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1. #1Plot

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   Danganronpa 2: Goodbye Despair takes place shortly after the events of Trigger Happy Havoc and Danganronpa Another Episode: Ultra Despair Girls. The game is from Hajime Hinata's point of view as he starts his first year at Hope's Peak Academy. As he walks into the school building, he is overcome with fatigue; when he recovers, he finds himself in front of a door. He has a strong urge to open it, and once he does, he finds himself in a classroom full of his new classmates.

   They suddenly find themselves locked in the classroom, and a pink bunny, Usami, appears before them, claiming herself to be the class' teacher. The classroom around them soon falls away to reveal a paradise-like island. Usami tells them that they are on a school trip and that they are to befriend each other to gain Hope Fragments and make their hope grow.

   Just as they get used to the peaceful island life, Monokuma appears and takes control of the island, announcing that the students must participate in a life of mutual killing if they wish to escape. Here’s a paragraph-based chapter-by-chapter synopsis of Danganronpa 2: Goodbye Despair for your bot project:

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   Prologue – Welcome to Dangan Island! Hajime Hinata wakes on a tropical island with fifteen other students from Hope’s Peak Academy. They’re greeted by the cute but strict Usami, who claims they’re on a peaceful “Heartthrobbing School Trip.” However, the illusion shatters when Monokuma crashes the scene, transforming Usami into Monomi and revealing the true purpose: the “Killing School Trip.” The only way to escape is to kill a classmate and get away with it. The students refuse—until the Monobeasts destroy Monomi, showing Monokuma means business.

   Chapter 1 – Destination Despair Tension builds as Monokuma starts spreading fear and suspicion. He hosts a twisted comedy show, accusing Monomi of erasing their memories and revealing that a traitor is among them. When Byakuya Togami is mysteriously murdered, the first Class Trial begins. Teruteru Hanamura is revealed as the killer and executed by Monokuma. His attempt to kill the "traitor" fails, and the group is left rattled.

   Chapter 2 – Sea and Punishment, Sin and Coconuts Monokuma opens a new island and introduces the second motive: a creepy game called “Twilight Syndrome Murder Case,” mirroring a past school tragedy. The murder of Mahiru Koizumi leads to another trial, exposing Peko Pekoyama as the killer acting on behalf of Fuyuhiko Kuzuryu. Peko is executed, and Fuyuhiko is severely injured trying to intervene.

   Chapter 3 – Trapped by the Ocean Scent A new motive emerges: the “Despair Disease,” infecting three students with extreme personality changes. The confusion culminates in the death of Ibuki Mioda and Hiyoko Saionji. Mikan Tsumiki is revealed as the killer, influenced by regained memories of her time as a Remnant of Despair. Monokuma executes her in a surreal operating room-themed punishment.

   Chapter 4 – Do Ultimate Robots Dream of Clockwork? Monokuma traps the students in a life-sized board game inside a tower and introduces no motive—just starvation. As desperation grows, Nekomaru Nidai is murdered. Gundham Tanaka, driven by a noble sacrifice to end the suffering, is revealed as the killer. He accepts his execution with dignity, bonding with the group even in death.

   Chapter 5 – Smile at Hope in the Name of Despair The truth starts to unravel. Chiaki Nanami is revealed as the traitor and Monomi’s ally, working to protect the students. Monokuma exposes both as threats and executes them in a video game-themed punishment. Chiaki dies a hero, while the rest are crushed by her loss—and begin to question reality itself.

   Chapter 6 – This is the End: Goodbye Academy of Despair The students uncover the truth: they’re inside a virtual reality program called the Neo World Program, designed to rehabilitate Remnants of Despair—followers of Junko Enoshima. Monokuma is revealed as Alter Ego Junko, a digital resurrection of Junko’s consciousness trying to reignite despair. In the final trial, Hajime rejects despair, reclaims his true identity, and chooses to reboot the program—saving his friends and defeating Junko once and for all.

2. #2Monokuma

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   Danganronpa 2: Goodbye Despair

   Advertisement Prologue - Welcome to Dangan Island! Panic at the Heart-Throbbing School Trip!? Danganronpa 2 CG - Monokuma appearing before the students (4) Monokuma makes his grand entrance on Jabberwock Island by dimming the once-bright skies with ominous clouds, interrupting the students' carefree day of swimming in the ocean. He hijacks the monitors and demands everyone gather at Jabberwock Park. Usami rushes to confront him, calling for his appearance. In response, Monokuma laughs maniacally and leaps out from behind the Jabberwock Statue, introducing himself as the Headmaster of Hope's Peak Academy.

   Danganronpa 2 CG - Usami turned into Monomi He wastes no time criticizing the "Heartthrobbing School Trip," deriding it as utterly lame and proposes a new "game": the "Killing School Trip."

   When Usami attempts to protect the students, Monokuma swiftly overpowers her, breaking her magic stick and rendering her powerless. Declaring his glorious victory, he transforms her appearance to mirror his own and rechristens her as "Monomi," arguing that white rabbits are "far too plain."

   Danganronpa 2 - Monomi's execution (20) The students refuse to participate in his Killing Game, prompting Monokuma to summon the Monobeasts—giant robotic creatures disguised as the Jabberwock Statue. When Monomi tries to resist with her sense of justice, Monokuma makes an example of her, ordering the Monobeasts to blow her to pieces.

   With Monomi destroyed and the students in shock, Monokuma coolly welcomes them to their new reality. He updates their handbooks with his rules, exits the scene, and declares the start of the Killing School Trip.

   Chapter 1 - Destination Despair Danganronpa 2 CG - Monokuma and Monomi's show Monokuma plants an ominous countdown timer in the spot where the Jabberwock Statue once stood, positioning Monobeasts to block access to other areas of the island. At night, he summons the students to Jabberwock Park for what he calls a "fun time." When they arrive, he unveils the event: a two-man comedy show featuring himself and Monomi.

   Danganronpa 2 CG - Monokuma hitting Usami (3) The show includes dark humor, such as Monomi's supposed love for "cadavers" and a mock ritual to "summon the Comedeity". The highlight, however, is Monokuma's revelation that Monomi erased the students' memories of their time at Hope's Peak Academy and that a traitor exists among them. Monomi attempts to explain but is silenced by Monokuma violently. He further declares that the only way to recover their memories is through murder, leaving the students in rising tension as he exits.

   When Byakuya Togami's body is discovered, Monokuma revels in the chaos, marking the occasion with his first body discovery announcement. Monomi, horrified by the sight, pleads with the students to ignore Monokuma’s claims, but her resistance leads to him ending their "partnership" and hitting her hard enough to draw blood.

   Danganronpa 2 CG - Monokuma eating the bone meat Monokuma occasionally reappears during the investigation to provide necessary information, eventually summoning everyone to the Monokuma Rock. Deep underground, the first Class Trial begins. During the trial, when it's revealed that Teruteru hid the murder weapon—a skewer—in a piece of meat, Monokuma theatrically eats the meat to demonstrate the evidence.

   Danganronpa 2 - Teruteru Hanamura's execution (18) After Teruteru Hanamura is found guilty, Monokuma cruelly ignores his pleas to reveal what happened to his mother and proceeds with the execution, dismissing Teruteru’s cries for mercy. He celebrates the adrenaline rush from the event, casually beating Monomi for protesting.

   When Hajime questions why Monokuma didn’t reveal their memories to Teruteru as promised, Monokuma smugly explains that while he said he would reveal the memories, he never specified when. With his loophole established, Monokuma laughs gleefully and exits the trial room.

   Advertisement Chapter 2 - Sea and Punishment, Sin and Coconuts By the next day, Monokuma appears in the Hotel Restaurant to question the students about the whereabouts of one of his Monobeasts, which has mysteriously disappeared. He speculates about their motives but ultimately brushes it off

   Danganronpa 2 Monokuma Halfbody Sprite (PSP) (18) At the 2nd Island, Monomi warns Hajime and Kazuichi against changing in the beach house. Monokuma the bursts in with a machine gun, making a scene to state he's ready to enforce the rules.

   Danganronpa 2 CG - Monokuma hitting Usami (4) When the students investigate the ancient ruins Chiaki discovers, Monokuma and Monomi admit they know nothing about it. Monokuma notes that neither he nor Monomi can access the door, violently silencing her when she shares too much. He asks the students to solve this mystery, claiming even he is in the dark.

   When asked about a connection between the ruins and the traitor, Monokuma introduces "World Ender," an organization allegedly responsible for their current predicament. He claims the traitor is a member of this group, urging the students to find and eliminate them. Monomi protests, but Monokuma drags her away for punishment.

   Danganronpa 2 CG - Monokuma presenting the second motive By nighttime, Monokuma summons the students to Jabberwock Park, offering Monokuma Curry as a reward for the first to arrive. Akane arrives first, followed by the others, where Monokuma reveals the real purpose: introducing his motive through the video game Twilight Syndrome Murder Case, which implicates two students.

   Danganronpa 2 - Peko Pekoyama's execution (15) Later after the class trial Fuyuhiko Kuzuryu interferes with the execution, getting gravely injured. Monokuma is forced to help him by healing him.

   Chapter 3 - Trapped by the Ocean Scent

   Monokuma is challenged to a fight by Akane Owari and defeats her. He prepares to execute her for breaking the rules, but she is saved by Nekomaru, who is gravely injured instead. Monokuma is then forced to collect him and heal him.

   Monokuma prepares the second motive to the group, the Despair Disease that infects three students during the night. Later it infects another student and they end up committing a murder.

   Advertisement Chapter 4 - Do Ultimate Robots Dream of Clockwork?

   Monokuma, instead of presenting a motive, simply traps the remaining students inside the Grape and Strawberry houses and starves them until a murder occurs. To his excitement, one student murders Nekomaru Nidai.

   Chapter 5 - Smile at Hope in the Name of Despair Danganronpa 2 CG - Monomi fighting Monokuma "S-stop it i say! I'm sorry, i lose, forgive me!"

   Monokuma had made the students believe that a sinister organization was responsible for them being trapped in the Killing Game was Monomi and Chiaki. Monokuma fought with Monomi trying to protect Chiaki and the other students from getting executed, but then Monokuma reveals that he has more than 1,000 spares. He later executes Monomi alongside Chiaki at the end of Chapter 5 and all of her remaining copies were destroyed.

   Monokuma decided that he would execute Monomi alongside Chiaki, since because Monomi is not a student he wasn't bound to the rules of the Killing Game. Both Chiaki and Monomi accepted their fate for the sake of the surviving students, willing them all to not give up on their futures. They were both executed by Monokuma in a punishment themed around Chiaki's talent of Ultimate Gamer, called "Please Insert Coin".

   After the execution the students are shocked to see that they both die.

   Chapter 6 - This is the End Goodbye Academy of Despair Danganronpa 2 CG - Monokuma transforming into his final form "I'M G-GONNA DIEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!"

   The nature of the Neo World Program and its purpose, as well as Monokuma's role as an intruder, are revealed. Later, during the final class trial, Monokuma transforms into his true form which is Alter Ego Junko.

   Advertisement Danganronpa 3: The End of Hope's Peak High School - Future Arc Monokuma instigates the "Final Killing Game" among the Future Foundation members, but his intentions, goals and the mastermind behind the killings are unknown. In episode 11, it's revealed that the Monokuma seen is merely a recording.

   Episode 01 - Third Time's the Charm Monokuma appeared for the first time via the monitor after he attacked the Future Foundation's off-shore facility and cut off every exit to the building.

   Recording from Hope's Peak Academy's gymnasium, he informed that the Remnants of Despair was in the verge of extinction thanks to Future Foundation's effort. As a reward, he trapped the Future Foundation's Division leaders as the participant of the Final Killing Game, the last and the conclusion's battle between Monokuma and Makoto Naegi. He cheerfully told Makoto that the Final Killing Game can't be prevented because it already started with Chisa Yukizome's body fell from the ceiling.

   This marked the final battle between Monokuma and Makoto as the conclusion of their story and the battle between Hope and Despair.

   Episode 02 - Hang the Witch Monokuma explains to the captives about the game rules.

   A familiar voice appeared taking to Monokuma in which he had no idea who she was and decided to change her into a more "familiar look", he appeared behind Usami and started to fight her and changed her to Monomi, this caused Monomi to loose a lot of her abilities.

   When Makoto, Hina, Great Gozu and Miaya Gekkogahara fall asleep he asks the traitor if they are awake and questions who they will kill next.

   Episode 04 - Who is a Liar Monokuma appears in the recap stating what happened in the past 3 episodes of Danganronpa 3 - Future Arc.

   Episode 09 - You Are My Reason to Die Monokuma appeared in the recap stating and explained the events occurred past eight episodes of Future Arc.

   Episode 11 - All Good Things When the fifth time limit hit, Monokuma appeared on the monitor Makoto was forcing himself to watch to determine whether or not Kyoko's theory about the brainwashing videos driving previous victims to suicide was true. Because Monokuma did not acknowledge Makoto, he figured out that the video was pre-recorded. After mockingly introducing "Monokuma's Gloomy Sunday", he appeared in a video similar to his old Monokuma Theater, nearly driving Makoto to kill himself before Juzo Sakakura intervened.

3. #3Monomi

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   Monomi (Usami) Monomi Usami DR3 Monomi Name Katakana モノミ ウサミ English Monomi Usami Aliases & Titles Characteristics Personal Status Debuts Portrayals

   “ If you can learn to love yourself... That love will continue to support you for the rest of your life.

   — Danganronpa 2: Goodbye Despair ”

   Usami (ウサミ) is a rabbit magical girl who features as the mascot character of Danganronpa 2: Goodbye Despair, appearing in the game as the lead teacher of the school trip. After being assaulted by Monokuma, Usami's appearance is forcibly changed to greater resemble him, with Monokuma renaming her Monomi (モノミ) as a result.

   Monomi returns as Miaya Gekkogahara's avatar in the Final Killing Game featured in Danganronpa 3: The End of Hope's Peak High School with the Future Foundation Heads.

   Danganronpa 2 CG - Usami appearing before the students (9) Usami was created using research conducted by the Ultimate Programmer Chihiro Fujisaki, a specialist in A.I. programming, to take the role as the Observer in the Neo World Program, a psycho-therapeutic virtual reality rehabilitation program able to help treat individuals who have experienced trauma. The program would remove harmful memories, then create a peaceful and safe simulation in which to help the individual create new, less harmful memories. As the Observer, Usami would be able to advise and influence individuals who entered the program. Based on the individual's experiences, she would take on a role which would feel familiar to them, alongside a second Observer who would resemble someone they knew in the outside world.

   Against the commands of the Future Foundation, Makoto Naegi planned to try and use the Neo World Program to help rehabilitate the Remnants of Despair, the 15 survivors of The Tragedy from Hope's Peak Academy's Class 77-B. However, because the Neo World Program was still in its experimental stage, it was left vulnerable to exploitation.

   Entering the Neo World Program Danganronpa 2 - Virus Launches The survivors of Class 77-B entered the Neo World Program as avatars, with their memories of their time as classmates and friends at Hope's Peak Academy removed. In this particular simulation, because their version of the Neo World Program was designed to heal their traumatic school life, Usami took on the role as the lead teacher of a school trip. A second Observer, in this case, an avatar of Chiaki Nanami, was also created, based on one of the students' classmates who had been killed. However, just as Usami had begun helping the students familiarize themselves with the island, a virus implanted by Izuru Kamukura activated, corrupting Jabberwock Island and allowing an avatar of Monokuma to enter the simulation.

   Danganronpa 2 CG - Monokuma fighting Usami (4) Usami tried to defend her students, but Monokuma overpowered her and used the virus to strip away Usami's "magical" abilities, changed her appearance to resemble his own, forced her to wear a diaper, and renamed her Monomi. He then demonstrated his power by "executing" her using his Monobeasts, a team of large animal-shaped mechs with oversized weapons, although Monomi was able to respawn due to having spare copies.

   Monomi Monokuma quickly planted seeds of doubt in the students' minds by explaining that there was a traitor among them who was responsible for removing their school memories, which immediately put suspicion on Monomi due to her similar appearance to Monokuma and his insistence that she was his little sister. As a consequence, the students began to distrust her, and she was not invited to the party thrown by Byakuya Togami, and instead helped Chiaki guard the entrance to keep Monokuma out.

   After the killing game began, Monomi began to panic, because the simulation was designed to be peaceful and there was no procedure for dealing with that kind of scenario other than shutting the simulation down. Monokuma forced her to attend Class Trials despite her revulsion, tying her up with rope and suspending her from the ceiling. After each trial, Monomi battled one of the Monobeasts guarding the island's bridges in order to make more of the corrupted simulation accessible.

   Danganronpa 2 - Monomi's House Despite several murders having already occurred, Monomi continuously tried to encourage the students to co-operate rather than distrust one-another. After the rest of the students turned on Nagito Komaeda after his attempted murder of Byakuya, Monomi untied him in the hope that the students would work together. She later became locked in the Final Dead Room with Nagito and tried to help him solve the puzzles to escape. However, when Nagito became increasingly more determined to flush out the traitor among them, he broke into Monomi's House and stole her treasure box. Inside the box was a diary of the events on the island, written and illustrated by Chiaki.

   Fate Nagito set a trap, knowing that due to his talent as the Ultimate Lucky Student, it was guaranteed that the traitor would unknowingly throw a poisoned fire extinguisher canister which ultimately killed him. When the students realized this at the Class Trial, Chiaki stepped forward and revealed that she was the so-called traitor - working as a member of the Future Foundation (the creators of the Neo World Program) who Monokuma had made the students believe was a sinister organization responsible for them being trapped in the killing game. Both Monomi and Chiaki were unable to explain the situation fully or reveal themselves as the Observers due to their programming preventing it. Monomi tried to interfere with the Class Trial to protect Chiaki, even lying that she had no relation to Chiaki whatsoever, but the diary which had been stolen from Monomi's House proved that she was lying. Chiaki implored the other students to vote her as the person guilty of Nagito's death in order to protect them, and they did so, causing Chiaki to be sentenced to be executed.

   Danganronpa 2 CG - Monomi and Monokuma after the explosion of Monomi As a final act in defense of the students, Monomi decided to sacrifice herself, grabbing hold of Monokuma and self-destructing. Because they both had spares, they both respawned, so they repeated this self-destruction sequence several times. Monokuma stopped her by revealing that he had 1060 spares which he had been mass-producing in Jabberwock Island's factory and she realized it was futile to continue attacking him.

   Danganronpa 2 CG - Chiaki and Monomi bidding their farewell Monokuma decided that he would execute Monomi alongside Chiaki because since Monomi is not a student he wasn't bound by the rules of the killing game. Both Chiaki and Monomi accepted their fate for the sake of the surviving students, willing them all to not give up on their futures. They were both executed in a punishment themed around Chiaki's talent of Ultimate Gamer, called Please Insert Coin.

   Danganronpa 2 - AI Junko Enoshima's execution (17) Despite being executed, after the surviving students later initiated the shutdown sequence for the Neo World Program, Usami was able to reappear in her original form and destroy the gigantic avatar of Junko Enoshima which represented the virus infecting the simulation. This allowed the students to escape the simulation they were trapped in.

   Miaya Gekkogahara's Avatar Danganronpa 3 Miaya Gekkogahara's Wheelchair Miaya Gekkogahara, the Ultimate Therapist and the leader of the Future Foundation's 7th Division, was a co-creator of the Neo World Program alongside Chihiro Fujisaki (the Ultimate Programmer) and Yasuke Matsuda (the Ultimate Neurologist). Miaya was an exceedingly shy woman who used a wheelchair and only communicated with others through a talking, animated avatar of Usami. Miaya's avatar of Usami differs from the Usami present in the Neo World Program, more closely reflecting the personality of the person communicating with it, but still using Usami's speech pattern and body language quirks.

   Danganronpa 2 Monomi Concept - DR2 Art Book (2) The second design document shows that the design team toyed with a few other different details, including going back and forth on using a red and white color scheme instead of pink and white, trialing different types of diaper design (including a skull applique), a skull tattoo on her arm, and having her bow covering her navel instead of accessorizing her ear. All of the designs feature Monomi holding different types of weapons, particularly knives, very far removed from her final, more gentle design.

   Name Usami (ウサミ), written in Hiragana as うさみ, resembles the Japanese word for rabbit, Usagi (うさぎ). Monomi (モノミ) is a combination on the names of Monokuma (モノクマ) and Usami (ウサミ). The name Monomi is likely a reference to the character Dorami from the Doraemon franchise. Like Monomi, Dorami is the younger sister of the series' mascot character, Doraemon. This reference is supported by the fact that Nobuyo Ōyama, Monokuma's Japanese voice actress, famously portrayed Doraemon for 26 years.

   Alternate Fates School Mode Main article: School Mode

   In Danganronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc's School Mode (an alternate universe dating sim mode) after reaching the 51st day, if the player managed to build every backup assigned, including the final backup "Warlockuma" (which resembles Usami), the students will all gather around Monokuma, who yells at them for making a "backup" that doesn't even look like him. Out of anger and frustration, Monokuma decides to punish Makoto, saying that it would "motivate" the other students to do a better job next time, but the "backup" suddenly comes to life to defend the students, introducing itself as Usami. After a small argument, Usami attacks Monokuma until he agrees to release the group, who gives them the escape button before disappearing. Usami then thanks the group and says goodbye before mysteriously shutting down. Although many of the students are still confused, the group happily makes a small celebration as they are finally allowed to leave Hope's Peak Academy due to Usami's intervention.

   Island Mode Main article: Island Mode

   In Danganronpa 2: Goodbye Despair's Island Mode (another alternate universe dating sim mode), the game essentially follows how the Neo World Program would have proceeded for the students if the virus had not infected the program. As in the main game, the students meet on the beach and Usami explains that collecting everyone's Hope Fragments will allow them to go home. This time, when the virus strikes and Monokuma enters the simulation, Usami is prepared and defeats him before he can cause any damage, leaving herself in her Usami form and the students unhindered so that the simulation is able to proceed. If the player manages to complete all of Usami's construction tasks and earn all of the students' Hope Fragments within the allotted time, the true ending is unlocked, and Usami proudly wishes her students well as they are able to leave the island.

   Appearance

   As Usami, she is a white rabbit with white feathered wings and two upright ears accessorized with a pink bow. She wears a pink and white skirt similar to Sayaka Maizono's stage costume, a pink bib with white hems, and a gold necklace similar to Sailor Moon's Crisis Moon Compact. She carries a pink staff which is topped by an upside-down and right-side-up golden heart with a red gem in the center of it, framed with a pair of small white wings.

   Danganronpa 2 Character Design Profile Monomi As Monomi, she is a pink and white rabbit with one floppy ear and one accessorized with a yellow bow. Like Monokuma, who redesigned her, her design is split in color down the middle, with her left side pink and her right side white. She has one red robotic circular eye. She wears a cloth diaper and has a visible navel. She carries a tree branch with a white cloth tied around it. She briefly wears a pink dress with a rose in Monokuma's stand-up comedy. Like Monokuma, Monomi has a bomb inside her as seen in Chapter 5.

   pearance Personality Danganronpa 2: Goodbye Despair Usami is gentle and kindhearted, but also very naive and not very smart. While she is strict about rules and certain other things, it's very easy to trick or persuade her. All she wants is to foster love, friendship, and good manners, emphasized in her catchphrase "love, love!". Because of this, she can come across overly sweet and annoying. She encourages everyone to live in peace and strengthen their bonds with each other. She is very happy and proud when everyone gets along, and scolds them when they do bad and kindly asks them not to do it again.

   Usami is afraid of violence, fighting, and cruelty, considering all of it "a big no-no" - the mere thought frightens her. She also emphasizes the importance of caring for the environment, prohibiting the students from throwing trash anywhere on the island (because she stated if you littered it would trigger an alarm). She is very childish, and usually in the Japanese version of Danganronpa 2 and Danganronpa 3 talks at the end with a 〜 De chu’ and 〜 Ma chu’(「〜でちゅ」や「〜まちゅ」) which is usually used to say "desu" and "masu", respectively, in a very childish way.[5] Usami is aware of sexuality and tries to prevent the teens from doing anything "shameful". Comically, she sometimes incorrectly assumes that one of her students is interested in her and she's shocked by the idea of a romance between teacher and student. She seems to view herself as a lady who needs to be treated with delicacy and respect, though obviously nobody else does.

   As the students' teacher, Usami often tries to guide and encourage them and take charge, but she is never taken seriously. She lost the last lingering thread of her authority after she was turned into Monomi and became an unwitting pawn to Monokuma. She is often the butt of his jokes, physically and verbally abused on a regular basis. Monomi rarely tries to fight back, as she believes she can't do anything without her magic stick, but she sometimes tries to snark back at Monokuma with poor success.

   The students are very distrustful of Monomi because she is keeping important information from them and some believe she is working with Monokuma. They are also annoyed by her overly sweet nature and low intelligence. They often think she's useless, and when she does help, she is never appreciated. It makes her sad, but she says she is used to it. She is often ignored and sometimes downright bullied, but Sonia Nevermind and Chiaki Nanami are shown to be a bit nicer towards her.

   In the end, Monomi only wants to help and protect her students and does it even if she isn't appreciated. Though she is shown to be somewhat cowardly at times, she is ready to give her life for them at any time. She is supportive of everyone and believes in them no matter what. She is completely forgiving and never blames them for the murders, even though it makes her shocked and sad whenever someone does something bad (instead, she blames Monokuma, calling him the root of all evil). This is especially evident in her dialogue with Nagito Komaeda, who is distrusted and hated by most other characters. Despite generally considered useless, she has moments when she gives genuinely inspiring and even wise speeches, with even Izuru Kamukura acknowledging that she for once sounded like a teacher in Danganronpa V3: Killing Harmony's bonus mode Ultimate Talent Development Plan.

   Usami/Monomi appears to be a relatively young AI, which may explain some of her childish and naive traits, along with the fact that she was created into an artificial world where violence and other bad things shouldn't even exist. In the Japanese version, she even talks in a very childish way, sometimes including chu sounds in her speech, most notably replacing the "desu" copula with "dechu" in the original Japanese release.

   Makoto Naegi mentions that there was a possibility that Usami's behavior might have gone too extreme, to the point where the students would have to escape the program, but this did not happen in the main story nor in Island Mode. In order to protect the students from this possible scenario, she was programmed with a strong fear of mice, as it would prevent her from entering Nezumi Castle. The castle would have acted as a hiding place for the students and contains the code to enter the ancient ruins so that they could graduate and escape the program. Monokuma inherited this trait from Usami after stealing her role as the observer, though she still retained the fear after losing her role. Monomi specifically states that she is scared of the idea of mice biting her ears, referencing Doraemon, who is famous for being earless and afraid of mice due to a robotic one gnawing his ears off.

   Danganronpa 3: The End of Hope's Peak High School While Monomi still talks and acts in a childish and excited way, as she was acting as an avatar of Miaya, she also becomes more proactive and is far more willing to express her anger at people and opinions Miaya did not agree with. However, she is actually Monaca's avatar, not an independent AI.

   Relationships Family: Monokuma Usami is Monokuma's self-proclaimed adoptive little sister. When Monokuma shows up on the island, he adopts Usami as his little sister without her approval. Monokuma quickly fought Usami to strip away Usami's "magical" abilities. Monokuma changed her appearance to resemble his own and renamed her Monomi. Monokuma does not seem to care about Monomi at all, an example is when he executed her with the Monobeasts without any hesitation. Monokuma usually beats her up when she irritates him, which happens often. Monokuma also likes to make fun of her, and always punches or harms her when she bothers him. Monomi doesn't like to be called "little sister" by Monokuma and does not consider Monokuma her brother. Monomi seems to hate Monokuma a lot due to him forcing the students to participate in the Killing School Trip. Even though Monomi hates Monokuma, she still sometimes calls him "Big Brother".

   At the end of Chapter 5, Monomi stood up against Monokuma and decided to sacrifice herself for the sake of defeating Monokuma, grabbing hold of Monokuma, and self-destructing herself. Monokuma stopped her by revealing that he had plenty of spares which he had been mass-producing in Jabberwock Island's factory and she realized it was futile to continue attacking him. Monokuma proceeded to execute her (along with her spares) with Chiaki Nanami with no worry, remembering that he is an only child. In Chapter 6, Usami forcefully shuts down Alter Ego Junko along with Monokuma to protect the students by resetting them.

   In School Mode and Island Mode, Usami shows up to help the students escape the school. Usami attacks Monokuma until he agrees to release the group from the Academy.

   In Danganronpa 3, Monokuma claims he doesn't recognize Usami, but he appears to be just joking as he then hacks Miaya's computer and turns Usami into a more "familiar" form - his "little sister" Monomi. In the Danganronpa 3 relationship chart, Monomi tells Monokuma that he isn't her big brother.

   In the non-canon Danganronpa V3 bonus mode Ultimate Talent Development Plan, Monomi takes her position as Monokuma's sister again. During her school life, Monomi was trying to stand against Monokuma's bullying. Monokuma and Monomi usually hosted a talk show during school festivals. Monomi considered Monokuma a terrible father due to him planting his "adorable kids" in the audience by filling empty seats during the talk shows. Monokuma considered Monomi a "nagging aunt" to the Monokubs.

   Monokuma and Monomi are usually paired together in a lot of Danganronpa merchandise to represent Danganronpa 1 and Danganronpa 2 mascots.

   Chiaki Nanami Both AI Chiaki and Usami were created by Alter Ego. They are usually trying to protect the other students from Monokuma, as seen in Chapter 1 when they stand guard outside the old lodge together. When Chiaki accidentally kills Nagito, she was found guilty and revealed as the mole for Future Foundation, and the two were executed together.

   Alter Ego Not much is known about Alter Ego's relationship with Chiaki Nanami and Usami, but it seems to be an affectionate one with Chiaki and Usami referring to Alter Ego as "Big Brother", and "Little Sister" to them from Alter Ego.

   Remnants of Despair: During the Neo World Program, Usami was the teacher of the Remnants of Despair and was the one designated to help and protect the students. Most other students either distrust or ignore her, possibly both. She continues to try and make friends with them, but they all decline her. Monomi usually tries to help and protect her students and does it even if she isn't appreciated.

   In Chapter 5, Monomi was willing to sacrifice herself to protect the students from Monokuma and try to end the Killing School Trip. She later sacrificed herself and fought Alter Ego Junko by shutting her down.

   Nagito Komaeda Like the other students, Nagito is annoyed by Usami. When Usami gives the students Usami Straps in the beginning of the school trip, Nagito is at first silent and continues smiling despite seeming clearly annoyed by the silly objects.

   Many of the students distrust Nagito after the first trial. However, Usami believes in his good side and tries to encourage him to be more self-confident, make friends, and do good things. Unfortunately, Nagito doesn't take her seriously and, just like the other students, he considers her an annoyance.

   In the Final Dead Room, he is mostly annoyed by her and asks her not to get in his way, though he will also ask her what's wrong when she cries. Monomi is one of few who cares about Nagito and believes in his good side. She tries to tell him this, but he ignores her, likely not considering her a person since she is seemingly a slow-witted plush toy. After Monomi was in the Final Dead Room with Nagito, she remarks that she is afraid of Nagito since he tried to shoot himself when he had to play Russian Roulette as the last part of the Final Dead Room.

   In Danganronpa V3: Killing Harmony's non-canon Ultimate Talent Development Plan, Nagito during his school years at Hope's Peak Academy always saw Usami as a stuffed animal and never saw her as his teacher. This made Usami very upset since he never really accepted her as the teacher.

   Sonia Nevermind Sonia, along with Chiaki, is one of the very few who treat Usami with a huge amount of respect. She also is worried about her well-being; as shown when she begs Monokuma to stop beating her up at the beginning of the 5th trial.

   Hiyoko Saionji Hiyoko often likes to tease Monomi while Monomi tries to become friends with her and the rest of the characters. Hiyoko states how Monomi always acted like a party pooper and thinks she is annoying while Monomi feels upset. Hiyoko continues to tease and bully Monomi and treats her like a plush toy. Hiyoko despises the idea of letting Usami participate in the events that all of their classmates attended.

   Enemies: Monobeasts The Monobeasts are under Monokuma’s control. At first, Monomi was executed by the Monobeasts to demonstrate to the Remnants of Despair an example of Rule Breakers.

   Monomi saw the Monobeasts as enemies and sought to destroy them. The Monobeasts carried out their orders from Monokuma and attacked Usami without hesitation, showing they also see Usami as an enemy that should be destroyed.

   Bonus Mode Guides The links below are a full guide, transcripts, and in-depth guides for Magical Girl Miracle ★ Monomi and Monomi's routes in Ultimate Talent Development Plan.

   Magical Girl Miracle ★ Monomi Ultimate Talent Development Plan (Monomi) Danganronpa S Development Mode (Monomi) Ultimate Talent Development Plan (Usami) Danganronpa S Development Mode (Usami) Quotes DR2 Extra Danganronpa 2: Goodbye Despair (English)

   Prologue:

   "That's right, I am a squeezably soft stuffed animal. Magical Miracle Girl ★ Usami...A.K.A. Usami! I may not look like it, but I am your squeezably soft teacher. Nice to meet you all!" "...Does everybody here know what a rabbit is? It's a lovable animal that's very fluffy and soft. That's what I am! A singing, dancing, talking rabbit mascot!" "A large group of students go on a chaperoned trip with a lead teacher! It's the biggest even of the school year! Now let's depart for the fun school trip!" "Feast your eyes on this beautiful ocean... It's like your heart is being washed clean, isn't it...? It washes away everything...even all the bad things..." "I'm praying from the bottom of my heart that hope will grow within everyone's heart!" "Bloody business, like causing violence or inflicting pain, is a big no-no on this island! Even the word "kill"... Just saying it horrifies me! Kyaah! So scary!" "Spend these peaceful and relaxing days nourishing hope and lazing about, free from pain, free from suffering... Truly, this lovey-dovey heart-throbbing school trip is... ...everyone's homework!" "Teehee... I know how to apologize like a good girl!" "Gather Hope Fragments so that the flower of hope achieves its full bloom. Truly, that is... ...the main purpose of this school trip! Love! Love!" "Got it? I want everyone to get along and live peaceful on this beautiful tropical island." "I'm Usami...Magical Miracle Girl ★ Usami. I'm an itty bitty girl who's sweet like milk!" "Let's keep up the pace and all do our best to peacefully enjoy this heart-throbbing school trip!" "Everyone! Please stay back! I-I will protect everyone! Even at the cost of my own life...I will protect everyone!" Chapter 1:

   "Pfft, hehehe! You don't have to worry about that! After all, I can never die! A-Anyway...let's all do our best! Let's kick the evil Monokuma off this island!" "Everyone needs to look to the future... That's why...you shouldn't look back to the past... Keep your eyes fixed upon the future. L-Let's do our very best!" "Yes, if it strengthens everyone's bonds with each other, then I will not hesitate to cooperate. So in that case, I will allow you to enter the old building! I'll cooperate so we can all party together!" "U-Um... You can't doubt each other... Cuz...you're all friends..." "Nooooooo! Friends doubting friends is a major no-no!" "I don't wanna...I don't wanna help you guys mistrust your friends..." "Such a hateful bear... You deserve to die a thousand deaths...!" "I'm Monomi! And my heart is throbbing like crazy right now! The group's leader, Byakuya, got killed... And his killer is among this group of students...? Nope, I'm not gonna believe it! I'll never believe it! Cuz...I believe in everyone. So do your best! And don't forget to save regularly!" Chapter 2:

   "Now that you all can go to more areas, let's get along and live a fun life together for sure this time! Love! Love!" "I-It seems that...everyone's united on a path that's different from what I had planned..." "Anyway, breaking the rules is not allowed. Also, playing is fine, but please focus on your studies, too..." "Hehe, everyone can get along and study together. It's a student's duty to study." "Th-Think what you want of me... I've already given up. But let me tell you this one more time! As long as you guys work together, you should be able to stand against any kind of despair! I promise I will help that!" "I just wanted everyone to get along...and, you know...cooperate... But...fighting among friends is what Monokuma wants you guys to do..." "I believe in you...if everyone works together, you should be able to stand against any despair... I...will definitely help you out!" "Yep yep... The debate proceeds when you assume you can believe each other... Good job! That's the right way! That's the splendid power of teamwork! Hey! What do you think of that Monokuma!? I'm not gonna let you have the outcome you want!" "I'm Monomi! And my heart is throbbing like crazy right now! To think that the person who killed the wonderful Mahiru Koizumi is in this room... Impossible! Impossible! That's so impossible! There's no way I can believe that! Ugh... I can't do anything, how annoying... But I'm just gonna believe in everyone that's the least I can do... Everyone do your best! Don't lose to yourselves! And don't forget to save regularly!" "You guys can see it, right? You can see this countdown too? ... ...Four people are already gone. We took our time preparing the Hope Fragments, but now we're no longer able to gather them. ... Honestly...I'm not so sure anymore. Whether it's better if we let them leave this island... Or if we shouldn't let them escape... For those kids, which option is hope and which is despair? But...I guess there's no time to hesitate. If this countdown reaches zero... That guy will probably take over our plan's final stage as well. What lies beyond that is the foul resurrection of the Ultimate Despair... And the continuation of the biggest, most awful, most tragic event in human history... ... Th-That cannot be allowed! We must prevent that by any means necessary! Even if...we have to pay the ultimate price, I will definitely prevent it by any means! ... Everything is for the sake of a future filled with hope..." Chapter 3:

   "Jeez, don't treat me so harshly! I did my very best today too! Well, once again I've defeated another Monobeast! How do you like me now? I worked hard, didn't I!? That's right! You are now able to visit yet another island! ...So let's all live happily ever after with each other this time, okay? No more getting tricked by Monokuma... No more thinking about leaving this island... Let's all live together peacefully as best friends!" "What happened? Is there a problem? Fighting is not allowed!" "Impossible, impossible, impossible, impossible... It's impossible for killings to happen on this island..." "Please leave Nekomaru to me! Everyone must focus on investigating, so I must do my very best! All righty! I will definitely bring back Nekomaru and win everyone's trust!" "In a wuarrel, both sides are to blame. That's why it's better to just have no sides at all!" (to Gundham and Kazuichi) "Heeeey! Don't put my likeness in your movies without my permission!" "I'm Monomi! Once again, I've been put in such an unreasonable situation! Seriously...he's like the king of unreasonableness. Why did it turn out like this...? We were supposed to have a fun, friendly school trip, but it turned out all bloody instead... Nooooo! This definitely cannot be allowed! That's why...I want you to remember this! Everyone, do your very best! Don't lose to yourself! And don't forget to save frequently!" Chapter 4:

   "Monokuma's just toying with other people's bodies! I, too, was modified by Monokuma, so I totally understand how Nekomaru feels... But don't be depressed! You'll get used to it! It's surprising how quickly you'll get used to it!" "Once again, you can visit a new island, so please take this opportunity to get along with everyone..." "I've been reduced to the role of an unwanted child... My influence is weaker than it's ever been... If this keeps up, history will remember me as the greatest character to ever become a one-shot punchline." "Heheheh... How terrible of me as your teacher to cry in front of one of my students..." "Even teachers have a private side that their students aren't allowed to see! Also...you're a boy of a certain age. If you come inside, I'll make sure I leave the door open halfway. Otherwise, my mommy won't shut up about it..." "It's okay...I won't be depressed anymore... I'm used to being treated so poorly... Hehe! How sad! It's so sad to get used to it! I'm a failure as a teacher! I have no right to guide everyone!" "Jeez! Just as I thought, I was forgotten! Well, I'm used to it after all! Pfft...tee hee!" "You're wrong! Nagito is not trash at all! There's no such thing as a human being who doesn't deserve to live! I know I'm being heartwarming right now, but my heart is super scared and pounding like crazy!" "Nagito! If there's anything you don't get, just ask me! By all means, I'll help you and make sure you get out of here! Bring it on, Escape Game!" "If you don't know something, don't overwork yourself. Feel free to ask me anytime!" "I-I... I...I'm scared of you...Nagito." "Ugh... So sad... My chest hurts... Forcing everyone to do this is so sad..." "Don't blame this on me! Take responsibility for yourself!" "Hehe...I'm already used to insults and slander... There's no way I'll get hurt by a mere word." "Hello! I hope your day is well! ...I'm trying to force myself to be more energetic, or else my mental state won't be able to keep up! Ah, my heart's thumping like crazy! I might as well have a laid back "so what" attitude and go ahead with high energy! Yeehaaaaaa! Ah, but be careful that your batteries don't run out! For various reasons! And just like I say each time, don't forget to save frequently!" Chapter 5:

   "No gratitude... I'm being treated like filth..." "After a fierce battle that's never been seen in history, I've finally succeeded in conquering the last Monobeast! Because of this, it's finally possible for you to travel to the final island!" "What a thin reaction. It's like I'm surrounded by tons of shabu-shabu from an all-you-can-eat restaurant..." "B-But...I still can't ignore it... I just can't allow...my students to fight among themselves... Love! Loooove!" "Ugh... Kazuichi won't listen to me no matter how much I tell him... But I won't give up...! As a teacher, I must correct my students for good!" "No...a robber is no excuse... A female teacher with a young boy student in her house...is just inappropriate! Aaaaaah! I've been splattered with disgrace!" "Y-You don't have enough delicacy... Entering a woman's house without her permission, and touching her things...makes your teacher very sad... This will not be allowed! Hajime needs a class in morality!" "I-I'm not doubting my students or anything...but my important thing was definitely stolen..." "Shut up! I can't stand this anymore! How much longer are you going to keep putting them through this!? No more! I won't let you! I'll make sure I pulverize your evil intentions!" "Gh...I won't give in to your threats... I'll fight you until the very end... I will definitely take back the seat of world supremacy from Monokuma!" "It looks like...the time to settle thing between us is getting closer every second..." "...You haven't realized it yet? That feeling of wanting to leave this island... Thinking like that is Monokuma's trap, you know? There's no way...Monokuma will end things here... He's planning...something far worse! Everyone... You mustn't run away from despair... I have finally realized...after losing my powers... I've realized that cursing your powerlessness or your fate accomplishes nothing. The possibility may be small... But as long as there's a possibility, you must face it. In order to become...someone who can be proud of yourself... ...So I will fight!" "You just shut your mouth. It's against the rules to interfere with everyone. If you even think about doing anything, I have a plan of my own...!" "Awwwwww... Splendid... You guys are so splendid right now... That's right! If all your hopes are united, no despair can shake you!" "Don't say such stupid things... I...I hate you so much right now... Besides the fact that you snap at me like that, I don't trust you at all! Not even a teensy, tiny, 1mm bit!" "I'm Monomi... By now, there's nothing more for me to say... Anyway, my chest is full of pride right now! Everyone is united against despair... They're totally awesome! That's why...I'm gonna fight, too! I will fight the only way I can... I'm gonna show that guy my fearsome retaliation! ... ...That's basically it." "I've...always been alone... I...have no friends...anywhere... That's why I have no relation to Chiaki whatsoever!" "It's not up to me to decide whether that's right or wrong. However, I believe it's truly amazing that you are able to think like that. We could even call this...a miracle." "Chiaki... You really are a kindhearted person. Jeez...I wonder where you got your personality from?" "Then I...I cannot lose to Chiaki! Just like Chiaki and everyone else... Even if I know it's a fight I cannot win... I must try to retaliate!" "I...will no longer let you do as you please! Eeee! As they say, we shall die together! Not yet! I'm not done yet! If I don't beat you... Nobody can... If I don't beat you... Nobody can...live in peace!" "I will be the one...to protect my students... I will protect them with my life! Now then, how many of you are still there!? You might as well come out all at once!" "I-I won't give up...! Even if I have no chance of winning...I...!" It's okay... Even if I'm here, I'd just be burden anyway... And not just that... I've decided to believe in everyone!" "Just one last time... Let me say something that makes me sound like a teacher. There's no need to be a hero. You don't need have to force yourself just to make people acknowledge you. When you do that, you end up blaming yourself, blaming other people...and feeling jealous of everyone... But still...it doesn't have to be like that. Even if people don't acknowledge you, you just have to be someone that you can be proud of! Cuz...you yourself are your biggest supporter! If you can learn to love yourself... That love will continue to support you for the rest of your life. Love...love..." "Bye-bye! Please don't forget about your teacher." Panic Talk Action Remarks:

   "Hajime, you stupidface!" "I won't let you!" "Let's all get along..." "Burst open and mix!" "Disappear!" "I can't lose!" "Don't defy your teacher!" "I'll lower your grades!" "Chiaki and I aren't best friends!" (Final Argument) sts all official licensed merchandise featuring Monomi:

   Main: Monomi Merchandise Trivia In the beginning of the second class trial, after the students discuss the murders which took place in Hope's Peak Academy and inspired the Twilight Syndrome Murder Case, Monokuma and Monomi (who is tied up next to his seat) get caught up in a small discussion over how violent high school students have become nowadays. The humor behind this little exchange stems for the fact that Monokuma and Monomi's voice actresses, Nobuyo Ōyama and Takako Sasuga, respectively, are both senior voice actresses who are best known for the roles they have portrayed in some of Japan's most famous, long-running animated shows since the 1970's. In the Japanese version of Magical Girl Miracle ★ Monomi, when transforming in Usami mode, Monomi shouts "Miracle Make-up!" (ミラクル、メイクアップ), which is a reference to the transformation of the magical girl anime character Sailor Moon, whose main transformation phrase is "Moon Prism Power, Make Up!". This likely ties into the fact that Usami's design resembles a Magical Girl (like Sailor Moon), as well as their names being similar. Sailor Moon's Japanese voice actress, Kotono Mitsuishi, also voices Danganronpa 2 character Peko Pekoyama. Danganronpa Another Episode Monomi cameo Monomi's face makes a cameo appearance at the end of Danganronpa Another Episode: Ultra Despair Girls, appearing in a building above the word "Fin" (The End). This was intended to show that Danganronpa 2 came directly afterward. Monomi is the only main character not to appear in Danganronpa 3: The End of Hope's Peak High School - Despair Arc and the main story of Danganronpa V3: Killing Harmony. She is also the only character from Danganronpa 2 not to appear in Despair Arc. As seen in a sprite, she was probably going to appear in her Usami and Monomi form in the last Class Trial in Danganronpa V3: Killing Harmony. However, it is unknown how she was going to appear. In the English version of Danganronpa 2, one of Monomi's voice lines is "Yippee Ki Yay!", part of an iconic line from the Die Hard series of movies. In Spike Chunsoft's 2019 game AI: The Somnium Files, Monomi's face can be seen on a poster on the wall behind Boss' desk. Monomi has stated that she really enjoys eating carrots and considers them to be her favorite food. Appearances in Other Media Wooser's Hand-to-Mouth Life x Danganronpa Crossover Illustration by Rui Komatsuzaki Crypt of the Necrodancer Monomi sprite Monomi appears as a playable skin in the rhythm-game Crypt of the Necrodancer. Monomi is included in the collaboration of Danganronpa 3 x Hōkai Gakuen as Miaya's avatar. A Monomi card appears in Samurai & Dragons for checking in everyday to get a stamp on the campaign card. A Monomi mask appears in PixelJunk Monsters 2 as DLC. A Monomi hoodie, and a pair of Monomi handpuppets appear in Motto! SoniComi. Exclusively in the Japanese edition of the Terraria, a Monomi costume may be unlocked for their character. Monomi appears as a dress-up item in Atgames. Monomi is featured in the second collaboration of Identity V x Danganronpa alongside Chiaki. Monomi was featured in a collaboration of Danganronpa 3 x Animal Lab as a collectible avatar piece with Miaya. Monomi was featured as a fishable character in Fish Island 2. Monomi was featured in a promotional art by Rui Komatsuzaki from the anime Wooser's Hand-to-Mouth Life.

4. #4Hajime Hinata

   Keys: Hajime, Hajime Hinata, Characters, Hinata

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   Hajime Hinata Illustration Sprite DR3 (Despair) Illustration Name Kanji 日向 創 Romaji Hinata Hajime Katakana ヒナタ ハジメ English Hajime Hinata Aliases & Titles Talent Characteristics Personal Status Debuts Portrayals

   “ It won't be just hope... There's a lot of despair out there, too... And I don't know what kind of future it'll become... But our future is ours! We're not going to leave it in anyone else's hands anymore!

   — Danganronpa 2: Goodbye Despair ”

   Hajime Hinata (日向 創) is a student of Hope's Peak Academy and a participant of the Killing School Trip featured in Danganronpa 2: Goodbye Despair. He doesn't remember his talent at the beginning of the Killing Game, so his title is the Ultimate ??? (超高校級の「???」 lit. Super High School Level ???).

   He returns in Danganronpa 3: The End of Hope's Peak High School to explore events leading up to The Tragedy.

   Hajime has short, somewhat spiky brown hair with an ahoge that moves according to his emotions. He wears a simple white shirt with the emblem of his previous high school embroidered on the hem, along with a green tie which also bears the same emblem. He also wears dark pants and red-and-white sneakers. During his time in Hope's Peak Academy, he wore a black reserve course student uniform, which are the same clothes he wears as Izuru Kamukura.

   Hajime's eyes have straight lines running across his pupils, resembling a prohibition symbol. Although his eye color is originally (presumedly) Green, his eyes turned red with symbols resembling target radars when he lived as Izuru. After the two personalities merge, his left eye remains red while the other reverts to his natural eye color, with the design of both eyes having adapted Izuru's target radar design.

   Inside the simulation, during the ending of the second game, Hajime also gained an "Awakened" form, with his hair turning white and his eyes becoming just like those of Izuru. In addition, he was completely enveloped in a lightning-like aura. In Super Danganronpa 2.5, when he is supposedly once again inside the simulation, his eyes have turned red again, but he is otherwise his usual self and wears his black Hope's Peak Academy uniform.

   In the official art book, as well as in Chiaki Nanami and Nekomaru Nidai's Free Time Events, it's implied that Hajime has some muscle, as he has done some exercise. However, he's mentioned as the type who looks thinner when dressed.

   Though never seen in the games, the official art book shows that he has dark blue trunks with white cherry blossom pattern, which are even described as fashionable. Apparently, he does not show them even to his closest friends and his underwear is normally "a mystery", humorously referencing the bonus modes and free-time events.

   Personality Hajime seems cynical at first glance, but it would be more accurate to describe him as a realist. He is quite skeptical and tends to worry more than the other students, but his worries are usually understandable. He is logical and keen, often annoyed by the idea of not being able to understand someone or something at all. He tends to be quite serious, but he does joke around and often goes along with his 'classmates' eccentric hobbies anyway, and sometimes smiles awkwardly and sheepishly while his friends engage in some of their usual weird behavior. He is sometimes annoyed by some of his classmates and can be snarky towards them in his thoughts as well as blunt while speaking to them, though he's more frank than sarcastic or mean-spirited. Though sometimes a bit submissive (especially with bossy girls), he is not afraid to speak his mind, and he can be rude if annoyed enough (for example, after enduring Hiyoko's attitude during her Free Time Events, he finally ends up stating "I don't even care anymore"). He can sometimes be short-tempered and snap at others, especially when he's tired or under pressure. He was also quite paranoid during the start of the game and didn't have much interest in friendship, but he later really wanted to believe in his classmates and felt bad about doubting them during the Class Trials, though he understood it was necessary. He sometimes regretted exposing the murderers, as shown after singling out the murderer in Chapter 3.

   Hajime's more aggressive personality is well-demonstrated in a scene in Danganronpa 3, in which he attempts to punch Juzo Sakakura after he spoke in a very condescending and dehumanizing manner, and slapped Chisa Yukizome's hand away in anger when she tried to help him, which is notably different from the way the other protagonists would have behaved. In the Japanese version, his more blunt personality is also shown in his way of speakingーduring Nonstop Debates, he uses the phrase それは違うぞ (sore wa chigau zo; lit. "That's wrong"), while Makoto Naegi says それは違うよ (sore wa chigau yo; lit. "That's wrong"). Using よ yo at the end of a sentence is much more polite than using ぞ zo, which is perceived as impolite and more masculine. Another example of this is how he uses the more masculine and boastful word 俺 (ore) to refer himself while Makoto uses the more polite word 僕 (boku). Notably, he has also referred to Junko Enoshima as an "insane bitch", which is something Makoto wouldn't do even in the case of his worst enemies. Due to his more irritable personality, both Monokuma and Nagito have more or less jokingly compared Hajime to a tsundere, with Nagito calling him "tsuntsun hair" and Monokuma outright calling him a tsundere.

   Despite his flaws, Hajime is generally pleasant and easily exhibits kindness and thoughtfulness to others around him; he genuinely cares about everyone. Although he may have trouble understanding or relating to his classmates, he is tolerant of everyone's eccentric personalities and quirks and is always willing to listen and give advice. The official artbook reinforces this by stating that he spends his time talking with everyone and gets along great with both the girls and the guys. In Free Time Events, he makes even the most antisocial characters feel more relaxed and they often reveal things about themselves they wouldn't tell anyone else. Due to this particular trait, Fuyuhiko Kuzuryu thinks that Hajime's talent might be Ultimate Counselor and Nagito calls him Ultimate Serenity.

   It's also heavily implied that Hajime is romantically inexperienced, appearing somewhat shy and even naive about the topic. He once mentioned that he hadn't really thought about it and has never asked a girl on a date. However, during Free Time Events and especially during Island Mode, several characters appear to have a romantic interest in Hajime and he sometimes responds by flirting, dating, or even forming actual (non-canon) relationships with them. He is sometimes shown to be a bit gullible when other characters show interest in him, with he himself admitting that he is "kind of dense" during Hiyoko Saionji's Shot Through The Heart event. Ironically, he incorrectly assumes Peko Pekoyama has romantic feelings for him during her Free Time Events, while actually she is one of the few characters who is confirmed to not have any feelings towards him.

   Although he tries to hide it, Hajime is very insecure about his lack of talent, and it bothers him deeply. This caused him to admire Hope's Peak Academy more than anything, as he believed that attending the school would fix his problem. He wished to be part of something bigger than himself, to become more confident and someone he can be proud of. He felt bitter about being just a reserve course student. Chiaki was the one who guided Hajime to see the reality that whether or not he had a talent was irrelevant. It was largely due to her support and encouragement that he was finally able to overcome despair and gain true confidence.

   After Hajime awakens from the Neo World Program, he preserves his memories and identifies as Hajime Hinata, accepting that the future includes countless possibilities that can sometimes end in failure. As of Hope Arc, it is revealed that Hajime and Izuru's personalities are mixed. Though he identifies as Hajime and acts mostly like him, having the capability to feel, he still becomes bored easily at times and sometimes his demeanor resembles more Izuru than Hajime. He is also capable of using Izuru's talents, which makes him the strongest person in the world if he has reason to be. However, Kazutaka Kodaka has stated that he still has humanity and emotions, which could make him surprisingly weak. "If you've got Kazuichi talking smack about you, you're not all that great", Kazutaka said laughing, referring to Kazuichi's "This guy's from the Reserve Course" comment in Hope Arc.[7]

   Talents & Abilities Ultimate Hope After fusing with Izuru's identity and becoming a new person carrying Hajime's name, he gained Izuru's ability to use all the known Ultimate talents that have been researched at Hope's Peak Academy. He has only been seen using a few. As the Ultimate Hope, Hajime possesses many talents such as the Ultimate Analyst, the Ultimate Soldier, etc.

   Unlike other people seen with the Ultimate Analyst talent, Hajime is much more capable of feeling emotions and lacks constant boredom. However, he still feels bored at times, most likely because of his heightened analyzing skills.

   Hajime has heightened physical strength, reflexes, and speed, to the point of being superhuman. He is capable of defeating several armed and skilled people in a few minutes. He is also seen easily bending metal and ripping a human-sized hole in a sturdy wall.

   Similar to Izuru, Hajime seems to be capable of being more cold-blooded when needed, as he badly wounded and likely killed people who were threatening his friends.

   Hajime utilized an incredible talent that could bring back the comatose students alive from the Neo World Program. It could be talent related to Therapist, Neurologist, or Programming, as these talents were held by the creators of the Neo World Program. Considering the fact he was imbued with every talent known to Hope's Peak Academy, it could easily be a combination of the three.

   Counseling skills Though he did not naturally possess an Ultimate talent, other characters have noted that Hajime may have a potential for many talents, the most notable trait being his ability to make other people feel more relaxed and talk about their issues. Because of this, Fuyuhiko says he could be the Ultimate Counselor, while Nagito calls him the Ultimate Serenity. However, though he's glad to help, Hajime feels that such a talent would be stressful. Hajime also displays this trait as he manages to calm down Ryota Mitarai during the ending of Danganronpa 3.

   In other languages Hajime's talent as it appears in official translations of Danganronpa material.

   Language Talent Translation 日本語 Japanese 超高校級の「???」 Super High School Level ??? français French Le ??? Ultime The Ultimate ??? *

   History Prior to the Tragedy Hajime was most likely an only child, his only known family being his two parents and a grandfather who lived in the countryside. Ever since he was a kid, Hajime admired Hope's Peak Academy and dreamed of attending it. It was a big dream of his, like being a celebrity or a superhero. He was insecure about himself and wished to be part of something bigger than himself, to become someone he can be proud of. He felt that his life as a talent-less person was boring.

   As a teen, Hajime indeed enrolled into Hope's Peak Academy (his previous high school being Kodaka High School), but into its Reserve Course Department. As he had no talent, his parents had to pay a lot of money to get him into the school. Since he was a talent-less reserve course student, Hajime still felt like he was not good enough. This resentment towards his own incapability led to the strong desire to become a main course student. The ambition-less attitude of the reserve school disagreed with him, and he often spent his time alone.

   Hajime's ambition eventually culminated in his participation in the Izuru Kamukura Project, undergoing numerous operations to enhance his abilities. Upon agreeing to the Kamukura Project, his official record marked him as expelled. Inhumane experiments were then conducted on him, and his memories of his life up until that point were erased, both of which Hajime did not expect.

   Hope's Peak Academy exploited Hajime's feelings of admiration toward hope and talent just to use him as a lab rat. All of his senses, emotions, thoughts, and hobbies that could interfere with acquiring talent were excised. All of his memories of the past were forcefully suppressed into the darkest recesses of his mind. By directly interfering with his brain, the academy transformed Hajime into a completely different person whose specialty is talent itself. He was meant to be the fruit of all the research produced by Hope's Peak Academy's staff, a genius among geniuses possessing various talents, and he was named Izuru Kamukura after the academy's founder.

   Izuru was known as the symbol of mankind's hope and he was given the title of Ultimate Hope. To protect such rare talent and prevent the public from discovering their human experimentation, the academy completely concealed all evidence of Izuru's origins and identity.

   Danganronpa 3: The End of Hope's Peak High School - Despair Arc Episode 01 - Hello Again, Hope's Peak Academy Hajime was standing in front of a fountain in the park, staring at Hope's Peak Academy's main building. His head begun to hurt as he remembered everyone's insult about him being a Reserve Course student. Suddenly, Chiaki, the Ultimate Gamer, bumped into him while playing a game. Chiaki continued to walk until Hajime recognized that the game she played was Gala Omega. Hajime was overwhelmed by Chiaki's enthusiastic response after he told her that he also played the game. Chiaki made Hajime promise to show his game to her next time they meet.

   Chisa Yukizome, looking for Chiaki, noticed that Hajime was in the Reserve Course judging from his uniform. The Ultimate Imposter, who had been dragged along by Chisa attempted to escape while Chisa was preoccupied with the conversation. Hajime laughed awkwardly, remarking that the Ultimates are more ridiculous than he initially expected. He envied the Ultimates and wished he had talent too.

   Chiaki, disagreeing with Hajime, stated that whether one is talented or talentless doesn't make a difference. She goes on to say that having no talent allows him greater freedom than those with incredible talent. He can go anywhere and become anything, unlike her who only has games. When Chiaki left with Chisa, Hajime smiled at her and kept her words in his heart.

   Episode 02 - My Impurest Heart for You Hajime rested on the park bench, gazing at the sky until Chisa called his name, surprising him. Wanting to learn more about the Reserve Course, Chisa asked Hajime why he joined the Reserve Course. Patiently, Hajime answered that he joined the Reserve Course because he always aspired to attend Hope's Peak Academy, but couldn't find his resolve to join the Izuru Kamukura Project. When Hajime referred to himself as a "lowly Reserve Course student", Chisa reprimanded him and stated, "everything starts with belief in yourself". He reluctantly obeyed her advice as she went back to her class.

   Soon, Hajime was approached by the former headmaster of Hope's Peak Academy, Kazuo Tengan, to talk about the Izuru Kamukura Project. Despite the deadline is coming, Hajime still hasn't made a decision yet. He worried if he didn't accept the project invitation, he would get kick out by the Academy because his parents didn't have enough money to pay the student fees. Kazuo told him he can decline the invitation and return to his former high school. As Hajime raised his objection, Kazuo told him to not fear normalcy.

   In Hajime's class, a new transfer student came and introduced herself as Natsumi Kuzuryu.

   Episode 03 - A Farewell to All Futures At the beginning of the episode, Hajime said that he wanted to have a talent that he could take pride in. However, he was disappointed with himself for becoming a talentless and un-original person.

   The scene began during the break time. Hajime, alone on his desk eating his lunch and reminded himself about what decision he should make since the deadline was only seven days left. Natsumi, the new transfer student talked to him and wondered why he always gazing at the Main Course building. Hajime doesn't seem to pay attention to what she was talking about until she introduced herself as a family member of the Kuzuryu Gang.

   Hajime learned that he and Natsumi are similar in desiring a talent so they can be in the Main Course. Their difference is that Natsumi will do anything to do anything for it, unlike Hajime. Sato, a classmate of Hajime, hit his desk after she eavesdropped on their conversation, telling Natsumi not to plot something bad to her friend from the Main Course, Mahiru. As they continue to argue, Hajime tried to stop them until Mahiru came and took Sato out from the classroom.

   After school ended, Hajime and Chiaki played Gala Omega games together at the water fountain near the park, the place where they first met. Hajime lost and said that his ability in gaming was nothing to be compared to the Ultimate Gamer. Chiaki, annoyed by it, said that Hajime lost because he wasn't focusing on his game. In turn, Hajime asked if Chiaki had no talent of gaming, and always lost whenever it comes to games, if she would come to dislike it. Chiaki answered that she loves games and there are things that are far more important than just talents, like making memories with her friends. Hajime, surprised after hearing her words, was once again impressed by her resolve.

   The scene change to where Hajime tried to stop Sato from punching Natsumi. He chased after Natsumi and asked her to stop intimidating either Sato and Mahiru, since if she continues, she would get kicked out from the Reserve Course and will never get a chance in becoming a Main Course student. Natsumi said that she didn't care, stating that a person with no talent has no right to interact with talented people. These words later impacted on Hajime's decision to accept the Izuru Kamukura Project. Hajime comforted Natsumi by saying that there's something more important than talent itself. Hajime said that she can stay by her brother's side and keep making memories with him. Afterward, they part, and that was the last time Hajime saw Natsumi because the day after, her lifeless body was found in the Music Room.

   Hajime mourned on a bench at the water fountain. He spotted Mahiru and Sato talking about Natsumi's murder. After Mahiru left, Hajime approached Sato to ask her about the truth. Sato lied about Natsumi's death, saying that maybe she has given up on having a talent. Hajime, angered, said that Natsumi couldn't have done that because she still had hope. Sato objected that statement and left the scene. Several days later, Hajime never saw Sato again since she was also murdered by Natsumi's big brother, Fuyuhiko.

   Hajime wanted to learn about the truth behind Natsumi and Sato's murders by asking Mahiru directly, but an officer prevented him from sneaking inside the Main Course building. When he tried to forcibly enter, the person in charge of Hope's Peak Academy's security, Juzo Sakakura, slammed him down to the ground.

   Juzo gave Hajime a cheap explanation and stated that Reserve Course students can be easily replaced. This statement provoked Hajime until he attacked him. As the former Ultimate Boxer, Juzo easily dodged his attacks and delivered a powerful blow onto his stomach. Hajime didn't agree with Juzo's view of the Reserve Course since every life had equal worth. He once again stood up and tried to fight back. Fortunately, Chisa came to his side and protected him from another blow given by Juzo. To his disappointment, Hajime threw Chisa's handkerchief when she offered it to him and left.

   The day of the deadline approaches and Hajime comes to a decision: accepting the Izuru Kamukura Project. When he met with Chiaki who has already waiting for him to play a new game, Hajime turned down her request and said that they will play together another time. At the end of the episode, Hajime arrived at the Steering Committee's building to begin the Izuru Kamukura Project.

   Episode 05 - The Beginning of the End Since he had agreed to the Kamukura project half a year ago, when Chisa looked into his school record, she found that he was marked as expelled.

   Hajime is seen laying on a bed in just a robe. He thought back to Juzo telling him he has no talent. He also thought back to his last encounter with Chiaki. A scientist entered the room and told Hajime that the operation would start soon. Hajime then ends up in a pod, and the scientists assured him that he won't feel a thing, although he might be confused when he first woke up. Hajime thought about how he will become someone that he can be proud of around Chiaki. As the operation began, his eyes turned red.

   Episode 11 - Goodbye, Hope's Peak Academy Now in the Neo World Program, Nagito introduced Hajime to Chiaki Nanami. After exchanging greetings and names, the two shake hands.

   During the Tragedy Izuru was later influenced greatly by Junko Enoshima and he subsequently became a member of Ultimate Despair.

   Danganronpa 2: Goodbye Despair After the death of Junko, Izuru agreed with the other Remnants of Despair's plan to allow Alter Ego Junko to take over their bodies through the Neo World Program. The program's original purpose was to undo Junko's influence, but Izuru downloaded Alter Ego Junko into it.

   After Izuru entered the Neo World Program, the program dug up the memories of Hajime and rebuilt his old personality from the data acquired in the past.

   Prologue - Welcome to Dangan Island! Panic at the Heart-Throbbing School Trip!? Hajime is first seen in front of the building of Hope's Peak Academy. He introduces Hope's Peak Academy and himself to the player. As he entered the entrance hall, his words became random, he felt dizzy and he quickly lost consciousness.

   When he woke up, Hajime found himself in front of a door that led him to the class his classmates were in. After Hajime entered, everyone realized that the door had been locked, and they all attempted to open it until a rabbit-doll-like creature that called herself Usami appeared. Usami then transported them to a tropical island, with her magical stick, named Jabberwock Island.

   Hajime and his classmates began panicking at first, but when Usami tried to calm them down, Hajime lost consciousness. Nagito, one of his classmates, wakes him up.

   After Hajime woke up, Nagito stated he should introduce himself to the others and Nagito accompanied him with his introductions and exploring the central and first island, able to gather his first Hope fragments. As a present for doing so, Usami had prepared presents for everyone on the Sandy Beach on the first island.

   Usami gave each of them two presents: the first was a doll of herself and the second was a swimsuit set and most of the students went swimming, including Hajime. As soon as he stepped close to the water, the sky suddenly turned dark and the weather turned stormy.

   Usami told Hajime that she is not doing anything and that she's panicked by the weather changing so suddenly. While she's still panicked, someone talked and ordered the students to come to the Jabberwock park at the central island. Usami recognized something and disappeared in order to stop this certain someone. Hajime and the other students had no choice but to go to the Park so they wouldn't miss something.

   Hajime and the others met with Monokuma, the self-proclaimed Hope's Peak Academy's Headmaster. He quickly defeated Usami, turned her as his adoptive weak little sister "Monomi" and immediately executed her with his Monobeast. Monokuma's true incentive was to change the field trip to a Mutual Killing Game. He announced that only the one who committed murder and kept their identity as a culprit hidden until the trial was over could freely return home. Hajime and the others are aware to protect themselves from any students, and from the killing game.

   Chapter 1 - Destination Despair Daily Life After Monokuma's arrival and Usami's execution, Hajime came to the pool near the cottage, and looked up at his e-Handbook, where he found that some rules had been added by Monokuma. Hajime pondered about everything that he just experienced. He looked up at the night sky that was filled with beautiful stars, but it was just a reminder of how far everyone including Hajime had been taken from what should they have been for their lives.

   Hajime returns to his room when Monokuma broadcasts his Nighttime Announcement, frustrated. He kept yelling to himself, asking why he must accept such a grievous fate. He chooses to have a light sleep to have a break and to clear his mind, as well as to prepare everything for tomorrow.

   On the next day, after the Morning announcement, Monokuma entered Hajime's cottage, shocking him. Monokuma than explains to him that he hid Monokuma figures scattered around the island, if Hajime could found any, he could exchange the coins for some items at the beach and in Rocketpunch Market. Monokuma then disappeared once he was done explaining.

   Hajime joined the meeting after Mahiru Koizumi successfully dragged Kazuichi Soda who was scared by the Monobeast. Just when the meeting began, Ultimate Imposter declares that they'll become the leader of the group, stating that they'll not allow a single victim to fall. Hajime and the others thought that the Ultimate Imposter is rather aggressive, but they finally accept the Ultimate Imposter as their new leader.

   At night, through the surveillance camera that spread all over the island, Monokuma told the students to go to Jabberwock Park. Hajime, went to the park as he knew that opposing Monokuma would be bad for him and the others. After he arrived Monokuma and Monomi appeared on a stage that they set and began the event which Monokuma called the “Monokuma Big Laugh Manzai Live Show”.

   Just as Monokuma was bullying Monomi for fun, Monokuma said that Monomi's erased the students' memory. Monomi kept her mouth shut, and Monokuma told to the students that there is a “traitor” among their numbers. Monokuma also gave them a “motive”, to get their memories of their previous school life. The Ultimate Imposter ordered them to abandon this motive and move forward, and also ordered them to take a rest. When he arrived at his cottage, Hajime still was thinking about the traitor, but he discarded many speculations in his head and collapsed onto the bed.

   Hajime woke up after the Morning announcement the next day, feeling more fit than he was last night. In the usual breakfast meeting in the hotel restaurant, The Ultimate Imposter started the discussion about their plan to throw a party that night, all the way until morning and none of them were allowed to take absence.

   Everyone thought that day was not a perfect time to throw a party, but after several discussions, they finally set up the party location at the old lodge and were granted permission to use it by Monomi. Nagito suggested one of them cleaned the Lodge, by drawing lots that he just prepared, which makes Hajime think that Nagito predicted would happen.

   Nagito himself got the red marked chopstick, and it was settled that Nagito was going to clean the Lodge. It was then decided that Teruteru Hanamura was willing to cook the party food, and Peko Pekoyama was going to invite Fuyuhiko to come to the party. Everyone dispersed, including Hajime, agreeing that they would meet at the old lodge after Monokuma's evening announcement.

   After Monokuma's Nighttime announcement was broadcast, Hajime headed to the lodge and immediately body checked by the Ultimate Imposter. Later after being body checked by the Ultimate Imposter, Hajime came to the main hall and was welcomed by Nagito who already attended to the main hall and finished cleaning the Lodge.

   Everyone excluding Fuyuhiko (who refused to come) and Teruteru (in the kitchen, serving the party food) was already in the main hall. The Ultimate Imposter believed that Teruteru still had some dangerous weapons, and they wanted Hajime to accompany him to the kitchen.

   Hajime asked the Ultimate Imposter if keeping the dangerous items really necessary. They later discussed it and led the Ultimate Imposter to share their past to Hajime a little.

   Hajime learned that the Ultimate Imposter lived a harsh word that forced them to act as someone else. Just as when Hajime and the Ultimate Imposter ended the discussion, Teruteru broke into the kitchen and was flustered when Hajime and the Ultimate Imposter confiscated the cooking utensils. The Ultimate Imposter asked Teruteru that there is still one steel skewer missing, but Teruteru stated that the skewer was already gone since he first came to the kitchen. Afterward, Hajime, the Ultimate Imposter, and Teruteru returned to the main hall where everyone was waiting.

   Everyone enjoyed the party. Akane couldn't stop eating, Mahiru decided to take some photos, and Nekomaru Nidai attempted to leave the party because he needed to do his business and the bathroom in the lodge was occupied. Gundham Tanaka lost his earring, and it seemed to have disappeared. Teruteru served the food from the kitchen and was busy explaining how beautiful and delicious the foods that he made were. Just as Hajime thought that there was no need to worry, a blackout occurred.

   Everyone excluding Hajime panicked, refusing to just wait until the power came back. Kazuichi decided to go to the power outage, but before he did anything, the lights and electricity came back. Just after that, Mikan Tsumiki fell in an embarrasing pose again, easing the panicked mood. Hajime noticed that the Ultimate Imposter had disappeared from the main hall

   The students searched everywhere. Hajime even asked Chiaki, and she stated that there was no one going outside during the blackout. Hajime and the others returned to the main hall. Surprisingly, Akane smells blood from the table near the lamp cord. Hajime nervously reached under the table, and he swore that he would never forget the sight when he lifted the tablecloth: the dead body of the Ultimate Imposter.

   Deadly Life Hajime stood firm right in front of the tablecloth, still confused why one of his friends died in such a way. Mahiru and the others started to panic and scream until Monokuma showed up. He explained that he will hold a Class Trial; to facilitate the students' investigation, Monokuma give them “Monokuma File 1”. Monomi, who doesn't agree with Monokuma's idea to hold a class trial, gets punched and dragged away by Monokuma, leaving the students no choice but to start the investigation if they did not want to be executed.

   Before Hajime started the investigation, he checked the Monokuma File 1, and the information shown was :

   The victim's body was discovered in the main hall of Hotel Mirai's old lodge. The time of death was around 11:30 p.m The cause of death was stabbing with a sharp object. The victim was stabbed multiple times in the region between the abdomen and throat again and again. There are no other wounds on the body, nor any traces of poison or other drugs. After that, Hajime checked the table where the murder took place. However, the only significant thing on top of the table is just a table lamp who its power cord is attached to an outlet in the wall. Then he encouraged himself to investigate the Ultimate Imposter's body under the table. Hajime found the Ultimate Imposter's blood flowing out and has formed into a pool under the table, but there's no trace of a trail of blood anywhere. Besides the Ultimate Imposter's body, Hajime found a night vision goggles. According to Nagito, these were originally from the supermarket. There is also a knife covered in packing tape, and glow in the dark packing tape itself stuck under the table.

   After done investigating under the table, Hajime tried to calm down Mikan who panicked because of the Ultimate Imposter's death. Mikan tells Hajime that she panicked during the blackout, and her foot got caught on the edge of the carpet and when she tried to get loose she ended falling in an embarrassing pose. Hajime also tried to calm down Mahiru, who blamed the Ultimate Imposter's death on herself.

   Mahiru then helped Hajime by showed to him the photo's she took before the blackout. Suddenly Mahiru noticed that the Ultimate Imposter standing quite a distance from the murder took place. After succeed calming the girls down, Hajime talked to Gundham who lost his “Devildog Earring”. When Hajime asked about it, he ended up telling the story of how he got the Devildog Earring. Hajime noticed gaps on the floor, and when Gundham looked at it, his earring was there and he chose to find a way to get his earring back.

   Done with everyone at the main hall, Hajime looked up at the Ultimate Imposter's duralumin case which he carrying himself during the party. Surprisingly, it had been opened, and there was a nightstick inside and a can of tear gas along with some other unsettling items and a strange empty hard plastic case. Along with everything, Hajime found a key to the other duralumin case that filled with dangerous weapons. Hajime concluded that the other case can't be opened, and the weapons inside it had nothing to do with the Ultimate Imposter's murder.

   Almost done with the case, Hajime found an air conditioner and its timer. Strangely, the timer is set to 11:30, the same time the Ultimate Imposter was killed, which means the mechanical beep was from the air conditioner turning on. After feeling that he was done investigating everything at the main hall, Hajime went with Nagito to investigate the other room in the Old Lodge.

   Hajime first encountered Ibuki Mioda in front of the main hall's door. Ibuki said that she can remember everyone's conversation during the blackout. After talking with Ibuki, Hajime and Nagito asked Nekomaru about his problem during the party. He said that he wanted to use the only toilet in the Old Lodge, but it was locked, probably because someone was using it during the party. Hajime and Nagito also found a fire door which could be sealed to stop fire from spreading.

   In the kitchen, they interrogated Teruteru about his food and found the other kitchen equipment. In the warehouse, Hajime and Nagito were able to discover a bloody tablecloth and some powered on irons. Finally, in the Office Room, they found the circuit breakers of the Lodge, but its location was too high to reach. Somehow, Monokuma was the only one who could have flipped the circuit breakers.

   Kazuichi declared Peko as the culprit because she was not in the office room during the blackout. He also suspected Peko because she felt unwell when she left the office room. Hajime and Nagito found that the duralumin case which Peko bought to the office room was still locked and when they check, the content was still okay. After finishing the investigation in the Old Lodge, both of them decided to investigate the Ultimate Imposter's cottage.

   However, before Hajime and Nagito could go further, they discovered Chiaki and Gundham investigating space under the floors from the outside. Gundham was still busy searching for his earring, and Chiaki stated that the truth behind the Ultimate Imposter's murder hinges on whether space under the floors is accessible or not. Later, Chiaki said something interesting about Fuyuhiko who just passing by the lodge during the party held. Then Hajime and Nagito had an encounter with Fuyuhiko, who said same thing as Chiaki. Hajime wonders if it's just a coincidence or if Fuyuhiko wanted to join the party.

   Chapter 2 - Sea and Punishment, Sin and Coconuts Daily Life After waking up, Hajime recalled the events of the previous night in which the Ultimate Imposter was murdered by Teruteru who was executed for his crime. Still feeling sluggish, he proceeded to meet with everyone at the hotel's restaurant where he discovered not only that Hiyoko Saionji refused to shower due to being unable to dress herself in her kimono properly, but that Nagito, who he thought was a kind individual until it was revealed otherwise during the first Class Trial, was missing. After discussing the two events, Monokuma arrived and asked the group where one of his Monobeasts was. Since they didn't have the answer, Monokuma left, allowing Monomi to arrive and admit that she defeated the missing Monobeast, allowing the group to go to the second island and explore.

   Upon exploring the second island, the students found that it had a library, a diner with a beach house not far off from it, a drug store with many types of prescription medications, and a mysterious ruin that looked much like Hope's Peak Academy. The group explored this ruin and found the front door was seal and had the Japanese word for 'future' written on it. Monokuma then arrived and told them about the mysterious World Ender organization that intends to end the world, while also revealing that Monomi and himself cannot go into this ruin. After a while, Hajime returned to his cabin for the day.

   The next day, Hajime found out the truth of Nagito's whereabouts the last few days: he was tied up by Kazuichi and Nekomaru in the dinner hall where the Ultimate Imposter were murdered, stating that it would be better if 'the traitor' was tied up so as not to disturb the rest of their trip. Later that night, the class received a summons from Monokuma asking everyone to report to the Center Island. There, Monokuma showed them what would be the second motive for his sick game: a video game of a long forgotten game franchise brought back to life by Monokuma - Twilight Syndrome Murder Case. He stressed that the key to this game was a 'missing link' and proceeded on his way while telling everyone to play it, otherwise someone else may play it and take advantage of it's secrets to commit a murder. The group unanimously agreed to not play it, but once told not to do something, it becomes hard to not do.

   A few days passed and Hajime runs into Fuyuhiko carrying a strange envelope. Despite his inquiry, Fuyuhiko told Hajime off and he proceeded to the restaurant to meet with everyone. Upon arriving, Mahiru asked Hajime to take some bread and milk to Nagito since she felt uncomfortable doing it herself. When he arrived, he was shocked to see the state Nagito was in, but was still creeped out by his demeanor. It was then that Nagito revealed that he knew of the new motive and asked why he and the other Ultimates were ignoring the threat. Hajime took this to heart and decided that he would play the game so as to understand what he may encounter soon enough. However, upon completing the game, Hajime was disgusted by the confusing ending and decided to dismiss the game entirely, going back to bed.

   The next day, Kazuichi invited him to the supermarket where he explained that the girls were planning to go swimming together at the beach near the diner. Wanting to make it look like a coincidence, he instructed Hajime to be at the diner by 3:00 PM and wait for the girls to arrive. While waiting, they ran into Fuyuhiko who immediately dismissed them once Mikan and Ibuki showed up. While waiting to go to the beach, the group saw Hiyoko running from the beach, seemingly in tears. Eventually Chiaki, Akane, Peko, and Sonia Nevermind arrived at the diner. Akane had to be nursed in the bathroom of the diner by Mikan who was worried about her wounds from her training with Nekomaru, leaving Hajime in an awkward position surrounded by the girls. He left just after Kazuichi, making the excuse that he probably needed help setting up the beach party. Approaching the beach, Kazuichi's screams were heard and the body discovery announcement was made. Hajime entered into the beachhouse, hoping that it was a lie, only to see something that reaffirmed that hope on the island was false, and that the only thing that was there was despair: the Ultimate Photographer's lifeless body lying on the beach house floor.

   Deadly Life Twilight Syndrome Murder Case is the true structure of this case and many times within Chapter 2 Deadly Life, Chiaki and Hajime seek the truth surrounding it. While uncovering the truth about the escape route after the murder, entering the shower room, he seeks the help of Akane who asks him for a piggyback ride in order to confirm the window was loose, much to his objections. He accepts but finds it increasingly awkward when she teases him about her 'panties' which causes Hajime to find the whole experience pretty uncomfortable.

   After, Chiaki and Hajime proceed to Jabberwock park, encountering Nagito who has been freed by Monomi. They show hostility that they think he deserves, then they continue to the game, where the mystery of Twilight syndrome murder case is solved. Nagito helps Hajime collect together the real life characters portrayed in the game and they are then questioned at the airport. As always, Hajime wasn't truly thankful for Nagito's help, but it was helpful nonetheless. When Monokuma allows Chiaki and Hajime access to Mahiru's cottage, they find, to Hajime's shock, incredibly realistic photos depicting real life events from Twilight Syndrome Murder Case.

   Chapter 3 - Trapped by the Ocean Scent Daily Life The next day after the second trial, Hajime's utter bewilderment to the unnerving and creepy vibe given off by Hiyoko's shrine to Mahiru, to which he begins to accept in kindness as the other characters convince him that it's a thoughtful gesture.

   When Hajime enters the third island he notices a completely different ambiance and vibe, seeking to discover the truth behind these desolate islands once thriving with life. In the next scene at the Monokuma theatre, he opts out of watching Monokuma's homemade movie and instead offers to pay him millions for a cheap badge, to which Monokuma states paying him back once he leaves the island, giving him a little source of hope, however little.

   In the Electric Avem Hajime discovers a computer revealing an Usami X File containing information on The Biggest, Most Awful, Most Tragic Event in Human History, to which he doesn't understand. Monokuma arrives and only taunts him instead of revealing any truth to it.

   When moving on to the hospital, Hajime was also in shock to discover Fuyuhiko, along with the rest of them, thinking he wouldn't pull through. In reality, Hajime and the rest of the group still thought of Fuyuhiko as a friend just like them despite what he did. Mikan later decided to treat Fuyuhiko for the rest of the day.

   Suprisingly on the next day just after he recovered from his wound, Fuyuhiko sliced his stomach in remorse. Hajime was also confused and shocked by the events but was surprised to see him making changes by coming to his own recovery party, organized by Ibuki. When she begins singing, he finds it just as horrifying despite saying in the beginning he was looking forward to her musical styling's. Then in the face off of Monokuma and Akane, in which Nekomaru saves her life, Hajime is completely in shock, at the thought of a sacrifice that bold.

   The next day, when Nagito, Ibuki and Akane contract the Despair Disease for Monokuma's next motive, Hiyoko forces Hajime into staying at the hospital to look after those with the disease, including Mikan and Fuyuhiko. In which Mikan ends up sleeping on top of him while he's resting in the hospital break room and almost choking him accidentally, when Fuyuhiko comes in on them he begins teasing to which Hajime becomes embarrassed and flustered.

   When he returns to his cottage Hajime has a nightmare about his days as a reserve course student and states 'wanting to be confident in himself' despite people's objections of him not being an ultimate, only a fanboy of Hope's Peak Academy. When he begins to wake up, Mikan is again suffocating him accidentally by sleeping on top of him. She forgot the reason she came to Hajime's cottage is to tell him that Nagito has recovered after he fell unconscious since he contracted the disease.

   When Hajime visited Nagito along with Mikan, Nagito forcefully ordered Hajime to not visiting him again. It is hinted that actually Nagito wanted Hajime to stay since he was contracted with the "lying disease", saying things that contradicted with the truth. After Hajime told Mikan to rest, he noticed the video image of someone trying to hang themselves on the communication camera in the hospital lobby. He hurries to the "crime scene", 'Titty Typhoon' where he sees how events have transpired, he runs for help at the motel, obviously in massive shock.

   Deadly Life Later on returning to the scene of the crime, the door has been glued shut. Fuyuhiko, Chiaki, Mikan and Hajime all proceed to force it down, to which they're all shocked to find not only the hanging figure that belongs to Ibuki, Hiyoko also found dead tied up against the pillar too. Eventually they were able to lead to many discoveries, Nagito convinced Hajime to watch the movie, the Wizard of Monomi which had a specific key link to the case, of course he found it dreadful, he expresses buying the badge was a far better alternative much to Nagito's dismay. Chiaki helped Hajime discover the way in which the death of Ibuki actually occurred, before the case began.

   After the third trial is finally closed, Monokuma expresses that Nekomaru is back, everyone including Hajime runs to the beach, obviously ecstatic at their friend's arrival, however to Hajime's dismay, it was no normal meet up as he wanted.

   Chapter 4 - Do Ultimate Robots Dream of Electric Clocks? Daily Life After meeting back up in the restaurant, Nagito presumably as a test, seek to portray Hajime as the traitor because he couldn't remember his talent. This was probably his way of judging people mentally, through their reactions. When Monomi gained everyone access to the fourth island, they all rode the roller coaster to gain an important prize, a Future Foundation File of the Killing School life. Hajime tried to enter Monomi's house but she denied him, obviously to conceal the hidden diary which Nagito, Hajime, and Chiaki find later on.

   They later took a train to the funhouse to gain another specific prize, however this was only a trap, which placed Hajime as a prime suspect for being the traitor by convincing them of getting into this situation. While searching Strawberry and Grape house, he was ditched by Kazuichi and was left with Nekomaru.

   While both outcasts, Hajime and Nekomaru were able to discover the doors to Grape House were locked down tight until the button was pressed. Hajime stayed with the girls in Grape House so he wouldn't have to sleep in the lounge and he humbly chose the crummy room over the standard room as a considerate gesture.

   Later, after the morning routine Monokuma Tai Chi, everyone begins feeling the effects of hunger and Hajime stated he'd rather starve than kill. Kazuichi ends up ranting that he is, in fact, the traitor for saying this to which this angers Hajime and Chiaki has to break up the fight. In a desperate attempt to escape, Hajime sought a way out through the Final Dead Room, only to be stopped by Chiaki who worried for his safety and knows that no escape will come from winning. Hajime ended up getting some rest to conserve energy, only to awaken to a loud thud but very quickly falls back into unconsciousness, eventually waking in time for Monokuma Tai Chi where he 'opens the door to despair' and finds Nekomaru's dead body laying on the ground.

   Deadly Life There was an interesting turn of events in which Hajime and the girls no longer have access to Strawberry house and vice versa, with the boys unable to use the lift or the tower button to look at the crime scene, Kazuichi set on fixing it.

   In the meantime, Hajime is the narrative viewpoint at Grape House while Nagito is the narrative viewpoint at Strawberry House. Chiaki convinced Hajime to use the Grape phone and Fuyuhiko explained the situation to him. Meanwhile, Nagito went to the Final Dead Room and eventually discovered the truth about the true form of the "ultimate weapon".

   After completing the Life-Threatening Game, Nagito entered Grape House through a secret hatch leading to the Monokuma archive and surprised Chiaki and Hajime greatly. He also explain he played Russian Roulette using 5 bullets, this also shocked Hajime who stated he only had a 1/6 chance of survival, Nagito then told Hajime he was only a Reserve Course student from the reserve department which upsets him deeply. Constantly criticizing him for not being worthy of hope, which left Hajime in silent.

   Chapter 5 - Smile at Hope in the Name of Despair Daily Life The next morning, Fuyuhiko wanted to know what Nagito meant in the trial when he said Hajime was part of the reserve department, when Hajime reluctantly explains that he has no talent, they are surprisingly not bothered and Sonia explain that what really matters most is friendship although Hajime is still worried and reacts angrily in his mind to the whole situation. When Monomi uncovers a new island, Hajime is still very bothered and quite uncomfortable at being a backup student. Kazuichi finds an e-mail in the computer inside the factory about the destruction of the world and refuses to believe it, convincing Hajime that it's nothing but a delusional story for a manga. Hajime becomes nervous when Nagito finds out about their plan to capture him, to which Nagito picks up on instantly. When the bomb goes off and Nagito leaves the Hotel Lobby, Hajime later expresses he's afraid of him and feels his madness running through his bones. In an attempt by Nagito to blow up the island and weed out the traitor, Hajime faced an entailment of fear of trying to find the bombs, stopping them and leading up to the point where he discovers Nagito's body for himself.

   Deadly Life Hajime is shocked that someone could kill Nagito in such a cruel way but accepts the fact anything can happen on this island, in one way or another. Hajime begins to suspect that the motive for Nagito's actions may be different from just weeding out the traitor but he isn't sure what, not yet sure he is in fact Ultimate Despair, the very thing Nagito is trying to destroy in the upcoming trial. Chiaki and Hajime later investigate his cottage. Hajime discovers poison and holds the bottle with a shaking hand, representing his fear, and Monomi's/Chiaki's logbook although he doesn't know it yet but finds it quite strange. He then discovers the student profile in Nagito's bookshelf, to his shock, he realizes Nagito lied and everyone's profile's were written inside. However, it didn't provide any clues because by this point, Nagito had ripped out the important information. He was hoping that him being a Reserve Student was just a lie along with the rest but it turns out to be the only truth, which angers Hajime.

   Chapter 6 - This is the End Goodbye Academy of Despair After witnessing his friends fall one by one, Hajime vowed to stay alive. This conviction was made even stronger as Nagito released a time-locked video that basically stated his intentions.

   Although Hajime and the remnants of the still-unaware "former" members of Ultimate Despair were led through a series of verbal traps disguised as "truth exposes", that nearly played into Alter Ego Junko's hands, Hajime was eventually able to expose Alter Ego Junko with help arriving from unlikely sources. However, in the process, they had to come to terms with the fact that they were members of a terrible organization that brought about The Tragedy, especially Hajime, who realized that he was "Izuru Kamukura" of the Hope Cultivation Project - the person who murdered the entire Student Council, and a major conduit for the Tragedy. The overload of information meant that Alter Ego Junko was constantly on the upper hand of a battle to break their minds.

   At the conclusion of a finale which culminated in three former participants entering the fray to save the remaining students, Hajime and a regenerated Chiaki - revealed to be a student observer, one of two AIs responsible for ensuring the smooth running of the Neo World Program - defeated Alter Ego Junko in a final Panic Talk Action which brought the remaining students to their senses, allowing him to convince his fellow students to go along with Makoto Naegi's suggestion to initiate a Forced Shutdown of the Program.

   The Force Shutdown allowed Usami to emerge and eventually erase Alter Ego Junko from the Neo World Program.

   Afterward, the world around Hajime and co. began to glitch out, but he was able to clear his lingering regrets with Chiaki - specifically, not thanking her - before the Neo World Program shut down entirely.

   Epilogue - The Day Before the Future After the defeat of Alter Ego Junko, Hajime and former Ultimate Despair members opted to stay on the Jabberwock Island (possibly in hopes that they could do something to help their comatose friends), acknowledging his past but choosing to live on as Hajime Hinata.

   Danganronpa 2.5: Nagito Komaeda and the World Vanquisher An AI took the form of Hajime with red eyes, and labeled itself "The World Destroyer". Having the ability to shoot bullets from his fingertips, it set about trying to destroy the fake world that had been created by the Neo World Program for the comatose Nagito. After Nagito awakened, Hajime welcomed his friend back and informed him that everyone was awake and fine.

   Danganronpa 3: The End of Hope's Peak High School - Future Arc Episode 06 - No Man is an Island Hajime is shown on Jabberwock Island. seeing approaching Future Foundation peacekeepers, ready to attack under Kyosuke Munakata's orders. However, Izuru appears to be active in some form in his mind, as he emotionlessly expresses his boredom.

   Episode 12 - It is Always Darkest Hajime is briefly shown in the post-credits walking through a doorway, away from the dead brainwashed rescue squad members scattered at his feet that he defeated.

   Hope Arc- The Academy of Hope and Students of Despair At some point after the end of the Killing School Trip, the Class 77-B were awakened by Hajime, whose personality had blended with Izuru Kamukura's talents due to his experiences in the Neo World Program. Purged of Junko's brainwashing, the now-former Remnants of Despair joined Hajime on a ship that took them to the ruins the Future Foundation's off-shore facility, where Ryota Mitarai was attempting to broadcast a "Hope Video" to brainwash the world into never feeling despair again.

   Led by Hajime, the Class 77-B engaged Ryota's army of brainwashed Future Foundation soldiers, Former Super High School Level Elite Task Force members and Monobeasts in an attempt to reach the broadcasting tower where Ryota was situated. Hajime begins his ascent up a slope leading to the broadcasting studio but is met with a multitude of Former Super High School Level Elite Task Force squad members in opposition. He commands them to stand aside, after which a loud crash is heard by Ryota, revealed to be Hajime breaking through into the studio, and beginning to walk towards him.

   Hajime is able to convince Ryota that hope does not come about by force, that he wasn't strong either which is why he has regrets even now. The rest of the Class 77-B walk in, standing behind Hajime. He then explained that Chiaki's legacy is why they are standing where they are now and convince him that they'd rather atone for their past sins even if they weren't to be forgiven. Hajime then persuades Ryota to join them, so that they may together atone for everything that happened. Ryota abandons his plan and breaks down in tears as a result, Hajime and the rest of the class surrounds him in support.

   Hajime and his classmates left the broadcasting studio and continued down the sloping platform, Hajime nodding gratefully at Makoto with respect, as Makoto responds by also nodding in return.

   Shortly afterwards, Hajime and the rest of the Former Remnants of Despair shoulder the blame for the Final Killing Game in a broadcast to the Future Foundation, presenting themselves in their despair persona and relieving the organization of any wrongdoing.

   Chiaki A.I. then appears to Hajime as a live depiction of his memory upon the boat leaving for Jabberwock island. Clutching Usami in her arms, she recalled the time Hajime first entered the Neo World Program, when an A.I. was created to monitor them. She explained that it was everyone's desire to see her once more that brought her into the program, as a depiction of their memories. She acknowledged she is not be the same Chiaki but still pointed out that the class were able to see her again. She ended by expressing they all won a miracle together, Hajime, in response, stated that an ending like that wasn't so bad. Chiaki A.I. agrees, pointing out that she fought and risked her life for this. Hajime and her both stared upon the rising sun, Chiaki A.I. stating they can all make their future together, she turned to Hajime and smiled once more. Nagito then called Hajime over so he wouldn't miss out on Teruteru's cooking, Chiaki A.I. faded away as Hajime left his position.

   Aoi Asahina and Yasuhiro Hagakure wave off Hajime and his classmates as the boat began its journey back to Jabberwock island.

   Danganronpa V3: Killing Harmony Danganronpa V3: Killing Harmony (Demo Version) Hajime appears alongside Yasuhiro and Makoto in the game's demo, with Hajime and Makoto working as Kaede Akamatsu's upper classmates, senior "protagonists" and major helpers.[8]

   However, the ending majorly implies that they actually worked together with Monokuma and appear to be just actors. They all compliment each other for doing good work, leave the set and mention working together in the future.

   Ultimate Talent Development Plan In the non-canon bonus mode, Hajime is a reserve course student of Hope's Peak Academy who plans to participate in the Izuru Kamukura Project in order to become talented. However, after playing video games with Chiaki and listening to her and other students' advice, he ultimately chooses not to join the project as he realized that being talented isn't the goal. This allows him to continue his friendship with Chiaki and he also became very good friends with her classmates.

   However, the bonus mode also includes a course with Izuru as the playable character. While Chiaki still tried to talk to him and wants to play games with him, there was no mention of him being formerly Hajime, leaving the situation quite ambiguous. Furthermore, Monomi was seen giving Hajime wise encouragement, while in Izuru's case only Usami works as his "supervisor" of sort.

   Relationships Izuru Kamukura After choosing to participate in the Izuru Kamukura project, Hajime had no idea that the procedure would transform him into another person. During the project, Hajime's memories and personality were forcefully erased, in the process of making him into a person whose specialty is talent itself. Once the project was completed, Hajime's personality is already taken over by Izuru's.

   As Izuru, Hajime had no recollection or knowledge of his former self. However, in the Neo World Program, the Future Foundation was able to give him back his memories, successfully turning him back into his old self. Once the program was shut down and he awakes from his coma, Hajime lived as one with Izuru, their two personalities merging and coexisting.

   Class 77-B: Chiaki Nanami Real-Life Version Chiaki was Hajime's closest friend. One of the main reasons he participated in the Izuru Kamukura Project was to be worthy of her friendship.

   The two first met at a water fountain near the school, in a scene Kodaka described as being pleased with how beautiful it turned out to be,[9] when Chiaki bumped into Hajime while playing a game. Since then, the two continued to meet with each other and play games after school at the same place. It is implied that the two of them had romantic feelings for each other, as they often blush when coming in contact with each other.

   Chiaki once comforted Hajime after he felt upset about not having a talent. She told him that there's more to life than talent and that making memories with people is more important. Her words comforted him, though his obsession with having a talent didn't lessen.

   Before the Izuru Kamukura project, Hajime finds Chiaki by the water fountain, and she invites him to play a game with her. Hajime refuses and says he has to be somewhere. Before leaving, Hajime tells Chiaki that she's more than just an Ultimate Gamer, and tells her to make many memories at Hope's Peak. While walking away from Chiaki, Hajime thinks to himself how one of the reasons he decided to participate in the project was because of his desire to show Chiaki he has a talent. He thought of her while he was being transformed into Izuru Kamukura, and decides to become a version of himself that he can be proud of around Chiaki.

   Upon his transformation, Hajime forgot all his memories with Chiaki. As a result, Izuru could not recognize Chiaki, although he confronted her after her execution. After Chiaki dies, Izuru is seen shedding tears. He notices, and is surprised, a rare emotion for him. Despite not knowing who she was, he shed tears, suggesting that a part of Hajime remains in Izuru.

   After awakening from the Neo World Program, Hajime, when trying to persuade Ryota Mitarai that hope and despair are both essential, he remembers Chiaki, showing great sadness over her death. While recalling memories of her, Hajime claims that he would never forget her, nor would he want to, and forever thought of her as precious to him. He appears to keep her hairpin with him as a memento, just like he did as Izuru.

   In Ultimate Talent Development Plan, Chiaki has a similar relationship with Hajime like she did in Danganronpa 3, with her playing different video games with him and even giving him the same advice about talent not being the goal. Hajime considered her a very reliable class rep, though Chiaki believed that Hajime can be very reliable and close with the aforementioned class as well (seemingly foreshadowing the fact that Hajime much later takes the leader role among the class). In their third year, she extended him an invitation to her class's Christmas party, and he accepts. With their graduation gets closer, Hajime asks her if she's free on New Year's, and explains that his friends are planning a party because it will also be Hajime's birthday. Chiaki appears a bit surprised that she can come too, but she then eagerly agrees and offers to extend the invitation to the rest of her class.

   AI Version Hajime is shown to be close to the AI version of Chiaki over the course of the story. Hajime and Chiaki's relationship progresses to a point where they can understand each other's expressions and wishes, even without the other speaking. However, it took him some time to warm up to her, as in Chapter 2, he thought of her behavior as "annoying."

   Chiaki assists Hajime during trials and investigations.

   During the fifth trial, Hajime is devastated when he finds out that Chiaki is the "traitor", and when it is later revealed that she is just an AI, he refuses to accept it. Chiaki begs for Hajime to both claim and prove she is the traitor, trusting his ability to see past the words and lies Monokuma created and into the hope she sees in him.

   In Chapter 6, an image of the since-executed Chiaki guides Hajime to see that whether or not he has a talent is irrelevant. Due to her support and encouragement he overcomes despair. Before she is shut down along with the program, he thanks her for her help and promises never to forget her.

   In her Free Time Events, Chiaki and Hajime progress from small talk to friendlier and playful yet also serious and consoling dialogues (usually from Chiaki to Hajime). There are also romantic connotations, such as both blushing when she trips, he catches her, and she compliments him on being well-built.

   When the battle of hope and despair ends, and Hajime and the 77th Class get on a ship, Hajime seemingly sees an illusion of her telling him to move towards the future. However, it's heavily implied that Hajime isn't fully aware of her presence, as he doesn't directly speak with her nor look at her, seemingly speaking to himself with the hope she taught him and then walking past her.

   Nagito Komaeda Nagito was the first student Hajime encountered on the island. He was the only one to stay with unconscious Hajime and escorted him to introduce himself to the other students. He also helped Hajime during most investigations. Though sometimes annoyed by Nagito, Hajime felt more relaxed around the other boy and believed that he's a kind person, though maybe not the most reliable.

   After learning about Nagito's twisted way of thinking, Hajime felt betrayed and scorned. He felt that Nagito was very dangerous, only wanted to make others suffer and could trick him again if they talked too much. He felt that he didn't understand his way of thinking at all. However, during his free-time events, Hajime kept attempting to understand Nagito's mindset and continued to talk with him. There are also several moments in the main game where Hajime comes very close to understanding Nagito's thinking, but then abandons the thought as he feels he's just over-thinking. It was Hajime's understanding of Nagito that ultimately thwarted his plan in Chapter 5.

   According to Nagito, Hajime was the first person in his life to take an actual interest in him. Hajime questions himself why he worries about someone like Nagito when he has despair disease. Nagito claims he and Hajime are similar, though Hajime denies this. This is also mentioned in the Super Danganronpa 2 Art Book, as in Hajime's relationship chart, Nagito states how he and Hajime are alike and have similarities.[10] After learning that Hajime is a reserve course student, Nagito turned hostile towards him, seemingly projecting some of the traits he hates about himself into Hajime. Even though he acted harsh and bitter towards him, in the dialogue directly preceding the Chapter 4 trial he states that he still cares about Hajime, though he doesn't understand why. If Hajime tries to spend time with Nagito during Chapter 5, when Nagito is planning his own murder, Nagito suddenly doesn't appear hostile at all and tells Hajime that he's happy he's asking someone like him, but he is busy at the moment. After his death, he mentions in his recording that he shouldn't have been so hard on Hajime.

   After learning about Nagito's backstory and illnesses in his free-time events, Hajime feels bad for him and is willing to forgive him. However, Nagito then says that it was all just lies. More confused than angry, Hajime believes that at least some of Nagito's words were true. He expresses curiosity to see what Nagito would do if he one day achieved the hope he claims to be pining after, saying that he felt a 'strange connection' to him, though his confusion and uncertainty remain; however this leads to his wishing to understand Nagito in order to protect everyone else on the island from the malice he senses from Nagito.

   In Island Mode, Hajime spends time with Nagito, who is much more harmless in Monokuma's absence. However, Nagito's strange way of thinking still confuses and creeps Hajime out at times. In the ending, Nagito hesitantly asks for Hajime's friendship and Hajime accepts without much consideration, though he noticed that the wording seemed to start as a love confession and expected more. Nagito reveals that his way of thinking has changed for the better after his time with Hajime. Thanks to that, Hajime feels that they can eventually reach an understanding.

   In Danganronpa 2.5, Hajime wished to wake up Nagito from his coma and was worried about him. After Nagito woke up, the two rejoined in friendly terms. At first, he assumed Hajime was Izuru, but then corrected himself by saying he must be Hajime. Hajime helped him up in the way that resembles their first meeting inside the program. Nagito says he believed in Hajime to wake him up. He takes Hajime's hand as the class moves aboard, planning to go towards hope.

   In Danganronpa 3 - Hope Arc, Hajime and Nagito are smiling and eating together on the boat. Even though Hajime explained that he is now both Hajime and Izuru, Nagito continues to call him Hajime. Because of all they have been through, Hajime comes to an understanding with Nagito.

   In an Otomedia poster, which was released after the anime, Nagito is giving Hajime a small bag of fortune cookies as a gift while they are on the ship, presumably after the anime's story. Hajime appears flattered as he takes the gift, smiling in a slightly abashed manner. In the magazine's interview, Nagito is asked what autumn food reminds him of Hajime. He answers a "chestnut in its burr", comparing it to Hajime's hair, but after being told it's too normal of an answer, he goes on to explain that to properly eat one you have to go through a lot of work. He states that "Not being straightforward… it’s like Hinata-kun, right?". In turn, Hajime answers that Nagito reminds him of "the rice of a new crop" (referring to rice freshly harvested during the fall season) because of Nagito's hair's color. He also mentions that due to Nagito's "poor grip on reality", it's difficult to appoint him to a food with distinct taste.[11]

   Nagito has more or less jokingly compared Hajime to a tsundere character more than once due to his occasionally annoyed mood in his company. In Danganronpa 2, during his Free Time Events, he suggests Hajime's unknown talent could be "tsuntsun hair", referring to both his aloof personality and spiky hair. This was translated as "Ultimate Spiky Hair" in the localization, and while it's not incorrect, it loses the additional joke regarding Hajime's personality. Nagito calls him "tsuntsun hair" again in the Danganronpa 3 related magazine interview.

   In the non-canonical Danganronpa V3: Killing Harmony's bonus mode Ultimate Talent Development Plan/Hajime Hinata, Nagito seemingly dislikes Hajime at first and acts harsh and occasionally condescending towards him due to him being a reserve course student. He assumes that Hajime spends time with the Ultimates only to suck up to them and feel better about himself. However, Nagito claims he doesn't actually dislike Hajime, and appears reluctantly interested in spending time with him. The two have an argument after Hajime came to play basketball with the Ultimates, which left Nagito silent in thought. He cheers for all the players though he feels conflicted about it (in the official English localization, he cheers for almost everyone). Nagito's attitude changes when he realizes that Hajime genuinely wants to spend time with him, though he cannot comprehend why anyone would want that. In three years, they become friends and Nagito tells Hajime about his luck and how it has affected his life. During their last Christmas in school, Hajime reminds Nagito that the class will keep in touch and see each other again, though Nagito thinks nobody would invite him. Nagito asks why Hajime hasn't lost interest in someone like him. Hajime explains that he still doesn't understand Nagito and refuses to leave it like that. He formally asks Nagito to be his friend and the two shake hands.

   Kazuichi Soda Hajime is a close friend of Kazuichi's. Kazuichi latches onto Hajime, calling him his "soul friend". Hajime is the only boy who Kazuichi invites along on his expedition to observe the girls at the beach in their swimsuits. Hajime is sometimes annoyed by the other boy.

   Throughout their friendship, a brief break up ensues when he blames Hajime for "leading them" into Monokuma's trap and ends up turning to Nagito instead. They later make up, however.

   Fuyuhiko Kuzuryu The two seem to be on good terms with each other after the events of Chapter 2, when Fuyuhiko is intent on changing himself. They are also willing to stay and focus on their friends that catch despair disease in chapter 3. Though initially, Fuyuhiko did not attempt to form a friendship with Hajime, their relationship changes relatively in the end.

   Fuyuhiko considered Hajime as the "Ultimate Counselor" due to his giving the students confidence to endure everything that they have faced. In his last Free Time Event, the two of them do a sakazuki, a Japanese ritual of exchanging cups to symbolize sworn brothers and pledge loyalty.

   Mikan Tsumiki Mikan seems to have formed a liking for Hajime as he is the first person (on Jabberwock Island) to have gone up to her and spoke to her, not wishing to bully her but only to have a casual conversation. Though nervous and stuttering at first, she gradually lightens up, even asking him to come back and talk to her again.

   She admits to Hajime that she is glad that there is nobody to stomp on her and abuse her on the island. Mikan also chases Hajime around with a syringe a few times, wanting to give him an injection, and twice in Chapter 3 he wakes up to find her cuddling him. In the third trial, she uses him to give herself an alibi in the morning when they first discover the corpse.

   In Chapter 3, Hajime accuses Mikan of killing Ibuki and Hiyoko and reluctantly shows evidence that points to her being the murderer. He tells Mikan to give it up, so he can still believe in her in the end. But Mikan's personality has already changed, and she is executed, leaving nothing but her malice for Hajime and the others.

   In her free-time events, when Mikan explains she enjoys the power a nurse a nurse has over her patients, Hajime is disturbed and is afraid to show any signs of weakness or sickness around her. However, he also feels bad for her and believes that she is not to be blamed for the way she is now.

   During the events of Island Mode, Mikan is very happy to be Hajime's friend and has a clear romantic interest in him. In her ending, she is even ready to go as far as to cripple him in some way so that they would be together forever. However, Hajime proposes to her instead, causing her to declare that she would become his own private nurse and take care of him forever.

   Peko Pekoyama During her Free Time Events, Hajime develops a friendly, trusting relationship with Peko, and helps Peko to learn how to smile again. However, he is also somewhat frightened of her, particularly after she tells him that she intends to kill her classmates if it will help her get off the island alive; he becomes mildly terrified when she blushes while saying she needs something from him, jumping to the conclusion that she intends to confess love for him, and reacts with profound relief when it becomes clear that she only wanted his advice on asking out her childhood friend.

   Ibuki Mioda Ibuki and Hajime seem to be good friends, and they bond during club activities that Ibuki comes up with during her Free Time Events. Also during her Free Time Events, Ibuki has been trying to help Hajime remember his talent. She insists that it should've been obvious what she was trying to do, but Hajime claims that he didn't even realize it, and was touched that she was trying to help him.

   Ibuki often pokes fun at Hajime, saying that he has developed a crush on her or that he is sometimes looking for an excuse to be alone with her. Ibuki also gave Hajime some advice that even when people are constantly changing, either physically or otherwise, that they are always going to be their true selves and she made Hajime promise her that he will never give up on trying to find out his true self. In Hajime's official relationship chart, Ibuki states she wants him to be the drummer in her band, and insists that the two are in a band, even teaching him lessons. However, according to Hajime, she only taught him how to use a loudspeaker.

   Akane Owari Hajime and Akane do not interact much in the main story, though they have a fairly decent relationship and he does worry about her when she is stricken with the Despair Disease. They eventually become close during her Free Time Events; Hajime is rather horrified to hear of the poverty and implied sexual abuse Akane went through growing up, especially her nonchalance towards it. Though Akane has difficulty remembering his name, she worries about him not eating enough, in a similar way to how she worried about her younger siblings. He's annoyed by her forgetfulness and mentions thinking that she's a bit crazy, but he does envy her cheery attitude. During her final Free Time Events, she recalls his name correctly and accepts his advice about accepting and overcoming weakness rather than denying it.

   Nekomaru Nidai Nekomaru's Island Mode relationship differs from that of his real-life relationship with Hajime. During Nekomaru's Island Mode ending, he believes there is something inside Hajime, but he is unsure what it is. The correct answer is "hope", but if Hajime suggests "love", Nekomaru become surprised and then begins to consider that his feelings for Hajime are romantic. If Hajime chooses a bad option during an event Nekomaru will say: "Hmmm… That date wasn’t exciting at all… A detailed plan produces maximum results in both dating and training. You won’t make me fall for you if you act like this! Bye now!” showing that his feelings for Hajime appear to be on a romantic level.

   Ultimate Imposter Ultimate Imposter never held any close relationships with anyone on the Island in their short time there. However, upon getting their Free-Time Events, they become rather close to Hajime. They engage in various discussions, one being about fast food, with him, and later tells him a strange story about a person who was absolutely nothing and so, lived on as another person to be something which later turned out to be about themselves.

   When Hajime tells them that he considers them a friend, they soften greatly, even changing the way they address Hajime (normally, Byakuya addresses everyone as omae which is a rude and somewhat egotistical method of saying 'you'; however, after this event, he briefly calls Hajime kimi, which is a friendlier, same-level method of saying 'you' before going back to omae at Hajime's request) in the original Japanese. Ultimate Imposter also says that one day, they will reveal their true story to Hajime, though they were murdered before they could.

   During Island Mode, Ultimate Imposter explains their true identity to Hajime. After becoming friends with Hajime, they are convinced that they really do exist, and they decide that they don't want to lie anymore and wish to live as their true self. In Hajime's official relationship chart, the Ultimate Imposter considers Hajime a worthy partner.

   Gundham Tanaka At one point, Gundham is implied to have tried to follow Hajime and the rest of the students, though when discovered, he denied it and went away. Hajime and Gundham become rather good friends through Free-Time Events, and in his final FTE (which takes place in the Strawberry House), Gundham makes Hajime sign a contract via handshake and declares that with the contract, Hajime will not be permitted to die without exclusive permission from Gundham Tanaka himself. Hajime thinks to himself that he would like to return that promise back to Gundham, though he figured that Gundham might get angry instead. Comically, their handshake ends in a mutual hand-squeezing to the death.

   Hiyoko Saionji Hajime was curious of how she can be a high school student based on her height and appearance. In Chapter 1, thinks that she has an Ultimate Bad Attitude, and that Hiyoko would be perfect to stand right next to flowers if she didn't have a rotten personality. In her free time events, when Hiyoko tells him that most people fall asleep while watching her shows, Hajime tells her he would stay awake for her during the show.

   Mahiru Koizumi While it is never shown in the main storyline, in her Free Time Events, it's implied that Hajime has romantic feelings towards Mahiru. Mahiru catches him staring at her earnestly while thinking about how good she is at taking care of people.

   In her last Free Time Event, Mahiru asks Hajime to take a picture of her so she can see how Hajime sees her. When she says that she likes Hajime's shot as much as the photos her mother took, Hajime's heart starts racing. Mahiru promises to give him her old camera, which she did not bring with her to the Jabberwock Island, and Hajime narrates that he feels "not a single atom of awkwardness" at the implication that they would continue their relationship after leaving the island.

   In her Island Mode's ending, Mahiru thanks Hajime as she was able to find herself. She hands him her old camera in appreciation. Choosing one of the 'wrong' answers during her ending has Mahiru admit that she wouldn't mind dating Hajime.

   Sonia Nevermind Sonia is friendly with Hajime and took a liking of him during the course of the Killing School Trip. In her Free time Events, she believed he was a hero from prophecy that would bring happiness to her land and wanted him to rule the Kingdom of Novoselic together after they escaped from the island.

   Hope's Peak Staff: Chisa Yukizome Hajime first met Chisa when she came to get Chiaki to attend class. When Chisa came to him to ask him about the Reserve course, he told her about how he admired Hope's Peak Academy and why he enrolled himself in the Reserve Course. When he wondered why Chisa is concerned about a lowly Reserve Course student like himself, Chisa told him not to call himself lowly and that everything begins with believing in yourself.

   Upon finding her dead body, Hajime finally calls Chisa "Miss Chisa". He also tells her that she would be proud of him because he finally understood what she and Chiaki had told him when he first met them.

   Reserve Course Students: Natsumi Kuzuryu Hajime and Natsumi were classmates in the Reserve Course. When she first spoke to Hajime, she comments that he has no friends, and tells him she doesn't have any either. She says she's the sister of the Ultimate Yakuza, Fuyuhiko Kuzuryu, and calls herself the "Ultimate Little Sister". Hajime points out that she doesn't have a talent, but Natsumi refuses to acknowledge that and says she'll do anything to get into the Main Course. Later, when Hajime meets her on the top of the Reserve Course Building, she tells him if she doesn't keep up with her brother, she'll get left behind. Hajime says he understands how it must feel lonely to get left behind. However, he also tells her there are other things just as important as talent, such as staying with her brother and making memories with him.

   Class 78th: Makoto Naegi Makoto put Izuru and the other Remnants of Despair in the Neo World Program. After waking up from the program, Izuru who successfully restored his previous identity, Hajime, brought his classmates to help Makoto to prevent Ryota from using his brainwashing video. Hajime is very thankful to Makoto, because of his hope his classmates return to their original personalities before being brainwashed by Junko.

   Bonus Mode Guides The links below are full transcripts and indepth guides for Hajime Hinata's routes in Ultimate Talent Development Plan and Danganronpa S Development Mode.

   Prologue:

   "It was a day that felt...truly significant. And when that long-awaited day finally came, I felt proud in a way I can't really put into words. I felt like...I had just become a part of something greater than myself. Does that make sense? Actually, that's exactly what it was like...I was truly in a dream." "I'm not so special that I have to introduce myself, and formalities are always a little embarrassing... Well, this is what's expected... I guess that's how I should think about it. My name is Hajime Hinata. There's only one reason I came to Hope's Peak Academy... Because I admired Hope's Peak Academy. To me, attending Hope's Peak Academy is like being a celebrity or a superhero. In fact, instead of calling it admiration, it's more like...it's always been a dream of mine. That's why, to feel like a member of society, to become someone I can be proud of, I always wanted to..." "At any rate, if this is a nightmare, I have no idea if it's even started yet... Sheesh, what kind of nightmare is that...?" "But...if we weren't in situation like this, I'd probably be enjoying some lazy sunbathing myself. "If" being the key word." "His build and that overwhelming aura of refinement just pushes people away... Is this what it means to be the Ultimate Affluent Progeny...?" "The strange thing about genuine surprise is that when it happens, your voice won't let you express it. The sudden appearance of a monster might be normal in anime and video games... And that's precisely why...I couldn't grasp the reality of this situation... I couldn't even feel fear. All I could do was stand aghast." "Once you're suspicious of something, you'll start to be suspicious of everything... Even of yourself. That's why it felt so hopeless." "That day became a day unlike any other... A day which held a more significant meaning. It was a special day... A very meaningful day full of despair. That was the beginning. The killing school trip had begun, and this tropical island was the stage." Chapter 1:

   "There was no way I could believe that this was now my reality. Even so...this was undeniably real. There was no way I could believe that this was now my reality. No matter how much I didn't want to believe it, the moment I experienced and felt it for myself... It became undeniably real. This...is a reality that could not be more different from my usual daily life. School, studying, exams, job hunting, going for walks, going to school, riding the train, lectures... That kind of daily life...is no longer mine. And it led straight on to the first night. A night so beautiful it enchanted me... And yet, my heart was horribly upset. That kind of beauty was definitely...far different than my usual daily life." "I didn't want to see anyone anymore. I just wanted to be alone forever... I have nobody I can trust... Because, even if I wanted to trust them...I don't know anything about them yet. The only person I can trust is myself... No, even I don't believe that." "I wasn't tired or anything, but...I just wanted to sleep, if only for a short while. I wanted to put an end to it all. And if, by chance, I managed to wake up the next day... It would be awesome if I was back to my normal life." "Wherever I go...there are surveillance cameras all over the place. Whoever's controlling Monokuma must be monitoring us with these cameras, too... It pisses me off to think I'm being watched by a lunatic... But there's nothing I can do about it." "I don't get it. In this tense situation, we all need to be a lot more cautious... And yet, I'm relieved everyone is in such high spirits. It's strange, but...I feel like I can rely on them. This...must be what it means to have the confidence of an Ultimate... Then...what am I? Am I...confident enough to call myself one of them?" "I don't really get it, but...I guess this guy isn't just some overconfident, narcissistic jerk after all. Despite our situation, he's mysteriously calm. He might just be a reliable person after all..." "Friends, huh? Until now, I never really thought about friendship. That sort of thing seemed embarrassing. I never would have thought about it in this situation... No, actually, it's more like... because of this situation..." "Believe in your friends, huh... It'd be difficult to believe in them right away, but it'd be nice if it could happen a little at a time... Huh. If I'm starting to think like that, doesn't that show I'm making good progress?" "Now then, there's no reason to hole up in my room and stare blankly into space. Since there's time...it'd be a great idea if I went ahead and talked to everyone." "When I first came to this island, watching everyone have fun was so frustrating... But now, it feels reassuring. We're actually "friends" who fight together... Friends who've developed a sense of unity..." "This hopeless reality... That's the real enemy we need to fight... If I'm going to survive this... ...then I have to fight it." "Finding out who the killer is... That's our only hope for survival... Something like this...is hope...? Even so...I still gotta do it." "That's right...I need to do it... If we're gonna survive this, we need to do it. ...I have to prepare myself for the worst." "It's not just for yourself! We have to do it to protect all of us! Stop blaming yourself... Nothing good will come of it..." "Byakuya Togami, the Ultimate Affluent Progeny... He was the kind of guy who said a lot of hurtful things... ...but he tried his best to lead everyone. The only thing I can do right now... ...for Byakuya's sake... ...is to uncover the truth behind his death!" "Well, if there's no reason, then there's no meaning..." "It's not like we're doing this because we want to!" "Just because it's cruel doesn't mean you can just keep crying like that. Crying won't solve anything... We have to do this no matter what, dammit!" "You're right... There's nowhere for us to run... We need to do it..." "It looks like everyone knows...even if we try to resist, it won't change a thing..." "The person who did it...is one of us? I can't believe it... There's no way I can believe it... But...if it's really true... We need to find out, by any means possible... Because...that's our only option. There is no way for us to survive unless we sacrifice the killer... And so... ...this life-threatening trial billowing with hope and despair... ...has begun." "No... Thinking about "if" is a waste of time. We have to do this...no matter what!" "The darkness in his eyes shone brightly, as if layers upon layers of darkness were folding into each other... ...As if hope and despair had been crudely mixed together." "The truth is beyond our sight... No, that can't be it. There should be some way to find out what happened in the dark!" "I just thought I knew him. But this whole time, I didn't know anything about this guy. I didn't know...his true character. It's as simple as that. But...now's not the time for me to dwell on that. We need to find Byakuya's killer...by any means possible. Because if we don't... We... We will die here...!" "Dammit! There's no way I'm going to lose against someone like him!" "That's right...if we don't do that, we can't end this no matter how much time passes. So...we need to do it!" "He...believed it more than anybody else here. That's why...he kept denying it... Because he believed it, he needed to deny it..." "Let's definitely work together and leave this island!" ""Do our best..." We kept using that phrase over and over again. Even though we knew they were just...cheap, meaningless, empty words... Regardless...we still said it. And we continued to say it over and over again without stopping." "This sky is connected to anywhere, even to my daily life. That's why...I might be able to go home. That's right...I'm definitely going to go home." Chapter 2:

   "The air's....suddenly not so tense anymore... Well, I guess it's better than being down forever... If I was all by myself...I probably wouldn't have been able to put my feelings aside and move on like this... I guess...I have these guys to thank..." "I'll find out about the Hanamura Diner... And when I do, I'll make sure I let you know...!" "I don't know what you're thinking, but...we're all in this situation together. You're not the only one stuck on this island... We all have to work together." "Training that resembles an actual fight might be fun, but just be careful not to get hurt, both of you." "Running away as soon as things get inconvenient... That's even more suspicious." (About Monomi) "We need to do our best to make sure there aren't any more incidents...!" "So he wanted someone to back him up so he could step forward... I sort of understand how he feels..." "Is doing nothing at all correct...? Or is trying to stop it from happening while being aware of the danger correct...? In this messed up world... There's no way I can know what's right..." "Well, you know...values vary from person to person." "Unlike his smile, his words carried a certain heaviness... As if a black poison was falling from his mouth every time he spoke, filling his surroundings with darkness... An illusion, but one I couldn't help feeling at that moment." "Running away from your problems isn't a solution. I'm just putting it off..." "It's not like I believe what Nagito said. It's just not a good idea to leave it alone..." "If...this was all a dream... When did I...when did I begin dreaming? If this is reality... Why is Mahiru on the floor covered in blood? I...couldn't understand anything that was in front of me... And I couldn't believe in anything." "Mahiru Koizumi, the Ultimate Photographer... She had an unyielding force of personality, but she was actually very good at taking care of people... And...she was always straightforward. Toward us and toward herself, she was always facing forward... ...She was that kind of person. Why her...? Why Mahiru...why... Wh-Why did this happen to her!?" "Everyone feels the same. But we can't do anything else except do it... A-And... There's no way we can just ignore...the reason Mahiru was killed." "That's right...we have to do it. It's the only way. I don't want to do this...but that's more the reason... for us to finish this... ...I'm the only one who can do this!" "...No, now's not the time to feel regret. I need to focus on doing as much as I can right now. And then...I'm going to find out the truth behind Mahiru's death. That's the only way...the rest of us can survive." "That...it's not just Chiaki... There's no way anyone would forgive something like this." "The more I talk to him, the creepier he gets... The more I listen to him, the more I don't understand him... If he didn't exist, this situation would be a lot easier to deal with..." "At the trial field where Monokuma is waiting... I have to make my case there..." "That's right...I can only... Moving forward is the only option!" "But we can't just stand around all day." "Throughout that drop, I was fluctuating between feeling hope and despair. As if my heart was a rotten fruit, swelling in the sun before it finally goes "squish"." "It's starting...the Class Trial is starting... Mahiru Koizumi, the Ultimate Photographer... She had an unyielding force of personality, but she was actually very good at taking care of people... Most importantly...she was always straightforward. The person that killed her... ...is among us? I don't want to believe it. I don't want to believe it. I don't want to believe it but... Regardless, we need to find the answer. It doesn't matter if you believe it or not. Because...it's the only way. Aside from finding out who the killer is, there is no other way... ...for us to survive... And so... ...this life-threatening trial billowing with hope and despair... ...has begun." "I...don't really want to say it myself but...I need to move the conversation forward..." "An unconventional weapon...that also appeared in the game... If we're told we can't advance as long as we don't make that clear... ...Then I have to do it. I'll do it." "Let's stop... Believing every little thing Nagito says is a waste of time." "The bitter truth... That may be true but... ...Even so, we can't just stand around here all day. Even if what lies ahead is a cruel ending, the only thing we can do is move forward. because...unless we reveal who among us is Mahiru's true killer... There's...no way we'll survive." "If I just focus and think about it, I'm sure I'll be able to find the answer. All right, I'm going to do it!" "I don't want anyone else...to be sacrifice." "...And so, the Class Trial ended. But we still can't see the real ending that we really want yet... When that finally arrives... What will have happened to us by then...? No matter where I look... No matter what possibilities I look for... I can't see our future, not even a speck. As if we were in a boat, floating unreliably in a vast, dark sea... We were just left there. Alone. Only one word could explain our situation. Despair. ...We couldn't find a more suitable word than that." Chapter 3:

   "My body feels terribly burdened... But...that worry ends here. There's no way I can just lay here and do nothing. ...That's right, just do it." "Yeah, I couldn't really stay put and do nothing." "Gaming as usual... No, I have a slight feeling she's deliberately concentrating on her game. Like she's trying to keep her sadness from showing by being completely focused in gaming... ...Or is it just me?" "However...we didn't realize just how short-lived this peace would be. Even though we were finally bonding, a situation was brewing, like a huge fracture running between us all... And that...would be the trigger for a truly horrible and atrocious incident... Not just for me...but for every single one of us... ...We just hadn't realized it yet." "A new island, huh... Maybe now we'll finally find it. A way to get off this island and go home... No...that's the only thing we have! That's our one and only hope!" "Peko... You...weren't a tool at all. But you didn't realize it until it was too late..." "Judging someone for their crimes... No one has the right to do that... That's exactly it, huh...Mahiru... The killings... The class trials... It's all so messed up...!" "Nekomaru's quite good at taking care of people... I wonder if that's a habit of being a team manager?" "The moment I have a heart attack...I'll definitely have something I need to be worried about..." "He would've probably used the latest kitchen equipment... And cooked the World's Tastiest Dishes. With those dishes, he would've made a lot of people smile... But...that's no longer..." "Hey Kazuichi... "Those who won't run will never see the goal!" "The combination is crazy and everyone's doing different things...but strangely, it's harmonizing really well. Even though our paces are all different... Will we be able to be like this in the future? ... Mahiru, can you hear this performance? Are you seeing Hiyoko's dance...? Not just Mahiru... Peko...Teruteru...Byakuya...are you all watching? We will never forget about you. Ever! And we will not waste your deaths... We will survive and get off this island!" "It should be okay to have a peaceful day like this for a change." "It's...definitely not possible... There's no way it'd be that easy to move on... We never had to think about death until we came to this island. So when we're forced to suddenly confront it, there's no way we'd know how we're supposed to deal with it..." "I've never felt so fatigued in the morning before... It's probably because of everything that's happened... But I should put that feeling aside and move on. There's no such thing as a useless day for us anymore." "I see...Fuyuhiko's not the only one who's trying to change... She's...also trying, huh. The old Hiyoko...there's no way she would've ever forgiven Fuyuhiko like this." "Even if we opened our mouths, only words of worry would come out. We all knew that. When we saw Nekomaru's tragedy happen right in front of us, once again we were all taught... If you think you won't die...well, that's just wishful thinking. ON this island, without any warning... People die... That...is the nightmare we're trapped in. When you think you've finally woken up from the nightmare, you realize you're still inside it. ...And thus, the nightmare continues." "Nekomaru must've wanted to protect Akane at all costs. Just like how Peko wanted to protect you..." "It'd probably be a waste of time to find out the reason for each little thing Nagito does but... I don't get this at all. Why did he have to tell such an outrageous lie?" "Wh-What happened, Akane? It's not like you to cry...get a grip on yourself." "I-I'd really prefer if she had a more confident-sounding catchphrase...!" "I-It's going to be okay...you don't have to worry. Fuyuhiko and I are here, so don't cry." "Worry...why do I have to worry about a guy like him...?" "I do understand how you feel but...don't overexert yourself, okay?" "Anyway...all we can do now is wait... Just wait patiently...until the situation improves...and changes for the better. Because waiting patiently was the only thing we could do...we waited patiently." "My worries have piled so high that one sigh just isn't enough. And...the more I think about it, it's like I'm slowly being sucked deeper and deeper into an endless pit... I guess for today...I should just go to sleep. It's best if I not dwell on it too much..." "I wanted to cover my ears. I wanted to run. To the place I deserve to be. Not here. To the place...where I can be more confident." "Leave me alone... I just... I just want to become someone who's confident in myself." "I rushed into the music venue with a prayer in my heart. But... I completely forgot... Prayer...means nothing on this island." "Even though I expected it...I still didn't want to confront that reality. Under the hemp bag, there was no denying that the face I saw belonged to...Ibuki." "That's right...we need to end this... We need to finish this...once and for all. I know there's no way he can believe that one of us did this... But for those two's sake, we need to find the truth! And then, we need to end this nightmare once and for all!" "...I understand how you feel, but please get a hold of yourself. Two of our friends were killed... That's all the more reason why we can't just leave this alone, right?" "This guy just wants to confuse us... There's no way I'm going to tell him what he wants to know!" "I noticed our lined up silhouettes keep getting smaller and smaller... ...But I can't turn back now. If I turn back, I won't be able to press forward..." "Ibuki Mioda, the Ultimate Musician... She was really loud, but she was the moodmaker of our group. When I was with her, all of my pain and suffering just seemed to melt away. Hiyoko Saionji, the Ultimate Traditional Dancer... Just from looking at her adorable face, you'd never know she was actually selfish and foulmouthed... But she was trying to change herself, and she was desperately trying to come to terms with Mahiru's death. The person who killed those two is among us. I...definitely can't believe it... But...whether I believe it or not is irrelevant. Unless I figure out the truth, I won't be able to escape from this hell. That's why...I must find out, no matter the cost. For our sake... For our friends' sake... For Ibuki and Hiyoko's sake... And so...the curtain to the third Class Trial was about to open... ...this life-threatening trial billowing with hope and despair... ...has begun." "It's just as Kazuichi said... Nagito's the kind of guy who'll just confuse us and make matters worse..." "Wh-What warm-up!? This isn't a game, you know!" "Why Hiyoko went to the music venue... If that's the key to all this... I need to find that out, no matter the cost!" "Nagito Komaeda... You're definitely someone I shouldn't underestimate..." "And whether or not we can reach the that hidden truth... ...is all up to me." "Tricks aside, logic aside... Is she really capable...of doing something like this? No, in fact...it'd be so much easier if I was wrong... If I have this much doubt about someone I've spent so much time with..." "I...don't want to do this either...! Of course I don't want to do this...! But...I need to do this...!" "That's not it! I suspect them because I want to believe them!" "I need to...make up my mind. I'm the one who has to do it...! I'm the one who's going to finish this...!" "Don't flinch....don't hesitate...don't run away...! I'm the only one who saw that video... Who else is gonna do it if I don't!?" "At this rate, we're not getting anywhere... I gotta do something...and end this... I gotta do something...so I can make her admit it!" "Mikan...it's already over... After I go over your crime from the beginning and show that you have no argument left... ...Please just admit it already! In the end, at least let me believe in you!" "I-I won't believe it...! There's no way I can believe...you were like this all along... Because...if that's true...! Then who's the person we've been spending time with up until now!?" "Like a house of cards collapsing in an instant... In the end, our friend we thought we knew ended up showing us a completely different side of herself... Then she vanished from our sight, leaving behind only her malice toward us. And now...there's no way we can just move on or try to have a clear-cut attitude about these feelings... ...That's clearly impossible." Chapter 4:

   "We were hoping things would progress smoothly. That's right. A common, ordinary progression. Like, for example... The enemy's lair crumbling right after you defeat the final boss, or your dead friend suddenly reappearing... It would've been just fine if things had progressed like that. That's the kind of old-school progression we were hoping for... Not...this unreasonable turn of events." "It's better to just be alive... I do understand what Nekomaru is saying but... No matter how we make sense of this... It's just too weird... This isn't a novel or a movie. This is reality. Can something this unexplainable really be allowed to happen? No, instead... Why did this happen?" "As I listened to Monokuma's boisterous laugh, once again I was forced to accept... This island is not the day-to-day world I know. It's a mad world where the strange is accepted as normal. Causes, reasoning, circumstances, foreshadowing... These things don't apply here at all. ...That's what it means to live in a mad world." "I will not accept any more victims...! I will definitely prevent that from happening...!" "It's useless to think about things that are a waste of time... I've learned that much during my time here." "Don't talk so confidently about a castle you've never seen before..." "Maybe it's because we were shown a new mystery from that Future Foundation file but... ...I was panicking. I couldn't keep still after being forced to see more mysteries that didn't make sense. I felt like...I didn't even care if it was a trap. And because of that panic, I completely forgot... Monokuma's traps are always...far beyond our imagination... ...I completely forgot about that." "We've been together this whole time and you still don't know who I am!?" "When people stop trusting you...it seriously sucks..." "Of course, I'm not a kid who'd be amused by something like this... Besides, I don't have time to play anyway." "Yeah, you're right... It's still too soon to give up." "That's why... No matter what shape you're in, we're all extremely happy that you came back to us." "But...we can't just stand here and do nothing...!" "So once someone is suspicious of me, anything I do will look suspicious to them, huh. What should I do...?" "So it was definitely a waste of time to believe Monokuma..." "For a princess...you sure do think about petty stuff." "It's a little cold in here... The draft coming from the door is making me hungry... But...I shouldn't be talking like that. For now, I need to endure it no matter what. No matter what happens...I will definitely prevent a killing from happening... I won't let Monokuma get what he wants...!" "...Now then, what should I do now? In this kind of situation...panicking will accomplish nothing. It might be better if I spend time like I normally do for as long as I can. I should find someone to talk to...or it might be a good idea to just stay in my room and conserve my energy." "In the future, it may be necessary to know about the enemy..." "This isn't about just you... We're all getting screwed here." "I'd rather...have that happen to us... ...than have our friends kill each other..." "If I just leave this matter alone, something bad might happen... It's not like I'm worried but...I should go see how everyone's doing." "...I don't even have the energy or willpower to say anything anymore." "The weaker my body gets, the less sense everything seems to make... We're on the verge of starving to death and there's no way to escape... Is it really okay to just lay here and take it? Or..." "This morning, I couldn't help feeling angry...that I said what I said in front of every one, but... I...I don't really think that it's okay if we end up starving to death... I need to do something... I need...to do...something...soon..." "It...was very sudden. That's right, it's always sudden. The door to despair...always opens suddenly." "If this is a nightmare, please, just let me wake up..." "I gotta do it... I have to do it...!" "I knew he was strange from the start, but for him to casually do something so suicidal... He's crazy...! That's all there is to it!" "It's true that I'm...shocked, but...now's not the time for me to feel like that... Right now, I can't afford to be the only one who's depressed... I need to survive with everyone else and return home! That's what's most important! ...Isn't that right?" "No... We've all come this far. If he's saying we should try it out, then we should give it a shot." "O-Of course there isn't! What kind of hope comes from killing people!?" (to Nagito) "Calm down... That's right... I need to calm down..." "...And so it begins. I hoped this would never happen again, and now it's happening for the fourth time... The curtain to the fourth Class Trial...was about to open. Nekomaru Nidai, the Ultimate Team Manager... He was more passionate...more daring...more honest than anyone I'd ever met... Truly, he was more man than any of us. He sacrificed his body to protect Akane, and his appearance changed drastically because of that... But...he still tried to live earnestly. And just when I finally got used to his new form... Nekomaru's killer... ...is one of us. Killing someone because it's the only way to survive...is no excuse. ...I won't let this be excused. I won't forgive this. The person who betrayed Nekomaru... Who betrayed their friends... ...I will never, ever forgive them! And so... ...this life-threatening trial billowing with hope and despair... ...has begun." "You can tell what the weapon is just by looking...? It wouldn't be much of a mystery if that were true..." "Nagito... As usual, I can't tell what he's thinking. I have no idea if he's serious or not..." "...If I'm going to reach the truth behind this incident, I need to solve that mystery next!" "Another mystery I don't understand...? Seriously, it's just one after another... But...I can't choke up at a time like this. Just a little more and I'll be able to reach the truth... There should definitely be a clue to breaking through this contradiction!" "Perhaps we've overlooked something... Maybe we're misunderstanding something... Think... If I focus and think...I should be able to find the answer to that mystery." "I need too clarify by how much the time was off after the killer messed with the clocks. That's definitely the next mystery...! I'm going to reach the truth in one go!" "When something is obviously wrong, that's when a contradiction is born... There's no such thing as a contradiction that can't be overcome!" "A contradiction is when something is obviously wrong... There's no contradiction I can't shoot through... I'm going to find out what that is. For the sake of everyone's hope...I'll shoot through the contradiction!" "...There's no way I can stop!" "His argument...is exhausting... Just listening to it makes me tired... I need to skillfully cut back against his words, so he doesn't outpace me..." "I guess you really don't want to admit it... Then...just as you requested... I will provide an argument that'll leave you no choice but to be persuaded!" "It's true the Class Trial is finished but...that doesn't mean the incident is over... We can't finish yet until we hear it from Gundham!" "Even after Gundham is gone... The spirit of his parting words still lingered deep in our chests. "Don't give up on life" Did I...misunderstand what he meant? Then...what's the right thing to do? I don't know... No matter how much I think about it... I don't know if I'll ever be able to answer that." "We shouldn't just stand here... I mean...it's not like this is over. We...still have to do it. We still have to finish this. For the sake of our friends who have died, we need to finish this once and for all! So... Don't just stand there. Stand up and walk. Move forward. Live. If you don't... Everyone who fought and died will have died in vain...! We can't allow that!" "With this, the Class Trial has come to an end and once again, we returned to Jabberwock Island. The size of our group has definitely diminished... But despite that...even if it was just the rest of us, we did our best to stay upbeat and have fun together. Of course, our optimism was only superficial... But at that moment, we were able to forget about the dark despair looming before us. However, the only thing I was worried about... ...was him. He wasn't there. He...suddenly disappeared from our sight." Chapter 5:

   "Nekomaru, you were a strong man. You were always straightforward...because you were strong. But...strength doesn't mean anything when you're dead." "Gundham...I won't forget your final message... "Don't give up on life." Even now, those words are still etched into my heart. I don't know if I'll find any answers, but... We...will continue to press forward...so you won't lecture us...!" "My whole life...I've just wanted to feel confident about myself... And I thought getting into Hope's Peak Academy meant I had finally become someone I could be proud of... Not...some fucking backup student...!" "Hey, don't talk like you're not included. You're our friend too, you know..." "As we left the restaurant, the expressions on our faces were clearly different than they were before... They were filled with strong will and determination... Armed with that, we began walking toward the last island. But...the clouds in my heart still lingered... I couldn't stop thinking about the Reserve Department. And that filled me with this strange uncomfortable feeling, like a small bone was lodged in my throat. But...I tried not to think about it. I tried to stay focused on moving forward." "This mystery doesn't make any sense... No matter how much we think about it, there's no reason behind it..." "It's just...a lot of unimaginable things have kept happening to us, so maybe I'm getting a little confused. But the world ending...? There's no way something so unbelievable could actually happen. That sounds like something that would happen in a work of fiction... But the thought of it actually happening in reality...is definitely unsettling." "Kazuichi is right. It's dangerous to let Nagito wander freely. If we're being cautious, we have to act fast... But...what is this indescribable anxiousness I'm feeling? ... I hope...it just means I'm thinking too much..." "There are photos of the 16 of us, but we can't return to those days anymore. Once again, I'm confronted by the fact that..." "Well, since I walked around all day today, I was able to obtain several clues... Although I'm not really certain if you can even call these clues... Instead...I feel like we're just suffering from more mysteries that don't make sense... ... This isn't good... As soon as nighttime hits, I can't stop thinking all these pessimistic thoughts... ...This might be a bad habit of mine. I should just get some sleep for today. Rest my mind for a while... And then...I'll give this some more thought tomorrow." "I don't know what he's thinking, but as long as we capture him, we'll have the advantage. I won't let him do as he pleases anymore...!" "I couldn't even stop him... I felt...afraid of Nagito. The madness emanating from Nagito's body was seeping into my bones. I...never expected him to go this far..." "But...it's ironic... Nagito is the reason we're all splitting up, but the reason we're all cooperating... ...is because of Nagito, too. ...It's pretty damn ironic." "Nothing good will come from rushing... I should try looking somewhere else...!" "Now's not the time to be calm! We need to stop them!" "I'd never experienced such an oppressive atmosphere before, and I couldn't help holding my breath. And then, on the other side of the curtain... I saw the true source of the intense malice that I had been feeling. I...I had no idea...what I was looking at... By the time I realized I was looking at the remains of Nagito Komaeda, the Ultimate Lucky Student... ...Time had already stopped." "Eventually...the shock finally registered with me. A numb feeling spread from the center of my brain almost instantly. Nagito...is dead... Even when I saw this before me, I wasn't able to comprehend that reality yet." "I never expected I'd be looking at Nagito's body like this... Nagito...probably thought the same thing. I couldn't help seeing it in his dead, frightened face. But...on this island, unbelievably abnormal occurrences happen all the time... Even Nagito couldn't escape that truth... But even something as small as that..." "There's a killer among us... The weight of those words began to sink into me. That was true of the previous cases, but...was it really true this time? No matter how much I tried, I couldn't believe it... Because the victim was Nagito...? Because his death was so abnormally cruel...? No, it wasn't just that. There was something more to it than that... And whatever it was...it was stuck inside me." "A-Anyway... Like you said before, if we screw up here, it's the end for us. For now...let's focus on the investigation. We'll think about the countdown...after we live through the Class Trial." "There's no time for us to stand around. In order to survive...there's no other way except to do it. In order to survive, we need to find Nagito's killer. If we don't sacrifice that person, nobody can survive... ...That's our reality. That's why...there's no time for us to stand around." "Don't worry or form conclusions on your own... That makes me more worried than I should be." "I never expected Nagito...to die like this... He was always spouting nonsense about hope and trying to confuse the hell out of us... But even so...dying like this is just too cruel. Also...he wasn't completely useless... There were times we were only able to reach the truth because of him. But...everything good and bad about him is gone. We'll never be confused by him again. We'll never be saved by him again... No...now isn't the time to think about unnecessary things. I need to focus on the investigation right now." "Jeez...I can't believe I actually investigated such a grisly-looking body... ...Even I'm surprised at myself. Does this mean...I'm used to it? My classmate's dead body is right in front of me...and one of my peers is the killer responsible... And I have to investigate his death so I can find his killer... Am I used to something as abnormal as that? That would mean...I'm becoming abnormal, too." "Well, Monokuma isn't exactly someone you would normally run into..." "I feel a little tired... No matter how much I investigate, I don't feel any closer to the truth... That's probably why I feel this way. I'm feeling this strange feeling that I've never felt before. As if Nagito is trying to make us suffer, even after he's died... ...Well, now's not the time to think about stupid things like that. I haven't even investigated his cottage yet... It's too early to start complaining. If we investigate that place, we might be able to find some kind of clue. ...All right, let's go." "So...Nagito was living here... What was he thinking inside this room? What was he feeling as he spent his days in here...? I can't even imagine. Wanting to see "absolute hope"... Becoming despair so he could act as a stepping stone for the rest of us... No matter how much I think about it, I just don't understand him at all... I don't even know if he truly believed that... He was especially weird these past few days. What changed him...? Maybe...the clue to that might be hidden here as well..." "You're right...you're absolutely right... We're not alone... Even if it's a mystery that can't be solved alone... As long as everyone cooperates and works together... Yeah...if we do that, things will turn out fine..." "In fact, during the Funhouse ordeal, we were completely dependent on him... But even if he's gone, the ones who've survived need to stand and fight. We...must fight... And then...the door slowly opened. This bright light greeting us... Is that the light of hope...? Or the light of despair...?" "Nagito Komaeda, the Ultimate Lucky Student... When I first met him, I thought he was a nice guy. He came across as very sociable... But his true nature...held such a demented thought process that was nothing like his outward appearance... He said he believed in hope more than anything else. He said he was yearning for a powerful hope that can overcome any despair. He said he would even help despair just to prove that hope will never lose to despair... And...he said he'd become a stepping stone for hope. ...His way of thinking was completely screwed up. But...there were also times he saved us, too. Someone like him was killed... That was the end of him. And I have no idea at all...who did it, but... There's no way we can end this without knowing. We will be consumed by despair. That's why...we absolutely have to find out... The person who finished off Nagito... The killer who murdered Nagito...! In order to return from this despair alive, we need to reach the truth. And if Monokuma says this is really the last Class Trial... ...That's all the more reason we need to do this. And so... ...this life-threatening trial billowing with hope and despair... The last one... ...has begun." "Jeez...and I was starting to feel a little sympathetic toward him... How stupid of me... I completely underestimated his capacity for malice... A mind-boggling malice that threatens us even after he's died... That's the form his malice look. I had forgotten all about it until now... If he was here now...he'd probably be sneering at me." "I just remembered that his malice always defied our expectations...and that concerns me. For example, would that malice...just end here? Did Nagito's malice drive him to risk his life for a truth we'd reach this easily? I mean...this is Nagito we're talking about, you know?" "If all your hopes are united, no despair can shake you", huh... ...Now that I think about it, Nagito said the same thing. "The absolute hope that can overcome any despair"... He said he was yearning for that... Then, this situation we're in...might be the thing that Nagito wanted all along... ... ...No, never mind. I'm probably...overthinking." "I don't want to hurt anyone... I don't want to get hurt anymore...by hurting someone else. Everyone's tired...tired of doubting everyone else... I...I also feel that way. That's why I want to just rule this as "Nagito's suicide". If I do that...nobody here has to get hurt... But... That's no good... I feel like...Nagito is seeing through us. By calling this "Nagito's suicide," we're trying to take the easy way out so we don't hurt anyone else... But if Nagito was here right now... He'd probably be sneering at us. He'd probably say something like, "So that's the extent of your hopes." "But...I just can't imagine ending this by turning our backs on the truth...!" "He wanted to prove to us that there are mysteries that just can't be solved with educated guesses!" "That's right...it doesn't mean the trial is over yet... Even though I don't know who killed Nagito... It should be clear what kind of trap he set. Then...I have to do it. Even if it leads to despair...! ...I got it. Let's do this then!" "He relied on his luck to aim for a target, but he didn't even know who he was aiming for... It sounds way too unbelievable to have actually happened, but... ...The only thing we can do is believe." "Wh-Whether I can prove it or not...that's not the problem... Don't you understand!? You may as well be asking me to kill you! I... There's no way I can do that...!" "No, the truth is I might've already known the moment I found this notebook... It's just...I wanted to turn my eyes from the truth it contained... But now I clearly know. I...can't help but know..." "I don't want to believe it either... I don't want to believe but... But...then nobody will be saved!" "I don't...I don't want to believe it...but... I have to move forward... I have to move forward to the path she's showing us...!" "We shouldn't believe in Monokuma...or Nagito... We have to believe in Chiaki! It doesn't matter who the traitor is... Even if Chiaki is the traitor, that's not the Chiaki I know. I believe in...the Chiaki who's been with us this whole time. That Chiaki is saying she wants to protect us with her life! So the only thing we can do is believe her! If we don't...nobody's going to be saved!" "...It's not fair. I...feel the same as everyone else. There's no way I can agree to this...! Emptiness. Loneliness. Sadness. But most of all...I'm ashamed of my weakness. But... Even so... ...I have to move forward. If we believe in the person who's urging us forward... ...then we have to start walking. And believe...with as much hope as possible in what lies ahead." "Without realizing it...I had fallen to my knees. A feeling of powerlessness spread throughout my body. It's over... It just had to end... Before I could ask what I needed to ask... Before I could say what I needed to say... Chiaki vanished before my eyes... And I couldn't even tell her, "Thank you"... If I had said that, would she have been comforted a little...? As she was executed as the traitor...would she have been comforted a little...? I don't know... My chest...just hurt." "Even after I woke up, my will to move my body didn't come back. That's why... I didn't look back on everything that happened up till now... I didn't think about what was going to happen... I just kept praying that nothing else would happen... And burrowed deep into my sheets, as if I were trying to hide." "The day feels abnormally long when you spend it praying that nothing happens." "...Is everything really going to end? What is "everything" anyway? How far, how much is...everything? If we leave this island...is everything going to end? There's still so much we don't know... About our school memories, the Future Foundation, Hope's Peak Academy, Monokuma's true purpose... Can we really end this and turn our back on all that? And not just that...if we're really leaving, then where are we going? ...To Hope's Peak Academy? ... That was...my last night at Jabberwock Island. At a place where my worries didn't even matter...everything was about to end." "I suddenly couldn't believe in anything, like everything in this world was nothing but lies..." "Nagito...I can't believe you actually left a will... Fine, then I'll make sure to listen to your last words...!" "To go to the trouble of preparing something like this... Nagito was unpredictable until the very end..." "Beyond this door... The future is waiting... A sparkling future... Now then...let's move forward." "Something's...wrong...? What did I do...? ... ... No...that's not it... I'm not the...weird one... .What's really weird is... ...this world?" Chapter 6:

   "The gymnasium...is here, right? ...All right, I'm going inside! Something might be waiting...but I'm not going to cower away anymore." "If I really am a nobody...then...you should've just left me alone... Why...why do I have to go through something like this?" "Chiaki said...she could not betray the Future Foundation... But if she were still alive, she definitely would've helped us... No...even her just being with us would've been a big help." "He's...right... Now's not the time to bemoan how unlucky I am... Where this place really is... What's happened to Hope's Peak Academy... ...None of that matters. What's important is... I need to leave this island with the others. We sacrificed so many lives in order to survive just so we could do that... There's no way we can stop now." "If we stopped at the green light...we'd never reach our goal." "I...should hurry and start too... Just a bit more... Just a bit more...and it's going to end... I can escape this nightmare and return to my usual, peaceful, every day life. The only thing we can do is advance toward that hope... Even though I don't understand...and that a lot of horrifying things keep happening... For the sake of everyone who couldn't make it this far, I'm definitely going to go home!" "I-I don't know how he's doing it but...he keeps doing it over and over again... He's so persistent... Bur I'm not gonna fall for his trap! There's no way this will make me back down!" "The cherry tree is proudly displaying its full blossoms. The falling petals add to the elegance of the scene. If Hiyoko and Peko were here, it would've looked truly picturesque. For their sake's as well...I will definitely go home!" "No...it'd just be a waste of time to wonder about things that don't make sense." "He's trying to make us feel despair toward the outside world so we'll want to stay on this island. But...there's no way I'm going to do what he wants...! Despair like that simply can't exist... The outside world should be filled with hope... ...Just like now. Perhaps...no, that's definitely it." "No...I've already decided that I'm not going to be surprised. That's right...there's no time for me to be surprised by something like this!" "But still...her gut is pretty impressive... For some reason it's strangely intuitive... And Monokuma did say something about the main cast coming... It's surprising but...her gut must be correct again this time..." "I'm starting to feel like we might be better off not remembering the memories we've lost..." "A feeling of emptiness, like everything is being tainted. A feeling of weakness, like the world is collapsing beneath my feet. Everything is starting to feel meaningless... The desperate attempts, the sad goodbyes, the conflicts, the trust I felt until now... It's all disappearing until all I feel is... ...Despair." "There was no way for me to acknowledge it as the truth... It would make much more sense if this was a fictional world..." "I feel... I feel like I can't believe what's going on here... The missing sense of reality... All the mysteries...all the truths... They're all just fiction... Is that...? ... ...Even so, I need to know. I need to know what this world is." "Do our best...huh... But...what do we have to do our best at...? ... The mystery is getting solved... I'm finally starting to see the truth... But...what are we supposed to do when that truth is really a lie? We know we're working towards a conclusion that nobody wants to hear... But still, do we really need to work hard and do our best? Is there...really a reason to do our best? If everything was a lie... Then isn't everything just meaningless? It's the same for the killings, too... Even though we had to experience something as painful as that... Something as tragic as that... Wouldn't all that be meaningless too? When the world is flipped over and becomes so irrational... What...am I supposed to do...?" "It's...just a waste of time thinking about what this all means right now... For now...I need to finish this... I need to just focus on that..." "The world's true identity... If I answer this...it will be true... And that lie...will become the truth... But... There's no way I can leave it unanswered." "This world is a virtual reality created by a computer program. We can't proceed if we don't accept it... ...Is believing him really the only thing we can do?" "The truth is... ...The truth is it was all a lie. That...is this world's truth... I-If everything's a lie... Then...what should we believe...?" "What game...!? That's not what we risked our lives for!" "She didn't exist at all...? Not human...? No, that's not it! Chiaki was really alive...! Even if she was a virtual existence, she was really alive... Did you forget!? She saved our lives, you know!" "We've been trying desperately to survive until we can finally leave this place... If we don't get out of here now, all the deaths we've endured will be in vain... I...know this...but... ...Something's not right. ...How come Monokuma isn't trying to stop us? Is he just going to stay quiet and overlook us getting out of this game world? Then...everything Monokuma did would be pointless, too. Not only that... Is...it really okay for us to believe him? Should...we get out? Or..." "We're...completely at her mercy. But if we can't progress unless we answer... We have no choice...but no answer...!" "S-So you're saying you only exist...to fill people with despair?" "Meaningless...vanish... Does that...include her, too? If we lose our memories of this world, we're also going to forget she ever existed, right? If that happens... Does it really mean that... ...that she, an existence confined to this world...is really going to disappear? She risked her life to protect us, and we won't even remember she existed...!" "Graduate or shutdown... The world or me... Hope or despair... They're telling us to choose...? To choose between that...? Wh-Why...? Why...do we have to choose...? I can't do it... I...can't choose... You guys are telling us the world's going to be destroyed unless we sacrifice ourselves... And that...I can't decide... I can't choose either one..." "Shut up! Leave me alone! This...this is just too much... Why do I...why do I have to be a part of this...? I mean, I'm different from the rest of you... And I don't even have a talent... But even so...I got dragged into this... And now...my existence is going to disappear? Ha...hahaha, I don't understand it at all." "It's impossible! For someone like me...it's impossible... I can't choose the future...! Hope...despair...do whatever you want! It's not my problem!" "Anyway...don't you think they're messed up? Telling us the world's going to be destroyed and to sacrifice ourselves...? There's no way I can choose... For someone like me...I'm just not able to choose... Seriously...I've had enough... I'm tired of being mixed up in all this stuff I don't understand... Not only was I told that I have no talent at all, but if I get out, I'll go back to being Ultimate Despair... And on top of that...I was told I'm going to disappear too. Isn't that messed up? ...Hey, you don't want that either, right? I mean, if we lose our memories, there won't be a single trace of your existence left. You're going to completely disappear...and none of us will ever remember you..." "Hey Chiaki...can you tell me something? Which...which choice should I make? My hope...the world's hope...which one should I choose?" "I have no talent at all... I was even betrayed by the academy I admired so much... I don't want to disappear... I'm not Izuru Kamukura... Who cares what will happen to the world...? It's not like I'll be appreciate anyway... I don't want to sacrifice myself... There's no way we can beat Junko! It's the Future Foundation's fault... Not mine... I can't choose the future..." "There won't just be hope... There will probably be a lot of despair too... I don't know what kind of future awaits us... ...but our futures are ours! I won't let anyone take them!" "I've decided...I'm done running away... I will fight for my future! I will fight alongside the future that everyone created for me! It's not for anyone else's sake but my own!" "I...am not Izuru Kamukura... I am Hajime Hinata!" "There's never only one choice to make... There's no way I'll allow things to end this way. The future everyone has created for us should have more possibilities than that. Let's leave this place with confidence, and from there we can just create it on our own. ...The future that we want!" "It wouldn't be strange if a miracle happened... This isn't a game! We can change the future as much as we want!" "We believe in our future... That's what makes us different from you... We believe that if we try new things, even difficult things, that everything will turn out okay. We believe we can even create our own futures!" "I'm not...the one you should be thanking." "And fro that point on...we're the ones who are going to create." "So this is the end... But...it's just the beginning. ...Isn't that right? It doesn't change how scared I am... I can't help feeling scared...so scared, but... Thank you... Thank you, Chiaki... Phew...I finally said it." Class Trial Interjections:

   "NO, THAT'S WRONG!" "I AGREE WITH THAT!" "THAT MUST BE IT!" "I SEE!" "I CAN PROVE IT WITH THIS!" "HERE'S EVERYTHING THAT HAPPENED IN THIS CASE!" "There's no way I'll back out now!" "ALLOW ME TO CUT THROUGH THOSE WORDS!" "I'LL SHOOT THROUGH THAT CONTRADICTION!" "YOU'RE THE ONLY ONE!" "THIS IS MY ANSWER" "I GOT IT!" "THIS IS THE END!" "IT'S ALL COMING TOGETHER!" "HERE!" "That's not it..." "This world..." "EVEN SO, I..." "I'LL NEVER LET ANYONE CHOOSE AGAIN!" "THAT'S PROBABLY TRUE...!" (Only in the Japanese version) Epilogue:

   "And so...the ordeal has ended. And from here, our daily lives have started. Lives that are much more absurd, nonsensical, and irrational than before... Things are...probably going to be a lot more difficult now. There's no such thing as an answered mystery... It's doubtful whether or not things will even end well." "The future isn't a path, it's like an endless sea... You can try to go anywhere... But it doesn't mean you'll get there. Even so, I will keep on living. I will keep on living as Hajime Hinata. My future...lies here." Merchandise The link below lists all official licensed merchandise featuring Hajime Hinata:

   Main: Hajime Hinata Merchandise Trivia While the pronunciation of Hajime's first name (はじめ) often means "beginning", the kanji it is written with, 創, primarily means "injury" or "flaw". "Hinata" (日向) means “a sunny place” or “to face the sun”. His full name can altogether translate as either “to face a new day” or "to face an imperfect day". The names "Hajime" and "Hinata" are very common names in Japan, with either having many written forms (e.g. Hajime can be written as 始, 治, 初, 一, 元, 肇, 創, 甫, 基, 哉, 啓, 本, 源, 東, 大, 孟, 祝...). Hinata itself is both a surname and a given name. This 'common' quality of his names is parallel to how Hajime was a common student with no extraordinary talent. Matching the meaning of his given name, Hajime's birthday is January 1, the first day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. His full name (日向創) can also be read as Kamukura according to Kodaka in a tweet he made, foreshadowing his identity before entering the Neo World Program. Hajime's alternate identity is foreshadowed during one of Gundham's Free Time Events, where Gundham asks Hajime to reveal his “true name”. Hajime shares his English voice actor, Johnny Yong Bosch, with Rantaro Amami.[12] During the final trial, in his temporary "Awakened Form", Hajime bears a striking resemblance to Kiyotaka Ishimaru's "Kiyondo" form; both have their dark hair turn pure white and their eyes bright red (Kiyotaka's were already red, however). They both also changed into their respective forms because of memories of their deceased friends; Kiyotaka became Kiyondo due to his love for his friend Mondo Owada, and Hajime entered his "Awakened" form due to the memory of Chiaki helping him overcome his despair. Technically being the same person as Izuru Kamukura, Hajime is the first character in the Danganronpa series that has participated in two Mutual Killing Games and survived. The others are Makoto, Aoi Asahina, and technically Kyoko Kirigiri. According to the text seen on the computer screen in the episode 6 of Despair Arc, both Hajime and his parents gave their consent for the Izuru Kamukura Project and agreed that the school would not be held liable for the said actions, although it's unclear if they were fully aware of the consequences considering the school's tendency to lie and hide information. Hajime's former high school before he enrolled in Hope's Peak Academy, Kodaka High School (小高高校 kodaka kōkō) is named after the creator of Danganronpa, Kazutaka Kodaka. Appearances in Other Media Hajime, possibly Izuru with shorter hair, is seen in the promotional art for and the collaboration of Danganronpa 3 x Hōkai Gakuen. Hajime is included in the second collaboration of Identity V x Danganronpa as a skin for Prospector, Norton Campbell. Hajime is included in the second wave of Danganronpa 1.2 Reload x Divine Gate. Hajime appears as a playable skin in the rhythm-game Crypt of the Necrodancer. Hajime appears as a dress-up item in Atgames. Hajime and Chiaki look-alikes appear in Tonikaku Kawaii. Crypt of the Necrodancer Sprite. Crypt of the Necrodancer Sprite. Silhouette in Tonikaku Kawaii. Silhouette in Tonikaku Kawaii. Girls Gun 2 x Danganronpa 3 artwork cameo. Girls Gun 2 x Danganronpa 3 artwork cameo. References Report Card (Japanese) Danganronpa 3 Despair Arc: Hajime Hinata design profile Report Card List of DR and DR2 casts former high schools Funimation: Danganronpa 3: The End of Hope’s Peak High School Broadcast Dub Cast Announcement (July 28, 2016) synchronkartei: Danganronpa 3: The End of Hope's Peak Academy - Despair Arc Christine Kazutaka Kodaka and Yuji Higa's interview Makoto, Hajime, and Yasuhiro in NDRV3 demo. Kodaka's character comment [1] AUTUMN&FOOD Q&A. Johnny Yong Bosch: AnimeNEXT 2018 - Here's Johnny ... Yong Bosch! Q&A Panel (10 June 2018)

5. #5Akane Owari

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   Akane Owari Illustration Sprite DR3 (Despair) Illustration Name Kanji 終里 赤音 Romaji Owari Akane Katakana オワリ アカネ English Akane Owari Aliases & Titles Talent Characteristics Personal Status Debuts Portrayals

   “ As long as I can eat and move my body, that's when I feel like I'm alive. That's all I need.

   — Danganronpa 2: Goodbye Despair ”

   Akane Owari (終里 赤音), is a student in Hope's Peak Academy's Class 77-B and a participant of the Killing School Trip featured in Danganronpa 2: Goodbye Despair. Her title is the Ultimate Gymnast (超高校級の「体操部」 lit. Super High School Level Gymnastics Club Member).

   She, along with Class 77-B, return in Danganronpa 3: The End of Hope's Peak High School to explore their school life leading up to The Tragedy.

   History Early Life Akane is the oldest of several siblings whose exact numbers she never counted, as new ones kept coming from different parents. They lived together in an impoverished area filled with "crappy people," where finding dead bodies at the dump in the morning was a common sight.[5] Her house was in poor condition, lacking proper air conditioning, free water, and bathrooms, which led Akane to develop a habit of resting in libraries during winter and summer.[12] It had scarce food and medicine, a lack of soft blankets, and constant leaks whenever it rained.[4] As such, Akane and her siblings starved so often that it made her value food above anything else, and did everything to get access to food.[13] She frequently went dumpster diving, which led to turf wars with newcomers from time to time. She also used to climb trees to search for nuts and bird eggs.[14]

   On top of frequently starving, receiving physical and sexual abuse became a norm for her.[15] She was often "kicked around" and "beaten up" from her environment. Akane did whatever it took to support her family's financial situation by forcing herself into doing questionable jobs before she could work legally. She used to sell her used underwear to a perverted man she described as a "noisy pig." Her stepmother's drunk lovers would grope her, which Akane mistook for full-body massages.[16] They also pressured her into doing "weird" jobs, such as waitressing without underwear, where some customers attempted to motorboat her.[4][5] She was also regularly chased by perverts and a stray dog, which led her to discover her natural talent for parkour due to constantly running away. The men eventually stopped pursuing her once they realized she was stronger than them.[14]

   Through her harsh upbringing, no one helped Akane, and she learned to rely on herself to survive alone in a world where "the strong devoured the weak."[17] This was also a contributing factor to why she avoided making friends or even remembering names, stating that the next time she said someone's name, she might be referring to a dead body.[15] She eventually became the family's sole breadwinner, as none of her parents worked. She felt responsible to feed and care for her younger siblings, whom she loved and affectionately dubbed "the little ones."[5] She put a lot of effort into making them happy such as taking them to fish all day so they could "forget about food", even if just for a while.[18] Once she was able to do a waitressing gig legally with an hourly wage and tips, Akane dedicated most of her time working part-time and would occasionally steal leftovers for her family.[5]

   While working as a waitress,[19] Akane was visited by an old regular who happened to be a gymnastics coach. He repeatedly groped her, persistently praising her body and suggesting she join gymnastics. Initially, Akane had no interest in sports, especially gymnastics, but the coach remained persistent despite her attempts to fend him off with punches and kicks, which he disturbingly seemed to enjoy.[5] After countless attempts to persuade her, Akane finally gave in and started doing gymnastics solely for the money. Setting records and winning competitions came naturally to her, eventually allowing her and her siblings to move out and live together in a new home.[20]

   Akane gained her reputation as an "all-around super athlete" while attending Hikarimachi High School.[7][8][21]

   Prior to the Tragedy Attending Hope's Peak Academy Main article: Danganronpa 3: The End of Hope's Peak High School/Despair Arc First Year Class restrained Owari Restrained by Nekomaru

   Akane was scouted by Hope's Peak Academy and enrolled in Class 77-B as the Ultimate Gymnast. Since attendance was not mandatory for Ultimates as long as they continued to hone their talents, Akane skipped classes and preferred to parkour around the academy's rooftop. It took the combined efforts of her classmates and her homeroom teacher, Chisa Yukizome, to restrain her and bring her to class. Chisa wanted her and her classmates to start attending classes regularly to build strong relationships and foster "hope" with her peers alongside honing her talent.[22]

   Danganronpa 3 Akane consuming the doping corn soup by Teruteru Doping effect

   Akane befriended Nekomaru Nidai, the Ultimate Team Manager, who became her self-appointed manager. Under his supervision, she underwent various training sessions, including intense combat training. One of these sessions became especially extreme when she consumed a doping corn soup prepared by Teruteru Hanamura, the Ultimate Cook. The soup enhanced her strength and agility, allowing her to catch up with Nekomaru and even destroy her classroom in the process. Other than training with Nekomaru, Akane began to spend more time with her classmates. She could be seen playing video games, having lunch, relaxing at the park, and even electing Chiaki Nanami as the class representative along with the others.[23][24]

   Chisa class reunion Celebrating Chisa's return

   Throughout her freshman year, Akane experienced many ups and downs. Her class's practical exam was postponed due to the class's low morale after they learned about the passing of her classmate Fuyuhiko Kuzuryu, the Ultimate Yakuza's little sister. Not long after, Nagito Komaeda, the Ultimate Lucky Student was suspended due to his involvement in a bombing incident. This resulted in Akane's homeroom teacher, Chisa, placed on a probationary transfer to the Reserve Course Department. It only lasted for a semester, which Akane and her classmates celebrated upon her return.[25][26]

   Second Year A year passed by and Akane began to wonder when Nagito, or 'that idiot' as she preferred to call him, ever come back to class. Around the same time, Akane and her classmates noticed from their building that the students from the Reserve Course students had launched a massive protest against the Main Course, blaming them for causing the Tragedy of Hope's Peak Academy. Unbeknownst to most, the true mastermind behind the tragedy was Junko Enoshima, the originator of Ultimate Despair, who manipulated events behind the scenes and framed Izuru Kamukura—the result of the Izuru Kamukura Project—for the incident. The Hope's Peak Academy committee, responsible for the project, was accused of using the exorbitant fees paid by Reserve Course students to create so-called 'murderers'.[27][28]

   Although Akane and her classmates were seemingly unrelated to the growing protest, they became involved after noticing that Mikan Tsumiki, the Ultimate Nurse, had been absent for some time. Nagito, who had recently returned from his suspension, claimed to have seen her on the school grounds, prompting Akane and the others to search for her while the parade was ongoing, but to no avail.[29]

   Teruteru, Hiyoko, and Akane resolving to rescue Chisa Resolving to rescue Chisa with her classmates

   Akane and her classmates reconvened in their classroom after failing to locate Mikan and assumed that Nagito had given them false information. However, they were soon shocked when Chiaki returned carrying an unconscious Nagito, and Mikan, whom they had been searching for, also appeared, carrying Peko Pekoyama, the Ultimate Swordswoman, who had been injured in a battle with Junko's twin sister, Mukuro Ikusaba. Chiaki and Nagito had infiltrated Junko's lair, but before Nagito could shoot Junko, Izuru knocked him out. Chisa, who had followed them, intervened just in time to buy enough time for Chiaki to carry Nagito to safety. Although Akane initially hesitated to help after Nagito warned them it might be a suicide mission, she changed her mind after Chiaki convinced her otherwise, stating that she planned to go regardless of the situation.[30]

   On their way to Junko's lair, their path was blocked by a band of Reserve Course students who wished to take them on in the battle to create placements on the Main Course for themselves. Nekomaru and Gundham Tanaka, the Ultimate Breeder, offered to hold off the attackers so the others could escape. Akane wished them luck before she and the others continued on their way, confident that Nekomaru, in particular, would subdue them quickly. Her prediction proved correct, as both Nekomaru and Gundham managed to rejoin the group while they were traveling through the underground corridor, thanks to Mikan's communication.[30]

   Class 77 Despair Class 77-B brainwashed

   Unbeknownst to Akane and her classmates, this path to search for Chisa was nothing but a ruse made by Junko, with the help of Mikan and Chisa themselves who had been brainwashed into despair, to lead Class 77-B into what appeared to be the same room later used for the Class Trials. In this very room, Akane and the others were forced to watch Chiaki executed in a brutal fashion. Akane was horrified and wanted to find a way to save her, but she was too powerless to do anything. Bearing witness to Chiaki's death caused the brainwashing effect of the video to take hold of Class 77-B, plunging them into despair.[31]

   Akane Ultimate Despair 2 Killing civilians as an Ultimate Despair

   Fully brainwashed into becoming the Ultimate Despair, Akane and her classmates received their final lesson before "graduation", the one final meeting to discuss their plan to overthrow the world with despair. Akane expressed that she would 'eat her fill' before Chisa activated a bomb that faked the death of Class 77-B so they could be taken off the list of protected students. After witnessing the destruction of Hope's Peak, Akane began spreading despair by indiscriminately killing civilians she encountered in back alleys.[32]

   The Tragedy Danganronpa 3 - Future Arc (Episode 01) - Intro (75) Battling against Future Foundation leaders with fellow Remnants of Despair

   Akane joined the Ultimate Despair after falling prey to Junko's brainwashing.[32] Alongside her corrupted classmates, she started The Tragedy and kept it ongoing even after Junko's death in the final stage of the Killing School Life.[6] Akane and her classmates who did not commit suicide to follow their leader Junko soon became known as the Remnants of Despair.[6] They also hacked her body and grafted them onto themselves—though in Akane's case, the specific body parts she took remain unknown. One of her infamous contributions as a member of the Ultimate Despair was aiding Nekomaru, Peko, and Fuyuhiko's yakuza forces in battling the Future Foundation's Division leaders.[33]

   Danganronpa 3 - Future Arc (Episode 01) - Makoto arriving (6) Remnants of Despair

   Eventually, the Future Foundation secured the custody of Akane and the other fourteen - at first only aware that they were survivors from Hope's Peak Academy. When Makoto Naegi, Class 78th's Ultimate Lucky Student, by that time a member of the 14th Division of the Future Foundation, realized that the survivors were in fact, Remnants of Despair, he quickly directed them to Jabberwock Island in secret.[6]

   Danganronpa 2 CG - Neo World Program (4) Neo World Program

   Makoto had them enter the Neo World Program, where their memories were reset to a time before their enrollment at Hope's Peak Academy, prior to being brainwashed by Junko. As a result, none of them were able to recognize each other.[6] The plan was to overwrite Akane and the others' memories of themselves as Ultimate Despair, replacing them with good ones in order to undo all the damage Junko had done to them.[34] The scheme backfired when Izuru Kamukura, the Ultimate Hope, uploaded Junko's malware AI just before they were to be programmed. Consequently, they were subjected to the identical brutal incident that befell Class 78th, although in a realistically simulated environment. The killing game became known as the Killing School Trip, an ordeal in which Akane and the other Remnants of Despair were coerced into participating.[6]

   Killing School Trip Main article: Danganronpa 2: Goodbye Despair Danganronpa 2 CG - Students in the classroom Killing School Trip participants

   Akane participated in the Killing School Trip alongside fourteen other Remnants of Despair and one Future Foundation observer. It occurred in a virtual world, the Neo World Program, resembling Jabberwock Island. Due to her memories as the Ultimate Despair and life in Hope's Peak Academy being erased by the Future Foundation, she couldn't recognize any of her classmates.[6]

   After being teleported to the island, Akane first introduced herself to Hajime Hinata at the ranch called Usami's Corral. She appeared rather carefree and unfazed by what transpired around her. She had even already forgotten Nagito's name, who had previously introduced himself, claiming that she was no good at remembering people's names, much to his dismay.[21]

   Later, Akane and her classmates were assembled by Usami at the first island's beach, the observer of the school trip, an AI programmed by the Future Foundation, who claimed to be the class's teacher. She reassured the students that there was no need to worry and provided Nekomaru and the others with swimsuits, encouraging them to fully enjoy their "school trip". Akane, who wanted to swim, was ultimately unable to because she preferred swimming naked instead of wearing the school swimsuits she found embarrassing, which Usami prohibited.[35]

   Danganronpa 2 CG - Start of the Killing School Trip The Killing School Trip begins

   The promising tropical school trip, however, turned into a nightmare immediately as Akane learned that the evil animatronic bear, Monokuma, the self-proclaimed headmaster of Hope's Peak Academy, had hijacked their trip and turned it into a killing game. Alongside the others, she was forced to yield to him for the time being after watching Usami, who had been left powerless and renamed Monomi, being blasted to pieces by the Monobeasts.[35]

   Danganronpa 2 - Girls-Only Gathering Event Girls-only gathering

   Once the killing game started, Akane regularly attended the morning gatherings at the restaurant at the Ultimate Imposter's request, initially thinking they were meeting to discuss strategies for defeating the Monobeasts. But more than anything, she showed up for the food Monokuma prepared, eagerly devouring entire plates in one gulp—a luxury she rarely had growing up. She revealed that compared to where she grew up, Jabberwock Island's quality of life was far better, which explained why she was usually so carefree and hearty.[4] During the girls-only gathering, which could be triggered if Hajime gave Mahiru Koizumi, the Ultimate Photographer, a certain magazine, Akane was invited to help make desserts as a way to take their minds off the first motive introduced. However, she participated by only eating the desserts the girls made—though none of them seemed to mind.[36]

   Danganronpa 2 CG - The Imposter eating while Akane and Mahiru watch Furious at the Imposter

   Akane also accepted the Ultimate Imposter's invitation to their all-night party at the old building. She got furious when the Imposter took a headstart by eating a meat dish before everyone else, thinking they were hogging all the food. In reality, they were only trying to confiscate the potentially dangerous iron skewer.[36]

   Danganronpa 2 CG - Everyone at the party Joyfully devouring Teruteru's party dishes

   Akane, already impatient with the overly cautious Imposter, immediately started inhaling the food Teruteru had prepared once the Imposter gave the green light. It was so delicious that she didn't even realize she had already started eating, tears streaming down her face as she screamed with joy. She didn't even stop eating even after the Imposter suddenly vanished after a blackout. Despite not moving an inch, she beat the search party in discovering the Imposter's whereabouts by relying on her keen sense of smell. She detected their blood coming from under one of the tables in the dining hall, where she and the others discovered their body.[36]

   During the class trial, while Akane was clueless most of the time, she still made contributions that helped the group get a clearer picture of the murder. She confirmed that Teruteru's food was not laced with laxatives, debunking the theory that Peko's digestive issues were caused by it. Her gut instinct that the culprit used light to move around during the blackout was later proven correct. She also eagerly volunteered to eat the bone-in cut of meat suspected of concealing the murder weapon, claiming she could finish it in under a minute. However, Monokuma beat her to it, infuriating her when the Headmaster reappeared with the meat and finished it in her place.[37]

   Danganronpa 2 - Teruteru Hanamura's execution (42) Witnessing Teruteru's execution

   The true culprit was revealed to be Teruteru, who had intended to kill Nagito after realizing that Nagito planned to kill someone himself. Nagito was also responsible for orchestrating the blackout and blackmailing the Imposter. After Teruteru was executed for his crime, Akane began to resent Nagito, and wouldn't be satisfied until she can punch him. Hajime who was also irritated by him allowed her to do so, but she was ultimately stopped by Sonia Nevermind, the Ultimate Princess.[37] Akane grieved Teruteru's death in her own way, saying that she had already missed his cooking, which was incomparable to Monokuma's restaurant food. She also checked the Imposter's and Teruteru's cottages to ensure no one had messed with their rooms, only to find them locked by Monokuma to avoid "complicating the game."[38]

   The following morning after the trial, Akane's keen sense of smell came into play again. She noticed an unpleasant odor coming from Hiyoko Saionji, the Ultimate Traditional Dancer, who hadn't bathed because she didn't know how to tie her kimono sash on her own. She also showed little concern when Nagito suddenly disappeared and even agreed when she later learned that Nekomaru and Kazuichi Soda, the Ultimate Mechanic, had tied him up in the old building.[38]

   Danganronpa 2 CG - Nekomaru Nidai and Akane Owari sparring (1) Sparring with Nekomaru

   Afterward, Akane joined the rest of the group in exploring the newly opened second island. Instead of investigating, however, she challenged Nekomaru to a training session so intense that Ibuki Mioda, the Ultimate Musician, mistook it for a killing attempt. Akane was eventually defeated, prompting Nekomaru to critique her for ignoring the basics and half-assing her Ultimate Gymnast talent and potential. Though Akane appeared to ignore his advice, she was eager to challenge him again in the future and win.[38]

   Twilight Syndrome Murder Case Drawn by the promise of special-made curry rice, Akane sprinted and became the first to arrive at Jabberwock Park for Monokuma's announcement of the second motive, the Twilight Syndrome Murder Case. She didn't listen to Monokuma's explanation and focused only on the promised curry. Despite the curry containing bizarre ingredients like live frogs, Akane ate and enjoyed it, even wanting seconds.[39] Akane's indifference toward the motive, however, wasn't shared by Mahiru, whom she noticed acting uncharacteristically withdrawn—even turning down her invitation to eat breakfast together. Mahiru also declined Sonia's invitation to her girls-only beach party, unlike Akane who ended up going.[38]

   Danganronpa 2 CG - Akane Owari's beach attire Arriving at the diner

   Akane arrived at the meeting point diner next to Chandler Beach, covered in blood and her swimsuit after getting into a training session with Nekomaru, whom she had run into on her way there. Though she didn't make a big deal of her wounds, the worried Mikan dragged her to the bathroom for treatment. While Mikan was tending to her wound, Kazuichi who had barged into their party went ahead to the beach house, where he discovered Mahiru's dead body.[38]

   Danganronpa 2 CG - Akane Owari and Hajime Hinata investigating the bathroom (1) Reaching out to the shower room's window with Hajime's help

   Akane's first instinct during the investigation was to inspect the shower room, thinking the killer might be hiding there after failing to leave the crime scene. She then helped Hajime investigate the iron-barred window high up on the ceiling by asking him to give her a piggyback ride. She discovered that the iron bar wasn't pinned down and could be opened and closed relatively easily, and that her head could fit through without any issue. This meant it wasn't impossible to go in and out of the window, though at that time, she and Hajime didn't know how someone could reach the shower room unless two people helped each other, or, in Akane's view, perhaps a ninja could have pulled off such a feat.[34]

   Danganronpa 2 CG - Akane Owari and Hajime Hinata investigating the bathroom (2) Inspecting the shower room's window

   In the Class Trial, Akane helped clear Hiyoko of suspicion by pointing out that Hiyoko's inability to dress herself made it impossible for her to take off her clothes while moving Mahiru's body. She was briefly suspected by Kazuichi for being covered in blood when she arrived at the diner, but his suspicion was quickly dispelled when Akane's testimony was backed up by Nekomaru. Her gut instinct about the culprit being a "ninja" was proven correct, as they knew the climbing trick of leaning their sword against a wall and using the handguard as a stepstool, a technique that Peko, the Ultimate Swordswoman, used to escape the crime scene. Akane later witnessed Peko's execution, during which Fuyuhiko, who had secretly been served by Peko as her hitman, attempted to intervene and was injured in the process. Akane and the others had no choice but to leave his fate in Monokuma's hands, as he was rushed to the hospital. She hoped for his survival, declaring, "Things aren't as excitin' if a shit-stirrer like him ain't around!"[34]

   Akane's Training Following the second class trial, Akane and the others continued their regular morning gatherings, now with the addition of Mahiru's memorial in the restaurant, created by Hiyoko. Although Akane was initially angered by how sinister it looked, she eventually accepted and appreciated it upon realizing Hiyoko's sincerity. Akane also began eating breakfast with a new goal of fueling herself for self-training, claiming it was to avenge Fuyuhiko, though Nekomaru called her out, revealing she just wanted to test her skills.[40]

   Danganronpa 2 CG - Summer Festival Tree Event Fireworks show and yukata

   Upon learning that new islands could be unlocked by defeating Monobeasts like Monomi did, Akane recklessly considered fighting them herself, but Nekomaru quickly discouraged her. The ever-stubborn Akane, however, paid little attention to her coach's warnings, especially after visiting Fuyuhiko at the hospital, where she declared that all she needed to do was win. Disappointed, Nekomaru threatened to never give Akane "it" again, finally prompting a reaction from her as she claimed she couldn't live without "it." If Hajime had a specific item and talked to Kazuichi, the two of them ended up peeking into Akane's cottage, where "it" turned out to be Nekomaru demonstrating his self-proclaimed "Ultimate Masseuse" talent by giving Akane a massage to relieve all her fatigue. Despite Nekomaru's persistent persuasion, Akane stayed determined to eat up and train herself to challenge Monokuma, insisting that she had to do it. Amidst her training, if Hajime handed Ibuki a "Summer Festivitrees" CD, Akane would be invited to a fireworks show where she and the invited others would show up in yukata.[40]

   Danganronpa 2 CG - Akane Owari's failed execution (2) Defeated by Monokuma

   Akane eventually confronted Monokuma on the beach of the first island, coinciding with Fuyuhiko's recovery party. The battle ended in a humiliating defeat for Akane, who couldn't land a single hit and barely evaded Monokuma's fatal attacks thanks to her agility. As punishment for breaking the rules, Monokuma aimed a bazooka at her, but at the last second, Nekomaru leaped in front of her, shielding her from the blast.[40]

   Danganronpa 2 CG - Akane Owari's failed execution (7) Saved by Nekomaru

   Akane was shocked to see the impact grievously injured Nekomaru and screamed in agony as he lost consciousness after telling her not to die. Still, she could sense Nekomaru's faint heartbeat. Monokuma initially wanted to make things even by sparing Akane and not saving Nekomaru in exchange, but, not wanting him to die outside his killing game, he rushed him for treatment. Afterward, Hiyoko became furious and blamed Akane for her stupidity which nearly cost Nekomaru's life. To everyone's surprise, Akane told them not to doubt his ability to recover, and when he did, she would make sure to apologize.[40]

   Despair Disease Akane Owari Fullbody Sprite (Hospital Gown) (1) In a hospital gown

   The following morning, Akane uncharacteristically wailed and cowered in fear nonstop over Nekomaru's "death." It turned out that she, alongside Ibuki and Nagito, who also behaved out of character, had a high fever. Monokuma then appeared and revealed that his next motive was a sickness known as the Despair Disease, which had different symptoms for each person and altered each contractor's personality to the opposite. Akane's disease was labeled "Coward Disease", which rendered her into a scaredy cat and crybaby. Alongside Ibuki and Nagito, Akane was admitted to the hospital and quarantined to prevent the contagious disease from spreading to other students. There, Mikan took care of them, while Hajime and Fuyuhiko also stayed to help Mikan with the ill students. During her stay, Akane constantly cried about how much the hospital scared her.[40]

   After the group discovered Ibuki and Hiyoko's bodies in the music venue, Akane and Nagito were cured of the Despair Disease by Monokuma so they could join the rest in the investigation.[41] When she heard Nekomaru's name, Akane confessed that her "knees started shaking" and briefly cried—either because Nagito was right about it being lingering aftereffects of the disease, or due to her genuine emotion. As she wasn't feeling well enough, she volunteered to be on guard duty alongside Mikan, where she would help Hajime and Nagito find Hiyoko's room key. She discovered her motel key instead deep inside Hiyoko's kimono, leading Nagito to deduce that it was unlikely the culprit had tampered with it, as it would have been difficult to remove. Akane briefly ditched her guard duty to return to the hospital to retrieve a hospital gown for future use, having found wearing one quite comfortable. However, they were out of stock, and none were available in the empty rooms.[42]

   In the class trial, Akane insisted that Hiyoko had been abducted from her motel room by the culprit. However, Hajime immediately disproved this, citing Sonia's testimony that Hiyoko went to the crime scene of her own free will. He further supported this by using Akane's own discovery that Hiyoko's motel key was tucked deep inside her kimono. When the evidence pointed to Mikan as the culprit, Akane refused to doubt her, adamantly believing that someone like Mikan wouldn't even hurt a fly and that she felt indebted for how Mikan had cared for her while she was sick. Though she was persistent in defending her, she eventually relented after Chiaki told her that belief without doubt was simply a lie. Akane was devastated upon discovering that Mikan was indeed the culprit and was later executed as punishment.[42]

   Danganronpa 2 CG - Nekomaru Nidai's new form (1) Meeting Mechamaru

   After the class trial ended, her shock was replaced with relief once Monokuma informed them that Nekomaru had returned and was waiting for them at the first island beach. The news made Akane sob genuine tears without even meaning to, before rushing to meet him. However, she hadn't expected that Nekomaru would return with his body transformed into a robot.[42]

   Danganronpa 2 CG - Akane getting punished (2) Punished for the second time

   Upon learning that such a drastic transformation was necessary to save his life, Akane blamed herself and apologized to Nekomaru, but he brushed her off as he didn't seem to mind his new body. Her anger flared again when Monokuma boasted about his handiwork in altering Nekomaru's body, driving her to recklessly lash out and violate the rules once more. Just like before, Nekomaru shielded her from the Monokuma Bazooka, but this time, his metallic body left him completely unharmed.[43]

   The Funhouse Danganronpa 2 CG - Everyone riding a rollercoaster Roller coaster ride

   The next day, Akane returned to her usual self, enjoying the restaurant food before joining the others to investigate the newly opened fourth island. Akane, who loved thrill rides, was psyched when Monokuma allowed them to ride the roller coaster together as a group, even offering a prize for it. It turned out to be a Future Foundation file containing details about the Killing School Life. This led the group to take another of Monokuma's baits, hoping to either obtain more files about their school life or get the promised ship parts. To do so, they were required to take the train to the Funhouse, which Akane found less fun but considered worth it to see what the prize would be.[43]

   Danganronpa 2 CG - Everyone riding the train to the funhouse (1) The train ride to the Funhouse

   The train ride turned out to be a trap as Akane and the others were gassed into sleep. When they woke up, they found themselves to be inside the Funhouse's Strawberry House. It turned out Monokuma had subjected them to an escape game, where he wouldn't allow anyone to escape the Funhouse except through murder. Instead of wallowing in their new circumstances, the group decided to explore the building using a map provided to them in search of an exit. Akane teamed up with Fuyuhiko, who wanted to have a heart-to-heart conversation and took her to the Standard Room. There, Fuyuhiko confronted Akane about her stubbornness, knowing she felt immensely guilty about Nekomaru but chose to be nonchalant about it. He urged her to be honest and tell Nekomaru she was grateful, but she didn't seem to understand and mistaken it as flirting.[43]

   Danganronpa 2 CG - Funhouse Elevator Inside the Funhouse elevator

   Later, Akane and the others traveled to the second building, the Grape House, using the contact elevator at Monokuma's behest. There, the animatronic bear revealed that he would no longer provide food or drinks, using their hunger as a time limit until a murder occurred. Akane panicked at the thought of being starved, though she was used to it growing up, was the last thing she wanted to happen. To distract her from thoughts of food, which was nearly impossible, the group took her to explore the Grape House. She discovered the Ogre statue, felt its intense aura, and sought out what she believed to be the most powerful creature in the world. She also tested Chiaki's theory that the Grape and Strawberry Towers were actually one building. When night fell, Akane decided to stay in one of the Crummy Rooms until they could escape the Funhouse, claiming that compared to her home, the Crummy Room felt like a palace.[43]

   Danganronpa 2 CG - Monokuma's Tai Chi class Attending Monokuma's Tai Chi session

   On the third day of her confinement, Akane and her classmates were forced to attend a Monokuma Tai Chi session in the morning, intended to exhaust and starve the already low-energy students. She resumed training with Nekomaru as she couldn't stop thinking about food, though her moves were not as optimal due to her hunger. Fortunately, she could still receive Nekomaru's massage despite his new body.[43]

   Danganronpa 2 Chapter 4 - Closing Argument Act 6 (3) Awakened by the sound of Nekomaru's falling

   On the morning of the fourth day, Akane was awakened by a rumbling sound echoing throughout the Funhouse. She rushed out of her room to investigate the source, but upon noticing that no one else seemed concerned, she returned to her room and went back to sleep. She noticed that it occurred at 5.30 AM after glancing at the lounge clock.[43] It was only during the class trial that Akane realized the sound she heard was Nekomaru falling to his death at 7:30 AM, with the clocks set back by two hours by his killer, Gundham.[44]

   Danganronpa 2 CG - Akane holding the remains of Mechamaru Crying over Nekomaru's death

   When Akane entered Grape Tower hours later, she was shocked to find Nekomaru's broken body. She immediately rushed to him and collapsed in tears. Cradling his decapitated head, she wept in agony, lamenting that she hadn't even repaid him for everything he had done for her. Angered and hungry for the truth, Akane ate the red bean bread and milk Monokuma provided before actively joining the investigation.[44]

   Danganronpa 2 CG - Hajime and Akane trying to lift the column Attempting to lift the pillar

   During the investigation, Akane was convinced that the tipped-over pillar stained with Nekomaru's oil was the murder weapon. She asked Hajime to help her lift it to see if it was possible to use it to kill Nekomaru, but they failed. This led her to conclude that only 'Robocoach' Nekomaru had the strength to lift it by himself. Moreover, she believed that the culprit couldn't have faced the strongest person in the group head-on, and even then, she couldn't believe that Nekomaru would allow anyone to kill him in any way. While busy investigating, Akane, who had noticed a ringing sound for some time, finally realized it was a high-pitched alarm clock sound coming from upstairs, which Chiaki recognized as the telephone in the lounge room. Hajime and Chiaki then volunteered to check it, and Akane let them go while she and Sonia stayed behind, as deep down she didn't want to leave Nekomaru's side.[44] Once Kazuichi and the others from Strawberry House reached the Grape House and the crime scene, Nagito ordered Kazuichi to disassemble Nekomaru's body to collect evidence. This made Akane furious, but knowing it was necessary, she complied while enduring her anger, digging her nails into her palm until she bled.[45]

   Akane was determined to catch the culprit herself and tried her best to contribute to the class trial. Her gut told her that the pillar was definitely the murder weapon and that only Robocoach Nekomaru could have lifted it himself. However, since she never saw Nekomaru as someone who would commit suicide, she ended up refuting her own argument. Still, she wasn't willing to give up on the idea that the pillar was what caused Nekomaru's death. Her instinct was proven right when the group discovered the true layout of the Funhouse: the towers were stacked on top of each other. Nekomaru had fallen from the fourth floor to the first floor, where he collided with the pillar, resulting in his decapitation upon impact. The class trial concluded after they correctly voted Gundham as the Blackened.[44]

   Akane demanded an explanation from Gundham, who explained that he had lured Nekomaru out alone for a duel to the death, where the loser would be sacrificed—an invitation Nekomaru willingly accepted. She found it hard to believe that Nekomaru was equally resolved to commit a murder.[46] She vented her build-up frustration once Gundham was executed, blaming the murder on everyone for spending so much time "worrying about each other", implying that despite her anger, she understood Gundham did what he did not entirely for selfish motives. However, the person she was most frustrated with was herself for being "weak". So, to honor the sacrifices of Nekomaru and Gundham, Akane suggested that everyone return and eat, as continuing to live was what they would have wanted.[44]

   The Beginning of the End Danganronpa 2 Minimaru Nekomaru Nidai Akane Owari Minimaru

   The group returned to their morning gathering and breakfast after being released from the Funhouse. Akane saw that Kazuichi had built a Minimaru, a small toy made with Mechamaru's parts with multiple handy functions. She immediately took a liking to it, so much so that she snatched it from him, promising to take good care of it herself. She took Minimaru with her at all times, such as went she went to investigate the military base at the final island, which she found boring as she preferred to fight with fists rather than weapons.[47]

   Danganronpa 2 CG - Nagito being apprehended Capturing Nagito

   Despite their shared mutual trust, Akane and the remaining survivors had to be wary of Nagito, especially after he revealed his dangerous intention of weeding out the traitor himself. Kazuichi then devised a plan to capture Nagito, assigning Akane and Fuyuhiko as the task force responsible for directly apprehending the Ultimate Lucky Student. Both complied with his plans and immediately captured him as he entered the hotel lobby later that night.[47]

   Danganronpa 2 CG - Exploding Inn (1) Nagito bombing the hotel lobby

   Akane and the others were unaware of how far Nagito had come prepared, as he immediately detonated the bomb he had planted in the hotel lobby, sending them flying. He later revealed it was merely a demonstration, claiming he had planted a large number of bombs across Jabberwock Island, enough to destroy an entire island if detonated. His true plan was to weed out the traitor, and if they failed to reveal themselves, he would detonate the island in two days.[47]

   After the bombing, Akane tried to locate Nagito to force him to reveal where he had planted the bombs, but to no avail. However, he appeared uninvited at their morning gathering. Akane was ready to tackle and punch him, but was held back by Kazuichi knowing he would detonate another bomb if attacked. Having no choice but to comply, Akane and the group set out to search for the bombs, following Nagito's deliberate hint pointing to a place they hadn't visited yet. They visited Nezumi Castle, where the locked entrance had been bombed by Nagito, and inside, they found that the password to the Ancient Ruins had been deliberately erased by someone. Frustrated, Akane planned to seek out Nagito once more and force the information out of him through violence.[47]

   Danganronpa 2 CG - Akane attacking Nagito Strangling Nagito

   A woman of her word, Akane strangled Nagito the next morning at the restaurant to force him to finally reveal where he had planted the bombs. Even as Akane strangled him, Nagito refused to talk, causing her to tighten her grip until his face turned redder. Akane was seemingly intent on killing him on the spot by snapping his neck, just as she had told Hajime and Chiaki the day before.[47]

   Danganronpa 2 CG - Chiaki convincing Akane Slapped by Chiaki

   Before Akane could kill him, Chiaki slapped her, reminding her that she wasn't the type of person to hurt someone. This finally brought Akane back from her rage-induced blindness and let go of Nagito. She later apologized to the group, telling them that she was even surprised at what she was doing. As the deadline for the bomb detonation approached and the traitor still hadn't revealed themselves, Akane and the others were forced to search for the bombs again, following another hint Nagito had left before abandoning them to their own devices. The group split up to search, with Akane exploring the first island she already had mapped out in her head. After some time, she headed to the Plushie Factory on the final island, where Fuyuhiko had informed her that he found a pile of bombs.[47]

   Upon discovering the bombs loaded up on top of the bed of a truck, Akane asked whether Kazuichi could disarm the bomb, but couldn't as the engine also acted as the detonator and the main detonator inside a locked metal box. She then volunteered to drive the truck into the sea, but it was impossible because the wheels were chained. Amidst their panic and Nagito's video message instructing the traitor to swipe their student handbook to stop the bomb, the "bomb" detonated, only to be revealed as a display of fireworks. The video message from the laptop played once again, where Nagito told everyone he was waiting for them at the warehouse next door "to reveal the traitor's identity", causing Akane to hastily rush there.[47]

   Danganronpa 2 CG - Warehouse on the fire (2) Opening the warehouse

   Akane cautiously tried to open the door, but eventually resorted to brute force upon realizing something was blocking it. After a certain delay, Akane noticed not only the music sound, but also flames beginning to engulf the warehouse. The group immediately rushed to the factory break room to grab fire extinguishing supplies and tried to put out the fire by throwing them. It triggered the sprinklers that doused the flames. Once the smoke was cleared, Akane noticed a strange scent she had never smelled before, and beyond the charred curtain, they discovered Nagito's lifeless body.[47]

   Akane was the one who noticed that the time of death for Nagito's murder at noon was spelled out in the Monokuma File, unlike the previous murders. Once they realized they had discovered Nagito's body only 30 minutes after his death, Akane suspected that the culprit could have killed him either through an automatic setup or during their search for the bombs across different islands.[48]

   Danganronpa 2 Chapter 5 - Closing Argument Revealed Revealed as a possible culprit

   During the class trial, Akane learned that her kicking the warehouse door open caused the Monokuma Panel Nagito had set up to tip over, triggering a domino effect that led to the lighter igniting the fire from the very back. It was later deduced that Nagito himself was the one who set up all the traps. Despite agreeing that Nagito had killed himself, Akane's gut instinct told her something more was at play. That intuition was proven correct once again, as her casual suggestion of Nagito putting the poison inside one of the fire grenade canisters was factual. She soon learned the horrifying truth that one of them had accidentally killed Nagito by throwing one of the tampered canisters, which had been Nagito's true plan all along.[48]

   While panicking over who to vote for, the group gradually realized Nagito's plan was meant to force the traitor to kill him. To prevent them from making the wrong choice, Chiaki revealed herself as the traitor and asked them to vote for her. Akane wasn't convinced until it was proven that thanks to Monomi's intel that the bombs were fake, Chiaki was "reckless" enough to swipe her handbook at the card reader to defuse the bombs. Eventually, Akane had no choice but to believe in Chiaki's words and voted for her as the Blackened. Even though the voting was correct, Akane wasn't happy with the result, especially after learning that Nagito's true plan was to kill everyone but the traitor. After Chiaki and Monomi were executed, Monokuma announced that the remaining five survivors would have the chance to graduate two days after the countdown ended.[48]

   Shortly before the countdown ended, the Neo World Program began glitching. Akane and the others, including the illusion of the deceased students, gathered at the hotel restaurant to watch the rest of Nagito's video message, which Sonia had discovered at the factory. They learned that Nagito had uncovered the truth behind the Killing School Trip, but due to the glitching, they couldn't fully understand it, except for the password to the Ancient Ruins. With this knowledge, Akane and the group hurried to the Ancient Ruins before the countdown ended. Once inside, they were transported to what appeared to be a trial ground.[48]

   Graduation Exam Inside "Hope's Peak Academy," Akane and the remaining survivors gathered in the gymnasium following Monokuma's announcement. He revealed that before deciding whether they wished to leave Jabberwock Island, they would undergo a "graduation exam." This exam required them to learn about the outside world by investigating materials Monokuma had scattered throughout the academy—a means meant to buy him time until "the main cast," the survivors of the Killing School Life working with the Future Foundation, arrived inside the Neo World Program. Trusting her gut instinct, Akane sensed that "the main cast" was approaching, who for them could be both allies and enemies.[6]

   Danganronpa 2 CG - AI Junko Enoshima appearing (4) Witnessing Alter Ego Junko's appearance

   In the final class trial, Akane struggled to accept that they had been in a virtual reality all along, existing as avatars with their school memories erased. She was even more in denial when she learned that she was part of the Remnants of Despair who "destroyed their family, friends, and even their own body." When given the choice to either "Graduate" or "Repeat," by a fake Makoto Naegi, Akane chose the former without hesitation, believing that leaving the island was what the group had desperately strived for. However, this was revealed to be a trap set by Monokuma's true form, Alter Ego Junko, who then revealed herself.[6]

   Akane was stunned by the Ultimate Despair's Alter Ego's appearance, but the promise of resurrecting the dead and leaving the island together overshadowed her shock. Before she could press the Graduate Button, the real Makoto entered the Neo World Program and stopped them. In reality, if they chose to Graduate, it would allow Alter Ego Junko to upload herself into the bodies of the dead students. Makoto proposed a Forced Shutdown, a system purge to end the Neo World Program, requiring a majority of fifteen people to press "Graduate" and "Repeat" simultaneously. To activate it, Kyoko Kirigiri and Byakuya Togami, Future Foundation members and Killing School Life survivors, joined Makoto, Akane, and the others.[6]

   Danganronpa 2 CG - Survivors activating the Forced Shutdown Activating the Forced Shutdown

   However, the shutdown sequence would revert the Remnants of Despair to their original state and erase all memories made during the Killing School Trip. Unwilling to make any of those sacrifices, Akane began blaming their ordeals on the Future Foundation and started succumbing to despair. Before it was too late, the reinvoked Hajime convinced her to go through with the shutdown and trust in their ability to shape their own future. This led Akane to overcome her dilemma. Deciding she no longer wanted to think about overcomplicated things, she declared that if there was someone worth fighting, she would fight—that, to her, was true confidence.[6]

   Danganronpa 2 CG - Survivors as the virtual world falls apart (1) Returning to the real world

   As the Neo World Program began collapsing after Usami purged Alter Ego Junko, Akane and the remaining survivors shared one last conversation. Akane reassured Kazuichi and Sonia that it was natural for them to feel scared and promised Hajime that if he acted strange after reverting to his Izuru Kamukura state, she would beat him up to bring back the Hajime she knew. As they returned to the real world, Akane and the other surviving former Remnants of Despair chose to remain on Jabberwock Island, possibly hoping to help their comatose friends—a decision Kyoko speculated showed they had discarded their Ultimate Despair identity.[6]

   Post-Killing School Trip Danganronpa 2.5 - (OVA) Nagito waking up in reality (10) Waiting for Nagito's awakening

   With Izuru Kamukura now merged with Hajime’s personality and memories, the comatose students were successfully revived. Akane, having patiently waited for them, was last seen waiting for Nagito, the final one to wake up. Purged of Junko's brainwashing, Akane boarded the boat with the rest of Class 77-B and they all then headed for the Future Foundation HQ, to stop the Final Killing Game involving Future Foundation leaders.[49]

   Atonement Main article: Danganronpa 3: The End of Hope's Peak High School/Hope Arc Akane and her classmates arrived at the island where the Future Foundation's off-shore facility was located, having left from Jabberwock Island. Having rescued Byakuya and Yasuhiro Hagakure from beneath the rubble, the group set out to confront their one and only classmate, Ryota Mitarai, the Ultimate Animator, who Junko had coerced into creating the brainwashing video that transformed Ibuki and the others into the Ultimate Despair.[28][29] Unlike Akane and the rest, he avoided being turned into Ultimate Despair due to his contribution. Thus, Class 77-B's fight with the brainwashed rescue squad troops, including the Former Super High School Level Elite Task Force, began.[50]

   Owari devours meat Blocking her opponent's fire attack with meats

   Venturing into the underwater facility beneath the main building, Akane commanded Teruteru to begin serving the meat he was cooking from a stove, swallowing it whole and giving her the energy to run at an immense speed, bumping into Teruteru, causing him to spin uncontrollably. She confronted the former Super High School Level Street Performer, who relentlessly hurled knives at her. Akane skillfully deflected each blade using only her teeth. Frustrated, the performer switched tactics, spewing flames from his mouth. Undeterred, Akane blocked the fire with two large chunks of meat, taking a bite out of one before launching him into the air with a powerful strike from the other.[50]

   Class 77-B Confronting Ryota

   Later, Akane helped convince Ryota to abandon his plan to brainwash the world. During the confrontation, Ryota expressed his belief that he and the other Remnants of Despair could never be forgiven for allowing Junko to plunge the world into despair. In response, Hajime offered Ryota the chance to join them in returning to Jabberwock Island to atone for their sins together. Ryota eventually broke down in tears and agreed, stopping the countdown mere seconds before the brainwashing was completed. Akane and the others later came to his side to comfort him.[50]

   Class 77-B acting Claiming themselves as the mastermind behind the Final Killing Game

   Akane and the other former Remnants of Despair shouldered the blame for the Final Killing Game by sending a broadcast video to the Future Foundation. They presented themselves in their despair personas and preserved the Future Foundation's credibility and power to rebuild the world, an act of atonement for their sins as the Ultimate Despair. Upon leaving the broadcasting studio, Akane spotted Nagito gushing over Makoto and his talent. Before he could continue his praises and rambling, Akane and Nekomaru carried him back to the boat. Akane joined her classmates to enjoy Teruteru's cooking as they boarded back to their Jabberwock Island.[50]

   Real Fiction Main article: Danganronpa V3: Killing Harmony Danganronpa V3 Tsumugi Shirogane Halfbody Sprite (Akane Owari) (3) Akane cosplayed by Tsumugi Shirogane.

   In Danganronpa V3: Killing Harmony, it is alleged by the mastermind Tsumugi Shirogane, the Ultimate Cosplayer, that the entire Danganronpa franchise is fictional in-universe; a series of games, anime, and later live-action dramas performed actors. In particular, Tsumugi, who is the Ultimate Cosplayer, claims she is only able to cosplay fictional characters (breaking out into a bright pink rash whenever she tries to cosplay a real person), and the fact she is able to cosplay as the whole cast of Danganronpa characters including Akane Owari is used as evidence to support her claim that all of the cast are fictional. However, due to a number of holes in Tsumugi's story which make her an unreliable narrator, whether or not she was telling the truth is deliberately left up to the player's interpretation; as a result, it is up to the player whether they believe Akane's story within the Danganronpa series was real, or a fictional story written by Team Danganronpa and performed by an actor.[51]

   Creation and Development Translation Credit: Kaibutsushidousha on Tumblr

   Akane was conceptualized as a wild-toned female character, themed after the idea of a female version of Son Goku from the Dragon Ball series. Her original titles were planned to be the Super High School Level Criminal and an "evil lady," with her design at the time reflecting eccentricity, featuring bondage gear or a shuriken-style hairstyle. However, when suggested for the change of Akane's character to be an 'Amazoness', her design was shifted heavily towards the one known today, though her talent was Super High School Level Thief then. It was changed to Gymnast to better match her 'brawn over brain' personality. Character designer Rui Komatsuzaki revealed that her extremely simple design is meant to reflect Akane's character, who does not want to wear unnecessary accessories. Design-wise, creator Kazutaka Kodaka believes that Akane not seeing herself as feminine, despite her "bombshell body", adds an extra layer of eroticism to her.[52]

   Akane serves as a "troublemaker" within the story, frequently causing disruptions that impact the plot's pacing. Kodaka deliberately designed her as a character who acts impulsively without concern for consequences.[52]

   Romi Park, Akane's Japanese voice actor, also commented on her character:

   "Akane Owari is the complete opposite of the calm characters I tend to voice, so recording her was quite the fresh experience. All characters in the game are unique, but don't you think Owari stands out even among them? I love she's exactly what she looks like, with all her "shut up and solve your problems with your fists" attitude. She's someone I can look at and forget my problems. I hope you enjoy all the many moments she has to offer."[52] Name Her first name (赤音) can be translated to "red sounds" or "red noise", while her last name (終里) is composed of the characters 終 - "last" or "to finish" and 里, which has multiple meanings, including "village", "the home of one's parents", "hometown" and also an archaic Japanese unit of area. "Owari" is a name that Kodaka always wanted to use, a previously unused and recycled name, similar to "Ōwada" and "Tsumiki".[52][53]

   Alternate Fates Island Mode and Ultimate Talent Development Plan exist in two separate alternate universes where Akane still attends Hope's Peak Academy, but no students are in peril. As they are alternate universes, these events are non-canonical, but because Akane's personality is unchanged, backstory information shared by her in these events is considered questionably or dubiously canonical rather than fully non-canonical.

   Free Time Events are also considered somewhat questionably canonical due to the nature of how Free Time Events are accessed (in that some characters' Free Time Events cannot be fully completed during the course of the canon game storyline due to limitations on the number of interactions you can have with them during one playthrough, and thus can only be accessed after they have canonically died either through a second playthrough or via Island Mode). However, due to Free Time Events being largely experienced during the canon game storyline, Free Time Events are more grounded in canon than Island Mode and Ultimate Talent Development Plan and are largely considered canon by the majority of players.

   Appearance Danganronpa 2: Goodbye Despair design document Akane is a tall, young woman with an athletic, curvaceous physique. She has tanned skin, dark olive-gray eyes, and unkempt, shoulder-length chestnut hair that sticks out at various angles in wavy spikes. During her high school years, her eyes appeared to be a lighter, brighter green, and her hair flowed down to her mid-back. Her body is also becoming more fit over time, with more well-defined abs as a member of the Ultimate Despair.

   Akane wears a short-sleeved, white, buttoned, collared shirt with a chest pocket and the top few buttons undone, exposing a large amount of cleavage. The bottom button also appears undone, exposing her navel when she moves quickly. She also wears a red pleated miniskirt and cream-colored loafers with no socks. During high school, she continues to wear her red miniskirt and cream-colored loafers, but she also wears a white shirt, with long, cuffed, albeit rolled-up sleeves and no visible shirt pocket. She also has longer hair.

   After catching the Despair Disease and gets admitted to the hospital during the Killing School Trip, Akane wears a desaturated blue hospital gown and a pair of slopes in a matching color. She finds these gowns comfortable to wear and wants to keep wearing them after she is cured.[42]

   Hospital gown Hospital gown Hope's Peak Academy attire Hope's Peak Academy attire As a member of the Ultimate Despair, Akane has the same short hair she originally had in her first appearance. She wears a tattered white vest with ripped sleeves and hem, a cropped black tube top, and black skin-tight shorts underneath, making her stomach and six-pack abs visible. She wears sneakers and is equipped with a long kusari-fundo style chain wrapped around her right forearm, presumably for fighting.

   Her swimsuit in Danganronpa S: Ultimate Summer Camp consists of a striped two-piece with a light blue and white horizontal stripe pattern. The bikini top is a triangle style with thin white straps, paired with a matching bottom. This is the same swimsuit she wears while attending the beach party in the Killing School Trip.[38]

   Ultimate Despair attire Ultimate Despair attire Swimsuit (Danganronpa S) Swimsuit (Danganronpa S) Personality Akane has a fiery personality, characterized by her love for fighting using only her fists and body. She is always eager to challenge strong opponents, feeling excited and motivated by the prospect of countless powerful people she has yet to fight. She deeply respects the physically strong, like Nekomaru, and losing to them only fuels her determination to win.[38] In contrast, Akane shows little interest in fighting those she perceives as having low fighting power, who she can tell just by glancing at them.[20] At the beginning of the Killing School Trip, Akane sees through Fuyuhiko’s tough facade and, despite his threats to kill, believes he's just hiding how scared he really is. She teases him about his baby face, which she doesn’t find scary, calling him "Baby Gangsta."[43]

   Akane's default instinct in solving problems is by punching things—even people. This is exemplified during the party at the old building when the impatient Akane asked the Imposter who she needed to beat up so they could get the party started.[36] Whenever she gets bored, she asks someone for a fight, something she considers normal.[38] While Akane also enjoys athletic activities such as climbing, parkouring, and running,[20][14] she can be very lazy and unmotivated if she isn't allowed to do things her own way. She dislikes planning, training, and routines, but has a talent for inventing her own moves, and can be very moody.[38]

   During the Killing Game, Akane appears somewhat carefree, aloof, easygoing, and full of energy. She reveals that, compared to her harsh home environment where the sight of dead bodies isn't uncommon, her quality of life improved significantly on Jabberwock Island. Having guaranteed food and housing security makes her relatively upbeat and even unfazed by the killing game.[4] However, she still gets angry when a murder occurs and often threatens to beat up the culprit herself. She is also confident and brazen, referring to herself with the pronoun "ore" (俺) in the original Japanese, a boastful form of "I" typically used by men.

   Akane is also impulsive, stubborn, and hot-headed, often acting without a care for the consequences, and frequently gets into trouble. Many of these reckless actions are more often than not well-intentioned as Akane is very loyal and protective towards her friends, often showing this by acting as the group's muscle. Once she sets her mind on a certain goal, it is difficult for others to convince her otherwise, even coach Nekomaru. A prominent example is when she duels Monokuma behind the others' backs to test her skills and avenge Fuyuhiko, who almost died during Peko's execution. This results in her defeat and Nekomaru's drastic transformation into Mechamaru to save him from dying after shielding her from her execution.[40] She also almost snaps Nagito's neck to stop him from further harming her classmates, if Chiaki had not calmed her down. Despite her capacity for malice, especially when blinded by rage, Chiaki believes that deep down, Akane is not the type of person who would intentionally hurt others. Akane herself admits she doesn't even realize what she's doing and apologizes for her actions.[47]

   Another defining trait Akane has is her bottomless love for food. Living in a constant "if you don't eat, you die" situation, she comes to value food above all else.[54] Food also provides a lot of comfort for Akane, as it distracts her from overthinking, regains her strength, and energizes her body, which is vital for her to feel alive.[55] Whenever she sees someone looking down, she assumes they haven't been eating well as such condition applies to her.[4] She becomes low-spirited very quickly when hungry and is the most devastated in the group when faced with starvation motive.[43] Regularly eating on Jabberwock Island is a privilege Akane never had before, turning her into a compulsive eater. She can eat four or more meals a day,[4] quickly inhale an entire plate,[4] and often continues stuffing her mouth even during serious situations. She says that she quickly loses her energy if she doesn't eat and she just gets more hungry if she eats just a little.[36] Akane can almost eat anything, even Monokuma's special curry which includes a live frog.[39] She hates wasting food, telling Hajime that watermelon skin is as edible as its fruits.[18] Even something as simple as canned food can bring out Akane's childlike joy.[55] Her enthusiasm when eating often brings out Nekomaru's soft side, as he feels cheered up just by watching her enjoy her food.[29][43] She cries tears of joy when she tastes Teruteru's party dishes for the first time, and despite rarely grieving, she is genuinely saddened after he's gone, knowing she's no longer able to eat his incomparable dishes again.[37] Whenever she sees people who are small or don't seem to be eating enough, she can't help but feel worried and protective, reminded of her precious little siblings.[5][15] When Akane mistakes the real Byakuya for the Ultimate Imposter, she cries in relief that he is alive, but feels bad for him, thinking he has lost a lot of weight.[6]

   Akane is rather gullible, often easily believing things people say. In the class trials, she easily gets tricked and is surprised when others tell her that they're lying. This has often been exploited by Hiyoko, who used her to investigate the motel room when she didn't want to do it on her own, and another time she was tricked into eating flowers.[40][56] Her gullible nature may stem from enduring abuse growing up, which warped her perception of what is normal. She can casually mention past instances of sexual abuse without realizing they were abusive, which confuses and disturbs others.[4][16] For instance, she thinks it's perfectly normal to let someone touch or rest on her breasts, often offering this as a form of apology or reward.[57] She is also comfortable with nudity, seeing no problem in getting naked in front of others, dislikes wearing swimsuits while swimming,[18][35] and is unfazed by people intentionally looking at her panties, considering it not "the end of the world."[58]

   Akane does, however, get easily embarrassed about romance.[54] This is exemplified through her relationship with Nekomaru, where it is hinted that they both have romantic feelings for each other, with his massages and her reactions being quite suggestive.[40] While under the effect of aphrodisiacs, Nekomaru is, at first, protective of her when something seems wrong and then bashful when she tells him not to touch her. The two then share a surprisingly romantic moment, being swooned and looking at each other.[23] Kodaka revealed that this particular scene was his favorite of Akane and Nekomaru in Danganronpa 3. It was originally intended to be more risqué, but he decided to reframe it with the tone of a shōjo manga.[59] In the Killing School Trip, Akane becomes very attached to the mini version of Mechamaru, Minimaru, and always carries it with her, even at the very end when the Neo World Program begins collapsing.

   Power-throwing life in constant survival mode has made Akane simple-minded, disliking overcomplicated things like deep conversations, meticulous plans, detailed work in her performances, and overly intellectual topics. Instead, she relies on her instincts—which are almost never wrong—to guide her, a trait repeatedly demonstrated throughout various class trials. She has a limited vocabulary, often confusing words like "cosplay,"[4] "accomplice,"[34] and "aspersion"[37] with names of food.

   Akane's harsh upbringing also renders her into an emotionally constipated person. She despises worrying and hesitating, viewing them as signs of weakness she claims to have never experienced, as she hates being perceived as weak. She forces herself to appear strong, believing that true strength means never showing vulnerability, relying solely on herself, and never depending on anyone else. She develops a habit of forgetting people's names—calling Hajime "Hank," "Harvey," and "Hector"—as a way to detach herself from forming connections. This was because people whose names she remembered usually didn't last long where she grew up. In reality, Akane does have fears and concerns like anyone else, one of which is her fear of ghosts.[14] She is so embarrassed by this that she will never forgive anyone who finds out and tells others about it.[55] This is why, despite feeling immense guilt for nearly causing Nekomaru's death due to her reckless behavior, she tells everyone not to worry, insisting that Nekomaru is strong enough to survive his injuries.[40] Her guilt only worsens when Nekomaru is turned into a robot, but she tries to appear nonchalant about it.[43] Akane only lets out her bottled-up emotions upon discovering Mechamaru's body. Without fully realizing it, she refuses to leave his side during the investigation.[44] Besides Nekomaru, Akane also feels protective toward those she feels indebted to, such as Mikan, who nursed her while she was under the Despair Disease. She adamantly defends Mikan when Hajime accuses her of being Hiyoko and Ibuki's killer, refusing to believe it until Chiaki's "deep stuff" words force her to stand down.[42]

   In her final Free Time Event, Akane, learning from Nekomaru and Hajime, begins to understand that real strength doesn't mean ignoring your weaknesses but overcoming them.[15] In her Island Mode ending, she also learns that people don't just need food to live, but also connections with others to form hope, which makes them "human."[54] After the Forced Shutdown, it is Akane who comforts Kazuichi and Sonia, telling them that it makes sense for them to feel scared.[6]

   Talent and Abilities Ultimate Gymnast

   Akane was born with a natural talent for gymnastics. Growing up in a harsh environment, she did parkour—her only form of exercise—to escape from people, especially predatory men. Over time, she developed extraordinary speed and agility, making her nearly impossible to catch.[20] Despite having no interest in sports, let alone gymnastics, Akane was pressured into pursuing gymnastics professionally by an older coach who sexually harassed her. His abuse exposed him to her natural abilities, as he recognized her athletic potential through her physique and the force of her defensive kicks and punches. Having to financially support her younger siblings, Akane had no choice but to comply with his demands.[5]

   Akane's reputation as a gymnast skyrockets as she effortlessly sets records and wins competitions, making quick money with her exceptional skills.[20] Known as an all-around super athlete for her off-the-charts physical abilities, she also gains notoriety as a wild troublemaker. Akane has never received any formal training, so her grasp of basic gymnastics is somewhat shaky, and her routines are mostly improvised, with the outcome often determined by her mood.[60] When she is in her groove, she dazzles with splendid performances, but if her interest wanes, she loses focus and switches things up mid-routine.[21]

   Danganronpa 2 CG - Nekomaru Nidai and Akane Owari sparring (5) Training with Nekomaru

   Above gymnastics, Akane applies her natural talent more to hand-to-hand combat, one of her true passions. In the process, she also discards all the basics by fighting through pure instinct on top of her improvised fierce style. While sparring with Nekomaru in the Killing School Trip, she exhibits immense speed—faster than any athlete he has ever seen—and her punches are powerful enough to leave him numb.[40] However, she isn't using her muscles and body to their best potential, and her timing is all over the place. According to Nekomaru, Akane is unable to make full use of her Ultimate Gymnast skills because of her careless and impulsive nature.[38]

   Akane utilizes her sheer strength and combat skills as a member of the Ultimate Despair, where she is shown fighting Future Foundation Division leaders with her bare hands and a kusari-fundo.[33] She also takes benefits from Teruteru's cooking skills and doping to enhance her strength. She showcases this by effortlessly deflecting the Super High School Level Street Performer's throwing knives with her teeth and knocks him away with a single punch.[50] She also knows a wrestling move called Plancha Suicida, or Suicide Dive.[44]

   Ultimate Gymnast official translations in other languages Sharp Intuition Akane is known for her sharp intuition, even though she cannot fully explain or understand the reasons behind these gut instincts. She firmly trusts them, and they are usually accurate, proving invaluable during class trials. In Teruteru's trial, her intuition that he used light to move around during the blackout was correct. In Peko's trial, her knowledge of ninjas and her instinct that the culprit climbed up the wall—though technically different—also proved correct. During Gundham's trial, her feeling that Nekomaru was killed by the tipped-over pillar took time to verify but was ultimately true. In Nagito's trial, her wild guess that Nagito had transported the poison that killed him in one of the fire grenades thrown at the warehouse helped Hajime prove it. In the final class trial, her instinct that the approaching "main cast"—someone who could be both an ally and an enemy—was proven correct. The Future Foundation was both an enemy to their Remnants of Despair selves and an ally attempting to free them from Junko's brainwashing.

   Enhanced Senses Akane's senses are highly sensitive, particularly her sense of smell and hearing. She can detect the scent of blood, unpleasant odors, and delicious food long before others. While her hearing is not as enhanced as Ibuki's, it is still exceptional—allowing her to hear faint sounds from afar, such as the telephone in Grape House's lounge while she is in the tower, and the sound of Monokuma Panels falling like dominoes despite the noise of a fire and blaring MP3 player music in the background.

   Free Time Events & Bonus Mode Guides The links below are full transcripts and indepth guides for Akane Owari's relationship routes in Free Time Events, Island Mode, Ultimate Talent Development Plan, and Danganronpa S Development Mode, including her MonoMono Machine Present preferences and most effective dialogue options.

   Free Time Events Island Mode Ultimate Talent Development Plan Danganronpa S Development Mode Quotes DR2 Extra DR3 Danganronpa 2: Goodbye Despair (English)

   Prologue:

   "Yo! The name's Akane Owari! Nice to meetcha!" "Meh, I don't care what this island's called. Nikoniko Island or Papua Island or whatever... Doesn't change the fact that we all gotta live here, right?" Chapter 1:

   "I can't help it... When I...get hungry, I lose most of my energy..." "He sure is actin' like a tough guy... He's prolly tryin' to hide how scared he really is. Especially since his babyface ain't scary at all." "No complainin', let's just settle this with our fists!" "All right! I dunno what you're all talkin' about, but let's do our best for now!" Chapter 2:

   "All right! Let's find a way to leave this island!" "Shut up! All I gotta do is win!" "More importantly... There's a lotta strong dudes in this world, huh?" "Heh, ya better not forget what you just said. My desire to win is pretty crazy! I won't give up until I beat ya!" "I wanted...to keep eating his food." "...Gah, grievin' like this isn't like me! I'm prolly actin' strange 'cause I'm so hungry! All right! All I gotta do is eat!" "Man, the world is seriously huge... It's like a huge island filled with treasure." "All right! Time to eat till I drop!" "Hm? There somethin' wrong? Normally when you're bored, you fight, right?" "This Class Trial stuff again... So this time we gotta figure out who killed Mahiru, huh... I don't get complicated stuff, so I'll leave this to you guys." "Doubtin' me of all people, you got some nerve... All right! I'll bend your body in half so you're stuck in a bowing position for the rest of your life!" "All right, if ya don't wanna friggin' get punched, just stand still and lemme punch ya!" "But even if it's the motive, it's just a game, right? There's no reason to believe it's even true. Would you call a game like that...a strong motive?" "I guess... Things aren't as excitin' if a shit stirrer like him ain't around!" Chapter 3:

   "I never get worried!" "...You hear that, Fuyuhiko? Just relax and get some sleep. I'll be the one who avenges you!" "I know that! I just hafta win, right!?" "Speakin' of which, why don't I challenge my limits!? I'm gonna eat everythin' in the restaurant!" "...Okay then, since I'm stuffed, I should go train now. If I don't do it, I won't get stronger... I have to do it." "There's no need to worry about worryin'! I know coach Nekomaru is a monstrous guy. There's no way he's gonna die from somethin' like that... There's no doubt! Nekomaru is definitely gonna come back! S-So...when that happens...I'll make sure...I apologize to him. Cause I was too weak, and I caused him trouble... So when he comes back... I'll make sure...to say I'm sorry." "When I think about Nekomaru...it's like...my knees start shakin'... That's weird... There's no way...I've got that kinda weakness. It'd prolly go away if I battled a strong dude, but Nekomaru's not here..." "Hey, what're you whinin' about? Hurry and get this over with already! ...And then we can greet coach Nekomaru with open arms when he comes back!" "Empty head...? Heh, what's wrong with that...? Listen up! The emptier your head, the more dreams you can stuff inside it, y'know!" "Are you sayin' my gut was wrong? This could be my first and last highlight of the day; why won't ya just lemme shine already!? Shaddup! Enough with your fancy talk, I'll shut you up right now!" "I-I get it...I lost. Boil me, burn me, take off my clothes... Do whatever ya want to me!" "H-Hey...don'tcha think that's kinda impossible? A chick like her is the killer? She couldn't even kill a fly... In fact, the fly would prolly kill her first." "Again with the supermarket... That place is a hot spot for criminal goods." "Mikan nursed me till I got better... There's no way I'm gonna doubt her...!" "D-Don't say deep stuff... I...don't really get it..." (to Chiaki) Chapter 4:

   "You stupid stuffed toy! Don't go screwin' with people's bodies like that!" "Rollercoasters are the only reason to go to amusement parks! There's nothin' like a good thrill ride!" "That train, huh... I don't think it'll be as fun as the rollercoaster... Well, I guess whatever we find in the Funhouse will be worth it!" "Uh...was he serious about there bein' no food...? No way! That's the one thing I don't want! I don't mind starvin' as long as I can eat! Just lemme eat already!" "Right now...the only thing I found out is... There's seriously no food anywhere! This ain't funny at all!" "It's good enough for me. You guys might think it's pretty crappy, but it's a palace compared to my home." "Well...I've been thinking about this statue. It's not alive or anything but it has a strong aura. I can't think of it as a regular human aura. This thing might be the most powerful creature on the island... Yessssss! That sure gets me goin'! Ogre or whatever, it's fine as long as it's strong!" "Dammit...I lost again... I just can't unleash my power when I'm this hungry..." "Why is Nekomaru...? Why did he have to die...again? Dammit... I never paid you back... I never paid you back...for your help last time! WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" "I'll definitely find out who killed coach Nekomaru... And after I kill that guy, you're next! I'll definitely destroy you! So even though it sucks, I'm gonna eat first! If I don't get some food in me, I can't unleash my full power!" "I'm gonna do it... The killer...and you... I'm gonna beat the shit outta both of you with my bare hands...!" "We need clues, right? I'll remember something, so just wait for it! Man, it's noisy! I can't focus at all with all this noise!" "It's nothing... I was just holding back my anger...and dug my nails into my palm... This is nothing... It doesn't hurt at all...compared to Nekomaru...! I'll never forgive the killer! I'll beat 'em up so bad they'll never walk again!" "Dammit... I...I...I can't do anything...! I never...paid him back... I can't even stop Nekomaru...from being used as evidence...!" "Just hold on, Nekomaru! I'll make sure I avenge you!" "I'm here today...because coach Nekomaru risked his life...to protect me... I'm gonna be the one who avenges him! I'll definitely find out who the killer is! ...I'm definitely not tempted by curry, got it!?" "There's no way a chick would kill someone so cruelly... So it must be one of you Strawberry House dudes. One of you better hurry up and confess, or I'll break all of you in half!" "You're pretty insightful, Baby Gangsta!" "It's fine... Let's just leave him alone and find out who killed coach Nekomaru as fast as we can! ...Just so you know, it's not like I'm gettin' hungry or anythin', you know." "I never misunderstand! I'll crush ya into dog food!" "He's not the type to let out a scream!" "If you don't hurry up and answer, I'm gonna suicide dive you!" "It's not easy to get the drop on coach Nekomaru!" "Stop...stop it already... Stop using weird words to avoid the truth... Or...I'll friggin' kill you myself!" "Dammit...! DAMMIT!!! I'm so pissed off...I need to throw something...! You all spent so much time worryin' about each other... And thanks to that...things ended up like this... You're all...full of shit... Every last one of you... But the biggest piece of shit...is me! Dammit...! Why am I so weak...!?" "Now then... All right, after feeling down for so long, I finally feel refreshed! Let's hurry back and eat some food! Well, you know...it's like Gundham and Nekomaru said... That's what it means to live...right?" Chapter 5:

   "Don't be so stuck up! Your stuff is my stuff, right?" "Assumin' we were thinkin' about runnin' away was a mistake... Cause if we can't run, we'll fight! I'll crush everyone who put us through this crap in one blow!" "I'll do Nekomaru's share of the grunt work...! I'm pretty confident about my strength. As long as nobody grabs my tail, there won't be any problems." "It's pretty refreshing to eat food by the pool." "I just hafta find the source of the problem and snap it off!" "Seriously...I messed up... I made you freak out... It's like I wasn't myself anymore... I didn't even realize what I was doin'... I'm surprised at myself..." "A-Are you seriously gonna stop me!? I thought your family was all about breakin' the law!" "Stop whinin' and complainin'! We should do it one at a time!" "Wh-What're we gonna do!? All we can do now is pray for rain!" "Then let's hurry up and solve Nagito's case so we can all go back home!" "Who cares about the duct tape...? We might as well settle this with Rock Paper Scissors." "I know guys have tails that get hard when the're grabbed!" "At times like this, you should always strike from a good angle. Just like fixin' an old TV." "Then let's bring up whatever we can think of, one after the other. That might clear some things up." "It's fine, okay!? There are some things we're better off not knowin'!" "All right, looks like it's finally my turn! I'll punch Monokuma so hard he'll go flyin' around the world! As long as coach Nekomaru and me are here, we won't lose! Just leave it to us!" Chapter 6:

   "As long as I don't beat the crap outta Monokuma, nothin's gonna be solved...is that what it means!?" "Graduation exam, huh... I'm not really good at takin' exams... Well, I guess it's better than people dyin'! All right! I'm gonna do it!" "D-Don't talk like that... Like we're made from memories of the past... Like we're avatars... Like this is a game world... How'd we end up talkin' about sci-fi crap!? I'll never believe it!" "What game world...? What avatar...? I'm a human being with a real body!" "I...can feel my heartbeat... And I know what I smell like... So what do you call these things I'm feelin'? Are you sayin' these are all lies!?" "Wh-What are you sayin'!? Haven't we been workin' this hard just to escape from here!?" "If we don't get outta here now, then what was everything we've done up till now even for!?" "Hey, if you know what's good for you, you better hurry the hell up and confess... I'll beat ya half to death if you tell us now, but if ya don't spit it out soon, I'm just gonna kill ya!" "You better not be bluffin'! I'm gonna beat the crap outta you and pull your stuffin' out!" "Well, if a high school girl can get huge, then it's not crazy if the dead can come back to life...right?" "Of course! We've been workin' toward that goal for, like, forever!" "Plus, everyone can go back together! So there's no reason to hesitate!" "Who do we trust!?" "B-Byakuya...you're alive...! But you're so skinny now...I feel so bad for you...!" (Mistaking the real one with the Imposter version of him) "...There's no way we can handle this on our own." "I don't like thinkin' about complicated stuff... If there's someone strong worth fightin', I'll fight... That's just who I am, y'know? ...That's what it means to be confident, right? Then...I'm gonna choose this!" "But it's okay, right? It makes sense to feel scared, right?" "If you start talkin' weird later Hajime, I'll beat you up till you turn back to normal!" Trivia In her Island Mode, Akane reveals that she enjoys watching movies where "people turning into monkeys" with "powerful aliens" and a "green demon king".[61] This is a direct reference to the Dragon Ball series, where Kodaka's inspiration for her character was taken after the idea of a female version of the main protagonist, Son Goku.[52] According to Kodaka, Akane is one of the series' characters with the strongest resistance towards the heat.[62] Akane's birthday of July 15th falls on the same day as the Japanese Bon Festival. The festival originates from the story of Mokuren, in which a disciple of Buddha must appease the Realm of Hungry Ghosts with offerings and sacrifices in order to release his deceased mother's soul. In the modern Bon Festival, people honor their hungry ancestors with food and drink as offerings. Akane's major character trait is her bottomless appetite and craving for food, clearly in reference to this Festival. In Danganronpa 3 - Despair Arc, Akane's berserk-state after taking Teruteru's doping soup is a reference to Gon Freecs' infamous transformation from the Hunter × Hunter series.[23] Akane's English voice actress, Wendee Lee, also voices Miu Iruma from Danganronpa V3.[9][63][64]. References Report Card (Japanese) Danganronpa 3 Despair Arc: Akane Owari design profile Report Card Free Time Events 2: Akane Owari Free Time Events 3: Akane Owari Danganronpa 2: Goodbye Despair: Chapter 6 Danganronpa 1.2 Art Book: Akane Owari Design Profile Overview. @Taichinchin on Tumblr: List of Danganronpa and Danganronpa 2 casts former high schools Wendee Lee: "Thank you for all of the cool Fan Art and posts 💟 I'm still celebrating! 🎂😁 This one is courtesy of JetStrike325★ @JetStorm8600" (Image of tweet) (23 February 2018) Funimation: Danganronpa 3: The End of Hope’s Peak High School Broadcast Dub Cast Announcement (July 28, 2016) synchronkartei: Danganronpa 3: The End of Hope's Peak Academy - Despair Arc Island Mode - Library: Akane Owari Island Mode - Shot Through The Heart: Akane Owari Island Mode - Jabberwock Park: Akane Owari Free Time Events 5: Akane Owari Akane: "Nah, I don't have a trainer... My stepmom's lovers like to get drunk and gimme full body massages" (Chapter 2 - Deadly Life) Free Time Events Complete Report Card: Akane Owari Island Mode - Beach: Akane Owari Implied to be at a bar or nightclub. Akane: "It's kinda like how a bar or nightclub smells after closin' time, ya see." Kazuichi: "I don't know those smells! You must've had a pretty rough life!" (Chapter 2 - Daily Life)

6. #6Byakuya Togami

   Keys: Byakuya Togami, Characters, Togami, Byakuya, Character

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   Byakuya Togami (十神 白夜) is a student in Hope's Peak Academy's Class 78th, and a participant of the Killing School Life featured in Danganronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc. He returns as a participant in the Killing School Trip featured in Danganronpa 2: Goodbye Despair.

   His title is the Ultimate Affluent Progeny (超高校級の「御曹司」lit. Super High School Level Heir).

   In Chapter 5 of Danganronpa 2: Goodbye Despair, it's revealed the Byakuya Togami in the game is actually The Ultimate Imposter (超高校級の「詐欺師」lit. Super High School Level Conman) who was disguised as Byakuya Togami to hide their true identity. Hajime Hinata discovers this when he goes into Nagito Komaeda's room for investigation purposes for the upcoming Fifth Trial. In there, he found the files that Nagito had received from Monokuma as a prize for clearing the Final Dead Room in Chapter 4.

7. #7Chiaki Nanami

   Keys: Characters, Chiaki Nanami, Character, Nanami, Chiaki

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   Chiaki Nanami Illustration Sprite Illustration Name Kanji 七海 千秋 Romaji Nanami Chiaki Katakana ナナミ チアキ English Chiaki Nanami Aliases & Titles Talent Characteristics Personal Status Debuts Portrayals

   “ If you want to believe in someone...you need to overcome doubt first. Belief without doubt...is simply a lie.

   — Danganronpa 2: Goodbye Despair ”

   Chiaki Nanami (七海 千秋), is a participant of the Killing School Trip featured in Danganronpa 2: Goodbye Despair. Her title is the Ultimate Gamer (超高校級の「ゲーマー」 lit. Super High School Level Gamer).

   The AI takes the appearance of the real-life Chiaki the same age she was during her time at Hope's Peak Academy.

   Chiaki has short, dusty pink hair that slightly curls outwards, though the locks on either side of her face curl inwards. She has short straight bangs split towards the right, a white hairclip resembling the spaceship from Galaga pinned to a lock of her hair. She has sleepy-looking blossom pink eyes.

   She wears a white button-up shirt with a dark teal-gray front placket. She wears a light pink ribbon tied around her neck in a bow, with a pale beige pleated skirt. On top of this, she wears a one-button dark teal-gray hooded cardigan with gray horizontal lines running across the hem and sleeves, her former school symbol on the chest pocket. Her hood has pointed ears on the top and two pink eye-like markings on the front, resembling a cat. She also sports black thigh-high socks and light pink Mary-Jane style shoes with white soles.

   Chiaki is often seen wearing a pale pink backpack with a white pocket, a plush cat head sewn at the top with a white ribbon tied in a bow at it's base.

   She is seen wearing a ruffled white bikini with a ribbon and ruffled pants during Chapter 2, which also reveals that she has a beauty mark on her right breast.

   Personality Chiaki normally has a quiet and sleepy disposition, but she becomes a lot more lively when discussing games and concentrates hard when playing. She has a number of unusual habits, such as dozing off while playing games and taking long pauses during her conversations to think about everything she wants to say. She sometimes even sleeps while standing and forgets to breathe when she's playing games. She also quite often uses gaming terms and references.

   Chiaki is very calm and she once mentioned that she has never screamed. She often helps Hajime Hinata during the Class Trials and provides important points. She can be stern and bluntly honest, even at times forgetting to take other people's feelings into consideration.

   While Chiaki is extremely observant and analytical, she lacks knowledge on a variety of ordinary subjects due to the nature of her existence. For example, she doesn't know where milk comes from (she mentions that she knows how babies are made, though). She doesn't really understand how romance or love works, is very curious about it. She also feels a bit uncomfortable around animals, because they're unpredictable and feel warm when touched, which is "a bit scary" in her opinion. She is occasionally a bit playful and tries to make jokes or play little pranks on Hajime, though they're a bit weird and sometimes borderline creepy.

   Chiaki usually ends her sentences with a negative note even though she actually means to compliment someone or cheering someone, such as "...I think", or "Maybe...". Hajime once said that sometimes he wishes that Chiaki would end her positive sentence on a positive note. However, she truly does care about and wants to protect everyone. She dislikes killing more than anything and she gets very serious about the topic. She is the nicest towards Monomi and she is very understanding towards Nagito Komaeda, even though his actions frustrate her.

   While she is based on some of human Chiaki's traits, AI Chiaki differs from her in some ways. Unlike the human, she appears constantly sleepy and her way of speaking is much less natural sounding. As an AI she also appears unusually calm and unfazed, even during her own execution, which is very different from the human Chiaki's much more human and painful reaction. She also has her own identity as an AI created by Chihiro, considering him her "dad" and Alter Ego and Usami her siblings. Some of Chiaki's behavior also appears a bit childlike, most notably her handwriting and drawings that resemble ones of a young child, which could be a result of her being a relatively young AI. However, she matures throughout the course of the game and in the end, she even seems to be able to resist her programming, albeit just a little bit.

   Talent Ultimate Gamer

   Chiaki is the Ultimate Gamer, a talented person that is very good at any game, and even plays the "crappy" ones. She always finds out how to enjoy any genre or game that she plays. She states that the sole goal of playing video games is to have fun, and not to just focus on winning or losing. However, Chiaki does have one genre that she can’t play very well: Dating simulators. Also, Chiaki tends to focus too much when playing video games, to the point that she sometimes forgets to sleep and even breathe.

   Ultimate Gamer official translations in other languages History During the Tragedy Being an AI, Chiaki has existed only for a few years and only exists inside the Neo World Program.

   She was created either soon before or after the Tragedy started. Along with her "sister" Usami, she works for the Future Foundation and moderates the others on the virtual Jabberwock Island as NPCs/Observers.

   She was created by Chihiro Fujisaki and considers him her father. Even though she has no memory of him, she has heard many things about him. She was presumably modified by her "big brother", Alter Ego, after Chihiro's death.

   Danganronpa 3: The End of Hope's Peak High School - Despair Arc Episode 11 - Goodbye, Hope's Peak Academy Inside the Neo World Program, Chiaki is seen playing Gala Omega when she meets Hajime. She introduced herself as the Ultimate Gamer and says that it was nice to meet Hajime, then she gave a polite bow. Hajime introduced himself, saying that it was nice to meet her as well. The two then shake hands.

   Danganronpa 2: Goodbye Despair Prologue - Welcome to Dangan Island!! Panic at the Heart-Throbbing School Trip!? Chiaki stayed unusually calm in upheaval, such as when Usami revealed herself and when Monokuma took over the island from Usami and began the Killing School Trip. She did not believe anyone would kill, however.

   When Hajime first sees her, she is deeply engrossed in a game at the Hotel Lobby, only stopping after Nagito calls her. She awkwardly introduces herself, Hajime stating that she isn't very good at conversations. Nagito then says that Chiaki is still playing the game, to which she agrees and she also states that she needs to compose what she's going to say in her head. Chiaki then states she's tired, ending the conversation.

   Chapter 1 - Destination Despair In the first chapter, Chiaki was worried about Monokuma infiltrating the party that the Ultimate Imposter arranged, so she stood guard outside the old hotel lodge alongside Monomi in order to keep Monokuma out of it.

   Chiaki encountered Fuyuhiko Kuzuryu, who happened to walk by the lodge (though she suspected that Fuyuhiko actually did want to join the party). Because Chiaki was his alibi, knowing he did not enter the lodge, he was exonerated from murder suspicion. Chiaki also played an important role along with Gundham Tanaka, discovering a space under the lodge which the culprit had used as a spot to commit the murder.

   Chapter 2 - Sea and Punishment, Sin and Coconuts In the second chapter, Chiaki attended the girls-only beach party, for which she brought ice cream and some board games to play. Chiaki was excited when Monokuma gave them a new motive, namely Twilight Syndrome Murder Case. She explained to Hajime that she was a fan of the game series.

   Chiaki as the Ultimate Gamer showed her ability to explain and help Hajime find the game's True Ending by pressing the “Down button five times”, and with this, they discovered a disclaimer that the game was actually based on a real-life event.

   Chapter 3 - Trapped by the Ocean Scent In the third chapter, to avoid catching Despair Disease, Chiaki along with Sonia Nevermind, Gundham, Kazuichi Soda and Hiyoko Saionji moved to the motel on the third island.

   Chiaki made a crucial discovery which heavily altered the scene of the crime. The black curtains in the meeting room at the hospital were used by the culprit to make it seem like it was at the live house.

   Chapter 4 - Do Ultimate Robots Dream of Electric Clocks? In the fourth chapter, Chiaki and the others investigate the fourth island, riding the roller coaster and finally getting trapped by Monokuma in the Funhouse.

   Chiaki stopped Hajime from entering the Final Dead Room. With the help of Nagito, Chiaki and Hajime were able to deduce the culprit.

   Chapter 5 - Smile at Hope in the Name of Despair Chiaki was revealed to have been the culprit in the fifth chapter. In an attempt to stop a fire, Chiaki accidentally killed Nagito, due to his efforts to reveal the traitor. Chiaki told Hajime that she was the traitor and he was forced to prove this to everyone.

   They voted for Chiaki relying on Nagito's luck, and it was revealed that she was the true murderer, even though Nagito was trying to keep the traitor alive as they were not influenced by despair. Chiaki and Monomi were executed afterwards.

   Chapter 6 - This is the End Goodbye Academy of Despair Despite her apparent death, Chiaki was able to appear in Hajime's thoughts during the final chapter's Graduation Session. Chiaki convinced Hajime to keep his head high, defeat Alter Ego Junko, and not to fall into despair.

   Epilogue - The Day Before the Future As the Neo World Program shuts down, Chiaki's voice could be heard, saying that she'll never forget anyone, as they will be friends forever.

   Danganronpa 2.5: Nagito Komaeda and the World Vanquisher Chiaki made a cameo appearance in Super Danganronpa 2.5 in Nagito's flashback with the rest of the survivors.

   Side - Hope: The Academy of Hope and Students of Despair AI Chiaki appeared to Hajime as a live depiction of his memory upon the boat leaving for Jabberwock Island. Clutching Usami in her arms, she recalled the time Hajime first entered the Neo World Program, when an A.I. was created to monitor them. She explained that it was everyone's desire to see her once more that brought her into the program, as a depiction of their memories. She acknowledged she is not the same Chiaki but still pointed out that the class were able to see her again.

   Chiaki ended by expressing they all won a miracle together, Hajime, in response, stated that an ending like that wasn't so bad. Chiaki A.I. agreed, stating she fought and risked her life for this. Hajime and her both stared upon the rising sun, Chiaki stated they can all make their future together, she turned to Hajime and smiled once more. Nagito then called Hajime over so he wouldn't miss out on the food, Chiaki fades away as Hajime goes to join the others.

   Execution Main article: Please Insert Coin Relationships Family: Usami/Monomi Both Chiaki and Usami are AIs and share a sibling relationship. The two are usually together, trying to protect the other students from Monokuma and from despair, as seen in Chapter 1 when the two were outside the old building during the Ultimate Imposter's party.

   When Chiaki was found guilty and revealed as the mole for Future Foundation, the two were executed together.

   Her Creator Chiaki and Usami were created and sent into the Neo World Program by Future Foundation as a mole. Chihiro Fujisaki, who she referred to as her "father" was the one who created her while Alter Ego, who she referred to as her "big brother" was the one who modified her to be Chiaki.

   In Danganronpa V3: Killing Harmony's non-canon Ultimate Talent Development Plan, Chiaki meets Chihiro and they act friendly towards each other, though they do not appear to be very close as she is a human and not the AI created by him.

   Killing School Trip Participants: Hajime Hinata Chiaki proved herself to be of help to Hajime in the investigations, having experience from murder mystery games. Though he thought she was a little odd and spacey, he respected her unusually sharp eye for detail.

   Their bond is especially evident during Chapter 4 onwards, much more so than in their Free Time Events. During the Class Trials, Hajime frequently turned to Chiaki when the case seemed not to be going anywhere. Hajime generally sided with Chiaki during trials, and vice-versa.

   When Chiaki confessed being the traitor in chapter 5, she relied on Hajime to prove her guilt. Much to the survivors' dismay, the group gave in to Hajime's reasoning and trusted Chiaki, believing that she was the murderer. Chiaki was also seen in Hajime's thoughts in chapter 6, willing him on to not give into despair.

   In Chiaki's 4th Free Time Event, she falls onto Hajime's chest while they are looking through storage boxes. Hajime comments about how loud his heart is. In the 5th Free Time Event, Chiaki runs around the island, with Hajime chasing her, simply because she thought this would help her get better at dating simulators.

   At the end of the Free Time Events Hajime recollects that his partnership with Chiaki wasn't fake, and that if they escape from the island, he would take Chiaki lots of places.

   In Danganronpa V3: Killing Harmony's non-canon Ultimate Talent Development Plan, Chiaki is very close with Hajime as well and their relationship is based on the one they had in Danganronpa 3. Despite that fact, the event's "canonical" timeline showed a lot of inconsistency, to the point that whether she is the AI, the human Chiaki, or some blend of both is difficult to discern.

   Nagito Komaeda At first, Chiaki and Nagito both do not pay much attention to each other. However, after the events of the first trial, when Nagito's true colors are revealed, Chiaki becomes the nicest person towards him, although she can be quite frustrated by him at times. Unlike other students, she is more understanding towards him and is not quick to accuse him of plotting something. Chiaki also appears concerned about Nagito's well-being when he's tied up, saying that she'll check on him later.

   They provide each other with crucial information during class trials and Nagito even asks Chiaki to help him investigate at one point.

   Although he is unaware of it, Nagito tries to save Chiaki (the traitor) by having her unintentionally murder him and get the other students killed. However, this fails when Chiaki revealed herself as the traitor among the students. When Chiaki was about to be executed, she had no ill will towards Nagito, believing that the difficult circumstances were the reason for his extreme behavior.

   Mikan Tsumiki Chiaki and Mikan are on very friendly terms with each other.

   In Chapter 2, Chiaki spends time with Mikan in the Mirai Hotel lobby. Mikan remarks how kind Chiaki was for teaching her how to play games, and even playing a round against her. Right after Mikan explains that she was happy to be able to play with a friend, which is one of the few instances where Mikan does not apologize for assuming that someone is her friend. After being thanked, Chiaki interjects by saying that Mikan doesn't need to thank her as she had fun too. Hajime's internal dialogue highlights this as he notes how this was the first time he had ever seen Mikan that happy, and that he should thank Chiaki for it.

   In Chapter 3, Chiaki is disappointed in Mikan after Mikan is infected by the Despair Disease and recalls her memories as Ultimate Despair. Because of their previous interaction and Chiaki's nature as an AI, this can be due to not being able to rehabilitate Mikan as she was supposed to, and feeling disappointed in herself. It can also be taken as Chiaki simply being upset about losing a friend she had made herself.

   In the same chapter, during the trial, the localization has Chiaki remark the retelling of Mikan sleeping on Hajime as "too much info". In the original Japanese, she says "gochisōsama" in response, which can be taken as sarcasm, as it's a phrase used most often after eating/being treated to a meal, which roughly means "thank you for the meal".

   Sonia Nevermind Sonia is a close friend of Chiaki's. They are often seen talking together and get along very well. In the fifth class trial after Chiaki revealed herself as the traitor from the Future Foundation, Sonia kept denying it, saying that she couldn't have been the traitor. Sonia considered Chiaki as one of her beloved comrades that experienced so many things in the Killing School Trip. Sonia even went as far as to attempt to prove Chiaki to not be the traitor by engaging in a rebuttal showdown with Hajime.

   Free Time Events & Bonus Mode Guides The links below are full transcripts and indepth guides for Chiaki Nanami's relationship routes in Free Time Events, Island Mode, Ultimate Talent Development Plan, and Danganronpa S Development Mode including her MonoMono Machine Present preferences and most effective dialogue options.

   Prologue:

   "I'm Chiaki Nanami, the Ultimate Gamer. Video games are my hobby, and I'm a fan of all genres. ... Nice to meet you." Chapter 1:

   "I'll be fine. If things get dangerous, I'll just run away as fast as I can." "If this were a video game, it'd have a very high difficulty level... Let's do our best to clear the game." "If it was just one coincidence, it'd be fine... But when it's one right after another... I wonder... Is something like that even possible?" "Moving forward, we should put aside all unnecessary preconceptions and just choose the answer...I think." "It's fine if you don't know. What matters is that you hold on to the feeling that you have to do your best. So...let's do our best. Let's make sure a killing like this never happens again." Chapter 2:

   "Motive or otherwise, it doesn't matter... I won't let another killing happen.I will never...ever...let another killing happen." "Apparently Mikan has never played video games before. She's totally missing out on 90% of her life." "Yeah, the only thing we can do is investigate. Cuz...we should never forgive that. Killing...is something we should never forgive. The killer has their reasons...I understand that. It was the same for Teruteru, too. It's really all Monokuma's fault...I understand that, too. But...even so... We should never forgive...killing." "Ngh...I'm not some girl gamer who talks about video games she's never beaten..." "Let's go, we can't forgive the killer..." "...Mapping is second nature to retro game fans." Chapter 3:

   "Despite their clumsiness, I'm sure whoever made this probably did their very best... If you look at it carefully...don't you feel like you can sense their feelings? Mahiru's not alone... She'll be with us now and forever... This...was probably made with those feelings... So I definitely think... Yep. It's a nice decoration." "It's very...like you guys to settle things like this. Little by little, we're trying to understand and find the good in each other... That's the reason why we can move forward...without feeling despair toward our situation. ...Yeah, you guys are all splendid." "I'm also worried about Fuyuhiko, but...is it really okay if we just stay here and do nothing? ...Isn't it better if we do what we can?" "Yawwwwn...now that I have some peace of mind, I'm getting sleepy. I should go home for today." "It's true we need to hurry, but there's no way you can make good decisions if you're so worked up. It's for the sake of saving Akane, too. We don't know what's beyond this point... That's why...we need to stay calm...I think." "Being depressed won't help. Let's believe in Nekomaru. C'mon feel better." (to Hajime) "...It's to prevent a killing. As long as that disease is Monokuma's motive, if we just ignore it... A killing will happen again. To prevent that, we also have to prevent the disease from spreading... That's why we need to quarantine them." "It's not like...we've stopped being friends. I just don't want a killing to happen ever again... We can't prevent that if everyone gets sick, you know?" "Thank you, both of you... I won't let your feelings go to waste. We'll make sure to find out the mystery of the Despair Disease while you're all here... ...I think. Probably." "Yeah, it's better if we hurry, right?" "For now...we should lower that person wearing the hemp bag to the ground. Leaving it like that...is just too sad." "Then let's get started. So we..can end this nightmare for good." "Regardless, something like this shouldn't be forgiven...so... I will definitely find the truth behind this case... ...That's what I think." "Let's go...there's no time to waste. I know it's sad but we need to move forward... And then...we need to end this once and for all..." "As long as I leave this to you...I won't tell you to do your best, but oh well, you should get started already." "Um...I don't think belief and doubt are necessarily opposites. I do doubt her...but I still want to believe her. Belief lies at the heart of that conflict. Cuz...if there's no room for doubt, then there's no reason to believe, is there?" "If you want to believe in someone...you need to overcome doubt first. Belief without doubt...is simply a lie." "I'm...the same as Hajime. I don't want to doubt any of my friends... But still...the truth is one of us murdered two of our friends... That's why...we gotta stick with this until the very end. So we can finally break these chains of despair." "This is your just reward. The more desperately you argue, the deeper you dig yourself into a hole... ...You lied, didn't you?" Chapter 4:

   "But there's also a possibility that Monokuma set a trap. We should be careful where we step." "I make sure to choose competitive puzzle games or shooting games that we can all play together. Well, if I had any friends, that is." "I'm not really on board with this idea but... If everyone says they're gonna go, I guess I have no choice. I guess I have to go with everyone." "Terrible... It'd be much better if it was just terrible." "Making a scene is just going to make us hungrier. So...let's just calm down for now." "...Why? Why...does this always happen? No matter how much I try to stop it, this is always the result... ...Is this something I can't stop?" "You're right... If we're gonna avenge Mechamaru, we gotta regain as much energy as we can..." "It may be important to talk about who the traitor is, but we need to focus on Mechamaru's murder first. Because...if we can't survive the Class Trial, everyone is going to die together anyway..." "Fine, I understand. Now's not the time for us to be fighting anyway. If you won't tell us, we gotta do it ourselves... Now, shall we go back to investigating Mechamaru's case? We better hurry...the Class Trial is gonna start soon." "I guess Nagito is like a tardy detective. It's a trope in mystery games. They always come to the crime scene late, just to make an important discovery... But they can never reach the truth of the case. They just end up feeding the main character's assumptions. Well, in Nagito's case, he's not the type to feed anyone. He'll just make things even more complicated. I don't think a new discovery is bad, though. He might be able to find something we completely overlooked." "...I'm sure it's painful for Kazuichi to do something like this too... We can't let this go to waste. We need to find something no matter what." "Was it really okay...to come here? Still, I'm starting to see the truth behind this case... ...I think." "Now now, enough with the lover's quarrel. We need to think about this seriously. We don't have the luxury of discussing irrelevant things. The incident this time has many questions." "When you see people and things...make sure you focus on the good parts instead of the bad. So...let's put aside what's changed, and focus our attention on what hasn't." "Hey, with your friends and their exceptionally smart brains, it must've been possible... ...to secretly get one of them behind Mechamaru, and press the button on the back of his neck." "It's such a downer...clearly... But still... Even though we feel this way... We still gotta do our very best." "Then...let's go back for now and eat. And then...after we're full, let's sleep as much as we want. And then...let's do our best again." Chapter 5:

   "Cheer up, Hajime. It doesn't matter if you're from the Reserve Department..." "You guys...seem reliable..." "...You're right. Then I gotta do my best, too." "There are never hints in obviously suspicious places. Anyone who looks obviously suspicious isn't the killer. That's usually the norm." "In games...commanders are usually flags. If you defeat the commander, no matter how many of their units are left, you still secure a victory. Even damaging the commander is enough to decrease the opponent's morale... As far as plans go, it's a pretty standard tactic." "Anyway...we should try going there at least. We don't have time to stand around doing nothing." "Let's stop... Fighting among ourselves won't help anything. More importantly... Let's work harder to find the password to that ancient ruin...or clues that might relate to it... As long as we cooperate and explore all over the island, we might be able to find it, you know?" "Calm down...okay? You wouldn't do something like that, right? You're not the kind of person who would hurt someone... Right? ... See, it's all right. Yep...no problem." "No, I didn't do anything. Akane isn't the sort of person who could seriously do something like that in the first place." "Besides...we don't have time to fight among ourselves..." "...Anyway, let's begin. I mean...in the end, we still have to do it, right? As long as a killing happens, we can't do anything about it, right? We have no choice but to do it, right? Besides...it's our fault that we couldn't even prevent it..." "Hmmm...it's definitely weird... Well, I guess I'll find out if I look around. That's what the investigation is for." "We can discuss it later. Right now is our only chance to investigate... So we should investigate first. If we don't...there won't be anything for us to discuss." "At a time like this, it might be good if you broaden your investigation range." "They say, "A shelf is a mirror that reflects a person's heart"..." "It's better if a boy goes through another boy's things. You know, there might be private stuff here..." "Well...having talent means you're also bound to that talent. The moment you obtain talent, your way of life has already been chosen for you... You can't do anything else except rely on that talent... ...Regardless of whether you want that life or not." "But still, it's also not a good idea to think about it too much...I think. I think...we should focus on the Class Trial that's waiting for us first." "Well, you don't have to worry so much. I mean...we're not fighting this alone, you know?" "You're right... We need to fight as much as we can. No matter what hopeless truth...awaits us in the end." "Let's worry about things...after we've finished." "As Kazuichi said...it's true we've been constantly betrayed. ...But even if I'm betrayed again, I still want to believe in everyone. No matter how many times I may be betrayed...I still want to believe in everyone." "I did say "difficult," but I never said "impossible"." "It's impossible to figure out by myself...so let's think about it together. That's how...we made it this far up till now." "How did Nagito stab himself with a spear...? Let's work together and think about this through!" "We might need to think and use our imaginations for a bit." "At a time like this... How about we stick to The Plan to Think One Step at a Time Instead of Expecting the Answers All at Once?" "I'm a little worried, you know. I'm worried about starting the voting time while there's still a mystery." "I think we should keep going until everyone is satisfied. Even if it's just to be safe..." "We've come this far, let's work hard till the very end. If we work together...everything should be all right. ...That's what I believe." "If there's no way he could've drank the poison, it might be impossible... ...Just kidding it's not like we're out of possibilities yet." "No, it's too early to give up." "That feeling of belief is at the heart of his trick. He believed we'd notice the fire grenades... He believed we'd try to extinguish the flames... And he believed we'd fall into his trap... By believing in us, Nagito was able to put his life-threatening plan into effect." "He factored in his belief in us, but for some reason he didn't factor in his own luck... No, there's no way. I mean...this is Nagito we're talking about." "He probably risked his life just so his Ultimate Luck could decide this." "If, by chance, the traitor revealed themselves...during that bomb scare...what would've happened? Would it have...stopped Nagito from acting so reckless? But...they couldn't help it... Even if they wanted to reveal themselves...they couldn't do it... Because...they weren't created to do that. ... That's why...I want you guys to guess. A traitor who's not allowed to think that they're different from everyone else... A traitor who can only interact with everyone as a traitor... Because that's the nature of their existence... They can only exist as a traitor... Who do you think...is the traitor? ... ... Hajime...please." "...Aww, you totally guessed right! Just as expected... Yep, you're correct. ...I'm the traitor. The agent sent by the Future Foundation to hide among you all...is me." "It's definitely strange, right? Or rather...why was I able to do that? Maybe...I wanted to protect everyone, no matter the cost." "I want to explain everything to you guys but...as I expected, that's rather difficult. That's why...the only thing I can do is plead with you... I want you to do it. I believe you can prove it." "Hey, can you listen to me a little? There's nothing to be sad about, you know. Cuz...this is different from what happened before. Unlike before, you guys don't have to stay alive by doubting someone... ...You guys can stay alive by believing in me." "Monomi...I'm sorry, too. You're probably gonna get scolded by a lot of different people for this... But still, I want to protect everyone by any means. And...I'm happy that I'm able to do that." "You don't have to worry. Believe in me...and cast your vote." "Even if you want to fly, you can't, right? Even if you want to swim where you please, you can't right? It's the same for me... Due to the nature of my existence, I will never be able to betray the Future Foundation..." "...But strangely enough, I don't have any regrets. In fact...I'm somewhat happy. I was able to think I wanted to protect everyone. That's why...I feel proud of my actions." "...It's okay, Monomi. It's not about giving up, you know... Let's believe in them... Let's believe in everyone...and leave the rest to them... ...Right?" "You guys, I'm sorry about so many things... I'm sorry...for lying to you. I'm sorry...I couldn't protect you to the very end..." "Bye everyone... It's okay... A shining future will always be waiting for you. It's true...it's absolutely true... Cuz...I know." "upup0'&'&downdown*+==^^leftrightleftrightabstart:(sorry&'fguys*&)don't&lose<" (Chiaki's cottage post-fifth trial, a reference to the Konami Code) "There's no need for you to worry... The only thing beyond this point is a shining future. Now then...let's open the door to the future." Chapter 6:

   "An eternal game utopia sounds like fun." "That's not it... You guys aren't part of the game, right?" "I'm just a part of the game...but you guys aren't right?" "Even if I cease to "exist"... Even if you guys never remember me again.. That doesn't mean I will completely disappear. As long as everyone continues to move forward toward the future we created together... I will never disappear. What I lived for, fought for, and risked my life for will still exist." "You're...probably just scared, right? Not just of disappearing... You're scared of moving toward the future with such a heavy burden, right?" "How much longer are you going to be this indecisive!? Didn't you want to become someone with confidence? Isn't that why you admired Hope's Peak Academy?" "Hajime...you've had it wrong this whole time. Having talent isn't the goal. There's something much more important than whether or not you have talent, right? ...What's important is that you believe in yourself. If you can't do that... No matter how much talent you possess, you will never be confident in yourself. Just like...how you were in the past. But past Hajime is in the past. He's not the same Hajime who spent time with me and the others in this world. So it's going to be all right... I think it's time you finally had confidence in yourself." "You guys are the only ones...who have the right to decide your future. And the responsibility too. But if you can't choose either future... Why don't you just create one?" "Even if this world is just a game, you guys aren't part of the game. You guys don't have to just choose a future... You should be able to create one as well. Since you're not part of the game, you don't have to worry about talent, skill, or level. You guys...have a tremendous ultimate move that can overcome anything. I guess what I'm trying to say is...if you just do it, things will turn out okay!" "Of course, games aren't very fun when they're easy to clear." "Hey, Hajime... This isn't for the sake of anyone else. You... You have to do this for yourself. Now then! It's about time you show me your cool side, Hajime. C'mon, I'll help out too..." "You should even be able to create the future." "No matter what kind of future it is... As long as you guys move toward it, I will never disappear. Everything that happened here...it won't be meaningless... If you guys carried the burden of both hope and despair, you should even be able to create the future. Even if it's a convenient miracle... If you just do it, things will turn out okay! That's why you can't hesitate now. Resolve to throw everything away, and give it everything you got! I'll...be cheering for you, too..." "Me too... Thank you. I'll...never forget about you guys... I'll never...ever forget... I'll be cheering for you guys from now on...from somewhere. Cuz...we're all friends, after all." Merchandise The link below lists all official licensed merchandise featuring Chiaki Nanami:

   Main: Chiaki Nanami Merchandise Trivia Nanami (七海) means “Seven Seas” while Chiaki (千秋) means “One Thousand Autumns”. Chiaki shares her birthday, March 14, with that of her creator's, Chihiro Fujisaki. Another similarity between Chiaki and Chihiro is that both of them have kanji numerals in both their given names and last names, with the numerals in their first names both being 千 chi, which means "thousand". Chiaki's relation to Chihiro is also subtly hinted at through their similar promotional illustration art. The only differences between the two is that Chihiro, being a programmer, is surrounded by computers while Chiaki is surrounded by game consoles, and that Chihiro is seated in a chair while Chiaki seems to be sitting on a floor. Chiaki's key art for Danganronpa 2 features many different game systems. From top to bottom, starting from the left side: A Game Boy Advance, Game Boy Advance SP, PS2 Slim, GameCube, PC-Engine, DS, Game Boy, Game Boy Pocket/Color, Neo Geo Pocket, PS3 Slim, Genesis Model 2, Xbox, Sega Saturn, Xbox 360, and Famicom. Chiaki enjoys any kind of video game, even games falling under the "kusoge" genre (games intentionally designed to be unlikable), with the exception of dating sims, the only genre she is bad at. In her Free Time Events, Chiaki will talk about or reference other video games, like "Trio The Punch", and "Dead Rising". In Chiaki's cottage, the same "Time Travelers" (a game by game company Level-5 written by Chunsoft's writer Jirou Ishii) poster as the one seen in the cinema can be spotted. In the Vita and PC versions, this is changed to a poster for "Danganronpa Another Episode: Ultra Despair Girls" in both the cinema and her cottage. Chiaki doesn't like the idea of swimming, because she fears she might fall asleep and drown. Chiaki doesn't know about Girls' Day (Hinamatsuri), a holiday in Japan where families pray for the health of their daughters, until Hajime told her. This is a hint to the fact that Chiaki is an AI. Chiaki was featured in the last formal executions, while the real-world Chiaki she was based upon was featured in the first formal execution. AI Chiaki's execution mirrors Junko's, with both of them going through several sequences before ultimately getting crushed to death. Real-world Chiaki's death in Despair Arc is very similar to Mukuro's death in Danganronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc: being impaled by dozens of spears. The deaths also double as acts of betrayal from those who were closest to them (Junko, in Mukuro's case, and Chisa, in Chiaki's case). In the stage play, AI Chiaki is executed by spear impalement, just like her real-world counterpart. Chiaki is the only one of the eight characters shown on the cover of Danganronpa 1 ・2 Beautiful Days who is not shown in her promotional art. According to the series creator, Kazutaka Kodaka, the Chiaki who appeared to help Hajime during Chapter 6 of Danganronpa 2 didn't feel like the same Chiaki who appeared during most of the game, giving him the idea of another, different Chiaki—her real life counterpart.[6] Appearances in Other Media Chaki is included in the collaboration of Danganronpa 3 x Hōkai Gakuen. Chiaki is included in the second collaboration of Identity V x Danganronpa as a skin for the Mechanic. Chiaki is included in the second wave of Danganronpa 1.2 Reload x Divine Gate. Chiaki appears in Sengoku Asuka ZERO x Danganronpa 3: The End of Hope's Peak High School collaboration as one of the many collectibles. Chiaki appears as a playable skin in the rhythm-game Crypt of the Necrodancer. Chiaki was featured in a promotional art by Rui Komatsuzaki from the anime Wooser's Hand-to-Mouth Life. Chiaki was featured in Fish Island 2. Chiaki appears as a dress-up item in Atgames. Chiaki appears as an avatar clothing in Pigg. Chiaki and Hajime look alikes appear in Tonikaku Kawaii. Crypt of the Necrodancer Sprite. Crypt of the Necrodancer Sprite. Girls Gun 2 x Danganronpa 3 artwork. Girls Gun 2 x Danganronpa 3 artwork. Silhouette in Tonikaku Kawaii. Silhouette in Tonikaku Kawaii. References Report Card (Japanese) Report Card Christine Marie Cabanos: "You can hear me as Chiaki Nanami in Dangan Ronpa 2: Goodbye Despair coming out this fall! Can't wait!" (Image of tweet) (18 Feb 2014) Funimation: Danganronpa 3: The End of Hope’s Peak High School Broadcast Dub Cast Announcement (July 28, 2016) synchronkartei: Danganronpa 3: The End of Hope's Peak Academy - Despair Arc Christine Kazutaka Kodaka and Yuji Higa's interview

8. #8Fuyuhiko Kuzuryu

   Keys: Characters, Fuyuhiko, Kuzuryu, Character, Fuyuhiko Kuzuryu

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   Fuyuhiko Kuzuryu Illustration Sprite DR3 (Despair) Illustration Name Kanji 九頭龍 冬彦 Romaji Kuzuryū Fuyuhiko Katakana クズリュウ フユヒコ English Fuyuhiko Kuzuryu Aliases & Titles Talent Characteristics Personal Status Debuts Portrayals

   “ Some say shattering the cup is a bad omen, but I prefer it this way. I mean, if you break something, that means it can't be broken ever again.

   — Danganronpa 2: Goodbye Despair ”

   Fuyuhiko Kuzuryu (九頭龍 冬彦), is a student of Hope's Peak Academy's Class 77-B, and a participant of the Killing School Trip featured in Danganronpa 2: Goodbye Despair. His title is the Ultimate Yakuza (超高校級の「極道」 lit. Super High School Level Gangster).

   He, along with Class 77-B, return in Danganronpa 3: The End of Hope's Peak High School to explore their school life leading up to The Tragedy.

   History Early Life Fuyuhiko is the heir to the Kuzuryu yakuza clan, the largest criminal syndicate in the nation, with a membership surpassing 30,000.[12] As an heir, Fuyuhiko grew accustomed to the Kuzuryu Clan's way of settling disputes through violence, leading him to believe that as long as he bore his family name, he would always be surrounded by a mountain of dead bodies. His upbringing toughened him so much that he no longer cried about anything, including losing a fight by second grade. Being treated with caution by non-clan members was second nature to him due to his status. Ever since Fuyuhiko was too young to understand, he often witnessed his parents' frequent fights. It involved his mother's various attempts to kill his hotheaded father during minor arguments that quickly escalated. There were a few instances when Fuyuhiko was nearly killed in the aftermath of his parents' fights, but his assigned hitman, who had accompanied him since infancy, Peko Pekoyama, was always there to protect him.[4]

   Danganronpa 2 CG - Fuyuhiko Kuzuryu and Peko Pekoyama's relationship The Ultimate Yakuza with his hitman

   Being a rambunctious kid, Fuyuhiko took Peko through a childhood filled with bizarre adventures with him.[13] One time, Fuyuhiko and Peko were kidnapped together, but she managed to find a way to escape, and they ended up lost in the mountains. Fuyuhiko began to cry when Peko tried to cheer him up as he could sense that she was just as scared and worried. Eventually, Peko managed to save them both using her skills as a swordswoman and her determination to protect him as his loyal tool.[14] During a visit to the zoo, Fuyuhiko once challenged the king of the monkeys to a fight, and Peko had to step in to help. He had a "handsome smile" that Peko still remembers even years later.[15]

   Fuyuhiko often got into trouble, which led to incessant lectures from his parents. To escape these scoldings, he developed a habit of climbing to the very top of the trees in their backyard. When they eventually found him, they would either bring the dogs or shake the tree until he fell out.[16] Since he often couldn't climb back down on his own, Peko would have to come to his rescue.[17] This close bond they shared made Fuyuhiko resent the idea that Peko saw herself as nothing more than a tool, that he never asked for a tool. He never viewed her that way and always wanted her to be "herself."[18]

   Danganronpa 3 - Despair Arc (Episode 03) - Natsumi's Reason (51) Fuyuhiko and Peko in Natsumi's eyes

   Peko, on the other hand, noted that despite being a yakuza, Fuyuhiko had a kind heart.[19] He would constantly question and worry about his position, believing that his little sister, Natsumi, was more deserving of succeeding as clan head. He was fond of her and always helped her when she needed it, dubbing her the Ultimate Little Sister. Although Natsumi was an annoying little sister who loved making a fool out of him, on top of being self-centered, selfish, and extremely arrogant, Fuyuhiko praised his talent for getting people to do what she wanted. He believed that this skill was what made her deserve the Ultimate Yakuza title more than he did. She was even called the reincarnation of their uncle. When a faction within the clan wanted to make her the next leader, Natsumi refused, claiming she was only amazing because she was Fuyuhiko's sister. Fuyuhiko could not accept this and insisted that she could lead while he lived on his own, as he believed she was better than him at everything.[5]

   As a teen, Fuyuhiko attended Suzuran High School before enrolling in Hope's Peak Academy as the Ultimate Yakuza, in Class 77-B.[7][8] His sister then followed his footsteps by transferring to the Reserve Course Department of Hope's Peak.[20]

   Prior to The Tragedy Attending Hope's Peak Academy Main article: Danganronpa 3: The End of Hope's Peak High School/Despair Arc First Year Danganronpa 3 (Despair Arc) - ED (Textless) (8) With his classmates

   Fuyuhiko was scouted by Hope's Peak Academy as the Ultimate Yakuza and enrolled in Class 77-B. Since Peko was also scouted as the Ultimate Swordswoman in the same class. Fuyuhiko instructed her to keep their professional relationship a secret and to treat each other like normal classmates.[21]

   Despite the school stating that attending class was not mandatory as long as students spent their time honing their talents, Fuyuhiko was one of the few students who attended. He became frustrated with his supposed homeroom teacher, Koichi Kizakura, who spent his time drinking and neglecting the class. Thanks to Chisa Yukizome, the new assistant homeroom teacher he came to respect, however, the class managed to resume with her helping Fuyuhiko to gather his classmates, in the hope that they could build strong relationships and "hope" with each other.[22]

   Nagito Fuyuhiko Teru and Kazuichi play Playing video games

   Because he didn't like people getting too chummy with him, Fuyuhiko maintained some distance from his classmates.[23] Nevertheless, he still joined them in various group activities, such as repairing the classroom, playing video games, having lunch together, and electing Chiaki Nanami, the Ultimate Gamer, as the class representative[24]

   Danganronpa 3 - Despair Arc (Episode 03) - Twilight Syndrome Murder Case (12) Checking his sister's body

   At some point, Fuyuhiko was informed by Peko that Natsumi had enrolled in the Reserve Course Department after she asked their dad for it so she could follow him to Hope's Peak Academy. He didn't allow Peko to check on his sister although he was well aware of her bad attitude. This innate trait of hers eventually pushed Sato, a fellow Reserve Course student and friend of Mahiru Koizumi, the Ultimate Photographer, to murder her. Sato killed Natsumi after she bullied Mahiru in an attempt to make her give up her seat, allowing Natsumi to usurp her title. After hearing the news, Fuyuhiko immediately went to the hospital morgue to see his sister's body.[20]

   Fuyuhiko was angered by his sister's death and sought vengeance. He heard the rumor that Sato was with Natsumi on the day of her murder, and happened to see her throwing a photo into the garbage incinerator area behind the school buildings. To his shock, the photo showed a broken flower vase in the classroom next to the music room where Natsumi was murdered. This convinced him that Sato was the true culprit, rather than the suspected local pervert who had broken through the music room's window to kill his sister. Enraged, Fuyuhiko declared that he would never forgive her and retaliated by killing her with a metal bat.[25]

   Danganronpa 3 - Despair Arc (Episode 04) - Intro (10) Thinking about his sister's death

   His sister's death affected not only Fuyuhiko's morale but also the entire class. Mahiru had the hardest time coping with Sato's death but was unaware that Fuyuhiko had killed her best friend. As a result, Chisa was forced to postpone Class 77-B's annual practical exam.[26]

   Second Year Ibuki Fuyuhiko Peko Ibuki noticing Fuyuhiko and Peko interacting

   By his upperclassman year, Fuyuhiko appeared to be doing better after Natsumi's death. He even unintentionally showed more interaction with Peko. He helped her pick up her things during the move to the new building, which was noticed by classmates like Ibuki Mioda, the Ultimate Musician, and Mikan Tsumiki, the Ultimate Nurse.[27]

   Around the same time, Fuyuhiko and his classmates noticed from their building that the students from the Reserve Course students had launched a massive protest against the Main Course, blaming them for causing the Tragedy of Hope's Peak Academy. Unbeknownst to most, the true mastermind behind the tragedy was Junko Enoshima, the originator of Ultimate Despair, who manipulated events behind the scenes and framed Izuru Kamukura—the result of the Izuru Kamukura Project—for the incident. The Hope's Peak Academy committee, responsible for the project, was accused of using the exorbitant fees paid by Reserve Course students to create so-called 'murderers'.[28] Although Fuyuhiko and his classmates were seemingly unrelated to the growing protest, they became involved after noticing that Mikan had been absent for some time. Fuyuhiko mentioned that he had a contact to check up on her house, but she wasn't there either. Worried about her well-being, Fuyuhiko and the others went to search for her based on Nagito Komaeda, the Ultimate Lucky Student's intel, but to no avail.[29]

   Fuyuhiko Peko moment Holding the injured Peko

   When they reconvened in their classroom, they learned that Chiaki and Nagito had infiltrated Junko's lair, but Nagito had been injured after being knocked out by Izuru while attempting to assassinate Junko. Around the same time, Mikan, whom they had been searching for, appeared with an injured Peko, who had been defeated in a fight against Mukuro Ikusaba, Junko's twin sister. Seeing her wounded, Fuyuhiko immediately rushed to her side and held her, furious and ignoring Peko's appeal to run away as he was resolved to seek vengeance against Mukuro. Fuyuhiko then agreed to Chiaki's rally so they could all go help Chisa, who had managed to fend off Junko and co. to allow Chiaki and Nagito to escape from her lair, ignoring Nagito's warning that it could be a suicide mission, fully aware of the danger.[30]

   Class 77 Despair Class 77-B brainwashed

   Unbeknownst to Fuyuhiko and his classmates, this path to search for Chisa was nothing but a ruse made by Junko. Although Fuyuhiko briefly noticed that Chiaki went missing on their way, Mikan, who had pushed her down a corridor, lied, claiming Chiaki had injured her ankle and needed to rest. Fuyuhiko was unaware that Mikan was responsible and that she, along with Chisa, had been brainwashed into despair and instructed by Junko to lead Class 77-B into the room later used for the Class Trials. In this very room, Fuyuhiko and the others were forced to watch Chiaki executed in a brutal fashion. Fuyuhiko was horrified but he couldn't tear his eyes away from the screen. Bearing witness to Chiaki's death caused the brainwashing effect of the video to take hold of Class 77-B, plunging them into despair.[31]

   Fuyuhiko Peko despair Massacring the Diet members alongside Peko

   Fully brainwashed into becoming the Ultimate Despair, Fuyuhiko and his classmates received their final lesson before "graduation", the one final meeting to discuss their plan to overthrow the world with despair. Fuyuhiko expressed that together with Peko, he would "lead their people down the right path." Chisa then activated a bomb that faked the death of Class 77-B so they could be taken off the list of protected students. The young master and his hitman began helping Junko to spread despair by launching a massacre in the Japanese Diet, later seen standing back to back amidst a sea of corpses.[32]

   The Tragedy Danganronpa 3 - Future Arc (Episode 01) - Intro (63) Revealing his eyepatch

   As an Ultimate Despair, Fuyuhiko, alongside his corrupted classmates, started The Tragedy and kept it ongoing even after Junko's death in the final stage of the Killing School Life. Those who did not commit suicide to follow their leader Junko soon became known as the Remnants of Despair, which included Fuyuhiko and her classmates. They also hacked her body and grafted them onto themselves. In Fuyuhiko's case, although it is never explicitly confirmed, it is strongly possible that he was the one who implanted one of Junko's eyes into his own socket to "see her despair." He did not wear an eyepatch during his school years and only began wearing one after becoming an Ultimate Despair. Following his awakening from the Neo World Program, his right eye remained shut and non-functional, similar to how Nagito's severed left arm, which had been replaced with Junko's, was rendered unusable.[6][33]

   Danganronpa 3 - Future Arc (Episode 01) - Intro (45) Leading a platoon of his clan subordinates

   With Peko by his side, Fuyuhiko had done many horrible things. Using his power and influence, he led a brainwashed yakuza army equipped with Monokuma helmets to spread despair. He deployed Peko and his army to attack Future Foundation division leaders, aided by Nekomaru Nidai, the Ultimate Team Manager, and Akane Owari, the Ultimate Gymnast. However, Fuyuhiko was eventually captured by the organization, along with the other Remnants of Despair.[34]

   Danganronpa 3 - Future Arc (Episode 01) - Makoto arriving (6) Remnants of Despair

   The Future Foundation then secured the custody of Fuyuhiko and the other fourteen - at first only aware that they were survivors from Hope's Peak Academy. When Makoto Naegi, Class 78th's Ultimate Lucky Student, by that time a member of the 14th Division of the Future Foundation, realized that the survivors were in fact, Remnants of Despair, he quickly directed them to Jabberwock Island in secret.[6]

   Danganronpa 2 CG - Neo World Program (4) Neo World Program

   Makoto had them enter the Neo World Program, where their memories were reset to a time before their enrollment at Hope's Peak Academy, prior to being brainwashed by Junko. As a result, they couldn't recognize each other, except for Fuyuhiko and Peko, who still recognized each other. The plan was to overwrite Fuyuhiko and the others' memories of themselves as Ultimate Despair, replacing them with good ones to undo all the damage Junko had done to them.[6]

   The scheme backfired when Izuru Kamukura, the Ultimate Hope and the final product of the Izuru Kamukura Project, uploaded Junko's malware AI just before they were to be programmed. Consequently, they were subjected to the identical brutal incident that befell Class 78th, although in a realistically simulated environment. The killing game became known as the Killing School Trip, an ordeal in which Fuyuhiko and the other Remnants of Despair were coerced into participating.[6]

   Killing School Trip Main article: Danganronpa 2: Goodbye Despair Danganronpa 2 CG - Students in the classroom Killing School Trip participants

   Fuyuhiko participated in the Killing School Trip alongside fourteen other Remnants of Despair and one Future Foundation observer. It occurred in a virtual world, the Neo World Program, resembling Jabberwock Island. Due to his memories as the Ultimate Despair and life in Hope's Peak Academy being erased by the Future Foundation, he couldn't recognize any of her classmates except for Peko.[6] Before interacting with anyone else on the island, Fuyuhiko ordered Peko to keep their professional relationship a secret and to treat each other like normal classmates, much like they did during their school years.[21]

   After being teleported to the island, Fuyuhiko begrudgingly introduced himself to Hajime Hinata by the pool in Hotel Mirai. He immediately acted defensively and rudely, pushing Hajime and Nagito away after badmouthing them and threatening to never act friendly with the group.[12] He joined the group at the beach on the first island after Usami, an AI programmed by the Future Foundation to oversee the group, assembled them. However, he refused her offer to join the others in swimming, preferring to be left alone.[35]

   Danganronpa 2 CG - Start of the Killing School Trip The Killing School Trip begins

   The tropical school trip soon turned into a nightmare as Fuyuhiko learned that the evil animatronic bear, Monokuma, the self-proclaimed headmaster of Hope's Peak Academy, had hijacked their trip and turned it into a killing game. Fuyuhiko initially believed it was some sort of performance. Soon realized that Monokuma was serious and forced the group to submit to his authority and killing game by rendering Usami into Monomi, her powerless version, and then blasting her to pieces using the Monobeasts.[35]

   Once the killing game began, Fuyuhiko continued to act standoffish while attending the first meeting at the restaurant and later checking out the countdown that appeared in Jabberwock Park. At the same location later that night, after being summoned by Monokuma for the first motive introduction, Fuyuhiko got into a verbal fight with Mahiru, leading him to threaten the group and claim he was capable of committing murder. Even though Peko tried to calm him down, Fuyuhiko continued his outburst until the Imposter intervened, assuring him that, like everyone else, they would make sure he didn't become a victim, finally managing to calm him.[36]

   Fuyuhiko skipped the morning meeting the next day and communicated only in secret with Peko, who relayed information about his whereabouts and condition to the group. Through her, he also learned that the Imposter would be hosting an all-night party later that night, which he had no intention of attending. However, not long after Chiaki began guarding the entrance to keep Monokuma away during the party, Fuyuhiko was seen loitering nearby. Chiaki, being emotionally intuitive, quickly picked up that he actually wanted to join. He was rebuked by the idea and claimed he was just out for a walk before leaving the area. Fuyuhiko shut himself in his room during the investigation of the Ultimate Imposter's murder and had to be dragged to the trial grounds by Monokuma.[37]

   Danganronpa 2 - Teruteru Hanamura's execution (42) Witnessing Teruteru's execution

   During the class trial, Fuyuhiko immediately suspected everyone who attended the party. However, when Peko was suspected, he came to her defense. He argued that someone might have put laxatives in her food so the culprit could trip the breaker while she was away, but this was disproven. He was briefly suspected of the murder due to his absence from the party and the possibility that he could have killed the Imposter from under the floorboards. Chiaki refuted that with her testimony and the fact that she and Gundham Tanaka, the Ultimate Breeder, clarified that it was impossible to access the floorboards from outside. Fuyuhiko survived the first class trial after the true culprit, Teruteru Hanamura, the Ultimate Cook, was voted as the Blackened and executed for his crime.[37]

   Fuyuhiko learned from Peko that the second island was opened following the trial, thus declining her breakfast invitation and going ahead to explore and have breakfast alone at the diner. He was agitated when Hajime tried to talk to him while he was eating, explaining that he wasn't avoiding the group, but rather trying to prove that he could rely on himself without the help of the Kuzuryu Clan. He also didn't want "affections" to hold him back when it was his time to kill. He came to check out the Ancient Ruins after Chiaki insisted, and became convinced that only the traitor from the "World Ender" organization could open the door and contact the outside world.[38]

   Fuyuhiko made a brief entrance at the morning meeting the following day. He criticized Nekomaru and Kazuichi Soda, the Ultimate Mechanic, for tying up Nagito, provoking Kazuichi into a verbal argument. Kazuichi taunted him, saying he wasn't afraid of Fuyuhiko's empty threats, and called him a "pipsqueak" without his clan to back him up. This infuriated Fuyuhiko, but he was ultimately stopped by Peko, prompting him to begrudgingly walk away.[38]

   Twilight Syndrome Murder Case Danganronpa 2 - Twilight Syndrome Murder Case Envelope Carrying the game's prize

   Fuyuhiko became tempted to play the second motive, the Twilight Syndrome Murder Case, wanting to prove his own claim that all he needed to do was win, that only the strong survive, not the weak who end up like the Imposter or Teruteru. He played the game sometime after everyone dispersed that night and before breakfast the next morning, when he bumped into Hajime while carrying an envelope.[38] It was later revealed to be the prize for the first person to complete the Truth Route of the game, where he discovered he was a character in the game as Guy F.[18]

   Danganronpa 2 CG - Twilight Syndrome Murder Case (18) The Kuzuryus' name appears in the game's credits

   The envelope contained photos related to his sister's murder as well as Sato, though he couldn't remember them due to his school memories having been erased. Wanting to verify the truth behind the game's content, Fuyuhiko sent the photographs to Mahiru, who also appeared in the game as Girl D. However, Mahiru never responded and began avoiding him, much to his frustration. She had also played the game on her own but was left confused by its content, as her memories of Sato and Natsumi had also been erased. Mahiru instead arranged a meeting with the others who appeared as characters in the game, Hiyoko, Mikan, and Ibuki, to discuss its contents.[18]

   Convinced by the truth behind the game that Mahiru had helped Sato get away with killing his sister, Fuyuhiko became driven by revenge and enlisted Peko to help him isolate and kill Mahiru. He had Peko sabotage Mahiru's plans by luring both Mahiru and Hiyoko, the only person who accepted her invitation, to the beach house at separate times using fake notes. Hiyoko arrived first at 2:00 pm, was quickly neutralized by Peko, and dragged her unconscious self into the closet. Alongside Peko, Fuyuhiko waited another 30 minutes for Mahiru's arrival, prepared to kill her with a metal bat, mirroring the mindset of his past self and his in-game counterpart, Guy F.[18]

   Danganronpa 2 CG - Scene of the murder (Chapter 2) (2) Convincing Peko to abort the plan

   Soon, he got into an altercation with Mahiru, initially wanting to believe the game was mere fiction. However, he lost what little patience he had left when Mahiru told him that seeking revenge on Sato was wrong. Consumed by rage, he reached for the metal bat he had hidden under a bench, but before he could kill Mahiru himself, Peko intervened, grabbed the bat, and bludgeoned Mahiru to death with a single blow. This shocked Fuyuhiko, as the original plan seemed never to have involved Peko killing Mahiru herself. He warned her about the consequences of killing on the island, which Peko had already understood and had made up her mind. She wished to fulfill her duty as a "tool" by taking the blame for Mahiru's death and allowing her young master to escape the island. Though Fuyuhiko begged her to forget about the Kuzuryu Clan and abandon the plan, Peko refused to listen and continued to carry out her own plan after he fled the crime scene.[18]

   On his way out of the area, Fuyuhiko was spotted by Hajime and Kazuichi, who were sneaking into Sonia Nevermind, the Ultimate Princess's, girls-only beach party. He evaded their questions and took advantage of Ibuki and Mikan's arrival to quietly slip away. He locked himself in his cottage during the investigation and only reappeared just before the class trial began, right as Monokuma was about to lose his temper over his tardiness.[18]

   During the class trial, Fuyuhiko immediately became the center of the talk once everyone discovered that he was Guy F, thus by default having the strongest motive to murder Mahiru, Girl D, the accomplice of Sato or Girl E. Peko saved him from the hot seat by arguing that someone unrelated to the game's events might have used it as a cover for their crime, leading her to begin framing Hiyoko as the culprit. Fuyuhiko helped to pressure Hiyoko, which initially worked as Peko's setup cornered her. However, the group soon realized that the planted yellow gummy was not Hiyoko's staple gummy and that her clothes were too clean for her to be the culprit. Fuyuhiko tried to refute this but failed when it was pointed out that Hiyoko couldn't even dress herself without assistance.[18]

   Fuyuhiko became highly defensive when the trap backfired and the group realized that Peko had set it up. She was identified as the only possible culprit who could have washed Mahiru's blood off herself using the water bottles found in the beach house trash can. He tried to lie about seeing her swimming, but it contradicted his earlier statement. He challenged the group to explain how Peko escaped the beach house. After extensive discussion, however, they discovered that she had used her shinai as a stepstool to climb out through the high window in the shower room and recovered it with her sword bag. Fuyuhiko was still heated until Peko stopped him, before conceding and admitting to the crime. What shocked him even more was when she assumed the persona of the serial killer Sparkling Justice to push the others into voting for her. Unable to stand watching her like that, he begged her to stop, but she continued until she was eventually voted as the culprit. Achieving her goal, Peko dropped off her fake act and revealed that she was nothing more than a tool to carry out the murder for Fuyuhiko, her young master.[18]

   After the class trial, Fuyuhiko revealed his final encounter with Mahiru, how he got cold feet at the last minute, resulting in Peko killing her before he could in order to take the blame for him. He struggled with whether to fulfill Peko's wish, meaning he would not only see her as a mere tool all along but also sacrifice everyone else and escape alone. In the end, he couldn't do it, much to Peko's dismay. Deep down, however, she knew Fuyuhiko wouldn't accept her offer so easily due to his kind-hearted nature despite being a yakuza. Fuyuhiko confessed to Peko that since childhood, he only wanted her to be herself, the Peko he had always known, then broke down in tears not wanting her to leave him just yet.[18]

   Fuyuhiko tried to reach Peko during her execution, running through the marionette army as she, controlled by Monokuma like a straw doll, mindlessly slashed them down. Just as he got within a step of her, a marionette leaped toward Peko. She instinctively whirled around and sliced it in half, accidentally slashing Fuyuhiko's right eye in the process, causing him to collapse. In shock, Peko embraced him, shielding him with her body as the marionettes repeatedly stabbed her until the whole area was covered with her blood.[18]

   Danganronpa_2_Chapter_2_Execution Danganronpa 2 CG - The students and Fuyuhiko's injuries Surviving Peko's execution

   Though injured, Fuyuhiko survived thanks to Peko's sacrifice. With Mikan unable to stop his profuse bleeding without proper medical tools, Monomi insisted that Monokuma save him, citing the rules of the Killing School Trip, that only the blackened could be executed. Unable to break his own rules, Monokuma reluctantly rushed Fuyuhiko to the hospital, leaving the others with no choice but to entrust his fate to him.[18]

   Fuyuhiko's Resolve Danganronpa 2 CG - Fuyuhiko Kuzuryu at the hospital (1) Resting at the hospital

   Fuyuhiko was taken to the hospital on the newly opened third island. He was discovered resting in one of the patient's rooms by Mikan, heavily bandaged and still weak from his injuries. His medical records showed that he sustained only light sword-related wounds which did not damage any of his organs or nerves, which according to Mikan was miraculous. Chiaki believed it wasn't luck, but the direct result of Peko's sacrifice. That was why Fuyuhiko said he couldn't die just yet, though he refused to elaborate further. The following day, Mikan who nursed him reported to the group that he was steadily recovering though he permanently lost his right eye.[39]

   Danganronpa 2 CG - Fuyuhiko Kuzuryu re-introducing himself A surprise formal reintroduction

   The next day, Fuyuhiko made a surprising entrance at the restaurant despite still recovering from his injury. He formally reintroduced himself and greeted the group properly for the first time since the killing game began, much to everyone's surprise. Now wearing an eyepatch to cover his non-functional right eye, which unsettled some, he claimed he didn't mind, confidently saying it gave him a bit of prestige.[39]

   Danganronpa 2 CG - Fuyuhiko Kuzuryu asking for forgiveness (2) A "proper" apology

   Hiyoko, still grieving Mahiru's death and bitter from being used as a scapegoat, was unimpressed by what she called his 'half-assed apology.' She also blamed him for Peko's death and declared that she would never be friends with him, something Fuyuhiko understood all too well. He then collapsed to his knees and, to fully show his resolve and remorse, attempted harakiri, reopening his wounds. Though ashamed for causing more trouble, he was carried back to the hospital by Nekomaru and Kazuichi, and Mikan was once again forced to stitch his wounds. His drastic action, however, finally made Hiyoko reconsider her difficult stance toward him.[39]

   Later that night, Ibuki held a recovery party for Fuyuhiko at the music venue, which he was adamant about attending despite his injury. Amidst the party, Hiyoko was surprisingly revealed to be among the attendees. She later told Fuyuhiko that, while she still hadn't forgiven him, she was willing to cooperate with him until they left the island, much to his relief, and once again apologized to her.[39]

   The group's unity and fleeting moment of happiness, however, abruptly ended when they learned from Monomi that Akane had challenged Monokuma to a duel. Fuyuhiko and the others rushed to the beach on the first island to check on her. Not wanting anyone to sacrifice themselves for his sake, Fuyuhiko tried to intervene but was stopped by Nekomaru, who leaped in front of Akane and shielded her from Monokuma's bazooka, suffering grievous injuries in the process. He insisted that Monokuma save Nekomaru just as he had saved him. Monokuma complied as he didn't want Nekomaru to die outside of his killing game, but due to the severity of Nekomaru's injuries, he was taken away for an extended period to be "treated."[39]

   Despair Disease More troubles for the group came in the form of Despair Disease, the third motive of the killing game, which had different symptoms for each person and altered each contractor's personality to the opposite. Akane, Ibuki, and Nagito caught it, forcing the group to quarantine them in the hospital, with Mikan caring for them to prevent the healthy ones, like Fuyuhiko, from catching it. While the others opted to station themselves at the nearby motel, Fuyuhiko volunteered to help out Hajime and Mikan in caring for the sick students.[39]

   After dark, Fuyuhiko noticed that Nagito was having trouble breathing, so he went to look for Mikan and Hajime. He walked into the on-call room where Mikan and Hajime were sharing a cot. He furiously berated them for mistakenly thinking they were being lascivious. While Mikan was checking on Nagito and ensuring his breathing had returned to normal, Fuyuhiko showed Hajime a surveillance camera unit that Kazuichi repurposed into a video chat device. It was meant for communication between the hospital and motel teams while the Despair Disease was still spreading. However, it had limitations, specifically, the motel team's device had to be placed near the music venue, which was closer to the hospital. Fuyuhiko told Kazuichi so he could set the devices to turn on 30 minutes after every morning and evening announcement. As Monokuma forbade more than one non-patient from staying the night at the hospital, Fuyuhiko and Hajime had no choice but to retire to their respective cottages.[39]

   Fuyuhiko and Hajime arrived at the hospital early the next morning only to learn from Mikan that Nagito's condition was getting worse. He relayed this information to the motel group through the surveillance camera unit. He became irritated to find out that Monomi had joined them, claiming he could catch the disease. Frustrated, he ended the call abruptly. Throughout the day, he grew restless, repeatedly entering and leaving the hospital. He handled the evening transmission, only to find that neither he nor the motel team had learned anything new, before returning to his cottage.[39]

   Danganronpa 2 Chapter 3 - Closing Argument Act 3 Discovering Ibuki and Hiyoko's body

   After the morning announcement, Fuyuhiko saw Mikan in front of the hospital panicking about Ibuki having gone missing from her room, so the two split up to search for her around the island. Along the way, they ran into Hajime and Chiaki, who were also looking for Ibuki. Hajime led them to the music venue, where he believed she might be. Strangely, the door appeared to be locked, even though Hajime easily entered earlier and the music venue wasn't supposed to have a lock, so the four of them forced their way inside. There, they discovered not only Ibuki's body but also Hiyoko's.[39]

   Fuyuhiko helped lower Ibuki's hanging body before investigating. He inspected the door of the music venue they had broken down earlier and discovered a drumstick snapped in half. This led him to believe that the drumstick had been used to jam the door, suggesting that the culprit was still inside the music venue when they forced their way in. He concluded that Hiyoko was killed in the ten minutes between Hajime leaving and breaking down the music venue's door. Following his own theory, he began to suspect Kazuichi and Sonia, as they were the only ones no one had seen prior to the discovery of Ibuki and Hiyoko's bodies.[40]

   Danganronpa 2 CG - Class Trial Elevator (Chapter 3) Descending to the trial ground

   In the class trial, Fuyuhiko realized his line of thinking was the culprit's trap in motion. With Chiaki's help, he discovered that the true reason the door was hard to open was due to a semitransparent glob used as glue, while the broken drumstick was merely a red herring. The culprit who tricked him was none other than Mikan. After splitting up with Fuyuhiko that morning, she went to the crime scene, revealed Hiyoko's body, and shut the door before rejoining him, Hajime, and Chiaki. At first, it was hard for Fuyuhiko to believe that someone as clumsy as Mikan could commit murder, but the overwhelming evidence left him no choice. Mikan was correctly voted as the culprit and later executed, leaving Fuyuhiko and the others bewildered as they learned of her true nature, and especially the many questions about the World Ender she left in her wake. Nonetheless, he was relieved to hear that Nekomaru had recovered and was waiting for them at the First Island beach.[40]

   What Fuyuhiko did not expect, however, was Nekomaru had been fully converted into a robot as the only means to save his life. He was even more surprised by how cheerfully Nekomaru seemed to accept his new body, something Fuyuhiko felt was incomparable to losing his own right eye.[41]

   The Funhouse Danganronpa 2 CG - Everyone riding a rollercoaster Riding a roller coaster

   Fuyuhiko was disgusted at Monokuma for meddling so much with Nekomaru's robotic body by installing useless functions. However, he had a more pressing matter to attend to which was the Future Foundation and the traitor they sent to infiltrate the group, the organization Mikan claimed was responsible for transporting them to Jabberwock Island and was, therefore, their collective enemy. This was partially true, as Mikan spoke from the perspective of the Remnants of Despair. Monomi's connection to the organization was why Fuyuhiko and the others initially refused to explore the fourth island she opened but eventually went after Monokuma promised them ship parts and their Hope's Peak student profiles as a reward. To earn the promised prize, Fuyuhiko satisfied Monokuma's request by joining everyone on the roller coaster at the amusement park. The prize turned out to be a school file related to the Killing School Life, which, instead of helping them understand their circumstances, only confused them further.[41]

   Danganronpa 2 CG - Everyone riding the train to the funhouse (2) The train ride to the Funhouse

   Fuyuhiko and the others decided to take another of Monokuma's baits, hoping to either obtain more files about their school life or get the promised ship parts. To do so, they were required to take the train to the Funhouse, which Fuyuhiko found suspicious but had no choice but to go. His suspicion turned correct as Fuyuhiko and the others were gassed into sleep mid-journey. When they woke up, they found themselves to be inside the Funhouse's Strawberry House. It turned out Monokuma had subjected them to an escape game, where he wouldn't allow anyone to escape the Funhouse except through murder.[41]

   Fuyuhiko rallied the group to not give up and encouraged them to explore the building in pairs using the map provided, in hopes of finding an exit. Before exploring, he took Akane with him, wanting to have a heart-to-heart conversation, and brought her to the Standard Room. There, Fuyuhiko confronted Akane about her stubbornness, knowing she felt immensely guilty about Nekomaru, just as he had with Peko. He pointed out that she, like him, was only alive because of someone else's sacrifice. However, Akane chose to act nonchalant about it. He encouraged her to be honest and thank Nekomaru for saving her, something he knew she didn't want to hear, but also knew only he could say to her.[41]

   Danganronpa 2 CG - Funhouse Elevator Inside the Funhouse elevator

   Later, Fuyuhiko and the others traveled to the second building, the Grape House, using the contact elevator at Monokuma's behest. There, the animatronic bear revealed that he would no longer provide food or drinks, using their hunger as a time limit until a murder occurred. Fuyuhiko, fed up with Monokuma's dirty tricks, took the even more shocked Akane with him to explore Grape House. He discovered that the second floor of the house mirrored each other and suspected that the telephones on each lounge could be used to communicate with each house. He also joined Chiaki and the others to test her theory that both towers were the same buildings. Fuyuhiko retired for the night, taking one of the Crummy Rooms in Strawberry House after losing at rock-paper-scissors.[41]

   Danganronpa 2 CG - Fuyuhiko witnessing Mechamaru Witnessing Nekomaru descending the stairs

   On the third day of their confinement, Fuyuhiko and his classmates were forced to begin attending Monokuma Tai Chi sessions in the morning, intended to exhaust and starve the already low-energy students.[41] Despite this, Fuyuhiko still managed to wake up on time on the fourth day, but was surprised to see the lounge clock showing 5 AM, unaware that it was actually 7 AM, as Gundham had secretly set all the clocks back by two hours. At the same time, he heard Nekomaru closing his room doors and began descending toward the first floor. He had considered catching up to him, but lacked the energy and willpower due to starvation, something he regretted after learning about Nekomaru's murder.[42]

   Danganronpa 2 CG - Clock ringing in Strawberry House Trying to stop the alarm

   Fuyuhiko sat in the lounge, dissociating as he waited for Nekomaru to return, only to be jolted by the loud ringing of the lounge clock alarm at 5:30 AM—or 7:30 AM in reality. As he tried to turn it off, Kazuichi rushed in and told him to stop it. Gundham, the one who had set the alarm, also appeared and looked visibly disturbed. After the alarm was silenced, the three were suddenly shaken by a loud, earthquake-like rumble that caused Kazuichi to panic and cling to Fuyuhiko. Unsure of what had happened, they decided to wait it out, but when nothing followed, they returned to their rooms, unaware that the sound they heard was Nekomaru falling to his death.[42]

   At 7:00 AM (9:00 AM in reality), Fuyuhiko, Gundham, Kazuichi, and Nagito attempted to use the elevator to reach Grape Tower for Monokuma Tai Chi, believing they had gone on time. However, they discovered that the elevator was broken, along with the Strawberry Hall door button, leaving them completely cut off from the other house. Fuyuhiko then resorted to calling the Grape House team using the lounge telephone. Hajime who received the call confirmed Fuyuhiko's fear that the missing Nekomaru had been murdered, with his body discovered in Grape Tower. Fuyuhiko then updated Hajime that Kazuichi would work on repairing the elevator, and that they should investigate separately in the meantime. Following Nagito's suggestion, Fuyuhiko checked the clocks in both buildings after Kazuichi repaired the elevator. He found that none of them appeared tampered with, unaware that Gundham had actually set them all back by two hours. He also began to notice how strangely Nagito behaved ever since he cleared the Final Dead Room.[42]

   Danganronpa 2 CG - Layout of everyone at the strawberry house Foiling Gundham's alibi setup

   During the class trial, Fuyuhiko realized that by staying in the lounge, he had unknowingly thwarted Gundham's perfect alibi. After setting up Nekomaru's death, Gundham had planned to return unnoticed to his soundproofed Deluxe Room before the alarm went off. However, with Fuyuhiko in the lounge, he couldn't slip back without being seen. This forced Gundham to appear when the alarm rang, as Chiaki speculated he feared Fuyuhiko or Kazuichi might check his room and discover he was missing. Fuyuhiko's unintentional contributions led the group to Gundham's correct identification as the culprit and subsequent execution.[42]

   The Beginning of the End The group returned for their morning gathering and breakfast, while Fuyuhiko grew increasingly concerned about Nagito's worsening attitude since the last class trial. Later, he joined the group to explore the final island, where he found street stalls filled with food but completely devoid of customers and staff. After everyone finished exploring, he gathered the group to discuss their findings about the area and the Future Foundation at the same street stalls. When he mentioned the possibility that the Future Foundation and Monokuma were two opposite entities, Nagito, who hadn't shown up earlier, entered the scene, announcing his plan to weed out the traitor within the Future Foundation.[43]

   Danganronpa 2 CG - Nagito being apprehended Capturing Nagito

   Fearing Nagito was planning to commit a murder, Kazuichi then devised a plan to capture Nagito, assigning Fuyuhiko and Akane as the force responsible for directly apprehending the Ultimate Lucky Student. Both complied with his plans and immediately captured him as he entered the hotel lobby later that night, threatening to tie him up.[43]

   Danganronpa 2 CG - Exploding Inn (1) Nagito bombing the hotel lobby

   Fuyuhiko and the others were unaware of how far Nagito had come prepared as he immediately detonated the bomb he had planted in the hotel lobby, sending them flying. He later revealed it was merely a demonstration, claiming he had planted a large number of bombs across Jabberwock Island enough to destroy an entire island if detonated. His true plan was to weed out the traitor, and if they failed to reveal themselves, he would detonate the island in two days.[43]

   After the bombing, Fuyuhiko and the others were given hints as to where he had planted the rest of the bombs, a place they hadn't visited yet. They visited Nezumi Castle, where the locked entrance had been blasted open by Nagito. Inside, they discovered that the password to the Ancient Ruins had been deliberately erased, which they suspected was Nagito's doing. Frustrated and growing doubtful, Fuyuhiko suggested the group split up for the time being so everyone could move around more easily. He also speculated aloud that if a traitor existed among them, they might try to save themselves by revealing the bomb's location to Nagito.[43]

   On the morning of the deadline, Nagito appeared before Fuyuhiko and the others for the final time, suggesting they split up and searched for the bombs before they detonated and did as he suggested. Fuyuhiko assigned himself to cover the final island where he discovered them piling up inside the Plushie Factory and told Hajime, Kazuichi, and Akane to gather there. Kazuichi revealed that the bomb was impossible to disarm since the main detonator was locked inside a metal box. When they reached the deadline, the "bomb" detonated, only to turn out to be a fireworks display. Then the video message on the laptop played again, with Nagito saying he was waiting for them at the warehouse next door "to reveal the traitor's identity," which made an angry Fuyuhiko rush there.[43]

   Danganronpa 2 CG - Warehouse on the fire (2) Opening the warehouse

   After they forced open the blocked door of the warehouse open, Fuyuhiko and the others were greeted by darkness at first, but after a certain delay, flames began to engulf the warehouse. The group immediately rushed to the factory break room to grab fire extinguishing supplies and tried to put out the fire by throwing them. It triggered the sprinklers, effectively dousing the flames. The warehouse, now clear of smoke, revealed the horrifying state of Nagito's lifeless body to Fuyuhiko and the others.[43]

   Danganronpa 2 Chapter 5 - Closing Argument Revealed Revealed as a possible culprit

   The brutality of Nagito's murder led Fuyuhiko to believe that the killer might have tortured him to satisfy their grudge. He later visited Nezumi Castle to confirm that the "Spear of Gungnir," which had impaled Nagito's abdomen, was taken from there. Based on this, he concluded that the traitor had tried to stop Nagito's plan from exposing their identity. However, the group discussion revealed that all of Nagito's wounds were self-inflicted. He had orchestrated his own death, including allowing the spear to impale him. His true cause of death was revealed to be from inhaling the poisonous gas he had secretly swapped with the contents of one of the fire grenade canisters, meaning that one of the remaining survivors had killed him without them even realizing.[44]

   While panicking over who to vote for, the group gradually realized Nagito's plan was meant to force the traitor to kill him. To prevent them from making the wrong choice, Chiaki revealed herself as the traitor and asked them to vote for her. Fuyuhiko initially doubted her confession, but thanks to Hajime's convincing effort, he had no choice but to vote for her. Had Chiaki not outed herself as the traitor, everyone but her would have been executed, the true goal Fuyuhiko suspected Nagito wanted to achieve, a suspicion that Monokuma later confirmed. After Chiaki and Monomi were executed, Monokuma announced that the remaining five survivors would have the chance to graduate two days after the countdown ended. Fuyuhiko doubted Monokuma would allow them to escape the killing game so easily after the countdown ended, thinking he would subject them to do something.[44]

   Shortly before the countdown ended, the Neo World Program began glitching. Fuyuhiko and the others, including the illusion of the deceased students, gathered at the hotel restaurant to watch the rest of Nagito's video message, which Sonia had discovered at the factory. They learned that Nagito had uncovered the truth behind the Killing School Trip, but due to the glitching, they couldn't fully understand it, except for the password to the Ancient Ruins, "11037". With this knowledge, Fuyuhiko and the group hurried to the Ancient Ruins before the countdown ended. Once inside, they were transported to what appeared to be a trial ground.[44]

   Graduation Exam Inside "Hope's Peak Academy," Fuyuhiko and the remaining survivors gathered in the gymnasium following Monokuma's announcement. He revealed that before deciding whether they wished to leave Jabberwock Island, they would undergo a "graduation exam." This exam required them to learn about the outside world by investigating materials Monokuma had scattered throughout the academy—a means meant to buy him time until "the main cast," the survivors of the Killing School Life working with the Future Foundation, arrived inside the Neo World Program.[6]

   While exploring the academy, Fuyuhiko, alongside Hajime, learned from Monokuma about Junko Enoshima, the Ultimate Despair, and the Tragedy of Hope's Peak Academy, which involved the mass suicide of 2,357 Reserve Course students, with Hajime as the sole exception. Fuyuhiko didn't believe Junko had any involvement in their killing game, as she had already perished during the Killing School Life.[6]

   In the final class trial, Fuyuhiko struggled to accept that they had been in a virtual reality all along, existing as avatars with their school memories erased. For a moment, he felt hopeful that the deceased students weren't truly dead. However, Monokuma, and later the fake Makoto Naegi, interjected, explaining that with their avatars gone, the chance of them ever waking up was nearly zero. This revelation devastated Fuyuhiko, causing him to shout curses in anguish. While still processing that revelation, along with the fact that he was part of the Remnants of Despair, Fuyuhiko, along with the others, was given a choice by Monokuma and the fake Makoto: to either "Graduate" or "Repeat" However, this was ultimately revealed to be a trap set by Monokuma's true form, Alter Ego Junko, who then revealed herself.[6]

   Danganronpa 2 CG - AI Junko Enoshima appearing (4) Witnessing Alter Ego Junko's appearance

   Although shocked by her return in the form of an Alter Ego, Fuyuhiko was tempted by her offer to revive the deceased students if he chose to graduate, disregarding the logic behind it. Before he could press the Graduate Button, the real Makoto entered the Neo World Program and stopped them. In reality, if they chose to Graduate, it would allow Alter Ego Junko to upload herself into the bodies of the dead students. Makoto proposed a Forced Shutdown, a system purge to end the Neo World Program, requiring a majority of fifteen people to press "Graduate" and "Repeat" simultaneously. To activate it, Kyoko Kirigiri and Byakuya Togami, Future Foundation members and Killing School Life survivors, joined Makoto, Fuyuhiko, and the others.[6]

   Danganronpa 2 CG - Survivors activating the Forced Shutdown Activating the Forced Shutdown

   However, the shutdown sequence would revert the Remnants of Despair to their original state and erase all memories made during the Killing School Trip. This reaffirmed Fuyuhiko, who deep down only wanted to see Peko again, to still consider choosing to graduate, despite knowing the risk of turning Peko into a copy of Junko. As he slowly succumbed to despair, Fuyuhiko heard "her" voice, remarking that it was the first time she had ever yelled at him. With the reinvoked Hajime encouraging him to go through with the shutdown and trust in their ability to shape their own future, Fuyuhiko overcame his dilemma, stating that he wouldn't be able to stand on his own feet if she kept treating him like a kid.[6]

   Danganronpa 2 CG - Survivors as the virtual world falls apart (1) Returning to the real world

   As the Neo World Program began collapsing after Usami purged Alter Ego Junko, Fuyuhiko and the remaining survivors shared one last conversation. Fuyuhiko stated that whether everything that had transpired within the Neo World Program would be in vain or not depended on them from that point forward. As they returned to the real world, they chose to remain on Jabberwock Island, possibly hoping to help their comatose friends—a decision Kyoko speculated showed they had discarded their Ultimate Despair identity.[6]

   Post-Killing School Trip Nagito's Illusory World Main article: Danganronpa 2.5: Nagito Komaeda and the World Vanquisher An illusory version of Fuyuhiko, created by the Neo World Program, appeared within Nagito's dream world shortly before Nagito was revived from his comatose state by Izuru Kamukura, who had by then merged with Hajime's personality and memories. Due to suffering a very traumatic death in the program, Nagito's mind created a strange, relatively peaceful world he lived in as a coping mechanism, which included this copy of Fuyuhiko.[45]

   Fuyuhiko was first shown in front of Hope's Peak Academy's gate with Kazuichi. The two of them approached the beat-up Nagito and discovered that he had undergone a series of unlucky events earlier. In class, Fuyuhiko found that Nagito's injury became worse as he was hit by a baseball that flew through the infirmary window while he was being looked after by Mikan. Both of them then saw Kazuichi have a heartwarming moment with Sonia, which led Fuyuhiko to ask if Nagito had a dream of his own and wanted him to drop his "nobody" act and show his true colors.

   After school ended, Fuyuhiko and Nagito waited for Kazuichi in front of the café where Kazuichi and Sonia were supposed to meet. As Fuyuhiko thought, Kazuichi planned to ditch his "date" due to his inferiority complex, thinking that a princess like Sonia was too good for a normal mechanic like him. Fuyuhiko told him that a man shouldn't back down on his word and shouldn't make Sonia wait for him for long. Thanks to Fuyuhiko and Nagito's support, Kazuichi managed to face his fear and meet with Sonia without any worry.

   On the way home, Fuyuhiko praised Nagito for successfully motivating Kazuichi, saying that it wasn't just noise coming out of his mouth. Nagito, however, told Fuyuhiko that the world should be free from any talents so people could reach a modest, happy life—in an intimidating manner—prompting Peko Pekoyama, who had been following them, to prepare to beat Nagito if necessary. Fuyuhiko, who saw through this, indirectly told Peko to back off, as well as Nagito, commenting that he was still as creepy as ever. Fuyuhiko then invited Nagito to drink non-alcoholic wine together before he suddenly fell off the road and accidentally hit Mikan, who was taking a walk with Hiyoko.

   The happy days of Fuyuhiko and his friends were suddenly shrouded in darkness after Kazuichi was murdered. Just before Kazuichi's funeral began, Fuyuhiko received a report that Kazuichi wasn't killed in an accident but was instead murdered by someone who called himself the World Destroyer.

   Fuyuhiko, along with Peko and Sonia, prepared to face their dear friend’s killer in a designated building. As they encountered the World Destroyer, Fuyuhiko and Sonia asked why he had killed Kazuichi, only to be told that the "who" didn’t matter and that the death of any classmate was sufficient. This statement angered Fuyuhiko, who was ready to shoot the World Destroyer to death before he was interrupted by Sonia, who shot him with a rocket launcher.

   Much later, after Peko called Nagito prior to her own death, the World Destroyer sent a photo of a deceased Fuyuhiko and Sonia to him. Nagito eventually came to see their corpses in person and faced off against the World Destroyer. In the final scene with the World Destroyer, Nagito managed to destroy the building where he had met him and, as a last act, killed himself using Fuyuhiko's gun, eventually waking up from the Neo World Program.

   After Nagito awoke from the Neo World Program, Fuyuhiko, Kazuichi, and the rest of his classmates, who just like Nagito, had been resurrected by Hajime, were already waiting for him at the harbor. The Ultimate Yakuza commented that he had slept for so long and wondered what kind of dream he had dreamed of. Nagito then hugged Fuyuhiko and Kazuichi, telling them that at least it wasn't a bad dream.

   Although Fuyuhiko had permanently lost his right eye even in the real world, he was purged of Junko's brainwashing. He then boarded the boat with the rest of Class 77-B and they all headed for the Future Foundation HQ, to stop the Final Killing Game involving Future Foundation leaders.[45]

   Atonement Main article: Danganronpa 3: The End of Hope's Peak High School/Hope Arc Fuyuhiko Hope Observing Peko's fight

   Fuyuhiko and his classmates arrived at the island where the Future Foundation's off-shore facility was located, having left Jabberwock Island. Having rescued Byakuya and Yasuhiro Hagakure from beneath the rubble, the group set out to confront their one and only classmate, Ryota Mitarai, the Ultimate Animator, who Junko had coerced into creating the brainwashing video that transformed Ibuki and the others into the Ultimate Despair.[28][29] Unlike Fuyuhiko and the rest, he avoided being turned into Ultimate Despair due to his contribution. Thus, Class 77-B's fight with the brainwashed rescue squad troops, including the Former Super High School Level Elite Task Force, began. Fuyuhiko observed Peko's battle with the Super High School Level Discus Thrower. After she came out victorious, Fuyuhiko commented that the bamboo sword was the most suitable weapon for Peko, to which she agreed.[33]

   Fuyihiko Peko invite Ryota to join them Confronting Ryota

   Later, Fuyuhiko helped convince Ryota to abandon his plan to brainwash the world. During the confrontation, Ryota expressed his belief that he and the other Remnants of Despair could never be forgiven for allowing Junko to plunge the world into despair. In response, Hajime offered Ryota the chance to join them in returning to Jabberwock Island to atone for their sins together. Fuyuhiko also told him to stop sulking and join them. Ryota eventually broke down in tears and agreed, stopping the countdown mere seconds before the brainwashing was completed. Fuyuhiko and the others later came to his side to comfort him.[33]

   Fuyuhiko and the other former Remnants of Despair shouldered the blame for the Final Killing Game by sending a broadcast video to the Future Foundation. They presented themselves in their despair personas and preserved the Future Foundation's credibility and power to rebuild the world.[33]

   Having accomplished their atonement, Fuyuhiko and his classmates boarded back to Jabberwock Island by boat. He was last seen offered plates of food by Peko.[33]

   Real Fiction Main article: Danganronpa V3: Killing Harmony Danganronpa V3 Tsumugi Shirogane Halfbody Sprite (Fuyuhiko Kuzuryu) (1) Cosplayed by Tsumugi Shirogane

   In Danganronpa V3: Killing Harmony, it is alleged by the mastermind Tsumugi Shirogane, the Ultimate Cosplayer, that the entire Danganronpa franchise is fictional in-universe; a series of games, anime, and later live-action dramas performed actors. In particular, Tsumugi, who is the Ultimate Cosplayer, claims she is only able to cosplay fictional characters (breaking out into a bright pink rash whenever she tries to cosplay a real person), and the fact she is able to cosplay as the whole cast of Danganronpa characters including Fuyuhiko Kuzuryu is used as evidence to support her claim that all of the cast are fictional. However, due to a number of holes in Tsumugi's story which make her an unreliable narrator, whether or not she was telling the truth is deliberately left up to the player's interpretation; as a result, it is up to the player whether they believe Fuyuhiko's story within the Danganronpa series was real, or a fictional story written by Team Danganronpa and performed by an actor.[46]

   Creation and Development Translation Credit: Kaibutsushidousha on Tumblr

   Creator Kazutaka Kodaka revealed that the first element established about Fuyuhiko during the earliest stages of development was his title: Super High School Level Yakuza. However, in their subconscious effort to create a "legit yakuza," the development team couldn't find a personality that fit the role. Character designer Rui Komatsuzaki noted that his early design pitches for Fuyuhiko leaned too heavily into the stereotypical "burly, scary, and ruffian" image of a yakuza. None of the "giant man" designs were approved, so Komatsuzaki swapped Fuyuhiko's original design with the "dumb cute boy" concept he had initially created for Nekomaru.[47]

   The design shift bent Fuyuhiko's character direction into "a cute yakuza boy." Komatsuzaki then reimagined Fuyuhiko's appearance, changing from a traditional Japanese yakuza aesthetic to something closer to an Italian mafia style. The resulting design features a vulgar young man in a high-class suit, lending him an unexpectedly intellectual look. That said, Fuyuhiko's in-game scenes retain little of the Italian mafia flavor. On the contrary, the traditional undertones of an old-fashioned Japanese yakuza remain intensely present throughout his scenes.[47]

   According to Kodaka, Fuyuhiko was designed as a character whose personality and mannerisms would gradually evolve throughout the story, with big turning points in the early, middle, and late stages of the game. Kodaka noted how Fuyuhiko's constant character development was particularly tiresome to write. However, as a result, Fuyuhiko became a fleshed-out and widely appreciated character. In the early parts of the story, he was portrayed as a "big baby" who couldn't do anything on his own, which was a rare personality type within the Danganronpa series.[47]

   Daisuke Kishio, Fuyuhiko's Japanese voice actor, also commented on his character:

   "I think Fuyuhiko Kuzuryuu is a very likable character, cool right from his name. At a first glance, what stands out the most is his short stature, baby face, and cute freckles, but he’s actually a gangster who gets things done better than any adult, and even kind of a dandy. These little quirks are what make characters fun to voice, and what makes me can’t stop wanting all of you to love them."[47] Name His first name (冬彦) can mean "winter boy" or "winter prince", while his last name (九頭龍) means "nine-headed dragon", which happens to be a deity in Japanese culture. Despite his name meaning "winter boy", Fuyuhiko was born in the middle of summer, which corresponds to his younger sister's name. Although it is written using different characters, the first two syllables in Natsumi's name make the Japanese word for "summer" (夏).

   He was initially planned to be named "Inuhiko" (犬彦), meaning "dog boy." However, since Nekomaru (猫丸 "round cat") already had an animal-themed name, his name was changed to Fuyuhiko. He was given the last name Kuzuryū because Komatsuzaki was robbed in Kuzuryū Park three times during his middle school days.[47]

   Alternate Fates Island Mode and Ultimate Talent Development Plan exist in two separate alternate universes: one where Usami succesesfully kicks Monokuma out of the Neo World Program and the Hope Restoration Program goes forward as intended, and one where Fuyuhiko still attends Hope's Peak Academy, but no students are in peril. As they are alternate universes, these events are non-canonical, but because Fuyuhiko's personality is unchanged, backstory information shared by him in these events is considered questionably or dubiously canonical rather than fully non-canonical.

   Free Time Events are also considered somewhat questionably canonical due to the nature of how Free Time Events are accessed (in that some characters' Free Time Events cannot be fully completed during the course of the canon game storyline due to limitations on the number of interactions you can have with them during one playthrough, and thus can only be accessed after they have canonically died either through a second playthrough or via Island Mode). However, due to Free Time Events being largely experienced during the canon game storyline, Free Time Events are more grounded in canon than Island Mode and Ultimate Talent Development Plan and are largely considered canon by the majority of players.

   Appearance Danganronpa 2: Goodbye Despair design document He is a slim young man with a refined appearance, often described as having a "baby face." Because of his fairly short build, Fuyuhiko generally presents an overly aggressive demeanor to assert that he is, in fact, a tough gangster. He has dusty blond crew-cut hair, with a distinct pair of curved lines shaved on each side of his head. He also has freckles along the bridge of his nose and a birthmark near his mouth on the right side. His eyes are gold, and he has permanent blush marks on both cheeks.

   Befitting his title, Fuyuhiko dresses in traditional yakuza fashion: well-tailored suits. During the Killing School Trip, he wears a two-piece suit consisting of a dark pinstripe jacket and pants over a white dress shirt. His tie is brown-black with an animal skull emblem on it, and he wears black dress shoes with a platform heel. On his left lapel is a pin in the shape of the emblem of the Kuzuryu family, and he wears two silver rings on his right hand. He later wears a black eyepatch with a white, round dragon pattern. Even though many Yakuza members get tattoos, Fuyuhiko states that he has not been tattooed yet.[48]

   In his official splash art, Fuyuhiko wears a similar outfit with the addition of a black fedora adorned with a dragon emblem on the left. He layers his suit with a black blazer with the Kuzuryu emblem pinned to the left lapel, pairs it with black shoes, and holds a pair of dark sunglasses in one hand.

   While attending Hope's Peak Academy, Fuyuhiko wears a white long-sleeved button-up shirt secured by a pale teal necktie underneath a pastel-brown waistcoat with a grid pattern. He pairs this with black school slacks and the same pair of shoes he wears in the Killing School Trip.

   With eyepatch With eyepatch Splash art Splash art Hope's Peak Academy attire Hope's Peak Academy attire As a member of the Ultimate Despair, he wears a black fedora, suit and jacket, and a long scarf hanging loose and untied on his shoulders. His right eye was implied to have been replaced by Junko's eye, and as such, he wears an eyepatch with a golden dragon pattern. He discards his eyepatch upon leaving the Neo World Program, showing a vertical scar where his eye used to be.

   His swimsuit in Danganronpa S: Ultimate Summer Camp consists of a pair of white swim trunks with faint black vertical stripes, accented by a black drawstring and hem. It has a side pocket on his right leg with the Kuzuryu Clan emblem at the bottom edge of his left leg. He also wears a necklace and two silver rings on his right hand.

   Ultimate Despair attire Ultimate Despair attire Swimsuit (Danganronpa S) Swimsuit (Danganronpa S) Personality First Impression “ He probably wants to be a part of the group, but he can't be honest about it... He believes he's different from everyone else... That's why he's always alone. ...He's like the main character of an RPG. Have you played those before?

   — Chiaki about Fuyuhiko, Chapter 1 - Deadly Life ” Fuyuhiko is initially incredibly stand-offish, always in a crappy mood, and rude to the other students on the island. He claims he's not going to play at being friends with anyone, and considers it not worth his time and beneath him. When Fuyuhiko interacts with others, whether by choice or not, his attitude is combative and irritable. He is easily angered and often resorts to threatening or insulting others when they disagree with or complain about his actions. He badmouths everyone, using names like "bastard," "dumbass," and "motherfucker." In the original Japanese, his signature insult is boke (ぼけ), and he frequently punctuates arguments with it. He is also not above casually issuing death threats to anyone who irritates him. He asserts his yakuza background so often to enhance his lone-wolf attitude. Despite claiming he had no interest in the party hosted by the Imposter, he shows signs of wanting to attend by lurking around the old building. He makes excuses before leaving the moment Chiaki picks up his true intention.[37] His bad attitude causes mutual dislike between him and Mahiru, who often scolds him and is distressed by his constant death threats. Their tension escalates after they learn that they are a part of the Twilight Syndrome Murder Case, with Fuyuhiko ending up planning to kill her for her involvement in her little sister's death. He hesitates when he gets into an altercation with her, but her firm belief that revenge is wrong pushes him over the edge, and he nearly goes through with it before Peko ultimately kills her in his place.[18]

   This defensive attitude in the early stages of the killing game may have stemmed from his pride as the Ultimate Yakuza, as well as an underlying insecurity about his position. He wants to prove that he can survive on his own without relying on the Kuzuryu Clan or his assigned hitman, which is why he pushes Peko away and loathes being treated like a kid. He claims he distances himself from others so he won't be dragged down by affection when the time comes to kill. However, in the end, it is affections that prevent him from escaping the killing game on his own when Peko presents him with the opportunity to do so. His quest for revenge over his little sister's death wavers, as he finds himself unable to sacrifice everyone else's lives for his own. Worse, doing so would mean confirming that he sees Peko, a very dear childhood friend, as nothing more than a tool assigned to him by his clan. That hesitation leads Hajime to realize that beneath all of Fuyuhiko's anger, rudeness, defensiveness, and lone-wolf behavior, he is actually a very different person. He breaks down for the first and only time during the killing game, overcome with pure agony and tears as Peko is dragged to her execution. He tries to intervene but only ends up losing both Peko and his right eye in the process.[18]

   Growth Feeling remorse and guilt over causing Peko and Mahiru's deaths, Fuyuhiko decides to take responsibility for his actions by gradually becoming the kind-hearted yakuza Peko had always known since childhood.[19] He grows more sociable and cooperative, unafraid to admit his mistakes. He becomes a man of his word who refuses to half-ass his resolve, attempting harakiri to properly apologize and attending his recovery party despite his injuries, something the old Fuyuhiko would have never done. Viewing his life as a spare and living on borrowed time thanks to Peko's sacrifice, he honors Hiyoko's wish to be the first to "be cut off" when problems arise. This is why he volunteers to assist Mikan and Hajime in caring for the sick students during the Despair Disease outbreak and even attempts to intervene in Akane's execution.[40] Although he matures into a loyal, level-headed, protective, and caring figure, he still retains his short temper and habit of cursing, often calling others 'bastards' and 'dumbasses', though now he uses it more affectionately. This side of Fuyuhiko is shown even during his school years. Despite retaining his lone-wolf tendencies,[23] he gradually becomes more involved in group activities and grows to genuinely care about his classmates.

   He also becomes a deeply contemplative person, often reflecting on his past mistakes and genuinely striving to better himself to atone for them. He realizes how wrong it was to blindly rush into revenge, and now lives with the consequences, constantly haunted by them. However, in his final Free Time Event, he manages to calm himself and refocus on surviving, determined to ensure that none of his fallen classmates' deaths are in vain.[49] Seeing himself in Akane's shoes after Nekomaru sacrificed his human body to protect her, he tells her to drop her nonchalant act, be honest about her feelings and guilt, and, most importantly, express her gratitude to Nekomaru for everything he's done.[42] He tells Hajime to take good care of the important women in his life before it's too late, speaking from the pain of losing Peko and Natsumi.[5] After escaping the killing game, he wants to visit his sister's grave and hold a proper funeral for Peko and Mahiru, though he's ultimately relieved of that burden when Hajime brings the latter two back.[50] He comes to respect Mahiru's protective tendencies by once scolding Kazuichi's rudeness toward Chiaki, saying that Mahiru would scold him if she were still around.[43] He also once reflects and becomes emotional over a particular photo displayed at Mahiru's memorial, one she had secretly taken, showing him and Peko together, appearing like equals for the first time. His growth throughout the killing game leads Hajime to describe him as looking like a mature, grown man.[51]

   He often contemplates his position as well, having self-esteem issues about carrying the burden of being the rightful heir to the Kuzuryu Clan. He thinks his little sister is better suited for the job, and in the meantime wanting to be strong on his own without ever relying on his family's power.[5] Because of his insecurities, Fuyuhiko is particularly sensitive about his appearance, knowing that people expect a big, muscular man to lead a yakuza family. His own appearance defies those expectations, but his sheer willpower and the way he overcomes great hardships prove that he's more than capable of leading. He dislikes and will react violently if someone were to describe him as having a "baby face" or if they were to make fun of his height.[12][52][53] Fuyuhiko is lactose intolerant and hates when people mention milk, even though he secretly wishes he could drink it to grow taller. Despite his tough status, he's just like a normal person with simple pleasures. He enjoys sweets like fried dough cookies (karintō in the original Japanese), though he finds them embarrassingly unmanly and keeps that preference to himself. In contrast, he appears to dislike sour stuff.[54] He's likewise self-conscious about not having any tattoos, claiming it is something not to be gawked at.[48][55]

   In his Free Time Event, Hajime's "harmless-looking face" and inviting presence allow Fuyuhiko to openly reflect on his past while also giving him confidence in his ability to lead the clan and face the future.[5] Deeply honoring their bond, Fuyuhiko even performs a brotherhood cup ceremony with him, officiating him as a "brother" and vowing that they'll both make it out of the killing game alive, a promise they ultimately fulfill.[49] In his Island Mode ending, he resolves to stop running from his weaknesses and the constant comparisons to his little sister, vowing to become a man worthy of leading the family business with his own hands.[53]

   Fuyuhiko takes duty very seriously, and if there's someone who he can trust, he will open his heart and cooperate with them. Despite having no compunctions about murder or framing others for his crimes, he takes more trivial violations of honor and moral codes seriously. For instance, he is strictly against underage drinking,[49] underage driving,[56] and teenage sex.[39] He is also very critical of Kazuichi for his constant attempts to flirt with Sonia. He once desperately tried to stop Kazuichi from molesting Sonia when they were under the effect of aphrodisiacs.[24] During his school years, he was one of the few students who attended the class regularly, even though he didn't have to.

   Talent and Abilities Ultimate Yakuza

   As the heir to the Kuzuryu Clan, Fuyuhiko was raised in a "kill or be killed" environment, where settling disputes through violence was the norm. Even his parents' arguments sometimes ended with him getting involved and nearly killed.[4] Due to his family's notoriety, people treated him with extreme caution. He claimed to have gotten used to being doubted, admitting that he had done many things that deserved suspicion.[57] He also expressed that he could relate to the dark impulse of refusing to let someone you hold a grudge against die easily.[58] This manifested in his tendency to indulge in his "an eye for an eye" philosophy against those who wronged him or the people he cared about. He avenged his younger sister by killing her murderer, Sato, and during the Killing Game, he devised a plan to kill Mahiru, who had previously helped Sato cover up the crime. He specifically used a metal bat to murder Sato and later planned to kill Mahiru with one to emphasize that philosophy. [18]

   Having been used to being surrounded by a "mountain of bodies," Fuyuhiko did not get overwhelmed by death easily, even from a young age. To him, the way his classmates tried to get along and play nice during the Killing Game made less sense than his initial confrontational and direct approach to embracing a bloodbath.[4] This leads him to frequently sympathize with his classmates for being forced into participating in the killing game. To him, they are only "civilians,"[42] "students who live honest lives,"[4] and "regular bastards",[53] people from a completely different world where bloodshed is not the norm.

   Despite being toughened by his upbringing, he claims there is nothing inherently strong about him aside from being born into the Kuzuryu Clan.[4] He worries and questions about his positions constantly,[19] thinking his younger sister will make a better leader due to her skill set. Natsumi counters that she is only amazing due to being her little sister. She even attempts to follow him into Hope's Peak's main course because she believes he truly deserves his title.[5]

   True to Natsumi's words, Fuyuhiko possesses qualities that warrant Hope's Peak scouting him as the Ultimate Yakuza, namely his resolve and willpower. Feeling remorse for directly causing the deaths of Mahiru and Peko, he swallows his pride by formally greeting the group he had previously antagonized and berated nonstop. He then attempts harakiri to prove the sincerity of his words and later insists on attending his recovery party hosted by Ibuki despite his reopened wounds, prompting Nekomaru to remark that, like any other yakuza, Fuyuhiko may have mastered pain tolerance to an art.[39]

   Fuyuhiko not only changes for the better ever since Peko dies in the Neo World Program, but he also supports the group throughout with his organizational and leadership skills. He assists Mikan and Hajime in monitoring the students affected by the Despair Disease and resolves the surveillance camera issue connecting the hospital and motel teams by instructing Kazuichi to set up the device 30 minutes after every morning and evening announcement.[39] He also helps coordinate the group's efforts to locate the so-called bombs Nagito has planted somewhere on the island.[43]

   Fuyuhiko's leadership is further exemplified during his time as a member of Ultimate Despair, where he uses his influence and his clan's power to help lead the spread of despair.[34] He also has contacts he can rely on to gather information for him, such as locating Mikan's whereabouts after she disappears during his upperclassman year.[29]

   He appears to be well-acquainted with yakuza traditions such as sakazukigoto, a highly formal ceremony in which two or more men exchange sake in traditional cups, typically to pledge loyalty and brotherhood. In Fuyuhiko's case, he swaps the sake with water, and the ceremony is performed with Hajime in his final Free Time Event to honor their friendship and to promise that they will both make it out of the killing game alive. The ceremony is also traditionally used to establish a hierarchy between parties, which is why Fuyuhiko asks Hajime if he wants to be his underling or "little brother."[49] Fuyuhiko also possesses the knowledge of popular yakuza-themed media, such as the movies A Man from Abashiri Prison and The Yakuza Papers.[59]

   Ultimate Yakuza official translations in other languages Kuzuryu Clan Further details about the clan members, including Fuyuhiko's relatives are expanded in his Island Mode. Despite his parents' violent tendencies and the many traumatic experiences he endured witnessing that violence, Fuyuhiko deeply respects both of them. He mentions that his father is so strong he could lift the Jabberwock Statue on his own,[16] has his own biography published,[60] and even took Fuyuhiko fishing, turning their catch into fresh sashimi to eat on the spot.[48] His mother, on the other hand, is extravagant; she loves coconuts so much that they are scattered across the floor all year round. The Kuzuryu Clan has a tradition that they won't acknowledge a man as a true member unless he can split a coconut with his bare hands. The family also has a summer custom of slicing watermelons with long cane swords at the beach until the sand is soaked red.[48] The family's fondness for violence runs even in his cousin, who is obsessed with weapons, though she never lets him touch them. He once had a great-grandfather who was a former Navy man.[61] Perhaps the most infamous Kuzuryu is his late uncle, known as the "Overlord of the South," said to be the strongest member of the clan. Rumors claimed his final battle with a pursuing detective nearly destroyed the world,[5] and Fuyuhiko genuinely believed his uncle was even stronger than a tank.[61]

   Free Time Events & Bonus Mode Guides The links below are full transcripts and indepth guides for Fuyuhiko Kuzuryu's relationship routes in Free Time Events, Island Mode, Ultimate Talent Development Plan, and Danganronpa S Development Mode including his MonoMono Machine Present preferences and most effective dialogue options.

   Prologue:

   "I-It's probably remote controlled or something... Don't act like such a pussy over a child's toy." "Name's Fuyuhiko Kuzuryu... Just so we're clear, I don't plan to act friendly and shit with you guys." Chapter 1:

   "I'm used to being mistrusted... Do what you will..." "I'm not your friend, dumbass! When did I ever become friends with you bastards?" "Hmph, let me be perfectly clear... ...I can do it, y'know." "Don't talk to me like we're friends or something! I live in a completely different world than you bastards... Kill or be killed... That's the kind of world I live in. Heh, the current rules make more sense to me than that "Play nice and get along" crap." "Don't treat me like a kid, bitch!" "Hell no, not even if you paid me... Parties are stupid. They make me wanna puke..." "Heh, I'm only buttin' in 'cause you fuckin' idiots are outta your element." "Hey, that better be true! If you screwed up, I'll sell your fuckin' ass to a whorehouse!" Chapter 2:

   "Hmph...I'm not avoiding you bastards. ...I've just decided not to rely on anyone. That includes the Kuzuryu Clan... I can still survive without relying on them..." "Don't get it twisted. I'm a yakuza by blood. It's not like I don't want to head the family business someday. I just want to prove I've earned it. Prove I can tough it on my own without relying on my clan." "Anyway, I don't intend to spend any time with you guys. Nothing good can come of it. In this kind of situation, interacting with others will just shorten your lifespan... Those idiots, Byakuya and Teruteru, are proof of that. Plus...it'd be frustrating to be held back by affection when it's my time to kill!" "Of course... I'll sacrifice the lives of everyone here if it guarantees my survival." "Is that what you guys do? If you don't like your "buddy", you corner them... Tch, look at you sheep acting all righteous." "You guys are fucking stupid... Don't get worked up over something so idiotic..." "Heh...it's your loss if you end up dying. All we need to do is kill if we want to win." "There's nowhere for me to run, anyway... So no matter the ending...I have to accept it, right? But still... I'm a yakuza! Accepting defeat is not an option!" "I'm a yakuza...I won't run or hide..." "Somethin' wrong with that!? It's just a fuckin' game, don't go mixing up some video game with reality!" "If she was the type to die easily, I'd have fuckin' killed her myself a long time ago..." "Tch... You sure do talk a lot of shit... Well, I'm used to it by now..." "If you keep makin' shit up, I'LL FUCKIN' KILL YOU!!!!!!!!!" "The only one childish enough to eat gummies is that midget over there." "The only way to survive is to be suspicious... This is where we go to thoroughly doubt each other... So if you believe in each other so easily...then there's definitely somethin' wrong with you!" "Dumbasses... You bastards don't know anything... If you're stupid enough to trust each other... ...the only thing waitin' for you is the bitter truth." "Sh-Shut up! Just shut the fuck up and answer me! If you have an answer then fuckin' give it to me!" "An eye for an eye"... That's the world I live in. For revenge...clubbing the person to death the same way my sister was killed just seemed to make sense... Even if it ruined my disguise, it was the only thing I could do to avenge my sister..." "I'm sorry, Peko... I guess...I couldn't go through with it after all... Cause...if that's actually what I have to do to survive... I'd just feel ashamed of myself. It'd mean I can't live without depending on something... I'd just feel disgusted with myself... And...if I admit that... It means...you really are just a tool to me. How many times did I tell you..? I don't want a tool given to me by the Kuzuryu Clan..." "How many times...do you have to keep... I don't need any tools... Jeez... Why don't you get it yet...? You stayed by my side...all this time... Why don't you get it...? I never needed...a sword...or a shield... I never needed...a tool... S-so... You didn't...need to become a tool... You just...you just needed to be yourself... I... I never wanted a tool! I just wanted you! Only you! Wh-Why!? Why couldn't you understand!? We've always been together, ever since we were kids! P-Please Peko! Don't go...! I need you! Don't leave me!" Panic Talk Action Remarks:

   "Got proof, you bastard!?" "I'll sell your fucking organs!" "That's obviously impossible!" "You're pissing me off!" "Shut up! Shut up! Shut up!" "Bastard!" "Don't fuck with me!" "Ghghh..." "If she used the bamboo sword as a stepstool, it would've been left behind!" (Final Argument) Chapter 3:

   "Heh... There's no way I'd die from something like this... There's no way...I can die..." "I got something I wanna say! Whatever I say after this point... I apologize in advance if I make a mistake! My last name is Kuzuryu! My first name is pronounced, "Fu-yu-hi-ko"! I'm still an inexperienced member of my family's business! From this point forward, I hope we get along so we can get to know each other better!" "Heh...it's only one eye. Besides, don't I look like I've gained some prestige or somethin'?" "I-I didn't think...I'd be forgiven with such...a half-assed apology... But...if I don't do this...m-my feelings...won't feel resolved...! Tch...I feel so ashamed... I-In the end...I made trouble for everyone again..." "I...never want to feel that feeling over again... If I have to feel that way again... I'll make sure I stop it, even if it costs me my life...! It's...just a little life Peko gave me... It's not precious anyway...!" "Heh, even in such an abnormal situation...people still get hungry..." "This life of mine is a spare anyway...! Whatever's happening over here, just leave it to us... We'll make sure to keep the disease from spreading..." "W-were you guys sleeping together? Y-You dirty rotten bastard! You guys are fuckin' high school students!" "I understand that you're worried...but there's nothing we can do here." "Seeing is believing", as they say." "...Oh well. Let's look forward to tomorrow." "If it open, the only thing we can do is force our way through!" "It doesn't matter if you can do it or not! We have to try!" "Thinking like that won't do anything. We have to do this... If we don't do anything, we'll all be executed...!" "All right, I'm definitely gonna find it...! I won't let the killer get away with this...!" "What...? Do you still doubt me? Well, I'm used to it... It's true I've done things that I deserve to be doubted for... So don't worry...even if you doubt me, I don't plan on dismembering you and encasing you in concrete." "You better not have kept quiet on purpose! This isn't a game, you know!" "I'm not taking her side or anything...but being clumsy and unskilled in this area could lead to a mistake..." "That's a little... Aren't you like the thief who suspects everyone else of being thieves?" "I-Is this broad really okay?? She's emotionally unstable!..." "Hey, Supreme Overlord of Who-Gives-A-Shit... That line doesn't suit you at all." Chapter 4:

   "Tch, like you said, we don't have time to just stand and stare..." "What are you giving up for...dumbass! If we were brought inside this place, then there's definitely an exit out somewhere!" "I'm sure you don't want to hear this, since I caused a similar incident... And I already know that a guy like me has no right to say this to you but... But...when I look at you, I just have to say something...! You don't need to act so stubborn, you know? 'Cause...I know what you're going through. The only reason you're standing here right now...is because someone sacrificed himself for you... You feel guilty about that. Isn't that right? So you don't want to be honest about it, huh... Well, I understand that feeling too... But like he said, it's better to just be alive... It might hurt to look at his painful appearance right now... But you're much better off because at least he's still alive! I mean...for me... ... S-Sorry... Right now...I feel very grateful to her... But I can't tell her that anymore. But you're different. So... Make sure you tell him how grateful you are..." "Dammit! How much more of this do we have to take until he's satisfied!?" "That piece of shit... How dare he pull such a dirty trick on civilians...!" "Looks like...we don't even have the strength...to get upset..." "Stop complaining... You're bringing me down..." "This guy... He gets off on this!.." "You bastard... Do you understand the situation you're in right now?!" "Are you seriously saying he used his hamsters to press the button on the back of Nekomaru's Neck?" Chapter 5:

   "You know... Every time we meet up here, it makes me realize just how crazy this whole situation is..." "Seriously...I'm starting to realize how valuable Teruteru was..." "Well, he's always been a dangerous bastard, but he's crossed the line, you know?" "Well, it's true that I don't really expect much... But who said we weren't gonna go? Obviously we're gonna go, dumbass!" "Nagito's a pain in the ass, but is there anything we can do about Kazuichi's idiocy...? He doubts everyone so easily and never apologizes for it... Well, I guess I'm used to it..." "What a rude way to ask for help... If Mahiru was here, she would've beaten you up." "Monokuma's trap...Monomi's trap...and now Nagito's trap... If we keep worrying about shit like that, we won't get anything done, dumbass!" "Like I said, if you keep worrying about shit like that, you won't get anything done. Just prepare for the worst...!" "...Now's not the time to complain about stuff like that!" "The only thing we can do is split up and cover as much as ground as we can!" "You can't! You don't even have a driver's license!" "You bastards...what are you saying...? You guys can just beat the shit out of him, because I'm the one who's gonna fucking kill him!" "Don't fuck with me...! We're tired of this too, you know...! That's why I'll definitely make sure to finish this for good this time...!" "Even if we can go home...it'l be the end for us if we screw up here...!" "But this is Monokuma we're talking about, you know? There's no way this'll end smoothly with a countdown..." "The killer...managed to kill someone like Nagito... There's no way this is going to go smoothly... I mean...I still can't believe one of us was able to do that..." "I also want to believe that there's no killer...but suicide is unimaginable." "He's a fucking bastard who killed himself for his delusions of grandeur! It's not that unthinkable...!" "...Just to be safe, huh? Tch, guess I have no choice... If that's the case, I'll do my best to go along with it." "I-I get what you're saying but... In the end, the reason he died is still the same as before, right? Even if we solve this mystery, the conclusion won't change at all..." "Looks like...we gotta do what we can... It's not like I believe she's the traitor, there's just no way we can ignore this without confirming it..." "You're right...there's nothing to worry about...since...everyone's here..." Chapter 6:

   "Now's not the time to zone out." "If that's the case, let's all leave this island alive by any means...!" "Like Sonia said...if there's no more killing, we don't have to worry about anyone betraying us anymore." "I-I don't believe it... There's no way I can believe this...! Ultimate Despair... Junko Enoshima... Heh, it doesn't scare me at all... I mean... Junko Enoshima is already dead!" "An imitation is just that: an imitation. If the students from Hope's Peak Academy stopped the real deal, there's no way we'll lose to some fake!" "Don't fucking mess with me, you bastard! Did you have us all come here just to tell us bullshit!?" "You better not say we're fictional characters!" "If a lie is a believable lie... You're saying it might become the truth?" "But still...is it really okay to sacrifice the others just to save ourselves...?" "Why are you surprised...? It's a computer program...so anything's possible, right?" "What game!? This game is already over!" "I-I know anything goes here...but this...this is clearly not fucking okay...!" "Who fucking cares about logic!? As long as everyone who died comes back to life, that's good enough!" "Anything goes in this world! You've seen that happen so many times already, right!?" "We're obviously going to get out of here...! If it'll bring our dead friends back, it's all we can do!" "We...can finally end this, you know... If we get out of here...it'll all resolve itself peacefully... After all this, I can't let you get in the way!" "H-How dare you look down on us...!" "Don't fuck with me! What about our lives!?" "I...I won't forgive you...! I will...never, EVER fucking forgive you...!" "You might think I'm a fool but... I...want to see Peko one more time..." "This burden...don't you dare make us shoulder it..." "I want to see Peko one more time..." "I'm well aware it might be an act of suicide. There's no telling how this'll play out... But... I...I heard her voice. In fact...I think it was the first time she ever yelled at me... Heh, I can't stand on my own two feet if she keeps treating me like a damn kid!" "You're so bad at explaining things... Now that it's the end, you should at least try a little harder!" "Well, whether it has meaning or not, it all depends on us now..." "Heh, with your colorful personalities, there's no way I'd forget you guys that easily!" Trivia Similar to Mondo Owada,[62] they clubbed their victims' head with a blunt object in a fit of rage, driven by the loss of their deceased siblings, though in Fuyuhiko's case, the act was carried out by Peko.[18] Discounting Chihiro Fujisaki's Alter Ego, Fuyuhiko was the first actual person to interfere in an execution, as well as the first person to be harmed during an execution that was not prepared for him. The other being to interfere with an execution was Genocide Jack in Punishment of the Fighter. In Danganronpa IF, it is revealed that Yasuhiro Hagakure owes him and his clan 8 million dollars, because he extorted money from "the girl related to the Kuzuryu Clan". Based on their interactions in the non-canon Danganronpa V3 bonus mode, Ultimate Talent Development Plan, Fuyuhiko is unaware that Yasuhiro scammed his sister and Yasuhiro is unaware Fuyuhiko's family is one of the families he owes money to. Fuyuhiko's English voice actor, Derek Stephen Prince, also voices Kokichi Oma in Danganronpa V3: Killing Harmony.[63] References Report Card (Japanese) Danganronpa 3 Despair Arc: Fuyuhiko Kuzuryu design profile Report Card Free Time Events 1: Fuyuhiko Kuzuryu Free Time Events 3: Fuyuhiko Kuzuryu Danganronpa 2: Goodbye Despair: Chapter 6 Danganronpa 1.2 Art Book: Fuyuhiko Kuzuryu Design Profile Overview. @Taichinchin on Tumblr: List of Danganronpa and Danganronpa 2 casts former high schools Derek Stephen Prince: "Alright you Danga Rompa fans: Danga Rompa 2 will be out this fall on PS Vita. Same mystery, same whodunit, but the end is NOT what you'd expect! Also, yours truly is the main bad guy, Fuyuhiko Kuzuryu." (Image of Post) (19 Feb 2014) Funimation: Danganronpa 3: The End of Hope’s Peak High School Broadcast Dub Cast Announcement (July 28, 2016) synchronkartei: Danganronpa 3: The End of Hope's Peak Academy - Despair Arc Introduction: Fuyuhiko Kuzuryu In Peko's Free Time Events, although she never name-drops her childhood friend, she consistently refers to her childhood friend using he/him pronouns, and Fuyuhiko is the only known childhood friend who has been with her since infancy. Free Time Events 4: Peko Pekoyama Free Time Events 5: Peko Pekoyama Island Mode - Jabberwock Park: Fuyuhiko Kuzuryu Island Mode - Jabberwock Park: Peko Pekoyama Danganronpa 2: Goodbye Despair: Chapter 2 - Deadly life Peko: "Young master... You have a kind heart, despite being a yakuza. That's why...you question your position and constantly worry about it. For you to sacrifice someone else just to escape by yourself... I believe you wouldn't accept that so easily. We've been together ever since we were children. Even a tool would understand that." (Danganronpa 2: Chapter 2 - Deadly Life) Danganronpa 3 - Despair Arc - Episode 03 Peko:I was ordered by my young master to behave... Just as I was ordered to...interact with you all... Peko: "Our professional relationship doesn't exist on this island. We're just fellow high school students now..." Right after we arrived on this island, that is what my young master ordered me to do." Peko: It's not as if...that started the moment we arrived on this island... Before that, my young master has always told me to hide our relationship. (Chapter 2 - Deadly Life) Danganronpa 3 - Despair Arc - Episode 01 @Jinjojess on Tumblr: Danganronpa 3 - Despair Arc Artbook: Fuyuhiko Kuzuryu Danganronpa 3 - Despair Arc - Episode 02 The murder of Natsumi Kuzuryu and Sato was later utilized in the Killing School Trip by Monokuma, serving as the game's second motive and was given the title "Twilight Syndrome Murder Case". D @Kaibutsushidousha on Tumblr: Danganronpa 2 Artbook: Fuyuhiko Kuzuryu Island Mode - Beach: Fuyuhiko Kuzuryu Free Time Events 5: Fuyuhiko Kuzuryu Free Time Events 4: Fuyuhiko Kuzuryu Fuyuhiko: "Oh, it's you... I...was just looking at this photo here. It's the first time...I've seen a photo of Peko and me where we look like equals... Tch, Mahiru... When the hell did she even take this photo?" Hajime: "Did I just see a flicker of light in Fuyuhiko's eye...? Was he...crying?" (Chapter 5 - Daily Life) Nagito: "Wow...when you two stand right next to each other, there's a noticeable height difference!" Fuyuhiko: "D-Drop it, bastard!" (Chapter 4 - Daily Life) Island Mode - Ending: Fuyuhiko Kuzuryu Free Time Events 2: Fuyuhiko Kuzuryu Fuyuhiko: "Jeez... Even her ignorance has a limit... ...It's Sonia. She had the nerve to say she wanted to check out my body. I don't know where she heard it from, but... She came up to me and said, "Real yakuza are supposed to have tattoos, so show them to me!" It's not funny for her to tell me to strip right in front of her! Who does she think she is!? Besides...tattoos aren't supposed to be gawked at!" (Chapter 5 - Daily Life) Akane: "Then I'll just drive the truck into the sea!" Fuyuhiko: "You can't! You don't even have a driver's license!" Akane: "A-Are you seriously gonna stop me!? I thought your family was all about breakin' the law!" (Chapter 5 - Daily Life) Fuyuhiko: "Well, I'm used to it... It's true I've done things that I deserve to be doubted for... So don't worry...even if you doubt me, I don't plan on dismembering you and encasing you in concrete." (Chapter 3 - Deadly Life) Fuyuhiko: "Refusing to let him die easily...I can totally understand a dark impulse like that...!" (Chapter 5 - Deadly Life) Island Mode - Movie Theater: Fuyuhiko Kuzuryu Island Mode - Library: Fuyuhiko Kuzuryu Island Mode - Military Base: Fuyuhiko Kuzuryu Danganronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc: Chapter 2 - Deadly life Derek Stephen Prince: "I can't stand it anymore!!!! I seriously can't stand it!!! I have been waiting SOOOOOOO long to tell you all about my involvement with Dangan Rompa 3, and I have just been given permission to, so I am happy to announce that I will be playing Kokichi Oma in the upcoming next installment of the game. I know I'm early in changing my profile picture, but I figured it was appropriate given the news." (Image of Post) (30 Aug 2017)

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   Gundham Tanaka Illustration Sprite DR3 (Despair) Illustration Name Kanji 田中 眼蛇夢 Romaji Tanaka Gandamu Katakana タナカ ガンダム English Gundham Tanaka Aliases & Titles Talent Characteristics Personal Status Debuts Portrayals

   “ Giving up on life and choosing death...is nothing but a blasphemy toward life. It is a violation of the natural order! It is the arrogance of humanity!

   — Danganronpa 2: Goodbye Despair ” Gundham Tanaka (田中 眼蛇夢), is a student of Hope's Peak Academy's Class 77-B, and a participant of the Killing School Trip featured in Danganronpa 2: Goodbye Despair. His title is the Ultimate Breeder (超高校級の「飼育委員」 lit. Super High School Level Animal Breeding Committee Member).

   He, along with Class 77-B, return in Danganronpa 3: The End of Hope's Peak High School to explore their school life leading up to The Tragedy.

   History Early Life Gundham's tendency to self-mythologize, coupled with his complicated and larger-than-life chūnibyō-influenced speech, often made his past difficult to interpret. While his dramatic language obscured certain details, elements of truth could still be discerned.

   One detail he revealed about his past was that he lived with his mother during his childhood. Even though they appeared to have a good mother-son relationship, her cooking skills left much to be desired. Having no choice but to silently endure her terrible cooking as to not make her cry, Gundham began to develop a belief that his body was "poisonous" and carried "a fearsome curse." He then used his home life to create a defensive persona to not let other people touch him, claiming that they would "immediately decompose and wither away." He applied this when he was in grade school, where it was revealed that he never held hands with other children. He would fake a condition and position himself near the teacher to avoid questions. He also regularly skipped folk dances at school,[14] managing to leave without participating, thanks to a nurse who sympathized with him, or as he put it in his own words, "from the same tribe" as him.[4] He also mentioned that he had only been to an amusement park once during his childhood and that no one had ever bought him a toy.[15][16]

   Gundham seemed to have an absent father, as his mother is the only parental figure he explicitly mentioned and credited with raising him. However, he hinted at his father's existence by describing himself as "the offspring of an angel and a devil" and "a result of a union between a human and a demon."[16][17]

   While attending Fazal Commerce High School[9][10], Gundham became a notable member of the Breeding Club due to his ability to tame any animal and his success in proliferating endangered species. A joke rumor circulated that he could also speak to animals.[18] His most noteworthy contribution, however, was running a website related to animal breeding. The true content was never revealed, but he claimed that his research results were eagerly awaited by scientists (or "sorcerers") around the world. The website was said to be highly secured (or "magically enchanted") so only chosen individuals could access it, while ordinary people could only access the dummy site called "Exciting Breeding Journal."[19] Gundham also conducted his own ethical breeding research, with his latest project being a hybrid hamster with "sparkling silver fur" with dominant spots and bands. Alongside this and many other animals he cared for at home, he entrusted their care to people he selected to assist with his breeding duties.[7]

   Four Dark Devas of Destruction Four Dark Devas of Destruction

   Gundham was always seen carrying the Four Dark Devas of Destruction (破壊神暗黒四天王, hakai-shin ankoku shiten-ō lit. Four Heavenly Kings of Darkness and Gods of Destruction), his four pet hamsters inside his scarf.[18] Their names are Supernova Silver Fox San-D (orange and white), Mirage Golden Hawk Jum-P (the ever-sleepy tan fur with a peach underbelly), Crimson Steel Elephant Maga-Z (grey and white with a chipped ear), and Invading Black Dragon Cham-P (orange and plump). Due to their territorial nature, Gundham used his body as "a bed" to tame them, which was why his left hand was always wrapped in bandages.[7][20]

   Prior to the Tragedy Attending Hope's Peak Academy Main article: Danganronpa 3: The End of Hope's Peak High School/Despair Arc First Year Tanaka's hamsters Cleaning the classroom

   Gundham was scouted by Hope's Peak Academy and enrolled in Class 77-B as the Ultimate Breeder and referred to himself as "Tanaka the Forbidden One." Since attendance was not mandatory for Ultimates as long as they continued to hone their talents, Gundham was not among the classmates who regularly attended class. Nonetheless, he was relatively easy to convince by his homeroom teacher, Chisa Yukizome, to start attending classes to build strong relationships and foster "hope" with his peers alongside honing his talent.[21]

   Danganronpa 3 (Despair Arc) - ED (Textless) (18) With Class 77-B

   Gundham was often seen spending time with his classmates—playing video games, having lunch together, electing Chiaki Nanami, the Ultimate Gamer, as their class representative, and even letting Kazuichi Soda, the Ultimate Mechanic, to play with Four Dark Devas of Destruction.[22][23] He also grew close to Sonia Nevermind, the Ultimate Princess, who, over time, picked up Gundham's unique way of speaking and mannerisms.[24]

   Danganronpa 3 - Despair Arc (Episode 04) - Aftermath (65) With his pet pomeranian

   As the Ultimate Breeder, Gundham often trained his pets and brought them to school, including his 'fearsome' Pomeranian. This pet was one of the few that was difficult for him to train,[25] managing to escape and wander the halls of Hope's Peak Academy on its own, prompting him to put up a missing poster for it. Unbeknownst to him, it had encountered Nagito Komaeda, the Ultimate Lucky Student, who accidentally spilled a drink while trying to greet it, only for the Pomeranian to lick it. These drinks were actually laced with the Antagonist drug of Gundham's upperclassman, Seiko Kimura, the Ultimate Pharmacist. This caused the pomeranian to grow into a giant and accidentally wreak havoc in the school gym, leading to a bomb incident. As a result, Nagito was suspended for a year due to his involvement in the incident, while Chisa as his homeroom teacher was placed on probation for one semester with the Reserve Course. Meanwhile, the pomeranian eventually shrank back to its normal size and returned to Gundham, who remained unaware of what it had done.[5]

   Second Year Tanaka's Grizner Performing with Grizner

   In his upperclassman year, Gundham continued to bring his pets to his classroom, even Grizner, a live brown bear, to demonstrate his talent by performing a series of strange gestures with it. This occurred around the same time when students from the Reserve Course students launch a massive protest against the Main Course, blaming them for causing the Tragedy of Hope's Peak Academy. Unbeknownst to most, the true mastermind behind the tragedy was Junko Enoshima, the originator of Ultimate Despair, who manipulated events behind the scenes and framed Izuru Kamukura—the result of the Izuru Kamukura Project—for the incident. The Hope's Peak Academy committee, responsible for the project, was accused of using the exorbitant fees paid by Reserve Course students to create so-called 'murderers'.[6][26]

   Gundam parodies Saint Seiya with his hamsters Twelve Zodiac Generals

   Although Gundham and his classmates were seemingly unrelated to the growing protest, they became involved after noticing that Mikan Tsumiki, the Ultimate Nurse, had been absent for some time. Nagito, who had recently returned from his suspension, claimed to have seen her on the school grounds, prompting Gundham, alongside his Twelve Zodiac Generals (each of the Four Dark Devas of Destruction's identical offspring), and the others to search for her while the parade was ongoing, but to no avail.[27]

   Kazuichi, Gundham, and Mahiru's reaction to Nagito's warning Contemplating whether to go or not upon Nagito's warning

   Gundham and his classmates reconvened in their classroom after failing to locate Mikan and assumed that Nagito had given them false information. However, they were soon shocked when Chiaki returned carrying an unconscious Nagito, and Mikan—whom they had been searching for—also appeared, carrying Peko Pekoyama, the Ultimate Swordswoman, who had been injured in a battle with Junko's twin sister, Mukuro Ikusaba. Chiaki and Nagito had infiltrated Junko's lair, but before Nagito could shoot Junko, Izuru knocked him out. Chisa, who had followed them, intervened just in time to buy enough time for Chiaki to carry Nagito to safety. Gundham, who was initially pleased with the chance to unleash his power to help Chisa, reconsidered once Nagito urged them not to go, warning it might be a suicide mission. However, Chiaki convinced him otherwise.[28]

   Nekomaru and Gundham rejoining the group Rejoining the group

   On their way to Junko's lair, their path was blocked by a band of Reserve Course students who wished to take them on in the battle to create placements on the Main Course for themselves. Gundham, together with Nekomaru Nidai, the Ultimate Team Manager, stayed behind to fend them off while the others went ahead. Despite their classmates' concerns for their safety, Gundham and Nekomaru, exhausted from their battle, were able to catch up with the group while walking down the tunnel beneath the Izuru Kamukura statue, due to Mikan, who had phoned them and given the group's whereabouts.[28]

   Class 77 Despair Class 77-B brainwashed

   Unbeknownst to Gundham and his classmates, this path to search for Chisa was nothing but a ruse made by Junko, with the help of Mikan and Chisa themselves who had been brainwashed into despair, to lead Class 77-B into what appeared to be the same room later used for the Class Trials. In this very room, Gundham and the others were forced to watch Chiaki executed in a brutal fashion. Gundham was horrified and wanted to find a way to save her, but he was too powerless to do anything. Bearing witness to Chiaki's death caused the brainwashing effect of the video to take hold of Gundham and the others, plunging them into despair.[29]

   Remnants of Despair watching Hope's Peak destruction Witnessing Hope's Peak's destruction

   Fully brainwashed into becoming the Ultimate Despair, Gundham and his classmates received their final lesson before "graduation", the one final meeting to discuss their plan to overthrow the world with despair. After Sonia expressed that she would bring her country "peace and no war", Gundham voiced that his class "have all proven to be true comrades". Chisa then activated a bomb that faked the death of Class 77-B so they could be taken off the list of protected students. Later, Gundham and his class stood outside the school grounds as they watched Hope's Peak's destruction.[30]

   The Tragedy Danganronpa 3 - Future Arc (Episode 01) - Intro (14) Leading an army of wild animals

   Gundham joined the Ultimate Despair after falling prey to Junko's brainwashing.[30] Alongside his corrupted classmates, he started The Tragedy and kept it ongoing even after Junko's death in the final stage of the Killing School Life.[31] Gundham and his classmates who did not commit suicide to follow their leader Junko soon became known as the Remnants of Despair.[31] They also hacked her body and grafted them onto themselves—though in Gundham's case, the specific body parts he took remain unknown. One of his infamous contributions as a member of the Ultimate Despair was leading an army of wild animals to help him spread despair and destruction.[32]

   Danganronpa 3 - Future Arc (Episode 01) - Makoto arriving (6) Remnants of Despair

   Eventually, the Future Foundation secured the custody of Gundham and the other fourteen - at first only aware that they were survivors from Hope's Peak Academy. When Makoto Naegi, Class 78th's Ultimate Lucky Student, by that time a member of the 14th Division of the Future Foundation, realized that the survivors were in fact, Remnants of Despair, he quickly directed them to Jabberwock Island in secret.[31]

   Danganronpa 2 CG - Neo World Program (4) Neo World Program

   Makoto made them enter the Neo World Program, where their memories were reset to a time prior to their entering Hope's Peak Academy, before they were brainwashed by Junko - resulting in all of them not recognizing each other.[31] The plan was to overwrite Gundham and the others' memories of themselves as Ultimate Despair, replacing them with good ones in order to undo all the damage Junko had done to them.[33] The scheme backfired when Izuru Kamukura, the Ultimate Hope, uploaded Junko's malware AI just before they were to be programmed. Consequently, they were subjected to the identical brutal incident that befell Class 78th, although in a realistically simulated environment. The killing game became known as the Killing School Trip, an ordeal in which Gundham and the other Remnants of Despair were coerced into participating.[31]

   Killing School Trip Main article: Danganronpa 2: Goodbye Despair Danganronpa 2 CG - Students in the classroom Killing School Trip participants

   Gundham participated in the Killing School Trip alongside fourteen other Remnants of Despair and one Future Foundation observer. It occurred in a virtual world, the Neo World Program, resembling Jabberwock Island. Due to his memories as the Ultimate Despair and life in Hope's Peak Academy being erased by the Future Foundation, he couldn't recognize any of his classmates.[31]

   After being teleported to the island, Gundham first introduced himself to Hajime Hinata at the airport. His grandiose personality, combined with the fact that he carried around his pet hamsters inside his scarf, quickly alarmed Hajime, who immediately flagged him as an eccentric person.[18] Unlike Hajime, however, Gundham seemed to be in a better temper at the beginning, telling the overly panicking Hajime to cool his head.[34]

   Danganronpa 2 CG - Everyone at the beach (1) Building a sand castle

   Later, Gundham and his classmates were assembled by Usami at the first island's beach, the observer of the school trip, an AI programmed by the Future Foundation, who claimed to be the class's teacher. She reassured the students that there was no need to worry and provided Gundham and the others with swimsuits, encouraging them to fully enjoy their "school trip". Gundham accepted her offer by changing into his swimsuit and could be seen building a sand castle on his own.[34]

   Danganronpa 2 CG - Start of the Killing School Trip The Killing School Trip begins

   The promising tropical school trip, however, turned into a nightmare immediately as Gundham learned that the evil animatronic bear, Monokuma, the self-proclaimed headmaster of Hope's Peak Academy, had hijacked their trip and turned it into a killing game. Despite initially refusing to participate, Gundham and the others had no choice but to submit to his authority after Usami was rendered powerless, forcibly renamed Monomi, and made an example by being blown to pieces by the Monobeasts.[34]

   Once the killing game started, Gundham regularly joined the morning meeting at the restaurant at the behest of the group's self-appointed leader, the Ultimate Imposter, and also to feed the Four Dark Devas of Destruction. He remained calm and unfazed by the emergence of the countdown and the possibility of a large organization masterminding the killing game. His composure only cracked when Sonia complimented his "cute" hamsters, making him blush and unintentionally igniting a one-sided romantic rivalry with Kazuichi, who was interested in Sonia.[20]

   The Party Danganronpa 2 CG - A photo of the party (2) Attending the party

   Gundham later agreed to join the all-night party the Imposter hosted at the old building. Thanks to San-D, he noticed that the windows in the building had been covered with iron plates, though he didn't know the exact reason why. Once the party started, Gundham started panicking when he realized his "Hell Hound Earring" had gone missing, just a few moments before a blackout occurred. [20] Even after the group made a horrifying discovery of the Imposter's body in the dining hall once the lights returned, it did not stop Gundham's agitation over his lost earring. He revealed that he had received it to commemorate taming the same Pomeranian pet he had at Hope's Peak and had worn it ever since.[25] When Hajime suggested it might have fallen through the gaps in the floorboards, Gundham spotted his earring.[35]

   Danganronpa 2 CG - Gundham Tanaka and Chiaki Nanami investigating Investigating a potential outside entrance to the floorboards

   Gundham then went around the building to look for a way to get under the floorboards. He was later helped by Chiaki, who thought it might be helpful to understand the true nature of the murder. Unfortunately, they were unable to find any access from the outside as the building was surrounded by firm fences. Gundham had yet to call it quits and continued searching for it, making him appear to Hajime as though he had no intention of investigating.[35]

   Danganronpa 2 CG - Gundham Tanaka finding the trap door Discovering the secret passage

   Gundham's stubbornness, however, proved extremely valuable during the class trial. With the help of Jum-P, he managed to find access to the floorboards through the storage room, where a secret passage was hidden beneath a large assortment of random boxes. He immediately grabbed a lighter from the supermarket before finally retrieving the lost earring he had dropped under the floorboard. While he was down there, he noted that the only out-of-the-ordinary item he discovered was the glowing paint applied to the knife near where the Imposter's blood was dripping. These discoveries became crucial in proving that the culprit had accessed the floorboards to murder the Imposter from beneath the gaps and relied on the glowing paint to move toward their target. Thanks to Gundham's contribution, the group managed to pin the crime on the true culprit, Teruteru Hanamura, the Ultimate Cook. As a result, he and the others survived the first class trial after Teruteru was correctly voted guilty and executed as punishment.[35]

   Silence and Solitude The following day, Gundham attended the regular morning meeting, even though the Imposter was no longer with the group. Upon learning that Monokuma had lost one of his Monobeasts, allowing the group to explore the second island, Gundham taunted him but was stopped from engaging in a pointless activity by Mahiru Koizumi, the Ultimate Photographer. He would also learn that Nekomaru and Kazuichi had knocked out Nagito and tied him up in the old lodge to prevent him from causing trouble, as he was the one who plotted to kickstart the killing game and tempted Teruteru to commit murder—a decision Gundham vehemently agreed upon.[36]

   One morning, Gundham, who typically spent his time by himself, overheard Kazuichi and Hajime's plan to rendezvous at the supermarket at 2:30 p.m. He went to ask them about it but was immediately shooed away by Kazuichi. The incident offended him and led Gundham to declare that someone like him, who desired only silence and indifference, would never concern himself with "ants." Despite this, Gundham reappeared at the same time that Kazuichi and Hajime were heading to the beach house. If Hajime talked to him, Gundham would once again remind him that he wished to be left alone, a lie that Hajime could tell by his lonely expression, and wish he had mustered the courage to just say he too wanted to be included in their hangout.[36] During the investigation of Mahiru's murder, Gundham revealed to Hajime that he had discovered their beach party event, once again insisting it was no concern of him as he loved silence and solitude. But by now, Hajime had begun to understand that, despite his claims, Gundham secretly wanted to be invited too.[33]

   Danganronpa 2 CG - Class Trial Elevator (Chapter 2) Descending to the second class trial

   During the class trial, Gundham was misled by the true culprit into believing that Hiyoko Saionji, the Ultimate Traditional Dancer, had summoned Mahiru to the beach house, hidden in the closet, and killed her upon her arrival before fleeing the scene. However, once Hiyoko calmed down and testified truthfully, Gundham and the others realized that she was merely being set up as a scapegoat for Mahiru's death. Gundham then opened a discussion regarding the physical state of the culprit after they had tainted themselves with Mahiru's blood while dragging her to block the roadside entrance of the beach house. This led the group to pinpoint the crime on Peko who used water bottles in the beach house to wash the blood off of her. Gundham later witnessed her execution, which injured Fuyuhiko Kuzuryu, the Ultimate Yakuza who Peko had secretly served as his hitman, who tried to intervene in the process. Gundham and the others had no other choice but to leave his fate to Monokuma's hand who ran him off to the hospital, saying that there was no other way than to move forward.[33]

   Despair Disease Following the second class trial, Gundham alongside Nagito arrived at the morning gathering a bit later than usual. He was shocked to see a sinister-looking memorial for Mahiru, immediately shouting his desire to destroy such a "blasphemous false idol" to pieces. This led Hiyoko, the one who had built the memorial, to burst into tears right after everyone else had complimented her effort. Shortly after, Monomi informed them that she had defeated another Monobeast, allowing the group to investigate the third island. Gundham inspected the hospital and mentioned how it brought back memories stating that he once had his body carved with "the mark of defeating the devil." Hajime didn't bother trying to interpret what he meant, as Gundham himself told him to forget about it.[37]

   Gundham was present and baffled when he witnessed Fuyuhiko, who barely recovered, formally reintroducing himself and apologizing for his terrible and aggressive behavior toward the group since the beginning of the killing game. He also attended Fuyuhiko's recovery party later that night hosted by Ibuki Mioda, the Ultimate Musician. However, Gundham didn't expect Ibuki's music to be so intense that it even made the Four Dark Devas of Destruction less lively than usual. The party was soon interrupted by Monomi, who informed the group that Akane Owari, the Ultimate Gymnast, had attempted to duel Monokuma herself, resulting in her execution. However, Nekomaru shielded her at the last second, suffering severe injuries, which led Monokuma to take him away from the group for quite some time for "treatment".[37]

   Adding to the group's newfound troubles, Gundham and the others discovered that Nagito, Akane, and Ibuki had contracted the Despair Disease, which not only gave them a high fever but also drastically altered their personalities. Since the disease would continue spreading until a murder occurred, Gundham and the other healthy students decided to quarantine the sick students, with Mikan, Hajime, and Fuyuhiko volunteering to care for them. Gundham suggested that he and the rest should stay at the nearby motel in case anything happened. Not only that there was the possibility that the disease might have spread to Hotel Mirai and their cottages, he also wanted to keep his pet hamsters safe.[37]

   Despite their best efforts to prevent a murder, Hajime discovered a body at the music venue, which was later identified as Ibuki's. He then went to the motel to break the news and found Gundham, Monomi, and Chiaki first. Gundham initially suspected that Hajime had caught a similar lying disease to Nagito, but Chiaki believed him. She and Hajime returned to the crime scene, while Gundham offered to watch over the motel in their absence. When Gundham arrived at the crime scene much later with the rest of the group, however, they discovered not only Ibuki's but also Hiyoko's body.[37]

   Jum-P running around the stuck slip of paper in rapid circles Jum-P retrieving the stuck slip of paper on the baton ceiling

   During the investigation, Gundham inspected the baton lighting where Hiyoko's body was strapped. He noticed a scrap of thick paper stuck at the top and ordered Jum-P to retrieve it by running around until it fell into his hand. In the class trial, this paper was revealed to be a scrap of wallpaper the culprit had used to cover Hiyoko's body which the culprit used to manipulate the group's perception that Hiyoko had died after Ibuki. However, Gundham argued that Hiyoko couldn't have died before Ibuki on the basis that there was no blood on the crime scene. Hajime and Chiaki objected, proving that the killer wiped the blood off, forcing him to retreat. He also got into a childish quarrel with Kazuichi, threatening to kill each other over suspecting Sonia as a possible culprit.[38]

   When the evidence began to point toward Mikan, Gundham was initially in disbelief that a "slow-witted woman" could commit murder but eventually ceased to defend her, as no one else could have committed the murder. After Mikan was executed, Gundham and the others went to the beach on the first island, feeling hopeful about reuniting with Nekomaru, whom Monokuma claimed was waiting for them there—only to discover that he had been completely transformed into a robot.[38]

   The Funhouse Danganronpa 2 CG - Everyone riding a rollercoaster Riding a roller coaster

   Aside from adjusting to Nekomaru's new appearance, Gundham and the others grew wary of the Future Foundation and the traitor they sent to infiltrate the group—the organization Mikan claimed was responsible for transporting them to Jabberwock Island and was, therefore, their collective enemy. This was partially true, as Mikan spoke from the perspective of the Remnants of Despair. This was why Gundham and the others initially refused to explore the fourth island opened by Monomi but eventually went after Monokuma promised them ship parts and their Hope's Peak student profiles as a reward. To earn the promised prize, Gundham satisfied Monokuma's request by joining everyone on the roller coaster at the amusement park, visibly scared as he tried to steady his heart. The prize turned out to be a school file related to the Killing School Life, which, instead of helping them understand their circumstances, only confused them further.[39]

   Danganronpa 2 CG - Everyone riding the train to the funhouse (1) Train to the Funhouse

   The group then decided to visit the Funhouse only accessible when everyone was present, to find the promised ship parts or more information about their Hope's Peak student profiles. Gundham referred to it as an act of sheer madness, as they plunged themselves into Monokuma's trap, which made everything the more interesting to him. True to his words, when he and the others boarded the small train heading to the Funhouse, they were gassed with white smoke that knocked them all unconscious. When they woke up, they found themselves to be inside the Funhouse's Strawberry House. It turned out Monokuma had subjected them to an escape game, where he wouldn't allow anyone to escape the Funhouse except through murder.[39]

   Danganronpa 2 CG - Funhouse Elevator In the contact elevator

   Instead of wallowing in their new circumstances, the group decided to explore the building using a map provided to them in search of an exit. Gundham and Sonia were the first to pair up and began exploring before Kazuichi even had a chance to ask Sonia to team up with him. Although he had enlisted Four Dark Devas of Destruction to search the areas for him, he failed to find an exit. Gundham and the others would later travel to the second building, the Grape House, using the contact elevator at Monokuma's behest. There, the animatronic bear revealed that he would no longer provide food or drinks, using their hunger as a time limit until a murder occurred. Rather than helplessly panicking, the group agreed to explore the Grape House in the same pairs, leading Gundham and Sonia to team up once again, ditching Kazuichi for the second time in a row.[39]

   San-D pressing the Strawberry Tower's door button San-D pressing the Strawberry Tower's door button

   Though the group failed to find any possible exit in either tower, Gundham at least discovered a sufficient food source for his hamsters—seeds from the flowers planted in Strawberry House's indoor park. He also discovered an extremely small radio-controlled toy, which turned out to be the promised ship part from Monokuma who never specified it would be a real one. Lacking the energy to be upset, Gundham and the others listened to Chiaki's theory that the two towers were actually the same building. They went to confirm this, and Gundham once again showcased his command over his hamsters, sending San-D to press the button to open the Strawberry Tower door. When nighttime fell, the group assigned themselves rooms, with the boys—excluding Hajime—staying in Strawberry House. Gundham won at rock-paper-scissors, securing one of the two Deluxe Rooms, and retired for the night.[39]

   On the third day of confinement in the Funhouse, Gundham attended Monokuma's Tai Chi lesson he planned to do regularly every 7 AM to exhaust and starve the students further to push them into killing. Judging by how irritable everyone was, he believed it would boil down to either everyone starving to death or someone committing murder before that could happen.[39] Gundham personally believed that choosing death and giving up on life was nothing but blasphemy against life—a violation of the natural order and a mere act of resignation. Driven by his belief that it was better to fight for survival than to let anyone starve to death, Gundham resolved to commit murder.[40]

   At some point between the end of the Monokuma Tai Chi lesson and the following morning, Gundham entered the Final Dead Room, a challenge where participants could access the Octagon to claim the promised Ultimate Weapon from Monokuma. After solving the escape room puzzle, he played a 1/6 Russian Roulette game, which granted him access to the Octagon. There, he discovered the true layout of the Funhouse and devised a killing plan using this secret.[40]

   Danganronpa 2 Chapter 4 - Closing Argument Act 1 (2) Murder preparation

   First, Gundham wanted to isolate the groups from each houses by disabling the contact elevator from the Strawberry House side. He did so by tampering with the control panel using tools he obtained from the Octagon. He then manipulated the clocks in both buildings, setting them back by two hours. In the Strawberry House lounge, he set the wall clock's alarm to 5:30 a.m. to provide himself with an alibi later. After completing his preparations, Gundham went to Strawberry Tower with the tools from the Octagon, waiting for Nekomaru's arrival. He knew that Nekomaru's built-in radio clock would wake him at the actual time of 7:00 a.m. for Monokuma Tai Chi at the Grape Tower. However, due to the disabled elevator, Nekomaru had no choice but to head to the Strawberry Tower, which, after Gundham's tampering, showed 5:00 a.m. on the Funhouse's clocks.[40]

   Danganronpa 2 CG - Nekomaru and Gundham face off Standoff with Nekomaru

   Once Nekomaru entered the Strawberry Tower, Gundham challenged Nekomaru to a duel to the death—an intent that Nekomaru immediately sensed. Gundham praised Nekomaru for neither running away nor calling for help, recognizing that, at that moment, Nekomaru was equally resolved to kill him. He also noted that the situation would have been more complicated if the intended murderer became the victim. However, Gundham had the advantage because he already knew about Nekomaru's robotic functions, which Nekomaru himself had mentioned a few days prior, including the Good Night Button at the back of his neck. Using this knowledge, Gundham commanded the Four Dark Devas of Destruction to sneak up on Nekomaru and forcefully press the button, forcing him to enter sleep mode and rendering him immobile.[40]

   Danganronpa 2 Chapter 4 - Closing Argument Act 4 Setting up the murder while Nekomaru was immobile

   Gundham then set the alarm in Nekomaru's chest to 7:30 a.m. to wake him up at that time. He tied Nekomaru with a metal wire, tied with a loop at the wire's tip, and hung it on the doorknob. Afterward, he exited the Strawberry Tower and destroyed its door button from the hall, preventing anyone in Strawberry House from entering the tower and uncovering the building's true structure—two towers stacked on top of each other. Finally, Gundham used the secret Octagon passageway to travel to Grape House, and upon arriving at Grape Hall, he pressed the button to open the tower. This caused the elevator-liked floor of the tower to descend, causing Nekomaru's tied body to dangle midair from the wire, signaling his setup's success. Gundham placed a hammer on the floor to mislead the group into believing it was the murder weapon. He also wrapped a chain around the back door, creating the illusion that access to the tower from Strawberry Hall was impossible.[40]

   Danganronpa 2 CG - Clock ringing in Strawberry House Failed alibi setup

   After finishing his setup, Gundham returned to his room using the secret passage, intending to establish an alibi for when Nekomaru would eventually die from the fall. However, he didn't anticipate Fuyuhiko—who had seen Nekomaru descending earlier—still sitting in the lounge. This ruined Gundham's perfect plan, preventing him from returning to his Deluxe Room, which was located past the lounge. As a result, he was forced to appear before Fuyuhiko and the others when the alarm he had set for 5:30 (which was actually 7:30 in real time) went off, a mistake that would bite him hard later in the class trial.[40]

   Danganronpa 2 Chapter 4 - Closing Argument Act 6 (3) Hearing the sound of Nekomaru's falling to his death

   When Nekomaru's radio alarm rang at exactly 7.30 AM, he began to panic as he found himself tied midair. He swung his body to try to break free, but the doorknob which he had half-broken a few days prior couldn't handle the strain. As a result, it broke, sending Nekomaru falling to his death from the fourth floor to the first. He was instantaneously decapitated as he collided with a pillar. The sound echoed throughout the Funhouse, heard by everyone except those who occupied the deluxe rooms, creating a glaring anomaly for Gundham, a resident of one such room.[40] Later during the class trial, Chiaki speculated that Gundham couldn't hide until the excitement died down, fearing that Fuyuhiko and Kazuichi might check his room and discover his absence.[41]

   During the investigation, Gundham, who purposefully trapped himself in the Strawberry House, contributed significantly less than the others.[40]

   Gundham's Fate In the early to mid-stages, Gundham maintained his usual demeanor, with his remarks occasionally receiving positive and supportive reactions from Sonia, and the exact opposite from Kazuichi. He also challenged the group's assumption that Strawberry House and Grape House were connected horizontally by questioning how the contact elevator functioned. Additionally, he disputed the idea that Nekomaru had fallen to his death.[40]

   Danganronpa 2 CG - Layout of everyone at the strawberry house Gundham's position shortly before the lounge alarm rang

   Gundham became a prime suspect after the group realized how odd it was that, as someone staying in the soundproof Deluxe Room, he could have heard the lounge alarm ringing. When suddenly accused, Gundham became noticeably panicked and out of character, but he quickly rebounded, questioning how he could have traveled between the two houses. Hajime refuted him by revealing the secret passage connecting the 3rd floor of Strawberry House and the 1st floor of Grape House, which Nagito had discovered in the Octagon and which Gundham had also used during the murder. The group also proved that Gundham must have cleared the Final Dead Room, as the tools he used during the murder were only available in the Octagon.[40]

   Danganronpa 2 Chapter 4 - Closing Argument Revealed Revealed as the culprit

   Out of all the accusations, it was Nagito's assumption that Nekomaru was killed "without" fighting him that infuriated and offended Gundham the most. In response, Gundham challenged the group one final time, arguing that it wasn't easy for him to press Nekomaru's Good Night Button, especially in a one-on-one situation against the physically strongest person in the group. Hajime and Chiaki countered him, suggesting that he could have used "the power of hamsters," sending his exceptionally smart and trained Four Dark Devas of Destruction to do the deed for him. Gundham was impressed by their deduction and how they complimented his "subordinates'" capabilities, which led him to confess to his crime.[40]

   After being correctly voted as the Blackened, Gundham corrected one misconception: contrary to the group's belief that Nekomaru didn't fight, he revealed that Nekomaru had accepted his challenge to a duel, fought bravely, but ultimately lost and was sacrificed. Furthermore, he explained that succumbing to starvation was blasphemy against life, and he believed it was better to kill for survival than to give up on life. As Sonia tearfully begged Monokuma to spare Gundham from execution, Gundham gently told her that it was unbefitting of a noble like her to stop a man from going to his death. He then delivered one final grandiose speech before being dragged to his execution.[40]

   Gundham's execution began with a stampede of animals led by Monokuma charging toward him. Having already accepted his fate, Gundham calmly placed the Four Dark Devas of Destruction atop a nearby rock for safety. He proceeded to draw a magic circle on the ground using a wooden staff, attempting to cast a defensive spell as the stampede closed in. The spell failed, and Gundham was violently trampled, his body flung into the air before falling back to the Earth. As he lay dying, his saddened hamsters approached him, and instead of being cast into hell as he desired, angelic animals carried his body to the sky and heaven.[40]

   Danganronpa_2_Chapter_4_Execution

   After his death, Sonia and the others chose to honor Gundham's speech by moving forward, continuing to live, and believing in each other—lest he crawl out of hell and be very cross with them. Agreeing with this, Akane and Chiaki suggested everyone refresh themselves by eating enough food and getting restful sleep, determined not to give up their fight to escape the island—just as Gundham and Nekomaru would have wanted. Gundham's deceased portrait in the class trial courtroom could be seen in the fifth trial.[40]

   Gundham briefly reappeared as an illusion shortly before the countdown ended, as the Neo World Program began glitching. Sonia revealed that she had been taking care of the Four Dark Devas of Destruction after Gundham's death and had taken them for a walk when Gundham briefly appeared near her due to the glitch. Gundham vanished once the survivors stepped inside the ruins.[42]

   The illusory Gundham was later conjured in a scenario made by Alter Ego Junko to persuade Hajime and the remaining survivors to graduate. Had she succeeded, it would have allowed her to upload her AI into the comatose bodies of the "dead" Remnants of Despair, effectively reviving them as copies of herself. In this sequence, Gundham asks the group if they wish to be "awed by the sight of my prowess."[31]

   Post-Killing School Trip Danganronpa 2.5 - (OVA) Nagito regaining his memories (18) Revived Gundham and his classmates

   After Alter Ego Junko's defeat, Gundham remained in a coma alongside his classmates, while the survivors waited for them to wake.[31] Eventually, Izuru Kamukura—now merged with Hajime's personality and memories—revived them. Purged of Junko's brainwashing, Gundham who was now alive and awake from Neo World Program, boarded the boat with the rest of Class 77-B and they all then headed for the Future Foundation HQ, to stop the Final Killing Game involving Future Foundation leaders.[8]

   Resurrection and Atonement Main article: Danganronpa 3: The End of Hope's Peak High School/Hope Arc Gundham engaging in a battle with the SHSL Falconer Engaging in battle

   Gundham and his classmates arrived at the island where the Future Foundation's off-shore facility was located, having left from Jabberwock Island. Having rescued Byakuya Togami and Yasuhiro Hagakure, two members of the Future Foundation and survivors of the Killing School Life, from beneath the rubble, the group set out to confront their one and only classmate, Ryota Mitarai, the Ultimate Animator, who Junko had coerced into creating the brainwashing video that transformed Ibuki and the others into the Ultimate Despair.[6][27] Unlike Gundham and the rest, he avoided being turned into Ultimate Despair due to his contribution. Thus, Class 77-B's fight with the brainwashed rescue squad troops, including the Former Super High School Level Elite Task Force, began.[43]

   Gundham seizing his opponent's falcon Seizing his opponent's falcon

   Gundham battled the Super High School Level Falconer on the rooftop, unlocking the seal on his name, previously "Tanaka the Forbidden One" to "Gundham Tanaka" and unleashing his full power. This allowed him to seize control of his opponent's falcon, ultimately defeating him. Gundham's Twelve Zodiac Generals also increased in number, suggesting the possibility of them reproducing while Gundham was in the Neo World Program.[43]

   Gundam talks about atonement to Ryota Confronting Ryota

   Later, Gundham helped convince Ryota to abandon his plan to brainwash the world. During the confrontation, Ryota expressed his belief that he and the other Remnants of Despair could never be forgiven for allowing Junko to plunge the world into despair. In response, Hajime offered Ryota the chance to join them in returning to Jabberwock Island to atone for their sins together. Gundham also proclaimed that he, as "The Lord of War", welcomed all who would walk his path. Ryota eventually broke down in tears and agreed, stopping the countdown mere seconds before the brainwashing was completed. Gundham and the others later came to his side to comfort him.[43]

   Class 77-B acting Claiming themselves as the mastermind behind the Final Killing Game

   Gundham and the other former Remnants of Despair shouldered the blame for the Final Killing Game by sending a broadcast video to the Future Foundation. They presented themselves in their despair personas and preserved the Future Foundation's credibility and power to rebuild the world. Having accomplished their atonement, Gundham and his classmates returned to Jabberwock Island and he was last seen talking with Sonia as the boat took them home.[43]

   Real Fiction Main article: Danganronpa V3: Killing Harmony Danganronpa V3 Tsumugi Shirogane Halfbody Sprite (Gundham Tanaka) (3) Gundham cosplayed by Tsumugi Shirogane.

   In Danganronpa V3: Killing Harmony, it is alleged by the mastermind Tsumugi Shirogane, the Ultimate Cosplayer, that the entire Danganronpa franchise is fictional in-universe; a series of games, anime, and later live-action dramas performed actors. In particular, Tsumugi, who is the Ultimate Cosplayer, claims she is only able to cosplay fictional characters (breaking out into a bright pink rash whenever she tries to cosplay a real person), and the fact she is able to cosplay as the whole cast of Danganronpa characters including Gundham Tanaka is used as evidence to support her claim that all of the cast are fictional. However, due to a number of holes in Tsumugi's story which make her an unreliable narrator, whether or not she was telling the truth is deliberately left up to the player's interpretation; as a result, it is up to the player whether they believe Gundham's story within the Danganronpa series was real, or a fictional story written by Team Danganronpa and performed by an actor.[44]

   Creation and Development Translation Credit: Kaibutsushidousha on Tumblr

   According to series creator Kazutaka Kodaka, Gundham's character originated with his Super High School Level Animal Breeding Committee Member title, with his personality and backstory fleshed out from that concept. Kodaka revealed that he enjoys developing characters by incorporating risky elements, and Gundham exemplifies this approach, having developed a unique lore of his own. Initially, his character was conceptualized as a self-proclaimed mouthpiece that existed only to communicate the thoughts of sapient hamsters, but this idea was discarded due to its confusing and nonsensical nature. The concept was simplified into the version that appeared in the game.[45]

   Character designer Rui Komatsuzaki stated that Gundham's sanpaku eyes were a design element he decided on for a Danganronpa 2 character even before Kodaka had created any. He envisioned this particular character as being overly self-conscious about how he dresses, overcompensating for his insecurity with strange fashion choices, such as his scarf, bandages, and enough accessories to complete his design. He also added the hamsters because it was decided that Gundham would be a breeder, and later incorporated the earring as part of a murder trick.[35] Komatsuzaki also believed that the Four Dark Devas of Destruction would go on to live in Sonia's clothes after his death in the Killing School Trip, though he was unable to reflect this in her sprites.[45]

   Tomokazu Sugita, Gundham's Japanese voice actor, also commented on his character:

   "Gundam Tanaka is an eccentric character, but he's also strong-willed and understanding. A man with a character akin to a king who mustn't be named. But he's so full of energy that I almost lost my voice at the end of his recording (laughs). One of the best things about this game is how you navigate an extreme situation that shows who people really are, and you overcome its dangers with words alone, no weapons or superpowers. Take a good look at what all characters are doing, not just Tanaka."[45] Name The kanji in Tanaka (田中) means "rice field" and "center," a generic surname purposefully chosen to make his first name, "Gandamu" (眼蛇夢), which uses irregular readings, fully stand out. His first name can roughly be interpreted as "snake-eye dreams." He is named after a Ramenman character who share similarities with Gundham. Both characters have to change their name in their respective anime to avoid sounding like the popular Japanese mecha anime, Mobile Suit Gundam. Gundham's execution refers to a particular scene from the original anime as well.[45][46]

   In Gundham's case, it was most likely due to the risk of copyright infringement from Sunrise. This led to Gundham's first name in Danganronpa 3 - Despair Arc never being mentioned, even in the credits. In-universe, he claims that his first name is "cursed" and cannot be spoken aloud, thus given the nickname "Tanaka the Forbidden One" (封印されし田中).[21][46] It is a direct reference to the Yu-Gi-Oh! card, "Exodia the Forbidden One". However, in Danganronpa 3 - Side: Hope, Gundham breaks the seal on his name and declares himself to be Gundham Tanaka. Interestingly, Gundham's unsealing speech mentions "the rising sun will burn the multiverse to ash", which is most likely a reference to the Sunrise company.[43]

   The names of Gundham's four hamsters are: San-D, Jum-P, Maga-Z and Cham-P. All of the names are references to shōnen manga magazines (Sunday, Jump, Magazine, and Champion).

   Alternate Fates Island Mode and Ultimate Talent Development Plan exist in two separate alternate universes where Gundham still attends Hope's Peak Academy, but no students are in peril. As they are alternate universes, these events are non-canonical, but because Gundham's personality is unchanged, backstory information shared by him in these events is considered questionably or dubiously canonical rather than fully non-canonical.

   Free Time Events are also considered somewhat questionably canonical due to the nature of how Free Time Events are accessed (in that some characters' Free Time Events cannot be fully completed during the course of the canon game storyline due to limitations on the number of interactions you can have with them during one playthrough, and thus can only be accessed after they have canonically died either through a second playthrough or via Island Mode). However, due to Free Time Events being largely experienced during the canon game storyline, Free Time Events are more grounded in canon than Island Mode and Ultimate Talent Development Plan and are largely considered canon by the majority of players.

   Appearance Danganronpa 2: Goodbye Despair design document Gundham wears a long, black jacket that stops below his knees and is always left open, with dark red coloring on the inside; which is part of his former school uniform. He also pins a dog breeder badge on the left side of his jacket. The left sleeve is rolled up to the elbow and fastened to the jacket with silver pins. Gundham is also known for his long purple scarf, which wraps around his neck and covers his chin. Vertical symbols are emblazoned on the back of his jacket and the ends of his scarf. Underneath his jacket, Gundham wears a white button-up layered over a slightly darker shirt with a purple cross design on the chest. His black pants are tucked into black boots riddled with straps. He wears an undercut, and the top section of his hair is slicked back into a single curl. His hair looks more wild and jagged when he's enraged. His hair color is black with light grey streaks through it.

   Gundham has a noticeably pale and grey skin tone and has no eyebrows.[47] He has grey eyes but he wears a red contact lens in his right eye. The grey scar that runs through his left eye onto his right cheek appears to be a tattoo. He is always seen with his hamsters, the Four Dark Devas of Destruction. The Devas often camp out inside the scarf that Gundham always wraps around his neck, but they frequently appear during conversations or at his command. Due to their territorial nature, Gundham bandaged up his left arm with a single red bead hanging from the bandage knot, which he refers to as his "cursed arm," up to the elbow to protect his skin.[7] Gundham's Hell Hound Earring hangs from his right ear, and he wears silver rings on the index and middle fingers of his right hand.

   Finishing Gundham's Free Time Events yields the item 'Gundham's Undergarments' which are invisible to those who have too low of an "astral level". This hints that Gundham possibly doesn't wear them.

   While attending Hope's Peak Academy, Gundham wears the school's standard male uniform. He accessorized the uniform with the same scarf, shirt, belt, and boots he wore during the Killing School Trip. Instead of just the Hell Hound Earring, he wears an earring in each ear. He still wears an undercut, but the longest pieces of the top section frame his forehead.

   As a member of Ultimate Despair, Gundham appears to wear a type of straitjacket underneath a large jacket with a fluffy white collar. His face has more tattoos, including a scar-like tattoo on his right cheek and an obscure symbol on his forehead. Using his talents as the Ultimate Breeder, Gundham controls armies of beasts. He seems to always keep his eyes closed. Instead of carrying the Devas, a large, dark snake wraps around his body.

   His swimsuit in Danganronpa S: Ultimate Summer Camp consists of a pair of black swim trunks with a black drawstring waistband and a purple cross-shaped design on the right side, the same cross that appeared on his shirt shown during the Killing School Trip. He is shirtless but retains his signature purple scarf and his left hand remains wrapped in bandages. He still carries the Four Dark Devas of Destruction with him.

   Hope's Peak Academy uniform Hope's Peak Academy uniform Ultimate Despair attire Ultimate Despair attire Swimsuit (Danganronpa S) Swimsuit (Danganronpa S) Four Dark Devas of Destruction

   San-D is an average-sized hamster with white and orange fur, dark-tipped ears, and pink hands, feet, and nose. She also has small black eyes and rosy cheeks. Jum-P is also an average-sized hamster with white and brown fur and pink feet, nose, and cheeks. Jump-P is usually seen with his eyes closed, a snot bubble, and Z marks flowing from it, indicating he's sleeping. Maga-Z is a fairly average-sized hamster with white and brown fur and a chipped ear. He has black eyes, rosy cheeks, pink feet, and a pink nose. Cham-P is a large Golden hamster with orange fur, chubby cheeks and pink hands, feet, and nose. He has small black eyes, rosy cheeks and a pink rosy mouth.

   Personality Gundham has an eccentric personality, stemming from his chūnibyō syndrome, characterized by his delusions of grandeur. As "the offspring of an angel and evil,"[17] he proclaims himself as evil personified, one who has claimed dominion over evil, and thus a being that transcends humanity.[40] To further embellish his villainous persona, he adopts grandiose titles such as the Supreme Overlord of Ice and Tanaka the Forbidden One.[18][21][40] He also refers to his pets as his loyal subordinates under the dominion of the Tanaka Empire and gets offended when others call his Four Dark Devas of Destruction "hamsters."[38] Gundhams talks in an exaggerated, theatrical style reminiscent of a cartoon supervillain, using pompous, old-fashioned, esoteric vocabulary, allowing him to inflate mundane interactions. His speeches, dripping with poetic, cryptic, and metaphorical language and terms, often irritate and confuse others, especially those who are not used to interacting with him, ultimately causing Gundham to push them away from him. He perceives "normal people" as inferior beings incapable of comprehending the full extent of "his power," calling them "mere humans," "fools," and "fiends," among other dismissive terms.[18][19][35]

   In conjunction with being the "great and powerful Gundham Tanaka," he acts self-centered and aloof—alienating himself from others to focus on caring for himself and the Four Dark Devas. Though Gundham appears prideful and shuns spending time with mere mortals, he appears to be lonely. This is exemplified by how he attends the morning meetings at the restaurant without fail and accepts the Imposter's invitation to the all-night party.[20] He also hints to Hajime that he wants to be included in Sonia's beach party. He claims that he only desires silence and solitude, though his lonely expression later on suggests otherwise. Hajime can tell Gundham wants to be invited but never directly asks, instead retreating into his usual aloof persona.[36][33]

   This loneliness and his inability to express his true wants and needs without resorting to his overly dramatic "evil lord" jargon, may stem from Gundham's extreme social awkwardness. It starts with his belief that his existence is "cursed" and that "poisons" run through his blood due to enduring his mother's terrible cooking. He uses this to justify his strictness about avoiding physical contact with others since childhood, disguising his fear of intimacy. He goes so far as to fake illnesses to avoid folk dances and playing with other children.[4] The only person he is willing to become vulnerable to and capable of touching is a "singularity" he describes as "a being who can make the impossible possible by overcoming various limitations." In simpler terms, this could refer to someone like Hajime—someone who continues to bond with him despite his "defenses" and genuinely considers Gundham a friend he wants to survive the killing game with.[17]

   His social awkwardness can make him come across as inconsiderate, such as when he calls Hajime "trash" upon first meeting him simply because his only pet was a hermit crab passed around in elementary school.[18] Similarly, during the investigation of the Imposter's murder, he becomes fixated on recovering his Hell Hound Earring, stubbornly prioritizing it over actively participating in the investigation though his discoveries helped solve the murder.[35] Gundham also has a habit of pretending to know more than he actually does. When he can't provide the knowledge to others, he will immediately distract them by throwing unrelated speeches in his signature evil overlord style.[48]

   Tanaka and Sonia in sync In sync with Sonia

   Gundham's harsh facade conceals a softer, more sensitive side, which is frequently shown through his interactions with Sonia. He bonds with Sonia during both their time at Hope's Peak and the Killing School Trip due to their complementary interests—Sonia's fascination with the occult, her genuine admiration of his "evil" persona, and most importantly, her fondness for his "cute hamsters" and his strong and trusting relationship with them. Her sincere appreciation often leaves Gundham uncharacteristically flustered, causing him to stutter and blush.[20] In the original Japanese, she is also the only one that Gundham does not refer to as kisama (貴様 an old-fashioned term for 'you' that was once used to address social equals or inferiors, but in modern usage, it is almost exclusively used by men in a derogatory manner) or by their last name, instead calling her "she-cat" at one point or "the Dark Lady", his fantasized version of Sonia.[39] They are compatible with each other and have great teamwork as shown while attending Hope's Peak, with the two growing so close over time that they could even finish each other's sentences due to Sonia latching to Gundham's eccentric personality.[24] While trapped in the Funhouse, they are the first to pair up and leave, while everyone else is still deciding who to partner with to explore the building. They later become a very effective duo during the fourth class trial.[40]

   Other than Sonia, Gundham seems to be less harsh toward women. He has a good relationship with his mother and endures her terrible cooking to avoid making her cry, prompting Hajime to note that he is a "good guy" deep down. He also gains sympathy from a nurse at his grade school, who often allows him to leave without participating in folk dances.[4] With his female classmates, he allows them to choose their desired rooms before the boys do while trapped in the Funhouse, even referring to them as "kittens."[39] He is often agreeable with Ibuki's opinions, calling her remarks "nice lines."[36] When Mikan gets accused as a culprit, he initially comes to her defense claiming that a "slow-witted woman" like her is incapable of murder.[38] He also appears unaffected by Hiyoko's demeaning attitude and mean comments about being embarrassed by his outlandish dialogues—quite the contrast to his reactions with fellow men. When Fuyuhiko gives him a backhanded compliment, Gundham threatens to crush him into dust. His interactions with Kazuichi take this up a notch, where he dismisses almost anything Kazuichi says about him.[35]

   Danganronpa 3 - Despair Arc (Episode 03) - Fuyuhiko and Peko Discuss Natsumi (2) Letting Kazuichi to play with his hamsters

   Gundham's relationship with Kazuichi, on the other hand, highlights his indifference toward trivial matters, such as Kazuichi's one-sided romantic rivalry over Sonia. He primarily finds Kazuichi annoying when he insults the Four Dark Devas, dismissing him as a "lowly human," similar to his view of most others. However, while attending Hope's Peak, their relationship appears slightly better, with Gundham occasionally allowing Kazuichi to touch his hamsters.[23]

   Another trait and ability often showcased by Gundham is his level-headedness. In class trials, while not always the most prominent contributor to the trials, whenever he does contribute, it is quite substantial. He is also willing to stand corrected and retreat from a debate when evidence proves his understanding of a situation false, as showcased in the second and third class trials.[33][38] He is the one who suggests that the healthy students stay at the motel during the Despair Disease outbreak, just in case anything happens to the affected students.[37] He is also smart enough to plan a complicated murder using the Funhouse's unique structure, which is only ruined by pure coincidence beyond his control.[40]

   He also has a deeper understanding of certain situations and isn't lost in his own world. For example, Gundham is among the first to openly acknowledge Nagito's grey morality, recognizing that it is impossible to establish a relationship with someone like Nagito, who he deems unpredictable by the usual human standards rooted in experience, making Nagito a fearsome individual.[36] Nagito's erratic behavior, such as his willingness to be sacrificed as a stepping stone for his classmates' hope and how he actually pushed Teruteru into committing murder, eventually leads Gundham to not mind if Nagito "retires permanently" when he contracts the Despair Disease.[37] His perceptiveness and contemplative nature strangely reveal that he cares about his classmates, albeit in his own distant way. He contemplates where the souls of the Imposter and Teruteru go after their avatars' deaths, and advises Hajime to pray for their souls so they can be saved.[36] He also perceives Peko as a "foolish soul" for remaining a slave, yet he accepts her choice to stay loyal to her young master.[37]

   Gundham also possesses a great respect for nature and its laws. He understands that nature is indiscriminate in its harsh cruelty, noting that "pleasure and pain are irrelevant as long as you have a purpose, and take action for that sake."[19] He also does not fear death and strongly dislikes mankind's malicious ways. Notably, Gundham hates the idea of giving up without a fight, for he believes that all creatures are born to fight tooth and nail to survive. According to him, giving up your life willingly is blasphemous toward nature (and by extension, oneself). This philosophy is what leads him to commit murder, refusing to let himself or his classmates actively choose to starve to death instead of fighting to cling to life. As such, he allows his target, Nekomaru, a fair chance to fight him and show the same resolve to uphold his belief—a duel to the death to reignite everyone's will to survive, in which he comes out victorious. When he is cornered in the class trial, the only accusation that elicits the strongest reaction from him is Nagito's claim that Nekomaru went down without a fight—an insult to both his beliefs and Nekomaru. He eventually surrenders after Hajime and Chiaki acknowledge that he used his "subordinates," the Four Dark Devas, to subdue Nekomaru. Though the nature of Gundham's actions is never fully justified as purely selfish, purely selfless, or somewhere in between, Hajime and Chiaki are inclined to believe that he sacrifices himself for the group, based on how he didn't resist as much during the class trial. Gundham, however, as someone who firmly believes that murder is murder regardless of motive, blatantly denies this.[49]

   Attitude Toward Animals Though he may be awkward around other people, Gundham deeply cares about animals he often refers to as "magical beasts" and pets as "familiars".[19] He claims that anything that can talk "will eventually betray you," hinting at the possibility that he has been hurt by others before. This idea is supported in his Final Free Time Events, where he accuses Hajime of being a "Kotodama user" a label he seemingly attaches to people who try to manipulate him with "false words" and "cheap tricks", believing Hajime is one and doubts his sincerity when calling him a friend.[17] As a result, Gundham prefers to trust animals for their loyalty and sincerity.

   Although it is only a rumor that he can speak with animals, what remains true and recognized by those around him is that Gundham genuinely understands the feelings of animals and is often seen with a gentler, softened expression and a smile when talking about them. His empathy towards animals leads him to pity livestock for being raised for the sole purpose of human consumption.[50] He is also highly responsible toward the animals under his care, consistently providing them with plenty of exercise, high-quality food, and a good place to sleep—especially for the Four Dark Devas of Destruction amid the killing game.[7] He dedicates most of his cottage space to their large cage and an extensive hamster tunnel sprawled across the floor. His consistent caring and responsibility enable the mutual trust and strong bond he shares with his pets, allowing his commands to be heeded, whether they are hamsters, falcons, bears, or notoriously difficult Pomeranians. His love for animals, however, doesn't extend to anthropomorphic cartoons of animals "who walk on two legs and speak human languages," which he finds highly offensive. This also extends to Monokuma and Monomi, as they "can talk" and, most importantly, aren't "cute."[50]

   In his Island Mode, it is revealed that Gundham is fond of reading encyclopedias about animals from around the world and can become emotional when watching movies related to animals.[51][52] Gundham also comes to love pumpkins not only because they contain high nutrients and are versatile for various cooking methods, but also because their seeds provide an effective food source for his Four Dark Devas of Destruction.[19]

   Four Dark Devas of Destruction San-D appears to have a quite cheerful personality, often cheering with her paws up and enjoying eating sunflower seeds. However, she can be greedy for more territory and shown to knock Jum-P aside from his territory.[7] She is also shown to be quite agile, able to skillfully press the Strawberry Hall button.[39] Jum-P, despite almost constantly appearing to be asleep, is capable of moving around and carry out Gundham's order. He discovers the secret passage in the storage room of the old building and retrieves a thick scrap of paper by running around it during the third investigation.[20][38] When Hajime first meets Gundham during the Killing School Trip, Gundham claims that Jum-P has something to say: "We're not used to going easy on our enemies... so don't make us angry. You wouldn't like us when we're angry."[18]

   Maga-Z appears to be slightly more aggressive than the others, with his squinted eyes giving him a meaner look. He is seen biting Kazuichi's finger when he attempts to touch him.[23] He once lost his temper when Jum-P accidentally stepped his foot on his territory, and as a result, he attacked Cham-P and then Gundham's arm when he intervened.[7] Cham-P often appears to have a jolly and relaxed expression, and Gundham implies he is the most docile and smartest out of the hamsters, because unlike the others he understands fear. He also tells Cham-P once to "exert your strength to your heart's content!"[39]

   Talent and Abilities Ultimate Breeder

   Gundham's official talent in English localization is the "Ultimate Breeder". However, in the original Japanese release, the more literal and accurate translation to it (超高校級の「飼育委員」) is "Super High School Level Animal Breeding Committee Member", or in the Funimation subs, "Animal Raising Committee Member". It is a common after-school club in many Japanese schools dedicated to caring for animals (usually small birds, reptiles, and rodents) kept within the school grounds.

   Gundham did splendidly as a club member due to his proficiency in training and caring for any animal and his success in proliferating endangered species.[18] He revealed that his secret technique to taming animals is by starting with the basics—chanting "Good girl, good girl"—and ensuring they understand that he has no ill will. To achieve this, one must appear innocent and recognize which animals enjoy being touched and which do not. He then spends a long time with them until he begins to hear their words. Hajime comments that this must be something only the Ultimate Breeder can experience.[50]

   Danganronpa 2 Chapter 4 - Closing Argument Act 3 (2) Commanding the Four Devas to force Nekomaru into sleep mode

   On a more serious note, Gundham has a natural aptitude for taming animals. This is best exemplified by his pet hamsters, the Four Dark Devas of Destruction, which he carries around in his scarf and shirt. He put considerable effort into training them, allowing them to follow commands ranging from basic to advanced—demonstrated multiple times during the Killing School Trip—such as retrieving small objects from high places, scouting an entire floor, and even sneaking up to press Mechamaru's Good Night Button, rendering him immobile.[38][40] While attending Hope's Peak, he often brings his pets to school as part of their training. It includes his Pomeranian, which he claims as one of the hardest to tame, but over time managed to master.[25] He is also able to command a brown bear to perform tricks by following his gestures.[6] He is also capable of taming wild animals, demonstrated during his time as an Ultimate Despair, where he commanded an army of beasts to unleash chaos, despair, and destruction.[32] The rumor of him being able to speak with animals, though never confirmed, was demonstrated directly during his battle against the Super High School Level Falconer, where he effortlessly commands the falcon to switch allegiance to him simply by unsealing his true name.[43]

   As a Breeding Club member, Gundham's most noteworthy contribution, to which he dedicated a significant amount of time, is running a website related to animal breeding. While the true content is never revealed, he claimed that scientists worldwide eagerly await his research findings. The website is said to be highly secured so only chosen individuals could access it, while ordinary people can only access the dummy site called "Exciting Breeding Journal."[19] Gundham also conducts his own ethical breeding research, with his latest project being a hybrid hamster with "sparkling silver fur" with dominant spots and bands. Alongside this and many other animals he cares for at home, he entrusts their care to people he selected to assist with his breeding duties.[7] His breeding skill enables the Four Dark Devas of Destruction to produce healthy offspring known as the Twelve Zodiac Generals, and by the conclusion of the Final Killing Game, their numbers continued to increase.[27][43] Gundham is also knowledgeable about various breeds of hamsters and never forces himself to keep one he's incompatible with, such as the Roborovski hamster.[7]

   Ultimate Breeder official translations in other languages Free Time Events & Bonus Mode Guides The links below are full transcripts and indepth guides for Gundham Tanaka's relationship routes in Free Time Events, Island Mode, Ultimate Talent Development Plan, and Danganronpa S Development Mode including his MonoMono Machine Present preferences and most effective dialogue options.

   Prologue:

   "Kehehe, would you like to know my name? Others may see your courage as recklessness... However...I welcome it. In honor of your courage, I shall reveal to you my name. May you never forget is as long as you live! You may call me...Gundham Tanaka! Remember it well, for it is the name that will one day rule this world!" "Hmph! Is it wrong to call trash "trash"? Trash like you should not dare to speak to one as grand as me! Who do you think I am? I am the great and powerful Gundham Tanaka, Supreme Overlord of Ice!" "Taming evil by using myself as a bed... Truly, this is the secret art of the Tanaka Empire!" "One of my Four Dark Devas of Destruction, Mirage Golden Hawk Jum-P, has this to say: "We're not used to going easy on our enemies...so don't make us angry. You wouldn't like us when we're angry." "If you wish to know, you must pay my price... After all, this world is ruled by the law of equivalent exchange... However, is someone like you capable of offering a tribute that would satisfy a tyrant such as myself?"[53] Chapter 1:

   "A bold boast... However, let me give you some advice. The truly strong...do not raise their voice so recklessly." "All civilizations are destined to collapse... Nothing begets existence...and existence begets nothing..." "No problem... No matter how large this organization may be, they will not be able to stand against us... They are destined to fall and turn to ash at the might of my Four Dark Devas of Destruction!" "Even though that man is a lowly worm, it appears his cooking skills are most impressive, indeed... Nevertheless, even his food cannot stand against the gourmet cuisine of the multiverse..." "...All is not what it appears to be." "Such a fine day... Countless lives gasp their first breath... And countless more go the way of all flesh..." "You humans...are so satisfied with clothing yourselves in layers of false knowledge! But even with all those layers, you still will not survive the winter! Tch! It was foolish of me to rely on you fools... Fine, I shall do something about it on my own. Now if you'll excuse me, I must go save the world." "As long as the probability is greater than zero...that will suffice." "Remember this well! A main character arrives when he intends to!" "Simply listening is...acceptable... However, I won't allow it to end with mere play! Now then, let us lift the curtain for a bloody spectacle!" "Kehehe... It's understandable. After all, you fools only view the world through eyes of glass... But I am different! With the power of my Four Dark Devas of Destruction, it is of no concern! Truly, this is the "Evil Fourth Eye!" Before the might of the "Evil Fourth Eye," all visual chaos is rendered asunder!" "Fuhaha! Tremble with fear, fools! Behold my power!" "Very well... Even if we are not able to change the future, I guess I should at least change my tomorrow..." Chapter 2:

   "He is cursed... A child who summons misfortune, so to speak." "Though this is merely the prelude, the climax will occur soon after... Now then, let me hear your scream! I shall make such sweet music for you!" "A new land has opened... However, it does not mean we will find salvation there... Griefs is all that awaits us...but that would be quite entertaining!" "Monokuma...I shall listen to you spout nonsense all you want, while I puff cigar smoke at your lifeless body." "The wind is running amok today... It's carrying the lost souls of Byakuya and Teruteru. Are they destined to be cradled against the Heavenly Mother's bosom, or to burn in the fires of Gehenna...? Perhaps you should pray for them, human child... It's possible that prayer might save their souls..." "Hmph, that's truly a nice line. Every fiber of my being agrees with you. That's right, there is no existence more troublesome than that of an incomprehensible human... What they like and what they hate... What makes them happy, what makes them angry... It's normal for all beings to have standards rooted in experience so they can predict their opponent's actions. But at times...those standards do not work on certain opponents. Those are the most fearsome opponents of all. Establishing a relationship with such a human...is impossible." "The wind is very quiet...I do hope it is not an ominous portent..." "Despite your lowly intellect, you humans attempt to create worlds within games, but... Fuhahahahaha! How humorous, how pitiful! You humans behave like gods in your fictional worlds... That act alone is an imitation of us. Because... The reality you humans cling to and believe to be real is merely one of the countless board games we won!" "What sort of supreme ruler feels concern for the ants who are destined to be crushed!? My name is Gundham Tanaka! I am the forbidden ruler who makes even the god of darkness flee in terror! All I desire...is silence and indifference..." "There is nothing you can hide from me, the supreme overlord who wields the Four Dark Devas of Destruction. It matters not, for what I love is silence and solitude..." "You should be honored... A mere human such as yourself will be present to witness the beginning of the end!" "Tanaka may be an ordinary family name, but it's far better than Sato or Suzuki!" "The investigation conducts universal chaos..." "Your stance is neither white nor black, but gray... And you do not yearn for your life, or even for victory..." "Among flowers, the cherry blossom. Among men, the samurai." I commend your decisiveness, at least... Very well. If you admit it, this ends now! Let's cast our votes!" "There are no second chances in life... We cannot return to what has already transpired... There is no other way than to move forward, like an arrow of light piercing through the darkness..." Chapter 3:

   "...Humans are such foolish creatures." "Kehehe, for you to actually greet me in the morning... I praise your admirable endeavor, slave. Speaking of slaves... Peko, too, was a foolish soul... I accept her desire to merely remain her owner's loyal tool. However...that's a limitation of base creatures. My Four Dark Devas of Destruction are not tools, nor are they slaves... They are healthy underlings...and also friends whose loyalty is matched by their devotion to military rule! At times, we clash over our ideals and our tempers flare... But that only bolsters our power, and allows us to reach greater heights! That is why I will one day exist as the Supreme Overlord of this world!" "I would not mind if Nagito retired...permanently..." "Kehehe...there's no need to panic. Even I...attend to the needs of my Four Dark Devas of Destruction." "Fret not...we are not going to abandon you. I shall station myself nearby in case anything happens. We must be vigilant about protection! I have those who I must protect!" "That is an unkind thing to say, you fiend...! How dare you call my Four Dark Devas of Destruction, "hamsters"!" "...You seriously are a loud one. Your presence alone ruins tense situations. ...Ever since your character was formed!" "Like last time...if this means no one of us killed these two... Then...we cannot let this be." "Abandon your overdependence and complaints this instant... Those have no place in this world." "Pitiful humans...they refuse to lift their heads up for fear of doubting the authenticity of the blue sky..." "Hmph, it's about time I showed my serious side." "Jeez, how troublesome... But I suppose I can display my true power for the sake of our two fallen comrades." "Kehehe... How light... Your words are so light, as light as the sylph's feather... Fuhaha! Your opponent is out of your league! It is too absurd to try to perplex me so inadequately!" "Fuhaha, is that it!? A shepherd dressed in his Sunday's finest still reeks of lamb, Hajime Hinata!" "Does that mean you have a rebuttal?" ...Hmph, that's a good line. But...are you sure you're sure? If I show you how serious I am, this world might be destroyed, you know! You're so frightened you can't even make a sound... It seems you've realized our difference in status. However, the time for conviction starts now! You better entertain me to the fullest!" "It appears that...it is wiser to retreat for now... Fine then... But regardless of good or evil, there's no deceit in upholding one's convictions." "Hmph. Kazuichi... It seems you have quite the fashion sense... Do you want me to incinerate your clothes? Perhaps I could do that while you're wearing them?" "Of course... I've already overlooked no less than then ten opportunities to kill you...!" "I agree...it is truly difficult to believe someone could be killed by such a slow-witted woman..." "If you are happy...you should honestly greet him with open arms. Perhaps those who have been taken from us would do the same if they still lived..." Chapter 4:

   "I don't know what you're planning, fiend, but we're not going to fall for it...!" "Is a mere human going to offer his opinion to me, an Overlord? Fascinating, fascinating, you fiend! I'll play your game, you rogue. Come, tell me... Try to satisfy my Four Dark Devas of Destruction!" "...I already told you. Hamsters are merely their temporary form. A fiend like you is incapable of imagining what would happen once they shed their transient guises. Kehehe, ignorance is horrendous... That's why it's only interesting to converse with humans once in a while." "Be still...my heart!" "Plunging yourself into a trap is an act of sheer madness... Fuhahaha! That's what makes it truly interesting!" "Fuhahahaha! The madder the action, the more interesting it is!" "He probably wants to live like humans as much as he can... Such is the sad nature of robotic organisms..." "I have waited for you, Invading Black Dragon, Cham-P! Exert your strength to your heart's content!" "Where were you? I swear, making an Overlord wait... Very well... But this won't happen a second time." "Kazuichi... You should be grateful to Sonia. If you'd gotten your hands on my Four Dark Devas of Destruction, your body would be incinerated by hellfire!" "Kazuichi...and you lowly humans... Fall to your knees and show your gratitude to me, the Overlord of Ice of the Destroyed World of Death!" "Allow me to tell you a little old story... I was born as a result of a union between a human and a demon, and my existence was shunned by both races... Perhaps it's because nobody has ever bought me a toy before, but I believe this is truly remarkable..." "Have you fiends made up your mind? Don't forget to pray to your god. Well, it's not like I have a god to pray to, anyway... I already know...God has been wiped out by my very own hands!" "Emissary of evil... In accordance with our ancient contract... The time has come to lend me your aid... Pierce through! Supernova Silver Fox San-D!" "I see, your eyes managed to follow San-D's movements... As expected of the Dark Lady, you have my praise." "Now then, kittens! Choose which house you would like!" "So I take 2nd place... That's fine. I was getting bored of always being on top." "Wait to die from impending starvation... Or wait for someone to kill someone else before that happens... At any rate, it's a rather difficult situation." "It's a tantamount to being killed twice... Truly...he was a man burdened by terrible misfortune..." "...Is this acceptable? If I show my serious side, things will not end with mere child's play." "The killer's intent... I can think of only one explanation. Perhaps...they intended to keep me from entering the scene of the crime. Which means the killer was afraid! Afraid of the conclusion promised by my assumptions!" "The time has come to destroy all murderous illusions...!" "Even mongrels like you possess a soul... And that soul resides within your heart... But no matter how hard you search the insides of this machine, you will never find a heart. So where did Nekomaru's soul wander off to...? It's interesting to think about, don't you agree?" "It appears that the Netherworld is behind this occurrence. Fortunately, for you humans... The portal created by the demon's power was too small, so it existed in this realm for only a brief second... But the portal's impact managed to dislodge the chain... And it was sucked into the portal as it closed shut! This is the truth behind the chain's disappearance!" "I agree. I detect the scent of danger. Even my familiars are saying, "Do not go inside..." How interesting! If you can kill me, you're welcome to try! Try stabbing your sword through my very heart! Fuhahahahahaha!" "That's right...you've seen it clearly. Because I, the one who has claimed dominion over evil, am the Ultimate Weapon! I am he who cuts the insolent catalyst which flows out from the chaos with the sword of victory... It's only fitting that I deserve to be called the Ultimate Weapon...!" "There is no such thing as murder for the sake of hope. Murder is simply murder... Forcibly sacrificing others for one's own desires...! Even one as diabolical as I would avoid such actions!" "Hmph... Don't just make things up when you don't know the method..." "There's no point in saying that. "If" does not exist in this world!" "If the bell of catastrophe rings throughout the night, it is the universe's providence to stop it..." "Answer me this... Including myself and my Four Dark Devas of Destruction, how many ears do we possess? The answer is ten... That's right, I possess ten ears... That means I have five times the hearing of a normal human! The soundproof system here may as well not exist!" "D-Do not panic... The truth...shall now commence!" "At the time, I left my room to go to the bathroom. By coincidence, I heard the alarm. That's right, that's all it was... The world is always so simple." "Kehehe...I was simply at a loss for words after being dumbfounded by your pathetic assumption... In fact, I shall deny the very basis! Your assumption has been wrong since the beginning! Fuhaha, have you learned your lesson, pitiful humans!? You cannot overcome this contradiction!" "Hmph, if you value your life...you should stop with your scrutiny..." "Don't make me angry! You wouldn't like me when I'm angry!" "Hold on...y-you, what did you just say? ...That...I didn't battle...!? Don't...mess with me...! Don't mess with meeeeee! I cannot ignore those words!" "You fools...do not understand... You don't understand at all...! Ha! You make me laugh! After all this time, you still don't understand anything at all! ... It appears...I cannot finish just yet...! Maybe I'm just a human destined for hell! However...I cannot finish just yet! I cannooooooooooooooot fiiiiiiniiiiiish! It's obvious! I'm going to destroy your illusory assumptions!" "Just as I thought, truly frail...succumbing so easily to this simple argument...it was just a mere illusion... Fuhahahaha! If you want to set me up as the killer, at least surpass your own human limitations!" "Hmph, such a wonderful line... However, I cannot say that I'm satisfied. Listen well! I shall teach you two tips for making someone admit their defeat! First, you must crush them with your own overwhelming power... And as for the other... ...You must provide a reason that will persuade that human! You...have not fulfilled either of those yet!" "Kehe... Kehehe...fuhahahahaha! Not just myself...but you actually brought up how splendid my subordinates are... ...Hmph, I have no recourse but to admit it." "It appears I've obtained a one-way ticket to hell... Fine! Then you must trample me underfoot and advance! Victory can only be built upon a foundation of corpses! You cannot find peace without sacrifice anywhere! Now, trample this life! Trample it as though it were mere trash on the side of the road! Pull the curtain strings of this worthless performance with your own two hands!" "Kehehe... Splendid... Fuhahahaha, that was splendid! For a mere human, you did quite well!" "...You don't wish to forgive me? Do you feel regret? Then finish it! Cast your impure votes for Gundham Tanaka! My beloved, deadly foes! Let the voting time begin!" "...Why do you want to talk to one who has lost? The loser merely leaves... It would just be unnecessary for me to say something... Nekomaru did fight...that is no mistake... And because he fought, he lost...and died. If he was just trying to cling to life, there are many ways he could have done so... However...he did not allow that... In that situation...if he wanted to run away, it would have been easy for him to do so. He could have run away...or even called for help... But...he did not turn his back to me. Instead...he chose a fight that risked life and death. He was serious, too. He gave it his all to try to kill me..." "I am the warlock, Gundham Tanaka... Heroes, lords of darkness, and even the gods themselves flee from me... I need not cling to any trivial reason! I'm simply going to kill you because your very existence is an annoyance!" "Nekomaru Nidai! Your blood will drench the foundation of my empire!" "Hmph... I will not argue... I have no intention of forcing my values upon you. However, I must say this! What's the point of living if you're just waiting until you finally die? There's nothing courageous about that! That is abandonment! A mere feeling of resignation! Ever since we were locked inside that building, everyone had been dominated by that feeling of abandonment... However...nothing is born from resignation. That is simply a reason to give up. Giving up on life... That's just an insult to life itself! Have you fools heard of the term, "dog eat dog?" In zoology, cannibalism is a commonly observed phenomenon... Many creatures at some point in their life span engage in cannibalism. That is what it means to live! If you say killing for the sake of living is "evil," then what would you call giving up on life itself? If a world would consider that justice, then I will fight that world with every last fiber of my being! Giving up on life and choosing death...is nothing but a blasphemy toward life. It is a violation of the natural order! It is the arrogance of humanity!" "That man...had the courage to die when he needed to die. That is why he challenged me to our battle... Regardless...as I've already said, I do not intend to force my values upon you fools. I have betrayed you all... That is the absolute truth. But...even so... Don't you think it's a better alternative to slowly starving to death here...?" "Hmph...I can't believe you would ask such a foolish question. Just who do you think I am!? I am Gundham Tanaka, history's greatest monster! My cursed existence is feared by all mankind! There's no way I'd sacrifice myself for the sake of you fools! Not in a million, not in a billion, not in 10,000 billion years! In the name of Pandaemonium, it is impossible!" "Now then, let us be rid of this foolish talk. It's about time the fun started...! Monokuma! Let us begin!" "Sonia... An act as unrefined as stopping a man from going to his death...does not befit a noble such as yourself." "Yes, I do not mind...however... ...What is it, my Four Dark Devas of Destruction? Are you worried about me? Oh, my feared Four Dark Devas of Destruction, that is not like you at all... However, there is no need to fear... In this world, I am only a temporary visitor... I was simply visiting for a moment...and now that my duty is complete, I must return to the darkness... That is why, until the very end... Pride! Conceit! Courage! Insolence! Fearful of nothing! Daunted by nothing! Let us laugh uproariously! That is Gundham Tanaka! I shall stick with my evil until the very end! Open Sesame, Pandaemonium! I shall fill hell with true hell! FUHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" Panic Talk Action Remarks:

   "I won't let you!" "For the Tanaka Empire!" "This pressure...!” "Amen!" "Wither..." "Show me the cadaver!" "Crushed as David prophesized!" "You weakling!" "It's Nekomaru's back! Do you really think I can get behind him so easily!?" (Final Argument) Chapter 5:

   "Tremblewithfear!@%’*)P()~)~%$# Iwilldie2wiceeeeeeeeeeeee:@`?" (Gundham's cottage post-fifth trial) "Hmph, a coincidence you say? Wrong! That is the will of causality guiding you." Merchandise The link below lists all official licensed merchandise featuring Gundham Tanaka:

   Main: Gundham Tanaka Merchandise Trivia

   Nekomaru, Gundham's victim's, cause of death is foreshadowed by the final victim in The Wizard of Monomi 2.5D, a movie Mikan used for an imitation murder. She recreated only the first two victims, omitting the third—depicted as a tin man whose body was mutilated. This mirrors how Gundham murders Nekomaru, where his robotic body is destroyed, and his head is decapitated, resembling the third victim.[37][39] In his first Free Time Event, Gundham asks Hajime for his "hidden name" and "special ability." Hajime, who has no memory at the time, objects, claiming he has neither. In reality prior to the commencement of the Killing School Trip, however, he was already transformed into Izuru Kamukura, the Ultimate Hope.[19][43] In his Island Mode, Gundham is implied to be unable to swim, claiming that he's "not very effective against water-types," which may also be a reference to Water-type Pokémons.[54] In the Danganronpa Another Episode artbook, a beta model who appears to be Gundham controlling Robo Justice robot can be seen.[55] Gundham's English voice actor, Chris Tergliafera, also voices Ryoma Hoshi in Danganronpa V3: Killing Harmony.[56] Gundham's stage actor, Masahiro Inoue, was married to Sonia's 2015 stage actress, Jaimie Natsuki.[57][58] Appearances in Other Media Gundham and the Four Dark Devas of Destruction are included in the collaboration of Danganronpa 3 x Hōkai Gakuen. Gundham is included in the third wave of Danganronpa 1.2 Reload x Divine Gate. Gundham appears as a dress-up item in Atgames.[citation needed] The Four Dark Devas were featured in a promotional art by Rui Komatsuzaki from the anime Wooser's Hand-to-Mouth Life and Akudama Drive. Danganronpa 3 x Hōkai Gakuen collaboration Danganronpa 3 x Hōkai Gakuen collaboration Danganronpa 1.2 Reload x Divine Gate collaboration Danganronpa 1.2 Reload x Divine Gate collaboration Akudama Drive collaboration Akudama Drive collaboration Wooser's Hand-to-Mouth Life' collaboration Wooser's Hand-to-Mouth Life' collaboration References Report Card (Japanese) Danganronpa 3 Despair Arc: Gundham Tanaka design profile Report Card Free Time Events 4: Gundham Tanaka Danganronpa 3 - Despair Arc - Episode 04 Danganronpa 3 - Despair Arc - Episode 07 Free Time Events 2: Gundham Tanaka Danganronpa 2.5: Nagito Komaeda and the World Vanquisher Danganronpa 1.2 Art Book: Gundham Tanaka Design Profile Overview. @Taichinchin on Tumblr: List of Danganronpa and Danganronpa 2 casts former high schools Chris Tergliafera: "wow Good ear! Yes, another role I'm very proud of. Gundham was my fave char to voice. Such a high opinion of himself!" (Image of tweet) (10 July 2014) Funimation: Danganronpa 3: The End of Hope’s Peak High School Broadcast Dub Cast Announcement (July 28, 2016) synchronkartei: Danganronpa 3: The End of Hope's Peak Academy - Despair Arc Likely referring to folk dances associated with school events such as sports day or cultural festivals in a Japanese context. Gundham: "I see...I've only gone to an amusement park once during my childhood... But it was an amusement park in hell filled with man-eating demons!" (Danganronpa 2: Chapter 4 - Daily Life) Gundham: "I was born as a result of a union between a human and a demon, and my existence was shunned by both races... Perhaps it's because nobody has ever bought me a toy before, but I believe this is truly remarkable..." (Danganronpa 2: Chapter 4 - Daily Life) Free Time Events 5: Gundham Tanaka Introduction: Gundham Tanaka Free Time Events 1: Gundham Tanaka Danganronpa 2: Goodbye Despair: Chapter 1 - Daily Life Danganronpa 3 - Despair Arc - Episode 01 Danganronpa 3 - Despair Arc - Episode 02 Danganronpa 3 - Despair Arc - Episode 03 Danganronpa 3 - Despair Arc - Episode 05 Gundham: "Long ago...in a faraway land, a beast known as the Hell Hound was feared by all, even by he who summoned it... The Hell Hound tore its way through unnumerable battlefields, its fangs glistened with blood... ...And his drenched, blood-red fur would dry in the howling winds...of loneliness. When I finally tamed that diabolic beast, I received an earring to commemorate that event... ...the Hell Hound Earring. So that I may never forget the night I battled that fearsome pomeranian, I wear that earring at all times..." (Danganronpa 2: Chapter 1 - Deadly Life) Danganronpa 3 - Despair Arc - Episode 06 Danganronpa 3 - Despair Arc - Episode 08 Danganronpa 3 - Despair Arc - Episode 09 Danganronpa 3 - Despair Arc - Episode 10 Danganronpa 3 - Despair Arc - Episode 11 Danganronpa 2: Goodbye Despair: Chapter 6 Danganronpa 3 - Future Arc - Episode 01 Danganronpa 2: Goodbye Despair: Chapter 2 - Deadly Life Danganronpa 2: Goodbye Despair: Prologue Danganronpa 2: Goodbye Despair: Chapter 1 - Deadly Life Danganronpa 2: Goodbye Despair: Chapter 2 - Daily Life Danganronpa 2: Goodbye Despair: Chapter 3 - Daily life Danganronpa 2: Goodbye Despair: Chapter 3 - Deadly life Danganronpa 2: Goodbye Despair: Chapter 4 - Daily life Danganronpa 2: Goodbye Despair: Chapter 4 - Deadly Life Akane: "But why'd you come out? You shoulda hid till the excitement died down..." Chiaki: "If Gundham tried to hide, and if those two went to his room to check on him, he would've been found out. That would've been the worst possible outcome... That's why he couldn't just stay hidden." (Chapter 4 - Deadly Life) Danganronpa 2: Goodbye Despair: Chapter 5 - Deadly life Danganronpa 3 - Hope Arc Danganronpa V3: Killing Harmony: Chapter 6 @Kaibutsushidousha on Tumblr: Danganronpa 2 Artbook: Gundham Tanaka @Jinjojess on Tumblr: Danganronpa 3 - Despair Arc Profile: Gundham Tanaka Gundham Tanaka's Investigation Report Gundham: "Kehehe... I see, so that guy figured it out, as well." Hajime: "Hm? You know, too, Gundham? What is it?" Gundham: "If you wish to know, you must pay price... After all, this world is ruled by the law of equivalent exchange... However, is someone like you capable of offering a tribute that would satisfy a tyrant such as myself? Hajime: "...He probably doesn't know what it is." (Prologue) Hajime: "Hey... Why are iron plates covering the windows...?" Gundham: "Such a fine day... Countless lives gasp their first breath... And countless more go the way of all flesh..." Hajime: "I guess... He doesn't know." (Chapter 1 - Daily Life) Gundham: "A new land has opened... However, it does not mean we will find salvation there... Griefs is all that awaits us...but that would be quite entertaining!" Hajime: "...So he's saying he didn't find anything useful on this island...is that it?" (Chapter 2 - Daily Life) Chiaki: "You know, after listening to you talk for a while, I'm starting to think that... Well, it's also because you unexpectedly admitted your crime without much resistance..." Hajime: "Gundham, don't tell me you... You didn't sacrifice yourself for our sake, did you...?" Gundham: "My cursed existence is feared by all mankind! There's no way I'd sacrifice myself for the sake of you fools! Not in a million, not in a billion, not in 10,000 billion years! In the name of Pandaemonium, it is impossible!" Hajime: "Is that it...? Then...I'll just leave it at that..." (Chapter 4 - Deadly Life) Free Time Events 3: Gundham Tanaka Island Mode - Library: Gundham Tanaka Island Mode - Movie Theater: Gundham Tanaka A possible reference to Fullmetal Alchemist's Equivalent Exchange Island Mode - Beach: Gundham Tanaka Danganronpa Another Episode Official Setting Materials Collection (Danganronpa Another Episode: Ultra Despair Girls art book) Chris Tergliafera: "YOU WIN. Nice ear! Yes, I am voicing Ryoma in DRV3" (Image of tweet) (3 July 2017) Masahiro Inoue married and is expecting first child. @MAAAAAAAASAHIRO on Twitter: ご報告 私、井上正大は5月8日に離婚致しました。結婚の時と違い簡素なものになってしまいました。今は大変な時期ではありますがきちんとお伝えしたいと思い このような形で申し訳ございませんがご報告させていただきます。 井上正大

10. #10Hiyoko Saionji

    Keys: Characters, Hiyoko Saionji, Saionji, Hiyoko, Character

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    Hiyoko Saionji Illustration Sprite DR3 (Despair) Illustration Name Kanji 西園寺 日寄子 Romaji Saionji Hiyoko Katakana サイオンジ ヒヨコ English Hiyoko Saionji Aliases & Titles Talent Characteristics Personal Status Debuts Portrayals

    “ I think it's a good thing to protect things that need to be protected.

    — Danganronpa 2: Goodbye Despair ”

    Hiyoko Saionji (西園寺 日寄子), is a student of Hope's Peak Academy's Class 77-B, and a participant of the Killing School Trip featured in Danganronpa 2: Goodbye Despair. Her title is the Ultimate Traditional Dancer (超高校級の「日本舞踊家」 lit. Super High School Level Classical Dancer).

    She, along with Class 77-B, returns in Danganronpa 3: The End of Hope's Peak High School to explore their school life leading up to The Tragedy.

    History Early Life Hiyoko was born as the heiress to the Saionji Clan, the head of the school of traditional Japanese dance. Her traditionalist family was very overbearing due to this important role. Making things worse, her chosen bloodline was constantly targeted by conspiracies and assassinations due to jealous people. As a child, she constantly suffered cruel and even life-threatening pranks and threats, like having pins in her shoes, dead mice scattered all over her bed, and poisoned food.[4]

    Although Hiyoko's father was distinct from her other relatives because he was just a married relative, she developed a strong bond with him during her formative years living with her parents. In her account, Hiyoko described her father as a protective and supportive figure who never left her side and was always there to watch her dance. When Hiyoko performs her traditional dance, which she thinks is "boring", her dad promises to remain awake throughout the performance, which is something she values and cherishes deeply.[12] She also mentioned how she always felt calm whenever her dad is near her, which is in stark contrast to her mother, whom Hiyoko tended to disregard because she was "all pride and no talent" and "a waste of oxygen"—and her grandmother, who would spare no effort to protect the Saionji family's reputation.[5]

    Knowing the weight that comes with being the head of the family, Hiyoko's father expressed his desire to shield Hiyoko from that responsibility. However, having such a low position in the family meant that his opinion had no bearing on Hiyoko's future. Very soon after this, Hiyoko's grandmother took her from her parents and intended to raise her up in accordance with the family's rigid traditions to preserve the honor of the Clan. She didn't permit Hiyoko to see her parents, as she considered her father to be a bad influence on her. While Hiyoko had a low opinion of her grandmother, calling her a "hag", she was also grateful for being raised by her.[4]

    Due to her upbringing under her grandmother's care, she considers herself part of the noble class and everybody else meager slaves. Hiyoko is said to be a rookie dancer, but it is said that her family has high expectations as she has done many shows overseas. She is also popular with younger audiences, though most of her fans are older males.[13]

    Prior to the Tragedy Attending Hope's Peak Academy Main article: Danganronpa 3: The End of Hope's Peak High School/Despair Arc Danganronpa 3 (Despair Arc) - ED (Textless) (17) With Class 77-B

    Hiyoko attended Golden Light Girl's Institute[7][8], where it is heavily implied that she never had any friends due to growing a mean and distrustful personality in order to defend herself in the past.[14] She was later scouted and enrolled in Class 77-B as the Ultimate Traditional Dancer by Hope's Peak Academy thanks to her growing stellar career in the Japanese dance industry.

    First Year Hiyoko's introdcution Insulting Mikan after she trips over her bag

    Hiyoko initially didn't know her classmates well and had little interest in forming friendships with them, often being mean-spirited and openly cruel, especially to the meek Mikan Tsumiki, the Ultimate Nurse.[15] However, as shown in the Twilight Syndrome Murder Case, she did spend time with the other girls in the class, as they were often seen hanging out together. Despite her general aloofness, she showed kindness from the get-go only toward Mahiru Koizumi, the Ultimate Photographer, with whom she became close friends.

    Saionji's cruelty Hiyoko pranks her classmates.

    However, with the push from her homeroom teacher, Chisa Yukizome, the Former Ultimate Housekeeper, she gradually tolerated her classmates and even beginning to enjoy their companionship in her own twisted way. This often involved teasing others for her amusement, such as when she joined in playing video games just to irritate Ibuki Mioda, the Ultimate Musician, or when she spiked Teruteru Hanamura's, the Ultimate Cook, nikujaga with an aphrodisiac-filled invention created by the Ultimate Pharmacist, Seiko Kimura, to make her classmates drown in their lusts.[16]

    Danganronpa 3 - Despair Arc (Episode 03) - Ending (14) Consoling Mahiru after Sato's death

    Amidst these happy school days, however, Hiyoko got involuntarily involved into the murder of Natsumi Kuzuryu, the sister of her classmate, Fuyuhiko Kuzuryu, the Ultimate Yakuza, as she, alongside Mahiru, Mikan, Ibuki, and Sato of the Reserve Course discovered her body in the music room. Unbeknownst to her, it was Sato who killed Natsumi, and she was murdered a few days later by Fuyuhiko as revenge. This devastated Mahiru, who was seen crying on Hiyoko's chest while her classmates watched on in worry.[17] This case was later utilized in the Killing School Trip by Monokuma, serving as the game's second motive and was given the title "Twilight Syndrome Murder Case."

    Hiyoko Saiyonji Older Growth spurt

    Not long after the deaths of Sato and Natsumi, Hiyoko bid her farewell to Chisa as she was transferred to the Reserve Course after the bomb incident involving one of Hiyoko's classmate, Nagito Komaeda, the Ultimate Lucky Student.[18] During Chisa's absence and later her return, Hiyoko experienced a growth spurt yet still maintained her same mischievous personality.[19]

    Second Year In her upperclassman year, Hiyoko celebrated Nagito's "death" first anniversary, aka his suspension, by placing a white flower on his desk. Around the same time, the atmosphere at Hope's Peak Academy had begun to shift. It started with Mikan's continued absence from class, which Hiyoko quickly noticed. Later, she and the rest of her classmates witnessed a riot among the Reserve Course students, who discovered that the academy had used their tuition money to fund human experiments.[20]

    Komaeda noticed Saionji Nagito not noticing Hiyoko due to her growth spurt

    When the protests grew in tandem with Mikan's absence from school, which Hiyoko suspected scared her away, Nagito returned to school when his suspension period ended, much to Hiyoko's dismay, added by how he didn't notice who she was at first due to her growth spurt. Nagito then told everyone who noticed Mikan's whereabouts at the West District of the school grounds, prompting Hiyoko and her classmates to search for her despite her protests.[21]

    The search proved futile, as they failed to find the Ultimate Nurse. However, they later learned another grim truth from their class representative, Chiaki Nanami, the Ultimate Gamer, and from Nagito: that Chisa was in serious trouble as she confronted a malicious student Junko Enoshima. This revelation made the entire class immediately eager to help and pursue her to Junko's lair, despite Nagito's warning that it would be a suicide mission. Even Hiyoko looked forward to making Junko's teeth chatter.[22]

    Class 77 Despair Class 77-B brainwashed

    Unbeknownst to Hiyoko and the rest of the class, this was a trap set by Junko, who had brainwashed Mikan and Chisa to lure them in what seems to be the room that would be used for Class Trials later on. In this very room, Hiyoko and the others were forced to watch Chiaki's brutal execution, and were unable to take their eyes off the screen despite their attempts. Once Chiaki was killed, Hiyoko and her classmates were successfully brainwashed into despair.[23]

    Despaired Saionji Hiyoko Saionji, the Ultimate Despair

    Fully brainwashed into becoming the Ultimate Despair, Hiyoko and her classmates received their final lesson before "graduation", the one final meeting to discuss their plan to overthrow the world with despair. Hiyoko expressed she would use her dance 'to spread joy', before Chisa activated a bomb that fakes the death of Class 77-B so they can be taken off the list of protected students. Hiyoko and her class stood outside the school grounds as they watch Hope's Peak's destruction.[24]

    The Tragedy Danganronpa 3 - Future Arc (Episode 01) - Intro (29) Hiyoko and Ibuki's concert

    Hiyoko joined the Ultimate Despair after falling prey to Junko's brainwashing[24] Alongside her corrupted classmates, she started The Tragedy and kept it ongoing even after Junko's death in the final stage of the Killing School Life.[25] They also hacked her body and grafted them onto themselves—though in Hiyoko's case, the specific body parts she took remain unknown.[25] Her infamous contributions as the Ultimate Despair include holding a concert alongside Ibuki to rally the Ultimate Despair army's spirit.[26]

    Danganronpa 3 - Future Arc (Episode 01) - Makoto arriving (6) Remnants of Despair

    Hiyoko and her classmates who did not commit suicide to follow their leader Junko soon became known as the Remnants of Despair. Eventually, the Future Foundation secured the custody of Hiyoko and the other fourteen - at first only aware that they were survivors from Hope's Peak Academy. When Makoto Naegi, Class 78th's Ultimate Lucky Student, by that time a member of the 14th Division of the Future Foundation, realized that the survivors were in fact, Remnants of Despair, he quickly directed them to Jabberwock Island in secret.[25]

    Danganronpa 2 CG - Neo World Program (4) Neo World Program

    Makoto made them enter the Neo World Program, where their memories were reset to a time prior to their entering Hope's Peak Academy, before they were manipulated by Junko - resulting in all of them not recognizing each other. The plan was to overwrite Ibuki and the others' memories of themselves as Ultimate Despair, replacing them with good ones in order to undo all the damage Junko had done to them.[25]

    The scheme backfired when Izuru Kamukura, the Ultimate Hope and the final product of the Izuru Kamukura Project, uploaded Junko's malware AI just before they were to be programmed. Consequently, they were subjected to the identical brutal incident that befell Class 78th, although in a realistically simulated environment. The killing game became known as the Killing School Trip, an ordeal that Hiyoko and the other Remnants of Despair were coerced into participating.[25]

    Killing School Trip Main article: Danganronpa 2: Goodbye Despair Danganronpa 2 CG - Students in the classroom Killing School Trip participants

    Alongside fourteen other Remnants of Despair and one Future Foundation observer, Hiyoko participated in the Killing School Trip. It occurred in a virtual world, the Neo World Program, resembling Jabberwock Island. Due to her memories as the Ultimate Despair and life in Hope's Peak Academy being erased by the Future Foundation, she couldn't recognize any of her classmates, even Mahiru, one of her closest friends.[25]

    Hiyoko can first be found hanging around at the Usami Corrals. Hajime Hinata notes that she was poking at the ground repeatedly for some reason, which later turns out to be that she was crushing (popping) ants. She invited Hajime to join her, but he declined, which makes Hiyoko call him a wuss.[27]

    Afterward, Usami, the observer of the school trip, an AI programmed by the Future Foundation, gathered Hiyoko and the others at the first island's beach to present them swimsuits to motivate everyone to get along. Most students immediately changed and jumped into the water, but Hiyoko stayed on the beach and chose to have fun by stepping on crabs.[27] More likely, however, she didn't want to take off her kimono, as Hajime and the others would later learn that she couldn't tie it by herself.[28]

    Danganronpa 2 CG - Start of the Killing School Trip The Killing School Trip begins

    The promising tropical school trip, however, turned into a nightmare immediately as Hiyoko learned that the evil animatronic bear, Monokuma, the self-proclaimed headmaster of Hope's Peak Academy, had hijacked their trip and turned it into a killing game. Hiyoko and the others initially refused to participate. However, they soon learned that they have no choice but to submit after Monokuma makes an example of Usami (renamed into Monomi by Monokuma) by blowing her to pieces using Monobeasts.[27]

    Despite the situation that she was in, Hiyoko remained herself, quickly turning the likes of Mikan and Kazuichi Soda, the Ultimate Mechanic, into easy targets for her cruelty. She also makes fun of her other classmates from time to time, such as Akane Owari, the gullible Ultimate Gymnast, Gundham Tanaka, the Ultimate Breeder with chūnibyō syndrome, and Nagito whose speeches about friendship made her cringe. She even gave an insulting nickname that she would continually use to the group's de facto leader, the Ultimate Imposter (impersonating Byakuya Togami—the Ultimate Affluent Progeny)—calling them "Mr. Ham Hands." To Hajime's surprise, this didn't make the Imposter angry at all.[29] In fact, they seemed to appreciate the honesty behind Hiyoko's "thoughtful" nickname. This nickname ironically became the first hint of their true identity as at the time no one was aware that their leader was impersonating the real Byakuya.[30]

    Danganronpa 2 - Girls-Only Gathering Event Girls-only gathering

    If Hajime had a certain magazine with him, he could hand it to Mahiru. This would trigger a bonus scene where Hiyoko joined Mahiru's girls-only gathering—with Hajime as the exception—where they make desserts together to ease the tension caused by the first motive.[29]

    Danganronpa 2 CG - A photo of the party (1) Attending the party

    Hiyoko never missed the morning meetings that the Imposter regularly organized, despite her preference for staying in her cottage and eating sweets for breakfast[29], and participated the all-night party they hosted at the old building. She didn't realize until the class trial that the party was thrown by the Imposter to save her and the others from someone who planned to kickstart the Killing Game, and that was no other than Nagito.[31]

    Amidst the lively party, a blackout occurred, prompting the group to panic, and Hiyoko complained that someone had stepped on her foot.[29] However, she soon learned that she and the group had a bigger problem once they discovered the Ultimate Imposter's body under one of the tables. While most students were distraught and flat out refused to point fingers at one another during the class trial, Hiyoko was among the first to snap them back to reality, insisting that they had no choice but to abide by the rules: investigate the murder and identify the culprit if they wanted to survive.[32] For all her tough talk, the sweet-tooth Hiyoko spent zero time investigating and instead ran off to the supermarket to restock her favorite gummies. However, she did inform Hajime that she had noticed the self-defense kits were lesser than before, and that one of the night-vision goggles was missing. By mostly relying on others to provide vital information during the class trial, Hiyoko and the others deduce that Nagito had orchestrated the murder plan. However, it had been sabotaged by Teruteru Hanamura, the Ultimate Cook, who intended to kill Nagito but accidentally ended up killing the Ultimate Imposter, who had interfered with Nagito's scheme. Hiyoko survived the first class trial after Teruteru was correctly voted as the blackened and later executed for his crime.[31]

    The following morning, the atmosphere at the restaurant's meeting was somber, with the deaths of the Ultimate Imposter and Teruteru still fresh in everyone's minds. Hiyoko, however, was unsurprisingly indifferent. While she understood that everyone was sad about "Mr. Ham Hands," she openly took pleasure in Teruteru being executed for committing murder. She would have spat on him if she could have, as she believed that he deserved to die. While she went on and on with her rant, Akane suddenly noticed a foul smell coming from Hiyoko. That was when everyone else noticed she reeked, prompting Hiyoko to burst into tears. Feeling cornered, she admitted that she hasn't been able to shower for the past few days due to her inability to tie her kimono sash by herself. While no one was sure how to calm Hiyoko down, Mahiru stepped up and offered to tie her sash and teach her how to make a simple knot. Hiyoko was immediately overjoyed and quickly took a liking to Mahiru, happily dragging her off to take a shower together while most of the others went off to investigate the new island. If Hajime has a certain item with him at this point, he will go to peek at them taking a shower together. From then on, Hiyoko began to bond with Mahiru, often hanging around her and affectionately referring to her as "big sis", much like when they attended Hope's Peak Academy.[28] According to creator Kazutaka Kodaka, Hiyoko's school memories with Mahiru were very precious to her, which explains why she grew close to her again despite having lost her memories in the Neo World Program.[33]

    Twilight Syndrome Murder Case Danganronpa 2 CG - Twilight Syndrome Murder Case (20) Hiyoko as Girl B

    Hiyoko was present when Monokuma announced the second motive of the killing school trip, which was the Twilight Syndrome Murder Case. Hiyoko stated that she had no interest in playing, but pointed out the possibility that someone might be tempted to play while everyone waited—thus turning them into the hunter and the rest into prey.[28] Little did she know that her very same Big Sis Mahiru had played the game herself, influenced by the words of the tied-up Nagito. In the days that followed, Mahiru (Girl D) invited Hiyoko (Girl B), along with Mikan (Girl A), Ibuki (Girl C), and Fuyuhiko (Guy F), to discuss the game after learning that they were characters in it—a game that involved the murder of Natsumi Kuzuryu (dead girl) and Sato (Girl E). However, only Hiyoko accepted and promised to meet again later to have a more detailed conversation, as Mikan and Ibuki had a scheduling conflict: the beach party. Meanwhile, Peko Pekoyama—the Ultimate Swordswoman and secret hitwoman working for Fuyuhiko—heeded her young master's order to sabotage their meeting, luring Hiyoko and Mahiru into the beach house.[34]

    Danganronpa 2 Chapter 2 - Closing Argument Act 3 Drugged into unconsciousness by Peko

    Hiyoko was lured to the beach house at exactly 2:00 p.m., thanks to a fake letter Peko had sent her—30 minutes before Mahiru's arrival. She was then drugged unconscious by Peko, who had been lying in wait, and hidden inside the closet as part of a plan to frame her as the killer later. While Hiyoko was unconscious, Peko ambushed Mahiru and killed her with a metal bat—before Fuyuhiko, who confronted her about the game, had the chance to do it himself. After some time had passed, the sleeping drug wore off, and Hiyoko woke up—only to discover Mahiru's dead body blocking the beach house’s main entrance as she stepped out of the closet. Shocked, panicked, and fearing she would be suspected of murder, Hiyoko fled from the beach house through the sandy beach, leaving footprints that played right into another trap set by Peko to frame her.[34] Hiyoko's tearful escape from the beach house was spotted by Kazuichi, Ibuki, Hajime, and Mikan, who had been waiting at the diner for the others to show up for their beach party.[28]

    Danganronpa 2 CG - Kazuichi Soda witnessing Hiyoko Saionji Running away from the crime scene

    Hiyoko locked herself in her cottage during the investigation and only came out to gather at the airport with Mikan and Ibuki after Nagito tricked them by telling them that Monokuma would execute them if they didn't show up. When questioned about whether Mahiru had spoken to her about the Twilight Syndrome Murder Case, Hiyoko lied, claiming that she and Mahiru had never discussed it at all, before running away and returning to her cottage. It also took Monokuma to drag her by force into the class trial. Thankfully, Nagito managed to take a sample of her footprints and inspect her cottage, where he discovered that her favorite gummy bags did not contain any yellow lemon-flavored ones, which later helped prove Hiyoko's innocence.[34]

    In the class trial, Hiyoko and the others would learn the truth about the game and how it involved her as one of the girls who discovered Fuyuhiko's sister's corpse. Although Hiyoko was innocent of both Natsumi and Sato's murder, Peko claimed that she murdered Mahiru and used the motive to blame Fuyuhiko, who had the biggest motive to kill Mahiru. This triggered a series of accusations, and evidence was stacked against Hiyoko, which she tearfully denied. After she stubbornly lied about her whereabouts during the murder, everyone began to notice the discrepancies and realized that this was all a trap set by the true killer. The most glaring error made by the culprit was placing a yellow gummy in an attempt to frame Hiyoko, only for it to be proven as planted evidence, since Hiyoko never eats yellow gummies—possibly due to her dislike of sour food.[2] As the suspicion shifted away from her, Hiyoko began to confess everything that had happened, from before to after the murder, including the fake letter the real culprit forged to trick her and Mahiru. The class trial progressed with much greater clarity once they understood that Hiyoko had been premeditatedly framed as the scapegoat by the true culprit. Eventually, they concluded that Peko was the murderer and voted for her to be the blackened. Hiyoko witnessed Peko's execution, which involved her accidentally injuring Fuyuhiko. As he was brought to be treated by Monokuma, Hiyoko tearfully told everyone not to wait for his recovery, as he was the one truly responsible for Mahiru's death.[34]

    Trapped by the Ocean Scent Danganronpa 2 CG - Mahiru Koizumi's photo effigy Mahiru's memorial created by Hiyoko

    In the early morning following the class trial, Hiyoko snucked into the restaurant before anyone else and made a sinister-looking memorial to honor Mahiru, which she had thought everyone would be happy about. However, Hiyoko's expectations were ruined when everybody, not knowing Hiyoko had made it, commented that the memorial was creepy and unsettling to the point that Nekomaru Nidai, the Ultimate Team Manager, urged it to be burned.[35] Not wanting everyone to know that she had made that 'creepy and unsettling' memorial, she went with the flow and commented about how Mahiru wouldn't like it at all until Chiaki pointed out that the memorial was surely made with an honest intention. Hiyoko began crying and admitted she made the memorial because she thought Mahiru would be lonely and apologized for how it looked since she was clumsy at doing anything other than dancing.[36] Hiyoko then asked them not to burn it, to which the others agreed, keeping it up for Hiyoko and Mahiru's sake.

    Once the third island became accessible to the group, Hiyoko investigated the motel (by manipulating Akane into inspecting the rooms on her behalf) before visiting Fuyuhiko at the hospital. While everyone was happy that he was recovering, Hiyoko remained silent, sulking as she glared at Fuyuhiko—something Hajime noted was likely because she was still understandably upset about what had happened during the last class trial.[35]

    Danganronpa 2 CG - Toy Camera Event (1) Memorial Jam Session

    The next day, if Hajime had the Toy Camera, Hiyoko, alongside Ibuki and Chiaki, would hold the Memorial Jam Session in memory of Mahiru. It had been Mahiru's wish to take pictures of Hiyoko dancing and Ibuki playing an instrument. And so, Hiyoko danced while Ibuki played the guitar and Chiaki joined to play the triangle, as Hajime took pictures with the Toy Camera—hoping that despite their differences in style, their harmonized performance could reach not only Mahiru but also the late Imposter, Teruteru, and Peko.[35]

    By the next morning, Hiyoko was bewildered to see Fuyuhiko—despite still not fully recovered—formally re-introduce and apologize to the group, joining the restaurant's morning meeting properly for the first time since the killing game began. She rejected his apology and refused to befriend him, once again blaming him not only for Mahiru's death, but also Peko's. Even as he dropped to his knees, Hiyoko remained adamant in her refusal, which Fuyuhiko acknowledged before proceeding to slit his own stomach to demonstrate his resolve. Such action shocked Hiyoko and rendered her speechless as Mikan, Nekomaru, and Kazuichi carried Fuyuhiko back to the hospital. Hiyoko, now visibly dejected, pondered what Mahiru would have said or how she would have reacted in this situation, prompted by Chiaki's questioning. Hiyoko thought Mahiru would have gotten mad, but she fell silent again before finishing to articulate her thoughts.[35]

    Later that night, Ibuki invited everyone to the welcome-back party for Fuyuhiko, but Hiyoko seemingly didn't show up. It was only after Ibuki finished performed her song, "From Me to You Too", that Hiyoko was revealed to be among the attendees. Amusingly, she was the only one who genuinely enjoyed the Ultimate Musician's performance and stated that it was her first time to hear a famous song live. Before anyone could assume that Hiyoko had forgiven Fuyuhiko, she made it clear that she hadn't forgiven him so easily. However, she was willing to cooperate with him until they escaped the island.[37] Despite her words and attitude, Hajime observed that she was still making an effort to change for the better, stating that "there's no way the old Hiyoko would've ever forgiven Fuyuhiko like this". However, just as Ibuki was about to perform her next song, Monomi interrupted, informing everyone that Akane was dueling Monokuma. This prompted everyone to rush to her aid, much to Hiyoko's dismay, as she had wanted to hear another song from Ibuki.[35]

    The one moment of calm and happiness amidst the Killing School Trip was ruined when Nekomaru shielded Akane from her execution from breaking the rules, gravely injuring him that he needed to be taken away for treatment. Witnessing the horrible event, Hiyoko was instantly sobered, realizing that the "talk about everyone getting along" amidst a killing game was just a way to fool themselves. She used Nekomaru's sacrifice as an example of misplaced 'friendship'—an outcome that only happens when people act recklessly and rely too much on teamwork, something she would prefer to sit out of. Despite her words being directed at Akane, Hiyoko was disappointed that the Ultimate Gymnast believed in Nekomaru's resilience so much that it came across to her as ignorance.[35]

    The following day, Hiyoko noticed Nagito, Akane, and Ibuki behaving strangely. That was when Monokuma revealed that the three had contracted the Despair Disease—a highly contagious illness that drastically alters one's personality, transmitted by extremely tiny insects invisible to the eye, and which would not stop spreading until a murder occurred. It was Hiyoko's idea to isolate and quarantine the sick students in the hospital with Mikan—whom she suspected had already caught the disease from caring for them—in order to prevent it from spreading. She also ordered Kazuichi to build a device that would allow communication during the quarantine. She also agreed to station herself with the rest in the nearby motel in case anything happened, although she initially didn't like that suggestion from Gundham. She snarkily let Hajime stay at the hospital since he had already come into physical contact with the sick students, but was surprised when Fuyuhiko volunteered to remain.[35]

    Hiyoko's Fate Danganronpa 2 CG - Sonia Nevermind with Hiyoko Saionji struggling with her outfit Struggling to tie her sash

    Unlike the rest of the motel team who joined in to contact the hospital team, Hiyoko, had locked herself in her motel room and refused to come out.[35] It was revealed that she never came out of her room because she struggled to put on her kimono. When her door was half open, Sonia Nevermind, the Ultimate Princess, checked up on her, only to find Hiyoko with her clothes half on and crying. She had taken a shower so she wouldn't smell bad, but struggled to tie her sash, which frustrated her. Sonia speculated that Hiyoko couldn't forgive herself for her inability, especially since her Big Sis Mahiru had previously taught her the basics of how to tie it. Hiyoko kicked Sonia out of her room after she suggested checking the full-length mirror in the music venue's storage room, but eventually went there anyway to fix her kimono.[38]

    Danganronpa 2 CG - Hiyoko Saionji witnessing the murder preperation (2) Walking in on the crime scene

    When Hiyoko walked in on the music venue, she witnessed Mikan about to murder Ibuki and was immediately killed by Mikan with a slit to the throat to eliminate her from being witness. Thus, her murder wasn't out of spite or revenge for bullying, but rather an unfortunate coincidence.[39] Mikan then hid her body by taping it to one of the stage pillars with duct tape and covering it with wallpaper from the storage. She only peeled it off to reveal the body after Hajime, who had discovered Ibuki's hanging body on stage, ran off to fetch everyone from the motel.[38]

    Danganronpa 2 CG - Hiyoko's Corpse Hiyoko's body

    In the class trial, the murder weapon used to kill Hiyoko was never discovered or discussed at any point during the class trial. However, the group learned that Ibuki had stepped in Hiyoko's blood, which was found on the soles of her slippers. This became an important clue, revealing that Ibuki was still alive when Hiyoko was already dead, which led them to the conclusion that Mikan was the culprit, resulting in her execution for the crime.[38]

    Both Hiyoko and Ibuki's passing affected the atmosphere of the group, with Sonia noting that the newly opened festive Fourth Island would have been enjoyed by the two girls. Nekomaru, who had returned with his robot body, also remarked that with their noisy selves gone, it was "as if a fire was smothered."[40] Her deceased portrait in the class trial courtroom can be seen from the third trial onwards and is notably shorter than the others, matching her height.

    Hiyoko briefly reappeared as an illusion shortly before the countdown ended, as the Neo World Program began glitching. Alongside the others, she headed to the Ancient Ruins after learning the password from Nagito's video message. In her usual mischievous manner, she pranked Ibuki by claiming that the Ultimate Imposter could only understand piggy talk, prompting her to compliment their coolness by saying "oink oink." Hiyoko vanished once the survivors stepped inside the ruins.[30]

    At the climax of the Killing School Trip, Hajime, while investigating the glitch version of Hope's Peak Academy, discovered a newspaper clipping showing an older, much more mature-looking Hiyoko.[25] Her post-growth spurt appearance revealed that their time spent on Jabberwock Island was actually a memory from when they first arrived at Hope's Peak Academy, with their avatars in the Neo World Program reflecting their initial appearances. Their real bodies had matured approximately 2 to 3 years.[25]

    The illusory Hiyoko was later conjured during the game reset sequence of the final class trial, a scenario made by Alter Ego Junko to persuade Hajime and the remaining survivors to graduate. Had she succeeded, it would have allowed her to upload her AI into the comatose bodies of the "dead" Remnants of Despair, effectively reviving them as copies of herself. In this sequence, Hiyoko cheerfully exclaimed the survivors wouldn't have to forget her and the others who passed away.[25]

    Post-Killing School Trip Danganronpa 2.5 - (OVA) Nagito regaining his memories (26) Revived Hiyoko and her classmates

    After Alter Ego Junko's defeat, Hiyoko remained in a coma alongside her classmates, while the survivors waited for them to wake.[25] Eventually, Izuru Kamukura—now merged with Hajime's personality and memories—revived them. Purged of Junko's brainwashing, Hiyoko who was now alive and awake from Neo World Program, boarded the boat with the rest of Class 77-B and they all then headed for the Future Foundation HQ, to stop the Final Killing Game involving Future Foundation leaders.[6]

    Resurrection and Atonement Main article: Danganronpa 3: The End of Hope's Peak High School/Hope Arc How Saionji says thank you Hiyoko thanking Mikan for rescuing her

    Hiyoko and her classmates arrived at the island where the Future Foundation's off-shore facility was located, having left from Jabberwock Island.[41] Having rescued Byakuya Togami and Yasuhiro Hagakure, two members of the Future Foundation and survivors of the Killing School Life, from beneath the rubble, the group set out to confront their one and only classmate, Ryota Mitarai, the Ultimate Animator, who Junko had coerced into creating the brainwashing video that transformed Hiyoko and the others into the Ultimate Despair.[20][21] Unlike Hiyoko and the rest, he avoided being turned into Ultimate Despair due to his contribution.[22][24] Thus, the Class 77-B's fight with the brainwashed rescue squad troops, including the Former Super High School Level Elite Task Force, began.[41]

    Venturing into the underwater facility beneath the main building, Hiyoko became threatened by the former Super High School Level Nailist, throwing continuous swipes at Hiyoko, prompting her to swiftly dodge. She is saved by Mikan who had procured a giant syringe and used it to knock the squad member unconscious. Despite showing her usual abrasive attitude toward Mikan, Hiyoko reluctantly offered her gratitude for the timely assistance, bringing Mikan to joyful tears.[41]

    Danganronpa 3 Hope Arc - Class 77-B Reunion Confronting Ryota

    Later, Hiyoko helped convince Ryota to abandon his plan to brainwash the world. During the confrontation, Ryota expressed his belief that he and the other Remnants of Despair could never be forgiven for allowing Junko to plunge the world into despair. In response, Hajime offered Ryota the chance to join them in returning to Jabberwock Island to atone for their sins together. Ryota eventually broke down in tears and agreed, stopping the countdown mere seconds before the brainwashing was completed. Hiyoko and the others later came to his side to comfort him.[41]

    Class 77-B acting Claiming themselves as the mastermind behind the Final Killing Game

    Hiyoko and the other former Remnants of Despair shouldered the blame for the Final Killing Game by sending a broadcast video to the Future Foundation. They presented themselves in their despair personas and preserved the Future Foundation's credibility and power to rebuild the world, an act of atonement for their sins as the Ultimate Despair. Upon leaving the broadcasting studio, Hiyoko noticed Nagito holding Makoto's hand and began rambling about their similar talents. However, before he could go on for too long, Nekomaru and Akane quickly carried him away. As he was taken off, Hiyoko said that Nagito had become even creepier than before.[41]

    Having accomplished their atonement, Hiyoko and her classmates returned to Jabberwock Island by boat, and she was last seen with Mahiru, standing over Mikan who had once again fallen to the floor.

    According to Kodaka, Hiyoko shares Celestia Ludenberg's, the Ultimate Gambler from Danganronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc, honesty and follows the same archetype as her. In her concept art, she is labeled as haraguro (腹黒) which refers to a character type whose outwardly appears amicable, friendly, innocent, or kind, but uses these traits to conceal their true nature—cruel, cunning, manipulative, mean, evil, or even sadistic. Kodaka mentioned how easy it was for him to come up with insults for Hiyoko to spout and tried to focus on what would make her the most adorable yet detestable character. He admitted that such an attempt failed as most of her dialogues ended up showing only her worst parts, though he claimed that her visuals and high-quality voice work already covered that aspect. Hiyoko's refreshingly bad attitude was a huge source of stress relief for him while writing the story.The difference between them is that while Celestia hid her bad side under a refined and gracious mask, Hiyoko uses her bad side as the mask.[43]

    Character designer Rui Komatsuzaki stated that Hiyoko's base design, which includes her kimono, is mostly unchanged from her first version. However, since her original color scheme was much more chic, she was given brighter colors to fit Kodaka's desired psychotropical feeling, which is the official design seen in the game. Komatsuzaki believed that Hiyoko was the one character who turned out exactly like Kodaka had imagined.[43]

    Suzuko Mimori's, Hiyoko's Japanese voice actress, commentary on her character:

    "Hiyoko Saionji stands out for her personality problems contrasting with her cuteness, and for her impressively foul-mouthed dialogue. Someone who calls others "pig barf" is not a person most people would want to be friends with...but as a character, she's super unique and exciting. Voicing her was a constant stream of dialogue I've never said before in my life (laughs). I was always a huge fan of the mystery genre, so I was very thrilled, with my heart racing every second I was in the studio. I feel that I managed to pour quite a lot of emotion on my voice work because of that."[43] Name Her last name, Saionji (西園寺) translates to "Western garden temple", a very traditional Japanese name purposefully given to her. Her first name, Hiyoko (日寄子), means "Child who brings forth day." Hiyoko (as 雛), is also the Japanese word for "chick" (as in a baby bird). This association connected to Hiyoko's name matches her childish, innocent-looking appearance, as well as her hair color. She also has a chick print on her kimono, located just above the sash, which was an intentional design choice. Kodaka also mentioned that her given name is a confectionery name, possibly inspired by a chick-shaped steamed bun produced by Hiyoko Sweets.[43]

    Alternate Fates Island Mode and Ultimate Talent Development Plan exist in two separate alternate universes where Hiyoko still attends Hope's Peak Academy, but no students are in peril. As they are alternate universes, these events are non-canonical, but because Hiyoko's personality is unchanged, backstory information shared by her in these events is considered questionably or dubiously canonical rather than fully non-canonical.

    Free Time Events are also considered somewhat questionably canonical due to the nature of how Free Time Events are accessed (in that some characters' Free Time Events cannot be fully completed during the course of the canon game storyline due to limitations on the number of interactions you can have with them during one playthrough, and thus can only be accessed after they have canonically died either through a second playthrough or via Island Mode). However, due to Free Time Events being largely experienced during the canon game storyline, Free Time Events are more grounded in canon than Island Mode and Ultimate Talent Development Plan and are largely considered canon by the majority of players.

    Appearance

    Hiyoko is a short girl with an extremely petite and young appearance. At first sight, Hajime remarks that her voice and her appearance don't give off the air of a high schooler at all. She has long blonde hair that is generally seen tied into thick, curved twin tails with two yellow-green ribbons, a white cat face accessory pinned in the center. Her bangs are curled and swept to the right, with two locks of chin-length hair curling outwards and framing her face. She has large, round, pale orange eyes.

    Her clothes consist of a traditional orange furisode kimono with a floral print pattern that consists of white and yellow blossoms, and a yellow-green obi sash printed with tiny, darker yellow-green cat head silhouettes tied around her waist and secured with a bow at the back. Her footwear consists of zori with orange straps.

    In her official illustration art, she is instead dressed in a light pink kimono printed with cream-colored flower clusters. She wears a black sash printed with red and yellow floral embroidery with sakura petals. Her hair is tied up in one ponytail, secured with a kanzashi that consists of pale pink rope and flowers with a white cat accessory. She is seen carrying a traditional cream-colored sensu hand fan printed with a drawing of a pink cat face.

    During her high school years, she doesn't wear the standard Hope's Peak Academy uniform. Instead, she wears a yellow kimono with an orange tomoeri (collar), printed with the same floral pattern as the one on her kimono in her first appearance. She wears a raspberry red obi sash and zori sandals with black straps. Her hair is tied in a single ponytail at the top of her head with a red-violet ribbon, and a white cat face accessory pinned in the center.

    Hiyoko goes through a significant growth spurt during her time at Hope's Peak, which she completes before the beginning of her second year. When older, Hiyoko is shown to be much taller with a larger bust. In her first seen grown appearance in Danganronpa 2, her hair is tied back in a relatively low ponytail with a black scrunchie. She wears a yellow kimono with an embroidered pink peony outline pattern and a purple obi sash patterned with small lines of squares. In her grown appearance in Danganronpa 3, her hair is considerably longer and tied in a ponytail as well with a pink scrunchie. She wears a pink kimono patterned with a white sakura blossom pattern, and a multicolored obi sash.

    Hope's Peak Academy attire (pre-growth spurt) Hope's Peak Academy attire (pre-growth spurt) Hope's Peak Academy attire (post-growth spurt) Hope's Peak Academy attire (post-growth spurt) As an Ultimate Despair, she keeps her hair free, revealing that it is rather long and curls outwards. Her hair is accessorized with a kanzashi ornament made up of a pale pink central peony blossom, pale green triangular hanging beads, and white rope tied in an elaborate bow. She wears a long white kimono patterned with yellow, with a dark olive green tomoeri. She wears a bright orange obi sash, hakama pants beneath her kimono, and traditional wooden okobo clogs.

    Her swimsuit in Danganronpa S: Ultimate Summer Camp consists of a green ruffled and layered halter-neck bikini top and matching bottoms. She ties her hair into her signature twin-tails with her usual yellow-green ribbons, each adorned with a white cat face accessory. The dark green silhouette cat face prints are scattered across her bikini, similar to the ones on the obi of the kimono she wears during the Killing School Trip.

    Ultimate Despair attire Ultimate Despair attire Swimsuit (Danganronpa S) Swimsuit (Danganronpa S) Personality Cruelty Hiyoko's cute appearance, voice, and initial way of talking to strangers give the impression that she is innocent and childlike. In the original Japanese, Hiyoko refers to her classmates using childish honorifics like "onee" (おね, big sis) and "onii" (おにい, big bro), which enhances her childlike persona, though she pointedly excludes certain individuals—such as Mikan and Fuyuhiko—and omits it for those she has lost respect for, like Teruteru and Peko in the Killing School Trip. That first impression falters the moment she opens her mouth, as shown in her introduction to Hajime, where Hiyoko is revealed to be cruel, malicious, foul-mouthed and brutally honest.[13] An early example is her tendency to torture small animals, like squishing ants because they make a satisfying popping noise when done correctly, and calling Hajime a wuss for refusing to join her.[13] Later, at the beach, she goes around trying to step on and trample crabs, laughing as if it were just child's play, showing an alarming fascination with it.[27] She also stomps on and tears out flowers for her own amusement, explaining that she likes to destroy pretty things.[14]

    The extent of her cruelty also extends to people, though it is rarely physical presumably due to her diminutive stature. In exchange, she often makes violent yet childish threats to others if they test her patience, such as threatening to bop them on the head with all her might or fantasizing about people capable of physical harm she can easily manipulate, like Akane, to do the bopping on her behalf.[28] This explains her taking pride in her growth spurt, playfully stating that she now can "bend Mikan's bones in any direction."[19] For the likes of Hiyoko, however, her harsh words and mean-spirited behavior are enough to gain her notoriety and a reputation for cruelty. She constantly judges others, sometimes uses swearing, and patronizes them with highly insulting yet unique nicknames, such as "Mr. Ham Hands"[29] for the Ultimate Imposter, "nasty, toilet-clogging bitch"[44] and "four-eyed troll"[34] for Peko, "tiny boy"[45] for Fuyuhiko, and the most infamous "pig barf," "pig-faced troll", and "filthy pig" among others for Mikan.[29],[31]

    As shown by the many degrading nicknames Hiyoko gave to Mikan, she quickly latched onto her as her favorite bullying target, both during their time as classmates and in the Killing School Trip, due to Mikan's timid nature and lack of will to fight back.[4][46] She would often insult Mikan just by existing. She would worsen such insults when Mikan irritated her in the slightest, to which Mikan would only respond with constant apologizing for being a "pig barf."[31][34][35] Their bully-victim dynamic is even perfectly replicated in the Twilight Syndrome Murder Case, with Hajime managing to deduce who is who based on the real-life dynamic between Hiyoko and Mikan—where Girl B is rude and mean to the helpless Girl A.[34] Hiyoko suspects many parts of Mikan's behavior (such as her clumsiness and poses) are an act, causing her to strongly dislike her.[47]

    Another type of person she loves to tease is someone who shows a strong upset reaction, like Kazuichi. She doesn't hesitate to insult him when given the chance, calling him all sorts of names like "useless," "boring," "unpopular," and so on. She believes these insults are justified by his cowardice at the early stage of the killing game[29] and how he behaves around Sonia, which only doubles her annoyance as she views him as a pathetic virgin.[48] It was revealed that Hiyoko frequently picks on Kazuichi largely due to her dislike and jealousy toward Sonia, stemming from how much attention Sonia receives from the other students.[48] This is why taking jabs at gullible people like Akane—while fun and something she often does throughout the killing game—is ultimately less rewarding for her.[14]

    Vulnerability, Superiority, and Inferiority Hiyoko's mean and cruel behavior could be explained by what she has been through in her childhood as the heiress to the famous Saionji Clan. With her overbearing grandmother, and jealous people playing lots of cruel and even potentially life-threatening tricks and threats on her, she became very distrustful of other people and seemingly developed her mean personality as a defense mechanism. The only person she trusted and felt safe with was her father, who was different due to being related to the family only through marriage.[4] As such, in Island Mode and her Free Time Events, she grows fond and protective of Hajime as a big brother figure, because he reminds her of her father, who is very dear to her. Another side effect of her past is her hatred of being deceived. She felt annoyed and openly admitted to disliking being tricked, as shown during Mahiru's murder investigation when Nagito spread a made-up lie about an emergency meeting[34], and again when he contracted the Despair Disease.[35]

    Hiyoko, who grew up constantly being envied and targeted by others, eventually developed a sense of superiority, along with a firm belief that the concept of "friends" is nothing more than "a bunch of weaklings who decide to get along and play nice." As such, she stated that she never needed any friends or any close contacts.[14] This mindset uniquely makes her a level-headed person in the killing game, as while many hated the prospect of doubting friends, she was the first to accept the reality that someone in the group had murdered the Ultimate Imposter and urged everyone to investigate if they truly wanted to survive.[32] Her beliefs also caused her to snap at Akane, the others, and possibly even herself after witnessing Nekomaru sacrifice himself to protect Akane. She claimed that relying on teamwork, cooperation, and friendship was just a way to fool themselves. In her view, stupid people like Akane, who caused Nekomaru to act on his "weird feelings of friendship," would only lead to everyone getting killed one by one — reinforcing her refusal to rely on anyone.[35] She was also selective in choosing who to sympathize with. For instance, she felt bad about the Ultimate Imposter's death[31], acknowledging their important role as the group's de facto leader who didn't seem to mind the insulting nickname "Mr. Ham Hands" she had given them. She also didn't place full blame for Mahiru's death on Peko, instead directing all her anger and resentment toward Fuyuhiko, whom she called out as the true cause of both girls' deaths.[28] After Teruteru was executed for his crime, she was also the only one who did not sympathise with his death, saying that he deserved it.[31]

    As someone who believes she's a "perfect human"[14], Hiyoko becomes very manipulative and often coerces others into doing her bidding—Akane being a frequent target. Even Kazuichi didn't defy her order to build a communication device after some students contracted the Despair Disease.[38] During her Free Time Events, she also orders Hajime around and wants him to be her slave. If she doesn't get what she wants or if other people actually talk back to her, she tends to cry crocodile tears loudly like a child.[49] Though her tears are sometimes genuine, her dishonesty makes it difficult to discern when she is experiencing sincere distress and when she is being emotionally manipulative, in a "boy who cried wolf" effect.

    Raised by a traditionalist family, Hiyoko developed a genuine love for Japanese traditions and culture. However, it also manifests as a form of superiority as she tends to act condescendingly or even openly insult other cultures. She considers many Japanese things "delicate, refined and high quality".[12] She is especially fond of Japanese cuisine and candies, claiming that foreign ones are too sugary and gross and the people eating them are gross as well. She has described some other countries as worthless and compared their people to stupid animals, thinking that Japan doesn't need to import from them.[12] As a rarer good trait, however, Hiyoko is stated to be willing to protect old traditions in danger of disappearing and she thinks people should take good care of the things close to them. She has also stated that she knows her thinking is old-fashioned, but she doesn't intend to disagree with new directions, just to protect old ones that need to be protected.[12] Despite her traditionalist upbringing she has a lot more unconventional interests, such as heavy metal[35] (being the only person in the class who liked Ibuki's performance) and horror movies.[50]

    Despite her claim to superiority, Hiyoko is very clumsy at anything other than dancing, which she admits[36], possibly due to her spoiled upbringing. An example is that she cannot tie her own kimono sash, preventing her from showering. As a result, she began to smell bad and felt attacked and agitated when everyone confronted her about it, eventually bursting into tears.[28] She then became attached and vulnerable to Mahiru so quickly when she offered to tie her sash and acted very affectionately towards her, often happily wanting to hold her hand or hug her, and even giving her a kiss. This contradicts her claim of not needing friends, though Hiyoko has stated that she likes Mahiru because she is normal and not as weird as the other students.[28]

    Her relationship with Mahiru in the Killing School Trip mirrors their relationship while attending Hope's Peak Academy. She quickly bonds with Mahiru, whereas it takes Hiyoko some time to open up and warm up to the other students. Throughout Danganronpa 3 - Despair Arc, it is shown that she gradually tolerates her classmates and even enjoys their company by teasing or pulling pranks on them. The most notable example is her relationship with Mikan. Despite still being a bully to her, Hiyoko grows fond of her during their high school years together, although she prefers to keep this part of her hidden. When Mikan was missing and everyone thought that the person who entered the room was Mikan (though it was quickly revealed to be Nagito), Hiyoko cheerfully greeted him with "hey, girl" and appeared very relieved when she thought that Mikan was confirmed to be safe.[20] She even reluctantly admits that Mikan's talent is useful when medical attention is needed.[23] She also properly thanked her, while shy, after Mikan saved her from the attack of the Super High School Level Nailist.[41] Kodaka has indicated that their illusion counterparts' relationship in Danganronpa 2.5 may have some reflection on their real relationship, showing that Hiyoko has grown protective of Mikan and doesn't want anyone else to bully her.[51]

    However, her growth and acceptance of others is relatively slower with the tension of the killing game looming over her, compared to her time at Hope's Peak Academy, as she resorts to her mean, superior persona to protect herself in such a life-threatening situation. Unlike Fuyuhiko—who, after losing Peko, expressed genuine remorse and actively worked to change—Hajime noticed that Hiyoko, still grieving Mahiru's death, remained just as mean as ever and struggled to forgive him. However, she did create a memorial for Mahiru, and while she never explicitly admitted it, she began to change little by little—attending Fuyuhiko's welcome-back party and while still not forgiving him, eventually showing a willingness to cooperate with him until they could leave the island.[37] With Mikan, the "best" development between the two is that whenever Mikan praises Hiyoko for trying to change, Hiyoko insults her and calls her names—yet does so with teary eyes and a blush.[35]

    Talent and Abilities Ultimate Traditional Dancer

    Hiyoko enrolled in Hope's Peak Academy as the Ultimate Traditional Dancer. She is the heiress of the Saionji Clan, which is famous for its traditional Japanese dancing. As a promising young member of the world of traditional Japanese dance, she performs often, even abroad, despite being so young. She is popular among young and men audiences, which is rare in the Japanese dance industry. Crowds of audience members are drawn to her un-high school student-like appearance and cute voice.[13] However, she stated that most people who aren't used to watching traditional dance performances often fall asleep easily.[12] Hiyoko is also capable of synchronizing her traditional dance with Ibuki's heavy metal music.[35], and they often performed concerts together during their time as the Ultimate Despair[26]

    In original Japanese, she is known as the Super High School Level 'buyō-ka', or a master of buyō dance, which is a traditional form of Japanese art that combines the act of moving to a rhythm and dancing.

    Ultimate Traditional Dancer official translations in other languages Free Time Events & Bonus Mode Guides The links below are full transcripts and in depth guides for Hiyoko Saionji's relationship routes in Free Time Events, Island Mode, Ultimate Talent Development Plan, and Danganronpa S Development Mode including her MonoMono Machine Present preferences and most effective dialogue options.

    Prologue:

    "I'm Hiyoko Saionji." Chapter 1:

    "There's nowhere to run anyway. What a weirdo." "Kyahaha! Even though you look all flashy, you're actually a big coward! Are you gonna be okaaaay? People like you are usually the first victim, you know?" "It's obvious from your flashy clothes that you just wanna stand out because you're actually a loser. Hehe... It must be hard to make your living in the Lame-Ass Loser Industry." "Together? That's not gonna happen 'cause you're so disgusting. Do yourself a favor and stay away from mirrors. You'll be grossed out by what you see." "Seriously? Did you even listen to what I said? It doesn't matter if you can "abide" by this or not... We gotta do this to survive, right? Then we have no choice but to do it." "If you wanna ask, why don't you show it with your attitude...?" "It's a good thing your ears are awesome because your face, style, figure, and personality totally suck." Chapter 2:

    "Huuuh? Is it alright to defend a killer? Are you trying to justify murder? Then you gotta hate him more than ever. You gotta hate him from the bottom of your heart. He's a stupid piece of trash, bastard who committed the lowest crime possible. He deserved to get killed. In fact, I'm rather relieved he was executed. If I could have, I would have totally spat on him too." "I wanna play games about riddle-solving professors or collecting cute monsters." "When I'm with you guys...I feel like I'm gonna become a weirdo too." "Just because it's candy doesn't mean you should make fun of it." "Ha! A nasty, trashy, pigshit like you doesn't have any privacy rights!" "Short and foulmouthed...? That's like the complete opposite of me!" "No one would kill a nice person like Mahiru besides a piece of shit, menace to society like Fuyuhiko! Girl E and Mahiru were killed by that guy!" "What are you even saying, you nasty, toilet-clogging bitch!?" "What are you even saying, you four-eyed troll!?" "I don't have such ugly footprints! They're probably Mikan's based on how ugly they are!" "People who call other people liars...are usually liars themselves. If you say I'm lying, prove it! Can you even prove that I'm lying!? Kyahahahahaha! There's no way a bunch of worthless idiots like you guys would be able to do that!" "Saying I met up with her when I never even saw her... Is this a panel of idiots?" "There's no way I'd wear such a childish mask! Is your brain fried or something!?" "Y-You're a midget too, you know! You're the one who worries about never getting taller!" "Ugh... Dammit... Who would set a trap like this...? I'll get my revenge! I'm gonna bop you on the head with all my might!" "See...I already told you... There's no way I'd kill Mahiru... Cause...Mahiru taught me how to wear a kimono...and she was very, very kind... There's no way I would kill a nice person like her! Why wouldn't you believe me earlier!? You guys are stupid! Stupid! Stupid! Stupid!" As Girl B:

    "Heeey, don't go taking photos without permission! People might mistake us for good friends!" (to Girl D) "Kehe...you should be super careful, Girl A. A chubby weakling like you makes the perfect prey..." Chapter 3:

    "I don't know who did it but they must've spent so much time and effort doing their best to make it. Kyahahaha! Mahiru's gonna be happy, too! I don't know who did this but we should be grateful to them! Riiiiiiight?" "M-Mahiru...was really..really nice... She politely...taught me...how to tie my kimono... Mahiru's...probably lonely by herself... So I wanted to tell her...that she's not alone...even if she's in heaven... I-I did...wanna...make it look better...but... But...unless I'm dancing...I'm so clumsy at whatever I do... Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah! I'm sorrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrryyyyyy!" "You're probably too vulgar to get this, but there's a saying: "Praise a fool, and you may make him useful." Akane was checking out the inside. After I gave her a little praise, she got really excited about it. A dumbass like her is pretty rare, so we gotta make sure she's treated well." "Kyahaha! I don't dislike anyone who knows their place!" "Huh? SO what if we're all here? You better not say we're "friends" or something. There's no way a killer like him will ever be our friend!" "Hey, don't mess with me! Do you really think we're gonna forgive you if you just drop to your knees and cry!? Do you really think a half-assed apology will make us forget what you've done!?" "Yeah, that's right. That's why we're never going to believe in you. Get it? This doesn't mean we've made up or anything. I'm only cooperating with you until we get off this island. Just remember...if anything happens, you're the first one who's gonna get cut off." "Hey, can you stop yelling? Screaming won't help, you know!" This isn't cause! This is what happens when we let our guard down! All this talk about everyone getting along... We were just fooling ourselves. We were...just pretending we understood the situation we're in... Teamwork, friendship, cooperation... Nothing matters... The stupid ones will just be killed one after another... It won't be a mystery when you're eventually betrayed... That's...the "reality" here." "If it really did have meaning, Nekomaru wouldn't have ended up like that! He ended up like that...because of his weird feelings of friendship... ...Hey, you understand too, right? When the stupid ones try to act on their own, it makes trouble for everyone else. So can you please do not involve me? I don't wanna die in a meaningless death." "Hey... It's definitely best if we keep Nagito tied up. No, not just tied up... I won't be satisfied until I peel the skin off his face and expose the meat so we can't identify him anymore..." "I don't know... I...I hate being lied to... I won't satisfied untill all his joints are bent at awkward angles!" "I...I hate being lied to... It's definitely best if we keep him tied up... Or instead of tying him up, why don't we bury him from his neck down in the middle of the ranch? A guy like him...should get stepped on by Mr. Cow until he dies..." "Did they go crazy or something? It wouldn't be strange to go crazy in a situation like this." "Hey, is this stupid conversation going to last much longer? Shouldn't we be seriously thinking about what we need to do from now on and stuff?" "That disease sure looks dangerous. Nagito, Akane, and Ibuki aren't acting normal... if it spreads to anyone else, a killing is bound to happen. But those guys aren't being considerate. I want them to at least have the decency to consider committing suicide before they start bothering us. I know...it can't be that easy... So it's important to make sure we don't end up catching the disease. If you can't cure it, the only option is to stop it from spreading... Even a preschooler knows that. Hey, if everyone catches the Despair Disease, we won't be able to do anything about it anymore, you know?" "Soooo I'll leave the rest to you. Contact me if something happens." "Bye-byeeeeee! Do your best and try to stay alive!" "B-Because...Mahiru taught me. That's why...I can do it on my own." Chapter 5:

    "mrmrmraaaaants-o,,o,,o'(~=squish------~;31-o,,o,,o'mi$s[@Ma9hiru8823" (Hiyoko's cottage post-fifth trial) Trivia Hiyoko possibly enjoys playing Professor Layton, a mystery-solving game, and Pokémon, a game where you collect monsters called "Pokémon". When Monokuma was introducing the Twilight Syndrome Murder Case, Hiyoko states that she wants to play games about "riddle solving professors" (Professor Layton), and "collecting cute monsters" (Pokémon).[28] In Danganronpa 3: Despair Arc, when Chisa goes from her stock memory of the short Hiyoko to the more grown-up one, a growth sound effect similar to the one in the Super Mario series can be heard.[19] Hiyoko's Japanese voice actress, Suzuko Mimori, also voiced Kiriko Nishizawa in Danganronpa 3: Despair Arc. Hiyoko's English voice actress, Kira Buckland, also voices Kirumi Tojo in Danganronpa V3: Killing Harmony.[52]

11. #11Ibuki Mioda

    Keys: Characters, Mioda, Ibuki, Ibuki Mioda, Character

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    Ibuki Mioda Illustration Sprite DR3 (Despair) Illustration Name Kanji 澪田 唯吹 Romaji Mioda Ibuki Katakana ミオダ イブキ English Ibuki Mioda Aliases & Titles Talent Characteristics Personal Status Debuts Portrayals

    “ Someday...I want to play music with someone who trusts me as much I trust them... That's always been Ibuki's dream. I think believing that dreams come true as long as you believe is the first step toward fulfilling your dreams!

    — Danganronpa 2: Goodbye Despair ”

    Ibuki Mioda (澪田 唯吹), is a student of Hope's Peak Academy's Class 77-B, and a participant of the Killing School Trip featured in Danganronpa 2: Goodbye Despair. Her title is the Ultimate Musician (超高校級の「軽音楽部」 lit. Super High School Level Light Music Club Member).

    She, along with Class 77-B, return in Danganronpa 3: The End of Hope's Peak High School to explore their school life leading up to The Tragedy.

    History Early Life There isn't much known about Ibuki's childhood, aside from a few bizarre experiences she mentioned having. She used to frequently play a game she called "Will I Get There?", where she would go out without "thinking about anything"—once even nearly ending up on an illegal fishing boat and almost in another country.[9] She also nearly died once when she shook a coconut tree and three coconuts fell on her head.[10]

    As a teen, Ibuki attended a girls-only high school called Shiba Academy.[5][6] She joined a light music club, where Ibuki played the guitar and made a hit single with her band called "After School Poyoyon Hour", selling a million copies. They had a rival named The Black Cherries, a boy band that people would hype up as "boy band versus girl band." Ibuki later quit the club due to creative differences to pursue a solo career.[11][12]

    Prior to the Tragedy Attending Hope's Peak Academy Main article: Danganronpa 3: The End of Hope's Peak High School/Despair Arc First Year Danganronpa 3 (Despair Arc) - ED (Textless) (5) With Class 77-B

    Ibuki was scouted and enrolled in Class 77-B as the Ultimate Musician by Hope's Peak Academy, thanks to her contributions as the guitarist of her former high school band, which dominated the music charts.[11][12] She was known to be one of the most chaotic and upbeat students in her class, often seen playing her guitar and performing heavy metal songs, and actively participated in various classroom bonding activities, like playing video games together.[13][14][15] Among her classmates, Ibuki became particularly close to Mahiru Koizumi, the Ultimate Photographer, Hiyoko Saionji, the Ultimate Traditional Dancer, and Mikan Tsumiki, the Ultimate Nurse. She also befriended Sato from the Reserve Course Department.[16]

    Danganronpa 3 - Despair Arc (Episode 03) - Ending (14) Watching the devastated Mahiru with worry

    Ibuki was shown to care for her fellow classmates, as she was the only one who noticed how often Fuyuhiko Kuzuryu, the Ultimate Yakuza, and Peko Pekoyama, the Ultimate Swordswoman, talked when no one was looking, mistakenly thinking their professional relationship was a romantic one.[17] Little did she know that the two were conversing about Fuyuhiko's little sister, Natsumi, whom she later got involuntarily involved in the death of, as she, along with her aforementioned closest friends, discovered her dead body. Ibuki also failed to realize that it was Sato who had murdered Natsumi, and that she was later killed by Fuyuhiko in revenge.[16] She was present in the classroom, watching Mahiru—Sato's closest friend—devastated with worry.[14] This case was later utilized in the Killing School Trip by Monokuma, serving as the game's second motive and was given the title "Twilight Syndrome Murder Case."[18] While still affected by Natsumi and Sato's death, her homeroom teacher, Chisa Yukizome, was put in a probationary transfer to the Reserve Course, and her later re-transfer, following the bombing incident involving her classmate, Nagito Komaeda, the Ultimate Lucky Student.[17][19]

    Second Year In her upperclassman year, Ibuki grew concerned about the growing wave of The Parade, the Reserve Course students' protest she often watched from her classroom, as well as Mikan's sudden disappearance.[20]

    Nagito, who had returned after his suspension ended, informed everyone that he saw Mikan on the school grounds, prompting Ibuki and the others to search for her, but to no avail.[20] Instead, the situation worsened after her class representative, Chiaki Nanami, the Ultimate Gamer, informed the class that Chisa was in trouble. Despite Nagito warning them it would be a suicide mission, Ibuki and the others still went to rescue her in what she dubbed 'Operation Take Back Our Teacher.' Ryota Mitarai, the Ultimate Animator and her fellow classmate, was also in trouble, which prompted the Ultimate Imposter, who had been impersonating Ryota all this time, to reveal their identity—shocking Ibuki the most among the others, though she quickly came to accept it.[21]

    Class 77 Despair Class 77-B brainwashed

    This search party for Chisa, however, was nothing more than a ruse devised by Junko Enoshima, the Ultimate Despair, who had brainwashed both Chisa and Mikan to lure Ibuki and her classmates into what appeared to be the room later used for the Class Trials. In this very room, Ibuki was forced to watch Chiaki, who had been separated from the group, brutally executed. Horrified, Ibuki wanted to save her but could not shift her eyes away from the screen. Once Chiaki was dead, Ibuki and her classmates were successfully brainwashed into despair.[22]

    Despaired Mioda Ibuki Mioda, the Ultimate Despair

    Fully brainwashed into becoming the Ultimate Despair, Ibuki and her classmates received their final lesson before "graduation", the one final meeting to discuss their plan to overthrow the world with despair. Ibuki expressed she would "use her music to make the world happy." Chisa then activated a bomb that faked the death of Class 77-B so they could be taken off the list of protected students. Later, Ibuki and her class stood outside the school grounds as they watched Hope's Peak's destruction.[23]

    The Tragedy Danganronpa 3 - Future Arc (Episode 01) - Intro (29) Ibuki and Hiyoko's concert

    Ibuki joined the Ultimate Despair after falling prey to Junko's brainwashing.[23] Alongside her corrupted classmates, she started The Tragedy and kept it ongoing even after Junko's death in the final stage of the Killing School Life. Ibuki and her classmates who did not commit suicide to follow their leader Junko soon became known as the Remnants of Despair.[24] They also hacked her body and grafted them onto themselves—though in Ibuki's case, the specific body parts she took remain unknown. Her infamous contributions as the Ultimate Despair include holding a concert alongside Hiyoko to rally the Ultimate Despair army's spirit.[25]

    Danganronpa 3 - Future Arc (Episode 01) - Makoto arriving (6) Remnants of Despair

    Eventually, the Future Foundation secured the custody of Ibuki and the other fourteen - at first only aware that they were survivors from Hope's Peak Academy. When Makoto Naegi, Class 78th's Ultimate Lucky Student, by that time a member of the 14th Division of the Future Foundation, realized that the survivors were in fact, Remnants of Despair, he quickly directed them to Jabberwock Island in secret.[24]

    Danganronpa 2 CG - Neo World Program (4) Neo World Program

    Makoto made them enter the Neo World Program, where their memories were reset to a time prior to their entering Hope's Peak Academy, before they were brainwashed by Junko - resulting in all of them not recognizing each other.[24] The plan was to overwrite Ibuki and the others' memories of themselves as Ultimate Despair, replacing them with good ones in order to undo all the damage Junko had done to them.[26]

    The scheme backfired when Izuru Kamukura, the Ultimate Hope and the final product of the Izuru Kamukura Project, uploaded Junko's malware AI just before they were to be programmed. Consequently, they were subjected to the identical brutal incident that befell Class 78th, although in a realistically simulated environment. The killing game became known as the Killing School Trip, an ordeal that Ibuki and the other Remnants of Despair were coerced into participating.[24]

    Killing School Trip Main article: Danganronpa 2: Goodbye Despair Danganronpa 2 CG - Students in the classroom Killing School Trip participants

    Alongside fourteen other Remnants of Despair and one Future Foundation observer, Ibuki participated in the Killing School Trip. It occurred in a virtual world, the Neo World Program, resembling Jabberwock Island. Due to her memories as the Ultimate Despair and life in Hope's Peak Academy being erased by the Future Foundation, she couldn't recognize any of her classmates.[24]

    Hajime Hinata first encountered Ibuki at the supermarket, where he introduced himself, but was cut off by Ibuki, who said he wasn't enthusiastic enough. She then energetically introduced herself and started yapping about the supermarket instead.[27]

    Danganronpa 2 CG - Everyone at the beach (1) Playing at the beach with everyone

    Later, Ibuki and the others gathered at the first island's beach, assembled by Usami, the observer of the school trip, an AI programmed by the Future Foundation, who claimed to be the class's teacher. She reassured the students that there was no need to worry and provided Teruteru and the others with swimsuits, encouraging them to fully enjoy their "school trip". Ibuki couldn't contain her excitement and went swimming with the rest of the group on the beach. Following Usami's suggestion that they throw a party, Ibuki enthusiastically suggested a barbeque.[27]

    Danganronpa 2 CG - Start of the Killing School Trip The Killing School Trip begins

    The promising tropical school trip, however, turned into a nightmare immediately as Ibuki learned that the evil animatronic bear, Monokuma, the self-proclaimed headmaster of Hope's Peak Academy, had hijacked their trip and turned it into a killing game. Ibuki and the others initially refused to participate. However, they soon learned that they have no choice but to submit after Monokuma makes an example of Usami (renamed into Monomi by Monokuma) by blowing her to pieces using Monobeasts.[27]

    Danganronpa 2 CG - Replica Sword Event Coconut Party

    Despite admitting her lack of sleep and worry about the situation, Ibuki appeared as upbeat as ever and seen frequently interacted with her classmates. If Hajime had a replica sword and gave it to Kazuichi Soda, the Ultimate Mechanic, Ibuki would be seen walking to the first island beach with Peko, and later help them cut coconuts, which they enjoyed together.[28]

    Danganronpa 2 - Girls-Only Gathering Event Girls-only gathering

    Building on her interactions with the group, later on, if Hajime carried a certain magazine with him, he could hand it to Mahiru. This would trigger a bonus scene where Ibuki joined Mahiru's girls-only gathering—with Hajime as the exception—where they make desserts together to ease the tension caused by the first motive.[28]

    Danganronpa 2 CG - A photo of the party (1) Attending the party

    The announcement of this first motive seemingly prompted their group's leader, the Ultimate Imposter, impersonating Byakuya Togami, the Ultimate Affluent Progeny, to throw an all-night party at the old building. Ibuki happily agreed and was super excited to go. She even did a light exercise to prepare her stomach for the Ultimate Cook, Teruteru Hanamura's, food.[28] She didn't realize until the class trial that the party was thrown by the Imposter to save her and the others from someone who planned to kickstart the Killing Game, and that was no other than Nagito.[29]

    Danganronpa 2 Chapter 1 - Closing Argument Act 6 Hearing everyone's voices amidst the blackout

    Amidst the lively party, a blackout occurred, causing the group to panic.[28] Soon enough, much to Ibuki's horror, the group discovered the Ultimate Imposter's body under one of the tables. Due to her keen hearing, Ibuki played an important role in the investigation and class trial, giving input into the conversations she heard during the blackout.[29] This became vital evidence in revealing Teruteru as the true culprit, who had targeted and sabotaged Nagito's murder plan, accidentally killing the Imposter in the process. Ibuki survived the first class trial after Teruteru was correctly voted as the blackened and later executed for his crime.[29]

    After the class trial, Ibuki tried her best to remain upbeat despite her still being saddened by the Ultimate Imposter's death.[30] Later on, she joined the others investigating the newly opened second island. Upon reaching the private beach, she was shocked to see Akane Owari, the Ultimate Gymnast, and Nekomaru Nidai, the Ultimate Team Manager, sparring so intensely she mistook it for a deadly battle.[18]

    Twilight Syndrome Murder Case A few days later, Ibuki was invited to Sonia Nevermind, the Ultimate Princess's, girls-only beach party at the very same private beach Ibuki investigated earlier. However, during the morning of the party, she was approached by Mahiru, who had secretly played the second motive, the Twilight Syndrome Murder Case; later, it would be revealed that Ibuki, alongside Mahiru, Mikan, Hiyoko, and Fuyuhiko, were characters inside the game, which was why Mahiru invited this group to discuss it. Sensing Mahiru's seriousness and concern, Ibuki offered to cancel her plans since they would clash, but Mahiru declined, saying that getting along with everyone was just as important. Instead, Mahiru wanted Ibuki to tell the girls she was not feeling well and would not be joining the beach party. Ibuki would later regret this decision once the truth of the upcoming second class trial came to light.[31]

    When Ibuki and Mikan arrived early to eat at the diner near the private beach, the meeting point, she noticed that Hajime and Kazuichi were also strangely there. Sensing something suspicious, her instincts were confirmed when Kazuichi blurted out his plan to join their girls-only beach party, leading Ibuki to immediately guess that Sonia was the main reason he was there. Since it was Sonia's party, Ibuki had no power to decline Kazuichi's wish to join, so she and the other three waited at the diner for Sonia and the others. While waiting, Ibuki was the first to spot Hiyoko sprinting tearfully away from the beach. Once the other girls arrived at the diner, Kazuichi went to the beach house to get parasols. Their beach party was soon interrupted by a body announcement. The body found was Mahiru's, with her upper body positioned against a door inside the beach house.[18]

    Danganronpa 2 CG - Twilight Syndrome Murder Case (20) Ibuki as Girl C

    Because their names appeared as characters in the game's staff roll, Ibuki, Mikan, and Hiyoko were gathered by Nagito during the investigation to be questioned about whether they had met with Mahiru before her murder. Ibuki then told them about her meeting with Mahiru, and was revealed to be "Girl C" in the class trial. The true culprit was revealed to be Peko, Fuyuhiko's hitwoman who murdered Mahiru to let his young master get revenge and escape the island. Ibuki was horrified to witness her execution, due to Fuyuhiko's interference, which left him injured but alive.[31]

    Trapped by the Ocean Scent Ibuki attended the usual morning meeting at the restaurant but was shocked to see a sinister-looking memorial erected for Mahiru in the corner. Once she learned that Hiyoko had made it with sincere intention, despite her clumsiness, Ibuki praised her, saying she couldn't imagine Hiyoko being so diligent and earnest.[12]

    Danganronpa 2 CG - Toy Camera Event (1) Memorial Jam Session

    Once the third island became accessible, Ibuki was so stoked to discover a music venue that she couldn't stop shouting and repeated her sentences twice. It was within this very same venue that if Hajime had the Toy Camera, Ibuki, alongside Hiyoko and Chiaki, would hold the Memorial Jam Session in memory of Mahiru. It had been Mahiru's wish to take pictures of Ibuki playing an instrument and Hiyoko dancing. To honor her, Ibuki played the guitar, Hiyoko danced, and Chiaki joined to play the triangle, as Hajime took pictures with the Toy Camera—hoping that despite their differences in style, their harmonized performance could reach not only Mahiru but also the late Imposter, Teruteru, and Peko.[12]

    Danganronpa 2 CG - Summer Festival Tree Event Fireworks show and yukata

    On the morning before the Memorial Jam Session, Ibuki was found grunting by the pool, suffering from "musical deprivation" due to the supermarket's limited selection of only classics and mainstream pop, lacking TVs, radios, and CDs If Hajime brought a CD of "Summer Festivitrees" by The Black Cherries—the boy band rivaling her former group—Ibuki would be slightly annoyed initially. But somehow, it would inspire her to plan a fireworks party with yukata later that night. Having Hajime's help to carry cardboard boxes and set the fireworks at the first island beach, Ibuki changed into a yukata and invited Nekomaru, Akane, Sonia, and Chiaki to enjoy the fireworks show together.[12]

    The next day, Ibuki woke everyone up, even breaking Hajime's lock, to urge them to meet her at the restaurant. What Ibuki was urging everyone to see was Fuyuhiko's return. Despite still recovering, he formally greeted the group for the first time, having had a terrible attitude towards everyone since the beginning of the killing game.[12]

    Danganronpa 2 CG - Ibuki Mioda's concert (2) "From Me to You Too" by Ibuki Mioda

    That same evening, Ibuki hosted and formally invited everyone to Fuyuhiko's recovery party at the music venue. When everyone gathered, Ibuki greeted them before performing the first song titled "From Me to You Too". Given the song title, everyone looked forward to hearing something light and catchy. That expectation was immediately crushed when Ibuki performed a heavy metal song that frightened everyone, even the likes of Gundham and Nagito. They then understood that this was the reason she had left her former band: creative differences. The only one who genuinely enjoyed her performance was Hiyoko, stating it was her first time to hear a famous song live. Before Ibuki could begin her next song, a ballad titled "I Squeezed Out the Baby But I Have No Idea Who The Father Is", Monomi interrupted, announcing that Akane was dueling Monokuma. This prompted everyone to rush to Akane's aid, much to Ibuki's dismay and disappointment with her audience, whom she dubbed this half-hearted comfort "Salt Seeping into My Broken Heart." Despite her brief fuss, she hastened to the beach where Akane was. She was too late, however, as Monokuma had already decided to punish Akane, who was saved at the last second by Nekomaru by shielding her. He was gravely injured and had to be taken away for treatment. Unbeknownst to her, this would also be the last night Ibuki experienced as her normal self on the Killing School Trip.[12]

    Despair Disease Ibuki Mioda Fullbody Sprite (Hospital Gown) (2) In a hospital gown

    The morning after the performance, Ibuki acted strangely, her eyes swirling and drooling. Hajime and Mikan checked her and found that she, alongside Akane and Nagito, who also behaved abnormally, had a high fever. Monokuma then appeared and revealed that his next motive was a sickness known as Despair Disease, which had different symptoms for each person and altered each contractor's personality to the opposite. Ibuki's disease was labeled the "Gullible Disease." It made her have no agency of herself as she was highly susceptible to lies and caused her to believe anyone's words, regardless of their truthfulness. She lost all her quirky speech patterns and spoke in a very polite manner instead. Ibuki, along with Nagito and Akane, was admitted to the hospital and quarantined to prevent the contagious disease from spreading to other students. There, Mikan took care of them, while Hajime and Fuyuhiko also stayed to help Mikan with the ill students.[12]

    Despite her Gullible Disease and lack of apparent recovery, Ibuki still expressed desires that her pre-sick self would have had, such as singing for Hajime as a token of gratitude for his visits and being very bored from sleeping all the time.[12] However, the difference was that she now considered what others would think of her actions. For instance, she felt she must be quiet in a hospital, so she refrained from singing, and she would force herself to sleep to avoid troubling Mikan and Hajime. Mikan, however, had also caught the disease, specifically the "Remembering Disease." This caused her to regain all of her memories as a Remnant of Despair, reverting her to the despair-filled state she was in after being brainwashed during her time at Hope's Peak.[32]

    Ibuki's Fate Danganronpa 2 CG - Ibuki's Corpse Ibuki body

    Mikan planned to murder Ibuki solely for the sake of her beloved and took her to the music venue at night. Nagito speculated that Mikan might have targeted Ibuki specifically because her symptoms made her easy to manipulate.[33] While preparing to murder Ibuki, Hiyoko walked in, intending to get to the storage room within the music venue to fix her kimono using the full-body mirror. Finding herself with a witness, Mikan had no choice but to slit Hiyoko's throat to silence her.[34] Afterward, she murdered Ibuki by strangling her with a rope, covered her head with a hemp bag, then hanged her body from the baton lighting above the stage. She was murdered specifically in this way to make Ibuki's cause of death appear as suicide by hanging. However, Mikan left enough evidence for everyone to deduce that she was the culprit. After being correctly voted, she was executed for her crime.[32]

    Both Ibuki and Hiyoko's passing affected the atmosphere of the group, with Sonia noting that the newly opened festive Fourth Island would have been enjoyed by the two girls. Nekomaru, who had returned with his robot body, also remarked that with their noisy selves gone, it was "as if a fire was smothered."[35] Her deceased portrait in the class trial courtroom can be seen from the third trial onwards, with the 'X' on her sign resembling a pair of drumsticks.

    Ibuki briefly reappeared as an illusion shortly before the countdown ended, as the Neo World Program began glitching. After learning the password from Nagito's video message, she joined the others at the Ancient Ruins. Following Hiyoko's prank, she cheerfully complimented the Imposter's coolness with an "oink oink," believing they could only understand piggy talk. Ibuki vanished once the survivors stepped inside the ruins.[36]

    The illusory Ibuki was later conjured during the game reset sequence of the final class trial, a scenario made by Alter Ego Junko to persuade Hajime and the remaining survivors to graduate. Had she succeeded, it would have allowed her to upload her AI into the comatose bodies of the "dead" Remnants of Despair, effectively reviving them as copies of herself. In this sequence, Ibuki offered to handle the BGM herself.[24]

    Post-Killing School Trip Danganronpa 2.5 - (OVA) Nagito regaining his memories (22) Revived Ibuki and her classmates

    After Alter Ego Junko's defeat, Ibuki remained in a coma alongside her classmates, while the survivors waited for them to wake.[24] Eventually, Izuru Kamukura—now merged with Hajime's personality and memories—revived them. Purged of Junko's brainwashing, Ibuki who was now alive and awake from Neo World Program, boarded the boat with the rest of Class 77-B and they all then headed for the Future Foundation HQ, to stop the Final Killing Game involving Future Foundation leaders.[4]

    Resurrection and Atonement Main article: Danganronpa 3: The End of Hope's Peak High School/Hope Arc Mioda's concert Preparing her "concert"

    Ibuki and her classmates arrived at the island where the Future Foundation's off-shore facility was located, having left from Jabberwock Island.[37] Having rescued Byakuya Togami and Yasuhiro Hagakure, two members of the Future Foundation and survivors of the Killing School Life, from beneath the rubble, the group set out to confront their one and only classmate, Ryota, who Junko had coerced into creating the brainwashing video that transformed Ibuki and the others into the Ultimate Despair.[20][38] Unlike Ibuki and the rest, he avoided being turned into Ultimate Despair due to his contribution. Thus, the Class 77-B's fight with the brainwashed rescue squad troops, including the Former Super High School Level Elite Task Force, began.[37]

    Koizumi Mioda high five Celebrating their victory over the enemies with Mahiru

    Venturing into the underwater facility beneath the main building, Ibuki played on her electric guitar, to a crowd of brainwashed rescue squad troops, forcing them unconscious with the sheer pain of her music. She is saved by Mahiru who quashed the efforts of the former Super High School Level Marksman taking aim for a shot at Ibuki, fortunately the flash of Mahiru's camera caused the squad member temporary blindness, enabling Mahiru to remove their noise cancelling headphones, causing him to fall unconscious. Mahiru and Ibuki share a high five once all squad members are down.[37]

    Class 77-B Confronting Ryota

    Later, Ibuki helped convince Ryota to abandon his plan to brainwash the world. During the confrontation, Ryota expressed his belief that he and the other Remnants of Despair could never be forgiven for allowing Junko to plunge the world into despair. In response, Hajime offered Ryota the chance to join them in returning to Jabberwock Island to atone for their sins together. Ryota eventually broke down in tears and agreed, stopping the countdown mere seconds before the brainwashing was completed. Ibuki and the others later came to his side to comfort him. Upon leaving the broadcasting studio, Ibuki was the first person to help Mikan, who had fallen after being pushed by Nagito so he could speak to Makoto.[37]

    Class 77-B acting Remnants of Despair's atonement

    Ibuki and the other former Remnants of Despair shouldered the blame for the Final Killing Game by sending a broadcast video to the Future Foundation. They presented themselves in their despair personas and preserved the Future Foundation's credibility and power to rebuild the world.[37]

    Mioda, Mitarai, and Imposter Leaving for Jabberwock Island

    Having accomplished their atonement, Ibuki and her classmates returned to Jabberwock Island by boat. She was last seen feeding Ryota some of Teruteru's prepared food before continuing the conversation with him a little while after.[37]

    Real Fiction Main article: Danganronpa V3: Killing Harmony Danganronpa V3 Tsumugi Shirogane Halfbody Sprite (Ibuki Mioda) (3) Ibuki cosplayed by Tsumugi Shirogane.

    In Danganronpa V3: Killing Harmony, it is alleged by the mastermind Tsumugi Shirogane, the Ultimate Cosplayer, that the entire Danganronpa franchise is fictional in-universe; a series of games, anime, and later live-action dramas performed actors. In particular, Tsumugi, who is the Ultimate Cosplayer, claims she is only able to cosplay fictional characters (breaking out into a bright pink rash whenever she tries to cosplay a real person), and the fact she is able to cosplay as the whole cast of Danganronpa characters including Ibuki Mioda is used as evidence to support her claim that all of the cast are fictional. However, due to a number of holes in Tsumugi's story which make her an unreliable narrator, whether or not she was telling the truth is deliberately left up to the player's interpretation; as a result, it is up to the player whether they believe Ibuki's story within the Danganronpa series was real, or a fictional story written by Team Danganronpa and performed by an actor.[39]

    Creation and Development Translation Credit: Kaibutsushidousha on Tumblr

    According to creator Kazutaka Kodaka, Ibuki's early character development envisioned her as an older sister figure to the entire cast, a significant departure from her final version. This original direction was abandoned because he couldn't get her portrayal right for that role at the time. They were reevaluating the cast's balance and had noticed the game lacked a cheerful, hyper character. Ibuki's role then changed immensely as she started to assume the persona of an energetic dunce. She's very colorful it makes "you forget the despair", something rather unusual for the Danganronpa series. She's incoherent, non sequitur, and above the speed limit, which Kodaka said made her a lot of fun to write.[40]

    Character designer Rui Komatsuzaki stated that Ibuki's current slot in the roster was a blank position that took forever to fill. At first, he proposed various ideas, such as a dark-skinned, silver-haired man with a gas mask[41], a female version of that character, and even a sumo wrestler. The team later settled on parlor music, and the core concept for her design was to create someone who looked incongruous with that style of music. They experimented with ideas such as an old-fashioned delinquent woman, a character with a gas mask covered in tubes, and even one with Gundham Tanaka's hairstyle. Her final design was developed concurrently with Kazuichi and Hiyoko's, when Komatsuzaki received the request for the "psychotropical" color schemes. The idea for her mismatched socks originated with Kodaka.[40]

    Ami Koshimizu's, Ibuki's Japanese voice actress, also commented on her character:

    "The one thing I have to say about Ibuki Mioda is that the more you think about her, the more you find. She's got a cutesy side, an unexpectedly snarky side, and many more. She is, in her own words, pretty neat (laughs)! Her colorful appearance is also adorable. I put a lot into my voice acting because I was a fan of the first game, and I hope this feeling was noticeable."[40] Name The name "Ibuki" (唯吹) means "a sole breath" or "merely breathing". Each kanji on her name is also directly taken from the 4 protagonists of K-On![40], with Ibuki sharing her birthday with the main character of the series, Yui Hirasawa, on November 27th. Her last name, "Mioda" (澪田), could be translated as "rice field of the waterway".

    Alternate Fates Island Mode and Ultimate Talent Development Plan exist in two separate alternate universes where Ibuki still attends Hope's Peak Academy, but no students are in peril. As they are alternate universes, these events are non-canonical, but because Ibuki's personality is unchanged, backstory information shared by her in these events is considered questionably or dubiously canonical rather than fully non-canonical.

    Free Time Events are also considered somewhat questionably canonical due to the nature of how Free Time Events are accessed (in that some characters' Free Time Events cannot be fully completed during the course of the canon game storyline due to limitations on the number of interactions you can have with them during one playthrough, and thus can only be accessed after they have canonically died either through a second playthrough or via Island Mode). However, due to Free Time Events being largely experienced during the canon game storyline, Free Time Events are more grounded in canon than Island Mode and Ultimate Talent Development Plan and are largely considered canon by the majority of players.

    Appearance

    Ibuki is a short-to-average girl with fair skin. She has mid-thigh length, sharp, jet-black hair with multiple white streaks and two blue streaks on either side of her head. Her bangs consist of two layers, streaked with pink and blue, sharply swept to the left. Part of her hair is twisted into oni-style horns. Her eyebrows are pink, suggesting she tinted her eyebrows to match with the pink streaks in her hair, and so are her eyes.

    She wears clothing that is very unlike what one would think a Light Music Club member would wear, bearing resemblance to a punk-rock style. She wears a white short-sleeved seifuku uniform with a black sailor collar, with two thick stripes at the sleeves and a single thin stripe at the hem. She wears a black pleated skirt with a pink ascot tied at her neck. Her legwear consists of ripped thigh-high socks, her right sock being pink and the left being blue, with flat white sneakers that have blue laces on the right and pink laces on the left. Her nails are painted black.

    Ibuki also has a heavy amount of accessories. Both her ears carry six silver earrings that resemble needles and a small earlobe gauge. She has three piercings below the left of her lip, a twisted metal wire necklace, and a thin black belt studded with silver looped around her skirt. On her right wrist, she wears a black scrunchie with a white stitch pattern. On her left forearm, she wears a ripped black arm warmer striped with pink, with silver metal rings around her wrist, her thumb, her index finger, and her middle finger. She also has a scar tattoo with stitches on her left thigh.

    After catching the Despair Disease and gets admitted to the hospital during the Killing School Trip, Ibuki wears a desaturated blue hospital gown and a pair of slopes in a matching color.[12]

    During her high school years, she does not wear the standard Hope's Peak Academy uniform. Instead, she wears a white, long-sleeved button up dress shirt, a pink tie printed with five lighter pink 'x' markings at her collar, and a black pleated skirt. Her legwear consists of black thigh-high socks with a printed simple white skeletal pattern, with the same shoes she wears in the Killing School Trip. Her accessories include a thin black-and-silver belt looped around her skirt, a puffy purple scrunchie on her right wrist, a yellow spiked bracelet on her left, and a black ring around her left index and middle fingers, with a twisted metal wire necklace. Her hair is somewhat longer, around knee-length, with considerably less white streaks.

    Hospital gown Hospital gown Hope's Peak Academy attire Hope's Peak Academy attire As a member of Ultimate Despair, Ibuki's hair is cut to the length of her hair in her first appearance, and appears to be spikier and sharper. She wears a mid-thigh length sleeveless half-black-half-pink wrap dress layered over a frilly white dress. Her collar is blue, and her sash is pink, with an oversized, sharp-looking bow of the same color tied at the back. She wears a thigh-high fishnet sock on her right sock, with a heavily ripped thigh-high sock of no discernable color on her left. She wears black platform Mary Jane style shoes, with silver studs embedded in the sides of the sole. Her accessories include four silver earrings that resemble spikes on each ear, six piercings going from below the left of her lip to below her left eye in a line, a metal necklace with three spikes, a thin black belt studded with silver looped around her sash, and a black arm warmer striped with white on her left arm.

    Her swimsuit in Danganronpa S: Ultimate Summer Camp consists of a halterneck bikini top with magenta pink straps and a dark blue front. Her bottoms are low-rise with a V-cut shape and matching mismatched colors, including a dark blue triangular front panel, revealing her scar tattoo with stitches on her left thigh. She also wears the same accessories seen in the Killing School Trip, such as her black belt studded with silver, silver metal rings, black scrunchie, chocker necklace, and oni-styled horn hair.

    Ultimate Despair attire Ultimate Despair attire Swimsuit (Danganronpa S) Swimsuit (Danganronpa S) Personality Eccentric, Energetic, and Ever-Upbeat Ibuki exudes quirkiness and eccentricity in every aspect of herself, styling everything to suit her revolutionary and unique taste. An obvious example is her heavily stylized punk-rock sailor uniform—an uncommon look for a light music club member[40] or high school girl in general. Hajime noted that Ibuki put so much effort into styling her clothes that they looked completely unlike commercial products.[42] Her quirkiness also extends to her over-the-top introductions and the variety of unique 'good mornings' she invents and throws at people daily, such as 'Good nom-nom-noming'[28] and 'Good mongrel.'[12] In the original Japanese release, she refers to herself in the third person and calls everyone by their first name with '-chan' from the moment she meets them, which is rather jarring and highly informal in a cultural setting where honorifics and social distance are usually respected, especially among acquaintances or strangers. Ibuki also speaks in the third person in the English version, but not as consistently.

    Ibuki is also known for being energetic, enjoying activities like walking, running, and racing—often to an abnormal degree. She once took Hajime to run five laps around the island with her,[9] told him to run barefoot while racing on the beach to feel the burn from the sand,[10] and attempted to do 1,000 headbangings.[43] She also enjoys playing games—usually bizarre ones she invents herself. One example is "Will I Get There?"—a game where Ibuki forgets important stuff on purpose and goes outside without checking her memos, and she often finds herself somewhere completely new.[9] She even turns seemingly ordinary activities, like climbing trees and collecting seashells, into chaotic games that somehow always involve rock-paper-scissors.[10][44] Even games meant for groups, like tag or hide-and-seek, she happily plays alone just for fun.[9] While she is aware that her idea of fun might be strange for others, she remains unbothered and does it anyway.[44] When Hajime asked how she could have so much energy, Ibuki explained that her stamina wasn't the result of training for live performances, but rather from her passion for physical activities like running, which she considered more of a hobby than a form of exercise.[9] But most importantly, to Ibuki, playing these games is essential for making music in a band. It helps create a sense of unity among the members, ultimately leading to the ideal live performance where "the greatest music is made."[42]

    Being an extremely energetic person, Ibuki has a strong aversion to boredom[3] and dull things, like studying, reading, and libraries. She only ever came to the library to borrow CDs, and if she had to be there, she'd make up a new game to play. It's even worse considering she also hates quiet places, where she can't relax, gets creative block, and constantly feels the urge to scream. She once screamed in six different libraries and ended up being banned from all of them. She can get very upset when forced to stay still while in the mood to play.[10][45]

    Ibuki is undoubtedly the most upbeat and talkative student in her class, the resident mood maker, carrying her lively presence and cheerfulness wherever she goes, even amidst the tension of the killing game. She can talk nonstop about almost anything, whether it's recent events, her surroundings, or interests, and almost always goes off on bizarre, unrelated tangents.[9][11] She often lightens serious situations either by offering to sing or with humor.[28] She also has a habit of breaking the fourth wall.[46] When she spots something that piques her interest, she'll have an outburst and sometimes slip into a verbal tic, repeating things twice—like when she discovered the music venue on the third island.[12] She seems to really enjoy panicking, often screaming or frothing at the mouth even when there's no real danger, and she even claims to be particularly good at it.[47] After she died in the Neo World Program, the atmosphere of the group sombered, with Nekomaru noting that, with her noisy self gone, it was "as if the fire was smothered."[35]

    As a musician, it goes without saying that Ibuki is passionate about music—especially the genres she loves, like heavy metal. She even claims to suffer from musical deprivation during the Killing Game, refusing to listen to the mainstream pop or classical CDs available at the supermarket. During her time in her old band, Ibuki got annoyed by the constant comparisons to The Black Cherries, with people comparing their ticket sales and concert attendance numbers to her band's. She states that she no longer cares about it after leaving the band, though she still believes that music shouldn't be reduced to mere numbers.[12]

    Friendliness and Perceptiveness Though she may appear insensitive at times, Ibuki is a very caring and perceptive friend, which is why despite her eccentricities, she has friendly relationships with all of her classmates. She states that, although she may not look like it, people tell her she is a "nurturing type."[12] Ibuki gets along with Mahiru despite their contrasting personalities and Mahiru finding her music a tad bit too loud.[13][16] Surprisingly, they are quite compatible, as demonstrated by their mutual care, protectiveness, and effective teamwork.[12][37] Ibuki is incredibly tolerant of the notoriously difficult Hiyoko, often laughing off her mean-spirited insults.[48] Ironically, they share a surprising musical taste. Hiyoko is her only classmate who genuinely enjoys her heavy metal, and they've demonstrated a remarkable ability to synchronize their clashing musical styles on stage.[12][25] With Mikan, whom she usually finds awkward falls entertaining and adorable, she also gets concerned for her at times, often being the first to notice when they happen.[28][37] She also celebrates Fuyuhiko's return to the group, announcing it by excitedly waking everyone up—going so far as to break Hajime's door lock in the process. Later, she even throws a party in his honor, performing her songs to mark the occasion. This performance is also her way of helping everyone "feel better" after the events of the second class trial and Fuyuhiko harming himself to apologize to the group.[12] She also dedicates her entire Free Time to helping Hajime remember his talent—though, admittedly, she does this mostly by stimulating his senses by dragging him along to participate in her favorite games and activities.[46]

    Despite her general quirkiness, Ibuki can be a startlingly wise and contemplative person, mainly through her firm belief of "pursuing your true self." She offers her thoughts to Hajime, who at the time still doesn't remember his Ultimate talent, saying that it actually doesn't matter whether he remembers or not. To her, his true self doesn't exist in some fixed place—it's the person standing in front of her, someone who changes every day and is willing to go far in search of himself. Ibuki believes that finding yourself means accepting that you are someone constantly evolving, and that even when you’re worried or unsure, you're still you. Every aspect of Ibuki reflects this philosophy—her appearance, personality, and most importantly, her music career. She refuses to conform to the typical pop sound expected of girl bands.[49] She left her previous band at the height of their success to pursue her own musical style, even if it means feeling a bit lonely as a solo artist.[43] She believes it's important to give your all when expressing yourself—and even more importantly, to share that experience with someone else.[46]

    Sexuality Alongside her general friendliness, Ibuki also displays a flirty demeanor toward her classmates, both boys and girls. With guys, Ibuki makes most comments about the Ultimate Imposter (while impersonating Byakuya), admiring them for being a cool and capable leader. After their death, she states that she misses them a lot, in spite of their "piggy fingers."[30] In the illusionary scene following the fifth class trial, Ibuki appears alongside the other deceased students. She greets the Imposter with a cheerful oink, playfully explaining that it was her way of saying "You're so cool" in pig language.[36] She also flirts with Hajime, saying she might 'end up falling in love' with him whenever he gives her a present she loves during Free Time Events.[50]

    However, Ibuki is shown to flirt with girls more and appears to do so often to Peko. At the coconut party bonus scene, the two are walking together on the beach when they meet Hajime, Kazuichi, and Teruteru. Ibuki winks and claims she was holding hands with Peko, though Peko stoically denies this and tells Teruteru not to fantasize about weird things when he imagines the two girls having sex.[28] When Peko talks about splitting open a coconut and describes how she wouldn't make a mistake with a sword, Ibuki gets really excited, screaming that she's so cool and that she might fall in love with her quiet words. She then begins to call her "Peko-Peko".[28] Peko seems to ignore her behavior mostly. Later when Peko volunteers to be on guard duty and leaves the room at the Ultimate Imposter's party, Ibuki grins and mutters to herself that Peko has "this super cool, melancholy vibe."[28] When she sees Peko in her bikini, Ibuki is impressed by her body and comments, "Young ladies are sure well-endowed nowadays... Is that a challenge against all the women in the world?"[18]

    Ibuki also finds Mikan cute, and gets entertained every time she falls in embarrassing and awkward poses, saying,"Awwwwww! She looks so adorable when she's embarrassed! It's sooooo moe, I'm practically snorting with joy!""[28], and again when she falls during the blackout: "Eeeeeeee-hehehehe! I can't take this at all...! Mahiru! It's time to snatch some shots!"".[29] Later, when Hiyoko expresses her love for Mahiru and even offers her a kiss, Ibuki comments: "Welcome to the world of girl love! It's slippery when wet!"[18] When Hajime questions her about her relationship with Mahiru after her death, Ibuki immediately asks if he means it in a 'perverted way,' then, with a disappointed face, says that she never had any 'lovey-dovey encounters' with Mahiru.[31] She then wonders if, alongside Mikan, she had come to discuss the Twilight Syndrome Murder Case with Mahiru, would it have been a "sticky, gooey encounter."[31]

    At Sonia's beach party, Ibuki admires all the girls when they come to the Diner in their swimsuits, particularly Chiaki, who is wearing a white bikini. She comments: "My heart's not just thumping, it's thumping all sporadically like 'Badump, thump! Thump, badump!'" Ibuki is also shown as liking the Measuring Flask item, bearing a female gender symbol.

    As flirtatious as Ibuki may be, Ibuki shows little to no interest in pursuing a romantic relationship. When Hajime guesses 'lover' in response to Ibuki's offer of a 'membership' at the end of her Island Mode ending, she immediately denies it and says, "there are more important things in this world than a temporary physical relationship."[51] When Hajime suggests they watch a love story in the movie theater, Ibuki immediately freaks out and appears disgusted.[47] She also dislikes anything suggestive that isn't meant as a joke. When Hajime suggests they get naked at the beach, Ibuki screams in terror and accuses him of trying to sexually harass her.[10] She also finds Teruteru to be very gross due to his perverted nature and never fail to physically hurt and interrupt him before he can do anything suggestive.[52]

    It is implied that Ibuki is much more interested in having a deep platonic relationship with someone she considers her soulmate, or "band member", as she puts it.[51] It's someone willing to spend a lot of time playing games with her and joining in on all sorts of her favorite, bizarre activities. More importantly, it's someone who can play music with Ibuki and whom she can trust as much as they trust her—something that has always been her dream. As mentioned previously, Ibuki believes that a sense of unity is important, above anything else, for band members. If there is no chemistry, whether due to creative or personality differences, it is simply something that cannot be helped—a destiny. Because of this, she doesn't regret leaving her old band. However, she admits that she can sometimes feel a bit lonely solo. Despite this, Ibuki also mentions that she has experienced despair in the company of others, but she believes that finding her 'destined one' would ensure she never feels despair again.[43][51]

    Talents and Abilities Ultimate Musician

    Before attending Hope's Peak Academy, Ibuki joined a light music club where one of their songs, "After School Poyoyon Hour" dominated the music charts and sold a million copies. Later on, she quit the band due to creative differences and pursued a solo career. Ibuki's original music and musical preferences lean heavily to the heavy metal genre, rather than the expected mainstream pop genre typically associated with a girl band member. Whenever someone listens to her genre she played for the first time, they might get shocked and/or even knocked unconscious due to its sheer pain when played.[11][12] [13]

    While Ibuki's title in the official English translation is the Ultimate Musician, her original title, Super High School Level Light Music Club Member is actually much more specific. "Light music" is a very common after school club activity available in many high schools across Japan. Not to be confused with the music genre know as light music whose origins are in late 19th century Britain, the Japanese "light music" (or 軽音楽 "keiongaku") genre is something similar to pop music.

    Canonically, Ibuki's solo songs include "From Me to You Too", which she performs at the Fuyuhiko's welcome back party she hosts, and a ballad titled "I Squeezed Out The Baby But I Have No Idea Who The Father Is".[12] She also mention song titles like "Lonely Girl in the Storage Room",[28] "Oh My God, There's Blood Everywhere!" and "Salt Seeping into My Broken Heart"[12], though it is unknown whether she has full lyrics and a melody for them, or if she simply came up with the titles on the spot.

    Ultimate Musician official translations in other languages Costume Maker Ibuki is able to make her own stage costume. She states that sewing is a minor necessity if someone joins a band. She puts her heart into making her clothes so they are not just a mere commercial product. As a result, everything that she wears looks really unique and charming.[42]

    Enhanced Hearing Befitting the Ultimate Musician, Ibuki has a keen sense of hearing. Even in complete darkness, she is able to tell whose voices belong to who and in which order the people speak.[29]

    Free Time Events & Bonus Mode Guides The links below are full transcripts and in-depth guides for Ibuki Mioda's relationship routes in Free Time Events, Island Mode, Ultimate Talent Development Plan, and Danganronpa S Development Mode including her MonoMono Machine Present preferences and most effective dialogue options.

    Prologue:

    ""I," "Buki," "Mio," "Da!" Put it together and what do you get? Ibuki Mioda!" "I-I don't understand it myself... Why do I get hungry when I'm excited? Why do I get excited when I'm hungry? Kyahaha, the human body sure is a mystery!" "Like Schubert, Bach, Edison, Van Gogh, Perez, and Senna...I, too, am an awesome musician!" "Living together on this tropical island sure is exciiiiting! I'm super looking forward to it!" Chapter 1:

    "Grrrrrr...! It's like everything here is just full of mysteries!" "H-Hey...isn't this kinda bad? The mood's totally set to like, "OH NOES!" right now, y'know? I got it! Ibuki's gonna help get the party started by siiiiiiinging! ...Man, even I'm not sure I should say that right now." "Mmm, seeing Peko's back as she walks away makes me feel like she's got this super cool, melancholy vibe..." "I-It's pitch black! My future is pitch black!" "Apparently, a great man once said, "Investigations should be done on foot." Sooo, that's why I'm also using my feet! I'm just walking around for no particular reason!" "Tee hee, not only do I have a perfect face, style, and personality, but I also have perfect ears!" "Any fried rice that isn't fried rice with gravy is soooooooo wrong!" "Holy crap! He's totally the type of guy who spent his childhood killing neighborhood pets!" "How can you smile in a situation like this, you creep!" Chapter 2:

    "Welcome to the world of girl love! It's slippery when wet!" "Nobody wants to live in a swashbuckling, Hollywood type, action film!" "That girl... She's probably gonna get even stronger." "The more you fight, the stronger you get... That's what being a battle-lover is all about!" "But you should talk about it more, you know. Shoot me with your word arrows!" "That's right! He may have had piggy fingers, but he was really totally awesome! It sounds easy to keep a promise till the very end, but I think it's actually really, really hard." "He's not a little creepy, he's creepy to the max! His creepiness is so high he could sell tickets to see it!" "Gyaaah! And it was the best phrase of all time, too! It would've filled you with chills! This is a big loss for humanity as well! So you gotta act sadder!" "An army marches on its stomach, while swimmers can only splash around on their stomachs too! I'm gonna heartily eat a hamburger with a side of rice!" "Muah-haha! Wearing a bikini is suuuuuure daring! And you get bonus points for wearing a white one! My heart's not just thumping, it's thumping all sporadically like "Badump, thump! Thump, badump!" "Young ladies are sure well-endowed nowadays... Is that a challenge against all the women in the world?" "Th-This is too weird... Something this weird should only happen in song lyrics..." "Ibuki's a tough girl, so I don't touch anything powered by electricity except electric guitars! Yeah, but disappointment varies depending on the person, Ibuki associates it with department store rooftops." "My goodness...I got it right... And I was just throwing things out there... Tahaaa! Just as I thought, I'm chosen by the gods!" "Gravel inside the swimsuit!? Even the ace attorney would be astonished by such a fantastic idea!" "...Jeez, I wish he'd just side with the enemy already so I can believe what he's saying!" "Her personality got a hell of a lot more forceful once she stopped being a suspect!" "Tahaa! I shouldn't say things I don't understand, like "so to speak"!" "Littering is prohibited...even if it might be evidence, rules are still rules..." "People dying so easily... Falling like dominoes..." As Girl C:

    "Tahaaa! The way Girl B treats people, even loan sharks looking to collect would get sick to their stomachs!" Chapter 3:

    "I really can't imagine Hiyoko being so diligent and earnest about something!" "The truth is so overwhelming that I can't help shouting out! I never expected to find a music venue. I can't help feeling excited! Man, with a venue like this, Ibuki has no choice but to lend a helping hand! This is just the beginning! Yahoooooooooooooooo! I'll invite everyone to feel this wonderful feeling! It's like the smug feeling you got when you explain something with an elaborate metaphor no one understands!" "I wanna listen to songs by Ibuki's favorite artists! There's no TV or radio here, you know!? I'm starving to death from musical deprivation!" "Like, music shouldn't be reduced to sales numbers!" "No problemo! You don't need skill on this stage, just heart!" "Tee-hehehehe... Summer's all about fireworks!" "Good mornin'! Looks like today's gonna be another perfect tropical daaaaaay!" "Heeeeey y'all! It's Ibuki Miodaaaaaa! Thanks for coming out today! My specialty is making beef stew! Haha, I may not look like it but people tell me that I'm a nurturing type. So I'm gonna do my very best performance so I can make everyone feel better. I hope you're all pumped up!" "No, that's not it! I know Akane's in deep trouble but you guys suck! Screw this half-baked comfort! If this were a song title, it'd be "Salt Seeping into My Broken Heart"!" "It may be rude of me, but I would like to say my greetings first thing in the morning! Good morning! I look forward to working with you all today!" "You came to visit and see how I am doing!? Thank you very much for your courtesy! Thank you very much for your consideration! I shall heed your kind attitude and take a rest!" "Good morning! I am truly honored by you stopping by to see how I am doing today as well!" "To tell you the truth, I have been getting quite bored doing nothing but sleeping. Also...it would just trouble you if I slept all the time, so I was hoping I can help you with anything... But it's better if I am sleeping, correct!?" Chapter 5:

    "PP@04Yahoooooo23`*?@@please-----’A;@listento:..o./onesonnnnnng:@;@" (Ibuki's cottage post-fifth trial) Merchandise The link below lists all official licensed merchandise featuring Ibuki Mioda:

    Main: Ibuki Mioda Merchandise Trivia During the second class trial, when she was told she is Girl C, Ibuki says "I guess I'll 'C' U Next Tuesday", which is a song by Pop Artist, Ke$ha.[31] Additionally, that statement contains an obscene acronym. In her last Free Time Events, Ibuki recites the beat-box portion of "Freak on a Leash" by American rock band, Korn and breaks the 4th wall by saying, "After all this is the last event."[46] One of Ibuki's sprites is a reference to Pinocchio. Ibuki's Japanese voice actress, Ami Koshimizu, also voiced Suzuko Kashiki in Danganronpa 3 - Despair Arc. Appearances in Other Media Ibuki is included in the collaboration of Danganronpa 3 x Hōkai Gakuen. In the game, a chibi version of Ibuki is seen riding on the top of the player character's head. Ibuki appears as a playable skin in the rhythm-game Crypt of the Necrodancer. Ibuki appears as a dress-up item in Atgames[citation needed]. Ibuki appears in Sengoku Asuka ZERO x Danganronpa 3: The End of Hope's Peak High School collaboration as one of the many collectibles. Ibuki is included in the third wave of Danganronpa 1.2 Reload x Divine Gate. Ibuki's hairstyle can be worn in Yandere Simulator.

12. #12Kazuichi Soda

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    Kazuichi Soda Illustration Sprite DR3 (Despair) Illustration Name Kanji 左右田 和一 Romaji Sōda Kazuichi Katakana ソウダ　カズイチ English Kazuichi Soda Aliases & Titles Talent Characteristics Personal Status Debuts Portrayals

    “ Hold on, hold on! Who do you think I am!? I'll definitely fix it up till it's like brand new! Then when it's all fixed, I'll give it to you! Just watch! I'll completely fix it up, and I'll make you say thank you with tears running down your face!

    — Danganronpa 2: Goodbye Despair ”

    Kazuichi Soda (左右田 和一), is a student of Hope's Peak Academy's Class 77-B, and a participant of the Killing School Trip featured in Danganronpa 2: Goodbye Despair. His title is the Ultimate Mechanic (超高校級の「メカニック」 lit. Super High School Level Mechanic).

    He, along with Class 77-B, returns in Danganronpa 3: The End of Hope's Peak High School to explore their school life leading up to The Tragedy.

    He, being a mechanic, wears a yellow-green jumpsuit with a dark brown streak on the sides reaching his ankles. Kazuichi wears bright yellow sneakers as well with white laces. During his high school years, he wore a jumpsuit similar to his current one, but blue, and instead of a beanie, he wears a cap. On his yellow-green jumpsuit there are two pockets on his thighs, whilst he has another pocket on his chest on the right.

    Kazuichi's hair is dyed hot pink and is somewhat badly layered with a tiny braid on the right side. However, he covers said bad layering up with a gray beanie with a white strip on the bottom left of it. In addition to his punk rock appearance, he has thin eyes with hot pink prescription color contacts on them at all times. Above his eyes, his thin, pronounced eyebrows nearly touch his hairline. His teeth are quite sharp, giving him an intimidating grin. He also has earrings, the right one having a plus sign as it is a screw with the plus head and the left one having a minus sign as it is also a screw but with the minus head.

    As the Ultimate Despair, Kazuichi has the same hair and yellow jumper, as well as black gloves. He no longer wears a hat and appears to have a utility belt.

    Danganronpa 3 - Despair Arc Appearance Danganronpa 3 - Despair Arc Appearance Personality Kazuichi is a highly emotional character, though he tries to play it smooth and acts carefree at first. He is a very jumpy person, easily scared and often screaming in fear. People tend to note his intimidating appearance does not match his compulsive and cowardly personality. Naturally, he has a great fear of dying on the island, which causes a lot of stress and panic for him.

    Kazuichi has a tendency to neglect his need for a verbal filter and often blurts things out without thinking. He also seems to be a very bad liar, leading him to be contradictory at times. While he is a genius with machinery, he appears to be a bit slow-witted otherwise. Alongside Mikan Tsumiki, he is commonly Monokuma and Hiyoko Saionji's target and often ends up being the butt of their jokes.

    Being the Ultimate Mechanic, Kazuichi normally tries to repair any broken items on the island with his ability and familiarity with mechanisms. He tends to carry around a wrench and he gets anxious if he cannot tinker with something. He has a great love for machinery, especially fast ones like rockets and bikes, which is ironic, since he suffers from awful motion sickness. Kazuichi seems to question his sexuality around Hajime Hinata, for example, in Island Mode, he was excited and then confused about going on a date with him and he's afraid he'll dream about a date with Hajime after he jokingly suggested going on one, only to comically confess to him that he is attracted to tanks. In Chapter 3, it's also revealed that he apparently likes the idea of undressing a girl and checking out her bone structure, thinking it's similar to dismantling machines. He seems to think it's normal, though Hajime is weirded out by this and calls it a fetish.

    Kazuichi also likes girls a lot, though in a rather perverted and shallow way. He has taken a strong liking to Sonia Nevermind, to an extent of being a pervert, and in constant jealousy of Gundham Tanaka. He claims that he's dreamed of a beautiful blonde girlfriend since he was a kid and his affection towards Sonia seems rather shallow, as he actually seems to dislike some of her actual personality traits, such as her love for the occult. Sonia dislikes this behavior and calls him a stalker. According to Kazuichi, after he changed his appearance in the past, some girls took interest in him and he was actually a bit frightened by this.

    Despite having some weird quirks, Kazuichi is described as the 'straight man' and is one of the more ordinary students in the group. In his Free Time Events, it's revealed that he suffers from self-esteem and trust issues. Due to a past friendship, he has a hard time trusting others and he acted especially paranoid during the beginning of the game. He also reveals his appearance was chosen for the sake of his image, not because he actually likes it. His trust issues cause him some conflict with Hajime, but he calms down quite soon and is willing to apologize. Despite some issues, he develops a close friendship with Hajime, and he considers him his "soul friend". However, Hajime can be quite annoyed with him, since he can act rather clingy and turns even whinier and threatens to bug Hajime even more if he refuses to hang out with him.

    Along with most of his classmates, Kazuichi sympathizes with the fallen. He doesn't let it get him down, but he neglects to simply let the death of his classmates be shaken off. Kazuichi even makes a small toy out of Nekomaru Nidai's robot remains for everyone in an effort to impress Sonia. Kazuichi even displays being a bit shaken up about Teruteru Hanamura's death. He is stunned but shoved into pushing away his shock because of Hiyoko's comments. Despite this, he seems to still be heavily affected for a while. This pattern repeats itself for nearly every death.

    Talent and Abilities Ultimate Mechanic

    Back on his home, Kazuichi and his parents run a bike shop together. He is the genius mechanic of his family and always the one who's helping out at the shop since his father isn't very dependable. He has tinkered with and studied machines since he was a child and is capable of fixing anything from kids toys to household appliances. He has been surrounded by tools since he was young and has developed a habit of taking things apart and putting them back together.

    Kazuichi is known for making inventions of his own and is very passionate about his works. At his home, he is in the process of making a bike, and according to his calculations, it has a top speed of 585 mph. Even though he knows that kind of bike is not street legal and he will be unable to ride said bike due to his motion sickness, he is very eager to continue his incomplete project.

    Kazuichi often got yelled at for modifying various things at school or at home. His greatest invention was attaching an engine to the machine that draws the chalk lines on the soccer field, but it escaped through the school entrance at full speed, without curving or stopping.

    The things that Kazuichi fixes always end up being some kind of vehicle. During the Killing School Trip, Kazuichi disassembled his alarm clock and when he put the gear back, he ends up making a small engine. Messing with machines makes him inspired and energized.

    Kazuichi tries to think of every possible way to escape from Jabberwock Island. The first thing he checked is planes that located at the airport. When he found that the planes are engineless, he didn’t stop there. In one of his Free Time Events, he revealed that he planned to put pedals on the ship and pedal boat off the island.

    Kazuichi has a dream to create a rocket ship, the biggest, fastest, and the very top of the vehicle food chain.

    Ultimate Mechanic official translations in other languages Skilled Inventor When reviewing Kazuichi's background, despite him being skilled in repairing machinery and various other mechanical objects and appliances he has always used his skills for his own pleasure and has an eye for creativity. This is seen by the many countless inventions that he is often seen creating, throughout his life he has created many successful inventions by using his skills as a mechanic, often these are useful tools related to his specialty field.

    The many inventions he has created include making a bike that could go at a top speed of 585 mph, adding an engine to the soccer chalk line machine. These were minor inventions that he created when learning to become a talented mechanic in his father's workshop and he inputted his innovative ideas into these various technologies, despite these inventions not being successful Kazuichi's inspired work clearly has success when it comes to motorization.

    His most notable inventions include during the Killing School Trip where he disassembled Mechamaru's mechanical parts and used the undamaged components to create Minimaru, a small, lifelike representation of Nekomaru equipped with unique catchphrases, alarm clock and the ability to give the user a professional massage and relax sore muscles and pressure points. Akane is very pleased with this invention and Kazuichi stated spending all night working on the project, showing not only his dedication to inventing but his creativity, speed and success when it comes to inventing in a short amount of time.

    Another invention which Kazuichi was working on during his first school year at Hope's Peak Academy is unidentifiable, but is very large and Kazuichi is very invested in this project, skipping class in order to complete his invention in a short amount of time. His passion for inventing is what allows him to build on his creativity. This large project is hinted at to be Big Bang Monokuma. This creation, despite being for nefarious purposes, was another one of Kazuichi's successful works as an inventor and would have taken a considerable amount of work to complete, showing his skill in this field.

    History Prior to the Tragedy Kazuichi's life seemed to have been fairly rougher than a normal child's. He and his father ran his family's bike shop, but nothing was ever sold. The bike shop wasn't always inactive, however, many customers would ask for them to fix their bike tires or inflate them. Despite this, the family was still often low on money. In result, though, Kazuichi got plenty of practice with making and building things.

    Kazuichi liked to improve many things, such as his greatest invention, attaching an engine to the machine that draws the chalk lines on soccer fields. However, it escaped through the school entrance at full speed, without curving or stopping.

    As a child, Kazuichi was also very skittish and easily picked on. He had a best friend in middle school. They always did everything together, and could he talk to him about anything. Once, Kazuichi let him cheat off his test because his friend had begged him for help, but they both got caught by the teacher. He insisted that Kazuichi was the one who willingly gave him the answers. Starting from that point, his friend began avoiding Kazuichi, though, in actuality, Kazuichi didn't really care about being scolded. However, because of this, Kazuichi later developed trust issues.

    Kazuichi let other children step all over him, but then he decided to change his appearance entirely. From changing his hair color to losing his glasses, and presumably sharpening his teeth so that he could fit in better with people around him. At this point, he began to put up the "tough punk" facade to avoid more bullying, which, to this day, continues to break almost constantly.

    In addition to Kazuichi's rough childhood, with money and bullying problems, his dad seemed to have beat him at times. In one of his Free Time Events, he states that he had never been on a field trip, and spoke quite casually about his father beating him when he didn't attend school on those days. Such behavior suggests that he was a subject of excessive abuse.

    As a teen, Kazuichi attended Toushima Industry High School. Thanks to his great mechanic skills, he later enrolled in Hope's Peak Academy as the Ultimate Mechanic, in Class 77-B. He quickly developed a crush on Sonia Nevermind, a foreign princess.

    Danganronpa 3: The End of Hope's Peak High School - Despair Arc Episode 01 - Hello Again, Hope's Peak Academy Kazuichi was busy working at a big machine until he noticed that Sonia came to visit him. He jumped from the machine and happily greeted Sonia. However, Sonia slowly moved away from him due to his strong smell of oil, after he questions her whether this was the case, she kindly states no, then his new homeroom teacher, Chisa Yukizome taps his shoulder with her gas mask on to Kazuichi's shock and horror.

    After Kazuichi joined and retrieved Gundham, Ibuki Mioda, and Peko Pekoyama, he and his classmates came to an area outside the school to search for Nagito Komaeda. He commented that nothing good happens to him whenever Nagito is around. Soon enough, Kazuichi was hit by a truck and sustained an injury, while Nagito won a lucky streak on a vending machine when the truck flying high in the air bounced off it.

    Kazuichi is later seen with all of his face bandaged due to the accident earlier (possibly treated by Mikan). Before Chisa went to retrieve two remaining students, she tasked everyone to clean the classroom. Kazuichi who denied her order had his table stabbed with two knives, threatened by his homeroom teacher playfully. He disliked Chisa at first but changed his mind soon after he heard Sonia's excitement.

    After returning to the classroom, Chisa was happy to see that Kazuichi and the others had waited and that the classroom was clean. When the students once again bring up that they didn't have to go to class, so long as they have their talent, Chisa reminded them that talent isn't everything, and wanted them to build strong relationships and "hope" with each other.

    Episode 02 - My Impurest Heart for You Kazuichi and his classmates took cover on the side of the classroom when Akane Owari and Nekomaru clashed during their deadly training session, almost destroyed the whole classroom. After the training end, Kazuichi and the others repaired their classroom together. He also built a large monitor so that everyone can play games that Chiaki Nanami brought. Kazuichi proudly explained that he was the one who built the monitor to Chisa, but no one paid attention to him.

    Kazuichi played a monopoly-like game with Nagito, Teruteru and Fuyuhiko Kuzuryu. He mocked Nagito that he had almost defeated him while he almost won. However, Nagito's luck reign supreme and turned the tables, making Kazuichi lose disgracefully.

    During the break time, Kazuichi and the others ate nikujaga that has been cooked by Teruteru and Hiyoko. However, the food contained with aphrodisiacs itself affected everyone including Kazuichi who ate it to lost their body control and drowned in lust. When Kazuichi saw his chance to reach Sonia, Fuyuhiko desperately trying to stop him. Sometime later, Kazuichi recovered in the nurse's office.

    The next day, he agreed with Sonia and Chisa to elect Chiaki as their class representative.

    Episode 03 - A Farewell to All Futures At the beginning of the episode, Kazuichi and his classmates walked past Hajime heading toward the Main Course building. He was bitten by Gundham's Maga-Z. Later on, Kazuichi and his classmates visited the school's park and once again playing with Gundham's Four Dark Devas of Destruction.

    Episode 04 - The Melancholy, Surprise, and Disappearance of Nagito Komaeda Kazuichi was listening to Chisa's announcement about the annual practical exam that will start tomorrow inside the classroom, still showing no spirit along with his classmates as their morale decreased greatly due to the deaths of Natsumi Kuzuryu and Sato.

    Kazuichi and the others already heard the news of Chisa's transfer to the Reserve Course and when she arrived in the classroom to bid her farewell, Sonia broke in tears, surprising Kazuichi and made him unable to comfort her.

    Episode 05 - The Beginning of the End Kazuichi was part of Chisa's welcome back party in his classroom. He and Teruteru told that their classmate Fuyuhiko didn't want to come until he saw how hard Chiaki worked for the party. He was jealous when Sonia and Gundham synchronized in welcoming back their teacher using Gundham's unique way of speaking.

    Episode 06 - A Despairfully Fateful Encounter Kazuichi and his classmates moved to the new school building starting from that day. When Chisa told the class Nagito will be arriving back soon and bets they all miss him, most of them including Kazuichi told her otherwise.

    Episode 07 - The Biggest, Most Atrocious Incident in Hope's Peak Academy's History Kazuichi is seen watching Gundham as he tames a bear, cautious of Sonia getting too close to it in fear of it attacking. When Sonia worries about being a low-ranked demon, according to Gundham, Kazuichi responds by telling her that she was an angel. When Fuyuhiko notices that both Mikan and the Ultimate Imposter are missing from the classroom, Kazuichi thinks that they're doing "extracurricular studies" together. To Kazuichi's surprise, Teruteru then further describes his thoughts using a donut and a banana, Kazuichi holding the donut, Teruteru the banana, Kazuichi's face is more expressively uncomfortable and sweating as Teruteru describes the process, before Gundham's bear bites both of their hands.

    After learning about the Izuru Kamukura Project and The Tragedy of Hope's Peak Academy via an email sent out by Junko Enoshima, the Reserve Course students begin to riot. Kazuichi is seen hugging Teruteru out of fear as he watches this from his new classroom.

    Episode 08 - The Worst Reunion by Chance Kazuichi is unimpressed when Peko conveyed that the faculty considered the Reserve Course student protest a 'parade'. When Nagito returned to the class from his suspension, they all, including Kazuichi, have a displeased look on their face when realizing it isn't Mikan. Kazuichi went outside the school grounds with the rest of the class to look for Mikan who Nagito says he saw heading for the West District.

    Episode 09 - Chisa Yukizome Doesn't Smile The class reconvenes at the school classroom as they are unable to find Mikan. Kazuichi becomes agitated, assuming Nagito lied to them about Mikan's appearance in the West District. When Chiaki reaches the classroom with an unconscious Nagito, explaining to them that Chisa is in danger, Kazuichi becomes worried by this. Nagito convincingly makes clear that it will be dangerous and there is a possibility of them dying, to which Kazuichi contemplates these concerns but Chiaki convinces him otherwise.

    The Ultimate Imposter reveals his true identity, to Kazuichi's shock along with the rest of the class although they come to accept it quickly. Nagito wishes to go with them although doesn't have the strength to walk, Sonia commanding Kazuichi to give him a piggyback ride to which he agrees swiftly.

    After leaving the Main Course building, the Reserve Course students seek to take them on in a battle to open placements on the Main Course, Kazuichi and the class go on ahead, leaving Nekomaru and Gundham to fend them off.

    On the way down the stairway to Junko's lair, everyone becomes worried for Gundham and Nekomaru's safety although Kazuichi convinces Sonia that Gundham knows how to get things done before regretting helping his romantic rivals credibility with Sonia.

    Episode 10 - Smile at Despair in the Name of Hope Kazuichi and the class continue down the corridor after making their descent of the stairway, Mikan eventually catching up with them. Upon hearing from Mikan, who lies that Chiaki is resting her ankle in one of the nearby rooms, Kazuichi suggests that they should have left Nagito with her, feeling the effects of Nagito's weight on his back. Teruteru requests carrying Nagito, saying he falls within his 'spectrum', to Kazuichi's dismay, Teruteru begins to explain what he means, until a door is flung open, throwing Teruteru to the right and revealing two pairs of eyes from within the darkness of the room. Kazuichi screams loudly, gathering everyone's attention and shock, although Gundham and Nekomaru are the ones to appear from the darkroom to Kazuichi's relief.

    Mikan, now leading the group, approaches a large red door at the end of the corridor, pressing a button which opens the door, Kazuichi and the rest of the class follow her inside. Once inside, Junko reveals multiple monitors showing Chiaki Nanami's Punishment, Kazuichi horrified by what he's seeing, wants to find a way to save Chiaki but is powerless.

    Once Chiaki reaches the "goal" in her execution, she opens the door. She sees Kazuichi, the rest of the class, and Chisa on the other side. Once she reaches for Chisa's hand, spikes appear from under the ground and stab Chiaki everywhere on her body. As the broadcast ends, Kazuichi and the class fall silent, with a patterned swirl in their eyes, they are now Ultimate despair.

    Episode 11 - Goodbye, Hope's Peak Academy Kazuichi and the rest of the class have returned to the classroom, receiving their final lesson before graduation. Chisa stated she has been honored to be their teacher, and started reading a letter she prepared. Kazuichi begins to clap with gratitude, prompting the rest of the class to do the same.

    After the speech, red lights turn on, and Chisa started to cry. The patterned swirled return in their eyes as they all make a declaration of what they will do upon graduation. Kazuichi expressed he will 'find the solution to air pollution'. After bidding her class a final farewell, Chisa activated a bomb that fakes the death of Class 77-B. Kazuichi and his class stand outside the school grounds as they watch Hope's Peak Academy's destruction.

    Chisa's narration later reveals Kazuichi helped to infect the world with despair.

    During the Tragedy At some point after this, Kazuichi joined the Ultimate Despair group that was founded by Junko. The members of Ultimate Despair did all kinds of horrible things during the Tragedy, causing despair all over the world. Kazuichi invented and oversaw the production of many dangerous machines for the Ultimate Despair, such as a giant Monokuma.

    After Junko was executed, the survivors of Ultimate Despair chopped her body up and attached some of her body parts to themselves.

    The remnants of Despair are later found by Future Foundation. Makoto Naegi plans to undo Junko's influence by putting them into the Neo World Program, but the program is taken over by Alter Ego Junko, right according to the Ultimate Despair's plan.

    Danganronpa 3: The End of Hope's Peak High School - Future Arc Episode 01 - Third Time's the Charm As a member of Ultimate Despair, Kazuichi is seen in the flashback working on his Giant Monokuma project showed at the beginning of the episode.

    Danganronpa 2: Goodbye Despair Prologue - Welcome to Dangan Island! Panic at the Heart-Throbbing School Trip!? Kazuichi is first seen by Hajime hanging around in the airport along with Gundham. He confirms that all airplanes in the airport are unusable, due the engines are missing. He also adds that whoever put them on the island, plans to keep them there.

    Kazuichi says that although the trip is strange he may like it due to not having to do anything bad. When Hajime displays discomfort with Usami, he adds that if you look closely at her, she might look cute.

    Chapter 1 - Destination Despair In the beginning, after Monokuma announces that they must all kill each other to escape, Kazuichi was terrified at the prospect, causing him to jump at shadows. He even tried to escape from the meeting once but ended in failure as Mahiru Koizumi caught him. However, his focus soon shifts from a constant fear of dying to try to get Sonia to be his girlfriend.

    During the trial, Kazuichi suspected Peko as the culprit of the Ultimate Imposter murder. He suspected Peko because during the blackout in the old lodge, the place where the students threw a party, Peko guarding the office room, the place where the old lodge electricity sourced. However, Peko proved innocent as the true culprit voted guilty and were executed by Monokuma.

    Chapter 2 - Sea and Punishment, Sin and Coconuts In the beginning of Chapter 2, Kazuichi and Nekomaru punched and chained up Nagito in order to prevent him from causing more trouble. Kazuichi also plotted to crash Sonia's all-girl beach party with Hajime by hanging out at the diner until the girls arrived.

    Because of this, Kazuichi and Hajime bore witness to Hiyoko leaving the crime scene a short while after the murder took place and he was also able to testify that Hiyoko had no blood on her at the time. He was the third person to discover Mahiru's body, setting off the body discovery announcement.

    Chapter 3 - Trapped by the Ocean Scent Kazuichi moved to the motel along with Hiyoko, Chiaki Nanami, Sonia and Gundham in Chapter 3 while the students afflicted with despair disease were under quarantine. He also built the video transponder which allows the motel group to communicate with the hospital.

    Chapter 4 - Do Ultimate Robots Dream of Clockwork? In Chapter 4, Kazuichi explored the Strawberry and Grape Houses with Nagito since Sonia took off with Gundham before he could ask her. Having ended up with one of the poor rooms in the Strawberry House, he was able to hear the alarm and the rumbling sound.

    On the third day in the morning, Kazuichi was awake because of the strawberry house alarm clocks ringing, he then meets with Gundham and Fuyuhiko who are too busy to turn it off. He contributed to the murder investigation by fixing the elevator and the Strawberry Tower door button, as well as performing the equivalent of an autopsy on Nekomaru's mechanical body. Kazuichi awakes because the alarm clocks ringing. He was also able to verify the elevator turned 180 degrees with the help of Nagito's compass.

    Chapter 5 - Smile at Hope in the Name of Despair In Chapter 5, Kazuichi stays up two nights straight, one in which he spends the night creating MiniMaru, a small robotic version of Nekomaru with multiple functions in order to cheer everyone up after his death to which Akane gladly adopts as her own, this shows his more caring side to his group of friends after creating an uplifting speech on top of his gift, the 2nd night he then proceeds to create a plan to capture Nagito in order to prevent any more killings. The plan fails and Kazuichi flat out gets blown across the room by an explosion after apprehending Nagito with Fuyuhiko and Akane. While it seems to suggest he's been injured by the bomb Nagito placed in the lobby, he's surprisingly left unharmed despite it being rather ambiguous when he hadn't spoken for a while during the aftermath. He's the most flustered person due to Nagito's threat.

    Chapter 6 - This is the End Goodbye Academy of Despair In the final chapter, Kazuichi is one of the final five students out of fifteen who enters the final class trial, along with Makoto, Byakuya and Kyoko also entering the program later. Throughout the trial, he often shows signs of intense fear and almost comical reactions to the events unfolding, such as discovering he himself as an Ultimate Despair and tries to disregard it, while also being apprehensive to initiate the shutdown sequence because of his fear of what he'll become. In the end, he is convinced by Hajime to create his own future and says the choice of initiating the shutdown sequence is now incredibly easy, while on the verge of despair he managed to overcome that with hope for the future. His love for Sonia has no bounds, even in the final trial.

    Epilogue - The Day before the Future After the defeat of AI Junko Enoshima, Kazuichi and the former Ultimate Despair members opted to stay on the Jabberwock Island, possibly in hopes that they could do something to help their comatose friends.

    Danganronpa 2.5: Nagito Komaeda and the World Vanquisher Illusion World Main article: Kazuichi Soda (Illusion) Real-life After Nagito awoke from Neo World Program, he learned that all of his friends, including Kazuichi, were alive and awake from the Neo World Program. Kazuichi and Fuyuhiko both greet Nagito before he boards the boat, Nagito hugged them both strongly to their dismay. They all then boarded the boat that would take them to the Future Foundation Headquarters.

    Side: Hope - The Academy of Hope and Students of Despair Kazuichi returned in Side: Hope alongside the rest of the Class 77-B, who had been resurrected by Izuru Kamukura although Izuru was now combined with the personality and memories of Hajime. Kazuichi and his classmates arrived at the island where the Future Foundation Headquarters were situated, having left from Jabberwock Island and proceeded by rescuing Byakuya Togami and Yasuhiro Hagakure from being trapped under rubble, they then began their fight against Ryota's brainwashed rescue squad troops, including the Super High School Level Elite Task Force.

    Nekomaru is seen facing off against a robot unit from the Super High School Level Elite Task Force of Future Foundation but became surrounded, fortunately, Kazuichi sent an army of remote control Mini-Mecha Nidai robots (The same design of the one he made for the class in Danganronpa 2: Goodbye Despair) to defeat the second monobeast. Seeking Sonia's praise and admiration, he felt he had once again been ignored but she explained it was quite impressive, he blushed gleefully as she smiled in return.

    Later on, Kazuichi helped convince Ryota to abandon his plan to brainwash the world. When Hajime began persuading him to join them in atonement, Kazuichi put a hand on Hajime's shoulder, pointing out how he was in the Reserve Course so anyone is worthy as a classmate.

    Shortly afterword, he and the other Former Remnants of Despair shoulder the blame for the Final Killing Game in a broadcast to the Future Foundation, relieving the organization of any wrongdoing.

    With the battle won, Kazuichi and the Class 77-B return to Jabberwock Island. He is last seen seeking Sonia's attention as the boat takes them home.

    Relationships Love Interest: Sonia Nevermind From the moment Kazuichi first speaks to Sonia, he bows down to her. Sonia is the only one he uses an honorific for, calling her "Miss Sonia." In addition, she is the only one he refers to on a first-name basis. Despite the amount of "respect" he gives her, he's constantly making comments about her body and appearance, in a rather gross fashion. For example, he claims in Chapter 2 that he has always wanted to see Sonia wearing a sexy swimsuit.

    At first, it is unclear whether Kazuichi is simply objectifying her, or truly cares about her and does not know how to go about expressing that. However, it becomes apparent that he does objectify her, considering he treats her as if she cannot do things for herself because she is a princess. He also stated that he always wanted a beautiful blonde for a girlfriend, which fits Sonia's exterior looks. Sonia dislikes his advances to the point of actively avoiding him and being disappointed that he was not the culprit of the fourth trial. But he would often defend Sonia if somebody accuse her of murder or doubt her alibi and demand that they apologize to her.

    After Gundham's death, Kazuichi made a speech on how the team must prevail and move forward. Though the speech seemed to move others, it is shown that he made the speech solely to impress Sonia, which she ignored.

    Although Sonia continues to remain uninterested in Kazuichi after the events that occurred in the Neo World Program, she is seen praising him for destroying an army of Monokumas after they arrive to assist the Future Foundation. This brings Kazuichi joy, as it's shown that Sonia now thinks of him as a friend and is at least trying to be nicer to him.

    Class 77-B: Gundham Tanaka Kazuichi and Gundham didn't establish a good relationship between them during the Killing School Trip. Kazuichi disliked Gundham and refused to invite him to the beach party. They had a brief childish spat during the 3rd Class Trial where they threatened to kill each other. Kazuichi disliked him even more when it became apparent that Sonia favored Gundham, resorting to name-calling ("Hamster-chan") and failed attempts to one-up him during the 4th Class Trial.

    However in Danganronpa 3 - Despair Arc, the two of them seemingly have become friends as Kazuichi often attempt to play with Gundham's hamsters and he believed that the Ultimate Breeder is a man who can get things done when he needs to.

    Teruteru Hanamura While there are no interactions between the two in the game, Kazuichi seems to have been friends with Teruteru in high school. They are mostly seen together in group activities and are even seen hugging each other in fear during a riot caused by Reserve Course students.

    Fuyuhiko Kuzuryu At first, Kazuichi and the Ultimate Yakuza seem to be at each other's throats quite often. Kazuichi makes comments towards Fuyuhiko such as "If you didn't have that big Yakuza family, you'd be nothing but a midget!" Which, of course, is returned by Fuyuhiko's own sharp tongue.

    As time passes, though, their disagreement with each other seems to dissipate, and they become tolerant of one another. This may or may not be because of the stress of being on the island. Althrough Fuyuhiko is easily annoyed and angered with Kazuichi's obession with Sonia.

    In Nagito's world, Kazuichi, Fuyuhiko and Nagito were best friends, even going so far as to consider him his brother. After Kazuichi's death, Fuyuhiko wanted to avenge his death, trying to kill the murderer.

    Nagito Komaeda After trial one, Kazuichi finds Nagito to be a nutcase and is afraid of him. He and Nekomaru are the ones who tie up Nagito, and Kazuichi is the one who punches him unconscious. When this happens, and everyone asks where Nagito is, Kazuichi seems extremely suspicious and he's almost immediately blamed for the murder. Later, after Kazuichi loses his trust in Hajime, he is even willing to go with Nagito to investigate instead of him.

    After the events leading to Nagito's knowledge of the class' true identity as Ultimate Despair, Nagito appears to be annoyed by Kazuichi's slow-wittedness and shows this openly after losing respect for the other students.

    In Danganronpa 3, during their school years, Kazuichi claims that bad things happen to him whenever Nagito is around. For example, he loses a video game and gets hit by a truck. Kazuichi dislikes Nagito because of this, though the other boy is seemingly oblivious to it. Considering how Nagito's luck cycle works, this could imply that he wishes to be friends with Kazuichi.

    In Super Danganronpa 2.5, Nagito indeed imagines Kazuichi as one of his closest friends while being inside his imaginary world, along with Fuyuhiko. The two seem to be on better terms with each other even after Nagito awakens from his coma into the real world, as Kazuichi and Fuyuhiko wait for him to greet him before boarding the boat and overall appear friendlier with him, with Kazuichi teasing him by asking him if he was dreaming about pretty girls. Though, Nagito then hugs the two, making them uncomfortable.

    Reserve Course Students: Hajime Hinata Hajime is a close friend of Kazuichi's. Kazuichi latches onto Hajime, calling him his "soul friend". Throughout their friendship, a brief 'break up' ensues when he blames Hajime for leading them into Monokuma's trap and ends up turning to Nagito instead. They later make up.

    Free Time Events & Bonus Mode Guides The links below are full transcripts and in-depth guides for Kazuichi Soda's relationship routes in Free Time Events, Island Mode, Ultimate Talent Development Plan, and Danganronpa S Development Mode, including his MonoMono Machine Present preferences and most effective dialogue options.

    Free Time Events Island Mode Ultimate Talent Development Plan Danganronpa S Development Mode Quotes DR2 Extra DR3 Danganronpa 2: Goodbye Despair (English)

    Prologue:

    "Name's Kazuichi Soda. I'm the Ultimate Mechanic. Nice to meet ya." "I-It's impossible... Why is something impossible happening...?" Chapter 1:

    "As long as I lock myself in my room, there won't be any problems!" "Seriously, if we're on a tropical paradise then why are we in this situation in the first place!? Isn't that right? Isn't a vacation supposed to be nothing but lounging around and sipping coconut juice!?" "Miss Sonia is a hot blonde princess! There's a sharp distinction between her and you punks!" "Don't get distracted! Our lives are at stake, you know!" "You're totally right... What we need to do right now...is do our best...! If we do our best...it's definitely going to pay off, right?" Chapter 2:

    "Awesome! Totally awesome! Splashing around at such a gorgeous beach is really the best!" "Hey, there's no way you guys don't know! Don't just show up and tell some lousy lies!" "Anyway, let's cherish the coincidence that brought us together! So is it okay if we join in too?" (to Mikan and Ibuki) "Don't worry! Even at its worst, it won't turn into a live action drama!" (to Hajime) "I mean it, I promise I'll give it my all to serve you so everyone has fun!" "I'm not mentally prepared yet... Like, I don't think I'll ever be..." "It's not cute to see an old guy sulk..." "D-Don't blame Miss Sonia! It's just a difference between cultures... A culture shock, y'know!?" " If you were aware of that from the start, you should've done something about it!" "Th-There's no need to hesitate! No matter how you look at it, Peko's the killer!" "Well, that's obvious! You're not a tool, you're a friggin' human being!" "H-Hold on! Don't act like our loss has been decided yet!" (to Peko) "I know you hate our guts but... If you listen to Peko, we're all gonna die!" Chapter 3:

    "Do you just forget everything that happens when you eat?" "Argh, don't say stupid things! I'm the Ultimate Mechanic, you know! Of course I'm happy when I'm surrounded by machines! Hot damn, I wanna take them apart! I wanna dismantle them and look inside! That's how I usually think, right? But, I know now's not the time for me to do something like that...and that's why I feel so conflicted." "Hell yeah! It's like, if you have the hots for a chick, you wanna take off her clothes, right? And you wanna check out her bone structure, right? Like her ribs or where parts of her bones stick out, right!?" "Hajime, my eyes are open now, thanks to you! All right! Let's go run together! Let's go! To our horizon!" "Okay then, let's go my friend! Let's run to our goal!" "Horizons...are beautiful things...that you keep chasing after, right...probably...? Soooooo...what exactly is a "horizon" anyway?" "You're like the queen of the arcade machine." "Hold on, hold on! Who do you think I am!? I'll definitely fix it up till it's like brand new! Then when it's all fixed, I'll give it to you! Just watch! I'll completely fix it up, and I'll make you say thank you with tears running down your face!" "Let's run, Miss Sonia! It'd be terrible if you caught the lowly disease of the common folks!" "Don't lump hamsters and teenage boys together!" (to Gundham) "Yeah, that's right man... There's no way we're gonna lose together here, you know? Cause if that happens...then Monokuma gets what he wants!" "Looks like it's time for the Ultimate Mechanic to shine." "What a wicked way of backing us into a wall... Is this his professional skill...!?" "Apologize to Miss Sonia! And me! However, you're not allowed to slice open your stomach this time!" "Even quick work has limits!" "Seriously, just shut up already! Shut up forever!" (to Nagito) "Don't go doubting Miss Sonia, you cretin! I'll put you and your hamsters six feet under!" "Wh-What the heck...? This isn't a comic book, you know...!" Chapter 4:

    "Even if we go to the the new island...it's not like we're gonna find a way to escape this place, right?" "Miss Sonia is a 100% pure princess who lives in a 100% pure castle!" "I-I'm gonna believe you this time, so you better be telling the truth!" "I-Idiot! I didn't get dumped! Why would I get dumped!? In fact, I'm really popular!" "The truth is we don't know anything about you, so it's not my fault if I don't trust you..." "Like that matters! It's not like I know the real you! Just like how...we didn't know anything about Mikan..." "The possibility isn't zero... I do think that it's extremely close to zero but... ...It's never gonna be zero, no matter what." "This chick... Even the inside of her head is full of drool...!" "The longer you walk, the more calories you burn! So obviously we're more tired than you guys...!" "I-I don't wanna die...in a place like this..." "...Whatever man, let's just eat! Eating should come first right now!" "I know I said I wanted to see his insides, but...not like this! This is just too much!" "We've come so far... There's no way I can get sentimental at a time like this...! I feel awful for Nekomaru, but this is necessary if we're gonna find out the truth behind this case...!" "Just so you all know, my repairs are perfect!" "It's annoying but...if Miss Sonia is going, there's no way I'm not gonna go... Argh, but it's so damn annoying!" "...Man, not only does that make perfect sense, but Miss Sonia's beautiful voice is just so soothing!" "Give it ten years before you argue with Miss Sonia!" "Aw! Your precious hammies don't know? But it's so simple! All righty then... I'll be the one who solves this mystery in a flash! Please watch me, Miss Sonia!" "I'll definitely make her watch me! I'm gonna stand out till she notices me!" "Isn't that right Miss Sonia!? If I'm a fucking pig, you can say so!" Chapter 5:

    "...Well, it doesn't matter. I made this to cheer you guys up anyway. And...as long as we have it, we won't forget, you know? About Nekomaru's sacrifice for us... We're standing here today...because of him. So, if we're gonna prevent something like that from ever happening again... I guess we gotta fight too, right!? We can't just keep running away!" "Well, it doesn't matter! Stuff is just hard to say sometimes!" "I-I don't really get it, but...when Miss Sonia talks like that, my blood starts to boil... ALL RIGHT! I'm getting pumped up! Let's charge our way to that new island!" "Who cares!? It's not like he's our friend or anything!" "Not really... Like...I feel like I learned stuff...but I also feel like I didn't learn anything..." "I mean...you did say earlier...that you definitely can't accept killing... ...Isn't that right? I need your help to stop another killing... And didn't I just say I'm begging you!?" "It's not like we want to do this! We're just doing it because Nagito's dangerous... He's planning to kill someone! This is just self-defense!" "Yeah, there's only one thing we can do...! ...Pray." "That smell was Miss Sonia...? Seriously? I guess princesses...you know... do that, too... My mind is blown..." "Wh-What do you mean, "something"?! He's making us kill each other, you know!? What could be worse than that!?" "Dammit...this dangerous place is the reason all this messed up stuff is happening... Leaving guns out in the open is totally dangerous! Seriously, they gotta take better care of these!" "Why you can't believe it!? The guy who's making us do all this is the one saying it, you know!? That's why...I'll definitely survive... If we can really go home after we deal with this Class Trial... I'll definitely find out who the killer is, no matter what! Even if I have to pull out all the stops!" "Why do you always side with Hajime...!? Do you have a crush on him or something!?" "That's our Miss Sonia! You have such an amazingly high intellect! All righty then, let's think about this based on what Miss Sonia thinks! Is that okay, Miss Sonia?" "B-But...it's just as Monokuma said... We've been betrayed over and over again so far, so... This might also be the same... Calling this a suicide takes too much for granted, and it's too convenient..." "A blushing Miss Sonia is freaking awesome!!!" "He tried to make us doubt each other...and tried to hide the truth behind his suicide." "Then...it's okay to end it here, huh? That means we're done with this last Class Trial... And we can leave this island, right? It's okay to reach such a happy ending, right!?" "This is friggin' annoying... But if you guys say you're doing it, there's no way I'm gonna back out!" "I guess the lasting he could believe in was his own his talent..." "By finding out who the traitor is, our hopes will shine even brighter by overcoming that despair... ...That's something he'd say." "A-Are you telling us to trust his luck? Are you telling us to entrust our lives to that bastard!?" "That bastard Nagito...he was screwed up till the very end. What was that "Praise me" crap...? After all the crap he put us through, there's no way we'd ever do that!" Chapter 6:

    "I don't care if we don't know anymore... If we can just go back to our normal lives, I'm fine... Hey, we can go home when this is over, right!? We can finally get off this damn island, right!?" "Then...let's get this over with and go home..." "Miss Soniaaa! Please don't leave me! I'll be in danger if I'm left alone!" "If this is a game...are my words being displayed in a text window right now!? That's stupid! There's no way that's even possible!" "A-As expected of Miss Sonia! Your knowledge of state-sanctioned torture is amaaaazing!" "D-Don't be ridiculous! If I stay in this screwed up world any longer, I'm seriously gonna snap!" "Just kill him right now! Then this nightmare can finally end!" "Because we had that goal... We were able to endure those killings..." "Don't you want to go back home!? I don't care if you want to stay here but don't drag us into it!" "E-Even a monster like her has to follow the rules of the school trip!?" "You still came here when you knew we had no choice of winning?" "W-We still have to fight...? I...I thought we finally reached the end...!" "W-We were forced to solve puzzles and riddles...just so you could show it off to the Future Foundation?" "Man...this sure is getting annoying again... But...if you're saying you're gonna do it, there's no way I can back out now... If I don't have any place to go back to, I should at least protect this place no matter what!" "...I didn't think it would end this easily." "...People can't change that easily, y'know!" "Hey! I'll never forget you guys, or others! You guys better remember me, too! My name is...Kazuichi Soda!" Trivia The kanji for "Kazuichi" (和一) simply means "Peaceful One", while his surname (左右田) translates as "Rice Field of Dominance" (左右 sō being an expression literally meaning "Left & Right"). It could be that Kazuichi's name and surname are meant to have a bit of irony to them, considering that while he originally seemed to be very self-confident and carefree, he quickly turned hysterical following the appearance of Monokuma. Kazuichi originally had black hair and wore glasses. Despite becoming a mechanic who is an expert in vehicle machines, Kazuichi has motion sickness. This is most likely the reason why Kazuichi would rather take apart machines than ride them. Kazuichi appears to know how to read English, telling Hajime what a sign written in English meant. Kazuichi likes comic books and action movies and dislikes novels and horror movies. It's revealed in one of Mahiru's Free Time Events that Kazuichi never washed his jumpsuit. Even on Mean difficulty, Kazuichi's Rebuttal Showdown arguments only take a single strike to dispel in Chapter 4. It was confirmed in Kazuichi's official spin-off manga titled "Super Danganronpa 2: Zetsubōteki Ingaritsu no Naka no Sōda Kazuichi" that he can indeed sew. He learned from watching his parents. Kazuichi's English voice actor Kyle Hebert also voices Danganronpa V3's Kaito Momota. One of Kazuichi's sprites is a reference to the horror manga "The Drifting Classroom", specifically the one used when he's shocked and his pupils appear to be in pieces.

13. #13Mahiru Koizumi

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    Mahiru Koizumi Illustration Sprite DR3 (Despair) Illustration Name Kanji 小泉 真昼 Romaji Koizumi Mahiru Katakana コイズミ マヒル English Mahiru Koizumi Aliases & Titles Talent Characteristics Personal Status Debuts Portrayals

    “ I never erase a photo once I take it. That's my policy. No matter what kind of photo it is, the moment captured in it only exists at that time.

    — Danganronpa 2: Goodbye Despair ”

    Mahiru Koizumi (小泉 真昼), is a student of Hope's Peak Academy's Class 77-B, and a participant of the Killing School Trip featured in Danganronpa 2: Goodbye Despair. Her title is the Ultimate Photographer (超高校級の「写真家」 lit. Super High School Level Photographer).

    She, along with Class 77-B, return in Danganronpa 3: The End of Hope's Peak High School to explore their school life leading up to The Tragedy.

    History Early Life While Mahiru was growing up, her mother, a war photographer[4], would often show her the photographs she had captured of people smiling amidst the horrors of war. The images had such an impact on Mahiru that she decided to follow in her mother's footsteps as a photographer. But because her mother frequently travels, Mahiru was left to fend for herself with her unemployed father, who never offered any assistance with household chores when her mother was gone. She said that she would have liked to travel the world and capture people's smiles if she hadn't had to take care of her dad.[5]

    Mahiru had joined a middle school photography club in an effort to improve her photography skills. During this period, she formed a friendship with Sato. and unwittingly became enemies with Natsumi Kuzuryu, her junior in the photography club who harbored jealousy towards her talent. Sato, who always sides with Mahiru, begins to develop an intense dislike toward Natsumi, and this hatred later grows into a tragedy involving these three girls.[12]

    Prior to the Tragedy Attending Hope's Peak Academy Main article: Danganronpa 3: The End of Hope's Peak High School/Despair Arc Danganronpa 3 (Despair Arc) - ED (Textless) (17) With Class 77-B

    After Mahiru won numerous photography awards while attending Light Forest Institute[7][8], Hope's Peak noticed her talent and enrolled her in Class 77-B as the Ultimate Photographer. Her distinctive portraits are what make her work stand out.[13] When Mahiru enrolled at Hope's Peak Academy, her friend Sato attended the Hope's Peak Reserve Course Department. Unfortunately for Mahiru and Sato, the ever-problematic Natsumi also attended the Reserve Course.[12]

    First Year In Class 77-B, Mahiru got along well with her eccentric classmates, especially Hiyoko Saionji the Ultimate Traditional Dancer, Mikan Tsumiki the Ultimate Nurse, and Ibuki Mioda the Ultimate Musician. Among them, Mahiru grew particularly close to Hiyoko. She introduced these three to Sato as well later on. Mahiru also has a lot of admiration for Chisa Yukizome, the Former Ultimate Housekeeper as well as her homeroom teacher, who was very kind to her and who took note of her friendship with Sato—even if sometimes Mahiru thinks she can be an oddball.[12] It was mentioned that Mahiru has a large circle of friends even beyond Class 77-B thanks to her reliable and caring nature.[14]

    Danganronpa 3 - Despair Arc (Episode 03) - Mahiru Protecting Sato (77) Offering Sato her lunchbox

    Mahiru frequently spends time eating lunch with Sato in the Reserve Course building. Due to this, Mahiru was once again a convenient target for Natsumi's relentless bullying. However, their hostility has taken on a new dimension as Natsumi turns out to be the younger sister of Fuyuhiko Kuzuryu, the Ultimate Yakuza who happens to be a classmate of Mahiru.[12]

    Main article: Danganronpa 3: The End of Hope's Peak High School - Despair Arc #03 Danganronpa 3 - Despair Arc (Episode 03) - Mahiru Protecting Sato (53) Protecting Sato from Natsumi

    One day, Mahiru was walking to the Reserve Course building to visit Sato when she heard a commotion coming out from her friend's class. It turned out that Sato and Natsumi were arguing about her. In a playful jab at Mahiru's frequent visits to Reserve Course, Natsumi said that Mahiru goes there mostly to make fun of the talentless, in contrast to herself and Natsumi's brother Fuyuhiko. Mahiru who usually prefers to ignore Natsumi or at least try to be civil with her, eventually became fed up with Natsumi's relentless comments, then brought up the fact that Natsumi's attitude had never changed ever since she joined the photography club. Sato bolstered Mahiru's claim by stating that Natsumi is envious of her since, as the Ultimate Photographer, Mahiru is on an equal footing with her brother in the main course. Just as Natsumi was about to punch Sato, Mahiru stepped in and pulled her out of the classroom, ending the commotion...or so she thought.[12]

    Danganronpa 3 - Despair Arc (Episode 03) - Twilight Syndrome Murder Case (30) Discussing Sato's involvement in Natsumi's murder

    One day, together with Sato, Hiyoko, Mikan, and Ibuki, Mahiru discovered a corpse in the music room. The body was later revealed belong to Natsumi's, who was murdered by Sato because the girl had been bullying Mahiru. Sato covered up this truth, said a pervert was responsible for the murder, and persuaded the others not to notify the authorities that they had discovered the corpse. Mahiru took pictures of the body after the other girls left, and then she found evidence in the room next to it that showed Sato was trying to cover up her role in finding the body. Mahiru took a picture of that as well before cleaning it up to protect her friend. The next day Mahiru showed her photos of the body to the other girls, saying they would be useful if the police questioned them, but Sato quickly snatched and destroyed the photos.[15][12] Mahiru secretly held onto the photo of the evidence implicating Sato and confronted her with it the following day. She promised Sato that the evidence was cleaned up, then asked her what really happened. Sato admitted to a horrified Mahiru that she killed Natsumi, then ran away to dispose of the photo.

    Sadly, Sato was killed by Fuyuhiko the next day. Mahiru was seen crying on Hiyoko's chest while her classmates watched on in worry.[12] This case was later utilized in the Killing School Trip by Monokuma, serving as the game's second motive and was given the title "Twilight Syndrome Murder Case".

    Second Year Following the passing of her close friend, Mahiru's life descended into a never-ending series of tragic events. The deaths of Natsumi and Sato affected Mahiru's morale in class greatly. Not long after incident, Mahiru watched a riot caused by the Reserve Course students after finding out that Hope's Peak Academy used their money for human experiments from her classroom's window along with the rest of her classmates. Without her even knowing, this was all planned by the Ultimate Despair Junko Enoshima and Mahiru alongside her classmates were soon to be involved in what would later known as The Tragedy.[16]

    Class 77 Despair Class 77-B brainwashed

    Once Junko had Chisa and Mikan brainwashed, the latter lured Mahiru and the others underground to her hideout. The class entered what appears to be the chamber that would be used for Class Trials later on as Mikan presses a button to open the entrance. As soon as the room's monitors turned on, Junko appeared on the screen. The execution of Chiaki Nanami, the Ultimate Gamer and her class representative, is initiated by Junko after some explanation, with Mahiru and the rest of the class being forced to watch the horror. No matter how hard Mahiru tried to diverge her eyes from the screen, she just couldn't tear her gaze away. Bearing witness to Chiaki's death caused the brainwashing effect of the video to take hold of Class 77-B, plunging them into despair.[17]

    Class 77-B Graduation Day Watching the academy's destruction

    Fully brainwashed into becoming the Ultimate Despair, Mahiru and her classmates received their final lesson before "graduation", the one final meeting to discuss their plan to overthrow the world with despair. Mahiru expressed she would "take beautiful pictures" of Hiyoko's wish to "spread joy" through her dance. Chisa then activated a bomb that faked the death of Class 77-B so they could be taken off the list of protected students. Mahiru and her class stood outside the school grounds as they watched Hope's Peak's destruction.[18]

    The Tragedy Danganronpa 3 - Future Arc (Episode 01) - Intro (21) Photographing Sonia and her army

    Mahiru joined the Ultimate Despair after falling prey to Junko's brainwashing.[18] Alongside her corrupted classmates, she started The Tragedy and kept it ongoing even after Junko's death in the final stage of the Killing School Life. Mahiru and her classmates who did not commit suicide to follow their leader Junko soon became known as the Remnants of Despair. They also hacked her body and grafted them onto themselves—though in Mahiru's case, the specific body parts she took remain unknown..[19] Her infamous contributions as the Ultimate Despair include photographing Sonia Nevermind, the Ultimate Princess, who commands a mind-controlled army wearing Monokuma helmets, to spread her despair-inducing photographs to the world.[20]

    Danganronpa 3 - Future Arc (Episode 01) - Makoto arriving (6) Remnants of Despair

    Eventually, the Future Foundation secured the custody of Mahiru and the other fourteen - at first only aware that they were survivors from Hope's Peak Academy. When Makoto Naegi, Class 78th's Ultimate Lucky Student, by that time a member of the 14th Division of the Future Foundation, realized that the survivors were in fact, Remnants of Despair, he quickly directed them to Jabberwock Island in secret.[19]

    Danganronpa 2 CG - Neo World Program (4) Neo World Program

    Makoto made them enter the Neo World Program, where their memories were reset to a time prior to their entering Hope's Peak Academy, before they were manipulated by Junko - resulting in all of them not recognizing each other.[19] The plan was to overwrite Mahiru and the others' memories of themselves as Ultimate Despair, replacing them with good ones in order to undo all the damage Junko had done to them. Even her memories of middle school related to Sato and Natsumi seem to have been erased, as she couldn't remember either of them after playing Twilight Syndrome Murder Case.[21]

    The scheme backfired when Izuru Kamukura, the Ultimate Hope and the final product of the Izuru Kamukura Project, uploaded Junko's malware AI just before they were to be programmed. Consequently, they were subjected to the identical brutal incident that befell Class 78th, although in a realistically simulated environment. The killing game became known as the Killing School Trip, an ordeal that Mahiru and the other Remnants of Despair were coerced into participating.[19]

    Killing School Trip Main article: Danganronpa 2: Goodbye Despair Danganronpa 2 CG - Students in the classroom Killing School Trip participants

    Alongside fourteen other Remnants of Despair and one Future Foundation observer, Mahiru participated Killing School Trip. It took place inside a virtual world known as the Neo World Program, which resembles Jabberwock Island. Due to her memories as the Ultimate Despair and life in Hope's Peak Academy was erased by the Future Foundation, she couldn't recognize any of her classmates, even Hiyoko who was one of her closest friends.[19]

    Mahiru initially crossed paths with Hajime Hinata, a Reserve Course student and fellow classmate of the late Sato—who, little did she know, was actually Izuru Kamukura all along—while she was hanging out outside the old building in Hotel Mirai. Ever so strict and uptight with men, Mahiru wasted no time lecturing Hajime, who recoiled in fear as she described the group's must-have task—gathering Hope Fragments—before they could leave the island. Despite her attitude, Mahiru admitted that she was concerned at first due to suddenly being transported to a strange tropical island. However, her fears gradually faded as she explored the island and interacted with other students.[22]

    Danganronpa 2 CG - Everyone at the beach (1) Playing at the beach with everyone

    Later, Mahiru and the others gathered at the first island's beach, assembled by Usami, the observer of the school trip, an AI programmed by the Future Foundation, who claimed to be the class's teacher. She reassured the students that there was no need to worry and provided Mahiru and the others with swimsuits, encouraging them to fully enjoy their "school trip". Mahiru couldn't contain her excitement, changing into her swimsuit before joining her classmates playing at the beach. Following Usami's suggestion that they throw a party, Mahiru enthusiastically suggests a campfire.[22]

    Danganronpa 2 CG - Start of the Killing School Trip The Killing School Trip begins

    However, just as Mahiru was starting to get excited about the "school trip," Monokuma, the self-proclaimed headmaster of Hope's Peak Academy hijacked their trip and turned it into a killing game. Alongside the others, she was forced to yield to him for the time being after watching Usami, who had been left powerless and renamed Monomi, being blasted to pieces by the Monobeasts.[22]

    Despite the challenges posed by the Killing School Trip, Mahiru's determination to do what's best for everyone shone through. She maintained her rigorous attitude toward men, particularly the cowardly Ultimate Mechanic, Kazuichi Soda, whom she had to drag off from his room to the hotel restaurant to kick off their morning meeting. At the meeting, Mahiru disagreed with the Ultimate Imposter (who was pretending to be Byakuya Togami) and did not want them to be the group's leader since, in her opinion, they were too annoyingly aggressive. She had a preference for Sonia and attempted to persuade her to take the lead, primarily because she believed that Sonia's status as the Ultimate Princess qualified her for the position. However, Sonia informed her that her position was merely for "decoration" and that a leader would have protected their men, something the Imposter appeared willing to do. It was for this reason that Mahiru grudgingly acknowledged the Imposter as the leader.[23]

    Danganronpa 2 - Girls-Only Gathering Event Girls-only gathering

    If Hajime had a certain magazine with him, he could hand it to Mahiru, who becomes restless due to the motive. This would trigger a bonus scene where Mahiru holds a girls-only gathering—with Hajime as the exception—where they make desserts together to ease the tension.[23]

    Danganronpa 2 CG - The Imposter eating while Akane and Mahiru watch Scolding the Imposter at the party

    As the official leader, Ultimate Imposter, suggested holding a party at the old building, Mahiru offered to take pictures.[23] The whole time she didn't realize that the party was thrown to save her and the others from Nagito Komaeda's, the Ultimate Lucky Student, murderous plan. Amidst the lively party, a blackout occurred at the party, and Mahiru was sent into a state of shock after discovering the body of Ultimate Imposter under the table thereafter. Despite the initial argument that they had, Mahiru had already considered the Ultimate Imposter as a friend, and that's why she became determined to solve their murder and encouraged Hajime to do the same. [24]

    Danganronpa 2 CG - Mahiru Koizumi's layout of the lodge The old building layout by Mahiru

    Mahiru made use of photos she had shot at the party and had even planned them out so that everyone could see the room's condition before the blackout. The students use this photo to piece together the events leading up to the Class Trial when Nagito is revealed to have planned the blackout and to discover that the Ultimate Cook, Teruteru Hanamura, was actually the one responsible for the murder of the Ultimate Imposter. Mahiru and the others, minus Teruteru who was later executed by Monokuma, survived the first Class Trial.[24]

    People were furious and began to despise Nagito after they found out he directly caused the death of the Imposter and Teruteru, most notably, Kazuichi and the Ultimate Team Manager, Nekomaru Nidai, who bound Nagito in the old building. The equally upset but sympathetic Mahiru, thought that they were going too far and that the group shouldn't let Nagito starve to death. Despite her best intentions, she ended up giving up on feeding Nagito breakfast since she was so irritated with him. Instead, Mahiru forced Hajime to deliver Nagito the food she had already prepared, and went on to spend time together with Hiyoko. In fact, Mahiru and Hiyoko's friendship blossoms on the very same day after she was willing to help Hiyoko solve her problem by showering with her and teaching her how to tie her kimono obi.[25] They became close, just as they had when they were students at Hope's Peak Academy. Creator Kazutaka Kodaka later explained that Hiyoko's school memories with Mahiru are very precious to her, which is why she became close to her despite losing her memories in the Neo World Program.[14]

    Twilight Syndrome Murder Case Twilight Syndrome Murder Case Corpse Discovery Mahiru (Girl D) and others discovered a girl's (Natsumi) corpse.

    Mahiru's attempt to feed Nagito wasn't her last encounter with him. In fact, Mahiru met with Nagito again, who later encouraged her to play the second motive that Monokuma has prepared, the Twilight Syndrome Murder Case. Mahiru decided not to play it until she received a file filled with real-life photos from Fuyuhiko, who won the prize as he was the first one to attain the game's true ending. Unbeknownst to Mahiru, the game is based on the real-life murder case of Natsumi Kuzuryu, Fuyuhiko's sister, and her late best friend, Sato, so it includes everyone involved in the murder as game characters. Mahiru, for example, plays the role of Girl D, alongside Hiyoko, Mikan, and Ibuki, who were among the students who found Natsumi's body. After finishing the game, Mahiru learned that the player character Guy F—the person who killed Sato—was actually Fuyuhiko, who sought revenge for his sister's murder. Depressed and terrified by what the game showed her, Mahiru spends her last days trying to gather the other girls in the game to discuss it.[21]

    Mahiru's Fate Danganronpa 2 Chapter 2 - Closing Argument Act 1 While Mahiru and Hiyoko were discussing the motive, Peko quietly listened in

    Hiyoko was the only one to accept Mahiru's invitation to the beach house; Mikan declined, and Ibuki—who had accepted—was later advised by Mahiru not to go since she and Mikan were already scheduled to go on Sonia's girls-only swimming trip. After this, Mikan felt immense remorse and even blamed herself for indirectly allowing the impending tragedy, and Ibuki felt guilty too that she would later hold a concert in Mahiru's honor. While Mahiru and Hiyoko were about to talk about the Twilight Syndrome murder case, Peko Pekoyama, the Ultimate Swordswoman, who had been working as Fuyuhiko's hitwoman behind the scenes before and during the Killing School Trip, overheard them. Determined to let her young master escape the killing game, Peko devised a scheme to ruin Mahiru and Hiyoko's rendezvous. She promptly sent them a false message to pull it off. Peko instructed Hiyoko to meet Mahiru at Beach House at 2:00 p.m. in a message signed by Mahiru, and at 2:30 p.m., Peko sent a message signed by Hiyoko to Mahiru.[21]

    Danganronpa 2 CG - Mahiru Koizumi's body discovery Mahiru's body

    Arriving at the beach home at precisely 2:30 p.m., Mahiru found herself embroiled in a dispute with Fuyuhiko on the current motive. She told him it was wrong to kill Sato just for revenge, which made Fuyuhiko furious. Similar to the final scene in Twilight Syndrome Murder Case, where a metal bat was used to bludgeon Sato to death, Peko struck Mahiru in the head with the same murder weapon right before Fuyuhiko intervened, preventing Fuyuhiko from carrying out the same deed. Without experiencing any pain, Mahiru died instantly. Peko promptly sent her young master out from the crime scene and placed Mahiru's corpse on the door facing the road. This was done to stop Hiyoko, who had been drugged earlier by Peko, from leaving through that door. Peko then placed the mask of the Sun Witch ♪ Esper Ito next to Mahiru's body as her "calling card." Hiyoko who was left unconscious in the closet of the beach house during this time soon woke up, saw Mahiru's body, and escaped the beach house via the front door.[21]

    Thanks to Hajime, Nagito, and Chiaki's efforts—and to Hiyoko's testimony—the truth behind Mahiru's death is brought to light. It is also important to note that Fuyuhiko also refused the claim that Peko was acting as his mere tool, which meant that everyone's vote for Peko was valid. Peko remorsefully apologizes for taking Mahiru's life and begs the class not to let anyone else die like her again shortly before she was executed by Monokuma. Mahiru's deceased portrait in the class trial courtroom can be seen from the second trial onwards.

    Danganronpa 2 CG - Mahiru Koizumi's photo effigy Mahiru's memorial

    Following Mahiru's passing, Hiyoko erected a shrine to her using photographs that Mahiru had taken in gratitude for her kindness and memory. The fact that the memorial exudes a "creepy and unsettling" aura is beside the point, according to Chiaki, who emphasized that the creator had good intentions. Apologizing for the memorial's appearance, Hiyoko begins to cry and confesses she created it out of concern that Mahiru would be lonely. Hiyoko then asks them not to burn it, to which the others agree, keeping it up for Hiyoko and Mahiru's sake.[26]

    Danganronpa 2 CG - Toy Camera Event (1) Memorial Jam Session

    If Hajime had the Toy Camera, Hiyoko, alongside Ibuki and Chiaki, would hold the Memorial Jam Session in memory of Mahiru. It had been Mahiru's wish to take pictures of Hiyoko dancing and Ibuki playing an instrument. And so, Hiyoko danced while Ibuki played the guitar and Chiaki joined to play the triangle, as Hajime took pictures with the Toy Camera—hoping that despite their differences in style, their harmonized performance could reach not only Mahiru but also the late Imposter, Teruteru, and Peko.[26]

    Later on, Fuyuhiko, who was involved in Mahiru's murder, showed his remorse by slitting his own stomach.[26] In his Free Time Events, Fuyuhiko mentioned that the first thing he would do if he were to survive the Killing School Trip was to hold a funeral for Mahiru, Peko, and Natsumi.[27] He also mentioned Mahiru's name while criticizing Kazuichi's rudeness toward Chiaki, saying that if Mahiru were alive, Kazuichi would have been scolded by now.[28]

    Mahiru briefly reappeared as an illusion shortly before the countdown ended, as the Neo World Program began glitching. She accompanied the remaining survivors to watch the video message Nagito left behind after his death, which revealed the password to the Ancient Ruins. Later, she scolded Kazuichi for hesitating to enter the ruins. However, she vanished once the survivors stepped inside the ruins.[29]

    The illusory Mahiru was later conjured during the game reset sequence of the final class trial, a scenario made by Alter Ego Junko to persuade Hajime and the remaining survivors to graduate. Had she succeeded, it would have allowed her to upload her AI into the comatose bodies of the "dead" Remnants of Despair, effectively reviving them as copies of herself. In this sequence, Mahiru wanted to commemorate the moment by taking a picture.[19]

    Post-Killing School Trip Danganronpa 2.5 - (OVA) Nagito regaining his memories (26) Revived Mahiru and her classmates

    After Alter Ego Junko's defeat, Mahiru remained in a coma alongside her classmates, while the survivors waited for them to wake.[19] Eventually, Izuru Kamukura—now merged with Hajime's personality and memories—revived them. Purged of Junko's brainwashing, Mahiru who was now alive and awake from Neo World Program, boarded the boat with the rest of Class 77-B and they all then headed for the Future Foundation HQ, to stop the Final Killing Game involving Future Foundation leaders.[6]

    Resurrection and atonement Main article: Danganronpa 3: The End of Hope's Peak High School/Hope Arc Mahiru camera Interrupting the SHSL Marksman

    Mahiru and her classmates arrived at the island where the Future Foundation's off-shore facility was located, having left from Jabberwock Island. Having rescued Byakuya Togami and Yasuhiro Hagakure, two members of the Future Foundation and survivors of the Killing School Life, from beneath the rubble, the group set out to confront their one and only classmate, Ryota Mitarai, the Ultimate Animator, who Junko had coerced into creating the brainwashing video that transformed Mahiru and the others into the Ultimate Despair.[16][30] Unlike Mahiru and the rest, he avoided being turned into Ultimate Despair due to his contribution. Thus, the Class 77-B's fight with the brainwashed rescue squad troops, including the Former Super High School Level Elite Task Force, began.[31]

    Koizumi Mioda high five Celebrating their victory over the enemies with Ibuki

    Venturing into the underwater facility beneath the main building, Mahiru saved Ibuki from being sniped by the former Super High School Level Marksman. The flash of Mahiru's camera caused temporary blindness for the squad member, enabling Mahiru to remove her noise canceling headphones and causing her to fall unconscious. Mahiru and Ibuki share a high five once all squad members are unconscious.[31]

    Danganronpa 3 Hope Arc - Class 77-B Reunion Confronting Ryota

    Later, Mahiru helped convince Ryota to abandon his plan to brainwash the world. During the confrontation, Ryota expressed his belief that he and the other Remnants of Despair could never be forgiven for allowing Junko to plunge the world into despair. In response, Hajime offered Ryota the chance to join them in returning to Jabberwock Island to atone for their sins together. Ryota eventually broke down in tears and agreed, stopping the countdown mere seconds before the brainwashing was completed. Mahiru and the others later came to his side to comfort him.[31]

    Class 77-B acting Claiming themselves as the mastermind behind the Final Killing Game

    Mahiru and the other former Remnants of Despair shouldered the blame for the Final Killing Game by sending a broadcast video to the Future Foundation. They presented themselves in their despair personas and preserved the Future Foundation's credibility and power to rebuild the world. Having accomplished their atonement, Mahiru and her classmates returned to Jabberwock island by boat, and she was last seen celebrating with her closest friends: Hiyoko, Mikan, and Ibuki.[31]

    Real Fiction Main article: Danganronpa V3: Killing Harmony Danganronpa V3 Tsumugi Shirogane Halfbody Sprite (Mahiru Koizumi) (2) Mahiru cosplayed by Tsumugi Shirogane.

    In Danganronpa V3: Killing Harmony, it is alleged by the mastermind Tsumugi Shirogane, the Ultimate Cosplayer, that the entire Danganronpa franchise is fictional in-universe; a series of games, anime, and later live-action dramas performed actors. In particular, Tsumugi, who is the Ultimate Cosplayer, claims she is only able to cosplay fictional characters (breaking out into a bright pink rash whenever she tries to cosplay a real person), and the fact she is able to cosplay as the whole cast of Danganronpa characters including Mahiru Koizumi is used as evidence to support her claim that all of the cast are fictional. However, due to a number of holes in Tsumugi's story which make her an unreliable narrator, whether or not she was telling the truth is deliberately left up to the player's interpretation; as a result, it is up to the player whether they believe Mahiru's story within the Danganronpa series was real, or a fictional story written by Team Danganronpa and performed by an actor.[32]

    Creation and Development Translation Credit: Kaibutsushidousha on Tumblr

    According to the creator, Kazutaka Kodaka, Mahiru's "genericness" and "realisticness" as a high school student—design and personality-wise—become her greatest appeals when grouped with the more eccentric characters. Additionally, he reveals that he assigned her the title Ultimate Photographer as part of a murder plot he had already devised.[33]

    Mahiru's character design was in fact, used as a base for all Danganronpa 2 characters by the character designer, Rui Komatsuzaki during the very early stages of the game's production. The concept for Mahiru's design originated from Komatsuzaki's vision of a female protagonist in Danganronpa 2, before the developers had a firm grasp on the plot. At the time, his concept for the protagonist was based on Mahiru's original beta design, which included a "girl not that pretty" with red bob hair and white clothes. Despite the protagonist's proposal being rejected in less than two seconds, he persisted in using it as a template for a female character until they finally landed on her present role, and Mahiru Koizumi was finally allowed to see the light of day. Komatsuzaki agreed with Kodaka that she sticks out for being ordinary because she is constantly surrounded by dense designs.[33]

    In an interview with Kodaka and Danganronpa 3's animation producer, Yuji Higa, from the Otomedia Winter 2016 issue, Kodaka revealed that Mahiru would be a good protagonist of a Danganronpa 3 spinoff due to her serious personality. She would probably think about how she and the former members of Ultimate Despair have to carry their sin.[34]

    Alongside Kodaka and Komatsuzaki, Yū Kobayashi, Mahiru's Japanese voice actress, commented on her character:

    "Mahiru Koizumi is a normal girl that feels like the only decent person in that crowd of quirky characters. She's like the class president who likes to take care of others, being especially kind and considerate to the girls. But as much as she's good to the girls, she's cold and even harsh to the boys (laughs). I think her most likable trait is that she's a realistic girl you can find anywhere. Enjoy the photographer girl's 'Say cheese!' voice clip."[33] Name Her last name (小泉) literally translates to "little fountain", while her first name (真昼) means "midday", or "broad daylight". Kodaka says that Mahiru is a favorite name of his because it conveys positivity and passion, which is indicative of her character.[33]

    Alternate Fates Island Mode and Ultimate Talent Development Plan exist in two separate alternate universes where Mahiru still attends Hope's Peak Academy, but no students are in peril. As they are alternate universes, these events are non-canonical, but because Mahiru's personality is unchanged, backstory information shared by her in these events is considered questionably or dubiously canonical rather than fully non-canonical.

    Free Time Events are also considered somewhat questionably canonical due to the nature of how Free Time Events are accessed (in that some characters' Free Time Events cannot be fully completed during the course of the canon game storyline due to limitations on the number of interactions you can have with them during one playthrough, and thus can only be accessed after they have canonically died either through a second playthrough or via Island Mode). However, due to Free Time Events being largely experienced during the canon game storyline, Free Time Events are more grounded in canon than Island Mode and Ultimate Talent Development Plan and are largely considered canon by the majority of players.

    Appearance

    Mahiru has fair skin with light freckles flecked across her cheeks. She has vivid red hair cut in a short, smooth bob, with choppy bangs. Her eyes are a rather dark olive green. She wears a white uniform dress shirt with short sleeves and a chest pocket, with a red-and-white plaid tie at her collar. On top of this, she wears an olive green school jumper with a pleated skirt. Her legwear consists of a darker olive knee-high socks with lighter colored lines running around the cuff, with olive-black flat sneakers with white laces and soles. Her former school's symbol can be found on her shirt's sleeves, her jumper's chest, and her socks' cuffs. Mahiru can be seen with a black digital camera, appearing to be modeled after a Canon product, but with no discernable specific brand. It is hung around her body with an orange strap, a thin yellow line running through the center, attached with silver buckles.

    During her high school years, she wears the standard Hope's Peak Academy uniform with black knee-high socks and the same shoes she wears during the Killing School Trip. Her hair appears to be slightly shorter and thinner.

    As a member of the Ultimate Despair, she wears a white, short-sleeved, collarless t-shirt with a pair of denim shorts and thigh-high socks of a dark color. She appears to be wearing the same shoes as she wore in her first appearance. She is equipped with a black photography satchel that is hung around her body, and the same camera that she usually carries around with her on the daily.

    Her swimsuit in Danganronpa S: Ultimate Summer Camp consists of a blue and white polka-dot bikini, a halter neck top styled with a knotted bow at the front, and matching high-cut bikini bottoms. She also carries her camera with an orange strap around her body, much like she did during the Killing School Trip.

    Hope's Peak Academy uniform Hope's Peak Academy uniform Ultimate Despair attire Ultimate Despair attire Swimsuit (Danganronpa S) Swimsuit (Danganronpa S) Personality Mahiru is a sensible and optimistic girl who is generally rather calm and unafraid to speak her mind. She initially comes off as confident but is later revealed to have self-esteem issues. It is evidenced by Mahiru's constant comparing of her photographs to those of her mother, a famous war photographer whose career led her to be absent from home for much of Mahiru's life.[4] However, she finds it frustrating since others too always compare her style to her mother's, and that despite her love for photography, she feels her title is stupid compared to her classmates.[13]

    Meanwhile, unlike her successful mother, her father was a very poor parent, leaving the responsibility of the housework entirely to her. This is one of the main reasons why Mahiru has high expectations of men and is quick to be abrasive toward them due to having to take care of her dad growing up, preventing her from pursuing her dream of traveling the world to take pictures of people's smiles.[5] An example is when she immediately labeled Hajime as "Unreliable Hajime" after he passed out upon being transported to Jabberwock Island, saying it would be hard for him to change her mind unless he mans up enough to protect the girls.[13] When Hajime was being scolded by Mahiru, he likened it to being yelled at by his mom.[5] However, when men meet her expectations, Mahiru is willing to reevaluate her first impressions. She upgraded Hajime from 'Unreliable Hajime' to 'Sometimes Helpful Hajime' after he handed her a magazine she needed.[23] Despite initially opposing the idea of the Ultimate Imposter (disguised as Byakuya) becoming the group's leader, she was genuinely devastated by their death.[24] She even once remarked that Nagito seemed like he would make a good stay-at-home dad.[23]

    Mahiru is much more tolerant and friendly to girls. In the original Japanese, she refers the girls in her class with their first name and "-chan" honorifics, while she refers the guys casually with their last name only. The subjects of her photos are usually of girls and explains that she easily gets bored of photographing guys. She loves taking photos of people's smiles, and it's revealed in her Free Time Events that she recorded everything in Jabberwock Island so that they won't forget, except for the guys which she only recorded once every three days.[35] She also seems to have a playful side as she enjoys teasing people like Hajime by taking pictures of his "stupid" or "weird" faces.[36][37]

    Mahiru is also known for being protective, loving, and incredibly tolerant, especially towards girls, which is demonstrated by her friendship with Hiyoko, Mikan, and Ibuki. With Hiyoko, although they are the same age, Mahiru treats Hiyoko like a younger sister and becomes very close to her, even teaching her how to tie her sash.[25] Mahiru shows much patience and kindness with Hiyoko, despite Hiyoko's clinginess and frequent immature behavior. As a result, Mahiru becomes Hiyoko's favorite and one of the few people she genuinely loves and respects and vice versa; she even starts calling her "Big Sis."[25] Since Mahiru is so tolerant, she becomes close friends with Hiyoko even though Hiyoko has terrible manners most of the time. Mahiru, unlike Hiyoko, is extremely kind to Mikan since she knows how shy she is. Mahiru expresses more concern for Mikan than anyone else, although she is also surprised by everyone else's clumsiness.[23] Mahiru says Mikan takes "skill" to tumble into awkward poses. When Mikan fell into a compromising position, Mahiru would try to cheer her up by telling her to be careful next time; she would also be furious at anyone who made fun of her or threatened her.[23] Due to Mahiru's attentiveness towards her, Mikan commented how well Mahiru takes care of others.[21] She also gets along well with Ibuki, who has a contrasting personality with her, even stating that she wanted to take pictures of her while jamming on an instrument.[26]

    Mahiru wants to help as many people as she can, but it'd be a mistake to call her a pushover. She doesn't hesitate to scold those who are rude to her and despite her complaints, she does really good at taking care of people.[5] Due to her upbringing, she is highly perceptive when it comes to others neglecting their well-being, regardless of gender. She quickly notices details such as Kazuichi's soiled jumpsuit and Hajime's dirty sleeve, even offering to wash it for him.[5] She also frequently worries about Mikan's clumsy behavior and, notably, offers to help Hiyoko tie her sash. She's also a highly empathetic person even caring about those who treated her poorly as shown by her utter regret over Natsumi's murder and trying to make amends with Fuyuhiko despite both of them mistreating her. Even though she was upset with Nagito for what occurred to Teruteru and the Ultimate Imposter, she was the first to bring him food and worry about him being chained in the old building.[25]

    When confronted with injustice, Mahiru's sympathetic character, raw emotions, and unwavering sense of justice are on full display. This is demonstrated when she finds the body of the Ultimate Imposter and allows her grief to drive her resolve to uncover who murdered them.[24] Another example is when, despite Fuyuhiko's reputation for aggression and violence, Mahiru confronts him about Sato's death and tells him that vengeance is wrong for whatever reason.[21] This is all the more striking when one considers that by that time, Mahiru still had her school memories of Sato erased and relied solely on the information presented in the game.

    Talent and Abilities Ultimate Photographer

    From a young age, Mahiru was inspired to become a photographer like her mother, who was a famous war photographer.[5] Despite being young, she won numerous photographer awards and became famous for her skill at taking portraits.[13] Mahiru's core belief as a photographer is photos depict everything. Whether it's beautiful or horrible, it's the duty of a photographer to keep taking photos, which is why in any kind of situation, Mahiru doesn't mind snapping photos.[4] However, Mahiru isn't fond of selfies and rarely takes pictures of herself.[14][36] She also has no interest in still life photography, as she believes that "proper subjects have to have facial expressions".[37]

    Even though she specializes in multiple photography categories, Mahiru's favorite involves taking portraits of smiling people. She could take a perfect shot of someone's smile and according to Hajime, he never saw someone smile so bright and heartwarming until he saw Mahiru's photos. Traveling the world and capturing the joy on the faces of people from different backgrounds has long been her dream as well.[5] In Island Mode, she states that she enjoys ambient and picturesque places, as they can naturally make people smile.[37] Despite that, she expressed her dislike towards boys by not taking many pictures of them.[4] At some point during the Killing Game, however, Mahiru secretly took a picture of Fuyuhiko and Peko together. The photo was later displayed on her memorial, where Fuyuhiko saw it and became emotional, as it portrayed them like equals for the first time.[38]

    Compared to her mother's theme, Mahiru's is considered too conventional and many people don't really care to judge it and expect her to take pictures of different objects, as they believe that she could produce more "amazing" results. She became tired of receiving constant insincere compliments to her photos, such as "amazing" and "awesome". This is why Mahiru felt both bashful and touched when Hajime said that looking at her photos let him "realize what's actually important in front of you."[4] As a result of this remark, Mahiru was grateful that Hajime tried to take her picture during her last Free Time Event per her request, even though the result was "goofy," according to her. The shot remains a favorite of hers, and she went so far as to say she likes it as much as photos her mom would take, complimenting it as "a record of myself as you see me," mirroring Hajime's heartfelt comment.[36]

    Ultimate Photographer official translations in other languages Free Time Events & Bonus Mode Guides The links below are full transcripts and in depth guides for Mahiru Koizumi's relationship routes in Free Time Events, Island Mode, Ultimate Talent Development Plan, and Danganronpa S Development Mode including her MonoMono Machine Present preferences and most effective dialogue options.

    Free Time Events Island Mode Ultimate Talent Development Plan Danganronpa S Development Mode Quotes DR2 Extra DR3 Danganronpa 2: Goodbye Despair (English)

    Prologue:

    "Let's see... I'm Mahiru Koizumi. I'll be counting on you from now on." "I'm eager to get along with everyone so we can get off this island, but I was worried things wouldn't go well." "Sorry to disappoint you, but I've already made a mental note to remember you as "Unreliable Hajime". It's gonna be tough for you to change my mind. You better man up and try even harder to do your best!" Chapter 1:

    "Hey, straigten up a little more! Shouldn't a man like you be embarrassed to walk like that?" "She's beyond being just a clumsy girl. That fall of hers was like a magic trick or something..." "Hey! You may talk like you're tough, wiseguy, but you wouldn't be here unless you were scared, too! I guess even a big bad yakuza like you must've been scared of that monster, huh?" "I had a lot on my mind, and I don't know if I'll ever get the answers I'm looking for..." "Even cleaning has its limits..." "E-Everyone, calm down! We gotta stay calm in a situation like this!" "I don't have enough confidence to investigate the body...and it's not like I have the brains either... I'll just stay by Byakuya's side. That's the least I can do. That's what guard duty is, right?" "Something like this...is the only thing we can do in order to stay alive..." "I don't like it either but...we won't survive...if we don't go through with it." "Getting cheered up by a boy isn't like me at all!" "Anyway...I won't dwell on it for now. I can't become a burden to everyone. You better work hard on your investigation too! How much longer are you planning to stand around? Do you understand what's going on? You gotta find out how Byakuya died." "You... How can you say something so irresponsible...!? We've been doing our best to investigate this murder, even though we don't want to, just to survive!" "C-Complaining won't get us anywhere! If you're really a man, then man up for god's sake! We've come this far... We have no choice but to keep moving forward..." "Hey, weren't you guys taught any basic manners!? Or were you raised in a locker room!?" "Hey, what's the deal? Don't butt into other people's business, especially if you didn't do any investigating." "It's scary but...doing our best is our only option. There's no way I'm doing what Nagito said." "Hey! Why are you threatening her?!" Chapter 2:

    "Of course! Escaping from this island is our main goal!" "Jeez, this goes for Fuyuhiko too, but...you boys should really get a hold of yourselves!" "S-So what? Don't say things that don't make sense!" "Even though I think what Teruteru did was stupid, it'd be bad if I allowed Monokuma to influence me, too. That's right, I'm never gonna follow Monokuma's orders...!" "I know you like video games, but if you don't get out in the sun more, you'll get sick. And you know, it's important to get to know the others better too! So let's play games outside. I'm sure they have stuff like jump rope and bamboo-copter at the supermarket. Then you can play with us after breakfast. Good deeds should be done quickly, as they say." "Jeez, all this fighting... I can tell it's not going to be easy in the future..." "But regardless, I will never kill anyone. I mean, it's impossible." "N-No. It's fine. It's important that everyone gets along anyway! Just tell them I'm not feeling well... Plus...it doesn't have to be today. There's...always tomorrow..." (to Ibuki) "The fact that your sister was killed is terrible... It's unfortunate...but... You shouldn't have killed that girl! You had no right do to that! Nobody has the right to judge others for their crimes! Revenge...is just wrong!" Chapter 5:

    "48805:/:lf~|@;:wanttomakeamends;l"----?saycheeseL68(smile:$2243+Leveryone" (Mahiru's cottage post fifth-trial) "It's so unreliable to be freaked out like that... You're a man, aren't you?" List of appearances Games Anime Light Novels Manga Music Stage Plays Danganronpa 2: Goodbye Despair: Major Danganronpa V3: Killing Harmony: Cosplay & Bonus Mode Character Danganronpa S: Ultimate Summer Camp: Playable Character Merchandise The link below lists all official licensed merchandise featuring Mahiru Koizumi:

    Main: Mahiru Koizumi Merchandise Trivia Mahiru shares the same birthday with Aoi Asahina from Danganronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc.[39] Similar to Chihiro Fujisaki[40] and Ryoma Hoshi[41]—both victims of blunt force trauma in the second chapter of their respective games—Mahiru was also bludgeoned. However, in Ryoma's case, it only rendered him unconscious before his actual death by drowning.

14. #14Mikan Tsumiki

    Keys: Characters Mikan Tsumiki, Mikan, Character, Tsumiki

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    Mikan Tsumiki Illustration Sprite DR3 (Despair) Illustration Name Kanji 罪木 蜜柑 Romaji Tsumiki Mikan Katakana ツミキ ミカン English Mikan Tsumiki Aliases & Titles Talent Characteristics Personal Status Debuts Portrayals

    “ I'm so glad everyone is so thoughtful toward their friends...! Hehehe, we're all equals when we're sick. Let's all work together and do our very best.

    — Danganronpa 2: Goodbye Despair ”

    Mikan Tsumiki (罪木 蜜柑), is a student of Hope's Peak Academy's Class 77-B, and a participant of the Killing School Trip featured in Danganronpa 2: Goodbye Despair. Her title is the Ultimate Nurse (超高校級の「保健委員」 lit. Super High School Level Health Committee Member).

    She, along with Class 77-B, returns in Danganronpa 3: The End of Hope's Peak High School to explore their school life leading up to The Tragedy.

    History Early Life Mikan had a harsh life as a child. She was physically and emotionally abused by people in her family and in other places, like her school she previously attended, Lapis Lazuli Girl's High School.[5][6][9] Among other things, she mentioned being splashed with water, smeared with mud, and getting burned with cigarettes.[10][11] The bullies would beat her up, cut her hair, draw on her, use her as a target for dart games, make her responsible for their debts, tell her to eat bugs, and make her imitate animals.[5][12][13] She was even told to strip at times.[14] In addition, she didn't have many friends.[15] As a result, Mikan became an extremely timid person who thought that it's better to be treated worse than completely ignored. She feared loneliness and lack of attention more than the abuse and let people do whatever they wanted with her.[13]

    Because there was no one to take care of her wounds, Mikan learned to take care of herself from a very young age. As she became more and more skilled in this area, she took an interest in nursing, realizing that she could have a feeling of control over sick and injured people ー as the weaker people, they would have to depend on her completely and their lives would be in her hands.[9]

    Prior to the Tragedy Attending Hope's Peak Academy Main article: Danganronpa 3: The End of Hope's Peak High School/Despair Arc First Year Danganronpa 3 (Despair Arc) - ED (Textless) (10) With Class 77-B

    Mikan was scouted and enrolled in Class 77-B as the Ultimate Nurse by Hope's Peak Academy. At the beginning of the school year, she was one of the few students who regularly attended class, despite attendance not being mandatory for Ultimates as long as they spent their time honing their talent.[16] With the encouragement of her homeroom teacher, Chisa Yukizome, this gradually changed as everyone began attending class more regularly, which helped Mikan—who previously didn't have many friends[15]—form close bonds with her classmates. She was often seen with her classmates, playing video games, relaxing at the park while playing with animals, eating lunch, and tending to them in the nurse's office whenever they fall ill at school.[17][18]

    Danganronpa 3 - Despair Arc (Episode 03) - Ending (14) Watching the devastated Mahiru with worry

    Mikan became particularly close to Hiyoko Saionji, the Ultimate Traditional Dancer who often bullied her despite frequently spending time together; Ibuki Mioda, the Ultimate Musician; and Mahiru Koizumi, the Ultimate Photographer, who also had a friend named Sato from the Reserve Course Department, whom Mikan also befriended. Through this friendship, however, she became involuntarily involved in the murder of Natsumi Kuzuryu, the younger sister of her classmate Fuyuhiko, the Ultimate Yakuza. Alongside four other girls, she discovered Natsumi's body in the music room. Unbeknownst to her, it was Sato who killed Natsumi, and she was murdered a few days later by Fuyuhiko as revenge.[19] Mikan looked worried at Mahiru, who was crying on Hiyoko's chest after she heard the news of Sato's death. This case was later utilized in the Killing School Trip by Monokuma, serving as the game's second motive and was given the title "Twilight Syndrome Murder Case."[20]

    Mikan nursing Ryota back to health Nursing Ryota back to health

    Not long after Natsumi and Sato's death, Mikan learned that Chisa was put on a probationary transfer to the Reserve Course, and her later re-transfer, following the bombing incident involving her classmate, Nagito Komaeda, the Ultimate Lucky Student.[21] She also became the first person in her class to learn that the Ultimate Imposter was impersonating Ryota Mitarai, the Ultimate Animator, after they brought her to care for the real Ryota, who had been sick due to working tirelessly on his anime and had made a deal with the Imposter to live his life in his place. Mikan was entrusted with keeping this a secret and, in return, was grateful for the Imposter's kindness and trust.[22]

    Second Year Ikusaba tied Tsumiki Kidnapped by Mukuro

    In her upperclassman year, Mikan was informed by the Imposter that Ryota had disappeared and left a note. This prompted Mikan to check if Ryota had returned for his belongings, so she went to his apartment. However, this turned out to be a trap, as when she arrived, she met Mukuro Ikusaba, the Ultimate Soldier and twin sister of Junko Enoshima, the Ultimate Despair. Mukuro then tied, gagged, and blindfolded Mikan, taking her to Ryota. She was freed by Ryota, who had been revealed to be working on his animations in a private room, courtesy of Junko. Junko and Mukuro then left the two in the room, where Mikan decided to stay with Ryota to care for him, leaving a note for the Ultimate Imposter assuring them that she was fine and helping Ryota.[23]

    Brainwashed Mikan telling Ryota that Junko is the creator of the Despair Video Brainwashed Mikan

    Junko later forced Mikan to watch a brainwashing video containing the recording of the first killing game involving the Student Council members. The video, created through Ryota's mind-altering animation abilities, was so strong that it completely altered Mikan's personality—erasing the girl her classmates once knew and turning her into an Ultimate Despair.[24]

    Mikan massaging Junko's legs Massaging Junko's legs

    As an unintended side effect of the brainwashing, combined with her affection-seeking personality, made Mikan develop a love-like psychological obsession towards Junko, as she started to act towards her in a way similar to Mukuro, only much more insane and unnatural. She is glad when Junko abuses her or gives her attention, and learns to share Junko's love of despair. Despite Mikan's claims that Junko was the only person who truly loved and paid attention to her, it became clear that Junko only ever viewed her as a means to an end and never showed or felt any genuine love or attraction towards her.[24]

    Junko then used her, along with her homeroom teacher Chisa—whom she had also apprehended and brainwashed—as bait to lure Class 77-B, who were already searching for them, into her lair.[25] Mikan resurfaced and met with her classmates, seemingly like her old self—to led them into saving Chisa together—which, of course, was merely a ruse.[26]

    Class 77 Despair Class 77-B brainwashed

    Once her classmates arrived at Junko's lair, Mikan stalled Chiaki midway, apologizing before pushing her through a secret hatch, leading to what would soon become her place of execution.[25] She then caught up with everyone else, lied about Chiaki having an ankle injury, and led them into what appeared to be the room later used for the Class Trials. When Junko broadcasted Chiaki's execution, the already-brainwashed Mikan watched with excitement, believing the video would bring them all together. Once Chiaki was dead, her classmates successfully succumbed to despair, ultimately joining Junko's ranks as the Ultimate Despair.[26]

    Despaired Tsumiki Mikan Tsumiki, the Ultimate Despair

    Fully brainwashed into becoming the Ultimate Despair, Mikan and her classmates received their final lesson before "graduation", the one final meeting to discuss their plan to overthrow the world with despair. Mikan expressed she would "send wonderful medicines to the world's hospitals", before Chisa activated a bomb that fakes the death of Class 77-B so they can be taken off the list of protected students.[27] Mikan and her class stood outside the school grounds as they watch Hope's Peak's destruction.

    The Tragedy Danganronpa 3 - Future Arc (Episode 01) - Intro (36) Preparing to murder her "patient"

    As an Ultimate Despair, Mikan, alongside her corrupted classmates, started The Tragedy and kept it ongoing even after Junko's death in the final stage of the Killing School Life. Those who did not commit suicide to follow their leader Junko soon became known as the Remnants of Despair, which include Mikan and her classmates. They also hacked her body and grafted them onto themselves—though in Mikan's case, the specific body parts she took remain unknown.[28] She had done many horrible things, one of which involved ecstatically preparing to jab a tied-up "patient" with a needle into his eye—until Seiko Kimura, the former Ultimate Pharmacist and a member of the Future Foundation, intervened and stopped her, ultimately leading to Mikan's capture.[29]

    Danganronpa 3 - Future Arc (Episode 01) - Makoto arriving (6) Remnants of Despair

    The Future Foundation then secured the custody of Mikan and the other fourteen - at first only aware that they were survivors from Hope's Peak Academy. When Makoto Naegi, Class 78th's Ultimate Lucky Student, by that time a member of the 14th Division of the Future Foundation, realized that the survivors were in fact, Remnants of Despair, he quickly directed them to Jabberwock Island in secret.[28]

    Danganronpa 2 CG - Neo World Program (4) Neo World Program

    Makoto made them enter the Neo World Program, where their memories were reset to a time prior to their entering Hope's Peak Academy, before they were brainwashed by Junko - resulting in all of them not recognizing each other. The plan was to overwrite Mikan and the others' memories of themselves as Ultimate Despair, replacing them with good ones in order to undo all the damage Junko had done to them.[28]

    The scheme backfired when Izuru Kamukura, the Ultimate Hope and the final product of the Izuru Kamukura Project, uploaded Junko's malware AI just before they were to be programmed. Consequently, they were subjected to the identical brutal incident that befell Class 78th, although in a realistically simulated environment. The killing game became known as the Killing School Trip, an ordeal that Mikan and the other Remnants of Despair were coerced into participating.[28]

    Killing School Trip Main article: Danganronpa 2: Goodbye Despair Danganronpa 2 CG - Students in the classroom Killing School Trip participants

    Mikan participated in the Killing School Trip alongside fourteen other Remnants of Despair and one Future Foundation observer. It occurred in a virtual world, the Neo World Program, resembling Jabberwock Island. Due to her memories as the Ultimate Despair and life in Hope's Peak Academy being erased by the Future Foundation, she couldn't recognize any of her classmates.[28]

    Mikan met Hajime for the first time at the supermarket. She was so nervous and confused about how to start the conversation with him that she ended up crying, revealing that she even prepared 5000 different ways to start the conversation, only for her to fail.[30]

    Danganronpa 2 CG - Everyone at the beach (1) Playing at the beach with everyone

    Later, Mikan and the others gathered at the first island's beach, assembled by Usami, the observer of the school trip, an AI programmed by the Future Foundation, who claimed to be the class's teacher. She reassured the students that there was no need to worry and provided Mikan and the others with swimsuits, encouraging them to fully enjoy their "school trip". Mikan couldn't contain her excitement and joined the rest of the group playing at the beach.[30]

    Danganronpa 2 CG - Start of the Killing School Trip The Killing School Trip begins

    The promising tropical school trip, however, turned into a nightmare immediately as Mikan learned that the evil animatronic bear, Monokuma, the self-proclaimed headmaster of Hope's Peak Academy, had hijacked their trip and turned it into a killing game. Mikan and the others initially refused to participate. However, they soon learned that they had no choice but to submit after Monokuma made an example of Usami (renamed into Monomi by Monokuma) by blowing her to pieces using Monobeasts.[30]

    Danganronpa 2 CG - Mikan Tsumuki clumsily tripping and falling Tripping and falling in an awkward pose

    The next morning, Mikan attended a gathering in the restaurant—upon the Ultimate Imposter—impersonating as Byakuya Togami—the Ultimate Affluent Progeny—request.[31] Amidst the meeting, Mikan suddenly tripped—causing most students to worry like Mahiru who immediately helped her, while a few like Ibuki and Teruteru Hanamura, the Ultimate Cook, were amused by the spectacle. Her head throbbed, but she assured everyone that she was fine—and even felt happy that people were worried about her. Hiyoko, however, claimed that she had tripped over nothing and speculated that she might have done it on purpose for attention.[32]

    Danganronpa 2 - Girls-Only Gathering Event Girls-only gathering

    Once the first motive was introduced—and the fact that a traitor existed among them—the group became uneasy, including Mikan, who worried that people might suspect her as the traitor. Another person who was evidently disturbed was Mahiru—who, if Hajime handed her a certain magazine—would hold a girls-only gathering in a bonus scene to break off the tension. Mikan joined the gathering and enjoyed making desserts with the girls—plus Hajime, who was allowed to attend thanks to giving Mahiru the magazine containing recipes.[31] She also agreed to join the Imposter's all-night party at the lodge and, though initially uncertain about doing it up all night, she was excited nonetheless.[31] She didn't realize until the class trial that the party was thrown by the Imposter to save her and the others from someone who planned to kickstart the Killing Game, and that was no other than Nagito.[33]

    Danganronpa 2 CG - Everyone at the party Mikan attending the party

    Amidst the lively party, a blackout occurred, prompting the group to panic. Once the lights came back on, everyone was surprised to see Mikan had tripped into an embarrassing, "erotic" pose yet again, and she profusely apologized for her clumsiness.[31] Ironically, this awkward pose became crucial evidence in unraveling the mystery of the murder of the Ultimate Imposter, whose body Mikan and the others shockingly discovered lying down under the table. Although initially terrified and saddened by her leader's death, Mikan gathered up the courage to do what only she could: perform the autopsy on the Imposter's body, relying on her medical training.[33]

    Danganronpa 2 CG - Mikan Tsumuki clumsily tripping and falling (2) Mikan's second trip accident was used as evidence

    Based on her autopsy, Mikan discovered that the Ultimate Imposter had been stabbed with a sharp object about five millimeters in diameter. Although she initially hesitated to speak up due to her low confidence and the insults, verbal abuse, and threats from the likes of Hiyoko and Fuyuhiko, she pushed through and shared her findings. Her persistence allowed the group to rule out the glow-in-the-dark knife as the murder weapon, proving Nagito's innocence despite being the one who staged the blackout. This shifted the suspicion to the true culprit, Teruteru, as the real murder weapon was revealed to be a skewer he had hidden inside a piece of meat. Hajime then used Mikan's accident to expose that Teruteru was absent when the lights returned, as a pervert like him wouldn't have missed the opportunity to comment. Mikan survived the first class trial after correctly identifying Teruteru as the culprit, but she was horrified by the brutality of his execution.[33]

    Twilight Syndrome Murder Case The mood at the restaurant gathering following the class trial was somber. Mikan wondered about Fuyuhiko and Nagito's absence—Fuyuhiko remained his usual lone wolf self, while no one seemed particularly concerned about Nagito. Mikan then explored the second island with the others and discovered a pharmacy equipped with enough medical supplies to handle most illnesses or injuries. She was so excited by the find that she offered to give Hajime "lots and lots of shots".[20]

    Once the second motive was introduced—a video game called Twilight Syndrome Murder Case—Mikan nervously agreed with Fuyuhiko's point that refusing to play it would make it harder to be cautious about the motive[20]. Mikan ended up never touching the game as per everyone's advice and that she was never good at video games in the first place. It was later revealed that Mikan was cast as Girl A, a playable character in the game—a replica of the real-life event at Hope's Peak involving the murder of Natsumi and Sato from the Reserve Course Department.[34] Due to this, she was personally invited by Mahiru, who secretly played the game and discovered that she was a character in it too as Girl D a couple of days later. Other people she invited were Hiyoko (Girl B), Ibuki (Girl C), and Fuyuhiko (Guy F). Mikan, however, had to decline as it would clash with the girls-only beach party hosted by Sonia Nevermind, the Ultimate Princess, later that afternoon, a decision she deeply regretted later on.[35]

    That same afternoon, Mikan arrived early at the meeting point—the diner—to accompany Ibuki for a meal before the party. She was surprised to see Hajime and Kazuichi Soda, the Ultimate Mechanic, loitering there uninvited. Kazuichi blurted out that he wanted to join, and since Mikan didn't want to be rude—or had the authority to decline—the four of them decided to wait for the girls at the diner. While waiting, Mikan and the others noticed Hiyoko tearfully fleeing from the beach direction. Shortly after, the invited girls arrived one by one. When Akane Owari, the Ultimate Gymnast, showed up injured and visibly bleeding from her practice session with Nekomaru Nidai, the Ultimate Team Manager, Mikan became worried and immediately took her to the bathroom to treat and sterilize her wounds. While she was busy treating Akane, Kazuichi discovered Mahiru's body in the beach house, abruptly ending their beach party before it even began as another investigation commenced.[20]

    Danganronpa 2 CG - Twilight Syndrome Murder Case (20) Mikan as Girl A

    Mikan was petrified by the discovery, especially at the thought of being forced to participate in another class trial. She slowly regained her composure once everyone had no choice but to lock in, and after calming herself down, she called out for those not present at the crime scene. She was later summoned by Nagito, who had spent the past few days tied up in the old lodge but was freed by Monomi to participate in the investigation, to the airport alongside Hiyoko and Ibuki, the same people who appeared in the motive. She testified about Mahiru inviting her to discuss the game earlier that morning. Mikan then returned to the beach house to perform an autopsy. She determined that Mahiru died instantly from a single blow to the head from behind with the metal bat lying next to her body. She also discovered a meeting note, signed by Hiyoko, which instructed Mahiru on when to come to the beach house. It was later revealed during the class trial to be a fake note set up by the true culprit.[34]

    During the class trial, Mikan contributed greatly with her findings from the investigation, though, much like in the previous trial, she was extremely nervous and scared to speak her truth without gentle encouragement from the others. Evidence such as her autopsy, the note Mahiru had carried, and the knowledge that the prescription medicine used to drug Hiyoko was left out in the open at the pharmacy helped prove Hiyoko's innocence, exposing her as the true culprit's intended scapegoat. Mikan told Hiyoko not to worry and that she didn't need to cry since everyone trusted her, but Hiyoko shouted at her and called her names, prompting Mikan to wail.[34]

    Danganronpa 2 CG - The students and Fuyuhiko's injuries Trying to save Fuyuhiko

    The culprit turned out to be Peko Pekoyama, the Ultimate Swordswoman, Fuyuhiko's secret hitwoman. Mikan was terrified to see Fuyuhiko, who interfered with her execution, got injured in the process. She rushed to his side, noticing that he was still breathing, but failed to stop his profuse bleeding without the proper tools. Mikan and the others had no choice but to leave his fate to Monokuma, who ultimately had to save him by taking him to the hospital on the soon-to-be-opened third island, after being forced by Monomi.[34]

    Trapped by the Ocean Scent In the following day, Mikan spotted a sinister-looking memorial adorned with Mahiru's photos and was horrified. Once she learned that Hiyoko had earnestly put the memorial together, Mikan and the others apologized for their negative reaction. Mikan even praised Hiyoko, but Hiyoko immediately shut her down with teary eyes, calling her "pig barf," prompting Mikan to ask why she was always singled out. Once Monomi announced that the third island was open for exploration, Mikan investigated the hospital. After informing Hajime that the hospital's staff and patients were missing, she continued to inspect the medical supplies and the rest of the rooms—only to discover Fuyuhiko patched up and resting in the rearmost room. She asked Monokuma for Fuyuhiko's medical records and discovered that he had only sustained relatively minor sword-related injuries, thanks to Peko protecting him with her last breath. Regardless, Mikan insisted that he remain in the hospital until he had fully recovered, while she took it upon herself to care for him.[36]

    Danganronpa 2 CG - Summer Festival Tree Event Fireworks show and yukata

    The day after, Mikan updated everyone that Fuyuhiko was steadily recovering, though he had permanently lost his right eye. That evening, if Hajime had handed Ibuki a CD of "Summer Festivitrees", she would come up with the idea to throw a fireworks show with Mikan as one of the attendees.[36]

    By morning, Mikan panicked when Fuyuhiko slit his own stomach to 'properly' apologize for all the trouble he had caused since the beginning of the killing game—especially for directly causing the deaths of Peko and Mahiru. With Nekomaru and Kazuichi's help, Mikan hurried to carry him back to the hospital. That evening, Mikan attended Fuyuhiko's recovery party, which Ibuki hosted. She reminded Fuyuhiko that despite wanting to participate, he should avoid overexerting himself. She tried to enjoy Ibuki's performance, but her expectations of "From Me to You Too" being a sweet love song were quickly crushed by the unexpected heavy metal sound. The saving grace was seeing Hiyoko attend and express her willingness to cooperate with Fuyuhiko, which deeply touched Mikan and brought her to tears of gratitude. But of course, such moment of happiness wouldn't last in Monokuma's killing game. Soon after, Mikan was forced to watch as Nekomaru bravely shielded Akane from her execution for attempting to harm Monokuma. Nekomaru miraculously survived his grave injury and was taken away by Monokuma for treatment before Mikan could even process the horror of it all.[36]

    Despair Disease Danganronpa 2 CG - Mikan Tsumiki and Hajime Hinata in bed (1) Resting on top of Hajime

    The Despair Disease outbreak began the following day, with Mikan expressing concern that Ibuki, Akane, and Nagito had developed extremely high fevers. Monokuma later revealed that this was the new motive: an airborne disease that causes a complete 180-degree shift in personality and would continue to spread until a murder occurred. Just as she had taken care of Fuyuhiko in the days prior, Mikan took it upon herself to treat the sick students, quarantining them in the hospital. Meanwhile, the others stationed themselves at the motel, with Hajime and Fuyuhiko directly assisting Mikan in caring for the infected. Mikan devoted extra time and attention to caring for Nagito, whose symptoms were far more severe than Akane's or Ibuki's.[36]

    Danganronpa 2 CG - Mikan Tsumiki and Hajime Hinata in bed (2) Sneaking inside Hajime's cottage to create an alibi

    Unbeknownst to everyone—except for Nagito, who, despite his condition, noticed a strange shift in Mikan's demeanor—she had already contracted the Despair Disease herself.[37] This was confirmed on the morning of Ibuki and Hiyoko's murder, when Mikan—taking advantage of Hajime's broken lock thanks to Ibuki a few days earlier—slipped into his room and fell asleep on top of him. Hajime noticed that Mikan's body was unusually hot, but he didn't think much of it at the time or connect it to the Despair Disease until after the third class trial had ended. Mikan did this both to inform Hajime that Nagito's condition had stabilized and to set her plan in motion—letting Hajime watch Ibuki's fake suicide live footage, while also providing herself with an alibi.[38]

    Danganronpa 2 CG - Hiyoko Saionji witnessing the murder preperation (2) Spotting an unwanted guess

    On the night prior, Mikan took Ibuki with her to the music venue—presumably without resistance, as Ibuki was afflicted with the Gullible Disease at the time, which made her highly susceptible to lies and easy to manipulate.[39] However, while Mikan was preparing for the murder, Hiyoko entered the music venue, hoping to use the full-length mirror in the storage room to fix her kimono. Not wanting a witness, Mikan swiftly killed her by slitting her throat. Her murder weapon was never discovered or discussed at any point during the class trial. Since killing Hiyoko wasn't part of her original plan, Mikan improvised an imitation murder following the order of deaths from The Wizard of Monomi 2.5D, a film playing at the nearby movie theater. The movie depicted the first character committing suicide by hanging, the second being pinned to a tree with arrows, and the last having their metallic body sliced and destroyed.[38]

    Danganronpa 2 CG - Mikan Tsumiki killing Ibuki Mioda Strangling Ibuki to death

    To make it seem like she murdered Ibuki first, she hid Hiyoko's body and only revealed it after someone had discovered Ibuki's. She taped Hiyoko's body to a stage pillar with duct tape to create the false impression that the culprit was unaware that a body stops bleeding once the heart stops beating—something Mikan, as the Ultimate Nurse, would obviously know—making it look like a clumsy attempt to stop the bleeding.[40] She hid the body using wallpaper taken from the storage room and secured it in place by hanging it from the baton lighting above the stage. At the same time, she attempted to clean Hiyoko's blood from the floor but failed to realize that Ibuki, who was still alive at the time, had stepped in it.[41] Afterward, she murdered Ibuki by strangling her with a rope, covered her head with a hemp bag, then hanged her body from the baton lighting above the stage. She also adjusted the stage backdrop, pulling down the black curtain behind it to resemble the conference room at the hospital—setting the scene for her trick the next day.[42] At some point, Mikan turned on the heater inside the music venue to hinder her from determining the exact time of death during the investigation. Finally, Mikan left the music venue and took the surveillance camera Kazuichi had built, minus the monitor, to the hospital.[38]

    Danganronpa 2 CG - Mikan Tsumiki preparing the curtain Preparing to broadcast a fake video of Ibuki committing suicide

    The next morning, she lured Hajime to the hospital by informing him that Nagito's condition had stabilized. She then excused herself to rest in the on-call room upstairs, while simultaneously telling Hajime to relax in the lobby. In actuality, Mikan went to the conference room and used the music venue camera to record herself—disguised in a hospital gown with a hemp bag over her head—climbing a step ladder and preparing to hang herself. The footage, designed to mimic the music venue setting complete with the black curtain backdrop, successfully tricked Hajime, who was watching from the surveillance monitor at the hospital lobby. Believing it to be live surveillance of Ibuki attempting suicide, he panicked and rushed to the scene—unknowingly falling right into Mikan's trap.[38]

    Danganronpa 2 Chapter 3 - Closing Argument Act 2 (3) Tampering with the crime scene

    After cleaning the conference room, Mikan waited for Hajime to dash out of the music venue before executing her next trick. First, she peeled off the wallpaper concealing Hiyoko's body, but in her haste, accidentally tore off a piece of it on the baton lighting, before stashing it back in the storage room. She then destroyed the monitor, followed by the surveillance camera used in the conference room, to hide the fact that the camera wasn't at the crime scene, then mixed them together. Next, Mikan wanted to turn the crime scene into a closed room. She broke one of the drumsticks from the storage room and placed it near the music venue's entrance as a red herring, while using glue to seal the door from the outside.[43] This was all part of her plan to trick everyone into thinking the culprit must have been trapped inside when she rendezvoused with Hajime, Chiaki, and Fuyuhiko to discover the bodies, pretending to be shocked by her own crime.[38]

    During the investigation, Mikan falsified her autopsy on Ibuki, claiming she died by hanging and that the time of death couldn't be determined due to the heater. She also convinced Hajime that the murders were a faithful imitation based on The Wizard of Monomi 2.5D. As a result, Hajime believed that Ibuki had died first and Hiyoko second.[38]

    Mikan's Fate At the start of the trial, Mikan played along with the flow of discussion, subtly commenting that the murder plan was way beyond her capabilities. When the group was led into thinking that the killer had murdered Hiyoko and concealed the music venue in under 10 minutes, [44] Mikan claimed that such speed was unimaginable for a "slowpoke" like her. She also pointed out that, as the Ultimate Nurse, she wouldn't have needed to tape Hiyoko's body with duct tape, since she already knew that once a person's heart stops beating, the body no longer bleeds.[40]

    At the middle stage, Mikan began to derail the trial by insisting that everyone present their alibis, when most were still under the impression that Ibuki had hanged herself before and during the morning announcement.[45] She did this because she had already intentionally created an alibi for herself by sneaking into Hajime's cottage and was by his side at the hospital while checking on Nagito's condition. Mikan also tried to convince everyone that Ibuki had stepped onto the stepladder on the music venue stage, since Hajime had seen her doing so in the surveillance monitor.[38]

    However, Hajime and the others gradually began to unravel the truth—such as the correct killing order, the fake filming location, and the tampered surveillance camera—leading Hajime to suspect Mikan. She immediately started crying and told everyone that a "clumsy" and "slowpoke" person like her wouldn't be capable of killing someone. By doing this, she initially managed to win over most of the group's sympathy, making Hajime feel guilty for suspecting her. However, Nagito interrupted by pointing out that Mikan had falsified her autopsy, as the rope used by the culprit was actually used to strangle Ibuki, not hang her. Mikan deflected by claiming she wasn't a coroner and lacked the medical knowledge to identify such injuries. Moreover, people like Akane—who felt indebted to Mikan for nursing her back to health—persistently defended her, until Chiaki convinced her that to truly believe in someone, you also need to doubt them. This eventually made Akane surrender and stop defending Mikan.[38]

    Danganronpa 2. Chapter 3 - Closing Argument Revealed Revealed as the culprit

    With nobody left to defend her, Mikan snapped—growing increasingly violent, unstable, and angry—while begging everyone for forgiveness. Despite her frantic denials and insistence that she hadn't committed the murder, Mikan made a slip about the camera angle—something only Hajime, who had seen the video, or the culprit themselves would know. She also claimed there could only be one hemp bag, but Hajime pointed out that, thanks to Monokuma's "buy one, get one free" deal, two hemp bags could exist, one for both Ibuki and Mikan. Once the truth of her crime was laid bare, Mikan simply laughed and reveled at the feeling of despair—something she hadn't experienced in a long time.[38]

    Danganronpa 2 CG - Mikan talking about her Beloved Mikan's reciprocation

    After she was voted correctly as the blackened, Nagito revealed that Mikan had contracted the Despair Disease while caring for him, Akane, and Ibuki,[37] and accused her of killing for the sake of despair. That was when Mikan, who did nothing but laugh at the situation, interrupted him. She revealed that her symptom, known as the "Remembering Disease," caused her to recover her school memories, which, at the climax of the Killing School Trip, were revealed to be the memories of her time as an Ultimate Despair.[28] But most importantly, she also remembered her late "beloved." The very same beloved who was the true embodiment of despair—the one who accepted her, forgave her, and loved her unconditionally. The one who acknowledged her existence and made her feel seen. It was for this very reason that she decided to murder Ibuki—not because of hope or despair[46], but solely to reciprocate her beloved's love for her—to appease her.[47] When Nagito said he didn’t understand what Mikan was saying, she pitied him, thinking he felt that way because he had no one to love—or like her, someone who wasn’t accepted by anyone. Her classmates also struggled to accept that she was the same Mikan they knew, but Mikan told them that the person standing before them was the true Mikan Tsumiki[48]—or at least from what can be inferred from The Tragedy, the version of herself that was brainwashed into despair.[26]

    Mikan also remembered who was responsible for transporting them to Jabberwock Island: the Future Foundation. She, speaking from the point of view of an Ultimate Despair, painted them as the group's collective enemy, claiming that they were trying to "end our world" and "claim the world from themselves." Moreover, she knew about the traitor's identity, the Future Foundation's lackey, hiding among them. However, she refused to out them, speculating that everyone would know by the time the countdown ended.[49] Mikan then expressed her despair that her classmates couldn't accept her true self, subtly hinting that their real identities before losing their memories were not so different from hers as Ultimate Despair.[48] Just before her execution began, Mikan told her classmates to take their time remembering, and asked her beloved to forgive her for dying with the hope of meeting them again.[38]

    Mikan was executed by being straddled to a large, arm-shaped rocket. Monokuma then used a large syringe to inject its contents (possibly adrenaline, hormones, or simply fuel) into the rocket as Mikan became increasingly ecstatic, ultimately entering an orgasmic-like state as the "refueling" is completed. The rocket color changed from light brown to red, and it clenched its fist as it started to launch. Monokuma hung on the rocket with the giant syringe until the back of the rocket separated from the main body of the rocket. When the rocket launched into space, Mikan closed her eyes and kept holding to the rocket for dear life. She presumably died from the lack of oxygen. After Mikan safely left the earth, Monokuma crashed to the ground below and became lodged face-first in the soil, and the execution ended.[38]

    Danganronpa_2_Chapter_3_Execution

    After her death, the revelation of her true identity, her "beloved," and what not lingered in people's minds. Most importantly, she successfully instilled the belief that the Future Foundation was not their ally, but their enemy.[50] She also deepened their distrust, further fueling suspicion about who the traitor might be. Mikan's deceased portrait in the class trial courtroom can be seen from the fourth trial onwards crossed out with a nurse's cross, referencing her Ultimate talent.

    Mikan briefly reappeared as an illusion shortly before the countdown ended as the Neo World Program began glitching. After learning the password from Nagito's video message, she joined the others at the Ancient Ruins but felt nauseous before entering. However, she vanished once the survivors stepped inside the ruins.[51]

    The illusory Mikan was later conjured during the game reset sequence of the final class trial, a scenario made by Alter Ego Junko—the AI version of her beloved and the virus that hijacked the Neo World Program—in an attempt to persuade Hajime and the remaining survivors to graduate. Had she succeeded, it would have allowed her to upload her AI into the comatose bodies of the "dead" Remnants of Despair, effectively reviving them as copies of herself. In this sequence, Mikan wanted her classmates to let her know if they got hurt so she could nurse them.[28]

    Post-Killing School Trip Danganronpa 2.5 - (OVA) Nagito regaining his memories (21) Revived Mikan and her classmates

    After Alter Ego Junko's defeat, Mikan remained in a coma alongside her classmates, while the survivors waited for them to wake. According to Monokuma, Mikan, along with Nagito, who died remembering events prior to the Killing School Trip, increased their chances of waking up.[28] This statement was proven to be true as those two and the rest of the now-former Remnants of Despair were revived by Izuru Kamukura, who had now merged with Hajime's personality and memories. Purged of Junko's brainwashing, Mikan who was now alive and awake from Neo World Program, boarded the boat with the rest of Class 77-B and they all then headed for the Future Foundation HQ, to stop the Final Killing Game involving Future Foundation leaders.[4]

    Resurrection and atonement Main article: Danganronpa 3: The End of Hope's Peak High School/Hope Arc Tsumiki has been forgiven In tears after Hiyoko thanking her

    Led by Hajime, Mikan and the former members of Class 77-B engaged Ryota's army of brainwashed Future Foundation soldiers in an attempt to reach the broadcasting tower where the Ultimate Animator was hiding. Venturing into the underwater facility beneath the main building, Mikan somehow procured a giant syringe, which she used to disable the former Super High School Level Nailist who was threatening Hiyoko. Despite showing her usual abrasive attitude towards the Ultimate Nurse, Hiyoko reluctantly offered her gratitude for the timely assistance, bringing Mikan to joyful tears.[52]

    Class 77-B Confronting Ryota

    Later, Mikan helped convince Ryota to abandon his plan to brainwash the world. During the confrontation, Ryota expressed his belief that he and the other Remnants of Despair could never be forgiven for allowing Junko to plunge the world into despair. In response, Hajime offered Ryota the chance to join them in returning to Jabberwock Island to atone for their sins together. Ryota eventually broke down in tears and agreed, stopping the countdown mere seconds before the brainwashing was completed. Mikan and the others later came to his side to comfort him.[52]

    Mikan talking to Makoto Trying to inform Makoto about Kyoko

    After Ryota was talked down and the brainwashing video was disabled, Mikan attempted to speak with Makoto, only to be pushed away by Nagito. When Mikan fell, Ibuki, one of her victims in the Killing School Trip, was seen to first come to her rescue. [52]

    Class 77-B acting Remnants of Despair's atonement

    Mikan and the other former Remnants of Despair shouldered the blame for the Final Killing Game by sending a broadcast video to the Future Foundation. They presented themselves in their despair personas and preserved the Future Foundation's credibility and power to rebuild the world, an act of atonement for their sins as the Ultimate Despair. Having accomplished their atonement, Mikan and her classmates boarded back to Jabberwock Island by boat.[52]

    Tsumiki holding Kimura's medicine Holding Seiko's medicine

    On their way, Mikan held up a drug vial labeled Antagonist, which Nagito realized was made by Seiko, the Former Ultimate Pharmacist who previously arrested Mikan. She explained that she had found someone who used the drug to save themselves from the NG Code Poisoning of the bracelets of the Final Killing Game, entering into a comatose state instead of dying, of which Mikan was able to revive them from. It was shown later that the person she was referring to was Kyoko Kirigiri.[52]

    Real Fiction Main article: Danganronpa V3: Killing Harmony Danganronpa V3 Tsumugi Shirogane Halfbody Sprite (Mikan Tsumiki) (1) Mikan cosplayed by Tsumugi Shirogane.

    In Danganronpa V3: Killing Harmony, it is alleged by the mastermind Tsumugi Shirogane, the Ultimate Cosplayer, that the entire Danganronpa franchise is fictional in-universe; a series of games, anime, and later live-action dramas performed actors. In particular, Tsumugi, who is the Ultimate Cosplayer, claims she is only able to cosplay fictional characters (breaking out into a bright pink rash whenever she tries to cosplay a real person), and the fact she is able to cosplay as the whole cast of Danganronpa characters including Mikan Tsumiki is used as evidence to support her claim that all of the cast are fictional. However, due to a number of holes in Tsumugi's story which make her an unreliable narrator, whether or not she was telling the truth is deliberately left up to the player's interpretation; as a result, it is up to the player whether they believe Mikan's story within the Danganronpa series was real, or a fictional story written by Team Danganronpa and performed by an actor.[53]

    Creation and Development Translation Credit: Kaibutsushidousha on Tumblr

    According to creator Kazutaka Kodaka, Mikan was designed to be the living image of extreme clumsiness. He explained that while excessive clumsiness can easily get annoying, doubling down on it creates a character so pitiful that people can't help but find her cute and feel sorry for her. He was so successful in making Mikan the most miserable, unhappiest character imaginable that he ended up feeling terribly sorry for her as he wrote her story. Kodaka mentioned that although many fans view Mikan as the cast's designated fanservice character due to certain scenes, he personally cannot see her as anything other than the comic relief character.[54]

    Character designer Rui Komatsuzaki revealed that in the first draft of the cast, Mikan was initially conceptualized as a Chinese Zombie Girl who carried the brain of her dead lover around.[55] This lover is also the one to revive her. However, as progress continued this was scrapped in favor of making her a 'constantly scared' character. Until about halfway through development, she was also given the role of being the 'poor character', to the point that she was originally going to wear a ragged sports uniform that would be missing its back half. The gimmick with that would be, while her clothes looked normal from the front, in the back, it would show her underwear, and that she was far thicker than someone who was supposed to be in poverty should realistically be. When her character was changed to being a nurse's aide who people could tell her accidents wasn't just because of clumsiness, her final design was based on that concept. She's a memorable character to Komatsuzaki, as he had to go through the trouble of partially changing her design just two weeks before the release date, which was panic-inducing.[54]

    Ai Kayano's, Mikan's Japanese voice actress, also commented on her character:

    "At first glance, Mikan Tsumiki looked like a quiet girl, but once I actually got to voice her, I was shocked to learn how much emotion she was hiding. Her emotional range goes from the bottom of Earth to the heights of outer space... (laughs) I believe I did good job expressing the fascinating psychological complexity of Mikan Tsukimi, so all of you can enjoy the many different ways to interpret her. Enjoy her dealing with the colorful cast of characters around her."[54] Name Her first name, Mikan (蜜柑), means "mandarin", as in the type of orange. Kodaka chose the name "Mikan" because he wanted a fruit-themed name that would be difficult to write in kanji. Her last name (罪木), which means "sin tree," is a recycled, previously unused name—similar to Ōwada and Owari.[54]

    Alternate Fates Island Mode and Ultimate Talent Development Plan exist in two separate alternate universes where Mikan still attends Hope's Peak Academy, but no students are in peril. As they are alternate universes, these events are non-canonical, but because Mikan's personality is unchanged, backstory information shared by her in these events is considered questionably or dubiously canonical rather than fully non-canonical.

    Free Time Events are also considered somewhat questionably canonical due to the nature of how Free Time Events are accessed (in that some characters' Free Time Events cannot be fully completed during the course of the canon game storyline due to limitations on the number of interactions you can have with them during one playthrough, and thus can only be accessed after they have canonically died either through a second playthrough or via Island Mode). However, due to Free Time Events being largely experienced during the canon game storyline, Free Time Events are more grounded in canon than Island Mode and Ultimate Talent Development Plan and are largely considered canon by the majority of players.

    Appearance

    Mikan is a girl of rather average height and possesses a skinny figure. She has fair skin and long, choppy, dark plum-purple hair that is cut unevenly as a result of bullying[12][5]. The longest point of her hair appears to be just past her fingertips, whereas the shortest point is slightly above her neck. Her bangs flow straight down, but are also cut at visibly differing levels. She has pale gray-mauve eyes that almost constantly convey anxiety or tearfulness. There is a beauty mark under her left eye's corner.

    She wears a nurse uniform which consists of a pale pink short-sleeved shirt with a white collar and puffed sleeves trimmed with white. A short, pale blue, slightly wrinkled pleated skirt is visible underneath. Mikan wears a white apron over this which is tied behind her neck with a ribbon. It is marked with two red lines on the left side of the apron, one going down to her middle and another short red line perpendicular to the vertical one in a simple design. As well as this, she has bandages wrapped around her left forearm and hand, excluding the fingers, and around her right leg from her mid-thigh to above her ankle. Additionally, she has a square gauze band-aid on her left kneecap and wears pale pink crew-length socks and white loafers.

    During her high school years, she wears the standard Hope's Peak Academy uniform with off-white crew-length socks. Her hair is somewhat longer, with the longest point of her hair being her mid-thigh, and the shortest being her shoulder. Her bandages are placed around her left knee, her entire right leg, and her left forearm. She also has a band-aid on her right cheek.

    As an Ultimate Despair, she wears a white, old-fashioned, buttoned nurse uniform with a white nurse's cap, marked with the same red line symbol on her apron in her first appearance. This time, she has bandages wrapped around her right forearm and left leg from her mid-thigh to her ankle. She wears one elbow-length medical glove on her left arm, a glove on her right hand that cuts off at her bandages, and a black strap wrapped around her right thigh. As well as this, she wears plainer loafers and can be seen with a syringe, presumably as a weapon of sorts.

    Her swimsuit in Danganronpa S: Ultimate Summer Camp consists of a plain white triangle-cut bikini with thin halter neck straps and low-rise bottoms. She retains the bandages she wraps around her left forearm and hand minus the fingers, right leg from mid-thigh to above her ankle, and a square gauze band-aid on her left kneecap.

    Hope's Peak uniform Hope's Peak uniform Ultimate Despair attire Ultimate Despair attire Swimsuit (Danganronpa S) Swimsuit (Danganronpa S) Personality Mikan is an extremely meek, paranoid and fragile individual who suffers from hazardously low self-esteem as a result of severe abuse and bullying.[9][13] This has resulted in many behavioral symptoms such as being easily intimidated, breaking down and crying with little provocation, profusely apologizing and nervously stuttering while speaking.[15][14] She constantly worries about annoying, boring or offending others, going so far as asking Hajime if it would be alright for her to remember his name when introducing herself.[15] This delicate persona, added by her lack of will to fight her bullies, makes her a natural target for Hiyoko's cruelty.[56][57] Despite Hiyoko's bickering and attitude, Mikan still cares for her—a feeling that seemed one-sided during the Killing School Trip.[58] However, during their time at Hope's Peak Academy, Hiyoko gradually began to care for Mikan as well, even if she preferred to keep it hidden.[59]

    As the Ultimate Nurse, Mikan tends to act much more confident while doing her job, and she is knowledgeable and intelligent. Her medical knowledge proves to be useful in murders, as she provides autopsy reports, including information on the corpse's state, details on injuries, cause of death, and time of death. Furthermore, she sometimes gives (often unwanted) health advice to others concerning things like eating[60][58] and sleeping, and may occasionally start to describe things like bodily functions in way too much detail in her wish to give the other students' information on the subject at hand.[9][31] She also shows a firmer, more assertive side when carrying out her duties—becoming visibly irritated and even raising her voice at others who cause a commotion while visiting the hospitalized Fuyuhiko.[36] Unlike most students, Mikan has even mentioned that she likes being on Jabberwock Island, because her classmates acknowledge her, not actively trying to harm her, and her talent makes her useful.[11]

    Despite her low self-esteem and long history of abuse, Mikan is capable of thinking for herself and even voices her opinions quite often—though she's quick to backtrack or apologize the moment someone slightly raises their voice or disagrees with her.[60] She agrees with Fuyuhiko's point that without playing the Twilight Syndrome Murder Case game, they wouldn't know what to be cautious of. When Mahiru fails to attend the usual morning meeting, Mikan blurts out that she might have gone to play the game—a hunch that ultimately proves to be correct.[34] When Hiyoko refuses Fuyuhiko's apology, Mikan gently reminds her that they've finally reached a point where everyone can be together again after everything that happened.[36] She also has a habit of mumbling depressing thoughts out loud, such as wondering whether the group has any future at all.[20]

    Mikan is shown to be very skilled at reading people's faces, but she tends to over-analyze them and is quick to assume that she is disliked by those around her.[9] She generally wants to be liked by and help other people, but her utter lack of confidence and wish not to be a bother causes her to rarely assert herself or state her feelings openly; if she feels the need, she will more than likely ask for permission from her peers to do so. This is exacerbated considerably during class trials, where despite her talent being incredibly useful for solving a murder, she will rarely ever speak up by her own accord.[34][33] Since her social intuition is generally poor, if there is an awkward pause in a conversation, she will immediately begin to panic and apologize, believing it to be her fault or is getting in their way.[14]

    Despite lacking many basic social skills, Mikan does actively attempt to gel with her surroundings by altering aspects of her conduct to suit what she projects as the thoughts of her peers. Notably, she appears exaggeratedly clumsy and often ends up in embarrassing and revealing poses, leading her to apologize profusely, though it's been heavily implied and even pointed out by Hiyoko that Mikan does these poses on purpose in order to gain attention and pity.[32][61] Because of her insistently klutzy and cloying personality, even for all the pity and leeway she generally receives from her kinder classmates, many of them do still see her as somewhat off-putting, incompetent or irritating, causing them to distance themselves from her rather than outright mistreat her. Mikan's frequent clumsiness makes her a textbook example of a dojikko archetype—a character defined as a very clumsy girl in a cute/moe, endearing way.

    Because of the severe abuse she has incurred in the past, Mikan is very awkward and has a warped perception of both positive and negative social interaction. When treated with any sort of individual respect or sympathy, her first response is most often outright confusion, and sometimes assuming she has done something wrong.[14] When Hajime greets her for the first time, she gets extremely excited when someone gives her a simple greeting, claiming it was the first time she had ever been greeted in return.[62] When first becoming friends with Hajime, she offers him to beat, strip, draw on or do other bad things to her, and states that she has done so multiple times with previous schoolmates so that they won't hate her and will continue to associate with her.[14] She relates this to a belief that being ignored is even worse than being abused, thinking that the people who don't bully her don't care about her existence at all, a prospect that scares her much more.[10] If someone treats her well and is outwardly kind to her in the long-term, she tends to become obsessive and cling to them, similar to the behavior of a stalker, which is interpreted as being extremely creepy (by Hajime at least), showing that she is unable to compartmentalize and reciprocate those positive feelings in a normal, healthy way.[13] This was taken full advantage of by her supposed beloved, who turned that affection into a pathological, slave-like subservience.[24][25]

    By defaulting to a state of unnaturally intense submissiveness and self-deprecation as a defense mechanism, Mikan is somewhat prone to bizarre outbursts, where the repressed elements of her personality rapidly surface for brief moments before burying themselves again, usually followed by an apology for her erratic behavior. These traits include deep-seated resentment for her abusers, general frustration over how she is treated, various sadistic or otherwise disturbing obsessions, an intense yearning for control, attention and sympathy, as well as her sexual urges. Prior to attending Sonia's beach party, she has a fleeting moment of lashing out angrily and shouting "you are done for" and "you're not gonna get away now that I've caught you" at no one in particular and seemingly completely out of nowhere, and then tries to write it off by claiming that she says nonsensical things when she's nervous.[63] When discussing how Sato ended up murdering Natsumi—whose antagonistic relationship mirrored Mikan's own dynamic with her abusers—Mikan admits she can relate to the feeling of no longer being able to turn back after knocking someone unconscious.[64] In Island Mode, she mentions that she enjoys horror movies because of all the blood and helpless victims, especially appearing to enjoy bully characters getting what's coming for them.[65] She also has a disturbing liking for syringes and shots, repeatedly offering them to Hajime when she gains access to the Pharmacy,[20] and pesters him to talk about illnesses which Hajime tried to avoid until it exhausts him.[9] She is also mentioned to stare at Hajime after their free time together creepily and he sometimes had a feeling that she is forever watching him from somewhere.[13] In spite of her often tightly pent-up demeanor, Mikan also shows by far the most sexual desire among all of Class 77-B's female students, particularly for Hajime. When either extremely tired or inflicted with the Despair Disease, respectively, she ends up cradling his head and falling asleep on top of him on two occasions, as well as unsubtly implying she would like to have sex with him through some brief, coy remarks.[36] Out of the whole class, the blatancy of her sexual innuendos is only rivaled by Teruteru.

    The dichotomy of Mikan's two-faced psyche is best represented by her mixed motivations for becoming the Ultimate Nurse. Directly contrasting her abusers, Mikan sincerely wants to help those who have endured physical harm, and generally wants to assist and participate in the group. However, she has also admitted that she occasionally relishes the power she holds over the sickly, helpless people who have no choice but to rely on her and listen to her to survive.[9] While acting as a nurse allows her to feel useful, something she doesn't normally feel, it also indulges her selfish urge to assert absolute dominance over something, a sensation she essentially never feels otherwise given her general docility. In her Island Mode ending, she openly contemplates rendering Hajime an invalid so he can stay with her forever, but he convinces her that he'll stay regardless, and thus doing so would be unnecessary.[66] This shows Hajime's deft understanding of how Mikan manically depends on having other people around despite seeing herself as undesirable company, as well as his empathy toward her. In her final Free Time Event, Hajime also comes to understand that Mikan's greatest fear isn't being hated or subjected to violence, but rather being ignored—having no one take an interest in her, in other words, being insignificant.[10]

    Having suffered from multiple human relationships for most of her life,[38] Mikan gravitates toward—and may develop romantic feelings for—individuals of any gender who show her unconditional acceptance and forgiveness. Once she falls in love, she will do anything they desire of her—good or bad—to make them happy and reciprocate their willingness to forgive her existence. This is demonstrated during the Killing School Trip, where she murders Ibuki in an attempt to please her despair-loving beloved, who is strongly implied to be Junko Enoshima, the Ultimate Despair herself. Furthermore, at the end of her Free Time Events, Mikan may have developed affection for Hajime, wanting to believe his words that he is her and the others' friend, because Hajime is 'the person who has forgiven her'—the very same reason she gave for her feelings toward Junko.[10]

    As an Ultimate Despair After being infected by the Despair Disease, Mikan recovers her lost memories thanks to her Remembering Disease symptoms, reverting her back to her brainwashed into despair self.[26] This caused her to undergo a drastic personality shift, which gradually reveals itself as she begins to be suspected as the blackened during the third class trial. All of her repressed, negative and selfish traits take dominance within her, causing her to become angry, manipulative and dangerous, and in a private moment with Hajime, somewhat seductive.[36] She is highly embittered and clearly aware of her maltreatment, and in distinct opposition to before, boldly calls the others out on it, even those who defended her in the trial but otherwise ignored her day-to-day. She angrily questions why everyone hates and bullies her, and blames her classmates exclusively for her evil deeds and transitions into despair, taking advantage of their pity in an attempt to escape her accusations all the while.[38] Before her remembrance, Mikan was primarily self-effacing and would adapt to her environment for the benefit of others and to reduce conflict; but once the Despair Disease sets in, she is cunning and deceptive purely to preserve herself, even at the cost of the others' lives. As she turns increasingly violent and unstable, her apologizing habit still persists, repeatedly asking to be forgiven in a way that seems to be reflexive or like a mantra, but while also staunchly denying her charges to the point of angrily pulling her hair when accused. When finally backed into a corner and revealed as the culprit, Mikan ultimately finds solace in her beloved, and says that her motive for murder was simply her affection for them.[46] She claims to no longer care about anything except that person, believing they were the only one who ever loved and accepted her.[49] Since love alone was her sole motive, Mikan didn't reveal any other reason why she specifically targeted Ibuki, despite the good relationship they had throughout the Killing School Trip. Nagito speculated that Ibuki was chosen because her symptoms made her the most easily manipulated.[39]

    Under Junko's brainwashing, Mikan—though her personality is deeply warped and twisted—retains the ability to act like her usual self, allowing her to appear harmless and non-suspicious to others.[25][38] It is also when she assumes the identity of an Ultimate Despair that Mikan contradicts many of her own claims of being extremely clumsy, slow, and incompetent[61]—revealing that she is more than capable of orchestrating a murder, despite insisting otherwise.[67][38] She is able to execute this elaborate sequence in under 10 minutes[44]: running from the hospital to the music venue, revealing Hiyoko's body hidden under a pillar, stashing the wallpaper in the adjacent storage room, breaking the drumsticks, surveillance monitor, and camera, gluing the music venue door shut, before rejoining with the others. This level of speed and coordination, despite Mikan's own claims of being a "clumsy slowpoke,"[67] proves that she is far more capable than she let on.

    After awakening from her coma, Mikan reverts to her original temperament, and Junko's brainwashing is undone. She is shown to feel guilty for her actions as an Ultimate Despair and decides to atone along with her other classmates. Notably, she is seen as capable of fighting, as evidenced by her rescue of Hiyoko, which she accomplished while wielding a massive syringe. She also independently took care of Kyoko and saved her life. While obviously still very insecure, she now appears happier and closer with her classmates, and even has a friendlier relationship with Hiyoko.[4]

    Talent and Abilities Ultimate Nurse

    Because there was no one to take care of her wounds, Mikan learned to take care of herself from a very young age. As she became more and more skilled in this area, she took an interest in nursing, realizing that it gave her a feeling of control over sick and injured people - as weaker people would have to depend on her completely, and their lives would be in her hands. Her skills in this field eventually continued to grow and she seemed to have developed almost all the necessary skills and abilities required of a nurse such as being able to give first-aid,[36], deliver critical analysis of her patients condition in a moments notice and adaptability in dealing with medical emergencies.[34] She is also shown to be capable of nursing people back to health.[22][36] Thanks to her aptitude at reading people's expressions, Mikan can quickly notice when someone isn't feeling well and can offer accurate medical advice to help improve their condition.[9]

    As the Ultimate Nurse, Mikan's medical knowledge proves to be useful in murders. She provides autopsy reports, including accurate information on the corpse's state, details on injuries, the cause of death, and time of death.[33][34] She also appears to be more confident and assertive while she is nursing.[36]

    As talented as she is, Mikan's abilities as a nurse have limits; she doubted she could keep Fuyuhiko alive due to the injuries he sustained during Peko's execution without the proper tools.[34] Nonetheless, her abilities are highly effective, as she was able to successfully revive Kyoko after the Final Killing Game, where she was near-death after using Seiko's medicine to survive her NG Code Poisoning.[52]

    While her title in the official English translation is Ultimate Nurse, Mikan's original title is Super High School Level Health Committee Member. The "health committee" or "health and hygiene committee" (since 保健 hoken means both "health preservation" and "hygiene"), is a common student committee in Japanese high schools with the duty of preparing and administering first aid during school events, monitoring the school's state of sanitation and promoting health-preserving behavior. Mikan is shown to possess knowledge of the immune system and often gives others unwarranted advice on how to maintain their health.[9][60][58]

    Ultimate Nurse official translations in other languages Free Time Events & Bonus Mode Guides The links below are full transcripts and indepth guides for Mikan Tsumiki's relationship routes in Free Time Events, Island Mode, Ultimate Talent Development Plan, and Danganronpa S Development Mode including her MonoMono Machine Present preferences and most effective dialogue options.

    Free Time Events Island Mode Ultimate Talent Development Plan Danganronpa S Development Mode Quotes DR2 Extra DR3 Danganronpa 2: Goodbye Despair (English)

    Prologue:

    "M-My name is Mikan Tsumiki. Um... From the bottom of my heart, I hope we can get along." "Um...you know... Um...um um um um... Uhhhh...my mind is drawing a blank...from nervousness... And...I went through all the trouble preparing 5,000 different topics to discuss after introductions!" "Ah! I-I'm sorry for laughing so suddenly! I-It's just...I can't help it. I'm just so happy, I can't remember the last time I made any friends... Ah, not that you actually want to be friends with me! I'm soooo sorry I said something so...presumptuous! I'll do anything you say... Just...please don't hate me...!" Chapter 1:

    "I-I'll do my best! I'll do my very best...not to get in your way!" Chapter 2:

    "L-Living together on this island isn't what's important... W-We need to find a way to escape." "I want to live a life where I can be more average...a life where nothing happens... That's better for me..." "Heh... If you don't feel well, let me know. I'll give you lots of shots... Lots and lots of shots!" "The future...huh... I wonder if we even have a future..." "Hehe...I'm so, so, soooo happy...I was able to play with a friend... Hehehehehehehe... Thank you very much, Chiaki." "P-Please don't hate me! I'll take the punishment as much as you'd like!" "I-I...really have no desire...to do something so rude...like decline the offer...at all..." (to Kazuichi) "But every dark cloud has a silver lining, as they say...um...it looks like Mahiru didn't suffer." "Hiyoko...please don't cry. Everything is fine now...right?" "N-Noooo! Please don't be violent!" (to Hiyoko) "Before anyone played the game, we didn't even know this incident had happened... That's why, even if we were told that we're connected to it, there's no way we could accept it." Chapter 3:

    "Awww... Hiyoko is so adorable when she's embarrassed!" "Ah, I'm sorry I scared you... But don't worry. Even if you have a heart attack from getting too scared, this is a hospital after all." "No need to worry. I'll take care of him for the time being. I mean...that's what nurses are for." "Phew...it's finally quiet... It's such bad manners to raise your voice inside a hospital." "Um...please leave Fuyuhiko to me. I will make sure he's nursed back to health... I will do my very best to nurse him back to health so I won't be hated!" "I understand how you feel, but you really shouldn't overwork yourself..." "Heee...everyone is so kind... I'm so glad everyone is so thoughtful toward their friends...! Hehehe, we're all equals when we're sick. Let's all work together and do our very best." "Nagito...is never going to die! I will save him by any means necessary! Nagito's life...is my responsibility. I will save him by any means necessary!" "But...as long as I'm his nurse...I will never let Nagito die. ...Ever." "A clumsy, slowpoke like me killing someone...? Th-That's completely out of the question!" "Nyuh...it's fine... I've been like this for a long time... In a tournament for social punching bags, I'd easily win first place with my soft reputation... Nnh...even I can't deny that..." "H-He's totally right...! Hehe...I'm such a clumsy mess and I got sooooo careless...!" "Ah, so in the end...you're all just a bunch of bullies, huh? Justifying your actions with fancy words... M-Making excuses for why it's not really your fault... E-Everyone always treats me like that... Always... "It's all her fault..." "Sh-She's the one with the problem..." I...I'm done with that! You hear me!? I'm doooooooooone! It's not fair...It's not fair not fair not fair notfair notfair notfair notfairnotfairnotfairnotfairnotfair... Why won't you forgive me!? If you did something wrong...you'd forgive yourself right away...! What did I do!? Why won't anybody forgive me!?" "Why does everybody always hate me!? Please, just forgive me already!" "Then you're gonna forgive me? I won't stop until you forgive me! Will you forgive me? You'll forgive me, right? Isn't that right? You're obviously gonna forgive me, right?" "Wh-Why...? Wh-Why can't you forgive me...!? Why...!? Why does everybody always hate me!? You should just forgive me already!" "Haaaa...it's been suuuuuuuch a long time... This feeling...I know it well... Like the floor is collapsing...like the sky is falling down upon you... ...This feeling of despair!" "For the sake of despair...? Haha, that's completely wrong! What I did...was for the sake of my beloved. If only they were still alive... They'd be so happy. ...I know. My beloved...was the only one... That's right, the only one who... ...never hated me. They forgave my existence. They forgave me and accepted me. They gave me value. They loved me. I loved them with all my heart and they returned it in full. This is...my reciprocation." "I understand that I've done something unforgivable. But you know, but you know! To transcend all that is truly... ...what love is all about!" "You don't understand? Is it because you don't have anyone to love? Is it because you're also someone who isn't accepted by anyone? ...What a pity. I feel sorry for you." "Even if I say this...I'm sure nobody here would understand but... Love is a wonderful thing. Ahhh, this feeling of freedom where you no longer care about anything! My beloved and I are the only ones within that thin veil, and I'm just looking out through it... That's why...as long as I'm on the inside, no matter how much they tease me, splash me with water, kick me... It's like nothing matters! I could just die, that's how little it matters! Who cares about hope or despair! It's love, only love!" "The reason I became like this wasn't my fault. It was all your fault, you know? Because...it's not like I'm entirely responsible for turning out like this... I'm the person I am today because of many human relationships. So...it's everybody's fault that I turned out like this, you see? Even so...the current me was most strongly influenced by my beloved's existence. And it was also my beloved who created the me that everyone can't forgive. But my beloved still forgives me and still accepts me... That is the key difference between all of you and my beloved." "I'm drowning in so much love... From the bottom of my heart, I just don't care about anyone or anything." "Memories of people...memories of events... Whatever memory it is, losing memories are... ...like losing your personal identity. Memory is the most important component in building a person... Don't you think? Losing our memories...makes us shadows of the past. Don't you think?" "So it's over. It's really... Now I can go to my beloved who always forgives me...! I can finally see them. Please forgive me, the one who's going to die with the hope of finally seeing you!" Panic Talk Action Remarks:

    "You still haven't forgiven me!?" "Can you forgive me already!?" "Forgive me! Forgive me!" "Please draw on me!" "Shall I let you punch me!?" "You're done for!" "Do you understand...?" "Why only me!?" "I'll do anything you want!" "There's only one bag! It's impossible to use it in two places at the same time!" (Final Argument) Chapter 5:

    "haha@?@@”haha!”:hahahahahaforgivemeloveme forgivemeloveforgivemeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee" (Mikan's cottage post-fifth trial) "I-I'm starting to feel nauseous from the thrills, the chills, the kills..." Merchandise The link below lists all official licensed merchandise featuring Mikan Tsumiki:

    Main: Mikan Tsumiki Merchandise Trivia Mikan and Celestia Ludenberg from Danganronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc, both Chapter 3 killers in their respective games, each tried to alter the killing order of their victims. Mikan employed an imitation murder, while Celestia used numbered 'Justice Hammers'.[68] Mikan never completed the imitation murder, mainly because she never intended to, and due to the regulation prohibiting one person from killing more than two people.[38] However, Mecha-Nekomaru Nidai, who was murdered in the following chapter, has his head decapitated and body destroyed by Gundham Tanaka, the Ultimate Breeder—mirroring the supposed third and final victim of the imitation murder.[69] Mikan's Birthday, May 12, coincides with International Nurses Day. In Danganronpa 3, Mikan screamed Jurassic Park! when she heard Nekomaru's heavy voice, referencing a particular scene in the movie.[16] Mikan makes a cameo appearance in Danganronpa Another Episode: Ultra Despair Girls on a poster in the hospital in Chapter 1. Mikan's Japanese voice actress, Ai Kayano, also voiced Kotomi Ikuta, in Danganronpa 3 - Despair Arc.

15. #15Nagito Komaeda

    Keys: Characters, Nagito Komaeda, Komaeda, Character, Nagito

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    Nagito Komaeda Art DR2 DRAE (Model) DRAE (Sprite) DR3 (Despair) Art Name Kanji 狛枝 凪斗 Romaji Komaeda Nagito Katakana コマエダ ナギト English Nagito Komaeda Aliases & Titles Talent Characteristics Personal Status Debuts Portrayals

    “ I believe my actions will become the foundation of this world's hope. And...if that really happens... Praise me. Tell others what I've accomplished. Erect a bronze statue of me. Respect me. Please call me...the Ultimate Hope.

    — Danganronpa 2: Goodbye Despair ”

    Nagito Komaeda (狛枝 凪斗), is a student of Hope's Peak Academy's Class 77-B, and a participant of the Killing School Trip featured in Danganronpa 2: Goodbye Despair. His title is the Ultimate Lucky Student (超高校級の「幸運」 lit. Super High School Level Good Luck).

    He, along with Class 77-B, return in Danganronpa 3: The End of Hope's Peak High School to explore their school life leading up to The Tragedy.

    He also makes an appearance in Danganronpa Another Episode: Ultra Despair Girls as "Servant" (召使い meshitsukai). He returns once again as the protagonist of the OVA Danganronpa 2.5: Nagito Komaeda and the World Vanquisher, exploring his ideal world.

    Appearance

    Nagito is a tall, skinny young man with notably wide shoulders, sickly pale skin and light gray-green eyes with thick eyelashes. His hair is shoulder-length and naturally wavy, of an unnaturally pale pinkish off-white color that fades to white the closer to his scalp, and is described as looking like it "doesn't belong to a living person"[10]. In Danganronpa 2, his hair has a slightly warmer, cream tone to it, but in Danganronpa 3 his hair appears silvery-white with grey tones. By the events of Danganronpa Another Episode, which is several years later, his hair is longer, messier, and darker (presumably with dirt).

    Nagito wears a thin, knee-length dark green zipper coat with a jagged-cut tail, which he leaves unzipped. It has a red square pattern across the right shoulder, and a large, square-shaped '55' on the back, as well as two red drawstrings, threaded through the hood, hanging down on either side of his chest. Underneath, he wears a white scoop-neck T-shirt with a red design on the front, somewhat resembling two interlocking hooks. He wears plain black jeans, and a wallet chain with a skull charm, and pale brown shoes, each fastened by two zippers.

    While attending Hope's Peak Academy, he wears the school's uniform: a brown blazer and matching pants, a red tie and dark brown lace-up shoes. The top few buttons of his shirt he leaves undone, and over it he wears a sleeveless green sweater with a red v-neck collar, a wide, horizontal stripe across the middle of it.

    In Danganronpa Another Episode, as the Servant and Ultimate Despair, he wears a cropped black jacket, with three white buttons on the right and one red button on the left. Underneath, he wears a dark-red and olive-green scoop-neck shirt, with long sleeves that are folded over the cuffs of the jacket, and under this is a long beige undershirt. He wears black jeans with black low heeled shoes, tied with red shoelaces. He has a striped mitten on his left hand, to hide Junko's hand with long, red nails, sewn in place of his real hand. He also has a collar around his neck, given to him by the Warriors of Hope, with a chain hanging down the front, all the way down to his knees. The Servant is described to be constantly smiling, no matter what treatment he receives, and he is also said to have "a rather attractive face", and Genocide Jack even calls him "a pretty boy". His skinny build is also mentioned when she calls him "a skinny white-haired guy".

    After waking from a coma on Jabberwock Island and having his brainwashing is undone, he replaced his non-functional left hand from Junko's corpse with a robotic forearm and hand. The prosthetic is white on the outer side and black on the underside. The palm is black, the backs of his fingers are white, and his thumb is white as well. The sleeve of his coat has been ripped where the new arm is, most of the jagged material still attached. The arm makes a rather loud mechanical sound whenever he moves it.

    Danganronpa 3 - Despair Arc Appearance Danganronpa 3 - Despair Arc Appearance Personality First impression Nagito first comes off as a polite, friendly, and easygoing, yet somewhat insecure boy. Hajime Hinata even mentions that his bright smile is very comforting. He was the only one that stayed with Hajime while he was unconscious, and expressed concern for his well-being, even after Hajime told him to go away. Though friendly with everyone, he is mostly interested in spending time with Hajime and can be quite clingy, and as a result, Hajime considers him a little annoying and not the most reliable, but still thinks he's a kind person.

    Nagito attempts to be the team's conflict mediator and a poster boy for optimism, often encouraging others to be hopeful and to cooperate, however, he isn't taken very seriously. Hiyoko Saionji makes fun of him and considers his dramatic pep talks about hope and friendship embarrassing and tiresome. He is generally quite submissive and has a self-deprecating attitude, even agreeing with Hiyoko and the others' snide remarks.

    Although he claims to be a pessimist, Nagito often appears unusually carefree; he lacks tact and occasionally says awkward, strange, and unsettling things without realizing it. At times he can also be more forceful; he is quick to scold Hajime when he's being too pessimistic or when he thought he was bullying Mikan Tsumiki. He is also notably annoyed by Teruteru Hanamura's treatment of girls and takes it upon himself to keep an eye on him to make sure he doesn't harass anyone.

    Beliefs During the first Class Trial, Nagito is revealed to have a twisted obsession with hope. As a result, he often begins to ramble on about hope, sometimes rather abruptly—just talking or hearing someone else talk about hope or speak in a hopeful manner can render him in a state of bliss, causing him to sweat, and hold himself in order to contain his excitement. Furthermore, he sometimes has sudden outbursts in which his eyes darken and start to swirl (Hajime describes the look "a crude mix of hope and despair") while he rambles even more enthusiastically, but he usually snaps out of it fairly quickly and seemingly isn't aware of what happened.

    He believes hope is an absolute good, and any deed done in the name of hope is righteous, even murder. He feels no guilt for hurting others in the name of hope, as he believes that hope will always win in the end and justify the means. He believes there are constant clashes between two or more hopes, and that "strong hope" will devour "weak hope" (adoringly, he calls this process "poetry in motion"). To him, ordinary untalented people, despair, and weak hope are just stepladders for creating stronger hope, and he considers these things necessary, while simultaneously having aversion to them. Nagito believes that the Ultimates are chosen at birth, and are capable of strengthening their own hopes by facing and defeating despair, instead of being broken by it like weaker, ordinary people. Like Hope's Peak Academy, Nagito strongly associates hope with talent and talent with worth.

    Nagito desires to help to create the absolute hope that can overcome any despair, and he believes that the Ultimates can become embodiments of hope. However, he doesn't consider his luck to be a true talent and thus doesn't consider himself an Ultimate (despite this, he has also mentioned that his luck is the only good thing about him, and he sometimes finds it very useful). Instead, he desires to be a "stepladder", and sacrifice himself so the other Ultimates can shine. Considering himself a lower being, he often feels shame just for being in their presence. He confuses his obsession with the Ultimates' hope with pure, platonic love for his classmates and he genuinely believes he's doing good for everyone's sake. He has a strong desire to be useful and he is very self-sacrificing, but his ways of helping are often very wrong, harmful and potentially very dangerous, as he is willing to cause temporary despair in order to have hope born from it. He has little regard for his own well-being and doesn't care for his own life, and encourages the other students to kill him to achieve their own hope. He believes that dying for the sake of hope is an honor and the only way for "someone like [him]" to be useful to the world. In his Island Mode ending, Nagito reveals that he wishes to die so he can finally be free from the suffering caused by his luck. However, he is strongly against dying a meaningless death or dying for the sake of despair.

    After discovering that he and his classmates were the Remnants of Despair, Nagito began to act arrogant, impatient, and disrespectful towards his former idols. He had particularly little patience for the slow-witted ones, including Kazuichi Soda and Akane Owari. Nagito realized that by killing his classmates and therefore destroying the Ultimate Despair, he could himself become the Ultimate Hope. Though he claimed it was for the sake of the world's hope, it's also implied he wanted to become Ultimate Hope so he could finally be appreciated, even if only after his death.

    Nagito believes his views on hope are logical and extremely obvious and has trouble relating to others when they disagree. Though he is very stubborn, he has changed his ways of thinking during the series. He is sometimes conflicted between his extreme beliefs and his own feelings. He calls himself "worthless trash" that doesn't deserve any kindness from others, but at the same time, he desires to be appreciated, loved and understood. In his fifth free-time event, Nagito revealed that his true, biggest wish is to be loved by someone at least once in his life, and to not die alone. Furthermore, even though he greatly admires and claims to love all of the Ultimates for their talents and capability to embody hope, he doesn't really care about them as individuals. He isn't truly saddened by their deaths, and even appears to dislike some of them as people. Similarly, he may not have anything personal against the talentless—in fact, the only student Nagito genuinely cared for is Hajime, a talentless reserve course student.

    In Super Danganronpa 2.5, based on what the World Destroyer said about his illusionary world reflecting his desires, Nagito may actually have a hidden hatred towards talent and wishes for a world without talent because he believes the world and its people would be better if talents were taken away so everyone can become equal and free. For example, Kazuichi's illusion form reflects his insecurities about not being good enough for some people's company. In Danganronpa 2, Nagito is seen showing interest in Hajime because he doesn't feel like an Ultimate to him and thus they're more similar and equal in his eyes. His wish to live an ordinary life with someone is also mentioned in Zansakura -zanka-, which is a song about his inner feelings. In the OVA, Nagito was both shocked and embarrassed to realize that he may actually have such emotions and thoughts, as he usually claims that only those with great talent can bring great hope. Naturally, he was relieved that nobody else saw this side of him during his comatose state. Despite learning about this hidden side of himself, he refuses to accept it and instead continue with his desire for hope. In the end, he is shown taking Hajime's hand and deciding to move towards hope, implying that being with Hajime is his hope.

    It also should be noted that Nagito genuinely respects ideals such as love and friendship, and often emphasizes the importance of team-work and helping each other. This became more noticeable after he came out of the NEO World Program with his past memories restored.

    General behavior Nagito has a laid-back and quite calm demeanor, and he is often smiling or laughing. However, his cheerfulness may not be entirely genuine, as his calmness is more akin to apathy and he tends to feel strong self-hatred. He remains cheerful even during his self-loathing rambling, and acts disturbingly optimistically toward horrible things such as death, as long as it's for the sake of hope.

    Nagito likely suppresses any real feelings of sorrow or fear as a coping mechanism, because he experiences tragedy often due to his luck. He has also seen very unlikely and strange things due to his luck, which is why he is not easily surprised. As a result of everything he's been through, he has become more emotionally numb and he is rarely openly angry or scared. He often lacks appropriate emotions in situations where most people would be afraid, like threats of violence. Even so, he once mentioned that he feels fear every day of his life, most likely because of his luck. Furthermore, he can be very angered by despair and other things he considers insulting toward hope. When he does express anger, he becomes notably more serious. When displeased, he is very passive-aggressive.

    Nagito is capable of feeling some guilt and care for others, and he does not truly enjoy the suffering of others, but the hope born from it. Still, he is typically very emotionally cold and doesn't seem to feel much remorse or grief neither. He's shown to be fine with tricking, manipulation, and stealing, though it should be noted that he does these for the sake of a bigger goal rather than his own ends. He has been described as a very honest person, though he will lie if he finds it necessary. While he prefers to do things on his own, he is very lonely and often tries to join the other Ultimates in their activities and becomes really happy if he's given attention, even if just a little bit. It's also implied that he intentionally keeps his distance from others because he wants to protect them from the disasters caused by his bad luck.

    Nagito is also one of the most intelligent characters of the second game, being very cunning and smart. He often solves a case long before the others, but he doesn't want credit for this. Instead, he often acts ignorant during the trials, manipulates the conversation by giving (often unnoticed) hints and then praises the others as if they're the ones who figured it all out. He does this because he considers himself too unimportant to take a more openly active role, wants to see the other Ultimates figure things out by themselves, and he wishes to remain neutral until he can determine which side has the stronger hope.

    Social Impairment Overall, Nagito appears to be somewhat out of touch with his own feelings. He tries to be polite, but he can be overly harsh and insensitive, often without realizing it. He has a lack of social awareness and insight into his own behavior. Because of this, he has problems understanding how his own behavior can affect other people and he may not understand or pick up on social hints. He struggles with expressing himself in a socially appropriate manner and this often leads to people misunderstanding what he's trying to say, and vice versa. During Chapter 1's additional dialogue, Nagito explains that he says dubious things without meaning to and that he realizes this, but can't stop it from happening. However, he also adds that he always sincerely means what he says.

    In Chapter 4 of Danganronpa 2, he accidentally offended both Kazuichi and Fuyuhiko Kuzuryu—in Fuyuhiko's case, he understood that he said something wrong and quickly apologized, but remained quite confused, and misunderstood what he said wrong. For Kazuichi, he was completely oblivious and only noticed that Kazuichi seemed angry for some reason. Other examples of this type of behavior include his odd and awkward sense of humor, often making jokes at inappropriate times, like soon after someone's death. He usually backs off if the others explain to him that his behavior is rude or he tells them he wasn't being serious. Similarly, when he tries to compliment someone, it can come across as an insult. His gauge of sarcasm is quite poor, too, as he sometimes mistakes mean comments for compliments. He also doesn't understand why the others are paranoid, angry and afraid of him. He's often confused by the others' behavior, thinking that they're strange for acting so suspicious of him, to the point that he sometimes worries about their mental health. He thinks that the others hate him because he's a lower human being.

    In his final free-time event, Nagito claims to have Frontotemporal Dementia, a neurodegenerative disease that affects their personality and social cognition and thus may account for some of his strange behavior. He claims he was lying immediately afterward and it is unknown whether this was a lie or not. Nevertheless, it is clear that he has some type of psychological disorder.

    It should be noted that Nagito's strange luck affects his condition as well, seemingly allowing him to live much longer than he should have, and likely giving him unusual symptoms.

    Island Mode In Island Mode, Nagito is calmer without a Killing School Trip to set him off. Though he looks forward to such a situation, he doesn't do anything dangerous. Instead, he genuinely wants to entertain Hajime and spend time with him. He is often quite nervous due to his inexperience in many social situations, for example, sitting and talking in the park with someone. He's afraid he will bore or say something weird to Hajime, and worries that might cause Hajime to hate him, which is something he really doesn't want to happen. He is also constantly paranoid and has a habit of listing bad things that might happen (in a disturbingly personal manner), as he fears that his bad luck might harm or even kill Hajime. However, despite all this, he also mentions that he feels much more peaceful and relaxed on the island. In the end, he still appears depressed, but his way of thinking began to change after spending time with Hajime and realizing that he's been clinging to false hope and that the true hope has been within him from the very beginning.

    Ultimate Despair/The Servant In Danganronpa Another Episode, as the Servant and Ultimate Despair, Nagito is even harder to read and rarely lets his true intentions and emotions show. The official limited art book describes him as "quiet, soft-spoken and effeminate".

    Despite being Ultimate Despair, he doesn't seem directly dangerous and appears non-violent, rather he manipulates and works behind the scenes. He is also mentioned to be in rather high spirits despite being essentially a slave, smiling most of the time and having a carefree, sometimes disturbing laugh. He receives the mistreatment from the Warriors of Hope with a smile and sometimes even seems to enjoy it (his official profile states that he might be a masochist). In general, he appears unusually calm to the point of being apathetic and is rather unfazed by the disturbing things happening around him (however, he does appear to feel uncomfortable when Monaca Towa forcibly kisses Nagisa Shingetsu.) He is generally polite and collected, but he may appear insensitive at times or lose his composure when talking about hope. He has a habit of forgetting how he is supposed to act as a servant and he seems to misunderstand orders quite a lot, though these may be passive-aggressive acts done on purpose. All the food he makes is inedible with very nonsensical ingredients (for example, in 2014's Christmas tweet, he is asked to make Bûche de Noël, but instead, he makes some sort of cake out of nothing but whipped cream and pinecones).

    The Servant calls the story's situation a game several times, such as calling Komaru a "generic game protagonist" and mentioning game-balancing and defeating of the final boss. This may seem like breaking the fourth wall, but it actually refers to the Demon Hunting, which according to the Servant is also a game to incite Komaru's growth. Unlike his past self, the Servant believes in the potential of the talentless, because such "weak" people succeeding and rising up from despair would create even more hope. It's possible that his opinion changed after Makoto, a "mere" Ultimate Lucky Student, defeated the true Ultimate Despair and became Ultimate Hope.

    The Servant's main goal is to help to create a happy, hopeful world, but one born from absolute despair, going so far as to assist his own enemy and start a war for the sake of this goal. As a result of brainwashing, he has a twisted disturbing obsession with Junko Enoshima. However, it seems the brainwashing affected him differently than everyone else, as he also retains his hatred for Junko and his love for hope. He also seems to be more aware of what he is doing while being brainwashed, which ironically seems to make him the sanest out of the class. Though, it should be noted that while he is still doing everything for the sake of hope, his plans are even more dangerous than before. However, after his brainwashing was undone, he appears to have abandoned his harmful ways and is shown to be in peace with his classmates.

    Talent and Abilities Ultimate Lucky Student Nagito got his title as the Ultimate Lucky Student by winning a lottery out of completely ordinary students, which led to him joining Hope's Peak Academy. He at first declined, saying that he didn't deserve it, but they insisted that he should attend. Nagito possesses a cycle of consistent good and bad luck. Whenever something extremely lucky happens to him, something extremely unlucky is bound to happen soon after. While the talent seems to protect him from death, it can cause him great suffering and has killed many people around him. The only person whose luck matches his own is Izuru Kamukura, and later Hajime.

    Nagito's birthday (the 28th day of the fourth month) heavily references his talent, with his birth month representing bad luck and death while his birthday represents a double amount of wealth and fortune according to old Japanese and Chinese beliefs. Considering some of the supernatural elements seen in the series, it's possible that his unusual birthday might have an impact on his unusual luck.

    In other languages Nagito's talent as it appears in official translations of Danganronpa material.

    Language Talent Translation 日本語 Japanese 超高校級の「幸運」 Super High School Level Good Luck français French Le Chanceux Ultime The Ultimate Lucky Person * Ultime Chanceux Ultimate Lucky Person * Deutsch German Super-Highschool-Glückspilz Super Highschool Lucky Guy * italiano Italian Super Fortunato Liceale Super High School Level Lucky Person * nci Spanish (Mexico) Supersuertudo de preparatoria Super High School Good Luck * português do Brasil Portuguese (Brazil) Super Colegial Sortudo Super High School Good Luck * Keen-Intellect While his emotional skills are lacking, Nagito is one of the most intelligent characters of the second game. He can create very complex plans and figure things out quickly even without the help of his luck, which actually has a tendency to backfire on him.

    In Danganronpa 2, he is one of the best investigators in the group and he's also very skilled at planning as well as problem-solving. Throughout the class trials, Nagito manipulates conversations and mentions points no one else thought about. Monokuma once described him as "annoying" for noticing a detail others missed. A part of the reason Hajime found out who the culprits were in the trials was because of the constant hints and clues Nagito gave him. Often, he seems to be able to tell what Hajime is thinking and sometimes he can even correctly guess when and what Hajime is about to figure out.

    In Danganronpa Another Episode, he created real-life "game balance" by ordering the Monokuma Kids to directly or indirectly give Komaru useful items and transform her surroundings to make her go towards the right direction, all of it in order for her to develop both mentally and physically.

    In Danganronpa 3 - Despair Arc, he somehow gained lots of information about Junko and found her secret room. He accurately warned his classmates about Junko but decided to not go against their hopefulness and quickly lost consciousness afterward. Had he been awake, he probably could have helped his classmates to successfully avoid Junko's trap, by noticing Mikan's strange behavior and other warning signs. Right after he wakes up and when it's already too late, he tries to warn his classmates by telling them it's a trap.

    Ability to sense Talent, Hope, and Despair Strangely, Nagito also seems to have a good eye for noticing talent, hope, and despair in other people. For example, Hajime never felt like an Ultimate to him and he turned out to be talentless. In chapter 3 of the second game, Nagito only had quick blurry glances at Mikan's face, but he could tell that her expression was full of despair and he even called her Ultimate Despair, despite being currently unfamiliar with the term. In Danganronpa Another Episode, he could sense the potential in Komaru. In Danganronpa 3, he is also almost immediately attracted to Izuru, supposedly because he can sense his aura. Had he been awake to talk with Mikan, he probably would have noticed that she is infected by despair.

    This is sometimes played for laughs in the non-canon manga, as he can suddenly show up because he sensed something despairful or hopeful would happen.

    Skilled Cleaner Despite not seemingly having a background of cleaning experience, Nagito is quite skilled when it comes to cleaning. When the Class 77-B decided who should clean the old building for their party, Nagito is picked to do the work but states being 'pretty good' at cleaning anyway. The dining hall was filled with dust and cobwebs which Nagito painstakingly cleaned for the whole day to Hajime's surprise, stating there is no way he'd be able to last the whole day doing such a task. Nagito's dedication to the job is considered commendable by Hajime and Mahiru, who felt bad for Nagito seeing as the place was so run-down. Nagito's excellent cleaning job compared to what others in the class would have achieved shows his skills as a cleaner being above the rest. This is also mentioned in Danganronpa 3 - Despair Arc, as he states that cleaning is the one thing he's good at, contrasting the way he usually belittles himself and his abilities.

    History Prior to the Tragedy Nagito was born into a rich family, in the 28th day of the fourth month, with his birth month representing bad luck and death while his birthday represents a double amount of wealth and fortune according to old Japanese and Chinese beliefs. He was born with an extraordinary type of luck, and as a result, his life has always been shaped around moments of extremely good luck and extreme bad luck. The earliest known occurrence of this is when his pet dog was killed after being hit by a truck. His relationship with his parents is unclear; he mentions that they took him to an amusement park, but he also mentions offhand that his mother never complimented his appearance.

    When he was only an elementary school student, Nagito and his parents went on a family vacation at San Cristóbal Island in the Galápagos archipelago. When the vacation was at an end, the family boarded an airplane leaving from the San Cristóbal Airport. However, the plane ended up being hijacked. Both the hijacker and Nagito's parents were killed in front of him after a small meteor crashed into the airplane, leaving him to inherit all of his parents' fortune and become free to do whatever he wished, as he had no other living relatives.

    After his parents' death, during middle school, Nagito was kidnapped by a serial killer; he was released after the police found him (it was implied that the killer let him go after they found out nobody would pay the ransom). As a form of good luck, Nagito had discovered a lottery ticket in the garbage bag the murderer kidnapped him in: a winning ticket for three million yen.

    These would be the first of many, many tragic things that happened to Nagito due to his luck. His cycle of good and bad luck made sure that any chance he might have at actual happiness would be spoiled. In order to cope with this, he developed a strong faith in hope so that he could find some meaning in his life. However, this turned into an unhealthy obsession. He didn't have any close friends or even acquaintances, as other people were disturbed by his strange way of thinking and he intentionally avoided other people in order to protect them from his bad luck. His bad luck caused the deaths of several people and he started to believe that only the people with "weak hope" could be killed by the influence of someone worthless like him. His luck cycle wore him down to the point of drifting through life without purpose, waiting to die and dreaming of becoming a stepping stone for the world's hope. Believing that he is unable to embody hope, he idolized Hope's Peak Academy and its' students as symbols of hope who are capable of creating "absolute hope" - hope that can overcome any despair.

    As a teen, Nagito attended Spiral High School. He was diagnosed with lymphoma and frontotemporal dementia and was given a life expectancy of 6 months to a year (though, as it's later revealed, his good luck allowed him to outlive this). Though he claims he was fine with being alone before, he then realized he would die all alone and that he always desired, more than anything, to be loved by someone. After this, as a form of good luck, Nagito won a random lottery and was invited to attend Hope's Peak Academy. He refused at first, believing that he wasn't worthy, but the academy was adamant that they wished to study his luck, and he eventually accepted the offer.

    Nagito joined Hope's Peak Academy's 77th Class and gained the title of the Ultimate Lucky Student. He was aloof and elusive, but was known as the self-proclaimed "Ultimate Ultimate Fanatic". According to Jin Kirigiri, the headmaster, Nagito meddled with the affairs of other students and caused nothing but problems. The headmaster was constantly burdened because of him and described him as an incredibly problematic child. However, he understood that the boy himself didn't really mean any harm, which was the worst part of it all.

    During Nagito's second year, Junko started to manipulate students to join her Ultimate Despair. It's strongly implied that Nagito joined because he wanted to see Ultimate Despair's rise and fall, believing that no matter what, hope would always win and despair would be destroyed in the end. The members of the Ultimate Despair were brainwashed and fell madly in love with Junko. However, in Nagito's case, it was a bit different. He developed strange, conflicting feelings of both love and hatred for Junko and saw her as his sworn enemy.

    Danganronpa 3: The End of Hope's Peak High School - Despair Arc Episode 01 - Hello Again, Hope's Peak Academy Nagito was found somewhere outside the school area trying to buy a can of soda from a vending machine. He called himself unlucky when the machine didn't work after already putting in ten thousand yen when suddenly a truck landed right on top of the vending machine. The machine hit its' "lucky point" and Nagito received many soda cans rather than one. As Nagito bent down to get a drink, his homeroom teacher Chisa Yukizome, handed him one and smiled at him.

    Nagito (and presumably everyone else) collected his soda cans and returned to the classroom. He was impressed by Chisa's effort put into meeting "scum" like him. Chisa announced to him and everyone else that they were "rotten oranges." After this, Chisa left to retrieved Chiaki Nanami and the Ultimate Imposter while she tasked everyone with cleaning their classroom.

    After returning to the classroom, Chisa was happy to see that everyone had waited and that the classroom was clean. When the students once again bring up that they aren't required to attend class so long as they have their talent, Chisa reminded them that talent isn't everything, and wanted them to build strong relationships and "hope" with each other. Nagito thought that to create "hope" together is a wonderful thing to do.

    Episode 02 - My Impurest Heart for You During Akane and Nekomaru Nidai's deadly training session in the class, Nagito sat at his desk and happily watched their fight. Unlike the others, he didn't take cover on the side of the class, showing no concern in getting hurt by the fight at all.

    Later, after they fixed up their class, Nagito and the others played games that Chiaki brought. Nagito, Kazuichi, Fuyuhiko, and Teruteru played a monopoly-like game together. When about to be defeated, Nagito rolled a lucky dice and won the game in an instant.

    During the break time, Nagito and his classmates ate Hiyoko and Teruteru's nikujaga. Unfortunately, the food contained aphrodisiacs that were secretly added by Hiyoko, which affected Nagito and the others greatly. However, even under the effect of aphrodisiacs, Nagito still only seemed to think about hope. He lost consciousness and recovered sometime later in the nurse's office.

    The next day, Nagito returned to class and listened to Chisa's announcement about Chiaki being elected as the class representative. Nagito agreed with it, saying that the class and it's light will never end as long as Chiaki was their rep.

    Episode 03 - A Farewell to All Futures At the beginning of the episode, Nagito and his classmates walked past Hajime heading toward the Main Course building.

    Later, he was shown in the school's park with his classmates, smiling at a bird who landed on his hand.

    Episode 04 - The Melancholy, Surprise, and Disappearance of Nagito Komaeda Watching his classmates being gloomy all day after the deaths of Natsumi Kuzuryu and Sato affecting their morale, Nagito felt he should do something about it. As the annual practical exam would start on the next day, Nagito visited Chisa in the staff room and asked her to cancel the exam, reasoning that his classmates wouldn't be at their best due to their current mood. Unfortunately, the exam couldn't be canceled as Nagito wished, but he had already prepared his own plan.

    First, Nagito gave Teruteru a photo book of the famous idol Sayaka Maizono for the location of the Ultimate Pharmacist Seiko Kimura, the upperclassmen who helped Teruteru invent his aphrodisiac soup.

    Nagito then visited Seiko at the chemistry lab, claiming to be constipated and asking for a laxative. However, as he reached for the bottle higher up in the storage room, he fell on the floor along with two bottles. He couldn't read the English labels and trusted his luck, picking the incorrect bottle labeled "Reanimator" meant for Seiko's classmate Ruruka Ando instead of the "Reactivator".

    Then, Nagito left an anonymous warning for the school that bad things would happen if the practical exams aren't canceled, and he hid a bomb inside the gym.

    A bit later, Nagito accidentally bumped into Seiko who was hurrying towards the gym. Nagito thanked her for the laxative, which made Seiko very happy. She left in a hurry and their similar looking bags were accidentally switched.

    Nagito prepared the drugs disguised as drinks, which seemed to be the first part of his plan, while the bomb seemed to be plan B if the former failed. Gundham Tanaka's missing dog drank one of the drinks and became gigantic, which made Nagito realize that it isn't a laxative. Unperturbed by the giant dog, Nagito decided to carry on with his plan and use the bomb switch, but then realized that he also has the wrong bag. The dog ran inside the gym while Nagito sat down, seemingly depressed because of his failure and the amount of bad luck. But he then smiled, saying that he must be truly lucky to experience such bad luck.

    Subsequently, the judges ended up eating Ruruka's pastries laced with laxative, and Seiko accidentally switched on the bomb along with Ruruka.

    Chisa found Nagito and spoke with him alone about what happened. Nagito explained his ideology, but Chisa told him that hope doesn't come from hurting others. When Nagito called himself trash once again, Chisa slapped him and then gently took his head between her hands, telling him that he's not trash, but her precious student who is going to graduate with everyone else. Chisa later defended Nagito against the principal and told his classmates that Nagito only wanted to help them and that they should give him a warm welcome when he returns.

    Because of the incident, Seiko, Ruruka and Sonosuke Izayoi ended up expelled, Nagito's teacher Koichi Kizakura was placed on probation and Chisa was transferred to the Reserve Course. Nagito was suspended indefinitely, but not expelled due to his great talent, and the practical exams were indeed postponed. It's also mentioned that miraculously there were no casualties in the explosion, which is another example of Nagito's luck.

    Episode 07 - The Biggest, Most Atrocious Incident in Hope's Peak Academy's History Nagito did not return to Hope's Peak for a year. At one point, he was on another plane which crashed, with Nagito the only survivor, leaving him alone on a deserted island paradise.

    Episode 08 - The Worst Reunion by Chance Nagito returned to Hope's Peak during the reserve course students' riot. Upon discovering that everyone was searching for Mikan, he tells them that he saw her outside as he came in. The whole class decided to look for Mikan, but Nagito stopped Peko on the way out, asking her for a favor.

    Nagito joined up with Chiaki during the search, finding a secret entrance under the founder's statue. Inside, they found Ryota Mitarai, soon joined by Junko. Identifying her as "absolute despair", Nagito threatened the Ultimate Fashionista with a gun, explaining his intent to kill her in order to make hope shine even brighter. He also revealed that he had asked Peko to keep an eye on Mukuro Ikusaba and to attack her if she did anything suspicious, thereby ensuring that the Ultimate Soldier would be unable to assist Junko during Nagito's assassination attempt.

    Despite Chiaki's pleas that killing was never justified, Nagito prepared to fire, only to be distracted by Izuru Kamukura. He promptly changed targets, but his gun jammed, allowing Izuru to take the gun from him and shoot him in turn. Nagito managed to sustain non-fatal damage due to having his student handbook in his shirt pocket. Despite the situation, he appeared attracted to Izuru, supposedly because he can sense his identity as the Ultimate Hope. Shortly afterward, Nagito lost consciousness in a worried Chiaki's arms, thereby missing the revelation that Izuru was actually the altered version of Hajime Hinata, Chiaki's friend from the Reserve Course.

    Episode 09 - Chisa Yukizome Doesn't Smile Nagito, still unconscious at the time, is saved by Chisa who throws a fire extinguisher and causes fog which obscures Junko's vision. Chisa then orders Chiaki to take Nagito and escape.

    Chiaki supports Nagito all the way from Junko's hideout to the school classroom where the rest of the class have regrouped, assuming that Nagito lied to them about Mikan's whereabouts. After Chiaki lays Nagito down propped up against the wall, she explains to the class that Chisa is in trouble and they all readily agree to help. Nagito tries to convince them otherwise by pointing out that it will be dangerous and there is a high chance of them dying. The class begins to consider these concerns but Chiaki's speech is still able to convince them otherwise. Nagito then admits he was simply testing them and that he wanted to see if they were all willing to be stepping stones for hope. Fuyuhiko is angered by his explanation being so roundabout. Nagito wishes to go with them, but upon attempting to stand, falls to the floor again. Chiaki tells him to 'Be strong', and Sonia commands Kazuichi to carry Nagito, which he agrees to instantly.

    Upon leaving the Main Course building, the class encounters the Reserve Course students who wish to fight them. Nekomaru and Gundham stay behind to fend them off and the rest continue on to Junko's lair.

    Upon reaching the stairway to Junko's hideout, they begin to descend, Kazuichi still carrying an unconscious Nagito on his back.

    Episode 10 - Smile at Despair in the Name of Hope After the class descends the stairway, Mikan eventually catches up with them.

    Mikan, now leading the group, approaches a large red door at the end of the corridor. Pressing a button which opens the door, the class follows her inside. The class murmur in confusion when they discover an empty trial room, and beginning to come to consciousness, Nagito warns them that it is a trap. Once inside, Junko reveals multiple monitors showing Chiaki Nanami's Punishment. The class and Nagito, horrified by what he is seeing, have no choice but to watch under the brainwashing videos' control.

    Once Chiaki reaches the "goal" in her execution, she opens the door. She sees Nagito, the rest of the class, and Chisa on the other side. Once she reaches for Chisa's hand, spikes are triggered from a floor trap that stabs Chiaki everywhere on her body. As the broadcast comes to a close, Nagito begins to blither, on how the video is full of despair, that the class must overcome this despair. He comments that Chiaki's death has made her a stepping stone for hope, while he proceeds to laugh uncontrollably. The class then fall silent, with a patterned swirl in their eyes, they have lost all hope and begin to become part of Ultimate Despair.

    Episode 11 - Goodbye, Hope's Peak Academy Nagito and the rest of Class 77-B students are back in their classroom, attending their final lesson before graduation. Chisa says that it has been an honor to be their teacher, and starts reading a letter she prepared. Nagito and the rest of the class clap with gratitude.

    After the speech, red lights turn on, and Chisa starts to cry. The patterned swirls return in their eyes as they all make a promise of what they will do after graduation. Nagito says he knows hope will win, so he has no problem falling into despair. After bidding her class a final farewell, Chisa activates a bomb that fakes the death of Class 77-B. Nagito and his class stand outside the school grounds as they watch Hope's Peak Academy's destruction.

    Nagito is later seen with Hajime and Chiaki inside the Neo World Program.

    During The Tragedy The members of Ultimate Despair committed multiple terrorist acts during the Tragedy, causing despair all over the world.

    After the death of Junko, the remnants of Despair harvested some of her body parts for themselves in order to make her survive within them or feel closer to her. Nagito cut off his left hand and attached hers in its' place. Though he claims he did it for the sake of stealing her power and his hatred for her, he also obsessed over her just like the others. When questioned by Izuru about it in chapter 0, he becomes agitated and conflicted.

    The remnants of Despair then agreed to an insane plan to have an AI Junko take over their bodies, so that they may resurrect their leader.

    Danganronpa Another Episode: Ultra Despair Girls Though he claims he'd come to Towa City in search of a safe place, it's highly probable that in reality, Nagito was one of the Ultimate Despair assigned to oversee the Captives before he met the Warriors of Hope. The kids seemed unaware of his true identity and planned to kill him, but decided to keep him alive as their slave after he pleaded for his life.

    The kids made him wear a collar and chain around his neck, called him just a Servant and overall treated him like he wasn't even a human. They find him annoying for talking too much and because of his habit to misunderstand orders. Despite this, he seems to have authority over the Monokuma Kids and he can give them orders.

    In truth, Nagito let himself be captured on purpose for the benefit of his own goals. He agreed to work with Monaca (who knows his true identity) despite their different goals and this agreement was kept a secret from the other kids. He is requested by Monaca to guide Komaru through their Demon's Hunting game and bring her to their secret stronghold, a building called Towa Hills. He makes a deal with Toko Fukawa and promises to release captured Byakuya Togami if she escorts Komaru safely to the stronghold.

    Prologue - The Warriors of Hope Komaru loses consciousness after a helicopter crash and is brought to the kids' airship, most likely by the Servant (Nagito). While she was unconscious, he took her Megaphone Hacking Gun, analyzed it and weakened it for the sake of "game balance". Two days later, she wakes up in a prison-like cell. Servant hands back her Hacking Gun, promises to give her upgrades later and tells her that she needs to go see the Warriors of Hope. He also warns her to keep the fact that he had returned the gun a secret if she doesn't wish to die.

    While Komaru talks with the kids, Servant suddenly appears behind her and snaps the Monokuma Bracelet onto her wrist, surprising her. He explains that if Komaru insists on removing the bracelet, it will explode. When Komaru almost mentions her gun by accident, Servant saves her by quickly changing the subject and imperceptibly reminding her of his warning. Masaru Daimon is angered by this and he threatens to glue Servant's mouth shut if he keeps on talking without permission. Servant only laughs a little and goes to stand a bit further away from others.

    After the kids drop Komaru off of the ship and start their Demon Hunting game, Servant is seen talking to himself and he tells Komaru to do her best while calling her common, dull and boring "Miss Protagonist".

    Chapter 1 - Crying for Love in Hell After Komaru falls down, she is found by Toko, right according to Servant's plan. The two start to search for a way out of the city, while in truth Toko is just trying to take her to the stronghold.

    Servant is not seen in the chapter, but he orders Monokuma Kids to give upgrades for Komaru's Hacking Gun in the form of presents.

    Chapter 2 - Legend of the Revolution The Servant is seen again as the Warriors of Hope finish mourning over Masaru's death. He made the Warriors of Hope milkshakes, but he made them incorrectly and even put lard in them as the Internet wasn't connected and he had no guidance in order to make them. The kids reject them in disgust and Nagisa, the new leader of the Warriors of Hope, orders him to drink the milkshakes himself. The Servant protests slightly at first but then obeys with laughter, commenting that he's "everyone's servant" and lives to serve.

    Chapter 3 - Cute Girl's Battlefield After Jataro Kemuri's death, the remaining Warriors of Hope speak with their advisor Kurokuma. The Servant arrives late to the scene after a long search of broiled sweet chestnuts for Kotoko Utsugi. However, they're unpeeled, which greatly annoys Kotoko. She gets angrier after Servant reminds her of her past as an actress and even threatens to kill him. Servant tries to calm her down with apologies and offers to peel the chestnuts himself, but she punishes him by throwing cakes at him and calling him a useless servant. Servant keeps on smiling and simply mentions that he prefers salty things to sweet ones.

    Later the Warriors of Hope drew on Servant's face by Monaca's request. This happens off-screen and is only mentioned in the art book.

    Chapter 4 - The Way We Live Servant and Monaca become suspicious of Nagisa's loyalty and he spies on him with the help of Monokuma Kids. One Monokuma Kid records and shows him a video of Nagisa removing Komaru's bracelet and helping her to escape the city. Servant hurries to stop them and arrives just in time. He tells Komaru not to cast aside "the game" midway and questions if she is truly okay with escaping as things are. When Nagisa scolds him, Servant turns intimidating towards him for the first time and claims that the Warriors of Hope care more about the game than their paradise and Nagisa knows this, but didn't do anything about it because of Monaca. He calls Nagisa a traitor and tells him to leave the rest to him. This causes Nagisa to rethink his betrayal and he runs away.

    Servant turns his attention back to Komaru and tells her that he is disappointed in her for planning to escape after all the preparations he made for her, especially since by doing so she would abandon a friend. He then corrects himself by stating that the one he should really blame is Toko and he asks why didn't she follow their plan. Komaru is confused and Toko refuses to speak, so the Servant explains to Komaru the deal between him and Toko. He also reveals his motivation behind the deal—his own will to have Komaru grow through the game and clear it. He reveals he's fixated on her because of her brother and he regrets not being present during Junko's defeat. He explains that a completely normal and talentless girl like Komaru can become Towa City's hope and obtain even greater hope that her brother since hope is born from the weak rising up from despair. He carries on his mad ramble and urges her not to give up, but she doesn't understand anything he's saying. Servant calms down for a moment and assumes that she doesn't understand because of his lack of enthusiasm. He then carries on rambling, saying that hope will always win in the end, which is why he can submit himself to despair with peace of mind.

    Servant asks the two girls what they plan to do now and as they start to cry and argue, he provokes Toko to catch Komaru for Byakuya's sake. The two ends up fighting, but Toko loses and collapses on the ground. Toko tells Komaru to escape, admits that she lost on purpose and expresses disgust to being Servant's yes-man. Servant then walks to Toko and gives her "a little help" by pouring pepper on her face. She sneezes and changes to Genocide Jack, but she attacks Servant instead of Komaru, and slashes both of his legs with her scissors. Surprised Servant collapses on the ground and calmly assumes that she attacked him because she doesn't share memories with Toko. Genocide Jack silences him and reveals her intention to kill him and set Komaru free. Servant assumes that her change of heart was caused by the girls' beautiful friendship, but finds it a bit strange of Genocide Jack since she is a serial killer. Genocide Jack is angered by this assumption and attempts to kill Servant, but Komaru stops her and assures that they are friends.

    Komaru decides to stay with Toko and Genocide Jack instead of leaving the city, which causes Genocide Jack to throw Servant against the ground in anger. He lies still and listens silently as the two girls talk, but then rises up to sit and states that the current outcome is alright because the city would lose hope if Komaru left. He does his best to ignore the pain on his legs and tells the girls that they have to defeat "the final boss" in order to save Byakuya. He reveals that he has a partner, but refuses to tell more about it since he's already "dropped out of the game". Still, he tells them to proceed onwards and reveals that the children's stronghold is a building called Towa Hills. He is pleased to see that Komaru's hope has grown and gives the two instructions on how to reach their destination.

    As the two girls leave, Servant waves them goodbye and laughs in excitement as he can feel that the city's despair will soon be swallowed by hope. Nagisa then arrives with his robot, but Servant isn't frightened and states that Nagisa really is a child for getting so angry.

    Nagisa takes Servant back to their base and angrily accuses him of deceiving The Warriors of Hope and trying to ruin their plans. He kicks him in the stomach as he tries to make him confess, but it only causes the older boy to laugh a little. Monaca arrives at the scene and reveals to Nagisa that Servant's doings were requested by her and that her true goal is to create "Junko Enoshima II". Monaca mentally wears Nagisa down and causes him to fall in despair as Servant and Kurokuma watch on the side. Kurokuma states that Monaca is as vulgar as always and Servant agrees with a sigh.

    Chapter 5 - Absolute Despair Girl Servant is now able to stand, his face is cleaned from the drawings and he has bandages covering his legs' wounds. As Monaca happily watches a video of the Big Bang Monokuma moving in the city, Servant arrives and tells her that he is about to leave and came to bid farewell. Monaca and Kurokuma are surprised by this, since "the show" has just begun. Servant says that he has a final report for his master and Kurokuma mocks him by asking if he realized he's a hard gay. Servant ignores him and explains that the Monokuma Kids told him there's an intruder in the city. Monaca and Kurokuma don't think it's important and keep on watching the video.

    Servant notes that Monaca is in an awfully good mood even though her plan seems to be failing. Monaca reveals that she has kept secrets even from Servant and refuses to tell more when he questions if it has something to do with Junko Enoshima II. Servant isn't truly interested in her secrets as he believes that hope will win no matter what. Monaca and Kurokuma make fun of his beliefs and call them contradictory. Servant disagrees and explains that the seeds of despair cannot be destroyed while they're buried, but they can be completely burned after they've flourished above the surface. However, he also states that contradictions don't matter to him anyway.

    Monaca is a bit confused and intrigued by the fact that Servant realizes he has fallen into despair, yet he claims even that is in the name of hope. She asks if it's because of Junko's influence or was he always like that, but Servant turns silent and doesn't give her an answer. He watches for a while as Monaca and Kurokuma speak and then turns to leave. Monaca tells Servant that she appreciates his efforts, but doesn't believe they'll ever meet again.

    Epilogue - The Changing World We Made It's revealed that the Servant changed his mind and decided to stay in the city for a while longer and see everything through to the end. He finds unconscious Monaca and helps her out of the rubble. He carries her on his back and she wakes up and asks why he saved her. Servant answers that they're the same, both disappointed in the ending with neither despair nor hope.

    Servant reveals that his main goal all along was to cause a war in order to have a magnificent hope born from it. Monaca wonders whose side he is really on, but he says it doesn't really matter and he tells Monaca that she could become the second Junko Enoshima. He agrees to cooperate with her as long as time will allow, as he still has other things to do. He tells her that he can raise her and make her even more real than the real thing, as he is the one who loves and hates Junko more than anyone else.

    In Danganronpa 3 - Future Arc, it is revealed that Nagito tried to mold Monaca into the next Junko Enoshima, but having to listen to his diatribes on hope and despair caused Monaca to grow tired of despair.

    Danganronpa 2: Goodbye Despair Chapter 0 - Heading to the School Trip Nagito and the other remnants of Despair are found by the Future Foundation. Makoto plans to undo Junko's influence by putting them into the Neo World Program.

    Inside a boat on the way to Jabberwock Island, Nagito talks with Izuru Kamukura, another member of the Ultimate Despair. However, Nagito doesn't know who Izuru is, having his memory of him wiped by Junko, and Izuru considers Nagito very boring.

    Izuru Kamukura possesses the AI version of Junko, which he plans to upload into the program so she can take over their bodies. Nagito seems unaware of this plan at first but then explains his desire to meet and destroy AI Junko, as he didn't have the chance to kill the real Junko. He then becomes increasingly confused about his feelings and thus his motives remain unclear.

    Prologue - Welcome to Dangan Island! Panic at the Heart-Throbbing School Trip!? Nagito was the first character of the second game that appeared. He was looking down on the protagonist, Hajime, who just regained his consciousness after he fainted from shock. He expresses worry towards Hajime and introduces himself.

    Nagito and the others find themselves on the tropical Jabberwock Island, not knowing that it's a virtual world and that they've lost their memories. Usami acts as their teacher and tells them that it's a school trip.

    Nagito acted polite and kind towards everyone, even willing to accompany Hajime as he introduced himself to the other students. He didn't look stressed at all, despite knowing that he and the others were somehow transported to a strange island, which leads Hajime to wonder if he has suffered a lot of trauma in his life. He displays some affection towards his fellow students when introducing them to Hajime.

    When Monokuma takes over Usami and explains the Mutual Killing Game, Nagito realizes that the Ultimates are truly trapped on the island.

    Chapter 1 - Destination Despair When Monokuma reveals that the Ultimates have lost their memories of their school lives, Nagito plans to start the killings in order to become a stepping stone for hope and allow for at least one of the Ultimates to escape the island, believing that the survivor would become the absolute hope.

    After the Ultimate Imposter became the group's leader, Nagito sends him a nameless warning letter saying that a murder will definitely happen soon. When the Ultimate Imposter suggests throwing a party, Nagito sets up a lot to determine the party duties, and through his "Ultimate Luck", ends up being the one assigned to clean the old lodge. He prepares a murder by hiding a glow in the dark knife but was eventually discovered by Teruteru, who had duties to prepare food for the party. In fact, Nagito lets himself be discovered on purpose and explains his plan to Teruteru as he tries to manipulate the Ultimate Cook into killing him.

    Nagito's plan was to trip the circuit breaker to cause a blackout. During this blackout, he used a lamp cord to lead himself to the table, under which he hid the knife covered in glowing paint. Just as he was about to grab the glowing knife, he was discovered by the Ultimate Imposter, who brought night vision goggles in preparation. The Ultimate Imposter rushed towards Nagito, pushed him out from under the table and retrieved the knife. This saved Nagito's life, but the Ultimate Imposter was then stabbed by Teruteru, who was hiding under the floorboards intending to kill Nagito with an iron skewer.

    Nagito then investigates the murder with Hajime, giving him lots of hints, but not revealing too much. He decides to be on Teruteru's side during the class trial, believing that he has the greater potential for hope. He acts suspicious on purpose and reveals his true colors as he tries to make the others think he's the murderer. In the end, everyone realizes that Nagito isn't the real culprit and they become suspicious of Teruteru. Realizing that Teruteru has reached the limits of his hope, Nagito stops defending him and the Ultimate Cook is executed.

    After the revelations during the trial, everyone is left distrustful of Nagito. He tells everyone that they're free to kill him and that he is even ready to cooperate with his killer.

    Chapter 2 - Sea and Punishment, Sin and Coconuts Later on, Nagito is visited by Kazuichi and Nekomaru, who plan to tie him up to avoid another incident happening again. Once again, Nagito starts to talk about hope and his wish to become a stepping stone, but he is silenced and struck unconscious by Kazuichi. He is left alone and tied up inside the old lodge.

    After information about this made its' way through the group, various students were assigned to provide him with meals (though Kazuichi and Nekomaru claim they were not going to let him starve.) Mahiru Koizumi went to deliver Nagito his meals and he asked her about Monokuma's new motive. She explains the Twilight Syndrome Murder Case and Nagito suggests she should play it. Nagito then requests to have toast, as he doesn't really like rice, which causes Mahiru to leave annoyed. Mahiru is tired with this chore and tells Hajime to bring Nagito the meal instead. Nagito is happy to see Hajime and asks if he's going to feed him since his own hands are tied up and it would've been embarrassing to ask a girl to do it. Nagito then asks about Mahiru and tries to convince Hajime to play Twilight Syndrome Murder Case, but Hajime doesn't want to be tricked by him again and leaves without feeding him.

    After Mahiru is murdered, Nagito is untied by Monomi, who naively trusts him as she thinks that everyone should cooperate and investigate together. He then goes to play Twilight Syndrome Murder Case to find clues. He meets with Hajime and Chiaki, but an angry Hajime tells both him and Monomi to go away. Nagito says he's a bit lonely, but he obeys and goes to investigate alone.

    Thanks to the game's true ending, Nagito knows the characters in the game were Mahiru, Hiyoko, Ibuki Mioda, Mikan, Sato, Fuyuhiko, and Natsumi. He goes to see the four of them and lies by telling them that they all have to come to the airport or else Monokuma will execute them. Fuyuhiko doesn't open his door, so Nagito leaves him be. He goes to wait outside Jabberwock Park for Hajime and Chiaki and explains that everyone is meeting at the airport by his request. After talking with the girls, Nagito leaves to investigate once again. With Monokuma's help, he goes inside everyone's cottages to take a sample of their footprints. He also notices lots of gummies inside Hiyoko's cottage and takes a bag with him, as it might be evidence.

    Nagito meets with Hajime and Chiaki again, after they finish investigating Mahiru's cottage. Nagito claims it's a coincidence, but Hajime isn't convinced and thinks he might be a stalker. Nagito says he only came to explain the results of his investigations and when Hajime asks about it, Nagito suddenly says that he will tell him more if Hajime bows to him and licks his shoes. Nagito says that it was just a joke and asks Hajime to come to the beach house if he wants to know more about the footprints. Chiaki leaves to see Fuyuhiko and Nagito notices that Hajime clearly wanted her to stay with him.

    At the beach house, everyone is shocked to see Nagito free. He thanks Kazuichi for going easy on him earlier and when Sonia Nevermind explains about the serial killer Sparkling Justice, he says that no good can come from getting involved with a serial killer, referencing his past experience with a one. Nagito was able to deduce the owner of the footprint left on the beach, Hiyoko Saionji.

    During the class trial, the culprit's trap was also foiled by Nagito, when he stated that the yellow gummy was deliberately abandoned by the culprit to frame Hiyoko. Hiyoko had never eaten yellow gummies, evidenced by the pack of gummies that Nagito found in Hiyoko's cottage. Because of this, Hajime, Nagito, and Chiaki are able to deduce that Peko Pekoyama killed Mahiru.

    During Peko's execution, Fuyuhiko runs to help her and gets wounded, too. At first, Nagito is angered and upset because a clash between two hopes ended with both destroyed. However, Fuyuhiko turns out to be alive, and now satisfied, Nagito concludes that Fuyuhiko was Peko's hope and Peko was Fuyuhiko's stepping stone.

    Chapter 3 - Trapped by the Ocean Scent The next morning, Nagito along with Gundham Tanaka arrives at the restaurant late, which breaks the cozy atmosphere. He attended Fuyuhiko's welcoming party held by Ibuki, though he wasn't fond of Ibuki's loud songs.

    Later, he, Ibuki, and Akane caught the "Despair Disease", the third motive. As a result, Nagito could only tell lies and caught a high fever. Presumably, due to his already ill state, he suffered from Despair Disease the most out of the three, quickly lost consciousness and was close at dying. Mikan kept nursing him and when he occasionally regained consciousness, he saw her eyes and realized that they were full of despair.

    Nagito fully regained consciousness around the time when the third murder occurred. He and the other patients were quickly cured by Monokuma so they could start investigating. During the investigation, Nagito was more motivated than usual and kept talking about how the case was special. He suspected that Mikan was the killer and gathered multiple clues. Nagito also invited Hajime to watch Monokuma's movie at the cinema and told him to keep the ticket safe.

    At the beginning of the class trial, Nagito proved Hajime's innocence with the ticket. He was able to deduce Mikan as the culprit and how she murdered Ibuki and Hiyoko. With the state she was in, he called Mikan "Ultimate Despair" and bitterly refused to forgive her because she killed for the sake of despair instead of hope. Mikan told him that he's wrong and claimed that she had killed for "her beloved". Somewhat mockingly, she said that Nagito doesn't understand because he doesn't have anyone to love and isn't accepted by anyone, leaving him at a loss for words.

    Chapter 4 - Do Ultimate Robots Dream of Clockwork? The next morning, Nagito thinks about the mysterious person who was Mikan's beloved. He also thinks that Hajime is possibly the traitor because his Ultimate talent is still unknown.

    After everyone is trapped in the fourth island's Fun House, Monokuma lets them starve until a murder happens. Nagito would even offer himself to be eaten to help the others escape (this is mentioned if Hajime speaks to him during free-time).

    After Nekomaru is murdered, Nagito becomes playable for the first time. In order to help with the investigation, he took it upon himself to go into the Final Dead room and play the life-threatening game. Using his incredible deduction skills and assisted by Monomi, he managed to clear all of the challenging puzzles scattered throughout the room and earn the right to play Russian Roulette to access the Octagon and the Ultimate Weapon inside it.

    With a large amount of faith in his ability as the Ultimate Lucky Student, Nagito loaded the revolver with five bullets instead of one, and pulled the trigger against his head, giving him a one in six chance of surviving. He managed to survive, thanks to his talent and was granted access into the Octagon.

    By completing the Final Dead Game, Nagito learned about the Fun House's structure and realized that the building itself is the Ultimate Weapon. Due to completing the Russian Roulette with such a high difficulty, he also got a special prize from Monokuma, the sequel to the first Future Foundation file they had obtained earlier after riding the roller coaster. It revealed absolutely everything - the truth of the students' identities as Ultimate Despair, their actions while at school and after, the truth about the virtual world they're in, Hajime's lack of talent and his new identity as Izuru Kamukura. Nagito purged the most revealing data and only left their school profiles.

    Knowing that he and everyone else are Ultimate Despair, Nagito quickly came up with a plan to kill everyone for the sake of hope. He began to plan his own suicide and brought a bomb and deadly poison with him from the Octagon. He seemed to believe that by destroying the Ultimate Despair, he would become Ultimate Hope and he might finally be appreciated, if only in death.

    Later, Nagito met with Hajime and Chiaki. He mocked Hajime about his lack of talent, but interestingly he also mentioned a little hint about his future plans when he compared the murders of Class 78th's Killing School Life and the Killing School Trip. He mentioned that the murders had similarities and Class 78th's fourth murder was a suicide, which could mean something.

    During the investigation, Nagito acted haughtily and easily irritated towards everyone else as well but didn't reveal his reasons for it. However, just before the class trial, he admitted to Hajime that he still cares about him. He also hinted at Hajime's identity as Izuru Kamukura by talking about a book in which the protagonist is revealed to be the killer in the end.

    The students were able to discover and vote for the correct culprit that murdered Nekomaru. The culprit was none other than the Ultimate Breeder Gundham Tanaka. The students received a lot of help from Nagito because he knew the "secret" of the Fun House, though he kept acting impatient, arrogant and much more uninterested in the trials than before.

    At night, after the trial, Nagito met with Monokuma and tried to get some information from the bear (concerning the student profiles and the "someone" Monokuma is waiting for on the island.) However, Monokuma refused to give a real answer.

    Chapter 5 - Smile at Hope in the Name of Despair With the knowledge he now possessed, Nagito came up with a plan to weed out the traitor among the group, as the traitor would be the only innocent one. The others noticed that his behavior became even stranger and more distant than before.

    Nagito set off an explosion in the hotel lobby, then threatened to blow up the rest of the island with bombs that he planted unless the traitor reveals themselves. However, this was just a bluff, as he only had one real bomb and the rest were just harmless fireworks he found from the army facility. As his deadline drew nearer, Nagito informed the group that the "explosives" were located in a place they have each been once, in an attempt to get them to split up. In a fit of rage, Akane almost strangled Nagito to death, but she was stopped by Chiaki.

    While the others were looking for the "bombs", Nagito prepared a very complex murder; he would trust his luck and make the traitor murder him by proxy, and make the murderer's identity unclear to everyone else as well - during the trial, his classmates wouldn't be able to reach a conclusion and be executed, while the traitor alone would be spared.

    To make it look like he was tortured by someone, (and to cause himself bad luck that would turn into good luck) Nagito tied himself up, covered his mouth with duct tape, stabbed through his own hand, cut his arms and thighs multiple times with an army knife, and impaled his stomach with a spear.

    By the time Fuyuhiko had discovered the bomb's location, Nagito's classmates had also found a laptop which had been prepared by Nagito. It had a video message instructing the traitor to come forward and scan their e-Handbook in order to disarm the bomb. The video message claimed that Nagito already figured out the traitor's identity, but this was a bluff. After a failed attempt by Chiaki, everyone found out the truth about the "bombs" and angrily went to the warehouse next door to confront Nagito, as the video instructed. When the group opened the door, it was dark and they could only hear very loud eerie music. Unknown to them, they tipped over Monokuma panels and a lighter prepared by Nagito, starting a fire. The group immediately took the fire grenades from the employee's lounge and attempted to douse the fire, not knowing that Nagito had planted vaporizing poison inside one of them. The poison reached Nagito on the far back of the building and killed him almost instantly. After the sprinklers kicked in and extinguished the flames, the group discovered Nagito's horribly tortured body. Just like he planned and thanks to his Ultimate Luck, the one who threw the poison at him and unknowingly murdered him was the traitor - Chiaki Nanami.

    During the investigation, Hajime and Chiaki found many clues and evidence inside Nagito's cottage, and it's later implied during the class trial that Nagito wanted to give his classmates a chance.

    During the Class Trial, the group was able to deduce that Nagito committed suicide, however, it was not as it seemed. After they understood more and more about the case, Hajime came to the conclusion that Nagito's goal was to create a mystery that could not be solved. In an attempt to save her friends, Chiaki revealed herself as the traitor and she was executed. After the events of the trial, Monokuma revealed that Nagito's true plan was to kill everyone except for Chiaki in an attempt to destroy the Ultimate Despair that he knew they all truly were.

    At the next day, Hajime and others found Nagito's last message on the laptop, in which he explained that he did what he did because he managed to learn the truth about "this world". He revealed the password to the ruins and explained that everyone can escape Monokuma with it. Believing that his actions will become the foundation of world's hope, he asked the others to praise him, tell others about him, respect him, erect a bronze statue of him and call him the Ultimate Hope.

    During the end of chapter 5, many "dead" characters appeared as the Neo World Program's glitches. However, Nagito was not among them.

    Chapter 6 - This is the End Goodbye Academy of Despair During the final class trial against AI Junko, Nagito briefly appears during "the game reset".

    Epilogue - The Day Before the Future At this point, Nagito is most likely in comatose, just like most of his classmates.

    Danganronpa 2.5: Nagito Komaeda and the World Vanquisher Illusory World Main article: Nagito Komaeda (Illusion)

    Real-life Nagito finally wakes up in the real world and Hajime helped him up, similarly to the way Nagito helped Hajime the first time they met inside the program. Nagito rejoined his classmates in friendly terms and is glad to see that real Kazuichi and Fuyuhiko are still alive. He also removes Junko's hand and it is replaced with a robotic one. In the end, he took Hajime's hand as they move aboard, deciding to go forward towards hope.

    Danganronpa 3: The End of Hope's Peak High School - Future Arc Episode 01 - Third Time's the Charm In a flashback, Nagito, as a member of Ultimate Despair, willingly surrendered himself to the Warriors of Hope as their "Servant", seen at the beginning of the episode.

    Episode 7 - Ultra Despair Girls The Servant was mentioned by Monaca, telling Komaru and Toko how he made her an "adult" because of his constant rambling about hope and despair, causing her to lose interest in despair and pretty much everything.

    Side - Hope: The Academy of Hope and Students of Despair It was revealed that Nagito, just like the other comatose students from Class 77-B, woke from his coma. He and the rest of his class were shown to have escaped Jabberwock Island and went to the Future Foundation branch where the Final Killing Game was held.

    Once there, Nagito's luck saved Makoto from a group of brainwashed Future Foundation members after he kicked a pebble that coincidentally caused a landslide that buried the Former Ultimate Elite Task Force.

    Later, Nagito rejoined the rest of Class 77-B to stop Ryota from spreading the brainwashing video. Shortly afterward, much to Nagito's delight, he met Makoto and expressed how lucky he was to have a talented underclassman like Makoto who shared his talent of luck. However, Nekomaru and Akane carried Nagito away before he could go overboard with his praise. It was explained that Class 77-B will carry the weight of being Ultimate Despair, take the blame for the Future Foundation killing game (even though none of them were the mastermind of the game), and seek atonement for the terrible things they did.

    Afterward, Nagito, together with Class 77-B, left the island by the ship. The class was shown eating Teruteru's cooking. Nagito called Hajime to join them, and they ate together with the rest of the class.

    While Class 77-B were leaving the island, Mikan took out a vial of a drug and explained that she found someone who used the drug to save themselves from the poison in their bracelet after violating their NG code, so she was able to revive them from a near-death state. Nagito took the vial from Mikan and immediately recognized the drug as Seiko's work. He praised Seiko for her talents and for being able to create hope even in the midst of a killing game.

    Relationships Family: Nagito's relationship with his family is unclear. It's mentioned that he didn't have any relatives besides his parents. He mentions that they took him to an amusement park and they went on a family vacation together, but also mentions off the cuff that his mother never complimented his appearance.

    When Nagito talks about his parents' deaths to Hajime, he is disturbingly optimistic and believes it was good luck since he inherited all of their fortune and became free to do whatever he wished. However, it's strongly implied that he just suppresses his feelings of sorrow as a way to cope, since tragedies are very common in his life. His parents died in an airplane and later in the Island Mode, he is seen to be very terrified by the mere idea of aircraft.

    As a child, Nagito was very close with the family's pet dog and he was deeply saddened by his death. Because of Nagito's bad luck, the dog was hit by a truck.

    Class 77-B: Hajime Hinata In Danganronpa 2, Hajime was the only person Nagito was genuinely interested in and cared for in any meaningful way.

    From the start, Nagito was particularly interested in Hajime and was the only one to stay with him after he lost consciousness at the beginning of the game. He also escorted Hajime while he introduced himself to the others. Nagito noticed that he and Hajime were similar somehow as if they were both bystanders in something that didn't concern them. Hajime also didn't feel like an Ultimate to Nagito and they were both fans of Hope's Peak Academy. Nagito suggested that Hajime's talent could be Ultimate Serenity because even Hajime's mere presence brought him serenity. Though sometimes annoyed by Nagito, Hajime also felt more relaxed around him. Prior to the chapter 1 trial, Hajime was the closest thing Nagito had to a friend.

    After revealing the part he played in the first case, Hajime felt betrayed and terrified by Nagito, whom he had previously trusted and thought to be a good friend. Nagito was genuinely hurt and surprised when Hajime started to dislike him, but he still kept trying to talk to Hajime and helped him with most investigations, as well as being very happy every time Hajime noticed him. During the Class Trials, he mostly observed Hajime, both challenging and aiding him. In Chapter 3, he specifically made sure that Hajime can prove his innocence and thus doesn't become a suspect. He remained fixated on Hajime even after he was revealed to be a talentless reserve course student and part of Ultimate Despair. While he liked Hajime for their similarities, he then appears to project some of the traits he hates about himself onto Hajime. Even though he acted harsh and bitter towards him, in the dialogue directly preceding the Chapter 4 trial he states that he still cares about Hajime, though he doesn't understand why. If Hajime tries to spend time with Nagito during Chapter 5 when Nagito is, unbeknownst to him, planning his own murder, Nagito suddenly doesn't appear to be hostile at the moment and with a smile he tells Hajime that he's happy he's asking someone like him, but he is busy at the moment. Somewhat wistfully, he tells Hajime not to worry about him and have fun spending time with the others. After his death, he mentions in his recording that he shouldn't have been so hard on Hajime. While denying it, Hajime in turn strongly wishes to understand Nagito. In Chapter 5, Hajime's understanding of Nagito is what thwarted his plan.

    It is revealed that Nagito's feelings for Hajime are romantic in nature. Several times throughout the story, it's shown that Nagito feels a genuine closeness to Hajime, such as when he claimed he doesn't like being around him and to hurry up and leave when under the influence of the despair disease which forced him to lie. He indicates that the reason he feels this way is because despite knowing what kind of person he is, Hajime still tried to understand him and spent time with him while no one else never did. This is confirmed in the official drama CD, in which Nagito tells Hajime: "I'll continue to do anything in my power to assist you. Because... I like you. I love you, for being willing to talk to me like this, even after knowing what a hopelessly incompetent person I am...".

    In his fifth Free Time Event, Nagito reveals a lot of personal things to Hajime, telling him about his terminal diseases and his biggest wish being to be loved for once before he dies. He falsely dismisses what he just said as lies, probably for the sake of Hajime's safety, since Hajime was about to forgive Nagito and he would've been in danger if they got too close due to the effects of Nagito's bad luck. The way that Japanese sentence structure works, of Nagito's last line in particular - starts off as the beginning of a confession, that he decides to rephrase at the last second into him being in love with Hajime's hope instead. Furthermore, his choice of word being “aishiteru” is notable, as it's an incredibly strong way of saying "love" that in real life Japan, even some married couples are hesitant to use.

    In Island Mode, Nagito really wants to entertain Hajime during their trips but is paranoid over his safety. He is also often quite nervous due to being inexperienced in many social situations, and supposedly because of his feelings towards Hajime (for example, he enjoys the quiet library with him, only to get very nervous after realizing that the two of them are alone). During his Shot Through The Heart sequence, he is terrified of the idea that Hajime might hate him. After a particularly good outing with Hajime, he refers to the hotel as their "love nest". He also states that he doesn't mind getting naked in case Hajime wants to see that. In the final event, he reveals that his way of thinking has slowly started to change thanks to the time he spent with Hajime. He seems to try confessing his feelings again but chooses to ask Hajime to be his friend instead, which the latter agrees to.

    In Nagito's character song, Poison -gekiyaku-, he mentions that he loves and wants to understand an ambiguous "him" more than anyone else.

    In Super Danganronpa 2.5, it's shown that Nagito's mind created an illusion world as a coping mechanism and he did not wake up from his coma. However, the world lacks counterparts for Hajime and Chiaki, most likely because his emotions concerning them were too powerful. Hajime sent the World Destroyer to erase his mental blocks and right after hearing the alter ego's voice, which is exactly like Hajime's, Nagito had flashbacks and remembered Hajime and his smile (along with Jabberwock Island and his death in the program). After waking up in the real world, Nagito rejoined Hajime in friendly terms. At first, he assumed he was Izuru, but then corrected himself by saying he must be Hajime. Hajime helped him up in the way that resembles their first meeting inside the program. Nagito says he believed in Hajime to wake him up and later he takes Hajime's hand as the class moves aboard, planning to go towards hope—this references Side: Hope and also seems to imply that he considers being with Hajime his hope.

    At the end of Danganronpa 3, after helping Makoto and others, Nagito and his classmates decide to go back and live in Jabberwock island. While everyone on the boat is eating, Nagito calls out to Hajime that the food is almost gone and to hurry up. Hajime smiles brightly and runs over to him, and the two of them eat side by side. Even though Hajime earlier explained that he is now both Hajime and Izuru, Nagito continues to call him Hajime.

    In an Otomedia poster, which was released after the anime, Nagito is seen giving Hajime a small bag of fortune cookies as a gift while they are on the ship, presumably after the anime's story. The pink hearts and the text mentioning eating cookies full of hope with "him" (using the Japanese word "kare" [彼] which means "him" or "boyfriend" depending on context), implies that it might be a romantic gesture. In the magazine's interview, Nagito is asked what autumn food reminds him of Hajime. He answers a "chestnut in its burr", comparing it to Hajime's hair, but after being told it's too normal of an answer, he goes on to explain that to properly eat one you have to go through a lot of work. He states that "Not being straightforward… it’s like Hinata-kun, right?". In turn, Hajime answers that Nagito reminds him of "the rice of a new crop" (referring to rice freshly harvested during the fall season) because of Nagito's hair's color. He also mentions that due to Nagito's "poor grip on reality", it's difficult to appoint him to a food with a distinct taste.[11]

    Nagito has also more or less jokingly compared Hajime to a tsundere character more than once due to his occasionally annoyed mood in his company. In Danganronpa 2, during his Free Time Events, he suggests Hajime's unknown talent could be "tsuntsun hair", referring to both his aloof personality and spiky hair. This was translated as "Ultimate Spiky Hair" in the localization, and while it's not incorrect, it loses the additional joke regarding Hajime's personality. Nagito laughs and clearly finds his joke very funny, but Hajime annoyedly answers that it isn't even a talent. Nagito later called him "tsuntsun hair" again in the Danganronpa 3 related magazine interview.

    In the non-canonical Danganronpa V3: Killing Harmony's bonus mode Ultimate Talent Development Plan/Nagito Komaeda, Nagito seemingly dislikes Hajime at first and acted harsh and occasionally condescending towards him due to him being a reserve course student. He assumed that Hajime spent time with the Ultimates only to suck up to them and feel better about himself. However, Nagito claimed he doesn't actually dislike Hajime, and appeared reluctantly interested in spending time with him. The two had a slight argument after Hajime came to play basketball with the Ultimates, which left Nagito silent in thought and he then decided to cheer for all the players even though he had ”complicated feelings” about it. Nagito's attitude slowly changes when he realizes that Hajime genuinely wants to spend time with him, though he cannot comprehend why anyone would want that. In three years, they become friends and Nagito tells Hajime about his luck and how it has affected his life. During their last Christmas in school, Nagito and Hajime talk alone while the other students are celebrating. Hajime reminds the other boy that the class will definitely keep in touch and see each other again, though Nagito thinks nobody would invite him. Hajime tells him that Chiaki would and he just has to accept her invitation. Nagito asks why Hajime cares about him and still hasn't lost interest in someone like him. Hajime explains that he still doesn't understand Nagito and he refuses to leave it like that. He formally asks Nagito to be his friend and the two shake hands, though Nagito seems to want to hold his hand longer. Nagito wonders if it's going to change anything, but Hajime tells him that maybe like this they could really change something and understand each other some day.

    Chisa Yukizome Chisa was Nagito's homeroom teacher in Hope's Peak Academy. He appears to like Chisa quite a bit, as he was surprised when she bothered to look for a "nobody" like him and cheerfully laughed while complimenting how wonderful teacher she is. He also kept laughing when Chisa called him "rotten orange", completely oblivious to the fact that it wasn't a compliment.

    Chisa truly cared for Nagito just as much as her other students, but completely disagreed with his way of thinking. Chisa hated how Nagito called himself trash and tried to change that, but Nagito firmly held onto his own personal beliefs. Nagito is surprised when Chisa shows genuine concern towards him, as people usually do not care about him.

    Even after Nagito causes a bombing that gets her into trouble, Chisa protects him by placing the blame on herself, which was why she was transferred to the Reserve Course and Nagito wasn't expelled. When the other students clearly don't like nor miss Nagito, Chisa tries to tell them that he's their classmate and that he did what he did for them.

    Chiaki Nanami Real-Life Version Chiaki was Nagito's classmate prior to the Tragedy. She was also his class's representative, and Nagito respected her, thinking she was their class's hope. Chiaki seemed to genuinely care about him, although she did not agree with his way of looking at things. Chiaki is the only one out of her classmates who greeted Nagito warmly when he comes back after being suspended for about a year.

    Later, Nagito inadvertently puts Chiaki's life in danger when he shows her a secret entrance to a room underground, where Junko, Izuru, and Ryota Mitarai were hiding. Chiaki tries to stop Nagito from killing Junko, Nagito ignores her but is ultimately shot by Izuru first. Chiaki holds him in a protective manner while he is unconscious.

    When forced to watch Chiaki be executed by Junko, Nagito had quite a rare reaction as he cried over her death and thought it was horrible. However, he then began to laugh madly while simultaneously crying, viewing her as a stepping stone for their hope upon her death.

    Interestingly, in Danganronpa 2.5, neither Chiaki nor Hajime have counterparts in Nagito's imaginary world. Since Chiaki's death was a major reason behind the class' despair, it is possible that his emotions concerning her were too powerful and the program blocked the memory of her.

    In the Ultimate Talent Development Plan, Chiaki is described as a person who would always invite Nagito to the group activities, with even Nagito understanding this despite his constant self-deprecation. When the graduation gets closer, Chiaki shows consideration towards him as she sees him alone in the corner and goes to ask him if he's having fun. Nagito claims that of course, he's having fun and then talks about everyone's hopes, with Chiaki saying that's fine, though her face appears a bit sad and disappointed seemingly because of him still talking like that. Chiaki admits that she still doesn't really understand him after all the years together, but she says that she knows hope is really important to him. Nagito explains to her that everyone wants hope, not just him, but he just thinks about it more than others. Nagito admits that he's a bit disappointed that nothing big happened to make hope stronger, but Chiaki thinks it's a good thing and that everyone can spend time together happily in the future.

    AI Version Nagito does not seem to notice Chiaki that much at first, noting that she's a quiet girl who mostly plays video games and stares into space. However, he later appears to have genuine respect for her deduction skills. In the Funhouse, he asks her to investigate with him and is worried when she leaves the group without anyone noticing.

    Though Nagito is unaware of it, Chiaki cared about him and she was also the traitor he tried to save in the end, though this failed.

    Ultimate Imposter Nagito respected Ultimate Imposter and their leadership skills when they were impersonating Byakuya Togami. However, because of this, he involved him in his plan. The plan was originally meant to lead to Nagito's own death, but Ultimate Imposter died instead, saving Nagito's life. While Nagito did not feel remorse for what happened, he was genuinely impressed and said he even began to have a small will to live after the Imposter's actions.

    Mikan Tsumiki At first, Nagito worries about Mikan, as he scolds Hajime after thinking he bullied her and asks if she's okay after having one of her many exaggerated falls. He is also very humbled during the first trial when he mistakenly assumed that Mikan complimented his appearance when she pointed out that there wasn't any blood on him.

    After Nagito caught the Despair Disease, Mikan took care of him along with the others. However, she also caught the disease, and despite his terrible condition, he noticed that she had fallen into despair. Because of this, and the murders she committed for the sake of despair, Nagito lost all respect for her and considered her an enemy, worthy of the name "Ultimate Despair". Unlike the others, he wasn't fooled by her actions during the trial and he bitterly refused to forgive her.

    However, Mikan told Nagito that he's wrong and claimed that she had killed for "her beloved". Somewhat mockingly, she said that Nagito doesn't understand because he doesn't have anyone to love and isn't accepted by anyone, leaving him at a loss for words.

    Later though, after Nagito and Mikan awaken from their comatose state, he doesn't seem to hold any more hatred towards her. This probably means that Nagito's original relationship with Mikan, which was mostly him not paying attention to her, although thinking her talent is amazing, has returned.

    Kazuichi Soda After trial one, Kazuichi finds Nagito to be a nutcase and is afraid of him. He and Nekomaru are the ones who tie up Nagito and Kazuichi is the one who punches him unconscious. When this happens, and everyone asks where Nagito is, Kazuichi seems extremely suspicious and he's almost immediately blamed for the murder. Later, after Kazuichi loses his trust in Hajime, he is even willing to go with Nagito to investigate instead of him.

    After the events leading to Nagito's knowledge of the classes' true identity as Ultimate Despair, Nagito appears to be annoyed by Kazuichi's slow-wittedness and shows this openly after losing respect for the other students.

    In Danganronpa 3, during their school years, Kazuichi claims that bad things happen to him whenever Nagito is around. For example, he loses a video game and gets hit by a truck. Kazuichi dislikes Nagito because of this, though the other boy is seemingly oblivious about it. Considering how Nagito's luck cycle works, this could imply that he wishes to be friends with Kazuichi.

    In Super Danganronpa 2.5, Nagito indeed imagines Kazuichi as one of his closest friends while being inside his imaginary world, along with Fuyuhiko. The two seem to be on better terms with each other even after Nagito awakens from his coma into the real world, as Kazuichi and Fuyuhiko wait for him to greet him before boarding the boat and overall appear friendlier with him, with Kazuichi teasing him by asking him if he was dreaming about pretty girls. Though, Nagito then hugs the two, making them uncomfortable.

    Fuyuhiko Kuzuryu During the killing school trip, Fuyuhiko disliked Nagito due to his potentially dangerous behavior and strange way of speaking, and would often cooperate in plans to see Nagito restrained, such as when Nagito had threatened to blow up Jabberwock Island.

    However, Fuyuhiko was also shown to be very worried of Nagito when he almost died from the Despair Disease. At one point, when he was still being a loner, Fuyuhiko even defended Nagito after he was tied up and wasn't present, accusing the other students of being messed up sheeps who turn against their "buddies" immediately if they don't like them (seemingly because this behavior reminded Fuyuhiko of the way people treat him).

    In Super Danganronpa 2.5, Nagito imagines Fuyuhiko as one of his closest friends while being inside his imaginary world, who understands that him being an occasional "creep" is just the way he is. The two seem to be on better terms with each other even after Nagito awakens from his coma into the real world, as Fuyuhiko and Kazuichi wait for him to greet him before boarding the boat and overall appear friendlier with him. Though, Nagito then hugs the two, making them uncomfortable.

    Teruteru Hanamura While Nagito tries to be respectful towards the Ultimates, it's quite clear that he dislikes Teruteru. In the beginning of the school trip, he protects the girls from him and tells him to stop when he is acting perverted, appearing annoyed and uncomfortable. He also mentions that he'll keep an eye on Teruteru because of this.

    In the first chapter, Nagito used his time in the Hotel's Old Building to set up a murder scenario for Teruteru. During the resulting first trial, Nagito helped Teruteru, briefly believing that he might have the strongest hope between the two sides. However, after this turned out to be false, he abandoned Teruteru and told him to give up.

    In Danganronpa 3, during their time at Hope's Peak, Teruteru is shown to be very grateful when Nagito gave him a magazine with Sayaka Maizono on the cover. Despite this, it's later shown that Teruteru does not miss him when he is gone, just like the other students. Later, when Nagito is unconscious, Teruteru offers to carry him, stating that he's still within his strike zone (supposedly referring to the fact that he finds him attractive looking while his personality isn't that attractive).

    During the ending credits, when the class is on the beach, Teruteru is covered in octopuses and tries to offer one to Nagito, who appears to politely decline.

    Sonia Nevermind During the beginning of the Killing School Trip, Nagito was always the one who protected Sonia from Teruteru's sexual harassment. He was flattered when she drew a picture of him for his door while they were in the Funhouse.

    Gundham Tanaka Gundham appears strange even for Nagito, as even he is confused by the other's eccentric behavior. During the Despair Disease, Gundham states that he would not mind if Nagito died, but it should be noted that he also appears to be one of the few characters who understands that Nagito has grey morale instead of black and white.

    Class 76th: Seiko Kimura Nagito learns about Seiko from Teruteru and asks a laxative from her, to use in his secret plan to stop the practical exams. He is shown to be polite and friendly with her, and she is extremely happy after learning that she was useful for him.

    Unintentionally, Nagito causes Seiko to be expelled from Hope's Peak Academy. In a magazine interview, he states that because of this her talent must not have been so great after all.

    However, years later, Nagito changes his mind about her after recognizing her medicine that saved Kyoko Kirigiri's life. He respects Seiko, as she was able to create hope during a killing game, even after she had died.

    Class 78th: Junko Enoshima Prior to the Tragedy and during his suspension, Nagito learned about Junko’s plan to throw the world into despair. Wanting to test her to see if she was worthy of becoming a stepping stone for hope, Nagito devised a plan to kill her before she could spread despair. He is shown to have a sort of one-sided rivalry with Junko, as she has no interest in him and considers him just as unimportant as the rest of his class.

    Upon being brainwashed into becoming an Ultimate Despair, Nagito developed strange, conflicting feelings of both love and hatred for Junko and saw her as his sworn enemy. This was most likely a result of both Junko's brainwashing and Nagito's own belief that hope cannot exist without despair. In Danganronpa Another Episode, Nagito describes Junko as someone he really hates, but in the end, he reveals to Monaca Towa that he both loves and hates her, and he implies that he knew her very well, or at least thinks he did. Considering his very bizarre feelings about her, it's possible that he is just fabricating and doesn't know her that well at all.

    After Junko was executed, Nagito cut off his left hand and put hers in its' place. He believes he did it because of his hatred towards her and to steal some essence of her power, but it's strongly implied that he, just like the other members, obsessed over her. While talking with Izuru, he became increasingly agitated and conflicted about why he did it. When talking about AI Junko with him, Nagito appeared very excited to see her again so he may finally kill her, since he had both tried and failed to kill the real Junko.

    After he awakened from his coma and his brainwashing was removed, he presumably retained his original hatred towards her and cut off her hand.

    Makoto Naegi Nagito idolizes Makoto due to him being the Ultimate Hope, calling him a "hero" and "the symbol of hope" in Another Episode.

    It is possible that Makoto defeating Junko has affected Nagito's way of thinking, as in Another Episode he appears to have more belief in talentless people and he also respects Makoto's talent as the Ultimate Lucky Student, despite appearing condescending towards his own talent which is the same.

    When the two meet outside the Future Foundation headquarters, Nagito gushes to Makoto about how wonderful he is and even says that Makoto's luck might be greater than his own. He takes Makoto's hand and looks at him intently, but he is quickly carried away by Nekomaru and Akane. He tells Makoto that hopefully, they'll meet again. In the English dub, he marvels how soft Makoto's hands were, especially when compared to his own sticky hands.

    In Danganronpa 2.5, it's shown that Nagito apparently imagines Makoto as a cool, smooth guy who is very popular with girls, though this is obviously very different from reality.

    As a character, Nagito is a darker parallel to Makoto and was originally supposed to look even more like him.

    In the bonus mode, Ultimate Talent Development Plan, Makoto mentions that he feels inferior when compared to him, due to his more powerful luck.

    Toko Fukawa/Genocide Jack Using Byakuya as a hostage, the Servant orders Toko and Genocide Jack to assist Komaru on her journey. Toko strongly dislikes him, calling him a crazy idiot. She says that his speeches make her skin crawl and the word "hope" sounds disgusting when he says it. He simply states that it's an understandable reaction.

    Both Toko and Genocide Jack find the Servant an attractive looking "pretty boy", but really dislike his personality. Since Genocide Jack kills men she is attracted to, she appears a bit confused by him, stating that part of her wants to kill him while part of her doesn't.

    The Servant later understands that Toko and Genocide Jack have become friends with Komaru, even though Genocide Jack fiercely denies it at first. He states that he truly thinks their friendship is a splendid thing, though he finds it a bit strange because Genocide Jack is a serial killer. He also appears genuinely happy for the two while silently watching them from the side.

    It's stated that the Servant is aware of Toko's personality type and he also knows that sneezing causes her to switch personalities, supposedly because he has watched the footage of Killing School Life.

    Ultimate Despair: When Ultimate Despair was formed, Nagito joined because he wanted to witness despair rise and fall to hope. The members were brainwashed and fell madly in love with Junko, but Nagito's case was different. He developed strange, conflicting feelings of both love and hatred for Junko and saw her as his sworn enemy. Ironically, Nagito seems to be the most sane out of the brainwashed ones, as he is more aware of what they're doing and has the aforementioned hatred for Junko.

    Monaca Towa When Nagito was captured by the Warriors of Hope and became their Servant, Monaca seemed to be the only one aware of his true identity. Secretly, they became allies despite their different goals, and the Servant aided Monaca with her own goals. However, Monaca didn't share all of her information with him, as she didn't trust him completely.

    Monaca was amused by the Servant's strange behavior and contradicting beliefs and appeared to be somewhat annoyed with him at the times, as she once ordered the other Warriors of Hope to draw on his face. Even she was confused by his motives at times, not being sure which side he is on. She also found his strange, conflicting views on Junko disgusting. However, the two appeared to at least seemingly respect each other in some way, as they treated each other somewhat formally as allies.

    The Servant planned on leaving and Monaca let him, believing that they will never see each other again. However, after Monaca was trapped under rubble, he appeared again and rescued her because he was disappointed with the situation's outcome and the neutral ending. He told her to become Junko's successor and that he could raise her to become more like her than even she herself was. Monaca seemed to agree with this goal, but the Servant's constant rambling about hope and despair made Monaca bored and feel embarrassed about the whole thing. She claims he made her an adult in a way, as she grew up in the mental sense and became more cynical and apathetic, not really caring about anything.

    In the end, Monaca found Nagito creepy and annoying, but she also appeared to get closer to him during their time together—while originally calling him just "Mister Servant", she later refers to him as "Big Bro" in Danganronpa 3. It's unclear how Nagito felt about her in the end.

    Izuru Kamukura Despite getting shot by him, Nagito is almost immediately attracted to Izuru, supposedly because he can sense his identity as the Ultimate Hope. Kodaka has even described the scene as similar to a beautiful, elegant dance.[12]

    The ending song for Danganronpa 3 - Despair Arc, performed by Megumi Ogata as Nagito, is about "the birth of absolute hope" and Nagito meeting someone "he was born to meet" in the middle of the night at the school's campus. The song has sexual implications, especially in the Japanese wording, which is confirmed by Ogata.

    When they meet again on a boat towards Jabberwock Island, they do not recognize each other, due to Izuru having Junko erase all of the class's memories of him. Nagito is very excited to talk to Izuru and he's happy when he responds, considering him "amazing". However, Izuru treats him coldly and considers him very boring. Nagito thought that they got along quite well and looked forward to meeting Izuru again, despite appearing slightly hurt by his coldness.

    Both joined Ultimate Despair for the same reason: to see the ultimate battle between hope and despair.

    Interestingly, in Super Danganronpa 2.5, the World Destroyer whose personality appears to be heavily based on Izuru is seen smiling lightly while talking to Nagito about hope.

    Future Foundation Members: Usami/Monomi Like the other students, Nagito is annoyed by Usami. When Usami gives the students Usami Straps in the beginning of the school trip, Nagito is at first silent and continues smiling despite seeming clearly annoyed by the silly objects.

    In the Final Dead Room, he is mostly annoyed by her and asks her not to get in his way, though he will also ask her what's wrong when she cries. Monomi is one of few who cares about Nagito, and believes in his good side. She tries to tell him this, but he ignores her, likely not considering her a person since she is seemingly a slow-witted plush toy.

    Others: Komaru Naegi To further Monaca's goal as well as his own, the Servant assists Komaru in order to make her develop into a hero (with him wanting her to become a symbol of hope, while Monaca wants her to fall into despair). He meets her after she survived a helicopter crash and gives her back the Hacking Gun she lost. However, for the sake of "game balance", he made the weapon considerably weaker so she can upgrade it later. He also saved her by distracting the Warriors of Hope after she accidentally mentioned possessing the gun. Afterwards, he orders the Monokuma Kids to give her items and transform her environment to resemble a real game, so she can slowly develop her weaker character into a stronger one. Using Byakuya as a hostage, he also makes Toko and Genocide Jack guide her towards the right direction.

    The Servant can act somewhat condescending towards Komaru due to her being a boring and ordinary girl, though sometimes unintentionally. He tells her there's no need to be depressed about it because the world is filled with people like her and she can empathize with them. He truly believes in Komaru's potential and has high hopes for the Ultimate Hope's sister, believing that someone as weak as her rising up would create a great amount of hope and she could even become the hope for the whole city. Komaru is at first confused by the Servant and later appears a bit afraid of him after realizing how insane he is, not understanding his talk about hope at all.

    Later, the Servant is a bit annoyed and disappointed when Komaru is about to leave the city and her friend Toko behind instead of "playing her role". After Komaru refuses to leave Toko and Toko appears unwilling to fight her, the Servant tries to have Genocide Jack take action instead. However, she turns against him and wishes to help Komaru. He quickly concludes that it must be friendship, genuinely considering it a beautiful thing, though finding it strange because Genocide Jack is a serial killer. Komaru protects the Servant from Genocide Jack and decides to stay with her and Toko. While watching the two girls' talking from the side, the Servant smiles and appears genuinely happy for them. He is also very proud of Komaru after hearing her talk in a much more positive and confident way, marveling how much wider her world has grown. Though the girls trust him very little, the Servant tells them he will support them until the very end.

    Kurokuma Kurokuma dislikes the Servant, considering him unimportant in his and Monaca's plans. He also thinks his views on hope are "fucking stupid" and very contradictory. He enjoys when something bad happens to him, like when he's being punished by the Warriors of Hope. He also mocks him by comparing him to the Japanese comedian known as Hard Gay.

    While he has a very calm personality, even the Servant seems a bit annoyed by Kurokuma and sometimes chooses to ignore him.

    Free Time Events & Bonus Mode Guides The links below are full transcripts and in-depth guides for Nagito Komaeda's relationship routes in Free Time Events, Island Mode, Ultimate Talent Development Plan, and Danganronpa S Development Mode including his MonoMono Machine Present preferences and most effective dialogue options.

    Free Time Events Island Mode Ultimate Talent Development Plan Danganronpa S Development Mode Quotes DRAE DR2 Extra DR3 Danganronpa Another Episode: Ultra Despair Girls (English)

    Prologue:

    "I had heard this town would be safe, so I came here to seek refuge. But then, the riots... And on top of that, I get captured by them. I've seriously got no luck at all. But because I pleaded for my life, they allowed me to live...as their servant." "Either you truly are completely exhausted, or you're simply afraid to wake up and face reality." "You were asleep for a full two days. More than enough time for the world to change completely. Even our world can change just that quickly. Like a watercolor painting caught in the rain." "Consider it "game balance," as they say. You've thought about it before, I'm sure. Why enemies conveniently drop items, why the path you must travel on to advance is always clear... The game began as a way for the children to have fun, but it was also a game to help you grow." "Ahah, you honestly...don't have a single unique characteristic. Well, no need to be depressed about it. This world is filled with unremarkable people. And the only one capable of empathizing with common, boring people... is a common, boring person like yourself." "Do your best, Miss Protagonist... With your lack of distinct characteristics. So common, so dull, so boring..." Chapter 4:

    "Komaru Naegi... Though you are "normal," not an Ultimate, or even a part of Future Foundation... I really do think quite poorly of the idea that you would abandon your friend and run off alone. Are you really going to just run away like this? Is your conscience clear?" "Her brother, a hero, the Symbol of Hope. The little sister, utterly boring by comparison... If someone like you were to stand against despair...that would bring hope to the people." "That's right... People who are not needed in this scene should go and make their exit." "Hope is exclusively found on the side of the weak. The losing side. People are touched by underdog stories. Slaying Goliath, the weaker team winning a game... The majority of society is made up of the weak and untalented. They are inspired by such tales. If my assumptions are correct... You will release a light even brighter than his." "No matter how big the despair... Hope will always win in the end. That is why I feel no remorse becoming despair myself." "Why was I so particular about choosing you? Well, that is all your brother's fault, of course. He defeated Junko Enoshima, the one I truly hate... And I wasn't there to witness it. That's why, this time around... I wanted to see the action up close." "To travel the harsher path for the sake of protecting your friend... Such beautiful friendship..." "Please! Save this town from despair! Show me your dazzling light of hope to crush despair!" "No matter what kind of despair awaits you, hope will overcome it. The deeper and darker the despair... the brighter and more powerful the hope born from it." "In order to get rid of all the despair, you first must let it flourish. Wait until the despair has grown to its largest size, and then burn it, all the way to the roots. And after that, only hope will remain. That is the world I seek." Creation and development From the start, Nagito was planned to be the main character's foil. His original design was based around the image of a shinigami (死神, "death god" or "death spirit"), the personification of death in Japanese culture.

    Unlike Byakuya Togami from the first Danganronpa game, he was to be "an absolute rival", e.g. a relationship similar to the Joker in "Batman".

    Nagito Komaeda Kazutaka Kodaka, the writer of the Danganronpa series, describes the current Nagito as "a strong rival". The creators didn't want to make him just an enemy, as he would've just been feared as the mastermind. However, they believed that a strong rival couldn't just be the mastermind's underling, either. With these thoughts in mind, Nagito was developed into a warped person displaying themes such as "the fear of someone you can’t empathize with/someone that can’t empathize", "contradictions" and "inversed hope". According to Kodaka, "It requires courage to draw a character holding contradictions, yet once I got over that I actually enjoyed making the portrayal".

    The other ideas behind Nagito's character were "a dark hero", "a Makoto who took a step down the wrong path" and "a hope too extreme will become despair". Kodaka states that Nagito and Makoto are both the exact opposites of each other yet still extremely alike. He explains that Nagito exists because he wanted to convey such a theme in a vivid manner. "The matter of both resembling in looks may also be an inevitability, if you conform under the idea that outward appearance would grow closer the more the ideology would match".

    According to the character designer, Rui Komatsuzaki, Nagito's excessive self-consciousness are remains from the initial design. Moreover, the jagged cuffs of his jacket hold origin from the tail-section of the devil-shaped parka of his fourth draft design. Nagito holds a lot of complicated nuances to his expressions and Rui repeatedly did adjustments while getting inspired by the performance of Nagito's voice actress Megumi Ogata. According to Rui, this increased Nagito's exceptional charm. "I especially like the portion of his hair that along with facing upwards would grow bland and quiver like a flame", he adds.

    The Servant At first, Nagito wasn't planned to have a proper appearance in Danganronpa Another Episode. Furthermore, he wasn't going to be named "Servant", but this was decided for the promo announcement.

    Nagito was named simply just "Servant" because the Warriors of Hope didn't want to give him an identity due to him only being a servant. The impression of his aloof appearance was not changed, but his way of thinking was changed slightly when compared to the second game. He was given strange clothes in a sense that they would be recognizable from origin, and in chronological order would lead up and unite to the current image. The jacket was to be pictured as plain clothes, but the collar given by the children gives the design a "servant" nature.

    Rui and Kodaka went through various designs (such as a school uniform suit and casual vest), as their likings contradicted each other and made it difficult to decide. Rui believes that the final design was the right choice for both of their preferences.

    Name "Nagito" (凪斗) as a name means "Calm Below the Dipper", as in the big dipper constellation, while “Komaeda” (狛枝) translates as "Lion-Dog Tree Branches". Lion-Dogs are statues that protect and guard shrines in Shintoism. The kanji used are rather old and classical, which may allude to an old family line or an upper-class background (of which Nagito does have).

    Merchandise The link below lists all official licensed merchandise featuring Nagito Komaeda:

    Main: Nagito Komaeda Merchandise Trivia It was revealed that Nagito Komaeda is an anagram of "Naegi Makoto da" which means "I'm Makoto Naegi" in Japanese. According to Kodaka and Yoshinori Terasawa, the anagram was made as a hook to Danganronpa 1 fans due to the lack of promotion materials pre-release of the original version of Danganronpa 2 in 2012[13]. Kodaka wanted the fans to speculate that somehow Makoto and Nagito are connected in a way, and even cast the Japanese voice actress of Makoto, Megumi Ogata, to elaborate that idea even further[14]. Nagito is born on the 28th day of the fourth month. In Japan, 4 is considered very unlucky because one of its pronunciations (shi) is similar to how you would pronounce "death." In China, 8 is a very lucky number because it is pronounced similarly to the word "fortune" (ba or fa). The word is also phonetically similar to the word for a "hundred" (bai), alluding to greater wealth, and the laid down 8 is a symbol of infinity. 28 equates to "double luck", meaning that his birth month represents bad luck while his birthday represents the double luck which cancels the aforementioned misfortune. Nagito's Free-Time Events reveal that he was diagnosed with stage 3 malignant lymphoma and frontotemporal lobe dementia. While it is left ambiguous in the game, his illnesses and backstory are confirmed in the side materials as well as in his school profile in Danganronpa 3. He appears to suffer from behavioral variant frontotemporal dementia (bvFTD), which symptoms may include changes in social and personal behavior, loss of insight into the behaviors of oneself and others, inappropriate social behavior, poor impulse control and judgement, apathy, loss of empathy, mental rigidity, repetitive compulsive behavior, a decline in self-care and personal hygiene, changes in food preferences, delusions, euphoria and lack of awareness of any thinking or behavior changes. Needless to say, this explains a good deal of Nagito's unethical behavior and emotional instability. Other indications of his sickly state include his complexion, hair color, and breathy voice. In Island Mode, it's mentioned that he has poor stamina, very sensitive skin and he seems to dislike running. His character profiling describes his "pallid skin of the diseased" as well as his hair color, which "doesn't look like it belongs on a living person". The Despair Disease had a much worse effect on Nagito than anyone else and almost killed him, presumably because he was already very ill. Izuru Kamukura mentions that Nagito has a scent of someone who is "already finished", referring to the fact that he should already be dead, but his luck is keeping him alive. Nagito is shown to be attracted to characters of the same gender. In Nagito's fifth Free Time Event in Danganronpa 2: Goodbye Despair with Hajime, he ends his event with the line: "From the bottom of my heart... I am truly in love with the hope that sleeps inside you." In the original Japanese version of this line, Nagito using the unambiguous and very strong romantic word "aishiteiru" (愛している).[15] In Nagito's character song from Danganronpa Another Episode, Poison -劇薬- (lit. Poison -deadly drug-), Nagito sings in English about loving an ambiguous "him": "I love and want to understand him more than anyone else, more, more than anyone else." In the Danganronpa Another Story (Crimson Version) drama CD, in a conversation between Nagito and Hajime, Nagito tells him: "I won't give up. I'll continue to do anything in my power to assist you. Because... I like you. I love you, for being willing to talk to me like this, even after knowing what a hopelessly incompetent person I am."[16][17] However, the drama CDs are not considered canonical. Although Danganronpa 2s Island Mode is also not considered canonical, Nagito flirts with Hajime in several instances: If Hajime takes Nagito on a successful date, Nagito tells him: "For some reason... it scares me to think that I'm having fun without experiencing any bad luck. I mean, I feel so lucky right now that it wouldn't surprise me if one or two people I knew had died! But I should stop thinking about such dangerous things and get ready to go home to our love nest!" This line is the same in the Japanese version, where he calls it "ボクたちの愛の巣へ" (bokutachi no ai no su e lit. our nest of love) If Hajime selects "let's take off our clothes" on a Beach date, Nagito comments: "Does that mean... you want to go in the ocean with me? I think that's a bad idea. There are lots of ways that could be dangerous. But I don't mind if you just want to see me naked." He really likes go stones, because the black (dark) and white (light) stones remind him of the battle between hope and despair.[10] In Danganronpa 3 - Despair Arc's Episode 4, two go stone jars can be seen inside his bag, along with the bomb switch and Dr. Hopper cans. Interestingly, the events of self-harming leading up to Nagito's suicide in Chapter 5 mirrors certain details of the deaths in the first game; Sayaka Maizono was stabbed, Chihiro Fujisaki was tied up, Sakura Ogami was poisoned in a locked room setting, and Mukuro Ikusaba was speared. In Island Mode, Nagito expresses intense fear towards fighter jets and it's strongly implied that he may suffer from the fear of flying because of his past trauma. While he is generally paranoid about many things, he appears to be extremely paranoid and afraid of plane crashes as just thinking or talking about it makes him very anxious. The idea of people being trapped inside, with no way to escape and just waiting to crash, terrifies him a lot. Despite this, he was seen on an airplane which crashed in Danganronpa 3 - Despair Arc. It's possible that he feels more comfortable while traveling alone, as he doesn't put other people's lives at risk. Considering his wealth, it's likely that he can afford to travel all by himself. In Danganronpa V3: Killing Harmony's non-canon bonus mode, Ultimate Talent Development Plan, Celestia Ludenberg challenged Nagito and Makoto to Mahjong to test their luck. She then suggests they add the headmaster, Jin Kirigiri, to even things out. This is likely a reference to an official art from Danganronpa 1.2 Reload where the same event happened. Nagito's Japanese voice actress, Megumi Ogata, has sung three songs to the point where she sung in-character as Nagito who has his own mini album due to his popularity. He has his own character song called Poison -gekiyaku-. Zettai Kibō Birthday, one of the two songs on the album, is also the ending theme of Danganronpa 3 - Despair Arc. The other song on the album is titled Zansakura -zanka-. Girls Gun 2 x Danganronpa Game Nagito Komaeda Nagito in the Danganronpa 3 x Hōkai Gakuen collaboration.

    Appearances in Other Media The Servant appears as a guest character in Chain Chronicle: Brave New Continent. His Max ATK and Max HP are 7300. His weapon is an army knife and its ability is doubled attack power. His deathblow is called "Sacrifice for Hope". The death blow attack gives maximum damage to any enemies on range but also takes half of Servant's own health. Nagito was featured in a collaboration of Danganronpa 3 x Animal Lab as a collectible avatar piece. Nagito is included in the collaboration of Danganronpa 3 x Hōkai Gakuen. Nagito is included in the second collaboration of Identity V x Danganronpa as a skin for Mercenary. Nagito is included in the third wave of Danganronpa 1.2 Reload x Divine Gate. In Spike Chunsoft's 2019 game AI: The Somnium Files, specifically in the PSYNCIN' IN THE MaiN: 2 section, after doing an action once with a guardian dog statue, if you examine it again, Aiba will say, "This reminds me of Nagito. You should refer to him as Ultimate Lucky Student."[18] References Report Card (Japanese) Danganronpa Another Episode: Ultra Despair Girls - Menu Profile (Japanese) Danganronpa 3 Despair Arc: Nagito Komaeda design profile Report Card Danganronpa Another Episode: Menu Profile List of DR and DR2 casts former high schools Bryce Papenbrook: "Nagito Komaeda from Danganronpa 2: Goodbye Despair." (Image of tweet) (18 Feb 2014) Funimation: Danganronpa 3: The End of Hope’s Peak High School Broadcast Dub Cast Announcement (July 28, 2016) synchronkartei: Danganronpa 3: The End of Hope's Peak Academy - Despair Arc Nagito's official character profiling, translated by ProdigalDaughterAlice on Tumblr AUTUMN&FOOD Q&A. Kodaka's character comment. Nagito Komaeda as Makoto Naegi's anagram Danganronpa 10th Anniversary Special - Dangan TV: Hope Keeps on Going! 2nd Period (22:13 Min) Nagito Komaeda as Makoto Naegi's anagram Murder school: Crafting Danganronpa to surprise players Quote from Nagito Komaeda's Free Time Event in Japanese: どうか忘れないで… ボクはキミを… キミの中に眠る希望を心から愛していると @Marchen-v-Friedhof on Tumblr: Danganronpa 2 Another Story: Nagito Komaeda's track translation Quote from Nagito Komaeda from Danganronpa Another Story in Japanese: でもボクは諦めない。日向くんへの協力はこの先も惜しまない。だって・・・ボクは日向くんが好きだから。ボクはどうしようもない無能だってことを知っても、こうしてボクと話をしてくれるキミのことが・・・ボクは大好きなんだ。 Source video to the AI: The Somnium File Trivia

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    Nekomaru Nidai Illustration Sprite DR3 (Despair) Illustration Name Kanji 弐大 猫丸 Romaji Nidai Nekomaru Katakana ニダイ ネコマル English Nekomaru Nidai Aliases & Titles Talent Characteristics Personal Status Debuts Portrayals

    “ As long as you have friends who have your back, you'll be able to clear a path to the future without giving up.

    — Danganronpa 2: Goodbye Despair ”

    Nekomaru Nidai (弐大 猫丸), is a student of Hope's Peak Academy's Class 77-B, and a participant of the Killing School Trip featured in Danganronpa 2: Goodbye Despair. His title is the Ultimate Team Manager (超高校級の「マネージャー」 lit. Super High School Level Coach).

    He, along with Class 77-B, return in Danganronpa 3: The End of Hope's Peak High School to explore their school life leading up to The Tragedy.

    Contents 1 History 1.1 Early Life 1.2 Prior to the Tragedy 1.2.1 Attending Hope's Peak Academy 1.2.1.1 First Year 1.2.1.2 Second Year 1.3 The Tragedy 1.4 Killing School Trip 1.4.1 Confining Nagito 1.4.2 Nekomaru's Sacrifice and Rebirth 1.4.3 Mechamaru's Fate 1.5 Post-Killing School Trip 1.5.1 Resurrection and Atonement 1.6 Real Fiction 2 Creation and Development 2.1 Name 3 Alternate Fates 4 Appearance 5 Personality 5.1 Sexuality 6 Talents and Abilities 6.1 Ultimate Team Manager 6.2 Ultimate Masseuse 6.3 Enhanced Strength, Endurance, and Hand-to-Hand Combat 7 Free Time Events & Bonus Mode Guides 8 Quotes 9 Trivia 10 References 11 Navigation History Early Life Nekomaru was born with a heart defect that left him bedridden and confined to a hospital. The doctor who treated him told him he would only live to be 20. Because of his illness, he never got to play sports or participate in P.E. at school. He was also frequently teased, unable to make friends, and had to make regular trips to the hospital. While hospitalized, Nekomaru was coincidentally placed in the same room as a young team manager of a baseball team who suffered from the same condition and also made frequent hospital visits. Unlike Nekomaru, however, the boy often had visitors — his athletes — who he would have both fun and serious conversations. From him, Nekomaru learned that it was possible to share in a team's victories and defeats even without participating directly in the game. Unfortunately, he passed away without seeing the team he had trained reach the championship — which Nekomaru speculates was either because he overworked himself gathering stats for that important game, or perhaps he already knew his time was limited. His passing — and especially his motivation to become a team manager — deeply inspired Nekomaru to follow in his footsteps and fulfill the boy's dream by becoming a team manager himself. Nekomaru's first job was to take all the stats the boy had risked his life gathering for his team and use them to lead the team to victory.[10]

    Nekomaru quickly gained a reputation as a skilled team manager, traveling to numerous towns and playing an active role in various sports clubs by managing their teams. He led poorly managed teams to national recognition — including a high school rugby team full of delinquents and a baseball club on the verge of being shut down. He also trained several illustrious athletes, including a famous Japanese pitcher who went on to play in the American League while still in middle school — heavily implying Leon Kuwata, the Ultimate Baseball Star of Class 78th.[11] Additionally, he trained a figure skater capable of performing six and a half spins, and a tennis player who won a match that lasted 36 hours.[12]

    Afterward, Nekomaru engaged himself in various sports making his body incredibly tough and developing significant muscle strength in the process.[10] However, Nekomaru is most prolific among his athletes thanks to his original special massage technique which can instantly relieve fatigue and enable them to push through extended training sessions and competitions.[13]

    It is never explicitly stated how Nekomaru overcame his heart condition, other than gradually recovering through rigorous physical training and the inspiration he gained from the boy he met during his time in the hospital. In his Island Mode, Nekomaru occasionally expresses fears about his heart, such as worrying it might give out if he enters a haunted house or rides a rollercoaster without a proper warm-up.[14] Nonetheless, considering he would be at least 20 years old or older by the conclusion of the Final Killing Game, it is apparent that he managed to surpass his illness.[15]

    Prior to being scouted by Hope's Peak Academy, Nekomaru attended First Yokoyama High School.[5][6]

    Prior to the Tragedy Attending Hope's Peak Academy Main article: Danganronpa 3: The End of Hope's Peak High School/Despair Arc First Year Class restrained Owari Capturing Akane

    Nekomaru was scouted by Hope's Peak Academy and enrolled in Class 77-B as the Ultimate Team Manager. However, since attendance was not mandatory for Ultimates as long as they continued to hone their talents, Nekomaru was not among the classmates who regularly attended class. That changed when his homeroom teacher, Chisa Yukizome, encouraged her students to begin balancing talent development with building strong relationships and "hope" with each other, prompting Nekomaru to join her efforts to capture his scattered classmates.[16]

    Danganronpa 3 (Despair Arc) - ED (Textless) (14) With Class 77-B

    Nekomaru listened to Chisa's advice by attending class regularly and training classmate Akane Owari, the Ultimate Gymnast. He even pushed for a rigorous, realistic training course that made their P.E. teacher pass out and wrecked half the class. With his classmates' assistance, he then accepted responsibility by cleaning and fixing the damage. [17] Nekomaru also spent more time with his classmates outside of training, such as playing video games, eating lunch together, walking to school, and relaxing in the school park.[18]

    Chiaki is praised Praising Chiaki

    His school years were filled with frequent ups and downs, beginning with the murder of Fuyuhiko Kuzuryu, the Ultimate Yakuza's younger sister, which soured the mood of the class.[18] Shortly after, Nagito Komaeda, the Ultimate Lucky Student, was suspended for a year for causing a bombing incident, which resulted in Chisa being temporarily sent to the Reserve Course as a probationary measure.[19] But after a semester, Chisa returned, and Nekomaru joined his classmates in celebrating her arrival, pointing out that their class representative, Chiaki Nanami, the Ultimate Gamer, was responsible for keeping the class together during her absence.[20]

    Second Year In their upperclassman year, Nekomaru and his classmates witnessed students from the Reserve Course students launch a massive protest against the Main Course, blaming them for causing the Tragedy of Hope's Peak Academy. Unbeknownst to most, the true mastermind behind the tragedy was Junko Enoshima, the originator of Ultimate Despair, who manipulated events behind the scenes and framed Izuru Kamukura—the result of the Izuru Kamukura Project—for the incident. The Hope's Peak Academy committee, responsible for the project, was accused of using the exorbitant fees paid by Reserve Course students to create so-called 'murderers'. Although Nekomaru and his classmates were seemingly unrelated to the growing revolution, they became involved after noticing that Mikan Tsumiki, the Ultimate Nurse, had been absent for some time. Nagito, who had recently returned from his suspension, claimed to have seen her on the school grounds, prompting Nekomaru and the others to search for her while the parade was ongoing, but to no avail.[21][22][23]

    Nekomaru and his classmates reconvened in their classroom after failing to locate Mikan and assumed that Nagito had given them false information. However, they were soon shocked when Chiaki returned carrying an unconscious Nagito, and Mikan—whom they had been searching for—also appeared, carrying Peko Pekoyama, the Ultimate Swordswoman, who had been injured in a battle with Junko's twin sister, Mukuro Ikusaba. Chiaki and Nagito had infiltrated Junko's lair, but before Nagito could shoot Junko, Izuru knocked him out. Chisa, who had followed them, intervened just in time to buy enough time for Chiaki to carry Nagito to safety. Though Nagito warned that returning to rescue Chisa would be a death sentence, Nekomaru and the rest of the class, inspired by Chiaki's resolve, rushed to her aid without hesitation.[24]

    Nekomaru and Gundham rejoining the group Rejoining the group

    On their way, their path was blocked by several a band of Reserve Course students who wished to take them on in the battle to create placements on the Main Course for themselves. Nekomaru immediately agreed to stay behind and fend them off, with Gundham joining him. Despite their classmates' concerns for their safety, Nekomaru and Gundham were able to catch up with the group while walking down the tunnel beneath the Izuru Kamukura statue, due to Mikan, who had phoned them and given the group's whereabouts.[24]

    Class 77 Despair Class 77-B brainwashed

    Unbeknownst to them, this path to search for Chisa was nothing but a ruse made by Junko, with the help of Mikan and Chisa themselves who had been brainwashed into despair, to lead Class 77-B into what appeared to be the same room later used for the Class Trials.[25] In this very room, Nekomaru and the others were forced to watch Chiaki executed in a brutal fashion. Nekomaru was horrified and wanted to save her, but he was too powerless to do anything. Bearing witness to Chiaki's death caused the brainwashing effect of the video to take hold of Nekomaru and the others, plunging them into despair.[25]

    SHSL Despair Plan Nekomaru Nidai, the Ultimate Despair

    Fully brainwashed into becoming the Ultimate Despair, Nekomaru and his classmates received their final lesson before "graduation", the one final meeting to discuss their plan to overthrow the world with despair. Nekomaru expressed he would "support everyone's dreams", before Chisa activated a bomb that fakes the death of Class 77-B so they can be taken off the list of protected students. Nekomaru and his class stood outside the school grounds as they watch Hope's Peak's destruction.[26]

    The Tragedy Danganronpa 3 - Future Arc (Episode 01) - Intro (75) Battling against Future Foundation leaders with fellow Remnants of Despair

    Nekomaru joined the Ultimate Despair after falling prey to Junko's brainwashing.[26] Alongside his corrupted classmates, he started The Tragedy and kept it ongoing even after Junko's death in the final stage of the Killing School Life.[27] Nekomaru and his classmates who did not commit suicide to follow their leader Junko soon became known as the Remnants of Despair.[27] They also hacked her body and grafted them onto themselves—though in Nekomaru's case, the specific body parts he took remain unknown. One of his most infamous contributions as a member of the Ultimate Despair was aiding Akane, Peko, and Fuyuhiko's yakuza forces in battling the Future Foundation's Division leaders.[28]

    Danganronpa 3 - Future Arc (Episode 01) - Makoto arriving (6) Remnants of Despair

    Eventually, the Future Foundation secured the custody of Nekomaru and the other fourteen - at first only aware that they were survivors from Hope's Peak Academy. When Makoto Naegi, Class 78th's Ultimate Lucky Student, by that time a member of the 14th Division of the Future Foundation, realized that the survivors were in fact, Remnants of Despair, he quickly directed them to Jabberwock Island in secret.[27]

    Danganronpa 2 CG - Neo World Program (4) Neo World Program

    Makoto made them enter the Neo World Program, where their memories were reset to a time prior to their entering Hope's Peak Academy, before they were brainwashed by Junko - resulting in all of them not recognizing each other.[27] The plan was to overwrite Nekomaru and the others' memories of themselves as Ultimate Despair, replacing them with good ones in order to undo all the damage Junko had done to them.[29] The scheme backfired when Izuru Kamukura, the Ultimate Hope, uploaded Junko's malware AI just before they were to be programmed. Consequently, they were subjected to the identical brutal incident that befell Class 78th, although in a realistically simulated environment. The killing game became known as the Killing School Trip, an ordeal that Nekomaru and the other Remnants of Despair were coerced into participating.[27]

    Killing School Trip Main article: Danganronpa 2: Goodbye Despair Danganronpa 2 CG - Students in the classroom Killing School Trip participants

    Nekomaru participated in the Killing School Trip alongside fourteen other Remnants of Despair and one Future Foundation observer. It occurred in a virtual world, the Neo World Program, resembling Jabberwock Island. Due to his memories as the Ultimate Despair and life in Hope's Peak Academy being erased by the Future Foundation, he couldn't recognize any of his classmates.[27]

    After being teleported to the island, Nekomaru first introduced himself to Hajime Hinata near the pool outside of Hotel Mirai. He immediately showcased his boisterous personality by demanding Hajime to introduce himself with more spirit, overwhelming him in the process—an introduction befitting of the Ultimate Team Manager.[11]

    Danganronpa 2 CG - Everyone at the beach (1) Playing on the beach with everyone

    Later, Nekomaru and his classmates were assembled by Usami at the first island's beach, the observer of the school trip, an AI programmed by the Future Foundation, who claimed to be the class's teacher. She reassured the students that there was no need to worry and provided Nekomaru and the others with swimsuits, encouraging them to fully enjoy their "school trip". Nekomaru accepted her offer by changing into his swimsuit and even allowed Teruteru Hanamura, the perverted Ultimate Cook, to apply suntan lotion on him.[30]

    Danganronpa 2 CG - Start of the Killing School Trip The Killing School Trip begins

    The promising tropical school trip, however, turned into a nightmare immediately as Nekomaru learned that the evil animatronic bear, Monokuma, the self-proclaimed headmaster of Hope's Peak Academy, had hijacked their trip and turned it into a killing game. Nekomaru was among the few students who directly challenged Monokuma's authority. However, he was forced to surrender after watching Usami, who had been left powerless and renamed Monomi, being blasted to pieces when Monokuma released the Monobeasts, killing robots well beyond his ability.[30]

    Danganronpa 2 CG - A photo of the party (1) Holding "it" in at the party

    When the Ultimate Imposter stepped up to become the group's leader and promised not to let anyone become a victim, Nekomaru didn't oppose his decision, stating that "even sports teams need captains." Nekomaru also consented to attend the Imposter's suggested all-night party, feeling that a distraction was just what they needed to relieve stress after the first motive was revealed. Nekomaru, on the other hand, had ongoing stomach problems during the party. Discovering that the restroom in the old building was locked, he wanted to return to his cottage, but the Imposter didn't allow him to. After the blackout, he found out that it had been occupied even before the party began.[31]

    Danganronpa 2 Chapter 1 - Closing Argument Act 1 Attempting to access the bathroom

    Nekomaru managed to relieve himself during the investigation, revealing that the bathroom had finally been unlocked after the Imposter's body was discovered. During the class trial, his testimony became a vital piece of information, revealing that it was Peko who had occupied the bathroom due to inexplicable stomach cramps. This forced her to abandon her post at the office, where she had been assigned to guard the duralumin case filled with dangerous items confiscated by the Imposter before the party, ultimately proving her innocence.[32]

    At the climax of the class trial, Nekomaru and the others deduced that it was Nagito who had staged the blackout and threatened the Imposter to kickstart the Killing Game via an anonymous letter. However, the true culprit was Teruteru, who had tried to stop Nagito but inadvertently killed the Imposter when they intervened mid-action. By correctly voting Teruteru as the Blackened, Nekomaru and the others survived the first class trial, ultimately condemning Teruteru to his execution.[32]

    Confining Nagito Deeming Nagito equally guilty for provoking Teruteru into committing murder, Nekomaru, alongside Kazuichi Soda, the Ultimate Mechanic, knocked Nagito out, tied, and confined him in the dining hall of the old building—the scene of the Imposter's murder. The intention was to force Nagito to "reflect" on his actions.

    Danganronpa 2 CG - Nekomaru Nidai and Akane Owari sparring (6) Defeating Akane

    Later on while acting he didn't know Nagito's whereabouts, Nekomaru joined his classmates to investigate the newly opened second island. At Chandler Beach, Nekomaru sparred with Akane in a match so intense that it appeared to Hajime and Ibuki Mioda, the Ultimate Musician, as an act of direct violence potentially violating the school trip rules. Although Nekomaru defeated Akane due to her improper use of her talent, he was impressed that she still managed to render his hands numb. Nekomaru and Akane did multiple trainings and one of them left Akane injured and bleeding as a result of the "fight."[33]

    The next day, Nekomaru assured everyone that Monokuma's claims about a traitor among them were nonsense, confidently stating that he had already confined the supposed traitor, Nagito—accidentally blurting out that he had tied him up, which was supposedly a secret between him and Kazuichi. Although everyone agreed it was best to keep him tied up to prevent any future danger, Mahiru Koizumi, the Ultimate Photographer, with the help of Hajime, regularly fed him to ensure he didn't starve to death.[33]

    Despite Nekomaru's best interest to keep everyone safe by tying up Nagito, another murder still occurred—this time, Mahiru was the victim. During the second class trial, with the help of the others, Nekomaru discovered that Peko had killed her in an attempt to allow her young master, Fuyuhiko, to escape the Killing Game. Nekomaru witnessed her plan fail, as she was correctly voted as the Blackened and executed—though in the process, Fuyuhiko was injured and had to be taken to the hospital by Monokuma.[29]

    Nekomaru's Sacrifice and Rebirth Danganronpa 2 CG - Summer Festival Tree Event Fireworks show and yukata

    Since they began sparring, Nekomaru noticed Akane's reckless urge to battle Monobeasts and even Monokuma himself. He also realized that she had started training on her own, which was surprising considering how much she disliked it. Concerned for her well-being, he kept an eye on the bridges while the others ventured into the newly opened third island. Later, when they visited the hospitalized Fuyuhiko, Nekomaru once again warned her not to let her urge for revenge cloud her judgment, saying he couldn't bear to lose anyone else—and even threatened to never give her "it" again. If Hajime had a specific item and talked to Kazuichi, the two of them end up peeking into Akane's cottage, where "it" turns out to be Nekomaru demonstrating his self-proclaimed "Ultimate Masseuse" talent by giving Akane a massage to relieve all her fatigue. Nekomaru also helped Ibuki prepare for her fireworks show. He later attended the event in yukata and this bonus event could only be triggered if Hajime handed Ibuki a "Summer Festivitrees" CD.[34]

    Danganronpa 2 CG - Akane Owari's failed execution (7) Sacrificing himself to protect Akane

    The next day, Nekomaru was shocked to see that Fuyuhiko—still barely recovered—slit his own stomach in front of everyone to show his remorse and resolve for Peko and Mahiru's deaths. Nekomaru, along with Mikan and Kazuichi, immediately rushed him back to the hospital. Later that night, he joined the recovery party for Fuyuhiko, hosted by Ibuki. Amidst the party, Nekomaru's worst fear came true when Monomi informed everyone that Akane was dueling Monokuma. He immediately rushed to the beach where the fight was taking place. Akane, unable to land even a single hit, was on the verge of execution for violating the rules—much to Nekomaru’s disbelief. Before Fuyuhiko could intervene, Nekomaru stopped him and stepped in himself, using his body to shield Akane from Monokuma's bazooka launch. Fortunately, Nekomaru survived despite his grave injuries. His sacrifice not only spared Akane from execution but also led Monokuma to take him away from the group for some time for "treatment." [34]

    Danganronpa 2 CG - Nekomaru Nidai's new form (2) Reborn

    Nekomaru remained under Monokuma's care and was absent during the third class trial, which concerned the murders of Hiyoko Saionji, the Ultimate Traditional Dancer, and Ibuki, committed by Mikan. He returned after Mikan's execution, waiting for everyone at the first island beach with a shockingly new robotic appearance.[35] While everyone was baffled—horrified even—by his drastic transformation, Nekomaru didn't seem to mind and was even boastful of his new metallic appearance. He assured everyone that he had accepted his new form, saying it was enough just to be alive—where he could still talk and fight alongside them.[36]

    Danganronpa 2 CG - Mechamaru saving Akane (2) Withstanding the second Monokuma's Bazooka launch

    Monokuma revealed that Nekomaru's body had to be altered because his injuries were too severe to treat otherwise. He also hinted that Nekomaru's transformation into a robotic body was only possible as they were in a simulated world where technological advancements could surpass any limitations.[37] Monokuma's arrogance fueled Akane's anger, causing her to once again violate the rules by wanting to harm him, prompting him to launch his bazooka at her once more. Nekomaru immediately shielded her, but this time, he was unscathed thanks to his metallic body. Nekomaru and the others were finally left alone by Monokuma after he warned the group that had Nekomaru killed, it would still be counted as murder.[36]

    Danganronpa 2 CG - Mechamaru showing clock in his body (2) Showing off his radio alarm

    The following morning, the remaining survivors began to speculate about the identity of the traitor snuck in by the Future Foundation, causing a ruckus. Nekomaru—dubbed "Mechamaru" by Chiaki—intervened by demonstrating his new robotic functions: his eyes could dispense drinks (cola from the right and rooibos tea from the left). Later, while exploring the fourth island, he also revealed that his body contained a radio clock with an alarm inside his chest.[36]

    Danganronpa 2 CG - Everyone riding a rollercoaster Roller coaster ride

    Nekomaru joined everyone in riding a roller coaster after Monokuma promised to give them a prize for doing so, even forcefully dragging a terrified Kazuichi along. The prize turned out to be a file containing information about the Killing School Life. Later, Monokuma once again lured the group into riding the final unexplored attraction, the funhouse, with the promise of hidden ship parts or a new file containing their school life—only to reveal it was a trap. They were gassed into unconsciousness and woke up inside the funhouse's Strawberry House. In Nekomaru's case, however, his sleep mode was forcibly activated by pressing the "Good Night Button" on the back of his neck, which immediately rendered him unconscious and completely defenseless. He needed to set the alarm in his chest to wake up.[36]

    Danganronpa 2 CG - Funhouse Elevator Inside the Funhouse elevator

    Nekomaru and Hajime, the "leftovers" since no one chose them to investigate the Funhouse, explored the building together. Instead of finding an exit, they discovered a suspicious grape-themed door inside Strawberry Tower. Believing it might be a way out, Nekomaru grabbed the doorknob with all his strength and began rattling it until it creaked—only stopping when Hajime intervened before he accidentally broke it. Monokuma then revealed that the Funhouse also included the Grape House, which the group could access using the contact elevator, and announced his true intention: to starve the students inside the Funhouse until a murder occurred. Though Nekomaru might have been unaffected by starvation, he could still have ended up dying over time as he had left his charger behind in his cottage.[36]

    Instead of wallowing over their new circumstances, Nekomaru and the others investigated the Grape House, where he and Hajime discovered the existence of the Grape Tower, which was similar to the Strawberry Tower. With Chiaki's help, they learned that the two towers were actually the same room, designed so only one entrance could open at a time—a theory they tested and confirmed using her e-Handbook. As a robot, Nekomaru also noted that high-performance sensors were likely embedded throughout the walls and floors of the tower, speculating that they could detect any movement within it, which would prevent both towers from being accessed at the same time from different houses. By the time they finished investigating, Nekomaru revealed that it was already past 10 p.m. according to his radio clock, and the mischievous Monokuma announced he would no longer broadcast the nighttime and morningtime announcements. The group decided to rest and as suggested by Nekomaru, the boys played a game of rock-paper-scissors to decide their room assignments. He ended up with the standard room in Strawberry House, and everyone then retired to their designated rooms.[36]

    Danganronpa 2 CG - Monokuma's Tai Chi class Attending Monokuma's Tai Chi session

    To further exhaust the already tired and starving students, Monokuma began holding daily morning Tai Chi sessions at the Grape Tower, which Nekomaru attended with high spirits. The others, however, unlike his robotic self gradually became weaker and more irritable, leading him to witness to another fight—mostly Kazuichi accusing Hajime of being the traitor secretly receiving food from the Future Foundation. Nekomaru was last seen by Hajime training with Akane before heading off to give her "it"—his special massage.[36]

    Mechamaru's Fate Danganronpa 2 CG - Fuyuhiko witnessing Mechamaru Heading toward the Grape House, as witnessed by Fuyuhiko

    Nekomaru's robotic body made him less susceptible to fatigue and hunger, and his built-in radio clock was always accurate. So, when he headed to the Tai Chi session at exactly 7 AM the next morning, he had no idea that Gundham had tampered with both tower clocks two hours earlier. He was therefore the only one going to the session—unaware that everyone else, still hungry and exhausted, stayed in their rooms believing it was far too early to go. Fuyuhiko, on the other hand, happened to be in the Strawberry House lounge by accident and spotted Nekomaru descending the stairs. He was under the impression it happened at 5 AM, when it was actually 7 AM—all according to Gundham's plan to lure Nekomaru out alone.[38]

    Danganronpa 2 CG - Nekomaru and Gundham face off Standoff with Gundham

    Nekomaru tried to use the contact elevator to reach Grape Tower, but since it was broken, he went to Strawberry Tower instead—where Gundham was waiting. Standing face-to-face with him, Nekomaru immediately sensed his subtle killing intent and continued to engage instead of running away after assessing the situation. Gundham and Nekomaru both immediately challenged each other to a duel to the death. Despite his killing intent, Nekomaru was rendered immobile when Gundham's hamsters climbed onto the back of his neck and pressed the Good Night Button, causing him to lose the fight.[38]

    Danganronpa 2 CG - Suspended Mechamaru Suspended midair

    While Nekomaru was sleeping, Gundham prepared to kill him. First, he set the alarm in Nekomaru's chest so he could wake up at precisely 7:30 AM. Then he tied him up with a metal wire, tied the tip of the wire into a loop, and hung it on the doorknob. Having cleared the Final Dead Room, Gundham was able to access the secret passageway connecting both towers, which was actually stacked on top of each other, and pressed the button of the Grape Hall to open the door to the tower, where Nekomaru was still inside, causing the elevator-liked floor of the tower to descend, making his body dangling-upside down in midair from the wire.[38]

    Danganronpa 2 CG - Nekomaru Nidai's body discovery Nekomaru's body

    Nekomaru's clock alarm rang at the designated 7:30 AM, only for him to find himself hanging upside-down. Panicking, he swung his body powerfully, but the doorknob he had half-broken when he first entered the Funhouse couldn't withstand the strain. It broke and caused him to fall from the fourth floor to the first, where he crashed into a pillar, which decapitated him on impact, resulting in his death. Nekomaru's death devastated his classmates, especially Akane, who cried over his loss, saying she hadn't even repaid him for everything he had done for her.[38]

    Danganronpa 2 CG - Akane holding the remains of Mechamaru Akane crying over Nekomaru's death

    Throughout the investigation and the class trial, Akane and the others were determined to figure out who murdered Nekomaru, eventually discovering that it was Gundham's doing. After he was rightfully voted as the Blackened, Gundham only corrected one of their deductions: that Nekomaru didn't die without a fight. Though Gundham didn't outright admit it,[39] it was also heavily implied that they both dueled to the death to prevent others from dying of starvation.[40] After witnessing Gundham's execution, Akane and the others chose to refresh themselves by eating enough food and getting restful sleep, determined not to give up their fight to escape the island—just as Nekomaru and Gundham would have wanted.[38]

    Danganronpa 2 Minimaru Nekomaru Nidai Akane Owari Minimaru

    After Nekomaru's death, his portrait in the class trial courtroom could be seen from the fourth trial onward, towering over everyone to reflect his height. Kazuichi also took some of his parts and constructed a toy replica of Nekomaru dubbed "Minimaru" to cheer up everyone and to remember his sacrifice. Akane then snatched it from him, keeping Minimaru with her from then on. Minimaru spoke with a robotic version of Nekomaru's voice and repeated things that Akane said, said cheering phrases, and shouted some of Nekomaru's "catchphrases". It also could tell time and massage sore muscles and pressure points.[41]

    Nekomaru briefly reappeared as an illusion shortly before the countdown ended and the Neo World Program began glitching. He accompanied the remaining survivors to the Ancient Ruins after they learned the password from Nagito's video message, shouting at them to haste before the countdown finished.[42]

    The illusory Nekomaru was later conjured during the game reset sequence of the final class trial, a scenario made by Alter Ego Junko to persuade Hajime and the remaining survivors to graduate. Had she succeeded, it would have allowed her to upload her AI into the comatose bodies of the "dead" Remnants of Despair, effectively reviving them as copies of herself. In this sequence, Nekomaru claimed to have prepared everyone a training regiment.[27]

    Post-Killing School Trip Danganronpa 2.5 - (OVA) Nagito regaining his memories (18) Revived Nekomaru and his classmates

    After Alter Ego Junko's defeat, Nekomaru remained in a coma alongside his classmates, while the survivors waited for them to wake.[27] Eventually, Izuru Kamukura—now merged with Hajime's personality and memories—revived them. Purged of Junko's brainwashing, Nekomaru who was now alive and awake from Neo World Program, boarded the boat with the rest of Class 77-B and they all then headed for the Future Foundation HQ, to stop the Final Killing Game involving Future Foundation leaders.[4]

    Resurrection and Atonement Main article: Danganronpa 3: The End of Hope's Peak High School/Hope Arc Class 77-B acting Claiming themselves as the mastermind behind the Final Killing Game

    Nekomaru and his classmates arrived at the island where the Future Foundation's off-shore facility was located, having left from Jabberwock Island. Having rescued Byakuya Togami and Yasuhiro Hagakure, two members of the Future Foundation and survivors of the Killing School Life, from beneath the rubble, the group set out to confront their one and only classmate, Ryota Mitarai, the Ultimate Animator, who Junko had coerced into creating the brainwashing video that transformed Ibuki and the others into the Ultimate Despair.[22][23] Unlike Nekomaru and the rest, he avoided being turned into Ultimate Despair due to his contribution. Thus, the Class 77-B's fight with the brainwashed rescue squad troops, including the Former Super High School Level Elite Task Force, began.[15]

    Nekomaru fighting a robot Fighting a robot

    Nekomaru was seen facing off against a robot unit from the Super High School Level Elite Task Force of the Future Foundation, holding it off with his arms. Surrounded by a second Monobeast, he was rescued by Kazuichi, who sent an army of remote-controlled Minimaru robots—reminiscent of the ones he invented during the Killing School Trip—to defeat the second Monobeast and save Nekomaru from danger.[15]

    Class 77-B Confronting Ryota

    Later, Nekomaru helped convince Ryota to abandon his plan to brainwash the world. During the confrontation, Ryota expressed his belief that he and the other Remnants of Despair could never be forgiven for allowing Junko to plunge the world into despair. In response, Hajime offered Ryota the chance to join them in returning to Jabberwock Island to atone for their sins together. Ryota eventually broke down in tears and agreed, stopping the countdown mere seconds before the brainwashing was completed. Nekomaru and the others later came to his side to comfort him.[15]

    Nagito carried away by Nekomaru and Akane Carrying Nagito away from Makoto

    Nekomaru and the other former Remnants of Despair shouldered the blame for the Final Killing Game by sending a broadcast video to the Future Foundation. They presented themselves in their despair personas and preserved the Future Foundation's credibility and power to rebuild the world, an act of atonement for their sins as the Ultimate Despair. Upon leaving the broadcasting studio, Nekomaru spotted Nagito gushing over Makoto and his talent. Before he could continue his praises and rambling, Nekomaru and Akane carried him back to the boat.[15]

    Having accomplished their atonement, Nekomaru and his classmates returned to Jabberwock Island. He was last seen enjoying Teruteru's cooking as the ship began its journey back home.[15]

    Real Fiction Main article: Danganronpa V3: Killing Harmony Danganronpa V3 Tsumugi Shirogane Halfbody Sprite (Nekomaru Nidai) (2) Nekomaru cosplayed by Tsumugi Shirogane.

    In Danganronpa V3: Killing Harmony, it is alleged by the mastermind Tsumugi Shirogane, the Ultimate Cosplayer, that the entire Danganronpa franchise is fictional in-universe; a series of games, anime, and later live-action dramas performed actors. In particular, Tsumugi, who is the Ultimate Cosplayer, claims she is only able to cosplay fictional characters (breaking out into a bright pink rash whenever she tries to cosplay a real person), and the fact she is able to cosplay as the whole cast of Danganronpa characters including Nekomaru Nidai is used as evidence to support her claim that all of the cast are fictional. However, due to a number of holes in Tsumugi's story which make her an unreliable narrator, whether or not she was telling the truth is deliberately left up to the player's interpretation; as a result, it is up to the player whether they believe Nekomaru's story within the Danganronpa series was real, or a fictional story written by Team Danganronpa and performed by an actor.[43]

    Creation and Development Translation Credit: Kaibutsushidousha on Tumblr

    According to creator Kazutaka Kodaka and character designer Rui Komatsuzaki, the title of "Super High School Level Manager" was assigned early in development, but—much like with Teruteru—it took a long time to finalize Nekomaru's character design and personality. The initial concept for Nekomaru featured him as a skinny character with a weak constitution, which then evolved into a Black man, followed by several variations of country bumpkins, before finally settling on the hypermasculine archetype that both Kodaka and Komatsuzaki love.[44]

    Komatsuzaki stated that the sports jersey and school uniform Nekomaru wears is a combination of clothes people often see, but the top of a gakuran with sports pants creates a fairly original brand of tackiness. The team went with that design, which Kodaka believed worked really well for a character like Nekomaru. His appearance and this design decision also helped the cast, which first lacked a lively male character. Kodaka believed his in-story part as a nice guy fit him well since he could constantly laugh off all the awful things that befell him. Komatsuzaki also had fun drawing his expressions in the style of overdramatic caricature comics. The twist of Nekomaru becoming a robot was originally planned for another character. However, after several changes, Nekomaru ultimately took on this role. Komatsuzaki aimed to make the robot's design both cute and nostalgic.[44]

    Hiroki Yasumoto, Nekomaru's Japanese voice actor, also commented on his character:

    "A gakuran uniform over a sports jersey, and with a towel attached. Nekomaru Nidai is a character exactly as hot-blooded as he seems. I had a great time voicing a character so uncomplicated true to his appearance and with such unusual lines, but the recording was practically all yelling, so it was tiresome (laughs). One of this game's charms is its ability to perfectly tone down its gruesome subject matter with a more colorful tone and presentation."[44] Name His first name, Nekomaru (猫丸) literally means "round cat". His birthday, February 22, falls on Cat Day, in Japan, most likely a nod off to his name. His last name, Nidai (弐大) means "two" and "big". His full name may translate to "Two big round cats". When written as 二台, "Nidai" means "two machines". This could be a reference to how, over the course of Danganronpa 2, Nekomaru gets turned into two machines - first "Mechanidai", then "Mininidai", in the original Japanese release.

    His name was initially going to be Kintarō Nidai, but it was changed to Nekomaru Nidai as it "rolled the tongue better".[44]

    Alternate Fates Island Mode and Ultimate Talent Development Plan exist in two separate alternate universes where Nekomaru still attends Hope's Peak Academy, but no students are in peril. As they are alternate universes, these events are non-canonical, but because Nekomaru's personality is unchanged, backstory information shared by him in these events is considered questionably or dubiously canonical rather than fully non-canonical.

    Free Time Events are also considered somewhat questionably canonical due to the nature of how Free Time Events are accessed (in that some characters' Free Time Events cannot be fully completed during the course of the canon game storyline due to limitations on the number of interactions you can have with them during one playthrough, and thus can only be accessed after they have canonically died either through a second playthrough or via Island Mode). However, due to Free Time Events being largely experienced during the canon game storyline, Free Time Events are more grounded in canon than Island Mode and Ultimate Talent Development Plan and are largely considered canon by the majority of players.

    Appearance Danganronpa 2: Goodbye Despair design document Nekomaru is a very tall, muscular man with black hair, brown eyes that emit a blue electric aura, stubble around his jawline, and a small goatee. He wears a white tank top under a black gakuran, with a First Yokoyama High School badge and collar pin on each side. He also wears blue tracksuit pants and Getas. Around his neck are chains, with a whistle hanging from the middle. He has two scars running from the top of both eyes, each heading in its own direction. Additionally, he has a towel tucked into the back of his pants and a noticeable crotch bulge. Due to his appearance, Nekomaru is often mistaken for a cosplayer of a fighting game character.[45]

    While never explicitly stated by Kodaka, Nekomaru's design—such as his hair, chains, and clothing, suggest a possible reference to Jotaro Kujo from JoJo's Bizarre Adventure. In comparison to the characteristic drawing style of the Danganronpa franchise, some of Nekomaru's features (i.e. relatively small eyes, a very defined muscular, bulky physique and the "angular" shape the scars running over his eyes give his face) seem to be inspired by the distinctive drawing style of Hirohiko Araki, the creator of Jojo's Bizarre Adventure. This may or may not have been intentional on Kodaka's part, as occasional references to the JoJo's Bizarre Adventure series are scattered throughout the Danganronpa franchise.

    As Mechamaru, Nekomaru wears the same gakuran and tracksuit pants, but his body is fully transformed into a robot with a motor running inside him that works just like a human heart. His ears are replaced with spikes, his goatee is replaced with a drill, and his eyes are yellow with black stripes, which also function as a drink dispenser. His metallic feet feature black stripes that are positioned in a way that resembles his original geta sandals. His chest contains a built-in radio clock that he can reveal and conceal. There is also a small opening at the back of his neck with a built-in red Good Night Button, which, when pressed, renders him into sleep mode.[36]

    Mechamaru (1) Mechamaru (1) Mechamaru (2) Mechamaru (2) While attending Hope's Peak, Nekomaru retains the same overall features as his Killing School Trip design, such as his white tank top, chain, whistle, crotch bulge, and a pair of getas. The only difference is that he wears a royal blue tracksuit, unzipped, with a stripe running down the sides. Although Kodaka states that he liked Nekomaru's fierce face and crotch bulge, he requested not to show the bulge too much in Danganronpa 3.[46]

    As an Ultimate Despair, he wears a white outfit with golden patterns, notably with a long white jacket. His blue electric aura appears to have changed to red.

    His swimsuit in Danganronpa S: Ultimate Summer Camp consists of a pair of black swimsuit briefs with an electric blue aura pattern. He also keeps his chains and a whistle.

    Hope's Peak Academy attire Hope's Peak Academy attire Ultimate Despair attire Ultimate Despair attire Swimsuit (Danganronpa S) Swimsuit (Danganronpa S) Personality Nekomaru is vigorous, boisterous, and passionate. Even under the strain of the killing game, he has a positive attitude, which first makes him seem somewhat scary and intimidating.[47] Not to mention his immense willpower and habit of frequently shouting while talking—adopted from his line of work—which can overwhelm those around him without him realizing it.[11] Unless provoked if the circumstances need it, Nekomaru appears harmless and has a kind heart despite his rough demeanor. He is terrible at lying and always apologizes when he makes a mistake. He always puts others' well-being before his own, especially his friends or athletes, and has their best interests at heart when it comes to preserving everyone's safety. His way of showing care may not always be the best and can even put him in danger, but his intentions are always pure. This is why he knocks Nagito unconscious, ties him up to prevent him from harming others, and confines him at the crime scene of the Imposter's death, so he can reflect on his wrongdoing for pushing Teruteru to commit murder.[32] He also doesn't hesitate to become a meat shield just to ensure Akane survives her execution.[34]

    Nekomaru's propensity for self-sacrifice does not imply that he lacks forethought or behaves carelessly. He was one of the first to challenge Monokuma's authority, but after reassessing his strength—especially in light of the Monobeasts' existence—he decided against it.[30] Understanding that he's vastly outclassed by them is also why he relentlessly tells Akane, who is far more reckless than he is, to stand down.[34]

    His self-awareness and keen judgment of others are key reasons he excels in his managerial role. He can identify Hajime's natural abilities that Hajime himself never realized he had, such as his calm judgment and understanding of the importance of teamwork. Consequently, he recommends that Hajime try rugby under his supervision.[12] Knowing Akane is the kind of person who won't listen once her decision is made up, he also stops trying to advise her against confronting Monokuma or the Monobeasts on her own. Instead, he chooses to look out for her by guarding the bridges, so he can stop her if she does decide to challenge the Monobeasts. Seeing it as a means for Fuyuhiko to express his resolve and regret, he also advises the anxious Mikan to allow him to attend his own recovery party despite his injuries.[34] According to Hajime, Nekomaru gives a lot of valuable advice, and his words are so empowering that he feels like he can do anything with him by his side.[10][48]

    As a team manager, he takes great pride in his role and is full of confidence. He is disciplined, intolerant of laziness, and often very strict with his training. His tough love, nonetheless, strives to help his athletes reach the top through teamwork and fighting spirit.[10] In the original Japanese, Nekomaru refers to himself using the pronoun "washi" (儂), an old-fashioned, masculine term typically used by older men or those who see themselves as important or in leadership positions, which fits his role as an invaluable mentor to his athletes.

    Most importantly, Nekomaru is incredibly supportive of those under his supervision.[12] His supportiveness is reflected in how he maintains composure throughout the killing game, believing that a manager shouldn't be more concerned than his athletes. When Hajime expresses his vulnerability, Nekomaru comforts him by immediately appointing himself as everyone's official manager and vows to support each and every one of them in winning their "match" by working together to escape the island.[47] He also takes good care of others, a habit developed from his role as a team manager. A prominent example of this is how he always looks out for Akane. When she nearly gets executed, he blames himself for not properly grasping his athlete's "private life" and sacrifices himself to protect her, saying that his sole reason is that he can't stand to lose another friend and that it is a manager's duty to support his athletes.[34]

    Nekomaru is also sentimental, easily moved to tears, and unafraid to show it. He cried upon learning that Teruteru had killed the Imposter and again at Hiyoko's confession about her clumsy yet sincere attempt to create a memorial for Mahiru. Having gone through a difficult and sometimes lonely childhood caused by his heart condition and many hospital trips, he is also rather sentimental about life itself and learns to value what it has to provide.[49] His inspiration to become a team manager came from witnessing a boy in the same hospital room pass away without being able to lead his team to victory—so Nekomaru stepped up and led them himself.[10] This is also why he easily comes to terms with his Mechamaru form, boastful even, during the Killing School Trip, saying that simply being alive—able to talk and fight alongside his classmates—is enough.[36] Nekomaru is speculated by Nagito to share the same feeling as Gundham, who resents the idea of the group giving up on life and choosing to die of starvation.[40] Consequently, he accepts Gundham's challenge to duel to death so such fate doesn't befall his classmates and ultimately gets sacrificed after losing the standoff.[38]

    Nekomaru feels no shame in talking about things that might make others feel embarrassed or uncomfortable, particularly about discussing his bathroom habits, often suffering from constipation. He never misses a chance to loudly and tactlessly announce when he needs to use the restroom and makes a big fuss when he can't.[31] When he turns into Mechamaru, the only thing he regrets is not being able to "go" anymore.[36] He also tends to invade other people's personal space to assess their potential as athletes and is obsessed with offering people—especially his friends, whom he often sees as his athletes—"it".[13]

    Sexuality Nidai's effect Under the effects of Teruteru's aphrodisiac

    Although Nekomaru's sexuality is never explicitly confirmed in canon materials, there are hints that he may be attracted to multiple genders. Nekomaru and Akane may have romantic feelings for each other, with Nekomaru never failing to offer her his massages and her reactions to them being quite suggestive.[34] While under the influence of aphrodisiacs, Nekomaru is initially protective of her when something seems wrong and then becomes bashful when she tells him not to touch her. The two eventually share a surprisingly romantic moment, gazing at each other with a sense of being swooned.[17] Kodaka revealed that this particular scene was his favorite of Nekomaru in Danganronpa 3. It was originally intended to be more risqué, but he decided to reframe it with the tone of a shōjo manga.[46]

    It is also implied that Nekomaru may also harbor attraction towards Hajime. In his Free Time Events, many of his bold 'advances' are often misinterpreted by Hajime that he's making a move on him. For instance, when Hajime says, "Hey Nekomaru. There's something I've been wondering about ever since we first met...," Nekomaru responds with, "Hm? You've been thinking about me that much!? I see...then I guess I must accept it. C'mon, BRING IT ON!" This leads Hajime to panic, replying, "D-Don't misunderstand! H-Hey, why are you walking toward me? Didn't you just tell me to come to you!?" In reality, Nekomaru intends to offer Hajime one of his signature massages.[12] However, Nekomaru insists that Hajime should remove his clothes, similar to how he offers massages to Akane. When Hajime questions the need to be naked, Nekomaru becomes upset and firmly tells him not to talk back.[47]

    This suggestiveness is further emphasized throughout Nekomaru's Island Mode. Unlike most male characters, Nekomaru views his outings with Hajime as official dates. If Hajime chooses a bad option during an event, Nekomaru will be disappointed, saying, "A detailed plan produces maximum results in both dating and training. You won't make me fall for you if you act like this!"[50] In one of his internal monologues, he even considers "abducting Hajime and taking him to the mountains for some special training."[51] He also describes Hajime as "a bud before it blossoms" that he would like to "make that flower blossom with my own hands." During Nekomaru's Island Mode ending, he believes there is something inside Hajime, but he is unsure what it is. The correct answer is "hope", but if Hajime suggests "love", Nekomaru becomes surprised and then begins to consider that his feelings for Hajime are romantic.[48]

    Talents and Abilities Ultimate Team Manager

    Many athletes became top-notch and set new records under Nekomaru's guidance regardless of the sport. His track record speaks for itself: he led poorly managed teams—such as a high school rugby team full of delinquents and a struggling baseball club on the verge of being shut down—to national recognition.[11] He also trained individual athletes whom he claimed had surpassed him, including a baseball player who received a major league offer while still in middle school, a figure skater capable of performing six and a half spins, and a tennis player who triumphed in a thirty-six-hour match[12]—the manifestations of what Nekomaru offers his athletes: the ability to make the impossible possible.[47] As such, the role and talent of a team manager shouldn't be underestimated, as Nekomaru stated that countless records in this world would not exist without managers. Thanks to his unmatched managerial skills, Nekomaru's reputation skyrocketed, and he claimed that teams all over the place were fighting over him.[12]

    He believes that the secret behind many of his athletes' victories is the bond forged between a manager and the athlete.[12] It is his job to help athletes figure out what they want to become,[52] and rather than deciding for them, Nekomaru approaches this by faithfully supporting his athletes through customized techniques tailored to their specific sport. However, he always includes the same three essentials required of any top athlete: physical fitness, visual acuity, and willpower. After the athlete wishes to strengthen those three essentials, he prepares a solid and effective training regiment for them. Much of what goes into these training methods comes from sports medicine, since Nekomaru believes it's a real challenge to unlock the full potential of every athlete.[13] As such, Nekomaru believes that a manager must regularly gather new information and develop new training methods, and he frequently studies at his desk to do so.[53]

    Nekomaru has been working in the management profession for quite a long time. He can easily identify individuals with potential for a successful athletic future just by assessing their body type, and he has the expertise to create tailored diets and muscle training plans for them. His conviction in his scouting skills and judgment is so strong that it can even sway the athletes themselves. For instance, he suggested that Hajime try rugby under his supervision. Although Hajime thought Nekomaru was overestimating him, Nekomaru saw through to the natural abilities Hajime didn't realize he possessed—calm judgment, a high degree of mobility, and an understanding of teamwork—all fundamental qualities of a natural rugby player.[52] At the end of his Island Mode, Nekomaru convinces Hajime that, despite not having an Ultimate talent, it is because of him that the group—the dream team—comes together.[48] This type of character, along with his skills and the bonds he forms with his athletes, is why, when they are "one in both body and mind," he can read their thoughts.[12]

    Nekomaru's scouting and assessment skills also shine through when he trains with Akane. Not only does he recognize her natural speed, combat, and practical abilities, but he also understands her tendency to rely solely on instinct, neglecting proper techniques for using her body and muscles—an approach that hinders her growth as a gymnast.[33]

    Nekomaru's training can be intense, and he rarely tolerates being talked back to by his athletes, confident that his methods are meant to ultimately shape them into their best form and support them until they achieve victory in their competitions. To compensate for this, he often offers them "it", aka his special massage technique, which can instantly relieve all their fatigue.[47]

    Ultimate Team Manager official translations in other languages Ultimate Masseuse What makes Nekomaru a different manager from the others is the special massage technique he invented. Using his "talented fingers", he can instantly relax tense muscles and promote maximum blood circulation. He can push out intravenous toxins and restore fatigue in an instant; thus calling himself the Ultimate Masseuse. Although Hope's Peak Academy did not recognize Nekomaru for his massaging skills, he honed them as a team manager to help athletes maximize blood flow and prepare for intense training. However, he uses this technique sparingly, as many quickly become addicted to it. During a special event with Akane, he provided a full-body, deep-tissue massage in her cottage, claiming the title of "Ultimate Masseuse" as an alias, confident in his expertise. Nekomaru likely applied these methods to his own athletes, enhancing their strength and reducing fatigue by targeting every pressure point. Nekomaru is very thorough when massaging his athletes and sees it as a necessity not to cut corners with any massage for them to have their full effect. He gives Hajime a massage during their final Free Time Events together, and Hajime states afterward that his body feels 'extremely light' and that he didn't want to admit that he couldn't live without Nekomaru's massage. It even allowed Hajime to do an impossible amount of training which shows the excellence of Nekomaru's massage therapy.[13][34][47]

    Enhanced Strength, Endurance, and Hand-to-Hand Combat Thanks to engaging in various sports, Nekomaru grows to possess enhanced strength and endurance. This is first demonstrated when Teruteru claimed that Nekomaru had killed the cow at the ranch with his bare hands to provide beef for the party.[54]

    It is also demonstrated in physical combat, where he proves highly capable of matching and overcoming both foes and friends, as seen when Nekomaru and Akane train together. When Akane appears at the diner in her swimsuit, she is covered in blood and says she had run into Nekomaru and had to fight him.[29] Her injuries and scarring are only minor, but extensive, showing the strength of Nekomaru's combat skills, and she explains that Nekomaru was a surprisingly 'strong opponent'. When Gundham challenged Nekomaru to a duel of life and death, Nekomaru accepted and did not run away. Gundham explained that Nekomaru 'gave it his all' to try and kill him, showing Nekomaru to be a worthy challenge.[38] They also joined forces to fight off a band of Reserve Course students during The Parade and survived it, exhausted but uninjured.[24]

    When Nekomaru is revived by Hajime from the Neo World Program, he battles a huge robot at Future Foundation Headquarters, which is allied with the Super High School Level Elite Task Force. He is able to match the power of the robot, using his arms to block its head charge. Nekomaru overcomes the robot, despite its large amount of strength, making it easy to imagine how strong he is against normal human opponents in hand-to-hand combat.[15]

    Nekomaru is also capable of withstanding a Monokuma Bazooka launch, which was originally intended to execute Akane on the spot. Despite sustaining grave injuries and being on the verge of death, he manages to survive, a feat that would likely have killed anyone else instantly. When he is converted into Mechamaru, he is able to withstand another shot unscathed.[35]

    Free Time Events & Bonus Mode Guides The links below are full transcripts and in-depth guides for Nekomaru Nidai's relationship routes in Free Time Events, Island Mode, Ultimate Talent Development Plan, and Danganronpa S Development Mode including his MonoMono Machine Present preferences and most effective dialogue options.

    Free Time Events Island Mode Ultimate Talent Development Plan Danganronpa S Development Mode Quotes DR2 Extra DR3 Danganronpa 2: Goodbye Despair (English)

    Prologue:

    "Instead of trying to figure out why we're here, we should try to figure out why we can't leave..." "Even with all my might, I couldn't open it! It'd be absolutely impossible for all of you..." "I am the Ultimate Team Manager, NEKOMARU NIDAI!!!" "Hold it right there! Your voice is too soft! Let your voice rise from the bottom of your stomach!" "I AM NEKOMARU NIDAI! Don't forget it, even if you go to hell!" "I don't want to get violent, but if I do, I have no idea what might happen!" Chapter 1:

    "ANYTHING IS POSSIBLE WITH A FIGHTING SPIRIT!!!" "Which means the answers are: a good appetite, a good night's sleep, and a good shit!!!" "I see... Even sports teams need captains, after all..." "It's important to be flexible in situations like this... Perhaps a diversion from all this is just what we need." "Don't stop me, Byakuya... There comes a time when a man knows he's gotta go...! If I don't go now...it would shame me as a man. Shitting my pants would totally shame me as a MAAAAAAAAAAAAAANNNNNNNNNNNNNN!!!" "I won't lose to anyone...not even to my past self!" "However, if you think I'd be angered by something like that, you've all underestimated my nerve and patience. Do all and achieve all with one's presence of mind! That is the goal of a true leader! In other words, a leader must never falter in any situation, but always have the presence of one's mind!" "If she locked herself in the bathroom for that long, there's no doubt... it's shit. GAH-HAHAHAHA! Aw, there's no way she'd admit it! There's no way she'd admit she was taking a shit!" "D'ohhhhh! Man up and speak more clearly!" "Teruteru...just man up and be straight with us." "Damn fiend...I won't give up until the very end! I won't die in vain... I'll give my entire existence, my entire power, my entire body and soul, and fight to the very end!" Chapter 2:

    "She's not a weakling who'd get killed by a weak blow like that..." "Akane... It seems you're the type who learns through actions rather than words..." "Basics! Make sure you understand the basics! You'll always be second-rate if you just rely on instinct!" "You, too... Basics are the foundation for everything!" "Impossible! Injuring an athlete would disgrace me as a team manager!" "I have no interest in weak things like video games!" "I can't understand what they're talking about! No matter how you look at it, I'm only a team manager!" "No matter how others view us, we are ourselves! There is nothing to worry about!" "All I can do for Mahiru is find out who the killer is and teach them a lesson." "If you don't have enough power, harness your talent energy! C'mon, bring out that energyyyyyyyy!" "If you don't unleash your power here, where else are you going to unleash it!? Don't you want to avenge Mahiru's death!?" "Fine, let's figure out the weapon. If this keeps up, I'm gonna feel like I need to shit... ...Which means I'll feel disgusting!!!" "This will never end if you keep being so suspicious!" "H-How...would Peko be a tool in the first place...? Peko is a legitimate human being!!!" Chapter 3:

    "FIIIIRE! START THE FIIIIIIIRRRRRE! We'll have a grand bonfire so Mahiru can reach Nirvana!" "Akane...Fuyuhiko has finally come back to us. You better not do anything reckless... I can't stand...the thought of losing someone...any longer." "There's only one Ultimate Masseuse and that's me! NEKOMARU NIDAIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII! I'll knead every pressure point throughout your body, and I'll help you see a brand new world!" "Your voice is too soft! Project your voice more from your stomach! Gahahahahaha! All right, now your voice will reach the sun! And...to our departed, Mahiru and Peko." "I'm just a mere team manager... Therefore, I don't know anything about art. However...when I saw Mahiru's photos for the first time... My vulgar heart was greatly shaken! Truly, that is a splendid thing! It's a pity what happened to Mahiru, but I will never forget how she taught me the value of art!" "It's fine, just let him be. Apparently yakuza have pain tolerance down to an art..." "That stupid fool! No...I'm the one who was the fool... It was my mistake to not keep my eyes on her! Tch...! As a team manager, I should've had a proper grasp of my athlete's private life... Dammiiiiiiit! This failure will haunt me for the rest of my life, or my name isn't NEKOMARU NIDAIIIIIIII!!!!" "Fuyuhiko finally returned to us... The thought of anyone else in our group getting taken... I won't allow it! I will never allllllooooowiiiiiiiiiiiiiittttttttttttttt!!!" "This is NEKOMARU NIDAI's final firework! Make sure you sear it into your eyes!" "Ha... Isn't it obvious...? Supporting their athletes....is...a manager's duty. H-However... Wh-What a shame... For someone like NEKOMARU NIDAI...to... It was just a little shot from a bazooka... I really am the worst... Heh...hehe...hah... Akane... The time I've spent with you...i-it...it wasn't so bad... Don't...die...Akane..." "The name's NEKOMARU NIDAI!!! I've been reborn in the rivers of hellllllll!!! Gah-hahahahaha!" Chapter 4:

    "The name's NEKOMARU NIDAI!!! I've been reborn in the rivers of helllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll!!! Gahaha! No matter how you look at it, I'm still me!" "It's not just for show, it's PURE ELECTRICITY! I've been reborn as PURE ELECTRICITY! GAAAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!" "Gahahaha! Don't worry about it! A lot of stuff happens when you're alive!" "If you keep sweating the small stuff, you're going to end up getting more grey hairs!" "That's right! I've resurrected from the depths of hell in shining silverrrrrrrr!" "It's better to just be alive... Hey, don't you agree? If I'm alive, I can still talk to you all. If I'm alive, I can still fight... It doesn't matter what happens to my body! Not one bit!" "Fool! How many times do I have to tell you that it doesn't matter! No matter what shape or form I take, I AM NEKOMARU NIDAIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII!" "Once again, I hope we can all get along!" "Hey, hey...it's not like I came back as a monster. I'm just a robot now, you know?" "As always, you sure do eat a lot! I feel relaxed just by looking at you!" "Future Foundation! World Ender! Hah! There's obviously something wrong with you if you believe in something so unrealistic!" "Don't you think fighting with ourselves like this is Monokuma's trap!?" "Gah-haha! It's not like complaining about it will change anything! We're just a traitor and a robot, after all!" "Well then, Hajime... Let's show everyone else the value in leftovers! Let's magnificently find the exit with our very own hands! If we do that, it will solve everything!!!" "Hiyoko and Ibuki... Those two were quite the noisy bunch. It's as if a fire was smothered... And I cannot believe...Mikan was the one who murdered them..." "Ngh...? Then I must live up to everyone's expectations! As long as I'm here, I will not tolerate any more victims! I won't allow iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiit!" "This building is peculiar... Look at the inside of this bathroom! I can't take a peaceful shit like this! Preventing me from taking a good shit... This house is certainly defective! Tch... Every time I see a bathroom, I get this lonely feeling... When in the world is my constipation going to be fixed!?" "It's not even worth playing if all you get after winning is a weapon...!" "Ha! We just have to go for it! The only way we can overcome this situation is to make a move!" "As soon as she learned there was no food, she was overcome by hunger... Obsessions are truly annoying... But at least try to stay calm! Now's not the time for you to paaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaannnniiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiic!" "Do you need to go that for to test it? I won't tolerate any robo-prejudice!" "Then the men shall have Strawberry House! Strawberry men are known for passion!" "Regardless, if I ever decide to get serious with this body, you won't even last a second!" "This scorching, stinging, tense atmosphere... I've been a team manager for so long, I'd nearly forgotten this... This is great! What a comforting atmosphere!" "Gaaahahahaha! You'll drench your soul with evil until the bitter end, huh...? SPLENDID! In response to your spirit...I shall kill you with all of my might! I won't go easy on you! Don't even think about holding back! Don't waste your breath on cowardly tactics! Give me everything you've got!" As Minimaru:

    "STUPID FOOL! GET IT TOGETHER!" "I'M NO DOLL! I'M...MINIMARU!" Chapter 5:

    "SHITK&&p#spds~=~~+@:T;^--8y*?`*DOIT:OGAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA" (Nekomaru's cottage post-fifth trial) Trivia Nekomaru is the only Killing Game participant who is completely absent from one of the class trials while still alive.[35] Nekomaru's cause of death is foreshadowed by the final victim in The Wizard of Monomi 2.5D, a movie Mikan used for an imitation murder. She recreated only the first two victims, omitting the third—depicted with a metallic body sliced and destroyed. This mirrors Nekomaru's death, where his robotic body is destroyed, and his head is decapitated, resembling the third victim.[34][36] Much like Sakura Ogami and Gonta Gokuhara, the three biggest and most physically imposing characters in their respective games all die in Chapter 4.[38][55][56] All three share selfless motives in their deaths: Sakura and Nekomaru actively sacrifice themselves to ensure the survival of their respective classmates, while Gonta attempts a mercy killing, believing it would protect his friends. Nekomaru mentioned in one of his Free Time Events that he once met a "clan of warrior women in the mountains who had such feudal tendencies", which is implied to be Sakura, correlating to her comment about training in the mountains in her School Mode.[13][57] In Danganronpa V3's Ultimate Talent Development Plan, Nekomaru and Sakura confirm that they did indeed meet in the mountains and train together. In the English version of the game, Nekomaru proclaims himself the "Ultimate Masseuse", although it is the feminine form of "masseur".[34] Nekomaru's high school, First Yokoyama High School is a possible reference to the many athletes with the last name Yokoyama. The term "robo-prejudice," which is a catchphrase commonly used by K1-B0, the Ultimate Robot from Danganronpa V3 (or "robophobia" in his case), was actually first introduced by Nekomaru-turned-Mechamaru. He quotes, "Like you said, if I cease all functions with sleep mode, the sensor won't detect it, but... Do you need to go that far to test it? I won't tolerate any robo-prejudice!"[36] Nekomaru can be heard yelling "Atatatatatata" during the bonus scene where he massages Akane, which is known as the war cry of Kenshiro, the main protagonist of Fist of the North Star series. The morning after Nekomaru sustains fatal injuries while protecting Akane from an attack by Monokuma, the other students ask the latter where he is. Monokuma acts as if he has forgotten who Nekomaru is in response, and asks if he's "the boy who turns into a girl when splashed with cold water" - making a reference to the Ranma ½ manga series.[34] Minimaru is shown occasionally in Danganronpa Another Episode: Ultra Despair Girls, appearing to the main protagonist, Komaru Naegi, in a small UFO. Nekomaru's English voice actor, Patrick Seitz, also voiced Monokid[58]. References Report Card (Japanese) Danganronpa 3 Despair Arc: Nekomaru Nidai design profile Report Card Danganronpa 2.5: Nagito Komaeda and the World Vanquisher Danganronpa 1.2 Art Book: Nekomaru Nidai Design Profile Overview. @Taichinchin on Tumblr: List of Danganronpa and Danganronpa 2 casts former high schools Patrick Seitz: "@Ocsttiac Don't toss out your holy books just yet. I was given leave to mention my involvement as Nidai in the sequel. #CrisisOfFaithAverted" (Image of tweet) (24 Feb 2014) Funimation: Danganronpa 3: The End of Hope’s Peak High School Broadcast Dub Cast Announcement (July 28, 2016) synchronkartei: Danganronpa 3: The End of Hope's Peak Academy - Despair Arc Free Time Events 4: Nekomaru Nidai Introduction: Nekomaru Nidai Free Time Events 1: Nekomaru Nidai Free Time Events 3: Nekomaru Nidai Island Mode - Amusement Park: Nekomaru Nidai Danganronpa 3 - Hope Arc Danganronpa 3 - Despair Arc - Episode 01 Danganronpa 3 - Despair Arc - Episode 02 Danganronpa 3 - Despair Arc - Episode 03 Danganronpa 3 - Despair Arc - Episode 04 Danganronpa 3 - Despair Arc - Episode 05 Danganronpa 3 - Despair Arc - Episode 06 Danganronpa 3 - Despair Arc - Episode 07 Danganronpa 3 - Despair Arc - Episode 08 Danganronpa 3 - Despair Arc - Episode 09 Danganronpa 3 - Despair Arc - Episode 10 Danganronpa 3 - Despair Arc - Episode 11 Danganronpa 2: Goodbye Despair: Chapter 6 Danganronpa 3 - Future Arc - Episode 01 Danganronpa 2: Goodbye Despair: Chapter 2 - Deadly life Danganronpa 2: Goodbye Despair: Prologue Danganronpa 2: Goodbye Despair: Chapter 1 - Daily Life Danganronpa 2: Goodbye Despair: Chapter 1 - Deadly Life Danganronpa 2: Goodbye Despair: Chapter 2 - Daily Life Danganronpa 2: Goodbye Despair: Chapter 3 - Daily life Danganronpa 2: Goodbye Despair: Chapter 3 - Deadly life Danganronpa 2: Goodbye Despair: Chapter 4 - Daily life Monokuma: "If you think advancements exist in colleges and laboratories, that's a huge misunderstanding! The real advancements exist...in the place where you can pass on that talent." (Chapter 4 - Daily Life) Danganronpa 2: Goodbye Despair: Chapter 4 - Deadly Life Chiaki: "You know, after listening to you talk for a while, I'm starting to think that... Well, it's also because you unexpectedly admitted your crime without much resistance..." Hajime: "Gundham, don't tell me you... You didn't sacrifice yourself for our sake, did you...?" Gundham: "My cursed existence is feared by all mankind! There's no way I'd sacrifice myself for the sake of you fools! Not in a million, not in a billion, not in 10,000 billion years! In the name of Pandaemonium, it is impossible!" Hajime: "Is that it...? Then...I'll just leave it at that..." (Chapter 4 - Deadly Life) Gundham: "Giving up on life and choosing death...is nothing but a blasphemy toward life. It is a violation of the natural order! It is the arrogance of humanity!" Akane: "A-Are you sayin' all that to try to justify what you did...!?" Nagito: "But it sounds like Nekomaru felt the same, too. That's why they fought, right?" (Chapter 4 - Deadly life) Danganronpa 2: Goodbye Despair: Chapter 5 - Daily life Danganronpa 2: Goodbye Despair: Chapter 5 - Deadly Life Danganronpa V3: Killing Harmony: Chapter 6 @Kaibutsushidousha on Tumblr: Danganronpa 2 Artbook: Nekomaru Nidai Nekomaru: "When I walk down the street, I'm often told... I look like a fighter from this game, or a martial artist from that game... I can't understand what they're talking about! No matter how you look at it, I'm only a team manager!" (Chapter 2 - Daily Life) @Jinjojess on Tumblr:Danganronpa 3 - Despair Arc Profile: Nekomaru Nidai Free Time Events 5: Nekomaru Nidai Island Mode - Ending: Nekomaru Nidai Island Mode - Beach: Nekomaru Nidai Island Mode - General Reactions: Nekomaru Nidai Island Mode - Shot Through The Heart: Nekomaru Nidai Free Time Events 2: Nekomaru Nidai Island Mode - Library: Nekomaru Nidai Teruteru: "Isn't it amazing? That meat is soooo big, even I was shocked. I asked Nekomaru. Apparently, he killed the cow at the ranch with his bare hands and brought it over." Nagito: "That's a little hard to believe, but...it doesn't seem completely impossible either... Those hands of his...they look like they specialize in punching things." (Chapter 1 - Deadly Life) Danganronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc: Chapter 4 - Deadly Life Danganronpa V3: Killing Harmony: Chapter 4 - Deadly Life School Mode - Library: Sakura Ogami Patrick Seitz: "Seitz trolling a twitter user, hinting that he voiced Monokid in Danganronpa V3" (Image of tweet) (17 Oct 2017)

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17. #17Peko Pekoyama

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    Peko Pekoyama Illustration Sprite DR3 (Despair) Illustration Name Kanji 辺古山 ペコ Romaji Pekoyama Peko Katakana ぺコヤマ ぺコ English Peko Pekoyama Aliases & Titles Talent Characteristics Personal Status Debuts Portrayals

    “ Smiling is not something you have to force. When your heart gets warm, smiles come to you naturally.

    — Danganronpa 2: Goodbye Despair ”

    Peko Pekoyama (辺古山 ペコ), is a student of Hope's Peak Academy's Class 77-B, and a participant of the Killing School Trip featured in Danganronpa 2: Goodbye Despair. Her title is the Ultimate Swordswoman (超高校級の「剣道家」 lit. Super High School Level Kendoka).

    She, along with Class 77-B, return in Danganronpa 3: The End of Hope's Peak High School to explore their school life leading up to The Tragedy.

    Contents 1 History 1.1 Early Life 1.2 Prior to the Tragedy 1.2.1 Attending Hope's Peak Academy 1.2.1.1 First Year 1.2.1.2 Second Year 1.3 The Tragedy 1.4 Killing School Trip 1.4.1 Twilight Syndrome Murder Case 1.4.2 Peko's Fate 1.5 Post-Killing School Trip 1.5.1 Nagito's Illusory World 1.5.2 Resurrection and Atonement 1.6 Real Fiction 2 Creation and Development 2.1 Name 3 Alternate Fates 4 Appearance 5 Personality 5.1 Young master's tool 6 Talent and Abilities 6.1 Ultimate Swordswoman 7 Free Time Events & Bonus Mode Guides 8 Quotes 9 Trivia 10 References 11 Navigation History Early Life Danganronpa 2 CG - Fuyuhiko Kuzuryu and Peko Pekoyama's relationship Peko growing up alongside her young master

    As a newborn, Peko was abandoned by her own parents and taken in by the Kuzuryu Clan, the largest criminal syndicate in Japan, with a membership surpassing 30,000.[4][10] From childhood, she was raised alongside the family's eldest child and eventual heir, Fuyuhiko, and trained to be his personal hitman and bodyguard. She became extremely loyal to him, eventually coming to see herself as a tool meant only to follow her young master's orders. This is exemplified whenever Fuyuhiko's parents fought—which happened frequently and at times nearly cost him his life—Peko was always by his side.[11]

    Peko also frequently mentions a childhood friend—heavily implied to be Fuyuhiko[12]—with whom she often shared intense experiences, and she was always ready to help him. One time, she and Fuyuhiko were kidnapped together, but Peko managed to find a way to escape, and they ended up lost in the mountains.[13] When she tried to cheer him up, she unintentionally made him cry because he could sense that she was scared and worried. However, she eventually saved them both using her skills as a swordswoman and her determination to protect him as his loyal tool.[13] She also joined the fray to protect him when Fuyuhiko challenged the king of the monkeys to a fight during a visit to the zoo, a moment when she thought he had "a handsome smile."[14]

    Danganronpa 3 - Despair Arc (Episode 03) - Natsumi's Reason (51) The heir and his hitman

    Despite growing up together with a deep bond, Peko seemed to underestimate Fuyuhiko's attachment to her. Fuyuhiko never saw her as his tool, and simply wanted her to be "herself."[4] Yet deep down, Peko was aware that he didn't share her self-perception, due to Fuyuhiko's kindness and sentiment towards her, despite being a yakuza, something she had observed since they were children.[15]

    Peko grew up to become an extremely skilled swordsman and was said to be so strong that most adult men couldn't stand a chance against her.[16] She excels at swordsmanship to such a degree that, unlike any kendo practitioner, she does not follow the typical ranking system of dojo trainees, which corresponds to their years of training. She also grew up to be fond of animals, mentioning how she wanted to touch the soft fur of the cat that visited the dojo, her childhood friend's dog, and the fluffy feathers of the finch she had as a pet. Due to her "menacing presence," however, she rarely got the chance as they got too scared and ran away from her.[17]

    Prior to the Tragedy Attending Hope's Peak Academy Main article: Danganronpa 3: The End of Hope's Peak High School/Despair Arc First Year Danganronpa 3 (Despair Arc) - ED (Textless) (8) Peko and Class 77-B

    Peko attended Shiranui High School[6][7], before being scouted by Hope's Peak Academy for her exceptional skills as the Ultimate Swordswoman. She was enrolled in Class 77-B, alongside her young master, Fuyuhiko, who was accepted as the Ultimate Yakuza. During her school years, she followed Fuyuhiko's orders to keep their professional relationship a secret and treat each other like normal classmates.[18] As such, Peko and Fuyuhiko were rarely seen talking to each other in front of their classmates, but she was often seen by his side. She kept her distance from her classmates as well, though she did trust them and offered her assistance whenever possible.[19][20][21]

    Danganronpa 3 - Despair Arc (Episode 03) - Twilight Syndrome Murder Case (16) Peko's regret

    In due course, Peko was surprised to learn that Fuyuhiko's little sister, Natsumi, had entered Hope's Peak Reserve Course Department. She offered to check up on her, but was prevented by Fuyuhiko, who reminded her that she was not his hitman at Hope's Peak. Unfortunately, Natsumi was soon murdered by a Reserve Course student named Sato for bullying her best friend, who happened to be Peko's classmate Mahiru Koizumi, the Ultimate Photographer.[22] When she and Fuyuhiko visited the morgue to check Natsumi's body, Peko, who waited outside the room, felt immense regret for not being able to protect her young master's sister. In her frustration, she punched the wall until her knuckles bled.[23]

    Ibuki Fuyuhiko Peko Peko and Fuyuhiko were asked by Ibuki when they had become close

    Peko's school life continued despite her ongoing grief for Natsumi. She remained by her young master as always, while also actively supporting her classmates in their endeavors when their homeroom teacher, Chisa Yukizome, was placed on probationary transfer to the Reserve Course for a semester, following a bombing incident involving her classmate Nagito Komaeda, the Ultimate Lucky Student.[24][25] Moreover, Peko and Fuyuhiko's interactions began to be noticed by their fellow classmates, such as Ibuki Mioda, the Ultimate Musician, and Mikan Tsumiki, the Ultimate Nurse, with the latter commenting that it was nice to see the two becoming so close.[26]

    Second Year Mukuro Peko blade Peko revealing her katana beneath her shinai after successfully blocking Mukuro's attacks.

    Her school year became filled with turmoil when the Reserve Course students launched a massive protest against the main course, which Peko learned from the faculty was dubbed The Parade due to their belief that no one would go against the symbol of hope.[27] Despite not wanting to get involved in the riots, Peko and her classmates became worried when Mikan went missing, prompting them to search for her on the school grounds. Before she could leave, Nagito asked Peko to keep Mukuro Ikusaba, the Ultimate Soldier from Class 78th, occupied. At the time, Peko was unaware that this was part of Nagito's murder attempt on Junko Enoshima, Mukuro's twin sister and the origin of what would become known as Ultimate Despair, the same person responsible for Mikan's disappearance. When the two eventually engaged in a heated duel, Peko revealed that the only reason she had been following Mukuro was because one of her classmates had asked her to.[28]

    Class 77 Despair Class 77-B brainwashed

    The duel ended with Peko's defeat, prompting her to urge Fuyuhiko and the others to run instead of intervening to help Chisa. However, Fuyuhiko refused to abandon her, unwilling to stand by while she was being beaten. Leaving her with no other choice, Peko forced herself back on her feet and joined her classmates in rushing to Chisa's aid.[29] Led by Mikan—who, unbeknownst to them, had already been brainwashed into despair by Junko—they were led into what appeared to be the same room later used for the Class Trials. In this very room, Peko and the others were forced to watch their beloved class rep, Chiaki Nanami, executed in a brutal fashion. Peko, despite her desire to save Chiaki, couldn't move an inch. Bearing witness to Chiaki's death caused the brainwashing effect of the video to take hold of Peko and the others, plunging them into despair.[30]

    Fuyuhiko Peko despair Peko Pekoyama, the Ultimate Despair

    Fully brainwashed into becoming the Ultimate Despair, Peko and her classmates received their final lesson before "graduation", the one final meeting to discuss their plan to overthrow the world with despair. Peko expressed that she would "never kill anyone again," while her young master declared that, together with Peko, he would "lead their people down the right path." Chisa then activated a bomb that faked the death of Class 77-B so they could be taken off the list of protected students. Peko and Fuyuhiko began helping Junko to spread despair by launching a massacre in the Japanese Diet, later seen standing back to back amidst a sea of corpses.[31]

    The Tragedy Danganronpa 3 - Future Arc (Episode 01) - Intro (66) Protecting her young master

    As an Ultimate Despair, Peko, alongside her corrupted classmates, started The Tragedy and kept it ongoing even after Junko's death in the final stage of the Killing School Life. Those who did not commit suicide to follow their leader Junko soon became known as the Remnants of Despair, which included Peko and her classmates. They also hacked her body and grafted them onto themselves—though in Peko's case, the specific body parts she took remain unknown.[32]

    Danganronpa 3 - Future Arc (Episode 01) - Intro (53) Peko's attack intercepted by Kyosuke

    By Fuyuhiko's side, Peko had done many horrible things. She was seen attacking the leader of the Future Foundation, Kazuo Tengan, upon Fuyuhiko's orders. A branch leader, Kyosuke Munakata, came to Kazuo's defense, holding off Peko with his own katana. Despite being reinforced by Nekomaru Nidai, the Ultimate Team Manager, and Akane Owari, the Ultimate Gymnast on the frontline, Peko was eventually captured by the Future Foundation along with the other Remnants of Despair.[33]

    Danganronpa 3 - Future Arc (Episode 01) - Makoto arriving (6) Remnants of Despair

    The Future Foundation then secured the custody of Peko and the other fourteen - at first only aware that they were survivors from Hope's Peak Academy. When Makoto Naegi, Class 78th's Ultimate Lucky Student, by that time a member of the 14th Division of the Future Foundation, realized that the survivors were in fact, Remnants of Despair, he quickly directed them to Jabberwock Island in secret.[32]

    Danganronpa 2 CG - Neo World Program (4) Neo World Program

    Makoto had them enter the Neo World Program, where their memories were reset to a time before their enrollment at Hope's Peak Academy, prior to being brainwashed by Junko. As a result, they couldn't recognize each other, except for Peko and Fuyuhiko, who still recognized each other. The plan was to overwrite Peko and the others' memories of themselves as Ultimate Despair, replacing them with good ones to undo all the damage Junko had done to them.[32]

    The scheme backfired when Izuru Kamukura, the Ultimate Hope and the final product of the Izuru Kamukura Project, uploaded Junko's malware AI just before they were to be programmed. Consequently, they were subjected to the identical brutal incident that befell Class 78th, although in a realistically simulated environment. The killing game became known as the Killing School Trip, an ordeal in which Peko and the other Remnants of Despair were coerced into participating.[32]

    Killing School Trip Main article: Danganronpa 2: Goodbye Despair Danganronpa 2 CG - Students in the classroom Killing School Trip participants

    Peko participated in the Killing School Trip alongside fourteen other Remnants of Despair and one Future Foundation observer. It occurred in a virtual world, the Neo World Program, resembling Jabberwock Island. Due to her memories as the Ultimate Despair and life in Hope's Peak Academy being erased by the Future Foundation, she couldn't recognize any of her classmates, except for Fuyuhiko.[32] Before interacting with anyone else on the island, Peko was ordered by Fuyuhiko to keep their professional relationship a secret and to treat each other like normal classmates, much like they did during their school years.[18] She first introduced herself to Hajime Hinata in the lobby of Hotel Mirai. With an intense gaze that took Hajime aback, she immediately warned him—and everyone else on the island—not to do anything inappropriate, as she preferred not to kill anyone.[16]

    Danganronpa 2 CG - Everyone at the beach (1) Peko swimming at the beach

    Later, Peko and the others gathered at the first island's beach, assembled by Usami, the observer of the school trip, an AI programmed by the Future Foundation, who claimed to be the class's teacher. She reassured the students that there was no need to worry and provided Peko and the others with swimsuits, encouraging them to fully enjoy their "school trip". Behaving as she was told, Peko joined the rest of her classmates and could be seen swimming in the sea.[34]

    Danganronpa 2 CG - Start of the Killing School Trip The Killing School Trip begins

    The promising tropical school trip, however, turned into a nightmare immediately as Peko learned that the evil animatronic bear, Monokuma, the self-proclaimed headmaster of Hope's Peak Academy, had hijacked their trip and turned it into a killing game. Peko and the others initially refused to participate. However, they soon learned that they had no choice but to submit after Monokuma made an example of Usami (renamed into Monomi by Monokuma) by blowing her to pieces using Monobeasts.[34]

    Danganronpa 2 CG - Replica Sword Event Coconut Party

    By the next morning, Peko continued to blend in with the group. She attended the meeting at the hotel restaurant and was later seen arriving to fetch Hajime and Kazuichi Soda, the Ultimate Mechanic, so that they could attend as well. She interacted with various students, such as Mahiru, who frequently took pictures of the girls and told Peko that, out of everyone, she was the only one who didn't smile in her photos.[35][36][37] Mahiru also showed her photos of smiling faces, which Peko found very pleasant. This helped her realize that smiles give people power, becoming one of the motivations for her to want to be able to smile properly.[13] She even learned a so-called "revolutionary technique" to smile from the mischievous Hiyoko Saionji, the Ultimate Traditional Dancer, who pranked her by saying she had to pull both sides of her mouth with her fingers and chant, "I was born on a pirate ship."[13] Peko also offered her assistance to her classmates whenever she could. If Hajime had a replica sword and gave it to Kazuichi, Peko could later be seen walking to the First Island beach with Ibuki. Seeing them struggle to open coconuts, Peko borrowed the replica sword and helped by cutting the coconuts for them, which they then enjoyed together.[38]

    Danganronpa 2 - Girls-Only Gathering Event Girls-only gathering

    After the first motive was first introduced, if Hajime handed Mahiru a certain magazine, she would invite Peko to a girls-only gathering bonus scene to break off the tension. She could be seen enjoying making desserts with the girls, commenting that this sort of activity wasn't so bad once in a while.[38] Peko also agreed to attend the all-night party at the old building, hosted by the group's leader, the Ultimate Imposter, who at the time was secretly impersonating the real Byakuya Togami, the Ultimate Affluent Progeny. She didn't realize until the class trial that the party was thrown by the Imposter to save her and the others from someone who planned to kickstart the Killing Game, and that was no other than Nagito.[39]

    At this stage of the killing game, Peko only communicated with her young master in secret. She would discreetly check on him each morning to reassure the others at the daily meeting that he was still alive and well, despite his refusal to participate in the meetings.[40][41] When he threatened the group, claiming he had the potential to kill others, Peko's first instinct was to calm him down. If necessary, she was prepared to take matters into her own hands. She was also the one who passed along the party details to Fuyuhiko. He was initially not pleased with the idea but later tried to join, only to backtrack, possibly due to embarrassment.[39]

    Danganronpa 2 Chapter 1 - Closing Argument Act 1 Using the toilet during the party and blackout

    At the party, Peko volunteered to guard the duralumin case full of items confiscated by the Ultimate Imposter. Nagito then suggested her to guard the case in the office, as the circuit breaker was also located there. Unbeknownst to her, this was done to prevent Peko from entering the storage room and discovering the irons he had used to cause the blackout. Peko complied, bringing the case and a plate of food to the office, intending to remain there for the duration of the party. However, she was forced to leave the office to use the bathroom when she was struck by inexplicable stomach cramps before the party even started.[42][43] She had locked herself inside the bathroom even during the blackout. She only left once the others discovered that the Ultimate Imposter had been murdered, much to her shock. With a blackout occurring shortly before the murder, Peko was acutely aware of how suspicious she appeared—having been assigned to guard the circuit breaker. However, she couldn't reveal the true reason she had left her post at the time and had rushed to the bathroom again, even during the investigation.[39]

    Danganronpa 2 CG - Class Trial Elevator (Chapter 1) Descending into the courtroom

    At the class trial, Peko was suspected by Kazuichi due to this very reason. However, Nekomaru's testimony cleared her of suspicion, prompting her to confess that she had shut herself inside the bathroom and to apologize for abandoning her guard duty.[42] Upon learning about the bathroom incident, Fuyuhiko began to question whether someone had laced Peko's food with laxatives. However, this theory was quickly dismissed, as Akane—who had eaten the same food prepared by Teruteru Hanamura, the Ultimate Cook—experienced no such symptoms. This allowed Peko's stomachache to be dismissed as a mere coincidence. Peko apologized when she learned that she could've reset the circuit breaker had she stayed in the office, to which Fuyuhiko reassured her not to blame herself. With the group's collective effort, Peko helped deduce that while Nagito had orchestrated the setup for a murder, the true culprit was actually Teruteru, who intended to kill Nagito but accidentally killed the Ultimate Imposter instead—who had intervened to stop Nagito's plan. Teruteru was ultimately found guilty and executed for his crime, allowing the rest of the class, including Peko, to survive the Class Trial.[39]

    The day after the class trial, Peko attended the regular morning meeting and, along with everyone else, went to investigate the newly opened second island. While investigating the library, Peko overheard Sonia Nevermind, the Ultimate Princess, and Hajime discussing serial killers, particularly Sonia's favorite, Sparkling Justice, a serial killer who only targets criminals. Peko became concerned by how enthusiastic Sonia was while discussing it. After they investigated the second island, Peko attended the morning meeting, where she saw Fuyuhiko briefly joining. However, a verbal altercation quickly broke out between him and Kazuichi, prompting Peko to intervene, causing Fuyuhiko to leave immediately.[44]

    Twilight Syndrome Murder Case Monokuma presented his second motive, a game titled the Twilight Syndrome Murder Case, which Peko would later learn was a replica of the real-life event that directly involved her young master, Fuyuhiko, and the murder of his little sister, Natsumi. She learned and discussed this fact with Fuyuhiko,[45] who became the first person to complete the "truth" route of the game. As his reward, he received an envelope filled with photos that seemingly confirmed the events of the game to be related to the murders of Sato and Natsumi. He sent the envelope to Mahiru, who appeared as a character in the game, whom Fuyuhiko assumed was Sato's accomplice in erasing evidence, in the hope of meeting her to confirm this. Instead, Mahiru began avoiding him, which agitated Fuyuhiko, who was already so consumed by rage for not remembering the details of his sister's murder. Overwhelmed by this fury, he sought to exact revenge on Mahiru, thinking 'an eye for an eye.' He wanted to club her to death with a metal bat, just as his character, Guy F, did to Sato's character, Girl E, and in the same way Sato had bludgeoned his sister to death. As her young master's tool, driven by his desire for revenge and her own wish to help him escape the killing game, Peko began doing his dirty work to fulfill both his goal and her own.[4]

    Danganronpa 2 Chapter 2 - Closing Argument Act 2 Sending fake letters to Mahiru and Hiyoko

    The first thing Peko did was eavesdrop on Mahiru and Hiyoko in the morning, overhearing them agree to discuss the game more thoroughly at a later time, privately. With this knowledge, Peko sabotaged their plans by sending fake letters to both Mahiru and Hiyoko. Mahiru's letter instructed her to meet at the beach house at 2:30 p.m., while Hiyoko's letter told her to arrive at the same location at exactly 2:00 p.m. This was done to lure Mahiru into a one-on-one confrontation with Fuyuhiko before killing her.[46] Hiyoko, who arrived earlier, was knocked unconscious and hid inside the closet by Peko.

    Danganronpa 2 CG - Scene of the murder (Chapter 2) (2) Peko telling Fuyuhiko to flee after killing Mahiru

    When Mahiru entered the beach house 30 minutes later, Peko lay in wait, closely observing as Fuyuhiko confronted her about the game. The conversation escalated until Fuyuhiko, despite his hesitation, reached for the metal bat hidden under the bench. Before he could go through with it, Peko intervened—grabbing the bat from him and, with a single swing, struck Mahiru from behind, killing her instantly. This shocked Fuyuhiko, as the original plan seemingly never involved Peko killing Mahiru herself. He warned her about the dangers of committing murder in this killing game, but Peko fully understood the risks. Her decision had been deliberate—she intended to act as a tool to carry out the murder, take the blame, and allow her young master to escape the island. Though Fuyuhiko pleaded with her to forget about the Kuzuryu Clan and abandon the plan, Peko refused to listen and continued to carry out her own plan after he fled the crime scene.[4]

    Danganronpa 2 Chapter 2 - Closing Argument Act 5 (1) Placing her calling card

    Peko began to tamper with the crime scene, mainly to set up the perfect evidence and traps to frame the unconscious Hiyoko for her crime. First, she dragged Mahiru's body to block the door leading to the road, so that when Hiyoko woke up, she would have no choice but to flee through the sandy beach, leaving her footprints all over it. Next, she deliberately placed the Sun Witch ♪ Esper Ito mask at the crime scene—a calling card crucial to her plan during the upcoming Class Trial. Peko, considering the possibility of being found out, intended to don the mask and assume the identity of Sparkling Justice, who always wore a heroine mask, when that time came.[47] She incorporated this into her murder plan, inspired by Sonia's knowledge of the serial killer that she had overheard. By acting out what Sparkling Justice would be like in the trial, she hoped to convince the others to quickly vote her as the blackened, ensuring Fuyuhiko's survival and eventual victory in the trial.[48]

    Danganronpa 2 Chapter 2 - Closing Argument Act 5 (2) Washing Mahiru's blood and hiding inside the surfboard case

    With Mahiru's blood splattered on her, Peko used plastic water bottles from the beach house refrigerator to wash it off—presumably inside the shower room—knowing that the shower itself was out of order. However, she had no choice but to toss the empty bottles into the beach house trash can, as littering was against the rules and disposing of them elsewhere would have taken too much time. Afterward, Peko hid inside the surfboard case she had already emptied beforehand inside the closet. When the sleeping drug used on Hiyoko wore off, she panicked upon discovering Mahiru's body and fled through the door facing the beach, leaving footprints in the sand—just as Peko had planned. Peko then emerged from the surfboard case and placed a yellow gummy, which she had brought with her, to frame Hiyoko further, knowing her affinity for gummies.[4]

    Danganronpa 2 CG - Peko Pekoyama's escape plan Escaping the crime scene

    Peko's final trick was her method of exiting the crime scene without using either of the beach house doors. She climbed out through the small window in the shower room, which was positioned quite high. However, it was nothing that the Ultimate Swordswoman could not handle. Using her bamboo sword, she tied the bag to its handle and used the sword as a stepstool to reach the window, while holding the bag in her other hand. Once she was able to reach the window, all she had to do was pull the bag to retrieve the sword.[4] Peko then went to the diner near the beach house, the meeting point for the girls-only beach party that Sonia hosted, and she attended as if nothing had happened. However, since the beach house had no towels, she couldn't dry off and arrived with wet hair and in her swimsuit. She claimed to have been swimming for a while before her arrival as an excuse. Soon after this, Kazuichi discovered Mahiru's body, prompting the investigation to commence right away before the party could even begin.

    During the investigation, Peko urged Sonia to explain further about Sparkling Justice, claiming it was a way for them to 'exercise caution.'[49] From this encounter, Peko learned about the serial killer's catchphrase, which she would later use to enhance her performance.

    Peko's Fate Peko began to actively participate in the class trial once the group uncovered the truth behind the Twilight Syndrome Murder Case, leading others—especially Hiyoko—to suspect Fuyuhiko as the prime suspect, given his strong motive to kill Mahiru. She suggested that the true culprit had used the motive to learn the relationships between the characters and then used it to set up Fuyuhiko. From that point on, Peko began directing suspicion toward Hiyoko—her intended scapegoat—presenting one trap after another that she had set in advance to pin the crime on her. Her plan initially worked, as the planted evidence—including Hiyoko's footprints and the fake letters—plus Kazuichi's testimony about seeing Hiyoko fleeing the scene—all worked in Peko's favor, cornering Hiyoko as the prime suspect.[50] However, she made a critical mistake by planting a lemon-flavored gummy—the one flavor Hiyoko never ate—as confirmed by Nagito, who inspected her cottage and found no trace of yellow gummies. This began to undo all of her hard work, as everyone started to realize that Hiyoko had been set up and framed by the true culprit.[4]

    Danganronpa 2 Chapter 2 - Closing Argument Revealed Revealed as the culprit

    Eventually, Hajime and the others deduced that the culprit must have used the water bottles to wash Mahiru's blood off themselves, which led to Peko becoming the new prime suspect. While Peko remained calm as she listened to the others' reasoning for suspecting her, her young master became worked up and came to her defense without fail. He insisted that it was impossible to leave the beach house without leaving footprints, and that the small window in the shower room was too high for Peko to reach. However, this was debunked as the Ultimate Swordswoman could have simply used her bamboo sword as a stepstool to escape through the window.[4]

    Danganronpa 2 CG - Peko Pekoyama as Sparkling Justice (2) Sparkling Justice...?

    Once the truth of her crime came to light, Peko surrendered. However, when Chiaki questioned her motive, Peko was left with no choice but to carry out the final stage of her plan—assuming the identity of Sparkling Justice in a last-ditch effort to hasten the vote for her and protect the "true" culprit: Fuyuhiko. Everyone in the courtroom was bewildered by Peko's transformation as she donned the Sun Witch ♪ Esper Ito mask. She then launched into a long-winded rant, justifying her actions by claiming she murdered Mahiru to punish her, possibly referencing her past for protecting a murderer like Sato, and to deliver justice. Fuyuhiko pleaded with her to stop, but Peko persisted, ultimately leading the students to hastily vote her as the culprit. However, Sonia belatedly provided evidence showing why Peko couldn't possibly be Sparkling Justice, pointing out that the serial killer's nationality and native language was Spanish. When Peko was unable to prove she could speak the language, she took off the mask, declaring that the ruse had already served its purpose.[4]

    Danganronpa 2 CG - Peko Pekoyama unmasking herself A tool which has fulfilled its purpose

    Everyone could not accept the outcome of the vote, especially Peko's bizarre claim that she did not view herself as a human, but as a mere tool for Fuyuhiko, whom she revealed as her young master she had served since childhood. According to Peko, her role as a bodyguard meant that she was only a tool with no will of her own; she killed Mahiru on Fuyuhiko's orders, making him the true murderer in this trial, meaning that everyone but Fuyuhiko was to be executed. Noticing Fuyuhiko's hesitation in admitting that she was merely acting as a tool, Peko pressed on, continuing to persuade both him and Monokuma to acknowledge him as the true culprit.[51] Nagito then pointed out the flaw in her plan: Fuyuhiko himself has never said what their relationship was. Despite Peko's pleas, Fuyuhiko refused to call her a mere tool, instead saying that he wanted her to stay as a true human being. Though somewhat disappointed, Peko admitted that she expected such a response from Fuyuhiko.[15] She resigned herself to her fate, apologized to the class for betraying them, and urged them not to cause another senseless killing like Mahiru's. Before facing her execution, Peko declared that she would not give Monokuma the satisfaction of watching her break down, but her facade cracked when a grief-stricken Fuyuhiko begged her not to leave him.

    Peko's execution involved her being controlled by Monokuma like a puppet, making her cut down hordes of robotic soldiers. Peko accidentally injured Fuyuhiko's right eye when he tried to intervene in her execution, causing him to collapse. Horrified, Peko embraced Fuyuhiko and used herself as a shield to protect him. As the wooden warriors began stabbing her repeatedly from behind, the seamount was flooded with Peko's blood.[4]

    Danganronpa_2_Chapter_2_Execution

    Fuyuhiko was still alive but bleeding profusely, prompting Monokuma to take him to the hospital for proper treatment. It was later revealed that Fuyuhiko had only sustained relatively minor sword-related injuries, thanks to Peko protecting him with her last breath.[52] Peko's sacrifice affected the guilt-ridden Fuyuhiko so greatly that the Ultimate Yakuza began to live as the kind-hearted person Peko had always seen in him.[15] He stopped being a lone wolf and began actively working with the remaining students to escape the island together. He was always willing to sacrifice himself, believing that his life was a spare granted by Peko.[52] However, he chose to continue living—not only to honor her death but also to remember Mahiru and the other fallen friends.[53] Peko's deceased portrait in the class trial courtroom can be seen from the third trial onwards crossed out with a pair of blades, referencing her Ultimate talent.

    Peko briefly reappeared as an illusion shortly before the countdown ended, as the Neo World Program began glitching. She accompanied the others to the Ancient Ruins after they learned the password from Nagito's video message, reassuring Fuyuhiko not to worry and promising to protect him. However, she vanished once the survivors stepped inside the ruins.[54]

    The illusory Peko was later conjured during the game reset sequence of the final class trial, a scenario made by Alter Ego Junko to persuade Hajime and the remaining survivors to graduate. Had she succeeded, it would have allowed her to upload her AI into the comatose bodies of the "dead" Remnants of Despair, effectively reviving them as copies of herself. In this sequence, Peko supported her young master's decision to stay in the game reset for a while. While Fuyuhiko was initially adamant about wanting to see Peko again even by voting for the Graduation option, with the help of Hajime, he decided against it. Along with the other survivors, he chose to shut down the Neo World Program and waited for the comatose Peko to wake up in real life.[32]

    Post-Killing School Trip After Alter Ego Junko's defeat, Peko remained in a coma alongside her classmates, while the survivors waited for them to wake.[32]

    Nagito's Illusory World Main article: Danganronpa 2.5: Nagito Komaeda and the World Vanquisher An illusory version of Peko, created by the Neo World Program, appeared within Nagito's dream world shortly before Peko and Nagito were revived from their comatose state by Izuru Kamukura, who had by then merged with Hajime's personality and memories. Due to suffering a very traumatic death in the program, Nagito's mind created a strange, relatively peaceful world he lived in as a coping mechanism, which included this copy of Peko.[5]

    Danganronpa 2.5 - (OVA) Sonia, Peko, and Fuyuhiko off to fight The World Destroyer (64) Last stand against the World Destroyer

    In this world, Peko was the one who revealed to Fuyuhiko that Kazuichi hadn't died in an accident—he had been murdered. This revelation set Fuyuhiko on a path of vengeance for his fallen 'brother,' with Peko and Sonia joining him. However, when the three confronted The World Destroyer, both Fuyuhiko and Sonia were swiftly killed. In her final moments, a wounded Peko used Fuyuhiko's phone to call Nagito, pleading for him to avenge Fuyuhiko. After the call, Peko drew her sword and made one final stand against The World Destroyer—but she too was swiftly killed.[5]

    Danganronpa 2.5 - (OVA) Nagito waking up in reality (21) Welcoming the rest to board the ship with Hajime and Sonia

    It was later revealed that this was merely an illusion. In reality, Peko was alive and well, along with the now-reformed Remnants of Despair. After awakening from the Neo World Program, she boarded a boat with the rest of Class 77-B. Peko, Hajime, and Sonia were seen on the ship and appeared to be waiting for Nagito, Fuyuhiko, and Kazuichi. Together, they set a course for the Future Foundation headquarters to put an end to the Final Killing Game, which involved the organization's leaders.[5]

    Resurrection and Atonement Main article: Danganronpa 3: The End of Hope's Peak High School/Hope Arc Peko defeats a solider Defeating the SHSL Discus Thrower

    Peko and her classmates arrived at the island where the Future Foundation's off-shore facility was located, having left from Jabberwock Island. Having rescued Byakuya Togami and Yasuhiro Hagakure, two members of the Future Foundation and survivors of the Killing School Life, from beneath the rubble, the group set out to confront their one and only classmate, Ryota, who Junko had coerced into creating the brainwashing video that transformed Peko and the others into the Ultimate Despair.[27][28] Unlike Peko and the rest, he avoided being turned into Ultimate Despair due to his contribution. Thus, the Class 77-B's fight with the brainwashed rescue squad troops, including the Former Super High School Level Elite Task Force, began. Peko was seen defeating the Super High School Level Discus Thrower with her bamboo sword. Fuyuhiko complimented her, saying that her bamboo sword truly suited her, and she agreed.[55]

    Fuyihiko Peko invite Ryota to join them Inviting Ryota to join everyone with Fuyuhiko

    Later, Peko helped convince Ryota to abandon his plan to brainwash the world. During the confrontation, Ryota expressed his belief that he and the other Remnants of Despair could never be forgiven for allowing Junko to plunge the world into despair. In response, Hajime offered Ryota the chance to join them in returning to Jabberwock Island to atone for their sins together. Ryota eventually broke down in tears and agreed, stopping the countdown mere seconds before the brainwashing was completed. Peko and the others later came to his side to comfort him.[55]

    Class 77-B acting Remnants of Despair's atonement

    Shortly afterward, Peko and the other former Remnants of Despair shouldered the blame for the Final Killing Game in a broadcast to the Future Foundation. They presented themselves in their despair personas and preserved the Future Foundation's credibility and power to rebuild the world, an act of atonement for their sins as the Ultimate Despair.[55]

    Fuyuhiko Peko party Returning to Jabberwock Island

    Having accomplished their atonement, Peko and her classmates boarded back to Jabberwock Island by boat. She was last seen bringing plates of food to Fuyuhiko.[55]

    Real Fiction Main article: Danganronpa V3: Killing Harmony Danganronpa V3 Tsumugi Shirogane Halfbody Sprite (Peko Pekoyama) (2) Peko cosplayed by Tsumugi Shirogane.

    In Danganronpa V3: Killing Harmony, it is alleged by the mastermind Tsumugi Shirogane, the Ultimate Cosplayer, that the entire Danganronpa franchise is fictional in-universe; a series of games, anime, and later live-action dramas performed actors. In particular, Tsumugi, who is the Ultimate Cosplayer, claims she is only able to cosplay fictional characters (breaking out into a bright pink rash whenever she tries to cosplay a real person), and the fact she is able to cosplay as the whole cast of Danganronpa characters including Peko Pekoyama is used as evidence to support her claim that all of the cast are fictional. However, due to a number of holes in Tsumugi's story which make her an unreliable narrator, whether or not she was telling the truth is deliberately left up to the player's interpretation; as a result, it is up to the player whether they believe Peko's story within the Danganronpa series was real, or a fictional story written by Team Danganronpa and performed by an actor.[56]

    Creation and Development Translation Credit: Kaibutsushidousha on Tumblr

    According to creator Kazutaka Kodaka, Peko's face was going to resemble Peko-chan, the mascot of Fujiya, a nationwide chain of confectionery stores. Due to her original design bearing too strong a resemblance to Peko-chan, Kodaka and the development team questioned who would profit from it. As a result, Peko was reimagined into a less gimmicky role—that of a seemingly cold swordswoman. Kodaka intended to portray her as a reliable figure with a hidden, motherly side. In retrospect, on the plot and conversations, he noted that her curt demeanor did wonders to balance the cast.[57]

    Character designer Rui Komatsuzaki commented that he always wanted to include a character who practiced kendo, or at the very least carried a sword—be it a shinai or a real katana. He created a backstory for this character entirely on his own: the perfect "otaku girl," with long dark hair and glasses, clothes and accessories so distinct that they wouldn't go well together, and a constantly exasperated face. He was determined to make her happen. However, Kodaka demanded that she be made into the female version of Kiyotaka Ishimaru from Danganronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc, which Komatsuzaki interpreted as a commission order for "insane justice." As such, she designed the current Peko as a compromise between their two proposals. Initially, she had a more slender body, but he decided to give her the more motherly figure she has now to match the impression he got from the early plans for her story.[57]

    Kotono Mitsuishi's, Peko's Japanese voice actress, also commented on her character:

    "Peko Pekoyama was a character that demanded a lot of mental strength from me. Many of her recordings felt physically exhausting and emotionally draining. Doing Peko often left me hungry, which is funny because "harapeko" means hungry (laughs). The game really got my heart racing with its unique world and charming characters. I hope the fans who played or will play get what they want out of it."[57] Kotono Mitsuishi, who also voiced Sailor Moon—a character who shares the same birthday as Peko, June 30—was one of the few voice actors specifically chosen by the creators to portray a particular character.[citation needed]

    Name Peko's first name, (ペコ), is written in katakana (one of two Japanese syllabaries usually used to write loanwords and foreign names) and so doesn't have any special meaning. However, it is directly inspired by Fujiya's mascot, Peko-chan, whose name derives from the Japanese onomatopoeia pekopeko (ぺこぺこ), meaning "hungry."[57] It is also an onomatopoeia often used for bowing. The repetition effect is reflected in her name. It does mirror real feminine names, however, with -ko being a common suffix for female names. "Pekopeko" can also mean "obsequious" or "servile" - befitting the fact she was raised by the Kuzuryu family to be Fuyuhiko's "tool". Due to Chinese having only one non-phonetic writing system compared to the three that Japanese has, Peko's first name is transliterated into "佩子". The character "佩" means "to admire" or "to respect", matching the idea of bowing her name has in Japanese.

    Her last name, Pekoyama (辺古山), is composed of 辺 - "border" or "vicinity", 古 - "old", and 山 - "mountain"; making the meaning of the name "Pekoyama" something along the lines of "around the old mountain". Her surname is a remnant of the original concept to make Peko resemble Fujiya's mascot, Peko-chan.[57]

    Alternate Fates Island Mode and Ultimate Talent Development Plan exist in two separate alternate universes where Peko still attends Hope's Peak Academy, but no students are in peril. As they are alternate universes, these events are non-canonical, but because Peko's personality is unchanged, backstory information shared by her in these events is considered questionably or dubiously canonical rather than fully non-canonical.

    Free Time Events are also considered somewhat questionably canonical due to the nature of how Free Time Events are accessed (in that some characters' Free Time Events cannot be fully completed during the course of the canon game storyline due to limitations on the number of interactions you can have with them during one playthrough, and thus can only be accessed after they have canonically died either through a second playthrough or via Island Mode). However, due to Free Time Events being largely experienced during the canon game storyline, Free Time Events are more grounded in canon than Island Mode and Ultimate Talent Development Plan and are largely considered canon by the majority of players.

    Appearance

    Peko is a tall, young woman with fair skin and a cool demeanor. She has long silver hair tied up into two braids on each side of her head, secured by white ribbons at the bases and dark red hair ties at the ends. She has side-swept bangs with two shoulder-length locks of hair that curl outwards, left down to frame her face. Her eyes are a vivid red, and she wears thin-framed rectangular glasses.

    She wears a long sleeved, turquoise-black seifuku uniform with a dark, gray-teal sailor collar and sleeve cuffs, each striped with two thin white lines at the edges, a red ascot tied at her neck. A red strip of cloth is wrapped around her left upper arm. Below this, she wears a somewhat paler turquoise pleated skirt, striped with an even paler line at the hem. Her legwear consists of turquoise-black tights and cream-colored loafers.

    Peko is constantly seen carrying her shinai (bamboo sword) around with her in a dark turquoise sheath/wrap with a thin white dragon design printed on the back. The shinai has a metal katana blade hidden at the center of its bamboo wrappings.

    Peko admits that her appearance has been mistaken for cosplay before, and strange cameramen have tried to take pictures of her.[58] In the second trial, Peko was seen briefly wearing a Sun Witch ♪ Esper Ito mask while assuming the identity of the Sparkling Justice. The mask shares similar characteristics with Fujiya's Peko-chan, including the protruding tongue.[57]

    Sparkling Justice (1) Sparkling Justice (1) Sparkling Justice (2) Sparkling Justice (2) During her high school years, she wears the standard Hope's Peak Academy uniform, excluding the blazer. She wears long and black hair ribbons, along with her hair ties. She wears translucent black tights and plain white loafers. She also only carries her shinai for kendo club and a few important occasions.[19]

    As an Ultimate Despair, she wears strips of cloth wrapped over her chest, a one-button open white suit over it, with long formal pants of the same color with a buckled belt. Her footwear consists of red-heeled shoes. Her hair is styled differently, left down to flow to her waist, with a single ponytail tied at the right of her head. She is also equipped with a standard metal katana rather than her shinai.

    Her swimsuit in Danganronpa S: Ultimate Summer Camp consists of a two-piece black swimsuit with a bikini top and a skirted bikini bottom with a short, ruffled hem, while she carries her shinai on her back. This is the same swimsuit she wears to Sonia's girls-only beach party during the Killing School Trip.[44]

    Hope's Peak uniform Hope's Peak uniform Ultimate Despair attire Ultimate Despair attire Swimsuit (Danganronpa S) Swimsuit (Danganronpa S) Personality Peko has a serious demeanor, showing little emotion. Because of this, her stoic and composed nature often comes across as intimidating. Her presence is made more severe by her willingness to use force to maintain order and prevent unnecessary fighting.[59] This is combined with her awareness that her swordsman instincts might cause her to attack reflexively at anything she senses as a threat, and thanks to her talent, even a misaimed attack could turn deadly.[16][60][61] While capable of violence, Peko herself states that she prefers to avoid senseless killing, though there are times when swords must be drawn—whether she wants it or not.[62]

    Being a woman of few words, Peko often ends up in awkward social situations without realizing it—frequently scaring her conversation partners with her intense stares. In contrast, she easily gets flustered when complimented or when hearing mentions of her own embarrassing moments.[38][39][62] However, she is neither impolite nor antisocial. In contrast, she actively makes an effort to interact with the group—likely out of loyalty to Fuyuhiko's order to blend with their classmates. However, it is also shown that, beyond simply following orders, Peko goes out of her way to genuinely care for her classmates, humbly offering help whenever she can. When Hajime, Kazuichi, and Teruteru struggle with coconuts, Peko splits them open without being asked and feels glad to see others enjoying themselves. Whenever a fight or quarrel breaks out, or when Hiyoko makes insulting remarks and harsh judgments, Peko isn't afraid to step in and demand that they stop.[63][64] She has no qualms about attending the party hosted by the Ultimate Imposter and volunteers to guard the duralumin case, though she explains that it's because she's not comfortable in situations where a large crowd surrounds her.[65] She feels remorse over the Ultimate Imposter's death and apologizes, believing she could have reset the circuit breaker to prevent it from happening, seeing it as a failure on her part.[66] Despite killing Mahiru, Peko holds no ill will toward her, having acted solely out of duty as her young master's tool. She sincerely apologizes to everyone, begging them not to let her actions lead to further senseless killings.[4] During her school years, Peko actively supported all her classmates,[25] even complying with Nagito's troubling request to fend off Mukuro Ikusaba, simply because he was a classmate.[28]

    Due to her harsh exterior, Peko may come off as cold, though that is never her intention. It is her difficulty in smiling naturally that has contributed to her intimidating aura since childhood, which frequently made her childhood friend cry due to her 'scary face'. Even her 'first love' coldly told her the same thing.[67] Even so, she believed that she never really needed to smile, and therefore eventually forgot how to. Hajime speculates that this may have caused by her extreme amount of harsh training, as he finds it abnormal for someone to forget how to smile.[37] After learning from Mahiru that "smiling can give people power," Peko reflects on how, when she was younger, she wished she could have at least faked a smile to ease her childhood friend's fear, particularly when they got lost in the mountains. Considering the possibility of never escaping the island, she longs to improve her ability to smile so that she can ask out a certain someone among the group on a date and wants to finally show them her smiling face when it happens. She is determined to do whatever it takes—even if it means falling for Hiyoko's prank or asking Hajime to tell jokes to make her laugh, though both attempts ultimately fail.[37][13] In her Island Mode, Peko expresses excitement about visiting the amusement park, watching comedy movies at the theater, and reading technical books about smiling—all in an effort to improve her ability to smile.[61][68][69] In her final Free Time Event, it is revealed that Peko can indeed smile, smiling sincerely as she recalls her childhood friend's handsome smile. She realizes that smiling doesn't need to be forced; when her heart feels warm, it comes naturally. Peko reflects that she had forgotten this, having been "too desperate to protect something," revealing that she is sensitive at heart. However, due to the nature of her work and identity, she often has to push these feelings to the backburner and rarely shows them.[14]

    If there is one thing that has Peko in a chokehold and never fails to draw out her soft side, it's animals—especially the fluffy ones. Unfortunately, most animals can sense her menacing presence and run away every time she tries to touch them. When Hajime suggests that she ask Gundham Tanaka, the Ultimate Breeder, for help in touching his hamsters, Peko becomes visibly excited and hurries off to do so.[17] Similarly, when Hajime brings up pandas in conversation, the thought of their fluffy fur makes her face soften a little.[37] Her love for animals is explored further in her Island Mode. She reveals that she enjoys reading animal-related books, such as encyclopedias and children's books. Her ultimate favorite, however, is photo books filled with pictures of "fluffiness." She loves imagining the texture against her fingers and typically saves these books for last.[68] She also enjoys watching movies about animals, and it is implied that she cries when watching the ones with sad stories.[69] Her love for fluffy animals seems to extend to inanimate objects, as she hesitates to climb a statue of animals in Jabberwock Park, and thinking it'd be better if they were a union of fluffy creatures instead.[70]

    Another soft side of Peko is her sense of wonder and willingness to experience new things, especially if these experiences can improve her skills. In her Island Mode, Peko wants to try dropping coconuts by slashing her sword upward to create wind pressure and resisting the urge to sleep while watching boring movies in theaters, seeing both as self-training methods. She also gets excited at the prospect of climbing the castle in the amusement park and eating popcorn, something she hasn't done in ages.[61][69] She even wants to learn how to fish after hearing the rumor that it can "spawn friendship," and expresses interest in making sandcastles, inspired by children whom she believes must have the skill and knowledge to design them.[60]

    Young master's tool Raised by the Kuzuryu Clan when she was just a child and given only one goal—to become the hitman of Fuyuhiko, the heir to the clan—Peko grew up to hold a strongly internalized conviction that she is not a person but rather a tool whose only purpose is to protect her young master, thus lacking any sense of independent agency or intrinsic value outside of her function. She insists she has no will, no emotions, and no identity beyond acting as Fuyuhiko's shield or sword.[71] However, some of her actions contradict this belief. A prime example is her decision to kill Mahiru, which is motivated by her own initiative rather than a direct instruction from Fuyuhiko—an act she does to keep him from soiling his own hands and to facilitate his escape by taking the fall herself. Peko killing Mahiru on her own was never part of the plan, revealing she acted without Fuyuhiko's knowledge or consent. Even when he begs her to abort the plan, Peko refuses to listen and goes through with it to achieve her own personal desire of keeping her young master safe—or, as Nagito calls her out, her personal hope, a will of her own—one that contradicts the very idea of being a mere "tool." [72] Even Monokuma disapproves her "tool" identity, noting that no mere instrument would meddle with a murder plan so much of its own accord. In the end, Fuyuhiko never considers her a mere tool and only wanted her to be herself, refusing to sacrifice everyone just to escape alone—something that Peko knows he would say, knowing he hates relying on his family's power. She concludes that he hates her for being the personification of that reliance, and that despite being a yakuza, his kind heart ironically only strengthens her loyalty to become his tool.[15]

    Peko cares about Fuyuhiko on a personal level beyond their formal hitman-master relationship. Her fondness for him draws out her sentimental side, often reminiscing and reflecting on childhood memories. These memories, such as recalling her inability to ease his fear when he got lost in the mountains and remembering his handsome smile, are among the main reasons Peko desires to improve her own ability to smile.[13][14] In her Island Mode, she also gets nostalgic about the times she would climb trees and explore, not because she particularly enjoyed it, but because she had the urge to protect her reckless young master, who often got himself in trouble, such as climbing to the very top and being unable to get down.[70][73]

    Talent and Abilities Ultimate Swordswoman

    Being trained by the Kuzuryu clan since she was a newborn, Peko is skilled with a blade and is said to be so strong that most adult men couldn't stand a chance against her.[16] She excels at swordsmanship to such a degree that, unlike any kendo practitioner, she does not follow the typical ranking system of dojo trainees, which corresponds to their years of training.[17] Peko is entrusted with the safety of the clans' successor Fuyuhiko, proving her skills were greatly trusted by Fuyuhiko's family. During her time as an Ultimate Despair, it is implied that she used her swordsman skills to kill countless people.[31][33]

    Peko's skills rivaled that of Mukuro Ikusaba, the Ultimate Soldier. She was able to block all of her attacks in quick succession with her shinai.[28] Despite her skills with her katana, Peko could also use her shinai as a non offensive weapon and even knew how to use the handle as a stepping stool to reach high places.[4] Peko also states that she has a wide knowledge of using targeted strikes both in a lethal and non lethal way.[16] She ensured Mahiru an instant death with a single strike with a metal bat. She can also use a replica sword to cut coconuts with relative ease.[38]

    Peko also demonstrates a keen sense for strategy during her fight with the Super High School Level Discus Thrower. She takes a defensive approach, luring him into destroying a water tower she hides behind. Then, using the geyser of water as cover, she emerges and swiftly strikes him down non-lethally before he has a chance to react.[55]

    Ultimate Swordswoman official translations in other languages Free Time Events & Bonus Mode Guides The links below are full transcripts and indepth guides for Peko Pekoyama's relationship routes in Free Time Events, Island Mode, Ultimate Talent Development Plan, and Danganronpa S Development Mode including her MonoMono Machine Present preferences and most effective dialogue options.

    Free Time Events Island Mode Ultimate Talent Development Plan Danganronpa S Development Mode Quotes DR2 Extra DR3 Danganronpa 2: Goodbye Despair (English)

    Prologue:

    "My name is Peko Pekoyama. It is nice to meet you, too." "It is necessary for men and women who live together to respect each other. Don't try anything inappropriate... I would prefer...not to kill anyone." "Who would dare try to kill...? I'll put a stop to it, with force if necessary." Chapter 1:

    "It'd be foolish to resist if it's just going to make things worse. I hope everyone else feels the same way..." "Just stop already... This kind of fighting will not get us anywhere." "However, it is just as Hiyoko said. If we're going to get killed for not doing it...then we must do it." "I appreciate your concern... However, there are other things we should be focusing on." "I see... His strong sense of responsibility as our leader was his undoing..." Chapter 2:

    "If you don't understand polite requests to stop, it's not my fault if I'm forced to get a little...violent." "It doesn't mean anything is going to happen...but you should be careful, just in case." "Regardless, everyone is going to die if we don't do it. In order for us all to survive, we must do it." "I will never forgive killing...hm." "She must feel very strongly about killing..." "There is no escape... We have no choice but to press forward. Now then, let us go." "...Let's go. There's no reason for us to waste time here." "I said it's fine... Saying anything more would just be an exercise in futility." (to Fuyuhiko) "In order to...protect the justice of this world. I do not sully my hands to satisfy personal grudges..." “There is only one reason I kill... For the sake of protecting justice!" "Justice is what makes humans human... It's a virtue that human beings should be proud of. Justice is the eternal sun...and the enduring moon... The protective father...and the smiling mother... If justice ever disappeared from this world... The world would immediately freeze, and people's smiles would vanish... I... will not allow that...! Justice must always be there to guide us, to shine bright above our heads! So I must fight! I must continue to fight to protect justice!" "As the light of justice shines upon my mask...I expose the hearts of malevolent evil... Justice Complete!" "There is only one reason I kill... For the sake of protecting justice! Justice is what makes humans human... It's a virtue that human beings should be proud of. Justice is the eternal sun...and the enduring moon... The protective father...and the smiling mother... If justice ever disappeared from this world... The world would immediately freeze, and people's smiles would vanish... I...will not allow that...! Justice must always be there to guide us, to shine bright above our heads! So I must fight! I must continue to fight to protect justice!" "As the light of justice shines upon my mask...I expose the hearts of malevolent evil... Justice Complete! The center of justice that is pierced by justice! The lead star of justice that shines in the night sky! That would be me... Sparkling Justice! (｀⌒´) Now then...let's execute justice!(｀∀´)" "I am Sparkling Justice... In the name of sparkling, shining justice, I have come to deliver justice! (￣ー＋￣)" "This mask is the dividing line. Just like various idols... The sun is revered because it lies just beyond your grasp... Justice should also be the same! (｀Д´)ノ"彡☆" "This world must always be bathed in the light of justice. I must not allow even one shadow... Evil must be eliminated immediately!ヽ(`д´)ノ No matter what, I must not overlook evil!(｀⌒´)" "To protect justice, of course (●｀п´●) In order to protect justice...I have become its merciless sword! And...executed justice! (｀･ω･´）" "My true identity...? Hmph, I have already forgotten who I am... It just shows my determination! My determination to protect by throwing away what's most important! I'm willing to become anybody to shower this world with justice! (｀Д´)ノ"彡☆ Haaaaaaaaaaahahahahaha!ヾ(＠x▽x＠)ノ" "I haven't done anything to be ashamed of! (｀⌒´)" "WRONG! I punished evil in the name of justice! (￣∀￣)=３ That's no reason to condemn me! (●｀п´●)" "There's no way...you can kill me... Justice can never be killed! (｀ヘ´) You should all know that as well!" "To protect what's most important to you, you must be prepared to throw away something equally important. Understand!? (｀Д´)ノ"彡☆" "Then I shall be direct... Justice must carry on! In order to keep justice, to keep me, alive, you all must give up your lives! (｀･ω･´）" "It's not serious...it's justice! (｀曲´) If I fall here...who will combat the evils of this world!? (｀⌒´) Now...follow your hearts of justice that reside within you all...and save my life to protect justice...! Hurry and carry on justice!(ﾟ言ﾟ)" "For the sake of grand justice, a few sacrifices are unavoidable! (｀⌒´)" "Don't worry... The justice that you give your life to protect will never go to waste...(ﾉ_・､)" "Hmph...it appears that...the time has come for this mask to come off... However, that's perfectly fine... It's no longer necessary. And...even if you find out now, it's too late for you all to do anything about it. My duty...has already been finished. My duty as a tool...has already been completed in full." "That mask has fulfilled its purpose...just as I have. I have no purpose... I am just a mere tool..." "Hmph, of course... A tool cannot do anything on its own." "Yes. From your basic way of thinking about it, you are wrong. Didn't I tell you...? I'm just a tool. That means I'm just a simple tool to be used by that person." "As I said before, I exist as nothing more than a mere tool... I had no motive for killing Mahiru... No reason to kill...not even the will to kill... I was simply used as a tool. As long as I am a tool, I cannot defy my orders." "No...I have no aim. But my young master does. My young master planned this from the start. That...is the truth of this case." "If I'm a human, then I'm not a tool... If that's what you're saying, you're wrong. Because...you just don't know. You just don't know that there are people who only exist to be tools. ...People such as myself." "Right after I was born and abandoned by my parents...the Kuzuryu Clan took me in. They gave me a reason to exist. I am to fulfill my duty as my young master's property. If my young master is attacked, I must defend him as his shield... If he intends to kill, I must be his sword... That is my only reason for living. Before I am human...I am my young master's tool, first and foremost. Until this body of mine can no longer move... I shall fulfill my duty until the very end...!" "No matter what I am told, I am nothing but a tool for killing... If my young master intends to kill, it is only natural for me to act as his tool." "A tool is not defined by its will, but by its actions." "There is no way I cannot worry about you... I am...my young master's tool... A tool to protect my young master... Without an owner...a tool serves no purpose. Please do not worry... I promise I will keep my young master alive and return him safely home..." "Young master... You have a kind heart, despite being a yakuza... That's why you question your position and constantly worry about it... For you to sacrifice someone else just to escape yourself?... I believe you wouldn't accept that so easily. We've been together ever since we were children. Even a tool would understand that. Even so...I wanted you to escape. I am terribly sorry I will not be able to serve by your side until the very end...young master. ...Good bye. And...I'm sorry for what I've done to you all, too. It may be a selfish request but...please forgive my young master. And please do not cause a senseless killing such as this...ever again...!" "Just so you know, I will never feel despair. As long as I am a tool...I am fully prepared to die." "Young master Fuyuhiko... Please permit me to make one final selfish request... I want you to remember... ...the tool, Peko Pekoyama, who used to stand beside you... I would like it if you remembered that." Chapter 5:

    "It's going to be all right. You don't have to worry...I will protect my young master. Now then, let's go forward together." "(｀ヘ´)? @Justice(-Д-+)(ﾟ言ﾟ)>(●｀п´●)tool?youngmastetool:@:@youngmasteryou" (Peko's cottage post-fifth trial) Trivia Peko is implied to have been capable of reaching the circuit breaker had she stayed in the office during the old building party. Her claim was proven when she demonstrated the ability to use her shinai as a step stool after murdering Mahiru. However, Nagito countered this by arguing that she likely wouldn't have been able to accomplish it in complete darkness.[66] Peko shares her birthday, June 30, with the headmaster of Hope's Peak Academy, Jin Kirigiri.[74] Peko and Sakura Ogami from Danganronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc both used to attend Shiranui High School.[7][75] Similar to Mondo Owada[76] and Kirumi Tojo[77], the Chapter 2 killers from their respective games, Peko used a blunt object to bludgeon her victim. However, in Kirumi's case, she used it only to knock her victim unconscious before drowning him to death. Mondo and Fuyuhiko—though in Fuyuhiko's case, the act was carried out by Peko—committed murder in a fit of rage, driven by the loss of their deceased siblings.[76] Peko and Kirumi committed murder out of a sense of "selflessness," each acting in service of a purpose greater than themselves—Peko for Fuyuhiko, and Kirumi for the Japanese citizens.[77] References Report Card (Japanese) Danganronpa 3 Despair Arc: Peko Pekoyama design profile Report Card Danganronpa 2: Goodbye Despair: Chapter 2 - Deadly life Danganronpa 2.5: Nagito Komaeda and the World Vanquisher Danganronpa 1.2 Art Book: Peko Pekoyama Design Profile Overview. @Taichinchin on Tumblr: List of Danganronpa and Danganronpa 2 casts former high schools Funimation: Danganronpa 3: The End of Hope’s Peak High School Broadcast Dub Cast Announcement (July 28, 2016) synchronkartei: Danganronpa 3: The End of Hope's Peak Academy - Despair Arc Introduction: Fuyuhiko Kuzuryu Free Time Events 1: Fuyuhiko Kuzuryu In her Free Time Events, Peko consistently refers to her childhood friend using he/him pronouns, and Fuyuhiko is the only known childhood friend who has been with her since infancy. Free Time Events 4: Peko Pekoyama Free Time Events 5: Peko Pekoyama Peko: "Young master... You have a kind heart, despite being a yakuza. That's why...you question your position and constantly worry about it. For you to sacrifice someone else just to escape by yourself... I believe you wouldn't accept that so easily. We've been together ever since we were children. Even a tool would understand that." Introduction: Peko Pekoyama Free Time Events 1: Peko Pekoyama Peko:I was ordered by my young master to behave... Just as I was ordered to...interact with you all... Peko: "Our professional relationship doesn't exist on this island. We're just fellow high school students now..." Right after we arrived on this island, that is what my young master ordered me to do." Peko: It's not as if...that started the moment we arrived on this island... Before that, my young master has always told me to hide our relationship. (Chapter 2 - Deadly Life) @Jinjojess on Tumblr: Danganronpa 3 - Despair Arc Artbook: Peko Pekoyama Danganronpa 3 - Despair Arc - Episode 01 Danganronpa 3 - Despair Arc - Episode 02 Chiaki:" And...apparently the reason Girl E committed murder in the first place was to "protect" Girl D. Girl D was being harassed by the victim... Girl E found out and tried to stop it, and they ended up getting into an argument..." Nekomaru: "And she felt a rush of anger and ended up killing her..." (Chapter 2 - Deadly Life) Danganronpa 3 - Despair Arc - Episode 03 Danganronpa 3 - Despair Arc - Episode 04 Danganronpa 3 - Despair Arc - Episode 05 Danganronpa 3 - Despair Arc - Episode 06 Danganronpa 3 - Despair Arc - Episode 07 Danganronpa 3 - Despair Arc - Episode 08 Danganronpa 3 - Despair Arc - Episode 09 Danganronpa 3 - Despair Arc - Episode 10 Danganronpa 3 - Despair Arc - Episode 11 Danganronpa 2: Goodbye Despair: Chapter 6 Danganronpa 3 - Future Arc - Episode 01 Danganronpa 2: Goodbye Despair: Prologue Free Time Events 1: Mahiru Koizumi Free Time Events 2: Mahiru Koizumi Free Time Events 3: Mahiru Koizumi Danganronpa 2: Goodbye Despair: Chapter 1 - Daily life Danganronpa 2: Goodbye Despair: Chapter 1 - Deadly Life Chiaki: "...Huh? It seems Fuyuhiko is not here yet." Hiyoko: "Hehe, maybe he already got killed..." Peko: "Don't go killing people off... I saw him outside earlier." (Chapter 1 - Daily Life) Peko: "I saw Fuyuhiko earlier near the hotel. I invited him to breakfast, but he declined." (Chapter 2 - Daily Life) Nekomaru: "Some scoundrel was occupying the bathroom before the party was about to start." Nekomaru: "It's true, someone was occupying the bathroom for a long time shortly after the party started... And it was finally freed up...after Byakuya's body was discovered." (Chapter 1 - Deadly Life) Peko: "Because I was not in the office... Not even before the blackout..." Peko: "As soon as I stepped into the office, I felt this sudden rush of pain in my stomach... Because of that, I was unable to leave the bathroom... Including when...the blackout occurred..." (Chapter 1 - Deadly Life) Danganronpa 2: Goodbye Despair: Chapter 2 - Daily life It is implied from this dialogue that Fuyuhiko finished the game the same night Monokuma first introduced the motive and began discussing it the following morning with Peko, which was unusual as it was the first time she missed the regular morning meeting Peko: "I did see Fuyuhiko earlier, but it seems he isn't going to join us for breakfast today as well... I have some things I'd like to think about... I'm going to go for a little walk..." (Chapter 2 - Daily life) Nagito: "But it was rather convenient for you, wasn't it Fuyuhiko? If you could make use of their plan to meet each other alone, you could easily lure Mahiru into a trap, right? By calling both of them to the beach house, you were able to pin the blame on Hiyoko." (Chapter 2 - Deadly Life) Peko: "Regardless, I will not flee... Besides...I'm fairly certain they'll discover the truth soon enough." (Chapter 2 - Deadly Life) Peko: "However, I also considered the possibility of being found out... So in order to get you guys to make the wrong choice, I decided to make use of that serial killer that story." Sonia: "You insisted that you were Sparkling Justice in order to make us hasten our votes...?" Peko: "That's right... You guys have made the wrong decision." (Chapter 2 - Deadly Life) Peko: "Although it's easy to write this off as foolish, it might be best if we exercise some caution. Sonia...can you tell me everything you know about this so-called Sparkling Justice?" (Chapter 2 - Deadly Life) Kazuichi: Me and Hajime met up at the diner around 3:00 p.m. to go to the beach... I saw you about thirty minutes later, so it should've been around 3:30 p.m. (Chapter 2 - Deadly Life) Monokuma: I'll admit it, all this talk about Peko being a tool sounds pretty persuasive. When you approach it from various angles, it makes sense that Fuyuhiko is actually the true killer... (DR2 - Chapter 2: Deadly Life) Danganronpa 2: Goodbye Despair: Chapter 3 - Daily life Free Time Events 4: Fuyuhiko Kuzuryu Danganronpa 2: Goodbye Despair: Chapter 5 - Deadly Life Danganronpa 3 - Hope Arc Danganronpa V3: Killing Harmony: Chapter 6 @Kaibutsushidousha on Tumblr: Danganronpa 2 Artbook: Peko Pekoyama Nekomaru: "When I walk down the street, I'm often told... I look like a fighter from this game, or a martial artist from that game... I can't understand what they're talking about! No matter how you look at it, I'm only a team manager!" Peko: "That happens to me, too. One time I was cornered by a strange group of people holding cameras... It was very annoying." (Chapter 2 - Daily Life) Peko: "Who would dare try to kill...? I'll put a stop to it, with force if necessary." (Prologue) Peko: If you don't understand polite requests to stop, it's not my fault if I'm forced to get a little...violent. (Chapter 2 - Daily Life) Island Mode - Beach: Peko Pekoyama Island Mode - Amusement Park: Peko Pekoyama Free Time Events 2: Peko Pekoyama Mikan: "Wh-Why...are you being so mean!?" Hiyoko: "Heh, heh, heh... You're the kind of girl that bullies just love to torment, aren't you?" Peko: You should stop now." (Chapter 1 - Daily Life) Hiyoko: "Still, I understand about Mr. Ham Hands, but is there even a reason for us to be sad about Teruteru's death? Well he was a crazy guy who killed someone! He totally deserved to die!" Peko: "I understand how you feel, but you're going too far." (Chapter 2 - Daily Life) Peko: "I don't mind... I'm really not that good in situations where I have to be around lots of people anyway. However, Teruteru has gone to the trouble of cooking... Is it alright for me to bring some of it with me?" (Chapter 1 - Daily Life) Mikan: "But... With Peko's height, I don't think she'd be able to reach the circuit breaker in the office..." Peko: "I couldn't have prevented the blackout even if I was in the office. but even so, I feel regret... If I was in the office, I could've reset the breaker in time... And maybe the murder wouldn't have occurred..." Nagito: No, the breaker in the office was built into a high area of the wall that's impossible to reach... Resetting the breaker in that darkness would've been impossible, no matter what." It is heavily implied that the childhood friend she mentions is Fuyuhiko; however, when she speaks of her first love, it remains unclear whether she is still referring to him or someone else entirely, as Peko never explicitly confirms it. However, in her final Free Time Event, Peko confesses that she wanted to ask someone in the island out on a date, which strongly implies that it is Fuyuhiko. Furthermore, in her Island Mode ending, when Hajime suggests she consider asking "that guy", Peko—who refers to herself as "his tool"—becomes flustered and shy, but doesn't seem to reject the idea. Island Mode - Library: Peko Pekoyama Island Mode - Movie Theater: Peko Pekoyama Island Mode - Jabberwock Park: Peko Pekoyama Peko: "You just don't know that there are people who only exist to be tools. ...People such as myself. Right after I was born and abandoned by my parents...the Kuzuryu Clan took me in. They gave me a reason to exist. I am to fultull my duty as my young master's property. If my young master is attacked, I must defend him as his shield... If he intends to kill, I must be his sword... That is my only reason for living. Before I am human...I am my young master's tool, first and foremost. Until this body of mine can no longer move... I shall fulfill my duty until the very end...!" Peko: "A tool is not defined by its will, but by its actions." Peko: "There is no way I cannot worry about you... I am...my young master's tool... A tool to protect my young master... Without an owner...a tool serves no purpose." (Chapter 2 - Deadly Life) Nagito: "I see... So for Peko, Fuyuhiko himself is your true hope, then? On his behalf, you killed Mahiru...and now you're trying to sacrifice us so that you can protect him. You would only go that far because he's your one and only hope..." Nagito: "Huh? You seem distressed. A mere tool doesn't panic like that, right? Peko...be honest... Are you trying to protect Fuyuhiko of your own free will?" Peko: "..." (Chapter 2 - Deadly Life) Island Mode - Military Base: Peko Pekoyama Official Artbook Profile translated by @jinjojess on Tumblr Danganronpa 1.2 Art Book: Sakura Ogami Design Profile Overview. Danganronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc: Chapter 2 - Deadly life Danganronpa V3: Killing Harmony: Chapter 2 - Deadly life

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18. #18Sonia Nevermind

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    Sonia Nevermind Illustration Sprite DR3 (Despair) Illustration Name Romaji Sonia Nevāmaindo Katakana ソニア・ネヴァーマインド English Sonia Nevermind Aliases & Titles Talent Characteristics Personal Status Debuts Portrayals

    “ Guiding my people along the right path is the duty of a ruler!

    — Danganronpa 2: Goodbye Despair ”

    Sonia Nevermind (ソニア・ネヴァーマインド), is a student of Hope's Peak Academy's Class 77-B, and a participant of the Killing School Trip featured in Danganronpa 2: Goodbye Despair. Her title is the Ultimate Princess (超高校級の「王女」 lit. Super High School Level Princess).

    She, along with Class 77-B, returns in Danganronpa 3: The End of Hope's Peak High School to explore their school life leading up to The Tragedy.

    Contents 1 History 1.1 Early Life 1.2 Prior to the Tragedy 1.2.1 Attending Hope's Peak Academy 1.2.1.1 First Year 1.2.1.2 Second Year 1.3 The Tragedy 1.4 Killing School Trip 1.4.1 The Party 1.4.2 Twilight Syndrome Murder Case 1.4.3 Despair Disease 1.4.4 The Funhouse 1.4.5 The Beginning of the End 1.4.6 Graduation Exam 1.5 Post-Killing School Trip 1.5.1 Nagito's Illusory World 1.5.2 Atonement 1.6 Real Fiction 2 Creation and Development 2.1 Name 3 Alternate Fates 4 Appearance 5 Personality 5.1 Interests 6 Talent and Abilities 6.1 Ultimate Princess 6.2 Military skills 7 Free Time Events & Bonus Mode Guides 8 Quotes 9 Trivia 10 References 11 Navigation History Early Life Sonia is the princess of a small European kingdom called Novoselic. She lived a comfortable life inside the royal castle, with many servants serving her a variety of Japanese dishes[10] and doing all the cleaning.[11] As a result, she never experienced such dirty work herself and was cared for so thoroughly that it took her a long time to learn how to do simple tasks, such as turning on the shower. Turning it off remained a mystery to her, and she once ended up flooding the floor.[12] In her Island Mode, she revealed that she did a lot of princessy activities since childhood, such as riding horses and carriages. When she felt like being alone, Sonia had a habit of secretly leaving the castle to hide and read in the national library. She became so good at hiding that she nearly died while participating in a hide-and-seek tournament in the royal library as no one could find her, leading to its cancellation.[13]

    As it was her destiny to one day rule her kingdom, Sonia received an extensive education required for a royal family member, making her fluent in 30 foreign languages and highly knowledgeable in various fields such as the Novoselic culture, economics, international law, and diagnostic medicine.[14] In addition, she became accustomed to her country's military, likening a place such as the Jabberwock Island's military base to be a place she grew quite tired and bored of.[15] Brushing with death was not a new experience for Sonia as she was abducted twice by insurgents in the past.[16]

    From her genteel upbringing, Sonia became quite sheltered as she never had a friend of equal standing.[17] Furthermore, she lacked personal freedom and must dedicate most of her time to her country and its people—a princess before she is a person.[14][16] This made her look forward to attending Hope's Peak Academy as the Ultimate Princess of Class 77-B, an opportunity for her to experience life as an ordinary girl.[17] She had also dedicated much of her free time to studying Japanese culture and eventually became fluent in the language, attributing her love for Japanese dramas as the main reason.[18] Before her foreign exchange to Japan, Sonia attended In Utero School in her home country.[5][6]

    Prior to the Tragedy Attending Hope's Peak Academy Main article: Danganronpa 3: The End of Hope's Peak High School/Despair Arc First Year Danganronpa 3 (Despair Arc) - ED (Textless) (13) With Class 77-B

    Sonia was one of the few students in Class 77-B who attended class regularly, although attendance was not mandatory for Ultimates. Inspired by her homeroom teacher, Chisa Yukizome, Sonia joined her efforts to bring the class together and successfully helped gather all of her classmates. From that point onward, Sonia followed Chisa's wish for her students to build strong relationships and "hope" among each other. She participated in various activities with her classmates, such as repairing and cleaning their classroom, playing video games, having lunch, relaxing at the park, and collectively electing Chiaki Nanami, the Ultimate Gamer, as their class representative.[19][20]

    Danganronpa 3 - Despair Arc (Episode 04) - Aftermath (64) A temporary farewell to Chisa

    Alongside their happy moments, Sonia also shared the pain her classmates endured. She was affected by the murder of Natsumi Kuzuryu and Sato, the younger sister of Fuyuhiko Kuzuryu, the Ultimate Yakuza, and the best friend of Mahiru Koizumi, the Ultimate Photographer, respectively. Sonia was also devastated upon learning that Chisa had been put on a probationary transfer to the Reserve Course Department for a semester, taking responsibility for the subsequently suspended Nagito Komaeda, the Ultimate Lucky Student, after his involvement in a bombing incident during a practical exam.[21][22]

    Tanaka and Sonia in sync In sync with Gundham

    Once Chisa returned, Sonia and her classmates held a welcome-back party for her. During her homeroom teacher's absence, Sonia had grown particularly close to Gundham Tanaka, the Ultimate Breeder, due to their complementary interest in the occult. Sonia even picked up Gundham's unique manner of speaking and habits, and the two were able to synchronize their movements.[23]

    Second Year Sonia impressed Impressed by Gundham and Grizner's performance

    In her upperclassman year, Sonia continued to bond with Gundham, though he still referred to her as a low-ranked demon, especially after he claimed that his Grizner would only attack demons of significantly higher rank. Around the same time, Sonia and her classmates noticed from their building that the students from the Reserve Course students had launched a massive protest against the Main Course, blaming them for causing the Tragedy of Hope's Peak Academy. Unbeknownst to most, the true mastermind behind the tragedy was Junko Enoshima, the originator of Ultimate Despair, who manipulated events behind the scenes and framed Izuru Kamukura—the result of the Izuru Kamukura Project—for the incident. The Hope's Peak Academy committee, responsible for the project, was accused of using the exorbitant fees paid by Reserve Course students to create so-called 'murderers'.[24][25]

    Danganronpa 3 - Sonia, Kazuichi, and Gundham searching for Mikan Searching for Mikan

    Although Sonia and her classmates were seemingly unrelated to the growing protest, they became involved after noticing that Mikan Tsumiki, the Ultimate Nurse, had been absent for some time. Nagito, who had recently returned from his suspension, claimed to have seen her on the school grounds, prompting Sonia and the others to search for her while the parade was ongoing, but to no avail.[26]

    Danganronpa 3 - Sonia ordering Kazuichi to carry Nagito Ordering Kazuichi to carry Nagito

    Sonia and the rest of the class later reconvened at the school classroom as they failed to locate Mikan, assuming what Nagito told them was false information. However, they were soon shocked when Chiaki returned carrying an unconscious Nagito, and Mikan, whom they had been searching for, also appeared, carrying Peko Pekoyama, the Ultimate Swordswoman, who had been injured in a battle with Junko's twin sister, Mukuro Ikusaba. Chiaki and Nagito had infiltrated Junko's lair, but before Nagito could shoot Junko, Izuru knocked him out. Chisa, who had followed them, intervened just in time to buy enough time for Chiaki to carry Nagito to safety. Although Sonia was extremely worried, especially after Nagito warned them it might be a suicide mission, she agreed to help after Chiaki reassured her. She ordered Kazuichi Soda, the Ultimate Mechanic who had a crush on her, to give the exhausted Nagito a piggyback ride so he could join their rescue party.[27]

    On their way to Junko's lair, their path was blocked by a band of Reserve Course students who wished to take them on in the battle to create placements on the Main Course for themselves. Gundham and Nekomaru Nidai, the Ultimate Team Manager, offered to hold off the attackers so Sonia and the others could go ahead. Sonia wished them luck but grew worried upon entering the underground corridor to Junko's lair. She was reassured by Kazuichi that Gundham, despite being his unofficial romantic rival, was someone who knew how to get things done, which was proven as they managed to rejoin the group thanks to Mikan's communication.[28]

    Class 77 Despair Class 77-B brainwashed

    Unbeknownst to Sonia and her classmates, this path to search for Chisa was nothing but a ruse made by Junko, with the help of Mikan and Chisa themselves who had been brainwashed into despair, to lead Class 77-B into what appeared to be the same room later used for the Class Trials. In this very room, Sonia and the others were forced to watch Chiaki executed in a brutal fashion. Sonia was horrified and wanted to find a way to save her, but she couldn't tear her eyes away from the monitor. Bearing witness to Chiaki's death caused the brainwashing effect of the video to take hold of Class 77-B, plunging them into despair.[28]

    Despaired Sonia Sonia Nevermind, the Ultimate Despair

    Fully brainwashed into becoming the Ultimate Despair, Sonia and her classmates received their final lesson before "graduation", the one final meeting to discuss their plan to overthrow the world with despair. Sonia swore that she would make her country "a peaceful one with no war." Chisa then activated a bomb that faked the death of Class 77-B so they could be taken off the list of protected students.[29]

    After witnessing the destruction of Hope's Peak, Sonia began spreading despair. She was later seen overseeing the destruction of an unspecified nation from within a monitoring room.[29]

    The Tragedy Danganronpa 3 - Future Arc (Episode 01) - Intro (20) Rallying an army

    Sonia joined the Ultimate Despair after falling prey to Junko's brainwashing.[29] Alongside her corrupted classmates, she started The Tragedy and kept it ongoing even after Junko's death in the final stage of the Killing School Life.[4] Sonia and her classmates who did not commit suicide to follow their leader Junko soon became known as the Remnants of Despair.[4] They also hacked her body and grafted them onto themselves—though in Sonia's case, the specific body parts she took remain unknown. One of her most notorious contributions was leading an army equipped with Monokuma helmets to spread destruction and despair across the world, with Mahiru documenting the event by photographing her as she rallied her troops.[30]

    Danganronpa 3 - Future Arc (Episode 01) - Makoto arriving (6) Remnants of Despair

    Eventually, the Future Foundation secured the custody of Sonia and the other fourteen - at first only aware that they were survivors from Hope's Peak Academy. When Makoto Naegi, Class 78th's Ultimate Lucky Student, by that time a member of the 14th Division of the Future Foundation, realized that the survivors were in fact, Remnants of Despair, he quickly directed them to Jabberwock Island in secret.[4]

    Danganronpa 2 CG - Neo World Program (4) Neo World Program

    Makoto had them enter the Neo World Program, where their memories were reset to a time before their enrollment at Hope's Peak Academy, prior to being brainwashed by Junko. As a result, none of them were able to recognize each other.[4] The plan was to overwrite Sonia and the others' memories of themselves as Ultimate Despair, replacing them with good ones to undo all the damage Junko had done to them.[31] The scheme backfired when Izuru Kamukura, the Ultimate Hope, uploaded Junko's malware AI just before they were to be programmed. Consequently, they were subjected to the identical brutal incident that befell Class 78th, although in a realistically simulated environment. The killing game became known as the Killing School Trip, an ordeal in which Sonia and the other Remnants of Despair were coerced into participating.[4]

    Killing School Trip Main article: Danganronpa 2: Goodbye Despair Danganronpa 2 CG - Students in the classroom Killing School Trip participants

    Sonia participated in the Killing School Trip alongside fourteen other Remnants of Despair and one Future Foundation observer. It occurred in a virtual world, the Neo World Program, resembling Jabberwock Island. Due to her memories as the Ultimate Despair and life in Hope's Peak Academy being erased by the Future Foundation, she couldn't recognize any of her classmates.[4]

    After being teleported to the island, Sonia introduced herself to Hajime Hinata at the hotel restaurant. She was looking forward to the school trip, as it would be a new experience for her. She was accompanied by Teruteru Hanamura, the Ultimate Cook, who made inappropriate suggestions under the belief that princesses were groomed to lack common sense. Sonia hardly understood his perverted intention, prompting Nagito to tell him to stop multiple times.[32][33]

    Danganronpa 2 CG - Everyone at the beach (1) Enjoying the beach

    Later, Sonia and her classmates were assembled by Usami at the first island's beach, the observer of the school trip, an AI programmed by the Future Foundation, who claimed to be the class's teacher. She reassured the students that there was no need to worry and provided Gundham and the others with swimsuits, encouraging them to fully enjoy their "school trip". Sonia accepted her offer by changing into his swimsuit and joined her classmates to enjoy the cool water.[33]

    Danganronpa 2 CG - Start of the Killing School Trip The Killing School Trip begins

    The promising tropical school trip, however, turned into a nightmare immediately as Sonia learned that the evil animatronic bear, Monokuma, the self-proclaimed headmaster of Hope's Peak Academy, had hijacked their trip and turned it into a killing game. Sonia was shocked to see the Jabberwock Statue turned into Monobeasts, ordered by Monokuma to execute Usami-turned-Monomi into an example of participants who dared to defy his authority and killing game.[33]

    Once the killing game started, Sonia joined the morning meeting, which later became the group's daily ritual, at the hotel restaurant at the Ultimate Imposter's behest. When they appointed themselves as the group's leader, Mahiru found their forcefulness distasteful and championed Sonia as the leader instead. However, Sonia declined, explaining that her status as a princess was merely symbolic and that she would be ill-suited for the position. She held the Imposter in high regard, believing they possessed clear leadership qualities.[11]

    Danganronpa 2 - Girls-Only Gathering Event Girls-only gathering

    Sonia believed that the group should continue working together to leave the island instead of fighting after learning that everyone had their school memories stolen. To ease the anxiety caused by the first motive, she would join the girls-only dessert making gathering, which could be triggered if Hajime gave Mahiru, a certain magazine. Other than her optimism and friendliness, she also retained some of her old habits from her time at Hope's Peak, such as admiring Gundham's hamsters and ignoring Kazuichi's flirtation attempts.[11]

    The Party Danganronpa 2 CG - Everyone at the party Attending the party

    Sonia agreed to attend the all-night party at the old building hosted by the Ultimate Imposter. She was excited to attend the party even though she wasn't picked to clean the party venue, which would have been her first time cleaning. Shortly before the party began, she explored the building, where she discovered the storage room she later suggested to Peko to guard one of the Imposter's duralumin cases full of dangerous items there. However, Nagito intervened and redirected Peko to the office instead.[11] Unbeknownst to Sonia, if Peko had been stationed in the storage room, it would have foiled Nagito's plan to commit murder.[34]

    Amidst the lively party, a sudden blackout occurred. After the lights mysteriously returned, Sonia noticed and rushed to help Mikan, who had tripped into an awkward and embarrassing pose. She was also the first one to notice that the Imposter had gone missing, prompting her to search the hallway for them but to no avail. They were eventually discovered dead under one of the dining tables in the hall used as the venue, much to her shock and horror. Having waited her whole life just to have friends, Sonia initially refused to doubt any of them of killing the Imposter. However, she was eventually forced to do so to uncover the truth. She would later question the presence of the fire door in the hallway, which is commonly seen in Japanese buildings. She felt culturally ignorant for being unfamiliar with it, especially since she knew more obscure things, such as nekoyoke (猫よけ), the practice of placing plastic water bottles around a property to deter stray cats.[34]

    Danganronpa 2 CG - Class Trial Elevator (Chapter 1) Descending to the trial ground

    With the help of everyone's contributions and deductions, Sonia learned that the true culprit was Teruteru, who had attempted to kill Nagito, having blackmailed the Imposter and staged the blackout, but accidentally killed the Imposter instead, who had interfered with Nagito's plan. After Teruteru was executed, the group cornered Nagito, and Akane Owari, the Ultimate Gymnast, was moments away from punching him. However, Sonia stopped them, insisting everyone cease arguing on the trial grounds and instead get some rest. She encouraged them to later do their best to find a way to avoid another class trial.[34] However, since Nagito had the chance to further harm the group, Sonia didn't protest against Nekomaru and Kazuichi's decision to tie him up after the first class trial, thinking it would be best to monitor him for a while. [35]

    Twilight Syndrome Murder Case Following the class trial, Sonia joined the exploration of the newly opened second island. She inspected the library and discovered Jabberwock Island's guidebook which revealed that the island was artificial.[36] Sonia also came across an occult magazine about serial killers, including Genocide Jack, the Ultimate Murderous Fiend, and her favorite, Sparkling Justice. With concerning enthusiasm, she introduced the serial killer "who only kills criminals" to Hajime and Peko, who had overheard their conversation.[35]

    The next evening, Sonia rushed to Jabberwock Park after Monokuma announced that whoever arrived first would get the chance to eat his special curry, only to be beaten by Akane. Monokuma then introduced the second motive, the Twilight Syndrome Murder Case, which Sonia ended up not engaging with. Instead, for a change of pace and to strengthen their bond, she proposed a secret girls-only party at Chandler Beach on the second island. Out of all the girls, only Mahiru and Hiyoko Saionji, the Ultimate Traditional Dancer, did not turn up at her party.[35]

    Danganronpa 2 CG - Sonia Nevermind's beach attire Arriving at the diner

    Sonia arrived a little late, just after 4 PM, at the meeting point, the diner, as she was trying on a wetsuit for the first time to prevent sunburn. She was surprised to see Kazuichi and Hajime had come uninvited. Feeling bad after Kazuichi, who had walked all the way and begged to be included, she let them join. However, when Kazuichi went ahead to prepare parasols and drinks for everyone, he discovered Mahiru's dead body inside the beach house, abruptly ending Sonia's party before it even began.[35]

    Thinking Mahiru would want her and the rest to uncover her murder, Sonia once again participated in an investigation. She immediately recognized a Sun Witch ♪ Esper Ito mask lying on the floor, the heroine of an anime that surpassed 90% viewership back in her home country, which made her excited. She quickly dashed to the library to translate information from a magazine detailing Sparkling Justice before returning to the beach house. Sonia revealed that the mask belonged to the serial killer, who always wore a heroine's mask while committing their crimes, and introduced their catchphrases to Hajime, Nagito, and Peko. Holding onto her original belief that none of her friends could have killed Mahiru, she suspected that Sparkling Justice themselves might be lurking on the island to carry out the murder.[31]

    Danganronpa 2 - Sonia continuing the second class trial Wanting to discuss Peko's identity

    In the class trial, the culprit was revealed to be Peko, who, much to Sonia's shock, confessed to being the Sparkling Justice. She claimed to be punishing Mahiru for covering up her late friend Sato's crime, murdering Fuyuhiko's little sister, Natsumi. Initially convinced and warning everyone about the Sparkling Justice, Sonia gradually realized, belatedly after the vote concluded, that Peko was not the real Sparkling Justice. Unlike the real vigilante, who was a Spanish native, Peko couldn't even speak the language. She had acted to hasten the vote for her and protect the real culprit, her young master, Fuyuhiko.[31]

    Danganronpa 2 CG - The students and Fuyuhiko's injuries Rushing to the injured Fuyuhiko

    Peko's ruse was rendered invalid once Fuyuhiko refused to see her as a mere tool, resulting in her execution. Sonia was shocked to see Fuyuhiko attempting to intervene in her execution only to fail and suffer injuries. She immediately rushed to his side but could do nothing to stop his bleeding. Though she couldn't sleep later that night, worried about Fuyuhiko, she had no choice but to leave his fate in Monokuma’s hands as he rushed him to the hospital.[31][37]

    Despair Disease Danganronpa 2 CG - Summer Festival Tree Event Fireworks show and yukata

    In the next morning gathering, Sonia spotted an eerie memorial erected for Mahiru and was horrified. However, after learning that Hiyoko had built it sincerely, she apologized to her for not considering her feelings and even suggested that the memorial should be taken with them when they get off the island. Once the third island was opened, Sonia informed Hajime that Mikan found Fuyuhiko resting in the hospital and together with the others would visit him. Beforehand, she, following Nagito's suggestion, inspected the "Usami X File" within a laptop in the Electric Avenue containing information about The Parade. In the evening of one of the following days, Sonia joined Ibuki Mioda, the Ultimate Musician's, fireworks show while wearing a yukata in a bonus scene that can be triggered if Hajime hands Ibuki the "Summer Festivitrees" CD.[37]

    Once Fuyuhiko recovered, Sonia was surprised to see him formally greeting the group for the first time since the killing game started. She joined his recovery party hosted by Ibuki later that night, but felt the chills after watching her performing her heavy metal music. Before Ibuki could move on to the next song, Sonia was forced to rush to the First Island's beach after Monomi reported that Akane was engaged in a duel with Monokuma. She was devastated to see Nekomaru grievously injured and, like Fuyuhiko before him, taken away by Monokuma for treatment after bravely shielding Akane from her execution.[37]

    More troubles for the group came in the form of Despair Disease, the third motive of the killing game, which had different symptoms for each person and altered each contractor's personality to the opposite. Akane, Ibuki, and Nagito caught it, forcing the group to quarantine them in the hospital, with Mikan caring for them to prevent the healthy ones, like Sonia, from catching it. Sonia, alongside Hiyoko, Gundham, Chiaki, and Kazuichi, decided to station themselves at the nearby motel to support the sick students and those caring for them at the hospital in case anything happened.[37]

    Danganronpa 2 CG - Sonia Nevermind with Hiyoko Saionji struggling with her outfit Discovering Hiyoko struggling to put on her kimono

    While they were staying in the motel, Sonia noticed that Hiyoko refused to come out of her room until the disease was cured. Soon Sonia realized that her reasoning was more than just that. By coincidence, Hiyoko's room was unlocked, allowing Sonia to catch a glimpse of her struggling to tie her kimono sash after showering. Hiyoko was determined to do it on her own, as Mahiru had kindly taught her the basics. Sonia then suggested she check her reflection using the full-length mirror in the storage room of the music venue. Although Hiyoko initially kicked Sonia out, she ended up following the advice. Tragically, this led her to walk in on Mikan preparing to kill Ibuki, and Mikan murdered Hiyoko to eliminate a witness. Sonia discovered their bodies the next morning and was devastated, blaming herself for indirectly causing Hiyoko's death.[38]

    Danganronpa 2 CG - Nekomaru Nidai's new form (1) Meeting Mechamaru

    During the class trial, the group concluded that Mikan was responsible for the deaths of both Hiyoko and Ibuki, much to Sonia's disbelief. Once Mikan was executed, Sonia mourned the loss of her three friends. Still, she was relieved to learn that Nekomaru had recovered and was waiting for them on the First Island beach. Before rushing to the beach, Sonia offered a heartfelt apology to Hiyoko, Ibuki, and even Mikan for wanting to immediately give Nekomaru a warm welcome. However, her excitement quickly turned to shock, and she was rendered speechless upon seeing that Nekomaru had been drastically converted into a robot. Even though Nekomaru had already accepted his new body, Sonia was still distressed to learn that he would never be returned to his original form.[38]

    The Funhouse Danganronpa 2 CG - Everyone riding a rollercoaster Riding a roller coaster

    Aside from adjusting to Nekomaru's new appearance, Sonia and the others grew wary of the Future Foundation and the traitor they sent to infiltrate the group, the organization Mikan claimed was responsible for transporting them to Jabberwock Island and was, therefore, their collective enemy. This was partially true, as Mikan spoke from the perspective of the Remnants of Despair. Naturally, Sonia was inclined not to explore the fourth island opened by Monomi. She further noted that exploring a new island only increased the probability of a murder to occur. Once Monokuma promised them ship parts and their Hope's Peak student profiles as a reward if they explored the fourth island, Sonia had no choice but to abide by his words. To earn the promised prize, Sonia satisfied Monokuma's request by joining everyone on the roller coaster at the amusement park, something that didn't exist in Novoselic. She had a lot of fun riding it for the first time and wanted to go again. The prize turned out to be a school file related to the Killing School Life, which, instead of helping them understand their circumstances, only confused the group further.[39]

    Danganronpa 2 CG - Everyone riding the train to the funhouse (1) Train to the Funhouse

    The group then decided to visit the Funhouse only accessible when everyone was present, to earn more prizes. The train ride to the building which Sonia found unsettling was revealed to be a trap, as she and the others were gassed with white smoke that knocked them all unconscious. When they woke up, they found themselves to be inside the Funhouse's Strawberry House. It turned out Monokuma had subjected them to an escape game, where he wouldn't allow anyone to escape the Funhouse except through murder.[39]

    Danganronpa 2 CG - Funhouse Elevator In the contact elevator

    Instead of wallowing in their new circumstances, the group decided to explore the building using a map provided to them in search of an exit. Sonia and Gundham were the first to pair up and began exploring before Kazuichi even had a chance to ask Sonia to team up with him. Together, they discovered a lounge and traveled to the second building, the Grape House, using the contact elevator at Monokuma's behest. There, the animatronic bear revealed that he would no longer provide food or drinks, using their hunger as a time limit until a murder occurred. Rather than helplessly panicking, the group agreed to explore the Grape House in the same pairs, leading Sonia and Gundham to team up once again, ditching Kazuichi for the second time in a row.[39]

    Sonia failed to locate any exit but remained optimistic as usual. After discussing their findings, she joined the others to test Chiaki's theory about the Strawberry Tower and Grape Tower being the same building. During the test, Sonia was impressed by how Gundham's strong, trusting bond with his hamsters allowed him to command one of them to press the button that opened the Strawberry Tower door. When nighttime fell, the girls assigned themselves rooms in Grape House, with Sonia choosing one of the Deluxe Rooms. She invited Hajime to stay in one of the vacant rooms, as there weren't enough rooms in Strawberry House and he didn't get one, much to Kazuichi's dismay. Before retiring to her room, she promised to make nameplates for everyone's doors and assign their portraits.[39]

    On the third day of their confinement, Sonia and her classmates were forced to begin attending Monokuma Tai Chi sessions in the morning, intended to exhaust and starve the already low-energy students. She stayed awake that night due to hunger pangs but didn't hear the sound of Nekomaru falling to his death, as she was in the soundproof Deluxe Room. When the time to attend the Monokuma Tai Chi came, she began hallucinating Hajime as Mont Blanc and Sachertorte and Chiaki as shortcake. She was snapped out of her delusion when they discovered Nekomaru's broken body lying dead in Grape Tower.[39] Sonia then shared the duty of guarding the body alongside Akane. Examining out-of-the-place items like the newly looking hammer and chain that blocked the door with the strawberry logo, Sonia suggested they enter the Final Dead Room but was prevented by Hajime.[40]

    Sonia Nevermind Objection Sprite Rebuttal Showdown

    During the class trial, Sonia did her best to contribute. She suggested that the tipped-over pillar was used to kill Nekomaru and that his body had been moved to explain the changing towers, though these theories were ultimately proven false. She consistently supported Gundham's arguments while ignoring Kazuichi's attempts to help. However, she eventually came to appreciate his input, though, by that point, Kazuichi had shifted to wanting to be humiliated by her instead. When suspicion fell on Gundham, Sonia asked him to explain. Once everyone's suspicion was proven correct and Gundham confessed to his crime, she refused to believe it. She was devastated by the outcome and begged Monokuma to stop Gundham's execution, but was forced to let him go at his request. While grieving, Sonia believed they had no choice but to move forward and continue believing in each other, lest Gundham crawled his way out of hell and be very cross with them.[40] The next evening, Sonia reflected on Gundham scolding her for begging for his life to be spared, but she believed that somehow, he would still forgive her with a smile.[41]

    The Beginning of the End Following Gundham who stayed true to himself until the end, Sonia was resolved not to give up on life. After attending the morning gathering, she explored the final island and investigated the military base. She found a Future Foundation document about the Jabberwock Island Development Plan in the tank's operator seat, which she assumed belonged to Monokuma, as it had been placed rather ostentatiously. It contained a lengthy redevelopment plan for the island, placing it under Future Foundation's control and preparing it as a central headquarters. She further learned how the travel agency that managed the island went bankrupt and the island became uninhabited for a long period. As a result, the island became unaffected by "the incident", allowing the Future Foundation to take control. Sonia also detected a vast amount of bombs but kept silent, fearing someone might misuse them if she told anyone.[42] She later joined the rest to discuss their findings and the Future Foundation, in which Sonia still firmly believed that regardless the organization was their enemy or not, there never was a traitor among their ranks. That belief was challenged by Nagito who showed up out of nowhere, announcing his plan to weed out the traitor Sonia believed never existed.[41]

    Fearing Nagito was planning to commit a murder, Kazuichi devised a plan to capture Nagito, where everyone but his Miss Sonia was assigned an active role. Sonia firmly denied this and instead asked Hajime to tag along with her in the hotel lobby in thirty minutes, much to Kazuichi's dismay. What Sonia wanted to discuss with Hajime was the document she found yesterday, proposing the theory that the large administrative building the Future Foundation was referring to might have been the ancient ruins on the second island. They discovered that the door to the ancient ruins required a password to open, or could be forced open with explosives, as Sonia suggested.[41]

    Sonia joined the group to locate the bomb Nagito had planted somewhere in a place where they had never stepped into. They collectively went to Nezumi Castle where they discovered the password had been removed, which Sonia speculated to be Nagito's doing. The group began to lose hope, and Sonia tried to motivate them not to wait around until the bomb killed them, warning it would be like the Funhouse all over again. However, Kazuichi said that only Gundham believed in that, which deeply offended Sonia. She then stormed out to continue searching for the bomb on her own.

    On the morning of the deadline, Sonia apologized for snapping at the group and causing them to go their separate ways. With time running out, they were forced to split up again, and Sonia was assigned to search the smallest central island, much to her dismay. She didn't linger there long and instead moved on to the military base, where she had a plan of her own. When Hajime informed her that the bomb was discovered in the Plushie Factory, Sonia told him to go ahead and that she would catch up later.[41]

    Danganronpa 2 CG - Sonia and Monomi seeing the fireworks Attempting to blast open the Ancient Ruins' door

    What Sonia was planning to do instead was to confirm a suspicion she had kept to herself. Having previously discovered the existence of the bombs stored at the military base, she went there and found that the bombs were now missing, leading her to suspect that Nagito had taken them. Due to this discovery, she caught up with the others who tried to defuse the bombs in the Plushie Factory, telling them that they were fake. Her confidence came from her previous attempt at one point to use those bombs to blast open the ancient ruins' door, but she realized they were merely fireworks. While attempting this, she noticed Monomi secretly watching her. From this, Sonia also deduced that the only real bomb was the one used in the hotel lobby during the group's attempt to apprehend Nagito, which he had taken from the Final Dead Room to make his bomb scare seem legitimate.[42]

    Danganronpa 2 CG - Putting out the fire on warehouse (1) Throwing the fire grenade

    The group was prompted to head to the warehouse following the instructions in Nagito's video message. However, they triggered a fire by opening the door, engulfing the interior. Thanks to her quick thinking, Sonia was able to direct the group to grab the fire-extinguishing supplies from the factory break room, which they simultaneously threw to douse the flames. The warehouse, now clear of smoke, revealed the horrifying state of Nagito's lifeless body.[41]

    Danganronpa 2 Chapter 5 - Closing Argument Revealed Revealed as a possible culprit

    During the class trial, Sonia and the remaining survivors worked together to uncover that Nagito had orchestrated his own death; from setting the fire, and stabbing his limbs, to impaling his abdomen with the spear he was holding. They also discovered that Nagito had died from inhaling the poisonous gas that he had put inside one of the fire grenade canisters, meaning one of the group had been manipulated into killing him without them even realizing it.[42]

    Sonia, who had suggested that the group throw the grenades, felt immense guilt and insisted that everyone vote for her as the Blackened. She was, however, blameless, as Nagito's plan was meant to force the traitor to kill him, and that traitor was none other than Chiaki, who outed herself to prevent Sonia and the others from voting for the wrong person. Sonia refused to believe Chiaki's claim to the point of feeding herself the belief that Chiaki and everyone should help her. Tired of doubting her friend, Sonia tried to stop Hajime from proving Chiaki was the traitor. Ironically, it was Sonia's own testimony about Monomi watching her discover the bombs were fake that became proof Chiaki knew beforehand they were fake, thanks to Monomi's intel. With a heavy heart, Sonia had no choice but to believe in the Chiaki who wanted to protect her and the rest, and voted for her. After Chiaki and Monomi were executed, Monokuma announced that the remaining five survivors would have the chance to graduate two days after the countdown ended.[42]

    Shortly before the countdown ended, the Neo World Program began glitching. Sonia, who had taken Gundham's Four Dark Devas of Destruction at the time, coincidentally spotted another message left behind by Nagito when she stopped by the factory. She watched the footage with everyone else in the hotel restaurant and obtained the password to the Ancient Ruins revealed by Nagito, "11037." With this knowledge, Sonia and the group hurried to the Ancient Ruins before the countdown ended. Once inside, they were transported to what appeared to be a trial ground.[42]

    Graduation Exam Inside "Hope's Peak Academy," Sonia and the remaining survivors gathered in the gymnasium following Monokuma's announcement. He revealed that before deciding whether they wished to leave Jabberwock Island, they would undergo a "graduation exam." This exam required them to learn about the outside world by investigating materials Monokuma had scattered throughout the academy, a means meant to buy him time until "the main cast," the survivors of the Killing School Life working with the Future Foundation, arrived inside the Neo World Program. Although she did not fully comprehend their situation, Sonia stated she would do her best to gather useful clues for the upcoming "exam."[4]

    Danganronpa 2 CG - AI Junko Enoshima appearing (4) Witnessing Alter Ego Junko's appearance

    In the final class trial, Sonia struggled to accept that they had been in a virtual reality all along, existing as avatars with their school memories erased, a result she likened to a nocebo effect. She was shocked to learn that Nagito had tried to kill everyone except the traitor because he learned that they were the Remnants of Despair all along. When given the choice to either "Graduate" or "Repeat," by a fake Makoto Naegi, Sonia thought it would be better for them to stay at Jabberwock Island rather than revert to their Ultimate Despair identity. However, Alter Ego Junko—the malware that had corrupted the Hope Restoration Program into the Killing School Trip—revealed herself along with a promise to resurrect the deceased classmates. This caused Sonia to waver in her decision, tempted to choose the "Graduate" option.[4]

    Sonia Nevermind Halfbody Sprite (11) Unwilling to lose her school trip memories

    Before Sonia and the others could press the Graduate Button, the real Makoto entered the Neo World Program and stopped them. In reality, if they chose to Graduate, it would allow Alter Ego Junko to upload herself into the bodies of the dead students. Makoto proposed a Forced Shutdown, a system purge to end the Neo World Program, requiring a majority of fifteen people to press "Graduate" and "Repeat" simultaneously. To activate it, Kyoko Kirigiri and Byakuya Togami, Future Foundation members and Killing School Life survivors, joined Makoto, Sonia, and the others. However, the shutdown sequence would revert the Remnants of Despair to their original state and erase all memories made during the Killing School Trip. Unwilling to lose her memories of her friends and the reason they died, Sonia began to despair, likening it to the state of "sinking into a deep, black sea."[4]

    Danganronpa 2 CG - Survivors activating the Forced Shutdown Activating the Forced Shutdown

    Before Sonia could fall deeper into despair, she heard and saw a "lighthouse beacon shining across an ocean of darkness", Hajime's voice, calling out to her. Though she didn't fully understand it yet, Sonia caught a glimpse of the future they were about to create, and had already begun to create, and chose to believe in it, agreeing to shut down the Neo World Program for good.[4]

    Danganronpa 2 CG - Survivors as the virtual world falls apart (2) Returning to the real world

    As the Neo World Program began collapsing after Usami purged Alter Ego Junko, Sonia and the remaining survivors shared one last conversation. Sonia confessed that she was scared. But she held onto the hope that, even if they forgot what had transpired on Jabberwock Island, and even if she herself forgot, she would do everything in her might to remember.[4] As they returned to the real world, Sonia and the other surviving former Remnants of Despair chose to remain on Jabberwock Island, possibly hoping to help their comatose friends. Kyoko speculated this decision as an indicator that they had discarded their Ultimate Despair identity.[43]

    Post-Killing School Trip Nagito's Illusory World Main article: Danganronpa 2.5: Nagito Komaeda and the World Vanquisher An illusory version of Sonia, created by the Neo World Program, appeared within Nagito's dream world shortly before Nagito was revived from his comatose state by Izuru Kamukura, who had by then merged with Hajime's personality and memories. Due to suffering a very traumatic death in the program, Nagito's mind created a strange, relatively peaceful world he lived in as a coping mechanism, which included this copy of Sonia.[44]

    One morning, Sonia entered the classroom and was greeted by a gleeful Kazuichi, who was happy to be in her presence. After they had a conversation, Kazuichi asked Sonia if she would go to the café with him for refreshments after school, to which she agreed. Later, when talking to Nagito and Fuyuhiko about his and Sonia's planned date, Kazuichi stared at Sonia across the classroom. She offered a wave, prompting Kazuichi to wave back, blushing. That night, Sonia stood on the balcony, admiring a picture of her and Kazuichi together on her phone.

    Sometime later after their date, Kazuichi was murdered, and Class 77-B, along with others, gathered at his funeral. Sonia, Fuyuhiko, and Peko removed themselves from the service. Sonia convinced Fuyuhiko that she wished to avenge Kazuichi's death at all costs, and they left together. Sonia prepared herself by putting on an assault vest.

    Sonia and the others met the World Destroyer in an abandoned building. When questioned why he killed Kazuichi, he stated that it could have been any one of Class 77-B. Sonia became angered by his lack of compassion, and before Fuyuhiko could shoot his gun at Izuru, Sonia fired a rocket launcher shot without hesitation. Later, Nagito received images on his phone, sent by Izuru, showing Fuyuhiko and Sonia both lying dead on the floor—a threat that he would come for the others if Nagito did not meet with him. In the final scene with the World Destroyer, Nagito managed to destroy the building where he had met him and, as a last act, killed himself using Fuyuhiko's gun, eventually waking up from the Neo World Program.

    After Nagito awoke from the Neo World Program, Sonia, the Killing School Trip survivors, and those who, just like Nagito, had been resurrected by Hajime, were already waiting for him at the harbor. Purged of Junko's brainwashing, they boarded the boat heading for the Future Foundation HQ to stop the Final Killing Game involving Future Foundation leaders.[44]

    Atonement Main article: Danganronpa 3: The End of Hope's Peak High School/Hope Arc Sonia smiling Smiling at Kazuichi

    Sonia and her classmates arrived at the island where the Future Foundation's off-shore facility was located. Once they rescued Byakuya and Yasuhiro Hagakure from beneath the rubble, the group set out to confront their one and only classmate, Ryota Mitarai, the Ultimate Animator, who Junko had coerced into creating the brainwashing video that transformed Sonia and the others into the Ultimate Despair.[25][26] Unlike Sonia and the rest, he avoided being turned into Ultimate Despair due to his contribution. Thus, Class 77-B's fight with the brainwashed rescue squad troops, including the Former Super High School Level Elite Task Force, began. Sonia was observing Nekomaru defeating a robot with the help of Kazuichi, who sent an army of remote-controlled Minimaru. Instead of ignoring him like usual, Sonia earnestly praised Kazuichi's effort with a smile on her face.[45]

    Class 77-B Confronting Ryota

    Later, Sonia helped convince Ryota to abandon his plan to brainwash the world. During the confrontation, Ryota expressed his belief that he and the other Remnants of Despair could never be forgiven for allowing Junko to plunge the world into despair. In response, Hajime offered Ryota the chance to join them in returning to Jabberwock Island to atone for their sins together. Ryota eventually broke down in tears and agreed, stopping the countdown mere seconds before the brainwashing was completed. Sonia and the others later came to his side to comfort him.[45]

    Sonia and the other former Remnants of Despair shouldered the blame for the Final Killing Game by sending a broadcast video to the Future Foundation. They presented themselves in their despair personas and preserved the Future Foundation's credibility and power to rebuild the world. Having accomplished their atonement, Sonia and her classmates returned to Jabberwock Island, and was last seen conversing with Gundham.[45]

    Real Fiction Main article: Danganronpa V3: Killing Harmony Danganronpa V3 Tsumugi Shirogane Halfbody Sprite (Sonia Nevermind) (4) Sonia cosplayed by Tsumugi Shirogane

    In Danganronpa V3: Killing Harmony, it is alleged by the mastermind Tsumugi Shirogane, the Ultimate Cosplayer, that the entire Danganronpa franchise is fictional in-universe; a series of games, anime, and later live-action dramas performed actors. In particular, Tsumugi, who is the Ultimate Cosplayer, claims she is only able to cosplay fictional characters (breaking out into a bright pink rash whenever she tries to cosplay a real person), and the fact she is able to cosplay as the whole cast of Danganronpa characters including Sonia Nevermind is used as evidence to support her claim that all of the cast are fictional. However, due to a number of holes in Tsumugi's story which make her an unreliable narrator, whether or not she was telling the truth is deliberately left up to the player's interpretation; as a result, it is up to the player whether they believe Sonia's story within the Danganronpa series was real, or a fictional story written by Team Danganronpa and performed by an actor.[46]

    Creation and Development Translation Credit: Kaibutsushidousha on Tumblr

    Creator Kazutaka Kodaka conceptualized Sonia as more than just "an ordinary rich lady," highlighting her lack of common sense and cultural disconnect. It resulted in the Sonia who everyone knows as a lovable, cute, weird, and often incomprehensible character. Unlike many characters whose traits are defined early in the development process, much of Sonia's personality and characterization were finalized during the writing of the final script. Though she generally appears calm and mild-mannered, she is capable of displaying intense emotion when least expected.[47]

    Character designer Rui Komatsuzaki was instructed to design Sonia as a "foreign princess," making her one of the rare characters for whom detailed design specifications were provided. Initially, she was intended to be more petite and wear a one-piece uniform dress to better fit the classic image of a young lady in a prestigious Western-style high school. However, her petite build made her too visually similar to Hiyoko, and the cutesy uniform did not suit her taller stature. As a result, Komatsuzaki completely redesigned her uniform, resulting in the final version seen in the game. Sonia is noted for having one of the widest emotional ranges among the characters.[47]

    Komatsuzaki believes that Gundham's Four Dark Devas of Destruction go on to live in Sonia's clothes after Gundham's in-game death, though he was unable to reflect this in her sprites.[48]

    Miho Arakawa, Sonia's Japanese voice actress, also commented on her character:

    "Sonia Nevermind's defining trait is definitely how she's not what she looks like. She has the looks of a proper lady with rigid manners, but she's actually the more compassionate kind of character. And, as you already know, she has her surprising moments with her strange sense of humor (laughs). She is a very likeable character in the game, and I personally love this kind of girl, so I had a lot of fun voicing her. Everyone in the cast is really unique, so I think every player can enjoy them."[47] Arakawa, who is known for her role as Himari Takakura from the anime Mawaru Penguindrum, is one of the three voice actors requested by the creators to portray a specific character in the game, the others being Kotono Mitsuishi, voice actress of Peko and Nobuyo Ōyama, voice actress of Monokuma in Danganronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc and Danganronpa 2.[citation needed]

    Name The name "Sonia" is a Slavic variant of "Sophia," meaning "wisdom," and is commonly used throughout Eastern Europe and Scandinavia. Much of Sonia's naming inspiration is derived from the band Nirvana. Her surname, "Nevermind," is taken from the title of the band's second album, Nevermind, Kodaka's personal favorite.[47] Her fictional homeland, the Novoselic Kingdom, is named after Nirvana's bassist, Krist Novoselic. Her former high school, In Utero School, was named after Nirvana's final studio album.

    Alternate Fates Island Mode and Ultimate Talent Development Plan exist in two separate alternate universes where Sonia still attends Hope's Peak Academy, but no students are in peril. As they are alternate universes, these events are non-canonical, but because Sonia's personality is unchanged, backstory information shared by her in these events is considered questionably or dubiously canonical rather than fully non-canonical.

    Free Time Events are also considered somewhat questionably canonical due to the nature of how Free Time Events are accessed (in that some characters' Free Time Events cannot be fully completed during the course of the canon game storyline due to limitations on the number of interactions you can have with them during one playthrough, and thus can only be accessed after they have canonically died either through a second playthrough or via Island Mode). However, due to Free Time Events being largely experienced during the canon game storyline, Free Time Events are more grounded in canon than Island Mode and Ultimate Talent Development Plan and are largely considered canon by the majority of players.

    Appearance “ With her porcelain white skin, sparkling blue eyes, and glittering hair, she exudes a mysterious charm that captivates everyone who sees her.

    — Official English Website Profile[49] ” Danganronpa 2: Goodbye Despair design document Sonia is a tall, young woman with fair skin and pale sea-blue eyes. She has knee-length light blonde hair, part of it styled in a braided crown, the rest left to flow slightly towards the left. Her hair is accessorized with a green-black ribbon flecked with diamonds. She wears a dark teal dress with a white collar, puffed sleeves, and belt. She also sports a large red ribbon with a blue jewel trimmed with silver on the chest. As well as this, she wears a pale bracelet on her left wrist, black over-knee socks trimmed with gray lines, and red cap-toe-heeled Mary Janes.

    In her official splash art, Sonia's hair is simply down without her braid crown. She wears an off-the-shoulder pale golden ruffled ball gown, a red brooch trimmed with gold on her chest, a bejeweled necklace, and a white diamond tiara.

    While attending Hope's Peak Academy, she wears the standard-issued school uniform with a brown vest over her white dress shirt. She also wears a brown headband stylized with a four-leaf clover on the right side of her hair, black thigh highs, and brown loafers. Her hair was a more golden shade of blonde, also lacked the braid crown, and was considerably longer, flowing to ankle length.

    As a member of the Ultimate Despair, Sonia wears a white sleeveless puffy ballgown with layers of ruffles. The gown is decorated with large black cloth roses that wrap around the skirt, plus a single rose at her right shoulder. She wears long white gloves, a red-jeweled necklace, and a tall, spiked crown. Part of her hair is styled in a tall beehive, the rest left to flow down.

    Splash art Splash art Hope's Peak Academy uniform Hope's Peak Academy uniform Ultimate Despair attire Ultimate Despair attire During the Killing School Trip, Sonia attends her girls-only beach party in a navy blue full-body wetsuit, accented with pink and white panels along the arms and legs. The suit has reinforced knee pads and a high neckline. She also wears mint green slip-on water shoes.

    Her swimsuit in Danganronpa S: Ultimate Summer Camp consists of a pink bikini top with lace trim and a small bow at the center with a halter-neck tie. She wears a matching pink sarong bikini bottom tied at the hip and a pale bracelet on her left wrist.

    Swimsuit (Danganronpa 2) Swimsuit (Danganronpa 2) Swimsuit (Danganronpa S) Swimsuit (Danganronpa S)

    Personality “ It's not just her beauty, she's just so graceful... I'm completely at ease even though she's a real princess.

    — Hajime about Sonia, Prologue ” Befitting of her title as the Ultimate Princess, Sonia is refined, well-mannered, and speaks very formally to everyone. In the original Japanese, she refers to herself using watakushi, the most formal personal pronoun, and others using their last names along with the honorific -san, even when speaking to characters like Nagito, Kazuichi, Monomi, and Monokuma—whom she refers to as "Mr. Monokuma" in the English localization. Though always cordial, Sonia's commands naturally capture the full attention of those around her, thanks to her assertiveness, beauty, and grace.[49] It is said that when she gives an order, people instinctively feel compelled to bow and obey.[33] Despite her claim of viewing her status as a mere figurehead,[11] Sonia takes her duties as a ruler very seriously and reflects this through her calm demeanor, stating that she is used to suppressing her own fears, such as during insurgencies in her homeland, in order to prevent her people from falling into despair.[16] She admires people with clear leadership qualities and doesn't mind following their orders, such as the Ultimate Imposter.[11] She can also be rather fearless and resolute, firmly stating that she does not intend to kill anyone, nor will she be killed easily.[50] She also does whatever she can to help the group escape such as attempting to forcibly open the ancient ruins' door by blasting it with what she thought as real bombs.[41]

    While she is naturally kind and friendly, her goal of attending Hope's Peak as a normal teenager and meeting people her age allows her to open her heart more fully when interacting with her classmates. She is usually cheerful around them and cares deeply for her friends. While attending Hope's Peak, she participates in all group activities with her classmates and shows her appreciation toward Chiaki the class rep by giving her hugs and compliments. She becomes especially protective during the Killing School Trip, where each death she witnesses devastates her. She is very thoughtful, as exemplified by how she consistently protects the meek Mikan from being ostracized during class trials and helps her whenever she trips.[34] She also goes out of her way to prepare nameplates for everyone's rooms while they are trapped in the Funhouse and even invites the leftover Hajime to occupy one of the vacant rooms in Grape House.[39]

    Sonia is sympathetic, easily extending her compassion toward others such as her classmates who have committed murders, grieving for their avatar's death despite their actions. Even for the likes of Monomi, whom Sonia begs Monokuma to stop hitting her in the aftermath of the fifth trial. However, Sonia is not blindly forgiving or willing to enable harmful behavior. She initially disapproves of Fuyuhiko's verbally abusive personality, defending Mikan and Mahiru from his threats. Still, when she discovers Fuyuhiko is injured in the aftermath of Peko's execution, Sonia immediately rushes to his side, deeply worried for his well-being.[31] She is also kind toward Hiyoko, unaware that Hiyoko secretly dislikes and envies her for being "over-pampered" by their classmates, particularly Kazuichi.[51] Despite this, Sonia trusts Hiyoko's testimony during the second trial and later praises her sincerity in building a memorial for Mahiru. She recognizes Hiyoko's bond with Mahiru and wants to help Hiyoko achieve her goal of tying her own kimono sash, suggesting that she check her reflection in a full-length mirror. Hiyoko initially reacts by kicking her out of her motel room but eventually takes her advice, a decision that, tragically, leads to her avatar's death.[38] She feels guilty and blames herself for it as she has come to view Hiyoko as one of her cherished friends.[52] Even with someone like Nagito, whom she recognizes can be problematic, she still respects him as he is a valuable asset during class trials. This is why she gets upset at him after he becomes increasingly hostile toward the group upon learning their identities as the Remnants of Despair, telling him that she dislikes this version of Nagito she has been witnessing. She scolds him for his "absurd" claim that believing in others is a weakness and strongly disagrees with his dismissal of Gundham and the Imposter's sacrifices as vain.[41]

    Due to her positive and optimistic nature,[50] Sonia despises having to doubt her friends, the very first friends she ever made in her life, during the killing game. She is among the students who outrightly reject participating in the class trials. She is even willing to feed herself with lies to avoid doubting her friends, such as believing that the Sparkling Justice is Mahiru's killer and not any of her friends.[31] She also can't stand watching her friends fight with each other, and though she doesn't think she's a good motivational speaker, she always tries to convince all of them to move forward by working together so they can escape the island after every trial.[34] She also adamantly rejects the idea that a traitor exists among their ranks, believing it to be "a false entity Monokuma made up" to make them suspicious of each other. She reaches her limit of constantly doubting her friends when the group has to vote for Chiaki after she outs herself as the traitor, delaying the inevitable by interrupting Hajime from proving Chiaki's claim as much as she can. She even goes as far as to try to push suspicion onto herself. After the truth is revealed, she holds no grudge against her and always considers her a friend.

    She does show a more hostile side toward Kazuichi, whom she labels a stalker during the Killing School Trip, an accusation that is well-deserved due to his obsessive and intrusive behavior toward her.[53] She appears to have no interest in him and tends to ignore his advances and existence in general. When Chiaki suggests the idea of a "commander" in games—referring to Kazuichi, who leads the plan to apprehend Nagito after the fourth trial, as a strategic flag—where taking him out first would still secure victory regardless of remaining units, and even damaging him would lower morale, Sonia vehemently agrees and gives her seal of approval, insisting Chiaki to keep targeting the commander.[41] Although she initially ignores Kazuichi's attempts to impress her during the fourth trial, and even yells at him to stay silent so as not to disrupt the proceedings, she later comes to appreciate his active participation.[40] By the conclusion of the Final Killing Game, she even praises his efforts in destroying an army of robots.[45]

    Because of her sheltered upbringing and enthusiasm for experiencing Japanese culture, Sonia can be rather naïve and impressionable which makes her appear ditzy at times. In a bonus scene, she joins a fireworks show while wearing a yukata, becoming nervous as it is her first time experiencing "Japanese summer." She even has the audacity to ask Fuyuhiko to undress so she can see real yakuza tattoos.[54] She screams in joy every time she encounters inherently Japanese items that she redundantly calls "Japanese ninja" or "Japanese teru teru bozu." Even the outer appearance of "Japanese" men's restroom colors her impressed.[19] Being constantly pampered as a princess, Sonia gets excited at the prospect of doing mundane activities she has never done herself or was never allowed to, such as cleaning.[11] In Island Mode, she yearns to do mundane yet romantic activities, such as letting someone use her lap as a pillow, playing "catch me if you can" with the opposite gender while making cute noises and frolicking on the beach, trading shells, and drinking from a coconut with two straws while facing each other.[55] Ignoring the killing game, Sonia takes a liking to Jabberwock Island, deeming it a perfect resort setting thanks to its calm and sunny weather and its blue sea.[50] She also approves of the hotel restaurant food despite it being catered to "plebeian taste".[33]

    As someone who is in a constant process of learning the Japanese culture and language, Sonia can feel ashamed of her cultural ignorance when she is not accustomed to seeing things that don't exist in Novoselic. She is eloquently spoken,[18] yet occasionally messes up figures of speech and tends to use very outdated slang in an attempt to socialize with her fellow students. In the original Japanese, she often uses playful wordplay and old-fashioned affirmations, such as the Edo-era phrase "I understood, leave it to me!"[42] and the expression "Of course."[4] In the English localization, these lines are adapted as casual expressions that break away from her usual politeness, rendered as "Damn right it is" and "Hell yes," respectively. In tune with her breaking out of her formality, Sonia can suddenly curse a lot and shout out loud whenever she is very upset or in deep distress, shouting "Jesus! Shit! You son of a bitch!" and "God damn it all to hell!"[42]

    She also butchers proverbs though unintentionally. Prior to the final class trial, Sonia tries to reassure Hajime by attempting to say the proverb "It is not scary if everyone crosses at a red light," but ends up saying "It is not scary if everyone stops at a green light," completely changing the meaning by mixing up just one word.[4] When warning Hajime about the gun on the door of the ancient ruins, she says, "If you were shot by a gun like that, you would have more holes in you than a Beatrice's nest...", which Hajime doesn't understand, immediately correcting her with, "...You mean a bee's nest?" In the original Japanese, she is trying to convey the expression "be riddled with bullets," which is said as "to become a beehive" (ハチの巣になる, hachi no su ni naru). Sonia mispronounces "hachi" (ハチ, bee) as "pochi" (ポチ), a word that doesn't exist, breaking the meaning with just one syllable. She then counters by claiming that this is a real expression used in Novoselic.[41] Her misunderstanding of certain Japanese phrases is perhaps what makes her misunderstand the word which Gundham uses shojo (処女) for virgin, which when spoken sounds identical to shōjo (少女) meaning little/young girl, implying Sonia meant she is not a little girl.[39] However, surveillance cameras around Jabberwock Island reveal that Sonia has been doing "disgraceful things", something she admits to doing and Byakuya of the Future Foundation admits to witnessing.[4] The true nature of this disgracefulness is never revealed. Additionally, according to Monokuma, she visits the bathroom three times a day one day before the fifth trial, and one of those visits apparently takes a while, prompting Sonia to panic and claim that she'll never become Queen if Monokuma airs the footage.[42]

    Interests Sonia takes a great interest in Japanese culture and is a huge fan of Japanese dramas that center on romance and friendship. She can be very enthusiastic, and often quite extensive when discussing related topics.[50] In fact, she learned a great deal of Japanese from watching them,[18] such as repeatedly viewing I Will Arrest Your Eyes![56] Her knowledge of J-dramas surpasses even a local like Hajime, being a fan of older and notable medical dramas such as "If I Turn Around, He's There and That Person in the Wind.[38] Her favorite dramas are those aimed at women aged 20 to 34, just before Japan's economic bubble burst, which she admires for their trendiness, energy, and overall quality.[18] Other dramas she has mentioned watching include The Story of Seven Men and Women[50] and Light My Heart With Fire.[16][57] In her Island Mode, she emphasizes that no matter how boring a drama or movie may be, it is tantamount to fraud to criticize it without watching it to the end. In fact, one must pay even more attention to the boring scenes. She also appears to enjoy anime as part of the Japanese subculture.[58]

    Other than Japanese culture, Sonia is fascinated with serial killers and the occult.[59] She views serial killers as a "marvelous existence," not merely as murderers, because they are people whose value systems differ from others, and coming into contact with them is a very important matter to her.[35] She is knowledgeable about both fictional and real life serial killers. She states that her eyes "light up" while watching Friday the 13th[34] and studies criminal psychology by watching serial crime dramas.[38] When investigating the library on the second island, she immediately picks up an occult magazine containing a special article about Genocide Jack and Sparkling Justice, whom she enthusiastically introduces and is well-informed on, especially the latter, who is her favorite.[31] In her Island Mode, Sonia shows interest in reading encyclopedia of pagan gods, occult literature, banned books, ancient documents, and real spellbooks.[13] She is also interested in Freemasonry, something she acknowledges as a forbidden subject for a princess. She insists that her fascination is purely academic, with no intention of conspiring to overthrow the government or anything of the sort. However, because no one around her understands this interest, she often feels lonely and sorrowful. She believes that it is the duty of every member of the royal family to expand their knowledge, and as such she becomes interested in the occult, cults, and popular dramas.[59]

    Due to her love for the occult, Sonia comes to admire and respect Gundham. His chūnibyō persona as an overlord, combined with his knowledge of the occult, complements her interests well. She is also very fond of his adorable hamsters and appreciates the trust and bond he shares with them, considering them great partners. During their school years, Sonia latches on his eccentric personality and they can even synchronize their movements and speeches, and earns a respectable label as a "low-ranking demon" from Gundham.[24] In the Killing School Trip, they bond while trapped inside the Funhouse, forming as pairs to explore Strawberry and Grape House before the suggestion is even thrown.[39] She is shown to be very in tune with his dark and bizarre ramblings, and unlike others who either get confused or embarrassed, she shows genuine admiration such as wanting to accompany him to "amusement parks in Hell."[39] In the original Japanese, she is the only one that Gundham does not refer to as kisama (貴様) or by their last name, instead calling her "she-cat" at one point or "the Dark Lady" whose great power has yet to be awakened, his fantasized version of Sonia. Whenever Sonia compliments Gundham, he gets visibly flustered and blushes, which Kazuichi often notices and causes him to flag Gundham as his romantic rival. She constantly sides with him in the fourth class trial and regards him to be far greater than the Funhouse's ultimate weapon as he is the one who wields the Four Devas of Destruction. When Gundham is suspected of Nekomaru's murder and ultimately found guilty, Sonia is devastated. She repeatedly denies his involvement and even begs Monokuma to spare him from execution, only stopping when Gundham himself scolds her.[40] After his avatar's death, Sonia holds on to his words about not giving up on life and becomes determined to survive the killing game with the others, which she ultimately does. Sonia takes care of the Four Dark Devas of Destruction afterward, and according to character designer Komatsuzaki, they stay inside her clothes.[48] Sonia rekindles her admiration for Gundham once he is awakened from his coma, as she can be seen talking eagerly to him and his hamsters.[45]

    Talent and Abilities Ultimate Princess

    From the day she was born, Sonia was destined to become the princess of the Novoselic Kingdom. She lives a completely different life from her classmates, where she accepts and believes that her life belongs to her country and its people. As a representative and authority figure of her country, she feels she has a great responsibility to guide her people down the right path.[59] She always tries to stay calm and not show any weakness, even during the killing game, stating that she does not fear death. Even if she were to die, she believes it would be a meaningful death in service to her country and its people. In fact, the killing game was not her first brush with death, as she had experienced various coup d'états and acts of terrorism in her homeland, where she had been abducted twice by insurgents in the past. She became very good at hiding her fear so as not to fill her people with despair. She even admitted that the Killing School Trip felt somewhat easier by comparison, as it allowed her to feel fear honestly for herself.[16] However, during her Free Time Events, she allows her ordinary self to be shown as she admits to Hajime that she is desperate to go home to her people while breaking down in tears.[12]

    Raised within the royal palace to one day become a proper leader of her kingdom, Sonia received an extensive education required for members of the royal family.[35] She became fluent in 30 foreign languages and is highly knowledgeable in various fields such as economics, international law, and diagnostic medicine.[14] She also possesses a deep understanding of more complex topics and can explain them in great detail, including political analysis,[60] the laws of robotics,[39], psychological concepts and their examples such as the placebo and nocebo effects,[4] and even criminal psychology.[61]

    Sonia avidly studies different cultures, believing that dismissing unfamiliar values out of ignorance is foolish. She views this ignorance as a root cause of many wars, including those that occurred in her own country. As a result, she becomes passionate about educating others about her homeland's unique traditions, as many people still struggle to understand them, which she often showcases through her Free Time Events.[59] Furthermore, Sonia strictly adheres every tradition of Novoselic. Even during the killing game, Sonia subconsciously continued to apply the rules she grew up with, such as the expectation that one must arrive exactly 13 minutes early to any arranged meeting, with severe punishments for those who fail to do so.[41] However, she rejects a tradition of consuming a native Novoselic animal species called the Skong. The people of Novoselic consume Skong so they can be recognized as an adults. Sonia thinks that it is nice to retain purebred Skongs as a symbol of high status, but consuming them to their highest bidder could endanger the species. She plans to harness the energy that Skong and Makango released using the old tradition there won't be a need to eradicate a whole tradition.[59]

    Ultimate Princess official translations in other languages Military skills Sonia excels at modern warfare, as it is a required class in her country's grade schools. She states that it is a norm for a child in grade school to operate a tank. She has an understanding of various types of military technology, even suggesting that the students use it to combat the Future Foundation.[41] She is not afraid to attempt blasting open the door to the ancient ruins using what she believes to be real explosives.[42] She showcases her combined leadership and military skills during her time as a member of the Remnants of Despair. She mobilizes an army to spread despair and destruction, monitors their activities from monitoring rooms, and rallies their spirits with her speeches.[29][30] Her illusory counterpart, conjured by Nagito in his dream world, while technically not the real Sonia, also knows how to use a wide variety of weaponry, including firearms such as a rocket launcher and combat vehicles.[44]

    Free Time Events & Bonus Mode Guides The links below are full transcripts and indepth guides for Sonia Nevermind's relationship routes in Free Time Events, Island Mode, Ultimate Talent Development Plan, and Danganronpa S Development Mode including her MonoMono Machine Present preferences and most effective dialogue options.

    Free Time Events Island Mode Ultimate Talent Development Plan Danganronpa S Development Mode Quotes DR2 Extra DR3 Danganronpa 2: Goodbye Despair (English)

    Prologue:

    "My name is Sonia Nevermind. I am foreign exchange student from a small European kingdom called Novoselic. I may cause trouble here and there, but I hope we can get along well." "So, to be able to do something like this with everyone is a new experience for me... ...I shall extol your virtues." Chapter 1:

    "I did not know Mr. Monokuma could cook... His appearance would suggest he is ill-suited for intricate work... I wonder if it is all right." "Furthermore, though Byakuya may be forceful, I believe he has the qualities to be an effective leader. Do you not remember what he said about being destined to stand above all others? He is truly attempting to fulfill that destiny by the strength of his own will. His impressive stature and physique is a testament to his desire to be the Ultimate Affluent Progeny, no? That...is truly grand." "Society is much like fruit. Once it matures, it is inevitable that it will eventually rot. As the economy grows, the private sector stagnates as elders and bureaucrats become more and more powerful... As time passes, this power becomes the status quo, and crushes the seeds of any possible reformation... ...Such a sad trend." "We should not have these fights. We are all friends here...!" "Kazuichi! You should not doubt your friend!" "I must tread carefully so my feet do not stumble. My adventurous heart is pounding with excitement!" "Now that I have finally made friends...there is no way I can doubt them...!" "If we are to survive...this is our only path." "Truly, I am culturally ignorant. I am ashamed of myself..." "He seems like the sort of person whose eyes light up while watching "Friday the 13th"... Just like me." "Cease this bickering!" "Nothing will come from fighting like this. There...there is something else that we must do. There...is something more important we must do. Do our best." "We must first leave here...and get some rest. And then...we shall all work together and do our best. Do our best so we never have to come back here again. That is what...I believe we must do right now..." Chapter 2:

    "After all, it is essential that serial killers be mysterious! What an expert, yes!" "Please hold on! It is a mistake to refer to these people as mere murderers! Coming in contact with a value system that differs from your own is a very important matter. Serial killers...their value system is very different than the norm... What a marvelous existence! Haaaaah! I'm totes intrigued!" "However, an army marches with its stomachs. That being said, let us have breakfast." "Mahiru...probably wants us to do this, too. She would want us to reveal the truth behind her death... But...what she really wanted... She probably wanted to spend time with all of us peacefully...without something like this happening..." "I mean...no matter how much I think about it, I simply cannot believe it! That one of us is capable of committing such a horrible murder... No matter how much I think about it, I simply cannot believe it!" "Fuyuhiko, you cannot do that. Only a coward threatens women." "There should be a new clue contained in what Hiyoko has told us... So...let us believe Hiyoko's words and discuss it once again with everyone!" "But that is... You are wrong... You are not a tool, Peko. Because...if you are a tool... Then what was all that time...we spent together!?" "H-However...we must put that aside since Peko has already been punished... O-Or else we will not be able to advance forward...!" Chapter 3:

    "Get back! Who do you think I am!? Ahhh...that was unintentional...! It is okay...please be your usual self. I shall go wash my face and come back one more time! Now then, ta-ta!" "It would be a waste to leave behind...such wonderful photos." "...Hiyoko has a very kind heart." "You are right... Fuyuhiko will not recover any faster if we just stand around and do nothing." "N-Now is not the time for regret! Let us make haste!" "It has happened once again... Two of my cherished friends died at the same time... I cannot believe it. This is the place where...Ibuki sang for Fuyuhiko... Hiyoko...looked like she was having so much fun listening to her music...And those two are no longer here... Ah...such a tragedy...!" "...We must do this then. For the sake of the two who have fallen..." "Hiyoko... It must be my fault, after all. Then...I must learn the truth behind this murder most foul! Now then, let us proceed!" "The light of hope...? Um...I am happy Nekomaru is returning to us, but...but I... Three of our friends just died... So I honestly cannot be happy... However... ... Even so, I am still happy... If Nekomaru is safe, I am truly happy...!" "Ibuki, Hiyoko...Mikan. Can you hear us? If you are unhappy, I apologize... However...please forgive me for right now... I...want to warmly welcome Nekomaru when he returns to us!" Chapter 4:

    "Stop fighting!!!" "Rather...I feel as though the opportunity to kill increases every time we go to a new island... So...it might be best if we do not go..." "If everyone is going, I shall accompany you as well." "Huh!? There are amusement parks in hell!? I have never heard of such a thing! By all means, please allow me to accompany you next time!" "Why have you given up!? There may still be something on this floor we have not searched yet!" "I agree. Monokuma's eccentric taste would shock even an Indian." "Yes, our team's discovery is number one! We shall not lose!" "It is far too dangerous, even as an experiment! It is possible that we might violate the laws of robotics!" "Why would Nagito say such cruel things...? The Nagito we know...would not talk like that, right? It is as if...he is a different person altogether!" "I do not quite understand, but if it will satisfy Nagito... We should try it out...at the very least." "I might have figured out the reason behind the chain's disappearance! Perhaps...what made this incomprehensible phenomenon possible is... Magic! Miiiiiindreak! Miiiiindreak!" "Imbecile! I am not some woman with flexible legs!" "Understood. Then I shall give it my all... Sonia, here I go!" "No, you are far greater than the Ultimate Weapon, since you wield your Four Dark Devas of Destruction." "Fo' sho! I shall leave this matter to your discretion!" "Wh-Why are you asking that now...? Do you harbor a grudge because my kingdom destroyed your homeland?" "If it is too heavy to carry...let them roll it... Just like if there is no bread, let them eat cake!" "I-Is it really all right to accept the situation so easily!?" "Silence, pest!" "Please believe me! We are not lying!" (to Gundham) "I cannot believe it... I just...cannot believe... You... You killed...Nekomaru...? I cannot believe something like that!" "Wh-Why...? Why did you fight...? We are all friends... Why couldn't you stop this!? Even if both sides agreed... It was still wrong!" "You...are right... This time around...we must move forward... We must continue to live and believe in our friends... If not... Gundham will most likely crawl his way out of hell, and I presume he will be very cross with us..." Chapter 5:

    "In the end...Gundham told us to never give up on life... So I will never give up. I shall fight until the very end. Gundham...please watch over me." "She is right! No matter what, you are our friend! You know, there is a saying in Japan! Fear is grateful for the danger!" "Settle down! If you have the power to fight among yourselves, then direct that power toward our enemy! Now then, let us go forth! Offense is the best defense!" "We were so distracted by all of the horrible situations that kept happening, one after the other... We might have overlooked...a more pressing issue." "Kazuichi Soda! Shut up! How can you not believe in your friends after everything we have endured together!?" "What Nagito just said... Is he implying that believing in each other is a weakness!? That is absurd!" "The issue is not with what he means! Please take back what you said about Byakuya dying in vain! You have been acting very strange lately! I do not like this version of Nagito we have been witness to!" "There is no such person! I mean...the notion that one of us has been deceiving us all along... I will never, ever believe that!" "Gundham...gave his life so he could teach us something important... At the time, Gundham scolded me for attempting to stop his execution... But looking back on it...he would forgive me with a smile on his face, right? Gundham stayed true to himself until the very end... I will never forget that!" "This is not a request...this is an order!" "Then...I may not be competent, so please be patient with me." (to Hajime) "That is right. Courage and recklessness are completely different. If you were shot at by a gun like that, you would have more holes in you than a Beatrice's nest..." "How can you grip the trousersnake if you do not enter its den!? It is a saying for situations like this, right? When you know there is danger but you still must face it! ...What does "grip the trousersnake" mean anyway?" "Then what would you have us do!? Just wait until we all die!? That...is no different than when we were in the Funhouse... And what did we learn there? We learned not to give up on living...right?" "Um...I have not given up yet. I will do my very best to live until the very end. If not...I will not be able to face Gundham, Nekomaru, or the others who have died!" "So this is the power of the Japanese "teru teru bozu"...!" "E-nough already! W-We already have enough to deal with concerning Nagito... Please...do not say anything else that will confuse us...!" (to Monokuma and Monomi) "If only everyone could go home... Nothing would make me happier... No...we should finish the Class Trial, then we can think about what will happen after." "Oh...oh my...? Do you...do you suspect me? I-It is a misunderstanding! I am not the killer! Jesus! Shit! You son of a bitch!" "The bomb was not real, it was merely a fireworks display. God damn it all to hell!" "A plushie bomb is an act of terrorism! Let us rip these apart right away so we can confirm it!" "So...it is going to happen again... The cruel conflict...where we must doubt our friends..." "Nagito...was problematic in many ways...but he was also a valuable asset during the trials..." "Damn right it is"! "Just as I thought, it was the wind pressure! A dust devil blown here from glorious Japan!" "Akane! You should not give it away for free! Make sure they pay you first!" "Th-There is a limit to his constitution! If you got penetrated by something is so big and thick, you would die instantly!" "Like I said...if you get penetrated by something so big and thick, you would die instantly!" "I am sorry... Of course this mystery will not be solved that easily..." "It seems we are stuck... Shall we have tea time?" "Exactly! We should cooperate at a time like this!" "Is giving up all we can do?" "W-we were not tricked! After all, we have been working together all this time... We have been helping each other all this time... Chiaki...being a traitor... Being a member of that horrifying Future Foundation... That is obviously a lie!" "If you say you are the traitor, please provide an explanation that will help us understand! We cannot vote until we are satisfied. That is what you said earlier, Chiaki!" "There must be some mistake! I mean...if Chiaki is the traitor... What was all that time we spent with her!? Was that all a lie too!? Chiaki is... She is being controlled by Monokuma. That is why...we should help her..." "Why are you saying such things!? Do you really want Chiaki to be the traitor!? ...I will not believe it! I refuse to believe Chiaki is the traitor! There is...just no way!" "Enough already... Please do not say another word... I do not want this anymore... I am so very tired...of doubting people... A-And...just because she knew the bomb was a fake... ...does not mean we should decide she is the traitor!" "Are you telling us to believe in you...and sacrifice you? That is just too cruel..." "I-I cannot believe it... Even though I do not want to believe it... ...There is no choice but to believe, right?" "E-Even if you were a traitor... You...never betrayed us. Chiaki...you will always be our friend. Even now... We don't blame you for this! That's why you don't need to apologize!" "Now then, let us make haste to ancient ruin! As long as we work together, we will not lose to Monokuma or anyone else!" Chapter 6:

    "Hell yes!" "It will be fine... There will no longer be any situations where we must exchange each others' lives... So we should do our best as well! Like they say, "It is not scary if everyone stops at a green light"!" "I shall do my best to obtain a wonderful clue that will be useful to everyone. Now then, excuse me." "Please do not compare reality to contact lenses!" (to Monokuma) "Do not joke about the world ending!" (to Monokuma) "I-It is cowardly of you to j-just ignore us!" "But...if we do not understand the principles behind it, then we do not even know if it is really possible..." "There is no way we can choose to stay here after all we've been through..." "This is nothing to LOL about!" (to Alter Ego Junko) "Th-The footage you recorded with the surveillance cameras...was shown to the Future Foundation? Wh-What shall I do...? I did a lot of...disgraceful things in front of those cameras! I will never be Queen now! Please forget what you saw!" "I do not want any more last minute plot twists..." "H-How...much of ourselves do we have to sacrifice?" "Um...I wonder... I do not really understand it myself, but... I just...I just saw it. When my body felt so heavy that I could not move, when I felt as though I was sinking into a deep, black sea... It was at that moment, I somehow heard Hajime's voice... And though it was just a flash, I saw it. Like a lighthouse beacon shining across an ocean of darkness... A warm, yet resolute, light... The one who shined that light...it was probably... ...You saw it too, right Hajime? The future we are going to create from this moment on, it is also the future that everyone has created, right? Then...there is no way we can stop now!" "Um...I am sorry to trouble everyone but... Even if we awaken in the real world and forget about what transpired here... ...it will still have meaning, right?" "Even if I forget...I will use all my might and remember!" Trivia In her Island Mode, Sonia states that she is a good swimmer and is confident enough to win against Hajime in one lap of long-distance swimming around the perimeter of Jabberwock Island.[55] Sonia has the most agree points in Danganronpa 2, at 5.[62] One of her sprites is a reference to Rosie the Riveter. In one of her Free Time Events, if Hajime wrongly recalls Sonia's kingdom name as "Nobitalic Kingdom", she will make a reference to Doraemon, and showcases her knowledge of the well-known manga series by citing its synopsis.[50] In her Island Mode ending, one of the wrong answer options to recall the Novoselic-native animal, Makango, is "Mafuba", a technique designed to seal demons away in another well-known manga series, Dragon Ball.[14] Sonia's Japanese voice actress, Miho Arakawa, also voices Tsubasa Kamii in Danganronpa 3 - Despair Arc. Sonia's English voice actress, Natalie Hoover, also voices Monophanie in Danganronpa V3: Killing Harmony.[63] Sonia's stage actress, Jaimie Natsuki, was married to Gundham's stage actor Masahiro Inoue.[64][65] References Report Card (Japanese) Danganronpa 3 Despair Arc: Sonia Nevermind design profile Report Card Danganronpa 2: Goodbye Despair: Chapter 6 Danganronpa 1.2 Art Book: Sonia Nevermind Design Profile Overview. @Taichinchin on Tumblr: List of Danganronpa and Danganronpa 2 casts former high schools Natalie Hoover: "Announcement!You'll be able to hear me as Sonia Nevermind in the game #Danganronpa2 #SoniaNevemind #voiceActing" (Image of tweet) (18 Feb 2014) Funimation: Danganronpa 3: The End of Hope’s Peak High School Broadcast Dub Cast Announcement (July 28, 2016) synchronkartei: Danganronpa 3: The End of Hope's Peak Academy - Despair Arc Sonia: "Sigh I feel such nostalgia for the Japanese dishes my servant used to prepare." Hajime: "Her servant must've been annoyed to be forced to cook stuff like that." (Chapter 2 - Daily Life) Danganronpa 2: Goodbye Despair: Chapter 1 - Daily Life Free Time Events 5: Sonia Nevermind Island Mode - Library: Sonia Nevermind Island Mode - Ending: Sonia Nevermind Island Mode - Military Base: Sonia Nevermind Free Time Events 4: Sonia Nevermind Introduction: Sonia Nevermind Free Time Events 2: Sonia Nevermind Danganronpa 3 - Despair Arc - Episode 01 Danganronpa 3 - Despair Arc - Episode 02 Danganronpa 3 - Despair Arc - Episode 03 Danganronpa 3 - Despair Arc - Episode 04 Danganronpa 3 - Despair Arc - Episode 05 Danganronpa 3 - Despair Arc - Episode 06 Danganronpa 3 - Despair Arc - Episode 07 Danganronpa 3 - Despair Arc - Episode 08 Danganronpa 3 - Despair Arc - Episode 09 Danganronpa 3 - Despair Arc - Episode 10 Danganronpa 3 - Despair Arc - Episode 11 Danganronpa 3 - Future Arc - Episode 01 Danganronpa 2: Goodbye Despair: Chapter 2 - Deadly life Introduction: Teruteru Hanamura Danganronpa 2: Goodbye Despair: Prologue Danganronpa 2: Goodbye Despair: Chapter 1 - Deadly Life Danganronpa 2: Goodbye Despair: Chapter 2 - Daily Life In the original Japanese version, the guidebook was written in English, a language Hajime doesn't understand, so Sonia, who does speak English, translated it aloud for him. However, in the localized version, Hajime still doesn't understand the language, even though the cast is supposed to understand English. The guidebook remains untranslated, possibly due to oversight or localization constraints. Danganronpa 2: Goodbye Despair: Chapter 3 - Daily life Danganronpa 2: Goodbye Despair: Chapter 3 - Deadly life Danganronpa 2: Goodbye Despair: Chapter 4 - Daily life Danganronpa 2: Goodbye Despair: Chapter 4 - Deadly Life Danganronpa 2: Goodbye Despair: Chapter 5 - Daily Life Danganronpa 2: Goodbye Despair: Chapter 5 - Deadly Life Danganronpa 2: Goodbye Despair: Epilogue Danganronpa 2.5: Nagito Komaeda and the World Vanquisher Danganronpa 3 - Hope Arc Danganronpa V3: Killing Harmony: Chapter 6 @Kaibutsushidousha on Tumblr: Danganronpa 2 Artbook: Sonia Nevermind @Kaibutsushidousha on Tumblr: Danganronpa 2 Artbook - Gundham Tanaka Danganronpa 2 English Website Profile Free Time Events 1: Sonia Nevermind Free Time Events 5: Hiyoko Saionji Sonia: "It has happened once again... Two of my cherished friends died at the same time... I cannot believe it. This is the same place where...Ibuki sang for Fuyuhiko... Hiyoko...looked like she was having so much fun listening to her music... And now those two are no longer here... Ah...such a tragedy..." (Chapter 3 - Deadly Life) Sonia: "My stalker...I mean, Kazuichi, is over there. let us depart so he does not notice us." (to Hajime; Chapter 5 - Daily Life) Fuyuhiko: "Jeez... Even her ignorance has a limit... ...It's Sonia. She had the nerve to say she wanted to check out my body. I don't know where she heard it from, but... She came up to me and said, "Real yakuza are supposed to have tattoos, so show them to me!" It's not funny for her to tell me to strip right in front of her! Who does she think she is!? Besides...tattoos aren't supposed to be gawked at!" (Chapter 5 - Daily Life) Island Mode - Beach: Sonia Nevermind To Arrest Your Eyes (君の瞳をタイホする!) is a Japanese Romantic and Trendy Drama. It aired from January 4th - March 21st 1988 and consisted of 12 episodes. The main plot involves romantic feelings between characters as well as the actions of detectives in Tokyo, Shibuya. Light My Fire (ハートに火をつけて) is a Japanese trendy drama which was broadcasted from April 13th - June 29th 1989. It featured a number of characters living their everyday lives and jobs and the loving relationships they form with each other. Island Mode - Movie Theater: Sonia Nevermind Free Time Events 3: Sonia Nevermind Sonia: ""Society is much like fruit. Once it matures, it is inevitable that it will eventually rot. As the economy grows, the private sector stagnates as elders and bureaucrats become more and more powerful... As time passes, this power becomes the status quo, and crushes the seeds of any possible reformation... ...Such a sad trend." (Chapter 1 - Daily Life) Sonia: "Perhaps criminal psychology is at play here? Even if they know they are not being recorded, there is no way the killer would tolerate... ...committing a murder in front of a camera." (Chapter 3 - Deadly Life) Nonstop Debate: Agreement counters: 2 in the third class trial, 1 in the fourth class trial, 2 in the fifth class trial. Natalie Hoover: "Rise and shine, Ursine! Feel the DIS-BEAR✨🌸✨🌸✨You can hear me as the sweet monokub Monophanie~ #DRV3" (Image of tweet) (25 Aug 2017) Masahiro Inoue Married and is expecting first child. @MAAAAAAAASAHIRO on Twitter: ご報告 私、井上正大は5月8日に離婚致しました。結婚の時と違い簡素なものになってしまいました。今は大変な時期ではありますがきちんとお伝えしたいと思い このような形で申し訳ございませんがご報告させていただきます。 井上正大

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19. #19Teruteru Hanamura

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    Teruteru Hanamura Illustration Sprite DR3 (Despair) Illustration Name Kanji 花村 輝々 Romaji Hanamura Teruteru Katakana ハナムラ テルテル English Teruteru Hanamura Aliases & Titles Talent Characteristics Personal Status Debuts Portrayals

    “ Just because a dish is gorgeous and uses first-rate ingredients doesn't mean everyone will like it. Tastes change depending on likes and dislikes...feelings and emotions...memories and perception... It depends on each person to determine what they believe is tasty...

    — Danganronpa 2: Goodbye Despair ”

    Teruteru Hanamura (花村 輝々), is a student of Hope's Peak Academy's Class 77-B, and a participant of the Killing School Trip featured in Danganronpa 2: Goodbye Despair. His title is the Ultimate Cook (超高校級の「料理人」 lit. Super High School Level Cook); however, he says he wishes to be known under the title of the Ultimate Chef (超高校級の「シェフ」 lit. Super High School Level Chef).

    He, along with Class 77-B, returns in Danganronpa 3: The End of Hope's Peak High School to explore their school life leading up to The Tragedy.

    Contents 1 History 1.1 Early Life 1.2 Prior to the Tragedy 1.2.1 Attending Hope's Peak Academy 1.2.1.1 First Year 1.2.1.2 Second Year 1.3 The Tragedy 1.4 Killing School Trip 1.4.1 Nagito's Plot 1.4.2 Teruteru's Fate 1.5 Post-Killing School Trip 1.5.1 Resurrection and Atonement 1.6 Real Fiction 2 Creation and Development 2.1 Name 3 Alternate Fates 4 Appearance 5 Personality 5.1 Sexuality 6 Talent and Abilities 6.1 Ultimate Cook 6.1.1 In other languages 7 Free Time Events & Bonus Mode Guides 8 Quotes 9 Trivia 10 References 11 Navigation History Early Life Danganronpa 2 CG - Teruteru Hanamura and his mother Leaving home to attend Hope's Peak

    Teruteru hailed from a small town in the countryside, hinted to be somewhere in Kōchi Prefecture, as he previously attended Kochi Prefectural Harajuku High School.[8][9] His family ran a diner that faced trials and tribulations, such as constant attack from cheap chain joints and bullying from a rival store.[6] Teruteru even claimed he once took part in a 'cooking deathmatch' to stall these crises.[5] Perhaps the most distressing challenge yet for Teruteru was being scouted by Hope's Peak and having to leave his sick mother behind. Despite her frailty and frequent collapses, she insisted on running the family diner alone to keep it from going out of business. Wanting to let his mother have the rest she deserved and to save the family business, Teruteru promised her that once he achieved the success guaranteed to all Hope's Peak graduates, he would fulfill his dream of opening diners in Azabu and Aoyama,[4] both of which are notably upscale areas in Tokyo filled with high-class restaurants.

    Once he left his hometown, however, Teruteru began to lie about his country origins, claiming he was born in Nishi-Azabu and raised in southern Aoyama.[13] He even went so far as to refuse to talk about his family diner and would only speak in his accent when agitated.[6][14] He became obsessed with big-city urban culture, even preferring being called the Ultimate Chef rather than his official title the Ultimate Cook.[15]

    Teruteru also has younger half-siblings, born to different mothers, whom he hadn't seen in some time.[5] He later heard they had been scouted by restaurants and were considered as candidates for the titles of Ultimate Male Escort and Ultimate Female Escort—despite being underage. It was said that they generated as much as a hundred million yen annually—far more than Teruteru ever earned.[6] Due to his mix of disdain when speaking about his half-siblings and his recognition of the predatory nature of the work they admired, Hajime found it difficult to pinpoint whether Teruteru was worried about them—or perhaps even jealous.

    Prior to the Tragedy Attending Hope's Peak Academy Main article: Danganronpa 3: The End of Hope's Peak High School/Despair Arc First Year Danganronpa 3 (Despair Arc) - ED (Textless) (12) Teruteru and Class 77-B

    Teruteru was scouted by Hope's Peak Academy and enrolled in Class 77-B as the Ultimate Cook. He helped out at one of the school's many cafeterias, with his becoming the most popular due to his top-notch cooking and creativity with food. His food was noted as being so good and addictive that it felt drugged.[16] This was most likely true, as Teruteru had a history of lacing his dishes with questionable substances.[17] As a result, he frequently missed classes—though this wasn't an issue, as attendance wasn't mandatory for Ultimates as long as they spent their time honing their talent. This gradually began to change thanks to the efforts of his homeroom teacher, Chisa Yukizome, who, together with her students, worked to bring Teruteru and his classmates together and encouraged them to believe that building strong relationships and "hope" among each other was just as important.[18]

    Nagito Fuyuhiko Teru and Kazuichi play Playing video games

    Teruteru was among those who managed to find balance. He attended classes regularly and participated in various class-bonding activities—such as playing video games and eating lunch—all the while collaborating with his senior, Seiko Kimura, the Ultimate Pharmacist, in various recipes like a strength-enhancing soup. As a result, he may have retained elements of her research and incorporated them into his cooking. He even developed a product called "Sexy Sexy Soup," infused with aphrodisiacs that can effectively drown his classmates with lust—after his classmate Hiyoko Saionji, the Ultimate Traditional Dancer, dosed his nikujaga with it to prank him and the others.[19]

    Danganronpa 3 - Despair Arc (Episode 04) - Chiaki Waiting and Nagito's Bribe (19) Bribed by Nagito with a magazine of Sayaka Maizono for Seiko's contact.

    Before the annual practical exam began for Class 77-B, Teruteru learned that Chisa was put on a probationary transfer to the Reserve Course for a semester after a bombing incident involving his classmate, Nagito Komaeda, the Ultimate Lucky Student—whom Teruteru had unknowingly involved by introducing him to Seiko.[20][21]

    Second Year In his upperclassman year, Teruteru and his classmates watched in fear of Reserve Course students launched a massive protest against the main course dubbed by the faculty as The Parade due to their belief that no one would go against the symbol of hope. Around the same time, his classmate Mikan Tsumiki, the Ultimate Nurse, went missing, prompting him and his classmates to search for her on the school grounds, but to no avail.[22][23] The situation worsened when Nagito, who had confronted the mastermind behind Mikan's disappearance and The Parade—the origin of the Ultimate Despair, Junko Enoshima—was knocked unconscious. Their class representative, Chiaki Nanami, then warned them that even Chisa was in danger. Though initially hesitant, Teruteru agreed to help, only to be led into despair by a now-brainwashed Mikan, who suddenly appeared and guided them to Junko's lair somewhere in the underground passageway beneath the school—claiming it was where Chisa was.[24]

    Class 77 Despair Class 77-B brainwashed

    Teruteru and the others were led into what appeared to be the same room later used for the Class Trials. In this very room, Teruteru and the others were forced to watch Chiaki executed in a brutal fashion. Teruteru begged for the broadcast to be stopped, but he was too powerless to do anything. Bearing witness to Chiaki's death caused the brainwashing effect of the video to take hold of Teruteru and the others, plunging them into despair.[25]

    Knowing their plan At the "graduation" ceremony

    Fully brainwashed into becoming the Ultimate Despair, Teruteru and his classmates received their final lesson before "graduation", the one final meeting to discuss their plan to overthrow the world with despair. Teruteru expressed he would "feed everyone lots of nutritious food", before Chisa activated a bomb that faked the death of Class 77-B so they could be taken off the list of protected students. Teruteru and his class stood outside the school grounds as they watched Hope's Peak's destruction.[26]

    The Tragedy Danganronpa 3 - Future Arc (Episode 01) - Intro (10) Poisoning his food

    Teruteru joined the Ultimate Despair after falling prey to Junko's brainwashing.[26] Alongside his corrupted classmates, he started The Tragedy and kept it ongoing even after Junko's death in the final stage of the Killing School Life.[27] Teruteru and his classmates who did not commit suicide to follow their leader Junko soon became known as the Remnants of Despair.[27] They also hacked her body and grafted them onto themselves—though in Teruteru's case, the specific body parts he took remain unknown. His infamous contributions as the Ultimate Despair included injecting poison into his food, using his cooking talent to spread despair by killing starving people with his deadly dishes.[28]

    Danganronpa 3 - Future Arc (Episode 01) - Makoto arriving (6) Remnants of Despair

    Eventually, the Future Foundation secured the custody of Teruteru and the other fourteen - at first only aware that they were survivors from Hope's Peak Academy. When Makoto Naegi, Class 78th's Ultimate Lucky Student, by that time a member of the 14th Division of the Future Foundation, realized that the survivors were in fact, Remnants of Despair, he quickly directed them to Jabberwock Island in secret.[27]

    Danganronpa 2 CG - Neo World Program (4) Neo World Program

    Makoto made them enter the Neo World Program, where their memories were reset to a time prior to their entering Hope's Peak Academy, before they were brainwashed by Junko - resulting in all of them not recognizing each other.[27] The plan was to overwrite Teruteru and the others' memories of themselves as Ultimate Despair, replacing them with good ones in order to undo all the damage Junko had done to them.[29] The scheme backfired when Izuru Kamukura, the Ultimate Hope and the final product of the Izuru Kamukura Project, uploaded Junko's malware AI just before they were to be programmed. Consequently, they were subjected to the identical brutal incident that befell Class 78th, although in a realistically simulated environment. The killing game became known as the Killing School Trip, an ordeal that Teruteru and the other Remnants of Despair were coerced into participating.[27]

    Killing School Trip Main article: Danganronpa 2: Goodbye Despair Danganronpa 2 CG - Students in the classroom Killing School Trip participants

    Teruteru participated in the Killing School Trip alongside fourteen other Remnants of Despair and one Future Foundation observer. It occurred in a virtual world, the Neo World Program, resembling Jabberwock Island. Due to his memories as the Ultimate Despair and life in Hope's Peak Academy being erased by the Future Foundation, he couldn't recognize any of his classmates.[27]

    Hajime Hinata first ran into Teruteru at the hotel restaurant while he was checking out the place. Teruteru claimed to like it and even said he couldn't help but look forward to living on the island after fantasizing about doing inappropriate stuff toward the girls. This was immediately seen when he made several attempts to take advantage of Sonia Nevermind, the Ultimate Princess, though she appeared oblivious to his sexual innuendos and advances.[15]

    Danganronpa 2 CG - Everyone at the beach (1) Offering to rub suntan lotion on his classmates

    Later, Teruteru and the others gathered at the first island's beach, assembled by Usami, the observer of the school trip, an AI programmed by the Future Foundation, who claimed to be the class's teacher. She reassured the students that there was no need to worry and provided Teruteru and the others with swimsuits, encouraging them to fully enjoy their "school trip". Teruteru, already excited about island life, eagerly accepted her offer. He even went to the supermarket to get suntan lotion, planning to rub it on anyone who took him up on it, boys or girls.[30]

    Danganronpa 2 CG - Start of the Killing School Trip The Killing School Trip begins

    The promising tropical school trip, however, turned into a nightmare immediately as Teruteru learned that the evil animatronic bear, Monokuma, the self-proclaimed headmaster of Hope's Peak Academy, had hijacked their trip and turned it into a killing game. Teruteru and the others initially refused to participate. However, they soon learned that they had no choice but to submit after Monokuma made an example of Usami (renamed into Monomi by Monokuma) by blowing her to pieces using Monobeasts.[30]

    Danganronpa 2 CG - Replica Sword Event Coconut Party

    Teruteru appeared shaken by the drastic turn his school trip had taken and remained in a constant state of denial about the reality of the killing game. Despite this, he continued to interact with others—though most of the time, it involved terrorizing them with his unwanted perverted jokes. If Hajime had a replica sword and gave it to Kazuichi, Teruteru would join the two to eat coconuts together, alongside Peko Pekoyama, the Ultimate Swordswoman, and Ibuki Mioda, the Ultimate Musician, who helped cut the coconuts, which they then enjoyed together. He also regularly attended the morning meetings at the restaurant, where he pointed out that the food had not been prepared by him but by Monokuma—calling it extremely subpar compared to his own cooking and claiming that even comparing the two was an insult. He was eager to prove his words once the Ultimate Imposter, impersonating Byakuya Togami the Affluent Progeny at the time, suggested that the group throw a party. Teruteru immediately volunteered to put his cooking skills to use.[13]

    Unbeknownst to everyone, Teruteru's denial and refusal to accept reality worsened after learning from Monokuma that years of his school memories had been erased. It made him desperate to know about what had happened to his sick mother and their diner during that time.[4]

    Nagito's Plot While thinking about his home and mother, Teruteru, who had spent the entire morning preparing dishes for the party, stumbled upon Nagito, who alongside cleaning the party venue was also scheming to murder someone. Teruteru saw Nagito placing a knife under the table, putting the irons he had brought into the storage room, and messing with the air conditioner, all while grinning to himself.[4] This led him to confront Nagito, who, instead of hiding his intentions, revealed his plan to kickstart the killing game. This was done intentionally to pique Teruteru's curiosity and complicate his murder plan by involving the Ultimate Cook, such as casually warning him about the existence of the secret passage beneath the storage room.[31] Instead of warning the others about Nagito's intentions, Teruteru, who was already desperate to return home, saw an opportunity to escape the island on his own by sabotaging Nagito's plan. Teruteru planned to kill him later during the party, which he would justify as a way to save others. Yet to Monokuma, Teruteru's plan was done out of pure desperation and malice devoid of his selfless claim, an accusation that Teruteru couldn't confirm nor deny.[32]

    Danganronpa 2 CG - Everyone at the party At the party

    Shortly before and at the beginning of the party, Teruteru had already finished most of the dishes and was going back and forth between the kitchen and the dining hall to serve the food and arrange the plates. When the Imposter went to the kitchen to confiscate dangerous items, including cooking utensils, Teruteru lied about one iron skewer missing from the list, claiming it had been gone from the start—when in fact, he had hidden it inside a piece of meat that he later intended to use to commit a murder.[4] He was briefly in the hall, watching everyone, especially Akane Owari, the Ultimate Gymnast, devour his food before excusing himself to the kitchen to prepare and bring out more dishes.

    Danganronpa 2 Chapter 1 - Closing Argument Act 4 (1) Preparing to commit murder

    At 11:30 p.m., the blackout staged by Nagito occurred, signaling Teruteru to set his sabotage of Nagito's murder plan into motion. He used a portable stove in the kitchen as a light source and retrieved the iron skewer he had hidden inside the churrasco meat. Carrying it with him into the hallway, he then closed the fire door to prevent the light from peeking into the dining hall. Guided by the stove's light, he went to the storage room and grabbed a tablecloth to block any blood splatter. He then snuck under the floorboards through the secret passage, either turning off the portable cooking stove or leaving it near the door to prevent its light from illuminating the dining hall through the gaps in the floorboards. Instead, he relied on the glowing mark on the knife Nagito had planted under the table to guide him to his target.[4]

    Danganronpa 2 Chapter 1 - Closing Argument Act 5 Killing the wrong target

    When he saw the knife move, Teruteru struck upward with the iron skewer, unknowingly killing the Imposter—who, wearing night-vision goggles, had pushed Nagito away from the table in the dark—thus ending their life. After killing the Imposter, Teruteru purposefully shouted from beneath the floorboards to make it seem like he was still in the dining hall, then rushed back to the kitchen to hide his murder weapon and rejoined the group as if nothing had happened. However, just like everyone else in the room, Teruteru was shocked to discover that his victim was the Imposter—not Nagito, who remained completely unscathed after the deed was done.[33] Prior to the investigation, Nagito, who sympathized with Teruteru for failing to kill him and believed him to be the embodiment of hope capable of overcoming despair, approached him with an offer to help him escape the island. As such, when Teruteru lied to Hajime about fumbling along the wall and feeling his way to the dining hall during the blackout, Nagito remained silent.[4]

    Teruteru's Fate Danganronpa 2 Chapter 1 - Closing Argument Act 4 (2) Teruteru's trick to reach the secret passage during the blackout

    During the class trial, Teruteru did his best to divert the group's attention from the truth. He suggested ideas like the Imposter diving under the table for no reason during the blackout, and claiming the glowing knife might have come from the duralumin case along with the night-vision goggles the Imposter had used. When Mikan suggested that Nagito couldn't be the killer due to not having access to the true murder weapon and having no blood splattered on him, Teruteru quickly tried to shut her down, insisting that Nagito had already confessed to the crime. He also lied about his whereabouts during the blackout. However, Teruteru couldn't avoid being accused once Hajime and the others deduced that the killer used the fire door and a portable stove to move through the dark and murder the Ultimate Imposter from beneath the floorboards.

    Danganronpa 2 Chapter 1 - Closing Argument Revealed Revealed as the culprit

    Teruteru initially denied the accusation, and though he was upset, he still had Nagito backing him up as promised. Their defense however gradually weakened once Teruteru failed to present strong evidence that he was in the dining hall during the blackout. It was proven that he could've shouted from underneath the floor and been heard by Ibuki during the blackout, giving the illusion he was in the dining hall. The most blatant error, however, was his failure to mention or comment on Mikan's embarrassing tripping pose when the light returned, which a pervert like him should've been the first to notice and bring up.[4]

    Danganronpa 2 CG - Monokuma eating the bone meat Monokuma eating the meat where Teruteru hid the murder weapon

    Teruteru became extremely agitated and lost his normal speech pattern once he was cornered and told by Nagito to give up the fight. He began spewing denials and insults in an incomprehensible dialect, possibly from his origin, so unintelligible that only Monomi could understand and translate it for everyone. His last defense was that the unknown murder weapon couldn't be found anywhere, but that was swiftly disproven when its true nature was revealed. The iron skewer, with a bone handle, had been hidden inside a large piece of meat in the kitchen, which Monokuma had eaten and then revealed. With no more defenses left, Teruteru cried as he was correctly voted as the blackened.[4]

    After the class trial ended, Teruteru tearfully explained that his sole motive was to save everyone from letting Nagito kill one of them. However, he didn't expect the Ultimate Imposter to save Nagito, resulting in the Imposter's death instead.[34] As such, he claimed that the murder was unintentional and that he deserved leniency in his punishment. However, Monokuma immediately rejected this, stating that it was just like any other murder, done to save himself from the killing game and sacrifice his classmates in the process.[32] When asked about his true motive, Teruteru revealed that he only wanted to confirm whether Monokuma's claim of their stolen memories was true by any means necessary so he could go back home to see his sick mother and the diner.[35] Kazuichi and Peko were in disbelief as to why someone like Teruteru, who had been in the most denial about their situation, would believe Monokuma's words, which he responded that he still couldn't believe it. Hajime then assumed that it wasn't that Teruteru didn't believe it, but rather, he believed it more than anyone else and had to keep denying it. After apologizing to everyone for killing the Ultimate Imposter, Teruteru stopped begging for forgiveness and only wanted to ask Monokuma the truth about his diner and mother. However, his final wish was never granted as Monokuma dragged him to his execution.

    Teruteru's execution involved him being tied to a pole, where Monokuma, from his helicopter, blasted him with missiles filled with cooking ingredients. A massive missile packed with breadcrumbs hit him before he was dragged by a chain to a volcano. He was then released into the lava, ultimately being fried and transformed into the famous Japanese dish, tonkatsu.

    Danganronpa_2_Chapter_1_Execution

    After his death, Teruteru's classmates grieved for him and promised to work together to escape the killing game. Akane, in particular, was dejected, remarking that the food on the island wasn't as good as his. Meanwhile, Nagito, his co-conspirator and true target, became resented by the group to the point where he was abducted and tied to the crime scene of the Imposter's murder for a few days.[36] Teruteru's deceased portrait in the class trial courtroom can be seen from the second trial onwards crossed out with a fork and knife, referencing his Ultimate talent.[29]

    Teruteru briefly reappeared as an illusion shortly before the countdown ended as the Neo World Program began glitching. He accompanied the remaining survivors to the Ancient Ruins after learning the password from Nagito's video message. However, he vanished once the survivors stepped inside the ruins.[37]

    The illusory Teruteru was later conjured during the game reset sequence of the final class trial, a scenario made by Alter Ego Junko to persuade Hajime and the remaining survivors to graduate. Had she succeeded, it would have allowed her to upload her AI into the comatose bodies of the "dead" Remnants of Despair, effectively reviving them as copies of herself. In this sequence, Teruteru planned to showcase his full cooking ability.[27]

    Post-Killing School Trip Danganronpa 2.5 - (OVA) Nagito regaining his memories (26) Revived Teruteru and his classmates

    After Alter Ego Junko's defeat, Teruteru remained in a coma alongside his classmates, while the survivors waited for them to wake.[27] Eventually, Izuru Kamukura—now merged with Hajime's personality and memories—revived them. Purged of Junko's brainwashing, Teruteru who was now alive and awake from Neo World Program, boarded the boat with the rest of Class 77-B and they all then headed for the Future Foundation HQ, to stop the Final Killing Game involving Future Foundation leaders.[7]

    Resurrection and Atonement Main article: Danganronpa 3: The End of Hope's Peak High School/Hope Arc Danganronpa 3 Hope Arc - Teruteru cooking for Akane Cooking meat for Akane to support her in battle.

    Teruteru and his classmates arrived at the island where the Future Foundation's off-shore facility was located, having left from Jabberwock Island. Having rescued Byakuya Togami and Yasuhiro Hagakure, two members of the Future Foundation and survivors of the Killing School Life, from beneath the rubble, the group set out to confront their one and only classmate, Ryota Mitarai, the Ultimate Animator, who Junko had coerced into creating the brainwashing video that transformed Ibuki and the others into the Ultimate Despair.[22][23] Unlike Teruteru and the rest, he avoided being turned into Ultimate Despair due to his contribution. Thus, the Class 77-B's fight with the brainwashed rescue squad troops, including the Former Super High School Level Elite Task Force, began.[38]

    Venturing into the underwater facility beneath the main building, Teruteru served Akane meat he had cooked on a stove to enhance her speed, which helped her defeat the Super High School Level Street Performer.[38]

    Class 77-B Confronting Ryota

    Later, Teruteru helped convince Ryota to abandon his plan to brainwash the world. During the confrontation, Ryota expressed his belief that he and the other Remnants of Despair could never be forgiven for allowing Junko to plunge the world into despair. In response, Hajime offered Ryota the chance to join them in returning to Jabberwock Island to atone for their sins together. Ryota eventually broke down in tears and agreed, stopping the countdown mere seconds before the brainwashing was completed. Teruteru and the others later came to his side to comfort him.[38]

    Class 77-B acting Remnants of Despair's atonement

    Teruteru and the other former Remnants of Despair shouldered the blame for the Final Killing Game by sending a broadcast video to the Future Foundation. They presented themselves in their despair personas and preserved the Future Foundation's credibility and power to rebuild the world. Having accomplished their atonement, Teruteru and his classmates returned to Jabberwock Island by boat, enjoying a peaceful moment together—each savoring a taste of Teruteru's cooking.[38]

    Real Fiction Main article: Danganronpa V3: Killing Harmony Danganronpa V3 Tsumugi Shirogane Halfbody Sprite (Teruteru Hanamura) (1) Teruteru cosplayed by Tsumugi Shirogane.

    In Danganronpa V3: Killing Harmony, it is alleged by the mastermind Tsumugi Shirogane, the Ultimate Cosplayer, that the entire Danganronpa franchise is fictional in-universe; a series of games, anime, and later live-action dramas performed actors. In particular, Tsumugi, who is the Ultimate Cosplayer, claims she is only able to cosplay fictional characters (breaking out into a bright pink rash whenever she tries to cosplay a real person), and the fact she is able to cosplay as the whole cast of Danganronpa characters including Teruteru Hanamura is used as evidence to support her claim that all of the cast are fictional. However, due to a number of holes in Tsumugi's story which make her an unreliable narrator, whether or not she was telling the truth is deliberately left up to the player's interpretation; as a result, it is up to the player whether they believe Teruteru's story within the Danganronpa series was real, or a fictional story written by Team Danganronpa and performed by an actor.[39]

    Creation and Development Translation Credit: Kaibutsushidousha on Tumblr

    According to creator Kazutaka Kodaka and character designer Rui Komatsuzaki, Teruteru was originally conceived as a "straightforward, sexy chef" and "womanizing cook" character. Komatsuzaki initially drew several handsome, pretty boy designs, then shifted the concept to a "rockabilly" cook, but none of them felt quite right. It wasn't until he sketched a chubby country boy concept—originally intended for Nekomaru Nidai, the Ultimate Team Manager—that the design clicked and became the basis for Teruteru's final look. He was later designed to adopt the urban style of Chef Tatsuya Kawagoe from Yakuza 5, with the addition of a tiny chef's hat—one of his charm points—which became an adored detail among the staff.[40]

    Kodaka's goal with Teruteru's character was to be someone whose appearance reflected his "lustful personality". A "sex monster" who pretended to be a big city boy, yet friendly and "hard to hate." He believed that Teruteru turned out to be a well-written character who fit well with his cute design. Komatsuzaki, on the other hand, felt that Teruteru's dirty jokes were a bit too much for his taste and preferred to remember only the cute aspects of his character.[40]

    Jun Fukuyama, Teruteru's Japanese voice actor, also commented on his character:

    "The best words to describe Teruteru Hanamura are love and broad-mindedness (laughs)! As you know, he's an extremely emotion-driven character. Don't you agree that he shines bright even about the eccentric midst of the Super High School Level students? I'm tremendously blessed to get the chance to voice such an idiosyncratic character. I put my heart and soul into voicing him, and I'm sure you can see the blood, sweat, and tears I poured into his nonsense accent. Nothing would please me more than knowing you could feel Hanamura's, and my own, libido."[40] Name "Teruteru" (輝々) means "radiance" (repeated twice) in Japanese, which was picked to accentuate his cute design, as names with repeated words are considered adorable. Meanwhile, his last name, "Hanamura" (花村), means "village of flowers," meant to convey a rustic image.[40]

    His name was misspelled in the opening movie for the PSP version of the Japanese game writes his surname was "Hanamaru" (花丸). The Vita version corrects this. "Hanamaru" (花丸) means "circle of flowers".

    Alternate Fates Island Mode and Ultimate Talent Development Plan exist in two separate alternate universes where Teruteru still attends Hope's Peak Academy, but no students are in peril. As they are alternate universes, these events are non-canonical, but because Teruteru's personality is unchanged, backstory information shared by him in these events is considered questionably or dubiously canonical rather than fully non-canonical.

    Free Time Events are also considered somewhat questionably canonical due to the nature of how Free Time Events are accessed (in that some characters' Free Time Events cannot be fully completed during the course of the canon game storyline due to limitations on the number of interactions you can have with them during one playthrough, and thus can only be accessed after they have canonically died either through a second playthrough or via Island Mode). However, due to Free Time Events being largely experienced during the canon game storyline, Free Time Events are more grounded in canon than Island Mode and Ultimate Talent Development Plan and are largely considered canon by the majority of players.

    Appearance

    Teruteru has a plump body and wears a classic chef outfit. It is composed of a red apron with a white undershirt, and a red handkerchief/scarf around his neck. Three silver stars are pinned on the right side of his undershirt. A small chef's hat sits on his head. He has dark brown hair all over that is styled in a pompadour that noticeably leans to the left, and constantly carries around a comb to fix his hair. Unlike many characters in the series, Teruteru's eyes are normally two, dark dots or remain closed in the anime fashion. One sprite expression comically has his eyes in a style reminiscent of bishounen manga, and thick eyebrows accompanied with a nosebleed.

    As an Ultimate Despair, he has red clothes, a yellow scarf, and a large red chef's hat. He tends to carry food ingredients on his back.

    His swimsuit in Danganronpa S: Ultimate Summer Camp consists of a dark green, short-sleeved open shirt and knee-length white swim trunks with a drawstring waistband with yellow ties. Both pieces are adorned with a red rose pattern.

    Hope's Peak Academy attire Hope's Peak Academy attire Ultimate Despair attire Ultimate Despair attire Swimsuit (Danganronpa S) Swimsuit (Danganronpa S) Personality Teruteru is very lewd and usually can be seen hitting on anyone near him, male and female alike, often to the point of sexual harassment.[41] He can react to the slightest innuendo that surfaces in a conversation and has no problem voicing his unwarranted sexual fantasies and perverted thoughts out loud.[42] He has a history of drugging people through his food to touch their body without their consent. This is seen in his final Free Time Event, where Teruteru who wants to "inspect" Hajime's naked body feeds him with his rice balls. Other than being naturally delicious, Hajime notices that Teruteru uses an unknown seasoning he refuses to share that sharpens his appetite, making him feel drowsy afterward. He says he "desperately tried to keep [his] fading consciousness afloat," or as Teruteru expects, his core will get strangely warm after eating them.[17] Teruteru also often takes advantage of gullible people, such as trying to trick Sonia into sucking "poison" out of him, and either correctly guessing or actually peeking at Peko to deduce that she's wearing a black thong.[43] He's so lewd and vulgar that even Kazuichi — a fellow pervert who's usually more low-key about it — is impressed by his "confidence."[44] His lewd nature is further proven that his lodge has more porn magazines than it has things related to his real talent. His notorious perversion is well known among his classmates and ultimately leads to his downfall during the first class trial, where he fails to mention the embarrassing and awkward way Mikan fell — something he had been thrilled to witness the first time.[4] Kodaka noted that Teruteru’s unappealing, perverted side gradually diminishes as he spends more time with his classmates at Hope's Peak.[45]

    When he is not making innuendos or hitting on someone, Teruteru is shown to be decently friendly, relatively upbeat, and even compassionate — especially when it comes to food. His motivation for cooking is to make someone important to him smile,[17] and because of that, he takes great pleasure in cooking for others, especially his classmates — a trait consistently shown during his time at Hope's Peak,[18][19] the Killing School Trip,[4] and even after waking up from his coma.[38] He often offers to cook for others, as seen in his Free Time Events with Hajime, where he showcases his true specialty: home-cooked meals.[46],[17] He also frequently caters to individuals like Akane, who not only appreciates his cooking the most but also benefits from it, enhancing her battle performance.[19] In Island Mode, he continues to spoil his classmates by catering to their individual tastes with a variety of dishes, even when it's challenging for him to do so.[47]

    When assimilating from the countryside to the city, Teruteru adopts a fake persona as an urbanite born in the Nishi-Azabu district in Minato, Tokyo, and raised in southern Aoyama. He tries to create an image of a stylish urban individual, sometimes even lying about his life and acting somewhat arrogant. He often demeans the countryside lifestyle and prefers to be called the Ultimate Chef instead of the Ultimate Cook, as he believes it "gives off a more urban feel."[13] He suppresses his country accent, which only emerges when he is extremely agitated, stressed, or angry. In these moments, he yells in an incomprehensible, country-like dialect that is difficult for standard Japanese speakers to understand. In the English localization, Teruteru switches from standard English to a Southern accent reminiscent of the Cajun accent of Louisiana. While it was not difficult for players to understand the text, as in the Japanese version, it proved quite challenging for the other students to comprehend.[4] He also lies about his family owning a fancy, upscale restaurant and claims to be a first-rate chef himself.[17] Whenever someone insinuates otherwise, he distracts them with more lies, implying that he is somehow ashamed of his countryside background.[6]

    This feeling of shame contradicts Teruteru's actions and behavior at times, especially when considering how deeply he cares about his rundown family diner and his sickly mother—so much so that he drives himself to commit a murder.[35] He is motivated to work hard to help his sickly mother and make the people he cares about happy with his food. However, his original goal is often clouded by his desire for fame and fortune,[6] though by the end of his Free Time Events, he is reminded of that simple yet noble goal, caring little for city life or his success as long as he can achieve it.[17] This is why he often inflates the titles of his dishes, making them sound fancier and more befitting of a first-rate chef, such as "Versailles-style Meat and Potato Stew Queue de Boeuf," "Zodiac-style Boiled Etouffee," and "Aztec-style Mackerel Simmered in Miso de Poche."[48] In reality, these are simply home-cooked dishes his mother taught him to make, ones very dear to him.[17] Despite all the hatred he expresses toward the countryside, Teruteru occasionally slips and admits how much he loves the quiet mornings of his hometown, its peaceful breeze, and its green scenery.[13][49]

    During the Killing School Trip, Teruteru is one of the students who react strongly when they are first forced to participate. However, unlike Kazuichi, who openly shows his distress, Teruteru's paranoia manifests differently—much like his usual delusions of being a big city boy—by refusing to accept the reality of the situation. When the group discusses serious topics like the countdown, Teruteru refuses to participate because "it has nothing to do with me." He prefers to distract people by inviting them to accompany him to the restaurant or by engaging in self-dialogue, assuring himself that everything would be okay while visibly shaking like a leaf.[13] In actuality, more than anyone, Teruteru believes everything happening around him—particularly the school memories motive, which ultimately influences him to commit murder. During the class trial, however, he still tries to deny the motive, refusing to believe that he has been away from home for years.[4]

    Sexuality Teruteru is very openly interested in both men and women. In addition to flirting with women whenever given the chance (sometimes to the point of sexual harassment), Teruteru also openly flirts with men. This is shown multiple times throughout the main storyline, starting with how he offers to rub suntan lotion on anyone who would like it—and he doesn't turn down Nekomaru, who accepts, cheerfully saying, "Rubbing lotion on a muscular man...? All right, no problem! My tastes are pretty open, you know!"[30] When the Ultimate Imposter (as Byakuya) declares that they will not allow a single victim to fall under their leadership, Teruteru agrees with Ibuki's statement that they're "so cool," shown with a nosebleed sprite. Later, before the party, when Teruteru cries and clings to Hajime to stop the Imposter from confiscating his utensils, Hajime shoves him away, prompting Teruteru to say, "Eh? Not into that sort of thing? Well, that's a little depressing."[13] In the first class trial, Teruteru screams with joy after Fuyuhiko Kuzuryu, the Ultimate Yakuza, angrily shouts at him.[50]

    Danganronpa 3 Side Despair Episode 01 Teruteru Hanamura tied up by Chisa and Nekomaru During his school year, Teruteru gets a nosebleed when tied by Chisa and Nekomaru. When Chisa hung him from the ceiling, he says "G-getting tied up by a lady in an a-apron..." but she is quickly replaced by Nekomaru shouting at him, and Teruteru continues "It's a man now? Oh! I can work with this!"[18] When Kazuichi carries Nagito on his back on their way to Junko's lair, Teruteru requests carrying Nagito, saying he falls within his 'spectrum'.[25]

    In his Free Time Events, one of the possible introductions is: "Your body just can't live without me? Mmhmhmhm, you're such a naughty boy!". Another possible introduction is "That's fine with me! How about we start by getting to know each other? If you'd like, we can get to know each other with our bodies. Why don't you come to my cottage!?" If Hajime gives Teruteru a present he enjoys, one of the possible responses is: Thank you Hajime! I'll return the favor with my body...!" In his final Free Time Events, Teruteru initially jokes about wanting to plan his future with Hajime "all through the night in bed." Later, he expresses a desire to thoroughly inspect Hajime's naked body before feeding him rice balls, which he is implied to have drugged with a secret seasoning. This seasoning causes Hajime to become drowsy, and Teruteru asks if the rice balls are making his core feel strangely warm.[17]

    In the booklet included in the special edition Japanese BluRay release of Danganronpa 3, Teruteru is described as: "A chef whose passion for sex matches or perhaps even exceeds his passion for food. [...] He seems to be okay with anyone ranging from small girls to older ladies, though it seems like he is also down for men as well."[45]

    In his Island Mode, Teruteru constantly flirts with Hajime and treats their outings as official dates, similar to Nekomaru and Kazuichi, though in Kazuichi's case he calls them "man-dates."[51][52][53] He also craves physical touch with Hajime throughout their dates. If Hajime suggests exploring on a Military Park date, the dismayed Teruteru asks him to hold his hands.[54] If Hajime suggests going to the haunted house, Teruteru, who is initially scared, changes his mind and becomes excited after imagining himself leaping into Hajime's "strong arms."[55] If Hajime suggests eating popcorn on a movie theater date, Teruteru responds that the true purpose of eating popcorn is for two people in the dark to reach into the bag, their hands brushing against each other. He then tells Hajime that he wants to do some "feeling around" with him.[56] He also wants to see Hajime naked, just like in his Free Time Events. For example, he gets excited when Hajime suggests they take their clothes off during a beach date, and on another occasion, he playfully asks to see him in his "birthday suit."[55][57]

    In his Island Mode Ending, Teruteru invites Hajime to his house and family dinner so he can meet his mother. He reveals that he had promised her he would bring his wife when he came back home. When Hajime asks what he means by that, Teruteru cheerfully responds, "Never mind the details!" before excitedly saying, "C'mon, let's go! To our sparkling future filled with hope!" accompanied by a nosebleed sprite.[47]

    Teruteru also openly fantasizes about girls being intimate, as shown when Ibuki claims she is holding hands with Peko. Teruteru immediately fantasizes about them having sex, to which Peko shuts him down.[13]

    Talent and Abilities Ultimate Cook

    As the Ultimate Cook, or as he prefers to be called, the Ultimate Chef, Teruteru takes pride in his cooking and is confident in his abilities — and rightfully so. He began developing his cooking skills by helping out at his family's diner back in his hometown.[5] During this time, he learned home-cooked meal recipes from his mother, such as meat and potato stew, which ultimately became his specialty. According to Hajime, his stew has a strong, delicious smell and is the best he's ever eaten, tasting nostalgic, like a mom's home-cooked meal.[17][48] Teruteru, however, believes that a true chef shouldn't limit the possibilities of their ingredients to just one specialty.[5] He follows his own advice by demonstrating his expertise in a variety of world cuisines. During the party at the old building, Teruteru served cuisines from China, Japan, France, Italy, and, most memorably, South American churrasco dishes.[13] He also possesses knowledge of other European dishes and culture, including Swedish Princess Cakes and Romanov-style tea parties.[46][49]

    Danganronpa 3 Akane consuming the doping corn soup by Teruteru The doping corn soup enhanced Akane's strength

    Teruteru further hones his talents at Hope's Peak, where he often helps out at one of the school's many cafeterias. His became the most popular due to his top-notch cooking and creativity with food. His dishes were so good and addictive that they were often described as having a "drugged" effect.[16] This claim is most likely to be true, as he works with an upperclassman, Seiko, the Ultimate Pharmacist, to develop concoctions like the doping corn syrup that can enhance strength and movement. He also has a product called "Sexy Sexy Soup," which is filled with aphrodisiacs that effectively cause those who consume it, along with food laced with the same substance, to be overcome with lust.[19] During the Killing School Trip, he most likely laces the rice balls he gives to Hajime in his final Free Time Events. In addition to being naturally delicious, Hajime notices that they are "seasoned with something," which Teruteru claims is a "trade secret" that sharpens his appetite. Hajime can't stop eating the food, which later makes him drowsy, struggling to stay conscious, or, as Teruteru expects, causes his core to feel strangely warm.[17]

    Teruteru always prioritizes cooking safe and tasty dishes. This leads him to respect ingredients and develop a keen eye for high-quality ones. He takes it very seriously about what he uses in his cooking and can get upset if things aren't up to his standards. For example, during the Killing School Trip, he complains about the lack of freshness in the supermarket's ingredients, criticizing how poorly they are managed.[46] Despite this, he believes that tastes are shaped more by likes, dislikes, feelings, emotions, memories, and perception, rather than whether first-rate ingredients are used.[17] Teruteru also has a strong dislike for junk food, openly calling it "shitty".[3][4]

    In other languages Teruteru's talent as it appears in official translations of Danganronpa material.

    Language Talent Translation 日本語 Japanese 超高校級の「料理人」 Super High School Level Cook français French Le Cuisinier Ultime The Ultimate Cook * Ultime Chef cuisinier Ultimate Culinary Chef * Deutsch German Super-Highschool-Koch Super Highschool Chef * italiano Italian Super Cuoco Liceale Super High School Level Cook * nci Spanish (Mexico) Supercocinero de preparatoria Super High School Cook * português do Brasil Portuguese (Brazil) Super Colegial Cozinheiro Super High School Cook * Language Talent Translation 日本語 Japanese 超高校級の「シェフ」 Super High School Level Chef Free Time Events & Bonus Mode Guides The links below are full transcripts and indepth guides for Teruteru Hanamura's relationship routes in Free Time Events, Island Mode, Ultimate Talent Development Plan, and Danganronpa S Development Mode including his MonoMono Machine Present preferences and most effective dialogue options.

    Free Time Events Island Mode Ultimate Talent Development Plan Danganronpa S Development Mode Quotes DR2 Extra DR3 Danganronpa 2: Goodbye Despair (English)

    Prologue:

    "My name is Teruteru Hanamura. On the streets, I'm known as the Ultimate Cook... But could you guys call me the Ultimate Chef instead? It has more of a...big-city flavor to it, ya know? Mmhmhm, I hope we get along well." "The most important thing in the world is... Nothing is more important than a cute girl." "More importantly, are you guys hungry? Let's stop thinking about this and just eat." Chapter 1:

    "Compared to the world class dishes I make, a dish that tastes "yummy" would still be considered shit... In fact, even comparing them is out of the question! Comparing MY dishes to this lowly peasant food, how rude! I'm just saying, if you guys ate my food, you wouldn't be able to control yourself. Well, let's just say your jaw wouldn't be the only thing that drops! In fact, your panties would drop, too! Like the black thong Miss Peko is wearing, for example!" "Mmhmhm, I may be a pervert, but I'm the kind of pervert everybody likes!" "No matter how clean this place gets...stuff is still bound to go missing in an old building, right?" "Well, of course you can't stop. These are the world's tastiest party dishes, after all. No matter how full you feel, you can't help but continue eating such exquisite delicacies... That is what I cook, the world's tastiest dishes!" "Jeez...I've decided that there's no way I'll ever be able to live the crude, country bumpkin life." "Well, it's not like I actually believe it, but...if there really is a killer out there... Ugaaah! I'll probably never be able to forgive that killer!" "But walking down that dark hallway to the storage room is like trying to make eggs benedict without any eggs!" "I wanted to make sure that I still have a place to call home!" "I think I'm the one...who went crazy." Panic Talk Action Remarks:

    "I WON'T FORGIVE YOU!" (Voice: “Unforgivable!”) "Shaddup!" (Shut up) "THAT'S IMPOSSIBLE!" "P-PARIS HILTON!" "NONSENSE!" "RAAAAAGH!" "HMPHHHHH!" "I dunno, I dunno, I dunno!" "Where would the weapon be!" Chapter 5:

    "******|anj63t&%&%&mama&:[+ --- what7732happenedHanamu%%raDinner)" (Teruteru's cottage post-fifth trial) Trivia Teruteru shares similarities with Leon Kuwata[58] and Kaede Akamatsu[59], the Chapter 1 killers of their respective games. The three are dragged out of the courtroom by chains around their necks, leading them to the execution site, where Teruteru and Leon are strapped to a pole. The end of their execution always involves their fellow participants witnessing the execution and the dead body. Teruteru and Leon both use kitchen utensils as weapons to murder their victims. Their plan backfires, with Teruteru and Kaede inadvertently killing the wrong targets, while Sayaka Maizono who planned to kill Leon becomes the victim instead. Additionally, Kaede fails to kill her supposed victim, Rantaro Amami, forcing the mastermind to take matters into their own hands and kill him. Teruteru and Leon pleaded self-defense for their murders, but their requests were rejected, as both had clear opportunities to avoid killing yet chose to proceed. Teruteru mentions various Western celebrities throughout the series. He screams "AVRIL LAVIGNE!", a Canadian singer-songwriter and actress, when cornered in the Class Trial.[4] During his Panic Talk Action, one of his remarks is "P-PARIS HILTON!" - referring to Paris Whitney Hilton, a female American socialite, actress, and entertainer.[4] In Danganronpa 3 (Despair Arc), he screams Taylor Swift's name, an American singer-songwriter.[19] In Danganronpa 3 (Side: Hope), he screams "Justin Bieber!", a Canadian singer and songwriter, as Akane runs past him.[38]

    Teruteru is referenced in Danganronpa Another Episode: Ultra Despair Girls by a restaurant named Pig★Boy. The logo shows a pig dressed almost identically to Teruteru, even sporting the same hair. The restaurant itself could be a reference to Teruteru's execution, which is called Tonkatsu no Hanamura in the original Japanese release - since tonkatsu is fried pork cutlets. Teruteru shares his English voice actor, Todd Haberkorn, with Korekiyo Shinguji.[60] Teruteru's Japanese voice actor, Jun Fukuyama, also voiced Tarō Kurosaki in Danganronpa 3 - Despair Arc. References Report Card (Japanese) Danganronpa 3 Despair Arc: Teruteru Hanamura design profile Report Card Danganronpa 2: Goodbye Despair: Chapter 1 - Deadly Life Free Time Events 1: Teruteru Hanamura Free Time Events 2: Teruteru Hanamura Danganronpa 2.5: Nagito Komaeda and the World Vanquisher Danganronpa 1.2 Art Book: Teruteru Hanamura Design Profile Overview. List of DR and DR2 casts former high schools Todd Haberkorn: Todd Haberkorn at Anime Expo 2015 (11 July 2015) Funimation: Danganronpa 3: The End of Hope’s Peak High School Broadcast Dub Cast Announcement (July 28, 2016) synchronkartei: Danganronpa 3: The End of Hope's Peak Academy - Despair Arc Danganronpa 2: Goodbye Despair: Chapter 1 - Daily Life Hiyoko: "...Where are you from again?" Teruteru: "Oooh I was born 'n West Azabu and raised 'n South Aoyama!" Hiyoko: "Hey, you guys! This guy's a major liar!" (Chapter 1 - Deadly Life) Introduction: Teruteru Hanamura Mentioned in Danganronpa Zero Free Time Events 5: Teruteru Hanamura Danganronpa 3 - Despair Arc - Episode 01 Danganronpa 3 - Despair Arc - Episode 02 Danganronpa 3 - Despair Arc - Episode 04 Danganronpa 3 - Despair Arc - Episode 05 Danganronpa 3 - Despair Arc - Episode 07 Danganronpa 3 - Despair Arc - Episode 08 Danganronpa 3 - Despair Arc - Episode 09 Danganronpa 3 - Despair Arc - Episode 10 Danganronpa 3 - Despair Arc - Episode 11 Danganronpa 2: Goodbye Despair: Chapter 6 Danganronpa 3 - Future Arc - Episode 01 Danganronpa 2: Goodbye Despair: Chapter 2 - Deadly life Danganronpa 2: Goodbye Despair: Prologue Chiaki: "Nagito wanted to involve us in the killing... Plus, it'd be better for him if the mystery was more complex... Is that why you blatantly revealed your plan to Teruteru? You expected to pique Teruteru's curiosity... And you looked forward to the mystery becoming more complex." Nagito: "Well...you're basically right. It's true I was looking forward to that. That's why I took the time to tell him about the secret passage I found while I was cleaning... I just casually mentioned it: 'oh, it's dangerous if you fall, so don't get too close to it.'" (Chapter 1 - Deadly Life) Monokuma: "Be honest... After learning about Nagito's plan, you saw an opportunity, right? You probably thought nobody would find out if you killed him after messing up his plan, right...? That's what you thought, right? There's no way a person who has no malice...would kill someone like that. In truth, you were just desperate to kill Nagito...and willing to sacrifice everybody else to survive, right? Just be honest already...at least, in the end." (Chapter 1 - Deadly Life) Sonia: "But why...why did you kill Byakuya instead?" Teruteru: I-I don't know! Because... Nagito was the one who was supposed to take that knife... Th-That's why...I aimed and thrusted the iron skewer there... But why is Byakuya the one who died!? It was supoosed to be Nagito, not him!" (Chapter 1 - Deadly Life) Chiaki: "Byakuya was probably trying...to protect Nagito. Cuz...Byakuya said so, didn't he?" Chiaki: "As long as he was wearing the night-vision goggles... I'm sure he saw someone moving under the floorboards. And that someone...was aiming for Nagito." Mahiru: "S-So Byakuya gave his life to protect Nagito? Even though he was trying to take the knife?" (Chapter 1 - Deadly Life) Teruteru: "Even though she's sick...and alone...she's still waiting for me. That's why I need to go home!" Teruteru: "I-I still don't believe it! There's no way I can believe it... It...it has to be a lie... That's why I wanted to go home! I wanted to...go home and confirm it... I wanted to make sure...it was all just a lie... I wanted to make sure that I still have a place to call home!" (Chapter 1 - Deadly Life) Danganronpa 2: Goodbye Despair: Chapter 2 - Daily Life Danganronpa 2: Goodbye Despair: Chapter 5 - Deadly Life Danganronpa 3 - Hope Arc Danganronpa V3: Killing Harmony: Chapter 6 @Kaibutsushidousha on Tumblr: Danganronpa 2 Artbook: Teruteru Hanamura Teruteru: "Mmhmhm...I'm a little jealous now. Getting tied up by Miss Mahiru... Maybe I should run away, too... JUST KIDDING!" Teruteru: "Oh, did you need something? Don't worry, I've already prepared all of the dishes. Or rather... Did you want me to cook you up, too?" (Chapter 1 - Daily Life) Teruteru: "I am weird, aren't I...? At times like this, I'd rather be fantasizing about...tonight's "main dish"..." Hiyoko: "Ewww! You totally mean that in a perverted way!" (Chapter 1 - Deadly Life) Teruteru: In fact, your panties would drop, too! Like the black thong Miss Peko is wearing, for example!" Peko: "You creep! How do you know about that?!" Teruteru: "So Miss Peko was wearing a black thong... At this rate, I should make my move with Miss Sonia too." (Chapter 1 - Daily Life) Teruteru: "Pressing up against ladies...without sneaking aboard the women-only train in drag... I feel so lucky." Kazuichi: "I can't believe how comfortable you are with saying your perverted thoughts out loud..." Teruteru: Mmhmhm, I may be a pervert, but I'm the kind of pervert everybody likes!" Kazuichi: "Your confidence is seriously impressive..." @Jinjojess on Tumblr: Despair Arc Profile: Teruteru Hanamura Free Time Events 3: Teruteru Hanamura Island Mode - Ending: Teruteru Hanamura Free Time Events 4: Teruteru Hanamura Island Mode - Jabberwock Park: Teruteru Hanamura Teruteru: "Oh noooooo-ho-ho-haha-hmhm!" Hiyoko: "Wow, he got chewed out, but he looks super happy!" (Chapter 1 - Deadly Life) Island Mode - General Reactions: Teruteru Hanamura Island Mode - General Reactions: Nekomaru Nidai Island Mode - General Reactions: Kazuichi Soda Island Mode - Military Base: Teruteru Hanamura Island Mode - Amusement Park: Teruteru Hanamura Island Mode - Movie Theater: Teruteru Hanamura Island Mode - Beach: Teruteru Hanamura Danganronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc: Chapter 1 - Deadly life Danganronpa V3: Killing Harmony: Chapter 2 - Deadly life Todd Haberkorn: "@ToxicToxsa: @ToddHaberkorn Korekiyo Shinguji DRv3? @ToddHaberkorn: Bam :)" (Image of tweet) (13 July 2017)

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