u/Solrosey

Following up with the runaway theory I wrote about a few weeks ago, I thought of a wholesome scenario that could go along with this type of ending. I know it’s probably very unlikely and way too “happy,” but I found it too sweet to keep to myself!

What if Tanaka ends up taking “Hikaru” and Yoshiki under his wing after the closing of the hole?

I’ve talked before about my theory that Yoshiki and Hikaru might have to leave Kubitachi after everything that’s happened. Between the Company, people in the village knowing what “Hikaru” really is, the earthquake/hole situation, and the possibility that Yoshiki himself is now too entangled with the supernatural to simply go back to his old life, I could see them running away in the end to go somewhere else.

But before they try to run away, Tanaka is waiting for them, who has already guessed their plan of action. He knows they can’t exactly return back home, The Company is still after “Hikaru,” and being only teenagers they will need help navigating life outside of Kubitachi. So he takes them under his wing and gets them to safety. Helps them survive outside of Kubitachi, all while helping them avoid The Company.

He would become their reluctant big brother. 😂

It would be a hilarious, but ultimately a very wholesome found family situation. Tanaka and Yoshiki both being supernaturally mixed individuals, and “Hikaru” being an ancient eldritch, almost god-like being. All three are essentially outcasts according to society standards. It would fit into the story’s theme of finding your sense/place of belonging when you don’t fit into what society considers “normal.”

If anything, Tanaka would be the one that helps Yoshiki and “Hikaru” get to the bakery in Tokyo after closing the hole.

Also can you imagine the interactions? Despite Tanaka being the adult, I picture Yoshiki as the one who has to keep both “Hikaru” and Tanaka in line. He would be constantly reprimanding them. Lol. I would also love to see the three of them traveling around Japan dealing with various supernatural problems.

Someone please write this fanfic!

Thinking more about the bakery in Tokyo, the promise between Yoshiki and “Hikaru” to go there after closing the holes. It’s become a symbol of hope for the fandom, but also in a comical sense too. It keeps coming back up in the story, mostly during times of great distress. There’s significant importance to it than just being a desire to go to a shop that sells bread and pastries.

The bakery is one of the first imagined futures the boys share of being together. Specifically, it’s “Hikaru’s” desire, but it also becomes Yoshiki’s whose main desire is to travel and be free. Their desires match up. The bakery isn’t just some place they want to travel to, it has specifically become a future oriented goal. They’re imagining living, not just surviving. They’re imagining their futures together; a shared life together.

A visit to a bakery is also significant in showing what both Yoshiki and “Hikaru” truly want. They want to be able to live freely. They don’t want some grand fantasy or impossible wish. The boys simply want a future where they can enjoy a mundane life. Being able to freely travel, eating food, and experiencing small pleasures with someone you love…it’s just ordinary life. Something Yoshiki and “Hikaru” have not been able to have due to various hardships and circumstances.

In a story filled with the extraordinary of the supernatural (and “Hikaru” himself being a god-like entity), the end goal is to live a life freely enjoying simple things. The bakery represents the place where the boys can belong together. It lets us think - “What if Yoshiki and “Hikaru” could just live an ordinary life together, without expectations about who they’re supposed to be or what they’re supposed to do?” Important to note too, mundane/ordinary does not equal normal. Yoshiki would still be “mixed” and “Hikaru” would still be his eldritch self.

If Yoshiki and “Hikaru” are able to visit the bakery in the end, it’s so much more than a promise fulfilled. It would represent that “Hikaru’s” desire to live is achievable (he also gets to live as himself) and Yoshiki’s decision to move forward in his life is attainable. It would represent the hope of a tomorrow, not only for the boys, but for the readers as well.

I have had a lot of different ending scenarios bouncing around in my brain the past few months, but there’s one I didn’t think much of and even disliked until the recent release of Chapter 49.3. I have been thinking about it more, and honestly? It has become my favorite ending speculation yet.

What if, after the closing of the hole, Yoshiki and “Hikaru” run away from Kubitachi?

If you have read chapter 49.3, you know Satou and The Company are still wanting to go after “Hikaru.” Even if “Hikaru” comes back to the village, more than likely he would have to go into hiding or move away from Kubitachi. The Company will still pursue him, and although I would love it if the citizens would accept “Hikaru” and that would be my ultimate happy ending for this story, I honestly don’t see it happening at this point after “Hikaru” revealed his true form. Now with the earthquake happening, I think the citizens will become even more fearful of “Hikaru.” I also think this would cause problems for Hikaru’s mom, Yuki, as well if she continued to shelter him. At this point, I don’t think “Hikaru” can return to Kubitachi.

We also have to consider Yoshiki. The citizens know they’re best friends, and many saw Yoshiki rescue “Hikaru” from The Company. The Company knows who Yoshiki is now, and would likely try anything to get information out of him about “Hikaru.” Yoshiki himself may not even be safe in Kubitachi anymore. Yoshiki also continues to see Kubitachi, as he says in chapter 46, as a “shithole.” While he’s helping close the holes to keep the village safe, Yoshiki doesn’t hold much personal love for the place. It was never his place of belonging.

Going back to Chapter 27, “Hikaru” asks Yoshiki, “What is it you really wanna do?” Yoshiki replies, “I want to go somewhere far away with you and see lots of things together. I want to be free.” Of course, “Hikaru” says he wants to as well. This leads to the famous bakery mention, where “Hikaru” says he wants to go to the huge bakery in Tokyo. Yoshiki responds that the two of them will go together, once the holes are closed.

Both “Hikaru” and Yoshiki have become each other’s places of belonging. They both want a future together. This is further explored with Yoshiki in a few scenes later in the story. In chapter 38, Yoshiki tells Asako “Just having a place where we both belong…that’s all that matters.” In chapter 40, once Yoshiki has become determined to close the holes, he says “I’ll close the holes and keep moving forward so I can live. My place in life is still up ahead. No matter what that place turns out to be.” The last line is said over an image of Hikaru. For Hikaru, in chapter 43, he says “I think I sort of get it now - just how valuable a life can be. Maybe I only get it in my own way, but still…is it all right if I stay here now?”

I also found it interesting how both “Hikaru” and Yoshiki have had “farewells” to their parents. Yoshiki has had one with both his mom and dad. When he tells Satoko that he has something he has to do, she tells him, “Promise me one thing. Live. No matter what, choose whatever will keep you alive. Because if you aren’t alive, there’s no point in anything else.” This is very significant to me. Satoko isn’t telling Yoshiki “come back home soon,” she’s telling him that no matter what you choose or where you go, live your life. Yoshiki also has a farewell moment with his father, who allows him to go rescue “Hikaru.” Yoshiki tells Toshinori before he leaves to “take care of mom and Kaoru.” Lastly, there is “Hikaru’s” heartwarming scene with Yuki who embraces him and tells him before he leaves that despite everything, he is her son too. They have both received their families’ blessings.

In either Chapter 50 or 51, I predict further “mixing” will go on between “Hikaru” and Yoshiki as well. Yoshiki will become further mixed with “Hikaru,” and we know that mixing can cause people to forget the individual (if they don’t have a sixth sense). This may well happen to Yoshiki, whose own family may forget him entirely over the years. So while I think the boys may be pronounced missing after the earthquake, I think Yoshiki’s family may not even remember him.

So both “Hikaru” and Yoshiki have proclaimed their wishes to each other for the future. They want to stay together. They want to be free and travel. Both, in a way, said goodbye to their families. If they do decide to run away together after closing the final hole, we’re left with questions about their well-beings. How will they survive? Where will they live? Where will they go? These are all valid questions, but I don’t think we need any exact answers. I think it would be beautiful to leave those questions up to the readers to answer with their own imaginations. We don’t have to know all the details, but we know Yoshiki and “Hikaru” are together and living.

If they ran away, they would probably have a difficult life at first. There would be struggles and hardships. It would certainly not be a “normal” life. As Tanaka says though in chapter 43, “What the heck is normal anyway? I mean, having a regular life and living like regular people…what about any of that guarantees that you’re happy?”

It would be a bittersweet ending. “Hikaru” and Yoshiki would be running away from the only home they have ever known. They may be proclaimed as dead or missing to Kubitachi. Their families and friends would be sad. Yoshiki may ultimately be forgotten…but they would be together. A new life, hand in hand.

The ending scene? A large bakery in bustling Tokyo, with two boys entering it that look suspiciously like “Hikaru” and Yoshiki.

Okay, community. I have another ending scenario. I have had a lot of different theories going on in my brain about how TSHD will end, but this is one possible ending I feel pretty strongly about. I want to share it with you and hear your thoughts! :)

As of chapter 48.4, both “Hikaru” and Yoshiki are going to close the big Hole by going inside of it and having “Hikaru” absorb the souls and impurities into himself. We learn from Tanaka that he theorizes that “Hikaru” is an entity that helps with the reincarnation process, by basically ensuring that souls and impurities get to the other side. By “sucking” up the souls stuck in the Hole, the hole itself will disappear.

I have thought how this is going to affect Yoshiki. Will “Hikaru” be able to keep him safe? Has their “mixing” caused Yoshiki to be able to withstand such heavy supernatural places like the Hole? I think “Hikaru” and Yoshiki are going to be able to successfully close the Hole; however, after doing so and both are back in the living world, Yoshiki is going to almost die (and of course this would be the ending of a chapter, leaving a major cliffhanger lol). He spent too long on The Other Side. “Hikaru” does everything in his power to save him, and I do believe he would be successful in bringing Yoshiki back. Maybe he would lose some part of himself in the process, maybe their “mixing” and connection is what saves Yoshiki in the end, etc. I don’t know how exactly this would play out. Regardless of the process, Yoshiki is saved. I was thinking “Hikaru” would sacrifice himself to save him and later be reborn/return in the epilogue, but I’m starting to drift away from that scenario. I have already discussed in a previous post why I would be against the sacrifice situation, so I won’t delve into that again in this post.

After the Hole has disappeared, “Hikaru” and Yoshiki return to the village together hand-in-hand. They walk out of the wilderness of the mountain into a large crowd of the villagers waiting for them. Here they’re both entirely visible to everyone after everything that has happened - the villagers have seen “Hikaru’s” true form and know Yoshiki associates with him. They saw him save “Hikaru” after all. Even though the two have successfully saved the village, there are still many villagers who are terrified of them. They will be looked at with fear, disgust, judgement, etc. There’s no hiding or running for Yoshiki and “Hikaru.” Yoshiki’s biggest fear is coming true - everyone can see him now. He continues moving forward.

Then, a few people start walking up to them and welcoming them back home from the mountain. Maybe it’s Asako and the rest of their friends, their families, strangers who have been inspired by them, etc. There will be others who continue to judge and be fearful, but there will be those who accept “Hikaru” and Yoshiki. Maybe not understand them fully and still have plenty of questions, but they will be accepting. Accepting someone doesn’t mean you have to fully understand them, but that they still have a right to exist. So not only has Yoshiki and “Hikaru” grown from their experiences, so has the village.

Again, not everyone is going to be accepting of them. If everyone became accepting of them in the end, this would not be realistic. Unfortunately, there will always be people who judge us and don’t accept us. But there will be those who do. You don’t have to change yourself to earn that acceptance. Yoshiki doesn’t have to hide that he’s gay to be accepted. “Hikaru” doesn’t have to become human to be loved. There will be those who love and welcome them for exactly who they are as individuals. Protect them and stand up for them. People who choose to try and understand. You don’t have to have the acceptance of everyone to live your life or determine your worth; you have a place. You don’t have to change who you are.

Perhaps one of the true horrors of TSHD is not the supernatural, but humanity itself. The fear humans have of the unknown and of people who are different from them. That simply being yourself could make you a “‘monster” in another person’s eyes. The terror we feel of being seen for who we truly are as individuals, and knowing no matter what there will still be those that can’t accept you. But you still choose to live alongside of it all, and live with the hope that you will find those that accept you.

As for the matter of Yoshiki’s “mixing,” who’s to say this would remain “bad” for him? If the “mixing” was taken away, it would send the message that he has to become “normal” again. He has changed, and that’s okay. Maybe some things will be different, but Yoshiki can still have a life. His “mixing” was an effect of forming a bond with “Hikaru,” and to take that way from him would be disregarding their relationship and his development in my opinion.

Lastly, the epilogue will show them finally visiting that beloved bakery in Tokyo. Showing that they both continue to keep living their lives. That they are able to continue being themselves, while also continuing to grow. The “monsters” can continue being “monsters.” >!Then maybe see something supernatural outside the window, and think “oh boy, here we go again!” Lol.!<

Thinking about the original Hikaru.

From past memories and what Yoshiki has said about him, it seems he was a young man who had deeply repressed feelings. Lost his father at a young age, so he was expected to be the “man of the house,” as well as continue on with the Indou family ritual. He was confined to the village, even moreso than Yoshiki. Yoshiki had the option to leave after graduation, whereas Hikaru could not leave specifically because of his ancestral duties. With his father’s early death and now being responsible for his families’ duties, Hikaru dealt with significant trauma (so much generational trauma). Then there’s his feelings for Yoshiki. While his feelings are kept ambiguous, I do believe he had deeper feelings for his best friend. However, they were deeply repressed and more than likely not even fully examined due to his lack of awareness and living in a significantly homophobic, traditional rural village. He kept all of his feelings under lock and key, and more than likely acted a certain role in his every day life as a defense mechanism. No one saw his true self.

Upon his death, he didn’t simply wish to be brought back to life, because he didn’t want the events in the past to be repeated (saving oneself at the cost of other lives). However, he immediately thought of his most loved person, Yoshiki, and realized that his death would bring immense sadness to him. He didn’t want to leave his side either. Using the last bit of his conciousness, he asked the Entity to grant his wish to stay by Yoshiki’s side using HIS body. At that moment he didn’t think of the negative effects this could cause, only that he couldn’t stand the idea of not being able to stay by Yoshiki’s side.

By having “Hikaru” use his real body, in a way, it’s sort of a rebirth for Hikaru (thanks to user darklardon for sharing this idea with me!). “Hikaru” allows the real Hikaru to live a life he couldn’t live, by being openly free with his emotions and showing his love for Yoshiki. While Hikaru’s soul has moved on, “Hikaru” shows a way of life that Hikaru could’ve lived if he had been more open (or should we say, allowed to be open) with his feelings.

Through his selfless wish for his best friend, Hikaru is able to gift both “Hikaru” and Yoshiki a new outlook on life. He brought forth acceptance, understanding, and ultimately love for our two main characters. Hikaru’s bond with Yoshiki lives on through “Hikaru,” and continues to grow in a way that he was not allowed to pursue while he was alive.

With the manga ending soon, I think most of our brains are swarming with ideas on how it will end. I would like to discuss these ideas with others and hear others’ opinions, so I wanted to create a discussion. I know these types of questions have been asked before, but recent chapters have brought more information to light so I’m curious to see what readers are thinking now on how it will end. Also, please be aware spoilers will be discussed

So, what are your best and worst ending possibilities?

Best Ending: For me (and I’m sure for most) obviously it’s ’Hikaru’ and Yoshiki staying together. Except, I don’t know how this is going to look.

Once they close the holes, will they both come out unscathed? What about Yoshiki becoming too mixed - will he even be able to “live” in society with ‘Hikaru’ by his side considering ‘Hikaru’s’ supernatural nature? Even if the two separated, has Yoshiki become too mixed with ‘Hikaru’ that at this point it’s too late? Should ‘Hikaru’ be allowed to use Hikaru’s body still as a vessel? Those are the main questions that have been swirling in my head. Besides those main concerns, I still have a hopeful feeling that it’s going to work out for them. Part of me even thinks they may become one entity, becoming completely “mixed.”

If the two come out unscathed and together, will ‘Hikaru’ be accepted by the town after everything that happened? Would ‘Hikaru’ and Yoshiki essentially have to leave, since maybe both of them couldn’t be accepted by the townspeople after everything that has happened? It almost feels like ‘Hikaru’ and Yoshiki said their goodbyes to their parents. Yoshiki told his mom he had something to see through while promising he would stay alive, as well as telling his dad to take care of his mom and sister. Then ‘Hikaru’ got that heartwarming scene with Yuki, with her making sure to tell him that before he goes that she accepts him and sees him as her son. After all this, it makes me wonder if ‘Hikaru’ and Yoshiki will run off somewhere together after closing the last hole. How they would survive though, who knows?

A fun thought I had was the two essentially becoming spirit hunters, traveling around and helping those in need with supernatural troubles.

More than anything, I just want these two to be able to live freely together and travel to see new sights. They still need to go to the bakery too.

Worst Ending: of course, if both of them died or one of them died it would be awful. But Mokumokuren has stated before they plan for the story to move forward positively and favor stories where the monster is accepted and doesn’t go away, so I can’t imagine a tragic ending like this. But as bad as their deaths would be, I think for me personally the worst would be ‘Hikaru’ essentially sacrificing himself in some way to save Yoshiki. Sacrificing himself maybe not in death considering his nature, but his own personal happiness. He would save Yoshiki and would be choosing to do so with his own will (not because of a wish, but of his own choice out of love), but he would become trapped and couldn’t be with Yoshiki anymore. Yoshiki would become upset of course, but would ultimately move on. He would take what he has learned from his time being with ‘Hikaru’ and the love they share to shape a future of himself. He would be free, but without ‘Hikaru’ by his side.

I feel like this ending would be too generic. It’s something we have seen time and time again in stories. I get that these types of stories can be good life lessons and can show character development. However, I’m tired of self-sacrifices and the “moving forward without my loved one” type stories. Both ‘Hikaru’ and Yoshiki have been through trauma and loneliness most of their lives. They deserve to have this happiness of staying together, to be with the one who has brought them growth, acceptance, and understanding. Their relationship is difficult to define with simple words, but it’s true (well, canon) that they love each other deeply and are essentially soulmates.

Bonus - the absolute worst ending: >!Yoshiki himself “kills” Hikaru after closing the hole or traps him in some way. He promised his mom that he would stay alive and move forward with his life, and he starts to think this the only way for him to truly be free….lol.!<

Thank you to those who read all of this! Please, share your thoughts! :)