Antagonist

Antagonists (or Villains) are the main adversaries of the Fatal Frame series. These characters in the instalments however, were never truly evil persons; before turning into malicious spirits, they have been maidens/priestesses/vessels of their native traditions. The rituals they've participated in have gone terribly wrong through some unknown chain of events and resulted in eternal calamities, massacres - and the broken antagonists are the lead perpetrators of these consequences. It is the protagonist's task to figure out how these rituals went wrong and find a way to put an end to the antagonist's corruption.

Kirie Himuro (Fatal Frame)

Kirie Himuro was the last rope shrine maiden of the Himuro Mansion. She was severed from the world since her early childhood, so she could fulfill her task as becoming a sacrifice and seal the hell gate. Shortly before the Strangling Ritual, Kirie met with a visitor at the Himuro Mansion, who she started to have an affair with. The priets fearing, that this bound to the world may result in the failure of the ritual, removed the visitor and discreetly assassinated him. However, before the sacrifice could have started, Kirie learnt about the fate of her lover and this sorrow was a sufficient wound for the malice to corrupt Kirie's soul. With no one sealing the hell gate, the lost souls poured out from it and The Calamity begun. Kirie as a vindictive ghost started to kill the residents of the mansion and it's visitors for the next 150 years. In 1986, Miku Hinasaki put an end to the curse by using the Holy Mirror. Kirie, freed from the corruption, sealed the hell gate and sentenced herself for eternal suffering.

Sae Kurosawa (Fatal Frame II / Deep Crimson Butterfly)

Sae Kurosawa was one of the Twin Shrine Maidens of All God's Village, who was supposed to be killed by her twin sister, Yae Kurosawa, to quell the Hellish Abyss. The two knowing what the Crimson Sacrifice demanded, agreed on escaping from it. However, Sae has been recaptured during the runaway by the villagers, while Yae got lost in the forest. As Yae was looking for her sister, the priests decided to carry on with the ritual by hanging Sae up alone, hoping it would be a satisfying sacrifice for the Abyss. The ritual failed and a vindictive spirit of Sae returned along with the Kusabi. Having the delusion of being abandonded by her sister, Sae has gone crazy and started to wipe out the population of the village. When Mio and Mayu Amakura has entered the lost village, the suffering spirits realised how to put an end to the curse known as the Repentance: Sae has possesed Mayu, while Mio has been manipulated to carry out the task Yae was supposed to years ago. Mayu's death calmed both Sae and the Abyss down, freeing the village from the curse.

Reika Kuze (Fatal Frame III: The Tormented)

Reika Kuze was the last Tattooed Priestess of the Kuze Shrine. Her duty was to take on other people's sufferings in the form of tattoos before being exiled into the Chamber of Thorns. There, she could dream of the Rift without any interruption and prevent the dead from escaping from the dreams to the land of living. Reika however, had a fierce sorrow of being seperated from a man she loved, Kaname Ototsuki. Kaname, sharing the mutual feeling, attempted to save Reika and entered the Sacred place. Reika awoke upon the arrival of her lover, however Yashuu Kuze sought to prevent the failure of the ritual and murdered Kaname -right in front of Reika. Yashuu, being unaware of Reika witnessing the murder, did not realise that this act had escalated the tattoos into Reika's eyes, causing the Unleashing. Despite the Shrine being long destroyed, the Manor of Sleep still existed in the dream world and many victims have been trapped there due to the Tattooed curse. Rei Kurosawa has put an end to the incident by defeating Reika and sending her over to the Rift. With it's done, the other spirits have been freed as well. The Manor of Sleep ceased to exist after Reika's sedation.

Sakuya Haibara (Zero: Tsukihami no Kamen / Fatal Frame IV)

Sakuya Haibara had a strong sixth sense and was a patient at Rougetsu Hall, having the illness of Getsuyuu Syndrome. She served as the Utsuwa in the traditional Kiraigou dance of Rougetsu Island, hoping it would be a cure for the Getsuyuu syndrome. The ritual however, went wrong, as Sakuya's mental state was weak - she began to panic and lost concentration over the dance. The Mask of the Lunar Eclipse broke into pieces and Sakuya began to bloom, falling into a coma. After two years, Sakuya has awoken and the day without suffering has commenced. She was wandering on the island while blooming; everyone who looked upon her face began to suffer the same symptom and later died. Sakuya was roaming around until the whole population was wiped out - the victims' sprit's however, were still trapped on the abandoned island. Ten years after the failed Kiraigou, on the night of the next lunar eclipse, Ruka Minazuki confronted Sakuya on the top of Tsukuyomi Peninsula Lighthouse, where she was able to calm her down by playing the Tsukimori song. The spirit of Choushiro Kirishima placed the reforged mask on Sakuya's face and the trapped spirits were finally able to cross over to the Other Side with Sakuya as the vessel.

Woman in Black (Spirit Camera: The Cursed Memoir)

The Woman in Black is Maya's other personality, a girl used as a vessel for the Tokoyomi Ritual, a ritual used to communicate with the gods. Maya lived a secluded life, having no friends or family except an old woman, who was preparing her to be a sacrifice. She had a diary, later known as the diary of faces, that she used to write in. She soon discovered a spirit from within the diary, also known as Maya, that she became friends with. At 15 years old (18 in English localisation), she was sacrificed. However, due to the bond she had with the other Maya, the Ritual was a failure. As darkness emitted from Maya, the other Maya was able to manifest from the diary, leaving the original Maya alive and unconscious. The darkness soon consumed the other Maya and corrupted her, killing everyone in the village and taking herself and Maya inside the diary, into the Old House.

Her dark powers now let her lure others inside the diary and keep them. If the attempt to run away, she would tear off their faces in the same way the villagers sewn her eyes and mouth shut. However, she was soon defeated when the protagonist managed to destroy the darkness within her. After the darkness is evaporated, she questions Maya why she left her, and Maya apologises, telling her that she won't ever leave her again. Maya comforts her as they shut off access to the other world, together forever in the diary.

Ose Kurosawa (Fatal Frame: Maiden of Black Water)

Ose Kurosawa is the main antagonist in Fatal Frame V. When her time came to enter the casket and become an Immortal Flower, it was decided that she would serve as a Great Pillar, supporting the mountain and preventing black water from overflowing from the Shadowspring. This was such a coveted honour that the other shrine maidens were in tears when she was chosen. The name Kurosawa (meaning "black swamp") was not her birth name, but one conferred as a sign of recognition when she was chosen for the role.

Ose went on to perform her ritual, entering the casket willingly. Once the lid was closed, however, she was flooded with the feelings of all of the shrine maidens being massacred at that very moment by Kyozo Kururugi. Her memories of Kunihiko Asou only caused her more pain, and her ritual failed, black water spilling from inside her box. Her spirit was tainted, and she turned into an evil ghost, forever waiting for someone to die with, or accept her memories so she could be at rest.

Trivia

• Sae Kurosawa is the only antagonist who cannot be fought through the canon ending. She can only be encountered in the Hellish Abyss and Frozen Butterfly endings, the latter is Wii version exclusive only.
• Although the Kusabi (Seijiro Makabe) is the final boss in most of the Fatal Frame II endings, he isn't considered as the central villain. However, he could be considered as a secondary antagonist.
• Sakuya Haibara is the only antagonist who is fought before the final battle. Kirie, Sae, Reika and Ose do appear before their final battles, however you can't fight them and you must run away from them.
• Sakuya is also the only adversary, whose corruption isn't centered around losing someone close to her.