.]]
* ChildHater: Taken to truly repulsive levels in Tatagoroshi and Minagoroshi-hen.
* EvilIsPetty: While he's depicted as a despicable person all through, the ''Gou'' season exaggerates his pettiness at the beginning of episode 12 when he vandalizes a roadside shrine and pees on the torii shrine gates off-screen
* EvilUncle: He has a history of beating his niece and nephew Satoko and Satoshi. He's not even their real uncle. His older brother was their stepfather.
* HateSink: He clearly was meant as someone who the audience wants to suffer, and does.
* {{Jerkass}}: '''All''' the time. Even in episodes where he isn't doing anything morally reprehensible, he's still an asshole.
* KarmicDeath: [[spoiler:In Tatarigoshi, Exorcism, Tsumihoroboshi, and Miotsukushi-hen, he's killed by one or several members of the club either to free Satoko from his abuse or to get back at him for him and Rina extorting money from Rena's father.]]
* KnightOfCerebus: His presence always signifies things getting unpleasant. [[spoiler:Lampshaded by Rika in the Massacre Chapter: in any world where Satoko's uncle returns to Hinamizawa, Rika feels she might as well give up at trying to fight against any circumstances.]]
* LoanShark: One of his activities, with the help of Rina.
* OhCrap: That's how most normal people react to [[spoiler:putting the light on and seeing what was a cute teenage girl 2 seconds ago, brandishing an axe ready to cleave your head in two. Or seeing a furious teenage boy charging at you with a baseball bat while screaming like a banshee.]] He doesn't have the time to say it out loud in either scenario though.
* OutlawCouple: According to Kasai, he is a pimp and uses his lover Rina to swindle men out of their money.
* PayEvilUntoEvil: Whenever he's killed, it's because someone found his actions so horrible, they thought he no longer had the right to live.
* TheyKilledKenny: Dies quite a lot, mostly to his own evil acts biting him in the ass.
* UnwittingInstigatorOfDoom: [[spoiler:Rika considers his return to Hinamizawa to be one of the worst possible omens for a new timeline. In timelines where he comes back to the village, his presence - in particular his destabilizing influence on Satoko - invariably dooms any and all efforts at making things better. It gets to the point that when he appears in ''Minagoroshi'', Rika considers simply killing herself to save herself some heartache, as she is convinced that despite the fact that the timeline has had some excellent turns of luck thus far, his mere presence in the village has doomed it beyond any hope of recovery.]]
* VigilanteExecution: Vigilante action (for NASTY child abuse and badger games) is the common motive in his many deaths throughout the arcs.
* WouldHurtAChild: As long as he has someone to hit, he's not picky about the age. He also [[spoiler:kills Rika]] in an unseen world.

[[folder:Rina Mamiya]]
!!Rina/Ritsuko Mamiya
!!!Voiced by: Creator/KyokoHikami (JP - drama CD), Creator/MisaWatanabe (JP - anime), Jean Smart (EN)
!!!Portrayed by: Aya Sugimoto (film), Rei Yoshii (drama series)
[[quoteright:150:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/higu_rina_4354.png]]

A woman who appears in Rena's life in ''Tsumihoroboshi-hen''. She is the lover of Teppei Houjou.
----
* AssholeVictim: [[spoiler:She's killed by Takano and the Yamainu after sneaking into the Irie clinic in Miotsukushi.]]
* BareYourMidriff: She wears a tube top that exposes her belly.
* BitchInSheepsClothing: When Rina confronts Rena about the fact that she doesn't like her, and Rina puts on a pretty convincing act about how she genuinely loves Rena's father. Rena falls for it and starts to reconsider her view on Rina before she overheard her and Teppei badmouthing her father.
* BlatantLies: "I'm pregnant. And since I'm a Christian, I can't have an abortion."
* CruelAndUnusualDeath:
** In the scenarios where she steals money from the Sonozakis, her mutilated corpse is found washed in the sewers. Her nose and ears were cut off, one nail was driven through each of her finger joints, and her belly was slit open.
** In ''Tsumihoroboshi'', [[spoiler:Rena cuts her stomach open and beats her to death with a pipe.]]
* DistinguishingMark: A red star-shaped tattoo on her belly. Useful for identifying her mangled, rotted corpse.
* {{Foreshadowing}}: In case you don't spot her right from the beginning, the first TIP of ''Tsumihoroboshi'' after she appears tells us her name and her work: the same as Teppei's mistress who was killed horribly three arcs earlier. Woops. [[spoiler:In other words if she dies early, Teppei Houjou returns to Hinamizawa.]]
* GoldDigger: In Tsumihoroboshi-hen, she's only dating Rena's father to extort money from him.
* HateSink: Like Teppei, she's made unsympathetic and hateable so we feel more bad for [[spoiler:Rena]] when the latter kills Rina as revenge for scamming her father.
* KarmicDeath: In ''Tsumihoroboshi', [[spoiler:she's extorting money from Rena's father, which ends in Rena brutally beating her to death with a pipe.]]
* MeaningfulName: 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?
* OutlawCouple: With Teppei. Together they swindle men out of their money through intimidation and blackmail schemes.
* RedEyesTakeWarning: Major hint that there's something not right about her.
* TheSchlubPubSeductionDeduction: It has struck again. Poor Rena's dad.
* TattooedCrook: She's Teppei's partner in crime and has a star-shaped tattoo on her midriff.
* TooDumbToLive: In ''Tsumihoroboshi''. [[spoiler:Rina is lured by Rena to an abandoned junkyard where no one can hear her scream. A junkyard that Rena comes by every day to look for treasures and she thinks she's got the upper hand on Rena. She learned the hard way when Rena beat her to death with a pipe.]]
** In ''Minagoroshi'', [[spoiler:you learn that her potentional death can be caused by her attempt at swindeling the yakuza]].
* VigilanteExecution: [[spoiler:The motive for her death in the 6th novel.]]
* VillainsWantMercy: [[spoiler:Once Rena outs her as a GoldDigger, she starts strangling her while laughing about how cursed her life has been from her parents' divorce to now. Rena manages to grab a pipe and furiously starts bludgeoning her with it. Now that Rena has the upper hand, she tearfully begs for her life, but only further enrages her by using the name "Reina".]]
* WouldHurtAChild: She doesn't have qualms with seriously attacking Rena when the latter realizes hers and Teppei's scam.
%%* YouGottaHaveBlueHair
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Akane Sonozaki]]
!!Akane Sonozaki
!!!Voiced by: Creator/KikukoInoue (JP)
[[quoteright:150:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/higu_akane_6792.png]]

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.
----
%%* ActionMom
* CurtainsMatchTheWindow: Green hair and eyes, which her daughters got from her.
* DatingWhatDaddyHates: She got married to a Yakuza boss from outside the village, which led to the {{Fingore}} mentioned below and changing the kanji in her name to remove the "oni".
* DoesNotLikeSpam: She claims to hate shiitake mushrooms as much as liars.
* {{Fingore}}: Akane had to rip off her own fingernails due to her feud with Oryou over marrying a guy the clan didn't approve. Unlike Shion, she can laugh it off now.
* KatanasAreJustBetter: Her WeaponOfChoice is a katana. Mion must have got it from somewhere.
* KimonoIsTraditional: She's a YamatoNadeshiko who is always dressed in a kimono.
* MarryForLove: She married an outsider of the village of her own choice instead of letting Oryou choose her husband for her.
* MissingMom: She's rarely on screen due to her estrangement. Like Shion, she lives in Okinomiya instead of Hinamizawa.
* NiceGirl: While she's calm and collected, in ''Meakashi'', she does held concerns for Shion's wellbeing as she gets [[spoiler:her three nails ripped off painfully]] and is quite warm and welcoming to Keiichi in the manga version of 'Minagoroshi'' as she hilariously willing to have him marry either Mion or Shion if he wants to.
* OddFriendship: Forms a friendship with [[spoiler:Ooishi]] in ''Matsuribayashi'' despite the years of hatred between them, thanks to [[spoiler:Ooishi realizing the Sonozaki family had nothing to do with the construction manager's death]].
* OddNameOut: 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.
* RedBaron: The "Demon Princess of Shishibone".
* ShipperOnDeck: She assumes that Keiichi's determination to save Satoko from Teppei in Minagoroshi means that they're a couple. When corrected by Mion, she offers him either of her daughters and invites him to start calling her "Mom", only to get smacked by both Mion and Shion.
* SilkHidingSteel: Oh, you'd better believe it. Despite coming across as calm, controlled, kindly, and even-tempered, Akane is a strong woman and when she puts her foot down, even Mion and Shion don't dare to cross her.
* {{Yakuza}}: Her husband is a crime boss.
* YamatoNadeshiko: Fits the trope to a T, from her traditional kimono garb, to her calm-yet-controlled personality, to her wiliness and resourcefulness in the face of hardship. Even her daughters respect her strength.
* YouGottaHaveBlueHair: She has green hair, which her daughter obviously inherited from her.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Kiichirou Kimiyoshi]]
!!Kiichirou Kimiyoshi
!!!Voiced by: Masaaki Tsukada (JP), Creator/KyleHebert (EN)
[[quoteright:150:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/higu_kimiyoshi_3627.png]]

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.
----
* MeaningfulName: The characters for "Kimiyoshi" can be rearranged to form the character "oni".
* ShipperOnDeck: In Miotsukushi-hen, [[spoiler:he supports Keiichi and Mion.]]
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Hifumi Takano]]
!!Hifumi Takano
!!!Voiced by: Kazumi Tanaka (JP)
[[quoteright:180:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/hifumi_5254.jpeg]]

A scientist who devoted his entire life to researching a disease he calls Hinamizawa Syndrome, which he thinks could shake the entire scientific knowledge about the human brain. However, his research is shunned and mocked by the academic world.
----
* AlphabeticalThemeNaming: His first name is written 一二三 (one two three). [[spoiler:Then Miyoko became Miyo (三四 three four).]]
* DrivenToSuicide: When he realized he was [[SanitySlippage going senile]] in his late years.
* ForWantOfANail: [[spoiler: The ''one'' timeline where Miyoko's parents survive and Hifumi's endless efforts in researching Hinamizawa Syndrome pays off is the one portrayed in ''Outbreak''... where the Japanese government uses his research as basis for turning Hinamizawa Syndrome into a ''weapon of biological warfare''.]]
* AGodAmI: A rare case where it's not a megalomaniac rant. He just thinks that if his research is acknowleged, he will become some kind of eternal being, just like a god. The problem is, his beloved granddaughter [[GoneHorriblyWrong took it a bit too seriously.]] His final letter to her really didn't help though (see UnwittingInstigatorOfDoom below).
* JustInTime: Had he come to the orphanage only a day later, [[spoiler:Miyoko would probably have died with her head in that latrin.]]
* ParentalSubstitute: To Miyoko.
* PosthumousCharacter: Died several years before the start of the story.
* UnwittingInstigatorOfDoom: You don't understand the first time (because it seems irrelevant in that arc), but [[spoiler:the first TIP of ''Minagoroshi'' is his [[DeadManWriting suicide letter]] to Miyoko. He tells her that he coudn't become a god and that she must become one in his stead.]] Worst. Will. Ever.
[[/folder]]

!!Other Characters
[[folder:Nomura]]
!!Nomura
!!!Voiced by: Creator/RieTanaka (JP)
[[quoteright:258:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Nomura_8915.jpeg]]

A woman from the organization 'Tokyo' who serves as Takano's contact outside of Hinamizawa. Unfortunately, there's far more to her than that...
-----
* BitchInSheepsClothing: [[spoiler:While she does aid Takano in her designs, she ultimately doesn't give a rip about her - and considering half of her plan was to get rid of Tokyo's Koizumi faction whom Takano works for, she likely planned to backstab her anyway.]]
* DissonantSerenity: Every time she speaks, regardless of what kind of carnage of murder is going to happen or ''is'' happening on the other end of the phone line, it's done with the same eerily calm tone. Makes you wonder if this isn't the first time she's done this...
* EvilerThanThou: [[spoiler:Takano is very much her UnwittingPawn, using her anger against Hinamizawa and leaving her to her downfall [[YouHaveOutlivedYourUsefulness once she fails]].]]
* {{Expy}}: To [[Manga/RozenMaiden Suigintou]]. They even share the same actress.
* GreaterScopeVillain:[[spoiler:While the plan and reasons to ruin Hinamizawa are all Takano's, it's Nomura that drove her to do it.]]
** [[spoiler:The first episode of AlternateUniverse ''Outbreak'' OVA unsubtly spells out that she's the chief antagonist. In a meeting with the Prime Minister, she all but admits that her "Alphabet Council" is responsible for the (accidental) titular outbreak of the MindVirus that is steadily spreading across the globe. Oh, and that they were conducting secret tests of the virus and ''planning to turn it into a bioweapon'' long before the outbreak happened.]]
* HiddenAgendaVillain: [[spoiler:All we know about her goals is that she wanted the Hinamizawa Syndrome for ''something'' and that Old Koizumi was in the way. Aside from the non-canon ''Outbreak'' story that details her wanting to use it as a bioweapon, her ultimate plans are forever a mystery.]]
* IHaveManyNames: She uses a different alias for each of her contacts, such as "Maizawa", "Watanabe" and "Takagi". Even Nomura might be a forgery.
* KarmaHoudini:
** [[spoiler:Lampshaded in the author's notes at the end of the game, saying you have to draw the line somewhere on where the story ends. Thus, she is never held responsible for her actions - although it's stated there is an investigation going on that could yet turn something up although she is trying to scapegoat Okonogi now - and in the vast majority of timelines succeeds entirely.]]
** Subverted in Miotsukushi-hen [[spoiler:as she mentioned to be arrested (offscreen).]]
* KnowWhenToFoldEm: [[spoiler:When Okonogi informs Nomura of the current state of things in ''Matsuribayashi'' - that is, that things are currently being FUBAR'd - she orders Okonogi to LeaveBehindAPistol for Takano before cutting all ties with them.]]
* LastEpisodeNewCharacter: Appears only at the end of ''Matsuribayashi'''s [[ProlongedPrologue prologue]], and she doesn't even have a sprite in the original sound novels.
* ManipulativeBitch: She convinces [[spoiler:Takano]] by taking advantage of her emotional state, and probably not only her.
* MysteriousBacker: [[spoiler:A villainous example; she fills in for Old Koizumi after he passes away, serving as Takano's ([[TreacherousAdvisor treacherous]]) advisor.]]
* NothingIsScarier: Outside of her plans for Hinamizawa and being a ManipulativeBitch, ''nothing'' is known about Nomura. And that's probably for the better, because given her actions in [[spoiler:the ''Outbreak'' OVA AlternateUniverse]], whatever she was planning to do in the actual ''Higurashi'' canon is perhaps [[YouDoNOTWantToKnow best left to the imagination]]...
* TheReasonYouSuckSpeech: Gives this out in Ayakashisenshi-hen after learning of Takano's failure to defeat Rika and Satoko and take over Hinamizawa.
-->''"Takano Miyo, you talked a big game, but you were a foolish girl. The duty of the generals was too heavy for you."''
* TreacherousAdvisor: [[spoiler:Nomura is clearly only working with Takano until she can ruin the Alphabet Project and make off with the Hinamizawa Syndrome - which would ultimately ruin Takano in turn.]]
* WalkingSpoiler: As the one who leads [[spoiler:Takano]] down the path to being the BigBad, she is this by itself.
* [[ManBehindTheMan The Woman Behind the Woman]]: [[spoiler:To Miyo Takano. A seldom seen female-to-female version of the trope.]]
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Tetsurou Okonogi]]
!!Tetsurou Okonogi
!!!Voiced by: Creator/JurotaKosugi (JP - drama CD, anime), Creator/KenNarita (JP - games)
[[quoteright:200:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/higu_okonogi_6950.png]]

[[MemeticMutation Beware the Gardeners, for they are Anonymous, and they are Legion!]] ... They are actually called the Yamainu ("Jackals" or "Mountain Dogs", depending on the translation), but they look more like janitors than anything else. Headed by Okonogi, they serve as TheMenInBlack for the majority of the arcs.
----
* AdaptationalNiceGuy: A mild example of it in one scene in the anime when compareed to the visual novel: [[spoiler: in the visual novel, he actually attempts to shoot and kill Takano himself when she refuses to commit suicide, but gets stopped by the Banken and Takano seizes the opportunity to flee. In the anime, he just shoots near her to scare her into fleeing, remarking to himself that he's going soft before turning himself in to the Banken.]]
* AnimalThemeNaming: Despite being called the Jackals, titles within the organization are bird-themed.
* BloodKnight: He's eager to put his combat skill into use, and laments that he ended up in a covert unit.
* CombatPragmatist: As befitting of a special operations unit that doesn't specialize in tactics, the Mountain Dogs tend to use trickery and dirty tactics to win.
* TheDragon: To [[spoiler:Takano]].
* DragonWithAnAgenda: Holds a deep-seated contempt for [[spoiler:Takano]] and considers her an incompetent commander. By the end of ''Matsuribayashi'', he and his men don't even bother paying lip-service to obeying her and just flat-out ignore her orders (which, to be fair, were completely outrageous by that point given how badly the Mountain Dogs had lost the battle). [[spoiler:He also receives periodic private messages from Nomura, which eventually leads to him betraying Takano and telling her she can either kill herself or he'll do it instead.]]
* EvilerThanThou: [[spoiler:Okonogi reveals to Takano that she was just being used by Tokyo, then tells her [[YouHaveOutlivedYourUsefulness to commit suicide.]]]]
* GovernmentConspiracy: [[spoiler:He and the Mountain Dogs are the primary enforcers of Tokyo and their plans involving Hinamizawa Syndrome.]]
* GracefulLoser: When he and the Mountain Dogs are defeated, he treks up the mountain with what is left of his company to pay his congratulations and respects to the enemy leader, Mion. [[spoiler:He requests - and receives - a personal duel in hand-to-hand combat with her to fulfill his sense of honour, and when he ultimately is defeated, he heads back down the mountain over Takano's objections.]]
* InformedAbility: [[spoiler:Okonogi loses to a teen girl in hand to hand combat. Losing to Akasaka can be forgiven, but Mion is stretching it. He's also completely outmaneuvered tactically throughout the chapter. It's stated the Yamainu are actually a surveillance organization above everything else. So there's adequate reason to suspect their supposed "prowess" in other areas (combat, tactics, etc.) is mostly bluster. It's also implied that he [[ILetYouWin intentionally let Mion toss him around]] to atone for failing his mission and men.]]
* KarmaHoudini: If we assume that he and ''Umineko'''s Okonogi are the same person, that would mean he received little to no punishment after the story. However, that would also mean that he may have [[HeelFaceTurn turned over a new leaf]], as he's ([[MindScrew in the true path, at least]]) shown to be on Ange's side.
* KnowWhenToFoldEm: In ''Matsuribayashi'', he recognizes the battle as lost long before Takano does, at which point he more or less stops following her orders and lets the battle play out to its inevitable conclusion.
* TheMenInBlack: [[spoiler:He and the Mountain Dogs fill this role, posing as gardeners to allay suspicion. Should anything happen to Rika, they are tasked with executing Emergency Manual 34, which involves gassing the entire village to contain a potential disaster.]]
* TheStrategist: Actually shows a somewhat realistic appraisal of the Mountain Dogs' situation in ''Matsuribayashi'', claiming that they would need substantially more men and/or artillery and air support to ensure victory given the enemy's familiarity with the terrain and defensive position. He also recognizes the hopelessness of their fight long before anyone else when the battle starts going badly.
* WalkingSpoiler: It's basically impossible to talk about his role in the story without understanding 90% of the actual answers to the mystery of the entire series.
* TheWorfEffect: [[spoiler:They consistently fail in ''Matsuribayashi.'' By the end, the entire unit has lost to a bunch of children and Okonogi himself has lost to Akasaka and later Mion in a curbstomp battle despite supposedly being an expert in hand to hand combat. To be fair though, he wasn't exactly in his best shape, since he and his men were already exhausted after walking in the mountains for hours, and it's heavily implied that he intentionally lost to the latter.]]
* WorthyOpponent: [[spoiler:He considers Mion to be this.]]
* YouHaveOutlivedYourUsefulness: [[spoiler:Okonogi gives Takano this treatment when he realizes things aren't going their way. Presumably she doesn't fare any better on other sequences. Strangely enough, this surprises her despite the fact that she knew it would happen ''even if she won.'']]
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Oyashiro-sama]]
!!Oyashiro-sama
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/826b69fe_3fb2_4de2_87e6_53cba3b57591.png]]

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.
----
* AmbiguousGender: Oyashiro's gender is used very mysteriously, at least until until TheReveal that [[spoiler:Oyashiro is actually a girl. No one in Hinamizawa barring Rika knew the god they worshipped was actually a goddess, most likely due to Oyashiro's legend becoming distorted over hundreds of years]]. And it was foreshadowed as early as the first novel, [[spoiler:with Keiichi deducing that the breath on him was coming from a girl]].
* BigBad: Pretty much everyone points to him as the cause of the mysterious murders in Hinamizawa. He turns out to be [[spoiler:[[DiscOneFinalBoss not responsible]]. And [[SamusIsAGirl not a guy]].]]
* CorruptChurch: [[spoiler:The practice is the problem, not the deity.]]
* DeityOfHumanOrigin: [[spoiler:Was originally human, as revealed in Hanyu's backstory.]]
* DiscOneFinalBoss: [[spoiler:Turns out Miyo Takano was just pretending to be Oyashiro-sama]].
* EldritchAbomination: A black, shadowy deity with the power to make people dissapear and go crazy. Sounds like your typical [[Creator/HPLovecraft Lovecraft]] villain. [[spoiler:[[GoodAllAlong She’s not.]]]]
* GodIsEvil: [[spoiler:Subverted with the true nature of Oyashiro-sama.]]
* HiddenVillain: One of the big mysteries is who or what exactly he is. TheReveal is... complicated.
* MeaningfulName: "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.
* ObviouslyEvil: The few times Oyashiro appears before his true identity is revealed, it’s as a sinister black shadow with glowing eyes (as seen above). [[spoiler:[[SubvertedTrope When she does show up]], [[DarkIsNotEvil well...]]]]
* OurGodsAreDifferent: Since ''Higurashi'' is a Japanese work, Oyashiro-sama takes inspiration from the many gods that exist in Shintoism, namely by being a localized god that's only worshiped by those who live in Hinamizawa. However, the way Oyashiro-sama is worshiped goes into ReligiousHorror.
* ReligiousHorror: The worship of Oyashiro-sama is a form of anti-Shinto. Worshiping Oyashiro-sama originally involved {{Human Sacrifice}}s and ritualized disembowelment; not only is this cruel and violent, but also highly blasphemous against Shinto beliefs since shedding blood in a religious context is considered taboo. In the present day, this has been replaced by the Cotton-Drifting Festival, which involves ripping cotton out of a large futon to imitate gouging out a human's intestines. [[spoiler:Oyashiro-sama herself is not very fond of it.]]
* UltimateEvil: [[spoiler:Subverted heavily by Hanyu's [[SilentScapegoat true nature.]]]]
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Frederica Bernkastel]]
!!Frederica Bernkastel
[[quoteright:230:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Frederica__9893.jpg]]

A mysterious figure in the ''Higurashi'' universe, author of a series of poems ([[http://forums.animesuki.com/showthread.php?t=31811 fan translated version]]) ([[Trivia/HigurashiWhenTheyCry 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 WildMassGuessing 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.
\\\
It is unclear whether she and [[VisualNovel/UminekoWhenTheyCry the Witch of Miracles Bernkastel]] are the same entity or not.
----
* AmbiguouslyEvil: [[spoiler:In an alternate ending, Frederica prevents the death of Miyo's parents at the end of Matsuribayashi-hen, giving her a happy ending as well. Which means she won't end up screwing up everyone's life in the future, except for the fact that the village is doomed if Miyo never comes. And this may well have been her intent. That act is possibly responsible for the "Dice Killing" chapter of Rei. If she and ''Umineko'''s Bernkastel aren't the same, then she [[UnwittingInstigatorOfDoom is indirectly responsible for the "birth" of "Trollkastel" and all the havoc that ensues.]]]]
* BreakingTheFourthWall: In the games, Frederica will directly address the player, a habit she/her {{Expy}} carries over to ''Umineko''.
* DemotedToExtra: The anime only includes one appearance by Frederica, and none of her poems. Rika also mentions her in Rei.
* HimeCut: Since she's identical to Rika [[spoiler:due to being the amalgamation of the versions of her that died]], Frederica has Rika's hairstyle with the straight full bangs, bra strap-length sidelocks, and waist-length straight hair.
* LiteralSplitPersonality: [[spoiler:One of the prevailing theories about Frederica's creation is that she was a culmination of hopeless Rikas that were somehow separated from her consciousness after ''Tsumihoroboshi-hen'', wherein Rika gave up on fighting fate after Keiichi's valiant efforts [[HopeSpot still didn't end the time loops]]. Like ''Umineko'''s Bernkastel was born of [[EnemyWithout Rika's death and torment being purged from her soul]], Higurashi's Frederica may have been born by Rika crossing the DespairEventHorizon. [[HilariousInHindsight Which means the mistaken theories of her being an adult Rika might have been more true than previously thought.]]]]
* MeaningfulName: "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." It doesn't help that in the ''Minagoroshi'' sound novel, she talks about [[MindScrew "us, Rika Furude"]].
* MeaningfulRename: In ''Saikoroshi-hen'', Rika muses that [[spoiler:she's really a separate person from the Rika Furude of ''Saikoroshi-hen'''s world - and by extension, the Rika Furude who existed before the time loops. Rika decides that if she's not truly Rika she should call herself something else. [[LineOfSightName She then looks at a bottle of Bernkastel wine...]]]]
* ReallySevenHundredYearsOld: Actually, like Rika, she's quit counting her age.
[[/folder]]

!Characters Not Adapted in the Anime
[[folder:Tomoe Minai]]
!!Tomoe Minai
!!!Voiced by: Nana Inoue (JP)
[[quoteright:171:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/minai_tomoe.png]]

A detective who investigates the curse of Oyashiro and the gas disaster. 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.
----
%%* FairCop
* InspectorJavert: Similar to Ooishi, [[spoiler:and just as similarly proven to in fact be right]] in those situations.
* PromotionToParent: Became this to her younger sister Madoka after their father`s death.
* PursuingParentalPerils: Both she and her sister Madoka work with the police department. Their father was killed in the course of duty as a police officer.
%%* SeekerArchetype
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Natsumi Kimiyoshi]]
!!Natsumi Kimiyoshi
!!!Voiced by: Creator/KaoriMizuhashi (JP)
[[quoteright:224:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/natsumi_matsuri2_3177.png]]

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.
----
* AccidentalMurder: [[spoiler:The initial killing of her grandmother was actually an accident on Natsumi's part when she shoved her grandmother away and she hit her head on the table. The subsequent chopping the corpse into pieces was... less of an accident]].
* BloodSplatteredInnocents: Happens to Natsumi ''three times''. [[spoiler:Subverted, because her bloodiness is eventually used to prove that she's not so innocent after all]].
* ChastityCouple: Kinda. It's actually kind of a mix of this and CitizenshipMarriage in Onisarashi-hen's epilogue. Though Natsumi and Akira did start a relationship [[spoiler:before Natsumi's murder spree]], Akira confirms in the epilogue that he can't really say he loves her anymore. At the same time, though, he's certainly devoted to the extent that very few other people would be. [[spoiler:He tries for five years to track her down, forcibly separates her from the abusive circumstances she ended up in, and then marries her to separate her from the baggage and legacy of the Kimiyoshi surname. He attempts briefly to live with her, but finds that she's too emotionally broken for that, so he provides for her to go to a mental institution where she can further recover]]. Oh yeah, and he also takes the blame for [[spoiler:Natsumi's murder spree]] to try and keep that guilt away from her. Not that she buys it. If that's not love and devotion, it's difficult to say what is.
* ContinuityCameo: In the original ([=PS2=]) Miotsukushi-hen, she pops up briefly as a nod to people who had read Onisarashi-hen. Her role is expanded in the subsequent (DS and [=PS3=]) releases of that arc.
* CountryMouse: Okinomiya is a bigger town than Hinamizawa, but this sort of dynamic still plays pretty strongly when she moves to the city.
* DrivenToSuicide: [[spoiler:Someutsushi-hen only.]]
* ExpositoryHairstyleChange: Miotsukushi-hen in the DS rendition. Also somewhat used in the Onisarashi-hen manga.
* GirlishPigtails: Combined with OdangoHair.
* {{Hammerspace}}: In Onisarashi-hen, after she's taken to the hospital after [[spoiler:the murder of her entire family]], she talks with Akira, Chisato, and Tamako in her hospital bed. Chisato and Tamako take her up to the roof where they do her hair. Akira later comes up and has a very difficult conversation with her, in the middle of which [[spoiler:she stabs him with a knife that somehow shows up in her hand]]. Unless the hospital's in the habit of leaving [[spoiler:knives]] around near the hospital beds, {{Hammerspace}} is the only explanation.
** ... She clearly grabs a knife that was left after her friends cut cake.
* ICantBelieveAGuyLikeYouWouldNoticeMe: Before Akira admits he likes her too, her apparently UnrequitedLove was largely full of this dynamic.
* IAmAMonster: [[spoiler:At the end of Someutsushi-hen]]. Ends about as well as [[spoiler:Shion's]].
* LoveMakesYouCrazy: [[spoiler:Her entire episode of Hinamizawa Syndrome is triggered when she freaks out about Akira seeing paper cut-outs in front of her house intended to ward off evil]].
* MadwomanInTheAttic: [[spoiler:For five years as explained in Onisarashi-hen's epilogue, before Akira moves her to a proper mental institution where she's able to recover more fully]].
* MurderSuicide / SuicidePact: She tries to [[spoiler:force Akira into a joint suicide]] in Someutsushi-hen. It doesn't go exactly to plan.
* MyGodWhatHaveIDone: "Help me... Toudou... he... [[ItsAllMyFault It was my fault...]]!"
* NeverMyFault: She actually spends [[spoiler:her last words]] in Someutsushi-hen [[spoiler:blaming Akira]], presumably for [[spoiler:her own death]], although possibly referring to [[spoiler:her entire episode of Hinamizawa Syndrome]].
* NewTransferStudent: Leads to a lot of her angst, as she isn't terribly settled in the city, and after the [[spoiler:Hinamizawa Gas Disaster]] occurs, one of her big driving motivations is to prevent others from thinking of her and her family as one of those weird Hinamizawans.
* OdangoHair: Two big buns that the author added to make her look a little less plain than the first designs for her.
* TheOphelia: In Onisarashi-hen's epilogue. She never gets over the guilt from [[spoiler:having killed her parents and attempting to kill Akira. After a failed attempt at living with some other relatives who consider her cursed and a failed attempt at living with Akira, she winds up institutionalized, although Akira comes to visit her regularly]].
* RapunzelHair: The odango should be a clue, but you actually get to see her hair loose in the DS version of Miotsukushi-hen, and it is very long.
* RoomFullOfCrazy: The room with all of the seals [[spoiler:that she's locked into by her relatives during the epilogue, in order to protect to relatives from "Oyashiro-sama's curse"]]
* SavvyGuyEnergeticGirl: Appears to become the Energetic Girl to Akira's Savvy Guy in Onisarashi-hen's epilogue. Although once you scratch beneath the surface, the relationship's a bit more complicated than that.
* SelfMadeOrphan: [[spoiler:To repeat, she murders her entire family]].
* ShoutOut: In the PSP game Higurashi Day Break, her charge move looks alot like what Sekai does to Makoto in the finale of the VisualNovel/SchoolDays anime.
%%* ShrinkingViolet
* SympatheticMurderer: [[spoiler:Thanks to FakeMemories and TraumaInducedAmnesia]], her killing [[spoiler:her mom]] looks like this. [[spoiler:The reality is a little different]].
* TearsOfBlood: [[spoiler:In Someutsushi-hen, once she begins [[ClawingAtOwnThroat Clawing At Her Own Throat]]]].
* TemptingFate: When Akira tells her he wants to learn more about her, she says among other things that her favorite movies are those with happy endings. Yeah, Natsumi, that's gonna work out real great for you in the [[KillEmAll When They Cry series]]. [[spoiler:She actually manages to pull off a happy ending in some of her arcs, but most of them are [[BittersweetEnding Bittersweet]] or [[DownerEnding Downers]]]]. In fact, [[spoiler:only in Miotsukushi-hen that she managed to do so.]]
* TraumaCongaLine: 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, [[spoiler:She was the one who murdered her family]]. Also, her [[spoiler:attempted murder of Akira, though at that point, she was already pretty well off the deep end]].
* TraumaInducedAmnesia: [[spoiler:complete with FakeMemories]]
* UnreliableNarrator: Half of Onisarashi-hen - and by extension Someutsushi-hen - is simply [[spoiler:FakeMemories she created to repress her own guilt for having been the one to murder her family]].
* VillainProtagonist: [[spoiler:She murders her whole family and tries to stab Akira as well]].
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Akira Toudou]]
!!Akira Toudou
!!!Voiced by: Creator/SatoshiHino (JP)
[[quoteright:207:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/todo_akira.png]]

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.
----
* TheCaretaker: [[spoiler:To Natsumi in Onisarashi-hen's epilogue.]]
* ChastityCouple: Kinda. It's actually kind of a mix of this and CitizenshipMarriage in Onisarashi-hen's epilogue. Though Natsumi and Akira did start a relationship [[spoiler:before Natsumi's murder spree]], Akira confirms in the epilogue that he can't really say he loves her anymore. At the same time, though, he's certainly devoted to the extent that very few other people would be. [[spoiler:He tries for five years to track her down, forcibly separates her from the abusive circumstances she ended up in, and then marries her to separate her from the baggage and legacy of the Kimiyoshi surname. He attempts briefly to live with her, but finds that she's too emotionally broken for that, so he provides for her to go to a mental institution where she can further recover]]. Oh yeah, and he also takes the blame for [[spoiler:Natsumi's murder spree]] to try and keep that guilt away from her. Not that she buys it. If that's not love and devotion, it's difficult to say what is.
* CoolDownHug: [[spoiler:To Natsumi. Subverted.]]
* DespairEventHorizon: [[spoiler:At the end of]] Someutsushi-hen, he looks like he's probably crossed it. [[spoiler:His final words in the arc are him telling Natsumi's corpse that it's OK because everything that had just happened was just a dream. The narration then goes on to say that he would prefer to just fall asleep like that with Natsumi and escape the dream]].
* FailureToSaveMurder: Akira seems to consider himself to have done this to [[spoiler:Natsumi]] at the end of Someutsushi-hen because when she went crazy, he couldn't bring himself to accept her and before things got out of hand, he tried not to talk with her about what might be bothering her. [[ItsAllMyFault How fair this assessment is isn't directly addressed.]]
* LoveMartyr: [[spoiler:Even after she tries to kill him, he's still either pledging his love to her or crying over her dead body right until the end]].
* LoveRedeems: His last-minute usage of ThePowerOfLove [[spoiler:saved both him and Natsumi]] in [[AlternateUniverse one version only]].
* OneSteveLimit: 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.
* TheQuietOne: 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 NotSoStoic [[DespairEventHorizon anymore]].
* SavvyGuyEnergeticGirl: Appears to become the Savvy Guy to Natsumi's Energetic Girl in Onisarashi-hen's epilogue. Although once you scratch beneath the surface, the relationship's a bit more complicated than that.
%%* SingleWomanSeeksGoodMan
%%* SugarAndIcePersonality
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Riku Furude]]
!!Riku Furude
!!!Voiced by: Creator/TomokazuSeki (JP)
[[quoteright:160:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/furude_riku.png]]

Hanyu's husband in her past life as human.
----
* FamilyThemeNaming: His name is Rike and Rika is his direct descendant.
* ForgottenFirstMeeting: [[spoiler:Hanyu rescued Riku while he was still a baby from a house burned by "half-blood" (implied to be those infected by the syndrome) but they do not meet again until he had grown into a young man.]]
* InterspeciesRomance: With Hanyu. [[spoiler:He was a human and she was a demon in human form.]]
* {{Keigo}}: He spoke politely at all times, and taught it to Hanyuu so she'd sound more feminine.
* MayflyDecemberRomance: With Hanyu. [[spoiler:She was from a LongLivedRace of demons and she met him when he was still a ''baby''.]]
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Ouka Furude]]
!!Ouka Furude
!!!Voiced by: Creator/YukariTamura (JP)
[[quoteright:160:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/furude_oka.png]]

Hanyu and Riku's only daughter.
----
* FamilyThemeNaming: Both her name and Rika's use a type of flower for the first character and share the final character "ka."
* HalfHumanHybrid: [[spoiler:Half-demon.]]
* HimeCut: She has blunt bangs, cheek-length sidelocks, and hip-length straight hair. Like her descendant Rika, Ouka was the daughter of a Shinto Priest of the Furude Shrine where she served as a {{Miko}}.
* {{Matricide}}: [[spoiler:She sacrifices her mother, Hanyu, in a ritual to atone for the village's sins.]]
* {{Miko}}: Much like Rika, Ouka served as one as her father was the priest of the Furude Shrine.
* OlderThanSheLooks: Interesting to say that near the end of Kotohogushi-hen, she physically looks like a beautiful teenage girl if the same thing counts for Rika if she survives to the bitter end but it's confirmed she's 20 as Hanyu met her at the age of 10. The same length of years after [[spoiler:Riku's tragic death.]]
* YouGottaHaveBlueHair: She had blue hair like Rika, but in a slightly lighter shade of purple.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Chisato Saeki and Tamako Makimura]]
!!Chisato Saeki and Tamako Makimura
!!!Voiced by: Creator/EriKitamura (JP - Chisato, ''Kizuna''), Creator/RinaSato (JP - Chisato, ''Sui'') Creator/YukariFukui (JP - Tamako)

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.
----
* BrainyBrunette: Tamako. Really, her hair's purplish, but Natsumi (although her hair's greenish-blonde) actually fits [[ShyBlueHairedGirl that trope]] better, and Tamako overall fits this one better, especially since [[HairColorDissonance the purple's pretty darn close to black]].
* BlushSticker: One of Chisato's standard expressions in the DS.
* ChildhoodFriendRomance: Chisato apparently used to have a crush on Akira, her childhood friend.
* DeadpanSnarker: Tamako.
* FieryRedhead: Chisato
* GirlishPigtails: Chisato
* LesbianJock: Chisato.
* MeaningfulName: 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.
* PluckyComicRelief: Chisato in spades.
* RomanticTwoGirlFriendship: Chisato has a bunch of jokes toward this with Natsumi
* ThrowTheBookAtThem: Tamako wields one against Chisato a few times when trying to get her to quit overwhelming Natsumi in the console arcs.
* ThoseTwoGuys: Particularly in Onisarashi-hen, they're hardly ever seen without each other.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Akira Otobe]]
!!Akira Otobe
!!!Voiced by: Creator/KoukiMiyata (JP)
[[quoteright:160:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/otobekizuna.png]]

A boy who wanders into Hinamizawa 23 years the events of Tsumihoroboshi-hen occur ([[BadFuture 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 [[IdenticalStranger Satoshi]].
----
%%* DontGoInTheWoods
%%* IdenticalStranger
%%* LovableCoward
* OneSteveLimit: 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.
* SuicidePact: [[spoiler:Was about to do one, but got scared and left at the last minute]].
* TechnicolorEyes: Pink eyes, just like Satoshi and Satoko.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Ryunosuke Arakawa]]
!!Ryunosuke Arakawa
!!!Voiced by: Creator/TomoakiMaeno

A reporter who goes to Hinamizawa in order to investigate some of the rumors of what happened there over 20 years ago.
----
* GoingForTheBigScoop: "I'll go just because they say [[DontGoInTheWoods not to go in June]]. I'll write an article for the readers who are not afraid of danger. This is journalism, right!"
* IntrepidReporter: He reports on the paranormal. Hinamizawa is his most recent assignment, which he was actually initially discouraged from, as you can see by the above quote.
* PermaStubble: One of the few characters in this series drawn with [[http://vignette3.wikia.nocookie.net/whentheycry/images/c/cf/Ryuunosuke_Arakawa.jpg/revision/latest?cb=20090510085803 clearly visible stubble]].
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Yae Towada]]
!!Yae Towada
!!!Voiced by: Creator/RyokoShintani (JP)

A woman who decided to visit Hinamizawa with her boyfriend, Takumi, where she meets Otobe.
----
* ComfortingComforter: [[spoiler:Subverted once you find out that the reason she covered him like that was to make it look like he was sleeping, when he was actually ''dead'']].
%%* CurtainsMatchTheWindow
%%* DomesticAbuse
* MyGodWhatHaveIDone: [[spoiler:Yae feels no remorse for killing Takumi until Mion proves to her that he intended to get a real job and turn over a new leaf by speaking to him from beyond the grave and finding an employee's notice on his body.]]
%%* SympatheticMurderer
%%* UnreliableNarrator
%%* YouGottaHaveBlueHair
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Takumi Kurosawa]]
!!Takumi Kurosawa
!!!Voiced by: Creator/AkiraIshida

A man who accompanied his girlfriend, Yae, on an outing to Hinamizawa. Early on, it is established that he is rather abusive to his girlfriend.
----
* TheAtoner: [[spoiler:Yae never realized this until it was too late.]]
* BeautifulDreamer: With Towada
* DeadMansChest: [[spoiler:His body is found shoved in a closet under some sheets]].
%%* DesperatelyLookingForAPurposeInLife
%%* DomesticAbuse
%%* JerkWithAHeartOfGold
%%* PosthumousCharacter
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Miyuki Sorimachi]]
!!Miyuki Sorimachi
!!!Voiced by: Creator/MiyukiSawashiro (JP)

A freelance writer who appears in the DS rendition of Yoigoshi-hen, accompanying Otobe and everyone else.
----
* FairCop: [[spoiler:She's actually a detective investigating Hinamizawa]].
* GenerationXerox: She grew up to do the exact same type of job as her father, one [[spoiler:Mamoru Akasaka]].
* TheGunslinger: Her favored weapon when she needs to fight is a handgun.
* IntrepidReporter: [[spoiler:Her cover]].
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Nagisa Ozaki]]
!!Nagisa Ozaki
!!!Voiced by: Mayako Nigo (JP)

A childhood friend of Rena's from Ibaraki. She appears in Tokihogushi-hen. She helps with Tomoe's investigation into Rena's case.
----
* HeKnowsTooMuch: The reason she is [[spoiler:kidnapped]].
* YouGottaHaveBlueHair: Bright blue, in this case.
[[/folder]]

!! ''Higurashi Hou'' Characters (Warning: '''Spoilers''' ahead)
[[folder:Princess Tamura of Life (Tamura-Hime no Mikoto)]]
!!Tamura
!!!Voiced by: Creator/YoshinoNanjo
[[quoteright:182:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/tamurahime_no_mikoto_kizuna.png]]

A woman introduced in ''Higurashi Hou''. Has feathered wings in a similar posistion to Hanyu's horns.
----
* FantasticRacism: She thinks very poorly of demons outside of her clan, such as Hanyū.
* GoodWingsEvilWings: [[spoiler:Has black demonic wings]].
* GreaterScopeVillain: [[spoiler:Of ''Hou''. Due to certain drops, there's hint's she's such in the main series as well]].
* HonorBeforeReason: [[spoiler:She knew the whole time that Une was the biggest threat, but refused to tell Hanyu about it because Hanyu once ate an offering given to Tamura.]]
* NeverMyFault: She is very quick to blame Hanyū for [[spoiler:allowing the threat of Une to grow as much as it did]], even though the onus was on Tamura to warn Hanyū about it and she didn't because of a petty grudge.
* RedEyesTakeWarning: [[spoiler:First sign of her true colors.]]
* WeWouldHaveToldYouBut: [[spoiler:She's still mad at Hanyu for eating one of her offerings.]]
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Une]]
!!Une
!!!Voiced by: Creator/AyaSuzaki
[[quoteright:160:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/une_kizuna_casual.png]]

A girl introduced in ''Higurashi Hou''.
----
* AndThenWhat: [[spoiler:Rena asks Une what she planned to do after devouring everyone on Earth, pointing out that the only thing she could do was head for the next planet with life on it, and think how long that would take.]]
* BitchInSheepsClothing: [[spoiler:An even bigger one than Takano and Nomura.]]
* DisproportionateRetribution: [[spoiler:She claims that she just wanted to live in a little piece of land, but Tamura refused to let her do so. So Une decided to release her virus and kill everyone on Earth. ''Wow''.]]
* {{Expy}}: She seems very similar to [[spoiler:Sumire/Reiko]] from ''Manga/HiganbanaNoSakuYoruNi''.
* GreaterScopeVillain: [[spoiler:One of two in ''Hou'']].
* HumanAliens: [[spoiler:She came to Earth from outer space.]]
* KillEmAll: [[spoiler:If her virus is released.]]
* SlasherSmile: [[spoiler:She wouldn't be a ''Franchise/WhenTheyCry'' villain without one.]]
* VerbalTic: Like to use "super" a lot.
* WalkingSpoiler: As you can see by how many spoilers there are here.
[[/folder]]

* CurtainsMatchTheWindow: Their hair and eyes are green.

* NoblewomansLaugh: "Oh ho ho ho!"

* TimeMaster: [[spoiler:She can stop time primarily in the manga version, though it is only really good for speaking because when she stops time not only do bullets stop moving, but so do people. She's also the one responsible for sending Rika back in time each time.]]

* UnusuallyUninterestingSight: Subverted. The games reveal that everyone ''did'' notice her horns but avoided mentioning them because they either were [[IgnoreTheDisability too polite]], [[FreakyIsCool they liked them]] or they thought they were some kind of accessory.

* DrivenByEnvy: She holds buried resentment toward her family for being TheUnfavourite, and ostracizing and possibly doing away with Satoshi. In ''Meakashi-hen'' [[spoiler:when Mion cries to her about Keiichi not viewing her as girly enough to give her a doll he won, the "demon" in her reawakened out of frustration that only Mion gets to interact with the guy she likes, while her crush Satoshi is nowhere to be found. After torturing to death several people who she believes made Satoshi suffer, she gleefully tells a devastated Mion that she's going to capture and torture Keiichi, not because he'd wronged Satoshi (he'd never even met the guy), but [[RevengeByProxy just to subject Mion to the agonised screams of the guy she likes]] before killing her too.]]

* EasilyForgiven: [[spoiler:While still believing her to be Mion, Keichi and Rena listen to Shion admit that she murdered Rika and Satoko. They literally forgive her immediately for this and still consider her to be their beloved friend. It's...weird. She's actually appalled at how readily they accept their friend "Mion" being a murderous psycho, but Keiichi decides as she's about to start torturing him that she must be under DemonicPosession, which Shion herself believes is motivating her behavior.]]

* IveComeTooFar: In Meakashi-hen. [[spoiler:After she kills Satoko, she realizes that she forgot her promise to Satoshi to protect his little sister, but she felt it was already too late to atone and she had no choice but to continue her murderous rampage. Later, as she's about to kill Mion, her sister desperately tries to convince her that the Sonozakis have nothing to do with the annual curses. Shion briefly considers that she may have just killed a lot of innocent people for no reason... then just laughs it off as Mion trying to ruin her RoaringRampageOfRevenge, decides that she's become too much of a demon to be swayed by Mion's tears anymore, and makes her fall to her death.]]

* HoistByHerOwnPetard: [[spoiler:She attempts to inject Shion with Hinamizawa Syndrome medication in Meakashi, but Shion ends up overpowering her and injecting it into Rika herself, which leaves her too ill to do anything but kill herself to avoid a more drawn out death from Shion's torture. She approaches Rena in Tsumihoroboshi with the same needle, she decides that she's not even going to try forcing it into her if she won't accept it.]]

* EvilMatriarch: Her granddaughters call her ''demon granny'', what more do you need to know? Hey! She even has the voice of [[Series/MightyMorphinPowerRangers Rita Repulza]] so why not? [[spoiler:In reality, she's not actually evil, just a JerkWithAHeartOfGold.]]

* MissingMom: She's rarely on screen due to her estrangement.

* HiddenHeartOfGold: Oryou may have come off as an unforgivable cruel lady in the early arcs but she's not without immeasurable kindness when she helps Keiichi and the others [[spoiler:rescue Satoko from her abusive uncle.]] in 'Minagoroshi'. [[spoiler:She stubbornly turned down the Club's appeal to end her ostracization on Satoko, but Rena notes afterward that she never actually seemed mad at Keiichi's hostility. Shortly afterward, Akane gives them Oryou's approval, explaining that her position made her feel like she couldn't just relent without a third party like Keiichi putting pressure on her.]] It's also implied that she really loves Shion despite her harshness on her as it's required for her to put on a tough facade as the head of the Sonozaki family. Matsuribayashi reveals that [[spoiler:she makes ohagi for the dam director's grave every year despite him being public enemy #1 during the dam conflict.]]

A police officer in Okinomiya who assists Ooshi in his investigation.

* StraightMan: He plays the calm ByTheBookCop to Ooshi's BunnyEarsLawyer. Often times being the level-headed {{Foil}} to Ooshi's boistrous antics.
* TheWatson: Ooshi often explains what's on his mind to Kumagai in the process letting the audience know what the police know. It's especially prominent in the TIPS where no protagonists are present for Ooshi to play off of.

A police officer in Okinomiya who assists Ōishi in his investigation.

* TheWatson: Ōishi often explains what's on his mind to Kumagai in the process letting the audience know what the police know. It's especially prominent in the TIPS where no protagonists are present for Ōishi to play off of.