The Kirishima Thing

The Kirishima Thing

Year: 2012

Runtime: 103 mins

Language: Japanese

Director: Daihachi Yoshida

Drama

A story about the disappearance of Kirishima, a star athlete of the volleyball club, and how his disappearance affects every person in school.

Warning: spoilers below!

Haven’t seen The Kirishima Thing yet? This summary contains major spoilers. Bookmark the page, watch the movie, and come back for the full breakdown. If you're ready, scroll on and relive the story!

Timeline & Setting – The Kirishima Thing (2012)

Explore the full timeline and setting of The Kirishima Thing (2012). Follow every major event in chronological order and see how the environment shapes the story, characters, and dramatic tension.

Time period

Location

Japanese high school

A bustling Japanese high school setting where students juggle sports, arts, and academics. The gym, rooftop, and club rooms become stages for friendships, rivalries, and quiet alliances. The school backdrop emphasizes the social hierarchies that drive rumor, competition, and collaboration among students.

🏫 High school 🇯🇵 Japan 🏟️ School life

Last Updated: October 03, 2025 at 06:35

Main Characters – The Kirishima Thing (2012)

Meet the key characters of The Kirishima Thing (2012), with detailed profiles, motivations, and roles in the plot. Understand their emotional journeys and what they reveal about the film’s deeper themes.

Kirishima

A popular second-year student and volleyball captain whose sudden silence destabilizes his social circle. His absence exposes the fragility of friendships and the pressure to maintain the facade of perfection. The ripple effect touches teammates, rivals, and partners in the social web.

🏐 Volleyball captain 🎭 Popularity ⚖️ Pressure

Risa (Mizuki Yamamoto)

A member of Kirishima's social circle who moves through school life with wary curiosity. She watches the fallout from Kirishima's disappearance and grapples with her own feelings as friendships shift. Her perspective adds a lens on how rumors and expectations shape behavior.

💬 Social dynamics ❤️ Relationships 🎭 Drama

Hiroki Kikuchi (Masahiro Higashide)

Kirishima's best friend and Sana's boyfriend. He becomes a focal point for tension as Sawajima's quiet attempts to attract him collide with the group’s mood. His loyalty and choices test the friendships around him.

💞 Friendship 🏐 Team dynamics 🎭 Drama

Sana (Mayu Matsuoka)

One of the school’s popular students and a central figure in the social scene. She observes and participates in the group dynamics, including the love triangle and jealousy that surface as Kirishima's absence reshapes relationships.

💬 Social dynamics 💔 Jealousy ❤️ Romance

Kasumi Higashihara

A badminton club member who treats Maeda with respect and shows curiosity about the film project. Her interest hinting at a budding connection and a quiet, observant presence within the student web.

🏸 Badminton 💬 Social dynamics ❤️ Interest

Koizume Fûsuke

The libero who steps up to fill Kirishima's volleyball role. He faces pressure from Kubo and peers, balancing skill with the expectations of the team. His persistence under stress reveals his resilience.

🏐 Volleyball 🤝 Team loyalty ⚖️ Pressure

Ryuta

A friend of Kirishima and Kasumi’s love interest; his relationship dynamic with Kasumi and other club members adds tension. He navigates trust, jealousy, and loyalty within the social circles.

💞 Relationship 🧭 Jealousy 🗣️ Secrets

Ryoya Maeda

Head of the film club and romantic foil for Maeda as he pursues Kasumi. He faces the challenge of turning a student film into a unifying project while managing complicated feelings.

🎬 Film club ❤️ Romance 🤝 Collaboration

Aya Sawashima

Captain of the brass band who has a crush on Hiroki and tries to catch his eye by playing saxophone. Her actions ripple through the dynamics of the group and intensify the emotional undercurrents.

🎷 Music 💘 Unrequited love 🎭 Drama

Tomohiro

A classmate who arrives with urgent news about Kirishima's whereabouts, triggering a rush of concern. His entry marks a turning point that heightens the group's emotional release.

🗞️ News 🧭 Responsibility 🕵️ Drama

Captain

A leader within the volleyball ranks who embodies authority and expectation. Their role amplifies the tensions as teammates react to Kirishima's absence and the shifting power balance.

🏆 Leadership 🧭 Pressure 🏐 Team

Mika Miyabe

A badminton club member who silently sympathizes with Koizume’s struggles. Her quiet empathy reveals the subtler emotional threads beyond the loudest conflicts.

🏸 Badminton 🫂 Sympathy 🎭 Drama

Last Updated: October 03, 2025 at 06:35

Major Themes – The Kirishima Thing (2012)

Explore the central themes of The Kirishima Thing (2012), from psychological, social, and emotional dimensions to philosophical messages. Understand what the film is really saying beneath the surface.

⚖️ Social Pressure

Rumors and expectations ripple through the student body as Kirishima's absence unsettles rivalries and changes the balance of power within the volleyball team and the film club. The film highlights how appearances and reputations shape decisions and relationships. Characters struggle to maintain facades while confronting underlying tensions beneath surface friendships.

🤝 Friendship

The story probes loyalty among teammates, club members, and couples as conflicts erupt and loyalties are tested. Friends defend, misunderstand, and recalibrate their bonds in the wake of Kirishima's disappearance. The film club's collaboration becomes a microcosm for trust, support, and shared goals amid pressure.

🚀 Identity

Characters navigate who they are within the roles assigned by school life—star athlete, aspiring filmmaker, or supportive friend. The absence of a central figure forces others to reveal true motivations beyond popularity. Ambition and self-definition clash with the fear of losing status or belonging, driving confrontations and decisions.

Last Updated: October 03, 2025 at 06:35

Mobile App Preview

Coming soon on iOS and Android

The Plot Explained Mobile App

From blockbusters to hidden gems — dive into movie stories anytime, anywhere. Save your favorites, discover plots faster, and never miss a twist again.

Sign up to be the first to know when we launch. Your email stays private — always.

Explore Movie Threads

Discover curated groups of movies connected by mood, themes, and story style. Browse collections built around emotion, atmosphere, and narrative focus to easily find films that match what you feel like watching right now.

Ripple effect social dramas like The Kirishima Thing

Stories where a single event fractures a community, forcing emotions to the surface.If you liked how The Kirishima Thing explored the fallout of a disappearance on a high school, you'll enjoy these movies. This section features stories where a single event fractures a community, revealing hidden tensions and the fragile nature of social order in movies with similar anxious and raw moods.

anxiousunsettledrawobservationalfragilemelancholic

Narrative Summary

These stories unfold through multiple perspectives, using a central catalyst—a disappearance, a rumor, a tragic event—to explore the interconnected lives within a community. The narrative structure is often fragmented, weaving together different character arcs that collectively paint a portrait of a group under stress, moving towards a climax of emotional confrontation rather than a tidy resolution.

Why These Movies?

Movies in this thread are grouped by their shared focus on social ecosystems in crisis. They share a tense, observational tone, a steady pacing that builds anxiety, and a thematic interest in how pressure reveals the true nature of relationships and individual character.

Claustrophobic high school movies like The Kirishima Thing

Films that capture the intense pressure and fragile social hierarchies of adolescence.Fans of The Kirishima Thing's portrayal of high school anxiety will find more to explore here. Discover similar movies that capture the tense, fragile atmosphere of adolescence, where peer pressure, rumors, and social dynamics create a claustrophobic and emotionally raw viewing experience.

claustrophobicanxiousrawfragileunsettledpeer pressuresocial dynamics

Narrative Summary

Narratives in this thread often focus on the breaking point of characters trapped within the rigid social structure of a school. The journey involves navigating invisible rules, confronting peer pressure, and experiencing the painful process of identity formation under the watchful, judgmental eyes of classmates. The setting itself becomes a character, symbolizing constraint and anxiety.

Why These Movies?

These films are united by their specific setting and the intense, specific mood it generates. They share a grounded, often bleak or tense tone, a focus on nuanced social dynamics, and a palpable sense of anxiety that comes from being constantly observed and evaluated within a closed system.

Unlock the Full Story of The Kirishima Thing

Don't stop at just watching — explore The Kirishima Thing in full detail. From the complete plot summary and scene-by-scene timeline to character breakdowns, thematic analysis, and a deep dive into the ending — every page helps you truly understand what The Kirishima Thing is all about. Plus, discover what's next after the movie.

The Kirishima Thing Summary

Read a complete plot summary of The Kirishima Thing, including all key story points, character arcs, and turning points. This in-depth recap is ideal for understanding the narrative structure or reviewing what happened in the movie.

The Kirishima Thing Summary

The Kirishima Thing Timeline

Track the full timeline of The Kirishima Thing with every major event arranged chronologically. Perfect for decoding non-linear storytelling, flashbacks, or parallel narratives with a clear scene-by-scene breakdown.

The Kirishima Thing Timeline

The Kirishima Thing Spoiler-Free Summary

Get a quick, spoiler-free overview of The Kirishima Thing that covers the main plot points and key details without revealing any major twists or spoilers. Perfect for those who want to know what to expect before diving in.

The Kirishima Thing Spoiler-Free Summary

More About The Kirishima Thing

Visit What's After the Movie to explore more about The Kirishima Thing: box office results, cast and crew info, production details, post-credit scenes, and external links — all in one place for movie fans and researchers.

More About The Kirishima Thing