Sakuya Haibara

Sakuya Haibara
"They all melt into me... They become as one... As one..."
Japanese	灰原 朔夜 はいばら さくや
Alias	Miya (海夜/みや)
Family	Haibara Family
Occupation	Vessel Moonlight Syndrome patient
Room	412
Cause of Death	Blossoming as a result of the failed ritual
Date of Death	Day of Tranquility
Encounter	Temple of Tsukiyomi (Phase VIII) Rogetsu Hall courtyard (Phase X) Lunar Odeum (Final Phase)
Games	Fatal Frame: Mask of the Lunar Eclipse
Notes	Sakuya's Diary Note from Someone Call from Unknown Woman
Japanese Voice Actor	Rie Tanaka

Sakuya Haibara is the main antagonist in Fatal Frame IV. She appears as a Vessel with a blurred face in the broken memories of the main characters.

Past

Sakuya was born on Rogetsu Isle. Like her mother, she had a strong sixth sense and was susceptible to possession. When Sakuya was young, her mother began to suffer from Moonlight Syndrome and committed suicide rather than live without her memories. Sakuya's father, Shigeto Haibara, the director of Haibara Infirmary, threw himself into his work seeking a cure for Moonlight Syndrome. Sakuya's brother Yo harboured a "twisted love" for her, and it is hinted that Ayako was their child.

When she was a young woman (possibly in 1969), Sakuya performed as Vessel in the Rogetsu Kagura, and it was perhaps this that triggered her Moonlight Syndrome. She was eventually hospitalised in Rogetsu Hall, in a special ward prepared for her.

During her time at Rogetsu Hall, she used dolls to maintain her sense of self, believing that she could preserve pieces of herself inside them. As her condition deteriorated, she began to have a negative influence on others. She was isolated in her room, but the nurse charged with her care was strongly affected, and eventually killed herself in front of Sakuya.

Despite the hospital staff's rigorous attempts to keep her isolated, Sakuya met Misaki Asou, a little girl who also had a strong sixth sense. Misaki kept finding ways to visit Sakuya in spite of repeated scoldings, and Sakuya eventually gave the girl a doll which represented both of them, so that they could always be together even if they were unable to meet.

Shigeto Haibara's research into Moonlight Syndrome had led him to uncover information about the Rite of Descent, the ancient precursor to the Rogetsu Kagura. He, his son Yo, and the mask artisan Soya Yomotsuki decided to resurrect the ritual, with Sakuya once again performing as the Vessel, this time wearing the Mask of the Lunar Eclipse. Five young girls, including Misaki, were kidnapped to participate as Organs. The Rite of Descent took place at the same time as the tourist kagura, in a secret chamber underground.

During the performance Sakuya became overwhelmed and began to blossom. The mask broke into pieces. The resonance caused Tsubaki Tono, the Vessel in the kagura, to die instantly. Sakuya and her five Organs also collapsed, although they did not die: the girls lost their memories, and Sakuya fell into a coma.

After the ritual, Sakuya was kept in the basement of Rogetsu Hall, between life and death. Even in this state, she had a disturbing effect on others, and Shie Sonosaki, the nurse guarding her room, suffered from the persistent fear that Sakuya's eyes would open and that she would come through the door. The artist Yuko Magaki, a patient at Rogetsu Hall, had a vision of a woman in red visiting destruction upon the island, and his paintings of the scene gave Yo hope that Sakuya would one day wake up.

Two years later, on the anniversary of the festival, Sakuya woke and escaped from the Shrine of Mourning. Blooming, she began to wander the island, infecting the other patients, nurses and doctors, and later the islanders in the tunnels and on the shore, until the whole population of the island was wiped out.

Fatal Frame IV

Sakuya's spirit still wanders the island. Ten years later, Misaki Asou is haunted by the apparition of a mysterious girl in black, who turns out to be an embodiment of Miya, the doll that contained part of both Misaki and Sakuya's souls. Sakuya meets Misaki in the Temple of Tsukiyomi; Misaki defeats her in battle with the Camera Obscura, but rather than disappearing, Sakuya reveals herself as Miya, and shows Misaki finds the doll still lying in the Temple of Tsukiyomi. Misaki bursts into tears and Sakuya embraces her, but Misaki collapses.

As the lunar eclipse draws near, Sakuya ascends the Cape Tsukiyomi Lighthouse to be closer to the moon. Wishing to see everyone in harmony, she believes that everyone should blossom.

Before her resonance can spread the blossoming outside the boundary of the island, she is vanquished by Ruka Minazuki using the Camera Obscura and the Moonsong. The newly-repaired Mask of the Lunar Eclipse is returned to her by Choshiro Kirishima, sealing the forces that were released ten years prior at her failed ritual. As was intended to happen during the Rite of Descent, Sakuya serves as the medium guiding the souls of the dead to the Hallowed Realm, before finally crossing over herself.

Misc. Info

• Sakuya was first shown in one of six promotional stills when Tecmo announced the game on January 31st, 2008.
• Sakuya's name means "night of the new moon". 朔 (saku, "new moon") is also a homophone of 咲く(saku, "to bloom").
• Sakuya's room is #412 "Frozen Moon" (氷月, Hyougetsu)
• Sakuya appears in two forms in the game: the first, her "Shadow" form, is seen in every appearance before the final fight. Her second form, the "Lunar Eclipse" form, is seen only during the final battle. Both of these forms attack the player simultaneously in one of the game's missions.
• Unlike the other main antagonists of the series, Sakuya is fought before the final battle of the game; however, in both of these encounters she is significantly weaker than the actual boss fight.
• Developers considered having Yo return Sakuya's mask in the ending, but decided that while Yo would be more apt for Sakuya, Choshiro made more sense for Ruka.

See Also

• For other members of the Haibara Family, see Haibara Family.
• For more information on the Getsuyuu Syndrome, see Moonlight Syndrome.
• For other shrine maidens, see Shrine Maiden.
• For other rituals in Fatal Frame IV, see Fatal Frame IV Rituals.
• For other antagonist ghosts in the Fatal Frame Series, see Antagonist Ghosts.
• For other uses of masks in the Fatal Frame Series, see Mask(disambig).
• For images related to Sakuya, see Images of Sakuya Haibara.