Katawa Shoujo originated from a concept sketch by RAITA in Schuppen Harnische, a doujin released on December 2000 by Zettai Shoujo. On 4 January 2007, the sketch was posted on 4chan's /a/ board, creating mass discussion among the regulars. 3 months later, a group of volunteers from around the world formed Four Leaf Studios to develop the game using the Ren'Py Engine.

A demo was released on 29 April 2009 in eight languages as of its current version. The full game was then released on 4 January 2012 in celebrating the /a/ sticky thread's 5th anniversary.

While the game is titled "Katawa Shoujo", the developers had no idea that the word Katawa itself contain disdain nuances. With the game gaining several exposure and discussion in Japan, a disclaimer along with an apology statement was issued by the developers stating that they did not meant any harm by using Katawa Shoujo as the title of the game.

Synopsis

Hisao Nakai's life took a turn for the worse when he collapsed due to a long dormant heart defect. After several months in the hospital, he transfers to Yamaku High School, a school for disabled children. Despite his difficulty, Hisao begins his final year of high school after meeting new friends.

Characters

Main Characters

Hisao Nakai (中井久夫, なかい　ひさお)

The main protagonist with arrhythmia. After receiving a confession from a girl he likes, he collapsed with a heart attack and was hospitalized for several months. Hisao initially hated his condition and the fact he was transferred to a school for disabled children, but eventually started changing his perception towards disability.

Emi Ibarazaki (茨崎笑美, いばらざき　えみ)

A short girl with bunches who wears prosthetic legs due to an accident in which she lost both her legs. Emi however considers her lost as a blessing as she is able to become a star in the track and field club. A very energetic girl and is usually seen running around the school despite receiving repeated warnings.

Hanako Ikezawa (池沢華子いけざわ　はなこ)

A girl who was traumatized by a fire accident that took her father's life and scarred most of her body. Due to this, Hanako has difficulty opening up to others except Lilly. Although she is Hisao's classmate, she is usually absent in class, as she prefers going to the school library.

Lilly Satou (砂藤リリー, さとう　りりー)

A tall, blond girl who is born blind. Lilly's disability did not affect her upbringing as she is very polite and does things at her own pace. She is the class representative of 3-2, a class for students who are blind or partially blind.

Rin Tezuka (手塚琳, てずか　りん)

A short hair girl whose arms were amputated due to a birth defect and uses her legs to make up for it. Rin is considered an eccentric person as she somewhat cause awkward situations with the people around her. Due to her disability and to avoid people from peeping, she wears a boy's school uniform.

Shizune Hakamichi (羽加道静音, はかみち　しずね)

A deaf and mute schoolgirl who is Hisao's classmate and is also the student council president of Yamaku High School. Shizune uses sign langauge and has Misha to act as a translator to communicate with people. Despite her difficulty, she is strong-willed and can be very competitive.

Minor Characters

Shiina Mikado (御門椎名, みかど　しいな)

Shizune's best friend and fellow member in the student council who is also known as Misha (ミーシャ). Shiina is very friendly and cheerful but can be overly enthusiastic in everything she does.

Kenji Setou (瀬藤健二, せとう　けんじ)

A blind boy who is Hisao's roommate. Kenji is very anti-social and acts like a hikikomori. He also rants about women being evil who are trying to take over the world and create conspiracy theories regarding feminists.