Satoko Hōjō

## Voices

**Satoko Houjou** (北条 沙都子, *Houjou Satoko*) is one of the main characters of *Higurashi*. She is a member of the Hinamizawa after-school games club and a master at setting traps.

## Appearance

Satoko appears as an athletic pre-pubescent girl, with spiky blonde hair worn in a short bob; held back with her signature black headband. Her eye-color ranges from a shade of dark magenta to purple across multiple adaptations. She often sports a merry or mischievous expression and her pointy canine teeth can be seen accentuating her smug grins and hearty laughs. Teppei Hōjō muses to himself in Minagoroshi about how she greatly resembled her deceased mother, who was said to be a very attractive woman.

When she feels rather disturbed or upset, the light in her eyes disappears and her face turns uncharacteristically glum; which was a common sight in her younger years back when she underwent frequent abuse from her legal guardians. In ***Higurashi no Naku Koro ni Gou*** and ***Higurashi no Naku Koro ni Sotsu***, Satoko's irises occasionally assume a red-blazing tone after being bestowed with the power to travel between Fragments by Eua, and she begins to sport masks of indifference or malicious mirth when she is seen scheming.

When all the girls wear swimsuits to the pool in Hajisarashi-hen, Keiichi Maebara gushes about how Satoko has a very promising silhouette in her swimsuit and would grow up to be a very curvaceous woman. True to his prediction, Satoko is considerably well endowed in all adaptations which feature her as an adult. In ***Gou*** and ***Sotsu***, she is somewhat tall as a teenager.

## Personality

Satoko is a mischievous, haughty brat true to her age and loves to play pranks on others using her traps; with Keiichi Maebara being her favorite victim. She is often obstinate and hates being talked down to. She tries to speak like a refined lady, yet this comes off as brash and haphazard, due to her poor usage of Keigo. At times, Satoko will cry whenever someone makes fun of her; although this can be a tactical way to earn others' sympathy—Rena Ryuugu's in particular.

Satoko is rather smart despite her dislike towards academics and her capabilities are apparent in her trap-making prowess, which is held in high regard by Mion Sonozaki, and in Matsuribayashi is even praised by the Bloodhounds after they manage to take out the entire gamut of offending Mountain Dogs. Satoko once tells Keiichi that success in trap-making heavily depends one's ability to observe and predict the opponent's behavior by gauging their psychology. She is rather crafty and prefers to rely on trickery to excel in club games and hence, makes a great strategist.

Satoko is implied to be color-blind like her brother since she has trouble telling the difference between broccoli and cauliflower and doesn't know which colors they are. She is often made fun of for this.

Deep down, Satoko longs to be a strong girl because of her old family situation. She used to cry all the time back when her brother was still with her, and ever since his disappearance she has struggled to improve herself. She has learned to cook, clean and take care of herself ever since she was orphaned and began to live alone with Rika. However she takes this need for independence too far and refuses to ask for help from others or show signs of weakness even in dire situations such as when she was taken away by Teppei in Tatarigoroshi and Minagoroshi, or stabbed to death by Shion Sonozaki in Meakashi. Satoko also cares a great deal for her friends—especially Rika Furude, Keiichi and Shion Sonozaki, the latter two whom she considers as big-brother and big-sister figures.