Jellyfish

Jellyfish
Basic Info
Role	Warp to Teleport Maze and Infinite Road
Collectibles	None
Events	None
Location	Dense Woods A Dense Woods B (Frog Path) The Ending
Other
Size	Standard
Killable?	No

The Jellyfish (クラゲ, Kurage) are NPCs that can be found in the Dense Woods. They also make an appearance during the game's final scene.

Overview

The Jellyfish are odd creatures that are mostly maroon in color, particularly on their legs and head, the latter of which has a bulbous shape. They have red, poncho-like frills drooping over or making up their bodies, which are outlined in bright red. Two legs emerge from the bottom of the frill, which have single-toed feet.

The Jellyfish largely stand idle in the Dense Woods, not reacting to any effects and only making a bell chime noise when interacted with, making their bodies shuffle around. The first stands on the road in Dense Woods A while the second inhabits the end of the Frog Path in Dense Woods B, the latter taking Madotsuki to the Teleport Maze when interacted with.

The Jellyfish are the only characters to appear in the ending, simply walking onto the screen. 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.

Trivia

• The Jellyfish chimes use the same sound as the teleport noise for the balloons in the Pink Sea, although the latter is slowed.
  • These chimes are similar to the ones heard in the background music for Snow World and the Neon Tile Path.

Interpretation

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

Spoilers:

[Show/Hide]

Two Jellyfish in the ending.

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

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, though this may just be a remnant from RPG Maker 2003, the game's engine), 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 one of the few NPCs to be immune to the Knife effect. This could imply that they represent a very powerful force in Madotsuki's psyche on par with other characters immune to the effect such as Uboa or the Toriningen, yet unlike Uboa and the Toriningen, Jellyfish show no obvious signs of hostility. This trait may also tie into 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.

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, with the Jellyfish's appearance during the ending signifying this.

Spoilers end here.

Gallery

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  The Jellyfish in the Dense Woods A.

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  The Jellyfish that transports the player to the Teleport Maze in the Dense Woods B.

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  Madotsuki encountering a Jellyfish in the manga.

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  Manga panels of the Jellyfish making a chime when Madotsuki touches it.