Otomate has finally released more information about the characters in 9 R.I.P.! Let’s talk about them.
For those who are not familiar with 9 R.I.P, it is one of Otomate’s brand new otome games which was announced during last year’s Otomate Party. The voice acting cast was revealed during Dessert de Otomate 2023. The release will be a Nintendo Switch exclusive.
Make sure to follow their official Twitter account and check out the official website.
Some basic facts about the game:
Director: 亜文 (yomigana not provided)
Illustrator: Yuuya
Developer/publisher: Idea Factory (Otomate)
Platform: Nintendo Switch and Nintendo Switch Lite
Release date: June 29, 2023
Pre-order 9 R.I.P.:
*For special editions, browse individual shops (int’l buyers will need to use proxy like CDJapan, Zen Market or FromJapan). Check 9 R.I.P.’s official website for details on the bonuses for different shops. The staples are Ebten, Stella Worth or Animate!
The story and setting
Disclaimer: I have done my best to translate the information, but I am by no means a professional translator! I am doing this for fun and to help improve my Japanese. If you find any inaccuracies, don’t hesitate to comment or contact me on Twitter. All images belong to Idea Factory (Otomate).
“This town has long been a place with many incidents of people being spirited away, and those who are mentally distressed or have a lot of worries can be easily spirited away.
Are you going to be alright?”
In her second year of high school, at the beginning of autumn.
The protagonist, Isshiki Misa, was startled after being told that by her best friend.
“I don’t believe in things like spirited away – I’ll be okay.”
That’s right. I don’t believe in it.
But……I do have a big worry—I am not sure about the best path forward for my future.
An eerie voice whispers in her ears.
“Let us find your path. I am the one who will lure you into the darkness.“
And then strange things started to happen around Misa…
Main characters
Here are some rough translations of information about the characters. I have also added some information about the “true lore” behind these characters.
WARNING: if you cannot handle scary stories, perhaps skip the part where I wrote about the true lore. The ones I would pay attention to are the characters from “School Ghost Story” (Kureha and Hibiki) and “Urban Legend” (Kouyou and Sena), some may find the stories behind them disturbing. You have been warned!
Isshiki Misa
✤ Voice actor: Not voiced.
The game protagonist, a second year high schooler.
She is bright and kind, but has a tendency to be overly attentive.
Since childhood, she has had an unfortunate disposition and has experienced many unlucky incidents.
Misa does not want to attend the university her mother wants her to go to, but is unable to say so.
One night, after hearing a strange voice, her life begins to go into dismay.
“The voice from yesterday…I wonder what that was? I didn’t mishear things…right?”
Kureha
✤ Voice actor: Masuda Toshiki
✤ Lore: School ghost story
✤ Character: Karakara-san the bloodthirsty killer
Contrary to the disturbing stories about him, he has a gentle personality.
He is straightforward and honest, but there is something about him that’s slightly off.
He seems to be attracted to Misa, but…
“This is not a good place for a living person like you. Hurry up and leave. If you’re scared, I’ll escort you to the exit.”
Karakara-san the bloodthirsty killer ( 殺人鬼のからからさん )
After school, inside the school building that is dyed in twilight – when you hear the sound of iron being dragged around (“kara kara”), don’t look back.
If you turn around, you will be asked questions.
If you can’t answer it or give the wrong answer, you will be killed.
Hibiki
✤ Voice actor: Toki Shunichi
✤ Lore: School ghost story
✤ Character: The mirror that pulls you in
He is somewhat frightened and afraid to come in contact with others.
He is only assertive and shows cheerful expressions towards Misa.
At times, his darker side would peek through…
“I…I…I’m sorry! I acted out of desire….and scared you again.”
The mirror that pulls you in ( 引きずり鏡 )
You see the mirror on the wall between the first and second floor landings of the central staircase?
Don’t touch it.
The ghost in the mirror will pull you to the other side.
THE LORE: Hibiki’s character is also based on one of the Seven Wonders of the School, specifically about a boy who lives inside the mirror (鏡の中の少年). It is said that if you look into the mirror in the middle of the night, a stranger will look back at you. Another version says that a boy will grab your hand and drag you into the mirror. Other sources also mention that a large mirror on the school’s staircase landing is a port into another world – and if you stand in front of the large mirror at 4:44am, you will be trapped inside the mirror. The world inside the mirror is the exact opposite of the normal world, and the letters appear upside down.
Minami
✤ Voice actor: Okamoto Nobuhiko
✤ Lore: Isekai
✤ Character: Incubus
He displays intense forms of human emotions (joy, anger, grief and pleasure), and usually acts based on his feelings.
He would put on a false facade to deceive others.
His goal is to make a “contract” with Misa and obtain her soul.
He really hates Seiya.
”You see…I am infactuated with you. I want to get my hands on Misa-chan right now. Ahaha-♪”
Incubus ( 夢魔 )
They appear in people’s dreams and give them nightmares.
There are many theories, but to resist their temptations, the countermeasure is to have a strong mind.
THE LORE: From Wikipedia – an incubus is a demon in male form in folklore that seeks to have sexual intercourse with sleeping women. In medieval Europe, union with an incubus was said to result in the birth of witches, demons, and deformed human offspring. Parallels exist in many cultures. According to “Demon Lovers” by Walter Stephens, some traditions hold that repeated sexual activity with an incubus may result in the deterioration of health, an impaired mental state, or even death.
Seiya
✤ Voice actor: Tachibana Shinnosuke
✤ Lore: Isekai
✤ Character: Great Warden of Hell Organization
He displays courteous and gentlemanly behavior, and is quite a romantic.
A deceased man who works as the Great Warden at Hell Organization.
He earnestly tries to help Misa.
He really hates Minami.
”Good grief, if you suddenly call out to me like that, of course I get excited. You should pay attention before calling out my name like that again.”
Hell Organization
Commonly known as HO.
People who sinned during their lives will go to HO after death.
The HO purifies the sinful dead by punishing them for their wrongdoings.
Most people who work at HO are already deceased.
THE LORE: In the first 9 R.I.P. trailer, Seiya was referred to as the keeper of hell (地獄の番人). In Japanese literary, this refers to Enma, the God of Hell (閻魔大王). In Buddhism, Enma is also the Lord of the Underworld, and the God who judges the sins of the dead. Enma’s court is equipped with a special mirror, which records all the deeds of the deceased during their lifetime and this will be shown to them during the day of judgment. Therefore, even if the deceased being judged lies during the interrogation, they will be found out immediately.
Kouyou
✤ Voice actor: Suzuki Ryota
✤ Lore: Urban legend
✤ Character: Happy Mary
He is blunt and doesn’t show much emotion.
For some reason, he seems to be intrigued by Misa…
He knows a lot about the occult and has made contact with Kureha.
He and Sena are childhood friends and best friends.
“Let’s meet here again tomorrow. I’ll be under your care. You don’t have to come if you don’t wanna. I’ll look for you on my own.”
Happy Mary ( 幸せのメリーさん )
When you hear the name “Mary”, you get a scary image right?
The one where you get a phone call saying, “I am Mary, and I am behind you right now.”
But it is rumored that this “Mary” at our town will deliver the words of the dead through the phone.
In other words, the Happy Mary will deliver messages from the deceased loved ones.
THE LORE: When a girl moved out of her house, she was forced to throw away an old foreign doll named Mary. That night, the girl suddenly received a phone call.
“I’m Mary. I’m at the dumpster.”
The girl hung up the phone in disgust, but soon received another call.
“I’m Mary. I’m near the post office.”
After that, each call brought Mary’s current location closer and closer to her house. Finally, she said:
“I am Mary, and I am in front of your house right now.”
The girl boldly opens the front door, but no one is there. Then the phone rings again.
“I’m Mary. I’m right behind you.”
Sena
✤ Voice actor: Kakihara Tetsuya
✤ Lore: Urban legend
✤ Character: The young man gazing at the stars
He was a national idol during his lifetime.
He was cheerful and sociable, with a spirit of service to his fans.
Even now that he has become a ghost, he still looks dazzling.
However, when you see him, there is a somewhat uncomfortable feeling….
He is the childhood friend and best friend of Kouyou.
“I made you go out with me earlier, that too must be some kind of fate. I want to give you something~ is what I want to say, but the only thing I can give you right now is a handshake.”
The young man gazing at the stars ( 星を流れる青年 )
I heard you can meet the ghost of SENA of S=CROWN at the seaside park!
Oh, you didn’t know? S=CROWS is a famous idol group.
Well, it seems that SENA collapsed on the lawn somewhere at the seaside park.
Rumor has it that he was found lying on his back, as if he was looking up at the night sky.
THE LORE: One night, a man was gazing at the starry sky from his apartment. When the man looked at the apartment across the street, he saw a woman also stargazing. The man began to develop feelings for her.
Sometimes, the man would notice that she would be stargazing even though the sky is cloudy. Eventually he becomes suspicious and decides to visit her at her apartment. When he opens the door, he finds her hanging dead by the window.
Yukimaro
✤ Voice actor: KENN
✤ Lore: Ayakashi
✤ Character: Zashiki-warashi
Zashiki-warashi (apprentice).
At best, he is cheerful and lively; at worst, he is noisy and selfish.
He clearly expresses his emotions, which makes him easy to read.
He really wants to make Misa happy, and follows her around without her permission.
He has been acquainted with Koharu for a long time.
“As expected of My Lady! I look forward to the end of your time in school.♪“
Zashiki-warashi ( 座敷童 )
There are many stories about yokai, such as that seeing a zashiki-warashi brings good luck or brings wealth to your house….
THE LORE: From Wikipedia – zashiki-warashi love causing mischief. They are said to leave ash or bleaching powder on top of little footprints and at nighttime, they are said to make sounds like that of a revolving spinning wheel, and they would also make sounds in an inner room making sounds like that of a kagura performance. There are also tales told about how when someone in the family is sewing alone, there would be sounds similar to the rustling of papers or someone snorting, and when the wooden door is opened, there would be no one there. It is also said that at night, they would do pranks such as riding on top of guest room futons and turning over the pillows in order to not let the person sleep, and when attempts are made to stop it, it would be too strong and powerful for anyone to even affect its actions.
Koharu
✤ Voice actor: Akazami Ryohei
✤ Lore: Ayakashi
✤ Character: Kokkuri-san
A member of the Kokkuri-san family.
They are blunt and violent in tone, but at heart they are gentle and warm ayakashi.
The main character summoned Kokkuri-san, but carelessly removed her hand from the coin….
He and Yukimaro are (unwillingly) inseparable.
“Misa, from now on you are my dog. I’ll make you pay for breaking the taboo.”
Kokkuri-san ( こっくりさん )
Kokkuri is an ayakashi that can be summoned.
If you follow the correct procedure, it will answer your questions.
It is important to note that you should never take your finger off the coin while you are summoning it.
THE LORE: From Wikipedia (fox dog raccoon dog) is a type of fortune-telling that originated in the West (Table-turning). In Japan, it is usually believed to be an act of summoning the spirit of a fox (séance), and for this reason the character “Kokkuri-san” (狐狗狸さん) is applied. A piece of paper with the various words and a syllabary chart is placed on the table, and a coin (mainly a 5 or 10 yen coin) is placed on the paper with the index fingers of all participants. When all participants relax and call out, “Kokkuri-san, Kokkuri-san, please come out,” the coins move.
Extra info
There is not much known about the game system yet, but according to what I read in B’sLOG, each character will have two different types of love ends, and various bad ends.
It was also mentioned that there will be variations in fear to sugar content depending on the route. Here is a visual shared on their Twitter account.
School ghost story
- Fear: ★★★
- Sugar: ★☆☆
Urban legend
- Fear: ★☆☆
- Sugar: ★★☆
Isekai
- Fear: ★★☆
- Sugar: ★★★
Ayakashi
- Fear: ☆☆☆
- Sugar: ★★☆
Also, this is a trivia, but the release timing is likely purposeful. Summer is said to be a spooky season in Japan. See some excerpt below from CNN:
“
As the temperatures soar in Japan it’s believed that the boundaries between the world of the living and the dead are at their thinnest and yurei (spirits) are able to cross over.
Summer is marked by the festival of O-bon, which usually takes place in mid-August.
O-bon is the Buddhist festival of the dead, in which the spirits of deceased family members and ancestors are honored,” explains Yoshiko Okuyama, a professor of Japanese Studies at the University of Hawai’i, Hilo.
Chilling ghost stories are often told in the summer months, a tradition that emerged well before the days of air conditioning to help cool off.”
Personal thoughts
I am running on two hours of sleep and shitloads of caffeine today, so I will keep this short. But the more I read into this game, the more stupidly excited I become. I genuinely think the hype behind this game is rightfully deserved. The concept just really stands out, and dare I say it’s pretty genius. These guys are no ordinary non-human LIs – like, some of them are legit dead people. I really hope they will go hardcore with the scary routes! But not to break everyone’s bubbles, it’s Otomate. There is always a chance they go real soft with the fear content. We’ll have to see when we get to play this game in June.
And that’s a wrap on 9 R.I.P., looking forward to seeing everyone scream about this game very soon (myself included). Thank you for reading!
Special thanks to Ayami-chan for helping me figure out the lore behind 地獄の番人.
Thank you for sharing the translation of the character bios! Just a few questions:
Kouyou: “He knows a lot about the occult and has made contact with Benihana.” Who or what is Benihana?
Sena: “I heard you can meet the ghost of SENA of S=CROWN at the seaside park! Oh, you didn’t know? S=CROWN is a national idol.” Is S=CROWN is a boy band name or is it one of those cases where everyone knows and uses a celebrity’s real name even though they have a pseudonym? The first sentence made me think S=CROWN was a group but then the last sentence made it seem like S=CROWN is just one person.
Oh my gosh thanks so much for the feedback! I just read the description for Kouyou again and turns out the kanji was for Kureha, the character from the school ghost story. I thought it was some random ghost and read the kanji however way I knew (which for names, there are so many ways to read them fml). Fixed it now!
Regarding Sena, based on the sentence it seems to imply that Sena was “a part of S=CROWN” （Ｓ＝ＣＲＯＷＮのＳＥＮＡ）- I have updated the wording slightly now so it’s clearer that S=CROWN refers to the idol group.