The fact that Higurashi has a good anime adaptation — let alone several — is nothing short of a miracle. For whatever reason, good horror anime are hard to come by and Higurashi is an exceptional example of the genre.
Don’t let the cute slice-of-life art style fool you: Higurashi is terrifying. Also known by its full title Higurashi When They Cry (the Japanese title literally translates to “When the Cicadas Cry”), Higurashi is, at its core, a murder mystery. Set in the seemingly peaceful village of Hinamizawa in 1983, the story begins when Keiichi moves to the village and learns everything isn’t as idyllic as it seems. Over the last several years, murders and disappearances have taken place on the day of Hinamizawa’s annual festival. The superstitious villagers attribute the incidents to the “Oyashiro Curse,” named after the deity the festival honors. Keiichi and his friends attempt to uncover the truth behind the Oyashiro Curse, usually with disastrous results.
The series began with the release of the game Onikakushi-hen, a visual novel published in 2002. Since then, a total of eight games were released as well as several anime adaptations and a live-action series. With so much media to sort through, it can be hard to know where to start watching Higurashi. Here’s what order you should tackle the series, as well as which adaptations you can skip.
The best Higurashi watch order
The best way to watch Higurashi is by watching it in release order. Fans of horror anime know how rare it is to get even one good adaptation of a series (How are we feeling right now Junji Ito fans?), let alone as many as Higurashi has spawned. The original 2006 Higurashi When They Cry series was an unexpected success and made way for several sequels and spin-offs.
If you want to watch every anime and spin-off series, this is the order you should follow:
- Higurashi When They Cry (2006)
- Higurashi no Naku Koro ni: Nekogoroshi-hen (OVA, 2007)
- Higurashi When They Cry: Kai (2007)
- Higurashi When They Cry: Rei (2009)
- Higurashi no Naku Koro ni Kira (2011)
- Higurashi no Naku Koro ni Kaku: Outbreak (OVA, 2013)
- Higurashi: When They Cry – Gou (2020)
- Higurashi: When They Cry – Sotsu (2021)
While you can watch all of these, some series can be skipped and not considered canon. The OVAs and Kira have some good moments but are not canon entries in the franchise, so feel free to skip those during your binge. That being said, here are the entries you must watch and where to watch them:
Higurashi When They Cry (2006)
The original anime was released in 2006 and animated by Studio Deen, known for anime like Fruits Basket and Ranma ½. If you’re going to watch one version of Higurashi, make it this one. Many fans consider this the best entry in the series.
Comprising 26 episodes, the anime follows Keiichi and his friends as they try to avert certain disaster with varying results. You can rent it or purchase the episodes on Prime Video.
Higurashi When They Cry: Kai (2007)
Considered the second season of the anime, Kai is less of a sequel to the first series as it is an alternate timeline of its events. It’s confusing but it’s not any less canon than the 2006 series. As of writing, Kai isn’t available on any streaming services.
Higurashi When They Cry: Rei (2009)
Rei is an outlier in the franchise in that it’s a mix of canon and filler episodes. The first episode and the last episode are full of unnecessary fanservice while the rest follow Rika as she struggles with a moral dilemma when she finds herself in a peaceful alternate world. Unfortunately, this isn’t available on streaming.
Higurashi: When They Cry – Gou (2020)
Marketed as a remake of the original 2006 anime, Gou is more of a sequel than a reboot. Some new fans started with this adaptation and then watched earlier iterations for context. You can try this approach and see if it works for you, but take caution that the plot differs from the original anime.
Do be warned that many fans, especially those who read the manga, find Gou polarizing. If you want to form your own opinion, you can stream it on Crunchyroll.
Higurashi: When They Cry – Sotsu (2021)
Sotsu is the direct sequel to Gou and shows the same events from a different perspective before resolving the narrative. This season has its good moments but is considered even more controversial than Gou.
While some fans consider Gou a positive addition to the franchise, many complain Sotsu is a disappointing follow-up that fails to understand the series’ characters. You can decide how you feel about Sotsu by renting it or purchasing it on Prime Video.