Miku Hinasaki

Protagonist of the survival horror game Project Zero and a playable character in Project Zero 3: The Tormented.

Games

2000

Years

Platforms

About

Miku Hinasaki is the main protagonist of the original Project Zero, where she searches for her missing brother Mafuyu in the haunted Himuro Mansion using the Camera Obscura. She returns as a playable character in Project Zero 3: The Tormented, working as an assistant to Rei Kurosawa while dealing with her own grief. Throughout the Project Zero franchise, she is defined by her strong spiritual sensitivity and her connection to the supernatural.

Designed by Tecmo, the character's visual appearance and vulnerability established the signature survival horror aesthetic of the Project Zero franchise. In her debut in Project Zero (2000), her design emphasized a delicate, youthful appearance to heighten the player's sense of dread and isolation. This thematic focus on defenselessness contrasted with contemporary action-oriented horror protagonists of the era.

Her narrative arc expanded significantly in Project Zero 3 (2000), where her character model and mechanics were updated to reflect her growth, bridging the lore of the first game with the wider universe. This title solidified her status as a recurring anchor for the series' overarching mythology. The character's presence also extends to rare physical media collectors' items, such as the European release Project Zero 3: The Tormented [Promo Not For Resale] (2000), which features her prominently on the insert artwork and disc media. Through these releases, she remains a central figure in discussions of Japanese horror game design, representing the franchise's distinct approach to psychological terror and character-driven folklore.