WTC Higurashi Trivia
I actually originally designed Irie’s true identity as that of a ruthless, final boss-like demon of a man. I envisioned a scene where he pulls out Satoshi’s brain encased in formalin in front of Satoko and says “Look, you finally meet again...” However, the setting was changed and he became a missionary of maids. I was aiming for a disconnect where the maid man becomes the cruel final boss. When Irie was set up as the final boss, Takano was planned to be in what is now Nomura’s position. However, when Irie told Satoko about having Satoshi’s brain encased in formalin, BT-san got angry and said, “Irie’s such a kind person, but that’s too horrible!” So we made various changes, and Takano-san was promoted to the final boss. As a result, she gave such a wondrous performance.
--- Ryukishi07
I’m of two minds to this news...
1. We could’ve gotten evil mad scientist Dr. Irie!?! Dammit, I have always wanted to see that done somewhere, as Irie’s already one of the prime antagonistic forces in the story given all that the Irie Clinic is concealing (with he himself just an unwitting pawn in some bigger, behind-the-scenes government/military conspiracy games) and he’s got just as much potential for villainy as Takano, Okonogi, and even Ooishi. The idea that he was initially concieved as a Colonel Muska type character whose pleasant, patient and kindly persona would be a ruse for a vile, ruthless “demon of a man” only makes the concept sound cooler to me - like a literal case of Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde, which would embody all the thematic ideas behind Hinamizawa Syndrome.
2. Based on BT’s objection, it sounds like it wasn’t thought through very well by Ryukishi07 and came off like cheap shock value horror for its own sake, with Irie’s true inner evil being so outlandish and cartoonishly over-the-top malicious and mean-spirited that it made Irie feel like a bad Surprise Villain and a lesser character for it. The whole idea of him having Satoshi’s brain encased in formalin...why? To what end? Plus, his pedo tendencies are offputting as is, and this would’ve taken them to the most generic and expected conclusion - he’s just a predator and does sick experiments on all the children he befriends, treats, and coaches. Ultimately, Takano makes a much better direct mastermind/Big Bad/final boss than Irie would’ve.
So with that said, there are three ways to make Evil Dr. Irie work:
- Switch Takano and Irie’s intended roles. Takano plays the role she ended up playing, but the vague and engimatic Nomura is replaced by Dr. Irie as the true mastermind who sponsors Takano’s atrocities.
- Have Dr. Irie as a willing co-conspirator with Takano, the brains to Okonogi’s brawn. He’s not keen on the idea of having to harm any of the kids, but he fiercely believes he’s doing what’s right for mankind. Unlike the above and below, this Irie would still be redeemable.
- Do one of many side-story loops that has Irie succumbing to Hinamizawa Syndrome and hijacking the conspiracy from Takano.
