Kagerou Project Wiki
Register
Advertisement
This article is about the world known as the Kagerou Daze. For other uses, see Kagerou Daze (disambiguation).


The Kagerou Daze (カゲロウデイズ Kagerō Deizu, lit. "Heat Haze Daze"), also known as simply the Kagerou or the Daze, is a never-ending world created by Azami where time does not pass, and it swallows up anybody who dies on August 15. It is a central element of the Kagerou Project series.



Background[]

The Kagerou Daze was created when Azami, an immortal being, realized she was going to outlive her human husband Tsukihiko and their daughter Shion. The despair over this realization caused her to wish to stay with her family forever,[1][2][3][4] and the Snake of Clearing Eyes answered her by suggesting that she create a place where "no pain, suffering and hopelessness existed" for them to move to. Following its instructions, Azami harnessed the powers of her ten Eye Abilities to create a new, eternal world where time does not pass,[1][5][3][6] which she later called the Kagerou Daze.[7] Azami later taught its name to Kido, who then "named" the world herself a long time later.[7][8]
How Azami enters the Kagerou Daze differs across the Routes of the series. In the Music Route, it is implied that Tsukihiko and Shion waited for Azami to return while she created the Kagerou Daze, but Tsukihiko died before she finished. As a result, she moved to the Daze alone out of heartbreak.[1][9] Manga Route 2 and Mekakucity Actors show that her family agreed to enter the Daze, but Tsukihiko wanted them to have a traditional wedding before going and went back to his village to get Azami a wedding dress. However, his fellow villagers used that time frame to attack Azami and Shion at their cottage.[5][10][11] In the manga, Tsukihiko is seen returning to the cottage with the wedding dress as Azami was about to unleash her powers against her attackers. The exact moment when she enters the Kagerou Daze and why her family does not come with her are not shown.[5] In the anime, Azami used her Eye Abilities to kill all the villagers but one, whom she used Stealing Eyes on to see that Tsukhiko was detained and tortured by them earlier. Afterwards, she decided to enter the Kagerou Daze alone to not cause any more suffering to her family.[11] Unfortunately, that world was revealed to be terrible, as Azami had been tricked by the Snake of Clearing Eyes.[7][11][12]
Centuries later, Azami's daughter, Shion, and granddaughter, Marry, were murdered by humans,[11][13][14][15] and Azami ordered the Kagerou Daze to swallow them, keeping them in a state between life and death. There, the Snake of Clearing Eyes told her that she could save one of them by giving her Azami's Snake of Combining Eyes, which is the only snake that either were compatible with.[5][7] At Shion's insistence, Azami gave Marry the snake, which acted as a replacement for her life and allowed her to return to the real world[7][11][13][14] while Shion remained there.[9][14][15][16]
However, the Snake of Combining Eyes, also known as the "Queen Snake",[5][11] is ultimately responsible for controlling all of Azami's other snakes and the Kagerou Daze itself.[5][11][12][17] When Azami gave this snake to Marry, she lost control of the Kagerou Daze, which continues to carry out her last command to swallow those who die on the same day Shion and Marry did: August 15th.[5][7][11]

Description[]

The Kagerou Daze is a world where time does not pass in the same fashion as in the real world, and instead it repeats itself endlessly.[5][18][19][20] Several hours, days or even decades may pass in the Kagerou Daze while only a second passes in the real world.[18][21][22]
The Daze will physically take anyone who dies on August 15th in or near the area where Shion and Marry had originally died, which encompasses the forest they lived in,[23] Kashiwa City,[24][25][26][27] a beach[28][29][30][31] and an archeological site.[10][32] While it is possible to enter the Kagerou Daze alone,[25][27][33][34] because Azami specifically ordered the Kagerou Daze to swallow "two people on the brink of death",[7] pairs that die together will enter the same "area" of the Kagerou Daze and experience the same settings together.[6][18][30][35] It is possible for even three people to enter the same "area" of the Kagerou Daze together, though it is unknown if larger groups can.[28][36][37] It is common for those who return from the Daze to not be able to remember their experiences there,[4][30][38][39] and those who can usually refer to what they went through as "nightmares".[10][35][40][41] Its victims are not limited to humans.[6][35][42][43]
The entrance to the Kagerou Daze is depicted as and referred to as a "mouth" that "swallows" its victims and "spits out" those who return, whose exact visual details vary across the different media.[25][30][33][37] When it opens, it has a tangible range in the real world that can be visible even to those who aren't entering it.[17][37][44] The amount of time passed in the real world between one being swallowed by the Daze and being spat out seems to vary by situation. In some accounts, hours seemingly pass in the real world before a person returns from the Daze,[30] while, in others, only a few moments or even seconds pass by instead.[6][45]
Due to the loss of Azami's "Queen Snake", the rest of her snakes began to leave the Kagerou Daze through humans who enter it.[5][10][32] If someone who enters the Daze has a strong wish that can be fulfilled by a snake's Eye Abilities, then the snake can enter their body and become a replacement for their life, thus giving them access back to the real world and the snake's Eye Abilities.[16][17][46][47] However, because of how rare it is for any of the remaining nine snakes to find a compatible host, many people who were swallowed by the Kagerou Daze are trapped there. A primary goal of the Mekakushi Dan is to learn more about the Kagerou Daze "phenomenon" to find a way to free the people trapped in it,[6][30][35] although so far nobody without a snake has been able to leave that world. One can choose to stay in the Kagerou Daze despite having a snake in their possession.[17][27][33] It is implied that, as long as they have a snake and it is August 15th in the real world, one can leave the Kagerou Daze no matter how many years passed since they entered it,[16] even if it is not their first time being trapped there.[6][28][41]
Marry can use the Snake of Combining Eyes to open a portal to the Kagerou Daze and have it swallow people on the brink of death outside of August 15th with at least two of Azami's snakes, including Combining Eyes itself, in her possession.[17] She does so by shouting, "Bring it on, Kagerou Daze!"[48][49] With at least five snakes, including her own, she can assume control of the Kagerou Daze and change its very nature, such as having the Daze swallow living beings like the Snake of Clearing Eyes in Konoha's body[17][44] and the Mekakushi Dan.[16]

Entering the Daze[]


Involved Description of Event Image
Tsubomi Kido
Rin Kido
One day when she was a small child, her father's business went bankrupt, making him decide to murder everyone in the Kido family mansion except himself and Kido, and then set it on fire. Kido stopped him before he could kill her half-sister, Rin, but he had chained her sister to the already burning mansion. Kido refused to leave Rin, so they both died in the flames and came in contact with the Kagerou Daze.[6][33][35][50][51][52] Act 01 - Kido 01
Kousuke Seto
Hanako
On a stormy day during his childhood, Seto witnessed some children trying to throw his only friend, a dog named Hanako, into a river. Despite his efforts, the dog was thrown in, and Seto jumped into the river to save it. They both ended up drowning.[6][30][33][35][42][43][50] Act 01 - Seto 01
Shuuya Kano
Kano's mother
About ten years before present time,[46] a young Kano came home to his apartment and found the door unlocked. Thinking that his mother was home, Kano went inside only to find his mother tied up and two men taking her jewelry. Knowing his mother worked hard to get the jewelry, Kano tried to take it back, but was overpowered by the men. When they were about to kill him with a knife, his mother took the blow. Shaken, Kano continued to resist the men and was thereupon stabbed.[6][26][33][35][50] Act 01 - Kano 01
Marry Kozakura
Shion Kozakura
About a hundred years before present time,[15][53] Marry went outside her home for the first time despite her mother's warnings and was found by two humans who almost kidnapped her. Shion found her in time to turn one of the attackers into stone, but the strain of her ability caused her to collapse. The remaining human then killed Marry and Shion with a blunt object.[11][13][14][15][50] Kuusou Forest - Marry 080
Momo Kisaragi
Momo's father
As a child, Momo visited the beach with her father, where she hoped to learn how to swim so that she could have at least one thing that she would be better at than her brother Shintaro. While swimming, she got caught in the waves, and her father swam after her to try to save her. They both ended up drowning.[28][29][30][31][50] Act 01 - Momo 01
Takane Enomoto Two years before present time and during her second year of high school, Takane decided to confess her feelings for Haruka, who just had a heart attack, before it was too late. However, she collapsed before she could get to him, likely due to her own illness. The Snake of Clearing Eyes, in control of Kenjirou's body, took her unconscious body to its underground laboratory, where it administered a drug on her (implied to be formalin), killing her.[4][25][34][50][54][55][56][57]

In Manga Route 2 and also two years before present time, Takane commited suicide after learning of Haruka's death by jumping off the window of Haruka's hospital room.[58][59]

Act 01 - Ene 01
Shintaro Kisaragi Route XX: At present time, instead of meeting the Mekakushi Dan, Shintaro remained at home, grieving over the loss of Ayano, Haruka, and Takane. Ene begged him to bring himself out of his sorrow and go outside, but Shintaro refused to listen to her. Eventually, he became annoyed with her and killed her, but he then fell into greater despair and committed suicide by stabbing his throat with a pair of scissors.[24][50][60]

Route 1: At present time, Konoha was being possessed by the Snake of Clearing Eyes and, temporarily regaining control of his body, pointed a gun at his own head. However, Shintaro rushed in to stop his friend from killing himself. He was too late to stop the trigger from being pulled and ended up moving Konoha's arm enough that the bullet's trajectory changed, causing it to hit Shintaro's head instead of Konoha's.[24]

Mekakucity Actors: Shintaro is shown entering the Kagerou Daze by himself in the Anime Route.[27] It is implied that he did so by stabbing himself in the throat with a pair of red scissors, in a similar fashion to that depicted in Route XX.[27] However, it is not known whether the scene where the stabbing action is depicted happens in the Anime Route itself or not.

Act 11 - Shintaro 02
Hibiya Amamiya
Hiyori Asahina
Konoha
At present time, Hibiya and Hiyori got caught in a traffic accident during summer and were both swallowed by the Kagerou Daze.[18][37][50][61][62] In the Novel Route, they end up in the middle of a traffic road after being attracted there by a black cat, which is implied to be Kano in disguise.[62][63] In the Anime Route, the Snake of Clearing Eyes arranges it so that the two of them are kidnapped with the intention of killing them. They escape but end up struck and killed by a truck anyway.[37] In most instances, Konoha is also with them and ends up watching their experience in the Kagerou Daze as an "outsider".[28][36][37][62] Act 01 - Hibiya 01
Haruka Kokonose Two years before present time, Haruka suffered a sudden attack from his heart illness during summer class that went unnoticed by Takane until he had already lost consciousness. Kenjirou, who was possessed by the Snake of Clearing Eyes, took him to the hospital, and it is implied that the snake guaranteed that Haruka would die on that day by unknown means beyond just his disease.[4][25][28][34][50][56][57][64][65][66]

In Manga Route 2 and also two years before present time, Haruka died of natural causes by his heart disease without any influence from the Snake of Clearing Eyes.[58]

Act 01 - Konoha 01
Kenjirou Tateyama
Ayaka Tateyama
Ayano Tateyama (Manga Route 2)
At least four years before present time,[67] Kenjirou and Ayaka were on a field trip to study the "Legend of the Medusa" and her alleged abilities so that they could help Kido, Seto and Kano with their powers. However, they were caught in a landslide and died.[10][33][32][68]

In Manga Route 2 and a few years in the past, the two of them and their daughters, Ayano and Marry, went to visit the latter's old house at the forest for the same reason as in other Routes. On their way there, a landslide occured, killing Kenjirou, Ayaka and Ayano, but only Ayano was swallowed by the Daze. Marry survived the incident.[23]

Kagerou Daze V -the deceiving- 07
Ayano Tateyama After her mother's death, Ayano discovered that the "Legend of the Medusa" was a real phenomenon and that her father was possessed by the Snake of Clearing Eyes. She soon found that the snake was following her father's wish to see her mother again by planning to bring all the snakes in the Daze to the real world to form a new Medusa, but that would also cause the deaths of her friends at school, Haruka and Takane, and remaining family members. Two years before present time, she attempted to cut its plan short by jumping off her school's rooftop and entering the Kagerou Daze, where she would gain her own snake and stay there to make it impossible for a full Medusa to form in the real world.[22][27][32][33][69][70] Act 11 - Ayano 03
Marry Kozakura

Snake of Clearing Eyes

In Manga Route 2, the Snake of Clearing Eyes attacks the Mekakushi Dan in the forest Marry used to live at as a child. After the Mekakushi Dan's plans failed to stop it,[71][72] Shintaro suggests imprisoning the snake in the Kagerou Daze. Marry attempts to open a portal to it and ends up entering the Daze. There, she has a brief conversation with Azami before returning to the real world, where the Snake of Clearing Eyes had just attacked the remaining members of the Mekakushi Dan.[48] Marry once again opens the entrance to the Kagerou Daze, which proceeds to drag the Snake of Clearing Eyes into it with black tendrils. The snake mocks Marry before disappearing in the darkness.[44] Kuroha going into Daze
Tsubomi Kido

Shintaro Kisaragi

In the Novel Route, the Mekakushi Dan executes Operation: Conquer Kagerou Daze, based on Shintaro's plan, to stop the Snake of Clearing Eyes from creating a new Medusa in the real world, which would result in the deaths of the Eye Ability holders.[67] With Momo, Ene and Hibiya's external assistance,[73] Kano, Shintaro and Konoha reach the Snake of Clearing Eyes' underground laboratory and directly confront the snake, who is controlling Kenjirou's body. It threatens to kill Kenjirou by pointing a gun to his head, but Marry, who was hiding with Kido and her Concealing Eyes, uses Locking Eyes in Kenjirou's body, freezing it and giving Konoha the chance to tie him with a metal wire. However, the Snake of Clearing Eyes takes this opportunity to move from Kenjirou to Konoha's body.[74]

The Snake of Clearing Eyes proceeds to use Awakening Eyes to change its new host into the Black Konoha form and kill Shintaro.[75] It then shoots Kido in the chest;[76] while dying, Kido remembers her meeting with Azami in the Kagerou Daze and tells Marry how to open a portal to it.[49] Marry then has the Kagerou Daze swallow both Kido and Shintaro's dying forms.[17]

Kagerou Daze VII -from the darkness- 07
Shuuya Kano

Momo Kisaragi

Ene

Snake of Clearing Eyes

In the Novel Route and after Marry had the Kagerou Daze swallow Kido and Shintaro, Azami's memories are transferred to her, making Azami temporarily take control of her body.[77] Azami uses Concealing Eyes to temporarily trap the Snake of Clearing Eyes and then tries to subdue it with Combining Eyes, but it resists. Kano thinks of imprisoning the Snake of Clearing Eyes in the Kagerou Daze, but Azami explains that, to change the Daze's nature and make it swallow "someone so beyond the concept of death" as the snake is, she needs at least five snakes in her possession.[17]

Right after that, the Snake of Clearing Eyes fatally wounds Momo and Kano while attempting to attack Marry. While that is happening, Ene arrives, tells Seto to "leave things to her" and sacrifices herself. In his final moments, Kano witnesses Azami revealing herself from Concealing Eyes and opening a portal to the Kagerou Daze, which then drags Kano, Momo, Ene and the Snake of Clearing Eyes into it.[17][78]

Kagerou Daze VIII -summer time reload- 03
Multiple In Mekakucity Actors, Kido, Momo and Hibiya are kidnapped by the Snake of Clearing Eyes' goons and taken to its underground hideout. Momo and Kido use their powers together to attract the other Mekakushi Dan members to the area while hiding themselves from the goons inside the building.[27]

The Mekakushi Dan (except Shintaro) work together to reach the Snake of Clearing Eyes' laboratory, where they confront it while it possesses Kenjirou. The snake points a gun at the group, but Konoha takes the shot and is wounded. The Snake of Clearing Eyes takes the opportunity to move from Kenjirou to Konoha's body, which turns into Black Konoha. The snake then assaults the Mekakushi Dan and injures them before taunting Marry with the possibility of them dying. This pushes Marry to despair and makes her activate Combining Eyes, which forcefully pulls the Dan's snakes out of them and makes her absorb them to strengthen it. She begins to rewind the world, but her friends tell her not to do it. Ayano and Shintaro arrive to the scene, and Ayano uses Favoring Eyes to show Marry how to control the Kagerou Daze. With that knowledge, Marry has the Kagerou Daze swallow everyone in the room.[16]

Act 12 - Marry 01

Locations and Events[]


The Kagerou Daze has different "areas" that, according to Haruka, are reflections of what is in the hearts and minds of those swallowed by it. People in the Kagerou Daze are able to travel freely between these areas and visit other people who are also trapped there, and areas can seamlessly transition during said visits. Haruka also notes that the Kagerou Daze tends to depict people as they picture themselves, no matter how they actually look.[21] Apparently, people cannot feel physical pain, hunger, feel sleepy or get tired in the Kagerou Daze,[21][22][79][80] but it seems to be possible for them to feel nauseated, be out of breath or in pain by other reasons.[5][11][81][82]
The description of known Daze areas is shown below.


Azami[]

In Mekakucity Actors and Manga Route 2, when Azami brings Marry and Shion into the Kagerou Daze, all three of them are bound to pillars formed by countless black snakes. The Snake of Clearing Eyes appears in its true form, wrapped around a floating rock in front of her.[5][11] In the MV for Outer Science, Azami's imprisonment by the Kagerou Daze is depicted by yellow wires wrapping around her, much like the snakes mentioned previously. Urban elements like iron bars and broken telephone poles, also colored yellow, surround her as well.
According to the novels, by the time Kido is swallowed by the Kagerou Daze, Azami has to use Opening Eyes to navigate through that world as her spirit-self while her body is, presumably, immobilized as described above, and she claimed that she could only use said ability and Favoring Eyes. Kido meets Azami's spirit-self in a replica of the house that Tsukihiko built for her.[7][22]
In Manga Route 2, Marry briefly speaks with Azami in the Kagerou Daze, which is depicted as a completely dark area.[48]
The daze and days MVs both show Azami in, presumably, the Kagerou Daze. In days' MV, her entry to the Daze is depicted as her sitting alone in her "subway car" as it passes through a completely dark area, except for an occasional red light. Eventually, normal light returns when she uses Focusing Eyes to look at the real world and sees the Mekakushi Dan. In daze's MV, she is first seen in a red area with white and blue urban elements such as telephone poles and traffic signs, like Hibiya and Hiyori's Daze area. In both MVs, she is lastly seen in an area with a bright blue sky and white clouds while peacefully holding a calendar page, which has August 15th highlighted.[50][83] In Mekakucity Actors' opening animation of daze, Azami is likely in the Kagerou Daze and walks in a crosswalk under a cloudy blue sky.

Tsubomi and Rin Kido[]

In Mekakucity Actors, Kido and her sister's Kagerou Daze is shown as an endless maze of stairs, corridors and doors surrounded by fire, which reflects the state of the Kido mansion at the time of their deaths. When Kido is unable to find a way out and collapses in despair, Rin tells her not to give up and points to a door that only Kido can leave through. The door opens and reveals a place of bright light, which Kido enters to presumably leave the Daze.[6]
In the Novel Route, Kido finds herself alone in a completely dark place. Eventually, she spots a faint light, which guides her to a replica of Azami's house. While there, Azami tells Kido about herself and comforts Kido over her terrible death. She asks Kido to tell her granddaughter, Marry, a message if they ever meet in the real world, and then she teaches Kido how to use Concealing Eyes so that she can forget her traumatic memories.[7] This event is what makes Kido unable to remember her meeting with Azami and her request until late in the Novel Route, although she is able to unconsciously recall details such as the name Azami gave to the Kagerou Daze.[8]
Kido remembers seeing a portal to the Kagerou Daze opening when she died.[6][30][52] In Manga Route 2 and Mekakucity Actors, she seems to have some recollection of her experience inside the Kagerou Daze,[10][35] while in the Novel Route she does not remember it[30] until the Snake of Clearing Eyes kills her.[49]

Kousuke Seto[]

Seto's Daze has not been shown in any media so far. In the novels, he remembers neither being swallowed by the Daze nor his experience during it,[30] while it is implied that he might remember his experience as a "nightmare" in Mekakucity Actors.[10]

Shuuya Kano[]

According to the novels, Kano's Daze is an unfamiliar city in nighttime. The sky is described as inky black, with only the moon standing out. The winds blows coldly and neon lights shine in the background.[26]
While Kano walks around this area, the Snake of Deceiving Eyes approaches him. As it does, their surroundings swirl into pure darkness, and the snake's words suggest that the whole cityscape may have been an illusion created by its power. Kano feels himself be swallowed by the darkness, and, before he loses consciousness, he hears the snake say that he must "deceive them all" from now on.[26][46]
In the novels, Kano remembers being swallowed by the Daze, but not what he experienced while inside of it.[30] In the Music Route, he seems to at least remember his snake's demand for him to "keep lying,"[46] and in Mekakucity Actors it is implied that he remembers it as a "nightmare".[10]

Marry and Shion Kozakura[]

When Marry and Shion are brought to the Daze, they are each held to a pillar by black snakes like Azami in an area with a dark red sky, and several other snake pillars stand close by. In Mekakucity Actors, the three pillars holding Azami and her family stand above a torii. Once Marry receives the Snake of Combining Eyes, the pillar holding her in place bursts to reveals her surrounded in light. In Manga Route 2, after she is freed, Marry manages to grab Shion's necklace, which has the key to the Kozakura house, before returning to the real world.[5][11][14]
Marry does not remember her experience while in the Kagerou Daze.[15]

Momo Kisaragi[]

Momo's Daze has not been shown in any media so far. She does not remember being swallowed by the Daze or what she experienced while inside of it, and she does not make the connection between her death and her Eye Ability until meeting the Mekakushi Dan.[6][30][38][84][85]

Takane Enomoto[]

Takane's Daze is a metaphorical representation of her mental state when she died before she could reach Haruka, whom she had last seen also at the brink of death.[4][25][55][56]
In her Daze, Takane wears her outfit from the Headphone Actor game in most Routes except Mekakucity Actors, where she instead wears her winter school uniform. She does not seem to remember the circumstances of her death while there. A voice in the radio announces that the world will end today, causing widespread despair across her city. Birds can be seen flying in the sky (blue but gradually shifting to red in Headphone Actor's MV, deep violet in the Novel Route, orange in Mekakucity Actors), alongside a setting sun. When Takane is ready to give up on everything over the news, she hears her own voice coming from her headphones, which is visually represented by Ene in Headphone Actor's MV and the manga. The voice tells her to get over a hill in twenty minutes if she wishes to survive. She begins to run through the chaos of the city; in the song, novels and anime, the city crumbles around and just behind her as she runs. The voice guides her path and grows more urgent as the remaining time diminishes, reminding her that there is someone she needs to see. When Takane finally arrives at the hill, she sees a giant wall over a now red sky and realizes that the whole town is a simulation.[25][66][82][86][87][88][89][90]
In the Music Route, scientists explain to her how her whole life was a lie before, as Takane looks in horror, casually destroying the city with a bomb. The voice in Takane's headphones apologizes to her.[86] In Manga Route 1 and Novel Route, the voice gives up from the world, and Takane tries consoling it by saying that at least she came to figure out her true feelings. The sky crumbles to the ground as the programs burns itself away, and Takane sees herself with wires coming from her head.[25][90] In the Anime Route, after the city is completely destroyed, Takane tearfully dissolves into pixels. She is then seen upside down and wrapped in wires and in front of Azami, who opens her eyes before Takane is swallowed by a snake and presumably leaves the Daze.[4] In the novels, it is stated that Azami personally gave Opening Eyes to Takane.[22]
In Manga Route 1 and the Novel Route, Takane remembers the events she experienced while in the Kagerou Daze in great detail,[57][65] while, in Mekakucity Actors, her memories are fuzzy.[4]
After Takane dies during the confrontation with the Snake of Clearing Eyes in the Novel Route,[78] she, in her Ene form, talks to Haruka in her Daze, which is described as the ruins of a city.[79]

Shintaro Kisaragi[]

In Losstime Memory's MV, both Route 1 and Route XX Shintaro die on August 15th and end up in what appears to be a white void. Route XX Shintaro is seen sitting there in front of Azami as frames from the MV flash behind them, and then Route 1 Shintaro walks past Azami.[24]
In the Novel Route, Shintaro dies and is swallowed by the Kagerou Daze, which appears to him as a mostly empty white void, save for a TV on top of a pile of rubble. At first, he cannot remember what happened since August 14th, the day he first went out for the first time in two years. The TV plays what seems like the credits of a movie, but it seems to be gibberish to him. Eventually, Shintaro recognizes his own name at the "starring role" listed in the credits, and it is implied that the TV was playing out the events of his life.[80] After meeting with Haruka, Shintaro is able to remember the events from August 14th up until when he was killed by the Snake of Clearing Eyes.[21][91]
Later, Shintaro's personal Daze area is shown to be the road he took to and from high school,[92] which has an equivalent in the real world that has been depicted in other media.[6][24][70] There, he talks to Ayano about the Mekakushi Dan's plans and other details.[92]

Hibiya Amamiya, Hiyori Asahina, and Konoha[]

Hibiya and Hiyori's Daze is an urban landscape with environmental elements like traffic signs, street poles, telephone wires, and railway signs scattered throughout it. Everything in it except its inhabitants is colored white, blue, and red. During their stay in the Daze, Hibiya and Hiyori repeatedly relive August 14th and 15th over the span of decades, with one of them always dying on August 15th, be it by being hit by a truck, being impaled by poles, falling, or other ways.[18][19][20][40][81][93] Their awareness of the loop varies across the Routes: for example, in the Music and Anime Routes, both of them are aware of the deadly time loop,[18][20] while in the Novel Route only Hiyori seems to be aware of it.[19] In the Music and Anime Routes, a black cat interacts with them during this event,[18][20] and in Mekakucity Actors there are crows, with the implication that a new one joins every time a time loop occurs.[20]
In the Music Route, it is implied that the Snake of Focusing Eyes talks to Hibiya during his stay in the Daze as the voice described as the "heat haze" itself, which mocks Hibiya's horror over Hiyori's deaths by telling him that he's not dreaming.[18] In the Novel and Anime Routes, Hibiya also meets Ayano during his visit in the Daze. Ayano teaches Hibiya about the existence of the Eye Abilities and other details about the Kagerou Daze, while Hibiya asks her about her hero ideal.[20][94][95]
Konoha is shown entering the Daze alongside Hibiya and Hiyori in many Routes, but he is described as an "outsider" to their Daze and thus is unable to interfere with their repeating deaths despite his constant efforts to do so.[28][36] In the novels, Hibiya claims that Konoha just stood and watched the events while doing nothing to help.[41]
Hibiya remembers his experiences inside the Kagerou Daze in most Routes.[6][40][41] In Manga Route 2, he does not remember his experience at first, likely out of trauma, but comes to recall his time there after meeting Ayano in the real world.[39][93] In that same Route, Hiyori is unable to remember her experience there, and trying to recall it is what causes her to activate Focusing Eyes for the first time.[96]

Haruka Kokonose[]

Haruka's Daze resembles an operating room. The entrance is a door that stands by itself with no walls surrounding it and a red light above it. In the room, there is an almost uncountable number of intravenous (IV) drips strewn across a pure white space, each starting from an IV bag filled with a colorless liquid and ending at Haruka, who is lying on a single hospital bed with white sheets. The smell of a hospital seems to hang around in this room, and an electrocardiogram monitor beeps at the background. When Haruka is in his Daze, he is unable to move from the bed but can speak.[16][80]
When Haruka first arrives at the Kagerou Daze, he finds himself lying on the bed with Konoha's lifeless form standing beside him. A voice then asks him if Konoha's form is the body he wishes for. In the Novel Route, this voice belongs to the Snake of Awakening Eyes, which explains to Haruka that, because his "spirit" is too "meager", his new body rejected him. The snake explains how glad it is that Haruka could serve as its new "master" and how snakes need wishes that they can grant. In Mekakucity Actors, the voice sounds like Azami's and is accompanied by a silhouette resembling her. He explicitly rejects the body created by Awakening Eyes in this Route. In both scenarios, his body is swallowed by darkness and is sent to the real world, where the Snake of Awakening Eyes takes control of it as Konoha, and Haruka stays in the Daze.[4][34]
While he is in the Kagerou Daze, Haruka's senses are directly linked to those in his body, allowing him to be aware of what both he and Konoha experience.[21][34][91] In the Novel Route, Haruka claims that the connection is severed when the Snake of Clearing Eyes moves to Konoha's body, creating Black Konoha.[21] However, in Mekakucity Actors, he is seemingly able to immobilize Black Konoha briefly when it tried attacking Shintaro and Ayano.[16] In the novels, when Konoha is brought to the Kagerou Daze alongside Hibiya and Hiyori, Haruka is seemingly able to temporarily reunite with his body but is unable to control it. During this event, he talks to the Snake of Awakening Eyes, whose personality has temporarily reverted back to its original, snake-like one. Once Hibiya is chosen as the Snake of Focusing Eyes' host, Haruka once again loses his body[36] when Konoha returns to the real world alongside Hibiya.[45]
In the novels, Shintaro meets Haruka in his Daze, where the two of them talk about Haruka's last year of life and Konoha's creation. Haruka then claims that Konoha, and, by extension, Haruka himself, "XXXXXed" Shintaro.[80][91] Shintaro, remembering how he died, says that it was the Snake of Clearing Eyes who actually killed him, but Haruka blames himself for having wished for a supernaturally strong body to begin with. While Shintaro comforts him, Ayano arrives to visit, which causes her Daze area to superpose Haruka's, freeing him from his bed. Haruka says that Ayano visits him sometimes and that she taught him about the Eye Abilities and how the Daze works.[21]
On August 15th in Mekakucity Actors, Shintaro and Ayano meet Haruka in his part of the Daze, but they're unable to bring him back to the real world and go without him to confront the Snake of Clearing Eyes.[16]

Ayano Tateyama[]

Ayano's Daze is a school classroom that is drenched in the light of the sunset, like the classroom she and Shintaro attended back at school.[69] It's filled with things expected in a classroom, like desks, seats, curtained windows on the wall left of the desks, etc. A gentle breeze comes from the windows, from which one can see a darkened city. [21][22][24][27] In Losstime Memory's MV, flower vases can be seen over every desk. Mekakucity Actors' depiction of her Daze has the classroom balanced over long construction poles that come from a water-like surface. A large, pillar-like structure stands inclined alongside the classroom, on which a clock ticks without moving its hands.[27] Ayano wears her middle school outfit in almost all Routes where she is seen in the Daze,[20][22][24] despite the fact that she died during high school.[25][27][32][33]
Ayano is often depicted meeting different characters across the Daze, such as Shintaro, Hibiya, Haruka and Azami. In Losstime Memory, she meets both XX Route and Route 1 Shintaro, to whom she admits that she is dead and apologizes to. XX Route Shintaro, unable to accept her death, begs Ayano not to leave him, while Route 1 Shintaro shows her that he has managed to move on, and Ayano smiles in response, wrapping her scarf around his neck.[24]
In the novels, when she arrived at the Daze, Ayano met Azami, who was in a "pretty bad shape". Azami used Favoring Eyes to share her memories with Ayano, who sympathized with Azami. Ayano comforted Azami as the latter "disappeared" by giving Ayano that Eye Ability.[22] Through this event, she learned about the Eye Abilities, snakes and the Kagerou Daze in detail and is able to share this information with other characters in this Route. When she visits Haruka while Shintaro was with him, both Shintaro and Haruka cry over their reunion.[21] Later, Shintaro and Ayano discuss the actions that led her to end up in the Daze, and Ayano explains to him about Favoring Eyes. Shintaro then brings up the plan he came up with to have Hibiya use Focusing Eyes on Momo's phone in the real world to reach his own phone in the Daze.[22]
In Mekakucity Actors, Shintaro arrives at Ayano's Daze by climbing a flight of stairs, and then he tells her that she does not have to fight alone anymore. Ayano weeps in response, and the frozen clock in the pillar starts to move again.[27]
A variation of Ayano's Daze is seen in Additional Memory's MV. In it, her Daze has a more abstract and somber aspect, with desks appearing both at their normal location and upside down from the "ceiling," white chrysanthemums blooming all over the floor and a predominantly monochromatic color scheme. Ayano's scarf, hair pins, and eyes are red throughout the MV. She does not smile except at in the very end of the MV, and the lyrics express her regret over words unsaid while she was alive. She seemingly recalls and possibly relives the moment of her death several times during the song.[70] Ayano is shown spending her time in the Daze by making paper cranes, much like how she did when alive back in the real world.[33][69][70]
Additional Memory's MV also shows a frame of Ayano bowing in front of a kneeling Marry in her Medusa form. In this scene, a snake emerges from Ayano, which can be an allusion to her transformation into the Snake of Retaining Eyes in Manga Route 2.[44][70]
During her stay in the Kagerou Daze in Manga Route 2, Ayano is bound to a pillar made of snakes similar to how Azami, Shion, and Marry were. There, the Snake of Favoring Eyes projects thousands of years worth of Azami's memories over and over into her mind, to the point where Ayano thought she was going to become insane.[23] The Snake of Clearing Eyes saw Ayano during her stay in the Daze.[47]

Kenjirou and Ayaka Tateyama[]

Kenjirou and Ayaka's Daze has not been explicitely depicted in any media so far. It is unknown how much Kenjirou remembers about his experience in the Kagerou Daze.

Other shown areas in the Daze[]

In the seventh novel, and in the Kagerou Daze, Ayano has a conversation with an unidentified person, possibly Hiyori judging by pronoun use and by conversational cues. There are no descriptions of the physical space this conversation takes place at.[97]
In the eighth novel, the Mekakushi Dan members stuck in the Kagerou Daze (and Rin) group around Shintaro when he contacts Seto in the real world thanks to Hibiya's Focusing Eyes. An illustration depiciting this moment only shows a white background.[98] Once the others finished their conversation, Hiyori uses the opportunity to talk directly to Hibiya, asking him to save her from the Kagerou Daze in the next world.[99]
In Mekakucity Actors, Hibiya's conversation with Ayano in the Daze is depicted as happening in an area with a white background, monochromatic street poles with several telephone wires connecting them and a floor covered in lilac water. A blue sky seems to be plastered above the horizon, and lower poles allow Hibiya and Ayano to move around by jumping on them.[20][6]
Later in Mekakucity Actors, when Marry has the Kagerou Daze swallow everyone in the Snake of Clearing Eyes' laboratory, they are taken to an area similar to the one described above, with the addition of waves crashing in some corners and bells ringing from afar, but no signal of the blue sky, and people can stand on the water. In this location, Marry confronts the Snake of Clearing Eyes about his plan being put to an end. The snake protests, saying it can still work on Kenjirou's wish, but Kenjirou replies that his wish has already been granted. He is then seen embracing Ayaka in a starry field before walking away with her. The Snake of Clearing Eyes desperately begs for a wish for it to grant, to which Haruka appears and brings up Konoha's final wish of saving Hiyori. Konoha's reflection appears in the water below the Snake of Clearing Eyes, and their forms merge together in the water as the Snake of Clearing Eyes presumably "disappears". Marry is then seen talking to Shion in this same area, now with black, spinning circular arches sprawling across it and an orb whose surface resembles a blue sky hanging from above. Azami is seen standing over an arch, but she does not talk or interact with anyone else.[16]

Areas of unknown nature/knowingly not belonging to the Kagerou Daze[]

When Ene dies in Manga Route 2, there is a brief scene afterwards where Takane is reunited with Haruka in a place resembling their hospital's courtyard, where they first met in that Route.[59] It is unknown whether she met him in the Kagerou Daze, since Ene does not die on August 15th, or if this was meant to be her dying "dream".
As Marry is resetting the world after Manga Route 2, Shintaro and Ayano briefly converse in what appears to be a white void.[44] It is unknown whether this conversation took place in the Kagerou Daze or not.
The Snake of Retaining Eyes often talks to Shintaro in locations with elements similar to those seen in the Kagerou Daze, such as abstract architecture and shifting scenarios and outfits. However, considering their context, these conversations most likely happen in some sort of mindscape in Shintaro's mind. In Manga Route 1, she appears to Shintaro after his death in a setting resembling their high school classroom, with the two of them wearing their winter uniforms. After the Snake of Retaining Eyes asks Shintaro why "she" died, she appears standing in front of Ayano's funeral service.[100] The Snake of Retaining Eyes proceeds to tell Shintaro about the events of Manga Route 2. When she is done, she reveals her identity as Shintaro's snake and eye ability, causing both of their outfits to return to what they wore in Manga Route 2 and for the scenario to shift back to the classroom. She wraps her scarf on his neck, causing him to activate his eye ability.[44] In some unknown Route, the Snake of Retaining Eyes watches Shintaro's first meeting with Ayano from his perspective through the windows of a classroom, inside of which she makes paper cranes and waits until he dies and meets her once more there. An upside down cityscape is seen from a window.[101] In Mekakucity Actors, at the first scene of the anime and before waking up on August 15th, Shintaro talks to the Snake of Retaining Eyes atop a giant, gear-like structure, upon which sit two school desks. Several other gears fill the background of this space.[37][102]
In the fifth novel, an illustration depicts Kenjirou on his knees in front of an unknown, floating figure, nothing around them except their own reflections. It is unknown whether this illustration is a depiction of an event transpiring inside the Kagerou Daze or not, nor what or who the figure is meant to be.[32]
In Mekakucity Actors, the event where Marry gives the Snake of Retaining Eyes to Shintaro is first depicted in what looks like a white space, where Shintaro had ended up in after seemingly meeting Ayano in the Kagerou Daze.[6] The next time the scene is depicted, Marry and Shintaro are on a cosmic background filled with planets and stars.[27] It is unknown whether this scene happens in the Kagerou Daze or not.

Trivia[]


  • The locations where each character is shown for the first time in the anime are the locations of their individual deaths, excluding Marry and Shintaro.[102]
  • There are discrepancies regarding the informed dates for when some characters got into contact with the Kagerou Daze.
    • In Manga Route 2, Shintaro says that Momo's drowning incident happened five years before present time.[85] However, when a flashback sequence to the incident is shown later in the same Route, someone remarks that Shintaro had just entered elementary school.[29] In Japan, children enter elementary school in the April after they turn 6.[103] Since Shintaro's birthday is on April 30th[104] and he is 18 years old,[24] he would be 7 years old by August 15th of the year he entered elementary school, which would set Momo's drowning incident as having happened eleven years in the past. This is a discrepancy of six years.
    • Also in Manga Route 2, Ayano says that the landslide incident that killed her and her parents happened three years before present time.[105] However, it is later shown that Ayano got to attend high school before said incident.[106] All other Routes show that Ayano only entered high school two years before present time,[4][25][55][56] so if Manga Route 2 Ayano has the same age as her counterparts, then the landslide incident would only have happened two years before present time. This is a discrepancy of one year.

References[]

  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 Shinigami Record
  2. Kagerou Daze Vol. 7, 36. Shinigami Record VI
  3. 3.0 3.1 Kagerou Daze IV -the missing children-, Shinigami Record IV
  4. 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 4.5 4.6 4.7 4.8 Act 07: Konoha no Sekai Jijou
  5. 5.00 5.01 5.02 5.03 5.04 5.05 5.06 5.07 5.08 5.09 5.10 5.11 Kagerou Daze Vol. 8, 37. Shinigami Record VII
  6. 6.00 6.01 6.02 6.03 6.04 6.05 6.06 6.07 6.08 6.09 6.10 6.11 6.12 6.13 6.14 6.15 Act 08: Losstime Memory
  7. 7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 7.4 7.5 7.6 7.7 7.8 Kagerou Daze VII -from the darkness-, Shissou Word 6
  8. 8.0 8.1 Kagerou Daze IV -the missing children-, Children Record V
  9. 9.0 9.1 Gunjou Rain
  10. 10.0 10.1 10.2 10.3 10.4 10.5 10.6 10.7 Act 09: Ayano no Koufuku Riron
  11. 11.00 11.01 11.02 11.03 11.04 11.05 11.06 11.07 11.08 11.09 11.10 11.11 Act 10: Kuusou Forest
  12. 12.0 12.1 Outer Science
  13. 13.0 13.1 13.2 Kuusou Forest
  14. 14.0 14.1 14.2 14.3 14.4 Kagerou Daze Vol. 6, 27. Kuusou Forest I
  15. 15.0 15.1 15.2 15.3 15.4 Kagerou Daze IV -the missing children-, Children Record III
  16. 16.0 16.1 16.2 16.3 16.4 16.5 16.6 16.7 16.8 Act 12: Summertime Record
  17. 17.0 17.1 17.2 17.3 17.4 17.5 17.6 17.7 17.8 Kagerou Daze VIII -summer time reload-, Children Record side -No. 3- (2)
  18. 18.0 18.1 18.2 18.3 18.4 18.5 18.6 18.7 Kagerou Daze
  19. 19.0 19.1 19.2 Kagerou Daze -in a daze-, Kagerou Daze II
  20. 20.0 20.1 20.2 20.3 20.4 20.5 20.6 20.7 Act 04: Kagerou Daze
  21. 21.0 21.1 21.2 21.3 21.4 21.5 21.6 21.7 21.8 Kagerou Daze VIII -summer time reload-, Children Record side -No. 9-
  22. 22.0 22.1 22.2 22.3 22.4 22.5 22.6 22.7 22.8 Kagerou Daze VIII -summer time reload-, Children Record side -No. 7-
  23. 23.0 23.1 23.2 Kagerou Daze Vol. 9, 47. Ayano no Koufuku Riron III
  24. 24.0 24.1 24.2 24.3 24.4 24.5 24.6 24.7 24.8 Losstime Memory
  25. 25.0 25.1 25.2 25.3 25.4 25.5 25.6 25.7 25.8 25.9 Kagerou Daze Vol. 4, 16. Headphone Actor III
  26. 26.0 26.1 26.2 26.3 Kagerou Daze V -the deceiving-, Yobanashi Deceive 1
  27. 27.00 27.01 27.02 27.03 27.04 27.05 27.06 27.07 27.08 27.09 27.10 27.11 Act 11: Otsukimi Recital
  28. 28.0 28.1 28.2 28.3 28.4 28.5 28.6 Konoha no Sekai Jijou
  29. 29.0 29.1 29.2 Kagerou Daze Vol. 11, 59. RED II
  30. 30.00 30.01 30.02 30.03 30.04 30.05 30.06 30.07 30.08 30.09 30.10 30.11 30.12 Kagerou Daze III -the children reason-, Children Record 2
  31. 31.0 31.1 Act 02: Kisaragi Attention
  32. 32.0 32.1 32.2 32.3 32.4 32.5 Kagerou Daze V -the deceiving-, Yobanashi Deceive 5
  33. 33.0 33.1 33.2 33.3 33.4 33.5 33.6 33.7 33.8 33.9 Ayano no Koufuku Riron
  34. 34.0 34.1 34.2 34.3 34.4 Kagerou Daze VI -over the dimension-, Lost Days ∙ 8
  35. 35.0 35.1 35.2 35.3 35.4 35.5 35.6 35.7 Kagerou Daze Vol. 6, 30. Kaien Panzermast I
  36. 36.0 36.1 36.2 36.3 Kagerou Daze III -the children reason-, Konoha no Sekai Jijou
  37. 37.0 37.1 37.2 37.3 37.4 37.5 37.6 Act 05: Kaien Panzermast
  38. 38.0 38.1 Kisaragi Attention
  39. 39.0 39.1 Kagerou Daze Vol. 5, 22. Kagerou Daze V
  40. 40.0 40.1 40.2 Otsukimi Recital
  41. 41.0 41.1 41.2 41.3 Kagerou Daze III -the children reason-, Children Record 1
  42. 42.0 42.1 Shounen Brave
  43. 43.0 43.1 Kagerou Daze V -the deceiving-, Yobanashi Deceive 4
  44. 44.0 44.1 44.2 44.3 44.4 44.5 Kagerou Daze Vol. 13, 69. Mekakucity Actors
  45. 45.0 45.1 Kagerou Daze -in a daze-, Epilogue
  46. 46.0 46.1 46.2 46.3 Yobanashi Deceive
  47. 47.0 47.1 Kagerou Daze Vol. 11, 55. Additional Memory I
  48. 48.0 48.1 48.2 Kagerou Daze Vol. 13, 68. Imaginary Reload V
  49. 49.0 49.1 49.2 Kagerou Daze VII -from the darkness-, Children Record side -No. 1- (3)
  50. 50.0 50.1 50.2 50.3 50.4 50.5 50.6 50.7 50.8 50.9 daze
  51. Shissou Word
  52. 52.0 52.1 Kagerou Daze VII -from the darkness-, Shissou Word 5
  53. Kagerou Daze Vol. 9, 45. Ayano no Koufuku Riron I
  54. Ene no Dennou Kikou
  55. 55.0 55.1 55.2 Yuukei Yesterday
  56. 56.0 56.1 56.2 56.3 Kagerou Daze II -a headphone actor-, Yuukei Yesterday III
  57. 57.0 57.1 57.2 Kagerou Daze II -a headphone actor-, Headphone Actor IV
  58. 58.0 58.1 Kagerou Daze Vol. 10, 53. Lost Daze V
  59. 59.0 59.1 Kagerou Daze Vol. 12, 60. RED III
  60. Jinzou Enemy
  61. Kagerou Daze Vol. 4, 19. Kagerou Daze II
  62. 62.0 62.1 62.2 Kagerou Daze III -the children reason-, Kagerou Daze 03
  63. Kagerou Daze V -the deceiving-, Today on the Street
  64. Kagerou Daze Vol. 4, 15. Yuukei Yesterday V
  65. 65.0 65.1 Kagerou Daze Vol. 4, 17. Headphone Actor IV
  66. 66.0 66.1 Act 06: Headphone Actor
  67. 67.0 67.1 Kagerou Daze VII -from the darkness-, Children Record side -No. 7-
  68. Dead and Seek
  69. 69.0 69.1 69.2 Toumei Answer
  70. 70.0 70.1 70.2 70.3 70.4 Additional Memory
  71. Kagerou Daze Vol. 13, 66. Imaginary Reload III
  72. Kagerou Daze Vol. 13, 67. Imaginary Reload IV
  73. Kagerou Daze VII -from the darkness-, Children Record side -No. 5-
  74. Kagerou Daze VII -from the darkness-, Children Record side -No. 3-
  75. Kagerou Daze VII -from the darkness-, Children Record side -No. 1- (2)
  76. Kagerou Daze VII -from the darkness-, Children Record side -No. 1- (1)
  77. Kagerou Daze VII -from the darkness-, Shinigami Record V
  78. 78.0 78.1 Kagerou Daze VIII -summer time reload-, Summertime Record side -No. 2- (3)
  79. 79.0 79.1 Kagerou Daze VIII -summer time reload-, Summertime Record side -No. 9-
  80. 80.0 80.1 80.2 80.3 Kagerou Daze VI -over the dimension-, Daze1
  81. 81.0 81.1 Kagerou Daze -in a daze-, Kagerou Daze I
  82. 82.0 82.1 Kagerou Daze II -a headphone actor-, Headphone Actor II
  83. days
  84. Kagerou Daze Vol. 1, 03. Kisaragi Attention
  85. 85.0 85.1 Kagerou Daze Vol. 8, 39. Children Record II
  86. 86.0 86.1 Headphone Actor
  87. Kagerou Daze Vol. 3, 10. Yuukei Yesterday I
  88. Kagerou Daze Vol. 3, 13. Yuukei Yesterday IV
  89. Kagerou Daze II -a headphone actor-, Headphone Actor I
  90. 90.0 90.1 Kagerou Daze II -a headphone actor-, Headphone Actor III
  91. 91.0 91.1 91.2 Kagerou Daze VI -over the dimension-, Daze2
  92. 92.0 92.1 Kagerou Daze VIII -summer time reload-, Summertime Record side -No. 7-
  93. 93.0 93.1 Kagerou Daze Vol. 7, 31. Shinigami Record I
  94. Kagerou Daze -in a daze-, Kagerou Daze III
  95. Kagerou Daze III -the children reason-, Kagerou Daze IV
  96. Kagerou Daze Vol. 9, 48. RED
  97. Kagerou Daze VII -from the darkness-, Children Record side -No. 0-
  98. Kagerou Daze VIII -summer time reload-, Summertime Record side -No. 2- (4)
  99. Kagerou Daze VIII -summer time reload-, Summertime Record side -No. 10-
  100. Kagerou Daze Vol. 4, 18. Kagerou Daze I
  101. Kagerou Daze Vol. 13, Additional Memory
  102. 102.0 102.1 Act 01: Jinzou Enemy
  103. [[1]]
  104. Children Record (single) booklet
  105. Kagerou Daze Vol. 9, 44. Yobanashi Deceive IV
  106. Kagerou Daze Vol. 9, 46. Ayano no Koufuku Riron II
Advertisement