User:TheKnightOfOyashiro/Higurashi primer

Higurashi no Naku Koro ni (Japanese: ひぐらしのなく頃に) is a multimedia franchise created by Ryukishi07 and the 07th Expansion. Originally a series of visual novels (called sound novels by the creator), the series has since been adapted into a fifty-episode anime, three different live-action movies, a multitude of games, and a long-running series of manga (as well as all the paraphernalia).

I'm going to try and go into the basics of Higurashi to help those who have trouble understanding the series, but it's a project that may take a while. Be warned that it contains spoilers.

Main characters

 * Maebara Keiichi: The viewpoint character for the first three visual novels, and seemingly the main character. Keiichi is a newcomer to Hinamizawa, but in his short time he's already been accepted by the people of the village, and has made a number of good friends. Keiichi shares many similarities with another character -- Satoshi Houjou. Their similarities are important for the story: in arc one, Keiichi believes that Satoshi was in the same situation; in arcs two and five, Keiichi's similarities to Satoshi trigger Shion's mental break; in arc three, Keiichi's similarities with Satoshi cause a brother-sister relationship to develop with Satoko. Whenever bad things start happening, Keiichi takes Satoshi's bat as a weapon.

One important thing to note is that Keiichi is written to be an unreliable narrator, which is only apparent in the visual novels (the anime in particular lacks a narrator at all). As an unreliable narrator, one cannot take everything he says or does at face value; remember that this is a boy who betrays his friends at the behest of a complete stranger, becomes suspicious of everybody with little to no evidence, et cetera.


 * Sonozaki Mion: Mion is the leader of the school's activity club, the class leader, and also the heir to the Sonozaki family. She is very strong-willed, but has a girlish side. Although she is a principle character, she's the only main character who has very little plot relevance; none of the original arcs revolve specifically around her, while there are arcs for each of the other main characters. Her big deal is always either her status as heir to the Sonozakis, or her relationship with Shion. She often carries around a pistol in a holster on her shoulder, but nobody seems to notice -- I believe it's just a capgun or pellet gun.


 * Sonozaki Shion: Mion's twin sister. She fell in love with Satoshi which, as mentioned above, is the direct cause of the disasters for two separate arcs, giving her the second-highest number of arcs specifically dedicated to her story. The second arc (Watanagashi) and the fifth arc (Meakashi) tell the same story, but the first is from Keiichi's point of view while the second is from Shion's (and the second is significantly longer). Shion is very clever and quick-witted, but she's also probably the most unstable of the main characters. That said, she's very deadly -- she single-handedly murders no less than seven people in each of her arcs, in very short order. She carries a taser.


 * Ryuugu Rena: Rena is one of Keiichi's close friends. She is originally from Hinamizawa, but had left and only returned some years later (several months before Keiichi's arrival). Rena is extremely keen. She can easily sense when somebody has ill intent or is withholding information, although she strikes most people initially as just a normal girl with strange behaviors. She's more than capable of defending herself, and when in her "adorable mode" she seems to gain some sort of extra strength. Additionally, Rena's very superstitious: she very much believes in Oyashiro and his curse.

It's interesting to note that although she is often seen with a nata, a Japanese type of hatchet, she never uses it to lethal effect. All her murders are committed with other tools.

Rena is the centerpiece and narrator for arc six, Tsumihoroboshi.


 * Houjou Satoko: Satoko is childish and a trickster. She is adept at laying traps, and often bickers with Keiichi. She is also manipulative, capable of feigning tears to get sympathy.

Her and Satoshi's parents died in an accident while on vacation, falling to their deaths from a ledge.

She plays a pivotal role in a fair number of the arcs (the exceptions being arc one and arc four). In Watanagashi and Meakashi, Satoko is the main target of Shion's ire -- Shion believes that because Satoko couldn't strengthen herself, Satoshi disappeared. In arc three, Tatarigoroshi, she becomes attached to Keiichi because of how similar Keiichi is to Satoshi, and their bond drives Keiichi to murder Satoko's abusive uncle Teppei after he returned.


 * Furude Rika: Rika is the head of the Furude family, but only by merit of the fact that she is the only Furude left alive. Her father died of an illness, her mother seemingly committed suicide. Despite her early appearances as just a quiet young girl, she is in fact the main protagonist of the series.

With the aid of Hanyuu, she has been repeating the same events constantly for what is implied to be a very long time, and hence, although she is physically a young girl, she is mentally hundreds of years old. Behind her cheery, bright exterior is a mature girl on the verge of giving up. Additionally, there are actually two versions of Rika -- Furude Rika and Frederica Bernkastel.

Three total arcs are dedicated to her -- Himatsubushi, Minagoroshi, and Matsuribayashi are all arcs revolving around her (making her the one with the most dedicated arcs.)