WARNING: The following contains spoilers for Episode 21 of Higurashi: When They Cry - Gou, "Village Destroying - Part 4," now streaming on Funimation.
As the season nears its end, Higurashi: Gou has finally given fans most of what they need to fill in the blanks. Satoko’s looping ability has finally been explained, and the only thing left is to let her conflict with Rika play out over the next few episodes.
Picking back up in the Sea of Fragments, in Episode 21, Satoko continues her conversation with the mysterious woman. The woman refers to Satoko by several names, claiming to have met her before, yet Satoko has no recollection of anything she mentions. Amused, the stranger offers Satoko the power to find the ideal world she wants, with the catch that her efforts will only bear fruit after a long period of time has passed. She proposes that Satoko live through various loops until she can materialize her ideal world, revealing that Satoko must die in order to reset things.
Satoko is taken aback by the situation but the woman assures her that, unlike Rika, she will have the advantage of keeping her memories with each death. Satoko is then transported back to 1983, initially believing everything that happened up to that point to be a long dream. Soon after once again experiencing Takano’s defeat, Satoko comes to grips with her reality and decides to approach things with Rika differently than before.
Satoko actively tries to discourage Rika from applying to St. Lucia when it comes up one year into her loop. When she realizes that Rika is set on attending the academy, Satoko tries to open up to her by revealing her insecurities and alluding to the events that will transpire in the near future. Rika takes Satoko’s worries to heart, and promises to support her should she need it.
Five years later, the same issues that plagued Satoko and Rika’s relationship in the original timeline persist in the loop. Satoko looks to Rika as she once again spends her time idly chatting with her new friends and feels a deep sense of betrayal. The next morning, Satoko greets Rika alongside her clique in the main hall, and the two air out their grievances with one another. Satoko claims that Rika broke her promise from childhood and once again abandoned her after they entered the academy. Rika states that Satoko continually denied her offers to help and that Satoko’s pride has allowed her to perceive her kindness as pity.
The two agree that they won’t be able to see eye-to-eye until Satoko unexpectedly hugs Rika. The students around them are taken aback, but the gesture seems to momentarily lift Rika’s spirits. Satoko then tells Rika that she won’t be deceived next time and snaps her fingers. This momentarily confuses Rika, but a massive chandelier falls on the two of them before she can piece things together. The two are instantly crushed to death, shocking and horrifying the students around them.
Given the way this episode ended, it’s safe to assume that the chandelier incident is what kicked off the events of Gou. With only a handful of episodes left, it feels as though the series is rushing towards its conclusion at a breakneck pace. Creator Ryukishi07 has alluded to Gou’s story concluding in this season’s run, so fans should expect a decisive end to the series. But then again, the author is known to be misleading with information about his works.
