Eua

### Goals

Receive entertainment from Satoko's looping (failed).Corrupt Satoko (succeeded).

### Crimes

Psychological abuseKidnapping

Torture

Corruption

**Eua**, also known as **Oyashiro-sama**, is the overarching antagonist of the stealth sequel series *Higurashi: When They Cry Gou* and *Higurashi: When They Cry Sotsu*. A being of unknown origin, she was the one who granted Satoko Hojo her ability to traverse through loops, and is the one that Satoko believes to be the miko (shrine maiden) of. She is the archenemy of Hanyuu Furude.

She is voiced by Noriko Hidaka in Japanese and Emily Fajardo in English.

## Personality

Eua speaks in a condescending tone of voice with a hint of mockery. Instead of introducing herself to Satoko, or at the least allowing Satoko to get a word in, Eua refers to her as "Mitsuyo", "Vier" (a character existing in another *When They Cry* work), and then "Anomalous Spinal Cord Specimen LD3105". From the way that she speaks, Eua appears to have infinite knowledge on the nature of loops thus meaning she is omniscient to some degree.

She also comes across as easily bored and needing to be stimulated. As such, she sadistically takes enjoyment out of Satoko's suffering and her deeds in each loop stating that she had yet to tire. For whatever unknown reason, she also seems to have some resentment towards Rika, or the "cat" as she referred her, for unknown reasons.

## Biography

### Higurashi no Naku Koro ni Gou

Eua has appeared as a shadowed figure in the opening from Onidamashi-hen Part 2 to Satokowashi-hen Part 1. Her actual appearance is revealed in the opening of Satokowashi-hen Part 4.

#### Satokowashi

When Satoko returns to Hinamizawa in 1988, she hears a sound coming from the ritual warehouse near the Furude Shrine and walks into it. Satoko hears the sound emanating from the Oyashiro-sama statue and touches it to reveal a horn-shaped object that transports her to the Sea of Fragments, where Eua is introduced standing before her.

Eua seems to recognize Satoko as an old friend and calls her by several names, regretting that Satoko doesn't seem to remember her. She knows of Satoko's wish to go back in time and fix her friendship with Rika, offering to grant her the power of time looping. The woman stipulates that Satoko must die for it to work and that it has a cost, but she won't mind so long as she's entertained by what Satoko does. Though Satoko is reluctant and confused, Eua sends her back to 1983.

As Satoko loops repeatedly trying to stop Rika from wanting to go to St. Lucia, Eua is entertained by Satoko's actions. After one of Satoko's many attempts, Eua explains Rika's past looping experience to Satoko and allows Satoko to view the Fragments that Rika has experienced throughout her 100 years. After Satoko finishes, she asks if Eua can bestow the same time looping power onto her. The horned woman can, but she explains that the power of looping doesn't necessarily make the mind immortal. Eua bestows this power onto Satoko, making her able to retain the memories leading up to her death; unlike Rika and Hanyuu's own powers. She also grants Satoko the power to go to the same Fragment the original Rika goes to, so long as Satoko dies after Rika.

After Satoko experiences several loops, she asks for a name for the horned woman, wanting to have an easier time referring to her. The woman proclaims that she's nameless and asks Satoko to pick a name for her. Satoko struggles to think of one, and the woman decides to name herself Eua after Satoko's grunts of speculation.

Satoko's loops manage to reform Teppei into a better person. Eua reminds Satoko that the accumulation of memories is irreversible, and each new loop will make the memories grow stronger; Teppei remembering previous Fragments might be a burden to Satoko going forward. Satoko doesn't mind however, as she can use Teppei to great effect. Satoko expresses her desire to make Rika pay for wanting to leave Hinamizawa despite being Oyashiro-sama's priestess, and Eua decides that Satoko is the new Oyashiro-sama and will be carrying out her own curse.

### Higurashi no Naku Koro ni Sotsu

#### Wataakashi

Eua and Satoko watch a Fragment of Rika and Hanyuu speaking in the Sea of Fragments after Rika's suicide. When Satoko complains of still feeling pain from stabbing herself in the neck, Eua comments that Hanyuu's memory loss power makes her a failure. Later, Eua reminds Satoko that Hinamizawa Syndrome affects people who are far from the queen carrier or are experiencing mental stress, which Mion has never faced in any world because of her duty as the next Sonozaki family head.

#### Tatariakashi

Satoko continues planning to make Rika suffer. Eua warns her that if she ever dies before Rika, then Satoko will go to a Fragment where Rika doesn't exist and was never born. Satoko accepts these conditions.

Eua continues to be entertained by Satoko's antics, especially her tricking Rika into thinking Satoko's abusive uncle returned and all of the later charades Satoko pulls off.

Satoko's human and witch sides begin coming into conflict when she attempts to kill Teppei. Eua enjoys herself watching them fight and stops the human side when she tries to run away. Eua allows the witch side to seemingly kill the human side.

Eua continues to enjoy the witch Satoko's antics. After Satoko and Rika's deaths, Eua acknowledges Hanyuu and comments on her being unable to view the Fragments, asking what she plans to do now.

#### Kagurashi

Eua enjoys watching a deranged Keiichi wreak havoc at Angel Mort when Hanyuu suddenly appears, announcing that she's finally found her. Eua shows her the Fragment where Satoko gets up after playing dead, horrifying Hanyuu since she now knows Eua gave power to Satoko. Eua once again calls Satoko "Vier", regretting that she lost her memories but is still entertained. Hanyuu and Eua exchange blows, however Eua restrains Hanyuu while referring to her as another part of her. She forces Hanyuu to watch the next Fragment where Satoko performs the watanagashi on Rika. Eua is greatly entertained by Hanyuu's despair and taunts her, asking what Rika will do now.

Eua watches as Rika and Satoko duke it out across multiple Fragments. When Hanyuu tries to escape her restraints, Eua stops her by stabbing her with her staff. Eua is still waiting for Hanyuu to display her miracle, promising she will do whatever she says if she succeeds.

At the final confrontation with a superpowered Rika preparing to finish off Satoko with the Onigari-no-ryuuou, Hanyuu breaks free from her restraints and rushes at Eua, but Eua stops her with her staff again and says Hanyuu needs to show her miracle quickly or else she'll disappear. Hanyuu declares it's her friends who helped her see miracles and Eua grows tired, dropping several pieces of furniture on her.

Hanyuu emerges and declares that a miracle will never side with Eua, and when Rika discards the Onigari-no-ryuuou in the human world, Hanyuu obtains it and uses it to attack Eua. Hanyuu proclaims that her friends are much stronger than Eua realizes, and the horned woman commends her. Hanyuu successfully strikes Eua and creates a crack in her horn, and Eua cackles and au-au's as she shrinks to a childlike form. Eua admits that Hanyuu has won and disappears.

## Trivia

* Many *When They Cry* fans came to the unanimous conclusion that "Oyashiro-sama" was none other than Featherine Augustus Aurora, the Witch of Theatergoing, a witch from the *Umineko* series who was arguably the most powerful entity in the franchise. A great portion of this came from the similarity of the character designs such as "Oyashiro-sama's" horns resembling Featherine's memory device. However, both characters have different voice actresses and Ryukishi07 himself had confirmed in a livestream that while the similarities were intentional, "Oyashiro-sama's" name was not the same as Featherine's. On the flip side, he did not comment on whether they were the same character.
* When talking with Satoko, "Oyashiro-sama" at first refers to Satoko as "Vier" and as "LD3105." Vier is an allusion to the visual novel *Ciconia: When They Cry* where a character named Vier Dreissig has a striking resemblance to Miyo Takano. LD had also been implicated to be a reference to Lambdadelta, another character from the *Umineko* series.
* There is a running theory that Eua is actually the corrupted version of Hanyuu. Due to the fractures on her horns healing over time, it can be assumed that Hanyuu transformed into Eua. Alternatively, Hanyuu and Eua both can be halves of Featherine that need to merge together in order to resurrect her.