Toilet-Bound Hanako-kun is certainly an intriguing name for a show, anime or otherwise. Who’s this Hanako, and why are they bound to a toilet? And what’s the extent of this being “tied” somehow to a toilet? That’s how this anime and manga series sucks you in. It sounds like it might be about some gross-out bathroom humor, but in reality, it’s a supernatural comedy that’ll you’ll want to tear through as quickly as possible.
So, let’s get a few things straight. Toilet-bound Hanako-kun is indeed about a bathroom, at least partially. But it’s not like the whole show takes place there or anything. It follows a student named Nene Yashiro, who attends Kamome Academy while crushing on guys and looking for love. Her high school is pretty unique, as it’s known for the rumors that constantly swirl around it about the so-called “Seven Wonders” found around the academy.
One of those “wonders” concerns “Hanako-san of the Toilet,” a spirit who will supposedly grant wishes for a price if you go to the girls’ bathroom and pull a whole “Bloody Mary” ritual. But when our heroine Nene tries to summon Hanako, she realizes a few important things: Hanako isn’t a girl like the rumors say, and he’s certainly a lot unlike what you’d expect some weird spirit to be. And much to Nene’s dismay, he can’t even grant the wish she wants him to.
If that’s the case, what’s up with Hanako, then? How did he die? How did he end up haunting a girls’ bathroom in a high school, anyway? Ready to have your burning questions answered? Read on for the scoop on Hanako-kun’s fate and everything we know about how the spirit came to haunt the bathroom so far.
How did Hanako-kun die?
Unfortunately, there’s no clear-cut answer as to how Hanako died, nor how he became a ghost haunting Kamome Academy’s third bathroom stall. It’s one mystery about the intriguing series that’s remained under wraps so far. It’s expected that, at some point in the manga series that’s still ongoing, this will be explained in full. For right now, however, it seems fans will have to remain content speculating how Hanako met his untimely end at such a young age.
But there are a few things we do know from the story so far. In his previous life, Hanako was a young boy named Amane Yugi, who attended Kamome Academy in 1969. Hints in the manga indicate that he was often abused and bullied, as he would regularly come to school covered in cuts and bruises. However, it remains unclear who was regularly abusing the young boy, or for what reason. A studious child, Amane had big dreams, particularly of the astronomy persuasion. According to Kamome Academy’s Fifth Wonder Tsuchigomori, Amane would have grown up fated to become an educator like him. But that didn’t happen.
Instead, Amane murdered his twin brother Tsukasa. Not only did this end up changing Amane’s fate, but it cut his life tragically short in a way that has not been expressed just yet. Something complex took place here, and while hints appear to point to either mounting self-harm or Amane having taken his own life, there’s no clear-cut answer just yet. And the lighthearted, happy-go-lucky Hanako isn’t letting on, either.
So while it’s obvious Hanako had a troubled childhood, there’s still no official explanation as to how or why his life came to an end, only for him to become bound to Kamome Academy’s girls’ bathroom. But one thing’s for sure — the manga is still going, so there could be a new chapter any day now to lay all of the important details on the line for everyone looking for answers. Until then, there’s always the option to watch, rewatch, and speculate.
