Routes

The Kagerou Project contains many Routes (ルート Rūto) that feature alternative storylines, endings, and in some cases, beginnings, differing slightly through each media. According to Jin, the story has an established backstory, which segues into the Music , then to the Manga , followed by the Novel  , then Mekakucity Actors. Kagerou Daze -in a day's- is set at an unclear point, though likely after Manga Route 2 due to Shintaro having his eye ability. Marry rewinds time to long before any of the other Mekakushi Dan members are born.

Backstory
Portions of the Kagerou Project backstory are meant to be mostly consistent (the second manga route partially differs) through the routes. Several songs are included:

xx.xx. (Unknown Month/Day) -xxx (Unknown) Years Before Present

 * Azami coming to existence and creates the Snakes, including the Snake of Clearing Eyes.
 * Azami meets and falls in love with Tsukihiko and gives birth to Shion.
 * Creates the Kagerou Daze and enters.
 * Shinigami Record
 * Shion gives birth to Marry.

08.15. -1xx Years

 * Gunjou Rain (visually depicted in an extra chapter)
 * Marry and Shion are killed and are drawn in the Kagerou Daze, and Marry is given Combining Eyes.

xx.xx. -5 to 15 Years

 * Kido, Seto, Kano, and Momo all enter the Kagerou Daze and receive snakes.
 * Kido, Seto, and Kano are all taken in as foster children by the Tateyama family, and Ayano forms the Mekakushi Dan.
 * Seto and Marry meet.
 * Kuusou Forest
 * Shounen Brave

Music Route (Music)
A bad end (possibly Route XX) is the canon route and ends with a rewind becoming the manga route. Children Record and Summertime Record serve as the opening and ending of the series.

08.15. -x Years

 * Snake of Clearing Eyes plans to gather all the snakes in the real world.
 * Ayaka and Kenjirou die, and the later is given the Snake of Clearing Eyes.
 * Dead and Seek
 * Ayano realizes the Snake of Clearing Eyes' plan.
 * Yuukei Yesterday

08.15. -2 Years

 * Snake of Clearing Eyes kills Takane and Haruka, and brings the Snakes of Opening and Awakening Eyes to the real world.
 * Headphone Actor
 * Ayano commits suicide and enters the Kagerou Daze, gaining the Snake of Favoring Eyes.

After 08.15. -2 Years

 * Toumei Answer
 * Shintaro Becomes a shut-in.
 * Kido, Kano, and Seto leave their household and make a hideout; Marry joins the Mekakushi Dan.
 * Ene appears in Shintaro's computer.
 * Ene no Dennou Kikou
 * Jinzou Enemy

08.14.00 (Present Day)

 * Momo joins the Mekakushi Dan
 * Kisaragi Attention
 * Mekakushi Code

08.15.00

 * Snake of Clearing Eyes moves to Konoha's body, killing Kenjirou.
 * Shintaro deletes Ene and commits suicide.
 * Snake of Clearing Eyes kills Hibiya and Hiyori, brings Snake of Focusing Eyes into the real world.
 * Kagerou Daze
 * Konoha no Sekai Jijou
 * Clearing Eyes attacks and kills the rest of the Mekakushi Dan.
 * Outer Science
 * Clearing Eyes fails to call Favoring Eyes (Ayano), awakens Marry's Combing Eyes.
 * Marry gathers snakes and reloads time.
 * Marry no Kakuu Sekai (visually depicted in an extra chapter)

Route 1
Ends quicker than other routes after the Mekakushi Dan go to the amusement park, forcing Marry to rewind time again. This is mostly an adaptation of the light novel, but Jin decided to make the whole manga a route.

08.15. -x Years

 * Takane and Haruka present "Headphone Actor" game at culture festival and Shintaro beats her at it.
 * Ayano notices the Clearing Snake’s plan.

08.15. -2 Years

 * The Snake of Clearing Eyes kills Takane and Haruka. Brings the Snake of Opening Eyes and the Snake of Awakening Eyes to the real world.
 * Ayano commits suicide. Enters the Kagerou Daze and receives the Snake of Favoring Eyes.

After 08.15 -2 Years

 * Shintaro shuts himself in his room because of Ayano.
 * Kido, Seto, and Kano leave the Tateyama household and create a hideout.
 * Marry leaves her house in the forest and joins the Mekakushi Dan.


 * Ene enters Shintaro's computer.

08.14.00

 * Shintaro goes to the mall and gets caught in a terrorist plot.
 * Momo joins Mekakushi Dan and they get involved in the terrorist plot.
 * They solve the Mall Occupation Incident.

08.15.00

 * Snake of Clearing Eyes moves to Konoha's body, killing Kenjirou.
 * Shintaro and Ene join the Mekakushi Dan and go to the amusement park.
 * Clearing Eyes appears after amusement park and kills Kido, Kano, Seto, Ene, Momo, and Shintaro.
 * Clearing Eyes fails to call Favoring Eyes, awakens Marry's Combing Eyes.
 * Marry gathers snakes and rewinds time.

Route 2
This route is significantly different than most routes. It's the route that shows how Shintaro gained Retaining Eyes and ends with a rewind becoming the Novel route. It's possible this route is actually set before the Music Route because the finale resembles the final scene of Losstime Memory and Shintaro is shown with his Eye Ability. Clearing Eyes is also explored in the most depth in this route, with him talking the most as well as his goals and desires explained.

xx.xx. -5 to 15 Years

 * Marry finds about powers from Azami's journal.
 * Kido, Seto, and Kano meet at the orphanage and are taken in by the Tateyama family.
 * Marry taken into Tateyama household by Seto and joins the Mekakushi Dan.

08.15. -<5 Years

 * Ayaka, Kenjirou, and Ayano die in a landslide, giving Ayano favoring eyes.
 * Ayano says Marry should be killed, causing Kido, Seto, Kano, and Marry to leave.

xx.xx -<5 Years

 * Haruka and Takane meet and become friends at a hospital.
 * Takane is discharged.
 * Haruka and Shintaro meet and become friends at a hospital.

08.15. -2 Years

 * Haruka dies to his illness and enters the Kagerou Daze, gaining his Awakening Eyes and spawns Konoha.
 * Takane attempts suicide by jumping out the hospital window, leaving her body in a comatose state. She then enters the Kagerou Daze and gains Opening Eyes.

After 08.15. -2 Years

 * Shintaro becomes a shut-in.
 * Ene shows up on Shintaro's computer.

08.14.00

 * Shintaro goes to the mall to buy rabbit food for Tono with Ene and Momo.
 * They run into Hibiya and Hiyori on the way.

08.15.00

 * Hibiya and Hiyori are in an accident and enter Kagerou Daze, Hibiya gains Clearing Eyes and Hiyori Focusing Eyes.
 * Shintaro searches for Hibiya and Hiyori and meets Kido.
 * Konoha stops the terrorist's plot and meets Kano. They find Hibiya passed out.
 * Momo meets Konoha and Kano.
 * Mekakushi Dan investigate the "Kagerou Daze" phenomenon.

08.16.00

 * Mekakushi Dan search for Hiyori.
 * Kano discovers Hiyori standing over Kido's corpse and runs away. Kido was actually killed by Hibiya.
 * Hibiya meets Ayano.
 * Shintaro meets Ayano for the first time.
 * Momo is killed by Clearing Eyes (Hibiya).
 * Clearing Eyes kills Hibiya and takes over Konoha's body.

08.19.00
Notable differences:
 * Shintaro is brought to Ene's incapacitated body and reveals her wish has been granted and dies, joining with Haruka in the Kagerou Daze.
 * The Mekakushi Dan initiate their plan to stop Clearing Eyes, resulting in the death of Kano.
 * Marry opens the Kagerou Daze to talk to Azami, but Clearing Eyes kills Seto in the interim.
 * Marry seals Clearing Eyes in the Kagerou Daze.
 * Marry uses Ayano's life to give Shintaro the Retaining Eyes.
 * Marry rewinds time and the story ends with Shintaro waking up on August 15 at 12:32.
 * Marry joins the Mekakushi Dan while both of Ayano's parents are still alive.
 * Kenjirou Tateyama dies during the landslide and does not gain any eye ability.
 * Ayano does not commit suicide and plays an active part.
 * Ayano never knew Shintaro and encounters him for the first time while he speaks with Hibiya.
 * After her parents' death, the Mekakushi Dan leaves Ayano.
 * Haruka, Takane, Ayano, and Shintaro don't go to school together.
 * Haruka and Takane die outside of Clearing Eyes' influence.
 * Route where Shintaro gains Retaining Eyes.

Novel Route (Kagerou Daze)
The novel route ends with Marry being possessed by Azami and attempts to defeat the Snake of Clearing Eyes, but is only able to trap him, forcing a rewind due to the majority of the Dan being in the Kagerou Daze.

08.17.00

 * The Mekakushi Dan, besides Seto, Marry, and Hibiya, are killed by Clearing Eyes or willingly directly enter the Kagerou Daze opened by Azami.
 * Azami's memories and transferred to Marry's body and uses them to trap Clearing Eyes in the Kagerou Daze, but haven't defeated him because most of the Dan is dead.
 * Mekakushi Dan communicate over the phone and decide to reload time, implying they'll defeat him next time.

Anime Route (Mekakucity Actors)
The placement of the anime route is set after the Music, Manga, and Novel routes and incorporates them by showing them off as other rewinds. This route originally reveals that Shintaro was given Retaining Eyes in Manga Route 2 by Marry. It ends with the defeat of the Snake of Clearing Eyes. Jin has stated he wants to write a novel version of Mekakucity Actors before moving onto the "next phase" of Kagerou Project.

08.15. -2 Years

 * Ayano commits suicide to gain Favoring Eyes and stays inside the Kagerou Daze to prevent Clearing Eyes from gathering all the snakes in the real world.
 * Kano is forced to act as Ayano's corpse by Clearing Eyes.
 * Clearing Eyes causes the deaths of Haruka and Takane, bringing Awakening Eyes and Opening Eyes into the real world. Kano is shown their bodies by Clearing Eyes.

After 08.15. -2 Years

 * Shintaro becomes a shut-in.
 * Kano, Seto, and Kido leave home to their base and Kano has them become the Mekakushi Dan again. He has them use code names and makes Kido their commander.
 * Ene journeys through technology and the internet. After about a year she sends herself to Shintaro's computer to help him, which was Ayano's last wish to her.
 * Momo becomes an idol.
 * Konoha lives with Kenjirou.

08.14.00

 * Shintaro spills soda on his computer, so he and Ene go out to buy a new one, and are caught in a terrorist attack.
 * Momo meets Hibiya, and later meets Kido, who was sent to find her by Kano, and joins the Mekakushi Dan.
 * Kano and Seto are with Shintaro during the attack (Seto is usually not in this event).
 * Shintaro has Ene hack the system while the Dan distracts the terrorists, and he passes out (In other routes he's grazed by a bullet then passes out).
 * Shintaro dreams of the Snake of Retaining Eyes he possesses.

08.15.00

 * Hibiya spends the day with Hiyori.


 * Shintaro wakes up, meets with the Dan.
 * Shintaro leaves the base and meets Konoha, who's looking for Hibiya and Hiyori. The later are found being kidnapped and Konoha goes to save them, but they're hit by a truck. Shintaro observes them getting swallowed by the Kagerou Daze.
 * The Mekakushi Dan go to Ayano's grave. Ene reveals her past.
 * Seto runs into Shintaro and Hibiya and informs the Dan.
 * Kano takes Ene to her physical body.
 * Momo, Marry, and Kido go the hospital where Seto and Shintaro are, and meet Hibiya who has now gained Focusing Eyes.
 * Hibiya is taken back to base where Momo, Shintaro, and Kido discuss what they know about the Kagerou Daze. Marry is tasked with watching Hibiya, but falls asleep.
 * Hibiya wakes up and overhears the conversation, and runs away, and Momo and Kido chase him down.
 * Shintaro walks to the room Hibiya and Marry were in and sees the picture of Ayano with the Dan, causing him to activate his ability and regain his memories. He most likely then kills himself to enter the Kagerou Daze to get to Ayano.
 * Hibiya, Momo, and Kido are kidnapped by Clearing Eyes' goons. While in their cell, Momo uses her ability to draw everyone's attention outside to get the other member's to help them, while Kido hid it from everyone in the building.
 * Konoha instinctively finds his way to the Queen snake, Marry. They then are drawn to Momo's performance on the TV, and decide to go to her.
 * Kano, Seto, and Takane are drawn in by Momo's performance and go to where they are, leading everyone by Shintaro to them.
 * The Dan then confront Clearing Eyes, who then shoots Konoha and takes control of his body, and attacks the Dan.
 * Marry starts to gather snakes to rewind time, but convinced by her friends they can beat him.
 * In the Kagerou Daze, Shintaro gets to Ayano to bring her out. He also goes to Haruka.


 * Shintaro brings Ayano out of the Kagerou Daze and has her project his memories of the routes to Marry, who then opens the Kagerou Daze and swallows everyone.
 * Kenjirou is reunited with Ayaka, granting his wish and leaving Clearing Eyes needing one.
 * The Mekakushi Dan manage to finally overcome Clearing Eyes and Haruka forces him to grant Konoha's wish to save Hiyori, and becomes a surrogate for her and he loses his sentience.
 * Marry talks to her mother before leaving the Kagerou Daze.

After 08.15.00

 * All Mekakushi Dan members are alive besides Konoha, and Haruka is shown among them now using Konoha's body.

Route XX
Route XX is shown in Losstime Memory and follows a Shintaro in a black hoodie in events that occur similarly (and possibly might be it) in the Music Route. Specifically, Shintaro remains depressed in his home with Ene on August 15th, unable to cope with the loss of Ayano, and sees the Snake of Retaining Eyes in his dream. He then wakes up, and deletes Ene, killing her, and then committing suicide by stabbing his throat with red scissors. He then meets Azami in the Kagerou Daze, and then Retaining Eyes, but is still incapable of moving forward and begs her not to leave him. This ends with Shintaro shown laying depressed in his bed again.

Route 1
Depicted in Losstime Memory, it follows Shintaro in a red hoodie leaving his house on August 15th, and going to the Mekakushi Dan's apartment and meets them. It shows him almost noticing the Snake of Retaining Eyes, and later is with the Dan in a confrontation with Clearing Eyes as Black Konoha. Clearing Eyes puts his gun to his head, and Shintaro runs out and takes the shot instead of Konoha's body, killing him. Shintaro ends up in the Kagerou Daze, but walks past her, unlike in Route XX. He then meets with Ayano, and shows her his emotional growth, not having the dependence on her anymore. She then gives him her scarf and his eye ability activated.

Kagerou Daze -in a day's- Route
It's unclear when this route takes place, though likely after Manga Route 2 due to Shintaro having his eye ability. Sidu said this route has a sequel called "route-2", but did not go into detail. Besides character design changes, this is an alternate version of the terrorist plot. There is notably a member of the terrorist group that has an eye ability, which Shintaro noticed. He and the Dan mistook the leader as having the eye ability, but after the incident he realized it was someone else. A bomb goes off in the building at the end of the movie, leaving what happens unclear.

Post-Good End
Eventually, Clearing Eyes is defeated, with the Mekakushi Dan (besides Konoha) and Haruka surviving. This outcome is currently only shown in the MCA Route and in the ending theme Summertime Record. It is shown in MCA and in the post-Summertime Record chapter Lost Day Hour that Ayano and Hiyori survive as well. Jin has expressed interest in writing about a "new Mekakushi Dan" in the future. In a November 28, 2018 interview he said he wants the next story to be about a "future saga" and is currently experimenting on a new light novel and might do a new manga series as well.

Manga

 * Lost Day Hour

Music

 * Shissou Word (partially)
 * Lost Day Hour
 * Remind Blue

Kagerou Daze "No.9"
A spin-off set 3 years later titled Kagerou Daze "No.9", was announced on June 8, 2019. It also consists of Music, Manga, Anime, and Light Novels, with one currently being written. It'll be screened in January 2020 and show a different "angle" not shown before.