Umineko no Naku Koro ni Theories

== In-game theories ==
 * Small Bombs
 * The Small Bombs theory was postulated by Battler Ushiromiya in . Battler suggests that the first twilight, wherein the victims were found with their intestines ripped out sitting around a Halloween party table, was a result of the culprit feeding the victims "small bombs" in their meals. The absurdity of the theory has led it to be a subject of ridicule with fans.
 * In, Chick Beatrice claims that "small bombs" is her favorite of Battler's theories.


 * Eva is the culprit
 * In, Battler posits the idea that Eva Ushiromiya was responsible for each murder. For the second twilight, she snuck out of her room to kill Rosa and Maria Ushiromiya. Her husband, Hideyoshi Ushiromiya, remained in their guest room to create an alibi. For the fourth, fifth, and sixth twilights, Battler posits that Kyrie Ushiromiya led a group to the mansion under the guise of retrieving food but was actually suspicious of Hideyoshi as she found a cigarette butt in the ashtray of his and Eva's room. Since Eva hates smoking, it is unlikely that Hideyoshi would've smoked in their room if Eva had been present.


 * The "Eva is the culprit" theory is the one most strongly believed by Ange Ushiromiya, who is suspicious of Eva being the sole survivor of the massacre.


 * Rudolf's family culprit theory
 * A theory advanced in . After the death of Eva Ushiromiya in 1998, various conspiracy theorists began believing that Rudolf's family had orchestrated the murder, evidenced by the fact that Ange was the sole remaining member of the family after Eva's death as well as by the Sumadera family's connection to the yakuza.

Fan theories
During it's run, there were many fan theories attempting to find the solution to the mysteries of. Listed below are some of the most popular of those theories.


 * Shkanon
 * The Shkanon theory postulates that Shannon and Kanon are either the same person or are simply working together to commit the murders on Rokkenjima. This was proven correct with the existence of Sayo Yasuda.


 * Rosatrice
 * The Rosatrice theory is an alternative explanation of the murders on Rokkenjima in which Rosa Ushiromiya is the mastermind with George Ushiromiya and Doctor Nanjo as her primary accomplices. It gained notoriety among the fanbase due to a nine-hour long, five-part series of YouTube videos by user "KnowNoMore" which went in to in-depth explanations on how the theory worked.


 * The Meta-World is Lambdadelta's imagination
 * A mildly popular theory posited by YouTube user Ankita Raut, who posits that any and all events in the Meta-World are the result of Lambdadelta, a real world child who is an avid reader and sees herself as witch. As part of this theory, Erika Furudo is a younger version of Ikuko Hachijo, who later finds Tohya and begins writing the forgeries. Willard H. Wright is a real-world detective hired to investigate Beatrice and eventually uncovers the existence and lives of Beatrice Castiglioni, Beatrice Ushiromiya, and Sayo Yasuda, and shares this information with Ikuko.


 * Clumsy Gohda
 * Until we reach the Golden Land.jpg rather humorous theory postulating that Toshiro Gohda was involved in every murder on Rokkenjima, committing them accidentally through a series of mishaps. This theory also makes use of the Small Bombs theory above, claiming Gohda accidentally used a box of "Tiny Food Bombs" instead of sugar while preparing snacks for the Halloween party. When Battler Ushiromiya learns the "truth" of the murders, he finds it too ridiculous to believe and instead decides that it is more likely that a witch did it.


 * Bernkastel's true identity
 * It has long been speculated that Bernkastel is the same character who wrote the poems introducing each chapter of Higurashi no Naku Koro ni. A very popular theory is that this same Bernkastel is actually Rika Furude, a theory supported by both characters having fragment-hopping abilities as well as similar appearances. This has been confirmed by Ryukishi07.


 * Lambdadelta's true identity
 * Lambdadelta is Bernkastel's companion voyager witch and thus is the subject of speculation regarding a possible human identity. Previously, the most common version of this theory was that Lambdadelta is Miyo Takano, main antagonist of Higurashi no Naku Koro ni and Rika's main rival. This is supported by the similar appearance between the two characters as well as Lambdadelta referring to Miyo Takano as "her other self" in the Hotarubi no Tomoru Koro ni prologue, The First and the Last Gift. However, Ryukishi07 has dismissed this theory as a red herring. Another common speculation is that Lambdadelta is Satoko Houjou, Rika's best friend. This is supported by similar appearance between the two as well as the similarity of Rika and Satoko's relationship to Bernkastel and Lambdadelta's relationship. Though they have not been officially connected, Satoko's experiences during have only cemented the theory.