Hanyuu

Hanyuu is a main character of Higurashi no Naku Koro ni Kai and, as it turns out, the true identity behind the legend of Oyashiro-sama. Invisible to almost everyone for most of the story, she is the source of the unexplained footsteps that haunt sufferers of Hinamizawa Syndrome. She has watched over her distant descendant Rika Furude since birth, and Rika is the first person in centuries able to see her, making the girl Hanyuu's only real friend.

Her history unfolds gradually: centuries earlier she was the horned demon goddess of the Onigafuchi swamp, born Hai-Ryuun Ieasomuuru Jeda, until she married a village man, Furude Riku, who coined the nickname "Hanyuu." Their daughter, Ouka Furude, became the first human to carry demon blood. Having given up her ability to be seen by people to protect the village, Hanyuu was later driven briefly insane by grief and betrayal and turned on the villagers; the retribution that followed became the origin of Oyashiro-sama's curse.

Quiet, timid, and soft-hearted, Hanyuu refers to herself with the masculine pronoun "boku" and whimpers "auu~ auu~" when flustered. Wracked with guilt over her friends' suffering, she trails after victims of Hinamizawa Syndrome, such as Rena Ryuuguu and Satoshi Houjou, repeatedly apologizing and unwittingly feeding their paranoia. She cares deeply for the whole Club, including Keiichi Maebara, and ultimately shows mercy even toward her adversary Miyo Takano.

As a goddess, Hanyuu can spin off alternate versions of Hinamizawa — fragments called kakera — and flee into an in-between dimension with Rika each time the girl dies, searching for a world where the tragedy can be avoided. She also commands flight, invisibility, teleportation, and the power to halt time.