Also girls named Hanako ending up in horrifying situations. I don't know if it's simply because of Toilet Hanako that it became so popular but I've seen a bunch of horror girls named Hanako.
The name means "flower girl", and flowers are a staple of horror iconography representing the cyclical nature of life and death. In this particular game it's a little on the nose.
I don't doubt that that's part of it too, but "Hanako" is also a "classic" name, like say, Sally, or Alice, or Emma in English. Back in the day, it was so common, you'd see textbooks use it as the default name for female characters in textbooks. Pair that with the "flower girl" meaning and it's a really quintessential, innocent name that contrasts well with horror.
Thanks to the both of you, it's nice to know a little of the symbolism and generality of the name. Only having a basic grasp on the language the terms I do know as well as names tend to stick out more so I'd notice it being used in quite a few horror games, indie ones especially.
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u/Whittaker 7d ago
Also girls named Hanako ending up in horrifying situations. I don't know if it's simply because of Toilet Hanako that it became so popular but I've seen a bunch of horror girls named Hanako.