- Not to be confused with Rika Furude.
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This article is about a character in Higurashi When They Cry. |
 This article or section contains untagged major spoilers for the original Higurashi When They Cry and possibly the console-exclusive arcs. Readers who have not completed the main story are advised not to proceed further. |
Riku Furude (古手 陸 Furude Riku) is the adopted heir to the Furude family. He appears exclusively in Kotohogushi-hen.
Profile
A young priest of the Furude Shrine who lives with his retired father.
He is a gentle and kind young man who is not very knowledgeable, but has a strong heart.
He has an unusual obsession with shrine maiden costumes...?
(Translated from Entergram's Higurashi Hou website.)
Appearance
Riku has black hair and dark yellow eyes. He wears a white kimono with beige hakama pants.
Personality
Riku is very dimwitted, but he is compassionate about others. Riku has a fetish for miko outfits, owning many different kinds and keeping them in his closet. There are times where Riku gets very serious, taking advantage of his usually carefree personality to get things done.
Background
Riku was born in Onigafuchi Village. As a baby, his parents died when the village was attacked by a Grifys. Yeasomul, known to the villagers as the god Oyashiro-sama, rescued Riku and gave him to survivors, who believed the baby was her reincarnation. Riku was adopted by the head of the Furude family and raised as a Furude. 20 years later, Riku would become the priest of the Furude Shrine, living there by himself while his father lived in town. One day, Riku meets Yeasomul and begins developing a relationship with her.
Relationships
Overview
- Hanyuu/Hai-Ryun Yeasomul Jedha (love interest/wife)
- Ouka Furude (daughter)
- Rika Furude (descendant)
- Shino Kimiyoshi (childhood friend)
Hanyuu/Hai-Ryun Yeasomul Jedha
Riku and Yeasomul start out as uneasy friends, with Yeasomul being put off by Riku's idiocy and attempts to make her wear miko outfits. Riku gives her the nickname of Hanyuu since her full name is difficult to understand. Over time, Riku and Hanyuu fall in love with each other and eventually get married.
Riku is aware of Hanyuu's issues with being a "demon" and concerns over their child becoming a Grifys, with Riku always reassuring her that things will turn out fine in the end.
Shino Kimiyoshi
Shino is Riku's childhood fried and acted like a big sister to him. Shino and Riku are the few people who are aware of Hanyuu's horns and keep it a secret.
Story
Kotohogushi-hen
Riku is introduced trying to peek on Yeasomul as she's bathing in a spring. He gets chased away by a wild bear, which Yeasomul wrestles with and kills when they roll into a river. Yeasomul tells Riku not to tell anyone of he's seen, and then realizes she's naked. Riku acts pleased by the sight and Yeasomul knocks him out in anger.
Riku regains consciousness and continues to make small talk with Yeasomul. Yeasomul sees that Riku is completely unfazed by her horns, which the priest has noticed just now. Riku and Yeasomul introduce each other, and Riku gives her the nickname of "Hanyuu" since her full name was too hard to understand. Hanyuu reluctantly accepts it. Riku then notices that Yeasomul's foot is wounded and brings her to his village to treat it, using a hidden path so they avoid running into other villagers.
Hanyuu lives with Riku for a month, finding solace in spending time with him. Hanyuu is worried about other villagers seeing her horns and causing a commotion, and Riku provides her with a monk hood to cover her horns with. He also suggests changing her clothes entirely from her black garments to something else and then unveils his closet full of miko outfits. Riku begs Hanyuu to try one on, but she's disturbed by the fetishistic nature of these outfits and hits him. Over the next few months, Riku and Hanyuu's relationship develops; Hanyuu sometimes makes dinner for him when he comes home from village assemblies while Riku still tries to make her wear an outfit, with Hanyuu burning all of them one day.
After three months, Hanyuu's still hiding out while Riku's convinced the villagers she's a traveling foreign monk recovering from injuries. Riku says Hanyuu should hang out with everyone at the next festival since nobody's ever seen her face and are getting suspicious. Hanyuu however explains that she needs to leave for a mission and may not come back for a while. She explains several aspects of Ryuun history to him, and Riku asks if she's currently happy in this world. Their talk is interrupted by Riku's father arriving, with Hanyuu and the old man recognizing each other. Hanyuu sends Riku away and later learns that Riku was the baby she saved years ago.
Hanyuu completes her mission and returns to Furude Shrine heavily wounded. Riku embraces her as she returns, with Hanyuu confident that she really does love Riku. They continue to live together for two years. One day, Hanyuu angrily tries to find Riku since she had no choice but to wear a miko outfit left out for her as she was bathing. After their bickering, Hanyuu and Riku watch the Onigafuchi scenery together, where Riku asks if he may have a Ryuun living inside him. Hanyuu is confident he doesn't, having taken several measures to ensure Riku couldn't demonify.
Riku asks Hanyuu what she'll do once she gets rid of all the Grifys. Hanyuu is lost in thought regarding her future with Riku when he suddenly confesses his love for her, having promised to do so if she ever wore a miko outfit. Hanyuu runs away and cries, believing that Riku is lying and that she'll only bring him nothing but pain because she's a demon. Riku catches up to her and says she still loves her anyway, with Hanyuu finding it incredulous that he gave his confession while she was wearing a ridiculous outfit. Riku promises to reflect on that and Hanyuu reciprocates.
Riku and Hanyuu get married, with Shino summoned by Riku to teach Hanyuu how to do chores and be a housewife. Three months later one day, Shino and Hanyuu talk and eat sweets while Riku presents a new miko outfit and gets beaten unconscious. Later, Riku learns from Shino that Hanyuu is pregnant. He goes to Onigafuchi Swamp to find his wife seemingly trying to kill herself and stops her. Hanyuu is worried that their child will be born with horns and cause them strife, and Riku assures her that he'll protect them both.
Several months later, Hanyuu suddenly goes into labor while at the shrine. Riku and Shino help her during the ordeal, with Riku confirming that their newborn daughter is hornless. They settle on the name Ouka, and later Riku gives Ryuun-Ohc the nickname of Ryuuou.
Sometime later, Hanyuu overhears Riku arguing with the village council over rumors that the foreigner living in Furude Shrine was a demon. Riku angrily insists that the foreigner is wearing a hood to hide scars from her injuries, scaring the council into believing it due to his sudden anger. Later, Hanyuu informs Riku she must go on another mission to exterminate a Grifys in another village. Riku asks her to stay, mentioning some times in the past where he saw her staring into space and got worried. Hanyuu muses about the meaning of life and death to a Ryuun, and Riku shows concern over what would happen to her if she died. Hanyuu promises to return and gives him a necklace that will allow him to communicate with her telepathically, in case of an emergency.
Hanyuu goes to the village to engage the demon, having learned that some bandits were attempting to raid this village by posing as demons only to be killed by a real one. After they battle, Hanyuu begins to deliver the finishing blow when she notices it's wearing the same necklace Riku has. Hanyuu’s attack falters and she gets beat up a lot as a result. Hanyuu can't believe that Riku has demonified, having taken every single measure she could to prevent it and never sensed anything from him.
Riku communicates to Hanyuu despite being possessed by a Putus
The demon reveals that he is a Putus and was the same demon who attacked Onigafuchi 20 years ago, becoming a free body when he died. He wanted to get revenge on Hanyuu by possessing Riku, knowing that she would despair over being forced to attack the man she loves. Hanyuu resolves herself and apologizes to Riku, pledging to become a demon herself and take in everyone's sins. She fights back against the demon and almost defeats it, prompting the demon to try to leave his body and inhabit another one. However, Riku manages to regain some control and stops the demon from leaving, then communicates with Hanyuu using the necklace and tells her that no matter what, he'll always love her. Hanyuu returns the sentiment and Riku tells her to take care of Ouka as Hanyuu delivers the final blow, killing both Riku and the Putus.
The Onigafuchi villagers, still believing Riku married a demon, discover his corpse amongst several dead bandits the next day, believing that he and his wife were trying to prove their innocence and died protecting the village. The baby Ouka is adopted by the Kimiyoshis and Sonozakis and raised as atonement.
