The Kirishima Thing (2012) Timeline Explained – Every Event in Order

Kirishima vanishes without explanation, leaving his friends and classmates confused. While the exact reason is never fully revealed, his disappearance creates a void that disrupts every social circle at school, suggesting he was overwhelmed by the pressure of maintaining his perfect image as both a star athlete and popular student.

Foreshadowing: Earlier scenes show Kirishima leading both the volleyball team and maintaining academic excellence while dating one of the most popular girls, hinting at the burden he carries.

• kirishima disappearance
• volleyball captain
• missing student
• high school pressure

Kubo directs his anger at Koizumi after the team loses a match because Koizumi was suddenly thrust into the libero role following Kirishima's absence. Kubo sees the loss as a direct result of Kirishima quitting and Koizumi being unable to fill that void, unfairly placing blame on the player least responsible for the situation.

Foreshadowing: Koizumi's nervous expression during practice after being moved to libero hints at his awareness of the added pressure.

• kubo koizumi
• volleyball loss
• team conflict
• blame

Sana kisses Hiroki impulsively when she finds Sawajima waiting at their meeting spot. Overcome by jealousy upon seeing another girl (Sawajima) near Hiroki, she acts rashly to assert her claim on him. The kiss represents her attempt to control the situation as tensions around Kirishima's absence fragment her social world.

Foreshadowing: Sawajima's earlier attempts to get Hiroki's attention through saxophone playing establish the romantic rivalry.

• sana hiroki kiss
• jealousy
• rooftop scene
• romantic conflict

When Tomohiro announces that Kirishima is on the roof, everyone races up in a panic because they fear he may be planning to harm himself or leave the school entirely. The collective rush reflects the accumulated anxiety from a week of uncertainty, with each social group, volleyball team, badminton club, and friends, desperate to reach him before something tragic happens.

Foreshadowing: The week's worth of rumors and escalating tensions about Kirishima's fate builds the urgency that triggers this mass movement.

• rooftop scene
• kirishima found
• school emergency
• group reaction

Kubo attacks Koizumi because he has been bottling up frustration all week over the team's loss and Kirishima's disappearance. With Kirishima absent and the team struggling, Kubo channels all his anger onto Koizumi, whom he sees as the weak link. The fight erupts when his temper finally boils over, stripping away the pretense of team unity.

Foreshadowing: Kubo's anger builds progressively throughout the week, from blaming Koizumi after the loss to increasingly aggressive behavior.

• kubo koizumi fight
• gym confrontation
• emotional outburst

Sawajima has a crush on Hiroki and uses saxophone playing as an awkward way to get his attention. However, her attempts backfire, instead of impressing him, she disrupts the film club's filming and inadvertently interferes with Hiroki's plans with Sana. Her persistent but misguided efforts highlight the clumsy nature of teenage romance.

Foreshadowing: Early scenes establish Sawajima as the brass band captain, immediately connecting her musical identity to her romantic pursuits.

• sawajima hiroki
• saxophone
• crush
• romantic attempts

Maeda develops feelings for Kasumi after she shows genuine interest in the film club's zombie project. His frustration stems from discovering she is already in a relationship with Ryuta, who is Kirishima's friend, just as everything else in his social world becomes entangled with the missing athlete. The revelation adds another layer of complication to the film's web of relationships.

Foreshadowing: Kasumi's unusual respect toward Maeda and interest in the zombie film project signals her openness to the film club.

• maeda kasumi
• ryuta
• love triangle
• film club

Mika understands Koizumi's pressure because she witnesses how unfairly Kubo and the others treat him despite Koizumi trying his best to fill Kirishima's shoes. Her quiet sympathy contrasts with Sana's detachment, highlighting how different characters react to the same stressful situation.

Foreshadowing: Mika's presence at volleyball-related moments and her connection to Risa establish her as an observer of the team's turmoil.

• mika koizumi
• sympathy
• understanding
• pressure

The rooftop confrontation becomes the release point for all the suppressed tensions that have built throughout the week. When everyone arrives expecting to find Kirishima but finds nothing, the frustration, jealousy, and resentment each character has been holding finally erupts into a raw brawl. Each person lashes out, revealing honest feelings they've been hiding behind social pretenses.

Foreshadowing: The steady accumulation of conflicts, from the volleyball loss to romantic rivalries, foreshadows this explosion.

• rooftop brawl
• emotional release
• final confrontation
• group fight

When everyone races to the rooftop expecting to find Kirishima, he is already gone, the search yields no sign of him. His absence at this crucial moment underscores the central mystery of his disappearance and emphasizes that the emotional chaos below was perhaps misplaced, as the person they feared for was never there to begin with.

Foreshadowing: The buildup of fear and urgency throughout the week makes this non-resolution even more impactful.

• kirishima missing
• roof search
• not found
• mystery