Is Higurashi no Naku Koro ni Gou finished?

During the annual Cotton Drifting Festival, Keiichi learns that there have been murders and disappearances for the past few years in the aftermath of the celebration. Referred to as “Oyashiro’s Curse,” the suspicious townsfolk say that those who anger Hinamizawa’s patron god will be cursed to die or disappear. At first, he believes that such things are mere folk tales meant to scare misbehaving children. But when a murder and a disappearance occur after the festival and his friends refuse to talk about the strange events in the village, Keiichi begins to wonder if his new friends may have something to do with the horrific events—and if he might be the next to die.

[Written by MAL Rewrite]

As luck would have it, both girls want to spend the annual Cotton Drifting Festival by Keiichi’s side. But when Shion breaks the town’s sacred rules and sneaks into a sealed shrine during the festival, dragging Keiichi along with her, things take a turn for the worse. Now, Keiichi and Shion find themselves in fear of being spirited away due to their mistake and must find a way to atone before it is too late.

[Written by MAL Rewrite]

Despite all of the tragedy in her life, Satoko is still able to find happiness. Keiichi, who admires her resilient spirit, begins to think of himself as a brother figure and her protector. But when her uncle Teppei returns to town, Satoko begins showing signs of abuse. Keiichi longs to return his friend to her former happy self… so much so, that he starts to consider doing something drastic to keep her safe.

[Written by MAL Rewrite]

As the village prepares for its annual festival, Keiichi learns about the local legends surrounding it. To his horror, he discovers that there have been several murders and disappearances in the village in the recent years, and that they all seem to be connected to the festival and the village’s patron god, Oyashiro. Keiichi tries to ask his new friends about these incidents, but they are suspiciously silent and refuse to give him the answers he needs. As more and more bizarre events occur, he wonders just what else his friends might be keeping from him, and if he can even trust them at all.

When madness and paranoia begin taking root in Keiichi’s heart, he will stumble straight into the mysteries at work in Higurashi no Naku Koro ni, a story that is told across multiple arcs.

[Written by MAL Rewrite]

In Yoigoshi-hen—a possible future outcome of Tsumihoroboshi-hen—Mion Sonozaki, a former resident of the village, arrives at Hinamizawa’s now-dilapidated Furude Shrine, seeking shelter from the rain. Along the way, she meets Akira Otobe, whose friends have disappeared. As they enter the shrine, they find others already there, also taking shelter. But when a murder takes place among them, suspicions run high, and some begin to suspect Mion herself: after all, Mion died in the Great Hinamizawa Disaster 20 years ago.

[Written by MAL Rewrite]

Rena’s divorced father has recently found a new girlfriend, a sleazy woman named Rina Mamiya. Rena’s hatred of her is solidified when she discovers that the woman and her true boyfriend are trying to swindle Rena’s father out of his money. After a tumultuous confrontation with Rina about what she has learned, Rena realizes that she must resort to desperate measures to keep her father safe. When her friends notice that she is acting rather strange, they investigate what she has done, but instead of abandoning her as Rena assumed they would, they band together to support and help her.

However, when she discovers a shocking snag in her plans, Rena realizes that she may have trusted the wrong people, and begins to become highly suspicious of her friends and the other townspeople. And as she uncovers the truth about the town’s long history of murders and disappearances, she realizes that only drastic actions can save the village from utter destruction.

[Written by MAL Rewrite]

When she reunites with her sister and gets a part-time job—while pretending to be Mion—she meets Satoshi Houjou, a boy her age with whom she falls madly in love. But when she learns about Satoshi’s horrible family situation, she begins to resent everyone in his household—even his younger sister, Satoko. When tensions escalate and Satoshi abruptly goes missing, Shion begins to suspect that her own family may have had something to do with his disappearance.

A year later, Shion meets Keiichi Maebara, Mion’s crush. Her sister’s infatuation with Keiichi stirs up her old feelings for Satoshi, and awakens a vicious desire to find out the truth behind his disappearance once and for all. However, Shion’s quest for the truth will send her spiraling down a dark path of madness and despair.

[Written by MAL Rewrite]

The dam construction project in Hinamizawa threatens to decimate the village, and a group of villagers has kidnapped the grandson of the Minister of Construction, holding him ransom in exchange for the project’s cancellation. Akasaka must find the boy before things get too out of hand, all while trying to keep his cover. Taking place a few years before the main storyline of Higurashi, Himatsubushi-hen follows Akasaka as he navigates a village where enemies abound. However, he finds a friend in a young girl named Rika Furude, who knows far more than she should about their present situation, and about what might happen next…

[Written by MAL Rewrite]

Later adapted into drama CD and episode 1 of Higurashi no Naku Koro ni Rei series.

[Written by MAL Rewrite]

Mion’s mention of a nearby abandoned quarry spikes the attention of Rena and Keiichi. Still, as she tells them more about the mysterious incidents surrounding the place, they debate whether it would be wise to explore it.

[Written by MAL Rewrite]

(Source: Wikipedia)

(Source: Wikipedia)

(Source: Wikipedia)

(Source: Wikipedia)

Minagoroshi-hen follows Rika’s journey into yet another world, as she tries to fight against her own impending doom as well as that of her friends. However, as she and her friends solve one problem, another pops up in its place, as they inch ever closer towards the true identity of the mastermind behind the countless tragedies in Hinamizawa.

[Written by MAL Rewrite]

Adopted by Hifumi and finally free from her hell, Miyoko takes on a different identity to go along with her new life. When Hifumi’s research on a mysterious disease in a mountain village is ridiculed, Miyoko makes it her life’s work to prove that the disease truly exists. However, her mission soon turns into a deadly obsession once she arrives in the village, as she is more than willing to prove the doctor’s findings by any means necessary…

In the conclusion to the Higurashi story, warring fates and indomitable wills clash in this final confrontation in June of 1983.

[Written MAL Rewrite]

(Source: Wikipedia)

However, Rika’s help comes not from Hanyuu, but an old friend named Mamoru Akasaka, who invites Rika to spend time with him and his family in Tokyo. As luck would have it, her friends decide to join her, and together they set off for the city without telling their parents, which causes a panic in the village. But their journey ends up being more fun than the destination, as they camp in woods and remember all the things they have been through, while looking forward to a brighter future.

[Written by MAL Rewrite]

(Source: Wikipedia)

(Source: Wikipedia)

Rika suddenly finds herself in a “perfect” world, the constant cycle of brutal killings having never taken place, where all of her friends are content and satisfied. Not wanting to abandon the world that she fought so hard for, she learns she must destroy an essential “key” to get back. But can Rika abandon the faultless world she is given the chance to live in, after all of her battles have brought her this far?

[Written by MAL Rewrite]

(Source: Wikipedia)

However, the family is unaware that the distribution of his wealth is the least of Ushiromiya Kinzou’s (family head) concerns for this year’s family conference. After being told that his end was approaching by his longtime friend and physician, Kinzou is desperate to meet his life’s true love one last time: the Golden Witch, Beatrice. Having immersed himself in black magic for many of the later years in his life, Kinzou instigates a ceremony to revive his beloved upon his family’s arrival on Rokkenjima. Soon after, a violent typhoon traps the family on the island and a string of mysterious murders commence, forcing the eighteen people on the island to fight for their lives in a deadly struggle between fantasy and reality.

[Written by MAL Rewrite]

Upon waking up from her ordeal, Rika discovers that she is in a different world than the one she knows. This alternate reality differs from her original world in more than a few ways: her best friend Satoko Houjou is cold towards her, her older friend Keiichi Maebara never moved to Hinamizawa, and her parents are alive, among other things. While this world may not be perfect, it does seem appealing to Rika, so she must now make a choice: to stay in this new world, or to go back to the world that she fought so hard to change.

[Written by MAL Rewrite]

[Written by MAL Rewrite]

As the villagers begin to search for a way to stop the affliction from spreading, some make drastic plans, which leaves Keiichi and his friends looking for a way to escape the village. But when tensions reach an all-time high, some of his group may not make it out unscathed as they fight for their lives against enemies both seen and unseen.

[Written by MAL Rewrite]

Elsewhere, a certain person watches these increasingly unsettling events unfold and remembers all the times that this, and other similar stories, have played out. Using that knowledge, this person decides to fix these broken worlds. However, when certain variables change, the individual is faced with a horrifying realization: they have no idea what to expect or how to stop the impending tragedy.

[Written by MAL Rewrite]

Strangely enough, these events have all happened before. As one individual observes these bizarre phenomena, they take steps to change the imminent tragedy that they know is coming. With the yearly Cotton Drifting Festival quickly approaching, it becomes clear that someone close to them is orchestrating the impending doom.

[Written by MAL Rewrite]

Although Satoko is hesitant, she decides to walk this path with Rika. However, the realization of her dream forms a rift between them. This leaves the girls living in completely different worlds, with Rika enjoying her new life and making new friends while Satoko grows more and more isolated.

Longing to return to the nostalgic days in Hinamizawa, Satoko despairs and wishes things could be changed. Just when she is at wits’ end, an encounter with a supernatural entity changes Satoko’s perception and imparts new revelations about her best friend Rika. This begins her journey to get the future she desires—by any means necessary.

[Written by MAL Rewrite]

Rika’s poise and graceful demeanor helps her fit in immediately at the new school, while Satoko struggles immensely. However, she was never really interested in adjusting—as long as she had Rika by her side. But when Rika befriends a group of refined young ladies, Satoko begins to feel isolated. Soon, her grades start to suffer, and the gap between the two friends continually widens until Satoko is at her breaking point. Left in a pit of despair, Satoko’s desperation soon turns into something much darker, leading her to do the unthinkable.

[Written by MAL Rewrite]

(Source: Square Enix, translated)

(Source: Square Enix, translated)

The missing link to the original Higurashi no Naku Koro ni is now revealed.

(Source: Futabasha, translated)