| Mio Amakura | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Japanese name | 天倉 澪 |
| Romaji name | Amakura Mio |
| Age | 15 (Born in 1973) (Fatal Frame II: Crimson Butterfly) 17 (Born in 1971) (Fatal Frame II: Deep Crimson Butterfly) |
| Hair color | Dark Brown (Fatal Frame II: Crimson Butterfly) Brown (Fatal Frame II: Deep Crimson Butterfly) |
| Eye color | Brown |
| Occupation | The Remaining |
| Status | Alive (Promise Ending, Hellish Abyss Ending) Spirited away (The Lingering Scent Ending) Deceased (Frozen Butterfly Ending) |
| Family | Dr. Kunihiko Asou (Ancestor) Misao Amakura (Father) Shizu Amakura (Mother) Kei Amakura (Uncle) Mayu Amakura (Twin Sister) |
| Appearances | Fatal Frame II: Crimson Butterfly Fatal Frame III: The Tormented Fatal Frame II: Deep Crimson Butterfly (Wii Edition) |
| Voice actor (Jp) | Akemi Kanda |
| Voice actor (Eng) | Kari Wahlgren (CB) Daphne Alexander (DCB) |
| “ | We might not ever be able to be one, but...I'll never let you go again. | ” |
—Mio to Mayu Amakura | ||
Mio Amakura (天倉 澪 Amakura Mio) is the main protagonist in Fatal Frame II: Crimson Butterfly and makes a cameo appearance in Fatal Frame III: The Tormented. She is the younger twin sister of Mayu Amakura and a direct descendant of Dr. Kunihiko Asou, the creator of the Camera Obscura and Spirit Stone Radio.
Mio and Mayu have always been together, but as the two become trapped in the Lost Village and the events of the past unfold, Mio must face incredible darkness if she and her sister are ever to escape.
Appearance[]
Mio dresses in similar manner as Mayu Amakura as they have same brown hair, brown eye color, basic color scheme and they retain the red bow at the center of their shirts, alluding to the crimson butterflies central to the plot, but there are noticeable differences:
- While Mayu's bangs are limp and straight, Mio's bangs are swept to the left side of her face.
- Mio wears a more open shirt, white skirt with leggings that look like pants and socks with black Mary Jane shoes.
Although she isn't shown for an extended amount of time, Mio appears inside the Manor of Sleep in Fatal Frame III wearing similar clothes to her previous role. During the second ending, however, she is shown being introduced to Rei and Miku wearing a different shirt and skirt, and if looked closer, her outfit bears a slightly to strong resemblance to her school uniform.
Biography[]
Background[]
Mio (right) and Mayu (left) running in the woods.
Mio and Mayu grew up in the Minakami region, where they frequently played in the forest. One day, while running down a high forest path, her younger twin sister, Mayu, slipped off the path and fell, injuring her leg. Since then, Mio has been very protective over her sister, blaming herself for the accident. It was also in the Minakami forest that Mio and Mayu's father disappeared, a mystery that compelled their mother, Shizu Amakura, to move the family away from the region.
Years later, Shizu fell severely ill, and was subsequently hospitalized. Shizu asked her younger brother, Kei, to look after the girls in her stead, and it is then that they hear of the scheduled building of a dam in the area of their childhood home.
Fatal Frame II: Crimson Butterfly[]
Mio and Mayu talks with each other in the forest.
Mio and Mayu are introduced as they reminisce of their childhood in the forests surrounding the Minakami region. A dam will soon be built to flood the region, and so the sisters spend one last day remembering their time there, including the day of Mayu's accident. Suddenly, Mayu leaves Mio's sight as she hypnotically chases a crimson-colored butterfly. After following her sister, the forest grows dark and the two find themselves in All God's Village, a "Lost Village" rumored to spirit away those who come near and trap them under the village's eternal night.
Mio decides to investigate, and after entering the nearest house and exploring, they come across the Camera Obscura and are then attacked by a ghost of a woman who previously became trapped in the village.
A hostile spirit attacks Mio.
With the camera's help, Mio is able to exorcise the spirit, however, she is separated from her sister after the attack, and Mio must search for her and a way to escape the cursed village.
Although Mio is able to fend off the hostile ghosts, Mayu is vulnerable to their calls, and she is lured into becoming the next Twin Shrine Maiden to be sacrificed in the village's Crimson Sacrifice Ritual. Mio learns that the ritual consists of the sacrifice of the younger (the first born according to the village's custom) twin, who is thrown into the Hellish Abyss to prevent darkness from entering the world. The ritual is carried out in order to protect the village and ensure peace, but when the last ritual failed, it caused the Repentance, killing all the villagers and wiping the village off the map.
In order to free the village from darkness, the ghosts seek to repeat the ritual using Mio and Mayu. Mio hopes to retrieve her sister so that they may escape the village; however, the ghost of the last Twin Shrine Maiden, Sae Kurosawa, has possessed Mayu and is bent on performing the sacrifice through her body. With the help of a white-haired boy named Itsuki Tachibana, Mio is able to follow her sister and uncover the village's history and customs.
Ending[]
Mio about to sacrifice her twin sister Mayu to fulfill the ritual.
Ignoring Itsuki's warnings, Mio follows the possessed Mayu deep into the underground tunnels of the village, where the ritual physically occurs. When she gets there, Mayu is convinced that she must complete the ritual to save the village, and to become one with Mio. Reluctantly, Mio is made to wrap her hands around her sister's neck, strangling her until she is lifeless. Mayu's body is then cast into the Hellish Abyss, and the ritual is complete. Mio, in utter disbelief, cries out for her sister and follows the crimson butterflies that rise from the abyss. Mio chases after the butterflies, saying to her sister that she is sorry, while they break the sky and make way for the sun.
Later, Mio is shown sitting on a bench before the newly formed lake. A close-up reveals the mark of the crimson butterfly appearing on her neck, symbolizing her becoming one with Mayu.
Fatal Frame III: The Tormented[]
Since escaping the Lost Village and becoming a Remaining, Mio has been wrapped in guilt and grief over losing her sister. Her uncle brought her to meet his friend Yuu Asou to learn about what happened in the Lost Village and what happened to Mayu only for Mio to give Yuu a hard time.
Sometime after escaping the Lost Village, Mio went to an abandoned manor with Kei Amakura and found a broken Camera Obscura. According to Kei, seeing the camera frightened her since it reminded her of that day in the Lost Village. Mio felt so much regret that she soon began to enter the Manor of Sleep in her dreams, hoping to be able to join her sister. Mio has been trapped in the dream since, unable to wake up, and her uncle, Kei Amakura, becomes desperate to find a cure. Kei eventually seeks the help of Rei Kurosawa, who has been looking for a way to break the manor's curse since she too, began to dream of it. Kei continues to find out as much as he can about the mysterious manor, and with Rei's help, he hopes to put an end to the fearsome curse and rescue his niece.
Fate[]
Mio's ultimate fate has not been specified as there are two endings for Fatal Frame III. In the first ending, Kei is taken by the Tattooed Curse and Mio is not shown waking up from the curse.
Mio is introduced by Kei to Rei and Miku.
A second ending is available where Kei does survive, and after Rei breaks the curse, Mio is shown in the credits to have broken free as well. Kei later introduces Mio to Rei and Miku Hinasaki, bringing the protagonists of the first three games of the series to a positive ending.
Related items[]
Files Authored:
Files:
- Missing in Minakami (FFIII)
- Mio Amakura (FFIII)
Photos:
- Standing Girl (FFIII)
Etymology[]
- Her name Mio means "waterway, water route, shipping channel" (澪).
- The kanji "澪" contains the character used for the game's Japanese title, 零.
- Mio's surname Amakura means "heaven/heavenly, sky, imperial" (天) (ama) and "warehouse, storehouse, barn, treasury, granary, cellar, magazine, godown, depository, elevator, storage place, repository, supply shed, grain elevator, stockpile, arsenal" (倉) (kura).
Trivia[]
Mio and Mayu as a trophy in Super Smash Bros. for Wii U
- Mio, along with Mayu Amakura, make an appearance in Super Smash Bros. for Wii U as a Trophy with their Trophy's description reads:
| “ | The twins Mayu and Mio are guided to a lost village in the woods by a red butterfly. They explore the village, fighting off the spirits that have been there since a tragic event took place. The unending night leads Mio closer and closer to the truth about the Crimson Sacrifice Ritual. | ” |
—Super Smash Bros. for Wii U Trophy Description | ||
- In the original Japanese, Mio calls Mayu Amakura Onee-chan (お姉ちゃん), a term of endearment for the elder sister. This is lost in the English translation, however, where Mio simply calls Mayu by her name. This is particularly significant to the village's Crimson Sacrifice Ritual, where the first-born twin is sacrificed, much to Mio's surprise.
- In Fatal Frame III, Mio can be photographed inside of the Kurosawa House cell. The photograph reveals Mayu's spirit watching over Mio.
- Mio and Mayu make an appearance in the Nintendo Wii game Super Swing Golf. They aren't playable, but can be seen through the game's concept art.
- Despite being a descendant of the creator of Camera Obscura, Mio and Mayu as well as others descendant are completely clueless about the origin of the camera as well as the identity of its creator.
- According to the director's comment, Mio joined a local ballet class because she was predisposed to gain weight easily.
- It is mentioned in the Guidebook that Mio was going to be the 3rd protagonist in Fatal Frame III: The Tormented. However, Kei Amakura was chosen instead.
- In the mobile game Identity V, costumes of Mio and Sae Kurosawa were available from November 24, 2022, to December 23, 2022, to buy with the paid in-game currency Echoes. Mio’s costume was for the character Perfumer and had a matching Memo accessory that turned the effects of Perfumer’s perfume into a silhouette of Mayu.
Gallery[]
Fatal Frame II: Crimson Butterfly[]
Fatal Frame II: Deep Crimson Butterfly[]
