https://mangadex.org/title/4c21037c-8ac6-4ffb-9ed1-ac1fb2ce764d/higurashi-no-naku-koro-ni-rei-oniokoshi-hen
https://mangadex.org/title/0c0d59c5-8211-4f1f-9a4d-c6e51fbe51f4/higurashi-no-naku-koro-ni-rei-hoshiwatashi-hen
Can anyone figure out the Culprit before January which is when the Answer Arc that reveals the Culprit starts coming out?
Now one might at a glance suspect Kisaku did it yet why would he see Rika as a threat? Why would the Culprit if he was going to fake his death act as if being warned of being a target of the Culprit meant that the girl warning him knew what he was planning?
If anything it would mean that he knows Rika can guess whose going to be targeted yet hasn’t the slightest clue on the Culprit at all. There is no reason for him to target Rika. He simply has to fake his death like planned then kill someone other than the Clerk randomly and everything would fall into place for his plan to get rid of Polaris since that would be his real target.
No the Culprit is someone for him the Victims do matter thus making Rika the threat that needs dealing with!
My personal theory is that Mion did it.
Mion is stated to love Satoshi like her sister Shion does and also has the baggage of loving Keiichi as well.
Mion was the Culprit of the first Loop. We don’t get to see her back to confirm that she doesn’t have the Tattoo on her back though that is meaningless if Mion is able to apply the Tattoo to Shion’s Corpse and remove her own Tattoo in secret.
She kidnaps Keiichi and secretly plays as Satoshi’s wife Shion and thus she has both of her lovers in her power! She can decide which one she keeps at her leisure.
Incidentally I am of the opinion that Higurashi Mei is a series of Arcs focused on Shion.
Nao, Shion & Mion all go to Rokkenjima in Higurashi Mei’s first Crossover Event with Umineko and the only characters present are Erika, Dlanor, Shannon, Kannon, Beatrice and Jessica.
Fun Fact: In the Various Manga we see Shion & Mion dressed as Shannon & Kanon. We also see Anime Art of Jessica dressed as Mion.
Therefore Nao must be either Shion or Mion submerged under multiple Role Cards into becoming Rena’s Little Sister.
That of course is complicated by the Shion of the 2nd World visited(the one wiped out by Une). She sees Kazuho as a threat and attempts to kill her to preserve her World just as Kawata successfully kills Kazuho because destiny says so.
We are getting a series of Gameboards for each of Higurashi’s Cast to explore their aspects properly. Gou/Sotsu/Meguri was to explore Lambdadelta inside Satoko.
The Higurashi Rei Manga is to explore Mion and The Higurashi Mei Gacha Game is to explore Shion.