Glossary

This is a glossary of all major terms and terminology used within the Kemono Friends franchise.

Japari Park

Main article: Japari Park

Japari Park (ジャパリパーク) is the name of a collection of islands which resembles real-life Japan, and is the primary setting of the Kemono Friends franchise. The term also refers to the massive open zoo project that spans the entirety of the islands. The original intent of the project was to create a zoo where tourists and visitors from across the world could see many species in their natural habitat. During the development of the zoo project, however, it was discovered that through Sandstar, animals could turn into animal girls known as "Friends".

Japari Park is often depicted long past its original peak; with the only known Kemono Friends media to depict the Park in its hayday being Kemono Friends: Welcome to Japari Park!, with the remainder focusing on the aftermath of the Park's destruction and evacuation once the Celliens appeared. It is likely that Japari Park was open for a respectable amount of time, as entire cities and towns have been built on its grounds. However, this information only comes from Welcome to Japari Park!, and may no longer be canon.

Regions and Areas

Japari Park is divided into many Regions, and then, depending on the timeframe, divided further into Areas. A Region refers to one of the nine major sections of Japari Park; each of which are equivalent to one of the eight real-world regions of Japan, with the exception of Riukiu, which represents the Ryukyu island chain. The region of Park Central, which is equivalent to Kanto, serves as the base of operations for Japari Park's staff and seems to be heavily inspired by the city of Tokyo.

An Area, however, refers less to the geographical location of the park than it does to a biome. In the original Kemono Friends mobile game, Regions and Areas were essentially identical, with the Kyōshū Region consisting of purely a Savanna Area. However, by the time of the first season of the anime, Kyōshū had split into several Areas in addition to the Savanna, including a Desert Area and a Snowy Mountains Area. This drastric environmental change is due to the effects of Sandstar on the land.

Park Guides

A Park Guide is a high-ranking staff postion at Japari Park that primarily deals with the maintenance of the Park itself, along with a typical "zookeeper" role that ensures that the animals are taken care of. The only known Park Guide, Mirai, has been shown performing wellness tests for Friends, and seems to have a detailed knowledge of what to do in the event of an emergency or injury. Park Guides may also be somewhat responsible for managing staff, as Mirai frequently assists Nana with her duties while she is still adjusting to the Caretaker position.

Caretakers

A Caretaker is a staff position in Japari Park with the role of ensuring that Friends adjust to human society properly. Caretakers often accompany Friends to social outings, though Friends need not necessarily be accompanied by a Caretaker. Rather, Caretakers seem to mainly be assigned to Friends as part of a transitionary period between the Friend being born with their animal mindset and the point when a Friend can enter society on their own. A Caretaker is usually assigned to one to two Friends, but they can assist with Friends whose Caretakers are currently away, or with Friends who seek their advice.

Animal Research Institution

The Japari Park Animal Research Institution is a division of the Park staff devoted to researching animals and Friends. The only known member of the Animal Research Instituion division is the vice-director, Kako. The division is responsible for many discoveries relating to Friends, such as Kemonoplasm, and the secrets of Celliens.

Japari Buns

Main article: Japari Bun

Japari Buns are a food item that was once a Japari Park specialty. They are Manjū that serve all of the nutrional needs of Friends, regardless of species. In the absence of humans, Lucky Beasts grow the ingredients used for their preparation, as well as make and distribute them. They also come in a variety of flavors, some of which are specially-made, such as a carrot flavor.

Japari Bus

Main article: Japari Bus

A Japari Bus is a vehicle used as transporation around Japari Park. They come in a variety of themed designs, including designs which resemble a Serval, and designs which resemble a Lucky Beast. They are capable of being driven manually, but a Lucky Beast can link up with the vehicle's system and drive passengers to a location automatically, similarly to an autopilot. Some Japari Buses seem to be able to connect to extensions to add additional room or to change their purpose, such as transporting heavy objects.

Lucky Beasts

Main article: Lucky Beast

Lucky Beasts are small, bipedal robots employed by Japari Park for a variety of tasks. Many Lucky Beasts worked on maintaining the Park's machinery and keeping Friends fed by making and distributing Japari Buns, however, several others also served other purposes. Some Lucky Beasts, such as the Amigo Beast, who worked in South Maerica Park, were themed and served as tour guides for visitors to Japari Park. Others, such as Lucky Beast Type-III, seem to serve more important, potentially even Park-vital, purposes.

Star Beasts

Main article: Star Beasts

Star Beasts are the mascot of Japari Park. Star Beasts appear as animal-like characters which superficially resemble the Lucky Beast, and they come in three known varieties. The Passion Beast is red, the Cool Beast is blue, and the Pure Beast is green. They represent the three attributes that a Friend could have in the original Kemono Friends mobile game. When Japari Park was still open, the Star Beasts were mascot suits worn by entertainers around the Park; however, later, during the Cellien Queen incident, they became Friends. The nature of their existence is an enigma.

Pavilion

Main article: Pavilion (Location)

The Japari Park Pavilion is a virtual reality attraction in Japari Park that allows visitors to view and observe archive data of Friends and animals. The Pavilion seems to be maintained by Lucky Beast Type-III, and it serves a dual purpose as a record of the past of Japari Park. The Pavilion is the main setting of Kemono Friends Pavilion.

Friends

Main article: Friends

Friends (フレンズ) are the main characters of the Kemono Friends franchise. They are animals which became human girls, born from Sandstar and formed from Kemonoplasm. While most Friends come from animals, some seem to be born from fossils, and others yet come from animals that may not even exist, such as the Four Gods. Friends are capable of doing things that surpass normal human limits; a Friend that is strong as an animal may be even stronger in human form, able to throw things no human could ever dream of even lifting. In most cases, an animal's main traits such as their ears and tails will be present in a Friend.

Friends may also have personality traits which resemble the original animal. For example, Aardwolf Friends tend to be shy, while Passenger Pigeon Friends like to travel, mimicking the animal's nomadic nature. They may also take up professions that relate to the animal's habits, or relate to their interactions with humans. For example, the Muskox of the original mobile game knits as a hobby, in reference to the qiviuq wool shed by the muskox that can be used as a textile.

Generally, there is only one Friend of an animal in any given generation - however, as shown by EX Friends, more than one Friend of the same animal can coexist. The likelihood of such things is comparable to a multiple-birth.

Sandstar

Main article: Sandstar

Sandstar is a substance that transforms animals into Friends. Sandstar comes from volcanoes such as the one found in the later development of the Kyōshū Region, similarly to Cellium. Sandstar is often found in a solid state, where it resembles rainbow-colored crystals. It was once believed that Sandstar transforms organic matter into Friends and inorganic matter into Celliens, but this has since been disproven.

Kemonoplasm

Main article: Kemonoplasm

Kemonoplasm is the name given to the substance which makes up the animal biology of a Friend, such as animal ears or a tail. These properties are not anatomically connected to a Friend - rather, the Friend's body is exactly the same as a human's, but Kemonoplasm grants them animal traits. Extinct or fictitious Friends are made up almost entirely of Kemonoplasm. A Friend's clothing is also made up of a weaker concentration of Kemonoplasm.

Wild Release

Main article: Wild Release

Wild Release is a power of Friends that allows them to grow stronger and unleash the full potential of their strength. Wild Release has rarely been seen, but Friends using Wild Release tend to have glowing eyes. In the original mobile game, Wild Release simply allowed Friends to raise their level cap; however, in future entries, Wild Release is a temporary state that Friends can enter.

Beasts

Main article: Beast

Beasts or Beast Friends are the result of a failed transformation from animal to Friend, through unknown causes. Beast Friends resemble Friends for the most part, but have more animal features than normal. For example, Siberian Tiger has tiger paws, and the accompanying claws, rather than human hands. Beast Friends are also very vicious and animal-like; it can be said that perhaps they lack full human intelligence despite their human form.

The Four Gods

Main article: Four Gods

The Four Gods are a group of four deity Friends that act as the protectors of Japari Park and represent the four cardinal directions. They are based upon the four symbols of Chinese mythology. The Four Gods are composed of Seiryu of the east, Suzaku of the south, Byakko of the west, and Genbu of the north. The Four Gods are capable of transforming themselves into Cellien-like forms which resemble their depictions as deities, which they use to test Friends who seek their power.

Celliens

Main article: Cellien

Celliens (セルリアン, "Cell Alien") are a creature born from Cellium which act as the adversary to the Friends and the main antagonist of the series. Celliens can vary greatly in terms of size, shape, and even disposition. Celliens are formed when Cellium creates a copy of something; said thing can be both organic or inorganic, but is most often inorganic. Celliens attack Friends with the intent of absorbing them - upon doing so, the Friend reverts to the state just before they became a Friend, losing all of the memories they have gained and returning to life as an animal.

While Celliens were known prior to the opening of Japari Park, some time after the Park had been open a mass outbreak of Celliens occurred, pushing humans out of the Park. While Towa, Mirai, and that generation's Serval were initially able to push them back by defeating the Cellien Queen, it seems that another mass outbreak occurred and forced them off the island, potentially for good. Since that time, Friends, some animals, and Celliens have been the only things living on Japari Park.

It is unknown why Celliens attack Friends. During the original mobile game, their goal was to steal and preserve Sparkle, however, as this process often left the Friend intact, later Celliens seem more concerned with what is theorized to be the absorbtion of Sandstar in a Friend's body.

Cellium

Main article: Cellium

Cellium is a mysterious substance that allows Celliens to take form. While it comes from volcanoes like Sandstar, the two are distinct. Whereas Sandstar is "transformative" and transforms an animal into a Friend, Cellium is "reproductive" and retains the original object that the Cellien copied. In the past, Cellium was referred to as "Sandstar Low" or "Rho", indicating that a distinction between the two substances had not yet been made. Cellium can move and seek out objects that would make efficient Celliens, including Friends; in addition, it is able to form strong Celliens from things that humans have placed great importance upon, such as drawings and machines.

Cellien Queen

Main article: Cellien Queen

A unique Cellien that caused great chaos to the second-generation Japari Park, the Cellien Queen was the main antagonist of the original mobile game. The Cellien Queen began as a normal Cellien, but after absorbing a large amount of Sparkle, including Kako's, she became much stronger and obtained what appeared to be a higher form of intelligence. However, like most Celliens, she was simply mimicking the knowledge and memories she had gained by doing so. The Queen intended to release a power known as Cell Harmony throughout Japari Park which would have resulted in the evolution of all of the Celliens on the Park, securing her goal of capturing all of the Sparkles in Japari Park.

Generations

Within Kemono Friends, Friends are often divided into Generations. The Friends of each generation are their own unique individuals, distinct from Friends of the same animal born in other generations. Additionally, they are born into different lives and circumstances, and this upbringing influences how they act and their understanding of the world. Not only that, but Friends can differ wildly in appearance between generations - in some cases, they may no longer resemble their counterpart from a previous time at all. It is believed that the proximity to certain cultural gardens or their environment influences how they appear and how they act.

Generation 1

Featured in Kemono Friends: Welcome to Japari Park!

Generation 1 is characterized mainly by its proximity to humanity. Friends within Generation 1 are watched over by their Caretakers until they are ready to integrate into society. These Friends enjoy the benefit of being able to become as close to human as possible - they are able to go to school, start careers, and more. Some Friends from Generation 1, such as Margay, even became business owners.

During the time of Generation 1, Japari Park was at its greatest heights. Visitors were common, technology and services were freely available, Celliens were of no worry, and entire modern cities had been constructed on the Park, along with neighborhoods and villages. Japari Park had not yet undergone any form of terraforming due to Sandstar.

Generation 2

Featured in Kemono Friends (2015 Mobile Game), Kemono Friends 3, Kemono Friends 3: Planet Tours, Welcome to Japari Park (2018 ONA)

Generation 2 is the first generation plagued by the threat of the Celliens. Within Generation 2, Friends still have access to human technology and knowledge, but there are no visitors to speak of. The breakdown of Japari Park had not yet occurred, and structural damage was minimal. However, Friends of this generation are notably more animal-like in comparison to Generation 1, playing and frolicking freely in open terrain rather than integrating into society in any noticeable manner.

Generation ?

Featured in Kemono Friends (2017 Anime), Kemono Friends 2, Kemono Friends Festival, Stage Play "Kemono Friends", Stage Play "Kemono Friends 2" ~Kemonos of the Snowy Night~, =LOVE Stage Project "Kemono Friends", Pachislot Kemono Friends

Generation ?, so named for the ambiguous period of time between its arrival and Generation 2, is the generation most depicted in Kemono Friends media, though it is not all necessarily the same Generation. Rather, the lack of concrete information on which Friends belong to which Generation means that their placement in the timeline is unknown, thus, "?" is used as a designation. Generation ? most commonly refers to the Friends from the two seasons of the anime; while Generation ?-2 can be used to describe Friends specifically from Kemono Friends Festival as it is known that they are not of the same Generation as the anime. However, they all fall under the "?" umbrella.

Japari Park in Generation ? is rusting, falling apart, and clearly in disrepair. There are no humans to speak of; the ruins of what was once the great Japari Park are all that remains to prove their existence. Lucky Beasts still roam, performing their duties as always, but outside of emergencies, they refuse to speak to Friends, as they generally only speak to humans. As such, the only characters a Lucky Beast will speak to in Generation ? are Kaban and Kyururu.

Data-Generations

Featured in Kemono Friends Pavilion

Within the Japari Park Pavilion, two Data-Generations exist separately. These Data-Friends are made up of archive data, and can speak to each other, play with each other, and play as if normal Friends. However, they are merely data. The two Data-Generations contain data of Generation ? and Generation 2, which an unseen protagonist (the player) is slowly recovering and archiving. The Data-Generations provide insight into the personalities and daily lives of Friends within each Generation, but seem to have no relevance in the physical world as of yet.

Miscellaneous

Sparkle

Main article: Sparkle

Sparkle is a mysterious, intangible energy that is best described as concentrated "good things". It is an abstract concept; existing within living things, inanimate objects, places, and perhaps even memories. Sparkles include things such as trust, motivation, hope, and joy. Celliens from Generation 2 were capable of stealing Sparkle and causing chaos within the Park. Because Generation ? is unaware of the existence of Sparkle, it is unknown if it has any relevance to the Friends of the era. However, recent materials confirm that Sparkle has not been retconned, though whether or not it will ever be seen again is as of yet unknown.

Kemo Harmony

Kemo Harmony is a powerful ability that a Friend can utilize when something within them resonates. Such an ability is tied directly to the Sparkle of a Friend, and is capable of causing miracles. When Kemo Harmony was invoked by Serval's strong desire to help others during a time of crisis in the original mobile game, she was able to heal the injuries of many Friends and animals around her, allowing them all to escape an attack by Celliens upon the hospital the group was staying at. During the events of the game, Cellval steals the Kemo Harmony Sparkle from Serval for the Cellien Queen in order for her to trigger her own "Cell Harmony" equivalent. However, Cell Harmony's effects were counteracted by an especially strong concentration of Sparkle resonating from the Friends of the area.

Groups

Main article: Groups

Groups are a name given to collections of Friends, primarily within Generation 2, who decide to coalesce under one banner. There are many groups, but generally they are Friends who belong to similar classes of animal or similar species. One particular Group, the Carefree Floaters' Club, is notable for carrying on into Generation ? as caretakers of the Japari Library, consisting of Professor Hakase and Assistant Mimi-chan. Despite the general name of Groups, these are official organizations, and have bases of operations, leaders, and subdivisions.

Kemono Amulet

Main article: Kemono Amulet

The Kemono Amulet is an anomalous object held by the protagonist of the original mobile game. The amulet is capable of protecting Friends from the effects of a lost Sparkle, restoring forgotten memories, and granting Friends additional strength. However, the amulet is also said to have the ability to travel through time; though the exact mechanics of this are unknown, it is known that according to Oinari-Sama, the amulet found on the protagonist's person during the events of the game should already have existed within Japari Park and shows more signs of wear and damage than she believes should be present. The Kemono Friends Official Guidebooks confirm that the protagonist eventually gives the amulet to their younger self some time after the events of the game.

Juuoh Park

Main article: Juuoh Park

Juuoh Park is an artificially created floating island that extends from a small uninhabited island that is home to the Beast King Friends. and It is the setting for Pachislot Kemono Friends. Juuoh Park has a dome shape, but inside the dome, the natural environment is artificially reproduced by electric energy. The towering UFO tower in the center is an integrated resort , and it is a tourist facility that combines various things such as theaters, restaurants, amusement parks, sports facilities and hot spring facilities.