Akai Ito is a Japanese horror adventure game by Success Corporation, released exclusively for the PlayStation 2 in Japan on October 21, 2004. A reduced price "popular edition," included in developer and publisher SUCCESS' SuperLite 2000 Series, was released on October 27, 2005. The title refers to the mythical red string of fate. Akai Ito has not been officially released outside Japan, but there has been a fan effort to translate it, similar to the popular dōjin gameTsukihime.
Story
To arrange the inheritance because of the loss of her mother, high school student Kei Hatō heads for her father's house in Hemizuka. In the train on the way there, Kei has a mysterious dream of a huge tree and a woman who seems to be lost in sadness. In Hemizuka, Kei learns the secret concealed in her own blood through various meeting with an Oni Slayer, a friend of her late mother, a young girl accompanied by a white fox, and even the mysterious girl from her dreams. Throughout the story Kei is antagonized by the twin oni Nozomi and Mikage. Akai Ito's story varies greatly based upon the player's decisions, which not only affect the flow of the story but also the ending the player receives.
Character
Kei Hatō
The main character of the story, Kei is a rather careless person, which is quite ironic considering her favorite phrase is "always be prepared".
Yumei
The mysterious girl from Kei's dreams.
Uzuki Senba
The Oni Slayer Kei meets at the train station, her sword is the very bane of the oni.
Tsuzura Wakasugi
A girl half Kei's age, accompanied by a white fox. Kei meets her in her father's now abandoned house.
Sakuya Asama
A friend of Kei's deceased mother. She goes by the nickname "West".
Nozomi, Mikage
Twin oni and the antagonists of the story.
Kei
A mysterious male, later known as Kei's brother called Hakuka.
Ending theme song 『 Tabiji no Hate 』 by Haruka Shimotsuki / Riya
Adaptations
Manga
Akai Ito has also received several manga adaptations: a one-shot by Muttri Moony published in the July 2004 issue of Yuri Shimai, by the name "Swear"; and a short manga published in the May and June 2007 issues of Monthly Comic Rush. A special anthology was created for a limited edition version Akai Ito, the anthology featured various stories from different artists.
Web Novel
A free web novel of Akai Ito was released on Success' official Akai Ito website, it follows one of the storylines accessible when playing the video game.
