The World's Strongest Poster

Because a pack of bloodthirsty hunting cats that don't give up unless they are bored sounds suspiciously like Bernkastel and her fellow cats.

Now, Bern's worn a number of hats over the years in other When They Cry series appearances. But in Umineko specifically, her and the cat horde's job is to "tear out the guts" of the mystery. Cruelly ripping characters apart, tauntingly using their traumas against them, all in service to dragging the other characters' deepest and darkest secrets out into the open for the sake of her master's voyeurism.

She's kind of like a Genocide-route Frisk/Chara equivalent, actually.

And Bern and the cats are also a meta-commentary on players who would ignore the "heart" of Umineko's mystery (i.e. ignoring character arcs and motivations) in favor of obsessive and absurd theorizing.

Will FRIEND(s) play a similar role, I wonder? Does the FRIEND horde represent the very kind of voracious theorizing of people who obsess over FRIEND's importance?

Last but not least, Bern is a character that mostly stays in the margins/shadows/"Secret Tea Party" chapters for the first half of Umineko's story before becoming much, much more important and villainous in the second half.

kingpin: ...this changes nothing.

electro: [very clearly uncomfortable but not willing to interrogate what that says about himself] so is this, like, a permanent thing?

rhino: you are...AH!! [drops the bags of money he's holding and gives spider-woman a bone-crushing hug] MY FRIEND!!! YES!!! my cousin's wife, she is like you as well! beautiful woman. maybe you know her? you do not? is not how that works? i see. you two must meet. we will arrange dinner after i break out from raft again. uhp--no arguments. i have decided.

vulture: this is exactly what fox news warned me about...

green goblin: good for you, bug! though don't think i'll go easy on you because of this. after all, you and i both know i don't have a problem killing girls! AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!

sandman: [after five minutes of failed explanations] oh, like the thing rhino's cousin's wife has

white rabbit: girl!!! me too!!! no way!!! you know, this is perfect timing actually, beetle and i have been looking for a third, if you're interested...

lizard: [really not getting it] ssssso you have to inject yoursssself with girl DNA how often? seemssssss inefficient. you know, connorsssss only injected himself with lizard DNA the once. maybe you ssshould assssk him to make girl DNA for you.

doc ock: [known the whole time] so...you finally figured it out.

mysterio: [trying to fuck with her] so...you finally figured it out.

mr. negative: [gives a single, curt nod and doesn't say anything but makes sure to gender her correctly during their fight]

morbius: HISSSSSSSS!! spider-man!! vhat brings you to zhis dark corner of the city, at so late an--vhat? spider...woman now? [drops the accent] oh hey that's sick. listen if you need an endocrinologist i know a guy. he's over in brooklyn so it's a bit out of the way--oh you're going to diy? no that makes sense. hey, i really appreciate you telling me. no it's no problem at all. thanks! [starts doing the accent again] NOW BEGONE!!! FROM MY LAIR!!!!

electro again: [still really uncomfortable] i just don't think it's an unfair question to ask. remember that time you were like all mean and had the four extra arms and you said shit like "the die is cast?" how do i know this isn't another one of your phases?

carnage: [sprinting down the street on all fours holding the first syllable of a slur like piccolo charging his special beam cannon] fffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffFFFFFFFAGGOTTTTTTTTTTT!!!!

Everyone's so mean to London