The Higurashi franchise is a mystery box that explores the various mindsets of its characters as it slowly reaches the underlying truth behind Hinamizawa. Generally repeating the same time-frame around June 1983, it uses the paranoia behind these characters to mask the events that unfold. Since the initial release of the first season, the franchise has grown to include many seasons and OVAs. With a new Higurashi series currently airing, let's unpack how to approach this horror-filled timeline.
Higurashi no Naku Koro ni (When They Cry)
When it comes to first experiencing Higurashi, there isn't a better starting point than the original series. Adapted in 2006 by Studio Deen, this 26-episode series focuses on the horror that develops across multiple smaller timelines. While the first chapter is disjointed from the rest, these roughly four-to-five episode mini-arcs tie into each other despite being separate universes.
Across these scenarios, Keiichi and his collection of friends find themselves facing a number of horrific threats. Whether they be from outside their selective friend group or within, they all aim to survive until the timeline repeats again. Across this show, a number of theories are posited as to how this phenomenon occurs including scientific and spiritual causes, all important pieces of the puzzle.
Higurashi no Naku Koro ni Special: Nekogoroshi-hen (Higurashi no Naku Koro ni - Cat Killing Chapter)
This OVA starts off light enough, sharing some fanservice as all of the members of the Games Club parade around Hinamizawa in costumes. While they wander around, they come across an abandoned section of the village. This mystery is perfect to watch after the first season, considering it offers hints towards one of the first season's mysteries.
Higurashi no Naku Koro ni Kai (When They Cry: Kai)
Higurashi's second season fully unravels the first season's mysteries. While certain characters have been shown to kill others through the various timelines, there is a connecting thread that brings all of these individual pieces together. Through this season, the truth behind the current incident and cases from years prior are uncovered. On top of that, this season introduces a key element to the nature of why the series repeats different scenarios of the same time period.
Higurashi no Naku Koro ni Rei (When They Cry: Rei)
The third season of Higurashi contains five episodes that pick up after the regular cycle of June 1983 is finally broken. While Rika and her other friends can finally enjoy some semblance of peace in their new world, Rika ends up having to overcome one final trial. While the first and last episodes are crammed with excess fanservice, the middle episodes tie together the loose ends. The search for a perfect timeline is ultimately successful. However, until that point, the grief that accumulates from the previous scenarios is never properly cared for.
Higurashi no Naku Koro ni Kaku: Outbreak (When They Cry - Outbreak)
This entry deviates from Higurashi's traditional time loops. In this alternate world, Hinamizawa faces the threat of a disease entirely different from the norm. Parasites are turning the villagers into potentially harmful individuals. Due to how much trouble brews over the almost hour-long OVA, it feels downright apocalyptic. The entirety of the village is brought into the fray, with a situation that only a few can escape from.
Higurashi no Naku Koro ni Gou (Higurashi: When They Cry – Gou)
While the latest entry in the franchise was sold as a remake, watching it before the previous entries on the list is not the best way of approaching it due to its new approach. Since there are things like the introduction of a certain character that is only seen in Season 2, this entry is much different than how its predecessors carried themselves. Despite its differences, it seems to maintain the same type of mystery the first season carried.
