References in When They Cry

Umineko no Naku Koro ni contains several cultural and historical references as a result of author Ryukishi07's habit of putting references in his work just to have them.[1] Several of them are listed below.

Divine Comedy

Umineko no Naku Koro ni contains many references of Dante Alighieri's Divine Comedy.

Detective fiction

Touhou Project

Other

  • Battler Ushiromiya is partially based off of Phoenix Wright from the Ace Attorney franchise, most clearly seen in Battler's Objection sprite.[2]
  • Ange Ushiromiya's false name "Gretel" is likely a reference to the fairy tale Hansel and Gretel, which Battler jokingly mentions.
  • Sakutarou was originally to be named "Sakura" after the protagonist of Card Captor Sakura, however Maria changed it to sound more masculine.
    • This is actually an anachronism as Card Captor Sakura debuted in 1996, ten years after Umineko no Naku Koro ni takes place.
  • The 72 Pillars of Hell mentioned in Umineko no Naku Koro ni is likely a reference to the 72 demons in the Lesser Key of Solomon. Several demons within Umineko no Naku Koro ni are based off of these 72 demons.
    • Ronove is based off of Marquis Ronove, the 27th demon.
    • Furfur and Zepar are based off of Furfur, the 34th demon, and Zepar, the 16th demon, respectively.
    • Gaap is based off of the 33rd demon of the Lesser Key of Solomon, Gaap. This is particularly notable as the demon Gaap is partly known for providing medical care for women. This could allude to false autopsies being made by Nanjo Terumasa, the only doctor on Rokkenjima.
  • Much of the demonology Maria Ushiromiya mentions is taken from the Key of Solomon, a 14th/15th century grimoire and early example of Renaissance magic.
    • Maria's amulets, meant to protect her from the evil entities on the island, have the fifth pentacle of Mars inscribed on them.
    • The symbol found on the shed in Legend of the Golden Witch is the seventh pentacle of the Sun.
    • The symbol found on Eva Ushiromiya and Hideyoshi Ushiromiya's room is the pentacle of the Moon.
  • The name Bernkastel may be a reference to the birthplace of Peter Binsfield, a German theologian who was the first to associate the seven prices of hell with the Seven Deadly Sins. Binsfield was born in the town of Binsfield which is located in the Bernkastel-Wittlich district of Germany.

References

  1. "Ryukishi07 at the French con Epitanime: 27th of May". Wordpress. Archived from the original on 24 June 2013.
  2. "Ryukishi07 at the French con Epitanime: 27th of May".