u/Solrosey

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! :)

I was able to reunite Persephone and Penelope; however, I’m confused about Penelope’s overall story. What happened to her? Did she always have a skull face?

Does the game go into more detail about how she became lost and why she looks the way she does?