This Was The Last Memory Hikaru Thought Of Before He Died. Not A Memory Of Yoshiki Smiling At Him Or

This was the last memory Hikaru thought of before he died. Not a memory of Yoshiki smiling at him or even looking at him at all. Instead a memory of Hikaru watching Yoshiki while at school without Yoshiki realising.

And this seemingly mundane memory affected Hikaru enough that it’s the last thing he thought of while he died

Never in my entire life I thought that i'd read pseudopodium and fetish on the same sentence, Much less than I would find it plausible...

Do yall think ‘Yoshiki’ would have a pseudopodium fetish

Okay, I AM FINALLY DONE WITH THIS THING. Or as done as I think I'll ever get it to be. If you like HGSN and long-winded theory/essay things then this might be the post for you!

But also I cannot promise that a) any of this will be news to anyone or b) that I'll get through this post without at least once giving someone cause to imagine I look like this:

Okay so to preface, this idea started when I was rambling here about "Hikaru" being a general menace (affectionate), and got some very cool responses from some other cool blogs. And me, being me, couldn't stop thinking so one idea quickly spiraled into having eighteen more that had me re-reading and taking notes on literally everything that caught my attention (like only half of which made it in here if I'm being real.)

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So let's establish some base line stuff first before I get into any of the actual meat of this post:

"Hikaru's" eyes usually do this:

Then in chapter 20 and 22 they started doing this:

It is pretty much confirmed that "Hikaru" is a god/deity, existing outside the circle of reincarnation. So in chapter 15, when he says he is 'alive' (生きてる/ikiteru) but doesn't have a 'life' (命/inochi/lifeforce), being outside of that circle is what he's referring to.

Reincarnation is a major tenant of Buddhism.

Right now, there are four known names for the god/deity/presence(s) that existed on the mountain: "Hikaru", the Great Brainsnatcher, Unuki-sama (ウヌキ様), and Nounuki-sama (ノイヌキ様).

(The only kanji here, 様 [sama], is merely an honorific meaning Mr./Ms/etc or it serves to make a sentence more polite [which I'm assuming most people know, but just in case]. Worth noting however, that it can also be in reference to the way someone is acting/how they compose themselves.)

The manga has not yet specifically clarified whether or not these four are the same entity, though we can assume that they are all connected in a myriad of ways and at the very least that "Hikaru" is the Great Brainsnatcher, on account of, you know, the theft of Hikaru's brain. However, in regards to the manga not technically clarifying, hold onto this thought for later, especially regarding Nounuki and Unuki.

When they speak to Matsuura-san Jr. at the library in ch. 18 (forgive the name but I have to distinguish between her and her mother somehow), she says: "The Great Brainsnatcher is a god from the mountains. It was said it was one who would grant somethin' in exchange [for] a special offering."

She also mentions tatarigami, implying that the Great Brainsnatcher became one at some point due to a famine that struck the village(s).

Tatarigami are malevolent spirits/fallen gods of immense destruction and chaos. The most popular instance in media that I can think of that has a tatarigami in it is Princess Mononoke. (The boar god, Nago, is taken over by demons, and ends up becoming a tatarigami before being shot down by Ashitaka in the opening scene.)

"Hikaru's" insides are white and black. But right before Matsuura-san Sr. dies at the end of chapter two- allegedly by "Hikaru's" hand, mind you- all we see is a black shadow.

Okay, cool, so now that we have all of that out of the way, here is were I super suggest you go read (or at least skim) my mythology post about the god Kangiten, the Daikon Radish, and Yoshiki being 'sweet' if you haven't already. It will come into major play from this point forward.

And with that being said, I'm going to split the rest of this post up by stating different points of my theory (or multiple theories I guess??) and then explaining and providing context for each one after.

Theory 1: The Indous are not afraid of the god on the mountain.

I'm going to specify and say that I think their relationship with that god is very different than it is for anyone else who knows about the 'presence' up there. Feeling more as if a) this god watches over the Indous, or b) the god trusts the Indous more than other humans and they are the only ones it allows to get close.

There might be a point C, but for right now I am just going to say I very much get the feeling that the Indous are not specifically this god's "jailer", and I think their sole point of contact with this god isn't just to perform a ritual to keep it contained, regardless of how some of the other older villagers act. There's a few reasons for this, and some are more conjecture/up in the air, like how I feel like no one really knows what the ritual the Indous do even is, and how Hikaru's dad feels very disconnected from the other older folks who Tanaka speaks with over the course of the series. But then, there are also reasons that I feel go a bit too far past coincidence for me to not take notice of them.

In reference to my Daikon Radish post, I genuinely believe the god Matsuura Jr. talks about (Unuki-sama) is somehow connected or inspired by the god Kangiten. And as such, here's a quote from the god Kangiten's Wikipedia page:

On the one hand, he is popularly revered as an extremely efficacious god who grants whatever is asked of him without fail, including impossible wishes. He is also said to watch over those who have a karmic connection with him from the moment of their conception, serving as their invisible companion throughout their lives.

My understanding is that a karmic connection (which is also a part of Buddhist tradition) is when two people find each other and work through some sort of lesson born of their past lives to resolve a karmic debt.

And of course I couldn't help but think about the Indous upon reading the that portion of his wiki. Especially since they seem to have a very unique connection to the god on the mountains/Unuki. For the other villagers Unuki-sama seems to be an object of fear, but for the Indous, they regard the god with some sort of... familiarity(?) An example of this is not just how we see the Indous interact with it, but also because of how "Hikaru" himself acts.

For example:

Hikaru's grandfather calls Unuki san instead of sama, implying a closer connection with Unuki/the god. Granted, this could be a personal relationship between Hikaru's grandfather and Unuki-sama, but like I said, I doubt it, and my doubt only grew stronger when I got around to re-reading the scene where Hikaru dies.

(I'd settle for anyone as long as they) go keep him company in [my] place.

Hikaru made a wish for this terrible, unknowable god to keep his friend- to keep Yoshiki- from being alone. He could have asked for any impossible wish (including not dying??) but instead he made a wish that gave way to the the Brainsnatcher being able to leave the mountain and not only sate its own loneliness, but Yoshiki's as well.

We may not know Hikaru well, seeing as there is only like two flash backs of him in the entire manga (I might be exaggerating, but the point is there is painfully little of the real him actually seen anywhere, he is the definition of haunting the narrative). But judging from what we do know, Hikaru cared about Yoshiki enough to want to keep him from being lonely. So really, truly, why would he have asked this of the GB if he thought there was even a chance it could be a horrible spirit of chaos and violence? Sure, shock, pain, and blood loss can do horrible things to you, but from a narrative standpoint, I don't think it makes much sense to do something with his last damn breath that could deliberately endanger Yoshiki?

And finally, all of that also makes me think of "Hikaru's" far more tender expression here:

"Hikaru" doesn't feel like the ritual failing is why he was able to leave, and perhaps it is obvious and I'm just barking up a fallen tree, but I'm inclined to believe the only reason "Hikaru" was able to come down from the mountains is simply because Hikaru Indou wished him to.

Theory 2: I think the village(s) owe a karmic debt and in some way or another the Indous are the ones responsible for the upkeep on this debt.

Hikaru's grandfather specifically comments, "This village... [???] The karma runs deep..."

@entertext's translation of ch. 17.2 says that the village 'bears a heavy karma from a long time ago.'

(The middle, seemingly unintelligible part is the same in the OG pages as it is in the scanlation screenshot above. Some of it looks like it might be in a cursive, but I will be real the extent of my experience with Japanese cursive is that one chapter of Blue Exorcist where Rin being illiterate is reality for moment there until Shura realizes it's in cursive and she also can't read it, so I don't think that's a good sign my horrifically dyslexic ass has a good shot at deciphering it either. But I digress-)

I will be real with you, I don't have too much to go on with this one. We know these things for sure though. (Spoilers for untranslated chapters.)

There is someone in "Hikaru's" memories from the past that looks like they could be related to Hikaru, who carried a severed head up to (most likely) the place literally named 'Severed Head' and came face to face with Unuki-sama/"Hikaru".

(Ch. 22.3) There were large amounts of bones found in each of the villages and each type of bone was specific to the name of the village where it was found (Udekari=arms, etc). The skulls were the only bones never found, so one can assume this means they are somewhere in or around Kubitachi.

The Indous are the only ones who seem to be able to go up to the mountain and survive. Yes, Hikaru and his father died while there, but the grandfather hasn't (yet 😬) and there's decent enough evidence that, at the very least, Hikaru's father went up there himself on multiple occasions.

Hikaru took 'a person's head' on his final hike (according to Tanaka), presumably to complete the ritual and potentially just like his ancestor had (except that was with an actual head, of course).

Chapter three ends with a flashback to something Hikaru's dad said when Hikaru was a kid. He said that if Hikaru ever had a girl he liked, he should marry her quickly, or else 'the Great Unuki' would take her to the mountain. He also said that Unuki promised not to lay hands on humans of the Indou family, so any girl or guy Hikaru liked would only be safe after the they got married. *gestures vaguely upwards to Theory 1*

Hikaru: Why does it take them? Dad: Because it's lonely, it may whisk [away] someone dear to the family and replace them. It could take away the people most important to you.

So perhaps, the village(s) in some way or another angered Unuki-sama and the Indou's were tasked with doing the leg work for making up for the misdeeds done unto the god. This leg work, presumably, is carrying 'heads' up to the mountain to keep the lonely god company. Then, over time, this could have awarded Unuki the nickname 'The Great Brainsnatcher' on account of there usually being brains inside heads, y'know?

And what could the village(s) have done to upset Unuki-sama so much? I'm thinking perhaps they took away someone who kept the god company (and maybe killed them?) I imagine this likely would have happened around the time of famine Matsuura Jr. talked about in the library, and I wouldn't be at all surprised if whatever this event was that caused such anger involved some sort of cannibalism. Which may feel a bit out of place, but I say it on account of a piece of lore surrounding Kangiten (AKA Vinayaka).

In another legend recorded in a medieval Japanese iconographic compendium known as the Kakuzenshō, Vinayaka was originally the king of a country called Marakeira, who only ate beef and radishes. When these became rare, he started feasting on human corpses; when these too became scarce, he began to eat living people. His subjects eventually revolted and were about to kill the king when he transformed himself into "the great demon king Vinayaka."

-via Wikipedia

And that is a perfect segue into my third theory.

Theory 3: Nounuki-sama is a tatarigami born of Unuki-sama after whatever incident happened between it and the villages.

There have been some very excellent posts that talk about Mokumokuren's use of shadows when it comes to "Hikaru" and I'm going to continue to play into that here just a little bit.

Like I pointed out before, when Matsuura Sr. dies, all that we can really see of what MIGHT be "Hikaru" is a black shadow. We don't know for sure that what killed her is actually "Hikaru", but it is sure as hell implied to be him.

But also... "Hikaru" doesn't seem to be too sure of his actions himself?

He has said twice now by my count that he would not lie to Yoshiki, and since we have no evidence to deny that claim (so far anyway), I am inclined to believe that when he says he doesn't know if he killed old lady Matsuura, that he truly doesn't know.

And I think I have an idea is to why.

From what I've noticed, there is always some piece of "Hikaru's" face that is lit up, even when he's doing something menacing such as literally taking a step towards Asako to kill her.

The exceptions to this rule seem to be Matsuura Sr's death, and also, the end of chapter twenty. 🙃

I rambled about this scene a lot in my very first link at the top of this post, and to be frank, these four pages are, to me, the most unnerving in HGSN by far. Maybe even some of the most unnerving I've seen period, and part of it is how we never once see "Hikaru's" face. We don't know what expression he's making, we don't know what he might be feeling; hell, we can't even hear him because of the unique horror reading things off a page can bring. We have no clues to his state of mind. We only one set of eyes that aren't doing the bleeding iris thing we're used to, a intense focus on Yoshiki's soul, and darkness.

And potentially the worst/most unnerving part of it all is that "Hikaru" doesn't seem to remember what he was even doing there to begin with. I don't think it's a coincidence that "Hikaru" is having a hard time remembering both this scene and Matsuura Sr's death.

Part of what drew me to this manga was the fact that "Hikaru" was described as an Eldritch creature/god, and by nature, Eldritch gods are unknowable. Your brain cannot fully comprehend what you're seeing when you look upon them and that lack of comprehension is what drives you mad. "Hikaru" is a god, and he is a god with a borrowed brain; full of thoughts and feelings and memories that all belonged to one young, incredibly human boy. He is a god with constant access to all of the humanity that Hikaru had to offer, and I don't believe there's any way he could come away from that sort of exposure 'unscathed'.

We already know "Hikaru" doesn't feel as if he had thoughts or feelings or a purpose before taking on Hikaru's body. He wandered on that mountain for years in a supposed haze before granting Hikaru's impossible wish that freed him. And we also know what Rie said about the mountain:

If you head towards Kubitachi, there's a mountain that's off limits, right? I've long felt something ominous emanating from there. I just know there's something terrible lurking there. But recently that ominous feeling disappeared into thin air. 'Gee, I wonder where it went? I'm a little scared-' went my thoughts. Until I realized that "it" is right by your side.

I find it interesting that there was a malevolent presence that was so strong that Rie could feel it without even being on the mountain, but then the moment "Hikaru" gets a body, he becomes harder to suss out. And perhaps that is because, as otherworldly and terrifying as "Hikaru" can be, the creature we know isn't truly this malevolent god that everyone fears. But maybe, the "Hikaru" we see at the end of chapter 20 is. I think who we see in the dark is Nounuki, as opposed to Unuki.

And before I say anything else, I feel like I should clarify that I am absolutely not trying to imply that "Hikaru" has some sort of split/multiple personality thing. I think this malevolence/tatarigami is more like a chronic physical illness and/or chronic pain issue that has flare-ups. Potentially even something like mono that lurks in your body for years until it finds the perfect opportunity to rear its head and trigger the cold symptoms again. (Or if I were to veer away from the analogy, something that reminds "Hikaru" of whatever incident caused him to become a tatarigami in the first place?)

And as for the memory loss?

He's an unknowable deity, so maybe just enough of "Hikaru" is human after he took over Hikaru's body, that he is also unable to know himself- or at least, not the full extent of himself. If we think of Unuki-sama and Nounuki-sama as two sides of the same coin then it makes sense that when the coin is flipped to the more godly Nounuki side, that it would be more difficult for "Hikaru" to remember those moments later on when the coin turns over again.

I also think this is why his eyes have been doing something different since the end of chapter 20 and it only makes me all the more nervous/excited to see what's going to happen in the next update after leaving us on that terrifying last panel.

And with that I am done; please forgive the super abrupt ending, I have no idea what else to say without running around in circles more than I fear I already have.

happy dungeon meshi day I'm so excited to see him again

I really don't understand why so many people think the the big eyed asshole thing would keep his promise when his whole thing is hating on everyone calling them sinners and that they deserve to suffer, it makes no sense for this entity to be fair with them. It also doesn't make sense( out of RP)to have 2 weeks of an extremely exhausting competition while there was already a team "predestined" to win, and if another team dares to win, it would bring worse consequences.

What Charlie said is what ive been thinking since day one ( referring to him saying no matter what team loses its gonna be the cursed team because the watcher hates them all )

I doubt that someone or well, something given whatever the watcher is , is gonna be like "Oh well look at that! A team wins! Everyone gets to go home freely after this fun death game with their kids ! So sorry for keeping you here in this dimension in this death game tee hee!" especially after the amount of times they say they hate everyone & want them all to suffer.

They want to give them a false sense of hope & then just take that all away , make them suffer more.

Tubbos Theory doesnt matter, Phils theory doesnt matter, Tickets dont matter, wheel spins dont matter, everyone is in purgatory so therefore everyone is cursed.

Does it mean the eggs are in danger still by this watcher entitiy? Maybe? No? Yes? We'll just have to find out.

But long story short, Ive had the thought since day one that given this is purgatory , everyone is cursed its not gonna be fair in the end regardless of whats gonna happen

Science Fiction as a Reflection on Society - PLUTO & The Cycle of Hate

MAJOR SPOILER WARNING -You can read this before reading PLUTO but it will spoil many major plot points!

In 2015, I picked up a manga volume in a London bookshop called PLUTO. I had a burgeoning interest in AI, and computer science, at the time and had read Naoki Urasawa's manga Monster many years prior. It seemed a perfect read. Little did I know, it would become my favourite manga.

As I read the first volume I realised this wasn't just a simple Astro Boy adaptation. Like many of Urasawa's stories, PLUTO was a layered story which took its source material and asked fundamental questions about its premise.

The more innocent veneer of the Astro Boy world was stripped away, and echoes of the Middle East, of Afganistan, Iraq and Palestine, were transposed into the background of what was on the surface a simple detective story plot. The long memories, and relentless logic, of robots became a means by which conflict could be examined, but also a way to reveal the weaknesses in the non-empathetic nature of robotics and AI.

Instead of a traditional manga and anime trope of beating the strongest villain against the odds, it became a tragic, yet hopeful, story about the long-tail effects of trauma and how our memories of the past, remembered or misremembered, shape our present.

Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it

From the 1980s Soviet invasion to the modern day US involvement in the Middle East, the trauma of the conflict had lasting impacts on both the invaded countries, and those who invaded. Talented people, who at peace could have done and produced great things, were reduced to administering corrupt governments, fighting occupying forces and wasting their lives on a fractious peace based on subterfuge and realpolitik.

Robot Mont. Blanc, killed in the opening part of PLUTO acts as the introduction of this theme. A deeply environmentalist robot, who was beloved by mountaineers and children alike, was sent to fight in a war whose values conflicted with his own.

Despite his experiences, he went on to live in his old life - tending to and caring for the Swiss Alps and those who lived within them, but was ultimately killed by a mysterious perpetrator.

This theme is carried through with all the "greatest robots on Earth", who are targeted by PLUTO, and who all are trying to make something of their lives after the end of the conflict, most of whom have managed to shake off the negative experiences of their past - while still being haunted by it.

During the gradual decolonization of the colonial powers of Europe in the Middle East, there existed periods in the Middle East of relative calm and stability. People were able to life affluent, and prosperous lives without the threat of violence and revolution - with collaboration between US, European and USSR workers and those who lived there allowing for the construction of infrastructure and advanced manufacturing facilities.

But what about those who can't deal with their past. What about those who are deeply damaged?

PLUTO - The Greatest Trauma on Earth

MAJOR PLOT SPOILER WARNING

So what is PLUTO? Who is PLUTO? He is nothing more than a robot who loves flowers, created by the Persian scientist Dr Abullah. His love for the plant makes him want to plant flowers across the country, to fill it with beauty and richness. He is someone with hopes, and dreams, to make a beautiful world which can be enjoyed by the people who live there.

At least, that's what he used to be.

As the 39th Central Asian Conflict drags on, Dr Abdullah become bitter and resentful at what has happened to his country. A once proud nation reduced to rubble and ruin. Instead of encouraging his robotic son to plant flowers, he fills his son with a vast hatred against those who have committed violence against his people.

The son who wanted nothing more than to make the world a better place is indoctrinated by his father into a being of pure rage, while fully knowing his previous self. The two sides of his personality ripping and tearing at each other in a self-contradictory nightmare.

Just as PLUTO is turned into a loathing monstrosity by his family, upbringing and situation - so too are those who live, fight and die in conflicts. Both the 2023 murder of innocent Israelis by Hamas, and the subsequent murders of innocent Palestinians by Israel have no doubt radicalised a new generation of martyrs, while their leaders - those meant to be inspiring and running the country in their name - directly encourage mass murder on both sides.

In Afghanistan, the hopes of a democratic society were undermined by a corrupt Western imposed system which broke down into Taliban rule in 2022. Collaborators killed or tortured. Women, once again, forced into roles they had broken out of.

But this cuts both ways.

In Afghanistan, both the Soviet invasion of the 1980s and the US/Coalition invasions of the 2000s led to a surge in Western soliders who came home from war angry, disillusioned and in mental and physical pain. Sometime from IED amputations, sometimes from PTSD and severe mental health issues.

Some survived the war, only to transfer their trauma to others at home or to end their own lives at their own hands. A generation of young military lives lost.

The Politics of Hate

Newton's third law states: Each action has an equal, but opposite, reaction. This often occurs socially.

This is ever present in PLUTO with the Anti-robot league. That robots have any rights at all is anathema to these people, who organise a conspiracy to destroy the social fabric of robots in society through targeted assassinations and hatred.

Through their actions, they aim to convert others to their cause and roll back decades of progress in the world of PLUTO.

This occurs in reality just as readily.

The 9/11, 2001 Twin Towers bombings brought together the American people in sorrow, but they also led to the enabling of war.

It didn't matter that Saudi Arabia had allowed Osama Bin Laden to live, and plan, in their country prior to the attacks. It was Afghanistan and Iraq that were targeted on the most spurious of grounds. This was enabled, in part, by swathes of the public who wanted a form of revenge but was mainly supported by neo-cons in government.

The two sides of the coin in Gaza are Hamas, with their backers, and the hard right Israeli government.

Hope

Despite the past, hope and recovery are still possible. This is what the story of North #2 and retired composer Paul Duncan reveals to us. An early inclusion in the manga, it also reveals some of the lighter themes of the work.

Paul Duncan's memories of his childhood, and his perceived Mother's abandonment of him to boarding school and almost terminal illness have coloured his entire life. When we meet him, he is a bitter old man who has a writer's block, and has taken on the ex-military robot North #2 as his butler.

But as the story reveals, Duncan's memories are coloured by his misconceptions of events. As North #2 learns to play the piano, against Duncan's wishes, he reveals the notes of the song that Duncan has been humming from his sleep - a song Duncan's mother used to sing to him as a child. It turns out that Ducan's mother didn't abandon him for a rich husband, but used that husband's wealth to pay for his expensive life-saving treatment and schooling.

It is only by dealing with the past, working through his trauma, that Duncan is able to heal in the present and move on with his life.

Conflict in Northern Ireland existed until the recent past of the late 1990s. This was against a backdrop of centuries of conflict between British settlers and the Irish natives. The Republic of Ireland was created in 1916 - but several Northern Counties remained in British control.

The period between 1916 and the Good Friday Agreement were filled with terrorist action by the IRA against the British Army and the repression of Catholic Irish people in the form of police/army brutality, gerrymandering, discriminatory hiring practices and in other forms.

This was only resolved through dialogue at the highest level between the British Government and Sinn Fein - the political wing of the IRA. It resulted in a peace process which has lasted decades, and has resulted in a generation who can now live, love and work with each other. This required hard decisions, to put past differences and strong emotional ties behind both sides. The results are extraordinary - and offer hope for any conflict.

Conclusions

The best stories I have read take the author's present experience, and insight, and use fiction as a vehicle to explore their themes and ideas. PLUTO takes the historical context of modern world events, and wraps it in an Astro Boy story which tells a story of how trauma, and hate, perpetuate themselves in cycles which come back to haunt and destroy others.

We can learn a lot from such stories. We should learn from them.

It is easy to continue to hate others, and react against clear provocations. It takes courage, bravery and sacrifice to break the cycle and begin anew - to create a new world. A world that Atom represents. A world with a brighter future.