List of When They Cry episodes

When They Cry is a Japanese anime series. The English titles for the first season are according to the names used by Funimation Entertainment. English titles in the other seasons are not official.

The first season, produced in 2006, was entitled Higurashi no Naku Koro ni (ひぐらしのなく頃に). It was produced by the Japanese animation studio Studio Deen and directed by Chiaki Kon. It was released in English by Geneon and then Funimation, under the title When They Cry – Higurashi no Naku Koro ni. The series contains 26 episodes which aired between April 4 and September 26 on a number of Japanese television networks including Chiba TV, Kansai TV, and Tokai TV. The story follows a group of five young friends and the strange events that occur in their village of Hinamizawa. A string of unexplained murders have plagued the town for the past three years during the annual Watanagashi Festival in June, and with the next Watanagashi approaching, things start to take a turn for the worse. The series is divided into six chapters which are based on the first six chapters in the original visual novel series. The first chapter is Onikakushi-hen (episodes one to four), followed by Watanagashi-hen (episodes five to eight), and Tatarigoroshi-hen (episodes nine to thirteen). Next is Himatsubushi-hen (episodes fourteen and fifteen), the shortest of the story arcs. The last two chapters are Meakashi-hen (episodes sixteen to twenty-one) and Tsumihoroboshi-hen (episodes twenty-two through twenty-six).

In 2007, the second season began and was entitled Higurashi no Naku Koro ni Kai (ひぐらしのなく頃に解). It was produced by the same team as the first season and contains twenty-four episodes. The series aired in Japan between July 6 and December 17 on several Japanese television networks, such as Sun TV, TV Kanagawa, and TV Saitama. The story is similar to the first season, and what was left unexplained in the first season is explained over the course of three separate story arcs. The first story is an anime-original arc called Yakusamashi-hen, which is followed by the last two arcs from the original visual novel series: Minagoroshi-hen and Matsuribayashi-hen. On September 18, 2007, a sixteen-year-old girl killed her father with an axe in Kyoto, Japan. The similarities between Kai and the incident were too strong. In response, Tokai TV replaced episode twelve on September 21, 2007 with a cooking show.

In 2009, the third season, entitled Higurashi no Naku Koro ni Rei, was released as an original video animation series. It consists of two arcs taken from the fan disc of the same name and another arc that was adapted from a light novel released with the PS2 game.

An extra episode, Higurashi no Naku Koro ni Gaiden Nekogoroshi-hen (The Cat Killing Chapter), which was not released in the US, can be viewed alongside season one.

Higurashi no Naku Koro ni (2006)

#	Title	Original air date
01	The Beginning (Chapter: Spirited Away by the Demon, Part 1) "Onikakushi-hen Sono Ichi – Hajimari" (鬼隠し編 其ノ壱 ハジマリ)	April 4, 2006	{{{FirstEngAirDate}}}
Keiichi Maebara moves to the rural village of Hinamizawa and befriends four girls—Rena Ryuugu, Mion Sonozaki, Satoko Hojo, and Rika Furude. He joins their after-school club. Life is peaceful until Keiichi learns from a man named Tomitake about a murder in Hinamizawa's past. He also learns about a dam construction project which had been proposed by the government five years earlier. The project met with protests and was withdrawn. When Keiichi asks Rena and Mion about any incidents relating to the project, they refuse to speak about it, which makes him suspicious. He gets even more suspicious when he finds a newspaper article about the dam project manager being dismembered. He learns that one of the killers is still at large.
02	The Secret (Chapter: Spirited Away by the Demon, Part 2) "Onikakushi-hen Sono Ni – Kakushigoto" (鬼隠し編 其ノ弐 隠しごと)	April 11, 2006	{{{FirstEngAirDate}}}
During the annual Watanagashi festival, Keiichi is informed by Tomitake and a mysterious woman, Takano, about "Oyashiro's curse". A series of murders and disappearances has occurred on the night of the festival for the past four years and are all supposedly caused by the curse of Hinamizawa's guardian deity, Oyashiro. The next day, Keiichi is interrogated by a police detective, Oishi, and learns that Tomitake committed suicide by clawing out his own throat, while Takano has gone missing. He becomes Oishi's informant. Keiichi notices changes in Rena and Mion's behavior and suspects them of hiding something from him. He too is accused of keeping secrets because of his ties to Oishi. Keiichi delves deeper into the history of the curse with Oishi, and learns that one of the victims was Satoshi, a boy who had apparently transferred out of school in Hinamizawa before Keiichi arrived. At that point, Keiichi realizes that Rena has been eavesdropping on him the whole time.
03	Suspicion (Chapter: Spirited Away by the Demon, Part 3) "Onikakushi-hen Sono San – Gishin" (鬼隠し編 其ノ参 疑心)	April 18, 2006	{{{FirstEngAirDate}}}
Growing increasingly paranoid, Keiichi calls in sick for school to avoid his friends and delve deeper into the mysteries of Hinamizawa. Oishi takes Keiichi to Angel Mort for lunch, and he tells him that all of the victims of Oyashiro's curse are related to his group of friends. That night, Rena and Mion visit Keiichi and give him a box of ohagi as part of a club activity. One of the ohagi contains a needle. Keiichi is convinced that that Rena and Mion are out to get him. Keiichi arms himself with Satoshi's baseball bat when he returns to school the next day. His friends reveal that Satoshi had displayed similar paranoid behavior before he disappeared.
04	Disturbance (Chapter: Spirited Away by the Demon, Part 4) "Onikakushi-hen Sono Yon – Yugami" (鬼隠し編 其ノ四 歪)	April 25, 2006	{{{FirstEngAirDate}}}
Rena pays Keiichi a visit and begins acting strangely, prompting Keiichi to succumb to his paranoia and hurt her. Distressed by Keiichi's behavior, Mion attempts to apologize for keeping so many secrets about Hinamizawa from him, but he coldly rebuffs her. Later, Keiichi is being followed by Rena. He demands to know who caused all the murders and disappearances; Rena simply replies that it is all the work of Oyashiro. Keiichi escapes from Rena and finds himself being chased by a mysterious group of men, who knock him out. When he awakens, he is subdued by Rena and Mion, who attempt to inject him with a syringe. In self-defense, Keiichi beats Rena and Mion to death with Satoshi's bat. He calls Oishi and tells him the murders were caused by Oyashiro, and then Keiichi, who is sure that Oyashiro is behind him, claws out his own throat. The next day, Keiichi is found dead. The police also find the bodies of Mion and Rena, and they find out that Keiichi was the one who killed them.
05	Jealousy (Chapter: Cotton Drifting, Part 1) "Watanagashi-hen Sono Ichi – Shitto" (綿流し編 其ノ壱 嫉妬)	May 2, 2006	{{{FirstEngAirDate}}}
Keiichi discovers Mion has an identical twin sister named Shion. Keiichi also discovers that Mion has a crush on him, and so does Shion.
06	Takano (Chapter: Cotton Drifting, Part 2) "Watanagashi-hen Sono Ni – Takano" (綿流し編 其ノ弐 タカノ)	May 9, 2006	{{{FirstEngAirDate}}}
Keiichi learns about the curse of Oyashiro. During Rika's ritual performance at the Watanagashi festival, Shion whisks Keiichi away to sneak to the ritual tool shed of Oyashiro, where Tomitake and his friend, Miyo Takano, are waiting. Tomitake stands guard while the others look inside. They find dozens of torture tools. Takano explains the significance of the ritual tool shrine and the Watanagashi festival. Her theory is that the villagers of Hinamizawa are continuing an age-old tradition of sacrificing people to Oyashiro. Shion and Keiichi promise not to tell anyone they entered the shrine. Keiichi becomes disturbed when he is questioned both by Mion and Detective Oishi about the whereabouts of Shion, Tomitake, and Takano on the night of the festival. Keiichi learns from Shion that Takano was found burned to death and Tomitake committed suicide by clawing at his own throat. Keiichi starts to wonder about Shion's safety as well as his own.
07	Lies (Chapter: Cotton Drifting, Part 3) "Watanagashi-hen Sono San – Uso" (綿流し編 其ノ参 嘘)	May 16, 2006	{{{FirstEngAirDate}}}
Rika shows knowledge of Keiichi's actions on the night of the festival, and in a metaphorical conversation promises to help the 'little kitty cat who did something bad' on the night of the festival by making the 'big dogs' aware the 'kitty cat' had no bad intentions, and alludes to the fact that Mion is angry with Shion over what happened. She also warns Keiichi that if the same 'dog' who bit the village leader tries to bite him, he should tell her. That night Keiichi learns the village leader has gone missing. Shion tells Keiichi that she confessed to the village leader about what they did. Shion thinks it's her fault that Oyashiro's Curse got him because he had promised to help them. Keiichi believes Rika is also in danger. Keiichi, Rena and Mion go to Rika and Satoko's home to find them, but they have gone missing. Keiichi talks with Detective Oishi. His account of the village leader's activities before disappearing contradict Shion's claim that she confessed. Shion has been missing ever since the festival. Shion calls Keiichi that night, and he confronts her about who she really is. He hears maniacal laughter before she hangs up the phone.
08	Wish (Chapter: Cotton Drifting, Part 4) "Watanagashi-hen Sono Yon – Negai" (綿流し編 其ノ四 願い)	May 23, 2006	{{{FirstEngAirDate}}}
Keiichi and Rena suspect that Mion is behind Rika's and Satoko's disappearance, and inform detective Oishi. Keiichi and Rena confront Mion at her house because the police don't have enough probable cause for a search warrant. Mion admits that Rika and Satoko came over to her house the night they disappeared. She asks to have a private talk with Keiichi before the police arrest her, and she lures Keiichi to a torture chamber. He he sees Shion in the dungeon before Mion knocks him out. Mion prepares to torture Keiichi, but hears a noise and assumes Rena brought the police and tasers Keiichi unconscious. Keiichi and Shion are rescued from the torture chamber and Mion escapes. Keiichi is visited by Mion who stabs him in the stomach. He is gravely wounded and taken to hospital. Keiichi learns Shion has fallen to her death from her apartment. Oishi asks Keiichi if he was certain it was Mion Sonozaki that attacked him. He confirms it. Oishi reveals Mion's body was found dead at the bottom of the well the same day Keiichi and Shion were rescued. Oishi also reveals Miyo Takano, who was burned to death on the night of the festival, had actually died 24 hours beforehand. After Oishi leaves, Mion appears and presumably kills Keiichi.
09	Older Brother (Chapter: Curse Killing, Part 1) "Tatarigoroshi-hen Sono Ichi – Ani" (祟殺し編 其の壱 兄)	May 30, 2006	{{{FirstEngAirDate}}}
Keiichi's parents leave for Tokyo for a few days. Helped by Satoko and Rika, who make dinner for him, Keiichi learns about Satoshi, Satoko's older brother, and his mysterious disappearance on the night of last year's Watanagashi festival. He decides to act as a surrogate brother to Satoko and investigate Satoshi's disappearance.
10	Bond (Chapter: Curse Killing, Part 2) "Tatarigoroshi-hen Sono Ni – Kizuna" (祟殺し編 其の弐 キズナ)	June 6, 2006	{{{FirstEngAirDate}}}
When Satoko is absent from school for a few days, Keiichi discovers that it is because of Teppei, her abusive uncle. He left Hinamizawa after his wife was murdered on the night of last year's Watanagashi festival, and has only just returned to town. Keiichi intervenes.
11	Borderline (Chapter: Curse Killing, Part 3) "Tatarigoroshi-hen Sono San – Sakaime" (祟殺し編 其の参 境界)	June 13, 2006	{{{FirstEngAirDate}}}
Keiichi decides that he must kill Teppei. He beats him to death with Satoshi's baseball bat and buries the body. On his way back home, Keiichi bumps into Takano.
12	Lost Item (Chapter: Curse Killing, Part 4) "Tatarigoroshi-hen Sono Yon – Nakushimono" (祟殺し編 其の四 失しモノ)	June 20, 2006	{{{FirstEngAirDate}}}
Keiichi is shaken when his friends tell him that he was actually at the Watanagashi festival with them. Satoko's uncle is still abusing her, though Keiichi thought he had killed him. He gets even more confused when he unsuccessfully tries to find the truth.
13	Apology (Chapter: Curse Killing, Part 5) "Tatarigoroshi-hen Sono Go – Shazai" (祟殺し編 其の伍 謝罪)	June 27, 2006	{{{FirstEngAirDate}}}
Keiichi goes to the Hojo residence to ascertain Teppei's status and finds Satoko in need of medical help. At the Furude Shrine, Keiichi discovers Rika's disemboweled body. Satoko believes that Keiichi is the culprit and flees. Satoko comes to the conclusion that he is possessed by Oyashiro. Keiichi fruitlessly tries to convince her otherwise, and Satoko forces him off a bridge. Disaster strikes the village of Hinamizawa: a gas leak kills thousands of residents. Keiichi survives the fall from the bridge and the gas leak.
14	Hinamizawa (Chapter: Time Wasting, part 1) "Himatsubushi-hen Sono Ichi – Hinamizawa" (暇潰し編 其の壱 ヒナミザワ)	July 4, 2006	{{{FirstEngAirDate}}}
Four years ago, during the dam incident, young police investigator Mamoru Akasaka comes to Hinamizawa to investigate a child kidnapping. He hears an enigmatic warning from a younger Rika and becomes suspicious of some of the townsfolk.
15	Sign (Chapter: Time Wasting, part 2) "Himatsubushi-hen Sono Ni – Kizashi" (暇潰し編 其の弐 兆し)	July 11, 2006	{{{FirstEngAirDate}}}
Akasaka and Oishi find the kidnappers' hideout and rescue the kidnapped boy. They discover that their efforts were in vain because the perpetrators' demands had already been met. He realizes the real meaning behind Rika's words.
16	First Love (Chapter: Eye Opening, Part 1) "Meakashi-hen Sono Ichi – Hatsukoi" (目明し編 其の壱 初恋)	July 18, 2006	{{{FirstEngAirDate}}}
The events from Watanagashi-hen are retold from Shion's point of view. For generations the Sonozaki family has murdered the youngest of newborn twins as they are seen as bad luck. When Mion and Shion are born, they decide to send Shion away to boarding school. Shion escapes and returns to Hinamizawa with the help of her caretaker, Kasai. Shion pretends to be her sister and gets a job with her uncle. Shion learns about Oyashiro's curse from Mion and the mysterious deaths. Shion meets Satoshi, a classmate of Mion's, who mistakes her for Mion. Shion takes a liking to Satoshi. Satoshi is a member of the Hojo family, and his parents were victims of Oyashiro's curse for supporting the construction of a dam that would have flooded the town. Satoshi and his younger sister, Satoko, were taken in by their aunt and uncle after their parent's death. Their aunt and uncle resented them because the rest of the village shunned them for their parent's support of the dam. Shion goes to school in Mion's place in order to try and cheer up Satoshi. When she fails she takes out her anger on Satoko, who she sees as the root of Satoshi's problems. She beats Satoko up. Rika, Rena and Satoshi try to stop her. Shion learns Satoshi despises her family.
17	Responsibility (Chapter: Eye Opening, Part 2) "Meakashi-hen Sono Ni – Kejime" (目明し編 其の弐 ケジメ)	July 25, 2006	{{{FirstEngAirDate}}}
Satoshi apologizes to Shion (still pretending to be Mion), and asks her to care for Satoko during the Watanagashi festival. Satoshi murders his aunt the night of the festival for abusing Satoko. Shion is suspicious that he is the culprit, but provides an alibi for him when detective Oishi questions him. In the process she reveals that she isn't Mion, but her twin sister Shion. Shion's family finds her when Oishi checks out her story, and she is taken back to their family estate to answer to her grandmother for the trouble she has caused. Satoshi is missing after these events.
18	Oni's Blood Line (Chapter: Eye Opening, Part 3) "Meakashi-hen Sono San – Oni no Ketsumyaku" (目明し編 其の参 鬼の血脈)	August 1, 2006	{{{FirstEngAirDate}}}
Shion finds out Satoshi has is missing and decides to investigate further into the mysterious murders over the past four years. Shion meets Takano at the library. Takano tells her more about the history of Hinamizawa and its dark past. The story skips ahead one year to the present. Keiichi brings back memories of Satoshi to Shion.
19	Revenge (Chapter: Eye Opening, Part 4) "Meakashi-hen Sono Yon – Shikaeshi" (目明し編 其の四 仕返し)	August 8, 2006	{{{FirstEngAirDate}}}
Shion believes the Sonozaki family is connected to the acts of "spiriting away" people in the village, especially in the case 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, which Keiichi still denies.
20	Cold Hands (Chapter: Eye Opening, Part 5) "Meakashi-hen Sono Go – Tsumetai Te" (目明し編 其の伍 冷たい手)	August 15, 2006	{{{FirstEngAirDate}}}
Shion captures the village head and gets information about the previous murders and Satoshi. Shion confronts Rika about the murders, leading to a confrontation between the two. Shion injects Rika with the syringe that Rika had brought for her. Rika commits suicide by stabbing herself repeatedly in the head. Shion invites Satoko to her house.
21	Condemnation (Chapter: Eye Opening, Part 6) "Meakashi-hen Sono Roku – Danzai" (目明し編 其の六 断罪)	August 22, 2006	{{{FirstEngAirDate}}}
Shion tricks Keiichi in a phone call and later tricks the townsfolk into believing Keiichi a murder suspect. She quickly realizes that Oishi suspects her instead. She brutally murders Satoko, who she has been holding captive. Then she remembers to her horror that one of Satoshi's last requests was to keep Satoko safe.This drives her deeper into madness. Shion lures Keiichi to the dungeon and tortures him. She knocks him out with her taser. Mion tells her that their grandmother may have approved of Satoshi. Shion switches clothes with Mion and pushes her down the well. She and Keiichi are rescued. Shion starts to hallucinate. She visits Keiichi and gravely wounds him. Shion hastily returns to her apartment by scaling the side of the building, and slips and falls to her death.
22	Happiness (Chapter: Atonement, Part 1) "Tsumihoroboshi-hen Sono Ichi – Shiawase" (罪滅し編 其の壱 幸せ)	August 29, 2006	{{{FirstEngAirDate}}}
Rena meets her father's girlfriend, Rina, who turns out to be working with Teppei. When she learns that they plan to rip off her father, Rena forms a deep hatred for them and plans revenge.
23	Place to Return (Chapter: Atonement, Part 2) "Tsumihoroboshi-hen Sono Ni – Kaeru Tokoro" (罪滅し編 其の弐 還る処)	September 5, 2006	{{{FirstEngAirDate}}}
Rena confronts Rina about their plan scam her father. Rina tries to kill Rena, who slashes Rina's belly with a shard of glass and beating her to death with an old pipe. Rena witnesses Teppei putting his and Rina's plan into motion and splits his head open with her cleaver. While disposing of the bodies, she is caught by her friends who, to her surprise, offer their unwavering support to keep the incident a secret.
24	Document 34 (Chapter: Atonement, Part 3) "Tsumihoroboshi-hen Sono San – Sanjūyon-gō Bunsho" (罪滅し編 其の参 34号文書)	September 12, 2006	{{{FirstEngAirDate}}}
While studying Takano's scrapbooks, Rena discovers that Oyashiro, who is worshipped by the Three Families that run the village, doesn't actually exist. She discovers that the problem is a virus causes its victims to go berserk. This disease caused all the murders. As a result, she is being hunted down by people who appear to stop at nothing to keep this information a secret.
25	Earth Invasion (Chapter: Atonement, Part 4) "Tsumihoroboshi-hen Sono Yon – Chikyuu Shinryaku" (罪滅し編 其の四 地球侵略)	September 19, 2006	{{{FirstEngAirDate}}}
Rena learns that Mion moved the bodies from where they originally hid them. Rena's faith in her friends is shattered and she begins to go insane. Keiichi tries to stop Rena, but she confronts him with his own dark secrets. He confesses his past sin to his friends, and finds that he can recall events from Onikakushi-hen, particularly his own paranoia and murder of Rena and Mion. This strengthens his understanding of Rena's situation and he resolves to prevent such tragedies from occurring again. He apologizes to Mion.
26	Retake (Chapter: Atonement, Part 5) "Tsumihoroboshi-hen Sono Go – Riteiku" (罪滅し編 其の伍 リテイク)	September 26, 2006	{{{FirstEngAirDate}}}
With her madness at its peak, Rena holds her friends and schoolmates hostage and threatens to kill them all with a homemade bomb planted on the roof of the school. Working together with the police and his friends, Keiichi defuses the bomb. Keiichi and Rena have a final confrontation on the roof, Keiichi armed with Satoshi's bat and Rena with her cleaver. Rena gradually regains her sanity until she defeats Keiichi, though she is unable to bring herself to kill him. Rena reconciles with her friends. Though tragedy has been averted through Rena's atonement, the constant time loops have yet to lift; however, there is now hope for the future.

Higurashi no Naku Koro ni Kai (2007)

#	Title	Original air date
01	Reunion "Saikai" (サイカイ)	July 6, 2007	{{{FirstEngAirDate}}}
Mamoru Akasaka, with an assistant, visits the abandoned town of Hinamizawa in the year 2007, and meets with Officer Oishi. They still wonder about the Great Hinamizawa Disaster that decimated the town and the connection to Miyo Takano's File No. 34. Rena, now in her thirties, survived the disaster because she was detained at the police station during the incident. She shares with them the little knowledge she has about Rika's strange behavior shortly before the supposed "gas leak". Akasaka recalls his meeting with the young Rika. The episode is a direct epilogue of Tsumihoroboshi-hen.
02	Disaster Awakening Chapter One – Tag "Yakusamashi-hen Sono Ichi – Onigokko" (厄醒し編 其の壱 鬼ごっこ)	July 13, 2007	{{{FirstEngAirDate}}}
Back in June 1983, the club participates in a game of "zombie tag". On their way home, they run into Irie, Tomitake, and Takano, who tell Keiichi about the yearly murders known as "Oyashiro-sama's Curse". He understands why his friends hid it from him and doesn't resent them for it. This fails to reassure Rika, and she grows progressively more depressed as the day of the Watanagashi Festival approaches.
03	Disaster Awakening Chapter Two – Powerlessness "Yakusamashi-hen Sono Ni – Muryoku" (厄醒し編 其の弐 無力)	July 20, 2007	{{{FirstEngAirDate}}}
Satoko worries about Rika's depression and tries to help her, but Rika denies that anything is wrong. In the middle of the night, Satoko is woken by Rika arguing with a mysterious voice telling her she will soon be murdered, and that there is nothing that either of them can do.
04	Disaster Awakening Chapter Three – Pre-established Harmony "Yakusamashi-hen Sono San – Yotei Chōwa" (厄醒し編 其の参 予定調和)	July 27, 2007	{{{FirstEngAirDate}}}
The day of the Watanagashi Festival comes, and Rika fails to warn Tomitake of his imminent death. Satoko is convinced that a mysterious man is following her and Rika around. Worried of Rika's safety, Satoko sets traps around the house to alert her of any intruders, and when one is triggered, her fears are confirmed.
05	Disaster Awakening Chapter Four – The Great Hinamizawa Disaster "Yakusamashi-hen Sono Yon – Hinamizawa Daisaigai" (厄醒し編 其の四 雛見沢大災害)	August 3, 2007	{{{FirstEngAirDate}}}
Much to Satoko's surprise, Rika hides her. Rika is taken away and killed. After witnessing Rika's demise, Satoko flees and falls off a bridge. Satoko stumbles back into Hinamizawa in the aftermath of the Great Hinamizawa Disaster. The trauma of witnessing the remaining villagers' deaths drives Satoko into mental shock. In the hospital, Oishi tries to bring Satoko out of her catatonic state to interrogate her. He relays a cryptic message left by Rena that hints at the motive behind Rika's murder. Satoko regains consciousness and realizes the meaning of Rena's message. She is killed by Rika's murderers.
06	Massacre Chapter One – Rules of the Labyrinth "Minagoroshi-hen Sono Ichi – Meiro no Hōsoku" (皆殺し編 其の壱 迷路の法則)	August 10, 2007	{{{FirstEngAirDate}}}
Rika begins a new world with Hanyū. She is getting tired of seeing her friends commit the same acts that lead them to terrible mistakes. Keiichi proves to her that people can change their fate if they want during the game tournament, like the one in Watanagashi-hen. He gives the doll he won as a prize to Mion instead of Rena. Rika thinks that this world may be different.
07	Massacre Chapter Two – How to Change Destiny "Minagoroshi-hen Sono Ni – Unmei no Kaekata" (皆殺し編 其の弐 運命の変え方)	August 17, 2007	{{{FirstEngAirDate}}}
Influenced by Keiichi's encouragement, and the fact her friends are starting to avoid doing the same mistakes again by remembering glimpses of what they could have done, Rika decides to find a way to prevent her own ominous destiny.
08	Massacre Chapter Three – Wavering "Minagoroshi-hen Sono San – Yuragi" (皆殺し編 其の参 揺らぎ)	August 24, 2007	{{{FirstEngAirDate}}}
Rika's plans are hindered by the appearance of Teppei, who much like in Tatarigoroshi-hen, begins to abuse Satoko. Keiichi and the rest of the gang decide to find a way to release her from his clutches, but the government is reluctant to cooperate.
09	Massacre Chapter Four – Negotiation "Minagoroshi-hen Sono Yon – Kōshō" (皆殺し編 其の四 交渉)	August 31, 2007	{{{FirstEngAirDate}}}
The fight to save Satoko from her uncle's abuse continues. She is reluctant to denounce him, for her own reasons. Rika realizes that she is the one who must take action.
10	Massacre Chapter Five – Showdown "Minagoroshi-hen Sono Go – Taiketsu" (皆殺し編 其の伍 対決)	September 7, 2007	{{{FirstEngAirDate}}}
Keiichi's struggle to help Satoko forces him to confront the village elders and the leader of the Sonozaki family. As the government succumbs to the pressure of Keiichi and his allies, Satoko's condition deteriorates.
11	Massacre Chapter Six – Strong Will "Minagoroshi-hen Sono Roku – Tsuyoi Ishi" (皆殺し編 其の六 強い意志)	September 14, 2007	{{{FirstEngAirDate}}}
Rika persuades Satoko to ask for help and she is freed from Teppei. Just when the village seemed to be relieved from its eternal cycle of hatred and death, the real enemies start to act, just like they did in previous worlds.
12	Massacre Chapter Seven – Hinamizawa Syndrome "Minagoroshi-hen Sono Nana – Hinamizawa Shōkōgun" (皆殺し編 其の七 雛見沢症候群)	September 25, 2007	{{{FirstEngAirDate}}}
Rika tells her friends the truth behind the Hinamizawa Syndrome, and her connection with it. Meanwhile, the enemy moves on with their plan, eliminating any opposition (Oishi).
13	Massacre Chapter Eight – Finale "Minagoroshi-hen Sono Hachi – Shūmatsu" (皆殺し編 其の八 終末)	October 1, 2007	{{{FirstEngAirDate}}}
Rika's friends are killed while trying to protect her. Takano kills Rika without anesthesia in an attempt to carve the identity of the culprit behind all the Hinamizawa murders into her mind and thus prevent the events from this and past worlds from repeating themselves. The villagers are rounded up at the school and gassed to death, while an ecstatic Takano proclaims her ascension to godhood.
14	Festival Music Chapter One – 34 "Matsuribayashi-hen Sono Ichi – Miyo" (祭囃し編 其の壱 三四)	October 8, 2007	{{{FirstEngAirDate}}}
Takano's past is revealed in disjointed flashbacks, some of them showing her harsh childhood, while others show the time when she became involved with researchers of the Hinamizawa Syndrome.
15	Festival Music Chapter Two – Wriggling "Matsuribayashi-hen Sono Ni – Ugomeki" (祭囃し編 其の弐 蠢き)	October 15, 2007	{{{FirstEngAirDate}}}
Takano's story continues, showing how she met her foster grandfather, and her determination to continue his work. A few years later, Takano and Hanyu have a very heated confrontation at Oyashiro-sama's shrine.
16	Festival Music Chapter Three – The Beginning of the End "Matsuribayashi-hen Sono San – Owari no Hajimari" (祭囃し編 其の参 終わりの始まり)	October 22, 2007	{{{FirstEngAirDate}}}
Hanyu watches silently and hopelessly as the cruel events occur during the dam incident. She and Rika eagerly await the arrival of the one person who will be the key to bringing an end to the enemy's intentions.
17	Festival Music Chapter Four – Strategy "Matsuribayashi-hen Sono Yon – Bōryaku" (祭囃し編 其の四 謀略)	October 29, 2007	{{{FirstEngAirDate}}}
In order to save Satoko, who is terminally infected with the Hinamizawa Syndrome, Rika offers herself as a test subject for Irie and Takano's research. More light is shed on the deaths of Satoko and Rika's parents, and how the deaths are related to the legend of Oyashiro-sama's curse.
18	Festival Music Chapter Five – The Final Piece "Matsuribayashi-hen Sono Go – Saigo no Koma" (祭囃し編 其の伍 最後の駒)	November 5, 2007	{{{FirstEngAirDate}}}
More details about Satoshi's past are revealed, including the reason for his disappearance. Rika and Hanyu make their final preparations for the impending struggle against destiny.
19	Festival Music Chapter Six – Opening "Matsuribayashi-hen Sono Roku – Makuake" (祭囃し編 其の六 幕開け)	November 12, 2007	{{{FirstEngAirDate}}}
Hanyu is introduced into the world as a transfer student to the Hinamizawa school, but forgets her role. After a brief meeting with Takano and Tomitake, she remembers the past worlds and informs Rika about the enemy's intentions.
20	Festival Music Chapter Seven – Trap "Matsuribayashi-hen Sono Nana – Torappu" (祭囃し編 其の七 トラップ)	November 19, 2007	{{{FirstEngAirDate}}}
Rika gathers her allies and start to make plans, while obtaining more information about the enemy and those supporting their ambitions.
21	Festival Music Chapter Eight – 48 Hours "Matsuribayashi-hen Sono Hachi – Yonjū-hachi Jikan" (祭囃し編 其の八 48時間)	November 26, 2007	{{{FirstEngAirDate}}}
False information regarding Rika is spread by Oishi's group at the precinct. The villain's crew is left in disarray, racing against time to prevent their plans from being foiled.
22	Festival Music Chapter Nine – Offense and Defense "Matsuribayashi-hen Sono Kyū – Koubou" (祭囃し編 其の九 攻防)	December 3, 2007	{{{FirstEngAirDate}}}
Tomitake is captured. Irie rushes to escape and ends up meeting with Shion and her bodyguard, Kasai, on their way to the Sonozaki estate. By accepting their help, he ends up unintentionally revealing Rika's hideout to the enemy, via a transmitter hidden in his lab coat.
23	Festival Music Chapter Ten – Bloody Battle "Matsuribayashi-hen Sono Jū – Kessen" (祭囃し編 其の拾 血戦)	December 10, 2007	{{{FirstEngAirDate}}}
Irie, Akasaka, Kasai, and Shion head to the clinic to rescue Tomitake. Irie reveals Satoshi's location to Shion. The others deal with the enemy assaulting the mountains.
24	Festival Music Chapter Eleven – End "Matsuribayashi-hen Sono Jūichi – Oshimai" (祭囃し編 其の拾壱 オシマイ)	December 17, 2007	{{{FirstEngAirDate}}}
The rest of the Yamainu concede defeat, but Takano is unwilling to surrender. After learning Nomura in Tokyo planned to use her as a scapegoat, she flees into the mountains and has a final confrontation with Rika's group. The Banken come to arrest her. Tomitake pities her when she sees she had been infected with the Hinamizawa Syndrome, takes her into the Irie Clinic for treatment. Rika and her friends Hanyu, Keiichi, Rena, Satoko, Mion, and Shion, attend the festival. After the credits, Frederica Bernkastel (the aggregate consciousness of all the incarnations of Rika across the "restarts") manages to change Takano's destiny by preventing the death of her parents, thereby giving Takano a happy ending as well.

Higurashi no Naku Koro ni Rei (2009)

#	Title	Original air date
1	Embarrassment Chapter "Hajisarashi-hen" (羞晒し編)	February 25, 2009	{{{FirstEngAirDate}}}
When he realizes he forgot to pack his bathing suit while rushing to meet his friends at the pool, Keiichi borrows a pair of trunks from Mion's uncle, who claims that these trunks have the magical ability to make women attracted to whoever writes their name on them and wears them for three hours. Mion hears from her uncle that he had made a mistake in describing the abilities of the trunks, and that the person whose name is written on the briefs will fall in love with the wearer, meaning Keiichi, who had written his own name on them, will fall in love with himself. The girls try to talk him out of taking the trunks off. Keiichi thinks it's a trick so they can force him to wear an embarrassing pair of trunks they provided. The girls rally everyone at the pool to chase him down and retrieve the trunks by force, even going as far as turning Keiichi's only supporters (Tomitake, Oishi, and Irie) against each other to fight over wearing the trunks for themselves. Finally, the trunks are removed before time runs out. The naked Keiichi still refuses to wear the girls' embarrassing trunks.
2	Dice Killing Chapter One "Saikoroshi-hen Sono Ichi" (賽殺し編 其の壱)	March 25, 2009	{{{FirstEngAirDate}}}
Now that she and her friends are finally free from the eternally repeating tragedies of June 1983, Rika has a new lease on life. While biking with her friends, Rika carelessly collides with an oncoming truck and is apparently killed; when she awakens, she finds herself in another Hinamizawa. However, this world is quite different from other worlds in the past: Keiichi, Takano, Irie, and Hanyuu are nowhere to be found; she is no longer close friends with anybody. Satoko is particularly hostile. The dam project that threatens to flood the town is still underway and none of the successive tragedies she witnessed countless times happened at all, meaning Satoshi and her own parents are still around. For the first time in her life, Rika has no idea what to do.
3	Dice Killing Chapter Two "Saikoroshi-hen Sono Ni" (賽殺し編 其の弐)	May 22, 2009	{{{FirstEngAirDate}}}
Rika makes contact with Hanyuu, who tells her that for her to return to her old world, she must find and dispose of a piece from her old world that prevents Hanyuu from entering this new world. This is what prevents Rika from reincarnating. If this piece turns out to be a person, for instance, she must kill that person. She is initially eager to find the item and return to her old world, especially when she responds to Satoko's bullying by assaulting her. Shortly afterward, Rika experiences what life with a mother is like, and begins building a new friendship with Mion, Rena, and Satoshi, as well as making peace with Satoko. Rika now feels it's all a matter of deciding which world she would rather like to stay in until she learns that her mother, now the reincarnation of Oyashiro instead of Rika, is the item she must dispose of.
4	Dice Killing Chapter Three "Saikoroshi-hen Sono San" (賽殺し編 其の参)	June 16, 2009	{{{FirstEngAirDate}}}
Rika becomes torn between remaining in this new world that knows no sin and where everyone is living contently, or killing her mother and returning to her old world. She learns that she does not have much time to act. Rika decides to fight for what she wants to live for. The next thing she knows, she awakens from a coma in her old world and happily reunites with her friends, the other world having apparently been a dream. Rika concludes she must have killed her mother to regain consciousness. Unbeknownst to her, the dream was developed by Hanyuu to teach Rika that people need to work past personal hardships in order to make life worth living.
5	Daybreak Chapter "Hirukowashi-hen" (昼壊し編)	August 21, 2009	{{{FirstEngAirDate}}}
During a picnic with Keiichi, Rena accidentally swallows one of the mysterious "Fuwazaru Magatama" which falls from the sky, and begins acting lovesick. Rika explains that the seal on the magatama has been broken, and that whoever possesses the red magatama will fall blindly in love with anyone holding its white counterpart. Everyone reasons that Rena must have swallowed the red magatama and sets out to stop her and find the white magatama. It winds up in the possession of Tomitake, then Takano, and finally Oishi, each of whom gradually come to accept her love under the magatama's curse. Keiichi manages to obtain the magatama after beating Rena and Oishi with Akasaka in a game of mahjong. Oishi fumbles it and Keiichi ends up accidentally swallowing it as well. Rika lifts the curse before Keiichi can fall under its power, and Rena returns to normal. Rena, who is grateful to Keiichi for helping her, expresses her feelings toward him, though she isn't sure if it's part of the magatama's power. Tomitake and Takano still appear to be infatuated with Rena and fight over who gets to keep her.

References

• "Official website listing of TV episodes from Higurashi no Naku Koro ni" (in Japanese). Studio Deen. Retrieved 2007-07-10. 
• "Official website listing of TV episodes from Higurashi no Naku Koro ni Kai" (in Japanese). Studio Deen. Retrieved 2007-07-10. 

ru:Higurashi no Naku Koro ni (список серий)