Jellyfish (2013) Timeline Explained – Every Event in Order

Kurage-bo appears in Masashi's apartment as a mysterious, unexplained presence. The summary notes an eerie, unfamiliar feeling in the room when Masashi first arrives, foreshadowing Kurage-bo's arrival the following day. The creature seems drawn to Masashi specifically, though its exact origin remains ambiguous, it simply manifests in his new home and forms an instant bond with him.

Foreshadowing: The strange presence in the apartment on moving day hints at Kurage-bo's arrival.

• kurage-bo
• jellyfish creature
• masashi
• first encounter

F.R.I.E.N.D.s are jellyfish-like creatures that every elementary student in town possesses. They are controlled through small Devices handed out by top-level researchers at the local research center. The adults promised children 'a friend who will never betray,' presenting the Devices as harmless tools for play. However, the program secretly turns children's play into organized battles, with the research center harvesting energy from these conflicts.

• f.r.i.e.n.d.
• devices
• children
• research center
• battles

The Black Cloaked Four are mysterious figures connected to the research center who distribute Devices to all the elementary students. Their true motive is rebirth through destruction, they seek to harvest energy from the F.R.I.E.N.D. battles to fuel their own power. When they unleash the Oval (a massive destructive entity), they plan to use the resulting chaos and energy to be reborn, essentially feeding on the conflict they've created among the children.

Foreshadowing: Their appearance at the university festival and protests hints at their anti-technology, cult-like ideology.

• black cloaked four
• research center
• rebirth
• oval
• energy

Naoto works at the local research center and knows about the dangerous experiments happening there. He warns Yasuko that the town may be dangerous and urges Masashi to report anything strange because he senses something unusual about Kurage-bo. Naoto is caught between his job at the center and his protective instincts toward his family, he wants to help without fully exposing the conspiracy.

Foreshadowing: Naoto's warning about dangers and his interest in Kurage-bo foreshadow his later involvement.

• naoto
• warning
• research center
• family

Masashi's mother reveals that Naoto fell from a building and died, but this is later revealed to be a deception. In the laboratory, Masashi encounters a duplicate or clone of Naoto who attacks him. The real Naoto eventually arrives to confront the clone, revealing that the research center has been creating duplicates of people. The clone represents the darker aspects of Naoto's involvement with the center.

• naoto death
• clone
• duplicate
• laboratory

Tatsuya and Juran kidnap Kurage-bo because they suspect Naoto's ties to the research center and believe Kurage-bo holds special power or information. They want to use Kurage-bo as leverage or to gain advantage in the ongoing conflicts. The kidnappers beat Kurage-bo and hide it in a locker at a junkyard, causing Masashi great distress when he discovers the creature's battered condition.

• kurage-bo
• kidnapped
• tatsuya
• juran
• junkyard

The Oval is a massive, ominous creature created by the Black Cloaked Four as their ultimate weapon. It functions as an energy-harvesting machine designed to consume F.R.I.E.N.D.s and the battles happening around town. The Black Cloaked Four intend to use the Oval's destructive power to be reborn, they draw energy from the chaos and death to fuel their own resurrection, making the Oval the central threat in the final battle.

• oval
• black cloaked four
• destruction
• energy
• rebirth

Masashi defeats the Oval by striking its weak point, a glowing orb on its head. Naoto identifies this vulnerability during the battle. Masashi's determination to save Saki, who is being pulled toward the Oval's mouth, gives him the resolve to deliver the critical blow. The attack causes the Oval to collapse and creates a vortex that absorbs all the F.R.I.E.N.D.s, including Kurage-bo.

• masashi
• oval
• weak point
• orb
• battle

When Masashi destroys the Oval, the creature's collapse creates a massive vortex that swallows all the F.R.I.E.N.D.s from the real world. This includes Kurage-bo, who vanishes before Masashi's eyes. The destruction of the Oval releases the energy that had been powering all the F.R.I.E.N.D.s, sending them into another dimension or state of existence.

• f.r.i.e.n.d.
• vortex
• disappear
• oval
• kurage-bo

After the battle ends and the town mourns the loss of their F.R.I.E.N.D.s, Koh uses his Device to summon them back to the real world. The summary indicates he 'uses his phone to bring back all the F.R.I.E.N.D.s to the real world,' suggesting his Device has a special function that can reverse the vortex and restore the creatures. This act brings the story to its hopeful conclusion as all friends are reunited.

• koh
• restore
• f.r.i.e.n.d.
• device
• reunion

Saki's mother Shizuko is connected to a cult that opposes the research center's work, viewing it as evil. During the final battle with the Oval, Saki attempts to rescue her mother but is captured and nearly pulled into the Oval's mouth. Masashi saves Saki at the last moment by pulling her to safety, but the fate of Shizuko herself is not clearly resolved in the final confrontation, Saki's rescue takes priority as the immediate threat is neutralized.

Foreshadowing: The cult's presence at the university festival establishes Shizuko's anti-research center stance.

• shizuko
• saki
• mother
• cult
• rescue

Saki is Masashi's classmate who becomes his close friend and ally throughout the conflict. She owns Luxor, a powerful F.R.I.E.N.D. who helps Masashi in early battles. Saki provides crucial information about the origins of the Devices and the research center's conspiracy. Her mother is involved with the opposing cult, adding complexity to her position. In the final battle, Saki becomes the target of the Oval's attack, and Masashi's determination to save her gives him the strength to defeat the creature.

Foreshadowing: Luxor's appearance alongside Kurage-bo at the shrine establishes Saki as a key ally.

• saki
• luxor
• friend
• research center
• rescue