Mio Amakura

Mio Amakura
"Mayu, where are you going?!"
Japanese	天倉 澪 あまくら　みお
Age	15 (FF2) 17 (DCB)
Family	Mayu Amakura (twin sister) Shizu Amakura (mother) Misao Amakura (father) Kei Amakura (uncle)
Residence	Minakami region (early childhood) Tokyo
Status	Alive / Remaining
Games	Fatal Frame II Fatal Frame III Fatal Frame: Deep Crimson Butterfly
Other Appearances	Zero4D
Notes	Mio's Memo
Themed Menu Item	Mio and Mayu's strawberry soda and crimson jelly set
Japanese Voice Actor	Akemi Kanda
English Voice Actor	Kari Wahlgren (FF2) Unknown (FF3) Deeivya Meir (credited as Dee Meir) (DCB)

"I always thought...that day...if only I was there, holding your hand."

―Mio Amakura (to Mayu Amakura)

Mio Amakura is the main heroine of Fatal Frame II and Fatal Frame: Deep Crimson Butterfly. She is the younger twin sister of Mayu. Mio has some spiritual power, although not as much as her sister. Through her father, Misao Asou, she and Mayu are directly descended from Dr. Kunihiko Asou. (See the family tree for more details)

Mio is the niece of Kei Amakura, who appears in Fatal Frame III.

Past

When Mayu and Mio were little, they lived near the Minakami area. Their mother warned them against playing in the woods, where their father had disappeared when they were still very young, but Mio and Mayu frequently played in the forest in a secret spot. On one such day, Mayu had an accident and was badly injured, and Mio felt responsible, since she had been teasing Mayu and threatening to leave her behind. Soon after this incident, their mother, Shizu Amakura, moved the family away from the area.

In 1988, the Amakuras heard that their former home was about to be flooded by the construction of the new Minakami Dam. Shizu returned for one last visit to remember her husband, While they were there, Mio and Mayu secretly went to their childhood play spot.

Fatal Frame II / Fatal Frame: Deep Crimson Butterfly

"Of course I won't leave you behind. I kept looking for you."

―Mio Amakura (to Mayu Amakura)

Back once more in the forest, Mio is reminded of her childhood memories and guilt about the accident. She begins to ask Mayu about what happened, but looks up to see her twin no longer there. Mio looks around to see Mayu wandering off into the forest after a crimson butterfly.

Mayu leads Mio her deeper and deeper into the forest. As Mio chases her twin, she notices that Mayu's form begins changing in front of her to a girl in a white kimono. Mio reaches out to grab her sister's arm, only to receive a vision of her hands around Mayu's neck. Releasing her grasp, Mio finds herself once more alone in the forest. Hearing voices, Mio follows them to another girl in a kimono, crying at a crooked torii gate. Mio can hear her saying: "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry!". Before Mio can get a look at the girl's face, she sees a crimson butterfly flutter past her, and passes through the torii gate onto a hilltop.

Mio finds Mayu standing at the edge of a promontory overlooking a village covered in darkness and mist. Mayu is surrounded by crimson butterflies, that scatter on Mio's approach. Mio calls out to her sister, to which she only replies: "The Lost Village...". Unable to return the way they came, Mio and Mayu explore the village, hoping to find help, shelter, or directions to get back to the forest. In the back of Mio's mind lingers the story of 'the lost village', a village that is trapped in endless darkness, and those who stumble upon it never return. As the twins explore a nearby house, Mayu is overcome with a horrible vision she shares with Mio, and both encounter the spirit of a woman, Miyako Sudo, who came to the village searching for her boyfriend, Masumi Makimura.

It is also at this time Mio discovers an antique camera tucked away in one of the rooms: 'The Camera Obscura'. Mio takes a picture of Miyako's ghost, and discovers the true potential of the camera. After fighting Miyako, Mio awakens to find herself alone in the room. Mayu has run off, leaving only her charm behind.

Mio begins her quest to find Mayu, as well as to find a way out of the village. She runs into an imprisoned boy, who insists on calling her 'Yae'. He adamantly tells Mio she needs to find 'Sae' and both need to escape. He offers his help, and gives Mio vital clues to help find her sister.

As the night lingers on and on, Mio finds her sister Mayu, only to be separated from her again by ghosts, sealed doors, and other strange forces at work. Each time, Mio is determined to reunite with her sister, keeping to her promise that she won't ever leave Mayu behind again. As the night wears on, it becomes apparent that the ghosts are trying to use the twins as part of the village's Crimson Ceremony, and that Mayu is possessed by the malicious spirit of the last Twin Shrine Maiden, Sae. Mio discovers a way to leave the village, but on the point of escaping, Mayu is captured by the ghosts of the villagers, and taken away to perform the Ceremony.

Mio follows her sister and finds the path to the Hellish Abyss deep underground, where the Crimson Ceremony takes place. She fights the Kusabi, the former folklorist Seijiro Makabe, and exorcises him. In the Abyss below, Mayu is waiting for her. Mayu lies down on the large altar stone, putting Mio's hands around her neck, telling Mio that the ritual will make them one, and this is the only way they can be together forever. As the ghostly priests around them strike their staffs, Mio encloses her hands around her sister's neck, and strangles her to death.

Mio releases her grip on her sister's lifeless body, speechless at what has just occurred. The Mourners grab Mayu's lifeless body and throw it into the Abyss, and a crimson butterfly emerges from it. Mio desperately chases after the butterfly, crying. It leads her out of the village, and it flutters back to her for a second before joining the other thousands of crimson butterflies in the sky.

Many days later (actual time not determined, but within that same year), Mio is overlooking the new Minakami Dam where the forest once was. Now that she is a Remaining, she has a visible glowing mark of a crimson butterfly on her throat.

Fatal Frame III

"I won't leave you... I'll go too..."

―Mio Amakura (to Mayu Amakura

A week after she and Mayu were reported missing, Mio is discovered alone in the forest. Mayu's disappearance is immediately investigated, but Mio refuses tell anyone what has happened. Due to the area's legend of the Lost Village, it is assumed Mayu has become another 'Spirited Away.'

At some point, Shizu Amakura became ill and had to be hospitalized, leaving Mio in the care of her uncle Kei. He introduces her to Yuu Asou, an anthropologist who is knowledgeable about spirited away cases. Kei mentions the visit in one of his letters, apologizing to Yuu for Mio causing him trouble. Upon investigating an abandoned house near a deserted village not on the map, Kei comes across the Camera Obscura. Upon seeing the camera, Mio becomes frightened and very upset. Her uncle decides it is better to send the camera to his friend Yuu instead of keeping it around.

About a month after her experiences in Minakami Village, Mio begins to suffer from an unusual set of symptoms. She spends more and more time sleeping, and experiences horrific nightmares. Kei suspects that Mio may be experiencing symptoms similar to those mentioned in an urban legend about the 'Manor of Sleep'.

For Mio, the experience worsens. She feels guilty for escaping from the Lost Village when Mayu did not. She is tormented by the thought that she broke their promise to stay together forever. As Mio dreams, she finds herself once again trapped within the Lost Village, aimlessly following crimson butterflies. Searching for Mayu, Mio apologizes again and again for what happened. She is unaware that her afflictions have also trapped her uncle Kei in the Manor of Sleep. Kei follows after Mio, trying to get her attention in their dreams, but Mio never answers him and continues to be drawn in deeper by the curse. As her uncle desperately searches for a cure for both of them, Mio soon has to be hospitalized, only waking up for around three hours at a time before falling back asleep. Kei leaves her at the hospital and heads for Rei Kurosawa's home, in hopes that together they can find a solution to the curse.

After Kei, Rei and Miku find a solution to the curse, Kei returns to pick up an awakened Mio. Mio and Kei visit the Minakami Dam together, and Kei introduces Mio to Rei Kurosawa and Miku Hinasaki.

Translation Error

In the overseas versions of Fatal Frame III, there is a serious translation error involving continuity. An in-game article states that both Mayu and her mother Shizu have disappeared in the Minakami area. The Japanese reads "Mayu Amakura, the daughter of Shizu Amakura" but was translated as "Mayu Amakura and Shizu Amakura" instead. According to current sources, Shizu is still alive, she's just severely ill in hospital. Her hospitalization was also mentioned in earlier pre-game articles in Famitsu gaming magazine.

Alternative Endings

Fatal Frame II

Lingering Scent Ending - In this ending, Mio leaves the village through the Kureha Shrine, right before the Crimson Sacrifice Ritual is about to start. As she escapes through the tunnels, Sae chases after her and grabs her. Mio screams and wakes up, finding herself all alone in the forest. (While getting this ending results in a 'Game Over', it is considered one of the official endings).

Hellish Abyss Ending - In this ending, Mio fights Sae and grabs Mayu before she falls into the Abyss along with Sae. As Mio pulls her sister up, however, she is tempted to look down into the Hellish Abyss, against Itsuki's advice. Upon looking into it, Mio is overcome with the horrific images of the sacrificed spirits. Mio and Mayu make their way out of the village. Many days later, Mio and Mayu are together, overlooking the completed Minakami Dam. It is revealed that Mio is now permanently blinded by the Abyss, and Mayu smiles, happy that her sister now has to rely on her.

Promise Ending - Only available in the Xbox version and Fatal Frame: Deep Crimson Butterfly. Mio is able to save Mayu by defeating Sae and reuniting her with her sister Yae. She reaches for her sister, pulling her away from Sae's spirit before both she and Yae jump into the Hellish Abyss together to complete the ritual. Mio and Mayu walk out, hand-in-hand, guided by Sae and Yae's butterfly which joins the others.

Fatal Frame II: Deep Crimson Butterfly

Frozen Butterfly Ending - Mio is able to save Mayu from the ritual, taking a final photo that seems to separate her sister from Sae. However, Mayu still wishes to go through with the ritual and attempts to have Mio strangle her. Mio refuses, pushing Mayu away. Mayu admits that she didn't think Mio would truly let them be one, and is okay with living in hell as long as they're together. She transforms into a laughing Sae, flashing to the night of the Repentance. Mio then realizes she has seen the laughing before, flashing back to when Mayu was injured, and laughing while crying at the same time. Mayu becomes herself again, telling Mio, "Let us be together... together forever." Mio is next seen with her eyes open, lying on Mayu's lap in the Kurosawa Hall amongst other bodies from the Repentance. Mayu tenderly strokes her sister's head. After the credits, Mayu sits in the Doll Stand Room with a lifeless Mio in her lap. Smiling, she paints Mio's lips with a brush, and licks away the tear that forms at the corner of Mio's eye.

Shadow Festival Ending - After Mio defeats the Kusabi, she makes her way to the Hellish Abyss. Running past her are Veiled Priests trying to flee The Repentance. Mayu, sitting in front of the Abyss, tells her sister that she is too late, and that The Repentance is near. She says that Mio should have saved herself. Mio however replies that she could never live with herself if she ran away alone, and that she wants to be with her sister, even if it's only for this short time. "This time, we fall together," she says, as the Darkness erupts from the Abyss. The scene then switches to that of a festival, which the twins, dressed in yukatas, are attending. Hundreds of lanterns are released into the night sky, and both Mio and Mayu wish that that day would last forever. The scene switches back to the twins being consumed by the Darkness. Itsuki is seen with a Crimson Butterfly on his hand, before it flies away, and the Darkness once again engulfs the village. In the end the twins covered in a crimson kimono are sitting hand in hand forever together in the Darkness.

Fatal Frame III

In the normal ending of Fatal Frame III, Mio's fate is left unanswered. In the events of the game, Kei mentions leaving her at the hospital, still suffering from the Tattooed Curse symptoms and getting progressively worse. The ending shows no information on what happens to Mio after Kei's suggested demise.

Design & Costumes

Unlike Miku Hinasaki, Mio's appearance was not changed or altered to reflect a regional change for the PS2 and Xbox releases of Fatal Frame II. When wearing her gothic lolita outfit, Mio has a butterfly tattoo. In the Xbox Director's Cut version of Fatal Frame II, unlockable costumes for Mio include Kasumi's outfit from Dead Or Alive and Reina's outfit from Deception 3: Dark Delusion.

An updated and more mature outfit version for both of the twins is seen in Fatal Frame: Deep Crimson Butterfly. More emphasis has been placed on the back of the costumes to coincide with the new over-the-shoulder camera angles.

For Mio's entire listing of unlockable costumes and accessories:

• Fatal Frame II Costumes
• Fatal Frame: Deep Crimson Butterfly Costumes

Gallery

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Misc. Info

• Mio is the youngest protagonist of the Fatal Frame series.
• Mio is the second-born twin. According to the twin law practised in Minakami Village, however, she is considered the elder of the two.
• The kanji character for Mio's name, 澪, contains the Japanese title of the game, 零. Both characters have an on (Chinese) reading of "Rei".
• Mio was originally going to be the third character in Fatal Frame III, but during early production it was decided her uncle Kei would be a major character instead.
• In Fatal Frame III, while Mio is never seen to have tattoos, it is assumed she does have them, since she is under the Tattooed Curse.
• Mio and Mayu appear as ghosts in the Ghost Camera mode of Spirit Camera: The Cursed Memoir.
• Using the AR marker found on the Fatal Frame: Deep Crimson Butterfly website, Mio and Mayu become available for photo ops in Spirit Camera: The Cursed Memoir. (Not available in the US version)
• Mio and Mayu are featured in Super Swing Golf gallery game concept art, but are not unlockable in the game itself.
• Mio and Mayu appear in their Deep Crimson Butterfly incarnations as a trophy in Super Smash Bros for Wii. They will also appear as a "Spirit" in Super Smash Bros Ultimate for the Nintendo Switch.

Appearances

• Fatal Frame II (first appearance)
• Fatal Frame III
• Fatal Frame: Deep Crimson Butterfly
• Spirit Camera: The Cursed Memoir (Ghost Camera mode)
• Super Swing Golf (Gallery art only)
• Super Smash Bros. (trophy) and Super Smash Bros. Ultimate (Spirit)
• Identity V (playable costume for the character Perfumer)

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  In Spirit Camera

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  In Spirit Camera

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  Gallery image in Super Swing Golf

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  Trophy in Smash Bros.

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  In Identity V crossover event. Source

See Also

• For quotes by Mio, see Quotes: Mio Amakura
• For other members of the Amakura family, see Amakura Family.
• For other members of the Asou family, see Asou Family.
• For other player characters in the Fatal Frame Series, see Player Characters.
• For information on other spirited aways, see Spirited Aways.
• For more information on the Manor of Sleep curse, see Tattoo Curse.
• For other rituals in Fatal Frame II, see Fatal Frame II Rituals.
• For other twin pairs, see Twins.
• For images related to Mio, see Images of Mio Amakura.

References