Katawa Shoujo

[ThePortalGuru]

I haven't read through all of Hanako's route, so I'm at no place to judge how shitty a person Hisao is to her in the story, but most of the elements of Hanako's personality point to a radical case of post-traumatic stress disorder

From the article:
Symptoms of PTS Increased anxiety and emotional arousal
- Hypervigilance (on constant “red alert”)
- Feeling jumpy and easily startled

Hanako is always startled when you first begin interacting with her. In your first interaction, she finds an excuse to leave as quick as she possibly can, and in noticeably on edge during the whole exchange.

Other common symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
- Guilt, shame, or self-blame
- Feeling alienated and alone

It's fairly obvious that Hanako's detached from the rest of the class. While you work with Shizune and Misha on class assignments, she's always sitting at a desk by herself, book in hand. The guilt and shame could definitely contribute to her timidity and social awkwardness.

Symptoms of PTSD in children and adolescents
- Acting out the trauma through play, stories, or drawings

The "floor games" she plays with the tiles in the school hallway suggest that she might be acting out her past trauma in some way. I haven't completed the path yet, but it's not too uncommon for children with PTSD to do similar things.

I'm not 100% sure as to why she hasn't really mentally matured past the age of 12, but I'm sure the lull in psychological development can be somehow linked to the source of the trauma. The stunted growth might also be why she's so dependent on others, as she's never really moved away from her past.


Regarding the name of the game, the creators decided to stay with the name on the RAITA sketch that spawned the whole project. While I find it horrible that they decided to keep a title with such a negative connotation, the sketch is the reason why they worked on bringing the project to fruition in the first place, so I suppose they kept it out of some sense of nostalgia.