Yume Nikki:Jellyfish

Jellyfish
赤い水母っぽいの (Akai Kurageppoi No, Red Jellyfish-like Thing)
Location	The Dense Woods The Ending
Role	Accessing the Teleport Maze
Size	Standard
Effect Reaction	None
Notes	One of the few characters who cannot be killed.

Overview

The characters known as Jellyfish (クラゲ, Kurage) are NPCs that can be found in the Dense Woods, and also make an appearance during the final scene of the game.

They are red and maroon in color and resemble jellyfish or weeping flower buds. Jellyfish have no humanoid characteristics other than the two squat legs visible from below the petal-like frill.

When interacted with, the frill shuffles from side to side and produces a series of bell chimes. This triggers paraphysical events such as teleportation.

Jellyfish do not move or animate when idle, and show no response to any of Madotsuki's effects, including even the Knife and the Cat, which is very unusual for standard NPCs.

Trivia

• On the credits screen at the end of the game, they can be made to chime with the number keys. The lower Jellyfish reacts to the (1) key and makes a low sound, and the upper Jellyfish reacts to the (3) key and makes a higher-pitched sound.

Interpretation

Jellyfish are strange characters that provoke a lot of questions. Their lack of expression and strange behavior make them very mysterious characters.

Most notably, despite being surreal creatures exclusive to Madotsuki's dreams, they appear in the real world after she jumps from her balcony. This may indicate that what was apparently the 'real world' was nothing more than another layer of Madotsuki's dreams (which could be supported by the fact that her yen is carried over), or may suggest that they were supernatural entities that always existed outside of Madotsuki's dreams and guided the events of the game from the beginning. The fact that they appear in the ending as well as on the way to Shitai-san is usually brought up as evidence that they are reapers of some kind, and are thus sometimes called "death gods" (死神, "Shinigami") in the fanbase. Alternatively, their appearance may just be a symbol that Madotsuki will never escape her dreams, even in death.

They are also the only NPC character (other than Uboa, Pain Blob, and the Toriningen) to be immune to the Knife effect. Interestingly, Uboa is the only other character that has no reaction at all to the Knife. This could imply that they represent a very powerful force in Madotsuki's psyche on par with these other major characters, yet unlike Uboa and the Toriningen, Jellyfish show no obvious signs of hostility. This trait may also tie in to the theory of them being supernatural or deific figures. Further evidence to support this is the sound they make when interacted with, a chiming bell. In the Japanese Shinto religion, bells are often placed on shrines and are a part of the ceremonial ritual associated with praying to the Gods.

A lotus flower. The Jellyfish may be interpreted as lotus buds or upside-down flowers.

It has been suggested that Jellyfish are actually modeled after the lotus flower, specifically the nelumbo nucifera species, which are also known as the sacred lotus and are a common flower symbol in general. In Japanese culture (including Buddhist symbolism), the lotus flower represents purity, divinity, and spiritual awakening. The lotus flower was also used to represent the path from death to the afterlife in ancient Egypt. This symbolism may be a metaphor for Madotsuki's suicide being a transcendence from her disturbed life into a state of 'nirvana' and peace, or her 'awakening' from the dream into the true real world.

Gallery

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  A Jellyfish in the Dense Woods

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  The Jellyfish that transports the player to the Teleport Maze

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  Two Jellyfish in the ending

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  A Jellyfish in the manga

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