http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Higurashi_no_Naku_Koro_ni-05.jpg
[[caption-width:288:Welcome to Hi[[color:red:na]]mizawa]]

->''Whoever finds this note, please uncover the truth. That's all I ask.''

The year: 1983. When Maebara Keiichi and his family move to the sleepy [[CampbellCountry little rural village]] of Hinamizawa, everything seems peaceful and rustic at first. But Keiichi quickly learns that there is more to the four girls of the school's game club than meets the eye... and more to the town as well. Revelation follows revelation, and brutal murder follows brutal murder in this enigmatic tale told from a variety of viewpoints and scenarios. Just what links the scenarios together?

The first season focuses on the [[DyingLikeAnimals cycles of paranoia and death]] that plague the main characters. The second season, ''Higurashi no [[color:red:Na]]ku Koro Ni Kai'', delves deeper into the causes of the repeating scenarios and their inevitable conclusions and the struggle to [[ScrewDestiny defy fate]]. The third installment, ''Higurashi no [[color:red:Na]]ku Koro ni Rei'', is a series of [=OVAs=] and, rather than a true third season, is simply a collection of side stories.

Higurashi consists of several different story arcs with most arcs beginning similarly but [[AnyoneCanDie ending differently]]. If watched or read out of order, it can raise many questions about what [[AllThereInTheManual is going on]]. See [[TheOtherWiki The Other Wiki's entry]] for Higurashi get the order the manga are supposed to be read in. The anime can be watched in order (episode one first), with Higurashi no [[color:red:Na]]ku Koro ni Kai being season two.

Part of the ''WhenTheyCry'' series of visual novels by 07th Expansion, which also includes ''UminekoNoNakuKoroNi''.

Feel free to check out [[Characters/HigurashiNoNakuKoroNi the character sheet]], the [[WMG/HigurashiNoNakuKoroNi WMG page]], and the [[FanficRecs/HigurashiNoNakuKoroNi Fanfic Recommendations page]].
----
!!Provides examples of:
* ActorAllusion - In the first episode of ''Rei'', this is combined with {{Expy}} and invoked in the form of Chie-sensei pulling out wooden T squares which look a lot like [[{{Tsukihime}} Black Keys]].
** And again in the final episode of ''Rei'', where one of Rena's cutaway fantasy scenes puts Miyo in the role of [[MariaSamaGaMiteru Sachiko Ogasawara.]]
* AdaptationDecay - The first season suffered in conveying the mood of the games--the suspense, mystery, emotion and whatnot. The "killer [[TokenLoli loli]]s" description does not do it justice, though to be fair, it is not entirely inaccurate, either.
** AdaptationDistillation - The manga, on the other hand, does a ''great'' job at capturing the mood.
*** So does the second season.
** Whether the live-action movie is [[AdaptationDecay Adaptation Decay]] or [[AdaptationDistillation Adaptation Distillation]] [[BrokenBase is something the fans can't seem to agree on.]]
* AdaptationDyeJob - Eye variation. Keiichi's eyes are blue in the manga and sound novels, but purple in the anime.
** The live action adaptation movies change everyone's hair colors to a "natural" color.
* AdultsAreUseless - Subverted as an {{Aesop}}.
* AnAesop - A bunch, including: [[{{Nakama}} Stick by your friends]] [[FamilyUnfriendlyAesop no matter what terrible things they do]], and [[ScrewDestiny you can fight fate]] (but if you screw up [[ButterflyOfDoom even slightly]] everyone you care about will probably die a horrible death anyways).
* AgentMulder - Rena isn't the only one who believes in the the Hinamizawa god Oyashiro-sama, but she's definitely the most emphatic about it.
* AllJustADream - [[spoiler:The Dice-Killing Arc of ''Higurashi Rei'']]... OrWasIt?
* AlphabeticalThemeNaming - The Houjou kids are called ''Sato''shi and ''Sato''ko.
** Miyo Takano and Professor Hifumi Takano. Hifumi can be written as 一二三 (123), while Miyo is written as 三四 (34), which continues the sequence. Would be a stretch, except that it's pointed out in the anime when the two characters first meet.
* AlternateContinuity- Onisarashi-hen.
* AncientConspiracy - Or maybe that's just what they ''want'' you to think.
* TheAnimeOfTheGame
* ArcWords - Arguably, "Uso da!" (in the English version as "Liar!"), considering its relevance to the theme and the fact that, whenever someone says it, the world is pretty much doomed.
**"I'm sorry" might fit the definition a little better. Similarly, just about by definition, if a character hears someone else say it, especially if [[TheVoice they can't see the person who says it]], then someone is either about to snap or, more likely, already has. Indeed, the poem at the beginning of Onikakushi-hen underlines the secondary theme through the series of [[TheAtoner atonement]].
* TheAtoner - Keiichi in the appropriately-named Atonement chapter.
* AutomaticallyViolent - Oh heck, let me list the ways...
* AxCrazy - At least one person for most of the first season.
* AxesAtSchool - the end of the first season
* {{Backstory}} - Characters' backstories remain the same in all scenarios, with one exception: Saikoroshi-hen.
* BackupTwin - [[spoiler:The major cause of confusion about the ending of Watanagashi-hen]].
* BeachEpisode- ''Shyness-Exposing Chapter'' in the recently animated adaptation of Higurashi Rei (To be fair, that was more like a Public Pool Episode).
* BecauseDestinySaysSo
* BewareTheNiceOnes - Some of the perceived nice ones have faultier wiring than others.
* BerserkButton - If all the berserk buttons were on a berserk keyboard, then this series is the cat that falls asleep on that keyboard.[[hottip:*:Also, the keyboard is [[IncendiaryExponent on fire.]]]]
* BigBrotherComplex - Keiichi shows a dark version of this one toward Satoko, whereas [[spoiler:Shion plays it a little straighter late in, to the point that Satoko actually starts calling her "Nee-nee."]]
* BigDamnHeroes - Akasaka saving the day. Less seriously, Tomitake/Oishi/Irie (together with Keiichi, the "Heavenly Kings of Darkness") swooping in on ''surfboards'' in the middle of a pool scene to save Keiichi from having his swimsuit removed. Oishi ends up summoning a squad of [[SeriousBusiness fully-armed riot police]] to help, which storms in after their truck bursts through the pool fence.
* BigScrewedUpFamily - The Sonozaki family seems this way initially, but later arcs show that they're not quite as bad as they looked at first.
* {{Bishonen}} - Arguably Satoshi and Keiichi. They are both tall, slender, have delicate features, and ''big'' eyes; as well as being quite handsome.
* {{Bishoujo}} - Just about all of the females.
* BittersweetEnding - The PS2 remake's ''Miotsukushi-hen''. [[spoiler: Basically ends the same way as Matsuribayashi-hen, with one very noticible difference- Hanyuu ''doesn't'' dodge that bullet.]]
* BloodSplatteredInnocents
* BodyguardBetrayal - [[spoiler:The Yamainu were supposed to be protecting Rika, as far as she knew, not killing her]].
* {{Bokukko}} - Both Rika and Hanyuu.
** Satoko almost qualifies, but she uses the neutral (and much more formal) "watakushi".
* BonusEpisode - Accompanying the first season [=DVDs=] was Nekogoroshi-hen (Cat Killing Chapter), a single episode scenario based on a light novel.
* BreakTheCutie - (They're really not picky about who they break, though)
* BrattyHalfPint - Satoko
* CatchPhrase - "''Hau hauu, omochi kaeri!''", "''Nipah~~!''", "''Kana, kana?''"
** The last is lampshaded in the anime's ''Tsumihoroboshi-hen'' during the watergun fight, where her EvilLaugh is [[spoiler:''[=KAAAAAnakanakanakanakanakanakana!=]'']]
* TheCavalry: Akasaka in the final Arc, and later the Banken.
* CheerfulChild - Satoko, Rika ([[spoiler:subverted by her various CreepyChild moments, which become more and more common toward the series' end]]) and, later on, Hanyuu.
* ChekhovsGun - Protagonist Mion constantly carries around a gun in a very visible holster, and, [[spoiler:in a subversion, never, ever uses it. The manga reveals that it's an airsoft gun.]]
** [[spoiler:She did use it in the manga once, though as a joke. And I forget which arc it was.]]
* CliffHanger
* ClingyJealousGirl - Arguably Shion.
* {{Cloudcuckoolander}}: Applies somewhat to Rena, as her thought process is often adorable but weird.
* ComatoseCanary - Satoko in Yakusamashi-hen, and [[spoiler:Mion]] in Taraimawashi-hen.
* CompressedAdaptation
* ConspicuousCG: Don't tell me you ''didn't'' think that watermill stood out...
* CovertPervert - In ''Rei'' Rena seems to have a bit of an attachment towards Keiichi's "equipment", IfYouKnowWhatIMean.
* CrackPairing: In Hirukowashi-hen Rena/Tomitake, [[LesYay Takano/Rena]], Ooishi/Rena (OVA Only), Irie/Rena (Game Only).
* CrapsaccharineWorld
* CreepyTwins - Mion and Shion. The insanity in the first season doesn't hurt, either.
* [[http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/CrowningMoment/HigurashiNoNakuKoroNi Crowning Moment Of Awesome]] - Many times,especially during the answer arcs.
* CrowningMomentOfHeartwarming - The fact that those moments seldomly happen and are a very big contrast in comparison to the very dark atmosphere usually takes them to TearJerker levels.
* CrypticConversation - Happens a lot in the first season.
* ColdBloodedTorture - See NightmareFuelUnleaded.
* CuriosityKilledTheCast - Most strongly [[spoiler:subverted]] in Onikakushi-hen, but a few different arcs have aspects of this. Ironically, the Cat-Killing Chapter is a complete aversion.
* CuteLittleFangs - Satoko, sometimes.
* DarkestHour - Yakusamashi-hen, where [[spoiler:Rika pretty much gives up all hope of changing her fate. ItGetsBetter right after, because the next arc is basically one big HopeSpot.]]
* DeadManWriting
* DeadPersonConversation
* DeadlyDoctor - Despite usually being the first to go along with Tomitake, [[spoiler:Takano Miyo]] is ''not'' harmless. [[spoiler:Well, it's not quite "despite".]]
* DecoyProtagonist - [[spoiler:Keiichi, Akasaka, Shion, Rena and Ooishi.]] In that order.
* DespairEventHorizon - Keiichi is a LaughingMad wreck in an insane asylum in the ending of [[spoiler:Tatarigoroshi-hen]], and all of the abuse he went through in [[spoiler:Watanagashi-hen takes a toll on him until he hallucinates himself into a heart attack]] in a scene that's NightmareFuelUnleaded. In addition, when [[spoiler:Mion]] is found at the end of Taraimawashi-hen, or Satoko in Yakusamashi-hen, she's practically in a vegetative state. [[spoiler:Akira]] is stated to have suffered a Taraimawashi-esque breakdown at the end of of Someutsushi-hen.
* DistantFinale -- Both subverted twice ''and'' played straight. [[spoiler:The first episode in the second season is a "bad end" distant finale; the very end of the final episode has a 'distant finale' that takes place in the ''past''... [[MindScrew sort of]]. There is controversy over whether the woman who talks to little Miyo and thus [[SetRightWhatOnceWentWrong sets right what once went wrong]] is a time travelling adult Rika, or Bernkastel of Umineko, or both, as per the popular theory. ]]
* DrowningMySorrows: [[spoiler:Rika]] drinks wine despite being underage, as seen in the second season. A TIPS in the game confirms that she drinks to get drunk.
* DyingAsYourself (At the very end of Meakashi-hen, [[spoiler:Shion]] has a moment of genuine regret and apologizes to everyone as she falls to her death.)
* DysfunctionJunction - Everyone has a tragic backstory and/or psychological issues, even [[FanNickname Mr. Delicious]]. Satoko and Rika lost their parents (or more). Rena and especially Satoko have psychological issues related to their families; Shion's are related to losing someone she loved in a very torturous experience. There's a reason Keiichi's family had to move. Detective Ooishi lost a close partner and vows revenge. And so forth. Most of these characters reach BreakTheCutie proportions.
* EarlyBirdCameo - [[spoiler:Hanyuu]] in the third episode of ''Kai'' (her actual appearance to the viewers is in ''Minagoroshi-hen'', and her first appearance to the cast, aside from Rika, is halfway through ''Matsuribayashi-hen'') as a ''silhouette'' [[http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Hanyuu_outline.jpg behind Rena and Keiichi]].
** She appears earlier, during the Atonement Chapter, in a manga omake.
* [[spoiler:EarnYourHappyEnding]] - Almost every individual arc has a bad ending[[spoiler:, but the characters do, in the end, manage to stop the chain of deaths]].
* EnsembleDarkHorse - Rena may be the most iconic character, the most commonly related to the show, and her popularity may dwarf the true protagonists', but she's truly relevant in only two chapters. Still, the creator seems to have taken this in stride; see WolverinePublicity.
* EpilepticTrees - If we go by Saikoroshi-hen's continuity (in ''Rei''), Rika mutters to Hanyuu at one point that [[spoiler:she should return to being Rika Furude and stop being the witch [[UminekoNoNakuKoroNi Bernkastel]]]].
* EternalRecurrence
* EvenTheGuysWantHim: Keiichi, to an extent. Mion canonically harbors a crush on him, and it has been hinted several times that Rena likes him too. He's close friends with Rika, Satoko, and Shion, and Satoko looks up to him as a big brother. On the guys side there's a baseball player who fell for his [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SmTNNeTZDYU "K"]] persona in ''HigurashiNoNakuKoroNiKai''. Also, a lot of kids in his class, both male and female, admire him.
* EverybodyLives - Oddly enough, it's an example of AnyoneCanDie, KillEmAll and this one, the rare triple whammy! [[spoiler:But only with the Matsuribayashi ending]].
* EvilLaugh - Over and over and over again, complete with creepy face contortions.
* EvolvingCredits - At first it seems that Rika waves at the viewer in the opening of ''Kai'', but it turns out to be [[spoiler: Hanyuu]]. A somewhat [[NightmareFuel nightmarish]] shot of Hanyuu is added as well.
* ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin - The title roughly translates into ''When the evening-cicadas cry''. Guess what sound you hear throughout the series.
** Also several of the arc names- most notably [[spoiler: Tsumihoroboshi-hen (Atonement Chapter) and Minagoroshi-hen (Massacre Chapter).]]
* {{Expy}} - Chie-sensei, of Ciel-senpai in ''{{Tsukihime}}'', with permission from [[{{Nasuverse}} Type-Moon]]. This is lampshaded in the [[BeachEpisode Pool Episode]] with Chie whipping out imitation Black Keys in the form of wooden T-squares. In fact, this is one of her weapons in the doujin game ''Higurashi Daybreak'', and she can be selected as wearing Ciel's outfit.
* EyesOfGold - Takano, at the very least in the early episodes.
** They're more so brown in the sound novels, and later episodes.
* TheFaceless - The appearanced of Keiichi's parents aren't shown in the novels at all, and in the anime we just get their faces from the mouth down. The manga do show their entire faces, but they conflict with what little we see in the anime; for example, nothing is really notable about the bottom half of Mr. Maebara's face in the anime, but in the ''Onikakushi-hen'' manga, he's got a beret and a Frenchy goatee. And is in much better shape.
** Plus their voices and personalities don't seem to match.
* FaceDeathWithDignity - [[spoiler:Rika, in a particularly disturbing scene, and later, Satoko]].
* FakingTheDead - [[spoiler:Takano every time, Shion in some arcs, and later, Rika]].
* FamilyUnfriendlyAesop - "Stick by your friends, even if they've brutally murdered some adults and are now attempting to blow up the school."
* {{Fangirl}} - Rena goes nuts over anything she thinks is cute, [[{{Squee}} squealing]] and announcing her intention to [[ImTakingHerHomeWithMe take said object of her affection home]]. In the second season, the perpetually-stoned Takano [[http://youtube.com/watch?v=JbgxnQ5O5CQ reveals her terrifying fangirl side]] over the dark legends of Oyashiro-sama).
* FanNickname
**Kuraudo Ooishi to "Mr. Delicious" for his name's similarity to ''oishii'' ("delicious").
**Mion and Shion Sonozaki to a collective "Shmion" for being CreepyTwins and pulling off {{Twin Switch}}es, [[spoiler:including a permanent one when they were little]].
**Miyo Takano to "Droopy-tan" for her perpetually stoned appearance.
**Keiichi Maebara to "K1" for the kanji of his name, which contains the number 1.
**Rena Ryuuguu to "Cleaver Girl" for her iconic WeaponOfChoice.
* FanserviceWithASmile - Shion's work uniform at the Angel Mort Cafe. There's official art with all the other girls wearing it, too.
* FantasticAesop - [[DefiedTrope Defied]] in the last chapter of the OVA-only Dice-killing chapter. When Rika is angsting because she [[spoiler:[[TheWrongRightThing chose what might be the worse world]], Rena tells her about how choosing the kind of world she lives on is something beyond her choice]] and then goes off to deliver a different, valid {{aesop}} about how the multiple tragedies they faced have [[CharacterDevelopment made]] them better people.
* FestivalEpisode (repeatedly)
* AFeteWorseThanDeath - You know that cheerful summertime festival these townspeople have? Well, it wasn't always cotton that they tore up...
* FingerLickinEvil
* FingerTwitchingRevival
* {{Fingore}}
* FlashbackTwist - In one of the latter arcs, the famous Tsumihoroboshi-hen or Atonement Chapter, it is revealed in Keiichi's flashbacks that [[spoiler:it was actually him who was the insane one in the first arc and that Mion and Rena were the sane ones. Poor Rena, offering her arms out to Keiichi even as he's about to bash her head in.]]
* [[spoiler:ForScience]] - The catalyst for many unpleasant things.
* ForWantOfANail - Arguably, the doll in the Watanagashi-hen and Meakashi-hen arcs. [[spoiler:It shows up again, but this time, the choice was the right one.]] In fact, this trope was the point of the parallel arc system used.
* FreakOut: Often. Shion goes through layers of them.
* FridgeBrilliance: It's mentioned extremely early on that [[spoiler: Rika has a lot of skills. Naturally, she's had a very long time to develop them.]]
* AFriendInNeed
* GagDub - The somewhat infamous [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K5UfIRmkv28 Casey & Friends]].
* GaidenGame - ''Higurashi Day[[color:red:b]]reak'', a game done in the style of the GundamVsSeries, specifically Alliance vs. Z.A.F.T.
* {{Gainaxing}} - Shion, but for only one scene in the second season.
**Also, Mion in the first season OVA (Nekogoroshi-hen).
* GasChamber - [[spoiler:The Hinamizawa gas disaster is revealed to be a cover-up for the government implementing this on the village]].
* GasLeakCoverup (see above)
* GettingCrapPastTheRadar - When Rena was [[{{Im Taking Her Home With Me}} taking Hanyuu home with her.]] Her friends tied her up. In bondage rope.
* GhibliHills
* GlurgeAddict
* AGodAmI - [[spoiler: Takano, who wants to achieve a sort of godhood for herself (by reviving the legend of Oyashiro-sama) and for her grandfather (by proving his theories about Hinamizawa Syndrome)]]
** Especially dramatic when you contrast this with the character of the [[spoiler: actual deity in the series, Hanyuu, who is fearful and painfully shy.]]
* GoldDigger - Rina Mamiya. And ''how''.
* GondorCallsForAid - Done ''spectacularly'' in the [[spoiler:Minagoroshi-hen]] arc.
* GoodEyesEvilEyes - Consider for a moment the difference between the main characters' eyes and [[spoiler:Droopy-tan's]]. Also, this one may be at work on [[spoiler:Shion]] at various points. When [[spoiler:Rena]], for instance, goes insane, [[DullEyesOfUnhappiness her eyes just go blank]], and when [[spoiler:Keiichi]] does, [[HellishPupils his pupils shrink]], whereas a lot of times when [[spoiler:Shion]] has an episode, her eyes narrow to an almost grotesque degree.
* GrotesqueCute
* [[spoiler: GroundhogDayLoop]] - One of the major components of the show's premise.
* [[spoiler: HatePlague]] - The other major component of the show's premise.
* HellishPupils - The "cat eyes" in Onikakushi, as well as about ten other different types of iris contortions.
** In the manga, and sound novels, their eyes are often a mix between [[DullEyesOfUnhappiness "depressed"]] eyes, and glowing eyes.
*** Amusingly, the girls also get the glowing eyes and ominous lighting when they're about to inflict some humiliating-but-funny "punishment game" on Keiichi.
* HiddenEyes - Common among the main cast.
* HighOctaneNightmareFuel - A whole ''fucking'' '''lot'''. (Enough to have [[HighOctaneNightmareFuel/HigurashiNoNakuKoroNi its own page]])
** NauseaFuel - often accompanies the NightmareFuel.
* HimeCut - Rika.
* HopeSpot - [[spoiler: Happens in Tsumihoroboshi-hen, which seems like a happy ending at first, but [[ItGotWorse gets worse]] right afterward, leading into the DarkestHour right after that. More notably is, Minagoroshi-hen, which is chock full of them, and though it ends on a [[DownerEnding depressing note]], it renews Rika's hope and shows her how she can change her fate.]]
** [[spoiler: Of course, with Minagoroshi-hen, it can be assumed that most fans weren't fooled. The title essentially MEANS "KillEmAll"]]
* HotBlooded - In the later arcs, many characters exhibit this behaviour (especially Keiichi).
* HoYay - Notable in Keiichi's "K" persona in ''Kai''. On the other side of the fence, the official artwork and such often exploits the fact that, out of the core seven characters, only one of them is a guy for all it's worth.
** There's also a bunch of LesYay between the female cast members. The animators take advantage of this in their anime-only scenes,and official arts, For instance the cover of one of the Tips books and has [[http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/1249390040743s.jpg Rika sharking Satoko’s ass]].
* ThatLierLies - "USO DA!"
* TheHyena
* HyperAwareness - Rena. She figures out exactly how Satoko and Rika got kidnapped because there was an empty bottle of soy sauce on their table, for crying out loud.
** In the game, the empty bottle is stashed away. She still figures it out based on that and their dinner for the day being in the fridge.
* IKnowYouAreInThereSomewhereFight - Between [[spoiler:Keiichi]] and [[spoiler:Rena]] in the end of the first season.
* [=~I'm Taking Her Home With Me!~=]- TropeNamer, uttered by Rena whenever she sees something cute.
* ImprovisedWeapon - Weapon options in ''Higurashi Day[[color:red:b]]reak''.
* ThroughTheEyesOfMadness
* InfantImmortality - Brutally averted, over and over again, in the most horrible manner possible.
* IntertwinedFingers - Hanyuu and Rika do this in the ending credits of ''Kai''.
* IPromisedMyselfIWouldntCry - [[spoiler:Poor Satoko, while she's being tortured to death by Shion.]]
* IWishedYouWereDead - To a near-superpower extent in one arc.
* JumpingOffTheSlipperySlope - Almost every arc starts with something minor or forgivable that gets worse and worse until...
* JustInTime - Happens twice, [[spoiler: The first time is in Minagoroshi-hen, where the rest of the group arrives in time to save Rika and Satoko. It doesn't end well... The second time ends better, with Akasaka arriving just in time to show how much he's been [[TookALevelInBadass level grinding]] in BadAss. And it was [[CrowningMomentOfAwesome awesome.]]]]
* KarmicDeath
* LaughingMad - Rena and Shion get to this point pretty quickly when it's their turns to snap.
* LetsGetDangerous - [[spoiler:When the {{nakama}} finally gets it together, what was a squabbling squad of broken children who were easily preyed upon becomes a tightly-knit unit that resists the HatePlague and completely owns a crack unit of corrupt members of government (with adult help, but even they appeared [[AdultsAreUseless useless]] at first).]]
* LiveActionAdaptation - The films ''Shrill Cries of Summer'' (''Higurashi no Naku Koro ni'') and ''Shrill Cries: Reshuffle'' (''Higurashi no Naku Koro ni Chikai'').
* {{Lolicon}} - Dr. Irie, for Satoko. Not taken seriously.
* LoserSonOfLoserDad: [[spoiler: Satoshi and Satoko, because their parents suppoerted the dam project]]
* LoveAtFirstSight - Shion with Satoshi, essentially. Sure, he defended her from some thugs (while under the impression she was [[TwinSwitch Mion]]), but from there on, save for one strained phone conversation, he's cold and distant with her (which is understandable, given that, at one point, she tries to bash his little sister's head in with a chair because she dares to go around crying after her parents both died and her adoptive guardians abuse her) - and hardly ever speaks with her directly. By the time he learns her real identity and is nice to her then, [[spoiler: he's killed his aunt and has Hinamizawa Syndrome - AKA is completely {{AxCrazy}}]]. Yet Shion [[spoiler: loudly declares that she is -in love with him- before her entire family, is willing to loose a fingernail for him and commits mass-murder because -his death- pushed her over the edge - and at one point considered committing suicide because she wants to "be with him forever".]]
** So, in summary, [[LoveAtFirstSight love at first sight]] [[LoveMakesYouCrazy makes you crazy]].
*** The manga has a lot more interaction between Satoshi and Shion, and describes in much more detail how she fell in love with him. All of which the anime left out, for some weird reason.
** Same with the sound novels to anime.
* LoveTriangle - Keiichi and the ''twins''. Oh yes. [[spoiler:Though it's revealed to be a subversion. Shion was never seriously interested, and she was either doing it to hurt Mion or encourage her to act on her feelings, depending on the timeline.]] In later arcs and ''Higurashi Day[[color:red:b]]reak'', Shion is replaced by Rena.
** The {{Love Triangle}} between Keiichi, Mion, and Rena is hinted as early as Watanagashi-hen in the "doll incident." Ironically, [[spoiler: it is Shion who goes crazy because of it even though it's Mion who is jealous.]]
* {{Lyrical Dissonance}} - Shion and Mion's {{image song}}, Futari no Birthday, is an '''incredibly''' upbeat pop number with '''incredibly''' depressing lyrics. [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s0p4jTZKyI0 Get some of that action here.]]
* MadDoctor - A TIPS in the games notes that [[spoiler:Dr. Irie]] performed psychosurgery on unwilling subjects in the past, and a flashback in the final season of the anime [[spoiler:has him dissecting the brain of a living patient (albeit with persuasion from the BigBad)]]. [[spoiler:Takano]] is a little bit more literally one.
* [[MadScientistsBeautifulDaughter Mad Scientist's Beautiful Daughter]] - Inverted. [[spoiler:Dr. Takano was nice, but Miyo is insane]].
* MafiaPrincess - Mion, although technically she's a yakuza princess.
* {{MIB}} - Beware the Janitors, for they are Anonymous, and they are Legion!
* MilkmanConspiracy - The mastermind behind everything is [[spoiler: some stoned-looking nurse]]?
* MindScrew - In general the whole air of mystery and paranoia (both of which are cleared up in the second season). A specific example - [[spoiler:in the second arc Keiichi finds out that Mion killed a bunch of people. In the fifth arc, we're shown that it was actually ''Shion'' pretending to be Mion.]]
* {{Miko}} - Rika.
* MoodSwinger - Rena.
* MoodWhiplash - Not just the anime itself, but even some of the character image songs get in on this, particularly Rena's.
* MoeMoe - Gone horribly wrong!
* MoralEventHorizon - The Shmion arc is a veritable LensmanArmsRace of dog-raping.
* MultipleReferencePun - The title. The "''naku''" means "to cry" as in both weeping ''and'' an animal making noises. ''Higurashi'' is a type of cicada, but can also mean "everyday life"; the entire title can be translated as "when there is no everyday life."
* MurderedInAPhoneBooth - Subverted: Someone ''is'' killed in a phone booth while trying to give the police information, but investigation showed it was suicide by clawing out one's own throat.
* MyGodWhatHaveIDone - Numerous instances. Keiichi gets one after [[spoiler:beating Rena and Mion to death in Onikakushi-hen, and another one later on when he recalls this during Tsumihoroboshi-hen]], Rena at the end of Tsumihoroboshi-hen, and Shion gets one for all of ten seconds when [[spoiler:she remembers Satoshi asking her to look after Satoko after she murders her]], and then goes on to merrily add two more bodies to her pile.
* {{Nakama}} - ''"[[spoiler:Anyone could have realized this. All we had to do was something this simple! If something awful happens, or if we start doubting each other, or if something painful happens...]] Your {{nakama}}! You have to talk to your {{nakama}}!"''
* NewTransferStudent - Keiichi [[spoiler:and, later, Hanyuu]].
* NoblewomansLaugh - Satoko does this a lot, and always does after pulling off a prank.
* NoExportForYou - Subverted. The original PC games ([[VaporWare sort of]]), the first season of the anime, and the manga are all licensed.
* {{Nosebleed}} - Rena gets this after imagining ripping off Keiichi's swimsuit in ''Higurashi Rei''. "Keiichi's [[UnusualEuphemism furry seal]]... [[CatchPhrase I want to take it home]]!"
** Keiichi also gets one in the last episode of Rei, [[spoiler: thinking of the possibilities the magatama could be used for since the one holding one half (Rena) will fall in love with the person holding the other half.]]
* NotQuiteTheRightThing - If Akasaka finishes helping out in the kidnapping case in Hinamizawa, [[spoiler:his wife dies from falling down the stairs]], something he is able to prevent if he heeds Rika's warning. In addition, arguably Keiichi giving the doll he wins to Rena, as what seems like a kind act [[spoiler:makes Mion sad and leads to the murders in Watanagashi and Meakashi-hen]].
* OffModel: The first season is ''infamous'' for this. Doesn't help that this came to a head during what ''should've'' been a [[spoiler:badass fight scene]] in the ''finale'' (you know, the episode where most series are guaranteed an AnimationBump?).
* OffToBoardingSchool - Shion, as seen in her flashback arc. Her first appearance has her return to Hinamizawa after breaking out.
* OnceIsNotEnough - In Onikakushi-hen, Keiichi shoves Rena to the ground and runs, only to be beaten down by the Almighty Janitors and be unpleasantly awakened by guess who.
* OneHundredPercentCompletion - In Kizuna, the DS adaptation, in each volume, after you finish the arcs, you can go back to complete the situation tree and get alternate endings, as well as unlocking CG pictures and music.
* OnlySaneMan - [[spoiler:[[WiseBeyondTheirYears Rika]], though she hides this behind [[CheerfulChild a very cutesy facade]] out of necessity. This doesn't keep her from [[OracularUrchin from dispensing with wisdom]] when necessary]].
** [[spoiler:Mion]] is this as well. Aside from [[spoiler:Rika]], [[spoiler:she happens to be the only one of the group never to become murderous. This is despite the audience being [[MistakenForMurderer intentionally misled to believe she had in both Onikakushi-hen and Watanagashi-hen]]. Remarkable, too, as she lacked Rika's immunity to the Syndrome.]] It probably helps that she has the most stable and confident personality of the group and, unlike the others, she's devoid of major unresolved trauma.
*** [[spoiler: Although Mion doesn't snap in the continuities we are shown, Rika alludes to alternate worlds in which she does.]]
** Hey, don't forget Keiichi! [[spoiler:Even if it's subverted,]] it's not nice to forget the main character.
*** As previously mentioned, [[spoiler:Keiichi isn't the main character, Rika is]].
* OracularUrchin - Rika, especially during season two.
* OrphanageOfFear - [[spoiler:Miyo Takano (or Miyoko Tanashi)]] is trapped in the orphanage from '''hell''' in [[spoiler:Matsuribayashi-hen's flashback]]. The manga [[HighOctaneNightmareFuel cranks it up several thousand notches.]]
* OurHeroIsDead - Almost every arc, actually, but the shock was most keenly felt by ThisTroper at the end of Onikakushi-hen.
** A better example would be more like, Our [[spoiler:lancer]] is dead, [[spoiler: Where Miyo effectively ends the HopeSpot during Minagoroshi-hen, by shooting Keiichi during his KirkSummation.]]
* OutOfContinues
* PaintingTheFourthWall Okonogi in Rei during the pool episode.
* PantyFighter - Higurashi Daybreak
* ParentalAbandonment - Satoko's parents are dead, and her sometimes-appearing uncle is an abusive alcoholic. Rika doesn't have ''any'' surviving family; the two live together by themselves. Rena's mother ran off with another guy. Shmion's mother is on bad terms with their {{yakuza}} family and seldom shows up, while their father makes one appearance in the second season.
* PlayingAgainstType - [[YukariTamura Tamura Yukari]] as Rika, Horie Yui as Hanyuu and Itou Miki as Takano all appear to be [[PigeonholedVoiceActor the same old, same old]]... but not when you see the characters' ''real'' selves.
* PlayingWithSyringes - [[spoiler:Hinamizawa Syndrome is being tested on the villagers to see if it can create a biological weapon.]] The major irony with this trope being that [[spoiler:just about all literal instances of syringes in the series are either illusory or actually meant to help the protagonists.]]
* PowerOfFriendship - If there was ever a show to which the saying "Friends help you move, best friends help you move bodies" applied, it's this one.
* PowerOfTrust - At least as important to the solution as the PowerOfFriendship, if not more.
* PromotionToOpeningTitles - Hanyuu. Also,[[spoiler:Takano, although, as she's seen as a child in the opening sequence and her face is obscured, you might mistake her for Satoko until it's revealed in the relevant arc]]. A variation occours with [[spoiler:Rika]] who is featured much more prominently in the credits of the second season, as they have run out of {{Decoy Protagonist}}s.
* PromotionToParent - Satoko's brother Satoshi, until he 'transferred out'. Now, Rika and Satoko live alone without guardians.
* PunBasedTitle - ''Hirukowashi-hen'' is named after ''Higurashi Daybreak'', but "''hirukowashi''" means "day-breaking" (like breaking a day into a million pieces, not dawn).
* QuiveringEyes
* TheRashomon - Watanagashi-hen, as with most of the early arcs, is told from Keiichi's point of view. Meakashi-hen revisits this arc from the perspective of Shion.
** Sometimes overlaps with TheKillerInMe.
* RazorApples - Rena sticks a needle in the rice balls she gives to Keiichi.
** [[spoiler:Or so his Hinamizawa syndrome-fueled delusions told him.]]
* ReallySevenHundredYearsOld - Hanyuu [[spoiler:(she ''is'' some sort of god) and the physically preteen Rika]], thanks to the GroundhogDayLoop effect. Unlike Hanyuu and most other examples, the latter's maturity matches her actual age, though this is deliberately hidden so as to not freak people out.
* RefusalOfTheCall - In the Playstation 2 game, if you don't have Keiichi enter any other arcs through their triggers, you end up in Taraimawashi-hen, which basically flogs you for doing this. [[spoiler:And yes, you still die]].
* ReligiousHorror - The origins of the Cotton-Drifting Festival.
* {{Retirony}} - [[spoiler:Subverted in the end, although Ooishi ''really'' pushes it with his big speech in the final arc.]]
* RichBitch - Rina Mamiya
* RoaringRampageOfRevenge - Meakashi-hen is this combined with JumpingOffTheSlipperySlope. [[spoiler:Shion was mainly targeting those who took Satoshi from her... in her eyes, this included Rika (for conspiring with the village head) and Satoko (for receiving the brunt of his attention), along with those who actually were responsible (most of the other people in the village). Keiichi was just targeted to torture Mion.]]
* SanitySlippage - All over the damn place.
* ScrewDestiny - Theme of the second season. [[spoiler:Although Rika had long since given up escaping her death, Keiichi's]] incredible powers of persuasion and determination to destroy fate -- combined with a sequence of minor miracles -- revive her own will to fight against destiny and give both her and Hanyuu the courage to face their fears.
* SelfMadeOrphan - Or at least that's what Ooishi suspects about one character.
** In ''Rei'', it's mentioned in passing that [[spoiler:he was right in the "real" world, but it never happened in ''that'' universe]].
* SeriesMascot: Rena. Quite [[WolverinePublicity easy to]] [[FirstInstallmentWins notice]].
* SeriousBusiness - The club's assorted games usually end up involving {{Hot Blooded}}ness, blackmail, and/or shameless cheating.
** In the mahjong game for PSP and Arcade, winning or losing a game of mahjong is a matter of life and death in Oyashiro-mode.
* SetRightWhatOnceWentWrong - [[spoiler:Every time Rika is killed, Hanyuu takes Rika to the past of an alternate universe to try to solve the mystery again]].
* ShooOutTheClowns - Any given arc generally gets serious (and scary) after the shrine festival. Until then it's usually a chance to show the characters at their cutest.
* ShoutOut - to Studio Deen's own ''MariaSamaGaMiteru'' franchise in ''Rei.''
* ShrinesAndTemples
* SiblingYinYang - Mion and Shion contrast each other, and Irie mentions that before Satoshi "transferred," he and Satoko also had those tendencies.
* SmiteMeOhMightySmiter - In a flashback arc, the villain challenges God to kill them or save them. 'God' then misses with its subsequent lightning bolt, instead vaporizing the neighboring tree and apparently losing the bet.
** The same situation is inverted later in the same arc, when [[spoiler: Hanyuu asks Takano to shoot her and spare the others... and a few seconds later, Takano's last and only bullet goes whizzing past her ear to the tune of a delicious karmic echo.]] A shame so many people mistook it for a {{Deus Ex Machina}}.
*** [[spoiler:The Deus was standing right there--Hanyuu can ''stop time''.]]
*** Actually, in the game, [[spoiler:Hanyuu stops time when the bullet is about to hit her, believing her death inevitable. Then, Rika [[CrowningMomentOfAwesome starts moving despite time being stopped and grabs the bullet]]. Everyone other than Hanyuu and Rika believe the bullet just missed, though.]]
* SoWhatDoWeDoNow - Twisted in ''Saikoroshi-hen'', a bonus chapter for the game that takes place after the main storyline, where one character wakes up in a perfect world without any of the [[DysfunctionJunction tragic backstories]] or danger from the [[GroundhogDayLoop previous worlds]] [[spoiler:and finds that it's more painful this way]].
* SplitPersonality - Arguably [[spoiler:Rika]] and Frederica Bernkastel. One of the less-clear aspects of the story... and that's saying something.
* StabTheSalad
* TheStinger - Of the "{{Or Is It}}?" variety at the end of season one: [[spoiler:"All right. I'll play the game with this endless June. As much as you wish."]]
** Every episode of ''Kai'''s ''Matsuribayashi-hen''.
* SurprisinglyGoodEnglish- The ED "Why, or Why Not" features English lyrics that, while spoken with an accent, reproduce the structure of the language quite faithfully, save for a few spelling slip-ups.
** Still prone to a few amusing {{Mondegreen}}s, such as "I want to be a river in life" rather than "I want to believe in life." Damned accent.
* TagTeamTwins - Mion and Shion have a habit of pulling [[TwinSwitch Twin Switches]] during the club's games, confusing everyone.
* TalkingToHimself - Yukino Satsuki (the seiyuu for both Mion and Shion) must have been nearly as insane as the characters by the time the series finished.
* TallDarkAndBishoujo - Mion, Shion, Takano, and Rena, despite being rather short.
* TattooedCrook - Mion has an [[{{Yakuza}} Irezumi]].
* TearJerker - And HOW.
* ThatLiarLies - "USO DA!"
* ThereAreNoTherapists - Well, there is one, but if you don't believe you're paranoid... Averted with Rena, though.
* TheThingThatGoesDoink - Mino's family home has one.
* ThisIsYourPremiseOnDrugs- Bipolar murder mystery anime on PCP.
* TimeStandsStill - [[spoiler:Hanyu's power. In ''Higurashi Rei'', she uses it to reposition Keiichi so that he falls into the pool, [[WhyDontYaJustShootHim instead of just pulling his Speedo off, which was the goal]]]].
* TitleDrop - Once done by Keiichi.
* TokenLoli - Satoko and Rika.
* TomboyAndGirlyGirl - Mion and Shion, or at least that's how they're used to being seen. They use it to their advantage, but Mion actually has a soft side, and when Shion gets mad, she certainly isn't a YamatoNadeshiko.
* TortureCellar - The Saiguden
** Also, the basement of the [[spoiler:Sonozaki estate]].
* TownWithADarkSecret - '''"A"''' dark secret? More like a few dozen.
* TrailersAlwaysSpoil - You see those spoiler tags by the mention of YouCantFightFate? That's in the first trailer for the second season.
** YouShouldKnowThisAlready - The reason for this.
* TraitorShot - In Watanagashi-hen, closeups are used in the first episode to make Mion and Shion ''both'' look suspicious to the audience, although one of them is completely innocent. Also applied to Mion and Rena in Onikakushi-hen, with HiddenEyes combined with dangerous smiles to tip off the audience before Keiichi has any reason to suspect them. [[spoiler:This turns out to be a subversion, as Mion and Rena really were harmless, and every TraitorShot they were given was a product of [[UnreliableNarrator Keiichi]]'s escalating paranoia.]]
* TraumaInducedAmnesia - Complete with FakeMemories in [[spoiler:Onisarashi-hen]].
* {{Tsundere}} - According to Mion in the TIPS from the VN, ''Sonozaki Oryou'', also known as Oni-baba, towards the Houjou family.
* TwinBanter
* TwinThreesomeFantasy - Oishi suggests something to this effect after he sees Keiichi with Shion (knowing that Keiichi also hung out with Mion often).
* UncannyVillage
* UnreliableNarrator - [[spoiler:Keiichi in Onikakushi-hen, thanks to the HatePlague]]
** [[spoiler:And Natsumi in ''Onisarashi-hen''.]]
* TheUntwist - [[spoiler:The manga arc ''Yoigoshi-hen'', which is in a Great Hinamizawa Disaster timeline, features a woman claiming to be Mion, but characters point out that Mion died 20 years ago, and "Mion" is shaken when she meets another major character who bears an uncanny resemblance to Satoshi. She even delivers a monologue that resembles Shion's speech in ''Watanagashi'' ("I'm the demon inside Mion!" etc. etc.). Yes, she's actually Shion. It's a bit different from ''Watanagashi'' though; Mion's ghost actually possesses Shion for most of the story.]]
* TheUsualSuspectsEnding - The final scene of the anime, which introduced a character who either had never been seen before in the show before or [[spoiler:was a grown-up, time-traveling Rika]] just to make sure your recently unscrewed mind gets [[MindScrew screwed all over again]]. It makes slightly more sense in the original sound novels, OrSoIHeard.
** [[spoiler:She is actually Frederika Berkenstel, who is all of the past Rikas together. She's a witch.]]
* {{Utsuge}} - Replace "make players cry" with "scare the crap out of them".
* VagueAge - The gang's ages are not directly said. It is said that Satoko and Rika are the same ages [[spoiler:(most likely Hanyuu too)]], and that Satoko is between the ages of 9-13. Keiichi and Rena are the same age, but since Rena was born in July, and Keiichi in May, she's younger thanhim. Mion and Shion are one year older thanKeiichi.
** Rena is fifteen, due to her (future) age being confirmed in the first episode of Kai. So that makes Keiichi sixteen, and the twins(plus Satoshi) seventeen.
*VaporWare - The English localization of the games was announced on [[http://www.mangagamer.com/main/ Manga Gamer]] rather innocuously, saying it'd be out before October 2009 was over. They haven't even ''mentioned'' the games or included information for it on the site in any form since.
** It should be out December 15.
* VerbalTic - Rika, if not for YukariTamura's voice, would sound just like a certain ''RozenMaiden''.
* VillainProtagonist - {{Subverted}}. Most of the time, neither the character nor the audience knows this until TheReveal.
* TheVoice - Hanyuu: first arc, second season. As a bonus, a faint outline can be seen behind Keiichi and Rena in the third episode.
* WakeUpGoToSchoolSaveTheWorld - In Saikoroshi-hen, when the murders never happen and neither do the tragic backstories, [[spoiler:Rika realizes that it's more painful for her to lose her newly-formed {{nakama}} than to be locked in a battle for the townspeople's survival with them on her side.]]
* WeaponOfChoice - Keiichi always [[BatterUp uses Satoshi's bat]], [[spoiler:Shion]] is often seen with a [[PsychoElectro taser]], and everyone's favorite cleaver girl, Rena, uses a... well, [[KnifeNut you can guess]].
* WeCouldHaveAvoidedAllThis - Even if the characters don't figure out how, they still seem to realize that there was a way, since most of the arcs end with the main characters lamenting how pointless all the fighting feels like it was.
* WhatAnIdiot - After Keiichi [[spoiler:is almost killed by Shion posing as Mion, he narrowly gets away after being warned by her that if he sees her again, he shouldn't come near her. The next night, she comes and throws pebbles at his window. Being the kind of character he is, Keiichi goes down and talks to her. Naturally, she promptly stabs him]]. At least he had a better reason in the game, but still...
** Also, in both that and Watanagashi-hen. [[spoiler:"YES! You've caught me, I'm the psychopathic murderer! Now, before I surrender to the cops outside, will one of you please follow me alone into this underground soundproof torture chamber?"]]
*** Rika, after finally escaping an everlasting cycle of paranoia, murder, torture and death, abandons all caution and and gets hit by a truck. Starting the entire goddamn thing all over again.
**** [[spoiler: Or so we think. She's just in a coma]]
* WhatDoYouMeanItsNotAwesome - Episode 22 of the first season opens with an intense ''water pistol fight'', complete with sabotaged weapons, traps, dramatic camera angles/music, and GlowingEyesOfDoom. It ended with a victory to [[spoiler:Keiichi and Rena, who got each other at the same time]].
** [[FetishFuel A water fight with girls in gym shorts and white T-shirts? Oh my yes.]]
*** It certainly doesn't hurt that the losers have to wait tables in fetishy costumes.
** The second episode of ''Kai'' does this with a game of tag, only even more [[WhatDoYouMeanItsNotAwesome awesome]].
* WhatTheHellHero - Most of the main cast for most of the series.
** Given the gross misunderstanding of this trope, who calls who out?
* WiseBeyondTheirYears - Rika, later revealed to be because [[spoiler:she's ReallySevenHundredYearsOld due to constant resurrection]].
* WolverinePublicity - Rena is featured on the covers of most of the original CD chapters of the game. Specially in those where she isn't even a relevant character, let alone a villainess.
* WordOfDante - The events of the fanmade ''Higurashi Day[[color:red:b]]reak'' have ''literally'' [[SureWhyNot ascended to canon]].
* WorthyOpponent - Okonogi ends up seeing the kids as this. [[spoiler: After all, it's not often that you can see an entire intelligence unit getting their asses handed to them by a group of teenagers!]]
* {{Yakuza}} - The Three Families, specifically the Sonozaki family.
* {{Yandere}} - [[spoiler:Shion in Meakashi-hen]] in particular may just be the all-time Queen Bitch of yandere. [[spoiler:Natsumi]] is competing for her throne by the end of [[spoiler:Someutsushi-hen]].
* {{Yangire}} - Pretty much every important character [[spoiler:villain included]].
* YouGottaHaveBlueHair: Chie-sensei.
* YouHaveOutlivedYourUsefulness- [[spoiler: Okonogi gives Takano this treatment at the end of Matsubayashi-hen when it is clear that all has been lost. One can assume that she does not fare any better in the Worlds where she "wins"]]
* YouShouldKnowThisAlready - You should already know about [[spoiler:Hanyuu,that Miyo is the villain,why the characters keep on appearing after they've died,]]and about Shion(during Onikakushi). Seriously,the manga even shows Shion and [[spoiler:Hanyuu]] during their omakes,before they appear.
* ZettaiRyouiki - Evidently part of Miyo Takano's nurse outfit.
----
<<|NoteworthyAnime|>>[[anime]]
<<|{{Seinen}}|>>
<<|SurvivalHorror|>>
<<|VisualNovel|>>
<<|TropeOverdosed|>>