Miku Hinasaki
| ||
| "Lately, all I can think about is the past." | ||
| Japanese | 雛咲 深紅 ひなさき みく | |
| Age | 17 (FF1) 19 (FF3) ~37 (FF5) | |
| Family | Mafuyu Hinasaki (brother) Miyuki Hinasaki (mother) Masato Hinasaki (father) Ruri (pet cat) Miu Hinasaki (daughter) | |
| Marital status | Married | |
| Residence | Rei Kurosawa's House (FF3) | |
| Occupation | High-school student (FF1) Assistant photographer (FF3) | |
| Status | See Fatal Frame V Endings section | |
| Date of death | 2006 / N/A | |
| Games | Fatal Frame Fatal Frame III Fatal Frame V | |
| Other Appearances | Zero Novel Pachislot Zero | |
| Notes | Various | |
| Themed Menu Item | Miku and Mafuyu's sweet and white drink set[1] | |
| Japanese Voice Actor | Rika Wakusawa (FF1, FF3, FF5) | |
| English Voice Actor | Rumiko Varnes (FF1) Kim Mai Guest (FF3) Unknown (FF5) | |
- "I wonder how long it's been since my brother and I began to see things other people can't see."
- ―Miku Hinasaki src
Miku Hinasaki is the heroine of Fatal Frame and one of the three main characters in Fatal Frame III.
She is the younger of the two children of Masato and Miyuki Hinasaki. She wears a comb in her hair that belonged to her grandmother Mikoto. Miku is no stranger to tragedy, as her father died while away on assignment when she was very young,[2] and she was the one to discover her mother's hanging corpse in the back of their garden. After the death of their mother, Miku's older brother, Mafuyu, takes care of her. Miku has the rare gift of a sixth sense, and she can see things that other people usually cannot see. This 'gift', however, sets her apart from others, and the only person she can really open up to is her brother.
Fatal Frame
On September 24th, 1986, Mafuyu sets out to search for his mentor, Junsei Takamine, who disappeared during an assignment involving a new book he was planning to write. After either nine days or two weeks (the in-game voiceover and the manual give different intervals), Miku follows her brother to Himuro Mansion.
When Miku enters the mansion there is no sign of Mafuyu, except for their mother's old camera, which has been abandoned in front of a mirror at the end of a long hallway full of hanging ropes. She finds herself trapped and unable to leave the terrifying house. As she searches for Mafuyu, Junsei Takamine and the rest of his party, she also finds herself beginning to succumb to the Rope Curse. Miku isn't alone; as she searches she is aided by a mysterious little girl in a white and orange kimono, and she begins to learn of her own family's connection to the mansion, and the Calamity that left it cursed and uninhabitable. After four nights of searching for clues, evading harmful ghosts and searching for pieces of an ancient Holy Mirror, Miku finds her brother, and is able to free the spirits trapped within the Himuro Mansion.
Sadly, her struggles to get Mafuyu back are in vain, as he decides to stay with the Shrine Maiden Kirie. Miku escapes the underground shrine before the cavern collapses. As she walks into the night, she sees the lights of all the formerly trapped spirits floating up into the sky, free. After that day, her sixth sense ability seems to have vanished.*
Is it a 'True Story'?
Contrary to the popular belief inspired by Fatal Frame's 'Based on a True Story' advertising, Miku Hinasaki is purely fictional, and was not based on any real girl who went into a haunted mansion in search of her brother.
Pachislot Zero
Pachislot Zero, released in 2021, adds a bonus chapter shedding light on the aftermath of Miku's experiences in Fatal Frame. Koto Kurosawa, a young reporter investigating rumours about the mansion, comes to interview Miku, but Miku is mentally broken and can hardly speak. Koto retraces Miku's steps, hoping to find out the truth and help Miku heal.
Fatal Frame III
- "When I saw Mafuyu in that dream... I just wanted to be with him again. If I'm just going to end up forgetting him, then I want to be with..."
- ―Miku Hinasaki src
Miku is taken in by Yuu Asou, who was a co-worker and friend of her brother Mafuyu. Yuu introduces Miku to his fiancée Rei Kurosawa, a photographer, and Miku starts work as Rei's assistant. The three live together in Rei Kurosawa's House; Miku has her own room where she keeps a photograph of herself and Mafuyu on her desk. While Yuu knows that Miku lost her brother, she has never spoken to Rei about it. Miku tries to put the events of those nights behind her, always wearing a smile on her face. But two years after Miku moves in, Yuu is killed in a car accident. After Yuu's death, Rei closes herself off from the outside world so Miku, understanding what it's like to lose someone, takes over the cooking, chores, and errands.
A month or two after Yuu's death, Miku and Rei go on an assignment to take photographs of a supposedly haunted mansion. After the trip, Rei asks Miku to research an old photo of a woman, who turns out to be the sole survivor of a plane crash a month before. Miku is concerned when she hears on TV that the woman disappeared mysteriously on the same day Rei went to see her in hospital. Miku visits the hospital herself the next day, and the staff ask her to look after Yoshino Takigawa's Diary.
It is around this time that Miku begins to have unsettling dreams. At first she only remembers singing a lullaby, and feeling homesick and afraid, but the dreams become more vivid. She dreams of Himuro Mansion, a Rope Shrine Maiden, and a little girl dressed as a shrine maiden, who tells Miku her brother is waiting for her.
Miku begins showing symptoms of the Tattooed Curse. During her waking hours she is tired and distant. At night she talks in her sleep, calling out for Mafuyu and her mother, and sobbing about "the ropes." When the tattoo has covered nearly all of Miku's body, she tells Rei that she understands the tattoo to be her punishment for living when Mafuyu died. Rei attempts to console her and assures her that they will get through the ordeal. Before Rei goes to bed, Miku tells her that the car accident wasn't her fault and trails off into an apology. She then asks to be left alone.
Soon after, Miku succumbs to the curse and chases after what appears to be Mafuyu. (In-game there is also the option not to go after Mafuyu, so Miku is instead claimed by Reika). Rei desperately tries to stop her, but can only watch as Miku fades and disappears. When Rei wakes from her dream, she finds Miku fast asleep with Engravers hovering around her. Miku is alive, but in a deep coma.
Rei is able to find a way to stop the curse, and is able to free Miku as well as herself. In the final scene after the credits, Miku and Rei are seen sitting together on a beach watching the sunset. Miku says she finally understands why she and Rei were allowed to survive. The two resolve to live on even with their pain, knowing that a part of the people they love will live on with them.
Fatal Frame V
- "If only I could go back to then... If things could just be as they were... That is my last wish."
- ―Miku Hinasaki src
Miku returns as a secondary character in Fatal Frame: Maiden of Black Water. According to the official guidebook, just as Rei met Yuu one last time at the Abyss of the Horizon, Miku was able to meet Mafuyu. She "perpetrated the forbidden in the dream with the dead, and after she awoke she had conceived."[3] She quit as Rei's assistant and moved to a house owned by an old woman she knew; it was there that she gave birth to her daughter, Miu.[4]
As the offspring of the living and the dead, Miu was a Shadowborn. Bearing such a child weakened Miku and shortened her life considerably. In the area near Mount Hikami, she learned of the tradition of Ghost Marriage. When she felt the end approaching, she left Miu, who was only three years old, and travelled up the mountain to the House of Joining. There, she entered into a Ghost Marriage, with Mafuyu as her partner, hoping that by doing so she could be with him again, and ease his suffering as he helped to keep the Hell Gate closed. In accordance with the rituals of Mount Hikami, Miku was placed in a casket and became a Pillar. As an Immortal Flower, she did not age, and so she still looks the same over a decade later when Miu finds her.
After a weak protest, Miku agrees to go home with Miu, and the two stay in Kurosawa's Antiques for a short time. In a dream, Miu sees Miku returning to the mountain, and follows her to the Lake of the Departed. Together they wade out into the water and witness the eternal sunset visible only on the border of death, while Miku explains about her longing to be with Mafuyu. Miu finally understands Miku's reasons for leaving, but begs her to stay even so.
At this point, there are two possible outcomes. In one, Miku vanishes, leaving Miu alone. In the second, Miu wakes to find Miku still sleeping beside her, and they spend the remainder of Miku's life together.
Voice Lens Quote
- "It's over. My life will soon come to an end... I just wish I had the chance to see him again... Not even to touch him. Just to see him once more in the flesh. Just one more time... One more time before I'm gone."
- ―Miku Hinasaki src
- "Miu... you'll always be our beautiful little girl... but... I have to go. I know it's hard to understand. I don't expect your forgiveness. I'm so sorry... I never meant to inflict this pain on you. I know how it must feel... I've been there myself. But you mustn't come looking for me. Please. Stay strong, and live."
- ―Miku Hinasaki src
Alternative Endings
Fatal Frame Endings
Pachislot Zero
Fatal Frame III Endings
Fatal Frame V Endings
It is not known which of Miku's endings in Fatal Frame V is canon, but ultimately the end result seems to be the same. In one, she is already on the point of leaving the world, and the version of her that returned with Miu was no more than a lingering trace which soon vanishes. In the second, she remains with Miu, but the consequences of giving birth to a Shadowborn are still with her, and she has only a short time left.
Notes
In FF5, Miku leaves a few short notes scattered around Mount Hikami, explaining her actions.
Design & Costumes
- Main article: Miku's Character Design
When 零～Zero～ was brought to the United States as Fatal Frame (and to Europe as Project Zero), Miku's overall design and look was 'Westernized' to make her more appealing to gamers. This character design was also used in all Xbox versions of the game. Curiously enough, even with the changes, whenever Miku appears in other games outside of Fatal Frame, she is wearing her original Japanese outfit - it is even an unlockable in Fatal Frame III.
In Fatal Frame III, Miku's default costume was modelled on the outfit she wore in Fatal Frame, so it has a similar outline and sense of symmetry. Her costume and room were designed around the idea that she enjoyed collecting traditional Japanese objects and patterns.[5]
For Miku's entire listing of unlockable costumes:
Misc. Info
- Her name 深紅 literally means "deep crimson", which is her image colour, and matches the accent colour of her outfits and her cursed tattoo in Fatal Frame III.
- Miku is descended from the Kurosawa Family of Minakami Village. She is not related to Rei, who comes from a different Kurosawa family.
- While Miku's Japanese voice actress is the same in both Fatal Frame, Fatal Frame III and Fatal Frame V, the English releases of the games have separate voice actresses.
- Miku actually has long hair, it's just tied up in the back and held up by her grandmother's hair comb. Having long hair tied up was intended to indicate that she has a strong sixth sense, but hates it and tries not to think about it.[6]
- Miku seems to have an artistic streak, and made several items in Rei Kurosawa's House by hand, including candles and a paper lampshade.
- Miku was the first Fatal Frame character to be featured in other game series besides Fatal Frame. She is an unlockable monster in Monster Rancher 4 for Playstation 2, as well as in the Monster Farm Pop! cellphone game. She also appears in the Tecmo Wii games, Super Swing Golf and its sequel as an unlockable outfit.
- Miku's outfits from Fatal Frame and Fatal Frame III appear as unlockable costumes for Miu in the remastered version of Fatal Frame: Maiden of Black Water.
Appearances
Fatal Frame
- Fatal Frame (First appearance)
Other Media
- Monster Rancher IV (Unlockable character)
- Super Swing Golf (Unlockable character)
- Super Swing Golf 2 (Unlockable character)
References
- ↑ KOEI TECMO Cafe and Dining Zero Series Collaboration
- ↑ Zero Anthology #2 - Miku and Mafuyu. (English translation)
- ↑ Characters: Miku Hinasaki, Zero Nuregarasu no Miko Complete Guide, p12. (English translation)
- ↑ Memo (FF5): Miku Hinasaki, Fatal Frame: Maiden of Black Water
- ↑ Fatal Frame III: Column #3 - 28 July 2005, Fatal Frame III official website. (English translation
- ↑ Zero Anthology #2 - Miku and Mafuyu. (English translation)
See Also
- For quotes by Miku, see Quotes: Miku Hinasaki.
- For other members of the Hinasaki Family, see Hinasaki Family.
- For other members of the Munakata Family, see Munakata Family.
- For other members of the Kurosawa Family, see Kurosawa Family.
- For other player characters in the Fatal Frame Series, see Player Characters.
- For more information on the Himuro Mansion curse, see Rope Curse.
- For more information on the Manor of Sleep curse, see Tattoo Curse.
- For images related to Miku, see Images of Miku Hinasaki