Yume Nikki:Theories: Difference between revisions

Latest revision as of 13:03, 19 May 2024

Yume Nikki is a strange game that has no dialogue and a unique art style. The creator of the game, KIKIYAMA, stated on their website that the game is meant to be an exploring game with a "dark atmosphere" but without plot or purpose. Still, there are themes in Yume Nikki that fans collected to create different theories about the characters and locations. Those themes and theories are displayed here.

It should also be noted that, due to the nature of dreams, the imagery and events in the game can be considered completely random and could serve no significant purpose other than being dream-like, thus were not meant for analysis. However, due to the many branching themes that fans have found, it's also possible that these could be intentional and that separate themes could even be linked into one theorized story. Considering that multiple themes and theories can be linked to just one aspect of Madotsuki's dreams, it's possible for many different interpretations to come out of one aspect of the game.

A theory unique to a character, such as them being a possible reference to something or having a specific theme, may also be found in the Trivia or Theories section of their respective character pages.

Also see: Indigenous Imagery, Monochrome

\ \ \ \ \ WARNING: GAME SPOILER DETAILS FOLLOW / / / / /

Themes of Isolation

Madotsuki does not leave her apartment for the entirety of the game. Going outside to her balcony at different points in the game reveals that quite a bit of time passes - it turns nighttime, then daytime again. When the door in the real world is interacted with, she shakes her head, making it impossible to exit the room. In her dream world, she can not only leave through said door but is able to access the different dream locations through similar-looking doors in the Nexus.

In her dream world, the themes of isolation and loneliness continue. There is no dialogue, most NPCs ignore Madotsuki, and only a few NPCs turn to her when the player tries to interact with them. One example is the shoppers in the Mall, who run away from Madotsuki and become deformed upon interaction, making an odd sound as they go away. The locations themselves can feel isolating and lonely, due to being large and often looping, especially in locations close to The Nexus, of which only contain few points of interest. The sombre soundtrack of the game is also a contributing factor within this: with most other video games, longer pieces of music (around the typical two to three minutes) can signify how much time has passed since the player started playing the game, but shorter ones can make time be lost easily.

Three girls having fun.

Throughout the game Madotsuki encounters tall creatures (referred to as Toriningen by fans), of which are considered enemies in the game due to their nature of trapping Madotsuki in inescapable locations when in a "lunatic" state. They also have the characteristic of having a group dynamic that goes beyond other multiple identical NPCs spawning in one location (such as the Wheelies). The most significant example of this is the Toriningen Party, where a group of Toriningen are seen having a picnic together in the Wilderness, while dancing to cheerful music. This party cannot be accessed, as the plants of the Wilderness hinder Madotsuki from approaching any closer. It is notable that the NPCs of which that are thought to be the enemies of the game act as a team while Madotsuki herself is a sole figure.

Furthermore, there are other characters that also seem isolated from their surroundings:

Poniko, another character isolated in their room.

Poniko, who is the only character in the Pink Sea. Just like Madotsuki, she never leaves her room of which she seems to be the only inhabitant.
Mafurako, who is the only NPC roaming around the expansive Block World, and prefers to teleport to a random spot far away from Madotsuki when teleporting her back, with the exception of Madotsuki being in her snowman form, which makes Mafurako always teleport next to her. Mafurako is also always invisible, save for their hat and scarf, which could mean they don't want to be seen by others for some reason.
Mars-san, who can be found in the underground area of Mars, which can only be reached by crashing a spaceship into Mars and then using an effect to access the tiny hole to the underground. This exit compared to the size of the character themselves makes them seem trapped, as it is impossible for even Madotsuki to enter if she is her normal size.

The various doors in The Nexus could allude to her having the desire to explore, but is unable to do so in the real world and thus feels comfortable to do it in her dreams. The Toriningen could possibly symbolize people in the real world, especially a "popular girl" figure as they are taller than Madotsuki and wear more stylish clothing and hairstyles, while their hostile nature when in their "lunatic" form could also possibly symbolize Madotsuki being bullied in the real world, resulting in her isolating herself. Mars-san could also entirely represent Madotsuki's feelings of staying inside her apartment: the feeling of being completely trapped and unable to escape. Another important encounter in the dream world that may point to a theme of isolation is Closet Madotsuki, a sleeping Madotsuki hidden in a closet in the Checkered Tile Path.

Relating to this theory may be the hikikomori phenomenon, in which reclusive teens or adults abandon social life completely in favor of staying inside.

Themes of Anxiety

A Floyag following Madotsuki with its eyes.

The theme of being watched seems prevalent in Madotsuki's dream, especially with the theme of eyes appearing throughout the dream world. This can obviously be seen in the Eyeball World, but also appears in the Dark Woods and Barracks Settlement with the presence of Isee and in White Desert A with the presence of Eye People. Some other characters with large, singular eyes also appear such as Mars-san. Scattered eyes also appear in different events such as the ああああああああ and Uboa events.

Hands are also scattered throughout the game. Again, the aforementioned Eyeball World is filled with grabbing hands sprouting from the ground. Many locations also have hands or hand-like imagery:

The gate to Block World from the White Desert, which has grasping hands.

Staircase of Hands is filled with hands emerging from below the stairway.
Dark World has a pair of symbols that resemble two hands.
Graffiti World has a large design of a monkey-like creature clearly showing its hands.
The White Desert has some sections with large hands and legs. Monoko and The Thing with the Quivering Jaw also have extra arms sprouting from them. The gate that leads to Block World from the White Desert also has a pair of grasping hands.
- Uboa's Trap, a subsection of the White Desert that Uboa teleports the player to, has a nightmarish landscape where a monster with multiple hands grasps hills in the background.
FC World B has a dirt path design that resembles a pair of hands, one of which holds the entrance to the FC Ruins.

The implication may be that Madotsuki dislikes being touched and prefers a great amount of personal space.

Organoid teleporting away.

A character who may tie into this theory is Organoid, who is the only NPC to swiftly teleport away upon approach. The many Mall Shoppers also run away from Madotsuki upon interaction.

Body Themes

In Yume Nikki, it is common for NPCs or backgrounds to resemble body parts or inner organs. Also see the Themes of Anxiety theory above for more instances of body parts, particularly eyes and hands, appearing in the game.

Eyeball World is filled with various NPCs that resemble parts of the human body, ranging from legs to lips. The Mouth Monsters, which have large mouths, give hair-related effects. Uteri-shaped creatures also appear on the Infinite Road. Furthermore, some fans suggest that KyuuKyuu-kun, a large colorful worm-shaped creature who is seen rubbing the handrail of a stairway, is phallic imagery, as the character can only be seen by entering through a Zippertile on the wall, which can be interpreted as a pants fly.

Another prominent body-related theme found in the game is the various strabismic NPCs (strabismus meaning to be unable or having problems with fixating both eyes on one point at the same time, leading to the eyes not being aligned). One of the most well known strabismic characters in Yume Nikki is Seccom Masada-sensei. There could be two main reasons for their appearance:

Madotsuki herself could be strabismic but is hiding it by keeping her eyes closed. There are some structures (such as those in the Pink Sea and Barracks Settlement) and characters (such as the Ghostmen) who slightly resemble chromosomes, which could mean Madotsuki inherited strabismus genetically.
Another cause of strabismic eyes is through severe brain or head injuries. It should be noted that some strabismic NPCs, notably Dropfish, the Goppa, the Severed Blue Head, and Monoko (when shown during her event) are all strabismic while also seemingly drooling or coughing up blood. It's possible that this links to the themes of violence and traffic accidents found throughout the game (read below sections).

Their appearance could be interpreted as either fat or pregnant.

One particular theme relating to the body that seems to appear throughout the game is the theme of pregnancy or childbirth. Takofuusen is an easily identifiable example of this, as it resembles a fetus with the "TRAP sequence" birth defect. Other characters, such as Onsen-san and Manhole-sama, have chord-like appendages that resemble umbilical cords. Alongside this, characters such as the Henkei Shita have large stomachs with thin mouths resembling a surgical cut, which is a trait shared with some of the Mall Shoppers (most notably Obasan) when they distort. The theme of pregnancy could also be an explanation for the instances of characters or structures resembling reproductive organs, characters of which appear to prelude or lead to larger or more terrifying characters in the dream world, such as the Floyag and Manhole-sama eventually leading to the Thing with the Quivering Jaw and the Zippertile and KyuuKyuu-kun leading to FACE, which possibly intend to paint such themes as horrific. These instances have been largely debated by fans on what their possible meaning could be, if any.

The reoccurring theme of body parts throughout Madotsuki's dreams could lead to many interpretations. It's possible she could be afraid of body parts or losing them, as they usually appear around blood or in a gruesome manner such as in Eyeball World or Mural World's Mouth Monsters. Some fans also think that the appearance of characters or structures resembling reproductive organs in her dreams may be linked to a traumatic event or could possibly relate to themes of gender identity (detailed in the Themes of Identity section). As stated above, the inclusion of many strabismic characters could even be related to Madotsuki herself being strabismic, though this is never shown in-game due to her eyes appearing to be closed.

Themes of Violence

Madotsuki leaving a wound on Mars-san's foot.

Depending on the player's actions, Madotsuki can behave violently towards NPCs and sometimes inanimate objects. She is able to use the Knife effect on almost all of the NPCs with varying results.

While this makes the Knife a prominent effect in the game, it is nevertheless not necessary for gathering effects and thus achieving the ending, and most of the time, can be substituted by the Cat effect for exploring purposes. Even in cases where it is useful for exploring, it will often lead to alarming events such as the Severed Heads in the Sky and FACE events. It could also be argued that Madotsuki, while wielding the Knife effect, is one of the most dangerous characters in the dream world. Even other characters that may seem like enemies or appear to be violent, such as the Toriningen or Uboa, simply trap Madotsuki in isolated locations with no other ill effects, not even doing damage to Madotsuki despite the game's inclusion of a health bar (which may also just be a remnant of the RPG Maker engine used for the game).

Regardless, the Knife is still perceived as a key object in the minds of many fans, leading to them interpreting that Madotsuki or other characters from the game can be prone to acts of violence. Some fans have also theorized that Madotsuki may have had a violent past or was violent herself in the real world, thus why the Knife effect is found in the difficult-to-navigate Dark World (likely as a form of repressed memory) and why Madotsuki isolates herself in her room, possibly out of guilt for a violent act committed in the past.

Themes of Traffic Accidents

Shitai-san, seemingly the victim of a traffic incident.

Different areas and interactions in Yume Nikki imply that Madotsuki often thinks about traffic accidents of some kind. One prominent example of this is Shitai-san, a dead person on the ground in the Road, surrounded by traffic cones, of whom the Stoplight effect can be gained.

Other instances of vehicle- and crash-related events also occur within the dream world. Seccom Masada-sensei is troubled by his spaceship crashing onto Mars, while Mars-san cries near something that appears to be a crashed locomotive. Near Shitai-san is also a train track, with a Traincar located elsewhere in the same forest.

Monoko's appearance after the Stoplight effect is used.

Some characters also react oddly, sometimes disturbingly, to the Stoplight effect when it is used near them. The faces of the Wheelies will drastically change and Buyo Buyo will freeze while losing its pupil. Another popular example of a character reacting to the Stoplight effect is Monoko, a girl found in one of the tunnels of the White Desert who drastically changes her appearance when the Stoplight is used: she has five arms (one coming out of her head), a wound on her stomach, strabismic eyes with one of them spurting out liquid and an open, seemingly drooling, mouth. Using the Stoplight again restores her appearance. This could be interpreted as Monoko possibly being a person in the real world that may have had relations with Madotsuki, but suffered a vehicle-related accident that Madotsuki witnessed. Her strange appearance when the Stoplight is used could possibly be a less grotesque interpretation of what Madotsuki saw.

One other theme that could possibly further this theory is the occurrence of cones or cone-shapes in the dream world, which could overall symbolize traffic cones (such as the ones that surround Shitai-san, the source of the Stoplight effect). A single traffic cone can be found in the Mall, blocking the area's rooftop, and several conical structures can be found in areas such as the Pink Sea and Face Carpet Plaza. Conical trees are also prevalent in areas such as Forest World, Snow World, and Dense Woods A, the latter of which is connected to where the Stoplight effect is located.

All of these themes have led to theories stating Madotsuki may have had experiences in the real world relating to a traffic accident, possibly alongside family or friends. This would explain why she is alone in her apartment, as those in the traffic accident possibly died or suffered fatal injuries and thus can't be with Madotsuki.

Themes of Escapism

Whatever is behind that door, it is too much for her to confront.

Madotsuki is seemingly trapped inside her room, though it is unknown if this is by choice or if it is due to something out of her control. She remains stuck inside a room with nothing to do except play NASU, write in her diary and sleep. For this reason, some fans believe Madotsuki remains in her dream world as a way to escape the situation that she finds herself in.

While inside her dreams, she can fly across a city sky, explore far more interesting video games, hang out with other people, and travel across the universe. But between all of these things that she can do, it always ends up with her returning to reality, as explained through various events.

All of the events mentioned above are seemingly friendly, but will ultimately lead to Madotsuki waking up anyway in the right conditions. In the Witch's Flight event, she can eventually fall, leading her to wake up. Interacting with a wall in the FC Dungeon leads to scarily glitched graphics alongside a loud noise that wakes Madotsuki. Spending time with Poniko can lead to the Uboa event, which drastically changes the mood of the soundtrack and the surroundings and will teleport Madotsuki to Uboa's Trap, forcing her to wake up if she doesn't have the Medamaude effect. Boarding the space ship can lead to a crash-landing, effectively isolating Madotsuki on Mars.

It could be theorized that these happy events link Madotsuki to the real world, even if she wants to remain dreaming to escape the harsh reality that she lives in.

Themes of Identity

Some factors found within the dream worlds could be seen as representing transgender or other queer identity. Many of the effects relating to appearance, such as the Hair effects, could be seen as representative of appearance or body dysphoria. Many creatures throughout the dream world could also be seen as relating to body dysphoria as well. For example, creatures resembling reproductive organs appear in Madotsuki's dreams, such as the uterus-like Floyag and the phallic KyuuKyuu-kun. Many of the more distorted creatures, such as the White Desert monsters and the Sewer Drawings, have abnormal limbs that give off the appearance of something inside them trying to escape, which may be metaphorical for "coming out" in terms of identity.

While some of the distorted-looking characters may be interpreted as physical/body dysphoria, other aspects of the dream world could possibly be interpreted as identity dysphoria, the concept of lacking an identity, or nonconforming identity. Some characters, such as the Pirori or the Nopperabou Witches (when the Cat effect is used), may represent an idea of "facelessness" or lack of identity depicted literally. Another thing to note is that a male and female restroom appear in different areas in the dream world, both of which Madotsuki can enter.

The ending of the game can also be interpreted as symbolic. Many fans think that Madotsuki's death and the ending of the game overall represent a "reawakening" of sorts. In the context of transgender or sexual identity, this could be interpreted as coming out or revealing such things publicly, reawakening as a completely new person.

Japanese Folklore

Various NPCs and effects are demons, ghosts, and monsters from Japanese folklore. This suggests that Madotsuki may be interested in or feels personally involved with this theme.

NPCs that heavily resemble creatures of Japanese folklore are:

The Yuki-onna, who is modeled after the yuki-onna yōkai and bestows Madotsuki the Yuki-Onna effect when interacted with.
The FC Demon, who might not look like a regular oni, but the Demon effect they give gives Madotsuki the appearance of one.
The Nopperabou Ghost and Nopperabou Witches, who references the legendary faceless noppera-bō creature. The former also gives out the Nopperabou effect.
The Ittan-momen, fan-named after the yōkai of the same name. It is a tsukumogami that has been said to be a long cloth that has come to life and flies around, killing people by smothering them. It gives the Towel effect.
The Toriningen slightly resemble a tengu or baku, two creatures in Japanese mythology that sport long noses. Baku are also notable for devouring dreams, notably nightmares.

The Cat effect resembles a maneki-neko.

Some other effects also appear to relate to Japanese folklore:

The Cat effect, where Madotsuki becomes a humanoid maneki-neko holding a koban coin. As the maneki-neko is supposed to bring in customers with its good luck, it might explain why NPCs are drawn towards Madotsuki when she paws with her right hand.
The Triangle Kerchief effect given out by Fleebie. When applying the effect, Madotsuki appears with a hitaikakushi, white triangle-shaped headbands which are often worn by yūrei.

Lucid Dreaming

As Madotsuki can wake herself up at any time in her dream while also having control over her surroundings, she is by definition having lucid dreams. Since she also keeps a dream diary, she remembers at least some things about them, particularly the effects as saving the game could be interpreted as her writing the moments related to effects in her diary in order to remember them and therefore reuse them in the dream world.

Self-induced lucid dreaming is a successful therapy technique for dealing with sleep cycle-affecting mental disorders or illnesses. It is theorized she may have been taught self-induced lucid dreaming to reduce the frequency of nightmares and keeps a dream diary to keep track of her dreams as a self-care exercise.

Separation of Dreams and Reality

At all times during regular gameplay, the dream world and the real world are kept separate, meaning no "unreal" dream elements carry over in the awake moments. During the Witch's Flight event, Madotsuki even falls out of her bed in the real world to indicate that she moved around in her sleep while having a strong dream.

However, during the ending, two Jellyfish appear, while the ending supposedly takes place in the real world. This has raised doubts as to whether the ending is real or just another dream. In fact, some fans believe that Madotsuki is dreaming at every point in the game, citing her perpetually closed eyes, the carrying over of yen after getting pinched awake, and the unrealistic nature of living in an apartment without food or a bathroom as evidence. The blood splatter that appears in the ending also appears several times throughout the dream world, though this is likely either foreshadowing or reusing assets. Others see this theory as a symbol that, even in death, Madotsuki can't escape her nightmares.

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
-[[Yume Nikki]] is a strange, unknown game that has been increasing in popularity which has no dialogue and a unique art style. So, of course, fans have created many theories, some good, some bad, some complex and some that make us laugh. This article categorizes the theories by players and fans.
+''[[Yume Nikki:Yume Nikki|Yume Nikki]]'' is a strange game that has no dialogue and a unique art style. The creator of the game, [[Yume Nikki:KIKIYAMA|KIKIYAMA]], [http://www3.nns.ne.jp/pri/tk-mto/kikiyamaHP.html stated on their website] that the game is meant to be an exploring game with a "dark atmosphere" but without plot or purpose. Still, there are themes in ''Yume Nikki'' that fans collected to create different theories about the characters and locations. Those themes and theories are displayed here.
-It's also worth noting that TV Trope's [http://www.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/WMG/YumeNikki Wild Mass Guessing] page on Yume Nikki contains a wealth of theories too, some of them more fleshed out versions of the theories seen here.
+It should also be noted that, due to the nature of dreams, the imagery and events in the game can be considered completely random and could serve no significant purpose other than being dream-like, thus were not meant for analysis. However, due to the many branching themes that fans have found, it's also possible that these could be intentional and that separate themes could even be linked into one theorized story. Considering that multiple themes and theories can be linked to just one aspect of [[Yume Nikki:Madotsuki|Madotsuki's]] dreams, it's possible for many different interpretations to come out of one aspect of the game.
-{{spoiler}}
+A theory unique to a character, such as them being a possible reference to something or having a specific theme, may also be found in the '''Trivia''' or '''Theories''' section of their respective character pages.
-==[[Madotsuki]]==
+''Also see: [[Yume Nikki:Indigenous Imagery|Indigenous Imagery]], [[Yume Nikki:Monochrome|Monochrome]]''
-[[File:1249879515309.png|thumb|left|Remind you of anything?]]
-==='''''Madotsuki was raped'''''===
+{{spoiler}}
-[[File:FACE.png|thumb|At first there was black, then came colors!]]In the game, it is seen and easily noticed that there is much evidence that Madotsuki was raped. In the [[Forest World]], along a strange road, several creatures in the background with eyes watch over you where the last one's eyes follow you for a split second as you leave. Many speculate that these are ovaries, which adds support behind the rape theory. It is also possible that these eyes are connected to the pregnancy theory, since they could represent ovaries, it could mean that after her rape, Madotsuki is watchful of herself and worrying if she is pregnant or not. Other incidents with eyes include the [[Eyeball World]] and the [[Barracks Settlement]], where entering a certain shed can lead to a tunnel where eyes follow Madotsuki as well as another on the way to the [[Effects#Witch|Witch effect]] eyes in the trees follow the player. The theme of being watched seems prevalent in Madotsuki's dreams and could be speculated as her memory of being stalked before being raped.
-Hands are also scattered throughout the game ranging from a large theme of one world to appearing a few times within another. Some examples being the [[Staircase of Hands|staircase lined with reaching hands]] on the way to [[Seccom Masada-sensei]]'s spaceship, sprouting out of the ground in the [[Eyeball World]] and in the [[White Desert]]. The room [[Uboa]] teleports you to, which has a nightmarish landscape where [[Bloody Touching Monster|a monster with multiple hands]] grasps hills in the background, is reminiscent of groping to some players, which supports another speculation that unwanted touching is also noticeable in Madotsuki's dreams.
-Another thing supporting the rape theory are the pictures on the walls of the waiting room in [[The Mall]] which seem to allude to sexual situations, specifically one which is seen picturing a crying figure with a phallus shaped object on or even in its mouth (pictured below, right). The other image that is also located in The Mall, next to the crying face picture has a provocative image of a frowning mouth that appears to be drooling. The fact that the [[Effects#Flute|Flute]] effect is found here, which can be seen as a representation of fellatio (oral sex) supports these allusions. This could also be a sign that Madotsuki was forced to perform acts that she found unpleasant, leaving some very deep mental scars which only supports the ideas behind the images and themes in the dreams.
-[[File:Mado.jpg|thumb|Madotsuki's memories?]]
-Some say that [[KyuuKyuu-kun|Kyu-Kyu]], a large colorful pole creature who is seen rubbing the banister of a stairway, is a phallic representation. The Knife and Cat [[Effects]] alter the speed of which Kyu-Kyu rubs the rail of the staircase, speeding it up with the Knife Effect (which could mean that the rapist used to be rough when she tried to reject/fight him). [[Events|Full-Screen Events]] include an event called [[FACE]], which is achieved by going through a door right next to Kyu-Kyu. Some say it resembles a penis, fear itself, and/or static, or even the image of a vagina with the entrance held open with forceps, adding support to both the rape and pregnancy theories. Many fans speculate that the sequence in which the player stabs through a wall (which closely resembles a zipper), leaving something similar to along the lines of a bloodied hymeneal opening which is then followed by the seemingly benevolent phallic-shaped Kyu-Kyu to then be followed right after by the terrifying FACE Event suggests a high relation to sexual assault as the main theory for some players.
-A dread of pregnancy, possibly originating from being raped, can be interpreted from the [[Henkei Shita]], whose shape resembles a pregnant woman who has lost her head. The Henkei Shita could be seen as either Madotsuki's fear of becoming pregnant, the actual pregnant body representing the pregnancy and the severed head possibly the fact she herself wants to never acknowledge it, or it could even be her psycological fear of herself already being pregnant taking form in her dreams.
-Something else to consider, is that [[NASU]], or eggplant, is a symbol of fertility in Japanese culture.
-As of all the theories, the sexual assault is currently the most well supported one and believed to be the most likely one.
-Many other minor factors also play into giving support to this, such as Madotsuki's possible of fear going outside and/or meeting new people, caused by her fear of running into her attacker again. The fact that she seems to do very little aside from want to sleep as her main thing, which speculates she wants to escape reality due to the possibility that the assault happened only a short amount of time before the games events as well as the possible reason to why Madotsuki's television doesn't receive any channels is because she's afraid of the risk of hearing about the news of a rapist or even her own attack, making her relive it again in memories.
-===='''''Madotsuki never escaped the rapist'''''====
-Think about it like this. Why does Madotsuki have her own apartment when she is so young? Why does she have no choice but to jump off the balcony to free herself of her misery? Why is she still having these nightmares? The truth is that the rapist still has her, and is hiding her in an apartment. She cannot leave the room in fear that the rapist will harm her, and he leaves her in poor condition, going as far as giving her an impossible video game. Eventually, she realizes once she collects the effects, that no matter what she does, it was all pointless. She could try, and try again, but her fragile life was being controlled by a sex-hungry molester. She could try to make friends in her dream world, she could try to create a way to free herself, she could try to complete a quest, but she would never be allowed to leave that apartment. No one would find her. The rapist would not have a change of heart. The only way for this little girl to escape her nightmare was to stand on the stairs on the balcony, and jump. Read the first theory, and tie it together with this.
-==='''''Madotsuki is pregnant or has had an abortion/miscarriage'''''===
-The deep background image of many of the places strongly resemble a fetus - this also connects well with the rape theory above. The thing hovering in the background has a feeling of being very distant, yet always present and inescapable, representing either a pregnancy which obviously takes the better part of a year to happen but can't be escaped or the idea of an abortion/miscarriage that is a tremendously heavy emotional event for any female.
-==='''''Madotsuki lives in an apocalyptic world'''''===
-Madotsuki seems like a perfectly normal girl, albeit possibly being a [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hikkikomori Hikkikomori] (a shut in). Yet her dreams are strangely terrifying and eccentric, and she acts like she has been there before, displaying almost no emotion. But this could also be either that she herself is so terrified of her own dreams she becomes emotionally dead, making herself somewhat emotionally numb to the dreams, or that she herself is a Lucid Dreamer (someone who is fully conscious in their dreams) and that she knows her dreams are just that so she's not afraid of them at all. That, combined with the fact that her apartment is the only one in view, she won't leave her home, her TV doesn't get any channels and her only source of entertainment is a Famicom game called [[NASU]], it would seem that whatever is out there is worse than what is in her dreams (possible more speculation to the rape theory).
-Also, as suggested in [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wfkwLoKkwY8&feature=related this video], there might be some kind of epidemy, or alien mutation going on that could be transforming everything into monsters, thus Madotsuki would be forced to, or she could choose to, lock herself up inside her apartment to try and stay safe, but soon she would finally start giving in, and decides to end it all by jumping off the balcony.
-==='''''Madotsuki is transgender'''''===
-Another theory born from fans is that Madotsuki was actually assigned male at birth but identifies as a woman and lives and dresses as one. The characters found in dreams could be distorted versions of friends, family, and peers that have alienated or even cut off/disowned her after she came out as a woman. The psycho Toriningen could stem from Madotsuki feeling that her own body is working against her. The possible imagery of blood and female reproductive systems are signs of love and longing towards periods and female puberty while the phallic imagery could hint towards her hate for a penis and male reproductive organs, but they could also hint that when she came out as a woman, it was met with violence be it from her own family and/or friends or not. Some support is given to the transgender theory from [[The Toriningen Party]] where it could mean that she is isolated from them due to her not being a "real girl" in their eyes where as well the psycho Toriningen could be classmates that shamed her into dropping out of school and locking herself away. She could have been raped by men on coming out, as it is a common method of "teaching a lesson" in hate crimes.
-The graffiti world to monochrome world path could actually tell a story about Madotsuki's transition from a "boy" to a girl. She wants to have the privileges and social status as a female (e.g. a women's toilet) so she flees from her masculinity (the bicycle) and begins to descend (the elevator). Many people fail to accept her who recognize her as a boy (the mall people), yet her therapist gives her comforting advice, telling her everything is going to work out in the end (O-San). Eventually she starts to feel ugly (The Frog Effect) and isolated (lack of vocal comminication in the dreams), feeling that it will be a long, near impossible path to follow. (To be continued) The 8-bit world, which is passed through in the path, is usually interpreted as a representation of video games. Video game playing is often thought of as a masculine hobby, especially back in the 8-Bit and 16-Bit Era when video games were widely loved by boys. The entrance to the Monochrome world has limp phallus like objects hanging off the wall and an eye in front of a body of water. This could be related to her penis and crying, respectively. The monochrome world itself may be interpreted as a world of regrets, which would make sense why this would all lead to that world.
-There is also a small possibility of Madotsuki actually being intersex. She could either have breasts, and female genitalia on the outside, with testes where her ovaries are meant to be, or she could have the male organs outside, and the female inside, which could explain why both female and male reproductive organs have such a horrific depiction in many areas of the game. Many intersexed people suffer from anemia caused by lack of appropriate hormones. This could explain, possibly, why it is that Madotsuki sleeps so much because she is lacking energy.
-==='''''Madotsuki is a lesbian'''''===
-Poniko is her image of a perfect beautiful girl she yearns connect with but can't because other girls she knew in the past weren't gay that way. She resorts to desperate measures to try and get Poniko's attention (going through different effects, flicking off the lights). Though she herself feels that her thoughts are dirty and she's afraid of the reaction others may have to her. That could be why Uboa, a possible manifestation of that fear and guilt, pops up. The signs that people interpret as rape (Kyukyu-kyun + Face Event, the hands and eyes scattered everywhere, the Henkei Shita, etc) aren't signs of a past rape trauma but a dislike of penis, distaste of being watched by men, fear of judgment, and fear that she too will be expected to get married and give birth some day.
-==='''''Madotsuki achieves a happy ending'''''===
-A theory that proposes that Madotsuki was dreaming (or in a coma) all along. Her suicide at the end is the result of her finally coming to terms that nothing in the world is real and she has been trapped in a dream. She escapes by killing herself so she can jolt herself awake. This theory is backed up by dream creatures who surround her bloody smear in the real world after her suicide, the fact that her eyes are always closed, the surreal and ever changing landscape outside her apartment/house, her apartment having no kitchen or bathroom, and how she's unable to leave her room support this theory. In addition, the same blood smear is seen in several worlds, such as the [[Forest World]].
-This is also further supported by the idea of a car accident. For example, the Henkei Shita, which appear to be decapitated could be a representation of her memory of someone dying in the car accident (possibly a pregnant woman or even her own mother who was carrying her unborn sibling) and Shitai-San could be another one of the victims from the accident. This could point to that Madotsuki is in fact not awake at all, but rather trapped in a coma, and her jumping off the building at the end of the game could be her waking up and becoming free from her coma.
-This theory is popular with many fans as they don't like the idea of sad ending for Madotsuki.
-==='''''Madotsuki is a representative character'''''===
+==Themes of Isolation==
-Madotsuki is by no means a common Japanese name; it refers to the fact that she has a window on her chest. The window was most likely chosen to become a "window" into the life of people who are antisocial, depressed, alone, disturbed, etc. Madotsuki's dreams portray many different views on depression and unhappiness. These different views are not meant to represent specific events in the fictional life of Madotsuki, but general events in the life of someone who is different. The [[Toriningen]] Party could have represented a social status that a person could not reach, no matter how hard they tried. To some, a crazed Toriningen could be viewed as someone who is angered, and when the person tries to reach out to them, they are only cast out, which is shown by the Toriningen sending Madotsuki to isolated and inescapable places. Poniko/Uboa could represent distrust and false friendships. The strange "people" in the Department Store have no face and refuse to speak to her, possibly representing how these antisocial people may view others. This game is far too abstract to be viewed as a simple and linear plot, so a representative theme would make much more sense. In a sense, Madotsuki is the poster-child for all children and adults who feel like they just don't fit in.
+Madotsuki does not leave [[Yume Nikki:Madotsuki's Room|her apartment]] for the entirety of the game. Going outside to her balcony at different points in the game reveals that quite a bit of time passes - it turns nighttime, then daytime again. When the door in the real world is interacted with, she shakes her head, making it impossible to exit the room. In her dream world, she can not only leave through said door but is able to access the different dream locations through similar-looking doors in the [[Yume Nikki:Nexus|Nexus]].
-==='''''Madotsuki is a murderer'''''===
+In her dream world, the themes of isolation and loneliness continue. There is no dialogue, most [[Yume Nikki:List of Characters|NPCs]] ignore Madotsuki, and only a few NPCs turn to her when the player tries to interact with them. One example is the [[Yume Nikki:Mall Shoppers|shoppers]] in the [[Yume Nikki:Mall|Mall]], who run away from Madotsuki and become deformed upon interaction, making an odd sound as they go away. The locations themselves can feel isolating and lonely, due to being large and often looping, especially in locations close to The Nexus, of which only contain few points of interest. The sombre soundtrack of the game is also a contributing factor within this: with most other video games, longer pieces of music (around the typical two to three minutes) can signify how much time has passed since the player started playing the game, but shorter ones can make time be lost easily.
-Depending on the player's actions, Madotsuki can behave violently towards NPCs and sometimes inanimate objects. Given that she finds the Blonde Hair effect near a red puddle, maybe she killed one of her friends, and the puddle represents blood. Perhaps it was a killing along the lines of the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nevada-tan Sasebo slashing]. Madotsuki doesn't want to go outside because she feels remorse for her actions.
-==='''''Something terrible happened to Madotsuki in the past'''''===
+[[File:Toriningenparty.png|thumb|left|200px|Three girls having fun.]]
-Getting to Poniko is really hard, you have to go through a lot of places to get to her, which could mean she is locked away. Poniko could be interpreted as Madotsuki's emotional side, which, because of something either of a terrible sexual experience, or perhaps fear to grow up or lack of a childhood, Madotsuki locked herself away because of the fear and pain to confront. Poniko ignores Madotsuki, which could also mean that confronting what happenned is too painful for Madotsuki and Poniko. Bothering Poniko (switching the lights on and off) causes Uboa to appear. That could mean that Uboa is a revenge from Poniko, from not only leaving her locked-down and alone, but bothering her. Trying to kill Uboa leads Madotsuki to a place with a highly disturbing background, if analyzed well, could also mean a bad sexual experience. The FACE Event could be the result of trying to confront this event, meaning all the fear, pain and sadness, etc. Since she wakes up immediately, it means she failed in trying to confront it or just did it the wrong way.
+Throughout the game Madotsuki encounters tall creatures (referred to as [[Yume Nikki:Toriningen|Toriningen]] by fans), of which are considered enemies in the game due to their nature of trapping Madotsuki in inescapable locations when in a "lunatic" state. They also have the characteristic of having a group dynamic that goes beyond other multiple identical NPCs spawning in one location (such as the [[Yume Nikki:Wheelies|Wheelies]]). The most significant example of this is the [[Yume Nikki:Events#Toriningen Party|Toriningen Party]], where a group of Toriningen are seen having a picnic together in the [[Yume Nikki:Wilderness|Wilderness]], while dancing to cheerful music. This party cannot be accessed, as the plants of the Wilderness hinder Madotsuki from approaching any closer. It is notable that the NPCs of which that are thought to be the enemies of the game act as a team while Madotsuki herself is a sole figure.
-==='''''Madotsuki has severe hypertropia'''''===
+Furthermore, there are other characters that also seem isolated from their surroundings:
-Hypertropia is, essentially, [http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/MemeticMutation googly eyes] in real life. Due to the way Japanese society works, her eye problems would draw a lot of attention and probably discrimination, leaving her a [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hikkikomori Hikkikomori] and always keeping her eyes closed so it's not noticeable. The googly eyes that are more or less everywhere (including the place where Uboa appears) are her mental psyche reminding her of the fact. The black-and-white areas, which seem to represent her younger years judging by their art style, have occasional googly eyes in them as well. Masada, the most obvious example of googly eyes, is usually determined to be some part of Madotsuki's mind that she's trying to send off - in this case, her Hypertropia and possible other mental problems (see: autism; autistic people do not interact with other people very well, and are often precocious in areas such as piano-playing). In fact, there are eyes everywhere, googly or not; the [http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/HighOctaneNightmareFuel unsettling] sequence in the refugee town where Madotsuki walks past a long row of shacks with eyes on them, all staring at her, might represent her issues about eyes, or maybe feeling like she's being put on a pedestal to be examined and ultimately judged. Why she can see fine, despite her eyes not pointing in the right direction, is because it's a dream.
+[[File:Poniko's room.PNG|thumb|right|200px|Poniko, another character isolated in their room.]]
+*[[Yume Nikki:Poniko|Poniko]], who is the only character in the [[Yume Nikki:Pink Sea|Pink Sea]]. Just like Madotsuki, she never leaves her room of which she seems to be the only inhabitant.
+*[[Yume Nikki:Mafurako|Mafurako]], who is the only NPC roaming around the expansive [[Yume Nikki:Block World|Block World]], and prefers to teleport to a random spot far away from Madotsuki when teleporting her back, with the exception of Madotsuki being in her snowman form, which makes Mafurako always teleport next to her. Mafurako is also always invisible, save for their hat and scarf, which could mean they don't want to be seen by others for some reason.
+*[[Yume Nikki:Mars-san|Mars-san]], who can be found in the underground area of [[Yume Nikki:Mars|Mars]], which can only be reached by crashing a spaceship into Mars and then using an effect to access the tiny hole to the underground. This exit compared to the size of the character themselves makes them seem trapped, as it is impossible for even Madotsuki to enter if she is her normal size.
-This theory also lends a little support to the Madotsuki achieves a Happy Ending theory, in which because she's constantly dreaming, even when she's "awake", when she jumps of the ledge at the end, it is the end of her dreaming, not her life.
+The various doors in The Nexus could allude to her having the desire to explore, but is unable to do so in the real world and thus feels comfortable to do it in her dreams. The Toriningen could possibly symbolize people in the real world, especially a "popular girl" figure as they are taller than Madotsuki and wear more stylish clothing and hairstyles, while their hostile nature when in their "lunatic" form could also possibly symbolize Madotsuki being bullied in the real world, resulting in her isolating herself. Mars-san could also entirely represent Madotsuki's feelings of staying inside her apartment: the feeling of being completely trapped and unable to escape. Another important encounter in the dream world that may point to a theme of isolation is [[Yume Nikki:Closet Madotsuki|Closet Madotsuki]], a sleeping Madotsuki hidden in a closet in the [[Yume Nikki:Checkered Tile Path|Checkered Tile Path]].
-==='''''Madotsuki's dreams are her warped representation of school''''' ===
+Relating to this theory may be the [[Wikipedia:Hikikomori|hikikomori]] phenomenon, in which reclusive teens or adults abandon social life completely in favor of staying inside.
-Madotsuki is a misbehaving child who steals things from other students, which could be represented by her need to find The Effects.
-The Toriningen are representations of the teachers. Some teachers know that Madotsuki is a thief, and they try and stop her, these teachers are the lunatic Toriningen. When they catch Madotsuki, they send her to an inescapable place - her minds alteration of detention. Other teachers don't know about Madotsuki being bad, but they can be made be realize this if they see her do something bad. These teachers are the nice Toriningen who will become hostile when stabbed.
+==Themes of Anxiety==
+[[File:Floyag_watching_Madotsuki.PNG|left|150px|thumb|A [[Yume Nikki:Floyag|Floyag]] following Madotsuki with its eyes.]]
+The theme of being watched seems prevalent in Madotsuki's dream, especially with the theme of eyes appearing throughout the dream world. This can obviously be seen in the [[Yume Nikki:Eyeball World|Eyeball World]], but also appears in the [[Yume Nikki:Dark Woods|Dark Woods]] and [[Yume Nikki:Barracks Settlement|Barracks Settlement]] with the presence of [[Yume Nikki:Isee|Isee]] and in [[Yume Nikki:White Desert A|White Desert A]] with the presence of [[Yume Nikki:Eye People|Eye People]]. Some other characters with large, singular eyes also appear such as Mars-san. Scattered eyes also appear in different [[Yume Nikki:Events|events]] such as the ああああああああ and Uboa events.
-Poniko is the assistant principal or the office assistant. She doesn't bother Madotsuki because she doesn't have any say in it, or she doesn't believe that Madotsuki is really bad, or she simply doesn't care where as when she changes into Uboa, he/it can possibly be a representation of the schools headmaster and thus his trap world could be his office.
+Hands are also scattered throughout the game. Again, the aforementioned Eyeball World is filled with grabbing hands sprouting from the ground. Many locations also have hands or hand-like imagery:
+[[File:YN White Desert A.png|right|thumb|160px|The gate to Block World from the White Desert, which has grasping hands.]]
+*[[Yume Nikki:Staircase of Hands|Staircase of Hands]] is filled with hands emerging from below the stairway.
+*[[Yume Nikki:Dark World|Dark World]] has a pair of symbols that resemble two hands.
+*[[Yume Nikki:Graffiti World|Graffiti World]] has a large design of a monkey-like creature clearly showing its hands.
+*The [[Yume Nikki:White Desert|White Desert]] has some sections with large hands and legs. [[Yume Nikki:Monoko|Monoko]] and [[Yume Nikki:The Thing with the Quivering Jaw|The Thing with the Quivering Jaw]] also have extra arms sprouting from them. The gate that leads to Block World from the White Desert also has a pair of grasping hands.
+**[[Yume Nikki:Poniko's House#Uboa's Trap|Uboa's Trap]], a subsection of the White Desert that [[Yume Nikki:Uboa|Uboa]] teleports the player to, has a nightmarish landscape where [[Yume Nikki:Bloody Touching Monster|a monster with multiple hands]] grasps hills in the background.
+*[[Yume Nikki:FC World B|FC World B]] has a dirt path design that resembles a pair of hands, one of which holds the entrance to the FC Ruins.
-Seccom Masada-Sensei is, as mentioned before, her music teacher. He doesn't know about Madotsuki's violent behavior, which is why he runs when she pulls out the knife, hinting that even though the player can make Madotsuki use the Knife Effect, she herself doesn't want him to know about her bad/violent behavior, so in her dreams he always flees rather that allowing the chance for him to be stabbed.
+The implication may be that Madotsuki dislikes being touched and prefers a great amount of personal space.
-Shitai-san can possibly be seen as either the drama teacher who is in a play where his character dies or a student who has died in a car accident.
+[[File:Organoid_teleport.gif|right|thumb|150px|Organoid teleporting away.]]
+A character who may tie into this theory is [[Yume Nikki:Organoid|Organoid]], who is the only NPC to swiftly teleport away upon approach. The many Mall Shoppers also run away from Madotsuki upon interaction.
-Monoe and Monoko could be seen as sisters. Monoko is mentally disabled, so Monoe helps her by keeping her at home and teaching her on her own. This could explain why Monoko can be seen as a disfigured small girl and why Monoe doesn't say anything, even in her Full Screen Event.
+==Body Themes==
+In ''Yume Nikki'', it is common for NPCs or backgrounds to resemble body parts or inner organs. Also see the Themes of Anxiety theory above for more instances of body parts, particularly eyes and hands, appearing in the game.
-Mars-san is an orphaned foreign exchange student.
+Eyeball World is filled with various [[Yume Nikki:Body Parts|NPCs]] that resemble parts of the human body, ranging from legs to lips. The [[Yume Nikki:Mouth Monsters|Mouth Monsters]], which have large mouths, give hair-related effects. [[Yume Nikki:Floyag|Uteri-shaped creatures]] also appear on the [[Yume Nikki:Dense Woods A#Infinite Road|Infinite Road]]. Furthermore, some fans suggest that [[Yume Nikki:KyuuKyuu-kun|KyuuKyuu-kun]], a large colorful worm-shaped creature who is seen rubbing the handrail of a stairway, is phallic imagery, as the character can only be seen by entering through a [[Yume Nikki:Zippertile|Zippertile]] on the wall, which can be interpreted as a pants fly.
-The Dave Spector character could be seen as Monoe's ex-BF which is why he keeps her locked up, unless he is scared off.
+[[File:Yn_char_masada.png|thumb|right]]
+Another prominent body-related theme found in the game is the various strabismic NPCs ([[Wikipedia:Strabismus|strabismus]] meaning to be unable or having problems with fixating both eyes on one point at the same time, leading to the eyes not being aligned). One of the most well known strabismic characters in ''Yume Nikki'' is [[Yume Nikki:Seccom Masada-sensei|Seccom Masada-sensei]]. There could be two main reasons for their appearance:
+*Madotsuki herself could be strabismic but is hiding it by keeping her eyes closed. There are some structures (such as those in the [[Yume Nikki:Pink Sea|Pink Sea]] and [[Yume Nikki:Barracks Settlement|Barracks Settlement]]) and characters (such as the [[Yume Nikki:Ghostmen|Ghostmen]]) who slightly resemble chromosomes, which could mean Madotsuki inherited strabismus genetically.
+*Another cause of strabismic eyes is through severe brain or head injuries. It should be noted that some strabismic NPCs, notably [[Yume Nikki:Dropfish|Dropfish]], the [[Yume Nikki:Goppa|Goppa]], the [[Yume Nikki:Severed Blue Head|Severed Blue Head]], and Monoko (when shown during her [[Yume Nikki:Events#Monoko|event]]) are all strabismic while also seemingly drooling or coughing up blood. It's possible that this links to the themes of violence and traffic accidents found throughout the game (read below sections).
-The many characters might be her representation of students or other teachers.
+[[File:Henkei2.png|thumb|right|Their appearance could be interpreted as either fat or pregnant.]]
+One particular theme relating to the body that seems to appear throughout the game is the theme of pregnancy or childbirth. [[Yume Nikki:Takofuusen|Takofuusen]] is an easily identifiable example of this, as it resembles a fetus with the "[[Wikipedia:Twin reversed arterial perfusion|TRAP sequence]]" birth defect. Other characters, such as [[Yume Nikki:Onsen-san|Onsen-san]] and [[Yume Nikki:Manhole-sama|Manhole-sama]], have chord-like appendages that resemble umbilical cords. Alongside this, characters such as the [[Yume Nikki:Henkei Shita|Henkei Shita]] have large stomachs with thin mouths resembling a surgical cut, which is a trait shared with some of the Mall Shoppers (most notably Obasan) when they distort. The theme of pregnancy could also be an explanation for the instances of characters or structures resembling reproductive organs, characters of which appear to prelude or lead to larger or more terrifying characters in the dream world, such as the Floyag and Manhole-sama eventually leading to the Thing with the Quivering Jaw and the Zippertile and KyuuKyuu-kun leading to FACE, which possibly intend to paint such themes as horrific. These instances have been largely debated by fans on what their possible meaning could be, if any.
-==='''''Madotsuki was grounded and forgotten about'''''===
+The reoccurring theme of body parts throughout Madotsuki's dreams could lead to many interpretations. It's possible she could be afraid of body parts or losing them, as they usually appear around blood or in a gruesome manner such as in Eyeball World or Mural World's Mouth Monsters. Some fans also think that the appearance of characters or structures resembling reproductive organs in her dreams may be linked to a traumatic event or could possibly relate to themes of gender identity (detailed in the Themes of Identity section). As stated above, the inclusion of many strabismic characters could even be related to Madotsuki herself being strabismic, though this is never shown in-game due to her eyes appearing to be closed.
-She can't leave her room and she also kills herself. This theory is thought of because why else would she not leave? This also links with the idea of aliens. She couldn't leave because of them. Maybe they locked her up because she was crazy (also links to aliens).
-==='''''Madotsuki is a neo-nazi'''''===
+==Themes of Violence==
-If Madotsuki is in the ''Eyeball World'' with the knife effect equipped, she is able to stab the eyeballs that inhabit the world. As a result of stabbing them, the irises of the eyes turn from red to blue. This could represent a possible desire that Madotsuki had to "cleanse" the world of those that she believed didn't belong due to their physical appearances. [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adolf_hitler Adolf Hitler]'s idea of the perfect human being was a [[Effects#Blonde Hair|blonde]] individual with blue eyes (Aryan). If Madotsuki is truly Japanese, this may tie in with the possibility that she feels insecure about not being Aryan. Through the long hair and the blonde hair effects, Madotsuki may be expressing this insecurity. The same could be said about her experience with interacting with [[Poniko]]. This theory relates to the murder theory.
+[[File:Mars-san Stab.png|left|thumb|Madotsuki leaving a wound on Mars-san's foot.]]
+Depending on the player's actions, Madotsuki can behave violently towards NPCs and sometimes inanimate objects. She is able to use the [[Yume Nikki:Effects#Knife|Knife]] effect on almost all of the NPCs with varying results.
-==='''''Toriningen are trying to save Madotsuki.'''''===
+While this makes the Knife a prominent effect in the game, it is nevertheless not necessary for gathering effects and thus achieving the [[Yume Nikki:Ending|ending]], and most of the time, can be substituted by the [[Yume Nikki:Effects#Cat|Cat]] effect for exploring purposes. Even in cases where it is useful for exploring, it will often lead to alarming events such as the Severed Heads in the Sky and FACE events. It could also be argued that Madotsuki, while wielding the Knife effect, is one of the most dangerous characters in the dream world. Even other characters that may seem like enemies or appear to be violent, such as the Toriningen or Uboa, simply trap Madotsuki in isolated locations with no other ill effects, not even doing damage to Madotsuki despite the game's inclusion of a health bar (which may also just be a remnant of the RPG Maker engine used for the game).
-The Toriningen might be aware of what happens when Madotsuki collects all effects, and they might be trying to prevent that from happening by teleporting Madotsuki away.
-==='''''Madotsuki had a twin'''''===
+Regardless, the Knife is still perceived as a key object in the minds of many fans, leading to them interpreting that Madotsuki or other characters from the game can be prone to acts of violence. Some fans have also theorized that Madotsuki may have had a violent past or was violent herself in the real world, thus why the Knife effect is found in the difficult-to-navigate Dark World (likely as a form of repressed memory) and why Madotsuki isolates herself in her room, possibly out of guilt for a violent act committed in the past.
-In the White Desert there is a 1 of 3600 Chance where "Takofuusen" (Octopus Balloon) will appear. Takofuusen looks a lot like a birthed twin with the ''twin reversed artiel perfusion'' or "TRAP Syndrome". Takofuusen could be Madotsuki's twin but had the TRAP Syndrome. Other theories suggest that the White Desert is a place full of memories such as Monoe and Monoko. Takofuusen could be a memory of Madotsuki's twin.
-==='''''Madotsuki was in an accident'''''===
+==Themes of Traffic Accidents==
-Different areas in Yume Nikki imply that Madotsuki was in a train wreck or a car crash of some kind. Upon entering the traincar in the Deep Woods, Madotsuki is transported to the [[Witch's Island]]. The lake leading to the Witch Effect is littered with malformed formations of creatures slightly resembling faces. Perhaps these "people" are memories of the train crashing and the people who died. [[Monoko]] also supports this. When Madotsuki first encounters her in the White Desert, she appears a normal girl. However, using the Stoplight Effect causes her appearance to change dramatically, growing extra arms, and drooling slightly. Shitai-san, the one who gives Madotsuki the Stoplight Effect, could also be a person Madotsuki was close to who also died in the crash, as well as [[Seccom Masada-sensei]]. The fact that Masada is seperate from other characters (harder to get to, on Mars) may imply that he was someone very important to Madotsuki. The UFOs on Mars could be people observing the crash, and [[Mars-san]] could be someone Madotsuki knew as well, who was a survivor. A rare creature resembling Mars-san is seen in a small pond where Madotsuki receives the Witch Effect, as seen in a video [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VbRUXn1FH-c here]. This links Mars-san to the traincar crash even further. There is a theory about [[Madotsuki's Ghost]] in the Red Maze (Hell) that the ghost represents survior's guilt, which could also link to Madotsuki surviving the crash. Some think that Poniko was a girl who saved Madotsuki in the crash but died, and Uboa represents the guilt Madotsuki feels of Poniko's death.
+[[File:Shita-San.png|thumb|right|150px|Shitai-san, seemingly the victim of a traffic incident.]]
+Different areas and interactions in ''Yume Nikki'' imply that Madotsuki often thinks about traffic accidents of some kind. One prominent example of this is [[Yume Nikki:Shitai-san|Shitai-san]], a dead person on the ground in the [[Yume Nikki:Road|Road]], surrounded by traffic cones, of whom the [[Yume Nikki:Effects#Stoplight|Stoplight]] effect can be gained.
-==='''''Madotsuki isn't human'''''===
+Other instances of vehicle- and crash-related events also occur within the dream world. Seccom Masada-sensei is troubled by his [[Yume Nikki:Spaceship|spaceship]] crashing onto Mars, while Mars-san cries near something that appears to be a crashed locomotive. Near Shitai-san is also a train track, with a [[Yume Nikki:Traincar|Traincar]] located elsewhere in the same forest.
-Madotsuki doesn't eat or take care of herself in any ways but sleeping. All she does is sleep. This may be an impossible theory to some, but Madotsuki may not be human at all. She may be some sort of entity created to restore the dream nexus because something was wrong with it. Who created her, a mystery. Maybe the PLAYER even created her! The player could be behind Madotsuki's very being in this game. Madotsuki also jumps after she has collected all effects. This could be because she was supposed to do that from the beginning and knew all along. She knew it was her only purpose, so she decided her role was over, and jumped. Before you dismiss this theory, think about it. Madotsuki could be from the dream world, just like Masada-Sensei and Poniko.
-==Mars-san==
+[[File:Five armed Monoko.jpg|thumb|right|150px|Monoko's appearance after the Stoplight effect is used.]]
-It is all alone, accompanied by nothing but strange "machines" and depressing music. It is also crying. Has Mars-san simply burst into tears because it too is trapped on this strange planet, and it's helpless? Maybe the machines are it's countless ways to escape the planet.
+Some characters also react oddly, sometimes disturbingly, to the Stoplight effect when it is used near them. The faces of the [[Yume Nikki:Wheelies|Wheelies]] will drastically change and [[Yume Nikki:Buyo Buyo|Buyo Buyo]] will freeze while losing its pupil. Another popular example of a character reacting to the Stoplight effect is [[Yume Nikki:Monoko|Monoko]], a girl found in one of the tunnels of the [[Yume Nikki:White Desert A|White Desert]] who drastically changes her appearance when the Stoplight is used: she has five arms (one coming out of her head), a wound on her stomach, strabismic eyes with one of them spurting out liquid and an open, seemingly drooling, mouth. Using the Stoplight again restores her appearance. This could be interpreted as Monoko possibly being a person in the real world that may have had relations with Madotsuki, but suffered a vehicle-related accident that Madotsuki witnessed. Her strange appearance when the Stoplight is used could possibly be a less grotesque interpretation of what Madotsuki saw.
-Could this be symbolising an element of deep and utter hopelessness, being trapped, and unable to escape? Not being able to escape not just Mars, but being that this is Madotsuki's dreams? Maybe this is a realisation that she is trapped in her own mind?
+One other theme that could possibly further this theory is the occurrence of cones or cone-shapes in the dream world, which could overall symbolize traffic cones (such as the ones that surround [[Yume Nikki:Shitai-san|Shitai-san]], the source of the Stoplight effect). A single traffic cone can be found in the Mall, blocking the area's rooftop, and several conical structures can be found in areas such as the [[Yume Nikki:Pink Sea|Pink Sea]] and [[Yume Nikki:Face Carpet Plaza|Face Carpet Plaza]]. Conical trees are also prevalent in areas such as [[Yume Nikki:Forest World|Forest World]], [[Yume Nikki:Snow World|Snow World]], and [[Yume Nikki:Dense Woods A|Dense Woods A]], the latter of which is connected to where the Stoplight effect is located.
-[[File:Marssan.png|thumb|284px|Depressing, emotional music can be heard in the background along with a hissing noise. Mars-san is crying. Machines (?) are everywhere.]]
+All of these themes have led to theories stating Madotsuki may have had experiences in the real world relating to a traffic accident, possibly alongside family or friends. This would explain why she is alone in her apartment, as those in the traffic accident possibly died or suffered fatal injuries and thus can't be with Madotsuki.
-This can easily be put with other theories to suggest a possible reason why Madotsuki kills herself in the end of the game, because she can no longer stand being trapped in her own head.
+==Themes of Escapism==
+[[File:Madotsuki in Bed.png|thumb|left|Whatever is behind that door, it is too much for her to confront.]]
+Madotsuki is seemingly trapped inside her room, though it is unknown if this is by choice or if it is due to something out of her control. She remains stuck inside a room with nothing to do except play ''[[Yume Nikki:NASU|NASU]]'', write in her diary and sleep. For this reason, some fans believe Madotsuki remains in her dream world as a way to escape the situation that she finds herself in.
-==Aztec imagery==
+While inside her dreams, she can [[Yume Nikki:Events#Witch's Flight|fly across a city sky]], explore [[Yume Nikki:FC World A|far more interesting video games]], hang out with [[Yume Nikki:Poniko|other people]], and [[Yume Nikki:Spaceship|travel across the universe]]. But between all of these things that she can do, it always ends up with her returning to reality, as explained through various events.
-Aztec imagery appears in most backgrounds in Madotsuki's dreams and even her real life room (the carpet). It could indicate she may have a strong fascination towards Aztec culture. Maybe because of its fundaments or out of mere curiosity.
-It may be symbolic: the Aztecs were hated by all people of all places before they settled in Tenochtitlan. Even when they reached the valley of Texcoco everybody tried their hardest to expel them from the proximities of the lake. Throughout their brief history as lords of this rich land they were known as dark, grim, suprahuman fighters with an intrinsic veneration to death, bodily sacrifices and motherhood as they had more than one deity that symbolized these elements that are so recurrent in throughout the whole game.
+All of the events mentioned above are seemingly friendly, but will ultimately lead to Madotsuki waking up anyway in the right conditions. In the Witch's Flight event, she can eventually fall, leading her to wake up. Interacting with a wall in the [[Yume Nikki:FC Dungeon|FC Dungeon]] leads to scarily glitched graphics alongside a loud noise that wakes Madotsuki. Spending time with Poniko can lead to the Uboa event, which drastically changes the mood of the soundtrack and the surroundings and will teleport Madotsuki to Uboa's Trap, forcing her to wake up if she doesn't have the [[Yume Nikki:Effects#Medamaude|Medamaude]] effect. Boarding the [[Yume Nikki:Events#Spaceship Crash|space ship]] can lead to a crash-landing, effectively isolating Madotsuki on Mars.
-It may be that Madotsuki feels identified with these people, their culture, their art and what they symbolize as well as could be why she kills herself at the end, believing it to be a form of ritual self sacrifice that will free her. Madotsuki may be able to relate to the Aztecs.
+It could be theorized that these happy events link Madotsuki to the real world, even if she wants to remain dreaming to escape the harsh reality that she lives in.
-==Insanity Theory==
+==Themes of Identity==
+Some factors found within the dream worlds could be seen as representing transgender or other queer identity. Many of the effects relating to appearance, such as the Hair effects, could be seen as representative of appearance or body dysphoria. Many creatures throughout the dream world could also be seen as relating to body dysphoria as well. For example, creatures resembling reproductive organs appear in Madotsuki's dreams, such as the uterus-like Floyag and the phallic KyuuKyuu-kun. Many of the more distorted creatures, such as the White Desert monsters and the [[Yume Nikki:Sewers#Sewer Drawings|Sewer Drawings]], have abnormal limbs that give off the appearance of something inside them trying to escape, which may be metaphorical for "coming out" in terms of identity.
-In the manga, a story is being told that Madotsuki is possibly mentally unstable. This is supportive to both the theory of her being a murderer as well as the theory of her being in a crash or accident. In the manga mars is in charge of a system called "The Dream" and it mentions the girls which came before Madotsuki as being others who were trying to collect the effects. These girls are Mafurako, Monoe, Monoko, Kamakurako, and Poniko being the first who this system was tested on. The effects are stated by Seccom Masada-sensei to be Good Memories, Poniko apparently stole the effects from the other girls to be able to escape as she says “Not as who I was, but who I am now.” This dream possibly was supposed to make the girls forget the traumatic experiences so they could become Good Girls. When Madotsuki starts to kill the dream characters with her knife, she goes insane and it is stated that Madotsuki was not able to keep her innocence even though the system in “The Dream” was supposed to be perfect. It is also stated that the girls each went through some traumatic experience.
+While some of the distorted-looking characters may be interpreted as physical/body dysphoria, other aspects of the dream world could possibly be interpreted as identity dysphoria, the concept of lacking an identity, or nonconforming identity. Some characters, such as the Pirori or the Nopperabou Witches (when the Cat effect is used), may represent an idea of "facelessness" or lack of identity depicted literally. Another thing to note is that a male and female [[Yume Nikki:Restroom|restroom]] appear in different areas in the dream world, both of which Madotsuki can enter.
-*'''Monoko''' – The  girl who lost her identity
+The ending of the game can also be interpreted as symbolic. Many fans think that Madotsuki's death and the ending of the game overall represent a "reawakening" of sorts. In the context of transgender or sexual identity, this could be interpreted as coming out or revealing such things publicly, reawakening as a completely new person.
-*'''Monoe''' – The girl who lost her thoughts
+==Japanese Folklore==
+Various NPCs and effects are demons, ghosts, and monsters from Japanese folklore. This suggests that Madotsuki may be interested in or feels personally involved with this theme.
-*'''Kamakurako '''– The girl who lost her tomorrow
+NPCs that heavily resemble creatures of Japanese folklore are:
+*The [[Yume Nikki:Yuki-onna|Yuki-onna]], who is modeled after the [[Wikipedia:Yuki-onna|yuki-onna]] yōkai and bestows Madotsuki the [[Yume Nikki:Effects#Yuki-onna|Yuki-Onna]] effect when interacted with.
+*The [[Yume Nikki:FC Demon|FC Demon]], who might not look like a regular [[Wikipedia:Oni|oni]], but the [[Yume Nikki:Effects#Demon / Oni （おに）|Demon]] effect they give gives Madotsuki the appearance of one.
+*The [[Yume Nikki:Nopperabou Ghost|Nopperabou Ghost]] and [[Yume Nikki:Nopperabou Witches|Nopperabou Witches]], who references the legendary faceless [[Wikipedia:Noppera-bō|noppera-bō]] creature. The former also gives out the [[Yume Nikki:Effects#Nopperabou|Nopperabou]] effect.
+*The [[Yume Nikki:Ittan-momen|Ittan-momen]], fan-named after the [[Wikipedia:Ittan-momen|yōkai of the same name]]. It is a [[Wikipedia:Tsukumogami|tsukumogami]] that has been said to be a long cloth that has come to life and flies around, killing people by smothering them. It gives the [[Yume Nikki:Effects#Towel|Towel]] effect.
+*The Toriningen slightly resemble a [[Wikipedia:Tengu|tengu]] or [[Wikipedia:Baku (mythology)|baku]], two creatures in Japanese mythology that sport long noses. Baku are also notable for devouring dreams, notably nightmares.
-*'''Mafurako''' – The girl who lost her home
+[[File:CatMado.png|thumb|The Cat effect resembles a maneki-neko.]]
+Some other effects also appear to relate to Japanese folklore:
+*The Cat effect, where Madotsuki becomes a humanoid [[Wikipedia:Maneki-neko|maneki-neko]] holding a [[Wikipedia:Koban_(coin)|koban coin]]. As the maneki-neko is supposed to bring in customers with its good luck, it might explain why NPCs are drawn towards Madotsuki when she paws with her right hand.
+*The [[Yume Nikki:Effects#Triangle Kerchief|Triangle Kerchief]] effect given out by [[Yume Nikki:Fleebie|Fleebie]]. When applying the effect, Madotsuki appears with a ''hitaikakushi'', white triangle-shaped headbands which are often worn by [[Wikipedia:Yūrei|yūrei]].
-However, Poniko’s trauma was not actually stated but she turned into Uboa when she failed to collect the effects, or regained her Bad Memories.
+==Lucid Dreaming==
+As Madotsuki can wake herself up at any time in her dream while also having control over her surroundings, she is by definition having lucid dreams. Since she also keeps a dream diary, she remembers at least some things about them, particularly the effects as saving the game could be interpreted as her writing the moments related to effects in her diary in order to remember them and therefore reuse them in the dream world.
-When she destroys the Dream Diary it causes Madotsuki’s Inner Evil to come out, and Madotsuki then proceeds to destroy the Dream. When Seccom Masada-sensei puts the effects into the Nexus, the door in the Real World closes and Madotsuki wakes up in the bed, Masada then procedes to tell Madotsuki that she is still in the dream (Madotsuki forgets everything that happened) and to wake up she must jump off the building. This also supports the Happy Ending Theory, as well.
+Self-induced lucid dreaming is a successful therapy technique for dealing with sleep cycle-affecting mental disorders or illnesses. It is theorized she may have been taught self-induced lucid dreaming to reduce the frequency of nightmares and keeps a dream diary to keep track of her dreams as a self-care exercise.
-==Multiple Doors Theory==
-The reason why there are multiple doors and different "dreams" is because each door represents a different thing about our character, Madotsuki. Madotsuki is probably 11-12 years old because she starts to have dreams about sexual imagery, which represents that she probably hit puberty. The reason I say 11-12 is because she is in the beginning of this phase. She sees sexual things like phallic symbols and ovaries. But notice how these images are rather frightening... The reason why is because Madotsuki is afraid of the changes in her body. Terms like "penis" and "vagina' are still considered "gross" at that age. She is afraid of things like pregnacy. The reason why is the stuff she heard in her health class or science class about those topics. They still seem confusing for those people at that age. Things are confusing because of the element of the unknown or incertainty. We humans fear the unknown and therefore her interpretations of the sexual symbols are considered disturbing.
-The different effects represent different things about herself. The knife is hidden in a dark room because violence isn't something young girls turn to. It is something hidden in the subconcious. Tragic events like the corpse you find and obtaining the street lamp represent that she survived a car accident. The corpse could have been a family member. The trauma from the dream got into the mix and it's why she sees blood in certain rooms. There is blood in random places in the game (mostly in the forest area) the reason for the randomness is that dreams themselves are random. But it is bigger than that. In the eye ball room there are several body parts like eyeballs and arms. The reason for violence in the dream is the trauma from the accident.
+==Separation of Dreams and Reality==
+At all times during regular gameplay, the dream world and the real world are kept separate, meaning no "unreal" dream elements carry over in the awake moments. During the Witch's Flight event, Madotsuki even falls out of her bed in the real world to indicate that she moved around in her sleep while having a strong dream.
-Every door contains something about Madotsuki. Dreams are a representation of yourself and that's what the doors represent. (Also explains aztec imagery and pyramids in the game, she learned about it and dreamed it) The effects involving appearance (demon, frog, fat) represent her insecurities. But she still has playful and "fun" effects because she is a child at heart. Notice the famicon sprite style dream, and that the Famicon is gone in the dream in her room but she ends up going in the famicon world. It is her trying to keep her youth, she is still a child at heart, which connects to her fear of the changes in her body. The Yuki-onna and Medamaude effects are from weird legends she probably learned about. Her name translates to "window" in Japanese, she is the window to the dream world. The dream world are all things and events that make her.
+However, during the ending, two [[Yume Nikki:Jellyfish|Jellyfish]] appear, while the ending supposedly takes place in the real world. This has raised doubts as to whether the ending is real or just another dream. In fact, some fans believe that Madotsuki is dreaming at every point in the game, citing her perpetually closed eyes, the carrying over of [[Yume Nikki:Vending Machine#Yen|yen]] after getting pinched awake, and the unrealistic nature of living in an apartment without food or a bathroom as evidence. The blood splatter that appears in the ending also appears several times throughout the dream world, though this is likely either foreshadowing or reusing assets. Others see this theory as a symbol that, even in death, Madotsuki can't escape her nightmares.
-[[Category:Theories]]
+[[Category:Yume Nikki Theoretical Discussions]]