Kemono Friends (2015 Mobile Game)

The Japanese mobile game Kemono Friends, published by Nexon, was the first entry in the Kemono Friends multimedia franchise.

Prologue
The player finds themselves in Japari Park with no previous memories. There, they meet Mirai, depicted as a rookie Park Guide, as well as Serval. The player learns that Japari Park is a massive, open zoo where visitors can play with animal girls known as Friends, but that the park is currently closed due to an outbreak of Celliens. It is during this prologue that the party first encounters the strange, Serval-like Cellien named Cerval.

Chapter 1
The party meets Caracal, who claims that Serval stole her Japari Buns. However, Serval has been unwittingly framed by Cerval, the true culprit. They accost and do battle with her, after which she mumbles something about "going back to the Queen". Fearing that Cerval will cause more mischief that Serval will be blamed for, the party follows the Cellien to the next region. Additionally, Caracal joins the party.

Chapter 2
Pursuing Cerval, the party seeks help from the "Wiseman". On the way, they meet Crested Ibis, a troubled singer. The ibis explains that her she's troubled not only that her singing is terrible, but also that it apparently attracts Celliens. The party suggests that the Wiseman may be able to help her too, so she tags along.

Once they finally meet this "Wiseman", it turns out to be a pair of owls, specifically Professor Konoha-chan and Assistant Mimi-chan. They give Crested Ibis medicine to improve her voice, but it doesn't work at all, attracting even more Celliens than before. The discouraged bird Friend is about to give up singing for good, but the party encourages her to keep with it. She then gains the ability to heal in combat using her voice (although she still sounds terrible). It turns out that Celliens were attracted to her voice because her singing was so bad that even they couldn't bear it and tried to stop her by force. But with its newfound healing ability, the effect is mitigated, lending to a (relatively) happy ending for the chapter. Afterwards, Professor Konoha-chan informs the party that she saw Cerval heading to the desert area.

Chapter 3
The party arrives in the Sankai Region and finds that all of its oases have dried up. Not missing a beat, the heroes set out to find out what's going on. There, they meet Arabian Oryx, who is looking for her missing friend Lulu, a Thomson's gazelle Friend. As it turns out, Lulu set off on her own accord to prove herself useful to Arabian Oryx by solving the problem of the desert's empty oases herself. She and the party locate a large Cellien that drank all of the water in the desert. They defeat it, and Lulu joins the player's party permanently. Unfortunately, Cerval gets away in the process and the group follows her into another region.

Chapter 4
The party continues their journey through the Waterfront. After battling a Cellien, Serval finds she is no longer able to speak, and can only communicate in animal cries. They meet Black Rhinoceros and White Rhinoceros, who explain that Serval has a disease plaguing the Area called "Gaogao Disease". The disease is rumored to be caused by Cerval, who was seen being friendly towards Celliens. The party apprehend her, but she insists she knows nothing.

Crested Ibis catches the disease after noticing a trail of rainbow-colored slime. Mirai sends a sample of the liquid to a nearby Maintenance Center to analyze, leading them to a giant snail Cellien which is the source of the slime and disease. Silver Fox appears from the shadows and gives a vaccine to the party so they can safely fight it, before the Cellien attacks her and knocks her out. The group defeats the Cellien, and Serval and Crested Ibis are found to have been cured by the vaccine. White Rhino joins the party as they follow Cerval through the Snowy Mountain Area, bringing the still-unconscious Silver Fox with them.

Chapter 5
When Silver Fox finally wakes up, she seems to have amnesia and can't remember why she was following the protagonist. The party meets Capybara, the hot springs specialist, who tells them of a hot spring with the effect of helping restore memories.

As the group travels, Mirai explains research about Celliens, including how they can steal Sparkle and copy forms. Along the way, they run into Cerval in a hot spring. While White Rhino is still suspicious of her, Serval wants to bring her along, and she doesn't seem dangerous in her current state. So far the party has referred to her only as "Fake Serval", but Serval insists on giving her a name of her own - "Cerval", a name which appears to make her happy.

Serval finds a "Super Secret Hot Spring" which is in reality just a cold fountain. Silver Fox jumps in and regains her memory, but it is unclear if this is caused by the spring itself or the protagonist's amulet, which glows while they have a dream inside the water. Silver Fox explains that she was ordered to secretly protect the party by Oinari-sama. Oinari-sama is staying in Park Central, which has been shut down due to the Celliens. Afterward, Cerval goes into a trance as she is controlled by the Queen, summoning a giant Cellien. The Cellien is defeated, but Cerval escapes and the group begins to see how much danger she can pose.

Chapter 6
After receiving an invitation to a "Sky Race" the party heads to the Sky Area where they meet numerous avian Friends. The group decides to take part in the race as a change of mood and to raise the spirits of the other Friends. In the middle of the race Northern Goshawk is attacked by a Cellien, which steals her Sparkle of self-confidence and grows wings. Cerval rides the flying Cellien so she can reach the Queen faster.

Fennec and Arai who have also been chasing Cerval show up. Fennec mentions that the Sparkle Cerval stole from Serval is something very important, but can't explain what she means yet. Northern Goshawk comes up with a strategy to defeat the Celliens and win the race, but due to her loss of confidence she is unable to voice her plan. Serval encourages her and she regains her sparkle after telling her plan to her team members.

Meanwhile, the party catches up with Cerval. They appear to defeat the Birdien, but Cerval uses her power to strengthen it again and escape. The Friends follow her into the Gokoku Region, where they hear Margay is planning some sort of event.

After the protagonist's team completes the race, their amulet glows once again. This time they have a memory of secretly raising a small fox. Upon hearing the story, Serval becomes emotional, but is unable to explain why.

Chapter 7
The party reaches the next area and finds the Friends holding a creative contest. Margay is stressed because she was making a film, but her script was stolen by a Cellien along with her inspiration Sparkle. The party decides to find the Cellien that took the script and return it. Along the way they meet Stella, a Steller's Sea Cow Friend, and Mirai explains how it is thanks to Kako's research that they are able to meet extinct Friends.

The party notices that the Celliens seem to be evolving - their behavior is much more coordinated than before, and they are stealing the weapons of Friends to take on more dangerous forms. One such Cellien has stolen Narwhal's spear, and once it is defeated they gain back the spear along with Margay's script. After recovering the script it appears a large portion of it has been destroyed, but the Friends decide to film the movie anyway to cheer up Margay. They piece together the plot which is pirate-themed, and decide to ad-lib the rest. They set sail to begin the movie, accompanied by the dolphin Friends Malka and Nalka in the water.

While filming, they come across a ghost ship, with Cerval onboard. Cerval reveals that she is the captain of the ship, and that her crew of Celliens are playing pirates, inspired by Margay's stolen script. They're doing such a good job that Margay wants to work them into the movie, so Cerval joins in by fighting Serval. Serval helps Cerval remember they aren't supposed to be fighting, and Cerval breaks out of her trance. They call each other their friends, giving a happy ending to the fight and Margay's movie.

Suddenly Cerval is called to the Queen again, but this time she defies her orders, not wanting to hurt Serval. This resistance is met with punishment as a giant Cellien breaks out of the ship. The Cellien absorbs Cerval against her will, and she ends up being spat further away toward the Riukiu Area when it is defeated.

Fennec also explains that she once saw Serval cause a miracle in the past, when she was at the hospital during the onset of a Cellien attack. Serval triggered a power called "Kemo Harmony", healing all the Friends around her and strengthening them. Fennec and Silver Fox have a theory that Serval is somehow "special" in this regard. The party believes this specialness, related to the ability to invoke Kemo Harmony, to be the Sparkle stolen from Serval by Cerval.

Chapter 8
The party is taken to see Shisa Lefty and Shisa Right, two god-like Friends based on the Area's guardian animals. The Shisas serve them as guests for the night, and say they have someone investigating Cerval's whereabouts, on which they should receive a report in the morning. During the night, Mirai tells the protagonist more about Professor Kako, who she sees as a big sister. She met Kako at a zoo, and her love and knowledge of animals is what inspired Mirai to eventually come to Japari Park. She also reveals that Kako lost her parents when she was young - but despite this, she was able to achieve her dream of working so closely with animals.

In the morning, the Shisas tell the party what they've learned. Cerval is currently on an island being guarded by several powerful, evolved black Celliens. The party also learns that Oinari-sama is in battle with the Cellien Queen in Park Central, currently in a stalemate. The Shisas use the information gathered from their reports to deduce the Queen's plans. They believe she plans to use Cerval's stolen sparkle to invoke a large-scale "Ultimate Cell Harmony" instead of a Kemo Harmony - an event that would cause all Celliens in the park to rapidly evolve and steal all Sparkle. Knowing this would spell disaster, the party resolves to stop the Queen's plan at all costs.

The Friends modify the Japari Bus so that it can travel in the sea. They meet the dolphins again along with Blue Whale, who pull it along underwater to increase their speed and stealth against the Celliens. They run into the Shisas, who were fighting on a different island to act as a diversion for the Celliens. Silver asks the Shisas how they plan to get back the specialness stolen by Cerval when they do run into her. They respond that the only way that they know involves killing Cerval. Serval immediately rejects the idea, wanting to call off the mission. The other Friends try to calm her down from any rash decisions, knowing the alternative would put the world in danger. However, the Friends who have accompanied the protagonist on their journey understand Serval's hesitance, and start to wonder what the right thing to do really is.

The party runs into Okinawa Rail and Okinawan Habu, who were sent to help them. As they near their destination, the Friends think of all the times Serval has helped them. They know Serval has the strongest bond with Cerval compared to anyone else, so they decide to trust her with her choice, no matter what she chooses to do with Cerval. Serval knows an immense amount of pressure is being put on her, but they continue forward anyway.

When they reach where Cerval should be, all they find is a hastily scribbled message indicating that she has already left to Park Central. They are surrounded by a group of black Celliens, and defeat them after an exhausting battle. The Shisas arrive to give Serval an amulet infused with purifying salt. This salt will kill Cerval if used, but they tell her that it is ultimately her decision what to do with it.

Chapter 9
The party finally reaches Park Central. While they begin with a serious disposition considering the task at hand, after coming face-to-face with the Park's entertainment centers and exciting attractions it becomes hard for the Friends to maintain their composure. However, it becomes clear that even places the Friends once loved and found fun are devoid of their "Sparkle" - what gave them joy and charm.

Mirai contacts the control center and is devastated to learn that Kako had been attacked at the beginning of Park Central's Cellien outbreak. She is currently in a hospital outside of the Park, but still hasn't regain consciousness. The group spots Cerval in the distance, dragging herself to the "Kemono Castle" amusement park. They try to follow her in, only to find that the Celliens have created a barrier around it. Professor Konoha and Mimi arrive to tell the party the barrier is formed by seven Celliens scattered around Park Central resonating with each other. By defeating each of these Celliens, the barrier can be destroyed.

Because taking down the Celliens one-by-one would be too slow, the Friends decide to split up into groups in order to take them all out at once. Moreover, many of the Friends the party previously encountered show up to lend their aid. At the Observation Deck the Professors and other bird Friends fight a flying Cellien, while Crested Ibis sings to help them. Crested Ibis returns to help Serval and the rest of the party. The Professors encourage the others to keep playing in the area so they can protect it from any other Celliens.

In a battle at the Obstacle Course, Fennec, Raccoon, Margay and others take down another giant Cellien. Margay hears about a broadcasting station in the middle of Park Central, and asks Fennec and Raccoon to take her there. The rest of the group still see more celliens in the playground, so they stay to fight them and play some more.

At the Shopping Center, Caracal leads a group of Friends to defeat a giant Cellien who's made the rest area its home. After the battle, the Friends look around the area to see the different shops it offers. Caracal fights her urge to stay and have fun, returning to meet up with Serval.

Meanwhile at the Harbor, the dolphins, Blue Whale and Narwhal find a giant Cellien. It and a group of other Cellien trying to sink a submarine with a group of other Celliens. They defeat it and have fun swimming underwater.

In the historical ruin attraction, a giant Cellien is controlling a massive amount of sand. Desert Friends and others pass trials in order to reach the giant Cellien at the goal. After defeating it, the sand returns to normal and Lulu leaves to return to the party.

Near the Waterside Restaurant, White Rhino and water Friends like the members of PIP defeat a giant Cellien creating a huge torrent of water. After the battle the others stay to clean up the Area, as some things were washed away by the current. While they clean, PIP performs a song with Bearded Seal. White Rhino heads back to Serval.

Celliens at the Warehouse Area have created a lot of snow. Silver Fox and others try to find the real Cellien amidst a bunch of Cellien-shaped snow sculptures. Silver Fox creates an invention to improve the Wolf Confederation's sense of smell, so they can sniff out the real one. After defeating it, Silver Fox heads back to protect the protagonist. The others stay behind to build their own snow sculptures so that the landscape doesn't look so lonely.

Serval waits in front of Kemono Castle, once again debating what to do with the salt given to her by the Shisas. With all seven giant Celliens defeated, the barrier to the castle finally disappears. The protagonist enters along with Serval and Mirai. Inside, Oinari-sama can be seen talking to Cerval, aware of the tragedy about to occur with her Sparkle. Cerval, now clearly completely under the Queen's influence, can only respond by calling Oinari-sama a nuisance.

Chapter 10
Oinari-sama greets the protagonist, but expresses regret that they had to meet under such dire circumstances. She explains that she has been powering her own barrier to keep the Queen contained within the castle and that prevents Cerval from passing through to reach her. Cerval appears to recognize Serval, having just enough awareness to say Serval's name between moans of pain. She is unable to break the Queen's control of her mind. The Queen increases her strength and the barrier finally shatters. Cerval bids goodbye to Serval, before continuing through to the Queen.

The Cellien Queen's voice is heard from the room beyond, reminding them that Cerval will be no more - that once she delivers her special Sparkle to the Queen, she will revert into a normal Cellien. She states that it is natural for all things to fade and die out, but Celliens have the ability to preserve themselves forever and reproduce Sparkle that is otherwise lost. Mirai becomes disturbed to hear the Queen use the some of the same terminology as Kako in her speech, and wonders if the Queen's thoughts are a warped version of her friend's stolen Sparkle. Oinari-sama insists that they don't listen to her. Unfortunately, Oinari-sama's power has been too drained for her to help any further, and ultimately laments her inability to do more to save Cerval. She tells the party that she believes in them to save, but warns them of the Queen's considerable danger, telling them to retreat if necessary.

Mirai continues thinking about the Queen's voice from earlier, and tells her idea to Serval and the protagonist. She believes the Queen might be to Kako what Cerval is to Serval, and hopes they might be able to settle reach a resolution peacefully the same way Cerval was able to understand them. She confidently leads the party into the Queen's room. Mirai attempts to reason with the Queen to stop, appealing to Kako's love of the Park and all of the animals. However, the Queen cannot be reasoned with. She shows no sign of listening to Mirai's heartfelt plea, and simply continuously repeats her previous speech about Sparkle verbatim. Serval and Mirai are forced to conclude that the Queen is nothing like Cerval, and that this is the embodiment of the Cellien method of evolution; to mindlessly copy and replay, with no sense of free will.

The Queen begins extracting the "special Sparkle" from Cerval. Meanwhile, the rest of the party catches up to Serval and returns to the castle after having defeated their respective Celliens. Together they throw everything they have at the Queen, but are hardly able to make a dent in her defenses. Cerval, having been touched by the Queen directly, becomes completely enslaved and is forced to turn against her friends. Mirai sadly speculates that half of Cerval's Sparkle has already been absorbed by the Queen. After the party wins against her in one more fight, Serval stands by Cerval's side with the Salt Amulet knowing this is her final opportunity to use it and take back her Sparkle. The others stand by in support of the difficult choice she is about to make. To Serval's surprise, Cerval talks to her directly, thanking her for always thinking of her. However, she is forced to say goodbye, telling her the "it" is already gone, and that she won't be able to stay as Serval's friend. Serval tearfully prepares herself to use the salt.

Suddenly, the castle's display monitor turns on. Margay appears on the screen, announcing she has finished the movie they recorded earlier and will be broadcasting it now, either unaware or not caring that they're in the middle of a climactic battle. However, Arai-san switches the reel to near the end of the film, skipping ahead to the climactic scene between Serval and Cerval. On the screen, Cerval calls Serval her friend, saying she can always hear her voice. Margay gets cut off, frustrated that she "showed off the best part first", but the scene has already taken effect on Serval. Loudly declaring that she is her friend too, Serval's determination to save Cerval is renewed. Serval promptly eats the salt as a refusal to use it for its intended purpose, before fainting due to the excessive salt consumption. Cerval, seeing her friend's deep feelings, repeats Serval's name, her voice growing louder each time. To the bemusement of the Friends, Cerval's body begins glowing brightly.

The Cellien Queen identifies the light as that of a Sparkle, wondering how it could be possible for Cerval, a Cellien, to create her own Sparkle. Cerval, now with a new form as a Friend, responds that she's no longer a Cellien, and won't be following the Queen's orders anymore. Cerval officially joins the protagonist as a party member, promising to do her best in battle alongside them. The Queen is clearly taken aback by the defiance, but she states that it doesn't matter; she's already extracted almost all of Cerval's special Sparkle, and drained Park Central of the Sparkle that acted as a barrier against her spreading Cell Harmony. She announces the only change in her plans is that she must now dispose of Cerval, whom she refers to as a "mutant".

With that, the party begins its battle against their most powerful opponent. In the middle of the fight, unable to defeat the party yet the Queen decides to activate Cell Harmony. The Queen begins glowing, and the Friends brace themselves for the worst as she attempts spread Cell Harmony throughout the Park with all of her power. To the Queen's confusion, nothing happens.

Outside, the Friends who helped defeat the Celliens in Park Central are playing. Even though the situation seemed dire and devoid of Sparkle, Friends from all over the Park are seen enjoying themselves to the fullest, giving Park Central a new Sparkle. The Sparkle is powerful enough to cancel out the effects of Cell Harmony, creating a new barrier. Unable to spread Cell Harmony anywhere else, the Queen directs all of its effects into herself, evolving from her humanoid form into an absolutely monstrous Cellien. The party isn't deterred, as if anything they are empowered by witnessing the tremendous Sparkle of the Friends around them. Together they prepare for the real final battle against the Queen. The fight is long and difficult, but they emerge victorious. Upon defeat and unable to push her evolution any further, the Queen reverts to her true form - a harmless, ordinary Cellien.

The Queen defeated, Oinari-sama can finally properly greet the party. She explains that the reason she sent Silver Fox on her mission to protect the protagonist is because of the amulet they're in possession of - a "Kemono Amulet". Upon seeing the amulet, she is confused as to why it has no crest, unable to explain who gave them the amulet to lead them here in the first place. Oinari-sama offers to apply her own crest to the amulet, which will increase it's protection in future battles.

With the crisis taken care of, reconstruction is on its way so that Japari Park can be officially reopened. Furthermore, Kako has woken up from her coma and is making a swift recovery. Due to their heroism and being beloved by the Friends, the protagonist becomes the new Park Director. Mirai offers to give the Friends another tour of the Park now that they can fully enjoy it without worrying about chasing down Cerval or stopping the Queen, a plan which everyone readily agrees to. In the story's final scene, Serval shares Japari Buns with the protagonist. She reminisces on the memories the two made on their adventure, and all the friends she got to meet, including Cerval. Serval promises that they'll continue to have more fun adventures, and meet even more new Friends in Japari Park.