furude rika

Age: 11 Birthday: August 21 (Leo) Height: 137 cm (4'6") Rika is a younger classmate of Keiichi's at school and is in the same grade as Satoko. Naturally, she is great friends with Satoko, as they live together in the same house. She is revered by the villagers as the heir of the local shrine and plays the role of a miko in the annual Watanagashi Festival. Rika has been the head of the Furude household since her parents died but rarely attends town meetings due to her young age. While she does not speak a lot, she likes to say nonsense words such as "mi~" and "nipa~" and often ends her sentences with "-nano desu," which inflames Rena's passion for cute things. She also likes to describe events using sound effects, such as "The cat was going 'nya nya' and 'scritch scritch'" or saying "Clap! Clap! Clap!" when clapping her hands. In Higurashi no Naku Koro ni Kai, Rika assumes the role of the series' protagonist as the perspective shifts to her side of the story. It is learned that each story arc is a parallel world, often referred to as fragments, and that Rika can navigate between these worlds (through a place known as the Sea of Fragments) upon death. Thus, Rika is the only one (together with Hanyuu) who has memories of previous worlds, although eventually her friends become aware as well. This ability was given to her by Hanyuu, though Rika often regards it as less of a gift and more of a curse. Rika's true personality is far removed from the childish front she puts up around others. Due to hundreds of years worth of traumatic memories from past worlds and her seeming inability to escape this tragic fate, her personality has developed into one of pessimism, cynicism, apathy, and even hostility. This persona, sometimes referred to as "Dark" Rika, is characterized by her mature tone of voice and choice of words, including her use of the pronoun "watashi" instead of her childish persona's use of "boku." During depressive bouts and after Satoko falls asleep, Rika will often be seen drinking wine (a wine branded 'Bernkastel'), which she dilutes with orange juice, usually earning her the disapproval of Hanyuu. Despite this, Rika values greatly her friends and the time they spend together in Hinamizawa. Starting in Tsumihoroboshi, she begins to recognize the value of her own efforts and the need to have faith in and rely upon her friends to elude her fate and bring about what she refers to as "miracles," such as liberating Satoko from her abusive uncle in Minagoroshi. Rika often claims that she is not truly Rika but a witch she has named Frederica Bernkastel (Frederica derived from her name in Japanese format and Bernkastel from her choice brand of wine). She cites her ability to move between fragments as the reason and claims that upon entering a fragment she merely assumes the role of Rika Furude, whom she firmly believes she is not. By the end of Saikoroshi, she begins to denounce her previous assumptions and reassumes her identity as simply Rika Furude. She also notes that she does not doubt that somewhere, existing perhaps on a higher dimension, Frederica Bernkastel may still be wandering the sea of fragments. It is revealed during Higurashi no Naku Koro ni Kai that Rika is the "Queen Carrier" of the lethal Hinamizawa Syndrome, keeping the virus under control and preventing it from spreading. Anyone who leaves her presence will exhibit symptoms of the disease, explaining why anyone who leaves Hinamizawa is immediately stricken. According to Doctor Takano's research, if Rika dies, within days the entire village of Hinamizawa will fall victim to the disease, which could spread to neighboring villages. For this reason, Rika is sought out and mysteriously murdered in each arc by command of Miyo Takano as the disaster would prove Hifumi's research as legitimate. Rika's death directly triggers the Great Hinamizawa Disaster in most worlds.