End Game

End Game is the nineteenth episode of the Umineko When They Cry anime adaptation and the first episode of Alliance of the Golden Witch.

Synopsis[]

With the start of the fourth game, Battler is introduced to a new ally and a new rule. Meanwhile, Ange struggles with isolation, delving into Maria's past and searching for the truth.

Plot Summary[]

Prologue[]

Having touched down at Nijima, the Ushiromiya family waits for the taxis to bring them to the port. Maria keeps shouting "faaall, faaaall!", much to Battler's chagrin. He threatens to tickle her and then chases her, almost running into another girl; he apologizes and is called back to the group by George. The girl watches as the Ushiromiyas enter the taxis and drive off, and a black cat with a bow on its tail walks up to her and transforms into Bernkastel. The girl is Ange Ushiromiya, who has entered the meta-world with Bern's help and was observing her family. Even though she never existed on Rokkenjima in 1986, Ange remarks that seeing her family alive and happy again is like a dream come true. She swears to uncover the truth of Rokkenjima and bring her family back to her.

First Half[]

Ronove greets good morning to Beatrice, who appears to be concerned about something. She thinks Battler is still depressed from the shock of her betrayal in the last game. Ronove confirms it as such, saying that Battler's been clutching his knees and won't speak to anyone. As Beato considers this, Battler suddenly barges in, chasing Beelzebub and trying to get a croissant. He gets one and takes a bite, and Beelzebub notices that Beato was watching them, completely confused by the scene. She leaves, and then Beato voices her annoyance towards a chuckling Ronove for lying about Battler's state of mind. Battler looks at her with a disgusted face, reminding her that she did the exact same thing recently. Beato gives a nervous laugh, and Battler tells her that he definitely understands that they're enemies, and will never join forces.

Battler is eager to start the next game, but Beato introduces a new guest: Ange, who appears in a chair opposite her. Battler thanks her for helping him out in the last game, still unaware that she's his sister. Ange gives an insult in return, annoyed that Battler wasn't fighting seriously. He takes offense and exclaims that he'd been fighting seriously the entire time; Ange gives another snide reply, and Battler then asks who she even is. Ange simply introduces herself as the witch's enemy, and Beato taunts Battler by implying that the girl could just be another trap set by her. Battler says he won't be fooled by anyone ever again, and then Ange gives her name as "Gretel," looking off to the side as she says it. Battler looks confused, and Gretel tells him that someone is definitely waiting for him to return, so he must defeat the witch for their sake. Having seen that the new guest has settled in, Beato announces the start of the fourth game.

The scene cuts to Ange's past in the real world, where she narrates that she was six years old and staying at her grandparents' house when she learned that her entire family had died, including Battler. Eva was the only known survivor, and she became Ange's adoptive mother. At one point Eva tries to teach Ange table manners, but gets angry and questions Rudolf and Kyrie's parenting when she drops a fork. Eva compares Ange to George, saying that he had more control at Ange's age, and breaks down into tears after thinking about him. Ange's narration continues, saying that she underwent strict training to become the Ushiromiya head's successor; she figures that was Eva's way of dealing with her resentment over having the headship stolen away from her son.

When she grew older, Ange was sent to St. Lucia Academy, a boarding school. While Ange is reading one day, a classmate goes up to her and asks why she didn't submit a questionnaire for the class presentation, and Ange replies that she wasn't given one. The classmate thinks she lost it instead, and insists that she just say so. Ange says so and asks for another one; she's given one, and some other classmates sneer at her, thinking she's careless and has no manners.

Alone in private, Ange opens up Maria's diary, wanting to see more of her story. The scene cuts to a flashback of Maria's birthday, where she and Rosa are celebrating it at a restaurant. Maria gazes at the delicious food as Rosa apologizes for getting home so late from work. Maria happily says that she knew she'd be late, so she waited patiently. She continues voicing her happiness and then asks to have her present; Rosa smiles and pulls out a stuffed lion doll that she made. Named Sakutarou, Maria is overjoyed at the gift, thanking Rosa even more. She plays with the doll, making "uryuu" noises.

Sometime later, Rosa is on a trip and calls Maria, who's playing with Sakutarou. She apologizes that she's still hung up at work but Maria is fine with this, knowing how hard she tries. Rosa tells her to go to the convenience store and buy a bento for dinner; Maria wants to bring Sakutarou along, but Rosa tells her not to, saying he should stay and watch the house instead. They hang up, and Maria wonders why Rosa won't let her bring Sakutarou to the store. The lion doll, brought to life by Maria's imagination, says it'd be embarrassing for Maria to be seen with him, but in reality he's afraid of outside people; Maria solves it by putting Sakutarou in a backpack and brings him to the store.

The flashback ends, with Ange having finished reading the scene in Maria's diary; she commends Maria for using magic like this, and Maria's spirit appears. She tells Ange that with magic, she can notice all sorts of friends that she didn't see before and that she has the power to become a witch too. Questioning this, Ange looks down at the diary and Maria explains that it contained a fragment of her soul, and she was revived with Ange's magic. Ange asks if she'd be able to talk with Maria anytime if she had more power, and she agrees; suddenly, some classmates overhear Ange talking and she quickly leaves, with Maria's spirit disappearing when the diary closes. As she runs away, the classmates mock her for seemingly talking to herself about a "Maria".

Second Half[]

In 1998, Ange is talking with Okonogi about her jumping off a skyscraper. She did it knowing there was a safety net on a lower floor and Okonogi laughs, seeing that she really is Kinzo's granddaughter. Ange cuts straight to the point and asks why Eva was found two kilometers away from the mansion when the Rokkenjima Incident happened. Okonogi offers a theory: it was decided that Kinzo's successor would be Krauss, the oldest sibling. At some point, Kinzo decided that Eva might be a better successor, and then created the epitaph. Okonogi thinks the epitaph was just a show, and Kinzo gave Eva the answer at the appropriate time; the epitaph answer was the mark of the headship's successor. On the day of the incident, Kinzo called Eva to the hidden mansion Kuwadorian and gave her the inheritance, which is how she survived. Ange doesn't agree with that and thinks Eva killed everyone so she could steal the wealth for herself. Okonogi gives a rebuttal: Eva cared very much for her family, so if she really was the mastermind, George and Hideyoshi would've survived as well; he can't believe that the tears she showed during their funeral were fake in any way. Ange dismisses it as just another idea, and Okonogi notes that they have different opinions based on the same information; he thinks it's because of love.

Anime ep4 okonogi — "Without love, it cannot be seen."

Seeing Ange in confusion, Okonogi explains that people view things differently depending on whether or not they feel love for that person. Ange thinks he's suggesting to look at it from the perspective that Eva is not the culprit, but Okonogi's phone suddenly rings. After a quick call, he tells Ange that her aunt from the Sumadera family is coming, and that he needs to "take good care" of her. Ange looks annoyed, and Okonogi tells her to leave; he's letting her go free as a favor to be repaid.

Ange begins running out of the building while being chased by men in suits, evading them by jumping off some stairs and landing on the roof of a car. Ange is hurt from the fall, and another henchman comes out of the car and grabs her, only to be knocked out by someone that Ange recognizes as Amakusa. Driving away together, Ange learns that Amakusa was hired by Okonogi to be her bodyguard. Ange has free reign to go anywhere now, so she sets out to investigate Rokkenjima. Meanwhile, Okonogi walks outside the building behind a lady, who is bowed to by the men from earlier; this is Kasumi Sumadera, Ange's aunt and Kyrie's sister.

The scene cuts to the gameboard on October 4, 1986. Rudolf and the siblings just want to talk with Kinzo without worrying about the inheritance, but Krauss won't budge. Kyrie then offers a proposition, wanting to recognize him and Natsuhi for taking care of Kinzo for so long. Eva doesn't like where this is going, but Rudolf tells her to wait; Kyrie says that if Krauss fulfills several conditions, the siblings won't ask to see Kinzo until after his death.

The first condition: the caretaker must look over Kinzo for the rest of his life; Krauss agrees. The second condition: if the caretaker is found to be negligent, he will lose his rights as a caretaker. This includes Kinzo dying by any way other than a natural death. In any case, the caretaker will lose their right to the headship. Krauss refutes it, saying there are countless ways a person can die. Kyrie supposes that if Kinzo were to disappear, by walking into the forest for example, the caretaker would bear all the responsibility. When Kinzo does die, they will carry out an autopsy to ensure he died a perfectly natural death. Natsuhi is angered at the thought Krauss must accept such ludicrous conditions, but Kyrie explains that she and everyone else has had suspicions for a while now. Krauss knows what she's thinking: Kinzo is already dead and Krauss and Natsuhi have been hiding it.

In the meta-world, Battler realizes what this theory means. He brings up the red truth that no more than 18 humans were present on Rokkenjima, and Gretel notes there was an illusion there: Kinzo was believed to be among the 18 people. If Kinzo really had died long ago, there would only be 17 people on Rokkenjima, with an unknown person X taking the 18th spot. He asks Beato to repeat "Grandfather was counted among the 18 people" in red, but she refuses. Battler thinks it's unfair that she could refuse like that, and Gretel notes that he's allowed this to happen since the start; Battler looks offended, and Gretel reminds him that he's slacking off. She then turns to Beato and says this unfair game is just a waste of time.

Beato is also angered by her words, but she takes them heart and adds a new rule: Battler may use blue truth for his theories. The blue truth is meant for things that deny witches by themselves; to give an example, Beato says "the true number of master keys is five" is not worthy of blue. What is worthy is the following: "there were actually more than five master keys. The culprit was able to enter or leave closed rooms using one of the extra keys." If done like this, Beato will be forced to respond to that argument later. Battler thinks things are becoming more complicated, but Gretel advises him that instead of making a single theory for each riddle, he should make several and fire them all out. Battler likens it to working like a shotgun, and thanks Gretel for her advice.

Having grasped this new rule, Battler makes the following theory: "Kinzo Ushiromiya is already dead. Therefore, the true number of people on the island is 17. If we add an unknown person X in there, it becomes 18. If we suppose this person exists, the crimes will still be possible even if all 17 people have alibis!"

Back on the gameboard, Kyrie theorizes that Krauss is hiding Kinzo's death from everyone because he doesn't want the inheritance to be distributed. Krauss and Natsuhi dismiss the claims as nonsense, and Kyrie replies that if he lets them see Kinzo, it'll end quickly. Krauss accepts, and heads upstairs with his wife to convince Kinzo to come down; Kyrie thinks nothing will come of it, as they can't convince someone who doesn't exist.

Gorudosmith awakens — "YOU FOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOL!"

Inside the study, Kinzo derides Krauss, calling him a fool and chastising him for being so easily threatened by his siblings. Kinzo suddenly lifts up Krauss into the air with just his finger as Natsuhi watches in shock. Krauss is thrown to the floor, and Kinzo agrees to attend the family conference, where he will make a great announcement regarding the successor. He vows to resolve their quarrel himself as thunder rages in the background.

Teaser[]

The Seven Stakes of Purgatory narrate the preview, announcing themselves in roll call as clips of them play. Lucifer is the last to speak but gets cut off too soon, and her sisters laugh at her. They suddenly notice Sakutaro and surround him with hugs. Lucifer is annoyed that Sakutaro has the spotlight, and decides to make herself fluffy and puffy too. The Sisters say the next episode title in unison and then Lucifer announces herself as Sakutaro, her voice muffled by a costume she's apparently wearing. She tells the Sisters to squeeze her to their heart's content, but then they notice her bow tie and shirt cuffs. Beelzebub finds it delicious and wants to know where the huckleberry is, but Lucifer tells her she's already in Jellystone. Lucifer offers the rest of the story and they thank Mr. Harvey, giving a final remark that the Sisters are not the best part about waking up.

Soundtrack[]

Start	End	Title	OST	Description
00:33	1:18	Time Traveler	Umineko no Naku Koro ni ~Rose Crimson~	Ange goes to 1986
1:20	2:49	Katayoku no Tori	Katayoku no Tori	Opening
3:24	4:01	Those Who Smile in the Dark	Umineko no Naku Koro ni ~Rose Crimson~	Battler and Beelzebub play around
5:02	5:51	N/A	N/A	Battler meets Gretel
6:26	6:54	N/A	N/A	Ange tells of her life at St. Lucia
7:38	8:56	A Small World	Umineko no Naku Koro ni ~Rose Crimson~	Ange reads through Maria's diary
10:38	11:13	N/A	N/A	Maria's spirit speaks to Ange
12:04	12:43	N/A	N/A	Okonogi brings up the riddle of the epitaph
14:11	14:35	N/A	N/A	Ange escapes from Kasumi's men
17:22	18:35	N/A	N/A	The question of whether or not Kinzo is really alive is raised
19:31	20:27	Core	N/A	Battler understands how to use blue truth
21:04	21:46	Pursued Destination	Umineko no Naku Koro ni ~Rose Crimson~	Kinzo decides to join the conference
21:47	23:15	la divina tragedia	la divina tragedia~Makyoku~	Ending
23:15	23:34	Prison Strip	N/A	Teaser
23:36	24:06	Fishy Aroma	N/A	Teaser
24:12	24:43	Nighteyes	N/A	Teaser

Comparisons to Source Material[]

This episode adapts the prologue with Ange and Bernkastel and the chapters "The New Guest", "Ange and Maria", "The Future 12 Years Later", and "Red Truth, Blue Truth".

The anime omits the adults calling Battler out on his dislike on vehicles, along with mention of it being genetic to Asumu.
The anime omits time stopping around Ange and Bernkastel.
The anime omits mention of Ange being sick in bed starting October 3rd, 1986.
The anime omits mention of Beatrice being in the good mood, along with Beatrice saying that she's so excited she couldn't get a wink of sleep and Ronove calling Beatrice out on taking Battler's innocent heart.
In the VN, Beatrice showed up to where Battler and Beelzebub are at, along with multiple flags and confetti scattering around her during her entrance. In the anime, multiple flags and confetti were omitted, and instead, Battler and Beatrice show up to her.
The anime omits Beatrice telling Battler not to disappoint her by falling for the same move over and over again.
Just like in the manga, the anime omits mention of Battler's answer for the mystery of Nanjo's murder from the third game.
In the VN, Ange speaks before showing up for the fourth game. In the anime, Ange shows up for the fourth game, but never said anything prior to it.
- The anime also omits Ange's rude entrance to Beatrice.
The anime omits Battler declaring that he'll win against Beatrice, along with Ange asking him if he's trying to win.
The anime omits Battler recognizing Ange's appearance, along with Ange calling him out for surrendering to the previous games.
The anime omits the Ushiromiya family landing at Rokkenjima, along with the cousins having fun at the beach.
The anime omits the students saying "Good Day" at Saint Lucia Academy, along with mention of Ange being bullied by her peers and being in a bad mood.
In the VN, the news of the Ushiromiya family outside of Eva being died is brought up after Ange begins filling out the questionnaire. In the anime, it was brought up before the scene transitions to Ange attending school at St Lucia Academy,
In the VN, Ange summons Maria's spirit after opening the diary. In the anime, Maria's spirit shows up after Ange asks her on the power of magic of Sakutaro.
- The anime also omits the conversation between the two before Maria's flashback of receiving Sakutaro.
Just like in the manga, the anime omits mention of Rosa allowing Maria to order anything she wants as a present for waiting politely, along with Maria deciding on what she wants to eat.
- The anime omits Ange's comment on Maria eating a lot of food, along with Ange thinking back to her own birthdays, Ange & Maria's conversation about Sakutaro and their experiences of being bullied, and Sakutaro introducing himself to Ange.
  - The manga does the same thing with omitting Maria and Ange's conversation about their experiences of being bullied; instead, Ange narrated it after Sakutaro's introduction to her.
The anime omits Sakutaro saying that staying home alone will be lonely and his explanation on why it's embarrassing for him to be seen with Maria.
- The manga does the same thing with omitting Sakutaro saying that staying home alone will be lonely.
Just like in the manga, the anime omits Maria finding a knapsack and fitting Sakutaro in it.
In the VN, Maria mentions she left behind a fragment of her soul in her diary during her flashback with Sakutaro. In the anime, it was mentioned after her flashback.
- This change also happened in the manga.
The anime omits deciding on what she wants to buy from the convince store, along with her discussion with the cashier on seeing Maria a lot in there and Maria's comment on the Yuzukoshou soda.
The anime omits mention of Ange never being able to look at Maria unless she opens her diary, along with Ange's test to visualize her with her eyes closed.
The anime omits Ange mentioning that falling off a skyscraper is a test of her luck.
The anime omits mention of Ange wearing the Ushiromiya Family Head's ring while Okonogi's giving out points that justify trusting Eva, along with mention of the police not finding evidence.
The anime omits Ange telling Okonogi that she plans to meet with other people to learn more about the Rokkenjima incident.
In the VN, Okonogi's secretary hands him a memo and reads it before informing Ange of Kasumi's pursuit. In the anime, he receives a phone call before informing Ange.
- The anime also omits Okonogi's discussion with his secretary on stalling Ange.
The anime omits Kasumi telling the security guild to call Okonogi to her, along with their discussion in the entrance hall.
The anime omits Amakusa asking Ange for any injuries, along with mention of him coaching at Blackwater before Okonogi offered him a high wage and being fired from Eva's service, and Ange telling Amakusa to stop cracking jokes.
The anime omits the guards informing Kasumi that they lost sight of Ange and that the getaway vehicle was a rental, along with Ange thinking if Okonogi sold her out and Ange learning from Bernkastel that the truth of the future wins against the truth of the past.
- The manga does the same thing with omitting Ange learning from Bernkastel that the truth of the future wins against the truth of the past.
The anime omits mention of Nanjo telling the siblings that Kinzo has 3 months left to live, along with the siblings thinking that Kinzo had been dead for some time and suspecting Krauss & Natsuhi of hiding it.
The anime omits the condition: the term, successor to the headship refers to the the caretaker of the current head.
Just like in the manga, the anime omits mention of Kyrie seeing Kinzo going into the forest and chasing after him.
The anime omits Battler saying that Kinzo being dead was one of his theories about the final mystery at the end of the third game.
The anime omits Gretel saying that if Kinzo dies, the distribution of the inheritance won't happen.
In the VN, Gretel calls Battler out on being toyed with by Beatrice's red truth and using it as a weapon against her. In the anime, Battler thinks that Beatrice refusing his repetition requests is unfair and Gretel points out that he allowed it to happened, but never mentioned using it as a weapon against her.
- The anime also omits Beatrice taunting him for his repetition requests.
The anime omits Battler thinking that each bullet is the power of imagination, along with mention of it being the Ushiromiya Battler-style way of fighting.
The anime omits the adults calling out Krauss on his responsibilities and duties as the caretaker, along with Eva rebuking Kyrie from interrogating Krauss.
Just like in the manga, the anime omits mention of the security money of 3 billion yen being paid to Eva, Rudolf, and Rosa and Kyrie telling Krauss to transfer ten percent of 300 million yen before the year is out.

Trivia[]

In chess, end game refers to the final moves of a match.
The flag on the cake, which resembles the banner of Chiester Sisters Imperial Guard Corps, is likely a reference to Miyoko Tanashi's hobby of collecting national flags from kid's meals in Higurashi When They Cry.