Keiichi Maebara has just moved to the quiet little village of Hinamizawa in the summer of 1983, and quickly becomes inseparable friends with schoolmates Rena Ryuuguu, Mion Sonozaki, Satoko Houjou, and Rika Furude. However, darkness lurks underneath the seemingly idyllic life they lead. As the village prepares for its annual festival, Keiichi learns about the local legends surrounding it. To his horror, he discovers that there have been several murders and disappearances in the village in the recent years, and that they all seem to be connected to the festival and the village's patron god, Oyashiro. Keiichi tries to ask his new friends about these incidents, but they are suspiciously silent and refuse to give him the answers he needs. As more and more bizarre events occur, he wonders just what else his friends might be keeping from him, and if he can even trust them at all. When madness and paranoia begin taking root in Keiichi's heart, he will stumble straight into the mysteries at work in Higurashi no Naku Koro ni, a story that is told across multiple arcs. [Written by MAL Rewrite]

Second-year high school student Yatora Yaguchi is a delinquent with excellent grades, but is unmotivated to find his true calling in life. Yatora spends his days working hard to maintain his academic standing while hanging out with his equally unambitious friends. However, beneath his carefree demeanor, Yatora does not enjoy either activity and wishes he could find something more fulfilling. While mulling over his predicament, Yatora finds himself staring at a vibrant landscape of Shibuya. Unable to express how he feels about the unusually breathtaking sight, he picks up a paintbrush, hoping his thoughts will be conveyed on canvas. After receiving praise for his work, the joy he feels sends him on a journey to enter the extremely competitive Tokyo University of the Arts—a school that only accepts one in every two hundred applicants. Facing talented peers, a lack of understanding of the fine arts, and struggles to obtain his parents’ approval, Yatora is confronted by much adversity. In the hopes of securing one of the five prestigious spots in his program of choice, Yatora must show that his inexperience does not define him.

As with both the Advanced Generation and Diamond & Pearl series before it, the Best Wishes! series begins with only Satoshi, headed off to the Isshu region, located far away from Kanto, Johto, Houen, and Sinnoh, with his Pikachu. After he meets up with the new trainer and rival Shooty and the region's Professor Araragi, he gains traveling companions in Iris, a girl from a town known for its Dragon Pokémon, and Dent, Pokémon Connoisseur and the Grass Pokémon specialist of the three Sanyou City Gym Leaders.

Far from the city's noise lies Torishirojima—a quaint and peaceful island where time seems to move slowly. Hairi Takahara, a young boy nursing a wounded heart, uses the recent death of his grandmother as a quiet reason to leave the city for a summer retreat to Torishirojima. Upon reaching the island, Hairi finds himself surrounded by a refreshing, laid-back atmosphere, a far cry from the hustle and bustle he is used to. After moving in with his aunt, Kyouko Misaki, he prepares to spend the summer helping her sort through a shed full of artifacts his grandmother collected over the years alongside his cousin, Umi Katou, who is staying with them. While adjusting to the island's slower pace, Hairi decides to spend his free time exploring. He soon meets the cheerful Tsumugi Wenders; the antisocial Shiroha Naruse; the wandering Kamome Kushima; and the sharp-tongued Ao Sorakado. Drawn into their lives and the island's subtle mysteries, Hairi is gradually swept up in a summer filled with fun, nostalgia, and life-changing moments that will stay with him forever.