Keiichi Maebara

Keiichi Maebara, also known as Kei-chan, K, Kei-ichi, K1, NiiNii and Magician of Words, is the main protagonist from the Higurashi no Naku Koro ni series.
== Charactah Account ==
The son of a famous artist, his family recently moved to Hinamizawa after an unfortunate event involving him in their hometown. His charisma and remarkable talent for speech-making allow him to easily make new friends and become popular in the village.
Keiichi is a passionate individual who tends to express strong emotions freely, for good or ill. He also has a great amount of charisma, which is presumably why he's already so well-liked in Hinamizawa by his friends and the other villagers who know him. Keiichi is also in love with life in Hinamizawa, because it's so much more fulfilling than his old life.
Keiichi has a strong belief that fate can be defeated, and he's the one who teaches Rika and Hanyū through his actions that fate can be broken, and how to do so. He inspires Rika multiple times with his unyielding determination.
== Appearance ==
=== Anime ===
* Higurashi no Naku Koro ni
* Higurashi no Naku Koro ni Gou
* Higurashi no Naku Koro ni Kai
* Higurashi no Naku Koro ni Kai Specials
* Higurashi no Naku Koro ni Kaku: Outbreak
* Higurashi no Naku Koro ni Kira
* Higurashi no Naku Koro ni Rei
* Higurashi no Naku Koro ni Sotsu
* Higurashi no Naku Koro ni Special: Nekogoroshi-hen
=== Light Novels ===
* Higurashi no Naku Koro ni - Dai 1-wa: Onikakushi-hen
* Higurashi no Naku Koro ni - Dai 2-wa: Watanagashi-hen
* Higurashi no Naku Koro ni - Dai 3-wa: Tatarigoroshi-hen
* Higurashi no Naku Koro ni Gaiden: Nekogoroshi-hen
=== Manga ===
* Higurashi no Naku Koro ni Gou
* Higurashi no Naku Koro ni Kai: Matsuribayashi-hen
* Higurashi no Naku Koro ni Kai: Meakashi-hen
* Higurashi no Naku Koro ni Kai: Minagoroshi-hen
* Higurashi no Naku Koro ni Kai: Tsumihoroboshi-hen
* Higurashi no Naku Koro ni: Hirukowashi-hen
* Higurashi no Naku Koro ni: Kataribanashi-hen Comic Anthology EX
* Higurashi no Naku Koro ni: Kokoroiyashi-hen
* Higurashi no Naku Koro ni: Onikakushi-hen
* Higurashi no Naku Koro ni: Tatarigoroshi-hen
* Higurashi no Naku Koro ni: Watanagashi-hen
=== Video Games ===
* Higurashi Daybreak
* Higurashi no Naku Koro ni Hou
* Higurashi no Naku Koro ni Jong
* Higurashi no Naku Koro ni Kizuna: Daiichikan Tatari
* Higurashi no Naku Koro ni Kizuna: Dainikan Sou
* Higurashi no Naku Koro ni Kizuna: Daisankan Rasen
* Higurashi no Naku Koro ni Kizuna: Daiyonkan Kizuna
* Higurashi no Naku Koro ni Matsuri
* Higurashi no Naku Koro ni Mei
* Higurashi no Naku Koro ni: Himatsubushi-hen
* Higurashi no Naku Koro ni: Matsuribayashi-hen
* Higurashi no Naku Koro ni: Meakashi-hen
* Higurashi no Naku Koro ni: Minagoroshi-hen
* Higurashi no Naku Koro ni: Onikakushi-hen
* Higurashi no Naku Koro ni: Tatarigoroshi-hen
* Higurashi no Naku Koro ni: Tsumihoroboshi-hen
* Higurashi no Naku Koro ni: Watanagashi-hen
* SINoALICE
== Trivia ==
* "Like a Fine Wine": Keiichi and other character's ages may seem fluid given conflicts in different arcs and versions. However, Japanese students enter high school at the age of 15 and university at 18. Mion is in her last year prior to graduating and entering high school (or possibly university in some adaptations) which would make her 14 (or 17) during June 1983, since she has not yet had her birthday that year. This forces Keiichi to be the same age. While When They Cry Wiki understands the desire for precision, their specific ages are not important to the story other than they are all very young.
* By taking apart his full name and combining the definitions of each separate character, Keiichi's name could literally mean, "The One and Only K1", which can be a reference to his unmatched dynamic and hot-blooded personality that he is famous for in Hinamizawa and Okinomiya for (also a reference to his famous nicknames of "K" and "K1").
* Keiichi is killed as many times as Mion, Irie Kyōsuke and Tomitake.
* Keiichi's eye color changes between the games, anime, and manga, ranging from purple on his original VN sprite to a sort of periwinkle in the anime to indigo and/or blue in the color panels of the manga.
* Keiichi at times appears to have some perverted tendencies, especially during club activities and the first episode of Rei. In one episode, he indirectly admits to this when comforting an opponent baseball player, proudly declaring that there is absolutely nothing wrong for a true man to be perverted. In the manga, however, it is revealed that his perversion is mainly to make fun of his friends. In Watanagashi-hen, he even "saves" Shion and the other Angel Mort waitresses from a large group of perverted men, clearly angered by their intentions. Also, in the same arc, he is rather disturbed by Ooishi bringing him porn magazines at the hospital. In the Sound Novels, from his perspective, he seems innocent of the implications of his teasing.
* In Minagoroshi-hen, Rika said that Keiichi did not move to Hinamizawa in two worlds a hundred years ago from Rika's time perspective. Those two worlds, as described by Rika, were "incredibly sad, doomed worlds."
* Keiichi did not make his first physical appearance in the sound novels until Kai, due to the fact that Meakashi-hen is the first arc told from the perspective of another main character. This is referenced by Rika in the first All-Cast Review Session when she says he can not appear because he does not have a picture.
* Out of all the main characters, Keiichi has reached the L5 stage of the Hinamizawa Syndrome the most number of times (Onikakushi-hen, Watanagashi-hen, Tatarigoroshi-hen, Meakashi-hen, Tsukiotoshi-hen, Tsubamegaeshi-hen) however, he only commits murder in three of these arcs (Onikakushi-hen, Tatarigoroshi-hen, and Tsukiotoshi-hen).
* Despite being one of the central characters in almost every arc, Keiichi has among the lowest number of sprites, largely on account of having only been given sprites from Kai onward.
* Just like Shion and Rena, Keiichi can also be counted as a villain-protagonist in three arcs (Onikakushi-hen, Tatarigoroshi-hen, and Tsukiotoshi-hen).
== Gallery ==
File:Keiichi Maebara Render 01.png
File:Keiichi Maebara Render 02.png
File:Keiichi Maebara 01.png
File:Keiichi Maebara 02.png
File:Keiichi Maebara 03.png
File:Keiichi Maebara Fan Art 01.png
== External Links ==
* Maebara Keiichi at Higurashi no Naku Koro ni Wiki
Category:Characters
Category:Males
Category:Higurashi no Naku Koro Ni