Ushio Kofune (小舟潮, Kofune Ushio) is a 17-year-old girl living in Hitogashima. She lost her life in a maritime accident while trying to save Shiori from drowning in the sea. She loves her childhood friend Shinpei, but has yet to express her feelings for him.
Appearance[]
Ushio is a young woman with fair skin and a curvy athletic build. She has long blond hair that reaches down to her waist and blue eyes. Her eyebrows and eyelashes are noticeably blonde as well.
One of Ushio's signature outfits is a dark navy blue one-piece racerback swimsuit with white shoulder straps and no footwear. Ushio also wears an oyster shell pendant around her neck.
Personality[]
Ushio is a very open-minded and enthusiastic person, but also naive often she is not aware of the danger she is in. She has a close relationship to Shinpei, and has feelings for him, but she doesn't openly admit her love for Shinpei.
History[]
On July 17th, while Ushio and Mio are shopping at Kobe Mart, Shiori reveals that she was followed by someone who looked like her. Ushio dismisses it as the behavior of a creep and advises her to report it to Tetsu Totsumura. However, Shiori feels disheartened that they aren't taking her seriously, expressing doubt that he would be able to help.
The next day, on the 18th, Ushio assists in cleaning the beach. She notices a flash and, upon turning, sees her own shadow. She attempts to chase after it but loses track. Later, she confides in Shiori, expressing her belief in her experience. At home, Mio hopes that Shinpei will visit this year, but Ushio retorts that she doesn't care and suggests he could remain in Tokyo indefinitely. Mio teases her, insisting she actually loves him. Ushio then goes to take a bath but is startled to find Shadow Ushio in the tub. When Ushio tries to call for Mio, Shadow Ushio stops her, explaining that she is Ushio Kofune and had returned home but hid upon seeing Ushio with Mio. Initially, they suspect each other of being the Shadow, but they soon realize that if Shadows exist, Shiori’s Shadow must also be on the island. They remember that Shiori first spotted her Shadow on Mount Takanosu and decide to investigate.
As they climb the mountain, they find nothing at first. Shadow Ushio notices a warning sign indicating danger ahead, and they choose to continue. They arrive at the old Hishigata family clinic, rumored to be haunted, which deters visitors. Shadow Ushio feels an eerie familiarity with the place. Suddenly, they hear a noise and see a Shadow holding a crow. The Shadow flashes and mimics Ushio. A third Ushio appears, attacking them and pinning Shadow Ushio against a tree. Ushio attempts to strike the third Ushio, but her blows are ineffective. Accidentally hitting her own shadow instead injures the third Ushio, who retaliates by kicking Ushio away. The third Ushio then stabs Shadow Ushio's shadow, wounding her leg. Initially surprised, Shadow Ushio realizes that a Shadow's weakness lies in its flat shadow, indicating she is not human. Using her hair, she cuts the third Ushio’s arm and frees herself. As the third Ushio flees, Shadow Ushio follows, understanding that her real body is the shadow and the projected body serves as a weapon. She catches up and slashes the third Ushio’s shadow, killing her. Ushio compliments Shadow Ushio, calling her cool. Shadow Ushio then flashes and updates her data, copying the healthy condition of Ushio’s foot to heal her own. She explains that she will eventually disappear, but if she kills the original, she will become her. Her instincts urge her to eliminate Ushio, and she realizes why it’s said that seeing your Shadow could lead to death—and that Shiori is in danger.
On the 21st, at the beach, Shadow Ushio mimics Ushio in her swimsuit. Ushio asks if she can transform into her shell necklace, and Shadow Ushio complies. Ushio puts on the necklace, placing the real one in her bag. While distracted by Akari, Shiori accidentally falls into the water and starts to drown. Shadow Ushio alerts Ushio, sensing a Shadow below the surface. Mio leaves Akari with Tokiko and plans to help Shiori with Sou, but Ushio intervenes, insisting they let her handle it. She jumps into the water and swims toward Shiori, who is being pulled deeper by Shadow Shiori. Shadow Ushio reverts to her Ushio form and slashes Shadow Shiori’s arm. She manages to grab Shiori and swims back up, but Shadow Shiori’s arm latches onto her, ensnaring them with shadowy limbs. Ushio pulls Shadow Shiori away, but the Shadow retaliates by choking her. Ushio urges Shadow Ushio to ignore her and focus on rescuing Shiori. Moments later, Shadow Shiori catches up, demanding they stop, and Shadow Ushio notices Ushio's body sinking. She strikes Shadow Shiori, but Shiori seizes her, realizing Shadow Ushio is malfunctioning. Attempting to repair her, Shiori feels Mio and Sou approaching, prompting her to release Shadow Ushio, who begins to sink, erasing Shiori and feigning unconsciousness for Mio and Sou to rescue her.
Plot[]
3rd Loop[]
Shinpei finds Ushio at the beach. He tells her she died, but Ushio has no memories and only remembers some pain, and believes she is human. Ushio reveals she wanted to tell him something if he ever came back and then tells him she loves him. He asks her what she wants. Looking at the fireworks, Ushio wonders if its 24th already and as Shinpei confirms, she states she wanted to go to the festival with him. As she goes to the festival, he goes after her and tells her to stay hidden until the festival is over as everyone believe she is dead and can't meet her friends. Annoyed, she punches him, warning him that she will punch him if he keeps saying nonsense. Mio calls Shinpei and seeing its Mio, Ushio takes the phone and greets her, but Shinpei tells Mio its him.
Shinpei goes to his friends at the shrine and unable to sit still, Ushio heads too. She uses a mask to disguise her and sees how Sou Hishigata gets turned down by Mio and tries to comfort him, but everyone sees through her disguise. Shadow Shinpei appears and captures Ushio and asks her what she was thinking, as she can't trade places with someone who just had a funeral and guesses she had no intention of switching. Ushio awakens and tries to get free from Shadow Shinpei, but tells her she is a shadow like them as a human can't heal a broken arm that fast. Shadow Parent attempts to consume Shinpei, but Ushio comes and punches him, giving time for Hizuru to kill Shinpei and send him back in time.
4th Loop[]
Ushio surprises Shinpei by appearing behind him while he’s making curry, prompting him to remark that she shouldn’t show up until the festival. Ushio explains that shadow-like monsters devoured everyone at the festival and wonders if he was present as well. When Mio arrives, Ushio hides and soon receives a note from Shinpei asking her to come to his room. Eagerly awaiting Shinpei’s curry, she enjoys the meal. Ushio recounts waking up at Omoto beach, ensuring no one saw her since she’s now perceived as a monster. They agree to join forces to combat the shadows. Mio enters to collect the plates and nearly spots Ushio. After Mio leaves, she quickly returns and almost sees Ushio again, but it turns out to be Shadow Mio, who tries to kill Shinpei. Ushio intervenes, taking the blow for him. Afterward, Mio stabs her shadow, wounding Ushio. When Mio questions why she protected Shinpei, Ushio admits it’s because she loves him. Mio then attempts to kill Shinpei, but both he and Ginjiro manage to stop her. Ryunosuke arrives with intentions to kill Ushio, but Shinpei intervenes, asking for her assistance. Ushio expresses concern for the real Mio, and Ryunosuke reassures her. Recognizing Hizuru’s voice from a previous message, she resolves to save her.
Outside, Hizuru pours water on Ushio’s arm, causing it to vanish. She explains that the wound was merely a projection of damage inflicted on her main body. Hizuru then shows Ushio’s message, which requests help and indicates that Shinpei is the only one who can stop the shadows, though Ushio has no memory of it. Hizuru decides to stop collaborating with Shinpei since he is with Ushio, and they cannot predict when she might turn against them.
The next day, Shinpei meets Sou at the beach, where Sou intends to discuss Ushio’s death. Ushio appears behind him, guessing that the strangulation marks suggest she was murdered. Sou confirms this but is shocked to see Ushio. After explaining everything, Sou apologizes for not saving her and asks her to punch him. Ushio kicks him instead, urging him to get up since they depend on him. Shinpei gives her phone to her, and although the password has changed, her fingerprint unlocks it. She finds a video from the morning of her death, showing both herself and Shadow Ushio. Ushio explains that Shadow Ushio is on their side, detailing how she met her shadow and devised a plan to save Shiori. As the video ends, Shadow Ushio regains her memories and abilities, deciding to replay the moment of Ushio's death. She transports Shinpei and Sou to a private beach on the 21st, where they witness Shiori being dragged underwater by her shadow, while Ushio and her shadow attempt to rescue her. They manage to free Shiori, but Shadow Shiori then strangles Ushio and captures Shadow Ushio. Shadow Ushio tries to repair the flawed shadow, but Mio and Sou arrive, prompting her to masquerade as the real Shiori, erasing the genuine one. While Mio carries Shiori, she unexpectedly grabs Shinpei's arm, startling him as he thought they couldn’t interact with memories. Shiori then turns to Heine, who declares she has found him and won’t let him escape. Shadow Ushio ends the replay, revealing a mark on Shinpei’s hand where Heine grabbed him. Determined, Shinpei decides they need to investigate the old clinic.
At the old clinic, they discover a wooden Hiruko statue. Shinpei notices a crack in the wall and asks Ushio to check it out, revealing it to be a secret door that requires a key. Observing that the Hiruko statue appears pregnant, Ushio scans it and copies the key hidden inside. As they open the door, Ushio senses a shadow below and expresses her unease. Descending, they find an old tunnel dug during the war. Shinpei instructs Ushio to prioritize her safety, explaining that if he dies, he will loop, but if Ushio dies first, she might not return with him. Approaching the shadow, they encounter a baby-like shadow, blind and deaf, yet capable of smelling them. The shadow lunges at Sou, but Shinpei pins it down with his nail gun, allowing Ushio to kill it. Ushio mentions that the initial shadow she sensed is still deeper in the tunnel, and they proceed. She realizes she hasn't fully recovered from the wound inflicted by Mio, despite having printed a new arm. Suddenly, they hear a gunshot and find themselves in a natural cave surrounded by baby-like shadows. As they fight back and attempt to flee, Shinpei notices the shadows are exclusively targeting Ushio. Once they escape, he sees that Ushio is still injured and her wound from Mio has not healed. Ushio explains that she needs to copy the original to restore her lost data, but since the original Ushio is now ashes, she cannot heal. Tokiko then appears, thanking them for bringing the defective product, Ushio. Shinpei shoots at her shadow to restrain her, but Tokiko laughs, revealing her humanity. With no other option, Shinpei decides to surrender, hoping they won’t harm Ushio immediately and wondering if she will lead them to her father. Following her, they arrive at Hiruko, whom Shinpei recognizes as Heine. Tokiko explains that Heine is Hiruko, the island's god. They prepare to offer Ushio’s real body to feed Heine. Just as she begins to consume another body and turns to Ushio’s, Shinpei asks her to print him the nail gun. Armed with it, he frees Ushio, who leaps in and takes her own body. Shadow Ushio then scans Ushio's body, enabling her to regenerate her arm. Heine sends a shadow Negoro to fight them, but Ushio defeats her. The shadow parent appears, injuring Shinpei and holding Mio hostage. She then kills Sou and Tokiko. Heine decides to reprogram Ushio, starting to corrode her. Hizuru arrives and manages to free Shinpei, but she dies in the process. In desperation, Shinpei drinks poison he has on hand to kill himself. Ushio begins to resist the corrosion and even turns against Heine, who commands the shadow to kill her. However, Shinpei dies and loops both of them just before they can finish off Ushio.
5th Loop[]
Shinpei tells Hizuru everything and believes their mistake was that they all acted separately. Hizuru agrees to work together this time. Shinpei normally wants to go directly for Heine, but they don't stand a chance against the four-armed shadow. Ushio suggests they go after Shiori as she believes she can erase her. While gathering at the Kobayakawa's and Hizuru entering to kill them, Ushio reveals that she can keep her scanned data from previous loops and prints a new nailgun for Shinpei. To their surprise, Hizuru is throw out of the window. She tells them to run, but the four-armed shadow kills her. Heine as Shiori comes and states that ever since she touched Shinpei and left him that mark on his hand, she can easily find him. She also reveals she can also loop and had been going after him since their eyes met on the summer festival. After the shadow kills Ginjiro and is about to capture Shinpei, Ushio beheads Shinpei and scans one of the arms of the four-armed shadow.
While they are looping, Ushio reveals that the shadow had no data and its empty, but kinda smells like Heine. Shinpei and Ushio then end up in front of their house, but soon realize its just Hizuru's memory from fourteen years ago. Soon they end up at the old Hishigata clinic, where Hizuru meets her new friend Heine. Shinpei and Ushio observe Hizuru and Heine, who spend time together. They learn that the four-armed shadow is greed incarnate and is called Shide. One day, Heine loses control due to her hunger and ends up killing Ryunosuke. As Hizuru finds them, Heine regains control and states she didn't do it, causing her to burst and blow out her eye and sends Ryunosuke's data to Hizuru. Heine runs and two stray shadows appear, but Ginjiro protects. The other shadow copies Ginjiro, but Ryunosuke takes over Hizuru and kills the shadows. Later Hizuru leaves the island and Heine promises to kill her when they meet again.
6th Loop[]
Shinpei loops back while they were heading towards the Kobayakawas, but stops Hizuru and calls off the mission. They go to the elementary school, where they call Sou, Tokiko, Mio and Tetsu and Ushio plays her memory of the past loops to them. Hizuru believes that the shadows will be coming after Shinpei and since Heine knows where he is, they can prepare and plan where they want to fight them. Shinpei speaks in front of everyone and manages to motivate them to fight alongside him, however, Shide then kills Shinpei with a rifle, ending the loop.
7th Loop[]
Ushio and Mio find Shinpei and explain that he was killed by a sniper rifle, making Shinpei realizes they got Ginjiro. He explains to Ushio and Mio first, and then to everyone that he can only loop one more time as the time limit moves faster with each of his deaths and soon he there won't be a place he can return to.
Shinpei waits outside for Heine and Shide, but as they come and attack him, Ushio takes Shinpei and runs. While others fight them, Ushio and Shinpei manage to lure Heine and Shide to the gymnasium. There Ushio copies gasoline and Shinpei ignites it. Heine jumps to the ceiling, but Shinpei injures her. Ushio then attempts to erase Shiori since Heine was taking her form, but got distracted and Shide grabbed her and pulled her into the fire. At the same time, Shide shot Shinpei multiple times, avoiding vital organs, but ensuring his death in couple of minutes, so that he has time to kill Ushio. However, Ushio was a dummy copy and Ushio appears behind Shide and punches him and start erasing him. Heine then scans and erases the air in the gymnasium, putting out the fire and bursting the windows from the vacuum, allowing them to escape with Shide. Shinpei reveals that he is okay as he had made bulletproof vest. The group had captured shadow Mio and asks Ushio to turn her one of them.
After making Shadow Mio their ally, Shinpei questions her and they learn that all shadows except Heine, can give "birth" to only one shadow and that shadow cannot give "birth". Shinpei then decides they go speak with Seido Hishigata as he seems to know Heine's plan. However, reaching the hospital, they see all items and furniture being erased. Ushio senses a shadow and they follow to the morgue in the basement, but see Ushio's real body is gone. They continue a path leading to Hiruko Cave, but on the way, they see Seido chocked by his wife, Chitose. Ushio then stops her and severs her connection with Heine. After Seido learns he is immune and they can't copy him, he decides to tell them everything and that Shide is Heine's guardian and the first child she gave birth to, Shidehiko Hishigata, the founder of the Hishigata Clinic, as well as its first director.
At night, Ushio sees that Ginjiro tries to sneak out and as he explains he needs to go to his house, she decides to join him. There, he asks her to stay out, but she enters as she senses a shadow. Ginjiro then reveals its his wife, Kaoru, who was erased by a shadow two months ago, but he managed to pin her. Ushio offers to hack her, but Ginjiro refuses, as she still would be a shadow and wishes to put a closure and then kills Kaoru's shadow.
Shinpei rests for the night and the next day, they split into two teams and go after shadows that Hizuru saw at the funeral. Shinpei leaves Mio, Shadow Mio and Sou at Kofune's restaurant and heads with Ushio at Hitoguchis place. There they find black stains and recall Kaoru Hitoguchi, and old teacher they call Bucchi, who was kind and taught most of the kids on the island. Following shadow trails, they head into the mountain and hear kids cry and as they help them, they kill two kids shadows and Bucchi's shadow. They return to Kofune restaurant and meet up with Hizuru's team, who were unable to find any shadows. They then guess the shadows are afraid of Ushio's hack and are preparing for the festival. Shinpei then decides its time to speak with Masahito Karikiri and heads towards the Hiruko shrine.
Shinpei wishes to go alone, but as the shadows can capture him, Ushio decides to join him. They make a plan that if he needs help, he will use his gun. He will shoot twice at first to confirm if Masahito is a shadow and on the third gunshot they should enter. When he meets Masahito, Shinpei reveals the legend and shows Masahito two pictures, telling him he is Shidehiko Hishigata. Masahito doesn't deny it and explains that when Haine came, there was a famine, but he made her turn 100 of the islanders into shadows. As they don't need food, that left the other fisherman be able to catch more. Hearing that Masahito believes he saved the island, Ushio is angry and questions him about Shinpei's parents, but he explains they found the Hiruko cave and wanted to go public. He then wonders if they would have been more happy if he turned them into shadows. Shinpei feels something isn't right, but Ushio is too angry and comes out and slashes and kills Masahito. She calls the rest to inform them, but in that moment another Masahito comes and stabs her shadow with a spear and then slashes her, killing her. Masahito then turns into Shide and kills Shinpei as well.
9th Loop[]
Seeing the shell necklace, Shadow Mio explains that Ushio's memories are stored inside, however its protected and only Ushio can read them. Shinpei then figures out that Ushio without memories will show up at the festival and that they can restore her memories with the necklace. He explains the rest that Ushio is drifting in the sea after her fight with Haine, when she tried to save Shiori and it will heal on the day of the festival. The necklace also moves towards Ushio and the group forms a plan.
Shinpei is inside of Tokiko's stray and is heading towards Ushio in the sea. Shide and other stray are searching everywhere and find the stray that ignores them. They get close to Ushio as she starts to awaken. The stray grabs her and they fly out of the water, where Shide attacks the stray. Ushio and Shinpei start falling and Shinpei gives her the necklace, which starts to shine. Shide attacks them, but Ushio manages to recover her memories and cuts Shide's attacks. Ushio states she knew he will come for her and then kill all the strays that attack them. Ushio attempts to attack Shide, but Mio stops her. Shinpei asks Shide if he can guess from where he came, but as Shide had no idea, Shinpei realizes that being in the stray, the hand print doesn't reveal his location. Shinpei then points a gun at his head and Haine tells Shide to stop him, but using Ryunosuke's powers, Shinpei dodges Shide's gun and shoots himself.
10th Loop[]
Shinpei loops back with Ushio while the group remains in the stray. They step outside, and Haine realizes they are in Hiruko's cave. Shinpei's group continues toward Hiruko's main body while still in the stray. They encounter another shadow that attacks them. Tokiko decides to stay back and fight it, allowing the group to move forward. They soon reach a black barrier, which they recognize as part of Hiruko. Ushio tries to hack it, but Shinpei stops her just as the wall reverses the hack, injuring two of her fingers. Shinpei then contacts Mio and uses the fireworks he had her steal to blow up the barrier. Although the wall begins to regenerate slowly, they manage to get inside, but Shinpei senses Shide approaching and turns to shoot at him. Ginjiro chooses to stay behind to prevent Shide from pursuing them.
As they get closer to Hiruko's main body, a loud noise causes Shinpei's head to ache. Mio explains that it is Hiruko's control signal, which she can ignore now due to Ushio's hacking, but it's impossible for a human to do the same. Ushio prompts Shinpei to concentrate on her and generates a counter signal that dispels Hiruko's influence from the area. While advancing, they are attacked from above by Shide, but Ushio shields them. Shinpei refrains from using Ryunosuke's powers since Haine would notify Shide anyway, opting instead to set a trap for her. As Haine dodges, she senses Mio and avoids her, but Sou shoots her shadow. Wounded, Haine fails to warn Shide of the danger, and Ushio kills him. A second Shide appears, but Ushio punches Hiruko's main body, causing its armor to fall off, and Mio finishes him off. Shinpei then notices Ushio has developed a red eye, causing pain in his own eye. Another Shide suddenly appears before them.
Shide reveals he is still alive; however, as Hiruko has lost both eyes and shrunk, he claims he no longer has use for her. He sees that Ushio has taken Hiruko's eye and realizes he can still have his wish granted if he steals it. He cannot let Hiruko die, as he would lose his armor. He opens a portal to Hiruko's realm and jumps in, inviting Shinpei and Ushio to come and confront him. Shinpei wants to go with Ushio, but she asks Ryunosuke to stop him. Ryunosuke, however, is determined to fulfill his sister's wish and save Haine. Shinpei then confesses his love for Ushio, and together they enter the portal.
Shinpei awakens in Tokoyo, Hiruko's world. He quickly realizes that time does not flow there, and if he dies, he won't be able to loop. He searches for Ushio and eventually finds her, but Haine emerges from her. Ushio explains that when Haine consumed Ryunosuke, her personality split into Haine, the young girl, and Hiruko, with the girl having been friends with Hizuru. Haine clarifies that time does not flow in this realm, revealing that Ryunosuke isn't ahead in time. She discloses Shide's plan to take Ushio's eye to ascend to a higher dimension, where he would control time and space. Ushio recalls reading his mind and realizes he intends to simply "turn off" and destroy the world. To escape this realm, they must eliminate Hiruko, which would cause Tokyo to vanish.
As the world is intertwined with Hiruko's memories, Shide invokes memories of the WWII air raid and begins bombing Tokyo, but Ushio protects them. Since Haine also possesses memories of that event, she manages to halt the raid. Ushio then attacks Shide but realizes he is hollow inside. Shide counters her hacking and seemingly overpowers her, but Ushio consumes a fragment of her original self, restoring her to a younger version. She reveals to Shinpei that Shide's true body exists in the real world. Injured and unable to continue fighting, they devise a plan where Ushio will transform into shotgun shells to erase Shide. However, she requires two minutes to print the shells while Shinpei and Ryunosuke must hold out. Ryunosuke takes control of Shinpei, but Shide proves too powerful and injures Shinpei's left arm severely. Eventually, Shinpei asks Ryunosuke to take control of Shide so he can fire Ushio's shotgun. Ryunosuke complies, but since that strategy had previously worked for Hizuru in another loop, Shide separates Ryunosuke and expels him from his body. Ushio finally manages to print the shells, and with Haine's help, Shinpei reaches the shotgun and shoots Shide, erasing him, while the one in the real world remains immobile and blind without his armor.
Ushio then prepares to erase Hiruko, but Hiruko teleports them back 300 years into the human world. Ryunosuke initially believes Hiruko aims to transfer her memories to the whale Hiruko and restart everything, but Ushio realizes Hiruko is instructing her to eliminate the whale or risk a complete reset. As Ushio erases the whale Hiruko, Hiruko, Haine, and Ryunosuke vanish. Shinpei wishes to accompany Ushio, knowing he won't survive if he returns to his body, but Ushio insists she will ensure his safe return. They share their happiness from the last few days spent together. Understanding the nature of time powers, Ushio, before disappearing, sends Shinpei back to the day he arrived by boat at Hitogashima and records a message for Hizuru. Shinpei then awakens as he reaches Hitogashima.
11th Loop[]
At the last loop, Hiruko doesn't appear and Shadows do not exist. As a result, Ushio doesn't die and Shinpei doesn't live with her as kids.
Having a bad dream of Shinpei disappearing, she calls Shinpei and asks him to visit her during the summer festival. When Shinpei comes, she acts casual in front of him, but earlier had been excited and telling everyone that she is sure he will come. Ushio has been cleaning the beach, but had lost her pendant and has spend the last two days looking for it. As she looks for it again, Shinpei comes and apologizes for leaving like that for Tokyo and Ushio reveals why she called him. Shinpei then finds her pendant and puts it back on her neck.
At the festival, she calls Shinpei asking him where he is and telling him to buy her takoyaki. She hears about Sou and explains that she knows he likes Mio and that he confessed last year, but she turned him down. Shinpei meets with Ushio at the beach and brings her takoyaki as promised, but she is disappointed he brought that little as they had a promise. However, she has a hard time remembering it and then both remember at the same time that Shinpei promised her 10 or 100 takoyaki if she goes through the shadow door at the old hospital. The fireworks then start and Ushio welcomes him back.
Etymology[]
- The name Ushio means "tide, ebb, opportunity" (潮).
- Ushio's surname Kofune means "boat, small craft" (小舟).
Trivia[]
- She is half-French and half-Japanese.