| Irie Kyōsuke 入江 京介 | |
|---|---|
| Information | |
| Nickname | |
| Age | Late 30s to early 40s |
| Birthday | December 3 |
| Weapon(s) | Gun |
| Daybreak Weapon(s) | |
| Catchphrase | "Maid-in-Heaven!" |
| First Appearance | Onikakushi-hen Tatarigoroshi-hen (Identified) |
| Portrayed By | |
| Image Song | HEAVEN'S Door |
Irie Kyōsuke is a character in the Higurashi no Naku Koro ni series. He is the head doctor at the Irie Clinic. In his spare time, he coaches Hinamizawa's little league team called the "Hinamizawa Fighters". Although he is cheerful on the outside, he has a not-as-delightful past to go along. Due to his part in the baseball team, many of the children just refer to him as "Kantoku" (which means manager, director, coach, etc).
Character Summary
Childhood and Family
Irie grew up in poverty, but had aspired to become a doctor since he was a child. Within his neighborhood he was touted as 'doctor Kyōsuke-kun' and even played the role of doctor with his childhood friends. He was always elected as class health monitor, and his teachers consulted him on what courses to take to become a doctor. After graduating, Irie applied for a public prestigious college in Tokyo (supposedly the University of Tokyo's medical school), and despite not being near the top of the list, he was accepted. Before leaving his hometown, his parents threw a huge party, despite being unable to afford it with the high tuition.
The Irie family as seen in the anime adaptation
Irie's parents were known by the neighbors to be a "lovely couple". His father was stern and silent, and was a construction worker. His mother was sensitive, and her career/job is unknown. Neither of his parents had gone to college, so they each were proud that Irie was going to a prestigious public one. According to Irie, his mother was able to figure out subtle things about his father that he couldn't figure out. If Irie did something to upset his mother, his father would give him a light hit with his knuckles on his head. Irie had never seen his dad as an emotional kind of person, yet when his parents threw the party for his acceptance into college, he saw his dad break down in heartfelt tears. Overall, his relationship with his parents was remarkably good.
College and Medical School
When Irie moved into college, he felt the stress of becoming a doctor and keeping up with his schoolwork catch up to him. He began to want to let himself be taken over by the city life, but prevented himself from succumbing by reading letters from home. One day Irie received a letter that described his father's sudden violent outbursts in the postscript. He had thought that it was odd, but brushed it off. One winter day, Irie returned to his apartment and saw his mother there with her luggage. She had fled there due to the escalating abuse and could not return to her own family. Irie planned on going back home to talk to his father during the New Year break; unfortunately his father passed away before he had the chance to.
As Irie progressed further in his studies, his mother became senile and started criticizing her husband more often. Irie then discussed his father's medical conditions with a professor, who told Irie that it was a result of organic brain syndrome. This is where Irie became interested in psychosurgery, thinking that the reason his father developed symptoms was because he was hit on the head by a 2x4 during construction, causing his brain to develop a tumor that affected his frontal lobe.
Irie attempted to convince his relatives that his father became violent due to organic brain syndrome, but despite his efforts, no one believed Irie. While his mother was on her deathbed, he attempted to explain the disorder and convince her that he was mentally ill. The last words out of her mouth were "Please do not bury my body next to dad."
Irie then believed that the reason he was unable to convince anyone was because he did not study neurology, and soon developed a complex centered at himself for being helpless. For that reason, he began to study neurology and psychosurgery, intending that other patients like his father would not have to suffer the same discrimination that his father had to deal with.
Psychosurgery
Irie began to study psychosurgery and neurology under a well-known psychosurgery expert. After rapidly gaining experience and carrying out successful lobotomies, he became known as "the young genius" in the psychosurgery community, as well as becoming the leading figure. Although psychosurgery was known for helping mental patients get back to a normal life quickly, there were also a high number of failed surgeries. This caused conflict on the morality of the practice, making the higher ups in the medical world distrust the practice. Later on Irie was kicked out of the psychosurgery expert's group due to a conflict of morals, possibly being for the same reason that psychosurgery was doubted. He, alongside many of his former colleagues, was banished from the medical academic society. Irie's medical articles are very aggressively liberal—so much that it seems unlikely for a person like him to ever write them. For this reason and his experience in the field of psychosurgery, he is sought out by "Tokyo" to join Takano Miyo's research group.
The Irie Clinic
Although the clinic is in Irie's name, the real owner is Takano Miyo. The clinic was set up as a cover for the research of the Hinamizawa Syndrome by "Tokyo". "Tokyo" wanted to have a civilian head the faculty, and Irie Kyōsuke fit those standards and was chosen. Irie understands that he is essentially a figurehead for the research, but takes the opportunity to research the rare local disease very seriously. Most people in Hinamizawa (save the Furudes) do not know about what the clinic's true purpose was, and believe it is just a regular clinic with Irie as the director. This is only half true, due to his involvement with the Hinamizawa Syndrome.
Physical Appearance
Irie's appearance in Higurashi no Naku Koro ni Kai
Irie is a tall and a bit muscular young man much like Akasaka Mamoru. He has long light brown hair parted in the middle and green eyes. He always seen wearing oval/circle shaped glasses, but in the anime the glasses frame is rectangle shaped.
During his worktime at the clinic, he wears a black suit vest over a dark gray collared-shirt with yellow tie, black suit pants and black shoes and a white doctor's coat over all these clothes. On his free days, Irie wears a yellow shirt with sunglasses hanging from its pocket, white pants and blue shoes. His coach uniform is a red-white-yellow colored baseball shirt with a yellow "H" on its left sleeve and the number "1" on its left side, white pants with a black belt and red wristbands.
Trivia
- His hairstyle differs in the different types of media. In the manga, only his fringe is long while in the anime his whole hair has the same length. In Higurashi Daybreak his hair color is changed to blonde from light brown.
Images
