TV series
It's not paranoia... if they really are trying to kill you!
After moving into the quiet town of Hinamizawa, Maebara Keiichi spends his days blissfully in school often playing games with his local friends. However, appearances can be deceiving. One fateful day, Keiichi stumbles upon news of a murder that had occurred in Hinamizawa. From this point on, horrific events unfold in front of Keiichi, as he soon learns his close friends may not be all that they seem.
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Checked Jul 22, 2026
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After moving into the quiet town of Hinamizawa, Maebara Keiichi spends his days blissfully in school often playing games with his local friends. However, appearances can be deceiving. One fateful day, Keiichi stumbles upon news of a murder that had occurred in Hinamizawa. From this point on, horrific events unfold in front of Keiichi, as he soon learns his close friends may not be all that they seem.
Cast, crew and production details
Soichiro HoshiKeiichi Maebara (voice)
Mai NakaharaRena Ryuuguu (voice)
Satsuki YukinoMion Sonozaki / Shion Sonozaki (voice)
Mika KanaiSatoko Houjou (voice)
Yukari TamuraRika Furude (voice)
ChafurinKuraudo Ooishi (voice)
Toru OkawaJirou Tomitake (voice)
Miki ItoMiyo Takano (voice)
Kansai TVJapan
Tokai Television BroadcastingJapan
AT-XJapan
BS11Japan
Studio DeenJapanWatch options above are for the show and may vary by season or episode.
Episode 1
Keiichi Maebara, a student who recently moved into the village of Hinamizawa, is invited by his new friends at school to join their club. But while searching for treasure at a garbage dump with Rena Ryugu, he discovers the village is not as peaceful as it seems.
Directed by Chiaki KonWritten by Toshifumi KawaseGuest stars Toru Okawa, Naoko Matsui
Where to watch Higurashi: When They Cry
Episode 2
The annual Watanagashi Festival finally starts, and everyone has fun feasting and playing games. However, in the following day, Keiichi is interrogated by chief police officer, Oishi, about a crime that occurred at the night of the festival, and he starts fearing the villagers might be involved in this and other similar incidents, like Oishi suspects.
Directed by Yuji HirakiWritten by Toshifumi KawaseGuest stars Chafurin, Toru Okawa, Miki Ito, Naoko Matsui, Yasunori Matsumoto, Fumiko Orikasa
Where to watch Higurashi: When They Cry
Episode 3
Delving further into the mysteries surrounding the village, Keiichi's paranoia grows after he starts to suspect that someone might be after his life.
Directed by Tsuyoshi YoshimotoWritten by Toshifumi KawaseGuest stars Chafurin, Toshihiko Seki, Naoko Matsui, Akane Tomonaga, Eriko Matsushima, Kun Fuzuki
Where to watch Higurashi: When They Cry
Episode 4
Keiichi's despair reaches its peak. After being captured and sedated, he wakes up restrained by Mion and Rena, and they attempt to inject him with a mysterious drug. Keiichi murders them before taking his own life by clawing his throat.
Directed by Hisakazu IshikawaWritten by Toshifumi KawaseGuest stars Chafurin, Takuo Kawamura, Shinnosuke Tachibana, Satoshi Tsuruoka
Where to watch Higurashi: When They Cry
Episode 5
Keiichi meets Mion's twin sister, Shion; the two are so identical that Keiichi can hardly tell the difference between them. It is also revealed that Mion has a crush on him.
Directed by Son Seung-huiWritten by Rika NakaseGuest stars Naoko Matsui, Megumi Matsumoto, Fujiko Takimoto, Eiji Miyashita, Atsushi Kakehashi, Takashi Oohara
Where to watch Higurashi: When They Cry
Episode 6
During Rika's ritual performance at the Watanagashi Festival, Shion whisks Keiichi away to sneak into the forbidden shrine warehouse, where Tomitake and his friend, Miyo Takano, are waiting. However, after learning about the other pair's fate, he starts to worry about his and Shion's safety.
Directed by Son Seung-huiWritten by Rika NakaseGuest stars Chafurin, Toru Okawa, Miki Ito, Takuo Kawamura
Where to watch Higurashi: When They Cry
Episode 7
Keiichi asks Rika for help, but when she and Satoko disappear, he starts fearing for the worse.
Directed by Isao TakayamaWritten by Rika NakaseGuest stars Chafurin, Miki Ito, Yasunori Matsumoto, Gen Nakano
Where to watch Higurashi: When They Cry
Episode 8
Keiichi and Rena suspect that Mion might be related to Rika and Satoko's disappearance, and confront her at her house. There, he learns from her about the burden she carries as the heir of the Sonozaki family, and tries to dissuade her to surrender herself without success.
Directed by Yuji HirakiWritten by Rika NakaseGuest stars Chafurin, Takuo Kawamura, Satoshi Tsuruoka, Miki Suga
Where to watch Higurashi: When They Cry
Episode 9
Keiichi's parents leave for Tokyo for a few days. Helped by Satoko and Rika, who makes dinner for him, Keiichi learns about Satoshi, Satoko's older brother, and his mysterious disappearance on the night of last year's Watanagashi.
Directed by Tsuyoshi YoshimotoWritten by Toshifumi KawaseGuest stars Toshihiko Seki, Naoko Matsui, Kun Fuzuki, Kujira, Gen Nakano
Where to watch Higurashi: When They Cry
Episode 10
Satoko is absent from school for a few days. After discovering that the cause of her absence is Teppei, her abusive uncle, who left Hinamizawa after his wife was murdered on the night of Watanagishi, but recently has returned, Keiichi decides to intervene.
Directed by Hisakazu IshikawaWritten by Toshifumi KawaseGuest stars Chafurin, Toru Okawa, Miki Ito, Toshihiko Seki, Fumiko Orikasa, Megumi Matsumoto, Fujiko Takimoto, Kentaro Tone
Where to watch Higurashi: When They Cry
Episode 11
Keiichi comes to the resolution that he must kill Teppei. After brutally beating him to death with Satoshi's baseball bat, he buries the body, and on his way back home, Keiichi bumps into a suspiciously acting Takano.
Directed by Chiaki KonWritten by Toshifumi KawaseGuest stars Miki Ito, Toshihiko Seki, Naoko Matsui, Fumiko Orikasa, Nobuyuki Kobushi, Katsuhisa Houki
Where to watch Higurashi: When They Cry
Episode 12
Keiichi's mentality is shaken when his friends tells him that he was actually at the Watanagashi Festival with them and Satoko still bemoans her uncle's abuse, despite being sure about having him dead. His confusion grows when he tries to unsuccessfully find the truth.
Directed by Matsuo AsamiWritten by Toshifumi KawaseGuest stars Chafurin, Miki Ito, Toshihiko Seki, Fumiko Orikasa, Takuo Kawamura, Megumi Matsumoto, Akane Tomonaga
Where to watch Higurashi: When They Cry
Episode 13
Keiichi goes over to the Houjou residence to ascertain Teppei's existence and finds Satoko in need of clinical help. At the Furude Shrine, Keiichi discovers Rika's disemboweled body, and Satoko believes that Keiichi is the culprit and flees. After fruitlessly trying to convince her that he is not the murderer, disaster strikes the town of Hinamizawa.
Directed by Shigeru UedaWritten by Toshifumi KawaseGuest stars Suzune Okabe, Satoshi Tsuruoka, Eisuke Asakura, Gen Nakano, Miki Suga, Akane Tomonaga
Where to watch Higurashi: When They Cry
Episode 14
Four years ago, during the dam incident, young police investigator Mamoru Akasaka comes to Hinamizawa to find leads to a child kidnapping. After hearing an enigmatic warning from a younger Rika, Mamoru becomes suspicious of some of the townsfolk.
Directed by Yuji HirakiWritten by Toshifumi KawaseGuest stars Chafurin, Masaaki Tsukada, Risa Mizuno, Aki Kanada, Daisuke Ono, Shizuka Okohira, Keiichi Sonobe, Shouto Kashii
Where to watch Higurashi: When They Cry
Episode 15
Akasaka and Oishi find the kidnappers' hideout and rescue the boy. After discovering that their efforts were in vain because the perpetrators' demand was already conceded, he realizes the real meaning behind Rika's words to him.
Directed by Tsuyoshi YoshimotoWritten by Toshifumi KawaseGuest stars Chafurin, Toshihiko Seki, Risa Mizuno, Aki Kanada, Daisuke Ono, Suzune Okabe, Riichi Nishimoto
Where to watch Higurashi: When They Cry
Episode 16
The events from Watanagashi-hen are retold from another point of view. Shion takes Mion's place in Hinamizawa and is lovestruck by Satoko's older brother, Satoshi, at their first meeting together. But after discovering about the trouble he spends to protect Satoko, Shion starts to loathe her.
Directed by Hisakazu IshikawaWritten by Rika NakaseGuest stars Toshihiko Seki, Atsushi Kakehashi, Takashi Oohara, Fumihiko Tachiki, Yu Kobayashi, Nobuyuki Kobushi, Eiji Miyashita, Masaaki Tsukada
Where to watch Higurashi: When They Cry
Episode 17
Satoshi apologizes to Shion (still pretending to be Mion), and asks her to care for Satoko during the Watanagashi Festival. That night, his aunt is murdered; in order to cover for Satoshi, Shion reveals that she is actually Mion's twin sister. After the police questions her, she is brought back to the Sonozaki main estate to answer to her grandmother for all the trouble she has caused.
Directed by Shunji YoshidaWritten by Rika NakaseGuest stars Chafurin, Toshihiko Seki, Takuo Kawamura, Masaaki Tsukada, Shizuka Okohira, Shouto Kashii, Fumihiko Tachiki, Yu Kobayashi
Where to watch Higurashi: When They Cry
Episode 18
Upon talking with Ōishi, Shion finds out Satoshi has gone missing and decides to investigate further into the mysterious murders over the past four years. One day at the library, Shion meets Takano, who tells her more on the history of Hinamizawa and its dark past. As the story skips one year to the present day, similarities between Keiichi and Satoshi brings back memories of Satoshi to Shion.
Directed by Matsuo AsamiWritten by Rika NakaseGuest stars Chafurin, Toru Okawa, Miki Ito, Fujiko Takimoto, Atsushi Kakehashi, Takashi Oohara, Shizuka Okohira, Eiji Miyashita
Where to watch Higurashi: When They Cry
Episode 19
Shion believes the Sonozaki family is connected to the acts of "demoning away" people in the village, especially that of Satoshi. She imprisons Mion in the dungeon and unintentionally kills her grandmother. Shion pretends to be Mion the next day and confronts Keiichi about the previous night's encounters, to which Keiichi still denies. Later, she finally discovers the ones responsible for Satoshi's disappearance.
Directed by Daisuke TsukushiWritten by Rika NakaseGuest stars Masaaki Tsukada, Shizuka Okohira, Shouto Kashii, Fumihiko Tachiki
Where to watch Higurashi: When They Cry
Episode 20
Shion has captured the village head and gets information about the town involving the previous murders and Satoshi. Later, Shion confronts Rika about the murders, leading to a confrontation between the two. Once night falls, the truth behind Rika and Satoko's disappearance at that night is revealed.
Directed by Yuji HirakiWritten by Rika NakaseGuest stars Masaaki Tsukada, Yu Kobayashi, Daisuke Kageura
Where to watch Higurashi: When They Cry
Episode 21
Shion tricks Keiichi in a phone call and later tricks the townsfolk in order to make Keiichi a murder suspect, however she quickly realizes that Oishi suspects her instead. When discovered by Rena and Keiichi, Shion lures Keiichi away and knocks him out in front of Mion. The truth behind the sisters' fate is revealed.
Written by Rika NakaseGuest stars Chafurin, Yu Kobayashi, Gen Nakano, Riichi Nishimoto, Shinnosuke Tachibana
Where to watch Higurashi: When They Cry
Episode 22
Rena discover the true character of her father's girlfriend and grows a deep hatred for her.
Directed by Daisuke TsujiWritten by Toshifumi KawaseGuest stars Toshihiko Seki, Megumi Matsumoto, Fujiko Takimoto, Gen Nakano, Fumihiko Tachiki, Katsuhisa Houki, Misa Watanabe, Nobuyuki Kobushi
Where to watch Higurashi: When They Cry
Episode 23
Rena disposes of Rina and her lover Teppei, after discovering their plan to con her father. Discovered by her friends, she ends up getting support by them, and they help her hide the bodies, but during the night of the Watanagashi festival, she is interrogated by Oishi and wonders if he suspects of her.
Directed by Tomoko HiramukiWritten by Toshifumi KawaseGuest stars Chafurin, Gen Nakano, Katsuhisa Houki, Misa Watanabe, Miki Suga
Where to watch Higurashi: When They Cry
Episode 24
While studying Takano's scrapbooks, Rena starts to unveil the the truth behind Oyashiro-sama and Hinamizawa's dark past.
Directed by Matsuo AsamiWritten by Toshifumi KawaseGuest stars Chafurin, Miki Ito, Toshihiko Seki, Fumiko Orikasa, Takuo Kawamura, Megumi Matsumoto, Fujiko Takimoto, Gen Nakano
Where to watch Higurashi: When They Cry
Episode 25
Keiichi tries to dissuade Rena, but is confronted by her with his own dark secrets. After confessing his past sin to his friends, he finds that he can recall events from Onikakushi-hen, even though they have no bearing on the current situation.
Directed by Yuji HirakiWritten by Toshifumi KawaseGuest stars Chafurin, Fumiko Orikasa, Takuo Kawamura, Kikuko Inoue, Riichi Nishimoto, Shinnosuke Tachibana
Where to watch Higurashi: When They Cry
Episode 26
Rena's madness reaches the peak to the point of taking all the school children hostage. With the police's help and working together with the rest of the group, Keiichi manages to defuse a homemade bomb Rena planted on the rooftop of the school. There, the two have a final confrontation and even though he is defeated, Keiichi manages to get Rena to realize she should have trusted and confided in her friends.
Directed by Chiaki KonWritten by Toshifumi KawaseGuest stars Chafurin, Fumiko Orikasa, Takuo Kawamura, Megumi Matsumoto, Fujiko Takimoto, Satoshi Tsuruoka, Manabi Mizuno, Nobuyuki Kobushi
Where to watch Higurashi: When They CryEpisode information updated Jul 22, 2026
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