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 are never depicted directly speaking like normal characters, although they're demonstrably capable of doing so, with other characters openly and intimately interacting with them.

Appearance

Towa's appearance, including their age and gender, is largely unknown. It is however established that they wear a special amulet, which serves as an essential key item that is integral to the plot of the original Kemono Friends game.

Personality

Although the finer aspects of their character are difficult to define in the absence of spoken lines, other characters describe Towa as being a kind and warm person whose presence elicits a sense of comfort.

Towa is also confirmed to love animals, possessing deep compassion and empathy for them, which is an element that repeatedly surfaces in the story (and naturally extends to Friends, which are themselves animals-turned-girl). In a flashback sequence, they are even shown caring for an injured fox purely out of the kindness of their own heart, despite this being discouraged by other (nameless) humans around 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. When Cerval is finally confronted and Serval's innocence is cleared (thereby restoring the usual state of her friendship), Caracal volunteers to join the party in thanks for Towa's help in solving their trouble, to the delight of Mirai, who is evidently pleased by how the adventure has gone so far. With their new friend in tow, the party pursues Cerval (worrying that she'll frame Serval of more wrongdoing) into a new region of Japari Park for the first of many times to come.

Chapter 2

Following Cerval into the forests of the An'in Region, Towa guides the party in battle to protect them from the Celliens they encounter along the way. Towa is the first to notice Toki's song when she's first discovered, although notably they are the only one to actually identify it as a song (with the other party members describing it as more akin to a monstrous demon noise). Upon meeting her and hearing of her problem -- namely, that her songs somehow attract the company of Celliens without fail -- the party resolves to help her cure her ailment so that she can sing freely.

As part of that process, they meet the "forest sages" Professor Konoha and Assistant Mimi, who agree to guide the party to a special tree (the Copaiba, the sap of which can apparently fix Toki's problem) on the condition that they may observe Towa's amulet, an item which they've taken great interest in, to the point of getting uncomfortably close to the protagonist in their "observations" (to Serval's protest). Meanwhile, Silver Fox comments on the weird situations Towa tends to find themselves in, wondering if it's their personality or some aspect of their physical condition which makes them so susceptible to them. As the chapter wears on and it becomes clear that Towa's motivation is decidedly to help Toki (much like the previous chapter with Serval), Silver Fox concludes that the protagonist simply cannot leave troubled animals alone.

Still observing the charm (and causing Caracal to wonder if the professor wants to steal it), Konoha points out that, from what she can tell, only Towa is able to make use of its power, a fact that had previously been a mystery to the reader. (She also claims that, in the event that she were to steal the charm, she'd steal the rest of Towa as well, which is again met with Serval's protest.) Although of interest, this concept is not elaborated on at this point.

Later, the protagonist party encounters Silver Fox directly whilst fleeing a group of angry Celliens during an unsuccessful attempt on her part to act as a decoy to facilitate their escape. Panicked that she's been sighted, she accidentally calls out Towa's name (thus revealing that she knows of them) before shouting "F-Forget it!" and running away. She chastises herself in private for this blunder, committing herself to playing decoy properly so that they can escape the rampaging Celliens.

At the conclusion of the chapter, Towa and their party are unable to avoid a direct confrontation with a very powerful Cellien, which they are ultimately able to defeat. Serval sustains an injury during this battle, to the chagrin of Toki, who feels responsible. In her sadness, she chooses to put her feelings into song form, and it's at this moment that Towa's amulet begins to shine again, imbuing her song with a healing magic that it did not possess previously and thereby healing Serval's wound. The party celebrates this revelation, with Mirai positing that this is perhaps thanks to the feelings between Toki and Towa in conjunct with the amulet's mysterious powers. Although it is a phenomenon that even the professor and her assistant, in all their wisdom, cannot understand, Toki is delighted by this concept and asks Towa if she can accompany them on their journey. They readily accept her, and the party presses on to the Sankai Region shortly thereafter.

Chapter 3

Towa and their party venture into the deserts of Sankai for this chapter, which is suffering from a worrying scarcity of water for unknown reasons. Along the way and trekking through the hot sands (so hot that at one point Serval asks to hide in Towa's shadow), the protagonists work together to help Rabi-Rabi find her friend Lulu, who has gone missing. As Mirai explains the connection between Toki's song and Towa's powers to Rabi-Rabi, she comments that somehow she feels that they're both an interesting and kindhearted person, a sentiment which Serval readily echoes. The nature of the relationship between Serval and Towa is brought up again later in the chapter, with Caracal and Mirai noting that ever since Serval met Towa, she's been bolder and braver than ever.

Despite directing the party in their various battles across the desert, Towa is featured less prominently for much of this chapter's dialogue, as the protagonists reunite Rabi-Rabi and Lulu and then confront (and defeat) the boss Cellien which is revealed to have been responsible for Sankai's drought. Towa is nevertheless credited for their efforts in solving the crisis by Rabi-Rabi in her diary. She also reflects on the nature of the "fake Serval" (in actuality, Cerval) that Lulu claimed to have encountered during the chapter, believing that somehow Towa will reveal the mystery of her nature. Additionally, Silver Fox had been following the party for much of the chapter, but laments by the time it's over that she wasn't actually able to do anything to protect Towa, resolving to try harder "next time". Pressing on, the heroes' party advances to the waterfront of Nakabe, hot on Cerval's trail.

Chapter 4

Towa, as always leading the way in battle, accompanies their friends on the journey through Nakabe, which takes a turn for the bizarre when Serval mysteriously loses her ability to speak in human words to the Cellien-borne "Gaogao Disease", and is again wrongfully accused of Cerval's apparent misdeeds (specifically, causing the disease that she herself contracted) by White Rhinoceros and her faithful servant, Black Rhinoceros. After resolving their misunderstanding, the party (now accompanied by the rhinoceroses) sets out to cure Serval's sudden illness and get to the bottom of its cause.

As they advance through the waterfront, searching for Cerval (whom they believe to have a connection with the disease's origin), the rhinoceroses point out that Serval is not being affected quite as drastically as in other cases they've seen previously. Moreover, they observe at this time that she's still been able to speak during battle against Celliens, leading Mirai to theorize that this is perhaps caused by Towa's amulet. As they get to the bottom of the mystery, wherein Toki is also afflicted with the disease (enabling her to sing wonderfully despite the loss of human words) and Cerval is temporarily captured, Silver Fox watches diligently from the shadows, ready to protect Towa. With that in mind, she prepares a homemade cure for the Gaogao Disease to help Serval and Toki, appearing before the party in a (totally ineffective) disguise to maintain her shadowy presence as Towa's protector. Silver Fox is able to pass the cure to the protagonists, but is unfortunately is attacked by the boss Cellien of the region and knocked unconscious in the process, after which point she is identified properly by Mirai. Once Serval is cured thanks to her remedy, she observes that she smells a bit like the amulet's scent, as well.

Towa and their party then proceed into the snowy Hokkai Region, both to return the incapacitated Silver Fox to her home area and to follow Cerval's tracks as usual.

Chapter 5

Venturing into a much harsher and more unforgiving climate in Hokkai, Towa and the group bravely press on, as Serval continues to wonder about Silver Fox's mysterious scent, reminiscent of the protagonist's special amulet. Taking the scent and her nature as Towa's mysterious protector into account, the party concludes that she must have something to do with them, but when she comes to her senses it appears she's lost all memory of who she is. Shortly thereafter they learn that the Hokkai Region contains special hot springs with "various effects", and with that in mind the party embarks on a brief detour from their usual Cerval-chasing routine to find a hot spring capable of restoring Silver Fox's memory. In doing so, Mirai tells Towa, they might just know more about why they were invited to Japari Park in the first place. (As a side note, in the midst of their hot spring search, Toki drags Towa away temporarily in search of a hot spring to improve the quality of one's singing voice, but this is apparently a fruitless gambit.)

Their search takes them from hot spring to hot spring, wherein Mirai takes the time out to give Towa an informative lecture on the nature of Celliens and the party once again encounters a docile and approachable Cerval, allowing her to tag along with their quest to restore Silver Fox's memory, a decision which Towa approves of. Together with Cerval, they enjoy a surprisingly relaxed quest through the Hokkai region's hot springs, even stopping for a snowball fight, in which the now-friendly Cellien targets Towa with her snowballs.

At one point the party happens upon a fountain, which Towa (along with Silver Fox and Serval) mistakes for a hot spring, to their cold embarrassment. This apparent miscalculation results in the protagonist losing consciousness temporarily, and during their brief blackout Towa experiences the same cryptic dream from the beginning of the story. When they come back to their senses (to the utter relief of a very worried Serval, who encouraged Towa to jump in), Lulu remarks that their amulet was glowing while they were passed out. Towa tells the others that they "had a strange dream", and Caracal wonders if it has some relation to the amulet.

It is thanks to this same fountain that Silver Fox's memories return to her as well (perhaps also a result of the amulet, or so Toki posits in her mind). With her memories restored and her cover already hopelessly blown, Silver Fox takes the time to explain her own background, revealing that she's been tasked with Towa's protection at the command of Oinari-sama, suggesting that the protagonist is a very important person indeed. When the party asks for Oinari-sama's whereabouts, Silver Fox answers that she's presently in Park Central, which Towa has never been to before. Serval begins to tell them all about it before questioning why, exactly, they've never been there before (considering it is the entrance to the entirety of Japari Park), although Mirai explains that this is because it's currently under blockade thanks to the Cellien invasion. As the conversation goes on and Silver Fox finishes explaining her background, Caracal asks why Towa in particular needs protection -- specifically, if it's Towa that's a special guest, or the amulet they possess. Silver Fox answers that she isn't sure, and that Oinari-sama did not elaborate on the duty she entrusted her with. All of this leads Serval to wonder if Oinari-sama could be the one who gave Towa their amulet in the first place, but before they can speak on the subject further, Cerval suddenly flees the scene and begins acting strangely, prompting the party to give chase.

Following a successful boss sequence in the snowy terrain, after which the party is able to temporarily bring Cerval back to her normal state (but unable to prevent her from escaping), Towa and company prepare to give chase as usual. This plan is supported by Silver Fox, who claims that Oinari-sama wants the protagonist "to know more about the park". As they're about to depart for the Hotoku Region, Passenger Pigeon suddenly approaches them with an invitation for Towa and their party to participate in a regional event called the "Sky Race".

Chapter 6

The group enters the bird-populated and mountainous Hotoku Region, and before long, they're caught up in the Sky Race they were invited to in the previous chapter. Due to the three-Friend nature of the racing format, the main group splits up, leaving White Rhinoceros and Serval with Towa and Mirai (although neither human is considered a participant). After unceremoniously inducting a protesting Silver Fox into the team due to her close proximity to the party (she maintains she was just watching from the shadows as ordered, as usual), Serval declares the team name "The Towas", contributing to a running gag of Serval being uncreative with naming things. As the race begins, Northern Goshawk expresses her surprise and interest that Towa has entered the competition after all, saying she's heard rumors about them. Toki comments that they've gotten rather famous, which the reader can assume to be a result of the adventures they've had up until this point. This is further corroborated by one of the race announcers, Superb Lyrebird, who mentions "rumors of them helping out in other areas" when introducing "The Towas" to the audience.

Throughout the race (which they are participating in using a modified Japari Bus), they encounter Celliens, which impede their progress as one might expect. Due to their delayed start, "The Towas" happen upon a downed Northern Goshawk, who has lost her ability to fly due to a Cellien stealing her Sparkle. Unwilling to simply leave her, they bring the hapless bird Friend along in hopes of helping her to reclaim her Sparkle and the all-important flight it afforded her. The Towas press onward into the race, battling Celliens and helping their fellow racers along the way. They also encounter a unique, flight-capable Cellien possessing wings (nicknamed by Silver Fox "Birdien"), which appears to have gained its wings by stealing Northern Goshawk's Sparkle. They later notice that Birdien is carrying Cerval on its back, making it clear that The Towas' real goal in the Sky Race is to defeat it. After Serval helps Northern Goshawk to regain the self-confidence that was stolen from her and Silver Fox enables her to reunite with her proper racing team, the various teams work together to defeat Birdien, although Cerval (who has mysteriously gained the power of flight, herself, from this endeavor) escapes to the next region in the process.

The award ceremony for the Sky Race is held after the battle with Birdien (although, understandably, Serval nearly forgets a race was going on to begin with at this point), and it's revealed that The Towas managed to cross the finish line shortly before defeating Birdien, earning them 2nd Place in the event. Suddenly, during the ceremony, Towa's amulet begins to shine again, causing them to experience a flashback from their own past wherein they took care of a small fox. From what little the flashback reveals, it appears that their efforts to do so were met with resistance by their family (or whomever they stayed with; it's not made clear), so they needed to do so in secret. Towa recalls this story to Mirai after having the flashback, who is responsible for bringing them back to their senses. The flashback evidently touches the heart of Serval, who starts to cry after hearing about it, claiming it's "nostalgic, somehow". Shortly after this scene, Towa and their party departs for the Gokoku Region in pursuit of the flying Cerval.