Utterly Alone

Utterly Alone Episode 4

Utterly Alone (形影相弔) Keieisōchō

Shinra Kishitani begins an investigation on what the people of Ikebukuro know about the headless rider. However, Shinra reveals more than just rumors as he personally knows the headless rider who has a name and a mysterious origin that he records for future research.

Plot Summary

Opening ThemeUragiri no Yūyake ( 裏切りの夕焼け Sunset of Betrayal") by Theatre Brook

Shinra Interviewing Various People on the Streets

Shinra Kishitani begins the episode by interviewing people in Ikebukuro about what they know in regards to the Headless Rider. He points out that while most people have heard rumors and are more willing to answer, those that know anything about the Rider shy away and admit nothing like Rio Kamichika. Shinra introduces himself as an underground doctor who specializes in treating people who can't go to the regular hospital and those that want plastic surgery. He points his camera on himself and begins to explain to his future self how he personally knows the Headless Rider and her actual name is Celty Sturlson. When he arrives home, he finds her in the shower as the two are shown communicating through instant messages, computers, and a cell phone Celty carries around with her. Shinra notes that Celty has basic senses like sight, hearing, and touch but he imagines how they work when she has no optic nerves.

Celty rides through the roads of Irelands with her head in tow

Celty's past is revealed as the reason she has no head is because she is a creature called a Dullahan, a mythical Irish creature who roamed the island of Eire with her headless horse and carriage to collect the souls of those who were about to die. She also carried with her her decapitated head that never was supposed to leave her side. One day though, Celty wakes up on a hill with no memory of how she got there and her head gone. She uses a Knight's helmet to cover her neck as she mounts her horse to find her lost head. Coming across a ship bound for Tokyo, she sneaks aboard as the soul of her horse is put into a motorcycle found at the docks. As Celty hides in the cargo hold, a young Shinra spots her and tells his father Shingen Kishitani.

Shingen believes him and goes to investigate as Celty shows him how she has no head. Shingen proposes and arrangement whereas if he can dissect and experiment on her once, he would provide her a place to stay while she looks for her head. She agrees and is strapped to an operating table, forced to stay conscious during the procedure as then-modern anesthetics didn't work on her. Shingen begins his dissection and discovers that Celty has no real organs as well as her cuts heal near instantaneously. He offers Shinra a chance to look too. Shinra marvels on how his father let an eight year old dissect a woman like that.

Now, twenty years later, Celty works as a transporter in Ikebukuro in hopes to find her head since she feels it is in the city somewhere. After completing a job for Izaya, he comments how he ran into a sketch artist who claimed to have seen a Dullahan nearly twenty years ago when he was in Ireland. Celty immediately demands to know where he is as Izaya points her in the direction. Even though Celty travels all across the city to various spots, she still can't find this sketch artist. She runs into Shizuo though who knows exactly where to find the artist and come across him finishing up for the day. Celty asks to see the pictures of the Dullahan as the artist agrees. Shizuo and Celty admire the excellent pictures but notice there is no head. The artist complains that the head always came out wrong and he can't remember what it looked like exactly. The reason for this was when he was in Ireland and saw the Dullahan coming, he hid in the bushes. She rode by so fast he could barely make out the head. He does remark how there was an odd fellow earlier in the day that claimed it looked better with no head. Celty thanks him and Shizuo and heads home.

Celty arrives home and tells Shinra what happens as he tries to comfort her about it. Celty feels absolutely certain that the pictures she saw were of her twenty years ago. Shinra goes as far as to ask if she really needs her head back since she seems to be a different person than what she would be with her head. Celty tried to gently put him down but Shinra persists, saying that the two should find love with one another but Celty pushes him away and locks herself in her room. Shinra admits he is afraid that if Celty finds her head that she will be a different person altogether and leave him. It is shown that he was the man who said that the Dullahan looked perfect without a head to the artist earlier in the day.

The episode is told through Shinra's memories and perspective.

Ending Theme
Trust Me by Yuya Matsushita