SDR2.. On an airplane ?

Danganronpa 2: Goodbye Despair is a visual novel adventure game developed by Spike Chunsoft, first released in Japan for the PlayStation Portable on July 26, 2012. It is the second main title in the Danganronpa series and a direct sequel to Danganronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc. The game strands a new cast of "Ultimate" students on a tropical island for a school trip that quickly devolves into a murderous game orchestrated by the series antagonist, Monokuma.

List of characters: Akane Owari, Fuyuhiko Kuzuryu, Hajime Hinata (+ Izuru Kamukura), Nagito Komaeda, Chiaki Nanami, Hiyoko Saionji, Mikan Tsumiki, Kazuichi Soda, Gundham Tanaka, Sonia Nevermind, Ibuki Mioda, Mahiru Koizumi, Peko Pekoyama, Nekomaru Nidai, Teruteru Hanamura, Byakuya Twogami (Ultimate Imposter).

• Akane Owari/Character description: 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 and its upcoming remake, Danganronpa 2x2. Her title is the Ultimate Gymnast (超高校級の「体操部」 lit. Super High School Level Gymnastics Club Member).

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. 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. It had scarce food and medicine, a lack of soft blankets, and constant leaks whenever it rained. Akane and her siblings starved so often that it made her value food above anything else, and did everything to get access to food. 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.

On top of frequently starving, receiving physical and sexual abuse became a norm for her. 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. They also pressured her into doing "weird" jobs, such as waitressing without underwear, where some customers attempted to motorboat her. 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.

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." 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. 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." 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. 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.

While working as a waitress, 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. 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.

Akane gained her reputation as an "all-around super athlete" while attending Hikarimachi High School.

Fuyuhiko Kuzuryu & Peko Pekoyama/ Character description: 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 and its upcoming remake, Danganronpa 2x2. His title is the Ultimate Yakuza (超高校級の「極道」 lit. Super High School Level Gangster).

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 and its upcoming remake, Danganronpa 2x2. Her title is the Ultimate Swordswoman (超高校級の「剣道家」 lit. Super High School Level Kendoka).

Fuyuhiko is the heir to the Kuzuryu yakuza clan, the largest criminal syndicate in the nation, with a membership surpassing 30,000. He 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 had 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.

Being a rambunctious kid, Fuyuhiko took Peko through a childhood filled with bizarre adventures with him. 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. 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.

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. Since he often couldn't climb back down on his own, Peko would have to come to his rescue. This close bond they shared made Fuyuhiko resent the idea that Peko saw herself as nothing more than a tool. He never viewed her that way or asked her to be one, and always wanted her to be "herself."

Peko, on the other hand, noted that despite being a yakuza, Fuyuhiko had a kind heart. 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 her 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.

Fuyuhiko attended Suzuran High School before being scouted to attend Hope's Peak Academy's Class 77-B as the Ultimate Yakuza alongside Peko, who was scouted as the Ultimate Swordswoman. He instructed her to keep their professional relationship a secret and to treat each other like normal classmates.

Hajime Hinata (+ Izuru Kamukura)/ Character description: 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 and its upcoming remake, Danganronpa 2x2. 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 ???).

Hajime grew up with no known relatives apart from his parents. Although their parent-son dynamic remains largely unknown, Hajime mentioned once having a pleasant dream about his childhood, which led him to feel happier and more energized than usual. Like most parents, they would reprimand Hajime whenever he ditched school events during elementary and middle school. Other aspects of his past he brought up include having friends and a few spots he frequented, such as a nearby bookstore, a convenience store, and a favorite restaurant of his.

Beyond his upbringing, Hajime was an average person leading an average daily life and routine. He spent his days commuting to school, studying, attending exams and lectures, job hunting, and going for walks in his free time. He felt ambivalent about school and did not participate in any clubs, except for having an experience of taking care of a hermit crab he passed around in elementary school. He stated that he had limited experience, was not knowledgeable, and had never been interested in many things, including sports such as surfing or rugby, music in general or playing any instruments, the occult, photography, animal breeding, martial arts such as kendo, or mastering any type of weapon.

In reality, Hajime possessed no special talent whatsoever. This led him to develop insecurities and a longing to belong somewhere he could feel more confident in himself. That desire manifested as his admiration for Hope's Peak Academy ever since childhood, and dreamed of attending it one day. However, since he lacked an Ultimate talent, the only way for him to attend the academy was by applying to its Reserve Course department. This required him to pass a basic entrance exam and pay a costly entrance fee and tuition, which were covered by his parents. Hajime fulfilled these requirements, allowing him to transfer from his former school, Kodaka High School, to the Hope's Peak Reserve Course.

Izuru Kamukura (カムクラ イズル) is a central character in the Danganronpa series. He is the end product of Izuru Kamukura Project, the "perfect genius" granted the title of the Ultimate Hope (超高校級の「希望」 lit. Super High School Level Hope).

Izuru, named after the founder of Hope's Peak Academy, is the true mastermind of the Killing School Trip who uploaded the malware AI of Junko Enoshima, Alter Ego Junko, ultimately sabotaging the supposedly peaceful Neo World Program and turning it into a killing game. He is revealed to have participated as the avatar of his erased past self, Hajime Hinata. After surviving the killing game, Izuru decides to live on as Hajime, adopting Hajime's original appearance and much of his former personality, while still retaining aspects of his Izuru self.

(But just for the fun of it, I'm making Hajime and Izuru 2 separate people. You're welcome.)

Nagito Komaeda/ Character description: 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 and its upcoming remake, Danganronpa 2x2. His title is the Ultimate Lucky Student (超高校級の「幸運」 lit. Super High School Level Good Luck).

Nagito was born into a wealthy family and extraordinary luck, causing him to experience repeated cycles of extreme bad luck followed by even greater good luck. The earliest known occurrence was when his beloved pet dog was killed after being hit by a truck, devastating him. The good luck that supposedly came afterward, however, remained unmentioned. Another cycle transpired while he was in elementary school, boarding a plane alongside his family from the San Cristóbal Airport. Once they boarded, the plane was hijacked. Conveniently, a meteorite the size of a closed fist struck the airplane at the right time, hitting the hijacker and his parents, who died instantly.

The surviving Nagito disturbingly retold this tale in an optimistic manner, believing it was good luck since he obtained his freedom on top of inheriting their immense fortune as he had no other living relatives. Though this implied that he had a strained relationship with his parents, supported by the fact that he once mentioned offhandedly that his mother never complimented his appearance, he remembered during Island Mode that his parents once took him to an amusement park during his childhood. He was also terrified by the mere idea of an aircraft, where his parents had perished. Nonetheless, the cycle continued. While kidnapped by a murderer, Nagito found a lottery ticket inside the trash bag that his kidnapper had stuffed him in. After he was safely taken in by the police, he discovered that the lottery ticket was worth 300 million dollars, much to his surprise.

Having suffered endless tragedies due to his luck, which often harmed those around him as well, Nagito developed an intense and unhealthy faith in hope as a way to continue living and find meaning in his life. To him, hope is a positive force, and everything it creates is "an absolute good." Moreover, he came to perceive his luck, his innate talent, which defines his entire existence and operates entirely beyond his control, as "a unique type of hope." It possesses the qualities of "absolute power," unleashing catastrophes that are invariably followed by even greater miracles capable of overshadowing the despair his misfortune caused.

Nagito then became obsessed with the idea of becoming a vessel for hope, a coping mechanism for enduring his inescapable luck cycle and a justification for his continued self-perceived worthless existence. Many people, however, found his blind devotion toward hope disturbing, causing Nagito to not have many close friends or even acquaintances, and were often misunderstood.

Since he had no living relatives, Nagito became vulnerable to his disease, only learning that he had stage 3 malignant lymphoma accompanied by frontotemporal dementia while attending Spiral High School. Right after he was diagnosed, along with a life expectancy of six months to a year, he won the annual lottery to attend Hope's Peak Academy, an institution he idolized, as the Ultimate Lucky Student, which he believed had balanced his situation out. He initially declined the offer, however, thinking he did not deserve the opportunity, and only gave in after the academy adamantly wanted to research his incomprehensible talent.

Being on the verge of death did not change his strong faith in hope and his own luck, though he admitted that he felt lonely at the prospect of dying alone. It led him to realize his one true desire: to be loved by someone. He managed to overcome his condition, later living well past the events of The Tragedy. It was never explicitly stated how he overcame it, other than as yet another form of his luck cycle.

Chiaki Nanami/ Character description: Chiaki Nanami (七海 千秋), is a participant of the Killing School Trip featured in Danganronpa 2: Goodbye Despair and its upcoming remake, Danganronpa 2x2. Her title is the Ultimate Gamer (超高校級の「ゲーマー」 lit. Super High School Level Gamer).

During the events of The Biggest, Most Awful, Most Tragic Event in Human History, a psycho-therapeutic virtual reality rehabilitation program known as the Neo World Program or the Hope Restoration Program was activated by Makoto Naegi, a member of the 14th Division of Future Foundation, to undo the trauma and brainwashing inflicted on the Remnants of Despair. They were former members of Hope's Peak Academy's Class 77-B who had been turned into tools of despair by the mastermind of the Tragedy, Junko Enoshima.

Using the research conducted by the Ultimate Programmer Chihiro Fujisaki, a co-creator of the Neo World Program, two non-playable characters known as the Observers were created. Their task was to help the overseer Alter Ego, Chihiro's artificial intelligence program, to directly guide the 15 participants and carry out the pre-programmed objectives of the session. The first Observer was Usami, who assumed the teacher role and had the authority to create and manage rules.

The second Observer was to fill the student role, thus not having any special authority to blend with the participants. They were initially programmed to take the appearance and personality influenced by the thoughts and memories of the users, such as esteemed authority figures, and fuse their personalities into one AI. However, the collective conscience of all participants, including one Reserve Course student Hajime Hinata, desired to see their beloved friend, Chiaki Nanami. She was the late Class 77-B representative whose death had been exploited by Junko to brainwash them into despair. As a result, the program was altered to replicate Chiaki's appearance and personality, identifying herself as the Ultimate Gamer.

Due to the nature of her creation, the AI Chiaki considered Chihiro as her father, and Alter Ego and Usami as her siblings. Though she was fond of her father, the knowledge she had about him was mostly hearsay, as he had passed away prior to the Neo World Program activation. She inherited Chihiro's ineptitude in the dating sims genre or socializing in general, as well as his programming skills and kindness. She was also programmed never to reveal her identity as an Observer on her own, or later during the killing game, as "the traitor."

Gundham Tanaka/ Character description: 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 and its upcoming remake, Danganronpa 2x2. His title is the Ultimate Breeder (超高校級の「飼育委員」 lit. Super High School Level Animal Breeding Committee Member).

Gundham 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, 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. 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.

Gundham seemed to have an absent father, as his mother is the only parental figure he explicitly mentioned and credited with raising him. He only 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."

While attending Fazal Commerce High School, 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. 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." 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 settled to assist with his breeding duties.

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. 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.

Mikan Tsumiki/ Character description: 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 and its upcoming remake, Danganronpa 2x2. Her title is the Ultimate Nurse (超高校級の「保健委員」 lit. Super High School Level Health Committee Member).

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. Among other things, she mentioned being splashed with water, smeared with mud, and getting burned with cigarettes. 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. She was even told to strip at times. In addition, she didn't have many friends. 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.

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.

Hiyoko Saionji/ Character description: 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 and its upcoming remake, Danganronpa 2x2. Her title is the Ultimate Traditional Dancer (超高校級の「日本舞踊家」 lit. Super High School Level Classical Dancer).

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.

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. She also mentioned how she always felt calm whenever her dad is near her, unlike her mother whom Hiyoko disregarded as "all pride and no talent" and "a waste of oxygen."

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.

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.

Ibuki Mioda/ Character description: 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 and its upcoming remake, Danganronpa 2x2. Her title is the Ultimate Musician (超高校級の「軽音楽部」 lit. Super High School Level Light Music Club Member).

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. She also claimed to have nearly died once when she shook a coconut tree and three coconuts fell on her head.

As a teen, Ibuki attended a girls-only high school called Shiba Academy. 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.

Mahiru Koizumi/ Character description: 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 and its upcoming remake, Danganronpa 2x2. Her title is the Ultimate Photographer (超高校級の「写真家」 lit. Super High School Level Photographer).

While Mahiru was growing up, her mother, a war photographer, 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.

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. Her animosity toward Mahiru caused Sato to resent her, which persisted until their high school days.

Nekomaru Nidai/ Character description: 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 and its upcoming remake, Danganronpa 2x2. His title is the Ultimate Team Manager (超高校級の「マネージャー」 lit. Super High School Level Coach).

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 his athletes visiting him, 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 speculated 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.

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. 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.

Afterward, Nekomaru engaged himself in various sports making his body incredibly tough and developing significant muscle strength in the process. 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.

It was 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 expressed fears about his heart, such as worrying it might give out if he entered a haunted house or rode a rollercoaster without a proper warm-up. Nonetheless, considering he would be at least 20 years old or older by the conclusion of the Final Killing Game, it was apparent that he managed to surpass his illness.

Prior to being scouted by Hope's Peak Academy, Nekomaru attended First Yokoyama High School.

Kazuichi Soda/ Character description: 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 and its upcoming remake, Danganronpa 2x2. His title is the Ultimate Mechanic (超高校級の「メカニック」 lit. Super High School Level Mechanic)

Kazuichi had a rough upbringing due to his family's financial problems. He ran the family bike shop together with his father, but they struggled to sell anything. Their only customers were those who needed a flat tire fixed or air pumped. He claimed his father was "hopeless", so he was the one who always helped out at the shop. Kazuichi's family was so poor that he had to fake being sick and stay home to skip the middle school trip, though he had other reasons as well such as finding his classmates "boring." He received a beating from his father when he found out.

Despite the stagnant business, Kazuichi got plenty of practice with his mechanic skills after constantly being surrounded by junk and tools since childhood. He grew a habit of taking things apart and putting them back together, as well as fixing things that need fixing, from bikes, cars, and kids' toys, to household appliances. He tinkered, modified, and invented various things both at home and school. His greatest invention was attaching an engine to the machine that draws chalk lines on soccer fields. However, it escaped through the school entrance at full speed, without turning or stopping.

Growing up, Kazuichi was a very skittish person which made him easily picked on. He described himself as a "weak, cowardly kid" who did nothing but study and tinker with machines, which led him to believe that everyone who spoke to him was a nice person. Even when he was betrayed or lied to, he convinced himself they had a good reason for it, because he was too afraid to admit the truth. However, he did have a best friend in middle school, with whom he did everything and could talk about anything. Once, Kazuichi let him cheat off his test because his friend had begged him for help, but they both got caught. 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. It took him a few years to realize that his best friend had been avoiding him possibly out of guilt and an inability to face him. The middle schooler Kazuichi, however, began to develop trust issues, viewing humans as "creatures that betray each other."

After drifting apart from his best friend, Kazuichi grew fed up with being walked over by others and decided to change his appearance entirely. He dyed his hair and started wearing contacts. Although he was initially unsure about what he wanted, he tried different styles and eventually settled on the appearance he had during the Killing School Trip. His altered appearance caused the people who used to hang around him to keep their distance, while instead attracting "punkasses" to him. Since then, Kazuichi hasn't needed to trust anyone and hasn't been betrayed either. Even "hot girls" started coming on to him, which he admitted was a little scary.

While attending Tōshima Industry High School, Kazuichi was scouted by Hope's Peak Academy to be enrolled in Class 77-B as the Ultimate Mechanic.

Sonia Nevermind/ Character description: 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 and its upcoming remake, Danganronpa 2x2. Her title is the Ultimate Princess (超高校級の「王女」 lit. Super High School Level Princess).

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 and doing all the cleaning. 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. 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.

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. 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. Brushing with death was not a new experience for Sonia as she was abducted twice by insurgents in the past.

From her genteel upbringing, Sonia became quite sheltered as she never had a friend of equal standing. 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. 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. 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. Before her foreign exchange to Japan, Sonia attended In Utero School in her home country.

Teruteru Hanamura/ Character description: 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 and its upcoming remake, Danganronpa 2x2. His title is the Ultimate Cook (超高校級の「料理人」 lit. Super High School Level Cook).

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. His family ran a diner that faced trials and tribulations, such as constant attack from cheap chain joints and bullying from a rival store. Teruteru even claimed he once took part in a 'cooking deathmatch' to stall these crises. 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, 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. He even went so far as to refuse to talk about his family diner and would only speak in his accent when agitated. He became obsessed with big-city urban culture, even preferring being called the Ultimate Chef (超高校級の「シェフ」 lit. Super High School Level Chef) rather than his official title the Ultimate Cook.

Teruteru also has younger half-siblings, born to different mothers, whom he hadn't seen in some time. 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. 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.

Byakuya Twogami (Ultimate Imposter)/ Character description: The Ultimate Imposter (超高校級の「詐欺師」), 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 and its upcoming remake, Danganronpa 2x2. They impersonate Byakuya Togami as the Ultimate Affluent Progeny (超高校級の「御曹司」 lit. Super High School Level Heir).

The Ultimate Imposter was described as someone born with no name, no family, no birth certificate, and, more simply, no identity of their own. This nothingness rendered them completely invisible and stripped their life of meaning. All they possessed was a desire to live a normal life and have their existence acknowledged. To fulfill these desires, they resorted to the only option available to them: stealing the identities of others. In their Island Mode, they explained that they couldn't even exist unless they assume someone else's appearance. As such, they impersonated various people, moving from one identity to another. Each time they were discovered, they were forced to disappear and assume a new persona — all in the pursuit of simply wanting to exist, not for petty goals like acquiring money or power.

Due to this lifestyle, the Ultimate Imposter became a distrustful person for as long as they can remember, developing a deeply skeptical nature, distrusting others and being distrusted in return. They described this existence as a living hell, as they never truly wanted to live a lie or deceive anyone, not even themselves. One of the few sources of comfort for them is food, particularly fast food, as its consistency across different locations offers a sense of safety and consistency, something often taken for granted by those with a defined identity. They became very enthusiastic about food and decided to gain a heavier build.

In Danganronpa Kirigiri, their reputation as a young swindler grew through online rumors, leading a scam artist Yūzen Minase to accuse Kyoko Kirigiri, the Ultimate Detective of Class 78th, who was still in junior high school at the time, of being the Ultimate Imposter, believing her to be not a real detective but a con woman.

At some point, the Ultimate Imposter chose to impersonate Byakuya Togami, the Ultimate Affluent Progeny of Class 78th. They admired his underdog story of defeating hundreds of siblings to claim his title, describing him as "the most absolute existence" they had ever seen. However, they soon began to impersonate Ryota Mitarai, the Ultimate Animator, so that the other boy could spend all his time on animating. Ryota frequently overworked himself and often forgot to eat, so the Imposter regularly checked on him and brought him food. The two lived together during this time.

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