*Possible spoiler*
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So is norman dead? Or it's that unconfirmed because when they were first crossing the cliff, ray saw Norman? Was that an illusion???
Sadly, Norman is *definitely* dead.
Him showing up is just a representation that he is still part of the group since he, along with Emma and Ray, are one of the "main leaders" of the plan of escaping the "orphanage". Plus, there are also times in which the manga shows the girl (the little girl, the first one who got killed) along with the group (shown as some sort of apparition, just like how Norman is shown in the manga) . I guess they (Emma and others) still consider the killed ones part of them even if they're dead.
He's totally not dead, not yet at least LOL you guys
That makes sense. Although, I assume that the author just subtly implied Norman's death. I believe that you don't have to show everything for the audience to get the idea. In addition,even if he's gifted mentally, its exceedingly difficult for a physically weak child like Norman to survive being held captive by monsters. Even if he does, I think that it's rather unrealistic, even for this fictional story.
But, truly, no evidence was shown and him surviving the incident , although highly unlikely, is quite possible.
Ugh I'm crying this manga has been such a wonderful journey