Towa

Towa is the commonly accepted fandom name of the nameable protagonist of the original mobile game. Their name means "eternity", and was chosen partially due to its nature as a unisex name, as their gender was intentionally ambiguous to allow them to reflect the player. In a sense, the player themselves are the protagonist. Towa, as the player character, is responsible for issuing commands in battle (in addition to managing the Friends/items in your possession) and thereby advancing the game's plot from a gameplay perspective. Although they are thereby essential to the story, they are a silent protagonist and do not ever directly speak like normal characters, although they're demonstrably capable of doing so, with other characters openly and intimately interacting with them.

Role in the Plot

For an entire summary of the game's story, in which Towa is featured in almost every scene, please read the relevant section on the game's main article. The following section focuses specifically on Towa's role in each chapter.

Tutorial

The story opens with Towa experiencing a cryptic dream, wherein a mysterious voice tells them that they'll forget about them and the days they spent together. The voice goes on to tell the protagonist that they won't ever forget "their voice, their warmth, their smile" and their "kind and pure heart" even despite that, thanking them deeply. They conclude their message by assuring Towa that they'll be able to meet again someday before bidding them farewell, ending the dream sequence.

Towa comes back to their senses in the company of Mirai, who informs them that they've arrived in Japari Park by invitation, which is later revealed to have been at the behest of Japari Park's own Park Founder. Further details about Towa's background are not disclosed, including their age and gender, but they are a human who appears to be suffering from some degree of memory loss, not even understanding what Japari Park is to begin with. Seeing their confusion, Mirai takes this opportunity to explain the world of Kemono Friends to the amnesiac protagonist, but is interrupted promptly by Serval, who is fleeing from Celliens. In their panic, an amulet Towa is wearing begins to glow, powering up Serval -- a property that affects other Friends as well. With this power, Towa and Serval (with the help of a nearby Brown Bear as well) are able to defeat the attacking Celliens. Afterwards, Mirai is able to properly introduce Japari Park -- and the Friends who inhabit it -- to the protagonist, and thereby the player, who would usually be experiencing these things for the first time during this scene. She invites Towa to travel around the park with her and Serval, mentioning that the Park Founder believes for whatever reason that they possess a special ability to build friendships with the animals living there. Towa evidently accepts this proposal, and thus begins their adventure.

Chapter 1

As the adventure continues into the Grasslands Area of the Kyoshu Region, it becomes apparent -- unbeknownst to the protagonist and their companions -- that Silver Fox is following them for as-of-yet unrevealed reasons, although she expresses particular interest in their special amulet. Meanwhile, Mirai attempts to jog their memories of arriving at Japari Park by recalling the first time they met. She tells them that she originally went to visit Towa herself in the Japari Bus, asking them the series' tagline phrase of "Do you like animals?", a sudden question which apparently elicited them to get on the Japari Bus without a second thought. The Park Guide wonders if "somehow, they knew this day would come". The group continues on through Kyoshu's grasslands, with Mirai explaining the finer points of Japari Park and its Friends to Towa as evenly and professionally as she can, notwithstanding her own overflowing love for animals.

Along the way, Serval expresses particular interest in the amulet, asking about its origins. She quotes Towa's reply (presumably in their own words), saying, "I feel like I'm about to remember someone important, but it makes me a bit sad". Although she doesn't know what such a specific feeling could mean, she takes note of the amulet's scent, claiming that it's familiar to her for whatever reason and theorizing that maybe, someone she met before in Japari Park gave it to Towa and that someday they might be able to meet them.

As she chapter goes on and Serval and Caracal have their Cerval-caused misunderstanding (which is the central conflict of the chapter), Towa and Mirai accompany her as she clears it up, fighting Celliens along the way. This routine of solving conflicts whilst battling Celliens (which are often responsible for the conflict itself) becomes standard fare for the overwhelming majority of the chapters that follow, and due to Towa's largely passive role in these chapters, the details of the conflicts themselves will not be explained in depth.

As the party pursues Cerval in order to prove Serval's innocence in the aforementioned misunderstanding, Caracal comments during the chapter that somehow Towa's presence makes her feel strangely secure and comfortable, although she can't pinpoint exactly why. Later on, the fleeing Cerval is temporarily caught in a trap by Silver Fox, who claims she's done so "because it's her duty to save Towa", signaling to the player that she is at least stalking them with their best interests in mind.