Kel [real world]

In the real world, KEL appears older. He has grown much taller than most of his friends. Like his brother HERO, KEL has brown hair and dark skin. He also has a well-built body due to constantly playing basketball. His main attire consists of an orange basketball uniform with white stripes that resembles a dog

KEL was born to unnamed parents approximately 16 years before the main story. He has an older brother named HERO and, as a teenager, his parents gave him a little sister, SALLY.

Since they were children, KEL and his family lived directly besides SUNNY's HOUSE. He, SUNNY, MARI, HERO, AUBREY, and BASIL were close friends and spent much of their time together. One day, KEL went out to get a haircut with his dad. AUBREY was there with her dad as well because the three were going to watch MARI and SUNNY's music recital. It was supposed to be that night, but when they came home in the evening, they found out she had died, believing that she hung herself.

After the death of MARI, the friend group drifted apart as the latter's death greatly affected all of them. KEL, on the other hand, managed to cope by maintaining his positive demeanor and making new friends playing sports, although SUNNY's MOM mentions that he seemed a bit lonely at times. KEL soon noticed HERO becoming severely depressed and constantly tried helping his older brother regain his sense of self.

KEL tried to encourage HERO one day, but this resulted in HERO taking out his grief and anger on KEL. His parents immediately rushed to comfort him, ignoring KEL who was also in tears. Noticing this, HERO immediately embraced KEL and apologized. Even after the two brothers reconciled, KEL knew that HERO was still closed off but moved on with life as he usually does.

THREE DAYS LEFT

SUNNY wakes up to pounding on his door. If he answers the door, he discovers it's KEL, who's significantly taller than his HEADSPACE version. KEL is surprised that SUNNY's actually answered and has no plan for that. He decides to take SUNNY to HOBBEEZ to help find a gift for HERO, who's due to return home from college.

Kel intro small An older Kel greets Sunny in front of his house. When they pass by FARAWAY PARK, they hear a commotion -- BASIL is being picked on by KIM as he begs her to return something. KEL intervenes, drawing the attention of AUBREY, who's dyed her hair and become leader of THE HOOLIGANS. She mocks KEL and SUNNY and attacks, but backs away quickly after SUNNY slashes her with his STEAK KNIFE.

After AUBREY and the gang vacate, KEL scolds SUNNY for carrying a knife around and confiscates it. He helps BASIL to his feet and escorts him home. BASIL asks the two to help recover his PHOTO ALBUM which AUBREY's stolen. KEL and SUNNY go about FARAWAY TOWN, asking from and fighting with each member of THE HOOLIGANS before being told that AUBREY's at CHURCH. They enter it, and sneak to the pew behind her during a sermon. KEL loudly confronts her about the stolen PHOTO ALBUM. AUBREY is furious and fights KEL and SUNNY again, before storming off tearfully amidst the judging eyes of the other churchgoers.

On the way home, KEL and SUNNY catch a glimpse of AUBREY disposing of the PHOTO ALBUM. KEL digs through the trash bin and recovers the PHOTO ALBUM and delivers it back to BASIL. They join BASIL for dinner, and then return home once they realize it's way past his curfew.

TWO DAYS LEFT

KEL starts the day knocking on SUNNY's door. HERO is only due to return home later that day, so to pass time, KEL takes SUNNY with him to FARAWAY PLAZA to help retrieve some food for HERO's arrival. When they return home, KEL shows SUNNY to his room and briefly mentions his new baby sister SALLY, only to get interrupted by POLLY knocking on the door, informing them that BASIL has gone missing.

KEL and SUNNY start looking for him. After searching across FARAWAY PARK, they hear him calling for help and bust through the bushes at the back of the park, which used to be the group's old hangout spot, where they end up fighting THE HOOLIGANS. Regardless of the outcome, KEL tells AUBREY that even though she spends more time with her new friends, she still comes over to the old hangout spot, meaning she still cares about her old friends. KEL's words cause AUBREY to back down in silence, while the other HOOLIGANS leave afterward.

Once the old friends are left alone at the lake, KEL attempts to speak to AUBREY further, only for the latter to have an emotional breakdown. She tearfully questions the two why they weren't there for her when MARI died. AUBREY continues to argue with BASIL, until she accidentally pushes him into the lake. SUNNY tries to save BASIL, and KEL distracts AUBREY, but HERO comes and saves both SUNNY and BASIL.

After bringing BASIL back home, HERO and KEL have a proper family reunion. They enjoy a good homemade dinner, bring FLOWERS for KEL'S MOM at HERO's insistence, and then decide to have a sleepover at SUNNY's house, since he departs in two days.

When SUNNY, KEL and HERO wake up from their sleepover, KIM comes to SUNNY's house to inform them that AUBREY isn't answering her door. HERO insists that they need to go make up with AUBREY, and he directs the party to her house to talk to her. The party goes inside, and HERO talks to AUBREY to convince her and KEL to make up. The group also find the missing photos, which all picture MARI, on her corkboard, AUBREY mentioning that she took them because "it's all she has left of her." They put them back in the PHOTO ALBUM, completing the album with the exception of one missing photo, and leave the house.

The reunited friends first attempt to visit BASIL'S HOUSE to check on him, only to find out from POLLY that BASIL is visiting his grandmother at the hospital. Despite this, KEL and his friends decide to check on BASIL later, spending the rest of their day hanging out, while reminiscing the past at some spots in town before visiting their old treehouse. Upon entering the treehouse, KEL comments on how he used to be so good at playing cards while SUNNY collects the missing photo containing the key to the toy box. As the group reminiscences the happier memories of their childhood, AUBREY storms out of the treehouse.

Kel Sleeping Kel sleeping at Basil's House. KEL and HERO follow her, with SUNNY leaving last. Near the tree stump where MARI had supposedly died, KEL and the others listen to AUBREY being open about her feelings. She apologizes for blaming them for not being there for her, to which both KEL and HERO comfort her in response. The four friends then reconcile for real and share a big group hug together.

The group heads over to BASIL's house to comfort him but the latter has locked himself away in his room, unresponsive. They all eventually decide to stay over for the night to celebrate SUNNY's last day at FARAWAY TOWN, as well as being there for BASIL. Before falling asleep in the living room, HERO, KEL, and AUBREY tell SUNNY that life will get better even after he moves out, as he still has them in heart and spirit. They then fall asleep after having a heartfelt conversation.

After remembering the truth, if SUNNY chooses to go back to sleep instead of confronting and saving BASIL, this will lead to another tragedy as BASIL succeeds in taking his own life, disemboweling himself. This leaves the entire friend group and POLLY in complete despair upon discovering BASIL's corpse. Upon waking up once more, SUNNY finds the entire living room empty.

Heading up north, SUNNY finds his friends and POLLY in the hallway, distraught over BASIL's suicide. A devastated KEL is shown facing away, confused and crying over his friend's demise. When spoken to, KEL tearfully questions why BASIL killed himself, not before turning around to ask SUNNY why these tragedies keep happening to their friend group. With no other choice left, SUNNY leaves his distraught friends behind with no answers regarding the truth behind MARI's accidental death at all.

GOOD ENDING

The friend group's peaceful sleepover is interrupted right after SUNNY manages to stop BASIL through his disastrous attempt to save him. In the process, BASIL ends up giving SUNNY a severe eye injury with his gardening shears. Being unable to continue fighting due to mental stress and fatigue, both boys fall unconscious during the outcome of the fight. KEL and the others soon wake up and find the two boys unconscious.

The truth 2 Sunny prepares to tell his friends the truth behind Mari's death. The three friends presumably call an ambulance, evident by the sirens going off during the aftermath of the fight, and both boys are immediately rushed to the hospital. After a climactic struggle against OMORI within his mind, SUNNY awakens in his hospital bed crying with a bandage over his right eye, finally coming to terms with MARI's death. He then limps out of his room and visions his HEADSPACE friends and STRANGER for the final time as he heads towards BASIL's hospital room.

From there, KEL can be seen standing beside BASIL's hospital bed alongside AUBREY and HERO. The group then notices SUNNY standing at the doorway, ready to tell them what truly happened when MARI died. The friends' reactions are left to the viewer's imagination as the game cuts to the credits.

KEL and HERO are shown to have a very close brotherly relationship, both in HEADSPACE and the real world. As the older of the two, HERO almost always takes the role of the responsible one, most notably settling down fights between KEL and AUBREY.

HERO is also shown to be a high academic achiever compared to KEL, owning several awards and pursuing a career as a doctor. KEL does not seem to harbor any negative feelings towards his brother for this, but has shown some jealousy towards his brother's talents, such as calling him a "show-off" when HERO played MARI's old piano. KEL seems determined to "win" against HERO at various things, such as being the taller brother, or physical competitions like arm-wrestling. KEL can become frustrated if he loses at these competitions, though he and HERO always make up in the end.

While HERO is shown to be the more responsible brother, he freezes up whenever he sees a spider. He relies on KEL to kill and take care of spiders. KEL states that this is one of the rare circumstances where he feels like he is the older brother.

When HERO became severely depressed for almost a year after MARI's death, KEL was incredibly worried about his brother and missed spending time with him; however, he and his parents seemed to want to give HERO time to grieve, simply offering to take care of HERO when they could. Almost a year after MARI's death, seeing that HERO was still in his depressive state, KEL attempted to make him feel better. This resulted in HERO lashing out until they both cried. After coming to his senses, HERO embraced KEL and apologized repeatedly. Though HERO began attending school and being active once more, KEL still believes his brother is somewhat closed off. However, they continue to hang out together once HERO returns from college and are just as friendly around each other.

KEL is one of SUNNY's childhood friends and his next-door neighbor. The two were close friends and hung out often, with KEL referring to them both as "best friends". According to KEL, when they were kids, SUNNY and him would sneak out at night to go to HOBBEEZ. He also says that SUNNY was the better of the two when it came to video games.

Although both of them grew apart after MARI's death, it is after SUNNY's house is put on sale that KEL attempts to reach out to SUNNY again. Should SUNNY open the door for KEL when he knocks on THREE DAYS LEFT, he reacts with surprise, but immediately opts to hang out.

Though they might not be as close as they were before, KEL quickly warms up to SUNNY, repeatedly insisting that they (along with the others, though with the exception of AUBREY for a while) are still best friends, no matter what. Despite how circumstances have changed, KEL tries to treat SUNNY normally and hang out with him just as he had when they were kids, and appears to trust SUNNY a great deal. At FARAWAY CEMETERY, he opens up to SUNNY, sharing for the first time how he and HERO dealt with MARI's death and its aftermath.

When they were younger, KEL and AUBREY often bickered and argued with each other over minor topics, leading to many childish arguments. These mannerisms are shared with their HEADSPACE counterparts. Even so, they still cared about each other and were close friends, seen together more often than not in BASIL's photos. In HEADSPACE, KEL is shown to ultimately care about AUBREY's feelings by reassuring or cheering her up at times, particularly over BASIL's disappearance. HERO has stated that KEL and AUBREY's constant bickering is not a sign of a negative relationship, but rather shows how comfortable they are in each other's company, due to the fact that they always make up after fighting.

After MARI'S death, similar to everyone else, AUBREY grew apart from KEL. His seeming lack of grief over MARI's death frustrated AUBREY, and she was extremely upset at him for not being there for her. Their rivalry turned into full-on resentment as AUBREY started becoming a bully, and though KEL repeatedly brought up the fact that they used to be friends, he seemed to have given up on AUBREY and decided that she would always be cruel.

During the events of the game, AUBREY grows even more upset with KEL as he barges back into her life while she is trying to find peace. When KEL gives a forced apology for not being there, she turns it down. Eventually, after pushing BASIL into the lake and realizing how much she has hurt her former friends, AUBREY makes up with KEL (and the rest of the group). KEL apologizes for being 'a crappy friend' and promises to be there for her from now on.

KEL, like with most others, was a positive and supporting force in his and BASIL's friendship. Though they grew estranged after the death of MARI, KEL is quick to assure BASIL that they are still friends. Despite his care for BASIL, he can be oblivious to when BASIL is struggling, such as when BASIL breaks down after hearing the news of SUNNY moving. Still, even though they have not spent time together in years, KEL is quick to come to BASIL's aid when he is being bullied or has any other troubles. He joins the others in sleeping over at BASIL's house when the group is worried about him, and, in the good ending, can be seen standing with the others beside BASIL's hospital bed.

In the neutral endings, KEL is shocked and distraught over BASIL's suicide, and can be seen crying outside the room along with HERO and AUBREY. His normally-happy demeanor breaks down completely as he wonders why a suicide must happen in their friend group again.

Though KEL and MARI's friendship is amongst the least developed ones in their friend group, it's assumed that they also had a caring and fun relationship. As MARI used to play softball before hurting her knee, it can be assumed that they may have shared an interest in sports at one point. In their dialogue together, MARI is shown to be an older sister figure to KEL, lovingly teasing him regarding his height in comparison to HERO's.

After MARI's death, KEL was the least outwardly affected of the group and able to find acceptance. Rather than lashing out like AUBREY or isolating himself like SUNNY, BASIL, and HERO, KEL tried to put his energy into having fun and making others happy. He became occupied with activities such as playing basketball, as well as being more social and making friends wherever he could.

Though he seems unaffected from an outside perspective, he later tells SUNNY that he still thinks about MARI every day and misses her greatly. Still, he tries not to show this grief in order to remain a positive force for the friend group, offering to lift the others' spirits by stating that MARI would be happy their friend group is back together again.

KEL's parents are shown to care about him, as he is their son. However, HERO seems to be the favorite child due to his various achievements and talents. By prioritizing HERO, their parents can sometimes end up ignoring KEL's troubles; for example, after HERO lashed out at KEL and both of them ended up crying, KEL's parents immediately went to comfort HERO, ignoring KEL. KEL'S MOM also tends to be frustrated by KEL's antics, such as yelling at him for taking too long to gather the preparations for HERO's arrival.

According to OMOCAT, KEL was created in relation to SUNNY's personality. Due to SUNNY's passive personality, he needed an energetic individual like KEL to keep the story going, as FARAWAY TOWN would be boring without him.[24] KEL's character is based on OMOCAT's personal experiences with having loud and exciting friends during their high school years. OMOCAT describes him as someone who is always there for you and loves you unconditionally. Even though he sometimes acts troublesome, one can tell KEL cares about them and prioritizes others' feelings above his own. Although KEL likes making others happy, he is noted to find it hard to deal with his own feelings. This is implied through moments where KEL reflects on his past and inner feelings towards his friends. OMORI-battle An early development screenshot released in 2014, which depicts Kel's name as Kelsey. KEL's name was originally different during production, as evidenced by older development screenshots where his name is read as KELSEY. During OMOCAT's 2022 Twitch livestream on February 18th (the date of BASIL's birthday), KEL is referred to as "KELSEY" when the former showcased an early version of FARAWAY TOWN. In older material of the game, KEL was named K. This iteration is described as wild and always getting himself into trouble.[25] The name K, along with HERO's old name (HIKI) and OMORI's name make up the word "hikikomori". KEL does not like pickles, and will not eat them when tagged as the leader of the party at the healing locations with them in THE DUNGEON and the GHOST PARTY, forcing the player to tag to another character to be able to use these locations.[26][27] KEL hates milk, but his HEADSPACE counterpart likes it. This is likely due to ORANGE JOE being an actual character rather than a drink in HEADSPACE. This can be seen from the difference between a photo of KEL in the REAL WORLD and its HEADSPACE version. KEL is noted to like basketball as shown through his outfit and choice of weapon in FARAWAY TOWN.[28][29] KEL's name and affinity for orange soda is likely a reference to character of Kel Kimble from the Nickelodeon sitcom Kenan & Kel. Kel Flex Sprite When KEL demonstrates his new FLEX ability to PLUTO during the PROLOGUE, a rendition of the latter's optional boss theme plays in the background. This can also be heard when KEL plays the keyboard in SPACE BOYFRIEND'S HOUSE. In the 2018 Kickstarter demo, KEL's ability when tagged involved climbing up high structures to retrieve items. One of the build's language files even labels the cutscene where KEL first utilizes his climbing skills as NATURAL CLIMBER.[30] If the player gives KEL his favorite drink ORANGE JOE in-battle, he will gain the HAPPY emotion. In early versions of the game, KEL's HEART stats weren't that high compared to the other party members in HEADSPACE, resulting in him being taken out very easily in early battles. This was changed following a patch within version 1.0.2 and onwards, where KEL is given an extra 4 HEART from LEVEL 1-49.[31] KEL stealing 20 dollars from the player is most likely the developers poking fun at themselves, as the game itself costs 20 dollars when not on sale. KelSunny HighFive On the SUNNY ROUTE, high-fiving KEL once when he tries to high-five SUNNY yields the Up high... achievement. There are two other achievements that can be unlocked, depending on the player's choices whenever KEL attempts to initiate a high-five sequence: If done for a total of three times, this will yield the Down low... achievement. Refusing to high-five KEL during the prompt yields the Too slow! achievement. There are a few in-game events exclusive to KEL when starting a battle in HEADSPACE: In the JUNKYARD, KEL will always start digging something out from the trash at the start of a battle, with a chance of obtaining CANS, TOFUS, RUBBER BANDS, CHOCOLATES, and CHERRY SODAS at the start of a battle. However, there is a 37.5% chance of obtaining nothing. This feature does not apply to the LIFE JAM GUY nor DOWNLOAD WINDOW. In the LAST RESORT, KEL will occasionally play slots at the start of a battle, with a 50% chance of winning or losing up to 200 CLAMS. This mechanic disappears once the player defeats both MR. JAWSUM and PLUTO (EXPANDED) on TWO DAYS LEFT. Kel Tickle (Unused) Despite not having an animation in-game, TICKLE does have an entry in the database, where it loads the otherwise unused "k_tickle" sprites and the "e_brag" sprites, used by SWEETHEART and KITE KID when they brag. On frame 6, it plays "BA_tickle." However, it has 0 frames and no animation data, meaning it was most likely cut later on for unknown reasons. KEL has the potential to deal some of the largest damage in the game while in HEADSPACE. If KEL is under the effects of HAPPY/ECSTATIC, has a higher SPEED weapon, has used FLEX, and finally has consumed COFFEE, the RUN 'N GUN skill can hit for about 3,750 damage per usage. If the target is ANGRY, then KEL can deal damage as high as about 5,500, able to effectively one-shot most major bosses. Note that the highest possible obtainable SPEED is 999, so HAPPY may be unnecessary when KEL is equipped with CHICKEN BALL or BASKETBALL. KEL has a secret FOLLOW-UP interaction with HERO. If KEL is SAD, and HERO does the "Call KEL" FOLLOW-UP, it will remove KEL's SAD emotion and make him NEUTRAL. This works with any tier of SAD for KEL, and any emotion for HERO. When using KEL's tag ability in the REAL WORLD (only in RECYCULTIST'S HQ), the arrow throwing icon shown is retained from HEADSPACE instead of using a newer version. It is unknown why it remains there but likely due to the entire sequence being imagined by SUNNY himself. There originally existed a bug where KEL would follow SUNNY to his mother's car during the ABANDON ENDING. This would result in him seeming to move away with SUNNY, leaving HERO behind. This was fixed in a patch following version 1.0.7 of the game.[32]