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This article is about a character in Higurashi no Naku Koro ni Rei. |
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Kururu's father, also known as Comrade Canopus (同志カノーパス Dōshi Kanōpasu) is a character appearing in Higurashi no Naku Koro ni Rei. He is a member of Polaris and the Ring of Stars.
Appearance[]
Canopus appears as a middle-aged man with glasses. He wears a suit and tie with the Big Dipper constellation emblazoned on his suit.
Personality[]
Canopus is generally very calm and collected, maintaining a stoic demeanor even when being yelled at. However, there are times he acts surprised, like in Hoshiwatashi where he's shocked about Rika's murder.
Canopus is very dedicated to Polaris's cause, with the end of Hoshiwatashi showing that he's willing to burn himself to death to protect his comrades.
Background[]
According to Kururu, she and her father ran way from her abusive mother and joined Polaris.[1] Her father has since become part of the Ring of Stars group within the cult and obtained the nickname of Canopus, and acts a liaison between Polaris and the Three Families.[2]
Relationships[]
- Kururu Isshiki (daughter)
- Holy Mother (leader)
Role in the Story[]
Oniokoshi[]
Kururu's father speaks with the Kimiyoshis.
Canopus is introduced heading to the Kimiyoshi residence where the mayor and Kisaku talk with him about a recent wave of harassment against Hinamizawa. Kisaku gets angry and accuses Polaris of masterminding it, but Canopus remains calm and says Hinamizawa should instead apologize to Polaris for doubting and discriminating against them. Kisaku then demands to meet Polaris's Holy Mother himself, but Canopus says this discussion is merely between him and the head of the Kimiyoshis. He suggests that if the Kimiyoshis are going to use the council to pressure Polaris, then all of Polaris can join the council and settle things in the next mayoral election.
At home, he forces Kururu to take a purification bath, making her throw up the club's food she ate earlier. A dressed-up Kururu relays to him information about Tamaki, Sakiko, Keitarou, and Kihiro that she gained from watching over them. Canopus tells her to continue spying on them and is first referred to as Canopus in this conversation. Canopus then meets with the Holy Mother and confirms that tomorrow's preparations are ready.(Oniokoshi-hen Chapter 4)
The crazed Canopus tells his comrades to pray
Keitarou arranges a Starlight Camp between Hinamizawa and Polaris, hoping to get them to resolve their differences. Before the camp starts however, Canopus, Kururu, Inori, and a group of Ring of Stars members invade Keitarou's house and murder his grandparents. They then tie up Keitarou, confirm that he had recent call history with Rika, and declare he will be executed for trying to "destroy the world". During all of this, Canopus and the other Ring of Stars members begin scratching their necks in a craze. Kururu starts profusely apologizing for getting involved with Hinamizawa, and Canopus tells her that she's more than made up for it. The group then sets fire to Keitarou's house and join hands in prayer.
The Ring of Stars and Keitarou ultimately die in the fire. When Sakiko asks if the police can arrest Polaris for this, Tamaki explains that the perpetrators left Polaris and acted on their own, so the cult is not directly involved.(Oniokoshi-hen Chapter 8)
Hoshiwatashi[]
Kururu talking to her father.
Canopus attends a meeting with the Three Families and the town council. Some elders accuse Polaris of illegally dumping trash, to which Canopus asks for proof. He speaks for Polaris and asks that they be allowed to peacefully coexist with Hinamizawa, but Kisaku gets angry at Polaris's apparent selfishness. Canopus then asks that all of Polaris be allowed to join the town council. Mion says they can't refuse entry due to Polaris making up half of the village's population. Kisaku makes another remark against Polaris, and Canopus, seeing an opportunity, says that Polaris's treatment of Hinamizawa has gotten them to where they are now, and they can stop treating them idealistically at any time.
Kururu is driven to school by her father the next day, who tells her to keep an eye on the schoolkids since Hinamizawa's on edge.(Hoshiwatashi-hen Chapter 3)
Keitarou attends the Polaris festival as a special guest and makes acquaintances with Canopus, learning about his family history from Kururu.(Hoshiwatashi-hen Chapter 6)
Canopus sets himself on fire to kill some Hinamizawans
On the night of the Watanagashi Festival, Kisaku goes missing and Rika is murdered, leading Sakiko and many other Hinamizawans to believe Polaris masterminded it. An angry mob marches towards the Polaris settlement and are stopped by Canopus and a group of Polaris members. Canopus attempts to record their conversations, believing that Mayor Kimiyoshi sent them for some threat, but Sakiko destroys his recorder. She accuses Polaris of kidnapping Kisaku and murdering Rika, the latter reveal greatly surprising him. He gets knocked out when Sakiko attacks him, and the mob begins charging in and killing Polaris members.(Hoshiwatashi-hen Chapter 8)
As Hinamizawa and Polaris members kill each other, Canopus sacrifices himself to kill some Hinamizawans by setting himself on fire. However, the act only strengthens the Hinamizawans' hatred of Polaris.(Hoshiwatashi-hen Chapter 9)
Gallery[]
Trivia[]
- Canopus is the second brightest star in the sky, with Sirius the most brightest. It is also the brightest star in the Carina constellation, with the second brightest being Miaplacidus; the nickname used by Kururu.