The , also known as or Kagerou Days, sometimes referred to as Kagepro (カゲプロ), is a Japanese mixed-media project created by .
It initially began as a series of Vocaloid songs that became increasingly popular following the release of the third song, "Kagerou Daze". Eventually, a light novel and manga series, both under the name of Kagerou Daze, were released. In 2014, an anime by Shaft was also released under the name "Mekakucity Actors".
Story Shintarō Kisaragi has not left his house in over two years, spending all day on his computer and getting ruthlessly teased by Ene, an annoying computer virus. When Shintarō spills a drink on his computer keyboard, he has to buy a replacement in person. Unfortunately, terrorists arrive and Shintaro is taken hostage. However, he meets a group of young people, including his own sister, called the who stop the criminals using mysterious powers. They then force Shintarō to join their group. Little does he know, the Mekakushi Dan are in for a never-ending summer.
Routes The series contains alternative storylines, endings, and in some cases, beginnings, depending on the format of the media. Each storyline is called a "route". These are not adaptations to one another.
Music Route (2011–2013): the first route created. It contains "Route 1" and "Route XX". It is the series of Vocaloid songs, each focusing on a different character and/or event within the story. There are 2 main albums, Mekakucity Days and Mekakucity Records. Another album, Mekakucity Reload, was released, but the songs in it do not take place within the music route. Rather, they take place around the whole series. Summertime Record from Mekakucity Records also does not occur in the Music Route, but in the Anime Route. Manga Route (2012–2019): Though it was debuted in June 2012, Jin confirmed he was working on the manga earlier on, writing the story for it as of "Konoha's World Situation's" music video release in May 2012. It contains "Manga Route 1" and "Manga Route 2", and has 13 total volumes. Novel Route (2012–2017): Contains only one route told from a first-person perspective. Like the songs, every volume focuses on a different character, but they also have chapters about other characters. It has 8 total volumes. Anime Route: The final canonical route, marking the end of the project. It contains covers of the songs, that were collected along with the OST in "Mekakucity M's". Kagerou Daze -in a day's- (カゲロウデイズ-in a day's-) is an MX4D produced an animated short movie in which the Mekakushi Dan join up once again to stop an incident occurring at the mall. This Mekakushi Dan consists of Dan members 1-7 initially, and also containing Ene, Hibiya Amamiya, Konoha, and Hiyori Asahina, despite the events of the previous "routes". Certain other members related to the Dan do not appear in this "route", while instead "new" characters do; however, the "new" characters' identities were kept somewhat secret, including their names. The "new" characters were created specifically for this film."Kagerou Project Perfect Guide" (2016) However, the canonicity of this route is debatable.
Various other smaller or shorter timelines occur within the series but are not completely shown. These are all indicated in detail in the "Kagerou Project Perfect Guide" (2016) and with glimpses from other routes. While most of the timelines occur between August 14–15, some timelines' initial storylines are indicated to happen before the main series begins. This includes the backstories of Kido, Kano, and Seto, supporting character Ayano Tateyama, and Mekakushi Dan member Marry Kozakura. Other timelines detailing Marry's own backstory and historical events also are noted to happen on August 15 or other close dates.
Characters
Mekakushi Dan /
Kido is member No. 1 of the Mekakushi Dan and its current leader. She is often mistaken as a male due to her androgynous appearance. The other members of the Dan call her "Danchō" (lit. gang leader). Like Kano and Seto, she is addressed by her legal last name even by her closest friends. Her personal song is , though she initially debuted in . Kido was born the first daughter of a wealthy family, but due to being the illegitimate child between her biological father and his mistress, she was always treated cautiously by those around her. Because of this, she harbored a strong desire to "disappear." One day, her father's business went bankrupt, driving him to set their house on fire. After being burned to death, Kido came into contact with the Heat Haze along with her older half-sister Rin () and was possessed by the snake with the "Concealing Eyes" ability, acquiring the power to hide her presence as well as the presence of anyone else within a two meter radius. She would then proceed to forget about the Heat Haze until the seventh novel, "From the Darkness." She became childhood friends with Seto and Kano in an orphanage. The trio was fostered temporarily by the Tateyama family. After being encouraged by Ayano that having red eyes was the sign of a hero, Kido starts the Mekakushi Dan with Ayano, Seto, and Kano. After Ayano's death, she was then given the role of "leader". / , Sayori Ishizuka (young) Seto is member No. 2 of the Mekakushi Dan. He is often portrayed as the "nice" one of the group, and gets along very well with Marry. Like Kano and Kido, he is addressed by his legal last name even by his closest friends. His song is . As a young boy, he was often bullied. He considered an abandoned dog (named "Hanako") to be his only friend, and wished that he could "understand how people felt without using words". One stormy day, he witnessed some kids trying to throw his dog into a river. Despite his efforts, the dog was thrown in, and Seto threw himself into the river in order to save it. As he drowned, he came into contact with the Heat Haze and was possessed by the snake with the "Stealing Eyes" ability, acquiring the ability to read others' minds upon eye contact. However, he dislikes using his eye ability as he feels that it is invasive, and he avoids using it unless it is necessary. He eventually was fostered temporarily by the Tateyama family along with Kido and Kano. Together they created the Mekakushi Dan after being initially encouraged by Ayano. He first debuts in "Imagination Forest" (as ). His expression is partly hidden the entire time, as his older design hadn't yet been made by animator Sidu. / , Yuki Kaida (young) Kano is member No. 3 of the Mekakushi Dan. He is depicted as a deceitful person, to the point where no one can tell if he's lying or telling the truth. His song is . When Kano was younger, he did not attend preschool or kindergarten and instead lived alone with his mother in an apartment. His emotionally unstable mother was abusive, and the neighbors spread rumors that he was being abused by her. In the novels' "route", he believed that he was wrong for upsetting her, and desired to "hide the bruises/wounds on his body" from those around him because they were the reason the neighbors disliked his mother. One day, his apartment was broken into by thieves. Kano's mother was stabbed and killed as she tried to protect him. He was stabbed to death as well when he tried to fight against the thieves, coming into contact with the Heat Haze. He was then possessed by the snake with the "Deceiving Eyes" ability, acquiring the power to alter how people around him perceive him and anything in immediate contact with him. He was eventually brought to an orphanage where he met Kido and Seto. Later on, while being fostered temporarily by the Tateyama family, they meet a younger Ayano (Kano having already met her previously as a stranger in the novel route). They create a team of "heroes" and Kano gave it its name, the Mekakushi Dan—"Mekakushi" being a pun on Kido's eye ability. Unlike Seto, Kano uses his eye ability frequently to hide his true feelings on the inside. He and Ayano were very close, as she only shared her suspicions about Kenjirō with him. As a result, he often impersonated her and went to school in her stead, while she researched a way to stop the plans of Clearing Eyes. Ayano's death affects him greatly, and the added trauma of having to pretend to be Ayano's corpse during the funeral (as she did not leave behind a body) leaves him emotionally distressed. In the music video for in "music" route, Kano continuously walks the streets at night. He briefly is seen wearing hair clips while grinning, while images of a younger Seto and younger Kido are also seen behind him (Seto also wears items connected to Ayano in the music video). Kano is later seen with a "female" form, shown more than once (including together) in both the official music video as well as published artbooks. He is constantly deceiving, initially believing himself to be something like a "monster". When a monster (implied to be Clearing Eyes in the novels) speaks to him one day, Kano begins to descend into always telling lies, unable to tell his true self from his "Deceiving" self. /
Marry is member No. 4 of the Mekakushi Dan, and the first non-founding member. She is 1/4 Medusa and has white hair that wiggles when she is happy or frightened and naturally occurring red eyes. Her appearance is that of a teenage girl, although her actual age is 140 years. Marry is extremely shy around strangers, and will often hide behind Seto, Kido, or Momo. Her songs are and . When Marry was younger, she lived in a small house in the woods with her mother, Shion, who was half Medusa. While growing up, she was constantly warned by her mother that should they make eye contact with others, the person would be turned to stone. One day, when she was playing outside against her mother's warnings, she was found and tortured by a group of boys. Shion successfully turned Marry's attackers to stone, but the two were both beaten to death and were brought into the Heat Haze by Azami. Shion's full Medusa mother (and Marry's grandmother). Upon entering it, Azami planted the snake with the "Combining Eyes" ability, the core of the Medusa, into Shion, who willingly gave it up to Marry so that she could have a second chance at life. As a result, along with the "Eye Contact" ability she had since birth (which allows Marry to temporarily paralyze anyone she makeseye contact with), Marry later acquired the ability to unify all of the "snakes". After coming back to life, she lived in isolation for over a hundred years, greatly traumatized by her mother's death and terrified by the outside world. By chance, Seto visited the forest and befriended her, making her realize that the outside isn't so scary after all. He later managed to bring her to the outside world and invited her to join the Mekakushi Dan.
In Route XX among other "bad end" timelines, Clearing Eyes kills all the members of the Mekakushi Dan besides Marry, and has her reset the timeline. This happens by means of her Combining Eyes ability, used through her by the snake of 'Clearing Eyes', who "awakens" her (often in "Queen" form), and, by "collecting" the snakes that "have lost their owners", she reverses time in order to save everyone. Marry seemingly reverses time at the end of every official "route" and "timeline" seen thus far.