Kyousuke Irie

Overview

Kyousuke Irie is a supporting character from the sound novel series Higurashi When They Cry by 07th Expansion. He serves as the head doctor of the Irie Clinic, the only medical facility in the village of Hinamizawa, while also acting as the coach of the local youth baseball team, the Hinamizawa Fighters. Highly respected and trusted by the villagers of all ages, he actively participates in local community events, though he harbors significant secrets beneath his respectable professional routine.

Appearance

Kyousuke Irie is a man with green eyes and straight brown hair split in the center. He wears glasses, a black shirt, a black jacket, and a yellow necktie, typically topped with a white lab coat appropriate for his medical profession. His outfit details also feature a black vest, black pants, and a black belt.

Personality

Outwardly displaying the calm demeanor of a reliable adult, Irie is fundamentally serious and modest, though he frequently exhibits a playful, comical side. He possesses an obsessive passion for maids, often entering an enthusiastic state he refers to as Maid in Heaven. He bonds closely with Keiichi Maebara, Jirou Tomitake, and Kuraudo Ooishi over shared quirky antics. Despite carrying lingering guilt and doubts from his past, he has a resolute moral compass and genuinely prioritizes the safety and well-being of his patients and the local children.

Abilities

Irie is a highly skilled brain surgeon and psychiatrist who previously performed complex psychosurgical procedures. Although he holds the rank of Lieutenant Colonel (Second Lieutenant) in the Ground Self-Defense Force as part of his research organization position, he has no military training and cannot handle firearms. His expertise lies purely in medicine, allowing him to lead the critical research into understanding and treating Hinamizawa Syndrome.

Background

Motivated by his father's violent personality change following a head injury, Irie studied medicine to prove that behavioral disorders stem from physical brain conditions. After rising to prominence as a brain surgeon performing lobotomies, changing medical standards left his career in decline. He was recruited by Miyo Takano to serve as the nominal head of the Irie Institution under the secret organization Tokyo, tasked with investigating Hinamizawa Syndrome. Over time, living in the village restored his original compassionate ideals, prompting him to strive for a genuine cure. He secretly sheltered and treated Satoshi Hojo in the clinic's basement while caring for Satoshi's sister, Satoko. Across multiple timelines, however, he is targeted by forces hiding the truth and murdered via staged sleeping pill suicides.

Relationships

Irie shares a deep bond with Satoshi Hojo and Satoko Hojo; he secretly admits Satoshi to his subterranean facility for long-term treatment and works earnestly to protect Satoko from harm. His relationship with co-researcher Miyo Takano is strained due to opposing ethics regarding human experimentation. He maintains warm, humorous friendships with Keiichi Maebara, Jirou Tomitake, and Kuraudo Ooishi, and eventually confides the truth about Satoshi's condition to Shion Sonozaki to enlist her trust.

Trivia

Within his comical quartet alliance with Keiichi Maebara, Jirou Tomitake, and Kuraudo Ooishi—known as the Soul Brothers—he goes by the moniker Irii. His passionate ranting state regarding maids is playfully referred to as his Reality Marble, Maid in Heaven. He is also featured prominently in the Official Drama CD title Irie-tachi no Gyakushuu.