Summary
Born on August 1, Hanyuu enters the narrative as a mysterious "transfer student" during the Matsuribayashi-hen arc. She possesses a pair of dark horns, one of which bears a slight chip. While most characters remain oblivious to this detail, Takano notices it and refers to her as a "monster." Although Hanyuu has been present in Rika's life for years, she only acquired the ability to interact with others during the Matsuribayashi-hen and Miotsukushi-hen arcs. During this time, she assumed the identity of "Hanyuu Furude," posing as a distant relative of Rika. Her spirit-like nature allows her appearance to shift with her emotions until she solidifies into a physical form, and like many others, she can be terrifying when provoked. Personality-wise, Hanyuu is extremely meek. She often emits the sound "Au au, au au…" when feeling nervous, uncomfortable, or attempting to emphasize a point, and she frequently concludes her sentences with nano desu (なのです?, lit. "it is so"). She has a strong aversion to alcohol and kimchi. These items are forced upon her by Rika as punishment when Rika finds Hanyuu annoying, a dynamic made possible because their senses are linked. Hanyuu describes herself as a "being above humans" who was sacrificed to atone for human sins, a status echoed by Rika and Takano, who view her as a type of deity. While Rika refers to her as "Oyashiro" in public, such as during conversations with Shion in Meakashi-hen, Hanyuu does not consider herself a god but rather sees Rika as a close friend. In Higurashi no Naku Koro ni Rei, it is revealed that Hanyuu asked Ōka Furude, her own daughter and Rika's ancestor, to kill her after being sacrificed to atone for the village's sins, in hopes of making the village a better place.
